ring in the new year

new rings
Originally uploaded by [metamorphosis]

this week marks the start of a new year and a new decade. which means that once again its time for new years resolutions. i have quite a few resolutions this year:
1. keep up with my bookkeeping monthly (instead of throwing all my paperwork and receipts into file folders and putting it off until the end of the year- scary!)
2. list at least one new design on etsy each week.
3. start a mailing list
4. build a larger backstock of supplies and components
5. keep my desk and work bench clean (this one probably won't happen but i give it an attempt each year)
6. make a schedule each week and stick to it
7. take some small business workshops at the local community college
8. update my blog and website more often
9. put my work in a few new stores.
#2 is the first one i plan to tackle, so be on the lookout for lots of new styles arriving in my etsy store over the next few weeks. here is a sneak peak of a few new ring designs.

holiday hoopla

well, the 2009 holiday season is in full swing and as busy as ever. this past weekend i participated in {holiday hoopla} hosted by {circa gallery}, one of my amazing stockists, in asheboro, nc. i went up a little early and turned the trip into a much needed mini getaway.
if you've never been to asheboro, i highly recommend making the drive and spending the day or the weekend. in addition to the nc zoo, which makes for an amazing day trip, there are several great antique stores and other fun shops in the downtown area. i loved the antique mall. its huge (don't forget the upstairs) and the staff is super friendly. i stocked up on supplies for some new designs as well as picking up some amazing christmas gifts for friends and family. i've already made plans to go back in the new year when i have more time to spend searching for treasures.
i made the trek to seagrove, which is just a few miles away, and is a major hub of traditional and contemporary potters. i have been wanting to make it up there for some time and this trip was the perfect opportunity to do so. the area has a long tradition of pottery making that began over 200 years ago. there are two small museums the exhibit regional work, historical pieces, and educational exhibits. you can just pick up a map at the nc pottery center and spend the day visiting your favorite potters studios. while i was out, i stopped at the pisgah covered bridge. it was cold so i didn't stay long but if the weather is nice this would be a great place to stop for a picnic or a hike along the walking trails.friday night was {christmas on sunset} in downtown asheboro, so i went down to check it out and to scout out the area for the following day (my sense of direction is not very good at 6:30 in the morning). it was a fun event and put me in a festive mood, there were carolers, horse pulled wagon rides, cider & gingerbread stands, and of course santa was there. it was a quite cold so i went back to the hotel to relax in the hot tub and attempt to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
after a fun and relaxing day it was time to get to work. saturday was a cold and we were outside, so everyone was bundled, gathered around the heaters and drinking tons of coffee, cocoa, & cider to stay warm. there were some great vendors and i was able to finish the last of my christmas shopping. some of my favorites were paintings and collage by {cori cagle}, jewelry by {bSIDES metal}, ceramic tile panels by {jessica capps} and pottery by {michael kim burroughs}. thanks to amy and mandy at {circa gallery} for all their hard work putting the show together. make sure you stop by and visit their lovely shop if you're in the area.
this week i'm getting ready for the {rock & shop} on december 19, at all saints chapel in downtown raleigh. come out and finish your holiday shopping, enjoy live performances by {schooner}, {starmount} and {dj melissa york}, and grab lunch or a beer which will be provided by {only burger} and {aviator brewing co.} if you can't make it out there is still time to catch {brand fandango} at {design box} until it closes on the 23rd and to grab a coffee or bakery treat from {shot box}.

button love

i made a trip to the flea market and my favorite local antique store over the weekend. i picked up five mason jars (among other things) which are now housing various collections around the house. while reorganizing my button collection i came across this beautiful faceted, clear glass button and was inspired to make this ring. its quite different than my normal style and provided a nice challenge and change of pace. i'm very happy with how it turned out, and am quite tempted to keep it for myself, however i had the forethought to know this would happen and went ahead and made it one size too big. since the rain finally decided to move on and the sun made an appearance today, i was able take some pictures and get it listed on etsy.

november news

:: so far november is shaping up to be quite a busy month. yesterday was The Handmade Market which is always a fun but exhausting day. i was lucky enough to have two helpers this time which allowed me to walk around, enjoy the market and to do a bit of shopping. i got this amazing print, "Tengu" from Jamie Zollars which is going to hang beside the reading chair in our bedroom as soon as i get a frame for it.below is a picture of my booth and a montage of shoppers (i appologized for the poor quality of the photos, as usual, in the mad rush to get everything packed i forgot my camera and had to resort to using my phone)

:: be sure to come out tuesday evening for Handmade on the Hill. get a start on your holiday shopping or a treat for yourself and help support a great cause, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC. Shoppers are asked to bring a non-perishable donation for the Food Bank or to make a monetary donation and each vendor is donating a portion of their sales. The show runs from 6:30 until 8:00 and each guest will receive a glass of wine compliments of the West End Wine Bar.

