Design fun

This Wordle thing is pretty addictive.

Type in a bunch of words and watch them form into different colors and layouts, or put in a blog's URL and watch it form a word cloud based on that blog's content. These are some of the ones I came up with. The first one kind of reminds me of my wedding invitation.

Late to the party

But I finally got there!

Recently I was perusing the Etsy forums - particularly the thread on how to promote your business - and the general consensus seems to be that sellers should increase both their work's and their store's presence online as much as possible.

To that end, a lot of sellers on Etsy have Flickr accounts as well as accounts on one of the social networking sites.

So, now you can also find Hazel Designs both on Flickr and Facebook! I also added in a nifty Flickr badge on the left-hand sidebar of my blog, featuring photos of my jewelry.

Please come visit me there!

An afternoon at the park

I tried posting these pictures the other day but Blogger was down, so here they are today.

Last Sunday, we spent a beautiful summer day at the park, attending a birthday party for a very special person. The park was great because they had a lot of things going on, including ballroom dance classes, a children's theater, a beautiful carousel, and crafts.

This funny building is a pottery studio and gallery. Hard to tell from the picture, but it's shaped like a giant mushroom.


Pottery pieces for sale. They had some very creative ones.


I enjoyed looking at these.


A calligraphy studio, complete with an "artist-in-residence." It looked more like a witch's hut to me.


I like this ramshackle, rundown building. Not sure exactly what it was before or what it is now, but it has an interesting air of neglect that I wanted to capture.

Represent!

I received notice today that I got accepted into SRAJD (Self-Representing Artist Jewelry Designer). I am officially member # 1878!

SRAJD is a community of artists, as well as an organization for artists, that promotes buying handmade jewelry versus mass-produced jewelry (there's a big difference!).

An SRAJD member sells the jewelry they designed and created. That means you can only place this logo on your own handmade creations - no mass production and no middlemen/women allowed.

Chalcedony earrings

Finally, a new shop item! I've been so preoccupied with my metal stuff lately that I've been neglecting all the wire-working and beads. So to make up for that, I have these new earrings for you.

The other week I was reading something about Emily Dickinson in the paper (I can't remember what it was exactly), but it brought to mind how obsessed I was with her in my teens. She was my absolute favorite poet at the time (I guess to be accurate, it was both her and Lord Tennyson). I couldn't read enough of her work or about how strange and weird her life was. So I decided to name these new earrings Emily, in her honor!

Sky blue chalcedony brios and rice pearls, all dangling from handmade sterling silver earwires. Emily is now available!

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.

Inside my toolbox

I never, ever thought I would get so excited about tools, much less wax poetic about them. Tools.

But almost every day this week, it's been like Christmas with the arrival of a new type of metalsmithing tool on my doorstep, and I haven't been able to contain myself.

Because I'm such a klutz, tools have always scared me. I had visions of breaking my toes or drilling through my fingers (it can still happen, knock on wood) so I never showed much interest in the wrenches and hammers and drills Mr Hazel uses to tinker around the house with.

But now, I'm beguiled by tools. Yes - beguiled. Girly Hazel, who loves manicures and pretty dresses and high heels and sparkly diamonds - loves her new manly man tools.

I keep looking at them and touching each one lovingly, excited at the prospect of what I can make with them.

I think I've gone crazy!

Here is the inside of my toolbox:


My new dapping set!


My letter punches!


My disc cutters!


Yay, TOOLS!