Shop temporarily closed

Due to the imminent arrival of the babe, I am temporarily closing my Etsy shop for the next few months. I've been very lucky to have gotten a steady stream of orders from wonderful customers in the past few months (especially in this tough economy), even though I haven't been able to update the shop with fresh items lately. My brain has been percolating with lots of ideas for new jewelry designs, however, and I hope to work on those at some point. I'm also unsure how much I will be able to update the blog in the next coming months, maybe just sporadically, but please shoot me an email or an Etsy convo if you need to get in touch with me. I am also due to play catch up on visiting all of your blogs. See you guys soon!

iWant

I've been waiting for this announcement for months, and Apple finally unveiled it today - the iPad. I've been holding out on purchasing a new ebook reader (I'm looking at you, Kindle) to replace my sturdy, but old, Ebookwise until I saw what Apple would come up with. Turns out it's not exactly an e-reader; the ebook feature is an app called iBooks, with an accompanying online bookstore called iBookstore. From what it looks like on the demos the iBook doesn't have e-Ink technology like the Kindle or the Nook do. The screen is backlit, which could strain the eyes but would enable you to read in the dark. It also sounds like the ebook offerings will be more expensive at $14.99, as opposed to Amazon's $9.99. I'm waiting to see actual user reviews of this device before making up my mind, but at first look, it seems so nifty and sleek.

Baby things

For Hanukkah, my talented sister-in-law, Alissa, gifted us an incredible array of crocheted goodies for the babe, all handmade by her. The ridiculously tiny booties, hat, and coat made me cry, they were just so adorable. My favorite part is the baseball buttons.





She also made a matching baby blanket.

And this cute stuffed animal that looks very intricate to make.

Lovely

I don't remember where I found these, but this room is so lovely. Nothing cutesy (I am personally not a fan of overtly cutesy things).

I'm now OnSugar

I'm now also OnSugar - check me out there! I'll be using this site mostly for publicity and promotion, where I'll be featuring a piece of jewelry each day. The site is owned by one of my favorite gossip sites, PopSugar, which means the majority of readers are women. I figured it would be a good idea for me to have a presence there.

Stuff

Contemplating: whether to go to a fashion show at the French embassy that my sis wants to go to. It costs $50. I've been to the French embassy once, to get a visa for my 5-month stay in Paris, but the closest I've gotten to a fashion show was to stand outside the tents at Bryant Park watching the comings and goings of those lucky enough to get invited.

Wanting: a puppy. A golden retriever, to be exact. But Mr Hazel vetoed the idea because he said the kitties would be terrified, plus dogs are a lot of work, what with poop-scooping and going for walks at sub-zero temperatures. But I think Nomad and Moxie would love to have a puppy friend. As would I!

Reading: a romance novel whose hero is a hot network administrator. Mr Hazel said this isn't possible.

Watching: tonight, the premiere of Sarah Connor Chronicles and then Prison Break right after. Prison Break is cool this season - they have somehow morphed into a special forces commando team. That's pretty hot!

Lusting after: fall boots, metalsmithing tools, and rough diamond rings.

Fresh look

I did, I revamped the blog.

A couple of my friends told me they were having problems viewing it. Mr Hazel quickly figured out what was wrong - apparently it had something to do with Photobucket transferring too much data and messing up my blog template.

But in the midst of him fixing the problem, I realized that since the blog is so photo intensive, an all-white, clean and simple background would be more ideal so the pictures would not compete with the busy design of the old blog. Even though I absolutely adored the old design, I think this might be a better idea.

Simpler. Cleaner. At least, I hope so.

So...what do you think?

First Blogoversary!

First, my most recent sales!


Second, today is my first blogoversary! Whoo hoo! I was looking at my very first post that I wrote a year ago today and marveling at how far I've come in a year. Most telling in my growth? My photography skills - just compare the awful, awful photos I took during those first few months of blogging and you'll know what I mean.

The goal when I started my blog was, first, to motivate me to keep producing so I would be able to open my Etsy store. The second was to catalog my progress through pictures and descriptions. The third was to promote my work and store. Blogs are a great marketing tool, apparently. And along the way, I wanted to keep a log of the other adventures that came along for the ride.

So to all of my readers, customers, family and friends, thanks as always for your support!

Weekend lunch

Blogging is a funny activity because it seems to be more of a lifestyle thing than something you do at the end of the day or when you have a free moment. At least, that's how it has become for me. For instance, I now find myself toting my camera everywhere I go, even if it's just local, in anticipation of finding something cool or interesting to snap a photo of and blog about it afterwards.

Case in point, today we went to an adorable little cafe for lunch and it was so pretty that I was glad I brought the camera along.




We sat outside on the patio.


They had a pretty little garden.


Yummy sandwich.



Afterwards I had a red velvet cupcake - the main reason for coming here to begin with.


And my favorite photo of all: after lunch we stopped by the grocery store, and in the parking lot, saw the most awesome car antenna ever.


And that's what you call...ghetto chic.

I've been featured!

This morning I received a wonderful surprise - Sydnei of Simply Sentimental sent me an Etsy convo saying she had featured the Camille earrings on her blog!

Check out her wonderful write up here. Also if you get a chance, check out the rest of the blog as it features wonderful items from other Etsy artists.

Thank you so much, Sydnei!

New shop item: a necklace

Made of eclectic materials I found here and there, I named this piece "Pete."

Like it?

April Fool's!

This actually came from a site that is having its 6th annual Ugly Necklace Contest.

The best April Fool's joke this year was Google's Virgle.

All about Mr Hazel

My cousin, Highmaintenancemom, tagged me!

What is his name? Mr Hazel
How long have you been married? 3 years
How long did you date? 3 years, and we lived together for one year before getting engaged
How old is he? Age of consent
Who eats more? Definitely me
Who said I love you first? He did
Who is taller? Definitely him, by a good foot and a half
Who pays the bills? He is the money manager in our household
Who can sing better? I think I do, but Mr Hazel disagrees and calls me “noisy”
Who is smarter? Moxie
Who does the laundry? Me
Who sleeps on the right side? I do (funny enough, so do a lot of women in my family)
Who mows the lawn? Our homeowners' association, yippee!
Who cooks dinner? I do, but he does the dishes after
Who is a better cook? I think me, by default, since I do the cooking, but Mr Hazel makes a mean taco
Who drives? He does – I’m too lazy and his car has heated seats
Who is more stubborn? That would be both of us. You should hear us argue.
Who kissed who first? He did
Who asked who out first? I think this was by mutual agreement
Who proposed? He did, in our new house
Who is more sensitive? Me for sure
Who has more friends? Me – I keep in touch with everyone
Who has more siblings? Him – a brother and a sister, whereas I have one sister

And now here is a recent picture of my man...

Spring countdown

My neighbor's tulips are slowly but surely coming out of the ground! I feel like coaxing them along so they'll hurry it up. You can do it, tulips!

And in another sign of spring coming, the hyacinths in my yard are also coming out!


You can even see the little purple bud already peeking out from its leaves. How exciting!

As I was surveying our yard this morning I was dismayed to note that my two azalea bushes have turned all brown and shriveled up. I think I forgot to fertilize them in the fall in preparation for the winter season, as I was told to do by the nursery guy. I am very fond of my azaleas because I planted them myself with my own two hands the summer after we moved into our house, and I was the proudest little gardener when the flowers actually bloomed in profusion.

But now I'm afraid I have killed them this winter. We will see - I'm holding my breath.

Goods from Home Goods

I absolutely love Home Goods, even though Mr Hazel calls it "the junk store." But as they say, one person's junk is another person's treasure, so I'm okay with that.

For instance, the other week I got a burst of energy to clean up my messy home office/jewelry studio, so I picked up these pretty paisley storage boxes to help me organize my finished pieces and mailing supplies.


And then I saw this flea market-type clock, and seriously, knowing me, how could I resist? I mean, look how pretty it is!

And then I wanted to pick up some props to use for my jewelry pictures, so I found this pretty pitcher. I think it will also be great as a vase, holding a bunch of daffodils on the kitchen table.


I also love this black and cream sugar canister with its antiquey, old-world kitchen vibe.


Turning to some exciting jewelry news, the Marnie was snapped up last night as soon as I put her up! I was so excited - that was the fastest a piece has ever sold. She was bought by my friend Ahila, doctor extraordinaire, so a huuge thank you for your support, Ahila!

I love you, too!

For Valentine's day, Mr Hazel got me a dozen of my favorite flowers. They're so pretty and cheerful that I feel almost taunted - look at us, we look like it's spring outside, but really it's only February and freezing cold and you have to wear coats and scarves and hats, and the warm weather and cherry blossoms are actually weeeeeeeeks awaaaaaay! But, I love my flowers. In spite of their taunts.

Then I got this gift that I found in Mr Hazel's sock drawer a few years ago. He had been meaning to give it to me for Valentine's one year but had forgotten about it, and after I found it in his sock drawer he didn't want to give it to me until I forgot about it. Except I would remember every year without fail, and I would ask him, "Where is my ceramic Valentine thingamajig?" I finally got it this year. It's so dorky and I lurve it.

There is also a third gift but it's very mysterious - it won't arrive for a while. I have no clue what it is.

And my fourth gift is the sweetest of all - Mr Hazel gave me a printout of an email he had written to the Etsy administrators, telling them that he wanted to do something Etsy related for me for Valentine's day since I had gone "absolutely nuts for Etsy" since opening my shop (hee hee). So he asked if there was something he could do to make me a featured seller on their front page, or, barring that, if he could buy a week's worth of Showcase space for my shop without me knowing ahead of time. Unfortunately there wasn't a way to surprise me with it - but the gift is a week's worth of Showcase space that I am going to arrange.

I got him something Derek Jeter-related. Derek Jeter is his #1.

For warm fuzzies, check out this lovely article about a stray dog in Iraq who was brought to the U.S. by the SPCA with the efforts of the soldiers, and just in time for Valentine's day. Now that is a love story I can get behind.

Finally, Nomad and Moxie wish you and yours a love-filled day!


XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Jewelry care tips

Most of the pieces I create are made of sterling silver. If not cared for properly, sterling silver will most likely tarnish. To prevent this, it is a good idea to limit exposure to air as much as possible by always storing your jewelry in plastic or cloth pouches (I like to use small zip lock bags for all my sterling silver chains and wires, which work great in preventing tarnish).

If your silver does tarnish, you can use a polishing cloth to bring back the original sheen. I've heard that the 3M Tarni-Shield Silver Polish is good, though I've never tried this personally so I can't vouch for its effectiveness myself. You can also find silver polishing cloths at jewelry stores - Tiffany has a really good one that works very well on my sterling silver jewelry. They are available at Tiffany stores and come in a pretty blue envelope.

Finally, avoid rubbing your jewelry pieces against each other by keeping them in their separate compartments.

These will ensure that you will enjoy your jewelry pieces for years to come!

Super duper Tuesday

I had a rather late night today so I'm going to scrap my plans to add another item to the shop (it usually takes a while) so I can catch up on Super Tuesday results.

Before I do that, though, I wanted to report that Abigail has been sold! Whoo hoo! My sister bought her today. Thanks, sis - you rock!

Also please visit the Etsy CREST street team page. If you click on "Favorites" and then "Favorite Sellers," you can see the shops of the members who belong to this Etsy team (yours truly being one of them!). And I actually don't know if the "Favorite Items" will change periodically, but right now it looks like Kate has been featured as one of the favorite items. Yay Kate!

I now have a total of ten hearts! Thanks to heathersbeadshop, bisquee, YStudio, and my very own friend Meridith for hearting Hazel Designs. I heart you back!

Lastly, I scored these adorable vintage owl beads from an Etsy vendor. I have big plans for them - are they cute, or what?

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Etsy find of the day

The Etsy site is literally a treasure trove of cool, unusual, and unique things and it's so easy to get suckered in for hours looking through them. I've hearted about fifty shops on here - which reminds me, thank you so much to bannerbee and xenya for hearting my shop! That was much appreciated. I get so giddy when someone hearts my shop - I now have a total of five hearts! Yippee!

Recently I joined the Etsy CREST street team, both to expose my shop as much as possible to the Etsy world and to meet my fellow Etsy sellers.

One of the members of Etsy CREST, xenya, has a shop of photographic works called Forgotten Beauty, and I was blown away by some of the photographs on here. I love her concept of taking pictures of forgotten things and places, which sort of has that flea market, antique-y, distressed vibe that I love so much. Her work is just gorgeous.

I found two photographs that I'm thinking of buying and I'm just trying to decide between them:

I think these would look amazing with a wide white mat and a black frame. They also come in different sizes. What the heck, maybe I'll just get them both.

Just like crack

For a while now I've been a longtime lurker at this diamond and gemstone site called Pricescope (the forum Show Me the Ring has all the good pictures of the diamonds). It started out as a site for educating people who are in the market for diamonds, but the forums soon evolved into a place for women to show off their sparklies. The "Show Me the Ring" forum is like crack, I tell you - I have to check it out almost every day.

So it was inevitable that I too wanted to post pictures of my wedding rings, but I could never take good enough close ups as the pictures always came out blurry and crappy. When I got the new camera I started playing around and, surprisingly, the pictures came out well enough that I may be able to post them.

Here are my Art Deco filigree engagement ring and diamond eternity band, taken with the super macro setting:



And here is the requisite Pricescope "hand shot":


Pricescope, here I come!

What's in a name?

...that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell just as sweet...


One of the first ideas I had when I started Hazel Designs was to name my pieces after girls' names to infuse them with more of a "personality." The logical next step was to name them after my female friends and family.

So I started doing this. But then, as I went through the names, I began to worry. I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to match the "personality" of the necklace to the personality of the real person. One necklace was whimsical and had a sort of gentle look to it - does this match better with that friend or this friend? While this other necklace was more funky and bold and colorful - is this more of this family member or that family member? And does this one look more like a "Mandy" or a "Meridith"? And then, as if that wasn't enough to agonize over, I began worrying over the possibility that the person would get offended if the necklace I named after her wasn't to her liking.

I got a fierce headache.

So I scrapped the whole idea and instead went to a baby naming website and picked out names that I loved, and this seemed to work out very nicely. I received many positive responses and feedback.

I kept going back and forth, though, on naming the pieces after my friends and family, and when my sister also, independently, suggested this idea, I finally decided to go ahead and follow my first inclination.

So now, each new piece that comes out from here on will be named after my female friends and family (until I run out of them), and you might have already noticed that I started doing this with recent pieces "Mariel" and "Mary" (warning: I do have a lot of friends whose names begin with "M", as you can probably already tell!).

And to my friends and family, if you somehow end up not liking your "namesake", please don't be offended. You know I love you!