Because, it's just what I do.

I believe artists don’t become. They either are, or are not. I was able to create before I even realized it was a considered a talent. Don’t get me wrong, I’m just like everyone else, I check pockets before placing them in the wash, I give bad tips sometimes if I think my waiter is an asshole, I skip pages, I fall asleep in class, I give directions, I write things down, I say thank you, I fake smile, I say I voted, I shake hands with strangers, but most of the time, I create.

I tried several other outlets before falling into place at art school. I wanted to be a journalist, a forensics psychologist, a shop owner, a daydreamer, a manager for a slummy gag gift store, a teacher, a thrill seeker, a traveler, a guidance consular, however it just seemed that creating visuals, typography, and logos were just what I was good at, so why bother looking into a different profession? Not only did I find my place in graphic design, but also found myself dabbling in photography at a very young age, as well as becoming a successful jewelry designer by the age of 19.

Honestly, these are all things I somehow accidently fell into. Graphic design because one day my brother’s company needed a logo ASAP, so I made things happen and realized, “ Whoa, I kick ass at this sort of thing...” Photography at age 9, when I was given my first polaroid insta-film camera. Now I know I may sound cocky when saying this but I was never a point and shoot kinda girl. I would observe what I wanted in my image before capturing it, planning out angles and lightening before I even dared pressing that little button. I started jewelry design mainly to fix jewelry I had previously that broke. It served solely as a fixing process, but then i gathered ideas from all of the broken pieces and wanted to create something completely different from each piece. Since then I have gathered boxes and boxes of odds and ends, found, thrifted, or inherited, all of which I use in creating my Jewelry that is now sold at MAKE Boutique & Studio as well as Etsy.com.

I am a designer because I am good at what I do, honestly. I do not have to try hard to create something a client has asked from me, I know exactly what will make them pleased and wanting more. I am knowledgeable in more than one realm of design. I believe if I didn’t figure out design was for me early on, that eventually it would have had to become obvious. I take everything I do, I create very seriously, being a designer is much more than a title, for me, it’s my lifestyle.

Over The Top

I will never fully understand why Week 8 of ALL of my quarters at the Art Institute are such a frantic rush. I assume it is because it is just after midterms and right before finals, whatever the case is this past week has been very rocky for me. Between getting deadlines in and running my shop online as well as in the boutique, I feel like I will need some major nap-age this weekend!

I recently re-stocked my shop this week and sold a big order within 12 hours! WOOHOO! Thank You Kim for the amazing purchases you made this week, it sure cheered me up during quite the traumatic week! Here are a few of my newest pieces;

Bohemian Princess $18.25

Perfect for anyone who loves a little bit of everything.

This necklace has a combination of silver and pearls as it's chain. All charms and trinkets are centered at the chain. Charms include; handmade puff & feather charm, jersey fabric covered button, vintage peacock frame, found tea kettle, golden heart, and a found baby shark jaw. Also to the right of this amazing cluster is a second jersey fabric covered button.
Necklace is medium - long in length.

The Charlene Lace Necklace $16.75

Beautiful vintage lace with rose buds acts as a centerpiece of this necklace. Lace is centered on a silver medium length chain with a lobster clasp. To the left of lace are a mixture of pearls in rosy pink and creamy white. A vintage chain loops from the top of these pearls to the right side of the lace where another grouping of vintage pearls are attached. The pearls on the lace's right act as a tassel and dangle just below the lace's side.

Bettie Sue Ruffle Collar Necklace $16.25

Love love love this necklace so much I almost kept it for myself!!

Beautiful ruffle trim with floral pattern in light blue, cream and taupe. Attached above the trim is a set of

beautiful faux pearls.
Both trim and pearls are firmly attached to a medium length vintage chain.

Captain My Captain $15.25

100% recycled & vintage necklace!

Amazing red, blue and creamy white anchor charm is centered onto a golden triple layered adjustable short - medium chain. To the left as well as right of the anchor charm are vintage button charms in classic red, and royal blue. Buttons add for an extra splash of color!

