~ Paradise Trilogy: Part 1 ~

Ok.....pictures, pictures, pictures!

I went to Turks and Caicos for my brother's wedding. We were there for a glorious 6 days and 5 nights. I was so excited that I really did not sleep at all the night before! Got on the plane and before I knew it, we were landing.....


Day 1
My brother rented a villa so we stayed with him for a couple of nights. We got there and it was gorgeous! He said it isn't even the best one, but he had to get that one 'cause it allows dogs. So, before I even looked at every room, my fiance was already in the pool.





My fiance was running around, letting the dogs chase him and before we knew what was going on, one of them fell in. It was so funny! They have never been in water, but we found out that both of them swim very well.


There are shells everywhere!


The favorite room in the villa is my brother's room. It has a beautiful canopy bed, a deck with a hammock, an outdoor shower and it's just so airy! I love airy rooms.




Then, we just walked off the deck and onto the beach! Look how blue it is!


That night, we went to eat at a resort restaurant that was right next to the beach. We tried some island specialty called the Conch Salad and Conch Chowder. Not my favorite, but it was just great to be eating, laughing with family and friends and listening to the waves. My dad tried the local beer too. He said it's great.



Day 2
The next day is basically all beach and food. Yes, this is a lot of pictures of me. My brother was testing his new camera.





The boys decided to explore the beach and found some interesting creatures.


Don't worry...that was dead before we got there.

Ok, enough pictures for now. Much more to come in the trilogy!

~ Memorial Day Weekend Sale ~

You may be wondering where my vacation pictures are. Well, here's preview:

Me and my mom. Isn't she beautiful? This is on the day of the wedding and I am sporting jewelry from my shop: "Sunshine in Provo" Earrings and Sunshine in Provo" necklace .


Me on the beach...


I am in the process of organizing my pictures. There were too many cameras involved and a lot of pictures to sort out. In the mean time, I have good news for you! I am having a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend sale at my shop! Here are the details:

• 5% off purchases of $50-$99 (before shipping)
• 12% off purchases of $100-$149 (before shipping)
• 18% off purchases of $150 or more (before shipping)

Stock up now! Make sure you are sparkling at all your summer dates and parties!

Discount amount will be automatically refunded through paypal. Sale ends 11:59pm Monday, June 1st.

And just a special bonus for my blog readers, you will receive a pair of Swarovski crystal earrings with any purchase. I am going to surprise you with the style and color. Simply enter "I love your blog" in message to seller and your free gift will be on its way.

I know you want some of these!






And here's a little preview of what I will be listing today.....pretty floral hair combs! Made these last night with resin and lucite floral components and Swarovski crystals.






There are a lot of sales going on in various shops on Etsy and at the mall. Happy shopping!!!

~ Sneak Attack: Cute and Cuter ~

Ok, it's time for another sneak attack! I know I am supposed to show you pictures of my vacation, but.... things just got in the way and today there's something more important to blog about! It's sneak attack time!

This attack started off at 3pm today, just so our friends across the atlantic can easily participate. So, of course, I picked shops that ship everywhere. Today, I picked two (IMHO) very cute shops. I was very excited to have found them.

First there's cute little magnets and clips from HollieLollie. Very cute stuff! I think every little (and big) girl would like something from this shop. I got this little clipboard and also one in green.




Then, some toys from adolina. There's something that's irresistable about pocket gnomes...



And these are just adorable!


I hope you like these shops and support them either by making purchases or just spreading the word about the attack. Join us on the Etsy forum thread if you have a few minutes. HollieLollie actually stopped by the thread already and expressed her thanks. Always wonderful to hear from the victim :)

~ My Treasury - 6 Inches Under Water ~

Wow, it has been a while! I got back from Turks and Caicos on Sunday and have been crazily busy with errands, the shop and work.  I promise to post pictures from the trip tomorrow.  I had a ton of fun and I miss the island already.  So, in the spirit of Turks and Caicos, one of the few places where conch thrives, I present to you my newest treasury:  6 Inches Under Water.

