Cyber Monday at The Green World

It's Cyber Monday, and that means all the best internet deals are out today!  Naturally, I want to get in on the action.  I've had a sale going in the shop all week, but now I've beefed it up just a bit more in honor of Cyber Monday, and I really want to get the word out!   So here you go, Green World Fans, I have two great coupon codes for you to use today:

SPECIAL25 will get you 25% off your ENTIRE PURCHASE in my shop!

-and-

SHIPITFREE will make your shipping disappear if your spend more than $50 in the shop!

Not too shabby, right?  Happy shopping!!

10 Reasons for You to Visit The Green World Shop

Over the last few months, I've practically buried myself in new jewelry without posting any of it, but now I'm finally starting to dig myself out.  Here is the first batch of new items to go up in the shop!  If you happen to see something that you like, just click the picture to go directly to the listing for that item!  How convenient, right?

And that's not even all of it.  :)

Blogathon Winner!

Remember these?  They need homes.  Well, one of them needs a home.  The other one has a home, we just don't know which is which yet.  So I suppose I ought to get on with announcing the winner.  Can I get a drum roll  please?  And the winner is.....

Commenter number 2!  Wait, that doesn't help much.  Who was number 2 again?

Oh, right!  It was Kelly!  Congratulations, Kelly!  And you even mentioned in your comment which pair you'd like.  So, I will be getting in touch with you soon to get your address, so that I can send you your lovely emerald earrings.  :)

Thanks to everyone who entered!

5 Year Blogathon and Giveaway

Would you believe that it's been 5 years--five!--since I started sharing my crafty things here?  This blog started out as a way to share things with my family when we were living overseas, but look how it's changed!  Now it's a crafting blog only, and the family stuff has its own home elsewhere.  And it is not only my five year blogiversary, either.  I added crafting to my blog right around the same time that the other ladies at the arts and crafts shop (in Germany) started theirs, so it's been 5 years for all of us.  To celebrate, we're all doing giveaways, and you, my lucky readers, get to enter all of them!  

The give-away train begins today, March 10, and runs through March 16.  Winners will be announced on March 17 (which also happens to be St Patrick's Day).  Here are the rules for my giveaway:  To enter, you must answer this question:

What's your favorite St Patrick's Day tradition?

Post your answer in the comments by 10pm on March 16, and please make sure to include your name and e-mail address so that I can get in touch with you if you win.  (Only one entry per person, please.  Any duplicate entries will be skipped.)  I will randomly select a winner and post the results on the 17th.

Now, on to the prize!  I had a hard time choosing what to put up for grabs.  Remember my "hypothetical giveaway" question?  Totally not hypothetical.  Thanks to everyone who responded, I needed the ideas!   "Sparkly" and "earrings" sounded good to me, especially since I'd just gotten done making Robin's bridal set, so that's what I went with.  My winner will get to choose between two pairs of green cluster drop earrings.  Here is option #1:

And here is option #2:

The olive pair is a bit longer than the emerald pair, but not by much.  Total length is about an inch to an inch-and-a-half.  Both are a bit on the heavy side, because they're made with a lot of Swarovski crystals, but they're not heavy enough to be uncomfortable.

I love them both, and honestly, I kind of want to keep them for myself, but I promise, I won't.  :)  Anyway, I'm not sure where you started on this crazy train, but here are all of my fellow bloggers, just in case, just click the picture to hop over to their blogs:

and you are currently here, at The Green World!  You also ought to stop by my shop, to check out my spring sale, which also ends on St Patrick's Day.

Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!

"Oma" and "Gigi" Necklaces

I made personalized necklaces for my girls' grandmothers for Christmas this year.  I chose 3/4" sterling heart charms (ordered from Wickedly Mod on Etsy), and put them on delicate 18"sterling chains with tiny Swarovski crystals in their favorite colors.

"Gigi" is short for Grandmother Gager

all of the kids call my mom "Oma", which is German for "grandmother".

They were both huge hits!  I loved the charms themselves, if you ever need to order custom pendants, I would definitely recommend Wickedly Mod!  

