live. love. sparkle.

October winner and November 'pick-your-prize' giveaway

We have a winner, ladies and gents (... yes, I think there are one or two), and she is:

Kathy Pruner, of Yardley, Pennsylvania

I actually met Kathy at the Yardley Harvest Day at the end of September. How fun! She signed up for my mailing list at the booth and just two weeks later won the giveaway. Her prize is any item in the shop up to $25, or a $25 gift certificate to put towards a higher-priced item. She is now busy poring through all the bling to decide what she wants.

I've been thinking that I sort of like the idea of letting people pick their own prize instead of pre-selecting something each month. What do you guys think? If you won, would you prefer to pick out your own prize, or would you rather leave it up to fate (meaning me)? I think I know the answer, but go ahead and share your opinion anyway. By the way, $25 is enough for most of the earrings, as well as soul charms, inspiration bracelets, bookmarks, and cellphone charms, so there are lots of goodies to choose from.

I'm going to continue the 'pick-your-prize' giveaway for November at least. Who knows? Maybe the winner will want a pair of these beautiful new Sundance earrings that are now available in the shop. They're made with sterling silver filigree teardrops that I fell in love with at the Philadelphia BeadFest in August. They're available in red and black, and other colors by request, for just $24.

So, everyone who's on my mailing list as of 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Sat., Nov. 1, will be eligible to win. If you're not already on my mailing list, simply go here to join and invite your friends to join too. If you win, you'll have one week to claim your prize and confirm (or provide) your address. Just be sure to add maria at believestreet dot com to your list of approved senders so my email can get through.

In other news, I've been very busy lately with weekend craft shows, a bridal project that just wrapped up, the usual array of corporate trunk shows during the week, and online orders. However, this was my last weekend without a craft show from now until mid-December, so I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the weather was just outstanding! From here on out, though, it's a marathon ... complete with all-nighters, blisters, hitting the wall (usually around Thanksgiving), and the beader's high as I approach the finish line ... I love it!

So here's where I'll be. Come on out and visit me in Wayne or Essex Fells the next few weeks. Or, come to the Walk for Lupus Now event this Sunday, Oct. 19, in Cranford and get some exercise while raising money for a worthy case. I'll be selling my jewelry there and donating a percentage of sales to the NJ Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America.

Bring cookies! :-)

Better late than never! :-) September winner and October giveaway

Eek, where did September go?! I'm not ready for it to be over soon. The weather's been just glorious here, and I want it to go on forever (sigh).

I have a winner to announce and a new giveaway. The winner of the September giveaway -- a pair of 'Brown Sugar' earrings -- was:

    Phyllis Simpson, of Oakland, California

Phyllis was thrilled to hear she had won, received her earrings a couple of weeks ago (I did at least send them out right away!), and hopefully has already had a chance to wear them.

So, the October giveaway is only nine days away now, on October 1! And, I've decided that for this giveaway, the winner will get to choose any item in the shop worth up to $25. That includes most of the earrings (such as the 'African Violet' pair here), as well as soul charms, inspiration bracelets, bookmarks, and cellphone charms. Or, they can apply $25 toward the purchase of a higher-priced item.

Oooh, I can't wait to see who the winner is and what they pick.

Everyone who's on my mailing list as of 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Wed, Oct. 1, will be eligible to win. If you're not already on my mailing list, simply go here to join, and invite your friends to join too.

If you win, you'll have one week to claim your prize and confirm your address. Just be sure to add maria at believestreet dot com to your list of approved senders so my email can get through.

Finally, if you're in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, come see me this Saturday (Sept. 27) at the Harvest Day Festival in Yardley, PA, or next weekend (Oct. 4 & 5) at the Colts Neck Art & Craft Festival in Colts Neck, NJ. For more details on these events and the rest of my schedule, go here.

Happy Fall!

(UPDATED) Giveaway winner(s), new giveaway, website update, PLUS free shipping in August! (in other words, four blog posts in one)

I have lots of cool stuff to tell you about, so here we go ...

(UPDATE: The second winner has been confirmed) The two winners of last month's giveaway have been chosen:

        Erica Greca, of Deltona, Florida
        Millie John, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Congratulations, Millie and Erica!

