Monday, October 5, 2015

Fresh Find Collage

More fresh finds are coming to My website daily. Check it out!



Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Autumn Photo Shoot

I am working on my Autumn photo shoot this week. I am doing the still shots and am hoping that the weather will be cool enough this weekend to shoot with models. (It's been in the 100s here)

Here are some of the bright colors and pretty things that have come so far:


This is a tight crop from the shot below. 

http://yourgreatfinds.net/collections/bracelets









Monday, September 28, 2015

Fall Finds and Leaky Pipes.

It's The Leaky Pipe SALE!!!

For those of you who have followed me from Ebay to Etsy and then to One Kings Lane and my website, we have come to know each other and you know that I am a single mom. When eBay was enjoying the "good 'ole days" I was able to purchase a home, all by myself and stay home to raise my daughter while selling on eBay.
I have been selling on line 17 years now and am so thankful for that.

We love our house, but we live in the severe drought area in CA and the water table is very low. The water is of poor quality due to mineral saturation and it's eating our copper water pipes. My house tried to hold up, but the pipes are sheding tears of defeat...in my kitchen and bathroom. (See center photo in collage).  The pipes are trashed and I learned last night that I have to re-pipe the entire house... next week.

John, my plumber is a great guy, but he does not take jewelry as payment. I just last weekend bought quite a bit of fresh inventory. Had I known, I would have skipped that buying trip. That is where you score. I have to move jewelry out and cash back in the pay the plumber, fast.

Below you will find a coupon for 30% off anything on my website-orders over $50.00. Orders over $45.00 get free insured shipping. You can use the coupon over and over. It will be good until the plumber is paid, then I will deactivate it because at these prices many of the pieces offered will go for less than I paid for them.

If you have a sweet treasure waiting for you in your shopping cart, now is the time to claim it.

Here is the code:

DARNLEAKS

Thank you so much for your business! You are always so very appreciated.

Best,
Linda
Yourgreatfinds

Here's a sampler of my recent additions:



Well, What are you waiting for? Let's SHOP!!!







Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Fresh Finds on my Website

Just a quick note to let you know that I am working hard to add fresh finds to my website.
I have added over 100 items in the last week.

Here are a few that I added today. Each photo links directly to the product page.


Vintage Cini Sterling Silver Bracelet.


Fresh water pearl & smokey quartz Bracelet


Amazing antique cameo of hand-carved sardonyx in high relief.


Friday, July 3, 2015

Double Exposure

I am learning how to create double exposure photographs.
It's really fun and my reward late at night for working hard all day.

Here is my first project:


And here is project number two:


I am going to try a more difficult one tonight. 
This post will be an ever-growing post where I will add my projects as I learn. 






Thursday, July 2, 2015

Sunset Hack-A New Dance

Hey, it's me!!!





Weather is so hot and humid here that I have to ride really early in the morning or as the sun goes down. I am sure that Red Wolf appreciates the consideration as well.

Red Wolf is a former show horse who is well trained in the English style. Though I am a country cowgirl at heart, I cannot sit a Western saddle well at all. I feel like I am sitting in a chair.
So this is what I use my Western saddle for:


I spent most of my riding life bareback with my first horse, Snickers. That is how we rolled.
I'm a little older so I am going to ride in a saddle from now on, which means a close contact English saddle for me. Red Wolf is so well trained that I decided to take English riding lessons to learn how to ride him properly. And, you know what? I love it! 
When I am sitting properly and closely follow my trainer's instructions, it feels like dancing with the most perfect partner ever. 
So now, not only am I a trail riding girl, but you'll see me in the arena having a nice practice hack so that I can dance with my partner,

See you later!


Wednesday, July 1, 2015

GIRLS! These are CUTE SHOES!!!!

Just HAVE to share!

I stopped at a shop in Solana Beach, CA called "Cedros Soles" and these shoes are sooooo cute!!

They are called Rodillo by Jeffrey Campbell Shoes.

I need to have these!!!! Don't you love them too?



Sunday, June 28, 2015

Turquoise Pendants

My daughter and I were out for our Sunday nature walk and I found a little bird nest.

I have quite a collection of them. They are never taken from birds, only found on the ground abandoned.

This one was only inhabited by a lone black ant. As soon as I picked it up, I knew that it was going to be a photography prop with hole in the bottom and all.


