FRIDAY FAVORITES

It's Friday and I've got a BIG list of favorites to share with you today...

• FIRST....the windows are open and it SMELLS like SPRING!! Woo-hoo!! YAY!!!! Loving this weather :-)
• Guess what arrived this morning to make my day!
  

Yep, it's my very own copy of Alphabet City by Stephanie Chisholm - the "Chiz" - that I raved about in last week's Friday Favorites!!

• I have been a HUGE fan of SOCK MONKEYS ever since my "little" Sarah (now a "mommy" herself) was a premature little sweetheart and her daddy placed one in her hospital nursery 'bed' right after she had been released from the NICU...

• So, I had a great time window shopping and "faving" some great sock monkey finds this week -- take a peek and see what you think! I'm hoping to share some of these soon with my new sweetheart, Abby! :-)

From Shop3pm on Etsy, what could be cuter than this traditional sock monkey doll - oh, it does take me back!!


Any little one would be stylin' with these coveralls from JustKiddn ~ how cute are these!!


At this time of year, who could resist an adorable sock monkey "tip-toeing through the tulips" from Sockmonkeycards?


Hey, if you know babies...you know babies burp and you know that you want to have one of these handy from ClaireandJanae!

And from one of my favorite Etsy artisan friends, how could I resist this special one! Marcy - you've done it again!! :-) Check out her work at StudioMarcy!!

• And, what I think will be new favorites in my Etsy shop (once I get them listed...soon -- probably tonight or tomorrow) :-)
  

~ SPRING GREEN Necklace


~SPRING GREEN Earrings

FRIDAY FAVORITES

The sun is shining, the sky is blue with white clouds dancing, and I am now "Mimi Sue." It is a Friday to remember, indeed. What a week of wondrous joy...and a week to celebrate in gratitude. My "Friday Favorites" come easily and certainly make me smile.

First, one of my favorite pictures of new granddaughter Abigail who apparently is most contented with her hands in prayerful contemplation :-)...

Next, not sure if this is exactly what Andrew looked like when he finally got the news that he was officially an uncle, but I was thrilled that the Tanzanian phone lines were up and going this morning so that I could have a great chat with him ~ he is so very excited and looks forward to printing off many pictures next weekend when he is in Moshe (actually I'm going to send him prints and hope they reach him first). He also gave me a wonderful update on his village projects - they are establishing bio-intensive gardens to take advantage of every precious drop of rainwater as they develop their crops. Things are moving quickly and going well ~ he's very encouraged and sounds happy.

I am hoping to see Gran Torino soon, and a friend had shared this link to a tribute to the film's music ~ incredible! Definitely a favorite from the week to share with you!

Finally, I've been "thinking pink" all week as we've welcomed Abigail and certainly as I look through my shops I do have "favorites" there as well.

~ "Pretty in Pink" Necklace at Artfire

Decisions, Decisions...

Midnight Inspiration Necklace
Originally uploaded by signaturesterling

Decisions, decisions....new creations finally photographed and ready for listing, but now the big decision! In which venue to place them! LOL!

Well, at least for tonight they can preview here and on Flickr until I make the final placement tomorrow...stay tuned or check out Etsy, ArtFire, and 1000Markets to see where these end up! :-)

January Blues Necklace

January Blues Earrings

What a Game!

What can I say....yes, we lost. But, watching our Buckeye Seniors in the post-game, you couldn't help but be proud to be a part of "Buckeye Nation" and not be "totally" immersed in the loss. It was not the season we expected, but like a true scarlet and gray fan, I stand behind my OSU team, proud of the "to the last second" plays and as always, saying...."Just wait until next year!" :-)

~ BUCKEYE NATION JASPSER Necklace

~ SCARLET AND GRAY ELEGANCE Earrings

~ BUCKEYE NATION Bracelet

ONE MORE DAY!

TGIF! Especially when it's the day before the "BIG GAME," right? All this counting down and waiting....enough is enough! Let's just get to it! 8-)

But, there is another special BMW discount offer available for TODAY only...special 20% off on "BUCKEYE NATION JASPER O Necklace". List price is $29.50, but until midnight, EST, tonight ONLY, you can order this OOAK necklace for $23.60 (plus shipping ~ and remember, local friends of SignatureSterling always receive FREE shipping).

