Gift Certificates

I'm now offering Gift Certificates in both of my Etsy Shops:

Handmade Jewelry
www.RockisArtisanMetal.etsy.com

Handmade Jewelry Supply Findings
www.RockisSupplies.etsy.com

No matter what the holiday, event or occasion, purchase one of my Gift Certificates for that special someone. A little easier on you and a fun shopping experience for the recipient!

Happy Holidays!
Rocki

Artisan Ship Ready Gifts

Are you looking for a unique, special or even a classic gift for your loved one or friend?

Don't stress and run around in circles. I have several artisan pieces in my shop that are gift ready.

Make your gift giving a peaceful experience.

In a nutshell, feel free to visit my artisan metalwork jewelry shop to see more of my work.

Happy Holidays!

Rocki

Awareness Support Ribbon Jewelry

I have a new line of jewelry that I'm adding to my shop. Awareness Support Ribbons.

Grant it, the ribbons are not an original design, but I simply felt a deep heartfelt need to create these. Just a little way for me to deal with a friends loosing battle.

I will be creating these Awareness Support Ribbons, a slip on hoop style earring, in 14k Gold Filled, Sterling Silver and Copper, as well as in different sizes and finishes.

You can wear these symbolic earrings for awareness and support for all in need or for any cause close to heart.

Live your life like you mean it - each and every day.

Rocki

Aquatic Swirls vs Fish Hoops

I designed a pair of new hoop earring the other day and just love how they turned out!

True short story:

I always show Mark, who lovingly refers to my metalwork as "car parts", my new creations. Even though he claims to have no idea about jewelry, I enjoy hearing his perspective. Plus he likes to help name them.

Anyway, when Mark arrived home from work and got settled in (sort of), I showed him my new earrings. He said, and I quote: "hey, they look like fish!"

Okay. So I took another look at them and sure enough, yes, they do. However, we were NOT going to name them "Fish Hoops" - sick and wrong dude!

I took photos to post in my Rocki's Artisan Metal shop and, as always, showed Mark. He said, and I quote: "Looks like a fish on a hook."

Okay. You got me. So it does. But I'm still not naming them Fish Hoops.

Aquatic Swirls - I do not recommend putting them in water.

Peace & Luv,

Rocki

Rocki's Artisan Metalwork - II

Just a quickie note to say that I FINally opened my second shop on Etsy: www.RockisArtisanMetal.etsy.com (there wasn't enough room for my entire biz name :(

I had decided some time ago to separate my handmade supply findings from my handmade jewelry and now is as good as time as any I say. It's a chore though. In between everything else I've got going, every day I'll be adding to my new shop.

That's it for now. Off to spend the weekend celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary. Wow, 16 years? I swear at times it still feels brand new and other times like we've been married forever - in a good way.

Happy Friday all!
Rocki

Awesome Florida Bird...

These pictures are from our Florida trip last December. We visited again just this past August and I took more pictures. I have many cool shots that I would like to post - when I have time.

Anyway, just a real quickie here... I took these pictures when we were boating through the channel where my brother lives. I'm no photographer by any means. I took the above pic and then a couple moments later clicked again...

and got this AWESOME shot! It may be just me, but I really love how this picture came out- so cool!

Have great day!

Peace,

Rocki

Friday Funny

Bobbitt Family Update:

In a recent news broadcast, it was announced that Lorena Bobbitt's sister Louella was arrested for an alleged attempt to perform the same act on her husband as her famous sister had done several years ago. Sources reveal the sister was not as accurate as Lorena.

She allegedly missed the target and stabbed her husband in the upper thigh causing severe muscle and tendon damage. The husband is reported to be in serious, but stable condition.

Louella has been charged with...

?

WAIT FOR IT...

?

WAIT FOR IT...

?

WAIT FOR IT...

A Misdewiener!

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Come on, you know darn well you're going to pass this one!

(hubby sent this to me today, had to share)

Happy Friday!

Rocki

So who is Rocki anyway?

Good question! H'm, where to begin... I'm a lot of things actually, but I'll try to stay on point.

- I will never ever grow up. I'll be 50 (on paper) in December, but still feel 20 something. Okay, so maybe my body doesn't sometimes - LOL!

- Simple, casual, warped sense of humor, determined, committed, loves people, quiet, talkative, clumsy, never wear make-up of any kind, and about once a year (or so) the "other woman" comes out. "Other woman" you ask? You know, that bitch in all of us that just lets everything out all at once.

- Faithful. I resonate with the 60's/70's and a peaceful life. My kids still call me their "hippie mom". The the path that I follow in life represents peace and compassion. I'm not perfect, but I believe in my practice with all my heart.

I'm a very proud mom to my sons Jeremy & Jason. When I gave them life, they gave me mine. Our relationships are based on love, respect, trust, honesty and open communication. Although I'm their mom first, but they are my buddies who I have no problem confiding in. I love them more than life itself.

