Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Neon! Glow in the LIGHT.

We here at Scarlett Garnet are so stoked that neon is in this summer.  Last year, as we were driving across the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania on our way home from the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, we had a moment that went something like this:
Garnet: "I totally wanted to be Jem when I was a little girl."
Katie: "Dude,  me too!  I had the red star earrings and everything!"
and hence- a Neon line was born.

We jumped right in to the light by getting some of our older and current shapes cut into acrylic.  The wondrous Carmen of Faction Magazine and Kansas City's Fashion Group International was doing a photo shoot with Jeff Evrad, and our little plastic pretties were swimming in the fanciest rooftop pool in Kansas City.  Garnet snapped some fun behind the scenes photos too.


Check out Evrad in the middle of a pool, on a ladder, with a super fancy camera!

Neon Chevron Necklace
Our Neon Chevrons mimics our Multi Metal Chevron Earrings and Necklace.  Hotcakes.  

Neon works best when used sparingly.  I admit, I am one to go all out with bright patterns that hurt your eyeballs, but with neon, just adding in a touch of  fluorescent can spice up a neutral outfit.  I love hot yellow paired with a light gray, and a spot of hot orange with navy blue.

Coiled Snake Earrings in Orange Acrylic paired with a neon yellow tank,
white and tan block skirt and long cover.  
Pyramid Egypt Necklace in Neon
Pyramid Scape Necklace in Steel and Pink Acrylic paired with a basic black tank
 and a handmade skirt, from vintage materials.



In June, I used my birthday money to upgrade some essentials in my wardrobe.  I know I am the only person that still uses a watch to tell time, rather than a cell phone.  But if you saw a watch at Target that matched your Bow and Arrow earrings this perfectly, you might convert back.  Target...Bow and Arrow... get it?
Neon Bow and Arrow Earrings on Etsy!


We just had an amazing photo shoot with Jill McKeever, of For Strange Women, and Kevin McKinney.  They played dress up all day, and came out with some amazing shots!  Here are just a few of the neon pics.  Girls just want to have fun!



Erin rocks the Coiled Snake Necklace in neon green!

We even created a little Treasury on Etsy to show-off some more ideas for bringing neon into your life. From the plethora of neon accessories on Etsy, we tried to choose styles that were a little less mainstream and a little more daring in design, or added just a touch of edited neon.
Neon Fashion on Etsy

Thank you for checking out our technicolor talk.  We wish that neon could stay in style, but alas, it will set with the sun one day soon. 

Do you have any designers that create innovative neon designs?  Please share them!  

-Katie of ScarlettGarnet.com and Etsy.com/shop/scarlettgarnet



Saturday, June 23, 2012

New Storefront for Scarlett Garnet in St. Louis - Cherokee Street!


With Scarlett Garnet Jewelry being based in two cities, we have had our share of odd homes.  In St. Louis, I have had the SG Studio in the front sunroom of my apartment, to a few months in The Luminary, a brief stint in my mom's basement, over a year in a boutique, Maven's, basement, and now into the sunshine of Cherokee Street!
I had looked at Cherokee Street in 2008 when I was moving out of my Shaw apartment, and the timing was just not quite right. In early 2012, I had the pleasure of meeting Jason Deem, who has renovated and preserved several buildings on Cherokee, and the timing was perfect!  Art Monster, a tattoo and airbrush shop that is now our neighbor, was consolidating their storefront spaces, so one was just becoming available.  Below is the progression of the space into Scarlett Garnet's new St. Louis home at 2619 Cherokee Street, Saint Louis, MO 63118, and the collection of pieces that bring the store to life.
"Before" Shot #1 - Art Monster's airbrush studio and storefront.  They also have a tattoo shop next door.

But before I moved in...what do you do with a wide open space and wooden floors- throw a dance party!  As soon as I got the keys, I opened the space up for my roommate's birthday party!


Working from the teal already on the walls, I painted on the stripes that would later be the stick part of an arrow. Playing it by ear,  my quad muscles were feeling it after insane numbers of trips up and down the ladder, and in and out of the storefront windows.

I cut stencils for the small bow and arrow finales from file folders.  I let inspiration take hold with the bright orange and eggplant colors, but also dove in to some Home Depot "Oops" paint in Mint, discounted to $7 for a gallon.  Scarlett Garnet can't pass up a deal. 


