dillon designs

Fake Lomo-ing Martha's Vineyard

2008-10-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to Martha's Vineyard last week with my visiting friend Tori, and used the occasion to do a little bike tour and take some pictures. I really liked how some of them came out, so I decided to try out some fake Lomo techniques, and here are the results.

Next up: fake TTVs! :o)

Our Beadwork Montage

2008-08-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to finally try out onetruemedia, where you can use the photos in your Flickr stream (or anyplace else you have photos stored) to make a little montage, complete with customizable music! I've been hearing about some Etsy folks posting their montages to YouTube, so I decided to hop on another bandwagon.

I'm doing one of each collection, so here's the first, all about beads:

Front Page Madness

2008-08-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

It seems that when it rains, it pours when it comes to the Etsy front page. I've been on at least four times so far this month, which is not at all typical for me, and completely thrilling. Here's a sampling:

Face Your Manga

2008-08-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

After seeing all the nifty cartoon avatars that my Flickr pals were coming up with at faceyourmanga, I decided to give it a shot myself. And now I'm a little obsessed--it's really fun.

Here's what I came up with:

And here's my mom:

Ta da! Now it's Tori's turn. :o)

Another Thursday, Another Self-Portrait

2008-08-06T23:54:00.001-07:00

My Secret Identity

2008-08-05T10:29:00.001-07:00

Finally snagged a Treasury...

Simply Sentimental

2008-08-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Sydnei at Simply Sentimental for featuring our Damask ring today!

My first professional banner!

2008-07-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

After months of hemming and hawing, I finally came to the sad conclusion that our shop has outgrown my banner-designing abilities. I searched and searched through all the wonderful banner designers at Etsy, and, after seeing her work on the gorgeous banners of fringe and Leaves of Glass, I settled on Abby of Mavora. Abby designs the most gorgeous wedding invitations as well, and she is so talented! Within 48 hours, she had provided four designs to choose from, including these two finalists:

Each on was beautiful and exactly what I had hoped for (though couldn't quite articulate), but I settled on the one on the top.

If you decide to splurge and spruce up your shop, I highly recommend working with Abby!

Self Portrait Thursday

2008-07-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

...of the FUTURE!

Hee

2008-07-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

see famous look-a-like faces

New Stuff

2008-07-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

Just listed...

Butterfly

Vamp

Bloom

New Stuff

2008-07-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

Actually got it together to make and even list some new ring designs today:

Perch

Bird on the Run

Escape

Melissa - Vegan, Eco-Friendly Plastic Shoes

2008-07-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I'm late to the party, but I've just discovered Melissa shoes--a Brazilian company creating amazingly whimsical designs in recycled plastic. There's so much to love about the brand:

* Socially Responsible: high wages, extended benefits
* Cruelty free: no animal products at any stage of production
* Eco-friendly: 99.9% of factory water and waste is recycled, overstock styles are recycled into new styles

But none of that would count for much if the shoes weren't gorgeous, which they are! In addition to their own designs, Melissa has also partner with a bunch of different talents, from fashion designers like Vivienne Westwood to product designer Karim Rashid.

So wonderful, and they're affordable, too!

Swoon

2008-07-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

I've been watching alot of dvds lately (new to the area=I have nothing to do outside the house), including rewatching the original The Evil Dead. I love it so much!* And it totally reminded me of the wonders of Bruce Campbell. And he was never any finer than he is right here:

Except maybe here:

*this love does not extend to Evil Dead the Musical, which I sat through not once, but twice. They were serving shots in the aisles and I still had a miserable time.

Cape Cod Coyotes?!

2008-07-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

I have recently discovered that along with squirrels, chipmunks, and all manner of birds, I'm sharing the Cape with the Eastern coyote. At the risk of sounding dumb, I never knew there was such a thing! While I'm totally fascinated, and love the thought of much an interesting neighbor, I'm now obsessed with the idea that Nessa and Mugsy will soon become bite-sized puppy nuggets for them. According to a couple of my neighbors, sometimes the coyotes can be seen wandering the nature trails behind my house--where I walk the dogs. Suddenly I'm in the Wild West!

I've also just discovered the dismaying truth that the coyotes aren't thought of too kindly here and that there is an annual hunt...although apparently Massachusetts offers the most protection of the species (there are much bigger hunts in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont).

