Reasons..

So I'm rather addicted to the internet, as many are. I spend so much time around the 'net itself that I often forget to post! So- I'm going to share some of my favorite places to visit.

There are going to be lots of links! :D

http://www.starvingjewelryartists.com/ - The forum of a lot of wonderful ladies and gents. This is a jewelry forum that often covers everything from lampwork to metal smithing and even "basic" stringing. I love all of the amazing people there!

http://www.lampworketc.com - Home of wonderful lampworkers and those that work with glass. There are many great and creative people here that I learn from. Definitely one of my favorite forums.

http://www.etsy.com - Of course this is one of my favorite places to visit! What better to do that shop through many many talented artists. I have so many favorites that it almost isn't funny!

http://www.lestbeads.com - The home of the Lampwork Etc Street Team for etsy.


There are a few of the places that have been keeping me from you, my dear readers.

Diversify - Blog It!

"What are the different ways you diversify your business? Most of us sell online, but what other ways do you contribute to your bottom line? Blog it!" -Flaming Hot.

This is an interesting question for me. I started in the jewelry side of things, making jewelry for over 4 years. I started using lampwork in my pieces and then eventually began making the glass beads instead of buying them. That is the beginning of my diversity.

When it comes to bead making, I'm still learning. I'm still trying to accomplish a perfectly formed bead each time. My focus is more on color and shape than design and so my beads aren't terribly unique.

My sales venues change yearly. My online venues are always the same. My website and Etsy. Every year I try to do at least 5 shows in person. From home shows to art and craft shows. I find that selling face to face is the easiest because buyers like to touch the piece and see the colors in person.

So what next?

Often I'll create a piece or two, finish up everything and sit at my work bench wondering "What next?". For me it's not so much a problem of what to do, it's a problem of what to do next. I have so many creative things that I enjoy and so many that are rather time consuming.
I sit back and I relax, listen to the music on my computer and look around my studio. If I'm working on a jewelry piece I'll look through beads, findings and sometimes I'll even go for a walk. If it's sewing, or any other sort of crafting I stand up and walk around the studio a bit, humming or listening to music. It's a matter of what sparks my attention next.
For example; right now I have a pair of Faerie Wings in the works as well as a necklace and a number of bottle cap pendants. I make sure that each time I'm done with a step, if I have to wait for drying time etc that I move on to the next thing. Never taking the time to get too terribly distracted. For me, distraction is Public Enemy #1.

What do you do to stay on track or get inspiration for your next work?

Bottle caps

So I have a love hate relationship with bottle caps. I love them because I create so many designs with the ones I have. I hate them because, well you have to get them somehow!
When I first started my bottle cap line I had to drink everything in bottles; soda, root beer, anything with caps. Then I got a boyfriend, and said boyfriend likes beer. I have to admit, my sugar intake screamed in horror. I was ecstatic. From then on out, he helped with the collection.
As time passed, my local customers and friends started collecting bottle caps. It seems that they'd rather give them to me to recycle than throw them out. Which is perfectly fine with me! It means that I can create without having to put myself in a sugar coma! :)

Busy Days

While I wait for my ventilation to be installed I've busied myself with making a few new pieces for the Website. Three so far. Two multi-strand necklaces and a simple bracelet. I haven't had the chance to photograph them yet, but they are stunning!

The piece pictured to the left is one that I reciently added to the website. It's one of my favorites. Artisan Lampwork beads with onyx, Bali silver and Snakeskin Jasper. The clasp is one of my favorites, each piece has a small daisy like flower on it. It's still for sale.

Ongoing

I ordered my oxycon and the payment cleared, now I watch the mail happily. It's so hard to wait! I look at all of the pretty glass that I get and think of all of the things I want to do. I've never been good at waiting... I think I might be getting better, but oh it's HARD!

Black Friday SALE!

Enjoy FREE SHIPPING for the entire day of November 23rd.
Stop by and take a gander, there aren't many days left until Christmas!!!

Back in the... saddle?

What I'm meaning to say is that I'm back in the swing of things. I officially have all of my current pieces photographed and re-sized (insert a giant YAY here!) and I'm working on the rest of the odds and ends today. The goal is to have the site fully updated for the 23rd. I can't wait!!!
On the creative front, I made a few pairs of earrings and a new cell phone charm the other day. Can I just tell you all, it felt so darn good! I missed all of that in my rut. I think that my muse took a trip to Venus or something. She just would not cooperate with me! Talk about stressful times!
I'm still destashing like crazy though. I have so many unloved beads that really need to find new homes! With the Holidays coming up I'm hoping that destashing and listing items in my site and etsy are going to be a really big help.

Speaking of Etsy, this Friday- the 23rd EtsyBEAD is having a Thanksgiving Sale! Over 50 shops are participating. Look here for a list of participants!

It's really....

It's really a wonderful thing when you realize what all of your photography woes have revolved around... Your light box wasn't white!
I could bash my head into the group for this simple mistake. To my eye foam core looks white, but upon closer inspection I have found that it isn't white at all, but a sickly, yellow off-white that drove me crazy when it came to photos. I have learned my lesson and I must say that my photography has gotten much easier to deal with, seeing as how I have figured out the root of my impending insanity.This photo needed small tweaking, only a resizing really. It has made like so much easier, to think- a white that's really WHITE! Hehehe. The focal of this piece is a leaf made by Melissa at Inner Realm Creations, I combined it with carnelian and Swarovski crystals then used Bali silver as the final touch.

So they said....

We were supposed to get snow tomorrow, here in Colorado. I severely doubt that now. Today it's a nice 70-some degrees with an interesting breeze that makes me smile as it runs through the chimes on our deck. I haven't been down to the studio in some time, and I lack a camera so I feel rather useless.

I have a list of things that I need to get done, mostly revolving around photography or adding items to the site. I did manage a few pairs of earrings the other day, but only one or two simple pairs, nothing "amazing". It seems the jewelry muse went on vacation with my parents. She picked a terrible time too!

After the whirlwind of yesterday's "Talk like a pirate" day, I find myself sitting here staring out the window longingly. It's another gorgeous day here in Colorado. The trees are beginning to change and I'm drooling over all of the fall colors! I've made a few orange/fall colored pieces thanks to the changing leaves. One using a leaf from Melissa at Inner Realm Creations. I love Melissa's work and it was so much fun working with one of her beads. The other is one that I finally used my Autumn Jasper on. I've had the beads forever and they just haven't called to anything else on my bench. A couple of days ago I found some sunstone rounds that just glittered with the jasper. That made me a happy woman.

I also have a piece of beadwork that is waiting to be finished. I started it a while ago, sadly I had to take a hiatus from it due to the amount of other projects that I had going. At the Denver Renaissance Bead Show I found an amazing booth that had more green seed beads than I had ever seen before- Green was the color I needed. Needless to say, I now have the green I need to finish my newest piece.

This piece to the right is one of my first in a long time. It is now sitting in a shadowbox that my father made. I really enjoy this type of beadwork, it takes a bit of time but I think it's worth it!

Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Ahoy, me maties!
It be talk like a pirate day, and ye better be talkin' like a pirate! Savvy?
As fer yer Captain of the shiny, I be cooking up some terrible plans. Me crew is on shore leave, which allows me the quiet to plot. I suggest ye keep a weather eye on the horizon, as I've plundered much booty from ships that cross me path.

Arrrr.

(Brought to you by Talk Like A Pirate Day)

Colorado Mornings

It's the start of a beautiful day here in Colorado. I woke a bit later than normal, my mind was fuzzy from less than restful sleep.

The Pirate earrings arrived in Texas and I'm told that she hasn't hardly taken them off! talk about a compliment to my work. I plan on having a few new sets up soon, fall colors is a given set. The trees are already changing here!

Lately I've been listening to a radio station that I made on Pandora, it's a very neat site, you add in artists and it matches their genre, mood and overall feel to create a radio station. Right now I'm on a Loreena McKennitt and Sarah Brightman kick. The music really helps me get motivated to create. Check out the site if you get the chance, it's really amazing.

Speaking of motivation and creativity, I'm still in the process of photographing new pieces for the site. I'm slowly working my way through, I think I have something like 260 left. That's a large number, yes. But nothing compared to the 600+ that I started with! To the right is a close up of one of my bloodstone bracelets. I am in love with bloodstone, it's so unique. The random "splatters" of red along the dark green stone just make my day when I'm in the right mood.

The days never end

Since returning from California my life has gone back to busy. I have orders from etsy to ship, as well as this gorgeous pair of earrings.

These are my "Pirate Queen" earrings. They're made with Amethyst, Swarovski, Bali Silver and purple glass. They'll be winging their way to Texas this afternoon.

I love this style, for ladies with three ear piercings or more. I know that I love to have lots of earrings, but seven pair is a bit much for me- so what do I do? Wear a pair of these to fill my empty ears!

This pair features a small sterling pirate ship, in the future I hope to have skull and crossbones as well as leaves and possibly other things. I'm thinking scissors and sewing machines, for that seamstress in your life!
To the left is a close up of the lower right dangle with the charm. I had so much fun creating these, it allowed my more risky side to come out. Sadly they aren't miss-matched. I left that for the next pair!

In the future I might even consider adding a piercing for more than one extra hole, can you just see it? A pair of earrings that one "laces" all the way up the ear? I may just have to run down to my studio and create that. Hmmm... Ah, the striking of the Muse.

Of Trips and Lampworking

Today I returned to the lovely state of Colorado from Minifee, California. It was beautiful out there, dry and about 115 degrees daily. Talk about hot!
Before I left, I got to meet Melissa of Inner Realm Creations and she taught me a thing or two about lampwork. I was a nervous wreck, I admit it. Something about breaking hot glass. Well I learned, and had nothing to be nervous about. She's an amazing artist and wonderful person. I hope to work with her again very soon.
Here are the first beads that I've ever made, they were not meant to be pretty color-wise. I was using some glass she had excess of.


So there they are. Going counter clockwise from the top left corner in order of creation. They're uneven, I call them "basket shape" and I'm hoping that I'll get better with practice.

I am SO addicted!

On The Topic Of Accessories - For Your Phone

One of the things that I will always take with me to shows is my large assortment of cell phone charms. These little dangles are absolutely wonderful for showing a bit of personality on your phone. Many phones have places to attach them, in fact I think all of the newer lines do now! I have a Motorola RAZR and my phone charm changes often. Currently I have a few Swarovski crystals hanging off of it. Just a bit of sparkle! These little buggers are easily personalized and altered to fit the owner, often I'll add charms, dangles or change the colors on one for the buyer. I think that they are just tons of fun!

Into the Great Unknown!

About two days ago I started on a project to teach myself peyote stitch. Now, once I got started it was easier than I thought it would be! I'm almost done with my base, then I'll get to play with additions. I'm making a paperweight. Sounds funny, hmm? I found the idea in a old edition of Bead and Button that I had from years back. I'll have to get photos to post!
Peyote is a rather interesting stitch. I really want to learn to do free form, but I want to make sure I have the regular stitch down! I see so many beautiful things done with peyote...

Rut

I'm kind of in a rut today. I know that I *want* to bead. I sit here and look at my beads.... and I just stare. I continue to sit and nothing comes to mind. For any of you that have experienced this, you know how frustrating it is and can be.
I have my music going, all of my pretties are out and calling to me- am I still inspired even though I can't seem to do anything? That is always the question that plagues me. I should push through it, force myself to make something, anything. I never do.
So I decided to take a few photos of pieces that I've made, and I think that I'll try to force myself to edit them so I can put them on the site. Ah yes, the most boring part of making jewelry!

I leave you with some of my etsy favorites:

Etsy Buy Handmade silverfaeriedesigns

Enjoy!

On the road of updating

I've taken a break from updating my site to bring you a few photos. These are pieces that I uploaded to the site tonight, I have so many more to do but I refuse to think about it. Bits at a time, I say.

The first piece is one of my favorites. I used heart shaped rose quartz beads as well as freshwater pearls and a stunning blister pearl pendant. You can't see it, but in between some of the pearls are tiny bright Bali daisy spacers.

It can be found here on my site

Let's see, what else? Here's a pair of earrings that I made a while ago, using candy jade, unikite and Bali silver. I'm very fond of these as well.

They can be found here

I got to play with more lampwork beads today. They are quickly becoming my favorite things to buy! I love all of the colors and designs though! I purchased a number of beads from Chloescreations on etsy and I have nothing but praise for the beauty and design of her work! If you're looking for lampwork, I definitely suggest looking at her etsy shop.

Speaking of Etsy. The EtsyBEAD theme of the week is: Keeping it Cool. I'm excited to see what everyone is working up! Make sure to go search etsy for 'ebtw' and see what they've cooked up!

A Day In The Life

Rather the odd title for a blog entry, but I figure that it's fitting. I had a very late night last night and 9am came far too early for me. I was hoping to sleep in! I had my morning sit on our back deck and traveled down to the basement to sit amongst all of my shiny objects. I fill my studio with beads, baubles and anything that catches my attention. It's actually a wonderful thing and it keeps me inspired. At any given moment my table is littered with beads, half completed projects and bits to inspire. I have this stunning quartz crystal that sits to my left, near where I photograph my pieces. To my right is where I plan on hanging the brass door knocker that was my Grandfather's. It's a fox. I keep telling myself that I really should clean said area, I have so much stuff out that I have hardly any space to work! Ah- the mind of a artist. That's what I tell my friends. If it's put away, how can I possibly find it?
Last night I almost finished two more bracelets, with mahogany obsidian and smokey quartz. I tossed some Swarovski in too- Light Topaz to be exact. I've had approval comments on them so far. Yay! I'm not a big fan of brown, it doesn't look too good on my very fair complexion. So I need other opinions on my pieces that are brown, it's a nice ego boost on days that I'm feeling down!