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.