33% off at Dee-Zigns Jewelry

Call me crazy, but I'm offering 33% off everything at Dee-Zigns Jewelry now through Cyber Monday, November 30th, but hurry this offer ends at midnight EST. Just enter coupon code black33 at checkout and you'll see the incredible discounts on my handmade jewelry and accessories!

If you've had your eye on those earrings for your sister, or a bookmark for your mother-in-law, go buy them now! If you've wanted that special necklace to wear to your office holiday party, buy it now. Every item is one of a kind, so when its gone, its gone!

Happy Black Friday to all!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

My goodness, I don't know what to do with myself, its the first Thanksgiving in a really, really long time that I've not made Thanksgiving dinner. Strange not having control over the menu and how its prepared, but I'll live.

We're in North Carolina visiting my mom (Gaston Studio) and sister, and after 3 days of overcast gloomy weather, the sun is shining and the skies are blue. Mom is preparing dinner this year, so after being kicked out of the kitchen, I'm still in my pajamas, sitting on the sofa, writing this while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Life is wonderful, eh?

Cell phones taking over?

Today I'm sad,

• Not by the weather, because it's gorgeous in Atlanta, clear blue sky and chilly air.
• Not by the clean clothes piled up on the guest bed, where the hell is Rosie the Robot when you need her?
• Not by my son's poison ivy all over his sweet little face.
• Not by the lack of sales on my website.
• Not by the pounds I've acquired from my kid's blasted Halloween candy haunting me from the pantry. (Well, damnit, I am sad and mad about this.)
  
• Not by the muddy areas in my backyard from the floods that don't appear to dry out.

Today I'm sad,

• By the lack of customer service in America. No wonder people are shopping more and more online. Now, don't get me wrong, this is a good thing, but possibly because people are sick of taking the time to find a parking space, walk into a store and receiving lousy customer service or no customer service at all. This is if, they actually acknowledge you've walked into the store.
• By the lack of people thinking their relationship with their cell phone is more important that a face to face relationship, and talking with their children. How pathetic, really.
  
• By the lack of families sitting together at the dinner table, without cell phones, without the tv, and having a real conversation. 15-20 minutes isn't too much time to give to your family, is it?
• By the lack of people being on time for appointments. Are you so damn important that your time is more important than mine?
• By the lack of peace and quiet while grocery shopping, (at any public place, for that matter) because some self absorbed nutcase is talking so loudly on their bloody cell phone, about their personal issues. Hello... I can hear you and so can everyone else! Don't you have any morals or integrity?

• By people talking on their cell phone, while in a check-out line and not being courteous enough to the check-out clerk to end their call. What are they afraid of? Talking to someone.

• By people driving up to a drive thru window, with the bloody cell phone at their ear, talking away, and not being courteous to the attendant at the drive thru window.

What's it going to take for people to behave like the civilized society we say we are?

What's it going to take to slow down?

What's it going to take for people to be courteous and kind, again?

What's it going to take for people to smile, again?

What's it going to take to connect to your children?

What's it going to take to put down that bloody cell phone and turn it off?

Everyone knows I'm a Lost fan.

If you don't know that I'm a huge Lost fan, then you don't know me. Besides being obsessed with my jewelry business, I'm obsessed with the show LOST.

I found this on Jennifer's blog. Had to post it on my blog so I can watch it over and over! These guys that created this video are hilarious, go see "the Donkey Wheel" on YouTube.

Limited edition earrings, yes, I said limited.

Tis the season to be busy, and for me, that's making jewelry! I have so many ideas floating around in my head, yes, that's right, floating, that my hands cannot work fast enough.

Sure, the easy way would be to sketch my ideas, keep them all together, like in some sort of binder, duh, if they wouldn't turn out in a "stick figure" format, and you guessed it, I suck at Pictionary but I swear, I have zero talent for drawing. My mother, brother and daughter sucked up all that talent in our family. My sister and I are out of luck, in that department. Still waiting to see about my son, Blake, after all, he's only 7.

Pictured above are the limited edition earrings I've recently created using sterling silver and Swarovski glass pearls, the Addison Earrings. Yes, I watch "Private Practice", and enjoy Kate Walsh's character, Addison, and her impeccable sense of style.

