Don't Feed the Vintage.

Featuring: Bits N' Beads by Gilliauna

2011-04-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Pewter Elephant Charm Bracelet / $40.00

Talk about beauty and quality all rolled into one! Meet Gilliauna of Bits N' Beads! She hand crafts beautiful artisan jewelry. The detailing and beauty of her pieces are really set apart from the many jewelry artists on Etsy. She creates custom pieces if you're looking for a truly one-of-a-kind piece of art. Also if you're low on cheddar, she even offers a layaway plan!

In her own words:

"The colors that surround us us add an extra level of beauty and richness to every day of our lives. Sometimes color isn't just seen but experienced through all the senses and even the emotions. We strive to add a bit of extra color to your life and make each of your days a little brighter with a variety of colorful, quality pieces that will be perfect as a gift for yourself or for someone else!

Each piece offered in our shop is a unique, hand-crafted piece of art lovingly created to be enjoyed for years to come. With over twenty years of experience in jewelry design to back each piece we have to offer, you can rest assured you're receiving top-quality craftsmanship backed by a loving attention to detail.

We often use cleaned and re-purposed as well as vintage jewelry parts and beads in many of our colorful creations. This is a terrific way to help keep waste to a minimum and help out the community at the same time since we shop for our vintage materials at places like the Salvation Army where the profits go back into the community."

Check out her shop on Etsy:

http://www.gilliauna.etsy.com

Also visit her on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BitsnBeadsbyGilliauna

Blog - http://www.colorfulartisanjewelry.com

Twitter - http://twitter.com/gilliauna

Flickr - http://flickr.com/photos/gilliauna

deviantArt - http://www.gilliauna.deviantart.com

Tumblr - http://www.gilliauna.tumblr.com

The Meandering Musings Blog - http://www.handmadeshoppingguide.com

Stay Glamorous!
Rachel DeSantis

Featuring: Jewelry By Jaynemarie

2011-04-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

I am happy to introduce you to Jaynemarie Crawford of Jewelry by Jaynemarie! She hand creates truly beautiful pieces of jewelry from necklaces to earrings and other various accessories. She's what I like to call a "professional" artist as she's taken courses at local stores and jewelry schools and is continually working to improve her knowledge of jewelry design and construction. A lot of jewelry in Etsy is beautifully handmade by people who are naturally talented; however, Jaynemarie's taste and tailoring of each individual piece really stands out in my eyes.

Handmade Black Agate Flower Necklace / $110.00

Jaynemarie started making jewelry when her daughters were small. She would make their clothes and, of course, accessories. She found out that she really enjoy designing and making jewelry. So, of course, she started making jewelry for herself. She always received many compliments and questions about her jewelry and because of that she decided to design and make jewelry for sale.

I really feel a passion for the craft when I look at some of her designs. Every design is so deliberate and well thought out. You really can tell that she loves jewelry - the sparkle of gemstones, the luster of fine pearls, the shapes and textures of silver and gold chains - and she uses this love to create jewelry that she hopes everyone will treasure just as much as she does.

Check her out on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/jewelrybyjaynemarie

Stay Glamorous!

Rachel DeSantis

And The Winner Is...

2011-04-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone out there! I labored and toiled all last night making the video to announce the winner of my $30 store credit giveaway and now it's done! Congratulations to the winner, I hope you get yourself something very cool as I'm sure you deserve it!

Thanks to everyone who participated and I can't wait to do this again, it was a lot of fun.

I have a lot of new great vintage finds in my shop so head on over to http://www.rdesant86.etsy.com and check them out. I've been asked quite a bit to add larger sized clothing and dresses to my shop so I found some ah-MAZING new pieces that I'll be adding over the weekend so keep an eye out!

Stay Glamorous,
Rachel DeSantis

My Etsy Store Credit Giveaway.

2011-03-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I'm giving away $30.00 in store credit to my Etsy shop on April 1st...but the really fun part is that I am going to take video of me doing the drawing old-school style with everyone's names in a bowl. I will create a video announcing the winner and post it on my Facebook fan page, and my blog, on April 1st! This will also give you some nice exposure as it'll be tweeted and posted all over the place!

To enter you just have favorite my shop at www.rdesant86.etsy.com, then like my facebook page at www.facebook.com/desantisvintage to RSVP to the event via the event tab on the left!

