THE TALLULAH NECKLET

PRICE: $203

When it’s hard to decide which jewelry would best suit my outfit for the day, I grab this necklet. Designed to lay against the collarbone (not against neck like a choker, but a little lower - actually on collarbone), this necklet is one classy dish. It’s one of the simpler pieces I make, but I probably get asked about it, when I’m out and about, more than any other necklace. You just look prettier and brighter when you have it on despite the gemstones being icy-clear.

Crafted by hand of sterling silver and faceted rock crystal quartz.

REMEMBER: When measuring, this piece is designed to lay against the collarbone. If you need it longer or shorter, send me an email to cynthia at cynthiaclinton dot com. There’s no charge to make it shorter, but making it longer would require extra materials and time. If you need it longer, I can either craft it longer or I can make a matching extension. If you think your weight might vary, I recommend the extension because then you can remove the extender or get a longer one, based on your needs. Email me for info and price if you need it longer or want an extender.

Note: If you want a different kind of gemstone in this necklace, email me at the email address listed in the previous paragraph. You can let me know what stone (or stone color) and then I’ll research it and see if I can find that stone in the faceted cubes. If I can get the stone (or find a stone color) you want, I’ll let you know what the price difference would be and how much extra time it would take.

Thanks for looking!

Related posts

• Jewelry For Sale | Nimue’s Eternal necklace (0)
• Jewelry For Sale | The Brio Y-Necklace (1)
• About (0)

Cross of Changes Choker

PRICE: $39

The Cross of Changes choker, sexily adorns a man’s neck.  The cross dangles right where he wants to kissed… who can resist the temptation?  Not us ;)  Available in Sterling Silver and black cotton cord.  All metal parts handmade.  Length is adjustable.  Price includes shipping, handling and insurance via USPS Priority Mail.

*Note: The cord will last longer if you don’t shower in it If you shower in it, the cord will break after a couple of years - that’s just how nature works.

Related posts

• No related posts.

“Nimue’s Eternal” Necklace

PRICE= $282

The Nimue’s Eternal necklace has a neck opening of 18″. It was designed to hang on the mid-chest, with the longest hanging bead of the triangle hitting about an inch above the start of the cleavage. If you wanted to customize the length more, you could wear it shorter, but not longer or it wouldn’t hang right. To give you an idea of the size of the triangle, it’s about 2-3/4″ wide and approximately the same long. The original piece weighs in at 2 ounces on my postal scale here in the office, just so you have an idea of weight. However, it doesn’t feel heavy… it just feels substantial and slinky. It’s crafted in sterling silver and looks best polished bright. The beads are lovely faceted ovals in rainbow moonstone, which is a natural gemstone. They are an iridescent milky-whitish and glint turquoise, dark blue, teal blue, and even some pinks as they catch the light.

If you need it longer or shorter, send me an email to cynthia at cynthiaclinton dot com. There’s no charge to make it shorter, but making it longer would require extra materials and time. If you need it longer, I can either craft it longer or I can make a matching extension. If you think your weight might vary, I recommend the extension because then you can remove the extender or get a longer one, based on your needs. Email me for info and price if you need it longer or want an extender.

Be bold. Be happy.

The Inspiration Behind This Piece

This one is probably, hands-down, my favorite necklace I’ve ever made. It’s oh-so-slinky to touch and interact with and fills the chest area very nicely. For instance, let’s say you were going to an event and the neckline of your gown was much lower than you were used to; you’d feel exposed. Put on a necklace like Nimue’s Eternal and you have something beautiful that visually fills the space, leaving you feeling much less exposed. Plus, you have the reassurance that the eyes are going to the necklace rather than the chest that’s exposed.

But Nimue’s Eternal is more than just a space filler. It’s a glittering chest piece that can be successfully worn with any style of outfit, save say… sweat pants. That would have to be one hell of a track suit! It can be worn with a cool jeans outfit, with evening wear, and with business wear. It looks great with the really nice tube tops (not the kind we wore in the 70’s lol), with button-down styles, with scoop necks, with v-necks, and even with crew necks.

