Full Circle ~ Women's Herbal Symposium

Two weekends ago my friend (and Tangleweeds assistant, Alice) and I went to the Women's Herbal Symposium in northern California. 

It was a wonderful experience: we met other lovely ladies, took classes on everything from the endocrine system to moon cycles to the manzanita bush to herb walks. For me it was a time of slowing down and coming back into touch with all things about good self-care.

Along the way, driving out there, we stopped in downtown Cloverdale for coffee and a bit of a stretch break. This coffee shop had the best honey-iced-lattes. And the most adorable gas station that looked like a little house, all decorated with wind chimes. 

I had plans to put this post up last week, but life seemed to dictate otherwise. Every time I sat down to work on it I either had internet connectivity issues or Squarespace was acting buggy. In a way it was a relief, 'cause after being back from the Symposium I had so much to catch up on, it was good to sort of just say "okay, somethings can wait". . . 

Which was sort of my biggest take away from the Symposium: more than simply a slowing down and not running about with miles long to-do lists everyday, but leaving space for things to happen as they need to. I know that can sound sort of woo-woo to some people's ears, but I have to say, I've had a lot of things just sort themselves out since getting home. I think I'm allowing myself to hold that space open in life for more unplanned possibilities. 

A little bit more of un-planned-ness: I had the privilege of meeting Milla of The Woman Who Married a Bear and her two friends Ann and Missa. I've been reading her bog for at least ten years now and am continually inspired by her. I picked up a pair of her hand-painted leather earrings at the Marketplace on Sunday. 

It's June now! I can't believe it in a way. Craft fair season is definitely in full swing! With that said, I know how busy I get during the spring/summer fair season. I'm going to try to pop in here on the weekly, but if you find yourself missing me, you can always find me on Instagram too!

Have a lovely week everyone =)

LWM ~ New Emmylou

Listening ~ The new album by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. So good and obviously a reflection on two lifetimes that have been full of all of the usual stuff of human existence: pain, joy, disappointment, sorrow, moments of peace, and more. 

Wearing ~ cozy sweaters. The way the weather's been in the bay area lately, my studio starts out chilly in the morning and fairly warm in the afternoon. Cozy cardigan sweaters are the perfect option. 

Making ~ Lots of pieces from my Leaf-Petal collection. Sometimes when I design new pieces I know in my heart that I love them, but there is an uncertainty as to whether or not my customers/collectors will like them. Well, you guys have shown that you love these, especially the lariats! 

Tomorrow I leave for the Women's Herbal Symposium with my good friend (and Tangleweeds assistant) Alice. I'll be back on the blog next week, hopefully with a photo filled post from that event. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Full Circle ~ Pretty flowers, good books, orange tabbies

A little bit from this last week. I'm busy this week getting ready to go to the Women's Herbal Symposium on Friday. A four day weekend of herbalism classes awaits me; I couldn't be more excited! 

If anyone who reads this blog will be there, let me know in the comments. The event has a small marketplace on Sunday, where I will be selling Tangleweeds. Keep an eye out for me if you're looking to adorn yourself with some magical jewelry while you go on nature hikes, make baskets and learn about plants and all of the medicine they hold!

Here's to a wonderful Monday!

A Return to Handmade Love

This week I just got a bee in my bonnet and had to post about all of the great handmade jewelry that I've been drooling over on Etsy. Then, I decided to look back over my old Handmade Love posts and saw that it was nearly exactly a year ago that I posted ones of these round-ups. About time! I decided to simply focus on jewelry in general this time, because, well, I'm obsessed (naturally).

 Bones and Things ~ Real Lavender Bloom Necklace

Ahh, flowers captured in a necklace. Pretty much perfection when you're as obsessed with flowers as I am. I LOVE this lady's work and actually have two of her art prints. I had a difficult time choosing just one piece to feature, but lavender is a favorite of mine, so I went with this one. What I love about her floral and plant pieces is the organic, natural shape to the resin that she traps them in. 

 Vintajia Adornments ~ Trinity earrings 

I love how the overly oxidized metal plays against the brightness of the yellow enamel on these. They're very rustic-boho-chic. This lovely maker is out of Australia. 

LJB Jewelry ~ Mixed Metal Bangle

In my humble opinion this bangle is pretty much mixed-metal perfection. This artist is based on the east coast and participates in many arts and crafts fairs out there. I wish I lived closer, cause it would be lovely to see her creations in person!

Willow Studio Jewelry ~ Spirit Shield Earrings

The enamel on these! The rusty, old look to them! Grittiness perfected! I love jewelry that has an old, rustic feel to it, and these perfectly fit the bill. They're more colorful than I usually go in for, but I think the artist has done a good job of balancing out all of the color with plenty of "grit."

