I made fresh lemonade with my nephew last week and was reminded how delicious fresh lemonade is. While waiting for more of the lemons to ripen in the backyard, I used limes and it was delightful! Also goes well with sparkling water and can easily be made into a cocktail!
Summer Lemonade or Limeade with Mint (makes about six servings)
Ingredients:
5 lemons or limes, juiced
4 - 5 tablespoons sugar
2 cups mint leaves, densely packed
1 quart (4 cups) water
A few extra lime slices and mint leaves, for garnish
Instructions
1. Put all ingredients, except for the water, in a pitcher or large Mason jar. 2. Muddle the sugar, mint and lime juice together until
the mint leaves have been reduced by half and the sugar has blended well
with the lime juice.
3. Add the water.
4. Taste, and adjust ingredients as needed, adding more lime or more sugar or more water to taste.
5. Let the mixture cool in the fridge for at least an hour.
6. Strain the mint leaves out.
7. Pour into glasses of ice and enjoy!
I can easily say that our experience with Compass Rose Design at Pool Tradeshow
was life-changing. It was like graduating from the local art &
wine festival circuit. It was a great honor and absolutely positive
experience to participate in this marketplace of emerging designers.
I'll admit - I'm new to the fashion world and I was a bit apprehensive
about what it meant to join this global marketplace of emerging and
established brands and buyers of the wholesale marketplace.
IT WAS AMAZING - here's a bit about our journey.
LUCKILY - Pooltradeshow
has the most amazing staff who approached us last year and especially
Krystle who helped me understand that we were ready. She also convinced
me to condense my beautifulbutexpensive catalog down to linesheets. At
first I was hesitant, but this ended up being MOST helpful advice. I was
able to represent the linesheet collection accented with some statement
pieces with a bit of room to breathe. Unlike almost all of our friends
and colleagues in the handmade community in the bay area, my husband and
I are full time at Compass Rose Design
- this is our livelihood and not a hobby. Pool answered our need to
connect with buyers in other states and countries, though we had no idea
what to expect. Based on our research, we went hoping to cover our
costs and to aim for an average retail day.
We
did not expect everything to go so smoothly. We arrived around 2pm and
waited about 4 minutes for a loading spot. It took three small trips
with our wheeled whatnot to load in everything and about an hour to set
up. (I'd planned everything fairly precisely in our living room the week
before).
We were a bit nervous about a few aspects of moving from direct to the wholesale market.
We work with real antiques, so our work is limited edition.
This also means that we have design families, but that each watch, button and antique object is slightly unique.
Our work is also handmade, so we're operating at a scale where we
can keep in touch with the history and sourcing of our materials.
These aspects of our brand have been a great asset to us in our
four years of work. We find that people PREFER to have something that
has a story and that they won't see on two other people at a cocktail
party.
We
did a cash & carry booth - meaning we brought inventory to sell
on the floor. People are shopping for themselves, but there is also a
lot of testing out brands - buying small starter-collections to see how
the brand resonates with a store's clientele. We set out one of each
design and people selected their items from the selection "in front,"
and it worked well.
We
could then refill any items from our backstock drawers. The tables are
slightly tall and lined with cork, so we could store quite a lot of
organized stock for people to go through. This ended up being a success -
similar to one of our favorite booths at the National Button Society Conference,
where you could go through neatly organized design families and choose
what resonated with you. This worked particularly well with our watch rings and railroad button cuff links.
At
one point, someone from a mega-brand asked us "how will the wholesalers
find you if you're down here?" It made me realize that being at Pool
was the perfect place for us to find the small independent boutiques we
want to connect and work with.
And
we found them! We connected with at least 10 independent boutique
owners with 1-20 shops in their ownership. With our choice to work with
authentic antiques and handmake our work in California - these were just
the people we were looking for.
And
people REALLY appreciated that our work was made in the USA by us.
There is a market for lower price-points and quality that can (but do
not necessarily) accompany overseas production. We were thrilled to see
that there was an upwelling of appreciation about just that.
It was exciting to see some beautiful work and to get a look at designs before they hit the marketplace.
