Have a Happy Jolly Christmas

Finally! After all the weeks of technical difficulties, I finally got my laptop working for me. It still needs to do some more fixing up but at least I am able to use it for the my basics online neccessities.

Now that it is the holidays, 'till the season of great food, gift giving, meeting seeing family and friends and having a fabulous time. I have great memories of past holiday celebrations mainly because of the feasting we do in our family. So my great holiday memories revolve around food. Not bad for holiday memories, eh.

I am a big fan of desserts, and if I were to become a chef I would definitely be a pastry chef more than anything. I find baking and making desserts a lot less stressful. When I moved here in the US many years ago, I was introduced to pumpkin pie as a popular holiday dessert. We did not have pumpkin pie where I came from so I found it quite curious. It was love at first bite and I never looked back. From that day on, I could not have a Thanksgiving and even Christmas without pumpkin pie.

Since we are in the subject of food, tell me what you're favorite holiday food is. It is something fabulous that your mother made or some event that revolves around food. Recipes are welcome if you feel so inclined.

Have a great holiday. Let's eat and be merry.

LOL

Emma Lucinda Jewelry

Life without a computer

This weekend I am faced with a challenge. My handy dandy laptop have been giving me some problems for the last few days and now it has given up on me. Fortunately my brother, Roger was kind enough to lend me his computer for a few minutes to log in and check emails, my etsy shop, accounts, etc (thanks, bro!)

As I am faced with this dilemna, I began to wonder. We now live in an age where everything is virtual, automated, portable and easily accessible. If our most dependable gadget, in my case my laptop, decided not to work, all of a sudden we feel disabled. I had come into the habit of checking my emails, etsy shopkeeping, do job searches, research, check accounts on a daily basis using my laptop and I have kept it to a once-a-day limit. And now that she is out of commission, I feel unabled and uninformed.

Why is it that we have become dependent on our computers? Do you feel this way? What would you so without your computer?

Give me your thoughts....

What Do You Collect?

Having been making fashion jewelry all this time, one day I found myself with a more than an ample amount of beads and findings to make jewelry. Then, when I was re-organizing my workspace, I found more beads and more findings - those that was shoved at the back of the drawers.

Then it dawned on me that I now have a collection of materials, from leftovers from previous projects to newly acquired items - more than what I would normally need. And now that I am learning to sew, I found myself collecting small amounts of fabrics, threads and notions.

As avid craftsmen/craftswomen, do you find yourself with a small collection of materials that only needs a couple of plastic bins hidden under your bed or a vast number of it that it now required its own room in the house?

Tell me what's growing in your collection and why can't we stop?

Celebrity Products - Would you buy it?

Hi everyone! A funny thing hit me today. It all started when my daily mail delivery arrived this afternoon. As I was flipping through the usual junk mail and utility bills, a small flyer fell from the pile to the floor. I picked it up and it was an ad for the latest celebrity fragrance. This time is was Demi Moore's "All you ever Wanted" perfume.

Why are so many of these celebrities creating all kind of products from fragrances to fashion instead of focusing on their talents and producing noteworthy projects like films and music. Haven't we have enough perfumes, shoes and clothes in the market? Why can't we just leave that to the fashion designers who are doing it so well to begin with?

Would you buy their products?

P.S. It's my favorite TV chef Curtis Stone's birthday tomorrow. Happy Birthday Curtis!

It was a Sunday morning around 10am and I was having my morning coffee at a French-style cafe at Santana Row here in San Jose. This upscale shopping destination is lined with designer shops like Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci and Burberry.

I was enjoying an enormous cup of mocha when all of a sudden a heavy and vibrating noise caught my attention. I looked up and saw three Ferraris passed by - 2 black ones and a yellow one. The noise continued on as they all faded into the distance.

Suddenly a thought hit me. If a woman needs validation by wearing designer duds like Chanel or Gucci, does a man need validation by driving a Ferrari.

What do you think?

Man Shops World - The Show

I realized it has been a while since I made an entry at my blog.

This boring Friday morning led me go through the On Demand selection on cable and I remembered seeing this show from a couple of weeks ago called "Man Shops Globe". This man - Keith Johnson is the Buyer at Large for the clothing and homegoods store called Anthropologie. He goes around the world shopping for home goods and furniture for all the Anthropologie stores around the country and Europe spending 2 days at each location. This show airs at the Sundance Channel.

I envy this man. He has the greatest job in the world. A shopoholic getting paid to travel and shop. This is his version of a business trip. I have been in business trips before. It is a trip where you don't want to waste time and be productive as much as you can. And he does it very well.

Do you want do this job? Talk to me.

He mentions on the first episode that everything you'll see in Anthropologie stores are for sale, even the furniture that they display their wares with. So the next time you go to an Anthropologie store, look at the items with a different eye. Look at EVERYTHING.

Have a great weekend. LOL

http://emmalucindajewelry.etsy.com

The latest Ralph Lauren Ad - Is the Model to Skinny?

