Mi Vita Bella

Checking the list

2011-01-16T12:10:00.001-08:00

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:

empty 2nd bedroom for new roomy (in the process) - DONE! Roomy moved in and things are great :)
family photo shoots for friends (3 booked next weekend, 1 the following!) - Shoots all done and edited... phew!
edit Jacoby pics (hoping to finish some tonight) - DONE! They turned out as cute as can be. He's such a handsome little man.
goodwill run to drop off my car FULL of stuff- DONE! Filled my car to the ceiling! (Literally!!)
carve pumpkins with friends - DONE! Had a blast and carved an awesome "O" for the ducks :)
post a tutorial on how I made my headboard - eeeks..... slacking on this one. Still need to take time to do this.
go on a date? (haha, currently nothing planned) - I guess I can say I went out on a date :)
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.
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.
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 :)
make some new jewelry - DONE! Made some really cool new jewelry for Christmas and truly enjoyed it this year.
work on jewelry website - Arg... didn't quite make this one. Can I have some more time in my days please?
work on photography website - See above. Although I'm probably closer at finishing this one.
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!
build a newsletter - Shoot. Still need to do this as well.
build a few giveaways for website launch! - And this.
start planning jewelry open house for december - DONE! Had a great party with amazing talented friends that joined me!
look into a photo session for myself! - Yes, I've looked into it, but I'm still a long ways off.
organize my studio (Tayler has offered to help again.... YAY!) - Well..... it's gotten a little better, but still in the works.
go to a movie (feels like forever since I've been) - DONE! Went to a couple movies :)
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.
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.
frame a bunch of pictures and build a photo montage in my living room
clean my carpets - DONE! Didn't turn out quite like I had wanted... but it's still better then before.
make more ducks & beaver jewelry - DONE! Sold more Duck and Beaver jewelry then ever before!
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!
wash my car - Although I don't recall... I'm sure this got done. But, it could really use it again right about now.
go to a concert - Does the nutcracker and A Christmas Story play count? Probably not, but equally as fabulous!
do a total makeover on my bedroom closet (might have to call Tayler for this one too....) - Still in the works :(

Ducks vs. Beavers

2010-11-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

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 Faceboo k 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

2010-10-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

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:

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

2010-09-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-11-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

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

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

2009-08-03T20:39:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-06-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-03-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-20T20:49:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-01-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

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!!

2008-12-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

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!

Baby it's cold outside!

2008-12-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

Man, it is COLD! The snow is still here and it's very frozen outside. And still no sign of letting up. I had to walk across the street today to get some dishwasher detergent and I don't think all the scarves in the world would have kept me warm. My heart was even shivering and I was bundled up pretty good. I guess with the wind chill they say it feels like 15 degrees! Dang that's cold for around here.

Anyways, my friend Amanda I ended up venturing out last night for the Sarah Bareilles concert at the Crystal Ballroom. And let me tell you it was WELL worth it!! She's got to be one of the best (if not THE best) female vocalist I've ever heard. You can really tell a lot seeing someone live. Here voice was so pure and amazing. It's really indescribable! She even sang Silent Night and the whole ballroom was silent and she sang it slowly and with so much soul. I would love for her to come out with a Holiday album. That would be amazing. In case you haven't been to the Crystal Ballroom, it's a pretty cool place to watch a concert. The ONLY downfall is that it's standing, but some concerts you want to stand anyway. Here are some pics. It's so beautiful inside, by day and night.

What it looks like with a packed house (This is not the Sarah Bareilles Concert)

This is a little better shot so you can see the stage.

The only weird thing, was last night they had this big area gated off around the stage. I've been to a few concerts there and had never seen this before. It must have been a VIP thing or something. BUT there weren't even that many people in there and it felt like a waste of space. Still I felt like we were pretty close. There were only a couple people in front of us before the gate. Did I mention the people that were in front of us were tall with big heads? Ha ha... Or at least thats what it seemed like. Thankfully I kept finding the spots in between heads so I could see the stage.

Oh, and getting there and home was an adventure in itself. We decided to take the MAX down there so we wouldn't have to worry about driving & parking. I'm glad we did, the streets were really slick last night. So we parked at the MAX station across from my house and hopped on the train. Getting there seamed pretty easy, we got off downtown and walked about 5 blocks to Henry's where we ate dinner. Dinner was delish, we splurged. And my 2 lemon drops were quite delightful as well.

On the way home was when the fun began... We hopped on going west, not knowing that the train we got on stopped at 170th/Elmonica which was ONE stop before the one we needed (go figure). So we had to get off and wait for the next one. The trains usually come pretty fast, but it might as well have been an eternity last night! It was SOOOO COLD and WINDY! There were about 15-20 people that had to get off when we did. All of us were trying to shield ourselves behind the ticket stands... but it still didn't help that much. Amanda and I were so freezing, we started huddling together and were laughing so hard... then we couldn't stop laughing and well, it just turned into hysteria! The people around us started laughing at us too. We sounded like giddy school girls. This one guy even offered us a sweater he had in his bag to wrap around us. How sweet is that? He had less layers on then we did!

Anyway, it made for a VERY fun night. The concert was amazing and the ride home was pretty fun, despite freezing our booties off. Here are some pics of us. I charged up my camera for last night and then totally forgot it on the counter when I grabbed the tickets.... Lovely. So I had to take the pics with my phone which isn't great... But it's something.

Amanda and I waiting at the MAX station on our way to the concert.

Us patiently waiting for the first act.

Speaking of the first act, I almost forgot to mention how good they were! I was really impressed. They were called Raining Jane. There were 4 girls and they were all filled with so much talent! They sounded great live and the 3 girls who sang had amazing voices. I also loved that they had different instruments. One girl played the Cello in a few songs and the drummer was drumming on this metal box (I don't know the technical term) but the sound was awesome! If you want a little listen... Click here. Enjoy!

Winter Wonderland!

