The MacMatcho

I love Maca....and Matcha....and Cacao.......and the good effects, healthy benefits they have for my body. I also love coffee and do allow myself morning cups of coffee. A Timmy's is allowed now and again because, well, it's the Canadian thing to do!
But for the afternoon slump, only a truly anti-slump drink will do. I make it with raw Maca, Matcha tea and Cacao. I like to call it the MacMatcho! This drink not only tastes fantastic....a chocolately malted milk Horlicky sweet creamy tea combination..........but it's good for your blood sugar levels, keeping you steady for hours (unlike coffee which makes you crash). The Maca is an energizing Peruvian ginseng which is also an adaptogenic, used to balance areas of the body that are unbalanced (helps stop you being crazy if you're pmsing for example!) and the Matcha green tea powder brings the equivalent of 10 cups worth of antioxidant rich green tea as well as the amino acid L-theanine known to relax the mind and offer sustained calm alertness (this is what we need mid-afternoon!) and the Chocolate...aaahhhh.... the chocolate.....this is pure, raw, unadulterated cacao, full of bliss inducing chemicals as well as being a very nutrient dense food, especially rich in magnesium ( which over 80% of us are deficient in) and other minerals such as iron, zinc as well as chromium (blood sugar balancing mineral). I hope I have convinced you to try this delicious MacMatcho drink!

The MacMatcho

8 0z Rice, Almond, Soy or combination of all three
1/4 ish tsp of organic matcha green tea powder
1 tsp raw maca powder
1/2 tsp raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp raw agave or raw honey(manuka is the one i favour)
a pinch of Himylayan pink salt (not table salt pls!).

Put the milk in a pan and heat very gently(do not boil)
Meanwhile, put your matcha tea, maca and cacao powders in a small bowl, then add a couple tablespoons of the warm milk, add the raw honey or agave, and the pink salt and wisk until the ingredients are combined into a frothy paste.
Then add the paste to the milk in the pan and continue to wisk until everything is creamy smooth.
The next step is optional but I like to then put mine into a blender (magic bullet works great) and blend it so that it's lovely and frothy.

.......... mmmmmm, and there you have it, the MacMatcho!

Drink this and prepare to be blissfully calm, focussed and energized for quite some time.

TURQUOISE

Refreshing and chic, some shades of turquoise have an old-fashioned 50s and 60s retro feel. Teal has a darker, somewhat more sophisticated look. Like the mineral, turquoise shades range from almost sky blue to deep greenish blue.

The nature of turquoise has the same calming effects of the colours it's made up of. Technically a mix of blue and green, traditional turquoise has a sweet feminine feel while the darker teal shades add lively sophistication. Turquoise represents water.......think aqua and aquamarine......the islands.....blue lagoon.......blue curacao (yum).

I love turquoise. It reminds me of the years spent in Jamaica, teaching scuba to students every day in the pool (okay, not so turquoise) then off to 'Silver Spray Reef' , a then beautiful turquoise water 30ft dive, full of colour and ocean life. Unbelievable colour at that depth....bright yellow and black sargent major fish, the lilac colours of huge tube sponges and the typical Princess Parrotfish, common in Jamaican waters and on Jamaican dinner tables as well! but beautiful nonetheless. A true mix of blue to green on its body to meld into the perfect shade of turquoise.

Collage Earrings

Loving this Collage earrings-Family Jewels Series No.8 by Christine Suthers of My Artistic Soul.....gorgeous.
Check out her work on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/paint1chris

Romantic Rock Chic Collection

.....couldnt sleep last night....up since 3:00am and had some ideas, which normally I would push to the back of my brain and ttttrrrrrryyyyy to sleep.....you shouldnt always listen to your brain, sometimes you just gotta wear your heart on your sleeve ;)

LeelaRocks Skulls

In recent years, I have developed a love of skulls...white ones, black ones, colourful ones, smiley, scowly, bone face skulls! While some might say that skulls solely represent death or immediately think of them as the toxic symbol on the back of the toilet bowl cleaner!......i think of them as reminding us of our own mortality, helping us to live our lives mindfully, in the present and to the fullist.

Hence the inspiration behind some of my latest designs.

Frugally Faux.....and Fabulous

Even in this time of economic downturn, we still need jewelry. And it doesnt have to be expensive or an expression of status. Real or fake, who really cares? A big chunky crystal cocktail ring can look just as fabulous as a 2 carat precious stone...and at least you can wear it without worrying if it's going to fall into the drain in the ladies whilst washing your hands! On the other hand, if you have a few precious pieces, why not wear them with your favorite well worn tee shirt and ripped up jeans.....fabulously shabby chic!

As for jewelry designs, it isn't just always about a well-crafted piece(don't get me wrong, that is important) but also about the 'fashionability' of the piece. Whether it's modern , vintage, retro, classic or made out of glass, lucite, crystal, leather, fabric or plastic...... isn't it all fashion anyway?

Some of my favorite pieces are ones that sit hovering between really gaudy and really fabulous. And I think it's great if you can wear a piece in different ways depending on your mood or confidence level on a particular day ( some days are better than others!). Sometimes the stretch choker I would normally wear around my neck, I might decide to fling around my boot ankle....why not?! Some days you feel like making an entrance, a bit of jingle, jangle!