Up to Lately

An Anklet
This custom order was for an earthy brown gemstone anklet. I used tigerskin jasper and chrysanthemum stone finished off with a sterling silver lobster claw clasp.

A Gemstone Lanyard
This request was for a multi gemstone lanyard in a long 40 inch length to accommodate height. A breakaway magnetic clasp was added at the bottom by the link by request. 

In certain work environments, a breakaway clasp is important since the lanyard can get caught on something. This way is comes off easily without injury.

Resin
So I have worked with resin for the first time in my life! I had some of my photos printed up in wallet sizes to make them easier to work with.

Each was cut and sealed with packing tape.

So far I have only done 5 as an experiment to get comfortable. You can't see by the photo but some are not filled with enough resin....lesson learned! The resin is very shiny which makes the finish beautiful in person. 

I was concerned there would be an issue with air bubbles. Many use a heat torch to remove bubbles but I read somewhere that simply blowing lightly on the resin will do the trick. It did! I imagine on larger pieces a torch would be needed.

I'm not happy with the composition on this one. I was going for shabby chic.

I will be trying again with a different part of the photo. The subject is a patio umbrella base with a little rustiness. 

The project is on the back burner until I have more time to work on them when it is not super hot and humid outside! 

Thank you for stopping by! Have a creative, fun week ahead! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

Copper Stamped Pendants
So I played with my metal stamping kit! Here are my first attempts!

These are for my nieces and nephew for Valentine’s Day. I used a heavy duty 20 ounce hammer per a video recommendation watched on metal stamping. What a loud activity this is!!!

Valentine’s Day Cards
Speaking of Valentine’s Day here are my latest Etsy card purchases for the kiddos!

The illustrator is Joy of Sugar Beet Press. I love the whimsy in her work. It just makes you smile! The alien is my favorite!

This butterfly is so cute!!!

How about this big dinosaur holding a little tiny gift! So fun!

This card is great to give to someone with a devilish side!

The Bearded Lady is quite unexpected! It would certainly get some laughs!

Joy also has a sweet selection of baby announcements!

Visit Joy’s website, Etsy shop and blog!

Fruit and Vegetable Curry
Jim and I made a delicious curry. If you like to excite your taste buds, this will do it! We started with 2 chopped potatoes in 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 2 cups of veggie broth and some water.

We added 1.5 teaspoons of ground coriander and ground cumin. We played with the flavor and heat adding cayenne pepper. When the potatoes were almost cooked we added a frozen bag of each chopped squash, peas and cauliflower.

The dish started to dry up a little and we dumped in some red Cote du Rhone that Jim picked up at the store and we did not care for. This way it did not go to waste. Once the veggies were all ready, we added a fresh chopped mango and a chopped apple (with the skin). Before serving we mixed in cashews and jasmine rice.

It was super tasty and prep was really easy using the frozen veggies. So many things can be substituted in this and no recipe is needed! It can be made hot and spicy or mild depending on taste buds. If you attempt something like this I would suggest onions too! Maybe raisins! We strayed far from the original recipe I had which included carrots, fresh ginger root and creamed coconut.

Silly Pet Photos
I am sure these guys are gentle giants but I feel a little nervous for this baby!

This photo is from the Ellen website. If you are a cat person or a dog person you will love these since it is about half and half!!!

Since I am a cat person I am throwing this one it too! The hairy ears are a riot!

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