my best night ever...

so there i was arriving in new york city on a wednesday morning with sadness in my heart. i was hoping to reconnect with myself after such a horrendous start to 2009 and i knew new york was the place to get me there.

my brother had mentioned that we should go out for a really nice meal so he went online to get a phone number. all of a sudden i hear the name "per se" thrown into the mix and i think i started hyper-ventilating. okay, was he just pulling my leg? could it really be? there's no way you can just call up per se restaurant and get a reservation just like that. ah, but alas, it was no cruel joke. the stars were in alignment with what was going to commence to be one of the best nights of my life. there happened to be a cancellation on the books and he took it!

i stood there in complete amazement and felt actual tears welling in my eyes. you see, if you don't know what per se restaurant is than maybe this whole post will be lost on you. and if you know me at all, you know that i have a true passion for cooking and for food.

per se restaurant is chef thomas keller's foray into the NY food scene. opened in 2004 in the time warner building on columbus circle, it is one of only 3 restaurants in all of NYC that boasts 3 michelin stars. what does that mean? if you are interested click the link to find out more. basically, its a meal that you won't soon forget.


so here's how our night looked through the lens of a camera. i must say i visit these photos often when i want to be whisked back to that night...

my brother & i waiting in the lounge before the restaurant opened:


his lovely wife:


we chose the chef's tasing menu which i highly recommend. we started with a glass of champagne and since my brother wasn't drinking (due to his performance later in his show that night) they still brought him a glass of sparkling cider so he would be able to toast with us.


our table:


before the first courses arrived we were served our amuses bouches of gougeres filled with a soft cheese & then these beautiful (and infamous) salmon coronets:


first course:
"oysters and pearls"
"sabayon" of pearl tapioca with island creek oysters and sterling white sturgeon caviar


second course:
salad of french breakfast radishes
english cucumbers, broccolini florettes, garlic scapes, and nicoise olive tapenade with garden herbs:


and my brother had (which he shared)
terrine of hudson valley moulard duck foie gras
"gelee d'agrumes", belgian endive leaves, confiture of meiwa kumquats, miner's lettuce & balsamic glaze with toasted brioche. (just to let you know, they brought warm brioche to the table about every 7 minutes because the "chef recommends the toast be warm" when you eat it. (NOTE: this was one of my favorite dishes of the night)


third course:
tartare of pacific bluefin tuna
togarashi lavash, hawaiian hearts of peach palm, spiced turnips, and compressed granny smith apple with field mizuna


and my brother had (which he shared)
sauteed fillet of atlantic halibut
cauliflower and green asparagus "a la polonaise" with brown butter emulsion


fourth course:
scottish langoustines "a la plancha"
morel mushrooms, sweet carrot crepe and fava bean puree with "mousseline bearnaise"
(NOTE: another one of my favorite dishes)


fifth course:
sirloin of 24 carrot farm's rabbit
wrapped in hobbs shore's applewood smoked bacon, buckwheat spatzle, sunchokes, english peas and pea tendrils with sour cherry sauce


sixth course:
snake river farm's "calotte de boeuf grillee"
"subric de langue de boeuf" roasted beets, young leeks and watercress with horseradish jus


seventh course:
"podda classico"
"pain de campagne" melba, violet artichokes, marinated holland peppers, confit of eggplant and sylvetta with red pepper vinaigrette


eighth course:
coconut sorbet
champagne mango, lime "laces" and toasted coconut
(this was to die for! the lime "laces" were the consistency of a perfect al dente noodle. and were just as long. brilliant tastes. i put my spoon in it before the photo...oops!)


ninth course:
"mille-feuille de poire"
walnut "bavarois", bosc pears and candied walnuts with licorice ice cream


my sister-in-law had (which she shared)
"mud pie"
dark chocolate mud cake, liquid caramel, chocolate "cremeux" and caramel parfait with sassafras ice cream


and as if that wasn't enough food for one person to handle they finish you off with what are known as "mignardises".

a server brought around a tray of house made chocolates which we could choose as many as we wished. then they brought to the table a silver three-tiered stacking dish of fresh made fleur de sel caramels, nougats, truffles (3 different kinds) and miniature hard candies that were individually wrapped. we were urged by our servers that many of the wrapped goodies "often find their way into ladies' purses". well, i wouldn't want their advice to go to waste now would i?



