SuKiKu

I participated in April's Local Artist Market at Whole Foods with SuKiKu, a fused glass artisan born and raised in Santa Barbara. I actually met her through EtsySB, and she was the one who helped me sign up as a vendor for my very first event (: Needless to say, I love her designs. We worked out a trade that weekend (she got my Sea Foam Droplet Necklace) and this is what I picked out from her selection!

I was initially attracted to the translucent stone-like pattern of this piece. I also love the shades of gray and the streaks of black. I use it to hold some of my small earrings, like my favorite pair of Pastel Rose Bud Studs. But really, you can use these small dishes for a variety of things - soaps, sauces, jewelry, etc. They're so versatile!

This next dish is a matching pair, and at the moment I have it on my night stand to keep all my bobby pins from being scattered all over the place.

Finally, I've used this last piece while eating homemade sushi! It was the perfect little dish to hold my pink pickled ginger and wasabi. This is probably my favorite out of the three because of its beautiful sea foam green color and streaks/speckles of black on white. I would absolutely love if I had a regular sized plate with this design. But really, I would be so giddy if all my dishes matched and looked like this (:

I thought that all these pieces were beautiful and really fit my style. I'm so happy that I was able to do a trade with her.

Like Sukiku's fused glass work too? Feel free to visit her Etsy shop. You'll find a variety of lovely pieces there.

Makapu'u Tide Pools

I hiked down to the hidden Makapu'u Tide Pools for the first time in 2007. The boyfriend flew out just to see me that summer so naturally, I wanted to do something exciting. I had no clue where I was really going, if there was even a trail, and what to expect once I made it to the bottom. It was quite the little adventure.

As we slowly made our way down the rocky cliff side, the crystal clear blue-green tide pools beckoned us on. We actually made it down the harder, more dangerous way. (We learned on our way back up that previous adventurers had made and marked a trail. How convenient!)

The tide pools are surprisingly large and even more beautiful up close. They're perfect for wading and swimming, and they're filled with sea life! The ocean's waves crash against the rocks as swells come in, and the sea spray fills the air with mist. The pools are constantly being filled with fresh ocean water, bringing in new life and oxygen to the creatures that call this place home.

My newest bracelets are inspired by these beautiful, hidden tide pools.

Sand Dollar & Starfish Makapu'u Tide Pool Bracelets
SHOP: SAND DOLLAR
SHOP: STARFISH

P.C. C. Volkman

These simple, yet detailed charm bracelets are perfect for layering and will be absolutely delightful for summer.

Enjoy!

Jewelry Stands

Ever since I attended April's Whole Food's Local Artist Market, I've been dying get some table decorations for May's upcoming event. I'm usually not one to buy jewelry stands because I like to store my jewelry in little Ziplock baggies (boring and unattractive, I know, but look for my forthcoming post about jewelry care!), but they're perfect for displaying jewelry at events!

I got my hands on some awesome goodies yesterday.

Since most of my jewelry is ocean-inspired, I really want to embellish my table with sea shells. I found a large bag of approximately 25 sea shells at World Market. I love the variety and colors of the shells, but sadly there weren't any starfish! I adore starfish, so I'm still on the hunt for some cute starfish decorations. I'm not quite sure where I should look next.

World Market

Bags of Large Sea Shells

$19.99

SHOP

I knew that Urban Outfitters carried cute jewelry stands, but I didn't expect to find something that would fit my jewelry style. The moment I laid my eyes on this white coral tree, I knew I had to have it. Apparently it's an oak tree, but since it's white it instantly reminded me of coral branches. It fits perfectly with my jewelry designs (I almost bought two!). It can hold a surprising amount of earrings, even if it is a little stout. Most of the trees in the store were already damaged, showing bits of metal from where the white paint chipped out. I snagged the only good one. If it chips I'll just touch it up with some white nail polish. Nonetheless, I'm so pleased.

 Urban Outfitters

Oak Tree Jewelry Stand
$20.00
SHOP


I was browsing through UrbanOutfitters.com and I stumbled across another "tree" jewelry stand. It's a little pricey for my budget, but I absolutely adore it. If I saw this in the store, I may have splurged and bought both stands. This would be great for displaying necklaces! I need to keep an eye on this item - if it goes on sale, I'm going to be all over it.

Urban Outfitters
Little Birch Jewelry Stand
$32.00
SHOP


 I haven't posted any new items on Etsy since the end of March, but I'll have two new bracelets up very soon!

Modeling Jewelry

I've decided that my newest goal in improving my Etsy site is getting pictures of my jewelry being modeled. 

It doesn't matter how I shoot my jewelry; if you can't see what it looks like on, it makes it really difficult to decide if it would look good on you. I really think it makes all the difference, and I can't wait to get creative with these pictures as well.

Here's the first test shots:

 Summer Starfish Necklace

SHOP

Simplicity Necklace

SHOP

Rave in the Cave Necklace

SHOP

The model is me and the photographer is the boyfriend. Not too bad, right?