what a difference a day makes...

Did anyone else happen to experience the magic act that occurred 

on the East Coast this past weekend???  

The first 2 pictures were taken on Christmas Day...

and the last 2 photos were taken the day after Christmas.  

Snow today, gone tomorrow.

A half day of rain completely melted away the two feet of snow 

that we accumulated the week prior.  

Was I the only one amazed by this???

*to be completely honest, I was pretty excited.  

I like the snow A LOT, 

but after awhile it just turns into a dirty muddy mess.*

SNOW DAY!!!

It's official, our little snow storm in Baltimore has now turned into a full fledged blizzard.

I can't remember the last time I've seen this much snow.

Last time I measured the snow was roughly 11 or 12 inches deep and it is predicted that we may see an additional 8-10 by tomorrow morning.

Work was canceled today and I know my boss is at home shaking in his boots.

Having to close the Saturday before Christmas is a huge deal in the jewelry world.

(or in any retail business I would suppose.)

But, there really is NO competing with Mother Nature; I'm pretty sure she will always win.

These are the days I wish my studio was in my home.

I could be getting SO much done today.

Oh well, I guess it is nice to sip some tea and relax with some old movies.

(right now I'm watching The Holiday, you can't beat snow + Jude Law).

my heart melts...

Can you think of anything more adorable?

I'm starting to think that I may need one of these little rascals.

found here (one of my favorite blogs)

pure sweetness

-found here-

Coulson Macleod

everyone deserves music

I've been thinking back on this year and I realized that it was a pretty great year for music.  I made a short playlist of some of my favorites.  A few are old songs, but they still remain in constant rotation.  Enjoy!

much thanks!

I am thankful for my wonderful family (despite all of their quirks)!

I am thankful that I was able to help my brother get his life back on track (and fingers crossed he remains healthy for a LONG time to come).

I am thankful for my extremely talented and amazingly supportive friends, who are just down right RAD.  (1,2,3...)

I am thankful for music. 

I am thankful for the little moments in life when everything seems just right.

I am thankful for my mocassins.  (I'm cold)

I am thankful for the 17 year old shirtless werewolves in the New Moon movie.  (just kidding... sort of)

I am thankful for my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

XOXO

one step forward or two steps back?

As a kid people always ask you, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" Some kids know the answer at an early age; "I want to be a doctor or a fireman."

Well, for me it's been a little different. I've wanted to be a lab scientist, an optometrist, a pharmacist, a sign language interpreter, a painter, a jeweler, a vegan baker, a traveler of the world... etc. The problem (or maybe not) is that I have so many interests/loves that are completely different from each other.

Is there a perfect job for me? Who knows? In most instances I can't imagine doing the same thing for my entire life. However I still get anxious that I'm 28 and still can't answer the question, "What do you want to do with your life".

I've been told over and over, "life is a journey not a destination". It has taken me a while to understand the truth in this statement. Every step I take helps me realize what I want to include in my life and what is really not that important to me.

Well, I've been feeling like things in my life have been a little stale lately. So, I'm starting to make some changes. The first change seems like I'm taking 2 steps back, however I choose to look at it as 1 step forward.

Change #1... I've moved back to my hometown to save some money for a few months. Although it's only about 40 minutes from the city, I'm a little sad I can no longer walk down the street to visit my friends. :( But, I'm hoping the money I am saving in rent will help me move on to Life Change #2. :)

(image from Keri Smith)

can't get it out of my head

Negative Nancy

As my friends can attest, lately I have been somewhat of a Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer. I'm kind of at a cross roads where I'm trying to figure out what the hell to do with my life. (which, to say the least can be a little exhausting.) Anyway, I'm trying to stay postive and now I've found a new motto to live by. "Don't think about the negative things anymore than necessary to help you move away from them."

*found on one of my favorite food blogs- Carrot's N Cake*

Reactive vs. Creative

"Reactive vs. Creative.  

When you see things differently, you become creative rather than reactive."

I've been a HUGE fan of graffiti for years, but it is wall murals like this one that get me completely giddy.  I apologize that I forgot to write down the artists name, but I found this gem on a side street in Venice Beach a couple of weeks ago.  

Not only are the characters wonderfully animated, but the artist has also sporadically stenciled on these beautiful little messages.  

"Send love in response to hate" and "you can't until you say you can".  

what's cooking?

Just a little sample of what's been cooking in the studio.  Bridesmaid's gifts for a friend of mine who is getting married this month.  

5 necklaces coming right up!

sweet LA

I took a quick trip out to Cali last weekend to visit my bro (and my kidney).  My sister flew in from Denver and we had a little family time in sweet LA.

