Twigs & Honey™ :: by myra :: hair adornments - design - embellishments

The English Dept. Bridal Fashion Show 2012 :: A Novel Romance

2012-01-30T20:47:00.000-08:00

It's that perfect time of year again! Our favorite, The English Dept. , will be having their annual bridal fashion show, A Novel Romance. I'm so excited to attend. I believe this will be the 4th year in a row for us. My dear sweet and talented friend, Elizabeth Dye, will be showcasing her designs in addition to many other amazing dresses and accessories! If you're in the Portland area on Sunday at 12pm, please plan to attend. You will not be disappointed! View the details below:

Skin care

2012-01-21T13:55:00.000-08:00

Sweet Yumi asked in a previous post about my skin care secrets. Here they are!
In my teens, I had horrible skin. I was so embarrassed by my acne and it was pretty bad. I tried so many topical products to no avail. Turned out it was my hormones and after I fixed that, my skin cleared up. When I hit my twenties, I really made it my goal to take care of my skin so I started a good skin care regimen and stuck with it. My mom and grandmother have always taken care of their skin and everyone thinks they are way younger than they are so, hey - might as well follow their lead! I also don't wear a lot of color on my face/eyes. I'm not that into it. Instead, I prefer to make my skin look the best and healthiest it can and I think that goes a long way as opposed to loading on color.

To cleanse my face, I'm not super loyal to any particular soap. I just look for something mostly or all natural that is simple and cheap. I figure that it gets washed off and goes down the sink so why invest a ton in soap. I usually use a vegetable based glycerine soap (1). I also like to exfoliate my skin. I LOVE Biore SkinPreservation Even Smoother Microderm Exfoliator(2). It's really gritty and I feel like it polishes off all the roughness and dead skin cells very thoroughly. I use this once a week. I tend to be super lazy and impatient with most masks, but Bliss' Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask
is awesome as it only takes 5 minutes. It leaves my skin glowy and refreshed and I even got my sister hooked on it who then got it for our mom. I use this every other week or so.

To moisturize, I love La Mer products. I start out with a base of their Radiant Infusion(4) to prep my skin. I then slather on their Creme De La Mer (5). I finish at night with a dab of their Eye Concentrate(6) under my eyes. I also use their Lip Balm, which is the best.

Most days, I'm too lazy or busy to put on makeup. It's such a luxury! On the rare occasion that I do put on makeup, I like to prime my face with a foundation primer like Laura Mercier's Foundation Primer Radiance. I usually skip this step though. The foundation I've used for the past couple years is Tarte's ReCreate™ Anti-Aging Foundation With Wrinkle Rewind™ Technology SPF 15 (7). It's lightweight, mostly natural and has SPF. I have very oily skin that I used to hate but now really appreciate. I don't care how greasy my skin looks anymore (used to be hyper paranoid about it) as oily skin helps prevent wrinkles. I just think that if my skin looks like an oil slick, at least it's keeping wrinkles at bay. After applying foundation, I do like a little deliberate glowiness, so I dab on some of Stila's Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer Oil-Free SPF 20 (8). When I want some added dazzle, I tap a little Benefit High Beam onto the cheeks. After that, I apply Tarte's Cheek Stain in Dollface onto my cheeks. This is hands down, my FAVORITE cheek color & product of all time. I've been using for a few years and anytime I deviate away from it to try something new, I go right back to it. It is moisturizing, adds the perfect amount of blendable color and it smells nice too! For all the face makeup (foundation, cheek stain, etc.), I apply using my fingers. I don't own a foundation sponge or brush.

Whew! That was a lot, yes? BUT, most days, I just wash my face with soap and moisturize.... like 19 out of 20 days. :)
I try to steer clear from harsh chemicals and try to use as much "natural" as possible, with the exception of a few awesome products that work well for me.

I hope this was a fun read!!!

Racing & Birthdays!

2012-01-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

Our family has a lot of birthdays in January! Mine, my dad's and my sister's husband, Sean. This past weekend, we had our birthday dinner at Claim Jumper in Clackamas, OR and ate TONS of good food and had a great time:

After dinner, we went to Sykart in Tigard, OR for some awesome kart racing!

Signing in and getting ready. Matt and I got memberships. Yes!

Getting pumped up for the race! The karts at sykart can go over 40mph, all indoors!

Getting on the helmet liner. So stylish!

Race results. I won!! Out of 10 racers in that race. :) Beat the 9hp faster kart with my 6hp. Matt got the best lap time in the next race and I got 2nd.
Kart racing is my new latest obsession. It's soooooo fun. Everyone should try it!
Thanks to my sis for the photos!

The more time that goes by...

2012-01-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

The simpler I want things to look.
We're in the middle of a home remodel. When finished, we should have a brand new kitchen with a new walk-in pantry, new master bedroom (taking our home from a 2 bedroom to a 3 bedroom) and new bathroom (our home has only 1 right now). It's very exciting! When we purchased our home in 2008, I hated, absolutely hated our kitchen and bathroom. We have a 1930s home with lots of charm - moldings, built-ins, etc. Not a cookie cutter at all. I love this about the house, but the outdated kitchen/bath are the only downsides. We decided when we purchased the home that we would remodel these the first chance we got. We live in the historic Fairmount Hills neighborhood in Salem, OR, which is so great, but I think our home is the last one to get remodeled!

We scrimped and saved for over 3 years and now we're in the middle of it. Matt completely gutted the kitchen and has put in new floor boards and dry wall. We're getting there!

Here are some pinterest finds that I found very inspiring. I think less is definitely more. As I get older, I find that I want less fussy designs. As clean and simple as possible while still feeling cozy and like a home.

Love the glass front doors here. pinterest

Love the white tile back splash and dark counter tops.

Really like this concept for the pantry door.

Love this simple bathroom with wall mounted sink, white tiles, clean lined toilet.

The hubby demolishing our kitchen.

I think if I could make our entire house white, black and shades of grey, I'd be super happy. :) Maybe not with our current house, but someday, when we're out in the country on a farm. For now, making our current home more "us" is a good goal. I'll post more photos later!

Holidays 2011!

2011-12-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

With the family!

One of my bundled up holiday outfits.

With my sis

Mom & Dad being silly with their grandson.

Family Roots :: Happy Holidays!

2011-12-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

Definitely looking forward to the holidays this weekend! We'll be spending time with Matt's immediate family and my family this year. We feel so lucky to live relatively close to all our immediate family so we can spend all the special holidays together. I was looking through some OLD photos and found a few I thought I'd share with the rest of you. :)

A little family history...
My parents immigrated to Portland, OR in the 1970s from South Korea. Prior to moving to the states, my dad was an army ranger & trainer and then worked on building a construction business in Korea. When he moved to Oregon, he basically had to start over from nothing since at the time, the Korean government wouldn't allow people to take more than a very small amount of money out of the country. He held many odd ball jobs (strawberry picking for one) and eventually settled into the manufacturing industry as a CNC programmer. My mom worked for many years in technology manufacturing/assembly.
My sister and I grew up in Portland and then Milwaukie (SE Portland). My parents still live in the same house we grew up in so it's fun to go back there during the holidays.

It's also funny how Portland has become the trendy/artsy/hipster city over the last few years. Quite a bit has changed! I remember my grandmother living literally across the river from the downtown and when she babysat my sister and I, she'd take us to Pioneer Courthouse Square and neighboring parks. It was always such an adventure! Good times. Any other people who grew up in Portland finding it funny (not necessarily in a bad way) how all of a sudden, it's such a "cool" place to be? :P I feel like, "Hey! We knew it was cool a long time ago." I even met my husband for the first time in Portland. It's really a great place.
While growing up in the Pacific Northwest, we had many family excursions across the state. I think we've camped and had a picnic at nearly every single state park in the state.

I especially LOVED going to the beach - Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park (think Goonies and Kindergarten Cop).

Long story short, family time is the best. I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend no matter where you will be spending it!!

