Happy Monday

All work and no play is starting to take its toll! At this point in order to make it through I am starting to daydream about vacations. Right about now any place will do!

Where would you rather be this Monday?

image courtesy of flickr

And Our Winner Is...

Congratulations Victoria!! You have won the giveaway from So Very Charming!

Thanks so much to all of you who entered and special thanks to Katherine for being a part of

Joy De Vivre!

Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?

Katherine from Michigan is responsible for creating our Etsy shop this week, So Very Charming. Specializing in repurposed vintage and indie jewelry pieces, Katherine uses items salvaged from antique stores, estate sales and garage sales and gives them a complete makeover with the end result being the charming pieces you will see below and in her shop. You can also find So Very Charming at Wild Card in Pittsburgh, PA, Goods Detroit in Detroit, MI and Tootie and Tallulah's in Berkley, MI.

ANNABELLE Necklace

An antiqued brass filigree ball pendant accented with blue dots and the small brass bird make up this beautiful 19" long necklace.

SWEETHEART Barrette

Giving new life to this vintage white button, the Sweetheart Barrette is sure to be loved by whomever places it in their hair.

LOVELY Locket Necklace

You all know how I love little owls so of course I had to feature this Lovely Locket! Two little owls have been refinished with a green look on a 20" long brass chain. Adorable!

Katherine wanted to let the "Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?" winner have a say in their giveaway item this week! If you are the lucky winner you get the choice of your prize from the two So Very Charming items below:

How to Enter:

1. Check out So Very Charming. Come back here and share your favorite item in the shop.

2. For a second entry: Be or become a follower of this blog.

2. For a third entry: Be or become a follower of Joy De Vivre on facebook, (the link is on the side).

Entries will be accepted until next Monday, January 17, at noon. Check back that night to see if you are the lucky winner! Good luck!

And Our Winners Are....

Due to the generosity of Mike and Jenn from Leather from the Abyss we have two winners to announce this week! And they are....

Congrats Rita! Your name was drawn for the dark brown cuff!

K. Rock, yours was drawn for the signature design cuff!

Congrats to both of you for winning the weekly prize!

Thank you so much to all who entered and to Mike and Jenn for being a part of the feature through your shop Leather from the Abyss! Wishes for continued success with your shop!

Happy Monday

Happy Monday everyone! Today is my first full day of the South Beach Diet, as illustrated from my breakfast creation above. I learned a long time ago not to bother with diets as a resolution, but after questioning a friend about her recent weight loss, not that she needed it, I was turned onto the South Beach Diet. Let's see how this goes! Two weeks with no sweets is going to be hellacious, but I shall give it a shot! :)

What are you looking forward to accomplishing this week?

Also, if you haven't done so yet, don't forget you have until noon to sign up for the "Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?" drawing! Not one, but two winners will be drawn this week so don't miss out!

Happy New Year

So I may be just a tad bit late....but I wanted to wish you all a wonderful start to the year! I apologize for not being the best blog hostess the past few weeks as things have been a bit crazy, but I've missed you all terribly!

Let me try to play catch up!

It started off a little unorganized...well a lot unorganized. Basically it looked like Christmas had exploded in my house!

Soon enough though everything was in place and I tortured the fuzz by making him take pictures in front of the tree. :)


We had a great Christmas party at work. Although I didn't win any of the door prizes, again, we had good food and fun conversations with coworkers that we don't get to see enough during our busy days. Truth be told I always secretly hope I don't win because I am afraid of being in front of crowds. Since Gabe works with me I always wish for him to win. Then I get to sit in the background and I still get the use of said prize!


After the Christmas insanity we spent a chilly morning at the zoo. The weather was actually perfect for the wildlife as all of the animals were very active that day.

After spending time at the zoo I do believe Gabe has started acting the part. LOL he will do anything in a picture that I ask him to do. I just don't tell him at the time that I am going to post it on my blog! ;) That will be our little secret!

That just about covers it!! Fill me in on your holidays! I can't wait to hear what you all have been up to!

Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?

Leather from the Abyss is an Etsy shop stock full of goods handmade from 100% leather. Offering belts, cuffs, bracelets, pendants and more, all items are hand cut, carved, stamped dyed and stitched. Leather from the Abyss is owned by a husband and wife team from Georgia. Jenn takes care of the business side and all things Etsy while her hubby Mike makes the creations you see in the photos. I am sure you will all agree that together they make an awesome team! Also note that they do welcome custom orders!

Please take a look:

Personalized Child Belts

Give your child an accessory that they can wear now and treasure as a keepsake as an adult. This belt can be personalized with letters, hearts, butterflies, leaves and more.

Hand Carved Designer Leather Smart phone

Place your modern technology in this beautifully rustic smart phone case. It most certainly has more character than the plain black case I currently have my iphone in! The Green Eyes Have It

Dyed a gorgeous deep Emerald green, this leather bracelet has 5 silver eyelets and hand tooled edging. By specifying your size upon purchase it can be made for a perfect fit!

Leather from the Abyss is helping to kick off the 2011 "Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?" in a big way! This week there is going to be not one but TWO winners! That's right two names will be drawn with one winning the dark brown cuff with silver ring and the other winning the signature design cuff!

Earn entries by:

1. Check out Leather from the Abyss. Come back here and tell us your favorite item(s).

2. Be or become a follower of this blog.

And new for this year you will have a third way to enter:

3. Be or become a follower of Joy De Vivre on facebook,(the link is on the sidebar).

Entries will be accepted from now until next Monday at noon. Check back Monday night to see if you are one of the lucky winners!

Best of luck to you all!

And Our Winner Is...

Congratulations Megan! Not only are you the first winner of the year you are also going to be getting the beautiful earrings from Sea Babe in your mailbox!

Thanks to everyone who entered this past week!

Thank you Kristin for being a part of the feature. I wish you much continued success in 2011!