Just to be sure...

Just to be sure that progress has been made, and that change really is constant, I decided to do a little comparisson in the aesthetics department.
Above: My first day setting up my booth at the Portland Saturday Market at the beginning of last year. How sad. How pathetic.

Below: Almost 2 years later, setting up on xmas eve - the last day of Market for the year.

Ahhh, now that's better. Yes, I think I can tell now that I have improved my booth. Thank goodness.

The last day of market was less than a week ago, yet it feels like the duration of several months. And now I never know what day it is, or what I should do after finishing my current activity, and I can hardly think about making more glass in the near future.

So it's good that a friend brought up Valentines day to me. Perfect! I need to get cracking on some good Valentines jewelry! Yippee! Fire up the kiln, fetch me my glass cutters and get out of the way! This will give me something to do for a bit and hopefully will turn into a few sales during this offseason phase.

Oh, and I need to make some New Years resolutions really quick-like.

Away for a Week

The greatest new blog discovery this month is called "It Made My Day - Little Moments of WIN". Click HERE to read it. I can hardly wait until some little hilarious thing happens in my day so that I can post to their site.

Sunup Jewelry won't be at the Saturday Market this weekend. Instead, I'll be selling my jewels at a 5-day festival near Seattle - here's hoping for a bright turn-out!

I have started posting a few things to my little ETSY site, and will try to build it up more when I get back from my trip. Find it here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sunupjewelry

I can hardly believe there are only 4 weeks left until a 2 month break! [No Market during Jan/Feb] Whatever will I do?!

See you in a week!

New Stuff

Friday proved to be a suprisingly wonderful day, anchoring a week of unending blah-ness. I met a friend for coffee and pastries before heading over to the Catlin Gabel Rummage sale at the expo center. It was several acres of Portlanders dragging behind them cardboard boxes filled with their treasures. It was thousands of square feet of possibilities. It was magical. I shopped in Housewares, I shopped in Womens, I shopped in Boys, I shopped in Electronics, I shopped for hours. And when I was done I only had to part with $25; 8 shirts and a hoodie. Score.
From there I went home and busted out a whole bunch of glass in one tiny little hour. Lately, I admit, it has become slightly mundane making glass. I have been clinging to certain designs so much that I have exhausted my motivation to find more color combinations of the same pattern/shape. But yesterday was different - I made new stuff, I let myself make whatever I wanted. And since the kiln was still a tad warm this morning, I spent all day at the market getting excited about opening it up upon my arrival home.

Ok fine, I also spent most of the day shivering. It is certainly starting to feel winter-y. Almost time to get out the propane heater for the weekends outdoors selling.

Write it Out

Here's a little jewel I learned during college. At the end of the day - or, really at any point in the day - write down 5 good things that happened that day. They don't have to be big things, something as simple as 'I'm wearing my favorite tshirt' is enough, or 'Made an artichoke for dinner'. I'll tell you what, you will be shocked and amazed at not only the amount of events that happened since waking, but also how many positive things are occurring in your life. Shocked and amazed, I tell you. So sit your little self down for 3 minutes every night, and pick up your pen. I often practice this exercise when I feel like I accomplished nothing, and I find that by the time I'm done writing the first item on the list, I've already thought of numbers 2 and 3.

Suddenly, everything seems to be going well.

Last Chances

I discovered yesterday that the huge annual Catlin Gabel Rummage sale at the Expo Center is ending! This is the last year, after 65 consecutive years, that they will be having this event. Apparently Craigslist and Ebay aren't helping their cause. So make sure you go this year! Here are the hours:

Thursday, November 5: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (35 percent markup on all items)
Friday, November 6: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, November 7: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (25 percent discount all day)
Sunday, November 8: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (50 percent discount and bag sales all day)

Also, here is a little ditty about my stuff jumping into Splurge: Click This!

Well, it has been a rare, challenging week for glass; I've had two full kiln loads not turn out well. They will each have to be re-fired. Things haven't been heating evenly, or for long enough, plus I've been doing a little experimenting which is always tricky. All of these things added together have put me a little behind this week. Oy! But I suppose things can't always turn out perfectly. Next week will surely be better!

Can You Move Your Horns, Please? They're, like, totally in my way

Okay, I realize this has little to do with anything, everything to do with nothing, anything to do with something, ...but check out these long-horned cattle! The photo above is from a recent trip to Texas -- the Fort Worth Stockyards. Imagine waking up in the morning and having to pick up that much weight just to lift your head off the pillow -- er, sawdust.

Playing Catch-Up

Oh dear. I see now that I haven't written much in the past month. Let me fill you in.

The beginning of October was filled with surprisingly good weekends at the Saturday Market. My display racks have been less than full for a little while and I find myself constantly playing catch-up to restock my wares during the week.

I put a batch of jewelry into Splurge, which happens to be one of the most adorable little gift stores in town. It was started by a bunch of market vendors a few years ago and houses a significant amount of market products. Check it out!


Quickly, I sped through 'The Time Traveller's Wife' which was rather phenomenal. I had a difficult time putting it down, which doesn't happen that often for me. Highly recommend it.

I'm planning on switching over from my website to etsy. That is, if I can just. get. started. on it.


