It's Giveaway time again!

Here are some more handcrafted giveaways that you should know about!

For most of these giveaways you must leave a comment describing 1-2 favorite items on the giveaway host's blog post! Also you must fill out the form or leave any info they might ask for. Sometimes they leave the subject of the comment up to you!

At Thrifty Jinxy you could win a Christmas Reindeer Candy Corn Cupcake soap by Serah's! Enter by 11:59 EST on 12/18/08. 

At Heather Knitz you could win a set of art cards by 5erg! Ends 12/08/08. Heather Knitz has 5 other giveaways that range from jewelry to cuffs. They also end on 12/08/08, so don't delay!

Julia Catherine Jewelry is giving away her apple green drop earrings! What do you have to do? Just join here mailing list! Drawing will be held on December 15th!

Ruggratsx2 has 3 giveaways going on right now! End dates are the 6th, 8th, and 10th!

Suaviloquy is hosting 10 giveaways during 10 days. It starts today! Today there's a giveaway for pottery! It's a red dogwood plate by Whitney Smith Pottery. You should see it even if you don't enter. Who knows what tomorrow will hold! 

At Life in the Craft Lane there's free graphics for everyone! Since there's 20 days until Christmas, Mandie's giving away 20 cool looking graphics. Please don't claim her graphics as your own. She doesn't mind if you uses them for personal or commercial use. If used for commercial purposes please alter them and give credit where credit is due. Tomorrow there will be 19 graphics!

Jennifer Stewart from 10oneworld has a giveaway every week! This week you could win a scarf by Kim at TallGiraffe! The drawing is on Tuesday morning (12/09/08)!

The NC Triangle Street team is also having a Mega giveaway. There's so many you'll have to see for yourself! So click away! 

At Always Amy there's a contest for a $15 gift certificate to... JoBead! 

If you like games more that contests, there's a scavenger hunt going on at Fo-Shizzle! If you find the green bow, you can win a free gift!

People giving everyday.

Jeeks

Inspired by a Novel

A few weeks ago, I read Cyndere's Midnight by Jeffery Overstreet. It's the second book in it's series. To me it was about an heiress who...

Was married to the love of her life. However, tragedy found him in the ruins of another house while looking for survivors. After her husband died, Cyndere no longer accepted closed walls to be her playground or cage. She longed to end her life but something kept her from falling into the depths of that dark and unforgiving sea. During her sabbatical the heiress of House Bel Amica decided to sneak out at night to find acceptance for what she'd lost. Along the way she found new friends, dark dangers, healing waters and new strength. Therefore, out of her story this necklace of protection was born!

Introducing... Moonlight Path.

If you'd like to see more pictures of it... just click on the above photo.

So, what do you think? Leave a comment if you can about the necklace or the book. It doesn't matter. I must say that I enjoyed the book so much I made a necklace and named it after the book! ;0). And maybe that wasn't so wise. How did I forget about copyrights? I must have spaced out! Thanks sis for reminding me. So very sorry! It was my inspiration this time around, but it's name is now different (Moonlight path... necklace). By the way, the only connection that this necklace has to the book is that it inspired a handmade jewelry crafter. However, I still think you should read the book (if you haven't already ;0)).

Oh! And if you'd like more info about the book or more info about the Auralia's Colors series, just click to your heart's content. Or if you'd rather be routed to the author's blog The Looking Closer Journal, then go ahead.

Inspiration. Springing from surrounding works.

Jeeks

New items at SkySong

Hey Guys! Just a quick note... there's new items at SkySong. Also if you have your eye on a jewelry box act quick! They're one of a kind, so once they're gone, there're gone!

Speedy!
Jeeks

Sold Items 11/23 to 11/30

Hey guy's more items are gone this week. Join me in saying good bye to...

Simply... Aqua Blue Earrings. (CA)                Harlem Sweetie Excerpt... jewelry box. (UK)

  

Oranges and Mangos Earrings. (NC)               Playful Copper Feather Necklace. (MT)

  

Pink Seahorse Earrings. (NC)

If you'd like to see what other items SkySong Creations has to offer just click the link.

They're travelling farther than I have...*sigh*.

Jeeks

Sold Items 11/16 - 11/22

     Simply Aqua Blue Earrings. (CA)              Simplicity Necklace. (AZ)

Hey!
I thought I'd let you know when items sold at SkySong. Just so that you'd know what other buyers are interested in.
Insight...jewelry box. (KY)                              Beyond the Mountains. (NC)

Here they are! Above and below.

Harlem... jewelry box. (NJ)

To infinity and Beyond! :0)

Jeeks

Pasta Nutritional?

Today we are still talking about pasta because who knows you might not know. A lot of athletes and scientist/nutritionists/doctors know. But, what about you?


Did you know that pasta is Italian for dough? Ok maybe not quite this type to the left, but it would be if it was boiled. It has the important factors... flour, eggs, and water.


