"Gallery" is Coming to my Shop!!

The wedding is over and the new house has come together nicely, so now it's time to get back to making some fabulous baubles!! I've been a jewelry making machine the past week or so, newly inspired and ready to go.

I'm happy to announce that I'm adding a "Gallery" section to my store within the next week or two. This section will feature higher quality gemstones and findings, as well as various items that took more time than usual to make or just have that special "flair" to them. Items in this section will be slightly more expensive than the other items in my shop, buy the quality and attention to detail will be WELL worth it! Enjoy!!

Happy Holidays to all!
Blessings,
Stephanie

Poor, Neglected Blog :0).....

Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd posted a blog entry.... As those of you who have read past entries know, this has been a really busy time for me (getting married in September, recently buying a house, and now having even more responsibilities piled on at work). I am happy to report though that I am still relatively sane :0).

Seriously though, things have been going really well. The wedding is now 6 weeks away and I am SO READY for it to be here! A few weeks ago I had my first bridal shower, which was so amazingly fun. It was held at an actual castle, which my aunt and cousin found in Sidney, Ohio. The theme was "a princess meets her prince" and my aunt thought of EVERYTHING!! It was so perfect! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!!!

I still haven't gotten on that nemesis of a treadmill, but I have lost 20 pounds simply by cutting out the pop (Pepsi used to be a comfort food of mine) and by cutting down somewhat on the amount of carbs I eat and with portion control. I've also been drinking LOTS of water. I'm fitting into clothes I purchased months ago and couldn't wear. I feel so much better!! The wedding dress is still going to have to be let out some, but I'm OK with it b/c I feel good about myself. :0)

I guess I have been getting a bit of a workout by painting my office - twice.... Since my dad can build a house with his bare hands from the ground (or basement) up, I mistakingly thought I had a God-given talent to do this little home project. Boy was I wrong!! First of all, I spent 3 hours primering the walls (b/c I didn't know primer didn't have to go on perfect). I later found out from my dad the walls didn't even need to be primered b/c the walls were a light tan color to begin with. Then, I quickly learned that just because the "Passion Pink" paint swatch from Lowe's looks good in a 1 1/2" x 3" swatch doesn't mean it's going to look good when you paint an entire room that color. It looked like a flamingo died in my office - literally. It was so awful that a week later, I began painting the office a red velvet color (AKA - deep berry-ish red). I'm now on my 2nd gallon of red paint (this is not a large office mind you) and regretting the morning I woke up thinking that touching my office with any color of paint would be a good idea!! I'm going to stick to making jewelry :0).

All that, along with writing out/mailing invitations and shower "thank you" notes, which I just finished yesterday, has kept me on my toes. Hopefully things will calm down now so I can enjoy the last 6 weeks leading up to Scott and I's wedding. Say your prayers :0)......

Blessings,
Stephanie

Great NEW Jewelry Creations Just Listed!!

As promised, I've been listing new earrings daily! Please stop by and check them out!! Also, I just placed several orders for new, beautifully unique beads. As long as the inspiration is there, the new jewelry creations will keep coming :0).

As always, THANK YOU for your patronage!!

Stephanie
Stephanie's Treasures

Better Late then Never...

I did it! I got on the treadmill the other day (not a week+ ago like I had hoped for). I told myself if I at least worked out for 20 minutes, I'd let myself go get a pedicure. My feet were hurting so bad from the shoes I'd been wearing (and I wanted the pedicure so bad to make them feel better) that I actually got on the treadmill and worked out for 25 minutes. Yeah!! In the mean time, I've been eating healthier and lost 4 pounds since my last blog entry. Not bad... 4 months until the wedding, so I need to keep going!! (Pray for me) :0).

I put some more earrings on my website today (and renewed a bunch of listings too), so don't forget to check them out. (I sat down and made about 15 pairs of earrings today that I'm really excited about, so please stop back in the days to come)....

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!!

Stephanie

Found the Camera, Now I Need to Find Some Willpower...

The good news is that I found my camera and will once again be listing new jewelry on Etsy :0). I just listed a great pair of summery earrings that are LIGHTWEIGHT and FUN!!

