More Hill Tribe Silver from Artbeads

I have made 2 more pairs of earrings with my new beadcaps from Artbeads. Their selection of Hill Tribe Silver is quite extensive. These beadcaps were too sweet to resist.

For this first pair, I selected faceted vintage glass beads in a deep olive green. I topped them with Hill Tribe beadcaps with a flower motif, followed by an olive green glass bead and another sterling silver bead.



Next, I chose 8mm amethyst beads and topped them with a beadcap with a scallop design and a smaller amethyst bead.



One observation about these Hill Tribe components is that they can be a bit irregular. I have found that the hole in the bead cap is sometimes off-center. This makes it so the cap does not sit on the bead properly. I have yet to figure out how to use those particular beadcaps.


Disclosure: Artbeads invited me to join their blogging community. I receive these products free of charge in return for honest reviews. I have not been paid for doing this.

Aqua Trio . Necklace

Since Pantone has declared that turquoise will be The Color of 2009, I thought I would share this new necklace with you. Turquoise is perennially popular in jewelry and fashion, and this necklace fits right it.

The aqua trio is hanging from a fused circle of fine silver that I textured with a riveting hammer. The three stones are moss aquamarine, London blue topaz and chalcedony. There isn't any turquoise in the necklace at all, just stones sharing that lovely color.



If you want to see some true turquoise, here is a pair of earrings to fit the bill.
Click on either of these photos to go directly to the associated listing.

Birch-Nut Squash Recipe

I've blogged before about my friends Dulce & Michael East who own Kahiltna Birchworks. They always give out a little collection of recipes with their syrup. The other day, I actually tried one! It was fabulous.

Baked Birch-Nut Squash
2-3 acorn, butternut or delicata squash (I used 2 delicata)
1 apple, peeled and diced
1/4 cup butter (I used about half that amount)
1/4 cup birch syrup
2 TBSP honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger (I used fresh, just because I had some on hand)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cut squash in half. Scoop out seeds. Place in pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes .
Melt butter in saucepan.. Add the rest of the ingredients . Simmer for about 5 minutes. Spoon into squash halves and bake about 20 minutes longer.

This was a great accompaniment to the sauteed chicken breasts and tossed salad that I served the other night.

Artbeads.com - Silver

Once again, I was invited by Artbeads to sample some of their amazing bead selection, this time from their silver collection. In exchange for these free samples, I have agreed to blog about them here.

Those of you that read my blog regularly know that I favor simple designs. The Thai silver beadcaps that I chose from Artbeads are perfect for my designs. Here's a photo of the 4 different items I selected: 3 different styles of stamped beadcaps and some multi purpose Bali silver spacers, which one can never have too many of.



So far, I've made two pairs of earrings with these silver products. These spacers are so perfect for larger beads. Here's the link to all of the Bali silver offerings at the Artbeads website. I selected some decent sized pink quartz cubes and pink freshwater pearls, separated by the Bali spacers. They add just the right accent.



Next, I selected the beadcaps with the leaf design, which can be found at the Artbeads website under Hill Tribe silver beads and components. I used beautifully plump garnet rondelles to sit below the beadcaps. They fit perfectly under the beadcaps. I then added a small Bali spacer and a 4mm garnet bead. Sweet and simple!

Pink and Black . Necklace

Recently listed in my etsy shop, this necklace features a classic color combination, with a twist. The briolette of pink opal has some black and caramel inclusions -- caramel being the "twist". I think this must make it a less than perfect specimen, but I think the colors add quite a bit of interest.


The cluster on top is composed of faceted black onyx, pink freshwater pearls, rhodochrosite and camel colored agate. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

New Book for a New Year

The other day, while at Barnes & Noble, I saw this book in the crafting section. I think I had read about it somewhere -- Somerset Studio, perhaps. I was intrigued by the title and I'm always on the lookout for materials to spark my creativity. The author, Rice Freeman-Zachery is well known in the crafting world and has written other books and numerous articles for Belle Armoire and Somerset Studio.


The book appears to focus on creativity from the perspective of a wide variety of artists, working in many mediums. There are exercises to do and plenty of great visuals. This is the type of book I will work my way through slowly.

If any of you have read this book, I would love to hear from you!