Onequest Jewelry Design and Classes

I'm migrating my Gems of Intention Blog to Wordpress

2013-09-03T07:05:00.001-07:00

Today is my last day on Blogger. I've found the functionality of Wordpress to be far superior, so please visit my new blog at http://craftoday.wordpress.com

Here, you will find weekly posts on all things crafty. From jewelry design, crochet, children's crafts, and candlemaking to cooking, baking, and canning, you will find it there over the coming weeks.

In late September, this site will be migrating over to www.craftoday.com, which will be a fully functional website that includes crafting apps, how-to videos, e-books and of course, the blog.

2013-06-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

Go ahead, play with fire for FREE

Micro Torch Basics

with Kate Richbourg

Let Kate Richbourg introduce you to what she calls "the best gateway drug for serious jewelry making" with this FREE Craftsy mini-class!

Butane micro torches are a compact and efficient heat source for soldering, firing precious metal clay, finishing enamelwork and other projects. They're inexpensive, safe and easy to use. In this five-lesson class, best-selling author and teacher Kate Richbourg shows you how to fill, light and adjust your torch and use it to shape, secure and finish metal jewelry. You'll learn how to size rings perfectly and how to choose the right materials. Then Kate shows you her signature stack ring set and a perfect band ring made from half-round silver wire.

Get fired up! Sign up for this free Craftsy mini-class today! You can find other free classes at the bottom of the Craftsy page. Just follow this link.

What You'll Learn

Choose, fill, light and adjust your micro torch
Set up a soldering station in your kitchen
Use flush wire cutters and paste solder
Hammer techniques to size and texture your ring
How to use half-round wire
Annealing metal to make it easier to shape

What You'll Make

No-Fail Stack Rings from 14-gauge copper wire or the metal of your choice
The Perfect Band Ring from half-round silver wire

Kate goes over a suggested set of tools in this class, including a butane-fired micro torch, wire cutters, ring mandrel and bench block; chasing, texture and riveting hammers; tweezers, soldering block and plastic or rawhide mallets. She also shows you how to substitute household items for many specialty tools.

Are you a craft book junkie? I am.

2013-06-05T06:11:00.001-07:00

Are you a how-to, craft book junkie?

Here are the symptoms. When you see a glossy new title at Michaels or your favorite craft store, you pull out the 40% off coupon and buy the book. Your heartbeat speeds up and you start getting a bit clammy. As you wait in line at the checkout, you flip through the pages, and you start daydreaming about where to put your next whatchamacallit that you will be making when you are finished.

I'll admit it. I'm a recovering bookaholic, how-to junkie. I've checked. There is no 12 step plan. My bookshelves are overflowing with books on jewelry making, polymer clay designs, serging, sewing, making costumes, and so on. Since I live in a 1200 square foot home with 2 other people, I realize that there must be a better way to feed my how-to book fix.

That's when it happened. I discovered my favorite how-to crafting website of all time. Craftsy is a how-to crafter's dream. It offers inexpensive video crafting classes that are professionally produced. The teachers are all professional artists and designers who take me step-by-step through even the most difficult projects. I've purchased 8 classes so far, and have no plans on stopping.

The user interface is very easy. Each course is broken down by individual projects, and I can watch the projects as often as I wish. There is a chat room style interface with students and with teachers too. So far, I've taken a class on serging, renovating flea market finds, wire wrapping, soldering, and making a couture style dress. One of my favorites is Craftsy Beading with Wire, Chain & Leather Class. After getting a free account, I occasionally receive promotional offers for discounted courses too. Yes, I'm a sucker for those.

I've even made money on the Craftsy website by posting a few jewelry making patterns. If you haven't seen Craftsy before, just click their name and take a look.

Have fun, and cave in to the how-to urge.

My How-To books are now available on Amazon for Kindle!