Just be sure to order through the Etsy shop by midnight tonight (EST) and put "BMW21" in the "Notes to Seller" when you checkout ~ AND WAIT for a revised invoice before making payment (or if you prefer to make immediate payment, I will refund the discount to you through PayPal). New to Etsy and have questions? Just email me or convo me through Etsy and I'll be glad to help you with the process. GO BUCKS!

And one final joke for our "Michigan Week" celebration....


You're in your car and coming up fast behind a bicyclist wearing a Michigan sweatshirt.Should you hit him or swerve to miss him?


Swerve. It might be your bike.


OH-IO

Be sure to check back over the weekend for a big SignatureSterling Thanksgiving/Black Friday GIVEAWAY announcement!

Feeling Blue? This Will Make You Smile!

Feeling Blue Necklace
Originally uploaded by signaturesterling

Here's one of the latest shop listings ~ "Feeling Blue? Necklace," a deep blue "chunky yet classic" look with nuggets of sodalite and rounds of lapis lazuli and sodalite...and sterling silver, naturally! Added "bonus" is in knowing that the gemstones sodalite and lapis lazuli are associated with the natural properties of inner peace, healing, and love ~ now that will bring a smile to your face!

END OF SUMMER SALE

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
All items in the "END OF SUMMER SALE" Section of the shop are available NOW for a limited time at 20% off the list price. Just be sure to put "SUMMERSALE" in "Notes to Seller" at checkout and WAIT for a revised invoice before making payment (or make immediate payment and I'll refund the discount to you, if you prefer). Discount is pre-shipping and only one discount code may be used per transaction.

August Afternoons

The August afternoons are quickly slipping away, but that doesn't mean they're not yet to be enjoyed ~ this stretch of warm, sunny weather has been perfect for afternoons on the dock and floating in the pond. Who knows how many more days or weeks I'll have left of such sweetness!? I think the water has been on my mind again as I go to the "designing board"...

~ SETTING SAIL Necklace


~DIVING IN Earrings

Remembering....

Not quite "Caribbean" but as close as I get, and I'll take it! :-) Just found out Sarah and Mike will be heading to the condo as well in a few weeks - a great way to end the summer!

Naturally, all that time on the beach was inspiration for these pieces...
CARIBBEAN DREAMS Necklace


CARIBBEAN DREAMS Earrings

English Gardens and Beautiful Sunsets!

Well, proof that beautiful sunsets can happen anywhere! :-)

And...some new pieces inspired by the beautiful artisan lampwork beads of DerondaDesigns which made me think of rich, wonderful English gardens...a matching set if you like! Check out the new listings in the shop.

ENGLISH GARDEN Necklace

ENGLISH GARDEN Bracelet

ENGLISH GARDEN Earrings

"Spring Reflections" CMC Submission

You may recall that a couple of months ago I mentioned a collaboration activity I was going to participate in ~ Creative Minds for Charity ~ artisans from CGGE (Creative Glass Guild of Etsy) and etsyBEAD (one of my groups) partnering to support HOST (Helping Others Street Team of Etsy).

I was so fortunate to be paired with the very talented lampwork artist, Laurie, of Glassbead (Isinglass Design) who donated these beautiful blues for me to work with and the "playing with beads" began...

The finished piece, called "Spring Reflections," is double-strand elegance in blues and creamy white. The artisan lampwork focals by Glassbead are accented with Swarovski pearls in white and Tahitian blue and Swarovski crystals in capri blue, Indian sapphire, and white opal. Sterling silver rounds and spacers throughout add beautiful light-catching highlights.

Beading is done on professional grade stringing wire and all findings, including the toggle closure, are sterling silver. Necklace is approx. 23" in length.

This necklace will soon be available for purchase, along with the other beautiful CMC submissions, in the HOST Etsy shop, with ALL proceeds going toward the mission of HOST ~ as described by one HOST member "Our goal is to give unconditional support to any fellow Estian in their time of need - Support being prayers, thoughts, hugs; a shoulder to cry and lean on; money; sales. We only care about the person, not their race, religion, or nationality... We are a community here of caring hand made artisans who just want to extend a helping hand all year long." (You can read more about HOST on their shop profile page and their blog.)

AND...there's MORE! YOU can also vote for your favorite CMC piece and win a terrific prize - watch for details on the Creative Minds for Charity blog - this will be coming up SOON (I'll be sure to update you here as well!).

Want to see more pics of "Spring Reflections"? Check out all the pics at flickr (CMC Submission Set). And again, many, many thanks to Laurie of Glassbead for sharing her inspirational and beautiful "blues" with me! :-)