Wearable Art Jewelry and Pendants

October is always a slow month for me so the last week or so I've been spending time making wearable art pendants. Creating things that are outide of my normal work--i.e. the items I sell from Creative Name Signs and Images of Home--is fun for me because I can just let myself go and see what my imagination comes up with.

My art pendants are made of a variety of craft supplies most of which I have sitting around my art room. Some pendants are made of wood scraps that I have leftover from my name signs. Sometimes I use a small piece of wood or a small glass tile that I purchase at my local craft store. Using a heavy glue and sealant I incorporate a print of my artwork onto a pendant. Another way I make my art pendants is to use my wood burning tool where I burn a design into a small piece of wood. It really all depends on what mood I'm in on any particular day.

This is my favorite wooden pendant necklace...

Then I made this one (not listed anywhere yet) which is somewhat personalized for me. The background of the pendant was taken from a print of my painting that I call "Colorful Spirals". The three tiny hearts represent each one of my children...

Since my art pendants are new and not anything I've sold as of yet I decided to try out this new website called Fiverr.com. I found it a few months ago and finally had the time last week to really delve into it and see what I can do. I listed a few of my pendants there as well as a few holiday ornaments that I painted. It is pretty fun and I've had some inquiries already.

Here's a link to my listings...Jane Loedding Art on Fiverr.com.

I'd love it if you'd take some time to check out my work. And if you see something you like...then what the heck...it's only $5.00!!

Okay...it's getting late in the morning and I need to shower. I know very soon my son will be calling for me to go pick him up from his fiend's house. More fun to come...until then,

Maternity and Nursing Clothes

I just celebrated my 47th birthday yesterday so the subject of maternity clothing certainly isn't front and enter in my mind. However, I've recently been blessed with the title 'Great Aunt' and I'm soon to be twice blessed with that glorious title. My nephew and his girlfriend just had a beautiful baby girl. And my niece is due any day now with her first child. I can't believe how much I love these babies already! I can hardly wait to spoil them like crazy!

Meanwhile, as my nieces progressed through their pregnancies I couldn't help but notice how cute they looked. When I was pregnant I would never have thought of wearing tight fitting clothing. I wore the flouncy oversized tops that made me look like a whale. I know...I don't like to complain because, as my husband so eloquently stated several times, "It's a temporary inconvenience for a long term gain." Yes, looking and feeling huge was only temporary and resulted in the three greatest loves of my life! But maternity fashions back in the mid-to-late 90's and earlier left a lot to be desired.

I'm sure you've seen images of the latest trend in maternity clothing on T.V., in magazines and on the internet, too. The tops, slacks and dresses are very form fitting. Not only does the mommy-to-be's belly stick out, sometimes you can see their newly displayed 'outty' belly button! But honestly none of that matters! I think these women look completely darling with their tummies sticking out. They should be proud of the miracle that is in process. Shout it out to everyone and let that growing belly be seen! Hind sight being 20/20 I wish I would have been proud to show my baby bump.

In this modern age being stylish doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. It's easy and affordable to find stylish maternity clothing. I've discovered websites like Trendytummymaternity.com which offer a large variety of maternity tops, dresses, jeans and more and the prices aren't as high as you might expect. That's a big plus! I recall when I was pregnant that maternity clothes tended to be quite pricey. There were very few maternity stores in our area and the ones that I frequented were very expensive.

So while, I can't change for myself what took place nearly 15-20 years ago, I'm happy to support the modern trend in maternity clothing. Accentuating the beauty of a pregnant young lady is, in my opinion, placing a very positive light on a miracle in progress!

Okay...I better get moving and get to drawing portraits and painting name signs. More interesting topics and fun on the way very soon so stay tuned...until then,

Crystal Nail Files

I don't spend much time keeping my finger nails painted simply because I have paint all over my hands almost everyday. I'm sure I'd chip off or mess up any manicure in about 2 hours after I had one done.

I do however try to keep my toenails in good shape. I keep them painted, clipped and filed down to a nice length. I love to wear flip flops all summer long so having my toenails look nice is important to me. But as luck would have it I recently took a spill in our driveway and the toenail on my left big toe ripped back! UGH!! It was a mess and weeks later it still looks ugly. I've been traipsing around all summer with a band aid covering my ugly big toenail. What else could I do??

Well, the universe conspired and gave me what I needed. A friend of mine asked me to paint something for her. As her payment she got me a gift certificate for a pedicure. How perfect! I am so looking forward to getting my toes cleaned up once again.

The girl who does my pedicures is new to the salon scene having only just graduated from high school a year ago. But she does a great job none the less. I can't wait to sit down and have my feet taken care of again! I love pedicures!

I recall a few years ago I was out of town and patronized a salon that used crystal nail files. It was a gorgeous nail file adorned with Swarovski crystals. Talk about classy! It was a very high end spa and salon that I went to with my girlfriends when we turned "the big 40". We definitely spoiled ourselves that year!

