Summer Love

Posted on | Thursday, August 30, 2012 | 9 Comments

I love summer - LOVE! Oregon weather during the summer months has been pretty disappointing for the last few years until this summer. I decided before summer even began that we were going to utilize the nice weather as much as we could. I wanted to be outdoors, spend more time with family and really make enjoying life a priority. As crazy busy as it was for the last few months, it was so great to get away many weekends and just have fun. So I apologize for the lack of posts, but I've been out enjoying what little sunshine we get around here and the rest of the time, I've been working. ;) Here are some of this summer's highlights!

Cake in a Jar

Posted on | Friday, August 3, 2012 | 7 Comments

I've been pinning quite a bit of yummy desserts on our Pinterest lately and love cakes in a jar. I finally decided to make my own for my family - we're going to the beach this weekend! Anyhow, here's how they turned out!



Chocolate fudge cake with hazelnut cream, cream cheese frosting, caramel sauce and chocolate chips. Nom, nom, nom!

My First Book! :: Adornments :: Part 1

Posted on | Thursday, August 2, 2012 | 5 Comments

I'm so excited to finally and officially announce that I have a new book coming out! Adornments: Sew & Create Accessories with Fabric, Lace & Beads

There's so much to say about it, but first off, it officially launches on August 21st and it's available for pre-order through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Second, the stunning photography you'll see on the cover and throughout the book was all done by my amazing friend, Elizabeth Messina.

Overall, the book was a huge undertaking, but I'm so happy with the end results and so excited to share it with everyone. I'll write a lot about it and for this first post, a bit about the book and the beginnings. It took over a year to complete and lots of help from lots of amazing individuals (full credits coming soon!). The book itself is full of accessible projects for both craft enthusiasts and those just getting into creating things. The publishers wanted me to create a range of accessories so the book has a little bit of everything including belts, headbands, earrings and necklaces. There is a lengthy intro chapter that covers all the basics and describes the tools and materials you'll need. The only thing you'll want to know a little about is threading a needle and hand sewing, but I'll show you everything else you need to know to create the projects in the book.
credits: Elizabeth Messina

It was really important for me that this book be both easy to understand while also being beautiful to look through. I wanted the overall design to match the Twigs & Honey "look" and also Elizabeth's own branding. So when you go through this book, I hope that you love the imagery and feel as much as you love the projects. I tried to come up with projects that were lovely items to wear, give and receive. I wanted the projects to also be adaptable and customizable according to the readers own tastes and style and also access to materials. Someday, I'd love for readers to send photos of the projects they've completed through my book - I think it would be wonderful to see the end results and how they customized the projects!
credits: Elizabeth Messina

A little more about the making of the book (Part 1):

When I was originally approached by Krause Publications / F+W Media in March of 2011, I remember being super excited but also nervous because I knew that it would be a massive amount of work and right at that time, I was just wrapping up that crazy, big Ann Taylor project, recently launched a new collection, was training new helpers, and was approaching the peak of wedding season. At this time, I literally thought I was at my maximum in terms of workload. My amazing husband, gave me a ton of encouragement, and my wonderful editors (Vanessa Lyman and Rachel Scheller) assured me that they really wanted to make sure the book fit my aesthetic and style. After Elizabeth Messina wonderfully agreed to photograph the book, we were on our way!

During the spring/summer of 2011, I created 20 individual how-to projects all from scratch. I made several extra how-to's that I eventually dropped, but the development of the projects was at times easy and other times tough! It's a challenge to make sure the projects are achievable for a wide range of skill levels while also keeping them interesting and lovely. I'm so used to sourcing really unique and hard to find materials and you have to think completely differently for a book - people need to be able to find the materials and tools! It's taken me years to develop the range of skills and techniques I use daily for Twigs & Honey and trying to insert as much knowledge into 1 book without overwhelming the reader was a tricky balance of enough information but not too much! To prepare for our book shoots, I created all the projects to completion and then created stages of each of the projects. I had to have duplicates of the materials so I could literally recreate each piece in front of the camera. So I had the raw materials, cut fabric, half-way finished pieces, fully finished pieces, etc. Our editor, Rachel, was really great in coaching me and guiding me through this part by letting me know what works best for how-to shoots.

Elizabeth and I started shooting at the Cleaners, at the Ace Hotel in Portland, OR. Our first shoot was a multi-day production in July and was exhausting but rewarding. It was great that our publishers trusted us and gave us the freedom to schedule and coordinate our own shoots, but it also meant that we had a ton of work! We're talking all day shoots, back-to-back. And the first shoot, we got through 4 of the how-to's and a bunch of beauty and detail shots - we still had 16 more how-to's! 

