Lately

via Instagram

Quiet and crazy: this is how it's been around here lately.  With the weather changing manic-like from 75 degrees one day to 60 degrees a few days later, I'm still reeling from the effects of a too-early spring with profuse buds and blooms and pollen dusting everything.  It's supposed to be winter, right?  At this time two years ago, I still remember the hummingbirds leaving for a few months because of the cold, only to return in spring.  This year, spring has come in February.  A part of me is hopeful that winter weather will once again reign before April, for at least a few weeks.

The crazy weather coupled with the relative quiet in shop news has been a fruitful recipe for some belated (and much needed) introspection.  Shop, donations, creative direction, and my novel are all included in this thought process.  This month's donation will be humble compared to January's, but I'm happy to donate what I can with your help ($1 per item purchased will be donated to Feeding America).  Also, I've been working steadily on editing my novel, which is a refreshing challenge on multiple fronts unrelated to the shop.  I've stopped making new jewelry for the time being to reevaluate my shop's direction, but will still accept custom jewelry orders on a case-by-case basis.  This isn't a permanent decision, though--expect new jewelry to be made and added to the shop by late April.  My writing services and bookish wedding items will not be affected by this ruminative slant. 

I hope that things are going well for you all.  "Lately" has been lovely and disconcerting at the same time.  Life often works that way, doesn't it?  

A Rainy Day

It's been a rainy January here.  These photos were taken this month on my smartphone, except for the window shot, which was from my camera.  With this month's steady rain, I've been testing the limits of my smartphone's camera, and have since learned that with it, indoor window shots (of a dark sky and raindrops) always turn out blurry.   

Been trying to not repost my daily Instagram photos here.  It's important to me that content is fresh and kept separate, although subject matter may overlap.  (Twitter, on the other hand, still confuses me--too many options for retweeting.)  Post-rain outdoor photography sessions are this month's muse...

The foggy chill after a heavy rain first pulls me outside, while capturing raindrops on camera (or smartphone) comes in a close second.  Standing, crouching, and shivering to the bone in the post-rain drab awakens my senses to a new world around me.  Five minutes turn in to fifteen, and soon half an hour slips by.  I blink, peering just close enough to see the last drop fall.

My Kind of Christmas Song

Festively thoughtful, quiet, and ambient for chilly overcast days, aurally soothing while one sips hot cocoa and wraps gifts with the sound of rain in the background, swaths of colored paper on the floor all around...this is my kind of Christmas song.

Visit Jess Lambert's site here.

The End-of-Winter Process

Is wedding season really just right around the corner?  I'm still waiting for a decent dose of winter, but time doesn't wait for those who can't move forward along with it.  Recently, I have been writing quite a bit for clients, clearly putting their thoughts into writing.  Funny enough, I've nearly forgotten how an singular idea can get my creativity flowing, generate an excitement that courses through my veins.  This is what writing does for me.  Putting words into a coherent written work is half the deal--the other half is the process behind it all: the creativity, the enjoyment, the challenge and the frustration of taking someone's idea and working with that very idea, with the client's input, until it's right.  But oh, is it worth it.  Accompanying this has been a renewed interest (one that has eluded me for most of 2015 until now) in reading novels--actual physical books, as in paperbacks!

Literary inspiration is more prominent in my life lately, but I've also found inspiration in the natural world around me--in the colors and structural beauty of pre-spring flora and fauna.  These visual elements have captured my imagination, as I fervently scribble down ideas in my design notebook that will undoubtedly find their way into new EC | TIW designs in the near future.

That's all the news for now, so happy "almost spring," aka the start of traditional wedding season!

Winter Gifts & Holiday Order Deadlines

Since Etsy began offering their version of Pinterest-like boards called "favorite lists" (you can only include Etsy items in them, of course), I've been going crazy with creating new lists filled with eye catching, pocketbook-snatching Etsy finds.  Below is a snippet from my Winter Gifts list--as an adult, I'm not crazy about holiday festivities, but I am really feeling the sugary peppermint hot cocoa-induced Christmas-time giddiness when I peek through this visual assortment.  I especially love Olive and Ruby's whimsical calendar in the photo's bottom right-hand corner.  Who knew that this time-consuming non-tangible past time could be so addictive and dare I say, fun?

This being said, I can't believe that Christmas is less than a month away.  Thank you to my customers who are placing their orders early to beat the holiday rush!  Although my recommended international order deadline has passed, US orders can be placed through 12/5 to ensure that your EmeraldCut gift is under your tree come Christmas.  That is, unless your package is re-routed through three states before arriving at the correct US address, which happened last year (or the year before) to a very understanding customer.

