CHESS BRACELET

When Peter and I stayed in Santorini a few years ago on our vacation of the four generations (Aunt Lu, myself, her 18 year old grandson, and my son who was 8 at the time), Peter and I had a room in the main building, and Aunt Lu and Michael had a "cave room" built into the side of the mountain with a view of the Caldera. To get from one room to the other, we'd go across a patio at the hotel that had a chessboard painted on the patio, and chess pieces that were the size of Peter. He loved pushing those pieces around the board. This clasp reminds me of that happy time, living on top of an island, seemingly on top of the world. The Chess Bracelet is composed of three strands, and will fit almost any size wrist, because it can be worn with the strands straight across, or with the strands twisted around each other any number of times, which will allow it to fit a smaller wrist. Light gray freshwater pearls play the board in a pattern with hematite squares and round black seed beads. The clasp is a vintage button set in, and embellished with sterling silver. Round clasp with square design, round seed beads with squares of hematite, and the salty freshwater pearls. The contrast of pure geometry with naturally formed shapes is always a favorite.

THE MOUNTAIN OF SILENCE

The Mountain of Silence - A Search for Orthodox Spirituality by Kyriacos D. Markides - My mom suggested I read this book since she didn't have time to do so. The Mountain of Silence is actually a metaphor for Mt. Athos in Greece. Mt. Athos is a peninsula in northwest Greece that has been home to monks living in ancient monasteries for many centuries. This book is about the monastic side of Orthodox Religion, about Saints and elders, about Grace, about the island of Cyprus, about vigils, about ceaseless prayer, and about the importance of humility. The events and conversations in this non-fiction book take place as interviews with monks and spiritual advisor Father Maximos, mostly on Cyprus. However, there is much that relates back to Mt. Athos and its mysteries. Mt. Athos has functioned in the same way for many many centuries, and life there is known to be untouched by the modern world. Females are not allowed on the peninsula which is about 10 miles wide by 30 miles long. Pilgrims (visitors to the mountain) mostly walk from one to the other of the 20 monasteries. This is a book of mysticism, belief and monasticism, and offers explanations and descriptions for living life apart from modern day societies. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is very readable especially if you are inclined to study the idea of ceaseless prayer. Mt. Athos:

TEACHING

Today I taught French as a substitute teacher at one of our local Middle Schools. It had been......well, let's just say many years since I last subbed, but I was excited to get back in the classroom, and had a fun and interesting day. My French was just about up to the task, and the students were generally very happy and energetic and hard working. I learned about Quebec, immensely enjoyed the family trees (arbre genealogiques) that a couple of the classes were working on, and also loved seeing the posters advertising French Summer Camps that another class was creating. As a bonus, an author was speaking at the school today....a 13 year old Illinois girl who has written 4 of 6 books in a published Fantasy series. Our students asked her some great questions. Maybe there were some future authors in the group. Il etait un bon jour!

SNOW DREAMS

The snow is so pretty as it's coming down all day, but unfortunately, yesterday I decided to shovel it! We have a very spacious circle driveway which is great for parking when friends come over, but not so great on a snowy day. It was so invigorating though! I shoveled the whole thing. I knew I'd pay for it, but but was still surprised when I woke
up sore this morning. I have pain all over. I think I'll bead and read all day. With a little desk work to spice things up.
What a blog about n-o-t-h-i-n-g.
Come back, though, this afternoon or tomorrow there will be jewelry! I have a Mykonos Necklace in the works that will be beautiful.

THE MAGDALENE SISTERS

The Magdalene Sisters - An excellent movie. It's based on true events, and tells the story of 4 girls who were banished to a convent in Ireland to work in a laundry. Each girl came to be there in a different way, and it was like they were in prison, only they were sent there suddenly, seemingly without good reason, for life. They did not choose a vocation, and this place was not a school. They were there to work for the nuns and the church. It is a creepy, all too real story about authority gone wild. You see this movie and then tell me that the United States keeping prisoners at Guantanamo Bay is not wrong.

It's Superbowl Sunday, and we are invited to an annual Superbowl party. I'm going to take this super Baked Cheesy Onion Dip....It's just the kind of recipe I love to make. Few ingredients, few steps and yummy. Except probably just before I make it, I'll check to see whether there isn't something new and fun in my 3-4 ingredient cookbook.....

Baked Cheesy Onion Dip

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or various cheeses shredded)
1 cup Helmann's Mayonnaise

Lightly saute the onions just to bring out the flavor, then combine with cheese and mayonnaise in a small baking dish. I like to use a souffle type dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour or until the top is crusty and bubbly.
Serve with chips/crackers/vegetables.

A SUCCESSSFUL JEWELRY SHOW

The jewelry show at the Hellenic Museum was fun and successful yesterday. I sold a number of my necklaces, bracelets and earrings, and had a great time seeing friends, chatting with the other 6 other jewelry designers, and selling my designs. Over the years, I've sold a few pieces of jewelry, often making it for the person or silent auction. I've also made jewelry as gifts, and always try to capture the person's personal style when making a gift. These designs were like my babies though. As each piece was sold, I hoped that it would be worn with the same affection and love with which it was made. A great amount of heart went into this art.

JEWLERY BY DIANNE SOPHIA DEBUTS TOMORROW!

I hope to post a few more photos later today, but in the meantime, I am pulling all the last minute loose ends and details together for the jewelry show tomorrow. Here is the flier for anyone who didn't receive my email about the show. It promises to be a fun day, and proceeds from each jeweler will go to the wonderful cause of building a brand new National Hellenic Museum.

