Let Us Brighten Your Day with a Deal

April showers bring May flowers. Well, I certainly hope so! We have had such rain, sun, sleet, and snow and all of us are ready for just the sunny stuff. Throughout the month of May, we are committed to bringing a little sunshine into your life by offering a series of "Deals of the Day". These are selected Charming Life Designs products that have been deeply discounted. Quantities are limited.

Today's deal is a gorgeous Rose Quartz and Coin Pearl Necklace (item #80233). This hand-wrapped sterling silver gemstone necklace has been temporarily discounted to $27.00. Trust me, that's a deal and a perfect addition to your summer wardrobe.

Check out more "Deals of the Day" by clicking HERE.

Happy shopping! Barb

We Are on Facebook!

We did it again and this time it's going to stick - I promise. About a year ago, many of us at Charming Life Designs (at these those of us who are over 30) joined Facebook. The under-thirty-year-olds didn't need to join because they had all been on it for quite some time. Full of excitement, we quickly set up a company Facebook account and had huge plans to communicate with everyone. Then, we realized something, something very bad. We had NO IDEA what this whole thing was. Walls and post and uploads and links, on my! What had we gotten ourselves in for? So, please forgive us if you have joined us in the past and never heard back.

Fast-forward one year and there's good new. You definitely can teach a not-so-old dog new tricks. We totally get it now and hope you join us as we share with you weekly specials, feature products, super deals of the day, and more.

A special thanks goes out to Britnee for getting us back into the real world

See you on FB,

Barb and the Charming Life Designs Team

The Truth About Art Glass

Recently, there has been some confusion regarding art glass beads. Made famous by the glassworkers of Murano, Italy, the process of making stunning beads has been perfected by artisans throughout the world. Some countries, including the Czech Republic, China, Indonesia, Austria, Taiwan, and India have become very adept at producing these outstanding beads.

I'm sure many of you have seen this process done at an art fair or craft event. Some artists, such as the famous artist, Dale Chihuly, from Seattle, Washington, have created magnificent sculptures by blowing glass. Others, wind molten glass around a thin, steel rod and then fire the glass using a flame torch. The glass is layered and manipulated into various shapes and styles. Whether the outcome is a sculpture of blown glass flowers or a simple art glass bead, the beauty of handworked glass appeals to all.

Charming Life Designs uses handmade art glass beads, also known as lampworked glass beads. These beads are created by skilled artisans. Each bead is embedded with a design, ranging from flowers and swirls to a marbleized pattern. In some cases, a thin sheet of .925 sterling silver foil or 22 karat gold foil is nestled inside each colorful art glass bead. The transparent nature of the glass allows the silver to shine through, adding depth and interest to each bead.

We painstakingly seek out the highest quality of beads available to us at the most affordable prices. As you browse through our art glass designs on our website you will be pleased to discover that our designs have the look and feel of one-of-a-kind, handmade beads, yet our prices are far more affordable. Accented with Swarovski crystals, genuine freshwater pearls, and sterling silver beads, our jewelry adds a splash of color to any outfit.

Take a minute to view our collection of intriguing art glass earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. New styles are added on a weekly basis. Check it out!

2010 New Designs are Here and More are on the Way

This February, Holly and I took a trip to Tucson, Arizona, where we raced through the Holidome, JOGS, GWL and a few others venues as we searched out the newest and coolest products, while meticulously handpicking coin pearls, stones, and beads. One thing is for sure, we woefully under-estimated the amount of time needed to thoroughly comb through the venues. Each year, Tucson offers a smorgasbord of jewelry designs, ideas, and opportunities to become inspired, it literally takes days to digest the event.

Nevertheless, the show was a huge success for us and we dragged our overloaded carry-ons home, anxious to get to the workshop to start creating our newly inspired designs. During the next few months, we will be unveiling a series of colorful and fun designs. Our new collection will be a mix of whimsical charms incorporated into classic designs. Without saying too much, I’m certain you’ll enjoy these collections immensely.

Our first group of designs is now on our website and they are perfect for spring and summer. With over 50 styles and colors to choose from, these festive Art Glass Earrings are a fun and affordable addition to your wardrobe.

Stay tuned!

Barb

PS: We did manage to scout out some great restaurants. Saffron’s was recommended by one our favorite vendors, who happens to be from India, and it did not disappoint. Delicious food and extremely well priced. Note, however, that it was quite spicy so order “mild” not “medium” if you have sensitive taste buds.

Guadalajara’s, near First and Prince, was packed on a Tuesday night. Casual and fun the food was Mexican with an American twist. The décor was traditional Mexican, including hand-painted sinks, terracotta flooring, and a Maricihi Band. We ate so much our stomachs ached.

Happy Customers Make Us Happy

Everyday we strive to provide great customer service by offering both quality and service. When you order from us, we always take care in carefully packaging our jewelry, as well as shipping your order out promptly. It is so heart-warming to hear back from you!

Joe, in Portland, Oregon, sent us this thoughtful note and BOY did he make our day! Thank you, Joe, for your kind words.

Joe writes:

I can not remember a time when I was SO happy with an on-line purchase from start to finish! And I buy a LOT on line! First, I found you through Cafe Give... how great is that! And then your selection was amazing, and your prices SO reasonable! And then FREE Shipping (I'm in heaven!)... And then I get a notice less than 24 hours later my item has shipped WITH tracking (I love tracking!).. and today, the ear-rings arrived! So WELL packaged in a beautiful box and pouch,and to open them up and find such stunning jewelry too good to be true! I bought them for a dear friend as a valentine gift as she is grieving the loss of her husband and the green hearts are a perfect symbol of helping her heal her own broken heart! As a small business person myself, I am often appalled by others concept of 'Customer Service", you have outdone yourself! I am 110 % SATISFIED!

in gratitude and blessings!

Joe in Portland

Amethyst Is The Perfect Choice For Valentine's Day!

What better way to tell someone you care than to give them a gift of beautiful jewelry? February is the perfect month to choose jewelry made with amethyst and we have a huge selection of earrings, necklaces and bracelets. We also offer a wide variety of heart-themed jewelry.

Not only is amethyst a beautiful, semi-precious stone, it contains many special properties. To top things off...it's the official February birthstone and the 6th Anniversary gemstone!

According to many, amethyst is a powerful and protective stone. It guards and protects the wearer from all types of harm, including stress and ill wishes from others. Amethyst is a natural tranquiliser, it relieves stress and strain, soothes irritability, balances mood swings, dispels anger, rage, fear and anxiety. Alleviates sadness and grief, and dissolves negativity. Amethyst activates spiritual awareness, opens intuition and enhances psychic abilities. It has strong healing and cleansing powers. Amethyst encourages sobriety, having a sobering effect on overindulgence of alcohol, drugs or other addictions. It calms and stimulates the mind, helping you become more focused, enhancing memory and improving motivation. Amethyst assists in remembering and understanding dreams. It relieves insomnia. Encourages selflessness and spiritual wisdom.

Amethyst boosts hormone production, tunes the endocrine system and metabolism. It strengthens the immune system. Cleanses the blood. Relieves physical, emotional and psychological pain or stress. Amethyst eases headaches and releases tension. It reduces bruising, swellings, injuries, and treats hearing disorders. Amethyst heals diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract, skin conditions, cellular disorders and diseases of the digestive tract.

All this and it's absolutely beautiful too! You just can't ask for more than that!

Check out our wonderful jewelry selection. You won't be disappointed!

-Kris

Happy New Year to All

Oh no, am I late in saying this? The holidays have come and gone and we find ourselves trying to catch our breath and regroup. It's hard to believe that we are already halfway through January and Valentine's Day is fast approaching. The good news is Valentine's Day is one of those no-pressure holidays (at least at our house). It's just a fun day to show your love to your spouse, mom, mother-in-law, kids, or whomever tickles your fancy.

Charming Life Designs has a fun collection of earrings and necklaces that are affordable and perfect little gifts. Each piece of jewelry comes in a sturdy gift box with a Charming Life Design's jewelry pouch. To sweeten the deal, we are offering 20% off all Valentine's Day Jewelry. Simply enter "SWEETHEART" at checkout to enjoy your additional savings. Plus, receive a free pair of pearl earrings with your $40 purchase.

Now that's Amore!

Barbara and the Charming Life Designs Team

Pantone - The Color of Ideas

A couple of years ago I worked with a professional printer to produce a catalog for a fundraising event. We had to decide what color of ink to use and often referred to a huge chart of Pantone colors to get the right ink color. At that time, I thought Pantone was merely the keeper of ink colors and maybe paint colors. Wrong. The other day Barbara handed me a chart showing the new colors for spring fashion (which includes jewelry). To my surprise, Pantone published the list of colors. They appear to be the keeper of all colors. This spring's colors are wonderful and so saturated. According to Pantone, the hot colors for spring include turquoise, coral, a wonderful orange, rich violet purple, fuchsia, royal blue and a beautiful pea green. I've discovered designers really pay attention to color trends from Pantone because when the Nordstrom spring catalog arrived, all of the dresses, shoes, handbags and jewelry were all steeped in these beautiful colors. As we design new jewelry for the upcoming months, one can look forward to new designs from us that complement spring and summer fashions.

Lynn

2010-The Year of the Tiger!

Looks like we might need to look into getting a new pair of simple Tiger Eye earrings!

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, which begins on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011. The Tiger is the third sign in the cycle of Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs. It is a sign of courage. This fearless and fiery fighter is revered by the ancient Chinese as the sign that wards off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts.


祝你幸福，祝你富裕 (May You be Happy, May You be Wealthy)!

Happy New Year!

Britnee