i can't believe it happened. it was so amazing and as each course was brought out the look on our faces must have said it all. we were all so very satisfied, thrilled, and thoroughly enjoyed that experience.

while we were sitting there waiting for our second course one mr. mike nichols & wife diane sawyer came in. my brother had worked with him on "spamalot" so he stopped to say hello. about 20 minutes later their guests had arrived....tom hanks & wife rita wilson. so nice to have dined with you that evening.

so to say my trip to new york was great would be an understatement. i also had a chance to meet up with an old friend from college & and to meet up with a new friend too. since my return things have been a little quirky, but i feel so good about moving forward now. lots of new ideas and things are on the horizon for me...i just can't wait to get back to NYC!!!

cheers!
xo diane

i've been away...

wow, so much has been happening in the past month, where do i start? i think i'll need a few separate blog posts for all the goings-on!

first, i decided to take some time off at the end of april to get some perspective on my life. since i've been thrown into a turmoil all things seem to be ending wrong side up. ack! so here are some good things that have happened since i wrote last time.

i went to NYC to visit my brother & sister-in-law and had the BEST time ever. while i was there i participated in the EIF-Revlon Run/Walk 5k to benefit women's cancer research. there were about 40,000 participants all in times square on a saturday morning, including jessica biel, jessica alba, jennifer connoly & jimmy fallon to name a few. the whole event was mind-blowing and lots of fun. doing it by myself made me really proud. i walked for my mom, my aunts, my friends and friends of friends. it was somewhat emotional at times but doing it felt so great.

i went to see my brother in his show "happiness" at the lincoln center theater. he went on as the lead the night i went and besides being so proud, i was so impressed at his talent. he never ceases to amaze me. a true rock star...

which leads me to my next topic...i will need a whole separate blog post for this one, so read on....


cheers!
xo diane

the lonestar ladies present: shop austin!

well, its finally here...the lonestar ladies present: shop austin. this saturday april 18th at saengerrunde hall 1607 san jacinto blvd in downtown austin from 11am - 5pm. featuring jewelry, handbags, soaps, glass works, art & more this is one show that can't be missed. there will even be a "beauty lounge" where you can get complimentary facials & make-overs. my friend stacy wooster of white daisy bodyworks will be there giving massages & i can tell you that she is wonderful!



"Attendees will enjoy shopping across a wide variety of gift friendly art and fine craft for all members of the family,including pets! Be sure to arrive to the event early as the first 30 shoppers to line up will receive goodie bags sponsored by DesignSociety.net, Shop Shop Designs and Southern Sister Designs, filled with fun
local must-haves, and fabulous products from Shop Austin vendors."



sisters anne marie beard & allison wall have teamed up to present a showcase unrivaled by any other in austin, tx. this is one event that you should not miss.

tickets can be purchased here for $8 before the show or for $10 at the door.

i am going to be showcasing some absolutely NEW merchandise unlike anything i've had before so come on out and see my new direction! you'll be glad you did! mention this blog and receive 20% off your purchase.

cheers!
xo diane

15 days later....

so, here it is 15 days later and so much has changed. my friend caroline came to visit during sxsw and we had a great time. i don't know what i would have done without her. she sold my jewelry like it was her own, she watched my booth when i needed a break, and kept me laughing the whole time she was here. good friends like that are hard to find.

the setup was from last thursday the 19th - saturday the 21st and was successful. we saw so many people! janeane garofolo was down on south congress shopping around and we saw about a million rock stars. (we're not sure who they all were, but you know a rock star when you see them.)

caroline left yesterday afternoon and i've been trying to catch up with work ever since.
i had about 300 e-mails to read & over 700 blog posts to weed through...whew! i guess a designer's work is never done. here is a picture of our chaperon "artie vandelay" who just couldn't get enough chips & queso while he was here. he's great guy with a ton of energy & good looks to spare. don't you think?




back to the grind tomorrow for sure...i've been running around today and just need a few more moments to catch my breath before plunging into production for my next venue. the lonestar ladies present: shop austin. here's the link with MUCH more to follow!!! oh, i've actually already been featured on their blog. check it out here. what a beautiful write up...thanks annemarie for being such a great friend.