We
also met lots of wonderful and stylish people. Again, as someone who
has identified as a maker and jeweler more than a fashion industry
person, I was incredibly moved by what I saw. People doing their thing,
whatever that was.
Above, Stefan and Peder, 2 of the 3 founders of Moods of Norway - Peder on the right even gave me his tractor pin! The 3rd founder, Simen bought one of our vintage Railroad Button Rings!
A few of my favorite bay area colleagues, Tangleweeds Jewelry and Isobell
were also at the show in the Cash & Carry section with us. It
was invaluable to have them to touch base with and chat throughout the
day.
And,
honestly, as someone who expected to dislike Vegas, I found people to
be hard working and friendly. The food was super expensive but very
good. The drinks were strong. I didn't need to gamble even a quarter as a
novelty. With very few exceptions, people seem to be reasonable and
kind.
At
the end of it all, even one of the set-up crew purchased a couple
necklaces for he and his wife. The crew was awesome - I can't even begin
to imagine the logistics of these shows - but they were awesome to the
last. I think the most challenging part of the tradeshow was the
schlepping, but even that was not so bad, thanks to my awesome husband
and 2 small wheely-things. The walking was invigorating and the line at
the coffee spot was shorter at the Luxor.
We'll
be back in August. We hope to be beginning a journey that continues to
connect people with storied antiques and support art and local commerce
at small boutiques where people value handmade. What did I learn about
being in the fashion world? To be myself. To trust my art. That people
are kind.
Exciting developments at Compass Rose Design! Several months ago at the SF RAW artist showcase, I met the founder of Kingmond Young Photography. He and Johnny also hit it off and it was a great honor when Kingmond offered to do a test shoot with our jewelry. Until meeting Kingmond, the world of high fashion photography felt very far away. Kingmond and his wife, Mary, own a gallery space at 416 Cortland in San Francisco. Their block is a charming mix of local cafes and small shops including 331 Cortland, home to El Porteño Empanadas, ICHI Lucky Cat Sushi, Paulie's Pickling, Wholesome Bakery, Bernal Cutlery, and Della Terra Organics a knife-sharpening-piroshki-natural spice-pickled herring combination of businesses.
Needless to say, this foray into high-fashion photography was my first, and it was nothing short of delightful. Kingmond selected the perfect model, Lauren Robinson, sort of a modern Audrey Hepburn with both elegance and edge, as well as a talented hair and makeup stylist, Lili Surplus.
We each came prepared with the tools of our trade. Here's where I can confess that the episodes of the Rachel Zoe Project I've watched were the only training I had on how to prepare for a photoshoot. Kingmond had mentioned the idea of "jewelry as clothing" - so I allowed myself several weeks to develop some designs that accentuated the essence of Compass Rose Design.
Lili was an expert - totally prepared with what seemed to be a full salon in her expandable cases.
Because we didn't have an official wardrobe stylist, we all collaborated on the clothing choices and styling. The fluidity of the collaborative creative process was exhilarating. Kingmond had strong visions set forth like a baseline, to which ideas and spontaneous adaptations were added like so many notes and rhythms combining into something larger than the four of us.
Lili has worked extensively in fashion and television, and it showed. She was amazing and versatile and truly skilled at translating the creative concepts of the photographer into physical reality.
It was an honor to watch Kingmond work - constantly adjusting lights and angles and bodies to bring life to the ideas. And he was also happy to listen to input and develop concepts out of the jewelry pieces we had to work with. He is an artist with true vision. And his wife, Mary, is amazingly kind, bringing us sandwiches and snacks at the perfect time - which was before we all got tired.
The model, Lauren, was a great example of the skill, focus and flexibility - both physical and emotional - required to model. She was tolerant of the continual poking and prodding required.
This shot emerged through an evolution of ideas, and somehow we ended up at Black Madonna, Spanish Lace, Locks, Keys, Secrets and Gold - I love it.
It was a lot of hours to do all 5 looks, but we had fun, particularly when Lauren put on the boxing gloves.
We captured the elegant power of a Greek Goddess of the 21st century with this design made with antique escutcheon keyholes and Victorian mourning drop buttons. I'm excited to see the shots Kingmond got of this look. The gold silk wrap was perfect.
