Rose Works Jewelry

Crafty ADD Update #18

2009-12-09T16:52:00.001-08:00

Well this is the shortest ADD update I've had in a long time! But that's ok - I can't take over the owrld every week *wink* And I had some sick days last week (and this week too for that matter). All these pics go back to Monday...but that's not saying much cuz Tuesday was a total sick day with no crafting.

Knitting

Oh yay baby! I'm rocking the knitting the scarves :D Last week - 13 1/2. This week? 38 1/2 inches! Woot! I'm think I'll probably go a little over 5 feet (this one's for a girl and doesn't need to be as long) but we'll see what I end up with :P

Crochet

I started my niece's Christmas present! It's going to be a hat. This is take three on doing what they call the cuff.... As you may be able to tell from the picture I need to pull it out part way because, yet again, I lost a stitch somewhere so it got smaller part way along and I didn't notice... Oh well, I can do it! That's the nice thing about crochet - it's not hard to pull out and start over part way through :P

Jewelry

I keep having little mini-crazy-jewelry making parties. I did these....Sunday evening I think? I sooooo need to get some pictures to load new items on-line! I also made a Christmas present that night - but I can't show that because it was for someone who might see the blog :P

Paper Craft

Take my word for it - I made some snowflakes :P I forgot to take pictures earlier when I was taking pics for this post - maybe I'll get picks and put 'em up tomorrow?

Voting for Peace

2009-12-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

This month's Etsy Bead Weavers Challenge is based on peace and the Winter Olympics. There are soooo many incredible pieces in this month's challenge! I mean, there usually are, but I'm truly impressed by these entries. I highly recommend that you visit each piece individually andread the story behind it, because you'll be blown away by the inspiration! Head over to the team blog for the links and to vote between now and the 15th :)

Quiet Sunday...

2009-12-06T19:23:00.000-08:00

It's a quiet Sunday for me. I don't really have anything I want to blog about (I know! Me?). I've just been trying to relax. I've had a rough weekend with lots of bad news about my dear friends going through hard times. So you know how I jokingly comment that crafting is my therapy? Well sometimes it's not so much of joke, sometime it really IS my therapy! That's what it's been this weekend. I love being able to turn on a movie or a tv show and just lose myself in creating something beautiful. I ignore my e-mail and all the chatty things, and just create. I don't do that very often... usually my computer and chatty things are constant interruptions...so this is special. I only really do this when I'm on a deadline and need to get things DONE or when I'm really emotional and need to process. It works though. I get a lot done and I feel very peaceful after awhile. I call it my zen crafting state.

Learning from a Defunct Challenge Piece

2009-12-05T15:01:00.000-08:00

I originally wasn't planning on entering this months EBW challenge. There has just been so much going on this month and I didn't have any good ideas! Then I came up with a bead weaving idea while I was falling asleep and decided to go for it. I showed a picture of it from Monday in yesterdays post.

I've since decided that this piece is destined to be one of the unfinished ones. I'm not sure if I'll pull it apart to salvage the seed beads or not, but either way it's getting junked. Why? Well, I made the piece by printing up a peace sign and then tracing it onto a piece of fabric. I had a hard time tracing it and knew my tracing was slightly lopsided but I thought I could fix it as I beaded. Um. No.

As I filled in the sides at first I was happy. One side turned out great. I couldn't make the other side look right though. I thought it was still going to work until I started doing the outside circle, and then I knew for certain that it wasn't going to work out!

I'm sad, but I've thought about it and I showed my hubby and we talked about it, and I realized that while this project failed, I've learned from it, and that's a good thing.

On my own I realized that, while I thought this was going to be a relatively simple project, it was a lot more challenging than I initially expected. It was my hubby who pointed out what the problem was/is. It's a geometric shape. I should NOT be trying to do a geometric shape in bead embroidery. Brick stitch, peyote, sure. Embroidery, no. Maybe someday I'll have enough talent and experience, but not now! It's much trickier than it looks.

