Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Octobers Birthstone: Opal/Tourmaline

The month almost got completely away without a birthstone post!

This month has two birthstones, Opal and Tourmaline. I only knew about Opal, I knew there was a pink stone that could be substituted but growing up I didn't know the name as my Mom only wore the Opal.

October's child is born for woe,
And life's vicissitudes must know,
But lay an opal on her breast,
And hope will lull those woes to rest.


As I said this month has two birthstones, Opal and Tourmaline. Prior to 1912 the second stone was not Tourmaline, it was Aquamarine the stone we now have as March birthstone. I find it pretty interesting how many stones got rearranged in 1912 and it does make me wonder a bit what exactly the reasoning was, aside from marketing that is.



In the Colors of Tourmaline

I have a lone listing with some Honey Opal, but none currently in the milky white with the pink and blue flash we all know and love. I do however have some Tourmaline, it's such a versatile stone with a wonderful range of colors.
Honey Opal w/Abstract Copper

Mossy Agate w/ Tourmaline Beaded Chain


Chalcedony and Tourmaline

I have a cute little pair of earrings too, but apparently no pic on the computer, crashes will do that. They can be found here......

To finish this post I would like to remind you that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's what all the PINK stands for. Regardless of how you feel about the money being raised vs actual amount being donated, If you have breasts this DOES affect you (yes, Men too albeit less frequently) 

One in Eight DO NOT forget those numbers more importantly, the older you get the smaller those numbers get. 

My Grandma's (Mom's mom) odds were One in Four when she passed at 91, and yes she was the one. 
My Grandma's (Dad's mom) were One in Eight when she passed in her early sixties, again she was the one.
My Mom, one in eight, she is a survivor. 

Fight the fight and don't stop! Don't ever let politics or a political agenda tell you, your health isn't worth fighting for, it is most definitely worth the fight!


Thanks for stoppin by!
We'll see you next time.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

OctoberFest Blog Hop!



Welcome to October Fest! Our fearless leader is indeed fearless, having just endured an impromptu yet necessary household move. I do hope our autumnal offerings brighten her spirits and yours as we hop this weekend. Thank you Rita for hosting and for the opportunity to stretch my creativity.

As I type this our local Fall Fest is underway, I may have to swing by later if I still have time! The theme for the hop is October fest, anything goes as long as the inspiration is autumnal. Living on top of a hill in the River Valley my favorite thing in the fall is watching the leaves turn, it can be the most gorgeous thing, to see the trees in their splendor across the valley, along the bayou, and up along the mountain ridges. The Ozarks to the North and the Ouachitahs to the south makes for some pretty gorgeous views out my window. It's early yet and we're only just starting to pick up some yellows so my thoughts of inspiration turned to the harvest and cornucopias otherwise known as horns of plenty.

OctoberFest Inspiration found on Pinterest
I just happened to have this sweet little pumpkin from BonEcho lamp works out of Canada and as much as I loved this little guy I really hadn't any idea what to do with him, until now. He became my centerpiece for the entire design and in the spirit of a cornucopia I filled the spaces with  happiness and thoughts of prosperity. The leaves are from one of my favorite Etsy sellers, the crystals come from House of Gems, the tiny Tohos from Lima beads and those sweet little roses were fabricated by me.

Cornucopia Inspired Necklace

I played with a little bit of filigree and some of my copper to create the bail and added some reclaimed vintage beads to finish the look.

Well then, there's mine now lets go peek at everyone else's!

Rita is Our Hostess over at Toltec Jewels

and the rest of the hop can be found here.....

Toltec Jewels                            Jewel School Friends (hostess)

Dini Bruinsma                           http://www.angazabychanges.blogspot.nl/


Marybeth Rich                          http:/forestofjewels.blogspot.com/


Mary Govaars                           http://www.mlhjewelrydesigns.com/


Mischelle Andrade-Fanucchi     http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com


Karin Grosset Grange               http://ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.fr


Andrea Zenith Glick                  http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/


Nan Smith                                http://wirednan.blogspot.com


Linda Anderson                        http://CherryOnTopDesign.Co


Becky Pancake                        http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com


Melissa Trudinger                     http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com/


Lennis Carrier                          http://windbent.wordpress.com/


Sue Kennedy                           http://suebeads.blogspot.com/


Kim Dworak                            http://www.cianciblue.blogspot.com/


Jo-Ann Woolverton                  http://itsabeadifulcreation.blogspot.ca


Jennifer Reno                           http://jenrenjewelry.blogspot.com/


Veralynne Malone                    http://veradesigns.blogspot.com 


Lori Schneider                          http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com/


Shaiha Williams                        http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/


Alisa Siceloff                            http://armoredmermaid.blogspot.com


Pam Traub                               http://www.klassyjoolz.blogspot.com/


Cryss Thain                              http://beaddragons.blogspot.com/


Maria Lourdes Rios                 http://mlourdes24.blogspot.com


Kathy Lindemer                       http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/


