listen up...

i wanted to share some excited news about  kathy k designs...i have been asked by the producer of a national show to make a gift for the cast of "listen to your mother" when it comes to indianapolis on may 2, 2013.  this show features live readings about motherhood by local writers in celebration of mother's day. it is a performance that will make you laugh and cry...perhaps at the same time.  ltym supports local charities in each host city and this year's cause is partners in housing,  the mission of partners in housing is to provide affordable housing to people who most need a stable place to live, while giving them support and a chance to reach their highest level of self-sufficiency.  click on this button and find out if "listen to your mother" is coming to a city near you.  go see it and listen to your mother.

cyber shopping...

 

don't miss out on cyber monday at kathy k designs...free domestic shipping until midnight on monday...

grow small...

this day falls the day after black friday and before cyber monday every year.  however, i think that every day should be small business saturday (sunday, monday, tuesday, etc).  i say this not because i am a small biz owner myself, but because i know many brilliant, talented and unique people who own a small business.  some do it for a little extra spending cash, many do it out of necessity to support their families, but all of them do it for the passion they have deep within.  owning a small business is a lot of work...i know...i have had the 9-5 job, i have worked night shift in an inner city emergency room, i have worked countless weekends and holidays over the years and all of that was easy in comparison to owning a small biz.  'treps, as we are often called, have a different level of passion for their vocation. without this passion, it would be impossible to put in the hours of planning, marketing, bookkeeping, building, maintaining that is required to run a successful small business, and this is the stuff that needs to be accomplished outside of the hours of business.  for all the hard work, i salute the millions of small business owners out there and encourage everyone to skip the big box store at least once this holiday shopping season and go local and grow small... 

etsy badges...

i know now...

as i was looking at my etsy shop today, i realized it has been 1 year since i put up my first listing.  wow...and have i learned a lot!!  not just about the etsy world but about behavior of molten silver, toxic chemicals, and... power tools, and so, i thought i would share some of the pearls of wisdom.  for starters, i learned that the stench of liver of sulfur hangs in the air for several hours after using it, so it goes without saying, don't use it right before guests are ringing the door bell.  it can be tricky convincing people you are not serving them sewage soaked rotten eggs for dinner when the kitchen reeks like that.  i know now!  you know the adage "measure twice, cut once"?  well it applies to metalsmithing too.  i learned to always look at an order twice (or 4 times) before irreversibly stamping letters into the precious metal.  did you know there are exactly 21 different ways to spell katelyn...or is it caitlin?  i know now!  what i have always known since my "shop" days back at central junior high school is that safety glasses, although not fashionable, are necessary when wielding high speed rotary tools.  however, i learned that a hair clip, bobby pin or even a pencil is needed to prevent that wayward lock of hair from becoming tightly wound on said rotary tool...oops!  the only pain from this incident was the humiliation of looking at myself in the mirror with a dremel knotted in my hair like one of those feather extensions, but a lot heavier!,  i know now...

peace,
k

wordy wednesday...

from a fellow etsian...

go for the gold...or the bronze...

wow!  where did this past month go?  can't believe it has been that long since my last post, but it has.  i can blame it on my kids, right???  they have been keeping me busy with everything swim followed by squeezing a summer's worth of fun and games into the last 2 weeks before school starts.  in all honesty, i wouldn't have it any other way and i am sure you all feel the same way when it comes to your kids.  our nights have consisted of watching the olympics and staying up way too late and then our days have started way too late by sleeping in.  it will be very painful come wednesday morning when the alarm goes off at 6! no regrets though because i love the summer games and the usa really showed the world some great competition.

despite all of the general summer busyness, or maybe i should say, laziness, i did find some time to play with metal clay and create some fun new combinations in my designs.  mixed metals are fun and have a bohemian, earthy kind of look and feel. i have oodles of pics to sort through before i can post here, on facebook and on etsy.  i really like the copper clay, bronze is great too, and with the price of gold, i found my new metals of choice.  have no fear though, i will always have silver in my line because nothing compares to the beauty of fine silver.  i will get things rolling on here again once the kids are in school.  until then...

peace,
k

busy as a bee...

