I Scream, We Scream, We All Scream for...Earrings!

Every family has road trip traditions, right? Ours - finding fun ice cream shoppes along the way. No matter what the season. Here we are, in Sausalito, a couple of years ago. It was Spring Break. It was cold. But that didn't stop us from getting some scoops and enjoying the view of The City!

Ice cream has come a long way since I was a kid. I remember going to Thrifty's when scoops were fifteen cents. Yes, I'm that old! And the flavors from which you could choose were basic: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint chip, and bubblegum. There may have been a few more flavors - butter pecan comes to mind - but not too many. Combinations were had by getting more than one scoop with whatever flavors you wanted to combine. And the ice cream tower teetered precariously on your cone while you ran your tongue from one flavor to the next.  Gone are those days.

Ice cream flavors now are dictated by what's in season and bound only by the creativity of the ice cream maker. Think stawberry-pink peppercorn, wild fennel, roasted barley, and olive oil chocolate sea salt. As far as my boys are concerned, the funkier the flavor, the better. Once I picked up ice cream scoops while the boys were napping in the car. D looked at what I had chosen for him and, with disappointment oozing from his eyes, lamented, "Mommy, I like the creative flavors better." I had gotten him burnt caramel.

Perennial favorites...and definitely our top two picks in the Central California area...

If you're in the East Bay, don't miss Ici in the Elmwood District. That's a strawberry-pink peppercorn and candied blood orange in the photo.

Or, if you're in Santa Cruz, checking out Penny Ice Creamery is a must. They now have two locations. That was the pluot sorbet I had the last time we were there.

So, on our 10-day camping trip, we hit a handful of ice cream spots from Eureka to Santa Rosa. And the colors inspired this month's earrings of the month for my subscribers. Think icy stones and copper cones. I'll post photos soon, but I needed to get this write-up done and out the door. Enjoy.

Skies at Blue Lake {Earrings of the Month}

Late, late, late and - hopefully - worth the wait. I had put off my July shipment, hoping that I would master a wire wrapping technique for my subscribers. But, I wasn't happy with the results. Boo. So, I found inspiration in the skies overhead at Modoc National Forest and whipped up some creations that reminded me of those dramatic colors and clouds. Sorry for the delay, ladies!

We take a 10-day camping trip every summer, starting with a few days with my in-laws at Blue Lake. And, though we go every year, I am always astounded by the clouds. I don't know if it's the altitude - or what - but the clouds there are unlike any I have ever seen before.

When I mention it to my husband, every year, he just shrugs. "That's what I grew up with. I don't really know what you mean." Fine. 

This is what I mean: cotton candy clouds. These are the clouds that little kids draw on their papers in kindergarten. They are bulbous and so, so white. We don't have these clouds at the coast. Or, at least, they are very rare. While we kayak or canoe around the lake, I always look up and play I Spy in the formations. 

This year, in addition to the fluffy cotton candy clouds, we also had ominous, grey clouds that were stunning as well. They moved in quickly and blanketed the entire horizon. 

I wasn't too thrilled with the five inches of rain we got in less than twenty-four hours, but the clouds were pretty.

For my catch-up earrings (these should have been for July!) I created one-of-a-kind pieces with freshwater pearls in shades from white to indigo, neon blue apatite, golden pyrite, grey labradorite, and crackly blue matte glass beads. I didn't photograph all of them. I hope the gals enjoy these, despite their tardiness. They'll be in the mail tomorrow!

Reflections of Growth {Earrings of the Month}

The end of the school year almost always brings to me tears with the chaos that ensues from tying up all the loose ends and unfinished projects. But, as my boys were reflecting on their respective school years and finalizing their summative assessments for various teachers, I took some time to pause and look at the tremendous growth we’ve seen this year. No tears, just deep breaths. From their typing skills to their analytical abilities, this school year has taken my kids to new heights. So, on that note, I was inspired to create pieces that – to me – illustrated growth and change. I had some Rhyolite from a trip to Oregon a few years ago and love how the colors remind me of an old growth forest – with its palate of green and brown and I used green onyx for growth and the glittering Golden Pyrite represents success.

