Glee!

I watch a LOT of TV when I make jewelry, and this week I've been re-watching Glee. (Because of the involuntary fist pumps I accidentally throw lots of beads across the room, but it's a small price to pay.)

This time going through the seasons, I noticed what fabulous style Emma Pillsbury has. She's so neurotic and ANNOYING (sorry, SORRY! I much prefer Sue Sylvester's horribleness) that I guess I didn't notice it the first go-around. But way to bring back sweater clips, Emma! Loves it!

I think I might try to do some Emma-inspired necklaces this week...though I should probably wait until I make it through Glee first. I don't want to lose any more beads.

NOTE: I think I may have to start doing a Sue Sylvester quote of the day. Today's quote: "I'm all about empowerment. I empower my Cheerios to live in a constant state of fear by creating an environment of irrational random terror."

WHOOPS, ANOTHER NOTE: After writing the above I did a Google image search for "Emma Pillsbury AND jewelry AND Glee" and a bunch of other blogs popped up devoted to her style. Some were SPECIFICALLY devoted to her jewelry. So much for originality.

Don't Trust THIS Guy...

...slash cat...with your jewelry. He'll try to snatch it from right under your nose.

Oh but he's JUST SO CUTE. I loves my Peter Plumpkin.

A Zinnia Tangent

I loved all of the Anne of Green Gables books when I was younger (okay, still love 'em now), but the one thing that really bugged me about her (besides how long it took her to realize she loved Gilbert) was that she hated zinnias!

What!?!! How can anyone hate zinnias?!!? Besides being so easy to grow that even I can't kill them, zinnias are so bright and fresh! Part of my job as Events Coordinator to the Governor's Mansion is arranging flowers for all of our Mansion events. In the summer I love cutting a whole bunch of zinnias. The State Dining Room in the Mansion is a bit dark and the zinnias just liven it right on up! And afterwards, PERHAPS they find their way to my coffee table at home?

Anne Shirley, I never thought I'd say it...but you are CLEARLY on drugs.

Sarah Getting Married...

Every day I find more reasons to heart Etsy. Last week, for example, I was contacted through Etsy by Sarah who's getting married in October. She really liked the basic design of my Marrakech earrings for her bridesmaids but wanted them to be a bit more bridal. Armed with that request and the color of her bridesmaid dresses (J. Crew dark plum), I worked up this design with amethyst-colored glass and light champagne-colored seed pearls. I love the earrings with the dresses...very boho bridesmaid. What do you think?

No Seriously...Poverty

Gah I should just STOP making resolutions about spending money. I just bought a boatload of the prettiest vintage jewelry from my good friend Mike Lee's antique shop. I can't wait to start on it! Some of it is perfect the way it is, but some pieces may get a little makeover. My favorites are the gold-plated flower teardrops and the 1920's mother-of-pearl German scarf clip...wouldn't it make a great ring?

Inspired + Jealous...

... by and of Wendy Mink Jewelry (wendyminkjewelry.com). She's traveled extensively and has the weight of her world experience behind her delicate designs. Half of my "travel-inspired" designs are actually from...well, photographs.

Sigh.

Anyone up for a trip to India?

And...poverty.

Even though I'm on a "no spending" rule this week, I just ordered a whole bunch of new beads and findings (gotta love PayPal). My favorite are these simple gold-plated posts. I will probably leave them as they are rather than embellish them. That means that, since they're not handmade by me (thanks South Korea!), I won't be able to sell them on Etsy. So, if you'd like a pair, send me a message!

I also ordered a bunch of new faceted gemstone briolettes, so stay tuned for new items in my Etsy shop!

First Blog Post!

Surprisingly, I'm launching this only a WEEK after the deadline I gave myself. Normally it would still be a work in progress in say...a year. I'm possibly going to be playing with the design of the blog, so it may look totally different tomorrow!

The REAL question is how often I'll post to this blog. I'm hoping for twice a week. We'll see. (Bets anyone?)

Anyway, welcome to my blog. Though I'll obviously be blogging new jewelry designs etc., I'm sure I'll go off on one or two or fifty tangents. So...stay tuned!