New Bracelets in the Shop!

Been busy bulking up my inventory, have several shows lined up for this summer, and one is a 3 day-er! I am really excited and feeling really creative.

This one looks like a party to me! Glass coins, re purposed acrylic beads, fun textured wood beads, vintage lucite from The Beadin Path, and swarovski crystals on copper. It has some heft and makes a great clacking sound. I may have to keep this one :)

I love asymmetrical designs too. It is like telling a story, it starts; with one thing, then there is a plot twist and then the best finish! This is vintage lucite beads from The Beadin Path, faceted glass and dichoric glass focal bead.

Then there is the great spring time hodge podge of left over beads. They all come together to make the best collection! I love this one, it is so happy to me.


I love when the ideas just flow and I can really get a grasp on the image in my head!!!

Finally Found My Calling With Clusters

Several months ago, while captain of the biggest pity ship you have ever seen, like a pity yacht,  I was over taking pictures of my jewelry. I was struggling with different ideas of how to photograph my pieces. This has been an ongoing battle. It really is not anything new. I have friends who are photographers, do I pay them for a couple weekends a month, do I take classes, do I invest in a better camera, or do I take decorating classes (to learn props and magic for shots)

This took me on a search thru the vastness of the interwebs looking at different jewelry sites, and seeing how they laid out their shots, what props did they use, how bright were their shots and anything else I could learn. As I ambled thru, what I began to notice about these shops was they all seemed, themed. Themed as in the jewelry was all very similar. A similar technique, or similar style. There was continuity about the presentation, and it was very appealing to me. It made me want to shop. It wasn't the photography so much as the content.

I flipped back to my store, and I see the eclectic hodge podge of my work. I have to make everything, every style, play with every technique and put it up for sale. My husbands words came back to haunt me in that instance -"Pick one thing and do it well".

I searched between my Etsy store and my Facebook page, and there it was, like a life preserver thrown to me on that sinking ship of pity. I do clusters. I do them well.

All of that mess up top, was to lead into this. I'm back at the workbench for a new year of designs, a new year of shows and a new year of self discovery. I took what I learned from my photography search and put it to good use as I sit working on new pieces for this year.

I did it and I think with much success. I sat back to work, and ideas started to roll! I think I am on my path :)

Back to the Workbench

Getting back to the bench is always tough for me after a hiatus. I was ready for the holidays early (this is a first) and had all my pieces out in stores, and my online Etsy store stocked well. That gave me time to concentrate, on the house, the guests coming to visit, the cooking, working and last minute everything that I had put off to make jewelry :)

This year, I have decided to get back into shows and festivals, and my first one is Feb 1, 2014!!! Right around the corner! I am really excited. I have ordered my Square, a new banner and  new displays. I am one step closer. I need to buckle down, get a booth idea sketched out and get new items rolling out. Now sitting back at my workbench, ideas are there, I am just slow to produce them. My mind seems to be elsewhere.

To combat this, I put on music and randomly string. I do not commit the design, I just string, unstring, string, unstrings. Next thing you know, I have some ideas that actually are working for me, and I am excited to start on a new creations.

Here is a bit of a preview of what I am working on! 

I hope this new year takes you on many magical adventures!