Taming the Tangle

Lucky Number 13

Yes, 13 years ago today Dan and I got married. We are older, wiser, and even happier than I look in this photo. We've learned that the best gift we can give each other is time together, so we each took the day off and biked to our favorite bakery -- Milk and Honey -- where we sat reading, drinking cappuccinos, and sharing scones (one of our weaknesses). We then treated ourselves to massages at Urban Oasis, followed by more reading (it's a slightly chilly, rainy day... and we are both tackling fat sci-fi books that we are engrossed in), and we will finish the day with dinner at Bistro Campagne where we can walk and then later meet some friends for birthday drinks at the end of the night. Also forgot to mention, we saw Avenue Q last night. Hilariously wonderful! 

I'm feeling more rested and less anxious about having to pack my bag again tomorrow for another weekend away... my first trip to Columbus, Ohio. Please spread the word to anyone you know there that I will be at the Columbus Arts Festival on Long Street... it runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Return to NoHo, Networking and A Dose of Mystery

After being home for just over a week, I’m back on the road again – heading towards Northampton, Massachusetts for the Paradise City Arts Festival. Northampton holds a special place in my heart because I attended Smith College for two years and met two of my dearest friends there (for any Smithies out there, here’s the code: 1990-92, Ziskind House). This will be my second year at this show – last year was memorable for me because one of my most dramatic pieces of jewelry (the Wire Boa) found a rightful owner, and I made gallery contacts… my work is now carried at the Smith College Museum of Art Gallery Shop as well as at Pinch on Main Street.

This goes to prove the point that I’ve discussed with many people this week, for opportunities to come knocking, you have to put yourself out there and be receptive to them. We’d all love to sit back in our living rooms and just get “discovered” one day, but I’m taking a pound-the-pavement approach by trying to meet as many people as possible, unearth opportunities, and keep myself open to opportunities that I’ve never even considered.

Along those lines, while I was hoping for a relaxing week at home, many networking opportunities arose that I just couldn’t turn down. I’ve already mentioned my class with Arline Fisch last Saturday and Sunday.  On Tuesday I joined my friend Alley Maranto at the Illinois Institute of Art Chicago (where she has joined the faculty of the new Accessories Program) to teach a class on designing a jewelry line (this morphed into lots of career and networking discussion as well). Wednesday night found the two of us meeting up again at the Mayor’s Fashion Council networking event… so many interesting contacts (and hopefully more to come from the business card exchange table). I had great discussions with Boris Powell, a fabulous emerging Chicago fashion designer (hopefully we will collaborate on a runway show some day!), as well as Jenny from Evlove Intimates (maybe we’ll join up for a bridal home show soon). Alley also laughed as I pushed my way to meet Jason from the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, but I’ve learned to not be too shy at these things. Combine those unusual opportunities with a half-day of accounting with my bookkeeper and a separate training session on understanding inventory control practices for my business, and today, as a full 12 hour day in the car, was almost a welcome relief from this go-go schedule… it gave me time to process everything I took in and start setting priorities.

Just to make sure you don’t think it was all work last week, there was fun stuff like cooking club one night and Mystery Night another. What’s Mystery Night? It’s a great idea I learned from my friend and fellow jeweler Sara Lenart… Dan and I take turns (roughly monthly) planning a fun night out to surprise the other. It’s a great way to break the routine after almost-13 years of marriage. This week was Dan’s pick – we went to see the play “Speech and Debate” at the American Theater Company, a great local theater that we were able to walk to. It was an interesting play about high school sexuality; I was particularly intrigued at the incorporation of video projection to capture texting and internet interactions.

After that full week, even just in re-cap, I’m ready to hit the hay. Which reminds me… random product placement. This week I got a new pillow (upon the suggestion of another friend and jeweler Joanna Gollberg)… it’s a curvy neck-supporting memory foam pillow. Awesome! I love it. It should really help with the jaw and neck tension issues I’ve been having, and it makes for a good travel pillow. In fact, I think I hear it calling :)

Looking for Spring, Finding Inspiration

Last week some friends invited me and Dan for a nice walk through the Garfield Park Conservatory. It was a great chance to get a jump on spring, which has been taking its time coming to Chicago.

