What "Catching Up" means to me

Blog, I've been neglecting you. I've been too busy doing other stuff, like catching up on Grey's Anatomy. And by "catching up," I mean "watching the entire thing from the beginning." (I'm like, 60 episodes in. Roku was both the best and worst thing to ever happen in my life.)

I've also been doing stuff like going to concerts. You know, stuff that other, normal people would find fun.

Yeah, that's right, Lana Del Rey AND Courtney Love at the Hollywood Bowl. It was either going to be amazing or a train wreck. (It was AMAZING!!)

Courtney Love - YEESSS!!

Hollywood Bowl

What was particularly disturbing were all the kids (cause I'm old now) who had no clue who Courtney Love is. I overheard the following conversation:
#1: Who's Courtney Love?
#2: I dunno...(looks it up on iPhone) Oh, it says she was married to that Kurt Cobain guy? Dude, she's like 60!
*smacks forehead*



I also managed to pull off what was one of the best birthday surprises, in my humble opinion, and I took James to see U2 at the Forum. (Also AMAZING!!)

We can't wait for U2!

"The Miracle of Joey Ramone"

Lighters are not held up any longer, now it's the flashlight attached to our phones

And then I did Patchwork in Long Beach, which was amazing!! And I don't think I really have any pictures to show you. But I met a lovely girl called Nora Graseck who took some beautiful product shots that she's kindly shared with me. If you get a moment, go like her on Facebook!

Lace Necklaces, photo by Nora Graseck

And then last week James and I took a few days off to go to Sequoia National Park. It was a fantastic few days, which I promise to tell you more about next time. For now, I'll leave you with this photo so you can see the scale of those amazing trees. I have to get back to Grey's Anatomy. Wednesdays are my binge days...

Wow, check out those trees!!

Save the Date...it's that time again!!

I'm so thrilled and excited to be participating in Patchwork Show Long Beach again!! 

Be sure to mark your calendars and save the date!

June 7, 2015

11a - 5p

Mother's Beach - Appain Way at E. Sorrento Dr.

Long Beach, Calif.

This will be my third time vending at Patchwork, and my second time at the Long Beach show. These events have grown and grown and grown into a really amazing, unique experience, and I'm so happy to be a part of it! From very humble beginnings in a parking lot in Santa Ana, Patchwork now hosts over 150 local artists, crafters, designers and food artisans. We all have to be juried in to the show, and the organizers do a fantastic job of curating a widely varied event. This is the place for all things handmade, from jewelry (like mine!) to succulent container gardens to handmade soaps to fashions for all ages, and so so SO much more!

So come out and support us local artists and artisans for any of the show dates listed above - if you want to stop by and say hello, come to Long Beach on June 7th! I'll be at the booth for Sweetpea Studios - see you there!

Patchwork Sneak Peek

Do you know what this weekend is?? 

That's right, it's...PATCHWORK SANTA ANA!!! 

(And also Thanksgiving.)

Come and visit! I'm Booth Y and will be in the Artist's District of Santa Ana Sunday, Nov 30 from 11a - 5p!

Our apartment has been a hive of activity the last several weeks. Currently, there are plastic tubs of equipment, plastic bags of candy canes and holiday cards, books, magazines, jewelry supplies, finished jewelry and even a box containing a piece of furniture waiting to be built  ALL OVER THE PLACE. I don't think we've eaten at the kitchen table since early October. But, that's all about to change, my friends!

I've got a little sneak peek of my newest pieces for you...wanna see?

Lace Collar Statement Necklaces in navy and plum - $150

Sweetheart Necklaces, inspired by sweater clips and perfect for holidays & special occasions - $35

Dangle Earrings, pair with Sweetheart Necklaces or wear alone - $28

Men's Cufflinks!! - $25

Holiday Ornaments made from vintage photos, decorative papers and old cigar labels - $18 - $20

Of course, there will also be necklaces, earrings, pins and rings made from vintage photographs and LACE galore!

Stop by my table (Sweetpea Studios, Booth Y) and say hello! Just look for this person:

Sweetpea Studios

Patchwork Show

Downtown Santa Ana, 2nd at Sycamore Street

Sunday, November 30

11a - 5p

FREE to attend!!

Forget the Holidays are Coming, the Holidays are HERE!!

Why, hello there! I've been away on a little break (more about that later...) and now I'm back and -BOOM- the holidays are here. So this is your friendly public service announcement regarding custom order and shipping deadlines from sweetpeastudios.etsy.com.

United States
Please place all CUSTOM orders by  
DEC 8th
Final shipping date is DEC 15th

International
Please message me privately for CUSTOM orders (hello.sweetpea.jenn@gmail.com)
Final shipping date is NOV 15th

(This small child in the picture is not me, just in case you were wondering. I wasn't even a twinkle on the tree when this was taken!)




Don't forget, all you southern California peeps, I'll be showing at Patchwork Show Santa Ana on Sunday, November 30th from 11a - 5p! Mark your calendars now, and stop by and say hello!

Save the Date!

Mark November 30th on your calendars right now because I'll be showing my handmade photo and lace jewelry at #PatchworkShow Santa Ana!! I'm so excited to be a part of this handmade festival again and I can't wait to see YOU there!!

#PatchworkShow Santa Ana, Nov. 30, 2014, 11am - 5pm

So seriously, did you mark it?  

November 30th? 11am - 5pm? 

Good.

Be there or be square. (Smiley Face)

Shop Updates: Boo Yah!

Happy Friday to all! There have been some recent shop updates, and I wanted to share a few of them with you lovely peeps...

Statement necklaces - Oh my!

The Women vintage photo statement necklace

The Women vintage photo statement necklace

 I had this crazy idea to make a necklace just completely loaded with vintage people. So loaded that there wasn't much room for anything else. So I started making these "statement necklaces" and they just make me laugh as I build them - they're so ridiculously fun! The Women features 21 charms of various sizes, ranging from 1/2 and inch to 1 inch in diameter, each depicting a female from the time period of around the 1900's to the 1960's. There are a few charms that feature ivory lace here and there with crystals and faux pearls in between.

The Women vintage photo statement necklace

 These necklaces are actually very comfortable to wear - the charms lie flat around your neck, sort of like a collar. These are especially great if you want strangers to stand very close to you and stare at your neck - a perfect ice-breaker!

The Women (detail)

Military Men vintage photo statement necklace

Military Men (detail)

I don't know why, but I seem to collect a lot of military pictures. I wanted to see them all together in one great big necklace, and I love the way it turned out! Military Men has 21 charms showing soldiers, sailors, air men, airplanes, submarines, even a small child in uniform! There are a couple of decorative paper maps thrown in there, and a limited color palette of black, which sepia, grey and teal ties everything together.

Military Men vintage photo statement necklace

Military Men vintage photo statement necklace

Finally, something for the men!

I've tried cufflinks in the past, but these are completely new designs that I really love. To accompany my line of customizable heirloom jewelry, I've introduced heirloom cufflinks - easy to have customized with your own family member's portrait! These would be ideal gifts for weddings, anniversaries, to celebrate a new job, birthdays, you name it! I never destroy the original image when making my jewelry and accessories - instead, I work on very high resolution digital scans so your treasured family photographs are kept safe and sound. 

Heirloom Photo Accessories to Customize - men's antiqued brass cufflinks

My lace cufflinks would be perfect when outfitting a wedding party - these would make awesome groomsmen gifts! Although the pictured cufflinks are shown featuring a pale green background, I can include any color to tie in with wedding colors perfectly. I can even use lace from the bride's dress. I like that the lace softens the cufflinks. 

 

Pale Green & Ivory Lace Cufflinks

Although both of these cufflink pairs are shown in an antiqued brass finish, either could be done in a silver-plate finish.

The holidays are coming...

I know, I know, December is still a ways off, but the holidays are indeed coming and will be here before we know it. (Ahem, 3 months, ahem.) With that in mind, I've made a few holiday ornaments out of teeny tiny collages - each measures about an inch in diameter and comes hanging from a silver ribbon. Click any of the captions to be taken to the listing.

Joyful Silver Angel vintage photo holiday ornament

Golden Angel vintage photo holiday ornament

Angel Boy vintage photo holiday ornament

I'd love to see a little table-top tree completely decked out in these ornaments with some beautiful vintage glass baubles mixed in. Don't you think that would look fantastic?!

There's still more new jewelry over at Sweetpea Studios....AND I'm now on Big Cartel as Hello Sweetpea!! Hop on over to either shop to take a gander!

Catching the Craft Show Bug

If you think all's been quite on the Western Front recently, you'd be correct. That's because last Sunday I participated in a great local show called Patchwork! It was my first experience vending at a craft show (but so much more than a craft show!) and I had a great time!

In the morning, fueled by adrenaline and coffee

My little table, filled with 100 - yes, 100! - pieces of handmade jewelry

NEW collage necklaces - these were so much fun to make! Coming soon to Sweetpea Studios

Just look at all those umbrellas!