In any event, I really am kind of excited about this. Now I really, really want to see one!

Cape Cod Living

2008-07-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

If you've been past our Etsy shop in the past month or so, you know that we've been in the process of moving, which is hellacious. No one should ever move--wherever you are, my advice is to stay there forever.

But we're sorta, kinda, settled in-ish here in beautiful Cape Cod. And it really is ridiculously beautiful. I'm looking forward to getting truly settled so that I can explore some more, but we've gotten in the habit of hitting the South Cape Beach every couple of nights at dusk, which is amazing, and reminds us why we moved here in the first place.

Also, I've become addicted to grilling. I may never cook indoors again. I have a sad feeling that there are going to be many posts going forward about grilled food.

But it feels good to be getting back to normal business. And, as you can see above, Mugsy the monkey dog seems happy in the sun. :o)

Jewelry Party

2008-02-17T21:15:00.003-08:00

Here's the invite I dashed out for our first jewelry party this coming Sunday. I've never done one of these before, so I'm hoping it goes well!

Color Me Barista

2008-02-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

Monday's the big day...my very first day as a Starbucks PTer.

Full benefits! Full benefits! Full benefits!

As many Etsy forum readers know, I'm feeling a little funny about going from an actual career to serving coffee, but I'm trying really hard to stay positive and look at this as a fun adventure. With free coffee. :o)

Wish me luck!

Self Portrait Thursday - 2.14.08

2008-02-17T20:56:00.001-08:00

Kinda forgot to post this as I intended to on the actual Thursday, but here it is nonetheless. Sporting my first straight haircut in...7 years? 8?

Busy, busy

2008-02-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

Now that January is over, I am going to try to catch my breath a little. This has been a crazy, crazy month--326 sales! More than I sold in the previous 9 months combined!

So this is what the worktables look like here, 24 hours a day. Right now, we're trying to get some pieces together, not just for our pending orders, but also for a 2-day trunk sale this weekend at the awesome artez'n in Brooklyn. I'm planning on having roughly 6 billion rings there, and lots of wallpaper pendants and postage earrings. This is the plan.

Also in my plan--more blogging. But that has been in my plan before, and look how that turned out...

Etsy Front Page, 1.26.08

2008-01-26T22:43:00.000-08:00

Jewelry Party

2008-01-26T18:43:00.000-08:00

So, it looks like we'll finally be doing our first jewelry home show, and I'm so excited! I've been wanting to get into the whole home show thing for a while, but I haven't really known where to begin. So now I've got a great customer who is super-motivated to host the party, and now I need to figure out what sorts of games to play and all that fun stuff. If anyone has experience that they'd like to share, I'd love to hear it! :o)

Here's the promo piece that I designed (with the help of the Etsy Poster Sketch) to be sent out with the email invitations...

World Domination - First Stop: Israel

2008-01-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago, I was contacted by the fashion editor for Israel's largest news site, Nana, who wanted to do a story on us and our rings. The story's up now, and it looks really awesome, although I have no idea what it says. I hope it's flattering! :o)

Top Seller?????????????

2008-01-19T15:56:00.000-08:00

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Crafting 365 - Day 1

2008-01-15T06:41:00.000-08:00

Today I'm jumping into the Crafting 365 project on Flickr--committing to doing (and documenting) something crafty every single day. I'm a little intimidated by the idea, but I'm looking forward to the pressure kick-starting me on days when I'm feeling lazy...

Here's Day One--a special order that I just finished up and submitted for approval:

Fabulous Fabulous

2008-01-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Jill, who featured our rings in her adorable blog, Fabulous Fabulous. So exciting!

Rings!

2008-01-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

I've been having trouble getting online lately (no internet access yet in our new place), so I've been focusing instead on making, making, making! To wit--our new rings! I'm excited about these--I initially made them for the Bust Craftacular last month, and now we're finally selling them in our shop. Yay!

Finally Some New Stuff

2008-01-01T21:02:00.001-08:00

We've had to take a little break from our shop to get our house spiffed up and ready to sell, but now we're finally back and posting some new necklaces (with tons more to come).

Oaken

Vineyard

A Delicate Flight

Fly Away Home

Triomphe

Brass Ring

New Year, New Banner

2008-01-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

I made a new banner for our Etsy shop last night--what do you think? I thought it needed a little freshening up, but I'm never sure if I'm improving or not.

