Stepping outside

I am stepping outside my comfort zone a lot lately. I have been making strictly pendants for almost a year but now I'm having a lot of fun trying new things. There was the ring last week, gold the week before and now.... earrings! I actually did two sets of earrings but I only got a photo of this one before I sent it off. These were made to match the hummingbird necklace. I'm really happy with the way they turned out that I might actually do a few little stud designs. It was fun!

Beautiful Moments

Sometimes there are these tiny little moments in life that leave a huge impression. I had one today. I didn't see it coming at all. I was at the park with my son whose only 2 and we were playing "baseball" (which means he throws it and I run all over the place trying to catch it). We heard some people cheering and when we looked we saw a soccer game going on in the lower field. James really wanted to go down and watch the kids. We sat there watching them play soccer and I tried explaining the game to him. I started playing soccer when I was 5 all the way into college. I was never very good but I just loved the game. Anyways, James loved it. He cheered when everyone else did, he squealed every time the referee blew the whistle. All of sudden I felt this lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. It's just such an incredible feeling to be able to share sweet moments with my son. I was once the one sitting in my dad's lap watching my sister's games. I wonder if my dad ever felt the same way. Actually I know that he did, he's very sweet.

My second beautiful moment happened only in my head, so far. We were eating lunch and all of a sudden I had this vision of Obama winning the presidency. In this image people were running out into the streets cheering and hugging their neighbors. In the same streets that once were filled with rioters we now have something to cheer about. Again, lump in the throat and tears in my eyes. A beautiful world is an equal world. There are an infinite number of reasons why I think Obama is the candidate to lead us into the future but the historical value of his racial background is still astounding to me.

Then again, maybe it's just PMS:)

naw!

Felt Club

Mark your calendars now! This is going to be an amazing show and I am so excited to be a part of it.

new ring - The Uprising

First look at my new ring I completed. I'm going to list it in my shop tonight. The stones are lab grown ruby, cubic zirconia, and golden topaz.

I want it!

I want this deer head really, really bad. I saw it earlier this year and I forgot to bookmark it. I was hoping to someday happen upon it again. And I did yesterday. And the bonus is that Jen has opened another shop that is possibly the coolest papercuts I've ever seen. She is an artist based in San Antonio, TX. Website

Buying in Bulk

I love cooking! Every week I go to the Santa Monica Farmer's market and buy the most delicious produce. We have been doing our grocery shopping at the market now for 10 years. Several years ago one of our favorite stands offered these delicious tomatoes that they called "Evans" but they are more commonly known at costaluto tomatoes. These little darlings make the most incredible sauces. So this year we bought a huge box of 25lbs of tomatoes. I spent an entire afternoon peeling and pureeing them. My fingers were all pruney by the end. But now I've got 9 freezer bags of tomato purees to last us through the winter.



I really love being able to buy local produce. My dream is to be able to grow all of my own food. I'll have to keep dreaming for a little while since I live in an apartment and I don't think the landlords would be thrilled. But, I have snuck in some mint, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and a lemon tree.

Here is an adorable pic of James helping his dad clean the car


And another from his pony ride today at Griffith Park. So fun!

Commercial

Check it out!!! a commercial that my husband made about my jewelry. I love it and think it turned out great. Let me know what you think.

So we decided to do this commercial for a few reasons. First, it seemed like a fun thing to do and an inexpensive way to advertise. Second, there is a new website called Shopflick that is strictly video shopping. I'm working on getting product shots to set up my shop there. With the majority of my business being online I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to market. The internet has obviously changed commerce so much and it is continuing to change. Sometimes it's hard to keep up but I will keep trying.


oh, and I almost forgot to give a big thanks to my friend, Deneise, for doing all of the editing and our friend Jack for the beautiful music he created. Please visit Jack's website to hear more.

My first time with GOLD

I was commissioned by one of the nicest people I've met in a while to make a necklace for his "queen" (as he calls her - how rad!). She doesn't wear silver though! So I stepped outside of my comfort zone and did something a little new. I created the piece for her which includes her totally adorable logo out of fine silver. Then I sent it out to get a heavy gold plating. While the company I choose was not the finest in customer service, they definitely came through in quality. I think the piece turned out so great!






Be sure to check out Sally's website, Birdy Botanicals. Birdy Botanicals is a skin care line that is made using high quality natural ingredients. All of their products are 100% natural and 100% vegetarian. Go! check it out:)

Moisturizing Kit

I lost my Child Labor

Summer is coming to a close. Today was the first day of preschool for my son. No more laying in the grass gazing at the leaves as they fall from the tree. I know, pretty melodramatic. I guess we can still look at the leaves.

Who is going to put the mail in the mailbox for me now?

What do you think? I think he might have more fun playing with trains.

Completely unrelated, but did I ever mention that I was published in a book? So exciting to see my work in the company of such great artists. The book, "Picture Yourself creating Metal Clay Jewelry" by Tammy Powley, is a really comprehensive guide for making jewelry with metal clay. It's available on Amazon.