fun with wire

since hubby has been out of town i've had lots of time to play with new jewelry ideas. the past few nights i've been trying my hand at making rings.  i need to get some legit supplies before i offer these in the shop (like a ring mandrel....probably shouldn't size rings on a highlighter for customers) but i love doing this!

 this first one matches the green meadows crocheted bracelet in the etsy shop. i wanted the funky look that comes from crocheting wire to come through in this ring and i think i succeeded!

to make this i took a piece of 20 gauge wire, formed a loop in each end and wrapped the whole piece in matching 26 gauge wire. to make it circular, i wrapped the piece around a highlighter that was a bit bigger than my ring size.

then i strung lots of beads onto another piece of 26 gauge wire and played with them until i was satisfied with the size and shape of the cluster. (i'll do a full tutorial soon, when i can take process pictures)

this one is a lot like the first one but made with freshwater pearls.  

these two are wire wrapped rings with a "rosette" on top. 20 gauge wire wrapped a few times around the highlighter (super professional i know!) then twisted around the top and finally wrapped back around the ring. i'm hoping to try this technique with a big pretty bead on top. 

              

treasuries

i was pleasantly surprised to find that my green meadow crocheted bracelet had been featured in two beautiful treasuries over the weekend.

this one features not only my favorite item in my shop but beautiful items in my very favorite color.
head on over and check out Olive never drab... 

thanks so much by the bead for including me!

this next one was quite popular on the treasuries page
(i wonder if people were clicking to find out about that animal on her shoulder!) 
In this day had a beautiful mix of unique items that i was proud to be feautured with!
thanks so much on your head for including me!

2010 reading list

i haven't read nearly as much as i'd like to this year, especially this summer. my summers have always been spent book in hand, but this summer i've had some sort of project in hand! i also haven't done the best job of recording the books i've completed...but here's my best attempt! 
Read in 2010
The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan: i am most certainly my (food engineer) father's daughter. this book captivated me and had me telling everyone around me all about what i had learned for weeks. then i watched documentaries on food and wished we could afford grass fed beef. read it. you'll learn something. In the Woods, Tara French: given to me by my sister. read while in california. quick read, interesting mystery, however i wasn't satisfied with the way the story wrapped up. Love is a Four Legged Word, Kandy Shepherd: my mother in law was at costco, saw this book and thought of me. i think she only looked at the cover & saw a girl cooking with a dog at her feet. if she had turned the book over she would have realized it was a somewhat trashy romance novel but it was entertainment for my flight home. the same day she bought a book for my sister in law because it involved a mom with three girls (which is my s-i-l). she didn't notice that the mom died, leaving behind the three girls and chronicling their terrible lives. she meant well, she really did!Breaking Free, Beth Moore:winter Bible study. challenging and difficult, but necessary and good.Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent, Beth Moore:spring Bible study. very good. going to try to walk through it again this month. A Rainbow of Stitches, Agnes Delage-Calvet: can i count this book as reading? beautiful pictures. much inspiration. inspired this little experiment 

In ProgressMy Life in France, Julia Child: LOVE. i want to move to france. and cook. and eat butter. lots of butter.Game Change, John Heilemann & Mark Halperin: audio book on my phone. i listen to it when i walk to work. very interesting behind the scenes look at the '08 election.The Irregulars, Jennet Conant: another audio book on my phone. did you know roald dahl was in america as a spy for the british during wwii? me neither.Wired for Intimacy, William Struthers: 

fascinating. important. written by one of my favorite college profs. 

The Places in Between, Rory Stewart: borrowed from lynn. started this sometime last year. story of a very interesting, i just keep getting distracted. Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas:what if marriage wasn't meant to make you happy but to make you holy? reading it again. it's good. and hard. 
Before the Year is OverHarry Potter, Books 1-6, J.K. Rowling i will read the first 6 before deathly hallows comes out, then i will read the first half of deathly hallows immediately after seeing the movie. if i read the book first i'll inevitably hate the movie.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. RowlingHandmade Nation, Nikki McClure et alThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg LarssonFast Food Nation, Eric SchlosserCraft, Inc, Meg Mateo 
i'll try to update as i keep reading! how about you? what have you been reading this summer? anything i should add to my list? let me know!

a new look!

lately i've been feeling like i wanted my blog design to more accurately reflect who i am. 

i can't afford a blog designer just yet & i wasn't very happy with most of the ready made templates out there. so last night i put on my big girl boots and spent many hours playing with code, pixels, fonts and pictures and came up with this! it's probably just temporary, but for now it makes me happy and certainly reflects me! 

i also spent a long time writing and scheduling posts for this week so stay tuned! 

sunday morning

peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. not as the world gives do I give. let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.John 14:27

as one who struggles with anxiety, this verse is my cornerstone. i pray that it can encourage you this week as it encourages me. 

featured!

i know, i know, i'm terrible at posting lately (working on getting myself organized- real posts really are coming soon!) but i didn't want to wait a million years to show off the cute treasury that featured me today!  my new blueberry pie statement necklace is there in the top row!

thanks so much to blue sun emporium for the feature!!