With my sista.

R.I.P.

2011-12-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

So sad, but my parents dog passed away this morning. They think she may have had a brain tumor and then suffered a stroke. Poor pup. May she rest in peace.

The Thankful Sale is on - now through 11/27

2011-11-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

As a special "thank you" during this holiday week, we're offering 25-35% off select styles on twigsandhoney.com ! We figured that so many of you will probably be spending lots of time with family and friends and might want to get an early start on those shopping deals. :)

Enjoy until 11/27. To go directly to the sale, click HERE.

When it's cold outside...

2011-11-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful fall and I hope that everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving next week! I've been busy, busy as usual, but have actually been trying to take it a little bit easier the last couple weeks. I realized that since about January, I've been working in complete overdrive.

I know many hardworking, amazingly talented women that have such similar stories - work, work, work! I think it's so hard to find balance when you run your own business and when it starts to take off, it's difficult to budget time for yourself and family. This year, Twigs & Honey production tripled from the previous year and the growth has been exciting! I am so very grateful for all the Twigs & Honey customers, fans, and supporters. I'm also so grateful to my family, contract workers, and patient husband.

In the midst of everything, I started to forget to take care of myself and developed some chronic health annoyances. My sister asked me today, what I've been up to and I said - taking things more slowly to recharge. :) I'm still working until about 8-8:30 at night everyday, but I'm taking more breaks during the day and trying to actively stay calm and peaceful throughout the day. Typically, I'm running around from sun up until long after sundown, but I'm trying to be a bit more "still" for lack of a better word. I just found out this week that I have scoliosis (whatta?!), which had been causing some debilitating back pain (like, going to throw-up because the pain was so bad). So I've started physical therapy and exercises to help and it got me to thinking that I really need to take care of myself a bit more than I have been. I ignored the pain for almost a year and half because I thought I was "too busy". Isn't that so ridiculous? I was also really inspired and motivated after reading Jena's posts on her blog, Modish.

Am I rambling? So sorry! I guess what I'm trying to say is that things are busier than ever, but if it seems quiet around here, it's just that I'm taking a slight breather for myself so that I'm ready for an amazing 2012. Oh~ the exciting things I want to share with everyone!! I cannot wait!

Overall, if you're in a similar situation, be sure to nurture yourself! Also, in case I don't post on my blog in the next week, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank YOU!!!!!

New custom work

2011-11-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

A couple extra special, one of kind pieces I finished today. :)

These are super pretty on... ethereal, goddess like. :)

Crabbing and new friends

2011-11-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

This summer, Matt and I got to hang out with some new friends, James and Danielle, who I first met in San Diego last year. They were coming from Kentucky for a wedding in Washington. We had a great time exploring the area. We went on the Underground Tour in Seattle and did some crabbing:

Matt and I have been crabbing together since the first few months of dating, so it was definitely fun to show James and Danielle how it's done (their first time crabbing!). By the way, that was THE biggest red rock crab I've ever seen. :) Also, I find it funny that Matt & James were essentially wearing the same outfit. haha! We hope to see our new friends more in the future - perhaps in Kentucky next time. ;)

At the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is the 10th year in a row that Matt and I have picked pumpkins together! Where did the time go? You can view some previous years HERE, HERE and HERE. It's kind of fun watching my hair go from long to short to longer again. ;)
Pumpkin picking sure has changed over the last few years. We've picked in 2 states and multiple cities and it's starting to feel like a real amusement park nowadays. Does anyone else agree? Not that it's a bad thing, but at the local farm we go to in the valley, Heiser Farms, they not only have the pumpkins and corn maize, but the pumpkin rockets, tanks, firetruck, helicopter, petting zoo, train rides, hay maize and lots more. It was pretty loud, but hey - we ate lots of yummy food and found our perfect pumpkins. :)

The sea of pumpkins.

This one might be a winner

Found mine!

Matt found his!

Nothing beats a good old fashioned hayride into the sunset...

Happy pumpkin picking and Happy Halloween, everyone!

My NEW bike!

2011-10-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Isn't she cute? A little retro but totally functional. In a pure moment of spontaneity, Matt and I stopped into a bike shop in downtown Salem, OR recently and I saw this bike, test rode it and loved it. I've taken it for a spin around the neighborhood and to the local large park for miles. Indy (our husky) loves to run alongside. She'll pull me for a few miles. I'll try to get action photos soon - at least that's what Matt said he'd do. :) You can check it out on the Trek site HERE. It's made from Eco-friendly materials. I'm going to add a rack and basket. Sooo fun!

Random...

2011-10-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

We had unseasonably nice weather today and it reminded me of France...

Need a nice vacay soon! :)

Autumn is definitely in the air

2011-10-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

It's been wet and rainy all this week. Autumn has hit Oregon big time! I got a bad case of food poisoning this week and then a multi-day migraine so I'm just getting back to all my messages and emails and blogging and such. :)

I do look forward to picking pumpkins soon. I have a BIG long project due at the beginning of November so I'll be hunkering down a bit more than usual - so I suppose the rainy weather forcing me indoors works well.

Someone awesomely decided to copy my branding of pink ribbon/flags I had everywhere so I decided to spruce mine up a bit. I found this vintage mint velvet ribbon in France over a year ago and am so happy to use it. Actually, I used most of it already on custom orders, but kept a strip of it for myself just so I could fawn over its softness and color. Love it so much. You'll probably see more of it in the coming weeks. I think it's a nice change from the pink and ushers in autumn and winter in a subtle and not so typical orange/red/yellow kind of way. Happy autumn everyone!

Update: [blanked out] within a day of this post changed all their [blanked out] to a [blanked out] and then replaced with a bent ribbon like I did above. Ribbons are not original but when you are in the same exact industry and you keep [blanked out] - I think that's wrong. Hilariously, they don't seem to understand that when ridiculous amounts of emulation occur, I move away from what was copied because of them. I change for a reason - proactive. They blindly change for no apparent reason except to continually follow - reactive. When they follow in that way, it's almost like they are agreeing that they were being ridiculous, siding with me without even realizing. Too funny and creepy at the same time!

Update to update: Some behaviors make me feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Creepy behavior is just plain creepy. Like visiting someone’s blog over 70 times a day.

Perfection.

2011-10-06T18:55:00.001-07:00

A taste of what is to come...

Photo credits: Elizabeth Messina
Headpiece: Twigs & Honey
Hair/Makeup: Madeline Roosevelt

The Luminous Portrait

2011-10-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Excited to share Elizabeth Messina's new book that will be coming out next year. You can pre-order through amazon HERE. Also authoring the book, Jacqueline Tobin, with foreword by Ulrica Wihlborg. That's my birdcage veil on the cover. :) :) :)
Thank you, Elizabeth!

Hello! And more... ;)

2011-10-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had an amazing summer. I would have blogged more but summer is definitely the most busy time of the year. Usually, things start winding down a bit and I'm able to do some R&D during the fall/winter, but this year is particularly special as I have some completely new projects I've undertaken that I am very excited to share with everyone when they are ready.

Flowers from our summer garden.

In the midst of all sorts of projects, it came to light that several online stores have plagiarized my original text. I've also spoken with other creatives and designers who are experiencing the same thing. SO, I just thought I'd bring light to the topic - not just for me - but for others. Just want to point this out once, and hopefully never again. Not to sound too negative about anything, but it is definitely a huge pet peeve of mine when I've taken time to thoughtfully write something - anything - and someone else copies and pastes it into their own website. All the text on my websites are my original writings. I literally studied for years on how to write well from taking college courses to writing my own MA thesis with several professors as my mentors and editors. I only say this because writing is something you learn and develop. I don't always try to write as if it were going to be published, and I goof around at times with tweets and facebook posts, but when it comes to my business, I'm very serious about how I portray the business through writing. I've seen my self-written bio/profile copied word for word and I've seen countless instances of my business story, information and policies copied. Some people change one word here and there, but it's still a bit of a shame.

