Be The Best Gift-Giver On the Planet - part 1

Choosing gifts is an exercise in frustration for many of my customers.  They come in, wander around aimlessly, hoping that something will "pop out" and scream the name of the person they're hoping to find the perfect gift for.  Well, as you can imagine, that doesn't happen very often.


We've tested out some handy tips you can use to make your gift searches more fruitful, and have all your friends and family eagerly anticipating the next awesome gift you've found for them!


But first, make a choice.  Do you want to choose something she can (a) adorn herself with, or (b) something she can adorn her home or office with?  This is an important choice, and there are different tips for each. That's why this is "Part 1"!  And we're going to focus on adorning the home or office first.  Part 2 will focus on adorning the self.

An adorable, tiny vase for your gardener pal
by Livingston Pottery

1. What does your friend like to do with her spare time?  (i.e. hobbies, interests, activities, etc)


I can hear it now: (chuckle chuckle) "What spare time?"  While that can be true for most of us, I know we all have some way of feeding our souls, whether it's stealing 30 minutes to be in the garden, or cooking one unusual meal each week, or reading a gripping mystery before sleeping.  Maybe it's simply sitting quietly for a few minutes with a great glass of wine.

Beautiful candles by Edmonds' own Sagapo
for more enjoyable quiet times

If you don't know at least one answer to this question, it is time to start listening more carefully to your friend.  Or be bold and just ask it outright!  "How do you relax?"  "What inspires you?"  Both are great questions that friends should know about each other, and make for excellent conversations.


And the answer is a precious piece of info!  With it, you are armed for a plethora of gift options! 


Just a smattering of options is garden art or vases for the gardener; pottery or glass dishes for the cook; a unique wine glass or bottle stopper for the wine lover; and that's just the beginning!


2. How does your friend decorate her home?

Ultra-modern vase by
Barry McAlister

Take a closer look around next time you're visiting.  Note the living room style and colors.  Note the kitchen and bathroom style and colors.  This can be excellent for choosing the right candle, vase, tablecloth, or handmade soap - to name just a few options.


Knowing the colors and style can dramatically reduce your anxiety in choosing the right thing.  For example, you'd know you were way off if you chose a fancy, turquoise curli-cue decorative candle for a friend who decorates in sleek, straight-edged red and black.  And the best part?  All you have to do is NOTICE these things on your next visit.

Vibrant Mardi Gras design
for the bold - by Nancy Fiala

Knowing the colors and styles makes it super easy to know whether you should choose our vibrant, multi-colored hand-painted glass in the Mardi Gras design, or the understated and elegant copper and burgundy abstract colors.

Understated yet elegant hand-painted
glass by Nancy Fiala

With those two easy questions under your belt, you can save yourself a lot of worry and anxiety in your gift selections.  And we always love to offer suggestions, too.  You can be sure we'll ask you these same questions when you come in looking for a gift.  We'll then show the range of options we have available within the category, and let you choose the one you like best!  Easy as pie!


Give us a test next time you're on a gift hunt, and see how we fare!  We love to help make you the best gift-giver on the planet!

Manya Vee

www.ManyaVeeSelects.com

Visit us today!

Manya Vee Selects

409 Main St

Edmonds, WA  98020

425-776-3778

Hours: Daily 11 - 6, Sunday & Tuesday noon - 4

3 Wardrobe Staples You Can Count On

I have always been the kind of shopper who purchases clothes as separates.  I find complete outfits boring and lacking in creativity.  Rather, I like separates I can wear with many of the other separates I already have, adding to my style choices.  It's much more fun!  It tends to be less expensive, too, purchasing one item at a time.

I also prefer things that stand the test of time, rather than being trendy.  Of course it would naturally follow, then, that in choosing clothing to carry at Manya Vee Selects, I would also choose classical separates with exceptional style. 

Three items you can count on to expand your wardrobe possibilities are 1) the black jacket, 2) the black skirt, and 3) the colorful top.

1 - The Black Jacket

Here's me, in the bolero
jacket and skirt with a
coral cami and boots

Designed and made in Los Angeles, Testimony has two choices in a jacket.  One or the other work on just about everybody, and both styles work well on quite a few, too.  The first jacket is a shorter bolero style, falling about an inch above the wrist if your arm is hanging at your side.  The rayon fabric with spandex gives it a bit of weight which makes it drape just beautifully. 

