Journal
Tangleweeds lifestyle blog. We talk about craft fairs, Oakland, current jewelry work, trips taken in the states, sales in our Etsy shop and more!
This week's been a bit rough guys, not gonna lie. Here's what's been getting me through:
Comfy dresses like this one by Mary Meyers. . .
Making - moons, rings, and bangles galore!
I won't be back in this space until next week, so I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I'll have my Handmade Love series back in swing next Friday (May 16th) and I'll introduce my next giveaway as well. Until then, savor each moment as you can!
A few shots from the past three days of events: First Friday at the 25th Street Collective in Oakland, Feria Urbana at the Linden Street Brewing Company in Oakland, and Urban Air Market in Hayes Valley in San Francisco. What a weekend!
These fairs are often a reunion of sorts. I get to see really rad folks who I have met through vending at events over the last 4 1/2 years. There's such a feeling of camaraderie that comes from us all being in it together. It helps buoy you up when the weather gets rough (rain, strong wind, extreme heat or cold) or the sales just aren't happening. But what's even better is when you just get to be in it together and the going is good!
Something many people who are familiar with my work do not know is that I started out my jewelry making days creating elaboarte, beaded, assemblage type pieces. Lots of big, chunky necklaces. My work has evolved over the years and taken on a more minimal slant. But lately, as is want to happen with anyone in a creative field, I am craving some experimentaion. I've picked up a bunch of new materials to play with and I've dug through my old supplies for forgotten jewelry-making materials. I'm not sure exactly what is going to come of it, but as I've been sharing here on the blog, there will be new one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces in the near future. In the meantime, I wanted to share gorgeous, assemblage-style jewelry from other talented Etsy sellers. . .
Snakeskin Jasper Assemblage Necklace
I love the colors of this piece, the earthy tones mixed with the sea-blue-green color. Also, the gold-leaf on that rough stone is a nice balance in contrasts.
Rustic Rainbow Alegria Earrings
I love the way the beads are wire-wrapped around the main rectangle part. As a jewelry artist I'm always looking at the way another jewelry artist is connecting two (or more items together). That's what jewelry art is all about: connections.
Lost City Necklace
This piece really struck me as "wow!" The stitched fabric folds are just not something I've seen anyone else doing. Very innovative and fresh.
Rustic Tribal Metal Earrings
I think my favorite part about these earrings is their subtle assymetry. I bet the way these dance when they're worn is really beautiful!
Textured Metal and Verdigris Earrings
Any jewelry artist that uses patina in such a lovely-yet-rough way has my love. I really think this pair is so perfectly balanced: the extra wire wrapping, the tiny beads at the top, the ceramic drops. Perfection!
I hope you all enjoyed this week's round-up of Handmade Love!
Listening to. . .
As my post title would suggest, I've got summer on the brain. This weather! I tend towards "road trip" music when the weather warms up. Music like lots of Rosanne Cash. Old and new. This song is one of my favorites of hers.
Wearing. . .
Lots of tank tops and delicate bead strands (my Drape necklaces). Road trip uniform = tank tops, skirts, sandals and easy jewelry.
Making. . .
TONS of bangles and rings. I'll be vending at the Urban Air Market this Sunday and these are always popular items at this event. And, since I'm on the road trip bent, these bangles all piled on together would be perfect for said trips!
Back to the workbench for now for me!
I'm just dropping in at the blog today to announce the winner of the April Giveaway. TESSA, you are the winner! Please contact me directly at tangleweedsjewelry@gmail.com so we can arrange for you to receive your new earrings. For those of you who didn't win this time, check back here next week when I'll announce my May Giveaway. Oh, a year of giveaways. What fun!
Wow, what a week! What a month! Fair season has officially started. I vended at the Treasure Island Flea Market this past weekend, but between the wind and the rain on Sunday morning, I decided to pack it in at the end of Saturday. If you came by looking for me on Sunday and I wasn't there, I apologize. (Next time that happens I'll try to post about it to my Tangleweeds FB page.) Lots of great dresses found new homes on Saturday, that's one fun thing about the TI Flea: the fact that I get to sell my two passions side-by-side (vintage and handmade jewelry.)
Also, that nasty back pain that I mentioned a while back, is, well, back. Argh. I'm trying to look at this as a teaching moment: I really do need to better learn to put my health and self-care first, even before Tangleweeds. Because if I'm not well then Tangleweeds isn't well. I'm especially concerned because now that I'm entering fair season there is a lot of lifting and heavy work that happens at each event for set-up. I know I'll make it through, it just might mean admitting I need help when I'm terrible at admitting I need help.