The next giveaway is all set to go! I have decided to make one small change, however. I'll be choosing the winner on the first day of the month instead of the last day, so the next winner will be chosen Sept. 1 for the September Giveaway. This way the timing and prize are more in synch. Don't know why I didn't think of this before.

Anyway, the new prize will be these 'Brown Sugar' earrings in beautiful tones of brown, just in time to welcome fall. They're made with Swarovski crystal, Czech glass, and freshwater pearls.

Everyone who's on my mailing list as of 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Monday, Sept. 1 (yup, that's Labor Day here in the U.S.!), will be eligible to win. If you're not already on my mailing list, simply go here to join, and invite your friends to join too.

If you win, you'll have one week to claim your prize and confirm your address. Just be sure to add maria at believestreet dot com to your list of approved senders so my email can get through.

The third bit of good news I have is that I just updated the main sections of the shop -- silver necklaces, bracelets, and earrings -- so there are lots of pretty new things to see and purchase, including these fun 'By the Sea' earrings, and the very popular 'Inspiration' bracelets that were featured in the April giveaway. I finally added them to the shop so they can be purchased online now. They make the perfect little gift, so they've been selling like hotcakes at my craft shows and corporate trunk shows. Plus, they're a great deal: 1 for only $7, 3 for $19, or 5 for $29 ... so pick some up now for the special people on your holiday list -- including friends, co-workers, babysitters, and beauticians -- before the price goes up in September!

The last and best bit of news I have is that I'm offering FREE FIRST-CLASS SHIPPING during the entire month of August. Just enter coupon code SHIPFREE at checkout and you'll pay $0.00 for delivery. Woohoo!!! That's more money for gas ... or for one of those new Starbucks Vivanno drinks (try the chocolate banana ... it's deeee-lish).

So head on over to the shop to check out all the new bling, and take advantage of the free shipping this month to get a jump on your holiday shopping.

Go on! Go!

May winner and July giveaway (x2)

Happy summer everyone! I hope you're doing lots of lazy lounging and summer reading by the pool or at the beach ... preferably with a huge bowl of fresh cherries within reach. I, for one, am ecstatic that cherry season is here again, short though it is. I could positively OD on those babies.

Hey, I know someone who will probably enjoy her summer reading a little more now ... now that she's the winner of the May giveaway for a beaded bookmark, that is:

Janice Stenmark, of Madison, Mississippi

Congratulations, Janice! I hope your new bookmark comes in handy.

So, here it is mid-July already, and nary a giveaway has there been for nearly two months! This won't do. So, we will remedy that right away by choosing not one -- but two -- winners this month. Continuing with the summer theme, each winner selected at random will receive a beachy 'soul charm' which can be worn on the belt-loop of jeans or shorts, hung from your purse strap, or better yet, dangled from your beach bag.

The charm features lots of pretty blue beads and crystals, as well as three silver-plated pewter charms: a shell, a starfish, and a cute seahorse. It's so beachy, it makes me want to stop typing right now and drive 'down the shore' with the top down ( ... since I am in Joisey, after all).

I'll restrain myself ... at least for today because I have lots of work to do ... and I don't actually have a convertible ... but I do love the beach. In fact, having spent the first eight years of my life on the northern coast of Spain, some of my favorite childhood memories are of taking the train to the beach with my family and meeting up with my cousins for hours of frolicking in the sand and surf. This was followed by a hearty meal 'al fresco' and a good siesta while the adults played cards. Life sure was carefree in those days, and it's nice to recapture that feeling, even if it's only by dangling some sparkly charms from my purse and remembering my younger self emerging from the waves with wet braids flying in the air.

So, here's the deal, as always. To be entered in the drawing, you need be on my mailing list, which you can join by going here. If you're already on it, you don't need to do anything else, except perhaps tell all your friends to sign up. It's good karma.

Everyone who's on my mailing list as of 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, July 31, will be eligible to win.

If your name is selected, I will email you right away, and you will have one week to claim your prize and confirm (or provide) your mailing address so I can send your prize. If your spam filter has been known to chew up email from 'strangers,' please add maria at believestreet dot com to your list of approved senders ... otherwise, you may miss out. If a winner doesn't respond in the allotted time, a new winner is selected at random and notified via email.

So there you have it. Two chances to win this month. I'll raise a cherry to that.

I hope one of the winners is you!

April winner and May giveaway

(drumroll, please ...)

