Pendants by Steph

Happy Mother's Day

2013-05-12T10:08:00.004-07:00

How blessed am I to wake up to this?!
School hand made gifts are the best!

And this poem... no matter how many times I made this as a teacher for moms while teaching Kindergarten til now, receiving this as a mom, myself... Never fails... I cry EVERY TIME while reading it! I LOVE THIS POEM!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

2013-05-09T11:17:00.002-07:00

Everyday the children have given their teachers something. Monday was a reusable Starbucks coffee mug with some coffee packs and a box of Girl scout cookies (better in their house than ours!). The notes attached to that bag was: "thanks a latte for all you do!"
Tuesday MD picked a flower from the garden. His class made 2 beautiful bouquets for the teacher. MG's room moms bought flowers and she made a beautiful card to give to her teacher.
On Wednesday I was a bit overwhelmed, so the homemade flowers we'd been working on all week went to school today! The tags on these said, "Thanks for helping me grow!"

He only had enough patience to fold 2 of the 6 lilies. But he can say he helped! (tried my patience to the very last fold, I tell ya!)

She is the origami queen, so she had no problems making 2 bouquets (last year's teacher is still one of her fav) of lilies --- AND another bouquet of roses for the music teacher!

We are so grateful for such wonderful teachers at our school!

Whoops, forgot that he also wanted to do something for his teacher. We went to Home Depot and he picked out these two succulents. He then helped me re-plant them in this red container. He was very proud of his work. :)

For the moms who have almost everything...

2013-05-07T10:45:00.004-07:00

and now they may have their own personalized bookmark!

Mother's Day is a week away!!!!

2013-05-05T15:20:00.003-07:00

I'm so happy to make this for a special mom:

Don't forget Nana too!

Happy Earth Day (April 22)

2013-04-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

A bit late on the post... but here it is!
While volunteering during baby girl's library time at the school library, I noticed the librarian recycling a few books. So I asked if we could take the books home to do a project.
This is what we made for her!

We started with the book:

We cut the pattern:

And made a dozen roses! Then baby girl decorated the glass jar with tissue paper and we added a bow. After looking at it again, we realized the dozen roses was a bit much. So we took half out. A half dozen made a better presentation. (see above!)

For full instructions, visit this site. Baby girl and i have been obsessed with making these roses! It's so easy and so much fun to make.

Happy Administrative Assistance Day!

2013-04-24T16:59:00.003-07:00

The secretaries do so much. But we tend to not realize it because we mostly go to them when we have problems. Having worked at a school before, I know that they deal with a gamut of issues. It's a lot of work for them. So when I can, I do show that they are appreciated. I also make sure the children acknowledge their hard work. Thank you, Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Strachan for all you do for the school!

We started with this here (inspired by this pin here):

And made this nice yarn wrapped jar vase!

"I love the birthday girl" giveaway winner

2013-04-24T06:35:00.002-07:00

Congratulations to Amy Brown!!!!! She is the winner of the "I love the birthday girl" giveaway from my friend, Susan, over at Ave Grace's Closet. Congratulations, Amy! This is on it's way to you! Thank you for your enthusiastic participation. :)

Susan has another giveaway... I'm not sure I want to advertise it... as I am going to enter it! ;) Good luck if you enter. But if I win, I will post a photo of the dress I pick with my $50 gift card. I LOVE The Shabby Apple's dresses! Love, love, love!!!

A box of sunshine...

2013-04-11T10:46:00.001-07:00

My friend from college has been through some rough times lately. She just had surgery... a MAJOR surgery. I have been thinking of her a lot. But life with 3 children makes life... well, busy, difficult, and challenging. For over 2 weeks, I worked on getting together a box of sunshine to send her. It's a bout time! She has been recovering. A mutual friend of ours (a BFF from college) has been keeping me posted on her recovery. All I have to say is... CANCER SUCKS!

