Top Ten Picks for Christmahannakwanzaka @ Girl Tuesday Jewelry

It's time to shop for those holiday gifts! Here are my TOP TEN picks for the perfect gift from my shop, Girl Tuesday Jewelry:

1. GIFT FOR ANY WOMAN UNDER $25.
ROCK ON NECKLACE
This simple yet sparkly necklace is suitable for women of all ages and priced right at only $22. Free shipping until 12/31/09 and packaged in a beautiful black gift box with complimentary holiday gift tag!


2. VERY CHERRY NECKLACE $35 perfect for any woman of any age who is fun loving!


3. Here's one for the guys--QUIET ONE SINGLE BARBED WIRE EARRING $16.50
Perfect for the rocker on your list, handmade from sterling silver and priced right!


4. Gift for the fearless fashionista--THE MAEVE HARNESS NECKLACE $95 So stylish and amazing this piece will amp up any look it is paired with.


5. Perfect for the trendy teen (or any other woman on your list who likes shiny things!)
LUCKY STARS LARIAT $30


6. Modern/conservative? Gotcha right here! ICE CUBE EARRINGS $25 These are very contemporary and will go with virtually anything is her wardrobe!


7. Individualist who loves unique one of a kind finds? Here's one she'll love for years to come. The ATMOSPHERE LARIAT $50


8. For the glamour girl on your list THE ICE LARIAT $40 Big chunky faceted clear quartz crystal pairs with hand forged sterling silver for a look that will GET looks!


9. For the rocker on your list, not one but THREE different versions of my barbed wire hoops.
Let's start with the ones that started it all--THE ORIGINAL BARBED WIRE HOOPS $49


A larger and darker version of the barbed wire hoop, THE HIGH VOLTAGE EARRINGS $95

Small but deadly barbed wire hoops--THE QUIET ONES $33


10. Something for the coffee lover that is NOT coffee! THE CAFE LATTE LARIAT $35 I love this necklace! The stone is so pretty--shiny agate in stripes of coffee and cream. Delish!

A Time of Thanks

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Wishing you all a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving!

Lend Me Your Ears!

Your earlobes, that is!
I've been busy making some new earrings. Check em' out:

BIG GIRL HOOPS

HARD CANDY HOOPS

ICE CUBE EARRINGS

Featured Etsy Seller! SoCoDivka Designs

WHO— Shanna Howard, owner/designer of SoCoDivka Designs
WHAT— Bold color-drenched jewelry with vintage flair and pinup-worthy hair accessories.
WHERE— Visit her shop on Etsy: SoCoDivka Designs and swing by her blog.
WHY— Shanna's designs are colorful, youthful, versatile and fun! What more could you want? Here are my top picks from SoCoDivka Designs:

GAYLA NECKLACE


SABINA NECKLACE


ELSA NECKLACE

Go Big, Go Bold or Go Home!

My latest pieces. I'm really diggin' the big centerpiece stones.

LAPLAND LARIAT agate and quartz crystal druzy with sterling silver

ATMOSPHERE LARIAT crazy lace agate and sterling silver

ATMOSPHERE II LARIAT crazy lace agate and sterling silver

NORTHERN LIGHTS NECKLACE agate and quartz crystal druzy with sterling silver

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

This past Friday (10/23) I went to an open call for designers at NYC's legendary Henri Bendel. It was quite an experience to say the least.

The open call was scheduled to open at 9 am, but based on the photos that I saw on the Henri Bendel website, I thought it best to get there early:

This photo was taken at a previous open call, not the one I attended, but I can attest that the line was VERY LONG. The line started on 55th St. in the middle of the block between 5th and 6th aves., wrapped all the way around on 5th, and went around the corner onto 56th and ultimately went in the employee entrance in the middle of the block on 56th.

Yes, it could have been worse. It could have been raining or snowing or been kiln-like in temperature. Friday's temperature was cool but when the wind kicked up, and boy did it, the temperature really took a nose dive!

We were all cold but all were troopers. I and the rest around me waited 3.5 or MORE hours to get our chance to meet with the buyers of Henri Bendel.