2008-12-14T11:43:00.001-08:00

So.... If you live in the Portland area, you probably woke up to some snow today. It doesn't happen too often and boy is it beautiful! BUT... what happens when you have places to go? I don't really have anywhere to go during the day today, but I do have a concert to go to TONIGHT! I'm so excited for it and have been anxiously awaiting for the one and only Sarah Bareilles! She is amazing, I absolutely love her voice and she's a wonderful piano player. So that is what I have going on today, and from what I've heard the weather is NOT going to improve. It's actually getting worse (as I'm looking out my window at the snow coming down) I'm not complaining, I do love the snow. I just don't want to miss my concert that I've been waiting for! I have mapped out my trip using public transportation (MAX) so I'm set there. But maybe it will get canceled and rescheduled and I can enjoy the rest of the snowy day in the comfort of my home.

Hope to see you soon Sarah!

Craft Mania

2008-12-13T23:24:00.000-08:00

Well well... it's been too long. Nice to see you again! :) It's been a busy past month. I swear I didn't just jump from my home improvement project into the craft mania season that is... I full forced did a flying leap and I think I injured myself on the way!! Not really, but I have been moving a million miles a minute lately! My day job has been keeping me VERY busy, and then I get to come home and make lots of jewelry for my craft obligations. As much as I love it, I am a little relived it's over. I'm exhausted and my little finger tips were starting to get sore.

My first jewelry stop was an open house that my wonderful mom hosted (I think I mentioned this in an earlier post). This is the 2nd year we've done this and it was a great success (again). Also, my co-worker Allison joined me as well from Milina Co. and also had a successful day. I had a lot of fun, getting to see friends and even meeting new people. It wiped me out though... Below are a few pictures from that day.

The set up

A few of my sets on display

Bangles, bangles. I sold a lot that day!

My adorable friend Kristen admiring some of the lovelies. It's funny you can see my parents shrine to their only child (me) in the background!

Wonderful gift sets from Milina Co.

Yummy bars of soap, body scrub, bath gel and lotion! Did I mention the yummy flavors I bought this year? White Tea Ginger Bath Gel, Clementine Clove Lotion, Almond Body Scrub, Pink Grapefruit & White Tea Ginger Bath Bombs. YUM YUM

It was a very fun successful day! A lot of work to prepare for, but well worth it. I look forward to next years! Now I have one one more craft extravaganza this week, my annual craft fair at work and then i'll be hanging up my pliers for a little bit.

To much of a good thing...

2008-11-26T21:28:00.001-08:00

I do love my pumpkin this time of year, but I'm almost pumpkined out and it's not even Thanksgiving yet! Tonight I have made Pumpkin Creme Brulee, Pumpkin Bread/Muffins and Pumpkin Pie which is now in the oven. Whew...... I'm exhausted, but thoroughly looking forward to tomorrows feast, cooked by yours truly...Muah! Like I mentioned in my previous post, I'm cooking thanksgiving dinner for my parents and boyfriend tomorrow and am very excited about it. So I thought I better get a head start on things tonight. So at least dessert is out of the way. I decided last minute that I wanted to try and make Pumpkin Creme Brulee... It turned out delicious!! I love it. If you're interested, here is the recipe. The pumpkin pie I think is just for the sake of having pumpkin pie (and my boyfriend could live on the stuff) and the pumpkin muffins are for my stuffing tomorrow! Yummmm....

The pumpkin bread recipe that I have is pretty fabulous. It's the best pumpkin bread and people love it. For all you pumpkin lovers, here it is...

3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. allspice

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1 cup vegetable oil (or substitute applesauce for lower fat)

2 cups canned pumpkin puree

(optional) 1 cup pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices and mix. In separate bowl, mix eggs, water, oil and pumpkin. Add dry mixture and stir until smooth. Add nuts. Pour into two (greased) 9x5 bread pans. Bake one hour or until done (toothpick will come out clean). Be careful not to over bake and dry out.

Enjoy!!

Excited about the Holidays

2008-11-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

Can I just say how excited I am about the Holidays? I love this time of year... Being thankful and thinking about all the delicious foods we get to eat on Thanksgiving... and then my favorite part, decorating for Christmas! I just finished with my hardwood floors in my house (pics to come soon) and I can't wait to have a beautiful tree up!

I got a little anxious today thinking about buying some new decorations for my house. After all, a little paint and new floors and I feel like I just moved into a new place! Which makes it that much more fun to decorate this year.

I also took it upon myself to host Thanksgiving this year!! Wait... before you think, oh my gosh... Thats a lot of work! There will only be 4 of us. My parents, boyfriend and myself. I'm really excited to be able to cook for a small group (especially since this is my first thanksgiving) and be able to do something a little gourmet. I've been having so much fun looking for good recipes this week, I can't tell you what though, because it's a surprise for my parents and my mom is an avid reader of my blog (I love her for that) I know I at least have 1 loyal reader :)

So now it's Holiday Craft Fair time... As we speak I am preparing for my 2nd annual Open House that will be on December 7th. If you are interested in attending please email me for more info. My friend Allison will also be joining me from Milina Co. with their fabulous hand made soaps, body scrubs, lotions and more! I'm very excited to have her there with me. The following week I also get to participate in my employers craft fair (along with Allison), which we've both been doing for the past few years and always have fun at.

Here are some of the wonderful things that Milina Co. has to offer. (If only you had a scratch and sniff screen!)

The White Tea Ginger soap is to die for!! I can't get enough of that and the Clementine which is also my boyfriends favorite. I can't wait to try the Pink Grapefruit.

Milina Co. has more scents then what are listed above, I just wanted to show some of my favorites and one's that I've been eyeing :) You can also order directly from their website, I promise you won't be disappointed!

I guess I need to wrap this up. I hope everyone finds their perfect Turkey (or Meat of your choice) for the upcoming Holiday. Don't forget to think about what your thankful for. My list is so big, and for that I am SO thankful!

