If Ya Liked It Then Ya Shoulda Put A Stud On It...

all sources to images can be found here.

Though I think the stud trend seems to be winding down, I still LOVE seeing studs used in chic and unique ways, especially on shoes.  I would take all of the shoes in the image above in an instant.  The loafers in the bottom left corner could really be pulled off by anyone, even if you are afraid of rocking the stud.  The leopard print and studded loafers are a little more wild but totally wearable.  And these studded loafers by Wanted Shoes are just subtle enough that they could be worn by anyone, anywhere and come in camel, creamy white, black and patent leather black!  I have my eye on them...  I think the large image above of the super duper studded boots is just insanely amazing.  I want those boots SO badly.  I'd like to try DIY-ing some shoes, a purse, or a coat with some studs.  There are just endless possibilities!  Are you over the stud trend yet?  How do you like to see studs worn?

Spring Cleaning

I've decided that this will be the last month that I offer lots of different sizes and prices of sponsorship on my blog.  For March, I am still giving you lovely readers the opportunity to choose from the different sizes & prices of ads that I currently have on my blog.  I have a few medium sized ads still available for March and the feature spot is still up for grabs!  Contact me at mooreaseal{at}gmail.com to reserve your spot.
Click here to check out the size options and rates. 

I love being able to promote small businesses that I love and respect, but I'm realizing that there are lots of ways that I could pair down certain areas of life so that I can focus better on the essence of things and less on the complicated matters of things.  What I'm getting at is that after March, I will have one ad size available for all of my wonderful sponsors.  Equality!  And I will offer one post a month mentioning all of my sponsors for that month, a more simplifed version of what I've been doing for the past year.

I am a very future oriented person, a bit of a worrier, extremely cautious but not afraid to take risks if there is wisdom to back it, a planner but adaptable, a feeler, and a thinker.  It is impossible for me to not think about how my life at any given point, and the little choices I make now, will affect my future.  I am at a point at age 25 1/2 where I am really passionate about figuring out a life path that is sustainable.  I am happy with where my life is right now, but there are so many things that I hope to grow for the future ahead.  So right now I am thinking about where I am placing my energy, how much energy I put into soooo many different things, what can be edited, changed, removed, or sustained.  And that thinking is going into every aspect of my life, my work, and my social media stuff :)  I love my blog and I want to make sure I keep loving it as time keeps rolling on.  So there are ways in which I want to pair things down to feel like this space is more free, more clean, more clear, more fresh both aesthetically and content-wise.  I want to keep promoting other small businesses because that still means a lot to me, supporting my community on the web.  But I want to make the sponsorship on my blog a million times more simple and straight forward.  So come April, all of my sponsors will have the same ad size.  Simple and easy.  It will lighten my work load (organizing, promoting, designing for, and managing sponsors takes a lot of work kids!) and it will make me feel more excited to support my community and friends.  I'm excited to cleanse my life in a lot of ways, and I'm excited to manage my sponsors in a new way to bring a new level of ease and happiness to them, to my blog, and to me. :)

I guess I'm sort of Spring cleaning my blog, my business, and my life!  And it feels refreshing :)  Do you get the Spring cleaning itch like I do? 

Minty Fresh

 all sources to images can be found here.

Lately I've just become overwhelmed with a love of creating these inspiration boards.  And I think that as a blogger, you should only blog about what you love.  So you'll be seeing lots of collages of beautiful things on my blog in the days to come :)
So if you haven't picked up on it yet, MINT is the color for Spring.  I'm dying to get my hands on a pair of pale mint colored pants to pair with a brighter green/teal top or a pale pink top.  I know that Zara used to have some amazing mint jeans in their online store a week ago but perhaps they sold out.  I did find a pair here, here, and here though!  They are all just way outside of my budget which right now is $0. So for now, I'll just stick with layering on the mint colored nail polish I have that I bought a year ago at UO.  I took the photos below about a year ago, and isn't that color just so perfect for the mint trend right now?  Here is how I painted my nail this week.

Are you diggin' the minty fresh color trend for Spring?

A Few Things About Me // Participate!

I've been tagged by Jenny from Pulchritude Fest to do a little quiz thing and since I didn't have anything planned to post today, heck, why not participate :)  I haven't done one of these things in a long time.  Thanks for thinking of me Jenny!

