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Here are some detailed images of the wine charms that I'm making for the Austin Museum of Art's event in a few weeks. They wanted 35 sets of 6 wine charms which means I needed to make 210 individual charms total. All the charms had to be printed, cut out, heat treated, then sealed.  The next step was to line all the edges in black so they would look nice.  Then each one (don't forget 210 of them) had to have a jump ring attached to it so it could hang on the ring that goes around the stem of the wine glass.  I attached them to one of my earring cards then that got slipped into a clear plastic tube that I cut to fit. I love coming up with fun packaging for items. These tubes are really versatile and useful. They can be reused for lots of things...I hope people recycle them.  So that's what I've been up to for the past few days. I can say that I am in dire need of a good arm & hand massage. I will be dropping these of next week and am looking forward to hearing what they have to say. On another note...the website is pretty much ready to go. I'm just waiting now until the month is over so that I can honor the sale that I have going. I'm just saying that there are going to be lots of things no longer available, so you might want to go over and get the goodies you like while you still can. And at 40% off, I'm wondering if I'm just crazy or something. :) cheers! xo diane
Yesterday I was contacted by my friend Justin O'Connor from the Austin Museum of Art who was wondering if I might be interested in collaborating with them on some promotional merchandise. When I found out that it was for their upcoming 20th annual La Dolce Vita Food & Wine Festival out at Laguna Gloria I just couldn't say no.  So I am making them a special edition set of six wine charms. There are 20 different artists who have designed a pair of wine glasses that will be auctioned off as well. (More details about that auction are here.) All proceeds will benefit exhibition & education programs at the museum. And you know I'm all about that!  If you get a chance you should really try to attend this event. I hear its quite something. I'll be there eating and drinking my way around all the art that night so if you see me please say hi. cheers! xo diane
Well, it's been quite a trip and its almost here. The new website... I'm taking Tasty Jewelry in a whole new direction and am anxious to share it with you all. So here's a snippet from a page of a new item I'll be offering...  Just to whet your whistle. Enjoy! cheers! xo diane p.s. And a very special thank you to my friend Tim for his ideas & modeling skills. I couldn't have done this one without him.
I think anyone who knows me realizes that the past year has not been one of my best. I would have to agree, but that being said, I can add that even though it's been tough, its also been a great opportunity for me to learn & grow. Recently losing my mother to a rare illness and then letting go of a relationship that wasn't meant to be are two incredibly difficult things for anyone to experience. Having both of them happen within 10 months of each other, well that's a different story altogether. When you are in the middle of crisis you just don't see things clearly. It takes time and a lot of courage to find your way out. You just take it a day at a time until one day you just realize that its over, you've survived, and most importantly, you've learned something about yourself and your character. Recently I had that day. A moment of clarity, an awareness of what I wanted and where I wanted to be. It really felt great. It really feels great.  So here's to all the wonderful people that helped me through the first part of this year...I'm looking forward to finishing it with a big smile on my face. cheers! xo diane
So this post isn't about how I went out on a bender last night with my friend Kristen & how much Maker's Mark we put back. (Although that might make for a very interesting post...) It about how I've been hammering my little arm off this weekend making hand forged hoop earrings.  I started making these back in college where I outfitted my entire group of friends with them. I made myself a tiny one that I still wear to this day and recently on a trip to NYC I had lunch with my friend Chris (from college) and she still wears hers too! Basically its a loop of wire that I form then hammer to work harden it. Work hardening gives the hoop stability and pliability. Each earring gets hammered approximately 100 times and well, multiply that by 40 pairs and you've got yourself an arm that's pretty much toast for the next few days.  I offer these lovely earrings in sterling silver, 14k gold-filled and copper in various sizes and shapes so look for them when I relaunch the website at the end of the month. They are definitely a must have item! cheers! xo diane
That's 450 magnets, done and ready to go...  You can purchase a customizable set of 6 here. Have a great weekend... cheers! xo diane
It's been awhile since I've done a large magnet blitz. I've been using such fine jewelry techniques lately that my hands have just about had it. So I needed to do something a little, say, "less tedious" on my digits. So its off to glue up a whole mess of magnets today. Here they are in their glory...(or at least whilst they dry.)  I still have a whole line of rock n' roll graphics that I'm going to be featuring soon; guitars, drums, keyboards, bass guitars, headphones, turntables etc... They will be on sale here in Austin at Parts & Labour during the ACL festival weekend for sure. cheers! xo diane
