Entwine Jewelry Studio

Good Things to Come!

2012-01-26T10:32:00.000-08:00

Hey there! Long time, no see! We are well in 2012, and I've got my sights set on some good thing to come for Entwine Jewelry this year.

First up, I have just taught my first workshop of the year at Linn-Benton Community College on January 21st. It was a blast, great turnout, 6 full hours to create a Flat Freeform Necklace and then a pair of Freeform Cluster Earrings or Flat Freeform Chandeliers. Everyone caught on quickly and reinterpreted my technique with their own design aesthetic. There was a fun vibe in the class as people laughed and shared stories about calming their roosters with V8 juice...good clean Oregon fun ;-) One woman I met, Elly Love, had her dream art studio built on their property that was a recreation of an old red barn. Look forward to visiting her soon!

I allowed my first level workshop students to choose which projects they wanted to do in Level 2 happening on February 4th. They chose the Freeform Bracelet, Crocheted Bezel Earrings, and the Basketweave Earrings.

Next up, I just got my Warren, Rhode Island workshop finalized. It is called "Weaving Textile Techniques in Earrings". Super excited, we'll be making four completely different styles of earrings over a luxurious two day workshop in historic Warren in this incredibly cool jewelry studio, The Bead House. Really looking forward to my first trip to Rhode Island. I am really honored to be teaching among some other incredible instructors here in 2012, Micki Lippe...Richard Salley...wow!

Let's see, what else? I am doing a Pre-Valentines Trunk Show at Keller Williams in Corvallis. Excited to share my work with co-workers and friends here. I think I mentioned this a few months ago, but I am working at KW part time as the Marketing Director for the Sue Long Team. Learning a ton of cool things about real estate and get to create flyers, ecards, and edit property photos for our websites. The trunk show is taking place on Tuesday, February 7th, at noon at 1121 NW 9th Street in Corvallis (Keller Williams). Everyone welcome!

Also, I will be sending out the Portugal Poster I just made to jewelry, art, and fashion schools announcing this opportunity. Again, I am teaching in Estoril, Portugal this June 21st-30th, 2012. It is a week long jewelry making experience, complete with a beautiful hotel, wine, food, amazing excursions and guided tours. Please send me a message if you'd like a poster to post at your work, local bead store, school, etc. or feel free to share the image on your websites...much appreciated! Well, better get busy on finishing a few more pieces for that trunk show. Happy 2012!

A Good Nudge

2011-11-18T13:13:00.001-08:00

As much as I love writing in my blog, I don't do it nearly as much as I'd like to. I have lots to share and great photos to post, but somehow seemed to get sidetracked from things I really love and care about. After Fall Festival, I received some really positive feedback from my friends letting me know how much they enjoyed following my journey on "The Road to Fall Festival". That felt great, I really enjoyed learning about who had been cheering me on and watching my progress. AND, it felt really good to reach a personal goal.

For me, having that goal out in front of me and the accountability to post once a day was a great motivator to stay committed. I need that again...a project, a motivation, a journey, a goal...I have several ideas on where I'd like to take things with my business. I am primarily looking at new gallery opportunities, teaching opportunities, and show opportunities. My gigantic exciting jewelry business opportunity in June 2012 is my trip to Portugal and Spain to teach my very first international art retreat at Art Paradise Portugal. Then a tour of Spain to follow with my husband and parents!

Sintra, Portugal, photo credit Art Paradise Portugal

But, I feel like the order and intention of my goals needs to stay honed. What I REALLY want to do before anything else, is to create a distinct Entwine wholesale collection, one which I can easily reproduce in larger quantities or travel to wholesale shows and take gallery orders. This open up new opportunities on a larger scale across the country.

But where to begin?? Well for starters, some research and experimentation would be good. The Arts Business Institute has been a great source of information, as well as Rena Klingenberg's Home Jewelry Business Success Tips Website.

Anyways, I think this is the journey I want to share right now...how I got to from point A to point B, taking my business to the next level. Interested in watching me figure this all out? Let's do it together ;-)

First idea! A line of yoga inspired jewelry...believe it or not, I never head to the gym without a little pair of my handmade earrings on. They need to be just the right size and shape as to not feel like I am wearing any jewelry at all. They can't catch on anything easily or swing around too much when I am on the treadmill. But, even with very little makeup on and my workout attire, I feel beautiful with a pair of special earrings. My yoga teacher Leah Eaton often has on some beautiful minimal jewelry pieces when she is teaching. One necklace in particular looks like a couple of small silver coins on a silver chain. Any necklace I made would have to be super lightweight and short as to not hang down in my face when I was doing Downward Dog or Sun Salutations. As soon as I catch up on my custom orders, this is my next little experiment....one of those ideas I've been wanting to try for a while now. Maybe this will be my wholesale niche!

One of my favorite pairs I wear to the gym.

Silver Falls

2011-10-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Silver Falls was part spontaneous, part planned. I had heard and seen photos of this incredible place, but with the busy summer preparing for Fall Festival, I almost didn't make it up there. For those who don't know, the Silver Falls hike is located in Silver Falls State Park.

So you can either take the scenic route up Hiway 99 to Salem, which we did, or you can head straight up I-5 to Salem then look for Exit 7 East to Hiway 214 for about 16 miles...it really doesn't feel that far.
We actually took a very scenic route looping back at the Kings Valley Hiway around Monmouth. I wanted to show Jon the route I took on my wine and bike ride this summer.

Once, you get there you have the option of taking several different loops depending on how much time and energy you have. I certainly had a lot of energy after having wanted to get up there for so long, but we got there around 3pm, the park closed at 6pm, and we took a million photos, so we ended up taking the shortest route...hey, we got to see two out of ten spectacular waterfalls and now have a reason to return...simply stunning! The clouds cleared up and it was a perfectly gorgeous fall afternoon for our hike at Silver Falls. Here are some of my favorite pics from the day. For the full album link here.

October Weekend in Portland

2011-10-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Did I mention fall was my MOST favorite time of year? I think it is for many people...but, for me it always feels like the beginning of something...back to school, the time of year when I met Jon, vibrant colors, new goals, more studio time, settling in for cooler days ahead, slow cooked meals, holiday time, fire in the fireplace...slowing down.

Last Thursday after work, as Jon and I were enjoying our date night together at 101 in downtown Corvallis, Jon spontaneously suggested a weekend gettaway in Portland. He had just gotten word that a good friend from grad school, Andreas Stefik, was going to be presenting at a conference in Portland. He and his wife now live in Illinois. She is newly pregnant too ;-) So excited for them! I had been planning on heading up to Tigard on Sunday anyways for a bead show, so I was more than open to the idea of making a weekend out of it. Loved the spontaneous last minute-ness of it too.

We had a blast! A weekend away was just what we needed. We checked out new territory on Portland's Mississippi Avenue, exploring really strange shops, visiting the Rebuild Center, a local nursery, and shared a Falafel Salad at a delicious little food cart called "Bear and Wolf". We finished it off with a rich, smooth Stumptown coffee. Later that evening after checking into our hotel, the Courtyard Marriott, we picked up Andy and headed to our favorite Peruvian Portland restaurant, Andina's. (By the way, Andina is rated the #1 gluten-free friendly restaurant in Portland). What a fun evening of live music, great conversation, Pisco Sours, Ceviche, other incredible tapas, and the most mouth watering whipped lemon cake with mint and berries on top.

After our late night Saturday, we enjoyed sleeping in on Sunday, enveloped by comfy down comforters and pillows. At around 11:30am, we headed down to the restaurant at our hotel called "The Original: A Dinerant" for a Wild Mushroom, ham, and chevre omelet with country potatoes.

After checking out of our hotel, I dropped Jon off at Andy's hotel and I headed down to Tigard for one of my very favorite things in the whole world, the Rings and Things bi-annual wholesale bead show! For the next few hours I got to enjoy looking at (and touching) hundreds of strands of pearls and gemstones. I always pick out about 4 times what I will be able to purchase and then narrow down my pile to what I really really want. I came home with some really gorgeous, faceted, teardrop Chrysoprase and some interested ruffly flat metal discs that I am envisioning are going to look really interesting layered within the crochet, they have great movement.

Later in the day, I met back up with the boys who were hanging out in the Park Street Park (the long narrow one that spans several blocks off Burnside) just casually talking as they were reclined back on the park bench.

Jon really enjoyed reconnecting with Andy and having the opportunity to talk to someone with some similar history and similar scientific ideas about the world. I could tell my man was quite happy. They really had made no plans, just strolled around downtown, sat in the coffee shop at Powell's bookstore and visited about past and current events and ideas.

Our next adventure was a magical mystery tour through IKEA. We picked up a new light fixture for our kitchen (nice modern track/spotlights), and some stainless steel shelving for under our cabinets. Of course we had to hit the baby section and buy Andy and Melissa the cutest little stuffed animal rabbit driving a carrot car. Oh my! I've been bit!

The pinnacle of the weekend was the..most..incredible..meal at Deschutes Brewery. Ok, bear with me, I have to describe the burger that the three of us all ordered and will never forget...it was called the "Yellow Belly Burger" it was: seared Coleman Ranch beef, root beer braised pork belly, jalapeno pesto, whipped goat cheese and candied yellow tomatoes on fresh baked mustard ciabatta. I ordered mine with grilled chicken but I am telling you...wow...no words can express the deliciousness ;-)

I loved our spontaneous weekend gettaway! It did us good! Loved seeing an old friend, trying some new stuff, and enjoying one of the coolest cities I know.

Slow down, Simplify, and Savor

2011-10-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I started giving a lot of thought to what's ahead of me, but more importantly how I want to live my life. I wonder if I start to be a bit more mindful of daily activities, conversations, and experiences and actively let go of the daily to-do lists and mindless time wasting habits, could I really change the quality of my life and be happier by doing less?

This isn't an easy one, coincidentally I just added some new goals to my plate. I have a brand new part time job at a real estate office, and have decided to add one more 5K in this year, the "Pumpkin Run" at the end of October. Part of the goal in running is to get healthy before the holidays and winter sets in. I think this is possible though. I feel like if I keep moving toward my goals at a pace that is open to flexibility and spontaneity, then it doesn't really matter when I get there. Well, I guess the date of the race is set...my only constraint.

There are some really beautiful "S" words that seem to capture where I am and what I am meditating on. I was amazed when I really stopped to think about it. The first three will be my daily mantras for a while, "Slow-down, Simplify, and Savor", I intend to reflect on these as often as possible when I am writing. I want to share what I am doing to embrace this and how things are changing. Here are some of my other favorites: sip, simmer, stretch, sleep, shift, spontaneous, shoot (a photo), scenic route, sightsee, salvage, saunter, sculpt, self-actualize, seek, search, see, sew, shine, smile, soar, soothe, soften, smooth, socialize, snuggle, spice, spirituality, spark, sparkle, supple, settle-in...

