One Year Later

Posted on June 6, 2015 by eldwenne

One Year Later

Where am I?

Here I am, in the quaint town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I flew down here 1 year ago this week, ready to take on the world by teaching math to children with learning disabilities in an economically disadvantaged middle school, by continuing to build my jewelry business, and by helping my family adapt to southern living.

Just a few little things.

Most of us know how the teaching gig went, right? I always had the utmost respect for my children’s teachers – but now?? HOLY FUCKSHIT THEY NEED TO BE CANNONIZED.

I enjoyed teaching very much. I LOVE the kids, even the ones that I’m sure were trying to kill me slowly, But my biggest challenge was dealing with an administration that did not have a strong special education background (not that I did either), and was fighting me to the hilt on everything.

Most of my time was spent speaking to other special education teachers to get their opinions, ideas, suggestions, and borrowing materials in order to be successful. Methods I garnered from special education veterans were disparaged by administration.

Simple example – kids with learning disabilities benefit from repetition. One of my methods of implementing that was something akin to a game of telephone.

I asked, “What is the formula for perimeter, Jose?”

“Add all sides!” he proudly replied.

“Great! Now tell your neighbor, Jonathan.”
“Jonathan, the formula for perimeter is add all sides.”
I then said, “Jonathan, please tell your neighbor, Daniel, the formula for perimeter.”

This would go around the class and the last student would then repeat the formula to me.

The principal stated that instead of doing that I should’ve had them repeat it in unison. And she deducted points off my rating for that.

Really? Having the class repeat in unison where maybe three kids actually say it, two kids lip sync it and the rest of the class just sit there is more effective than having each student accountable for repeating it and being actively engaged in an activity??

This is just one of many examples of how the administration made it impossible for me to do my job.

I was teaching a Life Skills class, switched out of said Life Skills class into resource classes, then criticized 5 days later for not making significant impacts in the resource classes. After teaching these children less than 1 week.

I began to dread coming in to school. I was leaving my home at 5:45 every morning, getting to school at 7am, working nonstop until 4:30, then driving home for an hour and then continuing to work from home on lesson plans and activities, trying to run my business which was floundering, and deal with the fact that my husband, who suffers from bipolar disorder, was not adjusting well at all to our new life, AND let’s not forget I’m a mother with 3 young kids at home (and an adult kid that I miss terribly) really hit me hard.

I began to have panic attacks several times a day every day. I was having nightmares every night.

My anxiety and depression was triggered anew. I had to leave the job.

Most of you who know me know that my childhood was shit. I lost my mother under dubious circumstances when I was very young and then dealt with an unstable and very physically and emotionally abusive environment at home from the time I was 9 until I was an adult.

I will never blame my circumstances on the past. But I will say the past helped mold me and played part in decisions I’ve made, both good and bad.

The past destroyed my self-esteem and here I am at age 44 still trying to build it up. I was on an upward swing because here I was, accepted into a prestigious program that tens of thousands of people were vying to get into, hired by a school I thought was going to work well for me, and giving my husband and kids the better quality of life they deserve.

And then school happened and I felt myself slip backwards into a quagmire of self-loathing, anxiety, depression, and a constant fear that something bad was going to happen. It was debilitating.

Always Keep Fighting and I am Stigma Free

At VegasCon I had the privilege of speaking to Jared Padalecki about the Always Keep Fighting campaign. Jared had just launched the campaign and was selling shirts to raise funds for the cause.

I had designed a bracelet that I felt best represented the message: an aluminum cuff stamped simply with the words “always keep fighting”. I had chosen aluminum because it’s lightweight and meant to make us feel as if burdens are being lifted away by the message; it wasn’t weighing us down.

I explained to Jared that I wanted to sell these bracelets and donate a portion of the proceeds to the cause and his words were, “This is awesome! I say go for it!”

With his blessing I began to make the bracelets.

Always Keep Fighting – Jared Approved, SPNFamily Supported

I created a leather version as well for those who have metal allergies or just prefer the look.

The response from all of you has been so overwhelming. I am beyond grateful for your support!

Mitch Kosterman has his Always Keep Fighting cuff – and he also helped me understand I am Stigma Free

In speaking with Mitch Kosterman, I realized that not only do we need a message to remind us to always keep fighting, but we need to address the judgment that is passed by those who don’t understand mental illness. The assumptions that are made.

“Oh, man up and get over it already.”

“He’s just being lazy.”

“Throwing a pity party.”

“Looking for attention.”

“Trying to get out of working. I saw him laughing earlier, there’s nothing wrong.”

These are all things I’ve heard either about myself or a loved one that is suffering from a mental illness.

Mitch really helped me understand that it’s a widespread issue and not just my own isolated experiences.

So I introduced another piece, I am Stigma Free. I believe that both messages support each other and that we cannot be successful in fighting if we don’t shed the stigma that comes along with our illness.

I am stigma free – never apologize for who you are

I am donating 50% of the proceeds from each and every Always Keep Fighting and I Am Stigma Free bracelet.

To date, we have raised $1,208 for Always Keep Fighting. I am so proud of us.

