Contrariwise ramblings

Well, I'm traveling for business again. This is a rough month for both me and my family. I have 4 scheduled business trips!

Rather than telling you where I am, I thought I'd play a little game. I'll post a few pictures while I'm traveling, and let's see if you can guess where in the world I am?

I just arrived at my hotel this morning and have a meeting this evening. I'm pretty tired and would love a nap but if I did that, I'd be awake all night. Which would be a really bad idea. So, as I usually do on the first day, I take some time for some sightseeing.

I took the subway and then had a bit of a walk to a famous tourist site. On the right you can see a typical building I saw along my way. The weather's a bit crisp and there's a slight fog that I hope will burn off before too long.

The photo below is where I went sightseeing. Pretty impressive, isn't it. (At this point, if you're guessing that I'm not in Indianapolis, you'd be right!)

I toured inside and then went to see the beautiful grounds around the building.


And this beautiful fountain and buildings can be seen from the back of the building:


While I was walking around the grounds, I came across an older couple that were feeding the birds and squirrels. The animals were so tame that the squirrels would come right up to the lady and take peanuts from her hand that she held out to them. And birds would actually land on her hand and peck bread crumbs held in her palm!

The squirrels are quite a bit different looking that the standard variety around my house. They're almost black and the ears have little tufts of hair growing out of them.

Do you know what city and country I'm in?

Post your guesses in the comments and I'll check back. If no one guesses, I'll add some more photos and hints!

Every piece of jewelry I make has a story. This one is a bit convoluted - but isn't that usually the way inspiration works?

About a year ago, I was making headpins and decided to put little swirls on the ends, to hold the beads in place. The swirls kept getting more and more complex until they were bigger than the beads! But they were so cool.


So I searched through my bead box to find a bead that would complement the swirl. I found some coin pearls and tried one on the swirl.

Eh, not bad. Should I create another and make earrings? No. I decided I wouldn't and put the combo away in my "projects in progress" box.

Just last week I was looking for something and found my neglected pearl/swirl. All of a sudden - and I mean the idea came to me in a flash! - I knew that it would make a great pendant.

It was already made and all I had to do was add it onto a chain. So here's my Sweet Pearl O' Mine necklace.Simple and sweet.

And where did I get the inspiration for the name? I had the radio on, and Guns 'N Roses was playing "Sweet Child 'O Mine".

Hey, you get inspiration where you can.



Check my Etsy shop for this and other Contrariwise Jewelry designs.

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Crafts, Tutorials.....

Green Living
Save the planet one day at a time - All you need is a crochet hook

OK, you know the pile of plastic grocery and shopping bags that we all accumulate? (Ever wonder if they actually start breeding after a while? I do.) Here is just the cleverist project for making tote bags from recycled plastic bags:

via
(I have got to try this. It is just too stinkin' cute not to at least give it a try. )

Don't have enough plastic bags? Most grocery and department stores have collection bins for used grocery bags. Don't be shy. This is a great way to increase your color stock of plastic bags.

Also, these sites have got tons of ideas of what else you can do with plastic bags:
Crochet a beach bag
Plastic bag handbag
Throw rug instructions
Another plastic bag rug
Plastic knit tote bag
Plastic Bag Raincoat - clever stuff!
Crochet a Recycled Clothes Pin Bag
Recycled Plastic Bag Purse
Pot Scrubber Crocheted from Plastic Bags
Dog Leash from Braided Plastic BagsMessenger bag (video)
Water bottle holder
Making plastic beads and wallets
Plastic bag sandals -

The above links are via Green Living Tips

Project Alphabet
PROJECTalphabet™ lets you make your own calendars, alphabet and counting books with digital pictures, then print them out yourself.

And it's all FREE. So make one for your kid, class, dog, town or family vacation.

Here's how it works:

Check out this page of cute examples of alphabets and counting books. One that I thought would make a special gift is a bridal ABC. A lot of thought and effort went to make it.

via




....And More!

