design inspirations in new york city

I was lucky enough to go to new york for a wedding this month. I was 13 the last time I was there. here are a few pics from the trip that inspired me. enjoy!

quick before july's over!

{NEW dalra ring in transparent cortez blue}

I told myself I'd post at least once a month, so here we are. last couple days before august. skin of my teeth! craft-wise it's been a fun summer. my friend joti (forestcreature.etsy.com) & I shared a table at the first ever BIG CRAFTY art fair at the Grey Eagle in Asheville. there was a great turnout & great art. we were right next to the pistachio cupcake table! soooo good! I debuted my newest design - the darla. new favorite. it's simple, modern & surprisingly comfortable. also exciting, I'm thinking of expanding to solid resin earrings! just this week I signed on to sell at a new store in the biltmore district of Asheville, WINK. the shop is lots of fun & I hope my stuff is well-received.

{darla in lemon yellow}


{darla in deep sea blue on kumquats!}

on a different note, bele chere (crazy festival) just swooped through asheville like a tornado of white trash & tchotchkes & fried food. even oreos! I wanted to but resisted. I did have a funnel cake though. they're so delicious! and thinking about it makes me want one now :) keep crafting out there & let me know if you have any fun earring ideas. I'm on the lookout for some great rubber molds. numbers & letters. exciting!

xo

wish I had a cupcake

{mmmmm!}

{custom necklace order that I love}

{stock-piling rings in fun colors!}

{a 'hooray for summer!' high five}

may was a busy month! I decided to take june off from custom orders in my shop so I can focus on reorganizing & getting shipping materials in line & making better molds. this crafting thing is becoming a well-oiled machine :)

summer is in full swing in north carolina. day highs are in the 90s + serious humidity. luckily I get to be in ac most of the time. I don't like having my windows shut though. it feels like a disconnect with nature. but on the other hand, it means wearing t-shirts & sandals! no sweaters anymore! and the sun is out longer. last night the sun set at about 9pm! gorgeous purples & pinks. summer also means carnivals & cotton candy & rotting garbage. after having a few drinks the other night, a friend & I spontaneously decided to ride some carnival rides. this carnival is conveniently placed, but kindof depressing & lackluster. it's in the mall parking lot. yeah.

so we rode the tilt-a whirl (best ride invented) & this crazy octopus one & lastly, a hang glider one, which put us over the edge. it was fun at first. you get to lay on your stomach & 'fly' around in a circle & up & down. but it lasted too long & the up & down got to be too much. we were closing our eyes & gritting our teeth near the end wishing it would stop. on our way out, we smelled sweaty food & rotting trash & hot pavement. luckily we kept it together. I had eaten 9 giant olives & drunk 2 martinis directly before. smart girl!

on a different note, I'm thinking of getting a gocco machine for t-shirts & cards. apparently they're the best thing ever. check it out, it may be the thing that's missing from your life. the sad part is they're not being made anymore. BUT, you can find plenty on ebay.

much love from asheville on this lazy day.

xo

a sunny sunday

                                                                {cortez blue beehive necklace}

hello again! I wanted to take a minute to update you (or ya'll) on life & art over the past month. the north carolina hills have become green & lush with occasional drifting fog. it's so beautiful. the weather is more consistently warm & sunny now. I would still call this spring, but summer is just around the bend. all of my art is definitely focused on summer in all its glory. I've created a couple new summery resin colors & have started expanding what I do a bit more. something cute & sweet for summer is my new beehive resin necklace. I've been obsessed with bees & honey & hives for a long time. so this necklace is a token of my love. 

now for some local scene news...

