See you at the 2012 Academy Awards!

Busy, busy, busy. 

Ok, so next up is the 2012 GBK Productions Academy Awards Celebrity Gift Lounge!

After my participation in the Emmy's Gift Lounge I decided I needed a little break and I would just do the press bags for the Oscars.  Even though it was much less stressful making 10 pieces of jewelry instead of 100, I kind of regret it and have been feeling a little left out.  But whatever, I have the MTV Movie Awards coming up to keep me warm :)

Anyway, back to the Oscars. 

I immediately knew what I wanted to create for the press bags.  This is very unlike me, by the way.  I usually analyze things to death before I make a final decision.  But, I knew I wanted to do an Old Hollywood star with a modern vibe. 

And this is what I came up with...

I was super happy with the outcome and once it was approved by the powers that be at The Artisan Group, I banged out 10 more, packed them up, and shipped them out.

If you would like to purchase your own little bit of Hollywood you can find my Stargazer Necklace here.

Good luck to all my fellow Artisan Group members who are participating in the gift lounge! 

What to do with all that leftover wrapping paper...

The holiday chaos is finally over and now it's back to the grind!

One of the first things I'm working on this year is my "green-ness".

  While I've always been environmentally conscious I've never really made this a focal point of my business. 

Since, I've recently teamed up with The Artisan Group to be a part of their Earth Day 2012 Celebrity Gifting Event, I figured this would be a great way to get the ball rolling.

I started by adding a sustainability pledge to my website.  I guess I thought everyone was eco these days and things like this weren't necessary.  But, you know what they say about assuming...

Then I started thinking about what I could make for these gift bags.  Some of the celebrities who received them last year were Adrian Grenier, Pink, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dave Matthews, Ellen DeGeneres, Orlando Bloom, Edward Norton, Sting, Kate Bosworth, and Drew Barrymore, to name a few. 

I wanted to make something meaningful and eco-friendly without being too crunchy. 

An idea came to me to use my Awareness Ribbon in a bracelet but I wanted to incorporate the color green as well.  So I taught myself to make beads using scraps of paper.  I know this sounds weird but they turned out really cool.  I used some left over green wrapping paper (thanks mom), thread, glue, and sealant.  I combined the beads with my hand cut Awareness Ribbon made from recycled sterling silver and 100% natural eco-friendly hemp.  Then using my hemp weaving skills acquired from hanging in Phish show parking lots, Hookahville festivals, and afternoons in the quad of the OSU campus (had to throw a little crunchy in there) I came up with this...

It's comfy and casual and when I look down and see it on my wrist, it reminds me to do my part. 

One down, 29 to go. 

It's All About The Handmade

What does handmade mean to you?

To me, it means a product with a story, with soul.  Something created with thoughtfulness and love. I know it's one of a kind and that an actual person worked hard to make something just for me.  And because of all this I have decided to buy handmade for all of my holiday gifts this year. 

I'll give you all a sneak peek at some of the awesome handmade goodies I've picked up so far...

Yummy bath products from Starlet Glam Bath & Body

 

and one for myself :)

A luxurious set of hand crocheted washcloths from Tina Dean Designs

And this super cool set of 4 bots by Gary Hirsch

(pretty sure I'm going to keep one of these for myself too)

So if you want to give a unique gift with a personal touch instead of some lame machine made crap that will end up shoved in the back of a drawer you know where to go...

The Artisan Group for THE best handmade anything...

Or you can visit any of the artists listed below for some of the most fabulous handmade jewelry.  And don't forget to stop by their blogs to read what handmade means to them

Mary Anne Karren - silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/

Jessica @ Abella Blue - www.abellablue.com/blog
Stacy - formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Brown – resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com
Lilian Genebra - www.girllovesglitter.blogspot.com/
Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs - allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Claire English - brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Gayle - thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
Nancy - nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Amy Estelle - amyestellemetalworks.blogspot.com/2011/12/handmade-holidays.html



My Style Rocks

You know that friend who will tell you the truth when you ask "do I look fat in this?"

The one who will make sure you look smoking hot when you go out together because she's not a jealous biotch? 

The one you actually want to go shopping with?

I have this friend and her name is Jennifer Barrett. 

Jennifer owns a company called My Style Rocks.  Not only does she sell kick ass clothes and accessories on her website, she makes house calls!  She can organize your closet, style you for a special occasion, or totally revamp your look.  And she's so not one of those annoying salespeople who are all "oh my god, that looks AHmazing on you!", when you totally have muffin top and know that's not true.