I know that there are many people who write for a living. I don't, but it doesn't mean that it's nothing for me to throw up some text on my website. For instance, my online policies were written and revised after a culmination of experiences over the last few years. Many times when I'm asked a new question or I have an issue, I'll adapt my policies to cater to my own experiences as they relate to the structure of my business and to accomodate my customers. It's really funny when someone just copies huge passages from my original writings and drops into their website - as if their experiences are exactly like mine.

It feels even more disrespectful, when designers in exactly the same industry copy my original text. You can grab some text from my policies, drop into a search engine and see for yourself. Examples (one of these things is not like the other): here, here, and here.

Sorry to go on and on about it, but it's annoying. I just wanted to say something so that anyone that might be doing it might read this and think twice. I had it really drilled into me when writing my thesis that you must credit your sources - you can literally get into some trouble if you don't. So for those copying my text, please don't. At the very least, link back to my site and give credit where credit is due. If you're having trouble writing, seek help or at least get in touch with me prior to copying and maybe we can work something out. Think about it this way. If you worked somewhere and put your hours in and then, when it came time to pick up your paycheck, someone else had already picked it up (i.e. benefited from your hard work and claimed it was their own) - wouldn't that suck?

Note: Might not keep this post up forever. Some links above I'm assuming (hoping) will change. Just having one of those moments... you know?

Out and about

2011-09-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

Matt and I went to Oktoberfest this past weekend and of course, ate a ton of food. We went later in the day so it was getting dark already and I wasn't able to take too many photos, but here are a few in addition to a couple other random photos from the weekend:

Part of our little sidewalk garden this year.

My newish Kate Towers dress. :)

Like us on Facebook

2011-09-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already visited our Facebook fanpage, hop on over and click "like" to receive a discount code for purchases through twigsandhoney.com

Go HERE to visit our facebook page.
photo credits: Elizabeth Messina

New Wedding Dress and Bridesmaid dress line by Whitney Deal

2011-09-12T08:42:00.001-07:00

I love Whitney Deal's style and overall aesthetic. Everything she makes looks both lovely and comfortable. Her designs look effortless and oh-so-sweet. I've already loved her blog for a long time now and enjoyed reading about her experiences going to Parsons and developing her new line. Today, her new fall collection of bridal, bridesmaid and party dresses has launched! Definitely stop by her SHOP and check out all the styles. There are several Twigs & Honey pieces featured with some of her pretty dresses - very excited about that! Here are some favorites:

Lovely, right?!
Visit Whitney Deal's official website HERE.
Blog HERE.
Photo credits: Whitney Deal

4 years!

2011-09-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Today is our 4 year anniversary! Where did the time go? The weather is nearly identical today and Matt has some suprises for me this evening.

Love my husband.
photo credits: Paul Rich Studio

New styles for BHLDN

2011-09-07T09:13:00.001-07:00

Lots of new Twigs & Honey pieces just became available at BHLDN. Some new exclusives!

Quixotic Cap

Blossom Burst Hairpin

Blossom Burst Hairpin in black

Bridal caps

2011-09-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Some bridal caps I made this week. :)
Hand dyed lace... handmade and stitched silk flowers... hand sewn with lots of love...

Lovely Real Bride, Tara

2011-08-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Love these photos from recent newlywed, Tara! She's wearing the Twigs & Honey Creamy bouquet:

So pretty, yes? Congratulations, Tara and husband! :)
Photo credits: Janet and Lisa of JL Photografia

Went to the fair

2011-08-29T11:36:00.001-07:00

Matt & I went to the Oregon State Fair on Saturday and had a great time. We drove go-karts, visited the booths, looked at lots of cute animals, went to the petting zoo (I got to pet a wallaby!), ate lots of yummy food and played some games.
Here are some outtakes from the photo booth - with our new monkey that we won from the dart booth. :)

Elizabeth Messina love

2011-08-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to have such a wonderful friend in Elizabeth Messina.

View a super sweet and lovely post on Twigs & Honey on Elizabeth's blog HERE.

2011-08-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

After I was the last person to get an account on Pinterest, I've thoroughly enjoyed building image boards and finding and collecting inspiration. You can view our Pinterest finds HERE. Here are some recent pink colored discoveries. :)

1. Liz V. Photography 2. Pinterest 3. le blog de betty 4. Pinterest

New blog layout...

2011-08-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

I've been a little tired of looking at my blog for a while, but only just today finally revamped it a bit. I hope you like! I have a little more tweaking to do still, but hey... just about everything is a continual work in progress, right? :)
By the way, isn't this shot amazing? The gorgeous model is wearing a Twigs & Honey Glimmering Rhinestone Headband Style #132:

Photographer: Elizabeth Messina for Munaluchi Bridal Magazine
Dress: Monique Lhuillier
Headpiece: Twigs & Honey

Gone fishin'

2011-07-31T16:52:00.001-07:00

New line acting fussy.

It's been a very busy and productive summer this year. The one crummy bit has been the lousy Oregon weather. We have had a few nice days here and there, but this weekend, we finally had some real summer weather. I decided that Matt and I had to go do something that would maximize the weather so we went fishing. We went to the St. Louis Ponds, actually not too far from where we got married in '07. Perfect weather. Do you think we caught anything?

Peaceful. I saw two big fish heads pop out of the water and I swore, a little turtle's head. :)

Matt's the fishing expert.

Well... we didn't catch anything, but we sure had a great time and it was a good break from plugging and chugging away. By the way, 2012 is shaping up to be an amazing year. We have so much that we are working on but I can't tell you yet what it is, so I hope you can be patient and be sure to keep checking back throughout this next year!

Busy summer!

2011-07-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

This summer has been amazingly busy and I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to blog more frequently. I promise I have lots of exciting things in the works and sometime, when I have more time, I'll blog all about it. Although, some of the "things" are very top secret projects so those might be blogged about later. I hope everything is having a wonderful summer! -Myra

Etsy Featured Seller!

2011-07-04T08:25:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to announce that I'm an Etsy Featured Seller! Click HERE.

photo credits: Lisa Warninger

I started selling in my Etsy shop back in January of 2008 and was able to create a full fledged business shortly after. At that time, I was working a full-time job for the government and after 2-3 months of selling on Etsy, was able to put my notice in with my employer, left my job and started selling my handmade pieces full-time by May of 2008. I had often hoped (daydreamed?) to be a Featured Seller and was absolutely thrilled when I was contacted by the Etsy team.

Etsy has been an amazing venue for launching small handmade businesses. It's wonderful and inspiring to watch new businesses quickly take off and grow. I even encouraged my big sis to start an etsy shop of her own, and now that is basically what she's doing everyday. :)

After a short time, I launched my own off etsy online store and started getting a flood of wholesale requests. I curate my wholesalers to a manageable select list currently, until I have a few more workers, but it's been very exciting to build up a business from literally zero.

I currently have two contract workers (including my own mom!) and I think I've wrangled help from just about every relative I have at one point or another, but I have the most thanks going to my husband who has helped and supported me on my crazy venture these past few years.

I'm very excited for the future of Twigs & Honey as we've got lots in store for the future! I have so many secret projects that I promise to share once I can. Thank you so much to all the supporters and friends of Twigs & Honey AND thank you, Etsy!

View the whole Etsy Featured Seller on Twigs & Honey HERE.

A beautiful film by bliss* video productions

2011-06-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

I love Kristen*'s style and vision. She creates the dreamiest films through her company, bliss* video productions. She recently made this stunning video about Twigs & Honey. It was filmed back in May of 2010 in France during Elizabeth Messina's A Lovely Workshop. My bits were spontaneous, single takes and unscripted... :D

I hope you enjoy!

