Metal, Cloth & Wood

Not Yo Mama's (Happy) Holiday Craft Show Recap!

2011-12-05T09:00:00.007-05:00

Saturday's event was another great success from the organizers at Not Yo Mama's Affairs. Special thanks to Art House Productions for letting all us crafters and artists co-opt their amazing space for this 2-day event! Here's a photo of the very lovely and talented Kayt Hester taken during the show. Love this lady! For more great pix from the event, visit Not Yo Mama's FB page.

SO many talented folks signed up for this event like Great Bowls Afire, Nightingale Projects, Ula Nice, and With Love from the Cupboard not to mention my fellow Jersey City Craft Mafiosos, Cecile Raley Designs, Greenpologie, Katrinbird Designs & The Silver Sculptor -- I totally spent more money shopping than I made, but I couldn't help myself!!!

photo of Kayt Hester courtesy of Not Yo Mama's Affairs

Guess where I'll be this Saturday?

2011-12-01T00:32:00.002-05:00

At the Not Yo Mama's Holiday Craft Fair, of course! Hope to see you there!

<3
Johanna

Cyber Monday Sale -- Nov 28th only!

2011-11-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Tofurky Day!

2011-11-24T13:41:00.007-05:00

Wanna break the ice and get reluctant folks to give your Tofurkey or other veggie "turkey" substitute a try, why not dress it up a bit with this brilliant disguise?

Delicious-looking Tofurkey photo courtesy of change.org

For Diane Naegel, August 31, 1980 - Sept 25, 2011

2011-11-11T09:00:00.004-05:00

Diane Naegel was someone that I truly regret not making more of an effort to get to know better. She was amazing. And anyone that knew her must be missing her immensely right now. I don't ordinarily do "art" but I've been thinking about her a lot and I just felt like I needed to.

Diane was definitely a kindred spirit and someone I was very glad to know, if only for a short time. Truly one of the loveliest people I've ever met.

Update on our Tree!

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

My husband and I have been (im)patiently awaiting the color change of the leaves on our new tree. I wasn't so sure it was going to happen since I'd already spotted a couple of leaves that went straight from green to brown. But seemingly overnight, our little tree has transformed itself into this crimson vision of loveliness! What a treat!

I'm sorry for the lapse in posts. My new day job is very (emotionally) exhausting and it's been really hard for me to get up the motivation to do jewelry and to blog. I'm easing back into it now and I hope to have more exciting things to show you soon! Thanks for hanging in there with me.

♥
Johanna

New Designs!

2011-09-28T09:00:00.004-04:00

For those of you who missed "the big reveal" at my latest craft show, without further ado, here are three of the earring styles I recently added to my Metal Shop collection on Etsy:

These might seem like kind of a departure for me, but if I really think about it, this is probably a lot closer to my own aesthetic. I mean, I would (& often do!) personally wear all of my designs, but I feel like if I walked into a store and spotted these, I would covet them. My embroidered pieces are always the show-stoppers, but these little guys sure gave them a run for their money at my last craft show event! I wonder what would happen if I expanded this line...

Another Craft Show's a-Comin'!

2011-09-26T21:46:00.004-04:00

Ready, set, go!

Here I am, already gearing up for another craft show this coming Saturday:

4th Street Art & Music Fest
371 4th Street, Jersey City
Saturday, October 1st, 2011
12pm - 8pm
(Part of JC Artists' Studio Tour)

My last craft show was a success! And by "success," I mean I not only made my table fee back, but I actually pulled a profit, which is always a bonus for me.

Truth be told, I never really do very well at these things, so after having done enough of them, my expectations are pretty realistic (i.e. low.)

Although it's been a while since I've had a "zero sales" show, you just never know. I can really only hope that those days are behind me. Consider it experience gained if you're able to, but I've been known to go home crying after a show on more than one occasion... Craft shows are just really exhausting - physically and mentally. They're definitely not for the faint of heart! But if you can manage to enjoy yourself while doing them, that's really the key. That's something I have yet to truly master, but I think I'm getting closer...

Fingers crossed for nice weather!!!

Craft Show News!

2011-09-15T23:07:00.003-04:00

Hey guys! Guess what?! I'll be in a craft show in Downtown Jersey City this Saturday! It's my first in a while, but I'll have a few new things with me so I'm really excited to see how people respond to them!

Here's all the info:

Hope to see some of you there!

♥
Johanna

I Dedicate this Post to Unicorns

2011-09-07T09:00:00.004-04:00

Sept 5th, 2011, 6:30 pm

I’m currently sitting in the laundromat. It’s Labor Day, but I’m not feeling very festive. The majority of the day was spent cleaning out the basement with my husband, thanks to Hurricane Irene. We both lost quite a few of the items we had in storage down there, but all-in-all, the losses were mostly minor and their primary value was nostalgic. We won’t find out for another week or so if our washing machine was lost, though -- thus my less-than-nostalgic trip to the laundromat; it’s currently “on the fritz” from all of the flooding, but hopefully we can fix it.

I think this photo of my husband Brad taken in the midst of the clean-up just about says it all:

But Brad always puts on a brave face:

Fortunately these gems miraculously survived the floods, special thanks to Brad's encouraging me to try to rescue and salvage what I could from my flooded sticker books. I guess I'd forgotten how much I really loved unicorns...

This one wasn't so lucky, though; it came pouring out of the bucket into our utility sink, all dented and adhesive-less, along with all of that lovely brown basement floor clean-up water...

Rest in peace sweet, little unicorn sticker, and know that your duties serving this formerly 8 year old girl were well-fulfilled with flying (iridescent) colors.

♥
Johanna

Neat, sweet... petite.

2011-09-01T23:08:00.006-04:00

I recently sketched out a series of earrings that incorporated tiny mixed metal geo shapes that would be hand-cut and patinated.

The shapes were more challenging to cut out than I'd anticipated -- only because of their size; once you have the tiny piece separated from the full sheet, that last side to trim is a doozy because you have almost nothing left to grip while you cut.

I'm really excited to see how these turn out because the last mixed metal earrings I listed in my Etsy shop have the highest hearts-per-views ratio in my entire shop! Who knew?...

In other news, our neighbors' daughter gave us a kitten... or rather, threatened to leave it outside if we didn't take it because her parents wouldn't let her bring it in:

Yes, she is ridiculously adorable... I know. We just couldn't keep her, though. With our two indoor cats + dog + 3 outdoor feral cats, it's too much. And she's just so tiny, she's not even fully weaned yet. Our dog walker Lara from Dog Day Afternoon was on her way to bring her in to the Humane Society for us, but fell in love with the kitten and decided to foster her instead. What a saint! Lara named the kitten "Joey" -- how cute is that?!

Mean, mean Irene

2011-08-31T09:00:00.001-04:00

I wasn't too worried about the water in our basement -- until I saw it: my plastic bin, capsized in about a foot of water.

I had JUST put that bin in the basement no more than a month ago, convinced it would protect its precious charges within: my ENTIRE sticker and Garbage Pail Kid collection, my brownie and girlscout paraphernalia, and cards and correspondences I'd been saving since childhood. Evidently, it wasn't packed with enough weight and so it floated to the surface of the water and flipped over. I just stared at it floating there in the middle of the basement -- several feet from where it had originally been planted. I tried my hand at some magical thinking; if I don't get too upset about it, it won't actually have any water inside of it.

As much as it pains me to admit it, I was really, really, really upset when I finally pried the lid off and saw everything inside sopping wet. I really could have cried. My husband surprised me by laying out all of the Garbage Pail Kid cards to dry and then pressing them flat again under the weight of some books. I finally mustered the nerve to try to rescue what I could from my waterlogged sticker books, but most of them are definitely worse for the wear. I explained to my husband that the reason why my sticker books were so tattered was because of how much I enjoyed the stickers. How many hours I know I must have logged rearranging the pages, touching the flocking on the soft stickers, scratching and sniffing the stinky ones... At least I got to fully enjoy them when it counted most. And as an adult, I got to view them one more time and remember all of that good stuff from so long ago...

Working with Gemstones...

2011-08-29T09:00:00.004-04:00

Yvonne from Cecile Raley Designs has been giving me some great projects to work on! She finds the most beautiful stones and does such a beautiful job with them. Here are some designs I worked on for her -- I think they turned out beautifully and I'm so proud to have helped her with them <3

Here's a link to her shop -- she does a lot of custom work, too if you're looking for something really special!

Gem stone heaven!

2011-08-26T09:00:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited to have a nice cache of stones to play with! And guess how much I paid for them..? Nada! My sweet sister and my good friend Yvonne Raley both gave me some to play around with, but what to do with them, what to do...?

Any suggestions? Aren't they pretty?!

I've been doing a little work for Yvonne, too. I'm getting a better feel for working with nice stones, but it's just too cost-prohibitive for me. The silver is expensive enough. So I'm happy to just play with Yvonne's stones and leave all of the selling to her. I'll have to post some of her finished pieces here that I worked on, though; They turned out beautifully and seem to be selling pretty well!

Innies or Outies?

2011-08-24T09:00:00.008-04:00

I posed the question a while back regarding whether or not my embroideries might look better under glass, or if having them exposed adds to the unique character of the pieces.

Mandy made the great suggestion to post some side-by-sides for comparison, so here you go!

You can probably tell that there's a bit more metalsmithing involved in the "under glass" designs. In order to set the embroideries this way, I can't use castings like I can with the exposed embroidery designs. In order to make a casting, the silver has to be a certain thickness so anything you set into it will have to be glued in because the minimum thickness is too thick to manipulate. If you need the bezel to be malleable (so you can set stones and glass into it with a burnishing tool) you have to make the bezel by hand with actual fine silver "bezel wire." They do have some very simple, plain premade bezels you can buy for this purpose, but they're not very attractive and they're not deep enough for my glass. So, since I had to make them by hand anyway, I figured I'd throw in a few more details. I decided to add the antique patina to bring out those details. So, what do you think?