Took a trip to the Tacoma Glass Museum in Washington; we had beautiful weather, free coffee and cookies at the rest stops, and were able to see some pretty impressive artwork. It's fun to try to think about how each piece was made.

Now I'm off to a wedding in Dallas at the end of the week and will get to see the fam!

Love the Rain

Just took a fresh load of glass out of the kiln - I finally did some larger pendant pieces. I rarely use brown glass but...why?! It looks great with the reaction that happens between the silver leaf and white glass (the brown swirl around the clouds in photo). This piece has a nice amount of reaction - and I love using silver leaf! All I need to do now is find a heavy chain to put it on -- my dinky snake chains simply won't do.

Swift Magic

It's September! Go watch the Swifts funnel into the chimney at the Chapman Elementary School downtown at NW Pettigrove and 25th-ish.

The New Rummaging Schedule

One of the very worst things about being at the Portland Saturday (&Sunday) Market, is that I miss all of the rummage sales! Imagine all of the wonderful, cheap-as-dirt housewares and clothes that are only available on random weekends through the year, which I am missing out on! It drives me a very particular kind of crazy. My one saving grace, to which I anticipate with immense excitement all year long, is the Catlin Gabel Rummage Sale which is held every November. It is gigantic in a way that you can only comprehend by attending. So big, in fact, that it fills the Portland Expo Center. Believe it.

And it is a mere 2 months away.

Escaping the Burn (of both theft and heat)

Considering all of the drama and events that went on in Seattle, I find myself with a very short version of the entire story.

I drove to Seattle for a wholesale show, had all of my jewelry and supplies stolen out of my car, and then the next day I got it all back. The End.

Some good things came out of it; some bad things came out of it.

This is what my jewelry looks like if you are standing on a picnic table and wearing really cute 'avocado shoes'.

Fortunately, I returned to a good weekend at the Portland Saturday Market, went out for some sushi with friends, and started a bikram yoga class. It is amazingly hot in that yoga room, and my very calm instructor confessed that lately he has been taking "window hits" from the one open window in the room, so that he can get some cool fresh air. I wonder what kind of person he is outside of class.

Until next time, I'll be in spot #201 under the Burnside Bridge (weekends only). Oh! And I'll be attending the Belmont Street Fair a week from Saturday. Later, kiddos.

Little Things

There are few things in my life more refreshing than a clean new 10"x10" sheet of silver leaf...

Procrastinatio-......

With a wholesale show coming up in less than two weeks, and a stream of wonderful weekends at the market that have depleted my stock of jewels, I find myself on Monday morning doing exactly what I always do when I'm overwhelmed with the length of my To-Do List. I start cleaning. I crank the music on my computer and start organizing things that I didn't know existed; I go grocery shopping; I lock myself in the bathroom and pluck my eyebrows; I write emails. Suddenly I live in a neat and tidy apartment, my cupboards are stocked with meals, there's kombucha in the fridge, and yet... no glass is made, no pens have declared progress to the items on my project list.

Why don't we do the things that we know need to be done?

The new tree necklaces are still consistently selling, which makes me incredibly happy. AND a suprising thing happened this morning: I thought of a COMPLETELY new design for a necklace. Truly I'd thought I'd have a hard time coming up with a design that would trump the trees, and maybe this one won't - but maybe it will! Either way, it's going to take several firings, lots of glass powders, and will involve some techniques that I've never attempted. Nevertheless, I'm entirely excited.

Here's hoping for a productive and happy week!

A Magical Encounter at the Shopeteria

After lunch today I took a walk over to the 'Shopeteria' - a brilliantly named little convenience store which happens to carry Ben & Jerrys. I snatched up a pint, a bottle of iced tea and plopped them both down at the register. But just then one of the most amazing things happened; something that I have been secretly wishing for many years. So secretly, in fact, that even I hadn't quite realized that I'd wanted it.

I caught a glimpse of a cardboard box of new Coconut M&Ms.
"Coconut M&Ms?!" I said this aloud. I yelled it. I yelled it at the cashier; not even to him, but at him.

I was so taken by this new discovery that I'm not even sure what the poor chap mumbled in response to my outburst. The value of that little package of candy far exceeds the 89 cents that you part with at the register. They're even printed with little palm trees next to the 'M' on each one. I have never known a love quite like this.

The Promises We Don't Keep

Finally. Someone who takes a photo at the market and actually sends it to me!

Rewards

Lately I've been putting a small handful of blueberries into the bottom of my water glass to encourage hydration.

Do they make fans for chickens?

Despite utilizing the garden hose every day, I fear that many of the plants in the backyard are dying in this heat. Or at least they aren't looking too good... I can tell that the chickens are suffering as well, and I haven't heard anything about clouds or cool weather in the near future.
Only just now did I remember a couple of fans that I'd tossed into the back of my closet - wow do they make a difference!

With another outstanding weekend at the market behind me I am finally finding myself with too little jewelry; there are many bare spots on my displays! Right now my kiln is just about cool enough to open (the best part!). Inside are 3 new wallhanging pieces, my first two sold this past weekend. Fortunately I share part of my studio space with a wood worker and I have been using his unwanted pieces to mount my glass upon. I'm hoping that I can convince him to collaborate with me on this 'wallhanging' category of product and create something custom to fit the theme of my pieces. I have big ideas. Big. Ideas.

Small Trees with Blue Peas

If there are 5 things that I love most in life, then surely one of them must be making a NEW product out of glass. This week I've managed to complete a couple of small wallhangings -- roughly 6x6". Although I adore these first two, I plan on making some much more complex designs in the near future. Ultimately I want to create an image of the St. Johns Bridge, but I suppose I have no idea how that will be put together.

... And imagine a piece that's 5 feet square, hanging against a wall... that is another dream of mine...

Today was an eventful day, beginning with a surprisingly satisfying visit to a new place: Bakery Bar. Somewhere near 9AM the temperature was perfectly pleasant; I sat at an outside table with a friend, drinking coffee and eating one of their rich biscuits with pecans and orange glaze. Yes, I do love my life.

From there we picked up a few other crew members and drove out to Sauvie Island where we spent hours among blueberry bushes and sunlight.

Now if I could just get the chickens to stop knocking over their water canister, I'd be just about set.

It should be a blazing hot weekend and as usual I can't wait to see everyone at the market!

The Favorites

This week I made a new batch of tree pieces and tried out some little earrings (above). I'm quite fond of this tree design and am tempted to discontinue all other glass designs, but ultimately that could end up very poorly.
The Mississippi Street Fair went really well this past weekend; I was surpised at how many booths it consisted of, and only wished I had done more exploring.

My landlord/friend/housemate is out of town and consequently I have been tending to the chickens, among other things. I grew up with dairy cows, but we never kept chickens. Now that I'm growing accustomed to fresh eggs and beautiful chickens pacing around in the backyard, I think I just may always want to have them wherever 'home' is located.


Fortunately the weather has been gorgeous, and a visit from my younger sister has promted a scattering of visits to all of my favorite Portland places. In the past two days we've hit up Voodoo Doughnuts, NW 23rd Ave, Powells Books, Papa Haydn for coffee and desserts, Mother's Bistro, and the Kennedy School. We've made french toast using fresh eggs from the coop, eaten inexpensive sushi outside in the sun, and walked around town until the sweat secretly collected into drips under our clothes. My sister even made a glass ring which she is incredibly eager to fire in the kiln.
It should be a beautiful weekend and I'm excited to see everyone at the market once again. Maybe Judy (the Lavender Lady) and I will ditch our booths and take another tour around the market in one of the Rose Pedal bike wagons, as we did last week.

3 Years ago today I moved to Portland.

Happy Weekend!

Changing Scenery

I dislike my coffee table with a passion; it's stained and ugly in almost every way imaginable. Today I covered it in a rich dark brown paint (left over from my bedroom walls) and instantly it is new and aesthetically pleasing! I love changing things about my living quarters -- putting fresh pictures on the walls, switching up the tablecloths, etc. I lived with an amazing girl in college who was constantly making these changes to our apartment. It made the mundane interesting and I loved it. It's nice to give the many decorating options - that are no doubt lounging in your closet, unused - a turn.

Sunup Jewelry is taking a vacation from the Portland Saturday Market this weekend in exchange for a spot at the Mississippi Street Fair! I'll be stocked up on tree necklaces and excited to switch up my booth's living quarters for the day -- stop by for a visit on Saturday!

A Jumbled Rambling

Sometimes I wonder if there is a distinct line drawn between the two ways you can dress yourself. I question whether there are 'Clothes-People' and 'Accessories-People'. Here's what I mean... When I think about what I'm going to wear in the morning after I shower, I think about what jewelry I want to wear. Then I coordinate my clothing to accommodate the accessories I've chosen. I'm sure that there's a group of people (probably more than half of the population) who pick out their clothing first, and then add jewelry to match. I almost never think in that order.

Some people come into my booth at the market and pick up one of my glass pieces and I hear them say how hard the necklace or earrings would be to 'match with'. [Note: most of my jewelry isn't very hard to match with, in my opinion, but some of it is quite challenging.] I want to tell these people something along the lines of this: I don't expect you to try to match that jewel with one of your printed tops; I expect you to change your shirt.

This is probably the strongest reason I should have pursued silver jewelry...

Only kidding! I love glass like crazy and would never trade it for another medium! Actually, when I first became interested in glass jewelry, I considered most of it either tacky, or incapable of looking sophisticated. I'm incredibly particular about wearing glass accessories and feel very confident that I have created a product that can be worn well by a very large range of ages.

Though I suppose this topic is stuck in the land of subjectivity - this is all just my own little opinion.

It's going to be a ridiculously warm 4th of July. It was exactly (almost to the minute!) 5 years ago today that I rode on my first motorcycle and wound up in the emergency room, just hours before leaving for 6 months in New Zealand. Ahhh, memories...

I'll end this passage with a line from the book I recently started; it struck me and maybe it will strike your liking as well: "I felt like I could hear our stories inside us like noise." -from 'Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking' by Aoibheann Sweeney.

Wear a Tree and Create Some Fireworks

After repairing my crashed car, visiting my family in Vermont for a week, eating lots of coconut cake, flipping out in response to a power failure that made me believe my kiln was broken, and attempting to fill some new wholesale orders, here I am! Above is my new obsession - tree necklaces! I've been creating them in all sorts of colors and combinations, I can hardly pick which one to keep for myself!

I moved into my new apartment/studio one month ago, and I still don't feel settled. I'm just 2 bookshelves and a trip to a clothing donation center short of being at home. It's the bookshelves that have me stumped. How tempting it is to give in and buy a new beautiful bookcase in the style and color that suits my liking. And yet, how equally tempting it is to buy the cheapest thing on Craigslist and make do until I'm in a house that's permanent. This dilemma has left me with piles of books and papers on the floor. And it's just a bookcase!

Here's hoping for more beautiful weather, a busy 4th of July at the market, and some fireworks in your life - whatever that may mean to you.

You Only Live Once

It has been an incredibly eventful week, in both magical and horrible ways. I'm mostly settled into my new apartment and have been catching up on making new glass jewels. I acquired my first drum set (yay!...And do you like my new pumpkin-y stripes in the background??) less than 24 hours before getting into my first car accident (ouch!). Both events were quite exciting and draining... Hopefully I can make it to the Saturday Market and back before taking my poor little car into the shop on Monday morning.

Some Clouds Aren't Grey

This weekend was amazing for so many reasons. I lucked out with my first corner spot at the market, met some really sweet and awesome people, went out for drinks with some hilarious friends, and sold a lot of my favorite pieces of glass. Plus I was set up across from the Lavender Lady at the market and that gal is over-the-top entertaining. Sometimes the silver lining bleeds into the center of every cloud in sight.

I just got back from a little trip to Kaleidoscope Paint on Salmon Street. They have a section of interior paints for $10 per gallon! I picked up 3 new colors to paint my new basement apartment and can't wait to get started on it tomorrow! I've never painted my own place before and am eager to have an apartment whose atmosphere I can contribute to. I'm totally going to wake up at a reasonable hour tomorrow and start painting. Until then, I'll be restocking my wares, keeping the kiln on at all times, and finding the motivation to hit up the gym.

Happy Week!

A sink! A shrink! A pink! A LINK!

Check it out, kiddos:

http://www.pinkofperfection.com/2009/04/ashley-young-of-sunup-jewelry/

Massive Pieces of Portland

New pieces fresh out of the kiln:

A span of 20 minutes

One of my favorite things to do is to take my little self out on a walk near my apartment and admire all of the adorable houses. If today's weather wasn't perfect then I've never seen a perfect day. Everyone's lot is so cute and most of the houses are just incredible; I love to imagine myself living in each one.
I passed one house that had a little sign posted on the lawn stating how their place was protected by such-and-such security system and whatnot. In front of the sign they'd placed a vicious looking plastic dinosaur, which, obviously is the appropriate thing to do.
Next, I passed a school playground where one kid was wearing a bright yellow jacket, and skin-tight shiny gold leggings/pants. Damn.
This was followed by a snippit of conversation I overheard between a guy and girl in their early 20's -ish. The girl was telling the guy about someone she was living with and how she knew that if she kicked him out he'd end up in jail. "And, like, I know it's not my fault and all; it's no one's fault..."
Um, actually I bet is was someone's fault.

Man, I love Portland.

Reactive Glass

Portland resumes its gorgeous weather after a little chunk of daily raining - phew! And I'm pretty excited because I went to look at a basement apartment in a friend's house yesterday and I'm already decorating the place in my mind. It's going to be the new Sunup Lounge with plenty of space for creating!

But this is typical me: get an idea in your head and then jump on it prematurely. I only just saw the place yesterday and already I've got my heart set on it. Feeling desperate for more living/working space can make you become pretty .. impulsive.

This past weekend was the first trial of our new location on the waterfront park for the Saturday market. I ended up in the 'Dead Zone' for Saturday, which kind of ruined my weekend... and no, I did not do a good job of keeping my chin up and brushing off one bad day; I gave in to it and panicked. However, I just looked at the calendar and was reminded that May has 5 weekends, so maybe my end-of-the-month finances will turn out okay after all. Not having a guaranteed paycheck can be so stressful sometimes.



I FINALLY made some earrings yesterday that people have been requesting for months. I have some pendants and rings in this particular color combination and they always do pretty well, so I managed to persuade myself to create some earrings in this same style. I have to say that they came out really well and I'm excited to see the reaction they get at the market.

The Mini Botanical Collection

I have to admit that I'm completely obsessed with the Mini Botanical Collection. And not just like, Gee I really like these, but more like.. I talk about them all day long to anyone who will listen, can't get them out of my mind, and wish I could come up with another product half as adorable. I daydream about cute little flyers I could create and then plaster over Portland which would be completely dedicated to exposing these little plant earrings. I want them to sprout little root legs and follow me around in a clan, making tiny squeaks every time I stop walking.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I made some new garden pendants this week like the one above. I have found myself focusing on botanical themes lately, and they have quickly become my favorite pieces. In the past I had always strayed from having clear glass as a background on the pendants. I'm not sure why... But I think it's just minimal enough on the piece above to serve its purpose and look adorable -- I really like how it turned out. I haven't been making this style of pendants very long, and since I'm still struggling with them, only about half of each batch end up being good enough to sell! Oy! No worries, I will get better at it soon enough, just need a little practice. Fortunately one of the cuter ones came out imperfectly so I can justify keeping it for myself! Happy gardening!

Mass-produced the slow way

I recently had a friend look at my little heart earrings and ask whether I cut each heart out of silver leaf by hand. He suggested I get a heart-shaped hole-puncher so that it'd go quicker.

Um.... how should I answer this.... EW! NO!

What an awful idea. Not only do I steer clear of the particular shape that those little "perfect heart" holepunchers make, but it wouldn't really scream 'handmade' to do it that way. I love each of my little hearts and there's simply no way that I would ever want to resort to a mini cookie cutter. And no, maybe my earrings sets don't have two identical heart clones, but that's part of their charm!

I'd like to shake the soul whose mind suggested a holepuncher while yelling, "You just don't get it, do you?!"

Yes, Fight Club IS my favorite movie, how did you know?
Although, the idea of becoming violent towards someone over some little red heart earrings seems a little... silly (but very, very justified, don't you think?).

NEW Fused Glass Buttons!

I recently tried out a batch of fused glass buttons! They certainly are tricky... it has been hard to drill the holes and have them line up perfectly. Also, I tried to put them in for a firepolish in the kiln but it isn't working out the way I'd like it to. I end up wanting to put the pieces in at a higher temperature so the edges get more rounded, but then I risk having the holes close up. The buttons in the picture above didn't go in for a firepolish, instead I sanded the edges by hand... which is what I may end up doing for all of them if I can't figure out a good firepolish temp.

Then there is the question of price. Technically, two big buttons are comprised of more glass and are more time-consuming to make than a necklace, but how much is someone really going to pay for two buttons?!

This is all very tricky to me. And, as usual, I'll just have to test it out and see how it goes. The good thing is that it opens up a huge area of business; plus a ridiculous amount of people crochet or knit or sew their own clothing, hats and bags. Who wouldn't want some beautiful handmade buttons - right? Doesn't it defeat the purpose to add a crummy factory-produced plastic button to your hand-stitched wares? Sometimes the details are the best part, whether it's in your new short-brimmed hat, or in life.

Out with the old

I'm always surprised at the number of people who show up at the Saturday market when the weather is so dismal. This past weekend wasn't exactly gorgeous.. but there certainly was a nice turn-out for a weekend in March.

When I first started at the market a year ago I didn't have any earrings for sale; now they're my best product and are completely monopolizing most of my display! I love it! What I love even more is when I sell a pair of earrings and they immediately get put on! Take that pair of factory crap out of your ears and stick in something locally handmade. Sometimes the pair that was taken out gets neglected to the point of being forgotten at my booth, as happened on Sunday. That, to me, is a moment of success.

My little heart earrings have been doing extremely well and this week I've got a few new colors. Stop by the market for a visit and check out the new pink and black hearts!

Here's hoping (again) for some sunny weather this weekend. I don't want to have to take out my handwarmers this time....

The New Lineup...

Hearts Times 3!

I'm incredibly jealous of the girl who swoops into my booth at the market and snatches up this sweet little set! I almost wish I could keep all of my favorites for myself. But alas, that isn't the point -- the point is to set them free to the world! Get them out there!

Tree Love

Sometimes I put two glass pieces into the kiln and they end up liking each other so much that they fuse together! They just can't bear to be apart, and when things get a little hot in the kiln, they refuse to stay separated! These little guys above were intended to be a set of black plant earrings; instead they have been made into a pendant due to their attraction to one another. And they're going on a trip to Washington DC where my bestest bud (Jaime) lives. Jaim insists on owning only my 'rejects', though I must say that this piece is one of my more perfect rejects and may very well turn into its own style!

The market went exceptionally well this weekend, not to mention two of my cityscape pieces (in previous blog posting) found new homes first thing on Saturday morning! My work is always cut out for me; we need cities and skies in every color combination imaginable! Pronto!

Pink Cities, Green Skies...

Do you like 'em? Do you love 'em? Do you want some more of 'em? I pretty much adore them, BUT I'm not sure how good of a product they'll be since you can't really wear them with just anything. They're very 'art-sy' pieces, in my opinion, and they certainly take a long time to make. The tricky thing about a new product is that you don't know how well they're going to sell until you make a bunch; but you don't want to make a bunch if they're not going to sell. This is called a 'trap'. And now you're stuck.

i heart Dr. Seuss

New things this week (and there are many!):

1) I had brought a handful of new earrings to the market this weekend and sold enough of them to convince me that I should make more. They're an adorable plant design and I've created them in lots of different colors. The base is a nice french vanilla, there's a sterling silver base to the plant, and then the flowers/tops are a mix of color. I love making them and think they will likely be a dependable product for the long-run. There is a quality to them that makes me think they won't be going out of style anytime soon. Plus I'm obsessed with this botanical collection and am unable to stop making them! They're so Dr. Seuss-esque!

2) For every bad day there is at least one good day; and today was a goodie! My dremel was totally on its best behavior (probably trying to make up for nearly killing me last time). I got through about 30 holes with a single drillbit - much more than usual! And not only that, but all of the holes were sufficiently centered in their respective pieces - no mess-ups! I've also found that it helps to hold down the piece you're drilling more firmly than seems necessary. The drilling seems to go more quickly when it's under pressure.

3) My lovely, thoughtful, generous grandmother ordered some pieces from me as gifts to some nurses/techs who had recently cared for her. She is in love with these four ladies and is always talking about them, which is sweet in its own right. Below is a picture of the girls wearing their new jewels - I love seeing my glasswork on new people! Plus, glass doesn't like to be cooped up in the house - it really needs to be taken on daily walks and exercised regularly. Just because that necklace isn't going to bark or whine when it's hungry or bored doesn't mean it doesn't need attention. Trust me on this.

[I hope you wear your jewels often, ladies! Thanks for sending the pic! Love it!]

4) I looked up a tutorial on how to make a lightbox. I've been having trying times with taking macro photos lately so I gave the lightbox a shot. For only $5 you can build one yourself. I really haven't used it too much yet -- I'll have to play around with it, but at least the background looks good. Previously I'd just laid the pieces on a cloth, so you could see the cloth's texture which looked really bad.

5) I found a really delish banana nectar drink by the brand 'Looza'... which sounds a lot like Arnold Schwarzenegger saying 'loser', in my mind.

Here's hoping for some gorgeous weather for the market this weekend!

Opening Weekend

Yay for the Portland Saturday Market! I'm incredibly delighted to be back for the new season; I love hanging out with all of my vendor buddies and creating interesting conversations with random customers and tourists - not to mention showing my new designs! While there were a ton of new vendors, I noticed that a lot of my 'friend booths' were missing... sad. Saturday provided good weather and loads of shoppers for the opening day. Sunday turned to drizzle and rain, unfortunately, and not as many people were out and about (I don't blame them!). Overall I had a nice - though tiring - weekend and am totally stoked to have weekend plans for the rest of the year.

To celebrate the opening of the market, I went out Saturday night with a friend to an unusual coffeeshop that hadn't yet hit my radar. It's called the Rimsky-Korsakoffeehouse "home of the casually threatening atmosphere", and it's located at SE 12th and Belmont, and it is phenomenal. The place was packed and there was a lady playing the piano at the front. It's an old house with lots of small tables all jammed into one big room. One of the tables has a trick: it very, very slowly raises higher and higher so that you begin eating with the table near your lap and find it eventually at chest height. But it moves so slowly that it's hard to notice any change. Hah! We asked the waiter about this one particular table and he verified its movement duties. "There's another table that shakes; we have a button in the back kitchen that controls it," he tells us. "I'm going to head back there and hit the switch, watch that table," and he motioned to a young couple sitting innocently in the corner. Moments later we hear a loud rumbling - similar to a blender battling with ice cubes - and the couple's eyes met suddenly with a look of panic and disbelief. The table shook abruptly and distinctively, but stopped just as quickly as it had started. The couple appeared very disoriented, frozen, and concerned while my friend and I shook with laughter. It was too good to be true, really. I will certainly be back to that place many times; and not just because their main menu consists of ice cream sundaes and desserts. Oh, and make sure you check out the bathroom too; my heart jumped when I saw the interior!

Dino Jimmy

Several days ago I posted about my long quest for an explanation of how ice cream sprinkles are made. I truly have wondered about this for years and have asked friends, bartenders - anyone with a mind - how sprinkles are made, but never stumbled upon a plausible answer. It is the one thing that has stumped me regardless of the abundance of possible processes.

Well, my friends, I have fantastic news. I shared my sprinkle puzzlement (is that a word?) with my friend, Ben. Fortunately for me, it bothered him just as much as it bothered myself (ah, the comfort of shared misery..). He promptly called the American Sprinkle Company and inquired about their magical machines. Alas they would not even offer a hint, mentioning that it was a 'trade secret', blah blah.

How rude.

That night Ben emailed a local radio station and the next day his question was thrown out to the thoughtful people of Portland, Oregon. Apparently we both had missed a very important episode of 'How It's Made', but two radio listeners called in and revealed the mystery. I must admit that it's still not crystal clear in my mind, but here's my best shot:

First, their sugar recipe is mixed together and when it's deemed ready, it's put through a machine that acts kind of like a play-doh press or a pasta maker. The mixture gets pushed through a contraption with ity-bity holes and then they're chopped off when they're of the right length. Now! Here's the part I was missing all along.. Since this mixture isn't quite hard like cookie dough, and not quite soft enough to fall apart, its middle ground consistency allows the ends to pull in and round off after the piece has been chopped into a cylinder. It's closer to a liquid than I had imagined all these years. So there really is nothing actively rounding the ends - they just naturally behave that way after breaking off. Moments later, they are cooled and subsequently harden. Their food coloring is coated or sprayed on only after they've been formed. (This sounded counterintuitive to me - why wouldn't you just make a batch of red, a batch of yellow, etc. Right? Why not add the food coloring when you're mixing the batter? Meh. Whatevs, obviously they know what they're doing.)

And now I'm free! I can start living my life now that I finally got that nagging sprinkle thing settled! (Thanks Ben! And thanks Portland; I wasn't sure someone would actually take time out of their commute to explain the sprinkle-making process to us.)

