Posts Tagged: "necklace"

“You Raise the Bar” Meaningful Gift

Princess Diana - October 10, 2018 - Birthday, Business, Congratulations, Gifts for Him, Graduation

There are gifts that make you happy, and there are gifts that feed your soul because they are deeply meaningful.

Queen Darlene gave me the most thoughtful birthday present this year.

She gave me a necklace with a silver bar with my initial “d” cut out of it. It was cute by itself, but let me tell you about the meaningful, heartful part…

In the card, she wrote to me:

You’ve Always Raised the Bar

“Diana, You’ve always raised the bar! And, no one can come close when you set your mind on whatever you choose to do! You are your own kind of incredible and that’s something to celebrate my precious friend!”

Unique Knitted Metal Jewelry

Queen Darlene - June 27, 2018 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day

My grandmother knitted throughout her lifetime. She tried to teach me, but I never really showed much interest.

Oh, how I wished I had learned because you never know when old skills can turn into new talent.

This past Mother’s Day weekend, my husband, Randy, and I attended an arts festival in our community. Over the years, we have purchased art, prints, pottery, jewelry and leather goods at this event.

Since we no longer need stuff to hang on the walls or decorate shelves, I’ve become interested in jewelry made by artists. Randy likes to look for unusual artistic designs on leather belts.

Arts festivals are wonderful places to have the opportunity to speak with artists face-to-face. To me, this makes the art more personal.

I’m always on the lookout for jewelry that is different when I spotted a booth by artist Susan Baile of Spiritus Designs.

I ooohed and awed over her necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. I asked her, “What are these made of?” Susan replied, “Metals and I knit them.”

Well… that really piqued my interest!

She went on to say she started knitting at the age of 11. When Susan retired, she wanted to do something to keep her busy. Since she loved to knit, she found a way to knit metals into jewelry.

Jewelry With Special Meaning

Princess Diana - November 5, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Father's Day, Graduation, Kids, Mother's Day, Retirement, Valentine's Day, Wedding

It’s that feeling you get every time you touch the pendant around your neck or glance down at a bracelet, and you’re reminded of its special meaning.

A piece of jewelry with special meaning tells a sentimental story of who gave it to you and why.

It’s not just a fashion accessory. It symbolizes a relationship, a feeling, an event or a memory.

For my mother’s birthday, I wanted to surprise her with a new piece of jewelry since it’s not something she often buys for herself. I decided to browse on the Rustic Cuff website since it’s an Oklahoma company.

I came across this beautiful gold and silver cuff. The center is a gold hexagon with a smaller, silver hexagon inside it. Immediately, this thought popped into my head.

The six sides of the gold hexagon represent her six children. She is the silver hexagon in the middle because she is our center that holds us together. The other special meaning is her influence on us and the people we’ve become. We became a hexagon because she is a hexagon.

It’s what I will tell my mother when I give her the bracelet. Every time she wears it, I hope she thinks of her six children and how much we love her. Continue Reading

Tell Someone’s Story With a Floating Charm Locket Necklace

Queen Darlene - January 21, 2016 - Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Going Away, Graduation, Mother's Day, Retirement, Valentine's Day, Wedding

The newest trend of charm bracelets are Floating Charm Locket Necklaces. It’s a unique way to tell stories with jewelry by giving a locket containing charms depicting someone’s hobbies or experiences, or commemorating celebrations such as birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day or weddings.

I gave my girlfriend, Janet, a floating charm necklace for her birthday. The charms I chose were a cake with candles to celebrate her birthday, the letter “J” for her name and because she loves to take lots and lots of photos, I added a camera charm. She loved it!

Floating Charm Locket Necklaces come in different shapes such as round, heart or animal. You can choose from hundreds of cute, beautiful and colorful charms so it’s easy peasy to find charms that fit their personality and tell their personal “story.”

Say Aloha to World’s Easiest Money Lei

Princess Diana - January 12, 2016 - Going Away, Graduation, Money, Retirement

httpvh://youtu.be/jztXwKt13uk

Did you know that leis are commonly presented when someone is arriving or leaving? The garland of flowers is a common symbol of love, friendship, celebration, honor or greeting.

That’s why money leis are perfect for graduation, going away parties and retirement parties. They’re pretty like flowers, but they have spending power!

They make for a unique and memorable gift that the gift recipient can wear on their special day.

There are many money lei tutorials out there, but this one is the world’s easiest money lei. It requires very little folding and assembling and still looks great!

The one I made using a standard Mardi Gras necklace only requires 14 money leis. Most other money lei tutorials require you to fold and attach 40-60 money flowers.

HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD’S EASIEST MONEY LEI

Items you will need:

cash (use crisp bills; iron if necessary)
beaded necklace
small rubber bands
ribbon (cut into 8 inch strips) (regular or curling ribbon)
glue dots or double-sided tape

Scented Candles Containing Hidden Jewelry

Queen Darlene - August 27, 2015 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day

For my sister-in-law Nancy’s 55th birthday, I wanted to surprise her with a gift that would give her a thrill. Jewelry is always fun to receive, but how about one hidden in a candle that you have to burn to find?

I remember as a kid the excitement of finding the prize inside a Cracker Jack box!

During the 1950s & 60s “real” prizes were hidden inside Cracker Jacks instead of paper stickers. I discovered a jeweled ring as one of my hidden treasures and pretended it was my wedding ring!

I remember my kids dumping entire cereal boxes on the kitchen table in order to find the prizes inside. There’s just something exhilarating about finding hidden treasures. Continue Reading

1 4 3 – Secret Code for I Love You

Queen Darlene - January 16, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Wedding

I love surprises, unique gifts and secret messages that are just for me. The best part is my husband, Randy, knows it!

Several years ago, my husband had a necklace made for me for Valentine’s Day. It reminded me of the “drop” he gave me when we began dating. That’s what they were called in the 1960s.

This time, it did not have his initials RED. It was 1 4 3. I was puzzled.

“What is 1 4 3?” I asked Randy. He told me it’s a secret code. One is for I, four is for L-o-v-e and three is for Y-o-u.

So sweet! It was a great surprise with a special unique message and now you know our secret code! Feel free to borrow this gift idea for your loved one this Valentine’s Day.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. – Elizabeth Barrett Browning