Reclaimed Wood and Steel Furniture by Wageoflabor.com

A customer wanted a railroad tile look to her bench. 

Did you know that my boyfriend/husband, Jason makes beautiful furniture out of reclaimed wood and steel?  That's right, we are a 2 maker household.  We like living on the edge, apparently.  lol. I told him we should merge our companies and call it "Little Big Metal" or something like that but no.  I have all the good ideas.  Tiny Big Hammer Wood?  Eh?  Earrings and Benches?  Ok. Whatever.

I've been meaning to share and brag about his wood so here it is: 

A custom two tier square coffee table for a very happy Chicago couple.  

Jason works out of a tiny, single car garage and most pieces are customizable and shippable.  He's also made pieces for local businesses and shops.  I was especially impressed by the pieces he made for Bitter Pops in Roscoe Village, in Chicago.   

Custom Wageoflabor bar counter at Bitter Pops, Chicago. 

Custom reclaimed wood and steel pedestal pub table at Bitter Pops, Chicago.

Custom 72" Bench for Mudroom/ Entry way in Evanston, IL.

Jason recently made a custom dining room table that was like 15 foot long or something.  I don't get how one guy can make something that big but he does it.  So, if you need anything, bookcases, entertainment centers, coffee tables, or something for that weird space that you can't find that perfect piece for, just ask Jason to build it.  

Custom coat rack shelf by wageoflabor.com 

I finally added more post earrings

I have a problem with not throwing anything out, if it can be used for art and craft.  So, when I cut all those circles for the Origami Paper Earrings, I always end up with tiny diamond shape scraps.  Well, I've saved a few baggies full of them and I finally found use for them.  Wrong lesson learned: save everything!

Storewide Sale- 30% OFF Everything..

All of April, enjoy 30% OFF everything. Don't forget Mother's Day!! 

niceLena-big-holiday-sale-cybermonday

A pretty big deal. I am loving the support from all my friends on fb and real life.  I think it's lovely that so many people have caught onto shopping small and handmade.  It's a roller coaster ride, for sure but awesome when your friends come along and cheer you on.  So, I made up a holiday deal because everyone loves deals.  I don't know how long I'll have these coupon codes up so, use it soon.   xo  Lena niceLena- the wizard of cute BUY 1= 15% OFF// coupon code SAVEON1  BUY 2= 20% OFF// coupon code SAVEON2 BUY 3= 30% OFF// coupon code SAVEON3

How to prepare your small business for the busy season in 5 easy steps.

With the holiday season upon us, you may be panicking about how to keep it all together.  Take advantage of the tips I've put together to make this your most wonderful time of the year.

1. Make a plan for the season.

    While sipping morning coffee write up a rough outline of what you want to accomplish this season.  Treat yourself to a little brainstorming session to come up with promotions, coupons, and special events you know will get your customers totally pumped up. 

2. Set Reminders!

    Set yourself up with a system using Google calendar, or a similar program, then make a more detailed plan of how you want to spend each day.  Always set deadlines and reminders for yourself.  It can feel overwhelming sometimes and you're not always going to remember everything so write it down! Are you writing this down?  Save yourself a little Christmas Eve panic and set shipping dates, i.e. last day customers can order for each level of shipping grade etc.  

3. Stay Visible.

    It's very important to stay visible to your fans so devote some time for social media, emails and blogs to  engage with your followers.  Try to share a picture that represents your brand and personality every day.  Remind people about sales and promotions going on through these sites, make sure you use #relavent #hashtags.  Dont forget to promote those promotions you came up with in step one! Creating special codes for repeat customers may seem like a daunting, time consuming task- but it's worth it.  Trust, me.  You trust me right?

4. Take inventory of your stock and supplies.

    Research your stock and sales from the previous holiday season so you are always a few steps ahead, and have a bit more on hand just in case. Be optimistic but realistic about your budget. 

