Oysters in Point Reyes

Last weekend I went to Point Reyes with my good friends. We had oysters and a barbeque! The weather was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky and a warm ocean breeze. We go to Point Reyes every year around this time to enjoy oysters on the beach, but it had never been this warm and beautiful before. This time we weren't surrounded by thick fog nor did we have to wear coats. What a great weekend spent with good friends!

Me on the beach!

 Friends working on oysters

 Oyster bbq

 The girls relaxing

 Great picture that I took of a seagull eating a crab!

Friend's dog Mania

We were very concerning about the health of the seal

Friends full of oysters!

Night time bonfire

enjoying the warmth

A Short Vacation

This past week I was in Cabo San Lucas. My husband and I went away for a week to rest from the very intense work schedule we've had these past few months. We both really needed it! 

We spent everyday on the beach, where it was only the two of us for miles. It was a  paradise!

Polish Festival

This past weekend I went to the Polish Festival in Martinez with my daughter and her friend. It was a beautiful day and I'm very glad I went. This was the first time it was held in Martinez and it was such a success. I saw so many friends and they were all looking forward to the next one. For those of you who don't know,  I am Polish! In the above you can see my daughter and I standing in front a group of Polish folk dancers.

We ate a lot of paczki but I wish I had bought more! Paczki are a Polish desert that is filled with either plum jam or advocaat. This was such a great surprise because in Poland paczki are only made after Christmas so it was great to see them in summer. They are delicious. I'm going crazy thinking about them now!

They were also selling some Polish folk art, such as wycinanki. I had a great time and seeing all of the beautiful folk dancers, art, and delicious food made me proud. If you ever get a chance to go to a Polish festival, do it!

Adventure in Graphic Design... Help?!

Back in January I hired a young successful graphic designer to create for me a logo and marketing materials. He ended up abandoning me after stringing me a long for half a year.  Professional and successful!? HA! Words can not express the frustration and dissppointment I felt when he sent me the final email stating he could no longer work on the project. Reaaaaal professional. He had sent me a few sample logos and I have since then decided on using one of those samples. So in the end, after seven months, he never even created the logo I truly wanted. Thank god I never paid him. Now, I am left with a logo saved in an adobe illustrator format and nothing else. I couldn't even open this logo on my laptop up until a few days ago when my daughter downloaded a free trial of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Now I can open my logo but I have zero clue on how to create a business card, tags, or a mailer. Nada, zilch. Neither does my 22 year old daughter who claims to have taken digital photography classes and grew up on the computer.What now!

Even though this sounds daunting everything will turn out well... right? I have a free trial of Photoshop and Illustrator on my computer and 20 something days left to create my materials before the trials expire. Wish me luck!

Do you recommend any tutorials for using these programs for creating my own marketing materials? Or just any tutorials on them in general?

Picasso & the De Young

The De Young is currently holding an exhibit on Picasso. The pieces have all come from the  Musée National Picasso in Paris. This exhibit is only possible because the museum is closed till 2012 for extensive remodeling. I remember when I visited Paris in September 2010 we had walked over an hour in the cold rain to reach the museum and the only art we saw was a sign at the entrance that read "Closed for Remodeling".

(Image from the De Young site)

Now, thankfully, I will be able to see the works. The best part is that they are exhibiting a wide range of works, not just from one period. They will show from the Blue Period, the Rose Period, Surrealist sculptures and more. Very exciting! Do you have a favorite work? The exhibit opened in June and will be at the De Young till October. I can't wait to go next week!

Hiking Trip

This past weekend I went on a hiking trip to the Sierra Buttes! We stayed at a good friend's cabin in Truckee. We hiked an eight mile trail and made it to the very top of the mountain. On the way back down we stopped at Sardine Lake and had lunch.

Once we made it back home we had victory mojitos and gazpacho back at the cabin. I had a great time and can't wait for the next trip! Do you have a favorite trail or park where you like to go?

New Listings

Lots of new pieces !

Summer in the 70s

And it's finally summer! The heat was outrageous last week but it's finally cooled down to a much more agreeable temperature. The late 70s are perfect. Actually, the late 70s aren't just the perfect temperature but they are also a great time in history, particularly in music.

Disco! Punk! Glam Rock! Reggae! 

