A song for you...

I love music. I listen to it while I work out, while I work, while I drive, while I cook...well, you get the idea. Just about every week I have a new favorite song, so I thought I would share some with you occasionally. Here's my FAVORITE right now - Take a listen. It's called "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

I just read on their MySpace page that they performed on Letterman - guess I'm not as hip as I thought... :)

Sale, Sale, Sale!

Well, I'm ready to make some room for some more fall and holiday jewelry, so I've reduced prices by 25% on 15 items in my Etsy shop. There are items for $15 in there...what?!! Just click on the SALE link.

I've been working on a holiday collection that I'm really excited about. I'll post some photos soon.

In the meantime, check out the sale for early holiday shopping! Here are a few of the items included. Just click the photo to get to the sale!

Farewell Summer!

I'm not quite ready for summer to end, but I can feel it in the air. Fall is here. I love everything about summer - EVERYTHING. Long days, warm nights, flip flops, summer fruit...all the FOOD! Yum. Needless to say, we've been eating well in the Staples household. Heirloom tomatoes have been wonderful this season...as usual. Here's an easy recipe for you for a wonderful Heirloom Tomato salad. The recipe is for 2 :)

2 Heirloom tomatoes - big ones :)

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

4 TBSP garlic flavored olive oil (I'm obsessed with this lately)

1 handful of croutons

salt and pepper

Cut the top 1/4-inch off the tomatoes and set aside. Cut the inside of the tomato away from the outside skin without cutting through completely; scoop the good stuff and seeds out with a spoon and stick in a strainer set over a bowl to drain. Season the hollowed tomatoes with salt and pepper.

Put the onions in a small bowl and add them 1 tablespoons vinegar and a pinch of salt. Whisk together 1 tablespoon vinegar, the garlic oil and the drained tomato water. Season well with salt and pepper.

Coarsely chop the drained tomato and put in a mixing bowl. Add the onions and croutons. Drizzle the dressing over the bowl and toss very well; season again and add more oil, tomato water and vinegar, to taste. Stuff each tomato with 1/2 of the stuffing and garnish with the tomato tops. EAT.

Ahhh, Minnesota!

Every summer my husband, Tom and I head to Minnesota for a week or so. I grew up in Duluth and have friends and family that we visit. We just got back from our annual trip on Monday night.

Every year we head up the Gunflint Trail to East Bearskin Lake where our family has had a cabin for the last 3o years. There's really nothing quite like time up at the cabin. It's so peaceful. No cell phones, no computers, no TV...just quiet. There wasn't enough time for fishing this year :(. We were only there for 2 days - which is WAY too short - and then headed to a little town just a ways from Duluth for a wedding. It was gorgeous and so wonderful to watch two of my very favorite people get married.

Cabin photos...

Wedding photos...

Now, back to jewelry...