Still Running Behind....

I guess I could just practice a little gratitude instead of pushing so hard. My biggest problem during this past, extremely challenging, year has not been with creativity or new pieces and ideas, it's been with the administrative follow through. So by the seat of my pants, I've now got all but about 20 of my new pieces posted in my Etsy shop, which has been a huge challenge because all the writing is really hard--even more so with all the new emphasis on search, SEO, tagging and all that jazz. And I'm still plugging away with posting the rest of the new "holiday" work, even as I begin to fill more orders (made to order mostly) as the holiday rush begins.

But have I advertised? created a newsletter? posted on my blog? let ANYBODY know that there's new work to see, that some new series have been posted, new anything etc.?? No, these activities, critical though they may be, are currently at the back of the bus. And I guess, in a nutshell, that pretty much sums up the sort of year it's been for me.

Succinctly stated, grieving definitely leaves me in a productive state, so far as working on new things and finding new ideas in the studio, but also leaves me at a distinct loss when it comes to all the other steps needed to promote and sell artwork, both online or in person. So I thought I'd just post a snapshot of my "front shop window" here for right now. It changes every few hours, actually. And soon, I hope, I can say a few words about new ideas & materials I've been exploring....ha ha, guess I forgot it's Wednesday so, no "Wordless" Wednesday this week! Hope your Wednesday is a good one!

Pearl Mania

Some new things began to come together the past couple of weeks and one big change and improvement is discovering beautiful artisan dyed and stitched silk ribbons. If you've been watching some of my designs the past few months, you may recall I've been trying different ways to slip silk ribbons into pieces so they could be adjusted for length, etc. I experimented with crocheted chains, strips of leather, on and on.... But now, instead of making up my own ties, which could be troublesome and difficult, I have discovered that other artists are real pros in this form...so here you go. It's so easy to use these ribbons to wear these clusters at many different lengths and I accidentally tried the "bow on the side" and decided I really liked the look...so tried it a few times for fun. It's just one option for how to wear these new pieces. I've also learned that it's possible to put end clips on these ribbons so that regular clasps can also be used, but am not showing that approach here.

I was about to insert each title but these are so wordy( for the search engines) that I decided to keep the photo layout nice and clean and just make each collage link to its' gallery page, in case you are interested in seeing more info.

The other grand experiment/work in progress, is changing the look of my little blog...don't be too surprised if it changes a few more times before it finally settles down. My new banners are coming together created by a very talented British designer on Etsy-Winchester Lambourne. There will soon be a "summer version" and a "winter version" but these are still works in progress...to be continued!! If you're in need of a fresh new banner and avatar, or other web graphics, definitely give her a look--I know I've been just delighted by how things are coming along.

Escapism...where ideas come from...

It's cold here and a blizzard is moving through later today...or at least the prediction is for "blizzard conditions." So it warmed my heart to have some of my photos from my recent Arizona project and residency requested for a web page in progress about this project.

It's warm to look at these images and then I was struck by a lovely synchronicity between this image, created when I took several photos of a beautiful desert vista and "stitched" them together...

...and the corresponding warm tones and colors in a collection of my pieces--spanning several different series--accidentally grouped together in my Etsy studio. Only ironic because I'm not a desert person...only a visitor.

But apparently the colors and sense of this landscape inform some of my work. Mind you, this is probably subconscious as I tend to work and make pieces with the simple philosophy "You never know where a good idea will come from" and then I trust that making things will be the "best arbitrary choices taken from random coincidences." Of course, the human mind is always tuned into patterns and looking for relationships...but beyond that? I guess it's my stubborn persistence to just make and make, and try and try, and eventually "things" pile up and hopefully, some of them are pretty good.

So it's good for me, now and then, to try to step back and consider the larger picture. Somehow, the fact that this set of images, subsequently reorganized, all popped up on my monitor here, within moments of each other, was one such opportunity so thought I'd share!

