Before...part 1

Before the storm that is....we took a day's jaunt along the peak to peak highway.

To catch sight of these beauties.

I am incredibly drawn to dilapidated, old remains of buildings.
The rocky mountains are full of them....long forgotten ruins of old homesteads or corrals from the pioneer days.
My eye is always drawn to this sight. I'm not sure why....I've always been entranced by them.
There are also a great many scattered in New Mexico.

And then we hit Estes Park for a sweet surprise...
I'll share some photos of that later this weekend.

Tomorrow is all about pumpkin carving!
See you soon....

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tradition

I took these photos a week or two ago when the fall colors erupted into shades of bright reds and yellows. 

This is a welcome change from last year when we had a snowstorm move in at the first of October. It stunted the fall season, ushering in winter far too early for my taste. This year however, I am enjoying a true fall season with warm, color-filled days, and cold, brisk nights.

This year, I also had my parents bring me a pair of ristras to hang on my front porch. Back in Albuquerque we always had ristras hanging at the front of our home. It's tradition and a welcome reminder of the commencement of fall. As soon as you smell the green chile wafting in the air from the multitude of roasters (and when I say multitude, I mean multitude! There are literally hundreds of them throughout the city) you know it's September.

My parents generally buy a couple of sacks (garbage bag size) of freshly roasted green chile in the fall and then we peel and package it into quart sized baggies for the freezer. This amount will be enough for all of our families; the Melnikovs, my parents and my sister's family, for the year. You have to understand: chile is at the core of New Mexican food. We are practically weaned on it!

I hadn't had ristras since we left NM over two years ago.....it's a good reminder of home. I love looking out my front windows and seeing them there. Tradition is important. No matter where we end up in the world I hope to have some ristras with me :)

Time for breakfast, then work. I am a bit slow moving this morning....must've been the weekend festivities ;)



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THE season

I freaking love fall.

I really, really do.

I love the clothes: the sweaters, boots, cords, scarves.....it's all so cozy.

I drink tons of teas throughout the year (and some coffee....still have to limit the stuff), but I definitely bump it up even more around now.

Pumpkin patch season.....

Look at that scary looking thing in the background!

The boys were so excited to pick a pumpkin each to put on our porch.

And they lasted a whole 4 days until:

We have a rather large squirrel and rabbit population that lives around our house.

I tried spraying them with hairspray, which I heard keeps the critters at bay, but that did NOTHING to keep the sneaky little things from burrowing in and completely devouring the inside. Last year the little thieves even took off with one of my mini pumpkins! Just completely swiped it.

So I need to head into my studio now to finish up some orders. I recently purchased some GORGEOUS stones and I can't wait to get those puppies set. I will have a shop update next week instead so that I can have extra time to add this new work in.

Have a great day :)

I'm off.........

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I finished....

...this week's batch of baubles! I'll show them to you tomorrow. I prefer to take the pictures in natural light....otherwise the color looks really washed out.

So I bought a couple of pumpkins to put up on my front porch from a local farmer's market. They are replacing the little pumpkin my parents brought me from their garden because a little thief squirrel took off with it. He is already chomping on my new ones :( Let's see how long these last...

Aren't these bright red leaves beautiful? They have fallen from my neighbor's tree...I'm not used to seeing red leaves in the fall. We usually just get the bright yellow kind in New Mexico.

Like this.

I love fall :)

Okay, time to go watch our movie....we're going to see A Mighty Heart tonight. I think we are due for some comedies now. The last three have been serious and dramatic.

I'll be back tomorrow with new jewelry!

Fall and Fog

It was a very foggy morning...

As I was taking my wee one to school this morning I snapped a few photos of this dark and dream-like morning...

And then the light began to shine through and...

I found this beautiful country road. I would love to live down a road like this.

I have a split personality when it comes to living though.....I would love to live in the heart of a bustling city like Copenhagen, Barcelona, New York, etc., where I wouldn't need a car, just a bike. Where I could walk a few hundred yards to my favorite cafe, florist, bookstore, restaurant and pub. Yet....I also love, with just as much enthusiasm, a quiet cabin in the woods or in a small town where life is about the natural environment.

Okay...........I've decided. I want both!! ;) a girl can dream!

Later, I took a walk with my youngest to our park and we noticed that since our little snow weekend many of the leaves had left their roost and were now scattered along the ground. We crunched around and shuffled a bit in them.....nothing like walking with a child to make you stop. And look.....

It was a nice day :)

goodnight!

Lost, but found :)

Where in the world have I been....you ask?
Well, let me give you a rundown:

1. I was a single parent last week. My husband was out of town on business and returned late on Friday night. Sometimes I need to be reminded just how wonderful my husband really is.....and not having him around was that big reminder!! So basically work was out of the question.
2. We had a neighborhood party on Saturday (lots o'fun I tell you!)...that followed our son's preschool pizza party...that followed his first soccer game. So Saturday was just nuts. In a good way ;)
3. We spent half the day cleaning our house on Sunday because it looked like something blew up here. I think that is a sign that fun was had by ALL.
4. My husband and youngest monkey got sick Sunday night....
5. ...which leads us to today where my husband is now recovering, but my little one is still feverish and unhappy :(

So today I had a limited time to post new items in my shop, but here they are:

I have been wearing my dandelion earrings constantly since I made them!

Have I mentioned that I am loving the change of seasons? Here are a couple of pictures from around my house.

My flowers out front have yet to be told that summer is over....they are still clinging to their bright red glory :)

Okay I'm off to reheat some soup!

Morning....shmorning :)

My husband was not feeling so great this morning so I took over with the boys....thus, listings started in the early afternoon.

Here are images of a few of the listings:

I made that ring for myself ;)

I think I am going to swipe those Aspen Leaf earrings for myself as well...we'll see!

By the way, the seasons are changing.....I can feel it. And what better way to prepare for it than to start lusting for a new wardrobe!

My Athleta catalogue came in yesterday. I love these clothes. They are yoga inspired so it's all about movement and comfort, but the cut is also incredibly flattering.

I would like one of each...!

I am also on the hunt for some boots for fall.

I love fall and winter clothing. These pieces would be perfect for the changing of seasons. It doesn't hurt that I can also imagine myself on that Greek island wearing these beauties :)

Until tomorrow...