teacher workday...

As a preschool art teacher, I have come to really appreciate those words. Well, today is one of those days. William and I are home from school. And while it is a break from being at the preschool, I have no short list of things to do. Quite honestly, fitting in getting a shower on my days home gets tricky. Tonight is trunk or treat at the church, and I have agreed to make a couple dozen cupcakes for the cupcake walk. So, that certainly must get done. I need to get about 100 bags of candy ready for the evening as well. I also got a new shipment of silver in yesterday, so I have to get to work fulfilling orders that have come in the last several days. So many people are on the ball with Christmas. Are you one of those people? Speaking of one of those people, I have included a picture of one of the new pins I am making. I am certain this gift will be a huge hit this Christmas. The recipient of the gift is a grandmother in another state, and she does not know about my blog. So, you all will get to see her Christmas present before she does! I absolutely LOVE the way this pin turned out. Anywhere from two to five children is really perfect for this piece. And, it is also nice for people who would not wear a piece like the charm bracelet. As shown, this pin is $46. The discs are 1/2" sterling on a sterling silver 2 1/2" pin. Those with mothers/mother-in-laws who adore their grandchildren should really consider this gift this Christmas!

Well, I am off to bake cupcakes. I hope this day is a wonderful one for all of you.

lost in my to-do list...

I am ashamed and embarassed to see that it has been a week since I last posted. Last week was crazy, though. We finished soccer season. I went on a field trip with Walker's Kindergarten class - had to be one of the funniest experiences of my life! I completed Halloween craft projects for preschool, which consisted of cutting out 46 handprints and bat bodies. And of course, I had to throw in some jewelry stamping. Oh...and I assisted Burke with two photo shoots. So, needless to say, this girl needed a blogging break! One of the photo shoots we did was of my nephew. I know I have gotten to show off my niece here before, but I had to share with you a couple of pictures of my nephew - too cute! All of our boys enjoyed spending the day together. We really don't do that enough. Eventually, and I know I've said this before, I am going to get Burke's photography blog up and going. As of now, I'm stealing his photos to use on my blog! I do have plenty more of his work I need to show off, so maybe that will be a goal for this week. Nothing wrong with aiming high, right?!

I would love to show you all some of the jewelry I've been working on, but a good part of it will have to wait until after Christmas. One of the pieces is for my sister's mother-in-law. She is not aware of my blog, so I can share that piece in the next couple of days. It is a new, nice way for grandmothers to show off their grandchildren. And what grandmother doesn't like to do that?!

I hope this week will be a good one for all of you. With Halloween approaching, I might want to shorten my to-do list. My boys and sugar don't lead to very productive days ahead!

We have a winner - actually two!

Random.org is responsible for choosing comment entry #8 as our winner - Congratulations Julie! Julie, send an email to me at lannaejohnson@windstream.net, and we will see about getting your new necklace to you. I sure hope you enjoy it! And because Julie mentioned Wendi in her comment, Wendi will be the winner of earrings and will even have some input in the design. Not too bad for just sending someone over to take a look at my blog! Just as in my last giveaway, if you made a comment to the giveaway post, you will receive 10% off the first piece of jewelry ordered before December 31, 2008. I am sure there is someone on your Christmas list (if not you) who wouldn't mind finding a specially designed piece of jewelry under the tree!

I must say that I was overwhelmed by the positive comments left regarding the giveaway necklace as well as other pieces on the blog. It is exciting and motivating to see my work received in such a positive way. It certainly inspires me to continue thinking and creating, so thank you!

Just remember...a November giveaway is right around the corner. I am coming up with some fun ideas, so you must check back on a regular basis. If you don't see something that inspires you yet, do not hesitate to contact me with your own ideas. I would love to work with you to design a very special piece! Enjoy your week ahead.

if your life were to speak...

what would it say? Okay...so I know that is a pretty deep thought for a Wednesday evening, isn't it?! Well, I think about this question often, as I am blessed to be surrounded by people each and every day whose lives say amazing things. Many of these people have no idea how kind, thoughtful or inspiring they are - they are just naturally that way. In honor of those people, I have created the October giveaway piece. This piece is a sterling silver teardrop-shaped pendant that is hand-stamped, oxidized, then polished to a beautiful finish. A bronze coin pearl hangs in the middle, and the pendant hangs on a 1mm brown leather cord with a sterling silver clasp.

