Weekly Goals for the Soul : Week 4

I realize there was no "Week 3" - but we decided to haul ass out of town for a bit to visit my family, and trust me it was very well needed.
This summer hasn't been easy on us, what with things being so slow with me, and the needing to make some be decisions, so I gave myself the last week off from a goal ( not from the diet though) to just let some dust settle a bit.
Upwards and onwards though, I can very proudly say I am DOWN 8 POUNDS in the last 3 weeks - this is incredible for me!
Can I get a "hell yeah!" ??

So moving forwards, my goal this week is to introduce the gym back into my life - I'd like to get there 3 times a week. So far, I've been twice this week already!
Go me!

If anyone out there still does read my blog, thank you for following this journey of mine. Please do share if you have set yourself goals, have met goals, have struggled with weight ( one way or the other).

Summer Giveaway 2012

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED - thank you for entering!

It's been good and long since I had a giveaway! I like to have them every now and then, as a way to say "thanks!" to you all for your support over the years.

The Summer Giveaway for 2012 will be a Dew Drop Necklace, in your gem choice of Swiss Blue Topaz, Amethyst or Garnet

Each pendant is anticlastically formed, and imprinted with the veins of a leaf, set with a 3mm gem and then strung on 16 inches of sterling silver chain. 

So, how do you enter?

There are 4 ways you can enter this giveaway {PLEASE post entries all in ONE comment}:

1) Leave a comment on this post choosing which gemstone you would like 

= 1 entry

2) Purchase something from any of my online shops by August 4th

www.bellabijoujewellery.etsy.com

www.bellabijoutoo.etsy.com

www.bella-bijou.com 

= a whopping 5 entries per $25 spent!

3) Tweet this exact phrase (and comment below with your Twitter name) :

I'm entering to win the Bella-Bijou Jewellery Summer Giveaway! http://tinyurl.com/bugdpnr @bellabijou

=1 entry

4) Pin it to win it! Pin your favorite piece from any of my shops to Pinterest and let me know in the comments below with your Pinterest user name

{see the pics below on how to pin directly from Etsy or my website}

= 3 entries

Best of luck to you all- the giveaway ends midnight August 4th, along with my Summer Sale. The winner will be announced the following Monday!
Thanks for all your support and don't forget you can get 15% off all purchases with code SUMMER2012 until Sat. August 4th! 

Summer Sale

The summer lull is in full bloom, and I thought it was about time to spice things up a bit with a Summer Sale!

Take 15% off everything in both shops and my website with the code :

SUMMER2012

July 28th- August 4th 2012

Shop One of a Kind on Etsy : www.bellabijoujewellery.etsy.com
Shop My Catalog Website : www.bella-bijou.com
Shop my Catalog on Etsy : www.bellabijoutoo.etsy.com 

A little recognition

About a month ago, whilst flipping through the pages of my Allure magazine, I stumbled upon this Essie nail polish ad :

Now, besides the fact that the polish colour ( Penny Talk, a gorgeous rose gold) had be sold, I thought something was SO familiar about that bracelet. 

Then it dawned on me.

It was familiar because I knew who made it. 

That bracelet, friends, is the handy work of someone I consider a mentor, friend, and general metalsmithing-problem-solution-maker, Mr. CG Whitfield {who was unaware of the ad until I contacted him!}

Let me tell you friends, the man makes silver bracelets in the most fluid stunning styles, and I happen to own one! 

You can imagine my surprise - to stumble upon such an incredible ad.  

Have you seen this ad? The bracelet makes it, dontcha think??
{and yes, I bought the nail polish!}

Offerings

Fleur Necklace in Sterling and White Freshwater Pearls

{I had been itching to make a pearl necklace with a twist - something that tied in my botanical touch}

These next few pieces must be a figment of some Olympic inspiration :

Medallion Necklaces in 

Amethyst

and Prasiolite

Medallion Ring in Labradorite, Size 8

{I do have one more of these Lab stones, so it can be made in another size}

Heading into the shop, later today - all available on reserve, just contact me!

toodles

Sometimes, cool things happen

This morning I woke up to a lovely message from Nicole over at Happy Pretty Things, saying she had featured a couple of my items in her latest blog post.

Kick ass!

Check it out, wont ya?

Weekly Goals for the Soul : Week 2

If you read this post on my recap from last week's goal, thanks ( I really don't know if anyone reads this blog anymore LOL)

This weeks goal will be to try out at least 3 new healthy recipes. I do find myself getting in a cooking rut these days, and it can be tough to find great healthy recipes out there that have the flavour to make me not feel like I am missing out on something good!

I have been a pinning fool over on Pinterest pinning potential candidates, and you can better believe I will be posting my thoughts and reviews on these recipes here.

Now, if this were a normal week, I would have said 4 new recipes, but we will be visiting my family this weekend, and so I didn't want to set the goal too lofty for the week :-)

Of course, I would love suggestions for great healthy food blogs, Pinterest boards, or your favorite recipes!

Weekly Goals for the Soul : Week 1 recap

Those of you who read this post  know that I am setting myself weekly goals to try and keep myself motivated in my quest for health and weight loss.
This past weeks goal was to cut out pop/soda and artificially sweetened beverages for the entire week. Perhaps this sounds like a slice of cake for some - but I had come to love my Diet Coke and Coke Zero! I don't drink coffee ( never have) so I think I relied on it for the small caffeine hit, and well, I just love the fizz!

