Gilt Menagerie

Here are some of my Mexican jewelry purchases!

This ring was my birthday present. I bought it in the Cuernavaca artisan street market. It’s really cool because it looks like it has both Native American and Aztec influences. It’s made of silver and turquoise.

This was my 2 year wedding anniversary present! The guy that made this ring was really nice.  He was a musician/street artisan that had stopped by Zipolite for a few days to sell his jewelry, which is where I bought this. He makes these rings from pure silver coins that he buys from the bank. All of his designs are very free form and organic, with lots of beautiful gemstones. My ring has a peridot in the center.

This is a pouch necklace made of tiny seed beads. I saw these for sale all across Mexico, but I bought this one in a market in Puebla. I feel very Pocahontas-y when I’m wearing it.

There are a LOT of fossils in Mexico, what with all of the volcanic action there and people looking for anything they can sell that comes from the earth! This ammonite necklace was bought from a guy that made his own jewelry in Oaxaca city, Oaxaca.

This is a little bell and turquoise anklet that I bought in San Cristobal de las Casas on our last day in Mexico. The little brass bells make a beautiful sound.

This is a necklace made from pearls and black coral, with little garnets at the clasp. I bought it in Puerto Escondido from a guy that gave me some free opals and a pice of this black coral! I’ll make something cool with it soon.

And this is what my wrist looks like right now! The leather strap bracelet has diamonds of what we think is iguana skin (those little guys are everywhere in Mexico!). The red coral beads were bought from a lady on the beach in Veracruz.

No Comments | In: Pretties | tags: jewelry, mexico. | #

You can grow poppies in January?

If you live in Texas, anyways. Click on the pictures for glorious closeups of bees!

Taken at the Fort Worth Botanical Garden by moi.

Comments Off | In: Pretties | tags: flowers, poppies, pretty, texas, winter. | #

While I was busy baking some fabulous holiday cupcakes, Nathan was exhibiting some mad present wrapping skillz. And I took a few moments from my place as a woman in the kitchen and got a few kisses from Sophie.

Comments Off | In: Pretties | tags: Crafty, Holidays, presents, Sophie. | #

I am addicted to fonts. It’s art! But instant! Every time I design something new, I have to go look for a new font (or 10), because YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT COULD BE OUT THERE. It could be better than anything heretofore seen. Yeah, I need to get out of this industry.

I haven’t even gotten into the harder stuff, like font brushes. I think I’m afraid I will like it too much, and will spend all day designing headers and pages and business cards and other gewgaws that never see the light of day.

I wanted to share this website: dafont.com

Here is a sampling of the gorgeousness I found there:

Also: new header in the works!! And it’s going to be clickable!! I am learning CSS like mad because I have an intense urge to customise EVERYTHING. I am having to work on it at night, because the cracked photoshop on my work computer shuts down every time I try to add a second layer of anything.  Mucho annoying.

No Comments | In: Crafty, Pretties | tags: art, Fonts, websites. | #

So, we’re quitting our jobs in a month, and 99% of me doesn’t want to spend extra money on presents, but that last 1% of me is controlling my fingers at the moment as I make this little fantasy wishlist.  And to prove it’s fantasy, no links!

Antique or vintage heart locket, something like this:

Black wool cape, something like this:

Black lace tights, something like this:

Enormous vintage costume rings and necklace:

God I love that jewelry.

Needs no caption.

And lastly:

I know that in about a month, this wish will come true, and that makes me (really, 100%) ok without any of those other things!

No Comments | In: Pretties | tags: christmas, fantasy, vacation, wishlist. | #

NASA’s Visible Earth website is super super cool. They have satellite images from all over the world.

Here are a few different continents lit up at night.

United States

Europe

Pan-o-rama!

No Comments | In: Pretties | tags: lights, NASA, satellites, world. | #

via b tal

via kounelli

via viamoi

No Comments | In: Pretties | tags: flickr, inspiration, pictures, pretty. | #

I want this. So bad.

I went to the Thrift Town on Jacksboro Hwy, and they had one that was a gorgeous shade of lavender. Pre-lit, too. They wanted $60.00 for it, which I thought was ridiculous, until I saw how much they could be new…oh well, we don’t have room for one anyway.

Next year!

No Comments | In: Pretties | tags: christmas, purple, tree. | #