This charm is dedicated to my father, Gil, who also happens to be celebrating his birthday today.  I designed the charm as a top since my Dad has a fabulous collection of spinning top toys:

Watercolor and Gouache Gold, Enamel, and Diamond "Top" Rendering by Joana Miranda

My father, who often comes across as very serious (degrees in law and music, a European upbringing, and years spent teaching as a professor in academia certainly foster that image), has a very impish side as well.  He has played his share of practical jokes on his family, and I never tire of hearing of the funny escapades he had with his Portuguese nephews and nieces when they were little.

One of my favorite stories?

One summer when the family was traveling to the south of Portugal to vacation, he stationed each little nephew and niece at one of the windows in the train compartment.  When the train rolled into the stations along the way, he coached them all to yell out the windows to each other (in Portuguese), “Oh no! you spilled the wine!”, “Pass the chicken!”, and other such rowdy comments.   Like this, he insured that the family had the entire train compartment to themselves for the trip!

Happy Birthday!

Moonpebble’s Charm Part 14 – Chocolate Soda is located in Presto’s Edge, by Groomfur’s House of Fashion. This is Gold Explorer Mission and you will need to accept the mission from the mission tab to be able to see the charm box.  Don’t forget to go to Breakwater Beach & click on Moonpebble to complete this mission.

Need other Moonpebble Charms – CLICK HERE

Thanks Cue for letting me know where it was located.  & Happy Thanksgiving

just managed to complete these rings for Yih Fang today!

first time trying out “gold glitter text” it turned out really well!

the purple is darker and more vibrant in real life. camera flash always messes up my colors.

♥

familiar? Leonie wanted the bottlecap charm from “Every girl’s dream” bracelet to be a necklace… so… tada!

proudly modelled by Po

it actually looks pretty good on him, no? haha! next!

♥

i did this a couple days ago… Eka is getting this for his friend’s 21st birthday. She’s an air stewardess you see, thus the jet setting theme! i sure hope she’ll like this!

♥

a slightly “fuller bloom” than the original piece i sold on the website…

♥

couple days ago i got suppppper excitied!

i got an order from Mavis in The Netherlands… and this is her chanel stash!

♥

yupppp, thats what i’ve been up to, which is why you haven’t seen long posts in a while…

but expect to see new designs of vintage earstuds by next week!

xoxo

One Thanksgiving when I was still living in the Twin Cities, I found myself  in the city without any place in particular to go for the holiday.  It occurred to me that I might find a new way to celebrate the meaning of  Thanksgiving.  I decided to see if I could volunteer for the day at a soup kitchen or battered women’s shelter.  While those places didn’t need my assistance at that time, the Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly program did need drivers to take some of their elderly members to a Thanksgiving church dinner.  I was sent detailed instructions not only with the names and addresses of the three elderly ladies I was to drive to and from the dinner, but also directions for how to prepare my car, what to do in an emergency situation, and other precautions.  Needless to say, I started to feel trepidation about what I had gotten myself into!

To my delight, all three ladies, though fragile, were wonderfully lively companions – one even corrected my driving when I made an illegal U-turn – and they regaled me all afternoon me with fascinating stories.  When I dropped them off at their individual apartments late in the afternoon, one of them gifted me with a two-dollar bill.

That day I felt gifted with much more than two dollars.  Perhaps, for the first Thanksgiving ever, I felt truly thankful…thankful to be able to help someone else and to bring  joy and companionship to others.  This charm therefore is dedicated to the spirit of Thanksgiving:

Watercolor and Gouache Gold and Diamond "Wishbone" Charm Rendering by Joana Miranda

May all of your hopes, dreams and wishes come true.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today’s charm is dedicated to my sister, Marta:

Watercolor and Gouache Enamel, Diamond, and Gold "Earth" Charm by Joana Miranda

My sister has traveled the world, seems to survive any difficult situation she encounters, has an uncanny knack for picking up not only the customs but the specific accents of different regions, and is fluent in three languages.  Some people say we look like twins; others, that they can’t tell that we’re even sisters.   The way I see it, she is a uniquely beautiful, intelligent and very special person.

Delicate Raymond has debuted the Quite Charming collection of dainty gold charm necklaces, all reasonably priced at $38. From butterflies to lightning bolts, there’s a charm for everyone!

