A bit Last Minute

I'll be vending at this event in the city tomorrow if anyone's in the Dogpatch neighborhood and wants to drop by and say hey! It's gonna be kid friendly too, so bring the little ones out if you like. The weather also looks like it's gonna be beautiful. Lovely!

Back and Better than Ever!

(I jest.) After a week's break from the blog I'm back! It's really been a whirlwind week for me. This whole month is really packed and I'm finding myself feeling a bit rudderless at times. Between building new display props for Renegade and working on jewelry production for all of my summer fairs, I'm lucky to get one whole day off every week right now. Things are going to even out come July, but right now is intensely busy (along with Tangleweeds there are many family related plans filling every spare minute of my "free" time.) I'm dreaming of 90 degree heat and floating in a river sometime this summer!

Below, some snaps from the past couple of weeks. . . 

From top to bottom:

1. morning glories in my neighborhood
2. getting ready to vend at First Friday
3. construction time at my studio
4. workbench status: a gazillion projects going on at once
5. Sky Above necklaces made by my lovely assistant, Alice
6. my By Chance necklaces on display at Azil (in San Francisco)
7. morning oatmeal with strawberries (a quick but delicious meal)
8. moon pieces for sale at Field Day in Oakland (it was the full moon on Friday.) My earrings and necklace are pictured here
9. some snapshots from my display at Jack of All Trades in Oakland on Saturday
10. waiting for the train to pass during my coffee break one afternoon at my studio

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Country Music, Classic Dresses, Simple Designs

Listening to. . . lots of country. Jeff turned me on to this guy after he heard him interviewed on an NPR program. Really good if you like your new country not to "new."

Wearing. . . Lots of simple, classic dresses with layers of long necklaces. I will admit, this is an outtake from my Essentiality Collection, but it's exactly the kind of out fit I've been gravitating towards lately. 

Making. . . lots and lots of my new Rain Drop earrings. These have been popular on Etsy and at my fairs. Sometimes the simplest designs carry so much elegance. 

I might step away from the blog a bit this month as I start to heavily prepare for what is to be a very busy July and August for me. I'll try to drop in weekly still, but (per my post on Monday) I'm realizing that right now some things just have to give a bit and I just want my readers to know that I will be back in full swing soon again! Also, I'll still be announcing a giveaway for June just as soon as I make up my mind about what it's gonna be =)

Getting some R&R

Some random outtakes from my last week. I've been going at 200mph lately and needed to reign it in these last few days. . . I really need/want to take some time off, but I'm having a difficult time figuring out how I'm gonna make that happen before the end of July. So, in the meantime, I'm simply trying to re-evaluate how I'm working. Trying to work smarter not harder (ugh, I hate that saying, but it's such a necessary truth of running one's own handmade business) and take breaks when I see that I need them. And drink lots and lots of herbal tea!

From top to bottom:

1. a snapshot of Flowerland in Albany. I am obsessed with that place. It's definitely a happy and peaceful place for me.
2. snuggling up in bed with tea in my new (thrifted) Aries mug.
3. peppermint and lemon balm tea next to my night's reads. (I read about 2 pages before I fell asleep. A testimony to how tired I was, not the book!)
4. owl tattoo, owl candle holder, fresh outta the shower
5. look who waits for me while I shower. . . 
6. the best little statue garden I stumbled by somewhere in North Berkeley

I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far! I'm about to go make some more tea and some (gluten free) mac and cheese. Yum.

Month of May Giveaway Winner

Drumroll please! The winner of three Drape style necklaces is. . . . Angel H! Angel, please email me directly at tangleweedsjewelry@gmail.com and let me know what three colorways you would like and their corresponding lengths (any length between 15 and 28 inches is available.) Thanks to everyone who participated! Check back next month for my June giveaway. It's gonna be something a little different next time. . . 

Full Week - Stinky Cat - Letting Go - Oakland Zoo

Yeah, long rambly title, I know. Some reason those are the titles I like to go with when I look back on my last week for these Weekly Recap posts. What a week it's been too! I'll get right to the stinky cat part - Arlo (below) got sprayed by a skunk, right in the face, Friday evening. Oh, goodness was it terrible! We had to wash him in a mix of hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and baking soda. And we had to flush out his eyes about 12 times over. He was miserable, but I'm happy to say he's doing much much better now (altho his head is still a little stinky.)

