Orion's Belt...or What have I been up to??

September is already nearly halfway over!  Where HAS the time gone?  Well the last few weeks I've been very busy with my new baby...kitten that is. 

 

This is Orion - 4 months old here and only a day with me.  I caught him mid bath and you can see his tiny tongue sticking out if you look close.  Awww...try and resist the cuteness!

 

He bonded with me so thoroughly that his favorite place is to sit on my chest and knead my...well he's a boob man, shall we say - and also my throat, which is not so fun as he gets bigger.  LOL  He'll be too big for that behavior for long, but for now I find it adorable.  He then passes out draped along my neck like a scarf.  It's what all the Paris catwalks will be having this Fall - kitten scarves. 

BUT I have no photo to share of that particular habit.  I'm too shy to post pics of myself (you may have noticed LOL) - but I do have plenty of pics to share...

Here is one of his first pictures.  Such a sweetie - got him from the animal shelter - he just won my heart.  They said he likes climbing shoulders (yep), and he purrs the most.  Say no more! 

He has the funniest coloring - he's black and white in front, but then there is a definite line where it turns gray all over his back (dare I say - a belt between?) and his face and tail are quite fluffy and long haired, but the middle is kind of fluffy, but short.  And his ears!!  Cameras don't quite catch the goofiness of his long white tufts in each ear - they remind me of Yoda at times.

Here he is 'just chillin' with my older cat Smokey (or Loki as I call him - he's a crafty one).  They get along somewhat, but the age difference is a bit much.  Smokey is very calm and zen (most of the time) and despite appearances in the pictures, Orion is a Mischief Maker.  His nickname is M&M.  ;)

 

And now we hear from Orion...

 

Orion:  Who me?  Mischief??

 

 

I just sleep and sleep and charge up while mommy updates her shop...

 

 

And I like to cuddle...and am possessive...

 

 

And Miracle of miracles...I get mommy to allow a rare picture of herself - because she's totally besotted in me.  We are best of buds - we love all things British, too.

 

 

 

And I may be planning to jump back on her shoulders and purr my heart out again.  Because I'm just that loveable...  If you want a kitty or pup in your life go to your local shelter and pick one of us out - we all need homes and we fill your hearts with love in return.  XOXO

 

****

 

And there you have it.  I lost my two cats over the last few years and our dog, too from old age and illness.  It's been very quiet with just Smokey and while he was happy being Top Cat and enjoying all our love and attention...he kept yoddeling at night in the hall - very much seeming to be calling for the missing pets.  Something he didn't do until they were all gone.  It hurt to hear and I do believe he was lonely.  He may get annoyed with a energized kitten in the house, but I do think they are bonding a bit. His days are certainly not boring anymore. 

 

Orion is making everyone happy.  Here's a pic of my dad who now works from home during the day...

 

 

Orion: Work?  Boring - PLAY with me!!!

 

Have a Great Weekend!!

 

P.S.  I named him Orion just because I wanted a cool name and he's quite the little hunter (and hey - it's Greek, like me), but then I realized...Men in Black!!  Orion's Belt...  LOL  Oh well.  Guess I wasn't being original.

In Bloom - New Flower and Garden Inspired Jewelry - Make Great Bridal Gifts!

As we head into August I'm enjoying all the lovely flowers in bloom and veggies in my garden.  From all this beautiful inspiration I decided to add some color and summer to my shop.  So may I introduce the first three pieces....

 

A beautiful Rose Pink Dahlia on a lovely silver filigree setting?

 

 

Up close it is even prettier! 

 

Available in my shop HERE.

 

 

I swear the pictures don't do it justice no matter how I try...I'm no great photographer - I tried to capture the beauty of the piece, but it eludes me.  I want to point out the depth of the piece - it is no flat piece of jewelry, the setting has a delicate dip and curve to it and the resin flower has so many layers of petals!!  I love this piece dearly.

 

 

And on the other side of the spectrum of colors I've done a beautiful Ivory White Dahlia on Antique Brass.  The round filigree setting you can find in my typewriter jewelry, but this particular piece I set on a (new to the shop - and only one I have so far) flower chain necklace!  I think it adds to the garden feel without overpowering the pendant.

 

 

Available in my shop HERE.

 

Still can't capture the true beauty of the piece, but at least you get the idea - please check out my shop for more photos.

 

I love the Victorian feel of this piece...

 

And the third piece (actually the first I posted in my shop) is a Rose Pink Dahlia on a Flower/Filigree setting.  Simple, but elegant.

 

 

Available in my shop HERE.

 



And that is not all!!  I have more flower jewelry coming soon!  Different colors, settings, etc.  Please check my shop for updates!!  I hope you like these pieces.  As soon as I made my first necklace my mother snatched one up for herself.  LOL  It's getting to be a bad habit with her - I'm having trouble getting things into the store before she can grab them.

Happy Wednesday!

Whale of a Time - Summer Inspiration - Happy Hump(back whale) Day!

I love whales and in the summer I love seeing new items out there that are inspiring...

 

First up - a beautiful bottle opener!  How cute is this??

 

 

Available at BHDLN

 

There there are these really cool items for kids' rooms:

 

 

Which unfortunately Pottery Barn Kids no longer has in stock, but you could always check out Ebay

 

Then there is some delightful fabric at spoonflower:

 

Simple, but so cute.  Available here.



 

This is more pirate themed, but with cute whales, pirate ships and mermaids - who could resist?  Available here. 

 

And Spoonflower has a lot more whale themed fabric so look there for more!

 

And last, but not least - a great artist that makes really beautiful whale art - here are a few of my favorites:

 



 

 

His name is Greg Pezzoni - google for more great art!!