Keeper $15.50

Gold Gold and more Gold!

Vintage short golden chunky chain with various golden trinkets attached to it's sides.
Charms include; two decorative hearts, two vintage velvet buttons, one unique gold charm.

Siki Siki Baba

I was pretty excited once I heard that the famous craft fair, Renegade began a one - stop shop for all of it's DIY goods, featuring work from over 300 artists! This unique shop was created as an extension of the Renegade Craft Fair, the permanent location serves as a sturdy spot for people to buy and sell unique handmade items all year long. Here are a few of my current favorite items that are up for grabs now at RenegadeHandmade.com;

Tattoo Lady Brooch. $24.00

Amazing 1920s image brooch of a woman covered in t

attoos, one of many giving advice to all that read, " Love One Another."Brooch is made by designer, Mama's Little Babies. This one of a kind bro

och is made of printed, almond toned plastic, which is durable and lightweight, leaving this brooch with a very vintage feel.

Craft Pirate Tee. $20.00

I believe all true crafters feel and maybe even look like a pirate from time to time. Who can blame us? Staying up all night just to get the perfect stitch straight, beading, threading, silkscreening, a perfectionist will certainly have their Pirate days! Thanks to Skeleton Royal, we can all have our very own Craft Pirate Tee. This

cute crafting lady pirate is hand printed onto 100%

cotton blue American Apparel t-shirts.

None Good Enough. $10.00

We all have had days like this. " She couldn't decide which socks to wear, none were good enough!" This print is gocco'd on environmentally friendly, 100% recycled, 30% post - consumer waste, eco- white archival paper. Print is made by designer Denise Ann Simon.

7up Pound Cake Soap. $7.00

Yummy 7up Pound Cake Soap is handmade using a cold - process vegan bar weighing approximately 4 -5 ounces. It has a scent that is a yummy blend of warm cake, almond, lemon, lime, vanilla, and sugar. This item is a Dirty Loves Clean collaboration with Charlie and Sarah to create an english themed soap series.

Features :

+ 30%+ Olive Oil: Makes an especially mild soap, great for sensitive skin. Prevents the loss of your skin's natural moisture, while attracting external moisture without clogging pores.

+ 15%+ Butters: Shea Butter adds a wonderful creamy lather and has great conditioning properties.Cocoa Butter lays down a protective layer which holds moisture to the skin, thus making it an excellent skin softener.

+ Coconut Milk: Used in place of distilled water, the high oil content and sugars add a lot of bubbly and creamy lather. + 6% Superfatted: Added oils that do not become saponified resulting in extra moisturizing properties.

"The place where things collide."

Buddy Wakefield is currently a growing obsession of mine. A two time World Poetry Slam Champion who is featured on NPR, BBC, HBO's Def. Poetry Jam and is also signed to Strange Famous Records. Wakefield was born in Shreveport, LA, but mostly raised in Baytown, TX, and now claims Seattle, WA as home. Even though writing and spoken word has always been his true passion, he has had numerous odd jobs that had him traveling all around the world. Such as; a busker in Amsterdam, a lumberjack in Norway, a street vender in Spain, a team leader in Singapore, a re - delivery boy, a candy maker, a street sweeper, a bartender, a maid, a construction worker, manager of a CD store, a bull rider and a booking agent. Check out Connivence Stores via youtube video below to listen to a few of his words.

Another current favorite is Beirut. At the time of major popularity, Zach, the lead singer for this amazing orchestra band with a modern twist, was only twenty years old. Zach Condon's first show in New York was at the Knitting Factory in May of 2006, and sadly was a complete and utter disaster. The twenty year old pulled together three random musicians for his band, Beirut only a few short weeks before their performance. His ebay purchased ukulele did not stay in tune, he fumbled with his trumpet and flashed a dorky and embarrassed smile during the long breaks between the songs, his banter was self - conscious, and his voice shook.