New

Old

Prepare Ye

2007-12-31T16:01:00.000-08:00

Just recently, Tori and I were lamenting the lack of a good musical to totally geek out with lately. We both have incredibly fond memories of seeing Jesus Christ Superstar, ...tick tick boom, and The Last Five Years over and over again, getting way too invested in the productions and the creative teams, and generally having fun getting all obsessive. I'm so ready for a show to completely, unhealthily fixate on again.

Which is why I was so excited to hear that Godspell is being revived! Godspell is such a weird show--it has some of the most rapturously gorgeous melodies of any pop musical, but man alive--it can be a cheesy mess. I LOVED the 2000 off-Broadway revival, but even that one, with its ridiculously talented cast (Chad Kimball, Leslie Kritzer, Shoshanna Bean, Barrett Foa, Capathia Jenkins, the dreamy Will Erat...) got a little overly jazz-handsy at times in its attempts to make the gospels groovy for the kids.

But you can't deny the beauty of that score, and the show can be fun at its best, so I'm hoping it can help reignite some of our dormant theatre-geek enthusiasm. Besides, since I tend to swoon over any actor who plays Judas in a musical (the weirdest and most niche-y of my predilections), I should at least come out of this with a new crush. :o)

A Handmade Christmas

2007-12-26T11:48:00.002-08:00

My mom and I usually exchange at least a couple of gifts that we've made for each other, and this year was no exception. Here's what she made me:

A dragonfly necklace of amethyst and sterling silver. I adore dragonflies, and this is probably the 5th or 6th dragonfly piece my mom has made for me over the years. It's so simple and pretty, I'll be able to wear it with anything.

And on the completely other side of the fence is this crazy charm bracelet! My mom loves to make things like this for me because she knows that she can never go too over-the-top for my tastes, so it's loaded with everything from my name and initials to tiny masks and arms and legs and jacks and keys--you name it! This is probably my favorite piece she's ever made me. :o)

(I've included lots of pics because it really needs to be seen from all angles)

Pounce Again!

2007-12-26T08:24:00.001-08:00

So, it's the day after Christmas (always depressing) and a Project Runway-free Wednesday (always super depressing), so I decided to Pounce around for a bit to cheer myself up. I don't know why Pounce is so addictive, since it's really just a reformatting of the same information I could always get from Time Machine 2, but I can't stop playing with it.

Anyway, as I was "Pounce Again"ing, I finally pounced myself! Yay! :o)

Attending the Tale of Sweeney Todd (spoilers abound!)

2007-12-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

Last night Tori and I went to see Sweeney Todd at the Ziegfield, the biggest “movie-house”-type theater in NY. Tori believes, and I concur, that all musicals should be seen here, and to be sure, we were in our element. Even the trailer for Mamma Mia (which looks like awesomely cheesy fun) drew hoots and cheers from most of those around us.

As for the movie—I loved it. I don’t know how else to put it. I was completely, ecstatically riveted right from the gorgeously thundering opening sequence. I went in with some trepidation—Sondheim is my favorite composer (by a mile) and Sweeney is my favorite of all, so I *really* didn’t want to see a bad movie version. Also, I’m usually disappointed by filmed musicals—I think so much of the power of a great musical is dependent upon the collective energy of the performers and the audience. And I’m bored with watching famous actors try to sing scores that are beyond them, when I know how many lesser-known performers can both act AND sing beautifully.

That said, the singing in Sweeney isn’t great, but it worked for me anyway (with one major exception, which I’ll get to in a minute). Johnny Depp brought such intensity to his vocals that it was almost beside the point that they were a bit thin and harsh. The characters with the “pretty” songs (Johanna and Anthony) had voices to match, but were duller than dirt, making grateful for the grittier performances, warts and all.

Which brings me to Helena Bonham Carter…first off, she’s a weak singer. But worse was that, she was a *dull* singer—a wispy voice with no power behind it, totally ill-suited for Mrs. Lovett, the least wispy character I can imagine. She’s also far too young and beautiful. And yet, I think I liked her performance overall. A lot. She’s the first Lovett I’ve seen who seemed truly affected by Toby, and by having to sacrifice him for Todd—including Toby in her “By The Sea” fantasies was a lovely touch. I’ve never felt anything close to sympathy for her before, and it added a nice layer here.

