flower rings now available on etsy!

Here are the links to purchase my new briolette flower rings on etsy. Simply click on the photo and you will be taken to its own page.







cheers!
xo diane

other new copper jewelry

Here are some examples of what else I've been working on lately. More wire-wrapped, copper and semi-precious stone jewelry. You may simply click on the image to be taken to the listing...







There are many more examples on my etsy site...just browse around and see what I've got. Also let me know what you think!

cheers!
xo diane

Oooh, look new flower rings...

Okay, so here's what I was working on yesterday. Some semi-precious stone flowers made from briolettes. Yellow jade, pink jade and amazonite. All great colors for Spring/Summer! The centers are made with mother-of-pearl 4mm round beads. Just the right touch for your new wardrobe.

These will be made available on my etsy website sometime very soon!



cheers!
xo diane

Austin Handmade Market this Saturday!

I have been a part of Austin Handmade since they started and this will be my first time participating in their handmade market. The event details are all included in this awesome flyer:



So if you are in the Austin area, please come out and see me this Saturday while I try to stay cool! I've got lots of really affordable jewelry and home accessories and will also be premiering my new line of copper jewelry too!

cheers!
xo diane

new copper wire wrapped rings

I've been busy today creating these lovely copper wire-wrapped rings. I've been working with copper lately since it is so beautiful against the skin, its wonderful to work with, and has healing properties to it as well. These are a few of my favorites so far...

The simple pearl which you are able to stack with other rings.



The pretty aqua glass flower (stacked with previously mentioned pearl ring).



And probably my favorite, the faceted citrine "disco ball" style ring. Super cute and goes with everything!



UPDATED WINTER 2009!!! These are now available on my website on the copper rings page.

cheers!
xo diane

Rarest of Them All Event

Tasty Jewelry along with *annemarie* & Sweettooth Bags will be sharing a booth this Wednesday at the 2nd Annual Rarest of Them All event brings everything Austin to life for an incredible 4-hour event in the heart of downtown Austin.
LOCATION
This year's event will be held at the acclaimed Long Center for the Performing Arts (Last year's event hosted over 1500 people at the Monarch) overlooking the Austin skyline.

THE RAREST OF AUSTIN
We've invited local businesses who won the Rarest of Them All Reader's Choice awards (held by Rare Magazine) to host interactive vendor booths where attendees will have a chance to enjoy unique theatrics, entertainment, free cocktails and food.

LIVE MUSIC
Openers Harlem and DJ Manny are set to get the party started, followed by the incredible talent of White Denim. After dark, we will launch a spectacular fireworks show hosted by Wolf Stuntworks, followed by the Headliner Grupo Fantasma -- they're gonna rock the house!

Art Festival May 30th

Just a few days ago it was brought to my attention that the Hyatt Regency Austin was going to be having an Arts Festival and that they needed vendors. So I thought it might be fun to show my work.

If you are in the Austin, TX area and would be interested in attending, the festival is at the Hyatt Regency Austin on the Marker 10 patio from 12pm - 2pm Saturday May 30th. It is a short show and is free to the public. I'll be interested to see who is in attendance....Hope to see you there!



cheers!
xo diane

etsy shop now open

I've decided after long last to try to post a few items over on Etsy. If you don't know what that is, perhaps you've been hiding under a rock for the past year or so... Okay, so perhaps I'm being a little hard on you. Etsy is a website where people have their own "online shop" and predominantly features handmade goods. You can also find supplies, vintage items etc. but its mostly about all things hand crafted.

Since I have my own website I was reluctant to join, but since everyone and their brother seem to be on it, well, this little lemming decided she'd go over there too.

I have added a gallery view on the sidebar of what I have listed online. You can check out my site: www.tastyjewelry.etsy.com and even subscribe via RSS feed so that you are notified when I post new goodies.

I've decided to place newer items that don't really seem to fit my "graphic and mod" sense that I have on my website and it's a great way to try out new designs. Its a whole lot of work to list the items, but if its going to drive more traffic to my current website and get my name out there more, then hey, I'm all for it.

Let me know what you think. I'd like to keep adding new things and even plan to use it to list "reduced priced" items. Ah, I'm sure you'll like that part. :)

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