Ok, so for the remainder of the month of September only I will be offering 40% off of everything on my website. That's right I said 40%. And it's on everything!!!!  All you have to do is use the code: fallfling in the "discount coupon" box and hit recalculate to receive your savings. Several items will be discontinued from the site once I relaunch, so be sure to purchase what you like now because it might be gone! Feel free to pass this on to whomever you'd like. Blog it, tweet it, facebook it, whatever...just be sure to take full advantage of it. :) cheers! xo diane
When you work for yourself sometimes you have to find different ways to keep entertained. Motivation is not a problem for me, most days are pretty straight forward...wake up, hit the running trail, shower, breakfast, then sit at the workbench for say, about 10 hours, then find something else to eat...unwind a bit, plan for the next day. Repeat. The challenge that I have with working for myself is the lack of human interaction on a daily basis. Sure, being able to wake up on some days and work in your pajamas might seem like a desirable thing, but not having people around to just simply chat with is excruciating. Talking to yourself just doesn't suffice. Trust me. So to lessen the pain of this solo-flight job that I have chosen for myself I have turned to listening to podcasts.  What's a podcast you might ask? Well, think of it as a pre-recorded talk radio program, without the commercials and usually with a lot more snark. (At least the ones I find interesting.) And they are free to download. There are thousands of them out there...just take a look on iTunes. From talking about music or politics to just recording a personal journal, you get to learn a lot about other people if you want. So I've turned to these podcasts as a sort of "virtual" water-cooler experience, except that its one-sided and unless I send an email or phone in a comment, they don't really know my side of things.  Oh well, I didn't say it was a perfect answer to my solo dilemma, it just helps to lessen the effect of it somewhat. I've met some really wonderful people who I have a lot in common with by listening to these podcasts. Well, not necessarily "met" in the face-to-face way of meeting per se, but met as in the virtual world where they read my emails and then respond. That being said, recently I have had the fortunate opportunity to actually meet several of these podcasters in real life. Holly came to stay at my house on a recent vacation. Jennifer and I met for some Maker's Mark manhattans & girl talk near Columbus Circle. It felt like I knew them both for years. Which I did, just hadn't met them face to face before. It was a wonderful experience with others too, having lunch in the Village with Tim & Ron then meeting for coffee with Eric & Brett in Chelsea followed by happy hour & dinner in Hell's Kitchen. A blast! I can't say that at any time I felt awkward or strange about being with any of them or they with me. There was an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation meeting each and every one. I guess it would sort of be like having a pen pal for years that you finally get to see in person. Just fast forward a few years where no one actually picks up a pen to write anything and you don't have to wait days or weeks for a letter. I think its brilliant how technology enables a girl like me who begrudgingly sits alone all day with no co-workers to fill up that empty space with "virtual" co-workers who have now turned into true friends. It's truly amazing the type of people that you can meet online. ;) cheers! xo diane
I think there comes a time in everyone's life where they just need to fess up to their desire of being a rock star. C'mon, let's face it, interactive games like Rock Band & Guitar Hero have made us all "believe" that we could really do it. Even the most shy, quiet or reserved people want it, I've seen it and its invigorating! On my recent trip to NYC I had the opportunity to live out a little of this rock star fantasy with some friends. Let me just say that it does take a little coaxing to get me to perform, but that I truly love it when I'm up there. It's just a hell of a lot of fun... So here I am (with back up singer in tow) singing "Do You Wanna Touch?" by Joan Jett. It was a blast and I think I'm still shaking...but it was well worth it.  rock on! xo diane
Since I've been back from NYC its been pretty rainy here. I must say it's a great change of pace from the 100+ degree weather we've been having. Not to mention that we're in a drought so huge that it would take probably 40 days & 40 nights of straight rain to even put a dent into it. Anyways, its keeping me indoors and chained to my workbench. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do so it doesn't really feel like work. There are the occasional times when I have to do some administrative stuff which is definitely my least favorite part of owning my own business. Some day I'll have "people" to do that for me, but until then I digress... So a little history...I thought I'd share a little about how I got my start. When I first moved to Texas several years ago I was in San Antonio for a short time and got a job at the original Adelante Boutique in Alamo Heights.  At that time it was newly owned by Marla Mason Ross who had taken over the reins from her grandmother Mama Pat. Marla had a great eye for what the store would become and was the first one to purchase and sell my jewelry in her shop. She continues to bring fresh and innovative merchandise to her shop as well as pursues her own entrepreneurial spirit. Well, fast forward to about a year later when I moved to Austin. I had met my now best friend Kristen who was working for the Adelante Boutique in Austin. She introduced me to Tricia Roberts (who is Mama Pat's daughter & also Marla's aunt) who had opened her own shop back in 1992.  I started selling my jewelry there immediately and think I even had a trunk show within the first few months of being in town. Tricia and I quickly realized that we shared a common interest in aesthetic & design. After many years of building our relationship we decided that we should collaborate on a private label line of jewelry for her shop. Which is where we are today. I've learned so much from her and look forward to continuing on this journey... So there's a little peek into how I started & now maintain my business. To Marla, Kristen & Tricia I feel like I owe the world. It's such a pleasure knowing them all! cheers! xo diane
