Finding Balance

A little bit of good, a little bit of not so good. While this year has been off to a great start, there has been the constant reminder to slow down and take care of myself in the form of chronic lower back pain. I know that back pain is something a lot of people (maybe most people?) will eventually deal with in their life, but man, I didn't realize how debilitating it can be. So, there were a couple of days spent taking it easy with my cats and a stack of good books last week. Not too bad, right? Oh, and the season premier of Downton Abbey made it a bit easier too. 

This week I'm feeling a lot better. I'm stretching and walking daily and just trying to not fall into the trap of babying my back and then it stiffening up and the pain ultimately becoming worse. Yesterday I took myself to Marquee Salon in Oakland and got my hair trimmed and some blond ("painterly") highlights added mainly to the top (my hair tends toward blond naturally, except my roots are always much darker). Up until yesterday I had not had a professional hair cut/dye in over 6 years! I have to say, it felt good to splurge on myself and I left feeling kind of rad (k, blushing a bit when I admit that!) 

I feel like this week is when the gears are really cranking with Tangleweeds. I'm starting the very beginning prototypes for the men's collection and I'm prepping for the Treasure Island Flea (one of two events I'll be vending at this month). AND, you can bet I'm thinking lots about my spring/summer collection. It's all too easy for me to just wanna go full steam ahead and worry about the business of taking care of myself when the work is all done (and when is that exactly anyways?). I guess, in a round-about way, I'm saying that this week is an exercise in balance for me: steady goes it, take care of myself, work on the new ideas I'm passionate about, time is one my side. 

Here's to finding your own balance!

Listening, Wearing, Making in the New Year

It's been back to the studio this week, back to making jewelry, and LOADS of paperwork. I swear this year I'm not gonna fall behind on my paperwork. (I think I say that every year tho!) As I plough through inventory updates, receipts, and spreadsheets, I've been listening to a lot of. . . 

Over the holidays I indulged a bit and bought several new handmade pieces from other jewelry artists. I love to collect other jewelers' work, especially because I make my own. Makes me appreciate the process and talent of these fellow artisans! In the photo collage below I'm wearing a necklace made by a friend (who wants to start her own jewelry line), Tangleweeds earrings, and stacking rings by Siri Hansdotter. It's a lovely, intentional way of adornment in the morning when I get to comb through my collection of handmade treasures. 

Besides all of that paper work I already mentioned, it's been time to get the Tangleweeds coffers fully stocked for some January events. These quartz crystals will get strung on delicate chain for more of my Travel necklaces. These particular ones were wrapped by my lovely assistant, Zoe. I think she did a pretty great job!

I hope 2014 is starting out wonderfully for all of you! There's good energy brewing over here with Tangleweeds. Lots more new stuff to come!

Winter Vacation

Just a few snapshots from the winter break I took after the crazy-ness of the holidays had subsided. Jeff and I had some quality time together hanging out at Lake Merritt, hiking along the Hayward shoreline and cooking yummy dinners together. I'm brimming over with new ideas for Tangleweeds now and can't wait to bring them all to fruition this year, all with a healthy dose of mindfulness along the way. 

Happy Almost New Year

I hope that everyone has had a delightful holiday season so far! It was wonderful and exhausting all at once for me. It went by in a whirlwind! I am grateful to have only one really pressing issue at hand now: what to wear for New Year's Eve. =) 

There's lots of great new stuff in store for Tangleweeds in 2014 too. I hope all of you wonderful supporters of my small handful business will continue to follow along here on this journey of mine. 

In the meantime, happy almost new year to one and all!

Cyber Monday Sale

It has been a bit topsy-turvy since getting back from San Diego to see Jeff's family for the Thanksgiving day weekend. I've come down with a cold and now my car needs to go to the shop. Ahhh! I say this because it's why I'm a bit late getting this sale announcement to all of you. Head on over to Tangleweeds on Etsy for your gift shopping fun! I'll be drinking lots of tea today and getting organized for the busy-goodness of December!

How we get by. . .

(and another edition of Listening Wearing Making)

So, last weekend was the West Coast Craft fair. What an event it was! I met some great folks, splurged and bought myself a lovely necklace from Pilgrimage (Jess Feury), and sold lots of great Tangleweeds pieces. It really was the best possible way to launch the holiday craft fair season!

(Listening to: Lavendar Diamond's album, Incorruptible Heart. When this song, Light the Way, comes on, it usually leads to a 3-minute dance break at my studio. )

While getting ready for this fair (on Thursday, just two days before the fair, one day before load-in) my car was stolen from outside of my studio. (I have since gotten it back!) It was terrible timing, but there never really is good timing with something like this. Not only did I have to deal with the logistics of dealing with a stolen car, but I also had to navigate and coordinate the details of getting all of my stuff to the fair three days in a row, car-less. 

(Wearing: my crescent moon necklace, nearly everyday. It's sort of been acting as a talisman of sorts to this crazy season.)

The thing about when crappy stuff happens is it gives life a chance to remind you how amazing and wonderful many of the people around you are. My friends and family came to the rescue, and between a coordinated effort of musical cars I was able to manage all of the requirements made of Tangleweeds when there's a craft fair to show up and be present at! 

(Making: lots of crescent moon earrings! These are always so popular at my fairs, so you can bet I'll have more of these at Patchwork this next weekend.)

So, overall I'm feeling incredibly lucky. Lucky because I got my car back, but also lucky to have such wonderful folks in my life. I feel like even if I didn't get my car back I would have found a way through it until I came up with the funds to get a new car. This season is really gonna be busy, there's so much great stuff going on, and sometimes it's gonna feel like I can't pull it all off. This car incident was the kind of reminder someone like me needs every now and then: it's okay to ask for help, and more than it being okay, people really want to help out when they can.