I was amazed by the versatility that was achievable through wardrobe and makeup - Lili worked magic with constant hair and makeup modification and clever use of bobby-pins when needed.
It was constant, live-action styling - making sure each strand of hair and chain was in place.
Kingmonds work was incredibly physical and interactive - the process was truly amazing to behold.
Here is one of the first images from Kingmond to come out the shot. I LOVE IT.
I want to thank Kingmond, Lauren, Lili and Mary from the bottom of my heart for contributing their talents. It was profoundly moving for me to see the essence and energy of my designs carried into another dimension by the gifts of these talented people. To see the work of my own ideas and hands surrendered to the artistic talents of these three individuals has resulted in nothing short of magic.
We are in a brief break between summer Compass Rose Jewelry shows and I wanted to take a moment to talk about an interesting trend we observed early this year when people started donating their antiques to us. It's easier to get rid of stuff when we know it's going to a good home. We all have drawers of once-sentimental keepsakes waiting to be discovered! Earlier this year at the Edwardian Ball, a customer purchased a necklace one day and returned the next day with a box of unfinished medals – “junk in a drawer to her pure treasure to me! These civic medals have found there way into many charm bracelets and necklaces, at least one of which now lives in Paris.
Last year I connected with an older gentleman at a flea market. He was selling his lifetime collection of vintage subway and trolley tokens because his grown children were not interested. And – granted, this is a pretty niche interest, so he became terribly twinkly when I bought them and explained that I was making jewelry that people enjoyed BECAUSE it was historical and was made with things like antique trolley tokens.
We all have junk in boxes and drawers – some of it sentimental and some of it just there through the forces of inertia. So we’re making it official – we want your tins and boxes and drawers of unwanted doodads and curiosities!
Old mechanical watches
antique keys
antique medals
old coins
vintage belts & belt buckles
vintage jewelry, charms, brooches and beads
pretty much anything old and historical that fits in a breadbox.
There are a couple of ways to participate in the Junk Drawer & Pocket Watch Retirement Program :
Just get rid of your junk/treasure and let us give it new life.
We can exchange your box of junk/treasure for a custom-made bracelet or necklace with a special piece you want to keep, but would rather wear and enjoy than have stuck in a drawer.
What to do:
Visit us at an upcoming event (Rivertown Revival, This Train, Tiburon Art Festival, Urban Air Market) or our join us for our summer open studio trunk show August 18 & 19 (space is limited – email us to reserve your spot). You can bring your junk/treasure and your special keepsake for us to take a look at and we can talk about designs for your special sentimental item. You can always email us a photo of your treasure/junk and we can talk about whether it makes sense to ship.
*Keep in mind - we have pretty high standard for antiques but are happy to use curiosities you have no use for when you are ready to clean out the drawers - and we're happy to help transform broken watches and other treasures into wearable keepsakes. I made this watch with broken watches from my mom, grandmother and aunties - rather than having broken watches in a drawer, I have a bracelet I wear often and enjoy. You can have one too! Check out the one currently available in our online shop.
Time for a break from fashion history and new Compass Rose Jewelry collections - make way for garden tomatoes. It's just about that time of year for summer salsa! The tomatoes in my garden are just beginning to ripen. If you've never canned before, don't be afraid! It's just about having the right tools and learning the timing. Salsa is a great place to start since the acidity of tomatoes makes them easy to work with and there's no need to worry about pectin as with jams and jellies.
You will need these basic canning tools: (available at your local hardware store or on the internet)
A water bath canner (this is just a big pot with a shelf you can raise)
jar lifter
jar funnel
canning jars
lids (cannot be reused) + lid rims (can be reused)
The recipe is from my mother in law and it is awesome! This is a situation where great ingredients make a big difference. I've definitely supplemented with store bought tomatoes in a pinch, but fresh garden and farmers market produce will make a MUCH tastier salsa. I also like to use at least 3 or 4 types of peppers including a couple of medium spice varieties to give some complexity to the spice - but take care not to get carried away.
