earrings, anyone?

new life

2010-04-25T19:40:00.001-07:00

cucumber shoots
sweet pea blossom

Some macro photos from my emerging garden this afternoon. Life. Promise. Hope.

new hangover remedy?

2010-04-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Who Knew???

I made this pair of earrings yesterday and went in search of interesting facts about amethyst before I wrote my 'listing' on Etsy.

I learned this week that for the ancient Greeks and Romans, amethyst was believed to protect against the effects of over drinking! Maybe I should open another shop dedicated to Amethyst and it's interesting powers!

feelin alive at the Six String

2010-04-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

Traveled to Raleigh last night to play the Six String Cafe and Music Hall... here' s shot of James K. and me on that wonderful stage. I recommend this venue as a performer or listener - just a fabulous experience.

I always feel more like me when I'm singing.

I'm checking my calender for when I can return!

crossing lines

2010-04-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

As well as creating jewelry, I am a songwriter. Yesterday between creating some new rings and earrings (which I have yet to put in my shop) I had a rehearsal with a musician friend who is sitting in with me on djembe and guitar, while I play keys and sing (tonight). I enjoy crossing those two lines in side of myself - creating- then polishing up a different type of creation - then
going back to the previous one.

Tonight I am traveling to Raleigh to play a few songs in the singer/songwriter open mic at the Six String Music Cafe. I can't wait :)

singles getting attention now

2010-04-05T17:39:00.001-07:00

I've been making/wearing my own wire wrapped rings for over a year... just didn't feel until recently that they were ready to be added to my shop.

Today, I gathered up my courage and took the plunge - here's a shot from a new listing I added this evening... I hope to get several more up this week.

The really fun part about creating each ring is going through my vast collection of beads or wandering, enthralled through the bead shop and finding the lonely hearts... those without a pair, a mate, a friend or lover, and giving them the attention that they deserve.

So, just for now, all you beads out there that have a mate to balance your position, eat your heart out.

shop updates

2010-04-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

I added this bracelet today... and did a lot of photo edits to existing items.

Photos are an area in which I can see that I've improved, yet I am very aware that there remains a learning curve!

I am happily learning new chain maille techniques, and hope to add new items in the coming weeks that incorporate my new skills :)
Have a happy weekend and a blessed Easter.

deep, passionate espresso

2010-03-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

I snagged a treasury on Etsy this afternoon, and my theme is espresso. I LOVE coffee!!!! Take a peek at these lovely handmade (with love) items!
Here is the url, since I can't figure how to get a screen shot on here :)
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=123189

connect the dots

2010-03-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

From point A which I didn't realize I had started until point D made itself known has left me 3 inside connections to make. A misunderstanding, an unasked question, an unsaid thought up to the moment that I was told that I created harm has lead me to know that I owe an apology for harming one I love... without knowing precisely what I said and how I said 'it'.

It's time to connect the dots and restore balance inside of this relationship. Honesty is difficult to return to with clear recollection, for it is the internal experiencing of it and the ensuing reactions that we really remember - not exactly the words that were said or their intention.

At this point, the most important thing seems to just be loving and let the rest take care of itself as it does.

memories...

2010-03-29T19:24:00.001-07:00

Whilst I was sneaking around the forums in Etsy tonight, it struck me... I have a blog! I hopped over here, and my last entry was May, 2009 according to Google - gulp. I had totally forgotten about it.

Sometimes in my eagerness for creating, I forget to do the other stuff that one should be doing to help along one's success rate.

So, memories, light the corners of my mind, and now this little corner of cyberspace. Hello to old friends, hello to (hopefully) new ones as well.

I'm back.

2009-03-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a few weeks... so hello out there :) The good news is that I've done several custom orders that have kept my nose to proverbial grindstone. I've also been hard at work updating my shop with new items and improved photos. I've discovered the power of the 'color balance' edit option in Kodak Easyshare. Once I've clicked on that option, and balanced it, then I go to 'scene balance' and adjust the exposure and highlights for purer color and a brighter background. It's like I got new glasses that I can share with everyone!

Here are a couple of my new listings, the orange/yellow pair of earrings are called "hello sunshine" (it's rained here for four days straight, and I was channeling some sunshine), and the green pair are called " s o o n" becuase I know that soon the grass will begin to green, the garden beds will have green shoots, and we'll be on our way to spring loveliness!

where the wild things bloom

2009-02-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Natasha's Thursday Sweet Treat blog, 'where the wild things bloom'.

I used german style wire, lots and lots of swarovski crystal beads, czech glass beads, glass cube beads, and sterling silver ear wires. So fun!

25 random things - as posted on my facebook page

2009-02-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

1. In fifth grade, Mary (Vierling) Erangey and myself made up a dance to "Half Breed" by Cher, and did it after lunch one day in front of the class. Remember, Mary?
2. I can't live without coffee. I'm hopelessly addicted - close friends and family ask me how many cups I've had in the morning before they get into anything remotely serious with me.
3. During a show several years ago at a rural country bar in NC, the owner brought (snuck) a horse from backstage on to the stage in front of the drummer (who kept playing) in the middle of the third set. When our bass player (Mary) realized a very large horse was behind her, she jumped off stage into the people dancing with her bass in hand, at which point she was no longer singing, and it took me a moment to stop singing the harmonies and realize that we had been 'up-staged'.
4. I have learned how important being able to let go of what I can't control is for my general well-being, I thought I knew that, but I didn't... and I'm sure I'll say that AGAIN in the future.
5. When I was a girl and thought about marriage, one of my prevelant thoughts was that I wanted to fall in love with and marry someone whose last name didn't end with 'son' or 'sen' as so many do in Minnesota. I got married, and went from from peterson to hanson, and it's been one of the very best decisions I've ever made.
6. I got caught and into big, big trouble when I was 5 years old for charging the boys in my neighborhood a quarter each to see what 'it' looked like. I think I made seventy five cents, and then had to give it back.... I'm still an entrepenuer, but a bit more refined now.
7. I absolutely love New York City, specifically, Manhattan and would like to live there for at least a portion of my life.
8. I was saved from certain death by our white water rafting guide on the Upper Gaulley river on the first Class V rapids I had ever been on in 2006. When we stopped for lunch a few hours and 4 more Class V rapids later that morning, I wouldn't even take my life jacket off while we ate. Then I had to get BACK into the raft to finish! ps - I am still teased for not taking it off while on shore!
9. As I and my marriage mature, I am more and more in love with and in awe of the man I married.
10. When a group of childhood friends met in Los Angeles several years ago for a girl's weekend and attended an art festival in Malibu, I was mortified when Vicki (nee Berg) approached Dick VanDyke, who was minding his own business, and casually said, "Hi Dick."
11. My husband doesn't like flying in planes. He gets annoyed and cranky easily in that situation. He got ticked at me on a layover in Cincinatti a few years ago and left me (he had the tickets). I managed to find him when he was in the boarding line. It took the entire flight for him to make up to me.
12. I am a songwriter and a member of two songwriter's guilds, and a song of mine will be included on a spring 2009 compilation cd release of east coast acoustic artists.
13. My kids (two) make me a better person over and over - after I make a fool of myself - over and over.
14. I have remained in a close knit group of friends since the mid nineteen seventies. I'm amazed by them, and amazingly blessed with them, as well as all of those who've become so important to me through the years we've lived in North Carolina.
15. The quiet of the morning, with my coffee, journal and thoughts is among my most favorite times.
16. I once got 'locked' in the camp grounds in Carolina Beach State Park overnight with no tent searching for the rest of my family who left home earlier than I did for the beach. I had to sleep in my sexy ford festiva :):) ...turns out, the campground was full and they got a hotel room for the night... it was long before we had cell phones.
17. I got to see my son open for Jojo a couple of years ago, and had to hear hundreds of girls screaming his name... weird.
18. I've lived in the south over twenty years now, and still don't understand some of the idioms, accents, and meaning of phrases. Once a co-worker was talking about being upset with new slacks she bought, because, 'girl, when I put them in the dryer, they drew up!!!"
19. I miss the quiet joy of our family's cabin on Otter Lake in Wisconsin.
20. I was a junior in high school, singing at The National Cathedral in Washington DC with my high school choir when John Hinckley Jr. tried to assassinate President Reagan.
21. I am a big fan of national public radio, and listen to "A Prairie Home Companion" with wonderfully funny stories of 'lake woebegon' as often as I can.
22. Among my favorite-all-time books is Eat, Pray, Love, and anything by Diana Galbadon.
23. As I've grown older, I've tried more and more to stay true to my heart with love, compassion and creativity in more than one form. My spirituality and faith is ever-evolving, and though constant, it changes colors and reflects differently as I grow. If I have any lasting regret as a parent, it's that because I'm still seeking and searching, my example (to my children) was probably more confusing than anything else.
24. I am learning macro-photography, and I love it!
25. My social network is amazing, and I'm ever grateful for each you taking the time to read my indulgent random facts :)