It's how we call get by in this crazy life. 

How time flies. . . or listening, wearing, making

It was over a month ago that I posted last here at my new blog. And, yes, I have found a wonderful new hire (two actually!) I'm excited to take Tangleweeds to the next level, one where not everything falls on my shoulder all of the time. That can be one of the most daunting parts about entering into the world of working for yourself. . . But that is fodder for another blog post another time. 

I've been busy gearing up for my holiday fairs, spending time with family, and trying my best to take care of my physical, emotional, and mental health. It is one of those things that starts to slip when I get really busy (like during the holidays) and I am determined to give my body what it needs this time around.  

This post was meant to be my next "segment" of listening, wearing, making but here I am talking about the challenges of running my business. Obviously some posts about this are long over due! (That's also something that may change in the future. I'm looking to expand upon this blog with some regular features. Maybe a "running your own business, the challenges and the glories" is a good feature to consider.)   

But, without further adieu, here's my Listening, Wearing, and Making feature for the week:

Listening to. . . Sharon Van Etten's album, Tramp. Moody, some slightly dance-y songs. Keeping me motivated in the studio.

Wearing. . . mixed up patterns and textures. I suppose some people might call this "clashing" but I say ya just gotta be imaginative! 

Making. . . TONS of bangles. Bangles are new to the Tangleweeds collection and I couldn't be happier about it. Obviously I'm partial to these crescent moon ones. 

Lastly, I hope everyone is enjoying this time of year. The holidays always feel so special to me, even amidst the crazy-ness of rushed schedules. I'm already getting a start on my holiday prep, maybe you are too? I'll leave you with this: please feel free to use the coupon code "holidays2013" in my Etsy shop from now until the end of the year for 30% off your entire order. And remember to slow down and sip on some spiced egg nog sometime soon!

Tangleweeds Job Opening

Tangleweeds is seeking a part-time assistant. . . .

My name is Jeannine Komush and I run and own Tangleweeds. I started this small, hand-crafted business years ago. It has slowly grown to be my full-time job. I am a very lucky person to be able to say that! And now I am in the position to hire someone to work for Tangleweeds on a part-time basis. My days are quite busy, suffice to say I am at a point where the amount I have to do simply necessitates having an extra set of hands!

A little bit about Tangleweeds: Tangleweeds is a hand-crafted line of jewelry with a rustic yet elegant aesthetic. All pieces are hand-crafted by me in my Jack London Square Oakland studio. My primary materials are brass and steel. I use scrap and junked metals whenever possible. Designs are accented by vintage and repurposed materials as well as semi-precious stones and a variety of vintage and new glass beads. Tangleweeds has really just been me doing it all for the last few years. I am pretty passionate about what I do, and hope to find someone passionate about the world of hand-crafted items as well.

Responsibilities/Job Description

While I haven’t created a specific “title” per se for this position, you’re basically gonna be my second set of hands in many ways. You can think of yourself as the personal and business assistant to Tangleweeds.

I am looking for someone to help me with the following:

- Jewelry production (the simple part of the jewelry construction with the potential to be trained on complete design execution)
 - Running various errands (these may be both professional and personal related)
 - Packaging of orders 
 - merchandising and organizing
 - Being my second set of hands at selling events (and eventually graduating to running them on your own)
 - Adding sales data to spreadsheets/some book-keeping

Skills and attributes desired

Ideally, you would be:

Organized and yet able to handle a bit of chaos now and then (as is want to happen in this business.) A passion for handmade, a willingness to do some repetitive tasks now and then, an interest in learning as you go. While I don’t require that you have experience in making jewelry, it would be helpful if you did. I am willing to train the right person tho! Also, be comfortable in a “customer service” context. Working and selling at craft fairs will require you to be friendly and warm with people you don’t know. Also, I am looking for someone responsible and willing to be held accountable for their actions and words. I will do my best to openly and clearly communicate about what is expected and I would appreciate open and honest communication in return. 

Commitment

Ultimately, I am hoping to find someone that wants to grow with Tangleweeds. I am looking to hire someone soon (in time for help during the holidays). Once hired, think of the first three months as yours and my trial period. After three months we will evaluate where you’re at and decide if we both think it’s been a good fit. We will also discuss the possibility of a raise. Lastly, while none of it is very glamorous, there may be the possibility of some light traveling out of the bay area for fairs/selling events. 
 
About 10 to 15 hours a week. Most likely 5 to 7 hour days. There is flexibility to adjust the days worked from week to week, but I do think it would be best to set up a regular schedule.

Compensation

$10 an hour to start with the possibility of a raise three months in (see above details under "commitment") 

Applying

Inquiries should be emailed to tangleweedsjewelry@gmail.com. Please do not directly message me here on my website. Along with your resume please include something about yourself, why you think you’d be a good fit for Tangleweeds. 

Lastly, if you’d like to see more about Tangleweeds you can check out my Etsy shop and my website:

www.tangleweeds.etsy.com

www.tangleweeds-jewelry.com

Thanks! I look forward to meeting some of you! I will be replying to applications as they come in. Interviews will be arranged for around the end of October/beginning of November. 

Listening, Wearing, Making

Listening to. . .  Alela Diane's new album About Farewell.

Wearing. . . lots of skirts, tank tops, and sandals while the weather's still warm enough!

Making. . . lots of my "Conveyance" rings for a craft fair this weekend. 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week on this hump day!  

Changing Seasons

Autumn is here. Time for slowing down, for finding a healthy balance between work and play. For gathering little bits of pretty flora and fauna. For creating some new designs!