I've been wonderfully, amazingly busy with orders from my Etsy shop--very satisfying as I progress through my 3rd holiday season here. There's still time to place an order through WillOaks Studio with regular shipping charges to arrive before Christmas....but only for a few more days!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

A Gardener in the Studio

Soft Peach, Feminine Pearls and Silk Necklace

Triple Strands of Lilac Bronze Pearl Nuggets on a Silk Chain Necklace

Baby Blue Pearls and Silk Long Necklace or Wrap Cuff

I really don't need an excuse to be inspired by or to revel in the beauties of the Spring garden. But I think it seeps into my thinking and creating whether or not it's conscious. So while plants and flowers aren't overt in these new pieces, I think there is something about the sensibility that harks back to the garden: blossoms, blooming branches and the like.

These new pieces were listed in my Etsy shop over the past few days. I continue my unending fascination with any kind of pearl (often thinking of them as buds, blooms, petals and the like) and with using this very strong, American made beading silk thread. I use this silk as a material for crochet because it lends a dainty quality to the look of the pieces--while actually being incredibly strong...stronger, in fact, than some chain and other metal materials I might use.

It's tricky to work with because it is so smooth-almost slippery-but these very qualities also make it the most comfortable material for wearing in my palette right now. The fact that it is a fiber means it can easily be hand washed, a process all of these "Made With Silk" pieces go through after they are made and well before they ever leave my studio.

If you'd like a closer look at these pieces please click the photos...and watch for more pieces in this series to be posted over the next week!! Thank for dropping by and have a great Sunday!

New Additions to "Made With Silk"

I'm still enchanted with the crocheted silk chain that includes pearls and other beads and objects. Most of the pieces are at least 56" long and some of the new ones are even longer. Some of the recent ones incorporate some cool mother of pearl shapes and disks I recently found. All still can be used as either a versatile necklace in different arrangements or wrapped around the wrist as a cuff bracelet. This pinkish combination of salmon, mauve and very pale pink will work with a lot of different clothing colors.

The images here link to their actual listings in my Etsy shop for more information.

I love to wear linen in warmer weather and I have a few shirts and other pieces in unbleached linen. Wearing neutral colors is something I'm drawn to in the summer so I did a few designs that I think will work very well with clothing and colors schemes like this.

This collection, called "Darker Neutrals," uses brown with beiges and ivory and combines large and smaller pearls with different shapes and sizes of mother of pearl.

And this is a lighter version of my neutral palette that incorporates beige, ivory, taupe and white. All of the pieces in this series are limited editions, typically between 3 and 6 pieces per design due to limits of materials. Exceptions to this tiny edition size include the "Pastel Rainbow" and the new "Rainbow of pearls" where the edition size is between 20 and 25 pieces.

Over the next couple of days, I'll showcase a couple of wonderfully dark versions as well as the three new "bright" versions. These pieces are already listings in my Etsy shop in case you would like a sneak preview!!

Good weather here predicted over our weekend so I hope we make some serious progress in the gardens around here!! Wishing you all a terrific weekend, too!!

Cabin Fever? It Could Be Worse.....

It seems like it's snowing all over the place--and the blogsphere is loaded with snow photos, so, I had to add a visual from the WillOaks Farm. This was before we got 6 to 8 more inches early Wednesday morning AND the wind really picked up speed.

Green silk with olive jade, millefiori, glass, serpentine, green jade, yellow turquoise---
another in the "silk experiments series"....

.....all designed to be "multi-wrap" versatile.

Meanwhile, now it's Mariah's turn to teach Purrmeister how to
drink from the faucet, like Red Kitty taught her....

....and Purrmeister is a willing and able student.

And remember that "numbers thinking" I mentioned earlier? Well, this weekend, my shop on Etsy hit the 1111th "heart me" which was a good feeling, and as we have approached Valentine's Day, I took a few more orders. (I try to imagine what it would be like if every heart equaled a sale....not gonna' happen, but it's a cute fantasy.) Not to be ungrateful, it's neat to know WillOaks Studio has been "tagged" by both shoppers and other artists.

