Wood Nymph Necklace, Father's Day Gift Idea, & Vegan Dumplings

I am so proud of this necklace; I just love how it turned out. I'm calling it the Wood Nymph Necklace because it reminds me so much of something that a tiny little fairy living in a forest would wear. It is literally dripping with all kinds of gorgous gemstones, including lemon quartz (large, faceted pear briolettes), smoky quartz (large, faceted marquise briolettes), hessonite garnet, citrine, peridot, smoky quartz rondelles, and andalusite, as well as Swarovski simulated pearls and sterling silver beads. I hope somebody falls madly in love with this piece; that's the only way I'm going to be able to part with it. :-)

I also want to mention - jewelry might not be the first thing that pops into your head when shopping for Father's Day gifts, but I do have one item in my shop that would be totally perfect.

I know, I know, it has a picture of a dog in it, but the beauty of it is, you get to pick your own photograph, so you can send me a picture of your kids and I'll use that to make your very own custom keychain for Dad. (Or maybe you don't have kids and a picture of the dog would be just the thing!) The charm, chain, and key ring are all sterling silver, and your photograph (either in full color, black and white, or sepia) is sealed under a layer of clear jeweler's resin for a durable, beautiful finish.

A fellow Etsian, lessthanthreedesigns, was kind enough to post an interview of me on her blog a few days ago. Take a peek! (Scroll down a bit to find mine.)

And last but not least, my exciting vegan cooking news of the day is that I ate dumplings for the first time last night. How is it that I have gone thirty years without ever eating a dumpling??? Even as a child, before I was vegetarian, I don't think I ever had one. The dumplings themselves were good, but the stew I cooked them in was just okay. I'm going to work on putting together a tastier version, and once I do, I will be sure to post the vegan dumpling goodness for all to enjoy.