Oxidized sterling silver and semi-precious gem necklace.

Crescent Moon Designs is a local business based in the Ballard neighborhood.  Designer Heather Lewis hand makes earrings and necklaces that are timeless and can be worn on every occasion.  All designs are made with Sterling silver or 14kt. Gold-filled wire and gemstones.

I have to say that her sterling silver and 14kt gold fill hoops are the best hoops ever.  They are striking and fun like a hoop should be, and inner delicate looping makes them a bit more elegant that a typical hoop.  These have been some of her best sellers at Sasquatch Studios.

14kt gold fill hoops by Crescent Moon Designs at Sasquatch Studios.

Another favorite of ours is the azurite and gold drop earrings. These are uniquely flattering. If you have silver hair or a complexion that is challenging to accent, try these on!

Azurite and Gold - these earrings are flattering on silver hair and more.

In her own words: “As a jewelry artist,  I design and create delicate jewelry that is elegant and feminine but practical enough to wear everyday. My desire is that each jewelry piece will become a favorite to wear.”

A great example is the beautiful London blue topaz that Heather transforms into necklaces and earrings; the results are timeless and versatile.

London blue topaz and 14kt gold necklace by Crescent Moon Designs, Ballard/Seattle.

A selection of jewelry is available in the store.  As always, working with local artists has the perk of being able to custom order.  Feel free to contact us if you would like something made just for you!

You can find more at Crescent Moon Designs blog.

Three Koi. Eight color print with hand colored elements (matted 7.50" x 18" 95$)

New nature art prints by Sherry Buckner of Red Twig Studio, Olympia, WA.

Crabapples at Nisqually by Red Twig Studio.

Though from the Midwest, most of her images are derived from what Sherry sees around the Pacific Northwest.

“When I was little my favorite thing was to get up in the morning and see what plants had grown more from overnight. I would make a circle around the yard to check on all the bushes, bulbs and flowers.”

Old Apple Trees at Scattercreek by Red Twig Studio. Size 11.5" x 20.25" (matted 125$).

One of my favorites is The Old Apples Trees at Scattercreek.  As Sherry tells, us, these were part of an orchard, but are now wild and left for the birds and deer to eat.  She screen printed this apple tree with “jade colored trunk and all the wild branches growing everywhere”.  Rouge to lavender early evening sky, with hand painted bright red apples.

Sherry Buckner screen printed the image and hand painted the red apples (detail shown).

We have many available matted or framed at Sasquatch Studios and some are available from this site. Shop for prints here.

Or you may want to send a bit of the beautiful and colorful artwork in the mail with a card based on the original designs by Sherry Buckner and Red Twig Studio.  Shop for cards here.

Red Twig Studio also adds their Swamp Rose design to Eco-Silk bags – these are unique shopping bags that combines elegance, simplicity and durability.  They out-perform canvas bags and take up no space at all.  The fabric is 100% nylon parachute fabric.   They look great, are light as a feather and stay clean.  Take a closer look here.

We love supporting local artists like Sherry Buckner and Red Twig Studio!

Parachute fabric makes light weight and strong ecosilk bags with Red Twig Studio design (14$).

Cards with original art (4.50$).

The Best Mom in the World!

Now, I don’t know if your mom is very tech savvy, but let’s just say that mine learns from me .  So in the area of online marketing, I rely on Qwest for tips of the trade.  PS I love you mom!

Best food on Martha's Vineyard, if I do say so myself.

Qwest has been a great provider of business technology services for Sasquatch Studios.  From fixing mechanical issues (Yep, apparently our phone line was hit by lighting…couldn’t figure out what was happening but Qwest came and squared it away…phew!) to providing social media marketing for small business guidance (linking social media accounts, assisting with keywords, etc.).

Vineyarders - Vote for Chesca's for best dinner, seafood and chowder in Martha's Vineyard Magazine Best of the Vineyard 2011.

I’ve enjoyed working with Qwest because they not only have the best rates for bundled service, but are nice, normal people on the phone and in person!  I never get frustrated troubleshooting service issues with Qwest.  For instance, we found that my connection speed was slow for no apparent reason.  A Qwest technician came to the store and discovered that my piled of coiled cables was creating a vortex of sorts that interferes with signals – who knew!  Not only are they annoying, but extra lines and cables can slow your connection speed.

Qwest set up a schedule for blogging and introduced me to using bit.ly (where you can track clicks on links) and google analytics (of which I am just starting to use).  These are important tools for any online business marketing manager, small or large.  The field of retail and being a small business owner are new to me (my previous career was in environmental science) and I appreciate Qwest support.  It’s like having a business partner.

Last summer, Sasquatch participated in Project Core Connect, a national campaign highlighting small businesses in all sectors that use Qwest Core Connect services.

