Emeral City Challenge by ShopBevel

So excited! One of my necklaces has been chosen by ShopBevel to enter their "Emerald City" Design Challenge Contest. The piece that receives the most votes is the one that will win the challenge!! So I'd like to ask you all a favor and vote for my necklace!!! To vote, just do the following: - Go to ShopBevel's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/shopbevel), click on "Like" to access the challenge - Then click on "view entries" (if you don't see my necklace then scroll all the way down and click on "show more entries") - Click on my necklace and cast your vote. It is the Emerald Green Crochet Bib Necklace by Victoria (as per the picture). Voting starts TODAY, February 14 @ 12 noon (New York time). Please share this with your friends so that I can get lots of votes and win the challenge!!!! Thank you all in advance!!!!! Victoria

Giveaway Earrings!!!

I'm giving away these gorgeous crochet earrings! For details on how to enter, please head on over to Emma's Lunch blog.

Good luck!

Bridal Crochet Necklace and Earrings Set

Summer Earrings!!! Only for the Bold and the Daring

PLUM, Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Some of my goodies are now available at PLUM, a small boutique located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. So exciting!!!!!!!!!!

My Necklaces Featured in a Beautiful Book!!!

Back in October '10 I was approached by Amy Palanjian expressing her interest in my crochet necklaces and asked me if I'd like to participate in a book she was working on called "So Pretty! Crochet - Inspiration and Instructions for 24 Stylish Projects".

Of course I jumped to the opportunity of having MY work featured in her book, and today to my surprise I received my copy in the mail!!!

Congratulations Amy, your book is really fantastic and just overall beautiful. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. It's so exciting seeing my work featured in such a beautiful book!

Amy featured 2 of my necklaces in her book. You all can all pre-order your copy at Amazon :0)

 

My 2 necklaces that Amy featured in her book are these:

These are not for sale (I'm keeping them), but you can see all my other necklaces in my shop LavenderField

 

Daffodils

Daffodils in my garden are in full bloom now.  The smell is so alluring.  Whenever I bring some in the house the whole area is filled with its pungent aroma.

I have made a crochet Daffodil Necklace representing the beautiful flower, complete with water drops and all :0)

Russian Beauty Spot

Checking my GA yesterday for my LavenderField shop I noticed that there were a lot of visitors from Russia and Ukraine, so I decided to check out the website that was sending all these visitors to my shop and what a pleasant surprise to see that such a beautiful, softly-colored blog called Beauty Spot had featured a bunch of my necklaces.  If I could only understand Russian..... wish I could read all the comments that people were leaving there :0)

Sauteed Shrimp and Spinach

Bought some fresh spinach yesterday and wanted to have it today for lunch with something quick and easy, so I made this, and it was a hit:

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons lemons, zest of
2 lb (1 kg) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 bunches fresh spinach, washed and lightly steamed/wilted and chopped

Directions 

Stir together garlic, pepper, salt and lemon zest.
Blend in lemon juice and olive oil.
Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the shrimp, and cook for 2-4 minutes until pink.
Stir in the spinach and cook just for a few more seconds.
Stir in the lemon-olive oil mixture.
Toss well.
Serve immediately.

(adapted from http://www.food.com/recipefullpage.do?rid=112371)

Recipe of the Day: Garlic Pork Steaks with Capers and Cream

I came up with this easy and delicious recipe the other day, and it was such a hit that I decided to share it here on my blog so that everyone can enjoy it:

Garlic Pork Steaks with Capers and Cream

1-2 tbs olive oil
4 pork steaks
2 garlic cloves
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup capers
1 cup fresh cream

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and cook pork steaks in medium high heat until done and no longer pink in the middle.  Press the garlic cloves into the pan with a garlic press, and stir until it is yellowish and aromatic.  Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, scraping the pan with a spatula.  Toss the capers in and then the fresh cream and stir a little.  When cream is bubbly remove the pan from the heat.

That's it!  Enjoy!

BUST Magazine Feature

Look for my necklace on the June/July '11 issue of BUST Magazine (page 28, to be exact)!!!

Square Mania

Summer Earrings!

I've had such fun making these earrings which are the perfect Summer accessory. So far I've made them in 9 different shades (ballerina pink, ochre, orange, cream, mauve, azure, green, denim blue, and buff):

Thursday Treasury

I just love this new treasury made by Jen of Walrustusk where she included my Retro Squares Crochet Necklace:




I found these earrings in her shop, which feature an amzaing beadwork:



Thank you Jen!

And the winner is...............

Wow!  That was really exciting!  So many people left comments in hopes of being the winner of one of my "All My Friends" necklace.  But there was only one lucky winner, and that winner is...... Gloria (no. 1)!!!

Thanks to all who participated!!!!!!!!

Estsystalker Giveaway: Enter to Win!

I'm so honored to have received an invitation from Violet of Etsystalker to do a solo exhibit together with a giveaway!

You can read the interview here and enter to get a chance to win one of my popular "All My Friends" necklaces.  One lucky winner will be chosen at random next Sunday, February 6th.

The Ultimate Compliment

Having repeat customers has got to be THE ultimate compliment :0)

That goes both for my LavenderField shop, as well as for my Mexican restaurant

Is Winter here yet?

What better way to boost your immune system than a brisk, one-hour walk along the sea, and then a dip in the frozen Mediterranean waters?

I think Winter has forgotten us this year.

More necklaces coming up soon!

More goodies in da making and coming up soon in my shop!  Here's a sneak preview :0)