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.

Press and Vespas

Fellow jewelry maker Christine was kind enough to interview me on her blog, The Jewelry Sweet Spot, where she also offers crafting and business tips along with other DIYer profiles.

Check it out: Adorned by Morgan at The Jewelry Sweet Spot

A trend I've recently noticed around Manhattan and even in Astoria involves the ever-adorable and sometimes-vintage Vespa. I've seen these cute modes of transport popping up everywhere, including parked on sidewalks.

I have no clue as to whether they are safer or not than motorcycles, but if you want to read up on the history of the symbolic Vespa, head on over to Wikipedia for some interesting tidbits like this one:

"Vespa is both Latin and Italian for wasp—derived from both the high-pitched noise of the two-stroke engine, and adopted as a name for the vehicle in reference to its body shape: the thicker rear part connected to the front part by a narrow waist, and the steering rod resembled antennae."

and this "...the Vespa was much more widely used in the 1950s and 60s[citation needed], when it also became the adopted vehicle of choice for the UK youth-culture known as Mods."

Although I could never see myself riding one, it seems current models are more environmentally efficient than their prototypes, and I do find Vespas to be ever so aesthetically appealing. The pale pastel colored ones are especially so.

Here's a few of my favorite Vespa Etsy pieces that I could indeed see myself purchasing:



A hand painted tile from www.maiziejane.etsy.com.



A digital print from www.etsy.johnwgolden.com.

In the News...day

Adorned by Morgan is on Newsday's blog today!

I was featured as "DIY-er of the Week" and interviewed by the sweet Corris Little.

Check it out at:


http://weblogs.newsday.com/features/home/cheap_thrills_blog/

A Summer in Review

The warm weather is lingering but nowt here's a hint of autumn in the air. Oh, summer, how I'll miss you!

Here's some photographic highlights of the cool activities I did where I remembered to bring a camera:



Kayaking in Astoria on the East River, courtesy of the Long Island City Community Boathouse Yes, the East River. Of course my mom and Mark's mom both freaked out, but as we learned that day, there is life in that body of water.

Exhibit A:



This little guy-- a Blue Crab-- was temporarily reigned in by another community group near our kayaking session on the little strip of sand where we were located. He even got some height out of the water when Mark tried to pet him! I've never seen a crab jump before.

On our tiny corner of sand in Astoria that day a few weeks ago, there were three different activities going on at one time. The little bank was only perhaps a handful of cars long at most, and Mark and I even passed it a few times before we realized that was the kayaking meetup spot we were searching for. Growing up on Long Island, with beaches 15-20 minutes away from my home at most, this was a real eye opener. To see a child's rock-skipping contest, a kayaking class and a waterlife observation group all simultaneously making the most of this tiny bank of sand because it is the only spot like it in the area, well that gives you a real sense of pride in your community and gratefulness for the childhood you had. Yeah, the beaches on Long Island are crowded, too, but having access to them is invaluable.

I think it's great that Astoria has such free events for the community at any given time, however, and I bet those kids rock skipping and exploring waterlife will remember that day whenever they look back on their own childhoods. It just really illustrates how your environment can influence your life.

Speaking of wildlife, here's a pic of a gorgeous butterfly who was chilling just outside of my apartment stoop one day this summer:



As you can see, it was huge! I don't recall ever seeing a butterfly that big before. I caught it on my way to Astoria Park for the first time.



I guess I was still starving for the water, because all of my pictures focused on the waterfront views from the park. You can see the Manhattan skyline below the bridge here. That's either the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Building there on the left (the pointy one). I can't remember. Hazy photo.

And one more:



Yeah so, summer was great. Also went to San Francisco in June (seems so far away already). Mark and I went to the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden a bunch of times with friends, tried out lots of restaurants/bars in the East Village and elsewhere in Manhattan, and generally just enjoyed our first summer in Astoria.