Happy Epiphany!

 

 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I may be a bit behind in blogging about the holidays, but today is Epiphany and still technically part of Christmas-- so I'm not too late!

Today after mass we drove to a family friend's house for the annual Epiphany party.
They recently completed an addition on their house, and some friends who used to live in Germany did a traditional Epiphany blessing of the home, which was lovely!
(Singing "We Three Kings" with a raw throat in the cold did not sound quite as lovely, however! lol!).

Surprisingly, this Christmas I was not all that much of a camera monster. I took tons of pictures of people, but most of the time was spent making memories and not fiddling with the camera!

However, I did have some time to have fun with bokeh (the fuzzy circles of light made by the Christmas lights in the background of this picture).

My old stocking was eaten by mice, so Mom made me a new stocking! Isn't it cute?

BUT WAIT THAT'S NOT ALL!!!

Look look look!

---->

That's right-- there are seven stockings! We found out on Christmas Eve that Mom is expecting!!!

After that news, it feels weird to just hop along to the next picture... my Christmas presents! I got some lovely art books: The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook by Alan Lee, The Hobbit Chronicles by Weta Workshop, and The Crafting of Narnia by Weta Workshop. These are dangerous books. I am now FULLY convinced that I should be a concept artist and prop maker in addition to a graphic designer!

I also got a lovely scarf and lots of candy. And our family present (aside from the news about the baby, of course), was a project that we've been working on for a couple of months. We turned extra space in the garage into a nice little room for exercise equipment. That's right-- we have our own personal gym! We even put the TV out there, for extra incentive.

This picture is too cute not to share. This summer, we bought an oversized map to hang on the wall in the schoolroom. My little brother loves that thing. He loves pointing to countries (or shooting Nerf guns at them.......) and having you name each one-- and the describe every last little thing that you know about said country. All he asked for for Christmas was a globe. :)

A couple days after Christmas, we had the more-than-annual family get-together. I think we counted 44 people, all of whom stayed at least two days. This time we were only missing eleven people! My family is CRAZY and AWESOME and I love hanging out with them!!!

The above is a picture of the White Elephant exchange. In the package I made, I put a Post-It note which said "Haha, you get nothing!" inside of a gift box. My aunt laughed and was actually about to throw it away when I told her to lift the note up because there were earrings underneath it in the box. :)



We played board games, Crack the Case, 3D tic-tac-toe, rubik's cubes, the levitating top that my brother built, puzzle word games, card games, Taboo, and Pinochle. And many, many more. :)

It's also been decided that Robo Wars is a new tradition.

Of course, the girls had to dress up in my epic costumes. :) That's just a necessity. Here's a couple of snapshots. It was freezing out so the photoshoot lasted all of five minutes.

We also did Christmas crackers! I only knew about them because of HP. In one of the first books, Dumbledore gets a great big hat and pretend wand out of his magical cracker. Apparently crackers are very popular in the UK. I wanted to try making some, but we couldn't find supplies for a decent price in the US, so Mom just ordered a huge pack of pre-made ones.

We still have paper crowns and joke cards in every corner of the house!

What's orange and rhymes with parrot?

CARROT!

Hahahahaha.... eh.

These are some of the most exquisite cookies that I've ever seen. Some good friends dropped them off at our house secretly (as in, the cookies wandered inside in the arms of one of our cousins and we didn't realize it until ten minutes later!). It felt almost like a crime to eat them-- but not quite. They were delicious and flavored with rosewater!

I hope you enjoyed this little peak into our celebrations! May you all have a blessed New Year. :)

The 12th Day of Christmas -- Introducing Rosie's Shop! --and Giveaway

Hello, everyone! I'd like to introduce you to my little gymnast sister "Rosie"!

picture from my blog post about Halloween!

Isn't she a sweetheart? (Well, most of the time!). You've probably seen her around my blog a lot. The boys manage to avoid the artsy craftsy craziness-- or at least they stay well away from the camera-- but my lil sis is a big help with many of my projects. 