Film by bliss* video productions

Featuring models, Gina, Julie and husband & wife, Adam and Kim

Shot during Elizabeth Messina's a Lovely Workshop in France

Hair by Erin Skipley

Makeup by Lauren Napier

Headpieces: Twigs & Honey

Dresses: Claire Pettibone, Alix & Kelly

Shrug: Elizabeth Dye

Thank you so very much, Kristen* !!!!

Hey look! Shiny new logo:

2011-06-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you, to everyone, for your wonderful comments on a previous post! I was so pleasantly surprised. I had not realized it would have generated such great dialogue. I was also happy to see fellow designer (amazing!) and wonderful friend, Elizabeth, speaking out on the subject as well. :)

As part of the re-brand I was talking about previously, I decided to give my logo a face lift. I'd been tossing the idea around in my head for the better part of over a year and finally took the plunge! I really wanted the logo to "fit" the Twigs & Honey aesthetic. I was scared at first because I had been using the old logo for so long! I think I had become very attached to it. I am a creature of habit and like the familiar but also like to try new things so overall, I feel like it was the a step in the right direction. After multiple revisions (thank you to the amazing calligrapher for her patience with me), the logo is finished and I LOVE it. I think it is the perfect amount of whimsy mixed with sophistication and style. Loveliness, class, and just a little pizazz. More re-branding to come!

Our Double band golden tiara is now available in silver

2011-05-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

(pictured in gold above; photo credits: Elizabeth Messina)

Our bestselling Double band golden tiara, Style #147 is now available in silver by popular request! This style is fast becoming one of the most beloved pieces in our collection, but we've had so many requests for a silver version that we finally decided to add it. You can purchase HERE.

The halo headband worn as a belt

2011-05-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

The flower halo I was working on previously as a belt with a pretty Kate Towers dress I've had for a few years. :)

Made this

2011-05-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

Still working on it, but almost done...

Hand dyed and painted silk flowers with vintage accents I'd been hoarding for a while. :)

Yipee!

2011-05-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Behold... all sorts of goodies from Benefit!!

photo coming!

I'm in girly heaven. These things make a plain girl very happy. :)
Thank you to a special bride, Emily!! Love it all!

Custom work

2011-05-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't had very much time to take on custom orders, but here are the last two custom requests for some very special brides. :)

These feathers were each hand dyed (remember these?) to create a colorful custom Flourish feather flower.

Custom silk flower made with hand dyed and stiched silk for a soft ivory finish.

Dress love...

2011-05-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Photography: Elizabeth MessinaHeadband: twigs & honey
Hair/Makeup: Madeline Roosevelt
Dresses: On model: Ann Taylor, On dress form: vintage
location: Leftbank Annex
model: Skye Velten
backdrop: Drop it Modern

blogger's been acting up...

2011-05-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Blogger's has been having issues... some posts and comments are having disappearing and reappearing acts. :P Hopefully, it will be fixed soon!

Thank you!

2011-05-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all the great Twigs & Honey blog readers and fans out there. I truly appreciate all your support these last 3 years!

I really do love what I do. It is a ton of work and it means the world to me to hear all the sweet comments and read all your wonderful emails. :)

We're continuing to grow and evolve and it's been a great learning experience. We've added a couple production workers and have lots of new endeavors on the horizon.

I have one awkward thing to say in the midst of all this.
As a designer, I think it's common to find that imitation does not feel like flattery. Sometimes it is a few instances and other times, repeated offenses, but it can be frustrating when you feel like you're putting your heart and soul into your brand only to see it continually copied and emulated. Many times, it's minor and no big deal (you have to grow a pretty thick skin), but lately (the last year or two), there has been one other designer that continually replicates not only designs but branding, marketing, descriptors, logos, etc. I've had several other designers/individuals point it out to me so I know I'm not going nutty, but it is definitely disheartening. I think it is one thing to copy someones designs, but it takes it to a whole new level when all the branding is nearly identical. I could point out a plethora of examples, but I don't want to be too obvious. It is actually kind of creepy and makes me uncomfortable - that is, the extent of how far it has gone (common responses from moi - "WTF?" "Really?"). I personally find it very odd to try so hard to be exactly like another company. Why would you want to do that? I really don't know what one could achieve besides short term monetary gain. Ethically & personally - I think it is just wrong and unfruitful. That's just my opinion.

Long story short, the best I can do is always look forward and continue doing what I have been doing. As part of a continual effort toward making Twigs & Honey a unique and innovative brand, I've decided to do some revamping of the branding. I think it's time for a lovely facelift. A huge motivator is the aformentioned offending designer, but another big factor is to keep Twigs & Honey fresh and refined. I can't wait to unveil what we have in the works! Keep checking back for updates. Some new things in the next few months... bigger things over the next year and beyond!

Keep on keeping on! :)

Kate Middleton's bridal day look

2011-04-29T03:17:00.000-07:00

Kate Middleton's bridal day look is stunning and timeless. Her Sarah Burton dress, lace embellished veil and tiara are a perfect ensemble.

Photo credits: Getty via CBS

Complete your own bridal look fit for a princess with a Twigs & Honey Silk tulle with lace trim veil Style 053:

Photo credits: Lisa Warninger

Double band golden tiara Style 147

Photo credits: Elizabeth Messina

Congrats to Prince William and Kate!

Experiments with color

2011-04-22T15:53:00.001-07:00

Hand dyed feathers for a special bride's custom piece.

NYC recap and Ann Taylor windows

2011-04-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

Matt and I went on a last, last minute trip to NYC earlier in the week/weekend and had a great time. We've both never been so everything was new. :) It was mostly meetings and business, but we did get to squeeze in some great meals and sightseeing.

Visiting Lovely Bridal Shop. It was so great to meet Lanie and the ladies at Lovely! Such a gorgeous shop - brides - you should check them out!

The lovely Elizabeth Dye - West coast on the east coast. :)

Dining at Momofuku - delish pork buns.

Chocolate french toast at Norma's - layers of sliced loaf chocolate cake, cooked like french toast, with pan seared strawberries, pistachios, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Yum!

Flowers blooming in Chelsea

Walking on Highline Park

My new skirt from Ann Taylor. ;)

Lights at night

The flowers Twigs & Honey was commissioned to design and create for Ann Taylor

3 windows of flowers at the Flatiron store

In-store display of our flowers

Me being a dork.
We look forward to visiting NYC again in the future! I hope you enjoyed this lengthy photo post. :)

Off to NYC

2011-04-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

The better half and I are heading to NYC tomorrow morning for the weekend and will be back Tuesday with lots of photos of the Ann Taylor windows. :) :) :)
We hope to chow down on lots of yummy food, take in the sights, and have a few great meetings. More updates next week! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!! Thank you so much for the amazingly sweet comments on the previous post about the windows... we were thrilled to read them!!!!!!!

Ann Taylor Window Displays :: Twigs & Honey paper flowers

2011-04-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

Inspiration board from the Ann Taylor Blog

Twigs & Honey was recently commissioned to design and create paper flowers for the window displays of Ann Taylor retail stores. Pretty amazing, yes? It was a massive undertaking for us but very gratifying! I designed multiple paper flowers, some adapted from my handmade silk flowers and others that were brand new and Ann Taylor chose 9 total designs/sizes for their lovely windows. They will be featured during the month of April and will be in 266 stores nationwide. There are a few NYC locations and other flagship stores that will be receiving an extra special amount of flowers for a truly impressive display. We started discussions in late January and when we got the greenlight, we had about 3 weeks to finish the project. We had to purchase about 6000+ parent sized sheets of paper. They were all cut based on my patterns and then we had to hire and train about 27 contract workers around the area to help with the hand pressing and assembly (including my mom and mother-in-law!). After we got all the finished flowers back, we had just a couple days to package everything accordingly and then Matt and I drove them all down to California for distribution (okay, Matt did all the driving while I was passed out most of the way). Overall, it was the most grueling and stressful project ever, mainly due to the short turnaround time, but it was pretty awesome. Every single day was extraordinarily long and exhausting and it felt like there was some sort of crisis everyday, but in the end, we were so happy with completing the massive project and so grateful. Thank you so much, Ann Taylor, for this amazing opportunity! Also, thank you so much to all the contract workers for working tirelessly to finish the flowers. Each contractor had to make from 475-600+ flowers in a little over a week. That is VERY impressive!!!

