Thursday, January 28, 2010

Date Night!

I know I've mentioned on here before that my hubby and I choose one day per week to be our date night. No e-mails, no jewelry making, NO WORK! We stay home, play a board game or watch a movie, or just talk.

These nights are soon to become more precious than ever; Rob started his Masters program this month so I don't see him until close to 9 pm 4 days out of the week.

I've been counting down to Thursday this week! Tonight we are going to enjoy dinner, Roasted Chicken and veggies. Then after the kids go to bed we are going to watch Surrogate.

How about you, do you have a routine or ritual that you and your honey do to stay connected when life gets hectic?

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Perfect for Saint Valentines day!

I'll have this little beauty listed later today.


I love the thick solid weight of this pendant, it's rustic and fun and subtle. The front has heart I have sculpted by hand and applied to the "dog tag" which can be personalized on the back side.

Looking for some extra luck?

I made this pendant ages ago when I went to Mesa for Bliss fest back in November, and I finally got around to taking pictures and listing it today.


Perfect for your inner cow girl, or maybe even Saint Patrick's day.

Find it HERE


What brings you luck?

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Happy Birthday Mom :O)

Not that my mom reads my blog.
She just sent her first text message to me this Christmas. I'm sure someday soon she'll find her way on to the internet ;)

Non the less My mom's birthday was this past weekend. I made this bracelet for her.

I still need to put all the grand kids birthstones on to the right link but I had to snap a picture of it with just the links because i love it!


She has a total of 22 grand kids one is in heaven and one is on the way (not from me!) Plus one great grand child.
Isn't it wonderful what happens when two people fall in love and marry!

Love you mom, you're amazing!!!!
Canela

Monday, January 25, 2010

Matryoshkas...

There is something so fun and whimsical about Matryoshka dolls. The vibrant colors painted on them. The sweet happy faces. The anticipation of what the next will look like as you un nest them.

These little Matryoshkas were made exclusively for me from my sketches.


They are shown here on fine silver thick charm, but I will be offering them on the less pricey sterling silver ones soon too!


What is a childhood toy that still bring a smile to your face?
Cheers!
Canela

Saturday, January 23, 2010

All 6 :O)

After my post about our trip to the beach, I received quite a few messages asking to see a picture of all 6 of our kiddies together.
We had family pictures take by the talented Wendy of Blue Lily. I can't wait to see the pictures from our session, but I have to wait patiently so she can work her magic on the pictures. Until I have those to share these were taken with my camera...



Friday, January 22, 2010

New Pendant!

Sleek, Simple, Modern... I'm loving this New pendant I made last night!



It's a Sleek little slider pendant. It rests right on the chain and is double sided!



Perfect to display your word for 2010, or maybe your honey's name, or your little ones.

It will be in my shop later today!

So what is your word of inspiration for 2010?


Here is the little bitty version of it...




Thursday, January 21, 2010

splish splash


We've had rain all week here. Crazy heavy rain, and hail at our house, and tornado warnings at the beach. Thank goodness we're not too close to the coast!
The kids have a major case of cabin fever so I let them out for a little, to romp around in the puddles while the rain was light, then warmed them up with Coco and Marshmallows.
It's suppose to down pour again this afternoon so I think Chicken and veggie soup and a fresh batch of rolls are in order.
What do you do on rainy days?
Happy Thursday!
Canela

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

We're Open!

We're Open for business!
I will spend the next few days getting New designs listed, updating old ones, and hopefully getting the sale items listed.
Here is another sneak peek at some of the new Fine Silver designs!

Isn't this one above beautiful with the pretty lace pattern on the base of the pendant?

These two below are for those mom's who want to have their little ones names with them but in a more subtle way.




LOVE this one!!!





I LOVE the rustic organic look of the Fine silver clay. I hope my Volunteers love them!
I hope you are enjoying your Wednesday, we are enjoying hail storms at our house and Tornado warnings along the coast, thank goodness we aren't on the coast!
Cheers!
Canela




Winner!

Congrats to Diana Albright (New mommy!)

You were the winner please e-mail me and let me know your choice.


I loved reading everyones comments! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Canela

Monday, January 18, 2010

Giveaway! :O)

I thought is would be fun to kick off my re opening week with a Valentines theme giveaway.

