Big Changes!!

It’s been way too quiet here for the past few days… but this silence doesn’t go without reason. I’ve been working on a bit of a side project that has pretty much consumed all of my free time. it’s been really tough for me trying to find some sort of attachment to the name and meaning behind this blog that used to mean so much to me when I first started using it.

I feel like I’ve grown so much since the start of Element Nineteen. With these personal changes, I’ve become less attached to the idea of sticking to the e19 name because I can no longer relate to the meaning behind it.

With that said, I’m not giving up blogging! I actually started a new blog. It’s still the same girl behind the words, but under a different blog name. Don’t be shy! Stop by my new blog to say hi!

The Demure Muse

Forested Trails

I had quite the adventure last week. Friday evening was spent on the road driving in circles until my roommate and I could find these forested trails to walk. We found a short, 1 mile, trail that was meant for horseback riders. In typical me fashion, I was ill prepared. My roommate was definitely on the ball with the planning.

She made sure we had snacks for the trail: soft-baked M&Ms cookie and a bowl of brownies.

snacks!

To show you how ill-prepared I was, check out my shoes. I figured an easy walk wouldn’t require sneakers, but I guess I underestimated the amount of horse poop I’d have to leap over and how many wood chips would end up getting stuck in my shoes.

flats in the forest

Ok, I guess it was more than just my shoes that looked out of place in the forest. Check out the rest of my ridiculous getup. I was trying to stay comfortable, but I guess I should’ve realized that walking around in a forest with prickly plants sticking out onto the walking path would’ve been a problem for my baggy, ankle-length, jogging pants:

would you like a brownie?

All in all, it was a super relaxing hour wandering around in this forest. Next time, I’ll know to dress more appropriately!

Pike Place Market

Nothing screams “go outside and get your fix of vitamin D for the day!!” like sunny skies and temperatures over 70 degrees (Fahrenheit… gosh, I’m starting to sound American, aren’t I?).  A trip to the Pike Place Market was in order! I heard such great things about this place and decided it was time to check it out for myself in person.

In the Market

Fun fact: Seattle is the home of the original Starbucks! The first Starbucks store is actually in the Pike Place Market!

Underground Shops!

I love the fact that this little stretch of downtown Seattle has such an old-school charm about it. Aside from the abundance of street vendors, there was a passageway to an “underground shopping mall” filled with shops that carry vintage goodies! Not so much clothing, but some shops were selling vintage magazines from the 70s, original concert flyers for bands like Nirvana, original silkscreened posters for Death Cab for Cutie (this doesn’t fall into the vintage category, but because dcfc has been the soundtrack to many years of my high school life, this gets an honourable mention), and other little knick-knacks.

Pike Place

I’ve only been here for 2 weeks and I can already say I’m looking forward to the rest of the summer! I can’t wait for the sunnier days to come. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to sneak in a trip to the beach soon.

Lost in the Greenery

After the first weekend was spent sitting in airports, chasing flights and trying to get settled in, this past weekend was spent exploring the new city that I now call home. My roommate and I decided it would be a good idea to play dress up and go on a park date together (our Sunday morning was spent dress shopping and our new purchases were already being worn a few hours later)!

lush grass

The one thing I love about the west coast is the fact that it’s much more lush (in terms of greenery) compared to the east coast.

old tree

We spent about 2 hours just wandering around in this park. There wasn’t much to see, but considering we’re both from the city, we just basked in the sun and enjoyed nature while we could. It’s been raining every single day, with the exception of Saturday/Sunday, so the fact that it was sunny on the weekend was a big treat.

I’m hoping that the weather next weekend is just as nice so we can keep exploring the city!

Settling in on the West Coast (again)

I’ve been settling in quite nicely on the west coast! I arrived last weekend and have been taking care of a lot of administrative things since being here. There are still some necessities that need to be picked up for the apartment (hangers, dish detergent, paper towels, etc), but for the most part the move was relatively painless!

Aside from trying to get acquainted with the new city, I’ve been trying to think of ways to revamp my photos. I think the woodgrain appeal has since been lost and the minimalist in me is starting to surface. I’ve been working on a couple of new pieces and am slowly adding them to the shop. With new items being added, I’ve also been making down a lot of old favorites. Time to stock up!!