Here are some photos of the flowers. Matt and I will be taking more photos of the actual displays later in the month. :)

9 different styles - 3D and 2D styles

Earlier versions

Every single petal was hand pressed or curled and hand assembled.

Some were larger...

Others were small and cute.

All in a midnight blue - which was a very tricky paper color and weight to source!

Boxes of flowers

Thousands of flowers...

After we bundled all the 12,000+ flowers into 800+ bundles, we boxed accordingly into massive boxes and packed the truck bound for California. I was so tuckered out. We had many 16+ hour days and I ended up snoozing most of the drive down, but managed to snap a few photos of the scenery:

Whew!
So definitely cruise by an Ann Taylor store near you to view our paper flowers all month long.
Thank you, Ann Taylor!!!
Thank you, hubby, for all your help and for tolerating my panic attacks and general moodiness!
Thank you, to my family and their friends for pitching in!
Thank you, to all the local contract workers for helping big time!

Best lip balm! La Mer's The Lip Balm

2011-03-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

I get dry lips all the time. I try not to use too much chapstick or balm because I feel like you get dependent on it. Nevertheless, I've tried about 20 different brands/types of lip products and none ever work quite like I hope. It always feels like the product just sits on the surface and somewhat moisturizes, but not really and I'll still have bits of dry skin on my lips and roughness - not attractive!

I was nearly resolved to the fact that nothing could be done, but then I finally decided to give one more a try. I really like La Mer products but they are spendy. I have been using Creme de La Mer off and on for years. Whenever finances are tight, I cut it out and go for the cheaper moisturizers. After our big project, I decided to finally "treat" myself to some La Mer products - specifically their Lip Balm (And the Radiant Infusion and a little pot of Creme de La Mer). I'd wondered about it for years, but could never justify the cost ($45 for lip balm!!!). I read really good reviews about it and thought - "heck! I'm going to get it!"

I went with the "free" super slow shipping and patiently waited for a week and it arrived about an hour ago and I totally love it. After warming with my fingers and patting on my lips, I could feel all the dry skin melt away... That never happens! It also has a pleasant smell and tastes like sugar. I would have been completely sold on just the dryness being fixed, but it actually filled in fine lines and made my lips plumper. Bonus! Roughness and fine lines - gone. :)

I'm so excited to have finally found "the" product of all products for my lips - the cost is still a bummer but the results make it well worth it. Sorry for this long post on a simple product! I just thought that maybe someone else out there might stumble on this and find it beneficial. ;)

Available at La Mer's website HERE.

LOVE.

2011-03-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Photography: Elizabeth Messina
Event Production & Design: Lisa Vorce
Floral & Event Design: Mindy Rice
Hair & Makeup: Erin Skipley
Wedding Gowns: Claire Pettibone
Headpiece: twigs & honey
Model: Ashlyn Pearce
via: Style Me Pretty

Cure for cabin fever - Feathers!

2011-03-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

After the BIG project last week, I've been locked up working on another project and many orders non-stop. I started getting a litle antsy! I had to dye tons of feathers over the weekend (which takes a very long time) to get the perfect shade of grey. Today, I decided to be a goof and "wear" those fluffy dyed feathers.

Well, that was fun! Back to work now! Hope you enjoyed. :)

Have you seen the new Collection by Hetterson?

2011-03-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

I just adore everything Hannah of Hetterson makes. I love how her collections are tightly and thoughtfully curated so that every single piece is just absolutely perfect. The quality and craftsmanship are amazing with careful consideration for the fine knits and fabrics chosen. View all the new pieces on her blog HERE.

Designs: Hetterson
Photography: Anja Verdugo
Hair +makeup: Katie Groover
Model: Terra Lynn Cathey, Meredith Adelaide

Almost finished!!

2011-03-14T04:31:00.000-07:00

Boxes... so many boxes. Boxes big enough to fit a couple bodies. Seriously! And within each box - product packed to the brim. Over 800 bundles of carefully handmade, sorted, and counted lovelies. Matt and I have been doing the pack out for the biggest project ever (with some local help on Saturday). On Sunday, we did some marathon packing from noon until 4am! Thousands and thousands of "things"... and we cannot wait to share with all of you!

So here it all is! I wasn't kidding at all when I said I've been working 100+ hours a week. It has been a massive undertaking and I could not have achieved it without a tremendous amount of help from my hubby, family, and many local contract workers - thank you!!!!

I know I've been bad about emails and I promise I wasn't trying to neglect you! I've just been completely consumed by this project and it isn't just doing it at a comfortable pace - everyday, it's working break neck speeds - running around, literally, all day long. BUT - it will be so wonderful to share with you in just a couple weeks!!!!

So thank you to everyone for your patience and here are a few photos we shot in the hallway outside of the new studio after 3am:

That's the top of my head - yes, lying on the boxes!

Trying to show some scale. ;)

Here's my "working to the bone, no sleep, achy all over, but soooo happy" look.
I want so badly to share with you - very soon! We are driving everything down in about 1 hour - about a 17 hour drive to LA. Nutty!

Check back for updates!

Where am I?

2011-03-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

Photo credits: Elizabeth Messina

I'm so sorry for not blogging more! I used to blog so much.. what happened?
Well- the biggest order/project of my life happened and we are down to the last couple weeks of completion and then... then things will calm down a bit - but only a little bit.

What project?
A surprise project, of course!
What does it entail?
Managing about 27 people - day and night, weekdays and weekends
When will it become public?
April!

So I'm literally working about 100+ hours a week. Almost triple full-time!
I know I've been really bad about my emails - and it haunts and taunts me all day long - I am so sorry if I haven't gotten back to you yet! Trust me - I feel bad and it weighs on me!! Also, many January orders have an extended turnaround time temporarily. After this project is finished, I'll have more help (so excited!) and things will finally be moving along faster.

I truly appreciate the patience and support from everyone during my busiest time ever!

I can't wait for the biggest reveal, ever! More likely than not, it will be coming to a city near you. ;) Stay tuned!!

Drop It Modern

2011-02-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

I am currently obsessed with Drop It Modern. The hubby approves too! Their backdrops are gorgeous and really create both a lovely and unique look to photos. They come in a variety of sizes and colors. I think they'd even work beautifully as a tapestry in your home (I totally want one in every color for every wall!). We recently were very lucky to use them in our new collection photo shoot. Aren't they magnificent?

Photo credits: Elizabeth Messina
Backdrops: Drop It Modern

Twigs & Honey at BHLDN :: Anthropologie Weddings

2011-02-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

It has been around a half a year in the making, but I'm thrilled to finally be able to announce that Twigs & Honey is now being carried at BHLDN (the weddings line for Anthropologie)! If you know me, you know I'm horrible at keeping secrets but I had been dropping a few hints as the launch date got closer. And what's this... not just one but two styles in two different color ways are at BHLDN right now! Exciting!

The Peony hairpin paired with their Zinnia dress

For the Peony Hairpins, I hand curled every single feather in every piece (yes, thousands of feathers!). The grey version I hand dyed the feathers to achieve that lovely smokey, soft grey. It was quite the project! The Peony Hairpins were a customized design modified from our popular "Flourish" double feather flower.

Festooned Shoe Clips, available in white and blue

For the Festooned Shoe Clips, I handmade each one from several types of feathers. The design is brand new and specially designed for BHLDN. The blue feathers I custom hand dyed based off a swatch to match perfectly with some of the dresses in the BHLDN line. The rhinestone ornamentation and clip backings were all individually hand stitched. A really massive undertaking! Sore fingers, check!