I love Valentines day, but not for the mushy romantic reasons. It's a fabulous excuse to be girly! To decorate the house in shades of pink and tons of hearts. I break out my box of glitters and make sparkly crafts with the kids. Eat Candy hearts and red hots, and hide love notes to them and to my hubby around the house so they have surprises to enjoy.

So here is my Valentine gift to someone...





Your choice of One of these necklaces. I couldn't make up my mind which I liked best so I will let the winner choose.


So to enter leave a comment telling if you love or hate Valentines Day and why.
I will choose a winner on Wednesday when my shop Opens again!
Blog about the giveaway so your friends can come enter too!
Good luck!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Volunteer please!

Volunteers found thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I need another volunteer tonight! I'm looking for two volunteers this round.


~One for a couples necklace
~One with 2 to 3 kids names.


As always I will take the first email in my inbox that meets my needs for these pieces.



I will post when I have found my volunteers.


This will be the last of our glorious sun sets for awhile. The weather channel says we'll see 8 to 15 inches of rain this coming week!

The giveaway will start tomorrow!

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday!
Canela

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Saturday evening yumminess

I love baking! Combining flour with simple ingredients to create something beautiful and sooo yummy!

I've been looking for a great quick bread recipe. I came across one for Cheddar beer bread today. I'm not a beer fan. I've never had more than a couple of sips of beer, I just don't care for it, but there is something about the flavor of beer in food that is just scrumptious.




This recipe was pretty good but I need to tweak it a little bit before I share. It was too salty, but I love the rustic look of it.

The good news is it's quick. If all the kneading and waiting on the last recipe for rolls didn't strike your fancy this one will be perfect!


Oh and have you met my kitchen assistant? I was making a port wine sauce with grapes to go with the pork roast (more on that recipe later) and my grapes kept vanishing off of my cutting board. Hmmmm wonder where they went to?

Can't you just see him thinking Uh Oh got caught!


What do you love to cook?

Friday, January 15, 2010

something new

I've been enjoying some creative time this week. Here is a sneak peek of some new designs you'll find when I re open! I think we'll kick off next week with a give away. Be sure to come back by on Monday!










Thursday, January 14, 2010

A day at the beach

I feel off of the face of the blogging earth during the holidays this year. Between getting so sick and then a mad rush to get orders done and shipped i just couldn't tend to my blog. So now it's time to catch up.

Over Thanksgiving we took a trip to central California to visit my in laws.

It was a 5 + hour drive so I told my hubby I wanted to make a trip out of it and take the kids to do something.

Aside from flying to Solvange one time as a kid with my dad I've never been to Central California. I've always had this dream of taking a week and driving up the Pacific Coast Highway with my honey and stopping at all the cute little coastal towns. Someday!

We looked over a map and discovered the route we needed to take was a little too inland to follow the coast, but at one point Cambria wasn't too far out of the way so we decided to stop in Cambira for a couple of hours. My hubby is the organizer! He likes to have a plan and he doesn't often like to stray from the plan.

We took the route to Cambira and as we approached the stop light where the sign read "Cambria right, Coatal access left", my husband told me to turn left. I looked at him a little shocked and asked if he was sure.



We found a little cove and took all the kids to the beach for the first time! It was BLISS! It was a pebble beach with pine trees growing right up to the bluff. The tide pools were brimming with life. The kids had a blast discovering sea creatures and climbing on the big boulders, the baby has a ball scooping up pebbles and dropping them down and scooping them back up again. It will be a memory I treasure forever!










Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Yummy Bread...the Recipe


This is one of those things that I've been making it from memory for so long so hopefully my measurements are fairly accurate.

For 2 loaves or 16 to 18 rolls...

Ingredients...

6 to 7 cups of flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (not rapid rise!)

2 TBSP sugar

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt or 1 tsp regular salt

2-3 TBSP real butter

2 1/4 cups milk (I use whole but I'm sure non fat would work just fine)


to make... I use my kitchen stand mixer to knead my bread if you don't have a mixer e-mail me I can tell you how to hand knead it.


~in a sauce pan add the milk sugar salt and butter.


~Heat to about 120 degrees, if you have one use a candy thermometer to check the temp. If you do not have a thermometer heat it so that the butter is just starting to melt but do not bring it to a boil! If the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast.


~stir it as it warms to melt the sugar.


~In the mixer bowl add about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of flour and the Yeast


~pour the warm milk mixture into the four and yeast mixture. Mix with a spoon by hand until just combined, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.


