the forsythia club

I went on a little walk today after I got home from school. I've been crazy busy the last few days and have really been ignoring the poor dog, so it was nice for us to get out for a while. I chose our route with the intent of finding some blooming forsythia (the little yellow flower below) to photograph because I've been noticing that it seems to be around already. Rumour has it that you can plant your garden peas when the forsythia starts blooming, but I can't imagine getting away with getting the garden started in the middle of January. I think it's still going to be way too wet in the days to come and last year our peas didn't amount to much anyway (thank you, sparrows!). Do you have a garden? When will you start it? I'm thinking late March for us here in Vancouver, but I've already been perusing the West Coast seed catalogue.

Lola and I were lucky today on our search for signs of impending spring. Not only did we find forsythia, but we also found a slightly confused already-blooming cherry tree! Yup, there it was, just down the street from our place. There are always a few around that start really early. Seeing this one is a very promising indicator of great things to come!

If you're feeling like you could use some spring inspiration check out the let's pretend it's spring giveaway on Lune Vintage. Jill has just revealed her new line of accessories and they are glorious and summery. I am really coveting one of those Ojo pendants! And now it's afternoon nap time!

P.S. Here's the entire first episode of Portlandia. It starts with the same video that I posted yesterday, but then it's all new. It'll make you happy if you've got half an hour to spare.

a few new things...

black teardrop crystal necklace

For the past week I've been doing a lot of different things all at the same time, but with the holidays fast approaching, that's about to come to a much anticipated end. Yay for relaxation time, even if I do still feel totally apprehensive about my next and final semester of school. As life is returning to normal I've finally had a chance to update my Etsy shop with some of the new items that I made for the craft sales I did at the beginning of December. Many of the new pieces are one of a kind and incorporate crystal geodes, vintage findings, and maybe a little tiny bit of gold wire. You can take a closer look at them all in the Sadie shop, but I'd also like to share a few pictures here.

moonstone crystal teardrop necklace

These tiny crystal teardrop necklaces are soooo lovely to wear and, yet, so difficult to make! I swear, for every one that I succeed with I've botched at least three previous attempts. The thirty gauge gold-filled wire is really, really thin and everything has to be just right to ensure the crystal stays in place. The crystals themselves are only 4mm x 6mm big. I can't wait to get a good desk lamp with a magnifying glass to make this kind of work a little easier. The light we currently have available just isn't good enough when I'm working on such small, intricate pieces.

I've also got some new Cave Explorer necklaces in the shop. The last ones are gone gone gone. The pickaxe wielding man in the bottom piece looks a lot like a friend of mine. I'm tempted to tell him about it, but I think it's best if he just figures it out for himself. A magnifying glass and better light is also gonna help me make these dudes in the future. They are tiny! Just 10mm tall and, as you can see, they fit their geode homes perfectly and that can make them tough to get in there.

pink mitts cave explorer

cave explorer in an agate geode

So, I've revealed some of the struggles that I have when making jewelry, but don't get me wrong! I love it! It's so great to sit down with a pile of supplies and make things happen. It's even more fun to go and get new supplies and I always find inspiration for something new in the local shops I frequent. In fact, I'll be posting even more new work tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Oh yeah, and how did I manage to miss sharing this feature from Lune Vintage on the Sadie blog? Check it out, there's a coupon code for the shop, too!

d.i.y. gift guide

So, after saying I'd just be too busy to keep up with posts here, I had an idea that I thought was best suited to getting out there now, rather than later. So, here it is, fresh finds (I hope some of them are new to you) for d.i.y. holiday gift ideas. I know some people like to shop till they drop this time of year, but for others it's a chance to make things by hand (and on a budget). Here are some homemade gift ideas that I think will make you look really thoughtful AND talented. And they're relatively easy, depending on what you have a talent for, so just making something already!

photo from Lune Vintage

Let's start with this tutorial to make a tassel necklace with Lune Vintage. So easy and awesome. I was at Dressew earlier this week and found a beautiful piece of navy leather in their giant leather scrap bin and made one for myself. It's going to be my new keychain, but I think the necklace idea is pretty swell too. The rest of the leather that I have leftover is for a project I'm hoping to get my mom's help with when I go home for Christmas (look out!). Follow the link above for a complete and very easy how-to guide on Lune.

