Full Circle ~ Birthday Weekend!

My birthday was this past weekend. I turned 34! It all feels good, it all feels fine. I have slightly older friends who kind of hint at that I'm going to start freaking out once I hit 35. . . I'm sure there's some validity to all of that, but right now I feel good. I did have some BIG revelations around my birthday, things that sort of worked themselves out in my head in a rather unexpected way. That felt good and humbling. Humbling because sometimes you just keep pushing and pushing on something, trying to make your mind up about it. And you get stuck and in this place of limbo-indecision that feels like it'll never end. Finally, you get so exhausted by it all that you sort of just let go, and that's when the picture starts to get more clear and everything starts to make more sense. (Sorry to be a bit vague about the details, it's not something I want to share at this moment, but I will share at a later date and time when it's all sunk in a bit more for me. But I did want to share the process, as I think it's something one learns more and more with age.)

My actual birthday was on Saturday and was pretty mellow. Went to the farmer's market where my honey bought me a new piece of clothing from Susan Eastman (I love her stuff!), worked on a weaving project (the same one I've been working on a for a while. When it's finished I'll definitely share it here) and enjoyed some thai food from a favorite local Oakland spot for dinner. Then on Sunday I went out with my good friend, Alice and my sister for brunch, bowling and treasure hunting at Urban Ore in Berkeley. Sunday was really my version of the perfect weekend day!

And, of course, there was much jewelry making time in last week. Below, some snap-shots from the week's work. (And my safari-backyard-cat, Otis =)

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start! This is a capital "B" busy week for me. While I know it's gonna be a lot of work, I feel ready for it after a wonderful weekend!

April Tangleweeds Giveaway

That's right folks! With a new month brings a new Tangleweeds Giveaway. For this month we're calling to mind the old adage "April showers bring May flowers. . . "

We're offering up one pair of our Rain Drops earrings for one lucky winner! Simply leave a comment on this blog post with a little anecdote or detail about what you love about the spring time. I've really grown to love the comments everyone leave on these giveaway posts. You guys obviously put some thought into what you share!

We'll announce the randomly chosen winner here and over on Instagram on April 27th. Feel free to share this with folks you think would love Tangleweeds!

Full Circle ~ New Designs and Aries Birthday Parties

Spring time, a time of newness, a time of great energy and swift change, sometimes overwhelmingly so. I'm an Aries/springtime baby, so by nature I love this time of the year. I love the revved up energy of it, the funneling of so much passion into new ideas and new goals. It's all too easy for me to get going in so many different directions that I exhaust myself tho. In a way, having just been very sick for a while, it's offering me up the perfect balance of easing into this time of the year. 

Below, a snapshot of my studio (tidied up of course), some workbench ephemera, my home office buddy Otis, and one of my new Woodland Featherlight necklaces now available in the Etsy shop!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of going to not one but two kid-birthday parties. On Saturday my friend Katrina's little one, Keira, turned one. Katrina and I have known each other for about 13 years. Seeing her as a mom is amazing and Keira is the sweetest!

Then, on Sunday, my nephew, Noah, turned 7. Since it was also Easter, there was an easter egg hunt in the morning followed by birthday celebrations in the afternoon at my sister's home in Modesto. I love that action shot I got of him (second photo from the bottom)!

For those of you anxious to know when more of the new designs will be listed in my Etsy shop, fear not! I'll be posting more new listings later this week. I'm spreading out the new pieces over the next month or so, allowing me to catch up on a bunch of things while still making the new designs available to all of my lovely Tangleweeds collectors!

Happy Monday everyone!

LWM: CAT Leggings!

Listening to. . . The new Brandi Carlile. I seriously can't stop listening to her newest album The Firewatcher's Daughter. It's a bit folksy, a bit pop, with great stories woven into it all. Enjoy! 

Wearing. . . The most amazing CAT leggings. Love these so much. In case you simply must have a pair, they're from NooWorks in San Francisco. 

And making! Well, I've been busy on so many designs lately, it's hard to narrow it down to just one, but if I had to, I'd say I've been making bunches of these covetable Featherlight necklaces. I'm slowly getting all of the colorways into my Etsy shop. Finally too! This is something I had hoped to have done a couple of months ago. Feels good to be rolling these out. 

I hope everyone's weekly is providing all you're hoping for!

Of Interest Lately

Back when I still had my blog over at Blogger, I intermittently posted about what was catching my eye on the inter-webs. I want to bring that series back to this blog as it's a great way of sharing both what's inspiring me and my work, but also what's keeping me focused and grounded, and, no less importantly, simply what's fun and entertaining (to me and maybe to you!)

1. The Two Most Important People in Your Life to Hold You to Your Dreams - a great read if you're looking for encouragement in following your dreams (especially if it's a bit "off the beaten path.")

2. Astrology for April 2015 (by Sarah Varcas) - I LOVE this website for updates on the general astro-weather, especially when there are BIG things happening like eclipses. My love of astrology springs from a belief that everything in this universe is inter-connected in ways that we don't fully understand. I think astrology is a beautiful working metaphor for this way of thinking. 

3. Maryanne Moodie's amazing woven art - if you follow me over at Instagram you know I've recently taken up weaving (very, very much on the side). This woman's work is so inspiring to me. 

