Hangin' with my lil' green dino

This lil' guy peering out of his feathers is all tuckered out after a day chilling out on momma's knee.

We watched Mystic Pizza and Jersey Girl.



I'm loving these days off right now, spending time with my sweet birdie, although I had an extremely painful morning thanks to a certain monthly visitor. And so it was up to Einstein to take care of me. And the heating pad and some Tylenol.

I'm still trying to get the camera adjustments right as there is no "constantly roving parrot" setting on mine. So although many photos I have of Ein tend toward a bit of blur, I actually like the effect this gives them.

You can really sense his movement and personality... like in this post-spray bath pic:



When he lets us give him a rare bath, Ein looks almost like he's wearing a costume.

Which is just the most endearing thing ever, and requires much affection from his loyal subjects.



And we are more than happy to oblige.

In addition to fuzzy goodness, also wanted to share some pics I've had on my computer consisting of shiny goodness.



Vintage rhinestones that I've been using in my latest pin creations:



Likely vintage Swarovski teardrop crystals!



No other updates, although hopefully tomorrow. I actually have to start working on increasing inventory as most of my work is currently tied up in consignment.

I also have slowly been gathering elements for a mixed media project. I'll post the eventual results whenever I get to them. Time to create!

Photos, finally

I finally got around to organizing my photos today, so let's play catch up!

View of the table at SITE that played host to most of my trunk show items:



Another area:



Before the show on my coffee table after being tagged:



My new hand-stamped hang tags:



Adding to my productivity levels, the Etsy shop has been updated.

Phew!

Look at what a few days off can do.

Records

Yesterday was kinda hectic crazy: I forgot my Metro card and had to buy one for the day, there were literally at least 50 children on my subway stop (and subsequently in the cars-- who does this?) during the 9 am rush; and then the end of the day saw major delays on the L as I tried to get to an appoinment in Brooklyn.

I was weighed down by a bunch of jewelry and display pieces for a major pre-holiday drop-off at one of my consignment boutiques, and I could feel myself sweating at the mere thought of trying to get on the next train with the huge throng of people behind me. So, I got out of that situation and even asked the NYPD in Union Square if there was some sort of bus I could take to where I needed. Not sure if the officer with whom I spoke was totally accurately, but he basically gave me this really contrived route and I just ended up politely nodding my head as if I understood and walking away.

This is where I'm going to get mushy and tell you that Mark seriously saved my butt. Even though he worked a full day, and had been recruited for tagging jewelry items the night before, he still came through for me and took me to BK from Astoria (I just ended up waiting at home in between).

Anyway, the ladies at this indie store are awesome and sweet, and everything went really smoothly once we got there. I'm extremely excited and hopeful and even nervous-- it's hard just forking over 30 items that took you weeks to make in just a mere second! I know they are in way capable hands, though.

Anyway, I wanted to pop in and suggest a great link to a blog maintained by a young bostonian attempting to document the start up of her screen printing biz. There are some great tips in there, like this one, which focuses on the importance of taking stock and how to maintain inventory records-- which I was emphasizing yesterday (see below) as a key component of consignment and definitely wholesale.

It can be hard to give every item in your line a tracking number, especially if you tend to do mostly "one-off" items, but you can get as creative or as simple as you like. All you need is a way to easily identify the product through the many stages of sale.

Anyway, I'm off to go search for frozen vegan pumpkin pie at Whole Foods... these are the times when I actually miss my one-stop Wegman's in Binghamton.

My first tag and "Astoria represent"

Another benefit of my trunk show the other week: I got to meet extremely talented local artist Gretchen Wagonor, whose work I have admired for quite the while now.

Gretchen makes such attractive pieces as



and has tagged me in my very first "meme."

So, here goes!

Rules for tag-ees:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog; some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well
as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Random/weird facts about Rachel M. Kalina:
1)When I was younger, I wanted to be an actress and went so far as to play a minute role in my elementary school's Annie. I also did commercials on the side, a.k.a. in my bedroom, for random products such as doll bottles. Way to sell it, Rach.
2)I'm not a fan of booth seating in diners (or diners for that matter)-- despite the fact that everyone else seems to prefer it to tables when given the choice.
3)My artistic tendencies stem directly from father-- who is like a walking encyclopedia of craft-oriented knowledge-- while my gentle and easy-going nature comes right from my mother. My grandfather, being a watch-repairman and jeweler, was also a major source of artistic inspiration for me.
4)My dad and his three siblings were all adopted and didn't find out about it until recently-- so I have a set of grandparents and a family I've never met. Having always been into history and heritage, I hope to dig into this in the future (when I figure out how) and uncover some long-lost relatives.
5)I am willing to openly trust strange animals whom I've just met more than people on the same level.

Now that you know all these fun tidbits, I'm going to spread the love to Krista, Caitlin, Elizabeth, Amanda and Amity.

Happy (belated) Halloween

Ever since I was a child, I've loved Halloween. And I've dressed up for it each year with few exceptions (okay, maybe my teenage years were more concerned with "trying to look cool" than looking like a vampire... but still).

In recent years, I've gotten into creating my own costumes. This has resulted in the Pretty in Pink Molly Ringwald prom dress--to which I originally stapled taffeta, until my bff sighed in disgust and sewed on the filmy stuff herself--and my Thundercat costume (I was Wily Cat... or was it Wily Kit?). Throw in a homemade flapper and a Pat Benatar (this year) and you've got a pretty good sense of what my recent Halloweens have been like.



