Working on Photos

This year has swirled by like a whirlwind. I simply cannot believe it is already December... The days are getting shorter, it is getting darker out earlier and the extreme cold is coming. It is hard to stay motivated when it looks like 10pm at 4pm - especially when it comes to taking photos!

Since the days are dark by the time I get home from my day job, I have to find a way to take photos without natural light. I have always used natural light and the Macro setting on my Canon SD750 for taking photos of my jewelry, however, they never seemed crisp enough and rarely showcased the beautiful sparkle and faceting of the gemstones. I have a couple lamps with daylight bulbs I have been experimenting with; different positions, pointed at the wall to refract light, using a diffuser, different backgrounds, etc, etc. Here are a few of my most recent items and photos....

Fog - AA Chalcedony Spiral Briolette and Oxidized Sterling Silver Necklace

Galaxies - Prehnite Dew Drops and Oxidized Sterling Silver Earrings

Mandarin Orange - Mandarin Garnet and Sterling Silver Necklace

Fun, Food, Family

Today is my dads 60th birthday! Happy Birthday, Dad! To celebrate his birthday, we had a family gathering with lots of food and fun!

When our family gets together it seems like we always make way to much food. For our small gathering I brought pork tenderloin (which I won on $1.00 at the local meat raffle - SWEET!), and fruit pizza per my dads request!

I was a little leary of cooking the pork. Normally me + pork = dry meat you cant chew enough and wash down with any amount of water! Thank God for allrecipes.com is all I have to say. I found and easy recipe which I tweeked a little and the tenderloin turned out FANTASTIC! Needless to say it was a hit and is now the meat of choice for all our family gatherings!

The fruit pizza bars is also the new birthday cake for our family. So easy, and yummy! Very refreshing after a good hearty meal!

Here are some pics and the recipe!

1 pkg refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 8oz container whipped topping
1/4-1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Fruit of choice - I use strawberries, blueberries and kiwi
Either a pizza crust or 9x13 shallow pan
Spread the dough in the ungreased pan getting all the way to the edges. Bake cookie dough until the edges are just turning golden brown. Remove from over and cool a few hours or overnight.
Mix the softened cream cheese, whipped topping and powdered sugar until well mixed. Spread over cooled crust.
Top with fruit!

Another Treasury!

Thank you Farmchicked for including me in your newest treasury - Back is Black. What a gorgeous treasury. I am so honored to be a part of it!

Hoping to get lots of stuff done this weekend.... I am ready to run out the door, take care of the horses, take the dogs for a jog, mow at my parents house then home to hopefully get some jewelry stuff done! I am working on a jewelry for a wedding - 12 sets!! I gotta get cranking out some new earwires!! I also am working on new inventory for the Pit Stop! I hope gas station go-ers like gemstones!!

TTFN!

Included in a Etsy Treasury!

Many thanks to littlestonedesign.etsy.com for including me in her lovely treasury!!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=75542

For some reason I cannot get a copy of the picture to save...maybe I am just tired....

New Necklaces!

A couple of my newest necklaces...

~Tequila Sunrise~

~Triplet~

~Midnight~

Take care everyone and stay cool in the heat!

So much to do, so little time....

These days it seems like there is so much to do an so little time to get it done! My flower beds need tending...my house needs cleaning, my animals need attention....and the list goes on and on!! So my plan is to take one day at a time! I totally give props to ones that can do it all!!

Currently, my cat, Bonzai, is recovering from declawing and neutering, so I am kinda focused on that little guy right now!!

I have tons of ideas in my head for new jewelry, now I just have yet to make them... Here are a couple of my newest items!

Until next time!

Jen

My weekend project....Earwires!!

So, my weekend project that took a little while longer than expected is finally finished!

If I would have been thinking I would have taken pics of the entire process....But, I didn't, so here is a short explanation!

I started with a roll of 20 gauge wire, cut it into 2" lengths, fire-coated and flamed off each piece, balled one end with a small butane torch, pickled, bent and tumbed. Then, finally, just today, I got done filing all the ends so they are smooth and round! P.S. I do not like the cup burr I just purchased. I think a good old fashioned metal nail file works the best! Here they are!

