New LisbonSky URL address!

NOTE:

The new blog  will still have the same contents and the same “Blog Launch Giveaway” (with the same deadline)…

However, the new blog will allow me to add extra features in the coming weeks, that were not possible with the existing site.

See you at http://lisbonsky.com/

Statement Necklaces: Katy and Carla

There’s something very alluring about having a beautiful statement necklace decorating one’s decolletage. The right piece can turn a plain and boring outfit into something glam, funky or edgy.

I adore necklaces and have an extensive collection at home. Rarely a day goes by when one isn’t around my neck… so it’s only fitting that the most popular items in my Etsy and Madeit shop are – that’s right, you guessed it – necklaces!

My newest pieces are the “Katy 3D butterfly charm necklace” and “Carla Swarovski crystal & silver-plated Infinity necklace”.

Katy is statement vintage-style necklace featuring a large butterfly with intricate 3D cut-out wing detailing. Carla is elegant and chic, featuring a sparkly silver-plated ring infilled with swarovski crystals (which look like tiny diamonds) and suspended by a delicate silver-plated chain. Both necklaces look great with casual and dressy outfits!

Find Katy on Etsy or Madeit…
Find Carla on Etsy or Madeit…

Sneak Peek in my Cart!

Okay – I admit it. I’m an Etsy addict…

Not only do I dedicate a ridiculous amount of hours on Etsy (daily) maintaining my own store – but I like to shop there as well. I’m often amazed at (not to mention constantly coveting) many gorgeous goods on offer… Seems Etsy is
full of sellers with bucketloads of talent!

And with that, here’s a sneak peek into my shop cart. Each of the featured
items shown arrived on my doorstep – much to my excitement and glee!
I adore each of them – they are unique, well-made, quirky, gorgeous, fun and
of course, the sellers were fantastic to deal with!

Photo:
1. Peacock feather headband, blacksatinshoes
2. “Reversi” sterling silver hoops, ElunaJewelry
3. “Starry Night” Vincent van Gogh resin ring, adelles
4. Light blue crocheted elephant, fireflycrochet
5. “The Zippy” headband, blacksatinshoes
6. “Circles and stems” doodle wallet, aprilsoriginals
7. “Red paisley” doodle wallet, aprilsoriginals
8. Hand-Crocheted apple cozy, UnravelMe
9. “Mr T” cross-stitched fridge magnet, DefiantDamsel

Love is the air at LisbonSky?

Ahhh… it’s almost that time of the year again … Valentine’s Day!
I’m sure like many of you – I never really bought into Valentine’s Day, believing it was only a celebration fueled by the likes of Hallmark to persuade consumers to buy, buy, buy.

… That was until my husband proposed on Valentine’s Day two years ago, while we vacationed at a gorgeous, scenic and secluded Fijian resort! Then we married a year later on the same day! Now I have a new-found appreciation of Valentine’s Day (not too soppy though!) and for something new – decided to do a little research over the internet on the topic.

So here are 5 interesting facts about Valentine’s Day:

(1) Valentine’s Day began during the heyday of the Roman Empire, which held a festival every February. This Lupercian Festival was held in honor of the God of Fertility and during the festivities young men would get to choose their mate. At the time marriage was a common occurrence.

(2) Valentines Day is a day of symbols. Heart: The center of emotions. People believed that when they gave a heart, they were truly giving all of the love and emotion that they possibly could give. Rose: The rose was sacred to Venus the Goddess of Love. Cupid: Its origins can be traced back to the days of the Roman Empire. Cupid is a Roman God, the symbol of passionate love (son of Venus). Birds: Particularly doves and lovebirds are popular (these two birds mate for life and it was believed that they choose their mate in the middle of February).

(3) In the Middle Ages men would pull a woman’s name out of a bowl. This would be the man’s Valentine. To show his devotion, the man would wear the paper containing the woman’s name on his sleeve for a week. This soon became known as ‘wearing your heart on your sleeve’.

(4) The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 1 billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women.

(5) A Bruskin-Golding study discovered that 3% of all pet owners buy a Valentine’s Day gift for their pet.

… And with that in mind, here are some of my LisbonSky Valentine’s Day themed items (see below) – all available through Etsy or Madeit. Happy early Valentine’s Day!!!

(buyers note: allow 7-12 working days for US/UK/Europe shipping.
2-5 working days for Aus/Asia shipping).

Ollie the Wonder Dog

Let me introduce you all to Ollie the Wonder Dog!

This adorable carpet mop belongs to my boss and I love it when he is brought to the office – as there is never a dull moment.

Ollie’s many talents include climbing tables and chairs – as I discovered today when he climbed onto MY table to steal my lunch while I wasn’t looking. It was amazing how he managed to pull the chicken out of my lunch box without moving or spilling the rest of the contents. In fact – I didn’t even realize my lunch had gone until I spotted bits of chicken on the floor!

Oh yeah, did I mention Ollie is super friendly?? He loves greeting all visitors at the door! … In fact, he liked one client so much that he (Ollie) then proceeded to start licking the client’s bum/balls area!!! Cheeky dog! 😛

Coming soon to LisbonSky

My latest jewelry obsession are sparkly and shiny, faceted crystal briolettes!
They’re so versatile  and look soooo gorgeous on everyone!

This week, I created a custom peach crystal briolette bracelet & earring set for a friend’s birthday present. She’s a real girl’s girl and I knew she liked girly pinky tones – so I chose this peachy / blush pink crystals for her (see below).

I was quite pleased with the results as I’ve never made a bracelet like this before… And who can resist pretty, sparkly and shiny objects, right??  ;P
Anyway, I hope to make some more for my LisbonSky range in the next few weeks so – watch this space!

Home decorating and other crafty projects

I recently had a 3-week break from work (office job) over the Christmas / New Year holidays. I looooved it as my hubby and I spent some time at the gorgeous Bryon Bay & Ballina in a luxury resort (more photos later) – but I also had the opportunity to finally finish a few craft projects that had been hanging around for months!

One of these projects is my ‘crazed button’ wall artwork (as the hubby refers to it) which I intended for our bedroom as we had large blank walls. Basically the artwork is pop-art inspired and involved making & mounting hundreds of buttons in crazy bright colors! I love cute fabrics and have quite a collection – so it’s great to finally use them! (see top & bottom left photo)
… Now our bedroom is very cheery, indeed!

Still on the subject of the bedroom decorating, my brother-in-law gave me an awesome Georg Jensen ‘Memory Board’ (key rack) for Christmas. But since I only had one set of keys that I carry in my handbag – I thought the rack is perfect for displaying my treasured necklaces and rings! (see bottom right photo) … Thanks Chris!  🙂

Finally took the plunge and started my own blog!

Okay here comes nothing! … Giving this blog thing a fair go – even though it might get neglected later.

I did manage to whip up a new banner for the blog, though! 🙂
Spent a couple of hours on it, much to the hubby’s dismay (oops!). So glad I could use the same new banner for my Etsy and Made It stores too! I’ve been meaning to re-do them for ageees – I was so sick of the old one.

Hmmm… Let me see if I can post the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pics… stay tuned!