(In the box -- four magazines, a half dozen roses that baby girl and I worked on... took us forever with homework, swim practice, music lessons, etc., and 2 re-use-able snack bags that I sewed (by hand because my machine wasn't working! ugh!), and inside the snack bags... creamy, soft, chewy, delicious madeleines. (the children and I can live off those things!)

NEW -- Bookmarks!

2013-03-19T10:33:00.002-07:00

I had an order for a bookmark... I wasn't sure what to do but Clare and Corinna helped me work it out. I am so pleased with them!

This was the first bookmark order:

($36 for the above bookmark --$30 for 1" sterling silver circle disc, $3 each for any color birthstone of your choice)

I was on Pinterest (when am I not?!)... and I saw this saying on the corner of a book page. I snickered at it... but then baby girl walked by and said, "I want that as my bookmark!" So... Here you go, baby girl! Since it's for her, I thought I would use nickle silver rather than sterling silver. Looks the same.. but cost much less!

($12 for the above -- $6 for the 1" nickle silver circle disc, $3 each for any birthstone color of your choice)

Now while stamping baby girl's bookmark, I thought about my friend Loari and something she posted on Facebook one day. That's when I stamped these 2 bookmarks. Funny, right?! I'm going to send the one with the heart charm to Loari. She is NOT a fan of bees! That is how we met years ago at graduate school.. she was running away from a bee! I know she will get a kick out of it!

($16 for the bookmark with the bee charm -- $6 for the nickle silver circle disc, $10 for the sterling silver bee charm)

($14 for the bookmark with the open heart charm -- $6 for the nickle silver circle disc, $8 for the sterling silver medium open heart charm)

Ribbon choices are : Blue, purple, and light brown/tan for now... more choices to come soon...

Mother's Day in the UK

2013-02-28T10:46:00.003-08:00

... is March 10th!
Cally ordered this for her mom for Mother's Day:

$43 total (1" sterling silver circle washer disc $30, large sterling silver open heart charm $10, August birthstone $3)

I stole her idea... and made it into a pendant! (works great both ways, don't you think?)

$65 total The above picture shows a 16" sterling silver round oxidized chain for $22 more than the above keyring/chain.

Mother's Day is Coming Up!

2013-02-21T23:17:00.005-08:00

How about a pendant with all her darling children's names?

($80 Total for the above pendant -- 1" sterling silver circle disc $30, 3/4" sterling silver circle disc $20, 5/8" sterling silver circle disc $10, 20" sterling silver diamond cut chain $20)

Or maybe just "mom?"

($ 53 for above "mom" pendant -- sterling silver long rectangle $15, Tiffany style heart charm $10, pearl $3, birthstone $3, 16" round oxidized chain $22)

How about a pendant with all 3 children's names AND hubby's name too?

( $44 Total for above pendant -- sterling silver square washer $35, 3 birthstones for each child $9, chain not included here)

This is a simple 2 name pendant:

($26 Total for the above pendant -- 3/4" sterling silver circle disc $20, 2 birthstones $6 -- chain not included in this order)

This four names and a flower pendant is pretty elegant too:

($56 Total for this order -- 1" sterling silver circle disc $30, 16mm sterling silver flower disc $20, pearl $3, birthstone $3 -- chain not included in this order)

Or... how about my most ordered pendant during the Christmas season???
The Mother-in-Law Pendant!
"Thank you for raising the man of my dreams"

($43 Total for the above -- 1" sterling silver circle disc $30, large sterling silver open heart charm $10, birthstone $3)

($53 Total for the above pendant and chain -- 1" sterling silver circle disc $30, small sterling silver open heart charm $5, birthstone $3, 16" sterling silver diamond cut chain $15)

($61 Total for above pendant and chain -- 1" sterling silver circle disc $30, large sterling silver open heart charm $10, pearl $3, 18" sterling silver diamond cut chain $18)

The possibilities are ENDLESS -- contact me and we can work on a gift for your mother or mother-in-law SOON!!!!

baby foot prints

2013-02-08T12:59:00.001-08:00

... they make me smile. I'm always so happy to make these for a new mommy. :) And when baby has a new sibling, we can add a new disc below with a new baby name. (that's pretty clever, no?)

Chinese New Year is approaching! It's the year of the snake! Happy Chinese New Year to those of you who are celebrating this weekend!

Land of the free...

2013-01-28T20:12:00.001-08:00

because of the brave.

Need I say more?!

Hubby was driving us all home from Mission San Juan Bautista (baby girl will be learning about missions soon). Being the passenger, I had time to look around... A big SUV was to my right. It had this sticker on the bumper. (see below image) I immediately fell in love with it. I contacted a friend to see if I may make this for her father. She contacted me right away and said he would be honored. I am so excited to feature this!

This is what she had to say about her father:
"My dad was in the Navy Seal Team. He retired as a chief after 20 years of service. He also was trained in Emergency Ordinance Disposal."

Her dad is pretty awesome, don't you agree? An amazing man who served our country with pride. I am very proud to know him and thankful for his years of service. Thank you, Mr. Hogg!

$30 (1" sterling silver circle disc)

If you are here for the first time, welcome. Thank you for stopping by. Please visit my Face Book page and support my small business with a "like."

Big sister and more love in this family

2013-01-24T00:20:00.002-08:00

Isla is youngest son's classmate in preschool. I think her name is beautiful. Of course, I did not know how to pronounce it when I first saw her name tag! I mispronounced it to youngest son, who was quick to correct me after a great first morning of playing with his new friends! (gotta love them for correcting you, right?) Anyway, when youngest son started preschool last September, Isla's mom was pregnant. Fast forward now to the start of a new session in preschool. Guess what? Baby is here... and this wonderful family of 3 is now a family of 4! More love to go around!!!! Bless Cally for being such a patient woman (not that she had a choice!)... Baby Leo was a week overdue! We are all glad he is here, safe, and healthy! (Boy, is he ever healthy!) So, I made this for Cally (I'm loving my new design stamps. These double hearts are lovely!):

And I couldn't ignore Isla... who is a VERY proud and loving big sister!

Congratulations Cally, Ross, and big sister, Isla... and welcome sweet Leo!!!

But First, Coffee...

2013-01-18T12:13:00.003-08:00

Made this for a dear friend this month for her birthday. :)

You can make a personalized coffee cup too. Go here. You want the spoon? Contact me! :)

Have a great weekend!
If you have time, please stop by my Facebook Page and "like" it. THANK YOU!

Eres Para Mi

2013-01-14T13:23:00.003-08:00

... you are the one for me... how sweet is this????
What a great way to start off the new year with this order!

($74 total -- 1" circle washer $30, 3/4" circle washer $20, 2 birthstones $6, 18" sterling silver 1mm bead chain $18)

Merry Christmas...

2012-12-24T23:11:00.004-08:00

from our family to yours!!!!

We are enjoying staying up late, sleeping in, staying in our PJs til noon time... and being with each other. I hope that you are also enjoying your time with the ones you love most.

Be Open to Whatever Comes Next

2012-12-11T21:22:00.003-08:00

...because you just never know...

$50 (1" sterling silver circle washer disc $30, small sterling silver open heart charm $5, NEW 16" sterling silver 1mm bead chain $15)

Adventure is out there!

2012-12-07T13:29:00.001-08:00

$48 (1" sterling silver circle washer disc $30, sterling silver sea horse charm $12, crystal beads $6)

Mother in Law

2012-12-02T13:14:00.002-08:00

Awww... I hope one day (waaaaay later in the future!), I will receive a special pendant like this from my future daughter in law.

Isn't it just lovely?!

(thank you for raising the man of my dreams)

$43 (1" Sterling silver circle disc $30, large open heart sterling silver charm $10, red crystal $3)

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"Chunky" pendants with a vintage feel

2012-12-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

That was what we decided to call this "collection" of discs when she and I discussed this necklace. She wanted something "chunky" with a vintage feel. I absolutely love it... so I made myself one too! (different names of course, hahaha!)

