the Revolving Studio

I’ve spent a great deal of time the last few days reorganizing my studio. Sure, it’s always a good thing for me to reorganize to achieve an orderly arrangement of things so I can review my inventory, see where things are, see what I’m running low on, etc.

BUT
that’s not the real reason I move my studio around so much (I tend to do this every 3-4 months).

I actually crave the change, need the change.

To me the state of my studio is a mental snapshot of where my creative mind is, how I perceive things. Moving my tables from one wall to another, switching the area of my computer desk from my working space changes how I work and in very good ways, forces me to try things differently.

I’ve a few finishing touches to assemble and then I think I’ll be set. I’ll put up a few pictures once I’ve gotten it just right.

Return from the Desert

I return from the sunny desert with a sack full of gems and the fine desert sand dusted over my tawny leather boots.
I love going to Tucson each year, it’s like making a pilgrimage to the holy place where artists come to pay homage
to stone, pearls and metal.
It’s amazing, overwhelming and exhausting, all at once.
It’s a never ending display of color, texture, and creative potential.
I’m sated
(for now).

Over the last few days in the desert:
I’ve spent hours giggling with the best gal I know.
I’ve fallen in love.
I’ve caressed the polished faces of stone.
I’ve walked away from untrustworthy vendors.
I’ve met the most interesting lapidary artists from across the nation.
I’ve waited for the right stones to find their way to my hands and then my bag.
I’ve tossed and turned in the night.
I’ve yearned for my kitchen, full of fresh fruit and snacks.
I’ve kept my mind open to new materials.
I’ve pushed myself to see where I will go.
I’ve dreamed of new designs.
I’ve spent hours being a mother hen and loved every minute of it.
I’ve worn dresses and skirts and basked in the warmth of the desert sun.
I’ve promised myself that this is the year to run after my dream, and so I shall.

As I now return home, I reflect on my time in lovely Tucson and stare at my bulging bags of goodies. It’s funny, the haul from this year is so very different from last year. I was headed in a singular direction and the goods I picked up reflected that.
And now I find myself straddled between three separate lines of jewelry, one very much different from anything I’ve done before and I’m so very excited about launching my Grace and Moxie line. It’s still in its infancy and slowly I shape it in my mind and my hands, testing this new space and this new direction. I’m very excited. Very excited.

I hope you all have been well. I’m back in the studio and finishing up orders during my trip. I should have some new lovelies for you this weekend.

Tucson

Hours to go:

21

Packed:

1 Rust colored dress

1 pair studded cowgirl boots

1 army green cargo skirt

1 denim jacket

Gray leather messenger bag from Morelle

the Lost continent

Excitement level:

Bursting

Red rock, sunshine, metal, the promise of new ideas.

I am so ready for Tucson.

See you all when I get back!

The Talons of Muse

As any other artist can swear to, the Talons of the Muse are unrelenting.
Sometimes you feel as though you are on the precipice of
something new
something amazing
something completely different.
You feel the winds blowing from a different direction.
You look ahead and see a new course laid before you.

I am on that edge.


Last year when I went to Tucson, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
I had a list of things I wanted to seek out, and I must say that this year's list is
completely
utterly
undeniably
DIFFERENT.

I'm excited about the new directions I feel compelled to follow and anxious about how it will affect the Shop. I may end up opening a separate shop to keep these two lines separated, but only time will tell...

When your creative spirits are clenched in the talons of the Muse,
you can only relent
and
hope you bear the strength of her might graciously
and return whole once more.

The Weekend

Finally.
Here.
The Weekend.

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but this week seems to be the longest week ever.

Plans this weekend:

3. Trip to the vet for Charlie-bear
19. Helping my best friend settle into her new home (only 1 hour away from me!)
67. Cup of Lemon Ginger Tea courtesy of The Noisy Plume
1. Drawing new designs
53. Photos (crossing my fingers for this one)

What about you?

Vodka and Caviar

The most perfect French-inspired-red my nails have ever met:

Vodka and Caviar.

Satisfactorily Disatisfied

To be perfectly honest, I’m bored. I’m bored with life as I know it. Bored with the complacency that comfort affords and the lack of purpose or growth that I used to have when I was leading the university life. I’m a creature addicted to change – though I appreciate the calmness of steady everyday chores and of the 9-5, I am most comfortable when there is just a bit of turbulence in my path, a bit of chill to the air, the lingering suspicion that there is something soon to come – and that I may not like it when it gets here. Perhaps I’ve become just a smidge too satisfied with the way things are and it’s time to stir things up.

