eye on the sparrow designs

Here's the Happenings!

2011-11-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to announce that eye on the sparrow designs is on it's way to Australia! EcoChix in Bunbury and Can't Think Straight in Daylesford have joined our list of stores. Woo-hoo!

I absolutely love The Girlie Show in Okahoma City! This is such a fun show to be a part of! Those ladies run a tight ship and run it well. Over the two days fifty pieces were sold to the Oklahoma folks. I love the Friday night idea of a show. It's a neat way to hang out with your friends and see some great art from a super neat group of chicks.

I'm really needing help getting strings lately. My supplies have diminished in a few different ways. I'm trying hard to brainstorm different ways of working with different people and organizations. I'm searching for help-- any takers out there?

2012 is sure to bring many new things and changes. I'm hoping to expand into more stores and locations. I'm waiting on figuring out how to clone myself so I can send one of me out to market, one of me to make the designs, and leave one of me to have time to sleep!

Shop LOCAL folks!

Fall Fun!

2011-10-06T07:08:00.001-07:00

Wow, time flies. It seems like I say that every time, but it's so true. It's been a month and a half since I posted that picture of my beautiful little Emme. I can't believe she will be seven months old in just a few days. WOW! Being a mom is such an adventure! And I thought saving the world one guitar string at a time was an adventure!

What's new these days? I am definitely in the midst of the Holiday season. I've scaled shows back a little this fall to have plenty of time to spend with Emme. There is also a lot still on the calendar. Here's a look:

October 8 - Arts Goggle - Fort Worth, TX
October 15 & 16 - Forest Meadow Junior High - Dallas, TX
November 4 & 5 - Girlie Show - Oklahoma City, OK
November 12 & 13 - Lakewood Home Market - Lakewood Elementary - Dallas, TX
November 26 & 27 - Renegade Austin Craft Fair - Palmer Events Center - Austin, TX
December 3 - Dallas Flea - Southside on Lamar - Dallas, TX
December 10 - White Rock Local Christmas Market - Greenspot - Dallas, TX

I love Etsy. It's the most amazing hub of crafters. I'm so happy to be on it. And so happy to have been found by someone in Norway. eye on the sparrow designs has gone international. Who knew that metal was big in Norway? I sure didn't. There's an Alan Bovee of WARBEAST set of bangles hanging out in Norway now! How cool is that!

I'm working on a new Etsy adventure. It's still in the works. It will bring together all of the awesome eco-friendly local folks in a really, cool and unique way. My hopes is that we can have a stronger presence together both at craft shows and at stores.

Facebook is obviously a huge social hub for a lot of us and has become a hub for businesses to have a social presence as well. I've been using it to roll out new designs, announce who has donated strings, and sneak in a few giveaways!

Many thanks to everyone who supports eye on the sparrow designs from musicians to music lovers. Thank you for joining me on my adventure to connect the pieces between music, hip funky designs, and doing our part to save the earth. Remember in the middle of the earth is ART!

A Beautiful Life...

2011-08-15T19:08:00.001-07:00

Lots to DO!

2011-07-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited that the Dallas Museum of Art will soon be selling eye on the sparrow designs! They put in a big first order which some unique versions of the designs. I'm in crunch time until Thursday morning trying to get 37 new pieces done! Then I'm geared up to start the designs for the Girl Show Saturday night. They will be showcasing at their merchandise booth artlovemagic earrings and pendants designed from restored bass and guitar strings! That is all very exciting news and keeping me very busy (as if caring for an infant wasn't enough!).

Before I know it fall will be here! I've already got most weekends lined up with shows in Rockwall, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Oklahoma City. I'll be lugging around all of the new designs from this summer. What a whirlwind this little side project has become!

Guess I better get back to work!

New Designs and MORE

2011-07-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

Meet the newest design! This bracelet is designed from bass 'pieces' and comes with a clasp. I'm super excited that this design has finally reached it's way out of my head- it's been cooking up there for a long time. Fits perfectly on most wrists with that snazzy clasp. Here's one you won't have to worry about whether or not it's going to fit that friend you are buying for! It also wears super well with the original Chunky bangles! Who needs just one design to wear?

An exciting event is coming up on July 23rd! Girl Show 2011 with it's theme, Brilliance, is here! I love this event. For one, it's at night. That brings out such a cool vibe amongst both artists and attendees. Second, it's full of some of the best mojo around. This is a great opportunity to see artists create LIVE. It's not often that someone gets to actually interact with the designer as they are creating their designs. And it's a grab your tickets now event! Last year there was a line outside. This year ticket holders will walk right in.

A new store in Frisco will soon carry eye on the sparrow designs! Grass Roots Eco Cleaners + Market is set to be up and running in the next few weeks. I'm super excited about being a part of this green endeavor!

More to come... more strings from your local artists on the way.... David Hickmott... Rahim Quazi... Stay tuned.

Stores and More...

2011-06-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

We are hitting stores! I'm so excited about all of the locations that eye on the sparrow designs is showing up in! From Denton, to Dallas, to Fort Worth, to Wichita Falls, the number of stores has been on the rise. The most recent addition is Maverick Western Wear in Fort Worth. I'm super excited about this and am hoping to get participation from some of the local country artists. I've already gotten strings from Kyle Everett - watch for more artists jumping on board. Two Lakewood stores are carrying eye on the sparrow designs, Talulah Belle and Random. In Denton designs can be found at 2nd Street on the Square. And don't forget about the original Fort Worth place to buy eye on the sparrow designs, The Greener Good.

Jason Elmore is joining forces with eye on the sparrow designs and will be offering designs from his strings at his shows. Go check Jason out with his band, the Hoodoo Witch, and pick up one of his designs!

Taking it down a notch, the 23rd of this month celebrates Carter's 38th birthday. In celebration of the life that he had 50% of all sales through the etsy site will benefit CAMF. Last year's sales totaled out near $4,000 in donations. Carter's death changed my life. His death was such a severe tragedy. The piece that I refuse to let go of is the view he had of me that challenged the view I had of myself. Everytime I tell myself I can't do something I hear his voice echoing in my head telling me that I can. Happy birthday Buddy. Miss you tons.

ROCKSTRAVAGANZA May 29 ~ with School of Rock

2011-05-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here's the Scoop!

2011-04-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Best of Dallas

2011-04-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

VOTE! I'm a finalist for Best Jewelry Designer in Dallas in the Best of Big D: Readers' Choice Poll. Vote every day, once an hour now through May 8th at dmagazine.com.

Being a Mom...

2011-03-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Today Emme is twenty-one days. I can't even believe it. I'm still in shock! She's an absolute angel. She couldn't be more perfect. I'm sure every mom says that, but it's just so true. They are absolutely perfect. Perfect like puppies - you know, the ones that if they weren't so cute they might be great consideration to leaving them on the front porch. But she's not like that. She's really perfect.

Last weekend she made her way through her first show. She spent most of her hours at The Dallas Flea sound asleep in Grandma's lap. It was great to get back in the swing of things and got me very excited about the 2011 season of designing and selling - which I was in desperate need of.

I've found myself the exact opposite of what I expected from myself. I expected to be climbing the walls waiting around for James to get home to relieve me of my baby duties. I thought I'd be thrilled to get away to work. Much to my surprise, I'm not at all. I'm thrilled to spend every moment I can with this little girl. The great thing about being home is that I can still design while I'm with her. I've finally figured out why so many moms out there start their own business ideas when they have little ones.

I'm excited to be rolling out a new design in the next couple of weeks. The men's bracelet with a clasp has been way more popular than I expected. More often than not I completely sell out. So, I've decided to bring out a women's version for those women out there who are frustrated by the bangle design and would rather work with a clasp. It will be designed from a string one pitch higher than the men's version - slightly more delicate. Look for it!

