Your Aura is Blue
Spiritual and calm, you tend to live a quiet but enriching life. You are very giving of yourself. And it's hard for you to let go of relationships. The purpose of your life: showing love to other people Famous blues include: Angelina Jolie, the Dali Lama, Oprah Careers for you to try: Psychic, Peace Corps Volunteer, Counselor

About Me

My photo
This blog started out as a way for me to display and sell my handmade jewelry creations. I have set up shop on Etsy.com, where my shop name is "Dreamin of Beadin". The link to my Etsy store is located on the right hand side of this page. Please check me out!! If jewelry's not your thing, then check out the site anyway ~ there are plenty of talented artists selling lots of cool things there. For your reading pleasure, this blog will serve as a sneak peek into what's going on "behind the scenes" in my world. I love to cook, so there will be plenty of recipes, as well as product reviews and the occasional product giveaway (woo hoo!) I also love to take pictures of anything and everything, and I just bought a new camera, so there will be plenty of photos. And I like wine too, so things could get pretty interesting . . . Thank you for your support of me, Etsy and "all things handmade" :)

11.29.2010

Have Hope

A simple, yet powerful statement, don't you think? I was compelled to create this piece after watching a TV special about local charities and how the demand is so great for their services, especially now. With that said, I will be donating all proceeds from the sale of this necklace to Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. I love this organization because they do wonderful things and your money goes far when you donate to them. For example, $20 buys 60 meals! My goal is to provide 450 meals ~ think I can do it? During these times, if nothing else, we must have hope :)

11.20.2010

Introducing . . . Back Door Deals!!

I'm pleased to announce that I have opened a second shop on Etsy! This is a labor of love that was first conceived one year ago, but it has taken me until now to put into place. I hope that you will check it out ~ I haven't listed everything, so there will surely be some new treasures popping up in the days and weeks to come. You never know what you will find, and that is half the fun :) The name of my shop is Back Door Deals ~ I named it this after a joke between my husband and I. There is a particular beverage shop that we go to, and whenever we do, the owners always give us a great deal, but they tell us to go out the back door, so the other customers don't see us.
This all stems from my love of "treasure hunting". I have acquired more than I could ever use in a lifetime, or have room for in my home. It always amazes me how people discard things simply because they seem old or outdated. Sure, we all love to get new things, but when something still serves a purpose, why get rid of it? To me, items from the mid 20th century and before are so much more lovely than what is being made today. Check out my shop, and see if you agree!

11.14.2010

Shop Update ~ Survivor Jewelry is on the way!

A few weeks ago I shared a sneak preview of my new stamped metal designs. I had the best of intentions to photograph and list them to my shop today, but Mother Nature had other plans. It was such a dreary day that I barely had enough time to snap this picture while daylight was sufficient. Ugh . . . this is not my favorite time of year! So, I decided to spend the day creating a few more new pieces, and I will try again next weekend to get them all photographed and listed, just in time for the holidays. I also spent some time working on yet another surprise that I will be sharing very soon . . . yay for surprises!! Be sure to check back for the good news :)

11.13.2010

Have you Tcho'd Lately??

I wanted to share this recent discovery because I know there are a *few* other chocolate fans out there besides yours truly. Last month, we took a lil' trip to the beautiful city of San Francisco (more on that later). While walking to the infamous Fisherman's Wharf, we passed this site: Chocolate Tasting Room and Tour?!? Helloooooooo!!! I am there. To our pleasant surprise, we discovered this wonderful chocolate company known as TCHO (pronounced "Cho"). The building you see pictured above is their headquarters where they make their delicious dark chocolate bars and other delicacies onsite. They weren't giving tours on the day of our visit, but they were handing out free samples ~ Good enough for me!
TCHO is relatively new to the scene, but they are quickly making a name for themselves. This would seem like quite a challenge in a place like San Francisco, where more established chocolatiers have cornered the market. TCHO specializes in dark chocolate, which I happen to looooovve. Their different varieties range from "Nutty" and "Fruity" to "Citrus" and "Floral". Much like how the flavor of wine is dictated by the grape varietal, the hints of nut, fruit, citrus and floral come from the type of cacao bean that is used. No extra flavors are added!
This is chocolate to savor. The drinking chocolate you see pictured above is decadent without being overly rich. Needless to say, we didn't leave the store empty handed. Although I am trying to make our chocolate stash last, I know it will eventually run out. It's a good thing I can buy more TCHO here :)

11.10.2010

Here's the Dish: Apple and Aged Cheddar Grilled Cheese

I'm back with a simple yet delectable recipe that screams "FALL". It combines three of my most favorite things in the food world ~ glorious cheese, apples and BREAD. If you have never fathomed this threesome together, then you don't know what you are missing, my friend. Last weekend we visited an apple orchard. They still had plenty of those forbidden fruits to spare. I stocked up on many different varieties, including McIntosh, Jonagold, Honey Crisp and Granny Smith. As soon as we got home, I whipped up these sandwiches for lunch. It was a fabulous day!
Apple and Aged Cheddar Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter
Any type of thick, rustic, homemade bread
1 oz. thinly sliced extra-sharp aged Cheddar cheese
Sliced tart apple, such as Granny Smith
Directions:
Hopefully you've made a grilled cheese before. But if not, you can go here for the directions.