Checking the list

Hi All! It's been way to long as usual. I'm getting really tired of hearing myself say that. I really need to fix this..... But time just doesn't seem to slow down! And I'm realizing a full time job, making jewelry, doing photography and seeing friends/family really takes up more time then I even have. Not sure how I squeeze it all in! Good thing I'm single right now. Wait... did I just say that? haha

I thought it's about time to check in and see how I'm doing on my list. It was a big one and I read through it a couple weeks ago and thought I was doing pretty good! Like my good friend Courtney says, she loves lists. The best part about lists is checking them off! Although she is much better at it then me :)

So here goes:

1. empty 2nd bedroom for new roomy (in the process) - DONE! Roomy moved in and things are great :)
2. family photo shoots for friends (3 booked next weekend, 1 the following!) - Shoots all done and edited... phew!
3. edit Jacoby pics (hoping to finish some tonight) - DONE! They turned out as cute as can be. He's such a handsome little man.
4. goodwill run to drop off my car FULL of stuff- DONE! Filled my car to the ceiling! (Literally!!)
5. carve pumpkins with friends - DONE! Had a blast and carved an awesome "O" for the ducks :)
6. post a tutorial on how I made my headboard - eeeks..... slacking on this one. Still need to take time to do this.
7. go on a date? (haha, currently nothing planned) - I guess I can say I went out on a date :)
8. celebrate dad's birthday (which is today!) - Of course I celebrated Dad's b-day! Although I think divulging his age might put me in danger.
9. buy my new iMac! - DONE! Just got it a couple weeks ago and it is GORGEOUS!!! I'm typing on it right now and I can't wait for my new desk to arrive this week.
10. continue to work on health & gym workouts... (lost 14lbs so far... and continuing) - OH YEAH!!! I'm actually at 25lbs now! And still continuing to improve on health. Needing to hit the gym more too :)
11. make some new jewelry - DONE! Made some really cool new jewelry for Christmas and truly enjoyed it this year.
12. work on jewelry website - Arg... didn't quite make this one. Can I have some more time in my days please?
13. work on photography website - See above. Although I'm probably closer at finishing this one.
14. buy a new camera bag (or patiently wait until Christmas) - Patience pays off you know. I got my beautiful camera bag for christmas from Epiphani!
15. build a newsletter - Shoot. Still need to do this as well.
16. build a few giveaways for website launch! - And this.
17. start planning jewelry open house for december - DONE! Had a great party with amazing talented friends that joined me!
18. look into a photo session for myself! - Yes, I've looked into it, but I'm still a long ways off.
19. organize my studio (Tayler has offered to help again.... YAY!) - Well..... it's gotten a little better, but still in the works.
20. go to a movie (feels like forever since I've been) - DONE! Went to a couple movies :)
21. connect with friends I haven't seen in a while - DONE! Got to see a lot of great friends at the end of last year.
22. love on Bentley (ongoing and ongoing and ongoing...) - DONE, DONE and DONE... and of course ongoing. He's the cutest sweetest puppers ever. I am so lucky to have him! He makes me smile everyday.
23. frame a bunch of pictures and build a photo montage in my living room
24. clean my carpets - DONE! Didn't turn out quite like I had wanted... but it's still better then before.
25. make more ducks & beaver jewelry - DONE! Sold more Duck and Beaver jewelry then ever before!
26. make some jewelry to bring in to Avenue 5 - DONE! I can't even tell you how happy I have to check this one off this list. I am now in a gorgeous store downtown and the 2 owners couldn't be nicer!
27. wash my car - Although I don't recall... I'm sure this got done. But, it could really use it again right about now.
28. go to a concert - Does the nutcracker and A Christmas Story play count? Probably not, but equally as fabulous!
29. do a total makeover on my bedroom closet (might have to call Tayler for this one too....) - Still in the works :(

Ducks vs. Beavers

That is the magic question.... at least it is for many oregonians! I have never talked about football on here before, but it's becoming a part of my fall Saturday's, so it was bound to come out.

I'm a duck fan and we're 10-0 right now! Whoo hoo! I've been wanting to promote my ducks and beaver jewelry for a while, but things got a little crazy and it got put on the back burner. So tomorrow I have a photo shoot with 2 cute girls (1 duck, 1 beaver) to catch them in the spirit rocking some of my jewelry! So we'll see how that turns out (praying the rain holds off a little)

I'll post pics soon!

