Jewelry and Gem Show!!

I went to the local Jewelry and Gem Show today! For all you prospective jewelers out there, this is a great place to get started, or if you are experienced, it is a great place to stock up on goodies!

I had such a great time arranging styles I liked and picking out Jewels and Gems for my collections! And everyone was super helpful and I got great deals on everything I wanted!

Look for some more great pieces coming out soon!!!

Here are some of the great pieces I was able to get ;)!

You know like they say, "A jewel in the hand is worth 100 in a bag!"

I love you all!!

Rootbeer Cupcakes and Cream Soda Icing?!

I love baking cupcakes, who doesn't? :) I was searching through all my cupcake books, printed recipes, and websites and amongst my searching I found a fabulous recipe for something I knew would be amazing!



Root Beer Cupcakes! From Cupcake Project This recipe was delicious! I added my own touch to the cupcakes by adding chocolate gnache balls to the tops of them :)

Here's the recipe:
Root Beer Cupcake Recipe

The cake part of the recipe was a root beer cake. I found the recipe at the Bittersweet Blog. The cake was moist and had a strong root beer smell and flavor. Definitely a winner.

makes 12 cupcakes

• 1 C rootbeer soda
• 1 t apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1/3 C canola oil
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 2 t rootbeer extract
• 1 1/3 C flour
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1/2 t baking powder
• Pinch of Salt

1. Combine the soda and vinegar and let stand for a few minutes.
2. Add in the sugar and oil, whisking vigorously until slightly frothy.
   
3. Integrate your extracts, and gently introduce the flour, along with the baking powder / soda, and salt, being careful not to over mix.
   
4. Fill cupcake liners approximately 3/4 of the way to the top.
   
5. Bake at 350 F for about 18 - 22 minutes.

I couldn't find root beer extract anywhere locally, so i improvised and used Root Beer soda instead and added a little bit more than whats called for :) In the end this resulted in a yummy root beer taste that wasn't overpowering! mmmm

The Cream Soda Frosting was next, also from Cupcake Project! Her recipe is delicious, I can't wait to make more frosting flavors using her technique :) Here's the recipe

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/4 C butter
• 4 C powdered sugar
• 1.5 t cream soda extract (Cream soda extract isn't exactly a common household item. However, I was able to order some at a soda home brewing company, HopTec. This is also where I ordered my root beer extract from. The service at HopTec was fantastic! They shipped my stuff the same day and even called me to let me know they had found a cheaper shipping rate for me. I'd definitely recommend them, if you want to try making some cream soda frosting. I'd also highly recommend the frosting. It was a perfect match for the root beer cupcake.)
  

1. Beat cream cheese and butter.
2. Add powdered sugar until the consistency is right.
3. Add extract.

Let me know if you try out these cupcakes! They were a hit over Thanksgiving :)

Christmas Shopping!

After the huge rush on Black Friday to get gifts for my family, I was almost done shopping (or so I thought!). I definitely took advantage of some of the deals on Cyber Monday as well!

I just couldn't resist all the great buys, and purchasing everything knowing that my family will love it is just wonderful. I can't wait to have everyone home for the holidays! I hope I can cook as well as they think I can :).

My hubby and I are going to take a trip up to New York so I can take advantage of some of the jewelry deals up there, and I can't wait to see the Big Apple during the winter season!

Keep following! New info about RinaldiDesign will be posted soon! I love you all!!

We are back!

We are back and we are better than ever!! I've completely changed the style of my boutique to a feel and look which suits it much better.

My site has changed, and this is the new web address!!

Again, that's http://www.etsy.com/shop/RinaldiDesign!

Watch for a new line of products this month, a new website, with some upgrades to the old pieces! This is an exciting time of year for Rinaldi Design!

I love you all and thanks for your continued support! :)

Happy Giveaway Winner!

In celebration of ECLIPSE (!!!!) I was lucky enough to participate in a fun Blog giveaway called "30 Days of Eclipse" on the amazing Joyful Reviews & Giveaway Blog! In my giveaway two lucky winners were picked! One won one of my Bella rainbow moonstone rings, the other one my Goldstone Carved Wolf Bracelet! She was So excited about her bracelet, she sent me a totally AWESOME picture of her sporting it:
Isn't she so beautiful? :) She was also kind enough to write me a really sweet review of the bracelet, that I'd love to share with you all!

"Hello! You don't know me but I won one of your Bella crystal heart and wolf bracelets in the contest you hosted for the "30 Days of Eclipse" giveaways at Joyful Blogs. Since it wasn't purchased through my account I obviously wouldn't be able to leave a feedback message on your page. However, I checked the mail today and saw that it had arrived.

I quickly opened it and was so delighted that I had to let you know! I think it's an extremely beautiful bracelet and I've already gotten compliments on it. I'm excited to not only wear it for the Eclipse premiere but for just about any other occasion as well. The care you took to protect the crystal was nice and the chain is a perfect fit. I also love the bit of sparkle on the wolf and even prefer your version to the one I've seen by NECA."

I'm so happy that she is enjoying her bracelet so much! :) It really warms my heart to hear such great support from awesome people like her!!

Featured in Boca Raton Magazine!

You'll never believe how excited I was to find that my White Sand Druzy necklace was featured in a magazine!!! *squeal* I was googling my name (haha, who doesn't??) and found out that I had been featured in Boca Raton magazine! If you have a moment please check out the link:
http://www.bocamag.com/Blogs/Shop-Talk/May-2010/The-Weekly-Dig-Druzy-Jewelry/