Dust Bunnies

I have enough dust bunnies. Here, take this one that I found under the bed:
via



9 Amazingly Simple Home DIY Solutions

1. If you’re choking on an ice cube, simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat. presto! the blockage will instantly remove itself.

2. Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold the vegetables while you chop.

3. Avoid arguments with the females about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.

4. For high blood pressure sufferers ~ simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure on your veins. Remember to use a timer.

5. A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives. then you’ll be afraid to cough.

7. You only need two tools in life - wd-40 and duct tape. if it doesn’t move and should, use the wd-40. if it shouldn’t move and does, use the duct tape.

8. Remember - everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

9. If you can’t fix it with a hammer, you’ve got an electrical problem.



Think you work hard to make your family a nutricious meal?

You got nuthin'.

Japanese women spend a good part of their mornings preparing box lunches, called obento, for their families – there is even a sense of competition among mothers to see who can produce the most cute, appetizing, and healthy lunch for their children. Here are among the most amazing obento lunches I've ever seen:

All of these come curtesy of a site called Hello Kitty Hell.



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Lots of people ask how to oxidize or antique sterling silver. Many people use Liver of Sulfur or SilverBalck. One method that is "green" is using eggs. The sulfer in the egg yolks creates a chemical reaction with the silver and causes it to darken.

There are a lot of variations of this method. Here's mine:

1. Boil some eggs. The more jewelry, the more eggs you need.

2.Put hot unpeeled eggs in a heavy duty ziploc bag and zip shut. (The eggs have to be hot for this to work.)


3. Squish the eggs really well. The yolk of the egg is where all the sulfury goodness is, so you'll want the yolk well squished. (It's also really cathartic.)


This can be really messy and disgusting. So you should try to do this without children around because they'll want to have all the fun.

4. Place your jewelry in the bag with the egg.

If you don't want the mess, you can put a paper towel on top of the egg and lay the jewelry on top of the paper towel. Then leave your jewelry in the bag overnight.

I find that if I put the jewelry directly in the eggs, it's a lot quicker. The jewelry will be oxidized within about an hour.

Here you see that the jewelry is getting darker:

Unlike the other methods, you can achieve a golden brown color using eggs. I prefer it darker, so I'm leaving the jewelry in the egg for longer. Maybe another 20 minutes or so. Maybe longer.

If you want your silver darker and the egg has cooled, you can reheat the egg in a microwave for a few seconds. But becareful not to leave it in too long - the silver will heat up and melt the baggie!

After reheating, wait some more.


5. Do some handstands while you're waiting.

6 When your jewelry has oxidized as dark as you want it, remove it from the bag.

(At this point, it's probably a good idea to clean it before sending the jewelry to your buyer or photographing it for sale. )


7. Scrub the jewelry well with a little soap.


You can either leave it as is, or you can rub it with steel wool to highlight the textures.

Here's the same ring, before and after oxidizing:

Some variations on this method:

• Use a tupperware container or a glass jar instead of a ziplock.
• Hang a string or wire across the top of the tupperware so you can suspend your jewelry and not get egg all over it. Or make a little stand for your jewelry to sit on.
• Peel a warm egg and place it whole with your jewelry in a airtight container. Leave overnight or longer. (Supposedly works better with old eggs.)

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Oh, I've been counting down the days. It's been so long and I've been looking forward to it for months. But it finally arrived this past weekend.

THE BEAD AND GEM SHOW !!!

I was BAD again. I mean, do I really need any more beads?


Well, actually, YES! And here are some of my new acquisitions.

Can you identify them all? (If not, check the corresponding photos on my flickr site for the answers.)

And since I recently learned to make bezels, I had to get some new cabochons. -->

See those light green ones in the middle. They're prehnite, one of my new favorite stones. Don't they look like large droplets of water? And the square blue one in the back is a labradorite. It's an amazing dark, dark blue, a color that you rarely see in such a pure form in this stone.

The blue and brown one in the upper right is blue larimar in a brown matrix - that color combo is so fashionable right now, and I can understand why.