Detail on the back of the
Bolero Jacket

There are many jackets out there like this, but none have the interesting gathered and riveted element in the back, which pulls it in at the waist, giving it some nice feminine shape. 

The second jacket works better on taller women, as it is longer.  Also drape-y, it is longer in the back, gently rising toward the front.  The detailing in the back gives this jacket the extra oomph you want.

Here's me in that longer jacket
with some awesome black mineral wash pants,
also by Testimony

Both jackets are great with jeans, slacks or skirts equally, making them exceptionally versatile.  I'm 5'4”, considered “average” height, and both jackets look good on me!

2 - The Black Skirt

Skirt and Jacket
with Sandals

Testimony also makes a terrific long skirt with exceptional drape and movement due to that same rayon/spandex fabric content.  This skirt features a raised segment which can be worn at any point - right in front, on the side, in the back, or over either leg.  It is terrific paired with either one of the above jackets, or some other jacket for your built-for-layers Northwest wardrobe.  One of the images above shows me wearing it with boots, and here it is with sandals.

3 - The plain, colorful, versatile top

Also designed and made in the USA, Luxe Junkie (isn't that a fun name for a company?) uses the most amazing, stretchy polyester fabric to make camis, tank tops, and long-sleeved tops.  The best part is they come in a huge array of colors, letting us add a power punch of pizzazz to our black skirt and jacket combination above.  In my own pictures above, I'm wearing the coral cami.

The simplicity of these tops also makes them excellent for multiple accessorizing options, which as you already know, we adore!

Plus, each and every one of these items:

• is machine washable and line dry
• is great for travel because they resist wrinkles, which hang out easily
• can be either casual or dressy, depending on how you accessorize
• work well in professional settings
• work well with many other items already in your wardrobe
• is great to wear on the airplane for style and comfort at the same time
• are perfect for a plethora of accessorizing options:
•           add a scarf
•           choose traditional or funky jewelry
•           wear it with flip-flops, strappy sandals, or boots in the winter
•           top it off with a great hat
• won't break your budget!  The bolero is $84, the long jacket is $128, the skirt is $110 and the camis and tops are $20 - $30.

Stop by to see these wonderful choices for yourself.  Or wear similar items from your existing wardrobe in to the gallery, and let us help you have fun accessorizing it for greatest effect and multi-purpose wearing! 

Next stop:  New Ideas for your Scarves!

How would you wear these three wardrobe basics?  Look in your closet to see if you have them already, then send us a picture!

Stylishly Yours,

Manya Vee

www.ManyaVeeSelects.com

Visit us today!

Manya Vee Selects

409 Main St

Edmonds, WA  98020

425-776-3778

Hours: Daily 11 - 6, Sunday & Tuesday noon - 4

Artists Don't Have to Starve

Fused glass by Kathy Hudson

It happened again today.  A young boy of about 12 came into the gallery with his grandmother.  He loves art glass and enjoyed learning about the various glass artists whose work we carry.  He had a little experience with glass fusing, and hoped to do more.

But then grandma had to make sure she weighed in with it.  "You better enjoy that now, sweetie, because you'll never make a living with it."

Glass Flower Bouquet
by Jade Glass

Of course, I can't help myself.  I point out that 8 of our 10 glass artists make a real living selling their glass to galleries and shops all over the US. The other two choose not to let glass be their sole living because they want to spend more time with their young children.  But it's their choice.

Do you think she cared?  Nope.  She was convinced I was making it up, or at the least, exaggerating the truth.  But you know what?  I wasn't.

At the start of each of my business classes for artists, I make them write the following in their notebooks, and promise to post it prominently in their studio:

THE ONLY STARVING ARTIST IS 

THE ONE WHO DOESN'T FOLLOW BUSINESS PRACTICES.

I know quite a few artists who are not only making a living selling their art, they are making a good living.  My favorite example is my fellow artist and sometimes teaching partner Pam Corwin of Paper Scissors Rock in Olympia, WA.  She's been making a living selling her art, in several formats and incarnations, for over 25 years now.  She owns her own home.  She employs a couple other people.  She owns a car.  She travels several times a year.  She has retirement socked away.  And she is single.  And by that I mean that she does all this completely on her own, without including the income of a spouse with a "real" full-time job.

