r.i.p. big trev

the husband's best friend passed away on boxing day. we're very sad and will miss him very much.

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another new crafty adventure!

i have another new etsy shop, triplestitch.etsy.com . when i was pregnant with the mini, the nesting instinct manifested itself in me through yards and yards of yarn. it didn't help that my favorite yarn store was next to my office. i crocheted my way through my second and third trimesters, but never listed anything.

fast forward to today... i'm now addicted to making cowls and scarves! and finally, i listed things in this shop. it's nice to have found something productive to do during marathon feedings! so heart me and drop by to see what's new!!! (let's hope i don't burn out, lol! i'm just trying to make enough money so i can be a stay-at-home mom.)

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taking the graphic design plunge!

i've taken the plunge and am going to be hawking my guerrila-style, self-taught graphic design skills in my newest etsy shop, theWinx.etsy.com ! i've always had a love for graphic design since the husband and i got a contract designing VHS movie boxes when we lived in montreal... and hopefully, i'll be able to spread my wings a little here! so if anyone wants a banner, let me know! i'm building up my portfolio!

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wordless wednesday!

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the bliss project - one

maybe it's the freshly fallen snow. maybe it's the sunshine. maybe it's the fact that i got 3 1/2 hours of sleep in a row. i've decided to start a "happiness project" - a random image from my everyday life that means happiness to me.

so here's today's. the mini, in my relatively clean living room, with our itty bitty christmas tree, and the sun shining through the snowflakes outside.

pure bliss.

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thoughts on the mommy track

i always thought that i'd be one of those mothers who would be chomping at the bit to return to their job outside the home. i even told my boss that i'd probably be back early. well, i've surprised everyone - most of all, myself - at how i love being at home with the mini. even though being a stay at home mom is one of the hardest "jobs" i've ever had - and believe me, i've had LOTS - it definitely is the most rewarding. they should PAY moms to stay home and raise their babies!

the husband and i have been through a lot to get to where we are now - about 20 different apartments, career changes, a move cross-country and back, several vehicles, medical conditions, a separation, buying a house, and more credit card debt than i would have liked. however, it is all worth it when i look around at our crooked little house, full of things collected on our journey (and tons of baby stuff!) and the sweet little face of my mini!!!

my boss emailed me yesterday and asked when i'm thinking about returning to work. it made me really sad to give her a date - it's not that i haven't been thinking about it (and sometimes really missing my job!), but i really wished that i could have told her that i wouldn't be coming back at all.

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i heart niminami!

as you remember, structuredchaos hosted a promotional swap on her blog and my second swap partner was the fabulous niminami!

she says that she is a simple girl who has a love for illustrating! currently a fastion design student in jakarta, she finds inspiration in fashion and nature. wanting to share her art with everyone, she started her etsy shop, which is full of her whimsical original illustrations!

niminami sent me a lovely little handmade notebook decorated with one of her beautiful fashion illustrations. her business card is also adorned with one of her drawings - just gorgeous!

she says that she really enjoys the process of creating, and the feeling of owning her own business. hoping to do this in the future as her full time job, i wish her all the best!

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dreaming of a handmade christmas!

i can't believe that it's december already. i remember being pregnant at this time last year and thinking, "next year, the mini will be about 8 months old... how far away that seems!" and here we are, another holiday season upon us. i've finished up some ring orders, and find myself thinking about new designs for the new year...

i am very proud of myself this christmas - almost everything i will be giving as gifts is handmade! from the fantastic reclaimed cedar soapdishes from andrewsreclaimed, to smilemoon's star candle holder, to the fragrant handmade soap from sudsandsuch, and dichroic glass from combustionglassworks, i've been collecting everything in a box as i purchase them. i'm sure i've bought more than i need, but then i can give presents to myself! i've also bought way too many things for the mini, and given them to her already. oh well. it's her first christmas!!!!!!!!

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happy black friday... and FREE SHIPPING!

it's black friday! (well, in the US anyways) and in honour of this, allegedly the biggest shopping weekend of the year, i'm offering free shipping! (and see me in the free shipping gift guide too!)