All in all, I didn't go too overboard with buying cabs. Setting them in bezels is going to take me some time, so what you see here will probably be about 6 months (or more) of work - when and IF I can make some time. So I really tried to contain myself.

But there were a couple of pieces that I just couldn't resist.

For example, I just fell in love with this stone on the left. The green half is prehnite. The dealer (who was Russian and whose English wasn't the best) wasn't sure what the dark brown half was.

It's definitely a one of a kind piece and I paid more than I've ever paid for a gemstone before. But I just couldn't leave the show without it.

I'm planning to make it into a pendant with a really simple setting - in order to emphasize the gorgeous stone.

I think this one may end up not for sale. I'm really in love with it.

And then there's this cabachon on the right. The stone is called Simbircite and it comes from a town from Russia.

This is what I found out about it on the internet:

"Simbircite is one of the rarest gemstones in the world, new to the gemstone world. Much Simbircite on the market today comes from the Simbirsk, Russia. It was discovered in 1985 and is made from fossilized remains of sea creatures found in the interiors of huge ammonites, another type of fossil.

The colors are amazing - rich ambers and browns and gold tones. I don't know if you can see it in the photo, but the darker areas of the stone are lined with pyrite which gleams like gold. The colors are perfect for autumn. But I doubt whether I'll be able to set it this year. (You may see it in my Fall 2009 line! lol )

Even though it might be a while for me to set those cabs, the briolettes will be inspiring me. So expect to see some new jewelry, in the near future, in my online shop.


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Crafts, Tutorials...
I'm back blogging, and it's Friday again! Whoo hoo! The weekend is just about to start and I get to post my collection of links I found this week. Lets begin with...

Candle and Soap Making Techniques: Water Balloon Luminaries

Aren't these wonderful! All you need are balloons, high-melt paraffin Wax, candle dye, a double boiler, and a cookie sheet. The instructions from Peak Candle Supplies are super easy.

They look like they would be a lot of fun to make, especially with slighly older children as I would be concerned about the hot wax with little kids around.



I think white or red ones would be especially great around the holidays - inside the house or outside, lining a driveway.

Fall craft project for kids: Fleece Scarves

Last fall and winter, I saw these EVERYWHERE but I never knew how to make them. This sewing project is reasonable, fun, and practical.





This is a really great and easy project that you could do with your kids.





...And More!!!

Bada Bing!

I went to Rome on a business trip in September and took a few taxis rides while I was there. I'm required to collect and turn in all receipts as business expenses. Just as I was about to submit my taxi receipts, I noticed something a little "different" about them. Take a good look at my receipts:

After I submit my expense report, hopefully HR won't be coming to call on me about my...ahem...activities in Rome.

(But you gotta love that name: Chica Chica Boom. I don't think Tony Soprano could have done better.)


High Cuisine for Halloween: Eyeball Caprese
I just love Insalata Caprese, and I had this wonderful appetizer when I was in Rome a few weeks ago. The traditional ingredients for this delicate salad are fresh mozzarella, basil, plum tomatoes and olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper. Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has a version goes only slightly further, adding a thin slice of olive as the garnish. And, a clever trick produces perfectly round pupils every time.









<--- ??!!!?????
Wait. What's this yellow stuff here?

Ewwwwww!






Recipe

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OK, let me get off the topic of jewelry and change the subject.

Last month I went on a business trip to Rome. (Yeah, I know. Life is hard.)

It meant that I'd be away for a full week and my kids were really not happy about me leaving. They whined and kept asking me why they couldn't go with me. This was repeated, again and again, each time the trip was mentioned.

The night before I was to leave, I pulled my suitcase out of the basement and started packing. Emma, my youngest, decided that she had to help me pack. (Remember, help is a relative word when used by a mother.)

She suggested that she could easily fit in the suitcase and join me in Rome, but I declined her kind offer.

It was sad leaving, but I really had to go. But when I got to my hotel room in Rome, I opened my suitcase and I had a big laugh. Emma must have snuck her stuffed animal, Mooch, in there when I wasn't looking to keep me company.

