LWM ~ Wearing Handmade

Happy Monday everyone! Dropping in with some listening tunes and style inspo. to (hopefully) brighten the beginning of your week. . . 

Listening ~ This was an easy one this week. I've been voraciously listening to Alison Krauss's newest album, Windy City. Every song on the album sounds beautiful, as does her soulful voice. The album is a mix of covers and original songs. 

Wearing ~ I LOVE to wear other folks' handmade goodies. The outfit I managed to capture today was a nice showcase of wearables made by other talented folks. It also continues my trend of more monochromatic outfits as of late.

dress and cardigan ~ thrifted
quilted bag ~ Laura Lee Fritz      
hand-dyed rope necklace ~ Roxanne Young
Full Moon Eclipse Earrings
River Rock Bangles

Making ~ Honestly, this last week had me busy with mostly non-making things. I carved out some time to work on my current weaving project. Which is slowly but surely coming closer to completion. (I might actually sell this one!) The jewelry work was mainly photographing and editing photos for my new collection for spring/summer, which will be available in the webshop on March 15th! The photo below is from the photoshoot.

That's it for now! Have a wonderful week!

LWM ~ Different Shades of the Same Color

My first Listening-Wearing-Making post of the year! I honestly wasn't sure if I'd continue this series this year. I hit a point last year where I simply felt like I was listening to all of the same music all of the time and wearing the same small section of my wardrobe. I did feel like I was making a lot of new designs tho! But like all things, I think we seek comfort and familiarity with some things when life gets a bit bumpy or busy, and the last quarter of the year is nothing if not busy for me! 

Listening ~ On to the good stuff! Please, oh please, if you are a lover of bluegrass/folk/americana music go and listen to Rayna Gellert's new album Workin's Too Hard. I'm in love with this album that's a mix of old-timey traditional and original songs. (If you love Gillian Welch I think it's safe to say you'll love Gellert.) 

Wearing ~ Lately I've been especially into monochromatic anything, including outfits. There's something subtle and textural to an outfit that is mostly varying shades of the same color. I like the rusty-red orange of this tank top with the brick red of this skirt. (I actually changed to a ruddy  red brown nubby sweater before I left the house for my day.)

Outfit details:
~ tank top, sweater, skirt, and boots - all thrifted
~ River Rocks Necklace
~ Akin Earrings
~ Stepping Stones Bracelet
~ Twist ring

As an aside, I seriously cannot believe sometimes how long my hair has gotten in the last year. I think I just got so busy with things I'm passionate about that I stopped paying attention to it, until one day I realized I could practically sit on it!

Making ~ This month I've been very focused on creating the prototypes for my next collector for spring/summer. This collection is going to be very feminine and fun, with bright juicy colors and more limited edition designs. Below is a sneak of something I'm pretty darn excited to debut, and can't wait to model for you guys! I'm going to have the new line available by March 13th. Follow along on Instagram if you want to see more sneak peeks as that date rolls closer. 

Happy Thursday everyone!

LWM ~ Bringing Back the Fall Layers

It's finally feeling like fall around here! The sounds of raindrops in the morning, pumpkins in the store (I like the funky, warty ones!), and warm layers to make you feel all cozy. 

Lately I've been listening to ~ The Felice Brothers new album. Currently my favorite song is Aerosol Ball. There lyrics are fun and slightly off-the-wall with a honky-tonk, country feel. Enjoy!

Wearing ~ Layers again! Tights and boots with skirts and dresses are my go-to when the weather gets colder. I actually think I wear pants in the spring and summer, more than I do in the colder months. I'm also wearing two of my current go-to pieces from the Tangleweeds collection: the Soar necklace in speckled rose, and the Raindrops earrings. 

Making ~ More earrings in the style of these Mountain Fan Earrings. I've been so happy that my new designs have been received as well as they have by my fans and collectors. I love working with these unusual stones in slightly larger and sometimes irregular shapes and sizes. There will definitely be more of this work coming to the webshop in the next few months. 

