You're a Pretty Big Deal on the Internet!

You know how most of your friends and family just don't get you and your internet thing and have no idea how involved you are or how big it's gotten? Kirsten Wright and I have designed a t-shirt (nice ones in hot pink or turquoise) with the slogan "I'm a pretty big deal on the internet"

Let me sell you some more. You know you’re a pretty big deal when your blog or your Twitter has so many followers it amazes you. When you’ve had so many Etsy sales you can’t believe it’s just you at your kitchen table. When you have so many comments on Facebook or your blog you can’t even imagine who these people are. You know who you are.

Initially the shirts are selling as a pre-paid order. So you can go to the shop at http://shopbonnin.etsy.com and order the shirt for $25 which includes shipping. Once 50 are ordered, the entire order will be processed, and yours will be delivered to you. Our goal is by the beginning of February. The more you tell your friends, the more we sell, the faster everyone gets the shirt. So Twitter it. Blog it. We’d love it.

Also, you’ll see a button on the right side of my blog. You can click that button and be directed right to the T-shirt page to purchase the t-shirt. Easy.

National Cupcake Day!

It's National Cupcake Day today, Dec. 15. And to celebrate, because being of the cupcake lover and friend of cupcake makers that I am, I must celebrate, I am having a SPECIAL.


ALL cupcake necklaces and rings in my shop today and today only are 20% off. And you know I offer FREE shipping. You WILL get it by Christmas. No code needed.

More Indie Talent to Add

Last weekend I met my friends Carrie and Kelley at the Handmade Brigade show in Costa Mesa. Hanging out with them is always fun and they even took me out for an early birthday lunch which was so sweet. It was also really special seeing my pals Mincing Mockingbird, Frantic Meerkat, and Steph of Hearts and Laserbeams selling at HMB. I don't get to see them much and I always need a laugh or 10!

Also, I did a little bit of shopping. Not much, but a little bit. I was delighted to meet Nan Lawson . The cool thing about living in the Orange County/Los Angeles area is all of the amazing talent. I've seen Nan's work on Etsy and never thought she'd be at a small show in Orange County, and there she was inside the building, in a little corner, with her partner in crime (that's what she calls him). So I had to buy this print. I have to admit that I do have a soft spot for Max and always have (Where the Wild Things Are). And now that the movie is out I am so glad I nabbed one of these before she had none left.

You know where this is going to go in my home. And I had to make sure when I bought it. "Nan, do you have a problem if I hang this in my potty room?" I explained "It's actually my Indie art gallery room. We can sit there and appreciate it for a while. People ask to come in and check it out too. Not when we are occupying the room of course." She stated "Not a problem." Whew! So I got the print and it's hanging up now in a place of distinction.
I also made this one of Summer using the techniques of my mixed media jewelry photo art pieces and it is hanging in my bathroom as well. it's 3 x 3.

When Designs Come to Life

How great is it to have wonderful clients/friends that wear my flowers and show me how the flowers worked with their clothing for their particular event. Above is Kristin who had a heck of a time trying to find the right jewelry for her dress but it all looks fantastic with that flower for a big dinner event!
In Jen's case, she didn't have a choice, I was at her wedding! I pulled her aside at the reception and took the above picture. Isn't she just gorgeous?
The wedding was in San Francisco and I admit, it was a bit windy and I didn't expect the ostrich feathers to curl like that but it makes it look kinda fun. They really did their own thing. This photo was taken by a friend of hers.
This is Jen's sister, Laura who was the Maid of Honor. She wore a yellow Feather Flower barrette I designed with peacock feathers sticking out. Pretty fun with that gorgeous hair, huh?

For the Bride or the Bridesmaids - In Red

I recently sold a red silk flower hair piece and found out it was for the bride so I thought I'd feature red handmade accessories for the bride or the bridesmaids.

Above is my favorite custom bridal bag designer, Becky OH! She has an amazing handbag shop as well and at the bottom of her web shop is a link to her bridal shop where you can order custom bridal bags. I've personally been involved in ordering 2 bags and know that she was speedy fast, has great customer service and you will absolutely fall in love with your one of a kind bag!