Cicadas and Rainbows

2011-08-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

I had a terrible commute the very first day in to my freelance job. I had called the bus company ahead of time to make sure that there would be a bus there when I needed it and I was assured that there would be. And there wasn't. Not the bus I needed. I had to improvise last minute and miraculously still made it in on time, though no less frazzled for it.

There's an upwards-sloping cobblestone road leading up to the building I needed to get to, but I spotted a more seasoned employee ahead of me going the same way and she'd opted for the wet grass beside the road. Noting the massive trucks coming and going along the somewhat narrow cobblestone road, I heaved an annoyed sigh when I looked down at my flip-flops, anticipating squishing through the grass in them. Much to my amazement, the grass felt soooooo nice on my toes. It was warm from the morning's sunshine and the dew drops flicking against my exposed feet felt so relaxing. Just what the doctor ordered. And then I heard it: a symphony of cicadas. The cobblestone hill is flanked by tall trees and each one seemed to be filled with cicada song; my most favorite sound in the entire world.

The next day, they offered me a full time position. I really had to think it over, so I asked to have the evening to consider it. The next morning, I arrived at work just as it started to rain. The cicadas were quiet, but the sun was out, so before I went inside, I turned around and looked for a rainbow. I knew there had to be a rainbow. I gave up looking and went inside. A short while later I said "yes" to the position.

I hope I was right and there really was a rainbow...

Today will be my first official day as a full time employee at my new job. Wish me luck!

Here is one of my most recent projects: a birthday necklace for my sister!

Boy, oh boy...

2011-08-15T09:00:00.003-04:00

When it rains it pours.

I feel like I just went from zero to sixty in about 1 second flat. I don't know if it's serendipity, synchronicity, something in the air... or the stars...?

After months of simultaneously attempting to get either my Etsy shop going, getting some freelance gigs going or just get a fulltime job going, all three things decided to come to fruition at seemingly the precise same moment; Custom orders started trickling in faster and faster along with Etsy orders. I landed a nice freelance gig... followed by another freelance gig... and the calls from recruiters about potential full time jobs started coming in at the same time on an almost daily basis! This, after weeks and weeks of money-worries so intense, my dentist was forced to chastise me over the recent damage my teeth endured from all of my jaw-clenched grinding. Losing my unemployment benefits (and then having to pay them all back) definitely did a number on me for sure, but someone up there must have taken pity on me. No sooner did my unemployment get revoked, than my finances started to take a sharp swing in the upwards direction. Funny how things work out sometimes...

The latest freelance gig could potentially become something more permanent. Whether that means part-time or full-time, I have no idea. At this point, I'm just taking things as they come. Staying open to new opportunities and seeing where they take me. And trying not to grind my teeth so much.

I started experimenting with other metals. Silver is actually becoming a bit cost-prohibitive so I'm experimenting in ways that use it more cost effectively and utilizing some of the other beautiful (and more affordable!) metals available to me. Bronze and copper add natural color, richness and contrast to bright silver. And you can give them antique patinas, same as with silver. The effect is really lovely, don't you think? I added a new section to my shop called The Metal Shop. I'm going to fill it with more designs like this one and just see what happens...

Lesson Learned

2011-08-03T13:32:00.008-04:00

So... In case you were wondering what happened, I took a little break from blogging when I found out that it was not allowed while one is accepting unemployment. Nor is updating one's fan page or Tweeting or any other activities that could be considered "advertising." But since they've taken away my unemployment anyway because of my Etsy shop (our Federal Government considers it "potential income,") I guess I can continue blogging away to my little heart's content ♥

Thank you for sticking with me -- look for more exciting designs in the weeks to come!

&hearts
Johanna

Oh, just let me get it out of my system...

2011-07-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

I'd like to start out by apologizing for my current obsession with Vignette -- especially to my husband who has been having to put up with me whipping out my phone and saying "hold on" every three seconds.

That said, I'm sure I'll get bored with it soon, but until then, here are some more snapshots I took while having a lovely dinner out with my hubby at Sapthagiri in the India Square section of Jersey City:

I took this one of him:

He took this one of me:

And this accidental one of his fork, which he was especially proud of:

And here's some of our dinner (I forgot to take a picture of our picture-perfect dosa before we tore it to shreds and devoured it):

And here's another on-the-bus shot. Journal Square looks kind of nice from this angle, right?

Quick review of Sapthagiri: the food is consistently DELICIOUS. The service is always excellent and the place is always nice and clean. It is a family establishment, (i.e. it is well-lit and loud at times) so it might not be great if you're looking for ambience. But despite its popularity, you will always be seated right away. Also, you can be silly, and take silly pictures of your food, and no one cares.

♥
Johanna

Super Amazing JSQ Sighting...

2011-07-02T14:36:00.012-04:00

This photo was taken while riding the bus through the "up-and-coming" Journal Square section of Jersey City.

I don't usually witness very amazing things there, but this was one of them and I came very close to missing it completely; the bus had just started to move as the shutter was closing on this image. Thank you Vignette for saving the day! And thanks to my friend Janet for pointing me towards this fantastic app for my Android phone and to my friend Leif whose obsession with taking pictures on her phone is super-contagious!

In case you can't make out the picture, it's of a woman clearly well into her 70s, wearing an oversized, black Iron Maiden tee shirt and a red bandana tied jauntily around her neck, smoking a cigarette.

Total bad-ass. LOVE it.

And here's my first Vignette self-portrait that I took at Warehouse Cafe, after making a necklace delivery and just before meeting up with my very talented and sweet buddy, Emily August:

♥ Johanna

Cecile Raley Designs

2011-06-30T09:00:00.001-04:00

Over the next couple of weeks, I have the rare opportunity to look after a really successful Etsy shop -- an exercise that is equal parts fun and frustrating.

Yvonne Raley, owner of Cecile Raley Designs is not just a mentor to me, she's also a good friend. Her sales on Etsy have taken on a life of their own, which left her with quite the dilemma when she finally got the chance to take a well-earned vacation: should she close down her shop while she's away (and miss out on potentially dozens and dozens of sales) or could she hire someone to look after her shop and tend to it while she's away? Well, she chose the latter, and she chose me! So honored and flattered.

It's definitely a learning experience for me and I think it's also helping me to hone my Etsy seller skills. My hits have been increasing, and I even landed a front page treasury which is fantastic! Thanks, Yvonne!!!

♥

Johanna

What's the most popular photo in my Flickr Photostream?

2011-06-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

This handsome face right here:

Can't say I blame folks, though. He is awfully easy on the eyes...

Who here has a Flickr account? I'll add you to my Flickr "contacts" if you send me a link!

What's your most looked at photo in your Photostream?

A beautiful day in beautiful downtown Jersey City!

2011-06-26T18:00:00.010-04:00

photo courtesy of D-Pad Clothing

We got GORGEOUS weather for the 3rd Annual Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair! Such a relief when yet again, the forecast called for stormy weather. My cell phone crapped out on me about an hour into the event, so I couldn't get any photos myself, but here is a great link, in case you missed it!

My custom photo jewelry and hand embroidered jewelry were definitely a big hit, but I really need to work on getting those new embroideries completed and out there for folks to see! I'll be posting those soon here, I'm sure...

Oh! And I finally got around to making a "lookbook" for my craft show display. I really think it helped give people a better idea of what I do and it also helped to illustrate the variety of custom design jobs I've got under my belt. AND I got to brag a little about my article in CrossStitcher magazine and show it off -- I really have to get that thing framed...!

♥
Johanna

New Project: Simple Round Bezel Photo Pendant in Sterling Silver

2011-06-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

Now available in the shop here! What do you guys think?

♥
Johanna

New Project: an Inverted Locket!

2011-06-23T09:00:00.005-04:00

It's an embroidery pendant! It's a photo pendant! It's both!

Soooooo.... what do you guys think?

♥
Johanna

Ummm... What?!

2011-06-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

My husband Brad and I stumbled across this salon last week in NYC and I had to stop and snap a couple of shots of its unbelievable awning:

I really can't think of the right thing to say here, but I think I found the right image to describe it:

Japanese Chin photo credit goes to this website

♥
Johanna

Craft Show a-Go-Go! Not Yo Mama's Craft Show: June 25th, Downtown Jersey City

2011-06-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

Guess where Metal, Cloth & Wood will be on June 25th, from 11am to 7pm? At the Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair in the beautiful Downtown section of Jersey City, that's where! Sooooooo excited. This event just gets bigger and better each year. Can't wait -- CAN'T WAIT!!! Click on the flyer above for more details...

To help promote the event, you can "like" it on FB here! Hope to see you guys there!!! It's going to be amaaaaaaazing.

♥
Johanna

Happy Birthday to My Sweet, Sweet Husband!

2011-06-20T09:00:00.005-04:00

On Friday we celebrated the birthday of my husband, Brad. Words can't describe how much I love him, but I got the chance to exercise my adequate cake-baking skills on this very Etsy-friendly birthday cake ("Hoppy Birthday" -- get it?) and hide a nose-picking troll in our garden for him, so hopefully, he can tell.

He was also the recipient of a hand-forged belt buckle and a vegan belt (made out of conveyor belt rubber!) We had a delicious Mexican lunch followed by a silly movie and we picked up some delicious takeout from Red Bamboo for dinner later at home. All-in-all, a very nice birthday celebration was had, I think!

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

2011-06-17T09:00:00.011-04:00

My husband took a couple of extra days off to extend the three day Memorial Day weekend to five days. Mostly we relaxed and we read and we enjoyed our newly-acquired streaming Netflix access. But we did make the time to see one exhibition in the city: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. It's showing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Soooooo worth the trip!

AND I finally worked up the nerve to wear a scarf on my head!

