Growing Pains

As is painfully obvious, I have gotten woefully behind in my blogging the last couple of weeks! I would blame it on a multitude of things, but really, it boils down to prioritizing. And being incredibly indecisive. And being forgetful.

I'll just stick to "multitude of things".

One big thing that has been keeping me from updating is spending all my time researching domain names, and all the things that go along with that. I thought, "How cool would it be to be able to type 'fergusonsfinejewelry.com' into my web browser, and BAM, be at my site?"

So I decided that maybe it was time to cough up a little money and make that step. I was literally seconds away from buying the name (and I still should) when I made the discovery that... it is not that simple!! I won't go into details, because you either A) already know what I'm talking about or B) know even less than myself and don't need me confusing you. If you are looking for more information, I suggest making google your friend. And then coming back here and explaining everything to me.

So now I'm slogging through web hosts, and site platforms and something called genesis framework that I have no idea about, but apparently should drop $60 on ASAP.

Also today I finally set up the printer we bought (on Saturday) and made the discovery that it only prints black and white. Did I mention that yet? I feel incredibly dingy and annoyed at the same time. We talked about returning it, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like I would probably just use the color feature to print off pictures of Doctor Who and those printables where you fold cube like replicas of nerdy characters. I think I'm just going to invest in some pretty cardstock and some good colored pencils. That sounds like more fun anyway, right?

Well, I think we are back out of the rabbit trail. It took us a little further down the path than I had intended, but everyone's still here and no worse for the wear.

I don't know if we are quite ready to go full out on a website yet. There's so many things that I don't even completely understand; let alone pay money to not know what I am doing. But I do think it is time to start transitioning into a more professional arena. I would love to have a fully functioning site, where there's more than just a blog rambling on about daily goofiness; maybe even be able to purchase our jewelry directly from the source. So I am moving over to http://fergusonsfinejewelry.wordpress.com. At some point in time, I would like to transfer everything here at The Tiger and The Fox over to it, but that's not possible, so for now,  I will be mainly focusing on that site, with a periodic look back this way.

I hope to see you over at our new site, and look forward to continuing to grow!

Friday Feature 4/19/13

This week's Friday feature is going to be a little different- yesterday we introduced a new section in our etsy shop: "Vintage Novelties". While our main focus is jewelry, we both love to get out and search for cool old treasures. Yard sales, antique malls, auctions, or even the side of the road; we are always on the lookout for unusual things.

Today on FF, you'll get to find out a little bit more on each of the three new additions to the store.

The first two items are similar, but still one of a kind. If there is one thing The Fox and I can't resist, it's mason jars. These are the classic Atlas EZ Seal variety, with the metal & glass snap and lock style lids.

Vintage Mason Jar with Wooden Dominoes

The first one is a pint size, and I've taken over a dozen antique wooden dominoes and packed it full. They alone have a fantastic look to them, with an engraved leaf and vine motif, and painted dots that have a wonderful worn look. The brown is a nice change from classic black, and has a softer, more rustic look to it.

 This jar makes a great centerpiece for a table, or part of an arrangement in a foyer or even for eclectic wedding decorations.
 I love pouring out a jar of "whimsies" and sorting through everything. We have jars at home full of buttons and matches and other strange little things and i feel like it really personalizes your space. 















Vintage Mason Jar with Brightly Colored Clothespins

The second jar is larger- I believe it is the quart size. This one is much brighter and full of color from the fifteen different shades of embroidery floss that have each been carefully twined around a clothespin. I originally started doing this to keep all my thread organized, but as the clothespins began stacking up, I couldn't get over how beautiful they were all together.

 The variety of shades of pink, green, gold and brown mixed with a splash of purple and vibrant blue really brighten up any shelf, nook or mantelpiece. You can always use the thread for embellishing your own creations and fill the jar with your own collection of treasures! (Shells, old wooden spools, or old watch parts all make fascinating displays!)

Vintage Embroidered Wall Hangings

Lastly is this pair of crewel embroidery wall hangings. I think they are from the 1970's, or possibly older. They have a fabulous retro feel with avocado green linen backing and bright orange and yellow mums as the main focal point, with sweet daisies and ferns surrounding them. They are similar in design, but not identical, giving them an interesting yet cohesive feel. 