But then... how do they make dinosaur sprinkles........ ??

Back to the drawing board.

No wait! maybe instead of pressing the sugar concoction through a round hole they just shape the hole into a little dino, press it through, chop it off and presto! Right?! Does that work? Will I ever be free?

Spinning Colors

I spent the bulk of today putting earrings onto cards for my rotating display that will be in my booth at the market. There's actually much more to it than first meets the eye. First you have to cut up your cardstock into consistent sizes (using your papercutter), then stamp on your logo, attach a plastic piece to the backs so that the card will be able to grab onto your display, poke two holes into the card, put your earrings through, and then slide on the rubber backings so that the jewelry doesn't fall off. It took a good chunk of time, but I ended up with roughly 100 pairs of earrings and a killer display that I am very pleased with. Sure beats my display from last year!

Quit Being so Matchy-Matchy

Now this is a matching set that I can wear.

Typically I try to stay away from jewelry that is too matchy-matchy... but lately I've had a change of heart. And maybe it's for the better. There certainly are more than a handful of people out there who are looking for 'sets' of jewels.

I took this set out of my most recent batch that cooled down this morning. Lately I've been on a ring-making frenzy - which is good because I need to boost up my inventory in anticipation of the Saturday Market beginning.

These particular pieces display a fairly ideal reaction between the silver leaf rectangles and the base glass. You can see an abundance of light brown swirls extending from the perimeter of the silver. I'm slightly obsessed with this reaction because it seems to look both rustic and organic to me. Maybe I'm reaching here, but I really think it's justified. And I'm open to challengers...

One of the best designs in which to utilize this reaction is in pieces that are intended to look like plants/flowers. Since I tend to use the silver leaf for the base of the plant, the reaction is placed near the bottom of the piece, symbolizing soil.

Love it.

Here's hoping that tomorrow is another gorgeous sunny February day in Portland!

Oh the Possibilities..

Dear Photoshop,

OK, you win. I like you. And now I can't stop making different banner combinations.

Please send me a longer free trial.

Love,

Ash

A Final Meal

If ever you find yourself at the end of the line - at the opposite end of a loaded gun, or nearing the electric chair - and you have one last request.. just ask for a salad comprised exclusively of four-leaf clovers.

Troops

These are my troops. And we're taking over the world.

I Never Get the Swings Anymore

What an eventful day! I'm trying to figure out Photoshop so I gave it my best shot and replaced my ETSY banner (above). As you can see, I can't even figure out how to post it bigger on this blog.

I broke my dremel today. Not only did it threaten my life, create a terrible burning smell, keep me from drilling until I find a replacement, and stress me out, but it's BROKEN! I realize that a negative, destructive event took place here today, but how is it really broken? I mean, I was drilling some new glass pieces and the hood cord on my sweatshirt became wrapped (very quickly) around the dremel. I was pretty panicked because my range of motion seemed restricted (I could only get so far away from the dremel since it was becoming .. attached to me). Fortunately, I was only being pulled into a mere dremel -- imagine if it was a huge piece of machinery! Or rather.. don't imagine that, instead think of pink ponies stopping for a bit of grass on their way to the rainbow party.

Later I diverted my attention to my camera in place of the dremel so that I could post something on etsy, but the battery in my camera died after only 2 pics! Why does it never warn me? And why does it seem to die every 2 or 3 days? It's not like I'm documenting the appearance of the sky at 6 minute intervals throughout the course of a week; I just need 5 good shots of a necklace. I'm really not asking for much.

The other day I went for a walk and I started craving the swings - I just wanted to sit down while remaining outside. So I headed over to the kid-and-parent- filled park and spotted my two empty swings. Score. So I strayed from the sidewalk and started cutting across the park, directly towards the swings. When I was about 30 feet away two little 4-ish-yr-old girls darted over to them. Ugh. Figures. I bypassed the swings and met back up with the sidewalk. Now I'm the sketchy girl who's walking in a very peculiar manner. AND I didn't get to swing.

Fortunately, tomorrow's a whole new day. And it always is.

Ode to the Papercutter

Life is easy when you have a papercutter. I acquired one yesterday off of Craigslist, and even though it isn't perfect (or small), it is saving me loads of time! In fact, how have I gone so long without one? I'm spending part of today prepping for the Portland Saturday Market which opens in a mere 2 weeks (yay!), and I feel like a mini factory. And it feels great.

Yesterday I received yet another email regarding a special order for jewelry. Really? You found my website? Really? I haven't even finished building it yet! And of all the websites and junk on the internet, how could you possibly have stumbled upon my little gig? I want to reach through the computer and snag this person by the shoulder as she's heading out the door for work, "Wait, HOW did you come across my website?" I must know.

On this particular Valentines Day, Portland is having quite a range of weather. This morning it rained, then it snowed briefly in gigantic flakes, and now it is blue skies and happy days. Tonight I'm skipping the romantic dinner and going straight for the St. Patricks Day Preparation Celebration. Now where is all of my green jewelry......

Think It. Make It. Wear It.