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transitional objects, the ladybug puke cloth, and 2sleepyheads

Dr. D. Winnicott developed the developmental theory of transitional objects, especially in relation to children finding comfort once they realize that they are separate beings from their mothers. in the sleep training "research" that i've been doing in an attempt to help the mini develop good sleep habits (that's another post altogether), the transitional object plays a huge role. especially at bedtime.

while the mini was in utero, i always wondered what her transitional object would be. for me, i had a white knit blanket with satiny edges that i lugged around forever and eventually, it disintegrated. i loved that blanket. when the mini was littler, she became pretty attached to a lamaze octopus, and although the octopus is awesome, it is heavy for her to lug around right now and it's legs make sounds when you squeeze them. not so good for sleeping. (i can imagine a cacophony of sounds emanating from her room at 2 am. not pretty.) but if that's what it was going to be, we'd make it work.

if you guys remember, the mini had/has been a puker. when she was an infant, she'd spit up or forcibly vomit almost every time i fed her. and she fed a LOT. so, i got my friend 2sleepyheads to whip up some extra large burp cloths with some leftover cloth that she had on hand. she made me three out of the softest light blue flannel with a ladybug and polka dot pattern on it and they quickly became indispensible. to me anyways.

well, in the last month or so, the husband and i realized that the mini has become quite attached to her puke cloths - probably because now, no outfit of mine or hers is complete without it! we did an experiment over the last 3 days - whenever we put her down for a nap or to sleep, we fold up the cloth and put it slightly out of reach next to her - along with other blankets and soft toys. whenever she wakes up, it appears that the first thing she does is look for the cloth, wiggle her way towards it, and pulls it down so that she can rub it on her face and play with it. totally cute - and transitional object issue solved!

just wait till her wedding when we tell everyone that her favorite blanket was a burp cloth i got for her to VOMIT on!

but until then, i'll enjoy sleepy's exquisite mad sewing skills! she seriously makes the sweetest bags - and has an awesome "bag of the month" club. she also makes this texas rag quilt that just might be mine one day. she also has these innovative cooling breast pads/eye masks which are decadent!!! her second etsy shop, CleanAsAWhistle, embraces natural laundry and cleaning methods, all of which i am dying to try!

thanks, sleepy, for everything! the mini and i love you!

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monkeying around

my friend heather had another baby and for his present this christmas, he'll be getting this little guy! her other two already have their own monkeys, so it just makes sense that he should have one of his very own.

even though the mini has THREE sock monkeys, when she saw this one, her eyes lit up like a christmas tree. how fitting!!!!

don't forget you can get one too in my etsy shop!

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november's giveaway!

once again, i'm tardy with the giveaway. :) but i have two good excuses this time! first, the mini got sick after her second H1N1 shot. she was running a brutal fever and was so lethargic. i know it was important to get her vaccinated, but we have been spoiled in that she hadn't reacted to any of the 10 needles that she's had to endure prior to this. (who knew motherhood could be so frightening?)

secondly, i've hooked myself up on twitter. yup, i'm getting on the band wagon and jumping in. here's me - http://twitter.com/muffintop5 . admittedly, i'm a little overwhelmed, but i'm always kind of overwhelmed.

anyway - back to the giveaway... up for grabs this month is a fabulous beaded sterling silver stacking ring like the one on the right. all you have to do is become a "follower" of my blog (if you are already, that's fantastic ) and leave me a message here saying that you are following! in honour of my new twitter account, you get an extra 2 entries for following me on twitter. if you tweet about my giveaway, you get another entry! (just remember to leave a comment for each thing that you do.)

make sure you leave details (a link to your blog, an email address, etc.) so i can find you! so go enter! now! i'll be picking a winner on december 15th via random.org so make sure that you leave a comment for each entry!!!

p.s. the mini is showing off her newest girlyplace tutu. girly makes the BEST tutus in the world!

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i heart vintagefern!

structuredchaos hosted a promotional swap on her blog and i was lucky enough to be paired up with amy from vintagefern. she is a stay at home mom to three lovely girls and is married to her best friend! even though she must have her hands full with her family life, she still has the time to run her etsy shop - out of a need to create and stay busy. right now, although she says it's "just more of a hobby", she has a fabulous shop with some amazing products in it! pillowcase dresses, scrappy banners, appliqued onesies, quilts, market totes, and notecards, her shop is now defintely one of my favorites.

