whats that?

Why is Hillary in a dress?
Where did that dress come from?
Is that a new necklace? Did Hillary make it?
If she did, what's with that pendant?

Look for the answers to these questions and more in about 2 weeks :)

Keeping Warm from the inside out

It is freezing here in Alabama and we have just been wanting to stay inside and do anything we can to keep warm. So we thought we would share some great ways from etsy to keep warm from the inside out.

Fabulous coffee made by small roasters from Park Hill Coffee.
If you want to get even a little warmer, here's a "spirited" coffee drink you could make.

If chocolate is more your style, this hot chocolate and marshmallow set by the food snob would be great by itself or in some Moscow Hot Chocolate.

If you like strong tea, this Earl Grey Double Shot from Bhak Tea seems lovely.
Or, if you prefer herbal tea, this Hand Blended Morrocan Mint Tea from Teaman.
Surprisingly, I have a great recipe from Giada Lawrence for a tea bar that involves mint tea and earl grey tea!

All These Great drinks could use something great to hold them like this beautiful Celtic Vine Mug from Dancing PigPots.
And, if you have to be out and about in this cold weather, you could use this unique Walnut wood travel mug by Circular Art.

We hope you enjoyed the drinks and recipes and we hope you keep warm and safe during this freezing cold winter! Well see you back here soon!

New piece and Child's Play Update!

Hillary created a piece for The Dec eSMArts Challenge which was themed "winter". Unfortunately, eSMArts in its current form has shut down and Hillary no longer has access to the blog to run the challenges from. However, Hillary still wanted to share her piece with everyone.



This piece will be listed on Artful Unity within the next few days. This piece is made of real pearls and sterling silver.

Also, Hillary Wanted to let everyone know how the fundraiser for Child's Play went: We raised $20 for Children's hospitals! Thanks to everyone who helped!

We hope everyone had and continues to have a great holiday season! See you in the new year!!!

"How a Piece of Jewelry Leaves it's imprint"

Yesterday we featured a fingerprint ring from Rock my World Inc.
We found out that Etsy recently did a feature on her and wanted to share it with you.

Quick Gift Guide

Before the holiday season passed us by, We wanted to post a quick gift guide of unique and beautiful items from the sellers at etsy. You should really check these out :)

Etched Champagne Glasses from Jackglass

Sterling Silver Custom Thumbprint Ring from Rock My World Inc

Galaxy Swirl Chocolate Covered Oreos from Kerricakes

Custom Silver Guitar Pick from Silver Sparrow Designs

Wild Thing 3 String Guitar from Celentano Woodworks

"Dancing Away" Oil or Vinegar Bottle by Creative With Clay

Honey Luxe Pearl BeadWoven Necklace by NansGlam

The Winds Are Blowing Cushion by BloomSong

We WON!

Hillary Won this month's eSMArts Challenge! You can see what she had to say about winning here.
You can see her explanation of the inspiration behind the piece she created here. We are utterly thrilled and cannot describe how giddy Hillary is! Thank you to everyone who voted!

New Piece for the eSMArts Challenge- "Exactly"

Hillary created this new necklace for the eSMArts monthly challenge. This month's theme was ribbon and Hillary's piece fits the theme well, but it is based on something deeper. Here is what she had to say about it:

"Why would you cover up something so beautiful? Why hastily wrap fabric around something that is already perfect? Why mask the amazing sparkle?" Because it's what I do in real life. Why?
I don't know. What I do know is that hiding is tiring and it mostly just hurts me. I'm beautiful and sparkly and amazing just like my pendant: Creativity, compassion, dramatic tendencies, mistakes, extra 35 pounds and all. It's all beautiful. Keeping it in is a lot of work. Keeping it covered is me telling myself it's wrong or that other people's definitions of beautiful matter more than mine. I'm so tired of living behind this "fabric". I don't think I've said that enough: I'm tired and it hurts; And it's lonely.

I love people. I love hugs. I love talking. I love; alot. But mostly I worry about what other people will think if I reach out to them, I hide and I push people away. I don’t always know why. Sometimes, it’s just plain habit: No matter how hard I try, I run and hide, create drama, or just sit silently when what I really want to do is sing and dance and run through the snow naked. I am a little crazy. It really can be a wonderful, beautiful, happy, complicated crazy. But usually, it’s just defensive and short under the guise of trying to appear normal. I should be happy that I am not normal. What I am is beautiful. Perhaps one day I will make another pendant about myself and it will not be a hazy blur of gems with a little sparkle peeking out here and there. I believe it will be twice as beautiful as this one.

Thank you for listening to my story.

--Hillary