song of my soul

Your jewelry questions answered

2008-05-15T16:58:00.004-05:00

I have gotten a few questions related to jewelry lately, but instead of replying in the comments I thought I'd make a new post for them.

Catherine asked if some of my new pendants would make it to the Etsy shop. Yep! I can put any of them in there... just let me know what you're interested in. I need to price them and probably re-photograph them (which is why they're not there yet) but I can certainly do that.

Heidi asked how I design my jewelry. Each piece is different, really. I get inspiration from all sorts of things... art, nature, the materials themselves, jewelry I see people wear on tv. It's surprising sometimes what gets my wheels turning. :) I don't usually sketch something out before I do it, but some things I do. For some items, I've drawn out templates so I can easily remember the exact dimensions of the pieces for easier reproduction. I used to be bad about this, so when I would have to remake something, I'd go nuts trying to remember the exact dimensions! Not a good thing. :)

Sometimes I see a gemstone or other component and know exactly what I want to do with it, but other times it takes me months to find the right match. This stuff has a mind of its own too. I've sat down to make one thing and the wire and metal and stones or what have you decided they wanted to be something else instead. There are also some pieces I just can't let go yet! For example, I have a gorgeous strand of absolutely perfect chocolate brown freshwater pearls. I'm not usually big on pearls myself, but these, man, all I want to do is stare at them... no sharesies! *giggle*

Of course there are things that have been around for decades if not centuries. Chain maille weaves, basic metalsmithed items, certain types of wire wrapping... it really is true that there is nothing (or at least very little) new under the sun.

I hope that was interesting to read. I love talking about jewelry, so feel free to ask more questions. :)

Deep Thoughts

2008-05-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

I had a realization the other day. Without going into details, our infertility is a little complicated. It's not something we fully understand. In talking to the doctor, I think she was surprised to know that at this point I'm not sure I care anymore. For the first time in a long time, it feels like we're on the right track here. I want our soon to be adopted baby. I love it already. It's probably not even conceived, and I already love it. I have no idea what it will look like, where it will come from, what nationality it will be... but it's mine and I am attached. There is no way I want to give it up, even if it meant we could have a biological child in its place. This kid is already mine. It just doesn't know it yet and will be renting a place to live for 9 months until it finds its forever home.

Getting pregnant is just simply not important to me anymore. At all. Which is a huge deal for me because I was in love with the idea for so long. Don't get me wrong. If God decided to perform a miracle (which is what it would take - an honest to God true 100% miracle - not what some people call a miracle either - we're talking water into wine/healing the blind type thing here) I'm sure I would be thrilled. But I just don't care. I'm actually thrilled now that I won't be pregnant. No stretch marks. No morning sickness. I could go on, but I'll spare you. Not that I think those things aren't worth the prize at the end... but our adoption journey has a grand prize too that is just as worthy and to be honest, to me, a little more special in a way. This journey is hard. But I know it's meant for us. There are still things that could fall through and stop this particular leg of our journey, but even if that happens, I know the journey will be completed somehow because... well... I just know. I bought a crib, after all, and it has to be filled somehow.

The hardest part of this ordeal is the total and utter lack of control I have over certain things. I will have no say what happens to our baby during and right after birth. I also do not have the option of breastfeeding. Sure, adoptive mothers can do it, but it's not something I am willing to try at this point because I do not feel it would be healthy for me since I already struggle in the weight department. I'm sure many people will think less of me for not trying, but oh well. This is something I've put a lot of thought into and I just know that at this point, for this adoption, I need to give up that dream and do the best I can otherwise. Perhaps if we adopt again, I will try it.

These are the things I struggle the most with right now... stuff I can't control. I'm a control freak, and it drives me nuts. Two years ago I had very strong feelings as to what would happen to my child during and after birth and how my child would be fed. It's almost funny now (if not frustrating) to realize how sometimes God throws you curve balls and what you previously knew to be best is not so much anymore.

You asked for it

2008-05-14T19:25:00.001-05:00

Well, one of you did.

I managed to get most of the blood off without rubbing, so I took another photo. Do you know how hard it is to take a photo of your own arm with a huge, heavy camera? I've figured out that my autofocus stinks for taking photos of 4.5mm red/purple spots on my arm (YES, I'm measuring! I'm paranoid I'll get a false positive!), and it's pretty much impossible to use manual focus while photographing your own arm.

So anyway, for those (the one?) of you who want(s) to see it, click here. The blood and bright red line is where the needle was. The red/purple round spot is where the bubble was.

T to the B

2008-05-14T01:17:00.005-05:00

I had my toxin injection today (sorry, Bethany, not botox). No, I have never had one before. I was home schooled through 8th grade and then went to a very tiny (VERY tiny) Christian school for high school and it was never required. It wasn't even required when I went to college. So I guess I read it wrong and it's not the actual toxin, but an antigen. Or something. I don't know. All I know is I don't like foreign matter injected into me, nor do I like things taken out of me that belong in me (such as blood). I'm a firm believer in the fact that if God had wanted my blood in vials, He would have put it there Himself instead of inside my body... where it keeps me alive.

Thankfully, according to my doctor, my "blood work was so good last year" that I did not have to have a work up this year. Go me! I'm actually shocked at this since I've sort of lost some weight since last year. I had gained 6 lbs, then I lost it all. I can't tell you how frustrating that is. #(*&#*($^&*@#$(*#@&$ is all I have to say about that. I tried to get her to prescribe me some calorie pills, but she insists they don't exist. I think she's holding out on me.

