More...

The dust has settled (buffing compound dust, that is) and here's what I came up with today...

Just like the original, but with a different/wider band

Four-leaf clover ring (rainbow moonstone over green resin)

Cloudy aquamarine & sterling silver ring

Blue-green Afghan tourmaline & sterling silver ring

Pink tourmaline & sterling silver ring

'Dewdrop' ring - rainbow moonstone over blue resin, sterling silver

Rainbow moonstone over purple resin, sterling silver

I have several more pieces that still need a bit more finish work so hopefully I'll post more in another day or two.

A teaser...

I have about a dozen rings just waiting for a final polish before I can photograph and list them, but I'll have to wait until nap time to get that done... In the meantime, here's one ring that didn't require polishing, and a necklace I made a couple of days ago.

Grey moonstone & sterling silver ring

This bezel was technically a 'mistake' - I almost melted it beyond repair, but thankfully caught it in time. I think it actually turned out pretty cool - isn't it fun when a near-disaster ends up being interesting and attractive?

Labradorite & prasiolite (green amethyst) necklace

More soon, I hope...

Delivery Day!

I got a package today filled with all kinds of treasures...

12mm faceted prasiolite (green amethyst) cabochons

12mm cushion shaped prehnite cabochons - great color!

12mm cushion shaped rutilated quartz cabochons

8mm turquoise cabochons

Rhodolite garnet briolette drops

Enormous citrine cabochon

Slightly smaller citrine cabs

8mm labradorite cabs

12mm faceted labradorite cabochons

12mm pink amethyst faceted cabs (I think these are my favorite)

I also restocked some items that I had run out of - faceted labradorite rondelles, rainbow moonstone briolettes, and labradorite 'rice' briolettes.

Tourmaline Slice Necklaces

I bought these incredible tourmaline slice beads a couple of weeks ago, and I have them for sale in my bead shop, but the steep price tag seems to be a deterrent (and understandably so; they certainly aren't cheap). I couldn't stand for them to sit in a dark drawer any longer, so I used a few yesterday to make some simple but elegant necklaces.

Bits & Pieces

I just have a few random, unrelated things to share today. First I need to brag about my talented husband. Remember our recent shed debacle? Well, the outcome of that mess was our decision to build a new chicken house from scratch, one that is exactly what we want. Well, here we are, maybe a week out from that decision, and my hard-working husband already has it practically finished! It still needs a roof and paint, but look how cute it is already!

Human door

Chicken door

Nesting boxes (with a handy-dandy door to open from the outside to collect eggs)

Perch

Full frontal

I also snapped a few pictures today of our newly emerging flowers. Spring must be getting closer - I can't wait! I don't even know what these flowers are - they came from a bunch of bulbs that Carlos and I planted about a month ago. Anyone care to identify them for me?

The other day I walked in on Carlos playing with some paint bottles and bowls and I was so impressed that he had sorted the bottles into the coordinating colored bowls. Okay, so maybe I'm easily impressed (at least when it comes to Carlos)...

This morning I made the Chocolate Chip Scones from The Joy of Vegan Baking and they are delicious. I used whole wheat pastry flour and substituted dried cranberries for half of the chocolate chips. Carlos loves them.

And one last thought... is anyone else totally lusting over the Kindle? I want one. Bad. I'm hoping if I hold out until my birthday in October, maybe the price will come down some. I was already drooling over the thought if it just for reading novels, etc., but the other day I realized how incredibly spectacular it would be for cookbooks, and now I really, really want one. Of course, the list of available books isn't huge yet, but I imagine if it catches on, that will change.

Party Food

I hosted a bridal shower yesterday, and unfortunately I forgot to photograph all of the yummy vegan food, but I thought even without pictures, I should share the recipes. In addition to fruit salad, a veggie platter, Chocolate Chunk Spice Cookies (ED&BV), and Tamari-Roasted Chickpeas (also ED&BV), here's what I made -

Artichoke Tapenade

1 can (6 ounces) whole, pitted black olives
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained
2 cloves garlic, peeled
juice of one lemon

Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse, scraping down sides to evenly chop all pieces.


Teatime Cucumber Sandwiches

1 loaf bread, sliced
8 ounces Tofutti cream cheese at room temperature
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly

Thoroughly blend the Tofutti cream cheese, lemon juice, and dill. Spread onto bread slices and top with cucumbers. Cut into quarters.


Spinach & Artichoke Dip
This is a super rich, fattening recipe, and it contains tons of processed, omni-replacement-type foods, which I normally try to avoid, but it's a delicious once-in-a-great-while kind of recipe, and it's perfect for impressing non-vegans with it's creamy deliciousness.

1 pound frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1/4 cup soy margarine
8 ounces Tofutti cream cheese at room temperature
granulated garlic to taste
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
4 ounces Tofutti sour cream
6 ounces Follow Your Heart soy mozzarella, shredded
1 large round sourdough loaf
veggies, chips, and/or crackers for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the soy margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Press excess water out of spinach and add to skillet. Stir in the cream cheese and garlic, and continue stirring until the cream cheese has melted. Fold in the artichoke hearts, sour cream, and half the mozzarella. Stir until all cheeses are melted. Meanwhile, cut the top off the bread loaf and, using a sharp knife, cut out the interior. Slice it into cubes for dipping. Pour the filling into the bread loaf and place on a cookie sheet. Top with remaining mozzarella, cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

1-3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup applesauce
8 ounces Tofutti cream cheese
1/2 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small-medium apple, cored, peeled, and chopped

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup soy margarine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine ingredients canola oil through vanilla and blend thoroughly. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold in the chopped apples. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9” x 13” pan.

To make topping, combine dry ingredients, then cut in the soy margarine until you have a crumb topping. Sprinkle on top of batter. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test.

A little something...

I am feeling guilty about not having anything interesting to blog about in the past few days so here's a picture of a dinner I made a few nights ago - Chickpeas Romesco and Saffron Garlic Rice, both from Veganomicon, with roasted green beans on the side. Very yummy!