But quickly realized my mistake in not securing it with a few well-placed bobby pins. Pthbbb.

btw, the dress I was wearing once belonged to my mom. I commandeered it at some point in HS. Here's my beautiful Mommy wearing it:

The man with the lightbulb head behind her is my father...

A photographer snuck in a few shots of Brad & I cooling our heels and chatting on a park bench in Central Park afterwards. We got inspired to take shots of each other on the bench, too. Hopefully, the photographer's came out better than ours, though :/

Most memorable parts of the exhibit:

1) seeing Kate Moss re-imagined as a jellyfish hologram
2) and these dresses:

The first red & white dress immediately put me in mind of one of my college roommates, the amazing and lovely Tamera of Verhext. And then I looked at the title of the dress: The Girl Who Lived in the Tree. Yep. That dress was most definitely made for Tamera.

♥
Johanna

Alexander McQueen photos credits #1, #2, #3

It's ok -- she doesn't have rabies, she was just pregnant

2011-06-16T09:00:00.002-04:00

A raccoon had been gorging herself for weeks on anything she could find in our yard and the neighboring yards, stealing cat food and beetle grubs, juicy worms and even some of our newly-planted basil, which fortunately for us, she didn't take much of a liking to, so we still have some left. Look how sneaky she is:

My husband discovered a couple of weeks back why she'd been such a hungry, hungry hippo; she was pregnant with four babies. Unfortunately, the neighbor whose ramshackle porch she was living in, also made that same discovery the very next day.

The authorities were called in, a trap was immediately set, and shortly thereafter we could hear a caged Mommy calling out to her babies. She cried all through the night. It was so heartbreaking. On the upside, the raccoons were all humanely trapped and released; one Mommy and all four babies. I like to imagine their happy reunion in some starlight dappled forest; a fresh beginning filled with juicy worms, fresh, warm earth and nose-wrigglingly-crisp air...

*all raccoon photo credits go to my sweet, talented husband, Brad!

More Custom Sterling Silver Jewelry Orders!

2011-06-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

The requests of custom photo jewelry are slowing, but still trickling in here and there:

Here's a custom acorn necklace -- an unexpected purchase that resulted from my Spring Cleaning Sale (still going on here -- and I've added 12 new items to the sale!) And I still have a pending order for 2 sterling silver keychains with photos.

Oh! And my lovely sis-in-law is busy at work on an educational tool proposal for the Lego company using their products and asked me to help her with some packaging -- what do you think? Cute, right? I'd want to play with whatever was in there...

♥
Johanna

2011-06-09T21:05:00.006-04:00

Sorry for the lag in posts, but we've been experiencing dodgy internet service for the past couple of weeks. Next week I'll be back up and running for sure! Until then, if you're in the area, several of my fellow Jersey City Craft Mafiosos & I will be at the Hamilton Park Festival this coming Saturday from 10 until 6!

Hope to see you there!!!

Rabies Shots and Outsider Art...

2011-06-03T09:00:00.004-04:00

Jersey City was offering free rabies shots for every new (and renewed) dog license. That sounded like a great offer to us, so we walked Dexter down to his favorite place, which also happened to be where the shots were being administered: Lincoln Park -- just a few blocks away! Dozens (hundreds?) of folks came out with their pooches and poor Dexie got so freaked out, he made us take turns carrying him the whole time.

I turned around to take that first long shot above when we finally reached the front of the line (after 1.5 hrs!) and turned back around to this: the look on Dexter's face after receiving his shot. Poor little guy...

Here he is, fully recovered, hanging back and engaging in his favorite Lincoln Park activity: sniffing stuff on the ground. And there's the cutest, sweetest man alive, my husband Brad. My two favorite guys.
♥ sigh ♥

And then there was this; on the way home, we discovered this little lovely, creepily swaying in the breeze from a trash-stuffed tree on Mallory Street. Oh, Jersey City. You really shouldn't have...

♥
Johanna

They Don't Call it "The Garden State" for Nothin'

2011-06-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

Brad took the day off yesterday and seized the opportunity to head down to Lowe's and grab a few more beauties for our garden. As everything in our garden seemed to be in absolute full bloom, I took the opportunity to grab my camera and start shooting! (And helping out a bit with the weeding and planting, of course!)

For more pix from our sweet, little garden check out my flickr stream!

One of my most favorite people in the whole world PLUS one really kick-ass veteran

2011-05-30T09:00:00.004-04:00

My best, best friend in the whole world, Teresa, is a woman I consider to be like the other sister I never had. She is one of the most open and non-judgmental people I know. Which is very fortunate for me, because despite all the counts against me growing up (i.e. being a socially awkward "art fag" who wore vintage clothes before it was ok to do so, and unlike 100% of my NJ middle school peers, had the audacity to not be a Bon Jovi fan) she always stood by me and supported me. The other kids I went to school with? Not so much.

Teresa was an extraordinary girl who grew up to be an extraordinary woman. Always loving and strong and amazingly thoughtful, she was a shoo-in for Social Work. She currently works here, helping folks find their way out of homelessness. She is truly an inspiration and I could never have asked for a better friend.

Recently after meeting up for dinner, as Teresa & I were walking together and waiting for the light to change, she raised her arm and waved to someone across the street: "Jim! Jim!" I looked over to see whose attention she was trying to get, and as we rushed across the street towards her intended target, I thought to myself, please don't let it be that crazy, homeless-looking person.

But it was.

And that "crazy, homeless-looking person" just happened to be somebody really cool and worth knowing. Actually, it was someone that I'd wondered about and was very glad existed. And while he may have been a little rough around the edges and perhaps a little more than eccentric, he was Mosaic Man. I met Mosaic Man! And his very sweet, well-loved dog, with her very own Mosaic Man tiled collar! It was a pretty cool moment for me. And hopefully, next time, I won't be so quick to judge.

Mosaic Man is a Vietnam Veteran who has devoted many years of his life to beautifying the LES (Lower East Side) of Manhattan with his amazing mosaics. Jim Power, wherever you are out there, I know you must be thinking about the friends you lost in Vietnam. Especially today. But I'm glad you made it through and are still around to make our country a better place. Thank you so much for all that you do.

Photo courtesy of weekendnotes.com from this article, by Dora Bona

Custom Sterling Silver Cufflinks: Completed!

2011-05-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

So excited to be able to see these all finished up. Special thanks to the customer who specially requested these (Thank you so much, Linda!!!)

I just listed them on Etsy here and within 3 hours, they got 22 hits! That is most definitely a record for me.

♥
Johanna

BUST Magazine Craftacular!

2011-05-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

As always, BUST Magazine's Craftacular was amazing. I got to meet two of my heroes: the owner of Vegan Treats, Danielle Konya and the owner of one my all-time fave Etsy shops, LOOKAjewelry, Elizabeth Ryan. I did muster up the courage to talk to both of them and tell them how much I love what they do. But, unfortunately I did not muster up the courage to ask to take their photos for my blog. Which I REALLY need to get over. I just get so shy! Anyway, speaking of shyness, if you yourself are shy like me, you should definitely check out this link. The layout is a little awkward and dated, but it's definitely worth a look-see!

I did have the forethought to ask my hubby to take a picture of me, though:

Notice the ring? My husband took note of my enthusiasm towards the LOOKAjewelry designs and being the delightfully sweet and generous soul that he is, when he saw the insect rings that she made, he insisted on buying one for me. How did I get so lucky? I'll never know... And the bag is one of my much-loved, newly-acquired bags from Mar Y Sol. And guess who paid for that? Yep. My sweet husband. ♥ ♥ ♥

Did you happen to notice the print on my skirt? It's a vintage 50's skirt. And it has lightening bugs all over it. How this skirt could be any more perfect for me, I can't even imagine... I'm going to make a prediction: I'll be wearing this all summer long. How can I not?!

♥
Johanna

Etsy on Sale!

2011-05-26T21:54:00.004-04:00

Have you guys heard of Etsy on Sale? It's an amazing app that allows you to do bulk corrections to your Etsy shop, but most importantly, it allows you to put all or just a section of your shop on sale. A major time saver and convenience.

That said, using this very same app, I just created a BIG SALE going on right now, so head on over to Metal, Cloth & Wood. Look for the ON SALE section of the shop to save 30%!

And for some free shipping action on ALL items in my shop, just type in FREESHIPPING as your promo code! I set up the free shipping promo code using Etsy's own "coupon codes." If you have an Etsy shop and want to know how to set up your own promo code, just go to your account and check out the "Promote" section -- you'll see it there ;)

♥
Johanna

New Completed Projects!

2011-05-23T21:50:00.007-04:00

I'm sooooo pleased with how these two items turned out -- and so was my customer! So much so in fact, her cousin might be ordering 2 more keychains from me in the not-so-distant future. I really need to get these options into my Etsy shop... and fast!

Sorry for the lag in posting -- I had a few minor setbacks and am still trying to get back into the flow and get my rhythm back. Almost there!

Embroidered cufflinks still to come... ;)

♥
jojo

Mar Y Sol, I ♥ Your Bags!!!

2011-05-18T14:32:00.006-04:00

I recently ordered a couple of bags from a small & wonderful company called Mar Y Sol. Their customer service was amazing and their bags are phenomenal.

From their website:
"Mar Y Sol is a socially responsible accessories brand that collaborates with artists in New York and artisans in Madagascar. We design and create authentic accessories made by hand using natural materials sourced sustainably from Madagascar’s precious forests. The sale of our products enables families to gain economic independence and promotes environmental conservation. This is achieved through fair trade partnerships with artisans who make a living wage through our “trade not aid” business model."

If only there were more companies like this...

Here we go again...

2011-05-17T11:42:00.003-04:00

Last week at my day job, I got some bad news: I was being let go due to the seasonal slow-down. As a Freelancer, this should not be a big deal, really. I could potentially be picked up again by the same company once things get busier again later in the year. Or I could be picked up by another company in the mean time. The thing is, I really liked where I was. I loved the work. And I loved the people I worked with. And try as I might to look at the positive (I have more time to make jewelry! I might get the whole summer off!) I fought back the tears on my last few days and I was really sad to go.