There's an old Sparrows tune called My Beautiful Life. It's a slight break from Carter's more rockin' and rollin' Sparrows tunes. It's funny how Carter shows up. If we play Emme this song more often than not she immediately calms down. I think she has a guardian angel.

Baby Almost Here...

2011-02-16T11:24:00.001-08:00

I usually have a thousand excuses why I haven't gotten a chance to get around to updating the blog on all the exciting news around eye on the sparrow designs. This time shouldn't be any different, right? I've been busy. Super busy. Getting ready and gearing up for little Emme! She's due in two weeks and we can't wait to see her sweet face!

But, definitely busy, busy, busy. I've been creating lots of designs and getting the stock up and ready for a few events coming up in March (let's hope I make it!) with the Cowtown Indie Bazaar in Fort Worth and the Dallas Flea at Southside on Lamar. If you stop by make sure you look for the sweet baby nearby.

Finalizing 2010, nearly $2,000 in donations will be given to the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation for the second half of the year. I'll be cutting that check shortly and I couldn't be more excited to do it!

And in case you haven't seen this neat new website yet, check out Quite Unique! It's got awesome daily deals that are must haves. Keep your fingers crossed that eye on the sparrow designs will be appearing on there soon!

I've got to say one other thing that I've been super thrilled to see. I'm grateful to be contacted repeatedly for repeat purchases. It is such a great feeling to hear how much work that you pour some of your self into impacts other people. I'm grateful to experience that. I'm grateful for Carter's impact on me, so that I could share with others.

Keep shopping folks!

As Seen on TV!

2010-12-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

Last week we hit a couple of different tv spotlights with The Greener Good in Fort Worth...

Good Morning Texas - Environmentally Friendly Gift Ideas

CW33 - Festive Gifts from The Greener Good

Huge thanks to Liz for being such a HUGE supporter of the little sparrow!

Holiday Update! FINALLY...

2010-12-06T17:23:00.001-08:00

As usual it' s been three months since I've updated anyone on what's been going on with eye on the sparrow designs... and as usual A LOT has happened. This fall has been an incredibly busy time with craft shows nearly every weekend. I've said this before - I'm constantly surprised by people. Whether it's a story that someone has to share about Carter or how excited they are to see what I am doing, I embarrassed to admit that I never knew the kindness that exists when you are willing to be vulnerable and take a few risks. I've been overwhelmed by how well eye on the sparrow designs has done so far.

In press news, I'm honored to be featured in this month's edition of 360 West Magazine. If you haven't gotten a chance to check out this hip new magazine from Cowtown, do yourself a favor and grab a copy. Speaking of Cowtown, folks over there can pick up designs at the Greener Good. Liz, the fabulous owner of the Greener Good, will be featuring some new designs on Good Morning Texas this Wednesday morning.

In design news, there are two big hits this fall/Holiday season. A newly designed infinite circles necklace has been flying off shelves, well maybe tables. It comes in a variety of lengths and color designs (bronze, gold, or silver) and can be made from either bass strings or guitar strings. Another big hit is the men's chunky bracelet made from a single B bass string. It's industrial enough to by stylish for your favorite music loving guy.

In other store news, now being featured at Oak Cliff's newest inside bazaar Indie Genius. I'm so excited to be a part of Julie's brainchild. Julie, who is the owner of Make in Oak Cliff, has created such a neat place with Indie Genius where crafters can come together and manage our own spaces to showcase designs in a unique environment that allows the craft show vibe to be open year round!

I'm sure there's more because there always is. I guess I'll throw this in. At this writing I'm nearing the seventh month of my pregnancy. A LOT of things are going to change in my life, most of which will include being at home quite a bit more. While I'm not prepared to slow down a whole lot I am excited about what opportunities I'll be able to create for eye on the sparrow designs while I'll be at home more with myself, a computer, my jewelry, and a little one. I'm looking forward to getting eye on the sparrow designs into more stores and expanding into other opportunities. Keep your eye out - or keep your eye on the sparrow!

Tragic Hero

2010-09-06T17:59:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that three years have passed since tragedy struck the Dallas music community. Last Friday marked that day three years ago that changed the lives of many of those close to Carter. I, being one of them. Alot has changed personally since then. Alot of what's changed I owe to the tragedy I experienced that day. While I'm grateful for the opportunity to become a stronger person it's hard not to catch my breathe and choke back tears looking at the kind of loss that goes with losing someone from your life.

I'm grateful for choosing to experience strength through it all. It's not an easy choice, as most of us know all to well. I am easily touched deeply by kindness (and alternately wounded immensely with the opposite). I was lucky enough to be touched with a tremendous amount of kindness by Carter through some very rough times in my life. For someone who used to find it hard to be vulnerable in the presence of others, and can still at times, I was challenged to allow myself to be vulnerable and experience a sense of security at the same time. That piece of what I got from Carter alone changed my life. I'm proud I allowed myself to embrace it and I cherish the internal strength I've adopted.

I'm grateful for Sparrow. I never dreamed that taking a trip down to Houston to look at a dud ex-racehorse would turn into a tireless pursuit of confronting fear and a daily basis. Sparrow has helped me branch out of a shell I easily return to when I'm not pushed forward by something that I am passionate about. I was lucky to find out that Sparrow was destined for a greatness that I wasn't prepared for. I'm constantly beside myself at what we have been able to accomplish. Last Friday, on the anniversary of Carter's death, Sparrow beat a class full of trainers to get a first place ribbon and Champion in his division. A bitter sweet victory.

I'm grateful for eye on the sparrow designs. I'm amazed at the response. I'm amazed at the creativity. I'm amazed at so many pieces of what this has offered me. It's created a lot of work. It's been work that has allowed me to develop a side of my personality that I haven't seen since I was a kid selling potholders to the neighbors. It allows me to combine an understanding of marketing (a somewhat undeveloped passion until now) with the ability to connect people to their own understanding of passion. Music has so much power in the lives of so many people. It's an honor to be a part of that process.

I'll always miss Carter. I was lucky enough to be impacted by an innocent kindness that I'll never know whether or not he was aware of how powerful his words were to me when I was hurting. That's an opportunity that few people get to receive. I'm also grateful for the opportunity to grieve daily.

Here's to the DFW Quick!

2010-08-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

It's finally out! eye on the sparrow designs made this week's edition of the DFW Quick. It's perfect timing as I am settling into a major 'beat the summer heat' production mode trying to get ready for all of these upcoming events. Sometimes it's a blessing and a curse when sales are up! I'm grateful for a reorder from the Museum Shop + Cafe at the JFK Museum and an opportunity to share my work in Oklahoma City's DNA Gallery!

With all of the new designs this summer I hope to get a chance to expand eye on the sparrow designs in mores stores, including Austin! I'm such a fan of that town and it's filled with supporters of local music! Look for more details on the news designs to be posted later!

Upcoming Shows

2010-08-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Dustbowl Arts Market - Norman, Oklahoma - August 28
Cowtown Indie Bazaar - Fort Worth, Texas - September 4
Dallas Flea - Dallas, Texas - September 11
Dallas Green Festival - Downtown Dallas, Texas - September 18
Urban Bazaar - Oak Cliff, Texas - October 2 & 3
Plaza District Festival - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - October 9
Market In The Meadow - Dallas, Texas - October 16 & 17
Snowflake Holiday Bazaar - Plano, Texas - October 23 & 24
Coppell Farmers Market - Coppell, Texas - October 30
Girlie Show - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - November 5 & 6
Lakewood Home Tour & Market - Dallas, Texas - November 13 & 14
Jingle Bash - Dallas, Texas - November 20

Important Bits of News!

