Sunday Gratitude and Sparkly Things

 

Hello friends! Happy New Year! I don't know you about you, but I'm glad to have made it past 2025; it was definitely a challenging year. Here's to brighter days ahead! I was pretty absent from this space in 2025, short of a few "here's what happening in my crazy life" updates, but I'm hoping to get myself back on track this year. If you're still here, please know how much I appreciate you following along. 

With everything I went through in 2025, I tried to keep up my creativity, but even that came to a screeching halt when my dad passed unexpectedly in the midst of my sister and me helping him work through some major life changes. I always post my creative work on my Instagram, and the last time I posted anything creative there, short of the amazing creations that are my daughters, was in July. This bracelet is the first little piece of creativity I've added to the world since then! And I owe a debt of gratitude to my daughters for it. While they were home in Jacksonville for the Christmas break, in addition to helping me continue to recover from my total knee replacement in October, they were determined to get me back in my studio. One dragged me down there in the hopes of me creating a couple things for her and a couple presents for her friends, thus this bracelet! One of her friends loves mixed metals, so we came up with this piece using 14K gold-filled wire and sparkly silver metallic Czech glass beads. Super simple piece, and we both loved the way it came out. 

But really, in addition to just getting me down there to make something "so you can get back to yourself, Mama," they really put in the work to make that possible. They sent me upstairs to ice my knee and then proceeded to totally clean up and organize (as much as humanly possible with the amount of supplies and interests I have) my art studio workspace. Now that I'm back home in Jacksonville, I have far less space, so it's no easy task getting - and keeping - it organized. Add to that my ADHD brain, and things can get - and stay - pretty messy down there. My goal this year is to put up the supplies I was working with before moving on to something else! 

Another way I hope to corral my ADHD brain this year, in my creative work anyway, is to try working in collections. I tend to bounce from thing to thing and back again pretty quickly, so I'm going to work on roping that in a bit. We'll see how it goes! I may bring Free Bling Friday back this year as well, still considering that. I do love sending my little pieces of creativity out into the world, even it's sometimes for free! 

Thank you for stopping in! I hope you'll leave me a comment to let me know you were here! Are you on my email newsletter list for monthly-ish updates and subscriber only discounts? Sign up here!   

One College Graduation Down, One to Go!

My girl Sarah officially walked across her college graduation stage last Friday evening. It was a super long day that started with a small ceremony for her major in the Classics department. I thought that was super special! She was part of the College of Arts and Sciences graduates ceremony, and by my count, there were nearly 2,000 graduates on that floor. But the smaller Classics ceremony earlier in the day let each of them shine individually. The faculty introduced every graduate, and each received a crown wreath in true Classics fashion. Then we headed to El Jalisco for a quick dinner and celebratory margeritas before heading to the larger Commencement ceremony at the Tucker Center. 

As most grads do, Sarah wanted cash, but I wanted her to have a little something to open other than a check, so I made these earrings for her. I'm super happy with the way they came together and I hope she loves them as much as I do! Sarah graduated with a bachelor's in Classical Civilizations and will begin pursuing a master's in Information Science in the fall. Liv graduates in August with a bachelor's in Environmental Science after her final internship summer, so we've got one down and one to go! Liv will begin pursuing a master's in Aquatic Environmental Science in the fall. If you've been reading this blog from the beginning, you've watched them grow up! Thank you for following along!  

March 2025 Free Bling Friday

Well, hello there, and happy Free Bling Friday! Congratulations to the recipient of my February Free Bling, Lee from Jacksonville! This year for the #the100dayproject, I'm doing #100daysofsparkly things, so I decided to send this pair out into the world for March Free Bling! I created these with yummy handmade lampwork beads, accented by copper Swarovski crystals and 14K gold-filled findings. They hang just shy of 2" from top of earwire to very bottom. The 100 day project happens every year over on Instagram, with makers all over the world committing to 100 days of something. For me, I know it's not feasible for me to create every single way because - ya know, life! - so I tend to create a batches of three of four at a time and post them two or three times a week. If you are on Instagram, you can follow along with me there @kellynwarren. I'd love to see you there!

