My New Earrings!

Here is one of my latest creations made with gold filled wire and blue glass beads. I will list on etsy soon.

What Women Want? Huge Lips,Skinny Hips?

A few days ago I received an email from Ron Robinson of Fred Segal which is an online store that sell all types of merchandise including bath, body, and beauty products. And they also happen to sell one of my favorite fragrances-Apothia If. The subject of the email was "What Women Want" and the answer was Huge Lips Skinny Hips by Purple Lab. Would you like to know what
Huge Lips Skinny Hips is? Well, it is a plumping lip gloss and appetite suppressant in one. Yup, you read it right-a lip gloss that suppresses appetite. The gloss contains Hoodia which is a natural appetite suppressant found in certain plants from South Africa. It also contains vitamin B3 which is suppose to stimulate " blood flow to the lip surface, filling in wrinkles and plumping without stinging or burning" as the site says.

Huge Lips will run you about $20 or more and comes in four varieties of which one is inspired by Kate Moss ( called Worship Kate). I got this email Friday, July 31st and today (Aug. 3rd) the Worship Kate gloss is already out of stock. WOW!

So what do ya think? Would you try it? As for me I don't have $20 these days to spend on a one tube of lip gloss. My money is going toward the bare necessities and my jewelry making needs.
However if I had more dispensable income I might give it a go just for the heck of it. God knows I've spent more than my fair share of money on products that don't do what they claim-especially skincare. At least if this gloss does not hold up to claims it probably won't break me out (like some skincare) and I could use it all up (unlike some skincare). Anyway, I like to know your thoughts. Do you find it innovative or think its preying on women's need to be skinny? I'd like to know.

And The Giveaway Winners are...........

I had my first giveway eligible only to my Facebook fans . I used a random number generator to choose 2 winners who would each win one pair of earrings. And those winners are:
Angelina Fong who is a talented Etsian with a lovely shop featuring pillows, paintings, coasters, and knitting needle holders. You can visit her shop at angelinafongdesigns.etsy.com. She also has a facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/angelinafongdesigns
Angelina won the Simulated Chalcedony Sterling Silver Earrings



The next winner is Davida of Lydia Spa Collections who is also a talented crafter that makes bath and body products (body butter, oils, sprays, etc...) featuring natural butters and oils. You can visit Lydia Spa Collections at lydiasspacollections.com and on artfire.com/users/lydiasspacollections and at lydiasspacollections.etsy.com. Also check her Facebook Fan page at
http://www.facebook.com/lydiasspacollections

Davida won the Opalite Sterling Silver Earrings



Congrats ladies and thanks for entering.

Earrings Giveaway!

I am giving away one pair of earrings to two of my Facebook Fans only. Find out how to enter by visiting my Facebook fan page.

My Birthday Etsy Special

It's my birthday today but I'm celebrating all week-enjoy 25% off and free shipping all week at my Etsy shop . And stayed tuned for more birthday week specials.

I Got My New Facebook Username. Yay!

For the past couple of days I have been on Etsy forums, Facebook, and Twitter trying to get fans for my facebook fan page. I needed to get 100 fans before I could get a new username and shorter url.-and I finally got past the one hundred mark today. The new url is: facebook.com/jazjewelz.
Please feel free to become a fan-I promise not to overload your feed.Lol. And I will update you on all new jewelry, discounts, sales and giveaways. And if anyone becomes a fan, I will become their fan if they leave their links on my wall. Be sure to follow on twitter too @tourmaline2777 and I will follow back.

Another Movie Screening: Paper Heart Review

Last Thursday I had the chance to screen another film thanks to the beau winning tickets. The name of the movie was Paper Heart which is half fiction and half documentary. It is about a girl named Charlyne Yi (played by herself) who doesn't really believe in or understand love and thinks that she might be incapable of falling in, or being in love. In order to find out more about love Charlyne sets out to make a documentary with her friend Nick (played by Jake M. Johnson) who is also the director of the movie in the movie . Charlyne and Nick go across country interviewing real life couples who had been married for 50 years or more and asked them how they met and fell in love. While the couples are telling their stories puppet sequences are used to illustrate the stories. And I must mention that all of the puppets were handmade by Charlyne-gotta give it up to a fellow crafter. Charlyne also interviews actors, bikers, wedding chapel coordinators, kids, etc... about their views on love and the scene with the kids is particularly funny. During the making of the documentary Charlyne starts to fall for Michael Cera (played by himself) and Nick wants to make the development of their relationship a part of the documentary.