I hope everyone's week is going well! I'm a busy making bee prepping for my slew of holiday events. I still need to nail down my open studio hours. For you local folks who like to shop from me directly at my studio, I'll have those hours up by the end of next week!

LWM ~ Fringe-y Fun

Happy Thursday everyone! This week I've found myself re-visiting a lot of my favorite albums and artists. Sometimes there's nothing that beats the comfortable familiarity of an album you know you love. . . and can sing along to 90% of! A couple of years ago I saw Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers at the Starry Plough in Berkeley. I was already a fan, but seeing them in person only further cemented my love of their music. (If you listened to last week's you'll hear some similarities between the Honeycutters and Zoe Muth.) Enjoy! 

Wearing - One of close friends is getting married in October and she had her bachelorette soiree about a week ago. I thought it'd be a good time to break out my velvet and fringe rob/kimono. 

Making - New pieces for my on-going collection "Earth Relics." I actually just finished a couple of these in this photo today. They'll be making their way to my webshop soon!

Oh, September. You remind me that fall is right around the corner. This summer, heck this whole year, has just flown by in a way I am, quite frankly, not accustomed to. It's been mostly good though, but with lots of challenges sprinkled throughout. But I'm thinking a month-long "stay-cation" would be really rad. . . oh to dream! ;-)

LWM ~ Returns!

Oh me, oh my! I haven't posted a Listening-Wearing-Making post since March! And so much has shifted and changed since then. Here's my take on what to listen to, wear, and make RIGHT NOW as we move through our days.

Listening to. . . The Honeycutters. I'm thoroughly obsessed with this band right now. (If you follow me on Spotify you'll see that I listen to one of their albums almost daily.) This song is from their second most recent album, which is full of good 'ol honky-tonk infused good-ness. (Also, if you go to their webpage, they have a bunch of live videos for your viewing pleasure.)

Wearing. . . It's starting to feel like fall around here. There's a chill in the morning that's more pronounced. There's a faint bit of fog in the mornings in Vallejo. And Oakland's barely making it above the mid-60s lately. I've been wearing boots and leggings with my dresses some days now, for the first time in months. And I love this baby doll dress that I picked up at a little boutique in Turlock last year. 

Making. . . Well, I've been furiously working on my fall/winter collection, which is going to be small, since I just put out the Earth Relics collection over the summer. But those photos will have to wait until the collection is finalized. I've also been working steadily on the new copper pieces for Tangleweeds. They have been immensely popular! More popular than I anticipated in fact. I debuted them in person at the Gravenstein Apple Fair two weekends ago and I nearly sold out. For anyone who may be making it out to the SF Etsy event this weekend (I'll only be there on Sunday), I will have the copper back in stock if you want to see the pieces in person. 

Happy Thursday everyone! 

LWM ~ Keeping it Comfy

Listening ~ Roy Orbison's album Mystery Girl. Sometimes I get in this place where one album and one album only can really fit the bill for my listening pleasure. Currently it's this one.

Wearing ~ Loose flow-y, comfortable clothes like this dress scored off the clearance racks at Anthro. 

Making ~ Tassel jewelry. This week I'm having a little sale on all tassel jewelry in the Etsy shop. Use coupon code "vintagetassel" and get $15 off any tassel pair of earrings or necklace. 

I hope everyone's week is going well. Happy hump day!

LWM ~ Old/New

Is this year just flying by for anyone else? Kind of a silly question to ask, I realize. We're all so busy these days! Amidst all of the busy-ness I've been slowly getting reacquainted with some of my favorite music. The 90s album, Stranger's Almanac, from Whiskeytown, is such a good country-rock-folk amalgam. This song, Houses on the Hill, is fairly melancholy, but it's one of those melancholy songs that resonates so completely with me that it just makes me feel more alive when I listen to it. 