XOXO,

Elena

So, I've been drooling over camera bags for some time now.... and Epiphany and Pamela Topping are doing a giveaway!! So of course I'm dying, and want to enter every chance I get...

So I have 8 chances to win

Suggest Epiphanie on Facebook to your friends - Done

Like Epiphanie on Facebook - Done

*Like* or suggest Pamela Topping Photography & Actions on Facebook - Done

Tweet about this giveaway - Done

Blog about this giveaway - Doing it as we speak!

Post about this giveaway on a forum

Make a purchase at Epiphanie

Make a purchase at Pamela Topping - Might have to look into this

I think it's between these two styles, and I would love it in turqoiuse

Cross your fingers!! I NEED a new camera bag! :)

You should check them both out, this photography industry is sucking me in.....

xoxo,

Elena

Lazy/Rainy Sunday

So, what better day then today to do a blog post? It's a lazy Sunday, and it's raining. No wait, it's cleared up... no wait, it's raining again. Yep, welcome to the NW!

Yesterday I spent the day with a good friend Tayler who was gracious enough to help me purge my 2nd bedroom for a new roomy that's moving in at the end of the month! It was a LOT of work... she is amazing, I don't think I could have done it without her. One HUGE trip to goodwill be taken today, and that is going to be one BIG tax write off next year!

So much is on my mind right now, so many things I want/need to do! I'm feeling like I should make a list so I don't forget anything... In no particular order:

1. empty 2nd bedroom for new roomy (in the process)
2. family photo shoots for friends (3 booked next weekend, 1 the following!)
3. edit Jacoby pics (hoping to finish some tonight)
4. goodwill run to drop off my car FULL of stuff
5. carve pumpkins with friends
6. post a tutorial on how I made my headboard
7. go on a date? (haha, currently nothing planned)
8. celebrate dad's birthday (which is today!)
9. buy my new iMac!
10. continue to work on health & gym workouts... (lost 14lbs so far... and continuing)
11. make some new jewelry
12. work on jewelry website
13. work on photography website
14. buy a new camera bag (or patiently wait until Christmas)
15. build a newsletter
16. build a few giveaways for website launch!
17. start planning jewelry open house for december
18. look into a photo session for myself!
19. organize my studio (Tayler has offered to help again.... YAY!)
20. go to a movie (feels like forever since I've been)
21. connect with friends I haven't seen in a while
22. love on Bentley (ongoing and ongoing and ongoing...)
23. frame a bunch of pictures and build a photo montage in my living room
24. clean my carpets
25. make more ducks & beaver jewelry
26. make some jewelry to bring in to Avenue 5
27. wash my car
28. go to a concert
29. do a total makeover on my bedroom closet (might have to call Tayler for this one too....)

I think that seems like enough to keep me busy for a while!

Here are my dream camera bags... by Kelly Moore. And I can't even begin to decide on what color I want! These are just my favorites. I want one so bad! But my mom thinks I should hold out until Christmas.

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend! Oh, and I see the sun reflecting on the building outside. Gorgeous! Oh wait..... literally in the time it took to write this, it went away. Boo.

XOXO,

Elena

One of my loves...

Hello there :)

Many of you know that one of my great loves is photography. I actually try hard and not let it consume me, because I like where it's at. I want to enjoy shooting and editing and not feel like I have to. I wish I could give more time to it, but I just can't.... this full time job I have seems to get in the way of these fun things. But oh well, I make due ;)

So, I've been trying to work on both my jewelry website and my photography website! The jewelry one is to showcase and sell my jewelry (yes, you'll be able to buy off my website!!!) and the photography one is just to show and share my work.

I'll keep this short and sweet, it's snuggle time with my Bentlers. But here's a snap shot of my splash page for my photo website!

I just finished editing an engagement shoot of my gorgeous friend Michele and her adorable fiance Jeff. They have to be some of my favorite photos I've taken!! So I had to feature them on the front page of my website, and of course you'll see more inside.

Also, I'm getting close to finishing my headboard that I've been working on for... (let's just not say) that will be it's own blog post of course, but I'm pretty excited about it!

XOXO,

Elena

Redesigning

So, I'm not even going to make excuses why it has taken me so long to post. Not fair, for either sides. But I'm getting back into the swing of things and getting pretty excited to be honest with you!

