FLOWER JEWELRY

I filled a custom jewelry order last week, and I think the finished pieces turned out really well. This pendant and earrings set was going to be a gift for someone I've met, so my task was to create jewelry that would suit her and that has a "flowery" feel to it. Check out my designs below:

SAVORY MUFFINS

I have caught the muffin craze, which means that I have been making muffins like crazy. Turns out, muffins are very easy to make!
I've already written about the Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins, which were mouth-watering. I've also tried a recipe for Banana Walnut Muffins, which were also great; unfortunately, I wasn't able to photograph them. However, I did photograph these delicious savory Spinach, Feta, and Baked Pepper Muffins that you see below. Believe me, they are very very tasty. I got the recipe from the First Cook, Then Look blog, so head over there to learn how to make them and enjoy!

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

The new year is here, and for the first time in what feels like an insanely long time, I felt great celebrating it.
This past year was a year of changes and of putting my life back together after it fell into pieces in 2009. I moved past a heartache that threatened to unglue me completely (and almost succeeded), I changed jobs, I took a much deserved relaxing vacation. I signed up for a photography course, I gained some of the weight I had lost due to stress, and I got a new haircut. Maybe I don't have thousands of close friends, but I have been blessed with a few close friends and loved ones that stood by me and supported me through the difficult things, for which I am eternally grateful. All in all, it was a good year, and it was definitely better than 2009.
I don't really have a ton of resolutions for the new year, even though I could whip up a list of things to do in 2011 in something like 3 seconds. I just want to be happy. I want to feel like my life is back under control where possible. I want to be healthy and happy, and I would like to think of myself and my own well-being a little more. Life is short, so I guess I should try to enjoy it as much as I can.
Thinking about resolutions and hopes for the future, I looked around for interesting quotes and sayings, and I compiled a small list of the ones I liked best. I hope that they inspire you like they have inspired me.

1. This first one is what I have begun to call my New Year's Resolution. It's a quote from a poem by Mary Oliver. The design is mine.

2. This one is wonderful, and when I read it, I thought to myself "this is exactly what I've been trying to explain to people all these years." :) I found it here.

3. This third one is quite true. I found it here.

4. This is also good for a New Year's Resolution. Check out i can read for more stuff like this.

5. I strongly believe in this one below. I would like to be loved like that.
I found this quote online with a similar design, but I decided to make my own, which is the one I'm posting here:

6. Finally, a really cool quote I found online. I love this quote. Again, this design is mine.