I'm going to interrupt myself for a moment here and share two pictures left over from the Book Page Skirt project we did earlier this year. Rosie picked out quotes to make neat little graphics with! And I went crazy with typography, and think these look neat, but don't feel like making a full blog post about it. Click to enlarge, please:

Over the past few months, she has become extremely fascinated with the jewelry that I make for the Shoppe. She's helped me with packaging and shipping a lot, and is always ready with critique and praise if I run into problems with any designs. I've discovered that she is really handy with pliers and beads, too. In fact, I've been teaching her some jewelry techniques that are really advanced for a barely-nine year old. 

Rosie has graduated beyond the typical plastic beads and elastic bracelets that I did when I was her age. She's been asking me to teach her how to run a business so she can start one by herself if she wants when I leave for college. (Unfortunately, Roses, you have to be able to read emails and such in order to do that... awesome art and math skills alone won't do the trick, lol!).  But experience is a great thing to have, so Rosie and I collaborated to bring you a line of beautiful jewelry!

Steampunk Bracelet

She made each and every piece all by herself and many of them are entirely her own designs, based on techniques we've been practicing for ages. I inspect each one carefully to make sure that they are up to my own quality standards.

All of her jewelry is listed on my Shoppe-- if the image has a red banner that says "Rosie's Special," it is part of her jewelry line!

St. Therese Good Deed Beads

Rosie did all of the photography, too, although editing the photos was a tad beyond her. :) She will do all the packaging for her jewelry. (Don't worry, any order placed at Shealynn's Faerie Shoppe with a Rosie Shop item in the cart will not require extra postage, we'll combine our stuff).

She's already decided to give away a portion of her profit to charity, too! Rosie wants to support a local food pantry for the poor in our community. She says she'll save the rest of what she earns to buy an accessory for her dolls or save up until she sees something really cool. Little girl plans are so sweet. :)

Hobbit Hole Necklace

Random trivia fact: Sis chose the name "Rosie" for her shop because of Rosie Cotton from The Lord of the Rings. Rosie Cotton is the lovely Hobbit girl who Samwise Gamgee married. (Plus, "Rosie" is a nickname my sister frequently gets called at home).

There are several more pieces waiting to be photographed and added to Rosie's jewelry line. They will most likely only be up for a few months, so if you like a piece, go after it sooner than later!

Rosie decided to join in the Christmas festivities and give away one of her favorite necklaces!
(In fact, she was so proud of this design that she made it twice! The other one is up on my Shoppe.).

The winner will receive this gorgeous Fairytale Flower Necklace in Summer Greens!

It features one of my own designs (the flower pendant made with beads and a wirewrapping technique that took ages to teach her-- even though she normally catches on really quickly) but the beading on the 16 inch necklace chain is entirely her making! She even helped pick out some of the beads at the store!

The necklace is reversible. One side is an iridescent green that turns to yellow or pink in certain lighting. The other is a pale peridot green. Rosie made matching dainty earrings.

Enter below to win Rosie's Fairytale Flower Necklace!

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11th Day of Christmas -- Quilled Jewelry by Chava

I'm sorry that the 11th Day of Christmas post is one day late-- I was having some issues, but my friend Chava very kindly offered to do a last minute giveaway! So today will be a double giveaway day!

Chava makes absolutely stunning jewelry out of paper. She uses a quilling technique, which consists of spiraling tiny strips of paper around a special needle, bending it into shape, and gluing everything together.

(I remember trying to do quilling a few years ago. I wasn't able to get the paper to spiral properly and even something as simple as gluing together a bunch of circles to make a catepillar proved to be a messy challenge! Chava has the knack, though!).

She doesn't have an online shop yet, but you should go visit her blog. There is information there about placing special orders!

A few months ago we did an artists' swap and she made me the lovely set pictured above. (I have a chain of my own for the necklace and managed to get it tangled... something always goes wrong when I am trying to take pictures!). Isn't it lovely? She seemed to figure out exactly what I wanted, even though I had no idea what design to choose!