:: in other news i have a few pieces in Garth Johnson's new book, 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse which is out this month. i already got my copy and its beautiful and filled with tons of inspiring pieces. i am numbers 330, 378, 379, & 385, you can check them out below.

happy halloween

just a few more hours and its officially halloween... my very favorite holiday. unfortunately we don't have any exciting plans this year because jackey has to work. i think i will stay in, hand out candy, watch a scary movie or two (any suggestions?) and enjoy the last of my roasted pumpkin seeds.
we picked out our pumpkin the other day and i couldn't wait to carve it and to roast the seeds (most of which are already gone). i found so many delicious sounding recipes for roasted pumpkin seeds that it was difficult to settle on just one. in the end i choose simple and basic: coat seeds with 2 tbls of melted butter, add a little salt and some garlic. spread on a cookie sheet and roast at 300 deg F for 20-25 min.
this years pumpkin carving was based on "the scream" by edvard munch.

Rock & Shop Vintage Market this Saturday!

The Rock & Shop Vintage Market is almost here and I'm so excited! The Rock & Shop is one of my favorite local shows to do and this one will be so much fun because it has a vintage twist. There will be around 50 vendors selling vintage goods or handmade goodies from repurposed materials and vintage embellishments. The show is held in Durham and will take place from 1-5 in the Cotton Room at Golden Belt. In addition to great shopping there will be live music from local bands Lonnie Walker and Mount Weather as well as a fashion show featuring local clothing and accessory designers. Its sure to be a fun and action filled day. Hope to see you there.

yum... sushi

i love, love, love sushi! especially spicy octopus rolls, and volcano rolls, and philly rolls, and tako sashimi... the list goes on and on. i would probably eat it everyday if i could. with so many varieties to choose from i think its highly probable that one could eat sushi every day and never tire of it. so, as often happens, my mind began to wander tonight, and i soon found myself daydreaming about sushi. since its too late to fulfill my craving (reason no. 1 that first thing i will do when i become rich and famous is hire a full time sushi chef) i decided to do a quick search and see what turned up on Etsy.
i am lusting after... Ladybird and Rooster Sushi Plates by heartlayla. so beautiful.
receiving a note on Sushi Splash letterhead by wevegotpaper will surely brighten anyone's day.
this Nigri Bracelet by Carolyn Tillie is amazing.
Tuna Sushi Panel by thisartlife painted on old a collage of old sewing patterns.
Felt Veggie Rolls by feltedchicken. how fun!
knit your own sushi with this pattern from NeedleNoodles. if knitting is not your thing, buy the finished Amigurumi Sushi Set in her store.
bath time is fun with Ikura Sushi vegan soap from DirtyAssSoaps

my adventure at lazy daze

yesterday, i participated in the 33rd annual lazy daze in cary, nc. i've never attended the show before, as a vendor or a shopper, but plan to make it an annual tradition from now on. they had rotating musical performances throughout the day, pirate sword fighting (which, in my opinion, makes any event worth attending), a great selection of arts and crafts, and of course funnel cakes. i did not get see as much of the show as i would have liked to since i was there to work, but i was very impressed by the vendors that were in my immediate area, and i got two amazing necklaces from katie sasser, a jeweler, who was visiting from tennessee. the event was very well organized, i was most impressed by the ease of the setting up and breaking down processes, and they were able to keep all 300+ of us artists in line, a daunting task to say the least.


we had an early start in the morning, arriving to set up at the ungodly hour of 6:00 am, meaning i had to wake up at 5:00 (an hour that i'm convinced should rarely be seen, and then only on your way to bed from the night before, and absolutely never as the start of your day). as i stated earlier, the set up process went smoothly, the only setback my brains refusal to cooperate at such an early hour, resulting in the inability to accurately read a map.

despite ominous weather forecasts the morning started off beautifully. a little muggy, but not too hot and bright and sunny. around lunch time the dark clouds began rolling in and then the rains came. there was a quick downpour in which we frantically tried to get the tent walls hung up, and harbored several soaked shoppers under our tent. since we have never had to use the tent walls before, this process did not go as smoothly as one would have hoped, but we eventually got everything line up even managed to get most everything off the ground before the river of water started rushing though the the back section of the tent. that was the most chaotic part of the day, but things quickly calmed down. it was still showers off and on the rest of the afternoon but traffic remained fairly steady.


