Wow, it’s been a looooong time! I want to be up front with y’all about something that’s been going on with me – I have been contending with a health issue, an auto-immune condition which affects my platelet count. It’s … Continue reading
Erin is best known as @SPNCrossroad across social media like Twitter, where I first met this woman who inspires me to greatness. Her story demonstrates yet another soul who embodies the SPN Family culture; caring, selflessness, charitableness, and a genuine compassionate need to do for others.
Without further do, I give you Erin!
Erin’s Avatar of Awesomeness
Thank you, Jodi, for this opportunity to share my story.
Hi, I’m Erin (Hi, Erin) And I am an addict. #Supernatural (for Robbie)
Four years ago, my 3 children & I settled into our very own home. I had gotten a great private-contracting job for more $$ than I’ve ever earned, so we were able to live comfortably and peacefully, just the 4 of us, for the first time ever. Then 4 1/2 months later, I fell ill… deathly ill. Dozens of tests and tons o’doctors later, I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to be around much longer.
December 2012: I found the first 6 seasons of Supernatural cheap. BOOM!! Something new to watch!! I binge watched, fell in love, then started a tumblr & twitter to fangirl with others at the beginning of March 2013. (Jodi here: just needed to say that must’ve been a magical time because it was around early 2013 that I became a Supernatural fan as well!)
A week later, Doc found a tumor. Another month later I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Cancer. With 2 surgeries & radioactive iodine, I was “cured” by August, but still wasn’t improving. My #SPNFamily was there to support & encourage me through all of it.
Fast forward to just a month ago. The doctors finally figured out what was wrong. My gallbladder was deteriorating, so it was finally removed after 3 1/2 yrs of sufferingl!! It’s taking me a while to bounce back, but I’m a survivor.
I want to give back to all the wonderful people who have been there every step of the way. On my 40th Birthday, May 31, 2014, I will be launching the #SPNFamily Roadhouse Project.
I am selling my house and procuring a bus to use in bringing the #SPNFamily to Conventions and other Supernatural Fan Events!! This project will be completely run on donations. I hope to raise enough money to be able to buy tickets for and transport our family members who can not go to cons because of health complications or financial need.
I run many fansites across all social media, so you can probably find me everywhere, especially if you Google me.
Jodi here again: I wanted to point out Erin’s FABULOUS creative cursor usage. For example, supernaturalcrossroad.tumblr.com uses a regal pair of wings. Supernatural-crossroad.tumblr.com uses a badass impala. Jared-padalecki-makes-me-happy.tumblr.com uses a moose.
This is not a comprehensive list of Erin’s awesomeness. Please contact her on twitter @SPNCrossroads and she will be able to give you links to her other works!
PLEASE follow her amazing effort, The SPNFamily Roadhouse Project on Twitter with hashtag #SPNFamilyRoadhouse
https://twitter.com/SPNcrossroad
http://supernatural-crossroad.tumblr.com/
http://jared-padalecki-makes-me-happy.tumblr.com/
http://i-love-misha-collins.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/supernaturalcrossroad
http://weheartit.com/SupernaturalCrossroad
Supernaturalcrossroad.com is still under construction
Jodi: What are other creative outlets you have?
I’m a graphic and interior designer and I’ve remodeled many homes. Most of my creative outlet since falling ill has been building websites and stocking them with the best of Supernatural.
Jodi: What draws you to handmade jewelry as opposed to store-bought, factory manufactured pieces?
Working with my hands I can completely appreciate the hard work and love and pride that goes into building something yourself.
Jodi: What types of pieces stand out to you, for example, wire work, crystals, etc. and why?
I like silver. Medieval pieces. Intricate patterns. Unique styles. Anything fit for a Queen!! 😉
Jodi: Is there something specific about Eldwenne’s Fantasy – Quality Handmade Jewelry by Jodi Zulueta that stands out to you? (Don’t be afraid to say no, Lol!)
YES!! Each piece is gorgeous and so lovingly fashioned and creatively named!! But the stand out aspect is you, Jodi!! We hit it off right from the start and you’ve been so sweet and generous to my daughter and me. The fact that you messaged me while on a plane still makes me smile. Love ya, Girlie, and can’t wait to see ya at a Con!! ❤ ~Erin Jodi here: We are two peas in a pod, m’lady!! Looking forward to seeing YOU!!
Jodi: I’m back. THANK YOU to Erin for an amazing, inspiring post. Please follow @tuestwopodcast as Erin will be on the 7th episode airing next week where she will talk more about her Roadhouse Project!!!
Erin truly embodies what SPN Family is. Here is a woman who has gone through so much and is channeling her energies into making dreams realities for others.
I’m beyond proud and honored to be considered a friend of Erin’s. Please find it in your heart to help get the Roadhouse Project its due. If you can’t donate, share, spread the word. You’ll be helping her help others, in true SPN Family fashion.
Shifting gears a little, I’m writing this post from the home of my aunt Elysse in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I’m on a weekend break from my first week of being with my TFA Greater Nashville Corps members over at Lipscomb University, where I will be living through mid-July.
I will then be staying with my aunt through July 18, then back home to New Jersey. I’ll be helping finalize moving my family back here, to our new home state of Tennessee.
This has been a journey filled with challenges I’ve never faced before; a husband falling ill and being unable to help him, losing my job and being unemployed for the first time in my life, finding out who my real friends and family are, dealing with severe bullying of my son, building my jewelry business up online and in the Supernatural convention circuit, taking Praxis exams that made me want to give up on ever becoming a teacher, desperately trying to get hired by the Metro Nashville Public School system, and coordinating a multi-state move consisting of a husband, three kids, and two cats.
The past week of being with Teach for America has really been life-changing for me.
Remember the hiring fair I went to in April that ended up with zilch? I had strike two this past Thursday at another hiring fair.
On Thursday night, one of the TFA staff members, Katie, asked me if I would consider going on an interview with Dr. Dunaway at a middle school for a 7th grade special education position. Sure, why not.
I did the interview and went back to Lipscomb University so I could finish the rest of my day of training. About an hour after I arrived at Lipscomb, Katie came over to me and asked me how everything went.
“It went great. Like the 13 other interviews I did but never heard back on.”
“Ok, that’s great because Dr. Dunaway recommended you for hire.”
I am now going to be a special education teacher for 7th grade at Two Rivers Middle School in Nashville, Tennessee. This is one of my proudest achievements and I can’t even articulate how I feel at this moment – too excited for words!
Next on the agenda – finding a place for us all to live!!! We’re looking to live in Murfreesboro so if ya’ll got a place to rent, LET ME KNOW!!
And the Oscar goes to….ALL OF YOU!!!!
So I warned you in the title of this post that there was going to be an Oscar-worthy epic thank you speech. I know I’m going to forget some people. Please know it’s not intentional or a reflection of how I feel – I’m overwhelmed with a million things and I’m doing my best to ensure everyone understands how they are appreciated – I can’t thank everyone enough!!! This list is in no specific order and also in no way encompasses/articulates my full gratitude.
Merrill: my husband, my staunch supporter. I wouldn’t have been able to do ANY of these things without your support
David: my oldest son, my voice of reason and the one who talked me off of many ledges
Vi: David’s girlfriend and the most beautiful woman on the planet, inside and out
Jaden: your spirit, your trust in me always keeps me going
Phoenix: your laughter is light and you ALWAYS make me smile
Raven: your pure inner and outer beauty and inquisitive soul ground me
Dad: for letting go when I know how hard this is for you
Elysse and Bearl: you showed me love and put the spark in me to chase my dream to Tennessee, opened your home to me, and are always helping me in my journey
My cousins Alexis, Zane, Jaclyn, Leo, Berry, Kyle, Jenny, Lindsay, Dara, Leslie, Matt, Andrew, Daniel – all of you are the best friends I could ever ask for and I’m so lucky to have you in my life
Doree and Jeff: you always talk me through the moments of panic, the self-doubt, and always have heaps of love to help me through everything
Fran: always giving me insight, great times, and being there for me. Your realism is grounding.
