jewelry for the gents

What is classier than a man who wears cufflinks? One who loves geography!

After the many requests I have received to start making mens' jewelry from guys who repeatedly purchase my jewelry for their wives/girlfriends.... finally, I have something for them too!

Sterling silver vintage map cufflinks...
will be available in my Etsy shop beginning in early 2008. here are some photos of
custom cufflinks made for the holidays.



custom made for the mayor of bayville, maine! (above)


Here is another pair I made as a Christmas gift. I was so happy with how these came together, that I may be inspired for another line of cufflinks!

Sterling silver with Amber reclaimed from a pair of vintage clip on earrings!

Keep an eye out for more men's jewelry in 2008! It should be a fun year.... stay tuned for more exciting ventures!

handmade 2.0

Check out this article in this week’s New York Times sunday magazine discussing the emergence and merging of the diy craft scene, web 2.0, and etsy. Once I read that article, I became completely absorbed into the article's author, Rob Walker's blog murketing.

festive finds and last minute shopping

A nice surprise for the last couple full days my shop is open for Christmas orders... my Red Deco Blossom Earrings are on the front page of Etsy... go see... now... before it's too late!
If you order today or tomorrow, I will ship via USPS priority mail so that it arrives to you by Christmas! Thanks to all my great customers, it has been a fantastic season!

ornament swap

It's about time i take a little moment from the hectic studio / shipping schedule i have been on. I have a stack of about 25 boxes that are awaiting a trip to the post office, and another list of orders to be completed and delivered to some of my local customers.

Fortunately I was on the ball and had my ornaments made on the earlier side for the 2007 Ornament Swap hosted by freshly blended. I racked my brain for something personalized to the recipients that could potentially become a family heirloom... something to remember this holiday season. How do I do that for a list of 9 people of whom I have never met? The lightbulb lit up and I came up with the perfect solution... since all I know about them is where they live, I could make a larger version of my map pendants... big and glossy with a vintage map of the area where they are living. In lieu of using silver (to make this affordable to make) I used a nice thick piece of copper which i heat patinaed, following with an oxidation and a matte finish to give them an old world antique sort of feel.

So here are the results.... enjoy!

one final christmas sale!

Wow, it has been one heck of a busy holiday season this year!
One last chance to come purchase work from me in person before Christmas and it is coming up this Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at my alma mater,
Columbus College of Art and Design!
Admission for early birds is $50.00 (from 8:30-10:00) and $5.00 (from 10:00 am-2:00 pm.) All admission fees go to their student scholarship fund. If you are still looking to do some shopping for the Holidays and want to buy something unique and handmade, this is a great way to support young budding artists as well as alumni of the school. There is always a ton of amazing artwork for sale...you really shouldn't miss out on this!

If you do miss it, you can always shop on Etsy, or email me!

flowers, blooms, and winter blues !

Mmmm... blue, silver, white, silhouettes, plants...a few of my favorite things!
What a great surprise last night to find that my blue japanese glass cabochon necklace was top and center of this lovely blue treasury on the front page of Etsy! Stop by the shop to check out some other glass bouquet pendants!

I spent a busy night packaging up orders and rearranging furniture getting prepared for the delivery of my new love... I got a steal on an amazing sofa by Gus*, the Toronto design group, at a designer furniture store that was going out of business around the corner from my house!

After a fantastic weekend of jewelry sales at the North Market, I decided to treat myself to a new sofa, which I have been dying to get for a long time. Not expecting to be lucky enough to find anything that wasn't yet sold, I planted myself on the little Jack sofa as soon as I saw him without a red SOLD tag!
Now he is in my red living room... a perfect fit! I couldn't be happier!


the stainless steel frame matches my Bankas table perfectly...and the linen cover for the down pillows have a very subtle metallic screen print of a victorian floral pattern... so unexpected and pretty!!!

Custom Map Necklaces in Progress

Getting ready for the holidays! Check out the shop to order a custom vintage map pendant for the one who is hard to buy for.

More press!

Tiny Canary was featured in Etsy's news column the Storque!

I have received an email from Etsy's marketing team inviting me to film a segment for Fox 28 news in Columbus. I'll be on Tuesday morning, Nov 28 talking about buying handmade for the holidays, Etsy.com, and my own designs.


Here's the video:

Lifetime Goals...Amazing Weekend

This weekend ranks up there as one of the best of my life, I am still feeling a little euphoric and overwhelmed from all the happenings!

Tiny Canary was a HUGE success with over 1500 in attendance and many sales all around. I made some new friends, met some great customers, got a lot of positive feedback, bought and traded for some amazing handmade goodies (that I will be posting later on in my blog once I have the time to take photos of all of them and once they have been received as gifts so that I don't spoil any surprises!)

