Twined Button Cuff

  I blogged about this cuff almost an entire year ago.  http://theangstyartist.blogspot.com/2010/10/weeks-work.html

  I was ready to deal with all the problems it gave me last time.

Embellishing was really tricky, every gemstone bead or stick pearl I tried to embellish with made it look cheap and contrived. When ready to give up I thought of my button box. I'm so glad my original ideas failed, because these buttons really rock it!

  Copper wire, plastic buttons, red suede leather, jasper drop

  And just like last time I have a blister;)

Buyer Scams

   Something you friends don't know about me, is that I used to sell vintage costume jewelry and vintage beads on Ebay about 10 years ago. I have over 1000 internet Ebay sales under my belt. I was only scammed once.

  Since I have been selling on Etsy, I have about 80 sales total between two shops I have, and I have been scammed twice.

  I fell for the latest scam hook, line, and sinker, so I want to warn other shop owners. I received an email from Paypal, or so I thought... that I had received money from an item that sold in my shop. I believed it and I did not check my paypal account.

  I saw that the buyer had many excellent feedbacks to her name and I saw nothing suspicious about the transaction. Nor do I look to Etsy itself to tell me whether or not an item is paid for. So I sent it and left feedback for her.

 As soon as I left feedback she convos me to say she needs to cancel the order. I said no problem, return the item and I will refund you. I still don't see anything strange going on! At worst I expected her to try and withdraw her transaction on paypal. Blind woman that I am, it finally gets through my head that she never paid me at all!!

  So be careful and double check that you have received cash.

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The other scam I have fallen for is to send the item, leave feedback, and than the buyer withdraws their payment on paypal claiming that I cheated them. If I haven't saved my receipt proving shipment, I have no hope to prove myself to paypal.

I since save all my post office receipts for a year after the sale.

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I know many of you readers are savvy women who don't need to be told these things, but a reminder and some information can't hurt.

I've got a cool bracelet in the works, should be done today or tomorrow.

  

An Eye Opening Experience

  I had an experience today which makes me stop and think. I showed my jewelry, almost the entire stock, to some beaders. I've never showed my jewelry 'in person' before. Where people can touch it and try it on and see it with their own eyes.  I sold a lot of jewelry today. And I was invited back to show it again next week to even more people.

  I'm amazed at the reception I recieved. I've grown accustomed to people loving my work but not actually purchasing any of it. It's good, but not good enough to own I guess. But I see now that's a mistaken understanding on my part.

  It has always been my greatest wish to sell over the internet to the whole world as my market. That has never worked very well. Many of my Etsy sales were from people that I brought to Etsy with me, not people Etsy brought to me. Also, I think that people have a different reaction when they can see and touch and have a more immediate experience with my designs.

  An attractive young woman tried on one of my older designs. I always thought that design needed some vague improvement. But, when I saw it around this woman's neck I realize with shock it was perfect as is. It was so gratifying to see the excitement in her eyes when she bought it. And she was even happier when I told her I had matching earrings at home and would give them to her next time I came. I hadn't really expected to sell anything you see;) I thought it would only be a show and tell.

  The whole experience really gave me hope that I can sell if I find the right situation for myself. My stock is pretty small since I usually only make 1 piece a week or sometimes even just 2 designs a month. I've always felt challenged about doing shows with so few pieces of jewelry to offer.

  I'll be thinking about this day from now on and be more open minded about what and where I might best display my work.


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Here is the weeks work:

Sterling and tourmaline twined brooch. I expect it will become a pendant one day. I'm going to set it aside and see how it develops in my mind over time.

Twined Coin Pearl Necklace

  I started this weave about 6 weeks ago. It's one of my many 'big ideas'. Disappointment is always a threat when working with 'big ideas', because too many things can go wrong when designing outside of your skill level.

  I tossed this weave aside because it was not perfectly centered and I knew in my heart that that would ruin it for me. What I did not realize was that once the entire weave was in place, the small off center issue would disappear, because the eye cannot make the same tiny spatial assessment once the weave had filled in all the air gaps.

This came out way better than I hoped it would! I love how the weave goes right up to the edge of the frame. It has an excellent feel of luxury and expensiveness due to the weight of all the silver in the pendant.

  It gives me hope for some of my other 'big ideas'  :))

Mystery Labradorite

  This is my old and well loved 'roots' themed design in a new form. The end goal being, if one day I can use the roots at any time and in any shape or form I want. This is a step in the right direction I think.

  I showed it to my daughter and she called it 'confusing' ..  LOL!!  I said 'Let's call it mysterious instead"  :)

Double sided pendant.

OH, and I updated the Etsy shop for the first time in 6 months. You might enjoy looking.

Crayon Designs

  I've been stringing necklaces all week. Using up supplies from the bottom of the bead barrel.   You know, the stuff you don't like as much as the beads at the top:)

  It's been such an interesting challenge to turn something I don't really love into something that I actually care for as an end product.

 I began doing this because I have an intense desire to declutter at the moment. Also, because I feel so creatively empty lately. When I look inside myself I just see gray nothingness... or rather I did at the beginning. Stringing these necklaces has primed the pump so that I feel I'm creatively coming back to life.

  I only had two rules for myself. Whatever strand of beads I chose, I had to stick with that strand until I had accomplished a design. All of these strands took at least two hours to design them into something cool and interesting. Assembly did not take nearly as long.

  The second rule was that there were no rules as far as the mixing of components and materials. There is base metal mixed with sterling, and vintage buttons mixed with plastic buttons and gemstones. Hemp and or silk or chain is used on any and all of them.

  I call them my 'Crayon Designs' due to the fun and playful factor and not really coloring in the lines:)  Here they are in order of creation.

Reconstituted turquoise, carved wood, hematite,  and hemp.

Banded agate, vintage glass, plastic button, hemp, seed beads

Snowflake obsidian, plastic buttons both vintage and modern, sterling, silver base metal, vintage glass, hemp. Can be worn long or doubled.

TIP: When the back of the button is unattractive, just add a second button to the flip side of the component.

Vintage cobalt glass, wood beads, brass, and hemp

This last one was supposed to be a strand of opalite. Took forever for me to design it and at some point I realized I had designed the opalite right out of the necklace lol

Bone, copper, gorgeous rare vintage glass pearls, vintage mop buttons. base metal chain, vintage venetian glass bead. The pink vintage mop buttons on this are a stunning fuchsia, but alas they didn't photograph well.