I’m really excited to bring you a giveaway today from JoyBelle Jewelry.

I love hand-stamped Jewelry!.  Not only is Joy’s beautiful, but her prices are amazing!  Let me introduce you to Joy: “Hi, I’m Joy! As a stay-at-home mom who is often “stuck” at home as we only have one vehicle, I had to find something for ME that wasn’t “wife” or “mommy”. In 2008 I began making hand-stamped jewelry.  We now have three daughters under the age 6 and our first son is due to be born in September. We’re busy and very blessed! 

Joy Belle is now using stainless steel instead of sterling silver. It is hypo-allergenic, doesn’t rust or tarnish and is a harder metal than sterling. I have had the best feedback since switching to steel! Everyone loves it!

I’ve become somewhat of a bead junkie and have expanded into making wire-wrapped tree pendants and nest pendants at my new shop The Twisted Willows (twistedwillows.etsy.com).”

Joy also has a blog where she writes about pregnancy and motherhood, When Does Daddy Come Home?  (Don’t we all wonder that sometimes?  Love it.)

Joy has created beautiful pieces, such as the Arden, which is a double stacked, domed pendant.

The Addisyn is great for your children’s names, or for a meaningful phrase.

If you like personalized jewelry but want something a little different, the Arien might be for you. It truly is “enchanting”.

She even has something for your guitar-loving child or significant other.  I know some teenage boys who would think this is pretty cool.
Finally, I have to mention my favorite- and not just because it shares my daughter’s name.  I just love the Emma. I’m really only scratching the surface here, so please head over to Joy’s shop, JoyBelle Jewelry and see all her lovely creations! Joy is offering one of you a $24 credit to use in her shop (which is awesome because most of her items cost less than that!)  Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

1.  MANDATORY ENTRY:  Visit JoyBelle Jewelry, then leave a comment here telling me the name of your favorite item.

You can earn one extra entry for doing each of the following: (please leave a separate comment for each one!)

– “Heart” JoyBelle Jewelry by adding it to your favorites on Etsy.

– “Like” JoyBelle Jewelry on Facebook here –  Follow Occasionally Crafty via GFC (in my sidebar)

– “Like” Occasionally Crafty on Facebook here (or in my sidebar)

– Share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter.

Some other GREAT news- if you don’t want to wait, you can use code “CRAFTY” at checkout for 10% off your purchase!  This is good from now until August 15th, so you can use it if you don’t win, too!  Thanks, Joy!

This giveaway is open until midnight Pacific Time on August 7th.  The winner will be announced Monday morning, August 8th, and will be chosen by Random.org

Good luck!

Today I have some fun projects to share with you, and a special offer for the weekend!  If you, like me, have been wanting something like this in your home, 

www.BuyAlphabetPhotos.com

then you will love this!  

Photographer Jodi Gerber of ArtisticLetters has created an entire catalog of black & white letter images throughout the past 3 years – all by taking photos of objects in nature that resembled letters of the alphabet. She recently decided to offer her ENTIRE catalog of 250+ letter images to the public on CD or Download so that anyone could create their own designs!   If you’ve purchased something like this, you know just one sign can cost $20 or more.  But these images can be used over and over, for many different projects.  It’s a truly original way to make artwork for your home – 

www.BuyAlphabetPhotos.com

or even for scrapbooking, 

www.BuyAlphabetPhotos.com

greeting cards,  and digital designs consisting of wedding invitations, baby’s birth, etc.  

www.BuyAlphabetPhotos.com

The possiblities are endless!

Jodi teamed up with me and is offering you Exclusive Discounted Pricing of up to $6 Off!  Please visit her website www.BuyAlphabetPhotos.com and browse the images, testimonials, and ideas. 

Then click on the “Occasionally Crafty” page and enter  CRAFT  as the password.  You’ll find the exclusive pricing and bonus freebie choices there.

 FREEBIE ALERT:  Jodi also offered my readers a Freebie alphabet set (with purchase) as a Bonus!  And here’s the great part – you get to choose a Damask set from 6 different galleries!  More info is available on the “Occasionally Crafty” page at www.BuyAlphabetPhotos.com.

