Merry Christmas...and Happy new year! Hoping you all are having a lovely christmas season....have been, in less words than more, BLURRY.

THis christmas was the first for Rag and Stone, and lemme tell ya....LOTS of things have been happening. I have sold a lot more jewelry than I had expected, added gift certificates to my store that ended up a huge success, made custom work and my first men's wedding band, and the biggie: I have RETAIL SPACE DOWNTOWN! THis happened just a few days before christmas, a lovely woman named Leslie has given me a fabulous space in her shop to showcase some of my work! I will post more on that later, but in a nutshell, She is an absolute blessing (and her impromptu-carpenter husband who made the most AWESOME custom jewelry case) !

Here's some pics of the wedding band, which, I will admit, I struggled with. I had to make that sucker twice! That's also a whole 'nother post. But the gal who commissioned it is just a DOLL...and I think this is just what she wanted for her man.

So much more going on also, we are moving on top of all this, so i am lucky to know where my own underwear is at this point! Last week I probably couldn't have even told you my middle name. Blurry i guess is the best word to describe the past week. I will get pictures of downtown space for you, because it is just gorgeous....and Leslie too, because this woman kicks ass.

Lightning Flash

So this little baby has been a real challenge, in so many ways......from the construction, to the decision to actually list it on etsy to sell....

This piece is so very special to me. As I have mentioned earlier, my life lately has been a bit crazy. I work a fairly full time gig, and on the side squeeze in my true love, Jewelry. From the get go, I have been a fairly "searchy" kind of person....and what I mean by that is this: Searching for what you want, how you want it, who you want it with, and what makes you FULFILLED. I have been to numerous colleges in the past 6 years, all enrolled in something different, always thinking that somehow school was going to show me who I was....I have, just the past two years, recently FOUND what makes me tick, what I could enjoy doing for more than, say, a few months....there was a point in my life where I moved towns or apartments, or countries, every 3 months....it took everything I had to stay in one place, mostly because I think I was desperately searching for FULFILLMENT. I really believe this craft, the world of metal, is a great place for me right now....I just don't have an amazing amount of time to DO metalwork. You can imagine how frustrating FINALLY finding a medium as an artist that is both fulfilling, challenging, and FUN, and simply just wanting to stay at your bench and do what you love, BUT can't because of a fairly involved "real" job. It, I think, is a battle most artists have on a daily basis...(unless of course you are a trustfund baby and don't need to worry about, say, paying the electric bill on time).

LIGHTNING FLASH is to me a beam of light, a talisman for change. I believe, in a flash of light, your life can be different. You can change it yourself (by moving five thousand times, or changing a career, or even just getting a great haircut) or you can be part of a cosmic change....you can embrace change, have patience that change with time comes eventually, and have faith that your creative path is your TRUE path. Labradorite is an amazing stone, all of it's qualities help an artist to find balance, find a creative path, focus goals, focus energy, and creatively find success....THIS IS WHAT I NEED....what I think all artists need. A stone of light to show the way.

Just a few goodies I whipped out this weekend....LOOOOVE this fused glass. The top is a pendant I haven't quuuuuiiiite finished up yet, still working on the chain and how it hangs. Just thought I would give a little peak at the soon-to-be-listeds....

The blue glass had me inspired to write ".b.r.e.a.t.h.e." on the back of both the pendant and the back of the ring. I feel like there is something so calming about this blue, and something so calm about the word breathe. It's like taking a breath while saying it....These pieces are so special and sentimental to me, their existence has come at, I feel, a really crucial point in this year for me. I am a very impatient virgo. I over-analyze, over-work, and over-process. I become this little ball of tightened rubber bands that are, at any moment, going to give up, spontaneously combust. I am a realist, somebody who takes themselves fairly seriously, and I take my work VERY seriously...I don't like to be set up for failure, so I want control of the situation so I KNOW it gets done right. But the part i tend to forget is this.....very simple....to BREATHE.

CHill out, and just straight up BREATHE. (man i painted us virgos to be slightly neurotic and kinda crazy, we are also amazingly loyal, loving and giving people too....i swear.)

