Rose of Sharon Jewelry

We’re an iPhone/iPad family and each of us struggles to keep the screens clean and safe. I’ve found a fashionable and practical way to do both – CucciCoos!

CucciCoos (think Charo) is a new company creating fashion forward iTouch, iPhone and iPad protective covers with an extra feature – they clean your screen automatically.

When you removed the phone, the inner lining automatically swipes your screen clean. Great idea!

This bubble gum pink version caught my eye immediately.

CucciCoos is offering FREE SHIPPING now!

CucciCoos are soft and snuggle your iPhone, iTouch or iPad to protect it. Made in the USA from  Italian shearling or lambskin leathers, these protective carriers are lush and durable.

Ice Maiden features hand sewn  Swarovski crystals. Why not have some bling when carrying your phone!

This deep teal iPad cover is marketed to men but I certainly love it.

Wouldn’t this be a great gift for the guy who has everything?

Fur fiends will love the leopard versions (a printed leopard pattern on shearling). The picture shows the Lepi cat for a phone but they also

feature a special iPad version and other variations.

Their store is new so some items such as iPhone purchases aren’t live yet but it’s worth a stop for a great gift or to treat yourself!

* All photos courtesy of CucciCoos.

The beauty of the sea often inspires the artists of Rose of Sharon Jewelry. Today I’d like to share a few original handmade necklaces with ocean themes.

The oceans of the world are filled with interesting creatures. When I found this wonderful artisan-made octopus lampwork bead, I just had to transform it into a wearable piece of art and share its whimsical appeal.

Octopus’ Garden necklace combines the glass focal, jasper beads, sea shells and a magnificent sterling silver star fish clasp.

Betty’s Pearl Drift necklace combines freshwater

pearls with seed beads that invoke the colors of the sandy beaches of Oregon. This necklace and earring set is part of our A.F.F. Jewelry Collection at Etsy.

The beautiful South Pacific deserved a dramatic necklace like this one with lots of different sizes, shapes and colors of pearls. I love bold jewelry and this necklace with matching bracelet is not for the timid woman.

On second thought, want to break out of your shell – try wearing this beautiful handmade necklace to a party! You’ll be surrounded by admirers all evening.

My Under the Sea necklace is one of my favorite color combinations – turquoise and coral. The natural tumbled turquoise beads aren’t from the ocean but they certain invoke the Pacific Ocean’s color off Baja. The coral beads are from the ocean (my supplier assures me these are not from endangered reefs) and look like they have been tumbled among the waves for years. The sterling silver fish is from Thailand (made by hand by villagers) as are the adorable sterling silver sea shell beads. This is another bold design that invokes the power and beauty of the oceans around the globe.

Hope you enjoyed seeing a few one-of-a-kind necklaces relating to the sea. You’ll also find plenty of pearls and other sea-themed designs in our main Rose of Sharon Jewelry store and in the A.F.F. Jewelry Collection at Etsy.

We’d love to hear your comments on our handmade jewelry. Just leave a comment here (link at left) or visit the Rose of Sharon Jewelry Facebook page.

Spent 3 full days in lovely Bend, OR this week so I thought I’d share with you what a great place this is for a relaxing getaway.

I spent plenty of summers in Central and Eastern Oregon as a kid but things have changed a lot over the past 40 years! Bend is the largest Central Oregon town and has developed into a wonderful year round vacation spot with plenty to offer no matter what your interest.

Traveling to Bend is typically by car as flights are limited and costly. Your local travel agent or preferred online travel site can help you with the best buy based on  your location and the amount of time you have to vacation.

Travel Distances

Bend is 122 miles from Portland, 252 miles from Seattle, 380 miles from Sacramento and 710 miles from Los Angeles.

Weather is Great Wish You Were Here

Oregon is known for its rain but Bend is a high desert community where the weather is much sunnier year round with about 250 clear and sunny or mostly sunny days! Temperatures range in the high 80s in the summer and drop into the 50s during the night for a refreshing relief.  Winter temps are equally moderate and comfortable.

Bend typically gets under 12 inches of rain a year. Snow fall averages 33.5 inches – perfect for snow activities but not enough be unpleasant.

