Saturday, February 28, 2009

Lime Lime Green



Until a few years ago, I had no idea that flowers in this lime green color actually existed.  It's so fresh and uplifting.  A friend came over to dinner the other night and came me these.  They're gorgeous, especially when the light shines through.

Happy Saturday - have a great last day of February!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Colors of the Ocean





Yesterday I felt like working with blues and greens and turquoises.  I got out all my supply boxes (and there are a lot) and started working on an asymmetrical necklace using all these colors plus sterling silver.  I had this lovely sterling silver square link that I've been waiting to use so I incorporated that into the design also.  I love the finished product as the colors are so fresh!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Verde!





With the close advent of spring, I thought I'd share some of my "green" pieces of jewelry with you.  I often wear green and seem to gravitate towards beads and supplies in every shade and hue of green!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Making Your Own Photographic Lightbox



When I first started selling my jewelry on Etsy, my photos were terrible. I was very proud of them until I started seeing other peoples' pics! I figured I was in bad need of a effective lightbox. Not wanting to spend a lot of money though, I decided to search the internet for instructions on how to make one. It ended up costing me about $50, including the lights, to make.

I bought some white soft board from a craft store, cut out "windows" in the side and top and then covered the windows with think white fabric. I bought clip on lights which I aim into these windows.

It isn't pretty but hey, it works and it was really cheap to make. If you make something similar remember to keep the bulbs at a safe distance from the fabric so it doesn't become a fire hazard!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!!!!!



It was my youngest son's 9th birthday yesterday.  He had a party last week, so yesterday was relatively quiet.  They skiied all day and then came home to a raclette meal.  For those of you who aren't familiar with raclette, it's a swiss cheese.  You slice it up and each person grills their own cheese which they then eat with potatoes, fresh bread, ham..whatever you like.  It's very social and lots of fun and the boys love it.

I made an ice cream cake by using vanilla and chocolate icecream and throwing in some crushed Skor bars and Malteasers.  What a sugar fix!  No junk food for me for the rest of this week.  I love the candles I put in the cake.  Can't remember where I bought them but they're so lovely and bright and burn for ages.

  

Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Lemonade Award

Hooray, I won the Lemonade award!

http://southerngirlflorals.blogspot.com has given me the Lemonade Award!  Thank you!


Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blogspot or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 - 10 blogs that show great gratitude and/or attitude.
3. be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. Nominate your favourites and link to your post.

Here are my nominees:


Jane

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Dreaming of My Summer Garden




It's a bit dull outside but a lot of the snow has disappeared.  So has my snowshoeing, which I was really enjoying.  However, now I can see the earth in my garden and a few hardy plants have shot up some shoots.  So in anticipation of spring, here's some pics from my garden from last year!





Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Experimenting With Copper - Part 2


The other day I posted a copper bracelet that I was working on.  Well I finished it and here's a pic to prove as much.  I attached a small copper charm and a couple of vintage German glass beads that have a hint of copper in them.


Tuesday, February 17, 2009

My Nature Inspired Jewels






Two of my passions are gardening and jewelry.  Every now and then I take a look at recent items I've made and I realize that my love of nature is reflected in many of my jewelry pieces.  Here's a few.... 

Monday, February 16, 2009

Who Doesn't LOVE Smarties!



It was my younger son's birthday party today.  We had his friends over to play hockey outside, have lunch and of course, eat birthday cake.  I made a simple chocolate cake, poured melted chocolate with a little cream mixed (to stop it hardening too much) and then covered it in Smarties.  Of course, I ate some of those too! Yum!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Experimenting With Copper



This is my latest project.  It's still in progress but I'm planning on finishing it today so come back tomorrow to view the completed project.  Add ImageYou need pretty strong hands to bend the copper strip.  It probably would have been easier with a vice but I don't have one.  Thanks to my teacher Dee, for showing me how to make this.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Oranges and Lemons





I have been experimenting lately with different backgrounds and props for my photos of my jewelry.  I grabbed an orange out of the fruit bowl the other day and these are a few photos I took.  I love looking around the house for bright colors and unusual textures that I can incorporate into my photos.  

Have a wonderful, bright, Valentine's Day!


Friday, February 13, 2009

TAG - You're it!

I've been tagged by sassyglassdesigns. Write five random things about yourself.

Rules of tagging

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules in your blog
3. Write five random things about yourself
4. Tag random people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person know they've been tagged

So here are the five random things about me...

1. When I was 10 our family travelled for 6 weeks around Namibia and got lost in the desert one day
2. I once went to a vet's office in a rural area, thinking it was a walkin doctor's office and completely humiliated myself
3. I hate horror movies
4. I have really big feet - size 12
5. My favorite song is "Mony Mony" by Billy Idol

I am tagging

Prettypionidesigns
Gardengatedesigns
Paperprincess34

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Love is in the air!









Well, Saturday is Valentine's Day and so I thought I'd post some of my love inspired pieces. The pendants are "Circles of Love" and the silver bracelet is called a "Love Knot".

I don't think we'll be going out to dinner but instead I will probably cook a gourmet dinner at home (hopefully!) and put on some romantic music, all the while taking care of the children too!

If you're looking for passionate music, check out Jesse Cook at http://www.jessecook.com

He's even on Obama's playlist!

Have a wonderful day.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

5 Good Things


1. Driving on ice-free roads
2. Listening to my son practice "O'Canada" on his saxophone this morning
3. Coffee - a latte made with soy milk
4. Organizing my work space, after seeing some inspiring photos on Decor 8 blog
5. Playing WII tennis with my 8 year old - he always wins and gets so much joy out of beating me!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Supply Shopping


The weather is glorious today so I thought I'd take advantage of the ice free roads and venture into Toronto to a few of my favourite beading stores. Of course, all I really needed was some brass chain but came back with a couple of bags of chain, beads, crystals and semi-precious stones. I was determined not to go over a certain dollar limit so I purposely paid for only 30 minutes of parking and then dashed in. Good thing about shopping like that, is I can't do quite as much damage...there again, I'll probably find a good excuse to make my way into town again soon.....and there's always shopping online! It was FUN though!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Charms Galore






You can buy charms in just about any shape you want these days making for some fun and interesting jewelry. Here are a few of my favourites...dragon flies, butterflies and woodland fairies. A couple of these I've paired with cubic zirconia.

Friday, February 6, 2009

TGIF


Another week has passed and I haven't seem to complete everything on my ever-growing todo list! We're all been sick with colds but now on the mend. I am going out today with my husband to test drive a new Thai restaurant down the road called Thai Fusion. It better be good because I'm starving!

Just for fun I'm attaching a wonderful photos of jellyfish taken in California in August. I just love the colours!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

A Fresh Take on Pearls






I love working with pearls of all different colors, shapes and sizes. There is so much variety out there. You can get just about any colour you want. They look great paired with brass, fringed or made into more classic bridal jewelry. They always add that touch of elegance. Here's a few of the pieces of jewelry I've made that include pearls!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Twenty Years and Counting!





Last Monday it was twenty years to the day that I emigrated to Canada. My hubby gave me a wonderful bouquet of roses. They've dried up now but as was about to throw them in the compost this morning, I grabbed my camera..the colors are still so gorgeous!

Also, posted some new hair posies to my website yesterday. This pink and green one is my fav.