Making time

 Finding joy in the simple things.

That is what my daughter teaches me.

That even if I think I'm too busy for fun,

there's never not enough time for a little romp in the foliage

with my most favorite person in this entire universe.

It's moments like these

that remind me that life is often too much work

and not enough play.

Life is Rosy

You know I love it when a treat is waiting for me in the mail. Whether it's the latest cook book I've ordered online, or a new issue of Jewelry Artist magazine, but especially when it's an Etsy package from a favorite seller and friend. Yesterday my newest little splurge arrived, my very own sterling silver Bud Studs for Rosy Lobes.  They are a sweet little every day earrings, so pretty and unique.  The best part about them is that they were designed and handmade by my very own friend Jess of Rosy Revolver fame.

Check out the fine detail in the packaging.

These are perfecter than perfect.

The kind of earrings that will go with anything.

Jess', aka Rosy Revolver's Etsy shop showcases her completely unique brand of jewelry. Go check it out and you'll see what I mean. This girl's design ideas are innovative, and she's a total trail blazer with a style that's all her own. One look at those larger-than-life stones set within the most intricate and elaborate of embellishments and you just know it's unmistakeably a Rosy Revolver piece. Unmatched in creativity and unsurpassed in the quality of her workmanship, each piece is somehow more beautiful than the last. Can't wait to get me one of those rings...

She's also got a fantastic and follow-worthy blog.

Check back here on Wednesday for sure, when I'll be sharing a work-in-progress post dedicated to a new bad ass ring I'm making that is completely inspired by Rosy Revolver.  

FREE SHIPPING worldwide Black Friday to Cyber Monday

Hey everybody! It's the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S.A., and if you live here, you know what that means.  If you don't, I shall explain it to you (because I didn't know what it meant either, until I moved here a few  years ago). 

Today is Black Friday....actually nevermind me trying to explain it, let's let Wikipedia do the hard work.  Go here to read about Black Friday, and here to read about Cyber Monday. 

The jist of this blog post is to make it known that I am having a sale of sorts in my Etsy shop.  All items will ship for FREE WORLDWIDE from today until this coming Monday. 

Take advantage while you can because I believe this may most likely be my last sale until probably Mother's Day-ish.

Happy shopping!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Tiny frosted earrings

This one's quick and simple.  I was talking to my Mom this morning and she asked me to make her a little pair of earrings to bring up to Toronto with me at Christmas. I made these for my brother's fiance last year and my Mom's requesting a pair of her own. 

Here's a little step-by-step photo shoot from this morning:

Materials:  18 gauge sterling silver sheet, sterling silver ear posts and nuts.

Step 1 - cut.

the company of a little woodland sprite never hurts.

Step 2 - dap.

Step 3 - melt solder onto posts.

Step 4 - solder posts onto earrings.

Step 5 - clean

while multi-tasking on the phone.

Step 6 - apply the frosted finish

with eye protection.

Step 7 - wear.


Tiny frosted earrings

It's as easy as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.  See?

Ok, we're about to get in the car for our road trip to Alabama.  Thanksgiving family reunion time, hoooray!

If you live in the US like moi, here's wishing you and yours a Happiest Thanksgiving.  If you don't live in the US, then here's wishing you and yours a wonderful rest of the week.

xoxo,

A :)

How to Tuesday - make yourself a fantastically cool ring in less than 2 minutes

So pretty, right?  Well also soooo easy to make.

Just watch:

All you need is one length of wire and 3 tools: 20" of 16 gauge copper wire, a ring mandrel, needle nose pliers, wire cutters.

Bend wire in half over ring mandrel (figure out the ring size and place it accordingly).

Cross underneath.

Bring wire back up. Careful not to let it slip off the mark of the ring size you're making.

Cross wire above mandrel.

Repeat.

Keep wire taut.  Pull up like 2 rabbit ears.

Pull wire in opposite directions, get ready to start rotating and wrapping.

Keep a tight grip on the wire and slowly start to rotate. I go counter clockwise.

Slowly rotate counter clockwise.

Keep rotating and building a spiral.

Be deliberate.

Rotate.

Wrap.

Rotate.

Wrap.

When you're down to 1 inch of wire in each hand, stop.

Slide the ring off the mandrel.

Ready to tuck the excess wire to the underside of the ring.

Bend with needle nose pliers.

Trim just enough so that you're able to tuck the wire under smoothly.

Repeat for other side.

Bend and tuck.