Have I told you how much I like my doctor? I really do. She's nice and thorough and puts up with my quirks very well (just like my dentist, who I also love - it's true - despite the fact that I freak out whenever I have to visit either). However, she's leaving the practice at the end of next month. I'm hoping she'll move to another place in town so I can stick with her, otherwise I'll have to find someone else and I don't think that will be so easy. Before she leaves, I'll be visiting her at least once for acupuncture.

People. I was shaking over a tiny TB anti-whatever needle injection. And I'll be getting acupuncture. Lots of little needles. All over. Left in me for several minutes. While I watch. Does anyone see a potential problem here?

For some reason, my doctor laughs when I visit her. I can't imagine why. It's not like I'm funny or anything. I mean, all I did was ask her if my salivary gland was going to kill me, or if a dermatological cream would kill me if I accidentally forgot to wash my hands after using it and before eating (if you know me at all, you'd know that this scenario is impossible), what she was listening to when she put the stethoscope up to my belly (who knew it gurgles all the time? I mean, listening to belly gurgles isn't exactly normal behavior, you know...), and make the connection between my phobias and all the problems in the entire world. We decided that if we can somehow fix my anxiety issues, we can bring peace to the middle east. I know it's true. She agreed. And laughed. It's a good thing I didn't tell her I locked myself in the bathroom... naked. I'm sure that caused some kind of planetary shift that we just haven't yet found. I don't think Lexapro can fix stupid.

The dentist laughs at me too. I just can't figure it out...

So back to my toxin/not-toxin injection. It was a lot less scary than I expected. Not that I'd want to do it again, but it didn't hurt that much. I even watched for a couple of seconds (but not for long because, seriously, who enjoys watching their skin bubble up? I mean, ewe.). The nurse that works there is really cool. He's an older gentleman and quite funny. I have to have my arm bubble "read" on Thursday, but he says that I can just send my arm. I don't actually have to show up myself. Good to know, man-nurse. Good to know.

Because my arm? Phobia free.

It might be phobia free (and now, mostly bubble free) but it sure isn't bruise free. I bruise at the drop of a... needle? I should have taken a picture when I had my blood work done last year. You would have sworn someone punched me, hard. Even this little needle left a bruise. I'm also very clumsy, so really, I'm never bruise free. I promise no one beats me (unless door jambs and the dog gate count).

I took a picture of my toxin/non-toxin arm bubble bruise. But I'll spare you. I can only "dab it, not rub it" so it has crusty blood on it, and no one likes crusty blood. Even I'm not sick enough to blog about that.

Clay is A-OK

2008-05-09T17:19:00.009-05:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I love clay? Metal clay, polymer clay... I think I love it all. I'd really love to learn ceramics and intend to play around in that medium one day as soon as I can afford a kiln and pottery wheel (and have room for them). That's probably a few years off at least, so for now, it's metal and polymer clay.

Dustin and I just bought some cold porcelain clay the other day and we plan to play with it soon. We'll see what kind of jewelry bits and bobs I can make with that. :o) Apparently my man knows how to throw clay (like on a wheel!) and sculpt with it and all. *gasp* I married an ahr-teest. But you know, he won't admit how good he is with stuff like that. ;o) He's a man. A tough man. Tough men don't play with clay. They... play XBox?

Here are a couple polymer clay things I've been working on. Various beads and pendants and such. The first one I will probably coat with a shiny glaze, but I was too impatient to do that before taking the photo. *giggle*

And of course, the metal clay. Here are two pendants... a little kitty face (aww!) and cherry blossoms. I have a thing for cherry blossoms. I don't have a thing for kitties (I love kittens, but they do grow up into cats, and cats I can live without, especially their litter boxes and dirty paws on my kitchen counters. Though the last time we were at Petco we DID see the cutest little kitten ever and I so wanted to take it home... but alas, it would not stay a kitten forever and would inevitably end up on my kitchen counter with its dirty paws.) but lots of people adore cats and I did a dog pendant already so it was only fair to give the kitty equal play time. :o)

All of my precious metal clay pendants are, of course, pure silver and can be bought alone or with a variety of chain/cord options. I have sterling box chain (as seen with the kitty), brown, tan, and black microsuede cord, brown and black leather cord (black is shown with the cherry blossom pendant), and these cool new black steel cords that have a magnetic clasp. I bought one for myself and liked it so much that I bought a few to sell along with my pendants. They're insanely easy to put on, look nice and sleek, and are a very affordable way to show off a cool new pendant.

And these are two little heart links I made for a pair of earrings. I'm hanging some gorgeous green amethyst off of them and will be sending them to a secret earring swap pal, but I plan to remake the links soon and can put just about anything with them. I love hearts... so cute!

I hope you like looking at my clay goodies as much as I enjoy making them. :o)

First Fruits

2008-05-08T22:09:00.005-05:00

I walked out to the garden this evening to photograph the alien cucumber babies, and I found a gorgeous zucchini that was perfectly ready to be harvested. So harvest it I did. I also found several green beans that needed to be picked, so they joined their courgette-y friend in a nice veggie wash bath and towel dry.

Ahhh. Isn't it beautiful? I've never seen such a pretty little green thing!

Y'all... Y'ALL... you just have NO idea how proud I am of this little zucchini. I've never grown anything that was edible other than a few little herbs a few years ago, and those didn't last long. But this zucchini is perrrrrfect, and he already has two little friends growing and waiting to join him in my belly.