My in-laws: Mom, Carlo, Diana, Maryanne, Joel, Christopher, Belle, Kenny, Robin, Billy, Noel, Cynthia, Tita Ida, Tita Lydia – you all are going to be why leaving Jersey City is going to be hard for us. Please know we all love you and will do everything we can to see each other as often as humanly possible.
Lisa B – you are not only Raven’s audiologist, not only my friend, but family. Thank you for being your amazing self.
Shannon – I’m convinced you and I were sisters or best friends in another life. You’re always there for me, you always give amazing advice, and I love you for it. And Callum is the most delicious baby.
Julie Anne R.: You never stopped pushing me, reminding me that I need to stop living in fear and go after what makes me happy. You’re a role model of the quintessential kick-ass business woman that I strive to be.
Kim R.: You hardly know me yet you championed for me like you were my partner in crime from my high school days (minus the underage drinking episodes). I owe you a drink at the next con.
Robin Lyon – a customer that has become a lifelong friend
Mitch Kosterman – you kick ass with the amazing things you do for the fans and I’m honored that you spent the time to interview me. Honored to be your friend.
Maki – being continents apart never made our friendship weak – I love you for that
Chris Schmelke – you’re a and one of the kindest people I know
Rachel, Kendra, Kim C, Suzanne V: Holy fuckshit, ladies!! Ya’ll put up with me for YEARS. Never stopped believing in me. We soooo need a PCA get together!!
Ruthee – my big sister. Insightful, encouraging, and writes the most incredible emails that make me feel like we’re having coffee together. Love you.
Ana Marie – the soul who is always there for me with encouragement, a pic of Winston to make me laugh, and advice to get me through the stress at all hours of the night – I always can count on you, baby
Kat – my partner, the writer extraordinaire – you’re so patiently waiting for me to get my life in order so that we can work on greatness together – thank you and I promise I’m almost there now J Love you.
Chad Lindberg – you made the time to support my jewelry and that means the world to me
Leticia Serafin – if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be where I am with my jewelry on the convention circuit – I’ll see ya in VanCon!!
Kae Winters- for being a role model for what we need to strive to be as human beings and always do random acts of kindness
Abby Levine – always posts encouraging words on my work and is a creative powerhouse
Judy, Adina, Melstiel, Ally, Jenna, Bonnie, Carrie Anderson, Carrie Oakes, Jenn Geraghty, Kelly, Lorraine – do I NEED to spell out all of the kick-ass support you give me on a daily basis?? Of course I do! You ladies inspire me to do my best every single day. You constantly encourage me and it’s why I’m continuing with my jewelry business and selling at the cons – LOVE YOU!!!
Trina, Kim M, and all of my amazing people that I talk to on FB – You are all freaking incredible and you need to recognize your awesomeness! THANK YOU!!
Merillat for being a shoulder to cry on when the Hiring Fair bummed me out
Dominque for driving me to the interview that changed my life as well as listening to my neuroses the whole ride there and back
Mary Ann Sayson – I always look forward to your uplifting posts and sweetness on FB. You’re angelic.
Anie – You rock more than you can ever imagine. You encourage me to keep going and that’s exactly what I’m-a-gonna-do. I’ll see you in VanCon, baby!
Katie and Bella – best VanCon roomies and now friends! You showed me that I can have a great time once the vendor’s room is closed for the day and you never made me feel old enough to be your mother. And I am old enough to be your mother.
My new TFA friends Erica, Nichole, Lisa, Jen, Misty, Awa…We’re all in this together and we can rock this!
I know there are so many other people that I forgot to mention and I apologize profusely. Please know that I appreciate everyone and that there is no way I could be doing what I’m doing now without you. I am overwhelmed in the most amazing way.
Ok, the fat lady is singing, so we move on…next week I will be featuring a beautiful artist who specializes in making leather bracelets! I can’t wait to share that with ya’ll!!
And don’t forget that I’m having a major-ass sale on Castiel’s Grace set and The Tenacity of Dean Winchester set!! You can get each set for $120 each! The sets are normally $131 each, so grab ‘em up before midnight, June 15 when the prices go back up!
Castiel’s Grace set is currently on sale for $120!
The Tenacity of Dean Winchester set is currently on sale for $120!!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/191689016/sale-castiels-grace-set-necklace?ref=shop_home_active_6
Until next week!!
I’m writing this post to you from the home of my family out in Santa Monica, California. My daughter Raven and I came in to spend some time with my cousin. It’s been an amazing time. Great weather, lovely company, Disney, the Santa Monica Pier, visits with dear friends and a trip to Universal Studios coming up next week.
Raven enjoying Disney
I’ll be back just in time to catch a flight down to Nashville to see more family and attend the Teach for America hiring fair – very exciting!
Then it’s back home for a few days and then OFF TO DCCon! More about that later in this post…
I have to say that my Supernatural Inspired Necklace series exploded into much more than I thought it ever could be.
It all started out with me wanting to design pieces that captured the essence of Sam and Dean Winchester. Oh, then there’s Cas, right? And then wait, I want to do another Cas piece too. And then what about the extended family like Bobby, Benny, Charlie…and bad guys need love too! So of course you gotta represent Crowley, Abaddon, Meg…sigh…
So without further ado, here is a Supernatural Inspired Necklace Series 101 for ya’ll!
The Tenacity of Dean Winchester: A necklace to commemorate our hero, Dean Winchester and his never-ending need to do what’s best for everyone, risking his own life, and being ‘The Righteous Man”
The Tenacity of Dean Winchester
The Purification of Sam Winchester: The end of Season 8 – Sam Winchester ready to sacrifice himself by curing Crowley; the third and final trial. Each trial purified Sam’s soul. The beautiful clear glass cabochon with magnification qualities represents his soul, the silver wire woven around it being the trials purifying him.
The Purification of Sam Winchester
Castiel’s Grace: I wanted to create a piece that celebrated the essence of one of the most amazing characters in the Supernatural universe – Castiel.
Castiel’s Grace
The Heart of Castiel II: I wish you could see this in person. It’s a stunning glass oval of sky blue with white and black inclusions swirling inside it.
The Heart of Castiel II
The Loyalty of Benny LaFitte: Benny Lafitte was the one creature that managed to convince Dean Winchester that hunting was more than just about killing. Benny became almost like a brother, who ultimately gave his own life to save Sam Winchester.
The Loyalty of Benny LaFitte
The Genius of Charlie Bradbury: Charlie Bradbury has come to the rescue on several occasions for the boys – each time using her intelligence and wit.
The Genius of Charlie Bradbury
The Deception of Crowley: A piece that hopefully Mark Sheppard would agree captures the personality of our favorite King of Hell!
The Deception of Crowley
The Fire of Abaddon: A necklace inspired by the hottest Knight of Hell! A red glass cabochon is wrapped in coils of woven silver, with a pentagram at its top.
The Fire of Abaddon
The Complexity of Meg Masters: Meg Masters is quite a complicated character, isn’t she? A demon who is in love with an angel? Wow. A demon who went from making it her mission to destroy the Winchesters to sacrificing herself more than once to help them.
The Complexity of Meg Masters
The Wisdom of Bobby Singer: Bobby Singer was always the go to guy for everything. Not just lore on whatever creature was being hunted at the moment, but for life in general.
The Wisdom of Bobby Singer
The Soul of Sam Winchester: I wanted to capture the intricacies of Sam Winchester in this piece – an opalescent glass cabochon is framed in silver, which has been wrapped with silver beads
The Soul of Sam Winchester
The Sacrifice of Mary Winchester: Mary Winchester is a woman of sacrifice. While she was alive she made a deal to save her soon to be husband, John Winchester. In death, she sacrificed her spirit to protect her sons, Sam and Dean. This piece was designed to capture the protectiveness, the maternal instinct, and the fierce love for John Winchester.
The Sacrifice of Mary WInchester
The Impetuousness of Balthazar: An angel who has authority issues but would drop everything to help Castiel, who in fact described Balthazar as ‘impetuous.’ Sebastian Roche brings such personality to our favorite bad boy angel.
