Happy Holidays!

I will be in London for the Holidays until January 2nd.  I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday season and a joyful New Year.  

Art Fire

I recently joined another market place to sell my jewelry called Art Fire.  It features handmade products produced by artisans around the world.  I love all of the support and venues that are available online for handmade artists.  The more exposure the better!   Check out the site and get a little Holiday shopping done. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  I posted this picture because I'm taking a break from cooking two different pies. One pumpkin and one apple if you were wondering.  In the middle of all the turmoil and economic crisis in the world, it feels more important than every to gather together with our family and friends.  I wish you all a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.  Eat, drink and be grateful!

KIVA

Thanksgiving is the time to reflect and be grateful for all of the positive people and things in your life.  I'm grateful that I have a small business that allows me to do what I love.  I've been reading about micro-lending organizations that match entrepreneurs in the developing world with individual lenders. These loans provide the means to expand existing businesses, create economic independence and empower individuals, families and their communities.  I'm very happy to be a part of this important organization and to help people reach their business goals.

To find out more about Kiva, log on to http://www.kiva.org.  

New York Inspiration

I'm back from NYC, which always gives me a rush.  One of my favorite stops for inspiration is the Museum of Arts and Design.  This was my first chance to go to their beautiful new location at 2 Columbus Circle.  It's really a beautiful new building.  There were two exhibits that I absolutely loved.  The first was Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary.  This fascinating exhibit features work by 50 international artists.  Each collection of work evolves from ordinary and everyday objects originally created for another purpose.  My favorite installation was by Paul Villinski, My Back Pages, 2006-2008.  Green, repurposed, wonderful art!  This exhibition is running until February 15, 2009.

The second exhibition was very exciting to see, Elegant Armor: The Art of Jewelry.  I had to stop myself from getting too excited when I saw some of my favorite jewelry works in person. This is a collection of contemporary art jewelry from the 1940's to the present.  This wonderful jewelry collection will be on display until May 31, 2009.  Very inspiring.  If you're heading to NYC in the next few months, I recommend stopping by this great museum.

Big Apple

I will be in New York City until November 16th.  Off for business, inspiration and pleasure.  

1000 Markets

As I've been sharing with you, I'm continually looking for new marketing venues.  I joined up with 1000 Markets recently and was happy to see three of my pieces featured on the website at the same time.  The "Textured Ring", "Modern Flower Necklace" and "Teardrop Earrings" were shown in the Unique Gift market section.  This is a fairly new website featuring a lot of very talented creative people.  Definitely visit the site, you may find a few holiday gifts.  http://www.1000markets.com

A New Day

We all experienced a historic moment last night.  One that will be talked about for generations to come.  It brought everyone together and I could feel the collective spirit of change in the air. I have never witness this type of excitement and electricity during any election in my lifetime.  I hope this will move our country in a new direction.  A direction for everyone to work together for a better America and world.  It feels like the beginning of a transformation, that can bridge the gap between generations and cultures.  We have many problems and a long road ahead to fix our massive problems.  But forever being the "optimist", I feel a change for the better will happen.  To quote lyrics from a song I love "it's a new dawn, it's a new day".

Today's the Day!

Featured as a "Chic Boutique" on SmashingDarling.com

I just discovered that I was featured on the front page of SmashingDarling.com.  I 'm now included as a "Chic Boutique" on the website. Smashing Darling provides a great avenue for indie designers to connect with shoppers.  Thank you for adding me!  Take a look at the site:

http://www.smashingdarling.com.

Citrine - the "Success Stone"

Citrine is the birthstone for the month of November and the zodiac sign of Virgo.  Derived from the French word citron meaning "lemon", it is a member of the quartz family.  It's also know as gold topaz, Spanish topaz or Madeira.  It's been said that it's a good stone for clearing your aura. Here are a few other ways it's been said citrine can help you:

• Attract success, abundance and prosperity
• Activate your intuition and increase stamina
• Stimulate your solar plexas and third eye chakras
• Help with allergies, poor blood circulation and digestion
  

That all sounds good to me.  I've added this new necklace to my Etsy store to celebrate this wonderful stone.  

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of the world's oldest holidays, celebrated around the globe. Are you staying home watching horror movies, trick or treating with your little ghouls and devils, or going to a party dressed as a baked potato (don't ask)? Whatever you're doing tonight, have a fun and safe Halloween!

IndieParade Blog

                                                              

My "Bubble" earrings are on the front page of the IndieParade Blog.  This is the second time I have had an item placed on the front page.  I love all of the new marketing and advertising venues I've been trying.  It takes time, but it's well worth it.  Take a look:  http://www.indieparade.com/.

Featured Today on TalentDatabase.com

I just found out that I have been added as a featured listings on the main page of the Fashion Portal channel on TalentDatabase.  This is a wonderful website that is a global database providing great exposure for creative talent.  Look for my Modern Flower necklace picture in the Featured Listings area and click on it to go directly to my portfolio page:  

http://www.talentdatabase.com/channels/8-Fashion

An Early Reminder

Only 14 days left!  Just an early reminder.

1000 Markets - New Selling Venue

I've been looking for new outlets to market and sell my jewelry.  I recently discovered a new site called 1000 Markets.  It is a community of  marketplaces that bring artisans together with buyers.  It's still in "sneak previews", but with it's bright modern layout I'm sure it will be a successful site.  Take a look at http://1000markets.com.  

Something New

I've been working on a few new ring designs.  Here's a preview of one of the new sterling silver ring collections that will be on my website in a few weeks.  These sterling silver rings are oxidized, then brushed to give a smooth matte finish.  There are other fun symbols coming.  

A Simple Flower

Global economic crisis, war, global warming, California wildfires, tropical storms.  The "sky is falling" list goes on and on.  So why the daisy?   I put it up as a reminder to stop and take a breath from all of this doom and gloom.  There are still many good things in the world.  Take a moment to be grateful for your friends and loved ones.  Let them know everyday how much you appreciate having them in your life.  Take a moment to walk in nature, enjoy the simplicity.  Take a moment to just be still, you may discover something new.  

What Is That and What Do You Do With It?

I decided to periodically share with you some of the tools and equipment I use.  This is one of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use everyday.  It's the mighty flex shaft.  It's one of those multi-use pieces of equipment.  It can drill, polish, cut metal, hammer, make a sandwich...

A Sign of Peace

There are days I go into my studio, tinker around and end up making something for myself. With all of the turmoil in the news, we all could use a little peace of mind.  So I made a peace sign necklace.  Peace starts from within.  

"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Welcome To My Madness

I spent most of the day sitting at my bench working.  I thought I'd share my "madness" with you.   This is where everything comes to life.  I'm working on a new collection right now that I'll be sharing with you soon.  As you can see from looking at my bench, I'm a little bit of a tool junkie.  I'll be sharing my tools with you periodically.  

Book Cover

I was wandering through a bookstore with my daughter this weekend, when she spotted the book "1000 Bags, Tags & Labels - Distinctive Designs for Every Industry" buy Kiki Eldridge.  The book features my "bags, tags & labels" on the front cover.  I worked with Maureen Erbe of Erbe Design and Pam Esposito in creating the designs.  

Indie Parade - A cool shopping blog

I'm always looking for new marketing ideas and submitted a few photos to a wonderful shopping blog site called Indie Parade.  I was excited to see my "Sterling Silver Flower Necklace" featured on the front page today. It's a fun site filled with many talented designers.  Check it out at www.indieparade.com

Finally!

I've been putting this off for way too long, but my blog is finally here.  It will be my place to share new designs, show my studio madness, muse about life and keep you updated about Lisa W.  I hope you enjoy the journey!