June Giveaway

Here is June's Giveaway. An upcycled gold coil stretch bracelet set with an open back olive green vintage pear shaped rhinestone.
Here's how to enter-
Follow and leave comment on what items you like in my Etsy shop- 1 entry
Grab my button - 3 entries
Purchase item from my Etsy Shop - 5 entries
Giveaway ends June 30 and is selected by random number generator.

All followers are already entered!

Vintage Cabs and Jewels Oh My

I myself love using vintage materials in my creations and so does Posh Adornments on Etsy.  While checking out this shop I have absolutely fallen in love with her rings that are made from vintage glass cabochons and cameos. The one in the picture above is one of my favorites but she also carries some funky Gothic and punk creations and because the materials are upcycled vintage they are also eco friendly. Posh Adornments prices are very reasonable and they also ship internationally.  If you are a Twilight fan make sure to check out this Ornate Ruby Red Ring it has Volturi written all over it!

Amazing and Natural Toddler Toys

If you are a mom like me you have probably been concerned with all of the news about dangerous lead in toys and chemicals used to produce children's items.  Well here is your answer FELT! jacksbeanstalk is a wonderful shop on Etsy that sells beautiful and natural hand felted toys for children and toddlers.  There are a variety of goodies for your little one such as counting balls, felted fruit, and even some adorable animals.  This shop will even make custom items and special pieces for gifts. Take a look around this lovely shop and say NO to "made in China".

Mays Winners are in!

For the May Giveaway and the Vintage Revamped necklace the winner is - Julie

For the Grab my button Berry Earring the Winner is- Gustosa

I will be contacting the winners shortly and listing 2 NEW giveaways shortly. Keep following and thanks for your continued support.

Garlic an Economical Way to keep the Bugs Away

I am always looking for ways to save money and not use chemicals so I was doing some research on  natural bug repellents and learned that garlic can be an excellent way to keep mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks away. I will be trying a solution based on a product found in stores which basically blends lots of garlic with canola oil and is then sprayed in your yard. I will be sure to post the results of this little experiment when I am done. I am really hoping it works as I have children and a doggie who love to play in the yard during the summer but usually the mosquitoes are so bad that no one can stand it out there. I will also let you know if it smells like the Olive Garden which may offend some people but lucky for me I am of Italian descent and the smell of garlic is like perfume to me. The reason I am choosing to do this as opposed to trying the commercial product is I believe if I popularize the garlic myself then it will me much more potent plus the commercial preparations are expensive and you would still need to buy canola oil to blend them with making it even more costly. I keeping my smelly fingers crossed on this one.

The Art of Assemblage

If you love upcycled assemblage art and jewelry then you will definitely love Retro Chalet Studio on Etsy. There is quite the eco friendly bounty in this shop and prices are extremely affordable. Above is an awesome old wooden chip that has been carefully  decoupaged with a 1940s print and turned into a pendant. The owner of this shop, Ira, has an excellent eye for assemblage making everything from jewelry and art prints to journals and assemblage sculptures. Take a look at her shop for some very unique items that will not disappoint.

Skip the Trash and Look Fab

,

The creative mind never stops thinking and this beautiful bracelet is a very nice reminder of that. Believe it or not the beginnings of this bracelet were an ordinary plastic soda bottle. It lives on in a bold new way thanks to ElectricPenguin on Etsy.  It is layered with hemp and adorned with a earthy mix of glass beads. What a wonderful way to turn trash into treasure and to make this even better it is on sale at  ElectricPenguin for only $11.00 ! This shop also has some awesome upcycled beer labels on wooden beads that would make a great guy gift. Check this shop out it is super fun and affordable.

Grab My Button Giveaway for May 17-31st

Here is the next Grab my button giveaway for all my friends. Here is how it works- If you have a blog just grab my button to the right and paste it on your blog or website  and then leave a comment. If you already have my button then just post a comment  and you are entered.  I will be doing a new grab my button giveaway every two weeks so check back often. This one ends May 31st and is done by random number generation and then the button is verified by me. Thanks to everyone who follows my blog and has my button :) This is an international giveaway and open to everyone with a blog or website.

The prize this time is a wonderful accessory for summer. Bright juicy red vintage berry beads are paired with blue wire wrapped glass drops on silver ear wires.

May's Grab my Button Winner

The winner is Shadylady Congrats and keep following as I have will have a new grab my button giveaway that I will be posting later tonight  and all who currently have my button just need to leave a comment to enter. Have a wonderful day!

Button Up Fashion

This morning I am highlighting this wonderful upcycled button necklace from TopazTurtle on Etsy. This awesome creation is made from recycled buttons and beads  floating artfully on wire. This is a wonderful style and is very popular right now so you can effectively save the plant and be stylish all at the same time. TopazTurtle is an Australian shop that  also ships to the US, UK, and Malaysia. This shop also boasts some of the best looking resin bangle bracelets around.

