Spring Inspritation

Feeling inspired by this spring flower draping featured over at Hus & Hem. Now I'm just waiting for the warmer weather to accompany to inspiration!

The Birds and the Bees

Birds and Bees have been staples in my jewelry line since the start, and each spring I like to put a new spin the theme. This new earring and necklace set are some of the latest new pieces I've been working on and are newly available in the shop. They'd be the perfect update to any Spring wardrobe.

Just click the photos to see more photos and here's wishing for an early warming of the weather with the spring season starting today.

A new camera makes a difference!

So I splurged a little and decided to invest in a nicer camera than my trusty digital point and shoot. While it's gotten me this far, I really felt I was ready to take my jewelry photos to the next level. So in my own little self serving way to stimulate the economy, I went with the Canon Rebel XSI. I couldn't be happier at the moment while I'm learning the ins and outs of my very first SLR camera.

Check out the fruits of my recent shooting labor below:

I'm loving the revamped look of my jewelry with the help of a macro lens, I think it just adds that needed touch of professionalism I couldn't quite achieve before. It's still a learning process and I have a way to go, but am super happy with the purchase thus far. Just click on any of the photos above to view more shots of each piece!

P.S. If you're interested in upgrading your own camera (or anything for that matter), check out this great shopping comparison site, pricegrabber. After hearing about this site, I saved over $200 on the camera just by buying it on Amazon vs. a big retail store.

No joke.

Loft Crush

I've always admired the work and space of Shauna Alterio and Stephen Loidolt of SomethingsHidingInHere on Etsy. The video team at Etsy recently visited their loft in Philidelphia and you can view the shoot above or check out the article with more info about this clever couple here. I've always dreamed of living in an open light filled space one day where creativity can take center stage.

Very inspiring!

Rosie O'Donnell on Etsy

Today Rosie O'Donnell hosted a "Shop Live" event in Etsy's Virtual Labs. Basically, she chatted in real time with hundreds of Etsians on a live web cam stream from her craft room in her home. She was hilarious and so personable. She's evidently a huge fan of Etsy and shops on the site daily. She's been plugging Etsy in the greater media lately and was showing off several of the items she's purchased in the workshop today. I got to hide behind the scenes and help make things run smoothly...definitely an experience to remember.

You can read more about the event and her charity in this Etsy blog article. She seemed to have a great time and said she wanted to come back to host more workshops on Etsy in the future!

Sleeping Bear and Chilhood Laughs

I'm always finding clever things over at swissmiss. Check out this hilarious Sleeping Bear Sleeping Bag by artist Eiko Ishizawa. It completely cracks me up. This is the type of thing my Dad would have totally dressed up in and done some crazy "bear dance" in front of all my friends at a sleepover party if they'd been around back then...even though it has no legs. Those of you that know my Dad know exactly what I'm talking about...let's thank goodness they weren't.

P.S. I love you Dad!

N.E.E.T Feature: Quit Your Day Job

Great news, the March issue of N.E.E.T magazine was just published and features yours truly as a contributing editor. So exciting. You can see on the cover in the photo above, the "Quit Your Day Job" feature - that's mine! They approached me after reading one of the Etsy series I write for Etsy's blog, Quit Your Day Job. I was happy to share the stories and am equally pumped about my first appearance in a magazine publication as a contributing editor. You can find the 8 page spread captured in screen shots below.

Thanks so much to N.E.E.T for having me on as a contributing editor this month! I hope you'll hop on over to read the feature and check out the rest of the magazine if you aren't a reader already...you may just get hooked.

xoxo