I have always wanted to attempt the tape stencil/negative space and I  had fun exploring the options.  Before....

And after!

The beauty of having show windows? Enjoying your lunch in the sun! Taking a quick break
On the hunt for unique display items and furniture, I came across this thrift store GOLD mine!  I happened to snag this olive green vintage couch the day it came in.  Man on couch wanted to chat about what I would make him for dinner, but I just wanted the couch!


Garnet came in from Kansas City for the opening, and to help decorate the new space.  She carefully draped the emerald and aquamarine colored strings of beads from the window and back into the store.  She really loved me singing, "How much is that Garnet in the window?" 

She brought an awesome chandelier in from KC, rescued from a building being renovated.  Chandelier crystals paired with beads create a dramatic effect in the store.  I could not have done it without her!  
Forever friend of SG, Wes Vega, helped us hang our sign, chandelier and curtains.  We love a man that knows how to use his power tools and find studs!


An "after" view from the inside- arrow walls, chandelier with crystals,  vintage mirrors and bright orange windows!
The back of the studio has a collage of locally printed event posters.  Cherokee street boasts quite a few prolific print-makers!  A painting by Lindsey Scott adorns the adjacent wall.
I created this display for the front windows from random flea market finds.  I drew and painted over old photos to match the macabre skulls and found a good use for one of our many broken mirrors.  We plan to change out the front windows often, or have them available for artists to concoct an installation monthly
Every First Friday, we will showcase a new local artist.  May artist, Jay Babcock, does some chalk drawings with his son.

We sell other products in addition to our jewelry.  We have candles and soap from our former home, Maven, where we also sell our jewelry.  
Stephanie Silvis of Ruby Francis stops by to snap some pics of her redone vintage clothing for her own Etsy Store.  Etsy.com/shop/rubyfrancis
She uses vintage fabrics, old curtains or bed linens to create her adorable clothing.  Ruby Francis also has adorable hair clips, complete with no-slip grip backing.

We also carry some prints, cards, and original artwork by the local tattoo artist Lauren Busiere.
A vintage shelf, another thrift store find, holds jewelry in the middle of the retail space.  The curtains separate the storefront from the workshop/studio/office space in the back.

The finished product!  Purple makes the logo stand out, and our sandwich board, made from recycled materials, announces to the walk-by traffic that we are open. 

Our hours may vary as we figure out what works best on the street, so please check our website for the most up to date information before heading down.  We are often working outside of listed hours as well. 
As of June 2012, we are open:
Wednesday: 12-5
Thursday:12-4
Friday: 11-5
Saturday: 11-5
Sunday:11-3

Thanks for reading!  Stop by soon!

2619 Cherokee Street, One block west of Jefferson

View Larger Map

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Nancy's Heart


It was February 14th, 2007, when my mother, Nancy Lee Griebel, drove herself to the hospital. She was 59, the proud mother of four children, a devoted wife, an active volunteer in her community, an avid golfer and an accountant's assistant during tax season. Everything my mother did served to help people, it was just her nature to make sure that everyone else was taken care of, and she often put herself aside to do so. When she felt as if she had blacked out a few times that Valentine's morning, she finally decided to take care of herself. The doctors administered some tests to check her stress levels and blood pressure and sent her on her way. They told her they would be in touch regarding her results. After a few weeks passed by with no contact from the hospital, I remember her saying to us, "Well, no news is good news, I must be alright." We all assumed she knew best, after all, mothers always do.

On March 8th, 2007, I received a phone call from my little brother, Grant, while I was at work. "Something has happened to Mom, they don't know what but she collapsed at work and she's been rushed to the hospital. You need to come in town immediately." I still remember how his voice shook when he spoke and that I felt so terrible that the youngest member of our family had to be the one to call me with such heavy news. Without hesitation, I left work, sped home, packed bags (not ONE item of clothing in black, on the principle of hope) and rushed from Kansas City, MO to Omaha, NE in record time, less than 3 hours. I arrived at the hospital, stepped outside into sunny 70 degrees and briefly pondered the irony of such joyful weather on what I knew was one of the worst days of my life. I was scared to go inside but more scared not to, so somehow I managed my way in and up the elevator to the third floor where a nurse led me to the room. And then I saw her lying there in the hospital bed, my dad, Dave, my sister, Emily and our brother, Grant, by her side, everyone in a state of shock. "Carrie (the oldest sibling) is on her way from Tulsa." "What happened?" I asked, tears welling, brimming, spilling, chest heaving, heart pounding, shock. "Your mother had a heart attack at work, a girl in her office tried to resuscitate her before the ambulance arrived but she's been gone for a while. They think there's a strong possibility of brain damage..." choke, group tears roll, "is this real", I ask myself, "this is surreal. Mom's as healthy as an ox (except her smoking habit) she's only 59, that's too young for a heart attack, this can't really be happening...."

