Time for an Upper

I love Project Runway and I think this past season was definitely my favorite so far - amazing talent, Christian & Chris, and some weird challenges that made for some great t.v. (wrestling challenge anyone?) I'm slightly in withdrawal so I thought I would post a few things to honor the memory of season 4. Above is a fierce little onesie by Rosalyn's Closet that makes me wish I had a cute baby to put it on.

Here is a fab Q&A with winner Christian Siriano that shows his (slightly) less dramatic side. *Sigh* I just love him.


And lastly, above is Chris March, my other favorite designer (more in personality than aesthetics, though) from the show. He was so sweet & funny and my favorite line he said was "Ah... youth" when he was talking about Christian's tendency to be obnoxious from time to time. Christian and Chris need their own show - I need more!!!

Crazy Week

This has been a bit of a crazy week. The beginning of the week started off great - lots of great things happened in Freshie & Zero world. For starters, I received a consignment invite from Young Blood Gallery in Atlanta which was exciting; I contacted Art Effect in Chicago and they actually responded and told me they liked my jewelry (and holy crap their store is awesome!!); I had also contacted Naked Art Gallery in Birmingham and they got back to me and I now have a box of jewelry on their way. Yay! I was feeling pretty good, I must admit.

Then on Tuesday I went to work and found out that our former accountant and the uncle of my boss, Bob Schwartz, had died on Saturday. I was totally shocked - I had to sit down and then I hid in the bathroom and cried for a while. Bob was an 80-something year old who had basically been stuck at home for over a year due to his not-so-good health but he wasn't dying. I worked with him for over 6 years and he was really funny and was one of the first people I had met who made me rethink what the term "old people" meant. Much like his sister-in-law (my other boss who started the gallery and who is still a cool old lady in her 80's), Bob was over 80 but he wasn't senile or mean, and he talked to me like I was a person and not some dumb little girl (I can't say the same for my grandparents, the only other old people I ever really knew). Bob was a good guy, and it was certainly a blow to hear he was gone.

Losing Bob was rough, but then the same day I found out that another co-worker who had been fighting cancer for the past couple of years is in hospice and is dying. He, too, was just a nice guy who was addicted to smoking and now it's finally killing him. Then I heard more bad news involving death and impending death and is this blog cheerful enough for you yet? Tuesday was not good.

Wednesday was a typical Wednesday - all I wanted to do was vacuum and it never got done. I didn't make enough jewelry but I had lunch with my mom and ran some errands.

Thursday back to work and long story short, some bitchy male decorator with one too many face lifts yelled at my lovely co-worker Lyndi over the phone about something that she had no control over, and he made her cry. What a JERK! AND he's the choir director at one of the biggest churches in Nashville, but he's such an example of God's love that he has to make an innocent girl cry because his mat wasn't exactly how he wanted it. Obviously this mat is a life or death matter. Obviously he is a complete douche bag. The end of the story is infuriating - his ass was kissed enough so that his anger was appeased. Don't worry about his disgusting treatment towards the employees, just make him happy! In the middle of his rant, he asked for me since I was the "person with the highest seniority" so that he could yell at me too but I wouldn't take the phone, and then his secretary called and asked for something related to the frame job and I let her know just what kind of week we were having - you know, dealing with deaths that maybe sidetracked us from making framing miracles for his royal highness. She sounded like she felt pretty horrible, and I hope she relayed that to the douche bag decorator but he probably didn't care.

Ugh. Working with people is so much fun. This is the crap I put up with two days a week but I still manage to work there even after 8 years. The only good thing that came out of the situation was that I went to get a drink with my co-worker Lyndi who has had a string of random crappy things like that happen to her lately (I call it the asshole parade), and we had a more than a few drinks, some fried chicken, and some bowling so it actually turned out to be a great night!