There wasn't a "how to be a mom" handbook when I had my boys. So I did my best and to be perfectly honest, I never had any problems raising them and have no complaints - they were and are awesome guys! Of course, I made mistakes along the way and wish I could have done some things differently, but we all learn from our mistakes. We grow stronger from them. I love you both, with all my heart!

I'm a wife, soul mate, life partner and friend to the most loving & caring guy: Mark. Wow, how to sum up our relationship...

- he is my best friend and the love of my life. I can't imagine life without him. We enjoy each others company and are still joined at the hip. We love quiet evenings instead of night life. He's always been there for me and always will, as I for him. That saying "in sickness and in health" he took literally, and I thank him for that.

- We've been on many trips so far in our 16+ years together and look forward to many many more. The pic above we were heading out for the Laughlin Run (before I got my OWN bike). We no longer ride, but we still take many trips.

I'm a daughter, sister, friend and then some. Our family is not the Walton's by any means, but that's what makes like fun and, well, interesting. We're more like a zoo family - a big variety of people, lifestyles, opinions, emotions, etc. Despite our irregularities, we are a loving crazy bunch.

Last but not least, I'm an artist that did not know existed until the worst of times. Good things come from bad situations.

Without going into all the boring details, I worked the crazy hectic corporate life for years until one day the rug was pulled out beneath me and ended up sick (not life threatening, but life altering). It took years, but I fought my way back to normalcy (whatever "normal" is anyway) and in doing so, discovered that I had a hidden talent. I'm self-taught and am currently teaching myself another metalwork that I'm really excited about!

There's a lot more about me, but I'll end this now. I'm not perfect by any means and don't claim to be, but I put my full heart and soul into everything I do, both personally and professionally. I love my life and everyone in it. I enjoy the fact that I own and operate my metalworking business by myself in which I have 2 online shops and sell locally as well.

My main motto is: Never give up! Hence my name "Rocki" that was given to me years ago by another.

Peace & Love,

Rocki

www.RockisArtisanMetalwork.ArtFire.com

www.RockisSupplies.Etsy.com

Wonder Woman?

I'm not Wonder Woman, I don't have a magic tiera, special bracelets or golden lasso of truth. Nor have I found that "extra time" that we all look for, but I'm going to get back on the blog wagon once again darn it all. It's not that I don't have anything to say, because I most certainly do. It's that elusive time thing.

Oh and my handmade heart pendant necklace above can be found in my ArtFire Studio.

Anyway, this post will be short and sweet as Mark is on his way home from night school and we'll be watching the last disc of Rome. So exciting! Love love love this show! We don't watch T.V. so if there is something good out there that we find out about, we'll watch it on Netflix or rent it. Or of course like with Dexter we buy the DVD's - LOVE the Dexter!

Speaking of short and sweet... the teensie weensie micro hoop above can also be found in my ArtFire Studio.

I, Rocki, hereby solemnly swear that I will blog at least once per week. Oh and my posts are not always about my metalwork. I love variety, so you will see anything and everything. I don't follow any rules about what to or not to blog about. I'm me and that is what you shall see.

Lastly, my earrings above... yes, you know what's coming, say it with me now: can be found in my ArtFire Studio. Very good, well done!

Okay, the timer is going off for me to take another batch out of the tumbler and then soon it will be time to watch Rome!

"No one can resist the golden lasso. It binds all who are encircled and compels them to tell... the truth!" - Wonder Woman

Rocki

Long time no blog

Short and sweet...

I've been enjoying my summer, how about you? In between working and such I've been swimming laps just about daily, bicycling (stopped last month though - too hot!), enjoying time with my honey and now on my biggie vacation in Florida - with my dad who'll be celebrating his 69th birthday! Go dad!

Okay, I said short and sweet. Hope to blog more when I return.

Oh - so you're probably wondering what the heck does the photo have to do with this post. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I just think that little guy is so cute! That is Mark's finger pointing at the little critter when we went to the Wildlife Zoo a few months ago. Okay, so they are both cute :)

Chow for now.
Rocki

VACATION TIME!!

Quickie little post as I'm on VACATION in California for a MUCH needed break!

What will we be doing?
- staying in a no frills bare minimum motel across the street from the beach
- slothing at the beach
- building sand castles
- whale watching cruise
- more slothing
- taking our bikes & riding along the beach walk
- swimming
- getting sand between my toes and in my swim suit
- sea shell hunting
- eating on a budget
- more slothing
- doing absolutely nothing I don't want to do

There. That pretty much says it all.

Happy Summer!
Rocki

Rocki's New Wheels

Wow! It's been a month since I blogged last?! My how time flies when you're having fun! First off... yep, that's me in all my glory on my new wheels and I'm having the time of my life!