Lesson learned - moving on! And I'm looking forward to showing you all the wonderful pieces my team mates made, I don't know how I'm going to choose one!

Crafty ADD Update #17 (totally late)

2009-12-04T19:35:00.001-08:00

Ok - so normally I do my crafty ADD posts earlier in the week - but I kinda got eaten by the migraine monsters earlier this week - so these pictures are from the previous week up until Monday night. I've made stuff since then! LOL

Paper Craft

Say what??? Paper craft? Ruthie? (Edi are you proud?) That's right - there are a few paper crafts that I occasionally do! Despite the fact that I can barely cut in a straight line... Any way... I learned how to make these stars while I was a day care teacher (that feels like another life time) and I made this one to take over to my parents house for Thanksgiving Dinner :)

Ok - so this one is no big deal - but I've kinda gotten in the habit of taking pictures of anything I create! Paul is Mo's older brother and his b-day is the day after Thanksgiving. We got together at their parents house on Monday for a bday party for the two of us (mine was last week too) and Mo and I bought a bunch of coffee for Paul. I didn't want to give him just a plain brown bag - so I decorated it!

Oh yes, and I have a fresh batch of construction paper from last week - be afraid, be very afraid.

Cross Stitch

I thought I'd get a shot of the three book marks all cut out and finished :D I need to get them listed... No good being done if not listed eh?

Knitting

Ok - the way I laid that out makes it look like a pair of pants - but the black scarf is done! It ended up 6ft 2 inches. Just a wee bit over my planned length. I got a little too into it the last time I sat down to knit :P

And on the next scarf! Yes, I'm crazy, but I'm getting faster! Can you tell? The first 13 inches were accomplised at the bazaar and then at the bday party. Wait until you see the next update...I've come a long way since Monday :D

Jewelry

Here's a few random things I made up last Saturday/Sunday. I had an insomniac night and I did a whole bunch of stuff, including the above collection. Bracelet, 3 pairs of earrings, and a charm. Which is kinda funny cuz I sat down planning on making several bracelets and only made one and a bunch of other small stuff!

This is my current bead embroidery project. It's a peace sign! It'll be for the current Etsy Bead Weavers challenge assuming I finish it in time. Again, these pictures are from Monday - so I've made progress since then and it's looking good :)

This is the back of the peace sign. It amused me. Looks kinda like a rustic broom design...

The Big Unveiling!!!

2009-12-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

Ready for the big unveiling of my surprise??? Are you sure??? Are you sitting down???

I'm doing a.....

EARRING OF THE MONTH CLUB

FOR $5 EARRINGS!!!!!!

What does that mean??? Well....ask your self, do you love earrings? Now here's the next big question, do you love MY earrings? OR do you know somebody who would love my earrings (because this would make a great present too!)? Then here's how it works:

I have listings in both my Artfire and Etsy Stores so you can purchase from whichever your more comfortable with (I prefer you go to Artfire - but do what your comfortable with!). The subscription for the club is a one time $35 fee. That's it, there's no further obligations on your part, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy getting your earrings in the mail each month! That $35 includes:

~ 6 pairs of earrings (1 pair per month)

~ The shipping cost has already been factored in!

~ A free gift valued $5 with your first pair of earrings.

Each month's earrings will be shipped out by the 5th of the month with the first pair coming in January. The spirals you see in the picture above are what I'll be sending out in January - but after that it's a surprise! You can look here on Artfire or here on Etsy to get an idea of what types of earrings you will be getting.

Each month your earrings will arrive in a pretty organza bag or cloth bag - so if you chose to give your lovely's away for some reason - they will be good to go! And if not, isn't always nice to get a present in a cute bag? My goal is to move towards cloth bags that I personally sew instead of the mass produced organza bags to give things a more personal touch, but I'm not sure when I'll get to implement that. Probably not before February's mailing.

Over all it's a $7 saving - AND you get a free gift! How sweet is that?

