Balance

I am trying really hard to find it right now. My consulting work has picked up, but still seems to happen at random times. My personal life is well... a little crazy. There are a lot of things going on that I am not going to get into on here, but it's very stressful. And then, throw in trying to run my other start-up business... and I'm way off kilter.

I'm not sure how to find balance right now. I am currently taking things as they come, but am not really making much headway on any front. Is it better to schedule and partition things so that everything gets attention? It might be, but the demands of both my personal life and my consulting work aren't scheduled very far ahead of time. Overall, I feel like I'm doing a poor job of everything. Nothing I do is getting my full attention because I am always thinking about what I have to accomplish elsewhere as well.

How do you find balance between work and your personal life?

Featured Artist Friday #7

This week's featured artist is lots of fun. My favorite thing about her is that she lives on a boat. Yup, you read that right, she lives on a boat. How much fun is that? She works in many mediums and produces a variety of wonderful things. Check her out!


Name: Kirsty Waight (but also known to many as "Pink")
Business: Little Floating Craft Co
Website(s): www.littlefloatingcraftco.folksy.com, www.facebook.com/littlefloatingcraftco , www.littlefloatingcraftco.blogspot.com

Tell us a little about yourself?
 I'm now officially closer to forty than to thirty and have been a rather poorly creature for the last eighteen months or so as I seem to be allergic to myself and have baffled the experts! Other than that I'm a pretty chilled out kind of character (unless you don't pick the mat up off the floor after you're done showering!) and I absolutely adore living on the boat my husband and I built. My family and friends are the most important thing although health reasons stop me from seeing them as much as I'd like.

What do you do?
By day I manage an office for a small pharmceuticals company, and really enjoy it too, but the rest of the time I'm making very classical vintage styled jewellery, altered card crafts, clocks, textile gifts.... anything goes as I have a short attention span and flit from medium to medium

Where do you get your inspiration?
 From looking out of my windows and hatches. The flora and fauna around the boat is stunning and always provides something to attract my interest!

Who has been one of your biggest influences?
My mum, most definately. She too has always worked with many mediums and never shied away from trying something new.

If you could have dinner with one person from history who would you choose and why?
My darling dad. I would love to show him some of the kind words from people who've seen my work, as I know he would be as excited as I am.  I miss him constantly as anyone else who's lost a parent will I'm sure understand.

Anything else you would like to add? 
I'm always interested to hear if something in my work inspires someone else to follow a path and create something that's off their beaten track! And it's always great to hear from anyone else who has craft on the brain all the time too!

Featured Artist Friday #6

I have mentioned this week's artist in my blog previously. She does great work with natural stones. In many cases, she harvests the stone, cuts it, polishes, and then wraps them into awesome pendants. I love her work and bought a beautiful piece recently for my mother. Two examples of her beautiful work are below.

Name: Marie Frazier
Business: Superior Aagtes Wire Wrapped Gemstone Jewelry
Website: www.superioragates.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/superioragates
www.superioragates.blogspot.com

About me: I am a 40+ year old woman, with 2 grown children, and 2 grandchildren. All of their lives, they have been the root for my survival, my base, and my strength. I draw any and all positive things in life from knowing they are my children, and I love them deeply. I am an artsy person, who has dabbled in a lot of different skills and crafts, and I believe that this just happens to be the most enjoyable one of them all.

What do I do: I cut my own gemstones, from either the rough, or slabs, hand polish them, and wire wrap them in to jewelry

Where do I get inspiration? : Life, and the stones themselves just kinda "talk" to me spiritually.

Who is my biggest influence: God, My children and grandchildren

Dinner from someone in history: Thomas Kincaid.....his paiintings are nothing but pure inspiration to do better, be better, and to use the God given talents instilled inside each and every one of us

After the Flood

I found the pendant for this necklace awhile ago, but never could really find what I wanted to pair with it. The pendant made me think of the great flood story as told in the Old Testament, so I wanted to pair it with something that reminded me of water. This turquoise came and was perfect. Its a combination of blue and green that made me think of the ocean and the shape was different.

