Pink Rhodonite

Pink Rhodonite
In anticipation of the upcoming episode of Massachusetts state symbols, I have been working on more rhodonite pieces.

I was contacted last minute about being involved with the state gemstone segment so I had very little of the stone on hand to show. I maximized as best I could by pairing with other materials.

Black Onyx Rhodonite Bracelet

Black onyx really makes the stone pop!

Black Onyx Rhodonite Necklace

Here it is paired with curly shells which compliment the pink beautifully. The remainder of the strand includes shell, white quartz and glass pearls.

Curly Shell Necklace

It is gorgeous with natural pearls. But then again, what isn't? The bracelet sold within a couple of days of posting.

Pearl and Rhodonite Bracelet

Of course I had to make a necklace too!

Pearl Rhodonite Necklace

These girly earrings have a Swarovski crystal with an AB finish. The bottom bead is pale autumn jasper.

Swarovski Crystal, Autumn Jasper, Rhodonite Earrings

Turquoise is a fun, unexpected pairing with the stone.

Turquoise Rhodonite Earrings

Thank you for stopping by! Wishing you a marvelous day and fulfilling week ahead! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

Silver Pearl Eyeglass Chains and Lanyards

I got silver glass pearls to make eyeglass chains and lanyards, so I made 1 of each in gold and silver! One lanyard sold within a couple of days so I think this was a good addition to my shop! We ladies love our pearls.

This eyeglass chain is available at Miss Val’s Creations.

Peruvian Beads

I received these incredibly adorable Peruvian beads this week. The detail is wonderful! I received a llama, giraffe, monkey and an owl. 

These will be worked into lanyards for people with fetishes. That word sounds dirty but I am not sure how else to describe it when someone has a serious love for a particular animal!!!

Fondue Pot

This is my newest kitchen appliance. As a cheese lover I am SO EXCITED!!!! Jim and I are doing a cheddar cheese fondue tonight with veggies to dip. 

Jim has the amazing idea of cooking up potato chunks to dip! Heaven! Maybe in the future we will try a traditional fondue but since cheese is so expensive and it is our first time, we are going to start out cheap!

New Handbag

I have mentioned in the past how I like to buy second hand since it is a green thing to do! 

This Banana Republic is my “new” winter handbag found on eBay. It is so me and in excellent condition!!!!

Pendant

I have these interesting sterling silver bails made in Bali. They have 2 loops so all sorts of things can be done with them! 

I played with some more wire and here is what I have so far. I am not sure if I want to dangle some beads on them or maybe dangle some chain from the bail with a bead at the end. Decisions, decisions!!!

Thank you for stopping by and have a great, creative week!!! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

I am a little late on my post this week! Technical Blogger issues but I was given advice of trying a different browser which worked!!!!

Girly Pearl Lanyard

I had these larger pastel glass pearls lying around and thought super girly lanyard! So here it is!

Available at Miss Val’s Creations.

Custom Wine Glasses

I received these custom wine glasses from blogging friend Edi of Memories for Life on Etsy!

Jim and I do not exchange gifts but this idea popped into my head to have custom wine glasses made since enjoying wine while cooking is our favorite thing to do together!

I love the sweet heart detail. Thank you Edi! We have already enjoyed these multiple times!!!

Memories for Life has many amazing, unique wedding items like this wooden guest sign in book.

I love these wooden wedding invitations. The guests will always remember receiving one of these!

Of course, this is one of my favorite items…the wine stopper!  What a great gift idea to give with a bottle of wine.

I love the handcut wood earrings. Very different!

Edi also creates the coolest photo albums or scrapbooks! They could be a name for a personal scrapbook

Or an album to keep your treasured vacation photos. The custom ideas are endless!

Visit Memories for Life for your next personalized gift!

Wishing you all a marvelous week ahead! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

Magenta Pearl Earrings

I just posted these pretty magenta pink pearl dangle earrings available at Miss Val's Creations.

Falafel

Jim did a project for me at my house and payment was homemade falafel! I printed a few gluten free falafel recipes online and came up with a custom recipe.

I put the following in my the smoothie maker (this was the closest appliance I had to a food processor!):

• 2 cans of chickpeas 
• 1/8 cups of freeze dried cilantro 
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper 
• ½ tbsp cumin 
• 3 tbsp brown rice flour 
• ¼ c water

I did not use any onion or garlic since my stomach can not handle them, but typically garlic would be in this as well.

Then I blended it up and rolled them into balls (flattened) and baked them at 350 F for 15 minutes.

I was attempting to bake them as one of the recipes instructed since that sounded healthier. However, they were not crisping up. Then Jim stepped in and we ended up frying them a bit on the stove until we got the consistency we liked!

Tahini was new to me too. Straight up is so bitter! We mixed the following for our dressing:

• 1/3 c tahini 
• 1/3 c water 
• some dried parsley 
• 3 capfuls of apple cider vinegar 
• a dash of olive oil 
• a spoonful of yogurt
• a pinch of dried ginger, coriander and salt

This was a total experiment but it ended up tasting great!

