New Work

Fair trade rutilated quartz, recycled 14k gold, and recycled palladium sterling silver ring, size 7.5

It's a chunky one! :-)

California pink tourmaline and recycled sterling silver ring
{ custom order; sold }

A simple oxidized band, recycled palladium sterling silver
{ custom order; sold }

A Change of Pace

I don't know what came over me, but the other day I felt compelled to try my hand at a new artistic medium - painting. Of course I had to choose a subject that is compelling to me - turkeys! More specifically, my dear Blossom, one of our two rescued turkeys.

Acrylic on canvas, 8" x 8"

It was really fun to paint. I think I'll be doing more of these - I'll probably do one of our chickens next. :-)

New Work

Sapphire, moissanite, and recycled sterling silver rings
{ custom order; sold }

(I've made this one several times before, but I still love it.)
Moissanite, sapphire, and recycled 14k yellow gold ring
{ custom order; sold }

This is the first time I've used a sapphire in the back; in the past it's always been a ruby.

Fair trade Zultanite and recycled 14k palladium white gold ring, size 7

Fair trade Mexican fire opal and recycled sterling silver ring
{ custom order; sold }

Pumpkin Bread and Other Holiday Yumminess

I made some really delicious pumpkin bread today, and I thought I'd post the recipe plus list some links to other vegan recipes I've posted for the holidays in years past...

Pumpkin Spice Bread
Super easy to make and no added fat! If you're like me, your waistline will thank you for that this time of year!

16 oz. pumpkin puree
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
egg replacer equal to two eggs
3 cups flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 large tart apples, shredded or very finely diced (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat two loaf pans with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, applesauce, sugar, maple syrup, and egg replacer. Stir the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Pour into loaf pans and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a butter knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Need more ideas for vegan holiday treats? Look no further...

Thelma's Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
No-Cook Mint Meltaways
Vegan Fudge (so good.)
Ginger Lime Cookies
Gene's Holiday Cookies
Lefse (I'm sad to say I haven't found the time to make any this year.)
Fat Free Vegan's Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
Cinnamon Rolls (a McFarland family Christmas morning tradition)

New Work

Moissanite, recycled 14k yellow gold, and recycled 14k white gold engagement and wedding ring
{ custom order; sold }

California pink tourmaline and recycled sterling silver ring
{ custom order; sold }

California green tourmaline and recycled sterling silver ring, size 6.5

Recycled 14k yellow gold engagement and wedding rings
(This was a custom order and the customer is going to supply his own stone and have it set locally; I just placed a moissanite in there to make the picture look better, but if it looks a little funny, it's because the stone isn't permanently set.)

New Work

Moissanite and recycled 14k yellow gold wedding band

Recycled 14k yellow gold wedding band

Moissanite and recycled palladium sterling silver wedding band

Fair trade amethyst, lab-created alexandrite, and recycled palladium sterling silver wedding bands

My Christmas Gift to You

You should probably go make these now.

Thelma's Peanut Butter Bars (the new and improved vegan version)

2 sticks (1 cup) soy margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2-1/3 cups powdered sugar
12 oz. chocolate chips

Combine first four ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Spread into a greased 9" x 13" pan. Melt the chocolate chips and spread them over the top.

Cutting these nicely can be a bit of a challenge - obviously you don't want to do it while the chocolate is still soft, but if you wait until it's completely hardened, it has a tendency to kind of shatter when you try to cut them into nice-looking squares. I recommend either cutting them after a short while in the fridge (maybe 45 minutes or so? I didn't time mine...) or chilling them completely, but letting them sit out for a bit before you cut and serve them.

New Work

Fair trade sapphire and recycled 14k yellow and white gold ring, size 6

Moissanite and recycled sterling silver ring, size 7.5

Moissanite and recycled 14k white gold ring

Moissanite, recycled sterling silver, and recycled 14k yellow gold ring
{ custom order; sold }

Fair trade sapphire, recycled sterling silver, and recycled 14k white gold ring
{ custom order; sold }

New Work

Fair trade sapphire, recycled 14k palladium white gold, and recycled palladium sterling silver wedding set
{ custom order; sold }

Recycled 14k white gold and recycled sterling silver ring, size 7.5

Recycled 14k white gold and recycled sterling silver ring
{ custom order; sold }

Moissanite and recycled sterling silver earrings

New Stones

I found a new source for fair trade gemstones - most of her stones come from mall-scale mines that are part of a local, nonprofit, non-governmental organization called the Tanzania Women Miner's Association (TAWOMA). TAWOMA educates miners on free-trade, ethical and sustainable mining principles. The Association's mission is to facilitate Women Miners to organize and access required financial, technical and marketing services so that they can carry out mining activities that are both economically viable and environmentally sustainable, thereby raising the standard of living of women miners and their families.

Rhodolite, 6mm

Aquamarine, 6mm