My experience with one of HB's buyers took around 2 minutes. I started off by showing my barbed wire jewelry. She (the buyer) held my High Voltage Earrings and contemplated them briefly, asking me what they were made of and what the retail price of them was. She said that my items were too edgy for Henri Bendel. Next.

I knew when I set out to go on this open call that it was a long shot at best. I went because you never know what will happen. While my jewelry did not fit with Henri Bendel's aesthetic, I was inspired by the tenacity of the people around me, all with hope in their hearts and their products ready to show. I met many nice tourists who all seemed to gravitate towards me to ask why we were all standing on this very long line. I gave out a lot of business cards to those around me. I got to see the inner sanctum. I set out to do something and I did it.

Bad Blogger! Bad!

Hi.
It's me, guilty and skulking around corners with my tail between my legs. I resolved to post DAILY and had a brief good run of it but then I fell off the proverbial wagon.
Sigh.

The upside to this is that I will renew my vow of daily (or near daily) postings in September, a month I regard more than January as the dawn of new beginnings. I've always been a sucker for the back to school season! New pencil cases and notebooks filled with hope and possibility until you actually arrive at school and realize that the reality of it is more of a war zone than an incubator of young minds. (This was my experience. Hopefully yours was better!)

I leave you with some images of my latest creations.
Enjoy the rest of your summer and
SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!!!!!


Barbed Wire Dangle Earrings


Siobhan Harness Necklace (SOLD OUT)


Rionach Harness Necklace

Harness the Power!

I'm on a harness necklace kick! Here are my two latest creations:


RAELIN HARNESS NECKLACE available in my Etsy shop, Girl Tuesday Jewelry.



BRANWEN HARNESS NECKLACE available in my Etsy shop, Girl Tuesday Jewelry.

Wait till you see what I'm cooking up next! I have the most amazing, heavy, large link chain that I'm making into a convertible necklace/harness. Will be available late this week.

Hmmmmm...

My usual morning ritual is to check email and see what's up with the traffic in my stores. This morning I noticed that the number of views for my recently added Maeve Harness Necklace were approaching the 500 mark. I Googled my necklace to see where the traffic was coming from and to my surprise, my necklace was featured on NOTCOUTURE.COM.

Wow. The views were now up to 611. Checked back in an hour, up to 750+. Came home later this evening, view count=1289.



I am working on some more harness style necklaces and hope to have them in my store late this week. Glad so many people love this style of accessory as much as I do!

Monday Favorites-5 Picks from The Vast World of Etsy

In honor of the dog days of summer, here are 5 dog-themed picks from Etsy designers.

8 x 10 inch print of a West Highland Terrier from Cecere Designs


Silver charm from Hint


Cone Dog Pillow by Pink Baby Mouse


Sterling Silver Custom Stamped Pet Tag from The Two Beans


Flying French Bulldog T-Shirt from Mis Nopales Art

Consider This-PIF

PIF, the abbreviation for a phenomenon called "Pay It Forward," basically means
asking that a good deed be repaid by having it done to others instead of being repaid to the giver.
Etsy has it's own PIF phenomenon occurring. Sellers on etsy with PIF listings usually charge a very small amount for the PIF item. Why would anyone want to do this? Well, it makes for good karma. Someone stumbles upon something listed for 20 cents and can't believe the generosity they've encountered. That experience can change the course of a person's day and create a ripple effect of good vibes that grow exponentially.
What can YOU do to pay it forward?

Pay It Forward Artichoke Postcard by Paperwerks


PIF Spreading The Peace Earrings from Ferry Tales


50 Hand Punched Elephants from Danikamon

My Latest Creation

I have been wanting to come up with a good design for a harness style necklace for a while now. After much sketching and procrastinating, I came up with this, the Maeve Harness Necklace:

Looks amazing on a white shirt:

Available in my Etsy store, Girl Tuesday Jewelry.

