Ocean Fire Pottery Holiday Extravaganza Weekend

I participated in two amazing craft fairs this past weekend, and I have two more coming up! Thank you to everyone who came out to shop at the brand new Etsy Maine Team Artisan Fair at the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, Maine! Thank you also to the HUGE CROWDS shopping Craft Fix at Buoy in Kittery this year -- that fair, now in its 8th year, never fails to astound me with the most talented, kind artists and supportive customers around. I am so grateful to have participated in both of these shows!

Coming right up, Ocean Fire Pottery's Holiday Extravaganza is this weekend, also celebrating its 8th year! I love participating in this event and am honored to have a spot in Amy Clark's pottery studio on Saturday, December 3rd from 10am to 5pm. 

Amy will host different artists in her studio each day, Friday through Sunday, featuring her own stunning pottery plus jewelry, candles, body scrubs, cards, calendars, driftwood gifts, coasters and other home decor. Other activities include mini-lessons on the pottery wheel (for adults and kids!), raffles, wood-fired kiln opening (check out Amy's incredible backyard pottery kiln), chair massages and refreshments each day. Don't miss this one! 

Artists throughout the weekend include:
Amy Clark of Ocean Fire Pottery - (our fearless host) handcrafted, wheel-thrown gifts
GLOW - A Holistic Wellness Studio - Chair massages all weekend. Treat yourself!
Becky Louison of Hoppy + Hippy 
Cherie Herne & Cheryl Patten of Salty Girl and Long Dog
Sam Goodall
Ellen Braley of El's Cards
Erin Donovan of Vessel and Co 
Ellen Lamoureaux

Here's a sneak peek:

Some of my latest Lofted Designs creations

Ocean Fire Pottery

Salty Girl & Long Dog

Ocean Fire Pottery

Vessel and Co

Vessel and Co

El's Cards

Salty Girl & Long Dog

Ocean Fire Pottery

The event runs in conjunction with the Festival of Lights in York Village, and is a quick walk around the corner from festivities including the Festival of "Fostering" Trees, Festival of Lights Parade (Saturday), 12th Annual Gingerbread House Festival & Santa Claus at the library and Center for Wildlife's Holiday Bazaar (Saturday: I've donated some jewelry to this event and all proceeds go to wildlife care!). 

Handmade Running Necklaces for Heinemann's Wallis Sands Half Marathon Team

Team photo by Michael Grover – 7/10 of the Heinemann running team sporting their new necklaces

Huge congratulations are in order for Heinemann Publishing's running team! This amazing group of ten women made it a goal to train together through the winter and complete the Wallis Sands Half Marathon in Rye, NH today. Some of them are seasoned runners and others are new to the sport, with the half marathon begin their first official race. What a fantastic goal!

I was honored when the team's organizer reached out to me to order running necklaces for the entire team. She thought it would be fantastic to congratulate the team with a meaningful, locally-made gift. I couldn't agree more!

I'm sure the team did a fabulous job this morning. The Wallis Sands Half Marathon follows a gorgeous route along the New Hampshire coastline through Rye and all the way up to Odiorne Point State Park, and what a beautiful morning it was for a run along the beach. Go team Heinemann! I'm rooting for you!! Thanks for supporting the local arts community.

Heinemann is a publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college. Their offices are located in a reconditioned 1800s mill building near downtown Portsmouth, NH. 

Bridal Shower Favors - Succulents in Painted Vintage Wooden Spools

I know, I know...this is supposed to be a jewelry blog. But on occasion, I get a little carried away with other crafty projects and I like to share them. My latest endeavor was inspired by my sister's fabulous wedding color palette, her love of succulents and a Maine yard sale score of 25+ vintage wooden thread spools with great old labels.

I will also admit that I've been slightly obsessed with Best Made Co.'s painted axes for quite a few years, as well as Norquay's (suspiciously similar) gorgeous artisan painted canoe paddles which appeared on the market last summer, so this idea of handpainting something wood with fun, striped colors has been floating around in my head for awhile.

First, I got out my ancient acrylics from art school (amazingly, they're still good!) and mixed colors until I got a perfect match. The wedding colors are inspired by the USA and UK flags (she's American, he's from Liverpool), but toned down a bit. So instead of straight up red and blue, they're closer to poppy and turquoise. The gorgeous invitations were designed and letterpress printed by Paper Parasol Press.

I cut thin strips of masking tape and used them to section off stripes on the wooden spools, then painted areas of red, white and blue. Once the paint dried, I taped new stripes and repeated to achieve the effect of multiple stacked colors. No two spools were exactly alike. Some even started out with really unique forest green wood, so I kept a little of that in for variety. I finished each spool with a clear varnish to seal the wood and protect the paint.