Here's a great song to have you thinking of warm days and a great decade...

Continued from the last post- Aquamarine!

Aquamarine. It's an extraordinary shade of blue, sometimes green, yellow, white, or even red. Aquamarine beads remind me of feathers so light and pure and are almost mermaid like. These are the perfect reasons why Aquamarine necklaces, bracelets, and earrings would make excellent pieces for the summer and the beach just like turquoise and wooden bead necklaces. There's something about aquamarine that catches the eye with it's purity and glassy colors and I hope to see it a lot more this season!

 This bracelet can be found at the store Aline B. in Walnut Creek!

This is another wonderful piece.


For constant updates, check out my Twitter and follow me. I'm always posting new ideas and updates on my jewelry!

Popular Summer Jewelry Trends!

Just added a new post to Squidoo, take a look!

I talk about major jewelry trends for the summer, including Turquoise and wooden bead necklaces. These are essentials in my closet and should be in any woman's wardrobe!

Take a look for yourself!

SQUIDOO!

New sunny weather brings new sunny inspiration!

June has began and it's been nothing but cold, clouds, and rain. Finally though, the sun is starting to show and I'm looking for hope for more sun through my jewelry!

Through the use of beachy wooden beads, timeless turquoise, jade, and coral, I hope to bring the summer laid back feeling.

SQUIDOO!

I'm proud to say I have just completed a page on Squidoo. It focuses on chain jewelry and shows how popular it has become today. Feel free to take a look!


http://www.squidoo.com/popular-jewelry-trends

 

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day is a day that we can remember those who have past away in our nation's service.  This is a day we can celebrate those who are fighting for our nation now as well and show them how much we appreciate them. I hope everyone has a wonderful memorial day with friends, families, and any festivities!

Greek Festival

Every year sometime in May, I make sure to make an appearance at the Oakland Greek Festival. This is a time where my friends and I can take a step back from our busy lives and relax, being able to listen to the live Greek bands while enjoying a scrumptious lamb sandwich. These are just small parts of the never ending fun I have! Besides the great music, fantastic food and positive atmosphere, my friends and I enjoyed taking part in dancing and looking at the Greek Vase replicas.

This is a picture of some Greek sweet and sticky desert I enjoyed at the festival called Loukoumades. They were absolutely terrific!

Overall, I had an incredible time and am looking forward to next year's already!

Balenciaga and Spain

This past weekend I visited the Balenciaga and Spain exhibit at the De Young museum in San Francisco. The exhibition features 120 pieces from both museum and private collections which successfully demonstrate the impact of Spanish culture and aesthetics on the designer's work.

He was inspired by the colors, the regional dress, the music, the religion, the working class, the art, the absolute energy of the nation! Though he spent most of his career in Paris, memories of his Spanish homeland were the muse of his designs.

Balenciaga has always been one of my favorite designers. His energy and ingenuity was with him till retirement in his 70s. He never rested in his success but kept creating outstanding experimental work! An absolute artist. The craftsmanship, the detail, and the variety in his work is outstanding! I highly recommend you visit.

(photos from the De Young)

The Bracelets That Go POP!

It's been a beautiful day today, spring has finally sprung! I am making a bright and flirty bracelets that would be perfect for a day like today.

These adjustable silk cord bracelets are perfect alone or layered!

The strong red silk cord gives a vibrant pop to any outfit and compliments the gold vermeil, sterling silver, or lapis lazuli beads that accompany it. Just in time for Easter!

La Jolla

I spent this past weekend in La Jolla, San Diego. It was a wonderful trip with my family to see my daughter compete in the San Diego Crew Classic. I don't know how those girls do it, rowing is one of the hardest sports! It was also a chance to get away from the Bay Area for a little bit.

While I was there I ate fantastic food during the day and walked along the pristine beaches of La Jolla in the evening. My favorite restaurant was a fantastic little place called Barbarella. Classy and delicious. I highly recommend it if you are visiting San Diego.  

All together the perfect weekend get away! 

Japan Relief

White Elephant Sale Extraveganza!

If you haven't heard about the White Elephant Sale (WES) in Oakland, it's time to get on board and look forward to next years rummage sale.