2013-05-08T06:12:00.001-07:00

I am happy to announce that my jewelry making and cost saving books are now available to view on Kindle. I've optimized the layout to read just as easily on your iPhone and IPod products too. Currently, I have 3 titles available. It comes complete with hyperlinks and bookmarks for easy viewing. This move came about when I read that 22% of all books are now being read on Kindle and Android devices. When I visited a used book fundraiser recently, this point was driven home. There were maybe 1/3 of the books available for purchase compared to previous years.

1. Santa Barbara on a Shoestring: High Style/Low Budget in California's Most Expensive City, 2nd Edition - this is a full-length book about finding the best sales and values in Santa Barbara on everything that you need in order to live comfortably. It includes store, web, and periodical resources.

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2. Wire Wrapping Found Objects. This has previously only been available for viewing in a full 8 1/2 x 11 inch layout on Craftsy.com and Etsy.com. Now it is available for viewing on all of your portable devices.

3. How to create Wire Wrapped Earrings using Unusually Shaped Beads. This book is also now optimized for reading on Kindle.

The process of converting these titles into mobile products was a bit challenging, but worthwhile. The added benefit of offering these titles on Amazon is the comfort level that many people feel with using Amazon's payment gateway. I hope you enjoy them.

Color Theory Resources

2013-03-29T07:58:00.001-07:00

Color Theory

Using specific colors in your jewelry creations can positively and negatively impact both the emotions of the wearer and the person who is looking at the wearer. Have you ever noticed that many sales professionals wear red ties and navy suits? Historically, the navy suit was worn by businessmen to show professionalism and the red tie was a sign of success. The emotional effects of color have been tested for over a century. In the prison system, many rooms are painted yellow because it is the color of non-aggression. There are several books available on color theory. I'm including a couple of my favorites below.

This weekend, I challenge you to an experiment. On Friday, wear a bright Red scarf or shirt. On Saturday, wear Brown, and on Sunday, wear Blue. Write down your observations of how you feel during the day and how people around you react to you. As you wear different colors, you can better understand on a very personal level, how color can make a difference in your life. Then, you can start to create jewelry using color combinations that resonate with your moods.

2013-03-17T18:28:00.001-07:00

Talisman or Amulet?

What is the difference between an amulet and a talisman? Can jewelry be used as an amulet or a talisman? This week, we are going to explore the meanings and uses of amulets and talismans and how they apply to setting your intention and we will create an amulet.

World English Dictionary from Dictionary.com

talisman (ˈtælɪzmən)

— n , pl -mans
1.	a stone or other small object, usually inscribed or carved, believed to protect the wearer from evilinfluences
2.	anything thought to have magical or protective powers

[C17: via French or Spanish from Arabic tilsam, from Medieval Greek telesma ritual, from Greek:consecration, from telein to perform a rite, complete, from telos end, result]

amulet (ˈæmjʊlɪt)

— n
	a trinket or piece of jewellery worn as a protection against evil; charm

[C17: from Latin amulētum, of unknown origin] Another way of looking at it is that a talisman is an object that you create with an intention to perform a purpose. The creator has control over the specific properties of the item. An amulet is an item that uses symbology. The wearer is the one with the control here. This week, I challenge you to create a talisman - why not an Irish one for St. Patrick's day? Then, see about creating a four leaf clover piece of jewelry as an amulet. Good luck!

Wire Wrapping Found Objects

2013-03-10T11:05:00.002-07:00

Source: Wire Wrapping Found Objects Pattern via Onequest on Craftsy

This morning, to celebrate longer days of sunlight and many plans to walk along the beach after work, I have reduced the price of my bestselling ebook tutorial, Wire Wrapping Found Objects, which can be found on Craftsy.com, to only $4.99. What are you planning to do to celebrate the longer days?

http://www.gemsofintention.com/#!product/zoom1vj/514504491/20%2B-carat-golden-citrine-pendant

As our days start to stretch into Spring, the daffodils and dandelions are in abundance. Here in California, our mountains are washed in green. Yellow signifies joy and happiness and green signifies growth. A couple of years ago, I purchased several ametrines that are yellow and green. Whenever I work with these magical varieties of the quartz family, something beautiful and magical happens in my life.