On top of all that, I got home late and exhausted Saturday night and opened my mailbox to find an envelope from the publisher, Lark Books. I had almost forgotten about the application I had sent months ago, but as soon as I saw the envelope I knew what it was! I was very nervous to open it... but when I did, I soon discovered that my work had been accepted to be included in their new book '500 Pendants and Lockets' that will be released in the Summer of 2008. If you are a jewelry lover, these books are probably familiar to you...
...lovely coffee table books with full color glossy pages. I was completely floored as this is from an international pool of applicants. (I am sure Kate and Aline could sense my excitement... squealing and jumping up and down for an hour!)

The piece of mine selected is an installation of a series of over 40 pendants titled 'Inheritance'.
I have been collecting for several years now, from my friends and family, samples of soil from locations all around the world in which they have traveled, lived, or worked. Each sample is encased in a tiny glass bottle with a handmade sterling silver top containing the longitude and latitude coordinates as well as a small map of the location where it was collected. Here is an image of some of the necklaces! Now that I've been published in a book, I am one step closer to needing to find some new goals. Next on the list is to be published in Metalsmith magazine!

tiny canary press!!!

I was really excited to see that Jan over at poppytalk made a post about Tiny Canary this week and my name was mentioned as one of the vendors! Thank you, Jan, for the bit of promo!

We were also featured in the Columbus Alive this week, who is also a sponsor of the event. Check out the article here.

Another sponsor of the event, Ryan Morgan of John Dawson Insurance, has been an awesome support of Tiny Canary as well as many independent businesses across the city... really an all around insightful and genuine person. His ideas about business and sponsorship are inspiring... he really explains it best in his blog post about his partnership with Tiny Canary and the lovely Amy D!

And congrats to Olivera Bratich, the owner of Wholly Craft!, who will be a vendor at Tiny Canary. She was featured in the Columbus Dispatch's 'shop talk' column today along with a event listing for Tiny Canary!

Just one more day to finish final preparations... the tables are being delivered in the morning, so we've got a big day ahead of us. Here is a sneak peak of something special for the event...

And just for fun, now that the lighting is almost complete... here is what happens when you mix a box of clip lamp reflector pans with a creative 7 year old...

This weekend! Come by and visit myself along with an amazing line up of other artists who will be selling their handmade goods at Tiny Canary! You REALLY don't want to miss this if you are within driving distance of Columbus!

rings

some custom rings i completed this past week!

tweet.

making goodies for tiny canary with aline!
gocco madness!

California Wildfires...Emergency Relief for Artists

I received this email from CERF this weekend. If you know any artists or craftspeople effected by the wildfires in California, please pass this along to them.

The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) is taking action to respond to the community of craft artists affected by the Southern California Wildfires. We are reaching out to artists, arts organizations, galleries, businesses and others in the affected areas to offer assistance and to locate information about the arts community. While it is still too early to know the extent of damage, we do know that the situation is severe as news reports indicate. We also know that this area of California has a significant population of craft artists. We have already heard from a jeweler who lost both her home and studio and CERF Trustee and clay artist, Lana Wilson, had to be evacuated from her Del Mar home.

Please help us spread the word that CERF is available to offer assistance to craft artists in Southern California by forwarding this e-mail to your contacts or by sending your contact information of craft artists in this region to CERF. Please also be aware that your support of our work during these times is essential so that we can deliver aid quickly and effectively.

Art Show at the Red Door

Stop by this Friday from 7-10 at the Red Door in Grandview. 1736 W Fifth Ave.

I will be there selling my jewelry along with three other artists.

a new kitty!!!

Look at this kitten! In less than a week, we will be welcoming him to our home! Tristan and I went to meet him today, and he is the sweetest ball of fluff! He is about 9 weeks old. We can't wait! Edit.... very disappointedly, Mr.Blondie, the kitten came to our house and had to be returned to Sarah and Tony. Turns out Tristan had pretty strong allergic reaction to the kitty, which was confirmed by an allergy test this week... cats and dogs both showed indication of allergy, along with a major allergy to dust and trees...just like his mama!

Aside from our disappointment, Blondie has been reunited with his brother Blackie, where they continue their shenanigans and taunting of Charlie, the older alpha cat. Not only this, but they will become the two new kittens of Tony's parents who lost their cats in a devastating house fire this past year. Their home is being rebuilt this spring, so the new kitties will be a warm addition! Here is a photo of the brief time we had with the sweetest cat ever....

Buy Handmade...

Did you know that buying handmade is better for people, better for the environment, and better for giving truly special and well-crafted gifts?

The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us all dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. The connection between producer and consumer has been lost. Buying handmade helps them reconnect.

As a consumer, you have the power to vote with your dollars. Be aware of the social and environmental implications of your purchases.

I just signed the 'buy handmade' pledge... to buy handmade this holiday season and encourage others to do the same for me!

