Toby's Bench Sweeps

Hi Guys - I'm taking a vacation

2008-07-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

I'm out on vacation until July 28th. I'll catch up with you after I get back. Talk amongst yourselves.

Calling all newsletter subscribers...

2008-07-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

What? You're not on my mailing list? Well, you'd better jump on it fast. I'm adding a whole slew of new pieces this week. And if you're on my mailing list, you'll get pick of the litter. Once these new pieces are ready for prime time, I'm giving my newsletter subscribers the first chance to snatch up the glassy goodness. And not have to pay shipping to boot! So, quick quick, join my mailing list! Oh, and here's Devera watching her first firework being let off in the street. I don't think I've ever seen eyes so wide.

I'll call him Lazarus

2008-06-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

Because he's back from the dead. Butterfly, that is...Devera's pet fish. I was sure he was a gonner. He hadn't moved in a week...Dave and I have been performing the fishy version of CPR, all quietly and behind the scenes so that Devera would never catch wind of the ER happening in her bedroom (I need 30ccs of activated charcoal, STAT!). There he sat at the bottom of the tank for over a week. Dave and I had even negotiated who was going to have the talk, and where we were going to bury him (in the backyard pet cemetery, where Herbert the hedgehog also lies peacefully). But we weren't going to do it until the last gill stopped moving. So, I'd finally made peace with it yesterday. I just happen to peek in the tank, and lo and behold, he has risen! He's swimming around the top of the tank! Not with all the swishy vigor he had before, but he's getting there...he's upright, and he's moving. It's a miracle!

Wow, how cool is this one!

2008-06-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Oooh, aaah...ok, this is one of the nicest ones I've made in forever. It's an Atherton Picture Jasper, a fun custom order where she sent me the stone to set. Turned out nice, huh?

I love happy customers!

2008-06-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a note I got from one of my happy brides in Australia...

I just picked up the package from the post office, the tiara is even more amazing than I imagined and the hairpins are so delicate and beautiful, the dragonflies are so much better than the pictures. It is all so perfect, thank you so much. Now I will look and feel like a princess on my big day, what more could a woman want?

I LOVE getting notes like that...they so make my day. We need more princesses in the world, don't we?

Froggy Central

2008-05-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

My audio's not the greatest, but here's what my back yard sounds like right now: Happy Frogs The frogs are just going bezerk in my back yard. It's pretty cool. Devera thinks they're singing her a lullaby to help her go to sleep (well, I might have put that thought in her head, but it's a sweet one nonetheless) I think there are 4 or 5 of them out there. And they sound happy...I just imagine them paddling around in the koi pond. Amazingly, none of the neighbors have complained. It's really loud!

Microlending Maven - Kiva Success!!!

2008-05-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

Yay! I got an email today letting me know that the two women I lent money to in Samoa both paid back their loans in full. How cool is that? So yeah, there are two women with some money smarts in a super poor country that were able to grow their small businesses just a little bit more. So I got my 50 bucks back (you don't get interest on the money you loan...so don't think you're going to be a captain of industry yourself by joining), and I've found two new businesses to support.

Las Estrellas de Atipiri

and the Upper Kawuga Group

I'll keep you posted on how these guys do.

Wahoo! New Rocks!

2008-04-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ahh yes, rock dork me, I could dedicate my life to searching out the coolest rocks to come out of the ground (or not...read on). Well, here are the two latest ones for me to hold in my hand covetously (is that a word?) This first one is a Horse Canyon Moss Agate, which comes from California. Moss agates are so cool...they're a combination of translucent and opaque stripes that look like blades of grass floating in the breeze. Next...and I've been obsessing over this type of "stone" for months now, is called a Detroit Agate. Any guesses to what this is made out of? Yeah, car paint! Some brilliant rock cutter decided it would be really cool to scrape some stuff out of the spray booths in car factories and see what they could do with it. So the bands of color are from changing the color they were painting the cars that day. Looks like they were big on blacks, whites, and grays during this geologic paint period. Cool, huh? When you think about it, there are all kinds of neat places to mine materials from, not just dig them out of the soil. Enjoy your day! Oh yeah, these two pieces are up for custom orders...if you're coveting them as badly as I have, I can turn them into something cool for you. Just shoot me an email.

Want to see another custom piece?

2008-02-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

This is a piece of Marra Mamba from Australia. The sad thing is that the photo still just doesn't do the stone justice. If you've ever seen tiger eye and you've seen how it flashes in the light, well this stone has that going on as well. It's stone # 28 from here. I've got one more piece of marra mamba if this tickles your fancy, #27, and again the photos just don't do the stones justice. Sigh.