Now I need to find some willpower to lose weight before my wedding in September. My dress has been ordered and it was purposely ordered a size smaller than the dress size I currently fit into (OK, so it's about an inch from zipping too) at the bridal shoppe. I intentionally am forcing myself to lose weight only b/c I know I won't be happy w/the photos of me in my dress at my current weight. (Let's just say I'm 65 pounds heavier than I was in college when I felt my "best"/"hottest").

The goal is reasonable - lose 25 pounds in the next 5 months. (Admittedly, when I was 65 pounds skinnier, my clavical bone and ribs stuck out. I was a bit TOO skinny at that time). That will put me at the weight I was when I met my fiancee 2+ years ago and I can live w/that. More importantly, my dress will fit :0). The problem is - I have ZERO, ZILTCH, MINUS ZERO motivation to work out. I hate working out!! Years ago, I was a competitive gymnast and worked out several days a week for hours at a time. I loved it then (b/c I felt healthy and fit), but loathe it now. I think the only way I'm going to be able to make myself do this is to be accountable. So, as embarrassing (and annoying to some) as this might be - I'm going to add bits about this journey to my blog. -And if anyone out there wants to be an accountability partner, let me know. We could support each other :0).

As far as today goes - on the way back from the bridal shop, I kept telling myself I was going to get on my treadmill. Once I got home though, I decided it was a nice, sunny day here in Ohio and I wanted to tan my legs on the back deck. So I did. But I didn't eat the ice cream bar or drink the Pepsi that's in my fridge/freezer. Eating better is half the battle, so I will give myself props for successfully sticking to that part of the plan today. Tomorrow, my goal is to get on the treadmill or take a walk around my neighborhood for at least 30 minutes. I'll keep you posted....

Where Did I Pack My Camera??

Just wanted to let everyone know there are more "treasures" coming soon to my Etsy website. I have new beading supplies and earrings made and photographed, but have yet to find the box that contains my camera so I can upload the photos/complete the listings. New items should be on my site by the end of the week.... Oh the fun of moving....

:0),
Stephanie

We Moved in to our New House!!!

OK, I can finally say it - my fiancee and I found the home of our dreams and moved in this past weekend!! The Lord really did know what he was doing when he "closed the door" on the other house. Our house is only 1 street away from the first house, but has brand new everything (and investor bought the house and flipped it after completely remodeling it). My fiancee and I could not be happier!!!

I will say for all you first-time home buyers out there - be prepared!! In our case, it seemed like everything that could go wrong did. (The seller received another offer the very day we put our offer in, which put us in a bidding war again. The appraisal came back low, the title had the wrong loan amount on it and had to be re-done the day before closing, various parties involved didn't sign the preliminary paperwork where they should've, which held up the final approval on the loan. (We were supposed to close on Friday. We literally didn't find out for sure until 4:30 on Thursday if we would be able to, or if closing would be pushed back until the following Tuesday). Additionally, things that were supposed to be fixed on the house weren't completed by the day of our final walk-thru, etc.). There were glitches up until the very moment we signed the loan papers (the loan doc's were about 45 minutes late getting faxed over to the place where we did our closing).

I can honestly say I have NEVER been thru a more stressful process in my life, but it was SO worth it!! As we were signing our loan papers, I had tears of relief streaming down my face for several minutes b/c this ordeal was finally over!! (Funny note: Want to see your mortgage rep and your realtor squirm - start crying as you're signing the loan papers. They admittedly thought I was changing my mind and was going to back out of buying the house) :0). Not a chance!!

I do have to say a huge THANK YOU to my parents and brother-in-law and sister. They helped SO MUCH this weekend!! We truly couldn't have done all this without their help. And to my fiancee - I love you so much!! This process definitely brought us a lot closer. I can't wait until September when we're finally married!!

Praise Report...

Happy Easter to all! My family and I went to church today and were so happy to see our Pastor (who is currently battling cancer) looking very good! Seeing him brought me to tears (which fell off and on for the entire music portion of the service), just like it did when my aunt was battling cancer. Hers is in remission and I pray the Pastor's will be too...