It's been so much fun to see the Twigs & Honey pieces popping up in photos around the web from blogger sneak peaks and awesome to see the BHLDN team pairing them with ensembles throughout their site. :)

A special THANK YOU to the team at BHLDN!! It has been so great to work with BHLDN!

Also, a special thank you to my hubby who helped me lovingly pack all these beauties when it came time to ship and who also helped with other details here and there during the production. :)

Find all these pieces plus many other beautiful finds (dresses, lingerie, shoes!) at BHLDN.com

The 2011 Twigs & Honey Collection

2011-02-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

View more HERE.
credits and thank you's go to...
photographer and stylist: Elizabeth Messina
hair adornments and accessories: Twigs & Honey
location: The Leftbank Annex
backdrops: Drop It Modern
hair & makeup: Madeline Roosevelt
dresses: Ann Taylor, Kate Towers, and Holly Stalder
(and vintage gowns from photographer’s private collection)
lace shrug: Holly Stalder
lingerie: Lille Boutique
model: Skye Velten

Also, a special thank you to Kim Bamberg of Junebug Weddings!
More details to come!

So it begins...

2011-02-09T08:02:00.001-08:00

First off... like the new blog banner? Photographed by Elizabeth Messina, of course! Full credits coming tomorrow, but first I am thrilled about this post on What Junebug Loves blog today. It is the sneak peak preview of the shiny new Twigs & Honey 2011 collection that will become available TOMORROW! Yes! Christy and Kim at Junebug have been fabulous to work! Thank you so much!!! So be sure to visit What Junebug Loves today for the sneak peak!!

"Things" are going to start happening...

2011-02-08T17:03:00.001-08:00

Starting tomorrow! Check back for the start of a series of "things"!!!

Elizabeth Dye's Rose/Dust dress...

2011-02-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

This Rose/Dust dress by Elizabeth Dye was my favorite at the Novel Romance fashion show and I decided to give it a separate special post. Recognize the pretty model. It's Jena of Modish Blog!

The detailing is amazing and the subtle blush/rose hue is gorgeous!

Tulle tiered train/bustle.... perfection!

Stunning!

Jena is so cute AND lovely!
The Rose/Dust dress is a one of a kind piece... only 1! I soooo want it. Maybe for a vow renewal? This dress makes me weak in the knees. *sigh*

English Dept. Novel Romance Fashion Show 2011

2011-02-07T09:26:00.001-08:00

I always love everything at Elizabeth Dye's shop, The English Dept. I also love that Elizabeth is always so sweet and lets me make some pretty things for the Novel Romance Fashion show. You know she made my wedding dress and many wonderful things... yes? Matt and I went to the Novel Romance show yesterday and had a great time. Held at the Ace Hotel event space, the Cleaners, the place was packed. I loved seeing all of Elizabeth's dresses, but also loved the new Ivy & Aster dresses. Bouquets (which I adored) were by Ink & Peat. I took a few photos from the back row so excuse the heads in the photos. There will be many more beautiful photos by Lisa Warninger (of course!) coming soon.

Twigs & Honey Belt paired with an oh so pretty Ivy & Aster dress. :)

Ink & Peat bouquet

All dresses available at The English Dept. in Portland, OR

I like tulle.

2011-01-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

New shades... new loves...

Busy, busy...

2011-01-26T15:14:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry for not posting anything for so long! It has been so busy over here with so many big projects in the works. I finished two huge projects this past week and am gearing up for another one next week. I will have much more news in the next month... so many exciting things. But on a completely random note, I really like this dress and wish it was in stock in my size! Hopefully soon...

Everything has a beginning...

2011-01-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's a really rough beginning... :)

If I finish this, I think it will be really lovely. Lots of work to do still. :)

A dreamy shoot by Elizabeth Messina for Kentucky Bride Magazine

2011-01-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

I just love this amazing shoot by Elizabeth Messina for Kentucky Bride Magazine. I love the colors, the setting, those gorgeous models... everything. I was thrilled to have several Twigs & Honey pieces featured including a french dot birdcage veil, handmade flower sash, one of my signature bridal mini hats, and a flashy sparkly mini hat. Thank you so much to Elizabeth Messina and Kentucky Bride Magazine for this wonderful feature!

Photo credits: Elizabeth Messina
For: Kentucky Bride Magazine
Accessories: twigs & honey

Wordy long post about starting a creative business...

2011-01-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

I get many people interested in talking about running a business or they might want to know how Twigs & Honey started. I think many of you know the essential short story, but today, I got the sweetest email that sounded an awful lot like me and the position I was in when I was not satisfied at my day job and was at those crossroads. The sweet lady, wrote asking about what my thoughts were at the time of leaving my steady research job to start Twigs & Honey and if I always wanted to do that. I'm sure there are many people out there that are debating on how to switch from working their main job to making their creative hobbies and interests their full time job. I'm pasting in part of my response to her below. Please understand that I'm not an expert and this "formula" might not work for everyone. Also, what I share changes from day to day depending on my mood, so I'm sure I'm missing key things here, but it was quickly written so please excuse any shortcomings with this advice post. :)

"I’m a total and complete Type A personality to a fault at times and have a crazy amount of drive and determination but at some point in my life, it was a bit misguided. I went into the sciences because I was determined to have a solid career and because I had a general interest with the environment. No one told me how hard it would be to get an applicable job after grad school and my bigger motivation was to not be unemployed so I accepted the first job I was offered, working as a research analyst for the state. It was one of my greatest learning experiences and biggest drains on creativity ever. A sterile cubicle crunching numbers all day with red tape everywhere. During the 2 years I worked there, I would plan our wedding during my breaks and off time and it really gave me joy to have a creative outlet. So much so, that I continued to create pieces after the wedding. I guess I am writing all this to give a good backdrop. I never had any plans to do something creative as my occupation. When I was little, I was also a bit restless unless I was creating something and it was really what I enjoyed the most. But I never thought that I could make a career out of it so it never crossed my mind to even go that direction. SO long story short, it kind of all happened spontaneously.

But, as I am ridiculously occupied with our financial security and the future, I wasn’t going to just leave a secure job haphazardly. Our wedding photographer/friend who had gone from a steady job to self employed gave me a great tip. He said that when your side income is making around 80% of what your main occupation pays, that is a good time to leave your main job – and of course, this is taking the conservative, safe approach. I know there are many ways to get financing out there or just forgo a lot of luxuries, but I was really keen on keeping the same lifestyle after I left my job and I also did not want to have to pull credit anytime. So the first piece I listed on Etsy was a back-up piece I made for our wedding, so it wouldn’t cost me much and wouldn’t be too risky. After it sold, I started to get lots of custom orders. I got blogged here and there and fostered those relationships with bloggers. In the next 2 months, I was not sleeping at all because I would work my full-time job and then work from evening until I had to get ready in the morning to go to “work”. I’m kind of jumping around a lot and skipping parts, because it would really be novel otherwise.

I forgot to mention that in the first few weeks of selling on Etsy, I was really at my worst at my steady job in terms of needing to break free. I felt so anxious and restless and between you and me, miserable most days. Being at such a mentally taxing but “boring” job was exhausting. Before even listing on etsy, I would have talks with my husband about how I couldn’t picture myself working there for years and years… and I felt deeply depressed by that. It affected the rest of my day because it was that much of a drain. I started to read the book The Alchemist and then we watched the documentary/movie, “What the Bleep do we Know” and it really altered my perspective on things. You should definitely check those out if you haven’t already. It sounds kind of hokey and nuts, but I started quietly asking for the universe to help me and to give me signs when I was on the right path and it did. Perhaps I was just seeing what I wanted to see or it was self fulfilled prophecy, but things took off with Twigs & Honey and after about 2-3 months, I put in my notice at work, we bought a home so I would have more space to work, and I went full-time with Twigs & Honey (being married with a second income helped make the expansion of Twigs & Honey faster).

