a christmas diy!

i just love pinterest.  i love getting holiday inspiration and i try to accomplish at least one or two of my favorites.  well, i completed my first of the season!  i absolutely adored the look of these white christmas ornaments from bazar & co with festive words and stars on them!

white christmas boules collection

i knew that i could turn this into a diy with some plain white christmas ornaments and a paint pen!  i love the writing font as well, so i tried to copy it as close as i could while still keeping it easy and free-handing it.

well, i couldn't be happier with the results!!  it took hardly any time at all...perhaps 20 minutes at the most.  i can't wait to put these into a cute little container and display them for the holidays!

i'm tempted to pick up a few more and go to town making a bunch of these babies!  what do you think?

the prized pear

the fabulous Justin, from vivaestelle on etsy, sent me an extra photograph of this delightful pear for my prize winnings from the other week.  we decided that we would offer it up as a prize for an upcoming challenge in our flashmob team.

here is a picture of the lovely picture.  it has such gorgeous and rich red and blue hues in it!!

who will win this fabulous prize?  well, with the talent on the flashmob team, it truly could be anyone!!

crowd tap and free snacks for the kiddos!

i was selected to try out a new product from the Lunchables line of pre-packed snacks through crowdtap.  they are called Lunchables Jr.  they have several flavors and i was able to try out two of them.  the flavors we received were "ants on a log", which contained peanut butter, sun-maid raisins, and honey graham sticks.  delish!!  the second flavor was "very beary crunch", which contained ritz bits cheese cracker sandwiches, strawberry flavored dried apple pieces, and teddy grahams honey graham snacks.  wow!

since i have two girls and only received two snacks to sample, i had my girls try the snacks.  they had a blast trying out the little packages and shared them between the two.  they seemed to enjoy both flavors too!  i definitely hope to get a chance to try out more of the flavors...but i haven't actually seen these in any of my stores yet!!

thank you crowdtap for the chance to try something easy and fun!!

excited for mortal instruments movie!!

i was able to get a copy of the mortal instruments, city of bones book through crowdtap.com as a part of a hosted party in anticipation of the upcoming movie release.  i had already read the book a long while back (i've read ALL of them, including the infernal devices series), but had wanted to re-cap since it had been so long.  i am SO excited about the upcoming movie!!

anyway, i was selected to host a party to discuss the upcoming movie and the book.  so, i gathered a few friends and family together and we talked about which parts of the book we were excited to have up on the big screen!!  personally, i am interested in how they portray the relationship between Jace and Clary.  it is one of those relationships that obviously makes you uncomfortable while reading, and yet you (at least i did) find yourself rooting for them!  so strange.

after some spaghetti and other tasty treats, we talked about casting for the characters and any expectations we had based on our own visuals.  again, i did not expect jace to look as they cast him for the movie.  i don't find the guy attractive at all.  and clary is a bit ho-hum for me too.  oh well.  at least they did well with valentine!!!  woohoo!  i love j.r.m.  overall, regardless of what we had expected, we agreed we were all excited to see the movie and how it came to life on the big screen!

i am more a fan of the infernal devices characters, but the author's humor throughout both series is wonderful and a little dark and just fantastic.  i hope it comes across in the movie too.

any favorite scenes from the book you are hoping to see?  have you read the series?  magnus is a favorite of mine...how about you?

fp 7/19/2013

as i said before, i had the honor of being featured in a great deal of treasuries as challenge winner for the week.  in fact, we ended up with a record number of entries...close to 200!  it was amazing.  after a wonderful front page appearance on the 18th, i ended up with another amazing front page treasury feature on the 19th!  this amazingly awesome treasury by pamela of pamelajoycedesigns:

jet set romance in winter

pamela make absolutely amazing decor, signs, and pillow covers.  check this one out!!  i love it!

you are my sunshine

fp 7/18/13

i had the pleasure of winning the trendsetting team weekly challenge and so had fellow teammates featuring my "goldmine" necklace in their treasuries for the week.  on the 18th, one of the treasuries graced the front page of etsy!  what a thrill!  here is the beautiful treasury by lynn of marooned jewelry

they had a farmstead

lynn has lovely jewelry in her shop!  like this lovely beauty!