This adorable fire opal red faceted CZ heart necklace on a beautiful Italian chain is by South Paw Studios. There are many pieces in her shop that would be just perfect for the big day! I just "met" South Paw Studios as we are both members of the Etsy Twitter Team!

I have to mention my red Feathered Flower hair barrette because when I commented on Becky's bags the other day, she said how great they would pair up and that's how this blog post came to be. This Feathered flower hair barrette is a custom piece so if you are interested in something like it, please let me know through my Etsy shop , however I do have some pieces available for purchase now already made.

The OC Handmade Brigade Craft Show

I love to shop and I love talking about other peoples stuff. On Saturday I went to the OC Handmade Brigade Craft Fair. That in itself is truly exciting for to have Indie Craft shows in our county is new and exciting; and oh what a showing it was. And I did a little shopping.

I currently have this project going on in my toilet room. You see, it’s empty. When you sit there and forget a magazine you look at nothing. So after 6 years I started to think of how to spruce it up and make it something to look at if the magazine is forgotten. Here’s where my indie art friends come in. So yesterday, Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams sold us a very funny and suitable bathroom print that my husband chose. I believe this will be the only one of a “going to the bathroom” theme in the bathroom but we love it and we love Steph! Oh I also got a keychain that says “Suck It”! Hee Hee.

As for the rest of the bathroom that will come in another blog post. I will complete this post with the remainder of my fun finds at the Handmade Brigade show

I’ve been sewing lately and I really wanted to have a nice wrist pin cushion by the very talented Polly Danger (love her name). This one is especially cool because the pin cushion part is a pin and comes off and you can pin it to your self if you don’t want it on your wrist for instance. Love the colors.

Knitting is another distraction for me and frustration ensues when following a pattern and thinking I’m somewhere when I’m actually somewhere else on the page. So to save me, I finally purchased some pattern magnets but these are the coolest designed ribbon ones by Slipped Stitch Studios and come in 3 sizes in a pack for only $8. They can also be used for marking recipe books and as bookmarks. I know I will keep them in use constantly!

Aren’t roses lovely? Pretty Paris has an abundance of them in the form of earrings, rings, hair pins, necklaces, you name it. I purchased a pair of earrings for a possible gift. I have to figure out first though if the recipient has pierced ears. Darn. I may have to keep them for myself.

So next is Renegade Craft LA July 11-12. I need to save up my pennies and get more prints….and whatever else.

Pow of Color for Summer

This idea came to me from the bridesmaids' rings I did recently. I sell my flower rings individually but thought it would be great to sell them as a set of 3 as well, so that the full effect of this ring can be had by wearers or you could wear 1-2 and tone down the pow of color and spikes. I also added new colors such as clear yellow, opaque yellow, a combination of pink and yellow, and now a silver and an olive green. Don't you love them? These are one size fits all and only $20 for a set of 3 only at Bonnin Designs .

The Colorful Bridal Biz

One of my best friends is getting married in June and I had the privilege of making hers and her Maid of Honor's hair pieces. They are simple silk flower barrettes with feathers and a rhinestone in the center. Pictured above is the Maid of Honor's. I'm holding the Bride's as a secret. Don't want to spoil it. I love how they turned out. I've never done these before and the simplicity and elegance of it just fits perfectly with my friend's style. Can't wait to see them in action.
These are the Boutonnieres for the same wedding. Using sterling silver beads and pearls, they are understated and elegant. I love how they won't die and can be kept. The girlfriend or wife will most definitely snag these babies after the wedding.
This is a set of 3 custom flower rings that are still in the sample stages for a different wedding. These are what the bridesmaids are going to be wearing- all 8. So there will be 24 rings. The wedding is periwinkle and yellow themed. That would be a fun wedding to go to. Can't wait to hear about it! Flower rings are available in my shop at $7 each.
And these are Red roses that I shipped 4 of to Montreal this week for a wedding the first week of June. The bride and her 3 bridesmaids will be wearing them. These are $10 each available in many colors in my shop.

So you can see that weddings can be fun and creative. They don't have to be white, they don't have to use pearls. And they certainly don't have to be expensive. I do custom work, so just ask.