The winner of the colorful crystal 'Inspiration' bracelets is ...

Jessica Albon, of Mocksville, North Carolina

Congratulations, Jessica! They're on their way.

And, there's another giveaway all set to go for May ...

Summer is fast approaching, and that means summer reading, of course ... at the beach, by the pool, or, my favorite: in a hammock under a couple of shady trees (... followed by a nap, preferably).

So, for May I've decided to give away a rainbow beaded bookmark. That way, you won't lose your place in that steamy romance or suspenseful thriller. I currently have five books I'm juggling, although all are either non-fiction, bio, or business. Hmmm ... maybe it's time to lighten up a little and try some Jodi Picoult or Nora Roberts, whaddya think? Let me know if you have any good recommendations.

This month, we're going back to a random drawing of everyone on my mailing list, so if you haven't joined already, all you have to do go here to sign up. Anyone who's in my database as of 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Saturday, May 31, will have a chance to win.

If your name is selected, I will email you right away, and you will have one week to claim your prize and confirm (or provide) your mailing address so I can send your prize. If you have an eager spam filter, you may want to add maria at believestreet dot com to your list of approved senders ... otherwise, you may miss out. It's happened already, sorry to say, so don't let it happen to you. In that instance, a new winner is selected at random and notified via email, so the prize is still awarded, just a little later than usual.

So, get your summer reading stack ready. You may be the next winner!

A little something different for the April giveaway :-)

So, time for another monthly earring giveaway, right? Ah, not so fast. This time I've decided to shake things up a little. Sneaky, aren't I?

Spring is starting to pop up all over the place here, and one of my favorite things about spring is all the beautiful, vibrant COLOR that appears after months and months of dreary brown and gray ( ... nothing against brown and gray ... they're perfectly good colors, and I'm sure they feel underappreciated ... but they've had their day and now it's time to make way for the rest of the color wheel).

So, for the April giveaway, instead of giving away a pair of earrings, I've decided to give away a set of five bright and colorful 'Inspiration' bracelets!

These are brand new at Believe Street, and they will be available for purchase in the online shop in the next few days (... of course, if you just can't wait, you can always contact me to order yours in advance). They're available in 12 colors, including the five shown here, plus softer pastel versions of these five colors, black, and clear crystal. There are five words available: Peace, Love, Joy, Hope, and Faith. They're selling at one for $7; three for $19; or five for $29.

Each bracelet is made with 32 Swarovski crystals, two 'message' beads, and 12 silver accent beads. And, the best part is that they're stretchy, so they fit almost everyone, and they're easy to put on and take off. You can wear one, two, three, or a stack of all five. Not only will they add a little spark to whatever you're wearing, but I'm hoping they will also brighten your day with their reminder to notice the peace, love, joy, hope, and faith that's all around you.

Ah, but there's a catch! This month, I'm mixing things up and upping the ante a little bit. Usually, everyone who is on my mailing list is automatically eligible to win each month ... which makes your odds about 500 to 1. This time, though, you not only have to be on my mailing list, but you also have to leave a comment below. Just tell us which of these five words is your favorite, and why. Or, which one of these five things you need most in your life right now, and why. That's all ... doesn't need to be long. Yes, it's a little more work, but just think how much better your odds will be this month! :-)

The contest ends at 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Wed., April 30. If you're already on my list, simply leave a comment on this post to be entered and you're all set. If you're new to Believe Street and want to enter this month's contest, simply go here to join my mailing list, then come back and leave a comment. Very easy.

Tell your friends about it too! Then go out and soak up all the luscious springtime color ... unless it's winter where you are, of course ... then stay in and have a cup of hot cocoa.

And we have a happy winner!

Yes we do indeed ... and it's ...

Dana Cook, of Renton, Washington

Dana is the winner of the pink Swarovski crystal earrings featured in the last post.

I notified Dana last week to let her know she'd won, and she sent me back the most lovely and heartwarming message. Then, she sent me even more happy goodness when she received them:

Hi Maria,

Just a note to say I got the beautiful earrings today. They are a treasure and I just love them! Thanks so much for sending them with the pretty presentation too; your taste and talent are exquisite! May your craft and business keep growing!

With happiness and wearing new dangles,
Dana

Sigh. I'm still smiling as I picture Dana with her sparkly new earrings on. I hope she'll get lots of compliments.

