Merry Christmas!! From Rae of Light Photography

Merry Christmas Everybody and thank you for being such great readers and followers!! What are you hoping to do in the next year to make your time special??

December Delight

I know you all have patiently waited for the next giveaway but do not fear. I have one ready to go for you.  Here’s something that might bring some great holiday cheer your way and some gifts under your tree.

Shop #1

Kennedy Bentley

The Winner will get their choice of a bracelet in the shop. Which is a great addition to any stocking. 

Where did you get your start making bracelets?

When I was 8 years old, I went to my Mom and told her I was bored. Instead of telling my to go clean, like she did most of the time, She told me she wanted to teach me how to make friendship bracelets. And I've been hooked ever since :)

You have some very fun pieces in your shop, where did you get such great taste?

I try to make the friendship bracelets with color combinations that people wouldn't normally put together, and that appeals to everyone. From  toddler, to Adult!

When not making bracelets do you have any other hobbies?
Besides making friendship bracelets I love making anything and everything. Many times a day I find myself looking at a random item and wondering what I could make with it.
To follow:  Her twitter is @kennedybentley
To Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Kennedy-Bentley/178468212235293

****COUPON ALERT!!**** ****COUPON ALERT!!****

In fact if you see a piece you like she’s got a great sale going on right now!  Just type giveaway20 to receive 20% off your next order.

Shop #2Kristin Magnus

 

What could you win????

 

Tell me a bit about what yourself:

I sell handcrafted, unique jewelry with nautical flare! I enjoy creating beautiful pieces that you can wear year round. I also include seasonal items and paper goods such as cards and gifts.
How did you get started?:
During the spring of 2011, I decided to take some time off from my teaching career. Throughout the summer, I began creating jewelry and it has blossomed into my own business. I am really enjoying creating pieces in my free time.
How did you come up with your business name?
Inspired by Oceans was literally inspired by the ocean. I spent fifteen years living on the coast of Maine, in particular, a small island named Southport. I enjoy the beauty of the sea, whether it is during boating, scuba diving, swimming, or sightseeing. I recently relocated to the Midwest and have missed seeing the water everyday. Making sea colored jewelry has brought me close to the ocean again!
How long have you been in business?
Inspired by Oceans was opened in June of 2011.
What is your biggest influence when creating?
My biggest influence during my jewelry creation is the ocean. I enjoy it’s colors; hues of green and blue. I am very influenced by the music that I listen to and by the local history here in Sparta, Wisconsin. I have started to create some jewelry based around the love of cycling in our area.
What advice do you have to offer to others just starting out?
The best advice that I can give for any small business would be to have a lot of patience. It takes a lot of time and energy to get your business going, but it is rewarding. The confidence that I have gained while creating my business has taken me in even more directions in life. So, stick with what you love and create, create, create! Don’t worry too much about making a profit at first and enjoy what you do!
Is there anything else you would like to say/add/share?
In my everyday life, I am an elementary school teacher. I have six years of experience between kindergarten and pre-k. I enjoy spending most of my time working on crafts, whether it is painting, refinishing furniture, or making jewelry. I spend time with my dog Linekin, who is named after Linekin Bay in East Boothbay, Maine. He and I are the best of friends! I am currently back in school, working on my real estate license. I am happy to announce that I will be working with a wonderful group of colleagues in Tomah, WI.

****COUPON ALERT!!**** ****COUPON ALERT!!****

For the upcoming holiday season, I am offering 50% off all earrings. This is a HUGE sale. Moms and women from all around can enjoy giving these as gifts during the holiday season. Customers should type HOLIDAY2011 after they have added their earrings to their cart.

Shop #3

ME <3  Rae of Light Photography

  I’ve been taking photography for about 3 years and have really enjoyed being able to share that journey with you.

What you could win from me?

Your Choice of an 8x10 (subject to availability)

****COUPON ALERT!!**** ****COUPON ALERT!!****

Can’t wait? Just type in XMASTIMEISHERE and receive 25% off your next order

Black Friday Sale!!

Well here is a great deal to help with your Christmas shopping whether it be for your favorite aunt or just a great gift for you.  Hurry and use it while you can. It only lasts til the 26th.

And here's a great treasury I made just to get you into the spirit.

Extreme Healing, Joplin Edition

After months of having our town constantly reminded of the tragic events of May 22, our city finally had some big excitement come to us this past week.  The show Extreme Home Makeover came to Joplin along with a load of volunteers and not only built some incredible homes but boosted our moral.  Here are some photos I took of the reveals and other activities. 
(if you are a person who likes to be surprised this would be considered a spoiler alert)

 
 

 

I’ll be posting some of the photos of the houses later. So check back for more.

Fall Family Fun

I usually don’t make it a habit to photograph people, not because I don’t enjoy it but because there’s a little more pressure to capture a moment, than say capturing a bowl of fruit. But I made a couple small exceptions for two reasons.  1} I was loaned a DSLR! (I think I’m going to have to make the switch soon)   2.} I just love  the couple and family I had a chance to *achm* shot : ) So without further ado here are a few fun ones.

       

     

Don’t forget to check out the giveaway below. Until than, have a great day : )

October Opulence

It’s fall!! Can I get an Amen!?!  I love this time of year for many reasons but one of the biggest is because it’s when I get to celebrate my birthday.  Exciting right?  To top it all off I’m turning the big 3-0!  I had a couple gracious sellers come through to not only make this as painless a transition as possible but also to give you a chance to get some great stuff!! (hmm maybe I should tone it down on the exclamation point but I just so excited) OK onto the business at hand. What items are you throwing your hat in to receive?

Shop #1

Micslovespink07

This is the beautiful Compact up for grabs, a $28 value!

This owner offers a great array of vintage items, anywhere from costume jewelry to vases.

Where are you from and how did you become a vintage lover?

Born and raised in the Reno, NV area. My mother instilled a love in me for fun things, such as clothing and jewelry and beautiful antiques.

You have some very fun pieces in your shop, where did you get such great taste?
My Mother was always dressed to the nines and was extremely classy.
Looks like your Mother was a big influence in your life. Could you tell us more about your relationship?
We were extremely close, but unfortunately, I lost her to cancer last year. Her disease and strength through everything she has gone thru in her 70 years of life has taught me so much.
Is there anything else you would like my readers to know?
Please visit my store and know that I appreciate great customers and will do everything I can to make sure you enjoy these pieces as much as me!

In fact if you see a piece you like she’s got a great sale going on right now!  Just type LOVEPINK to receive 50% off your next order. I myself have already taken her up on this offer and let me tell you I was not disappointed.

Shop #2
Customhemptreasures

You will get a chance to win a bracelet of your choice

Tell us a little about yourself.
I live in Orlando, and have been a vegetarian for about 8 years.
What are some of the other things you enjoy doing?
besides making hemp jewelry I love to knit and being outside and exercising
Do you have any plans for the future?
My dream is to one day to open my own store where I sell my Scarves and Hemp Jewelry.

Shop #3

ME <3  Rae of Light Photography

I’ve been taking photography for about a year and have really enjoyed being able to share that journey with you.

What you could win from me? How about (2) 4x6 prints of your choice?

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Oh Author Where art Thou?

You may have notice, well at least I hope you’ve noticed, I have been a bit absent from the blogging world lately.  I would like to apologize.  It seemed with everything going on I just couldn’t get in the time and I unfortunately have been neglectful.

To make up for it I’m going to be working on a huge giveaway to encourage you to not give up on me yet : )

Until than I thought I would let you know what I’ve been up to. I talked before about how I am slowly becoming a sweepstakes person, well it seems I’ve also added major couponer to the mix.  I’m not full fledged just yet but I’m having fun learning in the mean time. 

Here’s some of the items I got in one small afternoon of shopping, and how I got them. I must beg forgiveness in advance for the photos they were taken with my good ole cell phone.

#1  A super cute Liz Claiborne clutch

  I found a $10 off $10 or more coupon and lucked out.  They had just done their mark downs at JC Penny. This adorable bag was marked down to $10.40, with the $10 off that made it 0.40! It was normally priced $26

#2 Rimmel Eye shadow

This was an experience in “Stacking”. That is the term used when you’re allowed to take a manufacture's coupon and a store coupon and stack them together on the same product. As far as I can tell only two chains still do this, Target (where I got this eye shadow) and Walgreens.  This eye shadow originally cost $3.99, Rimmel’s facebook page was offering a $2 off coupon  on any of their products and than Target had a $1 off coupon on only Rimmel eye shadow. They had a cheaper one that only had one shade but they were out of all colors save black and white so I opted for this one.  At the end it only cost me .99. 

#3 Lip Gloss and Hand Sanitizer

I got these two great items with a surprise VS coupon. It was $10 off $10 or more as well. The lip gloss was $7 and the sanitizer was $3.50, making these two items a whopping .54.

 

All in all I think I spent about $2, not bad if I do say so myself.  I think I’m really starting to like this couponing gig. 

If your wondering where I get my best tips you should totally check out this great little blog; http://moneysavingmom.com/ You can also go on Facebook, “like” some of your favorite products and many a times they have either free coupons or samples. Oh and samples are the best way to get great coupons. 

Hopefully I won’t be going MIA for a while now that things have settled down here in Joplin but if I do, you know I’ll be out there getting some great deals to show you later. 

Coming Soon to a Blog near you!!! (well this blog at least)

- a wonderful giveaway that is sure to impress

- Adventures at Farm Girl Days, a follow up on some of my most loved photos and maybe some new surprises.

- Extreme Home Makeover is coming to JOPLIN!!! Very excited. I hope to have photos and stories up when it happens