Next up, make your own terrarium with instructions from Make Something. These look like really well laid out, easy to follow instructions, and we all know that terrariums are super hot right now. Perfect for those balcony-less apartments (just like the one I'm about to move into).

photo from make something

I feel like a bit of a 70s theme is emerging, so I won't encourage you to make a macrame plant hanger, but rather suggest the Delores Park cowl from Six One Seven. Super easy if you're not an advanced knitter. Circular needles are an easy way to start knitting in the round, and this pattern just uses really simple stitches and chunky yarn, which means you shouldn't still be working on this one come next Christmas.

Finally, if it's deliciousness you're after, need you go any further than Martha? (And I do like to believe we're on a first name basis.) If you can somehow still find peaches, this rosemary peach jam (which has been renamed "dignified fun" in our house) is amazing. It goes with every kind of cheese that you can think of and is pretty easy to make. For something a bit more seasonal, I've made these hazelnut-espresso cookies before and they are disgusting! Just kidding! They're amazing and they're a great pick-me-up during finals studying. Oh yeah, school...back to that.

Enjoy this extra-long, extra-amazing song by Sufjan Stevens while you get to work on your Christmas projects. When you've listened to both parts you're half an hour in...and you won't even notice the time going by! I think I might have to make those espresso cookies this afternoon.

portobello west preview

crystal diorama by Jeff

Hi all, I hope you've had a great week. I am happy to have had my last class yesterday and now I have time (not enough?) to focus on writing my thesis paper (and another paper) and get ready for the holidays...oh, and move. So this is going to be a quick post with a few pictures of some of the things I'm going to have at Portobello West and available in the Sadie shop soon. Above is another one of Jeff's great crystal dioramas. This one is on beautiful, mossy green wolfinite and just so you know, that's a lumberjack, not a hunter! Below are some amazing faceted raw garnet chunks that I found this week. I can't wait to have a chance to turn them into something wearable, and I'm hoping to have the chance to do that later tonight, just in time for Portobello West. Garnet is supposed to keep you emotionally balanced and safe from bad dreams...just what every student needs at this point in the semester! I'm a bit of a skeptic about the powers of crystals, but not about the beauty of all these crazy rocks. These garnet chunks are a really deep red, which translates as a very warm, rich black from a distance. I love them.

faceted raw garnet

Finally, I'd just like to say hello to all who are finding me here through Lune Vintage. I'm super excited to have a sponsorship spot on Lune this month and am looking forward to reading all of the features on great designers and bloggers that will be on Lune in December. Thanks again to Jill for this great opportunity. I hope you'll all keep checking back! Welcome!

snow is falling and I'm sitting with a pile of sterling silver chain in front of me

What a day! I'm putting together a presentation, doing homework for another class and making a big stack of earrings for the BLIM Market on Sunday. It looks like it's freezing outside, but I can't be sure, because I'm still inside, in my cozy apartment, in my living room/jewelry-making studio listening to episode after episode of This American Life. Here's a little sneak peak of what the Sadie table is going to look like at BLIM this weekend: 

Of course, there's a lot more to it, but I don't want to give it all away before the market happens. I'm also really looking forward to embarking on the Eastside Culture Crawl this weekend. I love the Mergatroid Building on Venebles the most, I think. So many different studios all in one place, and my favourite, Heyday Design is there, too! I think the ceramics are my favourite things to check out. I've tried making ceramics, but I always end up with a ten pound bowl with one side caved in or a hand-built cup that would draw blood if you actually tried to use it. It's not good! I don't know what it is about the pottery wheel, but I just don't get it, so I love looking at things made by local artist who do, totally, get it.

If you are coming to the BLIM Market this weekend, make sure you check out the baking that some of the vendors do. It is so delicious and really beautifully presented, too. I'm going to have some new pieces there, as well as lots of stuff that is in my Etsy shop, like this rutilated quartz crystal necklace, which my friend Carrah calls her "magical pan flute necklace"...we could all use a little more magical pan flute, I think.

