Going Long

I found this article in InStyle magazine's June 2012 issue.  Wow!

 

I'm torn between loving them and knowing that these would quickly become a pain to wear (literally).  They are gorgeous though!  Right now, I happen to be in love with long earrings and have several pairs that I switch between.  My son likes to call them "cheek slappers" and yes, he does insist that I vigorously shake my head back and forth so he can see my earrings smack me in the face.  Here's a pair of cheek slappers I made for myself back in May.

 

I love these earrings and wear them constantly. I think this is the first design I made in which I mixed rose gold with darkly oxidized silver.  They are about 3 1/2 inches long from the tops of the ear wires to the bottoms of the geodes which is a good length for me.  I wanted a lot of movement in these earrings so I added the rough diamonds to dangle from the main wire wraps.

I think I might have to make a pair of the really long danglers soon...just to try them out. The ones in the articles range from 7 1/2 to 10 1/4 inches long.  I'll share some pics here on the blog when I get around to making a pair.

Cais Rediscovered

A few weekends back, I was sitting in my studio trying to figure out what piece I wanted to create.  Well, ideas were few and far between so I starting digging through my jewelry chest and found these lovelies, the Cais Earrings, that I made back in August 2010 (I actually had to look that info up).  I had forgotten all about them!

Once I saw them, I remembered that I had planned on making more but it seems I got distracted by other things...which I'm sad to say is a very common occurrence around this studio.  So, I've decided to bring them back for a bit and have used a couple of new color combos to boot. 

These earrings are a lot of fun to make.  I've got more ideas for color combos, so stay tuned for more! 

Mango Salsa. Yum!

We finally wrapped up Elijah's school year and had a little celebration barbeque this weekend over at my parent's house.  I made this very yummy mango salsa especially for my Dad who loves mangoes.

I got the recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens website and tweaked it a little bit.

• 1 1/2 cups of chopped & peeled mango (one large mango)
• 1/2 cup of green bell pepper (1 whole)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (2 whites and greens) 
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (I used the juice from 1/2 a large lime) 
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (I used 1/2 a pepper because mine was REALLY hot) 

In a medium bowl stir together the mango, bell pepper, green onions, cilantro, lime juice and jalapeno pepper (I also added kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste).  Cover and chill at least two hours before serving.  

 

I served mine with multigrain chips and it was supper yummy.  Even my very picky son loved it.  Good thing I took a picture of it as soon as I put it on the table because it went fast.    

 

I also made an avocado salad but I forgot to take a picture of that.  It was a big hit too.  I'll make it again soon and share the recipe and photos with you.