To purchase, visit www.delicateraymond.com.

The Mistletoe Charm has been release and is located in the Secret Tree House. T  If you don’t know how to get there, CLICK HERE.  This charm is available until Dec 1.

Looking for the other charms, CLICK HERE.

THANKS  HUGS for letting me know where it was located.

Mistletoe Charm - In Spy Bears Secret Tree House

Day 2 in my week of dedicated Thanksgiving posts was designed in honor of my dearest friends near and far:

Watercolor and Gouache Platinum and Diamond Heart Charm Rendering by Joana Miranda

This platinum and diamond heart pendant is symbolic of the strength your support and love gives me.  Thank you for listening, for being there, for cheering me on and for laughing with me!

(For those of you who are paying close attention, you may have noticed that the light is coming from the right in this rendering rather than from the customary top left of the page.  At the end of this week, I’ll be posting the charm bracelet in its entirety.  You’ll find out the placement of each charm then…or you can see if you can put the puzzle together on your own before then!)

As I was musing on the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, it occurred to me that it would be nice to pay tribute with a dedicated design to the people whom I love most dearly.  Conveniently, there are a week’s worth of you…ok, I admit I am lumping all of my dearest friends into one group.  For my design, I settled on a charm bracelet.   You each bring charm and blessings into my life for which I am so grateful.   Much as the chain binds together these charms, I am linked to all of you by our shared love.  When we are together the circle is complete, but even when apart, our ties can never be severed.

The first charm is dedicated to my mother, Sharon:

Watercolor and Gouache "Fuschia" Enamel, Gold and Amethyst Charm Rendering by Joana Miranda

As my college roommate used to say to her mother, “Thanks for laying me when I was just an egg!”  A few of my mother’s charms are an exuberance for life, a very generous heart, and a love for nature – in particular, flowers and her gardens.  (She also is one of my biggest fans and reads my blog religiously.)

Solid disc beads with pearl-like finish
on silver findings, silver charm, wood beads
Sterling Silver earwires & pins

2″ in length

$10 (includes tax & shipping)

I want these!

Silver metal trees
Charms on Sterling Silver earwires
1″ in length

$10 (includes tax & shipping)

I want these!

One of my favorite earrings

Christmas Trees with polka-dots
Enamel charm of metal, plain on back
Sterling Silver earwires & pins

1″ in length

$10 (includes tax & shipping)

I want these!

Picking The Right Corporate Clothing
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Bruce_Scott]Bruce Scott

Corporate clothing is often very essential to most company. Not only does corporate clothing help to promote your company images it also ensures each of the members of your work team can be identified easily & will always fit with the quality you choose to describe. In most cases, corporate work wear is one of the best ways to keep your employees looking good and feeling great. Additionally, it will support you to keep the overall appeal of your employees to customers and others high.

There are a lot of reason why corporate clothing is necessary in the company. Here are some of the reason:
To make your employee look smart, this clothing ensures that your staff are presentable. To enhance the confidence of your work force-if they feel and look smart, they take much pride with their work.

It shows that they are belong on your company – it shows that the company values them, as it proving them with the right clothing so that they can do their job properly.  A cheap advertising – corporate clothing serve as a walking advertisement.

On the other hand, finding the quality corporate clothing for your employees is an important process. But if you are in trouble in choosing it you can ask some of the idea and opinion of your employee. It is necessary to get their opinion, because they are the one to wear it. If it chosen carefully, will be long lasting, and represent good value for money.  In addition, you know that if the safety of your staff partly depends upon their clothing, then they will be safe.

Choose a corporate clothing that stands for a long period of time. Consider the fabric, the color-make sure it does not wear out easily, and also the style-choose the style that is trendy not only this time but also for the years to come. Choose a corporate work wear that is attractive to everyone. Pick a clothing that is conservative and must comfortable to wear by staff.

It will be better if a company go for descent corporate clothing selection. Because if a person wearing a descent clothing look more disciplined, educated and elegant. To make difference, some of the corporate clothing is trying out by various dress designers for adding some fashion and style in it. Some company customized their work wear according to their choice. Some are putting a logo or a short punch line on it. Most are looking for durability and quality of it to save money.