  

april 26

the purple ball fashion show...whoa. I modeled for MINX boutique & realized it was much more than walking a runway. there were rehearsals & costume fittings & INTENSE hair & makeup (which was actually pretty fun). anywho, later this night we went to a FEIST show at the thomas wolf auditorium. it was probably the best performance I've seen in the last year. so magical & full of art. it took us all to a new, happy place.  

april 30

thread. magazine, out of asheville, celebrated & raised money for the release of its 2nd issue last wednesday at satellite gallery. the magazine is totally beautiful & inspiring & funny. it focuses on local, grassroots art, music, lit, photography etc. they don't have a website yet but I'll post a link when they do. also, alli good is currently showing at the gallery & her work is incredible. yay for the young artists of asheville coming together once again!

may 1

my mom called me early in the morning to wish me a happy may day :) when my brother & I were little the three of us made baskets full of candy & left them on neighbors' doors, rang the doorbell & ran. my mom was on vacation over may day once & I remember crying to her on the phone because she wasn't there to make baskets. sorry for making you feel guilty mom! I still love may day.

may 11

RADIOHEAD is playing at the nissan pavilion in bristow, va & a few of us are taking the 7-hr roadtrip to see them! we're also spending a couple days in washington d.c. to see the white house & tour the smithsonian etc. this is going to be a fantastic trip!

may 17

WHICH ? CRAFT indie craft fair in west asheville at harvest records! 10-6 (rain or shine). I can't wait to be a part of this! and I'm super curious to see what's been cooking in other people's art studios. I need to get a move on so I have enough stuff. deadlines are good motivators :) come see & buy cool local stuff...handmade is magic. 

may 20

this is my & jesse's 2 year wedding anniversary :) not sure yet what we're doing to celebrate, but send your good vibes & hugs & love our way. 

xo

new juicy rings for you

                                                                {fresh grass gypsy ring}

                                                          {eternal sunshine gypsy ring}

thought I'd share some designs I'm working on now. loving the bright spring colors & different shapes. simple, transparent gypsy rings are my new favorite. and rainfall necklaces. I've been oxidizing silver chains & now I'm on the flea market hunt for dramatic, long chains...silver, brass, gold. also thinking about using some dainty, thin red silk thread for chains. stay tuned. new shop updates on etsy soon.

in other life news, jesse & I took a last-minute roadtrip to our homeland (austin, mn). some sad events brought us home but it was really great to get back to our roots & spend quality time with family & friends. we didn't bring the camera, so no pics from this adventure. mr. salty traveled well, if unhappy.

both sets of my grandparents have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary's in the past year. wow, right?! it's so awesome. both had great parties organized by their children, and sadly we were unable to attend them. but we got to participate via phone & pictures later.

we're still loving our new place. mr. salty was extremely happy to be home. space & comfort again. he had to live in a (large) kennel while we were home but had some fun outings on the couch until he peed on it. oops! oh, I've re-commenced my spoon necklace making. working on some custom orders. I forgot how much I enjoy them. it forces me to dig deep for the right combination of words. also working on custom rings, including 2 green alien rings. they've been a challenge but I hope to finish them soon.

it's a rainy day here but I hope it's sunny where you are. yay for saturdays!

the big move & more

                                                           {my awesome brother, noah}

                                                              {mr. salty roo cute pants}

                  {valentine to jesse...think kill bill & samuel l. jackson}

                                                                       {the new place!}

after a long hiatus I'm back creating. just moments ago I was making jesse's valentine & now it's drying. you know that feeling when you get your paints out & some brushes & random stir/mix things & you just mess around & it's great & you love what you made & your paint mess looks even cooler? that's where I'm at.

mr. salty is with me on the couch again trying to jump onto the computer. he wants to wiggle into the center of everything. best pet ever. for those of you who are curious, mr. salty is our urban assault rabbit. if you want a SMART, aDORable, quiet & small pet, you should check out the house rabbit society. lots of (litter trained) rabbits ready for adoption. jesse & I talk about having a rabbit farm instead of having children. my mom's not so into the idea.

okay, so little recap: last month I brought in the new year at a band of horses show in atlanta (awesome), moved across town (best thing we could've done), turned 26, had my older brother as a house guest (yay!), watched lots of movies in bed, had a snow day at work - yes I live in north carolina & no it's not normal, started religiously wearing these slippers my mom got me for christmas, bought an orange vintage couch, kept 2 new plants alive & settled into our place. ahhh. sigh of relief. so far so good.

happy early valentine's day!