Sunday, March 30, 2014

Host a Jewelry Party - Get Free Jewelry - Even Online!




So yeah, you heard me right!

Do you love jewelry, or love collecting tumbled stones and crystal formations? Do you love it when it is free? I thought so :)

You can host a jewelry/crystal party, even if you don't live in the area. It is super easy. Create an event on Facebook, and invite all of your friends. The event can last a maximum of 3 weeks. Post links from my Etsy store and some back to my Facebook page and let the shopping begin! I will issue you a special comment code for your friends to used when placing an order on Etsy. That way I know the sales came from your party.

You and your friends have ample time to shop, and chat about items, even message me or comment on my fan page about custom orders you would like to have. Remember, all items are one of a kind, I don't intentionally duplicate pieces, If there is a  piece you are looking, don't wait too long, when it is gone, it is gone. Orders ship to the buyer immediately, no need to wait til all orders are in! When the event is over, I will tally up all of the sales, and 10% of the sales, goes back to the hostess/host of the event in free jewelry/crystals!!!!!

$1000 in sales, $100 worth of free jewelry/crystals*!!!!

And it doesn't stop there!

If the event does $2000 or more in sales, the hostess/host of the event gets a LIFETIME 30% off coupon code to use in my shop anytime.

What is stopping you!!! Create your shopping event today and message me for your comment code!

Happy shopping!!!!


*Due to the weight of some crystals, there is shipping costs that will have to be added to the order for any tumbled stones/crystals that are purchased.







Wednesday, March 26, 2014

It's Purple Day! What would you wear?

It's Purple Day! What would you wear to celebrate? Would you wear purple clothes and accent with a different color jewelry, or just go all out and wear all purple!!!!! Let me know - better yet, post pictures!!!!!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Local Artist Spotlight - Meg Smither

This blog entry about local artist, Meg Smither. Local to Raleigh, and owner and inspiration behind 'Out There Studio.'


How Did Your Create Your Business Name?

 Well funny you would ask that first question:
1. Out There Studio came about - because when we were building our house 6 years ago and we were building my Studio in the back yard (pictured with Meg Smither above)
 I would always refer to it as "out there" and my friend said that I needed to call my Studio "OUT THERE STUDIO". So that is how that came about.

2. What do you create/make?
Wow that's an interesting question. Well I make a lot of scarves (Textiles) and I build the frames and then I just start thinking of different techniques of applying dyes and using resists and just different chemicals and I create the scarves. I read a lot to understand the different types of techniques as well. So I am always learning new and better ways to make the scarves more beautiful. Then on top of all of that I also do Batiks whether it be on Fabric or on Paper.

3. What is your favorite item you've created thus far?
Well I just created the above BATIK called "Harbor Trio"  and I love it.

As well as the next BATIK and it is call "Maid in the Shade"



4. Why is buying locally important to you?
 
Because it keeps it in the "neighborhood" if you will. It's like buying local produce in your markets. It is
supporting our local artists and that is so important. Yea you can go to New York and other places and buy pieces (and don't get me wrong I'd love for my work to be in New York :0) - but it's just so important to keep it here at home and know that we have some amazing talent just right in our own backyard. Pardon the pun... didn't mean to... truly.
 
5. What are your business goals for 2014?
 ...
are just to get more visibility so that folks know I'm here and are interested in what I'm doing.
It has been a long road to get to just this point --- but slowly it is happening and I couldn't be more thankful
and more blessed. It comes from above I know that for sure....


 You can visit Meg Smither's Studio Online at :website: www.megsmither.com
or her newest site:square market: https://squareup.com/market/meg-smither

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Let's Shop Local Event, Raleigh, NC - March 23, 2014

Let's Shop Local is having there second shopping event 3/23/14 at the Raleigh, NC Fairgrounds in the Holshouser Building, and I am excited to be there!

I will be setting up with over 30 more locals artist, all there to have fun, and show off our most recent creations. But it isn't just a shopping event, no, it is way more!

Let's Shop Local, is more than just a shopping event, it is an awareness event. One of the great things about the event is showcasing local artists, giving you a chance to meet the artist, and browse their work, and get the story behind the creation, giving it more meaning and more value to you as a consumer. You can't find that in a mall. Several of the artist only offer one of a kind items, meaning, when you purchase it, it is yours and yours alone. You will not run into anyone wearing that same piece, it is your own personal work of art :)

Awesome right?! 

How else is Let's Shop Local events better than any other? They offer you live entertainment!!

Raleigh Little Theater will be there and performing as well! This is the schedule.
 11:00-12:10 : Andrew Kasab, Harp Guitar
  12:30 - 1:00 : Raleigh Little Theatre, Songs
  2:00 - 5:00 : Kristi Dixon, Guitar & Songs





 Put us on your list tomorrow while you are out an about enjoying the beautiful weather in Raleigh. 

 When: Sunday, March 23rd. 
  Where: Holshouser Building at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. 
  Time : 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
  Admission: $3 adults, children 12 and under free
 . 


Your admission ticket purchase will also support our local
theatre, as $1 of every admission ticket will be donated to the
Raleigh Little Theatre's Youth Scholarship Program


Stop by and see me!!!!!



 
 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Blogging, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram.......

Here is the question.

Blogging,Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and I am not even touching on the thousands of other online communities that people use to promote, educate, display and sell their work.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE!?!?

I remember the days of newsletters. Yes, I speak of it as something that has gone by the way side. I feel it has. With so many other social communities, the effect of a newsletter doesn't even seem to matter anymore. I don't have to wait on a newsletter to come out, I can visit you anywhere else on the web and see what is going on 'real time'. It seems like double effort.

Of all the social community choices out there, I have settled into Facebook, and honestly I think so because I am lazy. Facebook makes it easy to connect to Twitter, so all of my posts magically show up on Twitter, so two birds with one stone. Bottom line, I didn't want to learn something new, i.e. Google+. Time is an issue too. If I spend all day, posting, when do I have time for my art? When can I sit down and create if I am spending all my time posting online?

Now on the other hand, I miss blogging. I miss writing, sharing, visiting other peoples blogs, commenting, everything. Blogging adds a personal touch. Gives you room to breath, relax and chat a spell. When I sit to blog, I feel I am in a plush room, dark and cozy with a fire. When I post on Facebook, I feel like I am being rushed thru a subway, caught up in a loud, bustling throng of people. A little tie dyed dot amongst all of the tan London Fog raincoats.

Funny, because it's true

I am always curious what do you use, and how does it work for you. Do you still send news letters? Do you get a monthly resurgence of activity because you sent out that reminder to all of your followers? Do you boost posts on Facebook? Do they really up your likes and by upping your likes does that really help with your visibility? Do you Tweet? Does that send tens of thousands of hits to your site from around the world? Do you post images on Pinterest and Instagram? Does the snippets of information along with the pixels of your post have you shared around the world? Do you blog? Do you take time to write and reflect and make your work more tangible with images and longer descriptions?

What do you do? I would love to know!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Dangle Bracelets and Skulls!


I got these awesome dyed magnesite skulls a few years ago from The Rings & Things Road Show that comes thru here every June. I bought them because there were on sale, and they are cute :)

I had no idea what I would do with them, so I tucked them away til the inspiration hit. Good thing there is no expiration date on these little beauties :)

I played with a few earring designs, but they were too heavy. I tried working them into necklaces, but they didn't lay right. Then one day working on a dangle bracelet, I spied one of the skulls.

Hrm

I wrapped one up quick and slid it into the mix.

IT WORKED!!!

What I love about the design is the skulls don't have to be goth, or angry, or militant - they can be cute. And that's where it's at :)

Friday, March 7, 2014

A Gift From My Brother - The Artist Statement

 I needed an artist statement....oh bother....These are difficult! Are they difficult for you? I can write all day about a stone, about a cause, about my creations, but write what I am, what I do, why I do it, why I feel and I have nothing.

I called my brother with questions, how do I do it, can you give me guidelines, bullet points off what I need to say to get this across. He says, "Why don't I write it for you?" I squeal. He asks for bulletpoints, a list of what I feel, of what I am, and he will take it from there.

This is what he got
So I am sitting here thinking and am blank. i have no idea what to say, and not sound like high school. I want to say, I don't sit and sting beads, for a fashion statement. alot of time, i dream the design, and then wake up and make it. I have dreamed of my art, and make it happen. i don't work with the fashion guidelines. I work with purpose principles each piece has a purpose whether it is the color or the stone or the texture, i want it to speak to you i am just brain dumping here i don't mass produce a single design, because, i don't create for the masses, I create for the individual 

From this he wrote, my words, my emotions, he captured them all, didn't miss a thing. I am amazed at his talent and understanding. I now have an artist statement, a beautiful gift from my brother Jerry Piper

Just A Tish Artist Statement
Wearing jewelry can be a mere fashion accessory, or it can be a personal statement, testament, and extension of all that binds us to the spiritual aspects of our connection to one another, and the very earth itself from which we evolved. Since the earliest periods of recorded human history there is a recurring belief that we were created from the earth. Science now confirms the truth of this fact that, chemically we are made of the same compounds found in the soil. Not fully understanding this premise spiritually or scientifically in younger years, I was unaware why my love of stones carried a greater magnetism with my inner self than mere aesthetic fashion creations.

Now I am more aware.

Mankind has always maintained a mystical correlation with various stones in regards to their symbolism, purpose and value. I believe humanity possesses a relationship with these elements that contribute to the very makeup of our being that defies definition and understanding. They have been used throughout the centuries by every culture in every socio-economic stratum to create objects that reflect personal wealth, wonder, and worship. Visual masterpieces of art and artifact in stone have been hewn to raise the conscious soul of man to assist us in seeing and understanding the visible and invisible world that surrounds us all. From Stonehenge to the monolithic statues of Easter Island, the Blarney Stone of Ireland, and the Pyramids of Egypt, stones have been used throughout history to connect us with our inner selves and one another. They reflect our concrete beliefs, and pose mysteries that have kept us suspended in wonder throughout the ages. It is because of this shared spiritual connection to the elements found in the earth that I find purpose in making the one of a kind pieces I do. Even my dreams speak profoundly of fresh ideas that beckon me to create new inspirational works.

I also believe that stones are deeply representative of our own lives and personalities. Whether or not the wearer fully comprehends the properties of the stone, it still speaks to them from a subconscious inner level through its own voice of beauty, texture, color, shape, size and energy. We are shaped and developed, much like stones, bearing the same cracks or flaws, artificially or naturally tumbled by hardship, pressure, and chipping throughout life. It is by this process that our personal character is refined and ultimately reveals our own distinct inner beauty with occlusions still visible. But, rather than seeing the flaws as defects as negative, as we often do in ourselves and others, we can learn to see and value humanity as reflective of the same integral elements of the stone’s natural beauty. Whether rough or smooth, firm or cracked, clear or opaque, radiant or dull, its own uniqueness speaks for itself and its value. I believe people are attracted to stones unknowingly, because of how they often perceive themselves. They wear them because of the connection that springs from the spiritual consciousness deep within that relates to and reflects their own self-image.

Therefore, I work with stones of all shapes, sizes, colors and weights. Being pretty, or meeting the changing trends of current acceptable fashion statements is irrelevant. Purpose in my work is defined in that stones give me a clear perspective on something the world needs to be reminded of on a day to day basis, which is LOVE. Love of self, combined with love and acceptance of others. The diversity of a stones color, shape, origins and everlasting quality, demands that it be gazed upon with awe, held with reverence, and valued with understanding, not unlike the values we uphold when considering the human family at large. Look at the stones. Look closely. Observe their nuance of color. Touch the stones. Feel their texture and weight. Ask yourself why certain stones are more appealing, and why paired together with other stones draw you to them. Maybe your heart and mind will be enlightened to a hidden secret about your own beauty and value you’ve not been aware of. Then you can proudly wear it as a symbol of why you, like the stones, are beautiful, and one of a kind.



Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Welcoming March - Daffodils Poem - William Wadsworth

Daffodils
I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).