One reason (maybe a smaller one) is that I was falling out of love with my blog. It was looking pretty boring to me. So I said I was going to switch it up, but then I would just get so overwhelmed and never finish it. But this week I did some investigating. I was going to switch my whole blog over to wordpress, but it was taking too long to get the look I wanted. So I just started tweaking with mine and am liking what I have so far.

So call it a redesign! And hopefully the start to fun things to come. I have a lot on my to do list, and I really need to start holding myself accountable! haha. Guess I've just been having too much fun, which really isn't a crime either. I just have some things I'm passionate about that deserve some attention too :)

I do want to leave you with something fun... so I am attaching something amazing to watch. This is a same day edit video that my friends from Ambient Sky made. They truly capture every wonderful moment just perfectly. And I think it's so incredible that everyone got to watch this at the reception!!! How fun to see the beautiful day come together like that. Can't wait till they can capture my special day!

View on ExposureRoom

This is one of my favorite videos! I love all the smiling :)

XOXO,

Elena

Elena went missing...

So, it's really sad it's been over 3 months since my last blog post... just when I thought I was getting better! So much has happened, so I will try and spread it out a little bit in different posts so it doesn't get overwhelming! (we can't have too much excitement at once, can we? Ok... maybe we can!)

So first off, I just sent out my invitation to my 3rd annual Jewelry party! Which I think will be pretty fabulous because I have 2 amazing friends joining me. My friend Allison is joining me again for the 2nd time. Milina Co. is the name of her business and they have the most fabulous soaps, scrubs, bath bombs and much more!! It's going to be dangerous this year... I have lots I've been wanting. Not only is it great smelling, it feel so great on your skin! And what a better time then the winter season so give your skin some pampering...

My friend Lisa will also be joining me for the first time. She has a newly launched business is called Minnie Lola. She makes baby blankets, bib, burb cloths in the most amazing prints! She also has adorable hair clips (that I secretly wish were big enough for me) I'm super excited to have amazing handmade things to give as baby gifts now.

If you are interested in coming to my jewelry open house, check out my evite:

Monili Bella Open House

Below are a couple pics from last year and some other fun stuff you can expect to see :)

I hope to see you there! If you are having trouble viewing the invitation, please contact me and I will send you details! elena@monilibella.com

More posts to come soon, I promise!

xoxo,

Elena

Tweet tweet, poke, blog, wall... what??

I can't believe it's been over a month!  Shame on me.  But I've been having a ball, so I hope you'll forgive me.  Camping, boating, photography...  so much fun stuff to do, SO little time.

I'll try to make it short and sweet.  I've been overwhelmed with inspiration this past weekend and I'm trying to roll with it.  I could easily run scared because there is so much going through this brain of mine...  It's exhausting.  But instead, I'm getting super excited and trying to get connected to the world out there!

In a previous post, I mentioned joining Facebook.  And to be honest, it was a really great decision!  I honestly feel much more connected to so many people in my life that I might not have the opportunity to connect with otherwise.  It has kept me closer to family, good friends, co-workers, even long lost school friends, and others that I have met along the way. The best part is getting to see/hear/read what's going on in others lives without being intrusive.  People post what they want others to see and it's great to be able to catch up on your own time.

Another great thing with Facebook is "Facebook Pages" for businesses. What a great way to get a fan base started and find other business you love too!

Anyway...  this is getting long already, geesh Elena.....  Long story short, Monili Bella has joined Facebook AND Twitter!!

I can also honestly say, I think the website is FINALLY coming along!  So I am envisioning some fun stuff coming up in the near future.

If you would like to connect with me on either Twitter or Facebook, you will now see some new widgets on the right hand side of my blog, feel free to give them a click!

Cheers everyone!

Elena

Mmm mmm good!

I just made a wonderful Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp and had to share the recipe! It just came out of the oven, and after about 10 minutes of sitting, I had to dig in! It is a great combination of tart and sweet although I like it a lot because it's not too sweet. I did use more fruit then it called for because I wanted to use up my strawberries, and I had a lot of Rhubarb to use as well.

