Posts Tagged: "jewelry"

“You Raise the Bar” Meaningful Gift

Princess Diana - October 10, 2018 - Birthday, Business, Congratulations, Gifts for Him, Graduation

There are gifts that make you happy, and there are gifts that feed your soul because they are deeply meaningful.

Queen Darlene gave me the most thoughtful birthday present this year.

She gave me a necklace with a silver bar with my initial “d” cut out of it. It was cute by itself, but let me tell you about the meaningful, heartful part…

In the card, she wrote to me:

You’ve Always Raised the Bar

“Diana, You’ve always raised the bar! And, no one can come close when you set your mind on whatever you choose to do! You are your own kind of incredible and that’s something to celebrate my precious friend!”

Recreate, Repurpose, Regift Vintage Jewelry

Queen Darlene - December 31, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Family, Mother's Day, Wedding

Ever wonder what to do with broken but beautiful, vintage jewelry? Recreate! Repurpose! Regift!

I received a picture frame containing vintage jewelry made into a dazzling crown. When I opened the gift, my mouth dropped.

My sister-in-law said, “It’s perfect for Queen Darlene!”

She was right of course! I loved all that beautiful bling! And because Karee designed and created it just for me made it even more thoughtful.

When she told me it was her new hobby, I began quizzing her about where she found the jewelry pieces, her ideas for designs, and how she made my crown.

A supplier provides her with vintage jewelry but she also finds them at garage and estate sales for reasonably prices. Karee explained she uses a special glue made for jewelry for all of her creations.
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Home State Friendship Bracelet Gift Idea

Queen Darlene - October 27, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Graduation, Retirement, Teacher Gifts

For a unique gift, use your home state for a memorable friendship bracelet.

I’ve kept in touch with wonderful girlfriends I met while living out of state and friends who have moved away and live all across the country. Several of us have been exchanging birthday or Christmas gifts for 50+ years!

Our gifts are not expensive. Some are handmade crafts, homemade baked goods or something that reminds us of each other.

Through the years, we’ve exchanged gifts by mail or when friends have returned to visit family in our home state of Oklahoma.

My girlfriends and I all love to wear bracelets. My mission: Find just the right bracelet for each friend.

I came across designs of Oklahoma bracelets. That’s when the thoughtful twist came to mind, and I decided to give each of my girlfriends an Oklahoma bracelet. Continue Reading

Rustic Cuff | Unique Oklahoma Jewelry

Queen Darlene - June 23, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Gifts for Me, Graduation, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day

Have you ever heard of Rustic Cuff? Neither had I until I received one of the brand’s pieces of jewelry as a gift. Carol told me it was all the rage. Where have I been? It’s even made in Oklahoma!

Carol surprised me with a red Rustic Cuff bracelet to celebrate our day together of watching the University of Oklahoma’s Red & White football game with our husbands.

Every time I wear it, I recall fun memories of having a wonderful time with dear friends.

When we got home that evening, I Googled Rustic Cuff to read up on our very own Oklahoma gal. It is a jewelry brand that has become well-known nationwide and is a certifiable phenomenon around Tulsa, Oklahoma. Continue Reading

Unique & Awesome Museum Gifts

Queen Darlene - April 7, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day

Ever wonder where you can go to find unique and awesome gifts? Try a museum gift shop.

Don’t have a local museum? No worries! Shop online from many of the world’s most famous museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York or The Louvre in Paris.

Discover hundreds of unique gifts and art reproductions, including jewelry, sculpture, apparel, wall art, stationery, toys and more.

You’ll find plenty of gifts to choose from available in any price range.

One of my favorite gift shops is The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The gifts are unlike anything else I’ve ever seen and more affordable than you might think.

I recently purchased a beautiful $25 velvet bag for my sister-in-law to use as a small purse or make-up bag. The embroidered design motif of a peacock feather is based on a color stencil print by Maurice Pillard Verneuil (French, 1869 to 1942). I was certain she didn’t have anything like it. Continue Reading

Tell Someone’s Story With a Floating Charm Locket Necklace

Queen Darlene - January 21, 2016 - Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Going Away, Graduation, Mother's Day, Retirement, Valentine's Day, Wedding

The newest trend of charm bracelets are Floating Charm Locket Necklaces. It’s a unique way to tell stories with jewelry by giving a locket containing charms depicting someone’s hobbies or experiences, or commemorating celebrations such as birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day or weddings.

I gave my girlfriend, Janet, a floating charm necklace for her birthday. The charms I chose were a cake with candles to celebrate her birthday, the letter “J” for her name and because she loves to take lots and lots of photos, I added a camera charm. She loved it!

Floating Charm Locket Necklaces come in different shapes such as round, heart or animal. You can choose from hundreds of cute, beautiful and colorful charms so it’s easy peasy to find charms that fit their personality and tell their personal “story.”

Scented Candles Containing Hidden Jewelry

Queen Darlene - August 27, 2015 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day

For my sister-in-law Nancy’s 55th birthday, I wanted to surprise her with a gift that would give her a thrill. Jewelry is always fun to receive, but how about one hidden in a candle that you have to burn to find?

I remember as a kid the excitement of finding the prize inside a Cracker Jack box!

During the 1950s & 60s “real” prizes were hidden inside Cracker Jacks instead of paper stickers. I discovered a jeweled ring as one of my hidden treasures and pretended it was my wedding ring!

I remember my kids dumping entire cereal boxes on the kitchen table in order to find the prizes inside. There’s just something exhilarating about finding hidden treasures. Continue Reading

Mother’s Day Love From a Special Needs Daughter

Queen Darlene - May 8, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day

My sister-in-law Nancy is an amazing mother to her daughter, Whitney, who suffered from a brain injury at the age of four months. The doctors did not give much hope on her survival but she lived. She lives by a mother’s pure love for her child.

Then the doctors said she would never walk but she did. Nancy taught Whitney how to walk forward as she walked backwards while holding up her daughter.

The doctors said she would never talk but she communicates in a way her mother understands.

I am in awe of Nancy. She makes me want to be a better mother. I have also never met anyone with as much faith in God as Nancy. She praises Him for her daughter’s gift of life.

When you have a special needs daughter who is legally blind with poor hearing, your life is not considered normal. But Nancy and Whitney have created a life that is normal for them.

Did you know one in every 12 children in America is physically or mentally disabled? Mothers of disabled children earn a particularly special place on Mother’s Day, and disabled children sometimes need a little help in celebrating and expressing their love for their mother. And that’s where you and I can come in!

Custom Personalized Name Ring | Mother’s Day Gift Idea

Princess Diana - April 8, 2014 - Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day

Coming up will be my second Mother’s Day. My son will be 19 months old, and I just love him more and more with each month that passes. (I’m surprised my heart hasn’t burst out of my chest yet!) I wanted a piece of jewelry with his first name – Aiden – and middle name – Dragen – (he was born in 2012 the Year of the Dragon) and decided on a ring so that every time I looked at my hands, this ring and my wedding ring would remind me of the two most important people in my life.

I found a store on Etsy.com that makes custom personalized name rings but what made them stand out is that you get to pick out the font! With so many stylized fonts in existence, a person’s name can look like a beautiful custom piece of art.

You can also choose a font style that best fits the personality of the mother. A script or cursive font might be better for one mother while a retro or handwritten font might be the better choice for another. My favorite font website is Dafont.com because they have a wide variety of font styles. You can also type in names or words and see what they will look like in a certain font.

By selecting what goes on the ring, the metal the ring is made of, and the font, you can tell someone you custom designed the ring for them!

How to Buy Your Wife Gifts That Won’t Get Returned

Princess Diana - February 14, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Money, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

Queen Darlene and I have a co-worker who follows our blog. He sent us an email one day after one of our gift ideas reminded him of a gift-giving strategy that has served him well as a husband.

Eldon’s idea of how to buy your wife clothing, jewelry, accessories or other gifts that won’t get returned is so good that we wanted to share it with our readers! Here is what he wrote to us:

I tried to buy clothing gifts for my wife. She returned them all because they were the wrong color, etc. So, I got wise and would find a cute photo of a dress, purse, shoes, earrings, etc. that I wanted to buy – usually if I listened closely I could pick up the hint of what she wanted.

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