***ONLY AVAILABLE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER***

(So strike while the irons hot and stay tuned for next months special item club!)

Do you have any more questions? Something I didn't cover? Let me know! You can leave a comment here or reach me at: roseworksjewelry@gmail.com

Congrats to Novembers Winners!!!

2009-12-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

Sorry I'm so late in announcing last months winners! The beginning of my week got eating up by the migraine monsters. I wrote about here if you want to know more about what's been going on. Now here's the fun part - our winners!

Just a reminder of how this works: I track every comment that I receive on my blog. Then, at the end of the month, the top three commentators win prizes! Whoever wins one month is not eligible the next month to win, so sometimes it's not actually the top commentator who wins that month, because I want to give everyone a chance!

Whenever I put up a collection of my latest works promoted I give people a chance to earn extra entry's towards my commentators contest. Those extra entries are in parenthesis. And now for our winners!

Tilt Creations 7 (2)

The Eclectic Element 7

Splendid Little Stars 6

Now to show off some of their lovely art work :)

Tilt Creations

Wristlet Pouch in Patchy Print

The Eclectic Element

Pretty in Pink Handbag Necklace

Splendid Little Stars

Snow Man T-shirt

And now for the geeky numbers!

Top Commentator: This Month - 26 Last Month - 29

Total Commentators: This Month 42 - Last Month - 62

Total Comments: This Month 120 - Last Month - 217

I'm really not surprised to see my numbers down. Between migraine fighting - and being just plain busy when I wasn't fighting migraines - I didn't blog as much this last month! I wonder what crazy December will hold?

AND for all of you who have been waiting for me to unveil my surprise...I hope to have that up in a couple hours :D

On a Roll!

2009-11-30T05:34:00.001-08:00

I've been on a roll lately with listing and renewing items - but not so much with blogging. Funny how the two seem to switch places from time to time eh? Well part of the problem was that I couldn't seem to log into byhand.me, which is where I create the spotlights that I use in my treasury blog and when I show of my latest listings on this blog. I finally thought to try clearing my browsing history and that let me access the site again! Woohoo! So your going to get TWO spotlights of my latest listings and such :D

Don't forget this is the last day to earn entries in my Top Commentators Contest for this month. How does that work? Simple, just read my posts and leave me comments! So if your behind on your reading, today's the day to catch up! I'll be announcing the winners tomorrow! Also, leave in your comment today which of the listings I'm showing is your favorite and you'll get an extra entry into the contest!

Oh yes - and don't forget - all my shops have free shipping through the end of December - worldwide!

Middle of the Night Ramblings

2009-11-29T01:15:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Erm. Middle of the night? (and yes I did TRY to sleep) Or how about whatever time it happens to be there? *giggles* Ok, it's just after 1am so I'm a wee bit silly right now, so this post might also be a wee bit silly, but I'm WIDE awake for some unknown reason so what else is there for me to do other than blog all about bazaar and the rambling thoughts running through my head?

I did a bazaar today (well technically yesterday since it's now early Sunday), and I had a blast! Sales weren't stellar, but I had a lot of fun! I remembered my camera - but I forgot to take any pictures. Bad Ruthie, I know.

Mom went with me on this bazaar and she sold a couple of her items and even got a custom order! That was really exciting for her :) She's decided that crafting to sell isn't for her, so after the holiday's we're going to be closing down Kindred Spirit Treasures. You may notice I'll be moving my charms into my jewelry shops on Etsy and Artfire, and you'll be seeing a huge sale in KST as we get closer to Christmas! I'll keep you posted - don't worry!

One thing I loved about this bazaar, even though I could have asked for more sales, was that there was definitely plenty of foot traffic. I got to have lots and lots of great conversations, both with other vendors, and with the people walking through. I'm a people person, and I thrive off of interactions like that!