I'm working away on Christmas ornaments -- so fun!!!!

You are my sunshine...

2012-11-24T12:08:00.001-08:00

I met a really nice mom and daughter team at the San Jose Country Club holiday boutique a month ago. They both wanted to place an order for a special friend whom recently lost her daughter. They saw my other pendant with the words, "you are my sunshine" but made a request to add the little girl's name and a butterfly charm and 2 crystals.

They were happy with the results and so am I.

I can't imagine what it is like to lose a child... My heart ached for this woman when I made this pendant. Her birthday was very recent and she received this special gift from her 2 friends. I hope that this pendant will bring her comfort and allow her to wear her precious child's name close to her heart. I know that sometimes when I am feeling sad, I rub my pendants and remember how fortunate I am to have 3 children who love me as much as I love them.. and are here with me. Although it seems so simple to me (and some of you!)... I find comfort when wearing their names so close to me. It's the simple things in life...

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving... and now on to Christmas!

Remember, all ornament orders need to be made by November 30, 2012 in order to be received by Christmas! (I will have them in your hands within 7-14 days of your order or I can mail them directly for an additional $3 per ornament).

Kappa Delta Sorority

2012-11-18T18:10:00.002-08:00

Today, baby girl (who is no longer a baby -- but just indulge me as I continue to think she is! ;))... she and her Girl Scout Troop spent the afternoon with a group of wonderful ladies at San Jose State University... the Kappa Delta ladies, to be exact.

Here they are in front of the sorority house:

They had a great visit and learned about college life. Last night, I thought about this day and felt so appreciative of the girls at Kappa Delta Sorority because they were taking time out of their busy schedules to spend time with our girls. I feel that it is so important to have these girls learn from college students who are enthusiastic about being in college and giving back to their community. They need positive role models and today, I felt they met some amazing ladies. So late last night... I made 3 of these pendants to give to the coordinator so that she may raffle them off to 3 lucky ladies.

I want to have a successful business, but I also want to give back to the community. I want to show that I appreciate them for their time, effort, and enthusiasm. What "I" enjoyed most, aside from these young ladies' enthusiasm, was the last station where they had a panel of them discuss their majors. One young lady was a civil engineering major, another a graphic design major, another a teacher, and the one that got the least response (because I'm sure the girls became scared of her!) was the young lady studying to be a police officer! (I liked her immediately! hahaha). No seriously.... It was nice to listen to their hopes and dreams -- which will soon become a reality! I hope my daughter listened and grasp the concept of college life... Although it seems so far away, I know it will be here soon enough! (So I'd better get this business going! hahaha)

Well, I just hope the winners of these pendants will enjoy wearing them and remember that today they made an impact on a lot of little girls.

For those who did not win... a 10% discount for you! Just contact me with your orders! :)

($19 -- rectangle sterling silver disc $10, crystals $3 each, and stainless steel necklace in this picture (but was not included in the giveaway) $3)

Christmas Ornaments

2012-11-02T23:39:00.002-07:00

and so it begins...
Place your orders now! Last day to place orders is November 30, 2012... to ensure that all ornaments are completed in time for the holidays!

Family ornament:
$50 (1 1/4" sterling silver circle disc $40, Snowflake #1 charm $10)
(yes, I used 2013 on purpose!)

First year ornament:
$28 (1" sterling silver circle disc $25, 3 holiday color stones $3 each)

First year ornament (can add year here as well):
$28 (1" sterling silver circle washer disc $25, 3 holiday color stones $3 each)

Family ornament:
$50 (1 1/4" sterling silver circle disc $40, snowflake #2 charm $10)

Family ornament:
$58 ( 1 1/4" sterling silver circle disc $40, 6 holiday color stones $3 each)

For you sports fans out there!

2012-10-27T17:36:00.001-07:00

An order just placed... and now filled for a proud mommy of two athletic boys!

$45 total (5/8" sterling silver circle discs at $10 each shown with an 18" 1mm 8sided snake chain $25)