>>>coming soon<<<

Initial necklaces. Express yoself. 

thebeadsmiths.etsy.com

xoxo,

Jenna

WARNING: Very picture heavy!

Today was a relaxing yet exciting day. I have a lot of photos to share with you because of that, so be patient! First off, I finally finished my mini update...


CLICK TO VISIT MY SHOP! :)

Now that that's out of the way, I have something important to tell you. My oldest nephew, my little baby nephew Ethan, turned 14 today. Let me say that again, f o u r t e e n . I told him he's gross. 14 year old boys are gross. Haha. He knows I love him so much. That's so very strange to me. I'm 10 years older than him (I'll be 24 in October), so I made sure he knew how "old" he made me feel today. No, I don't think I'm old, but it feels so strange to me to think I have a teenage nephew. I told him last year on his 13th bday that he was gross then too. I know; I'm such a nice aunt. Actually, I'm his favorite, & he has a lot of aunts on his Dad's & Step Mom's sides. So HA on all of them. I talked to him for a good 30 minutes, & it made me realize how much I really miss him. He lives in Missouri & I'm in Texas. Doing grown up things makes it harder & harder to travel with my family, so I haven't seen him since 2007 :( That makes me so sad. I will see him in August though, along with the rest of my family. I'm excited! I taught Ethan about all of the important things in life, like poop, farts, & that I'm the prettiest girl in the world. He better remember all of that. I feel the need to post some pictures of my nephews now, so I shall indeed...




a Photos in my bedroom of the first time I held Ethan (1995) & Louis (2000). b Holding those beautiful boys again, back in 2003, when I had jowls. & awful hair. c Being silly the summer of 2005. I know; my tongue is ridiculous man! d Summer of 05 again. My nephew is adorable, & I don't know why he looks like a turtle in the photo.



e & f Christmas 2005, with Ethan, then Louis. I discovered the brightness & contrast feature on Paint Shop Pro around the end of 05. Can you tell?



g Fighting like gangsters; Christmas 05. h My nephews were cute Christmas of 2006, but my toupee hair was NOT. i & j I guess Christmas of 2007 is when they decided taking pictures with me wasn't cool anymore :( haha. I LOVE THESE BOYS! I love their Mom just as much. I'm praying for her. She's going to be going through something tough the next few days, so even though you don't know her whatsoever, it would be nice if she could be in your thoughts, at least a little bit.


Guess who else celebrated a birthday today? My good ol baby dog Baxter turned TWO! That's fourteen in dog years, so Ethan & Baxter celebrated the same birthday together...but apart...and they've never met...neat? I don't know. Anyway, we went to the Arboretum & took the puppies for an hour long walk. It was HOT but they loved it. The squirrels drove them nuts. I took some lovely photos...




This totally happened.








I don't know what kind of plants those were up there...but they are damn pretty, aren't they? I know, I know. Wonderful. You know what's NOT wonderful? The fact that I was on such a good roll with going to the gym...then I didn't go for 3 days. I felt so guilty! Two of those days I thought the gym closed later than it did. Who closes at 10 on Fri & 8 on Sat??? LA Fitness, apparently. Oh well. I went back tonight just in time to run for 45 mins. I ran 4.11 miles & burned 458 calories. I know I can do better, so I wasn't TOO impressed with myself, but it was way more worthwhile than not going at all! Then, when I came home in an awesome mood, made an awesome smoothie (I'm telling you people, you need to add Medjool dates! AWESOME!), checked my awesome email, I saw I had an awesome message from an awesome Etsian! My friend Amy from SparkleRocks told me that I was on the front page again! AWESOME. I will stop saying that now; promise. It's been a long time since I've been on there, & sales have been slooow, so I was excited. I checked Etsy & I happened to be on at that moment!



Then, I sold my little deer dish! I was happy yet sad at the same time, because I love it so much. It was inspired by my puppy Baxter, so how appropriate that it was featured & sold on his bday! Right? I know. Neatooo. The buyer was also a sweet mama named Alexis who happened to feature me on her blog, The Posh Passy.
THANK YOU, ALEXIS! Her blog is adorable, so make sure you check it out!