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THE RULES

1. Post these rules 

2. Post 11 random things about yourself 

3. Answer the questions provided by the one who tagged you 

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag 

5. Go to their blog and tell them they've been tagged!

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11 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME

1.  I grew up in England from age 2-8 and I didn't feel like I was American until the end of high school.

2.  I was a semi-professional classical singer in high school.  (soprano 1!)  During my senior year I spent 40 hours a week singing in 3 choirs and a quartet in school and then was in a semi-professional classical singing group outside of school called Penumbra.  I also got to tour Germany, Austria and Hungary singing with my high school choir!

3.  I grew up in 3 very very small towns and I lived at the end of a dead end road in each town.  Age 0-2:  Quincy, CA,  population 1,728 people.  Age 2-8:  Helpston, England,  population 870 people.  Age 8-18:  Nevada City, CA,  population 2944 people.

4.  I taught myself guitar at age 15 and I play right handed but I am left handed, and I started writing music at 15 as well.

5.  I wrote and recorded an indie/folk album called Be My Friend when I was 19.

6.  I opened for Rocky Votalato when I was in college.  He was a really nice dude.

7.  I changed my major a million times in college:  Art History, Apparel Design, Philosophy, Painting and Drawing, Illustration.

8.  I graduated from Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, WA in 2009 (I did 5 years of college...) with a degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in Illustration and New Pictures.  How do ya like that crazy long title?

9.  My boyfriend and I went to high school together in Northern California but maybe only talked once or twice.  ( I did think he was pretty cute in high school :)  We reconnected after college and we now both live in Seattle and have been dating for two years.  I love him <3

10.  You wouldn't guess it, but I love playing sports and games of all sorts.  I'm really competitive but always with a smile.  I've rarely been encouraged or asked to participate in any sports though because my whole life I've been categorized as "artsy" which I find incredibly annoying.  But I played soccer for a few years when I was in jr high and I played Tennis throughout high school. 

 Edit:  I forgot my 11th random fact about me:
11.   Johnny Depp is my 2nd cousin once removed.  No joke.

QUESTIONS FROM JENNY

1. Name three people who inspire you and why?      a.)  My grandmother because she was incredibly smart, strong, independent and wise and gave back to her community.  She started the program that the now nationally known ESL program is based off of.  She started the first 3 bi-lingual schools in the LA area.  She was a bad ass.
   b.)  My great grandmother who was a suffragette.  Go girl!  She helped women gain the right to vote!
  c.)   Laura Lasworth was one of my professors and mentors in college.  She is so brilliant and thoughtful, an incredibly talented painter, so loving, kind and encouraging.  She really challenged me in my art work and pushed me to be my best while always supporting everything I pursued in college. 
2. What are three hobbies you always enjoy doing? 
  Well since my work is making things all day (jewelry, illustration, design) my hobbies aside from my work are playing games, chilling at home watching movies, getting food/drinks with friends.  Not too exciting :)
3. If you were to have a soundtrack to your life, what would today's song be? 
  "When Rose Speaks" by Pickwick
4. What was your first pet growing up? 
   When I was a baby, my parents had a bunch of horses, 2 dogs, chickens, peacocks, 2 cats, a bunch of animals.  I'm allergic to horses and cats though.
5. Do you have any siblings? What are their names? 
  I love my baby sisters so much.  In a lot of ways, I raised them as my own daughters growing up.  <3
  Alexandra - 21
  Isabella - 16
6. What was your first job? 
  I started nannying at age 12 but my first job outside of that was I was barista at 16.  I had to beg and beg my dad to let me start working at a coffeeshop at 16.
7. If you could be a superhero, what would your power be? 
  Saving people from deep suffering.
8. What are you most proud of about yourself or something you've accomplished recently? 
   I'm proud of myself that I manage to juggle running my own jewelry business, freelance illustrating and designing, and blog designing for Freckled Nest.  And I'm amazed every month when I manage to pay my millions of bills.  Plus I manage to maintain a happy and healthy relationship with my boyfriend.  Now... to only have more free time to hang with friends.
9. Name three tips to being a good blogger. 
   a.)  Don't compare yourself to other bloggers.  Who cares if someone else has more readers than you or appears "cooler" online.  Real life matters so much more.  Be happy with your life outside of the web first and let yourself just enjoy blogging just because.  We are all nerdier in real life than we appear on the web, so don't worry about that.
  b.)  Be friendly to others online.  Don't judge, don't hate, don't let jealousy or a competitive spirit squash your kindness.  You may develop real life friends from the friendships you develop online.  So be nice and enjoy that!  Don't slander others online, written words are so powerful so don't trash talk!
  c.)  Write about what you truly enjoy.  I'm often embarrassed by the fact that I love fashion so much.  I know that some people probably view me as shallow because I dig fashion.  But who cares, we are all complex people!  I have many other things I care about that are deeper and more meaningful, but for me, my blog is just not an appropriate space to share those things.  If you like to keep some parts of your life private, go ahead!  There is no pressure to word barf all over the web.
10. When was the last time you laughed until you were crying? 
   Hm, well working at home all day alone doesn't call for much laughter.  Wa wa wa.  But probably the last time I laughed till I cried was while hanging out with my boyfriend and all the funny dudes at his house playing card games or while seeing my little sisters over Christmas.
11. What is your dream job? 
   Basically what I am doing now but just with a more stable income.  I love the freedoms I have in being a jewelry designer, small biz owner, illustrator and designer.  I love being my own boss and whooping my own butt.  But kids, if you are looking for financial stability in a job straight away, do not follow my lead.  My jobs require a LOT of sacrifice financially, they require a lot of patience and faith, a lot of effort, and a lot of dedication.  My dream job would be to keep designing and running my jewelry business but expanding so I could have a nice big studio space with lots of metal working equipment.  I hope to have a few employees someday that I love working with and trust.  And I'd love to feel like my income is more stable and consistent.

Bloggers I Tag:

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Violet Bella 

The Flowerchild Dwelling

Seablanket

Our City Lights

Sometimes Sweet

Vivi Dot

No Small Dreams

Meticulous Markings

11 Questions for You: 

1. Who do you feel most similar to in your family and why?
2. What do you wish you could say to yourself at age 13?
3. How do you treat yo self?
4. How do you try to improve yourself?
5. What/Where is your favorite place to go in your town/city?
6. What was your first job?
7. What was your worst job?
8. What are you proud of in yourself?
9. Do you have a guilty pleasure?
10. Who inspires you most right now?
11. What is something that you wish you could have made, invented, created or designed and why?


And for the rest of you, if you'd like to answer the questions I've asked, feel free! Take the questions and send a link back in the comments below so I can see your answers.

Attainable Dreams // Phil Cuttance

Some people are just brilliant.  Enter Phil Cuttance.  I'm telling ya, sometimes I really get bummed out and frustrated that I just don't have the time and money to imagine and produce the beautiful objects that I see in my head.  When I see artists like Phil creating these incredible, beautiful handmade objects that are so one of a kind, I am immediately inspired and desperate to create something new and innovative.  I guess what makes a great artist and designer is pushing past those feelings of "I don't have enough _________ to do what I love" and just simply forging ahead, creating a better and more efficient way to keep doing what you want to be doing.
I'm currently at one of those stages, wishing I had more money and time to invest in my jewelry line.  I have so many visions of changes I want to make, new designs I want to create, new material I want to work with, the list goes on.  But as I said before, a great designer is someone who finds a way despite any obstacles.  I've gotten a good amount of work done for the day today and I'm going to devote the second half of the day to just coming up with answers to the questions & dreams I have lying around in my mind.  I love making plans, lists, and goals.  So today I'm marking a beginning to new plans and goals, turning seemingly unattainable dreams into actual goals I can work towards.

How do you turn your dreams into attainable realities? 

Phil Cuttance found via Blog Milk (obsessed with this blog right now!)

Design Business Tips + The Decision to do Freelance

These are such wonderful design business tips by Mike Dempsey.  Amen brother. You can find some more wise design and freelance business tips over on Studio Sweet Studio right now.  Bre from Moxee is currently doing a great column on the Studio Sweet Studio blog about making the decision to go Freelance.  I highly recommend giving it a read if you are thinking about making the move into doing freelance work!

via.  Studio Sweet Studio.

