Wedding Pictures!

Here are some pictures from the beautiful Hindu wedding I attended over the weekend! Well, not so much pictures of the actual wedding so much as pictures of me and the outfits that I wore...

The ceremony took place in the morning, and I wore a fancy Indian blouse (courtesy of the lovely Juli Raja--see my previous post!) and scarf, both of which were absolutely beautiful. I had headed out to the wedding the night before still feeling a little bit unsure about wearing a top that exposed my belly to a formal event. But after a brief conversation with the sister of the bride (which included the showing of my proposed wedding outfit), I was assured that it would be perfect. I was really glad that I wore it too--at the ceremony, a solid 95% of the wedding guests were not wearing Western clothing. Most women wore saris, and I felt right at home in my outfit.

It was also about 100 degrees outside during the buffet lunch afterwards, so my stomach was happy not to be trapped under clothing. The lunch was really, really amazingly good. It was also amazingly spicy, because I insisted on trying every dish that was served, which means I ended up with a pile of mouth-numbingly spicy rice and an assortment of equally spicy dishes. I ate most of the meal with sweat dripping down my face and back--from the weather as much as from the spice. But--totally worth it! As I was wisely advised towards the end of the meal, next time I will know to put more yogurt rice on my plate to help my taste buds recover....

There was a nice long break between events in the afternoon, which Nick and I happily spent in the hotel pool. Then there was an outfit change, followed by cocktail hour and later, dinner (in which I served myself lots of yogurt just in case, but was not at all overwhelmed by too much spice! Although I was a little overwhelmed by too much deliciousness...).

As you can see, I ended up dressing Western for the evening portion of the program, but enough other women did too that I didn't feel out of place. I had a pretty, delicately embroidered yellow scarf on courtesy of my friend Dana, and I wore it over a simple black dress, along with a large gemstone necklace that I designed for myself a few weeks ago (one of the main and most convenient perks of being a jewelry designer!). The whole weekend was so much fun. Pretty much NOTHING got sold at my store over the weekend while I was away (a disappointing thing for another blog post), but I'm still grateful that I was able to take a few days off from my store to see two wonderful, talented people get married in style! I'm so happy for them and so glad that I got to be part of their celebration. Big congratulations to Trina and Arun!! (and big thanks to Stephanie Brago for taking all these awesome photos!)

Wedding Weekend!

I can't believe it, but today is my last day of work this week! Tonight I head out to New Jersey with Nick for two days of wedding festivities. The wedding will be a traditional Hindu, Indian wedding, which I am really interested to be a part of. I know that it will be much longer than your typical American ceremony--it will probably last all day. Of course, a really traditional Indian wedding apparently lasts for a week. So, um, thankfully this wedding is not that traditional. Although I wouldn't necessarily mind the vacation...

I was told this and more by the wonderful and super talented designer Juli Raja, who I work with at 12 Lions Studio. Juli had her own Indian wedding almost 20 years ago, and she graciously lent me a Choli (a super fancy Indian blouse) today to wear to the wedding this weekend. Of course, a Choli also exposes your stomach, and I have to admit that I'm feeling a little intimidated about wearing it. I'm not at all used to exposing my stomach in public unless I'm on the beach. But I will give it my best shot--and I will most certainly be posting some pictures next week.

Today before we leave, I am trying to make myself a nice bracelet and some earrings to wear with my new blouse. Something to detract from my exposed stomach! The fact that I'm leaving this weekend also means I have hired two salespeople for my store, which is also feeling intimidating. I feel like an overprotective parent who is leaving the baby with a new babysitter for the first time--it feels so scary! But I did leave my store for a weekend once before, and it was totally fine. So hopefully it will be fine this weekend too. It has just been so tediously slow at the store these past few weeks--ever since summer hit, it seems there are less people shopping on Broadway. So we will see! It will be really nice to have a few days away from the store, though, not thinking about jewelry. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!!

Store Hours Update

So it's official! We are back to regular hours at my store at 12 Lions Studio. If you want to come see me at my boutique, you will have to come sometime Thurs-Sun, 11am-8pm. Which means I am not working tomorrow. I cannot tell you how excited that makes me. As much as I could use the extra money from another day in business, I need to rest sometimes too! It's been so hot in NYC all week, I just might head to the beach. And swim a lot!

The photos on this page were taken recently at the store-you can see how much it has developed and changed since we first opened three months ago. Pretty amazing! I like the mannequins that have been added down the center--it makes the store feel less empty, and it gives some good ideas for outfits to wear.... Closing thought of the day: Thank God for air conditioning!! I would be feeling very miserable today at the store without it :)

(Photos above by Fred Levy)

Jewelry For The Heat Wave!

Look at me--writing more than one blog post in a single week! I guess maybe things are starting to get back to normal after all....

So I have totally been on a gemstone kick lately, as you can see in some of the recent jewelry I've been making (like my super chunky and fun Priscilla necklace on the left. See more about it HERE). Which is partly because gemstones are awesome, and also partly out of necessity. My boutique has been open extended hours over the past month, which means I've been at the store almost 50 hours a week. I just haven't had the time or the energy to do too much new work in my home studio, which means my current collection is limited to what I can make at the mini studio I have set up at my store. And thus, more beading and less metal work!