You can choose whether you want a chunkier or finer salsa. I tend to use the magic handi-slicer on everything but the tomatoes - the type of chopper you'd see in a late night infomercial - it works wonders since there is a good bit of chopping involved. Don't forget that gloves or wearing plastic bags on your hands will prevent your skin from getting burned from the peppers.\
Directions
Chop and heat the ingredients (I tend to cook it less than an hour before canning.)
Start your hot water bath canner and another large pot for sterilizing jars
Clean & sterilize your jars, wither in the dishwasher or in a water bath and fill them when they are hot!
Ladle hot salsa into jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace (room from top of jar).
Remove air bubbles by gently running a wooden spoon around the inside edge of the jar.
Wipe rims with a clean damp cloth.
Center lids on jars.
Apply bands and adjust to fingertip tight.
Process the jars in boiling water canner for 25-30 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
Remove with the jar lifter and place on a flat surface to let them cool. DO NOT TOUCH or fuss with the lids - you'll want to hear the lids popping. After 24 hours, check the lids - they should not move up and down when pressed in the center. If they did not seal, you can reprocess them or open up a bag of chips.
Your salsa will last up to a year - and is great to have on hand for guests and to spice up beans, soups or other dishes. Mostly, it's a sheer delight to taste summer all year long.
The history of fashion and design is at the center of our work at Compass Rose Design Jewelry and I love sharing the historical moments of beauty and imagination that inspire our designs. This NeoClassical Revival choker made with a late-Victorian button is a direct reference to the jewelry worn the women in Napoleon's life from 1790-1814.
The emergence of fashion as an expression of individuality rather than social class alone was a concept that took form after the French Revolution as the old aristocratic regimes began to crumble and transform. We can understand Neoclassical fashion movement and it's submovements as many other youth style subcultures that emerge in times of social uncertainty and political transition - both embracing and ironically rejecting previous fashion trends. For most of the 18th century, fashion showcased the wealth of the aristocracy with silk brocades, formal lace and layers upon layers of horse hair crinolines for the ladies, which were both hot and unhygienic. This 1796 caricature captures and satirizes this transition:
A satirical 1796 contrast between old 16th-century and cutting-edge Directoire clothing styles.
Royalists, aristocrats and other anti-revolutionaries had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and after Robespierre himself lost his head, the Directoire period emerged (1795-1799. It was in this post-Revolutionary moment that disgruntled artists and youths started to wear extreme and outlandishversions, which became known as Incroyable and Merveilleuse style. Many of these young people were in fact the children and survivors of those beheaded by Madame Guillotine. The inspiration for the hyperbolic Incroyable and Merveilleuse styles comes from two central inspirations; the English country gentleman, adored by the French in the 1770s. For women, the Classical Roman chiton. Portraits of notable Parisian socialites like Madame Récamier, painted by Jacques Louis David codified Neoclassical sensibilities.
Perhaps in a conscious move to distance oneself from the trappings of aristocratic life, the intricate lace, silk brocades and powdered wigs so popular during the 18th century fell out of favor. Idealized versions of daily English fashion crept into Parisian society style as fabrics which allowed movement and outdoor wear. Pinterest is a great research tool for tracing visual trends - like the evolution of corsets and waistlines and fashionable silhouette - you can see more historical fashion, jewelry and design photos on my Pinterest page.
In addition to the sociopolitical transformation of the old aristocratic structure, excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum in the mid 1750s influenced the emergence of Neoclassical design. By the mid 1790s in Western Europe, classical images of flowing gowns, carved stone cameos and idealized notions of Greek civilization reached French and English society. Tight-laced corsets were temporarily out of fashion while the women draped themselves in flowing gauzy gowns reminiscent of Grecian statues. These 1790 stays provided some support, while allowing the natural figure to be seen.
1790 stays, undergarments worn with Neoclassical dress styles
Les Merveilleuses, "Fabulous Diva," flourished in the live fast, die young social mentality that took over the salons of Paris after the Reign of Terror. At the center of the Neoclassical fashion moment, we find several significant and colorful women: Thérésa Cabarrus Fontenay Tallien and Joséphine de Beauharnais (later Napoleon's wife) both of whom had narrowly escaped death during the Reign of Terror.