I signed up at work for a "Harvest Bag" from Sun Gold Farms this summer with a friend of mine. We get fresh veggies/fruits/flowers/herbs every Thursday! It started June 18th and will go through October. The first week our harvest bag included Oregon strawberries (SOO sweet and delicious!) lettuce, pinto beans, rhubarb, onions, kohlrabi, and a calendula plant. My mom also signed up for the same thing through her employer and she wasn't going to use the rhubarb, so I acquired hers as well. Yesterday we received even more rhubarb (and more yummies of course) so I decided I best be gettin' baking with all my fresh rhubarb!  So since I had extra rhubarb and extra strawberries, I added more fruit to the recipe (see below) I think this is one of those things you can't mess up too bad...  It's all personal preference.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries (I used about 4.5 cups)
3 cups diced rhubarb (I used about 5 large stalks)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup rolled oats

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. Place the mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish.


Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. You may want to use a pastry blender for this (I just mixed it with my thoroughly washed hands). Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.


Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and lightly browned.

 Ta Da!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Elena

Lots to talk about

Hey Hey! It's been way too long (as usual) which I guess is kind of a good thing because that mean's I've been busy with lots of fun stuff (right?!)  So much has happened since my last post, where do I begin??

Well, first off... I was in Hawaii in April/May which was amazing!! I loved it there, and I actually contemplated how I could live there! But after some long (non-drinking) thinking, I realized I would probably get horrible island fever... so maybe I should keep Hawaii for a great vacation spot. Maui was incredible, more then I ever could have expected, and I swear I saw almost the whole island! (almost) We did the rode to Hana, went up to Haleakula, snorkeling at Molokini, went to a Luau in Kaanapali, went to the Tedechi Winery, breakfast in Paiia, dinner at Mama's Fish House (probably the most amazing meal I've ever had!) and on and on... Lots of hiking too! It was a very rewarded vacation.

I took SOOOOO many pictures there, I just can't wait to work on them and get them posted for people to see. But realistically, that will be a little bit due to some other priorities.

Some other things that have been happening with me include and engagement shoot for a friend of mine at work. She's getting married in July with a 20/30's theme and had her engagement photo's done by the amazing Courtney Jade with the same theme! Needless to say they turned out AMAZING!! I helped with the shoot a little for posing etc. and took some shots myself. Little I did know the beautiful girl that sits next to me at work is one of the most photogenic girls I've met!! Her wedding is going to be spectacular, which I am helping shoot with Courtney. Here is a pic from her engagement session that speaks for itself.



Next big thing happening is I'm actually helping Courtney shoot a wedding today! (yes, today!) I couldn't sleep this morning, so I thought I would get a blog post in. I am excited because I used to work with the bride, she is such a doll and I work with one of the bridesmaids as well. So it will be a fun wedding to shoot with such gorgeous girls! I am also excited because I did all the bridal jewelry which will be fun to see on and get some snap shots of! (Pics to come later)

Lastly, but probably the biggest is....... I'm bringing a new member of the family home TOMORROW!!! That is actually why I can't sleep. This has been the longest week ever of waiting... But at least I feel more prepared now, and hopefully the transition will go smoothly.

His name is Bentley William (middle name only for show) and he is a Goldendoodle. I think he's the cutest puppy i've ever seen! Take a look!

Wouldn't you be anxious to get this little guy home??

So in a nutshell, that's what's been going on with me! I am hoping to keep my blog posts flowing a little more regular. But forgive me now if Bentley shows up in a few of them.

Hawaii pics coming soon!

XOXO,
Elena

Bragging time

Hola amigos!  Tuve el tiempo más fabuloso en México! Which for all you of you going "huh?" that means, Hello Friends, I had the most fabulous time in Mexico! And no, I don't really know spanish (I had to look that up) but I came back very inspired to learn! Well, it's bragging time... First off, I have to say it was the best vacation that i've ever had!! It was absolutely perfect :)

When I arrived on Sunday 3/15, I was picked up my dad and a good family friend at the airport. The sun was shining, I think it must have been 85 degrees! When we arrived at Sunset Beach, I just about died, it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! So for the next 7 days, I was in paradise. Good food, lots of drinks, lunch delivered pool side and wonderful tanning!

Oh and the pool I posted earlier the one at night ended up being my favorite pool there! There were only 5 to choose from, and I made sure I laid by every single one of them too! :)

Here are some pics from my trip:

This was what I got to wake up to for 7 days!

Relaxing in the pool, life was so rough.

This was one of my favorite things... Getting lunch delivered pool side! And the food was so delicious :) I wish I got a picture of the guacamole... that was probably the best guac I've ever had. They made is fresh behind the bar when you ordered it!