For now, want this pair to head your way? Leave me a comment below with your location and what brought you to my blog today. Due to shipping charges, the giveaway is open to US residents only; my apologies to my out of country readers. I'll draw March's winner on March 31, so you have a few weeks to get your entry in! Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to get a reminder of Free Bling Friday and other updates, including newsletter only discounts. Want another entry? If you are on Instagram, you can comment on my March Free Bling Friday post! Just look for these earrings! (Note: If you comment anonymously here on the blog, be sure to leave your name, location, and how to reach you in case you win! It's best to log in with your Google or Gmail account before commenting.)

February 2025 Free Bling Friday!

Happy Friday, ya'll, and Happy Valentine's Day to those of you who love to celebrate Valentine's Day! Normally I do Free Bling Friday on the first Friday of the month, but I was out of town traveling for much of the first half of February, so here we are on the second Friday. Congratulations to Kristin from North Carolina, who will been receiving January's Free Bling Friday in her mailbox soon!

Whenever I'm out and about at little vintage shops and such, I love to stumble upon vintage cloisonne beads. If you've ever wondered just exactly what cloisonne is, it is "the technique of creating designs on metal vessels with colored-glass paste placed within enclosures made of copper or bronze wires, which have been bent or hammered into the desired pattern." How's that for a description? I just find them very pretty. Here I've accented pretty blue cloisonne with sparkly green crystals, all wrapped up with 14K gold-filled findings. For a size reference, the cloisonne beads themselves are just a tad smaller than a dime. Want them to head your way? Leave me a comment below with your location and what brought you to my blog today. Due to shipping charges, the giveaway is open to US residents only; my apologies to my out of country readers. I'll draw February's winner on February 28, so you have a couple weeks to get your entry in! Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to get a reminder of Free Bling Friday and other updates, including newsletter only discounts. Want another entry? If you are on Instagram, you can comment on my February Free Bling Friday post! Just look for these earrings! (Note: If you comment anonymously, be sure to leave your name so I know how to reach you if you win! Best to log in with you Google or Gmail account.)

The First Free Bling Friday of 2025!

 

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you all had a lovely holiday season. I've never been much for New Year's resolutions, but I do try to set some goals for the year, and one of them is to get back to blogging here regularly! I've realized that having a regular blog schedule seems to keep me focused a bit better than all that scrolling on short-form social media (I'm talking about you, Facebook and Instagram!). One of things I'm doing this year is bringing back Free Bling Friday, so the first Friday of the month, I'll be posting some pretties that I plan to send out into the world to a lucky reader. Maybe you! 

So pictured here is the first Free Bling Friday of 2025! These little beauties are made with freshwater pearls, resin blooms, and sterling silver. Want them to head your way? Leave me a comment below with your location and a favorite memory from the holidays to get your name in the hat. Due to shipping charges, the giveaway is open to US residents only; my apologies to my out of country readers. I'll draw January's winner on January 31, so you have a few weeks to get your entry in! Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to get a reminder of Free Bling Friday and other updates, including newsletter only discounts. 

Whatever your resolutions and goals for 2025 are, I hope that you give yourself some grace to take a step back, take a breath, and re-evaluate whenever needed! 

Week 4 - #100daysofuseitupkelly

Week 4 for my #100daysofuseitupkelly 100 Day Project!  This week I completed three books.  The colorful French link stitch book was part of our Handmade Book Club. And I love my Bit O Honey book. I polished off that box and inspiration struck! I also completed some more fun tags, a couple journal pages and a pair of earrings which I've since sent to a friend making masks for a trade.  Hope you are doing well with all that is going on in our world this week.  You can see all my 100 Day Project posts for this year on my Instagram account here, and you can learn more about the 100 Day Project here!

