ZestyBetsy

Finished up 2 custom orders over the weekend.

Tall wedding band.

I like the thinner gauge profile and made some similar while I was at it. The longer seam was tougher to align, but I'll make more since it is a nice width for the square gems I have and for other structures.

Loooonnnnnggg quote.

It was terrifying, and got scarier as I went...what if I got distracted for a second & stamped the wrong letter?! ugh. I prepped two cuffs just in case. I like the text density on this and am considering offering the option it in my "zestyb" shop.

Posted by Betsy at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sterling silver can hold a high polish, bright white shine. But one of the neat things about it is that is can hold a deep black patina ~ which is really cool in some designs.

The patina can be applied, but sterling naturally reacts with the environment to develop a patina or tarnish over time. If you want to keep your piece bright, or maintain the high contrast in a piece of jewelry, I've compiled some suggestions for you.

There are a couple ways to keep sterling sparkling. Wearing your jewelry often is the best way to prevent tarnish from building up, but proper storage and cleaning are super helpful.
* Store each piece in an airtight plastic bag, tarnish resist bag or box with anti-tarnish paper. Exposure to air, light and humidity will encourage tarnish, so eliminate the environmental factors as mush as you can. (I include a strip of anti-tarnish paper in my jewelry orders. It is good for about a year.) Another benefit of storing your jewelry in individual bags is to reduce scratching ~ most metals & gemstones can be scratched over time.

* Try not to get any cleaning or make~up products on your gems & precious metals! Some of them can interact with the metals. You guessed it ~ discoloring or marking them. Chlorine from pools should be avoided. And of course for safety, you should remove jewelry when doing handy work, gardening, and other heavy physical work.

* Buff with a plain soft cotton cloth or a polishing cloth after wearing. Mild dish detergent and water is gentle enough for removing any heavy dirt. The jewelry specific cloths often have a cleaning compound embedded in the fiber. These are available at jewelry, grocery, large department and some hardware stores. ZestyBeads.etsy.com is another source.

* if you notice tarnish, start with gentle cleaning. Try the jewelry cloth first.

* I don't suggest coating/sealing or the silver polish solutions. Sealing can wear unevenly. Solutions are intended for silverware and leave residue on the surface. But if the coloring is deep, you can try an old home-made solution:
Hot tap water in an aluminum pan ~ add 1t salt & 2t baking soda and soak the ring for 10 minutes. Remove and dry throughly with a soft cotton cloth.

Posted by Betsy at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Another way I get the gardening fix ~ fresh fruits, veggies, herbs & a fantastic bouquet AND the reminder that I'm not cut out to be an outdoorsman/gardner/beach bunny ~ is to babysit my mom's garden. She has an acre jam packed with deliciousnessosity.

The big task is Watering ~ especially the containers. Picking is the other ~ thinning early fruit lets the later fruit get bigger. Lastly is checking that the bug & bird covers stay to cover the bushes and vines. For my couple hours of work I'll earn berries, tomatoes, squash, eggyplant, peppers ~ oh ~ all manner of produce.

Feeding "Princess" the 18 lb cat is also on the list. She is so lovely dovey when you open the can of food...but if you take too long to scoop she whips out the dreaded double paw claws of pain. I planned & escaped the prod, but was very sure to put on my long sleeves when it came time to return her to the basement.

Posted by Betsy at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

PostCrossing lets you receive postcards from around the globe ~ just for sending them out!

Pick up some good cards from your town, Art museum, local attraction ~ anything you like really! Pick out a few. Purchase some stamps ~ local if you want and international. Go to the web site and after you sign up, Request an address. PostCrossing emails you an address of some new friend and a special code that identifies your card.
Some folks have little bios & suggestions for a postcard they'd like. Write them note & mail it off.

Now the good part happens; When your card is received that special code is registered.
Your name is now at the top of the list to receive a post card!

You will get a post card from someone else ~ another new friend! ~ and so you go to the web site to register their card. (now they are at the top of the list ~ round & round.)

The site lets you sign up for 5 at a time, local & international options, link to your blog & give a little bio. There are even a few different flickr group/communities to share your cards.

Such a small nice thing ~ a reason to look forward to the mail.

Posted by Betsy at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cooking at home really should be good for you. I hope that having fresh ingredients, whole grains, and the like are better than ordering out ~ but I know there are meals that I love, which are just a little too sweet, or fat, or salty ~ or something bad for you.

You can indulge once in a while. This is one of my indulgences.

Coconut Mango Chicken
~ serves about 4 meals ~ over rice
2 boneless chicken breasts ~ cut into 1 inch chunks
large onion ~ minced
ginger root ~ how hot do you like it? I use about 1 Tbsp grated
hot peppers ~ the little hot ones I use 3 whole ones
mango ~try Trader Joes dried Chili Mango and defrosted & smushed mango chunks - about 2 cups total
chicken stock ~ 1 cup (bullion & water OK too)
coconut milk ~ 1 cup
chili powder ~ 1 Tbsp less if you use chili mango
Lemon zest ~ from one lemon
Lime zest & slices ~ zest & juice from 1/2 the lime, small slices for decoration
corn starch ~ for dredging chicken

In hot non stick pan ~ cook the chicken pieces after dredging them it in corn starch. Set chicken aside.
Add onion, garlic to pan until soft, Add hot peppers, mango, chicken stock and chili powder until it bubbles and thickens.
Stir in coconut milk, lemon zest, lime zest & juice. Feel free to add more chili/hot pepper.
Return cooked chicken to sauce until hot.
Serve over hot rice with a lovely green veggie.