broken china ring

fp 6/3/2013

i received a notice from an etsy friend that my necklace was on the fp last night!  of course, i missed witnessing it myself by a matter of minutes, but it definitely doesn't take away from the sheer excitement of having the honor of one of my pieces on the front page of etsy!

here is the lovely treasury by pat mcwhorter:

why not

the treasury is from a game called "fast and furious" where team members feature a shop's item in treasuries and try to get the item either 200 views or a sale.  my fabulous trendsetting team friends did a wonderful job creating gorgeous treasuries around my 'coal' necklace....and this one received grand prize of the front page!


pat has some fabulous art and note cards in her shop.  she is on vacation right now, so i can't post links to any of her lovely pieces, but definitely check her shop out!

ollie is here!

oh my goodness, i just received my little ollie from cut and tear that i recently won from her blog giveaway!

first off, i LOVED all the wonderful deutschland stamps on the package!  then, as i turned it over to open, there were two adorable stickers with the faces of some of kate's dolls!

then, as i opened the package, ollie was lovingly wrapped in tissue and ribbon and came with a sweet postcard featuring several of the lovies that i definitely want to hint at to the grandparents as gifts for the girls!

i am so excited to find the perfect little spot for ollie!  i know my girls are already imagining him in their own rooms!!

thank you again, kate, for my new little pet!!

crowd tap + old navy = free workout gear!

once again i had the chance to participate in a sample and share from crowdtap, where they partner with different brands and send out coupons to try out free items.  i have done several with old navy, and this was once again a wonderful opportunity to try out some of their workout gear!

i headed out to old navy and checked out their active wear section.  i LOVED the colors!  they had teals and corals and other fun options.  i grabbed several sports bras, some compression pants, and a couple tops to try and headed to the dressing room with my girls!

i ended up loving a really comfy teal sports bra, capri compression pants, teal shorts, and a teal tank.  i really wanted to get some of the terri cotton style shorts that were both *in* the active wear section, as well as shown in the link to the active wear section from old navy's site, but apparently those weren't included.  oh well.

here is what i ended up getting!!  of course, i couldn't stop at one set from the coupon...so i got two bottoms and two tops...and perhaps those terry cotton shorts too. i couldn't resist!  guess now i will need to get myself to the gym!!

shop feature 5/20/13

my shop is featured over at the lovely cut and tear blog right now!  come check it out!  i recently wrote about her adorable shop when i found out i won her giveaway of the adorable ollie the owl.  i simply adore her creative designs and seriously could find myself in a bit of trouble trying to collect one of everything in her shop!!

isn't "coco" a cutie!

owlish love

what a fabulous surprise to my day to discover that i won a giveaway from the absolutely darling london based shop, cut and tear!  the designer, kate, recently launched a new blog showcasing her adorable rag dolls, paper dolls, and crafts.

here is the newest member coming soon to my family!  meet ollie the owl:

isn't he just the cutest?

another favorite from kate's shop is her serafina dolls.  a couple of these are definitely going on my wish list for my girls:

d'or featured

i was featured in an absolutely lovely blog a couple weeks ago!  i was out of town when i discovered it, but i wanted to share my excitement here with you all on the wonderful surprise i had when i found my earrings featured over at cottage and vine!

d'or

rené included my d'or golden pearl earrings in a lovely mother's day gift guide.  i absolutely adored her other selections as well!  gorgeous aqua vases, petite peach ombre bowls, and other sweet and whimsical items for mom!  thank you so much rené for including my earrings among such lovely finds.


be sure to go check out cottage and vine!  her blog is absolutely amazing and chock full of design inspiration and delicious recipe ideas!

front page 5/7/13

i had the honor of having my earrings featured on the front page of etsy while i was out of town on vacation!  what an absolute delight!  the earrings are one of my favorites, and ones that i personally wear ALL THE TIME.  it was such a thrill to hop onto etsy one morning to see my earrings there!