Johnny Depp, however, was perfect in nearly every way. I loved his ability to shift so effortlessly from snarling rage to melancholy vulnerability, I loved the ferocity with which he tore into his songs, I loved his physicality as he prowled like a caged animal. My only quibble was his humorlessness, which ruined “A Little Priest” for me—at this point, I prefer to have Todd showing some manic glee in his planning. The way it was played here, with Todd dourly making jokes he didn’t even seem to be aware of, didn’t work for me at all.

I liked Alan Rickman’s Judge Turpin quite a bit—just the right combination of sicko-sadist and pathetic old man—but was distracted by Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford. It was just too over-the-top and Igor-ish for me, and it didn’t meld with the rest of the movie.

But the real revelation was Sacha Baron Cohen as Senor Pirelli, a character I find incredibly tiresome onstage. Baron Cohen was amazing—hilarious when it was called for, and convincingly creepy and threatening when he switched gears. He also had a fine singing voice (at least, what could be found in his greatly abbreviated song).

I could go on and on, scene by scene, but I’ll spare you. I am just so thrilled and relieved that the combination of Sondheim and Tim Burton was as magical as I was almost afraid to hope it would be.

The World's Scariest Karaoke

2007-12-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

The other night Tori and I walked by Spotlight Live, the giant, shiny new(ish) karaoke place in Times Square, and the first thing we noticed was that the girls on stage were being projected Jumbo-Tron-style onto the side of the hotel across the street.

!

I really, really, really want to go. I do like to pretend that I'm a giant signing star, and what better way to indugle that fantasy than to be supported by actual backup singers and dancers (both of which this place has). They're having an American Idol-style contest for the next couple of weeks, and some masochistic part of me wants to enter SO BAD.

I think I need to be talked down from the ledge.

More Chistmas Shopping!

2007-12-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

I'm out of control--here are few more gifts I've snagged--so far, everything's been from Etsy:

For my brother:

A clipper-ship tie from toybreaker. He always has a hard time getting ties that are long enough (he's 6'5"), but they were nice enough to make this in an extra-long length for me.

For my aunt:

She's obsessed with all things Food Network, so I thought she's appreciate this French salt pig from Blue Sky Pottery. It's meant to hold sea salt on your stovetop so that you can just reach in for a pinch when you need it.

For my mom again:

This pretty print from jellybeans called Mother Daughter, for obvious reasons. :o)

And for me, dammit:

I bought myself these Fetish hairpins from Tilly Bloom a couple of weeks ago, and I love them so much! I hardly ever take them off--in fact, I even took a self-portrait where I had them on! Everything in Tilly's shop is amazing, but for some reason, these fat little birds just kill me.

Christmas shopping!

2007-12-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

Because of the move mentioned below, I haven't had alot of cash to spend on Etsy sprees lately, but I finally made some purchases that I'm so excited about!

For my mom:

Three goodies from Lollibomb: Body Butter in Warm Vanilla Bean and Almond Biscotti, and a Vanilla Sugar Scrub. I know she'll love these, since she went nuts for a sample size body butter that I recently got. Plus, they don't have palm oil, which is my mom's new thing (since harvesting for palm oil has decimated so much wildlife habitat), and finding things without it can be tough!

This gorgeous copper necklace with pressed maple seeds from tigerlillyshop.

And since she LOVES stilettoheights' work, I got her this box called She Was a Whisper of a Thing.

For Nessa the Chihuahua:

This adorable little Chihuahua pillow from bubbledog. Nessa's a bit of a princess, so she can always use another pillow. :o)

For my friend the Recently Converted Vegan:

This nifty vegan recipe zine from Kate Black. I need to get her something else, but I thought this would be a good start.

I still have lots more shopping to do--yay! :o)

Moving Woes

2007-12-15T07:21:00.001-08:00

I hate moving! My mom and I are planning to get out of this NJ condo that she's had for nearly ten years and move to (most likely) Cape Cod. I think it will be wonderful and great and all, but my god, moving is a bitch.

On the agenda today: touch-up painting and patching all through the house, caulking the two bathrooms, and dealing with my mom's bedroom, which currently looks like London after the Blitz, since we tore down her wallpaper and exposed...walls that should not have been exposed.

