New Earrings in My Etsy Shop

I've continued to add new earrings to my etsy shop.  I sell necklaces too, but earrings are the bread & butter of my business, both online and locally.

Solar Quartz & Faceted Pearls

Lapis Teardrops and White Pearls

Copper Circles with Brass Wraps

You can click on any of the photos to go directly to the listings.  There are lots more, as I've been trying to add at least one new item per day.  I've also decided to let some older listings expire.  So, if you've had your eye on a particular piece of jewelry, now is the time to make your purchase.  Hint:  check the back pages of my etsy shop to see some of the oldest items that will expire soon.

Please don't hate me for sharing this .....

My regular readers know that I enjoy cooking and baking.  But a girl is still allowed a day off and a break from the kitchen, right?  So when I saw this item on etsy's front page, I immediately clicked the "add to cart" button.  Wouldn't you???

These are the most gorgeous gem-inspired truffles.  The package also includes macaroons.  Click the photo to go directly to the listing, so you can see what I mean.  I have not yet received them, but I will let you know when I do!

Artist Spotlight :: Karen Whitworth

I met Karen on Twitter -- yes, on Twitter!  I quickly became a great admirer of her work.  She is an extremely talented artist and a delightful young woman.  We had the opportunity to meet in person last week.  We had for an amazing lunch at Turkey Red in Palmer, where I've never had a disappointing meal.

The purpose of the meet-up was to complete a trade.  Karen wanted some of my jewelry and I fell in love with her chickens.  She made me a giclee print of the chickens, which she embellished with additional paint.  It truly looks like an original!

Be sure to visit her website to see all of her amazing work.

Garden Art

It's about time I shared with you Rick's latest creations.  In April, he was invited to participate in a show at Artique, in downtown Anchorage, focusing on the garden.  He created two amazing pieces of garden art, which I'm happy to say, sold very quickly!  Then he made two more. 

on display, at the gallery

and another, photographed at home

back at the gallery

There was one more that I don't think I have a photo of.  What you may not be able to see in these photos is that each sculpture has a small insect that Rick created from reclaimed parts and other stuff.

He has since created two more pieces for the upcoming show at the botanical gardens.  Will share photos of those later!

Jet Learns to Swim

A few weeks ago, we went for a hike in Eagle River -- along the North Fork.  This is part of Chugach State Park, which has countless trails and facilities.  The hike is an easy one (thank goodness!) and it was new territory for Jet.  He was so excited when we reached the river.

At first, he simply waded in, but quickly got bored with that.  Against my advice, Rick let him off the leash and Jet made a mad leap into the water.  To the surprise of all of us, it was way deeper than it looked and Jet immediately sunk!  How was he to know what the water would be like?  I thought he was a goner, but he quickly surfaced and started paddling like crazy, making his way to the shore.  Once I regained my composure, I hugged and kissed the wet monster, so happy that he was still alive.

All he wanted to do was dive in again, but I forbade it.  Enough was enough and parts of the river were moving swiftly.  I was afraid he would carried away by the current.  It's been known to happen and I wasn't taking any more chances.

Picasso Petunias

It's that time of year again ... time for flowers!  While I'm not much of a gardener ...

don't judge me for not liking dirt under my fingernails, please 

... I do love to have lots of flowers around all summer long.  There are many wonderful nurseries where we live, but I tend to shop at two specific ones:  P&M Gardens in Eagle River and Perennial Gardens, right in my neighborhood!  I like to hang a healthy looking (ie - ready made) basket by the front door.  This year, these Picasso Petunias really caught my eye.

The challenge will be for me to keep this planter looking this good for the next 3 months!