// Win an Oceanids Necklace ~ September 2012 Giveaway//

Wow, what an epic weekend, peeps!

I hit 1,000 sales in my Epheriell Etsy shop (yay for milestones!), had my first ever guest post on Problogger (thanks so much Darren!), ran my first ever 10k race - the Bridge to Brisbane (for those of you in Brissie, I ran from the south side of the Gateway Bridge to the Ekka… just think on that distance for a moment!  Here’s the photographic evidence…), AND my Dad was alive and well for another Father’s Day. Doesn’t get much better than that, really.

So - my monthly giveaway post is a tad late, but we got here in the end! I’m excited to give away a piece from the new Raw Earth collection this month.

This month, I’m giving away an Oceanids Necklace to one of my lovely Awesome People – will it be you?

To enter, all you need to do is subscribe to the Awesome People List! That’s it! (And yep, this is open world-wide.)

I usually send an average of one email a week to my peeps – with a few extras here and there when something particularly exciting is happening. I sometimes even offer special deals that only subscribers know about…

If you’re already a list subscriber – awesome! You’re automatically entered into the draw. Each month I will launch a new giveaway, and long as you stay a subscriber, you’ll be in the draw to win it!

I’ll announce the winner here, and in the newsletter, a month from now… and, of course, put something else up for grabs.

Good luck!

P.S. The winner of August’s giveaway is thedalaifarmer, congrats, I’ll be in touch soon!

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Original Article

// DIY Silhouette Jewellery by Special Guest Blogger Mallory Paige//

August’s Special Guest Blogger is Mallory Paige. During August, Mallory will be here every Friday, sharing a different way to craft with silhouettes. See her first post here, and her second post here, and her third here.

Oh resin, how I love thee. If you aren’t familiar with resin (I certainly wasn’t a couple months ago), it’s a two part liquid that air dries into a hard, glass-like surface. It meets my criteria for awesome product because the end result looks really fancy, it can be used in countless projects and it’s very simple to work with - love it!

Download and print the silhouette printable (provided below) and gather your materials. The printable works with a one-inch pendant, but you could increase or decrease the size depending on your pendant. I also chose to use dye and glitter in my pendant, but clear resin looks really great, too.

Cut out the desired silhouette background.

Press the printable into the pendant and use a craft knife to cut off any extra paper.

Mod Podge is a great product used for adhering and sealing.

Remove the paper printable from the pendant and apply an even coat of Mod Podge. Press the paper printable into the pendant.

Put an even layer of Mod Podge on top of the paper. This will seal the paper and keep the resin from soaking in, which can discolor the paper.

Mix your resin per your package instructions. If you’d like to add glitter do so at this point.

You can also add dye if you’d like.

Carefully pour the resin into your pendants. Allow to dry completely before handling.

If you can slide your pendant directly onto the chain you can skip this part, but most likely you’ll need a jump ring (which you can find at a jewelry supply store). A jump ring is a small ring that isn’t fully connected. Using pliers, gently pull the ring open. Slip onto your pendant and chain and then gently close.

Your necklace is now ready to wear. This would make a great gift and it doesn’t take a lot of extra effort to make several at once. Who will you give a resin pendant?

Download the Silhouette Printable

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Mallory Paige is on a mission to bring handmade back to life. She knows firsthand the transformation – increased self-esteem and bliss – that takes place when you learn to create, grow, savor and live fully. And she can’t wait to share that transformation with you.

If you’re ready to get unbelievably happy, confident, and creative then head on over to MalloryPaige.com. Let’s jump into the Creative Esteem Cycle and start the handmade revival!

Original Article

// Win a ticket to the Artful Business Conference! {One live and one virtual ticket to win} (CLOSED)//

{UPDATE: The winners have been chosen! Live ticket - Gypsy Mel. Virtual ticket - Donna Heart. It was SO incredibly hard to choose (I had help) because each and every one of you deserve to be there. xxx}

So, you may have heard me nattering about this conference I’m speaking at in September. It just so happens that September - and the conference - are on next week!

I’ve been spending this morning working on my talk for the con (titled ‘What are you waiting for?) as well as my 2 workshops (on running a kick-ass mailing list and setting up a successful online shop) but I thought I’d better take some time out to get this blog post up… so you can get the chance to come along!

You see, Elle Roberts (the lady running the conference, and a good friend of mine) has very generously given me 2 tickets to give to 2 of my amazeballs readers - hurrah!