I must admit that I didn't do a lot of the work. Heck, ok, so my dad did most of the work. But I do weed and water and feed, so I get some of the credit, no? These green beans aren't really the first of that fruit. My dad took some home last weekend. Puuuuurdy little green beans. Dustin says their scent takes him "waaaay back" to when he snapped beans with his grandma. He thinks they smell like apricots. I think he's a little off his rocker, but hey, they do smell sweet and sort of intoxicating so call 'em what you will.

Yes, Jessica, I did take photos of the little baby alien cucumbers just for you! I braved the wind and the june bugs (my freaking heck they're horrible right now!) and the big prickly leaves of the huge zucchini plant poking me in the rear to capture the strangeness of these things. They're weird but cute in their own way. The first one is bigger, only at about 1" long, though the photo makes it look huge. The second one is teeeeeny tiny. Bizarre little creature.

It's so amazing to me to watch plants grow and produce fruit. It kind of blows my mind. But what also blows my mind is seeing that little furry bumpy alien thing and realizing that sometime long long ago and far far away, some person was poking around outside and saw this creature and exclaimed, "hmmm... this is gonna taste gooood! Henryyyyy! Chop up some of that there lettuce... Imagonna make some salad fer dinner!"

I hope she at least waited until it went bald.

Randomness

2008-05-07T13:41:00.003-05:00

2 Belles & a Bead has donated a $10 gift certificate to a raffle that my friend Jessica is holding for her friend Shelly. Shelly is raising money to help send children battling cancer to a special summer camp just for them. What a gem! Be sure to check out Jessica's post here to find out more - it's a wonderful cause.

I get to have a toxin injected under my skin next week. Sounds fun, no? Why in the world would I ever subject myself to such foolishness, you ask? Well, I don't have a choice. TB tests are required if we want to adopt. Yay. Can you tell I'm less than thrilled about this? I don't normally enjoy injecting foreign matter into my body, especially when that foreign matter is a, you know, disease. I've not been exposed to TB so I think it's silly that I have to be tested for it. But whatever. Plus, it's quite possible that I could have an allergy to whatever it is and end up having to get chest x-rays anyway. Yay. Radiation in my body!

The hoops we have to jump through to get a child are endless. I will not bore you with details of the paperwork we have been filling out. Very personal questions. Very detailed information. We have to write autobiographies, and I am not even kidding. "The more detailed, the better."

We're traveling to attend the seminar required for our homestudy around the end of the month. I'm dreading this.

We have a big zucchini growing and several little cucumbers. Tiny baby cucumbers are very odd looking - like little vegetable aliens. I'd take photos, but it's so windy outside that I'm afraid I'd end up in Kansas.

I've been playing more with my metal clay and have some pretties to show you once I photograph them.

This might be the first mother's day in a very long time that I will not end up in tears.

That is all.

Need some free $$?

2008-05-07T00:51:00.005-05:00

I just got $25 for free, and so can you. No, it's not a gimmick. It's the next "Paypal". I heard about it on Etsy, where a lot of sellers are signing up to receive payments through it. There are no fees (yet, anyway - they all have zero fees when they first start up, but I don't expect it to last for long) to receive a payment so that is appealing to many sellers over there.

I wasn't going to sign up, but then I saw that a gemstone retailer accepted RME payments and her stuff is gooooorgeous. I thought, "hmmm... free gemstones... HMMMM" and the deal was sealed.

So, sign up though the link above and get $25 for your own free gemstones. OR you can buy jewelry. From me. Because you know you want to. And it would be free! I'll accept RME payments for things in my Etsy shop (Click HERE) and if there's something you want from us that isn't in the Etsy shop, just let me know and I might be able to put it up there. (Plus, I'd get $10 to buy MORE gemstones! Yay! Or if I'm nice, maybe I'll find something for the man... or future baby... or or or...)

Oooorrr if you want $25 but don't want to buy jewelry (though I can't imagine WHY that would be the case!) there is a whole long list of Etsy sellers that take RME. Even some who sell soap. And we all need soap. But I think we need jewelry more. What's the point of being clean if you don't got da bling?

Ok, I'll shut up now. :) Have fun getting free $$!

Things I love Part 2, Or: Do you think I have a problem?

2008-05-01T03:06:00.005-05:00

If you're one of my faithful readers, you might remember my first post about things I love, where I mentioned all sorts of yummy goodness. Well, today I'm all about the body stuff. You know, the stuff we use to clean and primp. I'm a simple girl. A simple girl gone crunchy. I'm really not into makeup and my beauty cabinet has very few products. Not that I think I'm gorgeous or anything, I just like my face to speak for itself. On the rare occasion I dress up, I only wear a little mineral foundation with a neutral light brown eye shadow, maybe a touch of mascara and a nice lip gloss.

There are other body things that I love, however.

Take for example my huge collection of soap (and ignore, please, the messy shelf. This is after I cleaned out and organized my linen closet the other day.):

Do you see that? I have developed a strange love affair with handmade soap. Sure, there are a few old bars of Dove hanging out, but except for that, almost the entire section of that shelf in our linen closet is devoted to handmade soap. What you probably can't see is that behind all the soap is... more soap. In our master bath closet is... more soap. In the master bath shower is... more soap. Love that soap. And you know, it's not even that we're really dirty people. I just can't stop buying it. (Shipped just yesterday is, in fact, more soap.) I believe that once this newest bar arrives, I will have acquired enough soap to clean up the biggest of industrial oil spills. Olive oil soap, goat's milk soap, oatmeal soap, charcoal soap... if it's made, I probably have it.

"Wait! Back up! Charcoal soap!?"

Oh yes. Charcoal soap. I found it on Etsy after a friend told me about squalane.