well, gotta go and figure out the next few days...

cheers!
xo diane

sxsw

so here it is! the official flyer for the sxsw market setup for 2009....

there will be wonderful vendors each day offering a wide variety of handmade goods. i can't wait to see what everyone's got. so if you will be in austin for sxsw this year please stop by. you can't miss our location in the heart of south congress avenue!



i hope to see you there.

cheers!
xo diane

tastyjewelry.com is now updated!

a lot of people like to spend their weekends relaxing, being outdoors or catching up on a good book. well,apparently i am not one of those people. :) i took the time this weekend to update my website with all new graphics and even added a few new earring designs. its quite a process since i design and manage my website all on my own.

creating new pages entails getting the graphics to fit to size, rollovers, new photos, descriptions, etc. now take that and multiply it by 19! everything gets a face lift. once new graphics are introduced, the old ones need to be archived. i figured that i spend so much time creating the images that i'd like them to be available to order. here's the updated version of the front page graphic:





well, all work an no play can make me a dull girl so last night i got together with some friends and we went to the lonestar rollergirls roller derby! what fun! those girls are fierce, to say the least. (photo courtesy of their website)

the bout was between the rhinestone cowgirls and the hellcats. some of the crew i was with were related to one of the hellcats named "curly suicide" so we rooted for them. the fans wear big curly blonde wigs to show their support. it was incredible. i am definitely paying for it today. i can't wait to go again next month. click on the picture to get to the website.

cheers!
xo diane

what i've been working on....

its march which means that the annual SXSW conference is coming up soon. each year thousands of interactive, film & music junkies travel to austin to meet up & exchange ideas of what is going on in their field. this year in conjunction with Guero's Taco Bar i have organized an all local handmade austin market. there will be vendors selling all sorts of local & handmade goods.

well, since this is an awesome opportunity for me to showcase my designs, i have been keeping myself busy preparing for the event.

these are discs for bob pins:



and these are 800 baubles that have now become magnets. whew! what a job!



in these photos you are able to take a peek at some of my *new* graphics for the spring/summer 09 line! i will be updating the website sometime in the next week. (if i can catch my breath.) never a dull moment around here lately...

cheers!
xo diane

trunk show at Adelante

i will be having a trunk show at Adelante boutique here in austin this friday & saturday from 10 am - 5:30 pm. Adelente is located at 1206 w. 38th street in the 26 doors shopping center.

i will be featuring many new designs all of which are not even on my website yet. i've been experimenting with some old techniques that i did years ago, but have modified them. here is an example...





tricia, the owner and a friend, just loves my lemonade cookies so she's requested that i bring them as well. a not too sweet concoction of a delicate & tart cookie on the bottom with a sweet & light sugary glaze on top. very refreshing and lemony! i'll be making them in the "pink" variety just perfect for that upcoming holiday... packaged by the half dozen for around $4.

all items are wonderful little indulgences for anyone. so if you are in the area please stop by and say hello!

cheers!
xo diane

a little sunshine on a somewhat cloudy day....

i saw this video posted on someone's blog and had to share it. it made me laugh....



cheers!
xo diane

Le Garage Sale this weekend

I will be participating in one of Austin's most coveted sale events this weekend. All the information is on the flyer below. I will have sale merchandise as well as my regular goodies there...



Hope to see you there!

cheers!
xo diane

this is what i'm dealing with today...

okay, anyone who has a cat knows that they have this incredible sense of where they shouldn't be and my cat, gunner, is no exception to this rule. as a matter of fact he actually epitomizes this rule perfectly!

here's the back story. i'm trying to take some photographs of these new earrings to send to someone for a silent auction and for my website too. my workspace isn't all that big and when i set up my light box and lights there is absolutely NO space whatsoever. so i'm getting up close and trying different shots when i hear this sound from my right side. here he comes, under my chin (as i'm actually taking a photograph!) and in he goes.





oh, he sure is cute, but right on top of my work! and then he starts clawing at the walls:


he got the squirt bottle for sure...now here he is just a few minutes later:



trouble sleeps....


oh, and if you are interested in the actual photo i was trying to take here it is:




hope you have a great day!

