space cats & jewelry

Well, here it is folks!  I feel bad for the crappy iphone pictures, but my lil bedroom makeover is finished!  It pretty much revolved around the necklaces, but let me tell ya, it had to be done.  Our bedroom is super teeny, so it definitely needed a little love to make it more livable.   Ben and I painted our once dingy light blue walls with a fresh coat of plain white and then I rearranged some of our artwork and hung up my "statement" necklaces.  I heart this space cat print so much.  It was a gift from a lovely lady and the jester type people were from my cousin... don't know where she found them, but I've always had a fondness for them!

three horses fringe necklaces

Seriously, how cool are these fringe necklaces by Three Horses?  There are so many beautiful color combinations, it's kind of hard to pick my favorite.  If I hadn't frivolously bought this bathing suit last night, I would be frivolously buying one of these right now.  Well,  I think it might happen anyway... Which one is your favorite?  I'm leaning towards the middle one, but that is kind of predictable for me.  I also love the pale ice blue and purple one.

the new year/ holiday wrap up!

Hello all, I'm a little late on my new years post, but I guess after the holidays I've needed some time to readjust to reality or something.  I was pleased to have a few commissions this holiday season which came from a couple of good friends.  And now I can finally share them with you!

The first necklace at the top was for my friend Paul's mom.  They went to the Alexander McQueen exhibit over the summer so he wanted something very high necked and kind of over the top for his mom.  He gave her this necklace in tandem with this book.  The next necklace was commissioned by my bestie for her soon-to-be sister-in-law.  I think it's just perfect for her and am very happy to have been a part of her holiday!

I have to admit, making these commissions this season made me a little nervous, but only because I think to damn much about what people think.  Then I stop and remember that these people are my friends!  Something I need to work on in the new year, not worrying so much and to make more necklaces and things.  In general, I'm going to try and be less lazy about making clothing and accessories.  Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have some more necklaces to share with you!  Okay, I definitely will!

more awesomeness at Anthropologie

When I got my most recent Anthro catalog, I fell in love with these scarf necklaces.  Seriously, I may have to marry them.  I like the one with darker beads better, but the coral is nice too.  I really honestly think that Anthropologie is one of the most magical places on earth.  I know many of you may agree with me on that one.  They can do no wrong.

where the "magic" happens

I always enjoy looking at pictures of artist's studios, so I thought I'd share mine with you!  Of course it is shared with my husband and is technically our dining room, but a studio none the less.  And as a bonus, the last photo is a project I started today.  I decided I needed to do something super ruffly and dramatic.

gorgeous necklaces by Shadowplay

Over the weekend I came across these wonderful necklaces by Shadowplay.  They are exactly what I'm into right now, big statement pieces with a real artistic quality.  They really are amazing.  She takes her inspiration from the ocean, planets and spider webs, just to name a few.  Because of the lightness of the fibers and heaviness of the beads, each necklace eventually can change shape, which I think is really interesting.  Definitely on my fantasy Christmas list, which I guess exists in a world in which I'm married to a doctor!

love, martha officially launched!

photo by the lovely & talented Kaitlyn McQuaid

Well, ladies and gents, it's official!  My Etsy shop is open!  I even had my first sale to a lovely friend, which is the necklace in the picture posted above.  It's quite fitting really because this is the first necklace I made when I started this project.  I'm sad to see it go but so happy that someone else loves it as much as I do.  So yeah, things are going pretty well I suppose.  I've been getting lots of great feedback on my work which is always greatly appreciated.  And after my long holiday weekend, I'm looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow on some new pieces.  Please take a chance to go look at the shop if you haven't already.  Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

what the heck is going on here?

So I guess you may have noticed my blog name has changed!  Well, that is all part of this whole business starting process.  I have to make have my wonderful husband make me a new logo/banner thing and then this blog will look a little more normal...  Anyhoo, just wanted to give you all a heads up!  In the mean time enjoy this little preview of my latest necklace!

recent work on those darn necklaces

Here are the (close to) final products!  It is such a process finding out what technique works the best for them.  I'm still working out the kinks, but I stumbled upon beading at a friend's craft night and thought it was a nice element to add.  It makes them lil' fancier!  I'm hoping to have my super talented photographer friend take some nice shots of these plus a few more.  My goal is to have them available for purchase by November first.

The only problem remaining is I'm having a hard time coming up with a name for my shop.  That is an area in which I'm totally indecisive.  I could keep the shop name the same as my name, or my blog name. Or... ugh, I don't know.  Any suggestions out there?

new necklace idea! oh yeah!

I know you may have been wondering, "what the heck has Martha been up to?" Well, here is the answer. Kind of. I still have some work to do on them. I'm thinking iridescent sequins on the blueish one? Who doesn't need a fun statement necklace? Especially with the holidays around the corner. I know that sounds crazy. It's not even officially autumn yet! They are primarily made of scraps of fabric I've been accumulating for like ever as well as some salvaged rubber bands from the flower shop. Anyhoo, would you wear one?