Have a great holiday....

What a first year!

I really have to thank all the really great customers that I have had this year. I never would have thought my "little" idea to open a modern jewelry shop would have been so well received by so many great people from all over the world.

Wishing you the best for the holidays....and a rockin' start to the New Year too!

Tracy
lime green modern

Color....one step at a time....

Anyone who know me knows that I keep things pretty basic for my wardrobe...black, black, and more black...with a dash of dark denim. An occasional charcoal item if I'm feeling lively.

What got me to this point...sort of a mix of laziness, aversion to pattern, and well, black takes out the guesswork if its clean. The rule is black is always clean and matches everything.

So lately I have been stepping it up a bit and adding a lot more color to my earrings...thought I would share a few with you. Maybe it's the holiday spirit and a tree loaded with brightly colored ornaments that sparked this, but we'll see.

For now, all the color I wear is dangling from my ears. Maybe I'll turn over a new leaf in 2010 and wear something red...oh my.

My bow's 15 minutes of fame....

My bow is having its 15 minutes of fame on the front page of 1000 Markets today.

simple. clean. modern.

http://www.1000markets.com/users/limegreenmodern/collections/14120/products/45358

Just the details....

Just a few details from our basement finishing....6 months after the fact. :-)

Ode to the Tilt-A-Whirl...

I'm usually not one for outright campy stuff...but sometimes if it's so over-the-top kitschy, I'm hooked.

This explains my long-standing love for the Tilt-A-Whirl....have just always loved this ride. And who can resist coasting around a man-made lake in a giant white swan or watching the random 3-year-old scream (I think a happy scream?) on the swing ride.

Recently went on a little family outing to this old-school amusement park just outside of Denver...really feels like you are out at some random State Fair, minus the colorful carnival folks that usually run these things. That day we just got a bunch of disinterested teenagers making sure we were seat belt compliant and wouldn't spit off the ferris wheel.

Nonetheless...was fun to see my 8yo DS and 4 yo DD have a blast, while their geeky mom was taking close-ups of the rides.

And in case you are also fascinated by the Tilt-A-Whirl...check out Wikipedia for interesting random facts about the best ride ever. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt-A-Whirl

Can I blog about a blog?

Can I blog about a blog? Well, sure I can...it's mine and I can do what I want. :-)

The fun thing about lime green modern is when something unexpected happens, like being asked to do a solo exhibit of my jewelry for the blog Etsystalker.

Too fun I think...but those poor girls don't realize how wordy I can be when asked for an interview...lol.

They were great sports and Violet put together a really cool write-up that I am super honored to be a part of.

Violet and Beatrice, the curators of Etsystalker, have an amazing website, with tons of great photos and articles all about Etsy artisans.

One of the best parts...lots of giveaways!! Definitely bookmark this lovely blog for really great chances to win some really cool things.

And this week one of those things are my up-square-overs...just comment to have a chance to win.

Enjoy! www.etsystalker.com Just look to the right and you'll see my earrings.

Artisan Eye Candy....

There's this great site out there that combines amazing photography with artisan work of every persuasion, inspiring the soul to push the limits with their art.

A juried site, craft gawker is truly eye candy for anyone interested in artisan crafts, great photography, or both.

I'm happy to say the two items above (from my lime green modern shop) were recently accepted for viewing here:

http://www.craftgawker.com/

My Pink Tutu Observation....

Sometimes an observation hits me that just makes me laugh and this is one of them.

I don't believe my need for minimalism has been passed down to my daughter...here is her adorable Halloween costume that she chose from many (MANY) tutu choices that I had hearted for her.

But the kicker is she wanted to know if she could also wear a pink shirt and get pink sparkly shoes for this ensemble. To her, well, more is more.

Maybe I need to loosen my grip for the austere and have a pink tutu day every once in awhile.

Thank you Sweetie Pie Tutus for this adorable fairy princess set that my DD simply loves to death. See her great shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6622893

Closet Barbie lover....

Ok...this is kind of random...but was searching through Etsy the other day and found these Barbie shoe earrings. So fun!

