Market Recap

Market was awesome. I am happy to say I will be adding new stores to the list of those who carry my jewelry. I really look forward to going back in the Spring when it is busier.

I am so glad to have taken this step for my business! It was definitely the learning experience I hoped for. I made lots of notes in my little book. For me a good concrete experience of something always helps clear up its mystery. Loading in for the first time was an adventure. And, I was beginning to feel a little uncertain when the first two days were slow. That just gave me a chance to talk with other vendors and learn more about how market works. On Saturday everything picked up and I met some really awesome women store owners from Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. My mom and my cousin, Michelle, were total troopers, helping me out!

I really enjoyed getting to stay in a hotel for four days. I never got around to booking a hotel before I left Austin so after setup one of the sales reps on the floor advised me to try hotwire.com - I got a three star hotel for $49 per night. The hotel even had sleep number beds. It was pretty sweet.

Today I am back home and I am pretty worn out. This morning I realized that I have been working straight through the last 21 days. Today I needed to recharge my batteries so I played with Zaphod, surfed blogs and got caught up on The Wire! (The new season is really good.) It is hard to take this mandatory resting day though with all these new ideas and experiences in my head. I think market just got me more excited about making jewelry.

to market I go

I am taking my work to market for the first time next week. I would be lying to say I'm not nervous. I am doing my best to remain calm. It'll probably be a big learning experience and I totally welcome that. I am excited to see what it brings. In case you don't know, market is where you go to meet store buyers. I will be debuting new jewelry there.

I have expanded my studio to occupy the room next door. It's all basically one big built in garage. The other room was our very large pantry so we are still half and half in there. One of the growing pains is that I have pots and pans hanging over my work bench! Eventually I will get it all sorted out. I'll post some pictures once it is.

I have decided to accept Paypal on my website. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner!

Grownup-style

After a fun, late Saturday night with our friends Sarah and Shea, James and I dragged our hungover selves out of bed and kicked Sunday's ass! First thing, we went to the grocery store and cleaned house. We busted it all out so fast that we had the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted. It was such a nice day! I always make a joke when we act super responsible that we're doing it grownup-style. It just feels so grown up to do something that is going to make your life easier a couple of days later.

And, to add to that, James has been making some killer salads the last two nights. The first one had olives, feta and tomatoes. The second had apples, pecans and goat cheese. I had no idea that good salads could be made at home. I have always failed so miserably at making them. I just thought you had to get them at restaurants.

Grownup-style! High Five! Great success.

Organization is nice.

I am really looking forward to working creatively in my newly reorganized studio this weekend. I have been working on some new designs this afternoon and it's been nice to be able to find stuff when I need it. What a luxury! I finished out the shelf and got more of the plastic drawers. The drawers really help space everything out. I saw this artist on Flickr who had all these drawers across her studio. I had immediate drawer lust. Drawers are good! The end.

Will someone please come take all the Christmas candy out of my house so I can stop eating it?

New Year's Resolutions

On the road I had a lot of time to think about my new year's resolutions:

1. learn more about photography
2. make some kickass new jewelry
3. worry less

When I was writing them out in my little notebook, it was more like an outline with a, b, c under each resolution but I think these three are simple enough. Number three is a pretty big one. The notes under that one went more like a. be in the moment, b. don't second guess yourself, etc. Maybe it's the mom in me but I can worry over something like there's no tomorrow. So, I am going to try to stop.

Feel free to post your new year's resolutions in the comments section. I always like to hear what other people are resolving to do.

I did an interview for a Japanese website called Flash Film and it was just published. Check it out if you like!

Also, Alexis at the Indie Lust blog wrote some very sweet things about Ornamental Things!

Day 9, 10 and Home! Southwest Road Trip

On day 9 we slept in a little too long in Las Vegas and got on the road too late to make it to the Grand Canyon. We were feeling okay about it considering we had such a great vacation already. We hit the road and stopped to see the Hoover Dam which is massive and has all sorts of cool art deco style statues and buildings around it. Before we reached the dam, there was a security checkpoint that we were waived through. We encountered another checkpoint later near El Paso.

We spent the night in the Wig Wam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona. It was such a neat experience. Each little room is a separate wig wam. It is quite cozy! They were built in the 1940’s so they have nice old fashioned features like tiled bathrooms and gas heating. The tv in the room had cable but dated back to the 1970’s so it had poor picture quality. We made the most of it, flipping over to Nick at Night and watching The Andy Griffith Show. It looked perfect on an old tv! It was nice to wake up in a Wig Wam on my 36th birthday!

On the morning of day 10 we ate at a little diner in Holbrook called Joe and Aggies that had been around since the glory days of Route 66. There was a group of old men at one of the tables, having their morning coffee and shooting the breeze. The food was greasy and delicious.

