they say...

they say necessity is the mother of invention.
(right? isn't that what they say?)
for a while now i've been trying to figure out how to organize my necklaces. not my allora necklaces (that's another post altogether) but my OTHER necklaces. you might be surprised to know that when i don't have roses hanging from my neck, i wear a pretty simple jewelry. (though that's usually because i have roses on my ears, in my hair, or on my wrist!)
anyhow, where was i? oh, yes...
while i was cleaning my house last week (which had been SORELY neglected in the madness that was november and early december), i decided it was time to figure something out. i thought i wanted to put a frame on the wall and pin each necklace up a la lindsey (isn't it soo pretty?!) but when i found out the wall i wanted to use was solid cement, it opted out of some serious labor (meaning tools involved) and holes in the wall.
and then, it came to me.
we've had this "tree" hanging in the corner of our room for awhile- and suddenly it looked like a perfect jewelry rack to me.
so, i started hanging

this beauty is from local artists tom design

a lot of my silver comes from sweet lisa

 and i love the way it turned out:

the branch is from a dead tree at our last house and it is suspended by some hooks in the ceiling. adds a little whimsy to an otherwise REALLY boring bedroom. (we've lived here a year, and i still haven't decorated the bedroom!) and now, it's totally functional! love that.

how do YOU display/organize your necklaces?

wish list wednesdays: introducing Kyla from Funky Polka Dot Giraffe

Holla!
I'm Kyla (aka mormishmom) from Funky PolkaDot Giraffe
and I so freakin' excited to be here today.

Jess said that we should dust off our glamour shot
and include it with our post.
So here I am :)My husband said to me the other day - You really have a LONG wish list.
I was slightly offended.
No, I don't - I retorted.
And then I sat down to figure out what I wanted to share with you
and I realized he's right.
(Shhhh . . . . don't tell him.)
But I'm sharing them all with you anyway,
because they are just that AWESOME!

So, let's get this PAR-TAY started!

1. Perfectly Golden Heirloom Necklace by Amy Cornwell
Love anything by Amy, but this necklace is so unique.
I can put my anniversary and kids' birthdates and it would be RAD.
2. Whimsical Primitive Glittery Christmas Village by Craft Junkie 28
Have you seen her shop? DARLING! This Christmas village
is just too precious.
3. Personalized Silver Stacking Rings by Cinnamon*Sticks
Love me silver jewelry - and these rings are fabulous.
4. Lily Apron Top by Sew Cute Shop
I love that it's an apron and a top!
5. The UNmanual by Mom*tog
I read her blog religiously and she has mad skills,
maybe it would rub off on me?
6. Kelsey. Simple leaf dangles. by Lemon Kissed
I am obsessed with Shauna and all her dangly earrings!
7. ATAT Walker Family Car Vinyl Decals by Short Sleeve Alliance
I had a cute little family on the back of my Neon, but we upgraded
to a Caravan this summer and I think these would be so much cooler.
8. Rose in Teal by Jo Totes
It's just delicious. That is all.
9. The Silhouette Machine
Who doesn't have this on their wish list? ::sigh::
10. The Necklace by Julie of Joy's Hope
These are like unicorns - rare, elusive and beautiful. Maybe one will pop
up in her shop one day.
11. Petal Pusher by The Pleated Poppy
I take one in any color . . . in fact I'll take one in each color!
12. Drama Queen Ribbon Bracelet Trio by Twillypop
Beautifulness!!!!

13. Modern Pearl Rosette Statement Necklace by Allora Handmade
Again, I'll take one in every color :)
14. Kate Pleated Shoulder Bag by RKEMdesigns
I have a sick bag obsession . . . and this one would fit
right in with my collection.
15. Lavender Daydreams Ruffled dSLR Camera Strap Cover by Eclectic Whatnot
Talk about obsession . . . sorry Ruthanne . . . it's true . . . I'll try
to stop stalking you . . . but only kinda :)

