Wishing you peace, joy, and brighter days ahead.
Seasons Greetings
Category: winter
Creative Hibernation
My creative energy seems to go into hibernation during the winter months. This used to frustrate me, but now I accept that I’m simply not prolific all the time. I’ve come to appreciate this time to rest, restore, and plan.
It may not look like I’m doing doing much … but below the surface, I’m dreaming, planning, and planting creative seeds for the year ahead.
My semi annual trip to the gem show always helps to kick start that creative vision. It’s a much needed dose of sunshine, family, friends, and rocks! It’s also an opportunity to hand select high quality materials for my work. Playing with these sparkling stones definitely helps to awaken the muse!
A Rave Review
Just received this rave review! I love that they took the time to create a collage with before and after photos of their new hair cut.
✩✩✩✩✩ “I love my custom order! I previously bought some gorgeous fall leaf slides that I wore every day, but then as the weather started to turn I knew I needed an icy winter leaf as well. Andrea was very helpful throughout the process, finding pics of other fantasy style leaves she’d made to help me decide what I wanted, offering me options for designs, informing me about stick options. She’s wonderful to work with. And the quality is excellent! I could not be more enchanted with this piece.”
Rainbows and Moonbeams to Close Out the Year
I’ve just added a small collection of jewelry items. Many of them feature rainbows or moon phase motifs, so I’m calling it my “Rainbows and Moonbeams” collection. Though to be fair, there are a handful of pieces that don’t really fall into either category.
In any case, there’s a limited selection of new jewelry pieces to choose from, click here to see them all!
This will be my last shop update for the year, and my last shipping date for 2019 will be 12/23 (meaning that you should have your order in by 12/22 if you hope for me to get it out in the mail the next day). After that, I’ll be doing a bit of traveling to spend the holidays with family. The shops will remain open while I’m on the road, but if you order after 12/22, it will not ship until I return in early January of 2020.
2019 Winter Holiday Shipping Deadlines
It always feels too soon to start talking about holiday shipping deadlines. Still, the first shipping date for international orders IS coming up quickly, so I do want to put this info out there:
USPS first class mail is the most affordable shipping option from the US, so here’s a friendly heads up for my friends across the pond. If you’re hoping to order something for arrival by December 25th, I strongly encourage you to place your order by November 25th.
If you need to wait a bit longer, there are still other options available … but they do get more expensive the longer you wait! I encourage you to browse my offerings soon, for the best selection of holiday gifts and best chance of arrival by 12/25.
December Giveaway and new work soon.
A small celebration of kindness ~
For December’s Giveaway, I’m offering a $50 gift certificate good for any ready made item at my website or my Etsy shop. To enter, simply share a comment about a random act of kindness that lifted your spirits! Did someone surprise you with a free coffee, or did you have a chance to pay it forward for someone else? Tell me your tales of kindness and goodwill, and I’ll choose a winner at random on Friday, December 21st at 6 pm PST.
As is often the case this time of year, I’m noticing a lot of sad, angry people out there! Maybe they’re stretched too thin with year end goals and holiday commitments, or they’re stressed out by all of the pressure to shop and consume. Perhaps these folks are grieving over loved ones who are no longer here to take part in holiday traditions, or maybe they’re worried about the state of the world. Whatever the cause, winter just seems to dredge that stuff up for a lot of us. The weight of it can be heavy enough to make the best of us act poorly. With that said, I’d like to offer a little bit of light this holiday season – just a small celebration of kindness to remind us of what’s really important.
Shop update on 12/13 ~
I’ll be adding a small shop update on the evening of Thursday, December 13th. It will include a few unique jewelry pieces and hair accessories. I was shooting to have it ready today, but honestly? My creative work has been happening very slowly of late. While I really wish that I could be more prolific, for the sake of my health and wellbeing, I just need to honor that pace. Hopefully this weekend will give me time to finish up a few special pieces and get some better photos! Thanks so much for your patience, and for understanding.
Cali Love Fire Benefit Tattoo & Holiday Gift Bazaar ~
And in keeping with the theme of kindness, the woman who won last month’s giveaway will be donating her prize to help raise money for the people of Paradise CA, who lost their homes in last month’s #Campfire. The mask below will be available at the Cali Love Fire Benefit Tattoo & Holiday Gift Bazaar at Eye of the Tiger Tattoo in SF, CA on Sunday 12/16. If you’re in the Bay Area, this will be an excellent opportunity to do some holiday shopping AND do some good for others! I’ll post another reminder as the event date draws closer.
November Giveaway Winner & International Holiday Ordering Dates
My husband drew the winner for my November customer appreciation giveaway last night. Congratulations to Angel! She’ll receive the Day of the Dead mask shown below:
Many thanks to everyone who entered and sent a photo. Your entries are valid through the end of the year, so they’ll count for my December giveaway also (more info on that in the week ahead).
Also, a quick reminder for my international customers: if you’re hoping to receive your order by December 25th, please be sure to place it this weekend! You can find more detailed info about winter holiday shipping deadlines here.
2018 Winter Holiday Shipping Dates
It feels a bit early for this post, but time flies SO quickly!
With that said, here are my 2018 Winter Holiday Shipping Deadlines:
✫ USA:
1st Class Mail – order by December 15th
Priority Mail – order by December 18th
Priority Express Mail – order by December 20th
✫ INTERNATIONAL:
1st Class Mail – order by December 1st
Priority Mail – order by December 5th
Priority Express Mail – order by December 12th
These are my best estimates for probable delivery by 12/25.
Expedited shipping options (such as Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail) are available at checkout.
Snow Angel in July
I recently crafted this snow angel headpiece for beautiful Leonie of Nova Star Productions. It felt a bit strange to be working on a winter themed piece in the dead of summer, but since my client lives in Australia, it actually makes sense! I think this is the 3rd or 4th headdress that she has commissioned for her stilt walkers performance troupe. They perform at festivals and events down under, and their job is essentially to spread magic and make people smile!
Grateful New Year
Many thanks for your support and encouragement this past year! May the year ahead bring you all good things.
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