Here are some more examples of her work:

Chava will create a jewelry set for the winner of today's giveaway! She can make the jewelry set that she designed for me (the necklace and earrings in the top picture) in any color!


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10th Day of Christmas -- The Goat Milk Soap Shop -- 3 Handmade Soaps

The Goat Milk Soap Shop is a lovely store selling handmade all-natural soaps. Have a look through their site-- don't the Orange Spice Tea and the Burnt Orange Patchouli sound like they smell heavenly? (Can you tell that I love citrus smells for soap?).

I'm sure that you've noticed a geeky theme with these 12 Days of Christmas giveaways. I've known the Dominick girls through various things online (and then at a gathering) for years, and they are delightfully geeky.

While I was browsing their shop to choose scents to highlight, this one immediately caught my eye:

Dragon's Blood
The gentle fragrance of incense with hints of orange and rose give “Dragon’s Blood” a mild, yet pleasing scent.  Even Bilbo and the dwarves wouldn’t mind washing up if they could use this!

So far I've only mentioned the essential oils soaps, but they also sell fragrance (man-made scents) like this one:

Creme Brulee
Swirls of caramel and hints of custard will have you sighing with delight as you enjoy the creamy lather of this sweet soap.

Here's a little bit about the owners of the shop-- three really sweet girls who love their craft!

We are Amanda, Megan and Teresa. Three sisters on a mission to provide you with the best handmade soap!

Several years ago, Mom, Laura, started The Goat Milk Soap Shop and began selling handmade goat milk soap. While Amanda was away at college, Megan and Teresa joined in on the business and helped to sell the soaps online and at craft fairs. When Amanda decided to leave school and return home, she joined in on the venture and now the three of them run The Goat Milk Soap Shop.

The Goat Milk Soap Shop is giving away a 3 pack of soap in these lovely scents:  Creme Brulee, Cherry Almond, and Biscotti!



Good luck! Enter below using the Rafflecopter widget.

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9th Day of Christmas -- Bookish Charm Giveaway

Bookish Charm just might be one of the most remarkably perfect shops for a bibliophile. They sell jewelry with quotes from dozens of books and poems (along with other assorted sayings).

Look. Just look.

Lord of the Rings Quote Necklace

C.S. Lewis Quote Necklace by Bookish Charm

Harry Potter Necklace

And not just quotes from books and famous authors!

   

(I have a very strong temptation to just stick a picture of every lovely quote right here on this blog post, but you'll have to go visit Bookish Charm to see the rest!)

Bookish Charm is run by Erin and Ducky, who clearly love books and brilliance. They kindly wrote up a short bio:

We're a husband and wife duo (trio if you count the cat, which we do) who believe that curiosity is a way of life. We try to encourage and celebrate that kind of life through our business, creating items to reflect things that we find inspiring, thought-provoking, or amusing in an intellectual kind of way.

Erin is the creative side of things—designing, refining and handcrafting each item you see in our shop, while Ducky runs the administrative side, crunching numbers and printing shipping. Our cat sits there looking cute, which is arguably the most difficult job of all.

Now that you've just spent ages looking through all the shiny necklaces, bookmarks, and prints in their shop, have you found a favorite? No? Go and look harder. You'll have to make a decision, because Ducky says that the winner of this giveaway gets to receive a prize that they love.

Bookish Charm is giving away any item of your choice from their store!

Happy 9th Day of Christmas, and may the odds be ever in your favor, dear readers! Once again, I'm a little bit jealous because I really wish I could enter this giveaway myself!

(Enter below via the Rafflecopter widget, and don't forget to share this giveaway and the entire 12 Days of Christmas giveaway extravaganza with your friends and family! Don't forget that Jan 12th is the last day to enter!).