Carolyn Lawson                      http://Carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com


Blanca Medina                        http://www.peru-medesigns.com/


Debbie Rasmussen                  www.Kepirasmussen.blogspot.ca


Heather Richter                       http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/


Kathleen Breeding                   http://99bobotw.blogspot.com/


Carol Dillman                          http://dillmansdallies.blogspot.com/


Chris Eisenberg                       www.wanderware.blogspot.com


Rebecca Sirevaag                    www.godsartistinresidence.blogspot.com


Sam Waghorn                          http://palemooncreation.blogspot.co.uk


Sherri Stokey                           www.KnotJustMacrame.com


Gina Hockett                           www.freestyleelements.blogspot.com


Michelle McCarthy                  http://fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com


Michelle Buettner                     http://www.MiShelDesigns.blogspot.com


Dana Hickey                            You are HERE!! **waves!**


Claire Fabian                            http://saraccino.blogspot.com 


Cynthia Abner                          http://createdtreasures.blogspot.com


Renetha Stanziano                    http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com


Jami Shipp                               http://CelebratingLifewithDaMamaShipp.blogspot.com


Charlie                                     http://505indiechic.blogspot.com


Gloria Allen                             http://www.wingsandbeads.blogspot.com/


Lisa Johnson                             http://spudandmrsbutters.blogspot.com


Marde Lowe                            http://fancimardesigns.blogspot.com


Jill Bradley                                http://chat2jill.blogspot.com


Toni Gifford                              https://plus.google.com/+ToniG28


Shawnda D'Arcy                      https://www.facebook.com/JewelryByShawnda


RaMona Woolson                    http://jerseygirlsbeadwork.blogspot.com


Esterina Jagiella                        http://ekleijar.blogspot.com


Sandra McGriff                        http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.com


Mary McGraw                         http://mkaymac.blogspot.com


Alenka Obid                            http://pepita-handmade.blogspot.com


Marianne Baxter                      http://simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com


Ann Schroeder                        www.beadlove.wordpress.com


Inge von Roos                          http://ingetraud.wordpress.com


Robin Reed                              http://willowdragon.blogspot.com


Suzanne Berk                           https://www.facebook.com/IRescueJewelryDesign


Mowse Doyle                          http://mowsemadethis.blogspot.com


Diana Miglionico Shiraishi         http://jasmineteadesigns.blogspot.com


RanaLea                                  http://ranaleadesigns.blogspot.com


Andrea Rivers                          http://turtlesoupcreative.blogspot.com


Janine Lucas                            http://esfera.me/travel/blog/travel-stories

Tanya McGuire                        http://tanyamcguire.blogspot.com

Anindita Basu                          http://alankarshilpa.blogspot.com

Mitzie Crider                           http://needfulluxuries.blogspot.com

Deb Fortin                               http://studiok24.blogspot.ca

Cynthia Kent Machata             http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com

Cheri Reed                              http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com

Laurel Hanson                         http://stonewingdesigns.com/blogs/stonewingdesignsblog

Ingrid Anderson                      http://lilisgems.wordpress.com/

Karla Morgan                          http://Texaspepperjams.blogspot.com

Lori Anderson                         www.PrettyThings.com

Louise Mccormick-Glazier       http://lilyandjasmine.blogspot.com/

Jasvanti Patel                          http://jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com

Susan Kelly                            http://midlifegreaterexpectations.blogspot.com/

Lee Koopman                        http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com/

Carol Briody                          http://cbriody.blogspot.com/

Kathy Lindemer                    http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/

Renetha Stanziano                http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/

Divya N                               http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com/




Thanks so much for stopping by!
I'll see you hopping around, I hope!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

of Faith and Magic or Perception and Goals



I'm having a business/pricing crisis and since so many artists have difficulty with pricing/business I thought I'd post here as my crisis could turn out to be beneficial for someone else. :)

In one of the groups I belong to on FB, one of the members posted a set of wood/stone stretch bracelets she found priced at $175.oo. Set of 4. Cute but nothing extra special about them, just a single gemstone connector and wooden beads. At first glance I thought Wow! I am not charging enough. Breakdown the price and it's about $45 each bracelet. Looking up the components and how I charge for bracelets that aren't stretch the numbers seem to be about right. Poke around her shop and she has had 3000 sales, quite a few of these sets. That makes an estimated $90k a yr in sales.  Her shop is full of bolo leather, wooden beads, and single gemstone on a chain, prices from $150 - 890 Nothing that I can't make, using materials I have on hand. 

So why does this create a crisis for me? I look at my shop and then look at hers. She has mostly production pieces, things that can be made made quickly and easily over and over again. I have mostly one of’s with only a small handful of production pieces. We opened at almost the same time, days apart at most, I’ve averaged one sale a month, she’s averaged 11 a week and I haven’t come any where near 90k total. One third of my sales are production work,  20% is custom work, and the other half is one of. 

Until I broke down those numbers I felt the bulk of my sales were production work. I felt I wasn’t charging what I should be, I felt woefully underpriced.

When we compare ourselves to others it creates a "what am I doing wrong" thought process, and that is a dangerous place to be. It’s comparing apples to oranges.

My goal has never been $90,000 a year in jewelry sales. My original goal was a consistent one or two sales a month. Combining all sales from Artfire (I started there and moved to Etsy) sales on Etsy, sales on FB and offline I have met that goal. The whole idea when I began selling was for this to be a self supporting hobby, gold and silver, and all those sparkly things can get a little pricey :) To me meeting your goals is the definition of success, once met it’s time to set new goals.

This crisis though, has gotten me thinking about the direction of my shop, about my pricing, about business vs hobby. The moment I started selling it became a business and I have treated it more like a hobby. Oh, I’ve priced properly taking all things into consideration. Considered other avenues for sales and weighed those options for profitability, and added items based on sell ability. But still, there are things I would do as a business I am not doing now.



this showed up in my feed this am on FB pretty apt I think


Perception is a powerful thing. I don’t really like it when people say I ONLY USE THE BEST. This shop did that, she’s selling wood stretchy bracelets, and has managed to convince people they are something extra special. My hats off, she turned a simple inexpensive material into an only the best product. Maybe my crisis has more to do with marketing than pricing, as we do seem to price similarly. I understand marketing and, having been self employed since the age of 20, I know what to do. I’m not entirely sure why I resist it so much in this endeavor of mine. My hand work has always sold itself, someone sees, comments on it, a little chit chat, asks how much and orders. It’s just different online, and while I can still follow the premise it’s difficult to replicate that "in person” experience online, the warmth of the interaction, the smiles, the laughter, seeing their face when they hold it. I do however, have a couple ideas on how to maybe bring some of that warmth to the screen.

Ok then, having met my goals I suppose next is doubling, setting a dollar amount to aim for. 90k is more than I want, that’s full time work and I think I’m pretty happy with part time!  Up until now I have done nothing more than passive marketing, a little cross promotion working with Etsy teams but nothing truly marketing myself. I have felt like I might be ready to step it up a notch and have been laying out ideas and I think it just might be time to start developing those plans. End of year is coming fast and it will be time to implement them before you know it. So the next couple of months will be all about the holiday season and me planning my marketing strategy. Don’t worry I Hate a hard sell, I won’t even buy something I need if it involves a hard sell, so the plan will still include passive marketing. I’m just going to get much more creative about it.

Hopefully this has helped someone in some small way to remember to use a crisis to push you forward, don’t let it hold you back. You are worth it!



Til next time!
Thanks for stoppin by!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Playing with Fire and Leather

It's been a bit busy around here this last week and as a result I missed my blog post. Busy is a good thing around here though and I am not complaining!

I played a bit last week. Picking up scraps of this and that, little bits of things I twisted up, sawed off, and bought. Put flame to some and wire to others. All in all a productive week and I enjoyed myself to boot!

Originally I had thought I might just play with an idea I got from this tutorial over on the House of Gems Pinterest board. I had two pieces of leftover copper I had sawn off another project and I thought it might be fun to dangle some chain from them.

Since I was playing, I thought why not emboss them? They're a slightly heavier gauge metal so I knew I'd have to anneal first. I lit the torch and thought.... why not play a bit with fire painting, I have to torch it to anneal it anyway. (You're getting a real good look at how my brain works here) So I torch and get some really pretty purples YAY! And I emboss and get great matching imprints for a pair of earrings. Next up we'll drill holes to hang the chain from. Zip zip zip and done woohoo.

I'm really liking the iridescence of the purples.............. I think I have some daggers with that color.
Yup! Then I notice a little piece of wire I had looped up and it fit so nicely into the arc of the shield, so I made another and I really liked it. At this point no matter how I played with that chain I just didn't like it. Too bad too, I had planned on suspending the whole thing from that chain....hmmmm

I really like the rib bone chain I made for my Dia de los Muertos piece and the bars Dana sent for bead soup... I could make some bars to hang these from! So I did....  I played a little too long before sealing so I lost a bit of the deeper shades but they're still really pretty!

flame painted copper shield earrings
Flame Painted Shields


Next up I decided to play with my leather scraps. Rebeka Payne of Tree Wings Studio has these leather feathers that I absolutely adore, I though I might play some and make my own feathers. I even got the kiddo in on it and gave him a piece of leather to play with while I cut and designed a few things. He LOVED it!  and I loved it.

The color of the first feathers I made were the exact shade of the stone I've been playing with the woven bezel for the last couple weeks and I just happened to have one wire left I had no idea what to do with, and tadaaa!

Copper and Leather Wrapped and Woven
Alex claimed this one just as fast as I was able to get those feathers on it.
I've made up several more feathers and have many more ideas for them already. 

Thanks for stopping by!
We'll see you next time!