What's new with you?

Where on earth does time go? Last week flew by so fast I didn't have time to blink! I have several more vacation blogs yet to post with some fun and interesting pictures, but since my schedule is kind of wonky this week with appointments and studio time, I'll have to post one later in the week.

In the meantime, thought I would share a few of my new creations that are now in my shop. Above are my Kurly Kites. I really love how they turned out and just like my Go Fly A Kite ear wires, they wear great! Oh and they'll be available in all metals that I offer, as are most of my handmade findings.

My new Swirly Squovals are not only fun to wear, but they are quite lovely as well - if I don't say so myself :) These are interchangeable so you can add your own charms, beaded creations, etc., or wear as is. Also coming soon in all metals.

Okay, yes. These are jump rings - nothing new of course. However, they ARE new to my shop! I've been wanting to make them for months and have FINally done so. More sizes/gauges will be added soon. Currently available in Copper & Sterling - soon to be added in 14k Gold Filled.

Well, that is it for now. I have my ortho appointment in about an hour, so I need to bust'a move here. Tomorrow morning I have my dermo appointment. Fun times I tell ya! ;)

So what's new with you?

Rocki

Huntington Beach & Sea Shells

Some very cool findings from our walking the beach!

We had the most fun & rewarding vacation in a very long time! Instead of trying to cram our entire vacation into one blog, I'm going to do little blogs with pictures of some of our most memorable times.

Yep, that's me above after arriving to Huntington Beach. Oh and yes, that is pink hair you see - I FINally had it done! I still have the blonde and dark look, but had some very cool pink highlights added. Kind of like Neapolitan!

Anyway, this was the day before we returned home and Mark & I agree - it was the BEST way to end our fabulous vacation. The sun broke about an hour after arriving to the beach and the weather was perfect. The water was a bit cool at first, but was nice. I have more pics to share later, but for now these are it.

Mark enjoyed relaxing and watching the waves hit the beach. It wasn't very crowded at all, so it made it even more enjoyable.

This is our shell collection. I was itching to walk the beach and find shells like I did when I was younger. Of course, back then we found a bigger variety of shells, but what we found that day was amazing.

I have another picture of me holding the very cool Sand Dollar I found, but it isn't loading right - keeps turning the pic upside down. So, I'll try to add that one later.

If you go back up to the top picture, not only will you see the Sand Dollar I found, but also a very cool broken shell. The broken piece looks like a heart! I love hearts and even create them in my jewelry findings, so finding that broken shell was a very cool find!

We had so much fun doing many different things. I'm still not sure if the Whale Watching Cruise is #1 or relaxing on the beach is. In either case, this vacation was AWESOME!

More later as it's time to get to work and as one of my customers said "back to the real world!"

Peace, Rocki

Knotts Berry Farm Day

I had a couple pics to use for today's vacation blog, but after several tries to upload it via blogger it did not want to work. So, please imagine the entrance to Knotts and a goofy pic of me & Mark on the little kids train :)

Both of us agree that Knotts Berry Farm is not like we remembered it to be. We were both young children the last time we were there and it's simply not like we remembered. Yes, we know times change and all, but the nostalgia was gone - at least to us.

I can remember my parents and grandparents taking us kids there in the 60's - back when it was still part farm, playing with the farm animals, watching the piano playing chicken, trying to figure out the the old mind shack that when you walked inside you leaned to one side and the big giant turtle you sat on - a real one! Fun times.

Now with the area around Knotts all grown up, buildings, shopping areas and other entertainment venues, guess they had to do something to keep up the pace to keep the locals and other visitors coming.

I'm not saying we had a bad time or anything of that nature, as we did have an enjoyable few hours while there. Although we didn't stay the entire day, it was another good day of our vacation spent.

