Here in California at least.....I don't want to be wearing shorts on Christmas! :)
This bangle is only the 2nd of many Christmas bangles I'm sure...but this one, well this one is for ME! This bangle was modeled after a painting I did last year that I LOVED......plus I just love snowmen in general. When I started doing bangles earlier this year I remembered this painting and immediately sketched out a design of him for when I "had time" to paint for myself.
The "sketchy" designs are the same, right down to the ridges on the carrot nose. There were also some added touches of Swarovski crystal "berries" to make him sparkle.....you can never have too much sparkle right?
On the back I also added a single raised white snowflake and both larger and smaller Swarovski crystals......it reminds me of how the snow use to sparkle as it fell when my husband and I were stationed in Maine, there was truly nothing more magical.
As this design was modeled after my previous painting, it can be used as an example of a Christmas design....but will not be replicated.
Love & Cupcakes,
Lo
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Christmas time is here again!
So this particular bangle is very special to me.....as you all know I LIVE for bright colorful (and mostly obnoxious designs :) And this is as close to traditional as I will get. My Momma asked me to make her a bangle for Christmas which was really touching.....she asked that it be "cherry red and have Holly on it"....when I pointed out that Holly has red berries (and thus it wouldn't show up that great on a red background) her response? "You'll figure something out" lol
So I did.....While I adore and live for painting I can honestly say that I stressed most about making this piece for her. I wanted something that was both my "style" and fun for the Holidays...but that was traditional enough where she would actually wear it! LOL
I think I accomplished both goals with my "Holly" bangle.....So this being my first actual Christmas bangle and it being for my Momma...well it has Sentimental value to me.......adding in Swarovski crystal "berries" also gave it a fun touch that both made it festive AND solved my berry "problem"!
So I have posted this to share with all of you as an example of a Christmas design ....but I will not be replicating this bangle, it is special and truly one-of-a-kind for a one-of-a-kind woman <3
I hope all of you are having fun gearing up for the Holiday season, feel free to message me if you would love to have a special one-of-a-kind gift for YOUR special someone!
Love & Cupcakes,
Lo
Monograms, Art Deco and Zebra Galore!
And here come the custom orders!! SO excited to have these completed....and they have been a blast to work on :) Monograms are hot as usual this year....as are Polka Dots
This Design is what I am calling my "Art Deco" style and I love it! In fact I liked it so much after the fact I am wanting to make one for myself lol......my customers give me the best ideas! This one came from an order that was simply "I want something hot pink and black, but sophisticated.....something a little different. No monogram or normal pattern like stripes or polka dots....something more mature." I hope she loves it for Christmas!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Busy Bee
So I have officially completed the 1st of several "Arm Candy" Christmas orders! I have taken pictures of each and will be posting tomorrow------but wowzers, I seriously was bombarded with about 5 orders in a day....and then promptly came down with Step throat. Yep, that's my luck lol.
Oh well, I got them done and they turned out beautiful----also, tried out and love the new Christmas gift wrap....still has the Arm Candy flair, but with a Christmas twist! I have been busy non-stop.....and yet, have never been happier :) Also, TONS going on with Scentsy, my team was flat out AMAZING this last month breaking sales records left and right......I am blessed to have 30+ girls in over 10 states with a passion for a great product and a love to talk about it as much as I do!
Pictured below is "Prancer" our November Warmer-of-the-Month, available all month long for 10% off!
Want this little beauty for YOUR holiday decorating? Swing on over to my site at www.laurenbowen.scentsy.us and you can have one of your very own ;)
Until tomorrow (with pics!), Love and Cupcakes
Lo
Oh well, I got them done and they turned out beautiful----also, tried out and love the new Christmas gift wrap....still has the Arm Candy flair, but with a Christmas twist! I have been busy non-stop.....and yet, have never been happier :) Also, TONS going on with Scentsy, my team was flat out AMAZING this last month breaking sales records left and right......I am blessed to have 30+ girls in over 10 states with a passion for a great product and a love to talk about it as much as I do!
Pictured below is "Prancer" our November Warmer-of-the-Month, available all month long for 10% off!
Want this little beauty for YOUR holiday decorating? Swing on over to my site at www.laurenbowen.scentsy.us and you can have one of your very own ;)
Until tomorrow (with pics!), Love and Cupcakes
Lo
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Going forward
Roll Tide!!!!!
I have gotten in my newest shipment of bangles and I have to say I.Am.Excited. :) For the first time in awhile I have so many ideas I have had to pull out my sketchpad and try and keep up! I have already gotten in requests for a few so I have some to work on for now, but I am in the process of trying to figure out my Holiday deadline-----
Not only do I make your bangles custom, I also gift-wrap and ship (either to you or your recipient) for free, and since I am a one-woman operation it all takes time. PLUS......I have a Homecoming to prepare for in the not too distant future ;) And for that I will be taking some time off.