Communication

2008-11-17T22:53:00.000-08:00

So, here I go again.... it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post! Oops. Although I'm sure none of you were holding you're breath... then again, who knows! So it's 10:54 and my book and nice comfy bed are waiting for me upstairs, but I just can't seem to make it up there. And I don't know why, but I really felt my blog calling.

Big news today, I sunk down and joined Facebook. I had already hopped on the Myspace band wagon a couple years ago, and to tell the truth... I actually joined to promote the business, but it's been really nice getting to reunite with old friends. I really though Facebook and Myspace were the same thing... so I never even thought about it. But apparently not. Some now say Facebook is the way to go. It is a lot cleaner (which I do like) because MySpace can get a little overwhelming and busy. So one of my co-workers mentioned that she joined today and actually liked it, so I thought... why not. And I already have over 17 friends in less then an hour :) I feel special. The best part is.... I found an old friend of mine from High School and I've been trying to find her for about 2 years!! So I'm pretty excited to hear back from her.

Anyway, sorry about the not to exciting post. I think posts are much more fun with pictures. Wait, I got one for you. In honor of Twilight coming out.... Which I haven't read yet. But am really wanting to before I see the movie. So I guess I won't be rushing out this weekend to join the crazy lines...

Ok, I think it's officially time for bed. This is making me want to go read so I can finish my book to read Twilight!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

Wow... I didn't realize how long it had been since my last post! Shame on me... BUT I do have a really good reason! I've been putting hard wood floors in the main floor of my house!! Pictures and details to come very soon. I'm waiting for the dust to settle (literally) so I can get my house put back together and take some final pictures.

But that's not what I'm writing about today. I wanted to share some pictures from our Pumpkin Patch adventure! My boyfriend and some co-workers of mine along with some cute kiddlings ventured out to Krugers Farm to do the annual hunt for the perfect pumpkin along with the much anticipated corn maize adventure!!

The Corn maze was fun, lots of kids running every direction... I was almost dizzy. See below for the actual maze.

The maize was super fun, watching all the kids run around frantically trying to find all the clues. I ended up ducking out early due to starvation and thirst. But I was in luck because they had lots of amazing food!! Including fresh corn on the cob which I had and it was delicious! My favorite had to be the carmel apples though, they were so HUGE! I couldn't finish it, but was so happy when I realized that later at home :) The carmel was some of the best I've ever had, the only thing was that there was so much carmel it was hard to get through to the apple. The fresh hot apple cider was to die for as well.

I had fun snapping pictures all day, it was the most perfect weather you could ask for! I think it actually got up to 70 degrees that day, October 26th.. that has to be some kind of record here in Portland?!

Here are some of the pictures I shot that day.

This is one of my favorites, she was really making way on the carmel apple!

This is Blue, I was amazed at how much kids can eat! And not to mention all the chocolate chips on it also, talk about a belly ache.

This is my 'lil Lexi. She's the daughter of some very good friends of mine. She's too cute and had a blast that day, especially the hay ride! She got to sit on my lap the whole time. She loves her Auntie Lena.

Another shot of adorable Lexi. I love the pumpkins in the back.

And last, my friend Carrie and her niece. Too cute!

Fun stuff to come in a future post. I have been taking lots of pictures in the process of my remodeling. It's turning out pretty fabulous! I can't wait to share.

Race for the Cure

2008-10-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

So maybe I was missing you... Or just craving to do a new post. But I just couldn't stay away tonight! And then I realized that I never got to write about Race for the Cure this year. It was pretty awesome, hard to get up so early, but well worth it. I'll let the pictures do the talking below. All I can say is that I was proud to take part... the best part is, my company paid for my entrance fee, and guess what?? My company was THE largest group at Race for the Cure this year!!!! That's pretty HUGE! Raising at least $16,250 in entrance fee's alone, not to mention donations probably made.

I had to take a picture of the Columbia Store as we were walking by!

Yeah Columbia!!

Sooo many people...

Look at who joined us!

How cute is this?? "For my Gam Gam"

They walked like this for a while... He was strong!

These are the lovely ladies I got to walk with! Me taking the picture.

So, that's my wrap up of Race for the Cure. I loved walking with my friend, her mother and my mother. What is it about mom's that makes them talk non-stop? Well, I guess the daughters can talk and talk too.... Fun times, my favorite part... sneaking out before the end of the race to go grab breakfast at Kell's (a great Irish Pub in Portland!) If you haven't done it (the race, not Kell's, all though you should do that too.....), you should do it next year. It is very inspiring, and you will be surrounded with strong, caring individuals all for the same cause! Pretty Rad!

Blogging

2008-10-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

I just rememered that I had found this really great article on blogs! I just re-read it, and thought I would post it for any aspiring bloggers in business out there. It's a great read for people looking for better traffic to their blogs. I myself needed to re-read it, so I can take advantage of some of these methods too!

http://inspiredbyhand.blogspot.com/search/label/bloggin

And what are the odds of checking out this blog today, and she just happened to post something new about blogging! The Do's and Don'ts of new blogs. Another great article!

http://inspiredbyhand.blogspot.com/2008/10/top-11-mistakes-i-see-new-bloggers-make.html

Enjoy.

My new baby!

2008-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I'm so excited! I finally got to buy my new camera! I don't know how to express how excited I am about this. Photography has been one of my great loves for a very long time (since I took my first shot with my Canon AE-1 back in H.S.) It was all manual, and took awesome pictures! (see below)

A few years out of H.S. I splurged on a very nice Canon EOS Elan 7e. I was taking some photography classes and getting to develope my own film (very fun!) It was right when the digitals were hitting the market, but the only one I could afford was just a step above a point and shoot and I knew I wanted a nicer camera, hence why I got film. Well, today my Canon is a bit jealous, because I just bought the NEW Nikon D90! And if you know anything about camera's, this ones a beauty.

