Online Order Deadlines for Christmas Arrival

As I write this, it is only the beginning of December.  But this month always goes so very quickly, I wanted to warn you of my shipping deadlines for online orders.

The very last day you can place an online order that I will guarantee (well, as much as you trust the post office) is December 17, 2012.  If you place an order after that, I cannot guarantee I will get it in the mail on time for Christmas delivery.

This is for most all United States deliveries.  If you are outside of the United States, we're past the deadline for Christmas delivery.  However, I truly believe I could get something to Canada on time yet.  Email me if you have questions.

If you place an order after December 17th, your order will still be processed up until December 21st at 5 pm EST and mailed shortly thereafter, but, again, I cannot guarantee Christmas delivery at that point.  I will not be processing orders from December 21st - December 25th.

If you are local to Lancaster, PA or can pick up an order there:   Place your order up until December 20th if you can pick it up at BUiLDiNG CHARACTER, 342 N. Queen St., Lancaster, PA.  Please let me know when you are checking out.  I will let you know when you can pick it up and refund your shipping charge as well.

NOTE:  I am not taking any new custom orders until sometime in February.  The delivery deadlines pertain to items I have in my online store already made.

Any questions, let me know.  I'm always willing to try to help you out of a desperate situation with express mail at your own cost.

New Holiday Ornament/Pendants

Holiday Ornament or Glass Tile Pendant

Looking for the perfect gift for Christmas? 

Want to decorate with a cool modern ornament?

Ready to express your Christmas style?

This ornament/pendant is perfect for you! 

Imagine it hanging from your Christmas Tree, showing your great taste and style. 

Or cut off the ribbon and put it on a cord or chain to wear! So cute and quirky!

Gift - ready, it comes in a sweet little cotton bag that was made in the U.S.A.

Details:

- Cool Modern Ornament, featuring a modern images and bright colors
- The image is preserved under a rounded glass tile, which is 7/8" square. 
- It comes as pictured handing from lace. If you prefer, you can cut off the lace and use the pendant as a pendant instead! 

To purchase any of these ornament/pendants, click here to go to my Etsy Shop.

This Ornament/Pendant is my original photography of the Star Barn.

Personalized Custom Gifts

It's almost Thanksgiving and I hate to rush into the Christmas holiday season, but if you are looking for one-of-kind personalized custom gifts in time for the holidays, now is the time to get your order in!  I don't have a deadline for ordering yet, but it will be soon!

Glass Tile Pendant

 

Scrabble Tile Pendant

B.B. Bellezza pendants make wonderful, personalized gifts.  Your gift recipient can wear more than one at the same time and they are all interchangeable with the cords and chains I offer.

Scrabble Tile pendants (see the pendant with the photo of Centralia Tree above) are .75" x .82" and are made on an actual scrabble tile from the Scrabble game.  The image is applied to what is actually the back of the game piece and a silver plated bail is attached to the side with the letter.  You can partially see the letter on the back.  (Custom letter selection is sometimes available, but not always depending upon my supply of tiles at the time.)

They have a glass-like glaze preserving the image.

Glass tile pendants (see the pendant with the couple above) are approximately 7/8" x 7/8".  The image is preserved under the smooth glass tile.  A silver plated bail is attached.

CARE:  The pendants are water resistant, but not waterproof.  Do not wear them in the shower, pool or hot tub.  Make sure to remove if you're near a pool in the presence of your bratty little brother.  (He will throw you in....)

Ideas for personalization:

1.  Any photo:  photos of kids, a loved one, favorite vacation location, photo of something sentimental, a favorite tree, etc.

What I need:  Send me a photo via email in digital form (preferably a .jpeg) and I'll resize it into a pendant.

Glass Tile Pendant      $25

Scrabble Tile Pendant $15

2.  Custom initials or name up to 3 letters.

What I need:  Send me the name or the initials (or just a letter.)  Tell me their favorite color(s) and I'll create a pendant with initials and a cool background.

Here's an example with my name.  It has a register in the background because I work with numbers in my day job and some cute flowers.  This is just an example, but the possibilities are endless.

