Ode to Autumn with Lavender Falls and River Rocks

So, I'm trying to make something pretty for the Fashion Denver Holiday Market photo shoot this week, which needs to be delivered Monday... and I have all kinds of inspiration... pinks and greys, blacks and blues... visions of jewelry dance in my head.

But, as I dig through my beads and metals, this little gold leaf keeps calling out to me, "Pick ME! Pick ME!" Not at all part of my current design inspiration, but he's begging for attention. I'm slightly annoyed, as it seems every time I have an idea in mind, there's some component or another missing, and I end up making something completely different, but I decide to play around with these and see where it goes. Turns out, with the onset of snow in the Rockies, these leaf dangles are the perfect opportunity to give one last 'Huzzah' to the waning season... and, so, here is my... Ode to Autumn...

I've always loved pinks and golds together, so this was a natural. Golden leaves and lavender pink autumn clouds, reflecting the last light of day as the sun sets over the mountains... Lavender Falls~ AB sunstone cubes, paired with lavender nugget freshwater pearls, gold leaf dangles, on gold fill French wires.

Since I had one more pair of leaves in silver, I decided to go ahead and set them free. The AB Labradorite gemstones are perfect with silver, and the peacock blue freshwater pearls, stacked like river rocks, remind me of the stones they stack in Boulder Creek. I still don't know how they get those things to balance the way they do. Finished on sterling silver French wires.

River Rocks and Lavender Falls are both OOAK, one of a kind, and available for $35 each. {River Rocks is SOLD!}

So, now, back to the drawing board... still not sure what I'm taking to Denver tomorrow for that photo shoot....

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Have a great week and thank you for allowing me to share my adventures with you. XOX

Belle West Pinkalicious Giveaway!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!! .... AND THE WINNERS ARE!!~

Shelly~ Calendar

Pine Ridge Treasures~ Bracelet
Carolyn Collins~ Bath Set
Kathi Deibels~ Earrings

Congratulations to all the winners! Thank you all for participating, and for all the love and wonderful comments. Please contact me within 48 hrs with your mailing address so your prezzies can be shipped to you. If I do not hear from you within 48 hrs, a new winner will be chosen. 

And, thank you, my sweet Nova for handling the drawing via Random.org. 

Such a sweet child I have. :)

.....................................................................................................

~CONTEST OVER~ 

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to celebrate my being accepted to the Fashion Denver's Holiday Market, being held at the Grant-Humphreys Mansion in December, we're having our first Giveaway! Yippeeee!! I am honored to include some beautiful 'pink' items from a few friends, so we'll have not just one winner, but several lucky benefactors. And, now, for the pinkalicious offerings~ 

One lucky winner will receive a Vintage Rose Collection 2013 Calendar from Jo-Anne Coletti of Vintage Rose Collection and Ruffles and Roses Photography. Check out her website and I'm sure you'll agree, her photography is breathtaking. Thank you, Jo-Anne!

Another lucky winner will receive this beautiful Pink Carnation Bracelet created by the talented Donna Martin Bradley of Stranded Beads. Made with a Pink Carnation tile from artist Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp, accented with pink silk cords, seed beads and brass chain, this bracelet is 7.5" long. Gorgeous! Thank you, Donna! 

Lucky Winner #3 will win this luxurious boxed gift set, from Jessica Falcon of The Falcon Soaperie. All of her body products are natural, handmade, vegan, and organic. I was the lucky recipient of one of her recent giveaways and I can tell you firsthand that her soaps smell absolutely delicious. I keep them in my office so I'm refreshed by their tantalizing scents when I go digging for beads! This boxed gift set includes 2 Carnation scented Pretty in Pumice Soap Puffs, 1 Pink Bath Salts Jar, and 1 4oz. Massage Oil. Absolutely divine. Thank you, Jessica!

And, last, but not least... one lucky person will win this pair of elegant Art Deco Earrings from Belle West, made especially for this giveaway. Made with big, luscious Ruby moonstone gems and real freshwater pink pearl dangles on brass stampings, with gold fill ear wires. They measure just under 2.5" total length.

To enter this giveaway, you can do one or more of the following.... the more entries, the more chances you have of winning. 

1. Main Entry~ Follow this blog and leave a comment below.

2. Like my page, Belle West, and share the post on Belle West re: this giveaway. Comment here again with a link to your share. (Shares must be public).

