on the way home from the market today i spied the the brand new library branch in town.  (opened sept 2007) pretty, isn’t it?

the orleans street branch 

my apologies. i am behind on my daily challenge pieces as i am experiencing back pain again. this is starting to worry me a little bit. . . i’m going to rest my terribly stiff back today and catch up on paperwork instead of working at the bench. if you have any home remedies for back pain, i’d love to hear them! have a wonderful friday everyone! xoxo

in honor of abe lincoln’s bday

happy valentine’s day to you! may your day be filled with delicious heart candies and perhaps a flower or two.
i also wanted to take this opportunity to give love to mighty goods and creature comforts. love love!
steve and i will be dining with beth and k tonight to celebrate this special day! i have made a delicious mac and cheese dish to share, because we all know it’s the most romantic meal there is.

ok.  no one a day challenge piece today.  a simple afternoon errand turned into this:

yes.  this is steve staring inquisitively into the guts of my car.  this was taken while we awaited a tow truck . . . why, oh why does car trouble equate to such huge mounds of stress?!

at the top of my wishlist, from the constant gatherer:

new from the studio:

two bits to share today.

1. steve sent me this image which made me smile. thought i’d share. you can find it at wish jar

2. i found this today on my sidewalk. this makes me feel a terrible, depressing sadness for the state of my neighborhood.

it also reminded me of The City Flora/City Flotsam series by Jan Yager ( a necklace from the series pictured below). click here for more info including a video interview with Yager and the purpose of her work.

it seems as though the record 72 degree weather that we had the other day has confused the poor daffodils in our garden. this might mean yet another tulip and daffodil-free spring. is there anyway to keep these bulbs safe for the weeks of cold to come?

 additions to my vintage hardback collection found this morning:

a belated HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR to you!

i’ve made a little friend, Suzy Q. to celebrate the year of the rat

results for the week can be found here

happy weekend!

i woke up feeling much better today and decided that it was time for a little treat.  i went to my local metal supply store where i ran into whitney and picked up the following goodies.  i LOVE new tools and a fresh sheet of silver.  off to play with everything!:

i’ve managed to seriously hurt my neck and back.  this may be a result of running, working at the bench, or sleeping in a bad position- all of the above?  needless to say, there is no one-a-day challenge piece today.  instead, i’ve been napping and eating seaweed salad that steve procured for me.  and now i’m getting ready to dig into my brand new cookbook that came in the mail today!  sometimes a little break on a thursday is just what the doctor ordered.

one of the aspects of my jewelry business and craft that i’ve been thinking about lately is product photography. susy jack’s etsy article titled “give props: how to style your photos” REALLY hit home with me. i thought i was “stylizing” my photos before, but after i read this article, a lightbulb really went off. i do believe that i should take the opportunity in my photos to convey a message about not only my jewelry, but me, and maybe even about who might wear my jewelry. make sense?

i have a long way to go- learning about lighting and using the camera, for example. but here is my first attempt.

can be found here