The Impetuousness of Balthazar
Other pieces that are in development are: Kevin Tran, Henry Winchester, John Winchester, Jody Mills, Garth, Ellen, and Jo.
These are all currently for sale at Eldwenne’s Fantasy Supernatural Jewelry Section
And wait until you see the surprise piece I’m working on. It’ll be ready in time for DCCon and I’ll unveil it there!
Sooo excited to be going to DCCon! I’ll be bringing my eleven year old son, Jaden with me –it’s gonna be a total blast! Originally it was going to be the whole clan, but life gets in the way sometimes, so it’s just gonna be Jaden and me this time around.
And what kind of fun can you expect at my table at DCCon? Well, for one thing – wormstaches, of course!
Osric Chau doin’ the ‘stache at my table
Everyone’s favorite Executive Producer – Jim Michaels doing the ‘stache! Thanks, Jim!
And I’ll be having another great contest! This time you’ll have the chance to participate in a raffle for a chance to win the companion bracelet to my Castiel’s Grace necklace!
The companion bracelet to my original necklace design: Castiel’s Grace! You can win this AND donate to Random Acts at the same time!
In this raffle, vote for your favorite Cas – angel Cas or human Cas! It’ll be great and I’m trying to get Misha Collins in on the fun too! I’ll be donating half the proceeds to Random Acts – it’s for a great cause!
Can’t wait to see ya’ll in DC!! Come stop by and say hi!
Jodi here – Adina is one of the most passionate souls I’ve met through this glorious fandom we call the SPN Family.
A little selfie action with me and the amazing Adina!
Adina is the epitome of what the fandom really means to me – warm, compassionate, driven, supportive, and has an impeccable taste for quality, handmade jewelry (ok, so sue me, lol!)
Seriously though – this woman rocks and as you read through her interview you’re gonna see exactly how and why.
Take it away, Adina!
Tell us a little bit about yourself, anything you’re comfortable sharing, work, family, philosophy, etc. Also, if you have a website or a brick & mortar business, please feel free to include that here!
I like to describe myself as dedicated and passionate; also, a deep fangirl. I love analyzing characters and plots.
In my “regular” life, I work for a healthcare consulting firm, fighting insurance denials for hospitals. I’ve been working at the same place for about 10 years, starting at entry level, and recently was promoted to supervisor.
On the side, I’m a certified graphic & web designer (www.squarepins.org) and that spills over into my fandom life. I’ll come back to this for the creative question! I also have a Fandom Page on FB: http://www.facebook.com/AdinaRJ I include celebrity birthdays, fun pics, and encourage interactions.
Just LOOK at the creative ohoto op this woman did with Jensen and Jared! Please come check out her FB page and Like it! It’s addictive!
Do you have any creative outlets? Tell us about them and if you have photos of your work, please feel free to share!
I do have creative outlets! I’m a computer graphic designer by hobby and side business. I mentioned my website earlier (www.squarepins.org). I have designed book covers as well as custom websites. I also make fandom graphics such as The Year of Winchesters, which was my desktop wallpaper for several years. I don’t currently write fanfic, but I did dabble in it for several fandoms over the years. I’m always analyzing shows and thinking “what if” – it just hardly ever turns into an actual story!
Adina’s Graphic Design Biz – Square Pins! LOVE the designs, Adina!!
A fang-tastic (stop groaning, you know you giggled) book cover Adina designed – which is available on Amazon!
A Year of Winchesters – Adina knows how to pick ’em!!
Who would’ve thunk that Chuck + Lucifer = adorable graphics! I LOVE Adina’s work!
What draws you to handmade jewelry as opposed to store-bought, factory manufactured pieces?
I think it’s the personal touch that goes into it. Also, the ability to customize – I went up to Jodi and said “Hey, can you do something like this, but a little different like this?” and she was able to do it right then and there! It’s the knowledge that no one else has something exactly like yours.
Adina and Ally! Wonder Twin Powers ACTIVATE! Form of…TWO AWESOME SPN bracelets!
What types of pieces stand out to you, for example, wire work, crystals, etc., and why?
I would say I notice the crystals first, but I’m more likely to buy the hammered sayings because I’m all about the quotes!
Adina wearing the “Today is Tuesday, but Yesterday was Tuesday Too!” necklace which goes smashingly with her Mystery Spot shirt!
Is there something about Eldwenne’s Fantasy – Quality Handmade Jewelry by Jodi Zulueta that stands out to you?
Jodi herself is so personable and friendly! Her work is lovely and it’s a pleasure to buy from her. Plus, her stuff is different than the typical charms bracelets and necklaces.
Adina wearing a one of a kind piece designed by my son, Phoenix!
Wow – THANK YOU ADINA! I really look forward to seeing you again! Maybe DCCon???
DCCon
That’s right – I’ll be at DCCon this coming May! And not only will I be there – my whole clan will be there too! You’ll get to meet my amazing kids and husband. I might be able to take a bathroom break at this convention – look out! After all that hard work training myself to not pee for 12 straight hours…
I’m in the midst of creating a brand new contest for this upcoming convention since the Crowley vs. Abaddon election was such a great hit! And thanks again to Mark Sheppard and Alaina Huffman for being amazing sports and joining in my madness!
I’m also still holding a promotion that will be ongoing until I get what I want, lol! If ANYONE has the divine influence to get Mark Sheppard to take a selfie wearing my “King of Hell” leather cuff bracelet I made him – I will give you The Deception of Crowley necklace for free!
You can win this necklace!
So in the meantime, I’ll be working on developing the new contest for DCCon.
Are YOU going to DCCon? If so and there’s something you’d like me to have ready and waiting for you there, drop me a line! Either convo me in etsy through my shop at www.eldwenne.etsy.com, or you can reach me on FB at my Eldwenne’s Fantasy page at www.facebook.com/EldwennesFantasy – oh and by the way – I tend to get very VERY generous to peeps who share my links, retweets, etc – so, I’m just sayin’ ; )
And don’t forget I still have a special promotion running for my SPN Necklace series:
Castiel’s Grace, The Deception of Crowley, The Purification of Sam Winchester, The Tenacity of Dean Winchester. Unfortunately The Heart of Castiel is no longer available, but version 2 of this design will be out soon!
These pieces are all marked down to the special convention price of $35 each (regular price is between $40-45) and free US shipping.
This special offer ends on April 15! Please note, The Heart of Castiel is no longer available, however, I am creating a second version of this piece that will be presented on this upcoming Two for Supernatural Tuesday posts on FB, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram! Come follow me! I’m @eldwenne of course!
Next week’s post is going to be something very special – I had the honor of meeting a beautiful young woman named Brittany – she will be doing a guest post for me and it’s going to be extremely powerful. Stay tuned and see ya’ll next week!
Before I delve into my Sin City experience, I want to announce that from this post forward, I will be having a contest for my readers to win a free piece of jewelry each week! Wait until you hear which piece is up for grabs this week – whoo hoo!
VIVA LAS VEGAS – Whew! I arrived in Vegas early Wednesday evening. Wow was it hot. As my friend Ana Marie said to me via text, “You’re in the desert, baby.” Um, yeah. That would be a good reason why I was a tad uncomfortable. I took her advice to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and then set up shop in the vendors room.
I was selling both my wares as well as the best t-shirts and beanies you will ever own – incredibly awesome Clifhager gear!
The Clifhanger table – GET THE GEAR – check out their FB Page!
https://www.facebook.com/Clifhangers
Thursday morning was amazing. Before we opened the vendor’s room, Kat Sloan had a meet and greet with some fans. Kat Sloan is an author whose book ‘Half Blood’ is a MUST READ. It’s been very well-received and I will be designing jewelry based on this epic saga!
The first in the Lycanthropire Saga
You can reach Kat and grab her novel here at http://www.katsloan.com/ – check it out and you won’t be able to put this book down!
After the meet and greet, Kat and I went to our respective tables. Now Kat’s table was so amazing and beautiful and I wish I had a pic of it! Please check her out and see if she posts one – it was like being in a gorgeous Victorian living room!
I thought it would be great fun to have a couple of things going on at my table besides the constant hammering of me making new pieces. So I decided to give everyone that visited my table a memorable moment. I bought gummi worms and offered everyone “FREE WORMSTACHES”
Free Wormstaches! As you can see, I was refilling the bowl QUITE a bit!
It was a huge hit and I got tons of people coming over to do the ‘stache – including a couple of recognizable faces…the Brigade of the Wormstaches will be at the end of this post – if you did a ‘stache for me, come see!
I also thought it would be fun to get the visitors at my table involved in a mock election for their choice for the ruler of Hell. Should Crowley remain as King? Or do we need a woman’s touch via a knight to remember – Abaddon?
Who would YOU have voted for?
The way the contest worked was that at the end of the election, I would take a random name from the Crowley voters and a random name from the Abaddon voters. The Crowley name would receive a King of Hell necklace. The Abaddon name would receive a Queen of Hell necklace.
Alaina Huffman and Mark Sheppard were fantastically supportive of the fun and I updated them with the statistics via Twitter every evening over the course of the convention.
The results? In the beginning of the eletion it was looking like quite a slam dunk for Crowley, however, girl power began to resonate and Abaddon started to gain in popularity.
The tally went from 78%/22%, then 80%/20%, then finally, 77%/23%. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to overthrow the King, but it did demonstrate that the fans are definitely interested in seeing where Abaddon could take things! Congrats to both Mark and Alaina for being their awesome selves!
And a HUGE congrats to the winners of the King of Hell and Queen of Hell Necklaces!
The proud winners of my King/Queen of Hell contest!
There were a couple of really REALLY great Abaddon cosplayers:
The lovely proprietor of The Bone Closet dressed as the Knight of Hell!
I sent this one to Alaina Huffman with the question: “I thought you said you weren’t here?!?”
Free Necklace Op!
I made Mark a King of Hell leather cuff bracelet that I gave him on Sunday. He seemed, well, very Crowley about it – Mark – if you’re reading this, I’d absolutely love a pic of you wearing the bracelet! If anyone can make that happen I will give you a very special gift:
The Deception of Crowley – blood red glass framed in silver, complemented by a pentagram and skull! Available at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com
That’s right. If anyone has the divine influence to get Mark to snap a pic of himself wearing the King of Hell bracelet I made him – I will GIVE you my smash hit necklace, “The Deception of Crowley” for free. This necklace was hot as hell at the con (puns always intended).
My entire series of Supernatural-inspired pieces did very well – especially my Castiel’s Grace piece:
Castiel’s Grace neckace. This was a HUGE hit – I couldn’t make them fast enough! Also available at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com
The entire series is available at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com. For a limited time, I will be selling them at the special Convention price of $35 each along with FREE US SHIPPING! This will be ending on April 15th or while supplies last, so come get ’em!
My Supernatural-Inspired Necklace series! Available at my marked down convention price and FREE US SHIPPING!
From top left across:
Castiel’s Grace (which Osric Chau laughed his rear end over for some reason…)
The Deception of Crowley
The Purification of Sam WinchesterThe Tenacity of Dean Winchester
The Heart of Castiel
Here are some of the lovelies wearing theirs!
These gorgeous ladies told me I could call them both Kiki to avoid confusion – the ROCK it!
Angels and Demons – a couple of beauties representing Crowley and Cas!
Cosplaying Crowley – right down to the Deception of Crowley necklace and a glass of…not iced tea
Rocking my “Hello Boys” leather stamped cuff!
One of my fave people from Creation wearing one of my pieces! THANK YOU!
I’ve said this before but I have to say it again – there is no bigger compliment than seeing people adorn themselves with my jewelry.
Like this lady you may recognize – the stunning Kim Rhodes!
The beautiful Kim Rhodes!
I had designed a necklace specifically for Kim. Kim had sent out a tweet asking if anyone had bubble bath. So I tweeted back, “Kim – I’ll give you a GALLON of bubble bath if you come to the vendors room and pick up the jewelry I made you.” SHE SHOWED UP!
Kim immediately put the necklace on and kept it on the entire time she was on stage and in her photo ops. So for those who had a photo op with Kim – the necklace she was wearing was my gift to her – unreal!
Not only did she just run over, grab the necklace and go. She took the time to talk to me. Kim was extremely gracious and we talked about education and kids. She’s extremely dynamic and her energy is infectious, like her beautiful smile!
Thank you for being utterly amazing, Kim! And I think I still owe you a gallon of bubble bath, so for now, please accept this virtual one until the next convention!
My IOU to Kim Rhodes
Talking about how people wearing my jewelry blows my mind, let’s talk about the lovely Jenna. Jenna was one of my first customers EVER at a convention back at NJCon, almost a year ago. She had bought a woven pentagram necklace that she actually had with her in Vegas! She brought it down and wore it to show me she still appreciates my work – how amazing is that??
Jenna wearing one of my first convention sales ever – my woven pentagram neck;ace!
And there’s Adina – Adina is one of those souls that you just connect with and it seems like you’ve been friends with forever, you know? I’m doing a feature on her next week – just watch this space for an amazing post! She’s a woman of talent, drive, and also has some pretty good taste in jewelry, I must say…
Adina wearing the “Today is Tuesday, but Yesterday was Tuesday Too!” necklace which goes smashingly with her Mystery Spot shirt!
Adina introduced me to her friend Ally – another wonderful human being! Ally – I’m coming after you for a guest post too, so if you’re reading this – send me your email address!
Adina and Ally! Wonder Twin Powers ACTIVATE! Form of…TWO AWESOME SPN bracelets!
There are sooooo many people that I’ve met starting with my very first con back in NJ last year to my most current con in Vegas last week. I have to honestly say that I’ve never met a better bunch of people. Ever.
They are all a bunch of generous souls. Here’s an example of random goodness. I was chowing down on some mints the hotel had left by the water cooler in the vendors room.
A woman, Lynn, was also a vendor there and had stopped by my table. She asked how I was and I had a mouthful of mint, so I apologized for eating my ‘lunch’ while talking to her. She couldn’t believe that the mints were my ‘lunch’.
Do you know what Lynn did? This woman went back to her hotel room and MADE me a sandwich with her own two hands. AND gave me a cheese stick as well.
The lovely Lynn! She fed a starving jewelry designer who is ever grateful to her kindness!
Talk about your random acts of kindness – this really epitomized the spirit of the Supernatural fandom. Lynn – if you’re reading this, I need your contact info so that I can do a feature on you!
There was a very important table right next to me – Legacy X. Legacy X is about anti-bullying and building yourself up. I met a bunch of fantastic women, including Brittany.
Brittany warmed my heart. It was honor to meet you!
I met a lot of great women such as Brittany, Luvina (Brittany’s awesome mom), Kim, and other amazing women who worked diligently to collect as many anti-bullying messages as possible. Hardcore, dedicated women who each have heart-wrenching stories to share.
Kim’s enthusiasm was catchy to say the least and I was really pleased that she asked me to make pieces related to their cause, such as a Legacy X bracelet and a Recycled Percussion bracelet as gifts for others in their amazing organization like Justin Spencer!
I will be doing a feature on the beautiful Brittany very soon! In the meantime, please check out Legacy X’s site: http://www.legacyx.com/
What Makes Supernatural Fans so Amazing?
I had the honor of being interviewed by Mitch Kosterman for a documentary he is making about the fans of Supernatural. I was asked what it was about the fans of Supernatural that I thought was different than other fandoms.
Supernatural fans are people who go out of their way to support each other. Even total strangers. Everyone looks out for each other. There is such a sense of community, support, and the willingness to do kind things for others without expecting (or wanting) anything in return. There is no other place I’ve experienced people like this, especially all under one roof.
This beautiful young lady came by my table and gave me a lovely marble, wishing me “happy thoughts” – where else do people do that?? Thank you so much, sweetie!!
Some of the strong underlying themes of Supernatural that I get are: doing the best with what you have, putting your loved ones before yourself, helping others, and my personal favorite, ‘family don’t end with blood.’
Every fan I’ve ever spoken to seems to uphold these values to the fullest.
The show has helped me in so many ways it’s unfathomable for me to list them all here – but one thing I will say is that I’ve learned who to surround myself with and who to cut loose. It’s Team Free Will to the fullest, baby! Make the best of what we have, carve your own destiny, and well, CARRY ON!
I had so many amazing experiences and there will be a LOT of features coming out of this convention. So watch this space for much more!
And, as promised, the Wormstache Brigade is here! Look for your ‘stache moment below!!
You know what makes Osric Chau so effing cool? He did the ‘stache for me!
Osric (dressed as CAS!) doing the ‘stache! Thank you for being an amazing sport, Osric!
I bet I’m the only person on the planet who got Executive Producer Jim Michaels to do the ‘stache!
Everyone’s favorite Executive Producer – Jim Michaels doing the ‘stache! Thanks, Jim!
The Ladies of Legacy X Worstaches!
If anyone has pictures of yourselves wearing my jewelry, please feel free to send them along, I’d love to feature them in an upcoming post!!
So don’t forget – if anyone sends me a pic of Mark Sheppard wearing my King of Hell bracelet – you get The Deception of Crowley necklace FREE!
And for a limited time you can get each of my necklace series at the special convention price of $35 each and FREE US SHIPPING!
Watch for next week’s post – a feature on the lovely Adina!!
I leave you with the ONE pic of Elvis I managed to take while in Vegas:
Viva Las Vegas, baby!
Jodi here! Ana Marie and I met at VanCon last August. She is quite an amazing woman who is talented, driven, and inspiring as all hell! She shares my passion for giving time to charities, she’s an avid Supernatural fan and makes my jewelry sing when she wears it.
Ana Marie and Her Hubby/Best Friend, J!
Take it away, Ana!
Tell us a little bit about yourself, anything you’re comfortable sharing, family, work, philosophy, etc. also, if you have a website or brick and mortar business, please feel free to include that here!
What am I comfortable about sharing? Hmm… I have been married to my best buddy since 2006 – we got married in Las Vegas by an Elvis impersonator (my idea). That should give you a good idea about my personality. My husband is a local musician and we met on the local music scene when I reviewed his band for an online music magazine that I wrote for at the time. (They did a killer metal version of Billy Jean.) We knew each other for about 2 years before we started dating, because when we met he had a girlfriend and I had a boyfriend. But once we both figured out the other was single, we have been together since our first date. It really is true, you always know when it’s the right person (you just make sense).
I am a first generation Spanish-American and am bilingual. I speak with an authentic Castilian accent and visit my family in Spain as often as I can. I love Spain and it is my dream to retire there, so my hubby had better start learning to speak Spanish a little better than he does now (considering he has 20+ years to learn…)
I am a big believer in volunteering. When it comes to charity, I give them my time rather than my money. I don’t have a spare $25 or $35 to donate, but I do have my free time that I can give – and I encourage anyone who reads this to give up some free time too. Nothing is more rewarding. I have volunteered for the Special Olympics, Wounded Warrior and Make-A-Wish. It’s just something that makes my heart smile; there is no other way to put it.
The Lovely Couple – How Awesome are They??
Do you have creative outlets? Tell us about them and if you have photos of your work, please feel free to share!
I actually do have some creative outlets. I like to keep busy, so a lot of my creative outlets lend themselves to personal entertainment. I make jewelry (easy beaded necklaces, earrings and bracelets) for gifts; I am a firm believer in handmade gifts when I have time to do it. I crochet, not well but it helps me think and pass the time. Sometimes I draw – I used to be pretty good, now I am just out of practice. I enjoy it when I have the time and patience with myself to do it.
I also restore classic cars with my brother when we have time and money. We have had a love affair with the Ford Mustang since both of us could walk (we have 3 in this household alone). My brother has a ’66 Mustang that we will be working on hopefully during the Fall. He threw a rod, which is a perfect opportunity to revisit the original 289 block and see what we can coax out of it. I have a ’68 Mustang; her name is Stella (it’s because she is throaty and sexy). We took her apart and rebuilt her from 2008 through 2009, 13 months of Sundays – drinking beers and turning wrenches – it was a blast and I still work on her myself. Right now we would love to find a nice ’64 Falcon and do some fun stuff to it, but I don’t think we can talk our spouses into the expense (well that and the garage space is limited at both our houses).
The Throaty and Sexy ‘Stang – Stella
Ana Marie is also an avid runner – here she is at the Color Run – a well-known 5K – one of the many things I admire about her!
What draws you to handmade jewelry as opposed to store-bought, factory manufactured pieces?
Anyone can buy a ring or necklace at the big named stores that are machine made. Jewelry making is an art. I like to wear pieces that are one of a kind, that are unique and made with craftsmanship and care. I want something that when I wear it I remember who made it, that I found it and it was special treat to me; not something to match an outfit that I wear maybe twice a year.
What types of pieces stand out to you, for example, wire work, crystals, etc. and why?
I am in love (and have been for years) with Celtic knot work jewelry. For 12 years, I have worn a Celtic wheel cross made by a local artist. I bought a similar piece for my husband for our first anniversary. I am fascinated by the attention to detail the work requires and how simple it is – the beauty is in the simplicity of the work. I think that carries over to what I like about jewelry period – something that is beautiful and simple. It doesn’t have to have a big stone or be made of platinum, it has to be pretty and stand alone as being pretty.
Is there something specific about Eldwenne’s Fantasy – Quality Handmade Jewelry by Jodi Zulueta that stands out to you? (Don’t be afraid to say no, Lol!)
I met Jodi at a Supernatural convention in Vancouver in August 2013. I think I scoped out her table for a day and half until I found the perfect thing I could not live without. It was a deconstructed charm bracelet made with wire. Every single time I wear it, I get compliments. It is simple, understated but pretty and unique (and can stand alone). I have since made several more purchases, some for myself (I can’t help it) and for friends for birthdays and this past Christmas. Each piece was made with care, each piece was unique and each piece beautiful. I think what I like most about what Jodi does it that Jodi makes jewelry that makes sense to her – and those that buy from her get that.
Ana Marie with some guy…can’t QUITE place him. Looks familiar…
Jodi here again – THANK YOU ANA MARIE! What a great interview this was. Ana Marie and I are trying to figure out if we can get together at the next BurCon, so hopefully the planets will align properly and we can make that happen.
Ana Marie with Richard Speight Jr – lucky ladies!!
A couple of vamps with a vamp – Ty Olsson!
So I bet you’re wondering what the hell (pun always intended) I meant by ‘You can choose King or Queen of Hell.” I figured it would be fun to let us fans choose, so next week at VegasCon – let’s have some election action! (please note that this is an independent contest that has absolutely NO bearing on the show. This is strictly for fun and a chance to win a piece of my handmade jewelry).
We all know that Crowley and Abaddon are having a little tiff, so I figured let’s try to sort this out the democratic way.
For $1, you can buy a raffle ticket and cast your vote for either Crowley or Abaddon. This will go on during the entire weekend, starting on Wednesday night, for those who are VIP pre-registering, all through noon on Sunday.
An hour before the vendor room closes on Sunday, stop by and find out who the fans have chosen to reign over Hell. I will be selecting a random raffle ticket from the Crowley votes to win a King of Hell necklace and I’ll also be selecting a random raffle ticket from the Abaddon votes to win a Queen of Hell necklace. It’s going to be a ton of fun!
Ana Marie and Erin with Hell royalty – maybe! YOU decide at VegasCon!
At this time next week I’ll be in VegasCon! I can’t believe how quickly it’s approaching. I’ve been working nonstop with brand new designs being done daily. It’s been an amazingly prolific time and I do hope that if you’re going to VegasCon that you come by and see me, just to say hi.