It certainly was happening. Once Carrie arrived, with all the immediate family members in place, the doctor felt the time was right to let us know that they could keep her alive by use of machines but that her brain was in a vegetative state. We all agreed immediately that Mom would never want to exist in such a way. It was just so beneath her, she was so vibrant and engaging and inspirational in life. We took a vote as a family and unanimously concluded that we had to pull the plug... I remember the moment her soul left the room and her hands went cold and there was such an odd moment of peace and then there was agony and so many tears. Our mother was gone, just like that, and no one even knew she was sick to begin with. It was that sudden. That surreal. In that moment, our lives changed forever.

The autopsy later revealed that one of her arteries was blocked over 80%, a fact that would have become known weeks earlier if the hospital had administered the right test. The Coronary catheterization (angiogram) involves injecting a dye into the blood stream that can be detected by x-ray to reveal blockages. It's mandatory to give a man complaining of chest pain and/or other heart attack symptoms this test, however, it's not mandatory to give this test to women having heart attack symptoms. Had they given mom this test, it would have revealed the blockage, she would have had surgery and she would still be here today. At first, we were outraged at the hospital for what seemed to be such obvious negligence. Some of us wanted to take the matter into litigation but our father didn't think it would honor her spirit in doing so. We realized from our experience that there is a humongous gap in communication between women patients with heart disease symptoms and the doctors and hospitals who are supposed to diagnose and treat those women. We found that many doctors weren't even aware of the symptoms and facts about women and heart disease and therefore were crippled in any effort to help. This gap in communication is what was taking the lives of our mothers, our sisters, our wives, our friends....something needed to be done! We decided to educate ourselves on the facts regarding women's heart health and planned an avenue of spreading our knowledge. We decided to host a golf tournament in honor of Mom at Oak Hill's Country Club in Omaha, NE, where we all grew up together and bonded over playing golf as a family. We called the golf tournament, "Nancy's Heart", and through all our efforts in reaching out to our networks as a family, we raised over $40,000 that we donated to the American Heart Association to use for research for women's heart health. The golf tournament, even though an obvious success, ended up being a one time only event. The emotional and physical energy me and my family put into the fundraiser was so taxing, it was just all we could handle at the time.

Fast forward to March 8th, 2012, five years later, heart disease is STILL the number one killer of women, taking far more lives than all cancers combined. There is still a huge gap in communication between doctors and patients in this matter. The most important thing is to let as many people know that heart disease IS the number one killer of women. Unfortunately, as is the case with all modern women who multitask- as care takers and breadwinners and mothers- there is no time for ourselves. We MUST take time for ourselves, keep a journal of our body's symptoms as we are in tune with ourselves and we must TRUST when something feels off, REPORT it to our doctors, friends, family members when we feel it and DEMAND the proper care and right tests. We HAVE to take care of our own hearts.

It's so easy to put ourselves last in order to take care of all our loved ones, but we need a reminder to take care of our hearts. As co-owner and designer of Scarlett Garnet Jewelry, I wanted to create a necklace to do just such a thing. Many people are now familiar with the Red Dress campaign, which is phenomenal to me that they've created such an awareness amongst women of all ages at risk. However, I see a gap in awareness due to age. Many women in their mid 20's up to early 40's don't realize that they, too, are at risk for heart disease. I wanted to create a design to speak to this generation of women, after all, they represent the future of our country. As a member of this age group, I see the Anatomical Heart Necklace to be something I would wear proudly and often (and do!), it's not as obvious as the red dress but I see it as a more universal design, something that one woman would give a knowing glance to another across the room in approval. Yes, we share the knowledge. We are armed to protect ourselves, to protect our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, friends, daughters. We are empowered by our knowledge to protect our hearts, good job that you are taking care of you and yours. I truly feel that educating this younger generation of women about heart disease is the best way to prevent unnecessary deaths from happening to other families.

So, listen up! Learn the facts! Here goes:

Heart attack symptoms in women are significantly more random and subtle then the symptoms in men. There's no chest pain followed by dramatic, Hollywood collapse. Instead, there are little things like shortness of breath, pressure or pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting, upper back pressure or extreme fatigue. These symptoms are so subtle and ordinary that many women ignore them or pass them off as the flu, acid reflux, or anxiety attacks. So how do women protect themselves? There are preventative measures such as not smoking, controlling certain conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, staying physically active, eating healthy foods, maintaining a healthy weight and reducing and managing stress. Regularly scheduled visits to the doctor are mandatory and keeping a journal of any strange body changes is highly recommended so that these things can be shared with your doctor to see if they're possible heart attack symptoms. As stated previously, we are in tune with our bodies and need to be honest with ourselves when something feels amiss.

After five years, I finally have the strength to tell my family's story. Heart disease robbed us of the most inspirational woman we all unanimously agree ever existed. I literally wear her name on my sleeve every day with the words, "Nancy Lee" tattooed on my left arm. Her spirit lives on in me and my family and her death nearly ruined us. Mom was the glue. Mom's are always the glue that keep every family together. In honor of Nancy Lee (Schulenberg) Griebel, Scarlett Garnet Jewelry offers the stainless steel and silver fill Anatomical Heart Necklace for $65. We've partnered up with Kansas City's Saint Luke Hospital to donate 15% of each necklace sale to fund research and education of women's heart health. They have provided a flyer of information that we will mail with each necklace purchased to educate the buyer but also to encourage spreading the knowledge. WOMEN - WE MUST PROTECT OUR HEARTS. Mine is made of steel, find your own hearts' strength and spread the word, protect your loved ones and always remember to protect yourself.

This is the hardest thing I've ever had to put into words. I thank Katie Miller, my business partner, who was one of my rocks when my mother passed. I thank St. Luke's Hospital for allowing us to donate to their worthy women's heart health department. I thank my family for all the good times we shared with mom and all the amazing memories we share. I thank all my friends who have been solidly there for me and I thank you, for reading this. Please forward it to all the women you love in your life. It will make a difference.

This is the information you will receive if you order a necklace to educate yourself and the women in your life!

The Heart Truth about the Hearts of Women

MYTH:
Women perceive breast cancer to be the leading cause of death in women
FACT:
♥ Heart disease is the leading cause of death in American women over the age of 35
♥ 1 in 4 women will die of some form of cardiovascular disease
♥ 1 in 30 women will die from breast cancer

MYTH:
Women and men will experience the same signs and symptoms of a heart attack
FACT:
♥ Women are more likely to have a ‘silent’ heart attack, one without clear signs and symptoms
Typical Symptoms
Atypical Symptoms
Crushing chest pain (radiates to neck, jaw, arm)
Unexplained exhaustion, fatigue, weakness
Accompanying nausea
Indigestion, squeezing, full feeling
Shortness of breath not associated with exertion
Discomfort in upper shoulder blades in back
Sudden rapid heartbeat
Discomfort in one or both arms
Unexplained dizziness or sweating not associated with exertion

MYTH:
Women seek immediate medical attention when experiencing signs and symptoms of a heart attack
FACT:
♥ Women believe only men have heart attacks
♥ Women do not recognize symptoms of a heart attack are often different than men
♥ Women are afraid of embarrassment if symptoms are false alarms and do not want to bother their physician
♥ Women delay seeking medical attention 4-6 hours longer than men

MYTH:
The standard exercise treadmill test provides accurate diagnostic information in both men and women
FACT:
♥ The standard exercise treadmill test has been analyzed/researched only in men
♥ Exercise treadmill testing alone is not accurate in detecting heart disease in women

MYTH:
Life expectancy after a heart attack affects men and women equally
FACT:
♥ 38% of women, versus 25% of men will die within one year of a recognized
heart attack
♥ 35% of women, versus 18% of men heart attack survivors will have another heart
attack within six years
♥ 46% of women, versus 22% of men heart attack survivors will be disabled with
heart failure within six years