Wow...intense flashback of how much I loved my Barbies. Complete deja vous of my 17 well-loved Barbies, with varying stages of "haircuts" I had given them, from my childhood.

Sometimes we need little reminders of when life was so simple...and all I had to do for the day was play with my Barbies.

Love these earrings? Check out this shop, aptly named Random Quirks... http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5518557

Which one?

Here are the choices for the front of my new cards...which one do you like better?

Love these so much...thanks so much Amy from "Bean Sprout Studio":http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6258023

The back is green with my two shop websites...very minimal and clean.

So top or bottom? Leave me a comment or tweet me back!

http://twitter.com/limegreenmodern

Texture and color in man-made materials....

As much as I love taking macro pictures of nature, I also love to get up-close-and-personal with interesting textures and colors in man-made objects.

Something as boring as a rusty fence, old gate, or playground set can be transformed into something cool when you cut all the mundane and get super close.

Here's a day in Vail...close up....bridge to the gondola lift up the moutain, a Harley engine, and a criss-cross rope at the Pirate Ship park.

Texture and color in nature....

It is amazing to me how texture and color in nature is always perfect...not too much, not too little.

I sometimes struggle with extreme minimalism...can't even stand to clutter up perfect simple hammered wire with one bead. Other days I'm in the mood for adding a little pop.

Taking a camera out for a stroll in Vail always brings back interesting natural patterned perfection. Gotta love a macro setting to see things you wouldn't normally see.

Inspiring...simple...perfect.

Fresh air....

Sometimes you just need to turn off the computer, get outside, and do some exploring. Pictures from our recent excursion doing just that...didn't even have cell phone reception!

Bear Lake, Rocky Mt. Natl. Park, 1.5 hours northwest of Denver

One Lovely Blog Award

What a great day....Studio 618 and HJM Art Gallery have both granted me the "One Lovely Blog" award this weekend and many thanks to you all!

Studio 618 is a practicing licensed architect as well as a fabulous jewelry artisan/metalsmith from California. Check out Studio 618 on Etsy http://studio618.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6055023 and Studio 618 blog http://studio618.blogspot.com/

HJM Art Gallery is an amazing professional artist who brings a fresh and unique voice to abstract art. Take a moment to enjoy her gorgeous Etsy shop here http://hjmart.etsy.com/ and a great blog http://hjmart.blogspot.com/

Now I am passing this blog award on. This is what you need to know: Accept the award, post it on your blog along with the person that granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've discovered and remember to let the bloggers know that you have given them the award.

Here are my nominees:



My Daily Domestic Diary http://dailydomesticdiary.blogspot.com/

moddyboy80 http://moddyboy80.blogspot.com/

azurine http://bijouxazurine.blogspot.com/

kismet1990design http://kismet1990design.blogspot.com/

Paper Cakes Finds http://papercakesfinds.blogspot.com/

Shrimp Salad Circus http://shrimpsaladcircus.blogspot.com/

Studio6or7 http://studio6or7.blogspot.com/

The Daily Sip http://thedailysip.blogspot.com/

The Pink Samurai http://thepinksamurai.blogspot.com/

the rikrak studio http://rikrakstudio.blogspot.com/

trendy cards http://trendycardsblog.blogspot.com/

sweeter than me http://kristinfriesen.blogspot.com/

Indigo Rain-a bit of whimsy http://goindigorain.blogspot.com/

Hands Full, Heart Full, Quiver Full http://www.kellerfamilyof9.com/

Good Dirt Jewelry http://gooddirtjewelry.blogspot.com/

**Pardon all my long visible links...not techie enough to figure out how to hypertext each name** Baby steps!

Ice cream sandwiches....

I love summer and this is why:

Ice cream sandwiches, a little color to your skin, comfy light clothes in fun colors, sandy beaches, no making school lunches every am, hanging out in the cul-de-sac watching kids play until 8:30 pm, grilling dinner outside every night, Adirondack chairs, heading up to Vail for the day, the smell of chlorine and sunscreen at the pool....

