A Series of Small Collections

I've fallen in love with this photo series:

A Series of Small Collections by jessicanples on Flickr.

Click the photo above to view the series. (you really should!)  I've been clicking through each photo over and over.  I think this one's my favorite (but of course it changes every time I notice another interesting bit):

They make me want to organize bits and pieces and then photograph them.  But what I really like about her series is that they are all other people's collections.  Knowing that they mean something to strangers makes them even more interesting.  There is a story behind every collection, for every tiny piece. It's brilliant!

Fused Copper Ring

We have another new ring style in the shop (I know...they just keep adding up!)  This time it's copper wire fused with a silver nugget.  I like this one a lot, and it looks great stacked with our other rings.  It's made with a slightly thicker wire (16 ga instead of 18 ga--we're testing out some new materials) but, of course we could make it to match the smaller wire of the other rings.  I really like these ones!

Snowpocalypse, Part II

I liked this snowstorm because there was no wind, so all of the snow built up on the tree branches, or wherever it fell.   It makes for an ethereal wonderland!

The above photo is our car.  Needless to say, we won't be driving anywhere anytime soon!

Warm Winter Drink: Spiced Orange juice

One of my favorite things to drink on a cold winter afternoon: spiced orange juice.  I heat up a mugs-worth of orange juice with whole spices: cloves, cinnamon sticks and allspice, then strain and serve with a cinnamon stick and honey to taste--Delicious!

A.M.P. Cup

Life has been crazy busy lately.  The season is starting, we are moving in two weeks and Everything (yes with a capital E) is happening at once.  However, I've been wanting one of these, ever since we visited Lock's parent's houses.  Lo and behold, my dad had one in his stash of stuff.  I am so excited, although I have no idea who this A.M.P. is...

One day

My type tray will look like this.

Snow Clouds

Some close up pictures of the snow we had last night. It seems the world is back to normal, the predictions far exceed the actual snowfall (apparently there was a 100% chance of snow until 7pm today, even though the sun was out most of the day).  I like them because they look like clouds in the sky.

It's Gold!

We are proud to present our new ring.  It's gold!  The ends are fused, like our sterling silver rings, and it is made from 10k solid gold wire.  I've wanted to offer a gold version of our rings for a while, ever since I made my ring our of my mother's stepped on earrings, and now we are able to!  Right now we only have a simple fused ring, but we are able to make gold versions of our vine, pebble, spiral rings or any other silver ring we carry.

yay new rings!

Lock and Spoon at Creator's Co-op

We are now proud members of Creator's Co-op in Astoria!  Tomorrow afternoon there will be an opening of sorts, a meet and greet of the artists.

We just set up tonight and will be there tomorrow afternoon, so stop by!

It's on 23rd ave between 26th and 27th streets off the NQ trains.  It'a a great new shop that opened in November showcasing handmade goods made by local artists.  Come by and check it out!

I know it's a bit late, but...

I got this for christmas, and couldn't be happier about it.  I was so happy to get it and I am torn from wanting to wear it all the time and wanting to save it so that it will never wear out.  But isn't it lovely?  Now I only need a cream one, too!

Dinner

mmm. . . piping hot roasted vegetables from the oven: onions, beets, potatoes and carrots with tarragon vinegar, italian herbs, olive oil, and sea salt.  For some reason, I've always chopped the vegetables and put them directly in the baking dish, but now I've realized that they work better if you toss them with the olive oil/herbs in a bowl first. . . duh.  I also cooked them covered in foil, but uncovered and broiled them for the last 10 minutes.

I made the tarragon vinegar earlier in the summer when a friend gave me more tarragon than I could use. It was so, so easy but this was the first time I've used it. I was a little bit nervous, since I'm not always fond of tarragon's anise flavor, but the vinegar is delightfully mild on the anise, but deliciously tarragon.