Hey snoopies!

The window is open, and a hot humid breeze is hitting me. What's going on??

Ugh, you know when you wake up with a headache and take advil and it still won't go away and you really don't want to get up off the couch to pack to go to Arizona and polish keychains to bring to Ginger Root and throw out a zillion boxes that are just stacked up in the hallway? no?

Anypoo, I recently discovered that Jcrew has the best backpacks, but they are hiding in the kids section!

And I'm not sure if this is in the girl's section, but I want it. Real bad. 

And so ends my backpack lusts.

Good Mornin'

Good morning little billy goats! Here's a pretty picture I took on Instagram of a new ring I finished this morning! Then I'm going TO FINISH 80 beard and luff key chains for fab order today. and 6 heart rings. then i'm done! then it's off to tucson i go for the gem show!

there goes the neighborhood

Well, I guess I'm one of those people now who can get mad at a big website for stealing my design! Cool?

I was pointed out today by a fellow jeweler (Charlotte Burkhart- really cool stuff) that Mod Cloth has a bike necklace for sale that looks JUST LIKE MY OLD BIG BIKES. Am I crazy to be upset about this? Is a bike just a bike just a bike? I mean, it's freakishly similar. 

Here is mine: 

And here is theirs:

So....um... boycott? 

Friday Night

hey kiddos. I thought i'd take this time to write a little bloggidy blog! It's friday night, my mom is visiting, B is out of town on biz. Mommy is knitting socks on the couch. We are watching Damages on Netflix from the beginning. I made a hot toddy.

Directions:

Boil water.
Put honey in mug. A cute mug.
Pour in hot water.
Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Squeeze a slice of lemon, plop it in.
Add a splash of yummy bourbon. Or rum. Or anything.

Delish!

I wonder if we can finish this whole season tonight.

So, what are you up to?? Hmmm? I'm obsessing over how many things I'm selling on Fab.com right now. It's horrible. It great and horrible. Everything is stressful.

Anyway. That's my diary entry I guess!

Ummm and I made these. 

Phone Cases

DC illustrator Elizbeth Graeber made our Stitchtagram header and some other images and texts for the site. 

You can also buy cell phone cases (among other things) with her illustrations on them, and I am DYING. If I didn't just get one from my brother I would be buying these in a second.

do you hate me?

please don't hate me!! i promise i'll be better at blogging!

Let's see...what do you want to hear about? ME??? well, fine.

So things are still pretty crazy busy around here. which is fab. and tiring. speaking of fab, i should be having another fab.com sale on Friday (which you would see in the preview email if you are signed up!) So if it's anything like it was in November, which I'm hoping because of V-Day, things are gonna get wilddddddd.

And my mommy is coming to visit for a few days on Thursday, so that will be good! And I have to make some more pillows for Stitchtagram.com...anddddd then at the end of the month I'm off to Tuscon for the gem show!! THE GEM SHOW. of life. Every year there is an enormous jewelry/stone/everything show. In Arizona. Am I repeating myself? Needless to say, I'll have sooooo many new and exciting stones to work with next month!! Ahhhh scary.

What ELSE. Tell me!! Let's see, I'll go through my instagram pics to job my memory..

This guy had an orange backpack AND an orange bike. I hope he realized how current he is- isn't tangerine the color of 2012?

Ben and I have been seriously in to Veronica Mars.

First of all, how is Kristen Bell SO EFFING CUTE. I mean, come on. Secondly, if you've never watched the show, watch it. Super good.

I need to list this ring!!! It's oxidized silver. I'm in love. 

Anyhoo, that's it for now. Show me fun things to distract myself with!

Video!

WHAT HAPPENED

I can't believe it's been a month since I wrote! WHAT HAPPENEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD. I guess the holidays happened. And craft fairs. And Stitchtagram.

Well, here are some updates, in Instagram form:

New Years Eve with the ladies!!!! (I'm on the bottom right! with the funny bangs)

The bar we went to was having a St. Germaine special, and if you got two special cocktails you got a cocktail book and mini bottle of the deliciousness!! I was in heaven. 

For Christmas, I went with B's family to Puerto Rico! (I am going backwards in time, if you haven't noticed). Here is a shot of some fluffy clouds when we got home.

We saw a horse in a truck.

My turquoise heart ring by the ocean- doesn't it look like I'm in front of a green screen?

Rainbow when we landed.

And to top it all off, Ben and I got bumped to first class when we flew there! It was MAGNIFICENT.

SO in conclusion, happy new year, and keep your eyes peeled for new exciting things!!! 

New thing!

