Natural Beauty Jewelry will be exhibiting at The Festival of Trees 2008. This event is sponsored by The Junior League of Duluth, a volunteer organization that raises money to help their community. At the event you can expect over 140 of the area’s top crafters and vendors showing their wares.

The Festival of Trees – “The Northland’s Largest Holiday Arts and Crafts Show”

Location

Lake Superior College, 2101 Trinity Road, Duluth, MN 55811

Dates/Hours

November 22, 2008 /8:00am-4:00pm

November 23, 2008/10:00am-3:00pm

More Information

http://juniorleagueduluth.com/duluth/npo.jsp?pg=fundraiser&article=506

Hope to see you there!

Why Buy Handmade?

Buying Handmade makes for better gift-giving.

The giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the giver has purchased the gift, s/he feels the satisfaction of supporting an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that can be seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing.

Buying handmade is better for people.

The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade helps us reconnect.

Buying handmade is better for the environment.

The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production.

“I pledge to buy handmade this holiday season and request that others do the same for me.” 

If you want to support anything and everything handmade, go to www.buyhandmade.org to make your pledge. Then reply to this blog posting to let me know…it would be really cool if you did!

*Information courtesy of http://www.buyhandmade.org/why-buy-handmade

Natural Beauty Jewelry will be participating in the 2008 Fall St. Paul Art Crawl, an artist organized event in which art lovers can visit and view the many participating studios in the downtown area. For more information on the St. Paul Art Crawl and to view all participating artists/buildings, please visit www.stpaulartcrawl.org.

Event Dates/Hours:

Friday, October 10th: 6:00-10:00pm

Saturday, October 11th: 2:00-10:00pm

Sunday, October 12th: Noon-5:00pm

Booth Location:

Lowertown Loft Apartments (at Mears Park), 230 5th St. East, St. Paul MN
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I thought many of you would like to see where Natural Beauty Jewelry was born, so here are a few pictures of my work space.

All of my designs originate here at my desk in my loft. But don’t let the size of my work space fool you…there are many, many tiny things stuffed away in their own individual places. I keep an assortment of magazines, books and resources at hand in my bookshelf for inspiration and reference. 

 I have to admit that my desk is not always this clean. I never know when a wave of inspiration will take over, at which point tidiness is thrown out the window to make way for the completion of a new design.

 And of course, there is the home office where I often work as well. I work in here when I am doing a lot of web work, administrative tasks, and printing, etc. 

We’ll see how much longer I can be contained inside my current space. I hope to someday have a studio in which to display my work and welcome customers to stop by and say hello.

Many of you may not know this about me…but I have a great passion for music having been surrounded by it over the years and while growing up. My family was one that often participated in choirs, orchestras, bands, and independent music lessons. I studied music throughout high school and into my college years and I believe that everyone should have at least a minimal amount of exposure to classical, orchestral and symphonic literature.

I was recently asked to donate some of my jewelry to the Saint Paul Civic Symphony’s annual silent auction/fund raiser. They are a local non-profit symphony that performs free concerts in the greater Saint Paul area. It is an organization that provides not only a venue for local musicians in which to perform, but an enriching musical experience for all ages of the community. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to donate some of my jewelry to such a wonderful cause.

The Wine and Cheese Event will be held on March 8th, 2008 at the Landmark Center downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. If you would like to purchase tickets or learn more about their endeavors, you can check out their website at www.saintpaulcivicsymphony.org.

Although the Natural Beauty Jewelry website is currently under construction, you can still sign up to be on the mailing list by visiting www.naturalbeautyjewelry.com and entering your email address in the box provided. Once you have submitted your email address, you will receive monthly newsletters and special event notices. I hope you are enjoying my blog!

For the last few months I have been working on starting my own jewelry company, Natural Beauty Jewelry. I am finally completing some of my first designs and this blog is where I would like to share previews of my designs with you!My jewelry designs are intended to celebrate not only the natural beauty of the materials used in each piece, but also the natural beauty of each person who chooses to wear them. My hope is for Natural Beauty Jewelry to be recognized as fashionable in it’s appeal yet timeless in it’s beauty.

Check back soon to provide a review, keep up with the progress or make a special request.

Thanks!

Beth