Glass Tile Pendant      $27

Scrabble Tile Pendant $17

3.  Artwork:  Your own artwork or a child's

What I need:  Email me the image in digital form (.jpeg is best)

Glass Tile Pendant      $25

Scrabble Tile Pendant $15

Cords and Chains

Sold separately:  $4

Cord and Chain Choices:  

Ball Chain 24 inches, can shorten by cutting with regular scissors

Cotton Cords:  Black, Dark Brown, White, Pink  16", 18", 20", 22" or 24"

Black Satin Cord:  16", 18", 20", 22" or 24"

Black Ribbon:  16", 18", 20", 22" or 24"

Cords/Ribbon made with silver plated findings and a lobster clasp

Shipping:

First Class, flat rate (no matter how many items you purchase, it's the same price) 

U.S.  $3

Canada $4

Other locations:  varies (contact me for quote and to make sure that I can ship to your country), most will be $5

Gifts:

I'm happy to ship directly to a gift recipient and add a personalized note for no extra charge.

TIPS:

The less busy the background, the better the pendant will turn out.  These pendants are small, so of course the photos will be small.

I may have to crop the photo or resize the photo to get it to fit.  If there is something important about the photo that I might not realize (a/k/a something important in the background that I might cut out when cropping), please point it out.

If you are ordering a glass tile pendant, I also have rectangle glass tiles (about 2"x 1").  If I find that the rectangle will work better for your image, I'll let you know.

LEAD TIME:

Approximately 2 weeks.  If you have a rush order, I can try, but I will still need at least 4 days to make your pendant.  

Shipping price includes first class mail, but I can upgrade if you're in more of a rush.

TO GET STARTED: 

Email me with your ideas or photos.  I'll let you know if how long it will be and your total.  If you are not sending me a photo (i.e. option #2 above) I'll work up a design and email it to you for your approval.  After that, I'll send you an invoice for total payment via paypal.  You'll get the invoice in your email with instructions.  After I receive your payment, I'll start working on your pendant.  The time I quote is starting fromt he time your payment is received.

If you are in the Lancaster, PA area, you have the option to pick up your pendant at BUiLDiNG CHARACTER in downtown Lancaster.  I can't get there everyday, though, so I will let you know when I can have your purchase there.  (Make sure to let me know prior to paying so I don't charge you shipping.)

WHOLESALE:

Contact me for wholesale pricing when purchasing 10 or more pendants of the same image!

Any questions, please let me know!

New Ornament Collection

I have a new line of cute ornaments available in my shop!

They are modern images, preserved under 7/8" square glass hanging from a silver plated bail.  Each hangs from lace or ribbon.

They are adorable as ornaments. But, the best thing is you can cut the ribbon off and use as a pendant, too!

They are just $10 each and they are going fast in my shop!

Virtual Open House III - Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 of the Virtual Open House!

To find out all the details of what is going on here, see Day 1 of the Virtual Open House.

Each day there is a Giveaway!

Get 20% off in my etsy shop all week with the coupon code VIRTUALOPENHOUSE

Freebies with orders each day!

Today's Giveaway:

 

One of my brand new ornaments!

These ornaments are made with glass tiles and have a ribbon to use as an ornament.  They are 7/8" square.  You can use them as a pendant instead! 

Find all of my new ornaments listed in my online shop.

To Enter to Win this Cool Ornament:

Simply leave a comment below!  If you don't have an account, you can leave your comment anonymously.  Just make sure to leave your email so that I can get a hold of you!

Get extra entries for doing any of the following.  For each item you complete, leave a separate comment:

• Get a chance for joining my facebook page.  If you are already a fan, just leave a comment saying that.
• Tweet about this giveaway.  Please make sure to include a link to this website.  Here's an example tweet you could use:  I just entered to win the giveaway from @BBBellezza at http://www.BBBellezza.com There's a new giveaway each day this week!
• Share on your facebook wall.  You can use the same example from above or write whatever you want.  
• Join my newsletter, or leave a comment letting me know that you already are a subscriber.  (Make sure you're leaving the same email address that you are subscribed with.)
• Note:  if you need help commenting or aren't technological, just email me and I'll leave your comment for you!

That's 6 total chances!  Winner will be chosen around 8:00 am Eastern tomorrow (Friday) morning!

I'll send along a freebie with each purchase today!  Today's freebie is a heart glass tile pin!

To get the freebie, just make a purchase today using the coupon code VIRTUALOPENHOUSE.  You'll get 20% off and a free pin!