love you mama

2009-02-10T12:46:00.000-08:00

My mama makes these amazing socks for herself, me, my sister, and my daughter... they're currently drying on the clothesline, and I couldn't resist taking a photo and sharing them with you :) Are you just a tiny bit jealous? They're beaded, lovely, warm, and much coveted... my friends try and figure out a way to have a pair :) thanks mama - love you!

csi and public internet complaining

2009-02-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

Hello dear reader. Be forewarned - this may be a long post.

And in case CSI is a new vocabulary acromyn for you - CSI: Customer Satisfaction Index is an internal measurement of how a company is doing the eyes of their customers.

I've read and participated in an etsy forum thread this morning in which a seller who is a customer of a jewelry supply company was upset about an experience she's had. She complained in a forum - publicly - and named the company, and before she knew it, she was contacted by phone by the company to try and fix her problem. To her credit, at the time I'm writing this, she's made comments that she acted out of emotion rather than intellect and has learned a valuable lesson about the speed and reach of the internet - but the central issue remains; are we that far away from receiving good to great customer service that when we do it feels out of place and like an intrusion? Is it an intrusion?

My reaction is that the customer got additional attention from the company she was unhappy with in good faith - however, she never complained to them directly - they became aware of her complaint and posting more than likely from checking their own web statistics and/or googling themselves. They called her on her home phone, which by the way, is also her business phone being that she works from home. They tried to make it right.

I'll add the link to this morning's forum if you're interested, but for now, I find myself re-examining my own core values in relationship to my business(es). One of them is online, two are not, and one is 50/50 on and offline. I do a lot more face-to-face and telephone business contacting than I think this particular seller did, and I expect to use my client's words, facial expressions, body language, etc. to help to guide me through a successful transaction... in other words - I go much more by personal interaction than just by online communications. In the online world, which is a business world, have we gotten away from wanting any personal contact? Are we going to be satisfied with emails, and be upset when the phone rings?

In the case of my etsy shop, it's more difficult to gauge my 'csi' except for positive feedback. I think if I had (luckily I haven't) received negative feedback, my first reaction would be to do whatever I could to remedy the problem and leave my customer with a good feeling about my business unless the customer was one of the very small minorty that is utterly unreasonable. On the other hand, I may well have unsatisfied customers that I am not aware of. What would I do if I found that they were? What do they expect from me? Interesting topic if your customer is a user name, address and email, without a face and some voice inflection.

In the online business model I find myself re-examining my core values in light of the lively and varied opinions on the conversation in that forum. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter to me in that case who was wrong or right; moreover, how would I handle a situation in which I was made aware of a customer's dissatisfaction in a round about way? It's an interesting and provocative thought. My first inclination would be the most direct communication possible as far as what information I had on that customer - but it leaves unanswered the question of why the customer didn't contact me for satisfaction.

I find in daily interactions that there is personality type that likes to complain to hear themselves talk rather than to find a solution to a problem, there are also those that would rather just forget about it rather than have to act in an assertive or even potentially confrontational way. These are the passive complainers - and forget that we're not as private as we think we are, in the den or the home office conducting business largely by a keyboard and mouse. I would be eager to fix a problem, but it needs to be brought to my attention in order that I can do something about it. I am also eager to have problems resolved, and happy when they are - I'm not sure how I would react to unsolicited service; I hope that I would feel pleasantly surprised.

I think that the American Consumer, and I'm talking about all of us - has become so conditioned to mediocre to rude attention to a consumer problem that it's the norm. Good customer relations, and exceptional customer relations are far less prevelant in today's business world. We are surprised (and in this case, offended) at more attention and hands-on problem solving to the point that it can feel like an intrusion rather than a good faith effort at making right what was wrong.

I would love to have your feedback on this topic - let's get the comment section going!

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6037171&page=1

kerstin

funny dog

2009-02-07T00:55:00.000-08:00

We have shelves along a wall just beyond the foyer that hold mainly books. There are two baskets on the shelves though; one for keys and one for dog leashes.

I moonlight as a bartender a few nights a week, and tonight was one of them, so I'm home (and up) late. As I ate a late dinner, my dog, Pete cried. For purposes of the humor value of this story, he is not allowed to be near the table, nor is he allowed to beg when eating is taking place. So, his persistence was at the least annoying; moreso, it was perplexing.

I couldn't figure out what he was trying to tell me and he wouldn't let it go. I checked his water dish and rinsed and filled it - it wasn't what he wanted. He just looked at me very intently, as dogs seem to do when they want whatever it is that you can't seem to give them. I asked if he needed to go outside, and he RAN to the shelves, to the basket that holds leashes and stood on his hind legs with his nose almost touching the basket. I walked over there and realized that about 6 inches of one of his leashes was hanging over the edge of the basket, and he could see it. I don't know how long that 6 inches of leash tormented him...