I want to fail at something – not to deflate my ego, but to remember what it feels like to try something new and learn that I have to learn it from the very first step all over again. To go through the frustrations of being an infant in the learning process, to find my way and to grow as I maneuver my way through the dark. I want to know the lows before I reach the highs of success, so that I may appreciate a journey that was not just handed to me, but that I earned through the sweat of my brow and the calluses on my hands. I want to be uncomfortable. I want to be more.

A fantastic giveaway from another fantastic artist!

I must admit that there are a few other artists that I am deeply impressed by (and to be perfectly honest, smitten with!) and the artist behind RosyRevolver is certainly one at the top of the list!

She's offering a fantastic giveaway, so drop by her blog and enter to win one of her wonderful designs:

http://rosyrevolver.blogspot.com/2010/01/its-giveaway-time.html

Good luck!

A New Year

Goodness. I haven't blogged in so long, I couldn't believe how long it had been since I had been when I went back and looked at my last post!

Well, to start off a new year, I'd like to revitalize my little blog-o-sphere. There's so many wonderful adventures I've had and so many new routes I'd like to pursue this year, both in my business and my little life here in California.

Things I will do this year:
1. Travel to Tucson for the annual gem show
(tickets have been purchased, rooms have been reserved!)
2. Take a class at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Making in San Francisco
(I have been utterly dying to learn more soldering and fabrication techniques)
3. Introduce my line of antique-inspired Brass jewelry.
(You all wouldn't know this since we haven't spoken in so very long, but I've been spending the last few months creating a new line of antique-inspired brass jewelry that I think is just perfection! They should be making their first debut in the next month or so)
4. Take time each month to see where I am and where I'd like to go.
(I really want to be in the today, to see where I am as an artist, as a person, and to take a hand in guiding myself along, every step of the way - you can join me if you like)


A New Year with all sorts of New Promising things to see!

Happy Sunday!

I hope you're all having a splendid Sunday!
Some new lovelies are making their way into the shop this evening:

The Friend Crush Necklace

The Hundred Year Old Olive Tree Earrings - New Post Edition

And this little lovely is still yet to be named..

Cheers,
C

Fresh in the Shop!

Just listed in the shop..


A Girl's Right to Pretty Necklace
sterling silver, pink mystic quartz, rainbow moonstone

Jot Down A Love Poem Necklace
sterling silver poem stamped pendant clasp

Sweet dreams,
C

I’m being stalked!

But in the best way possible. If you haven’t run across Beatrice and Violet’s wonderful blog, Etsy Stalker, you are surely missing out. Both Beatrice and Violet scour Etsy for fabulous finds and have found a reasonable justification for stalking these artists and their shops – they bring you all their stalking intel and I must say, from the past few features, they find more than a few stalk-worthy shops to visit.

This evening I will be making a wonderful debut as one of their featured artists and will be doing a little giveaway there, so you birdies should fly on by and leave a comment this evening to enter to win. I think it runs for a few days, but I can’t quite remember. I’m so very excited!

In other news, you all have been keeping me quite busy in the Shop-er-roo. I’ve been busy sending out little packages of joy this week, so forgive my late post here. I’m quite pleased to say though, that I’ve had a flood of creative goodness and will be putting up some new designs this weekend. (I’ve got a three day weekend, so some new lovelies will be making their appearance in the shop if I can get the weather to cooperate.)

I hope you all have had a productive week as well and are ready for a well-deserved weekend.

xoxo,
Cathy

And the winners are....

......

Congratulations!
Barbara, Sarah, Cherie and Elissa, please send me a little message-roo to my email (jeweledblosoms (at) gmail.com) so I can ship off your winnings to you!

Thanks so much to all of you for helping celebrate my Etsyversary! Have a lovely, lovely rest of your Sunday!


This is what I'll be doing all day...
Cheers,
C

The Great Etsyversary Giveaway!

Hello, hello!

Well, I see a mighty number of you have been rummaging around in the shop today! I thank you kindly for helping me celebrate my big 1 year Etsyversary in such a wonderful fashion.

And now for a pure bit of fun, I'll be giving away the following necklaces to some of you lovely gals! All you need to do is post a wee comment at the bottom and I'll enter your names into a drawing. I'll pull the winner out on Sunday and make an announcement here.

Take a peek at the loot here:

Itsy Bitsy Carrie Necklace - Garnet Edition
(how can you not love such gorgeous garnets??)


Soul in Bloom - Tiny Edition
(one of my absolute faves!)


Itsy Bitsy Carrie Necklace - Amethyst Edition
(perfect for spring! purple is quite the hype now)


A new little number I have yet to name...
A lily of the valley charm with a dainty white topaz.


