Nerd Alert: Daft Punk Helmet in 17 months

As some of you may know my husband is a tech freak.  If there is anything new going on in the world of computers, electronics, cars, engineering, you name it, he knows about it.  I on the other hand am not one  who keeps up with technology, so I rely on him for all the latest nuggets of important info.  Last week he shared this video with me from the Gizmodo blog, and I thought it was just too amazing to pass up.  Although it's not your typical "hand made" project, it is hand made none the less, and the amount of dedication to his craft this guy demonstrates is pretty amazing:

 

See the more about the process on the Volpin Props blog.

What's the longest you've ever spent on a hand made project?

love, em

Art Studios on My Mind

When getting ready for a show I go into whirlwind jewelry making mode.  My studio often becomes trashed as I search for what I need, and ends up in an utter mess after all is said and done.  One of my main goals before the end of the summer is to get my studio all neat and clean, decorated, and also get a large table built so I can do screen and relief printing again.  However with three weddings in the next month, and lots of jewelry orders to catch up on, my time and energy is occupied elsewhere.  So for now I'll day dream and check out these awesome art studios:

From Natasha's Art Candy.  Look at the organization here.  Jealous!

from design sponge.  Functional and beautiful print space.  Loving the colors.

from apartment therapy.  Bright natural light and lots of shelves for storage.

from charm city craft mania.  A work space and office all in one.  Plus the colors, holy cow!

Hope you've enjoyed these fun studios.  They really motivate me to get my own space together and allow my creativity to flow in an uncluttered and stress free work environment. 

Ric Rac Wrap-up

The Ric Rac Roundup was a total success this weekend, well minus the last 15 minutes where there was a down pour as we were packing up.  I love meeting the people who love and buy my work face to face.  However I went a little nuts this year and made so much work that I have plenty leftover to spread around.  I'll be adding new items to the Etsy store and sending some on over to bon bon.  Here's a sneak peek:

Happy Birthday Marissa!

 I've been pretty lucky in my life to have really great friends, and been able to keep them throughout the years.  For me my friends are so very important and it's a great feeling to be able to hang out with someone you knew when you were 14, that still embraces who you were, and at the same time who you've grown to be.  You know like a family...

One such friend for me is the lovely Ms.Marissa.  We met freshman year of high school, and have been together ever since.  Today's her birthday, and I wish her a happy one.  Love you girl!

Sophomore year of high school

With our dates at Junior Prom.  

Halloween 2009

June 2010   

For the Love of Flowers: Andy and Joanna Part II

 I can honestly say that every time I do a wedding it is my best to date.  Practice makes perfect, plus it always helps when you have an amazing selection of flowers (thanks Cutts).  It also helps when the bride and all her wedding party is made up of your beautiful friends.  Enjoy Joanna and Andy's Wedding Part II, with some professional photos this time around courtesy of the talented Allison Garrett:

New from emmy-ray: Origami rings

Hey loves, we're in super high gear over here at the studio making lots of new goodies for the Ric Rac Roundup.  I've made about 50 new pieces of jewelry this week, some of them are enameled with original designs, some are assembled from vintage components, but what I really want to show you today is some new rings that I created.  Awhile ago I was experimenting with embedding different things in resin and these rings are some of the results.  They're fun, adjustable, durable, and best of all inexpensive for you!  I'll be selling them for just $10 a piece at the Ric Rac Roundup this Saturday in Westport.  

  

Hitting the Jackpot: A Boatload of Vintage Jewelry

Hello loves, and happy Tuesday.  I just wanted to take a moment to day and share my good fortune with all of you.  Last week I was lucky enough to be able to purchase a huge amount of vintage jewelry for an amazing price.  Laura contacted me earlier this month saying that she had a bunch of vintage jewelry to sell in "good" condition.  I decided to meet up with her to see what she had, and was amazed by not only the quality, but also the amount of stuff she had.  I made off with about 50 pieces, but she still had more.  I'm so excited to get to work re-vamping some of these pieces.

Monkey Business: A Baby Shower for Peanut

This weekend Claudia, me, and both our moms threw a baby shower for my cousin Angela.  She is due in August and going to have a baby girl, and while the name is top secret, they call her "Peanut" for now (and probably forever).  Mama to be told us her nursery is lavender and monkeys, so we ran with that theme for the shower.  There were friends and family to celebrate, games, and lots of adorable gifts.  We're all so excited to meet our little "Peanut". 

 

My mom who is also Angela's godmother made tons of delicious lemon and chocolate cupcakes.  Yum!

 

Claudia came all the way from Chicago to co-host. 

 

Banner I made to match the little ones nursery.

 

Congratulations Angela and John!

Ric Rac Roundup is Coming!

 

I've been pretty ridiculous for not posting anything about the upcoming Ric Rac Roundup, especially since I am very honored and excited to be participating amongst this list of vendors.  What's the Ric Rac Roundup you might ask?  It's an outdoor art and craft event featuring work from Kansas City artists, designers, and indie businesses.  Created by the lovely Betsy and Emily of bon bon atelier, this years show will feature work from the following talents:

Andrea Yates, Betsy Lemon, Stir Designs, Craftboy, Sike Style, Fresher than Fresh Snow Cones, Bebe and Alice, Samantha Kuykendall, Folded Pigs, Lusterbunny, Glazed Earth, Early Jewelry, Aunt June, Sodapop, Dirty Laundry, Oddly Correct, The Modern Logger, Emetalworks, Hammerpress, Seek Design, Oven Luvin', and of course yours truly! 

I've been working hard to create brand new goodies for the event, and I hope everyone loves them as much as they did last year.  Find out more about each of these vendors on the Ric Rac Roundup Blog, and I hope to see you there! 

Vintage Collections: Raise a Glass

Hello loves.  Sorry for my absence these past few days.  I've been playing catch up on work after my trip to Springfield.  I'm also working on some fun projects for a baby shower for my sweet cousin Angela this Saturday.  

However I did get a wild hair the other day and decided to pull all my vintage glassware out of the basement.  It's no secret to anyone that knows me that since I discovered flea markets many a year ago, I've developed an intense love for vintage dish ware.  It was getting a little bit ridiculous for a few years there, my husband and family still tease me about it to this day.  I bought some of them because they were just to charming to pass up, but others I intended to sell.  Just take a peek, I'm sure you'll see the appeal:

 

 

   

 Starting today I will be listing a few of these sets in my Etsy store.  I love all of them but unfortunately I just don't have the space to keep or use them all.  So if you're looking for some super cute glasses, keep your eyes peeled and buy from emmy-ray!

Headin' down south...Springfield, MO

I spent the weekend in Springfield, MO.  Catching up with friends from college is never anything but a good time, and it made me a bit nostalgic for those days.  Although I am amazingly blessed in my current life, I can't help but miss my friends from college that I don't get to see very often.   One other thing I also miss, the flea markets.  Springfield has a ridiculous concentration of them.  I found what my Sage referred to as "the holy grail" of milk glass vases which I am collecting for some future weddings, and I'll share with you later this week.  Score!  

On my note of nostalgia I thought I'd post some old college pics for a few reasons 1) It's fun to look back and 2) I shamefully didn't take many of them while I was in town.  But I got to see all of these peoples faces for a few days and that's the most important part of my trip.  

 

 

  

Thanks for joining me on my quick trip down memory lane.  What did you do this weekend?