What a Long Strange Trip it's Been...

So today I informed my parents that I'm concocting a marathon, multi-month backpacking adventure, kicking off in Jan, 2011. As expected, their response was pretty unenthusiastic.

Suddenly, I felt like i was 21 again, sitting at my parents kitchen table and informing them that I planned on living in a VW Bus and driving around the country. They were equal parts horrified and angry.

In retrospect, the VW Bus plan was pretty ridiculous. And, not surprisingly, it never came to fruition.

But this time, I am locked on to my plan of a backpacking adventure. It's something that I've wanted to do ever since I studied abroad at the age of 20, and my then-boyfriend and I would meet people in hostels who'd been traveling for months -- or even years.

My father made the point to me that I already do a pretty significant amount of traveling. It's true: my once or twice annual jaunts to far off places have allowed me to rack up quite a few stamps on my passport. And my job allows me to travel quite a bit in the country too.

But a week or a couple of weeks in a foreign country is a vacation. It's not "traveling." Certainly, there are obstacles, challenges. There is a new culture to confront, new customs to learn. There's a lot of picture taking and restaurant hopping. But the whole experience is very temporary. I'm just a transient visitor, in this weird limbo where I'm far from home, but still not completely immersed in another culture.

I enjoy my trips, and I always return with a new perspective. But I want more. I want to linger in a city for weeks. I want to get to know local people. I want to become a regular at a bar, establish a routine, have a home base. I want time to read, and write and reflect, rather than just tearing from one city to the next, frantically recording everything I saw and did because otherwise it will just become a fleeting memory.

I struggle to do the things that I used to enjoy. In New York, it's impossible for my brain to focus. Too many distractions, too many people, too much everything. I used to write -- a lot. Every day, in fact. And I used to read voraciously. Piles of books. Now, there's too many other things I have to do. When in reality, the things I have to do just leave me stressed and always, always, always anxious.

I run through the accomplishments of my twenties: moved to New York, got my Bachelors, then my Masters, started a business and watched it grow into a success. Lots of traveling, lots of friends, lots of fantastic memories and good times. I've had lots of luck and lots to be proud of too. But I know that I need to keep moving my life forward. Continuing to push myself and find out what more I can do.

If I had to pick an ideal time to go on an adventure like this, the time would be now. As my lease ends, and my NYC friends scatter, I know that it's time for me to move on too. I have no boyfriend or husband keeping me in one place. My jewelry business can be put on hold for a few months without completely disintegrating. Basically, if this journey doesn't happen now, it could very well never happen.

I'm not the type of person who believes in "living every moment to the fullest." But I do FULLY BELIEVE in taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. And the opportunity is now presenting itself. So I need to take the leap. Onward!

Please Do Not

Apparently foot-flushing is a real problem in Belize. Who knew?

Oh, Belize

Your loveliness has sucked me in....

More pics coming. Just as soon as I get the sand out from between my toes.

We have a winner!

The Queens Metal January giveaway is officially DONE and DONE. And the winner of the lovely Friendship Necklace is.........................................


AprilandAshley from Tulsa, OK. Congrats! I did a little looking around AprilandAshley's profile after randoming selecting their name, and I saw that they have a great blog where they write about nail polish and make things from concrete. Awesome!

Thanks to everyone who participated and stay tuned for February; I've got more pieces I'll be giving away!

-------

As for me, I'm mere hours from departing for Belize!  Don't know what to expect, but fingers crossed for sunshine, beachiness and lots of face time with some fishys. Maybe I'll even see this:

I'll try to post once I'm out there so keep it here to follow my adventures. If I ever write a travel memoir, I think it will be called "An idiot and a plane ticket."

Queens Metal GIVEAWAY!

January can be such a downer - cold weather, no holidays to look forward to.... I think we could use a little wintertime pick-me-up. So I decided it's time for an AWESOME FABULOUS QUEENS METAL GIVEAWAY!

So I'm giving away one of my all-time bestselling necklaces - the friendship necklace (retail value $30)

To enter the contest, all you have to do is leave a comment to this post telling me your favorite piece in the Queens Metal shop. I'll be drawing the winners name at random on Jan 19th, which means you only have a couple days to enter!

How I Spent My New Years

It was a five and a half hour drive to New Hampshire, where we'd be taking in some New Years festivities. We needed to keep ourselves entertained.

