Friday, September 30, 2011

Yipee! Yay! Yahoo! Yesiree!

...the comment drawn for the $50 NOVICA gift certificate...

"I've been following your FB page for awhile! I've always admired your work!"

Thank you Jennifer for participating!
Please contact me in the next 48 hours, so that I can give you the special code.

I finally decided on what I would like to purchase with my $50 NOVICA certificate.
They truly have so many unique and beautiful items, from jewelry to home decor to clothing, etc...so I did take longer than I planned in placing my order.

I have a fine silver filigree necklace, (with *I think* Black Mother of Pearl insets), that belonged to my mom back in the 1960's...it was handcrafted and purchased in Bagiuo City, Philippines. 

It is beautiful; however, I have not worn it as often as I would have, since I didnt have any earrings that would go with it. 

So, I took it out of my jewelry box and looked at NOVICA's site to see if there might be something that would work well with it. 



The photo is of my mom's necklace. 
The inset on the bottom right shows a set of earrings that has the filligree and tiny silver ball details that are like those on the necklace. 

The name of the artisan that handcrafted these earrings is Giuliana Valz-Gen from the Andes. 

There was another pair that she created that was so identical with the details on the necklace! (But since I decided to share the gift certificate with one of my readers, I am very happy with this pair that was at a lower price.)

I also learned the difference between "fine silver" and "sterling silver".

"...Fine silver is 99.9% pure or more, but it is very soft..." So much more malleable with work like filigree details.

"Sterling silver is 92.5% to under 99.9%. The remaining 5 to 7.5% is usually copper, because this has been found to be the best metal to alloy with silver and not discolor it, while making it hard."  (source: Ted Mooney on google search)

*******

Today, was my day off from work, so I wasn't polishing any pearly whites :o) 
Instead, I went to a retirement ceremony and lunch at my husband's work.


(Usually, I share our past family photos on my post, but I thought I would share these ones that show a bit of what we were doing today.) 


My handsome hubby has a wonderful speaking voice. (side note: I love to have him do his "radio announcer type voice for me! haha    ...& I tell him all the time that he should do voice overs or something with radio/tv, etc...)  Today, he was narrating the awards of appreciation given to three of their hard working men. Between the three of them, they have about 87 years of combined Department of the Army Civilian service! Thank you, to these men for that service!



& Thank you to all those that participated! As I have done in the past, I would like to extend to those for commenting to this giveaway, 10% off of one Personalized Sketches artwork.  (I do this because when I do have a giveaway, I wish that I was able to give each commenter the winning piece!  So, please feel free to contact me, if you are interested  
in ordering any image with the name of your choice with 10% off.)

*******

The following two drawings were drawn for the University of Kentucky's 5th Annual Smile for Life event. Both our daughters, with other dental students, have and are very involved with making this event a success.


Our daughter chose a beautiful frame and mat for this one.

(sorry that this image came through the email a little fuzzy)

& this one also for the silent auction


I love this one that she picked out for the horse head too.



(Girly~Twirly has participated by modeling, organizing, and designing tshirts for this event... And Girly~Whirly also modeled, organized and actually is working tonight on more of the details for tomorrow's event).

"Smiles for Life event was begun by Dr. Erin Langfels in order to create a fund for victims of domestic violence so that they would be able to receive dental care for no cost to them at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. In order to raise  money for this fund, she began Smiles for Life; a Fall Fashion Show, Brunch, and Silent Auction. 100% of the proceeds from this event go directly to the Bluegrass Domestic  Violence Center where the money is earmarked for individuals and families entering the center to be able to receive much needed dental care. Their needs stem from injury and neglect, as oral health often is not a priority when one is trying to survive in a violent situation.
As women in dentistry, the UK chapter of the American Association of Women Dentists has continued this event and is proud to say that over the past 4 years over $40,000 has been placed in this fund and we have helped many victims of domestic violence across the bluegrass.


Joining in
...with Semper Wifey & Life with My Littles for Military Monday Blog Hop
...with Jenny's  Alphabe-Thursday's "Y" 
...with Mel for Fancy Friday Blog hop.


So glad our daughter invited me to join in the fun with Pinterest!
Would love to invite you to follow me on Pinterest.


Signature for blog

31 comments:

Kathie said...

congrats to the winner!

I love your necklace :-)

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

Thanks for having a contest. It's always fun and maybe I'll get a pc of your art soon. You and hubby look so good together. I like your hair!Cute!

Anne Garry said...

Hello Marie. The necklace is lovely.thank you again for dropping by and left a long comment on my post about my little girl.You are a sweetheart.
I apologize about how you cant leave a comment or something.I swear,I really am not good on this kind of thing.I blog as if it is my scrapbook or journal.
But thanks for the info .I will try to look at it.
by the way,you are right your hubby is handsome..and I would like to say thank you for his service too.
thanks for following me.

Unknown said...