4. Michelle Tea's memoir, How to Grow Up - during my recent sick days I finished reading this great book. I discovered this woman's writing back in my early 20s. She's a bit older than me (early 40s) but the way she writes about growing up when you're not the person who takes the straight shot to steady job, marriage, kids, is very relatable to me. 

That's all for this week. Short but sweet. What has caught your eye on the inter-webs lately? I'm always overwhelmed by the wealth of amazing folks and work just waiting to be discovered! 

Spring Time Sale is Here!

Good morning my fine blog readers and followers! I'm just dropping in today to officially announce the yearly Tangleweeds spring sale. Head on over to the Etsy shop and use coupon code "springtime" (all one word) and you'll receive 30% off your entire order. There's a great selection of new designs and classics to choose from. (And more new designs coming later this week and next!) Sale runs now through mid-April. Enjoy!

Full Circle ~ It's Been a While

It's been a good while since I've dropped in on this blog! Quite frankly, the month of March proved, well, challenging to say the least. Many things do seem to come in threes, and that was sort of how March went. I was juggling too many things as the month blew in, then family came to visit and the juggling went from elegant to frantic. Then, amidst it all, my computer's hard-drive decides it's time to CRASH. Lastly, right as I'm trying to get back to work, new computer hard-drive installed (along with increased memory), I get sick. And not just "oh, I've got a little cold sick" but full on fever and all the yuckies that come along with it sick. 

I spent the last week and change chilling out at home. After an initial attempt at going back to work too early, I realized I was only going to get better if I gave myself over to rest and recuperation. I read a bunch, worked on my current weaving project (but only a bit as even this proved a bit exhausting) but mainly I rested, drank buckets of tea and cuddled with the kitties. 

And I had lots of time to reflect. Leading up to getting sick, during those weeks of juggling priorities and to-do lists, I just kept finding myself thinking "I really need a break." But I just kept on keeping on, kept on waking up early everyday even when all I wanted to do was sleep in, kept on with all of my goals and to-do lists when all I wanted to do was go take in a matinee at the theater down the street from my studio. When I look at it all, it starts to make sense that I got sick. It was the only way I was going to give myself the rest I so sorely needed. 

The only takeaway I have from all of this, is a reminder that I need to always put my health and well-being first. Even when it feels like I might not meet a self-imposed deadline, or blog enough, or list those new pieces on Etsy, or whatever it might be. I feel like this is a lesson I've had to learn time and time again, and that with each turn it sinks in a bit more thoroughly. 

I'm back on the horse, so to speak today, and it feels good. I'm 98% better, and taking it slow today with lots of breaks and moments to pause and rest. Being my own boss does make that a whole heck of a lot easier! 

(a small collection of nature-ephemera I found laid out at the Berkeley farmer's market last week ~ a little reminder to pause, breathe, and enjoy the everyday magic that's all around me)

March Giveaway Winner!

Today's the day! Announcing the winner of the $50 gift certificate to the Tangleweeds Etsy shop..... Sheila, you are the randomly chosen winner!!! Please send us an email to tangleweedsjewelry@gmail.com and we'll send you the details on how to use that gift certificate. To everyone else who entered, thanks for all of the sweet words about our designs. We'll have another giveaway like this in the fall, so check back often!

And on a quick side note: things may be a bit quiet around here while our main computer gets its hard-drive replaced this week. We'll be back to the blog next week with new editions of Full Circle and Listening-Wearing-Making!  

Just a few days left!

I just wanted to drop in at the blog today to remind those of you who haven't entered my March Giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to the Tangleweeds Etsy shop, you have until the end of the day Sunday the 15th! All you have to do is leave a comment on the original giveaway post over here. 

I'll be announcing the winner here on the blog on Monday the 16th. Good luck!

Full Circle: Dreaming about the desert

I think it's the gorgeous weather in the bay area these last few days, but I've been dreaming about the desert quite a bit lately. The photo below is from the painted desert in Arizona (source here.) Dreaming of hopping in a VW bus, packing a cooler full of food, a tent and a few good friends and just hitting the road for a while. There's been this tug-of-war back and forth within me: a desire to really put my nose to the grindstone with my work, and a desire to get away from it all for a bit. 

So, I've made a compromise of sorts over the weekend. I had an "office" day in my backyard. It was gorgeous out, the calendula is in bloom, and my cats LOVE it when I work from home (especially in their backyard.) I remind myself that there will be time for road-trips later this year (hopefully in May, more on that later.) 

In the studio I've been busily prepping some new pieces that I will be stocking my Etsy store with this week and next week. Below are a bunch of new colorways that will be available in my Featherlight style necklace. The Featherlight has been hands-down one of my most popular designs, and I often have new colors available at the fairs I sell at. This year I'm trying to make more of an effort to get new work photographed and into my Etsy shop so those of you not so close to the SF Bay Area can shop from them too!

(last photo above is from First Friday at the 25th Street Collective here in Oakland)

Also, my studio assistant, Alice, is back in town and will be back at the studio tomorrow. I am SO happy for this. Not only because her hands make some of my designs faster than my own, but because I'll get to hear all about her trip to see family in New Mexico - a little vicarious living on my part for now. 

I hope everyone's Monday (remember the time changed, don't forget to move that clock one hour forward if you haven't already!) is off to a wonderful start!