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...

Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Thanks Kailani at An Island Life for starting this Friday tradition. Although I'm beginning to feel that everyday needs to be Aloha Friday.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and go to An Island Life and leave your link. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question for today:

Are you on Facebook, and if so, what do you use it for?

My answer:

Yes, I'm on Facebook. I signed up a while back because I wanted a business page for Dee-Zigns, but unfortunately, I didn't know any better and signed up for a personal account, then had to create a business page. UGH! This is NOT how I wanted it. I wanted it the other way around.

But, because of my snafu, I've reconnected with old friends from my sorted past, with the help of my dusty high school yearbook! I've discovered unlike myself, these old friends have incredible memories. Is my memory bad or is it selective? Hmmmm.

It's been great seeing how old friends are doing, how we've all changed, where everyone lives, and all the other interesting tidbits of their lives. I have other questions regarding facebook, but will leave those for another day...

Have a wonderful, but safe holiday weekend!
xoxo
Toni

Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and go to An Island Life and leave your link. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question for you today: In blogging, do you use your real name, as well as your family and friends names? If so, are you ever worried someone might think or react to something you've written in a negative way?

My answer: I use my real name simply because I have an online jewelry business and use my blog to give my customers, and potential customers, an opportunity to get to know me. My business goal, with this blog, is to build trust and confidence and show people there is a real person behind "Dee-Zigns", what inspires me, how I create my handmade jewelry, and running a one-person business.

My personal goal, with this blog, is to talk about things going on in my life, connect with people, and express my humor and laugh at myself. I have so many opportunities, that's for sure!

So there, I've put it out there! Your turn.

Moody Monday!

I'm moody this Monday, it's raining and supposed to rain most of the week. Yes, I know we need it, Atlanta's been in a drought for 2 years, yada, yada, yada!

Last week, I had stress and anxiety with regards to my website, specifically, my shopping cart was messed up, ARGHH! After going through several freelance web developers, I finally found one who jumped in and corrected the problem. Whew! So if anyone tried to place an order, I'm so sorry, give it another try, everything is working fine now :). It's not too late to get Mother's Day orders shipped and I assure you, you won't be disappointed with the quality and service at Dee-Zigns.

To add to my stress, I spent 12 hours yesterday participating in an artist market, which produced no sales. Because, seriosuly folks, you must let people know there is going to be an artist market, otherwise the people have no clue, and therefore will not come. "If you build it, they will come" only works in the movies with Kevin Costner. It wasn't happening yesterday. This was a well organized apparently organized for invisible people event in conjunction with a world wide bike race. Could have been a spectacular event, the weather was wonderful, the race was exciting, but apparently the organizers never advertised an artist market because there were no people. WTF? Yes, there were some people, the friends and family of the bike racers, but they weren't prepared to shop. Because the streets had to be blocked, it was like the artist market, was secluded, from the outside area. And, yes, I'm still bitter. I got up at 5am and didn't get home until 7pm, the market hours were 10am-6pm, that was time spent away from my family! My dog missed me so much, he didn't eat the 12 plus hours I was gone.

So today, I'm very moody. I'm wondering if participating in art shows are worth my time? I'm sure they are, if they are organized and advertised yada, yada, yada and blah, blah, blah.

Game on!

Okay, there's no game, really. And this is not an April Fool's joke people! Go to my website and sign up to enter the 2009 Happily Handmade Giveaway (click on the official pretty green badge - each sponsor has one on their home page). All you have to do is sign up with the entry form on each and every website of the Indie Sponsors for the Happily Handmade Giveaway. There are 25 glorious baskets brimming with handmade gifts valued at over $300 each. No kidding! This basket to the right includes a pair of my earrings.



This baskets to the left contains a pair of my earrings! To me, the game is entering through all the Indie Sponsors websites. There are so many talented artists, so I get side tracked looking at all the goodies on their websites.

Let me know what you think of this giveaway.

Rainy days in Georgia and other ramblings.

We have had the rain. All outdoor sports were cancelled, so my son was bummed about missing baseball. Daughter's volleyball game was on and they won! All in all, not such a bad weekend, we got several games of Monopoly in. My seven year old played his dad a few times and kept winning. He also bragged about it. My husband thought this very funny, especially that he came to me to tell me how badly he was beating his daddy.

Lo and behold, I beat everyone on Sunday for our one hour time limited game. Such fun playing board games with children. You learn a lot by doing this.

I also found time to work on my Happily Handmade Giveaway page that will be up on Wednesday, April 1st. No joke!
Be sure to stop by Dee-Zigns' website and register to win.

My daughter wanted to create a logo for her jewelry business, yes the apple doesn't fall far from tree. She's been making earrings like crazy ever since she got her ears pierced. This is the logo she came up with.

This Saturday, April 4th, I will be at the Sweet Apple Village Market, in Roswell, Georgia for a soft opening from 11am-5pm. I will have a lot of one of a kind jewelry for Spring and Summer, including my new metals collection. I don't know what other vendors will be there, but when I find out, I'll post them. The Sweet Apple Village Market will officially open June 6th, with a market every Saturday and Sunday. All the neighborhoods around have been anxiously awaiting the opening.

