The winners are...

Rebecca, #14, Kati, #6 & Bria, #9!

Congratulations!

Make sure to go to the Etsy shop sometime this weekend to make your purchase and receive your free gift! All you have to do is add one item to your basket and then leave me a message with the other item you would like free. The second item needs to be of equal or lesser value to the first and cannot be in the lost and found collection, unless it's one of the crystal necklaces. If you have any questions, definitely let me know. Thanks to everyone who participated! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and good luck if you're heading out into the shopping madness today. See you next week!

Spotlight: Avalon Earrings ($18)

I received a special request to make earrings for the Avalon necklace, so here they are. I decided to keep the design simple and used the exact same briolette drops as the earrings. As I have talked about before, I'm usually not a fan of the matchy matchy set, but this one worked for me. There's an exception to everything, I suppose! I hope you like them!

Materials: gold filled ear thread, gold plated fancy ring, cobalt blue glass faceted briolettes

I also added two new necklaces to Etsy yesterday, both in the Lost and Found collection. Be sure to check them out!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Don't forget to comment on this week's giveaway!

Giveaway: Black Friday BOGO

In honor of Thanksgiving and of course, Black Friday, I am doing a

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

offer for everyone this week! You will still have 3 opportunities to enter just by commenting on this post, only this time, YOU get to decide what you want to win. Not only that, but I'm going to choose 3 people as winners this week. So here's how it will work:

1. Comment up to 3 times on this post, to be entered to win, as usual.

2. On Friday, I will choose 3 people randomly who will receive the buy one, get one free offer.

3. The 3 winners will then go on to Etsy and purchase the item of their choice. On Etsy, there is an option to "send message to seller"; this is where you will let me know which other item you would like to receive as your free gift from me.

That's it! Good luck!

The fine print: 3 winners will be chosen randomly, however, if your name is chosen more than once, I will move on to the next person. The free item must be of equal or lesser value than the item purchased. Free items are not eligible for refunds, but are up for exchange with an item of equal or lesser value. Lost and Found items are available for purchase, but not as free items, due to the fact that they are usually one of a kind creations. (This excludes the crystal necklaces, as long as they are of equal or lesser value to the item purchased.) If you have any other questions, please email me at: byruthparker@gmail.com

The winner is...

Gina, number 3!

Congrats! Please send me your shipping information so that I can get this sent out to you!

On another note, I've been working with a new material, called beading chain, (which is what I used for the Avalon necklace) and I absolutely love it! It is very fine and delicate, making it perfect for some of the smaller stones and beads I have around here waiting to be used. I made two necklaces yesterday, (one of them is for sale) so I thought I'd share them with you. The first necklace I made for myself, but as always, if you would like something similar (or exactly the same) I take custom orders so just ask!

The second is the new Magnolia and Arlington Necklace ($32) named for an intersection in my hometown. For those of you who don't know much about Riverside, it is the birthplace of the citrus industry, and was also the site of the first golf course and polo field in Southern California. In 1873, Eliza Tibbets received 2 navel orange trees from a friend that came from Bahia, Brazil, and history was made. The trees thrived in Riverside and created an industry which supported the growth of the city for generations. There are still many citrus groves in existence and the California Citrus State Historic Park, located in Riverside, has dedicated 186 acres of its property to citrus fruit growth. Today nearly all of the Washington navel orange trees grown in California are descended from Eliza Tibbets' two original trees from Brazil, one of which still grows at the intersection of Arlington and Magnolia Avenues in Riverside. This simple necklace reminded me of home, and the colors that I grew up with.

It will be available on Etsy today!

Materials: gold plated chain, glass crystal faceted teardrops in topaz, aqua, and green

Spotlight: Avalon Necklace ($32)

The city of Avalon is located on a small island known as Catalina off the coast of Southern California. Most of the city's architecture dates back to the 1920's, after the island was purchased and developed by William Wrigley Jr., the owner of Wrigley gum. It is an enchanting place, and one that attracts many tourists every year. The ocean surrounding the island is actually very deep and rocky, making the colors a lot darker than what you would normally sea around more shallow, sandy beach islands. A large dance hall was built in 1929 called The Casino, and remains one of the most recognizable buildings on the island today. The Art Deco design and circular layout of the building make it truly unique. It is surrounded by water on three sides, and is 12 stories tall. I love the Art Deco feel of this simple necklace and can definitely imagine a young woman wearing it with her flapper dress for a night out on the town. It is understated yet elegant, making it the perfect piece for a fancy dinner date but still casual enough to dress up your favorite pair of jeans.