I also saw one of my old friends, Rachel, today, which was nice. We were best friends in high school, then grew apart over time. Maybe we'll start hanging out again. We'll see....

The house hunting continues - 27 showings in 2 1/2 weeks. It was so much fun to look at houses at first. Now I'm just ready for it to be over and for us to find our home. I've put more work into researching each of these homes/the auditor's website/floorplans, etc. before going to look at them than I used to for most of my college finals (exams).

The wedding is ready to go too. I just need to lose 30 lbs in the next 6 months so I fit into my dress (which was purposely ordered a size smaller than my current wedding dress size just so I'd force myself to lose weight). Hopefully when we buy a house, I'll lose weight moving and doing lots of painting/yard work. :0).

Hope you all are having a great weekend!!
Stephanie

Getting Back on the Horse....

I must admit I'm totally bummed out today over losing that house yesterday.... Even thought we gave it to God and believe He closed that door (literally), we were in love w/that house and were certain we had it. I was already planning paint schemes and patio furniture. It really does feel like the house broke up w/us. My fiancee and I are both sad..... But, as with those break-ups w/boyfriends when I was younger, I know the best way to get over it is to "get back on the horse". We're scheduled to look at 5 more houses tomorrow. :0).

God Shut the Door...

Well, we heard back on the house we bid on. We didn't get it (by a "very small amount" according to the other realtor). I prayed from the get-go that if this wasn't the house we were supposed to buy, that the Lord would shut the door on this deal. He did and I'm thankful that His will was done, but it's still heart breaking. It feels like the house broke up with us! :0(

(The same thing happened to my sister and her husband on the 1st house they bid on. They didn't get it, but ended up with an AMAZING house/land that's 100x better than the 1st house. It all worked out for them and I know it will for my fiancee and I too).

So, the house hunt continues.....

House Hunting....

This week has quite possibly been one of the most emotionally draining weeks of my life!! There was a MAJOR snow storm last Saturday (the news anchors were calling it a "blizzard") when we were supposed to go look at houses. Needless to say, things got moved to Monday night. We ended up looking at 7 houses on Monday and instantly felt we found the house we wanted to put a bid in on. (I had looked at 5 other houses the week before which were definite no-go's). My fiancee and I placed our bid on Wednesday. Turns out, 2 other people also put a bid in on this house the same day. (Ours was the highest though). The first bidder bowed out, but the second bidder decided they wanted to raise their offer. So, the realtor representing the homeowner called for "highest and best" Friday. We prepared our final bid late last night... If it's God's will, the house will be ours. If it's not, the search will continue.....

Please just pray for our strength and wisdom. I think buying a house is more stressful than getting married/planning a wedding (which I'm also doing right now). Please also pray for my Pastor (Pastor John). He is currently battling cancer, which has spread to his bones. He has been a rock for myself and my family for many years. We're believing for the Lord to heal him!!

Have a great weekend!!
Stephanie
Stephanie's Treasures

THANK YOU!!

A special "thank you" to Helen, Elaine, Patricia, and Lisa!! They took advantage of the supply listings I just added. This is much appreciated! Happy crafting ladies!!

On a personal note, my fiancee, my parents, and I went and looked at 7 houses tonight! (Oh my). There is one that my fiancee and I really like. A mortgage is nothing to enter into hastily (obviously), so for now, we're praying about it. We'll see what the Lord leads us to do....

Nighty, night :0).
Stephanie

LOTS of NEW SUPPLIES LISTED & MARCH SALE!!

This past month has been SO BUSY with wedding planning, my company (that I work for full-time) being sold, and now, trying to buy a house. Fortunately, a major snow storm/blizzard hit Ohio, leaving me plenty of posting time while I was snowed in :0). So, I'm happy to announce the following sale:

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MARCH SALE - 30% OFF THE CURRENT LIST PRICE ON ALL SALE JEWELRY!! (Does NOT include "$5.00 Clearance Sale" items). THESE ITEMS MUST GO!! Simply put "March Sale" in the notes section when you check out (but before you pay). I will then send you an updated invoice thru Paypal (or a convo reflecting the S/H discount if you're paying by cashier's check/money order). ********************************************************************************

FEBRUARY SALE - GOING ON NOW!!

