weekend wrap up

hey there! did you have a great weekend? i hope so.

i mostly ended up working, but the hubby and i made time for a date night saturday night. we went to the drive-in and watched the hunger games. i’d never been to a drive-in before: it was fun! {also the movie was pretty good. now i have to read the books.} sunday i cleared away the mess in my studio and made a few new pieces. the doggies got a much needed bath and i topped off the weekend with a nice hot bath for myself. {with junior mints and a good book.}

those pieces will be up in the store soon. and just in time for mother’s day i’m offering a deal on my key to my heart necklaces in sterling silver and bronze & gold-fill. they’re $10 less than usual but still include free gift wrap and shipping. let me know what you want to say and i’ll include a note, too!

holiday secrets: time for you

well, maybe not all of you...

i already shared my tips for surviving the big holiday meal at your house, and congratulations, you seem to have made it through. you cooked, you feasted, you cleaned up. maybe you’ve even recovered.

so here’s my second secret: during this busy season, don’t forget to take some time for yourself. it sounds so simple, right? in the past, though, how many times have you given up something you wanted to do for yourself so that you would have time to do something for someone else? i ask because i do it all the time. it’s why my toenails are rarely painted.

so this holiday season, go ahead and schedule some appointments for yourself and then keep them. i mean book them right now, this very instant, as a promise to yourself to give to yourself, too.

it doesn’t have to be fancy. it doesn’t have to be expensive. it just has to be something that seems like a luxury to you. a massage? coffee with a friend? a bath? once a week should do it.

i’ll be painting my toenails.

 

remember: today’s the last day of the sale! celebrate cyber monday by entering “turkey” into the coupon code at my etsy store to save 15% off everything! as usual, you’ll get free shipping and gift wrap!

{for the original, unaltered holiday image, check out the sum of all crafts.}

after thanksgiving sale

i know, i know, you’re busy shopping the big sales at the big stores, but when you get back, check out the holiday sale at my little etsy store! everything’s 15% off with the coupon code “turkey”. and as always, shipping is free!

{also, i’ll be adding new goodies next week, and sharing a surprise with you, too! can’t wait.}

my favorite hoops

meet my new favorite earrings. i wear them almost every day. a little bit boho, a little bit chic, they go with everything {which is a huge bonus in the mornings}, making earring choice one less thing to worry about. {can’t help you with where are the car keys? what’s for lunch? or for the last time, who took my purse?! but i can make one thing a little simpler.}

the best part about these earrings isn’t the fact that they’re lightweight {personally i can’t stand it when earrings drag down my ear lobes and make me want to take them off after a few hours because they’re giving me brain pain} or that everyone else loves them oodles and bunches. it’s not even that each rock crystal rondelle is individually wire-wrapped {by yours truly}, lending sparkle and interest to your every move. nope, the best part is that the hoops themselves are handmade in thailand by women who are paid a living wage. {yay! right?} i’m proud to support the women-friendly company that makes these stunners.

want your own? go get ’em now at my etsy store. as always, they will arrive inside one of my pretty handmade {reusable} boxes, meaning that if you don’t keep them for yourself {you have such willpower, you}, you will have everything all wrapped up. {don’t worry, everything ships safely within a sturdy usps priority mail box, arriving within a few short days!}

sale!

join me in celebrating my birthday with a sale in my shop. just enter the coupon code “CAKECAKE” for 15% off your purchase! {and remember: buy any 3 items of jewelry, get a free sunshine polishing cloth to keep it shiny. no need to do anything, it will just arrive with the rest of your goodies.} enjoy!

happy birthday to me! {and a sale for you}

happy birthday to me...is that cake?! cake!

it’s my birthday, and i’m feeling a little nostalgic, so i thought i’d do a recap of the highlights of my years on this little ball.

• 35 years ago i was born. {i can run for president now!}
• 34 years ago i discovered chocolate cake and an addiction was born. yes, my mother actually fed chocolate cake to a one year old. yes, she suffered the consequences.
• 32 years ago i got a skunk puppet and named her paper…’cause she came wrapped in a lot of paper.
• 29 years ago i started gymnastics. me and every other girl alive had plans to be the next mary lou retton.

he aint' heavy...he's in a laundry basket!

• 28 years ago my little brother was born. yeah…he’s alright.
  

  oh yeah...i was gonna be a star

• 27 years ago i was in our town’s production of annie.
• 26 years ago my mom gave me a perm…to help calm my curls. let’s just say it didn’t have the desired effect.
• 25 years ago i got fitted with my first set of braces.

oh even yesser. i was a cheerleader.

