Back that thing UP!!!

I want to spare you all the pain I recently went through with my laptop. Remember to back up your computers and if at all possible-get an external hard drive and back it up on there.

Recently my laptop died, and with it everything I had on it.  Sometimes when a computer dies; the tech can save some of the info, sometimes they can't.  It was the latter in my case because my mother board fried.

That also reminds me to tell you-make SURE when using a lap top you don't have it sitting on your lap or blanket for hours on end.  Air can't flow under it and cool it off, it will  overheat and eventually burn out.   

IF I had been smart and backed up on discs or an external hard drive I wouldn't have lost all my info. Sadly,  I didn't-dumb girl!  I lost all the work I had done on my new site, kept a lot of ebooks on there (so I could read in bed),  a lot of PDF patterns and, a lot of photos I had saved from various sites, etc... And lets not forget music, I had a good amount of music and sleep mp3's that I don't know if I'll ever get back.. sigh...... Luckily I didn't have a lot of personal photo's but still the loss hurt.

There are also remote sites you can back up too. I've never tried one, but it's something to look into.  So please, do yourself a favor-back up your computer tonight and save yourself a headache down the road!

Blast from the Past Jewelry

It's been a couple of crazy rainy gray days. The kind of days that are perfect for just looking at pretty things to take your mind off the dreary weather.  Here are some Saints and Sinners "blasts from the past" .   First are a bevy of colorful faux bakelite bug brooches. I made over 150 these about 4 yrs ago and I occasionally see them being sold on ebay as 'vintage'.   I love all these bugs and think I want to make some more now. I will need to make a new mold, the old one died from use

 Anne Bonney - Tribute to a Pirate Queen necklace.  Some people wouldn't want to wear a Jolly Roger, but the right woman saw it and made a beeline for it. 

Steam Daddy necklace - Still one of my favorite pieces, and wish I still had it!  This was bought by a girl for her boyfriend because she had just found out she was expecting and this was they way to say "Steam Daddy your about to be a Daddy!  She sent me an email a week later telling me he loved it, not only for the look bt also because it was a memorial piece when he learned he was going to be a Father for the first time.   AWWW, what a touching email!!!

Junk Queen.  I wasn't sure anyone would want to wear a necklace proclaiming they were the queen of junk but two women fought over this at the tradeshow.  And to complicate it-they were friends. They finally agreed to split cost and share the necklace. A WIN/WIN for them both!

I do love creating pieces that create such emotional reactions in people.  While there are many pieces I want to keep, I also know they were meant for other people.  I know I'll create more things to keep and more to share with others!

Happy St. David's Day!

Happy St. David's Day everyone!!!! I was hoping the daffodils in my yard would have bloomed by now, but the crocus have beat them. 

A little background on this holiday for the patron saint of Wales- Saint David's Day (in Welsh: Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant) is the feast day of Saint David and falls on 1 March each year. 

St. David was born in 520 on the southwest coast of Wales. .The date of March 1st was chosen in remembrance of the death of Saint David on that day in 589, and has been celebrated by followers since then. The date was declared a national day of celebration within Wales in the 18th century. It is growing in popularity and is celebrated throughout the UK and withby Welsh (and those of Welsh descent) all over the world.

Stained glass portrait of Saint David.

Website Cleanup-Huge 60% Sale

Creating a pretty new website makes me feel the need to clean out all the old inventory and add new stuff!  But to do that I need to clean out stock.   

Aviatrix Necklace featured in Steampunk Style Jewelry book. 

So in order to clean out and entice orders,  I'm having a HUGE blowout sale.   Not 20 %, not 40% but a whopping 60% off everything on the website!!!!

"Sacrifice" Mixed Media Assemblage Necklace

If you've been eyeing something but haven't been able to afford, NOW is the time!!! It's also a GREAT time to buy yourself a gift or two at super low prices!!!  For orders over $100, I'll throw in a little something extra in appreciation. 

Please feel free to spread the word about the sale too!

Sunday Productivity-New Jewelry Listings

A Star is Born Frozen Charlotte Necklace  ©2012 Barbe Saint John/Saints & Sinners 


I'm sad to say I am STILL sick...but I can't keep laying around when there's work that needs done. I bundled up and trundled down to my cold basement studio this afternoon. I had to do SOMETHING and not feel like I've slept away the month of February!

