New piece in my Etsy shop! :: First of the 2009/2010 Winter collection

Posted on | Tuesday, May 5, 2009 | 2 Comments

I just listed a lovely piece in my Etsy shop that is a bit of a sneak peak to the winter 09/10 collection coming in a couple months. I used lots of lovely bits as it was originally designed for a magazine shoot. Enjoy!

Blue Pacific

A little bird told me...

Posted on | Monday, May 4, 2009 | 1 Comment

... that over the weekend, I was on the news! Did anyone catch it on KATU Portland, OR? I always watch KATU if any news broadcast, but of course missed it. I guess it was something to do with weddings and Etsy and they had a picture of me. :)

Happy Monday!

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I think (no, I know!) Twigs & Honey pieces are more well-traveled than me. Last week, they were on a snow capped peak for a shoot... Today, they are in lovely Napa Valley for a wonderful photography workshop by none other than one of the most talented photographers out there, Elizabeth Messina. I cannot wait to see the results. If they are anything like these...:

.. I will just die a little from prettiness overload. More on this to come... plus a fabulous twigs & honey giveaway!
Photo credits: Elizabeth Messina

On a more random note, I'm totally inspired by these photos from Lula magazine:

Photographer: Nicole Nodland
Found first HERE.

And even more random, I'm aching for these shoes:

They only ship to the UK and Ireland... I'm trying to see if I can get them another way... I may need to *ask* for a favor from a UK bride, which may entail a twigs & honey piece as a "thank you"... but we shall see. I am just in love with these shoes and must have them!
Happy Monday!

Rise and shine necklace :: Pink confectionary treat for your neck

Posted on | Thursday, April 30, 2009 | 12 Comments

I talked with my big sis on the phone this morning and she asked if I could make her a necklace similar to the one I made for the English Dept. Fashion show a couple months ago:

She also really liked this Anthropologie necklace:

But... she wanted it in blush pinks and super soft fabrics for her sensitive skin. Voilà! Here are the results:

Countless, supple layers of blush pink silks, tulle, chiffon on hand dyed self tie ribbon. I rarely get to make anything for myself anymore... but I really hate to part with this one. Alas, my sister will get this one soon!
I'm thinking of listing this piece in my Etsy shop as a "made to order" number. Would this interest anyone?
Update: Made to Order listing is up in my Etsy shop HERE. Thank you, everyone, for your sweet comments!!

I also love...

Posted on | Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | 2 Comments

... anything from moderngoods. My favorite is this antler platter. Wouldn't this make a fantastic wedding gift for the bride & groom??

Go HERE to view the antler platter and go HERE to view more from this lovely line.

I love this dress

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...I love it a bit too much. From HERE.

I'm just giddy :: Shrug is done!

Posted on | Monday, April 27, 2009 | 5 Comments

Remember that fabulous shrug that I adored from Christine's wedding? And then remember the trade with Elizabeth? I just saw a picture over on Elizabeth Dye's blog and I am just a little too excited about this one! Lovely soothing colors, soft layers... impeccably well-made. And oh... I can't even fathom the amount of time it took. Elizabeth... thank you!!!!! After this... you need a vacay!!!

It's making its rounds in the fashion world, but when I get it, I will never let it go. So dreamy, I want to sleep in it... so pretty, I want to wear it everywhere. Thank you, Elizabeth!! You are THE BEST!!!!!

Introducing :: Naturals :: Vegan and Eco-friendly Twigs & Honey

Posted on | Friday, April 24, 2009 | 7 Comments

I got a great comment on my blog the other day from The Veganista:
"I just discovered your designs. They're great! Perhaps you could do a couple of vegan designs with non-silk/feather accessories? I feel so inspired to put something in my hair!"
April 16, 2009 11:11 AM

I have actually already been making vegan and eco-friendly pieces in my collections, but I guess I never formally went all out. My past and current pieces have included cotton only and non-feather pieces, but I thought now would be a great time to formally create a line specifically catering to both vegan and environmentally conscientious brides and clients.

I'm happy to introduce Twigs & Honey Naturals, with the first piece, Fields:

Fields is made with hand cut and pressed hemp/organic cotton fabric (55% hemp, 45% organic cotton). It is attached to a gold plated wire comb. Lovely and stylish... modern and chic... vegan friendly AND it is made with environmentally sustainable materials! Hooray! I'll be dropping the first of the Twigs & Honey Naturals collection off to the English Dept. in Portland, OR today along with these other pieces:

Hair combs, belts, and a "Naturals" piece! I hear they are going quickly and are down to just one piece at the English Dept., not including this batch above. I'll be up in Portland to hand them off about 3-5pm today... head over quick after that to get a lovely piece!
More "Naturals" pieces will be available in my Etsy shop and the Twigs & Honey Online Store very soon! Please spread the word if you're a blogger... word of mouth is great too. ;) Thank you!

I just love this board...

Posted on | Thursday, April 23, 2009 | 3 Comments

I just had to do a quick post on this lovely inspiration board I saw today over at Snippet & Ink blog. LOVE IT.

These soft, muted colors are everything I love. Calming. From HERE. Reminds me of this dress, yes?