And while I still haven't quite reached my goal of raising $100 for Haiti relief and rebuilding, through my 10% donation from my sales on Etsy, but I did hit $93 as of Wednesday!
...and I'm keeping this up through 2-14-10, Valentine's Day.

Slightly Obsessed....

Prehnite Rondelles on a Special Chain

Rasberry Pink Quartz on a Special Chain

A sampler of some of the creations that either are or will be available in the
Special Chain series

I just love being in "the zone" where new creative ideas flow freely and am just delighted to be in this zone right now. Obsessed might be too strong a word, but this new "form" or "structure" that I've designed and developed here is just so compelling for me! (Ooops, you can see I was trained in sculpture when I use words like this to describe....a necklace!! Ha ha ha!)

But I'm enjoying this design so much as a way to sort of frame and wear a nice 3, 4 or 5 inch collection or cluster of stones or beads. You see, I collect stones and beads...have been for quite a long time, starting with the lapidary stone collection my grandfather created and that was left to me when he passed on. Sometimes, I'll look at a set of stones or a strand of beads over and over again and just cannot commit to using them, not finding the right way or place. I put them away to come back to later.

So this new design has me digging through things here, and unearthing strands that are just waiting to be used in this new way. I realize it may sound a bit lame, but I've christened this design my "Special Chain" series and I've developed a special link for it in my Etsy shop. The two stands of oxidized, then burnished, sterling silver beads function as the "special chain" that holds or hangs the stones....(sometimes, titles are really hard--I often do much better with visual explanations....which is why my blog uses photos so much!!)

Starting today, I will begin to dedicate 10 % of all my art sales to Haiti relief work. I plan to post a button over on the side bar, but it's not quite designed yet. I'll keep tabs on how this goes here on my blog and keep you all posted on what kind of success this has. A month is a pretty good stretch of time, so hopefully, sales will be OK and funds raised will be OK, too! The whole situation is currently so grim...I hope more relief can get there quickly and begin to make a difference.

And also, today, the brand new I Heart Handmade for Valentine's opens!! Pop over and have a look at all the Indie artists and artisans...do a little shopping...visit my "booth" and leave me a comment (please!!) The main home page is here and there's a button on the side bar that will be up all month....and the direct link to my own page is here....drop by soon!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

That Was a Marathon!

Prepping the LAST BATCH of orders for Christmas 2009 Priority Mail!

Heaven knows I've done my share of last minute shopping, wrapping and preparing--in fact, I'm starting this year's duties today! BUT this was the first time my shop worked to FILL these kinds of orders. My cut-off was Noon on Monday because a bit later that afternoon was the cut-off for Priority Mail with Christmas Eve delivery...we hope!! The past two days, since I posted my little Christmas card have been really intense and it was such a relief to finish preparing all those late orders and get them down to the Post Office.

My morning was strange--I had to take the kitten to the vet. Although it had been originally scheduled as a check up & distemper booster, the kitten threw up yesterday morning...and there was a big worm in it. I couldn't believe my eyes, and then I nearly fainted! And since I seemed to recall that fun fact about how "contagious" worms are, I took Mariah along, to the vet, too. She's just too difficult to give meds to and I had a feeling all the cats would be getting a dose of something. Sure enough, they have all been "dosed" now and I've got my "duties" over the next couple of days...I hope this works!

Other fun facts I'll share as the week moves on: more orchids in bloom; they picked the corn fields, finally; and say a little prayer for me because I've got to do my once a year baking thingy. I'm thinking about taking photos because I'm kind of lame in the kitchen--I get roped into these things because I forget how to say "no."

Happy Solstice everyone! That is, Welcome to Winter AND to the days getting longer again! Hooray!