What to Do In Bend

Bend is the perfect spot for outdoor exploration and adventure. Beautiful Mt. Bachelor is a great ski area with wonderful powdery snow. In Spring and Summer, the many Cascade Lakes surrounding the mountain are brimming with wildlife, flowers and water fun.

We ate lunch at Elk Lake Resort and watched people play on water boards, skim off in canoes and even some sail boaters! It was 88 degrees with brilliant clear  blue skies and we had great juicy burgers. Arden had an elk chili burger from locally raised and organic elk meat.

Sunriver Resort is a great golf destination and upscale facility.  A major Pro-Am tournament was under way this week.

If you’re not an outdoorsy person, there are museums, galleries, purchasing opportunities and great restaurants in the area also.

Two restaurant discoveries we made this trip were Typhoon – modern and bold Thai food and Amalia’s – modern (i.e. lighter) Mexican and a fabulous bar with dozens of Tequilas and Margaritas!

If you are visiting during Oregon’s extended berry season, be sure to sample the wild huckleberry and marionberry products sold in gift shops and cooking stores. You’re eyes will pop out of your head with the depth of flavor! Nothing equals an Oregon grown berry. For our last morning in Bend, we had big pieces of fresh marionberry pie at a local Shari’s restaurant!

Downtown Bend is a great walking tour of jewelry shops, spas, candy shops, restaurants, boutiques and drinking establishments. Wall and Bond Streets are a park-and-walk destination for a leisurely afternoon. Check out Powell’s Candy Shoppe for all those childhood favorites you never knew still existed!

For another great park-and-walk afternoon, travel 20 miles west to Sisters, Oregon. Sisters has grown into a wonderful destination for window shopping. A great quilting community is here and there are 3 shops with colorful and unique fabrics, classes and finished products to ogle!

Don’t forget to search out the local clock shop in Sisters with a fabulous inventory of antique and modern clocks (it’s closed on Wednesday’s so we missed out this trip).

I could go on and on about the great times to be had in Bend and Sisters, Oregon! Exploring the small towns of America is a wonderful way to learn about history, meet new people and try new things. Plan a trip soon!

For more info on visiting Bend and nearby Sisters, Oregon, check out these sites.

• Welcome to Bend
• Bend OR Visitors Center
• Mt. Bachelor Resort
• Sisters Oregon Guide
• Bend, OR weather

I almost forgot to tell you about the wonderful High Desert Museum and the geological wonders of the Lava Bed tourist attractions were the lunar astronauts trained before going to the moon!

• High Desert Museum
• Newberry Crater

I’m a native Oregonian and proud of the state which has so much beauty and bounty to offer.

Jewelry creativity runs in my family. 9 women = Rose of Sharon Jewelry. Dad’s work with stones is also amazing as you’ll see from this photo array of our jewelry which incorporates his creativity.

After Dad passed away a few years ago, Mom started going through all his drawers to see what he had tucked away. While each piece has tremendous sentimental value beyond its visual beauty, we decided that creating new designs for our customers was the best way to honor him.

My Dad was a rock hound, an amateur collector of rocks and minerals in their natural environment.  Our whole family spent weekends and summers piled into our family station wagon and traveled hours over Mt. Hood into Eastern Oregon to dig in the dirt. Oregon has a great bounty of beautiful agates, crystals and other stones hidden underground.

Dad carrying my baby brother Dale in an Army surplus backpack with brother Paul at his side. Grandma Beatty in her blue hat was busy searching a stream.

At 10, I learned to handle a short pick, break off the stones’

I must say those were wonderful times together as a family. My brother’s and I were exhausted when we drove back to Boring, Oregon on Sunday night.

still see   Grandma in her blue straw hat carefully unearthing a Oregon Thunder egg,  a roundish stone (like an egg) which when broken open reveals minerals which formed an agate often with a beautiful pattern or scene.

My Dad’s talent with a stone, in spite of having a serious arm tremor which eventually lead to his early retirement, is amazing. He spent hours making everything perfect.

Be sure to check out each of the stories I’ve written to accompany the handmade jewelry which features his work.

