Two Months Gone

Well, well, well. I am NOT a very responsible blogger! That is quite apparent. Two months ago was when I put up my last post. Obviously, life has been busy busy busy. I pretty much feel like a broken record saying that! But I've been pretty actively thinking about this here blog and where I want to go with it this year. I think it's going to take a more casual, loosely focused turn this year, if that makes any sense. I think, mainly, I'm starting to see the best use for my blog as being a place to share the things I'm thinking about, feeling, the things I'm passionate about, whether in word of picture form will depend on the mood. For those of you who don't follow me on Instgram or Facebook, here's a little picture journal of my life lately, in no particular order. . . 

I've been working like a mad woman creating new pieces for the POOL trade show.

nights out for drinks and dancing with good friends

Mid-January I got pretty sick. Spent a lot of time in bed reading.

I had a booth at the Treasure Island Flea the last weekend in January. I sold a mix of my handmade pieces alongside some vintage jewelry form my ever-growing stash.

A neighborhood cat that of late has claimed my home as her home. She's really sweet. We've taken to calling her "Ewoke Kitty."

My cats: Arlo and Otis. Working on their chub!

Many early mornings, headed to my studio

mixed CDs from Jeff keep me going at my studio

Well, off to my studio today. Some unexpected news plopped itself down right in front of me in the middle of composing this blog entry. But that's for another entry, another time. 

A Real Weekend

 This past weekend was a real weekend for me! Woo hoo! Saturday I spent some time in the garden, tearing out the dead tomato plants and preparing the ground for some winter veggies. We'll see how that goes. . . Our backyard gets very little sun this time of the year.

Winter weather is most definitely here. I'm finding myself planning my outfits around which sweater I want to wear that particular day. Lately I've been hankering to get back to the outfit photos (especially for Wardrobe Remix) but just never seem to find the time. . . and, well, my outfits aren't as cute as they used to be! This is what happens when you work for yourself and the work is never done. I find myself wanting to wear the clothes that will feel

one of my coziest sweater

 the most like pajamas all day long!

Ultimately tho, the blog and outfit posts from other everyday gals are the ones that feel the most real to me. I want to know how the gal who only has a bike to get around town makes her outfits work. Or the stay at home mom. How does she manage it? Or the self-employed artist. I don't seek perfect polish or panache. Outfits that don't feel contrived, or sponsored by clothing and shoe companies. . . Just real gals posting the clothes they wear to go about their very real days.

In case you wondered, some of my favorites are:
* The Girl Who Married a Bear
* Astral Boutique's Blog
* Clothes Cameras and Coffee
* Thrift Candy
* Making Nice in the Midwest

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the more polished gals with the gorgeous style. I LOOK at these blogs and drool over the clothes, the style, but I guess what disappoints me sometimes is that I started following these DIY fashion blogs because it was inspiring what gals were doing with very little money. . . I feel like so much of it has become commercialized in a way that's just not for me. . .

I've been thinking about growing my bangs out. . . 

What I'd really like to see is a resurgence of the "non commercial" style blog. Blogs that are true expressions of the person ( the gal, yes, since I mainly follow blogs written by women) behind it. And I am finding those blogs. Sometimes tho, the internet is such a crowded place it can be hard to find the things you want to find. So, if you know of any awesome, feisty ladies who like to post about personal style, life, politics, food, road trips, etc, let me know about them!

This bag went everywhere with me this weekend

 

Saturday night Jeff and I cooked dinner together. Sauteed some veggies and fish. Also baked an acorn squash with some brown sugar and butter. Mmmmm. One of the yummiest (and easiest) fall foods!

Today I'm working on pieces for my holiday fairs. There are so many of them: fairs and pieces to work on! Having a "real" weekend definitely helps me focus more during the week tho.

Here's to a "real" weekend as often as possible!

A Day at the Zoo

Last weekend some members form the SF Etsy team got together for a little "behind the scenes" meeting with five lovely creatures: a porcupine, an owl, a frog, a snake, and a parrot. We were there to sketch and take photos of these animals for inspiration for art work for a 2013 calendar that will be available through Weave. I'll post more info about my piece here once it's completed!

(that's me in the front row, with the peach colored shirt on, and Jeff to the right of me, right behind the owl, Archimedes)

That's Archimedes, the Great Horned Owl above, and a quick sketch of mine of the porcupine, Sassafras, below. 

After we finished up with our visit with the animals, Jeff and I walked around the zoo, enjoying the mild weather and all of the amazing animals. We were also privy to a pretty amazing sunset. 

getting goofy with one of the "photo ops"

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend (both this one and the last!) I'm currently hanging with the family and trying to wrap up a few lose-work-ends before my work week starts. Oh, also, in other non-essential news, I made the best brownies this weekend. Try this recipe if you like fudgey brownies. They were delightful! They were for my dad's birthday. Happy birthday dad! 

Go Vote

I voted today. I was amazed by how long the lines were at my voting place, and I got there at 8:30 this morning. It felt great being there, the energy, the hope palpable in the room. I live in a very liberal place (the San Francisco bay area) so the general feeling is "Go Obama!" And I absolutely want him to win. But I voted green party for president.

I don't feel like I threw my vote away. I can say with confidence that California will go to Obama. I am happy about that. But the Green Party is the party that most closely represents how I want the world to be. I vote Green Party but know that they won't be sitting in the white house just yet. One day hopefully!

K, tomorrow: a post about a trip to the San Francisco zoo. I got to meet an owl, an armadillo, and a parrot. It was pretty amazing. 

(And fingers crossed that all things politic go smoothly this evening!)

Halloween Fun

Last night was so so so much fun. Jeff and I both dressed up. We went out to our usual spot, had beers, and then met up with some friends at Bar 355 in Oakland. Much dancing and laughing ensued. If you're friends with me on facebook, then you already know what I dressed up as. For those of you who don't, I attempted to "re-create" Kate Bush on the cover of Never for Ever. . . 

And me!

I kind of felt like I was giving birth to Noah's Ark! Ha! What was really awesome about this costume was how great it made me feel. I think the fact that I was trying to embody a facet of this woman who I find to be completely amazing had a wonderful affect on me. I mean, I could probably give this entire blog over to things only related to Kate Bush and never get bored with it. . . That's how deep me love is =). It also helped that people seemed to love my costume, even if they didn't "get it" at first. 

But it's back to work today. At the studio attempting to get some work done. The one bad thing about nights like last night is it makes it entirely impossible to concentrate. Good thing I can just spend all day making earrings if I want! 

(Which reminds me of a conversation I had with a good friend last night. We talked about "being artists" and the good and bad the hard and the easy that comes with it. I said something about just wanting to be able to wake up every morning and do exactly as I please - don't we all! - and he said to me "But don't you already do that?" It made me stop and realize I do get to do that, at least to a certain extent, and to a much larger extent than when I worked for someone else. Being an adult - and an artist - brings with it a lot of responsibility that you can't just run away from. And it helps to talk about it all with like-minded folks.)

I hope everyone out there had a fun and safe Halloween!

Full Moon Monday

So, yes, as stated in my last post I have been quite remiss at regular blog posts. . . I always seem to start the year out bound and determined to regularly post here. And I start out that way because I always have one hundred and one things that I want to blog about. That hasn't changed, if anything I now have one thousand and one things to blog about! 

But, as the year wears on and my schedule quickly fills up with craft fairs and large jewelry orders, I find myself relegating the blog to a fairly low priority. 

Today I simply wanted to share with you some "moon phase" pieces I've been working on. They're not perfect, but I'm so happy about them, I wanted to share them now! These pieces have me thinking about the possibility of getting into some torch-fired enamel work. Which would be a new direction for me, but a consideration going into the new year when I'll have a bit of time to experiment with new techniques. 

Without getting too esoteric about it (nor am I an expert on this matter) the full moon is a wonderful time for "full" energy. The kind of energy that births new ideas and new paths. And I'm thinking it may be birthing in me a new direction with this blog, one that fulfills me creatively. . . 

I make no promises, as I do believe I've said many a times that I was gonna ramp up this here 'ol blog only for it to go pretty quiet for months on end. But, I'm just sayin' I'm thinking quite a bit about some series for the blog and a blog makeover.

So, thanks full moon for giving me the energy and the excitement to dream about change and dream about, well dreams!

As you can see

Exciting things have been happening in my neck of the woods lately. It's been making staying focused and getting work done a bit difficult to say the least! 

But I am lucky, my garden is plentiful. Time for jewelry, time for family, time for cooking. Good times. 

The tomatoes above are from my garden. I'm pleased as punch that my tomato plants have proven so fruitful this year. Especially given the lack of "real" garden space in my yard. But, hey, I have a yard, one that my cats and the squirrels love and appreciate and one that is the perfect place to sit and relax with a good book.