Today is just the beginning of this observation, but so far I have: 1) made a point to not sit in front the computer while I eat my breakfast (less multitasking) I wanted to savor my breakfast and make a mental note that I was eating, hopefully feeling full longer. 2) I woke up at 7:48 instead of 7:00 the time my alarm was set for (I am not sure why it's not going off), but I let go of my intention to go the gym at 9am, I will go this evening instead. I realized that Monday mornings are a wonderful time to set intentions for the week, get organized, possibly go for a meditative walk, EASE into the week, not PROPEL mindlessly. Can things be different? I think so.

By the way...I made it to Fall Festival ;-) Incredible learning experience, wonderful new connections, and fantastic sales, the outcome is curiosity about exploring other shows in the Northwest. So yes, it was worth it. Happy for that.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 46

2011-09-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

I am in the midst of photographing and tagging. These are one of my favorite pairs of earrings! They remind me of peppers or popsicles. The stone is dyed Tooth Agate.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 45

2011-09-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to share before and after pics of our kitchen remodel...I just realized I never posted these. As soon as we got to a point where our kitchen was "mostly done and functional", we came to a screeching halt on the remodel, so that I could dive into Fall Festival preparations. Here are some of my faves...I will post them all when I can catch my breath after the show.

Before...

Taking out the old floor.

A photograph we found under our fridge.

Testing paint colors.

Kitchen is empty, now it's time to paint!

Yay, no more white!

New cabinets are here!!

Picking out our granite in Portland.

Granite arrives...

Granite is in!!

Gorgeous new undermount sink and faucet.

My parents visit to help us finish up with the slate floor installation.

What a huge job laying tile is! Be warned! Still not done...very close though.

As I said, more pics to come, what an awesome experience from to start to almost finish. Totally worth not having a kitchen for an entire month. Even when my kitchen is a total mess, I am still blissed out in my new space.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 44

2011-09-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

What an incredibly productive weekend....the photo shoot with Lainey, I set up my entire display in my living room, I did the bulk of my inventory coding in the computer for each item, then I put together my new earring cards with earrings, and started making tags for the rest of my pieces. This week it is clear what is left to be done before the show this weekend. My goal is to stay calm and focused.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 43

2011-09-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

When Lainey and I were out on our photoshoot yesterday, Randy Milstein, another amazing local photographer, caught us both on film. He got some great pics of Lainey as well, including this one. It was an exciting morning with some very memorable moments, including photographing on a railroad track with a train coming and having a beautiful blue classic car drive by and us talking the owner into pics next to it.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 42

2011-09-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about my photo shoot with my good friend Lainey Dyer tomorrow morning. She will be photographing me around Corvallis, wearing my jewelry. We've been planning this for a long time and now is the perfect time to do it with a full inventory. Can't wait to share her work, and mine, with you soon.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 41

2011-09-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

I just realized my logo kind of looks like a compass. I really like that, and perhaps some transferable meaning behind what a compass is used for...direction, finding your way, staying on course...very cool. I loved finding this blog template with the old map detail in blogger called "Travel". It also added white borders around my pics, which makes them look more like postcards. As I mentioned before, my vintage globe was a key inspiration piece for my Fall Festival collection.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 40!

2011-09-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have posted almost 40 consecutive days! That's freaking awesome! Way to set a goal and enjoy getting there! I am really jazzed about today's post...an incredibly inspiring photo that I took in London, England of an interesting sculpture. It was taken on the "Fashion Capitols of Europe" trip I went on with my sister and fashion design peers from WSU, in 1994. Then, another photo of two pairs of earrings inspired by this image that I just finished. I am really loving the stacked horizontal lines and watery colors. Enjoy!

Sculpture in London, England

Amazonite and Cherry Quartz Earrings

Road to Fall Festival: Day 39

2011-09-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

Inspiration...

Front...

...and Back.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 38

2011-09-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

A sneak peak into the chaos of my studio. I have been gathering jewelry forms, packaging materials, and supplies for the show. I am reluctant to post a photo of my messy space, but what the heck, I like checking out other peoples' studios as well, mess and all. Coco is standing near my larger workbench that I usually photograph in front of the large window. It is my favorite spot in the whole house. I really do love walking into this room...it actually stays pretty cool. I always notice a particular (good) smell when I walk in, I won't try to describe it. When I sit at my workbench and look out the window, I feel like I am perched up in a treehouse.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 37

2011-09-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

Feeling very proud! How do your like my packaging? My friend Rebecca Robinson at Irene's Boutique recommended a great site for packaging, Store Supply Warehouse. They were super fast! My labels came from Vistaprint. My logo was designed in collaboration with Amy Dasso. Very happy that I won't be handing out recycled Winco bags at Fall Festival ;-)

Road to Fall Festival: Day 36

2011-09-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

One thing that I've continued to work on during this journey to Fall Festival, is to continue seeking opportunities to teach nationally and internationally. Coming across these photos from the Bead House Studio in Bristol, Rhode Island and looking at the variety of interesting classes being taught by professional artists, I knew I needed to inquire about teaching here. After taking some time to check out my website, blog, and see what I had to offer, I was invited to teach at the Bead House next year!

It is my dream create a work space like this locally one day, where people can take classes, use jewelry equipment they wouldn't normally have access to, and have a community with other artists. I think I am moving toward this vision.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 35

2011-09-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am running out of daylight for my late night photo shoots! These are my Lemon Quartz and Chrysophrase woven earrings...I am really loving this new design with the chain. New business cards, earring cards, gift bags and black mannequins arrived today. Nailed down appointments for my professional photo shoot with Lainey Dyer and credit card processing set up with Paul Shih with Total Merchant Services.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 34

2011-09-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

Today I took a break, well sort of. We had a fantastic day of wine tasting and seafood at Newport with some good friends. I did manage to work on weaving some earrings in the car. I guess it keeps me more relaxed to be accomplishing some bit of prep work for the show at this point, than to completely take a day off. Three weeks to go!

Road to Fall Festival: Day 33

2011-09-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

I just came across this photo from a gallery show a couple years ago at the Bank Left Gallery in Palouse, Washington. It was a great reminder that a very simple display can have a lot of impact too. I hope my display looks visually clean like a miniature art gallery at Fall Festival.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 32

2011-09-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

I am really pushing myself as an artist....and some days you wonder if all the hard work is worth it. Today, after many hours of weaving this fine gold wire, I was so pleased with the outcome of these beauties. "Egyptian Goddess Necklace and Earrings".

Road to Fall Festival: Day 31

2011-09-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

This piece is called "Fourteen Coiled Baskets". I am excited to have it displayed in the Fine Arts Showcase this month as a part of Fall Festival. I would to invite you to join me for the reception on September 23rd. http://corvallisfallfestival.org/arts/fine-arts-showcase

Road to Fall Festival: Day 30

2011-09-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

Making Branch Coral charms today. Love this color against the green enamel tray...two of my faves for this collection. These charms are cool alone or layered. These have the look of antlers, which I am really into right now. Thanks for checking out my blog!

Road to Fall Festival: Day 29

2011-08-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

My Tropicana bloomed! If this isn't the most incredibly gorgeous bit of inspiration, I don't know what is...aaah the weather is changing, fall is definitely in the air...I can't help myself, I love fall.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 28

2011-08-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

I love these colorful gemstone donuts! Their bails are fine silver crocheted chains.....And the lovely Cocorosie poses in the background to show scale ;-) These pendants will be reasonably priced at $30 each.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 27

2011-08-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

Playing with coral today...and LOTS more earrings. LOVE the colors of my vintage globe, a little bit of inspiration.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 26

2011-08-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Aaaaah, relief from the heat. Jon just made me an ice cold Margarita. Working on some fun hoop designs in my studio. The next step is to add hammered texture and "entwine" with finer wire and gems.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 25

2011-08-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

Working on making Basketweave earrings this afternoon. This is the first step, to make a frame for the finer weaving wire. I am happy to announce I have managed to borrow a tent and tables for the show. Checking things off my list feels really good. I also had some friends offer to loan me items for my display and offer to help sell at the show. Thanks Barb and Vesna! I have a feeling everything is going to work out just fine.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 24

2011-08-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

A lava rock ring from Santorini, Greece with a crocheted silver bezel.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 23

2011-08-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

“Summer Garden Pendant”

This knit pendant entwines .999 fine silver wire with celadon green Swarovski crystals, Turquoise, green fired agate, brass trade beads, and garnet and bronze Swarobski pearls. It hangs from a sleek sterling silver 16” Snake chain.

$120

Road to Fall Festival: Day 22

2011-08-23T16:32:00.000-07:00

A new version of my business card...

...And my earring cards! Love the simplicity.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 21

2011-08-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Jennifer Lommer's fine art booth is such an inspiration. I spent a good part of the day researching canopies, tables, displays, and designing jewelry cards. Her beautiful canopy came from http://flourish.com/. Jen has been an awesome mentor through this process, along with my aunt Linda, a seasoned jewelry professional, and my friend Cynthia Spencer. Today I truly felt overwhelmed by all the little details of putting this all together, but I am committed and will be there no matter what.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 20

2011-08-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a lovely wedding in Olympia, Washington for my Uncle Stephen and his new wife Pam. While I was there I hand delivered my Aunt Therese's custom Labradorite pendant (posted previously) and sold the beautiful jade green Fluorite and copper earrings (also posted previously) to my dear friend Chris Schroeder. It was so wonderful to reconnect with family and friends and welcome a new member in. On the drive home I was stuck in a traffic jam between Portland and Salem and got some great thinking done! I feel quite focused and have some new design ideas in the works and a couple of exciting new business venture off shoots I that I am working on.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 19

2011-08-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

A close up shot of my new Costa Rica Bracelet. Here's the description of the materials used...

This Freeform Crocheted, .999 Fine Silver bracelet, beautifully entwines diamond shaped and round faceted blue Quartz, round faceted Amazonite, Turquoise, Emerald Green Matte Fired Agate, Coral, Imperial Jade, and round faceted white and red glass beads. It is finished with a sleek, Sterling Silver, 5-strand clasp. The finished length is 6 and 3/4” by 1 and 5/8” wide. $250

Road to Fall Festival: Day 18

2011-08-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Four brand new bracelets were dropped off at Irene's Boutique in Corvallis for the CASA Catwalk Fashion Show. It takes place next Saturday, August 27th. Their names' are...Costa Rica, Amethyst Velvet, Copper and Wine, and Lemon Quartz. I can't help myself.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 17

2011-08-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

There is something so pleasing about patterns. Laying out my next few earring and pendant projects.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 16

2011-08-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Labradorite is such a beautiful iridescent stone. Half way done with this pendant. This is the Herringbone Basketweave with side coils. I learned this technique from my friend Tara Brisbine at Dava Beads in Portland.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 15

2011-08-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

I love this wine charm...it needs a mate for a pair of earrings. The gradient color change of Swarovski crystals is called "hombre".

Road to Fall Festival: Day 14

2011-08-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

It's amazing that I get any work done with these guys. They seem to love the camera, being up on my workbench, rummaging through bags and bowls of beads...oh well, they keep me company. These earrings entwine rough cut Fluorite gems wrapped with copper wire, suspended from hammered copper hoops.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 13

2011-08-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Took a break from jewelry making to accomplish a different goal, a 45 mile bike ride through Oregon wine country starting at Eola Hills Winery. What an amazing day! Discovered some incredibly beautiful new countryside from my bicycle. I rode with my friends Theresa and Alicia from Corvallis. I am on the right with my friend Theresa in this photo.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 12

2011-08-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed hammering these wine charms in my workshop today. Hammering "work hardens" the rings which adds strength, and also gives them a really interesting texture.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 11

2011-08-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

Experimenting with more wine charm designs...

Road to Fall Festival: Day 10

2011-08-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Look what I did today! I can't tell you how long I've wanted to clean and organize my garage studio space for soldering, enameling, polishing, stone setting... It felt very gratifying to accomplish this. The cats love it too.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 9

2011-08-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

Playing around with wine charms. I have partnered with a gentleman named Tei Gordon, who owns the company, "From Oregon with Love". He is selling Oregon wines in Japan and is including a complimentary wine charm made by me in each order. Very cool project.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 8

2011-08-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying experimenting with these quick jewelry shots. Usually I work with an all black background to really set off the jewelry, but I have to say, there is something really interesting about these natural shots. I am instinctively paying attention to the background patterns and colors, gravitating to what seems to keep my aesthetic. Do you like our new living room wall color? Just painted it...it's called "Driftwood".

Road to Fall Festival: Day 7

2011-08-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today is super busy...just laid out the Turquoise and Amazonite for my next bracelet. I am also updating my Etsy website, my Entwine website, working out the details on pricing for my Portugal workshop (very close to the big announcement!), ordering jewelry supplies, and more postcards.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 6

2011-08-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some of my backyard garden inspiration. I love these succulents and my gorgeous Tropicana. Thank you for the starts Karen!

Road to Fall Festival: Day 5

2011-08-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

I just made this set, one of my signature Freeform Bracelets and a Nest Pendant. Lovely day today...we attended a brunch at my friend Ella's this morning. Her home is full of mosaics and the most beautiful backyard garden. This evening we are attending a barbeque at the home of our friends, Mike and Rae. We are celebrating their recent wedding. Until tomorrow...

Road to Fall Festival: Day 4

2011-08-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of my second work table in my studio. This book has been an incredible reference in helping me know where to start when it comes to setting up a jewelry booth for the first time. It has plenty of great checklists. You can also see several of my "bead palettes" here. This is how design projects start for me. I swirl around different colors, sizes, and shapes of beads until I am inspired to start randomly stringing beads onto my wire spool. I love this beautiful horse watercolor that my husband painted years ago and my vintage globe.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 3

2011-08-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

Did I mention how much fun I am having? Laying out my next three projects, two pendants and a necklace. I love hanging out in my pj's all day...one of the perks of having your studio in your home. I also looked into getting Varitone gradient paper today for the background in photographing my jewelry. Just about to order it, but I think I will check the local camera shop first.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 2

2011-08-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

My Lemon Quartz bracelet is coming along beautifully, a nice wide cuff. I loved playing with the sunshine this morning. I saved a couple stones for matching earrings.

Road to Fall Festival: Day 1

2011-08-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today it occurred to me that it would be a lot of fun to document my journey to doing my first festival show. Every day from now until Corvallis Fall Festival I will be posting a photo of this little adventure. Today I am making a color palette and stringing up beads for a gorgeous chunky lemon quartz bracelet. 53 days until Fall Festival, which is September 24th and 25th! Enjoy...

Art Paradise Portugal Jewelry Workshop

2011-06-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

~ Art Paradise Portugal Workshop ~

“Entwined Silver Crochet Jewelry”

…with Prisha Brown of Entwine Jewelry, LLC.

June 22-June 30, 2012

Estoril, Portugal

I am excited to share my creative passion with you, Silver Crochet Jewelry, during this amazing, weeklong, art adventure in Estoril, Portugal. This holiday weaves together jewelry making in an inspiring location and spacious workshop, delicious local Portuguese food and wine, charming and affordably priced accommodations minutes from the beach and the workshop, and fabulous excursions to local castles, palaces, flea markets, and nearby Lisbon.

Silver Crochet will open up a whole new world of jewelry experimentation for you. You will discover that once you pre-string your palette of beads on your supple spool of .999 fine silver wire, have a vision in mind, and a crochet hook in hand, you can create a beautiful piece of jewelry within just a few hours. I like to think of silver crochet as “instant gratification jewelry”…no chemicals, torches, large workspaces, or expensive tools necessary.

At the beginning of this workshop, we will shop for traditional beads in the local Portuguese village, learn about how to create a stunning color palette with beads, and then get comfortable with the basic crochet stitches. Once these basic stitches start to feel comfortable, we’ll let ourselves work organically, using a totally “freeform” crochet style. All experience levels are welcome.

Each morning, my husband Jon will offer an optional yoga class out in the garden at the Art Paradise School. This will warm up our muscles and joints for jewelry making and help us center and tap into our creative energy for the day. Whenever we travel, we make sure to take our mats with us. It enhances our moods, energy level, burns those extra calories from delicious international food, and helps us to sleep better at night.

During this jewelry art adventure we will create a “Freeform Cluster and Tendril Necklace”, a “Circular Crocheted Bird’s Nest Pendant”, and finish with a magnificent “Freeform Bracelet”. Each of these projects will help you learn a completely unique crochet technique as you literally sculpt with wire.

Freeform Cluster Necklace with Tendrils

Freeform Cluster Necklace

Circular Crocheted Bird's Nest Pendant

I am wearing a small Bird's Nest Pendant

Freeform Bracelet

Prisha Brown’s Artistic Background

All my life I have enjoyed being creative. Growing up in the country in Western Washington, my mom always had art supplies and craft project kits on hand. She regularly enrolled me in arts and crafts classes with friends. My mom and dad are both artists and teachers. They saw value in art and nurtured this as I grew up. Throughout school, art was always my favorite subject.

In high school, my interests shifted into retrofitting secondhand clothing, leading me to study fashion design and fine art throughout college at Wenatchee Valley College and Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. My mom still laughs when she tells the story about me taking a pair of scissors to my knit sweater and it unraveling throughout the day. It was during my early college years at CWU, that I finally gained the sewing and pattern making skills to bring all my fashion sketches to life. I was amazed how tailoring could shape a garment to perfectly fit the body.

My passion for jewelry design was ignited while studying abroad at Lorenzo De’Medici Art School in Florence, Italy during the summer of 2000. The city was alive with rich inspiration and my instructors were professionals in their fields of architecture and jewelry design. To my surprise, I won an international jewelry design competition, with Mikimoto Pearls, while studying abroad. This convinced me that this was one path worth following for a while.

Shortly thereafter, I enrolled in graduate school at Washington State University. Working as a Textiles Teaching Assistant throughout graduate taught me the intricacies of fabric structures. I discovered wire crochet while I was exploring the research topic “Textile Techniques in Metal” for my Master's thesis project. With an undergraduate degree in Fashion Design and Textiles and a passion for Jewelry Design, I was determined to discover a new type of jewelry making using traditional textile techniques in metal.

I spent many hours experimenting with knitting, basketry coiling, braiding, knotting, and netting, in addition to crochet, all using very fine wires, instead of the traditional fibers. Crochet quickly became my favorite technique and just seemed to come naturally, with very little effort in pre-planning a design. I combined classes from the Spokane Art School, the American Jeweler’s Institute, and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) into my required graduate courses, to create a rich course of study in Jewelry Design. In 2006, I received a Master of Arts degree from Washington State University.

As I began to experiment with wire crochet, I realized how easy it was to start with an idea in mind and just create. My Master's thesis project was a jewelry collection with an underwater sea life and mermaid theme. Freeform wire crochet was the perfect technique to express this effect. The look and feel of this particular crochet technique produced beautiful clustered, netted, and vine-like jewelry, which captured my original vision. Freeform wire crochet has now become a distinctive part of the look of my unique Entwine Jewelry designs.

My jewelry line is called Entwine, because I “entwine” or “weave” each gemstone and pearl into my crochet work. I also enjoy entwining the new and the old, and the precious with the ordinary, like pearls with brass washers. I am fascinated by the notion of entwining ancient textile techniques in a fresh new way.

Since graduation, I have been steadily been growing my business by experimenting with new crochet techniques, selling my work online and through galleries, creating commissioned pieces, building my website and social media sites, writing a blog, and teaching jewelry classes, workshops, and private lessons. You can find my artwork in fine art galleries and specialty boutiques throughout the Northwest area of the United States.

“Entwined Silver Crochet” Materials List

I will provide for you:

.999 Fine Silver Wire for three jewelry projects
A 1.65 mm. (#7) steel crochet hook
A Sterling Silver Slide Clasp for your bracelet
A Sterling Silver Italian Snake Chain for your pendant
Other Sterling Silver Findings to finish your jewelry
Original detailed Silver Crochet Jewelry instructions written by me

Please bring with you:

An assortment of small to medium gemstone, glass, and pearl beads in your favorite color palette. Play with color and size combinations. I encourage you to bring some of your favorite beads from home with about 75 percent having a rounded shape. Then, I will talk more about creating color palettes before we go shopping for additional beads in Estoril.

For bead color palette examples visit: http://prishabrown.com/section/157575_PROCESS.html

A large flat lid or tray with a rim for mixing your bead palette and stringing from
A lidded container for your extra beads
Eyeglasses or a magnifying lamp with a light if you need assistance seeing fine work

Optional: (I will have these with me for you to borrow)

Very fine Round Nose or Chain Nose pliers

Very fine Flat Nose pliers
Small wire cutters
Split Ring Opening pliers
Wire Smoothing Pliers, also called Nylon Jaw pliers
Scissors
A tape measure
A small mirror
Your favorite CD
Something to drink and snack on for energy

Entwine Jewelry Workshop Testimonials

"I think the pictures speak volumes about the workshop and her teaching style... upbeat, individualized, with clear instruction; creative, supportive, in a nonjudgmental environment; an encouraging, thoughtful, critique of the student’s work. The participants are obviously relaxed, happy, and feeling successful. Prisha's personable flair, passion, knowledge, organization and patience, characterizes her teaching capabilities when working with workshop participants who demonstrate beginning, intermediate, and advanced skill levels. Prisha instructed all participants at their level which encouraged and inspired all to achieve and even exceed their personal expectations.” -Jacki Wright, Moscow, Idaho

(follow this link to see more photos of my workshops: http://prishabrown.com/section/115256_CLASSES.html)

“I attended two classes at the Pritchard Gallery which Prisha so graciously offered to teach. She provided materials, reference books, and detailed class instructions for the beginning and advanced classes. Prisha's confidence and patience led the participants through very difficult maneuvers with fine silver wire. I was delighted with my finished pieces. I am most amazed that Prisha is willing to teach and share with others, what she has perfected for her own business.” –Gail Cochran, Moscow, Idaho.