I have noticed that butcher shops have the niche market of gluten free products. That is where I found these delicious wraps from Food For Life! These are comparable priced to normal wraps and I love that they are frozen so I can just grab one when needed. The price is comparable to traditional wraps!

We loaded the wraps with falafel, tahini, lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

I can never wrap these…luckily Jim was around to do the job. Success and deliciousness!!!

New Kitchen Toys

So after attempting to grind chickpeas in the smoothie maker, I bought this new appliance! This Hamilton Beach food processor had great reviews online so I should be able to get a lot of use out of it!

I have blogged about my coffee making issues in the past and had switched to pressed coffee so I do not need to worry about a electric device not working properly! My taste buds prefer the flavor of pressed coffee over dripped too. Well the one I used for a while cracked! An online search for unbreakable presses brought me to this Thermos beauty! It is also insulated to keep coffee warm for hours. What a buy!

Gluten Free Crackers

It is fun finding new, reasonably priced gluten free goodies!

Both these crackers are absolutely delicious and oh so good with cheddar! I actually prefer these over most crackers that are wheat based. The Crunchmaster ones on the right are super crunchy!

Thank you for stopping by! Have a beautiful fall week. We are already seeing a bit of foliage in Massachuetts so I am looking forward to all sorts of color!  ~Val

 

This Week's Blog Post

New Earrings

It has been another hectic week so I have been busy making all sorts of new items including these earrings.  I love these magenta colored pearls! Available at Miss Val’s Creations.

New Handbags

It was time to update my spring/summer handbag collection. I found 2 great pre-owned, but in perfect condition Kathy Van Zeeland handbags on eBay!

This one is great in that it can be worn cross body or as a clutch. Both straps are removeable!

Then this little bag is so me! I love buying used since it is a green thing to do! Of course it is much less expensive too...bonus.

Southern Magnolia Minerals

Years ago I discovered SouthernMagnolia Minerals on eBay. This was at a time after intently watching mineral makeup infomercials with utter fascination and finally deciding to give it a try!

I use a primer, then a foundation and finish with the primer as the veil. I love that primers and veils can be used interchangeably since it is one less product needed.

Some of the reasons I am in love with this makeup are that:

• It looks great on the skin
• It is totally lightweight on the skin
• is natural
• cruelty free
• acts as a sunscreen protecting the skin
• made in the USA
• the product lasts a super long time
• it is much less costly than the national brands

Refills can be purchased instead of purchasing another filled plastic container. I simply purchase the refill and add them to containers I own! A little green thing I feel good about.

It is also wonderful to be able to contact the owner, Barb, directly! This cannot be done with Bare Minerals or Revlon or any other large manufacturer. It feels great to support a family owned business in the States.

I love this blush aptly named “magnolia”. It is perfect for my light Irish/Scottish skin!

If you use mineral makeup or have been thinking about it, check out SMM Cosmetics for your next purchase! Other product items include eye shadow, correctors, tools and more.

More Tasty Wines

Jim and I tasted these 2 wines at our favorite wine store, the Wine Connextion and decided to pick up a bottle of each. I should have taken the photo before opening the bottles. The purple wine stain is not part of the label!

The Uppercut Cabernet (2009 from Napa Valley) is absolutely delicious, however at $18.99 we have other wines we like just as much that cost significantly less so we likely will not purchase this one again. However we love a change from time to time.

The Zenato Valpolicella (2009) is fabulous at $11.99. This Italian wine is aged in a stainless steel tank for 6 months, then moved to an oak barrel for 6 to 8 months…interesting. This makes for a mouth watering wine full of wild berries, black cherry, spice and chocolate! I would buy this one again. It is a terrific bottle to bring to a host/hostess.

Pretty Spring Tree

This tree is on my neighbors property but hovers over mine, covering my driveway with its fuchsia pink flowers in the spring!

Have a wonderful week everyone! Enjoy Easter Sunday if you are celebrating. :)

This Week's Blog Post

New Starry Set

I picture a girly girl who loves to dream wearing this set! Available at Miss Val’s Creations.

The Butterfly Place
There is an enchanting place in Westford, MA called The Butterfly Place. Jim and I went to this indoor garden with fluttering butterflies!

I just got a new camera in December and only know how to take pictures of jewelry with it so many of the photos are not as focused as I would have liked! I should have read the manual before going!!!

Well fed, chubby birds also live in here.

This place is opened seasonally and just reopened Valentine’s Day so the garden is very young.
It closes again on Halloween so by then the foliage will be huge!

This photo looks disgusting. The butterflies are provided with rotting veggies to munch on.


It amazes me how insects can be upside down like this!

The orange ones were crazy active so they were very difficult to photograph!


There is a pond with some colorful, mean looking fish in here.

This blue guy fluttering had a death wish. He was egging on the fish by swooping down and touching the water and you could see that the fish wanted him for dinner!



Emmett
Emmett behind the curtain.

Emmett emerging from behind the curtain.

Silly little guy!

Thank you for stopping by! I always love reading all of your comments. :-) ~Val