Pete wanted to go for a walk AT THREE FORTY FIVE AM. I giggled, then laughed - loudly - all-by-myself-in-the-middle-of-night. Then proceeded to tuck the end of the leash back into the basket.

I did take him outside just now, but we did not go for a walk.

Goodnight!

fun blog to follow

2009-02-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

'thursday sweet treat' on blogspot is dedicated to inspiring and creating a community of artists of all modalities - I'm in awe of it's creator: Natasha. if you have a moment, go on and have a peek!

there'll be a new inspirational theme posted tomorrow, and it's a short time frame (5 days) to create based on the inspiration - then it's all shared the following thursday on her blog - so neat!!!

http://thursdaysweettreat.blogspot.com

inspiration: poetic sea

2009-02-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

'Poetic Sea' was the inspirational theme for the "Thursday Sweet Treats" blog that speaks to artists of all modalities to create from somewhere deep inside. I participated for the first time this week, and this is my piece; a bracelet of pearls with glass focal bead that invoked the ebb and flo, mood, and changing qualities of the sea. I think I shall name it, "Pearls under Glass", although I will retain the right to change my mind - as all girls should....

At some point after tomorrow, you'll be able to find it in my etsy shop:

http://kerstinhanson.etsy.com

un-named as of yet

2009-01-22T13:47:00.001-08:00

sparkling pink flamingo earrings

2009-01-22T13:27:00.001-08:00

these just make me happy :)

I'm going to list them in my etsy shop in just a moment....

mad face

2009-01-20T12:43:00.000-08:00

Poor Pete, our adorable, lovable family dog had to endure a pedicure this afternoon. He is not typically grumpy - but after having to go outside and deal with snow up to his chest to do his business, and then this - he's been a tad bit put out today....

snow day

2009-01-20T12:31:00.000-08:00

We had measurable snow last night into today... it's been 4 or 5 years since that's happened... so beautiful! Mat (my husband) got some great shots.
Our town is pretty much shut down... it's a snowday for everyone, and strange after growing up in Minnesota that a few inches of snow here forces everyone to slow down and enjoy it!

Listening

2009-01-19T15:18:00.000-08:00

I was doing some errands this afternoon listening to NPR, as usual, and as usual, their programming is fantastic. All last week, as a matter of fact, I listened to 'the story' and 'this american life' among other programs and learned new perspectives on our collective history as Americans, particularly the stories of many black Americans who had the courage to speak out, go to jail, and in general, suffer the wrath of parents and other authority figures (not to mention prejudiced persons) to begin the process of some of what we're all experiencing now. For real.

Today, though, I was listening to the entire speech that Dr. Martin Luther King gave in 1963, his "I Have a Dream" speech for the first time as an adult. It's different now then it was when I had to learn about it as a teenager, and radically different in the present, against the backdrop of Mr. Obama becoming President Obama tomorrow.

I Had Goosebumps. My entire body shivered with emotion and my eyes began to well up with tears at 50 mph. I had to pull into a parking lot because my vision was blurred, and more importantly because I really had to listen. His voice, even in a recording some 40 years old, resounds with courage, conviction, hope, optimism and the knowledge that a day like tomorrow would come. I was compelled to be there, in that moment this afternoon with all of my being. I wish that he was alive to be a part of this, can you imagine?

so today, I really listened - not just listened like I did in a social studies/history setting so many years ago.... I mean that today I listened with my whole entire body, mind, soul and spirit - and I am better, brighter, deeper, more luminous, more expansive and lighter because I really listened.

in love with donuts

2009-01-19T08:08:00.001-08:00

Just added to my etsy shop - in my 'life's a beach' collection:

... 'avocado moon' and 'framed in ivory' -

I think it's the year of the donut for me so far :)

sea-squared-inspiration

2009-01-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

My daughter's friend Evan came to visit a few weeks ago, and brought along some of her new creations... and in the process, she gave me a couple of donut shaped beads made of hematite, I think, and I made myself some earrings that I love :) As a matter of fact, I'm wearing them right now!

My mission this week has been to find more donut shaped beads that inspire me, and after some amount of searching, I found some that really make me smile

.... new today... drum roll.... introducing:

Sea Squared.... more new designs to come :)

checking in

2009-01-02T23:57:00.001-08:00

It feels like a very long time since I've posted anything here. I miss writing when I feel too busy/rushed/involved in other things to stop and examine what I'm thinking about. I also have little tolerance for excuses for not doing something, particularly my own excuses.

Instead of that, I will share with you that the time that I spent with family over the past couple of weeks was absolutely priceless. We connected, shared, laughed, cried and felt the joy that was present in our gathering to celebrate. Random comment: if you have not played "Partini" - it's a board game - you really should rush out to purchase it, and then invite your family and/or friends over for a blast! It's a great game, and winning almost takes a second seat to the fun it is to play. So, back to my earlier thoughts - each year we all go through things that we don't expect to, we learn things that we don't necessarily want to, and gain experiences that we couldn't foresee...

There were a couple of kind of big things that affected all of us - a family member with a diagnosis of a brain disorder, and a marraige that came apart... Each of us has worried, prayed, rejoiced and cried... alone. The gathering of all of us provided healing, comfort, and the easing of anxiety when you see for yourself that one you love and worry about is in fact, doing well in spite of the burdens they've beared.

So, hallelujiah for love and family. Hooray for hugs and laughter. Here's to whatever tomorrow has in store with a strength and a smile.

gift giving inspirations

2008-12-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

I would like to share some holiday gifts I've made this year with you - the trouble with that is some of my family members read this blog. So, I'm going to share with you my inspirations without telling you what I've done with them. I searched for and chose them based on the person, the relationship we share, and their life experiences over the past year. I thought about Goddesses, Muses, meaning and depth and then put my findings on items designed to hopefully inspire and touch their heart(s).

"Even from a dark night, songs of beauty can be born" ~Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey

'I went there of my own free will
I went there in my finest gown
with my rarest jewels
with my Queen of Heaven crown
In the underworld
At each of the seven gates
I was stripped seven times
Of all I thought I was
Till I stood bare in who I really am'
~Inanna, Goddess For Embracing the Shadows

"Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you" ~Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Malls and I do not make good companions - and I've managed to avoid them 100%! I've done all handmade gifts this year, whether I've made them or purchased handmade items. Now, the wrapping is complete, and the countdown is on for my home to fill up with family!

awareness

2008-12-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

New and inspired by a friend's journey: 'awareness'

The charms read," be, here, now".

love at first bite

2008-12-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

i think i am in love with nyc. it's a beautiful, friendly, welcoming, energetic, moving, always moving city. tuesday afternoon, we were wowed by the sights and sounds of times square - then off to see the rockettes at radio city music hall - absolutely wonderful show, it was. we walked back to our hotel afterwards, and stopped at a deli along the way for a snack - good stuff!

