One, Two, Three (?)

I posted three amazing Navajo-made Royston turquoise Y-necklaces this week to all my selling venues and was about to advertise their launch when necklace #3 sold on eBay! It was the necklace in the center of the large photo in the collage. Necklaces #1 and #2 are still available. The stones are gorgeous and the quality is excellent. I look forward to sharing the rest of the collection which includes pendants, rings, keychains and watch tips. The moody turquoise and Isleta cross earrings shown above will definitely be posted next week.

These three rayon / spandex tops by Zenana were also posted online. They are acid washed so each one is unique and they come in these three colors - Deep Sky, K Green and Fuchsia. The fit is oversized and sizes Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large are available. At only $22.00, they are a great wardrobe basic! Click on the photo to see them in the Boutique Clothing collection of my website. I know we are finally heading into the fall season after an endless summer but these are still good transition pieces as they can be layered under cardigans or jackets.

Eleven new jewelry items are now available for sale including the first official addition to the Vintage Silver Jewelry collection. This amazing amber pendant has been retired from the jewelry caravan. This is the first amber piece I have tried to photograph and it proved to be a challenge to capture how pretty it is in person. I tried to think of a way to suspend the pendant inside my photo box so the light could shine through and then I realized that the hand I use for rings would work! It is still prettier in person and is the largest amber pendant I have come across.

There are some budget-friendly vintage Native American pieces as well including earrings, a tiny pendant and this adorable Zuni owl pin. I am surprised that it has not been snapped up yet but I know it is just a matter of time before it is.

I learned something new when I rescued this dragonfly pin which came to me without a pin backing. The pin was made in Mexico in the 1990s and is hallmarked HOB. With some online research, I found that this is the hallmark for House Of Bangles. It is sterling silver but the stones are faux. Regardless, it is very cute!

The other learning experience this week was with regard to this kokopelli design money clip, which appeared to be Native made but with online research I was able to find that the artist is Monica Van Riper, who is Anglo. The top plate is sterling silver and the clip is sturdy nickel silver to keep those bills secure!

This gorgeous amber ring by Navajo artist Sam Piaso sold on Whatnot this week and is on its way to the state of Virginia. I had no expectations with Whatnot and I am thrilled to make my third sale there.

The first of four of these natural Sleeping Beauty turquoise necklaces by Federico found a home this week as well. The necklaces are very popular and I expect them all to be spoken for this holiday season. I have the matching earrings as well! This is a classic which will never go out of style.

I also accepted a reasonable offer on a 30" Navajo-made paperclip chain necklace to round out the sales for the week. Given the fact that the sales are coming from all of the different platforms I participate in, I decided to add Mercari to the list. This brings my total number of online marketplaces to 8 and it would not be possible without the help of Vendoo. It is a fabulous crosslisting program and worth every penny. It flawlessly allows me to keep track of my inventory and sales. Any online sellers looking to take their business to the next level can CLICK HERE and receive 25% off the first month's subscription.

Our only dining excursion this week was lunch Monday at Rammy's Sub Contractors in Elk Grove Village. I wanted to get one more visit in before it is time to head to Arizona. We both chose Rammy's Radical Italian Beef (Rammy's Way) but I go with a pretzel roll and Kuochun chooses the Italian roll. This is the only place I order Italian beef because I love the pesto, garlic spread and provolone they put on it. I know great sandwich places have to be out there in the Phoenix area as they have incredible bread bakers but I have not come across "the one" yet. I wish Beyond Bread in Tucson was there, Mother and I went there for the first time last year and it was incredible, I will be sure to take Kuochun there next year when we go to the Gem Show.

Sweet Tomatoes has made a triumphant return to Tucson as well after coming back from bankruptcy. It is the only Sweet Tomatoes location in existence. I have no idea why they chose Tucson, maybe it was their top-performing location back in the day. I used to really enjoy Sweet Tomatoes years ago, first in Glenview, then Waukegan when Kuochun lived in Gurnee and then in Schaumburg. Not that they had the most fabulous food but the number one thing I enjoyed most were their salads. Kuochun used to call it the "no meat buffet" because everything was basically meatless. Before we go, Kuochun has Paradise Pup on his radar but it has been too hot to wait in line there and dine outside. I think we have 2-3 weeks before it will be too cold!

Whenever I think of it, I check on the flavor concoction of the monthly "Show Stopper Shake" from the iconic mid-century modern hotel Valley Ho Hotel in Scottsdale which is just five minutes away from us. I have only had the opportunity to try it once, which was at Christmas time last year. It was a chocolate peppermint flavor with red and green M&Ms. It was good but not the best day to try it as I was still numb from Novocaine after having dental work done. I checked the flavor this past week and found out this will be their last monthly shake. They are going out with my favorite flavor combo - chocolate and peanut butter with some s'mores thrown in for good measure. As this is the September shake, sadly I will miss it. They did say they will bring shakes back once in a while so I will keep checking periodically. In the meantime, we do have the Sugar Bowl in Old Town which is an old-fashioned ice cream parlor / diner that has been in business since 1958. I have yet to try a shake but I have had the Tin Roof Sundae a couple of times which is a great classic.

The weekend after next will be the pop-up jewelry liquidation sale. I have shot some photos of the jewelry in the case and trays and the goal next week will be to have everything set up as there will be no estate sale packages to contend with.

Until then!