Theresa Tallien
Josephine, was prominent in Parisian social circles and had her daughter, Hortense, educated by one of Marie Antionette's famous tutors and ladies in waiting, Jeanne Campan. Thérésa, like her best friend, Josephine, gained her power through charisma and choosing powerful lovers. Her salons in Paris were famous and Theresa herself was at the center of Greek RevivalDirectoire style fashion that emerged. The à la Grecque style adopted by Thérésa, Joséphine, and Madame Récamier consisted of clingy, flowing classical Greek styles in white muslin and silk, draped with brightly colored shawls and ribbons edged with classical and exotic motifs.
Napoleon's Josephine
Joséphine de Beauharnais, who was very much involved with the French aristocracy and lost her first husband, a General in the French army, to the guillotine. Through the connections of her best friend, Theresa Tallien and her husband, Josephine was freed after the execution of Robespierre. Needless to say, these events left a vacuum of confusion into which walked, Napoleon Bonaparte.Though Josephine had two children by a previous marriage to a French aristocrat, she had no more children despite her marriage to Napoleon and affairs with other lovers.
Napoleon's niece and adopted daughter, Stephanie de Beauharnais
These Neoclassical fashion sensibilities, echoes of an ancient Greek past combined with sensibilities of new European Empire, have never left us. Cameos, empire waists and cascading jewels so flattering with the Neoclassical neckline remain treasured by women everywhere. The emerald and diamond necklace worn in the portrait by Stephanie de Beauharnais is in the collections Victoria and Albert Museum. The emerald drops at the back, added in 1820, can be detached and worn as earrings.
Napoleon's second wife, Luisa Augusta Wilhelmina Amelia
Napoleon's second marriage to Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, satisfied Napoleon's desire to marry into legitimate European royalty. Captured by ideas of Empire, Napoleon adorned his crown with ancient Greek stone cameos discovered during excavations in the mid-1750s.
These neoclassical divas have captured my love and attention and inspired a new series of Neoclassical-style designs based on the jewelry of the women in Napoleon's life, including his wives, Josephine and Marie Louise sisters Caroline, Elisa and Pauline from 1795-1814. We'll be debuting some of these new designs at Unique SF this weekend!!!
The mythic theme used in the late Victorian button in the above necklace was a lasting legacy of Neoclassical themes carried through art and artifact back to France and England through excavations in the late 18th century.
It comes as no surprise that I find Victorian and Edwardian fashion, jewelry, design and technology endlessly fascinating, particularly as represented early photography. Perhaps it is the very availability of photography and the ability to see faces of the past that is so compelling. We are reminded that we are descended from actual people, like these ladies caught in a candid street style photos by Edward Linley Sanbourne.
You might enjoy the fashion and photo collections I've compiled on Pinterest on Victorian Fashion and Jewelry and Edwardian Fashion. However, it's all too common for photos to appear without context and origin. The RedditHistoryPorn subreddit is a great selection of historical photos with comments and sources. I came across this photo of Butch Cassidy and found myself utterly charmed by his style.
This 1900 photograph taken in Forth Worth, Texas, shows Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. Notice how sharp these outlaw cowboys look - all spiffed up for their official portrait. Called the "Fort Worth Five," This photo features Harry A. Longabaugh, aka the Sundance Kid, Ben Kilpatrick, aka the Tall Texan, Robert Leroy Parker, aka Butch Cassidy; Standing: Will Carver & Harvey Logan, aka Kid Curry; Fort Worth, Texas, 1900. Each has their pocket watch chain outfitted with a decorative fob.
Until about 1850, pocket watches required keys to keep them wound, which were attached at the end of the watch chain. Once "keyless wind" watches were introduced - some of the first to Queen Victoria at the 1851 Great Exhibition, decorative fobs increasingly came into fashion as an expression of personal style - lockets, cameos, monograms, signets and seals, coins and other keepsakes, most of which are represented by the gents in Cassidy's crew.