cheers!
xo diane

reworking a class

i'm not sure if i mentioned it yet, but i am teaching a jewelry making class at the griffin school this quarter. i was asked to participate again in their art workshop and gladly accepted. so i decided to teach the students how to make these awesome beaded rings. last year i did the basic jewelry making class which was alright, but i think they really wanted something more.

so i obliged. i have been busy working on making the patterns so they are simple to follow with color coding and the whole nine yards. well, after the first class last week, i realized that i had bitten off a bit more than i could chew.

before i had "kits" prepared for each student with the correct amount of beads counted out with a color assigned to each one. what was i thinking? i was trying to organize the class so much i feel like i squeezed the creativity right out of it. so this week i'm reworking the patterns to simplify them a bit so that the students can make more than one ring per class and so that they can choose their own colors too.

i suppose i got caught up in the whole project that i lost sight of the bigger picture. so i took a breather for a few days and now am super excited about the new ideas and patterns that we are going to be doing. simplifying the class will take a load off of the students' mind allowing them to open up and really become creative.

so today & tomorrow i will be taking apart the "kits" i had so carefully prepared and i will take this as a huge lesson learned.

inspiration

i subscribe to about 30 different blogs and am inspired by what i see almost daily. one of my absolute favorites is called the dieline and its dedicated to package design.

now if you know anything about me you know that i absolutely LOVE packaging. i strive to be as creative as i can when it comes to packaging my own goodies too. there's just something about presenting your product in a super cool and unique fashion that speaks to me.

so they featured some packaging from green genes which made me think of my line of tasty jewelry. see if you agree:


the dots and colors are so similar to my logo and website design that it made me want to blab about it.

so, if you are wondering what green genes is here's a quote from the blog; "Green Genes an eco-friendly boutique specializing in green goodies for whippersnapper’s and their grown-ups too in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood". now i used to live in chicago in the lincoln square neighborhood and that's not too far away from andersonville. its a really cool swedish neighborhood which is the home of the original ann sather's restaurant, sommarfest and some other really great bars & restaurants.

so if you are in chicago, check out the shop. i wish i was still there to stop by and grab myself some "green" goodies!

cheers!
xo diane

start of the new year

i've had several ideas of what i could do to make myself be more consistent with the posts, i.e. daily thoughts, creative influences, "themed days", i just can't seem to get it off the ground. so i start the new year with an attempt at more frequent posting...

so here's one for today. i'm currently working on taking tons of old jewelry that i have and getting it organized for a sale going on here in austin in a few weeks called "le garage" sale. its just that, but with a twist. tons of fantastic local boutiques have booths and they put all of their clearance merchandise out for ridiculous prices. meaning they are practically giving their stuff away.

my friend annemarie beard did the show last fall and invited me to share a booth space with her so i said yes. now i'm getting all of this stuff together that i just want to get out of my way...a perfect chance to make room for all new goodies for 2009!

here is a shot of my workspace:



i will post more about this sale later. i need to have something to post later this week...

cheers!
xo diane

christmas deadline

holiday shopping market @ guero's

Tired of shopping the big box retailers? Support your local businesses by shopping indie!

Come join us for the Holiday Shopping Market located outside Guero's Taco Bar on South Congress. (at Elizabeth St)
This Saturday December 13th & Sunday December 14th and again next weekend on Saturday December 20th & Sunday December 21st from 10am - 5pm.

Local artisans will be selling unique gift items you can't find anywhere else. From hand-crafted jewelry and accessories to wooden bowls, scarves & MORE! There will be live music on Sundays from 3 - 6pm in the Guero's beer garden. So come out to support your local businesses and have some fun! Do your part to "Keep Austin Weird".

Hope to see you there!

xo diane

today's the day!

the tasty jewelry sale starts today! so head over to www.tastyjewelry.com and get 20% off of your purchase of $20 or more. see the front page of the website for more details!

hurry, this sale ends on wednesday december 10th at midnight!

cheers!
xo diane

a tasty little surprise....

this holiday season seems to need a little jumpstart and i'm here as santa's little helper to make that happen!

place an order on tastyjewelry.com from december 8th through december 10th and receive 20% off of your order of $20 or more! just enter the code: HOLIDAYS in the "discount voucher" box then hit "recalculate" to receive the discount. its that easy.

