Little posts

I finally got around to listing some of my new post earrings in my Etsy shop. I really love these as casual everyday earrings. I made myself a pair of the Trellis earrings, and I've been finding myself wearing them a lot. They are especially great on cold days when I'm all bundled up in my scarf or big turtle neck and don't want dangly earrings hanging down and getting in the way. I've had a lot of fun making these, because even though they are small and simple, there are so many possibilies for different designs.

Pebble Earrings

Trellis Earrings

Jane Earrings

Christmas is Fun

After the Christmas rush died down, I was able to spend some time in Lancaster, PA with my boyfriend and his family. It was so great to be able to just relax without worrying about what time it was. I love to cook and bake, but I don't often have the time or opportunity to make anything really special, so Christmas Eve I decided I would make a nice breakfast. My family exchanged gifts on the Saturday before Christmas, and my sister-in-law got me an awesome cookbook called For Chocolate Lovers by the Tanner brothers. Definitely an appropriate gift for me. The very first recipe caught my eye immediately: "Banana and Chocolate Souffle Pancakes". I decided I needed to make this, and Christmas eve would be the perfect time. It ended up being a little time consuming, but that was okay, because I was having fun.

Here they are right before going into the oven. I made the pancakes larger, and perhaps thicker, than I was supposed to, since it was supposed to make 12 and I only got 4 out of it, but that was okay. I also think I filled them a little fuller than I was supposed to, but that was okay, too, because the filling was heavenly.

Here they are right after they came out of the oven. Mmmmmmm... melty, gooey, banana and chocolate goodness!

Even my mug of delicious coffee was eyeing up the goodies:

Hopefully the next time won't take me as long to make them, since I'll know what I'm doing.... and there will be a next time!

It's Personal

If you checked out October's issue of Lapidary Journal's Jewelry Artist magazine, you will have seen my step-by-step tutorial on how to make my linked bangle bracelet. That was a fun and challenging project for me, and it was exciting to see my work in print!

After a special request from my sister, I've created a personalized version of this bracelet. She was searching for a more modern version of a mother's bracelet, so I stamped the bangles with the name and birth date of each of her children. She prefers a high-shine finish, which was great for this, since it made the lettering really stand out. I plan to offer these soon in my shop... they'd make a great ID bracelet or a gift for a loved one with a personalized message.