I have 3 pairs available, at Dee-Zigns, in each of the colors (photo, above left), green, pink and white only $18 each. There's also 1 pair, in maroon.

This is my first foray into limited edition jewelry. With the biggest shopping season approaching rapidly, I wanted to offer a beautiful pair of earrings, under $20, that would make an easy gift choice for the women in your life.

Swarovski is the renowned crystal manufacturer, but they are also regarded as the most magnificent crystal pearl manufacturer. Swarovski pearls start with a unique crystal core that is covered with an innovative pearlescent coating for a flawless, silky-smooth surface that resists cosmetics, chemicals and perfumes. I must say, the colors are incredible.

I made these earrings using sterling silver oval links that I hammered, (because I love to hammer) to flatten them a bit, linked them together, then wire wrapped the Swarovski glass pearls in sterling silver and dangled them from the lower links. I then added them to my hand forged sterling silver ear wires. I prefer making my own earring findings i.e. ear wires, headpins, etc. that's what we call it in the jewelry making world, findings. Why? No clue. Maybe you find a head pin, put a bead on it, then hang it from the ear wire...

My escapee... Kitty!

A few weeks ago, the weather was getting cooler, so I opened the kitchen window to let the fresh air in. I forgot I'd taken out the screen - because I don't like looking through screens and Collins had put a few holes in the screen, but that's another story.

As I sat at the kitchen table, working on my laptop, I heard something rustling in the kitchen. My first thought, oh crap, a large bug is caught in the window blind and going to fly in. As I got up and walked in, here's what I saw! (photo #1)

Obviously Kitty waited until he got my attention, I mean look at him looking at me and posing. Paw up and ready.



Then, (photo #2) he slips through just before I could grab his leg! Believe you me, I tried grabbing it, even with camera in hand!

Ta da! He's so proud of himself, as I take this picture hanging out the open window. (photo #3)

His goal? To hang out on the deck soaking up the glorious fresh air. Poor, deprived Kitty.




His silliness and mischievousness keeps me on my toes. Like when he sat on the furniture while Erika and I struggled to move it across the room. He seemed quite full of himself adding his extra 9 lbs. to the heavy wood furniture. Or jumping on the mattress while I'm stretching the fitted sheet across. Or walking across my workspace while both hands are occupied with pliers, so I can't knock him off! Hint, if you make jewelry and have beads and numerous other elements scattered across your table, do not, I repeat, do not try to knock off your cat, or scare him, or yell at him. I did this. Trays toppled over, beads and other components went everywhere. Huge mess. Huge.

Why oh why does he insist getting on these crowded table spaces, when he knows good well, there is not an inch of empty space to lay? Seriously, does he find this comfortable!

Back to the escaping cat. Erika goes ballistic when he escapes, not sure what she imagines is going to happen to the little shit. But, in the past, there's been alligator tears and hyper ventilating (well, almost). She gets very upset, if one of us is careless enough to open the door too wide, or leave the door open for too long. So we open the door just wide enough to squeeze out, or stick our leg in the way so he doesn't see an opening. She has chased him all around the yard, generally shaking a can of cat treats, thinking that will lure him back into the comforts of our home, sleeping on Erika's bed.

This is his daily excitement and he loves it, he loves being chased and getting the attention. Especially when Erika does it... I don't chase him anymore. And now I make him wait at the door before I let him back in.

Take that Kitty!



What is it about indoor cats? They constantly try to escape the confines of their home. If you have an indoor cat, do you allow them outside?



P.S. Kitty was not harmed or mistreated in any way in preparation for this blog post. Unless you count very cold toes... tee hee.

I'm a Funky Find!

I've been missing in action due to the swine flu and pnemonia. Yep, my middle schooler came home several weeks ago with the swine flu, and taking care of her, naturally it got hold of me. Moms should be impervious to these illnesses, because, hello... who's going to take care of the children? So there I was sick as a dog, Erika started getting better, and I was not. Hence, another trip to the doctor, where they informed me I had pnemonia. Now, this is nothing to joke about. Not being able to take a breathe was scary, to say the least. Thank God, my son didn't get sick. Little guy stayed far away from the sickies in the house. Smart, eh?

So last week while trying to recover, I was "discovered" at Funky Finds. Here's the link... and go follow them, you'll discover indie artists, crafters and designers worldwide.

Happy November, ya'll.