O Christmas Tree!

Our Christmas tree is a bit influenced by my particular color preferences each year:



Even up to the angel at the top of the tree:



We're all set for Christmas. The pumpkin puree I made back in October and froze is thawing, there is a huge ham in the fridge, and wonder of wonders all the presents are already wrapped!



So Merry Christmas from our household to yours! May it be everything you hoped it to be!



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Merry Christmas to Me!

Normally I let the business buy me a Christmas present each year, but this year things have been a bit slow, so instead I'm letting the business make me a Christmas present! I found these gorgeous roses, and made myself a shiny collar for the holidays:



It's adjustable in length, but I like it sitting right across my collarbones.



It's strung with silver and red glass beads - my favorite color combination!



Now for an occasion to wear it....



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Purple Spiders fly!

Well, purple spiderwebs, actually. I spent the last couple of days working on a new parasol, after finding a yard of fabric in the stash that I'd bought a few Halloweens ago and deciding I should put it on a parasol. I started with a new ruffled parasol, black satin, and covered it with this fabric, a sheer purple with a silver spiderweb pattern on it. Added some purple ribbon, black Venice lace, and some black and purple sequined trim, and voila!



The color purple is one my camera does not particularly like, it seems. Even after trying to tweak the colors in photoshop, I still couldn't get the true royal hues to come through.



I think I may have enough fabric to do one more, but I'll have to come up with some different trim options, as I only found one suitable trim from my source this time! Why, oh why do fabric suppliers not realize that purple is such a hot commodity?


(This one isn't listed anywhere, because it sold in less than five minutes after I posted an image of it to my facebook page, by the way.)



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The Ice Queen's Wedding Necklace

Perfect for a winter wedding, a combination of two different sizes of faceted clear glass beads, modern crystal points and antique aurora borealis faceted crystal beads, with variously shaped pieces of opalite, or opalized glass, all hand-wrapped in sterling wire.


The Ice Queen's Wedding by *dbvictoria on deviantART

I've been trying to decide what to do with the three pieces of glass that are at the centers of the three inside sections of the necklace for ages, and finally inspiration struck last night!


Ice Queen Necklace Close-up by *dbvictoria on deviantART

December Birthstone

There are two choices for birthstones for December babies: blue topaz or turquoise. I lean towards turquoise for my daughter, but we'll see what she picks for herself when she gets older.

Topaz is a silicate mineral, and a very hard stone, having a hardness of 8 on the Mohs hardness scale. It can still be split by a hard blow, however, so care must be taken while wearing this stone.

Sterling Silver Ring Bezel Set London Blue Topaz, by Jewelry24Seven:



Naturally occurring blue topaz is quite rare. Usually grey or yellow turquoise is irradiated to produce a deep blue color.

Sky Blue Topaz Wire Wrapped Oxidized Necklace, by SilverSmack:



Topaz is also the suggested anniversary gemstone for the 4th, 19th and 23rd years of marriage!

Baby Stella Blue Topaz, December birthstone, sterling silver star necklace, by metalicious:



Turquoise got its name because it was first brought to Europe from Turkey in the 16th century. It was cherished in ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures, but is most known for its usage by Native Americans in the Southwestern USA and in Central America.

Turquoise and Rice Pearls Necklace on Sterling Silver, by dbvictoria:



Turquoise ranges in color between many shades of blue and green, with even some yellow shades to be found. Blue shades are caused by the presence of copper, green hues occur if the turquoise forms in areas where there is a high aluminum content, and the yellow shades occur rarely in deposits with zinc.

Turquoise Teardrop Earrings on Marquis Shaped Sterling Silver Earwires, by NightSkyJewelry:



Turquoise is a relatively soft stone, so care should be taken not to scratch or chip your turquoise jewelry. It is only ranked at 5-6 on the Mohs scale. Sometimes softer stones are stabilized with an infusion of epoxy resin, which preserves the stone from wear. Natural stones acquire a patina or luster from the oils in the wearer's skin, to which stabilized stones are immune.

December Birthstone Necklace - Turquoise with Coral & Sterling Silver, by RoughMagicCreations:



Whichever stone your December baby prefers, there are a multitude of choices available for him or her!



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Friday Favorites!

A quickie tonight, as we just got home from a Christmas Pops concert. I am approaching being in a holiday mood.

Red & Green Monster Holiday Stocking, by girlgoth:



Alien Bug Head Pin, by spiderwings



Eye of Cthulhu Stick Pin, by clockworkbeetle

Cooking safely

When you're cooking meats, if you don't cook them thoroughly enough you run the risk of making yourself and anyone else you're feeding sick. Recommended temperatures for different meats are 145°F for whole meats, 160°F for ground meats and 165°F for all poultry.

There are a bunch of different thermometers you can use, but I prefer the old fashioned kind.



Their accuracy can be affected, though, if they're dropped, or if they're not used for long periods of time. That's easily corrected, though. Test their accuracy by immersing them in boiling water. They should read 212°F, like the thermometer in the picture above. (Unless you're at a high altitude, and in that case the boiling point will be lower.) If they don't read 210°F, they can be easily adjusted by turning the screw under the dial.



Also, when checking the temperature of your cooking meat, make sure that you insert the thermometer at least 2/3 of the length of the stem into the meat. That means if you're cooking chicken breasts or burgers, you need to insert the thermometer in the side of the piece. And you're cooking a roast or a whole bird, make sure the thermometer isn't touching the bone, which will be warmer than the rest of the bird.

Happy and safe cooking!



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