Sigh.

Just a little whining as I wait for my brother to arrive to help me out....

Harold Pinter Makes Me Stupid

2007-12-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

So last night Tori and I went to see The Homecoming on Broadway. I was super-excited about this, since it's been literally months since I've seen a show, and this looked to be a doozy--classic play by Pinter (to whom I've had zero exposure), dream cast (Ian McShane, Raul Esparza, my Imaginary British Boyfriend James Frain), fabulous director (Daniel Sullivan). I thought I'd be in heaven.

I was very wrong.

I'm not dumb, Tori's not dumb. We're both pretty well-read, we've seen far more theatre than the average person, and yet...we had no idea what the hell was going on. What starts out as a fairly naturalistic, if boring, family drama takes an absurd, surreal turn into something we just didn't get. When the show was over and I was still trying to determine if I'd actually just seen what I thought I'd seen, the women next to me started shouting "Brava" (seriously!). I have never felt like such a dolt in all my life. What on Earth were they so excited about?

I came home and Googled all night, reading essay after essay on why this play is such a grand masterpiece, and yet...I still couldn't really tell you what it was about. I'm stumped. I need to go see Legally Blonde so that I can start feeling like a smarty-pants again.

The moral of this story? If you see The Homecoming and immediately understand it, I don't want to hear about it.

Thank You For Some Thrilling Milestones

2007-10-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

We had something thrilling happen recently--our 200th Etsy sale. It was only late June that we decided to really put a full-time, daily push on Etsy success. At that time, we were looking forward eagerly to our 20th sale. I just can't believe the rate at which we've grown, and I can't express to everyone who has bought something from us how grateful we are.

Another goal that I had in June was to get into at least three brick and mortars--and we're now in more than 20 (I need to update our list at left). Again, this is all because of the wonderful customers and friends that we've gained since the summer, and I just wanted to say THANK YOU!!!!

Another Post About My Treasury Addiction

2007-10-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

In an obvious attempt to enable my problem, EtsyLabs has begun posting challenges to design front-page treasuries around a theme. Since they aren't making the front page (sob), I thought I'd share a couple of my entries here:

Housewarming Gifts:

Gifts for Girls, 8-11:

Friday Fandango - Bag Lust

2007-09-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my recent favorite Etsy bags--there seems to be a nature theme running, but that was not intentional...

Hollyhawk's leather Birdwatching pouch

Glossy Cactus Clutch by bonspielcreation

Wool Felt Cat Applique Wallet by bubbledog

The Snotty Bird Bag by littleoddforest

Butterfingers laptop wallet by workingclassheroes

And, just because I love her stuff so much, one more from Hollyhawk --leather Squid pouch

MOO Sale! Yay!

2007-09-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

We are completely addicted to our Moo cards--the little mini-business cards made from your own Flickr images. We use them as necklace tages, as well as regular old business cards. We've already run through two sets, so I was thrilled to see that they are having a birthday sale--25% Off all Mini Cards, using code BIRTHDAYMOO. I just ordered two more sets!

I then decided to use my savings to buy one of splatgirl's adorable Moo Pockets, so I can tote them around in style.

New Stuff - Earrings Edition

2007-09-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

I've been making a new type of earring--collaged copper and silver disks on long kidney earwires. I've been loving these earwires for months, but had troule coming up with just the right design for them:

ACEOs

2007-09-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

Since my love of all thing teeny tiny is no secret, I'm kind of surprised that it's taken me so long to get into ACEOs--Artist Cards, Editions and Originals. In case you're not familiar with them, they're little trading-card size artworks, which is just too fun. I've painted a bunch lately, and posted a few in my byDillon shop:

Tuesday...Tizzy?

2007-09-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

My glorious plan to post some Etsy favorites every Friday hit a snag, but since I'm back on the horse now, I figured I'd give it another go. So please to enjoy the Tuesday Tizzy, proud successor to the Friday Fandango.

Today I'm going to show off some sweet shyness:

Rose Mini Print by my unabashed favorite Etsy illustrator, askey.

Shy Boy and Shy Girl Wood Print by Menta.

Shy Goat by Danielle Anderson (aka dreadsky).

The Pensive Wallpaper print by Etsy superstar The Black Apple.

Shy by Belle and Boo.

I'm jealous of my own creations...

