my master's classes are slowing down, so i had time to make a few jewelry creations this week that are now in my etsy store.  a necklace i really like is in the works, but i keep taking it apart so i can get it just right.  hopefully i'll have it done by the end of the week...  this first necklace already sold, i love it, so vintage looking.   what do you think?

holy ukelele, sophie madeleine was blogged about on one of my favorite blogs, cakies and i checked her out on youtube, heard this song and was sold.  she's just so sweet and whimsical with that ukelele.  what do you think?  you can download her album here  for $5 minimum (name your price)

i am absolutely loving this gorgeous leather work i saw on etsy...

paul's parents were here this week and his mom brought this train wreck below for me to make wearable.  yes, that giant turquoise chunk is on the side of the necklace, asymmetrical jewelry at it's worst? 

paul's mom typically likes chunky pendants, so i made her this quick necklace with that gigantic turquoise bead.  reworking one piece of jewelry into something new is one of my favorite things to do.  do you have any jewelry that you need to be reworked?

it's the weekend.  a three day weekend in fact and i am almost finished with my homework!  i feel a profound sense of freedom as the sun is shining, my patio door is open, and the fresh air feels lovely.  i made a trip to the bead store and i have lots of ideas floating through my head....  but then i spotted this on etsy.

aren't they so very pretty?  and perhaps so very makeable?  i just got this great little ceramic cutter that i was planning on using to cut designs out of fabric, but i think i might try it for this to cut some pretty designs in paper...  and all i need is fabric and a hole punch, right?   hmmm....  if i get one made, i'll put up a tutorial....

i had a free night this week and made this necklace that i'd had in my head for quite some time.  it felt quite good to sit down and make something, so my hope is that this week i'll have some time to work on the next project on my list, that paper wreath in my last post.  what's your latest project?

i'm having a creative block and it's not because of lack of ideas, but because of lack of time to consider them!  i am much busier at the moment than i like to be and i haven't made a single thing since my last post.  class started back up for my master's degree and i'm either gone to class, working on homework, or at work all the time.  i'll stop complaining now... or i won't!  i will be posting less for awhile, which is probably fine for everyone but me.   and just keep in mind, that while i'd like to be making this:

or this:

 

or this:

i'll actually be reading this:

and this:

and this:

all of which are contributing to my genius... don't get me wrong.
have a great week!

five for friday...

part of my goals for my new little business this year was to make five, and only five, things a week for my etsy store.  i was having trouble with either overdoing it each week or underdoing it and in the process i was neglecting other important parts of my life in order to make beautiful jewels!  so, i decided i am going to work on my five things each week and hopefully that will give me a goal to work towards and a limit for when i need it.  i am hoping to build enough inventory to enter a show in the late spring.  each friday i'll be posting my five jewelry creations of the week.  be sure to vote in the poll on the right to let me know which ones you like best!

i am sure you are all wondering how my closet cleaning project turned out.  it is awesome!  but i think having a closet that actually has a place for everything is turning me into a psycho clean freak... i'm not sure if that's possible, it's most likely short term, because i am absolutely a mess.  but for the time being i am hyper anal about my closet and it has been this clean for over a week.  here are the before and after pictures....  please don't judge me.  i bet your closet sucks too.

ah, 2 weeks off work for christmas = time to cook a meal!
i made this soup that was recommended by my brother: turkey sausage-gnocchi soup, except i used spicy chicken sausage and added these gigantic indian mustard leaves from my garden.  aren't they crazy, huge?!  i have had no idea what to do with them- the seed packet said to use them for salad, but they are kind of furry and prickly!  i can't imagine eating it raw, but it's good cooked...

i also made this salad that my friend, sarah, made for us one time and i loved it.  she used blue cheese but i didn't have any so i used goat cheese instead.  it was delicious!  it is just lettuce, a chopped up granny smith apple, sugared almonds, goat cheese, and poppy seed dressing.  love it when i'm not too tired or cranky to cook! and my husband deemed the meal a success.  yum!