BLUES & GREENS & PEARLS & CRYSTALS

Pool Bracelet - Another memory of our first trip to Greece is the memory of two swimming pools. They might have been the only ones in the entire country at that time, or so my parents would have us believe. The first was at the Athens Hilton, which was the place to stay. The second pool was on the roof of the Capsis Hotel in Thessaloniki just outside the village of my grandparents. My mom stayed at the Capsis with one or two of us at a time, while the other child would be staying in the village with the relatives. The thing about the Capsis pool was, they didn't really use chlorine in it. When it got dirty, they'd empty it out and refill it for a day. This is the pool...I think they've cleaned up their act. It looks like it would still be fun up there, though.
The pool bracelet is a multi-strand bracelet of turquoise blue and crystals with a vintage crystal button clasp. Two of the strands are aquamarine chips and glass delica beads....a few of the strands have beautiful silver bugle beads I purchased in Mexico....many of the strands have vintage czech glass turquoise beads, and there are Swarovski crystals too... It shimmers.Perivoli Necklace - The Perivoli is the garden, and it's always lush and green. I bought these green glass beads many years ago on a necklace. I found them in my stash of special things I save (there is a lot of that around here), and realized that they were beautiful and special. I don't know anything about them except that they appear to be blown glass art beads in swirls of green. Probably from the 1940s or 50s, maybe even earlier. They are accompanied by Swarovski peridot green crystals, deep green freshwater pearls and a special lighter green glass bead from my collection. The clasp is simple....I'd commissioned this one from a vintage button also from my own collection. It glows.When I began making jewelry, I beaded with pearls exclusively. As I've progressed from jewelry making to art jewelry making, the pearls haven't played as big a role in my pieces, but I've missed them. This is a pearl bracelet plus.....plus large 8mm Swarovski crystals..... plus five unique circular shaped Bali Silver beads.....plus a lovely Bali Silver clasp. The kind of bracelet you can wear every day, or the one you'll save for the most special occasions. You choose. There are no rules! It comforts.Mediterranean Dreams Crystal Necklace - Take a gorgeous vintage button (I think it's a St. John button from my stepfather's first wife's collection), and surround it with crystal roundels of the deepest blue and the clearest clear, and you've got a necklace that will take you around the world.

MY LIFE IN FRANCE * MY LIFE IN MY LIFE

My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme - I've been savoring this book for weeks, relishing each and every moment of Julia's life. The memoir is one of my favorite genres, and this one is very tasty, indeed. Julia and Paul Child lived their lives with zest and hard work and artistry. And of course the food. At one point in the story, they were being transferred from Paris to Marseilles, and on their last night in the city of lights, Julia writes "When you know your time in a place is running out, you try to fix such moments in your mind's eye". Her fellow author Simca, wrote the entire dessert chapter in Mastering the Art of French Cooking.....I want to make "bavarois a l'orange, mousseline au chocolat, and "her magnificent charlotte Malakoff with almonds". I'll keep you posted!

My life in my life: I have a few more days until my show and am beading my heart out. A pile of books are due back to the library, so this morning I quickly went through them all while watching Oprah. Here are some mini reviews:
Quilting In No Time - Sweet quilted projects perfect for a beginner
The Really Really Really easy Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Family tree Using Your Computer - It's all there in the title but I don't really know if it is.
A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words - A writing workbook using photos to get the juices flowing
Field Guide: How to be a Fashion Designer - If someone gets to be a fashion designer using this book, I'll eat my sewing machine.
"We need to talk" tough Conversations with your Spouse - This is good stuff. Both spouses would need to read it, then both would need to follow it.
Release Your Brilliance by Simon T. Bailey - Good motivational stuff

OK, I'm off to vote and return these books to the library. Then home to make fabulous inspirational jewelry.

BYZANTINE SUNBURST BRACELET * FRIENDS

This past weekend started on Thursday, and was a lot of fun. Thursday, of course, was bead group. Good friends, good talk, good food. We always have a great time. Then on Friday, I went to buy beads from someone who had advertised on Craigslist. She and I had exchanged a few emails, so I knew that she had some great Sterling Silver clasps for me, some new Swarovski crystals, and maybe a few surprises. The best surprise was that Gigi was just a lovely person. She made and sold jewelry for years, and was so helpful and supportive. I made a new friend. And I found the perfect beads to enhance a beautiful vintage clasp. Thanks Gigi!
Et Voila.....
The Byzantine Bracelet is so named because of the rich detail in the clasp. It has a certain understated sparkle with an intriguing Sunburst design. The bracelet is anchored by Gigi's round Swarovski Crystal Dorado beads. The Dorados love the opaline green fresh water pearls and large unusual Bali Silver beads. This reminds me of the ever beautiful Greek sun, always shining, ever present, ever beautiful, linking history and generations from past to present and into the future.
The weekend didn't end there, though. On Saturday we were honored to witness the Bat Mitzvah of our friends' daughter. Her name means song, and when her mom spoke to her, she also sang to her daughter. In our row, we all started crying because it was so beautiful. I turned to Nancy on my right and I could tell she was choked up. I turned to Steve on my left, and there was a big tear running down his cheek. Back to Nancy..."are you crying?" I asked. She smiled, and I told her to look at Steve, whereupon we all started cracking up. It was such a treasured moment. That night the celebration brought together family and friends with joy and laughter. The band rocked, mom and her musical family played guitar and sang, we took funny pictures in the photo booth, and yes, we danced.