Small, medium and large

This is seriously fun. These capped crystals and gemstones make a great focal piece.
I wonder if Ronnie's pendant will last longer than the 2 days she had her mood ring, or the 1 day she had her stamped heart bracelet I made her.

A few new designs

Tonight I added a couple new designs to the shop. Deep red garnet has always been my favorite gemstone, and now I am offering a genuine garnet and sterling chain!

And finally, I learned how to do this:


Customize your own in my shop!

Best in Show

I have to admit, I first saw this item on Regretsy (you know, where DIY meets WTF), but it is SO cool, I had to get one for myself. And I am pretty sure this little guy liked it!

Thanks so much to Jennifer at Goose on the Loose for making such an awesome product! I mean, who CAN'T use a chicken poncho!

Cadogan House Medal

I am so excited to have been asked by author Chloe Neill to help create this Cadogan House Medal!

This medal is part of the Chicagoland Vampire Series. I think I'll be picking up some new reading material!

Hello Kitty, BBQ Ducks, and Ninja Swords

Even the kids enjoyed the feast for the eyes in Chinatown.



Everyone got to pick out a treat in Chinatown (although Edwin didn't). Match the family member with the purchase (answers below):
1. a wooden ninja sword
2. a pretty china doll
3. Hello Panda cookies
4. a furry chick

1. Ben; 2. Ronnie; 3. Lila; 4. Lisa

I heart Valentine's Day!

New limited edition Key to My Heart Valentine's Day 2010 Under Her Charm necklace!

And, in case your wondering from yesterday, Lila's hair did not fall out, and my antagonist-agonist experiment went perfectly.

Rainbow over Albany

Funny how infrequently we actually see real rainbows. I probably haven't seen more than 10 or 15 in my life, but 2 of them have been since we moved here. Another iphone moment, a rainbow over Solano Avenue this morning.

Maybe it is good luck that my experiment will go well today. Or that Lila's pony tail (yes, pony tail) won't fall out in a clump of hair.

In case you missed it. . .

Born with a silver spoon

I am really excited to offer some new custom made keepsakes! This is a SOLID 925 sterling silver baby spoon that can be hand stamped with the baby's name, monogram, or birthdate.


How about a solid sterling silver hand stamped monogrammed thimble for the sewer, crafter or collector in your life!

Find them in my etsy shop.

On another note, I am proud to say that I joined the University gym and had my first work out since getting pregnant with Ronnie! All thanks to the person at that party last weekend who asked when my baby is due, to which I replied, "Last year. . ."

Sunset at Half Moon Bay

Devil's slide, giant waves, surfers, and a sunset. We took a drive to Half Moon Bay. The disclaimer: I forgot my camera at home and my phone in the car, so I was left with Edwin's (older) iphone for pictures. The result. . .

Guess whose little feet these are!

Be the change

Mahatma Gandhi said it best.

Only FIVE of these vintage style pendants will be made, so get it while you can! Find it in my etsy shop.

The Bright Side

I am so honored that The Bright Side Project included me in this feature!





They wrote such a nice bio and picked some of my favorite pieces! You can leave a comment on their post for your chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Under Her Charm! You need to answer the question: Which is your favorite, silver or gold?

I am tallying up the answers, and we'll see who wins, silver or gold, on January 20th! And also who wins the gift certificate. . .

Why I Love Houston, continued

Margaritas

and gumbo

. . . in the airport! Thanks Pappadeaux, that made the 4 hour flight back with just me and the kids a little smoother.

It's official!

Under Her Charm is official:

*Sometimes* I feel like such a responsible adult!

Now if only the USPS would deliver my packages. . .

Customer photo

Usually I never know what happens once jewelry leaves my hands. I loved getting this photo from a customer, who said her fiance bought her this ring as an engagement ring!

How did he know her size? Impressive!

The ring is stamped with one of my favorite phrases, "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li," meaning, "I am my beloved's and he is mine," Song of Solomon.

Why I Love Houston

Besides the amazing vastness of Houston, and getting to see all of the family, here are the places I have EATEN since I got here on Saturday:

Old Hickory Inn
Luby's Cafeteria
Goode Company Taqueria
India's
Sweet Tomato
La Madeliene

More to come. . .

Holiday orders

When places are starting to OPEN, you know you've been up too late.

Now I am at the mercy of the US postal service! Let's all cross our fingers. . .

Happy holidays and good night! Or should I say good morning?

Festival of Lights

This weekend was all Hanukah all the time.

We did candles

played dreidle

and opened lots of presents


Whew, 3 kids times 8 nights of Hanukah. That's a lot of wrapping!

Guess who

In the midst of holiday shopping for the family, I found these on etsy for myself - custom silhouette prints. Can you guess who's who?

I love them! They somehow capture each of their personalities. You can get your own made at Le Papier Studio.

The Gold Rush

Classic

Abstract

For the dogs

What ever your style, what could be a better investment during this wintry economic climate than pure, solid, 14k gold! Create your own in my etsy shop.

A clump of Ostrin

How cute are all the little Ostrins when they are clumped together?

Hmm, I wonder what they are looking at. . .

Mount Diablo

When we moved here, I had no idea that Tilden Regional Park is 10 minutes from our house, Sausalito and Marin County are 30 minutes away, and as I discovered today, Mount Diablo is a short 45 minute drive through the Berkeley Hills.


We had a snack break at "Rock City" about halfway down, where the kids loved climbing and exploring.


This is the beauty of living on the San Andreas Fault!

Happy Thanksgiving to Me!

And to you, too (but really to me). Instead of my making a dry turkey, canned cranberry sauce, and a jar of gravy, Edwin came home hours before I expected, and made the juiciest turkey, cranberry sauce from real cranberries, and gravy from actual turkey bits.

And this is what I saw when I woke up from my nap :)

How fun that Uncle Max and Cameron could join us. SO, in honor of Edwin's hard work, I made this while he was cleaning up :)

Customize your own for your special guy in my etsy shop.

Visionaries

We spent this weekend at a UC Berkeley Vision Science conference on Tomales Bay.

It was set at the Marconi conference center. I think my talk was a success, if you are interested in the autonomic innervation to the anterior segment and its relationship to accommodation and emmetropization.

And we squeezed in a trip to the Pointt Reyes Lighthouse, the windiest point on the Pacific coast.

But that wasn't too off topic, since this lighthouse uses a first order Fresnel lens, which intensifies the light by refracting and magnifying the source light through crystal prisms into concentrated beams.

And thank you Edwin for occupying the little people while I was doing science, and not letting them blow off the cliff.

Not your typical Under Her Charm

I can't believe I am messing around with new pieces, when I haven't even put together my talk for SUNDAY, but I think I made my new favorite necklace.

You can find it in my etsy shop for a limited time.

My day job

Not a bad view.