And it's been raining non-stop! Rain, rain go away already! If the lack of sun is bringing you down, too, maybe this sweet little treasury I just made on Etsy will cheer your heart -- I really enjoyed looking for cute things to fill it with:

On the upside: I might have an interview lined up for next week (yeah, I work fast!) so wish me luck!!!

Custom Sterling Silver Cufflinks!

2011-05-11T09:00:00.002-04:00

My first embroidery *under* glass is in the works! My boss, a very, very stylish lady, saw my website and asked if I might be able to make her some embroidered cufflinks to wear with her French cuffed blouses. I can't even tell you how flattered I was!

As I started working on this, I noticed how much the glass cabochon magnified the object underneath! I had noticed that with the photographs, too; if the subject is too close to the edge, the curve of the glass can actually crop them!

I have to say, though, I think the magnification of the glass over the embroideries really works to my benefit because you can actually see the stitchwork better! What do you guys think? Embroideries on the outside? Or embroideries on the inside?

♥
Johanna

Word of Mouth

2011-05-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

What a crazy couple of weeks it's been! As the saying goes, "when it rains it pours..."

So far, *everyone* has really been happy with their custom orders, and the word-of-mouth chain still seems to be growing. I have to say, it's a really good feeling; knowing that people believe in your work and not only become return customers, but are confident enough in your abilities to recommend you to their friends and family members. I think that whole word-of-mouth thing is kind of magical...

Speaking of things that are magical, I'll take this opportunity to perform a little bit of my own positive word-of-mouth to tell you that you need to stop what you're doing and go out and buy the new Fleet Foxes album, Helplessness Blues. While I was unable to post the video of the title track here, here is one of my all-time favorite videos (and it's stop-motion animation -- quelle surprise!) which also has the distinction of being the first bit of Fleet Foxes I'd ever heard:

"...and Michael you would fall
and turn the white snow
red as strawberries in the summertime..."

♥
Johanna

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T09:00:00.003-04:00

Happy, Happy Mother's Day to all of my mom and soon-to-be mom readers out there!

I firmly believe that being a mom must be *the* toughest job on the planet (one of the reasons why I have thus far remained childless) and I have only the utmost respect for them!

And to my mother: I love you, Mommy. Thank you for always making me feel loved and special -- even when I was being a pain in the ass.

♥
Johanna

Giclee print of this original watercolor courtesy of MaiAutumm and is available for purchase on Etsy here!

New Project: a Sterling Silver Key Chain!

2011-05-07T12:39:00.005-04:00

I received a custom order for a photo key chain from a coworker with almost exactly the same full name as mine! And she's a dog lover, too! This is Ansky, her family's beloved and dearly missed Boston Terrier. The key chain will be for her father.

I'm really excited about this order -- not only do I get to work with a photo of this super handsome little guy, but I've never made a key chain before and it's just such a great gift idea! More photos to come!

♥
Johanna

More Custom Orders!

2011-05-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

Egads!

The custom orders are pouring in from my co-workers; Nine and counting! I'm definitely feeling the love at my day job right now, that's for sure; I really can't believe how much everyone is excited about the custom photo jewelry! It's so funny how that happens...

I really have to get this option into my Etsy shop ASAP! As soon as I have a spare moment that is...

**rubs sleepy eyes and yawns**

Unfortch, silver prices are through the roof and I had to up my prices :( I don't understand how silver prices seem to have doubled practically overnight. I think if I were just starting out with this, it might be enough to discourage me from continuing. I just paid over $70 for a 3"x3" square of sterling silver sheet!!! I just found the price from the last exact same sheet that I bought: it was only $30 and I thought that was expensive! I might be able to get 9 round bezel backs out of that, but still, that's about $8 per bezel - not including the bezel wire or pendant bail which now will add almost another $4 cost/bezel. Ouchies :(

Here are some more orders hot off the press:

♥
Johanna

Another Custom Order Completed

2011-05-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

Another project finito!

I was so pleased to see this turn out so well. It did take me longer to complete than I'd expected, thanks to some unforeseen challenges, so I gave the buyer a little discount for being so patient and so sweet :).

This necklace features my first ever hand set, handmade rivets and I'm really pleased with the way they turned out! There are some things I would probably do differently if I had the chance to do it all over again, but I really, really love this piece! I will most definitely be keeping this type of setting in mind for future projects...

Thank you so much, Jacky for this kick-ass challenge!

♥
Johanna

Mugshot!

2011-05-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Another project completed!

I really had *no* idea how this was going to turn out, but it was such a fun challenge and I'm so glad my sister asked me if I would be interested in doing this. Envisioning what an influenza virus would look like as a masked marauder, shaking in his cowboy boots at the very realization that Sheriff Vaccine and Deputy Hand Sanitizer were on the case (and out for blood!) was really fun for me.

My sister was an awesome client and thanks to our shared-brain DNA which has endowed us with an identical-twin-like, off-beat sense of humor, she just let me run with the whole Wild West theme and trusted me to make it work and was thrilled with what I came up with! I can't wait to see how the actual mugs turned out! Do me proud, Cafe Press!

Here's a shot of the full design. Feel free to click on the image to enlarge!

♥
Johanna

New Custom Order Completed!

2011-04-27T09:00:00.003-04:00

I'm so happy with the way this turned out and apparently so was Claudia, the coworker that ordered it, because she ordered 3 more!!!

My other co-workers must have also really liked it because I got two more orders for photo necklaces from them, plus a photo keychain, plus an order for a pair of cufflinks with my embroideries in them!

This makes me so happy!!! It's been a little crazy keeping up, but nothing I can't handle ;). I'll be posting more photographs soon!

♥
Johanna

Jersey City Craft Mafia Members in the News!

2011-04-25T09:00:00.004-04:00

My husband Brad sent me a link to this amazing video posted on Etsy featuring former Jersey City Craft Mafia member, Kiva Ford. Kiva is a one-of-a-kind guy: super-sweet and an amazingly talented glass blower.

Press play to see Kiva in action!

Read the full Etsy post here

♥

Johanna

Happy Spring!

2011-04-24T09:00:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter! Zisn Pesach!

The buds on our new tree are turning into actual leaves!

Our azalea bush has its first flower buds of the season!

And our daffodils will soon be exploding into bursts of my most favorite color: yellow!!!

It is finally Spring, despite what the weather feels like. And I love the Springtime -- almost as much as I love the summer.

Oh sunshine, how I've missed you...

♥

Johanna

Beautiful handmade wreath photo courtesy of TheLinnetsWing and is available for purchase here on Etsy!

More Custom Orders!

2011-04-22T22:00:00.003-04:00

While I'm working on the vin # plate necklace, a co-worker of mine has commissioned me to make a custom photo necklace for her mother for Mother's Day! Here's the photograph:

That's my co-worker, Claudia, on the left giving her big brother a kiss ♥

So sweet!

It's looking really good so far & I can't wait to see the final result! More photos to come...

♥
Johanna

The Flu Fighters

2011-04-20T22:00:00.003-04:00

In other news, my sweet sister has asked me to do a mug design for some thank you gifts she'll be giving to some colleagues of hers that worked with her on administering flu vaccinations. My sister is an infectious disease specialist and what can I say? The lady saves lives -- how cool is that?! Plus, she's sweet and beautiful on top of that!

So, here are some preliminary sketches:

As the project continues, things might change, but as it stands now, I'm envisioning the hand sanitizer as the deputy and the needle as the sheriff! They'll both have 10 gallon hats on with star badges that state their positions. I want to give them a tough look so they'll both have their hands on their holsters, at the ready. And the viruses are either going to be mixed in with a slogan or I'll just pick one for a mugshot on a WANTED poster. I just have to play around with it a bit and see what works best.

We'll be ordering the mugs from Cafe Press; I've always wanted to try out their services, anyway... It's pretty amazing what you can do on their website for very little money.

♥
Johanna

Craft Show Season Has Officially Begun!

2011-04-18T22:00:00.002-04:00

One confirmed show for Spring/Summer so far: Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair in Jersey City!!!

Here are the deets:
107 Morgan Street
Jersey City, NJ 07302
Saturday, June 25th, 2011
11am - 7pm

Four of my Craft Mafia buddies and I will be sharing a couple of tents at this event so stop on by and say "hello" and check out all the local J.C. talent!!! And please keep your fingers crossed for no rain...

Guess it's time to dust off ol' that check list...

It's going to be a beautiful day. It's going to be a beautiful day. It's going to be a beautiful day...

♥
Johanna

Redondo Beach, Morrissey Live

2011-04-15T22:00:00.000-04:00

It really is pretty obvious why devoted fans risk life and limb for a mere hug from this man, isn't it?

I'm much too shy to demand hugs from strangers myself, but having said that, I would certainly have no objections to be on the receiving end of a hug from Steven Morrissey...

As much as this might sound like a Morrissey original, it's actually a Patti Smith song. My husband and I disagree strongly on who we'd rather hear singing it, though.

video courtesy of fiftythirdand3rd on YouTube

Custom Order Progress

2011-04-13T22:00:00.005-04:00

The custom order VW vin# necklace is really shaping up -- what a fun project! I found out that I had the car model incorrect, though -- it was a Golf, not a Beetle -- doh! Oh my brain sometimes...

The customer was given the following three options:

And she is going with option #2, the one with rivets!

In other exciting news, my customer even offered to help me with a bit of promotional stuff, too! She has very graciously offered to have a link added to her family's repair shop website and maybe even to put up a little display in the family shop as well. How fantastically sweet is that?!

♥
Johanna

Let's Go for a Swim

2011-04-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

The amazing (and local, JC-based) vintage shop, Another Man's Treasure, recently posted this image on their blog and I had to share it with you:

For more amazing vintage swim images, check out their full post here!