Alrighty! Good luck!

xoxo,
C

Etsyversary SALE!

Good gracious, it's been a year!

When I first started the grand adventure of Jeweled Blossoms, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that it would open my world to so many things. The best parts of this past year have been:

1. My customers!
You all have been so tremendously gracious, encouraging and flat out amazing to me. I never dreamed I would be a part of so many weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, Christmases or simply sharing the expression of love and friendship.

2. The Etsy Community!
I have met so many wonderful, supportive and knowledgeable artists on Etsy and I am so grateful that I have people I genuinely consider friends, from all over the world. It's been amazing to know that other artists go through the same insecurities, highs and lows, challenges and accomplishments that I have this entire year.

3. Being able to share with others...
I was so humbled by the numerous kind emails and convos that floated through my virtual mailbox this year and being able to share my designs, my dreams and drawings, my stories, inspirations, and simply my love of my craft with each and every one of you. It's such a wonderful outlet for me and I really truly feel blessed to be able to share it with people who are so encouraging!


So really and truly, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.


Now, to thank you in my own way, I would like to let you all in on the SALE going on in the shop. From midnight tonight to midnight on Saturday the 28th, you will receive:

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS!
All of the shipping fees are on me for the next two days!

FREE PEARL DROP EARRINGS WITH A PURCHASE OF $50!
I'll be including a beautiful pair of dainty pearl drop earrings with all purchases $50 or more.

FREE INSEPARABLE - DAINTY EDITION WITH A PURCHASE OF $100!
This is by far, one of my most popular necklaces, so I thought it fair to offer as a free gift for anyone who purchases $100 or more from my shop.

I'll be posting some giveaways here in the next day or so, so be sure to check back in to post a comment for the giveaways!


Thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of your lives!

Best,
C.

A swirling heap of......... Exasperation!

Do you ever have those weeks where you're just going miles and miles and everything is a blur and you swear your going around in circles?

I feel as though that's my week and it's only Tuesday! I've been running around trying to get the things in order for the big move to my new home, keeping my head afloat at my work (my day job work, not this lovely jewelry business work which is hardly work at all most of the time) and gaining the time to list some new goodies in the shop for you lovely birds.

I must say it really is...
all..
quite..
Tiring!

But nonetheless, I think I decided on what I wanted to do for the ol-Etsy-versary-Hoopla this Friday and Saturday. I'll be sending out an email tomorrow evening and posting some news here as well.

I hope you'll all stop in to help me celebrate this very momentous occasion!

Sweet dreams friends.

C.

Sneak Preview..

To be listed in the shop shortly:

Sterling silver and rainbow moonstone - the newest little shimmery addition to my Layers Collection.

Labradorite, smoky quartz and freshwater pearls on a beautiful sterling silver chain - definitely not for a Friday night at home!

A dainty petal for the Layers Collection - I just love the simplicity of this one!

And last but not least, when you want something a bit more bold... beautiful hammered sterling silver.

C.

Simply Gorgeous

I found these wandering around Etsy...

The Sunday Blahs...

Every now and again, I find myself in the midst of the must blah Sunday ever. I think this particular Sunday it was because of the increasingly wet, cold and cloudy weather I've been having all weekend. Not that I mind a bit of rain from time to time, but today all I really wanted was a bit of sunshine to peak out from beneath the gloom, a spark of color somewhere - anywhere - to give my creative instincts a little nudge.
Alas, no such burst of sunshine could be found and I was forced to console myself with a bit of console myself with a trip to the bookstore.

My local bookstore is one of those grandly sized Barnes and Nobles with the soft, wide reading chairs scattered throughout. I always adore grabbing a stack of books or magazines, plopping myself down and lose the hours amongst the pages. It always does a bit to renew my creative spirit and today it was just what I needed.

I also decided on my sales today, but you all will just have to wait just a couple more days!
(I know, I'm terribly cruel, aren't I?)
But never fear, I'll be sending out an email on Wednesday night and also posting some info here Thursday I think. The sale will officially begin this Friday evening, if you're like me and spend your Friday nights at home with your darling weenie dog.

Till then,
C

It's official!

The Pooch, MT and I will be moving the 1st of April!
I have been shopping around a bit and found a really cute little place much closer to my full-time job and has a bit more space to spare for all my jewelry making goodies. I'm elated!


So I've been thinking a lot about what to do for my Etsyversary sale...
I'll most likely do some giveaways here on the blog and also maybe do a couple of treats in the shop.

Hope you'll all come visit, it's next Saturday, if you can believe it!

Hope you all are having a beautiful Saturday!
C.