There She Goes Again....

Nothing says "Winter Holidays" to me quite like crystals. The clear icy color reminds me of the weather, but the sparkly "bling" of the hard, crisp surfaces says party sparkles all the way! So every winter, I get out my precious box of German leaded cut crystals....and try to figure out all new ways to use them.
A couple of new designs, above and below, and there are some others that I've not photographed quite yet. The design challenge is to figure out all new and different ways to embellish them.

These dainty faceted lemon quartz marquis cut stones have been staring at me for awhile now and I just wouldn't commit to how to use them. Well, I finished a commission this past week (finally! I was running pretty slow on this job!) where I was designing earrings to work with a customer's pendant, which was also artisan made....to make a long story short, this design evolved and I'm giving it a try in my Etsy shop--my customer liked them very much so we'll see of other women do too!

And finally, I'm working with some very nice Keishi Pearls I've been collecting for awhile now. I love these precious, organic shapes used to evoke little flowers and flower petals, and I find them really challenging to work with because no two pearls are alike. Plus, they are not plentiful and so the choice of colors and sizes is intermittent, at best. But these pale gray (above) and rich, warm brown (below) pearls, paired with Swarovski crystals and little gemstones are a dangle design that I really like, and that have been doing well in the gallery. They are really difficult to photograph well so I'm unsure about how much I want to stress over the photos to offer these in my shop? We'll see, perhaps my time is better spent keeping the display at the gallery stocked up because when seen in "person" these are quite charming and elegant dangle earrings.
...........to be continued!

I just drift away into my creative la-la land.....get lost for days....and you never know when or where I'll pop up next! Sorry, I don't mean to neglect my blog and blogger friends. But the countdown to the openings last weekend became so intense and then, things never did really settle down! I'm feeling the beginnings of the holiday crunch time and already, my house is neglected and I'm falling behind on things NOT about making new pieces....

But the good news is, there are a lot of new pieces here waiting to be photographed so thankfully, I'm getting inspired and have been working very hard. New pieces I'll show here soon include a whole new series that features large pearls and chain and my very first work in gold, what a thrill!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

And Two Years Later...

My newest design and new series of holiday necklaces,
called the "Knotted Glass" series, at WillOaks Studio for 2010

And what a two years it has been since I began trying to sell my work online. I set up my little "studio" on Etsy just over two years ago and then just about this time, in late November, made my first sale. I was pretty rattled because it had been so challenging just to assemble my work for a website and to create and post all the photos and information...I had no idea what to do when I actually sold something. You would have laughed to watch me scrambling around, trying to find some kind of envelope and all.

The ever changing, ever popular "Made With Silk" series, begun
in early February, 2010, and still evolving.
Long, fine chains of crocheted silk capture all manner of other materials,
especially pearls.

And in the beginning, not only were my photos pretty marginal, but I didn't understand how to obtain postage online, so when things really began to sell (only because I had the dumb luck to open just weeks before Christmas!) I had to keep running down to the post office to buy postage for each order. I got to know the new automatic postage machine there very well and believed I could win a contest for the fastest info input.

Original necklaces that incorporate leather, linen and silk have been gaining
in exposure and popularity.
Experimenting with different structures and unexpected materials
is my favorite part of studio work.

And then, the holidays were finished and I had no idea how to keep folks coming to visit my shop! Very challenging first year, for sure, because, who could forget, we were also into our first year of "The Great Recession." Who wanted to spend any money, much less on art jewelry...or any art for that matter?
It was a crazy time to try to launch a little business, that's for sure! But I began to experiment with this blog and to investigate a number of different social networks for artists. There really was a lot to learn besides the studio work evolution. Simply put, putting up a web site is barely the beginning because getting folks to visit....well, that's where the work begins!

Bracelets and cuffs are another structure for experimentation in my studio.
But be it a necklace or a bracelet, comfort is a top priority in all of these creations.
Yes, I believe they are art, but they are also meant to be worn.

Which was probably just as well for me because I see now I really had a lot to learn--not necessarily about how to make things--I've done that all my life-and inventing new forms is my favorite activity. But how to work within the "virtual world" and especially, within a "virtual art gallery." To this day, managing a shop online is definitely a "continuing education!"

My "Special Chain" series began in January, 2010 and new pieces continue to be added to this series on a regular basis. In fact, two new pieces for the holidays will be added shortly: one with faceted turquoise and another with faceted hematite.

So I'm taking a bit of time out here to look back for a moment and to put this blog post together. I'm amazingly swamped with holiday orders in my little studio, and it's just exhilarating! Can't help but have a Sally Fields' moment, when I step back and look at my situation at WillOaks Studio on Etsy, and think "They like me, they really like me" (well, my work anyway!) Of course, it sure helps that the overall economy is marginally better, when compared with the past two Holiday seasons.

Earrings were the bread and butter of my little studio early on,
and I continue to explore new stones and materials.

So I've got 2 full weeks plus one last weekend ahead here to do all I can to fill lots of orders and do my part to make my customers happy for the holidays. That's the beauty of my studio, as it has evolved on Etsy. Pieces are made to order. Customers return for new pieces and many have learned that it's often possible to have their orders customized, just by dropping me a note!

So thank you for dropping by to check out what's up "behind the gallery view" today, and you're surely invited to drop by my Etsy shop, maybe do a little shopping for the special women on your list. I'll do my best to come up for air & drop in here during this final stretch. Believe it or not, I've edited my photos from my recent artist residency, but I won't have time to really focus on that project until the holiday season winds down. Which is just fine. Knowing what my next project will be is like the gasoline in my engine!

Have a lovely weekend!

That Darn Cat - Movie Version

This is it, really!! Where the Purrmeister takes on his mortal enemy: His Tail!

And then proceeds to act like a stark, raving mad lunatic. A Mad Catter. You'll just have to see it to believe it! And the ambient music in the background?? "A Prairie Home Companion" was on and apparently, one of the musical selections was in progress. I didn't really notice until I replayed it. I was so hypnotized by this crazy cat's antics to the exclusion of anything else.

So it's Thursday night here and Dakota, Purrmeister and I are settled into the camper again. Got here quite late and so supper was very late. Only a few early arrivals today....tomorrow will be a major day for checking people in and I imagine the peace and quiet out here now, during an amazing full moon, will be "slightly" more active as folks get into "the holiday spirit."

I'm finally caught up on "regular orders" and hope, over the weekend, to get a handle on a pile of special orders and new ideas....we'll see. Progress can be painfully slow when there are dozens of interruptions. And so it goes. If you're off camping this weekend think of me and be extra nice to your campground host or hostess ;->

And even if you're not camping (poor you) have a lovely holiday where ever you are!