This year, Mark and I, dressed up respectively as Guns 'N' Roses' Slash and Patty B. (see above), threw our very first Halloween bash. I tried to go all out by creating my own decorations inspired by the altered art and mixed media world.

In the process of doing so, I managed to break my glue gun within the first few hours of creating-- but no, that didn't stop me!



I used fun images from those charity greeting cards, faux flowers, mini craft pumpkins, black tinsel, beads, felt, ribbon and more. I can't even tell you how much fun it was to play with so many materials at once.



It was also really a welcome change to my usual jewelry-making craft. Although I love beads as much as food (and sometimes equate the two as necessities in my crazy mind), I also love working with other mediums.



I'm a craftaholic. I see a new project to try and mentally add it to my list. It may take me weeks, months or even years to get to it-- but I know it's there in the back of my head. Sure, it gets overwhelming at times. Even now, I'm watching my DVR'd DIY Network craft shows and loading my brain up with more ideas. But most it is rewarding because I know my inspirations are there even subconsciously and being used all the time.

And what were some inspirations for my Halloween crafting frenzy?

Check out these Web sites and you'll see for yourself why I'm now slowly getting into mixed media in my head and reality:


Elizabeth Holcombe

Speckled Egg

ArtsyMama

Progress Report

So, the last post was kinda random but important nonetheless. The reason there's been no Adorned by Morgan updates hasn't been to a lack of news or busy-ness-- in fact, it's been just the opposite!

Instead of boring you with a list of recent happenstances, here a brief photo log of review:



Check out my antelope earrings smack dab on the front page of Etsy.com's hand-picked items! I was blown away by this one. The day this happened, I open the Etsy page to see a pair of earrings in one of my favorite color combinations, so I immediately click on it and realize it's made by my Etsy friend, Krista. I e-mail to congratulate her, and literally within an hour she's writing me back to say I'm on the front page (Etsy switches its 12, front page items 2-3 times throughout the day). It was such an awesome and strange coincidence, and I'm glad I had someone so sweet to share it with!

Not only that, but also this treasury by TeenAngster was simultaneously featured as a gift guide on Etsy's online magazine, The Storque:



Needless to say, all of this activity really made my day, and it was a very proud moment for me. I was very much "freaking out," because my jewelry is so personal and an extension of my taste-- and to have others seek it out and enjoy it as much as I do making it... well that's really something special. Sometimes, I still can't believe any of it-- and I'm very thankful for every little bit of positive response Adorned by Morgan works hard to achieve.

I have yet to upload pictures, but this past weekend additionally saw the culmination of basically three weeks worth of me being in absolute jewelry-making mode (come home from work around 6 pm, create jewelry until burned out, sleep, repeat). My first trunk show (or any jewelry show) was held at SITE, an Astoria design boutique, during its holiday party.


(Photo courtesy of SITE)

For some reason, we didn't get a lot of traffic that day, so it was a little frustrating. On the plus side, it was a great learning experience, those who did enter the store purchased my jewelry, and I got really positive feedback. One woman was even familiar with my work! (Was I just able to say that...) Another took one of my brand new business cards (photos to come) created by the lovely Michelle Brusgaard, promising to "spread the word." It's quality and not quantity, after all, eh?

Special shoutout to Michelle, though, for working with me until we came across a design that I truly loved (it wasn't easy to choose, all of her ideas are great) and felt represented the "brand" I'm slowly building.

Yes, so! It has been nutty but wonderful over here and I'm extremely thankful for the positive response Adorned by Morgan has been getting. The running around is not over, though (just how I like it). I have other projects in the works, including my first craft show hosted by the Astoria Craft Collective on December 2, at the Waltz-Astoria. Definitely drop by!

Kakapo: Real Unicorns

Last night I had one of those "life is awesome and yet tragic" moments while trying to choose a delicious silk screen print from artist Eleanor Grosch of Pushmepullyou Design.



Mark and I stumbled across this print, and he immediately pointed out the creature looked like our own little green parrot. I thought "kakapo" was just a made-up term, until we looked closer and saw a link that gave us a glimpse into the world of this adorable but extremely endangered (the tragic part) species.


(Photo courtesy of www.boppoly.ac.nz)

There's only about 86 of these "owl parrots" left in its native home of New Zealand. The birds are nocturnal and heavy, which makes them unique in the psitta (parrot) world. They also can't fly, have a specific musty odor and are seemingly very trusting animals. As far as I can tell, their decline in number has been due to hunting by local tribes and predators for food.

Needless to say, I'm in love with this fuzzy, almost-mythical creature of the night and I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of Eleanor's print-- the proceeds of which all went directly toward an organization working for Kakapo recovery. I highly suggest you look up "Kakapo" on YouTube.com to find some of the cutest clips I've seen yet. Honestly, how is so much fuzz-wonderfulness (totally a word) even allowed in one creature? Lookit those doe-y eyes and feathery face tufts!

I also felt great about purchasing from Eleanor not only because she is an animal lover like myself, but she is also environmentally conscious about the materials she uses to produce her pieces. The work itself exhibits a simple but bold aesthetic; colorful, geometrically shaped animals are contrasted with richly backgrounds-- my favorite! Pushmepullyou Design additionally carries wearables like T-shirts and dishware such as mugs.

Definitely visit Eleanor and the lovely Kakapo to sign up for some eye candy and a worthy cause.