we had a great time, met some great people, bought some great items, and then... 12 hours after it all began, still a bit damp and quite exhausted, we were packed and ready to head home for the comfort of home and a nice long nap.

updated!!!

after several weeks and a lot of trial and error, my website update is finally complete. as always it was a learning experience and once again reaffirmed my need to take a few classes to refresh my html/ dreamweaver knowledge. i think those are definitely going to be on my agenda for 2010. meanwhile, i'm happy with the way the site turned out, photographs and information have been updated and all my current collections are featured, including my new "relic" collection. relic is a new direction i'm trying, the designs are aimed at men but are also appropriate for women who enjoy bolder more industrial pieces. please check out the site and let me know what you think, and especially let me know if you find any typos. :)

old work ... new photos

the weather finally cooperated and i was able to get some new photos taken of a couple of my feather pieces.

new for the Rock & Shop

horray, The Rock & Shop is tomorrow! and i've been working hard to get ready. maybe even a bit too hard, as i've gone overboard in making pieces for the show and am not sure there will be enough space to display all of them. opps! however, that means there will be tons of new designs for you to check out, and of course all the old favorites will be there too. some of the higlights, found object necklaces (courtesy of all my great antique store finds last week), vintage flower and hardware earrings, and after much procrastination, i've added some new enamels to my collection. i am especially excited to debut my new Crater Ring collection.
if you've never been to the Rock & Shop before be sure to get down to Tir Na Nog between 1 and 5 tomorrow, grab a drink, listen to some great music, do a little shopping (or better yet, a lot of shopping). if you have been then you know you don't want to miss out.

treausre hunt

The Rock & Shop market is less than two weeks away, and i have a lot to do before then in order to be prepared. i was feeling a bit burned out, so i decided to step out of the studio this afternoon and make a quick trip to the antique store and see what new treasures they had in stock. i found tons of great supplies; old keys and estruscans, vintage medals, cuff links, buttons and sequins, a pair of tiny dice, and a great old mason jar, among others. first thing i did when i got home was dump everything out on the table for inspiration, and i couldn't resist snapping a few photos. i have so many ideas for new designs now and i can't wait to start creating with my new finds. be sure to stop by Tir Na Nog for The Rock & Shop on June 20th to see the results in person.

buttoned up

i have a bit of an obsession with vintage buttons, and am constantly scouring antique stores, flea markets and yard sales searching for new additions to my collection. i justify this obsession because i use them in my jewelry designs, but that is not my real motivation. in fact i would be content to just sit for hours (and i often do) just looking at and sorting said buttons, thinking about their past owners and what their lives may have been like.
vintage buttons are not just lovely to look at, but they have a deeply personal quality. who were the people who owned these buttons? what was their life like? what memories do these tiny bits of glass, shell, and metal hold? weddings, first dates, funerals, a new dress for easter, grandmother's sewing room. each one is like a single word, a fragment of a history, part of a story. a glass jar containing shards of memories, not quite lost.

a quick search on Etsy led me to some beautiful designs made with vintage buttons.

1. clover ring: IdleHandsDesigns 2. back side of clover ring: IdleHandsDesigns 3. buttons on wire: lorelei1141 4. earrings with 3 buttons: QuenchMetalWorks 5. lattice bracelet: PreciousMeshes 6. mirror flower charm: CleverEndeavor 7. midnight flower necklace: KiraFerrer 8. cuff with vintage buttons: NinaGibsonDesigns 9. calico button ring: PetalMetal

grand opening [metamorph supplies]

i am moving all of my handmade supplies from my metamorph Etsy shope next door to metamorphSupplies. i have expanded my line of supplies and felt that my original shop was starting to feel a bit crowded. the move will take place gradually over the next few weeks. during that time supplies will be available in both locations, and i am more than happy to combine shipping costs. keep and eye on the new store for new styles of links and earwires, and for larger quantities of old favorites.

seed pods

seed pods come in so many amazing shapes and intriguing shapes. my favorite are chinese lantern pods, i have some hanging in my studio for inspiration. this weeks finds are all inspired by various kinds of pods. all available on Etsy.

1. ArtGarden 2. lulubugjewelry 3. lindayeargintaylor 4. TiffanyTeske 5. aliherrmann 6. tamara

- - - stitched - - -

while browsing through the pages of Etsy, i discovered several sellers who are combining traditional sewing techniques, like embroidery, smocking, and cross stitch, with metal design and jewelry techniques. the results are modern, fresh and beautiful. i love the fact that these sellers are preserving tradition while at the same time updating the techniques and making them their own.

- - -a few of my favorites- - -

1. nectar 2. nina gibson designs 3. asymmetery 4. tinctory 5. neawear