GingerLee Studios

At it again...

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

hello hello hello! i'm back after my very long hiatus and i'm so excited to share all of the good news that has come my way.

if you hadn't heard, my family sold our home over a year ago to travel the country in our renovated airstream trailer. it was fun to travel the entire west coast, but at the same time it was difficult for all of us. we cut our tour short after our three month stay in Arizona and headed back to the town in which i grew up, Two Harbors Minnesota. you can read more about our adventures at our unconventional life... a place in which i'm still blogging.

we got a wonderful opportunity to purchase my parents' house (the one that my five siblings and myself grew up in) this past October and finally moved into it in November. we've been busy making changes like refinishing the floors, painting the walls, and lots of planning for what's to come. it's a long process that we have our whole lives to complete, but i'm not that patient.

the biggest advantage to this home is the commercial space that is in the basement. my father once owned a beauty salon with two work stations, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. the house sits right along the main drag through town and during the summer months the city is bustling with tourists that are heading up the north shore. instead of renting out the space to another business, i have started plans to convert a quarter of it into my jewelry studio and turn the other part into a sort of 'artist gallery'. there's plenty of attractions just across the street including the Vanilla Bean Cafe, Bridgeman's ice cream shop, Agate City, The Superior Hiking Trail headquarters, and Buddy's Mercantile. i really don't think there will be a problem attracting tourists into the gallery.... at least i hope not.

i haven't quite decided what type of items i want to have in the 'gallery' but i DO know that i'll be selling my jewelry there. figuring out what to call the gallery is the hardest part and i do plan to change the name that's on all of my jewelry products to match... no more GingerLee for me. If all goes as planned, i hope to have a grand opening during the summer of 2013. i'll be sure to keep you all posted.

i have been trying to manage my time between knitting, painting the walls, and making jewelry for both Wintergreen locations. i also have hopes of doing the Lemonade Fair in St. Cloud, Mn and possibly one or two more into the summer and fall. we shall see....

i'm going to share with you some of the pretty things i created over the past couple of weeks. all of these (and more) designs will be available for purchase at Wintergreen in Duluth or at the Wintergreen store in Ely.

lake superior rocks and african silver beads on an oxidized sterling silver chain.

lake superior rocks and sterling silver

lake superior rocks, african brass beads, and sterling silver

lake superior rock stackers and sterling silver

lake superior rocks with oxidized sterling silver and hammered copper

i regret to say that i will not be reopening my etsy store. the time and energy that goes into running an online shop is just not what i have time for right now. i do plan to continue selling at both Wintergreen locations and hope to expand into a few more stores in the Twin Ports area.

thank you for all your support these past few years. it's been a joy creating pretty things for you all to wear.

it's that time of year again

2010-12-01T12:13:00.000-06:00

click on mosaic to see each individual photographer's photostream

december already!!?

it will be a bit different spending christmas here in california rather than bitterly cold minnesota. i've never experienced the holidays without snow and i'm not sure what to think of it. i do know that the warmer weather is much more pleasant and easier to deal with.

i've been knitting like a mad woman and have many projects i'd like to start. i've also had an urge to dig out all of my jewelry making supplies, make some new things, and reopen my shop. perhaps it will be something i do after the new year.

***

i also went through this space and deleted a bunch of previous posts. i've once again run into problems with my photos and found that deleting the posts would be easier than re-posting pictures.

a fresh start feels really good :)

a bit of sewing

2010-11-23T11:40:00.000-06:00

while we were packing up the house to go on our yearlong journey, i got a hankering to do some sewing. crazy, i know, but i had to take advantage of it knowing that i might not drag out the machine again for awhile.

i had been browsing etsy for some hand knit sweater pants, often called longies. not willing to pay the price, i decided to look elsewhere for tutorials to make my own... and i found one.

i went to Goodwill and bought two sweaters with a pretty tight fit and spent about $6.00. i followed a tutorial much like this one, and i'm pretty happy with how they turned out. next time i think i would make the rise a bit bigger so they're not falling off her butt.

she wears them A LOT! i also made a pair for my 3 year old. because her legs were a bit longer, i had to add a roll down band to the top. they turned out a lot like yoga pants. out of that same sweater, i also made her a skirt using this tutorial and a hat.

it was really easy and the result is so cute... not to mention inexpensive.

currently wanting....