“Thank you for being calm and centered…and also for being such a good and patient teacher. You have a gift for teaching to the ability levels of the various students and being encouraging to us all. I am looking forward to the next class.” –Susan Soukup, Corvallis, Oregon.

“Prisha's jewelry work is imaginative, detailed, and expertly crafted. As an instructor, she is patient, knowledgeable and encouraging. All students came away with a smile, the true mark of successful instruction.”-Erica Swanson, Plain, Washington.

“I thought Prisha was very knowledgeable in the class I took. She was clear and focused. Her written directions were well presented. I would take more classes from her.” Rita Picker, Wenatchee, Washington.
“Prisha's personal creativity and expertise make her an outstanding instructor in jewelry-making. Everyone in the class came away with a successful product and the inspiration and confidence to continue. Her work is phenomenal.”-Ellen McKenzie, Moscow, Idaho.
Contact Prisha:
Email: prishabrown@hotmail.com
Website: http://prishabrown.com/home.html
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Entwine.Jewelry

Entwined Happenings

2011-05-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share some little bits of news and some favorite pics from lately. Life feels full right now and still surprisingly in balance. As I get busier and add new things to my world, I am tuning in and making sure it still feels right, and keeping exercise and health one of my top priorities. Speaking of exercise, I guess that's where I will start....Jon and I just ran our second 5K at the Oregon State University Vet School Pet Day Run.


Just about to run our second 5K together! OSU Pet Day, April 30, 2011.

Our first 5K! March 26, 2011 at the Midge Cramer Path in Corvallis, Oregon.


Taking my first Italian Cooking Class! I am making homemade Gnocci.


Using some of those new cooking skills to make an Easter dinner for our friends, the Mushroom Risotto was a hit!


We've REALLY been enjoying our patio! The light was creating multicolored gems out of these raindrops on the rail.


Then we added a few lush Hostas and this reed fencing so our kitties could come hang out with us. Love the little bit of privacy it adds too. We are spending a lot more time outside.


I had the chance to visit my grandma in Lacey for her birthday and give her one of my pendants.


We also got to reconnect with some WSU friends in Lacey, Cole and Sherry Nevins. We shared a great lunch together at Bud Bay Cafe down by the Olympia waterfront.


A walk around the waterfront after lunch. Beautiful day! You can see the capitol building behind us.


Loved the houseboats!


I also got to see my aunt Therese and my cousin Leah at my grandma's birthday dinner.


Custom earrings for my friend Kristina Ender's birthday.


Custom rainbow "Geodes" earrings for my friend Kathleen Dodge.

Custom "Paper Chains" pendant for my friend Jane Stoltz. Perfect timing for her trip to Germany!

My Bucket List...

2011-04-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

How fun to think about what you really want to do in your life. Jon was surprised by how specific my bucket list was down to a particular city, dog, and car. It is fun to listen carefully to your inner voice. I know mine calls to me when I am wandering around the Pearl District in Portland and think "someday I'd love to have a downtown loft, with one of these cute balconies, and be walking distance to all these fabulous galleries, boutiques, and restaurants".

With Jon at Bud Bay restaurant in Olympia down by the waterfront

This has truly been the year of courage and getting to know myself more than ever before. I hope you enjoy reading some of my dreams and desires and I would love to read yours if you have one. Some of these things I am already working on, but wanted to make sure they were carved in stone so I won't forget about their importance.

Remodel the kitchen, put in hardwood floors, and paint every room
Organize my studio space and business finances
Organize my personal finances and keep on top of them
Have workshops in my home
Set up my metalsmithing/soldering work space in the garage
Continue building a successful and beautiful Etsy shop
Plan a trip at least once a year across the world (out of US)
Live in a downtown loft in Portland or San Francisco
Have my own retail store (gallery, studio, and retail space).
Continue running 5ks, 10ks, and Half Marathons
Continue seeking out and trying new restaurants
Have dinner parties with friends more often
Visit wineries, wine bars, and do winery tours regularly
Take long weekend vacations at least once a month
Take cooking classes
Take photography classes and refine my techniques
Learn another language
Find an organization to volunteer with that I feel deeply passionate about
Go camping and hiking more
Get a small dog (like a pug) when we get a place with a larger yard some day
Get a small car (like a mini wagon or jeep) some day
Get my bike tuned up and ride it more instead of driving, especially down to the farmers market so I can fill my basket my fresh goodies
Learn how to garden and learn which plants do well in which season
Continue building my peaceful backyard Italian garden sanctuary
Learn to grow vegetables and herbs
Become an expert Weber grilling master
Write a book
Read more
Continue connecting with new galleries
Ride the train more
Plan to visit friends in far away places
Take a cruise some day
Take a Chinese Brush Painting class in China
Take interesting yoga and meditation classes
Go on art retreats
Go to jewelry conferences
Go to bead shows
Teach at art jewelry retreats

One of the Best Years of my Life...

2011-03-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, that's quite a title! But really, I have found myself telling this to several friends lately. This is a bit of a love letter to my new home and life. I believe I have found my rhythm, my path, my passion, I've settled into the journey. Moment to moment, day to day, season to season. Corvallis now feels like home.

Just taken yesterday at the Downtown Wine Walk

It seems very fitting to reflect on the past year as TODAY is our 1 year anniversary living in Corvallis. Moving to Corvallis has been life changing in so many ways. Corvallis meant the start of our professional careers. No more grad school, no more waiting, no more living with my parents (love you mom and dad!). Finally, we got a break! And in such a beautiful city! What are the chances? I owe it all to my brilliant software engineer husband. I'll take some of the credit too for continuing to stay positive through some really tough times.

Bye Wenatchee! With my good friend and yoga teacher Wendy.

Corvallis weather seemed like a such a shock at first. We moved here from Wenatchee, Washington a city with sunshine in the winter, tons of snow, super hot summers. My first impression last February, as we came for Jon's interview was the incredible amount of green, beautiful mossy textures on the pavement, buildings, and trees. I was reminded of this as I was running near my home recently and noticed it again. I wished I had my camera, but was glad I photographed this when I first arrived. You always remember those first impressions of a place.

The sidewalk is art!


This is how the trees look in March, dripping with moss.


Exploring the wetlands for the first time.

Blown away by the beauty of these cattails in the sun.

The next thing that struck me about Corvallis....it has a real downtown! With locally owned businesses that people want to shop at. It's so great to drive through downtown and see people out eating, going for walks, shopping, protesting...you know? There's our gym (WOW Fitness) a post office, a gluten free bakery (Blue Monkey), some great thrift and resale stores (Second Glance, the Annex, Cosmic Chameleon), really hip restaurants along the waterfront (Cloud 9, Downward Dog, Big River, 101, Le Bistro, Aqua, Flat-tail Brewery, Enoteca, Del Alma) and more within the downtown (American Dream Pizza, Francesco's Gelato, New Morning Bakery, Block 15, LUC, Terzo, The Beanery, Sunnyside Up), a place to stroll with a coffee or your dog, or both, along the riverfront path, and the very very best thing ever, Vietnamese sandwiches at Baguette!! I recently discovered these creations of goodness at a tiny little shop in downtown San Francisco, and now I was moving to a city that had them. I could have one a day if I wanted...it's a good thing they don't open at 10 am when I am leaving the gym.

First glimpse of the Corvallis downtown, February 2010

First restaurant to celebrate a great interview for Jon.

Ok, I kind of just went on about the variety of restaurants here...there's also some amazing ones up around campus and beyond like Nearly Normals, Local Boys, Kim Hoas, The Woodsman...One thing that also struck me about our downtown, we have flowers growing out of the tops of the garbage cans! I love my morning walks downtown, First Thursday Art Walks, two Wine Walks a year, Cloud 9 for concerts and Poetics!

So many other things I love about living here:

The people are really nice here and often, I even get a smile and hello on the street. I will never get tired of friendly west coasters doing this.

I love the great laid back dress code, I am pretty sure anything goes here! I get away with wearing my yoga clothes around town quite a bit.

Farmers Market

We have an amazing variety of wonderful fresh cheeses, meats, honey, produce at an abundance of local organic fresh stores and markets.

We have support for being gluten free...bakeries, restaurants, support groups, the Gluten Free RN downtown

People speak their mind and like to gather in all sorts of places for all sorts of reasons.

We have lots of beautiful wineries with some pretty amazing wine, have you tried Lumos Pinot Gris? And Emerson's Brother Red? Such a great place for concerts too up at Emerson in Monmouth!

With my good friend Lainey at Emerson for a Heather Christie concert

The coast is very close. Feel like getting sand in your toes, hearing the waves, feeling the breeze, eating some fresh fish? Hop in the car, only an hour and half west! The drive to get there is really lovely too.

Newport, Oregon our closest coastal city


Newport Beach, February 2010


Love the beach!

Newport

Exploring a waterfall near the beach

Lots of young professionals

Lots of talented, smart people

Lots of talented, artistic people

Lots of funny, positive people

Plenty of art and business development classes and workshops available at OSU, LBCC, the OSU Crafts Center, friends' home studios, Proworks, the Arts Center, the Fall Festival office.

Having a blast at my friend Karen's metalsmithing studio

People really like their festivals here, when it get's sunny we celebrate big time!

Lots of yoga classes

People travel via the bicycle, I was surprised by all the bike lanes and paths, I think we are at the top of the list for bike friendliness. Just please don't try to text while your on your bike. Yes, I've seen this.

There are lots of races and fun runs in the Willamette Valley. Did you hear I just signed up for my first 5k? It's appropriately named the "Make a Change Trail Run".

There are an abundance of incredibly beautiful places to hike.

With my good friend Laura on a hike up Cardwell hill

Portland is close! More galleries, museums, shopping, art, restaurants, markets, classes, concerts...nice and close if you feel like the big city for a day or weekend.

We LOVE Portland too. At OMSI.

This year we bought our first home, what an incredible adventure that has been. Learning the whole buying process, house hunting, the roller coaster ride of inspections, appraisals, financing, closing on time. Then, the adventure of making it our own, choosing paint colors, fixtures, appliances, flooring, cabinets, countertops, and all the wonderful gardening materials. We spend a good deal of time wandering around home improvement stores and garden nurseries for fun. We are totally turning into my parents who love to do this for fun. We love our local Garlands Nursery!

We love spending time in our shared office, great light!


View from our bedroom window

Finally! Signing the final papers for our first home.

Let's celebrate and dance! Love the look on Jon's face!

Our back patio, waking up on a summer morning

Another huge explosion of joy in our lives are our new Siamese-mix kittens, Renji and CocoRosie. We have wanted to adopt some pets for quite some time and were never to allowed to have them as renters. They have opened our eyes to the responsibility of caring for something living for a lifetime, through the good times and bad. We have one plant that we have kept alive for two years! We felt ready to upgrade to pets. Who knows what's next...

Our babies, CocoRosie and Renji

The best part of moving here, I make art for a living, I write about, talk about it, wear it, share it, sell it, photograph it, take classes about how to do it better. Entwine Jewelry is apart of every single day in some way. I have connected with some really fascinating people because of my pursuit to discover the pockets of art in the community. I am so incredibly grateful for every day that I can continue to nurture my business. It is so multifaceted and this year I am proud of the steps I have taken to grow professionally.

Inside Out Trunk Show in September, 2010

Eat, Play, Eat, Sleep, Eat, Repeat

2011-02-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

Picking up the new kitties at the Salem Humane Society

What a joy our new 5 month old kitties have been! Our everyday lives and routines have a new injection of fun, chaos, and love. Our sweet little Cocorosie has been gaining weight and is now happy, healthy, and frisky. When we first picked her, and her brother Renji (formerly Blueberry and Raspberry) up at the Salem Humane Society three weeks ago, she was really sick, not eating or drinking for several days. She had us really worried, but she just took longer to bounce back from being spayed than her brother Renji did from being neutered. Coco and Ren are Siamese-mix kitties.

Favorite place to nap, Jon's office chair

Coco, the girl, has beautiful "Seal-Point" traditional Siamese markings, blue eyes, longer silky hair, and plays daintily. Ren, her brother, has shorter hair with "Snow Lynx" markings, blue eyes, short hair and is rambunctious and naughty. Both cats are very curious, talkative, love to hang out where we are, and love to cuddle and sleep with us. This took some getting used to...my husband was more in favor of this than me initially. They are getting to know us too, they seem to like us, they make us laugh and smile all the time. Thanks to all of our friends that recommended getting two cats. It is a joy to see them entertaining each other and going on adventures together out in the garage. Now I totally get why people love taking pics of their pets and kids. Here is peek into our first few weeks as a family.


Jon with Ren

Coco and Ren, their personalities come out here

Coco and me after her nap

Ren insists on being on my jewelry workbench

What work?

My Simple Photo Taking and Editing Tips

2011-02-05T13:06:00.000-08:00

I actually LOVE taking photos of my jewelry and then editing them. It's nice to enjoy doing this yourself as an artist. You are able to make your artwork and post great images soon after. Right now, I think my jewelry is showcased well on a clean black background. I have goals of using more visual staging with a mannequin and live model as well, to get a good representation of the scale. I recently picked up a few tips from my husband who showed me some very quick and easy tips for cleaning up my jewelry photos.

1) First of all, I start out with a great camera, my Panasonic Lumix never dissappoints. It has so many wonderful autocorrect features taking into account the lighting, movement, etc. I got a great price on it at Costco a couple years ago.

2) I always turn off the flash and use natural daylight in a white room.

3) I stage my jewelry on my black office chair with black velvet jewelry boards. Sometimes when it is necessary, I use a black velvet neck form. I try to clean off the boards and forms well with a lint roller. The office chair works very well to turn and position the jewelry with the best lighting angle, like a Lazy Susan.

4) Speaking of best angles, many of my stones are translucent, and have beautiful veins and crystal structural qualities within, that I want to showcase in my photos. Backlighting from the window is great when I can get the jewelry positioned at the right height. Unfortunately, sometimes when I need to raise a piece of jewelry to the light, I can't raise my black background with it. It is physically impossible to juggle holding the jewelry, the black velvet boards, and the camera, plus, when you try to position the black velvet boards from behind you often block the light you want to be passing through your piece.

5) So, I often end up with great jewelry shots with lots of white fuzzies and sections of my black background missing. Like this...

An unedited jewelry image

6) For a long time, I would just crop it out. But, then you end up with a great, off-center shot....maybe a little too off-center, or weirdly cropped. I was only using Picassa, which I love, but as a photoediting tool, it does has very limited capabilities. The answer was getting comfortable with a few easy Photoshop tools to use with my easy Picassa editing.

7) So once I've played with the lighting adjustment (boosting shadows, highlights, and fill light), using the Straightening, Retouch, and sometimes the "I'm Feeling Lucky" tool, I save the image, and then, right click with your mouse, choosing "Open With"..."Adobe Photoshop".

8) The image then pops up in Photoshop. The first thing I do is create a new layer, you'll find this icon in the very lower, right-hand corner. It looks like a little piece of paper with the corner folded up...right next to the garbage can icon. Then, I make sure I am working on that layer as I make changes. It will say "Layer 1" and be highlighted in blue, letting you know you are on the right layer. This avoids altering the original version.

9) Then, I start using my new favorite tool for blocking in black background color and quickly covering up any of those tiny white fuzzies my lint roller missed. I click on the Paintbrush tool on the left tool palette and then customize your brush features up at the top. You should play with Opacity, Hardness, Diameter and Spacing. Note: Before I was using the "Retouch" tool in Picassa to stamp out each and every one of these fuzzies....very time consuming and hand cramp inducing.

10) So now, working in this new layer with the right sized paintbrushes, matching my black background color, I can fill in the background. You will need to use the "Zoom" tool and "Pan" tool to get right up next to your image as you edit. The Zoom tool looks like a magnifying lens, the Pan tool looks like a hand. I zoom in, paint an area, and then pan around the image. A short cut when you are panning is to use your spacebar and the mouse. I am trying to get in the habbit of using these kind of shortcuts. Photoshop makes it easy for you though, and puts the shortcut abbreviation in parentheses, as you mouse over the tools.

11) When I am happy with my edits, I then crop it by using the Snap-to Ruler Guides. Just click on the ruler at the top and to the left and pull the blue guide lines down and across to where you want to crop.

12) Use the "Marquis" tool in the top left corner to select the area, within the blue guide lines, then select "Image"..."Crop", at the top.

13) Now all you need to do is save your image one last time, making sure it is the right size and format to suit your needs...printing, sending it via email, or posting to the web.

The same jewelry image edited with the help of Picassa and Photoshop.

I hope these tips help you find some success and enjoyment with your photos!

You Are Always on My Mind...

2011-01-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

Today I thought it would be fun to share a few of the things that are on my mind...

1) BUYING A CAT: This is the weekend! We have talked about getting a pet together for a very long time. We now own our own home and have gotten all the holiday travel out the way. Jon is a total cat person. If this goes well, and we end up putting some durable wood floors in, I want small dog...any recommendations? My friend Karen has a Rat Terrier named Rascal, she got him from RatBone Rescues. I am love.

Jon with Charlie

Jon with Maggie

2) FIERCE CONVERSATIONS: Yesterday I attended an excellent business luncheon presentation at a local favorite restaurant Cloud 9. Jean Bonifas, a certified facilitator of Fierce Conversations, shared her passion for how this can be life changing. Wow! The essence of this topic is about having real conversations that move us forward or as Jean put it "when we come out from behind ourselves and make it real". The four objectives of Fierce Conversations are to 1-Interrogate Reality, 2-Provoke Learning 3-Tackle Tough Challenges and 4-Enrich Conversations...can't wait to get the book. I agree, the conversation IS the relationship and anywhere I want to go begins with a conversation.

3) A WAY TO HELP PEOPLE WITH MY ART: I am looking for some way to connect with people, be creative, and help people. Teaching jewelry is the closest I am getting to this desire right now. I am also thinking about how I can involved with the local Artscare program with the hospital...there must be a way to bring these three areas together for me. I really want my art to go beyond just making something beautiful. I want to truly help, inspire, possibly change people's lives. Giving this a lot of thought...

4) OUR KITCHEN REMODEL: It has begun...we have purchased beautiful new appliances, and have samples of flooring, countertops, and cabinets all over our kitchen. We have settled on a great design that will essentially leave things where they are, but completely open everything up, let light through, add countertop space and additional cupboard space. I think we have chosen a medium-dark brown, Shaker style cabinet door with squared edges, a dark bluish-gray, cement looking, "Fireslate" coutertop, and multicolored slate tile flooring. I would like to add a complimentary tile backsplash. We also envision a sink with a drain board and open stainless steel IKEA rack shelving for hanging all sorts of things.

Just one of many inspiration photos

Life is good, the things I am trying to juggle are mostly all positive. I am constantly grateful for my husband, home, friends, family, and art.

Rainy Wetlands Walk

January News

2011-01-17T11:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, the blog needs nurturing! Holidays are over, new goals, ideas, and positive energy is brewing...time to get everyone caught up on what's up in jewelry world. So far, I love 2011! Right now I am sitting at an incredibly beautiful, organized, calm work space. We have bought two very large, curvy black desks from IKEA, for our shared office space at our home. I think it looks like a giant painter's palette ;-) So they face each other, which is great. I can connect with Jon in the morning and evenings and look out through the beautiful French doors outside. I see the tall Evergreens, the rain, and some sun piercing through the clouds.

We have two of the these desks in dark walnut back to back.

So I am teaching! Two weeks down of "Woven Wire Jewelry" at the Benton Center (Linn-Benton Community College). It is going so well. We've made our way through the first three projects. I have ten students of all ages and personality types. It makes for a fun mix of conversation. I have already got a very kind bit of feedback from one of my current students that is so much appreciated and reaffirming that teaching is what I need to be doing right now.

"Thank you for being calm and centered...and also for being such a good and patient teacher. You have a gift for teaching to the ability level of the various students and being encouraging to us all. I am looking forward to class next week and hope that you have a good weekend".

More frequent, shorter posts to come this month. I have a lot more news to share, really exciting stuff! Today I have committed to finishing painting the bathroom with my husband ;-) And, I can hear him taping now...

A Major Reality Check

2010-12-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while since I have shared my world with you. A LOT has happened these past couple of weeks. I have gotten most of my holiday jewelry made for my galleries, including the special project request by Nelson Duran to create holiday ornaments for his gallery tree.

Bank Left Holiday Postcard

After I thought my plate was completely full, Nelson called one evening and told me how this year for his Holiday Open House he was asking a few of the artists in his gallery to make ornaments for his tree. I had actually been thinking about making ornaments for the past few years and am really glad I said yes. The ornaments kept my mind and hands doing something very creative and meditative during a very sad time.


I titled my ornaments "Judith's Blossoms" after grandma.

The Thursday before Thanksgiving, Jon and I received a call from his mom with the news that his dear grandma had suffered a massive stroke. Although her husband had passed away about a year and half ago, we thought she was a very young 70 year old and as my mom pointed out, hardly no wrinkles! Grandma had a blocked Carotid Artery and when she went in for a very simple surgery to unblock it, too much blood rushed to her brain. There was only a 1% chance that any thing would go wrong. Nevertheless, grandma got all her business together before her surgery. Somehow she knew...

The next day was crazy, frantically packing, getting snow tires on, making arrangements with work, and then the long snowy drive all day to get home to Wenatchee. After taking a wrong turn after crossing the Columbia Gorge we ended up in the tri-cities in Eastern Washington. Unfortunately, it added an extra two hours to our seven hour drive home. After getting to the hospital late Friday night, grandma passed away only about twenty minutes after we arrived. It felt like she had waited for us.

