Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2013 brings lots of happiness and love. I am excited for what it will bring.

Until next year! :)

Monday Quotes Week 39 & 40

I realized I never posted one last week, so this week you will get two!

It takes nothing to join the crowd. It takes everything to stand alone. 
~Hans F. Hansen

All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come of it. 
~We Bought a Zoo (love this movie, watched it on my way back from Ireland this past summer)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your day was filled with lots of happiness and joy! I was very fortunate today to spend the day with my family (not all unfortunately), and received some new jewelry tools! :) Pictures to follow later.

Merry Christmas!

Monday Quotes Week 38

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. 
~Henry Ford


I also want to send my thoughts and prayers to all those affected by the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary <3 font="font">

Last Best Craft Fair 2012 Recap

This was my third year doing the Last Best Craft Fair, and I have always loved doing this show because it is at my old elementary school so it's always fun to go back. I had the same location as last year which was great so I had an idea on how I set up last year. Somehow though I guess I used one smaller table instead of 3 6ft tables last year, so my display had to be altered a little bit to make up for that fact. I got a lot of compliments on my display which is always nice (thank you for your help mom!) My mom was my helper at the show, which is always nice because she does all of the wrapping!

Thank you to everyone that came out to support, but don't worry if you couldn't make it, because my jewelry is available at the Jewel Box of Cape Cod and the Giving Tree Gallery, both located in Sandwich!

As always you can contact me if you are interested in something!

Here are some pictures from the show!

I make tags too! The cards behind them are my mom's creation. I do cards as well but I had left them at school. Woops!

Monday Quotes Week 37

The only way to succeed is to not worry about what anyone else is doing. 

Monday Quotes Week 36

The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. 
~Vince Lombardi

Last Best Craft Fair THIS SATURDAY

As you can probably tell by the title, the Last Best Craft fair is this Saturday, December 1st. This will be my third year doing the show, and I am very excited for it. I have been working very hard to get ready for it, with lots of new inventory. I am going to try and get some pictures posted here and on my Facebook page, but I can't make any promises. If not, you can just come check it out in person :) 

Last Best Craft Fair
December 1st 2012
10am-3pm
Henry T. Wing School, Sandwich MA

Directions: From Rt. 6, take Exit 2 (Rte.130N, Sandwich Village).  Take a left off the exit onto Rt. 130.  The school is about ½ mile down on the right.

Hope to see you there! 

Monday Quotes Week 34 & 35

Yes, I know I didn't post a Monday quote last week (sorry), so this week you will get two!

Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.
~Christian D. Larson

If you've got a little tiny dream, all you have to do is think about it, work on it every day, and you'll get it. 
~Sebastian

Treasures & Trinkets

TODAY 11/23/12 and TOMORROW 11/24/12 my mom will be having her jewelry show from 10-5 at the Hyannis Youth & Community Center - 141 Bassett Lane, Hyannis. 

She has prepared a lot for this show, and would really appreciate it if you came out and supported! 
I will be there helping out both days as her checkout girl. 

Buy handmade this holiday season! 

Monday Quotes Week 33

I am going to succeed because I am crazy enough to think I can. 

Bead Show goodies

About two weeks ago, I went to a bead show with my mom. It had been awhile since I had been able to go to this specific bead show, and I was really glad that I got to go this year. Its main focus is lampwork beads. My first time going to this show, I went with my mom and a neighbor of ours, and I thought where are all the Czech glass beads. I did not have the appreciation for handmade lampwork beads at that point, so I was not a fan of the show. Thankfully things have changed, and I love handmade lampwork beads.

Many of my favorite bead makers were there:

Stephanie Sersich 

Gail Crosman Moore 

Nancy Tobey

Beth Williams 

Carol Bugarin 

Fun little fact, many of these ladies have at least been to, if not stayed at my house before. There was an exhibit a couple years back at the Sandwich Glass Museum, so that’s why some stayed at my house. It is definitely nice to be able to call them my friends.

All of their work is fantastic, so I had to buy something from each of them, to add to the collections I already have.

Here is what I got:

All of the glass beads I got. 

Components from Gail Crosman Moore, these will be perfect for earrings. She also makes some great lampwork beads as well, that I have bought in the past.

I thought these flat lampwork beads would be really cool to use.

Beth Williams always does a great job with her beads. Loved these etched ones.

These will be added to my stash of Nancy Tobey beads. 

Loved the colors she had.

Loved these flowers from Stephanie Sersich, I see earrings in the making!

 I also got some cool ceramic beads from Keith O'Connor.

And some cool African beads

And then some fun glass and seaglass beads. 

                                    

Be on the lookout for some new pieces made from my goodies!

Monday Quotes Week 32

Your life has purpose. Your story is important. Your dreams count. Your voice matters. You were born to make an impact. 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! 
May your Halloween be full of tricks and lots of treats!

Monday Quotes Week 31

Take pride in how far you have come and have faith in how far you can go.


Stay safe everyone with the hurricane!

Monday Quotes Week 30 (a day late)

We are what we believe we are.
~C.S Lewis

Sorry it's day late!

Texture Inspiration

There was a show going on in my school's gallery, that featured the work of Nick Sevigney. I was absolutely inspired by his use of texture in his ceramic pieces. Every way that you looked at one of his pieces there was a different type of texture, and and looked so good together, like it was meant to be that way. 

The other thing I loved, his sketches. 

Cool right?

Here is a link to his website: http://www.nicksevigney.com/

Check it out! 