We sure do miss the old Knotts - and the piano playing chicken!
Rocki

p.s. This morning we are going on the Whale Watching cruise - again. Hopefully this time it will be smooth sailing :)

Today's Whale Watching Cruise

Another sort of quickie post of today's vacation events:

Above is the boat we went on for the 3 1/2 hour whale watching tour. Notice the name of it? It is my youngest brother's name (who lives in Arizona as well). Chris is the one who suggested we go on a whale watching cruise as this is the season for it and lots of whales are seen daily. There are many of these tours around, but how ironic that the one we called happened to have one of their boats named "The Christopher" - too funny!

Okay, not that funny I guess as our 3 1/2 hour cruise was cut down to about an hour due to one of the two engines died about an hour into the trip, but it was still very enjoyable. Plus they did issue us a free pass - so we will be going another day this week - probably Wednesday as tomorrow is Knotts!

Oh yes, we did get to see one small whale called a Minke - about a 20 footer. How did we spot the whale? Whale... er, I mean well, here's the story... The captain explained a few things and one of them was that if you spot a whale then you point and holler "THERE SHE BLOWS" and the direction (12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, etc.) Who was going to be the silly one to holler "THERE SHE BLOWS?" Whale, I mean well - that would be me!

Yep. I was looking off into another direction while everyone else was looking some place else. And there it was. I was a little hesitant at first - in case I was seeing things, but then when it popped up again off I sounded "THERE SHE BLOWS 9 O'CLOCK!" I kind of felt like a celebrity afterwards, but no autographs were given out.

Whale, I mean WELL... time to get some shut eye as tomorrow is another fun filled day. We're having a blast and now thinking about a bigger cruise to take on our next vacation.

Have a whale of a day,
Rocki

Love our hotel room!

Here's a quickie post:

We're loving our vacation in California!
Absolutely adore our Aztec hotel room - it's SO us!
Yes, that is a kitchen in there... and no, I won't be doing any cooking. Oh and I took the picture with my cell phone in excitement, so excuse the look of it.
Love the Azteca Mexican restaurant at the hotel - yum!
We're getting ready to go on our whale watching cruise this morning - fun!
Need to call my pal Deb and set up a time to meet :)

That's it for now. Off to have more fun and I'll blog as I can.
Happy Monday everyone - wish you were here!
Rocki

Larry Winget

The title alone immediately grabs your attention, doesn't' it? "A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life"... what better way to put it than that. Oh and then the picture of Larry Winget, The Pitbull of Personal Development® - okay, I just have to say it - LOVE it!

This book truly grabbed our attention. Mark & I were out shopping the other day and bought it right after reading the inside & outside cover. We were not looking for a book, we were simply browsing. Okay, scratch that. I was browsing while Mark was looking for computer stuff.

We love to read and wish we could read more, but right now the weekends are about the only time we have for it (hmm, maybe after reading this book we WILL read more). Our weekend reading is quite enjoyable. While having our morning coffee, we sit on the couch with our 4-legged kids and I read out loud. We're currently reading another book by Pema Chodron, but our favorite author is Lama Surya Das.

Anyway, on our way to Cali I'll be reading this book, out loud of course since Mark will be doing the driving. Speaking of Cali... I can hardly wait to hit the beach... if I can put the book down that is!

Want to know more about this book and others? More about Larry Winget? Check out his website , plus he also has a Facebook and Twitter. Oh and he lives here in the Valley of the Sun - how cool is that!

Okay, time to make the donuts. Lots to do before leaving for Cali. I'll update you on thoughts about this book, as well as how our vacation is going. I'm not sure if I'm excited more about relaxing on the beach, the whale watching cruise or Knotts... or maybe it's the book?

Peace to you all,
Rocki

A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, "Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get started."

Her boyfriend asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's finished?"

The blonde says, "According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster."

Her boyfriend decides to go over and help with the puzzle.

She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table.

He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says,

"First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster."

He takes her hand and says, "Second, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then," he said with a deep sigh...

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"Let's put all the Corn Flakes back in the box."