I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday. Sunday is my favorite day of the week, by the way. My reasons are sort of vague, for some reason Sundays feel like a "no pressure" day to me. Like it doesn't matter hoe much I get done or don't get done, it's all okay. I'm off to my studio in about an hour, time well spent on my favorite day of the week.

Trying to Do it All

I feel like I write about this a lot here: the striving to find balance that is a constant when one is trying to run and maintain one's own handmade business. Or, at least, it is a constant for me. Recently, I visited family in Idaho and was able to really slow down and relax for the first time in a long while. It helps that this was my view most days:

My mom and I stayed at my Aunt Mary's house. It is surrounded on all sides by these gigantic pines. Gorgeous!

It's funny/obvious how getting away from my regular day-to-day life helped me gain some perspective on things. Mainly this: it helped me see how lucky I am. I love living in Oakland. I love that I am surrounded by creative and daring individuals to whom success is not defined by a paycheck but rather the level of joy and satisfaction they get out of their lives. This is good living.

Upon getting back tho, I knew I had some big decisions to make about Tangleweeds. Basically, I have a pretty awesome business opportunity, but I'm not sure if I want to take it. I can't really get into the details of it here, but the gist of it is that I feel like I may be taking on a bit too much given where I'm at with Tangleweeds currently. I don't want to grow to big too fast and have everything get out of control. 

Which brings me back to how I opened this post: balance. I feel like this decision I have to make is going to sincerely test my balancing skills.

So, there's all of that. Sorry to be so vague and cryptic, but I'm sure you fellow creative souls understand.  In the meantime, here's some kitty-cat goodness to make your day that much brighter!

His name is James and he's part rag doll part Siamese, my Aunt's cat. He was my alarm clock!

K, now time for some soul-searching-decision making. . . 

Dropping In

I just wanted to drop in here today and say good Monday to all of you! And this: things may be a bit quiet around here until August. I have a large wholesale order and prep for Renegade keeping me busier than I've ever been in my Tangleweeds days. You can always email me at tangleweedsjewelry@gmail.com, or stop by my Facebook page if you have any questions at all!

Arlo and I say here's to a lovely and productive July!

Here Comes Life. . .

Whether I'm ready or not!

What, exactly, do I mean by that, you may ask? I think I mean that I'm just having one of those years. One of those years where it seems like as soon as I confront and deal with one thing another thing is upon me rather quickly, or immediately! Car troubles, a cat I need to take to the vet, relationship troubles, money troubles. There absolutely is a silver lining: I am doing what I love to do. . . and. . .

Tangleweeds classics that will be shipped off to New York tomorrow

I'm trying to learn how to not stress out about the daily miasma of life. The way we all manage to keep the cogs oiled and turning blows my mind sometimes. We all shoulder so much everyday. My friends and my co-horts impress me often.

That's it for now. I'm gonna rest and enjoy some snuggly time with Otis.

Have a wonderful evening and a wonderful holiday tomorrow, however you choose to spend it!

Curve balls and life goes on

Man, just when I thought my days couldn't get any busier, life comes along and turns things upside down. I'd rather not get into the details of it here, maybe it'll be a post for another day and time. In the meantime, here are some snippets from the last week and a half in the life of Ms. Tangleweeds. . . 

assembly line at my workbench

craft fair display

at the PG&E building in SF for a mid-week sale

new earrings - variations on a theme

butterfly and valerian flowers in my backyard

at A Fair to Remember in Jack Kerouac Alley in SF

filling Etsy orders

And speaking of Etsy orders, I'm still having my three-year anniversary sale in my shop, probably 'til next Monday. Simply use the coupon code "birthday" for a whopping 35% off your entire purchase. 

Time to go watch some trashy tv and hang out with my kitties. Oh, and eat dark chocolate covered cherries from Trader Joe's. Yum Yum.

Jewelry, Baby Spiders, Busy-ness, Life, May Day

At the risk of sounding like a whiny baby, I'm just gonna say it: I am busy all of the freaking time! Sometimes it's too much. Sometimes I just wanna lay down in bed and eat a pint of ice cream and watch Mad Men and sip on some tea with my cats at my side and NOT be beleaguered by a gazillion and one thoughts about all of the things I should be doing at that very moment. This constant state of buzy-ness is mostly brought on by the running of my one-woman business. But it is also brought on by my desire to do, to accomplish, to always be proving myself to myself. And that part of the equation has got to go. Or I'm headed straight to burn-out and not successful jewelry designer/entrepreneur. I may be in need of some self-help books. . . or just more pilates, yoga, and meditation.

