Front Page!

Today is a very good day because our honey jar made it onto the front page of Etsy! One of Etsy's treasury curators found enough beauty in our little jar to include it in a group of 12 objects that represent Etsy as a whole for one-half hour out of today. I am so honored and grateful!!!

Photographic Proof!

Exciting News! DIY Life interview published!

Modern Spice Jars

Yayayayayay, I'm a star, an Etsy Star! My interview with Alyssa Ettinger at DIY Life has been published and it is marvelous! I am thrilled and flattered and a bit humbled to be the object of such attention. Please take a look and read about how I started my shop and the work I do.

To all of you out there with a dream, all it takes is one step to walk right into it and begin the journey.

DIY Life - good for your brain and your pocketbook!

Getty Images

There's a new blog in town and it's called DIY Life. Ever since DIYL's Alyssa Ettinger contacted me, I've been having such fun exploring the site and all they have to offer. It's full of useful tutorials and articles on everything from cleaning tips to home repair and small building projects. I've gotten quite sucked into reading about all the different ways in which I can improve my home - whether or not I'll get around to any of them, remains to be seen!

Here are a few that especially interest me and feel realistic to put on my to-do list... Now, are there any projects around the home you've been putting off? Head on over to DIY Life for a gentle pat on the bottom in the right direction!

Spring Deck Maintenance
Spring Window Cleaning
Cedar-Lined Under-Bed Storage Box

Good News Alert!

Wow, wow, wow! I am very excited to announce that I've recently been interviewed by Alyssa Ettinger for a column on DIY Life called Etsy Star! It was very interesting to answer all of her questions, and such a huge honor to be noticed in this way. I promise to update you when the article is published. Thank you for finding me and noticing me Alyssa, and thank you Universe, for all of the unknown blessings that are already on their way!

Visit Alyssa Ettinger at her shop on Etsy, she makes some really precious porcelain wares: alyssa ettinger design

Read previous interviews with Etsy Stars: Jim Jenkins Designs and 1.by.liz

Eating Wild

Aren't you glad that Spring has arrived? I'm always happy when I see the dangley pink and white blooms of the bleeding heart emerging at the end of Winter because then I know that Spring is right around the corner. And when I see the first of the fiddlehead ferns unfolding their fronds my tummy starts to rumble because I know it is the beginning of a new round of foraging for wild food and celebrating in the bounty of these earthly delights!

Photo Credit: Nettletown at Etsy

Recently, I happened upon an article about this new restaurant called Nettletown which builds it's menu with ingredients that include foraged wild food. But that wasn't what I was most excited about - it was their Etsy shop and their Illustrated Wild Foods Recipe Calendar.

Written by Nettletown chef Christina Choi and beautifully illustrated by artist Emily Counts, it is a feast for the eyes and imagination that will inspire you with each new month. I had been searching for the perfect calendar for 2010, and was beginning to give up hope (now almost 3 months into the year!) but I think I've found the one I want, and can't wait for it to arrive in the post! Thank you Christina and Emily for inspiring people to eat wild - I look forward to visiting the new restaurant soon!

A Bit of Absinthe?

With Spring right around the corner, wouldn't it be nice to round out winter with a belly warming absinthe ceremony? Ah, the ceremony of absinthe - the glass, the spoon, the sugar cube, the pouring and the fire! Yes, please!

Photo Credit: Actual Size Creations

But I found this other type of absinthe that is just as delectable in a whole 'nother way... imagine what you could knit for yourself or a loved one with this beautiful hand kettle dyed yarn by Actual Size Creations... and it's on sale too!

Be Mine, Sweet Valentine

Worried about what to get your sweetie for Valentines Day? Not to fret Dear One, love will lead you to just the right object, words, and/or creation that expresses exactly what you feel.

For your convenience, might I suggest 2 of these "love" champagne glasses from TwoBraids Design....

On Inspiration & Story Telling

Oh Great Muse of Inspiration, how I love you so! So unpredictable, wild and wonderful you are!

So, Dear Readers, would you like to hear the story of how TwoBraids Design got started - how the Muse of Inspiration struck one day in the kitchen? Yes? Ok children, gather around! Don't worry, there are pillows and comfy spots for everyone so sit a spell and listen to the story...

Eight little spice jars, all in a row.

One day, in the summer of two-thousand-and-nine a young beautiful princess named Annie (creative license!) was preparing a feast for some of her favorite people. She reached out her arm to retrieve some bright tumeric (to add color and subtle flavor to the rice she was preparing) and the sunny yellow spice spoke to her! "I belong in another bottle," the Tumeric said. Annie was very surprised, because the spices she worked with had never spoken to her in this way before. They had always been eager to offer their services to her, but she had never heard any of them request something of her.

After a few weeks, Annie developed a vision of what she must do to please the spices. They wanted to be seen, enjoyed and treasured, but they also wanted to be useful to culinary artists. For the spices themselves to be seen, the new bottles would need to be clear. To be useful they would need to be labeled, but not overly-labeled or gaudy. "You know who we are Annie, the labels don't have to be loud, make them ephemeral!" Upon hearing this instruction from the spices, Annie remembered an experiment she had done in glass etching that had created a soft and milky effect on the glass. "That would be perfect for the spices! Oh Tumeric, you are going to be so happy in your new jar!" Annie thought to herself happily.

After she was done etching the bottles, Annie introduced the spices to their new homes. She was so excited to finally have been invited to do something for the beings who had done so much for her throughout her entire life. "I hope you will enjoy your new home Tumeric! Thank you spices, for making cooking fun and life taste better!"

So now I offer this gift to you, Dear Readers... to you and the spices who live with you and serve you so dutifully every day. Don't you think a gift from you to them is in order?

Well, hello there...

I'm so happy to see that you've taken the time to stop by and say hello, Dear One. And my, don't you smell good! What's that you ask? Why have I decided to write on the internets? Well, to answer your question, now that my Etsy Shop has been established a few months, I thought this would be a fun and interesting way to share some of the insides of my brains with clients, customers and lookie-loos! Some other things I plan on sharing with you:

• Updates on new products from TwoBraids Design.
  
• A weekly selection of some of my favorite items from other Etsy sellers (to encourage you to buy handmade).
• Tutorials on writing, praying, walking, thinking, listening, driving, gardening, cooking, dressing and living.
• Musings and fancies that pass through my little head and flow out of my ears and into my fingers and onto this screen.
• Who knows what else... this will be a work in progress, thank you for joining me along the journey!
  

This blogging business is a dreadfully modern undertaking, but I am determined to get along in this time and place. For now, let leave you with this:

A glowing Swan!