Holiday! It. Would. Be. So. Grea-eat!

Seriously, my holidays have been busy, busy, BU-ZY! You? I honestly thought I'd get a whole lot more relaxing done, but so far, the only ones that are really enjoying a 'break', are DH (Darling Husband) and LH (Little Highness). Well, besides those two (two too few!) shopping excursions I've been on with the charming Miz M, I really haven't had time to myself.

We entertained our neighbors, Gary, Rebeca and Sophia on Christmas night. I went all out and created a fantastic (if I do say so myself...) turkey dinner. My only problem was the teenie tiny stove I've got. There was no way I was going to get a 10 pound turkey in it AND manage to oven roast the ham and the sweet potatoes... So, I seasoned and stuffed the bird, and delivered it to Rebeca, who kindly followed my instructions on the baking part, and it came out perfect. I prepared my sweet potatoes the way I usually do: 1" thick slices, toss in a large bowl with olive oil, then coat with rosemary, fresh ground pepper, and some seasoned sea salt: YUM! (In case you feel like trying them, you lay them flat on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, turn them over, and bake for an additional 12 minutes. Times may vary according to ovens... Trust me, you'll LOVE them!).

I'm not ashamed to say that I was SPOILED ROTTEN this year :D Yes, Santa was good to me. I got socks, 'cause I LOVE socks! I got an ironing board, I got tools, I got yarn, I got 6 lbs crystal FIRELINE! (woot!) And that was just from HUBBY! I got fantastic 450 count cotton sheets, a billfold, a cookbook for my crock pot, a gorgeous crystal ornament and a decorative candle holder from Nona and M, and I got myself quite a few other little trinkets. ;) I really was spoiled. I must have done something really really good this year to deserve so much!

The weather here is positively preposterous. One week you think you're in the Arctic, the next, it's balmy southern weather... Go figure! Those 24" of snow we got last week are all but gone now, leaving way to torrential downpours and possible floods all over the neighborhood. One neighbor's sump pump has been going non-stop since Friday... But, so far, we're pretty lucky. No flooding on our property, and we're vigilant about going out there as soon as there's a lot of melting or raining going on, and clear any water that seems to have a difficult time draining. The warmer days also gave the furnace a nice break.

So, I'm getting ready for the new year. I've got a few possible prospects for Posh Parties, so I've got to get busy and make some pieces. I was contacted by Tom, the photographer I've been modeling for (have I mentioned that before?), and he's willing to redo some of my photos for the site, as I really think the necklaces would be better displayed on a model. And since I can't afford a model right now, I guess it'll have to be me...

I've been working on some new earring styles, and am looking forward to adding these to the site as well, and making more and more and more Pearl Blossoms. They're popular, and sell well, so, I think that always having a few of them on hand will be ideal. I took a better shot of my wall-mounted earring display to show you. I'm so happy I scored two of them for myself. I can't wait for my office to be completed so I can just set them up.


And lucky me, I even snagged a matching table-top one. This will help for when I've got extra pieces to display when I'm at home, or, just to bring along as an extra table display when I go to shows.

A closer look of the display in action.
My new "Goddess" earring.

And check it out! Right before Christmas, I found this other table-top piece, sold as a votive candle holder, I simply removed the candle cups, and voilà, a brand new display! :D



What else have I been up to? Oh yeah! I finally got the Celini Spiral under my belt! Here's my first attempt.

I'll be sending this one to DH's auntie in Montréal. I know she's just DYING to get it!

The new "Infinity Simplicity" set.
I've decided to splurge and use those gorgeous Peacock pearls hubby got me for our anniversary last year. I think the finished result is quite stunning.

I finished the blossom, and then embellished it further with some 13/0 charlottes in a gold wash transparent purple. (the same as in the matching earrings actually!)

Well, I think that's it for today folks. I'm running on empty right now. Have been busy babysitting two large black labs, a cat, an aquarium full of fish, and a budgie for my neighbors. And every single pet is a love sponge, where three times a day, at least one hour each time, is spent snuggling, loving, feeding, and generally looking out for them. Oh, and the LH in tow to boot! But, it'll all be worth it in the end.

Hope all is well with you all, and that Santa was just as good to you as he was to me.

Love and Light!

Jewels