Stand By Me...

It's almost Friday! yay! Lots going on this week. First if you are in the Kitchener area you will be able to find Rock On Accessories at Rare Funk on Duke St very soon. Super pumped about that - Tamara - who owns the store is super sweet and fun and I can't wait to start working with her. Also if you are in Leslieville in Toronto you can find my stuff at Nathalie-Roze & Co. It's a cute little indie store right on Queen St just east of Pape. Keep checking out the blog for more places to find me! I'll keep posting as they come up.

Courtesy of my husband, I think you should all check out this video. It's so cool how this was put together. If you haven't heard of Playing for Change, you should definitely check it out. According to their website "Playing For Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music." So, they started out in New Orleans and did one recording of each song, then they took those recordings and toured the world asking musicians along the way to add instruments and harmony to the original recordings. It's awesome and really does show how powerful music is and how it brings us all together no matter what language we speak or where we are in the world. Check out this recording of stand by me, it rocks!

Mondays Suck Animals Don't!

What a busy weekend! Rock On Accessories was at the Bloomin' Earth Eco Fest in Kitchener Ontario. It was a successful day for all, plus since it was so beautiful out, the market opened the doors and allowed some of the vendors outside! So of course that's where you could find me - as soon as it gets warm I want out! Met some great people - I love the conversations that get started from the slogans on the shirts!

Anyway - back to the animals! Check out how cute Spanky is! He was rescued from Almost Home for Hounds in Colorado by fellow Etsian Gothic Creations. Here's what she had to say about her beautiful boy "He is 6 years old and I've had him since he was just over a year old. he was born into the racing industry but due to an injury as a puppy never raced."
Looks like he loves to hang out with is blankies. Check him out!

How to help save Mother Earth...

In honour of Earth Day I thought we should talk about some ways to help our planet attempt to get back on track. I'm not talking about the same old recycling and composting and re-using ways to help (although those are all still very important!!!). I'm talking about some things you might not have ever heard of before, like 'drain water heat recovery systems' created and produced by RenewABILITY in Waterloo ON and 'passive solar air heating system alternative energy', created and produced by a company called Envirosponsible in Whitby, Ontario. But don't be discouraged by their locations, because below you can watch videos on how these systems work, and make them yourselves, or purchase on-line.
The Drain Water Heat Recovery System called Power-Pipe™ raises the temperature of incoming cold water by recycling free heat from wastewater going down the drain. About 90% of all hot water energy goes down the drain, allowing the Power-Pipe™ to recycle as much as 60% of the wasted heat. Watch this video to see how it all works...



A Passive Solar Air Heating System is also a heat transfer type product, except this one transfers hot air. In short, this system is set up in a window, it sucks the cool air from your home into the window where the sun heats it and it is pushed back through your home. Check out this video to get a better explanation...



What I love most about these products is that they have no electrical moving parts (the fan in the air heating system is solar powered) and they save on energy consumption, which helps the earth and your bank account, and who doesn't want to save money?
For those of you who are really handy - you can also learn how to make your own rain barrel, I have a rain barrel and love it.



I hope I have inspired everyone to try something new and save some energy! Happy Earth Day!

Mondays Suck Animals Don't!

Sorry this is a little late in the day, but don't kid yourself, Mondays still suck!
So, I know I've been posting a lot of cats lately, but this guys deserves special mention! His name is Bubba (best name ever) and he was rescued by an Etsy friend of mine named Anna from West Tennessee. She found him on the side of the road with a completely maimed leg. Thankfully Anna did find him because I'm sure he was in a lot of pain. After trying to save his leg, Anna's vet could do no more and it had to be amputated. So now he's a 3 legged wonder. He's a cutie I'll tell you that much!
Here is Bubba with a cast on his leg before they amputated it



and here is is laying around with is friend Suzie (I love when dogs and cats show their love for each other! so cute!!)



and here is in all his glory! he's a handsome devil!



Thanks Anna for sharing your lovely Bubba with us!

Dog lovers take note: I need more pictures!

If there are any dog lovers out there - I need more pictures for the Mondays Suck Animals Don't feature! So Please send them along so I can post pics of your canine love! thanks a bunch!