WHHHAAAAAAAAT? you say. that's right. it's just my way of helping your gift-giving budget stretch just a little further this year.

i hope you all have a wonderful & safe holiday season! enjoy!

cheers,
xo diane

Acknowledge Me

This Saturday December 6th I will be participating in a show called "Acknowledge Me" which will bring together Austin's indie crafters, artists, makers, community organizations, social justice groups & up-and-coming local bands. This is a local homeless assistance drive to help those in need around the Austin area.

The event is going to be held from 8pm - 2am at The Mohawk which is a really cool venue. If you bring a donation of a beanie, gloves or toiletries then your cover is $5. It will be $6 without.

Acknowledge Me is one of a few wonderful events that Mike Litt has produced and I am really happy to be a participant this year. If you don't know who Mike Litt is, then you need to check him out. He's a driven individual who believes that one person can truly make a difference! I agree.

Hope to see you there!
xo diane

new vintage style necklaces

i just added these completely cool vintage-inspired necklaces to my website www.tastyjewelry.com. blackened sterling silver or bronze chain adds contrast to the colorful beaded pendants. click on the photos to be taken to the website for more information.









i'll be adding more pictures soon!

cheers!
xo diane

the diy factory

tomorrow is the diy factory show in san antonio. i am heading down tonight with my friend annemarie beard to stay at my dad's house. we will be setting up tomorrow around noon and will be there all day/night long! if you are in the san antonio area please try to stop by. it is for a great cause and there will be loads of cool hand made merchandise there. see the flyer for more details & click on it to be taken to their website!



hope to see some of you there!

cheers!
xo diane

tasty jewelry now found on austinhandmade.com!

recently i was contacted by two really fabulous & creative people from austin, texas named catherine & jason. they asked me if i would be interested in becoming a participant in their latest endeavor austinhandmade.com. austin handmade is an online retail space dedicated to austin artists and creators of beautiful things. when they told me all about it, i had no choice but to say yes...i loved the concept behind the website and after meeting them in person i was even more impressed.

they are having a website launch party on thursday october 16th at gallery lombardi starting at 7 p.m. here is a link to the evite for more information about that party. hope to see you there...if not, be sure to check out the website austinhandmade.com to see what the fuss is all about! ;)

cheers!
xo diane

just do it!

i watched this video and thought more people should do it too.

for the sake of our future, please vote this election!!!

cheers!
xo diane

first thursday tonight oct 2nd

if you live in austin, tx then the place to be tonight is first thursday down on south congress ave. its a monthly celebration of all things austin...live music, art, & good food. there are loads of street vendors with items ranging from candles & clothing to mosaic work & jewelry. speaking of the latter, i have been setting up a booth in the guero's taco bar parking lot now for the past 2 years! i found this photo on flickr and it just happened to show my booth in the background. (you can click on the picture to be taken to the "first thursday" website.)



first thursday is a great way to get to know austin's crazy side, well really, does it have any other? its a great place to find unique hand made items and do loads of people watching. so come on out and see me!

hope to see you later!
cheers!
xo diane

ACL festival this weekend!

If you know anything about music, you've probably heard of the Austin City Limits music festival that happens around this time every year. Its a three day musical extravaganza featuring some of the hottest names in music today. Click on the image below for more information. There are still one day tickets available for today & Sunday.



Speaking of Sunday....



I am SOOOOOOO looking forward to seeing the Foo Fighters again. It's been way too long since I've seen them. As a matter of fact, the last time I did was when they were playing much smaller venues like the Riviera, & the Aragon Ballroom both in Chicago. I just wish my friend and fellow Foo-lover Caroline was here to go with me. I'm happy that they moved it back one week from past years. Septembers in Austin are pretty hot and spending all day out in the sun doesn't leave you with much energy for the headlining show at the end of the night. But this year's weather is shaping up to be nothing less than perfect. Warm, sunny days and cool, dry nights. Mmmmmm.

