Valentine's Day... part 1: Preparation

hi all!

over the past couple weeks, i wanted to show you all the ideas that were rushing around my head, and slowly taking over my dinning room table and kitchen counters for Valentine's Day gifts for Patrick... but i didn't want to risk the chance of spoiling a surprise had he stopped by this lil' ditty.

BUT the gifts were given on Saturday night after our triple-date-day,
so now i get to share with you all :)

i wanted to incorporate at least one thing handmade by me. that was the starting point

you've heard of the fortune cookie company that you can request custom-made cookies, right?
well, i decided that i should try to make them all on my own with special hand-written fortunes :)
maybe it's sappy, but it's a day to show your love

so i found a recipe, and did a few trial & error batches
i suggest, if you too want to make fortune cookies that you do at least 4 rounds of cooking cookies & forming them to get it down

here was the final outcome! they look like legitimate edible cookies! yay/yum:



i also found a few guide books for the National Parks (we're taking a summer roadtrip to go camping/explore out West) & a pair of comfy hiking socks...


returning to handmade... it was fun making the wrapping paper. i carved a small heart into a wine bottle cork i'd saved. then i laid out some kraft paper and stamped the heart all about. came out really cute!




hope everyone had a good weekend, and if you're in love, i hope it was celebrated together :)

... intricacies ... metalwork + enamel

good morning/good night depending on where you are at the moment :)

i'm being an insomniac... probably not good since i have a morning meeting and classes from 9am-5pm tomorrow, but that's not something to worry about till then.

i was just too excited not to pop on here and let you all know some happenings in my shop

slowly and surely i'm introducing some of my most favorite creations in the "Art Nouveau" section in my shop. there you can find these intricately focus jewelry pieces which have all been enameled. (some are even reversible!)

they're unlike anything else i've done. the details are unmatched.
an elegant silhouette. nothing too complicated. just a perfect handmade piece for any occasion.

of course i had to make some "test" pieces for myself! i've worm my on more formal occasions & casually... pretty versitle.

as always, i'd love your input too
hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

xo,
Lynsey

the Story of Us

(as seen in Etsy's blog today!)

Tis' the season of love, and as it is such, Etsy has been searching for tales of friendship and romance that are connected to/from Etsy.
Our story is such said tale. I shall graciously share it with you too. And so,
Once upon a time...

Patrick and I attended the same high school. He was cute, artsy, and two classes my senior, which means we didn't talk a great deal back then.

Time passed, I graduated both high school and undergrad. In early spring of 2008, 6 years after high school, I found myself needing an emergency letter of recommendation. I went to the high school office where Patrick's mom works. His mom and I chatted about what I was up to (running VerreEncore and applying to graduate schools) and what Patrick was doing. He sounded like a dream. Of course we lived 150 miles apart, so I figured he would stay that way, a dream. Turns out Patrick's mom gave him my Etsy business card. He bought his at-the-time girlfriend a necklace from my shop. (I promise, not as scandalous as it sounds!) At any rate, that was our first time being in contact in over 8 years.

Patrick noticed my flickr account and added me as a contact. We had more in common than we would have imagined, which we were soon to find out in the months to follow. Conversation was kept to a simple "glad to see you're doing well" kind of dialogue… Until he and his girlfriend ended their relationship.

It was a couple months later that we started sending brief messages on Facebook, a comment or two. Those small comments turned into daily long emails, and I looked forward to every message. Each time we shared a little more about ourselves… Not 20 questions; more like 2,000 questions. With every email, I felt as if he were really too good to be true; funny, smart, interesting, passionate, adventurous. Surely this was a dream...

He finally stated the obvious, that we didn't have each others' phone numbers, but we should. He found an excuse to make a trip to our hometown, and asked me out on a date Mother's Day weekend. I could have cried, I was so nervous and excited.

If I wasn't nervous enough for our date that night, Patrick ordered 3 necklaces for his mom, sister, and grandmother for Mother's Day, and with little notice he headed over to my house. I was busy in my studio working and was not looking my best. He walked in and we saw each other for the first time in years. I was wearing old jeans, a Hoosier sweatshirt, striped clogs, safety goggles and a respirator. I turned red, and to offset my ridiculous attire, I immediately showed him my flawed pile of enameled pieces. But he didn't mind that I made mistakes, and he didn't mind that I looked like a complete mess. He smiled and told me how amazing I was.
Our date night was perfect, and I'll spare you the mushy details, but we talked and laughed the whole night, staying out from 5 in the evening till 3 in the morning, doing everything from going to an art opening and having a lovely dinner, to buying a lotto ticket (since we were feeling lucky).

We've been together now for almost 8 months, and I cherish each day! Although I'm away at graduate school, and the miles between us have increased, our love holds us close together. (He's even going to be starting an Etsy shop soon with his illustrations!)

Long story short: Patrick and I would not have been reunited if it weren't for the amazing opportunity Etsy has given me to run a gratifying handmade business! THANKS ETSY! I am with the man of my dreams, we love each other and each day I'm thankful for the chance of being reconnected after so many years.


♥

quick shop update

hi all! :)

i've got one foot out the door to run off to work...
but i wanted to let you know that starting today i'm introducing some new items in my shop

so with that... here are my new "tinnie tiny essentials" earrings.

i made them with the intention that everyone should have the opportunity to add a subtle splash of color to their day. they're cute ittie bitties, and i know i wear my pair non-stop!






i'll let you know as i add more colors to the collection. i'm always open to custom orders too!
hope you all enjoy

happy Monday!

xoxo,
Lynsey

IATA Chicago weekend

hi friends! :)
just got back from a wonderful trip to Chicago.

of course, best part being the chance to see Patrick. any time together is precious

this weekend i had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Illinois Art Therapy Association (IATA) conference on transcending trauma. the conference was presented at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, IL. much of our time spent together was in the school's beautifully restored ballroom room which captures the glamor of the 1920's with its twenty-six-foot-tall ceilings, opera balconies, marbleized columns, a permanent terrazzo dance floor.














since the art therapy community so small, it is thrilling to meet one another and hear of our similarities and differences. i loved meeting peers in other areas of the state and country, exchanging stories of our programs and experiences as students in such a new field.

it was a lovely weekend of gaining perspective and motivation to work hard this semester.

beyond the highlight of meeting so many new and interesting people, i was lucky to attend an experiential workshop focusing on problem solving and the cognitive side of using art as therapy. we were presented many different cases of therapeutic cases for victims of trauma (from early childhood abuse to sudden onset of schizophrenia). at the end, and after having discussed the ways in which one can externalize and process these events through art, we were given the opportunity to create a response piece to the session.
this was my response:
it explores and grids out thoughts from the 2.5 hours of the session that i wanted to suspend and process. the quick ease of encapsulating emotions, reactions, metaphors, and ideas surprised me. had i simply took notes with ink and paper about the session, i would not have captured all the dimensions of the entire experience. i would have been limited to fast-paced sentence formation... which usually doesn't lend itself to any processing of moment reactions and feelings.
thanks art!

after the conference Patrick met up with some of my classmates and headed to a nearby English pub, the Elephant & Castle (i think). we snagged a table for 8, and enjoyed good company, food, and drink. around the table were bangers n' mash, fish n' chip, burgers and pints of Newcastle. after dinner we headed to a different pub further North in Andersonville & spent hours enjoying a few rounds of drinks with some wonderful friends.


hope everyone had a great weekend!
xoxo,
Lynsey