Hey trusty blog readers!! Sorry about the lack of excitement in these parts. With December comes insanity, pretty much. Our apartment is just a mess of packing materials and empty glasses and dirty socks.

BUT. that's not why I'm here. i'm here because as of yesterday, Stitchtagram is alive!!! It's a thing I've been developing with my brother Doug, who works at Barbarian Group in Boston. He made the amazing website where you can log into Instagram and access your pics and your friends pics, and drag and drop them into a grid design that I then sew into a throw pillow!!! You just need to go and try it. The site is www.stitchtagram.com. Here are some pics!!

Zombie shows

Have you ever seen The Walking Dead on AMC? I hadn't either until ohhh, about two days ago. We watched the first season and all of the second season up until the new episode tonight. It's so gross and stressful and scary and I don't know why I keep watching it but I can't stop. The first season is on Netflix Instant, in case you have that.

Anyhoo. I have a very very large box of envelopes waiting to go to UPS for all of my Fab orders. Scary!! So scary thinking about they all get to where they are going. Crazy pants. I have a few more that I am going to finish tomorrow. And by that, I mean I have to. And I have to catch up on orders. And make some other things. And list some new designs, for crying out loud!

______

The next day....

I realized I never posted this. I wrote it yesterday. Now I'm going to show you pictures of new things. Ok? GOod.

One last ring like this for a while:

Drusieeeeees

Need to take a better pic of this one

And then there this one:

and dont forget about this one!

Ohhhhh i need to sleep

Crazy Train

Crazy town? crazy train? Were both bands? or songs? i dont know. I do know I'm almost going crazy. In a fine way! a great way. still a crazy way though. so much to do! so many boxes everywhere! Boxes filled with boxes! Did I tell you this story yet? I could easily look at my last post but I'm too lazy. I'll just tell it again.

So I ordered my priority boxes from the post office website. They are free, it just makes it easier to have them delivered here than sneak them from the post office. The gruff but kind-eyed post office guy yelled at me once for taking too many. Even though they are free. and I use them.

Anyway. So I ordered them on the website, and about two weeks later, there are four HUGE boxes in the lobby waiting for me. So heavy I can't even lift one. I take the push cart, and lug them upstairs. Oh, and they say BOARD GAME in huge letters on the side. I see on the label it is from the post office, so I think maybe they want to disguise the boxes as board games so they don't get stolen. Then I quickly realize the error in my logic.

Anyway. Horrible, long story short, I accidentally clicked on the board game sized priority boxes. You know, for the grandma's who send out Monopoly for Christmas. And now I have 100 of them. They are so big and heavy. I cried for about an hour. Ben thought I was weird.

In conclusion, I told my post office friends about it (oh, and there's a good chance my post office is going to close. AWESOME). They didn't even know there WERE board game sized boxes. He gave me labels to put on them, to get sent to the post office for them to use. I'm just so lazy to go downstairs, get the cart, put the boxes on them, ask the people in the lobby in the office if I can put them in there so they can tell the mail man to pick them up. oH, WOE IS ME.

So how was that for a sob story? SO LONG AND BORING. I know.  I don't get out much these days. No sir. Lots of pop tarts for me. and latte's. And gossip girl on netflix. My coffee table is completely covered in the orders from my fab.com sale. I'll post a picture tomorrow. I also bought a vanilla/pomegranate perfume that was on super sale at urban outfitters that I loved so much, but after I wore it for a day, I keep smelling that smell you smell like when you go eat in a diner or a greasy restaurant. You know? That food smell? Like, a gross hot food smell. Ben has no idea what I'm talking about. I'm terrified it's the vanilla/pomegranate. It came in such a cute roll on bottle. oh well.

so yeah. i also found time to make these:

ok ok ok ok

Hi peeps.

I know I've been totally absent lately (maybe no one even noticed?). things have been ca-ra-zay and will probably continue to be so until Christmas. I had a sale on FAB.com, and now have  a few hundred things to make and ship rather quickly! I also went home for a craft fair in Northampton, MA, and will be going to one in New York for the Bust Craftacular! (December 10th and 11th! In Soho!)

So as you can imagine, I'm not really sure what to do first or where to start when I wake up in the morning. I have a trash bag full of about 30 packages I have to bring to UPS, I haven't gone grocery shopping in nearly two weeks (neither has Ben.)

I've been surviving on beans and cheese. And not even refried beans. BLACK BEANS. Good lord, what's happening to me. But now I'm up early and am going to go to UPS and perhaps Giant, a supermarket I've never actually been to before, and then come back and work. Maybe stop at Target. Maybe.

Ok. So. That's it. Here's some pics from the craft fair! OH and I went to a gem show and got the most amazing drusies. Some are soooo bright and kooky I don't even know what to do with them!