I get many people asking for advice or interested in how Twigs & Honey came about, but I always say that most of it was hard work and then there was an “x factor” as well.

The biggest component of “success” in this industry is you have to have a solid product that is both wanted/needed and profitable.

If you have that, then hard work, good accounting, networking, advertising… all the rest are pretty straightforward. When you work for yourself, you’ll always work longer and harder than you ever did at any other job. Seriously. Sometimes it is a real mental challenge to get through the day when you are tired and achy, but no one will be there to tell you to keep going… ultimately you have to have inner drive to keep you going for the sake of keeping the business going. When you slack, the business suffers. Speaking of which, if you decide to make your passion/hobby/interest your main job, it will become “business”. Of course, I am happy at what I do and so grateful, but 85-95% of my time spent on Twigs & Honey is going toward non-creative aspects of running a business – i.e. Emailing, listing, producing, shipping, social networking, accounting, website maintenance, marketing/PR, etc..

I don’t know how helpful I’m being! But I feel like I can’t just say, “do A, B, & C and you’ll get there”. It’s a story that is constantly being written and is much more complex than anything you’ll read in a book or learn in a classroom. If you find yourself unhappy at your current job, for sure, I would say that working toward getting out of that is the first step (but don’t just let it go if you’re worried about financial security). I always tell people that you spend half your waking hours at work… why spend essentially half your life unhappy… which is ultimately what it comes down to. Some people just plug along and treat it like, “it has to be done.” And they make it work… but I feel like creative people like, you and I, can’t just be content living like that and that leads to an unsatisfied life. Everyone deserves to live a happy life, but often, it won’t come “easy”. So if you feel that you have a strong product, you should get it out there whenever you have a chance. On your weekends or evenings, definitely blog about it, list on etsy and network with other websites/blogs with similar interests. It is also important to maintain those relationships. Also, it is good to set goals, but be careful about saying certain timelines, like, “in 1 year, or 2 years I will do this…” Sometimes, it is completely uncertain but the part you can control is how dedicated you are to your passion and the product you produce.

There isn’t a magical formula, but there are definitely proven strategies. My method won’t work for everyone, but I do hope that it sheds a little light on the process of getting “there”. :)"

I like birds...

2011-01-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

Building my flock:

Sneak Peak...

2011-01-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

Repetition

2010-12-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

A very small fraction of a huge order I am fulfilling (hence, the light blogging). I ran out of surfaces in our home to put these, so now I'm placing in boxes prior to finishing touches and packing...

Holiday photo...

2010-12-30T09:33:00.001-08:00

Here's one holiday photo of the Christmas gathering we had at our house this year :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!

2010-12-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

Things have been super busy for the last few weeks and will be extremely busy over the next few weeks (will share soon in the new year!), so I apologize for the very light blog posts! I do hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and I'll try to post updates as often as possible. :) If I'm spotty with the posts, I do wish everyone a very Happy New Year!! 2011 - Here we come!!!!

Oversized bloom for extra special

2010-12-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

Just finished this one and hope it ships in time for *extra special* someone to receive before Christmas! :)

WedLuxe Magazine

2010-12-20T13:55:00.000-08:00

I just received these amazing photos from Cynthia Martyn of Sash & Bustle of the new Winter/Spring issue of WedLuxe, Canada's luxury wedding magazine. I was so excited to see the spread. It is amazing! Styled by Cynthia and photographed by Melanie Galbrand & Krista Fox. One of my favorite Twigs & Honey signature bridal mini hats is featured. :)

Thank you WedLuxe Magazine and Cynthia Martyn!

Christmas tree 2010

2010-12-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

Matt and I had a great time decorating the tree this year. Here are the results! Plus lots of Indy shots with interesting lighting effects going on. :) Enjoy!

Our new Owl ornament.

Happy Holidays!

Custom bridal sash

2010-12-13T16:26:00.001-08:00

Recently finished this custom order sash featuring three handmade flowers using hand dyed silks and linen. Nice and bright! :)

New Website!

2010-12-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

I hadn't done a major official website redesign in what feels like ages, so in my "spare" time, I finally got a new website up and running. :) The nice thing about the new site is that it combines my official site with my new online store in one place. You can also combine your Twigs & Honey accessory order with a Twigscent order. Yay! So be sure to visit the NEW twigsandhoney.com!

Wooden nature clips are here!

2010-12-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

At Little Winter, I completely sold out of our new wooden clips and it's taken me some time, but I've finally finished the new batch and have them listed in the Twigs Etc. Etsy shop HERE. These charmers are everything I love including a ginkgo leaf, oak leaf and feather. They are made from my original sketches, which I hand digitize and then have cut locally. The hubby helps attach the brass bobby pin backings! They are great for gift giving and perfect last minute stocking stuffers. They are ready to ship so definitely order asap so they arrive in time for Christmas. :) Enjoy!

Find more HERE

Celebration mini hat

2010-12-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

I made this sparkling piece last month but just haven't had a time to photograph and list until today. It would be perfect for a new year's party or a wedding with lots of shimmering rhinestones. Enjoy!

View it HERE.

Forgot to post these :)

2010-12-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

While in California, the hubby and I attended the Conoco Phillips Marketers Conference and had a very good time. They hold it every 2 years and you might remember us in Orlando in 2008. At the end of the week, they had an awards dinner with lots of entertainment. I think our favorite performance was Brian Olsen's Art in Action. Definitely check out his site and watch the video on the homepage.

Don't forget the garter...

2010-12-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

Lovely real bride, Sam, sent this photo of her wedding day preparations. Such a pretty ensemble. She's wearing the Twigs & Honey Blue Bird garter. Just the perfect, simple addition to your wedding day:

Photo credits: Denise Bovee

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful long holiday weekend!
I might be committed to cooking two whole turkeys this year... we shall see (bad vegan me, bad!).
Here are a few photos from our recent business trip to California...

Look at all those skulls!

My $4.99 jacket. :) :)

We visited all the tourist-y places. :P

Tree lighting at Kodak Theatre

When I'm being a bad vegan, I like eating toppings with yogurt on the side... haha!

Feather charm necklaces up in the new Twigs Etc. Etsy shop

2010-11-23T15:32:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the business trip in California and am getting back into the swing of things... albeit, a bit slowly today. We left the house as a complete disaster before we left so I've been trying to clean up a bit and unpack so I don't go totally nuts.

After some popular request during and after Little Winter, I've opened up a new etsy shop for all the new jewelry and accessory pieces. Matt's been wanting to help out more so I thought this shop would be a good start. The Etsy shop name is Twigs Etc.

Basically, everything is by Twigs & Honey but it's all the "other" pretty things that needed their own special place. :) There will be lots of new designs filling up this little, new etsy shop soon... just in time for the holidays! Lots of great stocking stuffers and treats for yourself. I'll also be revamping the main Twigs & Honey and Twigscent websites shortly to create a more streamlined web experience. Lots of new developments around the corner. I think the next couple months are going to be some of the busiest yet, but I am so excited for 2011! I cannot wait to share everything new with you!
For now, be sure to visit the new Twigs Etc. Etsy shop for those feather charm necklaces...

Buy now at Twigs Etc. HERE.

Hello, from Coronado, California!

2010-11-17T17:48:00.000-08:00

Business trip this week. :)
A little time to relax! Here are a few shots from Coronado, California!

Top, Forever 21; Jeans, Seven for all Mankind; Necklace, Twigs & Honey; Bag, Gilt Groupe; belt, Anthropologie; Shoes, Seychelles

Sure beats rainy, cold Oregon weather!

We rented some cruiser bikes... going to fast!

Hotel Del Coronado

NEW! Twigs & Honey hand dyed gradient feather necklace.

Time to go eat some yummy grub! Hope you enjoyed... literally took these for all the blog followers! :) :)

Extra special lady...

2010-11-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all the lovely comments on the "extra special" feather capelet previously! If you were curious as to where it fluttered away to, here's one of the prettiest sneak peaks...