Overall I really enjoyed this film. It was quite funny and not forced but naturally funny. I would say it was quirky but I am starting to dislike that word due to over usage (along with the word swag). I thought the match up of Charlyne and Michael was perfect-they both have this way of being totally goofy, awkward, funny, and loveable. I give this movie 2 thumbs up and would recommend it to anyone who loves offbeat, indies. It opens in select theaters on August 7th. Go See.

I almost forgot to mention the Q&A! After the movie Charlyne and Jake M. Johnson made an appearance at the theater and there was a Q&A that lasted for about 20 minutes. It was cool to see them in person and hear their stories about where the concept of the movie came from and the process of making it. They also talked about some of the scenes that did not make the final cut. It was a fun time.

Paper Heart Trailer

My Etsy Shop has Reopened! 20% off and Free Shipping

Yesterday I reopened my etsy shop (www.jazjewelz.etsy.com) and added some new items. I will also be adding some new items today. I am offering 20% off and free shipping on all orders today. So if you make a purchase 20% will be refunded to you. Please take a look and let me know what you think and if anyone is interested in making payment arrangements outside of Etsy just let me know. Thanks.

Yay! I Got My $100 Prize Package From Mychelle!

Today I received a $100 prize package from my fave skincare line which is Mychelle Dermaceuticals. I won for becoming a fan of Mychelle on Facebook and attending the Win A $100 Prize Package From MyChelle event.
I got five full sized products and I am soooo excited. They have given away two prizes and there is still 2 more prizes to be won. So go ahead and become a fan-you could win-I did. Also be sure to check the fans filter to see what the fans have to say about Mychelle.

500 Days Of Summer Review

Last night I was able to view a free movie (screening) thanks to the Beau winning us tickets. The name of the movie is 500 Days of Summer and I guess you could call it a romantic comedy-but it's it's a little more quirky and offbeat than the usual Hollywood type of romantic comedy. It's basically about a guy named Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who totally believes in true love, fate, soul mates,etc.... Tom falls in love with a gal named Summer (Zooey Deschanel) who does not believe in those things (true love, fate, etc..). Over a period of 500 days the story of their relationship is told but not in a consecutive or linear fashion but in random order. For instance, day 300 might be shown before day 1 or day 2. And I really liked that aspect of the movie because it seemed to keep the story fresh and unpredictable. Overall I really liked the movie and I would definitely recommend anyone but especially to those who like unconventional films.

The Hiatus Is Over!!!

For the past few weeks I have been on sort of a hiatus from making jewelry. In fact, I did not make one item for the entire month of June. I guess I needed a little break especially since I had been previously working well into the morning for trunk shows. Plus I had no shows scheduled for June so I could relax for the month. But now it's time to get back in full gear. I want to make as much jewelry as I can, re-open my Etsy shop, and find more opportunities to sell & promote. So here's to productivity. It's time to create.

I WON $100 worth of Mychelle! YAY!

I am so excited right now because I just learned that I won $100 worth of products from Mychelle which is one of my favorite skincare/beautycare lines. I won by becoming a fan of their Facebook page and signing up for one of their events. Mychelle wants to gain 750 facebook fans by July 15 and will be giving away more prizes. Check Mychelle out on Facebook and you could have a chance at winning too and make sure to join the Win A $100 Prize Package event. Bonne Chance!

A Michael Jackson Memory!!

