Everyday Beauty

Ear Drops

  
Hello! Thank you so much for all of your well wishes, kind comments and emails about our upcoming move. It's always fun to share happy news with you gals. We have not found a house in Ohio as of yet, so we'll be temporarily renting until we find the right place.
I'll keep you posted!

I have one last Shopette update before I pack up my jewelry supplies for a few months. There are new Ear Drops and also a few necklaces.

I was reading a novel set in the Civil War era, and the author wrote, "inside her jewel box were Ruby ear drops." I loved that name for earrings, and jotted it down in my inspiration journal. So, here they are, my first collection of Ear Drops, made with Rubies, Citrine, Iolite, Peruvian Opals, vintage French rhinestone rondelles, old pearls, crystals and love.

 

And the new necklaces.....

 
Thanks for taking a peek! Wishing you all a great summer weekend! 

Bookmark Chit Chat

 
The Country Living article has brought a lot of questions, and I am happy to answer them! I thought it may be easier to answer them here on my blog, since most of the questions are similar.

I also wanted to mention that the resources listed in the article are not the resources I gave to the editors. Since this was the "bargain issue", they wanted to show how the bookmarks can be made very inexpensively, and they chose to list different sources than the ones I provided them. It seems to have caused a bit of confusion, so below you will find my personal list of resources.

*I use primarily vintage jewelry pieces for the baubles on the bookmarks, along with gemstones, Czech glass beads, old pearls and new & old cabochons. Many of the pieces are found at flea markets and antique shops. Local bead shops and Etsy are great resources for gemstones and other beads. Search Etsty for tons of cabochons.

*The velvets I use are from my own stash, gathered over time. You can buy a narrow 3/8" velvet in many colors through Raffit Ribbons. Some craft stores also sell velvet ribbon, and of course there is always Etsy. Also, try your local scrapbook store for a variety of velvet widths and colors.

*I purchase the silver and gold ribbon clamps from Jewelry Supply. They come in three widths, which should be matched up exactly to the width of your ribbon. They are 3/8", 1/2" and 5/8". Jump rings in various finishes can be found at any craft store or bead shop.

I hope this helps, and if you still a question or two, please do send me an email!

If you'd rather buy one from my Shopette, I have made a few more that I will have listed this coming week. {pictured above}

Thanks so much for your interest and emails!

Hello and Welcome!

 
I'm so glad you stopped by, and I want to welcome you to the fresh new look of Everyday Beauty. My friend Hope did beautiful, clean and detailed design work for me, as she always does, and I am tickled....well, pink! I've been wanting a site that combines my shop, blog, photos, and other little bits of my life, which is the reason why www.andreasingarella.com was created.

There are some new jewels in The Shopette and a new collection of Prize Ribbon Rosettes as well. Simply click "Shopette" in the menu bar above to take a peek.
Please note that all new orders will begin shipping on May 4th.

 
 
Some of the Bookmark Baubles featured in the Country Living article are also for sale.

 
One more thing...I am happy to be shipping internationally once again! I have missed my international friends and customers, and will now ship to Canada, Europe and Australia through First Class International mail (which will keep the rates lower for you).

Thanks so much for your support and excitement. It's always such a joy to hear from you and share pieces of my world with you!

Spring Happiness

 
Happiness is.....

* the fact that it is officially Spring and the daffodils are on the brink of blooming

*playing in a pile of old millinery flowers

*getting organized and doing some good old Spring cleaning

*getting ready to go to a friend's house to play with a bunch of other friends

*watching my husband put a fresh coat of paint on the walls

*wearing a dress without my legs being chilly

*deciding which color to paint my toenails

* finally finishing up a handful of Easter Eggs topped with rumpled vintage flowers. {They will be for sale in the shop sometime on Monday. Maybe around noon EST. More or less.}

*Hearing the birds chirp, chirp, chirp as they build their nests

*feeling hopeful about all the good things that the warmer weather will bring

*what is YOUR Spring happiness?

Prize Ribbon Rosettes on Sale

 
Hello! There are some fun & exciting things on the horizon at the moment. Among them, I am in the midst of designing a new colleciton of Prize Ribbon Rosettes, and have marked the current collection down. They are only $6 now, originally $10. If there is a prized friend or birthday girl you know of who might just need a rosette, click here to shop.
Quantities are limited.

Thank you, as always, for your patronage of my humble little shoparella!

The Season of Love

 
Hello out there to all of you busy Elf-ettes! Only 10 days to go! Around here, it's been a festive whirlwind preparing for Christmas, and I still have quite a ways to go. I've been sick {flu, strep throat, double ear infections....good times!}, but I'm feeling a little bit better today and really wanted to post this before any more time passed.

 
 These Vintage Trinket necklaces are for sale in my shop. 
100% of the profits from the sale of these necklaces will be used to purchase Christmas dinner and gifts for a local family who is in need this holiday season.

