Labradorite Madness

I made a bunch of labradorite rings today; several are special orders, and a few will go up in my shop for general consumption. :-)

Custom order for cmsilver
(I've never paired labradorite with this patterned metal before because I've always thought that it goes so well with the clean, modern lines of plain metal, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I like this! I'll be making more...)

...and another view of the same ring

Labradorite & sterling silver, size 7

Faceted round AA-color labradorite (14mm) with hammered sterling silver band, size 7

Smooth cushion cut AA-color labradorite (13mm) with hammered sterling silver band, size 6.5

...and another view of the same ring

Custom order for pinkpoppystudio

Custom order for smokingdrum

Rectangular labradorite & sterling silver, size 8

Obviously not labradorite, but here's a lapis ring I made a long time ago but just got around to oxidizing today. I like the distressed finish on this one.

Political Fun

Well, I'm not watching the debates right now because we don't have CNN... but here's a fun game to help you determine which presidential candidate is the most closely aligned with your opinions and beliefs: USA Today 'Candidate Match Game'. (After you answer the questions, don't forget you can use the little slider things on the right-hand side of the screen to give certain topics more or less weight.)

Now, I know some will see this as dumbing down the race or over simplifying things and allowing people to be lazy and not do research. I can see that point of view, but I also think that in this day and age, it is very hard to keep track of everything that's going on, especially with every different media source putting their own spin on things. Personally, I often find politics very confusing. So I thought the game was fun, and a good jumping-off point to possibly encourage people to do more research on the issues and the candidates.

For what it's worth, my results are (1) Dennis Kucinich, (2) Bill Richardson, and (3) Mike Gravel. Leave a comment and tell me what your results are!

I'm drooling...

I got some new cabs today that have totally knocked my socks off. I absolutely can't wait to get out and get to work with these. Unfortunately I am so busy these days, who knows when I will find the time. Wah!

Faceted round labradorite cabochons, AA color, 14mm

...and a close-up of the same

Faceted oval labradorite cabochons, AA color, 18mm x 13mm

...and a close-up of the same

Faceted rectangular labradorite cabochons, AA color, 16mm x 12mm
(aren't the stripey markings interesting?)

Smooth square cushion cut labradorite cabochons, AA color, 13mm

Smooth round labradorite cabochons, AA color, 12mm

And just to prove I like stones other than labradorite, here are some gorgeous faceted antique cushion cut rose quartz cabochons, 12mm

*****
I'll be making some stock rings out of these cabs to sell in my jewelry shop, or if you see something you like, feel free to email me about a custom order!

Yummeh

New beads! New beads! New beads! To be added to my bead shop whenever I can manage to find time...

Ametrine briolette drops

Aqua chalcedony briolettes

Pink tourmaline briolettes

Chrysocolla briolette drops

Tourmaline briolettes

Twice in Three Days - So Exciting!

Another of my pieces made it to the Etsy front page today - hooray! It gives me such a thrill to log on and see one of my things there. Thanks, SpaTherapy, for the honors!

(Those are my earrings, second row, far right.)

A delicate balance

Lately I feel like my cooking experiences have been all about trying to find the right balance between healthy and delicious. I know that the two terms are not mutually exclusive, but sometimes it's tough to always choose the whole grain over the white, and the vegetable over the cookie.


Well, these muffins strike the absolute perfect balance. They are filled with wholesome grains and delectable berries, and at the last minute I couldn't resist throwing in a handful of chocolate chips. I guess I'm a hedonist at heart. The recipe is greatly influenced by the 'Berry Goodness Muffins' in Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton, but I was out of so many of the ingredients that the recipe called for that I ended up making tons of substitutions and I think the result is enough changed from the original that it's fine to post here without stepping on any toes.

Badass Berry Muffins

1-1/2 cups rolled oats, pureed in food processor until flour-like
1 cup whole spelt flour
1/2 cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup hemp milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup fresh raspberries (frozen would probably work fine too)
1/3 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (oats through baking soda). In a separate bowl, mix hemp milk, applesauce, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, vanilla, lemon extract, and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry, then gently fold in berries and chocolate chips. Spoon into muffin tins that have been sprayed with cooking oil* and bake for 23-25 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test.

As Dreena mentions in her recipe, the chickpea flour has an odd taste before it's cooked, so don't try the batter. The taste is fabulous once it's all combined and baked though, so don't fret!

* My rant of the day - why does everyone use those little cupcake liner thingies? I can see splurging and using them for special occasions when you want your birthday party cupcakes to be festive or whatever, but the rest of the time, it seems like a total waste of paper. I know it's a small thing, but small things done by millions of people add up! I'm always surprised when my vegan cookbook instructions say to use them; I guess I expect vegans to be greener than the average Joe (or Josephina)... end of rant. Enjoy the muffins.

Time to lighten the mood around here...

Okay, I know everyone's thoughts are beginning to turn to the holidays, so I thought it would be fun to post a few of my favorite recent Etsy finds. Maybe I can introduce you to a few talented independent artists to shop with this year instead of going to the mall (yucky!)...

Tambourine Ring by sudlow, $90

Birds in Night Granny Bag by charmdesign, $52

Luminoso Earrings by brightonmoon, on sale for $28

Shabby Flowers marble magnets by dragonflies, $6.25

Red Bird on Cherry Blossom Pillow by joom, $28

Socktopus Handmade Sock Monkey Octopus by blackbirdfashion, $20