That however, did not phase dear Zach, though the band seemed to be unripe and overwhelmed, on recordings Beirut's songs are found to be more lush, guided towards the gypsy and bohemian scene. A strange thing soon happened for Zach and his Balkan influenced band members. Even with the misstep of the first performance, the online community continued to embrace the singer and his record. Listeners wrote in assuring him of the potential. "I think I share music with a very specific group of people,"he says. " I play for those who want to hear something energetic and true and beautiful in music again. But perhaps people just like that I am 20 and fresh - faced. Maybe if I had a beard, they would have been harder on me."

Three months down the road, Beirut quickly grew to a ten member band, it would seem to defend its name. " One of the reasons I named the band after a city was the fact that it's seen a lot of conflict. It's not a political position. I worried about that from the beginning. But it was such a catchy name. I mean, if things go down that are truly horrible, I'll change it. But not now. It's still a good analogy for my music. I haven't been to Beirut, but I imagine it as this chic urban city surrounded by the ancient Muslim world. The place where things collide."

" There are three ways I see music used in the modern world, one is for thinkers: They approach it analytically. Then there are people who use music to get a raw attitude out. And then there are people who are simply looking for beauty, for the sentimentality that good music has." In recently shows, the crowds are rowdy, but controlled. Zach has stopped reading the blogs, though he still seems to know what they've been saying about him. " Here's a song that you all have been asking us to play." he said just before "Scenic World" was launched. " It might have taken us a while, but you know, we figured it out."

Beirut is proof that everyone can believe in you, but you really have to grow in order to find your true self. An amazing band that I highly suggest to young and old alike.

Check out the video below, it was recorded in their home, amazingly mind blowing!

Whoa Mama!

This weekend I rang in 24 sales! Seventeen of those sales were made by buyers who visited my shop on Etsy.com, and the other seven sales came from the boutique this past week.

Needless to say there has been a lot of packaging and shipping going on in my life right now!

( Please excuse my funky hair, it has been fairly humid in Texas lately D: )

Though it has now been three months that I have been selling my items on etsy, I feel like a newbie. I am altering the way I package things, taking in every close detail to make sure the items do not arrive to their new owners in a tangle. Even though I have altered my ways many a time already, I have found out I still need a new way to secure the chains, so they do not tangle or break for that matter. I think I will purchase some of these soon.

I also made a trip up to MAKE Boutique & Studio to restock over half of my items! Big sales this weekend! I made small talk with Julie, the owner of make, and was informed that it is quick uncommon for a first time seller to sell over half of their entire stock in just their first month. Typically a seller restocks every 90 days or so. I was super excited to hear this, and I am hoping like crazy this isn't just some sort of beginners luck! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Here are some images of the showcase I have up at MAKE Boutique & Studio:

In other news, my mother, brother, close friend, and boyfriend all have their birthdays this week! YIKES! I think I have finally gotten all of their gifts in order, which was to my surprise! I decided to get everyone a little gift that reminded me of their personality & to make them a special surprise to go along with it. Once everyone has their birthday and all gifts are given I will post some images so everyone can see the little beauties. But I cannot post too soon, because I know for a fact I have some sneaky buddies who love to lurk my blog and would most likely tell each other! :)

So far, this week all of my errands are complete, that is until I need to make another run to the local post office. I thought I was going to have an extremely busy week considering all of my work for my classes was not even started this morning, but somehow I managed to sit here for 4 hours doing it! That never happens, as most of you know artists are probably the most procrastinating individuals alive. Though we are also the most fun to be around! :: nudge nudge ::

Well I need to get going and start on a few new projects, I just wanted to pop in and let everyone know how I was doing! I will be returning later this week with new items in my shop, so stick around and I will keep you posted!

Hooraah!

Quick Note:

I am now a featured jewelry vendor at The MAKE Boutique & Studio here in Dallas!

visit the boutique online @ http://www.themakesite.com/

or go in person!

In the Bishop Art's District

313 North Bishop Ave.

Dallas, Tx

I will be returning to MAKE this sunday to take photographs of my jewelry cabinet and the setup of the shop for everyone to view!

Stay tuned for more info soon!

Pssssst....

New items in my shop later this evening.

Here's a sneak peek.

Cheers!