{origami birds}

its been a crazy busy week, preparing for sunday's show in greensboro and moving into my brand new {much bigger} studio. i love the new space so much that i don't want to leave at the end of the day. i've never had this much workspace before and best of all i got to paint,decorate and make it completely my own. i can only imagine how much more productive i'm going to be once i get settled in. we are planning a big grand opening bash on first friday, but until then here is a photo tour.

i even painted my bench to match

new soldering table {loves}

display wall {work in progress}

::you can find me here most weekdays or by appointment::

14 Glenwood Ave

Studio #24

Raleigh, NC 27603

{nomination news}

enamel stud earrings

last week i was excited to find out that i am a nominee for Best Craftsperson by Durham Magazine.  follow this link to cast your vote.  voting ends on 3.15.  winners will be announced in the June issue.

settling in

we moved into our new studio space this past week and i am slowly getting settled in. we're still in The Carter Building but we moved to the second floor {14 Glenwood Ave, Suite 18-A}. its MUCH smaller than our old space {kiona says its "cozy"} i can't remember where any of my tools now reside, and when the AC is on its freezing up there! {yes, i know i spent all summer complaining about how hot it was in the old space} its always a bit of an adjustment when you move workspaces but, once i get used to the setup i think its going to be more efficient than my previous set up. i've got a window by my bench that i can open for ventilation {and people watch from, when i'm bored}, i have lots of wall space which i LOVE, more room to keep my finished work on display. i've met most of the artists on the hall and everyone is really friendly and welcoming and i get to look at {these} in the hallway everyday.  i got everything unpacked and setup with relative ease, caught up on my Etsy orders and even managed to open the studio for First Friday.  well, its off to bed, i've got an early morning tomorrow and a busy week ahead of me, preparing for the Cooke St Carnival on the 16th, finishing a custom order and restocking Stitch with new work.

june news

i can't believe june is almost over! this year is really flying by at an alarming speed and summer is in full swing. so far june has been a hot one, and tomorrow it might make it to 100 degrees. yikes! i think 100 is too hot to even go to the pool. our air conditioning has been on the fritz, but the ac guy was back out here today and i'm keeping my fingers crossed that its finally back up and running at 100%.

in other news, i heard back from the fire marshal's office and was able to get my "big" torch set up in the new studio. i'm so excited to break it out again and can't wait to start soldering with her.
i finally finished my wholesale linesheet thanks to Trunkt. if you haven't checked out the new Trunkt, you should. they recently revamped the site to a wholesale focus and are a great online host for linesheets. they have made several big improvements to the site and are in the process of adding even more features. i think its going to make it easier to manage the wholesale side of my business, which i am prone to neglecting. i made a few new designs yesterday, organic two tone hoops in oxidized brass and copper. i plan to debut these this weekend at the Greensprings Summer Arts Jam in greenville, nc. if you are in the greenville area you should stop by, its going to be a fun family event with music and art. i'll be there saturday, june 26, selling my jewelry and making beaded bracelets with the kids from 11 am until...
then next week its nose to the grindstone as i prepare for asheville and The
Big Crafty.

studio tour

wow, it has been one crazy week, and its not over yet. last saturday was The Handmade Market, which was amazing as always. unfortunately, i don't have any pictures. we got new phones on sunday and i forgot to transfer the photos before wiping the memory.

on monday i finished moving into my new studio space at Found Studios. there was a minor setback in the form of a car accident on the way there, but lucky for me, the majority of the impact was absorbed by the guy behind us and my workbenches made it to their new home in one piece. fortunately no one was seriously injured, though i can not say the same for the vehicles.
i spent the rest of the week settling into my new space and preparing for this weekends shows. Found Studio's is open to the public and i will be available by chance or appointment. we are located at 16 glenwood ave, downtown raleigh, nc (look for the bright pink door). we will be open tomorrow evening for First Friday tomorrow from 6 until 9, stop by and check out my new (and still clean) area, some new designs and browse my talented studio mates amazing work.

if you can't make it tomorrow, you can catch up with me on saturday at Designer's Downtown Market. it looks like its going to be a bit cooler and that the rain is going to hold off until late in the afternoon.
then on sunday... i am catching up on much missed sleep.

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.