New Custom Initial and Charm Necklaces in the Shop

Today is going to be filled with hot chocolate, decorating to Christmas music and baby giggles, and uploading new jewelry goodies to my Jeweled Ambrosia etsy shop!! My new favorite... super SWEET and AFFORDABLE Custom Initial Necklaces... perfect for stocking stuffers and major customizable with tons of bead options. Need an extra initial? Letter add ons are in my shop as well!  I'm wearing my kiddo's initials now and it feels so 'maternal' to have their letters so close to my heart.

I'm loving how they look with a Swarovski crystal heart!

I'm all about lots and lots of choices and customizing lately. Like these super cute and affordable Design Your Own Charm Necklaces below! You pick one charm and any two beads, fun stuff!

I don't know what my deal was today with coral, salmon pink, aqua, turquoise and robin's egg blues, but it seems that those shades kept popping up in lots of my designs. Lots of arrows, antlers, cameos, rhinestones and all sorts of glitz will be featured... Stay tuned, these and many more are being added to the shop as you read this post.

 

And don't forget, Twilight and Breaking Dawn inspired jewelry is on mega sale too, HERE!

Personal Style: Strawberry Skirt

Woah, I haven't done one of these outfit posts since my belly shot round-up! So, this is my 4 months after having my baby girl! I like this skirt/belt combo b/c it does a fairly decent job of camouflaging baby gut.

So, the Goodwill back in Watauga/ Fort Worth that I totally miss has this 'retro' section, where they put all the good, collectable stuff. I got this skirt in that section, it's a reversible, wrap skirt and it's awesome. I taught a lesson to the teens at church this Sunday about healthy living, so strawberries seemed like a good choice. One of the girls told me I looked like a strawberry :) And since cold times are approaching, this summery skirt won't be 'in season' for long.

I made this necklace, and have the last one for sale in my shop. A huge, vintage glass jewel on vintage 1960's brass chain. I love it and got tons of compliments on it!

 I love this belt, a fun, vintage thrift store find that closes with velcro. Awesome.

Seriously, I am a hairstylist. Why did I allow my hair to get this bad?! Maybe childbirth, a month of pneumonia, severe eye infections, painful foot stuff, school starting, moving and all that had somethin' to do with it. HuhIdontknow. I used a mix of 7/7, 7/03 and 6/0 in ColorTouch and 1.9 developer to make this semi-permanent heathery brunette. I only left it on the ends for a few minutes for a light coverage there, so it left a bit of an ombre effect on the highlights. Just what I was going for, perfect for fall and not too different from my natural color. And yes, I do put it on my eyebrows. Gotta match, you know!

 *la camera caught me in a rare mom moment of finger shaking and gentle scolding*
outfit post details on smashion

Personal Style: Layering Bling

Just a quick little fashion tip. If you look in my closet, you will probably see about 3/4 of the shirts I wear are similar to this, in varying shades of brown or gray. My clothing manifesto mentioned that I was tiring of experimenting with all the trends and bright colors and such. So, to not be totally boring, I layered two statement necklaces. The winged lion is one I made using an amazing vintage pendant. I do have more available if you want one! The pink acrylic waterfall necklace is forever 21. I think they go kind of perfect together, and I love the cool, jingle feeling as well. Pair the boring 'ole top with some skinny jeans, faux leather leggings and sassy shoes and you're good to go.

 But the best accessory is a cutie hunk of a man...

 ... and two adorable offspring on their best behavior.

Inspired Craft: Vintage Stackable Flower Tutorial

 Zivile from No Snow Supplies, and I collaborated on a little project. She sent me some of my favorite vintage stackable flower findings in exchange for a little advice on how to use them.

If you frequent antique malls or estate sales, you will see these very flowers in lots of vintage designs. I see them mostly used in large, clip-on earrings, usually with some pearls or rhinestones in the centers, and glued to the edges of the petals, see here for examples.

 First, you need some finding backings, which you can get pretty much anywhere. For the centers, you can use beads, pearls, cabs, rhinestones, basically anything semi circular that will fit in there. These flowers are a very flexible plastic, so they can work with each other really well, Just stack, glue, hold together, stack, glue.... Hot glue works great, but it peels pretty easily, so an adhesive made for jewelry is best. I like E600, though something that dries quicker is probably better.

Here, I have ring bases, earring posts, bobby pin with pad, and a pendant. You can also use wire, brooch backs, a piece of felt with a safety pin attached... pretty much anything. I would love to see a series of these flowers stacked up and held together to make a statement necklace. I've even used them to make flower fabric brooches a while back. They would even make a festive little garland or cute decor for wreaths or other little home projects. Use them to jazz up some napkin rings or refrigerator magnets something.

You can order these soft, plastic stackable flowers from No Snow Supplies to create your own projects!
She also has beads, cabs and findings in her shop, mostly vintage and colorful combinations. She is in Lithuania, and it takes about 8-12 days to arrive, a lot faster than I was expecting. If you use them, I'd love to see your projects. If you don't, what kinds of things can you see these in?

Twilight Inspired Designs Shop

Amazingly, I have my new Twilight Inspired Jewelry shop {mostly} set up... and it took only 2 days to do it! Feel free to check it out, and I would love some critiques, if the layout is understandable to navigate and such. Really though, I think my tag line I came up with last minute is my favorite part ;)

"jewelry for your inner vamp"

I will be retiring the line once my supplies are gone, so moving it to it's own little place was the best so I can focus more on my vintage inspired jewelry shop. Jeweled Ambrosia is heading into a new direction and I'm so excited!