somehow I talked mat into an early wake-up wednesday so that we could go to the taping of the GMA show. it was neat :) then all day wednesday we rode a series of double decker buses to see the sights and sounds of Manhatten - first stop; st. paul's chapel across the street from where the twin towers once stood.

the chapel wasn't harmed, not even a window cracked or broken on 9.11 - and for 8 or 9 months it was a refuge for the workers from 'the pit'. there are memorials inside the sanctuary including 'missing' flyers, photos of many of the victims, letters from all over the world, momentos from the NYPD and NYFD.... it was one of those rare moments in your life when you don't even realize that you're crying until you feel tears dripping off of your chin... I'm not sure I can accurately describe how I felt - but the chapel itself held a solemn yet renewing energy. the sadness itself held hope, the tears carried pride along with sorrow, and the echos of countless volunteers that administered to the rescue then recovery workers remain. it took Mat and I a little while after leaving there to get back to normal conversation and exploring - the emotional digestion took a bit of time.

second stop was in greenwich village, where we were on a treasure hunt for an irish pub by the name of 'mr. denneheys' on carmine street, owned by a friend of a friend. the pub was about an eight block walk after disembarking from the double decker bus, and i promptly fell in love with greenwich village. it was much more quaint than the high rises and neon of times square. the old brick buildings each had their own personality, and the shops on street level were the kind that you wanted to duck inside the doorway of each and explore.

when we found mr. denneheys, we were seated and we asked for 'donal' whom I had spoken with by phone the day before, and he came to our table and we visited for a little while. mat had a pint (or two) of guiness - what else do you drink in an irish pub? irish coffee - that's what I had. we ordered a plate of fish and chips that were wonderful. once again, we were on our way, and we took our time getting back to the bus stop and did in fact, duck inside a few of the shops and did a bit of shopping.

it was drizzling with occasional rain, so we got back on another double decker bus and rested our feet while we listened to the tour guide talk about noho, soho, little italy, china town, tenements and immigrants, honey pots and public baths, the east village, park avenue, the waldorf astoria, tiffanys, medical mile.... you could spend so much time in a city that is so rich with history. we didn't make it to ellis island, but will on another visit - I have copies of papers from my grandfather's family - a set in swedish and a set in english from ellis island from 1909, I believe.

eventually, we got off at times square and rested for a little while in our hotel - then we suited up again fancy-like for our next adventure; dinner on the 48th floor of the marriott at 'the view' restaraunt. the entire restaraunt rotates as you're eating, so we could see all of manhatten, the hudson river.... I remembered being a small girl, ten or so, and my dad taking me on a 'date' in rochester, mn at a place called 'the pinnacle' where the restaraunt rotated as well - my two favorite guys have now taken me to the same type of restaraunt on a date :) incidently, I ordered a pear martini before dinner that was absolutely wonderful and delicious ( and should be for $16) - I have yet to work out the precise ratios, but know all of the ingredients to replicate at home :)

I have spared a few finer details - but will add finally, that I was exhausted and slept the entire plane ride, and then the entire trip from raleigh to home in raeford... that means that I had a great time, I think.

truth

2008-12-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

I have made another concession to the inevitable process of my body aging.

The truth is, that I've struggled with dime store glasses for reading for quite awhile now, and recently my husband made an appointment for me at his eye doc in reaction to my nonchalant attitude towards eye care. (Or my wanting to ignore the slight but persistent changes to my physical condition as I grow a year older a year at a time.)

I picked up my new prescription eyewear this afternoon, and while I was there I had an adjustment made to the (also) new sunglasses-with-prescription-readers-built-in so that they weren't quite so tight on my head. Two new pairs of glasses, and I have a new outlook on life, literally.

Not related to eyewear, but related to 'truth' is a quote I heard while listening to a story on NPR {tangent - yes, I am a NPR geek and proud of it -and that, my friends, is another sign of aging} while I was driving home from the eye doc this afternoon. I wish I could remember who made the quote, I know it was a person from Russia or somewhere in that general area of the world, but red lights only last so long and I only had time to write the quote, not the author as well.

Anyhow, the quote that quite charmed me into writing it on the back of the statement from the eye doc in the car is thus: "Seek the truth but run from those who claim to have found it."

I just really like thinking about that quote.

bead shopping in Carrboro, NC

2008-12-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

New! I went bead shopping with my daughter at a bead shop in Carrboro, NC this past weekend, and bought some wonderful beads. These are made with czech glass beads (beautiful cobalt blue!), glass pearl beads and tiny blue czech glass beads. They're wire wrapped with sterling silver wire, and hang on a sterling ear wire. I also go to meet my daughter's friend Evan, who is a lovely girl and a talented jewelry designer. (Hello Evan, if you're reading this.)

The pair on the right also feature the blue czech glass beads, fun green crystal cubes, and swarovski elements crystal bicone beads. They're dainty and sweet!

Finally, these fluorite beads (thanks for the correct spelling, Jess) caught my attention also. I've accented them with silver spacer beads and a sweet little crystal.

stubborn acceptance

2008-12-03T05:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we think we're imagining something just because it's happening around us, sometimes it's really happening. I didn't have that figured out quite right yesterday morning. My husband started with the flu - stomach variety - saturday, and my son got knocked over backwards with it on monday.

Yesterday morning I had an appointment to have my eyes checked, and I noticed that I felt a little 'not right' with a slight headache and maybe just a bit of indigestion, and immediately I chalked it up to a psychsomatic reaction to what was going on at my home. I was certainly just feeling bad for my family members, and my compassion was leading me to imagining I might be getting ill, too. The appointment went fine, then I had a client meeting at 1 pm - and I needed to get a contract written up before then.

So I went from the optometrist's office to my office, and then to the restroom. Again to the restroom, five more times to the restroom ..... and on the last rushed visit, I needed a bucket, too. Ewwwww. The last time I really had the flu my son was 2, I think - he's 19 now. I stubbornly wrote the contract in between running for my life, and then, with tears in my eyes, asked another agent if they would please meet with my client, go over the contract, and get it to the listing agent. Then I prayed (desperately) to God that He would help me to get from my office to my home without needing to be in the bathroom ( I know He heard me, but He couldn't help in that department - I didn't make it.) I had to accept at that point, that I definitely had the stomach flu and not just compassion. Rats! I found a bit of solace in spite of feeling horrible for quite a few hours in the fact that my husband was off work yesterday, so I had a very loving nurse :)

Maybe it's just a 24 hour thing because I'm feeling a bit better this morning, even trying a half of a cup of coffee... and I'm imagining that the Lysol wipes that my husband and I have repeatedly used on every surface in our home have the power to kill those little flu germies and they're gone.

friendship and apple pie

2008-11-30T08:58:00.000-08:00

Jess and Hailey made 4 apple pies the day before Thanksgiving. If you follow my etsy store, you might kow that Hailey either approves or disapproves of my earring designs for kids - she just turned 9 last week.

