Jewelry Trends: Pyramids, Triangles, and Bunting, Oh My!

I’ve become obsessed with the triangle shape in jewelry lately. It might have to do with my affinity for bunting right now. I know bunting flags are all over Pinterest boards and they’re not necessarily unique to parties anymore, but in the form of jewelry, it can still be striking and bold, yet still feel delicate.

I’ve been a little crazy over isosceles, but I love jewelry that has character and triangle shapes can really do that. It makes pieces seem special without feeling like you can only wear them once in a while.

Necklaces

This is just perfect–I even added it to my wish list for a Secret Santa exchange I’m doing. It’s made of copper and the letters in your name are stamped on. I’ve been looking for a “name” necklace for a while that didn’t feel too much like Sex and the City, so this find made me squeal. I love it! There are many options available at Etsy without any custom lettering, as well. (via hersilverlining)

Again, sharp but delicate. The cut out triangles make it feel lighter. It also has different metal finishes to give it a little more jazz. (via ASOS)

In case you were looking for a little bit more color. On Etsy, there are a ton of multicolored options as well as different types of material including wood and fabric. I like how this bright piece can give some life to the darker hues of Fall and Winter. And it’s under $7! (via LDnest)

The chevron shape is great too. I love the black and gold contrast, like the wood was dipped  in ink. The seller has other jewelry that likes to play with geometric shapes. (via Jess)

Rings

This ring is actually made from a button. I love the metal and wood contrast and the color gives it an earthy feel despite the deco elements. The angles contrast nicely against the round shapes. It’s all about softened edges. (via SilkPurseSowsEar)

This is so cool. A pyramid ring–an inverted pyramid ring to be exact. It’s almost as if it’s waiting for a diamond to be placed there. (via CSfootprints)

Triangle rings for your nails! I love me some nail art, so these rings are awesome. It can dress up any simple manicure when you’re not doing work on your nails or even add to an existing design. This is such a clever idea. (via superwicked)

As my 8th grade English teacher used to say, “keep it simple, silly.” Sometimes, the beauty is in its simplicity. Ah…a tiny triangle. The perfect little piece with an “edge.” ha. (via NoaNoaJewelry)

I really am partial to black and gold, especially in tiny earring form. I chose this pair over the dozens of triangle earrings you can find on Etsy because of it’s three dimensional quality. (via PetiteCo)

I have earrings similar to these ones and I wear them constantly. These are a bit more pricey but I think worth the investment since they are gold-plated and a great everyday stud earring. (via Kate Spade)

I’m not normally a fan of jewelry made of Swarovski crystal, but I like how this feels like it has a roughness to it that tones down the flash of the crystal. It comes in a different color too, which looks more like amber and achieves the same rough diamond look.(via MASHUGANA)

Sometimes one triangle isn’t enough. I love how light these must feel with that silver wire and with most things, I want a pair in every color! (via foxtailboutique)

Election Day 2012: Props, Ballots, and Votes

Finished voting today after spending the better part of the morning going over propositions in the state of California. I can’t believe this was my third election! Felt good, even if it made me a feel a tad bit old. Since I voted at a community center within one of the student housing complexes, lots of students in line. It seemed like it might have been their first time voting. How exciting!

*UPDATE*

I realized that I didn’t talk much about the propositions in California which I felt, as much as the presidential election, were just as important. I based my voting on the research I did over the last two days and considered endorsements by both the Los Angeles Times and The Santa Barbara Independent. Again, I considered their endorsements as they didn’t wholly agree and thought carefully about what I had read by publications not necessarily left leaning.

To get the straight facts as well as pros and cons of each, I first used the Official Voter Guide for California as well as Ballotpedia. I think research on the propositions is important–no matter which side one votes for. There’s too much talk online about not bothering to vote which seems wasteful and incredibly stupid to me when it comes to the propositions which directly affects each state. For example, why bother asking if an uniformed vote is worse than not voting at all?

How about…get informed.

Okay, mini rant over.

 

My Facebook and Instagram feeds are blowing up with “I Voted” stickers and other such typical election day posts. I don’t mind since it really is such an important day and crucial part of our democracy.

It’ll also be nice not to see so many voter ads while watching TV. Ha. Tonight, I’ll be glued to the screen watching exit polls and USA maps turning red or blue.

My obligatory “I Voted” sticker picture.

Enjoying my post-vote tea in my Obama cup.

Happy Election Day 2012! And, not as if you needed another reminder, don’t forget to vote! (At least if you’re an American reader.)

National Novel Writing Month – First Day, First Time, Oh November!

So, I finally decided to do it.

 

The first day of November officially kicks off National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. I had heard about this in grad school and always thought it was too crazy to even attempt. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret at not trying it out and possibly experiencing the thrill of accomplishing 50,000 words in just one month.

50,000.

I just needed to type that out one more time and see it stand there alone. It doesn’t seem possible.

When I was writing my thesis in grad school I struggled at times to just get small chapters out. I was hesitant to try this project, but a personal goal of mine this year was to take my writing more seriously. I knew after grad school that it was going to become easy to get lazy about writing. Part of the reason I started this blog was to do some sort of writing. NaNoWriMo is the perfect opportunity for me to get back in the groove of things.

I only realized it was starting two days ago and made the decision not to attempt any outline or plan. I had no idea what I was going to start with and fiction is something I like to read but have realized I’m not particularly skilled at writing. It was daunting, but thankfully, one of the helpful tips is to tell people you are doing NaNoWriMo. In a way, the more people that know, the expectation that I finish can’t be kept secret in case I likely give up in Week 2. I can’t give up because now everyone on Facebook knows I’m  actually going to write that book I decided to spend thousands of dollars in grad school for

Just kidding.

I do not take this month-long project and the hopefully 200-250 page result to be anywhere near book ready. It’s more like the long awaited kick in the ass I need to just write. Just write.

The beauty of the project is the inherent messiness of it. There is a push to NOT edit at all. I was warned that it would be difficult to silence my inner editor and I found myself doing that for the first few paragraphs, but once I started to ignore looking back, the writing came out much faster. It’s all about forward writing.

Again, I have no plan whatsoever and the first two pages were going okay despite a struggle about the voice. Because it’s my first time and I don’t want to give up too easily, I’ve fallen somewhere around fictionalized memoir. It really is heavy in the fictionalized part because the character breaks up a friendship by telling her friend, “I think your baby is ugly.”

So yeah, let’s just say, I would never do that.

But I can sure make my character say it.

In the end, my two goals for the month are  to write daily so I can hit the eventual goal of 50,000 words and two, to just keep writing even if this stuff is utter crap (which, of course it will be). Even if I start to hate the material and I change a lot, I can’t find that as reason enough to stop.

I’ve also registered with the main site and hopefully I can go to write-ins or meet other writers in the Santa Barbara and Goleta area who are attempting this same crazy feat.

First Day Word Count: 2,082.

Registration and FAQs about National Novel Writing Month can be found here.