Going now to ask the rain gods to skip this Saturday, so we can have a fun and beautiful day!

Happily Handmade Giveaway begins April 1st

The Happily Handmade Giveaway is back, woo-hoo! If you haven't heard about it before, the HHG, is a massive giveaway created in appreciation of indie shoppers everywhere. They took a much needed break for 2 years, regrouped with a new website and new logo and are back and better than ever! As a shopper, you can be generously rewarded for your continued support of indie businesses. You can feel good about making the conscious decision to shop indie and limit your big box purchases.

The Happily Handmade Giveaway began in 2004 as the result of a brainstorming session among several indie artists looking for a unque way to promote their businesses and reward their customers. The last event gave away nearly $15,000 worth of indie merchandise to 51 lucky shoppers around the world.

The 8th event begins April 1st with entry forms easily found on each sponsors' website. Mark the date and go to Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories to enter to win fabulous prizes (all handmade, of course) worth around $250!

Since I'm one of the sponsors, I'll have the huge sponsor list posted on Dee-Zigns website. The Farrah Earrings and the Sun Necklace are two of the eleven items I donated. Check back often for additional details.

Erin go braugh!

It's 7:33am and I know first hand the Irish party-goers in Savannah, GA have been going at it for sometime.

How would I know? Many years ago, as a young Lass growing up in Savannah, my friends and I would begin the day with green eggs, green bagels, green beer and any thing else dyed green to begin a fun filled St. Patrick's Day. We would make our way to Riverstreet and meet up with other friends and family members. If you weren't wearing green, you'd be pinched! I was covered head to toe! It's all about the wearing, eating, drinking and celebrating of the green.

St. Paddy's Day is an event not to be missed in Savannah, it is one of the biggest celebrations in the United States. The parade is something special every young child should witness. Have I taken my kids to Savannah for St. Paddy's day? No. Maybe next year. Even though Savannah literally shuts down for this special day, other cities don't and its hard taking children out of school to go party on Riverstreet with their parents.

According to the Savannah Visitors and Convention Bureau, 400,000 visitors are expected for the 3-hour parade on March 17, traveling from all over to celebrate this month long event. No, its not a one day event, Savannah celebrates all month.

Get free priority mail shipping at Dee-Zigns all day today, use coupon code GREEN at checkout.

New creations for your favorite Valentine.

Here are the latest one of a kind necklaces and earrings found only at Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories.

Guys, this Valentine's Day, don't rely on chocolate and flowers, handmade jewelry will last a lifetime. Your loved ones will appreciate a gift that won't add pounds and die after a few days.










I'll be creating new items, so check back often!

Happy New Year, finally!

Happy new year everyone! I know, I know, it's been a while since I last posted. We spent 10 days in AZ for the holidays. It was wonderful being with family for so long and the weather was fabulous. Coming back to Atlanta and reality was difficult. The weather was gloomy and overcast for about 8 days, so that got me down and I was finding it hard to get motivated.

We missed our dog and cat very much so it was great coming home to them! Going through mail, emails and getting back into the routine of school (and all that entails) was painful.

Fortunately, the sun returned and we're back into our routines. Life is good.

Now on to something fun... getting ready for Valentine's Day with new jewelry creations at Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories.

Be sure to visit Purplepinkandorange.com and their Valentine's Day Gift Guide for unique gift ideas. You'll discover some of the finest independent designers selling handmade goodness, including Dee-Zigns.

Last giveaway at Modish

Jena at Modish is offering 3 days of giveaways. Dee-Zigns' Bree Earrings are listed as one of the gifts. You really must enter to win one of these 3 giveaways - there are tons of wonderful gifts for yourself and for others on your holiday gift list - each giveaway is worth over $700 dollars! Deadline to enter is tomorrow, so hurry on over!

Free Shipping - today only!

Happy election day everyone. If you haven't already, please exercise your right to vote. I'm heading to the polls in a bit so I wanted to offer free shipping to anywhere in the United States today only at Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories.

There is no better time to shop for sales and be sure to check out our Items under $25.

At checkout enter coupon code ELECTION and receive free priority mail shipping anywhere in the United States.

Gift Guides Galore!

Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories is listed in a few other holiday gift guides. Personally I find while browsing these gift guides it helps me focus on my shopping list and within a few clicks I have found unique gifts that I know I wouldn't have discovered at any big box retailer. And generally, I get better customer service and and friendlier shopping experience.

The Indie Collective Holiday Shopping Guide has a wide array of unique handcrafted items from innovative indie designers in a magazine-inspired format. Indie Collective boasts they provide one of the hippest resources for today's savvy shopper to discover the best of indie fashion & style. Look for incredible savings on shipping and discounts at each of the shops.

The Holiday Gift Guide at PurplePinkandOrange is available and contains over 30 indie designers and artists offering discounts and special savings to make shopping this holiday season a little easier.

The new website!

In the last few weeks I have been updating and refreshing the website with a fresh new look! The last few days were a bit stressful because my site was down off and on. That just about drove me nuts! It couldn't be helped, but this is a busy time of year for shopping.

So if anyone tried to shop at Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories and had problems, I am truly sorry and I hope you'll give it another try. You can always email me toni@deezignsjewelry.com and let me know you're having trouble and I will be happy to assist you!

I'm participating in a weekly giveaway at Styleforfree.com to win a pair of Harper earrings. They'll be giving away one pair of Harper earrings every day for the next 7 days. I had to compromise a bit and offer the same style but in different colors so they would still be unique.

Please visit this cool website and enter to win the Dee-Zigns giveaway and the other fabulous giveaways up for grabs. You'll find wonderful coupons in many places you already shop and other new designers and stores you should check out.

Christmas Countdown

Oh my goodness, I just added this Countdown to Christmas on my blog and now I'm panicking at the time ticking away until Christmas. 8 weeks and 1 day! Yikes, I have so much to do because my family will be traveling to Arizona for Christmas. That will put a different spin on things. My kids keep asking if Santa will find them there. Of course he will, he's Santa!

I've already started my holiday shopping. I'm determined to start early so its not so stressful come December.

Which brings me to holiday gift guides. Dee-Zigns will be featured in several Holiday Gift Guides this season and Mixed Plate is the first one. Please take a peek and discover plenty of indie artists and designers showcasing many different gift ideas for friends and family members, including the furry ones! Every shop is offering a coupon code from free shipping to percentages off your order. So visit them today and start shopping.

Random Giveaway Winner

Rachael I. was the lucky winner of Dee-Zigns Random Giveaway and won a $50 gift certificate at Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories.

Rachael's name was randomly chosen from Dee-Zigns's newsletter subscribers. If you would like to be eligible to win the next Random Giveaway, be sure to sign up for Dee-Zigns email newsletter and you will automatically be entered. By signing up, you will receive 25% off your first purchase at Dee-Zigns.

Check this blog and the Dee-Zigns website regularly for the next Random Giveaway. You never know when we'll have it, that's why its random!

End of Season Sale at Dee-Zigns

Hey all, there's huge savings on many sale items at Dee-Zigns. I've marked down lots of one of a kind necklaces, earrings, and bracelets at Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories.

Shop now and get started on your holiday shopping list or pick up a birthday present for a friend or family member. Gift wrapping is always free and I'm happy to enclose a gift card and ship it directly to the recipient.

Win a $50 Gift Certificate - randomly

While making coffee this morning, I had an epiphany. A random giveaway at Dee-Zigns. Everyone loves contests and giveaways, right? Why not offer one on my website, but randomly.

In other words - whenever it moves me! Could be once a month, once a quarter, once a year! That's why it's random. I'll announce each Random Giveaway in the email newsletter, on this blog and you'll see it on Dee-Zigns website at the top of the page. So add us to your favorites!

To enter, sign up for Dee-Zigns email newsletter. By joining you will automatically be entered to win a $50 gift certificate at Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories. You'll also receive 25% off your first order by joining the email newsletter. Rest assured your email will not be shared with anyone or used in any other way.

Join now! The first Dee-Zigns Random Giveaway ends midnight, EST on October 17th. The winner will be notified via email. Good luck to everyone!

Fall is in Atlanta, hooray!

If you live in the South, you are probably enjoying the crisp, clear mornings we're experiencing. Seems as if Fall has arrived. The leaves are changing - possibly due to the drought in Georgia - or the approaching Winter season. Whatever the reason, I for one am in heaven!

A change in temperature, a change in color, clothing and accessories, makes me tingle all over.

Although Dee-Zigns Fall 2008 Collection is focused on black and white jewelry and bold, juicy colorful jewelry pieces, the cooler temperatures inspired the Tamryn necklace, bracelet and earrings. The stars of this one of a kind set is amazonite, laboradorite and Peruvian opal gemstones. An elegant combinations of cool colors and chunky sterling silver beads. This fine handcrafted jewelry set is one of a kind, so head over to Dee-Zigns now and buy them before someone else does.

Wear your teal and support Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Cancer, in any form, is a horrible disease, but there is one form of cancer, Ovarian that is called the silent killer for a reason. There are no screening tests and no obvious symptoms. Hence, the importance of cancer research funding and spreading awareness.

Women need to be aware of their bodies, not shy away from looking and examining and asking their doctor questions. For more information, go to www.ovarian.org.

I want to do my part, to help raise money for Ovarian Cancer research. That is why my small company, Dee-Zigns Handcrafted Jewelry and Accessories is contributing 15% of our sales to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. I have adopted the NOCC to help spread the word, break the silence and support Ovarian Cancer research. You may help by purchasing items from Dee-Zigns online boutique.

I have created several teal jewelry items and will be donating 50% of the sales of the Joy necklace, the Marianna bracelet, and the Charlie bracelet to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.

Wear your teal, talk to your friends, family and talk to your doctor. Let's break the silence for good.