Red

I don't know why it took me so long to get red flower rings on my website, but they are now there and plentiful so go get 'um. They are a beautiful red and are the perfect summer accessory. 2 together as shown are they best way to wear them~

Customers and Cupcakes are the Sweetest Things

This weekend I received the most heartwarming email from a customer. I love when I hear how people enjoy wearing the jewelry I make and this letter is certainly one to make me teary eyed. Got Kleenex? Here is it with her permission:

I just want to tell you that the cupcake ring I bought from you several months ago made an appearance at my daughter's wedding. Tracy loves cupcakes, in fact had cupcakes instead of a regular wedding cake. When the minister asked for the ring at the wedding, the best man handed him the cupcake ring, to everyone's delight, of course. So for the rest on the evening she wore the cupcake ring on her right hand with the real wedding ring on her left. Thanks for helping us have a little fun with Tracy's love of cupcake!

Bea

Back in Time and New Experiences

This Thanksgiving was a time of reflection upon the past as well as a time for opening my eyes to new joys. Traveling to my childhood home of Tempe, AZ brings me back to my past but whenever I’m back there, I never see school friends. As I’ve gotten older I find that I really miss those kids. I guess I see myself in my high school age daughter and the things she does and friends she knows remind me of how much I miss my old pals. You know, with Facebook reuniting with school friends made it possible. So my friend from high school that I got re-acquainted with on Facebook and I planned a little gathering and contacted many people from school to join us. Turns out with the holidays and people having company or traveling out of town, it was just 3 of us and our spouses. But that was a good re-entry for me. Plus, early in the day, I ran into 2 more friends from high school in my old neighborhood. Seeing everyone again was a joy and seeing what they’ve done with their lives was so interesting. Plus, we caught up on gossip and talked about the old days, which was hilarious. I recommend you do the same. There is nothing like seeing people after 20+ years and catching up.

As the weekend continued, I experienced one of the highlights of my artistic life which was seeing the Chihuly glass exhibition at the Desert Botanical Gardens.

It was an art exhibition with spectacular glass features intermixed in the desert landscape. The colors and shapes were extraordinary. This just confirms my love for color and shiny things. I highly recommend visiting. The display will be there until May 31, 2009. Thank goodness I had 2 cameras. To see more pictures, visit my flickr album.

Oh, and I have to let you know, I have a bunch of new items in my Etsy shop and am having a major inventory sale. Free shipping to the USA.

I'm a Craftstylish Challenge Winner

I typically don’t enter contests, but when Craftstylish Magazine and website had a Flower Power Challenge, I figured this was a contest meant for me. After all, much of the jewelry and accessories that I create are inspired by flowers and color. So I entered 3 items. There were 130 entries and 4 winners, and guess what. I was one of the 4 winners with one of my entries. It was my favorite Flower ring that I sell in my Etsy shop, but what I did was put 3 rings together resulting in an Aster. I made these 3 rings in a different set of colors than I have in the past and there it is, the Aster Ring Set.
What I won is the ultimate embellishment package: an assortment from the new Crafty Chica Craft product line, the fab Crafty Chica book, The Crafty Chica Collection: Beautiful Ideas for Crafts, Home Decorations and Shrines from the Queen of Latina Style, and a copy of the premiere issue of CraftStylish Quick Gifts to Make.

Winning, A Good Thing

I actually won a contest on one of my favorite blogs; Purple Pink and Orange last week. Yes, me. The one who never wins, so never enters anything. But I did and I did. Go figure. So what did I win? So fitting that because I’m trying to eliminate wastefulness in my life, that I believe it was destiny to win three re-usable ripstop nylon Kootsac bulk food bags. And just as it happens, they just opened one of my favorite markets this past weekend that carries many bulk food items so I’ll try them out today.

Inventory Clearance Sale, It's BIG!

We've been having some website problems on my regular website, so to ease the frustration and to make way for FALL, we're having a HUGE inventory clearance sale on my other site.
I have to let you know that much of my jewelry and accessories are now on clearance and moved over to my Etsy site at http://shopbonnin.etsy.com . Many items are marked way way down. And shipping is FREE to the US. So please hurry over because it's going fast.