SO....if YOU have an idea in mind, or a custom requests for now or for a potential Christmas present, let me know! I accept paypal, and I DO do trades (I <3 other Etsy shop owners!)----prices for my bangles range from:
1in wooden bangle- $10-15 (no monogram available on this size)
2 in wooden bangle- $20 for patterns (zebra/polka dots/.etc)
$20-25 for Team designs (contact me for exact quote)
$25 for design with Monogram
(this is my most popular size!)
2 1/2 in grooved wooden bangle- $30, with 1/2 proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen
Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness.
(contact me for availability!)
***As always, I love a challenge, so if YOU have a design you would love to have brought to life....let me know! You can contact me at Caloriefreecreations@yahoo.com
Love & Cupcakes,
Lo
I have gotten in my newest shipment of bangles and I have to say I.Am.Excited. :) For the first time in awhile I have so many ideas I have had to pull out my sketchpad and try and keep up! I have already gotten in requests for a few so I have some to work on for now, but I am in the process of trying to figure out my Holiday deadline-----
Not only do I make your bangles custom, I also gift-wrap and ship (either to you or your recipient) for free, and since I am a one-woman operation it all takes time. PLUS......I have a Homecoming to prepare for in the not too distant future ;) And for that I will be taking some time off.
SO....if YOU have an idea in mind, or a custom requests for now or for a potential Christmas present, let me know! I accept paypal, and I DO do trades (I <3 other Etsy shop owners!)----prices for my bangles range from:
1in wooden bangle- $10-15 (no monogram available on this size)
2 in wooden bangle- $20 for patterns (zebra/polka dots/.etc)
$20-25 for Team designs (contact me for exact quote)
$25 for design with Monogram
(this is my most popular size!)
2 1/2 in grooved wooden bangle- $30, with 1/2 proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen
Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness.
(contact me for availability!)
***As always, I love a challenge, so if YOU have a design you would love to have brought to life....let me know! You can contact me at Caloriefreecreations@yahoo.com
Love & Cupcakes,
Lo
Scentsy Time!
So I have *somewhat* caught you up on what's going on in my ART world....what about in the world o' Scentsy?
Well a LOT of new things are happening! I now have a fantastic team of almost 32 girls in over 10 states helping to spread the word about what a great product Scentsy is.....WHAT??!$#$ You are new to my page and don't know what Scentsy is?? Here's a quick recap:
Scentsy is a Godsend for people like me who are forgetful and/or have a bazillion things going on (usually at the same time), some will call Scentsy a "candle", and though...YES it will make your home smell *AMAZING* Scentsy is very different because:
*Scentsy has NO WICKS
*NO SOOT
*NO FLAME
*NO HASSLE!
*and perhaps most important, our wax warms just above body temperature....huh? What that means is that should curious hands get ahold of the melted wax, there will be NO burns! Unlike candle wax which can scorch and scar, this paraffin based wax is just like your hand/foot treatments at the nail salon! So you can be assured that your little ones are safe AND that your warmer can be left on when you leave the house.
Basically you have these super cool warmers (full-sized, mid-sized or plug-ins) that would fit every decor that plug in and warm a super scented wax by the heat of a 15/20 or 25 watt lightbulb......pretty cool huh? And with 80+ scents to choose from don't tell me you can't find at least a *few* you like!
Here is my site: laurenbowen.scentsy.us
And HERE are some of the cool NEW items that Scentsy has come out with for Fall (yes, you could TOTALLY get a real catalog from me, I'll mail it to you! But in case you are impatient :)
That's right, you can use scent AND support your favorite team (ROLL TIDE btw!).......we are adding new teams all the time....what? You can't see yours? Head over to my site and check out ALL the teams we have available now in our "Campus Collection"....oh, and know that with the purchase of each of *these* warmers, a portion goes to support that college as well!
"Love, Life, Hope" a beautiful sentiment for a beautiful cause.....if you have read previous post, you know that Breast Cancer Awareness is a cause that's very dear to me, as I type this I have this particular warmer on my kitchen counter.
Oorah! That's right...Scentsy now has a Marine Corps warmer!! (And Army, Navy and Air Force) My husband is a Marine so you can imagine how thrilled I was to see this collection come out------This warmer along with the other branches make up our "Patriot Collection", as as with the college warmers.....whichever branch you buy (MARINES...just sayin' lol), get a certain amount of the proceeds. I don't know many people who DON'T have someone connected to the military in their life, again a great present that supports a great organization.
Imagine sneaking in to peek on your little one all snuggled in their crib.....*sigh*.....now imagine being able to sneak in and out WITHOUT waking them up! Scentsy's new Nursery Collection allows you to do just that.....not only can you warm a soft sweet scent, the warmer has a soft glow that works perfectly as a nightlight. Illuminating such nursery rhymes as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "The Cow Jumped Over the Moon" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb"....it will give YOU peace of mind knowing YOUR little one is having sweet peaceful dreams.