Plus I heard a lot of people saying they weren't quite ready to shop for Christmas yet, which is weird to me, but I guess that's a reflection on the current economic situation. I don't really think that the lack of sales I had were a reflection on my art, it was reflection of the economy in general. Most of the people today were looky-loos. The others I got comfortable enough to ask said that their sales we're about the same as mine.

I did get several people who said that they were really excited that I'd be back because they were planning on shopping more next month! I take that as a very promising sign. I also had a gal who will hopefully be sending me information so I can do a custom order for her. To top it all off, I was originally only going back one weekend next month and it now looks like I'm almost definitely going to be able to do 2 weekends next month at this venue! Woohoo!

What else am I excited about? Well I can't precisely tell you, because it's a surprise, but I can tell you that assuming all goes well I'll be doing the big reveal on the 1st! I've been doing a lot of talking with some people I trust (gotta love Mom's and friends who are willing to listen to you hammering out your ideas) and I'm really excited!

I'm also happy because my health has been showing signs of slow but steady improvement and if this trend continues (Lord willing) I have a lot of ideas that I'm working on developing. I'm dreaming big I'm hoping to find ways to continue building my business through a variety of venues. So far, so good! I'm seeing slow but steady progress there too.

Friday's Featured Artist - Yarrow1

2009-11-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

I've been hanging out with some new gals (Bittersweets Daily Challenge) lately - and they are delightful! I met them because of a team mate of mine on Team

Big Damn Crafters and so I decided to feature her! I'd like you all to meet Karen...

1. What type of art work do you do?

I have done and am doing a lot of things in art. I have a piece in bronze. I just did a mural on a winery. I have done them both on inside walls and outside on homes. In addition I am always involved working with pen and ink, acrylics, watercolors and other media doing cards and ACEOs and paintings. I paint tiles, t-shirts and quilting blocks. There have been a lot of wine bottles painted with enamel and donated to charity. I have even had those bottles stolen; that gives me a troubled sense of "arriving" in the art world. lol

2. How did you get started doing art work?

I was influenced by sitting on my uncle's knee and watching him draw. My learning crochet; when I was 7 and had Rhuematic Fever, was taught by a kindly neighbor. My sculpting was at the same time, given clay be a home teacher. I have never stopped since then, but gotten "off track" by jobs.

3. Do you do any other crafts?

I occasionally do ceramics, soaps, lotions, and salts because of jobs I learned them in.

4. Is there a story behind your shop name?

The name is a healing herb. I am a healer using massage, energy and herbs for healing my animals.

5. What's your favorite piece in your shop right now?

The gourd using my horses mane and wood burning. My horse was 33 years of age.

bird gourd Native American

6. Where do you sell your work?

I sell my work at the winery, Vista Del Rey. The owners are very supportive of artists.

I'm also on etsy as Yarrow1.

7. Do you blog?

No.

8. Are you on any social networks you'd like to share?

http://twitter.com/yarrow1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29162281@N08/

9. Do you watch or listen to anything while you

work? If so, what?

Public radio, it gives me both news and music of all kinds. I also listen to books gotten from the library.

10. Tell us one random fact about your self *wink*

I hate housework!

I do too! It soooo gets in the way of creating! LOL

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

First of all - Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful day full of family and friends and great food. Just don't eat too much ok?

Yesterday was my birthday and we had a fantastic time! Mommy made a home made cake and it was quite yummy. Yes, I'm 27, yes, I still call her Mommy. Got a problem with that? No? Good.

My sweater is finished!

Didn't she do an incredible job?

If there was any lingering doubt about where I get my creative talent, I hope that just laid it to rest :P Because my Mommy ROCKS :D

Crafty ADD Update #16

2009-11-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

Lots to show off this week - so lets dive right in!

Knitting

Goal - 72 inches. As of last week - 35 1/2 inches. As of this week - 48 1/2 inches! I knitted over a foot this week :D And I'm going to have to knit over a foot to have it done this week like I want so I can start the next one. I'm currently imating the little engine that could, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."

Cross Stitch

I finally completed the piece of fabric!

