I Could Get Used to This

Recently I spent the better part of a day organizing, tagging, pricing and packaging up a batch of new pieces to send to my newest stockist Gallery at Grove in South Carolina.  I worked feverishly for the last few weeks to create the new pieces and get everything together, so it felt really good to finally be sending them off into the world.

As I begin to work less at my day job and spend more time working from home on creative endeavors I am slowly learning how to balance all of the different aspects of my life.  This was one of those lovely days where I accomplished a lot but also enjoyed some of the really good things in life; homemade breakfast for two in the sun, endless cups of tea, and a chilled glass of white wine with my work.  I think I could get used to this life.

New Jewelry Display Cards!

Oh boy!  I have to tell you, I couldn't have been more excited to come home to a package on my front porch this afternoon.  I've been in the process of creating new jewelry display cards for what seems like an eternity and they are finally here, all finished and cut and packaged up into tidy stacks.

And, as if that isn't good enough, the lovely folks at PaperJam Press in Portland did a bang up job.  They came out even better than I had hoped.  So, because I'm really excited about this, I figured I would share it with all of you.  Enjoy the photos, and I hope you had something that you were excited about today.

Springtime 2012 Collection

I have spent the last few weeks in one of those all-consuming creative flurries working on a new collection of pieces for spring.  I could not be more excited about how they came out!  I recently bought some new tools and massive amounts of new stones, beads, and supplies, which is always really exciting and inspiring.  The tools have opened up some really exciting doors and this collection has taken my work in a whole new direction.  I love watching how my work progresses and find that it is always changing.

Even more exciting, the motivation for this new collection is that Roots & Wings Jewelry will soon be for sale in the lovely Gallery at Grove art gallery in Greenville, South Carolina.  Whoop whoop!

Here is a sneak peak at some of the new stuff.  Lots of geometric shapes, textures, turquoise, bronze, mixed metals, and bright spring colors!  Check back soon as some new pieces from this collection will be available in my Etsy shop Roots & Wings Jewelry very soon.  Enjoy!

 

Looking Forward

The theme in my life these days seems to be "I can hardly WAIT!"  There are so many things that I am excited about, so many plans, ideas, and new things to look forward to.  Learning and growing in my business, new friends and relationships, trips and adventures, and all of the wonderful small things that summertime brings.

So, with that thought, here are a few things, in no specific order, that I am looking forward to:

Fresh figs, farmers markets, learning to flyfish, sleeping in tents, dinners on the deck, salmon, ling cod, rockfishing, boats, craft fairs, cuddling, new places, road trips, adventures with a certain boy, surfing, KALE, eating out of the garden, potlucks outside, lying in the grass, making jewelry, blackberries, strawberries, thimbleberries, backpacking trips, lakes, rivers, salt water in my hair, bonfires, and outdoor concerts.

 

Breitenbush Weekend

I recently got out of dodge for a bit and headed to the oh-so-lovely Breitenbush Hot Springs for the weekened with Mama Bear.  I had booked a weekend for us as part of her Christmas gift this year and we were both so excited about it.

[gallery columns="4"]

Breitenbush is one of those magical places that feels completely removed from the rest of the world.  It is owned by the employees and is an intentional community on a wildlife reserve.  Intentional is an accurate word in more ways than one.  Everything feels like it was done with thought and purpose, and there are so many small details that create beauty; handcarved wooden doors, sloped Japanese style roofs, a small ceramic sink and water fountain along the path through the woods.  There is also an amazing feeling of community, a quick familiarity and ease formed with strangers as you eat at the same table (amazing vegetarian food!) and soak in the hot springs and saunas together.

We spent our few days there walking the trails in the snow, reading on the couches in the lodge, yoga-ing, soaking until we felt like melted prunes, and generally talking and laughing endlessly.

Here are a few thoughts from my journal:

In the sauna last night at dusk we peaked out the round window to see three deer grazing in the damp grass, soft and brown and so very close to us.  Today the sun came out and the moisture in the sauna was caught in shafts of light, twinkling motes that swirled and danced as we waved our hands through the air.  Small rainbows formed at the corners of my vision and I felt so alive I wanted to laugh aloud after immersing myself in the white claw foot tub outside, full of ice cold water.  This morning it had snowed and we walked down by the river, the sun emerging from behind the clouds, all the branches dripping with shimmering drops of melting snow.  Widening circles formed in the creek, plop, PLOP, plop, as fat drops fell from the branches.  Everywhere I looked was something beautiful; a snow covered teepee, lime green lichen on the leaf-strewn ground, a pile of brightly colored fishing poles stacked on someones deck, a blue bathtub in the snow.