I love this photo with Jon and grandma

The week was a combination of much joy with moments of sadness and quiet reflection. It is the first time I have been back to Wenatchee since moving to Corvallis. It was so good to see my parents, siblings, nephews, and friends. Wenatchee was absolutely beautiful too! Everthing was blanketed in snow for Thanksgiving. It was very easy to get into the holiday spirit. Some of the highlights of the week were going ice-skating with my nephews, coffee dates with my mom, discovering a new Vietnamese Pho restaurant, family dinners, thrift shopping, going back to my old yoga class at the YMCA and hugging my teacher Wendy, and getting to be a patient at my brother's new Chiropractic business.


My nephew Brody and my brother Joe

It felt so good to be back on the ice!


Thanksgiving dinner with the family

What a perfect time of year to have things come in to focus. The shift in modes of jewelry making and endless list making/goal setting with the feeling of never accomplishing enough has shifted to a slower pace...slightly. Things feel lighter. Things feel and look different. I have settled into the season and actually feel really good about what I have accomplished this year. Most recently I have committed to growing my Etsy shop (I am up to 5 items posted!) and writing in this blog. As hard as it is, I am so glad I make the effort. This year I have taken the leap to pursue my business full time, am teaching classes, have gotten an accountant and have started to take control of my financial organization, have connected with three new retail/gallery locations, have done several trunk shows, worked with a graphic designer to design a logo, and have co-started a jewelry and metals guild in Corvallis. Yeah, I am making progress, and there is still the fact that I am really in love with what I am creating.

Window at my parent's house

Oregon College of Arts and Crafts

2010-11-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

I would absolutely love to teach jewelry making, apparel design, and/or textile design here one day. I had a blast taking a summer tour of the campus in Portland, this past July. I highly recommend one of their classes or weekend workshops, if you don't live close. Here is a link to their adult continuing education courses....enjoy my tour photos! This place is brimming with creativity, and a "cozy-cooperative-school-in-the-country" feel.

Front entrance to Admissions and the "Hands on Cafe"...I heard it was great.

Admissions Lobby


Jon and I by the Retail Art Shop...some really amazing art is sold here.


Our fabulous tour guide, Amy Kettenburg

Printmaking Studio


Textiles Room


Aren't these freshly dyed colors beautiful?


Textiles Display Case


Woodworking Shop


Woodworking Tools...wow, very nice!


Look at the size of this kiln!


Another outdoor kiln, Raku I think...


Jon and Amy in the Ceramics area

Really fun day! Looking forward to a class, workshop, or teaching here soon.

The Vital Importance of Connection

2010-11-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

As I reflect back on the past couple of weeks, there are a number of times that I knew I definitely had something great to share. I am sorry I didn't sooner! But, I am excited to be sitting here taking the time to share now. Writing about the tougher issues is hard for me sometimes, when you show people the reality between the exciting news...like winning "Best Visual Artist", or sharing beautiful new jewelry photos, and amazing new gallery opportunity posts.

Something so rough, is so beautiful, like this railroad bridge I noticed.

I decided to reach out to another jewelry artist whose work I really admire and seems to have it all figured it. Hehe, she assured me she hasn't. She was kind enough to let me ask her a million questions about her creative journey. This artist's name is Kristi Zevenbergen, an amazing and talented jewelry artist living in Seattle, Washington. What a gift for her to take the time and help me see my way a little more clearly. Kristi spent at least an hour talking with me about what has been positive in her creative work life. She asked me to ask the question, "What is it that I am trying to do?"...Can it be that simple? I told her that my goal was to develop a strong body of work and my signature style. I also told her about my dream to teach jewelry retreats all over the world. I love to teach and travel by the way. She had a refreshingly direct and wise way of telling me how it really is and what it was I needed to do. "Pick one or two things, and do them well", she said. We need to spend that time in our studios doing the tough work, dealing with these feelings of being unsure, to get to something wonderful. I was so glad that I reached out to her, I was totally encouraged and inspired after talking with her.

Kristi Zevenbergen's jewelry

I also had the total and complete joy of connecting with two local jewelry and metalsmithing ladies, Karen Lee-Thompson and Karen Guthrie. Both of these super talented and wise women are now fast becoming great friends and mentors. We are starting a local Jewelry and Metals Guild! This past Saturday, Karen Thompson invited me to come to her beautiful home, garden, and studio. Wow! This girl has it going on! What a gorgeous and large creative workspace Karen has, I should have taken photos but I was too enamored with her kiln, bench set up, large work tables, and art on the wall. Not to mention windows that looked right out into her art-filled garden. We visited for at least three hours about how we planned to start a group that would facilitate creative workshops, networking, idea sharing within our niche. We also dreamed about finding and renovating a building that would facilitate our creative gatherings, classes, open studio time, and gallery space. There is a need here in Corvallis for a group like this and we've decided to do something about it. So we've got a who lot of research to do on how to start a guild, how to start a non-profit, and defining each of strengths to start with. We concluded that we definitely needed to take a road trip to Seattle and attend an anniversary party event for the Seattle Metals Guild. Sweet! It's totally research!!

The last bit I want to share is on the art opening I went to yesterday at La Sells Giustina Gallery at Oregon State University. Amazing art show and another opportunity to reach out and connect with like-minded, passionate, artistic individuals. For two hours I got to socialize, share, network, laugh and take in the beautiful art exhibit while enjoying a glass of "Peace" white wine from Namaste Vineyards. How perfect is that? I left the event again feeling like my batteries had been re-charged...super-charged. It is really opening my eyes to the fact that yes, I need to balance my studio time with time to connect with other artists and professionals...it is vitally important and valuable to take the time to do this. We need community, I think it is in our human instincts. Again, the recurring theme of finding balance, peace, contentment, and connection. My mantra this week has been "stop resisting, settle in". Now, time to head to my studio, I have LOTS of new jewelry to make for my galleries and I need to photograph my finished fantasy birdhouse for the, "Where Birds Dream" show that I am excited to be a part of at the Arts Center in Corvallis, Oregon.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and connecting with you very soon.

Wordless Wednesday: Metalsmithing Days

2010-10-27T10:25:00.000-07:00


Filing a ring at American Jeweler's Institute


Wow, that last ring project was challenging!


Working with my jewelry instructor Jim Clark

What a pro! You can tell by the mess.

Soldering stations at AJI

Using the big torch to melt scrap metal and make ingots

Back in my studio at Washington State Univ.

Loved my bright workspace...can't wait to set up my new space here!

Ready to Paint some Walls Blue

2010-10-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have been longing to write...however, I have not been as committed to blogging lately as I'd like to be. Sometimes when I feel like I have nothing groundbreaking or insightful to share, I keep quiet. It feels like a transition time. Jon asked me, "between what?"... I am not sure. This feeling often catches up with me after a show. I (but feel free to insert "you") focus intensely on one thing and channel most of my (your) energy toward making it successful. I tell myself, "as soon as I get done with this I will"...

Well, my mind is full of the goals ahead of me. I want to keep the good energy and momentum going. I must say, this incredibly beautiful, sun-filled October, is doing wonders in keeping my spirits up. At the same time, I want to be still, take a break, go for a hike, reflect, clean my studio, paint the walls the color of the Aegean Sea. I need to remember to share moments like this, when I feel I have nothing to share at all, right now I am in transition, and knowing myself, transitions have ALWAYS been challenging.

Jon in Santorini, Greece

In the spirit of putting good things out there, I will share with you a few of my 37 goals I made last week.

1. Create a fantasy Bird House in wire for the Arts Center Holiday Show "Where Birds Dream".
2. Start sharing about my upcoming "Woven Wire Jewelry" class at the Benton Center this winter.
3. Research materials, write the curriculum and make the projects for the class.
4. Make new pieces for my galleries so they are well stocked for the holidays.
5. Work on custom projects for customers.
6. Continue connecting with people I admire and listen to their great perspective and advice.
7. Organize and paint my studio.
8. Continue learning and using Quickbooks Pro.
9. Commit to keeping my website up to date.
10. Blog at least twice a week, no matter what is happening.
11. Spend time reading other blogs and leave comments.
12. Think about the steps needed to pursue future "dream" retail opportunities.
13. Think about the steps needed to pursue future "dream" show opportunities.
14. Remember to thank people.
15. Remember to share and reach out.

For tonight, I will enjoy this glass of wine, the autumn colors, and an Indian meal with friends...

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Inspiration

2010-10-13T08:16:00.000-07:00


Gorgeous colors and patterns on this leaf found downtown Corvallis

Loved this lacy kelp found on our southern Oregon Coast trip

Look what Jon found on the beach!

Wordless Wednesday: First Home

2010-09-30T07:34:00.000-07:00


At the title company signing the papers for our first home

Celebrating!....Ok...on a different day posing for mom's visit

Moving toward my Vision

2010-09-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today, I want to share with you how I have been feeling this week. I shouldn't be too surprised, but it has been another emotional roller coaster ride in the adventures of Entwine Jewelry. This week has been primarily focused on getting to create new work for the Inside Out trunk show on October 7th (I love when I just get to create!) as well as planning for my winter jewelry class. It started out great on Monday, with a meeting at Linn-Benton community college to discuss plans for my "Woven Wire Jewelry" class I am teaching winter quarter, 2011. The class will meet Thursdays from 1-4 pm. I have plans to teach a variety of textile techniques in wire including crochet, knitting, and a basket weave wrap.

Paper Chains: Falling

I am so excited about some of my new sculptural, interlocking, colorful forms from my "Paper Chains" series. I am very tempted to show you a photo of the new pieces, but I want the big reveal to happen on October 7th. I have taken a previous idea and tried using a tarnish resistant, colorful craft wire instead of the silver. I am actually really happy with this product from Bead Smith. The wire is still very supple, doesn't kink quite as easily, and surprisingly, the crochet work comes out more easily when I want to undo a section of crochet. It is also much more cost effective so the prices on these pieces will be much lower. I feel good about that.

Although there have been a few moments where I have felt completely overwhelmed, a little lost, depressed, and not able to see how the small steps I take today are so meaningful in moving me toward my goal, I had a moment last night of joy and clarity after a week on non-stop jewelry making. Yes, I am making progress....yes, I am making brand new, incredibly interesting, sculptural pieces that I am very excited about...yes, I have an incredibly supportive, loving husband who believes in me. It is vitally important that we keep taking the next step forward...it does matter, and when I finally reach my goal, I will be soooo glad I didn't give up.

Wordless Wednesday: Disc Golf

2010-09-22T07:51:00.000-07:00


With Erin and Ally at Adair Park


Picnic First


Getting Ready


Ally, practicing her wind up

Me throwing the disc

Kirby winding up, me cheering

One of our favorite new past times

Thoughts on Website Design

2010-09-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

I recently shared with you that I had been giving some serious time to my website re-design without changing the overall look too much. With so many avenues for artists to house their images on the web like blogs, Etsy, and Flickr, some might question if a static website is still necessary. Last week as I was hanging out at Etsy, I found a very interesting link to a podcast by Sister Diane on Social Marketing for Handmade Businesses. Their were some great discussions on the value of still having a website which can serve as an online portfolio. An online portfolio is extremely valuable at interviews with new galleries or when trying to get into a national art show. I would highly recommend giving this a listen.

My office, many hours spent here lately...