give.serve.love. {giveaway closed}

i LOVE this time of year.
aside from the jingle bells, christmas trees, and twinkling lights, i LOVE seeing so many people willing to give of their hearts, their time, and their talents and come together to celebrate the greatest Gift of Love that was ever given.
i do not even pretend to do anything great. but, i am lucky to know people who do.
a few friends of mine have some awesome things up their sleeves, and i am eager to help in any way i can.
1) have you heard of project 320?
awesome girls leading seriously awesome lives and making a difference for so many people.
want to do something cool this year? why not help make water possible for a village?
2) have you met cliff?
jeannett has taken on a huge goal to help this little boy go home for christmas.
i can't stand the thought of an orphanage during christmas time. (well, any time of year, really. but you know what i mean.) uggh.
do you want to help?
i know you do. i do!
first off, i know. times are tough. most of us have a little less than we are used to this year. the budget is tight. i get it. (believe you me, I GET IT.) but, will you trust me when i promise you that when you give you will receive? never fails. promise. pinky swear.
second, can i sweeten the pot a little bit? other than the great feeling you will have knowing you are serving and embracing the true christmas spirit, i am throwing in the opportunity to win this:

i know the picture isn't fabulous, but work with me here.

for every $10 you donate to charity water or every $10 you donate to cliff, you will be entered to win this pile of yummy rosieness (not a word, i know.)

what's in it, you say? oh, just 2 three musketeers headbands (in bubblegum pink and eggplant), 3 pairs of rosy earrings (in light yellow, turquoise, and gray) and one rosette statement bracelet (in blush pink).
if my calculations are correct (and they are), that is $89 worth of Allora Handmade! AND, it is all ready to ship and *should* get to you in time for christmas if you are generous enough to give away some of your giveaway. (crazy)
wooooo hoooo!
so, here's what you do: hop on over to donate and come back here to comment once (including your email address) for each $10 you donate to either cliff or project 320. i will announce a winner on friday morning, and the goodies will be sent out first thing on saturday!
ready, set, go! and go!
and thank you.
really.

Merry Christmas to me! Merry Christmas to you!

all of your orders spent the night under my tree last night ;)

by now, my mom is on a plane headed back to the sunshine.
we miss her already.
the boys woke up asking for her, and they probably will for the next 11 days until we make our way down to san diego for christmas.
thanks to her, i spent the last 48 hours working, working, working like i've never worked before to get it all done. and i am so happy to announce that ALL of my orders are finished and ready to ship!! 6 days early!!
i can't even tell you how excited i am! {thank you, thank you, thank you mom!!!}
i have lists and lists of things to do before we leave, including pull off a christmas program tonight for the women at my church, but #1 on that list is spend some much needed mommy and me time with my boys. they are so patient with me and my crazy work schedule, and i am just so excited to play with them without worrying about whose order needs to be shipped.
so, merry christmas to you - your packages are on their merry little way!
and merry christmas to me - i get a whole extra week to hang out with the cutest little kids on the planet! (not biased at all.)

wish list wednesdays: introducing Jacky from The Sweetest Petunia

Hello! It's Jacky from The Sweetest Petunia, and I'm so excited to be here today. :)

It seems like lovely things are always catching my eye.

I had a terrible time paring down my favorites to my absolute favorites!

But here they are, the top 5 pretties on my wishlist right now...

{1} You're the Cream in my Coffee necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs

This necklace has been at the top of my list for quite awhile now - I'd choose the skinny tag with "happy" stamped on it.

{2} Westbury Self Inking Custom Stamp from NoteTrunk

Love this! I just can't decide if I'd personalize it with my address or my shop info...

{3} Mr. Darcy Proposal Mug from Brookish

Yes, I adore Austen & Mr. Darcy. This mug would be perfect for my morning coffee!

{4} Black Plum Lip Balm from Flourish

Doesn't this look yummy?!

{5} Jane Austen Silhouette top from DearLillie

I think I almost died when I saw this. And then I told my sweetheart all about it & sent him the link...

because I'd really love to make it mine!

What loveliness have you added to your wishlist lately?

Thanks so much for having me, Jessica.

