My blog is moving. Bags are packed and ready to go.

Come join me over at my new blog. Today I have launched my brand spankin' new website along with a shiny new blog. I hope you will come for a visit and see all of the exciting things I have been up to. This blog will no longer be used but has provided me with some great memories. And what fun is a celebration without a little prize. Visit ChocolateandSteel.com now to find out what it is. Now, let's go. Here's a little sneak peak at what you can find there:

I have been very busy making new jewelry lately. I have two new collaborations that I'm launching. The first one is with the world famous illustrator of adorable animals - Susie Ghahremani of Boygirlparty®. Susie and I have been working together for a couple years now and I've never been more proud of a collection.

Peacock necklace with 11 sapphires

MORE PICTURES ON THE NEW BLOG. GO NOW.

The second collaboration is with the incredibly funny Gemma Correll. You must follow her on Facebook because the comics she draws will make you laugh out loud every day.

MORE PICTURES ON THE NEW BLOG. GO NOW.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with both of these artists. I'm sure you'll agree that these new pieces are pretty special.

So, don't forget to bookmark the new site and blog. A special discount awaits you:)

looking alike

My son started Kindergarten today. He was so brave and pretty excited to start at his new school. We took a couple pictures this morning before leaving. I love seeing all of the old photos of my sister and I in front of our house every year. The changing hairstyles, fashions, and paint/landscape of our home.

In the process of documenting this special day I discovered that my husband and I are starting to look alike. Not identical but definitely getting closer. Here is a picture that my son took of us this morning. What do you think? By the way, I'm 8 months pregnant here. You can't tell because the bottom half is cut off, but my face eludes to it:)



I came across the funniest website tonight. The photographer Jon Huck did an installation and book based on this very thing. Couples. I'm amazed at how some of these couples look so similar to each other. I wonder how this happens.

Summer has officially begun

Summer's here, although by looking outside today you wouldn't know it. A bit of June gloom, but that won't last long. School year is officially over and the games can begin:) My son graduated preschool last Friday. Seriously the cutest thing ever is seeing little 4 and 5 year old's walking up to get their "diploma". James took it so seriously as you can see in this picture. He was planning his outfit for weeks.



Yesterday I sold my collection at Long Beach Patchwork Show. It was so much fun! I can't believe how many people were there. I had a fantastic spot too - first table at the entrance. Thank you, thank you Patchwork people. It was super overcast for most of the day and felt lovely... until I got home and realize - oops, that sun was there it was just hiding. I got so burnt which is shocking because I do not typically burn. I feel like I can finally sympathize with my cousin who also got fried at the beach when we were kids. It hurts.

Now I'm prepping for The California Gift Show. It's a wholesale show here in Downtown LA. I'm working on new stuff which is always fun. Wish I could do this more often. I love just drawing and getting inspired. I will be part of a collaborative group at this show. There are 10 of us showing under the name "Handmade Galleries". We are all featured at the Handmade Galleries in Sherman Oaks. Getting 10 people all on the same page and organized is no easy feat but I think it will result in a really great presentation.

Just a head's up. You MUST come to Renegade Craft Show in Los Angeles this year. I was just reading up about the event and all of the special workshops, music and food. It's going to be awesome. I will tell more about it later:)

Enjoy your day.

Happy Memorial Day!

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day today! I had such a fun day. The weather in Los Angeles was ideal for a BBQ so we couldn't resist. My dad and stepmom came up for the day to bask in the sun and gorge ourselves on bbq chicken. We moved back in March and are still so grateful for the outdoor space that we have inherited. Our last place was an apartment so no BBQing there. My dogs are probably the MOST grateful. They love just laying outside in the shade with the breeze. I must admit, I do too:)

(photo courtesy of On A Whim Photography)

Well, tomorrow is another exciting day....hopefully. I have an ultrasound scheduled and they "should" be able to tell if we are having a boy or a girl. Can't wait to find out. I'm happy regardless of the gender but I just want to start planning. Plus deciding on a name is such a big deal. I want to be able to focus my energy on one gender:)

So Much Fun!

This past weekend was Unique LA and it was so much fun. Overall the show was pretty good minus a slow start to the weekend. Now I have to quickly get back to work to restock for Bazaar Bizarre . I'm really looking forward to that show because we are going to make a little vacation of it and spend a couple extra days going hiking. Can't wait!

I wanted to share some favorites from Unique LA. I didn't get too much time to walk around and take pics but here are the few that I did.One of my favorite vendors is Dust and Co. She's just so cool:) Loved her booth setup and of course her jewelry is so very unique.I was very lucky to have two great neighbors. Amanda K Lockrow is a very skilled metalsmith. Her button rings are my favorite and I just love to hear her say button. It's a very proper pronunciation.My other neighbor was new to this venue, and fairly new to her business. Khana Skin had some wonderful bath products that smelled so good.

I also met another very sweet jeweler. While Fruition Jewelry had really beautiful jewelry one of things I loved most was her custom labels for booze. Who wouldn't love to have a liquor cabinet that looks so classy?
And of course, I have revamped my display...again! Someday I'll stick to something, maybe. I used lentils to create the decorative elements in the bottom layer of the table. It is still a work in progress though.
Have a wonderful weekend! I'll be working on setting up our raised bed vegetable garden. My husband, son, and I are also going to join up with FoodForward.org to go pick fruit out in the valley that is donated to local food pantries. It feels good to help out and I'm looking forward to a family day:)

Feeling Inspired

Do you ever come across something that resonates so deep in your soul that you can't help but be excited? Etsy has a featured seller every few days and while most of them sell/make things that are cute enough today's is above and beyond. Today's featured seller is Cart Before the Horse. I just LOVE their dolls. They are so original and come from a very beautiful corner of the artists' mind and soul.

To be honest I really am struggling with my creative process. The majority of my business now is selling to stores and I have a good idea of what they want. Sometimes knowing what is commercially viable is such a kill to my creativity. I feel so inspired after reading the interview with Dylan and Jo and pouring over their entire collection. I am vowing to spend some more time making pieces that are just for me, just for fun. While I am SO VERY grateful for all of my success I really need to give attention to the muse that got me here.

DANG! What a lucky month I am having:)

So excited to share that I will be showing at Unique LA (April 24th and 25th) ,Bazaar Bizarre Maker Faire in San Mateo/ San Francisco area (May 22nd and 23rd), and Renegade Brooklyn (June 5th and 6th). What fantastic shows and I am so honored to be a part of them. Especially because as they get more popular the competition gets tougher. Hope you guys can stop by if you are in those parts of the country.

Then to top it off my son was chosen for one of the best charter schools in LA. It's a lottery and they literally pull a name out of a hat. Apparently they had over a thousand applications and chose 60 names and he was one of them. And to top it off we were contacted yesterday by another charter school that he won the lottery there too! My husband told me that I need to quick go out and buy an actual lottery ticket. What a relief it is to finally have elementary school figured out. And the best part is that the school we chose goes up through middle school. Whew! I am done with the school search for a while.

Now, back to focusing on getting these orders out. Lots of new stores to find Chocolate and Steel in. Like this little darling that was very popular this season: