Bella Ray Designs Hand Stamped Pendant GIVEAWAY!

Another "Be My Valentine giveaway" and I'm so excited to bring you this one-of-a-kind etsy store that show- cases Hand Stamped Jewelery.

Amy, the store owner of Bella Ray Designs,  has extrodinary talent and produces some of the finest hand stamped items that I've seen in a long time. Each piece was exquisite, reflecting her obvious attention to detail, determination, and love for what she does.

                                                                                                              She started Bella Ray after ordering a piece of hand stamped jewelery after the birth of her youngest daughter (she has two) and fell in love with what can be achieved with this type of jewelery and some creative flair. She adds new pieces here and there, as she completes them - and, of course, customizes the jewelery to the special person you want this for. (ie: The gorgeous sterling silver pendant I was sent to review was personalized with the name "Gracie", for my 7 year old)

What I was given to critique her work was a "Personalized Hand Stamped Sterling Silver Pendant, with pearl charm" and when I received it, I was literally speechless.                                                                                          First of all, the item arrives in a darling box, all tied up with a ribbon & bow, which immediately exuded an aura of pure sophistication                                                                                                    

The actual product is stunning. Amy is most definitely a professional, prides herself in what she sends out, and has great customer service skills. The Hand Stamped Pendant  was beautiful! Absolutely b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l,  

(I can't stress this enough!)

The pendants do have various charms with them, and mine set off my pendant perfectly against the sterling (which was sent with extra "cleaning pads") The pendant is sterling silver (most of them are), it has a high caliber chain that all the more added to my pleasure at reviewing such a quality product, and at the end of the day, it won me over immediately. 

Of course, she has a selection of different kinds of hand stamped items, every single one is unique, and sure to please any taste and all available at her store, Bella Ray Designs.

                                                                                                          One of my favorites was the "washer" necklace, because you can add more than one name onto it, without making it look gaudy and over-done. The charm is what sets the entire pendant off, in my opinion, so her creative flair is astounding. Any woman is going to receive nothing but praises for picking a select piece of jewelery that advertises your loved ones names on it!                                                                                                                                                                                              Amy herself was a peach to deal with, and to me -  any store in which I will be selecting items that are personal and special to me, always seem to reflect the owner, (if the owners difficult, the quality tends to take a nose-dive) at least in my humble opinion. Bella Ray Designs reeks of classy, tasteful personalized jewelery, and as a Mom, I love anything that states that I am a proud Mommy, & wearing the most important people in my life around my neck, keeps them close to my heart. 

The one that my daughter was given (the review pendant), well she was over the moon about it, thanking me for over half an hour, while touching it almost reverently, lol.

I asked Amy some questions about herself, her craft, and her take on things. Here's what she had to say.

How did you get started with Hand Stamped Jewelery?

I purchased my first hand stamped necklace after the arrival of my youngest daughter and I loved it!  I immediately started learning all I could about hand stamping but I was working full time outside of my home and didn't have time to begin a new hobby.  Last summer, I felt like I was missing out on so much with my girls and I decided to stop working and it seemed like the perfect time to get started.

                                                                                                              How did you know you possessed the skills to create the pieces you make?

  

In the beginning, I wasn't sure I had the skills to create anything but I loved practicing!  It was just a great hobby that gave me a little bit of 'me' time in my otherwise hectic day.  After a couple of months, I finally found a font that I loved and I was creating pieces that I thought were beautiful so I decided to open a shop on etsy.  The response has been wonderful!  I've had the pleasure or working with some amazing people these past few months and I feel really grateful that they trust me to make such a special piece of jewelry for them.  

Do you find it hard being a Mom & running a business - or easier?

Both!  Being a mom is what inspires me to make hand stamped jewelry and without my girls I wouldn't have this business.  However, my daughters are 3 and 2 years old and they need a lot of my time and attention.  There are times that I need to return emails, order supplies or work on orders but my girls need me so of course everything else must must wait.  The biggest reason I am able to find time is because of my Mom.  She is retired and is a huge help with the girls. Without her support, it would be a struggle to find the time to work from home.  

What one thing could you never go without?

Coffee!!  With two little ones, I don't get much sleep.  I go to bed late and get up early.  I can't imagine making it through the day without it!   So at this stage of my life, coffee is the one thing I will never go without!

Lol - spoken like a true Mom! 

So there you have it, an absolutely must-see store, with amazing crafted jewelery, made by a regular Mom, like you and I - caffine addiction & all!

Amy has decided to offer one of my readers a choice between two exquisite pieces of jewelery, which can be found in her store HERE.

The lucky winner will have the choice between the "Hand Stamped Sterling Silver Pendant, with Heart Charm" or (my other favorite!) "Personalized Hand Stamped Sterling Silver Washer Necklace" So you have a choice and you can't go wrong with that! So want to win this? Here's how ...

MANDATORY ENTRY:You must first stop by Amy's amazing store, and decide what your favorite piece of jewelery is, then come back here and leave a comment (don't forget to add your email to all your entries, unless I can contact you without it)

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow Bella Ray Designs on Facebook {comment with "20 to Life sent me!"} (1 entry)
2. Was Cupid traditionally a boy or girl? (1 entry)
3. Follow me, Twitter style!    (1 entry)
4. Heart Bella Ray Designs on etsy   (3 entries)
5. Blog about this giveaway, leaving links to Bella Ray Designs, and this giveaway (5 entries)  
6. Grab my button! (2 entries)
7. Who sang "My Funny Valentine"? (1 entry)  
8. Tweet about this giveaway, up to 5x daily                                                                             

           WIN w/ BellaRayDesigns item of Hand Stamped Jewelery of ur choice! Hosted by 20 to Life @Malisce http://bit.ly/byuZFm One-of-a-kind work

     8.  Purchase any item from Bella Ray Designs (10 entries)
     9.  Leave a comment telling me your funniest Valentine Day memory label it 'V-Day memoir #2'            (2 entries)
    10. Enter Half Crazy Mommies "Country Bobs All Purpose Sauce Giveaway" (2 entries)

This giveaway will run from 2.2.10 until 2.10.10, please leave separate comments for each entry, winner will be selected via Random.Org  & emailed. They will then 8 hours to respond, or another winner will be drawn.

**Please note, I received no form of monetary compensation for my opinion/review. I did receive a product from the company in order to give a fair & balanced review and any opinion, statement etc. expressed in said review in soley my own & was in no way influenced by a third party.

Good Luck!