What are you going to do this week to bring the intention of happiness and growth to your life? Your challenge of the week is to find different ways to work yellow and green into your world. Maybe a throw pillow, a polo shirt, or a piece of jewelry.

Have a wonderful week!

2013-03-02T06:54:00.002-08:00

This weekend, I Dare you to take a new spin on a tried and true style.

On Friday, I took a wire wrapping class at Santa Barbara City College's Center for Lifelong Learning. When I spoke with my mother, she asked me why I was taking the class, since I teach wire wrapping and have been doing it for several years now. The answer is simple. Every artist teaches in her own way and with her own style. Even Tiger Woods needs a golf coach. Martha Stewart has guests on her show to teach new ways to do things.

I am enjoying the class....making new friends, AND learning new techniques. Sure, there is quite a bit of downtime as she teaches techniques that I could do in my sleep, but at those times, I wire wrap a pendant, ring, or earrings while the class catches up. Other people doodle. I create jewelry.

So, this weekend, what are you going to do to put a new spin on what you do every day? Are you going to take a different route to the grocery store? Get intentionally lost? Substitute an ingredient in your favorite recipe? The choice is up to you.

Dare to do something different. You won't regret it.

The Go Giver

2013-02-23T08:06:00.003-08:00

I have fallen in love with a little book called The Go GiverThe Go Giver written by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It is a wonderful parable about how giving creates stratospheric success. This law of success has been around since biblical times when the message was, "whatever you send out comes back threefold" and "do unto others as they would do unto you."

I can confirm that this philosophy is incredibly powerful and true. For several years, I've worked in the non-profit industry and have also been a jewelry artist/teacher. I have poured all of my profits into donating to charity auctions by donating one of a kind pieces of jewelry. This cause-related marketing has helped me to create a name for my jewelry business both in Australia and the USA.

What do you have to give? A piece of jewelry, a class, advice? Why not propel your life forward with stratospheric success by trying to be a giver instead of a taker. Try it for a week and report back.

I create my own intention

2013-02-23T06:57:00.002-08:00

I Create My Own Intention.

Every day, I set my intention by wearing jewelry that symbolizes the results that I would like to bring into my life. In my case, if I don't have a piece of jewelry in my jewelry box that truly symbolizes the day that I would like to have, I create a piece from my stash of gemstones, wire, and findings.

Every gemstone has a historic meaning. The ancient Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, and a myriad of indigenous cultures recognized the talisman qualities of gemstones. Even during the dark ages, the Catholic church utilized gemstones to ward off the evil eye and to symbolize power. Both bishops and popes wore rings with large gemstones and to this day, Catholic subjects kiss the ring of these leaders when they meet with them. The Jewish high priests in the Bible also have a breastplate set with gemstones.

In this blog, I would like to help you set your own intention. Why would you want to give this power to the fashion industry or anyone else for that matter? It is your life. It should be your intention. I will be focusing the colors of gemstones and the general meaning of the colours. After the primary colours are completed, I will start to cover the individual gemstones that are most commonly found in my designs. Finally, I’ll wrap up the year in exploring investment and rare stones and their properties. I'll also share links to great books and other resources on Amazon.com so that you can purchase these items in a safe, secure location.

Please stay tuned so that you can start setting your intention today.

2011-11-29T10:46:00.001-08:00

How much should I charge for a Jewelry Making Party?

This is probably the most important question. The best answer to this question is, how much money is your time worth? If this is a sideline business and you are using your Saturday off and then need to hire a gardner, maid and cook to take care of your weekend chores, be sure to take this into consideration.

A more professional approach would be to treat your jewelry making party as a business. A good formula is:

Your fee plus

Cost of materials plus

Here is an example for a party of 10 girls:

My fee for 2 hours: $200

COM $10 per girl: $100

Total: $300

The best part is that all of the girls would end up with party favors to take home.

It is that easy.

Wire Wrapping tutorial

2011-10-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

One of the most important tools that you will need to have a jewelry making party is instructions on how to make jewelry. Whether your students are tweens who have never tied a knot or professional crafters who want to learn a new skill, it is helpful to have printed materials on how to make one key item for the class.

