Southern Bliss~;o)

I am excited to announce the grand opening of our new etsy shop SOUTHERN BLISS! Featuring high quality beautiful and unique hand stamped Artisan Jewelry! To find these lovelies click on the link: www.southernbliss.etsy.com Look for more of our fine selections to debute this week! Happy shopping! ~xoxo~Designing Diva~:o)

Emma Models.....

Our new personalized keepsake name bracelets! Your choice of up to eight letter blocks, birthstone color, and charm! Just perfect for birthdays, bridal, communions, and many other special occasions! Want to place an order? Visit my etsy store and start building your beautiful heirloom bracelet today! A special Thank you goes out to lovely Emma for modeling our name bracelet collection, and to Beth for the beautiful pictures! Thank you Emma and Beth! To see more of Beth's stunning work visit: http://www.bethophotography.com/index2.php

Adelynn Models.....

Studio Bebe Boutique's Spring/Summer Bridal Collection!!!!! Here are some simply stunning sneak peek photos of our Bridal Jewelry Collection from Traina Photography! I cannot say enough how absolutely breath taking these photos turned out! A special Thank you goes out to lovely Adelynn for modeling our Spring/Summer Bridal Collection, and to Brandi Traina for the amazing photos! Thank you Adelynn and Brandi! To view more of Brandi's Incredible work visit: www.trainaphotography.com

Etsy Treasury Feature!

Hi Ya'll! I am excited to share with you that today I was featured in "The best of whats around" etsy treasury! Look for my Bubblegum Jewels Hair Bling in the etsy treasury or in the Studio Bebe Boutique Etsy Shop today! A special Thank you goes out to sugarsnapshots for the feature! Thank you sugarsnapshots!

20 Sardines and a baseball cap.....

were this past weekend's catches of the day! We headed out to Fort De Soto beach on Mothers Day and did some yummy grilling and fishing off the pier! The menu for the cookout included: ribs (my favorite), wings (my next favorite), Emeril sausages (YUM! especially the apple glazed ones!), pork, potatoes, salad, and bread. It was quite the feast~:o) I also caught my first fish ever! That is if you want to include sardines into the fishing category lol! I did the catching and snugglebear did the unhooking.....uck. I caught about 20 sardines and snugglebear's dad's baseball cap! Yup, the wind was kickin too and blew it into the water but I used my handy dandy beginners skills and somehow managed to fish it out! (Translated, got lucky cause the wind blew the hat in my direction.) It was quite a weekend! And now I must go tend to the scathing sunburn that I acquired during my stay in Fort Desoto.....ugg. Until nextime friends~;o)

My Turn~;o)

Wow what a week! What a graduation! So "finally" you say? well, actually no~:o) I think I'm gonna persue that Bachelors too~;o) Here are some highlights of the evening~:o) To see the slideshow and more pictures of the grand event, visit my myspace. Toodles for now!

Madison models.....

for Studio Bebe Boutique! Looking for the perfect set of pearls to go with everything? Check out our Special Occasions bracelet! The perfect gift for anything! Maybe your looking for something a little more haute for spring and summer? Pick up a strawberry or two from our strawberry patch! Pair them with your favorite boutique bows or they also work just fine for holding back those little whisps of hair! You can find both of these lovely accessories at Studio Bebe Boutique or Etsy! A Special Thank you goes out to Madison and her Mommy Annie for the amazing pictures! Thank you Madison and Annie!

A Communion Bracelet

Here is a beautiful bracelet that I made for my little cousin's Communion!

Just thought I share with ya what I've been up too~;o) Until next time~:o)

I can't wait.....

to receive these lovely prints in the mail! The top picture is an apple tree and the bottom is a cherry blossom tree! I purchased these beautiful printed water color paintings from Angela of jellybeans on etsy! All of her work is amazing! I had the hardest time deciding which ones to choose because I wanted to buy them all! Yes she is that good! Well this is the find of the day! Until next time shoppers~;o)

(Pictures Courtesy of: Angela from jellybeans on etsy)

Stringing Heirlooms.....