2010-08-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to have received strings over the last month from a few local musicians. Annie Benjamin, who's a constant supporter of eye on the sparrow designs was kind enough to pass on four sets of guitar strings, some of which were used in the Echo Theater production of Bible Woman where Annie played a rock and roll version of Esther from the Old Testament. Another local artist who I met down in Waxahachie for the Gingerbread Art Trail, Scott Fant, passed on four or five sets of guitar strings as well, including a set of bass strings. Always a score! In addition another set of bass strings came via Merritt Martin from her fiance Jake Barnhart who plays with The Naptime Shake and American Werewolf Academy. I'm super grateful for the donations and the support to help CAMF!

In store news, Make, the crafting mecca of Oak Cliff, will be adding eye on the sparrow designs to their storefront. I couldn't be more excited and honored to join the other local artists who have set up a portion of their shop at Make! I'll be selecting twenty pieces to pass on starting in September. And don't forget about designs in New Harmony, and the Museum Shop + Cafe with the JFK Museum; as well as the 15th Street Gallery in Wichita Falls.

In donation news, eye on the sparrow designs closed out 2nd quarter sales to cut a check to the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation for $754! I'm stoked about the power of the community from both local musicians and local music fans to be able to provide such a large donation. Look for more news from the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation. There are big plans in the works for next year including an event at the Granada Theater which will include designs from eye on the sparrow designs from strings provided from a multitude of Carter's guitars to be auctioned off!

And as always there are plenty of events up ahead as fall starts to approach and Christmas gifts are on the horizon. I'm excited to announce the addition this year of Market In The Meadow. Anyone who's grown up in Dallas knows this is one of THE places to get your Christmas shopping done!

More ahead... keep checking in!

Girl Show - Perfect 10

2010-07-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to be a part of this show. Especially since the latest news is support from the Susan G. Komen Foundation! Here's the rundown...

girlShow...it's what you need!

July 9th & 10th 8pm - 12 Midnight both nights

It's time. The third installment of the highly anticipated annual ArtLoveMagic celebration of the creative women of Dallas has returned! girlShow has a theme every year. This year, the theme is "The Perfect 10". Through various mediums we will challenge all women to find perfection in themselves for who they are in life, not who the media and TV would have them strive to be.

This show is designed to demand your attention on BOTH nights. The talent levels are higher than ever before, and the surprises we have in store for you are worth your presence. We therefore encourage you to check out our first ever "all-access" girlPass, for entry to BOTH nights.

For only $15 girlPass carriers will enjoy:

50 + Visual artists, 15+ Musical acts, several Spoken Word poets, an all local designer Fashion Show, Roller Derby chicks, a vintage t-shirt couture interactive, Perfect 10 magazine interactive and more - all LIVE and for the most part, hands-on!

I'm so excited to be participating in an event that supports women in all areas of commerce and body image - we are all the perfect 10!

Where to Buy ~

2010-06-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to announce that eye on the sparrow designs will be featured in two unique galleries/museum shops starting in July!

The Museum Store + Cafe at the JFK Museum located in the historic 501 Elm building across from the Museum. With a unique idea to promote local artists, the Museum Store + Cafe will offer items from the local area and provide snacks from La Duni Coffee Studio. Dallasites and out-of-town guests will have the opportunity to pick up designs from eye on the sparrow designs and take a piece of the local Dallas music scene back home with them.

Arriving in Wichita Falls through the art work of Brad Jensen, the 15th Street Gallery will showcase rockstar painting through Brad's original works and gift offerings from various music related avenues such as eye on the sparrow designs and recycled record cuffs from House of Smash. A grand opening is upcoming later this month.

A Long Overdue Update

2010-06-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the fact the blogger has finally updated their templates eye on the sparrow designs has a new and improved look. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it will draw me in to post updates more often. It certainly isn't for lack and new and exciting things happening to the little sparrow you can bet!

Since the last time we spoke and today I've managed to only get one weekend off away from shows at the end of May. Many shows I feel absolutely amazed to have been a part of. This year was the first HomeGrown Music and Arts Festival in downtown Dallas. It was the perfect set-up for a festival event on a neat greenspot hidden amongst the downtown buildings! With two stages the event ran like a well oiled machine all the way down to a killer performance at the end of the night from Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights. Other amazing acts that day included RTB2, The Fox and the Bird, Somebody's Darling, The O's, Grant Jones, Air Review, and Ishi. I hate admitting that with all of these craft fairs and art bazaars I don't get the same amount of time listening to music nightly that I used to. I was super excited to hear such amazing bands that day! Thanks to all that came out and participated in a great first year event!

Other events have included the MAKE's Urban Bazaar, Oak Cliff's Earth Day Festival, Norman, Oklahoma's Dustbowl Market, etsy Spring Bash, LakeWood Neighborhood Stock, CRAVE in Oak Cliff, where a nice write-up was done on Art & Seek about eye on the sparrow designs, and more.

It's sometimes hard to believe that this isn't a full-time gig. I not only have to be there to sell, but I have to find time to collect strings and make the designs. A few of which are new - necklaces and pendants have hit the eye on the sparrow designs collection, a few of which are sold at buildanest.com. An entire line of eye on the sparrow designs titled, 'coming full circle', will be a featured part of their campaign. nest if a not for profit organization empowering female artisans around the world in a effort to move women and their families from poverty to self-sufficiency. Thirty percent of each eye on the sparrow designs sale will benefit the efforts of nest.

Along the lines of charity functions - have you heard of the love hope strength foundation? Together with LaGrange in Deep Ellum and The Belmont Hotel the "rock this town" will take Dallas by storm June 23rd - 27th. eye on the sparrow designs will be joining the festivities on kick-off night during the showing of Everest Rocks!

In other news, be on the lookout for eye on the sparrow designs in a few select retail stores in the very near future. A new museum shop is looking into accepting some items, as well as, New Harmony, a eco-chic store near Fair Park, an Arlington coffee house, and possibly a LakeWood neighborhood shop.

Spread the word out there, will ya? I'm glad I've given up the idea that life is supposed to be lived on an island! Send your used strings to: 6514 Axton Lane, Dallas 75214.

The News That's Fit To Print...

2010-04-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here's some news to pass on. eye on the sparrow designs got a nice shout on from DFWCraftShows.com on their OutNAbout Weekend Review. Huge thanks to Tania for that piece of press. She picked herself up a super chic eye on the sparrow designs magnet at the Lee Harvey's Flea Market Saturday. I'm definitely going to be doing this event again. Not much can beat crafts, dogs, drinks, sun, and good food! Catch it the next go around on the first on May, and every first Saturday of the month!

In other news, eye on the sparrow designs is going to be featured for this Friday's, April 9th, D Magazine ShopTalk Friday Giveaway! I'm super excited to be a part of this. I'll post the video here when it's up, but keep your eyes peeled to get your own 'chunky' design.

The eye on the sparrow designs koozies and guitar picks are in. As soon as I can get my act together and go live with www.shareyourstrings.com they'll be available for grabs! Don't go there yet though... ;)

I'll pass on more news soon!

Rocking the Craft Shows!

2010-03-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

The second show is underway at Richardson High School this weekend. And as usual I'm balancing the inventory on hand with the search and cry for strings from more local musicians. There is such a delicate balance between my inventory and my supplies! I'm excited to have strings on the way again from John Lefler of Dashboard Confessional and Erica Guagliardi of Here Holy Spain. And always, I'm on the hunt for more. There's rumors of strings from Eric Swanson of Johnny Lloyd Rollins and Wylie Toms from New York, Jason Manning of Manning-Dickson, Zane Williams, and Jack Doyle of Jack County.

In BIG news, I'll be joining the guys at Good Morning Texas the morning of April 12th as part of guitar week to showcase what I'm doing with eye on the sparrow designs. It's a great opportunity to promote CAMF and the local Dallas music scene. Since I have such a huge fear of the camera we'll see if I can manage my anxiety between now and then to arrive with some sort of composure!

There are lots of shows on the horizon and I've got a number of neat items on the way to help promote eye on the sparrow designs from guitar picks marked with the sparrow and CAMF logo to koozies.

Here's a list of what's ahead:

Lee Harvey's - 4/3

Urban Bazaar - 4/10 & 4/11

Oak Cliff Earth Day - 4/18

Dustbowl Market - 4/25

Etsy Spring Bash - 5/1

Bazaar Days - 5/8

CRAVE - 5/9

Lakewoodstock Neighborhood Festival - 5/15

Wildflower Festival - 5/21-23

In music news, I've got two albums you've got to check out. The first is Zane Williams. He is getting rave reviews. A recent opener for Radney Foster (who produced Zane's recent album), if you dig 'real' country music you'll love Zane and The Right Place. Another one from the great voice of country is Jack County. Originally a bass player for Zane, Jack Doyle has found a voice in his own right with his latest album, Lonesome Radio.

Spring Crafting Has Begun...

2010-03-13T21:06:00.001-08:00

Today was the start of the spring, for me anyway. An early morning put eye on the sparrow designs at the White Rock Local Market. With what I'd consider a bit on the chilly side with an incredible wind, it was a beautiful Saturday morning for an outdoor 'austin-like' event. Take a moment and picture Congress, behind Joe's, where it's the perfect spot to take your pooch and find great craft finds. For the five hours it seemed like a pretty steady crowd. It's nice to see interested people stopping by.

I'm always amazed at the power Carter still holds. Somehow he always shows up at events. Even in his absence he is still connecting people to bigger and better purposes or bringing up memories that need to be revisited. I'm always grateful for the people I meet who knew Carter and their willingness to share his impact. Sometimes it's nice to know I'm not the only one who now has a business, a tattoo, and a horse all born out of that little sparrow. It's nice to be reminded the power that people really hold to connect with one another in such honest and untarnished places as our grief.

Other than showing up a bit unprepared, today was a good start to 2010. Without business cards or postcards to really promote the story behind eye on the sparrow designs there were a good number of missed opportunities. Luckily missed opportunities fall under great learning experiences and a drive to pull it together better next time. I've already ordered more postcards.

I was excited to see a few of my favorite musicians today hanging out at the Local Market. Both Chris Carmichael of The King Bucks, Airline, and more fame, along with Robert Holley of Airline fame as well showed up. The later with strings in hand... job well done, sir.

Next show is Richardson High School in a few weeks. As always, there is still lots to do. I'm way behind on putting together guitar string bracelets from Taylor Young of The O's, Corey Coleman of the AM Ramblers, Pete Weise, Joey Shanks of Slider Pines, and a few others. Here's to getting my act together in quick order.

The Hidden Goddess...

2010-03-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

We all have the right to feel empowered. Typically looking at photographs of women does nothing but work to de-power us, hard, quick, and fast. Often without warning. On the rare occasion that stumbling out of bed didn't run us right into the nearest mirror, or bedside issue of Cosmo, we might be able to salvage our sense of shame about our bodies for a whole fifteen minutes of being awake. Some days it certainly doesn't work this way and our minds go spiraling into a vast vortex of negative body talk. From there the act of getting dressed is a further land-mine of pitfals possibly filled with a litany of curse words. This is not the day to see if those favorite jeans fit!

The three styles of bracelets under 'restoration' as a part of eye on the sparrow designs take honor with the way we refer to our body image. Under names like chunky, thick, and slim, unique styles are lent terms to celebrate our natural body image rather than take issue with it. chunky designs are created from the deep, resonating sound of an E and A bass string, while thick is made from a combination of D and G bass strings. A bass guitar is responsible for holding down the rhythm of a tune. A key foundational component. While slim is created from the entire set of guitar strings in order to maintain the strength needed for the design. Each one holding their own unique style and beauty.

Check out the work here by Candice White. She has an eye for upholding the natural body image of women in amazingly unique and beautiful photography. What stands out in each image greater than the body itself is the dreams, aspirations, and life from each of the women she photographs. All regardless of what kind of chunky, thick, or slim shape their bodies take.

Another From Voice

2010-03-03T01:17:00.000-08:00

Reads, 'No One Can Take Away Your Worth Without Your

Permission'. Penned on a variation of a famous quote by

Eleanor Roosevelt. Canvas measure 24 x 36. Background

is a rolled sunflower on top of antique gold. Lettering is done

in mushroom.

Paintings of Voice

2010-03-03T01:09:00.000-08:00

Here's one of the latest paintings in the line of eye on the sparrow

designs designated Voice. LOVE is done on a canvas measuring

12 x 18, with a wine background, mushroom inset, and lettering

done in spice brown.

First Post of 2010

2010-02-26T17:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've written. After the fall run of shows I admittedly took a LONG break. Quite possibly a little too long from the looks of the bags and bags of strings I had let go untouched that were being stockpiled in my office I might add. But, the breaks over and here I go slinging strings once again gearing up for the quickly approaching run of spring adventures.

Some things have happened, of course. Some time back in the beginning of January I was on an episode of Hope Help Heal, part of the Tour of Giving. My good friend, Janee Harrell, did a fabulous job of putting up with my anxiety during our interview. It's set to re-air in March and I'll be able to post a copy of it then.

I joined the local Etsy team, Etsy Dallas. This is really some great top honors. I'm super excited about having an opportunity to be part of a group of 'crafters'. While I still don't fully feel like I fit in here I'm doing my best to fake it. I crave community so much, but often times find myself in activities that promote being alone. I was never the team sports gal, and often felt like I deserved the award for 'Does Not Play Well With Others'. I'm looking forward to hopefully getting a new title.

There are a TON of shows coming up for the spring. Ahead is the spring versions of both Make's Urban Bazaar down in Oak Cliff and the Spring Bash put on by Etsy Dallas, which was the Jingle Bash (click for some great photos of the bash) last fall. New events are also coming up, new to me rather, Oak Cliff's Earth Day Festival, White Rock Local Market located by the Greenspot, and Bazaar Days up in Addison. A few more are waiting in the wings for acceptance, such as the Dustbowl Arts Market and Music Festival up in Norman, Oklahoma and the Wildflower Festival, which is a must attend regardless of being a vendor!

eye on the sparrow designs was featured on a cool, hip website that's trying to keep all of us non-cool folks, like myself, up to date. The Hidden List started by good friend, Kelley Copeland has a great deal of nice things to say.

Aside from that the start of the Olympics started my own strict regime of production. I've been plowing through bass strings from Sean Conway of Hello Lover, Jon Button, a UNT grad who's lucky enough to be playing bass for Roger Daltrey of The Who, and many more. At last count I believe we were 60 bracelets deep.

I leave you with this direct order. Go quickly straight to your nearest iTunes download and pick up John Lefler's latest album, Better By Design. It's an amazing record of power pop tunes that sound like a soundtrack from a Hugh Grant movie. It doesn't hurt that Lefler resembles Hugh Grant's long lost brother either. Seriously, it got him free drinks all night at a bar in Atlanta. So much for celebrity sightings!

Quick Holiday Update

2009-12-19T19:23:00.001-08:00

I've been a lot of places over the last month, as always it's been that long. Last two shows were at North Haven Gardens for their Holiday Art Show and Sanger Elementary in Forest Hills for their Winter Art Fair. Both events involved good times! I'm always surprised by the faces I run into along the way. Some people knew Carter and are pleased by what I am doing to support the foundation. Some people are purely music lovers who are excited to find a way to hold on to the music. Either way it's nice to be a part of the impact in people's lives other than the way I am used to doing it as a therapist.

It's holiday sale time around time as everyone goes scrambling for last minute Christmas items. Everthing is discounted, including my stock of recycled strings from local musicians. All items are on sale for $24 if you are looking for the last stocking stuffer.

I enjoyed participating in creating a board for Art Conspiracy this year. It's always nice to be a part of helping out another charity organization. The crowd was huge and it was a night filled with good music from RTB2, Boom Boom Box, Telegraph Canyon, and the Crash That Took Me. That's me with my board in the photo up top.

Upcoming in January as part of Tour of Giving will be airing Hobbies That Heal. Last I heard it will be airing the first Saturday in January. I enjoyed spending time with Janee catching up about how I got started doing eye on the sparrow designs and how important it is to be able to make an impact on the lives of others.

I'm looking forward to pushing more press in January and promoting eye on the sparrow designs line of Chunky Bangles into small, artsy stores. If there are any helpful hints out there I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Holidays everyone. Signing off for 2009.

The Latest Scoop

2009-11-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

As usual it's been way too long since I've really written (minus the few little posts I've thrown up in the last few days) and I'm stuck wondering where to begin. There is always so much that happens or almost happens. The latest big news that I've already posted is the article in the recent edition of the Lakewood Advocate. I'm finally getting used to having someone in my space with a camera on me, one with some crazy ideas I might add. Take a look at the shot inside with the guitar strings positioned above my head as a halo. I never would have imagined that was going to work, but somehow it did. Unfortunately I can not disclose a magician's secret and give you the details behind how we got that to work! It was a great experience and I am super excited about the write-up in The Advocate. It's definitely perfect timing for the folks looking to get their holiday shopping in by supporting the local community. Oddly enough I was even approached today by a woman who saw me at the Lakewood Market and then saw me in The Advocate. Neat, but a little strange being recognized in public!

Speaking of the Lakewood Market, what a hit. This was the best show I've had to date. The mojo was good. The crowd was good. There were definitely a lot of holiday shoppers out there looking for the gift that fits the person that has everything or is impossible to shop for. As with the other events, the large amount of praise for the presentation of the jewelry is always welcome and exciting. I had a great time hanging out with Kim of Enchanted Frog Soap. She has some really neat lotions and soaps, including some great soap for your favorite pooch.

My experience a few weeks later at Etsy Dallas wasn't quite as good as I expected. Being new at this I'm realizing that there are a lot of little things that make a huge difference in presenting a product. I was unfortunate in positioning my table near the back of my space versus along the walk way. What I found was it made it hard for people to 'see' what I had. And while once you 'hear' what the jewelry is made from people immediately jump on board it made it quite difficult for me to get to some of the people who would have been stoked to hear about it. All grist for the mill for sure. Mistakes are challenges to overcome. There is always more learning to do for next time. If you missed the event, check out the neat little video put together by Art & Seek's Cindy Chaffin on You Tube. You can catch a glimpse of me about three minutes in... don't blink! It was definitely a great opportunity to be involved with Etsy Dallas and the Handmade Bash. I was in great company!

Here's a little update on a direction eye on the sparrow designs was looking at taking. At one point there was hopes of getting some really big names on board with donating to eye on the sparrow designs. While there were a number of reasons to be excited about this, OTHER than the mere thrill of holding certain artists strings in my little hands, I also had a few concerns. eye on the sparrow designs was started with the intent of marketing and promoting smaller, local bands to a larger audience. The idea was to be part of a launching pad for bands to promote their name on what would someone be a more national, well-known level. When this opportunity presented itself to reach bigger acts I was thrilled about the idea of being able to gather larger proceeds and passing it along to Carter's foundation. How I would choose to market to the audience who would appreciate these larger acts and really do there strings justice was a big question mark and in many ways I perceived that I was putting the cart before the horse. I'd be so happy to have the support of larger known artists for our local music scene, but something about it didn't feel right. And as luck would have it, for now, the door has closed. So for those of you waiting around to get your hands on strings from Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top you'll just have to keep waiting a little while. I'll let you know if something changes. I can't say enough about a wonderful musician, Lance Lopez, who has put a tremendous amount of time and effort into this project. I am blessed to have his support!

Now for the string update... recent additions from Eric Neal of The Slack, Salim Nourallah, et al., John Lefler of Dashboard Confessional, Ward Williams previously of SORTA, Ryan Edmonson of Little Rye Big Whiskey, Joey Shanks of Slider Pines, the Fate Lions, Orange Peel Sunshine, Ryan Becker of RTB2, Chris Campbell of Nightbirds, TX, and Chris Mayes of Boom Boom Box, Naptime Shake, Pleasant Grove and occasionally the Deathray Davies.

Next weekend I'll be heading north to spend the weekend at the North Haven Gardens Holiday Art & Crafts Show. I have a great new stock of some new earrings and a much heavier stock of the ever popular bangles! Come check it out.

The other final news is that I also just finished up doing over 150 earrings, 50 bangles for dudes, and an additional batch of earrings, bangles, and slim style bracelets for P.S. Styling's premiere event this upcoming Wednesday, December 2, 2009, at Trees benefiting The Fashionistas.

Keep spreading the word out there about eye on the sparrow designs. The tally so far this quarter for the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation is nearing $700 with one month to go!

And more!

2009-11-27T20:50:00.001-08:00

A 16 x 20 canvas done with a yellow background and spice brown sparrow.

Painting!

2009-11-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

A lovely 12 x 16 canvas in sky blue with a spice brown sparrow.

New Press From the Lakewood Edition of the Advocate!

2009-11-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

Check your latest Lakewood Advocate for some new press for eye on the sparrow designs!

Eye On the Sparrow

Like a quality tattoo, each piece in Abbie Chesney’s “Eye on the Sparrow” collection is stylishly edgy, and each is infused with a compelling story. Her guitar-string bracelets and earrings are the perfect (removable) body adornment for the rock star on your list.

Chesney started crafting jewelry from used guitar and bass strings following the death of a friend, Dallas musician Carter Albrecht, in 2007. She wanted to do something symbolic in his memory, but that inspiration went through several stages before taking shape.

“I tossed a lot of ideas around...I got a tattoo. It was just a long process of me listening to myself and letting the idea grow organically,” she says.

The “aha!” moment hit when her boyfriend, a guitarist in the band Shibboleth, was re-stringing his instrument and lamenting the trashing of his worn strings.

“They throw the strings away,” Chesney says, “but there’s a lot of memories and music locked into these strings. I started tinkering around with them. Turned out it was pretty easy to make the first bracelet.”

Now, Chesney is contriving new jewels with each donated string — chunky designs are made with E bass strings, while slimmer styles are fashioned from acoustic guitar strings. And a portion of each sale goes to the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation, which supports Dallas musicians.

WEBSITE: Search for “Eye on the Sparrow” at etsy.com

PRICE RANGE: $28-$42

CONTACT: abbie.r.chesney@gmail.com

Body Image?

2009-11-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

Here's a bit of history... check out this press release!