I decided to work on website graphics and I've finalized the look (YES!!!), but I made the banner the wrong size-curses! So I'll need to rework that this week and then get on to the blog template stuff. I want to relaunch March 1st, so I need to get my tail in high gear.

I also took jewelry photos today so I could post them to the Saints and Sinners Etsy shop.  I don't want to add anything more to my website until I re do it, so will be moving stuff over to the Saints and Sinners Etsy shop this week.  I listed the "A Star is Born" necklace pictured above, as well as two more affordable necklaces-

Paris at Dusk Necklace

Simple but pretty, click HERE to go directly to the listing. 

and

Taking Chances Necklace

This one is made with altered Industrial Chic charms, vintage chain and a hand made hook & eye clasp. Very 'arty' and unusual.  Click HERE to go to the listing.

I hope to feel somewhat better tomorrow so I can do more than  3 hours worth of work. Here's to a productive and healthy Monday!

Heartfelt Mail Love

Embroidered Heart ©Tracie Lampe 2012

Woke up after a unrestful 12 1/2 hour sleep (HOW can a person sleep so long and wake up exhausted?) to find some mail love waiting for me.  Heartfelt felt heart to be exact!!! 

My good friend Tracie Lampe  better known as "The Queen of Trash"made these gorgeous embellished felt hearts from Tammy Gilley's  online class "Heart Strings" class available through STITCHED Workshops.  I saw Tracie's handiwork and was blown away!  Because she loves me, she sent me one in my signature red/aqua colors-THANK YOU TRACIE!!!!  You can see more of Tracie's recycled eco-fabulous goodies on her Etsy shop- Radical Recycks 

The STITCHED workshops are set up by Alma Stoller and for one price you get access to a bunch of workshops.  The website description says:  "STITCHED is a collection of 20 online video workshops by 20 talented fabric artists.By registering for STITCHED you have access to all the STITCHED workshops all at one time. You are able to pick and choose which ones you want to dive into first. The workshops are available to you any time you wish, until STITCHED closes on January 1st, 2013"   You can register here. 

It's a GREAT deal and the classes all look awesome.   Tracie also has a fabulous 

Bohemian Bag class workshop in this group of workshops that people will go nuts over. While I would love to sign up for the workshops, sadly it will have to wait.   I have to save all my pennies to buy a new laptop ASAP.  First things first-new computer then I can take workshops to make pretty things!  

I also got some supplies-these pretty Bird on a Branch bezels pendants. 

I'm not sure what I am going to put in them yet because the bezel wall is pretty shallow. They looked deeper in the photos but I am sure I can still use them. I'm debating doing a large outdoor art fair this summer and want some $20 "impulse buy" necklaces so these will work for that.  

Hope you all get some mail love this week too!

AAAAAHHHHH CHOOO! Go away dang flu!

I couldn't resist this adorable photo of a sneezing bunny from I can Haz Cheezburger website to sum up how my last week has been.  I thought I would get through this winter without getting the flu. It was looking good, unlike the last 5 yrs I haven't had 2 flu episodes by Feb 15th and I thought I was going to be able to say "NO FLU in 2012! WOOHOOOO."  While i was lucky to not have one flu after the other, the flu bugs just couldn't let me off that easy.  I've been down since Friday night with a bad case of it.  I've been downing Emergen C,  Nyquil and sleeping a lot.  I think I am on the tale end of it, and while I have no energy at least I can sit up right today.  

Sadly, my laptop also decided to get sick at the same time. I'm not sure there is any way of saving it and that really really really sucks!!!! I love my iPad but I can't do a lot of 'work' that I need to do on it.   So I guess I need to really get my marketing and selling in full swing as soon as I have the energy to do it rather than by my goal schedule.  Such is life.   I had hoped to have my website graphics done and my blog template almost finished by now but the flu threw a monkey wrench into my productivity schedule.  I am determined to work on the website stuff tomorrow, hopped up on Theraflu and Dayquil.   

Luckily I can still veg out  and spend hours on Pinterest on my iPad. I can't seem to scroll through my boards to add pins, which is annoying but I'll deal for now. I love finding all kinds of inspiration, recipes, and fun stuff on there. It's really addictive!  I've just discovered a "follow me" button so  if you'd like to follow me over there just click below!