So, I spent the past week re-organizing, cleaning up, and streamlining my own website so that it easily showcases what I want to share with people about myself and my artwork. This is my goal...to show very clear and clean images that represent the color and quality of the materials and to make sense navigation wise. I debated keeping my site even simpler with a stark black and white stage and background, letting the only color come from my jewelry, but the green background compliments the tones so well that I love to work into my pieces. I think it works. The charcoal gray stage is visually soothing for my eyes, and my freeform bracelet easily takes center stage on my homepage, as the natural daylight glows from behind the translucent Chrysophrase and wire crochet detail.

One of my favorites..."Playa del Silencio"

I want to thank you for the great feedback. This is appreciated and valuable to me. One of the comments that was an instant red flag that I needed to make a change was: "I didn't know you could purchase items from your website". Oh boy! Besides the goal of showcasing my jewelry in a gallery like setting, I definitely want my site to be easily shop-able! Other People's Pixels, my web service, was created by artists to help artists and students get their work online quickly and easily. Unfortunately, the shopping functionality isn't made super clear. You must click on the highlighted price to be re-directed to Paypal for purchase. To clarify this I added a PURCHASE HERE: label to each of my items. What do you think? Better, I hope.

Here are the great comments I am getting on my website:

"You have the most gorgeous web site I've ever seen. Beautifully designed, easy to use, and things are spelled correctly! Not to mention the subject matter is so beautiful..." -Jane Stoltz, Gazette Times

"You're definitely on your way Ms. Brown! Very nice work on your website, and it's a beaut to go through".-Cynthia Spencer, Fall Festival Director

"Prisha, your new work is really beautiful!! I like your website in general..works well, shows your work off in a way that focuses on the work". -Bobbie Jansen, local artist

Thanks again! Here are two artists' sites that inspired me by their simplicity and beautiful photography.

http://www.amybuettner.com/earrings.html
http://olenhsu.com/home.html (Olen is using OPP as well)

Wordless Wednesday: Enjoying the Journey

2010-09-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Exploring the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts

Having fun at the MLZ trunk show

Photographing my jewelry at the Arts Center

Helping a friend try on a pendant at the Second Glance trunk show

Learning new skills at the American Jewelers Institute

Busy September

2010-09-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well, as I transition into working full time in my jewelry studio, life feels like a bit of a whirlwind. I just told my husband the other day, "Honey, I have realized that as an artist that you have to be doing lots of things simultaneously,".....designing and making a new collection for an upcoming show, working on custom orders, making new connections with new locations, working with my accountant, Anne White and graphic designer, Amy Dasso, ordering materials, going to the post office to mail jewelry, letting people know via the social networking and live world that I have a show coming, keeping up with my blog.......hmmm......I have definitely been meaning to make a list. Just kidding, it's mostly written down in my old school planner.

Anyways, it's a mixture of feeling completely grateful and excited, and completely overwhelmed, especially when I think about our financial goals, which at this point include making ends meet so that we can purchase our townhome. My husband and I have decided that I have until the end of January to see if I can really get my act together with sales, new connections, shows, accurate record keeping. I may need to consider getting another part time job at that time if things aren't where they need to be. Ugh! Ok, I am going to stop right there before I get on the negative train and let you know what is going very well ;-)

Our balcony and pots for our Japanese garden

I am a part of a very small marketing class led by Fall Festival director, Cynthia Spencer, called the Artist Peer Marketing Group. This is really good for me, I feel like I am getting a lot out of attending and it's keeping me on track with my goal, yes! Everyone in the class is at completely different points with their art, some people are still defining their body of work, others want to make the leap and get a website going, find the courage to connect with their first gallery, or learn to take great photos and figure out how to get them from their camera to the web. I can really relate to where everyone is at. I have a few of things figured out or "in process" but by no means am I "there". I am getting some great ideas from people on where to sell my work and who to connect with. I am going to be taking a trip to Portland very soon to scope out these places. Another fun exercise we worked on this week was an Elevator Pitch. If you only had 60 seconds in an elevator with your ideal investor what would you tell them about yourself and your business? I found some great ones on Youtube. Here's mine...it's a start....

"Hi, my name is Prisha Brown. My line is Entwine Jewelry. My creative passion is crocheting fine gauge silver into heirloom quality jewelry. My customers have bought my jewelry for their wedding, class reunion, anniversary, or as a gift to themselves to commemorate a milestone achievement in their life. Despite it's distinct appeal for special occasions, Entwine jewelry is very easily worn every day.

My jewelry line is called Entwine, because quite simply, I entwine each gemstone and pearl into my crochet stitches. I am fascinated by the notion of using ancient textile techniques in a fresh new way.

You can find my work in fine art galleries and specialty boutiques throughout the Northwest. I also find joy in teaching fun jewelry making classes, workshops, and private lessons. If you are interested, I'd love to show you more of my work in person."

My other current projects are custom wedding jewelry for a good friend and an exciting new connection with a local business called Inside Out Garden Visions. This is a bright, colorful, specialty gift and gardening store in downtown Corvallis that includes some very nice jewelry as well, by regional artists. This new partnership starts off with a trunk show hosted by Inside Out on October 7th, for the First Thursday Artwalk downtown. I have great first impressions in working with this business, they seem to be equally excited about hosting me as I am about being there.

Wordless Wednesday: Oia, Santorini, Greece

2010-09-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: Nine Years Married Today

2010-08-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

Jon and I at Brighton Beach in England, 2006

Life is Good!

2010-08-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

"Guava Kai Pendant", one of my new pieces

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I keep telling all my friends and family how happy I am living down here in Corvallis, just doing my jewelry making thing. Today, the air is refreshingly cool and I hear a variety of interesting bird calls from the nearby wetlands. My peaceful retreat is my studio and home...

Today is my trunk show in Salem! I am super ecstatic to be making this new connection with the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery. Today I am savoring the feeling of having everything made, tagged, and photographed for the event. Last night I drove up to Salem and dropped off all the goods with Shelley Raszka, the gallery goddess at MLZ Gallery who is organizing this whole event (not sure of your official title, but I figured goddess would do). So today, all I need to do is beautify myself, mentally and physically get myself relaxed, and head up to Salem around 3pm. After the show, Jon and I are trying a new gluten-free-friendly restaurant nearby the gallery called Marco Polo, sounds fantastic!

I just have to share a little bit about this past weekend. It sort of happened very last minute (like some of the best things in life happen), but Jon and I were invited spend the weekend at a vacation home in Mosier, Oregon near Hood River. Two of our good friends and former yoga teachers from Wenatchee were attending a Yogafit Conference over the weekend. My friend's boss has a beautiful open beamed, A-frame style vacation home that he built and shares with his buddies. Boy, was this place amazing!

Friday night, we all met up at this wonderful little bistro called Sophie's....wonderful wine, local fare with plenty of gluten-free options. I had the seared scallops, yum. After several hours of dining and catching up, we migrated downtown Hood River to the Naked Winery for the never ending wine tasting of provocatively named wines. Good times to say the least!

With friends at the Naked Winery in Hood River

When the winery closed, we made our way up an incredibly steep, switchbacked, unpaved gravel road to the top of a mountain in nearby Mosier. The treacherous drive was completely worth it because when we arrived at the top, the views from our weekend retreat were stunning. Another unexpected surprise was how incredibly bright and clear the stars were. There was a meteor shower going on and we could even see the Milky Way! How fun to lay out with friends, watch for shooting stars and catch up with each other. The rest of the weekend was much more of the same wonderful "doing nothing"....enjoying the views, taking photos, researching the local GF restaurants, making jewelry, doing yoga, napping, drinking wine, star gazing, thinking and laughing.

Jon savoring his coffee and the view of Mt. Hood


A nice way to spend an afternoon

Wraparound views of the Columbia Gorge

After a day of relaxing, I am ready for dinner

Jon's Cioppino

My Steelhead

One last note, we discovered an amazing restaurant in Hood River, a total hidden gem! The Columbia Gorge Hotel Restaurant. We were totally spoiled in every way. First of all, the restaurant is inside a beautiful historic landmark hotel. As you can see from this photo of the lobby, the historic details were beautifully preserved. I had called ahead and talked with the executive chef about our special dietary restrictions (it was kind of funny at one point, with our gluten-free, citrus-free, wheat-free needs) but the executive chef, pastry chef (his wife) and waitress were incredibly kind and accommodating throughout the entire evening. Fantastic food, great service, and there was hardly anyone there but us and a wedding party!

Wordless Wednesday: I still feel this way

2010-08-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Artist Spotlight: Tia Kramer

2010-08-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Such a vital part of my creative journey is connecting with, and being inspired by, other artists who are completely passionate about what they do. This past February, I had the pleasure of meeting Tia Kramer at the Indulge Jewelry Show at the Bellevue Arts Museum. Indulge featured an incredible array of 30 international contemporary jewelry artists. (I am giving serious thought to participating next year!). Tia didn't have one of the booths at the show, instead Tia was buzzing around the other artists, offering love and encouragement for their work. Tia really stood out. She had great energy and incredible earrings! I didn't know it at the time, but they were her own designs.

Later that weekend on my way out of Seattle I stopped by the Pratt Fine Arts School to pick up a catalog on their class offerings and to my surprise, ran into Tia again. I noticed her remarkable mobile like, colorful paper earrings again and asked her if she had bought them at the Indulge. She told me that she made them and also taught at Pratt. Wow!

Since Indulge, I have stayed connected with Tia following her professional success and vibrant new work. Tia seems to really have it together professionally. She has a beautiful and active website, facebook, and newsletter. She's also made some outstanding connections with art galleries and museums throughout the US. Tia's studio is located in the Gasworks Gallery Artist Studios in the Wallingford area in Seattle.

I love Tia's story of how she got into making these miniature mobile like jewelry: Originally from Iowa, she studied fiber art at Macalester College. In 2005, she began integrating her objects into video, sound, installation, and performance while at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her distinctive "paper jewelry" emerged first as miniature three-dimensional models for a large permanent sculpture installed at Macalester College in 2003.

Tia is a real inspiration to me as a jewelry artist now working full time doing what she loves. I would encourage you to check out her website or facebook and check out her unique line of handmade paper jewelry.Way to go girl!

Wordless Wednesday: My Happy Place

2010-08-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

My Studio Work Table with all my "Bead Palettes"

Very Kind Words

2010-08-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

I cannot express how much this note from Chris meant to me yesterday....it is written like a poem....

Chris's "Peacock Feather" Earrings

Beautiful Earrings: Was it too hard to place a price on a piece of Art?

A perfect pair of earrings made by a special person who I met in Wenatchee about a year ago.

I enjoyed having our conversation and was amazed with your creative jewelry. I was amazed. Every piece is a piece of Art.

I can tell every piece was made from her heart. She is a true artist.

I have a few pieces of your artwork and wear them and receive many compliments. It’s exciting.

It is exciting to hear the compliments and share with them the Artist name. “Prisha Brown”.

But it does not stop there it also makes the individual wearing them feel special.

