ZebraLilly

My Girl

2009-05-22T17:52:00.001-07:00

Lily and I got to spend the day at the zoo together. We had a blast and got to spend some quality time together. I wish she could stay this young forever : )

Playful otters:

The amazing new penguin exhibit (highly recommended if you're in the Seattle area!):

The weather has been so warm and beautiful here, I wish every day were like this!

Mt. St. Helens

2009-05-18T12:11:00.001-07:00

Today is the 29th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. I had the opportunity to visit the area this weekend. A fresh snowfall occurred earlier in the week but this weekend gave us wonderful temperatures in the high 80s.

Its a pretty cool mountain which has had a flat top since its eruption.

Here is nearby Mt. Adams:

And a view from within Gifford Pinchot National Forest:

And a pretty little Fairy Slipper Orchid:

And a HUGE Ponderosa Pine tree, one of the largest in the world:

Strange Fruit

2009-04-29T08:44:00.001-07:00

What on earth is this?

A Kiwano fruit! These babies can cost you $6 at the grocery store. So if you ever wondered what they look like on the inside, here you go. I didn't care for it too much, but that's just me. They're in the cucumber and melon family (often called horned melons) and have a watery, slimy cucumber consistency. I never found out if you could salt/sugar it or do anything other than suck the juices out so I could have eaten wrong, but I'm glad I tried it : )

Far Away

2009-04-22T11:11:00.001-07:00

So I live in Seattle. We're surrounded on both sides by mountains: the Cascades are to the East, and the Olympics are to the west, across the Puget Sound and on the Peninsula. I just wanted to share some of the pictures of the lovely Olympic Rainforest I visited over 3 days. Enjoy : )

So this rainforest is pretty cool : ) From Seattle it takes a ferry ride and 3 hours driving to get there. Its one of the very few temperate rainforests in the world. It can rain as much as 180 inches per year here! Much of the forest within Olympic National Park is old growth, meaning it has never been logged before. Many of the trees here are of vast proportions with incredibly large trunks. Not as large as Sequoia trees, of course, but still pretty cool. Its a very beautiful and quiet place to visit. Wildlife seems scarce, but its there. They see you but you don't see them : )

New Treasury

2009-04-20T12:11:00.001-07:00

I was gone all weekend on a field trip to the Olympic Peninsula and I arrived home to find a nice surprise:

My Island Breeze necklace is featured in the second row. Everyone featured is part of Team EFA (Etsy for Animals). Thanks Stephanie!

Craving Summer

2009-04-10T17:08:00.001-07:00

We had some fantastic weather last week...Low-to-mid 70s. It was such a joy, everyone came out of hibernation emerging in flip-flops, shorts, and tank tops.

It only lasted 3 days.

Now its back to normal drab Seattle weather.

I was not born for this climate. This is where I belong:

That's right...that's a hammock...I should just sell everything I have and just go...*sigh*

At least the temperature is warming up, it hovers around the 50s these days.

To cope with this seasonal depression I go through, I crave citrus fruits that remind me of sunshine and warm weather. I even made lemon bars with grapefruit juice and they were splendid! I wish I took a picture that way you guys could see, but that just might make you jealous :)

Clusters

2009-04-06T23:31:00.001-07:00

I made these cuties last week and never had the chance to share them with you all until today.

This is my new line of cluster earrings, available in many flavors!

Each earring is a handforged, hammered, and polished stick of sterling silver, wrapped tightly with clusters of semiprecious stones. The carnelian earrings look like citrus to me!

Listed in my shop are Ice, Minneola, Lemon Meringue, and Shamrock.

Enjoy!

Front Page...yay!

2009-03-29T21:49:00.001-07:00

Made it to the front page again today. I was so pleasantly surprised because I actually saw it myself rather than later finding out that I made it. So happy... :)

People seem to like my Sangria Earrings

EtsyLove

2009-03-27T17:31:00.001-07:00

Just found this WAY COOL ring! Rachael Sudlow is so talented!

This is such a creative ring, made with a real dime and sterling silver band.

Go check it out!

