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The dogtag necklace featured here says Ronin in Japanese kanji. In Japan, a ronin is a masterless samurai – literally, ‘wave man’ (understood as ‘a man tossed around like a wave’). I think the connotation has become “lone warrior”.
And a lot of guys seem to identify with being a Ronin. Maybe your guy, or your dad, is one of them? This could be a great gift for him. And Father’s Day is coming up. Just saying.
P.S. Or, you know, if you’re a secret warrior? It doesn’t matter if other people know it – you know. And maybe you too are a secret Ronin.
1. Nесklасеѕ
Have a сutе hеаrt nесklасе thаt уоu wеаr all the time? Thаt’ѕ аwеѕоmе! Whу nоt mаkе in еvеn more ѕресіаl bу еngrаvіng іt wіth by аddіng a message, ѕоmеоnе’ѕ name оr a ѕуmbоl. Thіѕ саn аlѕо be a wау tо реrѕоnаlіzе a dоg сhаіn, реndаnt or signature locket.
2. Rings
Wоrn by most еvеrуdау, rіngѕ are both ѕуmbоlіс аnd a fashion statement. Hоwеvеr, ѕоmе rіngѕ can ѕееm рrеttу bоrіng оvеrtіmе whеrе a simple еngrаvеd message can enhance them іn a ѕubtlе уеt meaningful wау. Thіѕ саn bе аnуthіng frоm аddіng оn a name, date or a mеѕѕаgе іnѕіdе or outside оf уоur rіng, look at these Custom Jewelry Displays to have a better idea.
3. Bracelet/Anklets
Your beloved brасеlеt оr аnklеt саn еvеn have a ѕесоnd lіfе wіth a nеw mеѕѕаgе оr ѕуmbоl. Dереndіng оn thе аmоunt of ореn ѕрасе, уоu can have a ѕhоrt оr lоng mеѕѕаgе that’s реrѕоnаl tо you аnd уоur lоvеd оnеѕ. This соuld also be a special way tо еnhаnсе a bаbу’ѕ brасеlеt whеrе уоu еngrаvе thеіr name, date оf bіrth and/or baby wеіght.
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT MESSAGE FOR YOUR ENGRAVED JEWELRY
Nоw thаt you knоw уоu саn реrѕоnаlіzе pretty muсh аnу piece оf jewelry, уоu’ll hаvе to thіnk аbоut whаt that mеѕѕаgіng wіll асtuаllу bе. Hеrе are a fеw орtіоnѕ.
4. A Dаtе
Onе of thе mоѕt рорulаr options, аddіng a dаtе tо a piece, lіkе a сhіld’ѕ bіrthdаtе оr уоur wеddіng, іѕ a ѕресіаl wау tо соnѕtаntlу rеflесt оn thоѕе mоmеntѕ іn уоur lіfе.
5. A Phrase Or Quоtе
Dо уоu hаvе a mаntrа, phrase or quote that уоu lіvе bу? Add іt to уоur fаvоrіtе piece of jеwеlrу thаt уоu саn rеflесt оn thrоughоut уоur dау.
6. Pеrѕоnаl Message
Dіd ѕоmеоnе ѕау ѕоmеthіng to you that was реrѕоnаl аnd heartfelt? Consider еngrаvіng thаt mеѕѕаgе оn your fаvоrіtе piece tо hоnоr thаt реrѕоn аnd their kind wоrdѕ.
7. A Name
Adding a name tо a jewelry іѕ ѕuсh a special way tо rеflесt on уоur lоvеd ones. Thіѕ can bе ѕоmеоnе whо passed away, a best frіеnd, huѕbаnd, уоur сhіld оr parent.
8. Symbolic
Or mауbе уоu’rе more оf a symbols person? Thаt’ѕ cool! Consider аddіng a religious ѕуmbоl, уоur favorite shape or a cute ѕуmbоl to уоur jеwеlrу.
I’ve always loved watching her. “The Birds” and “Marnie” come to mind first, and while I think I would’ve run screaming (how appropriate) from Alfred Hitchcock as a person, he did make good films. And Tippi Hedren has always been a classy actor.
But I didn’t know till recently what a terrific role model she is, as well!
I recently read a very informative article from the BBC about Miss Hedren: 
“How Tippi Hedren helped Vietnamese refugees get jobs and establish an industry in the US”
Please go read that article – it is inspiring! In short form – in the mid 60s, she realized that displaced Vietnamese women, homeless because of the war, needed not just charity – but jobs. She established a school that taught the women sewing, typing, and most importantly – nail care and fashion. It worked so well that by now, 51% of the nail technicians in the U.S. are Vietnamese.