Happy Wednesday!

today is a good day.

first, thanks for all of your sweet comments about my mountain of rosies!
last night it felt really good to step back and revel in the moment. i will feel even more accomplished when these packages are out the door! {soon, soon!}
today is a good day.
my mom flew in last night after hearing the panicked sound in my voice at the end of last week.
she's so good to me. and my kids.
so, she is entertaining those boys to pieces and spoiling them rotten for the next 2 days while i work round the clock to *hopefully* get orders out even before my december 15th deadline. wouldn't that be swell? {fingers crossed!} i'm feeling much better now that she is here to help.
another reason today is a good day?
late last night i got these sweet pics in my inbox from brooke of brooke ashley photography (she's amaaaazing... go check her out!):

i die!
brooke is one of my best customers and it made me so happy when she told me she and her sweet daughter, ava can both wear three musketeers headbands! isn't that awesome? so when she asked if i've ever made earrings for little ones, i had to give it a try. i love how they turned out!
so, coming in january... petite rosy earrings - for you (if you like things a little more understated) or for your little ones. sooo cute! thanks brooke and ava!
and that won't be the only thing coming in january - i've been making a list and checking it twice (tee hee) with all of your suggestions for new products! and i'm excited! keep 'em coming!
(lots of exclamations!!!! sorry!!!)

wow.

do you ever take a step back from something you've worked on so hard and just soak it all in?
i don't usually have time to.
and, i am usually much more likely to be overly self-critical than to take a second to congratulate myself for my accomplishments.
but, i have to admit - tonight, this was pretty amazing to step back from:

yeah. i did that.
cool.

question for you...

if there was one product you would like to see from allora handmade in 2011 what would it be?

comment, comment, comment away my pretties....

can i unload my brain for a minute?

happy friday friends.

right now i am:

• typing with bandaids on 5 of my 10 fingers. serious.
• realizing that this one-woman-rosette-factory deal is hazardous to your (and by "your" i mean "my") health.
• happy to give my little fingers a quick break 
• super grateful for the friends that live inside my computer
• fa-reaking out a bit trying to figure out how to get it all done before my december 15th deadline.
• overwhelmed by the fact that I just had my best month EVER.
• eating triscuits and cheese for breakfast (no, i'm not pregnant.)
• wanting desperately to get it all done so i can focus on the REASON for the season.
• pretty stoked to have finally wrapped up all the loose ends for the queen bee market.
• excited and stressed all in one that we have another show scheduled and booked for may.
• still in my pajamas
• praying for guidance to do what is best for me and my family
• anxiously anticipating a night out with the hubby tonight (even though going to a church dinner isn't exactly a hot date - i'll take what i can get.)
• terribly humbled by your love, support, orders, etc.
• excited by the possibilities that lie within the new year
• counting down the days (17!) to get out of the snow and home to the sunshine with the whole fam
• thinking about Mary and her response: "Be it unto me according to thy word..."
• brainstorming new product ideas for january
• wondering what new allora products you are dying to see
• offering free advertising for december on my sidebar. see?------->
• (email me if you want in on it)
• hoping you have a great weekend
• ready to announce the Scotch (R) Tape giveaway winners!

Drumroll pleeeease!

The lucky winners:

Dixon family (jennysrushton@hotmail.com)
Megan (meganleigh123@gmail.com)
Melissa (chocoholic@socal.rr.com)
ArmyHearts (createdbykatyann@yahoo.com)
Savanna O'Gwynn (sbmmhoover@yahoo.com)
Denise (deniseb777@gmail.com)
Ann (ann.swindell@gmail.com)
jeannetg (jeannett.gibson@gmail.com)
Nichelle (nichelle.l.allen@aggiemail.usu.edu)
Alison (aclittle28@gmail.com)

I will contact you shortly for your info!
Thanks for playing!

wish list wednesdays: introducing Julia from J-Jewels Designs

Hello to all you Allora Handmade Lovers (myself included!)

My name is Julia I am the creator of J-Jewels Designs a Hand-stamped Jewelry company.

I am thrilled that Jess asked me to guest post my Wish List for all of you!

So fun to see what everyone wishes for and get some of my own ideas too!!

Here I go but this is just a sampling because I could go on and on....

1. Boots - Zappos.com

2. Fairies- Kelly Rae Roberts

3. Organizing Classes- Simplify 101

4. Shirt- Down East Basics

5. Cute Hat- Kanokwalee's Shop (Etsy)

6. Purse- Down East Basics (OK I guess Ijust really like everything here!)

7. Personal Mug- Mypolkadotpottery (For Coffee Lovers, Like me!)

8. Great book for list makers like me!- Amazon

9. This is a no brainer!!! (I want them in teal, hint. hint....)