My First Photo Shoot! Well...Sort of

Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in a photo shoot. One of my good friends is doing some freelance photo styling and she asked me If I wanted to tag along with her on a shoot. Of course I said yes, especially when she told me to bring some of my jewelry and that it could possibly be used in a couple shots. The shoot took place in a studio and when we arrived the owner, photographers, make up artists and models were already there. They were all really nice, down to earth, and all willing to share information and contacts. We also discussed possibly doing a photo shoot of my jewelry-models and all. Overall it was a fun shoot and some of my jewelry did end up in a few shot. Yay! Glad I went!

Bobo's Oat Bars! Yummy Snack!

I really love a good snack bar and I have found new one that I like. It is called Bobo's Oat Bar and I found them at Whole Foods. It is natural, organic and not to mention very tasty. Plus they are not overly sweet and are very moist. They do contain a few ingredients that stringent label sticklers might turn their noses up to (xanthan gum, soy lecithin) but I'm not that extreme. One entire tire bar is 360 calories but I have found that I only need to eat half at one time.

Bobo's oat bars come in nine flavors which are: apricot, banana, coconut,strawberry, original, cinnamon raisin, cranberry, chocolate, and peanut butter. I have only tried the latter two but I am going to try more. They can be bought at health food stores and online ( only in 12 bar cases online) at amazon.com and vitacost.com.

Twitter Roll-Let's Follow!

Hi to all who follow my blog! I just wanted to do a quick twitter roll. I know that many of you are already on twitter and we are probably following each other-especially fellow Etsians and crafters. However there might be some of you that I am not following and vice versa. So please leave your twitter user name in the comment box and I will be sure to follow you. Oh and I recently changed my twitter username from tourmaline2777 to jazjewelz because I noticed that plenty of spambots (and pornbots) use numbers at the end of their name; I surely do not want to be associated with them. Anyway, comment away with your usernames and I will be sure to follow! Thanks!

More New Listings! Aqua Blue Glass Earrings!

I made these earrings some time ago-in fact I posted about them some time ago. I finally listed to them My Etsy Shop yesterday along with a similar pair made with sterling silver.

Blue Aqua Glass Gold Filled Earrings

Blue Aqua Glass Sterling Silver Earrings

Newest Etsy Listings!!! "Alexandrite" Glass Earrings!

Here are my newest listings to my Etsy shop! They are earrings made with "alexandrite" colored glass beads. One pair is made with sterling silver wire and the other is with gold-filled wire. They are simple and very affordable. And please note that the alexandrite beads photograph with more of a bluish hue than they actually look in person (they look more lavender). Hope you all like them!!

"Alexandrite" Gold Filled Earrings

"Alexandrite" Sterling Silver Earrings

My New Etsy Listings! Candy Apple Red Earrings!

Have you ever had one of those days where you just popped out of bed and started working on a project-with no coffee, or tea, or breakfast to start? Well I ususally don't but I had one of those days today. I got up and started working on a few pair of earrings. These earrings were pretty simple just one bead and wire with the wire serving as the ear hook. I made these earrings with red, faceted, glass beads and I think they turned out pretty cute. Plus they are very affordable thanks to the glass beads. I chose red because one of the participants in my first giveaway suggested that I add some red to my Etsy shop -so here it is. Let me know what you think.

Candy Apple Sterling Silver Earrings

Candy Apple Red Gold Filled Earrings

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.