Next, I made my way to a nearby garden center and selected the tiniest succulents I could find, being mindful to select varieties with small root structures so they would fit inside the tiny spools.

After that, I used a drill to enlarge the spool holes slightly (although I had purchased tiny succulents, the roots were still too large for most of the spools). I glued tiny pieces of wooden dowel into the bottom of each spool to act as a stopper. Then I used a chopstick to carefully layer some dirt into each spool, gently nudged the roots down into the holes and filled in the area around each one with more soil. Special thanks to Donni, who blogs at The Magic Onions, for providing some planting tips! I do not have a green thumb at all.

The finished product was too cute for words! I was really happy with the way these turned out. That said, they were a bit underwhelming on a large table...I'd probably recommend placing each on a small plate or printed paper coaster if you have the time and budget.

Whiskey Molecule Necklace - Unique Custom Pendant

I absolutely love custom jewelry requests, so naturally I was excited to receive a creative special request from my longtime friend Jeff. A good friend of his had a birthday approaching and he knew just the thing to make her day, but was without tools and resources to bring his idea to fruition. He asked for my assistance.

The idea: A whiskey molecule necklace for a whiskey-loving gal

The process: We started with some sketches. Jeff sent me a diagram of the chemical structure of whiskey as well as his idea for how it might work as a pendant. He also shared important details about the recipient, such as she's very tall and loves to wear big, bold jewelry. Good to know!

The build: Starting with sterling silver wire, I cut and formed each piece of the molecule. 

I then laid out all the pieces and began soldering them together. 

This was a fairly large piece to heat, so it took a few tries to get solder to flow to all the joints.  

After the whole piece was soldered together, it still looked a little too light and delicate, so I decided to hammer it flat to make it a bit bolder and give the lines more weight. Lastly, I filed the joints smooth and polished the pendant, finalizing it with a brushed, matte finish.

End result: Super awesome lady receives badass, thoughtful, customized gift! Everyone parties and has a great time!

Birthday girl photo courtesy of Jeff

Moral of the story: put some thought into your gift giving and don't be afraid to ask a professional for help. This was a true collaboration and couldn't have turned out better. Contact me for help with your unique idea today!

Music + Jewelry = LOVE

I love a good love story and I also appreciate good music, so when the two come together and I get to participate it's beautiful thing. I recently had the pleasure of creating some one-of-a-kind gifts for a lovely couple who happen to have very good taste in music (and jewelry).

First, there was the ring. This couple loves Ray LaMontagne, has seen him perform live several times, and wanted to incorporate some of his lyrics into the custom ring design.

They selected the lyrics "forever my friend, forever my love" from the song "Forever My Friend" on his 2004 release Trouble.

Later, the husband reached out to me once again to order a custom sterling silver bracelet for his wife – this time with lyrics from another of their favorite musical artists, Brandi Carlile. Her song "Fall Apart Again" from her self-titled album contains this beautiful line: "As long as the day is full of time, there will always be room for your hand in mine."

The lyrics fit absolutely perfectly on this sterling silver cuff bracelet.
 

Valentine's Day is just two weeks away! But there's still time to order a custom gift for your special someone. I'll be working overtime this coming week to get all your orders shipped on time. What lyrics do you think would be perfect on jewelry for your sweetie? 

Contact me to talk about your gift idea today. 

Handcrafted Copper Cuff Bracelets

Now available by popular demand: handcrafted copper cuff bracelets from Lofted Designs!

Back in December, I created 40 of these bracelets as a custom order for holiday gifts at a school. I designed two different sets:  one specifically for teachers and one for the school's administrative and support staff.

These were custom teacher gifts for the holidays

After sharing photos of the custom bracelets on Instagram and Facebook, many people asked how they could purchase one for themselves. I hadn't originally planned to offer them as a regular item in my Etsy shop, but enough people seemed interested that I've decided to list them for purchase.

For just $28, you can select your finish (hammered or smooth) and choose from one of these phrases or suggest your own:

dream  ❤  teach  ❤  inspire
dream  ❤  explore  ❤  inspire 
imagine  ❤  believe  ❤  dream

Please allow up to two weeks for custom orders to be handcrafted, plus shipping time which varies by destination.

Open House This Sunday - Dec. 22nd

Since Mother Nature doesn't seem to be cooperating with my craft show plans this year (snowstorms have thwarted two events), I'm taking matters into my own hands and setting up shop in my living room this Sunday from noon until 3pm. 

I have lots of handmade jewelry ready for gift giving and stocking stuffing, so I hope you can stop by to do a little last-minute shopping. I'll even gift wrap for you!