I've added a domestic shipping upgrade to my shop in anticipation of this unforeseeable issue; however, the free shipping coupon code (for US addresses), FREESHIPPING, cannot be applied if this upgrade is purchased with your order.  Don't know how to apply an Etsy coupon code?  My instructions will walk you step-by-step through the application process here.

And yes, today is the last day of my Black Friday/Cyber Monday BOGO jewelry sale, so check that out if you're so inclined before the sale ends at midnight tonight!  Happy shopping.

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My Gone Reading Oak Slice Ornament was recently featured on this amazing site in a post on bookish holiday ornaments.  Read on!

Pinafore Love

DandyStitch

Pinafore, jumper, tunic, smock, roomy dress...whatever you want to call it, they're absolutely cozy and comfortable with just enough femininity to last you through the rest of winter without feeling frumpy from bundling up.  My favorite thing about the pinafore is that you can layer it over a thin sweater, comfy tee, or tank depending on the weather.  A pinafore can also be layered over your favorite pair of jeans or worn-in chinos, which makes its versatility even more appealing.  If you're more into tights or leggings, the pinafore matches those, too.  Add a pair of boots and you are good to go.  The pinafore reminds me of artsy days spent working with clay and glaze, getting up to your elbows in it all; creativity at its finest.

wildthingsdresses

pamelatang

consciousclothing

melisamu

bymamma190

Winter Light

Blue Mood Necklace

We finally got some great winter light for photos this past week.  The Earth shifted a few feet to the right, at least from from my Earth-bound vantage point, and now the sun is slowly beginning to filter into my workspace once again.  It's only for a few hours at most in the afternoons, but it gives me enough time to snap some shots--and makes the houseplants happier, too.  Okay, "great winter light" is a vast understatement because it's great and moody.  As you know, I love a good mood.

Quality Pink Tourmaline Dangle Earrings - Sterling Silver

The first image in this post was taken in mid-to-late December during the height of "no-light" in my workspace area--the necklace is aptly named "Blue Mood."  It was one of my favorites to create, this necklace, and it even perhaps holds the record for the longest time a piece of jewelry has sat on my desk only half-finished.  Maybe two months.  Three?  The photography session of this particular necklace was tough, as I only had ambient lighting, which as a result, cast an unsightly blue tint on the white book page background (I painstakingly edited the blue tint out).  White backgrounds occasionally turn a funny yellow color as well, making it difficult to take photos that are truly representative of one's work when the background is more visually prominent than the item itself.  

Late autumn-early/mid winter light also tends to lend a strange orange tinge to sterling silver components, and is reflected in photos, which is not representative of the natural metal coloration at all.  When this all happens, photos must be tossed (usually after an entire afternoon is spent photographing items), and another day must be designated as "photo-taking day."  This is the life of an online seller, but I do have to admit that the good days far outnumber the bad--especially since I can then take the rest of the afternoon off and go outside for some fresh air before getting back to work again.

Fiery October Birthstone Opal Chip Pendant

The last two images were taken this past week.  I was particularly taken by the pink tourmaline earrings, whose AA-quality stones radiated a deep, vivid fuchsia hue with a gorgeous depth that only high-quality stones exude.  In natural light, of course.

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As for the belated nature of this post...I've also been working on some editing projects, so I apologize for the gap in blogging between this post and the previous one.  More consistent blogging is to come.  Thanks for being a loyal blog reader and hanging in there with me.

Too Funny, Too Cute

Crocheted Small Dog Cowl

The Canadian shop Folklore Fibres has the most plush and cozy, affordable cowls that I've come across in my Etsy searches.  But what gets me the most about this lovely shop is their listing for a functional small dog cowl!  Oh, the cuteness is more than I can bear right now--and the even cuter idea of matching cowls for both owner and pup?  I love it.

Call me silly if you will, but I love the humor inherent to this item.

And so concludes my "too funny, too cute" post (because sometimes we all need a little functional + silly wit in our lives--I know I sure do).

Inspiration: Post-Storm Fog

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the drought that had plagued our area since last fall.  I guess my ranting of sorts (plus the rain dances and the religious prayers that I saw on the local news) worked because we received a steady downpour of rain for four days straight last week.  It was beautiful in a moody kind of way--so beautiful in fact, that I felt like I was living in a drizzly Seattle-like dream.  Rain became the white noise in the background; the music to my drought-heavy ears.

The images in this post were taken in the evening of the day immediately after this rainstorm, when the fog quietly slipped in between land and sky in the pre-twilight hours...

With the ground squishy and the air crisp, clean, and damp with the musty scent of earth, I took these images.  The air chilled around me, twirled me to and fro in its heavy mist of fog, whispered to me age-old secrets from a world away...

* * *

Changing subjects, I came across this great "made in America" article about Mohnton Knitting Mills in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, which manufactures for the label RP Miller (the same label as Curator's Stripe Tee).  Mohnton Knitting Mills is currently in its sixth generation of family ownership!