I didn't know how I was going to decide between a Cannon or Nikon this time around, but Nikon made it very easy. I went down to Pro Photo Supply and had THE nicest man help me. My mom and I were there for about an hour asking lots of questions. Nikon's in my mind have always been a little more expensive, but not right now. The nikon is actually a few hundred dollars less then the Canon thats comparable ... But the Nikon has more features! The new Nikon has something called Movie Mode. You can actually shoot 5 minutes of video at a time, while using the manual focus and zoom to create a little mini movie! Stay tuned... I know I'm going to have to test that out and post something soon.

Do you know how hard it is to get stuff done when you buy a new toy? I'm having a very hard time focussing on cleaning the house this weekend...... This camera is getting the best of me!

My very first camera.... Still have it. Still love it.

I took this picture with my first camera. Pretty sweet huh!

Partay!!

2008-09-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to write about this for months!! But I haven't been able to since it was about a surprise party for mom, and she is one of my most loyal readers :) So let's start from the beginning. A couple months ago, my dad mentioned having a surprise party for my mom's big 60th! And of course being the party lover I am, I thought it was a fantastic idea. My dad was so cute, because he wanted me to make the invitations. He had seen some of my previous work and knew I really enjoyed doing those sort of things. So off I went, the guest list started and the planning begun.

Invitation designing, slideshow creating, menu deciding, party planning, flower choosing.... that was me for a solid 2 months (but loving every minute) Everything had to be perfect, because this was not only for my mom, but my best friend! We finally picked the venue, a private club that friends of my parents belonged too. We knew we would be taken care of there and it was a fantastic location with wonderful staff.

So at last, the day came. I bought a new dress, had my makeup done, straightened my hair, got all dolled up and off to the party I went. I was so anxious waiting for my parents to show up. I think we really pulled off the perfect surprise party!! Boy did we have her fooled, she thought my dad and I were going to celebrate with her the following weekend, and that she was on her way to meet friends of theirs for drinks before heading off to dinner downtown. She got the surprise of a lifetime! Her face was so priceless, I loved it.

I wanted to show some pictures of some of the details of the party... I was so happy the way everything turned out! I just had to share :)

The final invitation, the pictures do not do it justice! It was a champagne colored shimmer paper and the decorative paper up top was beautiful!! A shimmery turqouse color, with a gold screenprint on it (gotta love the Paper Zone!)

Directions and RSVP Card

The back of the envelope... It's what people were going to see first, it had to be cute!

And of course the favors (filled with yummy chocolate)

I had so much fun making everything, and I am so happy the way they turned out! A lot of work though! Maybe one day I'll make my own wedding invitations... This was great practice :)

Below are some pictures from the party:

Left: The flowers arrangements I made. Right: The finished table setting (with favors)

Left: Doesn't my mom look happy? Right: Wonderful Friends and Family

Left: David and myself. Right: My lovely mom and me.

Well, that's a wrap! I thought this might turn into a long post.... oops. But every moment of the planning and the party was SO much fun!! I had to show off some of my hard work. Oooh oooh... I almost forgot, I just have to include what was on the menu!! It was to die for! My only regret was not getting enough, I had to leave in the middle of dinner to start setting up the slideshow....

~ Our delicious dinner ~

Appetizers

Belgian Endive filled with Roasted Vegetable Puree

Belgian Endive filled with a garlic, lime cream sauce topped with prawns

Crab Cakes with Tomato Remoulade

Salad

Mixed greens with Apples, Blue Cheese, Nuts & Citrus Vinaigrette

Caprese Salad

Dinner

Sliced Medium-Rare Tenderloin with Arugula & Herbs

with a mushroom bordelaise sauce

Salmon with Pinot Gris Sauce

Side Dishes

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Fresh Green Beans with Peppers

Assorted Breads including:

Flatbread, Focaccia, French, Fresh Rolls

Now, doesn't that just make you hungry?? It does me! I can taste all the wonderful food all over again. Good thing the boyfriend is making dinner right now :)

Lots of babies!

2008-09-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Babies, babies, babies.... It's that time of year again!! Lots of babies everywhere you look. One of my good friends Edra, had a little boy 6 weeks ago, my cousin just had her baby last night (can't wait to see him!) And then another good friend of mine is due in October, which I'm going to her baby shower and I'm SO excited to see her!! Anyways, for my good friend Edra, I gave her a photo session with my friend Courtney Jade (the photographer I mentioned below) for a baby gift. Courtney is pretty fabulous and little Jacob is too cute, needless to say the pictures were amazing! I love giving this gift, it's such an amazing way to capture the first months of a childs life, because we all know... they change SO fast! So, along with the CD of all the pictures in B&W and color, I had some pictures framed for her.

I think they are so precious!! And I'm so excited for them. They will make such amazing parents :) I can't wait until he can call me "Auntie Lena"

I'm back!

2008-09-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, I said I would be back...and here I am! I have some fabulous pictures to share with you. Recently I wrote about my photo shoot with the lovely and talented Miss Courtney Jade. She actually has a new website up and I encourage you to check it out!! So, we took pics of my beautiful models wearing my jewelry and then the following week, Courtney took pictures of me. Some pictures wearing my own jewelry and some just of me for bio pictures (for website, myspace, etc...) So below are a couple of my favorites.

This of course is me... I think I am going to use the left one as a bio picture. I think the one on the right looks like my silly side is dying to come out.

I love this! Courtney put these together and I love how they show off the jewelry.

This one as well, these will be perfect for promotions and newsletters.

Me again

Me again, don't know what I will use this for. I just really like it!

And I love this one how you can tell the sun is on her beautiful face. This will be perfect for a newsletter! I like the ones where there is place for text over the background.

So, as promised I posted some good stuff (in my opinion at least) This last month, all the photo shoots have been so fun and inspiring for not only my jewelry but my hobby of photography!! It makes me really want to get back into it...with all my spare time and all (ha!) We'll see where that leads me. Maybe one day. Until then, I will keeping working away on my jewelry. In case you haven't already, I would love for you to sign up for my mailing list! I will be sending out some updates shortly :) And if you like what you see, feel free to leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you.