Fail Jewelry ~ Mica Earrings

And, last but not least, more mixed metal, this time in earrings. This lovely lady usually does the San Francisco Renegade too, so you local folk are in luck. What I've gotta say (and this is gonna sound a little jewelry-maker-geeky) is: way to rock the cold connections! (meaning no torch work). I'm seriously impressed by the ingenuity of the design, and how effortlessly it blends into such an elegant, wearable pair of earrings. 

I hope everyone enjoyed looking at some non-Tangleweeds jewelry for a minute! I'll be back with these posts, most likely on a monthly basis, as more lovely, handmade goodness pops up in my life. Also, if you or someone you know makes really awesome goods, and you'd like to be part of my Handmade Love series, send me a message at tangleweedsjewelry@gmail.com and we'll talk!

Full Circle ~ Things Evolving

This past week seemed to have the theme of "things evolving." From refining my display for craft fairs, to starting down the path to some new designs for Tangleweeds (to come out in the fall), to doing a complete closet overhaul. I think this year has been a period in my life where I've had a desire to refine the things already present, rather than seeking out lots of "newness." This is in part coming out of a place of satisfaction and happiness with much of what I'm doing with myself these days. But it's good to acknowledge when things need to evolve.

The above photos are from the last week, as usual. The couch was simply a couch left on the street in the Piedmont neighborhood of Oakland. I have an affinity for couches left on the street. In my magic-minded self I often wish they could become communal stomping grounds for our neighborhoods. 

And that last photo is my sewing corner at home. I don't sew nearly as much as I used to, but every now and then I do make time for one repair or alteration project or another. There's a dress in that pile that has this awesome cat and bird print that I want to shorten in an attempt to make it a little less marm-ish. Maybe my next project?

I'll be updating my events on the website later today. Most of my events for the rest of the summer will be going up along with the early fall ones. I always love seeing my customers in real life =)

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

LWM ~ Old Stuff, New Stuff

Been listening to some older stuff this week, especially Lyle Lovett's album Pontiac. This song is from that album. . . (and, I just gotta say, I LOVE his hair!)

Wearing - The weather's been cooling off a bit again, so it's been back to boots (instead of sandals) and warmer skirts, like this thick, knit one I thrifted a couple of months ago.

The necklace is hand-painted lace from a fellow maker I met last month at the Apple Blossom Festival in Sebastopol. Her shop can be found here: Spee-Sheez. The woman who is the creatrix behind this brand is a truly lovely spirit, and one I hope to connect with again in the future. The earrings are an old Tangleweeds design.

Annnnd. . . Making! I've been scheming up some new designs, which aren't ready for sharing just yet, but I've been making dozens of my River Rock bangles and Curves rings. You guys have pretty much unanimously declared these designs as two of your favorites this year, which is probably why I'm constantly finding myself almost out of stock on these two designs. In preparation for fair season I'm busting out tons of these!

It's felt good to be back at my workbench this week. (Last week I was busily catching up on lots of admin. details.) I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! And don't forget about Mother's Day on Sunday if you have special moms in your life to honor. 

Full Circle ~ Flowers and Jewelry

Some photos from the last week. My week was full of pretty flowers and lots of jewelry (per the usual ;-) Craft fair season has officially gone into full swing and things are getting busy! See more at my Tangleweeds Instagram account. 

I hope everyone is having a lovely week! I can't wait to see lots of your smiling faces at Patchwork this Sunday. 

April Giveaway Winner!

Oh dear! So I was supposed to announce the winner of the April giveaway on Monday! April REALLY has gotten away from me in ways the first few months of the year didn't. Better late than never, right?

The winner of a pair of the Raindrops earrings is. . . 

Cheri! CHERI, you are the winner of these great, classic, easy-to-wear pair of earrings. Shoot me an email at tangleweedsjewelry@gmail.com and we can arrange for you to receive these soon!

In the meantime folks, it's pretty obvious that I'm without much time for blogging these last few weeks. I'll drop in here as I can, but regular posts may not resume until I finish up catching up in some other Tangleweeds-related areas of business.

In the meantime, you can always follow my Tangleweeds endeavors over on Instagram!

Wise Words

Just a little bot of motivation for all of you, especially you friends out there who feel like things are just never gonna come together. . . Just give it some time =)

(I'll be back next week to announce the winner of my most recent giveaway contest. This week's been a big administrative week for me, and I've had to let a few things go while I catch up on other areas. But I have more blog goodness coming soon again!)

LWM ~ A Typical Week

In a typical week, I always listen to quite a bit of country/americana. . . Like the album Begonias by Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell. . . 

I usually wear at least one outfit that is a combo of floral print skirt/boots/sweater with Tangleweeds jewelry. . . (earrings are from a fellow maker)

And I make several of my lariat style necklaces (you guys have nearly unanimously decided that these are some of your favorite Tangleweeds pieces), especially theses River Rock ones. . . 

Just a short and sweet Listening-Wearing-Making post for all of you this Thursday. I won't be back in this space until next week, so I hope everyone has a great weekend!