Sunday's Work

I was almost out of eyeglass leashes, and I was going to discontinue these. But, people keep asking for them! So I started restocking today. Browns, greens, purples. And a few multi-color. I have quite a few more color combos I want to do. The fun part is making the bead mixes. I was lucky to receive two large gifts of glass seed beads last year so I have so many colors to choose from!

Thursday's Work

The last three snakeskin jasper teardrops. I just love these stones! 

 A closeup. What a beauty! SOLD.

Snakeskin jasper, glass and copper.
Necklace and earrings have been SOLD.

Snakeskin jasper, glass and brass.
Necklace has been SOLD.

The colors on this one remind me of mint chip ice cream. 

Snakeskin jasper with glass and pewter.
Necklace has been SOLD.

Todays Work

I have just six snakeskin jasper teardrops left. It is sad when I use up the last of a favorite stone! I turned three into pendants today and have the last three laid out on my work table ready to create. Here is the result of todays' efforts.The pictures do not do these beautiful stones justice!

 Mixed with serpentine, soft green seed beads and pewter.
Necklace and earrings have been SOLD. 

 Mixed with smokey topaz crystals, soft green seed beads and gold plated brass. SOLD

A small turquoise stone on the dangle. Shades of teal seed beads and copper accents.
Necklace and earrings have been SOLD.

Photo Magic

Most of the shows I apply to require you to send some kind of description and photos of your work. For higher end shows your photos are viewed by a jury panel and the quality of your photos is critical. Each show has its own set of rules for the number, the size and the dimensions.

I use a light box (home made), special lights and a tripod when I take my photos. My current background choice is pale grey cloth. While fine for my online store and wholesale catalog, I need to step things up for juried show applications. To take my photos to the next level I have plans that include investing in a more professional light box and a gradient background. In the meantime, a friend helped me do some after the fact photo magic with photoshop. Here are the befores and afters.

Owyhee jasper before. 

After a gradient background was added.

Glass garden bracelet before.

After removal of the sand dollar underneath and addition of a gradient background. 

Snakeskin jasper before.

After some serious tweaking. 

Earrings before.

After addition of a gradient background. 

Seahawks, Seahawks, Seahawks

Anyone that knows me might think that a strange title for a blog entry from me. I am not a big sports fan. Although I did watch the super bowl this year. Today I was supposed to head over to Seattle for my annual overnight Flower and Garden Show outing. Well, those plans were way laid by the 700,000 Seahawks fans that descended on Seattle today for the big parade.

So I had an unexpected day in the studio. How did I spend it? By making things in Seahawk's colors of course! Bracelets and earrings. Supplies are limited so get them while they last!

Stemware

A fun item you will find in my booth next weekend at the Enumclaw Wine and Chocolate Festival is Stemware! These colorful decorations for wine glasses help your guests know which glass is theirs. They also make a great hostess gift along with your favorite bottle of wine.

 Stemware is made using steel memory wire so they will never loose their shape. The beads are glass. While they can be run through the dishwasher, they will retain their luminescent quality longer if you remember to remove them. 

New Year, Goals, Inspiration

A new year, new goals, new inspiration. 

First  I need to say a huge thank you to all of my customers for their continued support and feedback. You make my job such a pleasure! And a big thank you to my friends, artist and non, for their support when I was stressed out, serving as a sounding board, helping me brainstorm new ideas and listening to the occasional whine. 

I have not had a chance to run all my numbers (those that know me, know how I like numbers!) but I do know that I met many of the goals I set for this year. That feels good.

I will start 2014 with new technology, a new camera and a new computer. There will be the inevitable learning curve, but I hope once mastered I will be more efficient at my tasks. I also got a battery set up at years end that will allow me to have lights in my booth whether there is power or not. Cool! 

Among my many goals for this year are to add to my wholesale line, update my catalog and get additional accounts. My wholesale rep has already given my a list of possibilities to add to my line. I want to improve my photographs. The new camera is already helping with that and I will be investigating a new light box and backgrounds. Might be time to retire the cardboard box I currently use!

A very important goal is to learn some new techniques in metal and wire work. I am going to tap into some friends who have these skills and take a few classes. I was inspired by 2 websites I came across. One is amazing wire work. There are some tutorials and I plan to give some a try. The other site had interesting metal pendants. When I am in a meeting my notepaper is covered with doodles. It occurred to me that I may be able to turn these doodles into metal art pendants. 

I am looking forward to putting all these new ideas to work in the new year.

Recent Work

During the last hour of my time at Tidefest in Gig Harbor I sold all of my green opal and several snakeskin jasper necklaces. So I took time this morning to make a few more. Here are three new necklaces visitors to my sale in Minneapolis will find.

