New Skills / New Work

About a month ago I drove up to Bend, Oregon to learn how to fabricate in palladium. The class was taught by the talented and kind jewelry artist Jim Dailing. I had a wonderful time learning how to create beautiful things with this incredible metal, and I'm excited to start offering many new designs in 950 palladium, which is a noble metal in the platinum family that is nickel-free and hypoallergenic, and has a brighter silvery-white color than any of the white gold alloys. It is slightly more affordable than gold as well. 

On the way home I took a slight detour to take in the beauty of Crater Lake, which I last visited on my honeymoon 15+ years ago.

Since I have my priorities straight, the first order of business was to take a picture of an adorable tiny chipmunk.

Then, on to the amazing non-furry-friend-related scenery...

What an incredibly beautiful spot! Here's a photo of my very first palladium ring, which I made during the class...

  

And a nicer shot that I took after returning home -

 { available for purchase in my Etsy shop }

It was a super inspiring experience for me, and made me realize that this is the first professional development I've enjoyed in four years! Yikes... I need to prioritize that, especially now that Carlos is getting older. Of course, even after the best travel experience, it's always nice to come home to the family, both human and non-human. :-)

 Foster dog Pedro on the studio couch

I'm Back.

We returned late last night from a blissful week in Guatemala, and I thought I'd share a few of my favorite pics. You can see more on my Facebook page.

Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua, Guatemala

Quinta de las Flores, Antigua, Guatemala

Quinta de las Flores, Antigua, Guatemala

Quinta de las Flores, Antigua, Guatemala
(the view from our front door)

San Miguel Escobar, Guatemala

Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua, Guatemala

I'm Back.

I'm back in town and trying desperately to get caught up on e-mails, etc. Carlos is feeling much better - back to his usual spunky self - and we were able to at least enjoy the last couple of days of our trip. We took Carlos to the water slides twice and out on a boat on Lake Coeur D'Alene. The sun felt wonderful, and it's actually kind of difficult adjusting back to the cool Humboldt County weather, which I usually love. I think I'm slowly starting to like warmer weather in my old age. :-)

My nephew, Calvyn, jumping into the lake

Pics from the road

Carlos and I are out on the road, adventuring in the bay area. Thought I'd share a few photos of our trip so far - not surprisingly, they are mostly food-related. This is like vegan food paradise compared to where I live...

View across the bay from the hills above Berkeley
(a token non-food photo)

On to lunch at Cha-Ya (an all-vegan Japanese restaurant) -

Hallelujah! - vegan miso soup.
(Can't find it anywhere in Humboldt - everyone puts fish stock in it - yuck!)

Agedashi tofu

I spotted these little cuties in a (non-vegan) bakery window just down from Cha-Ya - don't they look super easy to make and really cute?

Dinner at Pizza Plaza in Oakland, CA -

I loved this funky little place. And check out that sweet delivery van! Classic.

Vegan menu options were staggering...

...they just went on and on.

Carlos and I scarfed our pizza down too quickly to get a photo, but here's dessert -

- we shared a piece of vegan German chocolate cake. Not the best I've ever had, but it's always nice to at least have vegan options. And I'm not one to turn down chocolate.

That's all for today. Hope you're all doing well.

Eek! I'm here.

Here goes... my very own blog. How embarassing. Hopefully I will share some cool stuff (maybe some lame stuff too) and not bore you all too much.

First, some pics of the boy, taken on a recent trip to San Francisco (so much fun!):

Exciting news of the day... I got a big shipment of beads today from my supplier in India, and wow, are they ever fabulous!!! I am so excited to get them photographed and up on my Etsy site (www.BestBeads.etsy.com). Plus I get to play with the beads myself! Mmm, pure beady goodness. Unfortunately I won't be able to play with my new treasures much tomorrow, but come Wednesday, it's going to be a beadapalooza.

Also in today's mail, a super-terrifically-fabulous little purse/tote bag that I got from Abby at www.whitepaintandribbons.etsy.com - happy day! I can not even describe the deliciousness of this little purse, so I will have to take some pictures and post them soon. You will be jealous.

And a recipe. I'm going to keep this one super easy so you won't be intimidated by my mad kitchen skillz.

Beer Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. organic sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 can beer (12 oz.)

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients, then mix in beer. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray or grease with canola oil. Pour mix into pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then finish cooling on rack.

It's really yummy, you've gotta try it! Trust me.

Please don't be put off by the multiple abrupt subject changes... you'll get used to it.