Its been a while....

Ooops... I have totally been neglecting my blog.... So I am making it my goal to blog at least once a week!

Lets see here....Since my last post life has been pretty busy...


My tulips have come and gone...


Same with some jewelry...

I attended a local craft show the weekend of Mothers Day and the weekend before, sold a few things, so that was fun! Still have my/our stuff at The Pit Stop in Rock Creek, MN. Thinking about beefing up the items there, just not sure how gemstone jewelry will sell at a convenience store! Also down the highway from the Pit is a consignment shoppe I have been wondering about. They are looking for local crafters so I might have to check that out!

Hmm what else...Oh, I planted my little garden! I've got cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and jalapeno peppers all planted! Now it't the weeding and waiting game I call it. LOL.

We have been jonesin' to go boating, but it just hasnt worked out yet! Either the weather is bad or we just are too busy or working when its nice out...go figure, huh? After the near 80 degrees today I was looking forward to the weekend, that is until I heard it was supposed to rain all weekend!!! Oh well, that gives me time to stay indoors and bead! hehe. Well I could clean too, but beading sounds sooo much more fun!

So here I go. Off to create some more jewelry!!

Chicken Wild Rice Salad

If you have not noticed by now....I love food. So today I am going to share one of my favorite cold salad recipes with you!

Chicken Wild Rice Salad

3 cups cooked wild rice
3 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 cup green grapes, halved (red work too)
1 small can water chestnuts, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
1 bunch green onions, chopped fine
1 cup Hellmans Mayonnaise
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Mix all ingredients, season to your liking with salt and pepper, chill and enjoy!

This salad is super on a hot summer day, not too light, not too bulky. Lots of fiber, lean protein, perfect! I was going to take a picture, but the salad is all gobbled up!

B-E-A-UTIFUL

The weather has been soooo gorgeous this week I can hardly stand to be indoors!! I have managed to make a few things and get some posted on Etsy though!

Here are my newest fav earrings!

Plumeria ~ Raspberry Pink Tourmaline and Sterling Silver

I made myself a pair a while back using Apatite briolettes - LOVE THEM!! These dont seem to be flying off the shelves, so we will see if I create anymore of these in some different colors.... I have tons of teeny weeny briolettes that work just perfect for these, I could make a whole garden of colors!

Speaking of gardens, I am excited to get my flowerbeds all spiffed up and my garden ready to plant! My tulips are getting close to blooming! Hopefully within the next few days we will get some much needed rain! The forecast does call for showers this weekend.... Imagine that, pristine during the work week and rainy on the weekend.... whats new!!

As soon as my tulips bloom I will be trying to take some decent pics and get them posted!!

Onion Skin Easter Eggs Tutorial

This was taught to me by my mother, who learned it from my Grandmother! Its our Easter Tradition!

This is how we color our Easter eggs. Here is a quick totorial -sorry the pics aren't the greatest!!

First, you will need a bunch of dry onion skins. We use mostly yellow, but if you can get some red they make some awesome colored eggs! You can get them from the supermarket or save them throughout the year like we do! Put them in a large bowl and cover them completely with hot water. Let them sit for around 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly wet and pliable.

Next, grab a white egg straight out of the carton and cover the entire egg with pieces of onion skin so that no white spots are showing. This is a bit tricky - those little buggers can be slippery!

Now, grab your cotton string and begin wrapping around and around the egg. Make sure you leave a little tail at the beginning because you will need to tie that to the other end of string after you have wrapped all the way around.

Place all the wrapped eggs in a large pan.

Pour your onion skin water, with whatever onion skins are leftover, over your wrapped eggs.

Boil eggs for 20 minutes. This is important that you boil for 20 minutes. It makes the colors more vibrant!

After they have boiled for 20 minutes, cool them down in cold water. You can open them right away or you can do what we do and save them for Easter day and we all open a few. Its like unwrapping a gift because they are all different!

We usually place them back in the egg cartons and wrap in a plastic bag to keep moist. If they dry out too much the onion skins dry onto the egg and need to be soaked again.

