Madd Dogg of Tomorrow

The Incline

2013-05-02T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Incline

A few days ago I did something I've been working towards for a year, I climbed the Manitou Incline. This picture doesn't really do it justice, here's a description: "The Incline is famous for its sweeping views and steep grade, as steep as 68% in places, making it a fitness challenge for locals in the Colorado Springs area. The incline gains over 2,000 feet (610 m) of elevation in less than one mile." It was difficult and I thought about giving up a few times along the way.


The actual trail, what was I thinking?

Once we got to the top I was tired but happy and quite proud of myself. My son took my picture to document my achievement.

View from the top.

Later, when I was looking at the pictures, instead of thinking "wow, how awesome was that!" I thought "wow, I look fat". Ever since I was in my twenties and I was in a car wreck that broke half my face I have not let people take pictures of me often. My muscles in one side of my face don't work well and I think I look funny in pictures. I also suffer from low self esteem, I've been working on that but the picture thing is still an issue, I never think I look perfect enough. Friday, after making my climb, I started to realize just how silly that was. Thousands of normal people post pictures of themselves every day, no big deal, I decided I would do the same. I posted my picture on my personal and business Facebook pages.


45 years in the making.

For most people this may seem like a small thing, but for me it was actually a lot harder than climbing The Incline, every time I see it I cringe a little inside, but I keep it up. Nothing horrible has happened, in fact, I think it's helping me to gain some more confidence in myself, I'm me, a normal person and I look like a normal person. People still love me, I have friends, my dog thinks I'm awesome, I don't need to look like a super model. I actually think, for a 45 year old in full blown menopause and no thyroid, maybe I don't look too bad at all.

What have you done lately that has taken you out of your comfort zone? It doesn't have to be a huge, life changing thing, maybe it can be something as small as posting a picture, maybe the small things can be pretty life changing after all.

Stop and Smell the Roses

2012-12-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

First Snow

Most people who know me know I have a very cool Siberian Husky named Klondike. He's my best friend and brings a lot of joy to my life and hopefully I do the same for him. I walk him first thing every morning before I do anything else. He's very patient with me, lately I've been really busy and he doesn't complain about it, except for an occasional, loud sigh. I'm one of those people that's always in a hurry and rushing to do something, especially this holiday season. My business ended up being much busier than I expected and I've been kind of a maniac. Klondike, on the other hand, likes to take his walk in the morning and enjoy the start of the day at a little slower pace. He especially loves to smell flowers, his favorite are roses, he even likes to smell the bush when there are no flowers. This makes our morning walks interesting because I'm always trying to rush and he's always trying to stop and smell the roses. Eventually I realize that I'm being silly and whatever is waiting for me at home can wait a while longer, it's not going anywhere. So we slow down and enjoy the morning, smelling roses and watching birds and chasing squirrels, it ends up being very relaxing and starts my day on a positive note, probably helping me get all my stuff done more efficiently in the long run.

My point? This time of year it seems like everyone is running around in a hurry and rushing to get things done and getting pretty stressed out and grumpy. Maybe take a page from Klondike's book and slow down and smell the roses, it might help lessen the grumpiness a little.

Giving Thanks

2012-11-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

Yachats, Oregon

I haven't posted in awhile, sometimes I just run out of ideas. I was walking my dog the other day and I started thinking about all the people I've met over the last year and a half. After living in Santa Maria, California for about 15 years I left and lived in Oregon for about six months, now I'm in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I realized I have met a lot of very kind and interesting people.

Since November is a month for giving thanks I have decided to do a series of blog posts about the people I've met and why I'm thankful for them. Some will be longer than others, some will be quite short as the person passed briefly through my life. I'm not going to name names, I'm just going to talk about the person and what they did.

When I was in Portland, Oregon I had a hard time finding a job (never did manage that) and an affordable place to live. I ended up living in some really inexpensive motel rooms that allowed dogs. One in particular I lived in for a couple of months. I didn't have much money and the only way I had to cook was with a really tiny, old microwave. This place was so awesome someone was shot and killed right outside my door.

Klondike

I was lonely, and depressed and hungry and lacking in a balanced diet. My neighbor, who rented a little, room next to me worked weird hours so I hardly saw him, his room actually had a kitchen and I think he lived there for several years. One day when I was coming back from walking my dog my neighbor was going back to his room and he started talking to me about the shooting. that was the first time we spoke. I saw him a few days later and he invited me and Klondike over for dinner, I accepted. Mind you, no one that lived there had much money, and most were pretty down on their luck. Klondike and I went over that evening and my neighbor had made us celery with peanut butter as appetizers. He then fed us a simple, but really good and healthy dinner, the first I had in a long time. He invited us in and Klondike immediately made himself at home on his bed, he's rude like that. It turns out this very kind person was quite ill, he has aids, he use to be a former drug attic and he has quite a few health problems. We went over for dinner quite a few times after that, my neighbor was really nice, he watched out for us and made sure we didn't starve even though, arguably, he was worse off than we were. I don't know what happened to him but I will always remember him and be thankful he came into our lives.