Qwest - small business support

I’m telling you all this because Qwest is helping me with my social media in exchange for my honest views on Qwest services. You can learn more at Qwest.com/smallbusiness.

David Joyce and Jo Maxwell (Mom and Dad), Chef-Owners of Chesca's.

Silver Orchid necklace and matching earrings by Teresa Deleen available at Sasquatch Studios

Teresa Deleen has covered the bases with her diverse jewelry design, that appeals to women (and men!) of all ages.  A typewriter key necklace makes a great gift for a teenager, while a faceted briolette necklace will look great on women from day to night.  More masculine styles include the poker chip necklace or a Backspace key on a ball chain.

Sculptural, abstract and beautiful. The Femme series by Teresa Deleen.

Orange chalcedony pendant looks great with a white summer shirt or a dressy evening outfit.

An interesting fact about Teresa – as an 8 year-old she sold cool pet rocks from a table outside her parents’ house. She “would scrub the little suckers to within an inch of their lives (yes, they had lives)… and would paint pretty faces on their smooth and round surfaces with all kinds of emotions. Some even sported a hat or a bonnet.”  Love it.

Now Teresa is still making items with gusto (some still with rocks) for women and men to wear.  From stones, to vintage typewriter key rings to gold, silver and gemstone laureate style necklaces, her varied jewelry is flying out of the store.

This jewelry is sophisticated and feminine, with a lightness and good nature that stems from her equally fun personality!  Flowers in various forms plus gemstones build a theme in her Mae Day Design collection.

Delicate gold flowers, oxidized metal and gem briolett earrings by Teresa Deleen.

Among her original line ‘Femme’, are inspired by the divine lines of the female form, the curves and the valleys, the dimples and the swells.  This line is handcrafted, carving into Precious Metal Clay. It is then fired and painted with a patina.

Another series is called ‘Organic rings’. Teresa uses oxidized salvaged copper wire, forges them into ring shapes and solders together with silver solder. The oxidized metal creates a harsh black and shiny gold ring.

Trio of Rings necklace in oxidized metal and gold.

The “Donatienne” line means Given and is created with recycled silver.  Entwined in flowers and vines, each elegant serif initial shows solid silver strength wrapped in delicate beauty. The antiquating process on the silver creates a dark background which highlights the brightness of the pure silver. Wear your own letter, string on the initials of your children, or spell out a message. Sasquatch Studios accepts custom orders for this line.

Donatienne necklaces made from recycled silver are available for custom order in any letters.

I admit that I often borrow the roulette necklace (for advertisment, of course!).  It is simple and just perfect. As she describes, it’s “simplicity of the circle combines with the complexities of its creation—forged, soldered, hammered, antiquated, polished…”  Like her anatomical heart poker chip pendants and typewriter key jewelry, this piece can be worn by a man or woman.

Teresa is a talented lady who I enjoy doing business with.  Photos courtesy of Teresa.  - for more updates, follow her blog!

Personal favorite - Roulette Necklace - Simple only at first glance, this looks fantastic on.

Frog x-ray on a vintage poker chip makes a cool pendant.

Who wouldn't like to have an affordable (22$) and personal vintage typewriter key necklace?

…………………………………

Qwest is helping Sasquatch Studios with social media in exchange for my honest views on Qwest services. So here they are!

Qwest Small Business has some great social media business coaches, who streamlined the process for me. I came from a science background and have been learning how to market a retail business on the fly. From linking multiple social media accounts, to giving detailed advice on keywords and technical help using WordPress, Qwest has helped me feel confident about moving forward.

Super cool jacket (or great with leggings) made in USA of green cotton, by Lavuk.

Did you know the ultimate blog size is 350 words? And then there’s the immense world of Google Analytics, which I have recently added to my website. There is much to learn and online business marketing is changing all the time. Of course, it isn’t all about search terms and numbers of links to other sites. Google search is now omitting poor quality websites, which do only this. It’s about making it possible for people to find Sasquatch Studios and access our great products.

Customers want to shop for specific things, like green clothing and support local designers, not made in China or sweatshops in other countries.

There are some great sites that focus on green fashion, and provide info. on how to easily shop greener and support not just your local neighborhood, but our country. That’s a great way to be patriotic (and look great).

Sasquatch Studios will continue to make it easy to shop green and local. Andrew, my Qwest Small Business Marketing Coach, has helped us get started – so thanks Qwest and Andrew!

Birds of Wires (60$)

If  you haven’t seen Portlandia, you must check it out (especially if you’re  in the Pacific Northwest). This skit is hysterically true: Portlandia – Put A Bird On It

Well, My Chloe Flower has been doing just that, way before Portlandia came out.

If you are into original, affordable nature art, you will love these collages.

Hand made in Bellevue, WA, by Erica Maule, these are among our most popular work.

“Art for All”

I love this mission and feel great selling My Chloe Flower work!