Babysitting

2009-03-26T20:51:00.001-07:00

Let me introduce you to Lily. This is my little sister. Really, she is! We have the same mom :) I was 20 when she was born, so I feel extra protective over her, like she were my own daughter.

She is the cutest almost-2-year-old you will meet. So far she can say purple, doggy, woof-woof, fish, pocket, and plenty of other random words. She's growing up bilingual so she also says "agua" when she's thirsty and "mamo" when she's trying to say "te amo" or I love you.

What a cutie.... :)

Oh Seattle...

2009-03-25T13:28:00.001-07:00

Why must you rain so much...I'm tired of this...let spring come!

Back...and ready for action!

2009-03-24T20:28:00.001-07:00

Okay so I've been gone for quite a while now. Physically here but with a lack of an Internet connection for almost a week.

Life without Internet sucks, to say the very least. I felt like I was living back in the old days when there was no electricity.

But....I did manage to make some new jewelry!

I recently attended the gem show that visits Seattle every three months and bought lots of blue chalcedony, as you can see :)

ooh...and I worked on some new gift wrap!

I'm officially on Spring Break, but have no time (nor money) to go anywhere :(

Managed to read a little bit...

And loung at home with the perros

Made the front page for the first time today!

2009-03-15T20:38:00.001-07:00

Hooray! The treasury I was in (2 posts below this one) made it to the front page today! I saw the front page but didn't even notice my earrings in it until later I noticed 800 and something views and I was like, WOAH! I'm so happy... :)

38 new hearts!!!

Robin's Egg Blue

2009-03-15T14:17:00.001-07:00

I see it everywhere nowadays. And it's beautiful :)

Click on each photo to visit these wonderful Etsy shops!

I'm in a Treasury!

2009-03-13T20:29:00.001-07:00

Thank you to WonderandWhimsy for featuring my sangria earrings in her lovely treasury!

What A Pleasant Surprise!

2009-03-08T15:05:00.001-07:00

Hey that's me! On 1000 Markets they were promoting "Handcrafted in Seattle" and I clicked the link and what do you know, I was featured! It just sends visitors to my shop but any exposure is good! How exciting!

I don't know if you can see this in the image above, but minimized is my Senior Thesis Proposal, due, like, this week! Ahhh, so much work to do!

This made my day :) Back to homework now :(

These are getting popular!

2009-03-07T23:31:00.001-08:00

I've sold 2 of these in the past 3 days. Kind of surprised me, but these babies should be selling like hotcakes anyway. Only $12!

So What Have I Been Up To Lately?

2009-02-28T19:27:00.001-08:00

I have been sooo busy, it's crazy. Most of it is school. Its my senior year here at the UW so that means senior projects. Sadly, school has to come first (that's not the sad part!) so I have had to put jewelry making on the back burner until I get more of my school work accomplished. I have about 2 weeks (until spring break) to get so much done and I'm so not ready! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! When will it stop?!......*June*.......

I managed to make these cool earrings this past week:

I have fallen in LOVE with these GORGEOUS earrings. You really have to see them in person to understand their beauty. Lucky for me I bought a long strand of these Golden Rutilated Quartz briolettes, so I can make a pair for myself. These beauties has wonderful golden inclusions like golden splinters fixed in every direction.

As for this second pair of earrings, I think they are just amazing. I love the look of fancy cut nuggets. Very organic and still have that "I've just been dug up" look, although in reality they look so much different coming out of the mines :) They're very bohemian chic, finished with 2 sterling leaves.

Okay well I hope you enjoyed my new earrings, I love them!

Okay back to homework now...

New Gift Wrap

2009-02-23T18:23:00.001-08:00

I know, it's a little flashy but I think its fabulous!

I have gold jewelry boxes in 3 sizes for earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. I bought this gorgeous teal fabric that I wish I knew the name of and I hand-cut ribbons to tie each one with a pretty bow and voila!

Gift wrap will be available with any purchase from my shop.

Back in the Day

2009-02-21T18:52:00.001-08:00

I used to believe in unicorns. I really did. I thought they were hiding in magical forests somewhere, revealing themselves, in all their fabulous splendor, to only special individuals. All of my drawings from elementary school are of unicorns and the occasional Pegasus.