This most fabulous studio portrait of the Sundance Kid and his sweetheart, known as Ethel or Etta Place, is nothing short of spectacular. Harry Alonzo Longabough, was a known as the Sundance Kid, a name he got during the 18 months he did for stealing a horse, saddle and a gun in Sundance, Wyoming. Much of historical record available on this crew is from the scattered notes of the Pinkerton Detectives, who recorded that Etta and Harry purchased a lapel watch and stickpin (she's wearing them in the photo). This portrait, taken at a studio in Union Square on Broadway was taken just before they fled to Buenos Aires, Argentina on the British ship Herminius.
After ranching in South America for about 5 years, both Butch Cassidy and Longaborough were alleged to have been killed after a robbery in Bolivia on November 6, 1908, there are lots of delightful stories about post-1908 sightings of both he and Butch Cassidy long after 1908, including testimony from family members and exhumed gravesites! You can listen to a radio story from Radio New Zealand here.
Never let anyone tell you that you can't use a history degree. At Compass Rose Design we make industrial jewelry and sophisticated steampunk accessories with authentic antique objects, and people really notice. Last month, we were contacted by a super cool lady in Austin, Texas looking for a cool gift for her sweetheart. He's a train buff she was interested in one of our railroad button tie clips with a Pullman Railroad Button.
It was a delight to be able to say - yes of course, they're real antique uniform buttons! In her reply, she mentioned he had one, which required a clarification - like, a real one? on rails? full size?
Yup! This is how he bought it....
And now they're in the process of restoring the original colors.
On another note, a good friend for mine from Marin Handmade, Heather from G Studio is making me a bag with some beautiful silk from a Nordic designer I had folded up in my closet - SOOO excited to see the final product! See more in-studio photos.
History is at the center of our work at Compass Rose Design. Lately, we've had trains on the brain and have been making lots of men's accessories with Railroad date nails and antique uniform buttons dating between 1880 and 1950. A few finds relating to San Francisco railroad history have been a delight!
We've recently come across several antiques that have local historical significance. Notice the PPIE 1915 buttons in the above photo. These buttons commemorate the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition - the Worlds Fair. Though the exhibition celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal, the event was perhaps more about showcasing San Francisco's recovery from the 1906 earthquake.
This poster advertised the momentous event, which drew millions of visitors to San Francisco's Marina district - the Palace of Fine Arts buildings still remain, near the Exploratorium site.
Since the original buildings were made of plaster, wood and burlap for quick construction, the Palace of Fine Arts was reconstructed in the 1960s with more durable construction materials.
By 1876, it was clear that the hilly terrain in San Francisco made horse-car travel difficult and unprofitable. Thus began the conversion to cable cars. In 1902, the United Railways of San Francisco took over service and by 1909, SF Municipal Railway, known as SF Muni, was founded.
We love San Francisco - and we love how much people love the places they are from. Holding these historical moments in our hands, wearing these genuine antique treasures, connects us with lives and stories of the people who came before us. Check our Railroad collection to see if we have buttons from your town or state.
We also had a GREAT time at our local Fairfax Festival this weekend - thanks to everyone who came to visit!
The Railroad collection continues to be a big hit. We're happy to see more clever gents wearing awesome accessories - unique pieces with real history and sophistication.
It's been quite a year at Compass Rose Design Jewelry. A combination of life and family circumstances, as well as a growing list of wholesale accounts in the US and our first International order has forced me to think a lot about the limitations of identifying as a one-woman operation. Despite being in recovery from non-profit burnout, I felt a lot of pride in being a one-woman indie-designer. I have learned to transition from a state of overworked almost embattled orientation, but in some ways this initial phase is required believe that founding a small business is possible. Our work at Compass Rose is about wearing history, understanding the origins of a world poised between centuries of social conventions facing new technologies and political upheaval. We are much more than steampunk and we are much more than a one person project.
Our Beginnings: After I returned from living for several years in Amsterdam in 2008 and was frustrated by the opportunities available in the nonprofit sector or pr consulting, my fields of official expertise - I started my etsy shop. Sometimes during the first couple years, it worried me that designing and making jewelry was not political enough, not making enough of a difference - but now I think differently. Running a sustainable small business - we're talking living wage and health insurance - is possible, but difficult. We compete with a world of hobbyists and crafterfolk who undercharge for their work. I compete with $20 necklaces in the steampunk genre made with faux antiques at shows and galleries - this means the artist is getting $10 per necklace with at least $5-6 in materials. I refuse to work below minimum wage, it's just not what I'm doing. The ability for my husband and I to create jobs for ourselves that allow us to feel the self-respect and dignity of making things (see Shop Class as Soulcraft) and keeping ones mind applied to the projects of your own choosing and invention - feels powerful. We are reminded of our ability to make things happen.