here is the lovely treasury:

shoreline by bonnie

and i absolutely adore bonnie's shop, pea pod jewelry designs!  she has such sweet and classic jewelry! this is one of my absolute favorites:

teal brass patina earrings

what an absolute treat!!

if you want to see the lovely "squarish" earrings featured in the front page treasury, check them out here

fabulous features

i am thrilled to have my d'or golden pearl necklace featured on two lovely blogs!  with mother's day right around the corner, go check them out for some fabulous mother's day inspiration!

fiberbungalow

and

two birds boutique

and be sure to check out averybethdesigns for some wonderful jewelry ideas for mom (or you) too!

d'or

mother's day inspiration

are you still trying to figure out the perfect gift idea for your mom?  or are you trying to compile a wish list of items to oh-so-subtly leave out for the hubby to find?  well, these are a few of my own "wish list" items from etsy i'd like to share with you!

fiberbungalow

i just adore this handwoven scarf!  the color, the texture...i want to cozy up with a cup of coffee when i look at this!

sarafinadreams

am i the only one who wishes we still lived in the time women wore these every night?  this looks heavenly!

fricdementol

i LOVE embroidery hoop art.  and this one, "shrub 7" by fricdementol is so gorgeous!

hairbrainedschemes

i have a hard time choosing one favorite in this shop.  i simply LOVE the designs and colors.  i could decorate each one of my rooms with several of the pieces and be a happy girl!

blackbirdtees

i love these fun and funky designs from blackbird tees!  "the nomad" shirt would make a perfect gift for the hip mom in your life!

junedesigns

this delicate knot ring is a perfect way to show your mom some love!    say it all with this elegant ring...love, friendship, eternity.

flashmob 3rd place!

i absolutely love creating treasuries.  and i am on a couple teams that have phenomenal treasury curators.  so, when i am blessed with a third place win in one of the challenges, it is an honor!  this weeks theme was "ataraxia", defined as follows:  Ataraxia (Ἀταραξία "tranquility") is a Greek term used by Pyrrho and Epicurus for a lucid state of robust tranquility, characterized by ongoing freedom from distress and worry. It is a calmness untroubled by mental or emotional disquiet. It is a suspension of judgement, an absence of dogmatic beliefs, and a dissociation from fear, all while free from the influence of passion's elixir. It is associated with friendship, trust, virtue and affection.

i was inspired to create three treasuries with this theme, but one in particular was about my personal life and the peace i find within it.  this was my third place entry.  i hope you enjoy! (the actual treasury can be found here)

     

'ataraxia... pieces of me' by AveryBethDesigns

featuring slowfirepapercraft and americangraphics
www.etsy.com/teams/9309/treasury-flash-mob

Witchy Woman - summer h... TiffanyDearbo... $15	Tranquil Photo, Still L... BitsofLifeIma... $30	Black Pug Art  print - ... paintmydog $47	Fine Art Print Unbeliev... RoselightStud... $75
Preservation - approx 1... karinelizabet... $15	Handmade marigold paper... SlowFirePaper... $18	Vintage Mirror Home Dec... nowvintage $38	Learning to Sin - FREE ... caryndrexl $57
Horizon Emotion - Fine ... BOHOPAGEprint... $20	Beautiful Decayed Aband... InGodWeRust $24	10" x 10" Art... AmericanGraph... $22	Artistic nude woman on ... tree3art $25
Two Girls 8x12 Fine Art... TheLightFanta... $25	PLAY - Photograph, Prin... theotherjeani... $30	Piano Photography, Dark... ellemoss $30	Surreal portrait - Girl... erikakvictor $20

Treasury tool by StylishHome.

 

Why I want to win a membership to Product Marketing Breakthrough

I opened my handmade jewelry business, AveryBethDesigns, in August, 2012, after 4 years of waiting and wishing for the chance to make this dream of mine a reality.  I began years ago creating necklaces for friends and knew that it was something I wanted to turn into a business.  Once my husband got on board with the huge investment starting a business would be, I ran with it and now have my own jewelry business on Etsy.  I have been open for eight months and have had 50 sales.  While this is a good start, it is definitely only the beginning of where I see this business going.