The name of the necklace is Nimue’s Eternal, which is a possessive Nimue rather than a contratction for “Nimue is”. That said, you may be wondering who Nimue is. Nimue is one of several names for the Lady Of The Lake. Here are some folkloric references to the Lady Of The Lake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_the_Lake and http://www.angelfire.com/me2/camelot/Merlin.html. I love all the romantic Arthurian legends and I design much of my maille jewelry in the spirit of adorning these beautiful leading ladies of yore.

When I was a little girl, my parents got me this small set of paperback books with old, old fairy tales in them such as The Frog Prince and Princess Belle-Etoile, which were illustrated by Walter Crane. Those images of the women in their garb and elegance have stayed with me my whole life. And in my web design career, I can honestly blame my love of typography on Walter Crane as well.

I also have a love for the paintings by John William Waterhouse, especially his Lady Of Shallot - but that’s a whole ‘nother necklace ;).

Some days I feel like one of these beautiful ladies (or I want to feel like one of them) and I love having something to put on that evokes that feeling for me. It’s in this spirit that I share this necklace with you :D.

Related posts

• Jewelry For Sale | The Tallulah Necklet (1)
• Jewelry For Sale | The Brio Y-Necklace (1)
• Wise Counsel | My One-on-One Counseling Services (0)
• LG Lotus | Review (0)
• Geeks Of Our Lives, Vol. I (0)

Price: $110
FREE PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING
(in contiguous US)

The Brio Collection Y-Necklace

Handmade bead-chain with swirling s-clasp, the Brio Collection Y-Necklace can be worn with clasp in front or in back for two different looks. Worn in front, it’s a Y-necklace. Put the clasp in back and it’s a choker/collarette with a sexy dangle down the back (which is beautiful on gals with short hair).

Available in Sterling Silver with Hematite. This handmade item is made to order and ships in 2 weeks. Neck opening is approximately 15-3/4 inches. Measure your neck (or a similar length necklace) before you buy! The clasp is meant to lay against your middle chest, between collarbone and cleavage, so please keep that in mind when measuring. If you’re local to 95020, you can make an appointment with me, if you want, and I’ll measure you myself.

Custom sizing available, at price of $7 per inch you want added to the length. To order additional inches, request it in the box on the order form and I will send you a PayPal payment request for the difference in price. If there’s no box at the cart to leave a note, shoot an email to me (cynthia at cynthiaclinton dot com) and we’ll do it that way.

Gemstone Disclosure:
HEMATITE= (N) Natural/May be synthetic.

*Hematite can be man-made so accurately that there isn’t really a difference between the two anymore, so when I order Hematite beads, I really don’t know what I’m getting. I try to buy what is specified as natural but it still shows the “may be synthetic” disclaimer. They are chemically the same.

To order the Brio Collection Y-Necklace,
click the Buy Now button below:

Inspiration For Making This Necklace

This necklace is part of a collection. When I design a collection, I try to have some complex pieces as well as simpler pieces. I love Y-Necklaces because most of them - including this one- clasp in the front, which makes them easy to get on and off. Plus, I designed this with a large clasp that’s easy to work with even with long and/or artificial nails. I’ve always hated fiddling clasps that split or break my nails.

Another big plus about Y-Necklaces is that they look great with any kind of neckline. Some necklace styles only look their best with certain necklines. However, a Y-necklace looks fabulous and sexy showing between the long, narrow “v” of a button down shirt, very pretty against the skin with any open necked blouse, like a scoop, v-neck, etc. It looks equally good against a blouse such as when worn with crew neck, boat neck, princess neck. It’s a necklace style you can grab over and over, especially when you have other Hematite accessories such as bracelets or earrings.

I chose Hematite for the stone because Hematite seems classier than plain black sometimes (I think because it isn’t so somber) and this is a stone that goes with everything. It has such a beautiful glimmer that looks great for an evening out, with business wear, with jeans, even with a bikini. You name it and Hematite is pretty enough for the occasion.

