Yes, it has been too long. You are right. What have I been doing in all this time? Well, for one, I moved across the country. I am now back in Minneapolis, after a 7 year stopover in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. This required a lot of down-sizing since I moved from a large 2 bedroom that I shared with my sister into a tiny studio apartment just off of Loring Park. I will post pics soon of how I fit my studio into my studio. Here are some moments of the past months to get you caught back up to speed… Before I moved, I was part of a local feature about Etsy on Komo 4 News. From the Komo 4 page, click ‘Watch the Story’ to see the interview.
Many bike rides down to the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market since I moved. I love my market bag from a great little find in Queen Anne called Eat Local (read: $1 Stumptown lattes my Seattlite friends!). I giggle to myself that I am carrying a ‘local’ bag from Seattle. All of their designs are done my Nikki McClure, a artist who can wield an X-acto knife like nobody’s business.
Inspired by the brick apartment buildings I now find myself surrounded by, I am working on a new mossy brick pendant. Coming soon to my shop!
I finished my wholesale packaging today for the ‘Living Jewelry’ that will be carried in retail shops. What do you think? I am enamored with the clear little boxes because they remind me of little terrariums encasing the “growing” moss rings and pendants. And if you know me or read my blog, you will know that I love terrariums. Are you a shop owner interested in carrying the line? You can check out my terms and download a Line Sheet here http://adornjewelry.blogspot.com/2008/03/wholesale-and-consignment.html .
I am finally settling back into the everyday swing of things. For some weeks, I was getting prepared for my Etsy feature, building up my stock of jewelry and packing/shipping supplies. But when the feature was finally posted, no matter how prepared I thought I was, those 48 hours were a roller-coaster ride. Getting all of the orders out on time didn’t end up being a problem, but I wasn’t able to catch up on e-mails and inquiries for quite some time. The thing that came most unexpected to me were the e-mails that people sent just to say how happy they were for me and how beautiful they thought my work was. It was very touching and I felt supported by a community that I didn’t really know I had. So, even if I didn’t get a chance to write back to you, thank you for all of your accolades. Below is a short video of me getting all of my packages ready to go to the post office. Hurry, hurry, hurry!
I happen to love pickled foods. There is a local cafe here in Seattle that makes their own pickled red onions and every time I go, I find myself thinking about those delicious onions for days. So, I finally got around to looking up a recipe and making my own. I made two full jars today so hopefully they will last me awhile. The other thing about them is that they take on a brilliant pink color when they pickle. Don’t they look beautiful in their jar here? But not too pretty to eat them all.
I opened the doors of Adorn Jewelry back up a couple of weeks ago after a much needed respite. It was quite lovely. Below is a photo of the seaweed growing on the rocks on the beach below our room in Jamaica. The bright green reminded me of my moss rings. Now, with a light dusting of snow on the ground, all I can think of when I look at the photo is how I wish I could go swimming in the sea again… I hope your holidays were fantastic as well.
Thank you everyone for a fabulous year! I hit 1000 sales this month which was a huge milestone for me. My shop will be closed while I am vacationing until January 10th. Please feel free to browse around in my sold items and come back to shop in January. Take care and have enjoy your adventure into the coming year. See you soon!…
This year I will be in two holiday shows, one in Seattle and one in Portland. Urban Craft Uprising is happening December 6th and 7th and is celebrating its fourth year. You can get there early and wait in line to try to get one of the swag bags or stop by later to avoid the line. But don’t get there so late that you miss out on some great deals; there will be 120 vendors but many of them sell one-of-a-kind goods so come early for best selection. See here for pics of previous years. You can download a map with the all of the vendor booths here. We will be directly to your right as you walk in the main doors.
Crafty Wonderland is happening in Portland the following weekend. It is one day only so don’t sleep in late and miss it! While the monthly Crafty Wonderland happens at the Doug Fir Lounge, the Super Colossal Holiday sale will be featuring three times as many vendors so it will be happening at the Oregon Convention Center. Everything you need to know about how time and location can be found here.
I will be sharing a booth will my sister, the illustrious Orange Peel Enamel, so stop on by and finish your holiday shopping!
Tarah Prater Perini of Urban Fashion Network contacted my a few weeks ago and asked me to be the featured designer of the month. How fantastic! You can read the interview and get the inside deal (10% off) the featured item by purchasing through the site.