I decided right then and there that Mooch would have to join me when I went sightseeing. And that's what he did. So here you have it: picture of Mooch taking in the sights of Rome.


Mooch, speechless at the sheer size and grandeur of the Vatican:
(At the Vatican, we also visited the art museums and the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos there. )


Mooch, gazing at the massive obelisk in St Peter's Square:

While there, we discussed how this was one of the intregral scenes of Dan Brown's novel, "Angels and Demons". And we both adamently agreed that it was a better book than "The DaVinci Code".


Mooch, in awe of the Colliseum:



Both sides of it!




Mooch, just after he tossed three coins in the fountain:
One legend says that if you toss 3 coins over your left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain, you'll get 3 wishes. I wonder what Mooch wished for? I know I was wishing for some gelato. Yum.



Mooch, basking in the glory that was once the Roman Forum:




Mooch, showing no fear at the Bocca Della Verita, also known as the Mouth of Truth. It's said that if you put your hand into its mouth and tell a lie, the mouth will shut.



Obviously, Mooch had a lot at stake:

All in all, Mooch had a great time in Rome but was happy to get home. Emma was glad to have him back and enjoyed hearing about his trip and seeing all his photos.

He was great company and may just become my permanent traveling companion!



BTW, Mooch was made by Uppity Woman's Designs. You can find her shop here.
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For quite a while I 've had the earrings on the right listed in my Etsy shop.

They're a spiral that spirals in on itself. You may wonder how to put them on, but it's really easy: you just put the short end in your ear's earring hole, then use a corkscrew-like motion to thread them in. (Believe me, you never worry about accidentally losing these babies.)

It took me a while to figure out how to make them, they're still a pain to make, but they are just SO COOL. To me they look like a double helix. You know, the structure of DNA.

A friend of mine really wants a pair for her daughter as a Christmas present. (Yes, CHRISTMAS. Can you believe it!) Her daughter has a background in science and thought that she would really like them. But she wanted me to attach a gemstone to them.


I tried and I tried, but I couldn't quite get the design right. I sat there and played with wire and suddenly this materialized:

You see, it's no longer a double helix, it's just a single spiral encircling a stone. I guess you could call it an RNA strand with an amethyst. (Hey, how many science geeks are out there that know what I'm talking about!)


It's not what my friend had in mind at all, but I really like them. They're definitely unusual.


I'm calling these my Whirlygig Earrings.

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A few weeks ago, I decided to try something different. Except for wirewrapping briolettes and other beads, I really haven't done much wirework. I like working with silver but never have been overly keen on trying my hand at wirework. But herringbone weave intriqued me. I found a tutorial by Eni Okin and decided to give it a try.


I pulled out my beads to got some inspiration.



Some round faceted carnelian beads called to me. Then some honey-toned chalcedony briolettes wanted me. (Yes they did. I swear to you.) Here is what I came up with.






IMHO not bad for my first attempt !



I didn't think it was so hard and I felt so satisfied with the way the earrings lookied, sitting in my hand. I had to make some more.



Who was next to be wrapped? The prehnite rondelles? I bought them last year and I still hadn't worked with them. Yes, they needed love.

That's it. I was hooked. I LOVE doing this style of wirework. I really like how oxidizing and buffing the sterling brings out the textures.

In the next few days I made these, too.

For the earrings on the left I used smoky quartz - almost clear - and my favorite gemstone, labradorite. The gemstones in the middle photo are garnets which range from straw colored down to the deepest burgandy. And in the right photo, the earring are quartz and freshwater pearl.

With this new style, I feel like I've been able to expand my jewelry line and I've included these in my Etsy shop.

I only have earrings listed so far, but I think any of these would make great pendants and plan on listing them in the near - or not so near, depending on how much time I have - future.


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Yes, you may have noticed that I have not posted in AGES. You may have thought that something happened, and you would be right if you guessed that.

Once I stopped posting it was so hard to start again. Partly guilt, partly depression, partly inertia.

I did miss this blog though and I think I finally feel up to starting again.

