I’ll be vending at Taste of Arlington tomorrow, May 16th, from noon to 5pm at Welburn Square (near Ballston Metro).  Hope to see you there – it should be a fun filled day of arts and crafts and lots of food! :)

http://ballstonarts-craftsmarket.blogspot.com/

The first Ballston A&C Market of the season is this Saturday, May 8th! In celebration of 30-Minute Earring’s release, I will be selling ALL of my bamboo pendants for HALF OFF!  Hope to see you there!

Saturday, May 8th from 10am to 4pm
Welburn Square at Ballston Metro

I have some exciting news!  I’ve been published!

My 3-in-1 Sakura sterling silver earrings have been published in 30-Minute Earrings (a Lark Publication) and is set to arrive in stores in June.  I just received my contributor’s copy today and am very excited.  It’s project number 15 in the book.

For more information, please visit http://www.sterlingpublishing.com/catalog?isbn=9781600594878.

I am constantly seeking greener alternatives as my studio grows; I primarily used bamboo, stainless steel, and recycled fine silver in my jewelry.  Bamboo is a sustainable plant and its natural color lends well to my work.  Stainless steel is 100% recyclable.  The recycled fine silver is by far my favorite medium and comes from disposed photograph development solution.

What about packaging?  Well, I use reusable tins for my smaller pieces, and recycled paper boxes or linen boxes for my larger pieces.  Linen comes from the flax plant and takes very little chemical fertilizer and MUCH less water than cotton to cultivate; once the fiber has been extracted from the plant, the rest of the plant is used to make other goods such as soap, cosmetics, inks, etc. Nothing goes to waste.

What about chemicals?  I steer away from using chemicals as much as possible.  For example, I love adding patinas to my silver work, but instead of using a chemical called Liver of Sulfur, I use a boiled egg.  It’s less stinky and less toxic.

What about my printed materials?  I use a green printer for all of my promotional materials – my business cards, my rack cards, etc.  My printer is FSC approved (they use sustainable forestry resources), uses chlorine free paper, is part of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and is a waterless printer.  I also use this company to produce all of my printed graphic design requests.

So yes, I am definitely green!

I will be participating at the Breaux Vineyard Cherry Blossom Festival on April 10, 2010 from 11am to 5pm.

Admission Fee/Ticket Price: $5-$10/person tasting fee

Breaux Vineyards
36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane
Purcellville, VA 20132

http://www.visitloudounvirginia.com/2010/03/cherry-blossom-syrah-rose-release/

Will be showing a wide variety of cherry blossom themed jewelry.  Hope to see you there!

Transcendence

Transcendence
Transcendence, Melissa Lew’s new line of eco-friendly jewelry, was premiered at Avani Ribbon’s Eco-Fashion Show at DC Fashion Week 2010.  Transcendence is based off the award winning series, Transcendence 3, and is inspired by the pink clouds of blossoms in the Spring and the transcendent, fleeting nature of the beautiful cherry blossoms.  In Buddhism, the cherry blossom is a reminder of the transience of life.  In Chinese symbolism, the cherry blossom is a symbol of feminine strength and beauty.

To Order:
Please contact me to place an order!  Orders take approximately 2-3 weeks to complete as they are made to order.  Thank you!

I received a letter this weekend from Fire Mountain Gems in reference to my entry for this year’s competition – my entry, Awakening, has made it to the next round of judging!

http://mysignaturelook.blogspot.com/2010/02/dc-fashion-shows-spotlight-ethical.html

http://www.examiner.com/x-29978-DC-EcoStyle-and-Fashion-Examiner~y2010m2d21-The-DC-Ethical-Fashion-Show-2010-shows-readytowear (shorter version of 1st article)

http://shymagazine.com/shy/2010/02/d-c-fashion-week-kicks-off.html (model in first photo is wearing earrings and a necklace from my Transcendence line of jewelry)

For these pieces, right off the runway, please visit my store!  If you are interested in a certain piece and it is sold out, please contact me to place an order.

For these pieces, right off the runway, please visit my store!  If you are interested in a certain piece and it is sold out, please contact me to place an order.