Pasta is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, which means it's not just a complex carbohydrate food.



You can get as much energy from it as you would in a "pure" protein like steak, but with little or no fat. So you can eat pasta and go run a mile. That's so cool!



There are 8 amino acids that are required to make up a complete protein and pasta has 6 of those. To make it complete just add a small amount of meat, fish, cheese, pulses or eggs! And did you notice? Most of those ingredients are in traditional pastas anyway!



Pasta with egg is the nutrient winner, however wholewheat pasta has the highest percentage of vitamins and fibre.



Pasta is inexpensive (when cooked by you), quick and easy to cook, and very versatile. Which is so nice in this economy and world today.



The key to healthy eating lies in eating pasta as the Italians do, with a small amount of ingredients. Hmmm... I'm not sure if I like that, lol.



In Italy, it is traditional for pasta to be served as a first course, before the main course of fish or meat. Usually, there's only a small spoonful of sauce and a light sprinkling of grated cheese.



Heart disease is the lowest in Italy, compared to the rest of the civilized world. Doctors, nutritionists and scientists agree that the Italian diet plays a large role in this. Just think... Italian cooking includes extra virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh or canned tomatoes, olives, onions, parsley, and fresh peppers. Plus loads of fresh fish, veggies, fruit, and pulses. That's why the little red heart is stamped on packages of pasta.

However, you must be careful when thinking about colored pastas. Make sure they don't include artificial colorings! Because that part kills the all natural and healthy pasta pitch. ;)



So, think healthy the next time you see a plate of pasta. Remember it's only healthy if you keep it healthy, because every healthy food can become unhealthy with the things you add.



Pasta it's nutritious and delicious!
Jeeks



For more info see The Pasta Bible by Feni Wright.

It's lunch time! What's to drink?

Ok, so this week I thought we'd focus on Food and not so much on jewels! Don't worry they will return. And because this 'Did you know ?' post shows up around lunch time, the focus will be on pasta and wine. Yes! Food! I promise you it tasted better than it looks. It was my first try!



With my meals, I'm more of a loose tea drinker and I may cook with wine from time to time. The closest I get to drinking wine is... grape juice. But I'm such a fact freak! And I like to learn things that are useful and even those that aren't.

So, if you were planning on cooking or just eating pasta, What wine should you choose?

There's no real rule for eating and drinking except for DON'T DRIVE!!! LOL. Oh! And WAIT till you're 21 or over if you're in the US! I just couldn't resist.

If you know which region your pasta dish comes from, choose your wine from that region. If a red or white wine is used in cooking the sauce, serve the rest of it during the meal. If you'd like a list to follow then look to the ingredients of the sauce. Who new?

Got fish or shellfish?
Choose Vernaccia, Veridcchio, Soave, Pinot Grigio, Orvieto Secco, Est, and Ciro (white).

How about meat, poultry or game? Oh my!
Red meat
Valtellina, Valpolicella, Soave, Pinot Grigio, Ciro (red), Chianti, and Barolo.
Poultry
Valtellina, Soave, Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Castel del Monte, Bardolino, and Barbaresco.
Rich meat
Vatellina, Soave, Pinot Grigio, and Lambrusco.
Game
Valtellina, Soave, Pinot Grigio, Ciro, Chianti, and Barolo.
Pork
Soave, Pinot Grigio, and Lambrusco.
Meat lasagna
Soave, Pinot Grigio, and Barbera.

Is it spicy?!
Pick Soave, Pinot Grigo, and Frascati.

As you can see, Soave (light) and Pinot Grigio (fresh) are both good with any sauce or dish. Both are white and dry. The first is from Veneto and the second from FriuliVenezia. Vernaccia is rich, nutty and red and from the island of Sardinia. It sounds so romantic... Sardinia :). Verdicchio is crisp, dry, and white from Marche (Central Italy). Valellina is red from Lombardy. Valpolicella is red with a bitter aftertaste...from Veneto. Orvieto Secco is white and dry from its name sake in Umbria. Named after a place can't beat that! Lambrusco is red and from Emilia-Romagna. Frascati is crisp, fruity, dry and white from its name sake. Ooh! Another one! Est is clean, dry and white from the Lazio region. Ciro is fresh, zingy white or full-bodied red from Calabria. Chianti is famous and red from Tuscany. Mmm...Tuscany. Castel del Monte is red or rose from Puglia. Barolo is red from Piedmont. Bardolina is fresh, light, red from Veneto. Barbera is red from Piedmont. Barbaresco is red and complex from Piedmont.Wasn't there an elephant named BarBar? Or was it Barber? Anyways, wow! There are many from Piedmont in this "list"!

So yeah. That's pretty much it for now. Whether your dish is creamy like Alfredo or meaty like Lasagne, choose the drink or sauce additive with what you now know. Ok I'm hungry...

Who wants pasta!
Jeeks