But before choosing a corporate clothing, an analysis of their competitor is also necessary. This will help the company to survive in the competition. This will also provides a good atmosphere inside the company. There will be also an equality between the employee. Encourage your employees to dress the items you purchase and to deal their input on them. Over time, you may find that there are some items that they really do enjoy wearing. With your company logo or promotional punch line on them, they really can work for you in many ways.

Bruce Scott is a webmaster that optimize the [http://www.smartsuits.co.uk/]smartsuits.co.uk, that offer a variety of quality corporate suits, [http://www.smartsuits.co.uk/]corporate clothing and smart workwear. Have the Smartest Suits whilst generating income for your Business, without compromising on quality.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruce_Scott http://EzineArticles.com/?Picking-The-Right-Corporate-Clothing&id=3231674Corporate clothing is often very essential to most company. Not only does corporate clothing help to promote your company images it also ensures each of the members of your work team can be identified easily & will always fit with the quality you choose to describe.

Twilight Angel is a piece of bespoke jewelry for a tweeny

It is made of a silver chain, metal charms, freshwater pearls,  and crystals. May Ms Tweeny be inspired by wisdom (symbolised by the key charm); nature (leaf) and music (cello)!

Twilight Angel

Twilight Angel

Mission:  Gold Explorer’s Charm – Chocolate Mousse  has been released.   The charm is located in the Explorer’s Camp, back by the tents.  Remember to go to the Beach and click on Moonpebble to complete this mission.

Located in Explorer's Camp

The Watermelon Charm is located in the Jaguar Temple.  You get to the Temple from the Explorer’s Camp.  You will need to have invisibiliity to get into the Temple.  It is on the second platform.  THANKS to Fairyfoocool for letting me know where the charm was located..

Do my nipples need flair? The folks at Nipple Charms seem to think so!

See, my friends at  kept mentioning these nipple things, and I finally looked into them. Hell, I’ve got a pair of nipples that will salute an 80 degree summer day…why shouldn’t they be attractively (yet painlessly) adorned?

I have yet to feel the desire to pierce my nipples (though a below the belt piercing crosses my mind frequently!), but this non-piercing jewelry I think I could get down with.

Get down, nips…go ahead get down…

I haven’t blogged in a few days because I’ve been very busy with things! The other day I was told that a dog I was interested in, and had even met a few times, was adopted out to someone else. I’m still very heartbroken about it. He was a total sweetheart and just what I’ve always wanted. I’m still looking for dog, preferably a larger male, but I think it maybe hard to find another dog that’s perfectly housebroken, quiet, silly but laid back, calm, loveable, and can be roughed up without taking it too personally. After he was adopted out, I was recommended a coonhound that’s pretty laid back and sweet, but he isn’t all that housebroken. I just started to like him, too! I’m not all that sure on just how to housebreak a dog, and I don’t really want to clean up the mess that often. I like a dog that doesn’t leave me guessing when it needs to go. It seems like a lot to ask for, but I’ve seen a lot of dogs like this, and I’d like to have a good one of my own as well. I’m still learning about this coonhound, named Walter, and another named Gabe. We’ll see how it goes with them!

 
………………………….Sherlock……………………………………….Nick (top) and Davy (bottom)……………….

I would like to stick with adopting from the people who had Willie because the “getting to know you as pet owners/rescue organization” process is complete. Rob and I actually met them in July when we adopted our two guinea pigs from them. Rob got a baby guinea pig named Sherlock for me back in May, but he was from a pet store and got sick. unfortunately, the vet couldn’t take us in time and he died. We still wanted guinea pigs because they’re such comical little animals and can be very cuddly. Sherlock was a musical little guy and would get excited over a radio getting turned on and would even sing with me when I would. The new boys we got are brothers named Davy and Nick. They and my hamsters are actually the inspiration that got me started on Kourage Kritters. The first pieces I made were a set of Davy and Nick earrings, a set of Mitzi and Priscilla earrings, and a necklace to remember Sherlock by. Of course, I updated my style since then, as I wasn’t planning on selling at the time. I was just wanting to wear my pets when I go out!

 
……………………….Davy and Nick pop art…………………..

I’m sure other people would like to wear their pets–at least I would hope I’m not the only one!–and that’s why I do have the option of ordering a Kustom Kritter from my store! All I need from YOU is a picture of your pet, or the special animal that you would like for me to make. By that I mean, you can see the loons and dolphins… obviously were not someone’s pet! I also did these elephants (below), also not pets! But you catch my drift. I can do custom orders, it is $5 more since it isn’t on my regular list of creations. Also, I’m more used to doing my main line, but with a custom piece, I’m really looking at the pictures to get my piece to look right which takes a little extra time, work, and patience.

