Full Circle - Tradeshow Prep

Last week was mostly all about prepping for the San Francisco Gift tradeshow. I also worked on a custom order, that will hopefully turn into a regular offering in my Etsy shop. (See last photo.) I'm actually blogging mobiley today, so fingers crossed this post doesn't end up looking all wonky!

above, a little bit of the display refining for the tradeshow  

Arlo, looking at me like "you've been working way to much this week!" 

And, above, that custom order I've been working on.  

Alright, back to the tradeshow world! I hope everyone's week is off to a great start :-). 

Drumroll please. . . .

Just dropping in today to announce the winner of the Singularity Earrings giveaway. . . And the winner is. . . . Lucia! 

Lucia, send me your mailing address to tangleweedsjewelry@gmail.com and your new pair of earrings will be on their way later this week. 

For those of you who didn't win, check back next week for a super-special giveaway! 

Full Circle - Learning Curve

I'm working on new line-sheets this week for a tradeshow that's coming up fast (this weekend!) I'm not the most adept user of photoshop, so I sat down with Jeff and he showed me quicker ways of doing what I usually do. Man, was I making my work so much harder than it needed to be! 

Also, I'll announce the winner of the giveaway tomorrow. I didn't realize that today is a holiday for most folks until this morning, so I figure more people will be around on the inter webs tomorrow. So, check back then =). 

A little run down of the above photos (top to bottom):

1. my brass bead stash
2. patterns and textures: two essential ingredients to my wardrobe
3. Todos Organics infused cocunt oils. Soooooo good for the skin!
4. Arlo, lazing in the sun. (Yes, that's a wound on his forehead. He got in a pretty nasty cat fight a week ago. He's healing up nicely tho!)
5. Otis, lounging in the backyard with his brother.
6. my current weaving project. I'm working some driftwood into this one. I'm curious to see where I go with this one.
7. Some new designs! I really want to get these in the Etsy shop this week, but reality and my schedule may dictate next week. I'll post here when they go live!

LWM: Making the Time

This week I've been thinking a lot about how we manage to make the time to do the things that are really important to us. . . or how we don't make the time. I tend to be of the school of thought that if it's something you really want to do, you're going to make the time for it. The thing about that way of thinking is it can lead to me being a bit hard on myself when I don't make the time for something important, I'll find myself thinking something like "Gee, I guess I just didn't want it enough," when in reality there are only so many hours in a day, right?

Listening: I've been listening to Linda Perhacs's album Parallelograms. I love to do yoga with this quietly playing in the background. Which relates to how I opened this post: yoga, exercise, going for walks, these are all things that I am trying to make more time for on a regular basis. I feel so much better when I do. 

Wearing: Printed skirts and nubby, warm sweaters. My studio gets pretty cold in the winter so I tend to wear a lot of sweaters and layers this time of the year. Which is really perfect because I love sweaters and layers, as I'm sure you've noticed by now ;-) 
outfit details:
all sweaters, boots: thrifted
tights: Hue
grey printed skirt: Field Day (they're local and in Oakland. An adorable shop, and yup, you can find Tangleweeds there!)
burgundy floral skirt: thrifted
necklace: old Tangleweeds

And lastly, the making component of this post: Some petal-leaf lariats! These are brand new and not yet listed in Etsy. They are part of my next collection and I'm fairly excited about these. They look lovely on and there are coordinating earrings to come as well. At my fairs last weekend people responded really really well to these. Can't wait to make them available to all of my lovely customers!

This has been a good week thus far. Now, back to the sketch book and design table for me!

Full Circle - Back to Events and Craft Fairs

Last week was the return to selling events (pop up shops, craft fairs, art walks, etc) for Tangleweeds. First Friday/Art Murmur in Oakland on Friday night and a pop-up shop at Rickshaw bags in San Francisco on Saturday. After taking about a month and a half off from events I thought I would feel a bit rusty, but nope, it all came together pretty well!

There was also some planning and scheming time. The longer I run Tangleweeds the more I understand that things just don't happen without a fair amount of planning. It can of course get in the way though: if you find yourself always waiting until everything is perfect before trying to make any changes, or make something new happen, then you're probably hiding behind the planning. But a bit of planning, definitely a good thing in my book!

Photo details (top to bottom):
1. my set up at events
2. bracelets for an upcoming tradeshow
3. work in progress at the studio
4. morning tea and sketchbook
5. winter flowers in our yard
6. hedgehog mushrooms, part of Thursday nigh't dinner
7. my Susan Eastman silk blouse (that I picked up at the KPFA Craft Fair.)

Today is a "catch up on paperwork day" so I better get back to it. Here's to a wonderful week!

LWM: Floral Dress and Skirt Collection

This week: Listening on repeat to the new Ryan Bingham album. So so good. And if you love a good gravely, rough voice, you'll love his songs. Oh, and sad, you gotta like sad story songs too. (Which is totally my thing.)

Wearing - Almost everyday this last week has seen me donning a floral dress or skirt. I have a serious love for florals. One part of this is definitely the fact that it's fairly easy to find floral, 80s and 90s style dresses at thrift stores. 
outfit details:
dress and cardigan - thrifted
booties - Convert (in Berkeley)
earrings (hidden from sight) - Pale Blush (Tangleweeds) 

Making -  I wasn't sure what to spotlight here as I've been working on a lot this past week. But, I realized when I stopped to think about it that my RainDrop earrings were one of the designs I was really focused on. These are a great classic, and have been popular in my Etsy shop. I'll be carrying this design over into the new year; they won't be one of the designs being discontinued, so if you've got your eye on them, no worries!

