I’ve decided to run a contest from now until the end of January.

Many of you have read entries about my friend Lori’s jewelry on display over at Lori Jaclyn Jewels. Lori does beautiful work and has a wonderful way of incorporated the right colors with the right materials. Her creations are stunning and I have personally purchased two sets of earrings from her in the past, so I know you’ll love her work.

Contest Requirements;

Step One>>
Simply create an entry about the contest using the following paragraph and leaving the links in tact:

Teresa is running her first contest of the year over at her personal blog. You have a chance to win a beautiful turquoise bracelet created by Lori Jaclyn. She’s willing to ship anywhere and that means anyone is eligible to participate and win.

It measures 8 inches in length!

Step Two>>
Leave a comment here, with a link back to your entry.

It’s as simple as that.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, January 30th. This would make a great Valentine’s Day gift for a “significant other”, mother, sister or just a good friend. The winner will be announced on January 31st.

When you’ve entered, be sure you go back and check out the gorgeous jewelry Lori has listed at her Etsy.com store - Lori Jaclyn Jewels.

I’m not much of a jewelry person. In fact, the most jewelry I’ve ever worn was a bracelet and my wedding rings, at one time. But every once in awhile I get this wild hair on my head and start longing for new pieces. The only problem is that I’d rather that spend a fortune on it and let’s face it, sometimes jewelry can be rather pricey. A couple of my good friends suggested I go with affordable designer inspired jewelry if I wanted a few great pieces of jewelry but wasn’t interested in breaking the bank to have it.

I think I’ll suggest this to Jo, since he keeps asking “What do you want for Christmas”. I mean, I drop hints along and along but if there’s something I am truly hoping to get, I may as well just come right out and tell him rather than let him keep guessing.

My sister in law loves jewelry. She was browsing around through some wholesale fashion jewelry the other day as I was walking by the computer. One of the pieces up on the page was a Merry Christmas charm that I thought was so adorable.

I am really not that into jewelry, though I occasionally like a ring or necklace (anything against my wrists is uncomfortable) but I am trying to find a horseshoe charm for myself and my youngest sister Nikki (I hope she isn’t reading this). We have both been longing for one of these. Maybe I need to get Colleen to help me search for them!

It is hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner. Every year I put off my shopping until the last minute, which usually gets me into a lot of trouble because I have a hard time finding those special gifts - they are usually all picked over. I have promised myself that this year will be different and I will start my shopping via the internet.

My mom adores jewelery, specifically anything in gold (both white and yellow). The last couple of years I have managed to find nice gold earrings and a really beautiful gold ring but this year she has put in a special request. She has “dropped” gold necklaces in many conversations between my sister and I on several occasions recently. Since I am on a budget, I figured I would probably have a really hard time finding something for her. I am happy to learn that will not be the case. Overstock.com has a great selection of gold chains, so many that there is no way anyone could or even would walk away not finding something they love. I have just spent the last little bit browsing through 3 pages of gorgeous gold chains, which are available in many different lengths and styles - ropes, figaro and loop, to name a few. I remember my mom mentioning something about a white gold rope chain, so I think I will go that route. Lucky me, I have just come across the “14k White Gold 20-inch DC Rope Chain” (on page 3). It is a stunning piece and at $269.99, a steal! If you will notice on the same page, the two-toned heart pendant, this would make such an awesome gift for my 16 year old sister in law. She loves hearts and since it is two-toned, it is very stylish!

If you are looking for beautiful gold chains, whether in white, yellow, rose or even multi-tones and at affordable prices, then Overstock.com is the place you need to be. They have even made it easy for you to search by offering categories which will help you narrow it down by color, style, length and best of all, price.

I have a few friends and relatives who really enjoy knitting, which is something I have no talent for - believe me, my grandmother tried desperately to teach me how. Since the holidays are just around the corner, I figured I should probably get a jump start on shopping for gifts. I hate being that crazy last minute shopper.

I recently found my way over to Cross Jewelers, where I found their lovely “Knitter’s Collection”. Talk about finding an appropriate gift for someone! The detail of each piece is incredible. Just take a look at the Knitter’s Ring, which got it’s name from one of the staff members of Cross Jewelers. I love that the weave has a Celtic look to it. They have two sets of earrings in this collection - Golden Fleece and Yarn Over. Both sets carry the same gorgeous detail as the ring mentioned above. The Yarn Over set features a beautiful woven effect. You can find pieces available in yellow and white gold, and some pieces are also available in platinum and palladium.

My favorite piece out of the collection is the Knitters Ball Necklace. Notice how the ball resembles a ball of yarn! This is something I think my grandmother would really love. She has been knitting for years and I know she will appreciate the detailed work put into this piece (as well as the others). One of the lockets would make a wonderful gift for one of my sisters who knits. It would be perfect for adding one of the photos of her and my grandmother sitting together while knitting.

I know many of you also knit, so be sure you check out Cross Jewelers’ Knitting Collection!