Thursday, March 23, 2006

It's Official -- I'm Going Nuts!

OK -- so whoever designed the "do-it-yourself site wizard" had no idea that someone like me would actually try to build their own site. While I am sure the concept of a do-it-yourself site is sound, in all actuality it's maybe not such a good idea. I'm going bonkers here. While I think it is coming together and I am learning a lot, I still have way too much to learn and so much more to do. Over the years I have had so much respect for those creative techno wizards who could create web pages and sites as easily as I color a page from a child's coloring book -- now, my level of respect grows exponential as each day draws to a close and I have only moved an inch or two closer to the finish line. All I can say to those tech friends of mine is "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy. You guys rock."

Anyhow, before I go back into that very bad place, I thought I would cheer myself up by looking at a piece of jewelry that I love. Doing so usually boosts my moral -- just holding it and fiddling with the beads takes me to a happy place. So, I wanted to share that with you.

And, here is a close up so you can really see the beauty in these mother of pearl and fire polish glass beads. All I can say is come on summer. Listen to me -- summer never was my favorite time of year; but, since moving to Oregon, I now long for it since it seems to be the only time of year when I see blue sky, feel sunshine on my face, and don't have to run from the rain. Something about the combo of these beads makes me think of warmer weather, ocean breezes and beautiful sunsets. Sigh.

Monday, March 20, 2006

We, My Friends, Have a Winner!

Eureka!

Time for some shameless self-promotion. A bracelet I entered in an international jewelry design contest won second place in its category! Yahoo! Yippee! So cheers to you all for lending your support and encouraging me over the years in this jewelry making biz. This pix provides a close up view of the beads I used in the winning “charm” style bracelet. I have long been a fan of laminated acrylic, resin and Lucite beads -- you can read more about that at my evolving website http://www.tanyalochridge.com. The bracelet also includes Czech pressed glass, crystals and sterling silver. It is really fun to wear. Big and bold and a bit flirty.

The contest was sponsored by Fire Mountain Gems, one of the largest suppliers of jewelry making supplies in the world. The bracelet will be featured in their catalogs and website and in various print ads. So, gosh darn it, that’s pretty exciting stuff. This particular bracelet is not for sale (boo-hoo), but there are cousins of it in the works. If you haven’t already done so, you can subscribe to my e-mail list http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101196181362 so you’ll be the first to see and buy new designs hot off the work table.

I just can’t get enough of the black and white combo – gee, now I’m wanting a big ol’ black and white cookie. Sadly, I’ve only found them in NYC. Hey, maybe an Oreo or two would satisfy my craving – although that might be dark chocolate and white. Oh, I’ll just pretend they're black and white. Perhaps you should get some and celebrate, too!