The Frugal Artisan

Don't worry, not THAT one!

Welcome Etsyians and SavingAdvicers!

Our California Crafter's Club of Etsy (CCCOE) presents the delightful entries in their October Monthly Design Challenge. The topic was "TRADITION". All members were invited to make an item interpreting this topic.

Now we ask for a public vote on the best entry!

For more detail on any item, click on the link below the picture.

Vote

*here* and note you must be registered with Etsy, an amazing handcrafted internet marketplace to vote. Please vote only once. Polls open until November 7.

All voters will be entered in a drawing for a door prize (shown *here*). Pssst...It is a red brocade jewelry box. And of course, it will be filled with a surprise! (I am in the handmade jewelry business aren't I?)

Thanks for visiting. Have fun and Good Luck!

1. Butterfly Woman Medicine Bag ...by arttowear diva

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7528213

2. Charm Necklace ...by AmandaKLockrowJewels

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7536846

3. Dia de los Muertos Alter Kit ...by knittergirl

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7569130

4. End of Summer ...by sevenbridges

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7364039

5. Halloween Pumpkin Kitty Quilt ...by quiltedblessings

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7496917

6. La Mama Loca Portrait Original Painting ...by TresLocas

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7365321

7. Look to the Stars Fingerless Gloves ...by shellmitchell[u]

Text is http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7538567 and Link is

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7538567

[u]8. Marimba Band by an 8 year old artist ...by Tresijas

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7244009

9. Pearl and Stardust Choker Necklace ...by luchi

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7371522

10. Pretty in Pink Day of the Dead Shrine ...by elenamary

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7360673

11. Simply Stunning Ametrine Necklace ...by bellure

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7250942

12. Thanksgiving Turkey Adult Bib ...by quiltingmama

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7660892

13. Chimney Sweep Necklace ...by hollylynne

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7467881

14. The Great Pumpkin Earrings ...by visionquest

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7203394

15. Three Traveling Witches Dangly Halloween Ornament ...by creativemuse

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7387159

16. Turkey Traditions ...by QuirkynBerkeley

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7478497

17. Washi.Chiyogami.Aizome Peace Crane ...by localcolorist

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7312614

18. Wilma Wears White After Labor Day ...by peggradyart

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7328578

19. Wishbone Necklace ...by prettycheap

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7319355

20. Black and Pumpkin Orange Star Earrings ...by theascrafts

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7650988

21. HARVEST Oxidized Sterling Silver and Carnelian Necklace ...by SandySimone

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7648688

These little guys are a little harder to please than little girls. Let's consider the ages around 7-12. (By the way, scroll down for a previous entry in this blog on gifts for girls that age).

Help is here!

Rules:
1. Cost $20 or under
2. Educational as possible
3. Electronic gaming is an absolute LAST resort.
4. Refrain from guns, war stuff as much as possible and oh yes, they hate clothes.

Soooooooooo, here's a few ideas to swipe.

A. Models--Make sure to give only the easier kits!! These are snap together, or minimal glue, and NO PAINTING kits. There are good ones, especially; cars (cast metal types), aircraft (plastic), ships (plastic).

And use the 40% off Sunday coupon from Michaels to lower the price more!

B. Legos. There are nice kits that make warrior type characters, the only problem is boys who like these usually have LOTS of them already. Try to get a different one, although sometimes the most fun is putting them together so a duplicate is just fine.

C. Good (inexpensive) camera. OK, this does not fall into the electronic category basically in my opinion. Not digital! This can be a decent film camera which is both educational and appropriate for the age.

D. Book Store Gift Cert. Believe it or not, kids still get excited at the book store. And this is a WAY easy one to mail.

Post your ideas here, because I still need a few more (but follow the rules please!).

How about another healthy snack for fitness fiends you want to gift?

This is the fourth 'Gift in a Jar' you can make for family and friends this December. It is rather inexpensive but thoughtful, especially if it is made even more personal. (Such as including a bowl and spoon, or water bottle, or small gym towel with this granola mix!)

Find more great easy recipes in the 'Handmade' section of this blog. And more are coming for you to collect and make later this year. Some of the recipes are my own originals, some are credited to others. All lean to the healthy diet, as I prefer to avoid heavy sweets and fats. Enjoy!

Remember - Early Planning Saves Money

Rise & Shine Granola
(from Parade Magazine)

Ingredients:
3 clean pint jars w/screw lid
(use a canning jar, or a thrift store find)

2 C oats
1/2 C wheat bran
1/2 C shredded coconut
1/2 C sliced almonds
1/2 C sunflower seeds

Combine above 5 ingredients in a bowl.