And don’t forget that Kat Sloan and I are running some great promotions – including a meet and greet with the author herself! Come check her out at http://www.katsloan.com and follow her on Twitter via @katsloan7
Kat Sloan’s amazing book – Half Blood
If you can’t be there in person, you can always come say hi to me virtually through my shop www.eldwenne.etsy.com where you have 24/7 access to everything I make!
Looking forward to seeing all of you!!
One of the brand new designs you’ll see at VegasCon!
SPN Bookmarks made of galvanized steel and personalized for YOU at VegasCon!
Jodi: Judy is quite an amazing woman.
The Lovely Judy G!
I did an interview with her in May 2013 – you should check it out
https://jewelrybyjodizulueta.com/2013/05/31/featured-customer-of-the-month-judy-g/
I wanted to do a follow up interview with some fun questions this time around, so, without further ado, take it away, Judy!
What new and exciting ventures have you gotten involved with since your last feature? How did you get involved and what new things are on the horizon for you for 2014?For 30+ years (since I was a teenager) I have been overweight and in the last 15+ years I have been the unwilling recipient of various health problems (many of which are made worse because of being overweight). So last summer I made the decision to seek the help of a Bariatric Doctor. I met with the Doc last August and hopefully if all goes well, I will be having Gastric Bypass Surgery this March to be able to finally lose weight and keep it off. I am so excited about this new “adventure” in my life.2014 is going to be the year I take care of “ME”!!!!Judy after beginning her journey and losing 18 pounds! WHOO HOO!
If you could have a superpower for 24 hours, what would it be and why?To be able to pick the correct lottery numbers so to win lots of money to share with and help lots and lots of people. But really any superpower that allows me to help others would be awesome. (Jodi here – Judy – you already have that superpower!)The Winchesters knock on your door and tell you that you need to evacuate your home immediately because apparently that gorgeous vase you bought from the antique dealer is a cursed object – the last three owners of that vase wound up having an overwhelming urge to sing Barry Manilow songs off key until their eardrums exploded.Everything you own is completely accessible but you are only allowed to grab three things and they have to be completely shallow. What would they be and why? And Dean Winchester doesn’t count as one of them!My cell phone, my laptop and an extra pair of flip flops.Because:cell phone – I can’t seem to live without it (and need to have it ready for Dean and/or Sam when they call me)laptop – can’t live without it either (I need to stay in touch with the cyberworld and may need it to help look up info for Dean & Sam)flip flops – Cause my tootsies always look awesome in flip flops and I gotta look good when I go out on the town with Dean.Back to semi-serious – I’ve always found that humor has been a great way of getting me through some bumps in the road. What do you do to get through tough times?Laughter is def the best medicine. I do look for humor and sunshine when it’s dark and cloudy.I rely on my family & friends for the needed support –My hubs is good at holding me and wiping away the tears.My sister is my bestest friend – we’ve been through thick n thin together and boy the stories we could tell yah. Most would keep you rolling on the floor.My best friend Courtney is the much needed humor for any issue or problem. She can keep you laughing till your sides burst. (Like when she thought “Keyless Entry” meant her car didn’t come equipped with a key hole.What keeps,you coming back to Eldwenne’s Fantasy? (And will you come back even after that Barry Manilow question?)I have returned to Eldwenne’s Fantasy several times because your jewelry is WOWSOME!!! The pieces you make each have their own “spirit”. They can be statement pieces or pieces to compliment something else.And the compliments I receive on each item I wear lets me know that your jewelry speaks to everyone.YES!!! I will definitely come back again and again for more jewelry (Barry Manilow can’t keep me away from my fave jewelry lady.Wow – THANK YOU, JUDY!! We’re all so proud of you and look forward to more updates on your journey of doing something that’s incredibly difficult for all of us, but often neglected – taking care of OURSELVES! Kudos to you, m’lady!!VegasCon UpdateI am now officially in stress mode – I had a dream that I had a dream about VegasCon. Yes, you read that correctly. I dreamt that the vendors room was in some god-awful, dark, dank, basement the size of a closet and that my table consisted of a 3’x3′ desk. Then I woke up and realized, “Whew! It was only a dream.” Only to still be in a dream. And the vendor’s room was still in a god-awful, dark, dank basement the size of a closet with a 3’x3′ desk.Then I woke up. An hour late!! My boys had to stay home from school. I can tell you they were SO broken up about it. It took hours to console them.Ive been working my tail off with tons of cool new designs PLUS I’ve got some really cool new items that I’ll be selling, like my ode to Bobby Singer – an Idjit flask!All of my designs are available at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.comBobby? Is that you?
As well as some brand new coffin jewelry boxes and more bookmarks and keychains, oh my! And I’m going to be having a MEGA cool contest there! More details to come!Tastes Like Molecules…
Pentagrams and Red Crystals Bracelet
Ultimate Castiel Bracelet
There’s Nothing, Past or Present, That I Would Put in Front of You
Are YOU going to VegasCon?? Come say hi to me and my friend, author Kat Sloan! She and I will be hosting some fun giveaways that weekend!! Come check out Kat’s site at http://www.katsloan.com – her brand new book, Half Blood, can be bought directly from her site and you can read all about her plans at VegasCon, including a meet and greet with her!
Half Blood – The Lycanthropire Saga written by Kat Sloan
Come follow her on twitter @katsloan7 and see her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheLycanthropireSaga/Thanks again to the lovely Judy G and check back with me next week for yet another fabulous customer feature – Ana Marie S!! YES – two customer features in one month! Look out!Until next week, by ya’ll!
Welcome to the first post of Down to the Wire for 2014 – whoo hoo!
I wanted to kick it off with a great interview I did with a lovely lady who goes by the fabulous name Melstiel. She and I met at TorCon this past October.
Melstiel is probably one of Castiel’s biggest fans and it looks like the feeling is mutual: 
I’m happy to give her the floor for her to strut her stuff for us today! Take it away Melstiel!
I am Melissa but I prefer to be called Mel. I am a bionic woman, with a cochlear implant to help me hear better. I identify as pansexual and polyamorous. I am in a family of five which includes my significant other Christopher, my hearing ear dog Rocky, and my two cats, Artemis and Satine.
I work in maintenance of recycled soft goods at a thrift store and take on research and program evaluation contracts from time to time. I have a graduate degree in forensic psychological research and I am taking courses in Case Management so I can get a certificate in that much more practical field. I love cats, ancient civilizations, video games, psychology, sexuality, and art. I am a devoted Superwholockian.
As you can tell, I am completely enamored with Castiel and Misha Collins. Like Castiel, I am a socially awkward rebel who is fiercely loyal to their friends and feels guilty for mistakes made in life. Misha makes me happy and is just a beautiful human being with a dose of crazy. I did GISHWHES ’13 and look forward though fear doing GISHWHES ’14. Here’s an example of a GISHWHES ’13 item – the objective was to raise funds for the food bank by ‘panhandling’ as a dragon attack victim on a busy sidewalk 
That was a challenging item for me because of my social anxiety but I persisted. I wish I knew of Misha when I was younger because I was not accepted due to being ‘eccentric’ and he would have been a wonderful role model.
I do mixed media and recycled art under the persona of Felivalkyria, concocted from “feline” and “valkyrie”. My art often has fantastical themes and includes portraiture of animals and people important in my life. I am part of Moods Expressed, a local working group for artists with mental health issues, and we have a website at http://www.moodsexpressed.com . Under Artists/Artisans, you can find me as Felivalkyria (Melissa Pagliaro) and view my art there. I do a few shows a year thanks to the help of Moods Expressed.
I used to write but I don’t so much anymore as visual art is more my discipline these days. I have been dabbling in making jewelry and recently made a Castiel necklace with pearls and cubic zirconia. I was lucky to find a tear drop bead dangle that is similar to the cubic zirconia I used and makes it looks like Castiel’s tie is dangling between his wings! 
