Habitat for Humanity on Fox8 This Morning

"Is that yours as well?"
"No, that's by some shy jewelry chick who didn't get her butt down here this morning to talk about her necklace, so we'll just leave it in the little box."

Oh well....my fault for being too chicken to go on TV!
The artists who had the guts to go did a great job. Good luck to Habitat Cleveland....hope you raise a bunch of money this weekend!

Build A Dream

Next Saturday the Greater Cleveland Chapter of Habitat for Humanity will be celebrating their 25th anniversary with their creative event "Build A Dream," at The Calfee Building on East 6th Street.
The silent auction will feature Up-Cycled art made by local artists. How fun!
For more info on tickets click here.

Of course, "upcycled" is right up my alley.
This is my donation for the invitational silent auction, using a few old keys, authentic cobalt blue beach glass, and lots of sterling silver.

All proceeds raised at the Build A Dream 2013 party will help Cleveland Habitat provide quality, affordable homes for their worthy Partner Families.  

A productive morning

I made two zucchini breads and a silver bracelet this morning. 

I wish every day was this productive! Below is the recipe for the bread.

I always make two loaves because I figure if I am making a mess in my kitchen I might as well make twice the recipe! (They freeze well, but allow bread to fully cool first, then wrap well before freezing.)

Recipe for the silver bracelet? That will have to be for another day.

If you like this bracelet I will be donating it to the Celebration of Hope, the dinner to raise funds for the Cleveland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, Thursday, May 2, 2013.

Each year I donate a piece of SToNZ jewelry to the silent auction in memory of my mother-in-law Hope (yes, for me it's a celebration of her) who, among other things, happened to be an amazing baker.

It seemed appropriate to bake something while I created this bracelet for the auction.

I HOPE it's up to your standards, Hope!

Zucchini Bread Recipe  (adapted from Jane Brody)

1 1/2  cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2  cups all purpose unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
3 medium eggs
6 TBS safflower oil  
1 stick melted unsalted butter
4 small grated or shredded zucchini 
1 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup yellow raisins  
8 chopped dates
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, oil, butter, zucchini and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and stir to combine well. Stir in the nuts, raisins and dates. Pour batter into two greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60 minutes or until a pick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool on baking racks. Makes 2 loaves.  

Rainbow Babies & Children’s Foundation Ride the Rainbow Event

OK...it's fundraising season again, so here's one more SToNZ Jewelry donation for another worthy cause.  Some people are great at organizing events and chairing committees, (and I have oh-so-much admiration for those wonderful folks) and some people are better at making one of a kind things to donate to the cause. I think you can see which category I have decided I fall into.

This time I created a bracelet and ring set for the Rainbow Babies & Children's Foundation here in Cleveland.

Hand made sterling silver links with a hand cut chunky copper heart tag, the bracelet is more than 8" long and can be linked anywhere to fit any wrist. The sterling and copper ring is a size 7.5.  Hope you bid often, bid early and win! Thanks for your support...

2012 Ride the Rainbow 

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

Saturday April 21, 2012

Cleveland Jet Center at Cuyahoga County Airport

26380 Curtiss Wright Pkwy, Richmond Heights, Ohio

The Rainbow Babies & Children’s Foundation proudly announces its signature event, the fifth biennial Ride the Rainbowto be held on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at Cleveland Jet Center. Ride the Rainbow 2010 sold out with 1,000 people in attendance, and our community raised over $830,000 for UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital.

Your support of Ride the Rainbow furthers the hospital’s mission of providing the highest quality family-centered care to children and families. While Northeast Ohio treasures UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital as a special jewel, Rainbow is also recognized internationally as a leading center for subspecialty care, research and teaching. Support from Ride the Rainbow funds important programs at Rainbow, including, but not limited to:

•   Child Life, the group of dedicated team members at Rainbow who make hospital stays less scary for children, and educates parents on how to cope with new realities. This service is not paid for by insurance!

•   Injury Prevention, which includes teaching new parents about car seat safety, children about bicycle helmets, and teaches families about water safety. These services directly avoid future hospital stays and are completely paid for by philanthropy and grants!

•  Research and recruitment of talent, bringing the best and brightest medical leaders to our community to take care of our children. Discoveries made at Rainbow change how pediatric care is delivered globally.