scribble

i love this scribble tattoo inspired by the work of artist, marc johns

Posted in just for fun |

laser lemon & seafoam blue

new single pendant in laser lemon: sterling & glass

and seafoam blue single pendant: sterling & beach glass…the glow of this one is incredible. the glass is from my friend sandy in florida

Posted in new work |

carrion bloom

this bloom is incredible. our friends, eric and rachel, gave us this carrion plant before they moved to new york last month and it put on this stellar bloom yesterday. i’ve never seen a carrion bloom before. i was thrilled. i wish i would have taken the camera outside before it opened.  earlier in the day, on my way to doing something i else i glanced over and noticed it looked like a balloon and just a few hours later it looked like this. i hope to capture the balloon pod phase in a photo next time around.

Posted in just for fun |

ruby necklace

ruby necklace

Posted in new work |

stephanie strange

go see the newly installed sculpture “black well” by artist, stephanie strange. “black well” is made from forty repurposed typewriters. this hanging sculpture is an homage to the written word. see more work by stephanie strange here.

be there for the unveiling of “black well” on saturday, august 21, 2010 at 10am at the twin oaks branch library, 1800 s. 5th street, austin.

Posted in inspired by |

raw garnets….

raw garnet filigree earrings

Posted in new work |

acid green…

acid green ovoid polyp earrings

photograph by cole rodgers

for an invitational show at quirk gallery opening november in richmond, va.

Posted in misc |

red eye

 this is truly entertaining dialog about a flight from new york to berlin….click for the full visual diary by christoph niemann.

found via cup of jo.

Posted in inspired by |

dark chocolate peanut butter cups….

these, i think, are the best peanut butter cups i have ever had. this recipe is no joke!!!  i made them to take a few to my girlfriend who is having a birthday party tomorrow night. the recipe is fairly quick and easy, but i made the “mistake” of using the whole jar of peanut and adjusting the other ingredients to follow the recipe….i ended up quadrupling the recipe and was in the kitchen all night….not what i was planning but the outcome was soOOO super delicious that i felt quite accomplished. (it doesn’t take much )working thru this recipe made me wish for a big kitchen and be a professional chocolatier with a bounty of decorating bags, fancy decorating tips, bavarian creme, sprinkles and handmade chocolate curls. i was always mesmerized with the happenings in the european pastry room during my years of working at the bakery in st. louis.

dark chocolate pb cups
12 oz bittersweet chocolate (60-70% cacao-no exceptions)
1/3 cup (16 oz jar) creamy peanut butter (I added in an extra 1-2 TB)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup crushed graham crackers (finely, but not a powder, but not chunks either)
(I added in 1 tsp salt to peanut butter mixture)

-In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, salt, and graham crackers. I put mine in the fridge to harden up a bit as it’s easier to form into balls….i skipped this step because mine was already like thick cookie dough….it must have been the brand of pb i used.
-in a microwave safe glass bowl melt the chocolate. run microwave in cycles of 15-30 seconds and stirring in between to prevent burning, lessening the time the more melted the chocolate gets.
-Use mini cupcake tins and line them with cupcake liners. i would double up on the cupcake liner to add some stability.
-Using a spoon, drop a small scoop of melted chocolate on the bottom and push it up around the sides of the cupcake liners; when in doubt, add more chocolate, since this will be the base for your candy. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes. While those are in the freezer get out the peanut butter mixture and form into teaspoon balls, they don’t have to be rolled in balls…..since my peanut butter mixture was already thick i just pinched some off as i went along.
-Remove the cupcake tins from the freezer, and place about one teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture in each cup, make sure to put it in the middle, not touching the sides of the cup. Spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup, make sure to fill in along the sides too.
-Place the peanut butter cups back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to set. Let them sit at room temp before devouring…or not!! makes about 12 mini peanut butter cups.

i found the recipe on vanilla kitchen. with a few slight adaptations in the process alone, the ingredients are the same.

Posted in good for the tum |

beaded rope necklace

i scored this beaded necklace at a really cool vintage and oddities shop here in austin, uncommon objects. does anyone know how this beaded necklace was made? crocheted? knitted in the round? is it just a traditional bead stitch?  the peyote bead stitch will stack the beads next to each other but i’ve never seen it with thread threads exposed and interwoven like this piece. i would love to learn how to make one with the thread exposed and woven just as this piece is. anyone???

Posted in inspired by |