Ida Jefsen Design

Automatic updates from Etsy on Facebook

2009-11-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

HOLY COW, this is the coolest thing ever!

Facebook now has an application (I don't know, maybe they've had it for a while without me knowing) where you can add your Etsy page to your Facebook profile or fan page. WOW!

Everyone should check out this majorly cool feature:
My Etsy on my Facebook fan page

If you want your own Etsy page on Facebook, simply click on the link in the top right corner of my page. "Want your Etsy shop and Favorites on Facebook".

Happy Saturday! I'm off o work, YAY!

New whimsical earrings for sale on Etsy :)

2009-11-19T08:35:00.001-08:00

Check them out here

New earrings have been posted on Etsy

2009-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

Check them out here:

Get your own custom piece of jewelry!

2009-11-15T01:16:00.001-08:00

Want your own custom piece of jewelry?

Take a look at this cute necklace with a stamped brass piece. Add your birthstone (or your child's/husband's/mother's etc), or any other stone or bead you might like.

This is a great way to share a statement or a feeling with the world.
You can even use the brass piece on a key chain ring.
Please contact me to order your own very personal piece.

See more pictures by visiting my website or my Etsy shop.

Have fun and get creative!
Love,
Ida Jefsen Design

5 New Graphic Necklaces

2009-11-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

5 new graphic necklaces have recently been uploaded for sale in my Etsy shop.

Take a look here:

You can order your own personalized necklace with a photograph of a loved one, or a special graphic you like. Contact me at idajefsen@gmail.com to learn more about this opportunity.

I'm off to work. YAY!
Have a wonderful fall day!

Amazing little article about Ida Jefsen Design

2009-11-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

On November 9th, Laura Kay wrote an amazing little article about Ida Jefsen Design in Bead Jewelry Blog, her blog for Bead Jewelry Making Ideas, Beading Business Tips and More!
Laura, I'm honored to have been the subject of such marvelous words.
Read what she wrote here.

Ida Jefsen Design featured in Blooming Lily

2009-11-08T21:02:00.001-08:00

On October 30th, Ida Jefsen Design was featured in Blooming Lily, an independent style blog on fashion, jewelry and beauty. Thank you to Laurie Warshawsky for including me.
Check it out here.

2009-10-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

On October 18th, these earrings from Ida Jefsen Design was featured in Shopalicous, the blog for delicious deals on fashion, beauty etc.

Check it out here.

Thank you to editor Lisa for featuring me.

I hope you're all having a wonderful fall day!
Ida

Donation to the American Heart Association - The 1st of many

2009-09-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Finally I got the time to hand in my donation to the American Heart Association's 2009 Go Red for Women Luncheon.

Check it out here.

I'm really proud to be able to donate a piece and help support all of the hard working men and women out there, who devote their lives to saving others.

If you're interested in joining me in supporting the American Heart Association, please check out their website here or contact me for more information on how to get involved.
And please check back, as I will be creating several pieces available for purchase, which will be directly benefitting the Heart Association.

__

Ida Jefsen

Website: www.idajefsen.com
Shop on Etsy: www.idajefsen.etsy.com
American Heart Association Website: www.americanheart.org

Giving Back! American Heart Association

2009-09-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

I just got home from a very inspirational meeting with Erin McDonough, Executive Director at the American Heart Association in Portland, OR. I've worked with her before, with the intent to benefit the Heart Association from our swing dance convention, Come Rain Come Shine.

This time, the main focus of the meeting was how I, with Ida Jefsen Design, can make a difference, one piece of jewelry at a time. I'll be creating pieces that will, in some fashion, benefit the Heart Association, and thereby pay tribute to all of the hard working men and women out there, who devote their lives to save others.
Stay tuned for the first piece, that will be launched soon.

Back story:
I have several personal reasons why the American Heart Association will be receiving donations from Ida Jefsen Design.
In March of 2006 my father was rushed into emergency by-pass surgery back in my home town of Aarhus, Denmark. He had been hiking in the Norwegian mountains with his wife, when he suddenly felt ill. When he returned to Denmark he was told that life might have looked a lot different had he waited much longer. He recieved a triple by-pass surgery that changed his life.
At the time I was living in Paris, France, and couldn't come home to be with him. My younger brother kept me updated from his bedside, while I tried to make sense of what was going on. I returned home 3 weeks after his surgery, and found a changed man. It was remarkable to see what this life changing experience had done to the once so hardcore father I knew. I know that he now values his life on a whole other level, and I'm thankful every day that he got to continue living it.

10 days after I moved to the US, my husband and I were working out at the local gym with my parents-in-law. I was on the bike with my iPod on, not able to hear anything, when suddenly I saw my mother-in-law's terrified expression as my father-in-law was lying on the ground. He had suffered a heart attack, and was immediately brought to the hospital, where the surgeons put in a stint. He was released from the hospital, though asked to seriously consider letting them operate on him. This being a very scary thought, he took a while making the final decision, but eventually had a quintuple (yes, that's 5!!!) by-pass surgery in April of 2008.
My husband and I had recently decided to get married, and I do believe that my father-in-law chose to have the surgery partially because he wanted to be able to be there at our wedding.
I was there for the surgery, for his waking up, through the recovery to seeing him now, out playing golf again, feeling healthier than ever.

