Fascination With Fascinators!

So, lately I've become obsessed with fascinators. You know, those fabulous feathery or flowery creations popular back in the day, as in the 20s! I love them now, and I'm finding some beautiful fascinators on Etsy!

Like this creation from a brand new Portland seller on Etsy! Be the first sale for this shop! This one's my favorite, a beautiful blend of peacock, pheasant and rooster feathers from Alice and the Owl's shop!
I'm also digging this beautiful feather fascinator from kaang's shop on Etsy. This designer from Knoxville, Tennessee has a ton of beautiful work at really reasonable prices.


And when it comes to feather fascinators, my favorite shop in Etsy is, of course, Sweet Grass Mill, and the beautiful work from my new pal Jade, in New Jersey. She sent me the beautiful Contessa clip I've blogged about before, and I wore it wine tasting yesterday near Salem. I got a couple of compliments on it and will share pictures later. Also, one woman from Australia told me fascinators are all the rage down under! :)

Don't miss Jade's shop and her fabulous work at Sweet Grass Mill! I just picked up this lovely design on Etsy myself!


Speaking of Etsy purchases.... I couldn't pass up this sweet retro suit, either. Score! I'm so happy I've been taking in a bit of cash in jewelry sales lately and can do a little Etsy shopping as a result! I can't wait to get this suit in the mail!!

I bought it from bettieB's shop on Etsy, a seller from Manhattan Beach, one of my favorite spots on the SoCal coast. I'm thinkin' since she's from the beach, she'll have a pretty sweet idea about what a retro bathing suit should really entail! bettieB's got retro suits in a handful of colors, so don't miss them if you're looking for a vintage-inspired one-piece this summer. She's got GREAT feedback, too... something I'm always sure to check before buying!

That's it for now. In the morning we're helping a neighbor move, and then I'll be running errands and busting out jewelry before Thursday. If you're in Portland -- be sure to come see me out in front of Mabel and Zora on Alberta for last Thursday festivities. I'll have a bunch of fabulous, fresh new jewelry with me!

Love,
Katery <3>

Happy Memorial Day!

In a bit, Mike and I will be off a bit south of Portland to go wine tasting at Willamette Valley Vineyards, but first a little hello and some pictures from the coast! We ended up staying an extra night since all the rooms were half off. We had a great time! Beautiful weather -- and not too packed as we were at the tourist spot of Cannon Beach a couple of days before the holiday weekend!

Here's Mike and I at the beach -- our longest walk of our three days there, and beautiful sunny skies overhead!

The beach is hands down dog heaven for Kai. :)

Man and his best friend on beautiful Cannon Beach. :) P.S. Mike did absolutely not want a dog, and for 2 years I had to beg to get a dog. Now that we have Kai, Mike claims the dog is HIS. Whatever!

Check out all the clams living on a giant rock on the beach. Sweet!

Here's where I spent about six hours after that walk on the beach... somehow got hit with a nasty stomach bug or something. So... we sat around and watched the finale of American idol in our ocean-view suite. Ugh.

So this was my entree for the majority of the meals we ate on our little getaway... oh well. :)

But here's the view of a beautiful sunset from our room that first night!

The next day... a little shopping around Cannon Beach. Mike waited here while I ran into a shop to get a cookie for him, and Kai just hopped up on the bench with him. Too cute. :)

Another beach walk that afternoon... and have I mentioned how our dog loves to dig and eat random dead things on the beach, a la crabs, fish, whatever she finds? She had a bit of stomach trouble, too, as a result!

Another shot before we headed home back to P-town! :)

And of course, since we got home I've been crankin' out jewelry, including these lovely new little birdie necklaces. This next week I'm planning to do last Thursday on Alberta... then the following week I'll be out for First Thursday in the Pearl District! :)


Off we go for the day! :)

Happy Memorial Day!!

Love,

Katery

Off to the Coast!!

But first a new listing on Etsy!

See the Amour Tropical Necklace on Etsy HERE

Mike and I, (well, mostly Mike), decided we need to get out of the house and out of Portland for a couple days. I completely agree. So, we're headed to Cannon Beach today... tonight... and tomorrow! Should be lots of fun... good weather ahead. We'll take lots of pictures and be back manana!

Love,

Katery :)

Raspberry Sorbet

Mmmm... fresh as a cup of raspberry sorbet on a hot summer day. Yumm!!

I just listed this necklace on Etsy today!

It's made using sterling silver chain and findings, small jade pieces for the leaves, and a large dyed jade faceted teardrop briolette for the raspberry. Love it!!