"Squalane?? What the... have you gone mad?"

Yes. Yes, I have gone mad. Mad about these products from Zaja Natural. I'm telling you, this person is on to something. Her charcoal soap may be strange, but it's great. It lathers really well. A wonderful thick, dark gray lather. It cleans my face like nothing I've ever tried. It's great for blemishes, though not so great for your nice, white sink if you're a messy like me. *giggle*

I've even gotten my anti-crunchy husband hooked on it. When he ran out of his toxic chemical-filled shmudge, I handed him my big black bar and said, "dude, just try it" (or something not so surfer-like, anyway). After just a couple of days, he was convinced. Now he uses it more than I do.

As for the squalane, that's just the best moisturizer I have ever tried. While many of the sources out there come from shark, hers is totally vegan - taken from olives. Not that I'm a vegan, but I don't exactly relish the idea of shmearing shark on my face. Yumm. Either way, why coat your precious facial skin with chemical crud made from God knows what when you can put pure, God made stuff on it? I only use 2-3 drops. The bottle will last forever. We're talking baby butt skin. On my face. Ahhhh.

Perhaps my absolute most favorite product ever is the Zaja Dead Sea Mud Foaming Scrub.

People. People. This stuff is aMAzing. Never in my life have I used a product I adore so much. It's completely natural, made from all earthy crunchy granola type stuff. It's fan-freaking-TASTIC. I'm telling you, baby butt skin times ten. It cleanses. It exfoliates. It brings about world peace. Or at least I fully believe it would, if only everyone gave it a try. I mean, who could be all grouchy and stuff if their face felt like a baby butt? Not I... not I. Both my mom and I love this stuff. If Zaja ever stops selling it, I will cry. Then I might just start a war.

My next mention is absolutely shocking. It's *gasp* natural deodorant. I will tell you that natural deodorant is not something I ever... ever... thought I would try. I don't like to smell crunchy granola, thankyouverymuch, but when several people recommended this product called Funk Butter and absolutely raved about it, I really had no choice but to give it a try.

Funk Butter is made by Oyin Handmade, and is a creamy type stuff you shmear on your pits with your fingers. While not the most pleasant of applications, this stuff is really great. I bought the unscented and also the Black Cedar Fig. Dustin loves the smell of the latter, and so do I. I'm not ashamed to admit that when I wear it, I'm strangely drawn to the fragrance wafting from underneath my arms. Perhaps it's just my weird senses, but it reminds me of warm, raw cinnamon roll dough. This stuff actually works. For about 24 hours. I don't get that kind of mileage from the scary chemical stuff! It even works for my man. And we all know that men don't perspire, they sweat.

There is one other natural deodorant I have been very pleased with (and to be honest, I have only tried three. The third - which was actually the first I ever tried - was by Tom's of Maine and it made my skin peel. Pleasant, no?). The Thai Crystal Roll-On.

I've heard horror stories about the rock deodorants, but even though the concept is the same for this roll-on, this stuff does work. I think the idea behind it is it inhibits bacteria from growing where it is applied (you have to apply it to clean skin) and no bacteria = no odor.

I was skeptical.

After two days, I was a convert.

The only thing I do not like about this product is the fact that it is a roll-on, and I feel as though I need to wait for it to dry before fully dressing. It also does not have any odor at all to it, so I cannot walk around smelling myself and getting hungry for a pastry as I can with da Funk Butter. In terms of ease of use, however, it wins out over da Funk hands down. (Besides, every time I use Funk Butter I get "We got da funk! Gotta have that funk!" stuck in my head. And that's never a good thing.)

Also worth mentioning:

Gudonya Too products - I bought my mom and myself one of their body scrub kisses, and they are lovely. Unfortunately, I do not see them in their shop at the moment, but I'd happily recommend anything they make!

Rose of Sharon Acres goats milk soap - This company is in Texas. You gotta love that. Goats milk is wonderful for the skin. They even make tooth soaps. I bought a sample. They're unused in my cabinet. The idea still freaks me out. (While I'm mostly crunchy, I do like my fluoride. Sorry. I do.)

Burt's Bees - I'm sure you all have heard of this company. I simply adore their Milk & Honey body lotion. It's one of the two lotions that actually works on my hands (which love to crack and bleed). Their Citrus & Ginger body wash is great too. Actually, I've not met a product from them that I did not think was great.

So now that you have been informed of my handmade soap addiction and have learned about how cleaning your face with charcoal and mud can stop the ugliest of wars, tell me what you love. If it sounds interesting, might just have to clear a spot on my shelf.

Or buy a bigger house...

It's me! ME ME ME!

2008-04-30T23:37:00.000-05:00

Two memes about ME.

Jessica & Sandy tagged me for these, and since I haven't done a tag thingy in a while, I figured why not?

What I was doing ten years ago:

Getting ready to graduate high school. Frick on a stick, it's been 10 years already. *gasp*
Preparing for college.
Hating the boyfriend that dumped me without even informing me of it. (Who does that?!)
Writing award winning poetry. *grin*
Singing in an award winning trio & female ensemble.

5 things on my to-do list today

Work on custom jewelry order.
Pay pest control dude.
Write website newsletter.
Go to spa party if my allergies stop making me dizzy.
Finish some new stud earrings and photograph them.

5 snacks I enjoy

Umm, chocolate
Raw almonds
Granola bars
Cheese sticks (though I'm still kind of sick of cheese)
Nut Thins

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire: in no particular order!