 

And that's it for this post, but I have another big Etsy update coming up son - plenty of new items in the shop - please check them out!!  ;)

 

Happy Hump(back whale) day!  Sorry, couldn't resist.

Happy 4th! Flowers and British Loving Kitties...

Er - well, Smokey didn't get the memo and thought the Brits won...

Well, that or he is as big a Sherlock fan as I am...  Mum bought me that pillow for Christmas.  ;)

But meanwhile outside...




My Lily of the Valley is in desperate need of dividing. 









And I found some beautiful Foxglove and Delphinium to plant in my cottage garden!






And after those pics we painted the porch and fixed it up a bit...

 

It's been cool and very rainy here in the Midwest.  My heart goes out to the firefighters that died in the Arizona fire this weekend.  I hope you all are taking care out there and staying cool and away from the fire.  I'd gladly share some of this rain with you...

Happy Fourth of July!!

New to the Shop: Antique Brass Necklaces and Earrings - Historical Romance and Steampunk Chic

Antique Brass Necklaces and Earrings

 

 

New to the shop - I've added some new necklaces and earrings in a beautiful vintage inspired antique brass color. 

 

 

First up - a beautiful pair of Victorian drop Earrings with Antique Sheet Music under Glass.



 

I use only genuine antique sheet music in my art and jewelry - each piece is unique.  This pair of earrings were made from a sheet of music from the turn of the century.  They are sealed and preserved under a dome of glass and set in a scalloped base and set into delicate Victorian drop settings. 

 

 

I've added filigree backings to make the back as beautiful as the front.

 

 

 

 

Filigree Necklace in Antique Brass with Antique White G Key:

 

 

 

New to the shop are some bird charms I'm adding to a few necklaces - some are like this one - a connector charm, which makes it look like the bird is flying to the pendant.

 

 

I love this white key - it's naturally crackled with age - adding vintage charm to the necklace.  So pretty!

 

This necklace is so cute, I really do have to make one for myself. 

 

And the back of the necklace -

 

I also offer the Victorian/Art Deco drop pendant in the Antique Brass color now:

 

 

I've paired it with a glass top key in sepia tone.  It has darkened naturally over the years - it's a very old key.  The typographical style of the K is simple and striking.  These keys are VERY rare.  I only have the one set so if you want it in your letter you better grab them now.  Convo me if you wish to see if I can make one for you.  This setting is also available in antique silver, gold and in a bronze/black color - now you can have four different colors for any outfit/event!

This necklace has three pieces to the pendant in addition to the key - the Victorian setting, a scalloped base and a filigree backing.  It's a very striking piece.

 

 

Check out the filigree backing:

 

 

 

 

This is just the first update for my Etsy shop -

I'm adding more new items today so I'll update again with more. 



German Food Night

After struggling with a Blogger upload problem for months I finally managed to figure out a way to post a few pics of a dinner I made months ago.  I got this crazy idea at a late night grocery store run that I just HAD to have a German Food Night. 

It started with a mix packet for Sauerbraten - I love Sauerbraten.  Or rather, I should say I loved the Sauerbraten that I used to get at a now closed cafeteria here in St. Louis.  Grone's Cafeteria made the most delicious roast beef (French dip sandwiches to DIE for) and twice a week they had thin sliced delicious Sauerbraten with potato pancakes and applesauce on the side.  Grone's closed suddenly one day without a clue to their customers (and rumor has it - even the employees) and I was shocked and saddened.  I tried to find another restaurant that made sauerbraten and the few that did just weren't anywhere near as good so I thought I'd never have it again.

Then, low and behold - one day I found an article online that had the family that owned the cafeteria saying that old customers wanted their recipes and they were willing to share!  Oh joy!  My only problem - I didn't have a Dutch Oven, apparently a neccessity to making delicious Sauerbraten.  So that night, standing in the grocery store looking at a mix for sauerbraten I decided - we NEED a German food night!  Bring on the roast beef, the applesauce, and hey, how about some pickeled red cabbage?  And while we are at it - I think we need German Chocolate cake, too!

My family thought I was crazy, but I was determined!  I bought a dutch oven from Target (not cheap) and then made up my menu and ta da!! 

My Lovely Sauerbraten:

Note:  I had always planned to share this meal on my blog, but wouldn't you know it, in my enthusiasm and hunger for the meal I nearly forgot to take a picture of the food!!  I jumped up mid meal and ran for my camera - took a picture of the only plate on the table that wasn't nearly finished (not mine - mmm...).  Pictured is a lovely sauerbraten, potato pancake, applesauce and red cabbage.

And this is my new dutch oven:
 

You can get one at Target.  A lovely addition to my kitchen.  I plan to make other meals out of it, but for now I'm already dreaming of a new sauerbraten...

Here's what it looked like as I was serving out of the dutch oven - the recipe was a 'reduced for family' recipe that was originally made in mind for cafeteria cooks.  I found half way throught it that it needed one major change, which meant I ended up with far more sauce than I needed.  But still!  Delicious!!

Here's a quick snap as we eat - the potato pancakes are not perfect, but they were crispy and still delicious...

So - if anyone is interested in the Sauerbraten recipe I will gladly share it or you can google Grone's Cafeteria recipe Sauerbraten, too.  I recommend cutting down on the flour in the recipe.  I used applesauce and red cabbage from jars - after all the fuss with the meat and potatoes I am glad I didn't make the rest of the sides.  Once you have the recipe down for the meat it is actually an easy meal to make and did I mention delicious?  :)  Just as good as the ones I remember.  Mmmm...  And the German Chocolate cake was good, too.  Out of a box, but if it tastes good, who cares? 

More posts to come now that I figured out a way to post pics again.

Happy Monday!