First step: go back to where I left off and tell you what happened. So here we go.

I was flying to Barcelona to train a large group of people during a business meeting. But after the meeting, I had planned a few days of sightseeing and shopping with friends.

On the way there, I had only one layover. While I was waiting for my transatlantic flight I a got a phone call from my mother’s apartment. She lives in an assitied living facility and the staff had found her on the floor, somewhat disoriented. They had her up and she was sitting on her couch She seemed like she wasn’t in any acute danger but they wanted to send her to the hospital for an assessment.

How bad was it? I really couldn’t tell from what they told me.

I called my husband – luckily he answered – and told him the story. He rushed off to see my mother and get more details.

He didn’t think she was disoriented (not more than usual as she has some dementia). But she had told him that she had been vomiting during the night (flu???) and that there had been blood in it (effect of the warfarin / blood thinners she was on???). She really didn't think she seemed too bad but he was going to take her to the hospital and keep me updated.

What to do? I still had a chance to turn around and go home and gone home. But what if it was a false alarm and she was really OK.

At this point, my husband and I aggreed that I would continue my trip. He kept calling me with updates from the hospital up until the time I got on my 9 hour flight.

You can imagine how worried I was during the trip. I couldn't get any info until I got to Barcelona. The moment I landed I called my husband.

The update: my mother’s red blood cell count was very low and they suspected internal bleeding. She’d received 3 units of blood and she was going to have an endoscopy to see what was going on inside. And they thought she’d been in the hospital for 4-5 days.

Feeling terrible about it, I decided that I would go to business meeting but fly back as soon as my presentations were over.

I kept getting updates. They found bleeding in her stomach, which they cauterized. They also did a biopsy. After the transfusions she was feeling better. She would be discharged sooner than expected. Yay!

I spent 3 days in Barcelona, then flew back home just in time to rush from the airport to get to the hospital and take her home.

Not a good trip at all.

Since then, a lot has happened.

The biopsy came back positive and she was diagnosed with a gastric adenocarcinoma. She had to go into a nursing home for a short time after the hospitalization for rehabilitation. (She didn’t like that, let me tell you. She can be feisty!) After the bleeding stomach was cauterized, she’s felt much better. (She probably was bleeding for a long time and it was never caught.) We’ve been to an oncologist and have had all types of tests.

At 89 years of age, she’s decided that she does not want to have surgery or chemotherapy or radiation. I really don’t know how much time she has left, but she seems to be doing quite well. And she is still with us.

After I posted about my upcoming trip to Barcelona, I got a message from Daisy Chain Jewelry. Coincedentally, she'd just posted a list of Barcelona bead shops in her blog. She's from the UK and has been to Barcelona a number of times. (UK to Barcelona is just a hop, skip and a jump, compared to traveling from the Midwest.)

So with the info in her blog, a little googling, and Google Maps (gotta love them!), I mapped out some potential shopping sites during my visit!

The shops cluster in an area of town called the Gothic Quarter (Barr Gotic). Based on the map, I'd say this is less than 1 1/2 miles from my hotel.



Even with the bead shops being an incentive, I'm sure it's a place that I'll be visiting anyway. I understand that the Barri Gotic area is the area of the old town of Barcelona and it has lots of narrow cobbled streets with tall old buildings.

From what I've read about it, it seems like it's pretty typical with other "old towns" in major European cities - small squares surrounded with labyrinthine streets. From my experience, these kinds of areas are usually great places to wander around. (Most of the Barri Gotic is closed to regular traffic although open to service vehicles and taxis. )

I'm looking forward to getting lost in the many small streets and squares - hopefully filled with picturesque buildings, old shops, and newer boutiques.


(Museums, cathedrals and shopping - oh my!)

I'm looking forward to seeing a Barcelona as beautiful as pictures that I've seen. Here's one I found on flickr: A view of Barcelona from the terrace of the Park Güell, by the architect Antoni Gaudí, taken at dusk.

I've got my camera and laptop! Hopefully I'll have access to the internet and will be able to post some of my experiences while I'm there!


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