So it's been awhile since I've last posted anything here. Its not for lack of anything going on, quite the contrary. I've been quite busy indeed. So here's a quick rundown of what I've been working on: 1) Re-designing the website with LOTS of new merchandise. I found that I'm really being drawn back to my original style of making contemporary and mod jewelry with metal and semi-precious stones. The printed graphic work that I've been doing for the past few years has been completely satisfying, don't get me wrong, but tends to be a bit more limited in its execution. It will make its way back but in a completely new and fantastic form. Relaunch of the website is scheduled for late September with a party to celebrate it!  2) Doing more social networking and socializing in general. Getting out and about in Austin and letting people know that I exist has been really great so far and I've made some wonderful new friends & contacts in the process. Follow me on twitter as: tastydiane if you want to really keep up with my daily goings-on.  3) Preparing for New York. Its been 6 years since I've moved to Texas and while its been a wonderful experience (for the most part) I feel like I've done what I've needed to do here and am ready to move...home. I just spent the last 8 days in New York mixing a bit of work with pleasure and it just completely solidified what I have known all along. That I belong to New York. Every fiber of my being, who I am, what I stand for, my energy level, my design aesthetic, my motivation, my want to be a part of something big, everything points to being there. So I am preparing to go. Is anyone I know really surprised? Not at all. And a nod to a new friend who made my trip so much fun. You've got a great sense of humor, great taste in music, know how to drink a proper pint, and have great taste in people. Cheers!  xo diane
 So what do you wear for your first red carpet experience? Well, I decided to go vintage and try on a dress that I hadn't worn in about 7 years. Lo and behold, it fit! Its a Givenchy inspired "little black dress" that I accented with a black leather obi style belt. My purse was a vintage silver clutch which held the essentials; iPhone, lipstick, money & emergency granola bar in case I got hungry. :) Here's a closer shot of Rob, Aimee and I:  We weren't really sure who the press was stopping to interview. It seemed sort of random so I thought maybe they'd grab me, but I wasn't so lucky. The Austin Fashion Awards show was great. There were so many people there it was electric! Alpha Rev started the show while people were getting seated. Jenny Hart was the charming emcee of the evening, making everyone feel welcome with a lovely sense of humor too. The Soldier Thread & Ume both played live during 4 different designers' fashion shows and The Octopus Project closed out the night. We had a great time chatting and meeting people that I feel like I could do that every week! I am going to miss having so many social events to attend. A big thanks to Matt Swinney of Launch 787 for putting together this whole beautiful week. He and his support team did an amazing job. And kudos to Austin for being so stylish!
So my cocktail party was on Tuesday July 14th, and like I said, my friend Aimee was in it to win it with her Passport to Fashion collecting stamps from all the participating salons & boutiques. Thursday was my friend Annemarie's showcase at Urban Groove salon. She had a wonderful set up and has brought back her custom design program. Awesome! Here are a few pics from that day. The three ladies...  The custom design group:  Annemarie showing Aimee the goods:  Later we met up with Aimee's husband Rob and headed off to the 2nd Street district with TONS of boutiques! Lots of beautiful people, fashion, drinks and food. After that we headed down to Austin Handmade for their party. Here's Catherine & Jason & I:  They had a fantastic cake from Sugar Mama's Bake Shop which was to die for! Moist, rich and chocolaty! All we were missing was a tall glass of cold milk!  The bakery had decorated the side of the cake with little chocolate pieces in the shape of things that they sell at Austin Handmade. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it featured one of my owls! (sorry for the bad picture)  I still have one more post to talk about the Austin Fashion Awards...and my first red carpet experience. xo diane
Yes, I understand that its been a whole week since Austin Fashion Week wrapped up and that I'm just now getting around to writing about it. Better late than never... My cocktail party that was hosted at Sirens Salon was a great success. I was joined by my sister Mary, her daughter Kaitlyn & her friend Irene (from Spain). What was so wonderful about that was that she lives abroad and only visits the U.S. once a year. They helped me set up my tables, merchandise and give me support throughout the night.  I met lots of people who were checking out the whole week's worth of events. My friends Aimee & Rob were there. Aimee was busy all week going to as many events as she could and was collecting "stamps" for her Passport to Fashion.  Sirens salon had put together a raffle featuring a beautiful travel case filled with products, services, gift certificates and a lovely necklace from Tasty Jewelry. Guess who won it? Aimee! Lucky lady... Here are more pics from my set up: (Hey, that's me in the mirror! Good shot Mary.)   And the fun crowd we had!  I would like to thank so many people for their support, Sue, Kat, Mary, Aimee, Rob, Kaitlyn, Irene, Ragen, Cristi, Emma & all of Sirens salon for being such an awesome host to me! I also wanted to thank everyone who voted for me. Even though I wasn't nominated, I still had a great experience and hope to do it again next year. cheers! xo diane
