Local Noe Valley/San Francisco jewelry designer Katie of Katie Wood Jewelry shares where she gets her inspiration and opens shop at Guzel Jewelry Design at 1714 Union St at Gough...

My inspiration for the work that I do originally started with my mom. She has been making collages for years and they are quirky and sometimes a little odd, but they are a part of her experiences and symbolize and showcase what is significant to her, even if she is the only one who fully understands it.

One of the things that I love about art is that it can have so many different meanings and interpretations to different people. What stands out to me may be lost to someone else. I am drawn to collages and layering because every time I look there is something there I did not see before.

I often get inspiration from art. When I first saw a Hilary Williams print in a boutique on Polk St. many years ago, I fell in love. The colors, the layers, the juxtaposition of city and nature, the architecture and iconic San Francisco scenes drew me into a world I wanted to live in. Something about each of her pieces just makes me happy every time I look at them.She even has an Etsy shop where she sells necklaces made with prints of her artwork: https://www.etsy.com/shop/hilarywilliams

I’ve also been inspired by using vintage materials and styles in a modern way. A lovely store in my neighborhood continually inspires me as I walk past every day. When Modern Was, and just a few doors down, WMW II, is a mecca for vintage modern home furnishings, jewelry, and other various knick-knacks you didn’t know that you needed to have.

This is one of my first collages using a mixture of old and new along with some of my mom's collection of treasures (such as the old laxative tin lid). The sign on the door that says 'Clean and Serene' is absolutely reflective of my idea of heaven.

This collage pendant I made recently also speaks to my "meticulousness."

I love the simplicity of this white vintage heart from 1950's Germany that I placed against a black background into a modern styled necklace.

As I go through my own journey of discovery, I've realized that I have a harder time letting go of my perfectionism and desire for order. This comes through in my art, as I end up putting things together in a bit more of an organized way, not really overlapping lines and images, but keeping them in slightly neat and orderly fashions. Though, I definitely have a good deal of a little quirky and odd (things that probably only makes sense to me) like my mom!

I met Katie in the Women’s Initiative’s Simple Steps Course, which is finishing up this week! Katie Wood Marston is the owner and lead designer of Katie Wood Jewelry. She is opening shop at Guzel Jewelry Design at 1714 Union St at Gough! You can find her there starting this Sunday from 11am - 7pm. Shop online here and read her blog!

Berlin. August. 2012. // Berlin. May. 2013.

When I was in Berlin last summer I took only my ipad. One day I had it plugged into my friend's power strip and I was doodling away at some silly thing when the wind gushed in from the open window (you know those giant windows that open with that twist handle that remind me of insane asylums for some reason--white, thick, stark). Because my ipad was connected by cord it flew out of my hand and slammed on the floor, the glass smashing into a million pieces. Or at least this is how I remembered it. I think I was hung over.

Anyway, it was maybe day 5 of my 2 and a half week trip and there went my ipad. I was sad, but also kind of giddy. I don't know why; the trip had a very strange start and everything was just so amazing I couldn't really be upset.

I wrapped it in clear plastic before I boarded my train to Leipzig. When I got back to Berlin I ended up going to Potsdam for the day with my friend and my borrowed bike. I left my ipad at my friends house because it was a sunny day and I wanted to bike around the lakes and go swimming.

In Potsdam, I found this store that sold apple products and got myself an ipad protector clear plastic thing. I put it on my ipad when back in Berlin and it all stayed intact until I got back to the US, weeks later, and was able to get it repaired.

Point is, next time I'm in Berlin I can just go to the Apple store because one is opening Friday, May 3rd at 5pm. You heard it here first (and I heard it here first).