1/2 C oil
1/4 C honey
1/4 C lgt brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cook above 5 ingredients in small sauce pan over low heat to dissolve the sugar.

Toss the two mixtures and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake 325 deg about 20 min until golden brown. Cool completely.

1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 C chopped dried apricots
1/2 C golden raisins

Place baked mixture back in bowl and add above 3 ingredients.

Fill jars, affix fabric or wrapping paper over the lid with a ribbon tie. Be sure to leave enough tail to add a label "Granola Fit for You!".

Enjoy!

Red world in my backyard (and my front yard) Sunday mid afternoon. It was 2pm about an hour after the Malibu had fire started. Now I live dozens and dozens of miles from Malibu. But it was scary.

I had planned a Seaworld trip with my kids for the Monday/Tuesday as school was out for the week. We headed to LA to stay with my MIL and my hubby and the dog went up to our weekend property (he had taken a couple days off). Good timing, so we thought, to escape the smoke. And there was a fire started far to the east near I5 as well to escape.

Down to LA, no problems there. Monday morn we got on the road after rush hour and went through another orange world in Orange County, (no pun this time). Not fun. Then into San Diego where a fire had started in Northeastern SD County. Our hotel was under mostly clear blue sky (except for a little smoke) but things were getting pretty hairy. More fires were starting by the hour and evacuations drove people to fill every room in the large area filled with hotels where we were.

Everyone was in good spirits but things were definitely getting worse. By Tues dawn I consulted with my husband via cell about the practicality of going to Seaworld. We absolutely bailed and got out of there by 7am practically flooring the gas pedal to make sure we could get north before something forced closure of I5.

We didn't stop until Sta Barbara and went to the zoo. Whew. Back home that evening things were in much better shape than I'd worried.

And the winds are gone. Thank goodness.

I use this blog to showcase particularly interesting items handcrafted and for sale in my internet shop

Pretty Cheap Jewelry.

A nice blank book (20 pages, 40 sides) I made using an anonymous quote fits in:

"Petroleum and Coffee had no value a few centuries ago"

For more pics and details, click on the link above. It's bargain priced of course. My specialty. Thanks for havin' a look.

Actually these are easy! I have 3 nieces:

1. Knee Socks - Remember getting these as kids? New socks always seem to be enjoyed. Why do I have trouble finding ones less than ~$3+, arghh. They are kind of expensive at Target and even Pay Less Shoes.

Found there are GREAT ones at the dollar store right now as it is fall. Check a couple different dollar stores if you need to. I bought my 7-y-o 5 or 6 pairs. Nice medium weight, good quality!

2. Youthful Cosmetics - Sheer lipgloss, hair brushes, specialty shampoo, light body spray, maybe even a blush. I'm going to fill a small tote (which I've sewn) or buy a makeup bag at the dollar store and fill it up with things also found there.

Michael's (crafts) also has really cute $1 soap, notepads, cards and other stuffers that are not too grown up right now.

3. Diary or Journal - I gave the girls these last year and they were perfect.

Next blog: 'What to Give Tween Boys for Holidays?'

I'll need some help on this one :-/

YaY! Was asked by a relative for ideas as holiday gifts for my kids (7 and 9 year old). These are my (getting up there) father-in-law and his 2nd wife. They are retired, on fixed income.

Unwritten Criteria:

1. Inexpensive (under $20 each)
2. Not Electronic!
3. As Educational as possible

Sooooooooo, here are some thoughts----

A. Pokemon Cards! They both still love these (??). I really hate letting them buy them because it seems such a waste. Why not let the relative get a pack or two as gifts? They are about $6/pack, and come also in larger sets around $12. and the kids love them

B. Gel Pen Set and a small blank book. Doesn't everyone hoard their gel pens? I love mine and don't let the kids touch them! They have a few, and love them too but are careless in taking care of them. A small set of 4-6 can be had at the craft store, Wal Mart, etc. For some reason, my 9-y-o loves blank books too?! Small blank books are available at the dollar stores.

C. Gift Card for the Book Store. My kids have learned what fun gift cards are (after receiving ones for Amazon last year). Even a $10 card is alot of money to a grade school kid. And picking out a book or two is very suitable to me.

More ideas coming soon in this blog!

I bought the leaf painting below from a fellow artist. How is the frame job?