WES is the largest rummage sale in northern California. Hosted in a 96,000 sq. ft. warehouse filled to the brim with anything and everything you could possibly imagine. On the advice of a friend I went to check out the vintage jewelry for some inspiration.

Though there was plenty of cheap little necklaces and bracelets lining the countertops, the good stuff was tucked away behind glass. There was amber, turquoise, ruby and even a few diamond necklaces, broaches, and rings. What really caught my eye was the authentic Native American jewelry with engraved silver and large turquoise stones. Each of these pieces took such care and focus to create and they are still coveted decades later. So this week I'm going to focus on putting a little extra love and long-lasting quality and design into each of my pieces.

The Elephant the started it all (or maybe not, but they have an amazing collection of White Elephants!)

For the Music Lovers out there...

Last week my husband and I went to the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco to see Rafal Blechacz, a Polish pianist who won the annual International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2005.

The Theatre was beautiful and the every seat was filled. Rafal truly has a gift and talent for music and has been traveling the world playing everywhere from Morocco to Germany to France and winning awards all along the way.

It was such a treat to see him play and I want to bring that musical spirit to my jewelry as well. I'll be working on incorporating a melody into my pieces... so keep an eye (and ear) out for my harmonious works!

The Show Program

Trunk Show Success!

The trunk show last week at Alina B. was quite a learning experience.

I found that because I had a Thursday afternoon deadline to present my Spring Collection, it forced me to dedicate all my time and effort to creating new pieces. Forced to be hunched over my jewelry table for 15 hours a day was an unexpected way to really get me excited about my Spring Collection and start pushing more pieces out.

The trunk show was not only a success for selling pieces and getting more people interested in my jewelry, but worked as a way to catapult me into spring. And now that it will be raining all week, I'm sure I'll have a few more extra long dates with my table of gems.

Fantastic Trunk Show this Thursday & Friday!

Look out! Valentine's Day is fast approaching and it's a perfect holiday to celebrate the people you love - even if you're single.

My jewelry will be hosted at Alina B. in Walnut Creek on Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th from 4 - 7 pm.

There will be champagne and cupcakes from the delicious Kara's Cupcakes!

Don't miss out on this fabulous opportunity to share the love this Valentines!

Alina B. is located at 1378 N. Main St in Walnut Creek

If you can't make it to the trunk show, there's still time to find that perfect gift... See more options on my Etsy page!

Hope to see you all there! 

New Photos!

A Santa Cruz Mini-Break of Inspiration

This weekend I drove down to Santa Cruz to visit my eldest daughter at her new apartment and it was the perfect weekend to do so.

The weather here has been foggy and cold for over a month, and I was happily surprised to find that the sun had come out for my day long vacation. It felt like summer again and the warmth, sun and sand fed my imagination for new pieces. It was so relaxing to feel the sand beneath my boots and the sun on my face. I hope to create jewelry that will evoke that 'day-at-the-beach' bliss.

The jagged cliffs falling into the coast brings such a natural contrast to life and I want to incorporate that to my pieces as well.

Not only did our beach adventure get my mind thinking about new creations, but spending time with my vibrant and enthusiastic daughter made me want to include a more care-free attitude to my works.

The day was beautiful, relaxing and brought many new ideas to the forefront for my spring/summer collection. Thank you Santa Cruz for such a lovely mini-break vacation!

Hello 2011!

New Year's Eve has come and gone, and now it's time to get back to business and reality. The time has come to review the successes and failures of 2010 and improve and correct them in 2011. I'm working hard developing an updated a business and marketing plan, which includes a complete overhaul of my website.

Besides re-vamping my business it's self, I am also introducing new materials to my designs.
Silk, wool, folk fabrics, and more. Here's a few bracelet cuff's I've made out of felt and floral deigned folk fabric from Poland. Each bracelet is different from the next and is sewn with a unique design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bohemian / Folk Bracelet Cuff

Other than working with textiles, I am looking into working with resin as well. Baubles & Beads in Berkeley and San Rafael as well as The Crucible in Oakland have courses on working with resin for jewelry and 3D designs that start as soon as next month. I'm excited to have more control and direct input in the production, not just the construction of my pieces. With the skills I'll learn from the resin workshops I will be able to create my own pendants, beads, and bracelets like never before.

Keep an eye out for my new designs!