Tutorial Friday--How To Make Silhouette Portraits

Ever open a home decorating magazine and see a great collection of silhouette portraits? Wouldn't you love to make your own? Well, here's your chance! Click HERE for step by step instructions on how to do so using a digital camera and Photoshop. Brought to you by morewaystowastetime.blogspot.com

Made Me Laugh

I happened upon this amazing feat of repurposing while trolling the Etsy Developer's blog.
I had to take a detour when I saw it. Behold:

Aptly titled, Hooktastic—Dolly Lovely Limbs this rack is made from a rescued doll and vintage mahogany tray. Go see the creator's other stuff at her Etsy store, Luxford St.

Creative Recycling

YAVA Glass gives bottles a new lease on life turning them into drinking glasses, coasters, spoon rests and candleholders. What a great housewarming gift these would be:


Reclaimed bicycle chain bracelet made by Beck Tesch and sold by SparrowCollective


This is a good karma twofer--recycled and humane! A trophy buck head fabricated from recycled cardboard. Visit Cardboard Safari's store for lots of other great cardboard masterpieces!


Did you know that soda bottles can be recycled into felt? Well Alexandra Ferguson does and she creates great pillows using this recycled material. Here's one of my favorites:


Throwing away your cereal box after the contents are gone is SO unfashionable! Playing With Fiber turns the boxes into notebooks:

20 Questions with Amy Palanjian

1. Name and location.

Amy Palanjian, Des Moines, IA

2. Please describe yourself.

I’m a 29 year old single woman who grew up in New Jersey (where I spent a lot of time canoeing and building sand castles), went to college in Los Angeles (where I learned that I love the scent of jasmine and hiking), spent a year as an AmeriCorps Member building houses with Habitat for Humanity in Durham, North Carolina (where I found my top-notch hammering skills), then eventually moved to NYC to work in magazines. I just moved to Des Moines in May (wondering why? see below!)

3. What is your current occupation?

I am the Deputy Editor of ReadyMade magazine. It rocks.

4. Describe a typical day for you.

On a typical weekday, let’s say a Wednesday, I do an hour or so of yoga (Dave Farmar podcasts are pretty stellar) in my living room, then breakfast and off to work, on my bike when it’s nice. Work, work, work, sometimes with a lunch break in the gardens outside my office, then more work, meetings,ichatting and tweeting with my cohorts, then around 7 I head home. Wednesdays are one of my favorite days of the week because some of my new friends hold “Cake Night”. They, Karen and Arin of Ephemera Stationary Studio have resolved to bake a cake each week and share it with their friends. My kind of girls!

Saturdays start with a trip to the farmers market where I inevitably buy too much produce, then a long bike ride and miscellaneous crafting, cooking, and socializing.

Sundays look pretty much the same as Saturdays except swap in the Sunday NYTimes for the farmers market.

5. What inspires you?

Other creative people, the forest (I love trees!), pink flowers, bright blue skies and thoughtful food.

6. What items do you possess that you can't live without?

My cell phone, whatever quilting project I’m currently working on, and lately my bike.

7. Favorite music

Neko Case
Erotica Trio
Coldplay
Indigo Girls
Bon Iver
Band of Horses

I’m notoriously bad with knowing names of musicians I like, so this is by no means a comprehensive list.

8. Favorite books

Time Travelers Wife
A Homemade Life
Beloved
Dive from Claussens Pier
Huck Finn
Atlas Shrugged
Prodigal Summer
Three Cups of Tea
The Color Purple
Mountains Beyond Mountains
The Red Tent
On Beauty
How to Cook Everything
The Moosewood Cookbook
Super Natural Cooking

9. Favorite websites

Etsy
Anthropologie
Slate
ReadyMade
Pandora
NYTimes
101cookbooks.com
Smitten Kitchen

My Google Reader with all of my favorite blogs:
Orangette
Sprouted Kitchen
Dooce
Design Sponge
Apartment Therapy
In Good Taste
Anna Maria Horner’s blog

10. Favorite word

Confusement. I made it up one night playing trivial pursuit with friends. I tend to, as they say, “lose my words” when I’m overly tired, but I think this one is a keeper. It’s more of a state of being bewildered than what confusion speaks to. As in “I’m suffering from a total state of confusement.” See, I told you it’s a keeper!

