DJ Buddha baby

Our friends Pieter and Catarina are expecting their first baby in a few weeks. So you know what that means: more onesies! Pieter and Cat are fun, magnetic people. They love good times, good friends, and awesome music (Pieter's a House DJ during the wee hours). And they have this whole spiritual-vibe-thing going on, too, that's really warm and welcoming. So I wanted these onesies to reflect a little bit about both of them, their passions and hobbies, and just how cool they are and will be as parents.

Turntable and Buddha onesies shown in stages: 1. Ironing on the cut-out stencils; 2. Filling it in with paint; 3. Revealing the finished product!

Spa day

Life as a GP can be tough. There's hay and pellets to eat, not to mention mounds of farmer's market veggies to munch on. And there's all the tunnels a pig needs to run through every day. And don't forget all the napping! That takes up a lot of time. And if ever the BF leaves his cookbooks lying on the floor, well, a pig has to eat them too.

With such a busy agenda, a pig deserves a little pampering once in a while, don't you think? Rusty got his first bath recently, and to top it off, he also got a mani/pedi! Sounds like a relaxing way to spend a Saturday morning, huh? Not to Russ. He complained and struggled throughout the whole ordeal. Poor boy! It ain't easy lookin' this good.

BBQ pigeon

Boris and Doris are back! I've read that pigeons, having that built-in homing device, return to the same place to make their nest, laying one to two eggs. This is the third time Boris and Doris have tried to build a nest on our balcony. They always pick the same spot--IN our gas bbq. It's actually a pretty good place in San Francisco to build a nest: it's covered so at least it is partially protected from the wind, rain and predators. The BF, on the other hand, does not think it is such a good place, as he has just filled up the propane tank and was looking forward to bbq season. Uh oh, better luck next year babe!

Unfortunately, we've never had a hatchling. Part of the problem is that Boris and Doris are really crappy at building nests. This year is another winner. As you can see from this picture, all the twigs they've gathered have fallen thru the slats. Now Boris is just sitting there on an egg with no nest. We'll see how it goes.

Boris? On the nest, you ask? Yes, being a monogamous couple (at least during mating season) Boris and Doris take turns sitting on the egg. As far as I can tell, Doris sits during the day and does her food-finding at night. There is a Changing of the Guard each day around 4pm. OK I think I've gone on long enough about pigeons and their breeding habits. See what a little observation and a lot of Internet on a slow day at work can get ya?

Photog I am not

This past weekend I fooled around a bit with the camera and tried out some different backgrounds for my jewelry pix. I really like the idea of using the map of SF and pairing it with the branch. But on the other hand, the colors and busy-ness of the map are a little distracting. Needless to say, many many many hundreds of photos were taken this weekend. Most of them dumpers. Maybe a dozen or two actually look decent. Thank god for digital. My uncle's a photographer and I always hoped that whatever artistic gene touched him also affected me. I may have an eye for some things, but lighting and shutter speed knowledge (not to mention steady hands) not so much...

Here's the latest piece I've made: cherry quartz wire-wrapped in gold-fill, about 2 inches long. This style of wire-wrapping is something new I'm trying out. This is only the second time I've done it. The wrapping is a little insane--my fingers and eyes hurt after a while! It was worth the pain though. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out actually!

So this next piece is what I'm going to refer to as the Holiday Party Necklace quite simply bc I wore it to my company holiday party. I'm deep. Faceted garnets asymmetrically lined up on gold-fill. I'm using a linen background--plain, but at least you get a good look at the necklace. I got a lot of compliments on it at the holiday party, too! But I feel compelled to mention that all my coworkers were probably sauced.

Love pigs

Wow. This is a cry for help.
Here is how my boys spent Valentine's Day. On the menu: heart-shaped "lasagna" of lettuce, tomato, and shredded carrots.
There has got to be a 12-step program out there for me!

Super Quartzday

Wait a second. No posts for weeks, and now two in one day? Get out! What can I say? I'm listening to the Super Tuesday results and, in the meantime, am on a roll with the blogging and picture taking. Here's a necklace I made fairly recently (a few months ago at least)--smokey quartz pendant, garnet, and amethyst tear drops wire-wrapped in gold-fill with a 3-inch extension. The zoomed-in pic shows off the colors a bit. It's another fave of mine--goes with nearly everything!

Labradorite & silver earrings

It's taken a while, but you're finally looking at my first SugarCube Jewelry posting. These earrings are one of my favorites of the moment. They're made from labradorite, sterling silver and Swarovski crystal. Like all my jewelry pieces, they're handmade by yours truly! More jewelry pix to come for sure on the blog -- showcasing my jewelry was one of the main reasons for starting it. The BF is working on my Web site, which will be more of a gallery than a business site. It's slow-going, so stay tuned...