Sow's Ear Jewelry Spring Collection

White Bead and Hardware Necklace $22

My Spring 2012 Collection went into my shop on Etsy a couple of weeks ago, but what with packing, travel, and jet lag, I am just getting around to telling you about it.  My inspiration was a Palm Springs vibe -- statement pieces with lots of color.  And white, of course, since white is white-hot at the moment.  Any of these pieces will instantly update your wardrobe.

White Bead and Hardware Earrings $18

Which reminds me: I should make a couple of these pieces for myself.  My wardrobe could use some updating.

Vintage Bead and Chain Necklace -- Turquoise and Orange $22

I had so much fun making this collection.  I think part of the reason was because I was using happy, summery colors in the middle of winter.

Colorful Vintage Bead and Hardware Earrings -- Turquoise & Orange $18

Spending my days thinking about summer clothes and summer colors made the drab days of January a little easier to bear.

Hardware Earrings with Large Turquoise Colored Beads $18

This collection is a party waiting to happen.  The pieces make me want to dance the merengue with a tall, dark, handsome stranger.  Apparently, they also make me forget that I have no clue how to dance the merengue. 

Check out the rest of the collection and everything else at Sow's Ear Jewelry on Etsy!

Tucson 2012: Photo Ops

Folks who have been following this blog for awhile already know about my deep and abiding love of roadside kitsch.  So you can imagine my girlish excitement when I saw this huge inflatable body builder outside a car dealership on 22nd Street in Tucson, AZ.

It was a little tricky to get this photo because 22nd Street is a super-busy road, but they don't call us your intrepid blogger and her trusty sidekick for nothing.  (They don't call us that?  Then they should start.)

One of my little hobbies is having my picture taken with interesting people.  When I saw this girl giving away free hugs at the 4th Avenue Art Fair, I thought she had the awesomest idea ever and I admired her moxie.  Unsurprisingly, she was really nice.  If I lived in Tucson, I would definitely want to be her friend.


 

Tucson 2012: Saguaro National Park

Link to National Park

Around the Neighborhood

Tucson 2012: Cute Things

Cute baby: BFF's great-granddaughter.  The most adorable kid in the world not related to me.

Cute kitteh: Sunny

Cute kitteh: Furby

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Gentle Readers, I am off to Tucson, Arizona tomorrow to visit with my BFF.  I'm bringing a laptop to do some blogging on location, but mostly I plan to soak up some sun and inspiration.  I love the southwest.  Maybe I was a gunslinger in a former life.

It's Delightful

As you know, my friends, I rarely watch a movie made after 1965.  I occasionally make an exception, which is how De-Lovely, a musical starring Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd, ended up at the top of my Netflix queue.  It's about the life and unusual partnership of Cole and Linda Porter.

Before you young folks hop on the comments and say "Who is Cole Porter?" and I have to lay on my chaise longue and sniff smelling salts, Cole Porter was a composer and songwriter who wrote musical scores for Broadway and Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1950s.  If you think you don't know any of his songs, watch the movie anyway -- I think you'll be surprised.

The film includes musical performances by Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Sheryl Crow, and many more.  But for me, the showstopper was Alanis Morissette's rendition of "Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love."

Set in Paris, Venice, and New York in the Jazz Age and Hollywood in its heyday, the De-Lovely is a feast for the eyes and the ears.  I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Trying Again: Oh Baby!

Image: Chic Bebe on Etsy

My friends, I learned a valuable lesson the other day: never attempt to blog or maintain bog posts when you have a stabbing headache.  It can only end in mistakes and tears.  So I'm trying this again.

The big, big, REALLY BIG news here at the HQ is that my youngest sister Rachel is pregnant with her first child.  She had an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, and it's a healthy little girl!  Rachel is due in the middle of July.

As I mentioned in the post that got deleted, I am one of those annoying people who squeal and talk baby talk and generally act like fools around babies.  So you can expect a good bit of that going forward.

I also love the over-the-top girly stuff for girl babies.  My sister Rachel doesn't, and she commented via email about the giant flower headband in this photo.  I look at it this way: if I post silly girly stuff on my blog, it will help to restrain me from buying silly girly stuff and mailing it to my new niece when she arrives.  You've been warned, sister dear.

Some of my Gentle Readers commented with congratulations, and I thank you all for your good wishes.  This will be niece number 6 (and I have 2 nephews) but new babies are always exciting. 

Congratulations, Rachel and Phil!  I can't wait to meet your daughter!

#@*^!

Due to my slow internet connection making the screen jump when  thought it was fully loaded, I accidentally deleted the post about my sister's baby that is due in July.

This is one time I REALLY wish I wasn't striving for a PG-13 rating, because an F-bomb would be so satisfying right now.

I'm also feeling rather rotten this afternoon, which contributed to the whole fiasco.  So I will rewrite it when I'm not. 

Cheeky

What I saw in the mirror this morning.

If you're middle-aged and you've been sick, nobody walks up to you and asks how you're doing; instead, they say "What happened???"  If you're sick or overtired, you look sick or overtired.

In four days of having a cold, my cheeks have grown thin and gaunt yet my butt is exactly the same size it was a week ago.  These are two facts I deeply resent.