Cupcakes & Nature

Okay everyone, the Cupcake Giveaway from the previous post is still going strong in it's first of 4 weeks! The next giveaway will be shorter I promise since I've now learned that the first couple of days are when most contestants sign up...lesson learned. Next one will be a week or less.

So today I'm showing you some fun stuff going on in my neighborhood starting with a question:

"Y" did my cucumber have no seeds in its center??? Look at that first picture: I peeled the cuke and sliced it and there was this "y" cutout inplace of seeds...how funny. I just had to take a photo it was so bizarre!

Speaking of bizarre, spring is SO out of whack this year. For heaven's sake, it started in January here in northern California! We barely had winter but plenty of rain so the

grassy hillsides are incredibly green. Never before have my husband's allergies kicked up in January...wow. My daffodils were in full bloom in February...okay whatEVER. I'm just takin' it as it comes 'cuz I never KNOW when it's coming.

And now our usual spring birdies are back as well. For nearly 10 years, the bright red chested male house finches


start scamming our front yard's jasmine vines for nesting possibilities. I started hearing him and the female last week along with the Mourning Doves that always visit in spring. The doves love our side fence for its protection and yesterday they were preening there. They are so soft and pretty and I am mesmerized by their sweet eyes soft cooing.

Something I've never experienced before are house finch nesting wars! There was great commotion going on yesterday and when I peeked out the window to hopefully snap some photos I saw 2 mating pairs fighting each other, I assume for nesting rights in the bushy jasmine. The females were slamming into each other and then the pairs would take off on a chase, but I could still hear them continuing their fight throughout the neighborhood before returning to our yard...and doing it all over again...quite violent but really funny.

The star jasmine just began blooming this week. I so look forward to their deep and heady fragrance that is only released at night.

I'd love to hear the strange and early nature twists are YOU experiencing in your neighborhood.

Stoned Birds & Paris

A couple of entries ago I promised to talk about Paris and Stoned Birds. My dad attempted to find a home exchange situation so that we could visit Paris for a few weeks in trade for his place in California.

A couple of people responded but no deals ever came through. Now, who knows why it didn't happen. It was such a great idea as it would mean we'd only have to scrounge up airfare and fun money. I don't even count food allowance 'cuz we gotta eat no matter where we are!

So in place of Paris we've just been having other fun like visiting the Chihuly exhibit (see August 23rd blog entry) in San Francisco, munching warm dinners al fresco during sunset at our favorite winery and soon to attend San Francisco's Fleet Week. So we are surely making up for our lack of European escapades but there is
always hope and as someone said in a movie, "there's always Paris!".

I'm just hooked on Payton Jett's glass work talent. I mention her in every blog but it's because she keeps life fresh by accepting new challenges.

I nabbed several of her glass birds recently and 3 of them ended up in my Stoned Birds necklace, thusly named due to only stones being used in this piece...no other materials.



Originally I had a sterling clasp, but then decided to use either glass or stone for the clasp, so it awaits that final component before I list it in my Etsy shop.

Another awesome group of lampwork glass beads is this acorn set from Cassie Donlen. I just had to hold these beauties for a while before I could let them go.





I kept the set simple, just adding chunky bumpy Bali
silver to reflect the bead bumps. This photo captures their awesome shiny iridescent quality. The colors are chocolate and caramel, but when you get them in brighter light, you discover the faint plum iridescence in the chocolate and the hint of gold in the caramel.

Simply spectacular.

I close with a shot of my most fun
design this week, the Royal Opera Necklace. I've been dying to work with these handcrafted felt balls I got on Etsy and Sigaliot's polymer squares from Israel.

The colors and designs are so yummy. I connected them all with various sizes of round and oval sterling silver rings, some smooth, and others oval. A big crescent moon from the Karen Hill Tribe is the focal point.

Originally intended to be opera length, it didn't quite get there, but almost at 34 inches...enough so that even with a beehive hairdo, this easily slips over your head so there is no need for a clasp. Come on over to Etsy and see the complete necklace.

Finishing up a wonderful week of vacation with my husband. We started with one goal and that was to visit his parents. We ended up seeing nearly the entire family which was a great surprise and celebrated several birthdays in one shot. On the spur of the moment, we headed over to my dad's since it was just a couple of hours away.

It was wonderful to introduce my husband to our little secret spot at a country winery that leaves it's beautiful padded wrought iron chairs and tables outside after hours. Seated on a small hill overlooking hundreds of acres of vineyards and mountains, we took a warm dinner to munch while the sun was setting. A few cigars and drinks later, we began to count the stars one by one and await the new moon.

Now THAT's a vacation and a great surprise to add to our travels.

**UPDATE: October 16th: I listed "Stoned Birds" choker mentioned in the post above. You can view it by clicking Etsy.

Punkies and pinkies

Punkies are in season...that's what I call lampwork glass pumpkins. These earrings are up for sale at RockerJewlz on Etsy and feature Lezlie Belanger's torch work. The punkie set below is from Payton Jett that I'm working with right now. Check back to see what they become. The update from "My 1ooth post" on August 19th is that the bird jewelry mentioned is awaiting one final piece...a custom glass toggle clasp!


I love how the necklace turned out...it has 3 glass birds in it and no silver so it just ripped my heart to add a sterling clasp. I used only stones and glass in the makeup so in a flash of brilliance from an artist, I am going to try a handmade glass toggle clasp that is soon on its way to me. I'll be sure to update you when I receive it and place it on its new home.


Visited Target store yesterday and the end caps feature pink goodies for breast cancer awareness. Whomever is heading marketing for this campaign has really stepped it up the past couple of years. I mean, when Dyson announced a pink vacuum cleaner, I thought how could anyone top THAT???

I need to replace my Brita water pitcher. Brita and Vitapur each have pink ones...wow, that would be wild, but I highly doubt it's appropriate in a household with me and 2 men!

So I might have to steer towards the pink garden tool set as I KNOW they won't be using them OR doing the gardening. Ha ha. Oh, I didn't say "Chihuly" yet today, so there you go. Gotta get those bloggers here, you know.

I'm getting bolder in ordering larger quantities of bead and component supplies. I just got a big batch of Bali sterling toggle clasps for all the cupcake beads that are being made for me so it feels good to trust that it's not just a big bill facing me, but greater sales.

So with that, I invite you to visit me at www.RockerJewlz.com and www.RockerJewlz.Etsy.com for your jewelry viewing pleasure.

When next you return, my goal is to talk about Paris and Stoned Birds...did I get your attention?