Paying it Forward with Rock the Monkey, Homeboy Industries, & SupportSPN

Rock the Monkey:

Part of what helps me heal is doing things for others. I have a Random Acts approved fundraiser called Rock the Monkey where I am donating 100% of the proceeds to the cause. Here’s Osric modeling one of the barrettes (coming soon!).

Osric is the perfect model for the upcoming Rock the Monkey barrettes!

Available right now are earrings and necklaces!

Rock the Monkey Necklace Round Style!

Rock the Monkey Necklace Teardrop Style!

Rock the Monkey Earrings!

Homeboy Industries:

The lovely Lauren Tom introduced me to Homeboy Industries at SeaCon several months ago – the good that this organization does defies description. They provide so many free services to former gang members in the LA area. You can help by donating to my Homeboy Industries page where I am raising funds to benefit this awesome organization! View my page here: https://support.homeboyindustries.org/fundraise?fcid=449205

The beautiful Lauren Tom wearing the Love of Mrs. Tran, which she Lauren auctioned off in Europe to raise funds for Homeboy Industries!

Carry On

This site is a plethora of support for Supernatural fans and their friends and families. I designed a bracelet where a portion of the proceeds is donated to this wonderful group: http://t.co/LkMVAaCBUv

Now What?

I finally got it through my head that the only time I work well is when I work for myself, so I’ve thrown myself full time into my jewelry. I’m determined (desperate??) to make this work.

If you want to know how you can be a part of making this happen and also to earn gift certificates towards my jewelry, you can do so via my GoFundMe page:

http://www.gofundme.com/EldwennesFantasySPN
My Go Fund Me campaign allows me to buy supplies, cover travel expenses so I can vend at conventions, and keep my business afloat until it’s strong enough to sustain itself.

I also have a livestream show, So Get This on my YouTube channel where I chat with you about Supernatural, being a Supernatural fan, and sometimes have kick ass guests such as previous guests Briana Buckmaster, Nicki Aycox, Ruth Connell, Lauren Tom, Katherine Ramdeen, and YOU! Shannon Price of Chickie and Bean, Carrie Anderson, and Debbi Bachman have all graced me with their presence and you can catch their episodes here on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOf8tnzLHRP8fN0j0n_0BoA

I’m still struggling with anxiety and depression. I always will, it’s engrained in who I am. I’m not apologetic for it – I refuse to be. Are people apologizing because they have heart disease or diabetes? Of course not.

I am not apologizing for being sick. I am stigma free. I will always keep fighting, thanks to you, my #SPNFamily.

DCCon: The Jewelry, the Angel, and the Wormstaches

Posted on May 9, 2014 by eldwenne

DCCon. Far from the final frontier, but these are the voyages of Jodi and her son, Jaden. It all started out on a Thursday morning on Amtrak, trekking it down from Jersey to DC.

Don’t let this pic fool you – he was excited as hell to be going to DCCon

This trip to DCCon was not only another leg of my traveling jewelry tour, it was a chance to try to give my son, Jaden a decent memory from 2014.

Jaden went through quite a lot from 2013 up until recently. He was bullied all throughout last year of school. We were not aware of exactly what was happening, but we knew something was wrong. Finally, during the summer, we were able to figure it out – another child was brutally bullying Jaden. Psychologically. This kid had Jaden terrorized and afraid to speak up for himself.

Long story short, we pressed charges, the bully got what amounted to a slap on the wrist, but the act of standing up to this bully really empowered him.

But it wasn’t enough. Jaden has spent the past school year guarded, defensive, suspicious, and hurt. He was withdrawn. We basically lost the outgoing, chatty, vibrant young man we once knew.

I thought taking him to DCCon would be a welcome distraction for him, especially because he truly loves Supernatural, devours the novels, and finds a welcome escape watching the episodes.

Upon arrival in DC, we rushed to our hotel. Unfortunately we were staying in the spillover hotel, not the actual event hotel, but it wasn’t far away.

We settled in, unpacked, ate, and then went to the Con to start setting up Eldwenne’s Fantasy and Clifhangers tables.

Thursday was a loooong day for us and by the time the vendor room closed for the night it was after 10:45pm – we had been on the go since 3am!

Friday was going to be a cinch – the vendor’s room was going to be open from 9:30 – 6:30. Not bad.

When I did VegasCon, I had a raffle to vote for your fave – Crowley vs. Abaddon. It was wildly successful and the fans had a blast voting for their favorite. Will there be a King of Hell or a Queen of Hell? The fans chose Crowley (as did Supernatural, as per this past episode!)
I wanted to give the fans some more fun so I held a raffle to win the companion bracelet to Castiel’s Grace necklace:

The companion bracelet to my original necklace design: Castiel’s Grace!

In addition to trying to win the bracelet, it was also a chance to vote for your favorite version of Cas – Angel or Human!

Most importantly – half of the proceeds from the raffle were donated to Random Acts of Kindness! Everyone wins!

A chance to win my bracelet, vote for your fave version of Cas, and donate to Random Acts of Kindness!

What were the results? You’ll find out at the end of this post!

