The Adventures of Belle West: February 2013

2.20.2013

Calgon, Please Take Me Away...

I don't know about you, but I could sure use a ~~new life, er,~~ vacation...

Surrounded by turquoise blue waters and white sandy beaches...

The kind where you squish your toes in the sand, lay on the beach, being served exotic drinks by waiters in tuxedos. Or, loincloths. Or, whatever...

Dinner by candlelight, sleeping in the open air with billowy waves of wispy fabrics flowing around you...

Well, I can't go there right now, so I'm sending a little piece of me to the beach instead. Fifty gift bags are on their way to New Orleans, Mexico, Grand Cayman and Jamaica, via Heather Powers and her Humblebeads Bead Cruise 2013, compliments of Belle West Gems.

My sincerest wishes to all you 'cruisers' for a warm and relaxing trip, with lots of beady-eyed adventures.

Me, I'll just be sittin' here, daydreamin'.... *sighs*

P.S. It's snowing here right now. Photos not allowed. :P

All photos via Pinterest: Quit, Boat, Toes, Dinner, Resort

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You can visit Belle West at~

Belle West on Etsy

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Belle West Gems on Etsy

Belle West Gems on FB

On Pinterest...

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On Twitter...

2.16.2013

Robin Sullins Relief Fund~ Fantasy Art Auction Fundraiser

Not sure if you've seen or read this story in the news, but a friend of mine on Facebook is having a fundraiser to help her sister in law with medical bills after a terrible and rare infection from a simple dog bite on Christmas day put Robin Sullins in the hospital where she lost both legs at the knees, and all her fingers. She is still in the hospital, and doing better, but it's an ongoing battle with enormous medical expenses.

Angi Sullins of Duirwaigh Studios has setup a Fairy Tale Art Auction to help with Robin's medical expenses and I've donated my Purple Fantasy Charm Bracelet to the cause. It looks like this will be listed on Sunday, so keep an eye out on the Auction page if you're interested.

Purple Fantasy Charm Bracelet~

This richly colored two sided bracelet consists of deep purple, freshwater stick pearls with a beautiful lustre in shades of deep blue and green, separated by gold vermeil spacer beads on one side. The other side is a charming collection of hand-wrapped lime green coin pearls, lavender lustre pearls, Picasso Czech glass beads and Amethyst Chinese crystals on a gold plated vintage chain. Finished off with a hammered, gold plated toggle. About 7-3/4". Retail value $107.

Please visit Robin's website, Facebook and auction page for more information. There's some beautiful and amazing things for sale, even a signed print by Daniel Merriam, one of my favorite artists. If you'd like to make a donation to the auction, you can email Angi at Donations@Duirwaigh.com.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend. Remember to be thankful every single day.

2.14.2013

My Funny Valentine...

I am in Love. Unabashedly. Unashamedly. Head over Heels. In L.O.V.E. She's 12 weeks old today (February 14th), and Oh, So, FLUFFY!! Her name is Annabel and she's an American Eskimo. This is her at about 8 weeks, when we first brought her home. Look how tiny she is, at 3.5 pounds!

Her first snow, doing her white fox impression. *BIG Hearts!* It was so bright outside that my daughter could barely see the phone to take a pic... poor thing. : )

Annabel doing her polar bear impression. She is the cutest thing when she sleeps!

She's taken over the cat perch on the landing where Elsa used to sit... poor kitties. They're still trying to adjust. : (

And, as you can imagine, I'm not getting a lot done these days. Seems I'm taking her out about every 30 minutes. Playing with her, so she won't feel ignored. And, sometimes I just have to stop everything and hold her in my arms. These are the times I just cruise the newsfeed on FB, or Pinterest, because as you can imagine, it's really hard to make jewelry with one hand... *sighs* ... The challenges of trying to run a business with a 'newborn' in the house... what is a girl to do...

Well, I did get a few things online this week and although they're a bit late for Valentine's Day, they're still a great deal. Liquidating my old sterling silver inventory, so I've got a few charms, bracelets, necklaces, and sweet little pill boxes left at some really great prices. AND, if you buy this weekend, I'll give you an additional 25% off your entire order. I have very limited quantities, so get it while you can. When it's gone, it's gone. No Moe. To receive the 25% discount, use Code "LoveAnnabel" at checkout.

So, Happy Valentine's Day to all my family, friends, fans and followers. You all mean so much to me. Hope you have a great day and remember to count your blessings. We can all find something to be thankful for, even if it's just chocolate... : )