If you have any questions or any problem at all ordering, simply email me and I’ll fix you right up (cynthia at cynthiaclinton.com).

Related posts

• Jewelry For Sale | Nimue’s Eternal necklace (0)
• Wise Counsel | My One-on-One Counseling Services (0)
• LG Lotus | Review (0)
• Jewelry For Sale | The Tallulah Necklet (1)
• Geeks Of Our Lives, Vol. I (0)

Did you know there is a service that will tell you all the different crimes near your address for the week? The site is located at www.crimereports.com. Last I heard it was not available everywhere, but it’s definitely available for Gilroy, CA 95020. If you’re not from Gilroy, try it and see if there’s any coverage for your town.

Sometimes it’s a bummer to know all the bad things that are going on near you, but this isn’t some show on television - this is real real life within just a couple miles of you. Forewarned is forearmed.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Last night Tim and I went to Red Robin in Morgan Hill, CA. We didn’t have anything in particular we were in the mood for, but just wanted something good. Finally, we settled on Red Robin because of the allure of their Garlic Parmesan Fries. Mind you, I’m not normally a fries eater because cooked potatoes are like pure blood sugar and never mind the fact that I never know what oil in which those bad boys were cooked. But we were hungry and wanted “something good” so we threw all caution to the wind.

Red Robin is a nice place to sit and eat. You can take your time even when it’s busy. We’ve never felt like we were rushed out of there. I normally have the prime rib dip, but last night I had the Shrimp & Cod duo. The shrimp was pretty predictable for a restaurant of this type, the cod was very nice done, and their cocktail sauce is nice and hot just like I like it (not overwhelmingly hot, just tongue tingly in that way horseradish has). Tim had a food-gasm over his Bruschetta Chicken Sandwich. It had a chicken fillet on ciabatta bread with provolone cheese, pesto sauce, balsamic cream sauce & typical bruschetta veggies.

And their Garlic Parmesan Fries? So good! These nicely done steak fries have raw, hot garlic on them in little clusters as well as shavings of Parmesan cheese. I like to put on the Red Robin Seasoning they have on the tables. Dip them in ketchup and I could almost eat just the fries for dinner! If you gotta die by french fries, these are the ones! If your meal just comes with regular steak fries, you can upgrade to the Garlic Parmesan Fries for just a little more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cynthia Clinton offers web design, graphic design, Dreamweaver instruction, copywriting services, document formatting services, and photo enhancement through her primary business Cloistre Media. She also leads life changing Break Out Of Negativity workshops for individuals in the evenings as well as corporate clients during the business day. Additionally, she’s been a Jewelry Designer since 1997 and has published 4 jewelry making books. She is available for jewelery making classes on weekends and sells her jewelry making books & projects online.

Related posts

• No related posts.

The Back Story

When I heard that getting hearing aids was imminent, I started checking into whether my BlackBerry was hearing aid compatible. I dug around everywhere online and couldn’t find anything to indicate that it was. In fact, hearing aid compatibility wasn’t mentioned at all on the BlackBerry site, at least not for the BlackBerry Pearl, which I owned.

I adored my BlackBerry Pearl and couldn’t even imagine living without it. Until I realized I was getting hearing aids, that is. If my BlackBerry wasn’t hearing aid compatible then I could wind up with only having texting capability, which wasn’t okay with me since there are still many, many people out there who do not text. Some don’t have cell phones and some with cell phones don’t have a cell phone or cell phone plan that supports texting. Some just refuse to pay extra for it. Being a technology-loving hearing-impaired person, I pay extra for it. However… I don’t want to be limited to texting because, frankly, I also pay for cell PHONE service and want to get my money’s worth. Additionally, it cuts me off from part of my audience.

That being said, I’m a hardcore RIM and BlackBerry fan who had to step away from BlackBerry due to life circumstances and attempt to find another phone that could give me the same functionality as the BB - or at least the features I used the most since I didn’t use the BB to its utmost potential. I didn’t want to give up the features I was used to using like email, IM, texting, speakerphone, bluetooth connectivity, the ability to post to twitter and other social media, the ability to take and send pictures, and web surfing.

