Poppytalk Handmade Market

Thanks to Jan over at Poppytalk for including me in this month's Poppytalk Handmade Market!

It is the month long Holiday Madness & Boxing Sale Marketplace! Dec 15 - Jan 09/09

Stop by to see some of the beautiful work she has chosen this month...I may have to get myself some treats for the new year!

ohio love

Exclusively available at Tigertree in the Short North.... my signature Ohio pendants, now in satin finish sterling AND a beautiful oxidized sterling silver. Give your loved ones some Ohio love this Christmas!

Drive By Collection

Over the course of the past several years in looking through atlases on a daily basis, I've become aware of the sheer number of towns with funny names... some even have an interesting history to go along with them. One that sticks out in my memory is Utopia, Ohio...now a ghost town after the Ohio river flooded and wiped out a majority of the population in 1847.

In all my traveling this summer, I began to take notice of interesting road signs and started a collection... here are some of the highlights.

Hungry Mother State Park, Virginia
Maybe a good spot for a camping trip? Why do I imagine wild starved mother bears?

Bloody Basin Rd in Mayer, Arizona... a road I think I'll avoid.

I'll avoid the Horsethief as well...

Bumble Bee, Arizona (now a ghost town) and Crown King, Arizona a 'living' ghost town where over $2,000,000 in gold was extracted from the Crowned King mine back in the gold rush era, and the saloon was carried in by mule back from a neighboring mining town. What...no services?

And my favorite... Bland, Virginia.

For some reason, taking this exit didn't seem all that appealing.

Recent Sounds in my Studio...

Some recent favorites frequently heard in my studio... some are new albums this year, and some are old favorites that were rediscovered over the past several months.

I saw the Swell Season show in September and was completely blown away.... it is comprised of members of the Irish band the Frames and features Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard (the couple in the movie Once). It was just awesome... Glen is passionate like no other musician I have ever seen perform. The above poster was screen printed by local artist Clinton Reno.

Camera Obscura "Let's Get Out of This Country"

Always a favorite... Neil Young's "Harvest"

Bell Orchestre "Recording a Tape the Color of Light"
I saw them play a couple years ago at the Wexner, and this album is always one that I go back to.

Fleet Foxes [self titled album]
I am still kicking myself for not going to see them play when they came to town. One of my favorite moments this summer was driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina when their song "Blue Ridge Mountains" came on the radio. It was no less than perfect.
Here's a photo I took on that drive to put it into context.

MGMT "Oracular Spectacular"

Wendy Sutter and Philip Glass "Songs and Poems for Solo Cello"

I've always been a huge fan of Philip Glass, so I am always on the look out for new recordings. My love for his music was reignited this spring when I was in Ann Arbor, Michigan on a trip to see the Dalai Lama speak. Philip Glass was a participant in a panel discussing Buddhism, philosophy, and how it influences creativity and art. I was pleased to find this album released this year. His compositions performed on cello...it doesn't get much better than this.

Mr Postman...

Yesterday's packages before they went out to the post office...

Holiday Essentials for the Gentleman

Thanks to everyone who came out to the North Market yesterday in spite of the snow storm and terrible road conditions! It was a great time as always!

I was pleased to find that I've received some recent press for my Antique Map Cufflinks!

The cufflinks were mentioned as one of the items in Yahoo Canada Lifestyle's Holiday Essentials Guide for the Gentlemen.... you can read the article here.


And... there was a feature in Out Magazine's StyleList! Check it out here!

I am completely floored by the press... time to get in the studio and start cutting and soldering cuff links!
I recently received a note from some fantastic customers, Adka and Ivan in Prague, thanking me for the cufflinks I made for their wedding. Included in their online wedding album was this photo of Ivan wearing his new cufflinks!

Holiday Sale!

My last sale of the winter holiday season is tomorrow, Saturday 8am - 5pm, at the historic North Market in downtown Columbus Ohio! Come on out for the holiday festivities...live music, free holiday samples from the delicious food vendors, xmas trees, and MANY handmade goodies!

Stop on by my table upstairs for some great deals!

I'll be offering a special on all earrings in stock. Get $5 off your purchase of any 2 pair, or $8 off when you purchase 3 pair. A great deal for those last minute stocking stuffers.

I will also be offering free shipping for any custom orders of my sterling silver map jewelry placed at the market. A truly unique and personalized gift for those on your holiday list.

Custom map jewelry available to order in time for the holidays:

Pendants $60
Cufflinks $105
Lapel Pins $60