And then, as I was looking through my turquoise pendant inventory, I found some that need to be moved to my website. That's how I roll..

So here they are. Just click on the photo to see how much and more about the piece. 






Friday, June 26, 2015

African Trade Beads

I have a wonderful collection of vintage African trade beads that I am listing to One Kings Lane and My website.
They are so pretty that I sure had to keep some for myself too!

See how pretty:







Thursday, June 4, 2015

Take me by the Hand

A collection of vintage hand jewelry:






From Daily Writing Tips, here is a list of hand related sayings:

1. “All hands on deck,” from the traditional nautical command for every sailor to report for duty, refers to the necessity of everyone involved to lend a hand, or assist.
2. To bite the hand that feeds you is to be hostile to someone who has been kind to you.
3. To be a dab hand is, in British English, to be an expert.
4. “The devil makes work for idle hands” is a proverb that means that inactive people are susceptible to the temptation to do wrong.
5. To know something firsthand is to be directly familiar with the facts.
6. To force someone’s hand is to compel them to act prematurely or involuntarily.
7. Having a free hand is being given wide latitude about how to carry out a task or responsibility.
8. To gain the upper hand is to obtain control.
9. To get your hands dirty is to engage in a important activity that may not be pleasant.
10. To give a hand is to help, though it also refers to applauding by clapping one’s hands.
11. To give a guiding hand is to offer advice or mentorship.
12. Something that goes hand in hand with something else is closely associated with it.
13. To be in good, or safe, hands is to be assured that you will be taken care of.
14. To hand something down is to offer it to an heir, or to deliver a decision.
15. To hand in something is to deliver it.
16. To work hand in glove is to work together intimately.
17. To hand something off is to pass it along to someone else, with the connotation of delegating it.
18. To hand something on is to pass it along to someone else in succession.
19. To hand something out is to offer it to recipients.
20. To hand something over is to deliver it to someone in authority, perhaps reluctantly or unwillingly.
21. To earn money hand over fist is to do so quickly.
22. To hand something to somebody on a platter (often a silver one) is to enable them to achieve something without effort.
23. To hand something up is to present it to a higher authority, such as grand jury to a judge.
24. To win hands down is to do so conclusively.
25. To be hands-off is to distance oneself from an activity or project.
26. To be hands-on is to directly involve oneself in an activity or project.
27. To have blood on one’s hands is to be culpable for an act.
28. When you tell someone you have to hand it to them, you’re giving them a compliment.
29. To have your hands full is to be busy.
30. To act with a heavy hand is to do so harshly or with too much force.
31. A heavy-handed gesture or action is one that is lacking in subtlety.
32. When the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, it means that communication among associates is poor.
33. To lend a hand is to assist.
34. To know something like the back of one’s hand is to know it thoroughly.
35. To live from hand to mouth is to be poor.
36. To be an old hand is to be familiar with or to be an expert at something.
37. To say that something is on hand is to indicate that it is available.
38. “On the other hand” is a synonym for however or “by contrast.”
39. To overplay your hand is to try too hard to achieve an objective, resulting in failure or complication.
40. Something that gets out of hand has gone out of control.
41. To play into someone’s hands is to be manipulated by an opponent into doing something advantageous to that person and detrimental to yourself.
42. “Put your hands up” is a command by law enforcement personnel directing someone to raise their hands so that they are in clear view and not likely to reach for a weapon.
43. To raise one’s hand is to lift an arm to indicate that one wishes to volunteer to perform a task or respond to a question.
44. A show of hands is a display of raised hands by those in a group in favor of or opposed to a proposal.
45. To take someone by the hand is to lead or nurture them.
46. To take the law into your own hands is to seek to right or avenge a wrong yourself rather than appeal to law enforcement for assistance.
47. To throw your hands up is to figuratively acknowledge defeat or frustration.
48. To be underhanded is to be deceitful.
49. To wash your hands of something is to absolve yourself of responsibility.
50. To say “When one hand washes the other” (the implied conclusion to the phrase is “and together they wash the face”) is to suggest that cooperation encourages success.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Beach Glass Clean-Up

I just cleaned up the beach glass category on my website. I removed the sold and added fresh finds with new colors. There are some "last ones in this color" as well. So please check it out. More coming tomorrow. Here is what was listed today:


Here is one of the 4 strand sets:

And these too! Just click on the photos to visit the listing.


