Tuesday Treasures: FromShirlee

Meet Linda and her two girls, makers of cute little items on FromShirlee. My favorites are the cute little animals.

Like this Fish Daddy and Daughter:

And this adorable Turtle Family:

What other animals can you find?

Tuesday Treasures: Beautiful Photography

I love flowers, and love the beautiful flower photography from October54Gallery. Anne is married with two children, and feels that art has always been a part of her life. She has lived all over the United States and spent eight years in Costa Rica.

Like this beautiful Holiday Amaryllis. Wow!

And this beautiful Magnolia photograph:

I wonder where she found these flowers?

Tuesday Treasures: zippered purses from inkstrand

Meet inkstrand, featuring beautiful purses and other accessories inspired by Victorian aesthetics, science fiction and a bit of fantasy.

These zippered purses are really fun. First, the Craft Revolution Zippered Pouch:

Next the Red Skeleton Key Zippered Pouch:

And finally the Steampunk Blue Clockwork Blue Zippered Pouch:

Monday Musings: Priorities

What are your priorities? How do you select your priorities?

You've probably all heard time management techniques that talk about mentally thinking about (or writing out) your activities that fall into these four quadrants.

The things that are:

• urgent and important
• urgent but not important
• important but not urgent
• not important and not urgent

The items that fall under the "important but not urgent" category are often overlooked in the "busyness" of work and life. These things might include business, strategic, and marketing planning. Yet it is often the "urgent but not important" things that really drain your time, since they have to be done "right now" even though they don't have much long-term benefit.

But how do you determine what's important? We have found that creating a family mission statement is really helpful in determining priorities. It becomes the filter for how we consider which things we should pursue doing in life, and which things we need to let go of.

Now it's your turn. How do you find a balance between the urgent and important? What things do you want to prioritize spending more time on? What is your family mission statement?

Tuesday Treasures: hair bands and clips from ardentreverie

The hair bands and hair clips from ardentreverie are amazing! It is a shop with two sisters working like crazy in their tiny room to create unique handmade items. So beautiful! You'll know what I mean when you see these amazing creations.

First is Emilie's Garden Flower Clip, a darling flower made out of chic fabric accented with a mixture of feathers and placed on a 1 3/4" clip topped with a pearl charm.

Then this Bella Moss Feather Clip, which incorporates a mixture of feathers embellished with a beautiful bronze flower.

And last, this simple, yet beautiful Midnight Symphony Feather Headband. It features a mix of feathers topped with pearls and a silver ornament, placed onto a light and comfortable headband wrapped in ribbon:

Monday Musings: A Few of my Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things... That song keeps running through my head today as I sit down to do my work. And it makes me think. What are my favorite things?

Well, right now its snowy, and that's what's on my mind, so here's my snow list:

• Snow on light feathery trees
• Big huge snowflakes falling so hard that you feel like you're in a snow globe
• Sledding down our hill at lightning speed
• Warm boots and gloves
• Watching my husband and son's excitement about snowmobiling
• Warm heaters and blankets inside as we warm up from playing in the snow

What are your favorite things when it's snowy? What would you add?

Wednesday What's New: Gorgeous Necklaces in time for Christmas

I'm sure you'll all agree that the holidays are a busy time. Our family has just returned from a wonderful Thanksgiving trip, and we are so grateful to have such wonderful friends to visit! For those that want to see a fun video she put together of one of the elements from our visit, click here.

Here are a couple of brand-new, never-before-listed-necklaces that I think you will enjoy. They are both a part of matching sets with earrings and/or a bracelet.

The first is this Pink Cascading Waterfall Gemstone Necklace. See the matching earrings and bracelet too:

And second one is called Autumn Winds Sterling Silver Necklace. See the matching earrings too:

Hope you enjoy! As always, please let me know what kinds of colors, stones, and designs you would like to see.

Tuesday Treasures: from a physical therapist turned jewelry maker

Here are some fun things from Etsy shop yourdailyjewels. She is a physical therapist, and treats children with disabilities. She has discovered that making jewelry is a journey of learning, exploring and discovering.

Here is a really pretty "Fools Gold" Pyrite ring that she has in her shop:

Friday Finds: Citrine Gemstones

November Sunshine Citrine Earrings

Citrine is November's birthstone, and is a gorgeous pale yellow color. It is also the accepted gem for the 13th and 17th wedding anniversary.

Most citrine comes from Brazil, but it can also be found in the Ural Mountains of Russia, Dauphine, France, Madagascar, Spain, Uruguay, Scotland, and in the United States (California, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, and Nevada).

November Sunshine Citrine Bracelet

Citrine is a variety of quartz whose color ranges from a pale yellow to brown. Citrine crystals can form together with amethyst or smoky quartz to form a bi-colored quartz called ametrine.

These are the last few days to get your beautiful cksilver citrine items at 20% OFF! All citrine items from cksilver are on sale through Tuesday, and then they return to regular prices. So don't miss your opportunity to find some great deals!

Rays of Sunshine Earrings

Tuesday Treasures: vintage treasures from wayfaringmagnolia

Today I found Amanda and her Etsy shop wayfaringmagnolia. It is a sweet shop with lots of vintage clothing and other items.

She loves art, music, fashion and life, and currently works as a professional musician/gypsy wherever people want to hear her sing.

Here are some of her fun collections! This hot pink blazer is perfect for the person that wants to make a bold, yet feminine statement. A gorgeous shade, and with a lovely black trim, it is sure to be loved for a long time.

This wool skirt is a treasure, with its classic brown and neutral colors. And how fun that she found it in some items from her grandmother!

And last, this Grandma's Vintage Memory Book looks so sweet, and what a fun way to keep track of your family history.

So go check out her shop, list your favorite items here, and say that cksilver sent you!

Monday Musings: What are you thankful for today?

I love to ponder this question every November as we approach Thanksgiving.

When I was growing up, for the month of November we used to each have to say one thing we were thankful for at dinner time. The catch was that we couldn't repeat anything that had previously been said. We would write down our list and read it over on Thanksgiving, and celebrate all the things God had done for us the past year.

Now it's your turn. What are YOU thankful for? How can you show your appreciation? And how can you reach out to those less fortunate than you?

Tuesday Treasures: soaps from sanyvern

Today I am featuring the lovely shop of sandyvern. Sandy is a self taught crafter, and is very talented in many different areas.

One of the things that caught my eye, however, is her soaps. She has been making soaps for about 3 years, and also makes cold process soaps and “melt and pour” soaps. Here are some of my favorites:

The first is this Decorative Flip Flop Soap:

Next this Lavender, Oatmeal, and Honey soap that my mother-in-law would just LOVE!

And of course these Fall Leaves Soaps are adorable too:

Sandy also loves her pets: a dog, a Border Collie X Australian shepherd cross, a kitten, 3 bearded dragons and 2 parrotlets.

To find out more about her, you can check out her blog:
http://theadventuresofsandyvern.blogspot.com

Monday Musings: A Foster Care Success Story

A few weeks ago, our family had the privilege of having a sweet little foster girl in our home. She came from one parent, and had only one diaper and no extra clothes, and we quickly realized she had no boundaries in the home where she had been living in. She was wild and full of energy, and kept us on our toes, but each day we had her as she became used to our rules and boundaries, she became much easier to work with. We realized ever so strongly this calling that God has given us to help rescue these orphans in our society.

We soon found out that she would be going to live with her other parent. She was in the foster care system for just over 72 hours, and we had the opportunity to meet this amazing family where she was going. It was such an incredible experience, and we felt so honored to be a small part of her life.

Now it's your turn! What are the incredible experiences in your life? How have you been able to give back when you have been blessed.

Tuesday Treasures: invitations and announcements from myabrucedesigns

This week I am featuring the gorgeous invitations and announcements from myabrucedesigns.

Retro Space Party Invitation from myabrucedesigns

She has been designing customized photo invitations and announcements for her kids for years, and is now offering this service for others as well through Etsy.

First, you select one of her invitations or announcements. This retro invitation is my favorite.

Then you send her your photo(s) and the information you want included. Colors and fonts can often be changed if you have a preference.

Once you approve the proof she sends you, you can purchase and download the file to print as many as you need!

Girl Baby Shower Invitation

She has so many adorable designs, I can't resist showing you just one more. I think this baby shower invitation is so cute! So sweet for a little girl!

If you don't find what you're looking for, you can send her your custom order request. Corresponding thank you cards, stationery and decorations can be provided separately.

You can also find her on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mya-Bruce-Designs/113429518702303

So what are you waiting for? Go check out her shop, and tell her that cksilver sent you!

Tuesday Treasures: Danizabeth and her lovely retro and nostalgic photographs

I am so enjoying the beautiful photographs from Danizabeth. She focuses on all things retro and nostalgic, and turns what she sees in old junkyards into prized photographs for your walls at home!

So if you love old trucks and guitars, this Red Truck Series is for you!

And if you're a sucker for beautiful green fields with a windmill and a barn in the background, you'll love this Mount Ayr print.

Enjoy, and maybe you'll find a really fun Christmas present for someone on your list!

Monday Musings: What to do with your left-over Halloween Candy

The big dilemma for moms everywhere is what to do with all their left-over Halloween candy. Well, thanks to Real Simple, here are some fun ideas you can try! In Real Simple's 10 Recipe Ideas for Halloween Candy, there are 10 tasty ideas for how to use up that pesky candy into fun desserts and treats the whole family will enjoy!

For example, try making this Twix Cheesecake Pie. Mmm, Twix bars are certainly one of my favorites!

Or this SweeTarts Milk Shake:

What are your favorite ways to get rid of your Halloween candy?

Thursday Thoughts: What are your next recipes to try out?

I have found recently that I don't do well with dairy. So I have been on the lookout for good dairy-free recipes. Whether or not you have challenges with dairy, you may want to check out some of these very tasty-looking recipes.

This Chicken, Avocado, and Orange Salad makes my mouth water just looking at it. The combination of avocado and orange is so fascinating! I know it will be one our family will try soon.

This Fresh-Herb Salmon With Jasmine Rice recipe looks really incredible too! Mmmm.... Parsley, chives, dill, ginger. It looks so incredible! And how fun to see these gorgeous pictures. Makes me want to go out and try this one right now!

And the last recipe I'll tempt you with is this for Pulled Pork Fajitas. How I love Mexican food, and I'm really into avocado and cilantro for flavor right now since I've been working to eliminate dairy.

So there you have it, three really incredible-looking dairy-free recipes. What are you favorite recipes? Share them in the comments for us all to see!

Tuesday Treasures: world cup bling

This week I am featuring a sweet shop, buysomelove, that has a cute world cup line of products.

First, who doesn't love the Tour de France?

And for those than want to choose their own country, here you go!

What a fun find!

Friday Finds: Sale on October (Opal) and November (Citrine) Birthstones

Great news for you! I am starting a new routine, where each month that month's birthstone and the following month's birthstone will be on sale.

So right now, at cksilver, you can view these fun items in the SALE section!

Tuesday Treasures: fun wearable accessories

Here are some really fun hair accessories from littlepeachfuzz, who likes to knit and upcycle old things into new.

Here are some fun highlights for Halloween and the amazing freshness of fall. First, her felt autumn pinwheel hairclip is adorable:


And similarly, this beautiful felt hairband is fun and festive as well:

Friday Finds: Fall Colors

I love the fall, and all the beautiful colors it represents. Join me on this journey of the many colors of fall. There are so many items available in autumn and Christmas colors, as well as birthstones for every month. Come see the latest of what you can find at cksilver for yourself or your Christmas list! Click on any picture to learn more about that item.

First a nice bracelet, earring, and necklace set called Southwest Autumn which incorporates turquoise, garnet, brown snowflake jasper, and sterling silver:

Next, some lovely autumn red earrings:

And last, some lovely green earrings: