or, the place i like the most. the rooftop. where no one knows where i am, but me.  and the clouds who knock into each other, discussing directions, swapping colors and moving again.  i love it when they do that.  sometimes i want to just eat them.  and then come back into the house, freezing cold with delicious cloud crumbs all over the side of my mouth, cloud crumbs on my shirt and chin.  cloud crumbs and cold, feeling alive.

the wisdom of the crowd (in the queenthings jewelry contest, wink) revealed that one of the greatest privileges of being a woman is the gift of motherhood. i think jess said it best when she left this comment:

no. 10 // Motherhood is the ultimate expression of feminine creativity. To grow and share our sacred space. To unconditionally love. To nurture, to sacrifice…That is beauty and joy and power beyond description. More powerful than even the rain.

jaden necklaces

☆ and since my brother’s family just welcomed a little girl in their lives (oh she’s cute as a button!) these necklaces are designed in honor of her…sweet baby jaden!

i also want to congratulate all other new mothers out there. a big smile and tip of the hat to you!

happily, i’ve been overwhelmed with goodness coming in my uruguay mailbox lately. here is a beautiful sampling of something sent from a really kindred spirit. a stenography card No. 414:

Here are two of the famous elk of the Olympian Mountains, probably the largest and most handsome animals of the Wapiti family in existence.

For some reason or other the elk in these mountains grow to greater size. Their antlers obtain a more beautiful perfection and their nature undergoes somewhat of a change…

(washington state is my home, so i can think of so many reasons why they would grow more beautiful…!)

of course, my fascination for these creatures has nothing to do with hunting and mounting them…but their magnificence. another place that is like a home to me is jackson hole, wyoming. my dad went there with his family practically every summer to camp and fish when he was a boy, a tradition he kept as i grew up, and one that is still going strong. jackson has changed a lot since he was little, but one of the things that stays the same is that great arch in the town center. if you’ve never seen it before, it’s a massive gathering of antlers that have been naturally shed by elk and gathered up by the boy scouts. just magnificent.

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and, speaking of antlers, the coronation necklace is now available!

you might have seen a preview of my geode necklace featured with the try this at home interview, but i’m using it as a “stay tuned” at my website too. i’m just in love with this necklace! it feels good to be moving into a stage where i’m making jewelry that i love to wear myself. the one shown here is actually my very own, but i have several of these almost ready for you too. each slice of agate has a mountain of quartz crystals encrusted inside, variants of smoky colors and layers of the earth surrounding. the way the hollow center allows for the light to catch the little stalactites is absolutely glamorous!

these particular gemstones are different from your average agate because instead of the usual concentric circles that look like bands from a tree trunk, you are wearing what looks like a frozen solid gloss of smoke around your neck. or a bit like a slab of marbled ice cream in hyper detail. (the first time i wore mine, i was out for just three hours and to my surprise, i counted five different people who approached me. asking to hold it in their hands they replied, “que divino! precioso!” that’s so divine! so precious!)

i love that even though this necklace is going to be designed the same way – gold electroplated edges (+ some in silver) on a delicate chain – the stone varies so much that it has a very individual note for each one. these agates are from artigas, uruguay and i’ve never seen any other like them! there is something about having an accessory that no one else in the entire universe could possibly wear – just because the earth made it so. that’s what i love about stones. it’s guaranteed originality and beauty, naturally.

some of you were curious about the photograph i set the necklace on… it’s dated april 4, 1929 “cerros de minas, montevideo” in an elaborate scrolly handwriting on the back. i wonder if they found any stones in those mining hills. part of my fascination with collecting old photos is in their mystery, i can stare at them again and again. i would go as far to say that adding to my treasury is one of the greatest small pleasures in life.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/vr8WcwOKqxo" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

my favorite sister in the world (she’s my only, but still totally worthy of the title) is all full of goodness and recently turned me on to the music of el perro del mar. i just can’t seem to kick this swedish pop music crush. (last week i featured my favorite dynamic swedish duo, the moonbabies.) so without further ado, here is a sweet little video which features artwork by asa arnehed. it just might have you wanting to take out your umbrella and dance under bagfuls of confetti during your lunch hour.

p.s. you can play el perro del mar on my sidebar player now too!

i read each and every entry, and i have to say, ladies (and gentlemen!) that you are so lovely. however, there can only be one to wear this crown. a drum roll please…
(more…)

“as harold took a bite of bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be okay. sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank god for bavarian sugar cookies. and, fortunately, when there aren’t any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten danish, soft-spoken secrets, and fender stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction.

and we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. they are here to save our lives. i know the idea seems strange, but i also know that it just so happens to be true.”
(more…)

yesterday i pounded the city streets all afternoon with marcus, who invited me to join him while he was working on a filming project. and even though i see bicycles all the time here, when i saw this one, i had a moment of healthy nostalgia. since i rode it practically everyday when the weather let me, i really miss my trusty bicycle. kind of the thing you just can’t cram into a suitcase, but that you might be able to reclaim again.

who doesn’t love audrey hepburn? she’s certainly a tremendous influence to my own style. whether it be picking out a coat / my affinity for ballet flats and black cigarette pants / choosing to pile my hair high on my head or giving in to that insatiable desire to trim my bangs again and again, she’s an icon for me. so when i saw this little gem of a book at a shop here, i had to give in! you know, to properly practice my spanish and everything. here are some of my favorite spreads…from which you’ll recognize the greatest films…

here is a little spot in my studio just above my workspace. one thing this suitcase lifestyle has taught me about setting up shop while globetrotting? —-> fresh flower bunches energize me like nothing else! also in heavy rotation around my habitat these days:

☆ bitter chocolate for snacking (but not near jewelry, ha)
☆ berlin’s electronica bpitch control on full blast
☆ french singer silën softly playing in the background

news! maddy, a recent RISD grad, asked me to be a part of her designer Q&A. you can read a little more about my art process as well as look around her newly launched site, try this at home. (which i predict is going to be a huge success, as a resource for artists/crafters who want inspiration, it’s a definite bookmark! clicky clicky!)

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& w o w! i’ve been reading each entry come in for the jewelry giveaway and i’m blown away. you lovelies have me wanting to loud out loud, shed a few tears and thank my lucky stars for being born a girl. i can tell this is going to a very, very tough call…