Jess (my daughter) babysat Hailey from before Hailey was even one year, and nine years later, they're fast friends. It was great to have Jess home from college and both of them providing pies ( and humor) in the kitchen.

Hailey wasn't quite tall enough to get the right leverage for the apple slicer - but she was determined to try and get it, and it was the humorous climax in the pie-making-show. Eventually Jess helped in the midst of fits of giggles.

The pies were absolutely delicious and the friendship; just as wonderful as ever.

I want to add in reference to my previous post, that the turkey that my husband so lovingly injected with marinade after three trips to the store, a broken seal on the blender, a syringe that somehow missed the turkey and got the refrigerator on the first attempt, and the entire comedy of errors which caused husband to sound quite like a salty sailor in the kitchen - was awesome.

off the hook at the last minute

2008-11-27T08:05:00.000-08:00

I got to sleep in this morning.... after originally thinking I would be up getting the 'bird' ready for operation roast the turkey. However, last night, while spending a couple of hours over at Jeff and Helen's house (where we are celebrating Thanksgiving later today), and talking about today, Jeff and my guy decided that our turkey (one of two turkeys for our rather large gathering) must be deep fried. That is, without a doubt, a more masculine type job in my opinion. They like to fill the pot with oil, get a propane tank hissing, and drink manly drinks around the turkey fryer.

In the spirit and execution of more masculine-type-decisions, it was made late, and there are items that are missing this morning to prepare for the operation. As I write this little blog {whilst I manage to hide my occassional grin} my guy is searching for the needle which must be inserted into the syringe which makes injecting the marinade (which according to the directions should have been completed last night) a breeze. He has already been to the store for the ingredients for the marinade; the attic to look for aforementioned needle; and is preparing to go to the store again to purchase a needle which I'm sure is very easy to find the morning of Thanksgiving :)

I wasn't anticipating a comedic morning, and my guy isn't expressing much, if any humor as he adds up the sum of all parts and comes up short, but I will tell you, here in cyberland, that I am experiencing humor with my coffee this beautiful morning. And I am thankful for being 'off the hook'.

new new new

2008-11-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

I've been working, working, working (happily) creating, photographing, and uploading: here's a few samples.

I've started with a bit of sterling silver wire this week - wire wrapping is an art, and I practiced quite a bit with inexpensive wire (not intended for jewelry tha I found in my husband's store of amazing things in the garage). Sterling feels different, it's easier to manipulate than my practice wire, but I'm glad I practiced hoops, loops, curves, wrapping, etc. before doing it with the much more expensive sterling!

Unrelated, but just as fulfilling and happy to me, is my daughter shall arrive here from college for the Thanksgiving break in less than an hour :) Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers, I wish the best for you and your loved ones.
Kerstin

links

2008-11-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

if you're feeling helpful tonight - you could leave me a comment tonight about how to make an addy a link in my blog.... I'll be late for work if I try one more thing, and I already said one (or two) bad words.

extraordinary week!

2008-11-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

well, I need to leave for work soon - and I was killing a couple of minutes scrolling through the blogs that I like to read, and I was a featured etsy seller on this
http://jangiesetsyshop.blogspot.com
wonderful blog :) thanks! take a minute and check out her blog... go on, the link is right there!
I also learned today that I was accepted at another juried site for artists :)
I also learned today that my whole entire family will be here for christmas!
And, I blogged a couple of days ago about learning of a trip to NYC!
The only tiny little thing I'm missing and I'm not complaining, I'm just sayin', is that I've yet to have a sale this week... I'll be checking again when I'm home from work :)

thanks-giving

2008-11-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

today I've recieved two emails to read and pass to the appropriate persons from my friend Helen. (see birthdays, bracelets and skydiving post in october's posts). Helen is making a list, checking it twice, and then sending it into cyberland for all of the families to read and follow. my list has a turkey and two crumble-crust-apple-pies to bring.

I'm thankful for the lists, thankful to pass them along, and thankful that I'm on a list! we live in a community near Ft. Bragg, and each of us that has recieved a list is the thankful recipient of a family here - not a biological family - but a family nonetheless in the sense that we care about and take care of one another.

for all of us that miss our biological families during the holidays, we celebrate with each other the blessings we do have - life, love, health, faith, love of this country, love for each other.. the list of gratitude is a little bit endless, and for that I'm grateful too. We've even started traditions in our 'family' - who prepares and brings what (according to who makes the 'best' one), who says Grace (jeff, as long as he's around), specific games we play after dinner, and who gets what leftovers!!! looks like there's be over 20 adults and 8 kids to share the love!

the emails made me feel a bit excited and antipatory, and it's nice to think of and write about that which I'm grateful for.
kerstin

old friends, new techniques

2008-11-20T06:24:00.001-08:00

Well, my weekend was fabulous :) It was wonderful to have old friends around for a few days and we made the most of the time we had together.

This week I've been busy learning a new technique for earring creation; german style wire. I like it :) Here's an example, just listed this morning in my etsy shop:

And by the way, I learned yesterday that my hubby and I are going to Times Square, NYC in December and have tickets to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall! I've never been to New York City, and I'm very excited about it. Any readers out there that have suggestions for spending time there (we'll be staying at the "W" hotel right in Times Square), please pass them my way!

blessings and anticipation

2008-11-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

two more days. just two more days until two of my childhood girl-friends arrive for a long weekend :) they're flying here from minnesota - where I grew up. first, there were three of us that met in 5th grade. then, when we moved to our jr. high school, and in the awkward and new halls of maplewood jr. high, the three became six. that was in 1976.
this year, we've all turned or will turn forty-four years old. we all got through puberty together, all graduated from high school together, went in different directions after that; college, work, marriage, starting a family, and all stayed close, fast friends. we've been through 8 marriages and 2 divorces together (still makes six :), the births of thirteen children, the death of two parents, two high school graduations of our children so far ( my kids are the oldest), and so much amazing minutia that make up the basis and blessings of a life.
Our husbands all enjoy each other and spend time together when they can golfing, boating, or just goofing off ... our children all enjoy each other (ages 7 - 20)... and we get together as often as possible. just two more days til a part of a whole gets to indulge in the gifts of love, friendship, and fellowship sharing laughter and tears while catching up with the stories of our lives!
most everyone still lives in minnesota - and my husband and I got to visit everyone while we were vacationing there this past summer. now two of them are arriving in two days! yay :)

two.oh.nine

2008-11-10T20:08:00.000-08:00

I called my husband this afternoon to say hello, ask him a specific question, and share with him that while I was out running some errands, I noticed that gas was 2.09 a gallon at murphy's. whoa. it's really sad, but I remember not long ago paying 4 dollars or more a gallon for gas, and now it seems like a deal at 2.09. maybe that's been the plan for awhile... change our comfort zone so more seems like less, and less; more?