Laptop.... kaput

Posted on | Wednesday, April 22, 2009 | 3 Comments

I have the WORST luck with laptops.
My "new" laptop was and is beyond repair... this happened Monday and all day Tuesday, I was completely without internet and computing capabilities. At the moment, it sits in pieces. I had to purchase/order a completely new laptop all day Tuesday and then had to work on trying to recover my putt-putt old hard drive... and then back up everything... and then download all my programs/drivers. Yuck. At this point, I've come to grips with the cost, but the time and sleep lost is the real stinker.

Long story short, I continue to be sorry for any delays. I have received a flood of inquiries this week and I am still trying to catch up on old messages. I am truly sorry if I have not yet responded to an email or convo. Please don't give up! I feel terrible about that! I am really hunkering down and pushing through as much work as I can everyday and I truly, truly want to work with everyone interested!!! Thank you to everyone for your persistence!!! It means the world to me!!!!
Annoying as it might be, please keep re-sending those messages... It really, helps me! I get buried each day with inquiries. Thank you for getting in touch again!!!! Sometimes, I will take names down for orders, but the details may take a bit longer to nail down (i.e. confirming design/color details), but rest assured, you are officially on the list and I'll get in touch! I will post an updated "in progress" list later this week.

I won something! :: Thank you Elizabeth Messina

Posted on | Monday, April 20, 2009 | 2 Comments

I've been admiring the new blog, kiss the groom, which is by the very talented photographer, Elizabeth Messina. All her work is just lovely! A few weeks ago, she had a giveaway for a book written by one of her longtime clients, Tori Spelling! I got it! Hooray! Thank you, Elizabeth! The book, sTORI TELLING, was also signed by Tori and her husband. Too cute!

I love this tri-fold card that Elizabeth sent in a vellum envelope.

Be sure to visit Elizabeth Messina's blog, kiss the groom. She posts gorgeous inspiration daily! I'm completely hooked.

Several new pieces! :: Including customizable adornments

Posted on | Sunday, April 19, 2009 | 3 Comments

I have several new lovely hair adornments in the New Twigs & Honey online SHOP! I've included a couple customizable flowers too. I will add swatches/option pictures in the Ordering & Payment page soon if you are unsure of the look of a particular feather, lace or leaf variety. My favorite piece in this most recent update is Mist, a completely handmade interpretation of a blooming rose:

Remember how I have had the habit of naming hair pieces by cities/places? It's an old tradition since before I officially started Twigs & Honey. Matt has to go to Mist, Oregon for business every couple of weeks and I love tagging along. The drive is just lovely... past some farmlands and through the woods...

Tiny shop update :: more to come!

Posted on | Friday, April 17, 2009 | 4 Comments

I added a full birdcage veil and a couple lovely flowers to the new Twigs & honey online shop! I was hoping to have more up today, but all my orders took much longer to process. I will aim to have more lovely pieces up soon!! Thank you so much for your patience. Here is the made to order veil you can purchase through the new shop:

Athena

Sublimity is up too!

New pieces :: In my shop tomorrow!

Posted on | Thursday, April 16, 2009 | 1 Comment

Just a shop update notice. :)
I'll be adding some pieces in my new online SHOP tomorrow. I am not sure how many, but I will try to get as many as I can in the shop as time permits. Thank you so much for your patience! I'll do a blog post too! Here's one of the pieces:

Sublimity (link to come)

NEW Twigs & Honey online store is LIVE!!!! :: I am thrilled!

Posted on | Tuesday, April 14, 2009 | 16 Comments

Do you know how many hours I have slept in the last 55+ hours? 3. Three hours!
Totally and completely worth it.

The NEW Twigs & Honey online shop is now live! There is a lovely assortment of some of my favorite pieces ever! I admit to not having as much inventory up as I wanted for the grand opening, but I did make it a point to include some gorgeous and truly unique pieces... some of which may be making special appearances in upcoming wedding magazines this summer. ;)

I've started a new bridal/special occasion mini hat line that I will be expanding on, but for now, I've listed a couple in the shop. I've also listed some great headbands and flora/fauna pieces. I had meant to have a bunch of customizable pieces up also, but all the nuts and bolts of getting an online shop going took MUCH more time than expected. I used Zen Cart, which is an open source online store program. It is very powerful, but very time consuming and not user friendly. I think that building the website from scratch was easier than using Zen Cart. All the forums/reviews talk about how cumbersome a program it is and how you really should hire a programmer to make it "pretty" and purposeful. Alas, I figured it out. Mind you, it is not 100% perfect yet and I will continue beta testing it this week to work out any remaining bugs. If any of you clever ones saw it already today, you may have witnessed the "bugs".

I will start listing to the new shop frequently and should have a batch of customizable goodies up soon (hopefully by the end of this week). Check out my labor of love for all the lovely people...

Here is what the default Zen Cart shop looks like (where everyone starts out).. i.e. BEFORE:

AFTER:

Silverton

Cascade

Click HERE to go to the new Twigs & Honey shop!

Visit frequently for updates, deals, and special giveaways!

Summer dress

Posted on | Friday, April 10, 2009 | 9 Comments

I don't know if I'm 100% happy with it, but I'll think of it as good practice for the next one. :)

Excuse my "I just woke up" disheveled look... I did just wake up for this photo.
Silk floral print dress, with ruffle neck and sleeves. I'm wearing my new favorite accessory from Etsy seller, Norwegian Wood. I love anything suspenders and androgynous paired with girly.