That's all for tonight, folks.
Jenna :)

PS-I LOVE YOU BIG SEESTER. You are in my thoughts, always. I wish the best comes out of this shituation.

Look at the pretty colors!

I feel sick. I ate WAY too much granola. Boo on that. Also, boo on the gym tonight. I made the mistake of going when it was PACKED & there were ZERO vacant eliptical machines. There is a sign that clearly states, "There is a 20 minute limit on all cardio equipment when people are waiting." So basically, "If we're PACKED, get your ass off the eliptical after 20 mins, holmes." Clearly, people can't read, or don't care. Jerks. Moving on. I got on the bike for 5 miles & left. I was annoyed. I'm not a fan of running on the treadmill. I have a fear that I will slip & hit my face. Or lose my footing. Either would be funny if it happened to someone else, but I don't like it when my face hurts, ok?

I did, however, get something accomplished today. I listed 2 new housewares that I love on Etsy. I showed a peek of them in a post a couple days ago, but I really like this picture of them together, so I shall show you again...


Check out my shop :)

I love the turquoise with my purple orchids too. That is my absolute FAVORITE flower. Ever. It's beautiful. I love that color combo so much, I made a collage! Go figure, right? I love these things...



1 "Large Pink Cobalto Calcite Druzy and 14k Gold Cocktail Ring" by BloomStudios
2 "Vintage Handmade Blue Bird" by SweetLoveVintage
3 "Intimacy - 8x8 Original Fine Art Photo" by bomobob
four "one Very Dapper Gentleman in AQUA BLUE" by aimeesarmoire
five "Ornate Purple Mirror" by soZealous
six "One Color Semi-Chaotic Ring" by KnottyByNature
7 "Shooting Star 8 x 8 Print" by CassiaBeck
8 "Bunny Holder" by MaryBethsArt
9 "Vintage Purple Deer Salt N Pepper Shakers" by CrankHeartPony
ten "Amazonite and ocean Sky Necklace" by lilyja
eleven "Cup ring with enamel" by thalassajewelry
twelve "Grenadine" by jennreese7

Aren't those some pretty little sights? Of course they are, because I wouldn't blog about anything ugly! Except for that scrape on my leg; that wasn't so pretty. Speaking of pretty, I need my beauty rest. I have to work in the morning, & it's 1am now!

Guten Nacht,
Jenna

No white shoes after labor day!

Every season I think we all get stuck on a certain color trend, & sometimes it fades with the season, but other times it sticks around...Or am I just tired & don't know what's what? WHAT'S GOING ON?! AHHHH! Now that I'm done doing that, I can get down to bidniz. All this color & season talk makes me think of the movie "Serial Mom" when she kills Patty Hearst's character, who, in my opinion, went through enough in life without having her character KILLED. With a PAY PHONE.

"712 F*** YOU!" "Ooo-eee, ooo-eee" (imitating bird calls). I love when she sings "Day break" while the cop is chasing her. Ohhhhhh goodness. So many great scenes. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you need to see Serial Mom. It's great. Kathleen Turner is awesome in it. I love John Waters movies. How creepy is he though? Ultimate creepster for sure.

Ok, back to business for real this time. Pinky swear. I was really loving combinations of yellow & gray in the spring, which is what inspired the color block tote I created a couple of months ago (can you spot it in the collage!), & I'm still really feeling it. I think several years ago Michael Kors had a collection with some pastel yellows which I absolutely loved. I don't know; I don't really pay too much attention to things I can't afford. Here, on the other hand, are some lovely things that we all can afford!