I could go on forever...hope your summer is off to a great start....

Measure twice, cut once...

Creating comes in many forms...and right now that form is in finishing our basement.

When I started my jewelry shop, I confiscated our dedicated playroom area. So where exactly do all those kid toys go? Well, they seem to go all over the house, so my entire house feels like a giant play pit.

We decided to finish our basement to have a little more dedicated play and family space. After all, we do live in Denver, where it is not uncommon to have 3 feet of snow on the ground. Try having four 8-year-olds over to your house for a sleepover and see how much room you have. We are hoping this can be a solution.

Little does everyone know, once that playroom space is no longer needed, I might make it into a secondary studio...I'm thinking big tools now.

Why I do circle and rectangle hoops...

My very first pair of earrings after the introductory studs were tiny gold hoops.


I still remember picking them out...and I still amazingly have them. They are probably 3/8 across, a slight etch design to them, pretty conservative by most earring standards.


Oh, but when I put them on for the first time...I remember feeling like I had the biggest rock star earrings on....so hip, so fashionable...which can be a good self-esteem builder for the average 6th grade girl.



So after getting several requests for circle and rectangle hoops...here they are. I have taken to wearing them as my every day earring. So let a little bit of your inner rock star out, squelching out that insecure 6th grade girl...it will feel great.


My modern hoop section: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6780082&section_id=6145049

Mini Nelson bench and office chair...

Check out my mini Nelson bench and office chair...are they not the coolest!

I originally bought the bench for my DH for Father's Day and the office chair for my studio desk, but now I think I want them both!

I featured this great Etsy seller a little while back, because I thought her stuff was so cool. She created this mini bench for me, and I just love it.

Check out A Mae Terrarium Garden Designs here...the perfect little modern get-away: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5525807

Modernizing vintage...

It started with my grandmother's vintage earring, as seen in the photo. She was a woman who loved her jewelry and I remember watching her get dressed and picking out just the right piece to wear with her outfit.

I now have much of her costume jewelry and was looking through it last week when I came upon this earring. Not exactly anything I would wear personally, but I did notice the center of it had a modern flair.

So out came my molding compound. I molded just the center, and then used the mold to create this little retro 40's flower. I love it. The perfect way for me to having something sentimental yet more my own style.

Enjoy my new retro 40's flower pendant: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25434098

**Dedicated to my grandmother, who sparked a lot of my love for jewelry. Though our styles are different, the old adage of daily accessorizing just for yourself still holds true. **

Meet George Jetson...

Meet George Jetson....his boy Elroy, daughter Judy, and Jane his wife.

Anyone remember the Jetsons? I always thought by the time I was "grown up" I would be riding around in a hover craft, would have a robot maid (need that!!), and would eat from a conveyor belt...lol.

So I was feeling a little retro this past weekend when I created this piece. It's modern yet retro, kind of like the Jetsons. A little blast from my childhood past.

The retro star silver... http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25120719

Dear Blog...

Dear Blog,

Sorry I'm ignoring you, but you have you have to understand that you are competing with Twitter.

You take time, energy, and great thought, and sometimes I just feel like doing the quick, easy, random observations of life. Instant gratification, if you will.

We don't have to be ex-BFFs or anything. I'll try to be better in the future.

Your friend always,

lime green modern

P.S. If you want to see more of me, follow me here: http://twitter.com/limegreenmodern

The Rocky Mountain Market on 1000 Markets

Oh, how good it feels to be "live"!

When I opened my shop on 1000 Markets, I thought it would be great to join a Colorado market but there wasn't one. So what started out as a little forum inquiry about starting a local CO market turned into an amazing market encompassing the beautiful states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.

Our products are the kind you might discover at a great farmers market, craft fair, or at a quaint little ski-town boutique. Our work represents a wide variety of art and craftsmanship-from pottery to photography, jewelry to papercraft, and everything in between.

Take a trip through the Rocky Mountains here:

www.1000markets.com/groups/rockymountain

I am super excited to manage this market and to have lime green modern be a part of 1000 Markets. Enjoy!