DIY Jewelry Wall Displays

2012-08-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have agreed to do a consignment deal with a coffee shop in a nearby town that gets a lot of tourists. It's actually as part of an artist's collective. I like the people and it seems like it could be a good opportunity. The only problem was I had to make my own display that would hang on the wall. I'm not particularly "crafty", sure I make jewelry and I use to draw and paint every day (may get back into that eventually) but I don't make crafts or do it yourself projects. Luckily my daughter in law helped, thank you Amber.

I decided to do it as kind of a simple do it yourself blog post after being inspired by my friend Mako http://www.facebook.com/makoccino who has been making some really cool DIY videos on YouTube. You should check out her Facebook page and Etsy shop.

Ok so here we go. I decided since I have three distinctive styles of jewelry I would get three picture frames. We went to a local thrift store and found these:

Ugly, but cheap. I got some gold spray paint and painted them as is with the pictures and mats still in them. I thought they would turn out solid gold but the paint reacted strangely with the pictures and came out with some interesting patterns which I like a lot better than solid anyway. Here's how they look all painted:

They first one I worked on was for my wine cork necklaces. I needed a way to hang them on the frame so I cut up some wine corks and glued them on. It turned out really well. I painted a clear plastic business card holder I had and stuck it on as well so people can take a card if they want. Notice how the paint is splotchy? Not intended but it looks like I did it on purpose.

Next I did one for my steampunk necklaces. We had bought some gear charms to add to the frame to add some interest. I really like this one also. Once again the way the center and mat turned out was not intentional but it sure looks like it was.

The third frame was for my industrial earrings. I'm not as crazy about this one, but I wanted to get this done and in the shop so I could start selling. When I think of something better I will redo it. I took this frame and some wire I use for wire wrapping and strung it across.

Here they all are on the wall:

I'm really pleased with how it turned out, especially since this was my first try at something like this. It only took a few hours, including drying time and it cost about $20.00 total. Not too bad.

The Pricing Debate

2012-06-25T12:59:00.001-07:00

It seems like a lot of people who make things for a living have difficulty with pricing. I've had several things happen over the last week or so that has brought this to the front of my mind. There is so much more to setting a price for your items than just the supplies and your time. There is what's called a "perceived value" and I think that's what's confusing for a lot of people.

A ring was found recently that belonged to Jane Austin. It is being auctioned off for a great deal of money. It's just a simple gold band with a plain blue stone made in the style of that time. Someone was wondering why it would be worth so much when he had a piece of jewelry that had diamonds and rubies and fancy gold work that was worth a fraction of what they were asking for, for Jane Austin's ring. I replied that there is more to what a piece of jewelry is worth than just the materials made to use it. That ring is a piece of history, as a long time reader and fan of Jane Austin I would happily pay for it if I had the money. To me it is priceless.

I have a storage unit in Santa Maria that has some furniture I don't particularly care about and personal items. I didn't get the bill for it last month and I forgot to pay for it. So they decided they were going to auction off my things. I called the place and they were really quite rude. I hung up in tears and thought why fight it? I'm so tired of fighting for everything. Then I realized my parent's ashes, every picture I've ever taken of my son and more very personal items are in there. Not worth anything to anyone else but priceless to me. I was able to come up with the money to get caught up at the expense of possibly paying my rent this month.

I could go on with the examples but I think those two show what I'm getting at. You can look at something you made and say, it's not worth much because I made it. Someone else can look at it and think it's the most wonderful, unique thing they've seen and it could end up being priceless to them. It could make people happy, bring them joy, remind them of something wonderful, become a family heirloom. I'm not saying to gouge people or anything, but certainly, if you make something of quality with good materials that you put your all into it is worth more than materials and time.

Life is a Roller Coaster

2012-05-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

I've been on Etsy for about a year and a half now. I enjoy reading the forums and sometimes even enjoy arguing with people on them. Etsy has made some big changes lately and with them there have been lots of people on the forums moaning and bitching because things should never change evidently.

This got me to thinking and reminded me of a job a got right out of college. The job itself isn't important but they had a welcome aboard meeting when I first started. One of the speakers likened the job to a roller coaster. Where there will be lots of ups and downs and you could choose to hang on scared to death wishing it would end or you could throw your hands up in the air and enjoy the ride

That has always stuck with me. I think it holds true with life as well as business and all the changes that come with both. When there is a change or setback you can sit around and moan about it or you can figure out a way to make it work for you. Which would you rather spend your energy on?