Wishbone Necklace (Gold)

See You Soon!

Here’s to my last post before the big move. I’ll be back to blogging regularly after I settle in. No idea how long it’s going to take to get the internet, hydro, etc sorted out, but I will try my best to post asap!

If you ordered anything within the past couple of days, you may have noticed the new cards. I decided to try out some customized cards to be sent along with packages, but now I realize that I should have selected other products for photos that are not one-offs or part of limited collections.

New Cards!

Thank you again for being so wonderful and understanding about my constant relocating! Be back soon! xo

Summer Adventures

I mentioned briefly in an earlier post this month that I’ll be moving for the summer. I’m heading back to the west coast (see you in Washington!) to pursue another opportunity but will be keeping up with the Etsy shop while I’m there. I feel like I move so often that I don’t particularly have a sense of ‘home’ anymore. To me, Home is just a place where I sleep… maybe even cook a meal or two if I have time to prepare.

The biggest perk related to moving is exploring new cities. I have a lot of fun going to hole in the wall restaurants, visiting popular attractions (haha yes, I do enjoy stereotypical touristy activities despite the fact that I don’t really consider myself a tourist when I live in a new city for more than a couple of months), and having a handful of memories to reflect upon when it comes time to move again.

Nameless Necklace

So there you have it! If you’re wondering why I can’t ship orders out between April 29 – May 5, it’s due to the fact that I’m packing up my life and attempting to plan for a summer full of adventures!

Summer Kisses

I was just about to post a bunch of new necklaces to the shop, but it appears that the site is down. Instead, I’ll share a sneak peek photo of one of my favorite necklaces of the new batch for summer:

Summer Kisses Necklace

This necklace is just too cute for words. I found these vintage raw brass kissing couple charms about a month ago and knew that I had to make necklaces out of them. Not only is the little couple absolutely adorable, but the dainty size of the charms (half an inch in height!!) makes this necklace so perfect for pairing with any summer dress.

Edit: Etsy is now back up and the necklace has been listed! woo hoo!

Feeling Inspired

It’s been quite a long time since I’ve felt truly inspired to make anything. I feel like my creative juices are only starting to get back into their usual groove now that I’m prepping to move again (more on this to come in the next post!). I always get inspired whenever I think about moving to a new city. I don’t know why it takes such a drastic change in my life to spark these moments of inspiration, but I’m greatful for every experience that I get.

If you’ve been following my tweets for the past couple of days, I’ve been mentioning small hints of looking at fabric swatches and picking up some new prints.  This is a small sample of what I got:

Swatches of prints for new projects

Now, it’s just a matter of finding time to draft patterns (I think I know what I want to do with these, but I’m not 100% dead set on one idea) and to spent quality time with my sewing machine.

‘Like’ me?

Hi. It’s me again. The girl who said she would try to be better with the updates but ended up neglecting to update for over two weeks. Sorry about that! Life got a little busy and I started living in the basement of a library (not really, but spending more than 15 hours a day for a week consistently pretty much made me feel like I should’ve just packed a sleeping bag along with all my work).

Now that I have a bit more spare time on my hands, I’m going to start listing some new items on Etsy. I spent the majority of yesterday organizing my supplies after moving back and forth from a couple of cities over the past four months. I even found a couple of charms that I thought I had lost forever (secretly stashed away in one of the many packing boxes) in which I hope to make new pieces from. Likewise, there were a bunch of necklaces that I made over the fall of 2009 that I never got around to photographing that will probably end up getting posted very soon.

Speaking of extra time on my hands, I ended up playing with my camera today and testing out new ways to take photos of pieces being modeled:

Bunny Rabbit Necklace (silver)

What do you think?

I’m still working on the whole self presentation bit along with the framing of the shot but, for the most part, I like it! On the note of liking things, if you have been a fan of this blog or my Etsy shop for a while, there’s now another way to keep up with updates! I just started a Facebook Fan Page so feel free to join me over on fb! I’m going to start incorporating the fan page as means of sharing exclusive discounts, extra entries for future contests, and for connecting with everyone.