Dear Blog...

Dear Blog,

You know I hate to call people out on their bad behavior, but I have had enough of you.

Why is it that every time I see my front page it looks different? Each time you have put pictures in a different spot, realigned my text to crazy places, and made me look like I can't type a paragraph correctly. You truly make editing an exercise in frustration.

While I will be the first to admit that I do not have the world's greatest grammar skills and can occasionally legitimately screw up , I do not like how much harder you are making my blogging life.

Is it too much to ask that the final published result look like the preview?

I would appreciate if we could work a little more together on this whole blogging effort. You can't make me quit....I will win.

Sincerely,

Tracy AKA lime green modern

skulls, color, & the unexpected...grigio design

• I love finding things that are vintage, yet still super modern.
  
  I have a strange draw to the lines of a skull.

Combine those with an amazing painting talent and you have the ingredients for the shop grigio design.

The eclectic mix of this shop and the unexpected mod feel of many of the pieces is such a fun experience. A really cool thing is that the shop is a family thing. Different members of the family all contribute...vintage enamel rings with total pops of color, cards made from original paintings, earrings from the 4-year-old son, and, of course, the great skulls in all these interesting ways. You never know what is going to pop up when you peruse this shop.

So check them out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6271391

Think Herman Miller and Dwell magazine, only mini

I have a love for the modern aesthetic.

I would love to live in a super modern pre-fab house on the top of a bluff overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately, that is a just a dream right now. So what am I suppose to do other than absorb every page of Dwell and Atomic Ranch and drool over the Room and Board and DWR catalog?

Introduce this cool little Etsy shop: A Mae Terrarium Garden Designs

Think Herman Miller meets Dwell in a miniature garden version. I just love all these fabulous tiny gardens...makes me feel serene just looking at them.

Take a look at this great little shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5525807

Homage to the square....

I don't know why, but I just love the square. To me it looks minimal, linear, and clean.

These attributes calm me and are what my imaginary house and life would look like...clutter-free, stress-free, and very zen.

They take me away from the reality of what my actual house and life can look like at times...super busy, messy, and not at all like the "life-as-a-grown-up" brochure had pictured.

I wear the square to keep the dream alive....at least in my own mind.

The modern simple bow

Those that know me know that I am not exactly a girly girl, lover of flowery things, and never wanted to be a princess when I grew up.

So I got an interesting custom request this past weekend. A great buyer asked me if I could make her a simple bow pendant. She wanted it to look tied. I told her that I would see what I could do, and sat down with my copper "practice" wire to work out a design.

Maybe divine inspiration took over, but in a matter of moments a super simplistic bow of silver wire was created and I was shocked how much I liked it. It looked modern, simple, sleek...words that I don't normally associate with a bow! I liked it so much I added it to my shop and even made one for myself!

Sometimes it's good to be pushed to think outside the box, or for me, outside my always modern mantra. Even a bow can be modern now.

So here it is....a great piece to give as a gift for a special occasion, definitely remembered each time the bow is worn.

Adventures in wholesaling....

Convo: 1. That is Etsy talk for "you have an Etsy email".

I click....wow...someone is inquiring about my wholesale policies because they are interested in buying some earrings for their shop. Amazing, I think.

So my online adventures with my Etsy shop and 1000 Markets shop has been incredibly fun. It really has gone beyond just posting some earrings on the web and praying someone likes them. Lots of marketing, followup, and, of course, earring making going on.

I have found and newly appreciate a whole world out there of small artisans, doing what they love, and creating pieces to sell that really come from someone's artistic talent and love for their craft. So instead of going to the mall for the same old thing, I encourage you to check out Etsy and 1000 Markets the next time you need a gift or something for yourself. Anything you can think of (and many things you could never dream up) are available there.

And if you happen to live in rural NY, check out RELM. Great store, super great owner. This is where my earrings are going: http://www.relmhandmade.com/Home.html

Top 10 Chicago...Moms on Vacation Style

My trip to Chicago was fabulous!

Here are my Top 10 Amazing Things about my trip:


10) Sitting on a plane by myself in total silence for the entire flight...heaven!

9) Actually getting to read an entire book on the plane without interruption...appropriately it was The Power of Now (reading it again)....mantra of the weekend...Be Present!

8) Going to an amazing authentic Armenian restaurant, without having to worry if they have a kid's menu with mac 'n chz.

7) Ordering an appetizer and dessert at The Grand Luxe because I just didn't feel like an entree....nobody there to set a good example for!

6) Having a personal driver at a moment's notice (aka a taxi) without car seats, snacks, or soccer gear rolling all over.

5) No laundry, no dishes, no grocery shopping, no helping with the potty, no soccer practice schedule....this list could make up its own top 100 if I really thought about it.

4) Shopping, shopping, shopping both on Michigan Avenue and little out-of-the-way boutiques.

3) Seeing and experiencing Oprah...such a charismatic person!

2) Spending the weekend with three fabulous friends I have known for 20 years, and feeling like not a day has gone by since last seeing them!

And the #1 greatest thing about my trip was.......drum roll please.....

1) Coming home to kiss my sleeping kids goodnight feeling renewed, inspired, and rested...ready to be a mom, wife, friend, and artist again.


My post is dedicated to Michelle, my great friend who got the Oprah tickets for us!! Thanks Michelle....I had such a incredible time!

On vacation....

Hello everyone...

Just letting you know that I am officially on vacation and my shops on Etsy and 1000 Markets will both be closed until the evening of March 22, hence the big white space on the right side of the page.

See you on Sunday to recap my Oprah/Chicago adventure!

Girlfriend, I'm going to Oprah!

So one of my college roommates called a couple months ago to say that she might be getting Oprah tickets. Hmm...a weekend away in Chicago with girlfriends and NO KIDS....I'm there!!!

We are heading to the show on Friday, March 20. So exciting! I had a wild idea to bring Oprah a special pair of earrings, but there are very strict restrictions...no gifts for Oprah or her staff. The earrings I posted here are the ones I thought would look good on Ms. Winfrey. :-)

I hope to come back renewed, inspired, and ready to do some serious work on my new modern pendant line.

And yes, I am so DVRing my show. I will be the one in the dark pink shirt with totally fab earrings!

Curse of the afternoon latte...

I admit it...I am limegreenmodern, and I have a serious latte (read mucho caffeine) addiction.

It started out simple in college, a little cheap dorm cafeteria coffee before an 8 am class, a little more to stay up late for studying. It became a full blown addiction once I had my first kiddo, and realized that the only way to get everything done in a day was to cut out sleep. Hence, the caffeine overload naturally followed.

But what is so apropos about about this short tale I am telling? Well, my jewelry making obsession directly mirrors my path to caffeine addiction.

It started mainly in college, with a few cheap beads and some silver plated wire. (I know, silver plated, I heard you gasp). A little polymer clay here, a few dangles there. I was rocking the early 90s with my designs, but being a poor college student kept the obsession at bay.

Fast forward to now and here I am admitting and writing about my full blow obsession at 2am, with new design ideas keeping me awake. Always looking at the world differently, like a square thumbnail cropped 1000x1000 pixels, to provide the perfect upload.

If only I had a little switch. Off would be nice right now, as my kids will be up in 5 hours. Oh well, sleep deprivation also breeds creativity, with all the hallucinations and such.

15 minutes of fame....

Starting a creative adventure is very exciting...I could talk all day about sterling wire, cool new pliers, my great desire for a kiln....the list goes on and on.

Even with all this excitement, it is a bit intimidating to put your creative side out there for the world to see, for everyone to critique. When someone critiques my work, it's like critiquing a very personal part of me.

I try to balance the excitement and fear and just put myself out there. You know, you reach a point where you just have to give it a try. But maybe I can be a little obsessive about how my shop looks.....

Just the other day, even my daughter asked if she could look at pictures of herself, and not earrings, on the computer.