Shop Update // Arrowhead Rings

More arrowhead rings have hit the shop!  Lots of lovely new colors :)

Color Obsession // Neon Citrus

I'm totally obsessed with the neon citrus color right now.  Recently, citrus fruits and I have become best friends since I've suddenly become allergic to all pitted fruits plus more... I'm having not so fun allergic reactions to:  Avocados, tomatoes, nectarines, peaches, pineapples, kiwi, cherries, apples, plums, strawberries, mangoes.  And there are still more fruits I need to test to see if I have an allergic reaction.  The reactions I've been commonly having with all of these fruits are tingling, itchy, stingy lips and then the inside of my mouth gets itchy and really sore.  Last night I ate a nectarine and for the first time I felt my throat swell up a little which is kind of scary.  After that happened, I decided, ok I absolutely have to get tested for allergies because I don't want to have to deal with anaphylaxis by eating something I didn't realize I was allergic to.  Scary stuff.
It's pretty unfortunate because I am a major sweets lover and fruit lover and when I have sweet cravings, I try to eat some fruits instead of candy.  But my list of favorite fruits is turning into my list of fruits I'm allergic to.  So right now all I can really eat fruit-wise are bananas and oranges/mandarins/tangerines which aren't too exciting flavor-wise.  Oh and lemons and limes, but I can't handle biting into their tangy-ness.  Oh fruit... I miss you so much. 
People have asked me if maybe I'm allergic to the pesticides.  But I've tried eating local fruits and berries, organic and pesticide free fruits but I still get allergic reactions.  Bummer.
I've been researching my fruit allergies a lot and one friend thought perhaps I was allergic to latex.  But I researched it further and though I don't have any reaction to latex gloves or anything like that, I think what is happening is something similar to an allergic reaction to latex but is caused by my allergies to pollen.  What I think is happening is explained pretty well here and here.  I'm pretty sure I have something called Oral Allergy Syndrome which occurs in a large number of people who have pollen allergies, which I have.  For most people, the Oral Allergy Syndrome symptoms only last a few minutes after eating the fruit or vegetable but for a few people, they experiences anaphylaxis which is really scary.  I am somewhere in between right now.  Some fruits leave my mouth really sore and itchy for 2 days after eating them, nectarines made my throat swell a little, and some just make my lips and mouth itchy and stingy for maybe an hour.  I want to get tested for my allergies as soon as I can afford it because I really hope my allergies don't become really severe, and if they do, I want to be prepared.
But for now, I'm just going to stick to my bananas and citrus fruits and celebrate the friendship I have with them through their beautiful bright colors.  (Do any of you have allergic reactions to fruit?)

Links to Image above:  neon short dress  //  neon skirt  //  neon blouse  //  yellow top  //  yellow gown  //  neon bag  //  neon sandal  //  neon satchel

Valentines Day Giveaway!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!  My sweetheart has to work tonight so I'll be hanging out at home relaxing for Valentines Day which is fine by me.  We just had our two year anniversary last week which was so incredibly wonderful so I don't care too much about the romantic pressures of Valentines Day.  We already had the most wonderful date of a lifetime a few days ago.  :)

But since it is Valentines Day, I thought it might be nice to have a little Valentines Day giveaway for my wonderful blog friends!  Today, Sheepy Me is offering $45 shop credit to one lucky reader!  Sheepy me is a little boutique store that offers you jewelry made from the softest merino wool which is super soft and doesn't make you itchy.  The pieces are lightweight, brightly colored and easy to take care of.  As they say at Sheepy Me, "be playful, be courageous, be noticed!"

1st Entry //  Visit the Sheepy Me boutique and leave a comment on this post mentioning your favorite item.

2nd Entry //  Subscribe to the Sheepy Me newsletter and leave a second comment here.

3rd Entry //  Follow Sheepy Me on twitter and leave a third comment here.

4th Entry //  Like Sheepy Me on Facebook and leave a fourth comment here.

This giveaway ends on February 19th, 2012.

A Valetines Day Present // DIY

In honor of Valentines day being tomorrow, I thought I'd re-post my most popular blog post which is actually a guest post by my lovely friend Katie.  Katie created this super thoughtful and sweet DIY gift for her Dad for his birthday but it would be such a wonderful Valentines Day gift for someone you love.  Click the link below to visit this simple but sweet DIY inspiration.

A Valentines Day Gift of Love