These Caught My Eye...

You know you've found a good Etsy shop when you find yourself taking the time to look closely at each item in the store, even if the list goes on for pages. Here are three lovely jewelers who caught my eye during my search for stand-out work to feature in my blog.

The Empty Nest's vintage typewriter jewelry is what first caught my eye in its currently 17 pages (!) of items for sale. Second was the variety of items offered. From stone faucets to pocket mirrors Lisa achieves variety without sacrificing quality.







When I asked her what she liked most about her work she answered, "It is a definite creative outlet for me. The best thing I like about making my whimsical pieces are the comments I hear from customers about their purchases. It really does make me smile when they tell me how their purchase was the perfect gift for that special person in their life, either being a family member, friend, or something for themself."

Next on my list is That Jewelry Girl. There is something so regal about the jewelry she designs I wonder if I'm worthy of wearing something as Victorian-chic as her pieces. Each item is so unique it's hard to pick which photos to share here.





What does she want people who come across her shop to know about her?

"That I'm just a girl doing what she loves! Also, that every single piece of my jewelry is made with love and utmost care."

Equally as stunning is Ophelia's Jewels.




"I like feeling of starting out with a mix of beads and wire that have no shape or form on their own, and then creating something out of them that surprises me. That doesn't happen all the time, but I love it when it does! The process of creating jewelry is also very relaxing for me. It makes me focus on something that's not traditional work, which can be a very good thing!"

Thanks, ladies, for taking the time to answer my questions and to create such beautiful work :)

Playin' Catch Up

The show opened Saturday and, though there was still glue drying on the set when the curtain opened, the whole thing went fairly smoothly. Any locals should try to go and see it this coming weekend or next.

We're doing a lot of our family Christmas celebration in Ohio during Thanksgiving since we won't be flying home in December. And since we committed to making the majority of our gifts and their packaging this year, our living and dining room have quickly become a frenzy of fabric, paint, glue, yarn, and recycled materials. Here are some sneak peaks.


Plus I've got a lot of catch up to do on a few freelance graphic design jobs.
Annd, I'll be doing my first craft fair this Saturday with a another local Etsian.
Shew! No rest for the weary (or the mothers of toddlers)!

Extra! Extra!

You know you've arrived when your name is in (tiny, tiny) print in the (small, local) newspaper ; ) You can read the article about my set and the show online.

With less than 24 hours til opening, I'm gearing up for a loong night!

What is this glorious holiday?!

Amidst the whirlwind of painting, building, problem-solving, and mild nervous breakdowns that is The Wizard of Oz, we couldn't forget Hudson's "first" Halloween. Sure, he's lived through two already but this was the first one where he really got to be a part of the festivities. It took him a few blocks to get the the hang of the whole "ring the doorbell, say 'trick-or-treat', hold out your bag, say 'thank you' and walk away" routine. But he was in awe of the whole process and the growing assortment of candy in his bag. The ensuing sugar wave took him from a high high to a quick low and he ended up passed out in daddy's arms before we could get him home.

I decided to make his costume this year and had grand visions of intricate details and fine craftsmanship. With all the crazy theatre stuff going on this week, though, my big plans gave way to a quick paint job that wasn't even totally dry when I slipped the costume over him.

I'm fairly new to the sewing machine so I was happy to find this easy tutorial for his hat. And the pumpkin body, well, as long as you remember to leave arm, neck, and leg holes, it's hard to go wrong when just sewing a giant circle.

Oz opens in two days so, no matter what, I have to put the paint brushes down in about 48 hours and just sit back and enjoy the show. Just hope I can stay awake for it :)

Mad Dash to the Finish Line

Since mid June I've been working on designing the set for Marblehead Little Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz. You can see renderings here and here and here and here .



The local theatre department that built and painted my set delivered the whole thing to our stage this past weekend. Because of scheduling and other reasons, they just weren't able to finish the set in time so now we're left with a huge stage full of partially finished set pieces and about a week to find the time and people and materials to finish it. It's not true theatre without a few nervous break downs and panic attacks involved : )



So this week is going to be CRAZY! I see quite a few late nights, headaches, trips to buy paint and hardware, and cups of coffee (decaf of course, because of this little guy, but for some reason it still helps) in my near future. But who am I kidding, I thrive on this stuff--in small doses that is.

Thanks for the Support--All 5 of you : )

I have to say I'm encouraged by the small but slowly growing number of comments, blog features, Etsy hearts, etc. I've been receiving lately. Honestly, starting a new creative venture often puts a strain on the ole' pocketbook when you're first getting started. It's nice to know people see and like my work and I'm not just sittin' around drawing pretty pictures for the heck of it : )

On that note, I got to be the DIYer of the day on this cool blog yesterday. Check out the blog, there's some fun stuff on there.

Hope you're all soaking in every ounce of fall that you can. From the moment I wake up to these colors right above my head


to the creative decorative projects I work on with Hudson during the day

(it's gonna be a jack-o-lantern, we just haven't gotten to the facial features yet)



to the cup of hot apple cider at night, I'm trying to soak in the season like this crawly guy I found inhabiting the mums by our window


Happy Fall!

Christmas Cards in the Shop!

My Christmas cards are in the shop! Hop on over and order some today if you'd like!