Here's an example. Etsy just rolled out a new wedding section. Now a lot of the wedding sellers are crying because it killed their business. I've been steadily growing my business for the last year. I've already made more this year than I did all of 2011. I want to do more though so I'm always trying to think of new ways to do that. I'm not normally a wedding seller but I have some items I think would work well as bridesmaids gifts. So I made a couple of listings and put them in weddings and guess what? I'm getting a lot of views from it, no sales, but I am optimistic. I made the new wedding section work for me.

So next time you're faced with a big change or a big set back take a second to be upset about it, then sit down and figure out how you can make it work for you. You never know, it might turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to you.

2012-02-28T14:13:00.000-08:00

Pinterest is really taking off. If you haven't heard of it you probably will soon. Basically what it is, is a website where you can "pin" things you find on the internet that you think are interesting. You can make idea boards for cooking, jewelry, whatever makes you happy. I like it because I bookmark a lot of things and I can pin them instead and not have hundreds of bookmarks.

There is controversy brewing though. I've read a lot of forum and blog posts from other artisans that are concerned about their ideas being stolen or copied. I guess that's a valid concern but once you put something out for public consumption, be it on the internet or in a store or gallery you are opening yourself up to copycats. The only way you aren't is by never letting people see your work. I just finished one of my mini-robots in a glass vial.

I posted it on Pinterest. Technically I guess you aren't supposed to pin your own work but I think that's kind of dumb, they are my boards, but whatever, that's a whole different subject. My mini-robots are cool so this guy is getting a lot of repins and likes. Which I think is awesome. The more the merrier. Now some of the boards people are pinning it to are titled things like: Things I Have to Make, Ideas I Might Try, etc. Does that bother me? No. Why you might ask. These are really hard to make for one thing, they can take anywhere from a few days to a week to a month depending on the complexity. Plus they are really small and that makes it even harder. I also figure that the more pins and likes one of my items get the more people see it and the more potential customers I get. Win win. If someone else wants to make one they probably aren't a potential customer anyway, more power to them. So what do you guys think about people pinning your work?

Klondike the Traveler

2012-01-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I have a good friend who is a Siberian Husky named Klondike. A mere six months ago he had never left the central coast of California. He has now traveled through six states, more than some people have been through their entire lives. I thought I would document our current trip from Oregon to Colorado through his eyes. This was a 1488 mile trip that took about 48 hours. We did not stop to sleep in any hotels, I stopped twice to sleep which proved difficult because it was around 10 degrees and Klondike can be noisy.

Snow in Oregon

We started in Oregon, the day we left it had snowed all night. This was the first time Klondike has seen or been in snow, he loved it.

We drove most of the first day through Oregon, which due to the storm was quite hair raising. I might do a blog post later about the trip through my eyes. The second day we made it to Idaho, Klondike did not seem impressed.

Klondike in Idaho

Idaho was actually the only state I almost lost control of the car, the roads where quite icy. Next we hit Utah, a very beautiful state. Klondike had a different view though.

Klondike in Utah

Next up was Wyoming. I personally love Wyoming but once again Klondike was unimpressed.

Klondike in Wyoming

A frozen river in Wyoming

Next we crossed the Continental Divide, I thought that was cool, Klondike was not excited.

Klondike at the Continental Divide.

So what does it take to impress Klondike now? Stay tuned to find out.

Goodbye Oregon

2012-01-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

Monday I will be leaving Oregon and heading to Colorado. I'm doing this for a variety of reasons: I miss my family, I need to find a place I can get a job and save up some money and there is a cool school there where I can learn more about jewelry making.

I really love Oregon. I have lived in California, Washington, Arizona, Colorado and now Oregon. I have visited Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and almost every state in this country and the Oregon Coast is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I have ever seen.

What really stands out for me though are the people here in Oregon. I have yet to meet one mean person. I have met more people and made more friends here in six months than I had in fifteen years in California. Just this morning my car wouldn't start because I neglected to put gas in it and my neighbor was over in a few seconds offering to help me. That never happened anywhere else I lived.

I will definitely come back to Oregon. Whether to visit or live I don't know, I have yet to decide where I want to end up permanently, if I end up somewhere permanently at all. I enjoy traveling and going new places, so who knows.