Mark and I bought bikes a couple weeks ago - mainly because he wanted to ride back and forth to school on, give us something fun to do and for us to get healthy. We're both going on 50 - on paper - (okay, me first I know) and not that THAT is a BAD thing as I'm actually looking forward to it (I want my AARP card so I can get discounts). However, over the past year things seem to be, well, falling out of place (damn gravity) and since my health has been improving, I want to run with it - feels AWESOME!

Anyway, we go for bike rides after dinner and on weekends. The other night we hit 4.68 miles. I know, that might not seem like much, but for us (me especially) that IS a big deal! This weekend we're going on one of the many trails here in Arizona (no hills, thankfully!) to see how far we can go. We'll have to leave early, like around 6 or 7 am I'm guessing because it's suppose to be 110 this weekend. We'll hit the pool when we get home - literally I'm guessing.

Here's my old gal, 650 V-Star - she sounded pretty darn good too - I just loved revving her up. Mark's was louder than my gal though. In fact, his was so loud that we ended up being tail gunners in our riding group - LOL!

Obviously we used to ride years ago, but those bikes had motors. Although we didn't get the same type of exercise as the bikes we're on now, it sure felt good inside and out. We miss those days: touring, being out in the open air on wheels... hmm... sort of like now, but not as loud.

I wonder how many playing cards I can put on my bike to sound like my old' gal?

Enjoying my life one peddle at a time.

Peace and happiness folks!

Rocki

p.s. Obviously my bike is pink (to match my hair) and the bonus part, which Mark pointed out when we were shopping for my bike, is that it says "Roxie" on it! Pretty darn close to my name, so it was love at first sight!

Daughtry - VIP Part 2

The concert! I do apologize for the quality of the pics, but as mentioned previously I forgot my camera (too much excitement!) So these are all taken with my Droid - and shaking, er...rocking hands.

On the catwalk. We had floor seats and were in row 21 - AWEsome seats. Seats? Funny, but I don't recall ever sitting!

My man Steely! Totally rocks the guitar :)

Daughtry gettin' down and the crowd was screaming big time! I woke up the next morning with a very raspy voice. Not sure why exactly ;)

Throughout the concert there was some pretty cool & colorful flashing light effects that I wish I could have picked up more, but you get the idea.

Far part of the stage with more cool lights.

I did take a few pics of Cavo & Lifehouse when they were on, but they didn't turn out so well. Both of those bands rocked the house! Daughtry put on an EXCELLENT concert all around. Performance, singing, sound, looks... everything was right on!

Well, that's it. Concert is over. We had a total blast and yes, still smiling from meeting the guys and getting hugs! I have a TON of pics, but don't worry, this will be the last Daughtry post... for now ;)

Thanks Daughtry, you guys rock!

♥Rocki

Daughtry - VIP part 1

Not quite sure where to start on this most memorable day/evening except to say it ROCKED! Since pictures speak a thousands words, I'll try and let them do most of the talking, but will give some highlights.

Nope, we didn't win tickets to the concert or VIP backstage passes. We purchased our tickets when they went on sale - couldn't miss Daughtry! When we found out that we could get VIP passes to meet & greet with the band, etc., it took less than a nanosecond to say YES!

Oh and above is little ol' me with the guys - very down to earth and so humble. Yes, I was majorly star struck and I think I blinded everyone with my braces as I smiled ALL day and ALL night long!

This is during the soundcheck where we got to sit in on. Yes, we were right at the stage! Oh and they sound just as good in soundcheck :)

Since we had 2 tickets we were able to have 2 pictures taken. I went first. I was so dazed by it all that after the pic was taken I started to walk away and TOTALLY forgot about Mark! LOL! I just had to go stand by Josh Steely on the end. Not like I know him personally, but there was just something about him that was so calming. He commented on my Buddha necklace and I was so star struck that I didn't notice his gorgeous Buddha tattoos until yesterday when we were checking out the previous VIP concert pictures!

Another soundcheck pic and this is Josh Steely. Yep, he sounds as good as he looks :)

Still have that same big glowing smile on my face - it's still there in fact! This was after all the VIP treatment with lots of goodies to take home.

Afterwards we ate dinner at Margaritaville before heading back in for the concert. Nope, we didn't have Margarita's - we don't drink. But after many years, I DID have my first true hamburger with a bun! Being allergic to wheat & dairy I never get to have a bun with a burger unless at home and then it is with my special bread - totally NOT the same. Anyway, Margaritaville has a gluten-free menu and the bun was soft and yummy!

I have more pictures to share of the concert, but I'll do that either this weekend or Monday. Wait to you see where our seats were :) Oh and since I forgot my camera, the pics are all taken with my Droid, but they turned out okay.

Daughtry - you guys are #1 in my book - stay just like you are!