So I shopped around for a phone that was hearing aid compatible all the while remembering my friend Lindsay’s beautiful LG Lotus. I didn’t know that much about the lotus other than it was the most beautiful cell phone I’d seen anywhere. My only wish was that it was also available in these additional colors: deep, deep red, lime-ish green, and copper (so that it looked like copper foil) all with the same raised flower design. I also wished they’d had a black version with the raised flower design.

• Not just IM capability, but IM by several carriers and I don’t have to pick one… I can use them all and flip back and forth between them.
• Full QWERTY keyboard for texting.
• A music player on the front, which admittedly, I don’t use.
• Speakerphone.
• Bluetooth capable.
• Applications for the home screen like weather, horoscopes or a stock ticker.
• Web surfing w/favorites for quick access.
• Email, not from just certain pop emails or whatever, but also from 3rd party emails like Gmail and I don’t need a separate app for each type. Like the IM, I can just flip back and forth from type to type by clicking the tabs
• Real, fully-functional GPS which I thought my BB was supposed to have but didn’t really. I didn’t have to pay anything extra - I just had to sign up right through my phone. Took less than 5 minutes and it works AWESOME!
• I can check and post to my MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• I can add tons of shortcuts.
• I can access my account info right from my phone.
• Direct access to Google.
• By default, the phone doesn’t beep or make horrible noises when I get a text message or anything. A portion of the message will flash on the screen and a very discreet light will flash on and off very quickly. This is so unobtrusive that it doesn’t even wake me up at night. The BB would wake me with its flashing. The LG Lotus is very classy & discreet.
• It’s got Maps.
• It’s got Music, TV, Games.
• It’s got a 2mp camera.
• It’s got a camcorder and for lengths I can choose Video Mail or Long Video.
• It’s got a great alarm clock that is even better than the one I had with my BB. I can set up to 3 daily (or not daily) alarms, there is another alarm called Walk The Dog that I could actually use as a 4th alarm and it even has a Quick Alarm which is nap or walk timer that you can set for 1 minute later, 10 mins later, 30 mins later, or an hour later without have to dink with selecting a time or even knowing what time it is now - I just select how many minutes later I want it to go off.
• I can add multiple phone numbers and email for each contact and distinguish between them. If I want to text my friend, John, but his home number comes up first, I’ll tell me that number cannot receive texts and ask if I want to continue, so then I can say no and simply hit the left or right arrow to scroll through the numbers I have for him to get the right one.
• It came with a mini-SD card and an SD card adapter so I can just pop the mini out of the phone and into the adapter and plug it into my computer to download my pictures - just like a regular camera. All without having to plug in my phone. Groovy! And… you can add more memory. It supports up to a 12gb SD card.
• It’s got voice-activated dialing, though I admit I haven’t tried it yet. It’s on my list of things to do, though! Could be very useful in an emergency and much safer while driving since you can’t really be caught holding a phone anymore.
• It supports up to 3G speeds where available.
• And… the cord is the neatest I’ve seen so far. The charging cord comes apart in 2 pieces. The USB cord, plugs right into a regular male plug you’d plug into the wall - this is for charging. If you want to use your phone as modem or otherwise connect phone to computer, you snap off the electrical plug and plug it into your computer.

To be honest there is one noticeable downside to the LG Lotus. The full QWERTY keyboard is very tight. The buttons are raised “pillows” so that you don’t have to have your finger on the whole button or you can use your thumbnails like I do, but it’s a pain. Even after having the phone 3 or 4 months now, I’m still not as fast at typing on it as I was on the BB. The BB Pearl has 2 letters on each key and it has sure-type software which mostly accurately guesses what you are typing. You don’t need that with the Lotus since each letter has it’s own key (you press the function key to type numbers and punctuation), so you’d think it would be faster, right? But sadly… no. The small keyboard is kind of hobbling and that reduces thumb-typing speed. I imagine it would be hellish if I had fake nails, but I can’t confirm since I haven’t had the luxury of fake nails in awhile.