2010-11-19T11:27:00.001-06:00

~another cup of coffee

~more time in the day

~to go shopping.... alone

~to finish knitting a blanket for a new baby boy

~quiet

~a pair of these socks for my littlest one

~to go to a movie with my husband

~rich chocolate cake... no frosting

~a facial

~to advance my knitting skills

~to do some baking

~someone to do all my holiday shopping

~to live in the moment

have a good weekend!

good golly, it's been awhile

2010-11-15T18:38:00.000-06:00

just want to inform you all that things are well. we're all settled into our new home on wheels and are currently living in sacramento, california.

the photo above is a polaroid i took of my new favorite pillow and the lovely couch it sits on. :)

this is lake superior in all it's glory the day before we left town. i love how i was able to capture it's sparkles.

for all of you wondering when i'll reopen my etsy shops... it's still unknown. i'm trying to enjoy myself for awhile before i become bombarded with too much to do.

this space has taken a back seat, and i'm sorry for that. if you'd like to know what i'm up to on a more regular basis, feel free to follow us on our travels over here.

sunshine of my life

2010-06-15T08:11:00.005-05:00

i don't know what the weather has been like in your neck of the woods, but here, it's been raining for days.

i need some sunshine!

i love this tote from ikabags

and this pretty butterfly illustration from brook green studio

then there's this... and this... and oh good golly, you have to check out this!

these house shoes from infusion would be perfect for summer days

this dessert sounds bright and refreshing

and this print from yumi yumi is sure to bring a smile to your face

birds, tea, flowers, and sunshine... is there really anything more lovely?

keep your fingers crossed that the rain lets up soon and sunnier, warmer days aren't only in my dreams.

currently in love with....

2010-05-24T22:01:00.007-05:00

the glorious aroma of freshly picked lilacs

this amazing sewing illustrator

this incredible mushroom print from Geninne

this super nummy panini made with this no knead bread.

all things polaroid and early birthday presents

unexpected surprises in our fresh produce

always time for tea

old photos of my family found on flickr

personalized dog tag necklaces from becoming jewelry

and water droplets in my garden

what have you been loving lately?

etsy finds for storage solutions

2010-05-15T09:23:00.004-05:00

there's a lot of things i need to bring and keep organized while doing any sort of art/craft fair. i usually place all of my necessities inside a rubbermaid tote which is easily hid under one of my tables. i always bring along my tools in case a customer needs a size adjustment, and i usually find that they get lost among the rubble. my solution? a sweet little pencil case. i was able to find these super cute ones on etsy.

i'm just having a hard time deciding which one :)

my jewelry box makeover

2010-05-05T15:04:00.007-05:00

last weekend while driving around town eyeing up shingles for our new roof, we stopped by an estate sale in the hopes of finding A dining room chair. while arriving at the back door we realized there was a line of people waiting. on any other day we would've skipped it, but seeing as how we had the whole afternoon we decided to wait the 15 minutes in line.

boy am i glad we did!! we scored an old travel trunk for $10 as well as this vintage, vinyl jewelry box for $2.50.

i immediately knew it would come in handy as a cash box at my art shows this summer. it just needed some TLC. i was initially going to spray paint the whole thing, but found a picture of a sprayed one online and didn't like how it turned out. so i pondered... and pondered... and came up with a solution. decoupage!! whoever thought decoupage was a craft for old ladies is surely mistaken. :)

using Mod Podge, spray adhesive, and heavy scrapbook paper i was able to transform an outdated (and quite frankly) ugly jewelry box into a trendy, fashionable cash box.

first i removed the fabric that was on the underside of the lid and then primed and sprayed the inside as well as the latch and hinges.

as you can see from the picture below, my jewelry supplies are EVERYWHERE, so never mind the mess. :)

i cut out my pieces of paper so they perfectly fit all sides. i used a razor blade to cut the paper around the hardware.

starting with the top of the box, i sprayed it with adhesive, which is extremely sticky. i was lucky to have placed it straight the first time, because it wasn't going anywhere. for all the side pieces of paper, i applied mod podge to the paper and placed the paper on the box. after all the pieces were on, i gave the entire outside of the box two coats of mod podge which helped harden as well as protect the paper from ripping.

the inside was a bit more tricky. because the surfaces were covered with that hideous, baby poop colored velour fabric, the paper didn't want to stick as well. i was hesitant to spray the inside with the adhesive seeing as how it's quite tacky and would've most likely gotten places where i didn't want it. so, once again i used the mod podge and coated the paper and adhered it to the velour as well as the underside of the lid.

i suppose i could've removed the velour, but quite honestly, i was impatient and was afraid of ruining the surface by pulling it off.

two more finishing coats of mod podge on the top and it was finished.

i must say that i am quite impressed with how it turned out. it's going to be the perfect addition to my summer art display :)

lets make some earrings! {part two}

2010-04-27T10:32:00.004-05:00

well, i did it. i finally got around to finishing part two of my earring tutorial. with everything that's been going on around here, it was easy to put it on the "back burner". so without further ado...

sorry about the quality of the pictures :)

step 1. gather the materials you'll need to make the earrings. i'm using Lake Superior rocks and sterling balls as my beads. cut two pieces of wire the same length and file one end flat. i believe my wire was cut to about 1½ inches.

step 2. holding the flat end of the wire between the ends of your round nose pliers. curl the pliers away from you till it almost touches the wire.

step 3. with your flat nose pliers, close and flatten the circle so it's sort of oval in shape. carefully bend the straight part of the wire back so the oval is at the bottom of the wire looking much like a teardrop. this is called a headpin.

step 4. arrange your beads on your headpin, making sure that both headpins match up in size.

step 5. not far from the top of your bead, grab the wire with your round nose pliers. i would estimate it to be about 1 or 2 mm. bend the wire towards you at a 90༠ angle.

step 6. reposition your pliers and wrap the wire away from you, up and over your pliers to form a circle.

step 7. grab the loop with your flat nose pliers and with your fingers, wrap the wire around the headpin making sure the wire ends in the back. cut wire and press wire in with your flat nose pliers.

step 8. polish your beaded headpins and attach them to your ear wires you made in part one of this tutorial. be sure to always bend the circles on your ear wires to the side when hanging your headpins. this keeps the structure and shape of your circles rather than uncurling them.

there you have it... a brand new pair of earrings in a few simple steps. feel free to email me if you have any further questions.

happy earring making!!

lets make some earrings! {part one}

2010-03-26T07:00:00.003-05:00

making your own earrings is probably the easiest and most simple way to start making your own jewelry. you only need a few tools to get started and you can pick most of them up at your local craft store. some of the tools i use are household items such as a knife, a pen, and a marker... but you'd never know by looking at the finished product.

this is a two part tutorial starting with how to make your own handmade ear wires. here's what you need to get started:)

a snipper tool, a flat nosed pliers, a round nose pliers, 20 gauge wire (i'm using sterling silver), a fine file, a ball peen hammer, a steel block, and a butter knife.

step 1. cut two pieces of wire the same length (i believe mine is about 3.5 inches) and file one end so it's flat. position the flat end into your round nose pliers making sure to have the wire flush with the edge of the pliers.

step 2. curl the wire away from you forming a circle and close the circle shut with your flat nosed pliers.

step 3. position your circle on your steel block and using the flat end of your hammer, lightly tap the circle with the edge of your hammer in a diagonal motion until you get a look you're happy with. this is also a step you can bypass if you don't have a hammer or steel block. the hammering just gives the ear wires a more artisan look.

step 4. again using your flat nosed pliers, close your circles shut. the hammering tends to pry them open.

step 5. line up the circles of your ear wires so they're flush with one another. with your thumb, hold the ear wires in place against your knife and bend them over the top of the knife. it's up to you where you want the bend to be, but i usually try to eyeball it somewhere around ⅓ to ½ the way down depending on the length of the wire.

step 6. once again, line up your ear wires so they're even and cut off any excess wire on the back. file the end flat and then round them out so they're not jagged or sharp. polish your finished ear wires with a polishing cloth, which you can pick up at your local craft store or jewelry counter.

there you have it... a handcrafted pair of artisan ear wires. stay tuned for part two of this tutorial... finishing your earrings!

the start of something good

2010-03-03T08:41:00.000-06:00

After a much needed hiatus, i have come back full swing with a new sense of energy, a new passion, some new branding, a new blog, and a new etsy shop.

many of you are familiar with my previous name... westside beadery, but now with a new passion for photography i found the name wasn't cohesive with my new ambitions.

the name GingerLee was chosen after a little mishap on flickr. my pictures were being stolen and i found the need to help protect my images with a new watermark. Ginger is the name of our 6 month old baby and gingerly (according to my Mac dashboard) means in a careful or cautious manner. it really couldn't be any more perfect.

so here it is... the new blog. dedicated to my photography, jewelry, upcoming events, and things that inspire me.

in celebration of this new beginning, i have decided to have a grand opening sale in my shop. so stop on by and see if something catches you eye :)