Jewelry That Used To Be Other Stuff

I love jewelry that's made from recycled or repurposed materials, particularly when it's done well. This Etsy artist, who goes by the street name Sword and Fern, crafts her pieces from junked cars. I find her work incredibly inspiring. Check out these earrings:



Here is Sword and Fern's Etsy address: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6391852.

An Amazing Jewelry Blog

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite jewelry blogs:

http://www.jewelrybloguncovered.com/

Features lots of up-and-coming jewelry designers who design in unconventional materials (which I love). Here's a piece by a Serbian jewelry designer named Tanya Igic:

The blossoms are made of leather, and beautifully crafted. You can purchase Ms. Igic's jewelry at http://www.tanyaigic.co.uk/.

Steampunked

I like this jewelry. Apparently it's called "Steampunk jewelry." The designer dismembers old watches and recombines the parts in new, provoking and very wearable ways -- way cool. What do you think? This woman has a shop on Etsy, and it's definitely worth visiting. Here's the link for it: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5927493. If you're visiting Etsy, the name of her shop is London Particulars. Tell her Freaky Jewelry sent you. And she'll say, "who the Hell is that?" :)

Here are some more contacts for London Particulars:

Twitter:http://twitter.com/SteampunkShoppeOn

Facebook: http://profile.to/londonparticulars/

Also:http://www.steampunkjewelry.ffxoh.com/

Have you heard of Novica?

Novica (http://www.novica.com/) is associated with National Geographic and offers handmade items from all over the world for sale. The jewelry is particularly wonderful. Novica was create by Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira, who had prior experience as a United Nations officer for many years. It has helped many third-world artisans to get a fair wage for their creations. Here's one of my favorite items, created by Maria Belen Nilson, who was originally born in Argentina but whose designs are "inspired by Mexico and Frida Kahlo." You can view it in further detail here: http://jewelry.novica.com/necklaces/favorites/sterling-silver-chain-necklace-aztec-victory/164765/. So if you want to save the world AND amp up your wardrobe at the same time, definitely check out Novica. Namaskara!

My Last Link to Reality

Did you see that article they released Sunday on new research yielding evidence that caffeine can boost memory and stave off Alzheimer's? Now, this explains why I'm not in the street, wandering around in my pink bathrobe ... here's the link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090705/hl_hsn/moreevidencethatcaffeinecanjoltmemory

I have done extensive research on my own (mostly via the Internet) to convince myself that it is not a good thing to be a coffee addict. Unfortunately, I have not turned up ONE consistently negative piece of information about coffee, other than that overconsumption can give you the jitters. This is yet another stake in the coffin that is my resistance. Guess I gotta keep drinking the stuff .... Great.

Something Purple

For some time now I've wanted to make a piece of jewelry combining silver and gold. I finally did:

Regarding the silver/gold combo, I like the "Timex-y" element to it. I think it's very quietly subversive.

The teardrop is natural polished amethyst, and it has a very deep, seductive purple color to it. Here's another photo:





The purple glass beads next to it I believe are Miracle beads, which are designed to signal Mars. Seriously, they look like they're floating in space, due to some tricky glass blowing. They are also wonderfully reflective.

That's it for now. I am having camera issues. I absolutely love, love, love my camera (it was a beautiful gift from my Better Half), but it is a point-and-shoot and not really suited for the task of photographing jewelry. Aside from that, it's fabulous! I am going to have to buy one of those big black SLRs that cost a gazillion bucks. This is not going to happen right away, but hopefully sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I will have to continue using my knees as a tripod when I shoot, which, although frustrating for me, is probably quite entertaining for my family.

Hope this posting finds you well and happy!

I messed up. My Better Half tagged me about a week or so ago, and I'm just getting caught up with e-mails and postings now. To give you an idea, I just got through a ONE-PAGE to-do list.

Okay, here goes:

4 movies you would watch over and over again:

1. Fellini's "Romeo and Juliet"
2. Fellini's "Satyricon"
3. Amelie
4. Blade Runner

I had a tough time picking four, by the way. That was TORTURE.

4 places you have lived:

1. Port Washington, New York (raised there)
2. New York, New York (college)
3. San Francisco, CA
4. Walnut Creek, CA

4 TV shows you love to watch:

1. Discovery Channel's "PitchMen"
2. Top Chef
3. CSI (all of them -- terribly addictive)
4. Iron Chef (either Japanese or American -- I don't care)

4 places you have been on vacation:

1. Negril, Jamaica
2. New York, NY (I went to college there, but now we go for a vacation -- weird, huh?)
3. Hawaii -- mostly Oahu and Maui
4. Mendocino/Ukiah

4 of your favorite foods:

1. Creme brulee (My favorite one is made by Izzy's Steak House in San Francisco -- check it out)
2. Steak au poivre with brandy-cream sauce (ditto -- Izzy's is the best)
3. Gnocchi with blue cheese sauce
4. Chicken Scarpariella (my favorite from my past is prepared by Livorno Restaurant in New York City -- I'm not sure if it's still there or not. I can't find it when I Google for it.)

4 Web sites you visit daily:

1. http://www.cnn.com/
2. http://www.ebay.com/
3. http://www.sfgate.com/
4. http://www.msn.com/

4 places you would rather be right now:

1. In Paris, hanging out with my family. In fact, just about anywhere in Europe would be cool.
2. New York City would be awesome. I need to catch up with friends and family, and it would perk up my husband and son.
3. Driving down the California coast, photographing the sunset. (We have really wonderful sunsets here.)
4. I would like to check out Indonesia one of these days, specifically Bali.

4 things you want to do before you die:

1. Learn to cut gemstones.
2. Learn to cast precious metals.
3. Buy a house.
4. Watch my husband accept an Academy Award for a script, or an adaptation of one of his stories. I think I should start shopping for my formal gown now ...

4 books you wish you could read again for the first time:

1. Walden (Henry David Thoreau)
2. The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton)
3. The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
4. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

Tag 4 people you think will respond:

http://katieschwartz.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/dish/

http://albertsworldofartsyfun.blogspot.com/

http://writerofblogs.blogspot.com/

http://tanyaespanya.blogspot.com/

You've been tagged! :)