For My Fellow Etsy Artists

I did it! I did the Etsy Virtual Lab on Thursday night for the very first time and it was a lot of fun! Here's my de-brief - some editorial, some not.

Here's the link to the Lab I attended http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=109669322390415&ref=mf which was an educational panel in their Speaker Series.

Panel guests were:

Kari Chapin, author of The Handmade Marketplace, http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781603424776?aff=etsy and she brought four of the book's crafty contributors with her.

I, of course, ran out to Books & Co. to buy the book immediately, which I'm really enjoying!

Take-aways:

• 130 people were there in person
• About 100 were there in the virtual meeting room - people from ALL over the WORLD, which was really cool.
• I "chatted" with someone from Africa and Australia.
• Also made new etsy friends from other states, plus one from Akron, Ohio. It was cool how people were searching for people from their own state.
• The chat room was I think my favorite part of the experience. Got some great tips, new people hearted me and I hearted new shops, too. Also, I am now following a new blog - a jewelry artist with beautiful work that I found inspiring. http://gwendelicious.wordpress.com/
• My main take-away from the panel discussion was about your Creative Collective, which Kari talks about in her book. Your Creative Collective can help you get through "creative blocks" which we all have, and also provide counsel and fellowship. Just kind of gave me a nod to all my creative friends that I depend on so much.
• Another discussion that was a very hot and heavy one was "under-pricing". Etsy artists feel very strongly that when you under-price your hand-made items, you are cheapening our craft and all of our businesses' integrity. Please keep that in mind when you are pricing your items.
• Throughout the hour that I was on-line with them, they posted three polls and then they posted the results, which was interesting. I didn't take very good notes on this, though, because my brain was swimming already with the chat room and the panel discussion. I do remember two of the questions they asked - 1. Do you have a Creative Collective? 2. Do you sell what you make?

Cons:

• Issues with technology - sound especially - made it hard to follow and was distracting. Plus the annoying guests who very rudely complained about the issues were even more distracting :)
• While I may have not received much help from the panel, it was still an exciting experience.

I recommend checking out the Etsy information page for Virtual Labs before attending one. It shows a sample of when a visitor from People StyleWatch magazine was broadcast - way cool! http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/etsy-launches-the-virtual-labs-622/ It also shows samples of what the virtual room looks like and instructions for how you use all the buttons. :)

And that's my debrief!

Vintage Button Necklaces

Like most artists, I find inspiration in everyday activities. My most recent inspiration came in the form of a magazine photo while catching up on Hollywood gossip in the waiting room of a doctor's office.

Kim Kardashian was sporting a fabulous vintage necklace made out of chain, chain and more chain. I liked it and gave it a moment's thought, but inpiration didn't hit until I was asleep that night... Do others realize inspiration while dreaming???

I woke up with my vision and went right to work. My lovely collection of vintage buttons are now adorning chain necklaces, one of which is modeled here by my lovely daughter, Stephanie.

While I haven't yet posted them on etsy.com, I've made seven of these beauties and I'm sure they will find their way to etsy soon.

Chandelier Crystals Re-Imagined (photo)

Photograph from the Waynesville Antique Show Sunday, September 6, 2009

Chandelier Crystals Re-Imagined

While I've been using vintage chandelier crystals as components in my altered vintage jewelry before, I've never used them as pendants on a necklace. Heather has decoupaged (is that the correct spelling?) images to the back of them for the past year to make ornaments and pendants for necklaces. I just wanted to do something different with them... something creative and new and fresh!

My latest obsession is to hang them under different ribbons that I've made into bows. On the cover of a recent fashion magazine, Taylor Swift was wearing a necklace that looked like it had a ribbon attached and I wasn't surprised that it caught my eye since the designer was Lanvin, one of my all time favorites. Not that I've ever actually WORN any of their clothing, but I've always admired the designs!

I tested a few ribbons sitting on top of my gorgeous teardrop chandelier crystals, perfected the technique, and my newest series was born is now being tested on the market!

Gotta love it when an obsession with a vision becomes a reality...

Creativity is a Way of Life

Creativity is now a way of life for me...

As a former member of the business-suit wearing, super-mom, working in an office for a living sector of our population, I left my day-job two years ago. A little freaked out by my lay-off caused by budget limitations, I realized how totally burnt-out I was and that I would most assuredly run away screaming if I ever had to put on a business suit again! I applied for unemployment and started looking for jobs in my field of charitable fund-raising.

Organizations in my field are still doing lay-offs and early retirements and therefore, jobs are scarce. I had been making jewelry for a few years as a favorite pastime, friends and family had bought some and I had often toyed with the idea... "Wouldn't it be fun to work for myself, make and sell jewelry?" I decided to give it a try while I searched for a new job.

I applied for and did a few art shows, held open-houses in my home, did a few custom orders for friends or friends of friends, had a VistaPrint magnet made for my car and I was lucky if I broke even. I knew it was a long road ahead if I was going to make my past salary at my new business! :)

A dear friend of mine for several years, Heather, had an adorable little shop in Lebanon, Ohio called Maddie Lisee. She needed some help with her shop, so I covered for her a couple of days a week. The more time we spent together, the more time we brainstormed about jewelry and creative ways of making money. We used to call the talks our "swimming sessions" because we would brainstorm until our heads were swimming! During one of these talks, we decided it would be fun to make jewelry out of vintage, antique and found items. I made a charm bracelet out of vintage buttons and Heather made a necklace out of a chandelier crystal and we were on our way!

Creativity is now a way of life for me...

New to Blogging

I'm new to blogging... always sounded like a winter sport or a really hard blow of the nose.... but I'm intrigued so here I am... blogging...