2007-09-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

...because they get to travel places I can only dream of! In just the past couple of weeks, I've had pieces going to Malta, Uzbekistan, Hawaii, London and a whole bunch to the handmade-loving folks in Australia!

I'm getting bitter and considering raising my shipping costs to include hand delivery. :o)

How cool is this???

2007-09-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

Monkeyzen, a Spanish shopping site, has featured our Lop the Bunny pendant. Our first bit of international press!

Since I am pathetically monolingual, I have no idea what they're saying about us, but I'm hoping it's nice. :o)

byDillon - Grand Opening!

2007-09-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today I can finally officially announce the grand opening of my new shop.

byDillon.etsy.com will feature paintings and prints and notecards and various other bits of art. I've got the first batch of prints up--stop by and take a look! :o)

Mea Culpa

2007-09-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

I have been really negligent with my blog the past couple of weeks, all because of my lingering computer virus problems. As some of you already, while the Geek Squad was working on my desktop, I was reduced to roaming around with my laptop, search for free WiFi. But now it's back, and it's hooked up, and it actually works! So I'll be posting much more regularly now.

Yay!

Friday Fandango - Robots in Love

2007-08-24T10:37:00.001-07:00

After compiling a list of Etsy favorites as long as the Mississippi, I've decided to start featuring them here, so, ta da--it's the inaugural Friday Fandango.

Today, I'm going to show off a few of my favorite robots. I don't know what it is about a robot in love that puts a smile on my face, but here are some of the sweetest offenders:

Happy Robot and Heart print from Gadgetgirl.

Bambot's First Spring from Bampop.

Loves Me Not Robot Postcards from threedogparty.

Two Plus Yarn Equals Love cards from Bamboo Village Supply.

Prints and Cards are Coming

2007-08-23T14:25:00.001-07:00

Since I've had some inquiries about it, I've decided to make some prints and cards of my drawings and illustrations--both the realist ink stuff that I use in our jewelry and some of my painted illustrations, as well. I'm still pulling things together, but a grand opening of a new Etsy shop is on the way.

Here's a taste of what to expect...

Thanks to DiDiGal Decor

2007-08-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

The lovely and sweet Danielle from DiDiGalDecor was kind enough to feature us in her blog this week--so a great big thank you to her! :o)

Hairpins

2007-08-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today I posed a bunch of our new hairpins, which are little fabric buttons with beaded embellishments. I think they look pretty cute.

It's Official--We Are Totally Cute

2007-08-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

I was very excited to learn today that the fabulous indie shopping site Cuteable has decided to feature us!

Yay!

DillonDesignsOnline

2007-08-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I've been updating my blog...ahem...sporadically. Part of the reason is that once my computer partially recovered from its tragic illness, I tried to put a real push on to get our flagship website up and running. I bought the URL ages ago, and I've been trying to figure out the best way to utilize it. So, ta da:

DillonDesignsOnline.com

It's nothing fancy, and some of the sections need to be fleshed out yet, but it's at least live and coherent.

Yay!

dD on Trunkt

2007-07-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Do you know about Trunkt? It's a recently revamped and relaunched "art and design collective made up of talented painters, graphic designers, fashion accessories, apparel and home accents designers and other creative entrepreneurs that make a living from their artistic skills."

Basically, it's a juried collection of artist profiles, and now I've got one, which is kind of exciting. You can take a look here. Drop a note in my guestbook, and--should you feel so inclined--rate my profile. But...only if you like me. :o)

2007-07-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a good example of an over-dependence on technology: my computer has developed a nasty virus and I am completely beside myself, panicking like a lunatic. There are pop-ups, well...popping up by the dozens, totally clogging everything up and slowing everything down. I've been virus-scanning, spyware-scanning, scanning everything for going on two days now.

This is one depressing development.

2007-07-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

I've created a batch of new pendants printed with wallpaper patterns and accented with charms and the like. They're each about 2" x 2". I've decided to offer them without any chain or cord--we'll see how that goes...

For the Weirdos...