Coming soon!

2008-09-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

I know I know... I've been MIA lately, and I have SO much to tell my lovely readers! I've been on more photo shoots (that turned out fabulous!!) and I planned an amazing party for my mom's birthday. I can't wait to share with you everything that's been keeping me busy. But for now I have to keep it short (movie night with my boyfriend) Until then.... I say good night. But Be sure to stay tuned for some fun stuff!!

xoxo,
Elena

Dang!

2008-08-21T01:41:00.000-07:00

I received some disappointed news tonight, and I thought I would write about it. I thought I would be ok, but I am feeling I really want to write about it. (kind of joking, kind of not)

So, I just found out that they are pushing the next Harry Potter movie back until July 2009!!! Hello?!? It was originally supposed to be released November 20th. I was getting excited because that's right around the corner. Now I have to wait almost another year?? Geesh!

I'm in the process of reading all the books. I'm on the 5th book right now, Order of the Phoenix. I don't know why... but this book is taking me the longest to get through. I flew through the first 4, but this one is taking a while. It's 870 pages, which is officially the largest book I have ever read! (go me!) It's not because I'm not enjoying it either... I'm a super big fan. Maybe it's because I've been super busy this summer and just haven't been able to find the time to read? anyways, I was hoping to get the Order of the Phoenix finished this month and get the 6th book (the Half Blood Prince) read by November. But I guess I have a little more time now! I'm super bummed.

Until next summer Harry...

Photo Shoot

2008-08-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been way to long since my last post!! But alas... I'm back, and I have some exciting news to share :) Last Sunday I had my fabulous friend Courtney take some pictures of some of my good friends wearing my jewelry. Well, all I can say is how lucky I am to know such gorgeous talented women!! First of all, Miss Courtney Jade is a fantastic photographer!! If you want to see more of her stuff, check her out on Flikr. You can also check out her fabulous website that she created at courtneyjadedesign.com. See below for the girls in action.

Corinn, Courtney taking pics

Jessie

Alyce
As you can see, I'm so lucky to have such beautiful Models! And the shoot went so well. The girls were so great to work with. Courtney has teased me this week and let me have a sneak peak at some of the pics so far. See below for some previews of the finished pictures.

I'm super excited! These will be part of my newsletters that I am going to start sending out. So be sure not to miss anything! Join my mailing list by clicking here. They will also be added to my website at a later date.

So I think that's it for now. I will try to not wait so long until my next post. There is lots going on right now, so I should have plenty to talk about :)

Talent!

2008-07-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

You know the best part about having talented friends?? Is getting to share how fabulous they are with all of you! My good friends Scott and Amanda have a Videography company called Ambient Sky Studios. They are truly amazing and seem to capture the mood flawlessly of every couple they shoot! I just recently watched two videos of theirs. One is an engagement shoot (so cute!) and the other one is a same day edit video of the same couples wedding day!

And yes, I said same day edit!! Meaning they actually shoot the day of the wedding and by the reception they have a beautiful video to show the bride and groom and all the guests! Needless to say, that is quite a hit. Because how fun is it to see a video of that same wonderful day? This couple is so adorable and fun to watch. Visit their blog to check it out!

Fabulous Birthday!!

2008-07-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!! Ok, I'm a little late, my birthday was July 9th. But better late then never. I thought I would post some fun pics from my birthday adventures. First off, I have to say that I have such a wonderful group of friends and because of them I had such a tremendous day! During the work day (Yes, I actually made it to work) my wonderful co-workers took me out to lunch at Bugatti's where we all got our fair share of heat (it was about 93 degrees that day), but at least we had umbrella's but poor Kim still ended up with a burnt back :( Anyways, arriving a little late, Amanda, Kim and Jennifer showed up with a lovely mint plant!! I was SO excited! I have been on a mojito kick and I just can't seem to buy enough mint. So that was the prefect little gift for me. I was so spoiled that day.

My boyfriend David delivered these flowers to me! Aren't they fabulous?
And I love the vase!

Beautiful Dahlia's and green Roses that my good friend Kari gave me

And my tasty mint plant, grow little guy, grow!

Next came after work festivities where my good friends Heather, Corinn and Kari met up with me at 820, a fabulous place for Happy Hour, and the coctails are delish! I had an ad-lib which was made of lemon, lime cilantro and of course vodka, I've been trying to copy it ever since and just can't seem to match it. I did however make a killer basil lemon drop the other day though. Ok, on with my wonderful day. After 820 is was on to Equinox which was another great place (recommended by Miss Kari) More people joined us, including my parents, Kari's husband Bryan, my boyfriend David, and last but certainly not least my good friend Amanda was able to make it with her husband Scott and adorable little girl Lexi! Needless to say, the night was fabulous. What more could you want, great cocktails, great food, and amazing company!!

Kari, Corinn, Myself
Then it was off to Karaoke at the one and only Alibi! Which is a landmark in Portlanders eyes. It's a tikki bar from the 70's (I think) and I don't think they've changed the decor since then! It's a fun smoky place to get a little crazy singing in. Kari and Bryan joined David and I, and the rest is history. Fabulous, flaming night, that's all I can say. Insert David and Elena here...

Wine Tasting Adventure

2008-07-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

And the birthday continues... The following Sunday David and my best friend Corinn joined me in some wonderful wine tasting. David was our designated driver (how sweet is that??) If you haven't been wine tasting out here, it's a must! We have SO many amazing wineries it's hard to know where to begin. But we looked at our map and away we went. Our first stop was Rex Hill Vineyards which is right off Hwy 99. They have beautiful wines there, the Pinot from here is actually what David and I had on our first date! Here is Corinn and I stopping for a picture in front of their beautiful vineyards excited for our day in wine country...

Ok, on to the next winery which is one of my favorites Erath. They have amazing Pinot Noirs! And an incredible view. And here's Corinn and I with our purchases of yummy wine. I don't think i've ever walked out of there not buying anything, everything is so good!