After all this took place, I got a message from my friend of ten years (Shelley) to call her at her new job, which she is manager of. She talked her boss into hiring me! So now, I have a physical job along with my jewelry. Don’t worry, it won’t take too much time from my jewelry making. I can work everything out just fine. It’s nice to have some extra money on the way! It sucks working for someone else again, as I haven’t done so since April, but I guess I have to take what I can get until my jewelry REALLY takes off. There for a while it did, then it stopped, though none of that traffic was from the online store that I’m still trying to promote…. Please promote me? Maybe since I’ll be able to have frequent contact with her again (I moved away when I was 17) I can have a model for my jewelry? Would a model help? I hate pictures of me. Haha!

The main reason that I did start this post was because in my last one, I forgot that I had yet another inspiration for jewelry. This is weirder than the spiders and platypuses, but possibly cuter for you guys! Last week I was out and passed a cow field. There was a cow by the roadside fence that looked so desperate for food during this brown grass season that it was eating a plastic grocery bag! I hope it soon realized what it had and spit it out. If not, I really hope it finds a way to pass the bag! Anyway, I thought the cow was just so cute, and I thought, “Hey! Cow earrings!” So I have some of those that I’m finishing up along with the other pieces. Everything that I’ve done is half glazed since I got interrupted by sad things and happy things. I need to finish those when I get off of here and work on some new pieces I’m doing. Which brings me to….

Charm bracelets! Are this still cool? I’ve always wanted a charm bracelet. I love the way they dangle and jingle and they’re so cool. They’re casual, they’re formal. Okay, so mine not be as formal, not being made from pretty shiny metals. But I am making some charms for your bracelets! The pieces will be about ½” long each. Right now I’ve made a brown caped bunny, dwarf hamster, creamsicle hamster, scarab beetle (I have a larger scarab pendant coming soon as well), lady bug, and a calico guinea pig. Very cute. I was thinking of selling them for about $3 each. Does that sound about right? I know they’re small and charms are cheapish, so I thought especially without the cost of too many findings and chains, $3 was a nice steal for you cheap people. And a little secret–eh-hem… I’m very cheap. I’ve gone to the dollar store and felt like not opening my purse. But there are many days that I’m like “Shopping!” So I do know where some of you other financially hurting people stand. I’m sooo with you right now.

I will leave you now, after this insanely huge post with a new posted item on my store. Last time it was the Witch Doctors, this time it’s the Purple Dragonflies! Enjoy and have a lovely week!

The Earth Charm (Ecology)   has been released.  It is located in Tanglevine Jungle – Do not cross the River.  It is on the opposite side from the Levitation Pillars.   THANKS to  00Hugs00 for telling me where it was located 

Earth Charm - In Tanglevine Junge.. before you cross the river.

Pulsera Bien está,lo que bien acaba_22€+gastos de envío
De metal y cristal.
Pulsera optimista con charms en tono bronce: pareja besándose, corazón reversible con las palabras Love y Amour, charm All is well that ends well (Bien está,lo que bien acaba), puerta y llave con el lema Home, sweet home (hogar,dulce hogar), coche,caramelo,reloj de arena y flores de cristal.

“You have really crappy taste in snacks,” Robert announced around a mouth full of cracker crumbs. Her cabinets weren’t exactly stocked with teenage boys in mind. She’d selected food more on the likelihood that it would keep for several months than that she’d be visited by a growing bottomless pit.

“To be honest, I don’t eat much,” she paused uncertain. “Look, Robert… I’m not the safest person to be around. You’d be better off with your foster parents.”

“Says you!” he spat incredulously. “Those people are a-holes. Their son locked me out of the house last night and then the police want to wonder why I keep running away and didn‘t go to school? Besides, you freaking got shot like half an hour ago and you’re like, pfft, nothing. I figure if I‘m safe anywhere, it‘s with you.”

“As flattering as that is, if that shooter had missed me and hit you instead…”

“Yeah, but you totally healed me when that… Thing tried to eat me,” he announced, a note of hero worship entering his voice. “I bet you could have done it again if you had to.”