Maybe they're still out there, waiting for me to find them :)

India

2009-02-20T18:01:00.001-08:00

Today I decided that I would like to spend some traveling for a few months, perhaps after I graduate. I've narrowed it down to either Borneo or India, probably India since I hear they are vegetarian-friendly :) I don't have a ton of knowledge on these countries so it could always change, but I've been contemplating this for a while now.

I just really need some change in my life. The past few months have been really blah for me and I decided today that I can't let this continue to happen. I'm young and want to be ambitious so this is my chance!

Has anyone been to India before? What was your experience like???

Good peridot is so hard to find

2009-02-07T21:09:00.001-08:00

I found some today...but I can't afford it. No, it is not overpriced, I think the price she is asking is fair ($90) considering these are large and super clear stones. Most stones I come across have many many inclusions and brown specks inside and are very expensive. These are an excellent example of good peridot. Perhaps another day, though...

A cool fact about peridot: it is the only gemstone found in meteorites. Cool, huh? Well I thought so.

Kyanos

2009-02-07T20:37:00.001-08:00

I just listed these earrings today...I fear I may have become attached! I've been meaning to use these teardrop briolettes for a a while and I am so glad I found a great way to use them. The combination of dark iolite and bright silver came out beautifully!

I hope you like them!

Haha

2009-02-06T19:00:00.001-08:00

Stated Quite Simply

2009-02-01T17:34:00.001-08:00

EtsyLove

2009-01-30T19:48:00.001-08:00

Look at what I found! Yellena is soo talented!

My favorite is the first one. It reminds me of the beautiful poppies that bloom here in the hot days of August. Read her interview as a featured seller here.

I hope you like her work as much as I do! Check out her shop!

Snowflakes

2009-01-25T17:00:00.001-08:00

Just the other day, I think it may have been yesterday, I thought to myself, I wonder if I will ever see a true snowflake. You know, like the kind you cut out of paper, except Mother Nature does the cutting. I figured they were super tiny and it had to be super cold out to see them before they melted.

Today's high was around 31 degrees.

You know, they say no two snowflakes are identical. I pondered that today as I watched the snowflakes, just imagining the possibilities. Thank you Mother Nature for another demonstration of your awesomeness.

T is for Tortoise

2009-01-23T16:52:00.001-08:00

I have always wanted a pet tortoise. What has stopped me? I hate to jump into things, that's what. Tortoises live forever. If I were to get a tortoise it may very well outlive me. But that's what's appealing to me (not the outliving part, the long life part).

They're not something you can cuddle with or teach tricks to, but I'm sure they can offer some calm companionship for many years to come.

Aww, who wouldn't want one? These guys are Russian tortoises, by the way.

A Great Day

2009-01-20T22:07:00.001-08:00

To say the least. I am so proud of my country for what we have accomplished and the history we have made.

Under the Sea

2009-01-10T19:28:00.001-08:00

I was feeling inspired by the ocean today, can you tell? :)

These etsy artists have so much wonderful talent to offer, you should go check out their shops! Each photo is linked to their shops so click away and go discover something new!

Fusing Fine Silver

2009-01-04T13:00:00.001-08:00

This weekend I finally took the leap into fusing fine silver. It's something that I have always wanted to try, but I kept telling myself I didn't have the skills, needed to take a class, or didn't have the money. Finally I decided to stop making excuses and I learned how to fuse without taking a class and I made a few rings this weekend:

My technique is still a little rough right now but these rings turned out lovely and their rough and hammered look makes them feel a little more natural and organic.

What I made today

2009-01-03T19:15:00.001-08:00

Today I spent a while making these earrings which are quickly on their way to becoming one of my favorites!

The crystals are Swarovski crystals in Pacific Opal and vary from 6mm, 5mm, and 4mm in diameter. I wrapped each one onto gold-filled chain using gold-filled wire and finished the earrings off with some hand-forged gold-filled earwires and voila!

Good-bye and Hello

2009-01-01T01:08:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone's New Years celebration was safe and joyous! I'm happy to see the end of 2008 as it was a good year for me. I turned 21 and began my senior year in college and managed to make good grades. I moved into a beautiful new home and had a wonderful vacation to Hawaii to visit some wonderful friends. I have been fortunate to have good health as well as a healthy family and friends. And lastly, I had fun exploring what Etsy had to offer me and have learned so much!