1 "Coal - Print" by amberalexander
2 "5 x 7 - yellow buttons on gray canvas" by UglyScientist
3 "Gray and Yellow Dip Cup" by upintheairsomewhere
4 "Lemon Chiffon Notebook" by RedOtter
5 "s a l e. pastel color block tote with braided strap." by jennamichelle
6 "we drive all day, print" by gretchenmist
7 "un deux trois necklace, enameled" by enamored
8 "Yellow Birds on Gray Tiles" by LuckyBluebirdArt
9 "Egg scarf" by CresusArtisanat

You know what else is lovely? LOVE. That's right, LOVE. And I am IN IT. I am not afraid to talk about it. I used to be one of those people who thought love & all love related things were GROSS. Not for everyone else; for them it was cute. For me, nah. I recall gagging out loud to the concept of a relationship when one boy brought it up. I also once told a boy that I would throw up on him if he brought me flowers to work like he said he had wanted to do. That's rude. R U D E. I'm rude. Well, I was. I started dating Christopher, & we both took each other seriously right away. Sounds cheesy, but I "knew". I really did.


My boyfriend cries when I kiss him. haha.
I love him so much. I don't care if that's gross to you. You hear me? I DON'T CARE. We've been through a lot, & he is one of my very very best friends & favorite people. We have a million nicknames for each other, we tell each other "I love you" every 5 minutes, & we function happily as the little family unit that we are (with our puppy children). He's my beautiful baby man, & while I was on my little hiatus from blogging, we celebrated our most successful milestone yet...Our one year anniversary :)

He was double coursing at school, going almost 14 hours a day. Our one year falling on May 7, which was a school day, he would get home at almost 9pm so going out to dinner was virtually a no go unless we were counting on McDonald's, which we weren't...I don't think vegans have a lot of choices at McDonald's anyway. I got crafty with some Christmas lights, old drapes, & a makeshift table (not in the pictures), & I came up with this...




A little outdoor restaurant! I made dinner (not worth mentioning...I tried my hand at some makeshift drunken noodles. Christopher liked them, but he was probably being nice) & dessert (a vegan brownie with non dairy ice cream melting on top mmm), & set up candles. I was convinced the drapes might get set on fire because it was so windy, but everything was ok. And it was pretty. I wish I got some better shots of our silly "romantic" outdoor dining experience. You get the idea though.

What else did I neglect to inform you about in May? Aha...Mother's Day! I made a dish previously that I showed my Mom & she loved, so I decided to make her a similar one, in her favorite colors.



I wanted her to actually use it! There are a ton of things she could use it for...

Instead, she wants to keep it on top of the desk in the kitchen, along with all of our other creations. Oh well, it's her present. If she wants to set it next to a shitty lighthouse I made in 8th grade, that's her thing, man. That's her dream, & I won't destroy it. Man I'm tired. haha.


I have 2 other dishes available in my shop right now! You can find them in the housewares section. The little deer was inspired by one of my puppies, Baxter (the brown one). He curls up like a little baby deer sometimes. I love my little ones. Check them out, all cuddlin n shit.



Don't you just want to squeeze them? In a totally cute, non violent way? I know, me too. That's all for tonight, ladies & lads.

Peace & fart grease,
Jenna!

NO MORE HIATUS!

I'm baaack. :) I told you so.

One of the things I missed the most about blogging was creating collages of handmade goods. I love it. I think everyone loves making treasuries, & since I've never actually gotten a chance to, these are my own version of treasuries I guess. My collages will never make the front page, but they are still in good company.

Here is a collection of things found on Etsy that are just too dainty & pretty to resist.



a "Central Park Earrings" by MidoriSola
b "Twig Solitaire" by bmjnyc
c "Crocus Necklace - polished" by shopsomethingblue
d "Little Goddess Headband" by yellowgoat
e "Set of Two Golden Branch Bangles with Smokey Blue Stones" by NYLightMetals
f "Genuine Aspen leaf Dipped in 24K Gold Necklace" by briguysgirls

Don't those just make you want to plan a wedding? Not for yourself because that sounds too stressful. But for someone else? It's fun to plan things for other people. Planning for yourself is way UNfun, because who wants to tell themselves what to do? No one. That's who. Who wants to tell other people what to do? Everyone. That's right. Now I'm going to tell you what to do, but don't worry, it's really very simple. I want you to GET EXCITED. Yep. Get excited, because I have tons of new things planned for my shop! I'm not finished taking pictures, or tweaking the pictures I've already taken for that matter. Once all that crap is done, these beauties will be up in my shop...