(one of amy's beautiful patchwork quilts)

i wandered over to amy's blog, which not only chronicles her crafty life, but is also peppered with snippets of her home life. and with sweet photos of her products! i am now officially green with envy over amy's mad sewing skills.

the promo package i received from amy was absolutely amazing. wrapped in lovely tissue paper, amy had sent me a sweet appliqued onesie for the mini, fantastic vintage inspired notecards and the most fabulous graphic tote bag, all expertly packaged. even her business cards were beautiful... amy, you put me to shame! thank you for sharing your talents with me. (and watch your mail for another little something from me!)

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i heart my blog... and the teething!

the wonderful muddyboots has taken pity on my poor lil blog and given us a redesign! i think that it makes things a little easier to navigate - and who doesn't love a new look? so thank you, muddyboots - we LOVE you! any feedback would also be great as i tweak things as i go - so let me know what you think!

speaking of new, the mini has a new tooth! i was despairing over the past couple of weeks over her new non-sleeping schedule but then we realized that it looked like her two bottom teeth were coming in. i went to the pharmacy and got some barfy tasting orajel - and she slept like the mini i remembered! last night, i noticed that one tiny little tooth had broken the skin... sigh! my baby's growing up. hopefully soon she'll be a little less fussy as she gets used to the sensation of teething... i have some new designs in my head that need to come out!

(it also looks like she's going to be the next crocodile hunter. tres cool!)

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christmas is coming...

On the fifth day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

i'm feeling christmas-y!!! in conjunction with the tradeaholics' team, i'll be participating in the $10 and under sale November 20-22 AND offering free shipping during Black Friday weekend! so mark it down on your calendar!!!!

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tales from the nursery - part two!

when i was expecting the mini, i didn't think that i was the type of girl who'd spend hours and hours fussing over the baby's nursery. when the mini arrived - 10 days early - we had a barely serviceable space in our second bedroom. we didn't even have the crib set up! but after the proverbial dust settled, i realized that i really, really wanted the mini to have a bright, sunshiny space to call her own. over the next few months, my sister and i worked on making this small but sweet space into a little mini-haven!


this fabulous mahogany letter "s" is from smilemoon's woodworking studio. suspended from the curtain rod on a green striped grosgrain ribbon, it's a lovely addition to the room.

a skinny IKEA table lamp with matching shade brings the perfect amount of light on cloudy days.

a sock monkey from my etsy shop sits alongside my snow globe collection, a teddy bear adorned with an oversized gerber daisy clip and mini tutu from thegirlyplace and a lamb from doggiepiggie.

my sister is a genius - not only at designing nurseries, but also at making those fabulous pompoms that are suspended above the crib! i didn't think that they would even come close to entertaining the mini as the store bought mobile we had, but she loves looking at them! aren't they gorgeous????

pink ROXY rainboots, a pink hippo and a "yoshi" lookalike reign supreme on the shelf.

my sister and i worked hard making sure that the stripes were relatively straight. imagine our dismay when we realized that the WALLS are crooked!

i had posted about the wall hanging i had made from jennski's inspiring alphabet flash cards... here it is in action! i added striped grosgrain ribbon around the edge of the canvas and reinforced the spray adhesive with silvery metallic brads. the handmade hot pink throw pillow covers really pop against the pinstriped duvet on the daybed.

as sad as it is to be finished decorating, it was really fun - and i can't believe that i enjoyed it as much as i did! i love the colours that we used, and the addition of handmade goodness really makes it unique. i hope the mini enjoys it as much as i do!

p.s. i've entered the nursery into ohdeedoh's 2009 colour contest. if we make the blog, please show us some love and vote for us - even though we can't win any prizes because we're in canada!

