Shop temporarily closed

Due to the imminent arrival of the babe, I am temporarily closing my Etsy shop for the next few months. I've been very lucky to have gotten a steady stream of orders from wonderful customers in the past few months (especially in this tough economy), even though I haven't been able to update the shop with fresh items lately. My brain has been percolating with lots of ideas for new jewelry designs, however, and I hope to work on those at some point. I'm also unsure how much I will be able to update the blog in the next coming months, maybe just sporadically, but please shoot me an email or an Etsy convo if you need to get in touch with me. I am also due to play catch up on visiting all of your blogs. See you guys soon!

iWant

I've been waiting for this announcement for months, and Apple finally unveiled it today - the iPad. I've been holding out on purchasing a new ebook reader (I'm looking at you, Kindle) to replace my sturdy, but old, Ebookwise until I saw what Apple would come up with. Turns out it's not exactly an e-reader; the ebook feature is an app called iBooks, with an accompanying online bookstore called iBookstore. From what it looks like on the demos the iBook doesn't have e-Ink technology like the Kindle or the Nook do. The screen is backlit, which could strain the eyes but would enable you to read in the dark. It also sounds like the ebook offerings will be more expensive at $14.99, as opposed to Amazon's $9.99. I'm waiting to see actual user reviews of this device before making up my mind, but at first look, it seems so nifty and sleek.

Bittar & Haiti

Sorry this is a little late, but I received this from Alexis Bittar's company and thought it would be great to pass along:


Starting yesterday until January 22, Alexis Bittar will donate 100% of sales to Haiti relief. How great is that? You guys all know how much I love his work. So here's your chance to score some wonderful Bittar goodies while at the same time helping out those affected by the terrible tragedy in Haiti. You can browse his online store here.

Baby things

For Hanukkah, my talented sister-in-law, Alissa, gifted us an incredible array of crocheted goodies for the babe, all handmade by her. The ridiculously tiny booties, hat, and coat made me cry, they were just so adorable. My favorite part is the baseball buttons.





She also made a matching baby blanket.

And this cute stuffed animal that looks very intricate to make.

Live model

My good friend Marnie commissioned a custom order of the Bronwen earrings and matching bracelet in sterling silver for her sister Ilisa's birthday gift. I was very excited to receive pictures of Ilisa modeling the pieces for the blog. Doesn't she look fabulous? Thank you, ladies!

Lovely

I don't remember where I found these, but this room is so lovely. Nothing cutesy (I am personally not a fan of overtly cutesy things).

Merry Christmas

May all the joys of the season be yours!

Aftermath

The massive snowstorm has finally petered out, but not until after dumping almost two feet of the white stuff down on us. Today was the Great Dig-Out.

I love this one...our neighbor's Smart Car, not yet cleared...the contrast between the tiny car and the amount of snow it has on top of it is kind of comical.

Our back deck and gate...so much snow!

View from the back deck...

Blizzard

We are under a blizzard warning all day, with predicted snow totals of 18-24". Yikes! They're saying this is a historic, record-breaking snowstorm, with levels not seen since 1932. A car got stuck in the middle of the road in my neighborhood just now. I guess the poor guy isn't going anywhere for the time being. There are also reports of salt trucks overturning - salt trucks. The snow is falling thick and fast - Mr Hazel had just finished shoveling the deck when 2 more inches of snow promptly covered it right back up.

Hello

Moxie says hi.

Pregnancy and crafts

For any pregnant artists and craftspeople out there, I found this interesting article on pregnancy and crafts. I never really thought about it until I got pregnant and realized I should probably stay away from my torch for the time being, but the arts and crafts involve tons of chemicals that could potentially be hazardous: paint, oils, photography materials, dyes, flux, solder. I was really pleased that this has been discussed at least someplace as a reference for us pregnant artists!

New Moon rising

Finally, it's here. It is approximately t-minus 21 hours until zero New Moon hour for me! My friends and I have been crashing email servers all week, eagerly awaiting tomorrow afternoon. So, in honor of New Moon eve, here is some R-Pattz eye candy!

Just because

Mr Hazel got me flowers "just because."

Custom

I finished a custom order for a birthday gift. These are similar to the Bronwen earrings and bracelet, but in sterling silver instead of vermeil.

Twilight Tuesday

A new New Moon preview! Even though there's no Edward in it (boo), I have to admit this was really, really cool. Bella with the wolves. And it looks great.

Treasury

The Bronwen earrings (bottom left-hand corner) made it into an Etsy treasury.

Pretty

Loving home design as I do, I already have lots of ideas percolating in my head, but I absolutely and completely fell in love with this nursery.

A helping hand

The typhoon that struck Manila, Philippines over the weekend caused unspeakable devastation, damage, and loss of life. The scariest part is that this disaster hit close to home, as "ground zero" of the flooding was in my old hometown of Marikina. I shudder to think what my childhood home looks like in the aftermath. Worse, though, is that I have family that were affected, including a cousin I'm close to who had to evacuate her house (including her two little girls) by boat. The pictures and stories coming from there are horrible and tragic. And even worse, another typhoon is being tracked and is predicted to make landfall on Saturday, potentially worsening the situation into a full-fledged humanitarian crisis.

I'm appealing to all to extend a helping hand to the Filipinos who lost so much during this disaster. Many are without food or clean drinking water. If you are able to help in any way, for any amount, it would go a long way towards alleviating the suffering experienced by the victims of this disaster. Donations can be made either through Catholic Relief Services here or the Philippine National Red Cross here, which has made arrangements to enable overseas donors to donate safely via PayPal. The Philippine Red Cross is part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Much thanks for your generosity on behalf of the victims of Typhoon Ketsana ("Ondoy").

Twilight Tuesday

I'm taking a break from my latest obsession (which would be vampire Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse novels, and specifically Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman - but more on that later), to post these great new stills from New Moon. I must admit I am even salivating over the wolfpack, and I'm as far from Team Jacob as you can get. The Volturi also look very impressive. It's definitely looking more and more like New Moon will be of much higher quality than Twilight, with a less of an indie feel and more of a polished, glossy look. Check them out.

A special project

Some of you may have been wondering where I've been hiding myself. For the past few months, I've been working on a very, very special project: I've been nurturing a little bun in the oven! With the result that this past summer I've been very nauseous and exhausted, and haven't had much energy for a lot of things (including tending to my Etsy shop or blogging). My couch and I have really bonded these past months. Thank you, couch!

Because of all the different chemicals involved in the process, I've temporarily halted all metalsmithing for the duration of my pregnancy, but I'm hoping to get back to my table very soon to work on new pieces with beads and wire. I probably won't be around as much these days but once I start feeling better you'll see more of me, so check back often!