Make final adjustments to the tucked-under wire to make sure it doesn't stick out and scrape your finger.

Vi-ola (that's Southern for voila!), a finished ring in under 2 minutes.

Now you go make one, too.

Let me know if you have any questions.

What's on the menu Monday - something yummy

I made some scrumptious treats for my friends who came over for coffee and conversation yesterday morning.

Cheddar dill scones, ready for the oven

Cheddar dill scones, ready for the tum

You can bake some, too. The recipe is right here.

What's on the menu this week? I've only got two days worth of dinners planned since we'll be out of town for Thanksgiving later in the week.

Tonight - Chicken pot pie

Tuesday - Roasted salmon with lentils

The rest of the week will probably be comprised of ham, turkey, ham, turkey, ham, turkey, turkey and ham. Mmm.

Have a great day, you guys. As for me, I've got to get back to work.  That jewelry is not going to make itself.

Gratitude

Today I am thankful for amazing friends

who didn't let a certain someone spend her 35th birthday by herself

while her husband was away on business.

I am equally thankful for friends who wanted to, but couldn't 
make it on such short notice.

I am thankful for the love I am surrounded by
and for the abundance of blessings in my life.

I am also thankful for French wine.

I am thankful for the birthday wishes I was showered with
all day long on my facebook wall. Seriously.

I am thankful for the sweet thoughtfulness of unexpected gifts.

Black olives and Syrah.
My 2 favorite things thrown into a soap. How perfect.

Portrait of me painted by the ever-incredible Delilah.
I love how she has me standing in a field of poppies.
This will be cherished.


35 years, and just keeps getting better.


I love my life.
I Love My Life. 
I LOVE MY LIFE.

The completely-crazy-one-day-only-BIRTHDAY-SALE!

Me at two.

Happy Birthday to me, and happy shopping to ye!

Today I turn 35 ****confetti rains down**** YAHHHHHHHHH!!!

In honor of the occasion I'm having a completely-crazy-one-day-only-birthday-sale

  in my Etsy shop today. 

*drum rrrrrollllllll*  

*little trumpet sounds doo-dee-doo*

Get 35% off any purchase over $35! 

Crazy, right? That's right.

Details:

Just make your purchase, make your payment, and I will refund you 35% through PayPal.  Or you can make your purchase and wait for me to send you a PayPal Money Request with the correct total. It's up to you.

What you need to do:

All you have to do is write "Happy Birthday" in the Note to Seller at Checkout.  If you accidentally skip this step, just send me a convo that says "Happy Birthday" before the end of the day, that'll work just fine.

Fine print:

Purchases must total $35 before shipping.  Offer valid today, Thursday November 19th, only.  "Happy Birthday" coupon code must be used for the discount to be applied.  Ready to ship items only. Custom orders excluded.

Please spread the word through Twitter and facebook, because the more the merrier.

I might be a little slow getting back to Etsy convos and emails today. I'll be busy preparing for the arrival of my best girlfriends who are coming over to celebrate with me tonight.

Thank you!!!!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Spiral Within

I woke up this morning and knew it would be a day for creating something grand.

And sure enough, it's been one of those delicious days when everything just falls into place.

I got out of bed, fed the child, kissed the husband off to work, answered some emails while enjoying my breakfast of strong coffee, and then skipped on down to the studio to make, make, make something totally brand new.

The inspiration for this ring was borne of the peaceful and introspective weekend I spent up in the mountains with my friends a couple weeks ago. Its physical construction actually took place this morning. Here you have before you a pictorial of exactly what I did today between 9:30am and 12:30pm. 

Spirals are an ancient universal symbol. They represent the winding pathway to one's center and the awakening that happens  when you connect with your consciousness.  But, hey there, let's not get too deep into philosophy and spirituality on this Wednesday afternoon.  I've got some work in progress pictures to show you, after all.

Everything starts off as ideas scribbled in my notebook.

Working out the logistics of the ring
in the company of my Little One and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Filing the ring shank.

An almost-finished ring, looking very naked without its patina.

Finished!

Stamped message along the outside reads:  look

within

find

truth

More detail on the back: hand drawn swirls and signature poppy tag.
You know I love to add little secret elements to my rings.

I love this new piece,
from the uniqueness of it...

...to the powerful reminder its message conveys.

It will be available in my Etsy shop this weekend. 

Thanks for popping on by, friends. Enjoy this rest of your day -  hope you're having a great one!