Jewelry on Corinn and myslelf, made by me :) Check it out! www.monilibella.com (sorry, couldn't resist)

Out the driveway of Erath and across the street was Bella Vida Vinyard. Be prepared to have your car get dirty, it's up a very long steep driveway to top of their beautiful hill. This view is amazing and we actually notices that once you step out of the tasting room, it is so quiet and peaceful! Look at this view!

Wow is right! And what a perfect day we picked to wine taste :) Next it was off to Laurel Ridge Winery. They had a lot of wines to taste, but we only tasted 5, the whites weren't my favorite, the reds were pretty good and then we tried the desert wines, a white and a port and they were both very yummy! As you might have guessed we were all having a very good time by now, so why stop there...we thought we could squeeze in one more. I had been to all the previous wineries, so I thought I would try somewhere new. So we headed in the direction of home and on the way we stopped by Ponzi Vinyards. I had been to their tasting room which is in Dundee off of Hwy 99, but their Vineyard was quite a sight! It was tucked way back off this road and it was gorgeous!! They had beautiful grounds and 2 bocce ball courts! What a great place to bring a picnic and enjoy a glass (or a bottle for 2) of wine. When we got there they were actually starting to set up a jazz band and selling little cheese and bread plates! But Corinn had plans that evening, so we couldn't stay. Next time though! They are having that same thing again on August 17th, which I am already marking on my calender! Check it out. On our way out, Corinn and I decided to become "one with the vineyard" so we had to stop for a picture in the grapes.

This is one of my favorites
So I guess that wraps up our wine tasting excursion. Thanks for letting me re-live it again. What an absolutely perfect day! I am lucky to have a best friend that is so wonderful and a boyfriend that puts up with us (we were actually pretty tame this time around). Did I mention we've gone to school together since first grade?? Crazy huh?!

And as they say it ends with a hay bale (ok, guess I've never really heard that) We were on our way out from Ponzi and passed a field full of large round hay bales, and we said to ourselves what a perfect photo opp for us!! So out of the car we go and out on the field... we jumped up and David started snapping :) We got some pretty cute shots of us and we ended up laughing the whole time! So ends the 2nd perfect day of my birthday celebration.

New Mailing List

2008-07-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

I'm so excited to announce that I now have a mailing list! :) A mailing list you ask? And what will that do for you? Well, I don't plan on sending out too many emails or newsletters, only when really cool stuff is going on and maybe some special sales. At most you'll receive something from me once a month.

If your interested, click here to join!

Cheers,
Elena

Back from NY, and so much to say!

2008-06-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

So!! I'm back from New York and I had the time of my life! I was there with 2 other co-workers for the first 5 days and then met up with a friend of mine for the rest of my time. The weather was beautiful, perfect weather for outside walking and shopping. We saw lots of great stuff, NY is so great for that. Including other inspiring sights. Where to begin... Well first a cute picture of Amanda and myself, stopping for a bite to eat in Soho.

Walking around New York is always full of surprises, whether it's what people are wearing or who you'll end up meeting! In my case, I was lucky enough to meet Elmo! I had to stop and get a picture... it's not everyday you see a sesame street character out and about.

One of my favorite things about New York, besides all the fabulous shopping is the wonderful food! We were lucky enough to come across some great places to eat while we were there. My favorite had to have been a place called Agave it was actually the first restaurant to come up in New York City search!! But a friend of my co-workers recommended it also. So we had to try it out. The margaritas were to die for! And the fish tacos were out of this world!! But still, it got better, they had a Mexican chocolate fondue and when we heard that, it was all over.... Pictures of course don't do it justice. And the fruit was beautiful. That was the best fondue I've ever had! Take a look...mmmmmmmmm

Of course after eating all sorts of yummy foods, we had to walk a lot for work which helped us not feel so guilty. One of our stops included the Quicksilver store, which had great displays of all their boards and these awesome wooden chairs! I wanted to take them home.

When it was time for my co-workers to go home, I headed up to North Manhattan where my friend Holly lives and goes to school. We had too much fun, her roommate Liz was a kick in the pants and we all had smiles on our faces the whole time. I of course got lots of shopping in, and got to eat at more great places! We went to Cuban the first night, which was VERY yummy! But I think the best part was the pitchers of Mojito's that they have! Poor sap in the back, must have had a full time job of muddling mint! Our appetizer was also a big hit, I had no clue what I was ordering, but was pleasantly surprised when I got it. Have you ever had corn on the cob like this?

Another fun thing I got to see was the famous Restaurant where Seinfeld was filmed...but come to find out, they only shot the outside and used a studio for the inside.. But still fun to see!

I also got to take some time to meet up with another wonderful friend of mine Miss Kathleen Montelone. You might know her from Grease, You're the one that I want! She was also just recently in 27 dresses as a bridesmaid in the LA wedding (if you've seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about) Ok, I found a picture... she's the one to the right of the bride! Puckering up :) She's just too cute!

Kathleen and I had a great time catching up. We walked around the West village and grabbed brunch at yet another great restaurant called Morandi. It was a cute little Italian eatery with outdoor seating and I had the hardest time deciding what to eat!

While we were in the West Village, I really wanted to stop by Magnolia Bakery for a cupcake! I knew it was popular and delicious... but I had no clue the line would be this long! So I snuck through the line and got pictures of the cupcakes in the window. That would have to be good enough for now. I just couldn't see spending and hour (or more) in line for a cupcake. Maybe I'll try next time. They did look yummy though!

Here are a few more pictures from my trip.. Liz, Holly's roommate made these homemade gooey cinnamon buns, they were the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had! Needless to say, those were a big hit! Little did I know how spoiled I would get while I was there. How good do these look?

And look at all the beautiful flowers!

And of course... On my last day in NY, I had to pay a tribute to Sex and the City by having a delicious Cosmo and I really lucked out! Because it truly was fabulous.