Week 2 - #100daysofuseitupkelly

Week 2 of my #100daysofuseitupkelly 100 Day Project consisted primarily of a little series of 10 journals I made for my Chi Omega student exec board members.  Once I had them all done, I sent them all off in little happy mail packages to my students. I also had one fun little octopus necklace in this week. She sold the minute I posted her, and I received a request for another! You can see all my 100 Day Project posts for this year on my Instagram account here, and you can learn more about the 100 Day Project here!

Week 1 - #100daysofuseitupkelly

Hello there! I'm taking on the 100 Day Project again this year! I found that last year, it really did motivate me to create just about every day, even if it was something super simple. This year my hashtag is #100daysofuseitupkelly. If you can read between the lines there, so to speak, yes, I'm using things up! I decided I have so much crap - ah, I mean so many wonderful art supplies - that instead of coming up with something specific, I'll just make something every day out of something that is currently in my studio. This will be anything from an art journaling page, to a small book or journal, to a piece of jewelry ... whatever! I hope you'll follow along! I'll post in weekly batches here, and you can also follow along on my Instagram here (@kellynwarren if you are on IG). Yes, many of the things you'll see will be available for purchase, but I'll likely not list anything on my website until the project is done, so shoot me a note or comment if you see something you'd like to appear in your mailbox! You can learn more about the 100 Day Project and artists behind it here.

November Free Bling Friday!

Hello there and welcome back to Free Bling Friday! Congratulations to Kristi in New Jersey, a new newsletter subscriber, who will be adding October's Free Bling to her mailbox. Thanks for putting your name in the hat by following along, Kristi! This month, I wanted to share something that might bring a little sparkle to the upcoming holiday season. I've topped pretty green glass briolettes with Swarovski crystals and sterling silver accents. These little briolettes are a little differently shaped than the ones I normally use for this style. This style of earrings is one of my most popular!

To get your name in the hat to win these little lovelies, leave me your first name, city and state, and a way to contact you in the comments below no later than midnight EST Thursday, November 28. If you haven't already subscribed to my monthly newsletter, click here to subscribe and you'll receive a reminder each month for Free Bling and another entry. Newsletter readers get a Free Bling entry simply by replying to my monthly email as well as access to subscriber only discounts in my Etsy shops over there in the right column and my website. Share this post on social media and post a separate comment letting me know you did that for one more entry for a total of three chances.

New to commenting on Blogger? At the very bottom of this post, you'll see a date and either "no comments" or a number of comments depending on when you're checking in. Click on the "comments" and a comment box will open. Giveaway open to U.S residents only. I would love for you to help me spread the word and share this post with a friend or two! Thanks for stopping in! 

October Free Bling Friday!

Happy Free Bling Friday (on a Saturday, whoo hoo!)! I've been a little under the weather in these parts, so things have not been running on schedule around here! Congratulations to Barb in Jacksonville, the lucky recipient of September Free Bling. On to October! These little jewels are a true, true one of a kind as I received these two little pink leaf beads in a package from a friend. I've combined them with deep silver crystals and sterling silver accents. They are petite, the beads actually smaller than a standard pencil eraser.

To get your name in the hat to win these little lovelies, leave me your first name, city and state, and a way to contact you in the comments below no later than midnight EST Thursday, October 31. If you haven't already subscribed to my monthly newsletter, click here to subscribe and you'll receive a reminder each month for Free Bling and another entry. Newsletter readers get a Free Bling entry simply by replying to my monthly email as well as access to subscriber only discounts in my Etsy shops over there in the right column and my website. Share this post on social media and post a separate comment letting me know you did that for one more entry for a total of three chances.

New to commenting on Blogger? At the very bottom of this post, you'll see a date and either "no comments" or a number of comments depending on when you're checking in. Click on the "comments" and a comment box will open. Giveaway open to U.S residents only. I would love for you to help me spread the word and share this post with a friend or two! Thanks for stopping in!

September Free Bling Friday!