It can be tricky to create jewelry beyond beaded basics. Certainly, you wouldn't want to bring a soldering iron, pickle, saws and a myriad of other tools to someone's home to set up. A great work around is teaching a simple wire wrapping project.

I have created a tutorial for sale on how to wire wrap found objects. Jewelry party planners and art teachers can purchase and use this tutorial for adult students. To learn more, visit http://www.etsy.com/listing/80825349/wire-wrapping-found-objects-tutorial.

Jewelry Making Parties Ebook Review

2011-09-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

I will be reviewing the following Ebook:

How to Run a Home Based Jewelry Party Business for Fun and Profit. "A Step-by-Step Action Plan for Building your Dream Business" in the next Blog and in upcoming posts. I have managed several successful businesses and will purchase and 'test drive' the product. You will receive my unbiased opinion about this product so that you can decide whether this ebook would be valuable to you. While reading this ebook, I recommend that you either print it out and highlight the most important steps or take notes on your computer so you only need to refer to these details once. After all, you want to get started in making and selling jewelry. The book is in PDF format so it can be read by any computer after downloading the free software.

Introduction: Wow! I think that I've found my clone. Lorri Ely took the same journey in jewelry making that I did. She started making jewelry for herself and migrated her sales to EBAY, craft fairs, jewelry stores, web stores, and marketed her jewelry through fundraisers. I'd love to have her over for a cup of coffee to chat about her successes and bloopers. I bet we would have plenty to talk about! She soon moved her entire business over to home jewelry parties. Now, we get into the meat of the book.

For the first 64 pages of this 140 page book, she gets started in business basics. She provides templates for a business plan and several other helpful tools to run a professional business. Is it worth the $34.95 that I paid for the ebook? Absolutely. I could have stumbled through a learning curve by using the tools that I had from my past experience, but why bother? I make more than the cost of the book in one hour so the time value of money is really worth it for me.

The book includes a section on how to legally run your business. Lorri Ely calls this the boring part of the book. It makes sense at the very beginning to run a legal business instead of a black market party because of several factors. First and foremost, you need to be seen as professional - especially if the business takes off. Secondly, by establishing a professional business, you will qualify for wholesale pricing on products.

Starting on page 65, she goes into the details of running jewelery parties. Since I was writing this review, I read the entire book in one sitting. This is not recommended. Plan on spreading the reading out over a weekend, or you may become overwhelmed and decide to scrap the entire process. There isn't any fluff in this book, so you need to be alert and take notes on every page.

If you would like to purchase the book, I've provided a link above. (It is the line that is underlined, for those of you who may be new to links).

Welcome to My New Blog about Jewelry Making Parties

2011-09-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog. I have been designing wire wrap and beaded jewelry for over 5 years. For the past 2 1/2 years, I've been learning the art of lapidary - gemstone cutting - from some of the best cutters in Australia. The art of lapidary is dying in Western countries due to the time intensive nature of the skill and the inexpensive products coming out of Thailand, India, and China. These same countries have been buying up source material by purchasing the mines in Australia and the USA. Now, in order to secure quality chrysoprase, for example, we purchase it from China rather than going out to Western Australia or Queensland and asking for permission to fossick (rock hunt) on a property.

Wire wrap Picasso Jasper ring

The goal of my business is to show how fun, interesting, and therapeutic it can be to make your own jewelry from scratch. I will share some inspirational designs on this blog. Techniques will include wire wrapping, beading, and creating cabochons. I will be moving back to Santa Barbara, California on October 27th and look forward to sharing these crafts one-on-one and in groups in a party format. If you are interested in hosting a party, please let me know. Just imagine. At one of these parties, you can learn how to make a floating necklace or wire wrapped pendant statement piece that is valued for over $300. All materials will be provided and the cost of the party can be set up in several different ways.

To get a sneak peek of some of the jewelry designs that you can learn how to make, please visit my store at www.etsy.com/shop/onequest. I sell tutorials on this website as well.