I'm really excited for this event and you should tell everyone you know. Just sayin'.

New vintage was posted last night with more to come tonight and the bulk of it this weekend, so start picking out what you'll use your store credit on if you win!

Also, check out Mary's feature for DeSantis Vintage at www.jamfiescreations1.blogspot.com Follow her NOW as her features are always so beautiful.

Stay Glamorous!

Rachel DeSantis

My Telephone.

2011-03-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

Call me crazy, call me obsessive compulsive, call me what you will but I HATE when people come into the office and want to use my phone.

For a little back story, I work in property management to help fund my Etsy addiction. It's a wonderful thing though and I love everything I do; however, I do not enjoy when someone off the street comes in and says those 5 words I NEVER want to hear, "Can I Use Your Phone?".

My head starts to spin, my vision gets a little blurry, my palms get sweaty and all I want to say is, "NO! ARE YOU %@#$* CRAZY?!?!?!". I then envision myself chucking my phone out the window next to my desk because I'd rather brush off snow sludge and dirt then someone's breath condensation. BLEH! But, I'm way too nice and I'd feel bad for saying no if they really needed to get a hold of someone. Although this time I DID hesitate for about 15 seconds before forcing out a reluctant "fine" under my breath. It's just GROSS, OKAY?! GET A CELL PHONE!

So, here I am, at work, wiping my phone off with Lysol wipes when I thought to myself, "This would be an interesting story to post on my blog". And so, here we are.

Stay Glamorous!
Rachel DeSantis

HUGE dress score tonight!

2011-02-26T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hey you three and hey creepy stalker guy lurking in the bowels of blogspot.com. I am a freaking genius and an amazing vintage-dress-picker-outer. I scored over 40 dresses tonight and I CANNOT WAIT to take photos in them and post them on my Etsy shop! I found some ah-mazing ones from the 50's and 60's and I EVEN found an Estée Lauder dress!!! Who knew that a fabulous artisan of fine cosmetics once made clothing?! I thought I knew a lot about vintage, but I had no clue they once were dialed into the fashion market.

Keep an eye out to see the new dresses! Hopefully a good portion of them will be live on the site tomorrow evening. Each dress takes about 20-25 minutes to put on and shoot, so tomorrow is gonna be a long day!

Stay Glamorous!

Rachel DeSantis

Holy Guacamole, Rachel has a blog.

2011-02-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

Hello out there in internet land! Hello...Hello...Hello...what an echo...is this thing on? No, but seriously, I've never had a blog before, I've never wanted a blog before, but now for some reason I have a blog. It's like a cold, it starts with a tickle in your throat and then before you know it, BAM! You've got a blog! Or herpes, one of the two, but I can't remember which one right now.

Anyways, I'm Rachel DeSantis as you can tell by my giant banners and avatars that boast "DeSantis Vintage" all over the place. I like them, I think they're cute and they're staying so get used to it! I am a borderline creepy stalker when it comes to vintage clothing. I lurk in the shadows, eat rats behind dumpsters and attack them when they least expect it. This would be true if by shadows I meant stores and by rats I meant gluten-free bagels with tofutti imitation cream cheese (lactose and gluten intolerance is no joke).

I'm getting so savvy so fast! I now have a blog, I figured out that devil-box people call Facebook and created a fan page for my love child. I even have a Twitter. Woah. The address is www.Facebook.com/DeSantisVintage feel free to like me. If you are on Etsy and you add me as one of your favorite sellers, you'll be entered into my "Store Credit Giveaway" drawing on April 1st. My twitter is www.twitter.com/DeSantisVintage . Neat.

I have a new shop on Etsy and the web address is www.rdesant86.etsy.com , this is like my secret lair where I take all my vintage preciouses hostage. They yell and fuss but I've learned my lesson when it comes to feeding them...never feed the vintage.

Stay Glamorous!

Rachel DeSantis

Featuring: Las Flores Del Sur

2011-02-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

Hey guys and gals! I'm so excited to introduce you to Marisa of Las Flores Del Sur! Marisa is the creator of beautiful floral hair clips and jewelry! She is a graphic and web designer and a huge fan of all kind of crafts. She has always been creating something since she was a little kid. She loves experimenting with different materials and different techniques. Marisa had been selling wooden pins and buttons in her shop but felt it was time to move forward and now she includes pins, brooches, hair clips and bobby pins using fabric, metal and ribbon. I'm sure glad she did because her new creations are truly gorgeous, check them out below!