Next Up, I Take a Swim in the Matching Coffee Mug

Hmmm, $80 for the fork, another $80 for the spoon. Who could resist a bargain like that?

Maybe I'll Cook in 2010

Shoestring-kinda sweet potato fries and a new sandwich concoction:
- black beans
- arugula
- fresh, homemade salsa (heavy on the big chunks of tomatos)
- crumbled feta cheese

Mix it up, stuff it in a lightly toasted pita shell, top it with hummus (I dig the SPICY kind). Quick and tasty
* wrap the pita shell in tin foil to keep it from crumbling as you chow down!

A NEW New Years

Every year, I work with a different women’s nonprofit and create for them a custom piece of jewelry to be sold as a fundraiser.

This year, I am creating a piece for Ophelia’s Place, a small nonprofit whose mission includes: “…Empowering individuals, families, and communities to redefine beauty and health through initiatives that increase self-esteem, improve body image and introduce alternatives to dangerous desires for perfection.”

I learned about this organization only because I drive by it every time I’m upstate visiting my parents. But after meeting the Executive Director and seeing the facility, I have to say I am blown away by Ophelia’s Place.

Since meeting with the ED, I’ve been thinking a lot about body image; my perception of my own body and how I observe the bodies of others. It’s the New Year, and for so many of us, a new year comes with resolutions to lose weight. January is often a month spent repenting for the holidays “transgressions” and trying to fix the imperfections we see when we look in the mirror. Of course, the problem is that once you become caught in the cycle of body-hatred, it’s pretty tough to get your mind to stop running that loop.

One of the handouts Ophelia’s Place distributes includes the list below. I’ve decided to make sticking to this list my resolution for the New Year.

Revolutionize Your World

*I choose to listen to my body.

*I choose to redefine beauty, success and health.

*I choose to believe I am more than a number on the scale.

*I choose to accept a compliment.

*I choose to challenge the distorted beliefs I have about my body and my worth.

*I choose to take up space in this world.

*I choose to stop the diet talk.

*I choose to throw out my scale and clothes that don’t f it comfortably.

*I choose to start meaningful conversations and getting to know my neighbors from the inside out.

*I choose to change the subject or walk away when the conversation turns to

berating our bodies.

*I choose to provide a variety of foods, none being labeled “good” or “bad”.

*I choose to not comment on my body, my child’s body or the bodies of others.

*I choose to listen harder to what my children are saying and not saying.

*I choose to celebrate others for the joy they bring to my life rather than how they look.

*I choose to give of my time and be a role model.

*I choose to challenge narrow thinking.

*I choose to spread the word that beautiful, healthy people come in all shapes and sizes.

*I choose to start living my life now!

For me, I think I need to make more of an effort to *accept a compliment* and to *change the subject or walk away when the conversation turns to berating our bodies* and to *choose not to comment on the bodies of others*

As for the custom necklace for Ophelia’s Place, stay tuned!

I Went for a Walk/ On a Winters Day....

Remember summer? Ohhhh those were good times.

On the boardwalk in Santa Cruz this past summer while traveling up the coast doing craft shows.
 

Picking a Name for Your Etsy Store -- The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous

Another deliciously wild year ends, and a new one begins. In the spirit of new beginnings, I'm posting a section of my Etsy Seller's Guide for your reading enjoyment:

When picking a name, there are lots of factors to keep in mind:

Uniqueness - Obviously, you’re going to want to search Etsy
first to see if someone has already registered your business
name. If it’s taken, you can pick a new name or you can tweak
the name you want to use. For example, if MarysJewelry is
taken, maybe JewelryByMary is available.

