New Etsy Shop: Promethean Design

I set up a new shop for my metalsmithing projects. You can check it out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrometheanDesign

Here's a preview:

Crown Pearl Ring

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Ring

Orbit Ring

New Jewelry

Well, I've done it. I finally completed a few projects worthy of the title of metalsmithing. It's been a tough learning process. Here is a sapphire and sterling silver ring for your viewing pleasure:

I also made a feather ring and one pretty petite band with patina:

Until next time...

Working on New Designs

Busy in the studio today creating, creating, creating! Finally, back to work...

Getting perfect natural light is proving the biggest challenge. We have only a few windows in this dark little cabin. The fresh snow helps reflect some light into the house. I can't wait for spring sunshine, though.

Well, here's a look at a few items soon to be in the shop:

Surgery

My poor toddler had to have dental surgery today. Basically, early teeth grinding led to my sweetie needing to have all four upper teeth extracted. What I thought would be my greatest fear turned out for the best as she will now be fitted with a temporary bridge until her adult teeth come in. Long story short, I recorded a video of her a few hours after surgery, toothless, trying to find hidden dinosaur bones in an egg. The egg was a gift from her aunt and uncle. She is obsessed with dinosaurs at the moment and this egg offered a welcome distraction from the after surgery pain. She is SO CUTE without front teeth. I will enjoy the next two weeks with my toothless doll. Enjoy a glimpse into my mamahood.

Also, that is not my real voice. I don't know what happens to your voice when you give birth, but it is something strange. I really am an adult.

This is a video my friend, Amanda, shared of the tsunami on the southern coast of Oregon today. Very tragic and only a teeny fraction of the damage done in other parts of the world. This harbor is close to where I used to live. My heart is sad.

Earring Giveaway at Nest of Many Colors

Pink Lady Earrings

I have three pairs of my earrings in a giveaway here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nest-Of-Many-Colors/164962973543368

To enter to win, simply comment under the pictures you like with your email address and like the fan page of the sponsors. Easy peasy! Good luck!

Tiny Water Drop Earrings

Pool Trellis Earrings

She Says "I love you"

My new niece learned her first sentence. Listen for her to mimic her mom and dad.

Whoa, Where Have You Been?

I am sure you were wondering...I mean, I am pretty interesting. Anyway, hello, Happy New Year, and I hope you are staying warm this cold winter!

Just thought I would stop by to promote a friend's Etsy shop. She is pretty new and I just wanted to give her some encouragement! I am holding back on giving lots of advice to her as a new seller, but instead I might reserve my knowledge in a blog post. I feel important, lol! Nah, I've just spent quite a huge chuck of my last few years engrossed in Etsy and feel I have some valuable insight. So, yeah. Okay, well check out her shop if you please:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/madebyclaire

This hat is a particular favorite of mine!

Cheers!

Snow?

But it is only the beginning of October! Well, yeah.

He looks happy, I think

Cars are buried (buried by my standards--apparently this is nothing, I am told)

Lala sleeps while I obsess about the snow

The leaves are still green

I guess I forgot to bring in my herb garden for Winter

Chipmunk is a little confused (as was I)

I am not panicking, really, this Winter will be great. inhale-exhale-inhale-exhale

New Baby! Well, soon...

My older brother and his wife are expecting a girl in November. To celebrate a baby I NEVER thought would exist (my brother used to be so grumpy! :)), I commissioned a lovely baby blankie from Etsy seller ballofyarn. She is a fabulous lady with a lovely and creative shop specializing in fashions for both kids and ladies alike. Karen you are the best! I can also say Karen has an enormous amount of patience for the likes of me who cannot make up my mind to save my life. For example: try to choose just ONE accent color, just one, and see how long it takes me to decide. Try 15 convos. And, then I will second guess that choice. The pictures here Karen took of the finished product after months of decision making. My sister-in-law better love it. And so better that baby. I really do hope it is a girl. Although, color shouldn't really matter, right?

I love this gorgeous afghan seen above with matching beanie!

Cheers!

It has been a long day...

Isabella and her Cousin Kimberly

I just wanted to quickly share the way this packaging turned out for my latest order. I layered some paper flower cutouts, glued on a rhinestone center and made a ribbon stem. Simple little embellishments to spice up an otherwise ordinary gold cardboard jewelry box. Topped off the package with a pretty delicate ribbon bow. Each package comes complete with a handmade thank you card with a personal message inside (as well as cutouts for my business card!). I like the results but I am still on the hunt for the most beautiful packaging. Flickr has some inspirations. I might play around with some other ideas. I have an ungodly assortment of old buttons and raffia which I really should put to use.

Well, have a wonderful Labor Day weekend everyone! Be safe. We are staying indoors as Tahoe traffic on a holiday weekend is suicide. We went hog-wild and rented a movie. So, we are all set.

Hi!

Just wanted to wish everyone a little happiness today! My co-clip maker in crime added some pretty, happy clips to Olibella today and I thought I would share. They made me smile.

Rainbow and Tulips Ribbon Hair Clips

<3

Domestic Violence

A friend wrote me today to tell me she is leaving her husband due to some domestic violence issues. She wants to protect her children so she is moving away from him as soon as she can. I feel powerless to help her other than sending my her my love and offering emotional support during this difficult transition.

This news of domestic violence hits quite a nerve for me. I really want to finish a degree in Women's Studies as this type of violence disproportionately effects women worldwide. My family and I have faced this very same issue in our lives. I even lost a babysitter when I was a little girl when Darcy's ex killed her and stuffed her in the trunk of a car abandoned in an empty field. The murder left her young son orphaned. That may be a dramatic example, but a necessary visual which, I think, serves the point that violence directed toward women is serious. As serious as death. I am scared for my friend.

