Friday, March 27, 2009

A Balancing Act

I wear a few hats. I homeschool, work a part-time job from home, create jewelry and run my Etsy shop and am currently doing research regarding Fair Trade businesses. But its time to cross a bridge. I need to cut something out OR get very serious about organizing my time because I am at capacity. I have always believed in living a balanced life and I need to start walking the talk.

Do you ever feel this way?

One thing I have decided to do is focus my creativity in regard to art/jewelry by creating "lines" of work. I have spent a lot of time experimenting with polymer over the last year and a half but I think its time to be directed about what I am doing. Part of my college experience as a craft major was about balancing the mix of assembly line pieces and one-offs...I need to get back on that bike, no matter how wobbly I may be at first.

Here we have the early stages of a line...one pair of earrings is finished ,others are in various stages. Stones/beads to be included are also shown.


I am also working on a secondary line that would be warmer, earthier...as seen with these petite drop earrings entitled "Flax".


I'd love to hear the thought of other artists on this...I suspect I might not be alone in my longing for healthy balance!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Sustainable Storage!

Between art supplies, homeschool supplies and the landslide of items collected by little boys (rocks, sticks, metal washers...) I am usually keen on finding and organizing stuff. I land somewhere between simplifying (" if you don't clean this up, we are going to have to throw it away!") and purchasing better storage.

Sewing Momma has an attractive and clever solution! Fabric storage bins! (the one I just purchased is pictured here)


They are efficient on all accounts. They stand up on their own. Lay flat to pack (*more on this later) and can be machine washed. The inside is linen so it looks great even if you want to fold the top down. Such an improvement on a plastic storage bin! Check out Sarah's Etsy shop for bins in a variety of fabrics. Also check her out in the July issue of Parents and Newborn!


*Last year my family and I lived out of the country while my husband worked on a photo documentary. We had a simple little rental house provided for us. It was just perfect and had that spare feeling of a vacation home that I like. (why can't I seem to live like that all the time?) At any rate, one thing that was lacking was storage. We couldn't take much with us but what we had sat in piles. We really could have used one of these fabric bins for our boys small selection of toys (Have you ever stepped on a Lego in the middle of the night because there were left strewn across the floor? Are there words to describe that pain?). We could have used one in the bathroom for the tubes and bottles that lined the side of the sink. We could have used one for art supplies that were piled on a shelf. In short, these packable lightweight, washable bins would have made a temporary rental much more homey and organized.

Hmmm...sounds like I am already planning for the next trip :-)

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Amy Butler Picked Me?!

I haven't been this surprised for quite a while.

I checked "the Storque" (Etsy's blog) yesterday afternoon. I TRY to read every article to stay on top of things. This time I recognized the face of the current guess curator. It was the designer Amy Butler, probably most well know for her fabrics featuring bold florals and graphic leaves.


I stopped dead in my tracks after two scrolls down as there (much larger than life) was my Yellow Blossom ring. Amy had curated a list and chosen one of my rings. What an absolute thrill to have a piece of my work picked by anyone (lets first just say that - I love when something I've made gets chosen for treasuries, blogs...or a gift for a best friend)! But quickly the implications of being picked by someone well known in the design industry starting swirling about in my head.

Read the full article here
!

Thank you Amy!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Ladder

I thought I would share a photo of a recent custom order. Sometimes custom orders make me a little nervous; I worry whether or not I will be able to make what a customer sees in their head. So far this has been an unfounded worry as I have had great feedback with the pieces I've made.

I especially enjoyed this particular custom piece in that someone asked for a watercolor piece using a visual that has been one of my favorites since childhood.
The Ladder.
To me a ladder represents hope, change, travel, the seeking of a new perspective. I have no interest in the corporate ladder, mind you, rather one that takes me to a new window to get a better view, looking for whats next.