I'm quite proud of how this book mark turned out :) Since it's entirely my own design. *take a bow* I'm definitely not planning on picking up a cross stitch hoop again until Christmas is over though... unless by some random happenstance I get a custom order. Mom has them all now and she's putting the backing on for me. For some reason I can't seem to handle the simple act of ironing on the backing. Go figure :P

Jewelry

My evil twins Christmas present is finished!

Her necklace was actually really challenging. The band is made from peyote stitch and I've never done a strip that long before! Plus it has two size beads, which always makes things more interesting. Adding on the drops at the end was easy though. Kind of like a nice little treat at the end. I can't wait to see it on her! She helped me plan it all out so this is one Christmas present I can blog about :D

I've also spent a lot of time putting together earrings to restock my main consignment store. I sold a bunch of stuff over Sept/October and I got the bracelets restocked but I didn't manage to get the earrings restocked right away. Things have just been crazy. Hoping to get them all priced and take them in tomorrow :D

Catching Up :)

2009-11-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

This has been a crazy week. I started out on a roll, listing, blogging, promoting, and even some sales! Then I had what felt like a million doctors appointments, and then I got attacked by the migraine monster and it nearly ate me alive! I don't like the migraine monster...

The good news is so far today the migraine monster is staying away and I can start catching up on life! Woohoo! So I've been checking in with my teams, responding to e-mails, and of course promoting like crazy :D

I do plan on getting my Crafty ADD post up later but I need to clean my kitchen and get my laundry started... So for now I just want to show some of the listings of either relisted or listed for the first time before I crashed last week :D Tell me which one is your favorite and get an extra entry into the Top Commentators contest!

Featuring the Fab Miss B!!!

2009-11-21T17:05:00.000-08:00

I know - I'm a day late on my Friday Featured Artist - but yesterday was a bad day - and I didn't want to risk completely skipping such a fabulous artist! Becky is also our Featured Etsy Blogger of the Month :D

1. What type of art work do you do?

I create Pipettes! They were inspired by vintage ornaments I've collected for ages. They are made with humble chenille pipe cleaners, but I add lots of luxe embellishments like silk ribbons, antique lace, mother of pearl buttons, feathers, sequins and vintage costume jewelery. Their heads are all carefully hand painted too.

I also love to paint and am constantly making new illustrations, which I sell as prints and greeting cards. The originals are watercolor and ink and they are always whimsical and even a bit silly!

2. How did you get started doing art work?

Ever since I was little, I loved to draw and make things with my hands. The Pipettes originated when I decided to make a pipe cleaner bride and groom for our wedding cake three years ago. I've been making them ever since and they've gone through lots of changes! They've become more elaborate and sophisticated.

3. Do you do any other crafts?

I was trained as a florist while I lived in Chicago, so here and there I dabble in making floral corsages and crowns. I just outfitted an entire wedding party for a dear friend! I also like to cook and take photographs.

4. Is there a story behind your shop name?

My husband and I love to travel and are lucky to have lived all over the world- Kenya, Uganda, China, Chicago, Las Vegas, and now we're trying out life on an island- The Big Island of Hawaii!

We adopted our funny last name- Kazana- while traveling in Africa just after getting married. It's a Swahili word that means "To make a home" and it reminds us that our home is where the other is.

5. What's your favorite piece in your shop right now?

I'm madly in love with Daschshunds- someday I'd love to have a whole gaggle of them running around a farm. But for now, hanging Daisy on my Christmas tree is as close as I can get!

6. Where do you sell your work?

I have two shops on etsy. One for my original Chenille Pipette Dolls and artwork:

http://beckykazana.etsy.com

and one for Vintage and One of a Kind Finds:

http://thefabmissb.etsy.com

7. Do you blog?

I blog about the inspiration I find around me every day on The Fab Miss B:

http://www.thefabmissb.blogspot.com

Swing by and say hello! I love to meet new folks!