In other news, I was forced by my conscious today to relate a tale that I didn't want to, didn't want to be involoved with someone else's 'stuff', but saw that my employer was being taken advantage of ie: one of his employee's was stealing... so I did what seemed like the right thing, and let my employer know. Now on the one hand, my conscious is clear, on the other, I can hear the kids on the playground taunting me with cat-calls... tattle-tale...

it's hard to be a grown up. I'm just sayin.

omg - savin' my beans for this!

2008-11-09T17:14:00.000-08:00

I was just browsin' tonight, checkin' out who has left me a heart in my etsy shop :) (thanks to all of you)... and I had a heart from Ralph.

It's oddly wonderful that Ralph is from Minneapolis, because St. Paul/ Minneapolis is my home town area, though I've been in NC over twenty years....

I scrolled through Ralph's shop, and I became smitten with this made-just-for-me listing. For those who know me a bit, it's no surprise that this would speak to my heart - my coffee addicted heart, my hot tea lovin' heart, my one-more-mug-is-not-enough kind of heart.

So, I'm hoping that either someone who loves me very much happens upon this manipulative and conniving post, or that my own earning power is great enough for one tiny little self indulgent thing!

I'm off to look for items which one wishes fervently upon...falling stars, four leaf clovers...

I almost don't want to tell you where to find Ralph's shop, I want to keep and covet it as my secret... but I know you want to take a peek - go on, it's ok, and I'm sure that he would enjoy the company!
http://ralphnuara.etsy.com

current favorite day

2008-11-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

I worked the past three days (actually nights) and now it feels like friday! Sundays and Tuesdays are my two favorite days currently, because both my husband and I are off of work :)
My "victorian holiday" earrings sold while I was at work last night - it's fun to sign on and find a little sale in my inbox - I think I'll dedicate a few hours this week to my 'holiday' section in my shop this week. You can look for new listings soon!

Sold

unique is as unique does

2008-11-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

I met a couple of friends at Starbucks this afternoon, and I don't know if you can see in the picture the spelling of my name "Kristen". It's cute how they do that bit of personal marketing there...
Anyhow, my name isn't spelled that way or pronounced that way, in fact, one of the friends I was with had to tell me that they called 'my' name for my Gingerbread Soy Latte. Thanks, Shannon :)
...if I only had a nickel for every time I corrected the spelling or pronunciation of my name... most of the time now, my friends make the corrections before I do....

free entertainment

2008-11-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

This morning I took my cup-o-joe out to the front porch - it's beautiful here in NC today! We have a fish pond garden just off of the porch, and along with my coffee, I got to watch this little guy stalk, catch, and eat his breakfast! He would hold on to the pole (it's a small sheperd's hook that holds a wind chime) and sit so still, and suddenly launch himself into the air and catch insects. I saw two successful launches :) It's going to be a great day - for the little guy, and for me!

this just makes me smile

2008-11-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

Another pair of earrings that I just listed today - don't they have a fun little attitude and a sassy personality? I love the beads with their proud polka dots, they're fun and I think make the statement that you don't take life or yourself too seriously. Girls just wanna have fun....

green orbilicious

2008-11-06T11:55:00.001-08:00

Just listed :)
I almost want to keep them for myself because the Good Lord knows that I don't have enough earrings (heh). It's just that the beads were hard to come by, and I don't have any more of them... they remind me of a wonderful planet somewhere in the universe.
Also, just say 'orbilicious' out loud... feels nice, huh? If you're at work just wait til you're driving home or something...

photographs and memories

2008-11-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

It's wednesday evening and I thought that I had to work tonight, but I got there and wasn't supposed to be there for another 24 hours, so here I am, working on the blog post that I thought I would get finished earlier today.

I've spent the past couple of days contorted in and around my new light box, camera in hand. The time and effort has paid off and I'm slowly changing photos in my webshop for better color and clarity of the items I find so fun to make.

In addition, I've found myself ruminating over a dear friendship that has drifted into polite aquaintence, and wishing that we were given a magic moment of clarity prior to the loss of what was precious, so that we could say nice things and be remembered that way... Sometimes when the loss is sudden or unexplicable, it's so easy to say things that shouldn't have been said, and the recovery from that may never happen.

I've let my mind wander while photographing and rearranging, and come to the same place through my thoughts... I'll take this and apply it to the present, while I can tell someone how much I think of them and how fond I am of them.

no lines!

2008-11-04T12:25:00.001-08:00

I went to the polling place that I was supposed to around noon today with my husband... I was thinking that we probably were going to wish that we would have voted early as we waited in a long line in the light but chilly drizzle. I had visions of my entire afternoon spent waiting to exercise my rights and obligation as a citizen of this great nation. I would've waited, too, but there was no line!

We walked right to the registration table, handed over our driver's licenses, signed where we were supposed to, moved down to the lady handing out the ballots and listened to her short explanation and then we separated and cast our votes. After a bit, we finished, slipped our ballots into the machine and went out for lunch. I'm not going to tell you who I voted for, but during a conversation at lunch my husband and I discovered that we didn't vote for the same candidate... interesting, but not the topic of this blog!

The last presidential election I waited in line for just under an hour to cast my vote. I don't know about other states, but North Carolina did a great job with early voting as evidenced by our experience today. Kudos to election officials in our area - I'm impressed.

Halloween Pre-gamin' with Angie

2008-10-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to complain too much, but I do have a small complaint this morning.

I am supposed to wear a costume to work, friday night and saturday night... I moonlight as a bartender... and it's difficult for me to get too creative with a costume when I know that I have to move very fast for a few hours in whatever I don.

I work with another bartender, Angie, who loves Halloween, and who has been 'pre-gaming' for two weeks already. She's been various kinds of witches and last night, she was a pirate. She had to trade in her pirate boots for sneakers after a couple of hours, which didn't work that well with her fishnet-thigh-high-stockings... what really kept it working for her was placing those tips strategically into her mightily pushed up bosom area which drew attention away from the wrong shoes :) Holy Cleavage, Batman! I've teased her mercilessly for her Halloween costuming pregame! She just smiles, and tells me (again) that she loves Halloween.

I could really benefit from having an attitude similar to hers right now. I would like a temporary tattoo for my forehead, or a pair of funky and wierd contact lenses, or just a t shirt that resembles a football jersey with some black rectangles under my eyes... nothing more elaborate... because I prefer not to 'dress up' at all!

I thought about the sexy teacher look, but I know that I would have splashes of raspberry schnapps and blue curacao all over my white button down shirt in the first hour. Somehow it seems like it might take away the 'sexy' look I would be going for. Besides that, I would ruin a shirt that way... and who wants to ruin a classic white button down?