In other news, I had a fabulous afternoon enjoying the sunshine with Erica... running errands, lunch outside at Aztec Willie's, (mmmm... super burrito), and a trip to the Portland nursery. FAB! ;)

I'm a big fan of the petunias, as I bought white petunias from the same nursery a couple of years go and they FLOURISHED. Here's the current setup on our back porch now:

There are white petunias, pink petunias, a gardenia plant being rescued, a small little peppermint fiesta something or other, and a pair of fuchsia plants. To the left of the pots is also the lavender I planted last year. It wasn't the best spot for it, as it's in the shade, but as you can see it's worked out okay. Over to the right (out of shot) is a huge rosemary bush, too, that I love using for cooking and baths, too. I read online that rosemary is great in a tub to soothe sore muscles. Go figure!

I also got a super score pair of vintage shoes in the mail today, (yay for eBay). Remember these lovely huarache sandals from the 80s? I think they're coming back. I loved them then, and I will love them now. That's Mike sneaking in on the picture, too. Sneaky sneakerson husband of mine!
Tonight I'm taking Grandma to the symphony for the season-ender of the Oregon Symphony. They're playing with a world famous violinist -- Joshua Bell. Also, last night I turned in a little 500 word piece to the editors of The Siskiyou Newspaper at Southern Oregon University, (my Alma mater). A former editor requested columns from alumni as the class of 2009 gets ready to graduate. Here's what I sent in and what will appear in next week's issue:

It’s certainly nice to think we’re totally in control of what happens to us in our lives, but truth be told, that’s not so much the case. In fact, you never know when life’s going to blindside you and take all the lovely plans you made for your post-college life – and throw them out the window.

As a Journalism grad with my Bachelor of Arts degree from SOU I decided to move to Portland to find a job in television news. What I ended up with was a low-paying internship at KOIN and part-time jobs at both Victoria’s Secret and The Limited. After months of busting my ass in the newsroom and seeing not much payoff and little respect, (although, as it turns out, that is where I met my future husband), I took a calculated risk and decided to give up my goal of being an on-air reporter and try my hand at producing instead. I took a full-time, (still low-paying), job in Palm Springs as a producer at the ABC affiliate and ended up loving the work. I liked it so much that I gave up great hours, (and again horrible money), for a graveyard shift at NBC back in Portland. Who would’ve thought I’d miss Stumptown so much?

After mere months of working a midnight to 8 o’clock in the morning shift, I took another risk and started online graduate school to become a high school teacher. Working graveyard, planning a wedding, and attending graduate school full-time proved to be a lot of work, but totally worth it. I saw a light at the end of my overnight shift tunnel, and I was excited to try something I’d never even really thought about doing before – teaching high school English and Journalism.

Of course, I wasn’t expecting the four-thirty a.m. phone call from my sister saying my Mom died suddenly, two days after she’s visited my husband and I in Portland. I also didn’t see my sixty-something year old Dad being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few months before that. Life threw something completely unexpected at me, and between grieving for my Mom and beginning the search for assisted-living for my Dad in Portland, changing careers, and my husband getting laid off in a tanking economy… let’s just say it was all a bit overwhelming.

I suppose that’s what I mean when I say you never know what life will throw at you. I had everything lined up to change careers. Now I’m working to get back into television again, as I realize most school districts have no money and aren’t hiring. I’m also faced with new thoughts I didn’t even think I’d be having already – babies? Maybe. Not being a teacher after all? Well, that sucks, but we’ve got to make due with what we can do.

So, that’s just it – make lemon-infused vodka martinis when life throws lemons at you, because whatever plans you may have for now, life has a way of giving you the finger and changing those plans for you. But don’t fret too much because as I’m still learning, it’ll probably work out okay in the end anyway.

That's it for tonight!

Love,

Katery :)

1 Weekend BBQ Down... 1 To Go

I know, I know. My life is rough, (NOT). Mike and I had a lovely evening catching up with KGW friends at a birthday BBQ this evening. Now we're home crashing on the couch. It was a long craft fair day... followed by several hours, (and a lot of Sangria), at Scooter's house. Tomorrow we're off to dragon boating practice and a BBQ at Julie's casa. Fun! It's BEAUTIFUL weather in Stumptown this weekend. It must've been 85 today... and is supposed to be nearly 90 tomorrow!


Another exciting development today... the evolution of my new business logo. I recruited my Father-in-law's fabulous girlfriend for help with this one. I had no idea how much work it would be, and she's taking it seriously -- working hard, (even on the weekend), to help me create a fabulous new look. Here's what she's come up with so far. I'd love to hear what you think, too, readers! :)

3 feathers to choose from as the main graphic image for Katery Designs... Tanya and I both like the one in the middle the most! A spin on Damask, (my fave print of the moment)!

More Damask.... a possible start to a business card design... more teal, less brown... a peacock feather on the side instead of the Damask print...

Love,

Katery <3

P.S. Thanks to all my girls who stopped by my booth today -- Meagan, Kelly, Teresa -- you girls ROCK!! :)

Craft Fair!! Craft Fair!! Craft Fair!!

Yay! It's Saturday... 12:31 in the morning... and after a good night's sleep... later today... I'm doing a craft fair in Southeast Portland. I'm skipping out on the Alberta Art Hop this year to have a booth at the Richardson Elementary Spring Festival. If you're in Portland -- come see me! The school is at 2276 SE 41st Avenue -- that's a few blocks North of Division in Southeast Portland. I'll be there from 11am to 5pm.

Richardson is the Japanese magnate school where my cousin's adorable son goes to school. Ethan's in school there now -- and his little brother Ben will be there soon, too. For the record -- look at how cute these two are...

That's Ben, the older brother, as ring bearer at our wedding last year. He's looking at his Dad for moral support in this one. Too cute!

And this is Ethan's little brother, Ben, showing me his underwear that he's about to put on his head last week when I was babysitting him. Below is Ethan with said underwear on head. :)

Cute, right? Anyway, in honor of today's craft fair and Spring Festival celebrating Japanese culture... I busted out paper crane earrings this week!!


I made ten pairs in two days... with each earring taking me about 20 minutes to make. So, yes, I'm slow at these. But, hey, the last time I made paper cranes was in freakin' third grade! So I'm pretty happy with how these turned out, seeing as how each crane started as a square piece of paper about 1 1/2" inches in size!! Of course, I had a little help. I couldn't for the life of me quite remember how to fold a paper crane. Hello YouTube! I watched this handy little kid making a crane for a little tutorial. Thank Goodness for YouTube!! If you'd like to make a paper crane... check it out below!



That's it for tonight... errr... this morning. It's been a long day! Happy hour at Huber's with KGW-ers, (and Grandma came along, too, for the record. I wanted her to meet some of my friends)! Then Mike and I headed over to Preston's for a fun little BBQ. Just got back from that a bit ago... tomorrow it's off to Scooter's birthday party after the fair... then Sunday is dragon-boating and a BBQ at Julie's! For Monday night I got Grandma and I tickets to see some famous violinist she loves in concert at the Schnitz with the Oregon Symphony. Busy busy days ahead!! Love it!

<3

Katery

P.S. Happy baby shower to Steph today. Sorry I missed it. Glad you're loving the blanket. Yayyy!!!

Why Doesn't This Happen To Me in the Grocery Store???

This video makes me very happy... and makes me want to watch the Sound of Music, too! This little dance action happened out of nowhere to unsuspecting travelers at a train station in Belgium. What a great way to start a Wednesday. Plus, another little gesture that's already made my day -- a little love from Jade, the artist behind Sweet Grass Mill. She's sending me my favorite peacock hair clip as a thank you for mentioning her on my blog and featuring the Contessa hair clip in a treasury. Score! Here it is...
And here's a little love for Sweet Grass Mill... More of my favorites featured on my blog!

Like this lovely bridal feather hair clip. Uh, hello? Can I please get married again? Jade used beautiful cream feathers, including an ostrich plume, with handmade silk rosettes and beautiful hand-sewn crystals, gems, and pearls in the center. Lovely!!

Of course, my obsession with peacock feathers never ceases. I love the style of this headband, too. There are so many different peacock feather items in this shop -- it's hard to choose just one!

Finally, a new fave of mine is this beautiful "Mayfair Lady" Headband. I love the black and white... reminds me of something that would go with Damask. Beautiful!!
Be sure to check out Sweet Grass Mill on Etsy. I can't wait to see my new treasure in the mail!

In the meantime, I just listed this new item on Etsy... Tiny Turquoise Sparrow Earrings
They're a favorite I wear myself all the time! I fell in love with these little turquoise briolettes when I found them at Dava Bead.
Today I'm off to the gym for step class with Regina, then spending some quality shopping time with Erica this afternoon. I guess she was pretty inspired by my Forever 21 adventure. :) Tomorrow I'm looking forward to happy hour with Amy, the designer behind nJoy Designs... yay... and on Friday Mike and I will be joining our former KGW co-workers for a little Huber's happy hour. Fun, fun!

Love,
Katery <3

Woot Woot...

I scored a Treasury! Yay! It's been a while.

Check it... inspired by Miss Kelly's game. ;)

SEE MY TREASURY!