I'm especially happy with some of the vintage pieces that I've been able to incorporate in my table set up, and with these embossed paper golden antlers, which I'm going to use as little extras in my packaging. I must get back to all of my work that needs to be done today, including preparing everything for the upcoming Sadie feature on Lune. Regardless of whether you think the holiday season has arrived a little too early, try listening to this classic (1996!) episode of This American Life: Christmas and Commerce. David Sedaris's Santaland Diaries gets me every time. If you haven't heard it, make today the day!

sadie photo shoot

I'm not even sure how this is even possible, considering a 75% complete draft of my thesis paper was due this afternoon, but yesterday Jacqui and Blair and I had a little photo shoot for the upcoming feature about Sadie on Lune Vintage. The sun was moving quickly on us, so we didn't have a lot of time to plan everything out, but I'm really happy with the results. I can't wait to share more with you in the Lune feature and put some of our shots up on Etsy eventually, too.

Photo: Blair Cheredaryk

I just had a crazy weekend writing, researching, making jewelry for my first ever craft fair (coming up this Sunday -- BLIM in Chinatown, come check it out!) and writing and researching some more. Thankfully, Jeff took some time out of his insanely busy day to bake some cupcakes and clean the apartment (our landlord is selling the place). I'm looking forward to getting this week behind me: setting up that first Sadie table, having all of my jewelry made, and presenting my thesis project thus far to my mentor. Are you getting a picture of how frantic I'm feeling right now? I might be able to take a deep breath on Sunday. Until then, here's an outtake of our photo shoot. Look how relaxed Jacqui and I managed to look in this photo, despite the fact that we were freezing!

wanderlust

This time of year I always just feel like packing up and heading out of town. Of course, I know I can't complain too much because I was just in Portland (I took this picture during our trip back to Vancouver, in fact), but perhaps it's the Prairies that are calling me. Or the mountains. It's something all right, and it inspired me to book our tickets home for Christmas last night. I really do love the feeling of getting things together for a trip: making playlists, packing snacks, bringing presents with me for the people I'll be visiting.

You know, I think maybe it's just homesickness. It's been almost a year since I was in Calgary last, and I really can't wait to visit with all of my friends there, bake something delicious in Jill's kitchen (I hope!), meet Heather's new baby, see new apartments, and eat at old favourite restaurants. I just hope it isn't -40 (that's -40C AND -40F!) while I'm there. And that we'll have a chance to get out to the mountains. And that there'll be snow on the ground (we don't usually get snow in Vancouver). Is this all too much to ask? Where are you going this holiday season?

And, by the way, I have some exciting news! Jill at Lune Vintage generously hosted a contest to win sponsorship spots on her beautiful blog and I won! Congrats to the other four winners, too! Make sure you check Lune out and welcome to all who have found me through Lune! I'm really excited for the opportunity and the chance to connect with some new people!

P.S. As I was posting this the weather report came on the news and snow is perhaps in the forecast for Vancouver in the next day or so! Really? We will see if it arrives. Winter is here and I don't really mind! Oh yeah, and I bought the cat print!

agate geode cavers by sadie

Here they are! The first cave explorer necklaces were received so warmly that I've made some new ones. These crystal-filled agate geodes are all one-of-a-kind and contain a miniature 10mm tall cave explorer...with one exception. Yup, that last one there is a grizzly bear, and it measures in at a huge (by comparison) 15mm. The figures are all fixed securely within the depths of each crystal cave and have been chosen because they relate well to each unique geode. Surfaces are polished. Chains are silver. Find them all in the Sadie shop.

As I mentioned earlier, it's been a busy weekend and will likely be an even busier week, so until I can post again, please check out some of my favourites from blogland this past week:

A look at an Erin Templeton photo shoot over at Clever Nettle.
Trends come and go at Lune Vintage.
And, oh no, already?
Gift ideas for under $50 at I go by Katie.