Spruce It Up

Yesterday I went to Spruce for the very first time. My friend Meg works there, and I've been meaning to check it out for ages. I'm so glad I stopped by! Spruce has a unique collection of interior design goods, including vibrant vintage needlepoint pillows and adorable children's wares. They also carry a wide selection of one-of-a-kind jewelry. The nature inspired pieces really caught my eye.

 Chunky wood ring with pressed flowers

Beetle pendant on necklace

The mini handmade Mexican crush necklaces stole my heart...

One thing I really appreciate about Spruce is that they're not afraid to stock some creepy (in a cool way) items. Jackalope, I'm looking at you!

The Littlest Knife

The same colorful plant motif is embedded in both sides.

When I was around 6 years old, I used to stare at this tiny knife that lived on my dad’s desk in our home office. I remember picking it up and playing with it when he wasn't around, always scared I’d get in trouble for messing with things that weren’t mine. This tiny knife may well be responsible for initiating my lifelong fascination with miniature things. While I don’t know its origin or how my Dad ended up with it, at some point I inherited the li'l guy. It had a tiny key chain hole, so of course, I made it into a necklace. Tiny knife probably comes closest to the most functional item of jewelry I own, though I’m pretty sure that blade is not capable of much (see picture below). It gets a lot of wear, but I’ve never attempted air travel in it. TSA is real strict these days!

Some of my miniatures
 

I've also included most of my miniatures collection. My favorites include: 5 gram Colgate toothpaste, Ansco 50 camera, teeny dice, mini Hitler propaganda book, and Matchbook literary journal. The latter is published by my friend Friedrich, who runs Small Fires Press from his midtown apartment. He inserts tiny poetry and illustrations into vintage matchbooks, a feat that I find thoroughly impressive. Check him out!

Perfect Timing

In four days, 3 of my grad school comrades and I will be receiving our take-home comprehensive exams. This week marks the culmination of my two years in the U of M Sociology Master's program, so it naturally seemed like the perfect time to start a blog. At the time when all my energies should be focused on preparing for this beast of an exam, I am birthing a blog. Go figure!

My first post features a pair of my favorite earrings. Found in a flea market in Berlin in 2009, they are constructed of vintage clock parts, including hands, faces, and gears. The artist had created about ten pairs, some colorful and some more subdued. The pair I chose featured the square black earring shown on left above, but its mate had a flashy, circular VW logo face that I didn't too much care for. So I disassembled it into a single strand of gears and a hand.

A closer look at the more minimal of the two...

I don't know about you, but I think the black piece stands alone quite nicely! Cheers!

Hello!

I've always been into the idea of functional art--art that one can use or wear, art that does more than hang on a wall somewhere. From the Quilts of Gee's Bend to Yvonne Bobo's ginko bike racks that grace Cooper-Young, I'm into clever, creative, purposeful works of art that beautify and enrich life. This is not to say that jeweley is super functional, unless we're talking about wrist watches or lip gloss rings (remember these, ladies?). But it is decoration that can speak to one's personality and add a bit of fun and intrigue to daily life. Things I like the most are those that have meaning and stories behind them, derived either from the artist or through the wearer. This blog will be a documentation of items I have created or spruced up, as well as friends' jewelry that I admire. I also intend to feature cool stuff my creative friends are up to, as well as whatever other random things provide me with inspiration!
Speaking of watches, here come's my very first post, y'all...