The holidays especially tend to bring the "crazy virgo" out, and with my heart and soul into Rag and Stone, but still carrying out a day job, I find that balance can be hard to find.

Gift Certificates!

Just added a new thing to my etsy store......dun...dun...dun....

gift certificates! In $30, $50, and $80 dollar increments.

THis is such a great way to skip on the decision making if you hate the pressure of the gift giving....yay....take a deep breath. The pressure is off...

but I guess I like giving gifts that I pick out....I hear both sides....

I heard someone say the other day that you should never buy your loved ones something YOU like, but instead keep in mind who you are buying for.....hrmm...lemme see....I figure that...I love giving gifts because they are a direct reflection of ME! thats the whole point.....rrrrright? I pick out what I LOVE, because I love it, and then I give it to SOMEONE I love. Christmas isn't about the gifts you GET, it's about the LOVE YOU GIVE!

Not so dreary winter

Just thought I would share some photos of a great walk today with my furry man, Tex. I am continually reminded, that dreary as it can be in the northwest (we have a ridiculous amount of fog, and a lack of sunshine in the winter) that it is still colorful out...you just have to look a little harder. The texture out in the snow is unreal. Such a great background for all the little things that, in the chaos of summer, tend to get overlooked. The last pic is for an artist bio statement....man i hate self-portraits. but this is a good one, i like it.

Gotta hand it to Lynde down at FAWN boutique......A G A I N! Thank you so much for supporting LOCAL GOODS!

I told her today that she has officially spoiled me, mostly with her kindness and patience.... because lemme tell ya, cold-calls at boutiques are not fun, not easy, and are just plain awkward sometimes....I have really enjoyed doing business at this store, and am blessed to have this lady in my pocket of tools for success.

The ladies down at Fawn Boutique in Kalispell are kind, sweet, smart, and motivated to buy local jewelry, because their motto and attitude is "If I buy from you, you are likely to at some point buy from me." SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS FOLKS, because it comes back to you tenfold!

Here's the things she picked up today, and I am sure she would sell it to you with a smile if you had your heart set on it, (i have un-listed these things from my etsy store, one of the bummers about one-of-a-kind pieces...)

fire for ice ring

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maggie earrings

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the wobble ring

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silk gypsy bracelets

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stacker rings

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and the button ring.

Eye Candy from the Christmas Vintage Whites Market:

Another great market with the ladies from Somers! Merry Christmas! I didn't even buy everything there....lots of great furniture though, and one day when I don't move every 3 months, and actually have a home of my own to deck out....I will buy it all.

Going to be the best market yet! These ladies, as I have said before, are just the BEST! They put on such a great market, and you know there will be something there I won't be able to pass up....

THIS MARKET in particular is one of the best.........friendly, creative, not your average christmas decor. I will take all kinds of pictures because this is just a feast for the EYES....oh, and there'll be cookies and coffee and cocoa too.

I hate to say it, but I am a SUCKER for christmas. I love the baubles, the colors, the music (oh yes, bing crosby and Amy Grant, the Mannheim Steamrollers, and all that corny stuff you cringe at while walking the aisles at Home Depot.) I love the snow, the season, the crappy fruitcakes that come in tins, bottle-brush trees, and santa. Every December I get this little sneaky Decor bug, I want a christmas tree waaaaaay too big for my house, I want a fireplace with stockings, and a wreath. I don't know why really, My mom was never super crazy about christmas, It isn't like I grew up with a ridiculous christmas or whatever, I think I am just a sappy Christmas person.

Being a part of a seasonal community, where it's feast or famine seasonally, I really can't go home for christmas....I could never make up the income, pay for the flight, and come back home afloat. So this market is really great, always has been, to sub for mom-time, and sis-time. This market reminds me so much of my mama (SHE WOULD FREAK OUT), it makes me sad she hasn't been able to see it yet. Soooooo, I will post lots of pics, soon to come, so that my mama can see it too! (oh, and my sis too. She asked me yesterday if I ever thought I could make it home for christmas, and I was instantly crushed. If she had to ask, it's bad. I suck.) SO this market is a little of friends, a little of family (near and far), and a whole bunch of CHRISTMAS!