Ashyr's First Painting

Not so Valentine's....

I am not a huge fan of Valentine's Day for some reason, I think that I find it to be a little annoying. Sorry for the lack of festivity! So instead of love letters and flowers and hearts and cupids.... I will give you this....

Oh the pictures I will take

So, I was sitting here working on my Google Reader obsession, when I was introduced to these ridiculously amazing earrings on A CUP OF JO!THANK YOU! Only to quickly realize that they were a giveaway! THANK YOU AGAIN! I proceeded to stare at them for about 15minutes praying that they would be mine.....and wondering what the hubs was going to say when I showed them to him. I've am hoping it's going to go something like this:

ME: Doodie (that's what we call each other....don't ask!), come look at these awesome earrings!
THE HUBS: Those are awesome, AND I can make those!

Please! Please! Please be how it goes! The Hubs has surprised me a bit lately with the camera, and then there was the hand stamping tools. The Hubs is very handy and crafty and artistic. He's also been known to make jewelry in the past.....so maybe, just maybe!

After that whole scenario played through my head, and I prayed to the random comment picker Gods, I found myself on this website. I've died and gone to heaven! This is what jewelry heaven looks like! Leah Sakellarides, who are you and how did you get in my head? I am going to be obsessing over this for a long time! Not only the amazing jewelry but also the amazing photography! These are the pictures I want to learn to take! STUNNING! Excuse me for cutting this off but I have to go obsess some more!

A Whole Month Of Celebration

So every year as January wraps up and February begins I tell myself that I am not going to make a big deal out of my birthday.... I think the last time that I had a "party" was when I was 16. I don't usually ask my hubs for any kind of gifts and usually tell anyone who wants to get me gifts to get gift cards or cash. And then I end up buying things that I "need" or paying bills. This year I decided that i deserve a celebration! I still don't know about a party.....but I have gotten some of the best gifts and it's not even my birthday yet!


Hubs got me this beautiful necklace that I have had my eye on for a while. It is handmade Irish Porcelain from the Hillgrove House in Co. Kerry. It is even more beautiful in person.


Then there is this little goodie! I have recently decided that I was going to start collecting 19Th century Amethyst glass bottles....and this is my first! This bottle dates somewhere around the 1850's. I never thought collecting something would bring so much passion... but I can't stop researching and learning about these amazing artifacts!


The hubs gave me this awesome camera too! This has actually been sitting in the top of our closet forever... I have just never opened the camera bag to see what was inside! I have recently gotten into taking pictures with my good friend Jessica of Birdlime Photography. She's teaching me the in's and out's of what all the crazy buttons and numbers mean....and she's an awesome teacher! So after a fantastic trip to the Thai Temple of Tampa, (I'll post pictures of that trip soon!) the hubs said that this camera was officially mine! IT IS AWESOME! Now I just need to learn how to use it and all of the lens' that he has with it!
I wonder what else awaits me in this awesome month of celebration!

Man I just realized how long it's been since I posted anything. I guess it has something to do with the old adage "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all". I promise there are good things to come!


So I guess I will just leave you with this adorable breakfast nook....LOVE IT!

Last Nights Dinner...

...Was like WHOA!!!!

I love that I amaze myself on a regular basis in the kitchen! When hubs and I first met, I could not cook! Like burnt toast couldn't cook! But over the years I have learned a few things and taken some risks. I have really embraced the art of cooking with whole ingredients and we eat a lot of protein and veggies. Well last night I tried to mix it up a little...


Hubs doesn't eat any cheese that isn't yellow, so I topped his chicken and mushrooms with cheddar, and mine with feta.

Delicious!

Since my facination with all things handmade has become more of a way of life, I have been obssesed with hand stamped jewelery. "Item #1 on my 2010 Wish List" is an adorable name tag pendant.


I showed this necklace to my hubs last night telling him how much I loved this necklace hoping that if I dropped enought hints then maybe, just maybe I could have a necklace like this....
WELL, get this! Turns out my father-in-law has a set of stamps collecting dust in his workshop, and my hubs knows exactly how to make these lovely little pendants! I feel like he's been holding out on me! And evidently this set is not just letters...it's letters, numbers, and symbols in all different sizes. Hubs thinks there are probably over 100 stamps.....um excuse me?!?!?!? Why am I just finding out about this!