On yesterday, June 25, 2009, pop legend Michael Jackson passed away. I was on the internet when I found out. In fact, I was on Twitter on which the news of him being rushed to the hospital and dying was spread hours before I heard it on CNN or local news. At first I really did not believe the news I saw on Twitter-I thought they were just rumors and/or a hoax. Then I finally heard confirmation on the local news and I was really saddened. And despite all of the bizarre happenings and scandals that happened in his latter years-there is no denying that Michael Jackson was super talented. And he had one of the greatest impacts on pop culture and the world for that matter.

Now I would like to share one of my favorite Michael Jackson moments. It is from a movie called The Wiz which is an African-American adaption of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz .Enjoy!

You can't win - Michael Jackson - The wiz
Uploaded by xBillieJean. - See the latest featured music videos.

How Many Calories Do You Burn When....?

A few weeks ago I had a workout slump. I did not feel like doing my usual routine which mostly consists of one of a couple workout dvds, or self magazine workouts that I have collected over the years, or a run/walk. And, although I was not in the mood to do my regular workout, I knew I had to do something so on some days I warmed up a bit with some jogging in place. And then I did a few push-ups and a couple of pilates planks. And on other days I just did some freestyle cardio, or dancing, or just stretching.

I then began to wonder how many calories I might have burned with just those few exercises so I did some google searches. And I literally typed "how many calories do push up burn" into the search bar. This search turned up a website called Fitday.com which had a page full of exercises (and other everyday activities ) along with how many calories these activities burn. The amount of calories burned are based on your weight, height, gender, and age. And according to my height, weight, etc... I can burn 420 calories an hour doing push-ups. And although I could never do an hour of push-ups row, I could break them up during the day. I also checked out a couple of other activities like running in place (420 an hour) and dancing (210 an hour). You can even find out how many calories you burn when walking and carrying a baby (150 an hour for me).

I guess the lesson here is every little bit does count-literally. Even on those days when I feel like I don't have energy or when I feel like I don't have time-I can do something. Whether it be a few push-ups, jumping jacks, run/jog in place, dancing around, or whatever. Some is better than none.

Bad Blogger! Bad! Tsk!

I have not made a blog post in 6 days -shame on me. So I have been thinking about what to post about and nothing's jumping out at me. I thought about mentioning my favorite eco cleaner (BioKleen) but it's Friday and I don't want to blog about cleaning on Friday. I also thought about writing something informative like the difference between true cinnamon and the other cinnamons (which is what's on most store shelves). However, cinnamon does not strike me as a Friday post either. Let's see, I did not make any new jewelry yet but I'm going to next week so that I can re-open my etsy shop.

I did finish my skirt and it came out ok. Dig the contrasting zipper! Nice huh? Just kidding, I put that zipper in because it was the only one I had lying around and I did not want to make a run to the fabric store or rip one out of something else.


Oh! and I got new phone. I have been wanting a new phone for a while now and I finally got one. I was trying to decide which phone to get but the $99 iphone special decided for me. And believe it or not I never really even wanted an iphone (Gasp!) but I just could not beat $99. Plus, my old bad phone was really a sight to see. The keypad on my old phone would come off frequently and at some of the most inopportune times. I was embarrassed to take it out in public. When making calls I would dial the number (with my phone still in my handbag) and then put it to my ear really quickly so that no one would see the phone. And texting? In public? And risk the keypad coming off? Forget it!

Old Bad The infamous keypad


New better


Oh well, I know this does not make up for 6 days of non blogging but it was worth a try. Right?

Maybe I'll Give False Eyelashes Another Try!

I have tried and failed time after time with trying to apply false eyelashes. I have used the strip versions, the clusters, and the individuals and I always manage to make mistakes while putting them own. I either apply them too high on the lid, or too low and I just end up looking like a clown - especially with the strips. Needless to say I have pretty much given up on the false eyelashes. Besides, I just wanted to try them out for fun so it's not such a big deal. However, I came across these (below) videos that someone posted on a blog and they were a bit long (like eight minutes or more) but they made me want to give false eyelashes another try-if he can do it, why can't I? Right?
So I will give another go and I'll make sure to post pictures If my umpteenth attempt. Hopefully there will be victory.
P.S. the music and the intros make me laugh just because I'm silly.

Dusting Off My Sewing Machine!

