Shopping Cart Friday. Rings!

Ring a ding ding.

Only in the past year or so have I been a ring girl. I think Gemmafactrix might have single handedly won me over. I mean seriously, she's a jewelry genius. Take a look at these beauties.



Amidst my never ending search for stackable rings, I ran across a new little Etsy gem today and had to share her with you. UK based shop, A R Gonzales is filled with stackable rings galore. It's like a dream come true. Anna's descriptions are fantastic, she's quite the writer. Once I saw 'Beatricks' rings', I had to have them.



They're kspell's now.

Making New Friends

Last Friday I took a half day off from my day job to meet the ladies of Oliver Wyman at Sydney's for my second Kspell Jewelry trunk show. While there was no trunk, there was a beautiful long table that served as the perfect backdrop for my work. These ladies were very good to me, and extremely kind.

Right afterwards, I sat down for coffee and great conversation with Amy Olson, my new jewelry buddy and fellow Etsian. I can't express how excited I am to have a friend with a similar hobby and lots of great advice.

It was a very good day!

If you don't have plans this Sunday...

Come say hi. It's going to be a very busy weekend.
Complete vendor list can be found here!

Expanding My Market

Guess What! kspell jewelry can now be found at Tender Loving Empire, in addition to Presents of Mind. The best part is that within 4 hours of dropping off my wares, the owner called me letting me know that she had already sold a few things and needs more!

Tender Loving Empire is a neat little store - with a fantastic name I might add. Next time you are in the area of 18th and NW Lovejoy - stop on in!

Later on, I stopped into a new vintage store on Division near North Bar while Eric spent some quality time in Trade Up Music. I introduced myself and dropped of my business card. Who knows, perhaps kspell jewelry will soon be featured in a third Portland store.

Summer Vacation

Oh how I miss the summer days of my youth - September looming far off in the distant future, plenty of time to relax...and time to waste. The never ending luxury of feeling bored...and the weeks seemed to go on and on.

Now as an adult, time feels crunched. Eric and I are coming to the close our one week vacation, and it occurs to me that this was our summer vacation, whittled down to a small week of wonderful.



My mom and two of my younger sisters (I have three sisters in total) came up from Eugene for the Fourth of July. My youngest sister Kelsey stayed on with Eric and I for the remainder of the week, allowing us to impress her with our favorite Portland restaurants and a series of backyard gatherings. Kelsey is almost 15, and as I am almost 30, she is exactly half my age. Despite her youth she is wise beyond her years and I feel a deep connection with her. I love my other sisters too, but since I am pretty sure she is the only member of my family who actually reads this blog, I feel comfortable in letting her know that our relationship is extra special. She went home earlier today, and I already miss her.

We had a great week. We headed out to Indian Beach for a bit of surfing on Tuesday, ate oyster shooters, clam chowder, and fried halibut and prawns (of course!) On the way home the next morning, we hit up a market for delicious stone fruit and berries. Evidence of my growing vintage pyrex obsession below:



This array of summer sweetness made way for a wonderful fruit salad which accompanied amazing pulled pork sandwiches over at the new Portland Harris house... I'm not sure if I would love the summer quite as much if it wasn't for the berries.



From Wednesday on, Eric and I worked around the clock in preparation for the Mississippi Street Fair. Eric built me two new earring racks, and thanks to Robin's suggestion for the perfect mirror - my display was a true winner. I was so proud of how everything turned out, it was just as I had envisioned it.



Sunday. Now it's time to settle back to regular life again. I feel like I need another vacation to recover from the fair and all the work it entailed. Next year I vow to take off two weeks instead. Afterall, a whole summer's worth of fun and relaxation can't be contained within one week. It's just not mathematically possible.

Now that the Mississippi Street Fair is behind me, it's time to start working on the various projects around the home. We are having a new roof installed tomorrow (ouch!), and next weekend is dedicated to painting the living room. The hardwood floors are to follow, and on we go.

Low Profile

I've been keeping a low profile on the jewelry scene lately. The day job's been demanding these last few months, and I've been trying to live a less stressful life. Working 15 hour days between work and jewelry gets tiresome, and the resting up has been good.

I was contacted by my friends at Presents of Mind to set up a wholesale appointment for this Friday. I've been slowly working on new pieces and have a pretty good stock going, but I was reserving most of it for the Mississippi Street Fair. As a result I am hunkering down to create new styles, as well as recreate some old favorites. Last time I went in for a wholesale appointment with Seasons (owner,) I left with almost no stock - she cleaned me out!

Aside from filling orders for online sales, I have simply focused on new designs and have taken a break from the craft circuit. I was really active a year ago and almost wore myself out, but I'm coming back. I've been looking forward to the Mississipi Street fair since the last one. I'm taking the entire week off from work and my youngest sister will be in town to help me out. It's going to be wonderful.

If you will be in Portland for Mississppi Street fair, Saturday, July 12th, come say hello!

Oh my!

I think I am developing (or perhaps deepening) my love for 18th century French design mixed with modern edge. Over the top femininity combined with urban design is a killer combination that I just can't pass up...and since I have missed 2 shopping cart Friday's I figure I would share my latest Etsy purchases.



Lauren K Roberts is a kind lady in London with amazing, dare I say brilliant design. I just picked up this beautiful number from her and after a weekend's worth of wear and compliments, I can safely say this necklace was a wise purchase. Her entire collection is amazing and I already have my eye on at least two other pieces (pictured below). Check out her shop on Etsy and prepare for some serious wanting.




Second on my list is the amazing Fillmore shirt I bought from Rose La Biche:



I don't think this shirt could be any more adorable.

'Rose La Biche' (translates to 'Rose The Doe') is the creative outlet of a French designer (Lucy) based in San Francisco. I feel like her creations are an answer to my quiet prayers for striking yet comfortable fashion. Everybody needs at least one of her creations...

This is another shop that I check back on almost daily. I cannot wait so see the new line currently being photographed in NYC, the anticipation is killing me.