Winter Holiday in London - Part Two

I haven't been hiding....just not in a blogging mood (Goodness, I think I've said this before!).  I guess I've been busy and preoccupied ... and not very chatty.  But I do want to share. Suddenly today, even though I have a million other little things on my To Do List, I'm back!  

After Copenhagen, I went to London on New Years Day and spent 3 days wandering .... alone.  Something I haven't done in years.  My goal was to visit the Victoria & Albert Museum and British Museum ... to spend two full days without distraction (from a 6 year old or hubby, no offense guys!) and really take in all the ancient jewelry for inspiration and knowledge.  And I did it!  

Day one... 

I arrived in the afternoon and decided to brave the weather.  I walked around the Tower of London, across Tower bridge through the rain, ran into the nearest pub for hot soup and cold brew, then caught the tube to Parliament and on to Westminster Abbey.  When I came out of the Tube at Parliament, the sky was deep blue and everything was warmly lit... the sight was breathtaking!  And there were still Christmas trees glowing with tiny white lights everywhere.  Unfortunately everything was closed but I got lucky.... a free organ concert was about to begin at Westminster Abbey!  After a short wait (at a nearby pub) I entered the Abbey.  As I walked through the doors, I looked up... guess who centered directly above the doors and was looking down at me???  Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.... our own American hero!  I smiled.  The concert was lovely but as I only had three hours of sleep the night before (after New Year's Eve in Copenhagen), I almost fell asleep.  After the concert, I headed back to my hotel for a much needed slumber.

tower bridge

parliament

westminster abbey 

entrance to westminster abbey

dr. martin luther king jr. 

Cold and rainy?  Who cares!!!! London is spectacular!

To be continued....

Winter Holiday in Copenhagen and London - Part One

I really had the travel bug last year and was able to fulfill my longing by being invited to Copenhagen to be in my friend's wedding right after Christmas before the new year.  The end of December wouldn't be my first choice for a trip to Europe but I'm not complaining!

I stayed with some friends at the wonderful Admiral Hotel, right on the water in the old part of Copenhagen between Nyhavn (old colorful harbor) and Amalienborg( the royal residence) and across from the fabulous modern Opera House. The hotel was renovated from an old 18th century warehouse with restaurants designed by Conran. In addition to the beautiful wedding and festivities (of which I have no photos!), my Danish friend Filippa who I hadn't seen in twenty five years met me one morning and took me around town to many beautiful spots including the oldest tea shop in Europe called A.C. Perch's Tea Shop and the oldest confectionary shop, La Glace, for little cakes and tea.  Another friend of mine from high school who now lives in London came for a visit and took us to dinner at the oldest Danish restaurant in town with character and charm galore called Det Lille Apotek where Hans Christian Anderson used to go.   Copenhagen is really a fun mix quaint and contemporary with charming antique buildings and vintage shops mixed right in with super modern new architecture and hip boutiques. I look forward to coming back one day when the trees are green and the flowers are in bloom!

Admiral Hotel by day

Royal Opera House

Groovy apartments on the water

View of Nyhavn from wedded couples loft!

Nyhavn

Admiral Hotel at night

Europe's oldest amusement park...inspiration for Disneyland

Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid ... more than 100 years old!

My trip was lovely though I must admit I am very happy to be home.  Since I hadn't been away alone without either my husband or son in over 6 years, I was really looking forward to a little ME time.  Well, what I learned about myself was that I was able to fulfill my ME need in about two days.  Almost nine days away was a little too much....I missed my guys!

Jewelry Gift Certificates on PK Studios Etsy Shop

PK Studios Jewelry Design Etsy Shop 

now has what you have all been waiting for......

Gift Certificates !!!

Do you need a quick gift for someone but are not sure what to choose? A great treat for your mother, daughter, wife, sister, co-worker, or loved one...You can't go wrong with a gift certificate!

I have posted different gift amounts...

$50, $75, $100, and $150

but if you would like a specific amount, please contact me and I will customize a card for you.

I can send you or the gift recipient the actual PAPER gift certificate which includes free USPS First Class shipping or I can email an ELECTRONIC gift certificate if you wish to go paperless or need a last minute gift.

Our Green Black Friday

I had to share some images of our lovely day after Turkey Day....

Don't get me wrong, Thanksgiving Day was fabulous too but I don't think you are interested in seeing photos of our 5 hour drive and then pigging out at my brother and sister-in-laws house where we devoured two turkeys (one roasted and one smoked)!