Here is one I "opened". Pretty gorgeous huh!

Monday...some good, some bad...

Everyone wants the good news first right? Or is it the bad news first? Hrmm...... I will start with the bad and end on a good note!



My husband was informed when he arrived at work today that he will be getting laid off on April, 17th. Not a huge shocker since there have been layoffs recently at his work, but its still a solid kick in the shorts, thats for sure. Thankfully my wonderful husband is quite talented and can turn his hand at just about anything, except making jewelry of course...LOL, you should see him squint his eyes at the stuff I do and wonder how I can get my fingers and eyes to work on something sooooo tiny. Oops, got off to a small tangent there. Anyways, he is great and we are both hoping and praying that it will work out for the best! Ya gotta be optimistic in times like these!



Now for the good news! I received a lovely package in the mail today, well actually 3 packages! I felt like it was my birthday, I LOVE getting mail.. HAHA! One of the packages I was particularly excited to receive. It was my chain! LOL, probably doesn't sound that exciting, but since it was chain I needed to complete a custom order, it was way more exciting than normal!

So here it is! Yay! The finished product!

Kiss of an Angel ... Orchid Pink Chalcedony ... Dark Oxidized Sterling Silver

Love it!!! I think it looks great oxidized! Really makes the color POP!

Burned grass + Remington = Dirty puppy

I went to my brothers farm yesterday to help him burn off the tall grass. That's my dad there keepin' an eye ball on the fire closest to the barn.

Remi and my brothers his dog, Auzzie - an Australian Shepherd, had a blast running around. Sure pooped Rem out! His little Shih Tzu legs trying to keep up with Auz bounding around! He slept soooper good last night! haha. But this morning he got a good bathing! Here is a pic of him right out of the bath, LOL, he went straight for the "green thing" as we call it.

He's so cute I could just squeeze him!! Gently, of course Ü

Sterling Rings...

Success! Well, sort of....

Here they are all tumbled and polished - not perfect, but its a start!

I hammered a couple and I am sportin' 'em!

Ick, I hate up close pics of fingers! Especially my own!

So after I get my soldering down, I really want to make myself a spinner ring!

Happy Thursday

After what seemed like thee LONGEST day in the world, I am finally home! Only home for a coupla hours then off to our women's bowling league...hahah I know, sounds kinda dorky. But in all seriousness, I love it! We get to hang out at a bowling alley...consume a few cocktails...meet new people...its fun! Myself and the other girls on my team just go to have fun and get out of the house on a weeknight!


As for jewelry news: here is my newest. Just finished and could not wait to snap a few pictures! This is the single most expensive bead I have had the privilege of holding...wow! I will be listing on Etsy in a bit. OMG its just to die for! Now just to come up with the words to describe....hmmm....I can hear the little hamster in the wheel up there....

Spring...

I absolutely cannot wait for spring!! It's coming....slowly but surely. As I let Remi out this morning I noticed my tulips are starting to come up!! YAY, I will be snapping pics of them as soon as the shoot up and open! I have a picture I took last year of my tulips all open and gorgeous, with snow on the ground in April! Gotta take the good with the bad I guess!

I am still figuring out this whole blogging thing, so bear with me while I get a hang of this!

~Jen

Welcome to my new Blog!

For starters, my name is Jen. I am 27 years old and live with my husband, Adam, our dog, Remington, and our three cats: George, Bob and Bonzai, in lovely Minnesota. No children yet, our animals are our family! Ü

I create handmade jewelry under the name of Jennifer Lynn Jewelry. You can find my work for sale at jenniferlynnjewelry.etsy.com! I have been selling on Etsy for about 5 months now and I have to say its been pretty exciting! I also have a full-time job, so creating jewelry takes up the rest of my time. My housework suffers, but making jewelry is so much more fun than dusting!!! UGH!!

I am really looking forward to Spring! It is soooo exciting to see the last of the snow melting - now comes the mud! Already I have been wiping up little paw prints Rem has been tracking in after going outside!

Some new gemstone beads received last week.... check em out...