Would the cramped keyboard keep me from purchasing an LG Lotus again? No way. Do regret my purchase because of it? No way! It’s just inconvenient is all and text messaging is not as quick and enjoyable as it once was. Now, I kind of groan when I have to text and I avoid responding to email via the phone, tho I will read it.

So there you have it. There are many, many pluses to using the LG Lotus and just one tiny drawback. Virtually every cell phone or smart phone out there has at least one drawback, so don’t let it stop you from owning this classy, pretty phone. The LG Lotus is just like a woman… pretty AND smart!

I do recommend getting one of those clear covers for it, though. The case doesn’t really scratch easily but the outside screen as well as the inside screen both show fingerprints like crazy.

NEWSFLASH! The LG Lotus now comes in a red, but they change the raised pattern. The red is a “tattooed paisley”. That raised design doesn’t grab me as much as the raised design on the purple does, but it’s bound to appeal to a lot of other people. Beautiful! Want one yet? You know you do!

Oh, and if the guys don’t like the raised designs or the colors, they can still play too. The LG Lotus is available in a slick, shiny black!

Related posts

• Wise Counsel | My One-on-One Counseling Services (0)
• Jewelry For Sale | The Brio Y-Necklace (1)
• Jewelry For Sale | Nimue’s Eternal necklace (0)
• Geeks Of Our Lives, Vol. I (0)

I’m a personal development counselor…

Firstly, I’m not a psychotherapist or psychologist. Moreover, I don’t even believe in the value of psychotherapy and psychology as it is typically used today. Unfortunately, neither will go away just because I don’t believe in their value [snarky grin]. To be clear, I think the science of the mind is worthwhile study - we are fascinating machines - but I find zero benefit in people seeing a therapist for years, going over and over their issues, traumas and past pains ad nauseum. I find worse than zero benefit - as in negative zero benefit - from the prescription drugs these people are passing off as “care”.

So I’ll say it again, I’m not a psychotherapist or a psychologist. I am a personal development counselor. Not a religious counselor either, but a guide that is here to aid you in becoming your very best, happiest, most joyful self.

I Will Never Tell You What To Do…

You can come to me and say, “Cynthia, I don’t know what to do,” and we will talk about your problem together and I will help you discover what you really want to do, what you really want to happen, how you really want it to resolve and I will help you see how that could be possible and what your next steps could be. But I will never tell you what to do. I will help you find the answer yourself, but I have neither the right nor the responsibility to decide for you what you should do. In fact, NO ONE but you has the right or the responsibility to tell you what you should do.

I know that life is confusing sometimes. I know that often we wish we could have help in navigating life’s difficult decisions. I agree that you should have help with whatever decisions are troubling you. If you’re lost, you should definitely seek the counsel of someone because inaction is as dangerous as a bad decision. In fact, inaction is almost always a horrible decision. If you need help, I’m good choice and you’ll feel better after we talk. You’ll have a sense of purpose instead of feeling lost. It is one of the higher honors of my life to be able to assist you in your times of need in this way.

Getting help doesn’t mean you’re weak or stupid…

Everybody needs help sometimes. Getting help doesn’t mean you’re weak or stupid or incapable in any way. It means you’re committed to tackling your problems. It means you’re showing up for yourself and the people who matter to you. It means you’re actively seeking positive change. There is no downside to getting help when you need it.

A small “however” on life-threatening matters….

If you are in a life-threatening situation such as domestic violence,
it is my duty as a caring citizen of Planet Earth to tell you to get
yourself to safety and offer whatever services I can to aid you in that
endeavor. Yes, in that instance, I will most assuredly advise you to
“make your plan”. True my to statements above, however, I will not
define your plan for you. I will help you discover it for yourself, but
I will not tell you what to do.

Related posts

• LG Lotus | Review (0)
• Jewelry For Sale | The Brio Y-Necklace (1)
• Jewelry For Sale | Nimue’s Eternal necklace (0)
• Geeks Of Our Lives, Vol. I (0)

A month or so ago when the cables were cut that wiped out internet and long distance phone service for much of the south bay, I actually had to use the phone book. It reminded me of the joy (sarcasm) of using the Yellow Pages.