My hubby, six year old and I drove from Paradise (yes, this is a REAL town in Northern California) north to Sterling City to help Grandma and Grandpa pick out at Christmas tree then we took off in search of a fishing hole.  We ended up four wheeling down a steep canyon on a dirt road (with NO name) pitted with puddles from the previous day's rain which always gives me a headache for fear of being stuck in the middle of NOWHERE.  But we made it down to the bottom, crossed a bridge and hiked to a secluded spot  on the Feather River.  The air was chilly but the sun came out and the weather turned glorious.  The boys fished for trout and I fished for heart shaped rocks.   Unfortunately no fish were to be had but I hit the jackpot... I found five little lovely valentines (though I can't take credit for the tiny black one which my son found)!

Half way through our afternoon as I watched my son totter over the tippy rocks along the river following his adventurous father to find better fishing spots, PRAYING that he didn't fall in, I had him give me his fluffy coat in case my fear came to pass.  Sure enough, about two minutes before we were to pack up, he lost his balance and fell..... TOTALLY drenched from head to toe in freezing cold water.  I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.  I decided to laugh.  I'm not sure whether I'm psychic or paranoid but I thanked GOODNESS for the warm dry coat ... and my little guys courage.  He just smiled and shivered.  Sorry .... I don't have a photo of that one : )

"Live simply that others may simply live."

~ Elizabeth Ann Seton ~

CYBER MONDAY Holiday Jewelry Sale on Etsy

I must admit that I am NOT crazy about the saying "Black Friday" or "Cyber Monday".... they don't sound very festive or full of holiday cheer.  But since I decided to put on a little holiday sale I figured I should also reach out to those who use those types of terms to find great deals.  SO, I am putting on my first ...

ETSY  SALE!!!  

November 28 thru December 4

Selected items are ...

 TEN PERCENT OFF!  

That is a really great deal since I am also adding ...

 FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING! 

 and ...

  FREE HOLIDAY GIFT WRAP!

.....AND.....

if you go to the top of my Etsy Shop and click the Facebook "Like" button, which will update you on all my latest jewelry listing and news, I will give you an extra 5% off your purchase (sale and non-sale items) ... but you must contact me through Etsy so I can give you the coupon code to use at checkout.

To reach my shop, you can click on "Etsy Sale!!!" above, or click on my jewelry photos on the right side of my blog.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING HANDMADE!

Unique Handmade Fine Silver Jewelry for Great Holiday Gifts!

I've been busy using some of my newly acquired (and a few I haven't played with in awhile!) vintage bronze jewelry dies from Afghanistan to create new unique wearable pieces in pure silver metal clay..... still handmade by me in my little Ojai studio and fired in my mini kiln. And I decided to play a bit more with braiding Irish linen for cords in different colors.  It was a little tricky securing the braided cord ends in an attractive way.  I tried several different ways which failed my aesthetically critical eye and was about to give up (for the day, that is) when VOILA!, the Universe came to my rescue and a solution finally came through my thick skull.  I'm excited about the results... and I especially LOVE the braided red linen!

 All items available, or soon to be, in my Etsy online shop.

Tribal Heart Necklace

Floral Blossom Necklace

Floral Mandala Necklace

 

Arabesque Heart Necklace

"A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist."

~ Louis Nizer

Viking and Celtic Wedding Mandala

I have not ordered a hat yet because I decided to spend the money on silk long underwear for my trip to Denmark!  Out of the blue, my "oldest" friend who I've known since we were seven (that's 38 years!!) and who is basically like a sister to me, fell in love this summer and is getting married just after Christmas in Copenhagen.  I've been busy getting air and hotel reservations as well as making a special wedding gift for her. I was honored when she asked me if I would create a mandala representing her and her betrothed.  As he is of Viking descent and she of Celtic descent, I drew from the knotted and triskele designs of those ancient cultures.  I played around sketching the initials of their last name and finally figured a way to weave the two letters into a mandala love knot.  Once she approved the preliminary pencil sketch, I elaborated on the idea and you can see the progress below.  Each step was created using tracing paper over the previous sketch, all with a drafting pencil.  I photographed each step with my iphone and turned them sepia on iphoto (for the blog).  The final sketch was scanned and cleaned up on Adobe Photoshop, zooming in close and using a white "brush" to clean the negative space and a black "brush" to fill in any holes in the line work and smooth everything out.  The original design is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.

My friend is going to use this mandala on their wedding invitation and thank you cards.  I can't wait to share the printed version with you.... it will be a surprise for all of us to see how she and the printer decide to use the mandala!

"Love conquers all; let us too yield to love."

~ Viking Runic Love Quote ~

Congratulations Shelley and Claus!!!!