Raven’s Plume necklace by Betty – Dad dug, cut, created and set this  rare Oregon agate  cabochon.

Irish Lass necklace by Jennie – Dad cut, polished and set the unique quartz stone with green and black streaks over 25 years ago.

September Breeze by Betty - 

Crazy Lace Agate that Dad cut and set in a beautiful silver leaf finding.

When it comes to collecting jewelry – there are centuries of possibilities. I love those Antique Roadshow episodes where Granny’s old chain is worth $5K!

Collecting jewelry seems like a natural for a jewelry artist. There’s actually a lot to learn beyond what I know about construction and material identification. My personal interest lies more on buying pieces which I can repurpose into new designs. This means I’m looking for a good bargain and condition isn’t as critical to those whose interest is in beauty, rarity and value.

No matter what catches your fancy – 60s resin designs or Tiffany gems – jewelry collecting can be a captivating hobby.

Here’s today’s 5 great jewelry collecting finds.

1. I’m big on books so the first stop is your local library. Amazing place – free, too! Seems most people forget about libraries and think of those big warehouse-sized bookstores. However, older and out-of-date books on jewelry identification, history and collecting are worth searching for.  Books with prices won’t be current but you may find a gem or two (pun intended) that helps you become knowledgeable on your area of interest. Don’t forget to shop used book stores, too!
2. Join JewelCollect. This online membership group explores costume jewelry collecting and can be a great resource for those puzzling questions.
3. Find a mentor. Start by asking at locally owned antique stores, bead shops, rock shops and jewelry stores for referrals. I’ve even been successful in finding a mentor with a Craig’s List ad! Collectors love to talk about share their passion so you may find a local group with regular meetings.
4. Learn about jewelry hallmarks (brand identification, logos and stamped marks). Basic hallmark identification (online book excerpt) has great info. Fine quality artisan jewelry is often marked as is collectable costume jewelry. You’ll find a list of costume jewelry ID marks here.
5. Not all collectible jewelry is signed. This book will help you determine what your find is. 

   Unsigned Beauties Of Costume Jewelry (9781574321821):…

Jewelry collecting can become addicting. It’s a wonderful hobby that lends itself to visiting museums, garage sales, antique stores and thrift stores in every region of the country and beyond!

Go forth and collect!

Start your holiday shopping now! Snap up specials and spread your shopping out (cash only) instead of charging everything at the last minute. Here are some great Christmas finds to get you in the holiday shopping mode.

Let’s start with some Christmas decorations. This candle holder with large red candle is a great hostess gift or office gift exchange.

Available at Etsy from abathshoppe.

Adding gifts all year round to a “gift closet or box” is a great way to be prepared for any gift giving occasion.

Dog lovers will adore this Puppy Paws Christmas door wreath. What a great way to greet visitors! This will make everyone chuckle and let them know how much you love your canine friends.

This extra-large doggie wreath is created by Whimsical Cottage and available in their Etsy shop.

Crafty folks will want to be gathering all their supplies now. This microslide sized digital art of Victorian Christmas scenes could the inspiration for handmade jewelry, scrapbooking, altered art and more.

You’ll find this and more at Piddix’s Etsy store.

For a truly personal Christmas gift, why not order a custom Christmas poem. A great gift to cherish and only $25!

MzHolly (Etsy store) will write a poem for your loved one.

This one-of-a-kind gift be the most valuable present under the tree!

Food plays a big role in my life. I love to cook, share, eat and travel for it! Today’s  post is a few favorite foodie resources.

Spices are what transform an ordinary dish into an extraordinary one. Penzeys Spices mail order, online store and brick-and-mortar locations are a fabulous resource for quality spaces in small quantities. You can buy bulk, too but remember herbs, spices and seasonings have short shelf lives.

• Cook’s Illustrated is an outstanding publication whether you are just learning or a seasoned gourmet cook. Their approach while more scientific based than most isn’t overly fussy or complicated. If you prefer more homey meals, their other publication, Cook’s Country might be for you. Both magazines have extensive web sites, membership access to every test, recipe and review or you can purchase annuals. A great way to learn is to purchase their America’s Test Kitchen TV series (including past seasons) or the Cook’ Country TV series. For $29.95, you get a hardbound book of the entire season and a DVD set with every episode.

