Labor Day

Yesterday was a really sweet day. I have discovered that having a creative business can be so wonderful because I am able to let my mind wander and daydream and design and create, but that can also be one of the downsides at times. I have been finding lately that for my husband (owner and head chandler of Mr. B's Luminaries) and I, it has been hard for us because of that. Our minds are constantly reeling with ideas and thoughts and to do lists and it is hard to shut that part of our thinking off so that we can unwind and rest. Yesterday, we had a quiet and peaceful family day celebrating Labor Day by choosing to purposefully rest from all labor. As we journey on in our endeavors, I hope we will learn how to better find that balance between family and work time. I am thankful that in those times when we labor and feel heavy laden, we can come to Jesus and find rest, and He is faithful to give it every time.

Summer Collection...Finally

Hello! The summer collection has been out for a little while and I just realized that I meant to post some photos of the pieces on the blog for you all to see. So, without further adieu, here they are (and looking lovely, I might add).

Visit the shop to see all the pieces in detail!

A hello and update

This summer has been busy busy, hence the lack of posts here. Allow me to share what we have been up to:

In late June our second child, a sweet little daughter, was born and we are so in love with her but also so consumed with adjusting to life with two little ones.

The summer collection was launched and I couldn't be happier with it. It wasn't released as soon as I had hoped, but considering that I got it finished and photographed and up online in the midst of full term pregnancy with toddler running around and then a newborn baby feels like a great accomplishment. The pieces are amazing and  you can check out the full collection here.

Our darling son turned 2 and is a full blown toddler. We love him so much and while I wouldn't say that the twos have proven to be "terrible", he is a handful. But he is our gift from God and I am happy to be his momma.

My husband, a chandler and the man behind the wonderful candle company Mr. B's Luminaries was able to participate in the wonderful Unique LA show and has been developing some amazing new scents and has some great new vessels coming out in the next few months.

The Yeomen, a band comprised of my husband and his dear friend had their debut performance of their amazing set "The Life and Death of James McKinley" at a house show that encompased all the sweet things of summer: music, friends, outdoors, gathering on blankets in the grass, crisp lemonade, and little ones running all around.

Flea Market Find

I have to say that I am very excited about the direction that I will be taking with the upcoming jewelry collections. I will be incorporating as many vintage/previously used beads as possible. This is not to cut down on material costs, but to cut down on waste.

The more I journey on in the world of designing and creating jewelry, the more I see that there is so much waste in regards to materials. There is an abundance of supplies available already to be used that come from previously discarded pieces or left over from other designs. I just know that I want to be considerate in regards to what I am producing, and the prospects of the future of this really excite me.

I was just at the flea market in my hometown and picked up the beads above beads for some future designs, including those beautiful green gemstone beads on the top right. 

Ethics in Jewelry Making // Part 2

Environmental Impact of Precious Metals and Gemstones

The impact that mining of these materials has on the environment should not go overlooked. 

I mentioned in a previous post that in regards to the newer collections of pieces, you wont see much, or any at all, materials that are made of sterling silver or gold. A while back, I was prompted through a book I was reading to question where some of the materials that I was using or was planning on using were coming from. This inquiry led me to read more about the impact of mining gold and silver, along with precious gemstones, can have on the environment. One article that I read that I found particularly helpful in my understanding was one written by Doug Guthrie entitled "The Environmental Impact of Mining Precious Metals and Gemstones: The Case for Putting Jewelry Back into Circulation". The full article can be found here (it isn't too long and is worth the read for anyone interested in more details).

Of the many things discussed, here are some of the things that stood out to me:

• On average, it takes 20 tons of mine waste to produce one ounce of gold.
• In addition to that, the amount of gold that can be found within ore (the rock that bears the gold) is decreasing, meaning that it now takes more mining and waste to produce the amount of gold it did in the past.
• Chemicals are required to process and refine the precious metals, and these chemicals, including mercury and cyanide to name a few, can then leech into the environment, causing contamination.
• Many of these mines exist in sensitive ecosystems. Although some mining companies have the intent of restoring the land after they are done mining in that area, it usually is ineffective and the land is forever marred. 

These are just a few of the many reasons that I do not use precious metals or gemstones in the pieces I create. The good news is that there are those in the jewelry industry that are recognizing this problem as well, and are using recycled gold, silver, and gemstones to make their work. I will in fact soon be designing a small collection that incorporates 100% sterling silver wire. I am really looking forward to sharing it with you.

Fun Little Photoshoot

We got to have a photoshoot with a lovely lady and friend, Sarah. Isn't she a gem?! Check out the Etsy shop for more detailed photos and descriptions of each necklace. 

Ethics in Jewelry Making // Part 1

Some of you may have noticed that the new jewelry designs on the website do not have any precious metal or gemstone materials.  And the previous collection included a few elements of them here or there, but it was very limited.

 

In designing, I want to create pieces that are beautiful to look at and an enjoyment to wear. I think that the beauty of a piece is more that what we see, it also includes how a it was created and what materials were used. A jewelry piece may be beautifully designed, but if it is made of materials that were collected in a way that is harmful to the environment and was further processed in by individuals who are being treated in an unethical or harmful work environment, then that’s not very beautiful in my mind.

Over the past months I have been leaning more about the issue of ethical sourcing in regards to jewelry designing. The further on I go, the more I have been striving to be thoughtful about the supplies that I am incorporating into the designs.

Earth day is April 22^nd, and in honor of that, I hope to share more details with you in regards to this subject. Check back soon or follow this blog to make sure you don’t miss any of these important posts in the near future.

Currently I'm...

I just saw this list posted on someone’s pinterest page and I thought it would be a nice little way to give you an update on life right now. I tried to answer with the first thing that came to mind.

Currently I’m…

Reading…the Bible and Martha Stewart Living

Playing…with my son often. Today it was fetch with lots of tickling

Watching…a little of this and a little of that. Downton Abbey was the only regular.

Trying…to not gain as much weight as I did with the last pregnancy.

Cooking…lots of soups while I can before the weather heats up too much.

Eating…everything in sight, or at least it feels that way. Which is somewhat in contradiction to the goal above

Drinking…lot’s of hot tea with my husband

Calling…not very many people back on time, I’m going to go ahead and blame it on pregnancy brain

Texting…more often than calling, which I don’t want to do yet the convenience of it is so overwhelming

Pinning…some cool stuff.  Check out my pinterest page and you’ll find out.

Tweeting…nothing. Tweeter, or I mean Twitter, confuses me.

Crafting…handmade jewelry pieces. Check out the website for the latest

Scrapping…nothing. I’ve never gotten into the whole scrapbook thing.

Doing…not as much as I would like to during the day. I think that’s going to be the new norm, especially with the arrival of the little lady.

Going…on lots of family walks around the neighborhood

Loving…the feeling of baby moving and somersaulting. What a miracle that God has created.

Hating…my propensity to apathy and just gong through the motions in my relationship with Jesus.

Discovering…that motherhood is more challenging that I thought, but also such an incredible joy and gift.

Enjoying…sweet one on one time with my son

Thinking…about all of the things I would like to get done today and won’t, but I am okay with that

Feeling…so loved by those around me

Hoping (for)…a healthy birth and baby

Listinening (to)…Wesley Randolph Eader and Josh White, both from Door of Hope in Portland.

Celebrating…another day

Smelling…fresh brewed coffee

Thanking…my mother in laws keen eye. Just this very second she walked in with the tiniest baby box turtle she found in the street.  My childhood self has kicked in and I have already asked if we can keep him and am thinking of a name.

Considering…naming him Harvey.

Finishing…the week with food from one of our favorite places to eat and then a girl’s movie night with a really good friend. It’s gonna be good!

Starting… to get really excited about my new best friend Harvey.

Four Four Eyes!

Hello to all. Its time to help me decide which new pair of glasses to select. Please comment and let me know which number you like, or let me know if you think they are all ghastly and I need some new choices. Thanks for the input!

And while your here, don't forget to show me some love by signing up to follow the blog. I am going to be making some posts soon about ethics in jewelry making, and they are worth reading.

So without further adieu here's what you've been waiting to see...

Weekend Recap

Here’s a wonderful recap of the good ‘ol weekend. You know, that thing when Friday comes around and you get to relax and go to bed early (okay okay, most people don’t do that but the hubs and I loooove an early bed time) and sleep in and have some leisure time? Wait, that wasn’t how my weekend started at all. But suffice it to say, it was actually really great.

We, meaning the masterful chandler and owner of Mr. B’s Luminaries (aka my darling husband), and I had the opportunity to participate in the Common Goods Urban Market put on by Warby Parker and Invisible Children. 

That being said, all of Friday was spent trying to get everything together while Shem was at work. I started off with errands in the morning, feeling proud for being out early with the little man in tow. I went to kinkos to get something printed but found out I didn’t have it in the right format. I was really bummed because I had to maximize my day and going home and coming back sounded like a poor option. So, I decided I would make Shem do it after work. Fast forward a few hours. I decided to make another go of kinkos because it would be really great to get it done. Well, ha ha ha jokes on me. I get there and although I thought I saved it in the right format, this time the new file was nowhere to be found. I left feeling embarrassed, discouraged, and my emotional pregnant self even shed a few tears.  It was way tougher on me that is sounds like it should have been. So I had a stop at Wal-Mart to make and decided to drown my sorrows in the wonderful chocolate-y goodness on a stick;

Well, I regrouped and started working on something else. The husband came home,  surprise latte in hand (swoon) and then offered to go to kinkos (I couldn’t face a failure a third time) and returned successful and with surprise dinner in hand. Did I mention I love him?

The rest of the night was spent working away while the boys watched Beauty and the Beast. I am pretty sure Abe wasn’t as into is as his dad was…

Come 2am I called it quits and we work up bright and early the next day. The show was so great and there were so many other talented artists there that we were able to connect with. AND Invisible Children and Warby Parker each sent us home with goodies!

Oh, and Saturday we ended the evening with watching the movie Groundhog Day (a family tradition) with some dear friends. If you don’t like every movie line quoted to you 10 seconds before and after it happens then it was a good things you weren’t there.

Sunday was filled with much needed r & r. and we closed out the night with a little Downton Abbey and homemade banana-chocolate-pb shakes. The best thing ever, especially if you know the secret ingredients…

Hope your weekend was a good one!

Andy Goldsworthy

I would like to introduce you (if you haven't been already) to the beauty and genius that is Andy Goldsworthy. Here are a few teasers. I think the pictures say better than I can why I appreciate his work so much.

Wabi-sabi?

I would like to say that I have a strong admiration for people who have computer design skills. Or just computer skills in general I think. I decided to use the collage that I made of my ispirations for the Inaugural Collection but wanted to add some text to it. The result may not seem very impressive, but I am so proud of it. It took me a long time to do it, and as I am looking at it now I am realizing that the top word it a little off center from the rest. Oh boy. Instead of fixing it I am going to just embrace wabi-sabi and keep it. And maybe leave next time up to these amazing professionals:

MK Cook

Cody and Chelsea Creative

Ben Weiland

Spring/Summer 2013 Inspirations

I am really excited to be working on the pieces for the spring/summer collection. It is ironic that I am planning this collection with warm, coastal, island-y inspirations on my screen while it is so so chilly outside. Usually I want to relish in the cold bundle-up weather as much as possible, but this year I am really looking forward to a sunny California summer. And perhaps its because I have been staring at the screen looking at my inspirations for the next collection...

Happy New Year!

Well friends, 2013 has come! As I look back on the past year, there are so many exciting things that my family and I were able to be apart of. We were able to continue to be able to watch our son grow and in August he turned a year old. In June we were blessed with two wedding trips. First to Florida for my sister’s small intimate wedding with family and then to Scotland for the wedding of our wee friends Chris and Ali.  In November another wedding came with the joining of my dad with his new bride.  Towards the end of the year is when we found out the exciting news that we are expecting our second child!

2012 also brought some other exciting, and at times challenging, adventures for us. Shem started a second music album with our good friend (who is also a very talented producer) and it is sounding amazing so far! Shem and I also decided to take the leap and venture out into the world of creative businesses and we launched our websites right before the holidays:

www.mrbsluminaries.com

www.laragott.com

As I am looking back now over the year, looking at photos of my young son just learning to scoot around on his tummy, I am so thankful for all of the days that my family and I have had together. We didn't have one day where we lacked food or water or shelter or company with loved ones. I am very thankful for the time that we have been given and hope that whatever comes, highs or lows, we will face it with the peace and joy of the Lord in our hearts.

"The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing." -Psalm 34:10

Our son at the beginning of the year

 Abraham's first trip to the snow in Julian.

Napping on the beach with Nana.

 My beautiful sister and her husband on their wedding day.

On the streets in Glasglow. Antiquity meets urban life. 

Thank you to all of you who have made this past year such a special and memorable one! Don’t forgot to become a follower of the blog so that you can keep up to date with all of the exciting things yet to come this year :)