Spring Wakes me Up!

I just love the weather right now. I’m able to wear flip flops and short sleeves. My nose isn’t running from the cold and my hands aren’t freezing on the computer mouse. I got inspired to make anklets because they are the perfect summer jewelry. I love wearing an ankle bracelet with my flip flops. I picture myself with an anklet and my toes running through the warm sand at the beach. Yes, these are available at my etsy shop in all sizes for only $20. FREE shipping to the USA. And they match everything!

Yesterday I discovered a farmer’s market which is great because it’s on a Wed when I’m still buying food to cook for the week. The one I usually go to is on Thurs and I don’t buy much because by Friday I’m done cooking since I don’t cook on weekends for the most part. I picked up some amazing tomatoes yesterday and forgot to serve them for dinner last night. I hope I remember for tonight. That’s why I’m blogging this so it will help me remember.

Which brings me to my next point and that is getting old. I’ve never had a weight problem. Well, I’ve never been the weight I wanted to be but my weight always remained the same. I didn’t gain. Lately I’ve gained weight and it just kills me. I don’t fit into more than half my pants. They aren’t comfy. So as one solution, I’ve been hitting the gym and doing aerobics twice a week and cardio before yoga twice a week. We won’t talk about food however. That’s a whole other story…..But I must remember, it will be reality once I have to get into a bathing suit.

A Different Angle

I've been playing around with oxidation (darkening sterling silver with a chemical process) for a while and have made a couple of pieces for my shop in recent years but I just came across these beads in my stash that were just screaming for attention. So I set forth to create. The oxidation is a wonderful dark color and provides a contrast which, to me really brings out the color and shape of the stones. It highlights the stone into front and center. I put a mini collection together and it is now available at my Etsy shop with Free Shipping.

You know, it's been almost a month with no sale at my Etsy site, so the promotion stands. With each purchase, I will send you a free flower ring from my main shop site. It's really hard to get attention at Etsy with so many sellers and that first sale is a tough one to get because who wants to be the first buyer at a shop with no knowledge of how recent purchases went. But you know me, and you know I've been around a while (8 years now), so give a girl a break, please.

Free Stuff

To celebrate the opening of my new Etsy store, I am giving away FREE, a flower ring to the first 10 customers that complete a purchase. (color of my choosing.). The Flower Rings are found on my regular website, but the purchase must be made at my ETSY store.

Oh, and shipping is FREE to the USA!

So get shopping!

Only 2 More Weeks for Free Shipping and 70% off

Just a quick reminder that there are only 2 more weeks left for FREE SHIPPING at my website: Bonnin Designs and my Etsy Shop: shopbonnin.etsy.com

So hurry over for some great shopping deals and see our new Flamenco items as well. Perfect for Valentine's Day and any day really. Many items have been discounted up to 50% off at both shops and if you use this discount code YUMMY20 (at my website only) you can take 20% off of anything, including sale items and savings can be a whopping 70% off + Free shipping. You really can't beat that! But hurry, because this discount will expire Jan 31.

More Output, Less Input

Wow, I feel like I was thrown face first into 2008. Now that I’m scraping myself off the floor, not because I drank on New Years. I only had a glass of wine, but because I wasn’t prepared for it. There’s just so much to do.
I found myself caught up in knitting and kinda put life aside for a while. A little break I guess you’d call it. Now I’m off my break and having to go full guns.
I already fulfilled one resolution and it’s only Jan. 3. I opened an Etsy shop. Because I had decided to focus my website on Flamenco items more, I still wanted to be able to offer current inventory and some of my faves. Now they are my Etsy shop.
My other resolution (and typically I don’t make resolutions) is to sell stuff more than buy stuff. Over the holidays I’ve just been shopping tooooooo much. Done with that. So when I say sell stuff, I not only mean jewelry. I want to get rid or cleanse this house a bit. I have things I need to get rid of to make more room, like an old bike, like some flamenco dresses and more. I think Craigslist and Ebay will be the way to go.

Oh, and use code YUMMY20 for 20% off including sale purchases. And FREE shipping is extended through January. After that, there will be a shipping charge.