Now I have the idea out of my head and can rest. What do you think of the combination? Does the necklace tell you a story?

Featured Artist Friday #5

This week we're going to talk to another jewelry designer. I have a couple of her items favorited on Etsy. I really enjoy her perspective in making jewelry and really enjoyed her interview. A couple examples of her work are below.

Shocking that I would choose blue and green, huh?


Suzanne Cavataio
VCubed Jewelry Designs
www.vcubedjewelry.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/vcubedjewelry


Tell us a little about yourself?
I am a stay at home mom to three beautiful children, all of whose names begin with the letter 'V' (where the name of my business came from). I grew up in rural town in PA and then went on to college at University of Pittsburgh where I studied engineering. Working in my field was amazing, but I always knew that I wanted to stay home after my children were born.
What do you do?
Several years ago I was looking for something to do for me and after taking a jewelry making class I found my niche. As any of you jewelers know, once you start to purchase gemstones and beads you just cannot stop! I decided to start my own business working from my home designing jewelry and I have not looked back since.
Where do you get your inspiration? The patterns and colors of the gemstones inspire me to want to create something to show off the beauty in them. Also, jewelry is something that is so personal to each individual and I hope that everyone who wears one of my pieces feels special while they are wearing it. That is my ultimate goal and explains why all of my gemstone necklaces are one of a kind.
If you could have dinner with one person from history who would you choose and why?Wow, hard question! The engineer in me wants to say Ben Franklin or Thomas Edison, but I think it would have to be Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is my absolute favorite book! I am not a strong writer especially when it comes to fiction so I think it would be fascinating to have a conversation with her to hear how her ideas materialized. Her writing is so powerful yet romantic.
Anything else you would like to add?Going forward I would like to incorporate more metals with different finishes. I love how different processes can give you such different effects. These mixed with gemstones will create even more unique pieces.

I am a member of the Pennsylvania Crafter's Guild - Yellow Breeches Chapter, the Central PA Bead and Jewelry Society, and also the National Association for Professional Women.

Picture proof of the organization

I took a few pictures of my newly organized work space for proof that it actually happened. I spent about $45 on the containers I used. I got them from the hardware department of the Fleet Farm. They work great for storing beads and such.

You can also see a few of the items I've been working on as well. Better pictures of those items coming soon! 

Emberglow

Yesterday, I posted a blog about the new hot colors for fall. One of those colors was emberglow. I am including a swatch below. I usually think of this as more of a spring color, but the orange tone does make it great for fall.

I made a necklace in this color family out of some faceted coral beads and silver donut spacers. What do you think? I think these may trend more into pinkish red. Back to the drawing board on this color for the season.

Fashion Alert!!

I love fall, the crisp cool air, dragging out my sweaters and jeans and hats. And with the turning of each season, we have new HOT, IT colors. I love what Pantone reports as the new colors for fall. So much fun, not dark and dreary.

They list the colors for Fall for women as :

Bamboo - a darker yellow with a green undertone
Emberglow- an orangy coral color that doesn't jump up and slap you in the face
Honeysuckle - a dark shade of pink
Phlox - a beautiful royal purple
Cedar - a sage green color
Deep Teal - my personal favorite, a great shade of blue/green mix
Coffee Liqueur - a nice neutral brown color
Nougat - a little darker than the inside of a Snicker's bar... a nice light neutral
Orchid Hush - a pale grey, with purple undertones
Quarry - darker gray, great neutral color

I don't want to steal their work or information, so I'm including a link to all this information and much more below:

http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=20835&ca=4

I love these colors and will be working on some jewelry in these shades!

Five Reasons to get Organized

I just finished organizing all of my beads and tools. Before this, I was working out of 30 gallon tubs and trying to be organized, which wasn't really working. So, I picked an office space in the basement. Cleared all the junk out of it and made a space for my beading. Now, I feel like as weight has been lifted off my chest. I've only made a few things in the past couple of months because it was just too much of a hassle to drag everything out to find what I wanted/needed.. Last night after I finished the organizing... I made four new items!