..... this is what I like to call it! I thought I'd share my latest project with you! This is my first hand knotted freshwater pearl bracelet! I am so excited about it! It came out just lovely (that is after restringing it about five times!) I plan on wearing this beauty for my graduation in May! A matching hand knotted freshwater pearl necklace is in the works! I will post pictures as soon as I complete it! Until next time darlings! xoxo~Designing Diva~:o)

My new best friends.....

For some time now I have been trying to switch to as many natural products and ingrediants as possible. (The less chemicals and ingrediants involved the better!) So I would like to proudly introduce you to my new best friends! Arm & Hammer Baking Soda/powder, White Distilled Vinegar, and Clover Honey! Here is my eco friendly house hold tip of the day for you:

Basic Sink Cleanser: An all-natural scrubbing powder for your sink, tub, and shower.

Ingredients: 1/4 cup baking powder and 1/2 cup vinegar

Instructions: Mix together and use on sponge. (I use a scrubbing brush) Rinse well.

You won't believe how squeaky clean and residue free these two little wonders leave your tub!!

Here is my all natural soothing tip of the day for you:

To sooth a sore throat:

I have been taking 2 teaspoons of honey (without water) every hour.

This is the recommended dosage for adults. (Also soothes dry cough)

I am not a doctor either people, this tip comes from an article I read and I found it works for me~:o)

Both tips mentioned are very inexpensive alternative remedies~:o) For those of you shaking your heads and saying to yourself, "Please tell us something else we don't already know" I have to inform you that I am not your typical domestic diva or Ms. House hold hints lady but am certainly working my way towards becoming one~;o) So with that being said I ask that you please PLEASE comment me with your all natural tips! The more the merrier! Don't be shy! Until next time friends, ~Cheers!

(Pictures Courtesy of: photobucket)

TAG! Your it!

I've been tagged by Honee, Calico Flamingo! OK, here it goes:

Here are the rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven facts:

1) My first jewelry ever created was an anklet I made about 7 years ago.

2) I suffer from panic attacks. (Especially on test day~;o)

3) I love belly dancing! It is my favorite form of exercise!

4) I was almost kidnapped when I was about 10 yrs old.

5) My hair is naturally wavy, it just so happens to be straightened in the picture lol~:o)

6) I have never smoked a cigarette, ever.

7) I have one tabby short haired kitty named Zoey, she is my sidekick~:D

I'm going to tag:

Lexi Pratt- The Pratt Chronicles- http://lexipratt.blogspot.com/

Dara- Sophie Rose Designs- http://www.sophierosedesigns.blogspot.com/

Alice W.- Romantic Thoughts- http://romanticthoughtsfromalicew.blogspot.com/

Lidy- French Garden House- http://www.littlefrenchgardenhouse.blogspot.com/

Jennifer- The Old Painted Cottage- http://www.theoldpaintedcottage.blogspot.com/

Linda- Ribbon Rock Star- http://ribbonrockstarhairbows.blogspot.com/

My Little Fairytales- http://mylittlefairytales.blogspot.com/

(Picture Courtesy of: flickr)

Spring Bloom Contest Give Away!!!!!!!

Wanna chance to win this lovely *SpRiNg BlOoM* Heirloom Jewelry Keepsake Bracelet?!?! Its easy! just visit the Ribbon Rock Star Blogspot or CLICK HERE for contest details and a chance to win! Don't miss out on the fun! Contest ends April 1, 2008.

A very special Thank you for the lovely review goes out to Linda from Ribbon Rock Star! Thank you Linda!

New project.....

Here is the latest works in my little studio! Vintage inspired baby hangers and onesies make such a lovely gift for the mama to be! For inquiries please contact: mystudiobebe@yahoo.com Until next time darlings.....

Happy Birthday Studio Bebe Boutique!

Studio Bebe Boutique is thrilled to be turning 2 yrs old! You are invited to join our Celebration! From now until the end of March when you purchase anything from our official website or etsy store, you will receive one FREE surprise limited addition springtime clippy! See stores for details!

Anticipating Spring.....

Anticipating so much more! Birthdays, anniversaries, and a graduation! I am just overwhelmingly excited! I wish I had more time to blog. I have been so busy with math, numbers, homework, tests and quizzes! I can't wait to finish school!

(Pictures Courtesy of: flickr)

Got a Party?

