I just found out that I got into the Cain Park Arts Festival in Cleveland Heights, OH. Yay! This will be my third year at Cain Park, and its one of my very favorite shows. (Cain Park was also the first craft show I ever did.)

Hopefully, I’ll see you in NE Ohio in July!

Don’t worry, I didn’t fall off the face of the earth. I’ve just been in major production mode. Lots of orders to go out next week…

I always love the way Anthropologie layers pattern in their catalogs.

I accidentally melted these measuring spoons in the dishwasher, and my first thought was “I should send them to Corey.”

This should explain why.

I gave a little chain-making demo in one of my classes yesterday. It’s one of my favorite demos to give – I just love all the endless possibilities for making chain.

Just listed in my Etsy shop!

It’s amazing how something as simple as printed labels can make you feel instantly more professional.

This before and after on design*sponge today really made me smile. Finally, someone with a house that was worse than ours when we bought it! (That’s a picture of our kitchen when we first bought it. Our house was a bank foreclosure.)

Sadly, we’re not quite to the point of being a stunning after, but this post makes me really motivated to work on the house more.

I’ve been slowly picking my way through The Small-Mart Revolution for the last month now, but it feels really relevant to my post yesterday. I really like the premise that small, locally owned companies can combat globalization and make a positive contribution to the local economy.

Another long day in the studio, with a lot on my mind. So bear with me…

I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of business I would like to have, and I’m realizing that in order to get to this, I may have to do some slightly more formal things. Like writing a business plan. So, I’m going to attempt to begin to verbalize some of my goals.

When I daydream about the kind of business I’d like to have, it certainly isn’t a one woman show slugging away in my garage. Several years ago, I read an article about a handbag designer who moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains and set up a small workshop – employing local women in the creation of upscale handbags. This wasn’t labor exploitation, rather she was providing gainful employment and teaching a skill to women who may not have found a good job otherwise. This idea has really stuck with me – a business making positive contributions to a local economy by teaching hand skills and providing good employment. This is the kind of business I want.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about the idea of teaching, and I’ve come to the following conclusion – I don’t have to be in a classroom to teach. My experience having interns (hooray for my awesome interns!) has shown me that I can teach and mentor people in a work environment. I also feel like I can learn a lot from the people I surround myself and my business with. I’d like to keep this spirit of teaching and learning as an important component of my business.

One of my biggest design icons is Tord Boontje. I just love how his clear aesthetic pervades every product he designs. When people ask me what I want to be, I say Tord Boontje. While I have no intention of copying him directly, what I really want is a business where I’m creating both jewelry and home goods that have a strong and cohesive aesthetic.

That’s all for tonight, sorry it’s a little disjunctive. Thanks for listening!