Congratulations to Jennifer! (it's a little weird saying my own name even though it's not me :)

The necklace that belonged to your mom is quite beautiful but I can also see how it would be hard to find the perfect earrings to go with them. The earrings you found are a pretty good match though! I wish I wore jewelry enough to justify going to NOVICA to check out their selection....

I just love that current picture of you and your hubby. The both of you look really good and still very much the same as the way you looked in many of the past photos you've shared. Well, minus the hairdos of the past :) Honestly, you two don't look like you aged much since your youth. Plus, you guys still have those gorgeous smiles of yours! I hope that Jason and I can look that youthful when E is all grown up and married too :)

LV said...

Marie, I love the necklace. It is so unusably and pretty. You should find some occasion and enjoy it. No doubt the winner of your gift will be very pleased. I always enjoy your family pictures of the past, but it is nice seeing your handsome, one of a kind, hubby and you as of today.

Jen Price said...

What a beautiful necklace! How great to find earrings to go with it!

xinex said...

The earrings you picked are perfect with the beautiful necklace, Maria. I was just contacted by Ricky too and I will be giving away a $50 gift certificate too towards Novica but I ordered my stems first and will show them at the same time. Have a nice weekend. You and your
handsome hubby look so good together....Christine

Kel said...

Great necklace choice. It is absolutely beautiful! I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Amy said...

That's a beautiful necklace and your pick on the ear rings matches it nicely. :) Good taste. Your sketches are always amazing. Love the details on the horse.

For those who service our country, I salute to them and thank you for everything they sacrifice. Thanks for sharing your story.

Vicki/Jake said...

Hi Maria...long time. I'm a terrible summer blogger, glad the cold is coming so I can hibernate with my computer:) I love this post, especially your pictures and the team helping with dental work. That's awesome. So is the fact that you have your mothers necklace and now earrings to match. I'll be away from here again in a few days, but will catch up when I get back. Have a great weekend...

Pat said...

Such a unique and lovely necklace!

Your recently completed artwork with the horse head is remarkable. Know the recipient will be totally in awe of it.

Have a great weekend.

Michelle A'etonu said...

i wish i wasn't having technical difficulties, otherwise i would have commented for your giveaway!! well, i figured out the problem and now i can comment! what a beautiful necklace. those earrings are perfect!

Jessica Heights said...

It must have been very cool to see the retirement ceremony!

Drummer said...

hi. regards from indonesia. its a nice share. i was followed no#561. please come.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Maria, I am always amazed at your gorgeous work. You are so very very creative. Congrats to the gal who is wearing that gorgeous necklace... That is Awesome.

Nice frames really help a gorgeous picture or drawing, don't they???? Your daughter picked out a couple of gorgeous frames.

Hugs,
Betsy

Anonymous said...

What a great post! Filled with lots of reasons for Yipee!

Teresa

Judie said...

What a wonderful program! As you know, Rod's dad was a dentist, and he believed that dental care should be available for everyone. In the summers, he would go up into the Northwest Territories and work on the Inuits' teeth for free.

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Beautiful jewelry combo! Congrats on winning. What a fun and busy family. Love all of your Y words!

Anonymous said...

Your mom's necklace is just gorgeous. Gorgeous!

Lola said...

Hi again!

Love this‘Y’ post!

Happy Alphabe-Thursday!

Have a great weekend too & look forward to *seeing* you again next time,

XOXO LOLA:)

Alphabe-Thursday

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

Those will be perfect!

You and your husband are such a handsome couple, no wonder your kids are so beautiful...

Unknown said...

I love your choices! What a wonderful set!

Maxwell Mead Williams Robinson Barry said...

amazing energy here,

love the smiles.

Pondside said...

That's a wonderful program that you and your family are supporting - real help to people truly in need. Sometimes we forget that good dentistry can be part of the healing for people who have been abused. Good for you!

The Poet said...

Hello.
Your necklace is lovely. The earrings are a pretty good match too.

You & your hubby are a great-looking couple. The whole family has good looks (smile).

You do outstanding work too. Keep it up!

Thanks for sharing.

Yesterday With You

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Hello Maria, How are you this evening? Such a lovely necklace and now earrings to match. I have recently received a necklace from Novica and have a post draft almost finished.

Love the current photos of you and your dear husband. I am sure he has an amazing speaking voice.

How your weekend is full of special moments :)

Anonymous said...

I hope you were able to find the perfect pair of earrings to go with your necklace because it's beautiful and deserves to be shown off regularly!

Cheryl D. said...

Congrats! It's always fun to win a cool gift from a give-away! Your mother's necklace is stunning. I'm glad you found nice earrings to go with it!

Congrats!

Jenny said...

Wow! What a beautiful necklace! And what a fun (and I can see how difficult) choice for your prize!

I bet your winner is doing a happy dance!

I need to scroll ahead and behind to see if you are have a Grandson or Granddaughter!

Thinking of you and the excitement and joy coming into your life soon!

Hugs and A+

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

That's one lucky lady who gets to wear that necklace!

Jennifer said...

Thanks so much for selecting me!!! Can't wait to see what kind of goodies I can get!! Thank you for offering the giveaway!!

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