Build a big house with a huge kitchen, open floor plan, and a large studio with all the jewelry making equipment (and pottery making stuff too) that I dream about. (And buy one for my parents too.)
Buy a nicer car.
Donate more to various charities.
Make my husband quit his job so he can spend his time doing the things he loves.
Pay someone to find a real cure for panic disorder.

5 bad habits

Not eating enough.
Forgetting to wear a dusk mask when I sand metal.
Scratching my face (nervous habit!).
Falling asleep on the couch... with my glasses on.
Leaving half empty soda cans in strategic locations.

5 places I've lived

Texas
Texas
Texas
Texas
Texas

5 jobs I’ve had

Computer lab tech
Home daycare owner
Cashier at Hallmark (worst job EVER)
Payroll assistant
Small business owner/jewelry designer/amateur metalsmith *grin*

5 People I'll tag

I think just about everyone has already been tagged, so I'll refrain. :)

*****************************

Meme #2

I am…..... me! Duh.
I want.....to be a mommy.
I have...... a lot of wonderful things in my life, yet still want more.
I wish...... I could kick the anxiety.
I hate....... touching raw meat. Ewww.
I miss....... my granny.
I fear........ A LOT.
I feel......... sort of tired and a little anxious.
I hear........ the tv and my jewelry tumbler.
I smell....... nothing, actually.
I crave....... sanity! LOL
I search....... for jewelry stuff online. All the time.
I wonder..... if my life will ever feel normal.
I regret........ letting people that didn't deserve it shape my life and make me feel less than I am.
I love........... the feeling of writing something great, creating something beautiful with my hands, and making people laugh until it hurts.
I ache.......... because I'm clumsy and run into things.
I care........... less and less about what people think of me and more and more about who I really am.
I always........ have chocolate in my house (just ask my dad)!
I am not…... boring!
I believe......... "I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky..." (Actually I'm terrified of flying, so that's a lie. I really believe that if I fly I will pass out or die or at least throw up ten times in those little barf bags.)
I dance......... like an idiot just to make my husband smile.
I sing........... because I can. And I do it well. But rarely in front of people. For reasons I won't go into now.
I cry............. a lot less than I did last year.
I don’t always......... think things through before getting emotional.
I fight........ with Molly to come inside after going potty. She just sits there staring at me like I'm an idiot for even suggesting it.
I write....... music, poetry, funny and embarrassing things about myself and perhaps someday even a book.
I never....... saw myself in this life, but am pretty happy with most of it.
I listen........ when my husband tells me I'm beautiful.
I need........ to find some floor moisture testers so we can lay down our new floors sometime this century.
I am ......... me. I thought we covered this already!?

You are.... tagged? Go for it. :)

NOW it's really a bad day

2008-04-27T13:06:00.004-05:00

The dog situation just turned into an emergency. We're waiting a callback from the vet to see what we need to do.

If you read this, please pray for our little Molly. I'm worried sick.

UPDATE: Vet thinks it's a bacterial infection and she's on antibiotics to clear it up. I hope he's right and that's all it is.

It's a sad day

2008-04-27T11:39:00.002-05:00

I have new glasses with rimless frames. They have a few little crystals embedded in them (no, I did not do that. They came that way.) I ordered them online. They were very inexpensive, but very very nice high quality glasses.

My dog's poo was "negative", meaning she does not have parasites or worms. So we don't know what's wrong with her. Could be stress, could be her food (we recently changed flavors, tho the poo issues started quite a bit after that), could be both.

So why is is today a sad day? It's always a sad day when you find nothing to talk about other than glasses and poo!

Toxic Sludge

2008-04-26T00:53:00.006-05:00

It's always so much fun to get a box of jewelry making supplies in the mail. I just adore a box full of silver! Though with silver prices these days, a $200 order comes in a tiiiiny box. *sigh* It's not so fun, however, when you pull out one item meant to oxidize certain metals and start reading the label and see...

"Caution: Acidic solution. Use Eye protection. Toxic if taken internally."

... and that's all. No instructions on how to handle it or what to do if it gets on your skin (I mean, will it melt it or cause third degree burns?).
No MSDS.
No ingredients list.
No manufacturer's name.

Toxic sludge with no identification or real instructions.
Fun!

Google got me nowhere. Shame on you, Google. You've done me so good until now, but now you've done me wrong. Wrong, I say! I shall pour a thousand bottles of toxic sludge over you and liquefy your skin. (Again, don't you just love my blog?)

Just as I was about to find an online supplier for hazmat suits (because, I mean, who couldn't use a hazmat suit? Especially the clumsy and the dog poo catchers among us... thank goodness we are clumsy and dog poo catchers but not clumsy dog poo catchers. That could be interesting. Though we are clumsy dog pee catchers, but that's another story for another day...) I decided to call the retailer of this product. They were little help. They didn't know what its ingredients are and didn't say how to safely dispose of it if necessary. "You can prolly just flush it down the toilet..."

Ooooor prolly not. Contaminated toxic earth, much?

I did finally find out that if it somehow happens to sneak up under my hazmat suit and touch my skin, at least my skin will not turn into goo. "It's not like hydrochloric acid or anything..."

It will just turn it black. I already have black thumbs, so no biggie there.

Apparently this product is no big whoop. "I mean, you don't want to eat it or anything. That would be bad..."

Perhaps I'm just paranoid. But the words caution, acidic, eye protection, and toxic just sort of do that to a poo catching clumsy person, you know?

Oh, the lengths I go to make shiny pretty things. Got a hazmat suit? Anyone? Anyone?