Wine Corks

2011-11-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

I have recently been making jewelry made out of used wine corks. I like the way they look and all the varieties there are. They have a kind of natural beauty. I started out doing this after I found a giant bag of used wine corks at a thrift store. I looked at it and thought, hmmmmm. The rest is history. Making the necklaces has opened up a whole new world of up-cycling. Turns out cork is a renewable resource. Cork actually comes from oak trees. The cork can be harvested without killing the tree so it is totally eco-friendly. You can make pretty much anything out of cork: flooring, leather, hats, all sorts of cool stuff. You should check it out. Here are links to two websites where you can learn pretty much everything about cork. Enjoy!

http://www.corkforest.org/

http://www.deheartsproducts.com/

A New Life

2011-09-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

View from my house

I've been gone awhile now, longer than expected. As I stated in an earlier post I decided to pack up and move to Oregon. It's been an interesting two months, most of which has been spent with limited computer access. It didn't go quite as I planned. I couldn't find a job and ran out of money due to having to live in cheap motels. One place was so bad that someone actually was shot and killed a few feet from my door.

So a couple of weeks ago I decided I should sell my car and just get something old and cheap so I could come up with enough money to put down on a house to rent. I then realized I couldn't find the title to my car. The day before I was completely out of money it finally came in the mail. I found someone who was interested in buying my car and who had an old, beater car they would sell me in return. Unfortunately they would not have the cash until the next day. At that point it was looking like I was going to have to sleep in my car for the night. The people who were buying my car said they would give me a $500 deposit on my car so I could have a place to sleep for the night. They were just some of several very kind people I have met in my travels.

After that I found a place to rent on Craigslist on the coast of Oregon. Portland is a lovely city but I have found living in the city to be stressful, plus I have always wanted to live by the beach but thought it would be out of reach financially. I drove three hours to go look at it and loved it and am astounded at the views. It is truly lovely. I hit it off with the owner and got his approval to rent it today. I am so thrilled. It is actually what I've always wanted to do. On top of that my jewelry business is really starting to take off. There are lots of cool shops where I'll be living and I am hoping to get my jewelry into some of them. My hopes are to remain self-employed now that I will have a place to live and get back to work on my business and jewelry making.

I took a huge risk leaving what I knew, with little money and no connections to go start fresh. It got pretty scary for awhile but in the end I got the life I have always wanted. I couldn't be happier. Doing that might not be for everyone, but I find it terribly sad to think I might have stayed stuck in a life I was so unhappy in because I was too afraid to take a chance. I think sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and believe in yourself in order to get the life you want.

My new beach house

Featured Artist "I Heart Shade"

2011-06-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Today's featured artist is Mindy, she has been a friend on Facebook since I started all this. I've always loved her necklaces and her work, it is really beautiful. She's also one of those people who is just really nice and cool. I was trying to think of someone to feature on here and finally the light bulb went off and I thought why the heck haven't I featured her shop? I sad over site on my part for sure. Here's more about her and her work:

I Heart Shade was born out of an overflowing of creativity that couldn’t be contained among my family and friends any longer. I’ve always dabbled in art and craft: my walls are filled with my attempts painting, my young friends have come into this world with bare feet waiting to be cloaked by my knitted booties or bodies warmed by sweet garments. I am lucky to live in a community rich with creative and generous people willing to share their art and craft. I’ve taken classes on cake decorating, beading, sewing, watercolors, acrylic, and my current loves, encaustic and glass fusion.

I wanted to take the encaustic medium to a whole new, albeit scaled down, level by making wearable art. I love that encaustic is so flexible and versatile. You can paint with it, sculpt within it and add collage to it. I chose the wooden domino as my base because it’s the perfect size for a pendant and having grown up in a family where any gathering of two or more constituted a game night, the domino seemed fitting. On my pieces, I add bits of nature’s love that I find on hikes around Oregon or right in my backyard. I’ve always loved stumbling upon cairns, or rock towers, in unlikely places. They invite you to slow down, even stop for a moment and reflect or meditate. That’s what I love about my Zen Rock Tower pieces. When I wear one, I’m reminded to slow down, even to stop for a moment. You’ll often find me rubbing the pendant when I’m in need of a physical reminder to get my zen on.

I’ve been playing with warm glass for the last four years. I’ve finally purchased my own kiln and now I’m going crazy with small pieces. My favorites right now are the Baby Footsteps and Twin Baby Footsteps that incorporate tiny copper feet within the glass, and the Stripes pendants where I’m loving creating different pairings and groupings of color. I’m working on expanding my glass line of wearable art beyond the chest to include bracelets and hair pins. Look for those out in the next month or so.

Because I’m just starting out, my customers are mostly friends and friends of friends and, well, you get the picture. I’d love to reach more people so please find me on Facebook and Twitter at iheartshade. And of course, stop by my Etsy shop to browse or just say hello. http://www.etsy.com/shop/iHeartShade

Moving

2011-06-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

I'm moving to Portland, Oregon within the next two weeks. I find myself needing to find a new job and a new place to live so I figure if I want to move now would be the time. I may be a little less active on the internet until I get up there. I'm going to try and keep up as much as possible but with no smart phone or laptop that may prove difficult. I plan on taking plenty of pictures to post, so that should be fun.

If I think of any good blog posts before I go I will post them. If not don't think I'm gone for good, I'll be back.

:)

Helping Kids Read

2011-06-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

Some old friends

I love books and I love reading. I discovered books before I was in kindergarten and it's been a life long passion ever since. I recently found out about two programs that get books to underprivileged children so they can learn about the joy books can bring to their lives and to promote reading.

Here's one. http://www.imaginationlibrary.com/usa/howworks.php

Here's the other. http://www.booktrust.org/index.html

I think this is an awesome idea and want to let as many people know about it as possible.

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." ~Charles W. Eliot

SEO, Marketing and Sales

2011-06-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

I've been reading the forums lately and have seen a lot of posts about the lack of hearts, views, etc. I don't have many sales but I do have a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and I've been working in either retail, sales or marketing my entire adult life. SEO and getting found on Google is nice but it's not everything, even if you perfect your SEO the exact right customer finding you on Google is like finding a needle in a haystack. You need to do more than put your item up, perfect your SEO and sit back expecting sales.

1. You have to know what your target market is. This helps you with pricing and marketing. If your target market is wall street professionals you can probably charge more than if your target market is college kids.

2. Once you figure out your target market, figure out where they are hanging out on the internet. If they aren't on Facebook and they aren't following you, you are wasting your time posting on Facebook, same goes with Twitter or anything else, if your target market is not on there your are wasting your time.

3. Once you know your target market and know where they are take your product to them, let them know you have what they want. Big companies like Coca-Cola don't put their soda on the shelves then sit back and wait for sales, they do a lot of research about their target markets and advertise to them, that is why they are successful. If your target market is stay at home moms find some blogs they would read and guest post, comment on posts, get to know the blogger, maybe they will feature you.

4. Outside of the internet there are plenty of opportunities. Non-profits are always trying to get donations. Maybe your target market is really into animals. Find out if the Humane Society is having a dinner or raffle and donate one of your items. Make sure they mention you and make sure you include your card. Non-profits are always doing that kind of stuff to raise money. Ask them if they can mention you in their newsletter, Facebook page, etc. and you will do the same for them.

5. Go to your local Chamber of Commerce's monthly mixer and meet other local business people, hand out your cards and samples of your work. See if you can partner with them by exchanging blurbs on your blog or website or Facebook and Twitter.

6. I just saw a story in my local paper about a local jewelry maker. She donates her work to be raffled to local non-profits. Local papers are always looking for stories. Send yours to them, don't make it about hardcore sales, tell your story, make it interesting, it doesn't hurt to try.

There are a lot of things you can do to drive your business that are free or very inexpensive. It will take some time and effort on your part but it is your business, your livelihood and it is worth the time. If you think you don't have the time to do these things then make the time or rethink having your own business.

You have to go out and make the sale to be successful. You can't sit back and wait for the sales to come to you.

Changes to SEO - Search Engine Optimization

2011-06-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

I've been reading about the changes Google has made to their search engine. Evidently if you have duplicate content it won't put your content towards the top. So if you sell items in more than one venue and you are using the exact same titles and description you probably won't show up in searches. Also, if you are selling on a hosted website and other pages are considered low quality it affects everyone on that site. Definitely interesting stuff. Reading various forums it seems quite a few online sellers are freaking out because of this because they are now getting fewer views on their items.

This has led to me thinking about marketing my items. I've never considered Google search as my main source of potential leads or sales. I always figured I had to get people to my items in other ways like finding where my target market is and showing them my product. For example, my target market is primarily younger, college age women so I put a lot of my items on deviantArt, because that's where people that age are. I've gotten most of my sales from doing that. I need to find other sites like that to post my items and find my target market. I expect to have to find my customers and make the sale to them, I don't expect them to just randomly find me on some search engine. If they do that's great, but more like the icing on the cake, not the cake. So the changes Google has made don't really bother me. I will keep them in mind when I make new listings for sure but that's it, I'm not going to spend anymore time than that worrying about it.

Selling is hard work. It's always going to be more than writing the perfect description and title and developing perfect SEO and then sitting back and watching the sales come in. You have to earn your sales.

Customer Testimonials

2011-06-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Buying merchandise online can be scary for a lot of people. The product may not look the way they expected, they may not like it as much in person, it could get lost in shipping, they pay for it and it's never sent, there are lots of reasons not to buy online.

Sellers need to find ways to overcome these customer fears. One way to do that is previous customers' testimonials. What better way to help someone see that you are trustworthy than by the words of your previous customers? I put together a list of the testimonials I've received and posted them on my Etsy page and my Facebook page.