My view from breakfast one morning with my lovely Mimosa

Where we sat everyday soaking up the view!

I also took my D90 with me to shoot some scenic pics. I could have shot all day and every day. And although that is what I easily could have donw, I allowed myself plenty of time to relax by the pools and soak up some sun. Here are a few of favorites from around Cabo, Todos Santos and San Jose Del Cabo:
















So, poor me... I am off to Hawaii a week from tomorrow! And I am super excited to shoot some more pics. Actually that is what I am going to try and focus on while I am there, my photography. I have always loved it... but have let it slip away and I have gotten so inspired by such amazing people around me that it is making me want to jump back in!!

Business is still kicking. Taxes were sure fun this year, but have totally inspired me to get super organized! So when I get back from Hawaii, there is going to be some major organization going on with the business as well as throwing myself into my website to get that baby up and running! I can't stand it anymore. And I finally got a light box that should take care of some of my lighting issues with my jewelry. I look forward to working on that when I get back from my travels.

Hope everyone is doing well!
XOXO,
Elena

Miss me?

It has been way too long... wow. Over a month?! So sad. But I'm back, and I've been wanting to post things for quite sometime! But every time I log on, I end up staring at the screen. Possibly too much information and I've had a hard time filtering.

So, here's the scoop. Website is still plugging along! And trust me, it will be well worth the wait when it's out and I'm excited to have some giveaways to go along with it!! (Whoo hoo! Free jewelry!) It is looking like it will be April for the launch, possibly May. But I'm really hoping for April. These dang vacations that I wasn't expecting are taking up some of my mind space. Poor me, right?

I know I have told you about Hawaii in my previous post, but I have more to add! More vacation you say? Oh yeah! Soon after I had my Hawaii trip was planned an opportunity came up for Mexico and I had to jump on it!! So in 9 days (me squeeling here) I will be off to Cabo to relax in the sun! All I want to do is lay by the pool with a book in hand and a margarita in arms reach. Aahhhh.... Here is a pick of the pool I will be doing that by!!




Or maybe this one?
Ok, I feel a little guilty showing those... But I couldn't help it!
More big news is that there is an addition to my family! Her name is Rosalie and she is gorgeous! She is very speedy and pale white :) Here she is:

Did you think I was talking about a vampire?

I wish I looked this good from the side :)

She even has a cute little butt!

So I just had to show her off, I love her so much! I guess this is the year to spoil myself! :)

As soon as I get some pictures taken of some of my new jewelry I will post them for you. Hopefully I can find some time when I get back (all refreshed) from vacation and then I can hammer down and focus on my jewelry.

Until then, hope you are all doing well. Before I launch my website and after I will be sending out some fun updates to my mailing list, if you don't want to miss a beat...

***Sign up here!***

Updates, shupdates

Hiya!  It's been way too long since my last post.  I was all good around the holidays (when I was stuck at home of course) but, now that I am back to work... I seemed to have gotten caught up in the hussle and bussle of life!

First, I have to comment about Twilight.  If you've read my previous posts, you can tell I'm a fan of Twilight.  BUT....... little did I know HOW big of a fan I was!  Since my last post, I have continued on to read Eclipse and am about to finish Breaking Dawn tonight.  Warning... don't click on the links if you haven't read the books (and are planning to) there are spoilers.  Anyway, I have about 90 pages left tonight to read, and then my deep depression will begin.  I have enjoyed reading these books SOOO much, I can't even put into words actually how much I loved them.  I have a great group of girls at work that have also been enjoying them, so it's a blast to talk Twilight with them :)  I am counting down the days until the Movie comes out on DVD, which is March 21st by the way!  And yes, you can move me into the crazy-obsessed-Twilight-addict category now.   And by the way, I did love the movie.  Despite what some may say... It doesn't even touch the book, but I still think it was a great movie!

Website news.  I'm still working on my new website.  A little slower then I was anticipating.  I probably won't have it up by the end of the month, but I am still going to push for as close to that as possible!  I am waiting on a new flash and flash accessories for my camera, that I think will be a huge life savor for picture taking.  Oh, and I also just bought a new lens that I'm pretty stoked about.  It's a Nikon 85mm f/1.8D lens. (if you know photography) if you don't... it's a beautiful lens for portraits!  

