Ladies and Gentlemen, Valentine’s day is coming right up! We all know that Jewelry is a very common gift; but you can spice it up a bit by giving something from Material+Movement. There’s nothing else like it! New items will be posted this weekend, Check out what’s waiting for you…

And if you buy before February 9th, we’ll spread the love by donating 50% of your purchase to the Children’s Tumor Foundation. The Children’s Tumor Foundation is the world’s largest non-government organization dedicated to ending Neurofibromatosis (NF) through research. NF is a genetic disorder, usually manifesting during adolescence, that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body, causing blindness, deafness, learning disabilities and severe chronic pain. Currently, there is no cure for NF and there are frighteningly few treatment options.

Material+Movement is participating in Cupid’s Undie Run on February 9th to support this foundation. To donate and find out more details, click here.

The time has come for holiday shows and studio sales! This year I’m keeping it local, but not to worry if you’re not in Seattle. I’m posting new items in my online store every few days and I’m extending Free Shipping through December 15th!

New items include:

Browse and purchase here: www.materialandmovement.etsy.com

This weekend, December 1 & 2, is Urban Craft Uprising, at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. I’ll be in booth #32, towards the front entrance. Be the first 100 people in the door each day and receive a free swag bag! Entrance to the show is free too, from 11-5 each day. For all the details visit www.urbancraftuprising.com

December 8th from 10am-9pm & 9th from 10am-5pm, check out Fifty Four Sixteen’s studio sale for blown glass, letterpress goods, bags by the one and only Miishka, and of course, jewelry! 5416 Shilshole ave NW in Seattle. Visit their website at www.fiftyfoursixteen.com.

It’s not too late to submit custom orders for Christmas! If you have a plate that you’d like transformed into some gorgeous jewelry, contact me! materialandmovement@gmail.com

Hope to see you out in the next few weeks!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This year I find myself with family at the Oregon Coast.

It’s the time of year for spending with loved ones, which brings me to the shopping madness that has already started this Thanksgiving evening. I’m hoping most of you have chosen to celebrate the holidays with friends and family, and not standing in long lines amongst competitive strangers under fluorescent lights.

I won’t convince all of you, (some of those deals are just too good!) but consider buying from local/small/independent businesses this year. Buying from these businesses keeps our culture distinct, makes your local economy stronger, and supports individuals instead of corporations. Plus your gifts are guaranteed to be more unique and better made.

To encourage you to buy from a small business this year, I’m offering FREE SHIPPING from this moment until December 1st! This means if I’m not visiting your town this year, you can still purchase some fine jewelry without paying extra for it to get to you. Woo Hoo!

Check out the current items available online here: www.materialandmovement.etsy.com
with more to be added in the coming days.

Eat, Drink, and be Merry!

Love,
Material+Movement

I love how the Supportive Network forms between creative people, and the relationships that build between a local business and its customers. We share information, borrow and lend, make together, and succeed together. I have been especially reminded of this during the past couple days, as I’ve reached out to my community and seen their response.

FedEx has accepted my application for their Small Business Grant contest. Businesses that apply must have a certain number of votes to go on to the final round, and the top winner receives $25,000 for their business. 5 runners up will each win $5,000. In the past two days I’ve received 75 votes.

Material+Movement could really use some new equipment and this grant could be the ticket! You can vote once each day until November 24th. Please vote every day and help me obtain this grant! Vote here: http://grantcontest.fedex.com/fedex-small-business-grant-voting/microsite/gallery/50862095ef39ecc8383502e5

Thanks to all of your for your support over the last few years.

Onward!

After a long hiatus I’m proud to say that Material+Movement’s Etsy store is now open with a wonderful selection of earrings and necklaces waiting for you to drool upon. Here’s a few new items:

Check them out an see what else is available here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/materialandmovement

We’re also accepting custom work. If you have an old heirloom that you’d love to turn into jewelry don’t hesitate to contact us at materialandmovement@gmail.com.

Dana Constance Thomas of DCTdesigns.com writes about fashion and art on her well followed blog. She is also a talented artist herself.

Fashion Illustrator Dana Thomas

One of her columns, Tuesday Talent, interviews designers and artists and provides insight into their inspiration and ways of working. I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by her last month and you can see the conversation here: Tuesday Talent Interview

Dana's Illustration of Material+Movement!

For those of you in the Seattle area, I’m delighted to be having a trunk show at the Baas Studio this Saturday, February 4th from 2-5!