I love the color of the thread used in the embroidering- it's still vibrant after 40+ years. The pieces are ready to hang, and would be perfect to finish off a kitschy kitchen or family room.

After all the cold and gloomy weather we have had for so long, pieces like these vintage goodies go a long way in brightening up spaces and bringing in the sunshine to our home. One of the things I love most about older items is the uniqueness of each piece. Even the not so rare pieces keep from having a "mass produced" feel to them, and so many more things were made by hand. There may be plenty of embroidery to be found, but each piece is one of a kind, because different hands made it. 

You can find this week's finds here.

***We are more than happy to answer any questions or requests for additional information. Feel free to send us a message on etsy, to our email- thetigerandthefox@gmail.com or leave us a comment here!***

Hello, my name is Jo, and I'm a Procrastinator

It is 8:15 p.m. and I am so tired I could fall asleep typing except my dishwasher has all of a sudden decided to start making a noise like a jet plane taking off. I should be concerned, but I just don't have it in me. Which brings me to my shameful neglect of even attempting a Friday Feature last week. It was one of those Fridays that just never stops being busy, and so I said.. oh, I'll do it on Saturday morning. And then I got up at 5 am to go yard saling with The Fox on Saturday morning... and it didn't happen.
 "Oh, I'll do a really nice post on Tuesday. Maybe I'll even find another etsy shop I like and do a feature on them to make up for it."

o_o


So now it's after 8 o'clock and I'm stuffed full of this:

Which was beyond delicious, and the fact that I neither made it nor cleaned up after it was only the icing on top. The Fox worked his mad kitchen skills and that was after cutting hair non-stop today. 

Aside from that, things are pretty normal around here. I had some sales on etsy over the weekend which was very encouraging, and there are two new tomato sprouts that are peeping out in the new planters. Sowed my carrot and pak choy seeds in the back yard garden plots, and my sweet peppers and eggplants look like they may be ready to transplant soon. 

Sunday we had a chance to have lunch with another couple from our Bible study and we really enjoyed spending time with them! 

Then Monday night I got a text with this picture---->

And was at my best friend's house about 10 minutes later to see these sweet things in person! Oh, they were so sweet! Her DH had gone over the nest with the lawn mower and they were jumping everywhere! We ended up returning them to the nest, and I think the mother has since been back for them, so all is well, but I would have packed them home with me in a heartbeat if I thought my three wild hooligans would not gobble them up.

So that's been my excitement for the week. Now I can't make any promises, because as soon as I do, I'll flake out, but definitely check back on Friday for this week's feature piece! I am off to bed!

Not the Week I Expected

This has been kind of a discouraging week for me.

All of my seedlings are dying. Over the last two weeks I have lost an entire set of hot peppers, tomatoes, and assorted other sproutlets. I water them, I sun them... I don't know why they are dying. I'm sure I am doing something wrong, but I have followed the directions to the best of my abilities and that's all I've got. So I'm on round two with some plants, waiting for them to start sprouting. I already did this waiting thing once, I don't want to do it again! I feel impatient, and then I feel angry. And now that I'm starting to get angry, I think.. nothing ever works for me. Nothing ever goes my way. Now I think about how I haven't done any painting/sketching/etc for a few weeks, and I wanted to finish that one watercolor for my Dad, and it's... well, it's kind of crappy, and I'm not an artist, I'm a moron with a pencil and too much time on her hands. I need to be doing something productive. Need to be working. I'm working on the shop, taking pictures for listings, editing pictures for listings... there's a freaking hair stuck in the prongs of the ring I just took 20 pictures of. Retake pictures, do a blog feature, troll etsy...

No sales.

And now I'm confused, impatient, angry, my neck is all sore from not using proper computer posture and

BLARGH WHY AM I FAILURE AT LIFE

I just realized I didn't even type that correctly. Rinse, and repeat.

