time for...a stroll in the woods

I am so excited about Fall. Here are a few pictures we took at a photo shoot in my backyard. My yard is wild, woodsy and unkept ... perfect for the textures and feel of this autumn season. No need for chairs when you have ready made stumps. For me fall is all about campy, cozy and casual styles. Layering...Long waistcoat vests over even longer bohemian shirts. Wearing...long watches on chains, high over the knee socks with high waisted wool shorts and a beat up pair of ankle boots. Throw on...a camo or plaid hunting jacket and muc lucs to take a stroll in the woods. I think of the natural colors of feathers, acorns, pinecones and bark in mahogany-chestnut-truffle and mushroom shades. Above, I have also posted our new fall DISCOUNT SHIPPING offer for all my readers to take advantage of.

time...for buying beautiful jewelry

I have taken about a month long break from my blog, but certainly not from my shop...we have had the busiest month ever! In the mean time we have been traveling, making s'mores, picking up acorns (for another project we are very excited about) and remodeling our kitchen (before and after pics to come soon).

 I had to get back to writing because I promised my friend 

Ginny from BAYLY- http://www.etsy.com/shop/bayly 

that I would write a piece about her beautiful jewelry.

I ordered myself a necklace when I saw her featured on

the front page of etsy in June-

These are just a few examples of her beautiful work. All of her necklaces, earrings and bracelets are handbeaded around a crystal bezel with glass seedbeads custom chosen to coordinate with the vintage graphics that she uses. By combining her artistry and the muted tones of the pictures she chooses  she creates jewelry that look vintage and are one of a kind. Not easy to accomplish and keep her prices so reasonable. I have since ordered her necklaces to sell in my brick and mortar store and they are the perfect addition to the clothes we sell. 

I was so excited to have her jewelry to work with in styling my photos for some of our Fall pics on etsy and wanted to let everyone know where you could get her pieces, she in turn mentioned my shop and that is one of the things that makes etsy so great.

I simply asked Ginny a couple of questions and thought I would piece the interview together, but Ginny did the work for me...take it away Ginny...

I live on the Central Coast of California with my husband and two dogs, in a house filled with my art, a garden that needs help, and a sweet little view of the ocean and hills.  My three children are grown and living their own adventures in distant cities.

I have been a lifelong artist but I have come to jewelry making quite recently. I see it as another part in the progression of my passion for all things mixed media. 

I am exhaustively curious, always trying, exploring, and learning something new. So when I found myself in bead store a couple of years ago during a break from my regular job as a ceramic tile designer, I knew that I had to sit and play around with their possibilities. What are little glass beads after all, but just teensy little tiles, right?  It was a natural fit!

I also have a background in painting and graphics so I really wanted to incorporate a graphic style into my jewelry.  It took about six months of playing around and exploring the endless methods and combinations in jewelry design when I stumbled upon my current style.  It was like a light bulb when I found that I could use an image in place of the usual stone or gem that the more traditional bead artists use.  I just love to take something traditional and break the rules, mix it up, and come up with something different.

I came across Etsy while researching other bead artists.  I was looking to see what was out there, price points, etc… and if there was a market for this kind of work.  And lo! What an awesome surprise to find this GIANT community of fellow artisans.  I had no idea!  At first I just looked at the website for inspiration but it didn’t take long before I took the leap and created my own shop with my new work, really just to see what would happen.  After about two weeks with no sales I was a little discouraged. 

Then a kind lady from Texas (thank you, Shari!) started buying my pieces, and then slowly they started to sell.  That was just amazing to me, that out of the thousands! of jewelry sellers on Etsy I was being found, and that hundreds of people have given me such great feedback.  I don’ t know where else that can happen.

Another great thing about Etsy is that it’s allowed me to be found by owners of brick and mortar shops that have provided me the opportunity to sell in distant places. Like Vintage Urban Renewal, for example!

I currently have quit my tile making job of eight years, and now devote all my time to making jewelry.  I’ll be honest, it’s not as lucrative as my previous job, but the possibilities for growth are there, and the personal satisfaction is absolutely wonderful!  I didn’t really plan to have a jewelry business, but I am so happy I decided to take a chance and see what would happen.  I’ve met so many great people, learned a ton about running a small business, and have so, so much more to learn.  And yes, I have done it all by the seat of my pants!

So now that I have this little business, I am consumed with making it grow. Each day I wake up excited about what I can do to improve my designs, broaden my exposure, and streamline the process.  My day consists of updating my Etsy store, improving the photos and listing new items.  I then go to my studio (my son’s old bedroom) to work on orders and always allowing time to experiment with new designs.  This can often take up the whole day, if I get on a roll.  Especially when I sit at the computer scanning my images and playing with them in Photoshop.  The day will just fly by!  I also need to allow time for the myriad of little details that are necessary to make a business succeed. Ordering materials, surfing the web for new suppliers, creating advertisements, and shipping orders are just a few of the miscellaneous jobs that can really take up a lot of time.

My favorite part of running this little venture is definitely the creative process.  I am a creative type at heart, so even though I love the challenge of learning the business side of things, I am most happy when I am making something new.  I love the process, from the inception of an idea: …”I wonder what would happen if I tried this…” to the incomparable feeling I get when a piece is completed and I have that knowing feeling that this one is a keeper.  (That is always cause for celebration!)