I’ll be setting up shop in their wonderful show room alongside painter Jeanne Edwards. Jeanne, a Northwest Native, paints beautiful scenes from everyday life.

The Yellow Dress

The Baas Studio is located at 2703 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112. They’re open Monday through Saturday, 10-6 so if you can’t make it for the show you can drop by and see my work anytime. Come on out and buy a little something for your Sweetheart!

With the West Coast Tour complete and the holidays coming to and end, I’m ready for a new year. But first a review of the last leg of the tour:

San Francisco was a blast, and getting there was just as fun as the Renegade Craft show itself! We skipped from I-5 to HWY 101 and drove along the stunning Pacific coast. Just past the California border we drove through the Giant Redwood forest and witnessed living trees as old as 1000 years.

The Pacific

A rare afternoon of sun along the coast!

Immersed in the forest

I tried to crawl into this colossal tree stump

This tree is close to 1000 years old

We arrived in San Francisco and had a wonderful day before the Renegade Craft Fair visiting the Museum of Modern Art and exploring the Mission district. Our hostess, Dawn Revett, is an amazing illustrator and children’s book author. Check out her brilliant images and stories here. It was great to catch up.

At the fair we saw fellow craft pals and met new talented artists, such as:

AMiRA Jewelry

Amira Jewelry

Cutesy But Not Cutesy

Cutesy But Not Cutesy

Make It Good

Make It Good

MaryKateMcDevitt

MaryKateMcDevitt

I am proud to say I sold my favorite necklace of the season:

Bird Necklace

After a successful month I was ready to head home, but we stopped in Newport, Oregon on the way to visit my brother, Derek, and his girlfriend, Brittany:

Happy Family

Derek distills liquor for the Rogue brewing company, and Brittany is a marine mammal trainer at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. We were lucky to get behind the scenes tours of both attractions.

Rogue's Pot Still for making liquor

Brittany feeding the seals

Max, the Sea Lion painter

Love at first whiskery kiss

A sea lion kiss feels like a horse's nose, except larger and plumper!

Finally I arrived home, feeling spent and satisfied. This year ended with my large family coming together to celebrate my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary. What a model of accomplishment!

Grandma and Grandpa

Happy New Year everyone!

Thanksgiving has managed a sneak attack this year, and following in it’s quiet footsteps come the rush of holiday sales. I’ve piled my plate high, both with turkey and post-Thanksgiving craft shows.

For those of you in Seattle, come to the 7th annual Urban Craft Uprising show at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall December 3rd and 4th from 11am-5pm.

http://www.urbancraftuprising.com

They’ve expanded the show this year to offer you a better variety of artists and craftspeople. You can find me at the left-front corner of the show as you enter. Be one of the first 100 people to enter the show and receive an amazing Swag Bag, full of goodies from a lot of the vendors as well as postcards and coupons (the luckiest person will receive a pair of my earrings!)

If you can’t make it to UCU, be sure to visit FiftyfourSixteen, an artist collective featuring glass artists, jewelers, and the letterpress mavin: Jenny from Wendu Ink! They’re having a studio sale two weekends in a row, December 3-4 and 10-11 in their impressive studio – 5416 Shilshole ave NW. They’ve graciously allowed me to show with them.

So many talents! You must go

December 8th-11th I’ll be in Vancouver, B.C. for the One Of A Kind Show at the Convention center. I’m so excited to be a part of Canada’s finest craft exhibition!

http://www.oneofakindvancouver.com

I’ll be sharing a coveted booth with Michelle of Sew.Miishka, an amazingly talented leather bag maker that I tend to rave about from time to time.

From the far reaches of Canada I travel to San Francisco for the Renegade Craft Holiday Show December 17th and 18th at the Concourse Exhibition Center.

http://www.renegadecraft.com/holiday-sf

This will complete my Winter West Coast Tour and I’m looking forward to traveling all the way down the coast in a strategically packed SUV. I’ll be posting along the way and I hope to see you at some point along my travels.

Get an early start on your holiday projects with 20% off custom orders until Thanksgiving! If you have a special plate that you’d like to turn into a beautiful wearable heirloom, drop me a line and let’s make something wonderful!

For examples of past custom projects check out this post:

Custom Projects

If you don’t have your own plate, there’s lots of new pieces on Etsy waiting for you:

To purchase these and other pieces go to my Etsy shop: www.materialandmovement.etsy.com