Jennifer can also help you pick out some killer gifts for the holidays.  Check out her site and don't forget the fanpage for deals and exclusives on looks like these...





Why are Jessica Alba and Hilary Duff so happy....

 

Why are Jessica Alba and Hilary Duff so happy?

Because they're getting giant gift bags filled with handmade goodies from members of The Artisan Group!

I'm excited to announce that I have been given the opportunity to include one of my pieces in these gift bags. 

Jessica just recently had a baby and Hilary is due in March.  So I created a family tree necklace for each with gemstones representing their kid's birth months. 



Sterling Silver Family Tree Necklace for Jessica Alba



This piece is sawn entirely by hand so no two are exactly alike, even if I tried.  But who wants the same exact thing someone else has anyway, right?

I have to say though, that after the second one of these in a row my wrist was starting to click and my hand was cramping. 

But it was a labor of love.



Too Cool

I like being scared.  And I regularly seek it out. 

Whether it's watching The Strangers while I'm home alone and being totally freaked.

 

Or paragliding off the side of a mountain in Maui (i'm afraid of heights). 

Or snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea while hanging onto the leg of a very nice local gentleman and hyperventilating into my mask (i can't swim). 

Sometimes it's more of a personal challenge type of scare.  Like what I did this past Friday.  I went to the Henri Bendel Open See.  This is where designers of various clothing, accessories, beauty items, etc...have the opportunity to show their goods to the Bendel's buyers.  I'm not exactly a Bendel's type of girl but I knew I had to try.   

I claimed my spot on line on 5th Avenue at about 6am.  It was 37 degrees.  Not terrible, but when you're standing on the cold cement for 3 hours in the dark it starts to hurt.

 Most of us came prepared for the cold in cute but warm outfits.  And then there were the people who just came cute.  They were miserable in stilettos with no jackets for hours and hours on the cold NYC sidewalk.  But I gotta say, they looked good!
When they opened the doors at 9am the line moved pretty quickly.  I was lead into the basement of Bendel's and ushered into a waiting room.  When my time to see a buyer came I wasn't the least bit nervous.  I kind of had an idea of how it was going to go down anyway.  She quickly scanned my bio and line sheet, took a look at a few pieces and said..."It's very well made and edgy.  But you have this cool factor.  And that's just not us." 
So that's that.  I'm too cool for Henri Bendel's :)

And for all my loyal customers who are like way cool too, use coupon code cool15 for 15% off your entire order from now until Sunday 11.06.11.
 http://www.autumnbradley.com/

Holiday Shopping Guide For People Who Hate The Mall (aka men)

If you're reading this and you're a dude, you're thinking that it's waaay too soon to be talking about the holidays. But seriously man, if you just get it over with, you won't have to scramble around at the last minute and pay for expedited shipping and all that.  The other thing you're thinking is that you don't have the slightest clue what to buy anyone. 
I'm here to help.

Your list should include your significant other, mom, sister, grandma and any other ladies in your life that will make things miserable for you if you don't get them a gift, or if you get them a crappy gift like a toaster.  You could get them something like...





A beautiful hand-dyed scarf



A glittering gemstone bracelet

 



or a lovely handmade box

Your list may also include another dude.  Maybe your dad, brother, grandpa, or some other manly man.  There's plenty of gift options to make it seem like you didn't try, but that don't suck.  Like...



A portable speaker for the music lover



or a hat for the outdoorsy type



And you may need a kid gift.  There are endless options for kids but these will insure your "cool" status with them.



A one of a kind Monster Doll

Their very own crayon tote







Or a killer tutu



And it never fails that you find yourself in one of those stupid Secret Santa gift exchanges at the office because you didn't want to be the only one who didn't participate and look like a cold-hearted grinchy asshat.  So here's a couple of under $20 options... 

 







Everyone loves a candle

      

 

Or be different and give a crazy little lovebot



No doubt there will be others on your list but this will get you started and help you avoid the dreaded mall.  So when your buddy tries to convince you to go to the mall with him the weekend before Christmas you can say, "Nah man, I'm good".  And he will be soooo jealous. 

All of these amazing products were designed and handmade by the super talented members of The Artisan Group.   Click here or on the gift guide button below to see tons of other options from The Artisan Group members.