3. Pin any or all of the images from this giveaway and comment here with a link to your pin(s). You can also repin my pins if you like. You can find them on my Belle West board. 

4. Tweet this giveaway and comment here with a link to your tweet. 

5. Blog this giveaway on Tumblr, comment again with a link to your post. 

This giveaway runs from Monday, October 22 to Friday, October 26, so you have five days to share. Good luck to you all, and once again, thank you for being a part of my adventures. I love and appreciate each and every one of you.

You can follow Belle West on...

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P.S. Don't forget your mammograms. It could save your life. XOX

PLEASE NOTE: I have changed the settings so that ANYONE can comment,; you do NOT need a blog, Google, or Yahoo account to sign in. BUT~ if you are commenting as ANONYMOUS, YOU MUST SIGN YOUR NAME AND LEAVE AN EMAIL FOR US TO CONTACT YOU IN THE EVENT THAT YOU WIN. OTHERWISE, YOUR ENTRY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
Thank you. :)

Hearts Afire

A very special client ordered one of my Victorian Hearts Charm Bracelets, and since some of the original charms are no longer available, I had to take some new pics. Well, with me, any excuse to take pics. I'm obsessed. What can I say. A friend suggested I do it on a pink background this time, since the original is on a red... but I don't have any pink fabric, so I used this floral box that holds some of my art supplies, and I like how it turned out....

Except for that reflection of me and the camera! LOL. I tried to fix it in iPhoto, but it kept putting brown spots on my charms. And, I was like, "I don't THINK so!!" So, here's another shot and wouldn't ya know it, those pesky reflections again... Oh, well. I'm too tired to care today, so there it is. But I love my old bottle! Can you tell what that green thing is behind it? Any guesses? hehee ;)

And, now for the best non reflective shot of the day! Boring, but non reflective. I had a few pics that were a little more interesting, but too many were out of focus. I think I was paying more attention to the neighbors watching me on my front porch, holding a white photo tent over my head (to deter the reflection)... Ha!

And, just for fun, here's the original photo I recently found and added to this post... Since Pinterest seems to think this photo doesn't belong to me...

Well, c'est la vie... Some days you eat the bear, and some days the bear eats you. I'd say we had lunch together. And, it was pretty good. Considering I woke up at 4:00 am, couldn't get back to sleep, and decided to get up and wash the bed. Sad part about that was when my head was killing me at 8 a.m, and I wanted to go back to bed, but then... "OH NO! My sheets are in the wash!" Haha! No nappy for me.

So, now, I'm going to retire to the living room with some comfort food, and curl up on the couch with the last few episodes of Mad Men, Season 5. Then I'm all caught up and ready for the new Season. And an early night....

Sweet dreams, everyone, and remember.... wait a minute, I lost my train of thought....

And, until I can figure out how to put those cute little Pinterest and Facebook buttons on my blog~

You can follow Belle West on...
Facebook... Belle West and Belle West Gems
On Etsy... Belle West and Belle West Gems
On Pinterest... 
And, Tumblr...

I'd love for you to join me on my adventures by following my blog and 'Liking' my pages, as we have some wonderful giveaways coming up (when I get a little more sleep and can think straight), and much more beautiful jewelry on the way. Thanks again for visiting. I hope you have a mahvelous week! XOX

A Trip to Bountiful~

I don't know about you, but I need some "Beautiful" today....

I found this image on Pinterest last year which was quickly filed under 'one of my MOST favorite images of all time' and a room I would love to live in. The color, the light, the view, the fabric... there's not one thing about this room that I hate. Soothing. Inviting. Romantic. I could go on.

Then, recently, a friend of mine posted on Facebook that she was visiting a store in California called "Bountiful". The name sounded familiar... (was it because of the movie?)... So, I checked out their page, and it turns out that THIS is where this room lives! It didn't take long for me to realize it wasn't just the room that I was in love with. It was the entire house... 

From the old brick and leaded glass windows...

This amazing staircase and chandelier! And, what's up with that goose... :)

To this warm and inviting corner of coziness....

And, my favorite room of all time~ what a magnificent fireplace...

As if that wasn't enough, the white McCoy style vase, the silver candlesticks... *sighs*

The chandeliers, this beautiful antique farm table, and EVERYTHING on it....