We were going to stop and spend some time in Marfa as our last stop but we were all so ready to be home that we just decided to head straight back. We drove for about 12 hours and spent the night in Fort Stockton, Texas and now we are home. James has been a serious trooper about the driving. It is so nice to see the Texas landscape again after 11 days on the road. We are also appreciating the nice Texas climate. So happy to not be freezing!

It was such an amazing trip with tons of great and varied experiences. We were sure happy to see Zaphod and he to see us. It’s good to be home though even if it does smell a little dog-y around here!

Day 7 and 8 - Southwest Road Trip

On day 7 we woke up in Durango, Colorado and drove the whole day to Las Vegas. We drove out of snowy mountains and into the desert of Monument Valley.

We stopped at Four Corners where Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico meet and ate Navajo Fry Bread. Our route wound through the border between Utah and Arizona, passing in and out of each state several times. We saw beautiful mesas and stone structures. It was such an amazingly beautiful drive. I can't believe how much the landscape can change from one place to another. We drove for about 10 hours, arriving in Las Vegas around 8 pm.

Our little Prius is so fantastic for this trip. We are getting great gas mileage! The gps navigation system is pretty cool. We have been able to program our destination in and have the computer tell us how to get there. It's saved us a lot of backtracking time and scratching our heads trying to figure out maps. The directions it gives are really clear.

Las Vegas was more fun that I could have imagined. The main strip is overwhelmingly big! It reminds me of Disneyworld Epcot Center because each casino hotel has a different theme. The first night we went to dinner at the Venetian. Boy that place is snooty and stinky but also incredibly beautiful! They have a canal running through it!



On Day 8 we got up pretty early and went downtown to the old Vegas strip to play Black Jack at the $5 tables. On the way there, we drove through some neat old neighborhoods. It's cool to see a residential side of Vegas! I also really liked seeing the old hotels that must have been where people stayed in the 1950's and 60's when downtown was THE spot.

Regarding Black Jack - I have to say, I totally get it! Now I understand why people love to gamble. It is way more fun that I thought it would be. I played a couple of hands but I am not that good at it. I mostly watched James play. It is so exciting when you win a round. I was good at telling James when to get up and walk away when his winning streak was over. We made a good team. When we left to come back to the hotel, we were up $125!

I love the old Vegas casinos downtown. They have a more relaxed quality and some of them are really old like the Golden Gate and the Golden Nugget. I find the history of Las Vegas really interesting.

In the evening we sent the kids off to see the Blue Man Group show and we went out for the best sushi we have ever had at Okada in the Wynn Hotel. Another thing I really wasn't prepared for is how much beautiful design there is in Vegas. The Wynn was my favorite with little areas of trees wrapped in Christmas lights and big white spheres hanging in them, big beautiful lanterns, rich colored mosaic flowers and metal vines running through screens. They also had a fine jewelry store there that had the most amazing selection of unique and vintage inspired jewelry.

After dinner we tried to get standby tickets to Love, The Beatles Cirque de Soliel show but we not able to. So, we walked to the Bellagio and watched the water fountain. They play songs and the jets shoot water in different directions, dancing along with the music. It's pretty spectacular. We watched for about four songs before surrendering to our sore feet and heading back to the hotel.

We are eating pretty good on this trip. My pants are getting tighter.

I heart Vegas!!

Day 5 and 6 - Southwest Road Trip

On day 5 we left the mountain cabin and drove up to Salida, Colorado where Crystal and Daniel live (my sister and brother-in-law). We drove through beautiful mountain passes, one of them with was pretty icey. Forest was driving and he handled it impressively.

Once we arrived at Crystal's we bundled up and went out to the ski slopes where Daniel works to see the New Year's Eve festivities. It was REALLY cold up on the mountain. We stood out in the -5 degree weather and watched a lovely parade of skiers carrying flares coming down the mountain. It was so pretty and I got a little teary-eyed! Afterward they had a fireworks show and it was so beautiful the way it reflected on the snow and trees. The cold was really exciting. I have never been so cold! I could feel my nose hairs freezing.

Afterward we came home and Crystal made us a delicious dinner of pork tenderloin with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, acorn squash, asparagus and bread. It was so nice to have a home cooked meal after eating out so much! We played Scattergories and laughed until midnight.



On day 6 James, Forest and Jessica went up with Daniel to ski while Crystal and I hung out. We took a nice walk around the quaint downtown area. Salida is such a neat little town. The snow crunched under our feet and we had to walk on the sunny side of the street to stay warm. It was so nice to hang out with Crystal. I am so lucky to have such a cool sis. The skiers all had a great time. James hadn't skied since he was 17 but reported that he did fine and only fell once! Forest and Daniel skied together and James said they were skiing fast. Jessica chose a snowboard and had a lot of fun skiing all day. Everyone is sore and tired tonight!

Happy New Year!!