What I'm Loving Right Now

Lace. Soft knit or crocheted lace, or metal filigree lace. Cobweb light shawls or chunky filigree metal rings topped with old watch parts a la Steampunk (more about that in a minute).

Bamboo, cotton or linen yarns. Bamboo is so soft, cool and drapey, cotton so smooth and classic, linen so crisp and fresh.

Mixed metals. Silver, gold, copper, brass. Shiny or antiqued. Mix up several in one jewelry piece.

Vintage Cabochons and Cameos. Cabochons (flat-backed gems or stones) in glass or lucite, with fancy settings.

Anthing Floral. Especially flower-shaped beads and anything earth-inspired like butterflies, and leaves - even fish.

Brass. In particular raw, or oxidized brass.

Colors: coral pink/orange. periwinkle blue and robin's egg blue. seafoam green. sunshine yellow. lipstick red. classic black and white.

Stempunk inspired jewelry: Fantasy machinery in the steam era. Modern with an old touch. Think Jules Verne.

I've spent the afternoon shopping for lots of vintage jewelry supplies, and brass. They should be trickling into the shop little by little in the near future. I can't wait for the boxes to start arriving!

Spring!

I just love this weather! Not too hot, nice breeze; all around lovely. I also love to hang out the laundry. I used to hear a lot of 'why bother, just use the dryer', but now I'm politically correct. I truly believe that hanging out the laundry is good for the soul.

In my hurry-up life, it's a chance to be outside, just being in the moment, nothing to think about but smooth, pin, next... It is good to do something so simple and basic every once in a while. And the reward is wonderful - fresh-air dried laundry - you can't get that from the dryer!

Plus, this time of the year the sweet smell of lilacs drifts by every so often. Lilacs have the best perfume! I am a creative person, but I am defeated by flower arranging. But lilac-time inspires me to put fresh flowers on the table. Not a great job, but the flowers themselves are gorgeous, and the scent in the house is heavenly!

My middle-aged cat Frankie seems to think she is a kitten again; don't let this lovely pose fool you - she spent the morning

rolling around in the lawn - check out the grass on her!