Tomorrow I'll post the April earring giveaway, so come on back and see what I've cooked up for this month.

In other news ... it's been a busy time over here at Believe Street. I've created a monster schedule for myself this year -- check it out -- and it's not even compete yet; I've still got some more shows to book for the summer. I'll be doing a bunch of outdoor shows this year, which is new for me, so I've been hard at work researching and buying my canopy and designing a brand new booth. I love how it's coming together ... very exciting! I've been doing 'dry runs' with various areas of the booth the past two weeks, but still have a few things left to pick up. As soon as all the pieces are in place, I'll post some photos.

My first outdoor show will be the Westfield SpringFling on April 27th, held in downtown Westfield (NJ), so I've got about two and a half weeks to finish pulling it all together. Oh, and to put my order in for good weather, of course!

March earring giveaway!

Oh my ... I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with the monthly earring giveaway, have I? (... hanging head in shame). The last one was October! Yikes. So sorry, friends.

I blame it all on life ... the frenzy of the holiday rush and subsequent recovery (a.k.a., digging through the rubble in search of my work surface) ... loved ones needing support and TLC through health challenges ... the time-consuming process of researching craft fairs and preparing applications (and hyperventilating about how to keep up with the schedule I've set up for myself) ... taxes and inventory ... losing 23 lbs. (oh yeah!) ... yadda yadda.

Oh, but spring is here now (... to me, spring starts with daylight saving time), and the challenges of winter are all forgotten. Poof -- gone. Swept away with the sound of birds chirping in the morning and the sight of the first shoots breaking through the ground.

Spring is here and it's my favorite time of year. A time when I bubble with excitement, ideas and energy ... which makes it really hard to sleep (I've been up since 3 a.m.), but enables me to get oh-so-much more done.

So, in joyous celebration, this month's earring giveaway will be a pair of perfect-for-welcoming-spring Swarovski crystal earrings in light rose and pretty shades of pink. Ideal for reflecting all those extra rays of sunshine coming your way.

All you have to do for a chance to win is to be on my mailing list. Everyone who's on there as of 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Monday, March 31, will be included in the random drawing. Just go here to sign up if you haven't already, and tell your friends to join too.

I can't wait to see who wins these. Yay Spring!!! (... doing the Snoopy happy dance).

And the winner of the October earrings is ...

Happy Belated Halloween, everybody ... I hope you had no tricks and lots of treats!

Last night after dinner, trick-or-treaters, dog feedings, and John's martial arts class, we got to pull a name out of the glass fishbowl where I keep nearly 500 slips of paper -- neatly folded, I might add :-) -- representing everyone on my mailing list.

And so, someone who definitely got a treat yesterday ... winning the Swarovski 'Sparkle On!' smoked topaz crystal earrings (shown in the previous post), is:

Dimitry Kirsanov, of Mequon, Wisconsin

Dimitry was thrilled when he got my email telling him he had won, and is looking forward to giving them to a friend who, in his words, 'ADORES earrings' and is going to love these, he's sure.

Nothing better than the feeling of knowing your creation is going to be loved and appreciated by someone ... maybe even 'adored,' perhaps. Sigh.

And now, dear friends, I must retire to my studio to select (or maybe create) the earrings for the November giveaway. Stay tuned ...

We have a winner ... and a new giveaway!

Sorry I've been so slow to announce the winner of last month's earring giveaway and the new giveaway for October. It's the start of the busy season and that means a lot of plates are already spinning. Oh yes.

So, without further ado ... the winner of the 'Be Happy' earrings is:

Nancy Bickel, of Bridgewater, NJ

Congratulations Nancy! Nancy's name was chosen at random from everyone on my mailing list.

Soon, another lucky list subscriber will win some new bling. This month, I've chosen a pair of my 'Sparkle On!' Swarovski earrings in smoked topaz. They're made with faceted Austrian crystal cubes and beads, and are super sparkly ... perfect for going out to dinner with that special someone, spicing up your Thanksgiving feast, or adding a bit of pizzazz to your favorite fall sweaters.

All you have to do for a chance to win is to join my mailing list. Everyone who's on there as of 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Wed., Oct. 31, will be included in the random drawing.

Joining my list is super easy. Just go here and enter your email address. Then, tell your friends to join so they can have a chance to get their sparkle on too.

Happy Fall!!