This morning I was reading an article at the internet about a Ralph Lauren model fired for being to fat. She was fired because she could no longer fit into the sample sizes the designer provides her for photoshoots - sizes 2-4. The model, Filippa Hamilton is 5'10" and 120 pounds, 23 years old and has been working for Ralph Lauren since she was 15. The big hoohah started when an Ralph Lauren ad came out of the internet a week ago. Filippa's photo was severely photoshopped - her waistline was reduced making her head look too big for her body. At the Today show this morning, she finally speaks out.


In my book, perfection is unattainable. No one, even though they claim to be, are perfect. Everyone has flaws, they are just very good at hiding them. Today, I am 20 pounds heavier than I was in my 20's and I've never enjoyed having curves than I do today. When I dress my body, I feel like a 1950's bombshell. I feel womanly because of my curves.


Have you seen the ad? I ask you, do we want this as an example for our children? Women and girls are already under a lot of pressure about their body image and confidence for what? To satisfy who exactly? Tell me what you think.

http://emmalucindajewelry.etsy.com

Are you mad for Mad Men?

I was watching my favorite TV show Mad Men from on Demand the other day and it dawned on me. Women looked amazingly good during the early sixties. It's not just the clothes but the overall look all together. It may look so high maintenance in today's standard but if you really think about it, women took care of themselves back then - their hair perfectly coiffed, their nails perfectly done, they're all dolled up with make up, they are appropriately accessorized complete with gloves, scarves even hats. And the best accessories of the era - cigarettes and cocktails.

If you look at the latest fashions in stores today, a lot of them are inspired by this era. Sheath dresses are popping up again. Pointy-toe pumps and tailored winter coats are back. Even structured bags and purses are in again. Are these fashion designers watching this show religiously? Good for them.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and saw a women with a small infant wearing pajamas and an oversized T-shirt looking like she just rolled out of bed. I'm not even sure if she put a combed through her hair before leaving the house. I thought to myself, if she would put a little time and effort to herself, she can potentially look like Betty Draper or even better Joan Halloway with curves galore like nobody's business.

Who would you rather dress like: Betty Draper or Joan Halloway? Why?

I realized that women of our generation are partly working moms with soccer practice and school plays added to their agenda. But looking back it just makes you wonder what if....

http://emmalucindajewelry.etsy.com

How I got my avatar - The Eiffel Tower

I have always been fascinated by places and traveling since I was a kid. I have always dreamed of going to Paris like most people. In the spring of 2007 I finally decided to go and four weeks later I was on a plane bound for France.

My plane arrived in Paris Charles du Gaulle Airport at around 10:30am and was checked in my hotel at around 12:30pm. I then found a pay phone a block away from my hotel to tell my mother that I got to Paris safe and sound. I always call her when I travel internationally. Since it was still early in the day, I've decided to start playing tourist and the first order of the trip was the Eiffel Tower.

If you have an opportunity to go to Paris for the first time, the Eiffel Tower should be the first thing that you should see. I have several photos of the Eiffel Tower taken in different angles of the park and this is one of my favorites.

The reason why I chose the best known symbol of Paris is that this trip change my outlook in life. Suddenly, working more than 40 hours a week in a corporate environment became dull and a bit unfulfilling. I suddenly wanted to work to live and not live to work like most Americans seem to do. A greater zest for life seem to be something I wanted. I have traveled internationally prior to this trip - Mexico, Canada, London, Spain, but somehow it was this trip and opened my eyes to a lot of things. It was not about making a lot of money. Suddenly, it's all about enjoying what you do. Like the saying goes "do what you love so you never have to work your entire life." For me it was working with my hands and jewelry making is only one way to satisfy it. Have you ever felt that way before at one point in your life?

I know this is quite a long blog post but I thought I'd explain it to you all. By the way, here's another one of my favorite photos of the Eiffel Tower. Every night at around 9pm, the Eiffel Tower does a light show for the public. If you ever go to Paris, you should check it out.

Have you ever been to Paris?

http://emmalucindajewelry.etsy.com

New Items at My Shop

Hey guys,

I just posted some new items at my shop at emmalucindajewelry.etsy.com. The items in my shop are inspired by the colors of the fall fashion season - purples, red, green, black and white.

Are you noticing that pearls are making a comeback? I see them in a lot of high end and couture fashion magazines today. Would you wear pearls for the fall? Your thoughts.

Do you have any inspiration board? Here's mine. The pictures are of women who are past and present fashion icons or those who just made so much difference to pop culture. Show me yours. What/who inspirations you?

http://emmalucindajewelry.etsy.com

I'm here!

Hi all,

I finally got myself a blog. Let me tell you a little bit about me. I live in San Jose, CA after a very short stint in Phoenix, AZ. I must say that when I was living in Phoenix that I missed California tremendously.

While in Phoenix, I discovered Jewelry making as a hobby however, I did not go to any classes until I moved back to CA. I enjoyd working with my hands and jewelry making gives me a very relaxed and therapeutic vibe.

Right now, I'm watching Ina Garten making scones and it making me hungry. Do you love food?
Talk to me.

http://emmalucindajewelry.etsy.com