Today was good. I got a lot done, I made a whole bunch of earrings (gotta get ready for all of my shows in April!), and Greg & I had dinner with my parents at Amerigo. Yummy. It's kind of been a crazy year but this was definitely a crazy week. I got one inch closer to quitting the gallery and many more inches towards success with jewelry. I was also reminded that this is only a temporary place and that I never know when myself or anyone else I know may be moving on. Sad.

Zero on Easter

My husband actually captured Zero on film when he was still and not sleeping. He was looking at me longingly to play tug-of-war with the teddy bear. He's pretty cute when he wants to be but I know he's really just doing what he does best - manipulating the situation to his advantage! He had a pretty good day - he scored some lamb, ham, and carrot cake icing which he wasn't too sure about. I think he was expecting some more lamb, so when my mom gave him icing twice in a row he quit begging for more which was pretty funny because he'll eat pretty much anything. I guess he's not a big fan of cream cheese icing but I love it!

Zapplication - the not so happy adventures

Zapplication is becoming a thorn in my side. It supposedly simplifies applying to craft shows by making everyone upload a few photos in the same complicated format, and therefore the crafter is able to apply to multiple shows with one click (and one credit card). I am uncomfortable with it because I don't see my images as the jury sees them, so I don't know what the final product looks like to them. Want to know why I'm paranoid? Here's a screen shot from my Zapplication account:



Notice how every single status is "Not Invited" (except for the one where I was wait listed and then rejected). How is that for a batting average? Another depressing stat is that all of these rejections cost me $305. I am starting to doubt that I will ever be accepted to any show that requires you to apply through Zapp. I even redid all of my photos with a super nice new camera (Pentax K10D) and followed their photo uploading instructions to a T. I think my photos look good but I don't know for sure! The true test will be if I am accepted in the Lowertown Festival - it is a festival that I have done two years in a row and if they reject me then something is seriously wrong with either my photos or their website... Grrr.....

I will admit that a lot of the Zapp shows are pretty big time and I may just be small potatoes to them, but until I get accepted to a show through Zapp, I will continue to doubt their application techniques and I've started to apply to less and less shows through Zapplication because it seems like a waste of money. Have any of you, my fabulous blog readers, had a good or bad experience with Zapp?

Current Obsessions

Here are just a few of my current obsessions...

1. I don't have a worthy spot for this hanging bird by Alena Hennessy, but maybe some day...
2. If I had a need for notebook paper, I'd be all over this one by Rock Paper Scissors.
3. You're never too old to work on your memory skills and this beautiful game by Marimekko gets the job done with such style!
4. These pop-up paper place mats from Delight.com are too pretty to get food on! I wonder what else you could use them for...
5. This camera case is so very cute & clever, hand stitched by Hine.

Prophetik Fashion Show

Thursday night I had the opportunity to go to a charity fashion show in Franklin hosted by a newish boutique called Philanthropy - a business that is focused on bettering the community and the world by donating a portion of their proceeds to charity. Little did I know how blown away I would be! First of all, I didn't realize how big Franklin-based brand Prophetik has become. The designer behind it, Jeff Garner, is truly committed to making the world a better place and he donates a portion of his proceeds from the line to Aid Sudan and Hands & Feet Orphanage. Together with Philanthropy, their goal is to raise $55,000 this year for these two charities. It is really a noble cause and seeing these people be so committed to loving & helping others less fortunate makes you think a little bit more about your own responsibility to give as well.

inside Philanthropy

I decided to spring for the $25 VIP ticket, which was really, really cheap in retrospect - I got a great seat AND an awesome screenprinted tote bag, and you know how much I love bags! The show was outdoors and had live singers & music along with great fashion-y type music - we really were blessed that the rain stayed away during the show, and the temperature was perfect. The show opened with a video of the Hands & Feet Orphanage, then a bunch of confused & cute little kids meandered their way around the rocky runway in Sustainable Kids, an all sustainable kids euro street line designed by Mai Anderson.