I have networked via Facebook, Twitter, my blog, and purchased a domain for the future of the business.  After watching Andreea's videos, I have already made some adjustments to open up the chance for wholesale business, as well as created an email newsletter sign up option and spread the word on my various social media sites to try and garner more interest in my shop.

I would be absolutely thrilled to get a chance to win a free lifetime membership to Product Marketing Breakthrough.  As a stay at home mom to two children, living on one income doesn't afford the chance to make this huge investment…even though I know it will be worth it!  I know that my husband would not be on board with that level of investment.  And yet, I absolutely want to take my business to the next level and be able to contribute a significant income to our little family.  I want to make back our initial investment on this business and knock the socks off of my husband with my resounding success far beyond!

With a lifetime membership, I would be able to jumpstart my business and have the confidence to take action that i KNOW will make a difference.  I have been so motivated after watching the four video series and have already started taking steps to grow my business into what i know it can become.  With the resources and organized information that this program provides, I know that I can feel confident that all my worries and questions can be answered with the PMB program and provide me with a guideline for how to proceed. With access to media lists and source contacts, I know that I can get my jewelry featured and take control of the growth of my business.

In three years, I see my Etsy shop thriving, my jewelry in 2-3 local boutique stores, and perhaps a large retail outlet.  I want to have my jewelry featured in 2-4 magazines.  I want to be a "featured shop" on 2-4 large traffic and highly popular blogs.  I also want to have my jewelry sold on a high end exclusive site such as BRIKA.  Of course, this would all be without the advantage of PMB.  WITH the help of PMB, I imagine I could reach far beyond these goals.  Overall, I plan on my business being organized, smooth running, and highly successful…with even farther to go!  And hopefully with the help and resources of the Positive Marketing Breakthrough system, I can reach these goals faster and more confidently.

Want to help me win the contest for a free membership with Positive Marketing Breakthrough?  Click this link and "like" my entry!!  Thank you!



Patricia Bryant
averybethdesigns.etsy.com

cynosure

opulence

etiolate

breakfast at tiffany's!

i am so excited to be a part of the upcoming craft fair hosted by NW woman power networking events. this month's theme is...you guessed it..."breakfast at tiffany's"!  there will be 50+ vendors at the event, including your's truly...that would be ME!

this event comes just in time to pick up a lovely gift for you mother for mother's day!  and, what do you know, women LOVE jewelry.  so be sure to stop by my booth and get her something she will love.

the show is at the spokane events & catering off of east sprague on april 25th from 5-8pm.  here is the facebook page for the event:  breakfast at tiffany's craft fair

i have been a busy bee getting all of my display items ready and tagging all of my jewelry for the show next week.  this will be my second craft fair and i am excited for a really good turn out.

so, if you love craft shows, and happen to be near the spokane area, this event is for YOU!

want to see what will be at my booth?  come check out averybethdesigns on etsy!

new to the shop today!

cynosure

subscribe now!

i have been working on something rather exciting...

now you can subscribe to the averybethdesigns newsletter and get special announcements and offers sent to your email!  there is a lovely new link you can click to the right of this page called "subscribe for special offers".  this link will open a new window with a form you can fill out to get signed up for special offers...(hint: there might be a fabulous special offer for just signing up!)

also, if you love averybethdesigns and want to help promote the site, you can also now "grab my button" (also on the right of this page).  just copy the code in the box below the image and paste it into your blog's layout html code box and voi-la!  plus, you can let me know that you have done this, and i would be happy to reciprocate!  if you don't have a blog button for me to add to my site, i could always make a mention of you and your shop in my next blog post!

so, get connected to averybethdesigns and sign up for the newsletter!

and don't forget the mother's day sale going on in the shop right now!  use code LOVEMOM for 10% off your order!


(a special thank you to mycoolrealm for the button code!)

two new lovelies to the shop!

"incipient" (citrine)

"incipient" (amethyst)