A Perfect Morning

Tuesday night my husband, Kevin, surprised me and the kids by asking if we would like to go to St. Jo Island the next morning. Kevin works extremely hard and is always on the go...he's never been the type to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak. So when he actually offered to set aside some time to hang out with us we jumped on board!

He picked us up by boat so that we didn't have to wait in the ferry line to Port Aransas, then off we went to St. Jo. It is a small island just off the coast of Port Aransas and is only accessible by boat. It is uninhabited and has no public facilities or buildings, but it is a wonderful place to search for shells and to fish.

When we arrived, Shelby and I decided to walk to the shore and hunt for shells while the guys stayed on the boat and fished. My daughter and I are both wimps when it comes to getting in "mysterious" water. We had to trek through about 30 feet of sea grass and other unknown objects to get to our destination. We had a good laugh by holding hands and chanting "Ommm...take me to a happy place" over and over.


We were able to fill our bucket full of shells to add to our growing collection at home. Kolby and Shelby did some fishing together before we had to head back and they each caught 4 or 5 perch. Everyone had a wonderful time on our perfect morning together!

June Giveaway!

To celebrate my 2-year Etsy Anniversary this month, I am giving away two $50 gift certificates to be used how ever you please at Out of the Blue. To enter:

1.Visit my online shop and tell me what goodies you would get if you were the winner.

2.For extra entries: follow me on Twitter, follow my blog, or subscribe to my newsletter. You will receive one additional entry for each one that you add. If you already follow you can still receive extra entries...just mention each in a separate comment.

3.Entries must be received by Midnight CST June 30th. Winners will be announced on July 1st.

Good Luck!!


**************Don't miss out on my Anniversary Sale*****************
All items in my shop are 30% off until June 30th. Just mention "anniversary30" in the message to seller at checkout and wait for a revised invoice.

Anniversary Sale!

I am celebrating my 2nd year on Etsy and want to thank everyone that has been a customer, followed my shop, or encouraged me along the way. Through June 30, 2009 I am offering a discount of 30% off everything in my shop. In order to receive your discount, just mention discount code "anniversary30" in the message to seller at checkout. Please note that Etsy does not have an automated discounting system in place. I will manually adjust your cost when I receive your message and send you a revised invoice. If you prefer to complete the checkout and pay without waiting for an invoice, then I will promptly refund your discount through Paypal.

Thanks so much for a wonderful two years! I look forward to what the next few years have in store for me and can't wait for all of the new friends I will make along the way. All the best to you!

Bridal Jewelry on a Budget

Eleven years ago my husband and I eloped and were married in the Reverend's living room with her husband as our witness. It was a total spur of the moment adventure...and probably the first and last spontaneous moment of my life. Do I sometimes regret not having a real wedding with all of our family and friends...sure. Am I thankful for all of the money we saved? Absolutely!

Because I'm a frivolous person myself, I decided to design a line of bridal jewelry for brides on a budget. Here is a sample of some of my designs that are popular for weddings.

The Heirloom pearl initial charm bracelet makes the perfect accessory for bridesmaids. Each bracelet is $18, but I will give a discount for 5 or more bracelets ordered.

These cuff links are made from small aluminum working compasses mounted to silver cuff link blanks. These would be a wonderful groom or groomsmen gift! These are $18 each.

Every bride deserves to feel glamorous on her special day, and what better way then with these Retro Glam vintage rhinestone earrings. Available for $20.

Going for a romantic vintage feel? These sweet white rose earrings are a perfect fit and are only $10.

Another wonderful option for vintage inspired weddings is this chic Victorian Elegance necklace. This would be beautiful for a bride or her bridesmaids. Available for $24.

We have a winner!

Congrats to Danielle...she is the winner of the $50 Out of the Blue jewelry giveaway for May! Thanks to everyone that entered. I'll be posting a new giveaway soon so please come back and enter!