Happy New Years Eve ...

I am sorry I have been so absent from blogging! I promise, promise I will start up again after the new year ... it has been so stinkin' busy settling back in after Christmas. We are heading out of town today ... I will be out of commission for the next couple days = no featured design tomorrow :( I will have it up by Friday. Guaranteed! Check back then :) Hope everyone has a wonderful, safe New Years!!!

What are you doing for New Years Eve???

merry Christmas to all ...

And to all a very busy week ahead, I am sure! We are leaving for Southern California tonight and wont be back until Saturday. I wont be blogging until then, at least. Remember to check back January 1st, if you think of it, to enter your comment into the giveaway!

Merry Christmas ...

another rainy day ...

I have to admit ... again ... that I am loving the rain! It makes it feel so much more like Winter (Christmas, too!). It has been so cold here this past week that we had a hail storm for about 20 minutes. Kinda fun :) You should have seen me running around the house trying to find my camera, then going to check on Kylie, then going outside to snap a picture, then to check on Kylie again and so on! Lame I tell ya ... but hey, we don't get those too often!!!

Here's proof ...

time to relax ...

So the Christmas order rush is done!!! Now begins all the other holiday to-dos, but first comes the fun stuff:

1) Enjoy the Christmas tree
2) Play with Kylie uninterrupted
3) Wrap Christmas gifts
4) Make Christmas cards
5) Clean the house (finally a good one!)
6) Pack for our 4 day trip to Southern California
7) Family time ... should have been #1
8) Bake cookies!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying time with their families and all the fun smells, sights, and sounds that come along with this season! Thanks for all of your orders ... I really appreciate the business. It is overwhelming during this time of year, but such a blessing! Thank you.

Here is a funny picture of the gift my husband took to his "white elephant" gift exchange at work ...

holiday orders ...

An FYI for all of you who have not received your orders yet:

They will be shipping Monday or Tuesday!!! Sorry for the lag time ... I have been swamped with all the orders and am trying to get them all finished up all by myself :) My wish for next year is that I can hire a bit of help! Complete craziness the past few weeks ... you don't even want to see my house right now. Disgusting is all I can think!!! Hasn't been cleaned in about 2 weeks. Disgusting. But I have been blessed with wonderful people placing orders and being so understanding :) Thank you.

Go enjoy a quiet day at home with family on this cloudy, gloomy Sunday!

my Christmas baby ...

She is 8 months old!!!

washers have been discontinued ...

Just an FYI for all my customers who are wanting to place an order ... I am no longer offering washers until further notice. They have been placed on back order from the manufacturer and we don't know when they will be available again. I will keep you posted as I know more. We have some cute designs with the washer pendant, so I am excited to get them back in as soon as possible. Thanks for your understanding ... I hope you will find another design you like just as much!

Also ... the larger hammered flowers are running a bit low and they are on back order as well. I do have other sizes available. Please contact me if you are interested! We have plenty of options :)

Happy Wednesday!!!

i love this time of year ...

Because I feel all warm and fuzzy when I look around and see all the Christmas decorations! I love sipping hot cocoa sitting in front of the Christmas tree with its twinkling lights ... mmm. I wish it were Christmastime all year long. Isn't there a song written about that :)

Some holiday warm and fuzzies ...

new product & another SALE ...

Tomorrow is the LAST day to place holiday orders and have a guaranteed delivery before Christmas! Soooo, I am having another day of sales for those of you who were not able to hop online and order on December 1st at our 20% off sale. Tomorrows will be just as good though! I am offering a 10% discount off ALL orders ... big or small ... AND a FREE pair of white freshwater pearl earrings with every order!!! Remember to check out my shops (links are on the left side of the blog) for new product. Please place orders through me via email. Thanks!

Here are a few of the pieces from the holiday boutique I did this past weekend ... I LOVE these ones because they are so simple, but really pretty!

winners for the suprise necklaces ...

Thank you to all who participated in the "want to make someone's day" post! There are quite a few deserving women. I want to make sure they all get them before Christmas, so please e-mail me their address as soon as you get a chance! cristinaashleydesigns@gmail.com.

New jewelry coming tomorrow!!! I promise to be back on a regular blogging schedule with pictures, inspiration, updates, and jewelry ... of course. It has been crazy crazy in our neck of the woods!

holiday boutique ...

I am participating in a Holiday Boutique with the "Womens Ministry" at Church this Saturday, December 6th. I have a couple new designs to share with you after we get past the rush of preparation for this! I will updating my shops on Sunday, so be sure to check them out. I will, of course, post pictures on here as well.

P.S.
I have some pictures to post later today of what we have been up to the past week or so ... Thanksgiving, Christmas tree shopping, baby dressing, crafting, etc.

go SHOP ...

Visit my shops and enjoy 20% off ALL orders TODAY ONLY!!!

www.cristina-ashleysilver.bigcartel.com
www.cristinaashleydesign.etsy.com

Place orders via e-mail to cristinaashleydesigns@gmail.com

Have FUN and happy December 1st!!!

7 months ...

My babe is almost 7 1/2 months already!!! We have sleepovers with her every once in a while in our room, and last night was one of them. I love those nights when we are all together in one room and I know we are all safe and together. We pulled her pack 'n' play in there ... next to my side of the bed, of course! When we put her down in there, Brian and I realized just how big she has gotten. She used to take up a tiny section of the bassinet part. Now she is almost touching both ends ... head and feet! Crazy. People always say they get big so fast, but you don't believe it until it happens!

Here are a few pictures from her 7 month photo shoot ...

discounts and holiday orders ...

Just wanted to let everyone know that Monday, December 1st ... there will be a 20% discount on EVERY order ... BIG or small! This is the perfect day to start your holiday gift buying for all of your Moms, Sisters, Aunts, Grandmas, Daughters, Friends, Teachers, etc. Please place all orders through me via e-mail. I don't have discount codes on Etsy and Bigcartel. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it will be sooo worth it. Happy Shopping!!!

Last day to place Holiday orders (guaranteed by December 23rd) is Wednesday, December 10th. Please keep this in mind! Any orders placed after that date will be on a RUSH basis and there will be an extra RUSH fee of $20 + any expedited shipping charges. Thanks for keeping me in mind for your Holiday shopping!

want to make someone's day ???

I have 5 necklaces I want to give to 5 women who are REALLY deserving of them! Here's the deal ... If you know someone who has an inspirational or encouraging story, or even someone who is just in a very challenging struggle in life right now (I'm sure there are plenty with the way the economy is right now, unfortunately), share their story with us! Out of the stories sent to me, I will choose 5 women who I feel have made a difference in the lives of others, who may not get the "thanks" they deserve. I will be giving each woman a beautiful necklace ... delivered to their doorstep for Christmas! This will be an anonymous thing ... we want them to be surprised and feel SO special ... so don't tell them you shared their story with us (if you must tell, wait until after they receive the necklace)! Sound like fun? It does to me :)

Share your story ...

san francisco ...

My family was in town this weekend and we had an awesome day in San Francisco on Sunday. We started the day off with a mile-long walk in Muir Woods ... absolutely beautiful. A walk that should take about an hour, took us over two hours! There was so much to stop and take in along the path. The weather was perfect and we had good company! I would highly suggest this place if you are looking for an outdoors-y day hike. After our walk we went to Academy of Science Museum in Golden Gate Park. This place was amazing, but more crowded then I ever imagined. It was a little overwhelming with all the people. So many things to see ... tide pools, rain forest, coral reefs, etc. Really neat place.

Muir Woods ...




Academy of Science Museum ...

playgroup ...

Today was our first day in our new playgroup and we LOVED it! I just organized a group of about 6 moms and our kids (between the ages of 6 months and 4 years)to get together once a week for a bit of playtime and Mommy time! Today we met at our place and walked to the park. Next week we will go to the farm for story time and to feed the animals! I look forward to our future craft days, too. So much fun! I will have to post some pictures of all the cute babies/toddlers in the group soon ... they are all so adorable and have such fun, different personalities.

giveaway winner ...

