And the winners are...

Thank you so much for all of your bids, and for your generosity!!! I couldn't have donated this amount of money on my own. I'm so glad that we were able to raise so much to help Stephanie and Christian! You have all touched my heart.



Auction #1 goes to Dianna:
Love it, loved the post. $145

Thank you so very much!!











Auction #2 goes to Yvonne:
I'll go to $110.00

Thank you so very much!!

Going, going, gone!

Just a reminder that tonight is the final night of the auction, it will end at 10pm mst, midnight est. Thank you so much for your generosity, I am so grateful that we'll be able to donate so much to them!

Silent Auction #1 (of 2)

This is one of my very favorite posts by Nie Nie:

Basket-head mother, not I!

Sometimes life feels this way.

I really enjoyed this quote by Anna Quindle. Elder M. Russell Ballard quoted her in my favorite talk "Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments.{or if I could enter here-the basket-head mother syndrome} She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).

Starting today I am going to be better. I never had a basket-head mother, and I AM NOT GOING TO BE A BASKET-HEAD MOTHER! I am going to listen, love, communicate, cherish, enjoy, teach, preach and prepare my children. Time for everything else later.

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This talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard is one of my favorite talks of all time. What a great reminder that time passes too quickly, and we need to live in the moment a little more!

This wonderful post by Nie Nie was the inspiration behind the first necklace that will be auctioned:

This necklace is made from two 3/4 inch sterling silver open discs, it comes with a freshwater pearl and a dainty 18 inch sterling silver ball chain. The finish is shiny, I know it doesn't appear that way in some of the pictures.

Bids will be through the comments.
The auction will end at 10:00pm mst on Sunday, August 31st.
The winner will pay directly to the Stephanie and Christian Nielson recovery fund. Simply email me a copy of your receipt and I will ship it to you.

Thanks for helping to support a wonderful cause!

Please check out auction #2 as well!

Silent Auction #2

Another post of Nie's that I adored:

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

The beauty of spring.

For months a little sparrow has been nesting- in our roof vents. A safe, practical place to raise her little darlings. Today junior was pushed out and expected to become something of him/herself. Claire picked up junior and stuffed him into a bird house she made at summer camp. It took two monkey wrenches and prayers to get him/her out. Jane fed junior or a piece of cheese. Not exactly his/her idea of dinner. And when junior tried to run away from Oliver and find a safe haven up Nicholas shorts, junior was (with a firm grip) thrown right in front of Jimmys nose. (it could have been bad, except Mr. Nielson has a very firm voice and jimmy backed off).

poor junior.

Junior is safe now. He flew away just last night. I had to think about my own babies. Someday they will fly away from my nest too but not before a little wear and tear from the world. I hope I can be ready. Everyone says it goes by fast and to enjoy it. I think I get it now.


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Nie finds beauty in the simple things.

I hope during her recovery she is able to have sweet dreams about those she loves and the happy times they have had.



Silent auction #2 is for this necklace:

This necklace is made from a 3/4 inch copper disc hand stamped to say "dream", the copper disc has a shiny finish. It comes with a silver plated sparrow and an 18 inch nickel plated steel ball chain.

Bids will be through the comments.
The auction will end at 10:00pm mst on Sunday, August 31st.
The winner will pay directly to the Stephanie and Christian Nielson recovery fund. Simply email me a copy of your receipt and I will ship it to you.

Thanks for helping to support a wonderful cause!

Sneak Peek

Just a preview of the 2 necklaces that will be auctioned off tomorrow. Bids will be through the comments, and all proceeds will go to the Christian and Stephanie Nielson recovery fund.

Nie Nie Day

For the past four years, Stephanie Nielson (Nie Nie) has welcomed us into her charming abode through the NieNie Dialogues. I just recently began reading her blog and I absolutely have loved it. I was heartbroken to hear that on Saturday, August 16, 2008, Stephanie was in a plane crash with her husband, Christian Nielson, and his flight instructor, Doug Kinneard, near St. Johns, Arizona. Doug Kinneard passed away soon after arriving at the Maricopa County Hospital.

Christian & Stephanie remain in critical condition at Maricopa Burn Center. Christian has sustained burns on over 30% of his body. His wife Stephanie’s body was burned over 80%.

Design Mom has "officially declared this Thursday, August 28th, as Nie Nie Day". Swing by her blog to see the many ways to participate in honoring and assisting in the fundraising efforts for Christian and Stephanie Nielsen!

I'll be joining her in hosting a Silent Auction. Bidding will be done through the comments and the individual with the highest bid will win a necklace inspired by one of Stephanie's posts. Pictures will be posted Thursday for the auction. ALL proceeds will be going directly to help the Nielsens. So check back to join in the fun that's for a wonderful cause!

A change

The tiny tags necklace has been changed a bit. I wasn't happy with how the necklace looked hanging-- the tags covered each other up more than I thought they should. So this is the new design for the tiny tags necklace. A sterling silver bead helps to space each disc a little better. It comes with up to 3 discs, but I can do more, just contact me for prices on the number you need. The tiny tags necklace can be found in my shop.

I'm also considering changing my shipping rates. Right now it's $3 to ship one necklace because I include delivery confirmation and insurance. I could ship for $1.50 if I didn't include insurance though. Any opinions?

Petite Name necklaces

For my daughter's 6th birthday she had requested a necklace. I made her two, these will be the petite line of necklaces. The discs are smaller and can't fit a lot of lettering but are perfect for one or two short names, and the size is great for kids or for someone who doesn't like large pieces of jewelry; these discs also cost less since they're smaller. You can find both in my shop.

This is the Copper Petite Name necklace. Since this one is copper (it's cheaper than silver) and comes on the less expensive chain this one is a bit more affordable. It comes with a hand stamped 3/4 inch copper disc, a sterling silver heart charm, and comes on an 18 inch nickel plated steel ball chain:





This is the Silver Petite Name necklace, it comes with a hand stamped 5/8 inch sterling silver disc, a freshwater pearl, and comes on a dainty 18 inch sterling silver ball chain:






Both can be found in my shop.

Introducing... the Sister Necklace

I finally finished the sister necklace tonight. I ended up putting it on a 1 inch disc (instead of the 7/8 inch size). You can find it in my shop.

Matching earrings

I am adding some pearl earrings that will perfectly match the Family Circle necklace and the Double layer necklace in my shop. I can make any of the necklaces with one of these pearls if you'd like to have a matching set, just let me know before you check out.
I can also do swarovski crystal earrings (to match the "enjoy" necklace) or button pearl earrings (to match the Mommy's diamond necklace charm or tiny tags necklace) if you'd prefer to have a matching set with something else.

New double layer necklace

This double layer necklace is so fun! I can do more layers too, up to 5 total. It can be done in a silver and copper combination, or just silver. And it can come with the freshwater pearl that's pictured, or a swarovski crystal. It comes with an 18 inch sterling silver ball chain.




The largest disk that's pictured is the 7/8 inch size, it's just smaller than a quarter. You can find it in my shop.


Here's an idea of what a mixed metals pendant would look like, and it will show you how more layers would look as well:



Coming soon... the sister necklace.