Plenty of Glitter...and then some...

Since returning from England a few weeks ago, life has sort of been go-go-go. We're getting ready for our biggest show of the year at work (children's book illustrations - yay!) and I've been working on a few jewelry projects in the mornings. James and I have been cleaning the house like mad (not fun). Plus the weekends have been taken up with a bridal shower, a bar mitzvah, and a bachelorette party. I've really barely seen James since our trip.

Last of the summer artist demonstrations at work - this is a watercolor in progress by Julie Hill

James and I have decided to try to cut down on the amount of TV we watch and do other things instead, which means we have "Wine & Cheese Hour" several times a week. YUM!

Work in progress on a family tree inspired piece of jewelry

Rumor has it...

I spent yesterday morning at Hamburger Mary's in Long Beach at a Sunday brunch drag show with the latest bride-to-be's bachelorette party. Bottomless mimosas, all-you-can-eat buffet, LOUD music, and outrageous drag acts. This one above was the most tame - the spitting image of Adele. But rest assured, there was plenty of glitter, sequins, huge hair, major makeup, and super high heels, and then some...

THEN I found a package of a double season of Gilmore Girls at Target for cheap, and guess what I spent the rest of Sunday doing? This will probably ruin the cutting down on the TV time for a little bit.

Jewelry Galore!

I haven't shown you what I've been working on lately, mainly because I've been too busy, well, working on them in the mornings to leave myself enough time to blog about them! I'm still getting up early to work before I go to work, and the ideas are flying...can't wait to get started on my next set of projects! In the meantime, here are a few finished jewelry pieces to share...

Isn't She Sweet photo collage ring

The Chief photo necklace

Elizabeth the English Girl photo earrings

The End of the Wedding Ceremony photo collage adjustable ring

Coney Island photo locket

Plus, on our trip to England, I picked up some photographs in one of the many markets held around the city to use in some new designs.

New / Old Images

Also, James' parents were kind enough to lend me whatever family photos I thought I could find use for. They have a treasure trove of images taken in Italy and they are printed and preserved beautifully. I even found an image of London before WWII, showing the area around St. Paul's Cathedral that was heavily bombed during the war. So amazing!

I've also been working on these little guys...

I don't know what they'll be yet, but I'm having fun experimenting!!

By the way, all of the finished pieces can be found in my Etsy store, so hop on over when you get the chance!

August Reading

If you're wondering why the blog has been so quiet lately, it's because James and I were in London! We got back two nights ago and we miss everyone already. Trips to England are always a little stressful because we never manage to see as many people or spend as much time with them as we'd like. Even if we'd been there for an entire month it still wouldn't have been enough. I started having dreams towards the end of our trip about not being able to see some people, which was really fun (not) because I'd begin my day with a healthy dose of guilt and then finish the day with a mild sense of panic. Yay. I'll tell you more about it next time...

So here's the reading from August.

Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian - I went to high school with Julie and remember her reading her compositions to our English class, so the strangest sensation when reading this book was hearing it in her voice. Congratulations on the book, Julie!!

Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer - about a scientist on a rocket to colonize the moon with robots & his bald, pregnant wife back on Earth. Really not as strange as it sounds.

The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard - really, really enjoyed this one

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - this was a re-read