holiday giveaway!

>> Saturday, December 10, 2011


i have noticed that there has been some traffic to my blog to my past knotted up ring giveaways.  and i realized that i haven't hosted one in some time.  plus, it's the holidays and i am sure that you all have been super busy maxing out your visa cards buying presents for your mile-long list (as i have)!  so i figured, i'd have a giveaway so that one of you can be the recipient of a gift from ME!

up for grabs is a knotted up ring - in your choice of sterling, rose gold filled, or 14K gold filled!

so here is what you need to do:
- become a "follower" of my blog (if you are already, that's fantastic - you're already ahead of the game) and leave me a message here saying that you are following!)
- you NEED to "like" my facebook page.  yeah, it's not the best page, but i'm working on it.  it's HERE.
- for extra entries, you can go to my shop and tell me what you like the best, "friend" me on facebook, add me to your circle on etsy, and follow me on twitter (i'm @muffintop5). 

PLEASE leave a separate message for each entry - i'm using random.org to choose a winner, so make it count!

make sure you leave details (a link to your blog, an email address, etc.) so i can find you! go enter! now! i'll be picking a winner on New Year's Eve, 2011!!!!

happy holidays, everyone!!!!!! xxoxooxox

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the sweater song.



yearning. pining. long distance love. and a sweater. so in love with this hedley song - and these lovely sweater related offerings from etsy.

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haven't had enough.

>> Thursday, December 8, 2011



so the mini and i have departed slightly from our usual repetoire of disney junior and treehouse shows, and now, every night, we are enjoying the muchmoremusic top 10. which has introduced me to the latest musical "crack" from canada's very own marianas trench. the lyrics are kind of yearning, hasn't everyone wanted to start something over and redo at some point in their life? (me, probably 1000 times) the lead singer has a wide-eyed, semi-pee wee herman appeal to him, which makes the song a little more endearing.

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hello, etsy front page!



of COURSE i missed being on the front page yesterday!!! thank you, usedandabused, for including me - and for being front page worthy! dude, you ROCK!

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beautiful.

>> Wednesday, December 7, 2011



i swear that the canadian band 'hedley' secretly have country boy hearts underneath their punk attire and tattoos. nothing nicer than men who appreciate the women in their lives.

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1888.

>> Tuesday, December 6, 2011



not only one of the creepiest years in history - jack the ripper, much? - but also the number of sales i reached today! thank you etsy! and thank you to all of you who wear my designs!

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a lesson in copper.

>> Sunday, December 4, 2011

now this is not me blowing off steam or me not being able to accept criticism, but i felt that it would be a good time to do some education around copper jewelry.  a customer sent me a prickly email about a set of copper and sterling rings that she had purchased from me, stating that the materials i use must not be pure copper or sterling silver because they had turned her ring finger green.  i'll admit that my anger flared up a little for a hot moment - mostly because of the insinuation that my materials aren't pure.  but then i realized that not everyone has the background that i have in regards to metal, so i figured i'd post some information here in the hopes that it will help someone else - because i want the people who wear my jewelry to love it.

there are mystical healing properties associated with copper.  not only is it one of the oldest metals known to man, but it also is an essential nutrient to all living things (and conversely, in large quantities, can be poisonous).  copper has a high electrical and thermal conductivity, surpassed only by silver, which is why copper is used in wiring and piping.  this property of conductivity is also attributed to spiritual energies and thoughts, as well as to helping to align and cure physical and emotional ailments.  pretty awesome, if you ask me.  the fact that copper has a gorgeous sheen and can oxidize to a fantastic multi-coloured patina adds to the beauty of it.

so why does copper sometimes turn skin green?  it's all about the body, baby.  the green stains that may be left on your skin after wearing copper jewelry are formed as your body absorbs the copper.  the chemical makeup of some people's sweat (in this case, the acidity) will react with the metal, which is why some people react and some people don't.  healers who wear copper state that the green tinge is a sign that the metal is "working", and that the colour also can indicate a body that is deficient in copper.  a body that is severely deficient in copper can also respond to the minute levels of copper in 14K gold.  related news - if you have a nickel allergy (and none of my metals contain nickel) you won't get a green stain on your finger, but will have redness at the point of contact with the metal, accompanied by itching and a burning sensation. 

i use certified sterling silver (92.5% pure silver, 7.5% copper) and pure copper (100% copper - duh) in addition to brass (an alloy of copper and zinc - we'll go into that another day), 14K gold filled and rose gold filled wire.  however, people's sensitivities all depend on their chemical makeup, and unfortunately, there are no sure fire ways to guarantee that one won't react to any metal - unless you stop yourself from sweating (yeah, right - seriously, how would you do that?) or don't wear any sort of jewelry at all.  you can coat the inside of your rings with clear nail polish to create a barrier between your skin and the copper, which most people find helpful.  it does need to be reapplied once in a while, but apparently does the trick.  you should also keep your jewelry away from chlorine, salt water, soap, lotions, and hot tubs (right, L?) and clean them often to keep their shine. 

having this response to copper is not unusual, just unsightly.  and of course it seems to affect the people who hate it the most.  it's not just a matter of avoiding "cheap" jewelry, because for some people, even the trace amounts of copper in gold or pure silver can cause a reaction.  i take great pride in the work that i do and i would hate to have someone be unhappy with a piece that they purchased from me.  however, that being said, nature sometimes finds a way to sabotage even the most beautiful fashion choices.

(thanks to metaphysicaldirectory.org, shimmerlings.com and about.com)

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