Anyways, I had worried that it would be easy when I was home, but hard when I was out an about. Surprisingly, it got easier as the days passed. Knowing I was working towards a goal at the end of the week motivated me not to give in to cravings! Even a dinner out last night didn't have me breaking my diet and my Soda challenge!

I am thoroughly impressed myself *snicker*

Somethings I've noticed this past week :

I have not felt bloated once. Not one single time.
I have had no gas/indigestion/rumbly tummy :-)
I have had no heartburn
I have amazed myself how much easier it has been to get my 8-10 glasses of water a day.

Now, I don't plan on cutting out the odd soda every now and then completely - I want it to be a treat, not a staple.

Oh, and the biggest bonus this week? Combined with sticking to my diet for the week, I LOST 4 POUNDS. Booyah!

Stay tuned tomorrow for next weeks challenge!

The Impossible

I spent the better part of the morning trying to photograph this bauble! The labradorite stone has such incredible flash it was near impossible to capture. So, I did my best ;-)

Borealis Necklace







Beautiful from both sides ( I think!), left bright and shiny, with sparkling dapped chain.
Heading into the shop tomorrow, Monday July 16th, unless you claim it for yourself before then!

Free To Fly

"When I think of those east end lights, muggy nights 
The curtains drawn in the little room downstairs 
Prima donna Lord you really should have been there 
Sitting like a princess perched in her electric chair 
And it's one more beer and I don't hear you anymore 
We've all gone crazy lately 
My friends out there rolling 'round the basement floor 

And someone saved my life tonight sugar bear 
You almost had your hooks in me didn't you dear 
You nearly had me roped and tied 
Altar-bound, hypnotized 
Sweet freedom whispered in my ear 
You're a butterfly 
And butterflies are free to fly Fly away, high away, bye bye" 
[ Lyrics from: 

-Elton John's "Someone Saved my Life Tonight"

Free to Fly necklace is crafted around my most coveted Druzy to date. A pale grayed periwinkle with utter gorgeous sparkle the camera just didn't grab. It's caught up in two hand forged feathers in my own fashion, one of which holds a dew drop of faceted pale Rose Quartz.
Ready to hover above your heart, because butterflies are free to fly,
Fly Away. High away.

Weekly Goals for the Soul - Week 1

You all know I am on the ever long quest to lose weight and get fit and healthy.
Seems I never really can stay on that wagon.
I am not naturally athletic - my knees hate me and I have the worlds worst stamina.
I couldn't run to save my life.

This girl ain't no gazelle that's for sure.

I recently decided I needed to bite the big one and take a "before" picture *boo hiss CRINGE* and boy oh boy did that make something click inside of me.
How did I get here.
How did it get this bad. 


And no, don't worry, i will not be posting that horrifying picture here. Maybe one day when I have an "after" picture to share :-)


Besides dusting off my lonely MyFitnessPal account ( join me? My user name is BellaBijou) and doing session of the 30 Day Shred yesterday ( DAMN my thighs hate me today!)  I decided to try setting weekly goals for myself for motivation. Sometimes they may be small, sometimes big, but I wanted to give myself things that I could pat myself on the back for accomplishing weekly.

This weeks challenge?
No pop (soda for you Americans lol) for a week.
Seems easy, but I LOVE my Coke Zeros. And while I know they technically are calorie free, they are full of all sorts of other crap I know I can go without.

Don't get me wrong, I still plan on having one as a treat every now and then, but I sure as hell don't need to drink them like water, now do I?

It's a small start, but combined with moving more and eating less I hope it can be a good start in the right direction.  Today is only day 2, so time will tell how hard this is for me!

Any ideas for next weeks goal?
I plan on posting my progress here in hopes for a supportive environment.

Let me know what your health and fitness goals are? What have you achieved, and what are you working towards?


Always,

Currently Studying....

Because sometimes like has just gotta be "Good Enough"
-right?

Constellation

I've never been much good with constellations. 
Sure, I know the Big Dipper,
but I find myself gazing into the night sky not sure of others.
is that Orion's belt? Could that be Cassiopeia? 
What I do know is that I could gaze into the stars for all eternity, and forever see something different.
Isn't that magical?
 



Constellation ring is created around a gorgeous golden speckled Lapis Lazuli, that I have created a setting for in sterling and scalloped fine silver with a beaded edge along the bezel. It sits on a hammered 2.5mm band.

Materials : sterling silver and Labradorite
Finish : brushed satin
Size : US RING SIZE 7, approx 1 inch tall.
The the shop now

Lost in the Night

Caught in the light of the moon, a tiny leaf flutters - searching for shadows.Searching for ground,a place to rest. It's veins retain the life it has left,after being plucked from it's branch.Wandering, like a soul lost in the night...until it finds home, once again.
Lost in the Night Necklace features a hand fabricated sterling silver leaf that I imprinted with the veins of a real leaf, and shaped into a one of a kind organic form. It swings from a facet cut charcoal Labradorite stone, that will occasionally change tone in the different lights, just as things do.




In the shop now :-)

Canada Day

Canada,
My home and native land.My true north strong and free.
I am SO proud of where I come from. We are so much more than "eh".

Happy Canada Day!