Kelly Becomes a Real Woman (Or Tries)

For over 11 years, I worked in the R&D department of my company. (That's "Research & Development" for all you non-techie types out there.)

I wore jeans every day except when I was interviewing candidates. Flip-flops every day of the summer as long as my toenail polish was presentable. No more make-up than it took to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. And I was surrounded by a bunch of male engineers whose own dressing habits, in general, made me look high maintenance. (I said in general—you know I didn't mean you!)

But since June 30th, I've been in my new position as Sustainability Specialist. That position just so happens to fall under the Marketing department at my company. And can I just say that these people know not only how to dress but how to ACCESSORIZE.

I do my best with my brightly colored shirts and my black-pants-that-go-with-everything, but every time I go in the office and look around at my new co-workers, I feel insufficient. Like I'm not a real woman. I suddenly become painfully aware of the fact that those staple black pants are a little too short and are a little too tight around the last 5 pounds of pregnancy weight that are firmly entrenched in my middle. I remember that I should have put hand lotion on before I left the house because DAYum, how did my hands get so dry when it's as humid as a sauna outside?

And I realize that my neck is naked. My wrists are naked. My earlobes are naked. The only piece of jewelry I wear is my wedding ring.

I know that accessorizing involves more than just jewelry, but a girl's gotta start somewhere. So where is a "Sustainability Specialist" supposed to buy jewelry? Certainly not from a jewelry chain store, right?

I just don't have time to hit all the local crafts fairs in Austin looking for locally made jewelry that looks professional. Because if I'm being honest here, a lot of the stuff at those crafts fairs isn't something I see myself wearing to work.

After a few weeks of ever-so-casually keeping my hands in front of my naked neck every time I had to meet with a well-accessorized co-worker, I had an epiphany. I remembered Etsy. It's a web site where you can buy and sell handmade items. When I first came across it, all I thought to myself was "Gee, I wish I could make something because that'd be cool to support yourself that way." I didn't envision myself actually shopping for items on Etsy.

But Etsy has a "Shop Local" feature. You just enter where you live, and Etsy gives you a list of all the most recent handmade items for sale in your area. Perfect! Locally made is pretty dang sustainable in my book.

Unfortunately, you can't search within those local results (as far as I can tell), so I started scrolling and scrolling to find jewelry. And then it dawned on me that I know someone in Austin who makes awesome jewelry. Duh. I blame mother brain. This kid must be sucking my brain dry of all those fatty acids you need to stay smart.

So uh, I guess that's my long-winded way of saying: Check out MetalsGirl. These photos are a little taste of the sweet-ass jewelry she makes.