8. Are you on any social networks you'd like to share?

Let's be friends! Here is my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/people/Becky-Larson/1047722678

and my Tweets too! https://twitter.com/BeckyKazana

9. Do you watch or listen to anything while you work? If so, what?

I love listening to music while I work. I often use Pandora radio (http://www.pandora.com), where you can create stations based on your musical preferences. Right now I'm listening to Julie London Radio non-stop. I can't help but create glamorous Pipettes when listening to all those amazing chanteuses from the 40's, 50's and 60's.

10. Tell us one random fact about your self *wink*

I adore champagne and never save it for special occasions. It's far too wonderful for that!

Here and Gone Again

2009-11-17T16:27:00.000-08:00

No pictures in this post because blogger isn't behaving and I don't have time to fight with it today! I'm having a busy week, somehow all my doctors appointments for the month seemed to end up this week! So I spent the morning at the doctors office today getting my bi-weekly shot (fell asleep too!) then came home and instead of having a productive after noon... I fell asleep again! LOL The shot tends to make me sleepy but this was ridiculous! Oh well. The good news is I also came home find there had been two sales in my BNR treasury (including one for my shop, thanks Spirit Mama!)!!!!

I'm having a friend over to join me and Mo for dinner tonight - then going over to check out her apartment and have some girl time tonight. So I just did a few quick things in the shops this afternoon :) My Artfire shop now has a Clearance section! There are only two items in it right now (lol) but there will be more added in the days to come! I also added more to the clearance section in my etsy shop, so stop by there and see what's new!

Now I'm off to tidy up my apartment and make some hamburger stroganoff :) What should I listen too? I think I'm the mood for more Elvis...

Lots Going On!

2009-11-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

So much going on! I've been promoting like crazy - both for myself - and passing on the fantastic finds I see out there! Plus I have some ideas... Working to develop them but I can't let the cat out of the bag yet! Anyway, here's some of my latest items :) You know the drill, let me know your favorite and get an extra entry into the Top Commentator Contest!

Oh - and I also added some new items to my clearance section - so go check it out!

Crafty ADD Update #15

2009-11-16T13:19:00.001-08:00

Well - I missed a week of doing my Crafty ADD updates :( It made me sad because I was ON TRACK with everything after my bazaar...until I sprained my ankle and had to ride in the elevator that had just been painted and got a HUGE whiff of paint and was dealing with both the ankle pain and massive migraines. Yah. Lots of things got missed the first half of last week :P So here's where I'm at THIS week :P

Knitting

I was so excited cuz it looks like it's getting pretty long! 35 1/2 inches! And only one small mistake that I know the recipient won't mind right? Um, until I started thinking about what that translates too. Based on who the recipient is Mom said I should make this 6 ft long...which means that I'm only half done! Oy vey! I can dooo it! My goal is to be done by the time Thanksgiving is over so I can start on my last scarf Christmas present. Who thinks I can do it? I do! And here I was soooo proud of myself for knitting my way through the entirety of the "The Corpse Bride" the other night...

Cross Stitch

Almost done! Working on the border, should have that done in the next day or two, then I'll hand it off to Mom to let her put the backing on it. I'd do it, but I don't want to ruin it :P Don't worry, I'll take one last shot before I pass it off! And then no more cross stitch until my Thanksgiving Weekend bazaar is over :) Maybe not till after Christmas. Because my next project is for a wedding next summer and I have plenty of Christmas presents to work on....

Jewelry

My Mother in Law ordered some charms at the bazaar last weekend and this is what I came up with for her :) She smiled pretty big when I delivered them so I'll take that as a good sign!

While I was at it I whipped up three more charms to (eventually) restock my store with because they were pretty good sellers for me at the bazaar :) At the very least I'll get them tagged before my next bazaar, but it would be nice to get them on-line too. We'll see...