2007-07-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

My new Etsy Treasury:

Boro Berries Necklace Series

2007-07-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

The "mom" half of this mom-and-daughter operation has been busy busy with her beading. She recently acquired some borosilicate lampwork beads that are just gorgeous. Since they kind of look like berries on the vine, she's strung them with tiny silver leaves, and voila--the Boro Berries Limited Edition Necklace Collection! Here are the first few examples, with more to come:

Paint the Mona Lisa

2007-07-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, I shamelessly stole this from Etsy's blog, but I thought it was amazing enough to share--paint the Mona Lisa with Microsoft Paint:

Wooooo

2007-06-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

Snagged another Treasury--this one is inspired by my love of houses as a decorative motif.

Back from vacation, laden with stuff

2007-06-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have left this blog hanging so long, but I've been off celebrating my birthday in Hyannisport for a week, which was wonderful, but far too short.

While we were there, we found a really great stamping and scrapbooking store called Colorful Creations, which had the best selection of gorgeous papers and embellishments I've ever seen in one place. We went insane there, and should be posting the fruits of our labors very soon--we've got some really neat new ideas cooking, and we'd better start selling them soon to make back some of our splurging. :o)

One of my favorite new toys is the UTEE Melting Pot. You can embellish the hell out of pretty much everything with this thing, and I'm planning to make it a big part of our new line. Has anyone been using one of these? They're kind of exciting in their limitless...ness.

c * o * l * o * r

2007-06-16T19:33:00.001-07:00

We're going to be introducing a new line of shrinky-dink earrings soon, called the Mobiles, so I thought I'd share some of the initial photos here. I've decorated each of the shrinky charms with watercolors and stamps, and then hung them with some fabulous vintage resin beads.

I love the way these look, if I do say so myself. They are just the sort of colorful bits of whimsy that never fail to draw my eye. I hope they're not too over-the-top for people who...aren't me. :o)

Dillon Designs in Chicago

2007-06-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

More retail news--our designs can now be found in the Midwest!

Specifically, at Habit, a Chicago boutique dedicated to promoting emerging design talent. It's completely fab and swanky, and we're so excited to be there!

Shadowy Figures

2007-06-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

It's been weeks, but I finally snagged another Etsy Treasury--I picked a silhouettes theme for this one...

Candy Plum

2007-06-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

Starting next week, our necklaces can be found at Candy Plum in Astoria, an adorable boutique that fosters new and emerging clothing and accessories designers.

Yay!

Brooklyn Indie Market, Saturday June 9

2007-06-02T09:36:00.001-07:00

We'll be back at the Brooklyn Indie Market next Saturday, June 9th with tons of new pieces. We had a great time there last month, so we're hoping for more of the same. The market is open from 11-7, and it's located at Smith and Union Street in Cobble Hill.

Serimony

2007-06-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

dillon designs can now be found at our very first local location--Serimony in Brooklyn. This is an adorable little shop full of handmade goods, along with gorgeous blockprinted cards and custom stationary made by the owner, Karen. I just delivered a dozen necklaces there yesterday, and I'm thrilled that we're joining the other great lines there--especially Triggerhappy, whose jewelry I LOVE.

birds birds birds

2007-05-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

We've decided to expand one of our new collections--Above the Treetops--with lots and lots of new bird items. Here are a few of the new designs:

New Custom Order

2007-05-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of a new custom necklace order that's going out today--is this the cutest dog or what? Look at that smile!

This Saturday @ TheMarket NYC

2007-05-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, 5/26, we'll be exhibiting in Nolita at TheMarket NYC--aka The Young Designers Market--at 268 Mulberry Street, btwn Houston and Prince. The show runs from 11am to 7pm.

This will be our first time there, so fingers and toes are crossed...

Thanks to Blooming Lily!

2007-05-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Laurie Warshawsky for featuring us today on Blooming Lily, her fabulous blog on style, fashion, jewelry and beauty. She picks such wonderful artists to feature, so we're honored to be in their company.

Laurie's an amazing jewelry designer in her own right--be sure to check out her site Elle-A-Belle for some of the most vibrant, lovely beaded designs we've seen.

Carmen, Venus and Pablo

2007-05-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Before I leave, I just had to post some info about Carmen, Venus and Pablo--three Chihuahuas that were recently born without their two front legs. As you may know, my mom and I have out own Chihuahua, Nessarose, with the same affliction--she only has her two back legs.

These three little guys have been getting lots of press lately--probably because they are so flipping adorable--and they're a great reminder of what can happen when breeders get careless and greedy.