One sick pup

2008-04-23T12:58:00.004-05:00

Our little Molly Mouse has been a little sick the past several days. I think she got into something outside. Whatever it is, her little belly has not been happy. It's been all gurgley so she'll go outside and eat the grass which of course then makes her puke. There have been other digestive issues too, of which I will spare you the details.

If she continues to have problems today, I get to be the lucky person who catches a poo to give to the vet to analyze. Aren't you glad you don't have that job (either poo catcher or analyzer)? So far, so good today. Yesterday I started her on a very bland diet with some added acidophillus and a doggy safe tummy med and I think it might be helping. I haven't heard a gurgle since, and I haven't let her eat grass the past two days, so no pukes either.

I discovered that she does not like plain white rice. It's too sticky. She'll try to eat it and then spit it out, smacking her lips like, "what the HECK?!" However, she loves boiled potato, and she'll tolerate the rice mixed with boiled potato. I'll add some meat after her belly gets a little rest and I'm sure she'll tolerate the rice with meat as well. Trixie, on the other hand, will eat anything.

There. I promised I'd make my next post about something other than jewelry, so even though I have several new pretties to share - you got to read about poo and puke instead! Don't you just love my blog?

Dude. More jewelry?

2008-04-20T22:27:00.006-05:00

Yes, sorry. MORE jewelry. I worked my little tail off all week making new stuff and you have to see it. My apologies. ;oP

This first one I am very proud of because it is a new skill for me. It's a green gemstone cab - I wish I knew what the stone is, but I'm not sure - that I bezel set. I made the entire bezel! From the back plate to the hidden bail... all of this was new to me. Very proud. :o)

I couldn't decide whether I should put it on this gorgeous slinky snake chain or on a leather cord. I think it looks good with both, so I will probably give customers the choice when I put it up on the site.

These last two are pendants I made while playing with my brand new metal clay. They were clay but now they're pure silver. You gotta love that. I'm in awe of this stuff - it is so cool. It's an incredible medium... the possibilities are pretty much unlimited. Must.Get.More!

The little square one was my first - it has a tree branch impression. It needs a bit more polishing.

Then there's this one which I'm calling "Puppy Love". Hubby bought this puppy thing for me, after we saw it in the craft store a few weeks prior and commented on how it reminded us of our Trixie. I oxidized this piece to bring out the impression. Who doesn't love a puppy? Awwww.

Okay. That's all. For now. I'll try to make my next post about something other than jewelry. ;o)

So Studly

2008-04-18T11:50:00.006-05:00

No, sorry honey, this post is not about you. Although you are a stud... just not the type of which I am speaking today.

Nope, I mean stud earrings. It seems as though several of our customers are wanting some little bitty lovelies for their ears. I've never been too hot on little bitties for my ears. I love danglies. If it doesn't dangle, I just don't even want it. *giggle* At first, I thought there are not that many things you can do with a stud earring. Then I started rummaging through my stash and idea after idea after idea came to me. So I made a few. There will be many more to follow, I'm sure. But for now, just enjoy these "Li'l Bits". I decided to call them that because even though they don't dangle, they really are li'l bits of fun. Corny? Yes. Cool jewelry? Abso-freakin'-lutely! *grin*

Li'l Bit of Bloom - sterling silver flowers & posts

Li'l Bit of Flower Power - sterling silver flower rings & posts

Li'l Bit Linear - sterling silver bar with red brass ball accents

Shagadelic, baby

2008-04-17T01:22:00.007-05:00

Have you ever wondered what a shagadelic bracelet would look like? Well, here you go. This bracelet is so hot, in fact, that it burned a hole in my shorts. Literally. Yes, it's never a good idea to drop red hot metal on nylon-y athletic shorts. I'm thinking it's not a good idea to wear nylon-y athletic shorts while working at the torch. But the nylon-y athletic shorts did save my leg from what could have been a nasty burn. I'm always really, really careful at the torch (I promise - I'm uber-paranoid about my scary stuff like torches and saws), but even being careful, accidents can happen. The tweezers slipped and I don't know how red hot silver ended up on my lap, but it did. My next trip to Lowe's, I think I'll be buying some kind of protective apron. These were my one and only pair of leg saving nylon-y athletic shorts, so next time I'm just out of luck.

But anyway... back to the super hot shagadelic bracelet. This is a chain maille bracelet made with a weave titled "shaggy loops" or "flip flop". I'm in love with this weave. It worked up so fast and is just plain cool. When it's hanging straight down (like it would in earrings), it looks very linear. But when it's laying flat, like on your wrist or neck... it gets all funky. The rings flop around in a most delightful manner.

Love!

This one is made with sterling silver, copper, and red brass wire that I coiled and cut into these little bitty rings. I made the toggle clasp too, from sterling silver sheet and copper I made into the little accent balls. I might just name it the toggle clasp of death. It killed my shorts, you know.

I haven't worked any maille in quite a while and I missed it! It's so satisfying. Heck, any metal work is something I find satisfying. I broke out the metal clay today and ~~wanted to scream~~ had a blast. I really, really love working with metal.

I've decided I need a bracelet like this all in silver. I don't wear many bracelets, but if I make myself one of these, I think I may never take it off.

Enjoy. :)

Barbie did it, I tell you!

2008-04-11T14:15:00.001-05:00

Many, many, MANY years ago I was a small child. I have a cousin who was an even smaller child. She is a few years younger than I am, but we always got along really well. We had a lot of fun playing together when my family would travel up north to visit my granny and various aunts and uncles. I hate to play favorites, but if I had to pick a favorite cousin, I'd pick her. Except for a brief period of time when she was in love with 'N Sync and The Hansons, (MMMBop! *gaaaag*) she's always been a cool chick.