I've found myself getting caught up the last few days in a mad frenzy of "promote, write, promote, promote, network, promote!" and while all that has it's place, I wasn't creating anything! NOT GOOD! So I'm trying to come back to a healthy balance by working at the computer for awhile and then doing crafty stuff for awhile and then switching again. Seems to be working well so far :) I'm feeling much less stressed for one thing! Creating relaxes me :D Although technically it's still work... Anyway, I was looking around trying to decide which project I wanted to work on when I took my first break this morning and these purple chips caught my eye, I bought them last week and hadn't got them put away yet, so I whipped up a bracelet!

This is the detail to the neckband on my evil twin's Christmas present. Don't worry, this is one Christmas present I can blog about, I let her help me design it! The band is almost done...hoping to have this finished in the next day or two. I'll take more pictures, don't worry!

CLEARANCE SALE!!!!

2009-11-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

What? What's that? That's right! I'm doing a Clearance Sale!!! Why? Why not??? Ok, seriously, the reason is that it's the Christmas season and it's a great time to do a sale, and I was looking at my table at the bazaar last weekend and it was pretty full! Now a big reason for that was that I had a pretty pathetic summer health wise and wasn't able to do any bazaars, which is where I usually make most of my sales, so I built up a lot of inventory! Well, if I want to keep creating (and I have ideas coming a million miles a minute) I need to make room for them!

I don't think I'm going to hear anybody complain am I?

Right now I just have earrings in the clearance section, BUT I plan on adding more items over the next couple of days! So check back :) Want a sneak peak at what you can find? Here ya go! Oh and don't forget, there's no shipping in my shop right now too!

Featuring Angleque Creations

2009-11-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! It's time for Friday's Featured Artist again! This time I'd like to introduce you to a team mate of mine from the Etsy Bead Weavers. She contacted me about featuring me (thanks!) so I jumped at the opportunity to interview her in return. I'm so glad I did! I learned a lot about her, including that I need to stop complaining about not having enough space in my one bedroom apartment, I don't know how this woman does it, but you'll have to read on to find out what I mean! Click on any of the pictures to be taken to the listings!

1. What type of art work do you do?

I make jewelry from beads, shells, semi-precious stones,and Swarvoski crystals. I have also dabbled a little into wire wrapped jewelry.

2. How did you get started doing art work?

While I was working in Vancouver, BC I started making stretch bracelets for family and friends as presents. Last August my husband and I sailed our sailboat Angelique of Vancouver to La Paz, Mexico and I met a lady on Cetacian who had been beading for 25 years and she made amazing jewelry. She was my inspiration and taught me my first woven stitch the double helix. I was hooked and since learned a number of other weaves from the internet, books and looking at other artists work. I have only been bead weaving for the past 6 months since we got back with our boat to Vancouver.

3. Do you do any other crafts?

I cross stitch, knit and crochet, all these can be done in a small space as I live on my sailboat Angelique of Vancouver. Currently docked at Heather Civic Marina in False Creek, Vancouver BC.

4. Is there a story behind your shop name?

Yes, Angelque Creations is a hybrid of our boat name Angelique of Vancouver. My husband was setting up our cruising email address and misspelled the name hence we became Angelque for all our communications while away on our 10 month cruise. When I was looking for a name for the shop is was just natural that I use the hybrid boat name Angelque because I was inspired to create jewelry while in the Sea of Cortez.

5. What's your favorite piece in your shop right now?

My favorite piece currently in my shop is Sunlight Reflected (Raw) bracelet. I miss the warmth and sunshine from the Sea of Cortez. All my new friends that I met while on our trip have returned and are now heading further south. I wish that I was still with them, but circumstances changed for us and my husband Mike needed to go back to work.

6. Where do you sell your work?

I have an on line shop http://www.angelquecreations.etsy.com. and a web site http://www.angelquecreations.ca, and blogspot http://www.angelquecreation.blogspot.com. I have also set up at the Abbotsford Farmers Market in Abbbotsford, BC, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology. I will be at the Make It Vancouver show Nov 20-22 at the Croation Cultural Center, 3250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.