 Green opal, glass and copper.  SOLD

  Green opal, glass and copper.  SOLD.

Snakeskin jasper, aventurine, glass and copper.  SOLD

Shop Local/Shop Small

If you live in my neck of the woods take a break this weekend from all the commercial shopping madness and come to Winterfest at Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor. There you will find several hundred hand picked artisans and crafts people selling their beautiful creations. The nominal entry fee goes to support school programs. Or check out an arts and crafts event near you. You can feel good about your purchases in that the monies you spend will go back into your local community and you will come home with quality handmade gifts.

Here are a few new Beadware pieces you will see in my both this weekend:

 Green opal pendant with a pewter leaf. SOLD

 Agate and ocean jasper pendant with brass accents and a brass leaf clasp.  SOLD

 Agate pendant with brass accents.  SOLD

Glass Teardrops

Delicate, simple, understated. just a few words I have heard my customers use to describe these necklaces. They are made using glass seed beads, gold or silver plated rounds, and a faceted glass teardrop. The length can be adjusted thanks to a chain and lobster clasp. So versatile. Good with jeans and a t-shirt or that little black dress. A new version features a few freshwater seed pearls. Sorry, the pictures are a bit dark. This was before I figured out my new camera!

 Sold

The 2 on the left have been sold.

The one on the right has been SOLD.

The 2 at the top have been SOLD.

Shop Local

Big box stores are jam packed with deals to lure in holiday shoppers. As you do your holiday shopping consider shopping at a local art and craft fair. Every town has them, at schools, churches and community centers. Buying gifts at these events not only supports local artisans, in many cases the booth fess the vendors have paid or the nominal entry fees directly support community programs.

The high school events that I do often let you know where your vendor fee goes. They tell you what the funds were used for last year like buying musical instruments or art supplies. And, when you buy from a local crafts person, that money is very likely also go back into your local community as they use that income to pay bills or buy things locally.

And you can talk to person that made the item you are buying. Get the story behind it. This can be fun to share with the recipient and not something you get from a big box store! 

If you live near me just check out my events page for a list of a few local events where you will find Beadware and other artisans. Check your local paper or ask around. Buy local and buy handmade!

Recent Work - Jasper Teardrops

I am continuing to beef up my inventory for my holiday shows. One recent series uses jasper teardrops.

Jasper is a form of chalcedony or quartz.  It brings joy into your life! Clean you jasper jewelry with a soft dry cloth as the polish can be washed off with water. Jasper is believed to strengthen the stomach and cure gynecological problems. Mystically, jasper is believed to bring one what they need and to aid in attaining a sound sleep. Jasper also increases your ability to feel joy and carries a protective power.Jasper has been thought to drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites. (Note this information is provided for curiosity only and is not meant to be taken as medical advice. )

These have booth been SOLD.

The one on the left has been SOLD.

These have been SOLD.

Destash - Something New

I have added some new items to my online store today. They are not finished pieces, but instead are jewelry components. To keep my prices reasonable I buy my supplies in large quantities to take advantage of bulk and wholesale pricing. This means I often have way more of an item than I can use over several years.

You will find these items in the section called Supplies and Destash. I will be adding more items as time permits so check back often. And who knows, if this experiment takes off I may one day open another online store just for supplies.

Snakeskin Jasper

I have never met a snakeskin jasper I did like like. They are gorgeous stones. The patterns and colors are amazing. Snakeskin jasper is a stone of protection and invisibility. It guards against negative attitudes and actions. Its energy is useful in moving energy and can be helpful during massage. It can also be helpful during meditation, bringing one peace of mind. Snakeskin jasper is also thought to bring productivity and abundance to our minds and bodies. (Note this information is for curiosity only and is not meant to be medical advice.)

Here are some recent examples off my work bench. The ones marked sold were purchased their first day on display at my studio sale. A testament to just how gorgeous these are! I do have more of these stones and will create some new treasures this month. See one you like? Send me an email quick as I do not expect these to last long. $49 each.
 

These have been SOLD.

 The one reminds me of a watercolor. SOLD

 And this one reminds me of a river.

This was bought by a friend. That makes me happy! SOLD

These have been SOLD.

 This one lives up to its snakeskin name. Look at the pattern on this stone. SOLD

In this I see a mountain landscape. What do you see?  SOLD

SOLD

Another one with a very textural look. The coordinating seed beads are a beautiful soft green. 

SOLD

SOLD

Another one with a truly snakeskin appearance. 

Mixed with soft olive green seed beads and brass accents.
SOLD