Let’s face it, there isn’t just one “yellow pages” anymore. There are a zillion different brands and you know what? Nobody cares. Know why? Because we’re using the internet to find the products and services we need. I remembered what a pain it was to use the phone book when I couldn’t find the business I was looking for in the yellow pages section. The business was probably listed, but for the life of me I couldn’t find the right category and that meant I couldn’t find the business. Oh how I wished for Google and its 2-second job of doing the dirty work for me.

I have somewhere around 10 phone books tucked away in different parts of my house “in case of emergency” but I really just want to throw them all away. I’ve stopped bringing in most new ones that are dropped off at the house. Most of them go straight into the garbage can. I don’t even bother taking them out of the plastic wrap. Chunk - in they go. I update every few years, but that’s about it. I mostly keep them around, like I said - in case of emergency, but they are still pretty useless as a source of information. I figure they will be handy as seating, step stools, or stuff to burn in the event of nuclear halocaust.

That being said, if you have a product or service you’d like me to buy or at least consider buying and you’re only listed in the phone book, then we will probably never meet. If your only presence online is the cheesy phone book listing where you don’t even have an actual domain email address for your business but are using yahoo, gmail or something equally unprofessional, your chances with me are still pretty slim. Why? Because if one of your competitors took the time, effort, or dollars to create (or hired someone to create) an actual online presence with a real domain name (as in www.yourbusiness.com), then I’m 80% more likely to give them my business instead of you unless I already have positive experience with you.

Why? Because online is how I choose to search for information in this day and age and I appreciate it when a business makes it easy for me to find their product or service online. I appreciate it when they are thoughtful enough to make sure I have the information I need to find them, consider them, etc.

If you’re on a budge, even a great looking, one-page informational site can be enough to help people find you online and express your solid interest in the internet customer.

And… if you’re one of the few people out there that are saying you don’t have time for the internet, consider this: Just because you don’t have time for the internet, doesn’t mean there aren’t people on the internet every day looking for you and your business, product, or service.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cynthia Clinton offers web design, graphic design, Dreamweaver instruction, copywriting services, document formatting services, and photo enhancement through her primary business Cloistre Media. She also leads life changing Break Out Of Negativity workshops for individuals in the evenings as well as corporate clients during the business day. Additionally, she’s been a Jewelry Designer since 1997 and has published 4 jewelry making books. She is available for jewelery making classes on weekends and sells her jewelry making books & projects online.

Related posts

• No related posts.

BASIC DREAMWEAVER INSTRUCTION
Benefit from my college education! Learn from a straight-A student!

Did you buy Dreamweaver CS3 with the intention of building your website yourself, but then were overwhelmed by the learning curve?
Don’t be embarrassed, you aren’t the only one. Dreamweaver’s learning curve has intimidated some of the best, but you can take power over it and never be intimidated by Dreamweaver again.

If you have Dreamweaver CS3 and want to be able to quickly learn how to make a basic site in Dreamweaver, I have a couple of options to offer you:

• You can take my course in a single 3-hour block.
• You can take my course broken up into 3 one-hour sessions.

The course is for one person at your location with your own software. I’ll bring my laptop with my own software installed so I can show you examples and we can walk through things together. Please have your software installed PRIOR to my visit.
You will learn all the basic things you need to create a simple, informational website:

• How to create a new web page
• A quick way to create new pages based on the 1st page you created
• How to layout a web page so that it makes sense
• How to add images like pictures, logos, banners, etc.
• How to create links that link your pages together as well as link to outside pages
• How to create a contact form
• Common mistakes new webmasters make in designing their pages
• How to avoid ticking off your web host

Contact me for pricing information & we’ll set up a day and a time that works for both of us! Contact Cynthia Clinton via email at cynthia at cynthiaclinton dot com or call 408-843-8080.

Group Instruction Available

Group instruction at your location is available on request and the cost is reduced by 15% per person.

Related posts

• No related posts.