trying to get caught up on lots and lots of stuff...exciting things are happening at kathy k designs with new designs and materials coming your way.  getting ready to fully launch my yoga-inspired line online as well as in a local yoga studio...more on that soon.  also kathy k designs will be featured in 6 different gift shops in a hospital network in the near future.  i am so excited about this and all that it means for a wonderful program called angel wing fund that i am so fortunate to be involved.  the big reveal on the name of this line as well as my line for yogi/ni's is in the works.  i am also changing a few things around in my etsy shop to keep up with all of the happenings at kathy k designs.  check back when you can. please keep sending your peeps to my facebook page and having them "like" me...i get giddy when that number goes up.  i truly appreciate all of my fans.  so until next time...peace.

k

the fest...

the weekend could not have been anymore perfect...the weather was summery, the crowds were plentiful and the roasted corn on the cob was buttery...

my booth at the fishers freedom festival 2012

thanks to all of you who came out to see us...
k

the booth...

gearing up for the fishers freedom festival this weekend. stay tuned for many photos of the activity in the booth or better yet, stop by if you are local.  i will be unveiling my new yoga-inspired line during this event.  the booth is taking shape in my living room...canopy and all...it is going to be a great weekend for kathy k designs.  

see ya soon.
k

wordy wednesday...

picmonkey rocks...

i know i have said this before that picmonkey is the best quick photo editor out there, but i really mean it.  first, it is free and so easy to use.  now they have added this great collage feature...love it!!!

peace,
k

wordy wednesday...

peace to all within, love to all without...

i don't normally comment on the photos i take for wordy wednesday, as i feel that a picture is worth a thousand words.  however, today i had the opportunity to take part in a habitat for humanity build with my friends.  we built a 5 bedroom and 2 bathroom house from this pile of panels (actually there were 3 piles).  while i was staring at the daunting task at hand, i began reading the blessings those who built the panels wrote for the homeowner.  we were out there building not a house but a home for a lovely family. it was exhausting and physically demanding.  just when i didn't think i could hammer another nail, i found the strength to do it one more time and then another and another.  when we were done for the day, the 20 of us had raised all the exterior and interior walls, set 2 bathtubs, and wrapped the majority of the house with tyvek.  it was a glorious, sun-shiny day for all.

peace,
k

with much gratitude...

today was the day...i made my 50th sale on etsy!  yeah!!!  i know to some etsians that this is an insignificant number as many shops have thousands and even tens of thousands sales.   well to this etsian, it is a big deal.  people from around the globe are now connected to me through my little bits of silver that is shaped and hammered by my own hands.  i have helped them celebrate life's milestones and memorialize those who left them too soon.  i have been forever touched by all of these people who found my little shop in the ginormous etsy world.  i cherish the stories that people share with me about the meaning behind the pieces i create for them...weddings, adoptions, births, graduations...or something "just because".  i have shipped my wares to hong kong, france, and canada, as well as coast to coast right here in the united states, and in that process, am now on first name basis with my friendly postal workers.  i am forever grateful to all of my customers, past, present and future.  i look forward to creating more pieces to share and as always, i must say...wear it in health and happiness.

peace,
k

wordy wednesday...

peace,
k

wordy wednesday...

peace,
k

pour l'amoureux des livres...

peace,
k

i want to go om...

i know it has been quite awhile since i last posted.  i have been taking care of my mother-in-law in florida.  it is where i need to be right now, but i miss my family and my puppies tremendously.  i made this new om right before i left.  i have been wearing it everyday for it reminds me to breathe as i am continuously challenged by that virtue called "patience".  just breathe...

nameste,
k

wordy wednesday...

for patti and ann marie...

peace,
k

before and after...

i love looking at before and after pics of home remodels, the biggest losers makeovers, and the miraculous stain removal claims of oxyclean.  just kidding about the last one, but who doesn't love the comparison and contrast of before and after photos?  so, i thought i would share a before and after of a new family necklace i designed for a very special lady whom i had the privilege of working with for the past 8 years.  this design will be my featured design starting tomorrow and there will be free shipping for a week, of course...

before...

 

 

after...

 

peace,
kathy