Cool Upcycled Skirts For Summer

I gotta say I love upcycling and recycling products and I especially love finding new and interesting ways in which people are doing it. Take for instance this awesome summer skirt it once had a former life as a business style dress. Eccentric Lilithine  is a fab  new shop on Etsy and has a wonderful concept. Take those little bitty sundress and turn them into amazing skirts designed for all sizes even plus sizes.  These breezy beauties are perfect for summer and come in all different lengths. Skirts start around 30.00 and she also has some amazing Tree of Life pendants for only 15.00

Happy Mothers Day

H

Hope every mommy out there had a wonderful and amazing Mothers Day :) This is what I woke up to yesterday morning. A beautiful breakfast in bed made by my hubby and served by my sweet little Will. My husband made biscuits from  scratch and even went and cut roses from my garden. I felt like a queen not to mention my husband also made an amazing dinner and better yet, cleaned the house! My 2 sweet kiddos also made me feel extra special  and I hope all you know how special you are as well :)

A Greener and Cheaper Way to Clean

No doubt everyone has seen the many new green cleaning and household products on the market and while some of them are good they can get expensive. I have been making my own cleaner for years and it is extremely simple and cheap. Take a spray bottle of your choice and add 1/3 cup liquid castile soap, 1/3 cup lemon juice and fill with tap water. This concoction works great and and smells amazing. In my house I use this spray on my counters, cabinets, bathrooms and even floors. The pads shown in the pic above are wonderfully eco friendly as well and work with my Swiffer. I purchased them and my castille soap from Picnic Basket Crafts on Etsy. Tiffany the owner of this wonderful little shop makes a wide array of eco friendly items that are also wallet friendly, I have even worked with her on a number of occasions to make special items (like bug repellent for my pup) If you are at the store checkout Dr Bronners castile soap, it is the most economical choice on the market and available in alot of local supermarkets. It comes in several wonderful fragrances using essential oils such as almond, lavender, peppermint.

Mays Awesome Giveaway

May's Giveaway is here! This month I am offering this beautiful revamped vintage necklace made from 100% upcycled materials. A beautiful gold and rhinestone brooch is the focal point accented by sapphire blue vintage navette rhinestones on an upcycled glass rosary chain.

To enter-
Follow my blog ( all previous followers are already entered ) 1 Entry

Grab my Button- 2 Entries

Take a look at my Etsy Store and tell me your favorite piece and why- www.camelotjewels.etsy.com -1 entry

Purchase anything from my shop - 8 Entries !

APRILS Winner is.......

April's winner is BLISSFUL BEE BOUTIQUE Congratulations :)

Thanks for for entering and keep following as that means you automatically have 1 entry into EVERY monthly drawing. and for more enttries just leave comments.
Mays Giveaway will be announced Tomorrow :)

GRAB MY BUTTON Giveaway !!

                                                    Cotton Candy Necklace Giveaway,
Vintage wire wrapped pink and blue crystals on an upcycled silver circle and chain.
Entering this one is simple- Follow my Blog and  Grab My Button and paste it on Your blog :)
All entries will be verified. If you have previously grabbed my button just post in the comments to be entered.
Giveaway Ends May 15, 2010  Get to grabbing !

First CSA Week

I was excited about getting our first CSA share from Snow's Bend Farm last week. Boy was it wonderful. We received  the following - Carrots, Radishes, Baby White Turnips, Arugala, Salad Mix, and Mustard Greens. 18 bucks for all of this fresh local and organic produce was a great deal and I suggest everyone who is looking for organic sustaniable produce at a bargain checkout Local Harvest for a CSA near you. I never knew I liked turnips but I roasted these little babies with a bit of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper and they were AMAZING

Herb Garden Dreams

I spent all of this past Sunday working on this small bed in my yard. I had to remove hundreds of bulbs from one side and still need to finish the other side. I love organic herbs and veggies but the cost can be hard to swallow. Now I have never grown veggies before but thought giving it a try would be worth it. Like I said it is small so I need to do some research on what would work best out there. If you guys have any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.  To help save money on organic produce our family also joined a local organic CSA and we will be receiving our first share this Thursday and I am super excited to try some new recipes with whatever I receive. The name of the farm is Snow's Bend Farm and it has an amazing reputation for it's organic produce and at 18.00 a week it  seems like a good deal. I will also be planting on Thursday and will take some pics. My 6 year old will be helping me and I am eager to show him this process. I am hoping this will be fun and rewarding for the whole family.

My First Giveaway

I myself LOVE giveaways and thought that this would be a wonderful way to start up my blog. I will be giving away the earrings above. These are awesome large vintage aurora borealis rhinestones set in brass on brass ear wires and are super glam! I will be doing a new giveaway every month so check back often. This one ends April 31st.

Here is how you enter to win
1 entry for following my blog
1 entry for each comment
4 entries for putting my button ( to the right ) on your blog
8 entries if you make a purchase from my Etsy Shop