And me... drinking my yummy drink. Until next time NY.

Off to NY!

2008-06-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

So, I'm off to NY tomorrow morning and I'm super excited! The weather is in the 70-80's which thankfully is not too hot. Although we did get kind of spoiled here in lovely Portland this weekend with the weather... so I'm almost sad to leave. But I said almost... I'm heading there for work and then I added on some personal time at the end to spend with a friend that lives there. So I'll be there Monday through the following Monday, getting in terribly late. Bless my boyfriend for coming to get me at 11:00pm. And that's hoping my plane is on time!! Anyways, just thought I would write a quick note before I head out for the week. Hopefully I will have some great pics to put up when I get back!

Back to Jewelry!

2008-06-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been a little while since I've talked about any jewelry! I got a little carried away with life... as we all do. BUT I'm excited to share with you some of my new creations! Wire wrapped rings! I have always loved them, and wanted to know how to make them. So I finally learned how to, and here are my creations! As soon as I order a ton more silver wire (it takes about 6 feet per ring) then I can start making more and selling them! These rings are just my size, and my firsts... so I'm a little attached :) But of course if you're interested in one of these, let me know and they might be able to be duplicated!

Sex and the City!

2008-05-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so sorry... I really need to be writing about jewelry or something like that. But I just couldn't resist writing about the ultimate girl movie that just came out... Sex and the City. So I went to see it yesterday and absolutely LOVED it! It's funny because I heard some people say, "don't have high expectations" but I don't know what else I could have wanted! I have watched every episode of the show and I feel the movie was perfect! It had everything I could have wanted... Humor, fashion, drama, and of course a little sex. I actually cried during part of it.. (I shouldn't admit that, but hey... that's me!) Maybe I'm a little jealous that these 4 women have such wonderful friendships with each other and always have a blast together... but then I have to think, it's a TV show/Movie. Any women who has 3 best friends that are always together and there for each other should call themselves lucky! I feel lucky to have a handful of really great friends, but all who are not in the same crowd. Anyways, I'll probably end up seeing it again in the theater, I can't wait for video! Love it, these girls are all so fabulous.

Ne..ed Sleee...p!

2008-05-30T02:55:00.001-07:00

So, it's 2:55am and I can't sleep, so here I am on the computer browsing around. How frustrating is this! I've been up since 2:00. And I'm really tired! The same thing happened to me last night. Could this possibly be because I'm so excited for the new Sex and the City movie to come out tomorrow?? Maybe...probably not, but just thought I would throw it out there. I'm pretty darn excited about this movie...in fact, I bought my tickets yesterday on Fandango for tomorrow at 4:00! I actually don't think I've ever been so excited for a movie to come out (also haven't ever bought tickets in advance). The girls in this look even more fabulous then they did in the shows, and all the clothing looks AMAZING! Wow, that just perked me right up! Oh wait... that's the opposite of what I was trying to do! Aren't I typing this because I can't sleep?? Ok....Nighty Night.

I love Etsy!

2008-05-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of my favorites on Etsy. It is THE ultimate stop for beautiful handmade gifts! I just can't get enough. The 2nd image in, are these wooden blocks from Suzanna Anna and I would love to have a grouping of these in my house! Also, the earrings (right below the yellow box) is beautiful lampworked glass that is made into earrings, rings, necklaces, etc...made by Kristin Perkins. There are some seriously talented people on Etsy, I encourage you to check it out if you have a gift to buy! But also, don't forget.. you can also check out my website, Monili Bella for some fun, flirty jewelry!

Tributes to a Super Guy!

2008-05-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

So, have any of you had a guy down the hall that was a " Super Guy?" And by Super Guy, I mean... the super nice guy who might be a little newer to the company (or not) and always says hi, takes time to smile, super easy to work with, a smart ass from time to time but makes you laugh, and just all around a great guy? Well, I do. I won't mention names because he knows who he is. And I just wanted to give a shout out for him. I've been having a rough week dealing with some personal issues and he has been great to chat with and has given me some great advise. And for that, I thank him!! So, for those super guys down the hall, I give a big thumbs up! Or maybe 8 thumbs ups!

Excited!

2008-05-21T21:26:00.001-07:00

So, why am I excited you ask? I just got back from an awesome women's networking event called Women Empowering Women, can I get a WEW! Its purpose is "Promoting the success of women by offering a supportive network of peers for ideas, leads and fun." I met SO many wonderful ladies tonight! It's great to be able to talk to such motivated and talented women. It really gets me inspired and pumped up about my jewelry! Especially since a lot of the women were excited about my jewelry, and that always makes you feel good right? Also, the lovely ladies who founded WEW (Cheri Donnelly and Story Bach) have asked me to be a vendor in the future. How fun is that? I better get my act in gear! I would love to have some new stuff out for that. Again my friend Amanda from Ambient Sky Studios joined me tonight, she actually was a vendor! Miss Amanda, she's so wonderful. We've been friends now for almost 7 years, and she continues to inspire me and is such a great friend. It's also so easy to promote her and her husband because they are just so dang fabulous! (see video below) So, what a way to end the evening! Feeling so jazzed about my business and the women I met tonight... Love it!

Pretty bird...pretty bird...

2008-05-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Never thought I would be a bird watcher... But yesterday I had the opportunity to go with the Portland Audubon Society on a half-day birding expedition. This was due to a recent donation from my company Columbia Sportswear! We packed our lunches met for a brief meeting to talk about what we might see, then it was off to Jackson Bottom Wetlands in Hillsboro, OR. It was a nice sunny day, almost too hot! There was no breeze, so I actually felt myself cooking at one point. But there was water, and thankfully plenty of shady spots to stop and observe the beauiful outdoors. Below in these pictures are a few of the birds that we saw, along with some of the other animals. Although I didn't happen to see the cute bunny rabbit. The songs these birds sing are so amazing, I really wish I could have recorded that! A lot of times you can't see the birds, but you can tell what kind of birds are by the sound they make... So, that's my quick note about birdies. Thanks to my company, I now now know a little more about different species of birds!