Okay, now for any blondes out there please forgive me, but hey, I'm blonde! Hair color only that is :) Oh and this very funny joke that made me laugh until I cried was sent to me by my lovely friend Deb.

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Vacation update: My shop is already in "Vacation Mode" while I finish up a couple more orders and then we leave for California in a couple days. I'm SOOOO excited! I'll have my laptop with me and plan on blogging and/or tweeting while there.

Peace, Love & Happiness,

Rocki

Ketchup - not just for french fries

I finally tried the Ketchup bath to shine up tarnished copper. I read that the acidity of the vinegar in Ketchup removes tarnished copper. Wow. Was I ever surprised! I know this isn't anything new and many of you probably are aware of this, but for those of you who are not, I'm sharing my findings. Please excuse the crud photos, but you'll get the idea.

So above we have our Ketchup (or "catsup" as my grandma used to say), any brand will do, a bowl, tweezers, paper towel and an unfinished copper clasp I made a couple months ago from pure copper wire.

Here is the aged copper clasp. It is a beautiful earthy color, but lets brighten this puppy up a bit.

If the copper piece you are wanting to brighten up is just that - a copper piece, you actually submerge it in the Ketchup. However, if there are beads, stones, etc. included, then I would suggest to not submerge it. I'm only partially submerging the clasp to show the difference after the Ketchup bath.

I only left it submerged for about 30-45 seconds, but you can leave it in longer. When I took it out of the bath it had already removed most of the tarnish on that section! I wiped it off with the paper towel and I was happily surprised with the outcome. Of course you clean it off with water afterwards as I did after the experiment and it was much brighter than the photo. Oh and you can also take a soft toothbrush with the Ketchup to help remove the tarnish.

This was so much fun that I wanted to do more! Although I got the strange urge to eat some french fries. Anyway, I looked around the studio for any other aged copper as I didn't want to waste my Ketchup bath! Nothing. Darn it! Hmm. I wonder if it works on aged skin?

Although Copper looks quite beautiful as it ages, especially that deep earthy brown shade (love it!) some people prefer the bright and shiny look. So if you want to brighten up your copper and want to go about it naturally, give it a Ketchup bath. And hey, while you're at it, toss some french fries in the oven and have a snack at the same time!

Sasha's Ketchup Facts of the Day:

(okay, they are not hers, she got them while surfing the web)

- People other than my grandma call it "catsup"

- 1 tbls has 16 calories and zero fat

- 4 tbls has the nurtional value of a medium ripe tomato

- ketchup originally contained pickled fish (YUCK!)

- is the main ingrediant of barbeque sauce

- you can kill a pickle with a toothpick and ketchup (according to my son when he was younger... very funny story I'll share one day)

"Ding" - ooh, gotta go, french fries are done!

Rocki

The Talented Starless!

Starless : "intricate, colorful, fun polymer clay creations" by the ever so talented Amber.

Amber lives in my stomping grounds... well, sort of anyway. She lives in Flagstaff, Arizona - about a 2 hour drive north from where I live. She has been working with polymer clay since she was 11 years old. Obviously she has quite the talent for it as she has taken polymer clay to a whole new level. I mean, look at the Mini Koi Pond pendant above! The details are amazing and she has several designs of these pendants.

Amber refers to her work and technique as "intricately textured filigree" and all her designs are made by hand. The ornament above is so beautiful and I absolutely love the design. Oh and there is more!

Not only does Amber make beautiful pendants and ornaments, but check out the Ballpoint Pen! Now THAT would make an awesome statement while writing out a check or a letter to a loved one or better yet, as a gift! She even makes polymer clay design jewelry boxes, cigar cutter key rings and more. Oh and this very cool business card holder that I just bought!

If you want to see "intricate, colorful, fun polymer clay creations", hop on over to Amber's Starless shop - you'll love it!

Have a fun & colorful day!

Rocki