Wearing ~ The weather has been so warm lately I've actually been pulling out the tank tops and tank dresses! This dress is one I picked up at Savers in Berkeley (before they closed!) It's a bit short, but nothing a vintage slip layered underneath can't fix.

outfit details ~
dress and slip ~ thrifted
boots ~ Dr. Scholl's
necklace and earrings ~ Tangleweeds (the Double Moon Lariat and the Dusk Earrings)

Making ~ I've pretty much been busy making EVERYTHING. This year I'm really pushing to increase my on hand inventory so it's not such a scramble to fill large wholesale orders when they come in. But I wanted to use this post to let my collectors know that several of my designs are going to be discontinued in the next few months, including these Sepia Petals Earrings. Once I finalize the selection process I'll be offering a limited time discount offer on these and several other designs. Stay tuned for more on that!

So much has been changing 'round my parts lately. . . I'm headed to a closing/farewell party at a favorite shop of mine in Berkeley tonight. I've been thinking a lot lately about how you've really gotta appreciate people, place, and things NOW, cause nothing lasts forever. If anyone else is headed to the Gorgeous and Green farewell party, I'll see you there! I plan to be there around 6 tonight. In the meantime, have a lovely day!

LWM ~ Something Fun

Listening ~ I recently discovered this Australian country band, the McClymonts and now I can't stop listening to their mostly up-beat relationship-story songs. Trust me, there music is a TON of fun to sing along to in the car!

Wearing ~ My new dress from Make it Good Apparel. They're based in Portland (but they almost always come out to San Francisco for the Renegade Craft fair.) I love the organic-geometric quality to their patterning and garments. 

outfit details:
dress - Make it Good
boots - clearance at Anthropologie
earrings - Tangleweeds TailFeathers design
bangle - Tangleweeds Spaces design

Making ~ Everything! Ha, really though. This is that time of the year when holiday wholesale orders start rolling in, I start prepping for holiday craft fairs, and I'm working on the new designs. So, yeah, I thought everything pretty much summed it up nicely. =)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

LWM ~ Let's Make Time to Cry

Listening ~ I've been listening to a lot of Iris Dement lately. Her songs are so heartfelt, and if you're in need of a good cry, she definitely helps make that happen. Ironically, this song is titled "No Time to Cry" and is one of my favorite songs of hers from her entire music catalog. Her most recent album, The Trackless Woods, is worth a listen too. She took poems by Russian writer Anna Akhmatova and set them to music.  

Wearing ~ Admittedly, I have not had the time these last few weeks to snap very many outfit photos. Over labor day weekend though, Jeff DJ-ed at a special event at a tiki bar in Alameda and I decided to swing by for a bit. It had a "Love Boat/Yacht Rock" theme, so I dressed up accordingly! The best part about this outfit (in my opinion) are the earrings. I feel like they're the perfect "art teacher" earrings. Or, cruise ship earrings =)

Making ~ Lots of Featherlight necklaces. At least that's what I'm working on today. Tomorrow I'll be photographing the new collection, and then I'll be moving into production on the new designs as swiftly as possible!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

LWM ~ Jumpers and Safety Glasses

I've had some long days in the studio the last couple of weeks and music is one of those things that keeps me focused and motivated. Sometimes though, it's not the high energy stuff I prefer, but more calm and melodic music, like the wonderful songs by the sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Their music has been the backdrop for much of the designing of my fall collection. 

Wearing ~ summery dresses and safety glasses! Well, okay, the safety glasses pretty much get worn at some point everyday. I found this jumper dress at a thrift shop a week ago and knew it was meant for me. It was long, ankle length and a bit matronly, nothing a little hem-length adjustment couldn't fix!

Making ~ In between making sessions with my assistant, I've been a busy bee on the new collection. . . Here's another little sneak peek of some of the color and stone elements from what will be the fall collection.

Happy Thursday!