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P.S. Their blog and website are definitely worth checking out! You probably saw the links in Rafflecopter, but just in case. :)

8th Day of Christmas-- The Untamed Rose

Glass wonders fill The Untamed Rose, a beautiful Etsy shop run by Breana, an "artist, student, wife, and mother" who somehow takes glass and turns it into these beautiful works of art.

skeleton key glass rose necklace

Everything is handmade-- it just blows my mind.

handblown glass boro pendant

Doesn't it look like a miniature galaxy in this pendant? She has many unique pendants like this!

heart necklace

And below are some examples of the beautiful glass roses that Breanna makes!

The Untamed Rose is giving away one of these beautiful glass rose pendants-- in the winner's choice of colors!!!

custom rose

Aren't these stunning?! I can't wait to see who the really lucky winner is. Be sure to explore all of The Untamed Rose and see all the creative glasswork.

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7th Day of Christmas -- Unkamen Gifts' Three Chainmaille Bracelet Sets

on the edge twist of fate chainmaille bracelet by unkamen supplies

Happy 7th day of Christmas! Today I have a very special giveaway for you!

See that beautiful bracelet above? You could make it-- in fact, you could make THREE of them if you are the lucky winner! All you'd need is two sets of pliers. :)

UnkamenGifts is giving away a kit to make three bracelets in the beautiful chainmaille weave "twist of fate" (but the supplies are also appropriate for the more complicated byzantine weave if you'd prefer!).

bracelet kit set

Something familiar. Something UNEXPECTED! Something beyond basic and yet not over the top! This Twist of Fate SQUARE Stainless Steel, Mixed Metals, and Non Tarnish Gold Bracelets are all that and more! Notice that these jump rings are made from SQUARE wire and are coiled ON EDGE! You will give these or wear them with pride because YOU made them yourself!

This kit includes everything needed to make these THREE bracelets up to 9 inches in length each! Matching handcrafted clasps are the perfect finishing touch! And, you will also use these same on edge rings to link the large twisted rings to make THREE pairs of earrings! Hypo allergenic ear wires are included but I can switch them out for clip-ons.

This is a perfect project for a just beyond beginning chainmailler as well as a fun project for a more experienced jewelry maker! These make perfect gifts! (instructions included)

I'm really excited about this giveaway! UnkamenGifts has so much lovely jewelry...

Peridot and Topaz Bracelet

Japanese Flower Earrings

Amethyst and Gunmetal Necklace

(I'm pulling random favorites here, you really must visit their store because there are so many creative pieces!)

It was from UnkamenGifts that I first learned about chainmaille jewelry. It is a family run business and they were at a craft fair in my old town. I remember walking by with a friend and then doubling back to see this different and stunningly beautiful type of jewelry. I watched in fascination as Leah turned these little metal rings into a pair of cute earrings. I didn't have enough cash on me to buy anything but I grabbed a business card...

...and the rest is history. I found out that not only do they make cool jewelry, they sell supplies, too, over at UnkamenSupplies. I bought a couple of sets and taught myself several chainmaille weaves using their instructions and some online tutorials.

UnkamenSupplies really is a jeweler's heaven. They have jumprings, wire, beads, tools, and so much more. And kits, too!

stainless steel and niobium helm weave kit

byzantine chainmaille with hammered silver kit

stepping stones bracelet

In fact, I get almost all of my chainmaille supplies from this lovely shop (the secret is out!). The jumprings are handmade and I can vouch for them being really high quality and very sturdy and substantial. They've been really helpful whenever I have problems or need something quickly. I'm not being paid to sing their praises or anything-- just recommending a really good store that I've had great experiences with. :)

Plus, I've met the Helmrich family and they are very friendly and extremely nice people.

Leah, who is pretty close to my age, not only helps run the family business but also has her own shop, Fav Moon Girl. Check it out, she has lots of funky jewelry there!

Enter below for a chance to win a kit to make three chainmaille bracelets! There are many ways to enter-- from liking UnkamenGifts and UnkamenSupplies on facebook to leaving a comment to pinning your favorite items! And don't forget to check out the other 12 Days of Christmas giveaways-- all ending on Jan 12th, 2013.

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