There’s one live ticket and one virtual ticket up for grabs - so no matter where you are in the world, you have the chance to be part of this amazing conference.

First, have a squiz at what the conference is all about…

The Artful Business Conference was born out of a desire to see an educational and inspirational event specifically designed for the creative entrepreneur.

This two-day conference is jam-packed with keynote presentations and workshops that speak directly to the micro-business owner and those of us who think outside the box.

If you run your business from the Right side of your brain – this conference is for you.

It has been made possible by our silver sponsor in.cube8r gallery and a myriad of small business sponsors, whose support has enabled Elle to create an incredible event for the creatives of Australia.

If you can’t make it to the actual event, held at Portside in Brisbane on Sept 5th and 6th -  you can join live online via simulcast.

The entire conference is being recorded and videos will be accessible for 6 months for all attendees to take their time watching and re-watching. This also means that even the workshops that are run at the same time can be viewed online later, so you are in fact getting three or four days worth of valued learning.

If you want to know more about the conference join Elle for a Q&A call this Monday between 2 and 4pm AEST - you can learn how livestream works, find out more about what will be taught at the conference, or
just stop by and say hello. Register your email address and you receive all of the call details.

This event is about building a stronger creative community in Australia just as much as it about the learning. In addition to all the resources attendees will have access to a private facebook page where they are encouraged to introduce themselves and Elle will host a monthly live call on the first Wednesday of each month for six months after the conference.

You could win either one live ticket {valued at $397} or one virtual ticket {valued at $127}.

To Win: Leave a comment below telling me why you want to attend this conference

(and whether you can attend in-person or virtually)!

What difference could it make to your business? What’s holding you back from taking that next step?

{Entries close Thursday the 30th of August at 8pm AEST. Winner will be announced on Friday.}

Find out more…
web - www.artfulbusinessconference.com.au
facebook - http://www.facebook.com/TheArtfulBusinessConference
Twitter - http://twitter.com/artfulbizcon
Email – hello@artfulbusinessconference.com

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Original Article

// The Raw Earth Collection is here! And I’ve got a little somethin’ somethin’ for you…//

I’m so excited to finally be sharing this collection with you! The Raw Earth Collection has been in the works since early 2012, so it’s a thrill to finally show the world what I’ve been up to.

This collection is a bit of a departure from my regular style, but still retains the core simplicity that Epheriell jewellery is known for.

The Raw Earth collection features a wide range of rough and organic cut gemstones combined with recycled sterling silver, brought together with a chevron motif in the necklaces, and a ‘V’ motif in the earrings.

I am also proud to announce that the eco-conscious nature of Epheriell has been taken up a notch - my home studio is now 100% solar-powered. That’s right, we’re running on sunshine, people! Here are our brand-spanking solar panels!

The collection consists of rings, earrings and necklaces, with a focus on the latter.

One of my favourite things about the new collection are the necklaces - especially the fact that you can choose your length - either a standard 18 inches, or a longer 28 inches.

The necklaces of the Raw Earth Collection - they range from $60-$85.

 Here’s a peek at the earrings, too!

And my fave pair… the Selene Earrings.

To celebrate the launch, I’m giving you all FREE shipping this weekend!

Just use the code SHIPHOORAY on checkout at Epheriell.com or Epheriell.Etsy.com all weekend for free shipping on your orders.

{Ends midday Monday the 27th of August, AEST. Please note the full Raw Earth Collection is only available at Epheriell.com}

Huge thanks to all the awesome people who’ve already bought something from the new collection - it’s always exciting to see something new going out into the world and being loved!

Jess xx

P.S. Mallory’s last Silhouette post will be up next Friday, and it’s a fun one!

P.P.S. if you’re in Brissie tonight with nothing to do, come visit me at the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market! I won’t have jewellery, but I’ll be there with *bespoke* - make sure to say hi! :)

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Want more Epheriell-y goodness? Subscribe to Epheriell Designs! Also, you can follow me on Twitter!

Original Article

// Just a taste ~ one-of-a-kind gemstone rings… //

Just a taste of the one-of-a-kind gemstone rings that I’m releasing as part of the Raw Earth Epheriell 2012 A/W Collection tomorrow!

If these strike your fancy, make sure you’re on the my Awesome People mailing list, because I will be sending out a launch email to give my subscribers first dibs on the collection before I release it to the public at large. {Plus there will be another special launch bonus exclusive to APL subscribers…}

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Want more Epheriell-y goodness? Subscribe to Epheriell Designs! Also, you can follow me on Twitter!

Original Article