Must Share

One more thing... I keep forgetting to share one of my favorite blogs.  I love things that are colorful.  I have always loved looking at (and arranging in color order) a box of crayons, colored pencils or markers.  I pin colorful, beautiful things on my Pinterest inspirations board.  And about a year ago (maybe a little longer) I found a blog that is devoted to sharing colorful photos - it is AMAZING!  So if you enjoy colorful things as well you must check out Plenty of Colour.

Two Pumpkins and A Squash

Inspiration struck today and I made a few more necklaces for my "fall line".  I feel like it is a bit presumptuous to be making a fall line since I have only sold two necklaces so far... but I suppose it is thinking positively!  It feels like fall in Germany; it is chilly and rainy with no sunshine, so fall necklaces seem an appropriate topic.

In other news, earlier this week I made some of the most delicious pasta salad I have ever had.  I got the recipe from my friend Nike and not only is it easy, but it makes a lot, so it is a great thing to take to a cookout.  You can pretty much put in whatever you like in pasta salad because the magic ingredient is the dressing - Weight Watcher's Balsamic dressing!  Here is what I put in:

1 box bow tie pasta
1 package sun dried tomatoes
1 bunch arugula
1 ball fresh mozzarella
1/2 ish grated Parmesan cheese
2 containers Weight Watchers Balsamic Dressing (they were in the refrigerated salad section of the grocery store) 

(those are all the ingredients I had, but you can also add 1 diced tomato, sliced black olives and small capers)

1. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box.
2. Chop tomatoes, arugula, and mozzarella.
3. Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!  (if you don't eat it all in one sitting, refrigerate)

Pink

While pink is not my favorite color, there are some pinks that are so vibrant I can not help but be drawn to them.  I am hoping a beautiful pink necklace comes from these:

My First Sale!

I sold two necklaces on Etsy!  Yes they were to a friend, but I am still very excited :)  It is a great boost in confidence.

I found this fence near the river on my flower walk the other day and found it very inspiring:

I have always loved spirals and use them in my drawings and paintings as well as in my jewelry.  I think they are just beautiful!

Thinking Ahead

As I was walking by the river the other day, this leaf caught my eye and I had to stop and pick it up:

As much as I love my bright, flowery designs, I have been thinking about a "fall line" of necklaces and this delicate skeleton of a leaf was a great inspiration.  I have been playing with fall colors and looking for a way to capture how bright and colorful the season is and how much beauty you can find in a single fall leaf.  I will continue to experiment with some other ideas I have, but this is what I have developed so far:

Flower Walk

A few months ago I spent some time wandering around a beautiful garden at Villa Hügel and taking pictures of the flowers.  When it came time for me to make new necklaces, I used a few of the photos to help me create different varieties of flowers.  Here are some of the results:

This blue flower became this necklace:

    

This puffy pink flower became this necklace:

    

This purple daisy-ish flower became this necklace:

I am hoping to take a walk later today and find some more inspirations in the gardens of Kettwig!