A Very Good Day, Good Weekend, & Busy Week for WillOaks Studio

Quite a weekend here as new pieces finally got finished AND photographed. Things are kind of messy here at the moment as I'm just focused on finishing pieces, filling orders and all that kind of thing. But I just love this new neck piece--kind of a relative of the Red one I posted about a week ago or so (and have since sold 2 copies of, wow!) This one happens to be one of a kind as I used some things in it (the special leaves) that I can't get anymore. But that's OK--kind of like the difference between a painting and an art print-there's only one of the first, and multiples of the 2nd. Did I mention that "wasabi green" is one of my favorite colors? No? You should see my sweater and shirt collection in this color...it's kind of scary except this color just makes me happy. I have a pair of Born wedges in this color, too, that I got seriously on sale because, I guess, this color isn't for every one! Lucky me...ha ha ha!


This piece also came together and got posted over the weekend. These plump, baroque pearls were such a find last year and have inspired me so many different ways. I found them in shades of white, natural, pale peach and darker peach. I just love the organic shapes because when I use them in pieces like this one, they represent blossoms on branches to me (a bit less literal than the actual pressed glass flowers used above.) In this piece, I paired the pearls with a beautiful soft golden yellow citrine and hand dyed brown leather instead of using linen. Both of these new pieces are listed in my Etsy shop and the photos link to them, if you want to see more views, etc.

And finally, while I'm manically working, check out my two boys here. I'm not sure Purrmeister looks particularly attractive posed like this, but he sure does a good impression of a relaxed (lazy) slacker! And while I didn't mention it here last week, Mariah, the female cat of the house is on the mend.

She because seriously ill while I was away at Thanksgiving, leading to an animal E.R. Room visit last Saturday night. I was pretty scared, but we ruled out my biggest concerns in E.R. (for a fee of $250, yikes!) And then my regular vet got us set up with some medicine that seems to have done the trick. Mariah is unusual, in my cat experience, in that she was born with very serious allergies (esp poultry and eggs, plus vaccines and insect bites) and whenever she has a reaction to something, it's a big deal. Unfortunately, these reactions seem be have become much more dire the older she gets and I had hoped she'd outgrow them....no such luck. But she survived another event and for that I'm very grateful because she really scared me this time around!

More New Work from WillOaks Studio - Prehnite, Quartz, & Jade

Black and White Moss Agates and Crocheted Black Leather cuff
Blocky, graphic mix of black and white and an original design

Blue Lapis Lazuli and Crocheted Gray Leather cuff
Bold yet delicate mix of blue lapis, fine silver and leather

Linked Prehnite Slabs bracelet
Fascinating mossy interiors in these dreamy green, organic stones

Linked Clear Faceted Crystal Quartz Nuggets bracelet
Simple, elegant big icy rocks (clear crystal quartz)
with beautiful facets and sterling silver links

Today, my bracelets are in an Etsy bracelet showcase and there are several new designs. Each photo here will link to more information. This link will take you to the whole bracelet section in WillOaks Studio Etsy shop.

Thanks for dropping by! I'll be back here in drop mode and online on Saturday! Hope your holiday weekend is going great.

New Work from WillOaks Studio - Bracelets

Green apatite, bronzite, pearls and glass on leather

Labradorite, faceted obsidian and heavy gauge sterling silver

Leather, black obsidian, sterling silver, silk, black agate

This kitty naming thing isn't quite as easy as I had imagined! There were a LOT of great ideas and I'm very into one of them...which is to hang out with Mr. No Name here to see what might "fit" and what he might respond to. He's learned my voice already (except for "NO!" ha ha!)

I go 'over the river and through the woods' Wednesday morning for a few days of "the family thang" and for me, this will involve going up to Cadillac, Michigan this year. Lots of siblings so the holidays are a movable feast, depending on several factors.

Problem is, I've got tons of new work finally photographed so the challenge is 'how much I can get listed before I run out of time' with an Internet connection? We'll see! But I'm really happy with many of my newest photos, so will post a few over the next few days, just for your "viewing pleasure!"

Whether or not these link immediately to new listings is an open question....but in due time, they all will.

Thanks again for all the great names and ideas for the new kitten. He's going to Michigan with me because he's not accepted by the two adults here yet, and I can't just leave him with only a few minutes per day visit by my neighbor. We've still got one more day to get things organized!