<3 Katery

Forever 21... or Katery Designs?

I cruised over to the mall this evening for just about an hour of wandering through shops. I didn't really feel like being at home after Mike and I went to Typhoon for dinner, (yummmm), so browsed through Nordstrom... then realized I so don't want to spend that kind of money on anything right now... so I hit up Forever 21 instead! Why do I not shop there more often? Well, usually because it totally overwhelms me but tonight I managed. In fact, I managed to find a lovely long blue dress for $14.80 and a pair of earrings for $3.80!! Score! What's more -- I love when I can find stuff I buy in a store... online. Check it... Now, I'm not a fan of buying jewelry, but when I do it's only because I couldn't make it myself. I haven't seen similar metal filigree patterned findings anywhere... but if I do, rest assured this will be added to my collection. My pal Erica's been obsessing over a similar yellow pair I have to these -- so guess who also scored a pair of earrings tonight? :) They've got a ton of different styles just like these in Forever 21. In fact, they had a lot of style just like my stuff in there! I went to the accessory section to see what kind of trends their designers are cashing in on. Imagine when I found rose earrings very similar to one's I've been selling lately, peacock feather necklaces, turquoise-looking chunk necklaces, sparrow charm necklaces. Ha! I've been making this stuff for more than a year. I guess I'm just ahead of the trend. It's always good to be one step, or several steps, ahead!

My latest obsession is Damask. I put the pattern up along the sides of my blog a few weeks ago and have since realized I'm really into it. I was in Target the other day and found a ton of Damask print stuff, so apparently it's in, too! Who'd-a-thought? Of course, any pretty trend you can find in Target -- you can find done MUCH better on Etsy. I can't pimp this stuff enough. Here are my favorite finds! :)

First up -- this beautiful Damask table runner at a totally reasonable price -- just $15 and FREE shipping! Amazing! This Etsy seller does a lot of work for weddings, but I just bought this runner to use on my display table at street and craft fairs. I love this and just can't get over what a great deal it is! She has a ton of different Damask patterns on runners and other fabulous table linens, too. Be sure to check out First Comes Love on Etsy on the link below!

First Comes Love on Etsy

Up next -- I adore this clutch! It's even lined in peacock blue-colored silk -- as we've already established -- it's my favorite color! This beautiful clutch is available on Etsy, and this seller has a ton of beautiful work for your pleasure... some of the most beautiful patterns I've found. Don't miss this one!

Shop Fiaz Co. on Etsy HERE

By the way, if you ever do a search for Damask on Etsy -- you may be surprised to see how many fabulous baby finds come up. I was amazed -- like 80% of what I found was for either pregnant/nursing moms or little ones. Is this another sign? I think my clock has started to tick... as I hear more and more friends are pregnant and head to more and more baby showers. Moms and moms-to-be -- I'm telling you ETSY is the perfect place to find adorable things for babies and kids!

For example... Oh my freakin' goodness. I saw these and just about died. Could they be any cuter? This Etsy seller has some of the cutest baby gear I've ever seen in my life. I'm in love -- and may need to pick up a pair for a pal... hint, hint Ade...! :) Do you love??

Shop Gracious May on Etsy HERE!

Another sweet baby item I'm loving is this cozy little jacket. This seller is also great about custom work -- change a fabric, color, size... she even does FREE custom names embroidered on her work. Too cute!! The name of this shop is Chicken Tattoo -- love it!

Shop Chicken Tattoo on Etsy HERE!

Finally, steering clear of baby gear and onto something any of us could use -- are these lovely Damask fabric cards. What a steal! A set of 8 is just $12... plus you can customize which colors you'd like for your envelopes. These are so beautiful... I think I'm gonna have to nab a set myself!

Shop Lockette on Etsy HERE!

Okay -- so that's the lineup for the Damask love. Be sure to check out all these fabulous sellers and support these great Etsy shops!

I'm inspired to bust out some jewelry tonight in anticipation for the next craft fair I'm doing Saturday. Don't miss it at Richmond Elementary School in Southeast Portland! Want more information? Check HERE... and come visit me on Saturday!! :)

Love,

Katery :)

Peacock Perfection

I added two new items to Etsy this afternoon... both peacock feather jewelry pieces! I love using peacock feathers... they're one of my favorite elements to work with. In fact, I'm hoping to change my logo, (with a little help from family), to something incorporating a peacock feather. Hence, new business cards, Etsy banner, street fair signs, earrings cards, etc. will soon likely be on the way! I'm seeing my current business cards pop up more and more, and while I think they're beautiful -- I don't want to use what other people are using, too!