It's so funny to think that not-so-long-ago, women baring any amount of skin for any reason whatsoever publicly was a huge no-no -- even for sun-seekers! "Bathing suits" were such an anomaly that women weren't really sure what to wear to the beach. Daring sunbathers could be hauled off by police for such indecencies as displaying too much skin above the knee! I just thought this photo so perfectly captured this confused era in swimwear fashion. I love the overly-serious attempts at being stylish, although I would totally wear that amazing one piece -- the one on the left in the second row from the front?...

If you're shopping around online for vintage-style fun in the sun, IMHO, your two best bets to be the very best-dressed on the beach are #1) Etsy, of course and #2) ModCloth, where I, myself got this stylish little Esther Williams number:

Your local vintage shops are great places to check, too for the real deal!

top image courtesy of Another Man's Treasure, bottom image is unfortunately and quite obviously NOT me and is courtesy of ModCloth.com

And Now for Something Completely Different: The Autumn Blaze Maple!

2011-04-10T12:42:00.013-04:00

First there was just an "x" marking the spot in spray paint. Then, a hole took the place of the "x." And now...

We have a tree! Isn't she beautiful?! And this is what she will grow up to be one day:

Unfortunately, our neighborhood will never look like the one depicted in the example above, but at least our tree can be just as beautiful!

According to those "in the know" on the interwebs, the Autumn Blaze Maple is a hybrid of the Silver and Red Maples, embodying the best qualities of both. Autumn Blaze Maples grow 5 feet every year and our tree is not expected to stop growing until she towers over our house at 60 ft tall x 40 ft wide!

Ordinarily, I'm not a huge fan of Fall weather (I prefer Spring!) but I can hardly wait to see those bright crimson leaves glowing in front of our little home come Autumn...

More photos of our beautiful, new tree!

Adult Autumn Blaze Maple photo above courtesy of www.treetime.com

New Custom Order!!!

2011-04-08T22:00:00.001-04:00

I can’t even tell you how excited I am to get started on my next custom project: My good friend Michael was talking to a friend of his who was looking to have the vin # of her very first car turned into a keepsake necklace. My name came up, some info was exchanged, and a couple of weeks later here I am, in possession of the aforementioned, treasured vin # plate. How serendipitous is that?!

And guess what kind of car it was...? Only my very favorite kind: a VW Bug, of course!

More project photos to come...!!!

Oh, and did I mention that I made it onto Etsy’s FRONT PAGE last week? So exciting!!! That was the second front page treasury for me, which unfortunately also makes that the second time I missed actually witnessing seeing myself on Etsy’s front page. They only keep those things up for an hour, so you gotta be quick!!! And I think I only missed it by a couple of minutes, too... pthbbb.

♥
Johanna

Good Times...

2011-04-06T22:00:00.002-04:00

In what might best be described as the onset of a "sudden hankering for all things nostalgic,” my husband and I decided to add a bunch of our fave flicks from childhood to our current Netflix cue. To be honest, we were kind of worried that re-experiencing these movies in our jaded adulthood (add to that our spoiled sensibilities, resulting from years of exposure to ever-improving special effects and CGI computer tricks) would leave us unimpressed with the films we used to find so awe-inspiring. Turns out, they’re every bit just as amazing as we remembered them.

Labyrinth, we’re looking forward to an evening of well-spent movie-watching with you...

Voila!

2011-04-04T23:15:00.001-04:00

So, I decided to go with a “lariat” design similar to my last custom project. Getting all of the charms to balance was a challenge, though! After rearranging the charms what seemed like an infinite number of times, I decided to place the shell bezel on the loop portion of the lariat design (in order to keep it from flipping around and exposing the less decorative backside) and I felt like the pine cone should definitely be at the lead. This left only the conch shell as the variable factor. I decided that the perfect spot for the conch shell had to be just above the pine cone. The charms looked so pretty in their designated spots, but the necklace still needed something...

I couldn’t remember what the birthstone for April was. Turns out it’s the diamond. Of course it is. Ugh! I have *so many* semi-precious beads in my collection, but the diamond is hardly considered semi-precious. It was nowhere to be found in my collection, for obvious reasons. Ok. So what now? A suitable substitute for the diamond birthstone, perhaps? Um, turns out that would be the white topaz. Is that even a real stone...? I am so not a gem person, unlike my fellow jeweler and good friend Yvonne Raley, who would probably scold me for even voicing that last question. So what now? I looked through my collection to see what I *did* have. Turns out, I did have some really pretty hand-cut clear beads in my collection that resembled diamonds. Whew! And I had just enough to make this necklace perfect....

Sorry for the not-so-perfect photos. As this was a birthday present, time was of the essence! I had one very early morning to photograph it before boxing it up and the sun was not cooperating... Stupid sun.

♥
Johanna

Step 2: All Charms Completed!

2011-03-30T22:00:00.000-04:00

I'm so happy with the way that these charms all turned out! What do you guys think?

I originally brought both shells as well as my casting into Metalliferous to ask for their expert advice on making them all into charms, fully expecting to have to buy more tools and stuff, but it turned out that all I needed was $2 worth of some silver and I was good to go!

I felt guilty spending so little because the employee (owner?) really took the time out to look at each of my items and not only suggested which techniques to use, but also recommended ways to use the tools I had to get the best result -- wow! I'm so glad I asked for help, because I don't think this would have turned out nearly as well as it did if I hadn't. Thank you, Metalliferous!!! I decided on making a bezel fitting for the tiniest shell because I was afraid of drilling into it and messing it up or risking that it might break when worn.

my new favicon

2011-03-29T23:59:00.004-04:00

Can't seem to figure out how to host this image, so as an experiment, I'm just putting it right here to see if I can link to it:

oooo! That's tiny!

Soldering Book Recommendation: Soldering Made Simple

2011-03-27T20:18:00.007-04:00

I don't know if you can tell or not from my more recent photos, but my soldering skills have recently improved dramatically and I just wanted to give credit where credit is due: I've been reading Soldering Made Simple (Easy techniques for the kitchen-table jeweler), by Joe Silvera.

The man's last name is Silvera, after all, so obviously he knows his silver!

This book really is amazing. From the fantastic tutorials and cute design ideas to the detailed and crisp photographs! I would have paid good money to take a class to learn the things I got just from reading this book! I would still consider taking a jewelry class at some point. But now maybe for something a little more difficult... Stone setting perhaps? Maybe advanced stone setting after I finish this book ;)

Step One: the First Casting!

2011-03-27T19:32:00.013-04:00

I was so excited to get over to Taba and see how my casting came out! As usual, Taba did an amazing job!!! Here is what the raw casting looks like, straight out of the mold -- a pure silver clone of it's original:

That tube of silver protruding from the bottom of the pine cone is called a "sprue." Sprues are leftover bits of metal that fill up the hole where the metal enters the mold. You just have to saw them off and file down the tiny bump that's left. And here's the finished piece, after it's been sawed, filed, cleaned, soldered, pickled and polished:

Before the pine cone was made into a mold, it needed to be coated with nail polish. The nail polish thickens up some of those paper-thin edges to make for a more successful casting. I also filled in most of the areas where the seeds had fallen out with the nail polish, but it looks like I missed a couple of them, which left the casting with some interesting "holes"; I can't believe how much detail the casting preserved! I'll bet those old seeds would pop right back into place if I still had them...

FYI, Taba only uses certified recycled (eco-friendly!) silver in their castings which I love!!! They have a certificate of authenticity right behind the front counter when you walk in and I smile at it every time I see it...

Dead Man's Bones

2011-03-24T23:44:00.005-04:00

Although not the official video for "My Body's a Zombie for You," I thought this made excellent use of Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies so I just had to share it with you guys.

Mr. Gorey would approve, I'm sure.

video credit: JonTheDandy on YouTube

Dead Man's Bones is a surprisingly good band headed up by heartthrob Ryan Gosling (of The Notebook fame... didn't see it? Me neither... but he was in a lot of other stuff, too that I also didn't see, and that doesn't really mean anything; as any follower of my blog would know, I don't exactly watch "normal" American movies -- e.g. I'm currently watching indie nerdfest The Last Lovecraft with my husband, Brad. And I'm really enjoying it.)

The self-titled album features the Silver Lake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir (founded by Flea!) and utilizes them with such charm and wit, it's really quite amazing. Such adorable creepiness...

"I'm a Z-O-M...B-I-E... ZOMBIE!" Yes, indeed.

Last Thursday...

2011-03-23T22:00:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday, I took a day off from crafting and studio renovations to visit with my Bubby and her boyfriend, Jim, in Philadelphia. My Bubby is probably one of the cutest things alive and was most definitely my first style icon growing up. She always looked amazing! My Bubby is my sole remaining grandparent.

I really could kick myself for not bringing my camera. But I did grab a few pieces of sea glass from the Delaware River when my adorable grandmother and her equally adorable boyfriend (both in their eighties!) braved the steep, winding staircase with me, down to the pebble beach by my grandmother's condo.

I think I have only been back there once or twice before, since the passing of my grandfather. Despite the renovations since that time, much of the rooms have remained pretty much the same. My sister and I spent many a weekend there together when we were younger, and being there again brought back so much. So many good memories... Too many to count.

Here is what my Bubby looked like, back in the day:

As you can see from this photo, it's pretty obvious why my Bubby was a big influence on me. She's gorgeous! That outfit! The hair! The one on the left that looks like a prettier version of me is my Mommy, next to her is my Bubby, behind my Bubby is my father, and my grandfather is on the far right sporting his epic, unfaltering comb-over.

When my grandfather ran out of filaments to comb over, he resorted to a toupee that he updated from time-to-time to match his remaining hair as it greyed. He was an amazingly good sport about it, though; when my sister and I were little, we would wait until he dozed off and try to snatch it off of his head while he was sleeping, but he never got mad at us. Someone snapped a picture of one such occasion and he was actually smiling (I think I have that somewhere?!) Then there's another gem of a snapshot of my grandfather wearing a woman's (I was told it may have been my mother's?) wig that presumably either I or my sister put on him... Good times... I miss you Bum-Bum.

