Do I need to make you a mix tape or something?

Ha! Awesome. $15 from PopBangles

Cheap Thrills

The week started with me looking at the sticker on the windshield and realizing that it said 6—and the month was now definitely 7. Crap. I tried three inspection stations with no luck (1: machine on the fritz, 2: on vacation, 3: full up) before realizing I probably wouldn't pass anyway--there was that pesky "position bulb failure" message I'd been ignoring for, oh, about 5 months. 2 full days and $860 later (new brakes? bye, bye, stimulus check!), I'm finally legal again.

It's amazing how one little thing—that stupid sticker—can lead to a crescendo of crapola.


.....and then I remembered today's tag sales. Thank god for cheap thrills. I came away with tons of vintage costume chains, some antique skeleton keys, and a lovely antique milk jug.


Now I just have to decide if I'm going to use it all for parts or keep some for me.

I <3 your blog

Every day, I find a new blog I love, a blog I have to add to my Google reader, a blog I'll add to a growing list that I browse every a.m with my (giant) cup of coffee.

Two of my favorite blogs are Creature Comforts and Poppytalk. So I'm thrilled to be a part of events at both blogs this month.


At Poppytalk Handmade, the theme is summer. PHM is quickly becoming a highly regarded, go-to authority on the best of the handmade movement. I'm so psyched that Clementine is a part of the Here Comes the Sun lineup! There are some amazing artists in this market, you're sure to find a new favorite.



And at Creature Comforts, Ez is celebrating one year of blogging with an INCREDIBLE giveaway. You can win a gift package including products from artists like Ink + Wit, Cursive Design, Matte Stephens, Holly Becker (of Decor8), Oh My Cavalier, Skinny La Minx, Heather Smith Jones (from whom I just purchased two gorgeous originals yay!) . . . and Clementine Jewelry. It's an incredible package from a great, continually cool blog. Sign up to win now!

Viva Terra

If you're like me, you get a ton of catalogs—ones you never signed up for and you never look at. The other day, I got the new VivaTerra catalog. I think I've gotten it in the past and thrown it away. Oops! There's some gorgeous stuff in there—and it's all eco-friendly. And the photo styling is to die for! I'm totally loving it.

I wanted to share some of my favorites:

Vine Mirror

Recycled Balloon Glass Vases

Railroad Tie Bookshelves

Quartz Tealight Holders

Lotus Flower Chandelier

Things We Make

HallmarkMagazine.com has added a great new blog called Things We Make, full of features of artists, crafters and makers and their creations. I'm so thrilled to have my Radiant Hibiscus Earrings highlighted today, with a nice editorial. Check it out!

Studio Envy

I've been suffering some serious studio envy recently. Poppytalk has a great "Studio Spaces" feature full of inspiring photos and wonderful tidbits of the work habits of fellow artists and designers.

My workspace suffered a loss when I had to take down my big inspiration board. It was just toooo big and kept slipping down the wall. So now I have a tiny version that I made from a frame, some batting, and fabric—but it's just not the same.

If I could, I'd have a desk the length of one wall, like in this photo from BluePoppyJewelry.

studio9, originally uploaded by poppytalkblog.

There, I'd have my beads and tools right next to my drilling and torching area--imagine, making findings and then having all my beads right there next to me! Currently, my torching, pickling, sawing, and piercing desk is down in the basement, while all my beads, pliers, and chain are upstairs.

A fantastic inspiration board is a must. Just look at Sushipot's.

sushipotinspirationboard, originally uploaded by poppytalkblog.

The inspiration clothesline is fantastic, a brilliant idea that I can't wait to adopt. Here it is via Dolan Geiman.

Inspiration Clothesline, originally uploaded by poppytalkblog.

Mostly, I want space to spread out, where I can pour out a bunch of different beads into big and small bowls and get to work. I love this little vignette from BluePoppyJewelry. This seems like the perfect way to spark creativity.

Studio5, originally uploaded by poppytalkblog.

What a difference one week makes

Left: April 7, 2008. Right: April 15, 2008.

Hallelujah, I think it might actually be spring!




My favorite part of the melting snow is what it reveals. You'd never know this concrete basin was there for four months of the year. And notice Zeke's toys gathered around him in the photo below--every spring he gets to rediscover what he thought he lost in December.

Spring Bead Cleaning

Because I love shopping for beads just about as much as I love making jewelry, I have quite a stash of gems. And since I don't want to die under a falling shelving unit overloaded with all my beads, I've decided to put my energy into my LuluBeads "destash" shop this week. So it's officially Spring Bead Cleaning time!


I've got lots of great stuff selling at really reasonable prices right now. And if you decide to check it out and maybe make some purchases, just mention this blog post in the "notes to seller" box at checkout and I'll give you free shipping! Because I know there are lots of you who love buying beads as much as I do. And who am I to deprive you? :)

It can stop snowing now.

Seriously.

When the dog is able to look down on me from the deck, it's time for spring.


That blue thing under where Zeke's lying? It's the top of an adirondack chair.

Golden Opportunity

When Etsy re-launched the long-absent Alchemy feature this past Wednesday, they selected a lovely palette of gold items to accompany the announcement.


I loved the gold group, and YAY my Golden Bloom Earrings were included in the lower right hand corner. I just had to share this lovely image.

Also, this made me realize just how many of my pieces include the word "Golden." A lot. Including the new Golden Opulence Necklace. Remember the Golden Opulence Bracelet? The necklace also uses gorgeous Golden Rutile nuggets and will also be a limited edition. So get it while you can :)

Dancing in your Desk Chair

Vampire Weekend.
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.



The soundtrack of Spring. One part Paul Simon & Ladysmith Black Mambazo + one part Dave Edmunds + one part Spoon. Seriously. Awesome.

Get your fill of this song before Old Navy steals it for a commercial (like The Weepies and Ingrid Michaelson--why do they always steal my of-the-moment songs!?!)

Lost! Kate on Trial

I love Lost. Lost is my Wii console, my Guitar Hero, my date, my favorite fantasy world—it's all the entertainment I need. Like Twin Peaks and The X Files before it, it's a show that rewards and teases in equal measures, a delicious puzzle—and the source of some serious eye candy (Sawyer, Jack, Sayid, Jin—it's almost too much! An embarrassment of hot riches, if you will).

Kate screen cap from lostpedia.com

The most recent episode was no exception. You've got the helicopter carrying Sayid and Desmond gone missing, Locke establishing himself as the new island leader, and the flash-forward to Kate's trial for, oh, just blowing up her mother's house with her step-father inside, and then running away to Australia. But during the courtroom scenes, I just couldn't concentrate. I was totally distracted by those gorgeous earrings Kate was wearing.


And so, I present to you the Oceanic Earrings: perfect for all your "Post-airplane-crash-on-a-crazy-island-that-may-or-may-not-
be-a-time-warp/other-dimension Trial For Step-Patricide" needs.


I took a little more color liberty than the inspiration earrings—the electric blue Kyanite has an undeniable Look At Me effect. But hey, if you're on trial, everyone's going to be looking anyway. So why not wear some wow earrings?

Scenes from Midwinter

This is the time of year we all begin to wonder "is spring ever going to make it this year?"
We've had snowcover since early Dec. We'll likely have it for at least another month, if not more. The trees will leaf out in the first week of May, if all goes well.

Some days are gorgeous, and I can get outside and enjoy the beauty of this place. Other days I feel crappy or its sleeting/freezing rain/just plain ugly and I curse the winter. For the last week I've been fighting some kind of bug so its mostly the latter.

But when the sun comes out and lights the frosted treeline, there's really nothing prettier. Except maybe a rose blooming in June. :)

2 YEARS of selling on Etsy.com!

January 25th marked my 2 year anniversary of selling on Etsy.com.

I want to give a HUGE thank you to my wonderful customers who have been nothing but supportive and full of sweet, sweet compliments.

I want to also thank my fellow Etsy sellers who have been such a fantastic font of info, encouragement, and good humor.

I think there are a few basic tips I've learned in 2 years here that could help anyone starting out:

1) Treat every customer as if they were your first.
I wrap each item carefully, handwrite a thank-you note, send a thank-you convo or email for each order. I think that not taking any single sale for granted is key, not only in making your business meaningful for yourself, but also in building your customer base.

2) Invest in a good camera. Buy the best you can afford. Spend as much time as possible taking as many photos as possible. Take photos of the same item at different times of the day to get to know the light in your house. Every season will bring different light, and you'll have to adapt your photo practices accordingly. But the more photos you take, the better you'll get at it.

3) Be honest. For jewelry sellers, if you don't know what a stone is, don't guess, just say "I don't know if this is manmade quartz or glass, but it sure is pretty!" and price accordingly.

4) Focus your off-site promotions to just a few key areas. For me, Blogger, Flickr and Trunkt are the places I've decided to concentrate my energy. You can't be everywhere online all the time, and trying to be could just burn you out.

5) Ship internationally! Figure out a price structure that will work for your items. It's all worth it to get that special rush of pleasure that comes from sending your first package to Hong Kong, Finland, Israel, New Zealand (or the US! :)

Year One was all about learning. Year Two was all about growth. I'm excited to see what Year Three brings!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my Bloggy Giveaway Carnival contest to win a free Clementine ring!

Randomizer.org picked a number for me, and I'm pleased to announce that Paige is the winner. Here's her post:

Paige said...

Kyanite Wire-wrapped Ring is my favorite. I think I'm a size 7 or 8, but it's been so long since I've bought a ring I'll have to check on that if I win. Thank you!

9:52 PM

By the way, I saw lots of folks who entered who didn't know their ring size. I found a really handy finger sizer that you can print, cut out, and easily find your size for any finger on your hand. How cool is that?

Paige, I hope you enjoy your ring. And thanks again to everyone who entered. Don't forget, even if you didn't win, you can still get free shipping on anything in my Etsy store by entering code "blogfreeship" in the notes to seller at checkout from now thru Feb 29, 2008.