• Thinking about baking more? King Arthur Flour has been helping bakers for decades. The right flour can make the difference between a ho-hum loaf of bread and a fantastic one.

• Julia Child revolutionized how Americans think of food. Meryl Streep captures her vivacious spirit in Julie and Julia. If you haven’t seen this movie, rent it and be inspired, too.

• The Hungry Mouse is a great blog with lots of step by step pictures and how-to info of tantalizing food.

Got your new iPhone yet? Here’s my 25 Friday Finds list of favorite apps you might not know about. Most are free, too!

We’re an iPhone family. Arden loves his for travel, Josh keeps in touch with customers with his, Dawn snaps pictures of the grandkids with hers and I am addicted to the word games on mine.

Plus the twins have their favorite preschool games on all of our phones and love running around with the Light Saber app blazing. Orion wanted to sleep with Dawn’s phone and ultimately accidently dropped it into the toilet. Amazingly, it worked for quite some time after being rescued!

The saying “there’s an app for that” is pretty true. As of June 7, 2010, there are over 225,000 third-party applications. That’s an overwhelming number to sift through so I thought I’d share some Fullen family favorites.

1. SmartICE – I’m listing this first because EVERYONE should have this app. ICE means In Case of Emergency. Here is where you keep all your emergency contact information including doctors, medical history, allergies, medical alerts and prescriptions. I use this to help me complete new doctor forms as everything is here including the dosage. Small fee but priceless in an emergency.
2. Hootsuite Lite – the online social networking site oversees your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Keep track of everything in one place via your iPhone. FREE also paid version.
3. DirecTV – users of this satellite service can schedule a show or season pass on the run. FREE
4. Google – google it from this app. FREE
5. Bing – Microsoft’s search engine offers up it’s own version of search choices. FREE
6. Flickr – keep your pictures online and share them via the iPhone.
7. Kindle – Amazon’s electronic book as an app. If you have good eyes, you can actually read a book on the iPhone. FREE
8. Scrabble – this paid game ($4.99) is a great electronic version of the famous board game.
9. Fandango – find movie times and even buy tickets. FREE
10. IMDB – movie and TV info including reviews, favorite lists and times.
11. Shazam – ever wander what that elevator song is? This app will listen to the song and identify it for you. Love this one. FREE
12. myPantone – the color experts have an app so you can color-match anything from their database. Great for designers, crafters and artists. $9.99
13. Life – based on Life magazine. Tons of news and fabulous photography. FREE
14. OnThisDay – learn about what happened this day in history. FREE
15. Cork.kz – wine lovers rejoice! You have access to a great database for reviews, recommendations and pairing suggestions. Small fee.
16. Urbanspoon – shake your phone and find a local restaurant or search the database and get reviews too. We’ve really enjoyed this when traveling. FREE
17. Epicurious - foodies check this one out. Recipes by season, holiday and ingredient. Shopping list, too. FREE
18. CHunterLite – looking for a Krispy Creme location or other fast food this app has them. FREE
19. Seafood Watch – the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium gives you info on the best fish and seafood based upon health considerations and sustainability. FREE
20. Good Guide – scan a bar code or search a database to find the most environmentally friendly products. FREE
21. Groceries – a great grocery and shopping list app. You can select items  from a database or add your favorites and put them under a specific store. I have a Costco, Safeway, OfficeMax and Home Depot lists. You can organize the aisles so your list is in order of the specific store. Small fee
22. Target – major stores are starting to create their own apps. There is still a way to go on usability but this Target app is helpful for shoppers. FREE
23. Dragon Dictation – while not perfect this app is a big help in dictating email, etc. FREE
24. Skype – you can actually chat via Skype for free or at reduced rates. This can help when you are calling to or from overseas. FREE – you have to have a Skype account and there may be minute fees.
25. Evernote – bookmark web pages and coordinate it with a free or paid version on your desktop. FREE

Hope you find an App or two that you’ll enjoy! Would love to have you share your favorite apps, too. Just leave a comment by clicking the link on the left!