Typically, I don’t think names like JewelryByMary or
TarasTees are good business names. Do names like these
make you curious about the company or products they are
selling? Probably not. Now, how about these (real!) Etsy names:
PulpSushi. UrbanEden. BlendedSplendid. These names are fun
to say, memorable, and they make you want to know more.
Once you’ve confirmed that your name is available on
Etsy, it’s time to go to Google and see who else is using that
name. Put your chosen name in quotation marks in the search
bar, and see what the results yield. If you find your name is
already being used, it’s best to move on because, 1) You might
run into some problems if the name is trademarked, and 2) You
want your name to be easily found using a search engine, not
buried under 100 similar names. Also, keep in mind that even
though today you may only be interested in selling on Etsy, in
the future you may want to begin blogging or buy a domain
name, so check a site like Network Solutions
(www.networksolutions.com) to see if your business name is
available as a “dot com” or a “dot net”

Findability - Ok, so I made that word up. Regardless. Imagine
this scenario: You’re hanging out at a BBQ, wearing a tee shirt
of your own design. A guy comes up to you and compliments
you on the fabulousness of your shirt, to which you might reply,
“You can buy it on my Etsy page, “KathysKrazyKreationz”. Later
on that night, your inquisitive tee-shirt loving buddy goes home
and searches “CathysCrazyCreations.” He can’t find your shop,
but he does stumble on some other cool designs by another
Etsy artist. So long, sale! Another name failure: “UneekTieDye.”
It sure is “uneek” to spell unique that way…in fact, you’re going
to remain unique, because no one is going to be able to find
your shop! A final scenario: The original name I had for my
business was Pomme & Granite. I thought it was witty. Pomme
& Granite, sounds like pommegranite... The more I told people
about it though, the more I found myself repeating the name,
explaining it and spelling it. It was confusing and it didn’t roll off
the tongue.

When you are deciding on your business name, it’s
essential that the name is findable. That means no wacky or
tough-to-spell words, no names that involve a long string of
numbers, and no names that are similar to a thousand other
businesses. You need to distinguish yourself from the masses
and come up with a name that is both memorable and unique.

Tell a Story - Your name doesn’t have to describe what you’re
selling. In fact, you may be wise to not get too specific when
picking your name. If you plan on selling crocheted potholders,
the name PerfectPotholders may seem, well, perfect, today. But
what if, in six months from now, you decide to branch out and
begin selling crocheted scarves and hats too? Suddenly, your
name is confusing to your customers and no longer accurate.
Rather than getting too specific with your name, pick a name
that conveys a feeling and paints a picture in the mind of the
buyer.

A Final Thought - Keep in mind that you’re going to be saying
your business name over and over again. If you pick a name
that you continually have to explain, repeat, or justify, it’s going
to get pretty tiresome.

Gawker Asks....

Oh, now this I love!

Gawker asks, "Who is the hipster of the decade?"

As a city dweller, I need only pedal my bike over the Pulaski Bridge to find myself deposited into that Hipster Heaven known as Williamsburg, Bklyn. Thus, I am anxious to see who prevails. (I purposely used "prevails" and not "wins" b/c really, are there any winners here?

I have my own thoughts as to who is the hipster of the decade. See if you can spot that diamond in the rough:



While you wait with baited breath for the Gawker results, entertain yourself with some not-yet-celebrity hipsters.

White Christmas

Today I learned the definition of "snood":

Pronunciation: \ˈsnüd\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English *snod, from Old English snōd

Date: before 12th century

1 a Scottish : a fillet or band for a woman's hair b : a net or fabric bag pinned or tied on at the back of a woman's head for holding the hair

Hmm, totally useless information. 

Heres my favorite kind of Snood:

I'm sick of talking about jewelry, thinking about jewelry, and even making jewelry. I'm sick of lugging my suitcases filled with displays up and down the stairs of my apt. At this point, my fingertips are just ten cracked knobs of black-stained skin.

Luckily, the insanity ended at 4:30 today, when i left the last few boxes with their new owners.

Now it's time for relaxing, eating and letting my poor little fingers heal. For a day or two, at least.

Merry Christmas!

I sort of gave myself the afternoon off today. I had to put in the requisite four hours at my office job, and then intended on a quick trip to the metal store before going home to work.

Instead, I walked up to Grand Central to check out the Holiday Fair. It's a nice mix of artisans and of course I love to check out the jewelry. But I was a little bummed this year; the quality just wasn't what it's been in past years. One booth of jewelry and knick knacks looked like cheap imported crap that you could buy in a souvenir shop. Yeek.

By the way, the stats for vendors at this show?? In 2008, booth were going for more than $12K. Average sales per booth?? $93K. Wowza

Good Morning!

Karrie with her morning "coffee" at a craft fair this weekend. Makes the day pass a little quicker :) And helps you make friends with the other crafters!
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Just arrived

1000 new QNZ Metal business cards. Hooray!
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