Birthday Earring Give-Away!!

Six years ago, I got the best birthday present anyone could hope for. I got a sweet, chubby little bundle of joy. Ok, not so little...she was almost 10 lbs. She was so sweet and cuddly, and she was so chubby she almost couldn't open her eyes! I was told I would not be able to have children and I read and researched natural fertility treatments, and did everything I possible could to have this little girl. Being born just days before my birthday we have the same astrological sign...aquarius. If you know anything about aquarians, you know that they are both rebellious, creative, and must have the last word (read mouthy). Her and I butt heads alot! Whenever I am mad, or frustrated with her, I look at this picture and remember those first few days when we were deliriously giddy with new baby fever (those precious days before reality and exhaustion set in).

So, in honor of our birthdays, I am starting the 1st annual birthday give-away! It begins today on my daughter's birthday and will end on my birthday, February 6th. Up for grabs is a beautiful pair of copper earrings. They have pretty little denim colored blue glass flowers dangling from the bottom. The rosy copper is the result of an afternoon spent with my torch...molten copper turns rosy-red if plunged in water. They are slightly over 2.5 inches long.

To qualify for this give-away:

Please read all entry rules! If your blog is private, you must leave an email address for entry to count. Each entry must be left in a seperate comment to count.

♥ You must have an accessible blog, or leave an email address.

♥ You must become a follower of my blog.

♥ Visit my Etsy shop http://www.gypsymoonart.etsy.com/ Leave a comment here about your favorite item.

For extra entries (leave a seperate comment for each):

♥ (1 extra entry daily) Tweet this message: RT @GypsyMoonArt Enter to win earrings! Visit http://www.gypsymoonart.blogspot.com/

♥ (1 extra entry each) Mention this give-away (including the URL to this post) on Myspace, LiveJournal, or your blog. Make sure to leave the URL(s) to your post(s) in your comments!

♥ (1 extra entry) Follow me on Twitter @GypsyMoonArt

♥ (1 extra entry) ♥ my Etsy shop http://www.gypsymoonart.etsy.com/

New Facebook rules prohibit me from mentioning my fanpage in blog give-aways, however, if you want to become a fan, I won't object. :)

This give-away ends on my birthday, February 6th. The winner will be announced February 7th. Good Luck!!

Busy as a Bee...

Well, the holidays have passed, but things haven't really slowed down for me. My daughter's birthday is in January and every year, immediately following the holidays, I begin birthday shopping and birthday party planning. This year she will be 6, and we are having a princess party with 8 little divas. We are busy making a paper mache pinata, and making decorations. My daughter wants a desk for her room. Being the tightwad that I am, I had an old desk in the basement from my great-grandpa's house. I began sanding and painting it white, and am going to hearken back to my muralist and faux finish painting days and paint a little scene on it for her. I think toadstools, fairies, and flowers are in order for a 6 year old princess. Her room is already full of my art with a castle, magic tree, dragon, and frog prince painted on her walls. I'll be sure to post pictures as I finish it.

My husband (he is known to most as Pudge) is working on a welding project for me (have I told you all how awesome he is?) He is making me a tree jewelry display for my art shows. It is nearly finished...we ran out of metal rod and had to get more. Here are some action shots of him creating my tree in his studio.

I can't wait until it is finished!! Oh, if he only knew all the projects I have in store for him! Hopefully I can talk him into making a garden arch for me.

Also this week, I have become a member of the Fantasy Artists of Etsy team- "FAEteam". I have been wanting to be included in this group for a while, and am so excited at this new opportunity! Everyone I have met so far has been so creative, inspiring and helpful! They have given me such a warm welcome and I am looking forward to working with this great group of artists.

I recieved a beautiful little package in the mail this week. It was from MiddleEarths shop on Etsy, we exchanged jewelry creations. She creates beautiful little bits that seem to be a piece of the Shire itself. I received in the exchange a mossy little beauty that looks as if it is covered with dew and fairy dust. So magical!! I sent her one of my blue eye rings. It was so fun to trade with a fellow artist! Here are a few pictures I snapped of her magical creation~

She such a friendly and creative person! You can find more of her creations in her Etsy shop: http://www.middleearths.etsy.com/

Stay tuned later this week- I have plans for a birthday earring give-away! I will also post pictures of my jewelry tree and my daughter's finished desk. The energy of the upcoming Imbolc holiday has a hold on me and I have 100 things going on at once! Now, let's see if I can get them all finished...

Homesick...

This beautiful pendant is going to a Michigan girl who has left our beautiful state.

The Petoskey stone is Michigan's state stone. It is actually fossilized fragments of a coral reef from the Devonian period which occurred 350 million years ago! They can be found on the shores of Lake Michigan in northern Michigan.

The Dark Streets of London...

Stories are the food that keep my imagination alive. I fully immerse myself in the story; the clothing, sounds, landscape, and the general feeling and mood of the story. The characters become real for me, and I find myself loving or despising them individually. So was the case when I recently saw the new Guy Ritchie movie Sherlock Holmes.

The movie was a great mix of adventure, mystery, and science, all topped off with gorgeous costumes and beautifully dark vignettes- with a pinch of Irish folk music by the Dubliners... it was near perfect. The gritty and ecclectic Sherlock was balanced nicely by the gentlemanly and tidy Dr. Watson. And there was Irene Adler, my newest heroine, and the only thief to ever escape Sherlock- she is beautiful, intelligent, and daring. There were tophats, bustles, pocket watches, secret societies, and dark laboratories filled with bubbling concoctions. The whole experience left me giddy with inspiration!

I have since been looking for ways to incorporate more dark victorian goodness in my jewelry, wardrobe, and home decor. I have quite a collection of vintage treasures, and am planning some new jewelry projects with them (stay tuned for more on this). My house is decorated in an eclectic assortment of various treasures, including antique books, lots of candles, medieval inspired art, and a few skeletons and ravens that are year-round guests. That's a good start...but needs improvement. My wardrobe is in desperate need of help. There is really no need for a work at home mom to include a bustle into her wardrobe. Can you imagine me in a bustle in the yogurt aisle at the grocery store?! I would likely find pictures of myself online with a black bar across my eyes. I do, however have my eye on a few goodies including this shirt from Clockwork Couture http://www.clockworkcouture.com/:

And I simply MUST have these delicious boots form the Pyramid Collection http://www.pyramidcollection.com/ :

Now, if I could only get my husband to talk with an English accent and wear a derby, that would be just dandy!