This quaint little kitchen that reminds me of my grandmother's house. The old cabinets, the window, surrounded by all that greenness...

This stove!!!

I would kill for this vase. This mirror, the reflection...

The doors in these old houses... iron beds...

Love this room... beautiful light, red velvet sofa, and that sign!!

Alabaster lamps are my favorite....

There's that bird again... :)

Windows surrounded by lush green vines, rose gardens...
THIS is my dream home.

If you'd like to learn more about Sue Balmforth's 'Creepy Mansion', check out the Bountiful Facebook page. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this breathtaking home is available as a vacation rental and sleeps 20. *SIGHS* .... 

You can follow Belle West on~
Facebook... at Belle West and Legacy 925. 
On Pinterest... 
And, Tumblr...

I'd love for you to join me on my adventures by following my blog and 'Liking' my pages, as we have some wonderful giveaways coming up, and much more beautiful jewelry on the way. Thanks again for visiting. I hope you have a beautiful weekend. XOX

A Peruvian Blue Birthday

I wanted to give you a peek at my newest creation, a custom order for a sweet client of mine. Her mother's birthday is next week and in lieu of fire opals, we opted for Peruvian Blue Opal, and this is what came pouring out of my heart...

Hand wrapped in sterling silver, with Amazonite and sparkling aqua blue crystals that really set off the blue-green color of the opals. So, what do you think? Is this dainty, delicate and feminine enough for an 85 year young lady? Not too trendy? The earrings are a simple dangle on posts which is a classic look, well suited to a young woman of this age. I hope she likes it.

In honor of this very special day, I thought we should have some cake. {Do we need a reason to have cake?} My husband's birthday is February 12th, and back in the ole days it was a tradition that I baked him a heart shaped cake every year for his birthday, since it was, technically, almost Valentine's Day. Made sense to me. I imagine this beauty to be an Italian Cream Cake with buttercream frosting. It's from an Italian bakery, so that makes sense, right? Well, imagine it to be whatever flavor you desire and grab a piece and let's celebrate.

Once again, thank you for stopping by and visiting with us today. Wishing this sweet mother a very Happy Birthday and hope she enjoys her very special gift. xox

You can see more of my charming creations at Belle West and Legacy 925 on Facebook. I'd love for you to join me on my adventures by following my blog and 'Liking' my pages, as we have some wonderful giveaways coming up, and much more beautiful jewelry on the way. 

For additional inspiration and beauty, you can follow me on Pinterest... I'm Belle West. xox

Rudolph and the Ice Queen

I had the pleasure of creating a very special custom charm bracelet this week for a client who wanted Christmas charms with some added bling in the form of snowy, white pearls for a wintery feel.

As I laid out my pearls and crystals, I came across a beautiful keishi pearl that resembled snowflakes. But after placing them on the bracelet, it was just too 'flat'. So, I dug a little deeper and found some round faceted pearls in my stash that gave it just the right 'pop'.

Then came the crystals. The original blues I started with just didn't have the right tone, so I played around and came up with these sweet little blue rhinestone 'crowns' resembling a Snow and Ice Queen look on those pearls. And, if you live in Colorado, what's a good snow without a little ice?

And, so was born... Rudolph & the Ice Queen. I'm actually quite pleased with the results. The aqua blue double AB Swarovski crystals give this bracelet a beautiful flash of color that sends chills down my spine. Brrrr... it really is cold here. We got our first dusting of snow this morning and it's quite beautiful against the yellow Autumn leaves and that moody, gray sky. I love Colorado. And this bracelet reminds me of a wild west wintery Christmas. Ice and all.

Dream Lake Icy Reflection

You can see more of my charming creations at Belle West and Legacy 925 on Facebook. I'd love for you to join me on my adventures by following my blog and 'Liking' my pages, as we have some wonderful giveaways coming up, and much more beautiful jewelry on the way. Thank you for visiting and sharing my chilling tale of Rudolph and the bitter Ice Queen this morning. Hope you have a wonderful day. And, stay warm. ;)

For additional inspiration and beauty, follow me on Pinterest... I'm Belle West. Pleased to meet you.

Credits: EstesPark.com photo via Rocky Mountain National Parks page on FB.