~turn on your mixer to a med to high med speed for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes so that the flour is fully mixed into the liquid.


~ reduce to a lower speed and about 1/2 cup at a time add in the remaining flour making sure each 1/2 cup is fully mixed in before adding the next 1/2 cup.


~*~ it should take about 8 minutes to get the flour mixed in. You may not need all the four. You want the dough to to be smooth and elastic, not sticky if it's sticky you need more flour. If it starts to look really dry you have enough flour.


~remove the dough from the dough hook. On a lightly floured surface knead by hand for about another minute to be sure the dough has the same consistency all the way through.


~Place the dough in a buttered or lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Place in a warm area on the counter and let rise for 40 minutes.


~after 40 minutes remove the cloth and punch down the dough (great for venting some frustrations!)


~turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, if you are making loaves divide into two equal portions (eye ball it you don't need to be exact)

if you are making rolls you can divide it or leave it whole

~cover again with the damp cloth and let it rest for about 10 minutes.


~if making loaves shape it into a loaf by smoothing from the top down and tucking it under to the bottom

if making rolls I break of pieces, they should be pretty equal in size and you will end up with 16 to 18 pieces. to shape them, roll into a ball shape and smoothing from the top down make it like a little ball.


~Place loaves into two loaf pans that have been greased or buttered. If making rolls I use two 9 inch round cake pans with 8 or 9 rolls in each, be sure to give a bit of space between them they will double in size.


~Again cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm spot on the counter and let rise again for 40 minutes.


~after the they have risen place in a preheated to 375 oven.

Loaves will need about 50 to 60 minutes or til top is brown and it sounds hallow when you knock on the top.

Rolls will need about 20 to 25 minutes or til top is brown and they sound hallow when you knock on the top.

~When done remove from oven and pans and cool on a wire rack.

I like to butter the tops of them while they are still hot Sooo Yummy!
Enjoy!

Yum!

We have been thoroughly enjoying 80 degree weather. Gardening playing out doors, sooo tempted to start my veggie garden. We knew it wouldn't last. We have chilly rain today. It was a perfect time to bake some yummy bread. Can't you just smell it through the computer screen?


I'm thinking a nice stew would be great for dinner tonight.

What's on your Menu today?

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

To do...


Are you an organizer? I'm sooo not! I need to keep a constant running list of things I need to do or I forget, or get distracted.


If you're like me you know what I mean...


I start by clearing the kitchen table only to notice that there is a spot on the counter that needs to be wiped, so I wipe it up, and as I take the rag out to the laundry to drop it in I notice the pile of woodchips left behind by the shoes, (do you hate wood chips as much as I do), so I sweep it up and notice the trash looks full as I'm emptying the dust pan, so I take it out and then notice the flowers haven't been watered yet so I water them, then I head back into the house wondering what was I doing again?

I know that was a huge run on sentence, but that is how it goes on and on with the distractions.


I keep a daily list so I can keep site of what I need to accomplish that day. It helps my sanity, and there is something so satisfying about checking off each item.


How do you keep your day organized?

Monday, January 11, 2010

Word of the....

Renewed!

It was such a wonderful break with the kids! I was sad to see them head back to school today.

It's time to get back in to routine. I'm getting ready to re open my shop on January 20th. There will be a clearance sale and then some new designs and lots of Valentine goodies!

I will also be looking for some volunteers this Thursday so be sure to come back by and check. I wont take any until Thursday!


I'll be a busy gal over the next three days finishing 200 of my Capture Life necklaces that will be included in the Celebrity Gift bags at this year's Super Bowl! I get the guest list soon so I know who will receive them as well as any photos of the celebs trying it on!


What is your word for today?...

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Happy Thursday!

Just a little post to say Yes I'm still alive and kickin' ! I've been a busy gal playing games with the kiddies, baking, coloring pictures, building Lego forts and space ships, gardening, we're loving the 76 degree weather this week!

I've also been busy tending to post Christmas order changes name corrections and the last of my various giveaway prize mailings. If you won something from me here on my blog or on another and haven't received your prize yet they will mail this Friday!

I need to upload all the family pictures to share, I promise to get it done this weekend! Until then here are a few fun designs you'll find in my shop for Valentines day...Have a I ever mentioned here how much I LOVE hearts?