Happy Anniversary to Me

A selection of pieces sold from my Etsy shop, WillOaks Studio,
during the first several weeks after it first opened in 2008.

I love to mark anniversaries of all kinds--major and minor. Well, today is a new one for me. One year ago on 11-16-08 I opened my little Etsy store. Now mind you, this is only the date I signed up. Although I had a large body of work finished, I was pretty clueless about 1.) Product photography, 2.) Product descriptions 3.) Uploading 4.) Tagging, and frankly, the list went on and on. It took me until after Thanksgiving day last year to fully list some things for sale because I struggled with the mechanics of it all. Then on 11-25, I made my first sale.

To tell you the truth? When I got that notice that I'd sold my first thing on Etsy (first sale on the internet) I was again at square one as I had no idea of what I was supposed to do next--I remember the panic! I must have figured it out because there were a number of sales as the countdown to Christmas continued. As I look back as these memories, I think it's kind of quaint and I marvel at the progress I've made over past year!

I've managed to sell, as of today, 166 pieces on Etsy. I've been marked as a "favorite" ('hearted' in Etsy lingo) 821 times (I'd love it if some of these "hearts" turn into actual shoppers!) And best of all, I've met a bunch of very cool fellow artists AND new customers, several who I now consider friends because we keep in touch!

Bad timing, bad luck for me that the economic downturn would escalate so much as my first year of online art selling was trying to get a footing, but like everyone else, I hope that we'll get through this cycle and prosperity and confidence will return to our country eventually.

So year two, onward and upward for WillOaks Studio! I have a little special going, that some of you might want to take advantage of. Free shipping through 12-17: look here to get the inside scoop (you need to use a secret code!) Next, I'll be having a couple of give-aways of my work here through random drawings over the next few weeks--more details on this are coming soon so do stay tuned!

Monochrome and Pensive

Keishi Cluster necklace

Smokey Talisman pendant

It's a time of year when things around here really quiet down. The colors on the land fade, the flowers turn to seed pods, the sunshine plays hide and seek at best. It's not so much about being "sad" but I do feel a pensive mood settling in. Which is good, as there is a season for each feeling to have its' turn.

I'm tuning in to the beauty in monochromatic schemes, both the simple and the complex. I'm shooting new photos of some of my pieces to create a new mood, to communicate a different feeling, in my Etsy and Artfire shops.

I've dug out some old books that it seems my father saved from his father's early treasures--especially a few written in German. I uncovered some old iron artifacts that my mother collected and saved. I'm just experimenting with photography a bit, even as new pieces continue to evolve on the work bench. It's good to be quiet.

Time for Fun Earrings

Faceted Pale Smokey Quartz and Bright Silver earwires

Dainty Seed Pearl Hoops

China Blossom earrings

Natural Horn and Sterling Silver ear wires

Tinkerbell Blue Crystal earrings

Big Blue Hearts earrings
(click on any photo to get more information!)

If the weather is chilly, and we need to bundle up, there' s a cure for this....bright, fun earrings! It's a sure fire way to feel bright and saucy, despite the bulky sweaters and jackets...even if, like me, you wear hats....many hats don't interfere with earrings at all...and, I use bright earrings to distract from the fact that I often end up with....hat hair!! Ha ha, well, I do love to wear hats, so that's the price I sometimes pay.

But affordable earrings, in many sizes, colors and shapes, can either coordinate or contrast with your outfit and I like the kind that, when you catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror, make you smile. After all, adding that smile is what will really "complete the look!" So get some new earrings soon...and remember to smile!!

A heartfelt note to say thank you so much for all the kind words and empathy from my blogging buddies about the loss of my friend, Ann. I'm grateful to say I've been in touch with her wonderful husband and other long time best friend, Steve, and will travel to participate in her memorial services and honoring her memory soon. Meanwhile, I really appreciated feeling the support and understanding, and even though I didn't write back to all your wonderful comments the other day, I read and cherished each one.