A wedding card for Chihuahua lovers

My mom had asked me to design a wedding card with Chihuahuas, because the couple owns one.
I enjoyed the challenge, having to work with a theme. I collaged a lot, but also used Photoshop to get the little Chihuahuas in proportion.

Birthday and Graduation

My daughter turned 14 this month. Every birthday we decorate her place setting at the table and place the presents next to it. When she comes down for breakfast, she gets to unwrap her presents.





This year she also graduated from middle school. Here she is framed by two of her friends. Don't these girls seem to have similar eyes?


They also had a graduation dance at the middle school. I loved seeing the kids all dressed up for this occasion.

Victorian Button Necklace No.2

Here is Victorian Button Necklace No.2 that I sold to a caring husband, who wanted to surprise his wife.

Victorian Button Necklace

I am so thankful to my friend Hasti, who asked me to create a special necklace for her mom's birthday. I am delighted with the result and have to show it of here. Using a cut steel Victorian button as the center piece I added a strand of black onyx beads, a strand of round polished hematite beads and last not least a stand of faceted hematite beads, that have this extra sparkle. I am now in production of more Victorian button necklaces and when done will post them on my brand new etsy store. Stay tuned!

Baroque Pearl Necklace

I am so excited about this new necklace I made as a summer treat for myself. It all started with this gorgeous big baroque teardrop shaped pearl, that I saw at my favorite bead shop Baubles and Beads. In my studio I contemplated long and hard how to hang this gorgeous gem. I looked through my samples and found two bracelets that I had made last year, but never finished. I knew I was looking for something that had an antique air to it. Something delicate, but yet still bold and somewhat archaic. These bracelets are made of fine sterling silver wire that I hand crochet on a spool, which is an age-old metal smith techniques. I joined them together, blackened the silver to give it more definition and drama and voila the perfect necklace to adequately display the gorgeous teardrop from.

Gentlemen of Quality: John Thomson

A Manchu bride, Beijing (1871-2), photograph by John Thomson



A married couple from Xiamen, a port city in south-eastern China.

Young woman of Guangzhou in southern China.


I am going to feature this month 3 men from the the 19th century that I found incredibly interesting and stylish characters.
I found Scottish photographer John Thomson on my favorite photography blog Heading East
Thomson was a Victorian contemporary and visited China from 1868-72. He saw himself in the tradition of the gentlemen explorer and traveled to China and South East Asia with his camera. He initially set up a photography studio in Singapore and his love for region grew. Back in Britain he showed his photos, gave lectures and wrote articles on Chinese culture . "Undoubtedly his photographs contributed greatly to 19th-century Europe’s view of Asia and filled the visual gap between East and West. He became known as ‘China’ Thomson."His photos have just been exhibited in the Beijing World Art Museum.
On the left he photographed the traditional bound foot next to a healthy, un-bound foot on the right.

Mr. Thomson is standing next to Imperial Soldiers in Xiamen

Orange Almond Shortbread

Here you see the orange almond shortbread cookies that I have baked. The log shaped dough in the wax paper can be kept frozen and conveniently baked when you all of a sudden have the craving for yummy shortbread.

Delicious Pleasures and advice on how to curb shopping

Miette is the adorable cake and sweet shop in Hayes Valley. The ambiance and offerings bring a smile to my face!



And here the macrons from Paulette - a gourmet experience. My favorite was the rose and raspberry, Caribbean chocolate and almond wedding cake. They are to die for! A great gift to bring to a party or dinner. They pack them in these nice boxes.


Sometimes I need to indulge, but with the bad economy and a heighten environmental consciousness buying stuff should be absolutely out! It's hard to abstain, but honestly: do I need to add another object to my already filled up house? Do we need anything? I came up with a rule for gifts this Christmas: I will only give gifts that are either hand-made, something to read, something to eat or drink or an experience (like inviting the person to a museum, concert, play or restaurant). So many items end up forgotten in the corner or eventually find their way into the landfill. The stuff we have in our houses demands on top of it a lot of attention, like organizing it, keeping it clean etc. Once you possess objects, your work doesn't stop, because you need to manage them. I want to cut down on this and feel that I don't want to burden my friends with more stuff either. If you give an experience or something to eat, it will be a memory for the recipient that will only take up space in her brain, but not her apartment. It's a great rule to live by yourself and so once in a while I treat myself to a good dessert. I get to indulge without feeling guilty, that I bought something expensive or added another item, I didn't really need. In the attempt to curb my shopping desire I also got more into cooking and baking. It is a very involved activity (just like crafting) and takes up a lot of time and therefore keeps me off the street and out of trouble. Oh, I forgot: Flowers are also allowed. Buying a lovely bouquet of cut flowers once in a while is a sure recipe to bring some beauty into your home, without adding to the clutter of stuff.

New designs

Here are some new necklace designs, I have been working on. My favorite is the first necklace with pink Tourmaline drops, a big Ruby bead, hammered sterling silver teardrop and chains. These new designs are for sale now at Freshly Cut, the gorgeous flower shop across the street from Monterey Market. And while you are there get yourself also one of their absolutely beautiful flower arrangements.

I delivered a bunch of earrings to Freshly Cut as well. Maybe you need a little something to complement your outfit? They also make nice little gifts.