You would think that under water, you will find cool colors...greens, blues, purples.  Instead, you can find the warmest shades of pink and peach from the beautiful conch shells!  Nature is so wonderful :)

~ Getting Ready for Caicos and Turks ~

I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo very very very very excited!  I will be going to the Caicos and Turks Island for my brother's wedding next week.  I love beaches!!  

My brother actually proposed to his fiance there last year and they are getting  married on the same day this year.  Isn't that sweet?  I am glad they decided to do a destination wedding so I can have an excuse to go there :)  I am just looking up what I can do there and so far, here's what I found...

Scuba Diving/Snorkling

My brother already arranged a diving trip for us.  I am considering doing some extra snorkling too.  But, I need to go get the gears.  The hotel has some, but according to my brother, they are nasty.  Here are some pictures my brother took last year:

Lounge around a beach

hmm of course.  I need to get a new swim suit and sun screen!  I was burnt a lil bit last time I went to the zoo :(  I am still peeling so I need to really put lots of sun screen on.  But maybe I can just stay under the shades...

Look how clear the water is.  Ignore my brother's foot.

I wish I am there right now....

Whale tours

There seem to be lots of tours offered on the islands.  I saw ones for whales.  That would be fun.

Casinoes

Wow they have a casino!  Yes, I must sneak away from my mom to go.  She says it's bad for me, but ..... it's not like I go all the time...right?

Middle Caicos Caves
This sounds pretty good.....

Middle Caicos is home to an impressive chain of limestone caves (the largest in the Caribbean) and the steep, breathtaking limestone cliffside of Mudjidin Beach. These natural wonders are subjects of many photos and must-see attractions when visiting Middle. After exploring the caves you can have lunch on the beach and then end your day with snorkeling for sand dollars.
Excursions to Middle Caicos are available through Dolphin Tours and Silver Deep.

I am sure there are plenty more activities.  The down side is.... I won't be blogging till I come back.  I have to get ready for the trip and hand Momo off to his sitter.  But I will take lots of pictures and bring back inspirations for my shop.  Good bye,  my readers!  I will be back...in a week or so.

~ My Treasury: A Geisha's Longing ~

I was thinking about one of my favorite books,  Memoirs of a Geisha, and listening to wistful love songs.  So, this week's treasury is dedicated to that.  I wanted to capture the feeling of an incomplete glamourous life, a person who's missing something.  Is it love?  Is it freedom?

If you haven't read the book yet, go read it!  The book is so much better than the movie.  I read it in 2 days 'cause I couldn't put it down.  And yes, I have a thing for the Japanese culture.  I think it's all the anime I watched when I was a kid.  I even took Japanese in college even though language isn't a requirement!  

Nihon-go o benkyo shimashita!  hmm.... I wonder if that's right....  ja ... mata ne!

~ Custom Orders ~

This past week, I have been busy with custom orders. I am very happy with how things turned out! I am going to be listing some of the items in my shop as well. Watch for them!!

First up....jewelry for a blushing bride and her wonderful bridesmaids. The wedding theme is black and fuchsia and here is what she picked out for the bridesmaids:




For the bride, dangly, sparkly, with just a hint of extravagance...



I made a few hair accessories for her to choose from too. They are so much fun to make! Definitely going to be making more!
A hair comb...


That's what it looks like in my hair...


Some simple hair pins for the flower girls...


An extravagant hair vine....



Finally done with all that! Going to ship it out tomorrow. Another set that I shipped out is these beauties, a set of Swarovski Pegasus Crystal Necklaces. I called them, "Together, We Can Fly". These are meant to be a set for lovers or best friends. The thickness and length of the chain make these unisex necklaces. Lighter and shorter chains can be requested, of course.



Also got a custom order for Nadia's Earrings in blue and I just got new bicone pendants in Indigo blue. What perfect timing! I like how they turned out, so I made an extra pair for my shop.