Here are some examples: "A very unique piece. Lovely!"

"My new favorite earrings."

"Beautiful piece. I get complimented every time I wear it!"

"WOW! Even better in person! LOVE THESE!"

"Just wanted to say that I came across your work through this photo and proceeded to immediately buy two things from your etsy. Keep up the inspirational work!"

"Gah!
Sorry for faving quite a bunch of your stuff and filling in your inbox, but...its just...its so beautiful! Youre very talented and I wish I could buy everything from you. xD
Keep on going you!"

Does it help? I think it does, if they're positive, obviously if you get a negative comment that's not helpful for selling but I would still try to turn it into a positive by taking what they say and learning from it to make myself a better artist and seller.

A couple things you don't want to do are write your own testimonials, people can tell if they're not sincere, or paying people or otherwise influencing them to write you a positive review. It needs to be honest and heartfelt, those kinds of things come across even on the Internet. Not to mention the fact it would be dishonest, and I, as a business owner and a human being, want to be completely honest in everything I do.

Another "How I Made This" Post

2011-05-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

The last post I made about how a made a necklace was pretty popular so I'm going to do another one. I made another unique necklace with a new medium I've been experimenting with. I love the look of the polymer / fimo clay items I see out and about so I've been experimenting with it a lot.

My first attempts were not too exciting. It takes some learning and practice to get it right. You have to get the clay so it is pliable, shape it into something and then cook it. It's definitely a process and is not something you do quickly. It's probably in your best interest to plan on sitting down and working on it for at least several hours and have more than one project in mind. Planning out what you make ahead of time is helpful also.

Early attempts

Above are some early attempts. Not very exciting, plus a couple of them got burned, have to watch those cooking times. I finally made some things yesterday I'm pretty happy with. One of them was a red flower that I embellished with watch gears, it's small and I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I was working on packing later on and I remembered an old silver plated rouge holder I had and I wondered if the flower would fit in it. It did! I glued in a nut and attached the flower to give it depth. I thought it still needed something and I found a broken charm I had and added the pieces from that. I was going to pour in resin to finish it off but I like it the way it is so I decided not to. I then put it on a silver chain and there you have it. The finished product.

Branding

2011-05-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Sir Wallace Shufflebottom relaxing after a late night.

I've been trying to sell my jewelry on Etsy since November 2010. Along the way I've been learning how to blog and about SEO and social media and all sorts of internet marketing. I actually have a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing but that was twenty years ago, the basic principles are the same but there's a bunch of new stuff also.

Lately I've been trying to learn more about branding. Branding is what Walt Disney, McDonald's, Starbucks and many other big companies do. If you see their logo or color scheme you know who it is. If you go to their stores or websites or blogs or print ads you know it's them because they keep the same look and feel for everything they do. This accomplishes several things, when you see them you know it's them, that instills a sense of trust, you go ahhh, I know this company, I feel comfortable with them. It makes customers more willing to spend their money with these companies because of that feeling of trust and familiarity.

What I've been doing the last couple of days is trying to create a cohesive look in all my online endeavors to start to create that same familiarity. I took more pictures of my logo (Sir Wallace, above), and I chose a lighter color scheme and try to narrow down how many colors I use. I'm happy with the results and I think it looks more professional. I have to do it myself, I have no money to pay a professional at the moment, that should be the next step. I made a new banner for my Etsy shop, I redid my blog and twitter, I am using the same avatar for everything. I still need to figure out how to change Facebook to match, that's on the menu for this weekend. When I get new business cards I will use the same color scheme as well.

Did all this work? I don't know, I've had three sales this week after over a month of nothing. I have been doing other things as well. I think it's probably everything combined, hopefully it leads to a steadier stream of sales.

What do you do to create a brand? What other things can we all do to create that sense of familiarity and trust with our potential customers?

Featured Artist "Magical Oddities"

2011-05-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Magical Oddities is another shop I came across reading the Etsy forums. I love faeries and all things magical so I had to feature their shop. Erin, the artist behind the magic, turned out to be a super nice and super interesting person, and has quite a few endeavors she and her boyfriend work at.