I miss doing all the soldering that I used to have time to do, but I will eventually hire someone to take over for me at the store at least a day a week, so I can start getting back into it. My Open Book necklace (find it HERE) is now by special order only! And I used to always have them in silver, gold, and mixed metals at my store. But it's been two months probably since I've been able to make new ones. I could, of course, do some super late at night when I get home, but that just seems too crazy. I really like finishing my work day at 8 and not going home to do more. So, next month maybe! Or the store might be cutting back to regular Thurs-Sun hours, which could be nice. I will keep you updated! In the meantime, please enjoy all the new beaded work I am making! Beading is nice for summer too, especially with the crazy heat wave we've been having here in NYC. Nothing too "heavy" with lots of metal--light, colorful, funky and fun. That's been my jewelry motto lately! Come visit my boutique if you'd like to see it all for yourself--you can find me at 12 Lions Studio from Thursday to Sunday, 11-8. The address is 684 Broadway, on the corner of Great Jones St. Hope to see you soon!

Back to Work (sort of!)

So. As you may have noticed, I haven't written a single blog post now in a really, really long time. A person I love very much has been struggling with a very serious addiction lately, and I just haven't had the heart to write about or think about much else. Finding out someone you love is addicted to heroin is a sad and painful experience, and it has resulted in me doing some serious reflecting on my life and on the choices I have made. For a few weeks this past month, I was starting to wonder exactly why I had gotten involved in this whole jewelry business in the first place. Working in a field like jewelry--a field that is so tied up in commercialism, in the buying and selling of things, can feel a little hollow sometimes, a little bit incomplete. When I used to work in theater, sometimes I felt the same way. As satisfying and rewarding as it can be to create art (in the case of jewelry, little wearable works of art), it is also important to keep things in perspective. Making art, you know, does not directly save lives. It does not contribute to people's basic needs, like food and shelter. This doesn't mean, of course, that art has no place in the world or isn't worth making. I have spent the past decade of my life as a working artist, and I will probably (hopefully!) spend the next decade doing the same. I do think that art is important. It's important, useful, etc., for a myriad of reasons that I won't go into here. But I also know that it isn't everything. The world is full of so many things, sometimes, that matter more.

I have literally been trying to finish this post now for almost a week. I just can't figure out how to end it or what conclusions to draw. I mean, I guess there is a lot to feel hopeful about. The person I know who has been struggling just celebrated 30 days clean. Which doesn't mean that it's the end of the story, or that everything is perfect now and back to normal, but it is something to celebrate. I have a lot to celebrate in my own life too. Things are far from perfect, but I am happy in many ways. I do love creating jewelry that other people also love and want to wear. I love working for myself and making decisions for my business. It's not the end of the story for me by any means, but I can (and do!) still enjoy all of the wonderful people and things that I have in my life right now.

And hey, maybe I will be starting some kind of charity jewelry line very soon.... Or create a signature necklace, maybe? Something to help provide support to the families and friends of addicts? Help addicts with the cost of going to treatment? Something else, maybe mental health related? Any ideas, anyone?? I am feeling like I want to find a way to put my jewelry skills to use for a good cause.....

My New Favorite Gemstone

One of my favorite parts of being a jewelry designer is working with gemstones. I'm no gemologist, so a lot of the stones I come across are still very much a mystery to me. I am constantly amazed that these things are mined from the earth. Occasionally, I buy a some new beads that are beautiful, but that I really can't identify (which is usually because I somehow lost the label they came with!). Conveniently for me, one of the designers I work with at my 12 Lions boutique happens to be an actual gemologist. So I am always bringing her my mystery stones to identify! My latest mystery beads turned into this necklace here! I could not remember for the life of me what kind of stone these were made of. A man came into my shop last Saturday, loved the necklace, and wanted to know all about these stones. So of course, I ended up completely mispronouncing the name and saying random things, which were not true. Which was embarrassing. So, for the record: The stone is Chrysocolla!

I think this might be my new favorite stone, actually (with prehnite a close second....I will post some pictures of that one sometime soon!). I love Chrysocalla because it can look a lot like turquoise, but with more green, and with a rougher texture. I am also always interested in what the gemstones have been traditionally used for. According to crystal-cure.com, Chrysocolla is a "healing stone...used for strengthening the body's resistance and bringing about calm feelings where there is upset." Which I like. Maybe I will end up not wanting to sell this necklace either!! Either that, or I will just have to make one for myself....

Bleeding Hearts in NYC!

I have been so busy running my new store that I somehow didn't realize that all the flowers have started blooming in our backyard! I couldn't resist posting this picture of our beautiful Bleeding Hearts--if you've never seen them, you are really missing out! These were my favorites when I was growing up in North Carolina. After my parents sold the house I grew up in, I thought I would never get to enjoy these flowers again. And now, magically, they are blooming in my backyard! Thanks, of course, to my amazing dad who drove them up to us in NYC last April. So, there you have it--we are in the middle of our beautiful, early spring here in NYC and I could not be happier!

Also, everything at my new store has been going really well. Not that I haven't been having several minor freak outs every week, but that seems like par for the course when you have your own brand new small business!

To keep up with sales at the store, I have also been making a lot of new jewelry lately. It's a lot of work to always be making new pieces, but it's also incredibly fun, especially because as the designer, I get to make anything I want! I love testing out new pieces and seeing how people react. This pair of earrings is one of my brand new designs, and I love it because it combines two of my all-time favorite elements in jewelry--silver hoops and unique gemstones! I love when pieces manage to be organic and industrial at the same time. Silver hoops are the staple of my daily jewelry, and I think these amethyst pieces are especially beautiful and special, especially when paired with the hoops. See more about them and my other earrings HERE.

And here's a new necklace that I finally added to my website--it's been one of my best-sellers at the store, so I figured maybe people would like to buy it online too! You can find it and the rest of my new necklaces HERE.

Happy Spring everyone!!!!