Who inspires you? :: A week of inspiration

Posted on | Friday, February 27, 2009 | 2 Comments

I recently received the sweetest email from Sierra of Romeo Envy on Etsy. She just opened up her new Etsy shop, which sells lovely jewelry at very affordable prices. I hope she doesn't mind me mentioning, but she had been following the twigs & honey blog this past year and was inspired to start her own shop! I've received some of the nicest emails and convos from many brides and aspiring entrepreneurs. Thank you to everyone and keep them coming. It really makes my day to read all your heartwarming stories! I think that with the state of the economy today, it is really great that people are turning toward crafting, the arts, and hobbies! It's even greater to hear that people are supplementing their income through crafting/creating/designing or taking the plunge and becoming their own boss/home business. Doing what you love and being able to make a living or extra income on the side can be very empowering. Also, supporting crafters, artists, and designers is wonderful and gratifying in its own right!! I love finding those one of a kind pieces, made by the hands of some talented individual near or far and not too different from myself or my complete opposite.... awesome! Doesn't it feel great to create and to support those who create?? I'm not going to make this blog my political soapbox, but I do want to say that I think small businesses are such an important part of the greater picture. I love seeing all sorts of talented people succeed against current projections and trends. Every little bit can truly make a difference. What goes around comes around. Have you hugged a crafter, etsian, artist, designer today?

So I thought of doing a slightly different week of blog posts next week. Sierra's email got me to thinking. There were many individuals who inspired me to both start twigs & honey and make the career shift from employee to self-employed. I thought it was about time I share with everyone else who those fabulous people were! I'll do a post a day about an aspect of the twigs & honey business and the individual that provided me with the inspiration and push. Check back all next week!

Happy Weekend! Old photo of an Ann Wood Handmade bird. Longing for warmer days...

Beautiful! :: Amy & Sean's wedding photos :: Paul Rich Studio

Posted on | Thursday, February 26, 2009 | 2 Comments

I'm up late as usual and while visiting Paul Rich Studio's blog, I was so excited to see some of Amy & Sean's wedding photos! They turned out beautifully! I wasn't expecting them up so soon, so it was a great surprise. I think the rest will be up after all the post production work is complete, but some of their favorites are up and you'll have to check out there blog to see the rest and to see all the other lovely pictures from these talented photographers! Here are a few that are just too lovely for words:

I love this photo. My mom looks so cute. It's very creative photography too. My mom and I were actually standing behind my sister in the bathroom, and the photo is showing our reflection in the bathroom door's mirror. At least I think that's what I'm seeing. My head hurts thinking about it. ;)

Photo credits: Paul Rich Studio

Major Etsy shop update!

Posted on | Wednesday, February 25, 2009 | 3 Comments

I finally wrangled a bunch of pieces together and have completed an Etsy shop update. I listed 7 new pieces! Here are some of my favorites:

This piece is similar to the one worn by Holly. I received a ton of inquiries about it after her lovely wedding to Mario was posted on Snippet and Ink.

You must view more photos at the photographer's blog. Her dress was done by Elizabeth Dye!
Photo credits: Jonathan Canlas

Enjoy!

A little shop update later today!

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I rarely get the chance to make pieces open to the public for my Etsy shop but over the last few weeks, I snuck in making a piece here and there and have a nice handful to post Wednesday afternoon/evening, possibly at night depending on my schedule. I also have a few boutique orders to deliver over the next couple weeks including a new location/boutique, which I'll announce when I get everything ready to go. Anyhow, check my Etsy shop later in the day Wednesday for some fresh new pieces (I'll blog about it too!). Here's one of the fun new pieces:

Perfect for a spring wedding - bride or guest - or for a romantic stroll through tall grass.

Puppy class :: Indy's graduation!

Posted on | Monday, February 23, 2009 | 4 Comments

Indy just graduated from puppy classes this evening! Matt and I are so proud of her and want to thank her trainer, Jesse, for being fantastic throughout these past 8 weeks. We went through Petsmart in Salem and couldn't be happier with the results. Thank you Jesse!!!

After class, Matt, Indy, and I went over to see a coworker to help move some furniture. It was dark out and I couldn't see the whole backyard, but it was supposedly fenced in completely. We let Indy run in the yard and I kept checking her every couple minutes because I wasn't 100% comfortable. She actually would run around when I was outside with her and then when I came inside, she would just give me that dog face through the glass saying "let me in with you!" with her eyes. Then, the worst case scenario! I couldn't see her and went out back and couldn't find her! I called for her and she is normally perfect at coming when called, but she didn't come. I scoured the yard in the dark and found that one post in the fence was missing!! She got out and was in an unfamiliar neighborhood! I was so scared and frantic. I even slipped on the wet deck and fell completely in my scramble to find her. Apparently, she was so desperate to find us that she found her own way out and ran to the front of the house and into the garage where Matt and his coworker were moving furniture. Whew! She actually had to run into the street and around the block to get to the front of the house. I kept her on a leash for the rest of the evening. I think the puppy classes helped keep her from running away completely. In class, we trained her to "come" even when we are out of sight and before Indy could hear me, she found Matt. Huskies are actually one of those breeds that can't be trusted off leash in the open, but Indy is always so desperate to be close to us and by our side so VERY fortunately, we didn't lose her tonight.

Here are some puppy graduation photos. Jesse... if you are reading this post, please email me your email. I lost your business card in the dark when I was running around looking for our pup!

I love the picture with her eyes closed. "I'm SO happy!!!"

"bleh!!"

Indy loves to "shake".

"congrats to me!"

"I'm shy." Such a faker.

Big sister gets married! :: The wedding of Amy and Sean - uncut version!!

Posted on | Sunday, February 22, 2009 | 7 Comments

Wow! What an eventful weekend! Matt and I headed to Washington to celebrate my big sister's wedding to Sean. It was a lovely and entertaining day and to only help in prolonging the spirit and festivities indefinitely, I thought to post a nice and only slightly embarrassing gag reel. I promise to post more "serious" photos soon, but I'm still getting through the hundreds of photos from the day and I'm in a chipper mood. ;)

First off, it was wonderful to see family and meet Sean's family. Matt and I had a fantastic time catching up and just getting acquainted with the groom's side of the family.

Secondly, thank you to Paul Rich Studio for being fabulous, top notch photographers AGAIN! Paul Rich Studio photographed our wedding and we couldn't be more deligthed in knowing that Amy & Sean's wedding was captured by such talented photographers. Their professionalism, skill, and ridiculously warm personalities amount to one of the best photographers you could work with.

Now on with the pictures!

Just wanted to post this picture of my mom. She made this jacket and her dress! She rocks. I made a dress too and very, VERY last minute, opted for a different dress. By the way, that's Matt in the background holding the veil I made for my sister.

Paul of Paul Rich Studio with the newlyweds. I cannot wait to see photos!!! I will post an update when the photo gallery is up on his proofing site.

Just because I'm the sister, I had to post this picture. Open wide!!!
And after the reception, everyone headed to the after party where spirits were high, the liquor flowed (I don't drink by the way), and people began acting a bit peculiar...

A glowing halo. My angel.

Yes, yes... I seriously got him to do this.

"This is much cooler than the rubber pencil trick."

Trippy - far out - dude. FYI - redlight special. These glow sticks were almost too much fun and are only $1 for 15 at Michaels.

"You wouldn't hit a guy who wears glasses would you??"

"I don't care what I look like... I just got married!"

"...and just to drive the point home... I'm married!"

Oh my goodness. Dad's doing his crazy dance again!

Somehow, my mom makes these bad boys a cute accessory.

"It's not like these pictures will ever see the light of day, right?" Photo courtesy of the groom's father. ;D

These glasses can bring out anyone's inner thug. ;) AKA - Groom's sister's husband, Brian.

Strike a pose. And to think... I'm like this without any social lubricants in my system. So this is the dress I bought about 24 hours before. I decided that the dress I made wasn't formal enough and a bit more "party" like, but I'll still post pictures soon.

With my newlywed sister. Aw~

Mrs. Callan and Mrs. Stewart

Everyone says we look alike. We don't think so. What do you think?

Mr. & Mrs. Callan!

Time to go home! More pictures to come!!

One sneak peak at the bridal fashion and my sister's t&h piece! Congratulations Amy & Sean!!! Have fun on the honeymoon!!!!

Straight hair :: Thermal Reconditioning from LeResh

Posted on | Thursday, February 19, 2009 | 5 Comments

I got my hair straightened and as promised, here are a bunch of pictures. I go to a great lady in Portland just off NW 23rd, LeResh. She is absolutely fantastic at what she does.

The hair chronicles of Myra begin...
At around 6th grade, my straight hair went curly. Not in a lovely, "oh, my hair is just nicely curled like this, always" kind of way! It was and naturally is unruly. I have major cowlicks along my hairline. I suppose if the rest of my hair matched, it might actually be lovely. Think pin curls of the 40s. Yes, my bangs are that curly! BUT, the rest of my hair is sporadically wavy and frizzy. I don't know what happened when the genes were doled out when I was in my mom's belly, but what I do know is that my mom and sister have the quintessential straight asian hair and I got the leftovers. As if the one dealing out genes started off giving me curly hair, but got tired midway through and quit. I'm rambling.

So for years, I wrestled with my partially curled-wavy-crimped-frizzy locks. I blew it out straight and flat ironed it and suffered through frizzy hell in humid weather. I have a cupboard full of various frizz/curl reducing products. Trust me... it takes years to develop this kind of collection.

Then I heard about thermal reconditioning.

It is an investment - ballpark - expect to spend at least $500-$600 w/o tip, but it varies depending on length of hair, texture and amount of curl.

Since it was a large sum of money, I had to rationalize it with Matt a couple years ago and put aside a mini hair savings fund. When I was ready, I tried to go the economical route and went to an unnamed salon to save a couple hundred and with this service, you get what you pay for. Don't scrimp! My hair was NOT straight and still frizzy and the service was not good!

I waited about 6 months before seeing LeResh. She is worth every penny and more. She straightened my hair right before the wedding and saved me from insufferable unruly hair when Matt and I were on honeymoon in Maui.

LeResh is so sweet and great with many hair types. I have very coarse hair and the strands are super duper thick so nothing else would ever work... but LeResh is a miracle worker when it comes to straightening hair. You must see her if you have the same hair troubles as me! Some advice: She requires an in person consultation so she can see if you are a good candidate for the process. Thermal reconditioning is a strong process and if you have very fine hair or processed hair, it might not be for you. Also, after you get the treatment, you cannot wash your hair, put it up, or even pin it with a bobby pin for 48 hours. You have to be careful how you sleep on it too! It must stay straight. After this, ta da! Straight hair!

Whew~ Sorry for the long monologue! For those who have stuck through to the end of my hair stories, here are some photos of my newly straightened hair (excuse the photos. I have ZERO makeup and this is an old dress that is a little baggy after losing weight):

Be sure to contact LeResh if you are interested or if you have any questions! By the way, my hair is still down to my bum AND she gave me a complimentary trim. So you can get the idea of how long it got! I still need to get another haircut, but people keep telling me "NO!"... it is your trademark! Even my mom's friends tell her to tell me, "keep it long!" We'll see how long I can keep it long. Also, I was going to do a "before and after" photo series... but last minute, I changed my mind. I wouldn't want to put you through that kind of horror.

I'm back! :: NEWS

Posted on | Tuesday, February 17, 2009 | 13 Comments

I know the blogging has been quiet lately, but I haven't completely vanished! I've just been juggling several huge projects. I always multi-task. I can't help myself. For instance, when I brush my teeth before bed, I take Indy out for one last potty break, come back, clean the sink, and maybe throw a load of laundry in - still brushing the teeth throughout. I tend to be the most efficient when I have tons on my plate, so it's been great!

So onto the updates!

1. Working on and finished a dress to wear for my big sis's wedding THIS Saturday!
2. Still working on orders - Almost finished Sharon!
3. Still working on replying to all the convos
4. Got my hair straightened - it is naturally wavy/frizzy
5. Finished the new website - Most of it is up! Check it out here.
6. Working on finishing all the many pieces for my sis's wedding, again THIS Saturday!
7. Building pieces for upcoming photo shoots
8. Planning an exotic destination vacation with the hubby

Items 1 & 6:
YES! My big sister, Amy, is getting married THIS Saturday and I have a TON of pieces to complete. My mom pitched in and made a shawl for her and helped with the boutonnieres. I just need to finish all the bridesmaid pieces, ring pillow, and bridal hair piece. ALMOST! Also, I finished my dress last week. In 1 day... okay, it took all day, but it's done. Photos to come. OHHHH!!!!! And guess what?! A very nice lady is going to be making that uber chic shrug from the previous post for me! I cannot wait. I'll have more on this later. :)

Item 2: THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE!!!! I'm really pushing to get orders out sooner!!!

Item 3: SAME AS FIRST HALF OF #2.... thank you, thank you for your patience and for those who resubmitted convos and emails. It meant so much to me to see the flood of convos from all the brides and ladies still interested. I'm still chipping away, but it was a huge help for me. Thank you!!

Item 4: I got my hair straightened, FINALLY! I actually have wavy/frizzy hair if you can believe it and it had been nearly 1.5 years since my last thermal reconditioning. I have more to post on this later in the week with photos! For now, check out my stylist's website, LeResh. I don't trust anyone else with my hair straightening. FYI... a potential giveaway lined up through her, so check back for a possible AWESOME giveaway.

Item 5: You heard it right! I FINALLY did it!!!! I think if you track back to June sometime, I mentioned how there would be a new website coming shortly. Well, "stuff" happened (i.e. I was too busy to even sleep!) and after recently getting some gorgeous photos from Lisa Warninger and Kimberly Hurst, I got the extra push to finish it. I did it all by myself! Okay, yeah, yeah... no big deal... but it was a big deal to me because I had to teach myself how to use all the programs as I went along. I didn't study graphic design and haven't taken any courses, so it was a big milestone for me. Trust me. You need Flash to view it, but check it out HERE (twigsandhoney.com). The old site didn't have all the functionality that I needed, hence the overhaul. PLUS, I'll have a new shop soon. It's not up yet, but I'm working on that. Enjoy!

Item 7: Photos to come. Possibly a few months from now, but I'll post once they become available.

Item 8: Matt has some vacation time he must use so we are going on a much needed trip soon. It won't be for long, but our #1 pick right now is Istanbul. Exciting!

Personal project :: What to wear?

Posted on | Thursday, February 5, 2009 | 5 Comments

My big sister is getting married in a couple weeks! AND I still have nothing to wear!

It is definitely less stress to come up with an outfit compared with when I was a bride, but it doesn't help that I've been procrastinating. Last weekend at the fashion show, I saw a gorgeous Kate Towers dress that I thought might work and may still if I can find the time to try it on - currently at the English Dept. in Portland. Kate is the sweetest by the way and you must check out her lovely new site. I digress... so I might make my own dress! Last night, I made a pattern and sewed a mock up. It was made from a more affordable cotton with a sweet and girly checkered pattern (I'll post a picture when I finish the lining). Matt says I look like a "traditional" housewife in it. He is saying this in a good way. :) Actually, he said, "I can't believe you made that!" So it is an encouraging start! Anyhow, after mostly finishing it, I've tweaked the pattern a little and am ready to go fabric shopping for a more lovely and formal material. Wish me luck!

Here was my inspiration:

I love this dress at Anthropologie. Find it here. Alas, this dress is way over my budget and my size is sold out. =T
My mock up dress is this same shape, but I wanted to add a lovelier neckline and straps.

I would love to wear these shoes. My sister's wedding colors are white, black, silver and blue so I think these would be perfect! I discovered them here and you can find them here.

Photo credit: parker j. I have been obsessed with this shrug. The gorgeous Christine of cevd wore this lovely shrug for her wedding and I can't stop thinking about it. Something about the dramatic shape and volume gives me goosebumps. Love, LOVE it. SO, if I can get my act together, I wanted to make a shrug inspired by this one but in silver/blue/gray and a little toned down just so I don't take any attention away from the bride! This shrug reminded me of this old photo of Keisha Castle-Hughes:

Photo from here. Hopefully, this is faux fur... but I like the shape! I'll try to post an update in a week or two, IF I am able to finish in time. If not, I'm "watching" a couple dresses on eBay. *sigh* Why are the prettiest things in the world so darn expensive???