Here's a link to her shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/MagicalOddities?ref=pr_shop_more

I'll let her tell you more in her own words:

"I have to preface this with a little about my boyfriend, Stefan, and I. We both work in the entertainment production industry - films, TV shows, commercials, tradeshows, corporate events. He runs a Special FX and Props company called Roundtable Productions and I work freelance as a Production Assistant, Audio/Visual tech, set carpenter - I wear a lot of hats, lol. Props and SFX means: lots of random stuff and tools everywhere! and a few unique tools! One of these unique tools is a 3D printer. One random day I decided, I need a Faery! They are too pretty and awesome to only see in the movies or my imagination, I'm going to have to make one - one that is all sparkly and glowing and lives in a bottle! I spent a few weeks coming up with the wings I had envisioned. Then, I had to tackle the problem of the fairy herself. It was the perfect project for the 3D printer! I could model in the computer exactly how I wanted the fairies to look! The printer takes the 3D computer model and layer by layer it creates a 3D object. It uses a thin layer of glue and then a thin layer of powder over and over until you have a complete object. You can see videos of our printer here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_EasIEmXb4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1t9846g-NE

This process is not without its hiccups. When the pieces come out they are rough and brittle - but those were the first fairies! And they were bald, heh. I still plan on making bald faeries, I think they are adorable - and a little more fey-like. There are some pictures of these originals here:
magicaloddities.com
If you click "Photos" on that page it will take you to the page that has all my original prototypes!

Sadly :( the fairies were a little too delicate, and 3D printing is expensive! So I decided to start casting them out of resin because I've learned a lot about resin by helping Stefan with his prop making. It's a durable material, and it can be translucent! A lot of sanding and tweaking went on, and I sculpted hair. Two molds later I have the first of my Magical Oddities for sale. I still have plans to light my faeries, and I've attached a picture to show you what I'm working on! I'm coming up with new wing designs, and want to make flying fairies, and eventually a "faerie torch."

After discovering how much fun it was to create the things I've always wanted to see in the real world, the ideas didn't stop - they're still going. After I made the first of my fairies I came up with a storyline for my company. I chose the name "Magical Oddities" because that would be the name of the traveling gypsy caravan that sold faeries and other magical items. The idea is that adventurers send back all the creatures and items they find on their travels to this caravan, which sells them and then funds more adventures! I'm currently working on character designs, stories, and bios that I want to post on an interactive website!"

Clockwork Owl Trapped in a Pocket Watch

2011-05-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything about actually making jewelry in quiet some time and, since I have gotten better at it and, spend a great deal of time doing it, I thought I would talk about something I just made that I'm very proud of.

I've heard that people who design jewelry go through all sorts of processes, they make sketches, plan things out, think a lot, that's not me. First, I never throw anything away, at least nothing that I feel could at some point turn into a component in jewelry or a sculpture, no matter how unlikely it seems.

I end up with lots of odds and ends this way. I go through my various containers once in awhile and pull out things that look interesting to me and leave them on my desk. I have had the above pocket watch case for months, could never figure out what to do with it. I made the little clockwork owl probably five months ago, it is very delicate and was broken by someone who is not delicate, I was discouraged and let it sit for a long time before I finally fixed it. I decided it was too delicate just to hang on a chain so I let it sit on my desk waiting for an idea.

I've been fascinated by resin jewelry and have been experimenting with it and an idea came to me. Why not put something inside the pocket watch and add resin? I still didn't know what to put in there so it sat for awhile longer. Then while tinkering I looked at the owl and the pocket watch and viola, an idea was born.

I sat down, put on my safety gear and got working. I had a stone leaf charm that someone had given me that was sitting on my desk and thought it might go well with my project so I added it. I then decided to add in some bead caps I had saved off an old necklace I had taken apart. This is the result:

I'm really proud of it. It actually looks even better in person. That's how my creative process works. I also come up with a lot of ideas while laying in bed or taking a shower. That's actually how I came up with this and several other blog posts. I think it would be interesting to find out how other people come up with their ideas for what they create. Feel free to share in the comment section.

Featured Artist “Parts and Accessories by NC”

2011-05-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

This is a repost as Blogger seems to have lost the original.

Amy DeLorenzo is another artist I came across by reading the Etsy forums. I love her jewelry, it’s unique and beautiful. I definitely want to get the silver reaper charm necklace when I have more funds.

Here’s some more about her:

“I have 2 passions in life, (besides watching TV of course) Archaeology and working with metal, whether it be the steel & chrome of a motorcycle or silver jewelry. Making my own jewelry indulges both of my passions. (Or all 3 if I find myself creating a new piece while sitting in front of the TV) I never rush while making my jewelry, I take my time and create each piece with great care so it is sure to last you a lifetime.”

Here’s a link to her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/partsbync

Success and a Mother's Day Gift

2011-05-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

Many of you who follow my blog know by now my son is in the Army. He has wanted to drive tanks since he was born. He's 26 now and is finally doing just that. He waited to join for various reasons, I was sick for a long time and he was helping me, and several of his girlfriends out of fear of losing him or with control issues talked him out of it.

I finally got better and he finally met a girl who is open minded and believes in letting people follow their dreams, and even provides support, love and encouragement so they can. This last week, after 15 weeks of extremely difficult training, my son came home on leave to visit and to marry this lovely young woman.