#1 - It just makes things easier when you can find exactly what you're looking for in a few seconds

#2 - You will find stuff you completely forgot you had. I found a bunch of beads I didn't remember when I went through all of my things.

#3 - Somehow, being organized takes up less space. It seem kind of odd to me, but what was taking up a HUGE 30 gallon storage container before,  now is neatly tucked into 3 storage containers on my desk. I still have tons of room to work on the desk as well.

#4 - It reduces your stress level (at least it did for me). Clutter annoys me and I always felt like my living room was cluttered before. Anytime I needed to work, I had to drag everything out of the storage container and it ended up spread out everywhere.

#5 - Referring back to #1... not only does it makes things easier, it makes them quicker. When I was crafting last night, I spent maybe a minute looking for the items I wanted versus 10 minutes before. That's a huge time savings!

Basically, getting organized boils down to being more productive. We all have a lot of demands on our time and chaos increases time demands. Yes, getting organized does require time and effort. But once it's done, maintenance is as simpled as putting things back when you are done using them. I promise you, it just feels better to be organized!

Featured Artist Friday #4

This week's artist does lovely paintings that give me a peaceful feeling :)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76746064/hand-painted-silk-wall-hanging-earth

My name is Mary Ann Holley

Heaven on Earth Silks
www.etsy.com/shop/Heaven0nEarthSilk
www.facebook.com/heavenonearthsilks
theuniversealwayssaysyes.com/

Tell us a little about yourself?
I am an out of the closet artist! Art has always been a love of mine and I have background in sewing, beading, weaving, jewelry making,acrylic painting, mixed media, and photography. Silk painting has become an obsession for me. Until now I have been a wife and a stay at home mother & I raised 3 kids who are now 19, 22, & 24. I also have been a 4-H leader for 12 years taught horse back riding and ran the 4H drill team and helped my kids and too many others to mention to raise & show various animals such as rabbits, pigs, goats,& horses. And I have been a basketball mom until last year. I am also an ordained New Thought Minister and give Spiritual counseling to those who are ready to make a shift in the way that they are thinking and living. I have chosen to experience a lot and now my choice is to experience being Spiritual Artist.

Where do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration comes completely from my meditations. I meditate on a daily basis and get pictures in my head. I then take the pictures and draw them out on paper and transfer them to silk and let the magic begin! All of my work is truly a spiritual experience for me. I love the Creative process of taking a picture out of your mind and turning it into a picture that others can see and experience. I also love the way my art is evolving and changing almost daily, it's always a surprise to me how it ends up looking.

If you could have dinner with one person from history who would you choose and why?I would have a hard time choosing some one from history because there are so many people who have influenced and changed my way of thinking. I would instead choose some one from the present who embraces all of the teachings and goes beyond to a paradigm shift and that is Michael Bernard Beckwith. My life is about a continuing unfolding of the true me into a higher consciousness. Michael Beckwith is truly an inspiration to me in creating that process.

I am creating my own reality and loving every minute of it!

4 Reasons to Treat Yourself

I recently decided to buy some beads to make something for myself. To be honest, even though I love most of the jewelry I make, I never have kept anything for myself. Or even made something with myself in mind. I love the act of creating jewelry, but typically view the items as off limits. I decided it was time to treat myself and purchased some semi-expensive beads to make something fun for me. See the beads below:

So, back to the title of this blog. 4 reasons to treat yourself:

#1 - If you're anything like me, you do tons of stuff for other people in your life but often neglect yourself. If you do something nice for yourself on occasion, it makes it easier to keep giving to those other people in your life.

#2 - You work really hard and deserve a treat! Regardless of your profession, whether you work from home or are corporate cubicle dweller, we all find more and more demands being placed on us. Companies and households have been cutting back with the current economy and I imagine most of us are working harder now than we were 5 years ago.

#3 - Because you love yourself. What better way to show yourself that you're valuable than giving yourself a treat? It doesn't have to be expensive or lavish, but I think doing nice things for yourself is important.

#4 - Because it's fun! Buy yourself something that others in your life wouldn't. No one I know would buy me beads because it's kind of an odd gift. So, sit back and think of something you would love to have that no one else would think to buy you. Then, go out and get it for yourself!

Happy shopping!

A new custom order

So, I got a new custom order to make a bracelet for every day wear. I wanted to make her something along the lines of the bracelet below:

Of course, those beads are back-ordered. So, I went in search of them from a different source. I found something similar on Etsy, but the seller only showed 8 of them in stock. I contacted the seller and asked if they had more. And the seller never answered!! How can people run shops and expect business if they can't show some common courtesy. Grrr!!

Sorry for my little rant. This happy little bracelet shouldn't make anyone want to rant.

Featured Artist Friday #3

Today's artist is not an artist in the traditional sense, but she still does a ton of awesome work! Those of you from Facebook are likely already familiar with her as she often hosts some very fun networking events. She works really hard to help out all of the small businesses on Facebook and I wanted to learn a little more about her. Sooo... with no further ado, its Mama!

Name:  Callie Domingues

Business: CSD Enterprises

Website(s):
Easy Boutique Builder
Mama's Coffee Shop
Suzy Q Designs
Digital Designs Galore
Mama Loves Smelly Stuff
PLR 4 Mamas
Bubba and Toot's

Tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Callie. I am Christian mama that is married to my best friend. I am also blessed with three kiddos aged 10, 6 & 3 that I homeschool. My home also houses two German Shepherd puppies and two cats that we all adore.

What do you do?
Everything! :) I am a work at home mama that runs a few websites. Okay, more than a few!
I sell a website management system called Easy Boutique Builder.
I design website templates for that system (and others like it) called Suzy Q Designs.
I create digital papers for photographers and scrapbook fanatics from Digital Design Galore.
I sell on eBay, Bonaza and my own website under Bubba and Toot's which is new and used clothing, shoes and other items.
I sell PLR (private label right) articles via PLR 4 Mamas.
I also sell Scentsy from my Mama Loves Smelly Stuff site. 
I homeschool my kiddos. We are now entering our 6th year this year! It is a huge blessing to be able to stay home and be an important part of my babies education. It is a huge undertaking and a decision that my husband and I Do Not take lightly. With much thought and prayer we are able to continue each year.
I also taxi my oldest to all of his athletic events.
In short, I am One Busy Mama!

Where do you get your inspiration?
 My inspiration comes from the Lord, without question. Everyday without fail He picks me up, stands me upright and carries me through. All of my little inspirations comes from everyday things....my kiddos, my surroundings, dreams and adventures.

Who has been one of your biggest influences?
My Lord and my family. My husband has always been a huge support in everything I do.

If you could have dinner with one person from history who would you choose and why? Abraham Lincoln. The man was a great influence in out country. But even for the human flaws that he had and the personal errors he made, be believed in freedom, religion and being true and just. A wonderful example of a good Christian man. A man after God's own heart, just like King David of Israel.

Helllooooo

Sorry for the prolonged absence. I suddenly had a bunch of orders to take care of, as well as some personal family issues to deal with.

I bought birthday presents for both of my parents. For my dad, I got a hand carved airplane model. And for my mom, I got a pendant made of Lake Superior Agate. Its really cool and it is the Minnesota state stone. I wanted to get her a piece of Minnesota to have with her so she would feel closer to me. Picture below:

I got it from a very cool shop on Etsy. You might want to go over and check it out... Superior Agates

Thats it for today.

Newest Necklace

Made of lovely African Jade!! I love the mix of greens and browns in this stone. I used 3 different shapes to give this necklace texture and dimension.

Reminds me of mint chocolate chip ice cream... yum!