Birthday Surprise...

2011-03-20T22:30:00.007-04:00

My mother-in-law's birthday is coming up next month and here is a sneak peek at the beginnings of a necklace I'm making for her.

All of these are found objects from the cruise that my in-laws treated me and Brad to back in January. The object in the back is a tropical pine cone! I didn't even think that evergreens existed in tropical locales, but lo and behold! This object is being cast in pure silver and the two shells are going to be made into charms.

Not sure yet if I'm going to make a longer-length charm necklace or if I'm going to try the lariat style from one of my previous projects... more pix to come as the project unfolds!

Update on Our Tree!!!

2011-03-16T22:23:00.004-04:00

We have a hole!!!

Okay, so we've had a hole for a while now, but it pretty much immediately filled up with snow and stayed that way for about a month so there was nothing to photograph. Okay, so the snow melted several weeks ago, but now we have something else filling the hole: dog feces and trash -- yay!

I think we need to put up a little fence. stat.

New Embroideries on the Way!!!

2011-03-16T18:16:00.009-04:00

The week and a half off from work went really well, I think. Only a couple of days left of freedom and then it's back to work for me, but I feel very good about what I've accomplished.

I tackled a lot of clutter in my studio (I donated several large bags of clothes Wednesday morning to the Vietnam Veterans -- yay!) and finally got around to prepping the studio doors for paint... something I put off with good reason, so I soon discovered; it took HOURS. I worked on some new designs and got to think about where I want things to go from here.

I've been brainstorming, taking all of the feedback I've received over the past couple of seasons and trying to make Metal, Cloth & Wood better. I want more options available for my shoppers. More choices price-wise. Hey, what do you guys think of a bobbypin with one of my embroideries on it that goes for $10? Obviously not in sterling silver, though! But I want to do higher pricepoint stuff, too -- something for everyone!

Here is a sneak peek of some of the new embroidery themes (Leif, can you spot the hedgehog?)

For inspirational photographs, I've been using Google images. And I've learned 2 interesting facts: when you type in "bunny photographs" expect to get lots of images of naughty girls (presumably either named Bunny, or possibly betrothed at one point or another to Hugh Hefner) and when you type in "cute ant photographs" expect to get a result that looks like a photo album straight out of The Jersey Shore (i.e. Ant = Anthony)

More photographs to come!!!

New Design! New Design!

2011-03-14T15:38:00.004-04:00

Ok! First project completed; I designed a new bezel cup for my larger pendants. This week I will be continuing in this vein, replacing all other bezel settings for my other designs.

As much as I liked the original design, it wasn't perfect. I really wanted something a little cleaner and more polished and the way I was making the pieces before was a little cost-prohibitive and too time-consuming. So I came up with this little girl and she's #1) prettier #2) more light weight and #3) she'll speed up the construction process! And #'s 2 & 3 solve the cost-prohibitive issue mentioned earlier; less silver + less labor costs = more affordable products!!! I think I just had my "aha!" moment. If I can make this work, I can shave a whopping $10 off of the retail price, taking my $45 pendant down to $35!!!

New Supplies = New Projects!

2011-03-12T17:42:00.007-05:00

So I finally made another trip down to Metalliferous and I'm so excited about all the new stuff I got, I just had to share it with you:

First off, I got more silver to play with, including new bezel wire, hard and medium solder, and some new pendant blanks to play with -- wheeee! Then there's all the cool, new soldering equipment and supplies: a soldering platform, compressed charcoal, solderite tile, and more butane (not so photogenic, as it turns out)

And did I mention my new soldering pick?... My new TITANIUM soldering pick?... I am going to solder like I've never soldered before!

On a completely unrelated note, I just had to post this next clip of an appearance on the Late Show by a band that despite their name and frightening album cover, I just can't hate them. Here's why:

So good, right? If you haven't heard them yet, they're called Deerhunter. And if you're looking at the lead singer and wondering why he looks so distinctive, he actually suffers from the same connective tissue disorder (Marfan Syndrome) that Joey Ramone did. Wonder if there's a connection b/w musical talent and this rare disorder? Hmmm...

Go here and give the rest of their album a listen -- it's pretty darned good!

Unexpected Free Time... and a gratuitous photo of Dexter

2011-03-10T11:17:00.005-05:00

Please excuse my lack of creative posts. I took a bit of a creative sabbatical - well, not entirely. I have a couple of leads on some more custom work and I've been mulling over trying a few new designs and techniques that I think are really going to work out well.

But first, I need to go shopping. I need medium and hard sheet solder. I need a soldering platform and wire mesh. I need beaded wire. I need a titanium pick! And I need a solderite board and a compressed charcoal brick. I'm probably going to give myself a hernia carrying this stuff back from the city. Something called "compressed charcoal" can't possibly weigh less than ten lbs...

I just rcvd word that I have a week and a half to myself. An unpaid vacation of sorts from my freelance gig as a baby clothing designer. But! I have plans; I'm going to make the most out of those free hours. Craft show season is starting back up and I need to grow my inventory. I also have some projects to finish up in my studio. Projects to make it more work-friendly and inviting. I'm always so jealous of seeing pictures of beautiful work studios online. Successful crafters always seem to have a lot of house pride -- something I've always been lacking in for some reason. Maybe there's a connection?...

photo courtesy of Lara Whateley, owner of Dog Day Afternoon, dog walking service provider for our little Dexter.

In Case You Missed it...

2011-03-07T20:59:00.004-05:00

Spotted today on The Sartorialist:

A-DORE-able!!! Click here for more of this lady's amazing outfits (that fur thing excluded, of course -- blenh.) I think someone (meaning me) might be getting brave enough to wear a kerchief on her head soon... MIGHT be.

Oy vey!

2011-03-02T21:25:00.003-05:00

John Galliano is currently facing court time for making anti-semitic comments in public -- an offense which holds the threat of jail time and a $30k+ fine in France, where the comments were made. I kept hearing about a video of Galliano making similar comments (not sure if this is the event in question or just one that happened to be caught on tape,) and the glutton for punishment that I am, I had to look it up and watch it for myself. Watch at your own risk -- it's pretty shocking.

I totally agree with the person who left a comment on YouTube stating that he understood Galliano "was drunk but people usually say what they feel when drunk. This man needs serious help." It never ceases to shock and amaze me, how full of venom and bile some people are...

New Custom Order Completed!

2011-02-27T18:52:00.002-05:00

I've finally completed a custom order (from December!!!) Ordinarily custom orders only take me a week or two. Not to make excuses, but there was so much going on and I ran into some design difficulties along the way. What I've learned from this is not to let projects drag on (even if the customer is super-sweet and says to take my time!) and to have a clearer vision ahead of time before I start. Although I'm really happy with the result, it's most important for the customer to be happy with it -- and getting things done in a timely fashion helps ;)

My dilemma was that I had never tried combining my pendants before and didn't realize how difficult it would be to get them to look nice, hanging together. Because of their size and weight, no matter how I positioned them or how I would hang them, they just fought each other, pushing the others into unflattering positions and looking a mess. The solution was to hang each of them at a different level so there was no overlapping. But how to do that while still looking cohesive and deliberate?...

What do you guys think? This is my very first lariat style necklace and I'm thinking something like this would be a really nice addition to my Etsy shop... Like maybe a keyhole on the smaller charm and a skeleton key on the larger one?

Trying to Get Inspired...

2011-02-21T12:14:00.004-05:00

Well New York Fashion Week has come and gone and I still haven't had the chance/patience to go over the recaps posted on WWD here.

I did flip through WWD's photos posted here from London's Fashion Week and I have to say, there really wasn't a whole lot going on that inspired me... If anything even looked remotely interesting and I started flipping through the individual looks, there was bound to be some top to bottom disgusting animal fur ridiculousness that popped up and nothing kills my attention faster than that.

There was one exception, though: Sass and Bide. Beautifully styled. Gorgeous colors. Fresh new-ness that was still wearable and flattering and feminine. Totally impressive. The photograph featured here is from their collection featured on WWD here. Please don't tell me what their necklaces were made of though. I don't think I want to know... (sigh)

For Leif...

2011-02-11T23:37:00.005-05:00

My hubby and I just watched this together and my heart is still filled with delight from having done so. Hope you guys enjoy it, too! Especially you, Leify ♥

100 Other Lovers is from DeVotchKa's latest album, 100 Lovers.

DeVotchka has been around for years, but they probably got their big break when they were featured on the soundtrack for Little Miss Sunshine. Brad and I had the good fortune of procuring VIP seating during one of their last tours and I can honestly say it was probably the greatest thing I'VE EVER SEEN. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a wee bit, but it was certainly the greatest concert I've ever attended. And I've been to some really, really good ones, so... there. They're amazing and that's all there is to it.

When I'm 64...

2011-02-10T22:23:00.005-05:00

I had to repost this from Stil in Berlin. I want to be this lady when I grow up!!! So amazing...

photo credit goes to stilinberlin.blogspot.com

My Bloody Valentine

2011-02-09T22:53:00.003-05:00

Brad and I are celebrating the big "V" day this year by going out to a show and a fancy dinner. Nothing playing on Broadway really fit the bill for us so we looked to the Off-Broadway selection. And lo and behold, Teller, from Penn and Teller fame, is doing an off-Broadway performance entitled Play Dead. How perfect is that?!

It's been getting rave reviews since last summer and here's what the website has to say about it:

Teller and Todd Robbins invite Death out to play in PLAY DEAD, a new spirit-shaking Off-Broadway show inspired by “Midnight Spook Shows,” an American institution from the 1930s to the 1970s. As the guide for the evening, Robbins draws audiences into an unknown haunted world full of frightful surprises and diabolical laughter. Although very much a theatrical work, it is hardly a typical “play,” but rather a dramatic, unnerving thriller – here and now in an “abandoned” theater, illuminated by a single ghostlight – in which audiences test their nerves and face their fears as they are surrounded by ethereal sights, sounds and even touches of the returning dead – all achieved by wry, suspenseful storytelling and uncanny stage illusions.

