Long time no post!

I swapped computers, then couldn't remember my account information. But I have it all sorted now, and hope to update more often.

My mom is an artist also, she does a lot of things but my favorite is her crochet. I've added her stuff to my Etsy page and she's got a short bio on there as well. So we've got a joint Etsy shop now.

Here's some examples of her work. Available here

Success!

Tried and true, my latest asymmetrical necklace has sold. This one was in the shop a little under a week I believe. So far, the asymmetrical record is looking pretty darn good :-) Lets hear it for those who are not affraid to own something that isn't the same on both sides!

DeviantArt, an untapped resource?

Etsy sellers are always trying to find new and popular places to get their shop out there. I've been a member of DeviantArt for years now, and when it comes down to it, more than half of my sales come from there.

DeviantArt offers you the chance to comment and critique right on someone's submission. I love this feature and many people comment. It's always nice to hear what people think when they see your work, and it allows you to get an idea of who your target audience is, what are the types of people who tend to like your work.

They offer not only a community to get to know and be a part of, they offer tools. Collections of usable stock photos, tutorials, even photoshop brushes people have made and are sharing with everyone.

Of course, there's a forum, and features that get your work on the main page. I don't pay for a subscription, but I can only imagine the benefits.

Not to mention all the professional talent that have galleries there. Evan Campbell has a gallery, Scott Campbell has one also. Those are just a couple that I have bookmarked.

There's even a community of Etsy sellers! Check out these Etsians who have DeviantArt shops! DeviantArt Etsy Sellers.


And here's my home on DeviantArt.

Asymmetry ..... trendy?

My sales record is hardly consistent, but I have noticed one thing. My asymmetrical necklaces seem to go over well. I had Roseus on my DeviantArt page here for quite a long time. I decided to sell it, I posted it on Etsy, then linked to it and put her on the main page on Deviant with "Now for sale" in the title. The next day she was gone. Here's a picture of it.


















Some time passed before I made another asymmetrical piece. I didn't even need to list this one and I had found a buyer. All I did was post it on Deviant, which I did here. Someone requested it, and a price was agreed upon. (I hadn't intended on selling it, it was a favorite) Here's that one.




















More time passed. I decided to try it again. My newest piece is asymmetrical, but it's brass this time. Brass is my new thing. It's been up on Etsy over 24 hours now, which is the longest that one of my asymmetrical pieces has been up. So I'm crossing my fingers here!

Engaged

Yes, that's correct. I'm now engaged.

My fiance proposed in a photo booth. You know, one of those little ones that give you a black and white film strip. It's a tradition, we get photos done whenever we visit this tourist destination that happens to have my favorite bead store in it. He gave me the ring while we were getting our snapshots, so they're very happy snapshots. :-) Exhibit A:Doesn't he look smug? lol


Now........ aside from the obvious excitement, I'm vexed. Yay, I have a ring! Yay, I get to be the center of attention for a day in a gorgeous gown! Wait a second... who's paying for this?!

Oh yea... I am.


SO... I'm attempting to put much haste on peddling my wares. I have a day job, but only part time. So in my spare time, aside from planning a wedding I'm crafting my little heart out and trying very very hard to draw some extra attention to my Etsy shop where normally my earnings go towards more beads, but are now being set aside for the wedding preparations and all the pretty things I need to wear!

Did you catch that? My Etsy shop?

Satyr

The Satyr piece has been completed, except the extension of adjustable chain and hook in the back. This piece took a significant amount of time, because I hand wound and individually cut each link used in the chains. The links are 22 gauge gold colored wire, roughly 2mm each.

This design hit me in bed one night, after thinking for days on ideas of how to use the Satyr stamping. I'm overall happy with it. The design required very little tweaking from the pen and paper stage to the final product, which is not common. Most of my designs have kinks that need to be worked out, I encounter problems with structure and whatnot. This one gave me no trouble, and came out exactly as planned.

The stamping didn't have any holes in it to begin with, so I drilled three of my own with a hand held pin vise to serve it's intended purpose in this piece. All the chains it's 'resting' on are linked to a single 16 gauge loop laying behind the stamping. Some day I'll get a picture of the back.

Step one

I know every crafter has their methods, their workspaces, etc. My workspace... is my couch. I throw in an inspirational movie, like Vanity Fair or Phantom of the Opera, put my bead board on my lap and go at it all night long. Yes, I work at night. I can't remember the last time I made something while the sun was out. My boyfriend and I are on a third shift schedule, so that's when my alone time is, that's when I work. Sleep can wait when I'm in a creative mood. I sometimes watch a movie two or three times a night, because I don't want to get up to put a new DVD in lol. It's just hard to get off the couch when I have all kinds of things in my lap. So I just hit play over and over.

So anyhow, I just got this fantastic piece in the mail, I ordered it from a fellow Etsy member. " jlyndesigns " has a great shop, wonderful pieces, and she sent a little baggie of free gifts, which I also ended up using on this piece. She's wonderful, I fully intend to buy from her again in the future.
These pictures are from the very beginning of my process. Once I have my design in my head I look for the colors I want to use and put them all on my board. I wrapped all my beads, and placed them on my felt square (Keeps the beads from rolling away from where you set them) to see how they'd look in the shape the necklace is inevitably going to be. With the Satyr focal pendant, I went with mostly greens because it reminds me of the forest. I was also watching Pan's Labyrinth at the time, because what's more inspiring concerning a piece that looks like Pan?
Not that you can see the green beads in this picture lol.

Latest commission

This request was for a 14 inch chainmaille piece, with my frequently used japanese chainmaille 'flowers.' She wanted 5 flowers, each with 3 freshwater pearls in between.

The freshwater pearls have TINY holes drilled in them, naturally, so I had to resort to using 24 gauge wire to wrap them, praying it holds. The erst of the wire is 22 gauge, as with most of my stuff. I used to work in 20 gauge, so the flowers are a little smaller than the ones I've made in the past. It makes the necklace dainty as a whole, but it worked out perfectly as to her specifications. Had I used the thicker wire, I would have had to make adjustments to the design to keep it within the 14 inches with 5 flowers and 3 pearls. So it all worked out, I hope she's happy with it.

We could all use a little help sometimes

Behold, my tuckered out little helper lol


















And my not so tuckered out and not so little helper

This is my latest piece. I've been researching a jewelry crafter by the name of Diane Hyde. She specializes in the replication of vintage designs, with an emphasis on bead work. I don't currently have the materials to do proper bead work, I need some stiff stuff and a good deal more seed beads and things of that nature before I can start down that road. But I'm working on it, doing some research, planning what materials I want, making some sketches. Hopefully something will come of that soon.

In any matter, this necklace is made of 22 gauge gun metal color coated copper wire, including the draping chain which I made and cut every link myself. I used three prong connectors, bugle beads, and bronze Czech glass, both 4 and 6mm. The centerpiece is a resin flower cameo.

I'm pleased with the design but I'm undecided if it should go up for sale. I don't fully trust the integrity of this piece, the chain it rests on is made of bugle beads connected by 2mm jump rings, and 22 gauge is not the sturdiest of wire. I am going to go back and double all the joining links. The necklace itself is light weight, but I'd be afraid any kind of tug would sent it tumbling to the ground. There's nothing I dread more than an unsatisfied, or sad, customer.

First post

I'm not a blogger by nature.... but I'd like a place where people can go to get a better view of me as a person and as an artisan. Here I will be posting my methods of craft, my works in progress, as well as my finished pieces. My hopes are that people can get a better idea of my inspirations, of my personality, and of my love of jewelry crafting.