So, I brainstormed a way I could help my friend and ultimately help others facing leaving domestic violence situations. For now, I am making silk flower accessories to sell in my Etsy shop as a first step. One-hundred percent of the sales of these flowers will go directly to my friend and hopefully, upon further research, to a reputable agency helping women in need. This issue is near and dear to my heart. I hope that my contribution will be of some help. If anyone out in the web world has ideas for me, please let me know. At this point I only have my creativity and a stash of random craft supplies at my disposal.

Here is an example of what I think I will make. This particular flower is actually for sale at Olibella and not part of the charity. Others like the one pictured below will be in my shop shortly. Thanks for reading, I hope this issue hits home for you as well. Blessings!

Silk Flower Hair Clip

Back to School Blog Feature!

Olibella's Argyle Ribbon Hair Clips have been featured in a lovely blog post today.

Check it out: back to school...already? --Creativitae

Can't you just smell the freshly sharpened pencils now?

Beach Sale!

My little family is off to the beach this afternoon. This outing will probably one of the last for the Summer as it seems, to me, to be getting colder and colder. But, I am a wimp so, we might go again. I will probably just sit in the sand and bury my toes while Travis swims to the farthest point he can go in the lake without being run over by a boat.

To celebrate this super Summer fun, I decided to make my beach inspired jewelry and hair accessories 25% off in my Shop. Any item tagged (themed) "beach" or "summer" or that just looks good enough to take swimming (you decide!) is fair game. Just add, "Take me to the Beach!" in the notes to seller and I will refund through Paypal 25% off your purchase. You could be sporting Summertime all year long!

Have a Fabulous and Sunny Weekend! Stay warm or cool. Whichever works for you. :)

Zombie Mama

I am not really getting much done these days. I can't pinpoint a specific reason except that I am just tired. Isabella has been waking up about four times a night for comfort I guess. Then around 4:30 a.m. she is up and ready to go. We keep talking about getting her on some sort of schedule. That will be the day.

I did manage to make a few pairs of earrings for my Etsy shop.

Cloud Watching - Freshwater Pearl and Kyanite Gemstone Earrings

Petals - Pink Lilac Chalcedony Earrings

Fuchsia Blooms - Purple Chalcedony and Hot Pink Wire Earrings

I started filling up my sketch book with more designs too. I have my best ideas in the bathtub. 'Course the hot steam sometimes blurs the ink. I hope to make my sketches into tangible pieces soon. Hopefully, I can get some adequate rest. Or, I might just turn into an actual zombie. That could get interesting.

Here's wishing you some quiet time. Peace. <3

My Recipe for Chai Tea

The Father's Day before last I created a chai tea kit for Travis. I bought a bunch of bulk spices and packaged them up with two lovely chai cups from the Tao of Tea in Portland, Oregon. Anyway, it has taken till just now to actually use any of the ingredients to make some chai. I have secretly been using the whole nutmeg for a while, however. I love fresh nutmeg.

In my Chai Kit I included:

Anise seeds

Star Anise

A Vanilla Bean

Whole Cloves

Whole Nutmeg

Cinnamon Sticks

Crystallized Ginger

Cardamom Pods

Whole Black Peppercorns

In addition to the above ingredients, I had on hand some allspice, one of those 4 pepper medley grinders and some fresh ginger.

I also used "sada chai" from the tao of tea. Strong black tea of any sort would work I imagine.

My method:

Basically, I approached this concoction willy-nilly. I used a tablespoon of anise, a star or two of star anise, part of the now dried-dead vanilla bean, a tablespoon of whole cloves plus some extra, you know, for good measure, a three second shave of the nutmeg, maybe longer if you like it spicy, a cinnamon stick, two slices of the crystallized ginger and three slices fresh ginger, another tablespoon of cardamom pods, a pinch of allspice, and a tablespoon of whole pepper corns. I also ground two rotations of the pepper mill in that mix. So, this part is experimental. You can adjust the amounts to your taste. I think next time I will add more nutmeg. You just want it spicy and fragrant.

Boil that mix in three cups of water for five minutes. Turn off heat and let steep for ten additional minutes. Next I added two or three tablespoons of the black tea curls. Here is where you can use tea bags or lose black tea. Just make a strong brew as you will be diluting this mixture with milk. I brought the spices and tea to a boil and reduced to a simmer for five minutes. I then strained the ingredients with a handy kitchen mesh screen Travis brought to our relationship. I love him for the strainer. Here is a picture of the strainer:

Return to pot and add two tablespoons of honey (more or less to your sweet desires) and stir. To the brew add two cups of milk. I prefer soy milk for some reason. Only in chai really. That is of course up to you. Heat to desired temperature and enjoy!

If you prefer iced chai just don't heat milk and add ice.

Ah, so good.

BIRTHDAY SALE!

Hey, hey! It's my birthday on the Fourth! Come celebrate with me! 25% off orders from my shop when you mention "birthday sale" in notes to seller. Oh, yeah, and free shipping, as always!

Happy July 4th everybody, everybody! Hope it is full of family, fun and fireworks.

In My Dream Garden...

I would grow:

the most gorgeous hydrangeas...

magnificent morning glories...

the

sweetest sweet peas...

mounds and mounds of irish moss...

bushels of delectable strawberries...

Sunny daffodils all year long...

The brightest poppies...

lush lavender for luck...

peppermint as well...

Perhaps a mini rose or two...

And I would grow Rainbows and magic and love.

and you would all be invited to have a picnic in my dream garden.

Have a Sunshiny day!