Holiday Sale! Online Today Through 12/15!

Thanks so much to all of you for making this such an amazing year! Truly, you are the best customers a girl could ask for!  Click here to shop and enjoy your discount!

4th Annual Holiday Open Studio!

 

I'm sure your mind is on your turkey right now, but please make some space for December 9th in the back of your mind to come by for a glass of wine, or a cup of tea and pick up a few handmade gifts for family and friends. There will be lots of jewelry, eco-friendly collages, ornaments for your tree, and lots of one of a kind items in all price ranges.  As usual all items are about 20% off full retail prices, and this year I am so excited to be donating 20% of the proceeds to Emmett's preschool, The Little School in Weston, VT.  So please come hang out, visit with neighbors, and shop!  Everyone is welcome, and it is for a good cause!

See below for a tiny preview of the studio and the work that will be available!

Annual Craftsmen's Fair

Oh dear, I see that I haven't posted anything since croquet two weeks ago!  Bad blogger!  But here is what I've been up to, which has been consuming all of my time and then some.  I've been building this booth, and then standing in it all day selling jewelry at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Summer Fair, in Sunapee, New Hampshire.

Please excuse the not so great cell phone photos.  I need to get a wide angle lens for my camera so I can take shots of things like this (but way better)!

The fair has been really fantastic so far.  Business has been good, and I've met many great and lovely customers.  A nine day show is quite a marathon though.  I'm afraid I am going to be at loose ends once this finishes up on Sunday, I've spent so much time getting ready for this!  But I highly recommend a visit to the show if you are in the area.  It is quite impressive!  I'm too tired right now to eloquently tell you all of the ways that it is impressive, but go check it out, and come say hi while you are there!  I'm in Tent 8, booth #805.

Toolsies: Showcasing the Tools Behind the Creator

Recently I was approached by Shaina Tsan of the clever new blog Toolsies.com about a feature on me, and what tools I find essential to the creation of my work.  It's such a fun concept, I immediately jumped at the chance.  I guess I'm maybe a bit of a tool nerd myself, because I love seeing the pieces of equipment behind the work.  The man behind the man, if you will.  I especially love seeing the tools from lines of work totally different from mine, but things I love as a hobby, like cooking and photography.  Below is a selection of my tools that were featured, as well as two other featured artisans.  Click on the brief links below to link back to Toolsies and get additional information about the tools and the fascinating people in front of them.

 Top Image: Rebecca Haas Jewelry and Fiddleheads For Fiona (me!)
Middle Image: Jennifer Tsan: At Home Paleo Chef
Bottom Image: Jung Kim: Photographer

Organic Quilt Company

I love the graphic patterns available on these organic baby products from the Organic Quilt Company.  I just got a couple of burp cloths and a baby blanket for our friend Cara who is due to have a baby any day now.  So exciting!  And I remember that even though we used and needed a mountain of generic white burp cloths when Emmett was in his spitting phase, it was always nice to have a few fancier ones as a treat.  We probably had 70 burp cloths in regular rotation when he was at his worst, and somehow there were never enough!   And Cara's baby is going to be a Brooklyn baby, so I thought the pattern with the houses, traffic and park benches was perfect.  If you are in the market for a baby gift follow the link above, there are so so many cute things to choose from, and they are all organic and handmade.

Lying on the Pond

   I spent a good chunk of yesterday morning flat on my belly on our frozen pond shooting pictures of jewelry on the ice.  I got the idea from a picture I took last week of a close up of a hockey puck while I was shooting my nephews playing hockey.  The texture of the ice is just so cool.  These are some of the shots, and the final one with the logo is the one I decided to use for my postcard for the Buyers Market of American Craft, a wholesale show coming up in February.  

And just as an aside, I have come to realize that enjoying (bearing?) winter has everything to do with being dressed properly.  It took me three trips to the pond to get it right, both in the photography and in the attire.  So in case you plan to go lie on a frozen pond, I strongly recommend Patagonia capilene! 


(p.s. I just added the cuff bracelet to my shop, so click here for pricing info etc. And the rings and the necklace are in there too.)

Homesteading Roasters

Check out these adorable dishtowels from Homesteading Roasters, in Alaska.  They have lots of little wood stoves all over them!  I ordered them as a gift for friends up here who also heat their home primarily with wood.  But I was so very sad to part with them that I may have to order a pair for myself!  And the folks at homesteading roasters very nicely included this gorgeous note card in our package as a little unexpected gift.  Isn't it pretty?

New Blue

So very in love with the new hand-blown glasses that were a gift from my Mom made by Nick Kekic of Tsuga Studios here in Chester.  They are a beautiful cerulean blue with a lime green rim, and I love the way they brighten up the open shelves where we keep our glasses.  And they are a perfect size for water too.  The little orange vase in the bottom image was made by Nick too.  Love. 

Handmade Christmas - Part 1

This past year I spent many many hours exploring the inspiring world of creativity and handmade beauty, both on Etsy and at all of the craft fairs I participated in.  And the more and more I get involved and connected, the more I love it.  I don't know if it is because I am a maker myself, but I am just endlessly fascinated by what people design and create with their own hands.  So of course I spend a lot of time coveting and drooling, so I thought Christmas would be an excellent opportunity to add some of these items to cart, as it were, even if they weren't going to stay in my possession for long!  Here are a few pics of some of my favorite purchases, and scroll down to the bottom for links to more information about each artist.

top photo: A beautiful bowl by Rob Cartelli 
middle Photo: A painting of an AT-AT for TH from Against the Woodgrain on Etsy
bottom Photo: A 2012 calendar and a tea towel and letterpress recipe card set from Leah Duncan on Etsy 

Home away from home

I'm Jennifer from Odette, filling in for Rebecca while she is away from home. Speaking of home, I had the good fortune of visiting Rebecca, Tom, and Emmett in October and photographed a few corners of their Vermont home.

I love their kitchen first and foremost, the view and the natural light streaming in through the windows is just stunning. I also love all the handmade touches around the house, like the beautiful bird mobile I watched Rebecca make for Emmett's nursery in our ceramics class a while back. Got to love a crafty lady.

Knowing how much Rebecca likes Etsy, I picked a few things from there that are inspired by their beautiful home:

Clockwise from top left: Hand-knit Vermont Wool Mittens, Barnwood Shelves, Red Mini Ball Pitcher, Bird Mobile, Poodles in Paris (from Becca's shop), Vintage Books.

Thanks for having me Becca, hope you're having a great trip. Happy travels!

Ann Wood Handmade Birds

Lower photo by Katherine Slingluff

These little guys were our cake toppers at our wedding two and a half years ago.  Now they live on our bookshelf in our living room, and every time I look at them they make me smile.  I was lucky enough to get Ann, who is very busy, to find a little time to make us a pair of birds in our wedding colors, which were blue and white, for which I am still grateful!  I noticed there are actually a few little guys currently available on her website, which is rare since she is usually sold out.  Each little creature gets his or her own name, which she never reuses, and they come in a beautiful box with a little name tag.  To snap one up for yourself go here!  Also be sure to check out her owls and her boats.  Like the birds they are primarily one of a kind, and they are amazing!