Be sure to visit my blog tomorrow (Thursday, November 19th) when I'll be announcing a completely-crazy-one-day-only-birthday-sale.

Oh, and I'm 3 Etsy shop sales away from 1,000.  Imagine hitting my thousandth sale on my birthday...how serendipitous :)

How to Tuesday - homemade chicken stock and more

I love to cook, it's no secret. I'm also quite good at it, no reason to hide that fact.

On Sunday I made 2 stockpots full of homemade chicken stock.  Any recipe that calls for chicken stock is made a bajillion times better if homemade stock is used instead of canned or boxed broth.  Here are some step by steps of how I do it. Ina Garten's recipe is a good one. It makes an enormous quantity, which you freeze in small containers, and retrieve from your icebox when I say icebox I mean freezer whenever you need.   I change her recipe around a bit, but if you follow her instructions, you can't go wrong.

Vegetables for the stock. I favor organic.
I also add a couple bay leaves which is not in the recipe link above.

You'll need a huge stockpot. This one is a 12 quart stockpot. I use this along with another 8 quart stockpot and divide the ingredients between the two.

Organic chicken.  Rinse the chicken, stick it in the pot, sanitize your counter tops and wash your hands with hot soapy water when you're done handling the raw chicken. The recipe link above calls for 3 whole chickens. I ask the butcher at Whole Foods for 15 pounds of chicken parts (backs and necks). They're more economical. 

I bring the chicken and water to a boil for 30 minutes before I add the vegetables...

...because it's easier to skim off the foam and scum that the chicken will release at the beginning, without the vegetables and herbs getting in the way of the skimming.

Toss in the vegetables, herbs, and seasonings.

Skim a bit more of the foam off.  Then turn the heat to medium-low and walk away.  It will simmer and do its business over the next 4 hours.  So easy.

When the 4 hours are up, turn the heat off.  Let the stockpot cool a bit.  Pull out all the solids (chicken parts, vegetables, herbs, etc.) and throw them away.

Strain the liquid through a sieve.

Put the stockpot with the strained stock in the refrigerator overnight.  The fat will rise to the surface and harden, making it easier for you to remove it from the stock.

Divide your stock up between full quart and half quart containers.

Beautimous organic homemade chicken stock.  You know you did it right when the texture is wiggly and gelatinous out of the fridge. 

Mmm, delicious.

If you have any tips or tricks on homemade stocks (chicken or otherwise), I'd love to hear allllll about it.

And also....unrelated to cooking

I've been treating myself to many a birthday present in honor of my upcoming 35th. Yesterday I had a cleaning lady do a  top-to-bottom deep clean of our lovely abode. Everybody needs one of these once or twice a year. I like gifts from me to me, because I always know exactly what to get myself.

 And today I took myself over to my favorite hair salon for a hair cut.  I love it. I can wear it about 6 different ways, straight or curly, bangs or no bangs. 

When I push my bangs to side like in this picture, I call it my Susie Derkins look.   

When I wear the full bangs, it reminds me of silent film star Louise Brooks. 

 
"Hmmm, Susie Derkins or Louise Brooks...?"

 Something else for you, lest we forget that I actually make jewelry...

These are all brand new stones I've acquired in the last couple weeks. You know I'm just mad about poppies. Check out those colorful jaspers to the left, don't they just look like a poppy field?  Can't wait to turn them into something.  

I'll see you back here tomorrow for my Work in Progress Wednesday post.  Not quite sure yet what I'll be making, but it will be interesting for sure.

What's on the menu Monday and other random stuff

Mmm, good food.  I love making it as much as I love eating it.  Every Sunday I try to plan ahead a week's worth of recipes, and do my groceries based on the list ok, let's be real, some weeks I do this with success, and other weeks we eat a lot of Trader Joe's.  I thought I'd share this week's.

Tonight: Wild mushroom risotto (made with freshly created chicken stock. Tune in tomorrow for a How To Tuesday post with my step-by-steps on chicken stock) Gosh, how is this jewelry blog turning into a cooking blog?

Tuesday: Pureed butternut squash soup with creme fraiche along with savory cheddar French toast

Wednesday: Apple braised turkey thighs, and roasted acorn squash with cinnamon butter

Thursday: My Birthday!  November 19th. Girlfriends come over to celebrate my 35th and the release of Beaujolais Nouveau 2009. And I'll make tasty French treats for them such as freshly baked gougeres and other deliciousness.