Happy Friday, and welcome back to Free Bling Friday! Congratulations to Whitney from Jacksonville, the recipient of August Free Bling. On to September Free Bling! I created this pair during my #100daysofshinythings project and they include one of my favorite stones: amazonite.  If you are interested in the meanings of stones, Robert Simmons in his The Book of Stones describes amazonite as "a stone of harmony, both within the self and among people. It is a truth-teller and peacemaker, assisting one in communicating one's true thoughts and feelings without overemotionalism." Me, I just really love that it reminds me of the beach, which is my happy place. Here, I've accented the stones with simple 14K gold-filled findings and gold-plated pewter caps.

To get your name in the hat to win these little lovelies, leave me your first name, city and state, and a way to contact you in the comments below no later than midnight EST Thursday, September 26. If you haven't already subscribed to my monthly newsletter, click here to subscribe and you'll receive a reminder each month for Free Bling and another entry. Newsletter readers get a Free Bling entry simply by replying to my monthly email as well as access to subscriber only discounts in my Etsy shops over there in the right column and my website. Share this post on Facebook and post a separate comment letting me know you did that for one more entry for a total of three chances.

New to commenting on Blogger? At the very bottom of this post, you'll see a date and either "no comments" or a number of comments depending on when you're checking in. Click on the "comments" and a comment box will open. Giveaway open to U.S residents only. I would love for you to help me spread the word and share this post with a friend or two! Thanks for stopping in!

Week 14 #100daysofshinythings

Days 92-100 of my #the100dayproject, which I've called #100daysofshinythings... Done! You can see all my shiny things shared in the project here. I'm proud of myself for finishing this project. I'll admit, I'm not usually very good at sticking to things like this, but I managed to make it with this one. I missed a day posting here or there due to work travel and such, but I eventually did all 100 posts!  I will have all my new shiny things listed on my website soon!  What is #the100dayproject? Check it out here.

Week 13 #100daysofshinythings

Days 85-91 of my #the100dayproject, which I've called #100daysofshinythings... What is #the100dayproject? Check it out here. You can see all my shiny things shared in the project here. I've finally finished all 100 days in real time, but I still have one more week to share here on the blog! I will have all my new shiny things listed on my website soon!

August Free Bling!

Happy Friday, and welcome back to Free Bling Friday! Congratulations to Monica from California, the recipient of my July Free Bling. Monica got her pick from my #100daysofshinythings pieces on Instagram. I have finally wrapped up that project and really enjoyed pushing myself to create 100 new pieces in such a short time span. I'm taking the month of August to get them uploaded to my website.

So on to August Free Bling! This style in a couple different variations was really my favorite that I created in the #100daysofshinythings project. I told myself that I was going to keep things simple, but I veered a bit off track with these! They are a bit labor intensive with all the wire wrapping, but I really love them! These are sterling silver with small Czech crystals. They are just a tad small than the size of a nickel in diameter. To get your name in the hat to win these little lovelies, leave me your first name, city and state, and a way to contact you in the comments below no later than midnight EST Thursday, August 29. If you haven't already subscribed to my monthly newsletter, click here to subscribe and you'll receive a reminder each month for Free Bling and another entry. Newsletter readers get a Free Bling entry simply by replying to my monthly email as well as access to subscriber only discounts in my Etsy shops over there in the right column and my website. Share this post on Facebook and post a separate comment letting me know you did that for one more entry for a total of three chances.

New to commenting on Blogger? At the very bottom of this post, you'll see a date and either "no comments" or a number of comments depending on when you're checking in. Click on the "comments" and a comment box will open. Giveaway open to U.S residents only. I would love for you to help me spread the word and share this post with a friend or two! Thanks for stopping in!

Week 12 #100daysofshinythings

Days 78-84 of my #the100dayproject, which I've called #100daysofshinythings... Follow along on Instagram @kellynwarren. What is #the100dayproject? Check it out here! You can see all my shiny things shared so far in the project here.  I will have all my new shiny things listed on my website soon!

