Winging it

I had a little burst of inspiration a week or so ago, and made several pieces of jewelry over a few days. I'm happy with this piece; I paired a Green Girl owl piece with hawkseye rounds and antiqued chain.



I really love owls. They're strong, quiet, and a little bit mysterious. I'm happy with the way this piece turned out, though I'm not enamored of the picture; I am still experimenting with photography.

Nearly famous

I forgot to mention that my Day of the Dead bracelet was almost on the front page of Etsy a couple weeks ago. It was an alternate selection for a Day of the Dead front page treasury. Very cool.

I've been meaning to buy more skull charms from Earthenwood to make earrings. I hope to embellish them with bits of jet and coral.



It was quite a shock to go through the Flickr Etsy front page group and search for my name and actually find it! Even though I wasn't actually on the page (just my name was), it still makes me feel really warm and glowy inside. It always makes me happy when someone likes my jewelry.

Off to Evanston

I'm leaving today for Ayla's show in Evanston. I'll be stopping and spending a couple nights with friends, and celebrating a birthday, which should be lots of fun.

Have a great weekend!

Opportunities

So I've just been emailed by a magazine. Apparently I'm being sourced for beads, which is very nice, but at the same time, they're not beads that I generally carry--I think they were bought from one of my remainder bins. So I'm a little worried about where this is going. Should I take the time to add them to my website? Hmm.

I can get more of the beads, but the manufacturer is already on the web, and has lots of them for sale. My heart says to send people to them instead. We'll see what happens.

Speaking of the website, it's so close--all I need to do is finish the verbiage for returns policies and such, and write a blurb about vintage beads. Because vintage beads weren't always stored in the best manner, they often have little chips and imperfections, and because the website will have static pictures (I won't be taking a new picture for each piece, like eBay and Etsy), I need to explain that what the customer receives might not be exactly what is pictured. I hate having to do it this way, but there's just no way around it.

This magazine opportunity is really making me wonder what will happen. Because of the nature of the beads I sell, I won't have a lot of chances to be a supplier in a magazine, so I'm hoping that this will be a really good moment for me. If even a few customers stick around to see the beads I have, it could be a good thing.

The key to my art

I've been really obsessed with keys and locks recently, partly due to Earthenwood Studios, and partly due to Green Girl Studios.

I picked up a set of keys from Green Girl, and a few of their keyhole components, and sat down and made a necklace, using antiqued chain and some fantastic enameled copper beads that I doubt I'll find again.



I made one for my sister-in-law, and liked it so much that I made two more. I know that this is a very simple piece, but for some reason it really appeals to me. I love the look of the enameled beads, and they remind me of a brilliant sunny day in AZ when I met the artist who made them.

I think I need to unlock something. My potential? My art? That locked drawer full of chocolate?

Mermaids swimming in inspiration

I finished a commissioned piece, and I'm happy with how it turned out. Norwegian moonstone, vintage German faceted beads, freshwater pearls, and a Green Girl mermaid component.



I really love the chain, and the look of the pearls.

Here's a closeup:



I've been making jewelry more than usual, and wishing that I had a foolproof method for taking pictures. I do have a photoshed and lights, but somehow they never look that nice. I need to grab some new backgrounds. I had bought linen napkins to use, but they've disappeared.

More experimentation is necessary, it seems.