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I am very much someone who experiments with it all – recently, I got a new camera (Panasonic Lumix G6) and my favourite picture that I have taken so far is of my cat, Artemis 
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I like cosplaying, especially as Cas, and I am always striving to improve my work 
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I appreciate handmade creations because they have much more love poured into them than storebought, factory manufactured items. Precious time is spent to create unique and one-of-a-kind items when they are handmade. I like supporting independent artists’ creations as opposed to big corporations which I feel are often detrimental to society. In fact, commissioning one artist’s work has become my yearly Christmas tradition.
There is something truly attractive about the shiny! That is why I like to work with cubic zirconia. I also love materials with interesting textures like feathers, leather, fur, and velour. I work well with tactile sensations because my sense of smell is nil, having anosmia. I have a penchant for long dangling jewelry because I consider myself feminine.
Eldwenne’s Fantasy actually stands out to me because Jodi is one of few independent vendors to display their work at Creation cons.
Jodi here again – thank you so so much, Melstiel! As some of you may know, my daughter, Raven also has cochlear implants, so both she and Melstiel have something in common – bionic women!
I have to say I love where you’re going with your jewelry – please keep going with it! And all of you really should check out Melstiel’s artwork at http://www.moodsexpressed.com – use the dropdown menu to select Felivalkyria (Melissa Pagliaro) and you will be giving yourself a major treat.
Check out all of her artwork, but especially the Fantasy section – this woman knows how to mix her media and create atmospheres and new worlds. There’s a piece I was particularly drawn to with two women lounging alongside an eagle. Also looks like Artemis is making a cameo! Bravo, Melstiel!!
Is anyone going to VegasCon? I’ll be there with my Eldwenne’s Fantasy table selling my quality handmade jewelry, jewelry boxes, keychains, and whatever else I can think of between now and March!
Don’t forget to check out my shop at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com for TONS of new designs added daily including Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, and Walking Dead!!
Castiel’s Grace Necklace
Watch Your Mouth Sunshine Daryl Dixon Quote Cuff Bracelet
February is going to be chock full of great posts including a great feature on my lovely customer Judy!
See ya’ll next week! (Yes, I’m practicing my Southern for my big move this spring!)
Jodi
Today marks the beginning of the 10 day countdown to the end of my Click Start Me campaign.
It will end at 4pm on December 30, 2013. My birthday, of all things. The campaign has been wildly popular in terms of views – Click Start Me has put me FIRST on their Featured Projects page – come look!! http://crowdfunding.clickstartme.com/projects/featured-projects
Misha Collins shopping around at my table at a Salute to Supernatural convention
VERY exciting! Not only that – my project was awarded the “Most Popular Projects” badge because it’s made it to the first page of the “Most Popular Projects” search results!
Two great honors from Click Start Me!
This is such a huge honor that so many people are interested in my dream of making my handmade jewelry on the convention route a success.
I’ve received a few donations from very generous people and I cannot thank you enough for that!
My goal is $5,000, of which I have raised $100. I have just ten days to try to achieve my goal and then my campaign will be closed by Click Start Me– if you can share my links in the hopes that it will reach someone that will make a donation, I would be greatly appreciative.
As a matter of fact, if you share my link with someone who donates, YOU will receive a gift certificate worth $20!
So far from my goal – help spread the word?
To get an idea of where the money will be used, the money is needed to go towards jewelry making supplies, traveling expenses, and materials that will allow me to develop new techniques and enhance my existing ones.
For every donation you make, you will receive a gift certificate equal to the amount of your donation – my way of thanking you for your generosity and believing in me!
You’ll receive this in the amount of your donation. If your donation is $25 or more – your gift certificate will have an extra $25 value!
If you donate $25 or more, I will add an ADDITIONAL $25 to the value of your gift certificate! So if you donate $25, your gift certificate will be worth $50! If you donate $50, it will be worth $75! There’s no limit!
So if you’re suffering from gift-givers block, the gift certificate comes in super handy! I guarantee that every gift certificate will be emailed to you within 2 hours of donating or if you purchase a gift certificate directly in my shop at www.eldwenne.etsy.com. Emailing is free, of course – no shipping charges!
But if you want more bang for your buck, donating via Click Start Me gets you more, since I’m adding $25 to every donation $25 or greater : )
If you want a hardcopy certificate, today is the last day to guarantee Christmas delivery within the US. I will mail to wherever you like via Priority mail (additional shipping charges will apply).
I can personalize with a message for free as well.
Like many others, I’m still working on my Christmas crunch – just when you think that list is finished, you remember someone else. It never ends!
Are you in the Christmas crunch?!?
I hope that I can help you out of your Christmas crunch – I’m ready, willing, able, (desperate?!?) to make your Christmas gifts a reality! Don’t hesitate to contact me!
Now an update on my impending move to Tennessee and Teach for America – I’ve recently learned that I will be expected to get an endorsement in English as a Second Language instruction for elementary school. This is incredibly exciting for me!
Providing education equality and my passion for teaching!
What this does mean, however, is that I need to cram 6 college credits of Spanish between now and May 2014 – which is going to be QUITE the challenge. And expensive as all hell. Gotta figure that one out.
I took Spanish in high school. 30 years ago. I remember one very important phrase, “Donde esta el cuarto de bano?” I’m sure I spelled most of it wrong, but the gist of it is, “Where is the bathroom?”
We’re in the process of looking at places to rent down in beautiful Murfreesboro, trying to figure out where Raven is going to be (mainstream versus auditory/oral program), and preparing for a trip to Nashville this coming April for a job fair.
Gorgeous shot of the Rutherford County Courthouse
The job fair is going to be super exciting because I’ll be meeting representatives from schools all over Nashville looking to hire.
A lot of new changes are coming up very fast for us. I’m trying to keep up with all of it!
And I hope that all of you try to keep up with me and my newest adventures in making my handmade jewelry accessible to the masses and bridging the gaps in education inequality through Teach for America!
Remember to come to www.eldwenne.etsy.com for all of your handmade jewelry needs, including some kick-ass Supernatural pieces that I will custom make just for you! I’ve created a contact form that you can use right from this post to get a hold of me also!
Red Glass Encased in Woven Silver Necklace
Silver Goddess Spiral Ring
Clear Glass Goddess Spiral Frame Necklace
My Eldwenne’s Fantasy Mystery Hex Bags are always a very fun gift option! Each bag is $16 and contains a fabulous piece of jewelry, keychain or bookmark! If you want it to be SPN-related, just let me know!
Let’s pay some respect to Kevin Tran – aka Kevin Fricking Solo!
Thanks everyone and have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS/YULE/WINTER SOLSTICE!!
Okay, well first things first – As you all know, I’ve been trying to get to BurCon for quite a while now. And thanks to my family out in California, Aunt Doree and Uncle Jeff – my son Phoenix and I made it!
BurCon was an incredible opportunity because it would be my jewelry’s first West Coast exposure in the US. A completely different demographic that I’ve never had the chance to tap into and meet.
Thanks to my my family’s generosity using my ClickStartMe campaign: http://tinycs.me/9T I was able to fly over from New Jersey to Los Angeles and see a part of the country I’ve never been to. And my son has NEVER been on a plane or left the tri-state area, so this was a special treat for him as well.
This trip wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Thank you, Doree and Jeff. I love you.
My incredibly supportive husband, Merrill, as well as our oldest son David, our younger son, Jaden and our daughter, Raven all are the most amazingly understanding people on the planet and I love all of you so much!
Phoenix spent most of the flight doing his homework, since he was going to be missing three days of school. Responsible kid – who ARE you?!?
What made the trip extra special as well was that one of my cousins from Tennessee, Alexis, and her beautiful son, Zane were going to be there as well – a rare treat getting us together!
Upon arrival, seeing my aunt, my cousin and her baby boy were a heartwarming welcome.
Unfortunately my trip was mostly business, which meant I spent most of my time at the convention working while my family took care of Phoenix. But we did sneak in some quality time together and will be doing much more of that in the upcoming months, which I look forward to more than anything!
My first night there was spent learning that the rumors of LA traffic are TRUE! We spent forever on 405N. It was literally a parking lot. For those who chose not to turn their cars off while we waited learned the hard way and there were many stalled cars once the lanes opened up again.