Not only new housewares & new jewelry for my shop, but I have 2 new jewelry collections in the works! I don't have a ton of pieces for either yet, but here's a sneak peek...



The Spoil Yourself Collection - Sterling silver, gold, gorgeous stones, & rare finds make up these beautiful, delicate pieces.





The Saved Vintage Collection - One of a kind jewelry creations crafted from salvaged vintage pieces that were broken or missing key elements.




The butterfly necklace is actually a vintage brooch that can also be worn as a pendant!

I hope you ARE excited because after all I TOLD YOU TO BE. What I say goes because I am the boss. Not really. But as long as I am thrilled with the direction my shop is going, then that's all that counts. If the customers are thrilled that should count just as much, if not more!

Alright ladies & ladymen, I hope you enjoyed my return!
Have a tubular Tues, holmes.

Jenna :)

SPRING!

"Damask tote bag with vintage wallpaper" by drawflowers

Are YOU ready for spring? Duh, who isn't? I love spring so much, I LIVE in it. Yep. Spring, Texas. Bitch. Anyone who knows me knows I'm obsessed with Christmas & all of the decorations, but once that's over, I'm ready for warm weather ASAP. The way I see it, Christmas is the ONLY good excuse for cold weather. As a matter of fact, I made these spring themed earrings when it was still pretty chilly outside...


Spring Flowers Earrings, $10. by ME! jennamichelle.etsy.com

I had previously named them "Spring is early" which now sounds pretty dumb to me, so I changed the name right before this post. haha.

Onto more spring themed pretties for your eyeballs to stare at & your wallets to give up pennies for...



a "Handmade Wallpaper GiftBox" by sweetina
b "Pretty Bird Luxe Vintage Gift Tags" by LemonTreeStudio
c "The Collection II - 8x10 inches Fine Art Photograph" by pixieblossoms
d "Fruity, floral plate" by CabbagesandQueens
e "Chelsea Flowers Notecard SET of 6" by Nest Pretty Things
f "Bouquet Light Shade" by nice



g "LOVE SWEET LOVE Custom Color Papel Picado (Mexican cut-paper banners)" by aymujer
h "Fabric Chicks" by Middleburg
i "Flirty Flower Destash" by RockItSupplies
j "White Summer dress" by rubypearl
k "Fushia Forget Me Not Flowers" by jocankit1
l "Large Spun Cotton Green Mushrooms" by caramelos
m "Mint Forget Me Not Flowers" by caramelos
n "Cutest Norah - In yellow eyelet baby booties" by AureliaandAnnalise
o "Gilded cage necklace" by mylavaliere

I haven't add a dash of silly to my posts in a while. I've found a few things that I love that make me giggle. I am quite the giggler. Quite.


"I Like Those Pajamas On You" by tuffindustries
I love when old school clip art is used to become something new, sick, & funny. I don't think they could've picked a better quote for this dude. Perfect sillyness.



"Pervert Teacup" by trixiedelicious
AHH! I need this so very badly. It would be so amazing to see the looks I would get while sipping away out of this lovely cup at a local bistro. People would stare and wonder, "What's so perverted about that girl? She seems fairly normal...oh. Oh, dear God. There it is. Look at her shirt...What does that say? Something about charging for a ride on a mustache? Oh, heavens, no...That can't be good." Yes, yes it can.



"The 16 Nicest Ways to Give Someone the Bird" by NeatThings
I think what's more amazing than this being a clever pun of a card set is the fact that upon handing one of these fine feathered friends to a random stranger, an arch nemesis, an awful second cousin that looks as terrible as they smell, or even your stupid boss, you'd most likely get one of these responses...
"What just happened?"
"I don't like birds."
"Who are you?"
"BIRDZ!!! LOVE EMMMMMM!"
They most likely wouldn't get it. And that is genius.


You're welcome,
Jenna :)

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?!?!