Anyway, here are the newest items listed on Etsy:

See them in my Etsy shop HERE!

Of course, anytime I go off on a design tangent, I love to look at what other people are creating on Etsy using the idea, too. There are MANY peacock inspired finds on Etsy that I love, (even some I've purchased myself already)!

For example, this t-shirt from Ancient Future. I love it, but I'm not sure I'd pimp it too much... shipping took 6 weeks... something that was kind of annoying. At least I got it on sale! :)


I'm loving this Etsy artists' feather hair pieces. Sweet Grass Mill uses peacock feathers in a lot of designs. This one just happens to be my favorite of the moment. I've thought about starting to make barrettes adorned with peacock feathers -- but I then decided I'll just stick to jewelry and instead support other artists who are doing this WELL!

I found this print quite a while ago on Etsy, and it's been lovingly placed in my favorites section ever since. This artist, Cafe Baudelaire, hails from Australia, and has work like nothing else out there! What a unique idea for this print! This artist has beautiful work that's so whimsical and in right now! It looks like something Anthropologie would try to knock off. Love it! If you like birds and Victorian-looking flowery things... check out this shop!SunnyDesigns on Etsy has long been one of my favorite shops. This artist creates BEAUTIFUL leather pieces like necklaces I've had my eyes on for years. I found this awesome belt buckle more recently and love it, too!

Finally, my latest find is this awesome Peacock Feather Light Switch Plate from MODest Designs on Etsy. This little piece of art is just 8 bucks. I'm thinkin' it would look pretty sweet in our kitchen.... Mmmmm.... wonder what Mike would think about that? ;)


Anywho, that's it on the blogging front today. Be sure to check out all these fabulous Etsy sellers! I'm expecting an important little phone call this afternoon. Details on that if something comes to fruition as a result... Fingers crossed, I think.

Happy MONDAY! :)

<3 Katery

Sleepless in... Portland?

After a fabulously fun night at Kelly's for her birthday party, (also where I left my camera -- whoops), I'm now home not sleeping at nearly 1 in the morning. That's mostly due to the 2 hour evening nap I took after I got home from the Love Your Mama craft fair in SE Portland, (practically Gresham, btw). I'm not one to complain about a slow craft fair, but let me just say this one was painfully slow, like more often than not --more people working their booths than actual customers. Still, I did better than broke even, met a really nice and knowledgeable jewelry designer, and got teamed up with a great photographer to share a booth at my favorite fair, the Mississippi Street Fair in July.

The lovely chica whom I met is Amy Burgess, and her work is beautiful! I perhaps shouldn't be promoting other people's jewelry on my blog, (created mostly to promote my stuff), but I love it, and a lot of it is quite different than my work, anyway. She uses a lot more gems and precious stones than I do. Her work is on another level, and it's worth writing about! :) She had some beautiful pieces at the fair today. Pictures don't do her work justice, but here they are... ; )

The necklace above is called "Joann", and it's actually a lot bigger than it looks. Amy oxidized all the sterling used and wrapped up this beautiful green amethyst briollette as the focal point. I couldn't put this one down at her booth! Jealous! :)

I'm also loving these earrings with citrine and turquoise pieces. Amy handmakes her own beautiful foraged sterling hoops in a variety of shapes for earrings. That's my next plan -- getting in on the hand foraging of sterling. She told me it's actually pretty easy, so I'm excited to begin that work, maybe later this summer. She also had a lot of helpful advice as far as supply web sites, and I'm looking forward to expanding the work I do as a result! :) Thanks Amy!!

Checkout Amy Burgess Jewelry HERE

Another great artist whom I met today is the photographer behind House of Six Cats. Bill is a talented photographer whose work I love, but he's also got a great marketing strategy for his work. Not only does he sell prints and framed work, but he's really got a lot of other great ideas for showcasing his talent. He's got his photographs on everything -- from night lights, to coasters, to business card holders, jewelry --you name it! It's all beautiful, and I can't wait to share space with him in July! Check out some of my favorites below... each photo is available on a variety of products...

Seaside Memory Print (another beautiful through the viewfinder photo...
I've blogged about how much I love this technique before!)

Acid Olde Tyme Rose Art Night Light

Acid Rose Ceramic Coaster Set

Be sure to check out House of Six Cats on Etsy HERE!

Anyway, that's it for tonight. It's after one o'clock on Mother's Day, the first Mom's Day without my Mom, so I'm not too fond of being awake any more than I have to today. I'm happy to report, however, my Grandma was with me all day at the craft fair Saturday... so I'm very glad to have shared some good, quality time with her. My Mom's Mom will certainly do... now that Mom's gone.

Love,

Katery