I did it by: mounting on pumpkin textured paper and inserting in a walnut shadow box (with a hinged door!). Cost about $20.

The alternate: about $100 for a professional framer (this is the half off cost) for a shadow box type frame.

Opinions?

I belong to a state-wide craft group which had a design contest last month. The topic was 'Alternative Media' and the entries are in!

We are inviting the public to vote on the best entry and here is one of our member's blogs showing pics of each:

SandySimone's blog

Each entry has a url to click for more detail and information about the piece.

If you want to vote, you must be registered with Etsy, an amazing handcrafted internet marketplace. Then go to this forum post and vote for one here.

A prize is going to be given to one randomly picked voter, just for fun (see the blog for a link to the prize as well).

Thanks for visiting!

How about healthy part-whole wheat to warm up this winter?

This is the next 'Mix in a Jar' recipe for an inexpensive gift you can make yourself. Great for the teacher, coach, young baker, hair dresser, neighbor, and others this year.

More great easy recipes in the 'Handmade' section of this blog and more coming for you to collect and make later this year. Some of the recipes are my own originals, some are credited to others. All lean to the healthy diet, I prefer to avoid heavy sweets and fats. Enjoy!

Remember - Early Planning Saves Money

WW Self Rising Bread
Ingredients:
Quart size jar with screw lid-sanitized and dry (get some from the thrift store)

2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 C sugar
1 C currants or raisins
2 tsp caraway seed (optional)

Combine all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Layer this mixture with the whole wheat flour, sugar, dried fruit and seeds. Pack each layer down firmly before adding next layer. Seal with lid. Cover with decorative fabric or paper tied with a ribbon. Attach the following recipe--

WW Hearty Bread
1 jar Hearty Bread Mix
1/2 C butter (1 stick) cut into small pieces
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 C buttermilk (or milk with a tsp vinegar added and left standing a few minutes)

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Pour contents of jar into large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly. Pour in buttermilk and toss to form slightly sticky dough.

2. Turn dough out onto well greased baking sheet. Shape into 8-inch round.

3. Bake 50-60 minutes until golden and crust is firm.

4. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool. Cut into wedges to serve with hearty soup and salad.

ref: Gifts from a Jar (Publications Intl.)

I have a trivia contest in my shop for fun and to attract visitors at

Pretty Cheap Jewelry and this one has been tried by many, answered by none:

What do the people of Andorra, Spain consume more of than anywhere else in the world?

This has been a real stumper, so here are a couple clues:
-it is edible
-it is small

If you really are sure, login to my shop and I'll send you a prize!

Today is my wedding anniversary, 13 lucky years.

DH asked yesterday (Sunday), so how much are we supposed to spend on an annniversary gift for each other?

*o* Uh oh. I hadn't spent any.

Just too many things to handle and I forgot (such as his birthday the day after our anniversary...)

Soooooooo I racked my brain for something that wouldn't cost more than $20, could get in 1 day, and be meaningful....

It isn't electronic, metal, or even plastic. It's something we both like, small enough, and tagged "Thank you for the sweet years". Oh yes, it cost $15.

I belong to an internet independent design collective which has put up a great fun page from the artists for:

"Deals" - Loads of price breaks, buy one/get one, and the like

-and-

"Contests" - Freebies! You are one of a pool from which a random winner is picked. There are many, many Contests, each from a different shop.

So go win something here

http://www.indiecontests.com/

Plan ahead now and save money in December! Many easy, handmade gifts can be possible this year and convey a thoughtful, personal touch.

I am posting the second recipe for "Mix in a Jar" gifts (scroll down my blog for previous entries) for you to collect and use to your advantage.

Great for the little folks you want to surprise including coaches and teachers, nurses, mailmen, salon and anyone who has an appetite! Some of the recipes are my originals, some are credited as shown.

I prefer healthy, easy on the sugar and fat foods. This one is saved by the oatmeal! (Kids and teens would love to get this too!)

SUPER CHUNK OATMEAL COOKIE MIX
1 quart jar with screw lid, sanitized and dry (get decorative ones at the thrift store or just use canning jars)

1 C sugar
1 C whole wheat cake flour
1 C quick cooking oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 Sq semi-sweet Baker's Chocolate, coarsely chopped

Layer ingredients in the jar (starting with the sugar on the bottom). Close lid tightly and tie a nice piece of fabric or wrapping paper over lid with ribbon, leaving a long enough tail to attach a recipe card as written below.