 The exclusive pricing and freebie offer expires tomorrow, June 11 at 10 p.m. Eastern so be sure you take advantage of this great deal while it lasts.

You can also visit Jodi’s face book page and click “Like” to find more info, freebies, giveaways, and receive future promotions. 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Littleton-CO/Buy-Alphabet-Photos-on-CD-and-Download/150278781695008

Here are two projects I made using Jodi’s letters: 

First, I painted and embellished an old frame, then printed out one of her “E”s to use as a monogram for the frame.  This would be a great unique gift!

Also, you know I love digital scrapbooking!  I thought these letters were perfect for documenting our trip to Chicago a few years ago (I told you I’m behind in my scrapbooking!)  Here’s the layout I came up with, using Jodi’s letters.

I’m so excited to use these to make gifts for friends and family.  I hope you will take advantage of this offer.  Enjoy creating!

*Disclaimer- I received a set of these letters and mattes to use and review for free, but the opinions expressed are purely my own!*

I hope that got your creative juices flowing!  Have a great week and think spring!

Connect with us! You can find us here:

Have you ever felt something drifting away from you?

I consider it a blessing to experience this feeling often in my life.

Once in college, my boyfriend told me that he loved me (over the phone, but that’s beside the point).

I knew when he said it that I didn’t feel the same way, but I was scared to let go of the one real relationship I had ever had.  But then, things started changing.  Being with him just didn’t “feel right” any more.  

It’s hard to explain- but I knew it was time to move on.

When I graduated college, I became a high school band teacher.  It was sincerely fulfilling a dream!  For five years I taught high school and loved it.  Shortly after I began teaching, I met my future husband, and we were married.  After he finished school, we decided the time was right for us to start our family.  As I became pregnant, I began to look forward to being a mom the same way I had dreamed of being a teacher.  I knew it was time to move on to the next phase of my life and become a stay-at-home mom.  

It’s hard to define- but it was time to move on.

I could name many such experiences throughout my life.  I am a religious person, so I believe that it is a little bit of personal inspiration, or feeling the Holy Spirit guide me along my path in life to what I’m supposed to be doing.  Call it that or women’s intuition or what have you, I know each of us can feel something that guides us to where we need to be.

All that to say- I’m starting to feel blogging drifting away from me.  I started this blog six years ago, and I’ve enjoyed doing it.  I put in many hours to create, photograph, edit, and promote blog posts for you.

I thought that this last year, now that all of my kids were in school, I would dedicate myself full time to the blog and bring about some serious growth and great projects.  Instead, I felt drawn to do other things, like work on family history, beautify my home (without having to take pictures of it), and volunteer at the school with my kids.  

We have also decided to move.  We are moving out of our home in a week, renting a vacation home for a few weeks, then moving across the country to Iowa.   We have been so, so busy getting ready that I’ve hardly had time to do anything else.

I feel myself pulled in another direction.  I’m not sure what that direction is.  Perhaps I will renew my teaching certificate and go back to the classroom.  Maybe I will spend more time volunteering in the school and community.  I just know that blogging is not where I need to be spending my time right now.

I don’t know if this is a permanent break, or a temporary one.  So, I will be keeping my blog up for you to find inspiration from.  I want you to be able to find my old projects and recipes again.  But I won’t be posting for awhile.  Or longer. 

 It’s hard to explain why.  It’s just time.  It just feels right. 

Thank you for being my loyal readers over the years, however long you’ve been with me.  Check out my very first project here!  (So fun and yikes! I’ve learned a lot since then!)

Everything I’ve made here has been not only for me and my family, but for you and yours.  

Keep making beautiful things!  

Living in Phoenix, the Splash Pad is a staple of summertime entertainment.  When we visited our family in Oregon last summer, we were excited to find they had recently opened a splash pad in Redmond. Here’s the layout I created to remember our trip to the splash pad with the cousins.  It is on a white background, so just imagine you can see it as a page:

Thanks for stopping by to see it!