We couldn't have asked for better weather.  I'm not sure why everyone in the world does not live in LA, because I don't remember seeing a cloud in the sky the entire time we were there.

Mmm... Sprinkles cupcakes were DELICIOUS.  I may or may not have splurged and eaten one, even though they are far from vegan.  :)

Also, the first time my feet touched the Pacific Ocean.  I know.  What can I say, I'm an East Coast gal.  I LOVED Venice Beach.

I'm not going to lie.  I'm a little disappointed to be back in the humid haze of Baltimore.  But I'm already planning my next trip to the west coast.

sensory overload

Better late than Never.  

Well, I am 28 and I've lived in the charming state of Maryland my entire life.  But for some reason, this weekend was the very first time that I visited the state fair.  

Here's my problem with the fair:  how can you trust a ride that was assembled one weekend and then disassembled the next weekend?  Come on people... it doesn't seem like the safest bet.  It's kind of like assembling your own furniture.  There always seem to be a few screws left over.  

Not to mention there weren't many food options for a vegan:  fried dough (which apparently is different from funnel cake), fried oreos, fried twinkies, french fries, hotdogs, pizza, turkey legs, and BBQ.  Umm, no thanks.

I'm not sure I will ever take part in the fair festivities again, but I did actually have a nice evening.  Gavin Degraw put on a free concert so, we just took a blanket and relaxed a bit. 

I see a billboard in the works...

I've been thinking...  

since a big chunk of my paycheck goes to buying coffee/tea 

and I am constantly walking around with a little green/white cup, 

maybe I should be getting a little compensation for my constant promotion.

What do you think Howard Schultz???  Maybe I could be the official Starbucks spokesperson???

It's just a thought. 

(I did put in a solid 4 years as a master barista)

*side note... it's officially Fall- pumpkin spice lattes are back :)*

whew... what a summer!

I've taken a little time of from the jewelry bench and the blog this summer... but I have a good reason.  My summer started off with a family surgery of sorts.  Here's a pic of my bro Zachariah and me.  He's the proud new owner of my left kidney.  Probably goes without saying, but most of my summer has been spent recuperating.  For about a month, the biggest decision I had to make was whether I was going to lay on the couch, or stay in bed all day.  

Anyway, it's been a few months now and I'm almost all healed.  Now it's time to get back to business.  I've got many new jewelry designs cooking in my head and hopefully will have some finished pieces to show soon.

Although my summer was pretty low key, I did get a chance to go see some great music.  One of the highlights was the Incubus concert I went to a few weeks ago.  

I don't think I have to mention again how I think they are one of the most talented group of guys, but they out did themselves this time.  I was blown away by the last song they performed.  Incubus has recorded a rad version of Prince's "Let's go Crazy".  To say I loved it would be a complete understatement.  I've been listening to it on repeat and dancing my booty off.  Enjoy!

operation beautiful

A couple of months ago I was strolling through Barnes and Noble (after a lousy day of work) when a lady came over to me and said, 

"I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I watched you walk in and we were just discussing how nice you looked.  I just thought you would want to know, women don't compliment each other enough."

I was a little stunned by her comment, by it completely changed my attitude that day.

I love the idea of this website "operation beautiful" where women write little inspirational notes and leave them in public places such as the gym or work.  Just like the bookstore compliment, I'm sure finding one of these little positive messages would totally make my day.

pretty words

via mixed plate.  

by kate miss

infectious dance

who knew that the slightly spastic dancer on the hill would inspire such a beautiful scene?  proof that living in the moment can create the most memorable experiences. 

let the music move you!

fear no more

for a lot of my life, I have let fear control many of my decisions.  Recently, I've been trying to play it a little less safe.  I love the message of this photo.

image found via flickr

double shout out!!!

A BIG happy 30th birthday wish to my sister, Erin Quinn!  

(this was us just a few years ago) 

XOXO

And also a very Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful Momma.

Love you lots.  :)

Onwards

I just got back from a run, and this made me smile.  Oh, how I love animation!

Onwards from AKQA on Vimeo.

oh Tord! you've done it again.

First, Tord Boontje had me enamored with his delicately intricate paper installations.  Then he made his art accessible to everyone through his paper lanterns.  Next came his greeting cards... and NOW, he has a wearables collection.  Oh Tord, how I love thee.  These beauties should be on sale next month at Artecnica.

this is what art school should have been like...

I was recently introduced to the celebration of Holi, also known as the festival of color.  Hindus all over the world celebrate on March 11th, the triumph of good over evil, by splashing around in a sea of paint.    I can't get over the vibrance of color.  Check out other photos here, they are just as beautiful.