And my Jonathan is taking me out to a fancy schmancy restaurant on Friday night, so no cooking there.

In other randomness:

 A trio of wild turkey hens paid us a visit
no they're not on the menu

It was just a quick hello and goodbye

anddddd off they strolled to their next destination 

Happy  Monday to all. I'll have some jewelry stuff and cooking how-to business to show you tomorrow.

Flashback Friday - The mystery of the magic of Mickey

Mickey and me, circa 1979

Here's a little something I pulled outta the ol' photo album for you today.  This was taken on the first of a handful of family road trips from Toronto to Florida's Disney World in the 70s and 80s.  I'm guessing I was about 5 because I still had my original 2 front teeth. This was back when my name was Alice (I asked people to call me Alicia when I started college, and fyi I've been debating going back to Alice, but that's for another blog post).

Anyway, back to Mickey.  So, what is it about this mouse that's had generations of children enthralled and obsessed? Look at how I'm looking at him. Seriously, look. Seems like the most magical moment of my childhood, right?  Actually, it probably was. Good job, Dad, catching it on camera *high five*.

Now my daughter, who's two and a half, is in love with Mickey, too.  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is her favorite and only show she wants to watch on T.V.   And I don't have a problem with it, or anything (because it's not nearly as annoying as gag Dora the Explorer, for example). It's slightly educational and very entertaining for her. However, one problem I do have is that I find Mickey to be a little bossy and passive aggressive. Have any of you ever watched the show? Why does he get to decide who does what, and when? The non-conformist in me doesn't like that about him.

But, that's all I have to say about that subject.  Kind of a strange blog post today.

Cute picture, though, n'est-ce pas?

So, I hope you all have a great weekend!!  The weather's supposed to be perfection here in Atlanta.  I'm planning on enjoying some quiet time with my amazing husband and daughter, maybe clean the house, definitely make some jewelry.

I'll see you back here on Monday!

Why I love Autumn: Reason #436

I look forward to this most favoritest season of mine for many reasons, not the least of which is the cooking of the dish I'm about to share with you.  Butternut Squash Risotto.  It's seriously ambrosial, you guys. The recipe comes from my food idol Ina Garten, aka Barefoot Contessa. I own every last one of her books and have never made a bad recipe from them and TiVo her food network show just to watch her messy genius in action and to spy on which brands she uses.

 From dozens of favorite recipes of her's too many to name, this one is definitely up there.  The trick to making it taste like revelry in your mouth is to use homemade chicken stock, and not broth in a box.  Good pancetta ie Italian bacon, and good Parmesan ie not Kraft in a can are my other helpful hints *wink*, *thumbs up*.

Ingredients

Roasted squashy goodness

Sweet pleasure on a plate

You can find the recipe here.

Bon appetit!!

Work in Progress Wednesday - A ring for Delilah

My friend Delilah is a beautiful person, on the inside and out.  She is an amazing mother, writer, blogstress, and artist, among other things.  She is sweet and funny and brilliant.  I love our little coffee meet-ups that we have every few weeks. She is always so giving of her time and energy and I am very grateful to know a friend like her. A couple weeks ago she asked if I could make her a Fall-ish ring. With pleasure, Delilah.  And this is what I did this afternoon.

The ideas we came up with together and the cabochon she chose from my heap of stones

and the raw silver, too

Soldering the bezel wall

Setting the stone

Almost done

 Ta da!

This blend of colors is exactly what the trees in Atlanta look like right now

unruly

Her blog is called unruly helpmeet and there you will find some of the funniest words you'll ever read on your computer screen.

Hope you like your new ring, Delilah.  Let's meet for a coffee soon so I can give it to you.

Oops! Edited to add:

Thank you to happyment for featuring my Art Nouveau wax seal stamp in their blog today!

The road called life

I am many things.

I am a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend. 

I am also:

an artist,

a procrastinator,

a foodie,

a traveller,

and a lover of expensive shoes.

I am:
a marathon runner - determined and ambitious.

I revel in the challenge of difficult things, because there is gratification that comes with accomplishment. And because accomplishment makes me feel whole. Running is one of those things that makes me feel that way.

For me running is like metaphor for life. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.  There are times when it can be challenging, and also times when you can coast along fancy free.  My advice?

Take it all in stride.
Rise up to the challenge of the hills.
Slow down to enjoy the scenery, but not enough to lose momentum.
Keep your eyes on the road ahead.

And remember, the path you're on is your very own.

Own it.

Limber up before meeting the challenge

Keep the pace

The direction you go is up to you

Be sure to take in the beauty of it all
along the way

Know that just when you feel like giving up on something
is when pushing through counts the most

You will always come out stronger for it on the other side

There's nothing wrong with slowing down every now and then

But I always know my direction

And apparently I wear mismatched socks when I'm out running, too.

A weekend away makes Alicia a happy girl

What do you get when you take a Type A city-girl-turned-suburban-housewife and stick her in the remote and quiet stillness of the mountains for 4 days?

You get a calm and happy Alicia with a renewed sense of purpose.

Here are some pics of the beauty I was surrounded by this past weekend.

North Georgia mountains

Country road

Pumpkins, rusty tractor, and black mare

 I had the unexpected adventure of losing my car keys while walking through this field. 

We found them the next day

Stillness

Bessie and Mabel

the cows were oh so puzzled by this strange woman and her camera, actually, so were some of the locals who asked me what in the world I was even taking pictures of

Pastoral

Bovine public displays of affection

Harriet having a healthy snack

A calflette snuggles up to her Mama

This made me miss my own little calflette who stayed behind at home with her Daddy

Happy Monday, everyone. Have a great start to the week!

Toodle-oo for a few

I have had a really tough couple of days.  It's like the universe has been whipping hard balls at me.  One wallop after another with no respite.  Do you ever have days like that, where you feel like the gods are testing you to see what you're made of?  Well let me tell you, wallops or no wallops, I am still standing. I'm a strong woman, you know. But even when strong women get lambasted, it slows us down.  Right now I'm dealing with the exhaustion that comes with decision making. The decision to stay in or leave an online community I've been so glad to be a part of.  There's no easy answer.

Happily, being the labyrinthine woman that I am, I have many groups of friends that I belong to.  Tomorrow I leave on a trip. I will be headed for the North Georgia mountains for several days to be in the beauty and stillness of nature and to spend time with some very dear and very special women friends of mine.  This will be a time of clarity, support, and reflection. I am looking forward to some sisterly love.

So bye for now

 And I'll see you in a few...

A time for giving

Halloween is behind us and we're well into the month of November now.  You know what that means. We are that many days closer to the holidays - the most giving-est time of the year.

I've been feeling quite in the mood to do some gift-giving of my own with all of you.  Are you ready for it?

 

From now until the middle of December, I will be including a free gift with every $75  purchase from my Etsy shop. 

This is the kind of lovely jewelry that would be great as an every day necklace for yourself, and equally perfect to give away as a holiday gift.  What a way to knock one off your list, right?   

The best part is that they're personalized.

These sterling silver necklaces are handmade, with the initial or symbol of your choice. They are accompanied by a beautiful, high quality semi-precious gemstone bead of your choosing.  You select the components and build your own sterling silver charm necklace in 3 steps.

Letters a – z are available in my custom lower case font. 

Symbols include: heart, star, birdie, or butterfly.

Please contact me if you would like to know the specific sizes of each gemstone.

Make your purchase through my Etsy shop. Let me know your choices for 1, 2, and 3 in the “Note to Seller” at Checkout.

During this promotion, every transaction that totals $75 will automatically include one of these necklaces as a free gift. If you do not specify a letter or stone in the Note to Seller at Checkout, you will receive one of the four other symbols and a gemstone bead at random.

Like the necklace a lot, but don't want to spend the $75 minimum to get it? No problem.  It is also available for purchase here.

The necklace comes packaged in a pretty little organza gift pouch. 

Feel free to contact me through Etsy if you have any questions.

Happy November, everyone!

Two Enchanting Witches

Two enchanting witches on an ooky spooooky night

Sat upon a porch among pumpkins burning bright.

Mama Witch said, "Now it's time to have some fun.

Follow me, little apprentice, and I'll show you how it's done."

Wittle Witch said, "I am wedy for a tweat!"

So hand in hand they walked, like two shadows in the street.

From one house to the next, the two witches did beguile,

Inciting happy comments from the neighbors all a-smile.

What magical fun they had, the Wittle Witch, so excited.

To see her child so happy made the Mama feel delighted.

 The cauldron overflowed with more treats than it could hold,

So homeward bound they turned before the night air got too cold.

And when the clock struck nine, it was time to go to bed.

Mama Witch leaned over and kissed her Sleepy-Head.

"I had fun with you tonight, Mama", the angelic witch did say.

"And I with you, my darling... tomorrow's another happy day."