The Cream is at the Bottom

How do they really make sprinkles for ice cream? I've been wondering this for years. Truly. They can't possibly make each one in a mold - especially since they are perfectly round and lack a flat area that would result from the top of a mold. And they can't really have been cut from a long skinny tube of sugar concoction because then the ends would be flat - and they're not; they're rounded. And they couldn't have been cut up into logs and then heated (to round the ends) because if the ends pulled in from the heat then they'd end up in a sphere - not an elongated cylinder.


Life is just filled with mysterious and complicated matters. Clearly.

But sprinkles aside, I recently received a special order for jewelry and it has sparked some new designs! I'm actually pretty pumped at the new bracelets and earrings that resulted from this interaction. I had done all of the glasswork last night and this morning I could hardly wait to open up my kiln. Amazingly EVERY THING turned out perfectly! I couldn't be happier with it. The funny thing is that even though I'm ecstatic with this new set, I can't be bothered to make a batch for myself! How silly! And by 'silly' I mean 'stupid'. What a stupid thing to do, Ashley. You should be wearing only your best pieces so that you can parade around town; a walking advertisement that looks unavoidably delicious and appealing; stop wearing the broken pieces!

Yet I'm unable to throw the 'mess-ups' away. I just can't do it. I'd much rather put them to use, hanging proudly - though tilted, or cracked, or just obviously imperfect - from my body.

It's hard to look your best when you're surrounded by wounded jewelry - I just want to save them all. Like the way you want to salvage that blob of cookie dough that drops onto your dirty floor; you're pick it up, unable to simply toss it into the trash, and scrape off the top layer since it clearly was not involved in the accident. Why do we turn out backs on the cream of the crop, just to 'rescue' the duds?

I don't have the answer. But if you see me at the bookstore, or the coffeeshop, I likely won't be wearing a symmetrical piece of perfection.

A Face for my Jewels..

You are unable to comprehend how excited I am to finally have some professional photographs done of my jewelry. I completely lucked out and found this amazingly sweet and accommodating photographer by the name of Missy who is located in Vancouver, WA and is building her photography business, Take 5 Photography. She was very efficient, professional, easy to work with, and to top it off she brought along two of her friends to model my product! How fortunate am I? Right? So this morning I found my vibrant photos sitting eagerly in my inbox. And now the work begins; my to-do list unfolds before me. Print flyers, new business cards, rebuild my website, email photos to local stores, apply to shows, create posters for my booth display at the Saturday Market... how overwhelming, yet thrilling!

They make it look like it was a nice warm day, but it was freezing! I'm surprised we didn't see any snow!

Soon my products will be available to purchase online, be on the lookout!

This is not the beginning...

When I first visited Portland 3 years ago I went to the Saturday Market under the Burnside bridge where hundreds of local artists were set up selling their hand-crafted wares. I had always been fond of artsy markets and I knew I'd be moving to Portland soon. Overwhelmed at the expanse of canopies, commotion, and products, I thought to myself, 'I have to have a booth here. What can I make? What can I sell?' I suddenly felt desperate, panicked, and excited. Could I figure out how to make and sell wallets? T-shirts? Should I try to come up with something clever and new that isn't yet being sold here? I dwelled on this dilemma for months but after the long-distance move from Vermont, my life was filled with other obstacles (finding jobs, friends, modes of transportation, etc.).

It wasn't until my first winter on the west coast that I randomly decided to take a glass fusing class. Even now I fail to recall how I stumbled upon this activity. But after four weeks of cutting glass and familiarizing myself with the functions and possibilities of a kiln, I knew I had to go into business.

I was in a relationship at the time with a glass-blower who had a small kiln which he used for annealing. Together we sought out glass distributers and I bought one or two sheets of glass and maybe one jar of frit (small chunks of glass that melt into little dots of color in the kiln). After four or five experimental firings, we finally figured out the necessary rates and temperatures to produce a smooth, symmetrical piece of glass. 'Yes', I thought, 'this will work out, indeed.' And I felt powerful.

Despite my lack of friends, a 3,000 mile gap between myself and my family on the east coast, a part-time job that only provided me with 2 days of work, no vehicle, minimal cash reserves, a room in a cold house with drug-dealing landlords who lived upstairs, and no health insurance, I realized the power and possibility that a kiln would provide me. Suddenly I felt very good about my new life in Oregon.

The boy and I split up shortly thereafter and I immediately bought a small jewelry kiln. I moved to a new apartment, set up the kiln in my kitchen and bought glass in every color that struck my liking. After producing hundreds of glass pendants, I brought my glass over to Presents of Mind on SE Hawthorne, one of my favorite little gift shops. I went home with a check in my hand, high spirits and a life plan.

Since then I've put my jewelry in a few shops around town, taken additional glass classes to learn valuable and less-common techniques, sold as a vendor at the Portland Saturday Market for a full year (I finally got my booth and had a phenomenal experience), started a website and an etsy shop, made matching necklaces for bridesmaids, taught glass fusing at my home studio, and quit my day job to give my undivided attention to what I love to do.

These days I wake up when my body is good and ready, drink tea all day, work on new designs late into the night, and spend the majority of my time being happy.

Here's a new pair of Valentine earrings that I feel particularly proud of... and a new earring design.