 

Week 11 #100daysofshinythings

Days 71-77 of my #the100dayproject, which I'm calling #100daysofshinythings... Follow along on Instagram @kellynwarren. What is #the100dayproject? Check it out here! You can see all my shiny things shared so far in the project here.  Be sure you are signed up for my newsletter so you get a reminder to get your name in the hat for Free Bling Friday.  While I'm doing this project, the monthly Free Bling Friday winner gets to take her pick! You can enter the July drawing here. And for you shelter dog picture lovers, I'm also doing a #100daysofshelterdogs on my shelter Instagram @shelterpetsuperstars. If you aren't on IG, you can see those pictures here!

July Free Bling / #100daysofshinythings

Happy Friday, and welcome back to Free Bling Friday! Congratulations to Jeanette from Lake City, Florida, the recipient of my June Free Bling. Jeanette gets her pick from my #100daysofshinythings pieces on Instagram. July brings the wrap up of my #100daysofshinythings project, and as of today, I still have 13 pieces to post before I wrap things up. Haven't been following along and wondering what the heck #100daysofshinything is? It's my #the100dayproject! Artists and makers the world over are busy creating their little hearts out, whatever they choose to create, for 100 days and posting their creations on Instagram. You can read more about it here.

The lucky winner of July Free Bling will be able to choose her pick of any piece posted in the project has not already been scooped up on Instagram, like this beauty above!  If you are on Instagram, be sure to follow me @kellynwarren.  If you are not on IG, no worries, you can still view all the pieces here.  When the challenge is over, I'll be posting all the pieces on my website and in my Etsy shop. I'll be doing a weekly round up on the pieces here on the blog as well. 

To get your name in the hat to win, leave me your first name, city and state, and a way to contact you in the comments below no later than midnight EST Thursday, July 18. If you haven't already subscribed to my monthly newsletter, click here to subscribe and you'll receive a reminder each month for Free Bling and another entry. Newsletter readers get a Free Bling entry simply by replying to my monthly email as well as access to subscriber only discounts in my Etsy shops over there in the right column and my website. Share this post on Facebook and post a separate comment letting me know you did that for one more entry for a total of three chances.

New to commenting on Blogger? At the very bottom of this post, you'll see a date and either "no comments" or a number of comments depending on when you're checking in! Click on the "comments" and a comment box will open. Open to U.S residents only. I would love for you to help me spread the word and share this post with a friend or two! Thanks for stopping in!

Week 9 #100daysofshinythings

Days 57-63 of my #the100dayproject, which I'm calling #100daysofshinythings... Follow along on Instagram @kellynwarren. What is #the100dayproject? Check it out here! You can see all my shiny things shared so far in the project here. Be sure to get your name in the hat for June Free Bling here for your shot at picking out your favorite! And for you shelter dog picture lovers, I'm also doing a #100daysofshelterdogs on my shelter Instagram @shelterpetsuperstars. If you aren't on IG, you can see those pictures here!

Week 8 #100daysofshinythings

Days 50-56 of my #the100dayproject, which I'm calling #100daysofshinythings... Follow along on Instagram @kellynwarren. What is #the100dayproject? Check it out here! You can see all my shiny things shared so far in the project here. Be sure to get your name in the hat for June Free Bling here for your shot at picking out your favorite! And for you shelter dog picture lovers, I'm also doing a #100daysofshelterdogs on my shelter Instagram @shelterpetsuperstars. If you aren't on IG, you can see those pictures here!

Week 7 #100daysofshinythings

Days 43-49 of my #the100dayproject, which I'm calling #100daysofshinythings... Follow along on Instagram @kellynwarren. What is #the100dayproject? Check it out here! You can see all my shiny things shared so far in the project here. Be sure to get your name in the hat for June Free Bling here for your shot at picking out your favorite! And for you shelter dog picture lovers, I'm also doing a #100daysofshelterdogs on my shelter Instagram @shelterpetsuperstars. If you aren't on IG, you can see those pictures here!