Summer's Over

This year, I spent my summer weekends driving 2 hours North to the tourist-town of Sturgeon Bay in Door County, Wisconsin. My good friend Dave invited me up to sell my jewelry at the local Farmer's/Craft Market on Saturday mornings. He was selling his handmade upcycled garden ornaments and home grown produce and thought I could make some money there as well sharing a booth with him. I did make a bit, but mostly just enough to cover my expenses. Even with my Corolla, gas isn't cheap! But I had a great time and am sorry it is over.

Here is Dave standing behind our table. These pictures are from my first time there. My displays improved over the summer.


The plates are Dave's upcycled garden ornaments. He takes old dinnerware and glues them to copper fittings which fit onto recycled copper pipes. They are staked into the garden. Some are purely decorative. You can see some he adds wording to. Others are made from pitchers or bowls and can be used to feed or water the birds.

Here I used my business cards to hold pairs of earrings or hairclips. Later I started using professional earring cards and a homemade display rack. The plastic beaded bracelets were to attract the kids. It worked well. At 2 for a dollar, I sold quite a few.

Here you can see the button hairclips I was selling. I will be posting a tutorial here on how to make them, so gather those buttons!

This was an early morning sky on my drive North. I had to get up at 4 am to reach the market in time. That is something I WON'T miss!

Here is Dave and his father, Ken, standing in front of Ken's Granery Antique Shop. This farm has been in Dave's family for generations. At one time is was both a working dairy farm and an apple orchard.

The market actually goes until the end of October, but I cannot make the remaining ones. So now I am turning my attention back to my online sales as well as the Christmas gifts I need to get started on. Summer squash has made way for winter squash. The last of the fresh sunflowers are currently dying in my favorite vase. Autumn is here, and if last weekend is any indication when we got snowed on at the market, Winter will be here before we know it. Though I was busier than usual with the trips up North and often even staying until Sunday evening, I feel that for the first time in years I have actually experienced Summer. The long drives along Lake Michigan, the days standing in the sun chatting with people, the long walks on Dave's property, harvesting in Dave's garden, the time picking pebbles to make jewelry from on the beach. For once I was a part of the season instead of my usual hiding indoors at my workbench. I have always assumed I would hate person-to-person selling. I am not good with people. I get nervous and jittery. But I learned something. I can learn to relax and just chat with people. PEOPLE, not customers. I know it sounds sappy, but this Summer I really connected with the Earth and with other people, ones both close to me as well as strangers. I feel enriched for that. I honestly can't wait until Spring.

Well, It's Been Awhile

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. Much has gone on, not all of it relevant to this blog. But one thing that has happened is that I have decided to go back to school. I want to become a Certified Bench Jeweler. That means I would work more with metals from now on and would probably get a job doing repairs and custom work for a jewelry store. I am hoping to go in the fall, but funding is still very much up in the air so we shall see.

I have been doing a lot of metalwork, including trying to learn to solder well. I have made new work in that area. Not all of it good. But I am coming along.

I have posted new Etsy auctions and will be posting more over the coming weeks. Fun stuff, not necessarily bead related. Items such as vintage button hair clips, custom made monogrammed handkerchiefs, buttons made from recycled bottle caps (see pics following.) Coming up are really cool pendants made from recycled bottle caps, sterling silver earrings of my own design, my beading patterns including new ones, kits to bead tiny beaded dolls (see following pics), and stuff from a general destashing of my studio.
Next time I plan on having a new free pattern for you as well. So keep watch!

Currently for Sale:

To purchase these items (and more!) go to www.plantgirl848.etsy.com

Custom made monogrammed handkerchiefs. You get 5 hand embroidered cotton hankies in your choice of colours and styles.

This is how your custom made monogrammed handkerchiefs are delivered to you.

Here is a dyed shell button hair clip. Perfect for summer!

This is a vintage button hair clip. Very stylish!

An example of a metal vintage button hair clip being worn.



Five buttons made from recycled bottle caps. Great for the environment, fun for you! Perfect for a funky clothing addition, wacky scrapbook embellishment, or whatever else you can think of! Other beers available. These have great colours and fabulous artwork.

Coming Attractions:


This is a kit for a mini-beaded doll that is a bug. In the kit you get everything you need to make one except needle, thread, and scissors. They are easy and lots of fun! Various colours will be offered. Don't you just adore those googly eyes?
Here is another mini-beaded doll kit in the shape of a star!

This is the original mini-beaded doll kit. Various colours available and I even have tiny cat faces if you like!

Past Work:

Just for fun I thought you'd like to see the final version of the beret and neck warmer I made my Mom for Christmas. I used Lion Brand Homespun yarn in Antique. I wove in a matching cotton ribbon on the beret and used vintage buttons on the neck warmer.

A New Twist...

to my work lately has been using chains and doing more wirework than beading. Here are three pieces I am proud of.

Century Gothic 2008

Hydrangeas 2008

Flowers in Chains 2008

I want to start doing more metalworking and this has been a bridge into that. I can't believe how many tools I need for metalworking after 10 years of jewelry making. I would have thought I'd be nearly set. But up until now I have done only cold work (no heat involved). Adding heat requires a lot of STUFF. So I am slowly getting what I need and in the meantime learning all I can. It is probably better that way. If I bought everything I needed at once, I wouldn't know what to do with it all!