Local Eating Disorder Therapist creates line of Recycled Jewelry Targeting Body Image

Chesney uses line of eye on the sparrow designs, restoration, to challenge the perceptions we carry about ourselves through the voice of the recycled instrument string of local musicians. Designs are named chunky or thick (bass) or slim (guitar).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Nov 18, 2009 – After the death of close friend and well-known local musican Carter Albrecht in 2007, local eating disorder therapist, Abbie Chesney, had no idea she would end up creating a line of jewelry in his honor that tackled the way we perceive ourselves.

Ms. Chesney began collecting recycled bass and guitar strings from local musicians in an effort to remember the voice of a musician in a tangible piece of art. After searching through all kinds of mediums to create some type of acceptable memory form, she found taking the true voice of a musician seemed like the only way to go. Using recycle bass and guitar strings created a sustainable gift representing the passion and creativity embodied in a musician, such as Albrecht and his local Dallas counterparts.

eye on the sparrow designs, named after a horse named Sparrow shortly aquired after Albrecht's death, rolled out with 'restoration' in the summer of 2009. Sparrows, a band fronted by Albrecht, or Sparrow, become the theme song so to speak of 'restoration' as is evidenced on the tags of all of her jewelry. A large swooping sparrow fills each tag, as it does on Chesney's arm in a tattoo done in memory of Albrecht.

The idea behind 'restoration' is the process of taking something old and creating a new form, turning it into something new. An idea she also uses with her clients instead of the term recovery. "Recovery is an over-used term. It's been saturated to the point that I believe it has lost it's meaning, aside from saying 'do it my way'. I want my clients to find their own pathway. We work together as a team to find their sense of restoration".

Slim, Thick, and Chunky are the three lines of bracelet creations in 'restoration'. Contrary to what you might think, the names do not reference wrist size. Slim is made from recycled guitar strings, while Thick and Chunky are made from recycled bass strings. Bass strings create that deep, resonating sound. A bass instrument can basically stand alone without accompaniment. It only takes one E bass string to create a Chunky bracelet. The slightly smaller bass strings, A, D, and G, are used alone or in pairs to create a Thick bracelet. Higher pitched guitar strings have to be used as a set to create a Slim bracelet. Each string needs to support of the other to create the smooth sound one hears from a guitar.

"Part of the celebration behind 'restoration' is that the pieces aren't perfect. The strings are used, damaged to some. The tags are painted by hand with a stray paint drop or ink splotch here and there. I want to impart through eye on the sparrow designs that perfection is not what is beautiful. In fact, it's the uniqueness of each piece in it's imperfections that create the style so many people are flocking over."

And as to deciding on Slim, Thick, or Chunky, most people have a hard time. Each piece is equally more stunning than one of a different name. Slim isn't the best dressed in the room. For some it's Chunky, or Thick. "Sometimes it's important for us to take a term we have used to shame ourselves and display it with confidence," says Chesney.

Chesney has showcased her jewelry in many art bazaars to date, such as, Urban Bazaar, Fort Worth Arts Goggle, Gypsy Wagon's Saturday Local Artists Showcase, and Clubhouse Concerts Series. Press writings have shown up on blogs such as Subservient Experiement, The Best of Texas, and the Dallas Observer's DC9. An excellent video interview by Chelsea Callahan and Cindy Chaffin can be found on finelinelive.com.

Look for Chesney in the upcoming Lakewood Market, Jingle Bash, PS Styling's Rock n' Roll Fashion Show Benefitting the Fashionistas, and North Haven Gardens Home & Garden Show. Additional press publications you can find Chesney in the upcoming months are the Dallas Advocate and DFW's Quick.

Chesney donates twenty-five percent of all sales to the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation and spends a considerable amount of time promoting bands from the local music scene. That was something that Albrecht was passionate about himself.

Cloud Addition...

2009-11-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

Catching Up...

2009-11-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not the best at keeping this up to date. With the invention of the iPhone I find that I spend less and less time in front of an actual computer and there are so many things to catch up on!

This past Tuesday I had the opportunity to spend some time with Can, the photo editor for the Advocate, in my backyard taking some unique shots. I thought he was nearly out of his mind when he asked me to make a halo out of guitar strings. Little did I know that the idea would work quite well for an interesting photo. I'm getting used to the idea of being in front of a camera, at least enough for the experience to be tolerable. Look for the work we did to come out in the Advocate next month for their Christmas shopping guide. It's going to be a neat piece on local artists in the Lakewood area.

As we have just crossed through 1/3 of the final quarter of 2009, over $500 will benefit the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation. That's some great and exciting news! Prior to October, just under $400 was already passed along to Carter's foundation! It just keeps growing and growing!

String donations are rolling in. In the past couple of weeks I've gotten strings from John Lefler of Dashboard Confessional, Ward Williams (Sorta), Nolan Theis and Toby Pipes of Little Black Dress, Jeremy Megert of Jeremy Megert and the Megalomaniacs, Andy Rogers of Oso Closo, Eric Swanson of Johnny Lloyd Rollins, and Bruce Hughes from Austin who is currently touring with Jason Mraz. More are shortly on the way from Ward Richmond of Boys Named Sue and Joey Shanks of Slider Pines!

BIG NAMES! I've had the opportunity to link up with a fantastic guitar player by the name of Lance Lopez. Such a sweet gentleman of a man, he is working on strings from much bigger names in the hopes of bringing more attention to the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation. What an exciting opportunity it is to have a name like Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top interested in donating strings to help raise money for CAMF. I am completely blown away by this generosity!

Other BIG news! Over 200 designs will be donated to gift bags as part of PS Stylings rock n' roll fashion show benefiting the Fashionistas at Trees next month! In addition, thirty models will be wearing designs by eye on the sparrow designs! I'm a bit overwhelmed at the production ahead of me, but excited about the chance to have so many people see my work and learn about what I am doing to benefit CAMF!

Certainly I am forgetting a ton of things! I'll try and update more often!

Still growing...

2009-10-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

Toadies strings showed up in the nick of time...

2009-10-12T16:56:00.001-07:00

The first major art bazaar for eye on the sparrow designs is over. It way exceeded my expectations in so many ways. Even with a sketchy forecast of cold and possible rain the event was well attended and the crowd was super supportive. I received a tremendous amount of support from not just the people who came out to check out the wares, but from other artists a part of the bazaar. It felt so great to be accepted and respected as an artist. I'm learning a lot about a part of myself that I thought had been clearly lost years ago. I've come a long way from the little girl who grew up fearless, creating potholders, painting t-shirts, drawing, and selling those ridiculously ugly fabric fringed banana clips at the local hairdresser. I'm glad there is a light shining on her still left inside to glow.

It was such a treat to promote what I am doing to new faces. I am so purely passionate about helping people share their passion. A musician has such a great opportunity to exercise their passion through a powerful and expansive medium. I'm so openly shameless about letting people know about musicians. Music has been such a strong force in my life for so long I truly believe it is the heartbeat the drives our soul. Not only do I know that is my belief, but I witness the same belief being echoed on the faces of the people at the event this weekend. Getting to put your hands on a piece of wire connected to a musician is truly a unique experience.

This weekend made just under $250 for Carter's foundation. I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of what I am doing. Freezing in the cold, working until 4 am to get things just right all somehow felt very worth it to connect to people in a way I have never had the opportunity to connect to people before. I am truly blessed by what I am doing and by the people I am meeting along the way. We are all interwoven to help each other survive this crazy world.

I happy to announce that I'll be joining Times Ten Cellars in the months ahead at their Wine Down Wednesday monthly event. I'm headed down to Austin this weekend to go pick up some strings by the bass player for Jason Mraz and to do some promoting. That's all the scuttlebutt fit to report at the moment. I'm cooking a few others things up that I'll keep you posted on the next update-around.

Peace.~

The History Behind the Name... and the Tags

2009-10-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes out of tragedy brings life. Depending on what your definition of life would be, that is. If your definition looks something like passion, creativity, and drive, we’re on the same page.

After the death of well-known local musician, Carter Albrecht, what began as a journey into the depths of grief brought to life eye on the sparrow designs. Sparrows, a well-known band, Carter fronted, gave name to my first stage of grief, Sparrow. A tall, dark, and handsome drink of water himself, like Carter, Sparrow was acquired, somewhat freshly off the racetrack, to be a potential show horse. And as every good show horse has, Sparrow needed a suitable name. He needed a name that would be memorable if it was going to do him any justice against his namesake. Pulling from the biblical interpretations of the meaning of Sparrows, Sparrow was given ‘keep your eye on the sparrow’.

Entering the second stage of grief created a search for a symbol that represented the life lost. The desire for some sort of physical pain to take away the emotional pain that would not abate. The first word that came to mind that would not leave was restoration, shortly followed by truth and voice. These three words were haunting, without explanation of meaning or purpose. After search upon search for a seemingly unfound symbol began to wane, the obviousness of a sparrow couldn’t be ignored. Hence, a tattoo gathered from a drawing done by Carter’s girlfriend, now well-known artist Ryann Rathbone.

Stage three of grief put all the pieces together and brought meaning to restoration. Remembering Carter’s voice was something we had. ‘Jesus is Alive and Living in London’ was completed and is available through itunes and the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation. Voice is an expression of passion, creativity, and drive, something each musician has from their finger tips to their soul. The truth of their memories lies in the strings used on their instruments. From there, the idea of eye on the sparrow designs came to life. Re-using strings to make bracelets and earrings allows musicians and music lovers to come together as a community to support one another, the environment, and the power of voice.

Three lines make up eye on the sparrow designs, Chunky, Thick, and Slim. Bass strings with their great depth of sound are made from ‘chunkier’ wires. One E or A bass string can complete an entire bracelet. Smaller bass strings, D and G, can be wound together to create a ‘thicker’ appearance. While ‘slimmer’ acoustic and electric guitar strings (E, A, D, G, B) are used to produce a range of medium bodied to high pitched, versatile sound. An entire set of guitar strings has to be used to complete one bracelet. Sound, or the composition of a song, requires the use of all strings and notes equally, neither sound nor note resonates better than the other. In fact, you’ll have a hard time deciding which line you like best… support you’re natural body image.

Art Bazaars have begun!

2009-10-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend gave me the opportunity to participate in my first event that allowed me to sell my "wares". Even amongst a steady rainfall in Fort Worth, the Arts Goggle pulled in a great crowd for both The LifeWorks Group's Fort Worth office and the artists that were lucky enough to be involved. I'm so grateful for the great team of folks who worked hard to make the event a success.

I am forever indebted to meeting Joni of Clubhouse Concerts above the White Elephant Saloon over there in Fort Worth. If you haven't check this place out, do so! It follows the great listening room concept and is such a neat idea. I was saddened to hear that it won't be going on much longer, but there are a handful of great shows listed until the end of the year. Look for me at a couple of them upcoming selling some goodies from eye on the sparrow designs. I've got to thank Joni for her work in trying to get musicians involved. She sent a sweet, supportive email out to the musicians, managers, and booking agents she knows trying to create support. I'm absolutely stunned and tickled at the willingness people have at getting behind this endeavor with me!

In addition to strings from Billy Cassis of Bob Schneider, Sara Hickman, and Cory Coleman of A.M. Ramblers, some new additions on the string horizon to report. Just in from Austin was four sets of strings from Johnny Goudie of Johnny Goudie and the Little Champions and SKYROCKET!. Both are great phenomenal bands you've got to check out. SKYROCKET! will have you singing some old favorites you haven't heard in years well into the next week. I promise! More are on the way from Erin Austin (Denton, TX), Todd Deatherage (Austin, TX), Dave Little (Dallas, TX), Ward Richmond of Boys Named Sue (Dallas, TX) and Todd Lewis and Clark Vogeler of the Toadies (Fort Worth, TX).

This weekend I'll be out at the Urban Bazaar down in Oak Cliff. After finishing up last quarter with just under $350 for the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation, I'm excited to get this quarter off with a bang. Come out and see me! And don't forget to mark your calendars for the 24th of October where I'll be at the Gypsy Wagon!

2009-09-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Eye on the Sparrow Designs: My Day with Abbie & Chelsea

Click here to see the video on YouTube.

Adorable spitfire Abbie Chesney has been putting together an amazing little business. She’s accepting guitar/bass string donations from local/regional musicians and turning them into divine jewelry. For one, it’s a green thing, and for two part of the proceeds go towards the Carter Albrecht Foundation. I bought a bracelet made from Eric Neal’s strings. I looooooove it.

So all you talented ones getcher strings to Abbie so they can become a fabulous fashion statement!

Up top is a video The Fine Line featuring Chelsea Callahan chatting with Abbie about this splendid project. (We had a gal-gathering at the Old Monk)

2009-09-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

Q&A: Abbie Chesney Tells Us Why She's Obsessed With Broken Guitar Strings

By Stephanie Daniels in Q&A

Tuesday, Sep. 29 2009 @ 3:35PM

Using a combination of hope, creativity and instrument strings, Abbie Chesney is reaching out to the local music scene for help with a jewelry project she's calling Eye on the Sparrow Designs.

The whole idea started in response to the death of her close friend and musician Carter Albrecht. Chesney, a music fan herself, started using donated broken strings and instruments from local musicians and turning those worn items into pieces of jewelry. Relating directly to her day job as an eating disorder therapist, she offers her pieces to interested parties in three different sizes: chunky, thick and slim. And a portion of the proceeds go back into the music community as well, as donations to the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation.

We caught up with Chesney to talk about Eye on the Sparrow Designs, the inspiration behind it, and where she hopes to take it.

What does "Eye on the Sparrow" mean, and how did you come up with that name?
The name came from the idea of the sparrow originally. [Carter] fronted a band a while back that was called Sparrows. Ryann [Rathbone], his girlfriend, had drawn out four sparrow drawings, and after he died and we found them and thought "These are great."

In the process of grieving over Carter, I went out and bought a horse named Sparrow. In the horse riding I do, you come up with a horse show name and, so, when I was trying to think of a name for Sparrow, I came up with "Keep your eye on the sparrow"--so that's where the Eye on the Sparrows designs originated.

As a quick refresher, what is the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation?
Carter's foundation has been set up to basically try and do the things Carter wanted done in the music community. He was a huge fan of getting the Dallas music scene together and to get it known. The foundation does a lot of things to promote musicians. They're giving scholarships to kids are in high school and stuff like that, so that they can, y'know, get closer to reaching their dreams with music. They provide some instruments and those types of things.

What message are you trying to convey with this jewelry?
There's a couple different things. Certainly, one thing is just to bring the music community together. The strings have such story to them. Each one of those strings has all these memories for those musicians--the gigs, the people they've met, the venues they've been to. These strings hold those memories. Instead of throwing them away, they get to pass them on and, y'know, kind of connect to the fans in that way too. Plus, we're recycling.

Why did you choose to use guitar/bass strings?
It just kind of fit together. I really searched for some type of memory thing to really put together. If you use the whole string as a circle for the bracelet, it's perfect. The sparrow ends up on the tag.

Will you ever incorporate another part of an instrument? Picks? violin strings?
I actually just did some fiddle strings! Anything that's a string, I can do.

Are you open to using strings from a non-local act?
Most definitely. I do hope, at some point, this grows. I have gotten some strings from Austin. At some point, hopefully bigger names will get interested. It's starting locally because that's the people I know. I've been connected with the local music scene for a long time.

So far, how many pieces of jewelry have you sold?
I've sold 35 so far--just under $1,000, with $250 going to foundation.

What is your most popular bracelet style?
I like chunky the best, but a lot of people have got the slim. The slim has different color strings--copper, gold and stainless steel.

How much of the money made from he jewelry goes to the foundation?
25 percent.

How do you find the time to go out and get the strings and put it together with a full-time job as a therapist?
I need two of me--I really do. It's getting to be a full-time job. I'm working all day at my practice and then I'm coming home at night and painting tags or stamping tags or picking up strings--it takes a lot. Every kind of niche of time, I'm working on this.

Why is each piece of jewelry so unique?
No two look alike. Every time I try to construct a bracelet, they're a little bit different. I can't replicate them, which, I think, is what's cool about them. I try and use every part of the string.

Where can people find the jewelry?
I'm going to be in about six art bazaars between now and the end of the year, so there's going to be a lot of chances for people to come out. But most people have either bought them online or face-to-face. I try to have a couple on hand everywhere I go.

Visit Eye on the Sparrow Designs' etsy page to browse its inventory and purchase pieces of jewelry.

Time to Get Ready!

2009-09-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a number of donations this past week from the likes of Cory Coleman of the A.M. Ramblers, Sara Hickman from Austin, Jason and Chris Bonner of the Backsliders, Billy Cassis (Soulhat) of Bob Schneider's band. Strings are currently on the way from Here Holy Spain, more from RTB2, the Toadies, and more. I had the opportunity over the weekend to hook up with Austin Vintage Guitar. They will be saving their strings for me to help musicians go green!

Last Tuesday I got to spend some time with Cindy Chaffin of finelinelive.com and music promoter extradinaire, Chelsea Callahan. What a force the three of us are together in promoting this Dallas music scene and pumping the word out about supporting CAMF! It was a great afternoon to spend with these lovely ladies. Look for the video to be up on Cindy's site shortly.

A new twist on design has also come out this week. I'm creating bracelets and earrings with amethyst accents. It's a nice way to spruce up the strings that already provide such great color. I'm excited about offering these new designs this weekend at the first official roll-out for eye on the sparrow designs at the FW Arts Goggle. I'm super grateful to Beth Lewis for being such a good sport at helping out putting this thing together. I'm a little worried about having enough product. I've been sending telepathic messages to all those musicians out there to grace my mailbox with their donations.

So much is going on it's hard to nail my brain down to sort it all. There's always way more to do then time. Stay tuned for more updates and photos of the new designs!

Alot to Report!

2009-09-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

I just finished my photo shoot with Jason Janik. It caused me to realize how little time I've spent in front of the camera. I don't feel 'natural' at all! Jason was great. He's obviously such a professional he didn't take a second thought at my nerves, which is probably good. I'll have another shoot later on for the Advocate. I'm hoping to settle in a little bit better when that one rolls around.

Yesterday I was at The Green Festival at White Rock Lake put on by the City of Dallas. What a great event to be a part of! With a super busy weekend for events around Dallas a surprising number of people showed up. I received tremendous feedback from people who passed by. I was surprised how excited people were not only about the aspect of helping musicians go 'green', but also with the packaging. I'm so pleased that people are drawn towards the colors and the sparrow design. It took me so long to come up with just the right way to present this labor of love. It's too bad I wasn't able to sell designs at this event. It was nice to know that a lot of people were disappointed to hear they wouldn't be able to take home designs.

I had a few people tell me about some great opportunities. I'm so grateful for the help and the sense of community that comes out in people. I'm touched to have so many people supporting me and what I am doing with eye on the sparrow designs. I'm really hoping that as the press grows and I have the opportunity to attend more events that it reaches out to many more musicians in this effort to help them go 'green' for a worthy cause!

I've got an interview with Leah Shafer to finish up the article for The Quick and a video interview date with Chelsea Callahan and Cindy Chaffin of finelinelive.com, a local music blog. I'm looking forward to selling this weekend at Mercy Wine Bar up in Addison.

I, also, have FINALLY mastered the graphic design program. I'm learning how little I know about computers in the last, oh say, ten years. I managed to figure it out and my magazine creative for the upcoming Make's Urban Bazaar in Oak Cliff next month is finally finished and ready for use. I'll be getting out my own flyer to promote donating strings to local guitar shops and studios in the next week or two.

That's the update folks. Keep checking back in and reading about where eye on the sparrow designs goes next!

More press! And MORE!

2009-09-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Look here! Cory's write-up made it to the Best of Texas blog!

It's been an exciting week! I just got off the phone with Christina Hughes, editor at The Advocate. eye on the sparrow designs is going to be featured in their December issue along with other local crafty folks for Holiday gift ideas!

AND! An article is in the works with The Quick to be featured the first or second week of October. I'll fill you on how my photo shoot with Jason Janik goes on Monday when it's done.

I'm excited about the opportunities that are ahead. My first taste of the festival experience is this weekend at White Rock Lake. I'll be participating in the Green Festival put on by the City of Dallas. I'll be posting what an experience it was Sunday night.

Here's a little press from Subservient Experiement

2009-09-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Press!

Ever wanted to make a donation to a good cause? “But all I have is this pocket cheese, some Visine and these broken guitar strings,” you might say. Well, there’s a little someone out there that will at least gladly take your old, used strings. Eye On The Sparrow Designs, created by Abbie Chesney, a member of the local music community, was begun just months ago to help raise money for The Carter Albrecht Music Foundation and would really appreciate a little help from the SubEx community.

Shortly after the tragic death of Carter Albrecht from the Dallas-based Sorta two years ago, Chesney, close friend to Carter, began to think of a suitable way to remember him. “I began to compile an idea to bring the music community together by collecting used bass and guitar strings from local musicians and turning them into bracelets and now earrings, in addition,” says Chesney of her design concept.

The idea for Eye On The Sparrow Designs came from two things. One, from a horse she acquired after Carter’s death that she named Sparrow; from an inside joke between both herself and Carter. The other came from one of four sparrow drawings that Carter’s girlfriend had drawn; Chesney having one, as well as Dallas’ own Danny Balis having another that can actually be seen on the cover of his recent solo release “Too Much Living”. These sparrows became somewhat of a symbol of Carter after his death, and each piece of jewelry has a stamp of a sparrow on the tags.

Many great, local artists have already given contribution to this great cause including the likes of: John Dufilho of Deathray Davies, James Driscoll, Ryan Becker of RTB2, Chad DeAtley of Dove Hunter, Madison King, Sean Conway of Hello Lover, Keith Killorean of the King Bucks and The Drams and Will Woolsey of Airline.

“Danny [Balis] swears his are on the way any day now,” says Chesney. “It's all for a great cause with twenty-five percent of all jewelry sales going to The Carter Albrecht Music Foundation.”

Even though Eye On The Sparrow Designs has only been around for a couple of months, there have already been hundreds of dollars raised for the foundation and can only rise with a simple donation by you readers. I recommend that you all check it out for yourself on her her Etsy site. Donation information can also be found on the site or by contacting Chesney directly.

“I can't do this without musician donations,” says Chesney. “I’m constantly searching for donations to have enough product to sell.”

So, to all the SubEx community out there, get behind one of the most free and easy donations you could possibly make and contribute to a great cause that only wants to bring us all a little closer together… Hugs are welcome.

-Cory Coleman, Subservient Experiment