"Eat Me Quick Oatmeal Cookies"
Preheat oven to 375. Beat 3/4 C softened butter in a large bowl until creamy. Beat in 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla.

Stir Cookie Mix into the butter mixture until well blended. Spoon heaping tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 fo 12-14 min or until golden brown. Cool on bakin sheet 1 min. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

Makes 30 servings (1 cookie each)"

Enjoy and stay tuned for more in coming weeks

The other wonderful internet community I belong to of handcrafters is having a fun contest.

We were asked to craft an item in the subject of 'Typography' (def:having to do with the general appearance of matter printed with type).

Any media was allowed, each of us specialize in different crafts, (sewing, drawing, jewelry, etc.)

The entries were made last month and are now up for a vote. One lucky voter is going to be picked to receive a pair of handmade gemstone earrings (see pic below) from the shop of

http://www.sandysimone.etsy.com

Do you want to have some fun judging the entries and casting a vote?

Here is the post with all the details: where you can see all the entries together, where you can see them separately with more detail, and the prize details.
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5218080

You must be a registered member of Etsy to vote. Etsy is an amazing handcrafted internet marketplace (register just like Amazon, with an email and password).

Why did we do it? A design challenge among peers stimulates each of us, to attract attention to each of our shops, to attract new members to our group. You get the picture, right?

Voting closes Saturday 9/8 at midnight. Thanks!

The heat wave is almost over and now is the time to start on the December gift planning.

Early Planning Saves Money

'Mix in a Jar' is a thoughtful inexpensive gift you can make yourself. Healthy food mixes are suitable for many of the incidentals you want to surprise (like the teacher, hair dresser, neighbor, and more).

I will share some great easy recipes in coming weeks for you to collect and execute later this year. Some of the recipes are my own originals, some are credited to others. All lean to the healthy diet, I prefer to avoid heavy sweets and fats. Enjoy!
----------------------------------------
Spicy Rice
Ingredients:

1 glass pint jar w/screw lid, washed and dried (tip: go to the thrift store and find interesting jars, or just use canning jars)

2 C brown or basmati rice

1/8 C dried mushrooms

1 tsp red hot pepper flake

2 tsp onion powder

Mix ingredients thoroughly by placing in a ziploc bag and shaking well. Pour into jar and close tightly. Cover lid with square of fabric or wrapping paper. Tie covering around lip of lid on with ribbon, leaving a long enough tail of ribbon to attach cooking instructions.

Using the rice instructions, write the cooking instructions on a small card punched with a hole in the corner. Tie onto the ribbon.

Been away most of the summer busy with

Pretty Cheap Jewelry and school vacation, whew!

Enough time to enter several pieces in the County Fair just for fun. Sweet Surprise! Not only garnered 2nd Place in the Professional Misc Beading Category but awarded a $14 cash prize! And it was free to enter

More freebies below, but here is one of the items entered and the ribbon.

Periwinkle Necklace & Earring Set



Today the nearby 99c store was giving away 2007 Calendars FREE ~ as many as you wish. These are great for crafting notecards, go get em!

Back to frequent entries next week!

Planted too many tomatoes? It's those darn 6-packs! What's your excuse?

Summertime Curse Tomato Soup Recipe
No Fat, Heart Healthy

Ingredients
Backyard tomatoes: 2 Large Mixing Bowls Full (Salad Serving Bowl size)

Chopped Fresh Onion, or Dried Minced Onion
Olive oil
Ground Pepper
Salt

Steps
1. Wash and quarter tomatoes
2. Heat tomatoes in large pot to boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 1/2 hour until very soft.

3. Remove from heat, cool for handling.

4. Press mixture through strainer to remove skins and seeds.

5. Saute onions in olive oil until browned.

6. Combine strained tomatoes, oil and onions, salt and pepper to taste.

7. Return to low heat and simmer about an hour until thickened. Or place mixture in slow cooker, high for a couple hours.

Voila! Delicious! Serve with crusty bread and salad. Garnish with grated cheese.

Record your Dog Days of Summer Recipes and Garden Foibles in this great journal from Pretty Cheap Jewelry (bargain priced!). Click on my shop (left column) to see more pics, description and price.

Special Offer to Saving Advice Bloggers Only! Mention Saving Advice at check out for refund on shipping!

I've been selected to fill a showcase in the gem and mineral category for the County Fair! The showcase is about 3.5 feet wide and 1.5 feet deep. It will include my original jewelry designs of glass, stone and metal.

