Happy Monday!!!

I was featured in a Treasury this weekend by the amazing PFordCustomJewelry. It was my first treasury and it felt good. Please take a moment to go by and look at it.


Peyote cuffs!

I also listed a new Custom Plaid Cuff because of it. It seemed to be a logical conclusion considering how often I get asked about them.

Friday Favorites: Things I Wanted

No theme today. Nothing but love. I liked these items. So I wanted to show them to everyone.

1. SimonDesigns / 2. GREENEYESdesigns
3. LuxuryJewelry / 4.DropsofPretty
5. poetryjewelry / 6. thegildedlily
7. katejonesjewelry / 8. Luv2Have

Friday Favorites: Summer Time

It is summer time. Hurray! The sun is back. I am wearing little tops again. There are shorts, and I am actually getting a little bit of a tan. I am also looking forward to time at my aunt's beach house. So I wanted to bring a little sunshine to my blog:

1. sandmaiden / 2. SparklePeach
3. atouchofstardust / 4. princessbydesign
5. mylittleaura / 6. flowersbybluebird
7. LaFemmeDIY / 8. yarnlovertn

The Amazing Laura McNab

So everyone has art or artist that inspire him or her, I actually have a few. But, the biggest influence I have had in my art is Laura McCabe. I was sticking primarily with flat peyote stitches to create jewelry. Then I saw the work that Laura had created. She did a workshop at one of my local beading stores. So I got the chance to get close to the glittering pieces. All of Laura’s pieces at the time included Swarovski crystal stones called rivolis. I love these. They are incredible. They sparkle. They glitter.

So I sat down with the book Laura wrote, a drink, and all of the necessary beads. I will admit that my first several attempts went the way of all beading disasters. It was jumbled. It got knotted. And, I got so frustrated that I poured a second drink. After a few months I sat down with someone who knew what they were doing and realized I don’t learn well from a book. But now the wrapped rivolis are a staple in my design. So I wanted to give a shout out to the people who help to inspire me.

Here is an example of her work:

Business Sense: Vacation mode

Summer is coming up. The warm weather leads most of us to take time off. We leave our jobs, homes, and lives behind for a little bit of time without stress. It is that time where we don’t have to worry about picking up our mail. We don’t have to worry about bills getting paid. This is just time for us. So the last thing you want on your mind is your Etsy store. You want to know that the people who can find your store aren’t wondering where their goodies are. So I wanted you to consider the Vacation Mode.

First and foremost, there is the on and off switch. So I use this to preset my announcements. You are able to do this as soon as you know the dates of when you will be away.

Then there is a Vacation Announcement. It will replace the Shop Announcement your store currently displays. You want to make sure to have a few things. Have a short hello message, then an announcement of you Vacation. I usually put a title of the vacation. To be honest, I title everything. Then you want to add the dates. Give yourself an extra day or two at the beginning and the end of the vacation. You will need the dates to pack and unpack. Don’t rush.

Then there is a Convo Auto-Reply. This is the message anyone will get sent when they send you a Convo. This is important. If someone has a question about an item in your store, then you don’t want a potential client wondering if you care, because you do care. Take the time and write a letter to all potential clients. Let them know what dates you will be away from your store. Let them know a little about yourself. If you are open to it talk a little about your vacation at the end of the letter. Make sure you use the same dates as the announcements. Use the same vacation title.

Book Find: Creative Beading Series

After a long string of Bead & Button magazines, I ran across the "year's best" book. It is an amazing collection of all of the highlighted pieces from the year. And, I have to say there is a good reason these pieces were in a magazine.

Each piece has several glamorous images of the piece. They also come with detailed photos and instructions on how to complete the piece. There are also variation options for you. It is a way to look at an item and find new ways to incorporate them into your designs.

I flipped through Volume 3 and have to say the wealth of inspiration was well deserved. I intend to have the entire collection. They are currently on five book. We are waiting on the sixth.

Here are the links to the books on Amazon:
Creative Beading
Creative Beading, Volume 2
Creative Beading, Volume 3
Creative Beading, Volume 4
Creative Beading, Volume 5

The Newest Pretties

So I spent most of this weekend listing new items. I managed to add four new Ring Blossoms, two new neckalces, and an embroidered cuff. The is a lot to get up and running. I still have a few more pieces to photograph and get up here. But I wanted to stop and take a moment to get my items out there. Maybe get some feedback on colors you would like to see in the Ring Blossoms. I realized I tend to do a lot in blue... if you can't tell it is my my favorite color.

My New Ring Blossoms:

My Newest Creations:

Bead Embroidered Cuffs:

Friday Favorites: Ren Fairs

So I like many people like to play dress up. It is a hold over from my childhood. I like to think that it spawns from an addiction to period clothing, corsets that exaggerate my figure, and enough skirts to spin in. All of which lead to an interest in reenactment groups, renaissance fairs, and really any other excuse I can find. Over the past few years, I have been too busy though to enjoy it. So I donated most of my costuming to my sister. Now, I feel the need to rebuild my wardrobe with a brand new theme.

People listed:
1. gardeniasgarb / 2. lazyseamstress
3. CurvyWench / 4. stitchintimedesigns
5. CarloCreations / 6. mojoleather
7. Onanya / 8. SnugglePants

You, Me, and the Camera

It is true. The image you take of your product is worth a thousand words. It can tell a person that you take yourself serious. It can tell them that you took the time to make your item look amazing for them. So I am going to take a moment to tell you what everyone else is going to tell you. The image you take can help you get or cost you a sale.

This is a good site about digital photgraphy: www.studiolighting.net/

Here are the best articles I could find on the subject:

This is a good tutorial/article about lighting your products: Studio Lighting

Here is a YouTube video on Lighting... Smick Product Photography Tutorial

Another good YouTube video... Episode 17 , a review of studio product photography tricks

Here are two articles I dug up on the Storque Etsy Blog:
The Right Camera

Give Props: How to Style Your Photos

A Healthier Me

I am thrilled. Normally I try to keep my topics to items related to Etsy, Beading, Crafting, Art, and the things that inspire me. But, I am tooooooo happy about this to not mention it here.

I like many in America became very relaxed on my health and weight. I went through college and an extended depression at the same time which lead me to gaining around sixty pounds. I know it is a lot no matter your body frame. I am also average height at 5'5".

Here is the amazing news. I am half way to my goal. I am the healthiest when I am around 140 pounds. And, right now. I am half way there. I have been working on this slowly for about nine months. I am working on better habits and not a crash diet. So I am going to go do a happy dance in a dress I haven't been able to wear in years!!!!!

Friday Favorites: Feathers

I was playing with my light orange tabby cat Summer yesterday. She is one of those cats that is too clever for my own good. Also, very different from my dark orange and brown cat Autumn. Autumn is so clever that you only catch her being clever when there isn't an audience. Both of my cats have the amazing talent for getting what they want and playing dim when they are caught. So like all good cat owners I have an array of cat toys for each. They cater to each ones preferences. Both of them loves feathers. I am not surprised. I like to in-vision that each one is really a proud hunter that managed to subjugate us without our knowing it.

So to everyone who has a pet they love, I honor my owners Summer and Autumn:

People listed:
1. BGDesignstudio / 2. TribalStyle
3. post / 4. verabel
5. brendasbridalveils / 6. nouveaumotley
7. ClutchThat / 8. liaison

Spring Time, Weather, Vivid Colors

Fashion. It affects the clothes we find in stores, the jewelry we adorn ourselves with, and the accessories we choose. So as a jewelry designer, I find that staying on top of the up coming trends is one of the most important things I can do. It is important to maintain my own voice as an artist, but I also learned at art school that you can not design in a vacuum. So I wanted to pull out the colors for the current season and next season. The links below will take you right to the Pantone Color Forecast for that season.

Pantone Color Forecast for Spring 2010





Pantone Color Forecast for Spring 2011