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H1N1 & a worried mama

like every other parent out there, i'm worried about this flu season. the H1N1 virus has struck fear into the hearts of everyone and i'm no exception. usually "the glass is DEFINITELY half full" type of person, i have dreams of catastrophe when it comes to the mini. i can buy the safest carseat and drive carefully, i can dress her warmly against the elements, but i can't protect her from an airborne virus, especially one that most of the population has not encountered before and have no immunity against. i also have nightmares about the vaccine - that this is really just a premise for a low budget horror movie and that we'll all turn into zombies. (hmmm... i should write a book.)

yesterday, as a family, we went to one of the H1N1 flu clinics. we have a little bit of an advantage in that because both the husband and i are front line healthcare workers, we qualified for early vaccination, and because the mini is in a high-risk group, so does she. (probably the only time being a low paid healthcare worker pays off! LOL!) the husband went early and saved us a space in line while i bundled up the mini in her montreal canadiens carseat cover (see the photo!) and got together our documentation and identification. as somewhat embarrassing as it was, the husband and i also wore face masks, knowing that the clinic would be full of people who might be sick and adequate ventilation was unlikely. (we were the only people at the time wearing masks. yes, we looked weird. i don't care.) thanks to the husband who spoke to the public health staff, we were vaccinated relatively quickly. i have to say that the mini was so wonderfully well behaved despite the fact that we kept her face covered and she barely cried when she got her shot!

when we left the clinic, i was surprised to see that the lineup had grown from the 75 or so people that were there when we arrived to about 250 and had extended outside the clinic. and as the day went on, we watched on the news as the lineup grew to hundreds, and then thousands of people, most with small children, or adults with chronic conditions. by 2 pm, the two clinics in the GTA had been closed and were no longer allowing new people in line. it broke my heart to see mothers with babies even younger than the mini waiting in line in the cold, knowing that the wait could be 3 hours or more. i'm shocked that despite knowing what the overwhelming response in the US was to the clinics, Toronto Public Health was so swamped. i have to say that the staff we encountered were professional, even after being so overrun with the demand, but their day must have been brutally stressful.

when SARS happened, my workplace was part of a pandemic plan and everyone learned so much from that experience. in this case, we have a vaccine that offers protection from this virus. however, with all of the media coverage and the tragic deaths that have occurred because of H1N1, i would have expected a more widespread, coordinated effort to vaccinate people - especially those in high risk groups. my sister, with her newborn daughter, cannot wait in line to get the shot. my other sister has two school-aged children who are constantly in close quarters with other kids. my 85 year old grandmother is basically housebound, and would never be able to wait in the cold. with most family doctors NOT providing the H1N1 shot, who is responsible for them?

my little family is very lucky. we have stayed up to date with the current information, and i have a fabulous husband who was willing to run to the clinic (yes, he ran there ahead of us) and make sure that we got seen. and i know that apparently almost 25% of the population has been vaccinated already - thanks to the Public Health departments.

however, the world knew this was coming. and i wonder what we should have been doing by this time to protect more people. seriously.

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October's Giveaway!

yup, i'm late with my giveaway! i can't believe that the time has gone so quickly! if you can believe it, the mini is now 6 months old - unbelievable. she is such a little person now, with such a personality! she's starting to sit up on her own, and babbles all the time. she lights up when she sees us, which is such a joy.

anyway, i'm getting sentimental. back to the giveaway! i've had requests for a repeat of last month's prize, so here you go!

up for grabs is one of my "knotted up" rings in sterling silver made to fit you (or someone special!) i'm making it even easier to enter this giveaway. all you have to do is become a "follower" of my blog (if you are already, that's fantastic ) and leave me a message here saying that you are following!)
- for an extra entry, you can go to my shop and tell me what you like the best.
make sure you leave details (a link to your blog, an email address, etc.) so i can find you! go enter! now! i'll be picking a winner on november 5th!

happy october, everyone!!!!!! xxoxooxox

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the baby penpal project

unlike some of my other crafty friends, i am NOT a scrapbooker. i wish i was - when i go to michael's with my sister, i totally covet the scrapbooking papers and supplies, but i just don't have the patience to make one. sigh. the poor mini.

however, sometimes the husband has the BEST ideas. the other day, he suggested that we register an email address for the mini before someone else took it. then he said that he wanted us to start emailing her - not every day - but as things happened in her life, our thoughts and feelings. then, when she is old enough to read, she'll have this wonderful record of her life through our eyes. i have to admit that it made me teary thinking that he thought of such a sweet idea for our baby.

so now she has an email address. and we've started writing to her. and we've told other family members to write to her too. she won't have a scrapbook, but hopefully, she's have an email inbox full of love letters by the time she can read. we love you, mini!

