Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. We did. We spent it riding bikes, meeting up with friends, and trying not to overheat. And also watching the Tour de France! It's my favorite thing about summer lately. Over the years I've learned about how the race works, how the teams work together, and about race strategy, so I really enjoy it now. And we are Team Tadej (Pogacar), so we've had a couple of great days watching him take command of the yellow jersey! They are in the high mountain stages now, and even if you're not that into cycling, the race coverage is worth watching just for the sweeping views and commentary. France is just amazingly beautiful. We got to spend a couple of weeks in France a few years ago, and we absolutely loved it. And we plan to go back in a couple of years to do a bike tour for our 10th anniversary!
Also this weekend, I spent time working on my next collection: Beachcomber. I haven't done a themed collection in a while, mostly because I had a stressful spring and the freedom of just making whatever came into my head was nice. But I like the focus a theme brings to my work, and assembling materials that inspire the collection is a really fun part of the process. Below is a photo of the materials I have assembled so far - sea glass, shells, fossils, pretty stones, and some of my handmade bubble glass, as well as a bunch of beads that I think fit the theme:
I've already got a few settings nearly done (for the four shells on the left, and for the white seaglass which will all be pendants). Lots of fun stuff here! I'm aiming for about 20 finished pieces for this collection, so I probably won't get to all of these things, but that's how it usually goes. I'd guess I will have a release date picked by the end of the week, when I have a better feel for how long all of this will take.
I've also got a new Turquoise piece I just added today (it's Turquoise Tuesday tomorrow after all, and this week I'm a day early!). It's a natural Pilot Mountain stone, set in a rustic pronged bezel setting. Check out the beautiful deep green!
In more cycling related news, I got ANOTHER puncture today and had to have my kiddo come pick me up. Some teeny thin wire managed to rip a tiny slit in my tire and I was unable to fix it. It was such a bummer because I was only 22 miles into a 40-ish mile route and was feeling great. By the way, only three weeks to go until said kiddo will be dropped off at college, a fact I am trying not to think too much about!
Oh, and I thought I'd share a recipe with you today. It's so simple it's almost not a recipe, actually. Have you heard of Banana Egg Pancakes? I had heard of them, but never tried them until today, when I was faced with very few choices in the fridge as I went to fuel my workout this morning. Eggs alone didn't sound good, and I needed some carbs mixed in there too, and I remembered the pancakes. Here's how they turned out:
I put the slightly burned ones on the bottom for a better photo op! Too high on the heat I guess. Here's the recipe I used, and I did add the extras (pinch of salt, pinch of baking soda, some cinnamon, and a bit of vanilla). I had some stewed plums on the side because our freezer is still mostly full of plums - some left from last year!
They were really good, by the way, so I hope you try them! Have a great rest of the week, y'all!
Jenn
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