And the winners are...

Winners?  

You didn't really think there was only going to be one winner, did you?!

I just love surprises...! ;-)

Do you want to see what 280 dreams look like...

I can't tell you how touched I am...

I have been riding a wave of heart and hope these past few weeks,

cherishing every one of your beautiful dreams as they have been sent my way...

I wish for all of your dreams to come true, my friends...

promise me you won't ever stop chasing them, ok?

:-)

So...I enlisted the help of my trusty giveaway helper to aid me in the enormously joyous task of choosing the winners from these 280 dreams...

First, there is the winner of a custom made *Gemstone Trio* Ring, chosen from these lovely gems...

India was very excited to help...

...she could hardly wait to get her hand into the bowl...

...to choose the lucky winner...

CONGRATULATIONS NOEMI!!!

I cannot wait to bring your dreams to life in silver and stone! :-)

~*~

And then,

I had an epiphany...

...why not drawn three more dreams from the bowl,

each one rewarded with a ring featuring a single stone in one of their favourite colours...

A simple little something like this...

a perfect reminder of your dreams to wear every day.

So, I sent India back into the bowl...

and she chose three special ladies for a special little surprise...

Congratulations Heather!

Congratulations Sharon of Livewire Jewelry!

Congratulations Jenny of Silverlines Jewelry!

I will be contacting all of you lucky ladies shortly regarding your rings :-D

~*~

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter...

thank you for sharing your dreams with me...

and thank you SO much for your support of me and MY dreams!

Let's do this all again soon, ok?! ;-)

With much love,

A giveaway...to give thanks

I've talked about dreams before,


and you were with me a year ago when I started on this new creative path...


...so you know just how much it means to me to be here,


travelling THIS journey.


My dreams come true in metal and stone every day,


and I have you to thank for that...


I love that you love my work,


encouraging me with your kind words and gentle hearts...


adopting pieces that I have lovingly crafted with my own two hands and making them your own...


Your support means the world to me...


really and truly!


So I want to show you my appreciation with something special,


made just for you...


One lady with luck on her side will receive a custom made gemstone trio ring in a size that is just right for her.


It could look something like this...

...or this...

...or this...

...or this...





And these are the gems you can choose from...

I went through my faceted gemstone stash and picked a little of every colour,
something to suit every taste...





There are garnets of red and orange, agate, red jasper, yellow sapphire, scapolite, fire opals, serpentine, prehnite, green apatite, maw sit sit (yes, really...), malachite, chrysoprase, chrysocolla, turquoise, spinel, tourmaline, smoky quartz, pyrite, black spinel, white opal, white topaz...and more!





So, the choice will be yours...


:-)


Perhaps you'd like a fiery trio...



{garnet, fire opal, hessonite garnet}


or an earthy trio...


{turquoise, andesine labradorite, red jasper}


or a pretty trio...



{chrysoprase, pink tourmaline, green apatite}


or a trio that is barely there...



{prehnite, white topaz, scapolite}


or a trio that will get you noticed...



{garnet, green apatite, yellow sapphire}


or a trio that will never date...



{black spinel, pyrite, white opal}


Once you have chosen your gems, I will loving fabricate them into a sterling silver one-of-a-kind Gemstone Trio Ring in your size,


and you get to choose the finish...


polished, matte, brushed, oxidized.


If you don't like/wear rings, I will make you a necklace in the same style...
(I'm nice like that...)


Sound fun?


As always, I want to give you a few ways to enter...


the more, the better!


Here goes:


1.  Tell me about a dream that you hold dear in your heart.  It can be big, it can be small...the size isn't relevant, I just want to hear about it!
{1 entry}


2.  Tell me your three favourite colours
{1 entry}


3.  Follow my blog...easy!
{1 entry}


4.  'Like' my Facebook page
{1 entry}


If you could leave a separate comment for each entry, that would make my life a tiny bit easier...thank you!


I'll accept entries up until 9.00pm AEST on Friday September 30, and then I will enlist the aid of my trusty giveaway helper to draw a name out of the hat :-)


I will announce the lucky winner on Saturday October 1!


And of course, the giveaway is open to anyone and everyone,


in every corner of the globe!


Best of luck,


and happy dreaming!!!

Truth & Beauty

'Beauty is not in the face.

Beauty is a light in the heart.

~Kahlil Gibran~

Beauty that is true and everlasting

is not to be found in features nor facades.

It sprouts from somewhere deeper,

a pocket untouchable by time

and unfathomable in its depth.

It is uplifting and contagious…

it calls out to you across the room,

charging its way into your presence like a steam train.

Real beauty is not all about a porcelain complexion,

nor a 27 inch waist…

…features will fade and ripen with time,

leaving only truth,

the essence of character.

There is beauty in the lines upon your body,

they tell your story of a life loved and lived…

…and those grey hairs that start appearing,

one day, 

some day,

they are a totem of knowledge and of knowing,

only possible with the passing of years.

There is beauty in compassion

and laughter

and light…

There is beauty in imperfection,

and shadows,

and truth.

And there is beauty in you…

you may not see it in yourself,

but ask anyone who loves you,

anyone who believes in you…

you 

are 

beautiful...

The *Truth & Beauty* Necklace ~ available here

Time for play...

Spring is in full swing here in Sydney,

so trips to the playground are a daily event.

Our favourite playground has a view...

I mean, LOOK at that VIEW...!

Spider Girl loves climbing...

(note Jett sitting quietly on the slide...bless his cotton socks!)

...when she's not busy keeping a look out...

...or counting...

Jett likes the slide best...

...bottle in one hand, and he didn't spill a drop!

And, of course, there are the swings...

...which is MY favourite!

;-)

I hope there's been a big dose of fun in your day too!

Moving on...

These are all the pieces that remain of my *Moroccan Odyssey* Collection...

...they look so pretty together, 

a colourful collective...

...the result of many, many hours of love and inspiration and creation...

But I feel it is time to move on...

Each piece has been reduced by 15% for one month only,

(until 11 October 2011)

and any piece remaining at that time will be taken out of my shop and placed in a new venue.

I want these lovely pieces to find lovely homes!

As much as I love looking at them every day,

turning them over in my hand and feeling proud of my work,

I would feel happy to my very soul knowing that they are being worn and loved!

I hope you find something that has to be yours :-)

~*~

In other news, I realised that a few milestones have befallen me...

~ one amazing year of silversmithing ~
(though really, it feels like I've always been doing this...)

~ 50 sales in my Etsy shop ~
(each one special and momentous)

~ 50,000 hits on my blog and counting ~
(amazing!)

Any one of those milestones is a reason to celebrate,

but the fact that they have all happened at once has left me feeling,

grateful

overwhelmed

humble

ecstatic!

So, to celebrate, I'll be having a little giveaway.

Just to say thanks.

Details to come very soon.

I'm excited,

are you?!

:-)