So, we have a winner! Jenny (A Baby Peach) is the lucky one this month. Your comment was SO touching and special. I loved it. E-mail me your address and I will send you your new necklace! Hope you enjoy your new jewelry :)

fall decoration idea ...

While at the pumpkin patch a few weeks back, my Mom and I saw a pile of gourds and immediately started thinking of ways we could make these fun guys useful. Here is the end result ... thanks to my hubby for slaving over them for a whole 15 minutes to get them drilled out!

some fun, new designs ...

I just posted some new designs on Esty! Go check them out at www.cristinaashleydesign.etsy.com. The link is also on the sidebar of this page.

Here is one design for preview ...

feeling crafty ...

I have so many projects I want to start. I just don't know when I will get around to completing them, or even starting them! Here are a few ...

-Make new stockings for all 3 of us
-Make a tool holder for all my jewelry stamping supplies
-Make decorations for Thanksgiving (table decor and place cards)
-Make Christmas cards
-Start mapping out a plan for Kylie's 1 year birthday (it's still 5 months away!)

Most of them are holiday related, so that is given with the time of year! All fun projects to look forward to.

Do you have any fun projects you are working on?

it's a sad day ...

I don't know ... for some strange reason I was absolutely LOVING the rain we have had the past few days. I was so into it! Staying in my warm pajamas, bundling Kylie up, sipping hot cocoa, watching the rain come down. It was so nice ... I felt like it was a subtle reminder that not everything needs to get done on the to-do list. Just sit and relax. But now it's gone and time to get things done!

I guess I'll have to put these away ...

pumpkin patch ...

I meant to post these ... uh, before the Halloween post! We went to the pumpkin patch with my Mom and got some stinkin' cute pictures of my little sweetie pie. She is SO cooperative with all my demanding poses for pictures!

Hope you enjoy these ...

my angel ...

Kylie was an angel for Halloween this year. We fully intended for her to be a fairy, but while we were at the fabric store, we fell in love with all the pastels. And fairies are bright and colorful ... so she was a soft, light fairy! We went up to Santa Rosa for Halloween to visit our brother and sister-in-law and their kids. The kids were so cute!

Here are a few pictures

november design and giveaway ...

Hey there! Today is a rainy Saturday and I am SO excited!!! I have a new design that I want to share with you ... and it will be our giveaway necklace for this month. Super cute. Super simple. Just right! A copper butterfly and a tiny sterling circle hang from a dainty 18" sterling ball chain.

Leave a comment to enter the drawing ... the winner will be drawn next Saturday, so check back then to see if you are the winner!

What is your favorite piece of jewelry? A Grandmother's necklace, a special bracelet, your wedding ring?

spread your wings.

oops ...

I have to admit ... I kind of forgot about my poor little blog there for a while! We have been blessed by having family around often and that has kept us pretty busy the past few weeks.

Stay tuned Saturday for the November design and giveaway! A winner will be chosen the following Saturday.

I added 3 new items to my Etsy shop and BigCartel shop. The link to get you there is on the left side of my blog ... go check them out! Pictured below is one of the "new items" that is featured on there. I love it because it is super simple, but unique as well. Each sterling pendant is stamped with JUMBO lettering and has an antique finish, so it isn't as shiny as your typical sterling silver. Very pretty and timeless. Customize your own!

Here it is ...

it's beginning to feel alot like ...

Fall!!! I am so excited about the new crisp, cool air we've been having lately. I love the beginnings of fall ... the crisp air, slightly windy, falling leaves, pumpkin spice candles, warm apple crisp with vanilla bean ice cream ... mmm :)

What do you love about fall?

shoes ...

Aren't baby feet and shoes so sweet? I wanted to share some pictures of Kylie's baby shoes ... she wont be in these much longer. So sad.