Honorable mention to my number one most requested color "Cobalt Blue". I cannot get any more of these for a while. (Sad face)


Please visit. Many new colors and even one spicy confetti strand. (Those are sold out too. Hope to find more)



Friday, May 29, 2015

Victorian From Head to Toe!

I was researching a piece and found myself looking though lovely things from more than a century ago.  Here are my favorites!


Thursday, May 21, 2015

The MOTHER of ALL SALES!!!

The Mother of all SALES!! 35% and 40% OFF!!!!!
I decided to hold over my sale through Memorial Day Weekend~~But this time I added something:
All THREE of my Etsy Shops!!!! 
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Yourgreatfinds
And the shop where I offer inventory from One Kings Lane that is not being shown at the time...at drastically reduced prices.
I also raised my discount to 40% in many categories in my main yourgreatfinds Etsy shop.
Thank you for helping me reduce my inventory so I can find things when shipping. With 6 stores and 2 websites, I am overflowing with jewels. Even the best organization fails with you have too much.
I hope that you'll find something that you can't live without.



Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Beach Glass, Baby!

I just purchased a beautiful selection of African trade beads known as "Beach Glass" or "Sea Glass" for it's frosty texture.

These strands or necklaces are vintage. The beads are Italian and can be as old as 150 years old. They are strung on cotton with raffia wrap.

They are available in three sizes: Jumbo, Large and Medium.

Here's the scoop. The jumbos are pretty much gone. I bought all that I could get. My contact tried to get more from Kenya and nothing came.

Red beads are gone in the jumbo and large size.  Just a few in the medium left. I bought the last of the cobalt large beads. No more came in from Kenya. Hoping more will be here in the future.

There are some colors that I have not offered before that just came in to the US. A bright 7-Up bottle green, a new blue and cola brown.

I have some new confetti colors in the medium beads with some indigo that I am SO coveting right now.

What you see here, I have about twice this amount in stock.

I will be offering them first in my One Kings Lane Store, then they will be appearing on my website at a later date. One Kings Lane sells them as fast as they are offered in those amazing events. Many colors will be exclusive to One Kings Lane.

Here is a sampler of what is coming soon!







Update!!! Just added to my website! Click on photos to visit listings.




To find more Beach glass and ethnic jewelry visit my website: Yourgreatfinds.net



Please Help This Sweet Girl: Alena

This post is about a sweet friend of my daughter's. She has been diagnosed with countless issues and needs to get to Mayo Clinic from California. Rady's Children's Hospital is amazing, but they can't help her anymore. Her family needs help funding this long and very needed trip.

Alena is an advanced student and has an amazing talent with her singing voice.

This is Alena, who gathered her strength to attend prom this weekend. Isn't she beautiful?


This is Alena with some of her friends at Prom. Her friends are raising money at school with an "Open Mic" performance to raise money for her.




Here are photos of her performing arts group at school. She's the beauty at the back center in the red. The pretty gal to her left is the friend who is the captain if this "GoFundMe" campaign. 



If you can find it in your heart to help, please donate to her GoFundMe campaign and give this girl some hope. I already did. She's only 16 and deserves a chance to get to the bottom of this and find healing.


You can follow her story and progress here on her Facebook page.