• 24 years ago we moved {new jersey} and i got a whole new set.
• 23 years ago we moved again {north carolina} and i got yet another set.
• 21 years ago i finally graduated to retainers.

that's me and my grandpa, layin' down some beats

• i also played the saxophone and went to band camp. twice.
• somewhere in there i discovered beads. glorious beads!
• 18 years ago i went to this nerd school. it. was. awesome. {i met the hubby there.}
• 16 years ago i started college. i was going to get a degree in chemistry and be a vet!
• 11 years later i graduated {a little late}, having majored in psychology.
• later that year i started grad school for social work.
• 9 years ago i started my first job as a social worker. {3 years later i burned out gloriously: you know i don’t do anything halfway!}

awwwwww.....!

• 7ish years ago i married my best friend.
• 5 years ago i begrudgingly followed that same man to berkeley, ca. {3 days later i fell in love with the place and never wanted to leave.}
• two years ago i got a tattoo, left berkeley {wah!}, and moved to sunny riverside, ca.
• one year ago i moved into a cute little house with my own studio.

yep, that pretty much sums it up! and to thank you for being dragged going down memory lane with me, i’m offering you 15% off your purchase at my shop! just enter the coupon code “CAKECAKE” when prompted. {i wanted to make it” CAKE! CAKE!” but etsy won’t let me use exclamation points.}

it’s good on everything. and remember, i send you a free sunshine polishing cloth with your purchase of 3 items {you don’t have to do anything, i just send it to you}. it’s not too early to stock up for the holidays, is it? the coupon code will be good september 1, 2011 – september 8, 2011.

bringing back the jewelry boards!

it’s been a loooong time since i’ve offered these guys up for sale. remember them? so cute and a great way to see what you’ve got {ensuring that you’ll wear that necklace that’s currently wadded up in a drawer somewhere}.

upcycled jewelry boards of yore

i have one that i keep all my goodies on and it’s super handy! i haven’t had them in the store for a while because i haven’t been able to find any good children’s clothes to upcycle. but then i realized the other day that i have a ton of great fabric in my stash and i can make some more that way. {i’m not always the quickest}

here are some sneak peaks of what i’m working on.

frames to work with {and duck prints to throw out}

pretty fabrics

and then i dig into my stash of brads, ribbon, vintage buttons and trim, and see what comes up.

this one looks preppy and sweet

this one has kind of a thrifted look to it

this one has a handmade, natural vibe

this one is shaping up to be prim and proper

and this one is becoming quite mod!

it’s likely that not all the doodads will make the final cut, but i like to lay everything out first and work from there. i think of them as assemblages, and they can take quite a while to complete. click here to see my tutorial for how to make your own {or just see what’s behind the scenes}. it was featured on cosa verde’s blog ages ago. hopefully i can get these up and in the shop soon!

a little birdie

i’ve finally gotten on the branding bandwagon and chosen a theme for all my materials {bags, postcards, etc.}. i already had these little birdies on my business cards. remember when? that was so long ago…before portlandia, even, so hopefully i’m forgiven for putting a bird on it.

i put birdies on my handpainted sign for my booth…

i put them on my labels for my bags…

…and i just put them on the header for my etsy page. {it seemed time for a makeover! i’d had the same image from when i opened up over a year and half ago, and it had looked tired to me for a while.} even if they’re a bit cliché now, i feel like these birdies represent me and my jewelry well. i like the change. hope you do, too!

 

 

just click on the image to see it in action!

currently

mmm...summer

currently our kitchen is overwhelmed with the bounty of the farmer’s market and the fruits of our neighbors’ garden {we’re garden sitting}. i tried this method for keeping all those beautiful berries from turning moldy so fast, found on pinterest via tammy shipley, originally from the blog food lush. i’m super optimistic that these berries will be delicious for days…or however long they last around here. {they’re so sweet they taste like candy}

my tribute to the end of summer

currently i’m feeling a little nostalgic about the end of summer…even though it will still be nice and hot here for several months.

currently i’m worried about friends and family back east and hoping irene isn’t too much of a meanie.

currently we’re staying indoors as the temperature reaches 106°F today. even molly, who loves the sun and the heat, is curled up in the coolest room of the house with us {the living room}.

currently i’m getting back into my studio with schemes and dreams.

a study for an onion's portrait

currently i’m trying my hand at watercolors with the guidance of billy showell through this beautiful book. her paintings are unbelievably lifelike and satisfy my need for precision.

i think it’s time for some more strawberries!

goody goody gumdrop necklaces!

looking for something fun for summer? how about a fun necklace?! goody goody gumdrop necklaces come in seven juicy colors, so there’s one for everyone. {or everyday.} they come strung on my signature sterling silver cable chain with a secure lobster clasp closure. each one measures 18 inches in length, but just let me know if you want it longer {or shorter} and i’ll be happy to make one just the right size for you.

goody goody colors

goody goody gumdrops in coral

 

goody goody gumdrops in sunshine

goody goody gumdrops in seafoam

goody goody gumdrops in lagoon

goody goody gumdrops in sky

goody goody gumdrops in water

goody goody gumdrops in dolphin

don’t worry, i won’t tell if you wear it after labor day!