It'll be a laid back afternoon with light refreshments and a beautiful view on Bullfrog Lane. Please feel free to bring a friend or two! You can preview a sampling of my work on Etsy. Much more will be available in person.

Sunday, December 22nd, 2013

Noon - 3pm

4 Bullfrog Lane (just off Scituate Road)

York, Maine

Map & Directions

Cash, checks and credit cards are all welcome. Please RSVP on Facebook if you think you can make it and help spread the word. Thanks and hope to see you! 

Gifts for Social Media Mavens, Graphic Designers and Web Developers

When I'm not making jewelry, I'm usually at my day job as an account manager at Vital, a creative digital agency in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. They specialize in kick-ass graphic design, web development and content marketing, and this means I work with some amazingly talented people.

As I've been doing some last minute online shopping, I keep coming across great gift ideas that made me think of my co-workers. I thought I'd share the wealth in case you also have some creative types on your list who still need holiday gifts.

Here they are...my top gift picks for social media mavens, graphic designers and web developers:

1. For the social media aficionado
These necklaces from Photojojo are the perfect gift for your friend who can't help but post every single meal he or she has ever eaten since they started an Instagram account. Available in "Like" style pictured here, and also in hashtags: #nofilter and #selfie – $25 each.

2. For the photo app obsessed
These pins will help your photo app obsessed pal show the world how much they love Photoshop, Pinterest or Instagram. Laser cut acrylic, exclusively available from Photojojo and made in San Francisco by Plastique – $12 each.

3. For the graphic designer
If you know someone who truly appreciates great graphic design, turn to Society6 for unique framed prints, canvas prints, iPhone and iPad cases, mugs, tote bags and more. Some of my favorite designs are by fellow Maine artists Morris & Essex and Jennifer Judd-McGee.

Thousands of artists from around the world contribute designs, so you can literally search for ANY topic and come up with gift ideas for anyone. Beagle pillows anyone? Prices vary by item.

Morris & Essex iPhone case

Jennifer Judd-McGee Throw Pillow

4. For the typography obsessed
Available as a t-shirt or hoodie, this kerning reference cracks me up. Kerning Hoodie – $35.

5. For the coffee connoisseur
Finally! Pantone makes their signature mugs with spill-proof lids. Remove spill risk and avoid coffee/computer disasters while drinking in style. Available in a variety of colors from Pantone Universe – $17 each.

6. For that guy who plays his music way too loud

There's at least one in every office. You know who he is. The Unrefinery makes the perfect shirt. Simple, affordable – $18 each.

7. For that awesome developer chick
Custom binary cuff bracelet by Karla Wheeler Design on Etsy. Have your own message etched in copper for $70.

8. For your nerdy other half
Shameless Lofted Designs plug. These sterling silver rings written in binary code are the perfect gift for your geeky sweetheart. They spell 'I love you" in a 1s and 0s. Great for guys and ladies.
Binary Code Rings by Lofted Designs – $35 each.

9. For the Apple obsessed

Delight your Apple-obsessed friends with this fantastic print. One of my favorite small companies Pop Chart Lab has created a comprehensive visual map of the history of Apple products. Unframed print – $36.

If you act fast, you can still order most of these and have them arrive before Christmas!

BDN Maine Food and Gift Fair - A Recap

The BDN Maine Holiday Food and Gift Fair was held in Portland, Maine, yesterday – Saturday, November 30th – and I was very excited to take part. I do love food, and was sandwiched between Dean's Sweets and the Super Stick Food Flipper booth for the day.

Here's a look at my very official looking booth – it's the first show I've ever done where they put up pipe and drape! And my very own sign! This made it feel much more legit than the fairs I typically do.

The foot traffic was a bit light, and I'm not exactly sure why. Most people I talked to thought the event was well-advertised in local papers and online, but for whatever reason – possibly location – there just weren't too many people making their way out the Portland Company Complex. It does take a little extra effort to get there and parking can be an issue in Portland.

But no matter. I can ALWAYS find the silver lining. I had a great day getting to know my neighbors and admiring their work. I also made some excellent trades...

I traded with Eliza of Morris & Essex for a gorgeous box of letterpress holiday cards.

I satisfied my sweet tooth by bartering with Kristen and Dean of Dean's Sweets

Lucy from Lucy's Granola proposed a very tasty trade.

This one wasn't a trade, but was totally worth it! Peanut butter chocolate chip from Stone Fox Farm Creamery. The creamiest ice cream I have ever tasted.

The biggest highlight of the day for me was when a couple of gentlemen purchased a pair of my rubber chicken earrings for none other than Sally Struthers! They are friends of hers and when they saw these earrings they instantly thought of her. Hope she loves them!