Jewelry Gift Certificte Giveaway!!!!

love is in the air photograph by irene suchocki

Well, the {outdoor} craft fair is over, thank the skies! I made enough to cover the booth fee, so I could have just stood on a street corner for 8 hours handing out free jewelry, sweating my brains out and getting a sunburn, then crashing at the end of the day... BUT it was a success because I met a lot of really neat Etsy fans, a really cute couple took my photo and biz card for a credit to be in the Keller Citizen newspaper about the fair, and I made a ton of new, AMAZING new hair fascinators and jewelry that will be in the shop this week!! Oh, the reveal is going to be tomorrow, so stay tuned...

urban cowgirl earrings by jeweled ambrosia

In the meantime, I am hosting a GIVEAWAY for a $25 gift certificate at Simple Blue Print. Joanna is the author of the blog and she is such a sweet, down to earth person, who loves typography, fashion, paper and everything else that I love. Go visit her blog and, enter the giveaway there (not here :)

 yulia - flickr  - buy prints

Apocalyptic Romance

I found an amazing shrug tutorial last night and got inspired. Well, the shirt I was using didn't fare so well b/c of the sleeves, but I decided to salvage some of the remnants.

The neckline hem turned into this gorgeous and comfortable cuff. I hand embroidered chocolate and white twisted bakers twine and fastened it with a glorious shabby vintage rhinestone brooch. I love how it can be worn as a cuff, or as a neckwrap. If you like this unique creation, you can purchase it HERE. What other wonders can I do with this piece of fabric? Hmmm, we shall see. Oh yes, we shall.



Now, the amazing tutorial I found is for a tshirt shrug. It is so romantic and easy, I thought I would share. Summer will be here soon, so this lightweight and romantic shrug will be perfect to cover up over a swimsuit or tank top, and you can make textile jewlery from the remnants too! It is so incredibly easy, even for non-sewers (like me). Find it HERE.

If only this skirt was still available from kaylim, it would be perfect with a shrug and textile accessories!



One day, I am going to get something from her, I absolutely love her reconstructed sweatshirt emsembles.



This post wouldn't be complete without a pair of gorgeous earrings. Aisha, of Treasure Box Jewelry is so inventive and has some lovely pieces to choose from, she is also a really sweet person and that makes her so special! Her Dewdrop Dangles are one of my favorite pair of earrings in all of Etsy-land. I love the organic and urban feel of this design. Show this new designer some love and check out her shop!

Vintage Whimsy

I have added some of my antique shopping conquests to my shop today! I created a new line of vintage wooden spool jewelry, and one of them showcases today. Isn't she a beauty!? You can find the necklace HERE.



Also, my vintage bottle lovlies are coming along. I lost one last night though, but still decided to list it in my shop. It is a vintage medicine bottle, Dr. J.H. McLean volcanic liniment oil. You can find it HERE! I thought it could make a really neat 3d mosaic or soldered pendant somehow, especially if the glass is able to be cut around the words. What do you think?



Look what I found [and bought] the other day. I haven't treated myself in a looong time, so when I saw that I sold a bracelet, I thought I would put those funds towards this sweet little thing. Minzer has several different styles in her shop and I can't wait till my white hunted deer mount arrives, I know JUST where I am going to put it too! Look at these pretty deer head decorating ideas I found.


This Young House


Dallas News


Tula Pink

What super sweet finds have you gotten lately? This is on my *want* list, especially since Every Little Counts is retiring this line soon... (I'll take the hair and perfect skin too, anyday).

Pretty Little Things

I have been loving little bottles for a while. I love to gather little vases together and seperate up flowers and have them all in a row, sort of like this from Snippet and Ink (daily wedding idea boards).



I went to the antique mall again (with kids in tow, poor guys) and I came home with bunches of buttons, brooches, lace and bottles (all vintage!) I decided to make my own collection of jeweled bottles. I think they are lovely and so trinkety. Perfect for ladies that love baubles and jewelry, but maybe can't wear it because of metal allergies, kids that pull on jewelry or they just don't wear jewels due to hard jobs or personal preference.



I think these little bottles would look perfect on a windowsill or vanity holding some German glass glitter, little buttons, tiny seashells, love notes...

Only two jeweled bottles are in my shop now, but more are on there way! These jeweled, beaded hoop earrings of mine capture the beauty of these bottles as well.



Also, I know these designs are Christmas-y, but they don't have to be! The placing and style of the frames can be used in lots of different styles of homes, with any variety of styles and color, perfect year round!



And these oh-so-cute felt trees don't have to be for Christmas. Think of what you can do with an Easter tree. Or, even make it out of a rich chocolate damask pattern, matching grosgrain ribbon and turquoise buttons for a chic effect, OR ooo, how about white and creame fabrics and lace, with vintage rhinestone brooches and a little bit of feather boa. The style is limitless!



Idea of frames/trees courtesy of Danielle Thompson, Etsy shopTiny Bazaar /Kitschy Digitals and tutorial found HERE!! Check out her gorgeous blog, full of colorful whimsy, Blythe and amazingly sweet graphics! I am absolutely loving her chocolate mustache and mushroom treats post HERE!!