Monday Quotes Week 29

“Take criticism, smash it into dust, add COLOR and use it to paint breathtaking images of unicorns frolicking through endless fields of GREATNESS.” 
~Matthew Gray Gubler

(any one else a huge Criminal Minds fan? if you have never seen the show, I highly suggest you start watching. Matthew Gray Gubler is fantastic)

Instagram

I have known about Instagram for awhile, but I didn't want to get hooked into something for a certain amount of time, then forget about it later. However I have decided to start using it, and my idea in using it is the fact I can quickly post work in progress pictures or things that I like when I am out and about even if I don't have my actual camera handy.

I will be editing other pictures too, mainly of food as of right now, but I hope to have more soon. My Instagram user name is katemsimp if you want to see the pictures. I will be posting works in progress on my Twitter account (KMSJewels) and on my Facebook fan page.

Monday Quotes Week 28

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. 
~Helen Keller

Monday Quotes Week 27

Maybe there's something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go. It's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt because it matters.
~John Green

Last Best Craft Fair 2012

I have officially been accepted to the Last Best Craft Fair in December at Henry T. Wing School. This will be my third year doing the show, and I am very excited to be doing it again. I will be posting pictures of the new things that I will have at the show. If there is anything you think I should have, please let me know!

But here is the information about the show:

Henry T. Wing School

Rt. 130, Sandwich, MA

Saturday, December 1, 2012

10:00am – 3:00 pm

Hope to see you there! 

New pieces!

Poppy dangle bangle bracelet in sterling silver

Fish dangle bracelet in sterling silver

Sterling silver spiral earrings

These are just some of things that I made this summer. The two bottom ones were custom orders, but I definitely plan on making more of them. I do have more pieces that I have made, but I am not happy with the pictures, but when I do get a picture I like, I will share. 

Nature inspiration

Here are some pictures of roses that I took from my school's garden! I love the idea of the rose, and I hope to incorporate it into jewelry :) 

Enjoy!

this one is probably my favorite out of all of them

Monday Quotes Week 26

Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is. 
~Mark Twain

Monday Quotes Week 25

Everybody deserves somebody who makes them look forward to tomorrow. 
via Pinterest! 

Monday Quotes Week 24

Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people. 
~Nicholas Sparks

Senior Year...wait what?

Believe it or not today was my first day of senior year of college. I have no idea where the time has gone, because it just does not seem possible that I will be graduating in May.

While posts may be scarce, I am going to try my best to update you all on things I have made or done.

Hope everyone is having a great start to his or her September!

Monday Quotes Week 23

Dwell not on the past use it to illustrate a point and leave it behind.

Monday Quotes Week 22

Always believe that something wonderful is about to happen.



I really need to remember that this week, as it has started off pretty rough. Hope everyone else's week starts off better than mine..

Monday Quotes Week 21

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. 
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I know I'm behind..

on my blogging about Project Runway and life in general. Last week I was helping my mom out with her show for two days and I was wiped. I do have the ideas for the Project Runway challenge that I gave myself, I just haven't gotten around to doing them yet.

In other news I recently completed a custom order for a gold bangle. Yes, I am working in gold. I melted down her gold to make her a hammered gold bangle. Its nice being able to make something from something that you already have, but never wear, such as broken chains or old class rings. I could do the same thing in silver as well.

I am going to try and catch up this week, so stay tuned!

Monday Quotes Week 20

Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters. 

~Margaret Peters 

Giving Tree Gallery

I am behind in letting you know that my jewelry is in another store! I now have my jewelry at the Giving Tree Gallery in Sandwich MA.

My mom also has her jewelry there as well! :)

We would both love it if you went to check it out! 

Here is the information:

Hours of Operation/Location

Monday Quotes Week 19

If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try. 
~Seth Godin

Monday Quotes Week 18

Start where you are.
Use what you have.
Do what you can.
~Arthur Ashe

Monday Quotes Week 17

Life is a great big canvas throw all the paint on it you can. 
~Danny Kaye

Project Runway Challenge

I've been a big fan of Project Runway, and I always seem to get inspired to create. While I don't sew (at least as of right now), I want to use it as a challenge to push myself to make something different each week. One of the blogs that I follow has done this in the past, so I thought, why don't I do it this season. Each week I will design at least one piece that coordinates either with the challenge that the designers are presented with or a piece that they design. The new season premiered tonight, and I am very excited to get to start designing.
Look out for my interpretation of this weeks episode, "A Times Square Anniversary Party".

Monday Quotes Week 16

The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead.
~Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Inspiration

Just some pictures that I have taken recently. Gotta love summer. 

Enjoy! :)

Ireland

Ireland was amazing. It barely rained (except when I was in Dublin), which is very rare for Ireland. I was not complaining at all about the nice weather, I didn't have to wear all of the layers that I had packed. I was walking distance to a beach that had great shells and rocks. I brought a lot home for my mom, and they all made it back safely! There was even this cool orange and black glass I found a lot of. I am thinking of making some jewelry with it. 

Before I went to Ireland, I knew that it was going to be very green, and it was, probably because of all the rain. There were also lots of sheep and cows.I could hear the sheep from the room that I was staying in. 

I would have loved to explore more of the country, but I was there for school as part of a service learning trip. Most of the trip consisted of learning about the healthcare system, focusing on hospice, in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

Some of the fun things that I got to go to were the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-A-Redde Rope Bridge, and the Titanic exhibit in Belfast. I was able to learn a lot about Irish history, most of which is really sad. 

But don't worry I didn't go all the way to Ireland and not experience the pubs. I took every opportunity I had to go because who knows when the next time I will be able to go. 

Here are some of the pictures I took while I was there: 

So green!

Dunlace Castle (so gorgeous!)

Giant's Causeway

The sunset from the beach on the last night in Donegal

Beautiful door in Dublin