Golden Rutilated Quartz Earrings

Here are a few photos of the earrings I posted yesterday.  

The earrings are composed of faceted, golden rutilated quartz and labradorite rondelles- two stones that I am obsessed with at the moment.  They are suspended from hammered brass rings, a component that I've been incorporating into my most recent designs.  The red brass really helps to pull out the golden veins within the quartz that make them so, so appealing.  They turned out just lovely and I plan to make more in other stones and metals.  This pair was made for a friend's birthday, but I think they would make wonderful bridal or bridesmaid accessories.

As I mentioned yesterday, I wanted to wait until I edited the photos before I posted them to the blog.  I used a free trial version of Aperture 3 that I downloaded this morning, and was quite happy with the results.  I've been searching for a photo editing program for our new computer for quite sometime now, and I've been curious about Aperture.  I'd love to purchase Photoshop, but can't quite afford that right now.  So far, it seems that Aperture might do just what I need it to do. Have any of your had any experience with this program?  If so, I'd love to hear you thoughts and/or suggestions!

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A Productive Saturday

I'm delighted to write that after an incredibly hectic few months, filled with trips to Pittsburgh, Princeton and the Outer Banks, plus a bridal shower and a beautiful wedding, barbecues and weekend outings with friends, I finally found a day to do nothing but make jewelry and relax with Heidi.  It feels wonderful!

My most recent muses are these stones and brass beads that I picked up at the bead store last night.  I literally ran in for 15 minutes for a few headpins and I came out with the most beautiful strand of faceted (agate, I believe) stones.  I just could not resist their beauty and bought them right on the spot.  

I constructed these necklaces with the gorgeous stones that my sister gave me for Christmas.  They are simple, yet lovely, and are strung on a vintage brass chain.

And here is a photo of another pair of earrings I've been meaning to share with you.  Gold rutilated quartz briolettes are wrapped in gold-filled wire and suspended beneath a hammered brass ring and a cluster of labradorite stones.  I have better photos to share with you, but they need edited first.  For now, the good ol'iPhone photos will have to do.

No matter what you are doing this weekend, I hope you are all enjoying yourselves.  

Spicy Coleslaw with Cumin-Lime Dressing

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing weekend.  Dan and I certainly had an eventful one spent with great friends.  We hosted our second official barbecue of the season, an annual tradition that immediately follows the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship.  Every year, we get together with a few of our friends, pack up our bikes and head to Lemon Hill where we spread ourselves out on the grass and eat sandwiches, cheese, and drink wine while basking in the sun and watching an always exciting cycling race.  It's one of the best days of the year.

On Saturday we had some major prepping to do and procured an abundance of fruits and vegetables from the market in the morning.  There were so many, in fact, that I had to empty my bags outside, on the patio table, to sort through everything.  

On the menu: Bangkok BBQ Chicken, rustic Panzanella, spicy Coleslaw with Cumin-Lime Dressing, grilled corn, curried potatoes and Summer-Fruit Angel-food Cake with Mascarpone.  Everything was delicious.