So what makes Fridays special at any Salute to Supernatural Con? KARAOKE PARTY!!! Jaden was up to going. So we went. And oh. My. GOD! This event really solidified to me how wonderful Supernatural fans are.

I can’t count how many lovely people saw Jaden and me and shooed us up to the front of the crowd so that he could see. We didn’t ask anyone, we didn’t complain, people just went out of their way to give Jaden an amazing experience. I cannot thank all of you enough for that! It really epitomizes the generous and giving spirit Supernatural fans have. I’m so proud to be a part of the SPN Family.

Here are some pics from the evening:

Matt Cohen channeling his inner Keanu

Richard Speight Jr – a man and his wig.

Osric – always a knight in shining armor

Father and son karaoke – the first time John and Henry Winchester are onstage together!

The beautiful Kim Rhodes rocking out on stage!

Some angel and prophet love – Sebastian Roche happy to see Rob Benedict!

VERY lucky to snap this one of Dr. Badass himself – Chad Lindberg!

The Rock Goddess – Stephanie with Richard Speight Jr – if you haven’t heard her rendition of “Time Warp” you have not lived!! You also need to check out her frigging amazing band – Samurai Fish!

The true highlight of the evening for Jaden:

Jade getting to meet Rob Benedict at Karaoke. Rob is AMAZING – thank you!!

We stayed until the lights went on – and the next day was going to be a long one for us in the vendor’s room – 11 hours!! Jaden decided to ease into his morning:

Jaden – life after karaoke

Saturday is always the long day for us vendors – it’s usually an 11 hour day. Jaden slept under the Clifhanger table for a bit, lol! Then he went off to some panels.

Saturday was the big day where a lot of people began to notice my Supernatural Inspired necklaces – it was quite an amazing reaction and I’m so pleased with how many of you came by to admire my work!

I always say that the biggest compliment I could ever receive is to see someone wearing a piece of mine. I was floored for the entire weekend!!
ALL seventeen of my designs were snatched up by you guys – THANK YOU!! It was such an amazing response to my work that I decided to mark down the necklace in my online shop: http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com – from now through midnight May 12, you can buy these necklaces at the same low prices I was offering at the convention! You can get the following:

The Impetuousness of Balthazar

The Sacrifice of Mary WInchester

The Soul of Sam Winchester

The Wisdom of Bobby Singer

The Complexity of Meg Masters

The Fire of Abaddon

The Genius of Charlie Bradbury

The Loyalty of Benny LaFitte

The Heart of Castiel II

The Purification of Sam Winchester

The Tenacity of Dean Winchester

The Deception of Crowley

Castiel’s Grace is still the all-time favorite!

Castiel’s Grace

For the Love of Supernatural

The Integrity of Dean Winchester

The Legacy of Henry Winchester

We Are All Team Free Will

ALL of these pieces are currently at their low convention prices at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com

If you happened to buy a piece from me at the convention – send me a pic!! I’d love to feature you – like these beautiful ladies!

Sporting some Dean earrings!

Wearing The Impetuousness of Balthazar!

This young lady bought my pride and joy – The Winchester Family Tree necklace!

The Winchester Family Tree went to a good home!

This cutie loved my Sacrifice of Mary Winchester necklace!

Some other amazing people strolled into the vendor’s room:

Dr. Badass! Wearing his Dr. Badass bracelet I made him!

Jaden was touched by an angel

This whole weekend was so incredible for both Jaden and me. I finally saw Jaden smile for the first time in months. And who put that smile there? Not just the amazing cast of Supernatural, but YOU! The fans treated him so well and restored his faith that there are genuine, good people out there!

Kim Rhodes was super amazing and tweeted this pic of her beautiful daughter wearing a necklace I made for her!

Kim Rhodes’ daughter, wearing the necklace that matches the one I made for her mommy at VegasCon!

So without further ado, I’d be remiss in not including my Wormstache Brigade!

And I also want to highight some pretty frigging amazing cosplay by Mel!

And lastly – the memories my son will have for a lifetime!

Jared and Jensen got Jade to smile!

The results of the vote: Human Cas got 14% of the vote. Angel Cas received a whopping 84%!

Thank you Creation, Kim Rhodes, Chad Lindberg, Gil McKinney, Rob Benedict, Osric Chau, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, and all of you amazing human beings who made DCCon the best experience for Jaden!

Remember to stop by online at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com and come say hi to Clif at http://www.facebook.com/Clifhangers

The next few weeks will be intense as I prepare for a six week stint in Nashville, preparing for my Teach for America training. Wish me luck and I’ll talk to ya’ll soon!

California Dreaming, The Supernatural Inspired Necklace Series is Growing, and DCCon!!

Posted on April 19, 2014 by eldwenne

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!

Wormstaches, Ruler of Hell Results, Free Necklace Op, & Why SPN Fans are the BEST Bunch of People to Get Your Geek on With!

Posted on March 22, 2014 by eldwenne

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 www.eldwenne.etsy.com

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 www.eldwenne.etsy.com

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.

This girl warmed my heart. It was honor to meet you!

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!

T-Minus Ten Days, Christmas Crunching and Habla Espanol?

Posted on December 20, 2013 by eldwenne

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!