Materials: gold plated chain, faceted cobalt glass teardrops, gold plated filigree box clasp

Giveaway: West Hollywood Necklace ($28)

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but felt is IN! Everywhere I've looked lately, I've been seeing felt products. Here are a few examples I have come across...bowls, tree ornaments, hats,super-cute coats, and yes, jewelry! This week's giveaway is the

West Hollywood Necklace,

made of wool felted beads. It is the perfect statement necklace for this fall. I don't know if you've heard this yet either, but apparently things that are "green" are really popular right now. Really? Seriously though, I love this necklace. Some of you might think I'm crazy, (and I'm ok with that) but I think the jumbo size and funkiness of this necklace makes it awesome. Remember: you have 3 opportunities to enter, just by commenting on this post! Good luck!

Materials: wool felt beads, gold plated chain, gold plated clasp

The winner is...

Congratulations to Chelsea, number 11! I hope you love this necklace! If anyone else would like to purchase it, you can find it at my Etsy shop. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a safe Friday the 13th! Spooky...

I'll be back on Monday for the next giveaway item! See you then!

Spotlight: Duchess of Rock ($68)

One of the challenges in working with vintage and antique materials is that sometimes they aren't as strong and dependable as one might like. I recently bought this amazing amethyst colored brooch and last night, while working it into the necklace I had envisioned, the glass cabochon popped right out! I am in the process of re-setting the glass and once I am finished, it will be better than new. The glue that was holding it on underneath is very old and obviously had just lost it's stick. Better that it happened to me than you, right?! I felt like being brutally honest about this because I want everyone to know that accidents do happen! If ever you purchase a vintage piece (or any piece, for that matter) of mine and it happens to break or fall apart, please know that I would be happy to take it back and make the proper adjustments and/or repairs to make it good as new again. Here are the pictures I took before "the incident". The entire brooch is about 2 inches long by 1 1/2 inches and is in great condition. This is something I could imagine Sharon Osbourne wearing...yes, sometimes I design jewelry for my celebrity friends who have no idea that I exist. Yet.

Materials: steel chain, antique brass hook clasp, large antique brooch with amethyst colored glass and rhinestones.

Giveaway: August Boatwright Necklace ($54)

This weeks giveaway is another from my "Once Upon a Time" line, which are based on my favorite books. I did a spotlight on "Alice and Wonderland" and my Queen of Hearts necklace a couple of weeks ago, and this week is all about "The Secret Life of Bees". For those of you who have read this book, the necklace should make perfect sense. For those of you who haven't, I definitely suggest reading it (or watching the movie if you're not a book fan) because it is wonderful. My mom and I listened to the book on tape one summer during a family vacation and I have loved it ever since. I have a deep connection to the south; we visit family there almost every year and I always feel at home...whether it's New Orleans, Atlanta, or Tampa Bay. The narrator of the book on tape is a young girl with a southern accent, and she made the book come alive for me. The movie definitely helped in that regard too! (I should be getting paid for this, but I'm not...) Anyway, in the book, Ms. August Boatwright is a strong woman who makes honey for a living to support she and her sisters. She is a beekeeper, hence the bee, and is very successful, so I tried to make something a little more elegant and interesting. The pattern is absolutely random, meaning that every necklace of this type is bound to be just a little bit different from the next. I hope you like it! Don't forget to enter 3 times to win, with the winner being announced on Friday morning. I'll be back tomorrow for the next spotlight piece! This necklace will be up on Etsy today, so it will still be available in the shop if you don't end up winning. Good luck!

Materials: honey colored glass beads, gold plated clasp, gold plated filigree beads and a brass bee charm.

Spotlight: Key to My... Necklace ($38)

One of the best things about what I'm doing with vintage jewelry is that my friends and family love to help with my cause! My brother and cousin are way into thrift and vintage shopping and have been extremely helpful in finding me very unique and interesting pieces to work with. While on a recent shopping trip, my cousin came across an amazing collection of antique and vintage keys in an antiques shop, and sent them to me. This necklace is made with one of those keys, hung on steel chain, with cream, brown, and pink rose beads as an accent. The key is suspended on the chain without a ring, making it nearly impossible to remove- unless of course, you're ready to give it away. This will be up on Etsy today, so if you want it, don't wait!

Table for SLACKER, party of 1...

I have totally sucked at posting this past week, and I'm sorry! Who knew that moving would be such a hassle? We finally have our internet up and running (piggy backing the neighbors could only last so long...sshhh...don't tell anyone) so I can finally get reorganized and post again! I have a spectacular spotlight for tomorrow planned, but unfortunately, since it's so late in the week now, there won't be a giveaway until next Monday. Thank you all for your patience! Don't forget to stop by the Etsy shop to start working on those Christmas presents! There will be more to come very soon. Thanks!