Then there was a groovy hip hop dance trio - it was fabulous because it was a girl and two guys and they could DANCE! They had a little difficulty with the rocky terrain but they did a great job maneuvering it. I was afraid they were going to kick some rocks in my face because I was so close! Then the Prophetik portion began...

More of the fashion show photos may be seen on my Flickr page. After the show was over, I went back to Philanthropy for the after party and to see my girls Angela & Courtney of Angel Court Jewelry. I met them at ICE in Atlanta a couple of years ago and then we were both at Stitch in 2006. They make a great duo - Courtney is the creative genius and Angela is the masterful business woman - they are really an inspiration to all indie businesses out there and Angela is so great at just throwing out business ideas and getting me motivated to take Freshie & Zero to the next level! Courtney uses antique findings & memorabilia such as optical lenses and keys to create one of a kind pieces, and they have figured out a way to make their one of a kind jewelry work in the wholesale trade show world, which is really impressive. We ended up talking for over an hour and I left with my brain buzzing with business motivation.

All in all, it was a really amazing night and one of the owners of Philanthropy, Marianne, is interested in bringing in Freshie & Zero into the store. I will follow up with her next week and keep my fingers crossed!

I heart faux bois

I have long had a fascination with all things faux bois (fake wood) so I've been bookmarking some good ones to share with you!

1. To Do or To Don't? You can now make lists for both with this double-faced journal designed by Liz Young available from Velocity.
2. There is something so chic about this silver wood grain ribbon from Martha Stewart.
3. I will have to buy one of these some day - it's a tree stump stool cover to make all of your boring, cheap stools much more appealing! Available from Little Odd Forest.
4. This orange wood grain journal by Rock Paper Scissors is only one of many faux bois products they make (and i want them all!).
5. This luxury silk-lined black & white tree print clutch bag by Red Ruby Rose would be a very indie addition to your little black dress.
6. I already own these stylish damask file folders available from Delight.com.
7. This polymer clay pendant is so pretty and unique - available from Salt and Pepper on etsy.
8. For the hip gent - a wood grain wallet made from super strong Tyvek material sold by Greener Grass Design.
9. I cheated on this one a little because it actually is made of wood, but it was so different I couldn't resist! It's a pin with two backs, each attached by a little chain, on Orange Button.
10. Last but not least is this fun little handmade felt brooch made to look like a tree stump by Lupin.

Mark Your Calendars!

I have a show coming up in Nashville on April 5th! It's not only a chance to shop for Freshie & Zero jewelry, but it's also an amazing art show and a big fat portion of the proceeds (40% - 50%!!) goes to The Tomorrow Fund! Here are the details:

Saturday, April 5th, 6 pm - 10 pm, 2008

The Tomorrow Fund ArtistTree Show ~ Take 121 Arts, Nashville, TN

There will be food provided by Past Perfect and wine tickets will be for sale for only $4 (all proceeds will benefit the Tomorrow Fund). There will be a DJ, so in addition to great art, there will be a very cool atmosphere. I hope to see you there! I will post up more information when I find out who the other artists are.

A must for every artist of every kind

This is a link to the free Artist's Survival Kit by Keri Smith, a writer & illustrator who rocks my socks. I highly recommend you download every page, print it out, and keep it close by at all times. I love that the acronym for it is "ask". Here's just one of the cards that you can cut out:


She also wrote these books:



She also writes & draws neat things like this:


Don't you just love her?? She also just had a baby so she truly is an inspiration to anyone who thinks you can't have it all.

