my creative twin

i need to share with you all, this designer, for a few reasons:
1. i found her through a blog (can’t remember which one), and i was INSTANTLY drawn to her designs. she uses mediums that i love experimenting with, and mixes and matches so beautifully well.
2. Her shop name is ‘Dispatches From Graceland’ jewelry. suuuuuuuch a jamie name.
3. listen. this is just weird. so focus here. her web address on etsy is ‘mama shea shea’. emma - i’m looking at you here. this was my nickname (mama shea) in university. i. am. freaked. out.
grace describes her style in her design as an intentional pairing of “the rough with the refined, the precious with the primitive, the natural with the industrial, and the colors of the sea with the colors of the land“
all of her designs are one of a kind, or limited edition. i love this. this is how i create my pieces as well.
i adore her mixing of chains, in different sizes, shapes, and materials. i love her integration of rocks, fabric, metals and chains, without steering clear from her overall aesthtic - as a jewelry designer, i know how challenging that is.
a few of my faves (which trust me - were so difficult to choose from)
from top to bottom: diamonds on the inside earrings*; oceans apart necklace; the urchin is lurchin necklace; chain collage necklace; bebela necklace; honey pie tassled necklace; and i think, perhaps my favourite piece of hers... the jakarta necklace
i’d also like to point out that we MAY be the same person, as even the aesthetic of our photos are almost the same.... please note: (re:claim's product photography)
you can find her work at the bell jar in San Fran, Out Boutique in Paris France, the Charlestown Gallery in Charlestown RI, and at the chimneys violin shop in Boiling Spring, PA.
*(reminds me of this.... one of my favourite ben harper songs of all time... )

mo is for movember.

ok folks.
it's that time of year. the time all men love, and all women hate.
it's movember.
so, yet again, i opened the floor up to some of my favourite men in the world, to prove to my why i should donate to them.
why do i do it? i reiterate.
i have great friends. friends who put up with my attempts to raise money for issues that mean something to me. friends who show up to parties, garage sales, and support me in any other way that they know how. So when the oppourtunity arises for me to support these friends myself, i will do what i can, within my means, to help them.
Movember is the new November - where men start with a clean shaven face, and grow a moustache for the entire month. the 'stache serves as a sort of 'pink ribbon' for mens health, and more specifically prostate cancer (which is where the raised funds go).
the beginning of movember was australia in 2003 - a few guys sitting around, drinking beer, decided that bringing back the old burt reynolds would be fantastic, and if they could somhow combine that with the missing link of fundraisers for men's health, it would be a hand in hand victory for mankind. "Inspired by the women around them and all they had done for breast cancer, the Mo Bros set themselves on a course to create a global men’s health movement."
last year, i donated to my dear friends graham, ben, and cole - and a latecomer, luke.
and this year was no less entertaining.
through a series of shoutouts, i received various reasons from various people. these were the top 3.
cole, jake and eric.
cole - yet again, cole came out on top. his daily underwear photos, his witty moustache and pantsless jokes...
coles reason? "If for no other reason than I may have coined the term: .donate to this swarthy cause'. And because I once mistakenly called you a "prostate," thinking it was a cuter version of prostitute."
good enough for me. donate to cole here
jake - jake's always looking for a good reason to make a corny joke... and is always managing to do good things for this world. what a great double duty.
jake's reason? "Jamie, you should sponsor me because I aim to find a happy, mustache medium between this and this"
well jake - you know me well (you BETTER!). 
donate to jake here. 
eric was a newcomer to the game. i work with eric, and couldn't help but notice the giant blond caterpillar on his upper lip. disgusting, really. his plea? more on the serious side of things... which i can jive with. eric's reason? "why am I so passionate about men's health? on average men live 4-5 years less than women; 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime; 25,500 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year in canada"
deal. done. donate to eric here.
It's the least I can do, to spread their word. And please - donate to this worthy cause.
do you like moustaches? then here are some more goodies for you....
movember necklaces... i'm looking straight at the urban stache... (though the website wasn't working when i last looked... try it again)
if you're upset that you can't grow a stache, or one of the many ladies who just can't..... grab your own ready made moustahces at the drake general store.
and.... for the record - i'm buying these. you can also buy them here.
toms limited edition movember shoes - i want i want

a curious gathering...

looking for something to do on december 10th? this is what i've been working on.... alluded to here, here, here and here.
a small curious gathering for all those who are interested. featuring the photography of alex rey, jewelry by erin green, and cards and other goodies by kelly logan.
and, of course, jewelry by re:claim, and thackeray’s vanity.
check out the facebook invite here….. come one, come all!

'you took my sorrow and you took my pain'

this song is so painful, and yet, encapsulates everything there is to know about meeting someone by accident - at a time that you didn't want to meet anyone, and in a way you didn't want to feel about someone.... and accepting that life just happens - whether you want it to or not. and it hurts, and it makes you live a certain way beyond that moment - but sometimes it's so so worth it.....
This is how the story went | I met someone by accident | It blew me away | It blew me away | It was in the darkest of my days | When you took my sorrow and you took my pain | And buried them away, you buried them away | I wish I could lay down beside you | When the day is done | And wake up to your face against the morning sun | But like everything I've ever known | You disappear one day | So I spend my whole life hiding my heart away | Drop me off at the train station | Put a kiss on top of my head | Watch me wave | You watched me wave | Then you went on home to your skyscrapers | Neon lights and waiting papers | That you call home | You call it home | I wish I could lay down beside you | When the day is done | And wake up to your face against the morning sun | But like everything I've ever known | You disappear one day | So I spend my whole life hiding my heart away | I woke up feeling heavy hearted | I'm going back to where I started | The morning rain, the morning rain | Although I wish that you were here | That same old road that brought me here | Is calling me home, It's calling me home | I wish I could lay down beside you | When the day is done | And wake up to your face against the morning sun | But like everything I've ever known | You disappear one day | So I spend my whole life hiding my heart away
And I can spend my whole life hiding my heart away
(and adele does a great version as well)