It's been a long time.....

I know it has been a LONG time... Well I am back in the classroom after a two year hiatus, it's taking me a bit longer to get used to working! The little ones can REALLY wear you out! So I will try to post to the blog 2-3 times each week. I've been working on a few new things before I went back in, they should be up on Gloria's Jewelry Box in the next two weeks! Take care! (Photo courtesy of hotfile.wordpress.com)

DESTASH, DESTASH, DESTASH for Sale!

Like many other crafters and artits, I have accumulated soo many beads and findings. So I have added a DESTASH section to my shop! All of these beads are in amazing condition and need a new home! I also have jewelry destash beads listed through my Flickr account. HAVE FUN CREATING!

And the nominees are...

SPECIAL THANKS to Angelina of Angelina Fong Designs for nominating me for this lovely Up and Coming Blog Star award! What a fabulous idea and I'm truly honored to be amongst the first group of nominees! It was such a pleasant surprise!

Now to my acceptance specch...What an honor to get a Blog Star award! Especially considering the fact that I had no idea how to blog until I joined ETSY! When I started my blog, it took me two moths to figure out how to attach a link...lol...yes a link! Well I figured it out and I love every second of it. I especially love sharing my vintage finds and garden pics, those are things that I love to do in addition to my jewelry. Thanks for following me and I love it when I hear from you!

So without further ado, I'd like to return the honor of this lovely award by nominating some of my favorite up and coming bloggers:

Sydney Austin Designs

Yellow Finch Designs

Kate8085 Where Eagles Dare

If you have been nominated for this award, you must pay it forward! Do you know a blogstress who hasn't blogged for long (less than 3 years) but is one of the next generation of super bloggers? If so, this award is for her! The rules are, you must post an acceptance speech on your blog (feel free to thank the academy!) and then nominate as many other blogs as you wish. and, if you have been nominated, feel free to post the above award proudly on your blog!

One of the casualties of motherhood...

Look at my poor bracelet! This is the result of a 1 year old baby boy who like to throw anything he can get his hands on! Out of the corner of my eye I saw him with my bracelet, before I could grab it from him I see it going across the floor. Needless to say I bought this bracelet online on clearance, so there is little hope of replacing it. Repairing it would be a joke considering all of the little pieces that broke off. So all I can say is that this is a lesson learned. KEEP ALL JEWELRY AWAY FROM CURIOUS BABIES!!! Oh well, it looked really cute with my outfit yesterday...lol...

First Lady wearing Target!

I just love that the First Lady wears affordable fashions! Check out the article on Nitro:licious!

New Pics of My Magic Garden in the City...

Basil


Tomato


Elephant Ear


Elephant Ear

Just sharing some recent garden pics! Enjoy!

AMAZING Vintage Belly Dance Necklace

I just had to share this necklace with you! I got it from Darling Diva 2009 on ETSY. Stop by her shop, she has the most amazing vintage reclaimed and handmade jewelry!

More Vintage Jewelry Finds...

One of my favorite stress relievers is shopping for vintage jewelry. I get such a rush digging and seeing what I can find. It is such a fun feeling to know that you may never find the same thing again, or maybe that is what I tell myself to justify my purchases...lol...Anyways just wanted to share some of my Philly thrift store finds! I'm visiting friends in New York tonight, who knows I may find my way into a thrift store or two!

I WON A GIVEAWAY!

This is the necklace I won!

Midnight Serenade

Kama

I actually won this a few month ago, but that was before I knew how to blog...lol... So it's only fair to post about this giveaway as well. It was hosted by Njla Studio. Her work is amazing! I won the necklace in the top picture. The bottom two pictures are a few of my favorites. Can you tell I like hearts?

Let me know what you think!

Pink Kaleidoscope Ring


Knight in Silver Armor Cufflinks

I have decided to venture into unchaterted territories for me, men's jewelry and rings with cabochons. Let me know what you think! If you like it, I will add them to Gloria's Jewelry Box on Etsy!

Yummy..Who wants tomatoes???

I am so excited that my tomato plant is starting to bud! I know I got you ready to see nice red plump and juicy tomatoes but that will have to wait. Only a little while longer I promise!!!

My Venture through Gloria's Jewelry Box...

As many of you may know, I am OBSESSED with jewelry. Everytime I vist my Grandmom Gloria, I try to see what jewels I can ask/persuade her to give me. I know it's wrong, but she never says no to her 1st granddaughter! Here are some of the jewels she gave me...

I WON A GIVEAWAY!

I am so excited! I won this lovely bath set from Lydia's Spa Collections! I won the Body Set Scented With AQUARIAN From The MY BELOVED SPA COLLECTION! Let me tell you it smells amazing and my hubby LOVES it! This is the link to the blog, so you can enter one of their great giveaways!

Some of my First Jewels...