I've been reading a book my mom loaned me, called "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman. And by reading, I mean I started it, got a couple chapters into it, and then left it sitting while all the aforementioned super awesome fun time stuff was going on. I sat down last night for a few moments between all the "busy busy busy" and read this:

Diagnosing Fandom: Is Jesus one of many, or is He your One and Only?

And questions 1 & 2 are good; very good (For What Do You Sacrifice Your Money; When You're Hurt, Where Do You Go For Comfort?) but #3 is what I really needed.

Really really needed.

3. What disappoints or frustrates you the most?
When we feel overwhelmed with disappointment it often reveals something that has become too important. It may be something as significant as a loss of a job, or something as insignificant as the loss of a ball game. When we find that those things have the power to determine who we are and what kind of day we have, it very well may be evidence that something is more important than it should be. Of course some level of disappointment and frustration can be natural. But if you find that you are excessively disappointed or over-frustrated it's an indication of what might be competing for affection that is to be Christ's alone.

BOOM.

Truth bomb, as The Fox likes to say.

Instead of getting bogged down, I need to realize that if I don't have a garden full of shiny heirloom tomatoes, that's Ok. I can go to the farmer's market and support my local farmers.
I need to step back from the computer and instead of obsessing over perfect pictures, go outside and enjoy a sunny, 78 degree day after snow and slush and gloom for months.

It may be rainy today, but look at those blossoms!!

And yes, I am a moron with a pencil. But I like it that way and what else really matters?

James 1:2-4- Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Romans 8:26- Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Philippians 4:6– Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

There's so many more. It encourages my heart so much to read such powerful words!
What I hope to take away from this week is when things start to get me down, firstly- is it really that important? In 10 years, 6 months or even 2 weeks from now.. will this even matter? If the answer is no, then I need to get over it. And secondly, maybe it is important- but is it more important than it should be? Am I letting the world take my eyes off Jesus and focus on the fool's gold it offers instead?

This week my prayer is to "count it all joy" and be "anxious about nothing" and I hope you will join me in that!!

Friday Feature 4/5/13

I'm running terribly behind today! Please forgive my lateness- between the temperature being over 65 and sunny and losing a ring, my day ended up being more hectic than I had intended! This week I chose one of my favorite sterling pieces from the shop- thought it might be time to take a break from yellow gold! 

               Candy Blue Vintage Sterling Silver and Turquoise Ring

This gorgeous ring is a classic example of vintage sterling silver and turquoise jewelry. With the stone measuring easily more than an inch in length, it is an impressive piece! The elaborate detailing in sterling complements the unusual shape so well with first braiding and then an intricate pattern of eddies and whorls on the outer edge.

The turquoise is a gorgeous shade of candy hued cerulean that is in remarkable condition for its age which I believe to be at least 30-40 years old. The stone is a very unusual jelly bean shaped cabochon that goes perfectly with all of the bright colors and tribal patterns that are so popular right now. The ring is a US size 7.25 which is a great size as it can accommodate a range of hand sizes. 

What also makes this such a wonderful ring is that it has been signed. After seriously wearing out google, and looking at as much as I could find, I have found four different artists who utilize the "LC" signature. Lee Chee, Lucille Calladitto, Louise Clark, and finally, Luciano Chavez. Studying each signature style as well as craftsmanship, I believe this ring to be the work of Luciano Chavez. Aside from learning that he is from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, I was unable to discover any more. Regardless, a good signature always adds value, not forgetting an additional degree of intrigue as well as artistic appeal.

Simply put, I love everything about this ring! It has great quality, unique character, and even an air of mystery- where did it come from, how did it end up in Tiny Town, Kentucky, and who really is Luciano Chavez??

Maybe that isn't as much of a mystery as I am making it out to be... if you have more information about this artist, or just want to jump in with something to share, feel free!! We always love to learn something new!

You can find this week's ring here.

***We are more than happy to answer any questions or requests for additional information. Feel free to send us a message on etsy, to our email- thetigerandthefox@gmail.com or leave us a comment here!***

Watch out for those Moths

Things have been quiet because I've been spending so much time working on the etsy shop. Not that you can particularly tell it right now. Lots of reading and researching on creating a specific brand for the store (which I am struggling to wrap my brain around!), as well as updating old listings and adding new things. I've managed to get two new necklaces listed this week- very different but both from the 1960's.

