Metalsgirl.com

For those of you out there who own your own business - what do you do to promote? In these economic times I am trying to be creative. I pride myself in putting out a product that is unique, well made, and affordable. I want people to be able to wear hand-made art without it breaking the bank. I want people to be able to choose hand-made instead of ponying up to the jewelry counter at WalMart. But people have to know you're out there before they can make that choice. So, got any tricks you'd like to share? I'm all ears.

My Valentine

I am married to the love of my life. Not only am I still crazy in love with him but I like him a real lot too. We met when we both worked at a local music store. We were both seeing other people but we hit it off, became friends, and well, the rest is history. I think we are insanely well suited for each other. Several years ago Tom and I were bottle feeding a litter of orphaned puppies. We went to a friends house for dinner and had to haul the puppies along with us because they had to be fed every two hours. Kim was helping me feed them and poop and pee them (bet you didn't know that tiny puppies don't do that on their own!) and Kim said something to me that I have never forgotten. She said "You met your perfect match. Who else would do this kind of thing with you?" And she was so right.

Neither Tom or I are very high maintenance people - at least not when it comes to stuff like fancy expensive gifts or dinners. Before we were even married we spent one Valentine's Day with take out Chinese and rented movies. It was so great, so low key, so us that it's what we do every year. Sweet and Sour Chicken for him, Snow Peas and Water Chestnuts for me. This year we will start the day early at the Austin Marathon volunteering at a water stop for Blue Dog Rescue...but then after a long nap we'll order our food, cue up our movie, cuddle up in front of a fire and spend the night relaxed at home with our dogs - my idea of a perfect Valentine's Day.

What is your Valentine's tradition?

sweets for your sweet

I love to bake. Pies are really my thing, but ever since my first trip to Magnolia Bakery in NYC I have been trying to perfect the cupcake. I recently found this great website called Layer Cake that has THE cutest cupcake liners and toppers. They also have great boxes - hot pink boxes for a single cupcake and the little insert to put inside so your pretty cupcake doesn't tumble around.

I made these cute cupcakes last night so that Tom could take them to work. They were packaged individually in the hot pink boxes. I am sure he loved delivering little pink boxes all over his building! But they were soooo cute!

I hope that everyone is able to enjoy some sweets with your sweet this Valentine's Day!

Love is in the air

There are conflicting stories on how my whole bottle cap craze came to be. Conflicting in my own head. I truly cannot remember if it started with Saint Francis or Tom Selleck. Both stories are good so I don't know if I should even settle on one. Here is what I do know:

I had been making resin jewelry for several years and I always had some left over resin after filling the empty silver vessels. And I threw it away. I hate throwing stuff away. So I had Tom start saving bottle caps so that I could play around with the resin - mixing colors, making patterns, etc. Then one day I added something to the surface of the resin - truthfully, I am fairly certain it was Tom Selleck. I put a little paper cut out of Tom Selleck on the surface of the resin.

There was some trial and error but I worked it out. And now, these bottle caps, with St. Francis, St. Christopher, St. Dymphna, and more... initials, hearts, owls, peace signs, paw prints, and various people have become hugely popular. I do have a handful of celebrities in my bottle cap collection. But I have one rule: I have to love them on some level. I am not going to start putting Michael Jackson in bottle caps (I do love him though) just because I know he will sell. I have to have some kind of connection, affinity, something for me to encase them in resin. So, people like Tom Selleck, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Ann Richards (Governor of Texas for a time), Andy Gibb, Angela Lansbury, Bob Barker, Mr. T, Bob Geldof, and more...

When I made the Angela Lansbury bottle caps Tom said "You realize you are making those just for you. You aren't going to sell them." Well, I do sell them, and a lot of them. I think he said the same thing about Bob Barker, but I sell the heck out of those to - I mean really, wouldn't those be awesome on every neutered dog out there!?!?!?!

These Saint Valentine bottle caps are fantastic - made up holiday my ass! :) Who says Valentines Day was made up by Hallmark? The catholics must have had it figured out years ago! Saint Valentine, the patron saint of love, the perfect gift for your honey. Male or female it makes a great key chain, dog tag, rear view mirror dangle-y thing-a-ma-jig...

So, get your heart on, your Tom Selleck (every girls dream Valentine), your Saint Valentine...or all of the above and have a happy Valentine's Day!

Best of intentions

My big goals for 2010 were to be more organized, more prepared, instead of my usual scrambling to get ready (for whatever) at the last moment. One of the things I did to try to help with this was to plan out all of my holiday deadline dates in advance. You know, last day to place an order for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas, etc. So here we are, the very first holiday and I have failed. I was going to have so much cool work ready to show for heart day. But stuff, life got in the way. So instead I have a few cool things to show. Ah well, now I am shooting for Mother's Day! You just wait and see...

Do cupcakes = stress relief?

Right this minute I think I might give my right foot for just one of these cupcakes. I am not typically a stress eater, I tend to not want to eat when I am stressed or anxious. But for some reason right now - I want a Magnolia cupcake BAD! Last time we were in New York we stayed at a place that was literally right around the corner from the Bleeker St. location. It was perfect. What I wouldn't give to be there right now...

Lazy days...

ahhhh, the last day of vacation. Somehow I don't think the dogs know that it's back to work tomorrow. Not that they have to "work". Don't get me wrong, if I could strap a hammer into their little paws I'd do it in a heart beat. But they have gotten pretty used to mom and dad being home all day doing not much more than just hanging out with them. And as you can see from the photos, they are quite happy with that arrangement. There is not much that I enjoy more than a cozy evening at home with Tom and the dogs resting contently all around us.

But tomorrow means back to reality and the house goes back to reality too. No more twinkling lights, snow globes, and snowmen cookie jars. Tomorrow is put-away-the-Christmas-decorations day. Ick. It's not so much that I dislike the chore of it, it's that I dislike the end of Christmas and having to wait a whole year for it to come around again. This year felt so hectic, much more than past years. So I made the decision already that I am putting out all of my Christmas cheer (decorations and such) the weekend before Thanksgiving. I am.

One last thing, in this last picture, there's Preacher, sleeping peacefully, but can you see Pasqual's little chicken leg sticking out from behind that pillow? He's so funny. It's not enough to lay on the couch, he has to lay on top of the pillows on top of the couch. silly goose.

Valentine's Day, really?

In some circles Valentine's Day gets a bad rap. It's a holiday made up by the greeting card companies, yada yada yada. Well, I still like it. Lots of holidays have lost their original meaning - but for me, most holidays are a reason to spend more time with the people you love. Tom and I have a tradition - we stay home, rent a movie, and get Chinese take out...going on thirteen years.

I know it might be a little early to be talking about *heart* day, but when you make jewelry for a living you have to start thinking about it a little earlier than most folks. So yesterday I was fooling around with a bunch of components from my Build Your Own bracelet and necklace series...I decided to put together a couple of lovey dovey pieces. You can make your very own or buy this very necklace and bracelet!

So, the bottom line is, hopefully you don't need an excuse to say "I love you" to your sweetie, but if you do then take advantage of Valentine's Day!

big blow out sale

This is no joke - I am having a move 'em on out, big-time, after Christmas, time for new stuff sale! I spent the day going through inventory and seeing what I still have after the holidays and I just want to freshen up my inventory. So, what this means is that I am posting 46! new items to my close out page! 46! Necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings - in fact, every ring I had left after Christmas!

Not a thing wrong with this little gem - she just deserves a permanent home! Radishes? Beets? It's up to you? I love 'em both quite honestly.

Okay, so you might think the pearls are cheesy or you may love them - but I can't help but put the bottlecap (that was rescued just before it was doomed for eternity to the trash) with the pearl - classy meets trashy. sorry, I can't help it!

I'm anxious to get back in the studio and start working on some new ideas I've had. This time of the year is so exciting for me - don't get me wrong, the holidays are great, really great, but they are about making a whole lot of orders. Now, this time of year is when I get to be creative and make the ideas floating in my head a reality. Technically I am not back in the studio until the 4th...but the wheels are already turning...

Happy Holidays

I know I am a little late with the holiday wishes. The holidays have been a little hectic around here. Saturday evening my mom and I watched The Family Stone and I just kept thinking how I would love a Christmas like that, just at home with out all of the running around, last minute all day shopping. I VOW to get all of that done early next year. In fact, I am so committed to having a more relaxed holiday next year that I have already set all of my deadlines for Metalsgirl for next year!

With all of that said, we did have a wonderful Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at my best friends parents house, it's tradition. Every year. Then we all head home to open our one Christmas Eve gift - pajamas. Every year. Then Tom and I go home, light a fire and open our get to unload our stockings. Tom and I decided a long time ago that we would only do stockings, everything has to fit in a stocking. It's pretty fun and we have to get creative. This year I got a fabulous Jaime Jo Fisher ring that is unbelievably fantastic!!! Then Christmas morning we get the call from my parents that my little brother is up (even though he is 18 years old now he is still the youngest and gets to announce the beginning of the gift opening frenzy) and it's time to get out of bed and get over there. Then it's more stockings, mad gift opening, mom and I make breakfast tacos while the boys play with their new "toys", then naps, and then the neighbors come over for game night. Every year. These traditions mean the world to me.

How great is this ornament?!?! This was Preachers first Christmas with us back in 1999. Look, his nose still had some puppy pink on it! :) And Seven looks precious and so little, even though she was a couple of years old. I was not supposed to be in this photo but Preacher wasn't that into Santa.

And for everyone who has e-mailed to check in on Preacher I just wanted to let you know that he is doing so well. He had his last round of chemo a couple of weeks ago and we are all enjoying the time off. We have an appointment with the oncologist in a week to get a check up and see where to go from here. But again, for now we are just enjoying the no vet visits, healthy, hungry, happy Preacher. Having him here with us is the very best Christmas gift ever.

marathon baking

Yesterday was baking day. It's tradition. It started years ago with my mom and my best friends mom. The two of them would spend an entire day baking up a storm for the holiday while the three of us kids would play all day. It was heaven. Now that we are all grown up we get to join in. And this year was a doozie! I think we out-did ourselves. Here are some photos of some, not all, of what we made. Starting with home made peppermint marshmallows.

Here's the marshmallows in the pan. They wait for 10 hours before you can cut them, but since we baked for almost 12 hours! that was no problem! Typically I just make plain vanilla marshmallows - but int he spirit of Christmas we did vanilla and peppermint with this red swirl on the top.

Here they are all finished, covered in powdered sugar to keep them from sticking. I had one in my coffee this morning. Soooo yummy. You really can't believe the difference in the home made vs. the store bought. These are so soft and melt to perfection. And don't think I haven't tried roasting them - oh dear. And then there were the...

... Puff pastry cheese straws with pepper jack cheese and...

...More marshmallows paired with chocolate sandwich cookies filled with strawberry cream, mint cream, and espresso cream and...

... Asiago cheese stars and...

...Melt in your mouth thumb print cookies with cream cheese filling and...

... Macaroon stars dipped in bittersweet chocolate and...

...Cheese straws and...

...peppermint taffy. I'm gonna be honest. This was supposed to be divinity. My great grandmother made the best divinity but apparently it's pretty tricky. We even called for divinity advice from the expert (Tom's boss) and he said no humidity - but jeez, it's always humid here. Anyway, it tasted great and we didn't want to waste it, so it made really perfect taffy! Great save I think.

It was a lovely day. Christmas traditions mean so much to me and when you combine them with people that you love you can't go wrong. We laughed so much that my cheeks hurt almost as much as my feet after standing all day! But what we got out of the day was so much more than cookies and candy - we made more memories to last a lifetime.

round 17

Well, Preacher had his 17th round of chemo today. And it was his final chemo - at least for awhile. We still have to decide about maintenance chemo and I suppose there could be further treatments down the road, but for now we are done! Whew. I can't quite believe it's been six + months. We have been through so much and I think we have handled it pretty darn well.

I might sound like a broken record but I can't possibly say it enough - Thank You. Thank you for your comments, your grab bag purchases, your e-mails and phone calls, your advice, your shoulders to cry on, your trips with me to the oncologist - so many of you have done so much and everything, everything from the comment on this blog to the hand holding in the vet's office, it has all helped and made a difficult time so much easier. Thank you.

Don't think for a second that this means I'm gonna stop the Preacher updates! He has quite the fan club now (I think it's going to his head!) and I will keep you all in the loop with info and photos. I wish there was some way for all of you to be able to meet him - I feel sure you would fall in love. Everyone who meets him does. My friends like to whisper, in case the other dogs are listening, "you know, Preacher is my favorite." I know. He has that effect on people.

32 years and counting

I have had the same best friend for 32 years. Tom says that's not normal (I think he means it in a good way). Normal or not, we have been best friends for 32 years. Not on and off, no gaps and re connections, 32 years of having the same person to always count on, talk to, laugh with, cry with, get in trouble with (from sharing the same bathroom stall at age 8 so we could look through each other's purses and getting busted by the school secretary to shop lifting at 17 to over drinking and puking at age, well, recently). I really do not know what I would do with out her.

We met in the first grade. Ms. Wages. My mom and I had just moved to Lubbock, Texas so that she could go to grad school at Texas Tech. We knew no one there and it was just us and our dog. When Kim and I met I had no way of knowing that her family would become mine and vice versa. Her parents really kinda took us in. Her mom typed my moms grad school papers and together they traded off fixing our lunches (I am still scarred by the lettuce, mayo, and peanut butter sandwiches), one took us to school and the other picked us up. As a kid this just seemed normal - as an adult I realize that we were building this amazing history.

When I was 12 my mom moved us here, to Austin. Typically I think that would be that. Maybe we would write for a bit, but we would make new friends and move on. But our parents saw to it that that did not happen. They flew us back and forth frequently. They would share the cost of airfare sometimes, but they made it happen. And we never lost touch, never lost our connection. We still gossiped, ran up large phone bills, wrote lots of letters (well, Kim did, I'm not very good at written correspondence!), and spent birthdays together.
Eventually we all ended up in the same town, even our parents. We talk nearly everyday. Sometimes for hours and Tom asks "what do you still have to talk about??" I don't know. Anything. Everything. We have literally been through it all together - boyfriends, death of a sibling and grandparents, marriage, births of (her) children, life. It might not be every ones normal. But I am so thankful that it is my normal.

Buck up!

I think it's time to flex my muscles and show what I'm made of. I might have gotten a little too big for my britches lately. Over the past few years I have been busy, real busy, with work. And I haven't had to do a whole lot to bring that work in. Well, I do work, but I haven't had to push, push, push to get my work out there. But it seems this whole economy thing might be catching up with me. And I get it. But it means I am gonna have to put myself out there a bit more. This is tough for me because I am not the "hard-sell" sales person and I never will be. But I suppose I could be a bit more aggressive about getting my work seen. So, seeing as how holiday ad space has come and gone I guess that means social networking here I come... I know it might seem self-serving, but I do think now is the time to buy handmade and locally owned and support the little guy. This holiday while we are all scrimping more than usual I think the more personal gift will mean so much more than the big expensive electronics and big box store gifts. Whether that is something from me or from your little locally owned shop up the road...it will make a difference.

Oh, and while I desperately wish that was my arm, it's not. It's my precious sister (not really, but really) Haley. And on her arm are the Vintage Brass Bangle Bracelets that I so loooove to make!

Austin Flea

I am super duper excited about this upcoming show!!!! First of all, I can not believe that the holidays are upon us. It always sneaks up on me. But here they are and I am so excited!! I'm pretty much a cheese-ball when it comes to all things between November 1st and December 26th. And I mean All Things! I would start playing Christmas music now if Tom didn't lay down the law. The day after Thanksgiving is when it gets to start. But he usually plays my very favorite Glen Campbell Christmas song at midnight on Thanksgiving. And I, without fail, let out that excited squeal as if it is the very first time. ahhh, I love it! The baking, the gift wrapping (no gift bags -ick!), the decorations, the tree, the smells, the daily cards from old friends and family, and all of the fun holiday art shows!!! This is the time of year where I really get to interact with loyal customers and fellow artists. Working from home is a wonderful thing, but it is a fairly solitary environment. So these shows are the equivalent of being around coworkers for me. We talk about our year, gossip, talk shop - and we cram it all into the one or two days of the show. It's great fun!!

I am doing two shows this season. I know fellow artists/friends who are doing up to five! More power to them and I hope they do fantastic - but I just can't manage it. So two it is. And I am thrilled about them both.
First, on December 5th, is The Austin Flea. It's at the Ghost Room and it's a one day show with other fabulous artists, live music, yummy food (Stephanie, you better make those Mexican chocolate cookies again!), and holiday goodies to get you in the spirit!
Second, on December 12th and 13th is Cherrywood. Another fun, fun, fun show! Great local artists and more live music! I so hope to see you out and about and enjoying all the festivities! And if not come visit me at http://www.metalsgirl.com/ !!

round 13

Preacher had his 13th round of chemo this past Friday. It was time again for the big daddy chemo drug so he was feeling a little poopy for a few days. Not a great apatite. But tonight he ate all of his dinner. yay! He's so funny - he's so much more interactive than he has been in years. I was working today and he came into my studio looking for some attention, which I readily gave him. Then I went back to work. But he wasn't done so he kept hitting my elbow with his head - this would be funny and cute if I wasn't pouring resin at the time! But I am pretty sure the rule is: if you are going through chemo you can do pretty much anything you want and you don't ever get in trouble!

It's nap time at the Gibson house!

I think I need a 24 hour nap. When I take long naps Tom says "that's not a nap, that's called sleep." Whatever. I need it either way, whatever you call it. It has been a whirlwind of activity around here since we got back from New York. Three trips to the airport, two friends in town, a Blue Dog event, a film screening, brunch at the parents, some friends dropping in for some impromptu Metalsgirl shopping, all in a matter of three days. I'm pooped.

fun with enamel

I don't know if you remember, but a while back I decided to teach myself the whole enameling process. I've loved the look of it for years and since my work often is mistaken for enamel, I thought I should have an inkling of what it's all about. I didn't want to buy a kiln, I wasn't quite that committed, so I read a bit, researched a bit, and sorta learned how to "fire-torch" enamel.

But, since finding out that I was accepted into ACL Festival I hunkered down on my typical jewelry line and put the enameling aside. Well, since ACL didn't go so hot my friends and family have been trying to cheer me up. The other day my friend Casey said, "look at it this way, you're all stocked up for Christmas, now you can play with the enamels again." And I did just that - all day today! Smart Casey!

So here are a few of the necklaces I have made over the past few days. Simple, but bold. Now I just want to make more, more, more!!!

round 12

Yesterday was round 12 of chemo for Preacher. This weeks drug was vincristine, which he has done really well on from the beginning. Thankfully it is the most frequently used drug he has been getting. But this week wasn't quite as easy on him as past weeks. Maybe we've gotten a little too relaxed about this whole cancer thing, I don't know. But he has had a little upset belly and frequent trips outside if you know what I mean. We've been cooking up the hamburger again and he's eating that. So hopefully this was just an itty bitty hiccup and he'll feel better tomorrow. Keep him in your thoughts and I'll pass on some extra hugs and kisses.

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Let's start with the good. Look at that beautiful grass. For years ACL Festival has been plagued with lots of dust. This year the city spent a kajillion dollars on making sure the grass was filled in everywhere, thick, and beautiful. And it was. When we loaded in on Wednesday we all whipped off our shoes and marveled at how amazing it was. We got set up with ease and showed up Friday morning looking forward to the weekend.

My booth partner and I couldn't use our individual names for our sign (Metalsgirl and Bolsa Bonita) so my partner came up with Charmed and Armed which I thought was super cute and fitting. The festival folks had these great signs for each of the vendors. Check out that gorgeous sky. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Our display came together - Liz's bags are so freakin' cute!

We were fairly close to one of the stages which at times was great - Michael Franti was fantastic - but at times there was so much base that I felt motion sickness coming on.

Then came day two. And with it the rain. All day. I couldn't help but take a photo of these cute girls in their home made garbage bag ponchos. The "General Store" booth quickly sold out of ponchos. There was a man actually selling garbage bags right off the roll for 5 bucks each! And he couldn't sell them fast enough. The rain was okay at first but then it started to get a little muddy.

This was me at the end of day two.

And then there was day three. This was the veiw from our booth. No rain which was good. But oh, the mud.

Imagine a foot of chocolate pudding covering an entire park and then 65,000 people arrive to listen to Pearl Jam. I wish I had video. It was like watching a crowd of people trying to learn to skate all at the same time.

Let's just say it was not the best experience. I was trying desperately to channel my inner PollyAnna but by the end of day three it was getting difficult. I just don't think that inches and inches of mud is condusive to shopping.

The ugly came today when we found out that the city folks, in their efforts to give us lush and luxourious grass, used dillo dirt and sewage to help that lovely grass grow. So, basically, we were all tromping around in s*%t.

And last I will leave you with this freakishly creepy photo. A friend of mine took this photo, I didn't get the pleasure of seeing it in person. I can only imagine that there were some drugs involved. But at least some people were able to embrace the festivities.