These photos are just some of the work I've been busy at for my May fairs. There's also been stolen moments here and there: making gluten-free french toast on Sunday morning (ahh, sleeping in!), getting outside and taking a moment to recognize Earth Day, cups of tea. I'm starting to realize that I don't so much mind being busy all of the time if the busyness comes at me at a manageable pace. One that allows for intermittent downtime, pauses to breathe and reflect.
My newest weekly feature: Handmade Love. I debuted this on Easter as a way of showcasing artists whose work I just can't stop looking at! I'm going to try to base each post around a loose "theme" but I'll see how that goes =). This week, I'm featuring handmade components (for jewelry making) as I'm currently obsessed with branching out with my own work and incorporating other artists' handmade loveliness into my jewelry creations. When my supply budget is a little more flush, these are some of the wonderful pieces I may just have to have. . .
You can see my tastes are running towards the slightly worn and rustic, per the usual. You can click on any of the photo's titles and you'll be taken directly to the maker's Etsy shop. Maybe it'll inspire you to create something new this week too!
This week's Listening-Wearing-Making! Inspired by the romance of just hoping in the car and taking an impromptu road trip, and then getting back to realize you really love right where you are. Here. Now. I'd listen to this if I jumped in the car today (and I'd probably head to Big Sur). . .
Wearing -
I thought I'd share my outfit from Easter Sunday this week. I really enjoy dressing up for special occasions when I can. When I was in my teens and on into my mid-twenties I spent a lot of time and energy on my outfits almost everyday. Now, with a business to run and a family that I want to devote time to I find myself erring towards simpler, comfort based outfits most days. It makes those days when I do have the time and energy to put on something special feel that much more special!
(I love how Otis jumped up on the coffee table right when the timer on the camera went off.)
I'm wearing: Tangleweeds "Dance" earrings, a necklace that was a gift from Jeff a few years ago (handmade by an old friend of his), a dress from Savers (a new-ish thrift shop in Berkeley) and flats from Urban Outfitters.
Making: I've been very inspired lately, working on new designs and with new stones. I've been thumbing through old sketches of mine and looking through this book: Fabulous Woven Jewelry. I'm very excited to start making more one-of-a-kind, or limited edition pieces. I won't abandon my classic designs that so many of your love, rather they will be augmented by the one-of-a-kind pieces. Here's a look at what's coming up:
Lastly, don't forget to enter my April Giveaway. I'm offering up a pair of my tailfeathers earrings this time around. Tell your friends! I'll announce the winner on the 30th of April.
Oh, this past weekend was so lovely. So relaxed. I spent Saturday with my mom here in Oakland. We went shopping at the big Bead Bazaar that happens a couple times a year at the Oakland Convention Center. I don't have pics from my loot, but I will soon. Just not sure when. My mood today is slightly lethargic, a bit lazy. Somehow still gettin' things done, but at a snail's pace.
Then, Sunday, Jeff and I headed out to Modesto to spend the day with my sister's family and my parents.
Top to bottom:
1 and 2. Easter egg dying project
3. Noah kicking my butt at Memory
4. Easter morning - in some of my favorite earrings
5. Arlo (the orange one) and Otis hanging out while I prep the egg project
6. Otis at the kitchen counter
7 and 8. My disaster of a work bench
I shared the last couple of photos because they're a good representation of what it looks like around my studio when I'm in "design" mode. Things get messy! And things are gonna be pretty messy through May as I move my studio space while keeping Tangleweeds up and running. But I am so so so excited for the new space!
I hope everyone's having a wonderful Monday!
I'm hoping, this year, to get back to featuring some of my favorite handmade goodies on Etsy. Round one: pastel-hued pieces for Easter.
Fragile strength talisman Necklace - unfurling
Well, there ya go! Not exactly a typical Easter-themed post but a peek into some of the things I've been digging on Etsy. This one was brief (as I had about 5 minutes to put this together) - I'm hoping to do some "meatier" features as I continue to flesh this here blog out this year! There are so many wonderful "hand-makers" out there on the interwebs, it's just nice to share the love in the small ways I can. I hope to share some of the "quieter" Etsy shops here. . . the ones that maybe fly under many people's radars but are full of amazing work. Etsy is a crowded place and sometimes only the most popular shops seem to get attention. Anywho, there I go off on a tangent, but a tangent about my motivation behind this blog feature. If you like, leave a little post in the comments about the type of work you'd like to see featured here and I'll keep that in mind as I work on these posts.
(Now it's time to go help my Nephew search for some eggs!)