We are excited to introduce our NEWEST PARTY FAVORS line!!!!! What a fun, posh and unique little way to say Thank you to her guests. Just perfect for any theme whether princess, flowers, puppies, or strawberries, send your little sweety's beloved guests home with a stylish lovely gift they won't forget! Look for our new create your own party favor mix to debute in the shoppes this week!

Are you supporting the strike?

Check out this excerpt that was sent to me, I was finally convinced to pull what I was selling from ebay for the week and perhaps remain pending depending..... You can still find my listings at etsy, winkelf, and Studio Bebe Boutique! Heres the post:

Ebay Strike News!!For those that have not heard, there is an ebay strike happening - This was the info being passed around the yahoo groups, I did not write it, but it is very informative of the changes ebay is making and why everyone is upset. Its important to know about the strike if you are listing and ending your auctions in the next two weeks you will not get good bids due to this strike. I've heard this strike can go on til the end of Feb...Many sellers and buyers are going to be having a strike on February 11th through February 25 that includes no buying, no listing, no selling, no auctions on those days. If possible, if you are an Ebay buyer and seller, I would really appreciate it if you could honor those dates, for nothing else, then on MY behalf because the changes have the possibility to really hurt me as a seller.Right now, the Ebay marketing machine is billing these changes as "fee reductions" and that is what the media initally reported because the way the changes were announced was quite deceptive. But, for those of you who aren't really super active on Ebay and are wondering what all the changes entails, a summary follows.First, they are reducing the listing fee by 5 cents and making Gallery free. On the surface this looks great and this is how they are marketing the change - as a "fee reduction". However, if you read the fine print you'll find that they are slyly raising Final Value Fees (the fee the seller pays when the item sells at auction) by as much as 66%. The percentage of increase differs by seller because all sellers sell items with different values and the Final Value Fee is based on the dollar amount of the item. So we save a nickel to list an item, but pay 33% more after the auction is over. This first part of the changes, while quite disgusting, IS bearable.Second, they are removing the ability for sellers to leave feedback for buyers. Now, Ebay has always been successful on the basis of both buyer and seller being able to rate each other based on the success of a single transaction. They are removing this for sellers. This is very scary for the seller population because as sellers, we already are held hostage by what we call "Feedback Extortionist Buyers". These are the buyers that buy something in an auction and then send an email that says"You send me the item free or I will leave you a negative and ruin your Ebay reputation!" . While people like this are quite rare they do exist. I've got over 792 transactions and I've come across 4 difficult buyers who no matter what I couldn't please them. I managed to scrape by without a negative because they were booted from Ebay, but the point of the matter is that while most buyers are wonderful, these psycho types of buyers DO exist. Now with this new feedback system, ONE rogue buyer (and even my selling competition) could ruin my reputationvery easily. Even if I provided a 100% perfect transaction and the item was received the very same day and all was perfect with the world, that one person could ruin me if they wanted to. All they would need to do is buy 5 or 10 items from me and leave five feedbacks separately - because each and every negative will count against the seller. This would mean the end of my store and my business on Ebay over one rogue buyer. Why? Read the next section.Third, as if one and two weren't bad enough, if a seller has below a 95% satisfaction rating on Ebay, Ebay will not display your auctions in the search engine. For example, if I sell 20 items one month and 1 of them has a neutral or negative left for it by a buyer (deserved or not), I can no longer list auctions on Ebay and have them be seen in the search engine. Yes, thats right. I can list, Ebay will take my money, but all of my auctions will be on page 857 of the listing and never be seen by any buyers. So once I get one negative, it is virtually impossible torecover from that by selling additional items becuase none of my items will be seen to be purchased by another buyer later. It's a no win situation for a seller.Fourth, as if all of this wasn't the most horrific thing you've everheard, they're making changes to Pay Pal - which is the method most people use to accept payment over Ebay. From now on, if you have less than 100 feedback and you sell an item Pay Pal will not give you your money for 21 (TWENTY ONE!) days. Yes, you read that right. Say, Susie sells a 50 dollar item and the buyer pays through Pay Pal. Susie is then forced to ship the item FREE without any payment. After 21 days has passed, THEN Pay Pal will forward Susie her money. This folks is justhorrible. Do you know anywhere else on the planet where you can demand that someone selling you an item give you the item FREE and ship it to you FREE while you hold on to your money for 21 entire days? I sure don't. On top of this "under 100 feedback" thing, again if I have less than a 95% rating or get one negative or get one neutral - again - Pay Pal will hold my money for 21 days. Imagine how must interest Pay Pal and Ebay will accumulate on billions of dollars being held in 21 day increments - yet another disgusting way for them to squeeze MORE money out of the system.Fifth, they instituted "Seller Rewards". Essentially, if you meetcertain criteria as a seller you can earn 15% credit on your account. The catch is that you have to sell 1,000 dollars or more on your account every month and have to have a 4.8 rating on all your "stars". I feel that these guidelines are impossible to reach and that they were designed to be impossible to reach on purpose so that Ebay, yet again, would not have to actually pay out the discounts. To give you an example of how hard these are to reach, out of Ebay's top 500 Powersellers (the crop on Ebay and make lilke $100,000 a month on Ebay) only SEVEN qualify for the 15% discount. SEVEN.And finally, when all these changes were announced, the Ebay sellers went ballistic. The response from Ebay management? We were told that our complaints and anger and frustration and tears were - and I quote - "NOISE!". Yes, we are nothing but "noise" to the Ebay management, yet they are making million dollar salaries off of us.I know I am so mad, myself. I have 100% positive feedback and I've completed almost 800 transactions. I'm not a bad seller and I bend over backwards to make a buyer happy. I have a very good record. But ALL THAT HARD WORK and ONE rogue person could ruin it for me. Or even someone who competes against me can very easily get a new nickname, buy stuff from me, leave negs - and take my listings right out the search engine!!). It's not fair at all. Not to mention, if somehow I do screw up or get a rogue buyer, Pay Pal won't even let me have my money for 21 days. When you do this type of work full time, that is a terrifying thought.So I'm here to beg you guys, if possible, and even if you don'tunderstand all the ins and outs of Ebay and what a seller has to go through to sell on Ebay - PLEASE RESPECT THE STRIKE we are organizing. Please don't buy or sell on Ebay from Feb 18th through Feb 25th. Please tell your friends and family members to do the same. We know that not everyone can respect it - some people make ends meet by selling on Ebay. But for those of you who can, us sellers would very much appreciate it if you could respect the strike on those days.Also - if you are an Ebay seller - and you are angry like the rest of us, CNN and FORBES is quite interested in how we fee. Quite a few people, including myself have flocked to CNN MONEY to get their attention. So far, the comments and anger and speaking out are actually working - the media is starting to pay attention and Ebay has stepped up their marketing tactics. We feel that they're getting a little worried over all the outrage.