However, there are no business signs allowed! HA! HA! Those Fair people are smart, this is not to be turned into a big cheesy advertisement! Not even a business card but if I win any sort of ribbon (even a mention) they will turn over my name card and pin the ribbon to it inside the case.

That's ok with me! I'm just thrilled to be viewed by thousands and thousands of people.

Summer memories in the making!

My kids earned a free ticket each to 6 Flags Magic Mountain during the school year for reading 6 hours.

We went and they had a BLAST! I had to pay for:

$30 my ticket (using a coupon)
$20 food (I brought extra snacks)

We shared driving and parking with a neighbor family and their kids.

And stayed until closing till 10pm.

Worth every bit for a once a year, to-be-relived event they will remember for a long time. (Besides, their mom LOVES fast roller coasters).

Are the dog days of summer here yet? We are holding them off, all be it barely.

Today 'let' my 7-y-o wash the Camry. She wanted to. Her payment would be a big build it yourself ice cream sundae (we have many toppings at home already).

She recruited a couple neighborhood friends and another little sister wandered in for a total of 4 kids. Mine was the 'boss' in charge of another 7-y-o, a 6-y-o and a 4-y-o.

hee hee 'Dry there', 'Pick up those'...

The car got clean! Mom was happy, the kids were happy, and big ice cream sundaes were served up to all.

Tonight we watched 1 hour of David Blayne, Street Magician on TLC.

I love these guys. Even being a highly educated, serious minded, practical thinker, it is impossible not to have fun watching and WONDERING.

OK, have you heard of him? He is a 20's something highly accomplished fellow walking around the country showing tricks to the man on the street. It is intentionally anti-high theatrical. Apparently he is fed up with the David Copperfield types and wants to bring the magic and fun back to the average person.

For example:

1. He asks the small town cop (sitting in his patrol car no less) to pick a card and without further ado (and I mean NOTHING else) tells him what the card is.

2. He walks into the auto factory and asks 2 guys (with their half dozen buddies standing around) to simply THINK of 2 cards, not even pick one. And proceeds to tell them what they were thinking of.

3. He joins a group of oldsters in an Italian restaurant, hands the grandpa type a brand new sealed deck. Doesn't touch them himself. Turns around and instructs the guy to shuffle, pick one, shuffle profusely, spread them out like a fish pond, and stop. He then turns back around, covers the fish pond of cards with a menu and stabs the menu with a steak knife. Capturing of course, only ONE card, which is the one the grandpa had picked.

4. Stops in front of the tattoo parlor and does some more tricks for the freaks there. They are flabberghasted.

5. Does a trick to a mom and little girl and somehow NEVER touching her, gets her card in the girls back pocket!

7. Visits the lockerroom of the Dallas Cowboys football team, and makes the big guys fall over in a stupor switching cards in their hands without touching them.

8. He gets a few folks in front of a store window, does the pick a card, any card routine. Then takes the deck and THROWS it at the window. The card of choice ends up stuck to the window-ON THE INSIDE!!!!!!!!! The only card that stuck.

6. OK, his best trick. He somehow rises up off the ground about 6-8". He does this over and over to different people. It looks REAL. It is a riot. People practically faint over this one.

So we had an hour of pure fun, free. Whew.

A true artisan has made this item as part of a design contest, it's a 'never seen the likes of this before'.

DreamWoven's Masterpiece

Not noted in the description is that it is on display at an art gallery at this time.

:->

Back from an extra long weekend out to the country to escape the fireworks noise for my dog.

One of the days we took a day trip to the Mineral King part of Sequoia National Park. This is a little visited, lesser known valley at the south end, and is accessed by a separate (long windy) road than the Giant Forest.

Wonderful!

1. Packed lunches and jumped about at a picnic table under a huge redwood, the first my 7-y-o has seen.

2. Spotted a large wild blackberry patch along the way and stopped to pick several cups full (one for the cup, one for the kid).

3. There was no entrance fee!? The Mineral King portion is remote enough to not warrant a visitor booth, although there is a full ranger station at the main area.

4. Walked a 1 mile nature hike twice. Once up and once back. Of course, words cannot give you the feeling of being in the high country. Far far away from the familiar life (cars, buildings, electricity). Plentiful butterflies, babbling creek and small waterfalls.

5. Got close to a deer.

6. Saw a bear on the drive out, lumbering across the road. Another priceless experience for my kids.

Costs? $55 in gas. And a pizza dinner for four in Three Rivers on the way home.

