black friday etsy sale

why would you go OUT shopping when you can stay IN and shop in your jammies on line?

this black friday, take advantage of 15% savings at  my enamel jewelry etsy shop, design options and/or my woodland jewelry shop, herban elements.

snag an additional 5% off coupon code on facebook (thumb it up for future deals!)

happy birthday!

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today is mann's birthday: i think he is twentynine again...we started at hotel monaco, just us two, then ended at cava in a group: everybody loved my gift: a fabulous ugly christmas vest which rocked! people on the street let it be known it was cool! 

we laughed and laughed.

honoring andy irons

earlier this month one of my favorite surfers, andy irons, pasted away from "unknown causes": either dengue fever or a drug overdose...they dont know yet. he was one of the greatest surfers of all time with all the right moves, and frankly, he was hot! i grew up in the foggy bay area a wanna-be surfer girl, and spent a considerable amount of time at stinson beach practicing...mostly body surfing cuz i couldnt afford a board. after moving to the east coast before my surfing prime ;), i have followed the sport fairly religiously on cable tv or on ustream even...so i love andy irons and am sad to see him go! around the world, irons was honored with paddle outs: an in-the-water hawaiian celebration to honor the life of a lost surfer. my parents live in hawaii and have sent me photos of a paddle out that took place in front of their place: the fallen surfer's board was pushed out into the pacific with a hibiscus lei placed on top, friends and family left behind...a very poignant moment for all. so, r.i.p. andy: you will be sorely missed.

today's favorite etsy shop

today's favorite etsy shop is the fabulous lucyandethel, a vintage shop with something for everyone! the 'thing' for me the other day was this silver and lucite woven basket bag that i needed. i  think lucy and ethel and i were in a treasury together a few weeks back...i saw the bag and have been thinking about it ever since, but thought i would put it in my wishlist and wait for the christmas booty to roll in...then, while lusting over it a couple of days ago, i noticed 15 people had also marked it as their 'favorite', so i pounced! it arrived today in all its shiny glory and i couldnt be happier! see? etsy is the place for everything! (dont tell the mister, please).

trick dog

more new work...a daschund sniffing a hematite flower: sweet!

celebrate national pomegranate month

i pay homage to the pomegranate as much as i can this time of year: they are just becoming readily available in an edible form here in the mid-atlantic: previous years saw small, shriveled and tasteless fruits. but now that people know they are really good for them, pomegranites are all ya hear about. i have been eating them as long as i can remember: katherine louie had a pomegranate tree in her side yard and we picked it clean every year...those were the delicious years...

happy button day!

happy button day! celebrate the lowly button by...by...dumping out your button box and snapping a photo (above). or sew on all of the buttons your clothes are missing...actually buttons can add a lot of stylistic coolness, so i put together a treasury of etsy stuff that blows the button up: enjoy!

'happy button day!' by herbanelements

celebrating buttons and all their glory!

STAND BACK 1 inch pinback bu... Gnipmac $	Vintage candy tin filled wit... CrowRidgeStudi... $25.00
Button Shakers madhatterceram... $42.00	Red button tufted settee vin... dingaling $165.00
Early Plastic Buttons in Red... marias9 $8.50	Handmade Neck Warmer NewMoonCrochet $28.00
A Range of Button Rings sophiekells $8.00	Fusia button up shade lampshadestudi... $25.00
Black Hat/Red Buttons gaylehodges $13.00	Bright Orange Velvet Throw P... YourPrettyThin... $18.00
Vintage Ceramic Ladies Butto... TheBunnyHutch $5.00	Ceramic orange wafer button mermaidsbeads $8.00
Jennifer Jangles Ceramic But... Jangles $12.00	RED ceramic pendant charityscerami... $6.00
Red, orange with gold shimme... Periay $15.00	Red, Pink, and Purple - Stac... KatyJo3 $12.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

shop local: washington dc

i pretty much only shop on etsy these days: i love supporting the handmade community and i get great stuff. shopping on etsy is really easy...customizable, also! the 'shop local' feature is one of my favorites: whether you want to buy something from someone close to you...or close to someone else...or last minute...the locater on etsy rocks! here is a diverse treasury of dc local artists put together by the very fabulous trillium. find talent in you own town and buy it!

redbud

i am really not much of a movie person anymore: they are all too long, and frankly, too lame, so i dont go to the movies. but film: film is another thing entirely! at 12:30 today the rosebud film & video festival kicks off at the fantastic new artisphere in arlington. 20 films by local filmmakers have been selected to be shown over 7 hours today...for $10! i have gone to rosebud a few times over the years and never been disappointed in what i saw...and if i was, i left and came back later.

ice skating! already?

the only type of cold weather activities i participate in are the ones accompanied by warm weather! so, yeah: it will be cold over night, but 65° later in the day, so i am dusting off my skates and heading to the national gallery of art's sculpture garden ice rink. the place opens at 10:00am. saturday.

happy veteran's day

happy veteran's day, with a special shout out to the marines who have been around for 235 years yesterday! originally organized after the revolutionary war in 1775 to protect the 13 colonies, the marines have more than earned there cake. and, if they are eating cake today, maybe that will make the news...or maybe a marine's rendition of a beyonce or lady gaga song will be shown: i have yet to see in any headline the fact that the 'darkhouse' third battalion fifth of the marines is in a horrendous battle in afghanistan AT THIS MOMENT and have had thirteen members killed since last month. this story must have been buried between lindsey lohan and mel gibson updates. ridiculous.

are you a fan?

i am not really into facebook like a lot of people: i feel funny posting my eating habits to my friends-on line or i.r.l....i dont want anyone's opinion on my outfits...and i'm not really into television (that i care to speak out loud about)or movies. so, i'm there...on facebook...but, i only participate when forced, er, poked. today i unabashedly opened a business page, which used to be called a 'fan' page, i think. i figure i work a lot on a bunch of different projects all at the same time, and maybe somebody might be interested...or 'like' it, i mean. so i spent the last five days figuring out a design for my main page, and then how to load it in 'fbml' (really?), and that was a trick, mind you! then how to install my two etsy shops on separate clickable pages, which was also interesting! it's done now, so please go to

lynda andrews-barry designs...take a look...write on my wall...search herban elements or my enamel jewelry shop...and give it the thumbs up if you are so inclined!

blue birds in flight

just sold and relisted, these blue birds are flying to australia!

sterling silver bird bath

i have spent the last few weeks working on my new line of sterling silver and gem stone jewelry...here is another piece: more to come! lately i have been obsessed with bird watching and twitter...

washington dc weekend events

there is a lot going on in the nation's capital this weekend...saturday kicks it off with howard university's homecoming parade at 10am...at noon walk over to the rally to restore sanity or the march to keep fear alive...there are a million parties and events associated with these events, so look online...there is a horse show at the verizon center...marine corp marathon on sunday...did i mention (adult) halloween?...let's start this party right: with an after hours dance party at the hirshorn museum tonight 8-12.

san francisco in miniature

my parents live in san francisco and its a wonderful city! here it is in a miniaturized version via the tilt shift photo(shop) process...mostly cool...

a visit from the underworld

a great show from underworld at 9:30 club...like a big electronic discotheque...

turquoise with a twist

my turquoise and lime fleur de lis earrings were featured on etsy by eclectibles in this luscious treasury...they sold shortly thereafter...

pantone colors for spring 2011

pantone women's colors, spring 2011

pantone men's colors, spring 2011

whether you are designing a new fashion line  or revamping your existing wardrobe, consider these colors, because you will be seeing a lot of them next spring.

morning glorious

my morning glory flower necklace was featured in this wintry wedding treasury by fellow etsy-an normamaecreations: icy hot!

shadowboxing, part 2

today we had a nor'easter blow through, which meant i wasnt outside much: the dog did not want to be there at all. so with all this extra time on my hands, i decided to make some (more) shadow boxes with the stuff i have collected around here: feathers...fishing weights...found pottery and natural things from in and around the river. it took hours: way more than i thought, but the results are worth it...and its done!

victorian halloween

thank you, lucy and ethel for the inclusion of my blood red garnet and crape myrtle ring in their fantastic and timely victorian halloween treasury on etsy.

tonight's sunset

tonight's sunset was awesome and culminated a beautiful day of contemplation in the upper 80's: probably the last day like that for a long time. wish you were here: not!

banksy tags the simpsons

i missed last night's episode of the simpson's because i was at a tiki bar enjoying myself with friends...but i caught the opening on youtube this morning...and it was great! banksy has sort of gone mainstream.

burst at the artisphere

i am sitting outside writing my random blog posts: the sun is dropping rather quickly now and i just got a little chill! or maybe i'm getting chills because i am excited about the party in arlington tonight to celebrate the opening of the 62,000 square foot artisphere in the old newseum space. there is a lot going on over there: exhibition space, concert and performance areas as well as laser light make out (!) theaters (2!). the party starts at 8...ends at 2 and features house diva ultra nate all the way from charm city: holla!

rat control

i saw this dead rat laying in the middle of the street...yuck.

most dangerous neighborhood?

wow...i was shocked to see the navy yard area in southeast dc named as the ninth most dangerous neighborhood in the country! really? i dont think so, but they have the stats to prove it. this neighborhood is near capitol hill, and i have lot of friends who live there, including mann of mannmade designs...and hello cupcake is opening their second branch there...do i even need to mention the marines (hot, but dont ask and dont tell)? this hood is filled with great shops, great restaurants and great people. i have never felt threatened or frightened when visiting, and most everyone on the street says 'hello!', which is typical of most places in dc and its surrounding burbs...so, all i am saying is, its worth the risk to go and hang out there, but watch your back, i guess!

my new favorite etsy shop

today, these fab fingerless gloves arrived from ankara, turkey, home of the amazing elde: i am in love! not that i like cold weather or anything, but these marvelous mitts will at least make it more bearable! i am eyeing a few more pairs...

i caught a fish!

i went to cockrell's creek seafood and bought myself a rockfish to eat...

part of my new series of sterling silver animal and gemstone inspired jewelry. my sister sent me the beautiful abalone shell.

what would you do for a klondike?

now that is devotion: delicious devotion!