I'd like to start this year off totally fresh with intentions of keeping all of my goals in mind at all time. I want to do things to better myself as an individual, as a daughter and sister, as a student, and also as a business owner. I only have two quarters left at UW but I want to try as best as I can to maintain good grades, consistently improve my business, and search for new opportunities for after I graduate, all at the same time.

Some random personal goals for 2009:

Cook dinner from scratch twice a week
Exercise 3 times per week
Spend more time with the pooches
Drink more water
Read all the books I have waiting for me on my bookshelf
save money for a new laptop

Some business goals for 2009

Participate in at least 3 major crafts fairs
Use up all the beads I have before I buy more
Participate in at least 10 farmer's markets
Master the art of fusing fine silver
Create at least 4 pieces per week
Make new wholesale clients

That's just a few of them and I hope to come back to these lists to make sure I'm keeping up on my word!

New Business Card Designs

2008-12-27T19:49:00.001-08:00

I spent the evening playing around with Photoshop and here are the results:

What do you guys think? I kind of like them both so I may end up with both designs!

I Was Featured!

2008-12-23T15:44:00.001-08:00

Seattle Style, a local online wedding resource (and by that I mean EXTRAVAGANZA) has featured me in their blog today! A little snippet of an interview I did with them along with some photos of my jewelry have been posted for all local brides ogle over. I am so excited and grateful for the opportunity!

Seattle Style has very cool articles regarding tips and advice, event planning, fashion, and all the other small details, like my earrings!

Come check out my Seattle Style "Interview" here!

Thank you Seattle Style!!!

Happy Monday

2008-12-22T13:56:00.001-08:00

Gold

2008-12-16T16:32:00.001-08:00

I've always wanted to change it up a bit and work with gold-filled wire but its a bit more expensive and I've kept putting it off...until recently. Gold-filled wire opens up so many more doors for new designs and color combinations, I had no idea!

Here are a few of my latest creations:

And I'm just getting started!

Ohh, the possibilities!

Two Hundred

2008-12-09T20:32:00.001-08:00

It took a while to get to this point, and I'm very excited to know 200 fellow etsyians admire my work. Next goal: 500!

Thank you everyone! You've made me happy :)

I'm in a treasury!

2008-12-08T18:21:00.001-08:00

WooHooo for olive hues!

Check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=25849

I'm in the 3rd row, 3rd picture.

I'm so pleased that someone picked me out of the whole bunch.

Ok off to study for more finals now... :(

Etsy Love

2008-12-05T23:55:00.001-08:00

I stumbled upon Sixth & Elm today on Etsy and I am in love!

Aren't these awesome! All boxes are sanded, woodburned, and made to order, brought to you from a very talented artist in Toronto. Visit her shop and check out the lovelies!

8 years of great jokes

2008-11-07T13:27:00.001-08:00

Will Ferrel as Bush

Many Americans (including me!) are very excited about the outcome of the recent elections. It was a long 8 years and I'm glad its finally over.

However, I'm sure every president, no matter how good or bad a job he did get their fair share of jokes against them. Even though I haven't been around that long, I'm sure the jokes of the past 8 years were some of the best.

I think Will Ferrel did them best....

Enjoy!

Midterms Are Here

2008-11-03T21:12:00.001-08:00

Where have I been hiding? Midterms at UW have finally arrived... Maybe you guys will here from me later this week...if I survive....

Field Trip!

2008-10-30T19:48:00.001-07:00

I'm a student at UW in the department of Environmental Science and Resource Management. This means basically means we study the outdoors and we still get to go on field trips. Our last field trip was to study wildlife population dynamics, specifically of amphibians in local forested areas. Blah, Blah, Blah, I know :)

Anyway, I just thought I'd share a cute picture of two of the little guys we found:

The first image is of an Ensetina Salamander we found, the second is of a Western Red-backed Salamander, though a little bit out of focus. We actually found 27 of these guys, but we made sure to put them right back where we found them.

google.com Tags: Field Trip, UW, Amphibians, salamanders

Moss Kick

2008-10-29T18:05:00.001-07:00

I can't get enough moss! I've been really interested in little plant terrariums, inspired by some of the finds on Etsy. Yesterday I was visiting a park that had so many beautiful moss clumps everywhere and I was inspired to make terrariums like the ones I've been drooling over for so long now.