I arrived to the convention late, but still had JUST enough time to set up the majority of my wares. I was very excited about the new coffin jewelry boxes I hand-painted and lined them up along the front of the table.
My very patient aunt Doree waited until the vendors room closed and we went back to her home in Santa Monica.
The next day I was to get a much earlier start and Doree drove me into Burbank. It was great! Almost no traffic! For me. After Doree dropped me off, she got stuck in traffic for hours on her way to work. Sorry!! I still feel terrible about that.
It was a great day. Many people stopped by to check out my table and budget the weekend away. Everyone was trying to figure out where and what to spend their money on. There was so much great stuff around like a makeup table, movie posters, books, a rare gem jeweler, and CLIFHANGERS!
Yup – I was Clifhanging again! I had a great table lined up with Clifhanger shirts and beanies (including rocking grey ones!). My beautiful friend Shannon designed the gear and owns the company with none other than Clif Kosterman – the shirts are amazing, the beanies are rockin’ and you NEED to get the edge and WEAR THE GEAR!
The Clifhanger table – Get the Edge – Wear the Gear
A very happy Clifhanger with her new shirt!
Come visit the Clifhanger page at http://www.facebook.com/Clifhangers
Saturday continued to be pretty eventful for both Phoenix and me. Doree and Jeff took Phoenix to Disneyland! How cool is that?!? He refused to wear the mouse ears, but did get an awesome Jack Skellington baseball hat!
As for me, I met some guy named DJ Qualls….a few weeks ago I had tweeted DJ asking him to come by my table at BurCon so I can give him something. He replied back saying he would. Oh SURE he would!
Would you believe He SHOWED UP?! I showed him the bracelet I made for him and he asked me to put it on him, gave me a huge bear hug and a kiss. I hereby declare that DJ Qualls is one of my favorite people ever!!! What a nice guy!!!
Saturday was when things started to pick up a bit. More people arrived, the excitement was building.
You think that would be the icing on my cake of a day, right? Nope. I had dinner with one of my friends that I hadn’t ever had the pleasure to meet in person. We’d been friends via internet for years, but never had the chance to sit in a room together.
Here’s the view of the other side of the dinner table:
The stunning Julie Anne Rhodes – even more beautiful in person
We had such a great time catching up and talking about our businesses, our kids, life in general. Julie Anne is the owner of http://www.personalchefapproach.com – I’m a proud member and her services have literally changed the way I cook and my family eats. If you’re a busy person – and who isn’t – this website will save you countless hours. Julie Anne has dinner all planned out for you or you can plan it out yourself with her menu builder! Check her out and tell her I sent you!
Julie Anne is extremely passionate about her membership – it’s a cyber family that she cherishes and appreciates so much!
Our selfie:
Julie Anne says hi to all of her amazing PCA members!
Phoenix was absolutely beside himself to meet her – she inspired him to start his own food blog:
phoenixphenomfood.wordpress.com
Sunday was a huge day because Phoenix would be with me for the day – I barely got to spend any time with him.
Phoenix was jet-lagged and a tad cranky, so I decided to take a break from the table and walk him down to the Random Acts table. Random Acts is a charity founded by Misha Collins. They had some cool activities to do at the table, so he decided to write a note in a book to Misha and color a Misha drawing in.
We made a donation and Phoenix’s name was entered into a raffle. Which he WON! Phoenix became the proud owner of a Random Acts journal signed by none other than Misha Collins!
Phoenix accepting his prize from Random Acts
Phoenix and Random Acts
Random Acts tweeted him – he was a bit overwhelmed, lol!
So the lesson Phoenix learned from all of this is “get cranky and miserable and you’ll win an autographed prize from Misha Collins.” YAY!
Then it was photo op time! Phoenix was getting a trio op with Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins – WOW!!
When it was his turn, he showed Misha the journal. I then asked Phoenix if he wanted me in the pic – Misha grabbed me and said, “Of course he does!” and pulled me into the shot. Then Jared tried to pull my Clifhanger beanie off my head for some reason…I’m sure the photo came out well and we’ll have it in the next few weeks.
This was Phoenix’s first photo op and he was very VERY happy.
So what were some of my big sellers? My coffin jewelry boxes were a big hit!
My original coffin jewelry box painted ala the Impala, complete with its own devil’s trap under the hood and handstamped license plate!
Just add a miniature Crowley!
Carry on!
Some other big sellers of mine were my leather cuffs with stamped plates! Such as this one:
Family don’t end with blood bracelet – Sam, Dean, Cas, Bobby, Ellen, Jo, Ash, Rufus and Garth
The highlight of my weekend? Meeting YOU!
Ramona with her “Demons I get” “It’s people that are crazy” earrings
I thought she was cosplaying Ruby – does she not have Ruby’s face??? She’s beautiful!! I think she looks just like Gen!
Leah was one of the most interesting people I met – she collects quotes and gave me a couple of her faves”
“No artist tolerates reality” – Nietzsche
“Normality is a paved road – it’s comfortable to walk but no flowers grow on it” – Van Gogh
One of my new friends, Leah! She’s sporting an “I found a liquor store – and I drank it” bracelet
Here’s Leah again with her best friend, Brucie. Great people! They’re wearing matching “Bitch” and “Jerk” bracelets!
Crowley’s woman – Elizabeth!
I had the incredible fortune of meeting this young woman, Shanaya Fastje. She is an accomplished author who specializes on the subject of bullying, which all of you know is near and dear to my heart. I obtained a copy of her book, “Bully in the Mirror” and am sitting down with my son to read it tonight. If you’d like more information, please read on at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanaya_Fastje
Shanaya – a remarkable young woman! She’s wearing my Dean tribute earrings (One reads “Awesome” , the other reads, “Pie”
Susie and Taylar! Susie is wearing one of my woven necklaces and mosaic tile earrings and Tanya is wearing my white feather earrings with the goddess Diana symbols!
There were so many more of you – if you can send me a pic of yourself wearing the jewelry you bought from me to eldwenne@yahoo.com, I’ll publish your photos in an upcoming post!
And next week’s feature is going to be great! It’s going to be a Featured Customer of the month starring Melstiel!! Keep your eyes on this space!
As of today, I am 30 days away from the end of my Click Start Me campaign: http://tinycs.me/9T
Misha Collins shopping around my table at a Salute to Supernatural convention
I will have exactly 30 days to meet my goal to raise funds which will go 100% towards building my handmade jewelry business:Eldwenne’s Fantasy
If you are in need of a gift idea this Black Friday or Cyber Monday – I have FANTASTIC offers!!!
If you donate $25 or more, you will receive a gift certificate from me worth the exact amount of your donation PLUS an additional $25!! Spend it on yourself AND use it to buy gifts – including custom orders!
If you share my Click Start Me campaign with someone who donates – they will receive a gift certificate in the appropriate amount – and YOU will receive a gift certificate for $25! It’s a win/win that costs you nothing!
My business is a primarily online presence which I am in the process of building in two ways: developing my own domain:www.eldwennesfantasy.com – which is currently under construction. In order to get the domain to a point where it provides my customers with an excellent shopping experience, it will cost me in fees and possibly bringing in developers.
The second way I am working on this is to put money into advertising on both Facebook and on Etsy.
I am also building my brand as I tour the convention circuit for Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries. The travel expenses I incur just in airfare and hotel alone are vast and while I am trying to build a strong presence, I am in need of support to get me to the locations that will be successful for the business, such as the upcoming The Vampire Diaries convention in Florida in a couple of weeks.
The supplies I buy are expensive and the funding will help cover those as well.
If you donate to my campaign, know that you are investing not only in my handmade jewelry business’s future, but you are also helping a woman realize her small business dream.
Thank you for reading and sharing!
And THANK YOU to DOREE, JEFF, ALEXIS, JENNY and ZANE!! I MISS YOU GUYS!!
SLAY = SELF LOVE/APPRECIATE YOU
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