Magnetic bookmarks by Pam Corwin

In fact, I'm eagerly awaiting the results of a new survey by www.CODAcraft.org.  In 2000, they did the first ever national survey of the economic impact of craft artists in the US.  Back in 2000, they surveyed more than 7000 craftspeople and found that craft sales generated nearly $14 billion in revenue for the US economy.  Yes, that's Billion with a "B"!  I can't wait to see what the 2011 survey shows!

But what does that really mean?  To compare, all the fruits and vegetables sold in the US amount to $15 billion.  Fuel oil and coal is less, clocking in at $13.2 billion.  Consider how much fruit and veggies you buy each year.  That's a lot!

That's exciting news for the many long-term unemployed people who have gotten pretty good at creating something while waiting for a job opportunity to come along.  And we all know, they might be waiting quite a bit longer, too.  My classes have been filling up due to the interest people have in learning how to turn their hobby into their new job, and join the ranks of the self-employed.

A one-day marketing workshop for artists is scheduled for September 24 in Edmonds.  It will be co-taught by my pal, Pam Corwin, and me.  It will cover things like Visualizing Your Business Identity, Creating Business Cards and Other Materials that Work, Building an Effective Website, and Web Marketing Tools.  The class is very interactive and lots of fun.

If you, or someone you know, fits the description I just talked about, let them know about this class!  If they sign up before August 15, it's cheaper too.  They can find out more and even register online.

Or, if they need to get in on some basics first, schedule a one-on-one consultation with me to get the ball rolling.  An hour and a half will catapult you on your way!

You, too, can join the ranks of those who are making a living selling their art.  I hope to see you there!

Manya Vee
www.ManyaVeeSelects.com

Emily Hickman's Timeless Hammered Silver Jewelry

Sometimes, an inclination toward something takes hold very early in life.  For Emily Hickman, jewelry was just such a thing.  Picture it if you will: little Emily, forming rings out of aluminum foil, and trying to figure out how to make them even shinier by adding rhinestones!  I bet you can just see a cute little blonde girl walking around, proudly holding out her hand for all to see her gorgeous "diamond" ring!

"Moondrops" bracelet from
new 2011 summer collection

Emily was lucky enough to have a metals program in her high school, where she took classes and got her first taste of using a torch and working with metals a little more precious than aluminum foil.

But as happens with so many, she believed the starving artist myth and felt she had to pursue a career with a stable paycheck.  Many dreary years later, and now in her 50s, she returned to her first love by taking jewelry-making classes at North Seattle Community College, and Danaca Designs in the U District.  As she describes it, "I had too many design ideas floating around in my head."  Apparently, they wouldn't be ignored!

Emily Hickman Designs

Emily took as many classes as possible, while maintaining a full-time job.  She wanted to get her skills down quickly so she could focus on making those designs floating around in her head become a reality.

And thus, Emily Hickman Designs was born!  Emily is inspired by her love of the water, as well as ancient hand-forged jewelry.  Simple yet classic shapes are the hallmark of her sterling silver jewelry.  What sets her work apart from the crowd is her use of various hammer tips to create different textures on the surface of the silver.

Earrings from 2011 collection

She also likes to use two different finishes.  One is a highly polished surface that glistens and dances in the light.  The other is a brushed finish that is very subtle and contemporary.  She created the tool she uses to make that brushed surface texture, so it is unlike others out there.  Whatever your personal style, Emily's classic designs is likely to have some choices for you.

Emily can't imagine leaving the house without some jewelry on.  She wanted her own jewelry to be the kind that a woman could wear with jeans, or feel confident wearing to a special event as well.  Her classic shapes with their wonderful textures achieve that goal brilliantly!

Very long necklace can be worn singly, doubly,
or even tripled

Please join us Thursday, July 21 from 5 - 8 pm when Emily will introduce her newest collection, which features open circles and coin-shaped silver elements in a variety of combinations, as seen in the pictures here.  You'll be the first to ever see them!  Wearing them is sure to elicit comments from your friends, and even complete strangers, giving you yet another opportunity to share a moment of beauty with the world.

Manya Vee
www.ManyaVeeSelects.com

The Almost Lost Art of Plique A Jour

Egyptian enameled jewelry

Enameled jewelry has been around a long time, going as far back as the ancient Egyptians.  But what is it exactly? It is taking powdered glass and heating it up until it melts and fuses onto a metal backing.  The powder melts, then flows, and finally hardens when the heat is reduced.  It is a wonderful way to add color to metal without using stones.

Ricky Frank
Pendant

Some contemporary American jewelers have brought new innovations and mastery to this technique, layering and layering various colors to achieve amazingly beautiful results that are so full of life.  One of my favorites is Ricky Frank.  He says "I create miniature worlds of light and color in enamel".

The traditional method of enameling has a metal backing behind the enamel, or powdered glass.  Another style is less common nowadays, but quite beautiful, resulting in a magical interaction with the metal and the glass.  There are very few artists working with enamel this way because it is quite technically challenging.  The technique is called Plique-a-Jour, which means "letting in daylight."  This goblet was made that way in about 1890 in Russia.

Russian Plique-a-Jour Goblet, ca 1890

Lalique Brooch

The plique-a-jour method still uses powdered glass, but instead of applying it on TOP of metal, the artist cuts out shapes within the metal, and puts the powdered glass in those open spaces.  Now when it's fired, and melts, and gets hard again, the glass doesn't have anything behind it.  The light can shine through, creating a sort of stained glass effect.  Famous art nouveau glass and jewelry designer Rene Lalique used this technique delicately and beautifully.

Dorner "Wave" earrings

A local artist, Diane Dorner, has enjoyed making earrings with this technique, resulting in some very fun and unusual earrings.  She uses fine silver (pure silver with no other components added) because it interacts more gracefully with the enamel.  She cuts out the outer shape using a jeweler's saw.  Then, she drills a tiny hole into the shape to create an open space inside it.  She inserts her tiny jeweler's saw to then create the shape she wants.  She repeats this technique numerous times to get the final look.

Then she chooses the color or colors of enamel she wants to use, and lays it out carefully.  It usually takes multiple firings and applications of the enamel to get a thick enough piece of glass that will be strong and stand the test of time.  It gets fired in a kiln that heats up to 1380 - 1560 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dorner "window" earrings

It might seem like the extensive labor involved would make these quite expensive, but they are not as crazy as you might think.  Diane's earrings sell for $90 - $140.  The more expensive ones have gemstones set into them as well.

Dorner "Lime Bubbles" earrings

Wearing a pair of these earrings is sure to elicit comments of wonder, as the light glows beautifully through the glass.  It has a sort of stained glass window effect.  It is so unusual that people will really want to know what it is!  So enjoy sharing a moment of beauty with complete strangers as you wear them.  What a respite from the depressing news we encounter every day!

I'm sure you know, dear readers, that this is my reason for being - to share a moment of beauty with you, as well as with all the people around us - friends and strangers alike.  I invite you to share your story of shared beauty with all of us right here in the comments!

Manya Vee
ManyaVeeSelects.com

Cooking Creatively! Asparagus Dipper

Asparagus
Cutter

It's asparagus season!  I love this time of year.  I grew up on a farm in eastern Washington.  The field around our house had asparagus in it before I was born.  But asparagus loves to grow and scatter its seed, so I was always sent out to pick the "volunteer" asparagus that grew along the edge of the field, as well as along the ditch bank.  A special cutter is used, and it can only be done by hand.  So far, there's no machine that can cut asparagus properly.  Take the cutter and place it at the edge of the soil and cut down at an angle.  That's how it's done!  One at a time.

In truth, however, I didn't come to love asparagus until adulthood, where I was forced to eat it by a friend who swore I'd like it because she didn't boil it to death.  She was right!  And a new addiction was born.  She roasted it in the oven, tossed with olive oil and herbs.

But my favorite way to have it is steamed for about 3 minutes, and then dipped into this delectable sauce.  The sauce is super simple: mayonnaise mixed with soy sauce!  Sounds strange at first, but just try it and you'll be addicted too!

The best mayo, however, is that made from scratch.  It takes about 3 minutes.  All you need is a blender, an egg, and some canola oil.  Okay, a few other things too.  I've been making this for so many years now that I can't remember where I got the recipe initially.

1 egg at room temperature
dash cayenne
1/2 t powdered mustard
1/2 t salt
1/4 C canola oil
***
1/2 C canola oil
***
3 T lemon juice
1/2 C canola oil

Put the first 5 ingredients in your blender and blend together.  Then, slowly, and I mean VERY slowly, drizzle in the next 1/2 C canola oil.  It will start to get very thick at this point.  You may have to stop and mix it up with a spatula.  Then add the lemon juice and final 1/2 C oil.  Blend again to make it all nice and thick, like mayonaisse consistency.

Voila!  Homemade mayo, sans chemicals!  It's so delicious, too.  It keeps for about a month in the fridge.

Let me know how you like this dip!  Oh, just add as much soy sauce as you want to get the flavor you want.  It really doesn't take very much.  I'd guess we use about 1 T soy sauce to 1/4 C mayo.

I can't wait to hear how you like it!

Manya Vee
ManyaVeeSelects.com

Cooking Creatively! Part One - multiple meals with a roasted chicken

We're in our third year of a recession, and being in the arts hasn't made that any easier.  We have been having a great time, however, making really delicious food within a shrinking grocery budget!  As they say, "necessity is the mother of invention."  And I'd like to add that creativity is like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it becomes!  Our creativity has expanded into cooking because we enjoy good food a lot, but couldn't afford some of our favorite things anymore.  So we found ways to make some of those things ourselves!  And the more we expanded our creativity with cooking, the more creative and delicious our food became!  I'd like to share some of my tips with you.

One of our mainstays is finding affordable protein sources.  One of the best deals around are when whole chickens go on sale for 77 cents a pound.  And we're in luck!  It had been at least 6 weeks since such a sale nearby, and a few weeks ago, at our neighborhood's QFC, it was on!  We usually get two of them: one to use soon and one for the freezer.  A whole chicken can become a lot of meals if used to its fullest potential!

Here's a list of potential meals with just one chicken:
1. Roasted chicken, baked potatoes, salad
2. Roasted chicken breast sandwiches for lunch
3. Chicken flautas
4. 5-spice soup with chicken, shitakes, and napa cabbage (which ends up being about 6 meals)
5. Manya's Chicken Rice Soup (which also ends up being about 6 meals)

It all begins with a very fun meal of roasted chicken, baked potatoes, and a salad.  A while ago, I discovered a delicious trick for getting great flavor into the chicken meat when roasting it.

1. Choose your spice combination.  I usually start by thinking of a country whose flavors I want to invoke.  For example, if Mexican, I'll use cumin, coriander, garlic and chili powder.  If French, it becomes herbes de Provence mixed with honey and dijon.  If Chinese, maybe five spice powder.  This time, I used marjoram, thyme, oregano, basil, dijon mustard, and honey.

2. Mix the spices together using olive oil.

3. After washing the chicken and removing the innards (and setting them aside for later use in a broth), dry the chicken with paper towels.

4. Run your finger between the skin and the meat on the breast side, and then again on the thighs and legs.

5. Into this opening, rub your spice mix.

6. Rub the remaining amount on top of the chicken.

Basting a chicken

Put the chicken breast side down in a roasting pan.  Set the oven to 450 degrees (it should be preheated).  Roast the chicken for 15 minutes.  Then turn the oven down to 375 degrees.  Roast another 20 minutes.  At this point, take it out of the oven and baste it.  Do this by taking a brush, pick up the juices in the bottom of the pan, and rub the juice-filled brush over the chicken's skin.

Put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes.  Baste it again, and now turn it over so it is breast side UP.  Roast it for another 20 minutes, keeping an eye on it near the end to make sure it doesn't get overdone or underdone.

After the initial blast of 450 degree heat, put your bakers in the oven along with the chicken so they can roast for an hour.  They should then be done right at the same time.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes or so.  Some say to let it rest longer, but we can never wait any longer because it smells so darn good.  Then carve off your favorite parts, put your favorite things on your spud, and enjoy it all while it's good and hot. I love butter, cheddar, chives from our garden, and sour cream on mine.

While the chicken and potatoes were in the oven, you should've had time to put together a nice salad with your favorite things.  In a later post, I'll talk about salad dressings you can make from scratch for pennies, compared to store-bought versions.  And they're very fast too.  I can do it in 2 minutes!  And no chemicals to worry about.

Coming later: what to do with your leftover chicken meat, as well as the bones and those innards you removed when washing the chicken!  Yes indeed, SAVE THE BONES!  Keep them in the freezer to be put to good use later.

Be sure to let me know if you try this, and how you enjoyed the results!

Manya Vee
manyaveeselects.com