Oregon Rhyolite, Golden Pyrite, Hematite, and green onyx are handwired with sterling silver findings to create one-of-a-kind pieces just for my subscribers. Enjoy!

Whispers of Pearls {Earrings of the Month}

"And the music of the pearl drifted to a whisper and disappeared..."

John Steinbeck, The Pearl

I just love the international legends I found about pearls. For ancient Chinese, natural black pearls were created in the brains of dragons and fell from the sky when dragons fought. Chinese art often depicts a dragon holding onto the pearl safely between its teeth or paws.

An ancient myth from Ceylon portrays a lake of tears created as a result of tears shed by Adam and Eve. From Eve’s tears, white pearls were created whereas from Adam’s tears came black pearls. Since men were thought to shed fewer tears than women, the scarcity of Adam’s tears is used to explain the rarity of black pearls as compared to white ones. 

The Japanese equated pearls with tears of mythical nymphs, mermaids and angels. Ancient Greeks believed that pearls were formed when rain or dewdrops haphazardly fell into an oyster.  In ancient Greece, pearls symbolized love and marriage; wearing them supposedly promoted marital bliss. And we could all use some of that, right?

The MAY EcoChic Designs’ Earrings are made with freshwater pearls, icy aquamarine, pale amethyst, and glittering moonstone. All are handwired with sterling silver findings to create one-of-a-kind pieces...and they are in the mail to my subscribers today. I hope they enjoy them.

Magical Ice Crystals {Earrings of the Month}

We just returned from seven days in the snow. We headed up to Lake Tahoe for the first week of the boys’ Spring break. 

We skied, threw snowballs, hiked, snow-shoed, read books, played games, and watched Frozen. I had steered clear of it in the movie theatre after a little friend of ours declared it ‘a girls’ movie.’ I figured we could wait till it came out on DVD. And when we were at the grocery store in Tahoe, I spotted it in the RedBox and rented it for the evening. I have to say: we enjoyed it more than the LEGO movie and watched it multiple times before returning it! The patterns of the ice fractals were gorgeous…and we hunted for them during our outings.

Inspired by these ice columns we encountered on a trek to Bill and Flora’s Point near Royal Gorge, I created this month’s earrings…

Magical Ice Crystals

Clear quartz, icy moonstone, pale blue aquamarine, and barely green prehnite are all handwired to create these one-of-a-kind pieces made especially for my subscribers!

 

‘Lighting Sun’ Tulip Necklace and Earring Set {Donation}

Inspired by the shades and stature of the Lighting Sun tulips, I created this especially for the York School Auction Gala, April 2014.

Carnelian nuggets, orange recycled glass, and faceted moonstone are all handwired with sterling silver to create this one-of-a-kind necklace and earring set. These pieces feature upcycled sterling findings and chain; the sterling ear wires are handmade by an artisan in the San Francisco bay area.

Ravishing, Radiant Rhubarb {Earrings of the Month}

My kitchen and my jewelry are colliding this month. I have a slight obsession with rhubarb. Whenever I see it, I swoop in and buy it by the armful during the two months I can find it; I pine for it the other ten months out of the year! It’s so fresh, so tart, and so pretty. I love the bright crimson stalks and emerald green foliage.

Needless to say, when I saw this...

it's candied rhubarb on top of an ice cream sundae at the Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz, I was inspired to create this month’s Eco-Chic Designs earrings-of-the-month…

RAVISHING, RADIANT RHUBARB

This month’s earrings are made with pink and green quartz, pink and green tourmaline, watermelon tourmaline, pink agate, green aventurine, and green onyx - all handwired with sterling silver, hanging from handmade sterling silver earwires. I hope my subscribers enjoy these!

And I'll share a few of my favorite rhubarb recipes as well. These, and more, are all posted at my kitchen blog: Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

Rhubarb-Oregano Quinoa Tabbouleh

Rhubarb Crostata

Roasted Lobster with Rhubarb Sauce