Sam's Bridal Jewelry

I know I posted a few pictures of Sam in her wedding finery when I posted about Brandon's trip to California, but now I have a few more official wedding shots to share!

Designing bridal jewelry is one of my favorite things to do.  Working with each bride to produce exactly what she wants for her day pushes me beyond my comfort zone, and encourages me to try new designs, styles, and combinations.  Sam's necklace was the most challenging and the most rewarding project I've taken on.  I love that I was able to have some part in putting that wedding together, especially since I wasn't able to be there in person.  Thank you, Sam, for that opportunity, and congratulations to you both!

New Items in the Shop

I've been busy, busy, busy!  In between my normal mother-ly and wife-ly responsibilities (which now include taking Elora to the potty, cleaning up her "accidents", and doing all the laundry generated by those "accidents"), I have been making jewelry.  Lots of jewelry.  I finally stopped making jewelry today, just long enough to photograph some of the new stuff.  This is as far as I got with the listings tonight:

All of these are now available in The Green World Shop.  More coming soon! 

I haven't forgotten about give-away number three!  I am waiting, no longer patiently, for an order to arrive.  (I ordered this stuff on July 20, so I think I've been more than patient already!)  I cannot complete the super-secret give-away item until that order arrives, and I can't post the give-away until the item is finished!  

Oh, and while you're here, please take a moment to leave me some love, and answer this question:  What kind of jewelry would you like to see more of in my shop?  This question is VERY open ended on purpose! I'm looking for guidance here, folks.  

Necklace Give-Away Winner!

 Give-away number two is closed, and once again, I let random.org choose a winner for me:  

So, the winner is.....

Merryn!  Congratulations!  I'll be getting this in the mail for you just as soon as I can.

Thanks to everyone who entered!  And don't forget, I will be doing one more give-away this summer, so stay tuned to The Green World!  This next one is going to be big.  :)

Give-Away Number Two: A Necklace! (Closed)

The colors and designs that are popular in jewelry right now are fantastic.  Coral, turquoise, and royal blue?  The earthy antique brass and organic shapes?  Yes, please!  And I have the honor of working on bridal jewelry designs for not one, but two brides right now!  Each has her own style, and brainstorming with them has provided me with a ton of new ideas and inspiration. I've been haunting Pinterest, Etsy, and Fire Mountain, searching out new elements and trying to narrow down my choices to what I absolutely must have to work with.  I got my first round of new goodies last week, and my first batch of new jewelry is ready to post:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/105120794/antiqued-brass-and-peach-rose-drop

http://www.etsy.com/listing/105131963/22-wire-wrapped-carved-sage-green

http://www.etsy.com/listing/105120110/18-wire-wrapped-aqua-rose-necklace

http://www.etsy.com/listing/105119158/antiqued-brass-and-aqua-rose-drop

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80013181/22-asymmetrical-antiqued-brass-orange

http://www.etsy.com/listing/105215123/28-wire-wrapped-cerulean-glass-and

http://www.etsy.com/listing/105124498/18-19-adjustable-antiqued-brass-wire

To celebrate, I am continuing my give-away series!!

This time, I'm giving away this fabulous tiered necklace in antiqued brass!  It's 21" at its shortest, and just shy of 24" at its longest.  I will happily shorten it for the winner, if it's too long. The rules for entry are essentially the same as before.  

1. To enter, you must leave a comment on this post.  
2. Up to FOUR additional entries may be gained by following this blog; sharing a link to this contest on your own blog (snag the give-away banner!); "liking" my page on Facebook; and/or sharing a link to this give-away on your Facebook wall or timeline.  Please leave a separate (different!) comment for each entry, and indicate what it's for (FB, following this blog, etc.).  If you post this to your own blog, please include a link to the post in your comment.
3. The contest will close at midnight eastern standard time one week from today, on Monday, July 30, 2012.
4. This contest is for the 24" tiered necklace only.  The winner/recipient will have the option of having the necklace shortened, but not lengthened.

Once again, good luck, and thanks for your help in promoting The Green World!

***UPDATE***
I've decided to extend this give-away until Wednesday!  You now have until midnight on August 1 to enter, and I will announce the winner on Thursday!