Designs by Janessa - Fingerprint Jewelry

With love from Nana...

2011-08-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the latest charms I created. It is a double sided keychain.
Both sides were created from signatures on cards from "Nana B" and "Nana". (Just as a note, these were not yet highly polished.)

And the winner is...

2011-08-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who donated money for the raffle to benefit MS. We were able to raise $260! This morning, my son picked a name out of a brown bag. The winner of the $100 gift certificate to my store is...

Congratulations to Jennifer Ocheltree!

Love Note

2011-08-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

My customer lost her 89 year old father in February, 2011. His passing has been very difficult for the entire family, as you can imagine. His children wanted to get their mother something special for what would have been their 60th wedding anniversary. Since I had previously created several fingerprint charms for the family, they contacted me again to see if I could create something from his handwriting for their mother.

Here is the result:

Raffle reminder and latest pictures.

2011-08-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Just a friendly reminder that the raffle (for a $100 gift certificate to my store) ends next Thursday. Winner will be drawn by my son.

In the mean time, here are some pieces I've recently completed:

Raffle for MS (Multiple Sclerosis)

2011-07-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

On September 23, 2011, I will be walking in the 3-day, 50 mile Challenge Walk for MS. I have never participated in a walk like this before and am excited (and nervous) to do so. This walk hits home for me because my mother has MS and has had it for the past 31 years. Fortunately for my mother, she has Relapsing Remitting MS (RRMS). During this form of the disease, patients tend to experience an attack or series of attacks (exacerbations) followed by complete or partial remission. Some days are harder for my mom than others. My mom has been doing wonderfully for the past 31 years but others are not as fortunate.

In order for me to participate in the walk, I need to raise $2500 by September 7th. Since I have a nice following of people interested in my jewelry, I've decided to raffle off a $100 gift certificate for $5. You can enter as many times as you like to increase your chances of winning. Each entry will cost $5. ALL the money will go to MS.

You can enter by making a donation at: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/janessa.gruby. After you've made your donation to the MS site, just leave a comment on this page with your name so you can be entered in the raffle. Your donation to the MS site is 100% tax deductible. Each $5 increment made will earn you a raffle ticket. Winner will be chosen on August 18th @ 9pm (PST)

Thank you for your support!

Leather bracelet

2011-06-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to share one of my latest designs. I had a customer ask me to make a leather bracelet that her husband could wear. Here is the result. What do you think?

It's been a while!

2011-05-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

I know...I haven't updated my blog in over 2 months. Sorry 'bout that. I received a TON of order for Mother's Day which left me with NO TIME to do anything else...like blog. I'm still trying to catch up...

Here are a couple of things I can fill you in on:
1. I made over 100 charms in the past 2 months. Yes, I've been busy. Thank you to everyone who ordered from me. :)

2. I finally became a certified artisan of PMC. Go me! Since I've started working with metal clay, this is something I really wanted to do. The certification process was INTENSE! 16 hours, 5 projects. Wow. Pictures of my work to come later.

3. Approached another store about carrying my impression kits. My kits can now be found in 5 stores in San Diego County. (Tula Ru, Mabels, Agana Baby, Posies and Ponies, and Babies in Bloom).

Anyway, here are two of the pieces I recently created for customers. Enjoy!

New fonts coming soon!

2011-03-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

Over the past two years, I've had several customers ask if I offer any other fonts besides the uppercase block letters that I currently use. Until today, the answer was always "no". Today I received several new font styles in the mail. I'm so excited to begin working with them!

Here is a preview. Which one do you like the best?

"Casual"

"Retro"

"Curly"

Contest #2 - Winner posted!

2011-03-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

And the winner is... comment #49:

Julie said...

I like you on FB ... which is how I found out about this in the first place! :)

March 11, 2011 6:48 PM

Thanks to everyone who participated. Stay tuned for the next contest!

So I've noticed I only have one person following me. Hmmm...does that mean no one is interested in what I have to say (which is okay) or no one knows that I have a blog? Did you also know that I also have a twitter page and a facebook page? Let's change that!

The rules for this contest are simple.
1. You must follow my blog. Then you can also enter by following my FB and twitter pages. :)

2. Follow @designsbyjaness twitter
3. "like" Designs by Janessa on Facebook
4. Retweet that "Designs by Janessa has a blog. Check it out at: http://tinyurl.com/5rv58qe)"

Each time you follow one of my pages, please make a comment. This is how I will track your entry. I will use random.org to choose my winner so the more pages you follow (up to 3, right?) the more chances you have to win. The winner gets a $20 gift certificate to my store. This contest will end on Saturday, March 12 @ 9pm PST.

Hope this makes sense and good luck!

My "kits"

2011-03-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a few days since I've posted anything. I've been busy filling orders and preparing more kits for the stores that are selling them for me.

The idea to sell kits came to me last September as I was mailing out materials to my customers. I figured if I can mail materials, why not just package them up and make a "kit" to place in stores? So...I approached a couple of the stores that I hold trunk shows at and asked if they would sell my kits. To my amazement, they said yes!

My kits sell for $10 in the stores. They come with an order sheet for the customer to fill out and mail back to me with payment for the charm they purchased. Super easy and it works! My kits can be found at: Tula Ru, Agana Baby, Mabels (Carlsbad), and Style Child. I'm hoping to expand my store presence in the near future. Know of any stores I should approach??

And the winner is...

2011-02-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

The winner of my first ever Designs by Janessa contest is: comment # 31!! crescendogal, you won! Please contact me for details. :) Thank you to everyone who participated. Stayed tuned for more contests...

Love Ashley

2011-02-22T20:26:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how many of you know this but I work with my friend, Zoe, to provide fingerprint charms to families who have had a child pass away while in the PICU at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego.

Zoe's niece, Ashley, was tragically killed in a car accident January 2010. She spent 12 days in the PICU at Rady's before passing. After her death, I gave Zoe and Ashley's family fingerprint charms to remember Ashley by. Zoe was so touched by this that she wanted to be able to give other families the gift of charms as well. I donate my time and talent while Zoe raises money for the purchase of supplies and materials. Each family receives 2 penny sized prints.

Today I worked on finishing up charms for the families of 7 children. These are always so difficult for me to do but I know that the families appreciate the gift.

Zoe and I are always looking for donations to cover supplies and materials. If you are interested in donating, please contact me.

One lucky daddy!

2011-02-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

I recently made two sets of cufflinks for a customer in Canada to give to her husband for his birthday. Wow! What a lucky daddy! The round cufflinks are of siblings who are 6 years old and 3 years old. The square cufflinks display a print of an 18 month old.

Contest #1

2011-02-20T15:40:00.000-08:00

If you would like the opportunity to win a $20 gift certificate to my store, please see my post here. Good luck!

A Heart of Gold

2011-02-20T15:37:00.000-08:00

I recently created this gold plated charm for a customer who lost her granddaughter, Morgan, last year in a tragic accident. Over the past year, I have created many charms for Morgan's family. Morgan's family originally heard of me through Ashley's Prints with Love. It is very difficult for me to make these charms but I know that they give a lot of comfort to Morgan's family. Rest in peace dear Morgan.