Featured Artist Friday #2

Today's artist has made art out of something I never would have imagined would be art. His vision is unique and his work is breathtaking to me.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62703311/beet-blue-5-x-7

That, my friends, is a beet root! I really think that this just goes to show that beauty is everywhere in nature if we simply look for it.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/37722918/crystal-creek-stream-bed-8-x-10?ref=pr_shop

I could show you his whole shop. I really do just think his work is amazing and hope you do as well.


Name: Danny Mullendore
Website(s): www.etsy.com/shop/danielm1154


Tell us a little about yourself?
I am a 5th generation Jackson Hole, Wyomingite. My family was among some of the first homesteaders of the valley in the late 1800s. I grew up with a western background that led me to professional bull riding. I rode bulls for about 16 years before I entered college. Currently, I am earning my PhD in plant cell biology. I am specializing in the sugar conducting cells of plants with an emphasis on microscopic structure as it relates to function (see www.plantcell.org/content/22/3/579.short if interested). My micrographs on Etsy were taken after I was a teaching assistant for a Plant Anatomy course. I have been married to my lovely wife for five years this August and we have an annoying (but worth it) Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Willis, who is scared of blue coolers.

What do you do?
I am a student of plant cell biology. I enjoy cooking, which is good because my wife does not cook at all. My wife and I enjoy gardening and mushroom hunting.


Where do you get your inspiration?
My wife offers me the most encouragement. She is the one that suggested I share my micrographs on Etsy.


Who has been one of your biggest influences?
My Grandpa has been influenced my life greatly. He was wise, kind, hardworking and always had time for all of his family. I miss him dearly.

If you could have dinner with one person from history who would you choose and why?
Willie Nelson, I am a sucker for old country music and braids. The man is a genius!

Double Purple

Several of my pieces have found new homes recently, including a double strand necklace made of 2 shades of purple. This necklace was lots of fun and I thought the colors were lovely. I am glad for it to have found a home :)

On other fronts, I went to the fair today and had a good time. I'm full of donuts and fried pickles. Odd combination, I know, but I had to pick my favorite items that you only get at the fair. And those were it. I looked at lots of booths and ended up finding a birthday present for my dad. Its a really cool hand carved P51 Mustang (airplane) model. I hope he likes it. I thought the work was really well done. The seller doesn't have a website yet, but should soon! I think they will make an awesome addition to online craft sales.

And I made 500 fans on my Facebook site! There will be a celebration for this milestone announced very soon.

Now, I'm going to go chew some antacids and hit the hay. 

Mama's Coffee Shop

is hosting a huge give-away to thank their 2,000 fans. The winner will receive over $800 worth of merchandise. Included in this huge assortment of goodies, is one of my necklaces:

There's so much other stuff to win, its crazy! So.... if you aren't a fan already, go check it out.

Mama's Coffee Shop Giveaway

So many stones...

so little time. The more I shop for beads, the more variety of stones I find. Most of them are classified as semi-precious.  The selection gets overwhelming at times. I see so many that I like and I can't buy them all, so I have to work on picking out what I think will appeal to others.

Recently, I decided to try something new to me. It's called African Jade and the colors are really pretty. But I know its not really jade, so I decided to find out what it is. Thanks to Wikipedia, I found out it's grossular (which doesn't sound very pretty at all). Basically, African Jade is actually a member of the garnet family. I never would have guessed that from the coloration of the stones, minty green to forest green with some brown accents.

I'm including some pictures of the stone below.

I think the colors will go well with silver or copper findings. I am planning a necklace and will post soon.

Amazonite and Tourmaline

and I'm in love with it. I just finished this necklace late this afternoon and I love it. I think the pale blue and black go really well with the black of the nickel colored metal beads.

Auctions and Giveaways: Good for your business?

Do you think they help your business or hurt it?

I've been doing some of both lately to work on increasing recognition. However, I wonder if they cheapen people's opinion of your goods. I am on the fence. I know several people who have had great success in selling online that recommend them. I know several other people that are frustrated by people always seeming to want free things from them.

If you give your items away very early in the promotion of your page, you are risking creating an idea in the consumer's mind that your products have no value. If auctions and give-aways are one of the ways to increase recognition, how do you avoid de-valuing your item to the consumer?

Maybe I'm putting too much thought into this whole thing, but I remember reading a book in Consumer Behavior that talked about this topic. You have to create value to your products in the consumer's mind. If they see no value, they will not purchase it.

Photography Lessons

Yesterday I read a blog from a fellow online seller (who will remain anonymous) bashing everyone for having poor photography. The blog made me a little on the mad side. Yes, there are lots of shops out there with less than stellar photography, but bashing them in a blog does not help.

If you are regular readers, you know I have recently been working on photography for my shop. I've had a lot of help from several sources and I think my photography has improved dramatically. I want to share some of those tips here so that those who are struggling can improve.

#1 - use NATURAL light, but diffuse it somehow. What this often means is photographing during daylight hours (1pm to 3pm is my best time), but don't take the photos in direct sunlight. Try a shady area or photographing inside close to a window. The point here is you want to photograph your work in natural light to show the colors best, but you do not want to wash the color out by shooting in bright direct sunlight.

#2 - If it is a small item, such as jewelry or hairbows, find the macro setting on your digital camera and use it. This setting is specifically designed for close up shots, which you need to show the detail of your items.

#3 - It is very likely that your photographs will need some editing. I am not talking about spending a ton of time on each photograph, but spending a minute or two will have a huge impact. You do NOT have to buy Photoshop or an expensive software program. I use Picassa, which is 100% free. Pay attention to the fill light on your photos, I almost always have to increase mine. This just brightens the overall photograph. Do not be scared to play around with all the settings to see what effect they have.

#4 - Remember to keep your background unobtrusive. This means don't photograph your items on your carpet or really bright backgrounds or wrinkled tablecloths.  I try to use light colored scrapbook paper since my items are small.

Before:

After:



See the difference? I spent about 2 to 3 minutes more on the second photograph. The first one was washed out, over lit, and the background was wrinkled and distracting. I like to use books to photograph the whole piece shots of my necklaces. I also take several other shots to post on Etsy. Including at least one close-up on each item.

Featured Artist Friday

Today we're going to talk to one of my favorite artists. Not only does she make amazing stuff, she's a great person as well. Her genre is Steampunk, which I have fallen head over heels in love with. Meg writes, "Steampunk is a sub genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy."

How did I meet Meg? By buying something from her amazing shop.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76051772/steampunk-silver-ox-filigree-honeycomb

In my talks with her, I've found out that she does all her own plating of the metals as well as all of the other special metal finishes you see in her shop. So, with no further ado....

Name: Megon, but my friends call me Megs <3
Business: Broken Wings®
Website(s): www.MegsBrokenWings.etsy.com
                         www.wix.com/megsbrokenwings/MBW
                         www.facebook.com/MegsBrokenWings


Tell us a little about yourself?  I'm turning 34 on July 23.  I have 2 beautiful baby girls (11 & newly 6) and an amazing husband of 13 years!  He's my lobster... 


What do you do? Currently, I'm a full-time law student.  Every moment I don't spend with school work, I spend with my daughters on their summer break!

Where do you get your inspiration? Through my jewelry, my biggest inspiration comes from my childhood struggles.  I love to imagine beautiful things and sharing those things with others.

Who has been one of your biggest influences? My husband, by far.  he has been my soul supporter, even when things looked impossible!  He stands by what I believe in and we live our lives through Jesus <3

Of everything you've made,do you have a favorite item? Which one, and why?  DAVID.  I have a picture of my father, the only one actually, that has the notorious oranges from the 70's.  I was heating brass one day and saw the same color scheme in the wings I was making that I knew were in the picture.  The first piece I made, of course, I kept for myself!   

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61190148/david-angel-rainbow-patina-wing-pendant

Paper Bead Project

As promised, today I worked on the paper covered beads. I bought a kit at the craft store because I wanted to try this out. It was not as hard as I thought it might be, but is sort of tedious. The starting materials are pictured below:

The kit included the 18 wooden beads, the various papers, and the paste. All you need is scissors and a paint brush. The first step is to cut the pieces of paper into smaller pieces that measure 1.5 inches by 2 inches.

You measure these around the bead to make they will wrap around the bead without overlapping. If there is excess, you trim it off. Then you cut the paper so that it looks like a child's drawing of a Christmas tree.

You then coat the backside (non printed) liberally with the paste. The instructions say you can use a paintbrush, but the paste is too thick for that. I used my fingers as that seemed easiest. Then, you wrap the paper around the bead with the jagged edges facing the bead hole. You smooth the paper so that the seam where the edges meet is almost invisible.

From there, you can either trim the excess off or stuff it down the bead hole. I elected to stuff it in the bead hole using the small end of my paint brush. My results are below:

As you can see, my bead is not perfectly smooth. However, for my first try I figure it wasn't too bad. You will also note lots of paste smeared all over the table. This is not a neat project. Once the glue has completely dried, I will be spraying the beads with an acrylic sealer to protect them and add some shine. I will try to remember to post the completed project!

Fabric covered beads

I love them... I think they look really cool. So, I am going to try to make some of my own. Well, not fabric, but origami paper covered ones. I was wandering around the craft store the other day (because it was wayyyy too hot to go back out to the car) and found a kit that teaches you how to do it.

Planning to try it tomorrow and see how it goes. I was thinking I would make something for my mother for her birthday. I bought plane tickets to visit home at the end of August, which is right after her birthday.

I will post pictures of the process and the end results, as well as my thoughts on both.

Hotter than...

you can fill it in for yourself. It's supposed to get to 98 here today with a heat index of 117. That's just unheard of in Minnesota!

My first custom order was delivered today and the customer was thrilled, which made me so very happy. In a small way, it makes me feel a little bit better about everything. Trying to sell online is discouraging at times. The only way to measure feedback is by sales and I haven't had many of those yet. So, I feel a little more reassured and confident by the customer loving the custom orders.

Taking a little break today from jewelry making and photography to do some other things. So far today, I've made two loaves of zucchini bread. Next on the list is canning tomatoes! Then tomorrow, it's back to photography. I have so much stock to get posted in my shop it's crazy.

Lazy Sunday

Aren't Sunday afternoons the perfect time to be lazy? I haven't done much today. Took some pictures, but haven't edited them or posted them yet. I spent most of the day yesterday updating my Etsy shop and am really pleased with how everything is coming along.

I'm feeling less stressed about the photography aspect of selling online, which is great. That means I am actually starting to have a little fun with it.

I have signed up to do some more auctions on Facebook, as well as  give away. The item for give-away is pictured below :

I think it's a really fun piece. The light purple really sparkles in the light... almost iridescent. The item is going to be up at QT Pie Creations real soon.

And right now... I have 2 items up for auction at my friend Jeraly's. You should check out her fan auction!

Featured Artist Friday

is postponed until next week. My first victim... I mean spotlight artist seems to be having some internet problems, so we haven't been able to connect to get the questions answered.

On another note, it is rainy here and it's making me super sleepy.

Sorry guys! I'm really bummed about not getting this article posted today.

Tomorrow...

is the first Featured Artist Friday. I am very excited about it. I have also gotten three more artists that have agreed to participate. I think it will be fun to get to know some of the artists a little bit better.

Hoping for good weather tomorrow so I can get some more photography done. Posting my favorite from yesterday below:

I love the greens in this bracelet. I think they are very pretty and I love how it photographed on the map background.

Photography

I am feeling a little more comfortable with it now. I tried again today. One friend says its still too dark, but everyone else seems to think its okay. I am going to buy a cheap tripod because I'm still getting a little blurring, but overall its better.

Posting a few of todays shots below:

First Custom Order

So, I received my first custom order, which is super exciting! But I'm also a little nervous about it. The lady gave me pictures of 2 pairs of earring she likes. One pair, I can get pretty close to (I think). They are a drop earring with a fleur-de-lis in the middle. She wanted them in gold instead of silver, which proved complicated. I could not find a gold fleur-de-lis link for this item, so I am planning to improvise on this and hope it goes well.

The other pair she requested are silver and abalone. The picture she sent shows silver twists with abalone at the very bottom. She said she just wants silver and abalone together. I hope she likes what I have planned. I placed the order and threw in a few extra things I've been drooling over.

I will be sure to post pictures when I'm done.

On a side note, I got a new camera in the mail and have been working on photography. Its slow going!

Craft Show

I know it's been awhile since I posted and I'm sorry for neglecting my readers. I participated in a craft show on the 4th of July in the very small town in which I live. There were tons of people there and traffic to my booth was decent. However, my sales were lackluster. People commented heavily on how pretty or beautiful or nice my stuff was, but they never even looked at the price tags. They just weren't there to shop.

My one saving grace was the ton of stretchy bracelets I had made to sell for $1. Those went like hotcakes to girls from 6 to 76. I do not think I will do this market again as it really just wasn't the right place for my goods. I noticed several other vendors who did not seem to make many sales either. I talked to one other jewelry vendor who said her sales were bad too. She also said I shouldn't have sold the bracelets so cheap. LOL

Below is a shot of my entire booth and my significant other, who sat with me all day to keep me company.

One thing I did learn from this craft show is to organize my earrings by price per level of the display piece. So, all in all, it wasn't a bad experience... just a long, hot day for not much profit. Other pics of my booth included below.



Quick Update

I have been super busy getting ready for the craft show. The stretchy bracelets are really coming along and I have about 40 necklaces completed. I am waiting for a delivery of materials to start on earrings. The delivery is scheduled for Thursday and I am pumped for it.

I called today and got a tax ID for collecting sales tax in my state as this is required. I've also been studying and making some plans for my booth. So far, it looks like I will keep the display simple for this show due to the shortened time frame. I also placed an order for 200 business cards.

I'm sure I'm forgetting lots of things that need to be taken care of for the craft show, but I am covering the high points for sure.

So I signed up for craft show...

Yup, you read the title correctly. I signed up for a craft show or an art show, whichever you want to call it. It's on the 4th of July in the small town I live in. It's only $35 for a booth, so I figured to give it a shot. This is really pushing me to make some big leaps on my business. So far, I've only tried to sell things online and it's mostly been what my mother would call "half-assed", meaning I haven't done nearly as much as I could.

While the show scares me, it's also very exciting. I ordered a lot more mats, which means I'm out a good bit of money. As the old saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. Even if the show is a bust, the money I spent on materials is not a complete loss since I'll still have tons of materials and finished products.

My distribution plan for the show is something along these lines :

75 necklaces
25 bracelets
25 pairs of earrings

125 stretchy bracelets (These are going to be made from very long strands of different colored glass chips that I've had for a couple of years, but never used). I plan to sell them for $1 each. This help clears out some stock I have no other use for.

I am going to keep taking pictures of items to add to my portfolio if they do sell or to add to my Etsy shop if they don't.

On another note, promoting on Facebook is going well. The Craft Show has sent tons of new likes my way. While none of this has led to a sale, it has caused increased traffic at my store. Yay!

That's all for now. I'm exhausted. And waiting, impatiently, for new materials to arrive to keep myself busy.

Inspiration

I see lots of people who talk about being inspired by nature or architecture or music or whatever. And I always wonder if that's really the truth. My inspiration never comes from something so cool. I find beads and such that I like, then I make something that I think is pretty. Does this mean that I'm not really an artist? Does it make me less of a designer or artisan?

I don't think so. I think as long as the final product is something that is attractive to at least one person, that the purpose has been served. I think this is true of all forms of art. The old saying goes "Beauty is in the eye of beholder". I may not like everything everyone makes, but I appreciate the skill that goes into making any object.

I guess I got sidetracked away from talking about inspiration. What inspires you? Do you make items based on inspiration? Or do you just make what you think looks good?