Change Happens In An Instant: When my husband found himself let go last fall from what he thought was a stable job after helping his parents with some medical stuff for two weeks - we were thrown for a loop. It's definitely been one of those blessings in disguise - my sweetie is a lot happier, picked up his banjo again and started helping out with Compass Rose Design. Despite the fact that things have been tight, we're taking the opportunity to celebrate NOT working for disrespectful bosses. In the last six months, we've grown into the idea of being a family business.
Though he's been super supportive from day one - I think the growth of the project into an actual business shocked my husband - in a great way. Finding yourselves at such a crossroads as a sudden change of income as we did after the loss of his job can cause one to either get depressed or resourceful - and we've chosen the latter. It helps that he is just as much of a history nerd as I am and has a handful of relevant skills. We're a long ways from supporting our entire lives and putting away savings with this work, but we can understand that it's possible. Growing from a business where the administration is done in my head to a scenario of working with my life partner has brought up some fascinating lessons for us - I thought I'd compile a brief list.
Six Lessons I've learned (am still learning) working with my spouse in a home business: 1. Talk about it, but not unless everyone ate breakfast 2. Everyone should pursue their interests and skills 3. Build for Success - Make a Work Space that Works! 4. Partnership Frees Creative Energy 5. Don't be Afraid of Change, Or Be Afraid but Be Open to Change Anyways 6. Leave the Workshop Occasionally
1. Talk about it, but not unless everyone ate breakfast We used to ship our etsy sales in the morning, sometimes before breakfast, but not any more. There were so many things, like everything, that I just do the way I do because I have. It was important for me to learn that Johnny could not read my mind and to be receptive to Johnny' ideas about systems and how we do things. It took me a while to understand that I expected him to know how things operated and that I was getting frustrated, which was unreasonable. Part of this was making sure we had eaten and weren't crabby when we talked (mostly me). I also had to be flexible about being open to new systems and ways of doing things - whether it was how we ship from our etsy shop, to how we solder or find antiques or when we order supplies. He has a lot of good ideas and we had to learn how to manage the logistics and emotional aspect of establishing practices together. We're learning to be flexible - finding some way between that makes sense.
2. Everyone should pursue their interests and skills
Johnny at the Soldering Bench
It takes a while to sort out who does what, but it does sort out organically. I definitely got to a place where doing production, social media, events, accounting and administration were becoming too much for just me and my workshop was constantly jumbled as I attempted to keep up. Luckily - Johnny is an expert solderer with significant welding and metalworking and carpentry skill. He's awesome at photography and photoshop (his first paid job was for a wedding photographer) and improving our production processes. We rephotographed and edited our entire etsy shop (more than 2000 photos) in less than two weeks. He has built a full soldering station and constantly identifies clever ways to solder things better, more clean, more sturdy, better. Since we are one of a handful of etsy sellers doing silver soldering work rather than using glue, so it's nice to have more hands at the workbench.
3. Build for Success - Make a Work Space that Works!
Our Workshop/ Living Room
It did not occur to me at first, but space matters more than I thought! With two of us working, we needed to make sure there was enough space to make and store and still live in our house. Because we work from home - it's a constant challenge to maintain a separation between work and life - more specifically, there isn't one. Every week, we sort hundreds of antique parts from flea markets and attics and staying organized is crucial. The three sets of shelves he built has allowed us to have a place for everything, for the first time. We both share a mix of busy-work and higher-level work that helps us feel valuable and stay engaged. I had to learn that lots of stuff doesn't matter and that having the ability to control our pace and alternate our work is important to both of us. The importance of having good workspace and storage REALLY helps eliminate clutter and makes a much more productive workspace.
