Full Circle ~ Family Times

Last week I went to Disneyland for a few days with my sister's family and my dad. It was great to have this kind of time together, as it can be difficult to get everyone's busy schedules to all line up such that we can go on a trip together!

me and my 9 year old nephew, Noah. He's not bored, he just hates having his picture taken.

This week, being back to work with Tangleweeds has felt great. Sometimes stepping away form something you love is just what you need to re-charge your batteries. 

As a quick reminder, tomorrow is the last day of my Everything is Connected sale (use code "connected" for 25% off all orders) and the last day to enter my giveaway by the same name. Good luck and enjoy!

The Newest Collection: Connections

All of my collections are always near and dear to my heart. And they always reflect a little bit of where I'm at currently in my life personally, and the things I am focusing on and drawing inspiration from. I wanted to show, metaphorically, how the connections between two people shape and mold us into more intriguing individuals. 

At the core of jewelry design and creation are connections - deciding how and wear to connect two elements can greatly alter a design's final look and feel. This practical application of connections beautifully mirrors the real-life connections we are making all of the time with the people around us, from our lovers, parents, and friends, to our co-workers, neighbors and casual acquaintances. 

Pictured above are the Connections hoops - the title piece of the collection. I think one look at them and you can understand why they're the title piece =). I really pushed myself with this design to come up with something that was interesting, had movement, and was still a hoop. These are definitely a current favorite of mine!

(and pictured below you can see there is also a necklace version and a hoop without the stones)

To see the whole collection simply head on over to the Tangleweeds shop and select the "connections collection." And, a little secret to share (with blog readers only!), I'll be offering a giveaway from this collection sometime this month. Check back for the news on that soon!

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! ;-)

Full Circle ~ Early Mornings

Ahh, early mornings! When everything seems possible and the time in the day seems endless. Just dropping in this morning to share some snapshots from the past week. Below is my home workspace - where the administrative part of the biz happens (and some beadwork on the side.)

The sunsets in the bay area have been beyond gorgeous the last few days. This shot is from my front porch in Vallejo. 

And below, a little tease of new work that is coming soon! So soon. I'm photographing my fall/winter collection next week (as long as all goes according to planned). The components below will become a new hoops design. 

That's all for now! I'm off to my monthly small business meeting later tonight. These meetings are always such a great motivator AND a great source of maker camaraderie. Happy Wednesday everyone!

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! 

Earth Relics Collection - You Must Go There

This year has been so much about embracing the unknown, walking into situations I'm unsure of what the outcome may be. And yet being sure that I must go there. This collection echoes that sentiment. It's a branching out, a treading into new waters, unsure of what the reaction will be but knowing that I must go there. 

New pieces will continue to roll out as part of this collection over the next couple of months. I intend for this collection to be an on-going collaboration with my muse and the beauty that the earth provides through unique and carefully sourced stones. 

Each piece tells a story, a story about age and time and the beauty that unfolds as we give ourselves over to what we know in our bones. A story that I hope everyone interprets in their own unique way, shaped and molded by their own experiences: their moments of grace, their moments of pain, their moments of just being. Echoing the way the ocean gently exposes a cliffside over many centuries, or the sun slowly fades the side of an old barn. Age, ancientness, and newness all co-mingling in every moment of our lives.  

Along with the new collection, I'm also launching my own webshop here at the Tangleweeds website. Much work and love has been put into the shop, and I hope you enjoy perusing and shopping the new and the classic work. The shop will go live at 7am tomorrow morning. As an exclusive for my blog followers and newsletter subscribers, I'm offering 25% off all orders through Friday with the coupon code "newsletter."

Where will you go with your Tangleweeds?
Something to think about, both for me and for you.

LWM: CAT Leggings!

Listening to. . . The new Brandi Carlile. I seriously can't stop listening to her newest album The Firewatcher's Daughter. It's a bit folksy, a bit pop, with great stories woven into it all. Enjoy! 

Wearing. . . The most amazing CAT leggings. Love these so much. In case you simply must have a pair, they're from NooWorks in San Francisco. 

And making! Well, I've been busy on so many designs lately, it's hard to narrow it down to just one, but if I had to, I'd say I've been making bunches of these covetable Featherlight necklaces. I'm slowly getting all of the colorways into my Etsy shop. Finally too! This is something I had hoped to have done a couple of months ago. Feels good to be rolling these out. 

I hope everyone's weekly is providing all you're hoping for!