So what do you think about the boycott? Please feel free to post your comments, I'd like to hear what you think?

(Pictures Courtesy of: photobucket)

Yummy Bubblegum Jewels

Here's a fun photo shoot I did with some new jewelry color patterns I recently created. To find these beautiful bracelet designs visit my ebay and etsy listings. Happy Shopping!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you a retro Valentine Holiday!
xoxo~Designing Diva~:o)

We are Officially Re-Open! Yea!

We are finally officially re-open!

Click on the photo above to visit the Shoppe!

Oh my little Cabbage.....

I found this Lovely stationary card on etsy!
I couldn't pass this one up! What a sweet
and unique way to say I Love You! You can
purchase one of these from Armato Design & Press.
There's your Valentine find of the evening treasure hunters!
Until nextime........xoxo~Designing Diva~:o)

(Pictures Courtesy of: Armato Design & Press on Etsy)

Book Wish List

I was browsing amazon.com and stumbled across these interesting reads. Yummy eye candy for the Home maker! Anyone read these yet? If so.....feel free to comment on what you thought about these books ~:o)

(Pictures Courtesy of: Amazon)

New Clippies for 2008!

New Clippies inspired by Gymboree's Holland Days and Spring Rainbow now listed in my etsy store! To check them out, click on the etsy links to the right! Happy Shopping!

My New Business Card!

Greetings Family & Friends! I just purchased my first batch of

professionally printed business cards! Here is the new design!

Happy New Year!

Ah yes, two days slow indeed ~;o)
Hope everyone had a great Holiday!
xoxo~Designing Diva~:o)