Fuschia Poppy Made of Fabric / $6.00

2 Lilac-Fuschia Rolled Ribbon Hair Pins / $15.00

Visit her other shop and tutorials at:

http://www.lasfloresdelsur.etsy.com (Jewelry)

http://www.craftsandpixels.etsy.com (PDF tutorials and supplies)

Also Check out her:

Blog: http://www.lasfloresdelsur.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Flores-del-Sur/126539847362890

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/floresdelsur

Stay Glamorous!

Rachel DeSantis

Featuring: Egyptian Inspirations

2011-02-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

Jewel of the Nile Matching Necklace and Bracelet Set / $35.00 GBP

I'm happy to introduce you to Jenny of Egyptian Inspirations! She is the creator of unique Egyptian inspired jewelry (imagine that!) and has a very interesting story...enjoy!

About Jenny: I am not the best person in the world with words being quite a simple person, but I love the simple things in life such as nature and animals. I adore cats and horses and they are my world. I also own an ex-racehorse named Jake and he is my best friend and a great chap to be with. I could talk about this fellow all day long, and ex-racehorses in particular, because I also created a nonprofit organization for these wonderful horses approximately six years ago now. My jewelery business is to sponsor some classes for them this year; it's what I call mixing business with pleasure! I also work in the horse racing industry as a racecourse stable manager and love it to bits. After seeing these horses loved and adored so much in their racing career, I wanted them to be loved just as much when they retired; therefore, I arrange for them to have their own classes in shows so they can be admired just as much after racing as before. You can visit The Ex Racers Club at http://www.exracersclub.com

How do you set yourself apart from your competition? Besides the Movie The Mummy, Patricia Velasquez and the magic and mystery that surrounds Ancient Egypt, my own vivid imagination inspires my work and sets my jewelery apart from others. In addition, I only make one of each item so all my pieces are originals and unique.

Where do you draw inspiration from when creating? My inspiration comes purely from my own imagination and the Film The Mummy. One actress in the film particularly caught my eye with her beauty and costume. It was Patricia Velasquez who played the character Anack Su Namoun. I often imagine her wearing my jewelery in the film when I create them. Each piece has to match her beauty in my own eyes for them to be perfect enough to sell on to a customer. Patricia is also a fan of my Facebook page as I told her that she inspires my jewelery designs.

If you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring one item, you would bring...a cat as they are just perfect companions.

See Jenny's Treasures At Her Etsy Shop:

http://www.EgyptianInspirations.etsy.com

Social Networking:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EgyptianInspire

StumbleUpon: http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/EgyptianInspire

Blog & Website: http://www.EgyptianInspirations.co.uk

Stay Glamorous!

Rachel DeSantis

Featuring: Coll's Creations

2011-02-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

Pink and Pearly Wire Crochet Necklace / $15.00

I am pleased to introduce you to Colleen of Coll's Creations. She designs and creates the most unique and beautiful pieces of jewelry using gorgeous beading and wire. Enjoy her interview!

About Colleen the Human: I have been a stay at home to two beautiful girls since the birth of my first child. I have an amazing family. Being a stay at home mom affords me the opportunity to be actively involved in my children’s lives and gives me an opportunity to be an active community member as well as stay active in their school activities.

What makes your Etsy shop, and you, a special and/or unique snowflake? My etsy shop is unique because no two items are the same. Each piece has its own personal beauty. My designs are very lightweight to wear and still looking stunning.

How do you set yourself apart from your competition? I think I am competitively priced. I also offer various colored wires as well as beads that I have not seen others using. I’m creating a completely different type of shop.

Where do you draw inspiration from when creating? My inspirations are colors that catch my eye. I also like natural looking beads, so I have quite a few pieces with natural stones in them. My latest inspirations however are Czech fire polished beads; I love how they sparkle.

If you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring one item, you would bring...that would be my crochet hook as I am sure I'd find something that I could crochet. I am addicted to wire crocheting. I guess I'd have to crochet twigs. LOL!

See Colleen's Wearable Art at:

http://www.collscreations.etsy.com

Stay Glamorous!

Rachel DeSantis