 
The thought of a child having no presents under the tree on Christmas morning is heartbreaking. I always think about this at Christmastime especially, and although we donate money and food to the needy every year, this year it will go to a specific family in our area who really needs the help. It's something we've drilled into our kids' brains over and over again. We have so much. Too much, really. Some folks have so very little. It's the least we can do.

 
George and I don't go overboard with tons of expensive gifts for the kids. We have a wonderful Christmas with plenty, but we're just not into the excessiveness that commercialized Christmas seems to have become. Like many mothers, I hope my children will grow up to understand the value of a dollar {they will get a job when they are 16, no doubt about it}.... and to understand that they do not get everything they want {they will not get a new car when they are 16, no doubt about that either! LOL}.

I hope they will feel the importance of helping others and that there will always be people with MORE than them, and there will always be people with LESS. And although presents are great fun, Christmas is not about acquiring more STUFF.

Don't get me wrong, I love my pretty things as much as the next girl. I just feel that, like everything in life, it needs to be kept in perspective.

This is the season of LOVE and GIVING and HOPE.

I hope this family can feel our love and I hope their burdens will be lifted soon.

Click here to take a peek at the necklaces.

There is SO much I want to share with you girls, some things I've made, baked, seen, experienced. But the 24 hours in the day are flying by more than ever now. I hope to be back soon. I'll try my best.

On Time

 
Hello again dear readers. It's Andrea this time; Sofia is fast asleep. Tired girls she is!

Just wanted to pop in and let you know the new necklaces I made {and 2 bracelets} are in the shop now. Look how prompt I am! I actually impressed myself this time. Nevermind I was up all night trying to remember how to add a new item to the database...it's been a while, hasn't it?!

The names I chose for the new pieces are all names of my cousins. I have SO many cousins, and was thinking of how pretty their names were and how I'd like to use the names for jewelry someday.
And so I did.

 

Click here to take a look, if you'd like.

I was surprised to see that some of the pieces sold last night while I was asleep, and before I finished adding the items to the shop! Thank you all for your orders. I so appreciate my customers, and am honored that you have purchased something I made.

Family is arriving soon to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, so I will wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving now. I hope it is peaceful and wonderful, shared with those you love most.

xo andrea

Mama Has Some New Jewels

 
Hi. I'm Sofia. My mama dressed me up in this cute onesie (made by her friend Jenn) and tutu (a present from my Aunt Amy) and headband (that she bought on etsy), and told me to smile. Supposedly I'm the new ad campaign for her shop. Well, that's all fine and dandy, but I would rather chew on my giraffe of course!

 
The reason I'm here today is to let you know that my mama made some new jewelry, and she will be selling it in her shop. She really can't tell you exactly when that will be, because I require lots and lots of attention, and she never gets anything done when she thinks she will. She hopes to have it in the shop by Monday. But then again, she thought she would get out of her pajamas at some point today, and she didn't. See what I mean?

 
Did you know that it took her months to make these necklaces? She strings a couple of beads and then I cry. So she picks me up from my swing. And then 2 days later, she is inspired again and strings a couple more beads. And eventually, she finishes the necklace. It's a long process because she likes to hold me and sing to me a lot, and hasn't yet figured out how to get much of anything else done. She knows that I am small now, but someday I will grow big. She said it will fly by.

Well, I've got to go take a nap now. It was so nice of you to stop by and read her blog. And, OH! guess what? I got my first tooth on Monday, and I started eating real food today! It was such a big week for me.

Ciao, bellas!

In the News...Prize Ribbons!

 
Hello Friends! I wanted to share some fun news and a short video clip with you. Yesterday, the Birthday Girl prize ribbons I designed for my shop were featured on The 10! Show, on NBC Philadelphia News. If you live in that area, maybe you saw the show.....if not, you can play the video clip right here if you'd like to take a peek:

What a fun segment coordinated by the gals at Busy Bee Lifestyle! They featured various festive {and pretty} birthday decorations and other sweet ways to add extra special touches to a birthday party celebration. I'm honored that they chose the prize ribbons as part of the lineup! Their website, www.BusyBeeLifestyle.com  is an on-line magazine for women, a place where you will find inspiring ideas in entertaining, decorating, celebrating and more. They have a weekly newsletter too! Click here to sign up and receive their fun ideas & favorite finds right in your Inbox.

New Necklaces

 
Well, finally, finally, finally I have the necklaces I made all photographed and ready to be listed in my shop. A couple of them are still out in the hands of an editor, but I thought I could at least sell the ones I do have here.

 
This will be the last of them for quite a while, I imagine. I don't see myself chasing a 2-year-old, nursing an infant and teaching a 5-year-old to read....all while making jewelry. :) I could be wrong, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon!

 
If you want to take a peek, you can find them by clicking this link tomorrow, Tuesday, May 4th at 8:00 pm. EST.
Happy Day everyone!

xo