Now, all you have to do in order to be registered for the giveaway is to leave a comment in the comment section of this post. In your comment, I'd like for you to mention your favorite piece of jewelry (or keychain) posted on the blog thus far. That is all you have to do! If you'd like to say something really nice, I wouldn't mind that either! You have until Friday (extended to Sunday!!!) at 5:00 p.m. to register your comment. A winner will be chosen at that time and will be announced on the blog no later than Monday morning. You must check back to see if you are the winner! Please share this giveaway with others and have them mention your name when posting their comment as well. Should the winner of the necklace mention your name in their comment, you will win a pair of earrings.

Thanks for taking the time to look at my designs. Remember that these items would make wonderful and very personal Christmas gifts. I am fulfilling Christmas orders already for those who are really on the ball! Good luck, and let the comments begin!

hip to be square...

..especially when turned on the angle, monogram-med and added to a keychain! I am l.o.v.i.n.g this new look. Someone ordered a couple of these to give as gifts when they saw the monogrammed necklace I did a couple of weeks ago. I like the idea that you can use these stamped pieces in many different ways. I'm ready to make these squares into monogrammed earrings now - any takers?! I did some work to my next giveaway piece last night and hope to finish it up this evening - sometime between homework, cooking dinner and a soccer game. Anyway, once it is done, I hope you'll love it as much as I do!

goodies

Good morning! From time to time, I'd like to share with you all the work of others that I find to be quite fun. Over the weekend, I picked up some baby gifts I had ordered from my friend, Wendi, that does the cutest embroidery work. I selected burp cloths and onesies, and she has a fantastic selection at her website, http://alphabetsoupembroidery.com/. As you can tell from my jewelry, I love all things personalized, and Wendi has the greatest things for everyone - from babies, to teachers, and just about everyone else! She put Walker's name on his backpack this year and made him the cutest lunch bag with his name and a soccer ball. She also added my name to an a.dor.a.ble tennis racquet cover my sister and her family gave me for Christmas. Be sure to check out Wendi's website when planning your Christmas gift list!

Stay tuned this week for some other fun things. I put together some pieces last night that I'll be able to share with you this week, and I'm really getting ready for another giveaway...this one is just taking a little more time. I'll get to it - I promise!

I hope your Monday and the week ahead is great.

just a note...

Sorry I have not posted anything in several days. It is certainly not because I haven't been stamping. The boys were upstairs last night attempting to go to bed. For those of you who haven't heard me work, you must understand that most anyone could not sleep through such a noise! I have been working on some pretty terrific things this week and hope to get some pictures posted next week. Some photos will have to wait, as they were ordered as gifts for individuals who might actually check my blog. We don't want to ruin any surprises! Who knows, maybe you will be the lucky one! If you are curious about options, though, send me an email to lannaejohnson@windstream.net. We can come up with something fantastic! I appreciate you all letting me be a small part of your celebrations - birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries and new babies. I've even thrown in a men's golf tournament in there! I'm thinking it is about time for another giveaway...how about you? Have a great weekend.

hope.faith.love

Weekends are wonderful, aren't they? My favorite weekends are those in the fall. We have begun pulling out the Fall/Halloween decorations for our home, and I definitely have Fall fever! The geese are returning to our pond for the winter, and that is one of our favorite parts of the season. We hear them arriving each evening and leaving each morning.

I wanted to show you all a piece I made this weekend. A friend of mine has purchased this necklace to give as a gift. It is a 3/4" sterling silver washer with a freshwater pearl dangle in the middle. These washers really are so much fun and are so versatile as well. I have them in several sizes to accommodate any words, names or phrases you may choose to stamp. This is also another nice option for a mother. You could stamp the names of her children - one name each on the smaller washers or multiple names on the larger washer. The possibilities are endless, and each piece is custom designed for you! I hope the recipient of this piece will be thrilled when she opens it.

I hope this week is a wonderful one for all of you. It will be a shorter one for us, as there is a teacher workday Friday. We are looking forward to a shorter week, a longer weekend and a visit with my parents. Enjoy!