UPDATE:  We have a winner for this giveaway!  I'm giving away prizes all week, so click "home" above and find the latest giveaway to enter!

Handmade Christmas Part V

Cherry Cuff, originally uploaded by B.B. Bellezza.

I made several of these fabric cuffs for everyone who I could think of. This particular one went to my sister-in-law, but I made other cuffs in different fabrics.

Some of them I made with rough edges and threw them in the washing machine so they would fray. This one has smooth edges.

The inside fabric is demin, actually from a pair of jeans that were about to be thrown out. Actually, I think we all know that ripped up jeans would never been thrown out in my house...although I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them until this project came up.

I absolutely loved making these cuffs! I also conquered making button holes to make these!

In fact, I love making them so much, I am adding them to my jewelry line. Right now there are a few available at artMarket, but they will soon be appearing in my Etsy and Artfire Shops soon, too.

I am also envisioning them with embriordery (a new skill I am working on).

Handmade Christmas, Part IV

It's difficult to tell from this photo, but these guys were really cute, actually!

I had a difficult time coming up with something that my 2 nephews would like. Well, they happen to love monkeys, so these sock monkeys seemed perfect. In fact, as soon as they opened them, they were bonking each other over the head with them. I was picturing more of adorable angelic sleeping with them cuddling them, but I guess they like them nonetheless.

I made these basically the day before I was going to give them to my nephews, so I was in a sort of desperate sock situation....plus, the stores were madhouses and I hate shopping. I do love the argyle one, but I think I would find cuter socks the next time I made a sock monkey. And I have every intention to make more sock monkeys!

I got the tutorial from here. It is wonderful and step-by-step with great photos and so easy to follow! These were a lot of fun to make.

Now I am trying to figure out who will get my next sock monkeys.....

Handmade Christmas, Part III

Coasters

I found a great tutorial for making coasters from ceramic tile on the Spotted Sparrow Blog.

I made one set with cool graphic scrapbook paper and the other set ended up as a dud, but I am using them in my studio. I was using a photo from a Georgia O'Keefe calender, and I guess it didn't work well, or I didn't get the bubbles out very well. I made another set from the Georgia O'Keefe calender that actually turned out beautifully, but I didn't get a picture of them.

The only thing I did differently on my coasters from the tutorial is that I added a peice of felt to the bottom to make sure they didn't scratch the furniture. I am pretty sure they wouldn't have anyway, but my in-laws just re-did their living room and have new furniture, so I didn't want to take a chance.

The other thing that you have to really watch is that you don't get dust or fuzz on the coasters while they are drying. I don't know if I was just up to a crafting frenzy and stirring up all kinds of fuzz and dust or what in my studio, but the very first set I did ended up with some fuzzies sealed in. They went into the "dud" box, too.

I got the tiles from the Habitat for Humanity Restore. I just cleaned them up and did the project.

I expect I will be making more coasters with a lot more creativity. They are a fun project.

Handmade Christmas, Part II

It was so much fun making wrapping paper for my handmade Christmas presents. I only wish I would have taken more photos of the different papers I made. During a workshop at Building Character, we made lovely wrapping paper with hardware and other interesting things. For example, I made a very cool wrapping paper with keys imprinted.

I believe that the brown paper is pretty inexpensive and you can make very personalized paper then, too. You could also make birthday wrapping paper.

The other interesting thing about this gift is the gift tag. I have always kept Christmas cards I receive each year and have not figured out what to do with them. Well, this year I cut them apart and used them for gift tags. It is a simple project that makes good use of your old cards and gives them new life.

Christmas Beaded Charm Bracelet

Here is my latest offering. A beautiful Christmas Beaded Charm Bracelet.

This festive bracelet is just what you need for your holiday parties! It features all kinds of green and red beads, including glass beads, acrylic beads, lampwork beads, cast metal silver beads and more. All the beads are wire-wrapped and then placed on the silverplated chain with 2 jumprings each for extra durability.It is just beautiful and so festive! There is a bead on each link of the chain.

It is on sale now in my shop here!

I have been getting in a holiday mood lately. I actually don't usually even get too much into Christmas, but I think all this preparation for the Holiday Craft Show has me in the spirit. I almost feel like starting to decorate a little. But I am sure I won't....

Happy Holidays!
Just kidding!
Kim