Here is a letter from Alena,



Ladies and gentlemen... A letter from Alena, the strongest woman in the world.
Hi! My name is Alena Morales. I’m 16 years old and go to Guajome Park Academy in Southern California. I own an amazing service dog named Xena and have a passion for everything related to theatre- singing, acting, stage makeup- you name it. I am truly happy when I am on stage, and I have made many close friendships with my theatre family! I love to make cheesy puns and am able to laugh at the smallest things. I’m very happy… but my health isn’t in the best place right now. While everyone else my age is out with their friends or doing sports, I’m miserable at home, fighting a battle with my own body. I have multiple chronic illnesses that give me a lot of different symptoms. The doctors have always called me a “hard case.” I’ve always had some sort of health problems, but things started spiraling out of control as I received more diagnoses.
It all started about 5 years ago when I woke up in the middle of my karate studio 6 hours into testing for my black belt. The room was so hazy and I felt so dizzy upon standing. I wanted to keep going but my body just wouldn’t let me continue. From that point on it was a two year long period that I felt like I would get a heart attack at any time. San Diego Children’s Hospital had no idea how or what to do with my body. The first year they blamed it on dehydration, stress, and “maybe that’s just the way your body works”. My pediatrician never gave up on me and kept sending me to specialist after specialist. My body became weaker and weaker. I would stay up all night in extreme pain, but I kept pushing myself to go to school and still managed to get good grades despite missing 50+ days of school. I study for hours and hours to stay on top of work that I was absent for or wasn’t feeling well enough to do the night before. First, the diagnosis came of Fibromyalgia. Thanks to medications, I finally got some sort of relief, but it didn’t explain the tachycardia, passing out, or complete exhaustion I was experiencing.
My parents were desperate for help and with the help of family and friends we went to the Mayo Clinic in 2013, where I was diagnosed with severe POTS Syndrome/Dysautonomia and anemia. My autonomic nervous system doesn’t function correctly. Everything my body is supposed to do on its own… doesn’t work. The Mayo Clinic told me there was no cure for either illnesses, but I still received a good treatment plan to help with my symptoms. I was given a beta blocker to help with the heart and blood pressure issues, and was told to drink 6 liters of fluid and eat 10 grams of salt a day! This would help with my blood volume and help regulate blood flow in my body. My mom, for the first time in 2 years, was able to return to work and life was good… for a while. Things started going downhill during the start of the summer before my junior year. I reacted to an antibiotic I was on from a sinus infection and caught C. diff. C-diff is a bacterial infection that eats away at your stomach and intestinal lining. My digestive system was literally being eaten away by flesh eating bacteria… this led to a year of pain, vomiting, hair loss, and the inability to eat. Because of these issues, I’m not able to drink the 6 liters a day and eat the salt I needed to, so my POTS got out of control. It’s a vicious cycle that all relates to Dysautonomia. If I don’t get my POTS under control, it triggers one illness, which triggers another illness, etc. Back to square one.
I was eventually diagnosed with Severe Gastroparesis. My stomach, small intestine, and large intestine are all practically paralyzed with a 90% delay; and the muscles in between these organs do not communicate the way they are supposed to (Thanks, Dysautonomia!). Every time I eat something, I feel miserable afterwards. It’s made family parties, restaurant visits, and social events more difficult. The doctors at Rady’s had me try some different medications to help with the Gastroparesis, but I had an allergic reaction to every single one! My parents and I wondered why I was reacting to so many things. The doctors said there was not much more they can do, so they placed a PICC line in so I can receive the fluids and infusions I need. It didn’t help much, but it was something.
Going to school became an extremely hard task. I have to carry around my infusion backpack, and am constantly feeling countless symptoms at all times. The reactions I received seemed to be the start of a new issue… I get episodes where I break out in hives, cannot breathe, and my muscles get extremely weak. It’s as if my skin is on fire, and I’m unable to move. I feel as if I have no control over my body. Sometimes it’s from an allergic reaction, and other times it happens randomly. I sometimes describe it as being “allergic to myself!” My allergist tells me I have Mast Cell Disease, but I cannot get off the antihistamines to properly undergo testing. I live on IV fluids, a bucket of medications, and smoothies. Doing even the smallest tasks is extremely difficult, but I am determined to continue doing the things I love with the people I care about!
The team of caring physicians has concluded that I desperately need to go back to the Mayo Clinic for consultation, testing, and permanent decisions about a PORT, G Tube, or J Tube. Now, this isn’t a cure. There isn’t a cure for my illnesses. But hopefully, the Mayo Clinic will find me a treatment plan that will allow me to live a normal life. So I can keep being on stage, and enjoying the little things that teenagers should be able to enjoy.
Unfortunately, our insurance doesn’t cover the thousands of dollars in Mayo Clinic costs and my parents spend $800.00 a month in my care here at home. The Kiss Campaign is intended to promote awareness on illnesses that connect to Dysautnomia and fundraise for the costs so I can go to the Mayo Clinic and get the answers I need. My body has drained my parents financially and physically, but they still push me to achieve my goals and live a good quality of life. All of these illnesses are a part of me, but they are not who I am. They have taught me compassion, strength, and patience, tested my limits, but they will not beat me!
I am not “the girl who is sick.” I am not defined by my illnesses. I am me.
May 14, 2015


You can help Alena here: GOFUNDME.  And thank you so much!