Last chance to get in on the $20 Starbucks Card Giveaway from Pretty Cheap Jewelry.

On July 4 a name will be picked from the (small pool) of those subscribing to our mailing list.

Want to try?

1. Go to

http://www.prettycheapjewelry.com

2. Contact prettycheap (click 'contact prettycheap in the lower right margin). Follow the instructions to register with Etsy (if you are not already).

3. Send your email in the contact.

That's all! It costs you nothing.

Don't worry you won't get alot of pesky emails. Just a one page, once a month newsletter filled with exclusive offers (to subscribers only), more freebies, and zany trivia.

(Regular readers, please bear with me this is the LAST time I will post this!)

No it's not the mosquitoes...

TOO many tomatoes!

What was my husband thinking?? The little natural science major inside him delights in the growth of plants. But the farmer's wife here grunts at the practicality of processing the fruits of his labor.

OK, enuff philosophizing.

Below in the foreground are the broccoli (spent and by the way, this species is a dog, way too little edible parts for the work and size of the plant), and the left background is the tomato jungle. There must be a 100 green ones in there.

So for those who think this is a blessing, feel free to come by in a few weeks and take a bag. Otherwise, send tomato preserving recipes. But note:

~I don't like em stewed
~I am not willing to can them
~They are not going to be boiled down into sauce, are you kidding :-/
~I chopped and froze some last year to use in the slow cooker later, mildly successful, but there are still too many

Look to the left for the added 'preview' to Pretty Cheap Jewelry.

Feedback? Too many items? It can be set to 8 instead. Too in your face? Too blatant commercialism?

Or understated? Simple and clean set up?

Thanks for the comments.

Giving away a $20 Starbucks card to celebrate 1 year of Pretty Cheap Jewelry!

To get a chance, just join the mailing list by:

1. Go to

http://www.prettycheapjewelry.com

2. Contact prettycheap (click 'contact' lower right margin). It may ask you to register with Etsy, a wonderful handcrafted internet marketplace. All you need is a username and password.

3. Send your e mail address in the contact.

You won't get a bunch of spammy e mails. I am not that sophisticated!! (yet?). It will be a monthly one page newsletter, filled with fun trivia, special offers and pics.

Like this-
Field Mouse and Friends Blank Note Cards, Pack of 3 ...$5
Let field mouse send greetings for you! Hiding in a patch of dried pressed star jasmine, where a feathered friend once visited, field mouse and crow are ready to help. Set of three cards, each with whimsical design featuring critters, bare foot prints, sneakered footprints and dried, pressed star jasmine. (Only one shown). Exceptional value only available at Pretty Cheap Jewelry.

To escape the noise of distant popping fireworks (they have already started during the afternoon around the neighborhood), my dog tried to climb up into the shelves of our bedroom closet.

Right where an old box or two of my childhood items were kept. The only two boxes I have of things.

He clawed open the corner of one box shredding some of the contents. So it was taken down to clean up and throw out.

Inside was my coin collection from younger days (about 40 years ago). It wasn't as extensive as my memory had told me. It contains a booklet of incomplete pennies from 1902 to 1940, although I had just found two 1943 pennies in recent months and added them right away. (In 1943 pennies were made with aluminum instead of copper due to WWII. THey are rare and collectable).

Am going to go throught the rest in the next couple days just for fun. Some buffalo nickels, a variety of 'wheat back' pennies, mercury dimes, etc. Even at a young age I knew if you just tucked away rare coins for a long period of time, they will increase in value!

Also want to show off a handsome rock for the man who needs to tell it like it is. Available at

http://www.prettycheapjewelry.com

Dads Rule Keychain $5
Pure raw quartz crystal set in sterling silver handmade bail hung on split ring keychain lets you slyly tell Dad he's in charge. The quartz was collected by my family in the USA backcountry (I'm not telling exactly where so they are cleaned out!). White ceramic letter beads hang on two stiff wire charms. Reasonably priced for easy giving.

He is a great asset to the company and deserves the $500 (after taxes)!

Last time he used it to go abroad (by himself) to learn the world. Especially since he teaches geography at night as a 2nd job!

This time he used it to join a fitness club for 3 years. I'm ok with that. After the 3 years it reverts to a $12 or so monthly fee for life. Assuming they don't disappear, move and he sticks with it.

An honorable use of a bonus. Hip Hip Hooray!