Art Find: Photography by Erin Tyner

Wow - I am so impressed with this photographer. Her name is Erin Tyner and she has a blog and an etsy shop where you can purchase her prints. Apparently she has only just begun this miniature series and I can't wait to see how it progresses! I really want the swimmer series to frame and hang in my house, but alas, I'm on an art strike since I am currently procuring a painting by Butler Steltemeier and have used up my art budget for the spring. I only hope that she is still offering these prints in the summer, closer to my birthday... (hint hint)

Anyway, I have an extensive background in photography myself (before the digital age so I'm certainly no pro with a digital camera) so I'm not usually drawn to photography unless it's totally unique or sets a stage of something I could never imagine doing (much like one of my favorites Cindy Sherman). These photographs are certainly examples of that. She uses miniature train model figures that are approximately one inch tall, then sets a little stage for them and the end result is a dreamlike yet familiar scene. I think I'm not the only one who has found her new series - she has sold about 95 prints on etsy since the beginning of February (that's only 5 weeks folks)! WOW! Watch out for this one - she's sure to be an etsy superstar!

Spring forward!

In honor of the time change today, I've found some really fun clocks - one of my favorite house hold accessories!
1. This handmade clock is constructed with a computer hard drive! Made by Pixelthis on etsy.
2. Red Mixed numbers clock by Karlsson makes a bold, graphic statement.
3. This orange Riki Desk Clock from the MoMa Store was originally released in 1970.
4. Adorable Cuckoo Clock Onesie by Pepperhem on etsy.
5. Alarm Capsule Flipclock by Kikkerland (a company I used to work for indirectly) available from Uncommon Gifts.
6. Retro Sterling Silver Alarm Clock Charm Necklace by Charm Star (my charm jewelry line) available on etsy.
7. Wall hanging Cuckoo Clock with every little Scandinavian detail you could want in lime by Decoylab on etsy.

Freshie & Zero Featured in Nashville Lifestyles!

Cool! Thanks to Joseph Cassell, a super nice stylist about town, my Simple Post Earrings appear in the March 2008 issue of Nashville Lifestyles! I even get credit in the side lines, with my name spelled right and my website listed & everything! You know this magazine page is already at the frame shop...


Above are the featured pair of earrings, and just for reading this post, you can get 25% off of these very earrings! For the entire month of March, just enter "Post" in the order notes and get 25% off of either the gold or silver version of these earrings.

Color is my Girlfriend : Yellow part 2

More yellow!

1. Wrapping paper by Elum - I actually have this exact one under glass on my night stand and it brightens up the whole room! (I got the idea from Blueprint magazine, r.i.p.)
2. Cute little coin purse by Population One found on etsy - it even has a little clip so you can attach it to your purse to find it quickly!
3. Cheerful lemon fabric available from CatyLouQuilts - would be cute as a pillow or even as a table cloth
4. Very fun one of a kind marigold hair clip by Naughty Secretary Club - get it before it's gone!
5. This wallet by Angela Cota would never get lost in your purse

Color is my Girlfriend : Yellow

I don't know what it is lately but I cannot get enough of yellow! Maybe it's all the dreariness of gross late winter weather that has my psyche begging for some sunshine, but I've been cruising around the internet looking for bright, happy things to share with you, and here they are:

1. Fabulous full length apron from Anthropologie (I don't understand half length aprons - food flies everywhere when I cook, not just below the waist!)
2. Sweet little colander that actually measures 10" across, also from Anthropologie
3. Cheery side dish bowl, which I actually use a smaller version on my night stand table as a catch all (jewelry, lip balm, bobby pins, etc) from Anthropologie
4. This top would be fabulous as a layering piece, from Anthropologie
5. New bib necklace from Paraphernalia, one of the most successful shops on etsy whose home base is in England
6. Gerbera card from Blush Publishing
7. Um, Hi card from The Bonbi Forest

i snagged another etsy treasury...

Total luck on this one - the lists were at 333 when I just happened to visit the treasury, and I only had to wait a couple of minutes for the box to appear!! Ah, it's really the little things in life, isn't it?

Anyway, you could visit it, click, purchase or just leave a comment! The theme is "teal, turquoise, and black" after a bakery Beth Howard and I visited yesterday (it was painted in those colors). Yay!

UPDATE!!! It made the front page and at least 6 items sold from it! Rock on!!!!!!!