During a recent visit to my grandmom Gloria's house, I had a treasure hunt through her jewelry. As you may know, my jewelry business is named after her and her LOVE of jewelry. I've been making jewwelry since I was a child and found a few of my early pieces in her jewelry box. As you can see I painted a wood brooch for her with watercolors! Too funny! Here are a few of the pics!

My Magic Garden in the City...

Elephant Ear


Tomato Plant


First Morning Glory Flower

Sharig a few pics of my garden in the middle of the city! Enjoy :)

I know.. I have been BAD!

I have been M-I-A this week! I have been a BAD BLOGGER :( I promise I will be better! Really I will be better!!!

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING!!!

This weekend enjoy FREE SHIPPING at my ETSY shop Gloria's Jewelry Box! Offer ends Sunday at midnight EST. Happy Shopping!

The True Meaning of Paying it Forward....

Last weekend, I took a family trip to the beach. I took my 7 year old sister with me. On our way there, we stopped at a Wawa in downtown Philadelphia. I walked in there with $6 and change in my pocket. When I got to the door, a woman asked for food to eat. I told her to come inside with me and get what she wanted. My little sister got chips and I got a small coffee. I really wanted a large, but since I offered to buy this woman a meal I knew I wouldn't have enough. She asked me if she could get something to drink, I tell her 'yes'. Knowing I barely had enough to cover her sandwich, my coffee and my sister's chips. We got to the register, the total came to $7.42. I began to panic going through my pockets hoping that I had enough. By the grace of God I had enough to pay for her food with .97 cents left over! This really got me thinking about the true meaning of paying it forward. I have always helped others but this was one of the first times that I literally cleaned out my pockets for someone else. Later on that evening, at the beach a man in line behind me paid for my funnel cake when I left my change purse in the car with my .97 cents in it!

Tuesday Morning Suprise!

Imagine my suprise this morning when I checked my blog reading lis and saw that my Caramel Flower Necklace has been featured in Runako Designs Girls Night Out Blog as the Monday Night Mesmorizer! How exciting!

And the WINNER is.......

Special Thanks to everyone who entered my $10 gift certificate Blog giveaway. I was offering 3 certificates to randomly selected winners. There were five entries so I chose to give a gift certifictae to EVERYONE who entered! This is another way of me paying to forward to my followers! Thanks again and I will contact each winner today! Have a wonderful weekend!

FREE 10 DOLLAR GIFT CERTIFICATE!! ENDS AT MIDNIGHT EST!!!

As a thank you to all of my followers, I am offering 3 FREE $10 dollar Gift Certificate to my ETSY Shop! All you have to do is visit my shop and tell me your FAVORITE item and why? Isn't that easy! The winners will be randomly selected! Please leave your ETSY ID or email. This giveaway ends today July 9th at midnight EST!

Under the Sea

I went to the Adventure Aquarium for the first time in YEARS! The last time I was thre it was called the New Jersey State Aquarium and I was a girl scout! I got a few amazing pics that I had to share!

Had to catch up on some sleep...

It has been a while since I've posted, I had to catch up on some much needed sleep! From the two birthday parties for my 1 year old son to my friend going into labor and my cousin's wedding, I was beat. No worries! I will be back in the next few days with some really fun posts including my latest vintage finds and my next giveaway! Stay tuned!!! Now back to sleep...

20% OFF FROM NOW UNTIL JULY 7TH!!!

Take advantage of our 20% off promotion on all items from now until July 7th! Twenty percent will be refunded to you via PayPal! Take a peek at my ETSY shop! Happy Shopping!

CAPOW Blog Feature!!!

I know it has been a while, I had to take a bit of time to catch up on sleep. Life is crazy with a 1 year old! Well imagine my suprise when I checked my blog reading list and saw that I was featured in Capow's Blog! Here is the link to read the interview! Visit Capow on ETSY for the most amazing painting, photographs and wallets!

LAST DAY OF EAOC SUMMER MADNESS TREASURE HUNT!

EAOC Summer Madness Treasure Hunt!!! Go to teameaoc.etsy.com for the official list of participating shops and start hunting! We are only 1 hour away from announcing out NEW phrase! What could it be???? YOU HAVE TO SAY TUNED TO CHECK IT OUT! You can win amazing prizes from ETSY EAOC! This is the LAST day of the treasure hunt!

EAOC TREASURE HUNT MADNESS PHRASE OF THE DAY!!!

Ornate Pink Floral Earrings


Fancy Egg Mauve Earrings



Hammered Fool's Gold

EAOC Summer Madness Treasure Hunt!!! The phrase of the day is "HERE COMES THE BRIDE". Have fun searching through my shop for the letter clues! Go to teameaoc.etsy.com for the official list of participating shops and start hunting!

My Favorite Color Combo!

Turquoise Hearts Earrings

I must admit that there is no color combination that I love better than turquoise and gold! I owe it all to my Grandmother Gloria and her LOVE of turquoise! Whenever I can I always put the two together. How great is that! The bold contrast of the turquoise and hammered brass make these earrings a winner!