Happy Hair

I was kind of rushing out the door this morning to meet a friend to go kayaking. I had decided to make banana-blueberry pancakes so that put me a little behind, and I figured my hair looked a mess. It's time for a haircut, and most days the attention it gets amounts to being washed and combed. I'm very low maintenance, but I'll blow dry it if I think it looks hideous.

I ran to brush my teeth and was pleasantly surprised to see it look pretty good. It's because it knows it's going kayaking, I thought to myself. Yesterday I went mountain biking, and it looked good even after taking off my sweaty helmet. I swear when the hair is happy it shows it. Tomorrow it will part down the middle and hang lankly. The hair does not like Mondays.

Featured Artist: Marcy Lamberson

Marcy Lamberson of Studio Marcy is a talented lampworker who specializes in critters and creatures from a colorful toucan to a bee pirate!












How long have you been creating the pieces you sell on Etsy?
"I have been making beads for seven years and selling on Etsy for almost one year. But many of my pieces that I list are one-of-a-kinds. Each week I have a new style of something."

Do you have a certain ritual you do when you sit down to create?
Yes. My ritual is to make sure my ventilation system is turned on and that I'm wearing my safety glasses. Once or twice I was making beads and I realized that I accidentally was wearing my reading glasses, so now I'm more careful from the start. Nice to work without the soda flare."

What piece are you most proud of and why?
"I made an Inuit-inspired face inside of an eagle mask, which I love. It's quite a departure from my usual style, but I love how the face looks and that it's done all in neutrals. It will be in the October Ornament magazine as part of an advertisement by one of my street teams here on Etsy."

What's something people may not know about you?
"I can write in cursive with both hands at the same time in different directions."

What are you looking forward to creating next?
"There are so many items. I'd like to do a series on fairies, and I'm enjoying making customers' pet portraits. I've got an African Gray Parrot named Lulu lined up next, but usually it's their dogs or cats. It's so much fun to hear what the owners think and how much they enjoy it."

Learn more about Marcy here

Featured Artist: Ginny Headley Maserang

Today I interviewed Ginny Headley Maserang of That's Headley! Jewelry Designs. She is a fellow Etsy artist and makes truly unique jewelry. These photos are just a few samples of her beautiful work. Left to Right: Stone Rainbow Necklace in Mixed Semi Precious Gemstones and Sterling Silver, True Colors Necklace in Olive Jade, Apatite, Citrine and Sterling Silver and Color Me Sudoku Necklace in Copper, Crystal and Silk.

Her Creative Process
"I have had a shop on Etsy since March 2006, but have been creating jewelry for myself and family and friends for more than 30 years. When I sit down to create, if I haven't had a compelling inspiration that made me sit down in the first place (you know how that works....you wake up at 3 AM with a vision of a completed piece completely formed in your head, and you can't wait until morning comes and you can get to your workbench and make it real), my ritual is to pull out my "pretties" - all the stones and beads that "made" me buy them when I saw them, even though I had no idea at the time what I would do with them - and I start playing, combining them, seeing how their colors and textures work or don't work together, and before too long, what I want to do for the next piece emerges."

The Piece She's Most Proud Of
"...the bracelet I made for the Spring 2007 Beads4You Challenge on Etsy. It won the Anything Goes category, but that's not the reason I am proud of the piece (although that does contribute a bit!). It was a real stretch for me technique-wise, and it took quite a bit of work to make it come out the way I had planned. In the end, I persevered, and it exceeded even my own vision. What I am looking forward most to creating next is another bracelet using the same technique, but with amethysts and lavender-colored pearls. Look for it soon in my shop!"

What is Something People May Not Know About You?
"I have a Ph.D in microbiology, I'm an expert in bioterrorism (preventing it, not doing it, let's make that clear!), and can really kill a conversation at a dinner party - haha!"

Visit Ginny's blog.

Content (accent on the second syllable)

This afternoon I had a moment of pure contentment. I like to eat my lunch at my desk and take my actual lunch hour in my car. First I went across the street to buy chocolate - chocolate covered gummie bears and pretzels to be exact. Then I went to my car, grabbed a deliciously dark pretzel and started a new book. The sun was shining, the car was warm. It was perfect hour on an autumn afternoon.

The book? Spark Your Dream. The true story of two people who left their life of routine behind and embarked on a journey in an antique car from Argentina to Alaska. People like that rock.

The Kiln is On

Oh, I am so excited! My brand new kiln is heating up for the first time, and I'm just about to head to the torch. It's like preheating the oven to make cookies. (Cookies would be good, too.) The colorful rods of glass are laid out ready to be made into delightful creations - this is the best part of the day. Hey, maybe I'll have to start going to bed early and then getting up even earlier to make beads before my day job. I feel obsession coming on.