HAPPY CYBER MONDAY!
10% off on jewelry at my etsy site~ crdesigngallery.etsy.com
use code: CYBER10 when checking out.

Enjoy your online shopping day:) I know I will~xo

Day Trip

Guilded Junkyard booth pics



Last weekend my friend Jeannie and I went on a fun trip to Morris, IL to the 3 French Hens Holiday Boutique. We had a good hour or so drive to Morris, but the time passed quick as we chatted and laughed the whole way there. Jeannie and I have only known each other for about a year and she is one of those people that come into your life that you feel like you have known forever. I feel, we are twin sisters from a different mother. We met at a flea market (imagine that) of all places and both design jewelry and share a love of vintage and we are both dealing with teenagers. So that being said, we had a lot to talk about.

We arrived in Morris and spent some time shopping in some great boutiques in town...
"Whimsy" which had a great window decor and even better when you got inside! http://www.whimsydecor.blogspot.com
& "Ruby Begonia's" beautiful clothes and other fun things http://www.rubybegoniastrinkets.blogspot.com

Then off to the 3 French Hen's Holiday boutique where we saw many great vendors including one of our favorite vendors and bloggers Jeanine of "Chippy Shabby" http://www.chippyshabby.blogspot.com
photo op~


We ended up back at Jeannie's beautiful home. This girl has a home and studio to die for. So much fun exploring and digging through beads and vintage jewelry in her studio. If you live in the area and get a chance to go to Woodstock and see her & partners Lisa & Laurie's booth in the antique mall in town, do! Check out their blog at http://thegildedjunqueyard.blogspot.com

The picture on the top of this post is from their booth as well as the refinished headboard with the angel, unfortunately most of my pictures did not turn out or I would of had a lot more:(

And for you Vintage Lovers, new belt listed on my etsy site~xo

My Buckles & Giveaway Winner!

O.K., here it is, drumroll please, LOL...I am starting to make belt buckles. For a lot of women the obsession is shoes, for me, it is belts & fabulous buckles! I love to dress up a simple jean and tee outfit with a great belt and a little jewelry of course! So I have been experimenting with ideas of how to create a buckle using similiar design to my jewelry and here is what I have come up with so far. I am in the process of getting some belt straps and creating a new website on etsy just for my buckles. I am really excited to move into this arena, because I love the look of a great belt, did I say that already? My goal is to have it up by the end of the month for some Holiday orders. Any great ideas of images or sayings that would make your heart go pitter patter I would love to hear:)

And now...the winner of the earrings is #4...Effy! Send me your info. Miss Effy so I can get these out to you for Thanksgiving!



Happy Turkey Day all! This is one day I try not to wear a belt, no matter how fabulous, if you know what I mean?!

Fun with Photoshop

O.K. I admit, had to get a new post up a.s.a.p. the picture of me in the cat suit had to get off the top of the blog!


I have found a new pastime (like I need one), playing in photoshop. A very hard program for me, that I kind of knew years back, when I worked at the college doing graphics. I have started playing in it again and applying my love of collage with some of my jewelry pictures and really like the effect. It could take me hours to do jewelry listings on the website if I use these techniques for everything, at least until I get better at remembering all the steps.

I took some photos of my setup in my piano room at home that I leave up all the time for the occasional shopper that wants to drop on by the house. I bought a cabinet at a flea market a year ago and it makes a great display case.




This was one of my favorite pictures that I did, even though the bracelets are a little blurred.


I will be debuting my newest product in the next few weeks, I am very excited about this one!

P.S...Don't forget to enter the giveaway in the previous post for my earrings:) If you do not have a song to leave, it's o.k.!

Halloween & Fall Giveaway!

Halloween is here...We were invited to a halloween costume party and well, it just gets harder and harder to be creative with a costume idea. Being that I am in the last year of my 40's I decided that it would be fun to go as a Cougar. I tried to capture the essence of the animal along with the oh so sophisticated, sexy, on the prowl for the young men qualities of the female human cougar. I think in the end I just ended up looking like me dressed in an animal print dress with cat ears on my head and a tail. Oh well, I felt like I stepped outside of the usual jeans & tee so un-cougar like me. McDreamy went as a punk rocker from the 80's. We ran out and got him a Punk band Tee and had a good time trying to spike up his hair in a Fohawk! We did have a mighty good time!

Now that October has come to an end and most of the leaves have blown off the trees with the strong midwestern winds... I think it is the perfect time to do a giveaway.

I would love to send my favorite new earrings with warm autumn colors to someone for a Thanksgiving Gift.

The winter months are coming and I know I would love some new inspiration in my studio, please leave a comment with the name of your favorite album or song so that we can all find some new music to listen too during the cold winter months. In exchange consider yourself entered in the drawing for the earrings. I will draw a random winner on November 15th and post that person on my blog that week.

This is a song that I have been listening to lately, Baby Girl has been learning it on her guitar, we love it {pause music on the sidebar and have a listen}...

	Paramore - The Only Exception .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves
with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed,
are as crisp as autumn air."
- Eric Sloane

Welcome November