Please Vote For Me!

When you vote you get a coupon code for my shop!

To vote: First go the link: http://bit.ly/Commune-Feed-Need-Not-Greed and "like" it, then click on my image where it says VOTE on the image. They will receive your public profile and friend list. I hope that's okay! You can vote once a day for the next 3 weeks so please vote daily if you can. Sorry to bother you! I wouldn't ask but as contests go, with only 9 contestants my chances seem pretty good. It would be awesome to make it to the final round and have a video made of me and my work and to have a chance for 1 of the cash prizes!

Read more about the contest below. Thanks so much for considering this!

Commune has asked me to take part in their competition. Commune is a movement of artists, designers, musicians and people that take a stand against tobacco corporations and their presence in the scene. 

Every month they host an event with a local band, DJ, designer and artist at Commune Wednesdays. By celebrating local and educating people about the things Big Tobacco does or contributes to that they may not otherwise support, they hope to shift the creative scene image from one that smokes to one that focuses more on creativity, music and art. This Wednesday will be Jacques Greene at Signal Kitchen. Next month I will be the featured artist! 
   
For this contest, they chose 3 local vendors from each of the Commune cities (San Diego, San Francisco and Burlington) to compete to win a grand prize of $750. This campaign is called “Feed Need Not Greed” and will help raise awareness about world hunger caused by the tobacco industry. 
    
There are 2 rounds of voting, after the first round 3 finalists (1 from each of the 3 cities) get a featurette video filmed by Commune's video crew and a 1 in 3 chance of winning $750. The potential prizes for the finalist round are: 1st - $750, 2nd - $500, 3rd - $250. Also, during the finalist round Commune will donate $1 per vote up to $1,000 to an organization that helps feed children in a country heavily affected by hunger caused by Big Tobacco.  

I'm so psyched to have been chosen as one of 3 vendors to represent Vermont and to help spread the word about Commune and their efforts. To vote go to: http://bit.ly/Commune-Feed-Need-Not-Greed
Thank you!

My new line: Botany

   I majored in Art and English at UVM. I did really well in my art and English classes, not so well with my general requirements, one of which was Botany. It was a very long, very early morning class with over 100 students, often with the lights low or off to see slides. This was more the recipe for napping then learning. I did do well in my labs, mostly because we had to draw plants, cell walls, mitochondria! That was fun.
    I've been toying with this idea for awhile now. I have so many friends in the herbal arts and herbalism is so interesting to me. Mother nature provides many wonders in the form of healing plants. Like many Vermonters, I turn to herbal remedies before anything else. My personal herbalist/amazing friend Kori Gelinas keeps me well stocked with herbal teas, oils and products. 
  A sweet customer/friend of mine recently gave me Rosemary Gladstar's beautiful book: Medicinal Herbs. Thanks Jane! It's really the gift that keeps on giving. How lovely it has been to gain more knowledge of herbs. I've so enjoyed the lush photos of these plants at their peaks, all of the green and brilliant color during these cold and gray winter months.
   I wanted a way to connect my jewelry to my love of herbs. So I've created 5 simple pendants to start and I will grow the line as interest grows. In trying to come up with a name for this new line, I had many ideas but they all seemed too long. Then it hit me, simply Botany. An umbrella word that well encompasses herbs, plants, nature, medicine.
 
I drew these plants in the styles of a botanical studies. I chose some of my favorite medicinal herbs to start:

Dandelion - This thriving plant aids in digestion and liver health.

Echinacea - As we all know, this is a go to herb for easing cold symptoms. It also helps provide general relief to your immune system.

Elderberry - Another immune enhancing plant and they taste amazing!

Lavender - Just the scent is calming. When applied to cuts and bruises it functions as an antiseptic and eases pain.

Chamomile - Can help treat more than 100 separate ailments and conditions. It is gentle but effective and provides wonderful support for the nervous and digestive systems.

These pendants are in my Etsy shop for pre-order, I will have them in sterling or brass on cord or chain. They will be ready in mid April. I hope they are well received by the herbal community! Which one's your favorite?

All the Rage - Raw Crystals + Brass

Modern and mystical, it's hard to keep up with these new necklaces. I've sold almost a dozen this year. These are great on their own or for layering up and they go so well with my hammered brass earrings. Raw kyanite and quartz crystals are interspersed with Kenyan bronze hishi and hang on 24" brass chains. You can find them in my Etsy shop.

