by Cindy on March 22, 2009
Today was beautiful: our son was baptized and we were joined by friends and family. My brother and his wife and two boys were able to make it all the way from CA…they were passing through on to their next duty station. We couldn’t have asked for a better day, sunny skies and all.
My husband and I were married at the USNA chapel almost 14 years ago, and all of the older 3 boys were baptized here as well. The baby of honor wore a handmade linen sailor suit made by the same wonderful seamstress that created his brother’s baptism outfits as well. I’ve uploaded a bunch of photos from today….’hope you enjoy this little album!
United States Naval Academy Chapel
Our sailor boy on his baptism day
Proud parents
The boys and their Godmothers and Godfather (my brother)
Partners in crime...cousins just 8 days apart
Me 'n my sister
Sharing a laugh with his Aunt Audra
- Chick & Ruth’s
I conclude with a picture of Chick & Ruth’s, after all, a day in Annapolis wouldn’t be complete without a stop here for a milkshake! We’ve been coming here since our college days. Its always packed and has a diner-like environment. If you want a great grilled cheese or milkshake, stop by on your way out of town too!
by Cindy on March 19, 2009
Remember this group of colorful beads? They’ve been transformed in to a finished piece of jewelry and I’m going to take you behind the scenes to show you their journey. 🙂
Each of the beads were made in to “bead units” with sterling silver wire. Some were embellished with bead caps or spacers, some with fancy wire wraps and twists, and others were left simply alone. I also added a nice bunch of silver beads and wirework links to the mix. This step took quite a bit of time, figuring out what to do with each one and then individually wire-wrapping them.
After each bead unit was ready to go, the real fun began! The best part was laying out each piece to see which bead would look just right next to which bead. I reworked the design several different ways; I didn’t want too much blue here, or too much red there. Some of my favorite links are the turquoise howlite, red coral and honey jade. I then attached each unit link by link again with sterling wire.
Now this is truly a behind-the-scenes shot. This is what a piece of jewelry looks like once it’s been dipped in a solution of liver of sulphur. I took the piece out once it reached a dark, steely gray (which is only after a minute or two, depending on how hot the water was). This is one look that’s popular now, where the jewelry designer leaves the sterling silver just like this, no polishing at all. I went on and polished the necklace with fine steel wool, then placed it with soap in my tumbler. I let it tumble so long that the wire is now shiny, yet retains the dark contrasts in the coils.
This is the 3rd time I’ve made this style design, a hodge podge of sterling and gemstone beads. I kept my first one and wear it all of the time (like today). This necklace is aptly named “Scenic Route”, for all of the beautiful and one-of-a-kind stops along the way in the road of life.
by Cindy on March 16, 2009
Handprint Leprechauns by The Boys!
Here are this year’s crop of Leprechauns! If you’ve been stopping by the blog for a while, you may have seen the ones the boys made last year too.
Here’s hoping the luck o’ the Irish is with you all day! Have a fun one!
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