Tess Comes to Stay!

The older I get the more I have come to realize just how fragile life can be. We flippantly quip that “life changes on a dime” – in reality, it’s quite true. Last week, our family grew by one. Bea and I opened our home and our hearts to Tess, a friend’s 12-year old Brittany Spaniel. Sadly, just three weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Velma, Tess’s forever mom, left this place. Beatrix and I had made a promise to Velma that Tess would join our family when life changed as we knew it would. Promises made and promises kept.

One Bracelet – Five Looks!

Crystal quartz or are those big melting ice cubes dancing around your wrist? Bold crystal quartz gemstones, freshwater pearls and Florentine-finished gold vermeil…lovely to look at and oh so much fun to wear. Of course, when you are channeling a bit of the Grace Kelly character in “Rear Window" you can wear the three-strand bracelet on its own – but look through your existing collection and start counting the ways you can mix it up for really unusual looks. Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices in gear.

Touching the Lives of Others: In for a Little or a Lot

As odd as it seems – I am totally hooked on YouTube. I know, late to the party as usual, but several years ago, thanks to Laura Geller, a makeup artist in my old NYC neighborhood, I discovered my first beauty YouTuber. A sprite of a young woman, Miss Glamorazzi, who totally charmed me into searching out others like her on YouTube! From there it just snowballed -- beauty, fashion, lifestyle, music. I won’t tell you how many YouTubers I am subscribed to at the moment – somehow, I think it might be more than any other 65-year old woman on the planet. (The good news is there is not one “cat” subscription in the list! Not that I'm judging.) Coming from the world of marketing and advertising, I am pretty sure that YouTube statisticians are scratching their heads – it's highly likely that I am the one viewer that messes with their demographic profile! 

Inspiration: Craftsmanship, Heritage & Detail

I drive past this house a couple times a week while doing errands. Today I decided to stop for a few minutes, take a few snaps with the iPhone to share with you, and then go about my business. What I didn’t plan on was my getting lost in the glorious details in every square inch of this Queen Anne Victorian home. 

Nothing to Do With Jewelry -- Yet Everything to Do with Jewelry

I know you are thinking that this post has nothing to do with the making and marketing of jewelry; but in reality it has everything to do with it. Why? It’s true -- passion is the driver of every single moment I spend building and growing the jewelry business. Stumbling upon this GoPro video on YouTube yesterday was pure kismet. I was having one of those days where you just question everything you have done and the ways of life, in general. Everyone has those now and then, right? On top of it all, my fibromyalgia had decided to rear its ugly head so, I’ll admit it, I was having a bit of a pity party. However, in the middle of it all, YouTube and GoPro lead me to this short but powerful video. (If from your iPhone or iPad you can't see the video -- here is the direct link to YouTube. Hope you come back here and finish the read!)