Anyhow, it's just over 24 hours until I have to have a plan in place... and I'm stressing about it just a little! You would think that someone who considers herself somewhat creative would have no trouble in this arena. But I do and I am.

birthdays, bracelets, and skydiving

2008-10-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a busy one - four birthdays in four days! My husband and three of my dear friends all celebrated the gift of another year. The pictures are of two of my friends that celebrated by skydiving at the Raeford Airport here in NC. Pics are from bottom to top: pre-jump, cold beer afterwards, then the certificate stating that they actually decided to jump OUT of a perfectly good airplane! I was invited to go along, but my decision was to wait on the ground and watch :):)

I made a bracelet and a pair of earrings for one b-day gift. It was so oohed and aahed over that I've decided to add bracelets to my etsy shop - added my first one just a few days ago :)

Free shipping for a limited time

2008-10-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm offering free shipping to everywhere for a limited time - having my own little sale in etsy-land :) If there is something that you've had in mind and are waiting - now would be a good time to save a couple of bucks! http://kerstinhanson.etsy.com

This has been a fabulous week. I helped a fellow songwriter with recording some of her songs, which came out very well. I also got an opportunity to play in the local songwriter's showcase on wednesday evening. I also read a great line on another forum about why mondays suck....'mondays suck because you have to put on your shoes and underwear'... which I would like to write a humorous song around.

As referenced by my previous post, my very dear husband ( who had a birthday yesterday) made me a fabulous light box for my indoor photo taking.

Besides hubby's b-day, we are celebrating the birthdays of three more wonderful friends this weekend by tandem skydiving followed by a chili and beer celebration! ( By the way, I decided that I have no need or desire to skydive myself, so I will wait and watch them, and celebrate with them afterwards!)

TGIF to all :)
Kerstin

light-box-for-me!

2008-10-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

This morning, I clicked my way to the storque news on etsy about photography and light boxes... and ever-so-nicely asked my husband if he thought we had what I needed around the house to make a light box as shown on the web page displayed. As if I intended to make one today. Now I have one - YaY! I had to go to the store for one little thing that he needed to complete the project, and I took my first photos in it tonight! Yippee!

Love is grand, and grander a lover who is very handy with a picture :)

I'm off to capture the light and play, no matter what time of day!!!!

peanut butter and crest whitening strips

2008-10-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

July 2008 found my daughter in Alicante, Spain hosted by a wonderful Spanish family. I had made a connection the month before, when while visiting friends in Minnesota, I met a young man, Jorge, who was visiting the USA from Alicante, Spain. He extended the invitation for her to stay with them for a few days while she backpacked around Spain. So she did. She fell in love with the entire family - and felt a special bond with Jorge's mother, Suni. Suni has no daughters and enjoyed 'having one' for a few days. I feel a special bond with Suni, though I've never met her for taking care of my daughter while she was a guest with the same love and attention that I give to her.

My daughter's next stop in her travels around Spain was in Grenada, where she discovered upon trying to check into her hostel that she no longer had her passport in her belongings. She frantically called Suni, thinking that perhaps she had forgotten it in the trunk of a friend's car one day while they were visiting the beach. The next day, the forgotten passport was found and forwarded to a contact in Grenada. After the passport arrived, my daughter was able to continue her travels in Spain with the help and love of this family.

While she spent time with them, Jorge assisted her with editing some written translation my daughter had done, and asked just for peanut butter and crest whitening strips sent to him from the USA in return for his help. His request made my daughter (and me) smile. Just this past weekend, my daughter was home from college for a few days and purchased the requested peanut butter and crest whitening strips in preparation for sending a package to Spain.

I decided that I wanted to send Suni a thank-you-note and a gift of thanks. I made her a beautiful pair of earrings.... and then made an identical pair for my daughter so that they'll each have the same unique item worlds away. It was a brand new design, but I think that it is retired already... two very special people share a special gift in recognition of love and friendship, gratitude and thanks, and sharing and caring for one another. The design does not contain hearts with cutouts for a key or keys. But it is a twist on a mother's ring, and a twist of the heart on one piece of jewelry and the key on another. There are two tiny heart charms, shells for recognition of the beach on the Mediterranean, blue and green to soothe and calm, and clear crystal that sparkles and shines in representation of love and friendship.

Although we seem so far removed from other countries, even just distant cities in our own countries, we really are only as far away as our hearts are and sometimes that's not far at all. I don't know if I'll ever get to meet Suni and the family in Spain, but a little piece of my heart is on it's way there, along with peanut butter and crest whitening strips.

Anticipation

2008-10-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Remember as a kid hearing the sound of the ice cream truck's music playing in the distance, moving closer and closer to your street? Remember the first time you gave your phone number to a boy (you maybe, kinda liked) and then thought about what it would be like when he finally called? Remember looking out the window, watching down the street on Thanksgiving Day morning for the car that would hold your cousins? I think that our feelings of anticipation mellow a bit with age, but they certainly don't go away.

I have a dear friend who's husband serves in the military and has been gone several times over that past few years. She describes a physical anticipation a day or two before she knows he's returning home, a tingling feeling in her stomach. I can relate to that physical feeling before each show that I do. I can't wait to sing and play, and I always feel that physical anticipation.

Yesterday I sent a box of promo items out for a holiday craft fair taking place in early November. I feel emotional anticipation for the results of those actions. Will the promotional items boost sales for me? Will I wake up each day after the fair and find new customers with orders in my inbox? I don't know the answers, and don't know what exactly to anticipate. I do know that without trying to promote my shop and my earrings, there wouldn't be any additional orders in my inbox!

I hope that orders will be a result of my actions, and then those people will feel the anticipation of knowing that there's a package somewhere in the mail enroute to their house! heh!

New Directions, New Designs

2008-10-15T14:21:00.001-07:00

Inspiration comes from many places. Some fantastic, and others quite benign. This week, I've been inspired by people. My musical friends and my favorites on etsy.

I've added a few new items today - please hop on over to etsy and take a peek. While you're there, check out some of my favorites also -

http://MADART.etsy.com
http://maryellenscrafts.etsy.com
http://PhotographybyBree.etsy.com

They're all unique and wonderful :) Bree has a photograph of a piano that I just love. Mary Ellen makes my favorite kind of dish cloths. MADART does beautiful art with design and color.

While I'm at it - here's a shout out to the members of the Cape Fear Songwriter's Guild, and the Moore County Songwriter's group - you have all inspired me with your music and your hearts.

~Kerstin

Driving as metaphor

2008-10-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

What an organized and routine world we would live in if we were able to dictate and expect that other human beings would react in just the way that we wanted them to in any situation. The average person with OCD could give up their meds, and the peaks and valleys that we experience at work, play, and in our personal relationships would level out to look like I-65 in Indiana - flat, continous, and the same for miles and miles and miles.

In my personal life, there are a few different scenarios in play right now, and some of the 'characters' are not behaving as I would like them to or thought that they would've. Goodbye I-65, and welcome to the mountains, people! The peaks and valleys are at once, exhilarating and fulfilling and then shocking and full of hair pin twists and turns. We are each in our unique ways, interpreting the map that leads us to our destination differently.