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sleeping

yup. i jinxed myself. for three nights this week, the mini has been getting up several times a night. the first night she did it, i thought it was because she was cold. so we moved the space heater into her room and the next night she slept like a champ. the night after, i thought she was doing it because she was too hot - i had her in a thicker sleeper and her room was like a mini-sauna. sigh. okay - try again. last night, the room was not too hot and not too cold, and her sleeper was warm and comfy.

nope. woke up 4 times to eat. and not just snacking, but EATING. growth spurt? maybe. hungry? probably. but remind me not to say anything next time. (especially you, TIA!)

at least i was able to squeeze a little bit of fire out of my torch yesterday to get some orders finished. i never realized how much making jewelry helps me think clearly! oh new torch, where are you??????????

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the death of the torch

after two and a half years, i've come to depend on my trusty little red butane torch. last friday, i soldered a bezel onto a band and then went to make a set of rings.

i pressed the ignition button - click. nothing. click again. nothing. click fifty more times, nothing. i got sweaty. refilled the tiny tank. tried again - nothing.

seriously.

tried a couple of suppliers to see if they had it in stock - nope. i don't trust myself with a plumber's torch so that was out too. thank god for romazone, one of my favorite online suppliers. she sent out a torch right away, and was so reassuring. thank you roma, for being so amazing!!!!!!

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Happy October!!!!!

new month, new season! i can't believe it's fall already! my laptop finally returned home and, if you can believe it, i loaded Windows and all the drivers and now it works again. a little differently than before (wtf is broadcom security???) but i'm happy.

i started using the stationary bike in our basement to try to get some exercise. i had been feeling a little cabin fever-y but it's a wonder what a little physical activity can do for the ol' brain. it also made me feel a little inspired. i'd ordered some silky, ribbony square copper wire that i turned into rings! more modern and contemporary than my other skinny stacking rings, these are perfect for the cooler weather! i'm also going to look into some bezel setting as well - nothing like a nice stack of rings to wear with autumn's chunky sweaters!

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Dreams of Sleeping 10 Hours a Night...

for the last 5 nights, the mini has been going to sleep at 8pm and not waking up till 4 or 5 in the morning to eat. before, she wasn't doing that except on the days she got her vaccinations. i don't know if it's the rice cereal that we started giving her (she'll eat it, but seems kind of indifferent to the taste. i think she wants french fries.) or if she's just growing up, but it's nice.

problem is, the husband has also adjusted his sleeping schedule and goes to bed shortly after the mini does, leaving me awake. i usually use the time to fill orders and clean up, but tonight i was even MORE revved up and found myself scrubbing the hardwood floors on my hands and knees. the latest issue of "parenting" magazine suggested that you stop "working" at a certain time and enjoy something that you can't do while your little ones are up... but i don't think that they meant using your hands as a swiffer.

when i do fall asleep, i sometimes awaken thinking that i've heard the mini cry, but when i go to check on her, she isn't even awake. then i have to get up around 2 or 3 am to pump since she isn't going to get up for another couple of hours to eat. so now i'm not sleeping through the night!

i know one day i'll look back on these days and miss them. but right now i'll just settle for one night of 10 hours of sleep!!!! at least the baby's well rested!!!

p.s. they found out what is wrong with my laptop. the hard drive is fried. great.

