this reader loved THE READER

It's vacation time...and that means lots of books, movies, sleeping in, catching up with friends, eating out and playing hookey from all kinds of work that needs to get done.

Today I was able to knock off several items on the above list. A good friend and I met for lunch at a Tuscan-style restaurant, talked non-stop and then went to see The Reader. Amazing movie and equally amazing soundtrack. I had to buy it from iTunes as soon as I got home.

Kate Winslet truly deserved her Best Actress Oscar. She didn't play the part of Hanna, she inhabited the part. She's fearless on camera; she'll try anything and do anything that makes her character be more alive, more real, to the viewer. But it's the nuances, too. In one of the final scenes of the movie, when Hanna's much older, the slight curve of her shoulders suggests her age better than any words could.

Go see it - you won't be disappointed.

joolz overload at the oscars

Love, love, love watching the Red Carpet arrivals at the Oscars, but can't stand listening to all the drivel, so I press the mute button and just zoom in on the clothes and the joolz.

Ahhh, the joolz....there were some gorgeous pieces being worn last night. As lifted from various sites, here are some photos you might enjoy:

Best Actress winner Kate Winslet wearing Chopard diamonds


Alicia Keys, wearing 19th century Fred Leighton joolz, including an amazing amethyst and diamond ring

Best Actress nominee Angelina Jolie was decked out in Lorraine Schwartz emeralds, including a 65 carat Colombian emerald ring and 115 carat emerald earrings

Best Supporting Actress nominee Marisa Tomei chose Van Cleef & Arpels vintage joolz, including 1973 lapis and diamond earrings

And finally, Best Supporting Actress nominee Amy Adams, wearing a Fred Leighton bib necklace containing 630 carats of emeralds, rubies and sapphires, together with 39 carats of diamonds

how will i spend my winter vacation?

Lordy, lordy, it's finally vacation time!

Yesterday was our last day of business and today we put everything away, including all the velvet busts. No need to catch dust for 6 weeks. There's a "Gone Fishin'" sign on the door (no, not really) and my brain is already on vacation. What shall I do??

To begin with, I'm making French onion soup, straight from The Pioneer Woman's website. That Ree is a good cook and her onion soup recipe sounds yummy. The house is getting a little smelly, but in a good way. On the stove now, then into the oven, then back on the stove, then under the broiler. Can't wait to try it!

Also on the agenda....

• really learn about Photoshop Elements (just downloaded it) so that I can tweak all the pix of joolz I am going to be taking for our online store
• read lots and lots of good books. Post them all on Goodreads and share them with my friends
• go through my folder of artists-in-waiting to see who we can bring in new to the mix
• work with my web guy to get the online store up and running
• spend some time in a warmer, no snow climate
• visit with one of my best friends who lives far away but will be in that warmer, no snow climate at the same time as we are
• go to a couple of art/craft shows to prowl for new artists
• run through all the Tivo'd shows that are waiting to be viewed
• go a week at a time without setting an alarm clock!

Sounds pretty darn good to me!

new goodies from kerry bogert

Webster, NY lampwork glass artist Kerry Bogert has a strong and dedicated following. She creates fascinating beads, sells them online, makes jewelry with them, writes a popular blog and is in the process of having her first book published. Plus she is a married mom of three who is redoing their new house. How does she find the time???

We're delighted she found the time to create some new pieces for JOOLZ, which we put into inventory just this afternoon. We received the following 3 pieces and one more, so come see...

"New Necklace"

"Lunch Basket Bangle"

"Conversations" necklace

let's think spring!

One of our JOOLZ artists, Jayne Redman, creates gorgeous floral jewelry, perfect for spring...or for any season.

I met Jayne at the American Craft Council show two years ago, when I was just beginning to source artists for our spring 2007 opening. Her booth was enticing, and although I had contacted her before the show and had seen pictures of her work, I was delighted to find that seeing her joolz up close and personal was a completely different experience. Her work is exquisite and the quality just shines through.

Jayne works with sterling silver and 24K gold, combining the two metals to produce joolz that are classic and updated at the same time. Classic but updated seems to be a theme at JOOLZ - I find the combination unbeatable, and so do many of our customers. You can check out Jayne's website to see many of her pieces and you can see the earrings below, in person, at JOOLZ:

Double clematis earrings

Columbine earrings

Calla lilly earrings

Aren't they lovely? Come see for yourself.

groundhog day

It's Groundhog Day, and unfortunately, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning. That means six more weeks of winter, at least in Pennsylvania, where Phil resides. Up here, north of Phil, we are ready for spring...and I mean ready! We've had snow on the ground since early November.

One of our artists, Jayne Redman, creates beautiful floral jewelry, perfect for spring. We'll show you some of her work in the next post....