I'm not sure they knew it, but I always loved going to their house. You see, their house was completely different than my house (not that I didn't like my house, mind you). My aunt and uncle are hilarious people (if not a little scary - at least to the young, sheltered, weird child that I was). They had cats. Very strange but fun cats. And dogs - HUGE but gentle dogs. Rottweilers. The kind that knock you over when they wag their tails. They always had a good variety of junk food. Breakfast was usually mix-n-pour pancakes. You know, the kind where you just add water. They had a big television and satellite tv. MTV, VH1, (and here is where my parents will freak out) all the movie channels - fun stuff, I tell you. MTV was actually somewhat cool back then, you know. They had good music videos, and YES, I was a little heathen that watched them. I can attribute much of my love for a wide variety of music to my ~~favorite~~ cousin and her parents. If it weren't for them, I probably never would have been exposed to great 90s bands like Collective Soul. Ahh, memories.

Of course, before we were too into stuff like MTV, we did other fun things such as swing on the swing set while the Rotties nipped at our feet. Or get our butts "whooped" for ruining library books by taping them all together to make Barbie cities. Or sing "The Ants Go Marching..." at night over and over again until we fell asleep. Or play Toy War. Now, if you've never played Toy War, you should know that it's play at your own risk. To play, you hide behind some makeshift "fort" with a pile of toys (mostly stuffed animals) and, well, make war. The object of the game is to hit but not be hit.

This one fateful day that ~~favorite~~ cousin and I played Toy War will forever be recorded in the history books as The Day Crystal Gave ~~Favorite~~ Cousin a Black Eye. (Can't you just hear the music go, "dun dun dun!!!"?)

I'm not sure why she did it, but Barbie infiltrated my camp. She Trojan Horsed her way in and plunked herself right in the midst of my ammo. With her evil plastic grin, unnaturally large bosom, and permanently disfigured feet, she crawled her way to the top of my pile and leapt into my hand as I reached for my next weapon. In playing Toy War, you don't look before you throw. You just reach down, grab a toy, and bombs away!

Barbie was airborne.

Now listen carefully bloggy friends, because this next bit of information is mighty important. Barbies and ~~favorite~~ cousins who cannot duck properly do not a good pair make.

Barbie made contact. Eye contact, that is. Apparently permanently disfigured feet and unnaturally large bosoms can do quite a number on a child's eye. Meaning: I Barbie gave ~~favorite~~ cousin a shiner. What can I say? Chick didn't duck. It was a total accident. Barbie did it. None of these excuses, however, quell the constant reminders of that fateful day. I have become infamous, people. Infamous. The Notorious B.A.R.B.I.E.

Without fail, each and every time I see these particular family members, The Day is mentioned. Do we talk about the Rotties? Or the MTV? The mix-n-pour pancakes? The ants that go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain boom boom boom, boom boom boom boom? No, no. We talk about the black eye. That I caused. When I threw the Barbie. At ~~favorite~~ cousin.

Just like the time I ran into the pole in the middle of the mall food court, and the time I set the pan on fire and coated the entire kitchen with a fine layer of fire extinguisher shmudge... this is one day that I will never live down.

Lock up your plastic dolls, people. Hide your children who cannot duck properly. The Notorious B.A.R.B.I.E. is in town. And she can throwdown. Right in your eye, yo.

(Love ya, ~~favorite~~ cousin. Mad props, girlfriend.)

It's jewelry, of course

2008-04-10T14:02:00.002-05:00

New stuff from The Belles.

I have to say that this is one of my new favorites from my mama. I love chocolate brown, and chocolate brown pearls are so hot this year. I mean, they're so hot that we had trouble finding them because they were all sold out!

There are also some pretty earrings to match.

Gorgeous tiger jasper & 14kt gf set:

And last, but not least, a cool and modern triple ring pendant (matches these earrings).

Molly Mouse: it's what's for dinner

2008-04-10T03:27:00.002-05:00

Mmmm... nose... tasty.

New Life

2008-04-08T14:48:00.004-05:00

We have this tree in the back yard. It's a little thing that was here when we bought the house. Our home is only 6 years old, so the tree is still an itty bitty, though it has grown a lot in the two years we've lived here.

Our first winter here, we thought it had died. It shed everything it had and we were left with just a lone, tall stick poking up from the ground. Our baby oak tree in the front did not do this, but this stick in the back we were sad to see die. Come spring, the silly thing started growing and getting leaves and such again. It didn't die, it just went into hibernation. *giggle*

It did the same thing this winter, but at least we knew what to expect this time. Now it's starting to put on some green again. I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but it's a funny little thing. In another month, it will be completely FULL of lovely green leaves.

Oh, and look. A beeeeeby squash! Too cute to eat.

The curse has been lifted

2008-04-07T01:44:00.005-05:00

The curse of the kitchen disasters, you know. It left as suddenly as it came, leaving behind a veritable feast of yummiliciousness (oooh, Crystal made up a word!).

I'm not sure why it decided to visit my home, nor do I know why it chose to go, but let me tell you I am sure glad that it did. Perhaps it left with my cold, or perhaps my little emo dog chased it away with her sad, sad eyes. Or maybe... just maybe... it was banished into the night with the arrival of the newest member of our household.

Meet my new favorite family member, Miss KitchenAid Mixer.