Nail dream come true

Here's what you do. You get Essie's Licorice nail polish, and Sephora's Only Gold For Me top coat. 

Fiesta!

Last night we had a cocktail party. It was fun, but I had major anxiety because the apartment was so clean and there was nothing on the tables or floor and I was just nervous about it all. Also, we put the exercise bike and ben's regular bike in our bedroom, and that freaked me out too, for whatever reason. I think I'm getting more neurotic every minute.

I decided to wear a romper (that's shorts!) from Anthro that I've never worn in my life, but I was a hit I tells ya, a hit! I also just bought those tights from a record store next to my post office that I walk by every day and never went into!

 Sadie, my party partner in crime. 

Me and the hubbers.

 Bartender Ben

Anyhoooooooo. We are off to a fancy shmancy bar soon for a friend bday, and I've changed probably 12 times already. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO WEAR.

New Packaging

I am such a sucker for cute packaging. I would buy a single bobby pin if it was on an adorable piece of paper.

So I thought- I should make me some pretty packing!

Ta Da!

Messy Apartment, or, That time I wrote a blog post just to tell myself it's ok to have a messy apartment.

I always get a pang of jealousy when I go into someone's apartment that is....how do I say this.....empty? Nothing on the floors, tables nice and clear, bags upon bags not hanging from the backs of chairs. My brother lives somewhat like a minimalist, with carefully chosen furniture and design pieces. I think I live like the opposite of a minimalist, and Ben is just along for the ride (though slightly begrudgingly).

There are lots of reasons for the excess in things. A) I work from home, and while I could have a huge studio with a room for packing and shipping and stations for every single aspect of jewelry making, the whole operation is more or less jammed into the very edge of the living room. Therefore, things tend to spill over into the rest of the room. Like boxes. And pliers. And stones. And beads. (Yes, beads. I know. What's happening to me.)

And B). We got married! And got lots and lots of (wonderful and plentiful) gifts!! So at the moment I'm attempting to rearrange the living room in order to fit all of our new tables and lamps and bowls and vases.

I'm going to show you some pictures. Don't be disturbed- they make the apartment look WAY more hoardier than it is. I hope, at least. Let's go on a tour, shall we?

This lovely little end table will now serve as my tiny packing station. That big ol' box of envelopes used to be in it's place, up until 2 minutes ago. I think the table looks better- no?

But now where do I put this enormous box of envelopes??

All I need to do is clear off this stool, and I wouldn't have to stand over the workbench hunched, working. Why don't I clear it off? i don't know. 

Ahhh. My beautiful new book shelf. I can't wait to decorate the edges of the shelves and paint a chalk board on the side where that bag is hanging! 

This is where sh*t gets a little crazy. ( I still haven't decided if I can swear on here. I probably can.)

Note the little gym in the left corner, consisting of a stationary bike I have yet to use more than twice, and a stability ball that I fantasize about doing sit ups on. I love the new giant clock (CB2, wedding gift). All of the pictures in that vertical row are Etsy related (either bought on Etsy, or bought from craft fairs from vendors who are on Etsy). We got that old school map at a yard sale a while ago. That magazine rack all the way on the right is one of my favorite additions (also wedding gift, also CB2- (thanks Emily and Chris, if you are reading this!)

My parents bought that record player on top of the book shelf, with the speakers, instead of going on a honeymoon. I love that. Ben and my dad made that record stand peaking behind the magazine rack when we were home sometime last year. Daniela and Sam got us that cool blanket on top of the hideously upholstered (but free) recliner! 

This is where things get scary looking. I just need to move those cardboard boxes, and things should look slightly more sane. Hi House!

This bigger shot REALLY makes it look crazy.

I do love these though. The little stack of plates was a wedding gift from a small town in France where a famous writer spends time, who came to our wedding. I LOVE them. The vase was also a gift (thanks Josh!) And that TABLE. Ben's friend Bender made it from wood salvaged from NYC water towers! How cool is that?? He makes furniture in New York.

Another glorious view of my little staged set up. That there is soy milk in my coffee. Something crazy is happening to me I think.

This morning I woke up and decided to stop eating dairy for a week and see what happens to me. What if I transform into a different person?! I think I might.

Okay. If you are still reading this, you truly are a champ. Also funny, this is how I look right now as I write this:

My mom got it for me. I don't think I'll ever wear anything else again. It is the PERFECT stay-at-home jeweler uniform. 

So. That's it. I'm off to chance (because today is the one day I have to go work in public. At Ginger Root! Now with online store!!)

Later gators! Next post might be an adventure in making espresso with a stove top...espresso maker. Scary!