I absolutely love this pretty sterling silver necklace created by Etsy seller juliegarland.  Aren’t the silver nuggets on the chain so unique and cool?

The necklace measures about 17 inches long and is fastened with a sterling spring ring clasp.

Added bonus – this necklace is selling for a great price! $30.00!

- Jackie

Some days are a lot easier than others.

Today was one of the hard ones.

Although I’m not overly excited to share those hard days with everyone around me (such a downer), I thought I would share a really pretty silver lining that happened later in the day today.

The background:

I don’t know if it’s the family overload of the holidays (does that just happen to me?) or if it’s the struggle of being a grown-up in general, but today I really just wanted to cuddle up with a good book and veg out.

…And then I got a Twitter message from a lovely Etsy seller @SimaGilady.  (More on that later…)

I have known Sima for awhile now, and her work is stunning.  I featured her Etsy shop (called Simag) awhile back in 2009.

After seeing the feature, she was kind enough to send me a pretty necklace similar to the one pictured below.  She said I could have her hand-stamp it with whatever I wanted, so I picked “blessings“.  I wear it all the time and absolutely love it!

Jump to Today:

Over the weekend, I had been admiring Sima’s newest handmade necklace creation, which is pictured at the top of this feature.

This necklace has a beautiful line from a poem hand-stamped into it. After reading the poem, it made me fall in love with the necklace!

Check out how beautiful this poem is:

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in)
By E.E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

(You can also read the poem here.)

So I reached out and told her I thought it was beautiful.

Sweet Sima replied to the tweet and told me to send over my address because she’d love to send her handmade necklace to me.

I melted.

Sima had no idea I was having a rough day, and she certainly didn’t have to send the necklace to me.  I’m sure she’s as busy as the next person with the holiday season.  Plus, I bet the demand for her beautiful jewelry is through the roof.

Sima doesn’t need to go out of her way to be amazing. She already is.

But, she took a second to reach out to a friend. And it meant a lot!

If you are not following Sima on Twitter, you should be.  She’s an Etsy advocate, caring friend, and overall cool woman to know.  If you have a moment, be sure to also check out her Etsy shop.  She is always listing stunning pieces – it’s a must see.

Also, just as a little side note, I want to encourage everyone (myself included) to do something nice for someone this holiday season.  It doesn’t have to be as generous of a gesture as Sima did for me, but just holding a door for someone or maybe being extra patient with the employees of a retail store during a busy time.

A little kindness can go a long way, and from the bottom of my heart I thank everyone who has shown me some additional love over the years.

- Jackie

I featured this awesome handmade necklace on my site’s right sidebar back in October and I was beyond thrilled when the crafter behind this piece (Mandee) offered to ship the necklace to me!

I have pretty much been wearing the necklace non-stop since I receive it a few weeks ago, and wanted to share this Etsy shop with you guys too!

Mandee is 30 years old and works at a restaurant.  ”I love making people smile and feel good about themselves. I love quotes and music,” she told me.

When she’s not crafting for CloudNineDesignz, her Etsy.com shop, Mandee says she spends her time working at her day job, watching cops shows on TV, and volunteering in her community.

When she heads to Etsy.com to shop, Mandee told me she likes to stop by a shop called WildWomanJewelry.  ”The pictures and product are amazing,” she tells me.

Mandee has great advice to other Etsy sellers:

“Don’t give up,” she says.  ”Surround yourself with creative people. They push you when your down. Believe in your work because it matters.”

Here is another piece from Mandee’s Etsy shop that I love:

All proceeds of the above bookmarker go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research!

So what’s next for CloudNineDesignz?

“I am expanding my product line to include coasters and quotes. And maybe some journals,” she said.

Love Mandee’s shop as much as I do? Get to know her online as well!  Check out her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter @mandeemundrick

Also, Mandee has a great blog with lots of awesome contests and happenings.  Be sure to check it out!  http://www.lifechaosandquotes.blogspot.com

Keep up the great work Mandee!

- Jackie

Meet Gabrielle, the handmade jewelry seller behind a shop on Etsy.com called BSTRUNG.  I learned about this awesome jewelry shop via my Etsy Item of the Day shop submission form and wanted to share my favorite item with you! Aren’t the earring pictured above so cool?

“I am strung out on beads hence the name bstrung,” Gabrielle told me.  ”My daughters and I started making jewelry for a summer project and fell in love.”

When she’s not crafting jewelry for her Etsy shop, Gabrielle says she loves to play tennis and take walks with her miniature schnauzer.

When shopping on Etsy, Gabrielle says she enjoys browsing around at an Etsy shop called Timor.

“I love the art dolls and one of my favorite shops to browse through is timor. The dolls are so unique,” she told me.

This is a really cool shop! Thanks for sharing it Gabrielle!

Here’s Gabrielle’s advice to sellers:

“Don’t give up,” she said.  ”It takes commitment and hard work to make your Etsy shop successful.”

So what’s coming up next for bstrung?

“I am considering including some of my illustrations in the near future,” Gabrielle told me.  So excited to see this!

Check out Gabrielle on Twitter @Bstrung and on Facebook here!

- Jackie