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The Lament of the Laptop

i saved up and purchased a refurbished Dell Latitude laptop in june of this year. since i was going to be on maternity leave, i figured that it would be a good investment because i probably would be spending most of my time breastfeeding. and true to form, i was right! this little baby (not the mini) has been my lifeline to the outside world - and probably has saved me tons of visits to the pediatrician.

this morning though, we lost access to the audio device. the husband couldn't find the volume control... which then led to a whole heap of issues and finally the thing wouldn't even boot up. to put the icing on the cake, my warranty expired THREE F*CKING DAYS ago. the only good thing is that there was a very small window of time where i was able to backup all the photos that i have taken of the mini since june. i would have cried if i lost those.

anger management? yes, i'll take a 10 week course, please. i'm seriously not able to purchase another so keep your fingers crossed that the computer gods at staples can fix it! and i am telling you all now to BACK UP YOUR FILES!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!

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The TradeAHolics' $5 SALE Event!

seriously. the fabulous TradeAHolics' team that i have the absolute honour of belonging to is having a wicked SALE all this weekend.

seriously. everything tagged "TRADE5" is only $5. what a way to get a jump start on your holiday shopping... or treats for yourself!

seriously. what are you waiting for?

the list of the participating shops is here:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6287121&page=1

GO! NOW!

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Ballerina Hopes and Tutu Dreams ...

i'm not a girly-girl. i never played "princess". i never wanted a pony. i didn't even have a wedding - which, in a totally un-girly way, i don't regret at all.

but ever since i got this amazing custom baby tutu from my friend thegirlyplace and put it on the mini, i see the both of us in tutus, dancing around and around...

incidentally, she also made the tutu on Lamby, and is making one for me. so thank you, girly, for making my ballerina dreams come true. i can't wait to take her out on halloween to show off how cute she is in it!

(contact girly if you want her to help you fulfill your dancing dreams too!)

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September's Giveaway - Knotted Up in You Ring

i cannot believe it's september already. the mini is 20 weeks old! the time is just flying by!

it's time for september's giveaway! this month, it's one of my "knotted up" rings in sterling silver made to fit you (or someone special!)

i'm making it even easier to enter this giveaway. all you have to do is become a "follower" of my blog (if you are already, that's fantastic - just leave me a message here saying that you are following!)

- for an extra entry, you can go to my shop and tell me what you like the best.

make sure you leave details (a link to your blog, an email address, etc.) so i can find you! go enter! now! i'll be picking a winner on september 15th!

happy september, everyone!!!!!! xxoxooxox

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autumn & allergies

i know that autumn is coming.

as i write this, the mini is curled up in my lap, her breath whistling with each inhalation. she apparently has inherited her father's extreme seasonal allergies. seriously, this little gal is so much of her father, it's unreal. they sneeze simultaneously, their sniffles are identical, and they both have runny noses and teary eyes. just too cute.

however, the huge difference is that the husband can take a plethora of pharmacological remedies. ibuprofen, pseudoephedrine, aspirin, otrivin. the mini has none of those at her 19 week old fingertips - except maybe the 1/4 tsp of benadryl the pharmacist said she can have, and i'm reluctant to do that. so thanks to my sisters and my etsy gals, i've gotten some excellent advice, including rubbing vapo rub on her feet before bed, raising the head of her crib mattress, and keeping her upright as she breastfeeds. (that one doesn't really matter because she throws up from the congestion anyways.) thank goodness that she has the sweetest disposition (which i'm sure is the only part she gets from me! LOL) and just smiles through it all. except when i try to pick the boogers out. she hates that.

anyway, it's a reminder of how close autumn is now. and my thoughts turn to lovely warm scarves! i'm not much of a coat person, so give me a thick, chunky scarf any day. i have an obsession with crocheting long, luxurious scarves like the one above. i'm toying with the idea of selling them... if i can part with them!!!!

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the great reorganization

okay, so i've been DYING to reorganize the basement and eventually move my stuff back down there - i've been working upstairs in the kitchen so that i can be closer to the baby. when she was a newborn, things were so hectic so to make things easier - and quicker to access - i'd been working out of the kitchen. anyhoo - i haul the mini to ikea and not only don't they NOT have the shelving i want, but they also don't have the bins i want either. so i buy another shelf in the hopes that it will help get me kick started and it seemed soooooooo small. like too small to be good for anything. except maybe holding knickknacks. and maybe a marble or two.

but i sucked it up - seriously, i don't want to go back if i don't have to - and set it up anyways. although i still have a heck of a lot of sorting and putting away to do, it seems servicable for now. the pictures make it look like i'm still disorganized - but this is TEN times better than what it looked like before. i've even been able to set up my little sewing machine and get working on some fabric-type ideas that have been buzzing around my head. but this is what i get for going alone to ikea.