K, vent aside, I have instagram photos for all you lovelies. I almost want to apologize for not having "better" photos, but I must say I really like instagram and really like the way you can make your photos look with the various filters and what-not. It's probably an affront to professional and artistic photographers everywhere, but it serves it's purpose for me.

I bring you a hodge-podge assortment of snippets from the last week in my life. . .

-baby spiders in my backyard-

Don't get me wrong. I am incredibly grateful for the simple fact that I get to work for myself creating jewelry I love.

-jewelry components - handmade-

But what I did not realize, heading down this winding path, was just how little time I would have for the many other facets of my life. I do feel that I bring this up on my blog quite a bit, and while I don't want to beat a dead horse, I think it is the number one (or at least very important) thing someone considering creating their own handmade business should consider. Do you highly value having lots of free time? Do you highly value being able to do whatever you feel like on the weekends? If you answered yes to these two questions, then you'll want to take a long and hard look at this business you are considering.

-huge hunk of rutilated quartz at the Margaret De Patta exhibit at the Oakland Museum-

With that said, I don't want to scare off potential crafty business folks. Running your own business and creating the things that will be your bread and butter is so fulfilling. It fulfills me in a way no other job ever has. 

-trio of Featherlight necklaces-

I think I bring up all of the many facets, the reality, because I am someone who is always looking at things from a gazillion angles at once. That analysis does not stop with my own life. I am constantly considering how I can find more balance. I weigh the pros and cons of most of my decisions carefully. Right now I now I am sticking with this jewelry biz. I quit my "other" job back in September of last year. I want to give myself at least three years on my own before I consider a different career choice. 

-crystal and brass rhombus necklace available at CH Good Stock-

And therein lies the difficulty: I do not want another career. I love love love what I do. But eventually the sacrifices may mount to too much. Talk to most any vendor working the craft fair scene and they will share a similar story: one of constant work, sacrifice, striving to find balance, giving up on finding balance for a while, coming back around to it. There are sore backs and sore muscles, sun-burns and chapped lips from the many days spent outside. 

-display at the Glen Park Festival (from Sunday)-

But, ahhh, there is the good, the wonderful, the sublime. When people love your work. When someone connects with a piece that you just made and were so happy with the way it turned out (see the earrings below for a personal example of this.) When someone insists that they don't want the 25% discount that you're offering because they know how hard it is and they want to do their little part to support you.

-brand-new! the ones on the left have already sold. the ones on the right are still available. I'll have them out at the next First Friday in Oakland-

The good keeps me going. 

I hope everyone has the opportunity to find meaningful work in their lives. I am beyond fortunate to have found it for myself. Yesterday was May Day and it has me thinking and considering the many facets of our "work" lives. Life lived with intention and love and compassion - these are my over-riding goals with Tangleweeds and everything I do in my life. 

-I made a bunting banner (finally!) for my craft fair booths-

With all of that said, craft fair season has just started for me. Mid-April basically marked the beginning for me and it's been off to a great start. I'm feeling really positive about it and am excited to be getting back out to my gypsy-jewelry-travelling ways. You can check here for updates on my next month of fairs.

Have a great Wednesday everyone! 

Stones, Healing, Minimalism, Complexity

My head is aswirl with new design ideas. . . I find myself bouncing back and forth between a simple but beautiful minimalism and an ornate but balanced complexity. Wait. That kind of sounds like my thoughts. My hand-work is mirroring my thoughts.

Petite semi-precious stone earrings. I actually managed to photograph these yesterday. They'll be going up in my Etsy shop on Thursday.

Wild-flowers picked on a walk through Berkeley. I often go for a walk in the middle of my studio days. It helps to clear my head. Sometimes, when deadlines are pushing down on me and there doesn't feel like there's enough hours in the day, my walks feel like a time luxury. Something I can't afford to squeeze into my day. Ultimately, though, I think they keep me more focused and calm. 

Gorgeous labradorite teardrops. I did a little research the other day about labradorite and I think I better understand why everyone loves this stone so much (myself included). It balances the aura and grounds spiritual energies. It stimulates the imagination while simultaneously calming an overactive mind. (Info found here.) The times we live in require us to wear so many different hats, and not just day to day, but hour to hour, minute to minute. Anything that helps us find balance seems just perfect.