Also, last Tuesday my folks and I, as a sort-of belated Mother's Day day, went antiquing in Turlock. I picked up tons of great stuff for my new studio space. I'm going to set up a "show space" of sorts (in a couple of months, probably by mid-summer). That white coffee table will be sort of the center piece, around which I'll have possibly a couch, and chairs. I'm hoping to hire a friend of mine to build me a sofa out of wood pallets. More on that as it all becomes a reality! Below is a record-room at one of the spots in Turlock that I'm hoping to go back to with Jeff (he's quite the record collector.)

Then, this past weekend I vended at the Treasure Island flea on Saturday, and Sunday I had my good friend and sometimes Tangleweeds employee, Alice, work the event. She did everything, from set up to pack up and haul out at the end of the day and she really did a fabulous job! I had her work on Sunday so I could go to the Oakland Zoo with my sister and her two sons. It was such a fun day.

Having Alice work for me on Sunday really was a lesson in letting go of control a bit. While Tangleweeds is for all intents and purposes my baby, there comes a point when and where you simply need help for the business to grow. And so I can take care of myself, both physically and emotionally. The fact that it went as well as it did is giving me the confidence to plan on weekends where I double book myself at fairs. I can work one event and Alice (or another wonderful person) can work the other one. Of course, for those of you wondering, it definitely is a bit of a financial risk too, of course, but I figure so long as it all balances out I'm happy!

Well, this post took longer than I thought it would, so I better jump to the workbench now. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend (even if you did have to work some or all of it as so many of us had to.) 

Dancing in My Living Room

Yup, so things get busy around here and the blog falls apart. K, just being a bit dramatic, but seriously, things are busy around here. I wanted to drop in with a Listening-Wearing-Making edition tho, 'cause, well, I have something to share! Good reason, right? =)

I like to let off steam before craft fairs by having one-person dance parties in my living room. Beyonce is pretty awesome for this. . . 

Wearing. . . well, it's another feet shot! I've been half-living in my torn-up "boyfriend" jeans ever since I unearthed them from the bottom of my dirty hamper (and washed them first.) Also, barefeet, when at home at least, because I love barefeet once the weather warms up.

Making. . . Lots of my Drape style necklaces. (Which are also part of this month's giveaway contest if you haven't already entered.) These sell like hotcakes at my craft fairs and I have a TON of craft fairs this summer, so necessity shall dictate the maker's day. At least every now and then. . . (also, whim, spontaneity and inspiration!)

This weekend I'll be vending at the Treasure Island Flea. Maybe I'll see you there?! If not, have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

Fairs, a studio move, cats and more

Well, well, well. I feel like I'm all grown up now, in my own real-life size studio =). My last studio really was tiny. Now that I'm in the new space I'm really not sure how I managed in the last one for so long! Below, some snapshots from the past week of fairs, moving, and lounging at home and around Oakland. . . 

There really are many changes a-foot at Tangleweeds. I'm going to try to stay active with the blog this week, but if things are a bit quiet around here this week, it's only because the groundwork is being laid for some healthy changes!

Handmade Love - Shades of Spring

Pretty spring colors are on my mind this week. When I stumbled upon the quilted wall hanging below, I knew that this week's theme for Handmade Love was going to be color based: fun, spring colors like pink, purple, pastels. 

Pastel Quilted Wall Hanging by Twiggy and Opal

I'd love to hang this quilt right above my bed's headboard. Would look perfect in my room!

Pastel Raindrop Garland by PeleMele

This garland would look pretty in the window of my new studio space. (Which is eagerly awaiting arrangement, decor and some new/old furniture!)

Mint Peach Geometric Necklace by Alina and T

When I first saw this necklace I thought it was made from wood, then I read the description and saw that they're actually handmade polymer beads. Rad! (I'm curious about exploring polymer myself.)

How's that for a good dose of spring = ) ?