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and the august giveaway winner is...

... the wonderful beadicious1221!!! thanks to random.org for picking my winner, and to everyone who entered!

watch this space for september's giveaway - it's going to be a wire wrapped ring! YAY!!!!

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i'm bringin' "nesty" back...

yeah, okay, fine, i know that title is a lame excuse at being cool. i'll shut up.

but seriously, i had forgotten how much i love wire wrapping - once i set up the "meth lab" in the kitchen so i could solder because i was addicted to the fire i stopped. now that the mini is motorin' around, i spend a fair bit of time on the floor with her and soldering with an open flame is kinda out of the question. but i can wrap to my heart's content - taking breaks to flip the mini back onto her back when she gets stuck on her belly.

hmmmm... maybe my next giveaway will be for a wire wrapped ring... what do you think?

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becks & jeb... or "a wedding story"!

my friend becks is the reason i have my jewelry making obsession. in february 2007, she introduced me to beading, and has encouraged me ever since. (thanks, becks for wearing my "testers" too!)

this summer, becks is marrying the love of her life, jeb. they are two of the sweetest, kindest people i know and it is wonderful that they are getting hitched. jeb loves becks so much - and in a totally non-sickatating (is that even a word?) way that doesn't make you want to puke.

becks asked me to make her bridesmaids' jewelry and her bridal set. totally the most flattering thing in the world. (becks is the type of girl who had all of her wedding stuff planned and booked two months after she got engaged, leaving barely any room for anyone to help her.) i am so thrilled with how they turned out - there is nothing like creamy freshwater pearls, ruby red swarovski crystals, and silky ribbon...

becks' bridal necklace is made of freshwater pearls in cream and swarovski bicone crystals in a deep ruby red. the focal piece is a huge - and i'm talking HUGE - geometric swarovski crystal. i've linked each element in a rosary style with sterling silver wire and sealed it off with a lobster clasp.

the bridesmaids will be wearing cream freshwater pearl necklaces, which have been finished simply with a black ribbon. matching drop earrings made of the same freshwater pearls and black swarovski pearls. just beautiful!

i can't wait to see them in these beauties! and becks is going to look gorgeous - not that she doesn't already! congrats, becks and jeb! love you both - and thanks for letting me be part of your wedding!

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topsy turvy... literally!

the mini turned over today! twice! she's been practicing for at least three weeks now, rocking back and forth, rolling around on her blanket on the floor. we were having supper and she was contentedly lying on the floor when all of a sudden, she quietly rolled onto her belly! we couldn't believe our eyes!

the second time, i was in the kitchen, finishing up a set of rings, when i saw her slowly flip over. she raised herself up on her little hands and let out a surprised yelp!

i know she can't wait to get out of this baby body! this kid has places to go, people to see.

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Late Night Musings...

i know i'm supposed to be sleeping. all the books tell you to sleep when your baby sleeps. but i can't. the mini goes to sleep (and usually, the husband does too), and i hit my second wind. my head gets full of design ideas, random thoughts, things to look up on wikipedia, or i fire up the torch to make a set of rings. i should be sleeping.

instead, i make a new "knotted up" necklace - one of my favourites. i try to drum up some interest in my blog giveaway. (not that i'm posting about this to promote it again) i wonder why it seems like my hair is starting to fall out. i read a chapter of "New Moon", which i am rereading for the second time in preparation for the movie. i start casting a set of maple pods in fine silver. i clean the kitchen and load the dishwasher. i eat some camembert cheese and potato chips, wash it down with chocolate soy milk, then feel guilty. i catch up on some of my bookmarked blogs. i think about how i wish i had named my company something more elegant than "muffin top". i polish my toenails.

but i know that soon the baby will wake up to eat. i will inhale her sweet baby powder smell and put her back into her crib... and finally, crawl into bed myself.

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