Like many other young artists and designers (and ironically even Alice in Wonderland), Sarah Barney had to leave the nest before realizing that a place is just a place. It’s all what you make of it.

Growing up on Cape Cod, Sarah’s early career in jewelry started while working in a local bead store after school where she envisioned more than just what the local ladies were buying to string up.

“I’ve always been inspired by found pieces and reworking each element to create something new whether it was in the bead store or throughout my career in jewelry and fashion. There is something very special about searching for each little piece, each with a history of it’s own, and making it into a whole new design. It’s like taking little bits of history and someone else’s memories and recreating it fresh, ready for new memories and sentiments,” says Barney.

In the fall of 1999, Sarah decided to step it up and moved to Brooklyn, New York to study sculpture at the Pratt Institute of Art where she created a tight network of artists and designers who all worked together to build each other up with criticisms and support.

In 2005, she worked as the production manager of the ultra feminine Ginette NY and then joined the Men’s Division at David Yurman as a product engineer.

After 10 years in New York City Sarah moved back to the Cape and is now launching her own line which is greatly influenced by the seascapes of her youth, the gritty industrialism of Brooklyn, and the glamor of New York City.

“I came home for a whole lot of different reasons. The main one being I wanted to spend more time with my son. The thoughts of starting my own designs had been planted a long time before but I had always pushed them back. There were a lot of practical reasons why leaving the city made sense for me and I came to realize that my need to create was getting much stronger. I was terrified to leave the city because Fort Greene had become home for me, but I knew I was ready then to take the jump,” she says.

The first collection of Sarah Barney’s jewelry debuted this past Spring 2010 and now it’s debuting in its first giveaway on EcoSalon.

We love her Alice necklace in all its vintage charm and gold dipped glory. Unscrew the vial with a tag next to it that says “Drink Me,” and you can shrink down into your own fantasy world the likes of which Lewis Carroll would totally approve.

Do you like? Want to try winning? Then leave a comment below.

(Legalese: Contest rules and FTC compliance.)

The post Sarah Barney’s ‘Alice (In Wonderland)’ Necklace Giveaway appeared first on EcoSalon.

How do I love thee? Let me count the watts!

And so it goes when betrothed to a well-meaning eco sentinel, a man on a mission to recognize the dangers and combat the plagues of global warming.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m very committed to a greener lifestyle. I write for EcoSalon (Exhibit A) and turn off the tap when brushing my teeth (Exhibit B). I recycle, compost, carpool and use bath towels at least twice before washing. I rest my case.

Still,  I never figured the “other woman” in my marriage would be our beloved Mother Earth, a demanding temptress in constant need of love and attention.

Image: E.L. Bradley

Here’s a  list of  the ups and downs of my low energy/high drama, marital life – one  fraught with the challenges of not just getting along with a spouse but also saving a beleaguered planet.

Pro: I have learned everything I ever wanted to know about sustainable living, including never wearing  flip-flops when I leave the house because you can’t outrun a tsunami in these poolside-only shoes.

Con: Vigorous beach walks are often disrupted by his loud, pedantic diatribes on the dangers of the sea level rising due to melting ice and the heating and expansion of the ocean. “This will all be under water, soon enough,” he observes. Sometimes a gal  just wants to talk about the pretty day or how many calories she’s burning.

Image: Cutco

Pro: It can be quite romantic preparing and eating dinner together in the dark.

Con: It’s tricky wielding sharp Cutco blades to chop organic vegetables assisted only by the flick of a BIC® . I have a tendency to turn the lights back on to see better and that can cause some friction in the relationship.

Image: Edressme

Pro: There is tons of space in the closet and dresser for my stylish dresses, tops, swimsuits, lingerie, shorts, shoe troves and workout clothes.

Con: His one purchase in five years, a cruelty-free patchwork vest from Haight Street, is embarrassing at black-tie events. I know, I know, I should be less conventional, but I do miss the Brooks Brothers-clad Ken Doll I married. Give him back, earth lady! Ken was the best prop a stylish girl ever had.

Pro: All this frugal living has greatly lowered the utility bills.

Con: My living room is the Tundra. “Hey, it’s summer in the City, honey,” I complain, teeth chattering, frost accumulating on my bob. He jokes, “You aren’t cold, you’re just dying.” Very funny, Ken. Toss another blanket on your Barbie, mate, while we await those solar panels.

Pro: Fuel-efficient bike riding has greatly aided my summer weight loss program. Where did my big butt go? Anyone seen it? Anyone seen a big Jewish tush?

Con: The uphill battle of saving energy is murder. His legs are iron.  That’s why he can climb the Alps of San Francisco saddled with a backpack of groceries without a huff or a puff. Damn him!

Image: Wiki

Pro: I’m not tied to one of those superficial yuppies who talks about money and deals at dinner parties, has a wandering eye or sports tacky pinkie rings on our jaunts to Vegas.

Con: I never get Yurman jewelry from Neiman’s on my birthday; flights to the Four Seasons in Mexico are replaced by short getaways to rustic cabins at Costanoa; we have to walk to the Avenue for dinner or take the train downtown (sometimes scary) even though my legs are sore from biking. His old, 8-cylinder Mercedes remains lifeless in the garage. He refuses to sell it ’cause someone else will drive the gas hog.

Pro: Eco sentinals  are virile, sexy real men – like Jack Sparrow and Paul Watson. They give great massages, build toasty fires and have that fresh, Tom’s Toothpaste breath.

Con: You are on board as first mate every day of your life whether you like it or not. Once they get their hooks in you, their whale wars are your whale wars. Hence, a simple walk at the beach, trek through a forest or hour of CNN will never be the same again.

Main image: CarbonNYC

The post The Pros & Cons of Being Married to an Eco Man appeared first on EcoSalon.