4. Partnership Frees Creative Energy In stepping back, we've also clarified that it is the history behind the object that is so interesting to us and to our customers - that history transcends trends like steampunk. It's why we use genuine antiques in our work and are always finding new bits to treasure. Johnny's love of trains and railroad history has also inspired new collections. I'd worked with train buttons - in particular a Swedish set of uniform buttons from 1903-1905, but Johnny created several new designs and even found a use for his rather large date nail collection - date nail cufflinks. Most of them date from the 1920s and 1930s.
Because Johnny is doing so much soldering, I finally got to launch my ANTIQUITY collection, a high-end collection of jewelry using genuine Victorian watch chains and decorative fobs of semi-precious gemstones. I've had the collection ready for almost six moths, but have finally had the space of mind to list some on etsy. Each piece comes with a historical description of the design elements and the natural history of the gemstones, based on Pliny the Elders Natural History from 77AD. I'm also getting time to work on a new fine-silver bezel set line of rings. Creative juices are flowing!
5. Don't Be Afraid of Change / Be Afraid but Open to Change Anyways
Borderline Hoarder of Broken Bits
Having my partner's perspective has helped me let go of some of my most un-useful habits (like hoarding broken bits of whatnot in case we might need them when we CLEARLY never will.) As we redesign our catalog, another inside perspective is invaluable in deciding which collections to expand which to discontinue (prune), which is way more emotionally scary than I anticipated. For example, we've sold lots of battery operated pocket-watches on nice crystal-adorned chains, I'm tired of explaining how to change batteries - despite the popularity of the 1980s, we've apparently blocked this part out. People often ask for these watches, but it was not until Johnny suggested I discontinue them and stop dealing with batteries and components that we did not make, that I decided to let the $20 necklace folks do the pre-fab items.
Road & Rail Men's Collection
We're really dedicated to genuine antiques, including the new Road & Rail men's Railroad Accessory collection and the luxe ANTIQUITY heirloom jewelry collection. It's totally liberating to discontinue items and refine our brand together.
6. Leave the Workshop Occasionally When you have a home business - you could ALWAYS be doing something. It's important to turn off the Compass Rose brain once in a while and get some time out in the world. It's tempting for me to constantly talk about ideas as they come up - making every moment ripe with possibility as a strategic planning opportunity. DON'T DO IT. I admit I could think about Victorian fashion and politics for ages, I'm constantly thinking of new designs or things to try, but I do not need my partner to share this constant obsession. It took me a couple of weeks to stop blurting out ideas constantly to him and to transition to making notes and bringing things up while we sorted watches - sometimes I'd even call it a meeting. We often work long hours - a typical day for me can be from 7:30 or 8:30 am and we might still be doing something at 11pm. This is possible because we can alternate what we do and maintain our interests, hobbies and lives outside of our company. Johnny is an avid beer brewer, we're actually in the long process of launching a production craft beer brewery (Van Houten Brewing), and has banjo class every Wednesday. We take lots of gardening breaks - even 10 minutes here and there keep the mind and creativity pumping.
Small Vacations Can Go a Long Way for Recovery
Of course, having a workshop you can physically take with you creates some challenges to my suggestion that you go on vacation - even for 2 days at least once per year - I would say turn your etsy shop to vacation mode, but it would be disingenuous, since I never do. Last summer, we drove almost to Canada with the etsy shop in a shoebox and a grocery bag of shipping supplies - we mailed from Portland, Oregon and Maple Valley, Washington. It tends to help pay for the vacation. We did do 3 days in Mendocino this spring and I checked out for 2 days completely, that was important. I'm still working on this one....
If you have experiences to share about working with your spouse - email me!
On a totally different note, I wanted to post a few long overdue photos from our outrageously fabulous time at the Edwardian Ball in January:
Shows just added: SF RAW MENAGERIE - April 26th, 2012 PG&E Women's Network Spring Bazaar - May 9, 2012 More information on Spring Events on our website - stay tuned!
You can choose whether you want a chunkier or finer salsa. I tend to use the magic handi-slicer on everything but the tomatoes - the type of chopper you'd see in a late night infomercial - it works wonders since there is a good bit of chopping involved. Don't forget that gloves or wearing plastic bags on your hands will prevent your skin from getting burned from the peppers.\