I was talking to my son and told him that although many people don't see me as successful, because usually I'm struggling financially and I have a hard time holding a regular 9-5 job, that I see the fact that I raised a truly good person who was able to achieve a life long goal and who is now incredibly happy to be a type of success.

His response was this, "When I tell people about you, I tell them you had me when you were 17, you were a single mom, and you worked full time while going to college so I could have a better life. I've always been proud of you and I've always considered you a success."

Thank you. Maybe we all should expand our ideas of what true success is and stop being so hard on others and on ourselves. My sister is always telling me I sell myself short, maybe she's right. Today is a new day, time to expand my horizons.

The happy couple.

Thank You for Your Service

2011-05-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took a whirlwind trip to Fort Knox, Kentucky to watch my son graduate from tanker school in the Army. He was able to get a weeks vacation to come visit before he heads to his duty station in Colorado. I was lucky enough to get us on the same flights together so we could travel together on the way home, it was about eight hours worth of flying.

On the way home he was wearing his uniform, we left from the airport in Kentucky, had a plane change in North Carolina and then flew to Los Angeles, I live three hours north of there. In every airport people, mostly older people, would come up to Kirk and his other army friends who were traveling to Los Angeles and would thank them for their service. They would get hugs, hand shakes, pats on the back, stories about people's family members who were also in the service, you name it.

The young men don't necessarily believe they deserve all this attention because they have just finished basic training and have not seen any combat. They deserve every bit of it. They have just finished an extremely difficult 15 weeks of training, where they were injured, homesick, and working their butts off. It's hard and I don't believe anyone, except for people who have been through it, can understand just how hard it is.

Aside from that though is the fact they showed the strength of character and courage to join the service during a time of war. For a long time our country did not understand the consequences of what war meant. These young men know exactly what war means and they joined anyway. Please when you see a veteran or an active service member thank them for their service, they deserve it, probably more than most people will understand.

Featured Artist "Circassian Beauty"

2011-04-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

Circassian Beauty is another artist I met through Etsy. She has some of the most unique items I have seen. Caution, some of her items are not for the faint of heart.

Here's her Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CircassianBeauty

Here's some more about her:

I am obsessed with Circus Side Shows!! Most of my felted dolls represent old-time circus "attractions." My name comes from the Circassian Beauty attraction at many of P.T. Barnum's and other circus side shows ... Barnum advertised these girls as the most lovely and beautiful in the world, more beautiful than any woman to be found locally. In truth, however, they were more often than not very local girls, who soaked their hair in beer to make it frizz out, and wore skimpy, exotic clothing to enhance the experience.

Just as the "Living Mermaid" was just a fancy name for a Peep Show, it was a way to get around the pesky, uptight conservatives of the time. And now, when physical conformity is encouraged more than ever, I celebrate those who are truly different, in ways that usually couldn't be hidden (like so many people do in this computer age).

Check out some of my circus photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spcmiller/sets/72157624902020847/

I was born during one of the worst blizzards in Omaha's history, which apparently gave birth to my lifelong love of snow and cold. I was also lucky to have an artistic grandmother, who created many things like an entire life-sized Nativity Scene out of Co-op wax on their rural Iowa farm that inspired many in a deeply spiritual way, and me artistically.

Many years later, I dropped out of college to follow an opportunity to live and work in Moscow, Russia (snow, cold!). There are so many art museums there! I had never seen so much amazing artwork in my life, not to mention the great skill of the Russian folk artisans and crafters. Every grandmother knit beautiful wool socks, made intricate baskets, and beat Bob Ross any day with their painting.

When I came back to the States, I was inspired to make my own items. I sold handmade dolls that represented the Norse Gods and started sewing much of my daughters' clothing. I find sewing a bit tedious, though, especially when girls reach a certain age, and you can't be so inventive with their clothing.

As my sewing projects dwindled, I discovered eBay and committed much of my time to Treasure Hunting and selling the wonderful vintage and antique items I found at thrift stores and church sales.

I came across a how-to article on Felting in a Martha Stewart magazine and was hooked! Felting is a sort of passion of mine ... I love to sit and poke at masses of wool for hours on end. It can be quite therapeutic at times, especially when I'm in a bad mood. :-D

I love doing mosaics, too. A few years ago, I was in charge of a class project for a fund-raising auction, and I chose to do a mosaic. I'd never done mosaic work before, but I thought it would be unusual and get a higher price at the auction. It was a lot of work, and the kids got pretty messy, but it was a very rewarding experience ... AND our two mosaic panels made the most money out of all the auctions!

Now I work mainly in mosaics (which is long-term work that HAS to be cleaned up every day - ugh), felting dolls, and painting. I am weakest in painting, because I really, genuinely, can't draw, but I do like to experiment!