 As part of the Austin Fashion Week festivities I would like to cordially invite everyone to join me at Sirens Salon on Tuesday July 14th from 6:30pm - 8:30pm for a cocktail party featuring my latest collections from Tasty Jewelry. Sirens Salon is located at 4207 Medical Parkway just north of 41st Street. You can click on the image above to be directed to the Austin Fashion Week website. I hope to see you all there! cheers! xo diane
Well, the verdict is in. I am going to be a participant in this year's Austin Fashion Week! I am being partnered up with Sirens Salon which means you will be able to stop by their location anytime during the week to see my collection. We will be having our soiree on the evening of Tuesday July 14th from 6:30pm - 8pm. More details will follow... Until then I will be busy getting all of my jewelry and accessories polished up and ready to go! cheers! xo diane 
It looks like I might be a participant in the 2009 Austin Fashion Week happening July 13 - 19 that takes place at boutiques & salons all around Austin. Today I was contacted by a representative from a PR firm who was asking for more specific information about my collections so that seems like a good sign! Keep your fingers crossed... cheers! xo diane
I have just updated the website with two new styles of earrings! Just in time for Summer and all of those cute shorty shorts and sundresses we'll be wearing! The first one is a colorful trio of lightweight oval shaped plastic pieces accented with tiny beads inside a cutout. These earrings are shown in "berry" but are available in 12 delicious & juicy colors!  The second style was inspired by its smaller counterpart. It is a graphic printed acrylic disc that hangs within a large metal hoop ring. Super cute, bold and colorful! This style is shown in "poppy aqua" but is available in 51 different graphics.  Head over to the website and check these Summertime beauties out! cheers! xo diane
It's that time of year again when I like to say "out with the old and in with the new". That could be more of a mantra for me this whole year so far, couldn't it? But I digress... I've got a 40% off sale going on over at www.tastyjewelry.com now on selected items. There are coaster sets, earrings, keychains and more. Most items are limited quantities so you need to act fast.  cheers! xo diane
I'm pretty excited to hear about Ad Hoc at Home: Family-Style Recipes, the newest cookbook by uberchef Thomas Keller. This one promises to be a simpler approach to recipes that will be doable at home. Set to be published in November by Artisan this $50 cookbook will be a welcome addition to my collection!  cheers! xo diane
Here are the links to purchase my new briolette flower rings on etsy. Simply click on the photo and you will be taken to its own page.    cheers! xo diane
Here are some examples of what else I've been working on lately. More wire-wrapped, copper and semi-precious stone jewelry. You may simply click on the image to be taken to the listing...    There are many more examples on my etsy site...just browse around and see what I've got. Also let me know what you think! cheers! xo diane
Okay, so here's what I was working on yesterday. Some semi-precious stone flowers made from briolettes. Yellow jade, pink jade and amazonite. All great colors for Spring/Summer! The centers are made with mother-of-pearl 4mm round beads. Just the right touch for your new wardrobe. These will be made available on my etsy website sometime very soon!  cheers! xo diane
I have been a part of Austin Handmade since they started and this will be my first time participating in their handmade market. The event details are all included in this awesome flyer:  So if you are in the Austin area, please come out and see me this Saturday while I try to stay cool! I've got lots of really affordable jewelry and home accessories and will also be premiering my new line of copper jewelry too! cheers! xo diane
I've been busy today creating these lovely copper wire-wrapped rings. I've been working with copper lately since it is so beautiful against the skin, its wonderful to work with, and has healing properties to it as well. These are a few of my favorites so far... The simple pearl which you are able to stack with other rings.  The pretty aqua glass flower (stacked with previously mentioned pearl ring).  And probably my favorite, the faceted citrine "disco ball" style ring. Super cute and goes with everything!  UPDATED WINTER 2009!!! These are now available on my website on the copper rings page. cheers! xo diane
 Tasty Jewelry along with *annemarie* & Sweettooth Bags will be sharing a booth this Wednesday at the 2nd Annual Rarest of Them All event brings everything Austin to life for an incredible 4-hour event in the heart of downtown Austin. LOCATION This year's event will be held at the acclaimed Long Center for the Performing Arts (Last year's event hosted over 1500 people at the Monarch) overlooking the Austin skyline. THE RAREST OF AUSTIN We've invited local businesses who won the Rarest of Them All Reader's Choice awards (held by Rare Magazine) to host interactive vendor booths where attendees will have a chance to enjoy unique theatrics, entertainment, free cocktails and food. LIVE MUSIC Openers Harlem and DJ Manny are set to get the party started, followed by the incredible talent of White Denim. After dark, we will launch a spectacular fireworks show hosted by Wolf Stuntworks, followed by the Headliner Grupo Fantasma -- they're gonna rock the house!
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