Currently, I am working on creating original collages using my vast supply of images. I really want to make my jewelry even more unique and different from the rest. If you have ever made a collage you know how time consuming and tedious the process is.  The possibilities are endless! (Side note: the only classes I failed in school were art--because I could never finish on time!)  I’m finding that simple is better, that I need to guard against my tendency to over work an idea, and that when in doubt I should put it down and come back to it later with fresh eyes.  I’m looking forward to adding more of these new collage pieces to my collection for the Fall.

My work is currently being sold at the following locations:

Hands Gallery, San Luis Obispo, CA

Firefly Gallery, Paso Robles, CA

Fiona Bleu, Morro Bay, CA

La Di Da, Del Mar, CA

Artisans Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA

 Urban Renewal, Grants Pass Oregon

MagpieLovely.com

Bayly.etsy.com

Wholesale and custom order inquiries are always welcome!

Thanks Ginny for taking the time to introduce yourself and good luck in your future ventures.

time...for the Wild West

 We have been doing a lot of traveling lately, which in turn means a lot of buying of vintage items. If you see a blue vintage 80s Diesel Mercedes that smells of tempura, then you are probably behind us (it smells of tempura because it runs off of our restaurants used oil saving us on gas bills). Last weekend we attached our mountain bikes to the back and the top our car, 2-20 gallon containers of oil were stored in our trunk and one bag of clothes each as well as an empty roof bag for any vintage treasures we might find along the way.
  We made an excursion to Eastern Oregon, into the Wild West of our state.  Inspiration was all around us in the form of High desert and gorgeous western waterfalls and mountains. I really notice how different regions influence my buying experience. From colors of the High Desert in all it's brown, tans, taupes and sage greens to Falls dressed in whites, deep blues, and pine greens. The styles that eminate from this landscape tend to be, rustic, campy and influenced by westernwear and ethnic indian flavors.

The garments I picked up also reflected these feelings :

 -cowboy ankle boots which are a great twist on traditional cowboy boots
 -suede moccasins in great ankle boot styles
 -CHAMBRAY CHAMBRAY CHAMBRAY- shirts, dresses, jackets,--anything chambray
 -prairie dresses in autumn colors

Related articles by Zemanta

• 'Wild West' Becomes 'Vintage America' (thegloss.com)
• How to Buy Cowboy Boots (bootblog.allensboots.com)
• Spring Trend: Chambray Chic (blogs.smarter.com)

time for...a clog moment

If you love clogs as much as I do then you will want to

check out Lindsey's blog:

www.everycloghasitsday.typepad.com

If you don't wear clogs you just might be inspired to try a pair

after reading her many prose on the subject. She also has

great interviews with companies that have made a name for

themselves in the up and coming clog world. I say that because

if you think of clogs as nothing more than a throwback to the

70s...this blog will make you think again, with everything from

wedge clog sandals to clog boots. As if that is not inspiring

enough, she will give you a 20% off coupon from one of her

sponsors and you can get a great deal on a variety of gorgeous styles.

Then again if vintage clogs are what you are after, she will do

the shopping for you and once a week come up with her best

finds. Which is how she found these clogs on our site...

She was gracious enough to feature us in her Saturday Flea

Market Finds section.

time...pieces

I have been in search of the perfect watch lately and found these great time pieces on etsy...

TOP LEFT from- http://www.etsy.com/shop/moxieandoliver
This square women's watch with a hand tooled double wrap leather band has a feminine pink face and smaller size.
TOP RIGHT from- http://www.etsy.com/shop/revolt70
Dark watch face with unusually shaped numbers, love this for it's Madmax feel.
BOTTOM LEFT from- http://www.etsy.com/shop/cozystudio
Pocket watch worn on a long gold chain, dresses up any casual outfit. Wear with skinnys and
a boyfriend blazer and a white T shirt, for a feminine take on menswear.
BOTTOM RIGHT from- http://www.etsy.com/shop/creativeurges
Wear this watch with a gauzy bohemian dress and wooden platform sandals.

What's getting my attention right now:
-The chunkier the better
-Pocket watches on long chains.
-Leather, leather and more leather.

time...to smell the flowers

School has finally ended, no more schedules to keep, time is our own, the fun may begin... This usually applies to my kids at this time of year, but this year I've decided it shall also apply to me. I have taken an oath of sorts...

I have taken myself off of the TIME schedule at work and I am not going to work any hours at our businesses, unless I absolutely have to (I'm the boss..why not?)

I am only going to drive people around to one chosen activity each and hope and pray I can cram them all into 4 days a week-leaving 3 days without a set TIME schedule.

I will only spend morning TIME hours at the computer, and let other people do the work for me.

I will not make complicated menus and use all my TIME trying to execute them, when simpler is better anyway.

I will not try to cram exercise TIME into every day and just let the happenings of the day dictate what body parts get a workout.

As I grow older I am realizing how precious our TIME is and taking TIME to smell the flowers is so important not just for me, but my family as well.

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100th SALE DAY...

I just got through sending this email to everyone on our email list... We want to thank all of our customers for making this possible...

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We are fast approaching our 100th sale and to celebrate this event, we are going to give our loyal customers in the US and Canada FREE SHIPPING and everyone else will receive HALF OFF SHIPPING for that one day only. So keep watching our shop for that 100th sale. This sale does not apply to HOLDS or SALE items.

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We are amazed it only took 5 months for this to happen and we hope to get to our 200th sale in half the time!