While we were staying in the Olympic peninsula last month we spent the afternoon at the Salt Creek Recreational Area. There is an old World War II bunker located there that we wanted to see. We got pretty lucky too because the weather decided to be lovely! We took a short hike around the water and found a magical set of stairs that led down to some cliffs and the water. I was hoping to see some tide pools but the tide was pretty high so I just did my best to stay dry. Plus sometimes (maybe more than sometimes) the ocean scares me.
Anyhow we had lunch in the sun and said goodbye to Salt Creek and hello to our private cabin in the woods.
While my dad was visiting last month I suggested we head out to the Olympic peninsula since it had been on our list since we moved out here but hadn’t made the trek yet. I let my dad pick our location and I think we were all pretty pleased. The cabin itself didn’t have the charm that the Cama beach cabins had but it did have a wood stove, a fire pit outside, and we had our own private beach. The cabin wasn’t right along the water but it was perched up on top of a bluff which made for good water viewing.
While at the cabin we wandered the beach looking for oddities oh which there were plenty but mostly in the form of seaweed. Walker and I collected a handful each of tiny round rocks to take the place of marbles in the Chinese checkers game in the cabin. We were also there over Valentine’s weekend so I sent both Walker and my dad on scavenger hunt around the cabin. That was pretty funny.
We enjoyed fires inside and an outside fire by day in the rain with the sun shining which was a bit odd. We were also lucky enough to get a full moon on clear night. We explored the beach by moonlight, which I found to be a bit more ominous than by day. Walker talked me into walking to the end of a the rock barrier and when were we splashed by a wave at the end I was pretty much done with that. But I suppose I was glad I did it anyhow.
I sometimes get asked the best way to clean certain types of jewelry so I’m going to share some of my tips. I tend to use more natural methods or thing around the house but if you have jewelry cleaner on hand that will work well.
The Toothpaste Method.
Works best for: Silver jewelry (not chains)
How: Take non-bleach toothpaste and wipe some onto a rag, cloth, or old toothbrush and rub jewelry. Once all the tarnish is gone, rinse and dry. If the tarnish is stubborn you may want to repeat.
The Foil/Baking Soda Method.
Works best for: Silver jewelry including chains and gold-filled jewelery
How: Place a piece of foil shiny side up at the bottom of a bowl. Place jewelry to be shined up on top and sprinkle with baking soda. Pour boiling water on top. It’s important that the jewelry be touching the foil. Repeat as needed. Use tongs to pull jewelry out, rinse, and dry.
If you just need to buff the jewelry I include a small polishing cloth with all of my orders to keep the piece looking shiny and new.
Note: 14k gold may never tarnish (how cool is that!) but if it needs a bit of shine I recommend a polish cloth.
Let me know if you have any questions about specific pieces and I’ll do my best to answer them. Do you have a great at home jewelry cleaning tip? If so please share in the comments below.
Bonus tips: I would recommend storing sterling silver in little plastic bags when not wearing. This helps to keep the air from tarnishing your pieces.