The result:

I just mixed some leftover peatmoss soil I had lying around and some of the humus (decomposed leaflitter mix) from the forest and plopped the moss on top. I have at least 3 varieties in my little jars and fish bowls.

Terrariums are cool because the humidity within the glass containers will create a little rain effect, allowing the moss to take care of itself most of the time. Hopefully they will take and I can get some little miniatures (I want teeny little animals) to place in them.

google.com Tags: moss terrarium

Meet the Pets

2008-10-26T20:07:00.001-07:00

I want to introduce everyone to my beloved pets, Snufflufugus & Buhgzee. They are my shih tzu children whom I miss very much right now. As a college student, I live away from home and very close to school but I could not bring my "children" with me. They stay home with my mom and I send her "child support" to cover the costs of their food. I do however try to go visit them every weekend and its always a very sweet reunion.

Meet Buhgzee:

She is my sweetheart who is always happy to be near you. Buhgzee got her name from her puppyhood when she used to chase little bugs on the porch. She is 10 years old now and still as curious as ever. The picture above shows her investigating my beta (she never quite understood what a fish was and why she could never play with it :) )She is Snuffy's daughter. She isn't necessarily a lap dog like a lot of other shih tzus because her and her father are very close, but she is still very attached to us.

Meet Snufflufugus:

Snufflufugus or Snuffy for short is my old man but he's really only 12 years old. His dark beard has always made him look like a wise old man since he was a puppy. Snuffy is a very calm and responsible dog. Sit him in front of a litter of kittens and he will guard them and make sure they are safe. Snuffy came into my life when I was only 10 years old so we are very close as you can imagine. He's my buddy. The picture above shows Snuffy asleep in my suitcase when I was trying to pack to go to college in Hawaii, it's one of my favorite memories :)

New Designs

2008-10-25T10:27:00.001-07:00

I made this darling pair of earrings and I'm in love with them so much I think I will make one in every color!

I hand-forged the metal to form medium-size hoops and wrapped 4 shades of Swarovski crystals to make these beauties. Keep your eyes open for more designs and holiday-themed colors!

Etsy Love

2008-10-22T17:55:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have those shops on your favorites list that you just admire so much? I mean, you LOVE their shop and always find your self drooling over it? Well, here's one of mine:

Uzura's shop is based here locally in the Seattle Area. She designs lovely bags made out of eco-friendly hemp and organic cotton. Sounds good to me... :)

She has such lovely designs, I think I know what I might be getting myself for Christmas :)

Go check out her shop and support handmade!

Introducing...

2008-10-15T12:21:00.001-07:00

Its here! I've finally finished my first piece in my new line of designs, a little something I like to call LuxeLilly.

My first piece: Prasiolite and Andalusite Starburst Necklace:

Ooh, I'm so excited for more to come!

What I want to do with my life...

2008-10-05T22:43:00.001-07:00

So I may as well tell you now that I am a HUGE animal lover. I'm sure you would have found that out sooner or later... :)

Anyway, I found this adorable picture through http://holy-cuteness.blogspot.com/ where cute animals are blogged about 24/7. This picture depicts orphaned baby orangs at Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation where they are being prepared for a life out in the wild again. I would love to help these little guys out!

I used to work as a keeper aid at the Woodland Park Zoo here in Seattle, taking care of the 5 wonderfully intelligent and awesome orangutans that live there. I miss them a lot, but I always go back for visits :)

I was featured in a treasury!

2008-10-05T10:14:00.001-07:00

One of my photos made it to a treasury! It is Casablanca-themed and my photo is the one of the Sepia Lilly. Oh I'm so delighted!

Back from Vacation

2008-09-22T15:17:00.001-07:00

Flickr Tags: vacation,hawaii,palm trees

I miss the palms and constant sea breeze...