Quartz channels universal energy. It enhances energy by absorbing, storing, amplifying, balancing, focusing and transmitting. It's extremely beneficial for manifesting, healing, meditation and protection. Quartz dispels negativity energy. It enhances spiritual growth and wisdom. It clarifies thoughts and emotions, which makes space for inspiration and creativity. It can also help with concentration, and retaining what one learns. Due to its ability to balance, quartz is excellent for harmonizing and balancing one's environment.

The blue and brass are a striking combination. Blue kyanite helps open psychic ability, enhances telepathic communication and assists in lucid dreaming. It has a potent ability to transfer and amplify high frequency energy. Each color of this stone has specific chakras that it works best with but all varieties are effective to amplify healing.

I love how they look together! I plan on designing some earrings too so stay tuned...

Wholesale Catalog

Spent the last week making my catalog, now it's at the printer but I can share it here!

Sneak Peak...Wholesale Catalog

Suddenly realized I had to make my wholesale catalog right away and I've gathered up some wonderful local friends and customers to help a sister out. Can't believe how well the photo shoots have gone. I've been meeting these lovely ladies at coffee shops, eateries, their shops, their studios, their restaurants. They've met up with me on their way to the gym, on their way back from yoga, in the middle of painting, sewing, construction, in between sales at their shops. It's been crazy and amazing how quickly and seamlessly thing have been coming together. 

Here's a sneak peak of one of the pages. I just love the authenticity of all of it...real women, real friends who really wear my work in real places and aside from taking the time to do the photo we get to actually enjoy lunch, or tea, or a quick visit. It's such a nice way to see people during what can be a very cold/dark and isolating time of year. Most of the ladies, if not wearing their own pieces are wearing pieces very similar to what they already own of mine. I'm loving my new camera too, feeling very professional. Each day after shooting I work on the layout of the pages, add the close up jewelry photos and text. Can't wait to share it...for now here's what I think I'm going to use for the cover...what do you think?

New Wholesale Site!

I've been hard at work getting my wholesale line together...

Above is a sneak peak of my new wholesale shop... You can't really visit it without the password but here's the LINK

It's comprised of 6 of my most popular earring designs. Many come in 3 sizes and 3 metal options so that alone yields 35 pairs of earrings. It features close to 20 necklaces, my Chakra wraps and a few rings. All in all there are 65 pieces (some are featured in my new postcard above) and I'm so proud of putting this all together.

Now I'm focusing on getting select Vermont and New England shops to order for spring. If you have a shop or know of a shop that you think would be a good fit, please let me know (or please let them know!) and I'll pass along the super secret password. Over the next few weeks I'll be working on a catalog too. This is a big shift but I think it's the way to go...

Valentine's Day Gift Guide

Here's a sampling of some of my new work and some pieces that really just say "Valentine's Day". It's only a week a way! 

I've made several styles of bottle necklaces. One has 2 little herkimer diamonds and a blank scroll (where someone can write their own special note) and one has the word Love written on the outside of the rolled scroll so it can be seen. My favorite has a poem that I wrote across both sides of the scroll (see in above photo) and comes with 11 herkimer diamonds.

I love this little collection of items. I think anyone would be super excited to receive this as a gift.

Sometimes my work day includes strange things like tea and coffee staining little papers and burning the edges by candlelight (while drinking tea from my favorite mug).

I think the little bottle necklaces look great on display at Trinket.

Some perfect dainty V-day pendants: My Tiny Eclipse and Gold Leaf are 24k gold and pure silver and hang on strands of tiny pure silver Bali beads. There are matching earrings in my shop too. Here's the Love bottle pendant as mentioned above and one of my new Charmed pendants.

These are tiny and so special. They are great for just a little somethin' or as the top layer in a cascade of necklaces. They are reversible - 24k gold on one side, pure silver on the other on a tiny mixed strand of sterling and gold filled chain.

You can never go wrong with red for V-day. These are a new small version of my Pendulum Earrings (which are now available in small, medium and large.

This simple silver necklace has been very popular. Almost as much as my Ladder Necklace.

My new edgy raw quartz and brass necklace has been hard to keep in stock. I'm always happy to help you decide which piece is best for your special Valentine so feel free to drop me a line.