♥ Rocki

(5/1 update: I've been asked if I added pink to my hair for the concert - nope, this is me! I've had variations of this style going on a year now and it has become my signature style ;)

Jason Leaves For Seattle

WARNING: MUSHY MOM POST

This is a hard day for me. No, several months ago while at a restaurant when Jas, my Bud, said that he had something to tell me - THAT was a hard day. He put in for a work transfer to Portland as there was better schooling opportunity for him there to become a Fire Fighter. I'm extremely proud of him, as I am in both of my boys, but THAT was a hard day.

Scratch that.

Portland wasn't going to happen, so he changed the transfer to Seattle - another good opportunity for him to reach his goal. Figured it would be a few months or so. Well, this past Thursday Jason was notified that the transfer was approved - but that he needs to be there sooner than later - in other words leave on Monday - as in today. Another hard day.

I'm very close to both my boys, they are my sons and my friends. Jeremy, my oldest, lives in Portland, Oregon - he moved there about 8 years ago (yes, THAT was a hard day too - or was it when he left for NAU prior to that - I'm a mom, what can I say). I'm happy that they will be closer so that they can see each other more often. I guess now we have a new place to visit. I've never been to Seattle before.

Jason is my comedian, my buddy, my body guard. He's friendly, outgoing, courteous and helpful - for starters. He has always been there to help me. When I was very sick for a long time, he would take me to doctors and practically carry me in without giving it a second thought. He makes me laugh too. Especially when I think about the pickle & the ketchup incident at CoCo's. Oh and he always hated cleaning his room. I think he still does ;)

This is me and my guys at Disneyland many moons ago. Jason, on the right, was a tad grumpy as it had been a very long day and he was ready to leave. Definitely nap time. Jas has always been a happy guy with a big smile on his face, so this picture makes me giggle.

Sorry, this is nothing more than just a mushy mom needing to brag about her awesome son - future Fire Fighter - who she is going to miss very, very much! This past week has been rough - so much in such a short amount of time. Between being sick and then dealing with his sudden move, it's just plain hard. I've gone through more tissue boxes than you could imagine. Yes. I admit I cry. I'm human. I'm a mom. Who happens to love her boys more than life.

Well, I could go on writing, but I'll end this mushy mom post because I have a TON of work to do. Guess that will keep my mind occupied while he's traveling.

Enjoy your day,

Rocki

(a.k.a. Mom - I love you Bud!)

p.s. The picture at the top... Jas wrote that on there and gave it to me. He's also terribly shy, as you can tell ;)

Gorgeous Gold Kites and more

Besides being crazy busy, I've been on a creating streak lately... all inspired by my original Signature Kites as in this blog posting long ago: Awe, Go Fly A Kite.

Above are my new and original Diamond Kite earrings in 14k Gold Filled. I'll also be making them in other metals. I must admit that I was pretty excited while creating these - just love'em!

My Kurly Kites are not new as I've been making them for a while in other metals, but they are now available in 14k Gold Filled as well. They look awesome in gold!

Awe yes, another Kurly Kite! But alas, these are made in a heavier 18 gauge wire for those who have larger piercings.

Another new member to the Signature Kite series: Geometric Kites! The design in this pair allows you to wear them as artistic earrings or use as a base wire and create to your hearts content!

No, these are not Kites, but there is a pair in it :) I wanted to offer a sampling of just a taste of my metalwork, so I call this package my Studio Sampler. This package has a variety of findings for you to create with and includes a little discount, but the major discount is in the shipping costs.

Well, this is what I've been up to lately - and then some! Hope everyone has a fabulous Monday!

Go fly a kite... or at least wear one!

Rocki

Name That Cloud II

Are you ready to play another round of Name That Cloud? This fun cloud is another one that appeared to us on our Florida vacation in December. The answer is revealed at the end of this post, but don't scroll down yet, give it a little thought and see if you can guess what we thought it looked like at first glance.

In the early morning hours of one of our boating excersions, we came across LOTS of dolphins, like this one which was following it's baby. I took a ton of pictures of these two and all the other dolphins, really, I did! They were all around us and it was truly exciting to see them in their habitat like that!

So, any clues yet on the cloud?

While heading out of the channel where Chris & Tina live we spotted this little cutie. Okay, so not so cute but I was REAL excited to see a gator in the wild! The channel is about 2 boat wide, so yes, this gator was close. In fact, Chris tried to get as close to it as possible without scaring the little guy so I could take this pic, while leaning out the boat.

How are you doing with the cloud? Need a few hints again? Here we go...

- can be wild

- can be tamed

- loves snacks

- smart

- loveable

- cuddly

- short hair

- long hair

- no hair

- loves balls

- likes to chase cats

- thinks the mail person is tasty

- woof

Figure it out?

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.

.

.

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You got it! It's a little dog! Speaking of little dogs... I need to go feed my 'kids' now and then hit the studio.

Thanks for playing and see you soon!

Rocki