Ugh, this week has been a bit bumpy for me. Lots of little frustrating things with technology (hello Mercury retrograde much?!) Tomorrow I'll be at the 25th Street Collective in Oakland for Art Murmur if you local folks wanna drop by and pick up something pretty! Speaking of which, gotta go pack up the jewelry for tomorrow. . . 

Full Circle - Back to the Workbench

Last week, was, well, just really really busy. After a week off sick I had so much to catch up on! Honestly, I'm still catching up on all of it, so I'll keep this post short and sweet. (See below for picture details.)

1. Some of my Geometry hoops, fresh off the workbench. 
2. A new-to-me floral dress found at a thrift shop. My floral dress collection is kind of exploding!
3. Messy workbench.
4. A shot from my newest look-book, Everyday Magic.
5. Jewelry headed to the local shop, Oak Common.
6. One of my favorite handmade jewelry pieces from An Astrid Endeavor.
7. Lastly, tea and trains with my nephews this weekend. A fun way to end the week!

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start. Don't forget to enter my contest for my last pair of Singularity earrings over here!

Tangleweeds Giveaway - Singularity Earrings

It's been a few months since I've offered a contest giveaway here on the blog. So, it's time to bring them back! (Monthly, is the goal this year.) For February's giveaway I'll be offering up a pair of my hand-forged Singularity earrings. Whoever wins this giveaway will be receiving my LAST pair of these!

As I mentioned in a post  a couple weeks back I'll be discontinuing a few designs this month. I have several reasons for doing this. There's a fine balancing act when you're a small business owner making the product that you sell. I'll be rolling out a lot of new designs this year, and I can't possibly keep up with the making of all of them if I don't whittle the selection down a bit. Also, some of the designs I'll be discontinuing I've been making for quite sometime now, and in the interest of my creative muse I'd rather not make more of them. And, lastly, some designs have simply ebbed in popularity as is want to happen. 

As Tangleweeds continues to grow, knowing when to say "no" or to not do something will be just as important as knowing when to leap or say "yes."

On to the giveaway details! For those of you who would like to enter, simply leave a little comment here on the blog. I'm gonna go with a new year's theme with this one: In your comment mention something about your goals for the new year. I love hearing about what others hope to manifest in 2015!

I'll pick a winner right around Valentine's day and announce it here on the blog and on Instagram on the 16th. Have a wonderful week!

LWM: Old Timey

This week (and last week) I found myself listening to a lot of old timey country music, especially the dames like Tammy, Patsy, and Loretta, AND the QUEEN of country, Kitty Wells. (This song was considered rather controversial when it first came out. Many radio stations wouldn't even play it. Good thing audiences loved it tho!)

Wearing. . . Lots of texture. Texture is such a huge influence on what I wear and how I choose to pair pieces. I like contrasting texture, but simulatenously I appreciate a "monochromatic textural" outfit. While it was a bit difficult the capture the texture of each piece in this photo, I think it gives you a general idea - wool skirt, nubby knit top, lace accent cardigan. Oh, and suede booties (more texture!)

Outfit details:
top, skirt, booties - thrifted
cardigan - Modcloth
tights - Hue
earrings - really really old Tangleweeds design
ring - a gift from Jeff last year (vintage, and from Mercy in Oakland)

Making. . . Lots and lots of my Curves stacking rings. I'll be re-stocking Oak Common in Oakland tomorrow and I'm dropping off a bunch of these in lots of different sizes. If you're local and you'd like to try them on before you buy, stop by their shop on Grand Avenue (not far from Lake Merritt.) 

Well, folks! Back to the workbench for this Tangleweed. It is a busy, busy week 'round these parts. Can't wait to share more new stuff with all of you soon!

Full Circle - Slowing Down

This last week was mostly spent home sick. Boo-hoo. I have to say, the beginning of a new year is usually when I'm feeling extra-super motivated to start next projects and simply make things happen, so taking a whole week (five days) to slow down and simply care for myself was sort of going against a lot of the cells in my body. Mainly the brain cells. I drank pots and pots of herbal chai, laid around a lot, and actually managed to finish a weaving project. 

Below, is the piece I finished. I'm really really proud of her. I named her "Harvest" in honor of the harvesting that I feel like I am doing in a way in my life. I feel like this year is about harvesting the good that has come from a lot of the hard work I've put into Tangleweeds the last five years and harnessing it to fully realize my dreams. . . 

Annnnnd, lastly, a couple of great thrift finds worn once the sickies went away. One recent (the crescent moon print dress) and one that I found last year at a little charity shop in Sacramento (the coat). I am seriously in looooove with the dress.

Lastly, if you have noticed, my newest Look-Book, "Everyday Magic" is now posted on the site. It was inspired quite simply by the little things in life, the "everyday magic" we sometimes overlook, but when we slow down and allow ourselves to be present (instead of distracted and stressed to the nines) we get to marvel and wonder over. I hope you enjoy it! Many of the pieces are already available in my Etsy shop. Those that aren't yet will be in the next few weeks to come. 

Al righty, lots of jewelry work this week, lots of making and creating to do. If you like to see my daily work, remember you can always follow me/Tangleweeds over here on Instagram.

Have a fabulous week everyone!