Videography

2008-05-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

I just have to share this with you! A very good friend of mine and her husband have a Videography business, Ambient Sky Studios and they are amazing! I have watched many of their videos and am constantly blown away. They truly capture the mood and feeling of each wedding they do and keep keep you wanting more! Take a look at this fun video below. A couple had the idea to "trash the dress" after the wedding and Scott and Amanda (owners of Ambient Sky) had the great pleasure of shooting their fun!

Chocolate Anyone?

2008-05-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

Did someone say Moonstruck Chocolate? I did!! I'm looking froward to tonight where I have been invited to a Moonstruck Chocolate tour and tasting!! How yummy is that? I have been starting to go to some women's networking events where I have been meeting some wonderful and encouraging ladies! So tonight, I get to go talk with powerful women, pass out business cards and sample wonderful moonstruck chocolates! Networking I am realizing is so key to a great business. You never know who you are going to meet! I also get the priveledge of going with a wonderful friend of mine who also has a business with her husband. So of course we have fun going to these events together and get to encourage each other also. So here's to having some delightful chocolate tonight!

Buy for now...

2008-05-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, just got wind that the Mountain (Mt. Hood Meadows) is closing for the season tomorrow! I knew this day would come, and it's been such a great season!! So I can't be too sad, but I am. The funny thing is, my boyfriend and I were planning on going up today for our last hoorah... but I couldn't get him to wake up morning! Granted it was 6:45am on a Saturday, and that really takes a lot of effort... But I was up, checked the forecast (clear, not too bad) had my long johns on... but he was a no go, guess he needed his sleep (because he's still sleeping at it's 4:45pm!) He even stayed up late waxing our boards for the spring conditions. He's going to be so sad we didn't go today now. But oh well. We have next season! And I'm SOOO excited for next season because I bought a new board!! I attached a picture so you can see how beautiful it is. It's a Burton Feelgood and it was in the X-games and won a medal! So here's to Meadows..here here!! You've been good to us this season with your record snowfall! Can't wait for next year!

Stuff to do!

2008-05-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

How come when ever you have a free day and lots of stuff to do, you just can't get yourself to do anything?! Maybe it's because it's actually your FIRST free day in a long time... so I am choosing to relax {wink}. After my last couple weeks, I guess I deserve a break. This week has been a doozy! My company had a big lay off this last week, and unfortunately...some of my good friends were hit. It was quite the shocker and a bit emotional. So maybe that's why I'm taking this time to unwind!

On the upside though... I finally got rid of an old desk that has been taking up space in my studio (thank you craigslist!) And i'm looking forward to really getting my studio super organized, cleaned, and stocked up, so I can get to work on some new things that I have been wanting to do for some time now!

I can't wait to post pictures of my cleaned up studio. It is actually a great space to work with, and bless my boyfriend who made me an amazing table to work on with a stainless steel top!! Anyways, that about does it for now. I guess since I did stay in bed until noon, and it's now 4:35pm I should go wake up by boyfriend (ha!) and maybe get to doing something... on the other hand, maybe i'll join him for an afternoon nap :)

I'm seeing Hearts!

2008-02-13T20:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! These are hot of the press!! Just finished them about 10 minutes ago for a friend of mine. He's giving them to his wife . How sweet =) I hope she enjoys them. I haven't yet seen any hammered hand made hearts and I think they turned out beautifully. I would love to have some myself!

2007-10-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

These are a favorite among all. One of mine definitely! Made from sterling silver hand pounded wire, with a piece of coral bezel set on each one slight to the side. These are again..one to wear with anything. Soon to be available with turquoise.

An accomplishment!

2007-10-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

This is a piece of Malachite that I bezel set in Sterling Silver. This was actually my first piece I ever bezel set. I am very pleased with the way it turned out!

Hoops in Heaven...

2007-10-01T20:59:00.001-07:00

These are 2.5 inch hoops. Made from hand pounded wire. They look great with every outfit, whether you are dressed up or down. These are also now available in Gold Filled!

Bangles, Bangles, Bangles

2007-09-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

Every girl likes to have a little bling bling on her wrist, here is a way to get something shiny and fun with out spending a fortune. Can be worn with only one or layer as many or as little you like!

Turquoise Love...

2007-08-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Aahhh... I love this piece! It is my favorite I think! I have had a lot of great response to this bracelet, so I am definitely planning on making more like this little treasure!

2007-08-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

This a necklace I just made for a friend of mine for her birthday. This is a hand hammered sterling silver disk with a small piece of turquoise bezel set on top. I am hoping to make some more similar to this soon.

2007-08-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

These are two rings I finished a little bit ago. The one on the top was my first attempt at a smooth ring, and I really love the way it turned out!

Ring around the world

2007-08-15T10:42:00.001-07:00

This was my first ring that I attempted making. I am very happy the way it turned out! I first cut out a strip from sterling silver sheet, soldered into a ring, placed on a mandrel and hammered away. When finished I bezel set a 3mm piece of turquoise on the top to finish it. I love the contrast of the tiny stone with the hammered silver.

My First Creation

2007-08-15T09:38:00.001-07:00

This is a bird I hand sawed and hammered out of sterling silver sheet. I started taking a metal smithing class in April of '07 and this was my first creation! I was very happy the way it turned out. I wear it all the time with some of my big hammered hoops! It makes the perfect set. Hopefully I will be working on more hand sawed items soon!

2007-08-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

Hi All! This is my first entry to my Blog. I just want to welcome you all. I started this blog as a way for people to stay connected to my jewelry and all the new stuff I have been creating. My business is called Monili Bella which I named after being inspired from a trip to Europe. Monili Bella is Italian for "Beautiful Jewelry". I love the way it sounds! I hope you enjoy taking a look. I will keep this short for now, but am looking forward to the opportunity to keep in touch and share my new creations with you!