I won't be able to spoil myself to another high class salon just yet, but someday I will! That's my goal! Work hard and then spoil myself to pieces!

Okay, I'd better get to work...I have a busy day ahead of me!

More fun on the way...until then,

No More Rack

I've posted about No More Rack in the past but I am writing about this fun and fabulous website once again. Every day right before noon I get emails that feature their daily deals. I have to say that my heart skips a beat when I see those emails come through. I love to shop, but nomorerack.com makes my shopping experience even more enjoyable because of their rock bottom prices. I tend to be frugal and with three teenagers who constantly have their hands outstretched wanting more cash my pocket book ends up looking pretty thin. The low prices they offer grab my attention easily. And just recently they've begun hosting 'Evening Events' which include even more deals starting at 6:00 PM. So the shopping fun continues as the day wears on.

Previously I wrote about their 'insanity deals' which have included super hot items such as an iPod touch, a Playstation 3, an HDTV and more at incredibly low prices. They use the term 'insanity' for a reason. It's unbelievable how low their prices are. But with that being said you have to understand that those items are really hard to come by. But the good outweighs the bad as far as I'm concerned and I'm still pleased with the other wonderful items they offer.

From toys to clothing to jewelry to sports memorabilia to kitchen gadgets and so much more their selection is growing by leaps and bounds. I am a purse fanatic and I also love to buy jewelry, especially bracelets. These items are offered on a regular basis and after lots of daily drooling I finally bit the bullet and bought a purse from No More Rack. I love it! It's covered in sequins and bright colors all on a black background. It's right up my alley and I was very happy when I received my purchase. With that being said I realized another fabulous benefit of No More Rack...their super low ship fee. They only charge a $2.00 flat shipping fee per item. That's just about unheard of!

Take a few minutes to stop by their website and sign up for their emails. I'm confident you'll find something of interest and, if you are careful when it comes to spending money you'll be pleased with their prices!

Okay, gotta run now...more fun on the way...until then,

Eyeglasses...it's time for me...

I think the time has finally arrived. I'm in my mid 40's and I've noticed over the past several months that when I'm painting small details on my artwork or reading small print the area between my eyes and the ends of my arms is getting much wider! I have to get on the ball and make an appointment with the eye doctor before things get worse.

But, I'll be honest with you, I'm a bit excited. I LOVE to shop and there are so many stylish eyeglasses these days and, while they are a necessity, eyeglasses have also become quite a fashion accessory.

My husband has been wearing eyeglasses for many years and at least a year ago he was on the search for affordable eyeglasses. Since he is 'forever frugal' he got a bit excited when he discovered that nowadays you can buy eyeglasses at very reasonable prices.

Knowing that my husband was able to find reasonably priced eyeglasses I recently began looking around and found Zenni Optical. Zenni Optical is a prescription eye wear company offering a wide range of high quality affordable eyeglass products that are durable, safe and comfortable. Plus Zenni only sells their own brand of manufactured frames directly from their own factories. This creates such a savings for you. I'm sure you understand that when there is a middleman involved the end result is a higher priced product for you, the final customer. With Zenni this extra cost is null and void. Cool!!

Zenni Optical offers $6.95 prescription eyeglasses and all glasses include an anti-scratch coating, full UV protection and thin and light single vision lenses. Plus you get a a free protective case with each pair and a microfiber cleaning cloth. Shipping for an entire order is only $4.95! Wow! I was impressed!

Zenni Optical also has a super cool tool on their site where you can try on a variety of glasses-- virtually. You simply upload your own face image to the Zenni Frame Fit system. Or if you don't have an image of yourself to upload then you can use one of the many face images they have. Just be honest with yourself and make sure you use the stock image that matches your face structure! Yes, I'd like to upload the face that looks like Angelina Jolie and think that I look like her, but let's be 'real'. It would be my round chubby cheeks that would have to carry the style around with me so I wouldn't live in denial! At least for a few minutes anyways.

And Zenni has very detailed step-by-step instructions on how to place your order on their 'How To order' page. And, most importantly, remember that you will need an up-to-date prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist to complete your order.

Or if you are just buying frames for wearing and don't need a prescription you can do that, too. Just the other day at my son's basketball game a group of teenage girls was passing around a pair of cute eyeglasses that were not prescription. They liked them because it made them look smart as well as adorable!

For me...well...if the eyeglasses I end up buying make me look adorable and smart that would be the icing on the cake. What I truly need is a pair of eyeglasses to help correct my vision! But I won't complain. I'm 46 years old and just now have to get eyeglasses. I've lasted pretty long without eyeglasses so I must have a pretty good set of peepers!

Okay...I'm on the way to starting my day. More sharing to come...until then,