Okay - I have more to write about this book and will have a few "Parts" to follow!

Summer hair

Posted on | Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 4 Comments

I've been growing my hair back to long lengths since my chop off here and here. I've been growing my bangs out as well since last summer. But a couple weeks ago, I got some highlights put in for some summer lightness. I hadn't dyed/colored my hair for over a decade before and even the hairstylist was shocked by my "virgin" hair. Someone called into the salon to schedule an appointment, and the stylist said something to the effect of, "no other appointments for the rest of the day. This lady's got virgin hair!" I suppose that meant it would be trickier to dye? Anyhow, here are the results of growing out and sprucing up the color:

I love summer.

Turkey says, "hello!"

Posted on | Friday, July 20, 2012 | 2 Comments

This is Turkey.

He's a Green Cheek Conure that the hubby and I got at the Newberg Critter Cabana

He likes to whistle things that I whistle. He likes to take baths - everyday or multiple times a day. He likes strawberries and making a huge mess of them. He likes his head scratched. He likes to watch every move you make while hanging on the bars of his cage.

He sleeps in a little felt lined, triangular house with his buddy, Kiwi.

He is generally quiet until I'm on the phone - then he squawks with jealousy. He's also jealous of Kiwi's internet fame on blogs and pinterest.

So now you know Turkey. :)

New projects!

Posted on | Monday, June 18, 2012 | 3 Comments

If you love Twigs & Honey, I think you'll be the type to fall head over heels over our next line! Coming soon! I cannot wait for the big reveal. It's been a huge undertaking that began last summer and I'm very excited! All these great big ideas in my head are finally materializing. I really get to flex my muscles. Here are some sneak peeks from today...

Checking all the details!

It's all about the fit!

This is only the beginning. Proudly made in the U.S.A.

Small business grant :: Would love your help!

Posted on | Wednesday, June 13, 2012 | 2 Comments

I normally cringe at the thought of self-promotion anything, but would LOVE your help on this one! If you're a fan of Twigs & Honey, we're applying for a small business grant from Chase & LivingSocial. We need 250 votes by June 30th to be considered.

To vote, please go to: https://www.missionsmallbusiness.com/

From there, scroll to the bottom right and click "log in & support". Once logged in with a facebook account, type "twigs & honey" into the business name and hit "search". Then click the "vote" button and that's it!

Please spread the word through Facebook and Twitter! THANK YOU soooo much for all your support and help!!! We are so excited about this opportunity and all the help it would provide us in growing Twigs & Honey! Since we started in January of 2008, we've been completely self-funded - no loans or lines of credit - just pure hard work and reinvesting into the business. We have big plans in the future and know we'll get there eventually... but every little OR big bit helps!

Happy 2012 Wedding Season!

Posted on | Friday, May 25, 2012 | 8 Comments

I apologize for the minimal posts this year. We've been growing at a remarkable pace and have had so many exciting projects and opportunities, all of which I am very excited to share with you! Just a teaser - but some of the things are related to Hollywood, tutorials, and a weddings expansion - too cryptic? Well, I can't reveal everything all at once, can I?

I did create this lovely for an equally lovely favorite local lady. Here are some photos:

I hope to post more updates in the coming weeks and months! Thank you so much for all the Twigs & Honey blog readers!!! :)

Giveaway Winner!

Posted on | Tuesday, March 27, 2012 | No Comments

The random winner for the Junghwa by Amy Stewart double pair of heart earrings Giveaway is:

Mrs_Faz

She said in her comment entry:
"simply loveeee them! I wear my cute puffy heart necklace EVERYDAY!"

Congratulations! Mrs_Faz: Please email my sister at amystewart619@gmail.com or convo her on Etsy to arrange shipment of your prize!

Watercolor blooms

4 Comments

Freshly handmade from scratch:

Twigs & Honey Watercolor Blooms.
These ones are always slightly different from piece to piece. I love that. :) I hear more people saying they hand paint their flowers even though it doesn't look like it. I think some people use "hand painted" in the way they describe their work when it actually isn't. I use in my descriptions when I actually paint them so it might be that others use the language because they don't know better? Not sure. Anyhow, I started hand painting them a few years ago to achieve gorgeous depth and dimension and it's the real deal - literally hand painted petals. Not just saying it. In 2008, I got a crazy/cool project for a major perfume label where I had to hand paint flowers - that was really fun! I used to paint quite a bit when I was young and it's so fun to actually use that skill for my work. I never would have guessed it 20-25 years ago! I'm not a "painter" - I just enjoy it. Would love to get better in the coming years. I really admire great painters. It takes a ton of skill and dedication - and time. :)

Giveaway! Junghwa by Amy Stewart jewelry

Posted on | Tuesday, March 20, 2012 | 88 Comments

Many of you know I have one sister, Amy, and she makes the sweetest and prettiest handmade jewelry: Junghwa by Amy Stewart. She has generously offered a giveaway for one of our readers.

To enter for a chance to win 2 pairs of these lovely handmade heart stud earrings (1 - 14k gold fill; 1 - sterling silver), go to her facebook fanpage and like the page HERE. And then leave a comment on this post. :)
I'll pick 1 random winner.
Enter one comment only and the giveaway ends next week on March 27th at noon, Pacific time. I'll announce a winner later that day.
Good luck!

Don't want to wait to win a pair? Buy these cute earrings right now by going HERE.

Original artwork

Posted on | Friday, March 16, 2012 | 13 Comments

I feel silly to have to even bring this up and so sad that it happened, but after less than one month of going live, the artwork on my website has already been copied by another designer for their own commercial website! I mean, c'mon!!

I didn't think I had to point this out so explicitly but the floral print on my website's background, which is the same as on my signature boxes, is my original, hand painted artwork. It is copyrighted by Twigs & Honey, LLC. I've loved the feedback I've received so far and I think many people didn't realize that it was painted by moi - thank you everyone! But - even if you don't know that it's painted my myself, you shouldn't just copy it off my website. There are so many copyright laws out there for artwork. Educate yourself! You don't just go and right click and copy and use freely. Someone had to work hard to produce that art. I decided to paint my own art for my branding just so I could have exclusive rights to use it and to create exactly what I wanted! Even if you purchase a clipart membership somewhere, the fine print will usually say you can't use for commercial purposes... even though you had to pay for personal use. Long story short - please don't copy off my website or my branding.

Original copyright protected hand painted flowers from twigsandhoney.com

Original watercolour painting by Myra Callan. Do not reproduce!

Cover of Smitten Magazine!

Posted on | Tuesday, March 6, 2012 | 4 Comments

Twigs & Honey is on the cover of the current issue of Smitten Magazine! Yeah! Be sure to check out the issue HERE. There's also more Twigs & Honey inside the issue including an interview. :) :) Thank you, Smitten Magazine! The issue is gorgeous!

Photography: Elizabeth Messina
Hair/Makeup: Erin Skipley
Dress: Claire Pettibone
Headpiece: Twigs & Honey
Model: Dominique

Wonderful post on Wedding Chicks blog!

Posted on | Wednesday, February 15, 2012 | 3 Comments

Be sure to check out the Q&A I did with The Wedding Chicks for their awesome wedding blog! I adore Amy & Jocey and had the privilege of meeting them a couple weeks ago in Portland. They are soooo sweet and the moment you start talking with them, you feel like you've known them forever. I love women that are hard working, passionate about what they do, and totally down-to-earth. Thank you soooo much, Amy & Jocey!!! Expect some more things with the Wedding Chicks and Twigs & Honey in the future! :) Check out the Q&A HERE.

Amazing last year

5 Comments

photo credits: Elizabeth Messina

This past year was ridiculously amazing and I feel like the best has yet to come. There have been several large projects that I've been keeping mum about for a variety for reasons (strategic and legal), but some I've committed to for almost a year and others for at least several months. In the last few months, I had that crazy back pain issue and the 1.5 month long bronchitis and feel like amidst all the amazing projects, I have to make sure that I'm taking care of myself as well. So right at the moment, if you're interested in a very custom order, I might not be able to get to it, unfortunately. If it is a simple or large request, feel free to email me still and I might be able to fit it in. Simple customizations to current designs are a lot easier for me to accommodate than custom requests that are for items not currently available. My schedule is highly variable from day-to-day so I don't want to have a blanket policy, as I sometimes find a sliver of time for special order requests. I would LOVE to work with everyone, but have to make sure to finish previous commitments first and keep a good balance for sanity sake.

So whatelse rounds out the typical day at Twigs & Honey lately?
1. We're still remodeling the back half of the house (so our home is a wreck and we don't have a working kitchen yet)
2. Constant order fulfillment - everyday (which could be a full-time+ job by itself)
3. Transitioning for new workers
4. Working with retailers
5. Press projects
6. All those huge projects I was talking about
7. Preparing for The Cream in LA (yeah!)
8. All the backend for that little new collection we just launched ;)
9. Answering the flood of emails we get daily
10. Trying to hold onto a snippet of time to stay healthy and happy with the family. :)

I have some business-y posts planned soon. I've been getting a flood of inquiries for business tips and advice and think it would be great to just do a nice post about commonly asked questions.

Long story short, expect some wonderful things in the next year and keep checking back for all sorts of updates. Thank you, everyone!!!!!!!!!