Aint she a beaut? Her baby sister, Li'l Immersion Blender is sitting next to her. I've been wanting to welcome Miss Mixer into my home for quite some time now and after months and months of agonizing over the decision I went for it. I bought the souped up model with the all metal gears and the huge bowl and the powerful motor. This baby has some power, people. I was originally not going to spring for that one, but I found it for a crazy low price and with a rebate to boot and I carefully measured the tiny spot on my counter to make sure it would fit... and, well, obviously it does. Barely. *grin*

When I ordered her, I had visions of bread loaves and cookies and brownies dancing in my head. I'm hopefully going to be a mom someday, and moms bake, you know. They do not, however, kill off half of their state by making nu-cu-ler pastries. But I have these grand dreams of me and Miss Mixer creating all sorts of yummilicious items full of genetically-modified-wheat and white sugar and pounds and pounds of luscious butter. Someone's gotta fatten me up (seriously... lost toooo much weight this winter!). Do you think she's up to the task?

I'm thinking of buying her a few friends to play with. Mr. Grain Mill and Mrs. Pasta Maker. Maaaaaybe if my husband is nice enough to me, I'll consider having his buddy, Mr. Ice Cream Maker Dude, over for a few meals. But for now, it's just me and Miss Mixer. But oh, what a wonderful pair we are.

We have already made pizza (with a chickpea crust):

And peanut butter cookies.... MMmmmmm!

That was Saturday. Sunday she really got a workout by mixing up some yummy doughy, yeasty goodness.

Oh yes. Bread. FRESH bread. Like, two loaves of BREAD. Made with yeast and white flour and white sugar. Kneaded and risen to perfection. *happy sigh* Can you even believe it?!

And it.is.gooood.y'all.

See? The first loaf is already half gone.

I can definitely say that Miss Mixer was broken into quite nicely this weekend. And my mind is going nuts trying to decide what to bake next! You know you like your new mixer when you look at the huge batch of cookies on the table and find yourself wanting to binge on them just so that you will have a good excuse to make brownies.

Who has issues? Not me. I just have a yummiliciousness-inducing new toy. Oh, and the absence of the kitchen curse, of course.

A belle & her beau on hair

2008-04-03T21:07:00.002-06:00

Me: "Hey hon, what would you do if I decided to dread my hair?"

Hubby: "I would dread your hair too."

Emo dog...

2008-04-02T15:24:00.002-06:00

... gets no cookie.

Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.

2008-04-01T00:26:00.009-06:00

People, I hereby declare myself dangerous in the kitchen. Remember the nu-cu-ler bread I made on Wednesday? Oh yeah. It gets worse.

Friday afternoon, I decided I REALLY wanted cookies. These cookies, to be specific, though I do not know why the person who posted them said to use instant oats. I've been eating these my entire life, and I'm pretty sure I've always had them with quick oats. At least that is what mama tells me to buy when I frantically call her from the grocery store to ask which kind I need. QUICK oats. Not old fashioned. Not instant. Instant oats are, like, ewwwe, but I digress.

At first I thought I did not have enough sugar, but it turns out that I had just enough. Whew. All was well. I carefully measured out my ingredients, paying extra attention this time (even though I did not use the confusing measuring cups - I desperately wanted these cookies and did not want to mess them up!). I used the special dark cocoa... mmmmmm... and threw in a dash of salt, just like mama taught me. Chocolate desserts need a dash of salt. Sometimes we make these with peanut butter and sometimes we leave it out. This time, however, the peanut butter was a-callin' my name. It has calories, you know, and I need calories. Plus, I haven't yet tasted them with special dark cocoa and peanut butter.

I set out my pot with the ingredients and got it going. Maybe 45 seconds later, I looked over and saw a measuring glass... with 1/2 cup milk. *sigh* I forgot to pour in the milk. Things seemed ok, so I poured it in. It immediately started to simmer. Hmm. I stirred vigorously and 30 seconds later, the bottom felt as though it had sticky stuff on it. By the time the mixture came up to a boil, it stunk to high heaven. Don't you love the smell of burnt sugar AND burnt chocolate? Oh yes, it is a lovely combo for sure.

I ruined the stinking (literally) cookies! I could not believe it. I've made these for years and years and have never made such a mistake.

Of course, I used up the last of the sugar so I could not make another batch. *grumble, grumble* And do you know how nicely burnt sugar and cocoa sticks to the bottom of a stainless steel pan? I think the three became one. It took several boiling soaks to get it off (ever boiled water with baking soda? That's kind of fun.). Here's how it looked after a few soaks and scrapes:

It did finally come clean. That's why I love stainless so... it can take a lot of abuse! Of course, the story does not end here. Nope, not quite. During my attempt to cause the pan and the burnt sugar/cocoa to get a divorce, something else happened.

Yep. To add insult to injury, I melted the end of my measuring cup.

I'm a GOOD COOK. I promise, I really am. Ask my husband and my daddy. Sure I set a pan on fire when cooking our second wedding anniversary dinner, forcing us to eat at Burger King for the memorable event instead... but that doesn't count. Nor does the fact that I coated the entire kitchen with a fine layer of fire extinguisher shmudge to put it out (it was only the pan that was on fire, people. Just.The.Pan). And let's not count the time I somehow made oatmeal so salty that my husband nearly gagged. No, no. These do not matter. They were a loooong time ago. I make good food these days, and I promise I have not experimented with the pyrotechnics in 5.5 years. But last week, the kitchen did not treat me well. Blame it on the tax man. Or the migraine and fever I've been fighting for the past two days. Yes, one of them has to be to blame... not me.

But just to be safe, I think I might hire a cook from now on.