Long Beach, seen through my super dirty car windshield as we were driving away at the end of a looooong day

James and Carly were fantastic helpers! Even though James was sick, he still spent the day in Long Beach with me, helping to set up and take down my booth and being a great moral support. Carly did an awesome job as a cheerleader - together, she and James had a system of bagging items that went so smoothly I barely even saw it happen! Friends came out to support the show, and I was so happy to see some friendly, familiar faces among the crowd. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

With nearly 200 vendors there, I really wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm really pleased I got up the courage to even apply in the first place. Everyone was so friendly, and it was a day to just let go and enjoy the process. I'd definitely apply again - could I have caught the craft show bug?

If you missed the Long Beach Patchwork, there's still one more left! #PatchworkShow Santa Ana will take place Sunday, June 15th at 2nd and Sycamore. I won't be vending there, but I plan on attending! It's a great community of crafters and creative individuals that should definitely be sought out. See you on the 15th!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Let's catch up and talk about Sweetpea Studios ...

There have been some changes in how I'm working, as well as a whole bunch of new ideas that are being brought forth - I'm so excited I can barely think straight! (What I'm really meant to be doing is getting our apartment ready for a visit from a good friend and her newly walking baby. Bear in mind that we are two people who don't have children and really don't have any friends that live in the same country with children and therefore very little experience with this sort of thing. But we love Eleanor, and we love Eden, and we're thrilled she's coming to stay!)

Necklace Packaging

Earring Packaging

Ready to give as a gift!

I've re-done some of my packaging and also the packaging photos. The old photos had to go. Blech. Now comes the task of updating all of my nearly 100 Etsy listings. What a process!

Heart Shaped Flower Vines adjustable ring - acrylic on origami paper

Petite Amour collage necklace

There are new products, too! New necklaces and rings that feature miniature acrylic paintings and paper collages. What I love about doing the paintings is that I don't feel like I have to be a stellar painter - the images always look like what they're supposed to be, which amazes me every time I do one.

Included in the new products is a line of customizable heirloom jewelry - they're only just starting to appear in Sweetpea Studios, so we'll talk more about that later. They're already at Chemers Gallery, with pictures and information to follow. So stay tuned!

And, just like wearing the same hairstyle year after year, sometimes a girl just has to change things up with a re-vamp.

Remember this Etsy banner?

Now it looks like this:

It looks a little more consistent with this blog and the direction I'm going in. I was sad to take down my old banner, though, because the sweet pea drawing was one that James did at my request. (Plus it took me ages on Photoshop to get it the way I wanted...) But...change is good.

Another project I've been working on is a jewelry collaboration with ceramic artist, Lisa Mertins. She creates whimsical pendants made out of porcelain, and I create some of those acrylic paintings I mentioned. Together we make up Lisa & Jenn - you can find our jewelry at Chemers Gallery in Tustin. Here's a small sampling:

Available at Chemers Gallery

Also available at Chemers Gallery

Lisa is a lovely person who is just so creative. She's always coming up with funky ceramic vessels and birdhouses, and oh yeah, she does printmaking and also illustrates children's books - so stinkin' talented!

hello.sweetpea.jenn@gmail.com

And the mailing list! I'm offering a mailing list!! (If you'd like to sign up, please email me at hello.sweetpea.jenn@gmail.com with the subject / message "I'm in!") I'd like to send out a monthly email with shop updates, new products, and a suggestion or two of an art exhibition or museum to visit. Unless it's something super-douper important/exciting, I won't deviate from the once-a-month email In fact, it will probably end up being less than monthly, because, you know, life. So come on, let's keep in touch! 

So, what do you think? Don't be shy - come find me on Etsy, Facebook, or email and share let's be friends!

Jewelry Galore!

I haven't shown you what I've been working on lately, mainly because I've been too busy, well, working on them in the mornings to leave myself enough time to blog about them! I'm still getting up early to work before I go to work, and the ideas are flying...can't wait to get started on my next set of projects! In the meantime, here are a few finished jewelry pieces to share...

Isn't She Sweet photo collage ring

The Chief photo necklace

Elizabeth the English Girl photo earrings

The End of the Wedding Ceremony photo collage adjustable ring

Coney Island photo locket

Plus, on our trip to England, I picked up some photographs in one of the many markets held around the city to use in some new designs.

New / Old Images

Also, James' parents were kind enough to lend me whatever family photos I thought I could find use for. They have a treasure trove of images taken in Italy and they are printed and preserved beautifully. I even found an image of London before WWII, showing the area around St. Paul's Cathedral that was heavily bombed during the war. So amazing!

I've also been working on these little guys...

I don't know what they'll be yet, but I'm having fun experimenting!!

By the way, all of the finished pieces can be found in my Etsy store, so hop on over when you get the chance!