And possibly our most fun new addition, the Scentsy Buddies! Amazingly cute stuffed critters with a secret zippered compartment in the back where you can slip a scent pak (a smallish ouch full of Scentsy-scented beads) to smell delicious! I gave my youngest son the Monkey with the Mochadoodle scent pak and his exact words were "my Monkey smells like hot cocoa!!" :) My oldest is a huge Bama fan (yep, mama is proud!), so he HAD to have the elephant and I ordered the French Lavender to go inside. Not only do I think that it helps him sleep...it makes his room smell pretty good too! Also, each Buddy comes WITH a scent pak....when you're tired of that scent there are 15 more you can choose from. Also, each Buddy comes with a secret code that you can register at www.scentsybuddy.com where you can learn about their favorite foods, their best friends....and also print off coloring pages and other games. These are already proving to be a massive hit for Christmas and it's not even Halloween yet!
Which brings me to the Holidays......Our "Give Thanks" warmer is the "warmer-of-the-month" for October, meaning that you get an extra 10% if you purchase this month, but we have a HUGE selection of Holiday warmers.....a Menorah warmer, Gingerbread Man, Heavenly (a beautiful non-glazed warmer with angels) and even a new glossy blue warmer with the Nativity scene. In later post I will post more pictures, but if you want to see them now & get a jump start on your holiday buying (who wants to wait until Black Friday??), head on over to my site!
www.laurenbowen.scents.us
Love & Cupcakes
Lo
My October
"HOPE".....it has a great ring to it doesn't it? It also is what millions of women who have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer cling to in order to get through treatment. I have had several women in my family affected as I'm sure many of you have too......but I thought it was even more important this "Breast Cancer Awareness" Month to remind people that this ISN'T our *grandmother's* disease anymore!
*Men
*Women in their 20s
*Women in their 30s
THESE are people being diagnosed as well----early detection is EVERYTHING. I fully believe in what my mom has told me since I was little, "you know your body better than ANYONE," it doesn't mean that I think everyone should go running screaming to their Dr for a mammogram, but if you feel something suspicious, do NOT let "you're too young to get Breast Cancer" be the reason you don't.
I made the first "HOPE" Bangle for a teacher friend of my Sister-in-law, a wonderful woman who had just recently been diagnosed and had begun treatment. I have always had kind of a gut feeling when I saw those pink ribbons....but I didn't want them to just be a reminder of what she "had", I wanted them to be a reminder of what she would conquer. When I made this bangle I also had no idea how it would grow in popularity! I posted a picture of it into my online album of "Arm Candy" on Facebook and was hit with requests for orders-------so in total I have made 5 this month, with 1/2 of the proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
As I have said before, I love to paint and have loved that people can now *wear* my artwork....what better than to have artwork with a purpose?
Love & Cupcakes,
Lo
Monday, October 11, 2010
Back in Business!!!
So.......
I can't believe it's been almost a year. I HAVE been working in that period, but because of medical issues....kid issues and LIFE issues, well I hadn't had time to really dedicate to Calorie Free Creations.
I also was very blessed to be able to work on some wonderful pieces for friends and family that have kept me VERY busy this last year....so there really hasn't been any time!! Time....who has any these days right?
Anywho, Calorie-Free Creations is now back in business......but you will notice things are a bit different. I am still doing paintings (they are and always will be my first love....sorry Cliff! lol), but I have now added to my painted little family in the form of my new line of jewelry called
"Arm Candy"......wonderful wooden bangles...all handpainted and varnished and ready to be worn and lusted after :)
"Arm Candy" started with a very simple idea......I wanted to make matching bangles for my SIL and I with our monograms.......something that NO ONE else had, and more importantly, something from the heart. Thus...the "Arm Candy" line was born. It has recently expended to include a few College teams ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!! As well as my most recent addition, one named "HOPE", a pink ribbon-themed bangle created for a friend of my SIL who was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
So all in all......painting for family......a hubby still deployed......a new line of jewelry...oh, and a promotion to Director with Scentsy! I am now a Director over my team of TWENTY-SEVEN girls........amazing, blessed by each and every one of them. So....busy busy....and headed into the Holiday season I don't see that stopping anytime soon!
The one other change you might notice is that I (for now) will not be listing things in my Etsy shop. I WILL still be taking custom requests/orders...but I am staying busy with those close to home with all of you & those from my Facebook page, so for now....my Etsy shop is on Holiday!
Message me if you want something done or would like to see more of my work, or mosey on over to my Facebook page: GeorgiaSmile1@aol.com to see my work OR the newest news with Scentsy.
Have a wonderful Day & I am thrilled to be back!
Love & Cupcakes
Lo
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