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FEBRUARY SALE - 25% OFF ALL SALE JEWELRY!! (Does NOT include "$5.00 Clearance Sale" items). THESE ITEMS MUST GO!! Simply put "February Sale" in the notes section when you check out (but before you pay). I will then send you an updated invoice thru Paypal (or a convo reflecting the S/H discount if you're paying by cashier's check/money order). ********************************************************************************

Thank Goodness for My Mom!!

I want to take this time to say how much I love and appreciate my mom!! She is wonderfully talented at making floral arrangements and agreed to make my bouquets, floral arrangements, etc. for my wedding and they are ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!! I can't tell you how many times we've been to Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabrics, and Michael's craft store in search of the perfect ribbons, flowers, favors, etc. the past few weeks - and she's been a trooper throughout. So mom, THANK YOU for all your hard work and for putting up w/me when I call at the last minute and say, "Hey - feel like "playing bouquets" today"? - And you do for hours on end. (Truth is, sometimes I'm just having a bad day and want to come hang out w/you b/c you always make me feel better). :0). I LOVE YOU MOM!!

We've Moved the Wedding Up! - Oh My!!

Yesterday's meeting w/the pastor was very nice. It lasted over an hour. During that time, we went over the rules/regulations for getting married at the church and discussed things like what the church wedding consultant would be helping us do, etc. (I didn't even know our church had a wedding consultant. I guess the church has grown in the past few years). He gave us a book that he wants us to read/discuss re: premarital counseling, etc. And, after our discussions - we decided to move the wedding up. (Thank goodness I found my dress, etc. when we went to the bridal shop this past Wednesday). The happy day will now be in September of this year. :0).

So, naturally today's theme is "love". Look for several (OK, more than that since red is my favorite color) red creations to come - perfect for Valentine's Day too!!

Blessings,
Stephanie

We're Going to Meet w/the Pastor Today...

Today my fiancee and I are going to meet w/the Pastor at the church where we're going to be married. I've gone to this church for about 14 years and am SO excited that our wedding will be held there. I'm a little nervous though b/c I'm not quite sure what we're doing today. (This is my first marriage, so I'm still learning as I go as far as how all these things work). :0). At the same time, I'm excited b/c it means we're really getting this process started. I'll let you know how it goes....

(Today's meeting is what lead me to post the pair of "Purity" earrings. I'm sure there will be more pearly creations to come as I continue to delve/be inspired by my wedding activities....).

Blessings,
Stephanie

Time to Mix Business and Pleasure :0)

Up until now, I've avoided putting too much personal information about myself in my blog. (I'm just a private person by nature). However, it's time to begin sharing some of what's going on in my life b/c, truth is, that's where most of my jewelry inspiration is coming from right now.

Just after Thanksgiving, I became engaged my boyfriend. Now we're busy planning our wedding (which will take place in about a year and a half). On Wednesday (1/2/08), my mom and I went to a friend's bridal shop to begin getting ideas for my wedding dress, bridesmaid's dresses, etc. It was such a GREAT, FUN experience!! I actually found my dress, picked out the bridesmaid dresses, and decided on my veil. Naturally, after hours of looking at bright spring and summer colors, I came home and began making jewelry like crazy. So, all the pastels and bold Spring/Summer colors you see in my new pieces were inspired by me planning my wedding.

So enjoy, and know these pieces were created out of excitement and joy (and lots of love).

Blessings,
Stephanie

JANUARY SALE - GOING ON NOW!!

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JANUARY SALE - FREE SHIPPING ON ALL SALE JEWELRY!! (Does NOT include "$5.00 Clearance Sale" items). THESE ITEMS MUST GO!!

Simply put "January Sale" in the notes section when you check out (but before you pay). I will then send you an updated invoice thru Paypal (or a convo reflecting the S/H discount if you're paying by cashier's check/money order). ********************************************************************************