Coming Soon...AGORA

It's that time of the year again, it's almost time for AGORA! Mark your calendar if you are in the vicinity of Columbus Ohio. This is really something you must experience first hand. This event has really mushroomed over the past year, and we anticipate it will be huge this time around. It has been a whirlwind the past couple weeks making preparations for the event after 6 months of planning. Just to mention a few highlights of what one might expect to see and hear... 250 artists, 50 artists' open working studios, 20+ performances from dj's, up and coming bands, dance troupes to circus performers... videos, pumpkin carving, art cars, silent auction.... and a lot more!

For more info check out the website www.agoracolumbus.com

Muir Beach

I had to watch this again to remember my favorite among the beaches we visited along the California coast just a few short weeks ago. We found some great tide pools at this beach, and spent an afternoon watching the tide come slowly in covering the starfish and anemones we had found. How quickly I miss those waves here in Ohio. Enjoy!

Fevery Haze

I am just now recovering from a 4 day illness full of fever, aches, and no apetite. Unfortunately I had to cancel my participation at the Old Hilliard Arts Fest today... I was disappointed. After seeing the thunderstorms this morning, it looked like this was a good weekend to be in bed.

I should be fully recovered in the next couple days and plan to spend some time in the studio this week catching up on some custom orders and making up a fresh batch of maps, birdies, flowers, and probably a few new things... because I always need to be making something new.

I'll have a fully stocked inventory by Saturday for Craftin Outlaws! Stop on by for a visit from 12-7 at Skully's Music Diner in Columbus, Ohio. I will be in the outdoor tents. There is no entry fee to get in! Can't wait to see everyone again. I feel like I've been in bed for weeks! I miss the studio!

Thanks for a great weekend!

I just wanted to make post to thank everyone who stopped by on Monday to visit me at the Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival. Thanks for all the great feedback and to all the new contacts I made and to all the wonderful customers! It was a fabulous show thanks to Lynette and Emily and all the volunteers for making it possible, you gals rock! I will definitely be applying to this show again next year! Here are a few pics of my ever evolving display. It is almost to the point where I am totally happy with it. I need a BIG sign next. :)

A new batch of the vintage map pendants...these were a hit!The ring dish... mmmm with red lentils! *Dreaming of a spicy dal!*

These little birdie necklaces seem to be a new favorite!

I just got done ordering a huge supply of raw materials...so now it's time to get back in the studio to replenish my inventory.

I'll be at the Old Hilliard Arts Festival this Sunday at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, followed by Craftin' Outlaws outside Skully's Music Diner on the 15th.

Labor Day Arts Festival Emerging Artist

Yesterday, I went for a walk to the post office with Aline to mail some Etsy goodies out and then met with Creatrixjane at Staufs to deliver some earrings and to get my daily fix of chai. As we were sitting there the delivery truck for the Columbus Alive (weekly paper) pulled up and hauled off a stack of the current week's paper. Of course on the cover was something about OSU football...which always seems to be the main focus of the news in this city. Not being a huge football fan (my birthday always seems to fall on Super Bowl sunday) I flipped past the pages of football fever, looking for the article that was to be published about the Emerging Artists at the Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival. As I flipped through the paper, I paused to drool over the Frank Lloyd Wright article and photos, daydreaming for a moment... I continued turning pages tilI flipped to page 42 and saw a HUGE photo of my face. I was rather startled! I think I yelped. I thought it would be a small article with a little profile pic. What followed was a nicely written article about the four artists that will be the featured emerging artists this coming Monday at the festival. I am looking forward to the show, and working like a mad woman in my studio to finish up the final touches on a fresh batch of work.

Come visit me Monday in Upper Arlington, Ohio! I will be at Booth #1 from 10am-5pm.

Back in the studio...

So, I have been back from vacation for a few days now, but have had a lot of catching up to do and am just now getting around to sharing some of the photos. The vacation was amazing and a much needed break. We visited many places that I absolutely fell in love with and I was not ready to come back to Ohio after spending an incredible week in the Bay area of California. I would live there in a heartbeat!

Here are a few photo highlights from the trip...

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Tristan felt home when he found the penguins... he ADORES penguins. We watched these little guys bob around for a long time, they all kept swimming up to the glass following Tristan back and forth. Seemed like some supernatural human/animal secret communication was going on.






Then I found these crazy transparent jelly fish that were only visible when a light shone on them. I tested out the macro lens on my new camera and captured some great photos.



This random and lovely assortment of dingies and kayaks were all lined up at fishermans wharf. We spent some time here watching the sea lions flop around and bark while the sea otters were showing off playfully in the bay.

I'll be posting more photos over the next couple weeks, so many great ones to share.
(I'm not sure why blogger is turning all my vertical photos horizonatally....hmmm.)



And today was the first day of second grade! Tristan was not quite ready for summer to be over! I remember feeling the same sense of anticipation...doesn't seem that long ago when I had those butterflies that made it hard to eat breakfast that first day back!