It's Business Time

Well, I want to share another favorite of mine. Flight of the Conchords. Too. funny. for. words. This song brings tears to my eyes so I just had to blog about it. It's called Business Time and it's about Jemaine sticking to his schedule of 'makin' love' with his girlfriend. Favorite line: Then you go sort out the recycling. That`s not part of the foreplay but it`s still very important.

ooohhh the things those guys sing about. check it out...



Business hours are over.

Mondays Suck Animals Don't!

and let me tell you how much today sucked....I got all the way downtown to work, only to realize that I left my laptop at home. Sigh. So I had to get on a bus and do the hour long commute back home. Once I got home I just decided to work from home, but what a giant waste of time.
Anyway - check out Trixie! This is my mom's cat. she's a cutie and very very shy.

First she's tackling the cat nip!



and here she's posing pretty!



Anyway, hope every one has a good day!

Marley & Me

Well, I just finished watching the movie Marley & Me. I read the book and bawled, I should have known the movie would be worse, but I seem to be a sucker for punishment. Why did I just do that to myself! I don't want to deter anyone from watching it, because most of the movie is quite funny. I laughed pretty hard a few times (keep watch for when Marley tries to get out of the car as they are driving - too funny!) Maybe it's because my dog, Marty (see? it's like they are the same dog - even their names are similar), has done many of the things that Marley has done and acts pretty much the same. Maybe it hit me harder then it would others. Either way I was reduced to a sobbing wreck. Check out the trailer here...



I think the most profound thing the author, John Grogan, says is this...
"A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water log stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if your rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?"

Couldn't be more true....

Sparkle & Shine

Right now I'm working on some more wedding jewellery for someone who really likes the sparkle! Her colours are blue and silver and she wanted the jewellery to really pop and she wanted it in silver. So, lucky for me, I happened to find the perfect beads. They look like mini disco balls and they're so shiny and sparkly! She's got 6 girls in her party (it's a big one) but they all have different dresses, three of the girls dresses have higher neck lines and necklaces wouldn't have looked right. So I've made 3 bracelets and 3 necklaces. Check them out, I plan on making one extra set to sell on my etsy site
The bracelet...




The necklace...


She's approved them and loves them, so I'm happy!
Also, let's all do a happy dance for short work weeks!

Mondays Suck Animals Don't!

Today sucks even more then most Mondays, because just when I thought spring had finally arrived......I woke up to snow....and it's still snowing. I'm sick of it. It needs to go away!
So, let's look at a pair of cutie kitties today. They live in Toronto with my friend Melanie (who I met in jewellery class - yay for silversmithing!). Their names are Mosi (also known as Mo Mo & Mister Mo) and Kyle Bean - but he mostly goes by Beanie, which is a great nick name (that's what I call Marty usually). There is nothing better then animals showing their love for each other - and these guys are adorable at showing it! Thanks for sharing your beautiful babies with us Mel!

Take a Load off.....

It's been a crazy busy week, and I'm exhausted. I couldn't wait to get out of the office this afternoon and come home to my comfy clothes and a blanket on the couch. So, here I am, on the couch. This is gonna be a short post, but I thought I'd share my love for Gillian Welch. If you don't know her, you're missing out largely, so take a listen. What could be better then Gillian Welch, her partner and guitar genius, David Rawlings, Old Crow Medicine Show all covering The Band?? Nothing I tell you...nothing....
check it

I'ts April Fool's day...

...and I ain't jokin'! I'm fresh out of pranks....I did nothing fun to fool anyone today. Oh well - there's always next year right?
Well I thought I would take today to finally show you my finished jewellery from silversmith class. A while back I posted all about my adventures in silversmith, and some of the pieces I showed were only half done. Although they've been done for a while now, I completely forgot to show everyone. So here we go...
This is the finished bracelet from my lily pad set, I oxidized it (using the hard boiled egg process - yay for earth friendly - worked like a charm)



and here is the branch pendant, I oxidized it so that the cut out area was black and then I high polished it, I love it!



As an aside, for anyone who wants their pet or favorite animal featured on 'Mondays Suck Animals Don't' please make sure to send me your pics!
Otherwise, hope everyone remembered that today was April Fool's day and played a prank on someone!