1960's Natural Pearl Strand Necklace

Atomic Age 14k Gold Pendant with Necklace Chain

I also have about 20 things still in draft mode, so be looking for them to start popping up over the next month or so.

Just yesterday a gentleman brought in some really awesome sterling rings- he is a metal detector that has hunted all over, but these particular pieces are from California soil! It will probably be a few days before they get added to the inventory, just because I have so many other things ahead of them, but here is a little teaser! (Excepting the agate ring and the spoon ring. Those are my personal pretties :)

I just love that one tiny yellow knuckle ring! I'm not the best about keeping up with current fashions (mostly because I don't really care. I just wear what I like!) but apparently they are the. thing. right now. At least that is what I have been noticing when I make my social networking rounds each day. It makes me a little sad to think about all the old baby rings that we have acquired in the past and couldn't keep because they were so tiny and no one wanted them! The lesson my hoarder self wants to take away from this is... save everything!!

But that probably isn't the right lesson.

Do what you love, invest in what you love. If no one else likes it or wants to buy it, at least you don't mind looking at it every day as you set up the display cases, or edit photos for the fifteenth tiiime. There have been some things we have had for sale that I just thought were ugly. Didn't like 'em, didn't care about 'em. Unsurprisingly, that was the way other people felt too. It certainly didn't help that I had zero passion about the items I was trying to convince them to buy. 

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that just because I love a ring, it's going to fly right off the shelf. But it's OK. I work hard to present it well. When I love a piece, I care enough about it to find out information about it like the time period it was from, who might have worn it, and what makes it something special. I wear it myself for a few days and admire the craftsmanship that went into making it. And when someone shows an interest in it, I can honestly tell them just why it's a worthwhile investment. When someone buys a piece from me and loves it so much they leave the store wearing it- that is what makes my day. 

In the end though, it is all just things. As much as I love my business, and am so blessed to have it, I am continually reminded of a specific verse- Matthew 6:19-21

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Which tells me that it is ok that I haven't hoarded every single baby ring or green stoned artifact or whatever is popular right now. "A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever"

Because that's not where I want my heart to be. So I sell what I sell; I admire it, appreciate it, thank God for providing it, and remember that there are far more important treasures to cling to.

Friday Feature- 3/29/13

It's time for Friday Feature once more! Now through April 1st, we also are having a spring fling sale in the shop- 10% off total purchase, storewide. Just be sure to use our coupon code- SPRING2013 to cash in on the deals! 

This week, we are showcasing a very romantic piece- and yes, I know you already know, but it's one of my favorites!!

Romantic Vintage Ring with Marquis Garnet & 10 Kt Yellow Gold

This is a lovely, dainty piece that I find myself always coming back to. The mounting is done in 10 karat yellow gold in a charming doily style that has a very Edwardian style to it. This particular ring is more of what I call a "tribute" piece in that its true age is approximately 25 or so years old, but the fashion is clearly from a previous era. The design shows a distinct pull to the delicate nature of jewelry created in the early 1900's and the femininity of the period. 

The ring features a single marquis cut garnet of a beautiful burgundy or wine colored hue. It is framed by a fine border of white gold as well as two small diamonds, each set on either point of the garnet. The size is a ladies 6, which makes for a very versatile ring. It is well suited to being worn on just about any finger of the hand, and is in ready to wear condition. The shank is in very good shape- it has not been worn thin and has a good long life of wear ahead of it. 

This ring is absolutely lovely; it would be a wonderful gift either for Mother's Day, or for a young girl's first prom or graduation gift. It has a classic sweetheart look to it that brings to mind the sweetness and innocence of a bygone time, while still maintaining the structural quality and accessible price of vintage as opposed to antique jewelry.

You can find this week's ring here.

***We are more than happy to answer any questions or requests for additional information. Feel free to send us a message on etsy, to our email- thetigerandthefox@gmail.com or leave us a comment here!***