While there I became obsessed with all things bumpy. I snapped some photos as ideas to pursue in jewelry. The bumps could be pearls or other stones, or even the wireball tangles I make. I like how some of the bumps are orderly and some are more sporadic. The color combinations are also fantastic!

And in the spirit of spring, I caught a few takes on the "emerging" theme... an idea I've been wanting to explore. Maybe I'm finally ready to emerge and start experimenting?

I'll share new developments as they happen.

Making Time for Yourself: A Day Off

My travel schedule is already in full swing, which means a constant state of feeling behind and getting done only what needs to get done at the studio. It also means I'm not home much, so when Dan suggested taking Friday off together I knew that was exactly what I needed.

Why is a day off different from a weekend? For us weekends are still full of responsibility... groceries, laundry, and the like. Dan is also a screen printing studio monitor at Lillstreet Art Center on Saturday afternoons, so sometimes the weekends feel compressed even more. We also usually want to catch up with friends.

A day off is a secret. No one except your co-workers knows you are taking a day off. It's the perfect day to sleep in without guilt and let the day unfold before you. There are no set plans! That's certainly what we learned on Friday. Our initial thoughts involved dog beach, going to the movies, and biking, but we woke up on Friday (rather late) to a cold rainy day.

We made a nice breakfast and decided to still take Iris to the Montrose dog beach. We have two dogs, but Peeve has embraced old dog-hood. She has developed a fear of the car and much prefers to stay inside. So we left her on her dog bed with a rawhide to make her feel special, and off we went to the lake with Iris.

Iris is a dog who knows how to embrace the "now," our theme for the day. Despite being 13 years old, and despite the biting wind, she still decided that she must run along the waterfront. That's all she does at the beach. She runs laps barking at the waves until she is hoarse. All the other dogs thinks she's weird, which is fine by her because she's not very social. We think she's just trying to tell the lake what's what, but it never listens.

For those of us who were not covered in fur, the lake was a little chilly... we were ready to move on to another cup of coffee or at least a warm car. We corralled Iris and started driving, fully expecting to hit a Starbucks. But then Dan had a brainstorm... it's 11:45, why not go to Hot Doug's for lunch? Hot Doug's is the Chicago destination for encased meats, from a basic Chicago dog to a gourmet alligator sausage. We were hoping for not much line on a Friday; at that point it was only about 20 minutes (if you've never been there, be prepared to wait an hour or more!) to wait or so and we fit inside, our only criteria.

We both opted for crazy chicken sausage concoctions from the specials board. Dan's was the really crazy one with Thai peanut sauce and coconut involved. Mine was an apple rosemary combination with rosemary infused mustard and gouda cheese. We were satisfied but also vowed to only get a special from now on if we really want it, not just to experience it... the offerings on the regular board are really tasty and we should explore those more.

The rest of the day was simple enough. We wandered home and rented a video (Dan's pick: "The Mist." He should be really embarrassed that I'm mentioning that in public. Enough said.). We decided to pursue a cup of coffee after all, which took us on a walk to The Grind in Lincoln Square. While there we stopped into a couple of our favorite places: The Dressing Room, Fleet Feet Sports, and The Book Cellar before making our way home for the evening dog walk. The day felt pretty full to us, so we stayed in for the evening where we made a simple dinner and binge-watched two episodes of Battlestar Galactica (we are still catching up on DVD).

At the end of it all? I felt refreshed and resolved to delegate more of the business work that bogs me down in the studio.

Countdown to a Gala

Last week at this time Dan and I were in the throes of getting ready for a big art event... a gala to be exact. I've never been to a gala, and there's nothing like getting invited to one to make you analyze your self inside and out. Here's what went down, which should also stand in as explanation of why I wasn't blogging last week (sorry!).

Monday = confirmed attendance. Dan and I received official notification that there was room for us at my brother, Richard Wright's, dinner table. The event: a gala benefit for the Society for Contemporary Art. This notification was also confirmation that we were not in any way prepared for attending a gala... Dan needed a suit and I needed a dress. Panic! Luckily Dan remembered that one of our former neighbors Jim works at a fabulous old-time tailor shop, Richard Bennett Custom Tailors, so he called him for advice.

Tuesday = my first boutique. Since this was an art gala, I wanted to avoid a standard party dress if possible. The theme was Dress: Deconstructed... which seemed to leave a lot of room for interpretation. I ventured to a boutique in my neighborhood, The Dressing Room. What a great store, with pieces from my favorite brand Neesh. I did walk out of there with an outfit, but it felt way too casual (for the benefit, but I still have the pieces... bonus!). I will definitely hit this store again, though, because the prices were in my range.

Wednesday midday = Dan's suit shopping (alone and under pressure). Jim measures Dan at lunch and sends him off to Filene's Basement where he strikes out and decides to head straight to Macy's. He too wants something a little different, not just a basic black or grey suit. Luckily he finds something that fits the bill and will be improved by a custom tailored fit, so he heads back to see Jim and drop off the suit with reassurances that it will be perfect by Saturday morning.

Wednesday afternoon = 2 more boutiques. Seeing how time was slipping by, I decided to hit two of my favorite stores but vowed that if they don't work I'd go straight to Nordstrom. My first stop was to Saffron, a store I love because it also carries Neesh, but I always think of it as having a few well-chosen dresses and fancier pieces. This was true, but the between-season is tough. There was a great lace dress that had a fierce fit, very flattering... but was it artsy and deconstructed? or just pretty? I snapped a pic and moved on down the street to Robin Richman, the store that first came to mind with the "deconstructed" theme. My biggest concern was budget... this is such a fabulous store with so many beautifully handmade pieces from here and Europe. At first glance I couldn't afford anything (but loved everything!), but I finally fessed up to my dilemma and soon I was trying on dresses in my budget that hadn't caught my eye but that Robin and her assistant knew fit my criteria.

The result? I bought a dress that I was totally in love with and could imagine myself wearing again because it was more funky than fancy. The bonus: Dan also thought it was perfect.

Thursday = a girl's shoe dilemma. Robin gave me advice for shoe shopping to stay in my budget. My first stop was to City Soles, which is part of a higher-end shoe store called Niche. I had the best helper in the whole world, but we couldn't find a shoe in my budget. The pair I fell in love with cost more than the dress... it just was not an option. I had to leave them behind and move on. Later that day I went to Lori's. Who can't go to Lori's and not try on 10 pairs of shoes? That's exactly what I did, and luckily found a great pair of black dress shoe/sandals at a fantastic price, and they were comfortable to boot. Wow! Things are coming together, until I realize I need a haircut. Ugh!! I call my hair stylist & luckily she could fit me in on Friday morning. Phew!

Friday = hair. I wanted a new look. My outfit was black, not my best color, so I wanted to add some color to my hair to lighten my look overall, but I wanted the hair to be a little conceptual as well. Kate Balsley at the new Robert Jeffrey Lincoln Park Salon has cut my hair for a little while, but she outdid herself! We did a short sculpted hair do with red and blonde streaks... I think this cut will get more fun as we fine tune it with different colors and longer bang accents, etc. This was risky to do the day before an event, but what an impact!

Saturday = the big day. The event starts at 6:30pm, but Dan and I still have a long list of errands. We head downtown at 9am (no sleeping in!)... already clean and showered in case we cut it close.  We pick up the suit, which is perfect. All Dan's worries about mis-remembering the color went away. We came up with a plan and headed out shopping for shoes and a shirt. We hit Filene's Basement again in the hopes of getting lucky and strike out again, so b-lined for Macy's. The shirt selection was pretty good, so by the time Dan hit the dressing room he had about 5 shirts to choose from... we opted for a bright orange-red but no tie. Very sharp under the brownish-green (shale?) suit. Shoes were a snap after that.

Dan left me in Macy's since he had to get back to Lillstreet for screen printing. I headed for the MAC cosmetics counter and decided to splurge on having my face done in an evening look. My makeup artist was great... she did beautifully smoky eyes but left my cheeks and lips in lighter almost-natural shades so I didn't feel unnaturally made-up (I don't wear much make-up usually). I liked the look so much that I bought several of the components and have been having fun experimenting. It was fun riding the train in my fleece and jeans at 2pm in full evening make-up.

Here's the picture scoop of how everything came together:

Dan's photos looked terrible, so you'll have to imagine how sharp he was.

Now what about the event itself? My goodness, I'll have to fill you in on that fabulousness in my next post.