I am Blessed!

I really am blessed. And for more reasons than the following: I just sold three more pieces of jewelry on Etsy! I am so excited! I also need to make a pair of amethyst earrings to match one of the necklaces (pretty obvious which one, huh?!). I’m sure I can swing that this weekend. Maybe I’ll even have time to finish a necklace I finally found the right toggle clasp for, and perhaps even make another necklace from start to finish ... but that sounds like a stretch right now. I do, after all, have to play Mommy all weekend also. Ha-ha!

If you click on the images, you can actually see them upclose. Don’t you just love the textures in the background? I owe a huge thanks to my friend Jack, who was so kind to lend me all the pretty papers for backdrops for all my Etsy photographs. His wide range of creativity can be found at www.pbjart.com.

Too much time

Some days there’s just not much to do but to play in Photoshop ...

Dentist and Sunglasses

I am all lopsided from going to the dentist. Well, he didn’t make my whole person lopsided, but I checked out my smile in the rearview mirror on my way to the office, and the right side won’t quite keep up with the left side. Of course, I noticed this after smiling at a motorcycle cop. Good thing I wasn’t trying to eat something at the same time, I’m sure that would’ve been a lovely sight!

I have also come to the realization that no matter how hard I look, I cannot find my $260 Maui Jim sunglasses. Last time I remember having them was at church last Wednesday, so I was hoping I would find them yesterday (Sunday), but ... alas. Now the question is, do I spend another wad of money to cover my sensitive eyes in style, or do I get a cheap pair that will give me headaches? The answer would’ve been much easier to come to, had I not just now spent $272 at the dentist’s. Sure, I’ll get the some of the money back through insurance, but what do I do in the meantime? Squint? Take Advil for my headaches? Stay in bed? Or just plain shut my eyes?

Thank God it’s overcast today! Makes me want to go with option three.

Sold on Etsy!

I’m so excited! I had my first official sale on Etsy yesterday and it happened to be one of my favorite necklaces. As a rule, I try to wear every necklace I make to make sure it lays right and feels good around my neck. I don’t want to sell pieces I wouldn’t wear myself. So, this necklace is one of those that has a lot of presence, yet isn’t heavy around the neck. I sure hope the girl who bought it will enjoy it as much as I loved making it.

Finally Mine!

I pondered and ogled for a long time ... and ogled and pondered some more ... and finally made the decision a couple of weeks ago to go ahead and order my very own Eni Oken bracelet. Eni is such a wonderful and talented artist, and she was really open to working with me and my particular taste. I wanted it just so, at the same time as I needed to leave her room to use her own creativity. We worked out all the details (mainly the color scheme) and here is the result. Isn’t it just a gorgeous piece of jewelry?

Midweek Mumblings

So, I had to return to the mall to see if I could find a less expensive bathing suit than the one I bought a couple of weeks ago. I just can’t justify spending $117 on a two-piece suit (yeah, that’s right, and I can’t believe I just put it in writing). I have a perfectly fine one-piece that I wear to the pool when I take the girls. I don’t have to worry about any mishaps. But, I thought I’d like a two-piece to take with me on my trip to Sweden and, hopefully, Finland where my dad has an island. Now, this island is in the middle of the sea in the south of Finland. Lots of water. Lots of privacy. Lots of nothing. Who cares if I’m wearing a designer bathing suit to this place?! Hence, the dilemma over the exorbitant amount for this piece of clothing that I can’t even wear to the office. Since my trip to search for something less costly yielded nothing, as did the two previous trips, I decided I would compromise: I would return the bottom and keep the top. Makes a lot of sense, right? Well, I’m thinking I could pair it with shorts instead. I mean, am I really going to want to walk around in a revealing bikini bottom anyway? I’m not saying I’m body conscious. I’m just cellulite and jiggle conscious. Some would say “whatever,” and they would be absolutely correct. Who cares? I guess I still have hopes of looking like I never gave birth and never ate anything but cherries for lunch. But, the fact is, I DID give birth—twice—and I DO eat more than cherries for lunch. So, why do I care? I really don’t know. Media pressure. Perfectionism. Poor self-esteem. I don't know. So, I’m going to [try to] not care anymore. Especially on an island in the middle of nowhere.

And then I’m going to buy myself a pair of blue jean shorts.

Fish and Bracelets

I had a request to show some of my jewelry here, so I picked one of my favorite pieces at the moment. It’s a fun adjustable bracelet with kyanite, moukaite, amethyst and a Thai silver heart. You can check it out at www.katjaadamsdesign.etsy.com


Other than that, I spent a stressful day at the Georgia Aquarium yesterday ... I wonder: Am I the only one who was [more than] a little disappointed after all the hoopla? I’m going to take the girls back to Tennessee Aquarium at the end of the summer. It fits our style better. And their temperament. Hm.