I wish I could take all three of these guys. They're currently at the North Shore Animal League in Long Island, but I'm sure with all the attention, they'll be off to a wonderful home soon!

You can see a video of them here. It's eerie for me to watch it, because they look so much like Nessa!

Off To The Cape

2007-05-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

This whole week me, my mom and the pups are going to be in Cape Cod for our yearly getaway. There has been so much to do before we can leave--lots of deadlines all at once--that I feel like we are really going to need the break. It will still be kind of a busman's holiday, since I'm planning to get alot of new designs completed while we're there, but it will be a lot less hectic and much, much prettier. :o)

Songbirds

2007-05-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

We seem to be really loving birds around here these day, with these new songbird earrings the latest product to show for it.

Stitch Markers

2007-05-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some new stitch markers that we're preparing to send out to Magpie tomorrow:

They're a little different for us, since I used watercolors on them. But I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. :o)

1,000 Jewelry Details

2007-05-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

I am so, so, so excited to report that we're going to be in a book! Our bulldog and terrier pendants have been selected for an upcoming book (tentatively) called 1,000 Jewelry Details from Rockport/Quarry Press. Apparently the focus of the book is unusual techniques and materials, so I thought our shrinky-dinks might fit the bill. So now we're sending out the contract and the pieces to be photographed tomorrow!

To give an idea of what the book will be like, here's the first in this series, which was released last month:

I really can't believe what an exciting whirlwind of a month we've been having!

Earrings

2007-05-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

We just completed some new earrings that I really like. We're not actively promoting these yet, since we've got a bunch going out wholesale that we're desperately trying to get done. But here's what they look like, at any rate. Available soon.

Thanks to MissMalaprop.Com

2007-05-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that MissMalaprop chose to feature our custom pet portrait necklaces on her wonderful site.

If you haven't already seen it, you should check out MissMalaprop. It's run by Mallory, a great clothing and accessories designer from New Orleans. The site is dedicated to promoting indie designers, as well as environmentally sound living and the current state of the Gulf Coast.

Oh, Etsy Treasuries

2007-05-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

They are my new addiciton. Well, not that new.

Maybe it's their elusiveness that sucks me in, or the chance to play curator, or just the excuse to distract myself from work searching for cool items, but I whenever I see a chance to snag a treasury, I am on it.

Sometimes I like a nice narrative theme, sometimes an object theme, or, like my brand-spanking-new one, a color theme. This one was inspired by my friend Tori's purple and orange apartment.

Collaboration

2007-05-08T04:56:00.000-07:00

I've just started the first stages of my first jewelry collaboration with a really wonderful artist--Jenny Vorwaller of Queensthings. I've really admired her beautiful narrative jewelry collections for some time now, so it's incredibly exciting to be working with her. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

Gen Art

2007-05-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I'm so jazzed about Mintd is because my store there apparently brought us to the attention of Gen Art, an arts organization "dedicated to showcasing emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists." They recented featured one of our Octopus necklaces on their blog. So exciting!

Cute Dogs Have Nothing to do with Jewelry

2007-05-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

...but I don't care. I volunteered this weekend at the Dog Walk Against Cancer in Riverside Park here in New York, and I found this guy--The Cutest Pug Ever:

Can you stand it? I watched him for a good long time, and that tongue never went back into his mouth!

Mintd

2007-05-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

Not to take anything away from Etsy, which is truly peerless, Mintd--the new Australian site whose motto is Shop, Style, Sell--is officially my new obsession. The site is new, with dozens of great new sellers--many coming from Etsy--opening shop every day, so this is an exciting time to be joining them. I haven't had much sales activity, but in the few weeks that I've had my store there, I've made some great connections and garnered more attention than I have in all my time on Etsy. I'm really thrilled with it, and I'd love to spread the word a bit.

Although initially confusing, I'm really enjoying the design and feel of the site, and I'm having a lot of fun with some of their features. I highly recommend checking it out.

Woo hoo!

2007-05-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

I am so, so thrilled that we received our first bit of indie blog attention from a site that I really love--...anything indie.com.

This is a wonderful site devoted to promoting indie artists, run by a fabulous indie jewelry maker. Check out her own Mintd store.

Our new blog

2007-05-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping third time's the charm--this is the blog that I'm intending to regularly update. This time I mean it! :o)

Welcome!