The Winner is: Mary!

Who: Charms n Things

What: A Starter Bracelet or Keychain and 4 Charms from current inventory – a $27 value

Italian charms are these tiny pieces of jewelry that you get to mix and match to declare your inner diva or rock star. They can be added to bracelets, key chains, necklaces and watches and at Charmsnthings.com there is a huge variety of charms to help you express yourself. Everything from military insignias to cute little fluffy pets.

When: *This give a way takes comments for 6 days, closing at 11:59pm on 10/23/2010. The winner will be announced in an update to this post, and will be sent an email.

Bonus: 20% off and Free Shipping on orders through Oct 31st 2010 with coupon Alex

To win: Visit Charms n Things, then leave a comment on this post. For extra entries, do the following, include it all in only one comment please.

• Like Charmsnthings on facebook
• Follow AlexShares.com for updates.
• Follow AlexShares on twitter, like AlexShares on facebook

*A winner will be picked only after 5 comments from 5 different people are made so be sure to let your friends know about this give a way!

gold tone ear wires

These ear wires are pretty cool looking in my opinion.  I bought mine in gold because I wear a lot of yellow gold jewelry and wanted something to match.

Trudy at Momma Goddess Treasures makes some unique and beautiful jewelry but I’d had my eyes on the ear wires for a while and after seeing photos from a friend who bought hers before me, I decided it was time.

When they got here, I wasn’t certain how to wear them, but  figured it out quickly. My biggest concern was that I have really small curved ears. People call them elf like. Anyway, the wire is flexible so they can mold to  the shape of your ears in order to fit and stay on.

black coco like eare wires

I wore mine to work with my hair pulled back so I wouldn’t worry about getting hair caught in them, but I still felt a little funny with them  on. They aren’t heavy and they don’t bind, but I certainly was aware of them because I’m not used to having something setting on my ear.

While they weren’t uncomfortable, I did catch them with my hands and It seemed like they never sat quite right. I haven’t given up though and will be trying again to wear them. She also makes other ones with crystals and stones on them which are really elegant and upscale too.

Description: Gold toned wire combined with gold plate balls create a unique ear pin. These actually fit up the ear for a different look.
 Price: $12.50 usd

If you’ve never seen an Italian charm and the accessories they work with, now is a great time to check them out.  All the charms are on sale!

Charms n Thingsis having a sale on their Italian charms. I have a couple bracelets and bought one for my daughter’s birthday this last Feb.

My next purchase will be one of the watches at Charmsnthings.com because I find that after several years of not wearing one, I have a need to know what time it is again. Plus, I can add my existing charms to the band, and buy more charms to fill it in if I want to.

Complete customization, over time, or right now! Ask Deb for specialty charms too. She’s happy to support our troops and help you get a custom charm to fit your gift giving needs.

A while back I reviewed Teri’s jewelry making tutorial and thought it was very interesting to say the least. Well, Teri is in need of a new computer in order to continue making her awesome jewelry lines, so she’s having a sale.

I volunteered to pass the word around because Teri was a member of my inagural test group for coaching and helped me realize my dreams. So, I’m returning the favor.

20% off everything and free shipping, domestic and international, in The Beaded Branch on ArtFire.

When Teri of The Beaded Branch asked me to take a look at her craft tutorial, I was more curious to see what it was all about than I was to learn a new craft.

The tutorial is for a jewelry making craft called Present Past Treasures that Teri happened on one day while trying to figure out how to use up all her extra crafting supplies.  Teri and her business partner, Melanie developed this tutorial over a couple years, and the details show in the final product, I think.

At first I was intimidated by the list of tools and products needed. The photos show so many little things. But, after reading the whole thing, the process really isn’t as difficult as it is time consuming. The list of tools is pretty simple if you are already a crafter, and maybe even if you are a scrapbooker. The local craft and dollar stores should be able to provide whatever you don’t have on hand and it shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg either.

So, after my initial overwhelm, I got to the instructions. Here’s the cool thing. Teri and Melanie provide clear action type photos. As much action as you can get in a still shot, anyway. I was much less overwhelmed when I saw the photos!

For every step of the process there is at least one photo of what they explain in writing. Most have 2 or 3 photos.

At the end of the tutorial is a list of common mistakes and how to fix them along with photos of what a goof looks like. If it were me writing this tutorialI’d call these f*** ups, but these ladies are super professional with a touch of humor and just call them Common Mistakes. Again, good clear action type photos for how to fix the problem and what the problem might look like.

So here’s the thing, by the time I had read it all, I was thinking “do I have filigree pendents?”  and “I wonder how much an ink pad costs?” Yeah, like I need another crafting project! But, really, it seems fairly simple and really kind of fun if you like creating things.

Just one last note. Apparently this craft involves a lot of heat. So, it isn’t reccomended for kids under the age of 14.

You can purchase the tutorial  at The Beaded Branch and begin making great holiday gifts, or begin your business!

Here are some finished pieces to get your creative juices rolling.