I have been MIA and I apologize. AGAIN. My boyfriend has actually been home the last 3 weeks (he is usually at school for almost 14 hours a day!!!), and we have been enjoying our time together. Our puppy has been enjoying it also. I have to get a big girl job of some sort, and our poor pup has been spoiled with so much time with his mom, and he hates being alone now. We are probably getting him a friend (another wiener dog) tomorrow morning! FINGERS CROSSED THEY GET ALONG & LOVE EACH OTHER OR IT'S A NO GO! We got a beautiful little baby! I'm so excited to show you my new family...


The journey of Baxter & Layla's friendship.


This is Baxter, aka Poopers, Pupperton, Puppertonino, Pooter, BRD (Brown Red Dapple), when he was a happy little gentleman. He was my only baby.


...but Poopers was sad; he wanted a friend!


So we took a trip to the animal shelter, and adopted a beautiful 5 month old girl named Palin.


Baxter wasn't really havin this. Maybe he hated her name. So we changed it to Bella, and then after I randomly sang an Eric Clapton song out loud, she became LAYLA!


They began exploring and playing (videos coming soon), & soon Poopers was attached...


DOG FASHION. R U D E. Rude. Don't worry; they're both fixed & he doesn't know what the hell he's doing. Air humper.


They play so much that they sleep a LOT. It's pretty cute.




POOPERS + LITTLE ONE = THE BEST OF FRIENDS.

Ahh, I love her already! They really are adorable. I kind of miss Poopers being my only baby, but I will get used to this pretty quickly & so will he.

Besides enjoying the weekdays together, we have been doing fun stuff on the weekends too. Fun stuff used to consist of getting wasted face & blacking out. It now consists of doing "boring" grown up things, like getting library cards, going grocery shopping together, taking our dog for a walk, etc. I actually love doing these things now. I bet a year ago I wouldn't have thought I would be saying something like that now.

A couple of weekends ago, my wonderful boyfriend Christopher, Baxter (the awesome sausage dog), & I went to The Mercer Arboretum & checked out nature. I never used to do things like this, & I am really starting to love Spring, TX the more we explore it. Our neighborhood is absolutely adorable, & there is a little "beach" behind it! I will have to take some pictures of it, but I'm obviously a procrastinator, so who knows when this will happen? So anyway, nature is awesome, & I have some pictures of it...





There is also another new thing in our lives, something that I am getting some really weird reactions about...We are newly vegan, as of about February 21 or 22. I'm still getting the hang of this. At first, it was about being healthy (my body doesn't love dairy that much anyway), & finally being on some kind of diet AT THE SAME TIME as my boyfriend! I used to not want to watch videos on the conditions that the animals live & die in, because I loved hot dogs & chicken too much. I realized choosing to be ignorant was pretty selfish. I wouldn't want to lecture anyone though. Choosing to learn about all of this made me cry & cry. I just thought of someone hurting my own dog in that manner. It honestly was enough. Moving along...


Sooo the other weekend I made these cookies (I got the recipe out of some book from Borders that I can't remember the name of!) & they were pretty good, but the dough was AWESOME. We couldn't stop eating it! Plus there aren't any eggs in it, so I can eat it all I want...MOM! She always told me not to eat cookie dough cause I'd get worms...?


There you go! *In case you are saving the picture to print, there are TWO images there.*


I went to San Antonio last weekend to see my friend Athena's baby girl. So so cute & perfect. Her name is Riley Ann & she looks just like a tiny version of her Mommy!

She's the intellectual type. Always thinking.

Here are some other happenings as of late...

I made these necklaces for this girl Andrea's bridesmaids. NINE bridesmaids! I don't think I even have 9 girl friends anymore. Shit. She was really sweet so I made her a custom necklace as a surprise! :)

Here are 4 bridesmaids necklaces for another bride, Carrie. She was super sweet as well and also got a necklace from me as a gift! I really like the way the packaging came out...




Here's a housewares project I'm almost completely finished with for my shop. I love these branches.

Little flowers yeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Ok, so I was on a brief hiatus, yes. I have bribed you with puppies, babies, flowers, & cookies. FORGIVE ME? Yay. Thanks. :)

Happy Tuesday Errrrbody.
Jenna :)