We selected a matinee so we can follow it up with a beautiful, romantic dinner at Candle 79. Ooooooooo can't wait! Can't WAIT!

These Boots are Made for Walking...

2011-02-05T20:14:00.003-05:00

These Boots are Made for Walking... by Johanna Wood

My current boots are in a pretty sad state. While I don't subscribe to the "let's buy a brand new wardrobe every season" lifestyle, one thing I generally will spend my dollars on every season is new footwear. As I was unemployed (or as my friend and fellow Craft Mafioso Luca Cusolito likes to say "funemployed") all spring and summer long, I was not in the market for my usual updated Fall boots. I was more in the "wear the same shoes 'til they rot off of your stinking feet" market. That said, my everyday boots have reached their breaking point. The zipper on the left boot is threatening to go at an given moment and the faux leather on both is threatening to crack open in all of the most inconvenient places. Considering the winter we've been having, either of these potential scenarios would be fairly catastrophic, so I've taken the following precautions: 1) wearing my "wet weather" boots as often as possible and 2) carrying a pair of flats around with me "just in case."

As the situation has reached critical status, I've taken this opportunity to put together the following selection of potential replacement candidates using Polyvore. Hmmmm... Decisions, decisions!!!

Cured by M.I.A.?

2011-01-31T21:54:00.006-05:00

This past Saturday morning:

As I'm writing this, I'm speeding along underground on the PATH train towards my SCORE sponsored seminar on business/marketing plan writing. The couple next to me is in the midst of a distracting and heated argument, so I'm opting for the antisocial headphones-in-public option. My previous ipod session resumed playing when I turned it on, but I decided that The Cure was perhaps not the best thing to listen to right now as I can feel myself slipping into a bout of cozy misanthropy. I am, after all, about to enter a room filled with strangers where one is expected to mingle (a painful endeavor for me even on a good day) so I quickly slide my selection wheel down to the free M.I.A. download Vicki Leekx. Ahhh... much better.

image of MIA from Culturebelly.com via bust.com

Fast forward and it's now two days after-the-fact. Turns out, I still couldn't muster up the nerve to talk to anyone -- not even after nearly being pumped to the point of publicly shaking my junk (thankfully, I did manage to muster up the self restraint to spare everyone from that.) But it was an excellent seminar and I'm definitely inspired to start crunching some numbers and working up a plan... still gotta work on those social skills, though :/

I Got Featured in CrossStitcher!!!

2011-01-27T22:38:00.005-05:00

My second day back at work, I got some really exciting news. Not sure if you'd remember this or not, but in one of my previous posts I'd mentioned having been contacted by a British craft magazine called CrossStitcher. Well, on Tuesday I received word from the Production Assistant at CrossStitcher that my feature was now on the newsstands!!! Not sure if it's available yet in the States, but here's a sneak peek from a pdf I received from them -- I'm so impressed and flattered!!! Look at this amazing layout:

So, as some of you may already know, my lack of posting is the direct result of my being on a cruise! My first cruise ever! I don't think I've ever been so relaxed in all of my life! It's good to be home, though. I missed my babies! And the internet. Which sounds totally pathetic, but I had a bit of a meltdown when I first found out that not only was the wi-fi on the cruise not free, but it was cost-prohibitively, ridiculously expensive. Well, for someone who spends an average of 2 hours online/day, anyway.

So we came home to find one curiously nervous Frida kitty and one very excited and happy Poe-Poe kitty. Poe was a sweet and good girl while we were gone. Frida was a holy terror. Which would explain her odd behavior upon our return. Evidently, Frida had busted into two upstairs rooms (not a challenging feat for a clever kitty with lots of time on her paws vs. a 100 year old plus door with its original 100 yr old plus doorknob) trashing both of them by dragging their contents out into the hallway, paying extra attention to certain items by way of batting them down the steps and secreting them away under the furniture downstairs for us to find later. Needless to say, I'm still mad at her.

Dexter was returned to us later in the evening by the dog sitter and parked himself on my shoulder as soon as I sat down on the couch, refusing to budge. He stayed like that until I dragged myself upstairs to take a shower. I think that was his way of making sure that I wasn't going to leave him again. So cute. Love him.

Snoozer Loser ROCKS!!!

2011-01-10T23:02:00.004-05:00

Why is my husband the best husband in the whole world, you ask? Well, I'll tell you: For the holidays, he asked for some gift suggestions and I said, "well, there's this Snoozer Loser skirt I really wish I had, but..." and guess what he did? If you guessed that he immediately bought the skirt for me, you would have guessed incorrectly, BECAUSE... not only did he buy me the skirt, but he bought me a coordinating top and scarf from the same designer!!!

Have I publicly announced how much I love my husband lately?... Just in case I haven't: Brad, I love you this much: (mmmmnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeennnnnnhhhhhh) That was the sound of me stretching my arms out as widely as possible, btw. Thank you, thank you, thank you, My Sweetheart. (kiss, kiss, kiss!!!)

If you haven't checked out Snoozer Loser yet, you most definitely should. Such prettiness...

Did you happen to notice that my skirt was named the "Glandelinian?" I wonder if this designer attended the same Henry Darger exhibit I did...?!

New Outfits and Etsy and Fan Page Stats!

2011-01-05T23:00:00.006-05:00

Almost 220 fans on Facebook and over 300 Etsy peeps have added me as a favorite shop -- yippeee! Sales have picked up post-holidays, but I suspect they will be fading off again, save maybe a couple of Valentine's Day shoppers snapping up some hand-embroidered heart jewelry!

So here's the latest in my archiving of recent outfits. Still not sure how I feel about this -- I do feel kind of silly snapping pix of myself in my studio, truth be told. I even get a little embarrassed when my husband walks in during a "photoshoot." I can't photograph outside, b/c it's too much effort with a tripod and a self-timer, plus I'd feel even sillier as I live in the city, and you never know who might be looking. And my studio is cramped and not really photogenic. So.... What do you guys think? Should I even bother?...

xoxo
Johanna

Wildlife in Jersey City!!!

2011-01-01T21:03:00.006-05:00

Our next door neighbors are lovely people. But they're not the biggest fans of animals. They considered launching a campaign against the cats that took up residence under their back porch. Fortunately they never carried through with that plan and would be horrified to know that we regularly feed them. If they only knew what was residing in the roof of their back porch...

And just in case you missed raccoon #2 in the above photo:

But look at that face!

I think I'm in love. I took these photos when we were dismissed early from work the day before New Year's Eve and was surprised to find this paired couple inquisitively peering into our yard just before the sunset. One of them (the female?) quickly lost her nerve and scampered back into the neighbors' porch ceiling. The other one appeared to be just as fascinated with me as i was with him and allowed me to shoot picture after picture of his beautiful face. Fingers crossed my neighbors never find out, 'kay?...

I Love You, Marcel!

2010-12-21T22:23:00.004-05:00

"Guess what I wear as a hat?... A lentil."

I could seriously watch this animated short a million times in a row and never get tired of it.

Upcoming Shows!!!

2010-12-15T23:55:00.005-05:00

Hey guys!

I just wanted to tell you about two very special shows I'll be selling at this weekend!!!

On Saturday (Dec 18th,) I'll be at BUST Magazine's enchanted forest-themed "pop-up shop" in Manhattan:

350 Bowery, at Great Jones St
4 pm to 9 pm
more info here

And this Sunday (Dec 19th,) my craft group, the Jersey City Craft Mafia, is heading up the following holiday shopping extravaganza in Jersey City:

Grace Church Van Vorst
39 Erie Street & 2nd
12-5 pm
more info here

Hope to see you there!!!!

xoxo
Johanna

Re: Violens' Summer Mixtape

2010-12-10T21:53:00.006-05:00

Update: I'm kind of obsessed now with Violens' "Summer Mixtape" (sic) that I downloaded for free from their website. This is the band I read about in BUST magazine. I will most definitely be purchasing some of their stuff.

pros and cons of the mix:

Pros -- Violens is featured on most of the mix both unaccompanied as well as collaboratively and each of their songs is unique and totally enjoyable. They now have a new fan! Based on what they've chosen to share on this mix, I would say that if you're a Depeche Mode, House of Love, or Tears for Fears fan, Violens is for you. Some of it even sounds like an edgier OMD or a more bad-ass George Michael. Although I didn't hear much in the way of Morrissey/Brian Ferry-esque crooning, their sound was pretty eclectic, so I wouldn't be surprised to find what BUST was referring to on their album...

Cons -- 1) it is one continuous file, so you have to refer back to their website for each song to know what you're listening to and you can't fast forward or skip or play a song over and over again obsessively, which is my usual tendency. 2) the songs that they aren't responsible for range from fantastic (Dead Can Dance) to overwhelmingly unlistenable (you'll know it when you hear it) -- I haven't even heard the last song on the mix b/c I couldn't sit through the former to get to it. But judging by the song title, it is probably pretty similar, so I don't think I'm missing anything. I'm pretty sure they were kidding -- and it is kind of funny. I'm sure they had themselves a good time finding the most aurally offensive songs to finish off the mix with ;) OH! And speaking of offensive, word to the wise: do NOT watch the video shorts posted on their website. I repeat: do NOT watch them. You've been warned. Not my fault.

Their obnoxious proclivities aside, the music is fantastic and I can't wait to hear more!!!

Ta-da!

2010-12-10T21:50:00.004-05:00

One down, one to go!  Here's the completed bear claw charm!!!

More Custom Design Photos!