Wahoo! Fair Trade Gemstones

2008-01-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

You've probably noticed that the stones I use aren't the average, run of the mill stones you find at the jewelry counter of say, Macy's. I've really steered away from using them because as I researched a little more about where these beautiful stones all come from, there was a long trail of social and environmental destruction hiding behind them.

So I decided to go with stones where I knew where they were coming from, I've met the people cutting them, and I know that they're doing as little damage in their mining process as possible (yeah, if you look into the mining process for a lot of this stuff...ooh it's not pretty. Makes you want to wear nothing but bamboo). But, I really miss working with the standards like Amethyst and Moonstone. But I've found a great source for the oldies but goodies. I pay a premium for them, but I assume if you're shopping on this site, you're not really someone who picks up their jewelry from WalMart. Now I need to find a greener source for my silver. I'm not sure if you've ever seen a silver mine, but man they are not pretty. At least there's a very high re-use and recycle rate for it since it's a precious metal. If you'd like more info on fair trade gems...shoot me an email. Happy New Year! Toby

Holiday Q&A...All the stuff you wanted to know but were afraid to ask

2007-11-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

Happy Holidays!

Here's all the nitty gritty details for getting your grubby paws on some glittering holiday goods from tobyDESIGN:

Shipping Cutoffs:
For all pieces that aren't labeled as "Quick Ship" (look right underneath the piece's name):
December 11th
These pieces are made to order, and I want to make sure I make them absolutely special for you.

For Quick Ship pieces:
December 17th for standard shipping
December 21st for overnight shipping

Custom Pieces:
Yikes, I'm all booked up for Holiday orders. How 'bout Valentines day?

Guys, do you need some help?
Ok, the fact that you're shopping on a handcrafted jewelry site means that you're 90% of the way there towards purchasing a really thoughtful gift. You get brownie points for even getting this far. Let me help you get all the way there. Email me at toby@tobydesign.com and tell me a little bit about the person you're buying for, and I can steer you in the right direction.

Free Giftwrapping?
Of course! 20 bucks says that this will be the prettiest box under your tree!

Questions? Need Help? email me at toby@tobydesign.com

Here's how to up your gas milage...

2007-10-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

I found this in the Organic Consumer's Association Newsletter...

QUICK RELATED FACTS:
YOUR DIET IMPACTS ENVIRONMENT MORE THAN YOUR CAR

13 PERCENT = The percentage of greenhouse gases created by all trucks, SUVs, cars, airplanes, trains and other transportation.

18 PERCENT = The amount of greenhouse gases created by livestock production.>

Source: United Nations

Moral of the story: If you are an average U.S. meat eater, reducing your meat consumption to 2 ounces per day is roughly equivalent to doubling your vehicle's fuel efficiency, in terms of greenhouse gas reduction.

More coming soons...

2007-10-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

Here's another style that slowly but surely making it's way onto my site. Cool, huh? I've found this beautiful Japanese silk cord to use for necklaces now. The colors are unbelievably vibrant. And Dave's beads? Gorgeous as usual. This is my favorite style he makes...looks like dewdrops, doesn't it?

Again, if your peeing your pants in anticipation and just can't wait to have this piece, shoot me an email and it's yours to keep.

More Custom Pieces

2007-10-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

Wahoo! I'm finally caught up with custom orders! It only took 3 months. Just in time for a quick breather before the holiday shopping frenzy starts. I can't believe I'm getting Christmas catalogs in the mail already. Hello - it's OCTOBER. I promise...you will see no Santas and reindeer on this site until well into November. Pinky swear.

Anyway, here are the latest custom pieces. I really love both of those stones. I'm always so happy to know these goofy rocks are going to good homes.

[Edited to add...]

And here's why I love working with custom orders:

Let me start out with...

Oh my god thank you Toby they are absolutely gorgeous. Definitely worth the wait (you should see the giant smile on my face now).

I can't wait to see them "in the flesh". Thank you so much, I don't think I will be able to say that enough.

These are going out to Australia, cool, huh? I still can't wrap my head around it being spring over there. All our beautiful flowers are brown and crispy now and theirs are just popping up.

[Edited even later to add...]

Hi Toby,

Just writing to say I received the necklaces today and they are absolutely gorgeous. I can't express how much I love both of them.

It was also a great pleasure getting to know you and if anyone asks I won't hesitate to tell them where I bought these beautiful necklaces.

Preview of things to come

2007-09-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

Want a sneak peak of what's coming for the holidays?..... This is laboradite and moonstone. The photos absolutely don't do it justice...the stones are really irridescent. Coming soon to a browser near you. And if you have ants in your pants and can't wait that long, send me an email.

Poor Dave, he humors me so much

2007-09-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Want to see where I'm dragging him and Devera this weekend? Richardson's Rock Ranch >> There are miles and miles of rocks there. I'm so excited. Ah, the things you do for love.

Here's another custom piece

2007-09-17T12:10:00.001-07:00

This piece of jasper has just been begging and pleading to be a ring. And now it's finally gotten its' wish. Cool, huh? Hope they like it.

Microlending - yet another payment

2007-09-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

Got an email today that said my gals made another payment on their microloans. That means that they're a third of the way through their repayments. It's pretty cool that $850 will buy you an acre of land in Samoa and some workspace improvements So far so good.

Free Geek Count Is In...

2007-08-21T13:09:00.001-07:00

Wow, who knew? There were just as many girl geeks at Free Geek as there were guys. Lots and lots of bikes there. You could barely get from the street into the place without weaving between all the bikes parked outside. The computer is off to it's new home (and out of my house, yippee!!).

These geeks are great

2007-08-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

So, it's time for my old computer to get the hell out of my house. It's taking up space, wasting energy, and not doing much else. So, I found a new home for it tommorrow: free geek

These guys are so cool ( yeah, 20 bucks says that they're 95% guys, it'll be interesting to see - I'll report back). Anyway, they have a computer adoption program that's just a great idea. If you volunteer 24 hours of your time to them, they'll give you one of their rebuilt computers and teach you how to use it.

As the guys on the Guinness commercial say, "Brilliant!"

Microlending - So far so good

2007-08-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hey, so I think this Kiva thing is working out. Both of the entrepreneurs are on payment #3. How cool is that? Maybe I'm helping create a Manioc Land Barroness and a Matt Maker Extraordinaire? Either way, these guys are 1/4 of the way through paying back their loan. I'm so excited. I tell ya - a whole bunch of little people doing little things can do some pretty cool stuff!

Hi Guys - I'm taking a vacation

2007-07-31T21:57:00.000-07:00

Wahoo! I'm out of here for a couple of days. After a CRAZY couple of weeks I'm soooooo looking forward to getting out of Dodge for a little while. I'll be back on Tuesday, I promise.

Here's a little eye candy to keep you tied over for a couple of days. It's a custom order I finished up a couple of weeks ago. Pretty, huh?

And here's the comments:

"I have received my necklace-it is absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much!"

Wanna see the latest custom piece?

2007-07-24T09:33:00.001-07:00

I've been awash in custom orders lately. And it's just so fun. First of all I get to talk to the people ordering the pieces instead of just sending out an order to jkl1132@yahoo.com.

It's kinda lonely having a web based business, you don't get to meet the people browsing around your shop. So, doing the custom stuff is fun.

Anyway, this is a piece of montana agate I just put the finishing touches on. The photo doesn't come close to doing justice to the piece. But, yeah, it's a gorgeous stone.

I offered to take it off my customer's hands and keep it for myself, but darn, she really likes it. Oh well, I'll just have to make one for myself.

Looks cool, huh?

And I so love getting these emails in my inbox:

"I got my necklace the other day and I just wanted to say that you were right, the pictures didn't do it justice and I just absolutely love it. It's beautiful and unique and it's phenomenal. Thank you so much!!"

Wahoo - no more diapers!

2007-07-16T16:25:00.001-07:00

Devera's gotten with the program and has figured out the whole potty training thing.

I heard a saying a while ago - start when they're 2 and they'll get it at 3. Start at 3 and they'll get it at 3. Well, we did the latter, and holy cow it worked!

12 years from now I can imagine she'd be completely mortified that I'm talking about this on an open web site, but right now she's prancing around the house telling anyone who stops to listen.

So, I made a promise to allay my guilt for going with disposable diapers instead of cloth ones to plant a tree when we were done with this whole thing. I'm sorry, but any instructions that involved the words "poo" and "swish", I just couldn't do it. So, hey, if you've got any suggestions for good charities to donate to that do tree planting or something like that, let me know...I'm all ears.

Times a Million - This guys's a great writer

2007-07-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's pretty cool to have smart, succinct marketers who aren't working for Philip Morris or Exxon. Check out this post on why every little bit helps. Seth Godin's just a smart guy. I hope a bunch more people jump on his bandwagon.