So rock on all you ACL festival goers. Maybe I'll see you there!

a new look to my blog...

if you've been following my blog at all you will notice an astounding and major change has taken place since yesterday. i've been meaning to customize my blog for sometime and finally i just took the plunge today. i hope you like it.

the program that i use to build and design my website, freeway express, is the same one that allows me to create my own template in blogger. thank goodness that i have my blog account here!

now that i've redecorated, i hope to be blogging more frequently.

cheers!
xo diane

the new fall line is here!

its been several weeks in the making and finally the new FALL line is here! i've been so busy creating new graphics that reflect my modern sense of style and i hope you all enjoy them. i've used rich colors in addition to simple designs to create graphics that i can call "tasty".

here is an image of my new front page...but really, you have to dig around the site to get an appreciation of all of the new goodies available.



i am really excited about the new pet i.d. tags that are available. there are 50 different styles from which to choose AND you can also custom design your own! they are lightweight which also makes them great for smaller pets too. my cat, gunner, has been the test model for these for about 2 1/2 years. (you think i would have put them on the website before now! sheesh!)



so, i'm excited to say the least and i am looking forward to a wonderful fall/winter season.

cheers!
xo diane

new square pendants

i've been busy working on making these new square glass pendants. i do all the artwork myself on my trusty mac, then print out the images and seal them under a piece of hand cut square glass. i couldn't find the right bales to use (most of them WAY too expensive) so i decided to make them myself. bales are the metal finding that you attach to a pendant to allow it to hang on a piece of cord or chain. often times when i can't find just the right finding, i figure out a way to create it on my own. i think that also keeps my pieces truly like no other.

here are a few pics to see just how many of these i've made.



the most popular designs i have right now are the owls (which i also drew myself!)


austin is gearing up for its 7th annual austin city limits music festival happening sept 26th - 28th. if you EVER get a chance to come down here for it, do. you won't be dissapointed. the foo fighters are headlining this year as well as beck, robert plant & allison krause, david byrne, the raconteurs, gnarls barkley, vampire weekend, hot chip and many more.

parts & labour is a store where i sell my work and they are going to have a booth setup at the festival. i will be showcasing funky bauble magnet sets and these fabulous square pendant necklaces. you can find the bird designs here and the graphic designs here.

oh, and i don't want to forget to say that i got a blog mention on the fabulous purplepinkandorange blog yesterday. amy is so creative and generous. you MUST go check out her blog and see what's happening in the indie world.

cheers!
xo diane

Grand Opening this Saturday

Are you interested in learning how to make your own jewelry or perhaps how to sew your own purse? With workshops, classes and studio time available The Stitching Studio is the place to make that happen.
Whether you are a beginner just learning the fundamentals or an advanced crafter perfecting your technique you will love the variety of classes being offered here.

Now is the perfect time to get started...come join us for a fabulous grand opening this Saturday from 1pm to 5pm.

Meet the teachers, shop for some handmade goodies, and get inspired by all the crafty classes you can take. There are even classes designed for you to hand make your own holiday gifts!

I will be there selling my jewelry and registering people for my Swarovski® beaded ring classes offered next month. (Sept 6th, 9th & 30th)

So come out and see all the great things you can make yourself!

cheers!
xo diane

getting ready for a busy fall season

since i've been back from my vacation i've been gearing up for a busy fall season ahead. i have decided to start teaching classes at the stitching studio here in austin starting in september.

i will be offering a class in which you can learn how to make your own swarovski® crystal beaded ring as seen here:



they aren't as difficult as they look, but do take some time and patience. check out the stitching studio's website for more details on how to sign up and to check out the other great classes they offer.

they will be having a grand opening party on saturday august 23rd from 1pm to 5pm. if you are feeling crafty come on by and see what's being offered!

cheers!
xo diane

back from vacation with a surprise!

hey everyone,
as promised i am revealing a big surprise to all of the tasty jewelry blog readers...

i am offering 25% off of all merchandise on tastyjewelry.com!

this is your chance to get that necklace you've been eyeing, get your pet that cool new i.d. tag, or just stock up for christmas gifts! (yeah, i know a bit early to be thinking about that, but think of how ahead of the game you would be!)

here's the deal:
use the code SUMMERTIME in the "discount voucher" box during checkout then hit recalculate to activate the discount. its that simple. :)

this offer ends friday august 22nd so get on over to tastyjewelry.com and start looking.

have a great day!
cheers...
xo diane