OK...so maybe I have had lime green modern on the brain lately.

But the other day all my obsessing resulted in some really exciting and validating news for my Etsy shop...

One of my designs, called up-round-over (in the blog pic), was handpicked by the admins at Etsy, a handmade shop site, to be on the front page!

It was super exciting to see my earrings right there for the world to see enjoying their 15 minutes of fame and get sold.

So thank you to all those friends and family who find themselves conversing with me about the ins and outs of the design and making of earrings, bead colors, and brand labeling ideas, though they would rather watch paint dry.

Just for the record, I did upload new pics of my DS and DD onto my facebook page, so she could see her beautiful face on the screen, and not my earrings.

But I did sneak in making another pair of up-round-overs to relist...couldn't help myself.

Are you always stepping on Legos?

Raise your hand if you have random Legos scattered through your house at any given time.

How about toys in the dining room, random game pieces in your junk drawer, and various pieces of Barbie's entourage laying around the family room.

Recently these daily annoyances became inspirational art pieces. Huh? What? And no, I have not risen about the daily clutter of life in some zen-inspired moment.

The background of this epiphany....this past weekend I took an advanced pure metal clay class. Pure metal clay (PMC) is an amazing mix of pure silver with a clay binder. You can form the clay how you choose, then fire it in a kiln to release the binder, and then a little elbow grease to burnish/shine it. Voila....you are left with a gorgeous piece of solid fine silver art from a lowly blob of gray clay.

This is where the clutter comes in....we were asked to bring in found objects that we had around our house to make molds of their texture, shape, patterns, etc; to be used with the PMC clay. I don't have anything to bring was my first thought....until I looked around my house for two seconds and realized the potential.

Suddenly you were looking at ordinary objects as pieces of textural artwork. The clutter I loathed had suddenly transformed into an integral part of the artistic process.

The football sitting inside the house, begging to be put away in the garage for months...well, it has a really cool texture to it...so I mold it.

That ugly plastic button from an even uglier sweater someone gave you....it has a great detailed pattern...so I mold it.

The Legos that are forever scattered all around my house...one block has such a cool pattern...so I mold it.

And last but not least...I never noticed the cool details on Dora's treehouse when it was strewn around my kitchen counter...so I mold that too.

Suddenly ordinary items had super-ordinary talents in what they could give in PMC as an amazing pattern, great texture, or simply being themselves.

All in all, our class had gathered a vast array of ordinary objects that can now be immortalized in pure silver, transforming that awkward teenage geeky object into an amazingly outgoing and beautiful part of an art piece.

If only it were that easy in life. Take a look around...you never know what amazing things you might find in the simplest things of life.

Graveyard-shift artist...

It's 1:26.

That's am.....not pm.

It's the working hour for all those artists who must dedicate themselves to something other than their craft during regular daylight hours.

Be it the "real" job that brings home the bacon, keeps sprouts on the table, and makes sure candlelight is romantic and not a necessity.

Be it the mom who holds everyone (and everything) together, arriving in a timely manner to all scheduled kid activities, all the while making sure everyone is sporting clean tidy-whities.

Be it the dad who travels for work, coaches the Bad News Bear team, and then cuts the lawn so the HOA doesn't freak.

Or be it a combo of the three all falling on one person, chipping away at any sort of free-form creative time, unless it is obscenely late.

It is at this late hour that we find people who really get to love what they do.

I am not one to normally live on the edge, so I feel like maybe the sleep deprivation can fuel some creative insanity without getting too out of control. After all, its better than some serious loco disease-driven creative insanity..isn't that what most art historians like to say, explaining the whole cut-off-the-ear theory as organic in cause.

OK...I digress.

So to all those artists toiling away on the artistic graveyard shift, may the creativity flow freely for you tonight and every night. I'll keep a big cup of joe on the burner for you, so when that alarm goes off in the morning and you promise that that is the last time you stay up way too late, you'll have something to wake you up.

Until the next night, when you do it all over again.

And you thought that coffee cup was just a photo prop.