There are those that are careful, plotting, and stop frequently to ask others if they are indeed going in the right direction. Then there are those that argue routinely that 'this in NOT the way to get where I thought we were going'. And of course, there are those that put the petal to the metal, and take the twists and turns with unbridled glee. Finally, there are those that want you to fill up their gas tank, wash their windows, and sit in the back quietly even as you know quite well as the passenger that the current path will not lead your driver to their intended destination ( in this case, my belief is that the driver's destination is not as important to them as it is to be right at all times!)

As far as my webshop goes, it's new enough that I am still getting a sense of who my buyer is, how they drive, and how I can steer them to the destination I would like them to arrive at; a purchase, baby! I started on I-65, and now I feel as though I am approaching the foothills of the mountains that are new to me, but exciting and calling out for me to take that path up to where I can see for miles. I know that upon reaching that destination, I will occassionally find myself in the valley - but I want to at least be in that environment!

How do you drive? What does your landscape look like? Are you on I-65 or in the foothills, or in the mountains? What is your destination, and how will you get there? Just wonderin', baby!

colors - moods - symbolism

2008-10-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

I had an idea just before I fell asleep last night, and wrote myself a note so that I wouldn't wake up this morning, and ask myself...'what was that idea you had last night?' I was thinking about design, which led to thinking about color (which also lead to thinking about shopping for beads - smile.)

I love color and the sometimes subtle and other times vibrant play between colors; I seldom think about the meaning of colors in various arenas, and decided that I would do a little snooping around for information on that. I don't necessarily want to think that I'm a guru, and attach meaning to my earring creations based on color choices, it's more of a curiousity. I'll also mention that sometimes I pause when thinking about a name for a particular pair of earrings before I list them on my etsy site, and I thought that might open up a larger range of possibilites and creativity in 'naming' my earrings. I don't know about you, but that made me chuckle - I'll just be more specific and say it's more about my advertising and less about any personal attachment I may feel for a particular creation.

I found a variety of websites that had information about color, and this is very loose research here... I didn't check anyone's credentials... I will mention the sites at the end of this post for a minimum of research and contributory correctness.

Having said that, one of my favorite colors is purple. I asked my mom to make me purple overalls when I was in elementary school - and she did by the way, bell bottoms and all. Now that I've done some research, I'm smiling because according to one of my sources, purple is a symbol of power, majesty, spiritual goals, passionate belief, visionary leadership, respect and wealth. I was in second grade y'all, and the overalls had white elephants on them, too. What did I know about purple? In Christianity, purple symbolizes penitence, which would have been a more apt bridge to the purple overalls at that time in my life. According to globalphysics.com, the soul task level meaning for purple means a deeper connection to spirit. When do you wear purple? I'm trying to think of the last time I did... I probably need to meditate a bit more... wear some more purple.

I can see that if I'm able to get through the spectrum of colors in blog, perhaps I need to forget about significant color choices I have made in my life. I did choose ivory for my wedding dress way back when because i liked the dress and couldn't get it in white not what you're thinking - however white does mean purity and innocence in general, but did you know that in Japan, white carnations signify death?

I use a lot of green beads, and wear a fair amount green shirts. The soul task level meaning for green is healing, healer, nurturer and in Christianity, green - once banned by the church - now means hope, peace, healing and growth. However, in China, if you see green hats, it means that a man's wife is cheating on him! There is a caution there for me in the naming of my creations, no matter how closely my earrings may resemble hats - it could be offensive to some to call them that.

It is said that if you would like people to feel comfortable around you, then you should wear earth tones - browns, greens and oranges. The color of the earth symbolizes home and friendship. Amber represents courage and energy. Interesting to note, that if you would like to be in sales in Columbia (the country) however, you should never wear brown as it is thought to discourage sales.

I think I'll going to save some colors for another post, this is getting kinda long! Perhaps it's time for a purple shirt, and a zen-like state of mind for a couple of minutes.

My sources include: http://www.associatedcontent.com/,
http://www.buzzle.com/, and globalphysics.com. Please comment if you have a random, yet interesting fact about color - I'd like to read about it.

coincidence: obadiah parker

2008-10-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

this is a little bit of a random story, but hopefully interesting and a testament to how small the world really is.

last night I was on the etsy.com forums, learning about business from others and doing a bit of socializing. i happened upon a thread titled along the lines of ' those of you in here that have famous relatives' .... i'm paraphrasing because i don't recall the exact title. anyhow, it was very interesting reading about other's somewhat famous, or very famous relatives.

-pause- relative to this story, may i add that besides being a bead addict, i am also a musician.

anyway, one of the posts was from a woman who is married to Obadiah Parker, who is somewhat (becoming) famous for his acoustic rendition of Outkast's song, 'Hey Ya'. I happened to have heard Obadiah's rendition on a mix cd that my daughter had made and sent to me (from college) just a few weeks ago, and I liked it so well that I charted it and learned it, and put it in the set list for a show I did last weekend.

so, I shared with the wife of Obadiah Parker, my somewhat unremarkable, but connective tale of hearing, learning, then playing the song that her husband had so beautifully inspired me with. Anyhow, Obadiah ended up sending me a message on my myspace page last night, and I have joined his grassroots effort to raise funds for a cd he plans to record in nashville in january.

it's all kinda neat if you ask me. from earrings to mindless entertainment on a forum thread, to connecting through my other passion - music - with the person that inspired me a few weeks ago!

by the way, if you would care to support Obadiah's efforts, and it's just ten dollars, you can go to www.obadiahparker.com

and if you're now wondering about my music, you can have a listen if you'd like at
www.myspace.com/kerstinhanson

i think coincidence is not really that at all - it's really making a connection with other human beings by having your heart and mind open to the possibility of goodness and abundance.

Improved Photos

2008-10-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

"Love Letter" (above)
"Blue Lagoon" (above)
"Flower-Girl Kid" (above)

These are all photos that I worked on today, and am pretty pleased with the improvements so far. In the "Blue Lagoon" earrings, it was difficult to capture the range of color in the shells, but I think you can see the irridescent quality and the play of color now.

Earrings Pics

2008-10-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

"Raspberry Swirlies" Yummy!

learning to photograph very small items

2008-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

I opened a webshop at the end of august (this year) on etsy.com... ok, since you wondered, the address is http://kerstinhanson.etsy.com thanks for asking, by the way. You're more than welcome to visit me there.

In my shop, I sell earrings designed and handcrafted by... me. The most challenging aspect of getting my shop opened was learning how to take photographs of earrings, which tend to be very, very small. I am getting the hang of taking 'macro' shots, and continue to learn how best to crop, enhance, etc. until the photograph contains primarily the item I wish to show, and not a lot of background, shadows, my reflection(!), and other various unwanted clutter that takes away from the item.

Today I spent a great deal of time revisiting the photos of many of my items that I put in my shop just as I opened it. I worked on the photos with the knowedge I have gained over the past several weeks, and am generally happy with the results. I removed a lot of extra space around the items by cropping them more tightly, and brightened the exposure on a few that were particularly dark.

I'll add some enhanced photos here so you can see my results :)