It's very interesting what people usually think of when they hear the words "heart disease". Most people think that only people who are overweight, and only men, suffer from heart conditions, while in fact more women than men are victims of this disease. Please read more about the statistics here.
Neither my father-in-law nor my father have ever been overweight, so no-one thought this would happen to them. I'm thinking that, among other things, stress and bad food habits were important factors in why this went so far. This is why my mission is to make everyone aware of ways to avoid having to go through the anguish and pain of heart disease. Please take a moment and read about signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke here, as well as preventive means and simple ways to live a healthier life here.

My ultimate goal is to be able to help contribute to the funding of the much needed medical research.
Thank you all for reading my story. More information about my plan to benefit the Heart Association with my jewelry will be posted shortly. Please stay tuned and join me in supporting a wonderful cause.

Thank you!
Ida Jefsen

Website: www.idajefsen.com
Shop on Etsy: www.idajefsen.etsy.com
American Heart Association Website: www.americanheart.org

Flyer FUN!

2009-09-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

Oh, how much fun it is to create! YAY!

Just made this flyer for a friend's birthday-swing-dance-party in November.

Website: www.idajefsen.com
Shop on Etsy: www.idajefsen.etsy.com

Memories

2009-09-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, I decided to finally create a necklace to remember my dear grandparents from Norway, who have both passed away within the last 4 years.

My Grandmother was sick with Alzheimer's for years and years, and she finally found peace in the summer of 2005. My family had to say goodbye to my Grandfather on December 18th of last year (2008), when he succumbed to his injuries from a fire in his house.

I have a very strong relationship with my family. They mean everything to me, but since I chose to live on the opposite side of the planet, sometimes I feel like I need to physically remember each and every one of them.

So I decided to make memory jewelry, one piece for each of my beloved family members. Here's the first one, in memory of Ingrid and Tor Lindal, my dear grandparents on my father's side:

The gold ring in the necklace is my Grandmother's wedding- or engagement ring (we're not really sure). It has the inscription "Din Tor" ("Your Tor") in it, as well as the date of March 16th 1948. I inherited this ring in April when I was in Norway attending a memorial for my Grandfather. I owe a huge thank you to my aunt Kjersti for giving me this ring.
The dyed Jade represents my Grandmother and the green Garnet is for my Grandfather.

I took some time and went through some of what Etsy has to offer in terms of memory items. Here are 10 of my favorite picks, for sale on Etsy.com. Have a look and show these crafty and talented people some love.

Thank you for reading,
Ida

Website: www.idajefsen.com
Shop on Etsy: www.idajefsen.etsy.com

Leap of faith

2009-09-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

This whole blogging thing is new to me. Working on a computer is not, but blogging definitely is.
I don't consider myself a writer of any sorts. My artistic skills lie elsewhere. None the less, I'm taking the leap into undiscovered territory, full of faith and inspiration.

Why this blog, you might think. Well, I happen to feel like everything I do includes working with my hands. Sometimes I feel like my head needs a challenge, and since I chose to spend my life in America, and English is my 3rd language, I need to embrace the fact that I will once have to raise kids with English as the native language.

I was born and raised in Denmark, by a Danish mother and a Norwegian father (hence my 2 first languages), but moved to the States to be with my wonderful husband. I do plan on speaking Danish with my kids (don't worry, family back home), but I have to realize that English is what will surround them on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel that I'm not knowledgeable enough to pass on information, when I'm still learning the nuances of the language I'm now surrounded by every day. This is why I swear I will read more English books (right now I'm reading a wonderful book in Danish), and I will try to write more English.

I'm also starting this blog to share my business and some of my interests with anyone who'd be interested.
At the moment my life is art. Jewelry, photography, graphics, dancing...you name it.

I work at my favorite Portland bead store,Dava Bead & Trade, and I feel luckier than ever to have found this haven. Before I was hired, I would literally spend days at this beautiful store, that offers almost everything a beadaholic could dream of. I developed a great rapport with one of the ladies behind the counter, when I found out that she was half Danish, and that her dad had come from Denmark to Ellis Island at the age of 7. We had a lot of great talks, and one day I decided to drop off my resume, because every time I was in this store I would think "my gosh, what a wonderful place this must be to work". They called me a week later and hired me, and I was right. This truly is a wonderful place to work. A little peace of bead heaven on earth. I feel lucky!
If you're Portland local, come on over, check out the store and have a bead chat.

I design jewelry, I do photography, graphic design and lots of other exciting things. I plan to share my work and play with you all, so I will be posting pictures of new creations, which I mostly sell on Etsy.com, as well as photography and inspiration over all. Check out some of them here:

Website: www.idajefsen.com
Shop on Etsy: www.idajefsen.etsy.com

Thank you for tuning in, I'll be back soon...
Ida