“That’s not the point,” she replied uncomfortably. Glory really didn‘t want to get into the fact that the thing that allowed her to heal was some kind of parasite that used her as a sheath and which could just as easily suck the life out of people as restore it. “There are people who wouldn’t think twice about hurting you if they couldn’t get to me.”

“Look, it’s okay. I’m not afraid,” he replied before adding stubbornly, “And if you try to make me leave, I’ll just sleep in the alley behind your place. I figure if I’m going to be homeless, that’s probably the safest place in Sybar City. But hey, your choice.”

“You are a brat,” Glory growled in exasperation. Robert merely crammed another apple buttered cracker in his mouth and watched her with an air of expectation.

“Alright, fine,“ she declared finally, and he grinned, “but there are rules and consequences. No more skipping school, and I expect you to do your homework and actually study for tests. I’ll help you if you need it, but school is important if you want to get a good job some day.” He rolled his eyes in exasperation. He‘d probably had this talk before. “And Officer Hart told me about some of your extracurricular activities. Don’t embarrass me by making me pick you up from the police station. I’ll give you an allowance, so there’s no need for stealing.”

“I don’t steal! That was…”

“You don’t need to explain,” she broke in with a wave of her hand and a slight smile. Glory laid a hand on his shoulder. “Look Robert, I don’t care what you did before, or whether you even did it or not. But if you’re going to live here, I want you to act with a little bit of dignity and forethought.” He made a face. “If you can’t imagine me doing something, then chances are I wouldn’t approve of you doing it. So just don’t do it whether you‘ve done it in the past or not.”

“Okay,” he mumbled looking down before quickly glancing back up and asking anxiously, “Do you… think the cops’ll come back now that they know I’m here?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll have my lawyer look into transferring custody from your foster to parents over to me.“ She thought for a moment before adding, “But keep your eyes and ears open at all times when you‘re outside. I want to know if you even think someone’s watching you or following you, even if you don’t have any proof. I’m going to have to work on some protective charms for you too, but I don’t want you to take them for granted.”

“Cooooooool!” he all but drooled at the thought of more magic enacted on his behalf.

“Just so you know, there are spells all over this house to keep my enemies out, but you saw how well that worked with the shooter,” Glory admonished. “No spell is going to keep you safe or prevent something bad from happening to you if you’re careless or arrogant. Got it?”

When he nodded, she added, “Just keep in mind… if something ever happens to me, or you can’t find me, you go straight to officer Hart. He‘ll get you somewhere safe.” Robert nodded again, swallowing what was either a lump in his throat or a wad of crackers. She was definitely going to need to get to a store for a better quality of snack food, and regular food for that matter.

As much as Glory wanted to call for a rental car and leave immediately for Miskatonic, she first had to call someone to repair her window and her lawyer about Robert. She took the boy upstairs and showed him her room, then told him he could pick any of the empty rooms he wanted for his bedroom. His eyes got very wide before he raced off to explore the rest of the building and choose what was probably the first room he’d ever had all to himself.

Realizing suddenly that though Hart and Walsh had taken two of the bullets, the third was still lodged in the outer wall, Glory cautiously opened the window and stuck her head out. She’d probably be anxious around doors and windows for a while given the shock of being shot when she had felt herself safely at home, but it appeared that, for now, her shooter had been scared off by the arrival of the police. It took her a few minutes to locate the bullet hole and several more to pry the slug out with a pair of tweezers without falling out the window and breaking her silly neck.

She gingerly carried the slug up to the library and set it down in a small sample dish from one of the drawers. Her biggest concern was contamination, but so long as no one touched the bullet directly, it should retain its connection to the unknown shooter. Considering for a second what information she hoped to get from the little piece of scrap metal, she began rooting through her drawers for supplies. It wasn’t that she mistrusted Robert, but she didn’t want to go disappearing on him so soon after warning him about the possibility that she might disappear at some point. Way to make the boy paranoid! she chided herself. Otherwise, she would have gone into her secret room for better equipment. As it was, she wasn’t quite ready to let him into her inner sanctum. At the very least, he’d probably start referring to it as her “Batcave,” and she wasn’t quite comfortable with superhero references considering how culpable she felt about everything Lori had done and might still do with her work.

to Chapter 7, page 5