What's so bad about this?
Coconut milk is quite high in saturated fat.

Posted by Betsy at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I inherited a post card collection.
My grandfather started it; my dad organized and added to it.
There are examples from every state, most of Canada, and Mexico, some from countries that don't exist any more. French post cards, penny post cards, and the travel cards from trans-Atlantic crossings are there. Artist Show announcements, musical events flyers, and tourist attraction postcard books are included. It is a smörgåsbord of post cards.

I wanted to be able to contribute to the collection, with more than just the reminders to visit the vet. I was at bit of a loss, people don't seem to send them much anymore, even if you ask them; I could send cards to myself ~ which seemed wrong...or at least just weird.

A colleague suggested PostCrossing, and I looked into it. It is perfect! you send cards and you get cards. I"ll show you how tomorrow.

TTFN!

Posted by Betsy at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Zesty Betsy takes custom orders. I keep sterling silver stock & blanks around for creating and customizing, a giant roll of copper and copper wires is around here somewhere. I even have a little bit of 14k gold and 14k gold filled for the same reasons, but only a little since it's pretty pricey to have 'hanging around'. I also have good suppliers and can easily get higher karats of yellow gold, green, rose and white golds, and fine silver too. I'd love to experiment with palladium and the like, but I haven't heard much call for it ~ it's pricier than gold.

But not in titanium.
Titanium is lovely. It's dark gray, but lighter colored than graphite. It's light and doesn't scar easily, so perfect for something worn everyday like a wedding band.
Why not? well Titanium cannot be soldered with any of the tools in the Zesty Betsy studio - it needs higher temperatures, vacuum or lasers, and nasty acids for cleaning off oxides ; nor do I have the bigger drill bits/press needed to make rings.

I'm still learning so much about copper, silver & gold. So, while I've worked with titanium findings, glorifying pieces, and incorporating it into some designs... Custom orders are limited to the metals I can work and source readily.

Posted by Betsy at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It is a blast to play with new textures in the rolling mill. The easy ones that I've seen suggested are things like wire screening for windows, copper wire squiggles, and brass texture plates. These make beautiful and unique textures. Vaguer suggestions get tossed in to experiment with ~ fabrics and paper...odd laser cutouts even. Some of the best things are the least likely.

What would you try?

Posted by Betsy at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

IF it can make it in my yard, under my lack of care...it will make it anywhere. I'm interested in having pretty plantings, and yummy fruits & veggies. I am, really. It's just too hot for me to be really working out there after Memorial Day.

Anyone interested in DayLilies? Oregano? maybe some maple weeds?

Posted by Betsy at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Something a little unusual, but super yummy to bring to summertime cookouts and parties. Pink Lemonade cupcakes manage to be a sophisticated adult treat with out being too serious.

Recipe Guide
24 cupcakes. I like to use metal cup liners since I hate to clean up the muffin tins,

Cupcakes: make your favorite white cake ~ I made mine from scratch following Betty Crocker Basic White Chiffon recipe, but a box cake will do if that's more your style.
Add 1 (for mild) to 1.5 (for strong) tubs of dry Crystal Lite Pink Lemonade mix to the batter and mix well. I preferred the stronger batch myself.
(1 tub of CL mix makes 2 qts of liquid if you are using another brand.)
Bake as directed or just a tiny bit under if you're using the metal liners and cool completely.

Frosting:
at room temperature 8 oz of cream cheese and 1 stick butter
lots & lots of confectioners sugar (6+cups)
half a tub of Crystal Lite Pink Lemonade mix

blend cheese & butter, add lemonade mix & blend well
beat in confectioners sugar until you reach a nice texture / flavor
(OR purchase a tub of vanilla/white frosting & add lemonade)

zest from a lemon is a super finale.

What is your favorite summer party dish?

Posted by Betsy at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I ordered a new set of business cards for the Zesty Betsy shop info. I like the two sided option I had before, but the type was a bit small, and my phone provider had been purchased so that was not available any longer.

So I made some adjustments to the back/text area ~ bigger type, changed phone number and added the same yellow ground color from the front ~ and made no changes on the front.

These look subtly different from the initial one's ~ I'm a little disappointed ~ just because the soft yellow was apparently color adjusted to almost white. I didn't like the white from the last batch, blech, so had added the yellow to both sides. It doesn't look dirty, but maybe old?

Oh Zesty Betsy does have a new phone number! Local to Boston it's 617-487-4469 and you can always send email to "betsy" at

Posted by Betsy at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)