Let's see, what else am I leaving out...  OH YES.  I can't believe I almost forgot!  I am going to Hawaii!!  I am SO ecstatic and I've never been, from what I've heard I know I will absolutely fall in love with it.  I'm really looking forward to a vacation with my mom and dad.  I realized I was 14 the last time we had an actual real family vacation (and that was half my life ago)!  We are planning on taking my grammy's ashes with us too and letting her feel the wonder of Hawaii.  She would love it there.  So my countdown begins, as of right now I have 93 days, 11 hours, 44 minutes and 32 seconds, no, 31,  30...   I'm really looking forward to getting a little sun on this skin.  Lord knows I need it!

I guess I should wrap it up, this turned into a long post and I just thought it was going to be a few sentences.  Oops.  I hope you all are having a fabulous 2009!  More to come very soon. XOXO

Irresistible!

Are you ready for something delicious?? I came across a cookie recipe yesterday (I should really say my mom found if for me) and they are THE best cookies I've ever had! We were at Crate and Barrel and wanted to buy a box of the Barefoot Contessa Chocolate Chunk Cookies in a pre-made mix... But at $9.95, I thought I would probably rather make them from scratch. So my mom found the recipe for me online!! Well, I don't think delicious or irresistible do these cookies justice. I can't believe how good they are. I should have known from the first nibble of cookie dough.

I just thought I would share the recipe with you. It is way to good to keep all to myself! You'll thank me later... (at least I hope you will)

Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Makes 36-40 cookies)

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and two sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the butter with the mixer on low speed, mixing only until combined. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chunks.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch-diameter ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Can you say Dee-lish?


But wait..... I must tell you what I did to the recipe. First of all I didn't have chocolate chunks, so I used chocolate chips (1.5 bags of them!) and then, in my opinion what made them so delicious was a half bag of peanut butter chips!!! Can you say YUM? If I make them again though, I would use 1 bag chocolate chips and 1 bag peanut butter chips. I just didn't have a full bag of PB chips, so I had to make due.... 

If anyone ends up making these, I would love to hear what you think about them!
Enjoy!!

Vampire Love...

So, I'm just going to come out and say it... Twilight it the best book i've read. I absolutely love it! I actually just finished it, and got a little depressed because it's done... but at least I have 3 more books to read! So now I understand what all the fuss was before the movie came out, because it truly is pretty fabulous. Literally the second I was done with Twilight I ran out telling my boyfriend we had to go buy the second one stat! Well, within the hour I was at Barnes and Noble buying "New Moon".  I started reading it late last night... and 180 pages later and 3:00 in the morning I had to pry it out of my hands so I could get some sleep!  Believe me, I didn't want to stop.  

I don't know if it's they way she writes or the story itself. But I really do think it was a beautifully written love story and had me consumed every minute of the day! When I first started reading Twilight, I was in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of the holidays with jewelry so I was really too exhausted at night to read. Well, I picked it up the other day and literally couldn't put it down. I read until the wee hours in the morning and then the next day I started it and wouldn't put it down until I read it all. I don't think my boyfriend knew what came over me!  Well, now that I've started the 2nd book, it's the same thing.  I will try to keep my reading to evening time though... so I can still get some things done around the house.

I am now dying to see the movie Twilight.  Since it's been out I've heard reviews on it, the only bad thing I've heard is that it's not as close to the book as people would have liked... which is weird because all the previews i've seen look pretty close to the movie.  I have to wait until Sunday night... and if you know me, that's really hard!  I really want to see it TODAY, actually yesterday...  But I have to wait until all the little elves have left my house.

So for those of you who like a good book (or series) you should really read the Twilight Books.  There are 4 of them.  Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse & Breaking Dawn.  Stephanie Meyer is the author and it's interesting to read her story on how Twilight came about, (read here).  She is SO talented!  I am a BIG Harry Potter fan, and I didn't think I would find something I liked better... yes I said better!!  For those of you who know me, I've been larger then a Harry Potter fan over the years.  So this is pretty big that I found something I like more and have found a love affair at the same time!  I can't even put into words how I feel about Edward, Stephanie does such a perfect job.  I can't wait to get back to my book tonight.

Did I mention how excited I am to see the movie?

Welcome to 2009!

