This year’s February (versus August) Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia was full of crazy travel stories and talk about the weather.  The artists near my booth at the show were from places such as Dallas, Portland, Baltimore and Santa Fe.  Other artists came from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii.

The market wrapped up this past Monday and after several days of hard work I splurged on some jewelry for myself!  Take a look at what I’m coveting now:

Caviar Ring by Stubborn Jewelry

Stubborn is by Melissa Stiles, a former architect who currently lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two daughters and her admittedly scary looking dog!

I particularly liked this ring as it’s something that I would never make myself, it looks great on and adds a great pop of color to whatever I’m wearing.

I was weak and got two pieces from Cynthia Jones Jewelry.  Cynthia lives in Santa Fe and creates lovely metal pieces in sterling silver, gold fill and copper.  I love the brushed oxidized sterling silver pieces in her collection as well as these powder-coated copper rings (had to get one for myself!).

Take a look at the brushed, oxidized sterling silver “feather” earrings (love!)

You can help empower women in developing countries. How? By joining the women of Nest for an evening of mingling, shopping and drinks at Coffee Bar in San Francisco on June 3rd.

Event Details

When :: Wednesday, June 3rd from 6:30 – 9:00pm
Where :: Coffee Bar in San Francisco | corner of Florida & Mariposa.(map)
Who :: the San Francisco board of Nest, founder Rebecca Kousky, local designers & you!

$10 suggested donation

Looking forward to meeting you and sharing our cause. Email us with any questions, RSVP, or just say hello at sf@buildanest.com.

Can’t make it but still want to contribute? Learn more about Nest and donate to our cause here.

Mashka was kitty-corner across the aisle from me at the Buyers Market of Arts & Crafts in Philadelphia.  We had a great time chitchatting and sharing information during some slow moments at the show.  Before her recent move to Philadelphia,  Mashka and her husband were based in New York.  Along with being a jewelry designer, Mashka has a background as a buyer as well as an MBA in marketing — two good things to have when doing the trade show circuit!

Some of Mashka’s new designs include paisley motifs (see image above) in various combinations of brushed sterling silver, vermeil & oxidized sterling silver.  I was lucky enough to end up with a pair of my own.

Roselle Ellison was the artist next to me at the Appel & Frank show in San Diego this weekend — how lucky am I? Her adorable crocheted angora and wool bunnies and chicks are the perfect pets for my busy, urban life — I got three of them!

These creatures need to find their way to Japan where people would go nuts for them.

You can find LA BÊTE Handmade products at the LA BÊTE etsy shop, Atomic Garden in Oakland, CA and Soul Shine in Del Mar, CA.

I got these two:

and a little wool bunny.

The weather was perfect for Feria Urbana’s event at the Oakland Museum last night as some of us were outside! A loyal customer, Lorena Bathey, author of Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother stopped by with a friend from Oakland Magazine (taking pictures, so maybe we’ll be in the next issue?).

I also got to chat with some great people — Monique of Gypsies and Lords, Andrea Oda of Dreams and Jewelry, and Molly of molly m designs. They are all inspiring designers — check out their sites!

My friend Joy of Joy O Designs is sharing a store with several other designers in the Mission District of San Francisco. The shop, Studio 3579 opened recently with Priya Saraswati, the clothing designer responsible for Saffron Rare Threads (her clothes are absolutely gorgeous), Joy Opfer of Joy O Designs, and Hannah Stouffer of Grand Array (art, accessories and home decor). The shop is appropriately located at 3579 17th St. @ Dolores. Stop by and say hi to them!

They (Studio 3579) were featured in Daily Candy today — very exciting! And I also spotted Joy’s designs in the August issue of InStyle Magazine…go Joy!