Photo credits: Elizabeth Messina
Beautiful Baby bump: Caroline Tran

Solid perfume lockets in the Etsy shop...

2010-11-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

I have just 3 solid perfume lockets remaining after Little Winter and I'm making them available through my Twigscent Etsy shop! I hope to have more soon, but for now, there are 2 with hand dyed blue silk ribbons and 1 with a pink hand dyed silk ribbon. Each will come in a gift box with a travel size eau de parfum of Rumpledcake which makes it great for gift giving! I have some feather necklaces and wood clips to add to a new etsy shop but etsy was acting up and not letting me set it up, so I'll try to have those up and ready tomorrow or later this week. :)

Purhcase HERE.
Feather necklaces to come...

Favorite commercial ever...

2010-11-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

I just can't get over the Geico Piggy commercial. I am sure you've seen it a hundred times already, but I just love it so much. It never gets old. Matt has to endure my "wee, wee's" everytime that commercial comes on.

Okay, that was totally random. :P But that piggy is so cute... slightly creepy.
I had stomach flu for the last few days and am almost better... maybe it's making me a little loopy. ;)

Little Winter Photos!

2010-11-08T16:07:00.001-08:00

Okay! So here is my embarrassingly small collection of photos from the amazing Little Winter Market (read previous post). I snapped these before the big rush of visitors in about 20 seconds. The lovely ladies have started a great Flickr group for Little Winter though, so definitely stop by HERE for more, prettier photos! :)

BTW, I really loved a mirror at Anthropologie.com but couldn't justify the cost, so I found the one you see in this photo on eBay.com for less than $30! What a find!

I had another couple jumbo poster prints by Elizabeth Messina, not pictured in this photo.

Artwork by Cori Kindred

Paper goods by Tokketok

Paintings by Kiki & Polly

An assortment of goodies by fieldguided

Lovely jewelry by Favor Jewelry

I wish I could have snapped more photos!! I loved all the vendors in attendance and really loved talking with all the wonderful visitors. Thank you so much for all the support. Let's all push for another Little Winter next year... what do you think??

*I should add that I sheltered in the car Sunday so that I would not forever be known as "vomit girl". I was so *lucky* to have had many plastic baggies with me randomly. I promise you that it was really with everyone else's best interest in mind. ;)

Little Winter photos coming...

2010-11-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

I'm still recovering from an amazing weekend! Little Winter was a huge success and I was so thankful for everyone that stopped by. I was there all Saturday and it was a real animal house with almost no room to walk. Since it was so busy, I thought I would make my rounds and take tons of photos on Sunday, but I got very ill with a bout of food or chemical poisoning and was unfortunately MIA (actually, in the car purging my stomach, TMI!).

I really wanted to thank Abby and Chelsea for their amazing job at getting such a wonderful group together. I know they worked tirelessly for months and it really paid off. I want to thank Abby's sister, Lindee, who was so very sweet and helpful the day of. I also wanted to thank Corey Harmon, who did a wonderful PR job with Little Winter and was such a sweet volunteer the day of as well.

A VERY special THANK YOU to my better half, Matt, who many of you met as he manned the booth all day Sunday. I felt so bad that I missed some of you that came to say "hi", but Matt remembered you all and passed the word to me that you came by (thank you!).

I will have some photos up later today! I am still recovering a bit and have to finish up a big project this early afternoon, but I promise to have more on Little Winter soon in addition to some remaining items from the market that will be up for grabs. BTW - I started selling brand new wooden clips and they SOLD OUT at the show. Thank you so much to everyone who snatched one or more up. I will have more in the next couple weeks!

Extra special

2010-11-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my new pieces for the next collection. It will be available in white, gray and other colors and lengths. A bit fantastical, ethereal, whimsical...
Behold, the feather collar/mini capelet:

This one is on its way to someone extra special today... more on this later!

What's New?

2010-11-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting a bit for the last few months on different textures, materials, dyeing techniques and other R&D for Twigs & Honey and I'm excited to unveil some of my projects at Little Winter this Saturday and Sunday at the Ace Hotel in Portland, OR.

Solid perfume lockets - great for gift giving.

Petite blossom earrings.

Gradient hand dyed feather necklace.

I will have lots of other pretty things for weddings, everyday, parties, gift giving, and more so please stop by this weekend and say, "Hello!"

Our pumpkins...

2010-10-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

I was inspired this year by the Design*Sponge DIY project, but I'm notoriously impatient and just free-handed my pumpkin with a spoon and steak knife. Maybe next year, I will take more time on it. :) Matt's is the bigger of the two. I like how you can see Indy in the background.

Amy's maternity photos

2010-10-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

My big sis asked if I would take some maternity photos for her this past weekend and here are a few favorites. We were planning on more photos, outside, but the weather was really nasty, so we ended up doing a mini set indoors and hopefully, we'll have a chance to take more later.

Amy on the left, me on the right.

Vintage twigs & honey

2010-10-21T11:00:00.001-07:00

I was just reminiscing this morning and thinking back to when it all began. I listed my first piece on Etsy in January 2008 and it's been this amazing (and sometimes chaotic) adventure ever since. Here's the first piece I ever listed back when we were renting a little apt in Keizer, OR, I was working in government, and I had to take pictures with an outstretched arm...

I still use this one for my avatar image on Etsy. My sis asks me why I haven't changed it yet, and I think I might be a bit nostalgic. That was a lucky piece that set the rest into motion.

Odds and ends

2010-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

2010 Pumpkin picking :: Heiser Farms

2010-10-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

This year was the 9th time in a row Matt and I have picked pumpkins together. Where does the time go? :) We went to Heiser Farms again and had a wonderful time. The weather was great for pumpkin picking in Oregon. This was the fourth time we'd gone to Heiser Farms and this year, they moved everything around and expanded and there were just a ton of people. Lots of food, a petting zoo, hay rides, helo rides, train rides, pumpkin canons, corn maze and more. You can view last year's post HERE and a previous one HERE.

Wall of ego. :P

My Gilt Groupe outfit! Jacket: BB Dakota off Gilt Groupe, Shirt: Urban Outfitters, Jeans: Earnest Sewn off Gilt Groupe, Wellies: Hunter off Gilt Groupe. I also had a bag not pictured. :)

Until next year...

Happy Weekend!

2010-10-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

I still have lots of work to do but if "working" could always be as beautiful as the way Elizabeth Messina captures it, even laundry day would be a delight!

Photo credits: Elizabeth Messina
Dress: Claire Pettibone
Headpiece: Twigs & Honey
Makeup: Lauren Napier
Hair: Erin Skipley
For A Lovely Workshop

Twigs & Honey on the Oregon Bride Magazine cover!

2010-10-14T10:12:00.001-07:00

Thank you, Oregon Bride Magazine and Liz Hummer!!:

Movie :: Dinner for Schmucks

2010-10-12T10:55:00.001-07:00

I forgot to blog about the movie Dinner for Schmucks the other week, but Matt and I watched it at the local discount theater in town and were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't half bad - we were desperate to watch something. It was actually pretty cute. Well, anyone that knew me as a child knows that I have a weird obsession with mice (and birds!). I really like them. Sorry if that is nerdy or weird, but I do! Anywho... I had no idea that there were going to be so many mice in this film! The character that Steve Carell plays is skilled in taxidermy and specifically, he stuffs mice and outfits them and builds entire scenes around them. I just love it! Sooo amazing and cute... you have to watch to understand. :D They are really impressive:

Thinking about spaces today

2010-10-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

Just one more...

Love anything by Ann Wood Handmade.

Dream studio space...

2010-10-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Alyson's photo blog, Mossière and daydreamed about someday having a space like this for Twigs & Honey...

Production line...

2010-10-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hand beading and sewing leaves in multiples for made to orders...

Some of the larger finished pieces for Little Winter market November 6-7th:

Tired fingers... :)