Creative Process: Idea to Reality

sketches of the initial idea 

chosen design drawn out in real size

Sample of finished product  ready to be reevaluated for final production

It's always satisfying to see an idea through to the end. Here's a nice set of photos describing that process with my new Japanese Cloud Pendant. I'm still perfecting this one, so these are just samples.

Creative Process: Green Examples

Awesome moss living carpet. Great example of Indoor-outdoorness

living house in Seoul Korea

Garden moss stud earrings

hanging garden necklace

If you've ever talked to me about house design, you know how I'm obsessed with what I've dubbed, "Indoor-outdoorness". It roughly translates into bringing  nature in it's natural state inside the home, just as it would be growing outside. Like the Spanish courtyards that enclosed the outside within the four walls of their house. Since I don't have the pleasure of owning a courtyard I make do with what I have, and I also make with what I have, that being MOSS.

  I love working with moss. I love it for so many reasons some of which are it's renewable nature, the color and texture it brings to my work, and of course it's message of growth and life it symbolizes. I have an ongoing collection I call,  Urban Garden, where I house most of my moss creations. I like the idea of  wearing a tiny piece of land or bringing you're garden with you on you're everyday travels. 

How do you add some green to you're life?

Online Seminar Series

Forgot to mention: Tonight is the start of the joint Etsy and MICA Indie Business seminar series. The topic for tonight is: Realities of running an Indie Biz. I've been highly anticipating  this series and will be watching it as soon as it goes up on MICA's website. If you are lucky, the first 100 Etsy members to click the link at 6:30pm on their events page will get live access. But for everyone else (including myself) you can watch them afterward for free here. It's not very often this type of resource is available free of charge. Take advantage!

Snowy Day Fun

view from the kitchen, not time for veggie planting yet :)

Pencil drawings before

and after

Woke up to a winter wonderland! So I turned on the Kotatsu and got to work on a project I've been thinking about for a while: Shrinky Dinks! I love sketching and I've been trying to find a way to incorporate my ink sketches into my jewelry. 

Here is the first design that I've fully completed and it is up in the shop for sale. They are inspired by ocean topography and all set inside a pleasing oval shape. These earrings also answer the frequent request I get  for more ity bity earrings. They are small and sweet and weigh just about nothing!  

New in The Shop!

Proud to say that my 3 Flower Statement necklace and Hanging  Garden Earth and Sky pin are finally  up for sale in the shop! These are two of my favorite designs I currently make. Feel free to check them out!

It's snowing here in Baltimore right now so I'm expecting to get some more items listed tomorrow since I will have the extra time :) What do you do when you're snowed in?

Treasury!

I Love Etsy for too many reasons. Here is a treasury I made that sums up my feelings pretty well! Feel free to check it out, and if you aren't a member of Etsy, what are you waiting for?

Also, as you may have noticed, I've finally created a Facebook page for the business! So you can "like it" if you feel like it. (pun so intended)

I'm going to do this, so should you!

 Just signed up to be part of this years Art House Co Op photo mobile. The project is to interpret one of the many themes (I chose "27 ways to say...")  provided on the website through 27 photos. When you sign up, Art House sends you a disposable camera and then you're set free to point and shoot!  You send the camera back once you're finished and the photos will be compiled on a coast to coast touring exhibition.  It's really an interesting way for people to connect and share their perspective, and will be an even more interesting  exhibition to view.  

I especially think this is a refreshing creativity exercise that many Artists could learn from. Sometimes a different perspective  is all it takes to create masterpieces. So go check it out!

Read/ Watch List

Here are a few of the things I read/ watched this past week that I was particularly interested in. First, 180 Degrees South was a documentary which included equal parts adventure and land conservation as it followed surfer/ climber Jeff Johnson in his journey to Patagonia. I wasn't so moved by what was said in the commentary as I was by the images captured on film which showcased how beautiful our world is. The soundtrack is also incredibly enjoyable, it's worth a watch. 

I just began delving into a book that was practically made for me. I literally asked, "is there a book about vegetable gardening, bee keeping and urban chicken raising?" and then I found this book by Nicki Trench titled: Creating your Garden Farm, How to grow fruit and vegetables and raise Chickens and bee's. I couldn't have asked for anything better. I've just scratched the surface on this one but it's chock full of useful info on all of the above.  I'll be reading more of this before Spring arrives!

Blue Gold was a very haunting  documentary about the dwindling drinkable water supply and how it's being controlled by corporate giants around the globe. The film highlights the consequences and repercussions that may occur if we aren't more careful with our water management. This was an eye opener for me and I highly recommend it. 

What sorts of interesting literature/ films have you run into lately?

New in the Shop!

Check out all of my latest creations newly listed in the Shop! Get an exclusive 20% off you're entire purchase when you use the code: SPRING20  at check out! Coupon code good until 2.22.11

A Closer Look: Flip Book Pattern Pendant

Here is my new Flip Book Pattern Pendant from my earlier post. I wanted to create something that would be very versatile without being very large or complicated. I started thinking about moods and how things can look really different depending on how you feel, and that feeling changes every day. For instance, how on sunny days I'm drawn to wearing white, but on rainy days I gravitate towards grey. I wanted to make a piece of jewelry that could change with your moods (without being bulky or with lots of parts) So this was my answer to that challenge.

These photos show the second attempt at this design and I'm really happy with almost everything. The pendant is comprised of  a wood panel, a simple textured white panel, and a pattern panel. With this combination of  three, I feel like you can wear it with virtually any outfit! The only thing I'm still working on is the jump ring size. With 9mm jump rings, the panels turn, but not as smoothly as I want so I'll be testing different sizes until  I'm confidant in the design. 

Update in Photos

Hooray! Fresh Photo update!

Stacks of applications for my Spring Show line up.

New cozy cabled fingerless mitts I made up this winter, super happy with the result

(Pattern is here for any of you knitters who want to make these lovelies! )

My design sketch book, always open, always a mess.

Say hello to my new flip book pattern pendant! It's like 3 necklaces in one, actually it IS 3 necklaces in one :)

New Japanese Yukata fabric bracelet design. Totally love this one, you can purchase it here in the Shop!

The BEST Chocolate chip cookies that I made tonight. They seem pretty happy next to Mt. Fuji don't you think?

I'm Sharing this recipe with you all because it's really that good!

Ingredients:

1 Cup butter, softened (50 sec. in the microwave usually does it)

1 Cup white sugar

1 Cup packed brown sugar

2 Eggs

2 Tsp. vanilla extract

3 Cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. hot water

1/2 tsp salt

2 Cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1)Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

2) Cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in the hot water ( I usually just pour the baking soda into the batter then add the hot water overtop and stir together). Add salt. Stir in flour and mix thoroughly.

3) Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed through batter.

4) Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 10 min. or until edges are just barely browned.

ENJOY!

Work, Play, and a bit of Gardening

Hope everyone is enjoying their January as much as I am! A lot has happened while I've been away from the blog, and now I'm ready to start in again as the new business year begins! I have so much to update that I'm not even going to try and do everything at once, or in any particular order. It will just come out as I think of it :)

Right now I'm busy with some custom orders, filling some shop requests, and finishing a batch of new pieces which are currently cooling upstairs in the studio. I like Christmas shows, but my favorite season to create for truly is Spring. I've already filled up a notebook worth of ideas during these past few months with my new line up which includes inspirations from Japanese Kanzashi flowers, carved woods, and vintage kimono fabrics. Super excited to share these new creations as they come!

Show wise, I'm currently applying for all of my Spring/summer show line up and will post my schedule as I find out on the website.  (crossing my fingers for Arts Scape this year!!)

In other news from my crazy life, I've been really pondering hard my sustainable garden design for this year. As you know, I'm sort of obsessed with the idea of self sustainability especially in terms of food. I've planned a second raised bed for this year and have been pulling inspiration from Native American garden designs as well as more modern hydroponics systems. The goal this year is to plant earlier and more efficiently so that I can have food at the table from late spring thru the late Fall. I've also been delving into the possibility of bee keeping.  So, a lot to think about! What Spring plans have you all been daydreaming about?

This is a long, picture-less post and I apologize, but I want to end with some of my resolutions for my business this year :

I resolve to :

1) Update my Etsy Shop (more than last year at least :) )
2) Put more effort into the business part of my business
3) be smarter with my resources and work with what I have rather than purchasing something new
4) Be more transparent in my blog posts
5) Read/ work my way through the book : I'd rather be in the Studio! by Alyson B. Stanfield