Hail Spring! Today is the vernal equinox, signaling the first day of spring.
As an avid gardener, I’m excited for warmer weather, planting season, colorful flowers, and butterflies! As an extreme allergy sufferer, I’m less than excited about the next few weeks of alternating between zombie mode (unmedicated) and total spazz (whacked out on allergy meds) < ~ Please bear with me there.
What are you looking forward to this season?
Today’s shop update is a celebration of spring! It’s an explosion of colorful butterflies, birds, flowers, and jewels. Like most artisans my work tends to mirror my interests, and this collection is no exception. My garden is my happy place, and these pieces are a clear reflection of the fact that it’s finally warming up enough for me to get back out there to start planting again. For my east coast friends who are still slogging through snow and ice, perhaps these creations can serve as a symbol of hope – it may not feel like it at the moment, but spring is coming!
These offerings include a variety of leather barrettes and hair slides, as well as a few pair of hand crafted semiprecious stone earrings. You can find them here, and I do hope you’ll enjoy them!
These earrings have a super springy vibe, with those leafy dangles and blossom-like stones. Apparently, they’re also all about the letter “A” – with amethyst, amazonite and African turquoise accents.
This piece is a work in progress. It’s a new iteration of my “Lady of the Leaves” design, which I usually create in either summer or fall colors. She was inspired by the first blooms of spring.
When I shared this piece on my facebook fan page, and asked for suggestions for a name, “Lady of the Roses” was the one that I liked best. It fits well with the rest of the series … and I suppose that once she’s finished, I’ll need to create a “Lady of Winter” too.
This piece seemed to fly off my needle last night. Not at all what I intended for this cab, but it seemed to have its own ideas as to what it should be!
The next morning, I read on the Farmer’s Almanac site that the March full moon was traditionally known as the “Full Worm Moon” and it heralds the end of winter and the onset of spring. It’s been a hard winter, so I’m celebrating the idea of spring and change
The Almanac explains:
As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.
Made with : Bali carved bone triple moon, titanium quartz points, shimmering blue kyanite, rutilated quartz and vintage Swarovski.
The Fantasy Artists of Etsy team has just launched their spring exhibition, “Enchanted Awakenings”. The image to the right is a snapshot of some of the beautiful works included. Please visit their website to see this lovely collection in its entirety!
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| sculpted leather fairy wings and crown |
Oh hi, sleepy blog! I still think about you from time to time, but I’m taking a full course load again this quarter so “thinking about it” is about the best I can do right now. Won’t be taking as many classes come Spring, so hopefully I’ll be able to pay more attention to this blog then.
Until then, please enjoy these photos from a recent road trip to the Skagit Valley. We went up to the Cascades to check out the bald eagle migration, and while we were there we also discovered huge flocks of migrating swans. Gorgeous, aren’t they?
The EtsyRAIN Spring Craft Show will be held in the lobby and the fountain courtyard at the beautiful Intiman Theatre, located at 201 Mercer Street in Seattle.
Arrive early for swag bags:
The first 50 customers through the door will receive free swag bags full of handcrafted items by Seattle-area artists.
Support local artisans and crafters:
Choosing to support our area’s small businesses helps in so many ways! Buying local is more than just the hottest trend. From reducing your carbon footprint to keeping your hard-earned dollars right here in Seattle, purchasing locally produced items benefits our city and our planet!
Spring Craft Show benefits local charity:
In the spirit of keeping it local, EtsyRAIN has chosen a Seattle-based charitable organization to support at its spring craft show.
Lifelong AIDS Alliance is a group that strives to create “a world without HIV or AIDS, where every person living with illness is treated with dignity and respect.”
Representatives from Lifelong AIDS Alliance will be at the show, sharing information about their organization, selling raffle tickets for gift baskets filled with EtsyRAIN member merchandise, and collecting donations of canned food.
Admission to the event will be a suggested donation of $1 that will go directly to Lifelong AIDS Alliance or a canned food donation for their meal delivery program.
About EtsyRAIN:
EtsyRAIN is a local collective of over 700 artisans and craft makers from all over the Puget Sound region who operate online shops on the international handcrafted shopping site called Etsy (etsy.com). EtsyRAIN’s mission is to create a local creative community that nurtures, supports and educates artists who currently have or are interested in opening their own independent e-commerce shops on Etsy.
The group’s website features an event calendar of local craft-related events that is quickly becoming the “go-to” place to find out about crafty happenings in the Seattle area. Check it out to learn about all things crafty going on locally, such as classes, shows, application deadlines, networking events and more. You can even create an account and post your own crafty events!
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Ok, I admit it … I am a bad blogger. I try, but as I mentioned at the end of last year, when I’m in school it can be pretty tough to find the time to post here. Spring quarter began a few weeks ago, as evidenced by the tumbleweeds blowing through this blog. On the plus side, I am taking fewer classes this time around. Last quarter I took a very full course load, and while I really enjoyed the classes, I found that it put quite a damper on my creative time. I also realized that my creative time is necessary, not only for my business, but for my sanity. So, a moderate course load should afford me more time to focus on being creative, gearing up for the upcoming show/festival season, and maybe even listing a few things on Etsy again.
Speaking of which, I got an Etsy convo yesterday letting me know that one of my little leaf barrettes has been featured in this sweet little “Leaf” treasury, which was curated by
NutfieldWeaver. It’s a precious reminder of spring, and the beauty of simple things. Look at how many artists were inspired by the quiet beauty of leaves!
There are lots of great items in this treasury, but a couple of my personal favorites include this goat’s milk maple leaf soap which was made by Lost River Rags, as well as this stone ware oak leaf trio from Lynn Cardwell Pottery. I’m inspired by this collection of goodies, and I’m always thrilled when my work is included in a treasury … makes me feel like maybe I’m doing something right, and I oughta keep trying ;o)
Thank you NutfieldWeaver, for including my little leaf barrette in your beautiful treasury! I have a lot of fun making these hairsticks, and having them noticed like this makes me want to take advantage of my new found studio time, and make a few more!
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