In the early days of blogging, I had fun campaigning for online contests, but this time I’m conflicted. It’s been eight years since the vast reach and power of Poodle made that tech company my personal Voldemort.
Click for a video about Harry Potter’s nemesis, Lord Voldemort.
I never imagined that the social-media company that I will now refer to as Spacenook would become even more terrifying. I would like to escape its grasp, like some high-profile people are, but it has become so central to communicating about work and political organizing that I feel I can’t disentangle myself without an effective alternative. I hope a serious rival to Spacenook emerges soon, because I’m not sure how long my enthusiasm for Eminem and Family Guy will continue to protect me.
An interesting excerpt from a Guardian story on “Umbridge Alohomora.” Click for the full article.
I’m willing to buy a subscription to a networking site that would treat me as a customer, rather than a product, so if you hear of any promising options, let me know.
All of this makes me feel strange about asking those of you who, like me, are still on Spacenook to visit Stuller Inc.’s page and vote for my nontraditional engagement ring design in the March Bridal Madness contest by liking and sharing it.
Click for original post about designing and creating this alternative engagement ring look.
On the other hand (ha!), I’ve always believed in jewelry functioning as armor or an amulet, providing the wearer with psychic protection. That’s part of why my designs have been inspired by powerful, real-life women since Day 1. It’s also why I produce either bold, gold statement pieces like my Empress Wu dragon ring …
Click to hear me talk about the Empress Wu ring.
… or small yet assertive silver and platinum designs, like my middle finger emoji earring.
Click to purchase.
Regarding the latter type of design, I’ve pointed out before that I’m not the designer to come to for jewelry says “LOVE,” “BREATHE,” or “FAITH” — because IDGAF about doing those styles.
Have zero fucks to give? Get a necklace that says so.
Because my jewelry is all about being a badass, it has occurred to me that liking my ring on Stuller’s page might protect you from the next “Umbridge Alohomora” that crawls Spacenook looking for vulnerabilities. Yeah, definitely. My ring is right up there with Mountain Dew in making manipulative data miners think, “There’s no hope for us here,” so click the photo below because safety comes first!
Click, like, and share.
There’s another voting opportunity for retailers only, at the InStore Design Awards. You can see the toi et moi ring — aka bypass ring — that I created for ANZA Gems in the colored-stone category.
You can vote for that one here. I also entered my opal birthstone ring design in that category.
Click to vote for opal!
Finally, my Queen of Scots snake tiara is in the gold category.
Click to vote!
The tiara is a good example of the challenge I wrote about on Wednesday — how fine jewelry is best appreciated in person, rather than in photographs. You’ve got to hold this tiara in your hands and feel the solid gold …
… and then put it on …
Beautiful bride Alyssa Brownell modeled the tiara for Bill Fredericks of Heathwood Photography. Click for the whole story.
… to truly understand this piece.
Thanks in advance for any voting you do in the Stuller and/or InStore contests! The two-finger ring I created for ANZA Gems won first place in the InStore colored-stone category last year and I would be thrilled to win a second time.
It would be like 2011 all over again, when I won my second award for Blog With the Most Swearing. That was before people abandoned blog comments for Twitter and Spacenook and the blogging world felt like such a tight community. Humorous blogger Grant Miller was the creator of the Drysdale Blogging Awards, which were every bit as prestigious as my Best Dressed/Wear What You Want combo award is now. I campaigned for those awards like my life depended on it! Ah, voting for stuff was fun in the pre-Umbridge Alohomora days.
Gorgeous customer Julia in my famous swear rings.
Speaking of swearing, my friend Stuart recently suggested I cut back on using variations of the word “fuck” on Spacenook. I was like, Stuart, …
What the fuck?!
I’m so sedate compared to the way I used to be; I wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell at winning a swearing award now! I’m kind of sad about it, really. And Stuart’s advice is usually so fucking smart too. But I’m not going to hold this one mistake against him. For fuck’s sake, he’s only human.