5.  Get Ready to Do it All Again. 

    Once you get past the big push, don't sit down and rest.  It's time to start planning 2015.  Ha.  Just kidding.  Take a nap.  You deserve. it.  

xo

Lena 

i am obsessed with glow in the dark stuff

I am in the process of putting together a group event called "Come glow with me." It was suppose to happen over the winter but with the polar vortex and all, I decided to try again in the summer.  Every year we try to organize some kind of light, landscape changing event.  The first one was releasing 100 sky lanterns at the beach, the next year was sparklers, and this year it will be glow in the dark.  My friend had a good idea, and that is everyone would come dressed up in some kind of glow in the dark costume.  Then the kids would run around with flash lights and activate everyone.  Can you imagine the public spectacle?  I can't wait.

To get ready, I purchased glow tape from a company called

Tape Brothers.

  I looked up several places and the pricing seemed reasonable.  Plus, I like the name, like there's two brothers obsessed with tape (i want to be their sister).  So, the kids and I played around with doing mosaics.  We used cutout wood but you can stencil and cut out different shape on cardboard.  I'm thinking of also taping up the cheap bouncy ball from Target and having the kids chase them on warm spring/summer nights.  Look how well it glows.  I used the high energy 1/2 inch tape.  They were way more vibrant then the gaffers tape.

my precious

Penny loves her corn.  She kept saying, "my precious" in Gollum voice. The hat is just a little extra something, like butter on top.   

Bookcrossing.com is geocaching for books

I stumbled onto Bookcrossing.com via stumbleupon ages ago.  And the topic of geocaching came up and I remembered this awesome site.  I am hoping to get everyone I know in my neighborhood to participate because we only have 14 books in my city right now and that sounds lame to me.
Basically, you enter the book you wish to release into their site and you get a custom number.  The person who finds it then can enter that number into their system and see the journey of that book.  I think this will be a great summer activity for me and kids.  Go check it out!

From their about page:

"What is BookCrossing?

It's the World's Library. It's a smart social networking site. It's a celebration of literature and a place where books get new life. BookCrossing is the act of giving a book a unique identity so, as the book is passed from reader to reader, it can be tracked and thus connecting its readers. There are currently 1,203,362 BookCrossers and 10,321,178 books travelling throughout132 countries. Our community is changing the world and touching lives one book at a time.

What's our mission?

Very simply, we aim to connect people through books.

How do we do it?

Label. Share. Follow. Breath new life into books instead of letting your old favorites collect dust - pass them along to another reader. Our online archival and tracking system allows members to connect with other readers, journal and review literature and trade and follow their books as lives are changed through “reading and releasing”. Users are able to tag and track their individual books by marking them with BCIDs (BookCrossing Identity Numbers). Each BCID is unique to each book – once it’s registered on our site, the book can then be followed and journaled forever. BookCrossing is free to join and free to play. So don't be 'shelf'ish with your books - read and release!" 

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Hand-painted Chevron Post Earrings Featured in She Knows, Beauty and Style 

Yay! My earrings were featured in SheKnows.com, "Funky stud earrings for every day."
 

# 9 -NiceLena "Color Block Mod"

Look no further than Etsy shops for all of your adorable stud earring needs. We especially like these hand-painted color block studs from shopNiceLena for their boldness and practicality. (Etsy, $12)

"Stud earrings don't have to be a boring accessory for the days you can barely pull yourself together in time for work. Here are 10 stud earrings that are both unique and practical for everyday wear.

All too often, stud earrings are the fashion terrain of pearls and diamonds. But what's a trendy girl going to do with boring old gemstones? Check out these cute and funky earrings that you can feel proud to wear every day."

How to make quick Vegan Mustard Green Kimchi

I usually buy Kimchi from our local Korean grocery store but I find that making them at home has many advantages.  It's cheaper, you can control what goes in, like leaving out the fish sauce, and you can pretty much make anything into kimchi.  Although, napa cabbage kimchi is the most famous and familiar, the word "Kimchi" just means pickled and there's over 200 different kinds to make.  The recipes are pretty similar, so if you understand the process, you can pickle it! 

This recipe is suuuuper easy and quick.  It's more like a salad.  That made you feel better, right? 

What you need

Ingredients

1 bunch of mustard green

1/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt (brine, 1/2 tbl for seasoning)

4-5 cloves of garlic (grated)

1/2 Tbl of fresh ginger (grated)

2-5 Tbl of Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes- found at local asian market)

3-4 scallions (green onion) diced

4 Tbl water

Equipment

Large bowl

Colander

Cutting board and knife

Jar for storing kimchi

Instructions

1. Cut the greens into 2" pieces.  Wash and rinse- repeat if necessary.  Salt the greens. Place in large bowl, salt and cover with water for 2 hours.  Rinse and drain the greens 3-4 times.  Let stand in colander and wash the bowl. 

2-3.  Kimchi paste.  Use the washed bowl: combine the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper flakes, scallion, and water.  Mix into a smooth paste.  You can adjust the Gochugaru to your spice level.
4. Toss it all together.  Mixing it with your hands is the best way so, put on some gloves if you don't want your hands to smell like garlic for a week.

Taste it and add more salt to your preference and pack it down into a jar.   Now, you have a very healthy salad for the next couple of weeks.  

Vegan Falafel Tofu Stir Fry

We had falafel for dinner one night and had leftover ballz. (jr. high giggle) It was a mix out of the box and it was pretty tasty.  But we had the left overs balls and no pita and I was craving rice so, stir fry seemed logical.  I had about 6 nuggets left and I crumbled up a block of firm tofu.  Add a tiny bit of water if it starts to stick.  Salt and Pepper to taste and why not add parsley too while you're at it.  I put it over basmati rice and added hot sauce. oh yea, it was delicious and super fast to make.

Favorite Indie Crafters - Owly Shadow Puppets

I was talking to a good friend of mine yesterday and she talked about doing shadow puppets with her son and how much fun they had.  That got me thinking about one of my favorite Chicago desinger Owly Shadow Puppets.  We were at many craft shows together and i remember when Andrea's stuff first appeared at Depart-ment.  I was so smitten with her creations and it just made me feel happy holding them in my hand.  It really takes you back to the age of make believe and childhood.

mermaid image by owly shadow puppets

website with a lesson plan for teachers 

An Interview with niceLena on Lady Spider Art

Here's a link to an interview i did with Lady Spider Art.  She is a crafter herself of very beautiful things.   Check it out and check out her etsy shop too.

Bark at the Moon - Wolf Fringe Earrings

CLICK for more pictures

Not quite the Three Moon T-shirt but this is just as cool. Wear this on the next full moon while listening to some Ozzy and basically bark at the moon. Good times.

layered silver vinyl(moon), blue plastic sheet (night sky), wooden wolf charm, and bronze vinyl for some fringe action.

Team Salvage article

Here is the article from Tonic, written last year (feb 2009) on Team Salvage.

"Team Salvage, made by jewelry designer Lena Kim and neighborhood friend Jenny Senungetuk, salvages “pre-loved apparel” from a wear-less fate by adding graphic appliqués that hearken back to simpler days"

link to the article.  

Ride The Lightning Earrings -niceLena

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Pure awesomeness happening over here. These earrings remind me of jr. high and my head banging days. Those were the days, when i used to daydream about men in spandex with long flowing hair and more costume jewelry then grandma. it was great. I miss it. 

Blood red metallic lightning rides on top of green ice vinyl wings.

hangs 3.5"

Super Fantastic Fringe Necklace - niceLena

From feb10

click for more pictures
This necklace has the right about of toughness and feminine details. The use of the vinyl creates a look of leather without all the guilt and it adds softness to the whole look while adding the right amount of contrast to the metal chains. The center pieces is an applique that was cut out and added to give it that last final touch. Love it!!

The chains are copper and gold plated heart shaped links.

hangs 24" adjustable

it is superfantastic!

Lost necklaces from 2005-06

These are niceLena necklaces from 2006.  There are quite a few made from upcycled plastic sheets. i hand cut birds, deers, clouds, and unicorns and made them into pretty necklaces.  Some of the items are sold out and no longer available but most are still available for sale and eventually i hope to have them all represented on my etsy site.  You can always contact me directly if you're interested in any of the designs.  enjoy.  www.nicelena.etsy.com

FREE SHIPPING!!!

FREE SHIPPING on niceLena.etsy.com until Feb. 28th, 2010