About a year after, you have now created a perfect pair of earrings that match the necklace I purchased months ago.

Perfect in size, exactly the same gems and pearls. I love them!

I am going to enjoy wearing this pair of earrings, they are gorgeous, one of a kind, delicate, light, and a special piece of Art.

They have a perfect swing of movement, like an antique special clock that has a pendulum. So so special.

And last, I have attended Art exhibits, and have met talented artists, but so far, have never seen such creative jewelry as I have or have seen on your website.

I’m only one of many who have discovered your jewelry, you are special.

I will agree that it must be hard to let go of your pieces, but you must remember how happy you make someone wearing it!!!

Take Care, Enjoy…..

Best Wishes, I will be in touch!!

Thank you,

Christiane

Gratitude for Balance

2010-07-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Last week a wanted to write about all the gratitude I have been feeling in my life lately...but I got sidetracked with the good news of my next trunk show in Salem and planning for our first BBQ in our new place. I have this wonderful sense of balance between my job at the Arts Center, studio time for jewelry making and business stuff, exercise, healthy meals, sleep, enjoying my husband, and even time to do nothing...well when I like to do "nothing" I am facebooking or photoediting ;-)What fun our BBQ was! My neighbor Urmila, brought these amazing stuffed mushrooms and we got to open up and share our new home with a few close friends. Even though our walls are white and our space isn't yet what we envision, I wanted to share it now, just as it is. What I was excited to share was my new little garden space, wetlands view, and my new Weber Spirit. I have wanted a grill for sooo long! Ladies do you get excited about grilling like me?

Cooking kebabs on our grill

After the BBQ, we headed up to our favorite winery, Emerson Vineyards, for a night of beautiful music by Heather Christie, family, friends, wine, photos, more grilling, strolling through vineyards, and beautiful Willamette Valley views at dusk. So relaxing! This is a great example of one way I am keeping balance...I am taking the time for myself, my husband, my friends, my interests (photography, music, wine). It just feels good, even after just agreeing to create a brand new collection in a few short weeks. Making some space in my life for fun, gives me joy for creating.

Me, Lainey, and Urmila in the vineyards at Emerson.

Wordless Wednesday: The first workshop I ever taught...

2010-07-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: Childlike Amazement

2010-07-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

Photo taken by Prisha at the Newport Aquarium in May 2010

All Good Things

2010-07-16T07:57:00.001-07:00

Lots to share this week! Last weekend Jon and I took a much needed weekend gettaway up to Portland. What fun we had exploring new places. On the top of my list was taking a tour of OCAC, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. This place has been on my radar for a few years now. I have thought about taking a class, doing a residency, or even teaching here one day. Wow, this smaller arts and crafts school really had a great vibe. Walking around the wooded campus, with interesting separate studio spaces for each medium, I felt totally inspired. This feels like an active, vibrant place that I know I will get the chance to connect with soon.

On Monday, I worked on a pair of custom earrings for a good friend of mine named Jane. Many of you saw the conversation Jane and I had back and forth on Facebook where we worked out the design details. Jane loved the long layered chain and bright stones of the "Istambul Earrings" from my June Trunk Show collection. She wanted hers to be even "funkier" though, with bright turquoise, lavender, and hot pink using both silver and gold tones. I spent quite some time working out this design. It needed to fit Jane's special request and still have the Entwine aesthetic as well. The gold and silver was suprisingly pleasing with the bright stones. As I said before, it is really good to say yes to things that push our design sensibility. I think I will make another similar pair for myself ;-)

My last bit of news to highlight this week is a personal invitation from a woman named Mary Lou Zeek, to be the featured artist in a trunk show at her gallery in Salem, Oregon. I have heard Mary Lou's name a lot since I have started working at the Arts Center in Corvallis. Her gallery was one of the main inspirations when we remodeled our gallery gift shop. Our director at the Arts Center, Sara Swanberg, knows her and was kind enough to recommend me. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a new connection with a well established vibrant gallery.

Tribal Instincts

2010-07-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

As I look ahead across the next couple of months, I see my goals laid out in front of me. As a result of a very successful online trunk show (my first!), I have eight custom orders to fill. This feels big for me. I actually LOVE custom orders. I know some artists feel constrained by the parameters of custom requests, but I love the process of working with someone directly. You are making that person just what they want and aren't paying anyone else a commission.

As soon as I have these orders wrapped up, and probably before, I will begin designing my summer/fall 2010 collection called "Tribal Instincts". This collection will be really different for me...cleaner lines, bolder colors and shapes. I feel a distinct inspiration from the art deco images and color schemes I have been looking at as I've been designing my logo. Also, in talking with my friend Heather, who bought one of my pendants called "Turkish Fan", she said when she wears it people were really drawn to the bright red wire, as well as the brass and celadon green beads. She said people remarked that it looked very tribal and wondered if I had more. It was actually the only one I made like that in my last "Mediterranean Travel" collection, mainly because this piece was made from one of my very first little crochet samples I had ever attempted, five years ago actually. As I've mentioned before, when I put hours of work into something, I don't have the heart to throw it away, so there it sits until inspiration strikes and I either start adding on with additional crochet or interesting beads. It's good to let things go for a while, I am ALWAYS amazed at what I come up with when I have a fresh perspective. This little goofy sample, which I thought I had screwed up (I was actually trying to crochet straight rows back and forth, as the directions instructed), is now becoming the defining inspiration for a brand new, beautiful collection. The launch of this collection will begin with a trunk show at The Arts Center in Corvallis, and all the remaining pieces will go into a line for my Etsy shop.

My sketches are also full of little miniature basket pendants (something I always promised myself I'd come back to), and interesting tube necklaces which will be various diameters and colors. These will look really interesting worn in layers stacked up. I will keep you posted as my new collection unfolds. Traditionally, you are use to seeing lots of clusters, tendrils, and freeform shapes in softer colors in my designs. This is one of my styles that will always be a part of me, this comes very naturally and feels like an expression of who I am...but, I think for a little while I will depart, try something new, and come back to this softer style with fresh eyes later on.

On Transition

2010-07-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Just having moved from Wenatchee,Washington to Corvallis, Oregon in March I found myself saying "I'm in transition...or I'm still adjusting". Come to think of it, this was something I said a lot last year too when we left grad school and moved back in with my parents and were job searching for 9 months. I guess I liked saying "I'm in transition", instead of "I am jobless". Notoriously, transitions from one phase of life to the next, or one "big" project, degree, internship, or job to the next have been a challenge for me emotionally. I like the "idea" of change or fresh start, but sometimes those moments and days between leaving one established, comfortable place and settling in a new community can be hard. My mom knows me well and reminds me how as a child I'd come home on the last day of school and cry my eyes out..."what am I going to do all summer? what is there to look forward to?" I'd ask her. Even though it wasn't long before I was off to swimming lessons and summer camp, and running around the neighborhood late into the warm summer evenings, I looked forward to the structure of going back to school in the fall. New school supplies too ;-)

A huge "transition" has been adjusting to much less sunshine in Corvallis. I was completely spoiled in Wenatchee, which is east of the Cascades, with 300 days of sunshine a year. We even have beautiful, clear, sunny days in the middle of winter in Wenatchee. I am not sure what the stats are for Corvallis, but I live an hour from the Pacific Ocean....no mountains between, to hold back the steady incoming clouds and rain. All the locals have assured me that this has been a particularly wet spring here. My husband, who was born in Wenatchee, loves the rain and thinks it's a novelty. He gets excited and announces,"Wow, come check out how hard it is coming down!" For a few months now, I was definitely transitioning weather-wise from sunny winters to a rainy spring, and wrapping my mind around "wet and cool=lush and green". This morning I woke up to the sound and smell of the rain outside and for the first time really got excited about it, even in June. I think I am adjusting and appreciating Corvallis for what it is.

Beautiful Wenatchee Winter Morning

Beautiful Corvallis Wetlands Spring Walk

Inspiration, Connection, and Process

2010-06-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

As I start thinking about writing more often, and what is worth sharing with you, I think about what I find enjoy reading about other artists...inspiration, connection and process. I have been very encouraged by an e-course I am finishing up this week to start sharing wherever I am right now, not to wait until I think I am fully ready or have some ground breaking news to share. Right now is an incredibly special time in my life. I have all the time, tools, and talent to pour my heart and passion into my creative endeavors as a jewelry artist. I have a network of supportive family and friends all around me that are encouraging me in every way. I am in a beautiful and nurturing community that is supportive of the arts.

Today I am working on a freeform custom bracelet. Last night I strung up my silver spool full of a gorgeous palette of turquoise, silver, and garnet, so my project is ready to begin. I love this point in the process of creating. All the tools and materials are set in place, the inspiration and direction is clear, it is comforting to have the parameters of a custom request and exciting to watch the design unfold as I allow myself to come through the freeform design.

I am also extremely excited to be working on the "nuts and bolts" of my business as well. I am working with a graphic artist named Amy Dasso to create my logo for Entwine Jewelry. I feel very drawn to an "Art Deco", "Arts and Crafts", "Mackintosh" style in the logo design. Amy has been so open and supportive in going with one idea for a while and then exploring something totally different. I am excited about having a logo tie together all the different facets of my business from packaging to marketing to websites. Here is my most recent logo design sketch.

Have fun looking through my most recent pictures from this past weeks adventures with my parents. It was their first visit to see me in my new town of Corvallis. I made a whole list of my favorite things to see and do here...we got to most of them, and the wonderful warm sunshine made it that much more fun.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prishabrown/sets/72157624259827355/

Flickr

2010-06-13T12:59:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Wenatchee Business Journal!

2010-01-29T10:37:00.000-08:00

What a great morning to wake up and receive news that I am featured on the front page of the Wenatchee Business Journal! The article is great. It is written by Yvette Davis at the WBJ. I met her for lunch the other day at a favorite local lunch restaurant, "The Cellar Cafe". It is good to think about how far I've come in my business journey since 2005, and see where I need to focus this year. My focus is on getting a strong business plan together that can be a useful tool to reference back to when I need to be reminded of my goals. I am also considering getting an accountant or bookkeeper to help with financials. Yvette mentioned local businesswoman, Melissa Wisen, in the article who makes beautiful and functional handbags with "Borsa Bella". Melissa and I connected last week at Caffe Mela to share business strategies and ideas. An Etsy collection is definitely in the works along with new class offerings in 2010!

http://wbjtoday.com/blog/entwine-jewelry/3798/

Just getting started...

2010-01-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

Wow, I created a blog! Ok, it wasn't that tricky at all, I know that the challenging part will be staying committed. I have so much going on right now in terms of working multiple jobs, teaching and creating new jewelry for Entwine, jewelry merchandising at Macy's and Old Navy, practicing and preparing to teach yoga, getting back into fashion design as I prepare to teach a "Retrofit Fashion Design" class at Orchard Middle School. It will be interesting to see how things unfold. We have lived in Wenatchee Valley since May 2009. The valley is so incredibly beautiful and full of so much inspiration. This blog is focused on what I love, what inspires me, and tracking my creative journey. Enjoy!