2010-12-05T15:56:00.007-05:00

Ok, so here is some more progress on my custom orders! Going counter-clockwise from the upper right, the first three are part of a three piece set ordered by a friend who recently just had her first child, the beautiful and perfect Olive Lily.

As per the customer's request, I created one lily-themed embroidery, one olive-themed embroidery and one with just the name "olive lily" -- I hope she likes everything, but as with all custom orders, I strive to create something the customer will really love, so nothing will be set in silver until everything is 100% approved!

The final piece is a Native American "fetish paw" for another friend of mine who lives in the southwest. I love those Native American symbols! According to this website, the bear paw represents "direction and power." And as per this website, an animal's paw/track (usually bear or badger) is "usually considered a way of summoning the power of the animal spirit, or as an indication of the presence of the spirit." You have to admit that Native American culture is pretty cool... Ask Morgan Spurlock if you don't believe me...

Custom Orders: Progress!

2010-12-05T15:03:00.006-05:00

As promised, here is a sneak peek at what's going on with my custom orders! Between the new job and adjusting to my new schedule, I will admit that I'm having difficulties finding the time to focus on my jewelry. I'm also prepping for a couple of shows coming up and I just started working on some new displays (photos to come for that, too!)

That said, I have two orders that have been pending for a while now and I am trying to focus on finishing those up ASAP! I'll post more photos as the projects develop, but they're looking pretty good so far...

My Favorite Bumblebee

2010-12-05T14:40:00.007-05:00

I'm kind of obsessed with Picnik.com. Even my worst photos look kind of neat once I play around with them over there. Sepia tones? No problem! Crop all the bad stuff out? No problem! Make it look like an aged, discolored photo from the 60's? Definitely not a problem! Not nearly as versatile as Photoshop, but it does the trick and it's way more fun to play around with.

What I'm wearing:
cheap and cheerful puffed sleeve 3/4 sleeve sweater: H & M
skirt and dotted swiss hosiery: Urban Outfitters
non-leather heeled oxfords: Unlisted
sterling silver and bronze bee brooch with articulated parts: *Luna Parc

*Luna Parc is, IMHO, one of NJ's greatest assets. The jewelry designer, artist Ricky Boscarino, has DIY'd his entire home, prompting Weird NJ to call it a "psychadelic wonderland in the woods."

Visiting this place one day is most definitely on my "to do" list as he holds semi-annual open houses!!!

Style Blogging... again?

2010-12-01T21:42:00.007-05:00

A very pretty, young woman in my office has been saying very nice things about my clothes and accessories (and she bought a pair of my handmade earrings!) and so I thought, why not?! Let me give this style blogging another go. Please note that in the double photo above, in the frame on the right, that is my attempt at covering up how fat my a$$ has gotten from staying at home for the past 6 months. Ah well, what can you do?...

Anyway, I'm wearing these amazing black and white wingtip oxfords I just got last week from a shop that opened recently in the Manhattan Mall. The shop/brand is called Spring and they really do have something for everyone. Most of their women's shoes are non-leather and some of their men's shoes are as well. Brad would know, because he came home with FOUR pairs... I also got a very chic pair of booties, but I have to wait on those as they had to special order my size.

I'm also wearing a vintage shirt that used to belong to my mother (I borrowed it... when I was in highschool) and it will continue to be one of my favorites because it's 100% polyester and therefore will live on forever!

Music Scrooge; Episode #2

2010-11-29T22:23:00.011-05:00

ok. So I think I have this figured out. Should some very nice individual happen to get me some itunes credits for x-mas, it's going to go something like this:

1) My fave Pandora discovery by far is The Chameleons. Have you ever been angry at yourself for not knowing that a band (that you could have been listening to and enjoying all this time) even existed? It's only happened to me once before; thanks to my husband and his amazing music collection, I discovered The Damned -- about 30-something years after-the-fact. I feel so cheated!!! Ok, I guess I can forgive myself for missing the earlier part of their career (I was an infant) but how did I miss them during my angst-ridden, psuedo-gothic teen years?! How?! See? I'm still angry about it...

2) Julian Cope. As eccentric and sensitive as he is brilliant. For the life of me, I have no idea why I only have one of his solo cds -- and it's just a compilation, at that. This needs to be remedied! I adore my The Teardrop Explodes cds, but I really need to start at the bottom of this discography guide and work my way up... holy prolific-ness!!!

And now for the really new stuff (i.e. not from 30 years ago):

3) I scoured my latest issue of BUST magazine and I came up with this new band: Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers. A kind of unsavory name, but perhaps they just like to do latch-hooking...? It's possible... Anyway, with the lead singer being compared to the likes of Debbie Harry and Chryssie Hynde, how can I go wrong? I have definitely got to check this band out... BUST also gave a glowing recommendation for another band called Violens, comparing them to just about all of my very favorite things (60's psychadelic pop, Morrissey, Brian Ferry...) I'm chomping at the bit to check these bands out. Oh! And I just signed up for a free Violens mixed tape here. Can't wait to give that a listen!

4) La Roux. I really, really can't help myself here. So catchy. So much fun. 100% infectious deliciousness. This would be great for the gym. Oh wait, when was the last time I actually went to the gym...? Well, maybe this will give me some motivation..?

5) I'm also really interested in checking out more from Charlotte Gainsbourg. I loved her in The Science of Sleep and I caught a video of hers on the sadly now-defunct New York Noise a few of months back and was very intrigued...

So there you have it! I'm kind of really excited to buy new music now. Ohhhh! Now I don't want to wait for my stupid itunes...

xoxo
Johanna

gorgeous photo of Charlotte Gainsbourg sitting atop a piano found courtesy of Google Images and credited to here

2010-11-25T13:28:00.003-05:00

Happy Tofurkey Day!!!

adorable photo above found in awesome Tofurkey review post at the Akron Ohio Moms blog

We're Getting a Tree!!!

2010-11-22T23:45:00.007-05:00

No, not for Christmas. For our house!!! From the Department of Public Works of Jersey City!

Long story short, my husband Brad called me as soon as he heard that the city was offering to plant trees in front of homes for almost nothing. But there were only 100 trees being offered and we had already missed the deadline. So Brad took a chance and called them and was told they still had 4 trees left, but they were going fast! And they weren't promising trees to anyone without a check-in-hand.

Since it was my last day of freedom (the day before my freelance job started,) I hightailed it, over the river and through the woods (ok, more like across and down 440,) to the Department of Public Works/Division of Parks and Forestry and handed over my check to them in person. Just in time to get THE VERY LAST TREE. And one day we woke up and found this outside of our house:

X Marks the Spot!!!! I told them I didn't even care what kind of tree they gave us -- I just want one!!! I can't wait, I can't wait!!!

Music Scrooge; Episode #1

2010-11-22T23:16:00.012-05:00

I was looking for music to add to my holiday wish list, and after tinkering around on the internet, in the hopes of finding new and exciting things to add, I got frustrated and lazy and suggested different denominations in itunes credits instead.

I started to wonder, if I actually got itunes credits for Christmas, how would I spend them? Buying digital versions of all of the music I already have on vinyl and cassette that I can't listen to anymore? All of my Pete Shelley. Maybe some Camper Van Beethoven. Midnight Oil. The La's. Duran Duran. Kraftwerk! Egads, how could I forget my Kraftwerk?!!!

I thought instead about asking for a gift certificate to this fantastic, old school record shop in NYC called Other Music, but after having spent AN ENTIRE DAY alphabetizing my husband's CD collection (that was my offer to him in exchange for allowing me to add my CDs to his collection so I could get them out of my studio and free up a little space in there) I realized that we really don't need any more CDs. We really don't need any more CDs.

So I'm making a deal with myself. If I get some itunes credits for the holiday season, I promise to spend them wisely. I *will* buy new music. I *will not* just buy more of the same old stuff.

To be fair, though, I should probably come clean and tell you that I'm probably still going to break down and purchase that used-but-still-functioning mini stereo system from the thrift shop down the road and put it in the basement with our currently defunct cassette tape collection; a threat my husband has already heard 5 times too many. And btw, it will have a turntable on top with a duel cassette deck below. And I will geek/spazz out uncontrollably when I get it. Sorry neighbors.

awesome photo courtesy of the Not Worth Mentioning blog

Dexter

2010-11-22T22:35:00.007-05:00

Almost three years ago, we added a new member to our little family of 3. There was just me, my husband Brad, and a licorice-colored kitty named Poe... and then along came Dexter. Much to Poe's chagrin.

Looking back at these photos from Dexter's original posting on Petfinder.com, I can't believe what a different dog he is now from the one we brought home in December of 2007. This is our happy boy now:

From 8 lbs to 14 lbs. From no toys at all to a whole toybox full! And he deserves every last one of them...

Wish? Did somebody say wish?

2010-11-17T21:56:00.004-05:00

RE: The Pee-wee Herman Show, I SAW it!!! I really saw it! Sorry it took me so long to find the time to tell you guys all about it, but here it is; my completely honest, totally star struck review of The Pee-wee Herman Show:

I loved it so much, I wanted to marry it. Seriously. The curtains went up and the spotlights slowly lit up the stage. It was Pee-wee's Playhouse and it was right there in front of me. I actually wept.

If you were a fan of the TV show, this is a MUST SEE. It was so clever, so much fun and so well executed. Pee-wee looks amazing as do Miss Yvonne (still the most beautiful woman in all of Puppetland) and Jambi -- both of which were also portrayed by the very same actors from the original TV show. Loads of other unforgettable characters were also there, but I don't want to give anything else away!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my amazing husband, Brad for this amazing birthday surprise -- possibly the best birthday present I've ever received (well, it might tie with a few of the other birthday presents he's given me... what can I say, the man knows how to spoil a lady!!!) And a special thanks to Paul Reubens himself for proving wrong those who had counted him out years ago and for making sweet Playhouse music once again.

It's running through January 2nd, so... get your tickets already!!! And here's a little something to tide you over/whet your appetite: