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 :)

Let's Trade!! a,k.a. Share Your Wares!!!!

Ok, here it is, the first trade post. I have been kicking this idea around for a bit and even more so since Lisa from A Bead A Day and I traded jewelry for beads last week. It was so much fun!

This is still in the beginning stages, so I am just gonna bring you along with me for the ride.

This is going to be the 'trade central' post for all items people want to trade. I will post items I am willing to trade here, and you can too. You can either contact me, or put a link in your comment for an item that you want to trade.

Or....

Contact me with an image of something you want to trade, and I can put it in this blog post along with information about the item(s) and how to contact you. Then direct people to this post! If you do send me information to post for you, please let me know if you have traded that item so I can pull the image down from the list.

There is a link in the left menu of my blog titled "Let's Trade!" that will link back to this post.
I will use this until I can get a page set up on my site.

What do you think!???!

Would you like to Share Your Wares?





I have some vintage buttons, (circa 60's-70's) vintage crystals and a piece of a rhinestone necklace. Fun re purposing items. I have a box FULL of buttons that my mom had that belonged to her, my Nanny and some were from my uncle, a fashion designer. Nanny belonged to the ILGWU as a seamstress for years. Remember these commercials? I remember playing with the buttons when I was little. They were my treasures, or my currency. I would stack and sort, and mix and match, hours and hours I would play.




2 ceramic pendants, 2 top drilled feldspar pendant beads, 2 jasper cabs - 18mm and 25 mm (there abouts)


These items are from Davinia - you can contact her thru her blog

6 black tube beads about 1" long. Not sure what they are made of.
1 glass globe bead
1 wooden scrolled focal with a Carmen Miranda type lady on it.
1 x 1" square bronze coloured Tim Holtz memory frame filled with melted Opals embossing powder in a pearly cream colour
1 x 3" long antique silver Tim Holtz Memory frame filled with melted Opals embossing powder in shades of black, green and a touch of bronze.

What do you have to trade?!!?!?