Lots of new jewelry!

I spent a considerable amount of time this weekend finally working on jewelry. I'm hoping to get enough together that I can feel confident in opening an etsy shop or my own store.  I wanted to post some pictures of people can see what I have going on, or even take requests! Just for the record--I attempted to set up a bit of a backdrop to hang my jewelry and yes...I was using a box of Clementine. Actually, I took the fruit out first and then turned the box sideways.  

Triple strand seed bead necklace and matching earrings

chin-link bracelet, silver and gold 

beaded chain-link earrings

A shot of everything

Beautiful beaded earrings that match the triple strand necklace

another view of the chain-link bracelet
Special Thanks to our friend J, who modeled his finger;)

If you are interested in purchasing any of these beautiful pieces, please feel free to message/email me for prices and information.  I accept paypal, and can send you an email invoice.

I had a great time making this stuff, and was feeling really creative this weekend! Personally, I love multi-stranded necklaces, and had a great time making the triple strand necklace.  It matched my outfit last night perfectly, as we went out with our friend who is was in town for the weekend, so I can testify for how comfortable and awesome it is!  The chain-link bracelet was so much fun to make.  I've been making the earrings, and wanted to use the larger jump rings for something.  I really like how it turned out, and can make more to size. I think the contrasting gold/silver worked out really well.  Do you prefer gold or silver?

Our menu for the week sort of worked.  I forgot to take out chicken to defrost, so we ended up having pasta one day with turkey that needed to be cooked so that worked out.  The only thing I feel guilty about is going out for kabob one night because both of us were too tired to clean the kitchen and cook when my husband got home after 7pm.  I'd been stuck for more than an hour in rush hour traffic and was feeling very blah, so I'll just use that excuse. However....I'm excited that I made two new meals, and they were both  big hits.  First, the Asian Chicken Salad was awesome.  My husband gave me permission to make it 1-2x/week for now on.   I made another batch of it, sans chicken, the next day and ate it with some poppyseed dressing two days in a row.  Hurray--lots of veggies!
The second new recipe I had made was steak and veggie stir fry.  The original recipe only called for sliced steak and broccoli but I had lots of veggies, so I added them all! I ended up using 2 green onions, 2 carrots, a bell pepper, broccoli and some sugar snap peas.  It was colorful, and tasty  I actually had to use my caliper to measure my steak since I'm incapable of measuring thins correctly lol. Yes, I washed it before and after!
The sauce was VERY similar to the salad dressing recipe used in my salad.  It was tangy, a little sweet, and great. I'll post the recipe tomorrow.  Usually my husband and I would each take a steak and either eat it all (him) or about 3/4 of it (me).  With this stir-fry we both got our veggies, delicious rib-eye steak, and had some serious left overs.  It was a win!

What was left in the pan after two servings were taken out. 

Our friend J, who abandoned us for his dream game job on the West Coast (who could blame him) came to visit this weekend. It has been great being able to spend time with him, and today a couple of other friends came to spend time with him before he headed back.  I'm a little embarrassed that my friend Aud and I, when these gatherings happen, ALWAYS seem to end up doing the 'girly stuff.'  Today we worked on some beading and jewelry making while our husbands and J talked tech, and played the first round of DungeonQuest.  We ended up playing 4 rounds of DungeonQuest, and the fun never ends.  The game is hilarious and very unpredictable.  It isn't a typical board game.  If you haven't played before, consider checking it out, or coming over to my place to play!!
Tomorrow is my first meetup group! I'm really looking forward to it, and afterwards I'll post an update. We have 4 gals signed up.  I also found a similar group that is targeting people in Virginia, so maybe I can get some of their MD residents to hop on over to my group as well.  www.meetup.com/happy-housewives


What did you do this weekend?

What is your favorite piece that I posted? What would you like to see more of?  Advice/suggestions always appreciated (unless it is my husband telling me AGAIN to proofread my blogs better...)

I'll leave you with a picture of my kitty in on of his favorite places--any bag he can get in.  Isn't that face precious?

looking out the window...