Wow, can you believe it's 2009 already?  I remember last new years like it was yesterday.  Time flies way too fast!  And you know what?  What they say is true, the older you are, the faster time seems to fly.  My Grammy told me that, and she was a very wise woman.  I am happy to be welcoming 2009 with open arms.  Time for new adventures and to look forward.  I lost my last grandma in 2008 which is still very hard for me, but I'm glad she is happy and healthy where she is now.

So here is my little New Years card for all of you out there.

And now the count down begins... I told myself (and many of you) that I would love to get my website up by the end of this month! So here it is January already! But I think I will be ready, although as much time as I've had off (since the 19th) I still wish I had more. Isn't that the way it always is? I've really been enjoying my time off... not getting as much done as I would have liked, but I have been relaxing and that's the important part to me right now. What good is vacation if you don't take some time out for yourself??

I hope 2009 is filled with good health, hope, love, prosperity and everything that brings you happiness!!

XOXO, Elena

Happy Christmas!

As I'm relaxing on the couch, watching a movie while our prime rib is in the oven, I thought I would take this time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!  Mine has been wonderful and relaxing and very tasty :)  My mom made this fabulous egg dish this morning with rosemary bread, eggs and gruyere cheese!!  It's a Wolfgang Puck recipe and it was SOO delicious!  She also made her famous scones which are my favorite. 

I'll keep this short, especially since a brie appetizer was just put out!  I hope everyone is having a fabulous day with friends and family.  Also, here is another picture I made this week while I was stuck home in the snow!  I love all the illustrator tutorials I've found this week.  

So I got a little pre-occupied and am now just posting this... Already had a YUMMY dinner!  And am getting ready to pack up and head home in this lovely SLUSH we've been blessed with today after all this fabulous snow.

Hope everyone had a wonderful day.  Me... I'm happy to be heading home to my quiet household!

New website: Sneak Peak!

Well...  I finally broke down and took some screen shots of my new website!!  I still have a bit of work to do on it.  Mostly getting my current jewelry up on it, which entails picture taking and pricing which of course is quite time consuming.  But hopefully I can get a lot done since I'm on vacation!  

I love how it is turning out and I have a lot of super fabulous pictures to work with, courtesy of Miss Courtney Jade.  She is such a fabulous photographer and a wonderful person too!  

Ok, so here thay are.  The first time I am really showing anyone what my website will look like... Are you ready?  Are you excited?  Am I crazy?  If you said yes to any of those, here you go!


This is the home page, it will have a few different images that will change.
I love the fact that this is a flash sight, so I'm able to display multiple pictures on the home page. There are some other really great things about this sight too, including a shopping cart (my favorite part) so now, you don't have to wait to own a piece of my jewelry! Another wonderful thing is the galleries to display my jewelry. See below.

This is the jewelry gallery where I will have section for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and hopefully a bridal section soon too!

There of course is much more then I am showing you, but something has to be left a surprise, right??  I will also now have a wholesale section!  Which will allow retail stores to log in and see wholesale pricing for their product.


So, there it is!  The first sneak peak into the new Monili Bella website.  I'm hoping to have it up and running sometime in January.  I am also planning on doing a drawing with some giveaways when I launch my new sight, of course it will be some free jewelry!  If you don't want to miss this, join my mailing list to be up to date on all the latest info.  

Snow makes me smart!

So... I'm totally snowed it.  I've actually never seen so much snow in the city before!  There has been white on the ground for 7 days straight.  Craziness.  I love it though!  Especially since I am on vacation until Jan 5th now.  So I really don't have anywhere to be... except my parents on Christmas Eve of course.  So, I've been doodling on the computer all day, trying to design a little flyer for Christmas, and I stumbled across this tutorial on how to make a Christmas bulb in Illustrator...  look at what I was able to make!  I'm really proud of myself, I love the way it turned out.

Of course the color changed a little bit, going to RGB.  But I still think it looks pretty.  I think I will look for more tutorials.  Who knew the snow would make me smarter?  Man, it's really coming down out there!!

News Flash: Newsletter!!

I'm so excited about my new newsletter!! I've been snowed in all day... I got inspired, and off I went! I have been working on a newsletter for a while now and have come up with a couple different designs, but I really like the one I came up with today.

Here is a sneak peak at what they will look like! I'm not planning on sending the first one out until after new years.. This might not be the exact text I use either. Just wanted to get something written to see how it would look.

If you want to recieve my new newsletters and find out when my new website is up click here to join my mailing list!