I have not had the urge to sew for quite a while. In fact I have been so not in to mood to sew that I put off hemming 2 pair jeans (I'm 5'4 and the jeans were cheap but long) for almost a year. And this is a little sad because I have a fashion design degree so I should love to sew right? Wrong! And I got that revelation a few years ago when I decided to make a dress from scratch and found no joy in it. I think that I got tired of all of the steps i.e. cutting,basting,notching,marking,etc... I also think that all these steps are what drew me to jewelry making which require fewer steps - except for metalsmithing. Plus making jewelry just came so naturally to me and I love shopping for gems.

Anyway, and few days ago I was kind of bored and decided to pull the sewing machine out. The main goal was to hem the 2 pair of aforementioned jeans because the jeans I was currently wearing started to show some wear and tear-literally. So, I hemmed the jeans and then suddenly a miracle happened-I felt inspired to sew something else. I looked through my old stashes and found some denim fabric that I was going to use to make a tote. I decided against the tote and thought that making a really simple a-line skirt would be cool. I then found an old torn denim skirt and decided to use that as the pattern. I laid it out, cut out the pattern and sewed the pieces together and now I am almost finished. I just need to add a zipper and maybe a waistband or facing and hem. I must also mention that I have gotten some extra inspiration from Threadbanger.com which has all types of sewing projects and tutorials. One of the tutorials that I found really cool to watch was the d.i.y body form in which a body form was made using water activated packing tape. I probably won't be making a form anytime soon but it made me realize that there is always a way to do it yourself.

One Lovely Blog Award for me! Yay!

I am happy to announce that I have received the One Lovely Blog award. This award was given to me by Gloria's Jewelry Box blog (Thanks so much). And please be sure to check out the Gloria's Jewelry Box shop on etsy where you will find some really beautiful jewelry featuring gemstones, crystal, brass and more.

I gratefull accept the One Lovely Blog award and in doing so I will post the Rules of Blog Award Acceptance:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

And I am passing the One Lovely Blog Award to:

Leandrea
T.Allen-Mercado
Silver Rose
Georgia
Judy
The Apple Hill Doll
Raevyn
Joyce
LillyShayStyle
Michelle
SharonKay
Patricia's Art
Rachel DeJohn
BOWquet
ShellyStout

Another Fave Online Shop!

Yup! I have found yet another online shop to burn up my cash. The name of the shop is RawGuru.com and it specializes in raw foods and is also a community network for people who are interested in or already live a raw foods lifestyle. They sell all types of raw food snacks, nuts, dried fruit, superfoods, vitamins, supplements, teas, dehydrators, sprouters (getting one soon-tired of paying top dollar for sprouts), etc... Now, I am not one who only eats raw or organic but I do include raw and organic in my diet. And I especially like some of the snacks that I have found on rawguru like the Gopal's Goldenberry Brazil Nut Cookie (made with only brazil nuts, agave nectar, and organic goldenberries) which does not taste exactly like a traditional cookie but it tastes good to me. In fact, most items of the raw items I have tried do not taste exactly like their traditional counterparts (cookies, chocolate bars, jerky,etc..) but I still like them. And besides, many of them (raw snacks) are a little healthier and have more nutrients for the calories. Needless to say I am gonna be doing a little more shopping on rawguru.com in the days to come.

It's June Already? Wow!

It is June 1st and I can hardly believe it. Time seems to be moving so fast and I seem to be moving so slow. I have so many things that I want and need to do i.e. get my own e-commerce website for my jewelry, participate in some art fairs, re-open my etsy shop (it’s on vacay), find or create some unique displays for trunk shows, etc... And the list goes on. Also, I usually do one of a kind pieces but I feel that I need come up with some base pieces of jewelry that will always be available to customers. I feel this way because I think having base pieces or “standards” work well for websites. Plus it is sometimes easier to re-create than to come up with something new. And although I have always said that making something over and over would take the fun out of creating- I feel like a could use a few hours of mindless work. Needless to say I have a lot (or what seems like a lot) on my plate. I guess I will just take it one day at a time and hope for the best.