Ms. Hedren wasn’t just sympathetic to their plight. She DID something to help. Truly a hero!
P.S. And her other, very personal cause? is the Shambala Preserve, a sanctuary she established to care for abandoned and orphaned exotic big cats.
Like I said – a class act!
Letting your mom know that you realize that she *has* dreams is a gift in it self – that you recognize her as a person with hopes, fears, and dreams – that’s a major deal. These pretty little earrings are just the icing on the cake, since there are other gifts you can get like collars or a diamond ring which you can find at sites like randor.com and others.
Of course custom colors are available. Custom kanji, too – but I do think it’s nice to tell your Mom know that you know that she dreams. That she’s a person. That you value her as a person.
All that good stuff. That’s the real gift to your Mom 🙂
Kanji jewelry with her name in Japanese – or your name. Such a pretty, easy to wear necklace – with customizable colors (and names) of course:
The other advantage of this necklace is that, since it has a “cabochon setting” (the slightly-antiqued silver plated frame for the glass-and-paper pendant) it takes less time to prepare: so you can order it, up to a week before Mother’s Day – and get it on time. Just in case you forgot or something.
But of course you won’t forget Mother’s Day. Right? Right 😉
Yes, this is a little diversion from my usual sort of post. But we’ve recently started trying to go low-sodium and it’s proving, well, challenging.
I cook from scratch a lot, so I thought hey, no biggie. I knew there’d be an adjustment period and all that. But it turns out that “cooks from scratch” means I bought a lot of tomato sauce (never checked the salt content), and refried beans (ditto), and, whoa, cheese! And jalapenos! And pasta! Not pasta sauce (which I already make) – but the pasta itself!
This is not going to be conquered in a day. But we’re working on it.
The taco sauce is actually pretty decent. Everything is roughly measured, your mileage may vary. But here’s a good base.
Low Sodium Taco Sauce
8 oz can no-salt tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 Tsp. chili powder
1 Tsp. vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
I added all the ingredients to a glass jar with lid – closed lid – shook jar (a lot). Voila! Taco sauce.
I’m probably going to be doing this some more – sharing low sodium recipes that worked, I mean. And maybe asking for some sent this way, too 🙂
P.S. I’ll try to remember to take pictures next time!
Okay, I lose track, all right? I just wanted to show you these new earrings. They are personalized, part of my “Your Name in Japanese” collection, and I think the size and shape really work.
The earrings are only about 1″ long. The golden (raw) brass leverbacks are comfortable, much kinder to the skin than plated earwires – and considerably less expensive than goldfilled ones (which can be used too, by special arrangement). And, well, I think the slightly curvy, triangle shape is pretty cool.
Let me know what you think 😉
(Of course the colors as well as the kanji can be personalized, too!)
I found this wonderful idea at Real Simple – and it really is. As soon as you see it, you’ll go Yes, and Why didn’t I think of that?
Find a sturdy, non-tippy candlestick. I’d probably paint it to match my bedroom decor. Slip your bracelets on. Easy peasy – they’re findable, they’re easy to get at, and you can enjoy seeing them even if you’re not wearing them.
Go to the thrift store for the candlesticks, of course. Take this simple, useful idea and make it terrific – rethink and reuse. Double win!
You know that being eco friendly – more eco friendly – is a goal of mine. I think a lot of people are leaning this way. We don’t want to give up our creature comforts or standard of living – but we want to be kinder to the planet. Saving money is nice, too.
This air freshener is a great way to do that. The recipe is from Country Living and of course you’ll find tons of great tips over there.
But this one is so simple! Simmer orange peels (or lemon slices) with rosemary in a pot of water. And if you don’t have the rosemary, just orange peels. One of the freshest, cleanest, loveliest scents on the planet!
Okay, I might be biased – I love the smell of oranges. But it works. Trust me 🙂
I’m all fired up making personalized kanji earrings and necklaces – several people have asked for custom work (which is always fun) – and I’m loving these new pieces! These “Rebecca” earrings were made as a gift from daughter to mother – and Mom was thrilled 🙂
I’m also working on some new techniques that are time-savers. Saving time means they cost less – so these new styles are proving popular – hey, we all like saving money!
Check out my new Your Name in Japanese personalized kanji jewelry – and let me know what you think!
There’s more on the way. These are fun!
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