Moon Birdies collage on canvas ($32)

From the artist’s mouth: “This isn’t stuffy, hard-to-understand, ridiculously expensive art. We create fabulous art that is accessible, beautiful and fun! All of our pieces are handmade, original collages that feature art papers ranging from the divinely elegant to the fantastically funky.”

If you are leaning to a wall piece  sans birds, that is also available. From flowers to trees to whimsical coffee cups, this is art that can find a perfect spot in any space.  I like the coffee cups for a dining nook and a pair of birds for wedding gift.

Coffee Cup (18$)

Field of Orange Flowers (68$)

Custom Design

From large pieces for above the mantle, to sets of smaller ones for the bathroom, Sasquatch Studios will work with you and the the artist to create a custom order for your home.  They have been popular for little girls’ rooms too.

A large order of new work is coming this month, and I know some customers are already looking forward to seeing it – hope you will too!  You can also shop right now Sasquatch Studios Online Store.

Moonlit Birdies (34$)

Junkyard Jewelry at Sasquatch Studio

Char grew up in a house in the middle of a junkyard in the middle of a small town in the middle of Michigan.  She is now turning junk into jewels.

This graphic pendant was constructed from discarded utility trailer tubing that was sliced thin with a band saw. Alternator wire was reinvented into whimsical curlicues and set in resin. The pendant hangs on a 16 inch sterling silver neck chain.

Alternator wire was reinvented into whimsical curlicues and set in resin.

The reds have vibrancy and hint of orange making a hot set to wear with everything from a black little dress to a white tee.

Marbled Red Pontoon Rail Earrings and Necklace.

These aluminum pontoon boat guardrails were sliced thin with an industrial band saw, filled with hotrod red resin and marbled for a softened effect.

xo vintage typewriter key necklace (36$)

And here is another great idea that is cool enough for him and her: Anatomical heart pendant (6 different style in the store!).

Anatomical heart poker chip pendant by Teresa Deleen, Seattle, WA (14$).

We buy as much as possible from local sources as well independent artisans across the country.   So, when you shop here you are supporting your community in multiple ways.

Firstly, you are supporting me and my staff (members of your community).  I personally hire local and shop as much as possible at local shops, like Ace Hardware (each is independently owned and super friendly).  I actually re-wired a lamp with their staff help (much easier than I thought!).  So the money you spend here comes back around near home.

Also, many of our local artists bring items directly to the store – so there is no shipping or packaging.  That saves you money and leaves a smaller environmental footprint.  We focus on sustainable and reclaimed/recycled items, including vintage and consignment clothes, green cotton-filled pillows, and up-cycled products (clothes, frames, belts, etc.).

What else is great about shopping here?  We notice what my customers like and make an effort to find things that suit their style.  We make an effort to order custom and special orders for you.  I’ve been pretty annoyed at some large chain stores when the staff don’t even know what they carry, let alone understand what I am looking for.   But why should they care that much?  Most of the money from the stores goes to the chain’s corporate headquarters or to a distant land, not to them.

We want everyone to feel good about shopping here – not just because of the amazing and unique art, decor, and apparel, but also because it is makes our community more vibrant.

This Seattle-made guitar strap belt is handmade and eco-friendly, originating from discarded/reclaimed and repurposed materials.

Megan Leone (from MA, my home state) has added her cool bracelet clutch bags. Each is unique and made with reclaimed fabrics, adorned with a bracelet-handle and decorated with zipper-rosettes and more.  These are strong, well-made clutches that are a sturdy fashion statement!  Plus her leather – feather shaped earrings and her zipper and button cuffs…must see.

Teresa Delene, Seattle has added her line of vintage typewriter key jewelry (which is flying out the door) and her line of affordable and beautiful necklaces and earrings assembled from gemstones and mixed metals.  The combinations of gold, silver, gunmetal, and antiqued silver tones is alluring.

Azura, Seattle, has expanded her collection of women’s short and long sleeve organic tees with men’s tees.  These are super soft and nicely fitted, but the best part is her original designs, silkscreen in soy and water based inks.

Lauren Harkness, a Seattle native now a Portland, is selling her luxury jewelry that is built on hammered silver and gold. Her line is extensive and full of variety, from ostrich feather earrings to classic gold bands.  My favorite are her Coco necklaces which include pearls, tied rough-up silk and chunks of pyrite.

After the holiday rush, we will be updating the web site with all of our lovely designers.  More soon!

Happy Holidays and Shop Local!

Long sleeve women’s organic tee.

Men’s antler tee by Azura.

Bracelet Clutch Bag by Megan Leone.

Lauren Harkness Hammered Gold Necklace can be arranged in multiple ways.

Vintage typewriter keys made into cool jewelry – and so affordable (22$)

Hair band, cuff, or pin it on a bag, hat or shirt! Perfect holiday colors.