Need to Update My Workspace

I wish I had my own room to be my studio, but instead I must inhabit a corner of the living room. I thought my little corner was great at first, but I kept expanding and now I've really outgrown it. Not to mention, it is not even remotely ergonomically arranged.

For a year or so, I've seen fancy craft desks in the Pottery Barn catalog or places like that, but they were ridiculously expensive and I didn't have room for one anyway. But finally, this morning in my World Market newsletter, there was a coupon for 25% off furniture, so I clicked on their site just to see what was there. And wouldn't you know they have an affordable version of that craft desk I'd been secretly admiring!

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4301229&clickid=body_rv_img

It doesn't look too big, and I think with a little creative rearranging I might be able to make it work, but I'm not sure. I wish they had the dimensions on the site, but I'd be willing to go check it out in person. Then of course, I'd need a stool, but I'm sure that's manageable. Wish me luck!

Fun with photography

I've been reading about the importance of photography lately. It's obvious really, and I have a pretty good camera and I know how to get good shots of the jewelry. However, I have been a major slacker about the settings and I don't shoot in natural light as much as I should. Everything looks better in natural light, so I made a point of setting up some props that would lend themselves to the task and snapped my heart out. I'm quite pleased with the results!

Here for your viewing pleasure are a couple of things I made last night:

Both the necklace and earrings are available. See my Facebook Page for details or just send me a message.

New Project Plans

I'm so so very excited about the new project I'm about to undertake...

I'm very new to the online jewelry-making world, so I only recently discovered all these wonderful jewelry artists who make their own components, and use each other's pieces in their own work. That's a really cool concept, and I like the sense of support and collaboration I've seen.

The first blogger I found (who opened me up to this community) is Lorelei Eurto. Her style is so much fun, and she's totally inspired me to try my hand at making my own beadcaps. Her Harbinger Collection is the cutest thing in the world. She uses printed tins to make her bead caps and disc-shaped components, and I feel like it's something I could actually do. I have an assorted collection of Tea Tins and my dad has millions of Altoids Tins, which might be kind of cute to use.

I have to admit I feel a little guilty for stealing her idea, but if I'm giving her credit for the inspiration, that should be okay huh? I certainly hope so.

Up to this point I've been using a combination of vintage, recycled, and new components to create my jewelry. I really like the idea of reusing old bits, as I can be assured that my pieces will be one of a kind. However, now that I've tapped into this online community, I really feel like I need to create at least some elements of my own. Yesterday, I ordered all the tools I'll need to get started, and I can't wait until they arrive. I hope everyone will appreciate it, because I'm assuming it might be a very homemade beadcappy Christmas!

And because no one likes a blog without pictures, I'll show you the most recent necklace I made. I love this piece! If anyone else does, it's for sale -- see my Facebook jewelry page for details.

Took some pictures

I could have done better with my photographs, but I just wanted to snap some things quickly for my Flickr, and to post here. Check my slideshow on the right to see everything, but I just wanted to feature this bracelet I made last night. My friend Heather sent me a huge box of vintage costume jewelry and other various beads. It took a couple of days to go through it all. This was from a broken necklace, but I thought it would make a much cuter bracelet. What about you?

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone, and thanks for reading. I've decided that I really need to get serious about promoting and selling my jewelry. When I apply myself, I do pretty well and people love it and buy it. This morning, a friend picked out 11 pairs of earrings and asked me to put them aside so she can buy them a few at a time for the next several paychecks! That's pretty cool. She's my best customer and has supported me since the beginning. I'm so thankful for her support, and thrilled that someone likes my stuff that much.

This week, I plan to take a ton of photos of my most recently jewelry. But until those are done, I'll share this with you. I've been having so much fun with the Day of the Dead earrings and everyone seems to love them. The set on the bottom right is sold, but the others are available if anyone needs them! Send me an email or click on my website for details. I can custom make some as well if you're looking for a certain color in the non-skull beads.