My Etsy store (http://www.plantgirl848.etsy.com/) is doing OK. My custom embroidered handkerchiefs are popular. I will have new jewelry to add soon. I am also planning on offering my patterns through there, so if you are interested look for them.

I received my new business cards, which are swanky, if I may say so myself. As soon as I set up my scanner, I'll post a pic. Place an order from me (one that gets mailed and not from Bead-Patterns.com, sorry) and I will give you one. : )

I also put together a portfolio of my work. FINALLY. I have been meaning to do it for years. You can see an online version here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beadsofjoy/sets/72157613714480781/

I did the photo editing on my computer, then sent the images to printed as 4x6s. I keep them in a photo album meant for 4x6s along with an artist statement and some business cards. So far people seem impressed.

I thought it is about time I start posting the stuff I made for Christmas. I had a lot of fun this year and everyone liked their gifts. I love getting to be crafty/creative and making people happy.

Here are the arm warmers I crocheted for my Mom. She adores purple. She also has a severe form of arthritis, so keeping her wrists warm helps the pain. I made the pattern myself.

I also made her this beret. It matches her coat. I altered a pattern that I can't find at the moment. I will keep looking and post when I do. Sorry.

The handkerchiefs from the previous post I made for my step-dad, dad, brother, and 2 male friends. I have been making them for the men in my life for years. But it occured to me this year (after Christmas, of course), that even women can help save the environment. I use them myself. So next year I plan to make them for everyone.

I made this pin for my Mom and a friend. I'll be offering some in my Etsy store. Isn't it pretty?
This isn't everything. I'll post more soon. Hope you are staying warm!

My New Etsy Store

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=79747

Yeah! I have finally opened my Etsy store. I plan to offer my patterns through there as well, but mostly it is for those of you who have expressed an interest in buying my work, not making your own. Here I plan to sell the samples I make for the patterns I sell, as well as other work. There are twelve items listed right now for you to check out.




A fun item is the set of custom made monogrammed handkerchiefs. A great Valentine's gift for the man in your life (I will gladly made them appropriate for women as well!) And they save the environment!

Requests for custom made jewelry are always welcome. Just e-mail me through my shop.


Custom made flamingo earrings 2008

Make sure you save my store as a favorite. I will be adding more over time. If nothing else, it will be a good place to keep up on my current work.

I am catching up...

...with the rest of the internet world. I have my blog. Now I have finally opened a Flickr account. Now I just need to open my Etsy store, get a Facebook account, and for some reason, tell everyone everything I am doing on Twitter. But for now, here is the link for my Flickr account: http://flickr.com/photos/beadsofjoy For those of you who are even farther behind than me, Flickr is a picture hosting site. People post pics of anything and everything. It is actually pretty fun. Just type a search word in and you will get literally thousands of pics to look at. So far I really only have pics of work you can see either here on my blog or on http://www.bead-patterns.com/ where I sell my patterns. There are a few other pics, if you care to check them out. And over time I plan to put pics of lots more stuff I make (not just bead related) and more.

And speaking of selling my patterns... within the next week I plan to have it set up here on the blog that you can purchase my bead patterns directly from me. The benefits to this, you ask? I don't have to give the above mentioned site 45% of what I make. And the drawbacks? On Bead-Patterns.com you can download your patterns right away and get right to beading. If you buy from me you will have to be patient and wait until I e-mail them to you (until I get a better system set up in the future.) But to compensate you for the inconvenience I plan to offer the patterns at a discounted rate if you buy them from me (I guess that is another benefit! Yeah!) Turn around time will be no longer than 24 hours.

And just for fun, here is an early piece I made. It is a brooch made with bead embroidery with a ceramic cab. I made it for and wore it on my wedding day. My Mom gave me the cab. I just love the two birds. So romantic.

Catalogs and Sunshine... two of my favorite things

I have joined a blog catalog, http://www.blogcatalog.com/ A website where you can search for blogs specifically. You'll see off to the right on this page a small button asking you to rate this blog. Please do. You won't be taken from this page. Just choose a number (5 is the highest) and press "Go". The more ratings I get, the easier it is for people to find me on the catalog. If you click on the "rate my blog" you will be taken to BlogCatalog's homepage, which will make my rank rise even more as well as give you access to thousands of blogs. You can always press your browser's "Back" button to return here. Thanks!

Here is another of my beaded figures. I made it for my friend Dave for Christmas a few years ago. He loves orange. I called it "Butterfly Sunshine". Those are glass butterflies flying around the body. I also used various sizes of seed beads and sequins. The back was hard to capture as I was using a scanner. On the rear end is my signature bead. It is hard to see but there are two H's on it. I thought I'd share this doll, as I am craving sunshine. It has been dreary and rainy here in Wisconsin.

front

back

Otherwise I have been crocheting a lot, both for Christmas and to get ready for the coming frigid temperatures. I made myself a neck warmer that I can't wait to show off. It is like a scarf, but is short and buttons closed instead. I will post pics soon. As for the rest of my projects, I am bound to secrecy. I don't want to give away any Christmas surprises! But as soon as all has been revealed, I will share.