I blogged about Curator here.

The Countdown Begins

An EmeraldCut holiday item was featured in a festive, earthy-rustic Treasury by GepArtJewellery shown above.  I realize that the EC listing's image is broken in the picture, for which I blame my antiquated (it's also a workhorse, so I love it) computer in technological relation to Etsy, but found the entire collection--which brims with subtle holiday cheer--too charming and unique to not include in this blog.

If you're interested, the non-broken visual can be seen here.

Winter Hummingbirds

Looks who's still here.  The little bugger.  Two of our three resident hummers are still here, that I've seen, which compared to this time last year, is considerably late.  In 2012, they left in mid-to-late November, only to return in early spring when the weather dipped regularly into the high 50s and low 60s.  Perhaps they will stay all winter this time...

One can surely hope.

* * *

If not, dear hummingbird,
would a hummingbird-sized heat lamp
be enticing enough for you to stay?

On Anniversaries

So, my third-year shop anniversary quietly paraded by this year, right before the Thanksgiving rush permeated the too-warm-for-autumn air.  In my state of delirium, I forgot about it entirely.  That's okay because I initially remembered a few days post-anniversary, but this was only after I stared at the "opened on" date in my shop for a good few seconds--or minutes.  Then I had a good laugh of the forgetful nature, one of those carefree-yet-guttural deep laughs that resonate from the gut upward and end in a joyful, muffled giggle.  And giggle, I do not do often.  I guess only on anniversaries that I forget, and perhaps when I am slightly uncomfortable.  Most often, I observe.

As autumn begins winding down to winter, I hope to observe everything around me, taking it in and holding it dear.  I think it's appropriate closure for a long-short year.

Spring Fever

From Angry Little Girls

by Lela Lee

Hope you had a refreshing weekend.  As for me, it's been an interesting few days, for we've had a strange February heat wave, with temperatures hovering around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Today the heat wave finally broke (it was only 66 degrees, ha!), but the temperature still remains unseasonably warm for mid-February.  As a consequence, I am now overly eager for spring to begin--mainly to successfully grow plant from seed in my partial-sun window.

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Wintertime Blues?

Throughout this winter, my sad-looking poppy continues to grow indoors...

...while my herbs have not fared as well.

Who knew that poppies could be grown indoors?

Spring Seeds

Some seeds to be planted indoors come spring:

Persimmon seeds for the husband.

For me.

Let's see what happens...

Excited to finally use this work-of-art planter by Crabtree Ceramics:

Calming deep blues and greens in this piece.


P.S. And even though I look forward to spring, I am also grateful that there is rain in this week's forecast because we sorely need it...

Winter Birds

One of my favorite "winter" songs from a beloved album.

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If you're interested, the image is a close-up shot of a snow-covered log from a hike my husband and I did last June of a once-bustling, late-19th/early 20th-century mining town, now a ghost town delightfully overgrown with trees that nearly rival mountain tops in height.  Elongated shadows played tag in the uppermost tree branches as we craned our necks upward and watched, feeling like the mere mortals we are, standing so far below.  A humbling moment it was.

I breathe a sigh of relief when nature fixes the environmental devastation caused by humans.

Awhile

Hello there, it genuinely feels like it's been awhile, hasn't it?  Hope you are well.  Although I've written nearly a handful of posts so far this year, I feel like they have been rather disjointed in terms of tone, which undoubtedly reflects my current state of fatigue.  Maybe I can blame my physical tiredness on this season's flu.

Until I get over this fatigue, I will be staring at this (see below) inspiring hand-bound journal by Odelae in ready anticipation of a more steady pace of life: one that nobly stands still and quietly keeps on going with a steadfast resolve...

More soon,

EmeraldCut

One of Those Days

It's one of those days where you just want to curl up into a ball and spend quality time hiding in a pile of blankets, pillows, and sheets: seeking comfort in warmth that is not skin.  Hot peppermint cocoa tea is idly sitting on the windowsill, a few nibbles of chocolate is required to pass the time; your preference of a well-worn book rests on the nightstand as you watch the sky converge and then solidify in the magnificence of blue, pink, and black.  (You'd rather that it not collect dust.)  The sky steadily wails, the wind continuously lurks--menacingly pulls on the ends of branches, grass, hair--while sunlight carefully peeps out from behind the cumulus clouds, keeping in line with the earth's winter tilt, as you let out a reverberating sigh that glides, bounces off walls and windowsills, desks and drawers.  You take it all in, breathe in the slow rush of the day, grateful for today's work.

Wintry Gift Guide

Recently created a winter holiday-themed Treasury...
Forgot how fun creating these curated goods lists can be!