11. Biggest turnoff

Intolerance, impatience, and lack of curiosity.

12. If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?

A cheeseburger with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a lot of ketchup, with a wheat beer (like 312 Urban Wheat) and a well-dressed salad. Plus not-too-sweet apple or peach pie, depending on the time of year, with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

13. If you were a superhero, what superpower(s) would you possess?

Unlimited energy, with the ability to also sleep soundly. Oh also to fly back and forth from Des Moines to NYC or NJ without passing through airport security or dealing with flight delays.

14. If you could "try on" another occupation or job for a day, what would it be?

A vegetable farmer or the owner of a quilting shop, like Purl Patchwork.

15. What is your idea of fun?

A long bike ride or hike in a somewhat remote area, followed by a long shower and dinner outside with friends.

16. Please share a milestone or turning point moment from your life.

Last summer I climbed 14,000+ foot Mt. Shasta. It was part of a fundraiser for
Summit for Someone, an organization that funds backpacking trips for inner city youth. It was the biggest physical goal that I have ever set for myself and as it was my first time mountain climbing—using an ice ax, starting a climb at 2 am in the dark by the light of my headlamp, glissading down most of the mountain on my butt—I didn’t know what to expect. It could not have been more amazing. The day was about 13 hours long and I learned a lot about perseverance, working through discomfort and just how much you can achieve if you give yourself the chance. It was all about feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

During the hike back out towards civilization, I realized that I was so much happier in the woods, so I decided that I needed a two year plan to get myself out of NYC. At the time, I wasn’t sure how to live outside of Manhattan and continue to work in publishing. But I wrote myself a business plan and set some real goals. Some I met, some I didn’t, but it made me push myself harder to make things in my life start to change. I may not have wound up in the mountains, but less than a year later, I moved to Iowa for a job I am thrilled about and I have so much more access to nature on a daily basis. It’s been a pretty awe-inspiring year.

17. If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?

I have a horrible memory when it comes to books and movies and I tend to be difficult to cook with—it’d be nice if I could figure out a way to let someone else help me chop!

18. What hobbies or other interests do you pursue?

I’ve been quilting for about 7 years and I mostly do it all by hand. Which means that each one takes about a year (or more) to finish. Some might say that sounds tedious but I really enjoy that I get to see the results of my efforts in a very real way as I go. Plus, nothing beats the immense sense of accomplishment when I finally do finish.

19. Do you employ any self help/improvement practices in your daily life?

For me, spirituality is tied into who I am. My mom used to be upset that I don’t go to church anymore (I was raised Catholic) but I truly feel that my connection to something greater comes through the way I choose to live my life. Whether that be through yoga, through the way I try to nurture my friendships, my wonder at nature and my need for quiet time, to me, it all counts. I am a very optimistic person by nature but I if I had a mantra, it’d either be “How I do anything is how I do everything”, which helps me remember that it’s all important.

20. What's next for you?

I’m going to continue to explore my new home state, including checking out the State Fair in August (butter sculptures!) and finding some good tree-filled spots. Work will be super busy from now through mid-December as we work on refining the magazine and we hope, the website, which is completely exciting. I’m trying to get a bit back to basics in the kitchen, so I’m going to see what I can do about making more of my weekly staples, like bread, crackers and granola bars both to save some money and to have more control over what I’m eating. I just need to find a better recipe for crackers (the ones I make always turn out a little chewy and stick to the baking sheet, though they are salty which I like) and granola bars. I’m experimenting with variations of whole grain bread and figure the more I bake, the better it will be! I’d love suggestions if anyone has a favorite recipe for any of those three things!

THANK YOU AMY!

Check out Amy's blog: The Things We Make

Like reading interviews of interesting people? 20 Questions will be a regular fixture on this blog. A new interview will be posted every Wednesday.

Tire Reincarnation

The Kangaroo Tire Swing is handcrafted from recycled tires


Bicycle Tire Belt from JulienJaborska


The Adela Purse is made from recycled tire tubes


Betsabeé Romero carves tires into works of art


Table made from recycled tires by Kitsch-U-Like