7. Do you blog?

Yes http://www.angelquecreations.blogspot.com

and twitter http://twitter.com/angelquecreatio

8. Are you on any social networks you'd like to share?

I am part of Etsy and the Etsy

Beadweavers Street Team as well as FFEST. I follow an number of blogs from artist of both these groups.

9. Do you watch or listen to anything while you work?

If so, what? JR FM9370, I am a country music fan.

10. Tell us one random fact about your self *wink*.

Mike and I have lived on our 34 foot sailboat for 16 years in about 200 square feet of space. You can guess it we are very good friends. Visit http://www.angelque.ca for details about our sailing adventure to Mexico and the Sea of Cortez.

FREE SHIPPING for the Holiday's!

2009-11-12T19:02:00.001-08:00

*Phew* It's been a LONG day! Yesterday we pretty much a wipe out because I had a migraine and I ended up sleeping for about 19 out of 24 hours. Yikes! So of course nothing got done. And this week has been a bit rough on the "getting things" done because of my sprained ankle anyway. Which in many ways has just felt not fair because it's the holiday season and I have so many ideas going through my mind! I mean I always have a million ideas going through my mind, but it's WORSE this time of year! You know what I mean? The good news is...like I said...it was a long day today and I got a lot done!

Among the many things I got done is I got all three of my shops set up for free shipping for the holiday season! So go check it out: Kindred Spirit Treasures, Rose Works on Etsy, and Rose Works on Artfire are all Free Shipping! Now through the end of December! Sweet huh? AND I have more surprises in store...just wait!

Despite the "fun" of this week, I've also managed to get some stuff listed or relisted this week! You know the drill...leave me a comment on your fav piece and get an extra entry into my top commentators contest! Woohoo! I love giving stuff away :D

Bizarre Reflections about the Bazaar

2009-11-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of fun this weekend at the bazaar! Sorry I didn't get this posted up sooner. I had a million things I was trying to do yesterday, and just as I was starting to feel on top of things and ready to get this post put together and put up...I sprained my ankle! Yah. I'm talented. I know. The good news is that up until I sprained my ankle I was still going strong after the bazaar, which makes me really happy :)

I'm also really excited about getting to actually meet two of my team mates in person this weekend! On the left is the fabulous Char of Char Spirit Creations. In the middle is Dori of Sassy Clay Creations. And I'm on the right! Yup...proof that I was there :P

I did some new things that I really liked with this bazaar. The first is that I made a second level for displaying my fancy necklaces! It was really simple. All I did was drape a piece of cloth over one of my storage boxes that I had brought my jewelry in :P

The second thing I did was I added a bracelet display! Made things a lot less cluttered. And made things look a little more professional. And I STILL had things lying on the table :P Next bazaar I think I'm going to put my strand and wire wrapped bracelets on the bottom level of the display and put my memory wire bracelets loose on the table. They didn't get as much attention as they usually do and I think it's because it wasn't as obvious as it normally is what they are.

There's one more big thing I want to change. I like my earring display - it's cute and I get compliments on it - but it's awkward to carry and I can't fit all my earrings on it! I'm thinking eventually (like for the spring bazaars) I might upgrade to rotating earring displays...but I haven't decided yet. The other solution is to upgrade to a bigger table and use my second display as well, which would allow me enough room for all my earrings and then some. I'm thinking I may need to upgrade tables by spring/summer anyway if things continue to go well, so the question will then be is a table upgrade all that's needed or do I need a table upgrade AND a display upgrade...

I had a lot of fun this last weekend and I'm really looking forward to the two that I have lined up between now and Christmas! I'm also talking with a close friend of mine about teaming up in the new year to do bazaars. Doing 10x10 booths and splitting the fees with me paying 2/3's and him paying 1/3...I'll set up two tables and he'll set up 1. He does a variety of fantasy and other interesting art along with his wife, and part of the reason for teaming up would be that he has a vehicle capable of transporting a tent! Something I don't have which currently limits me and prevents me from doing outdoor markets. Not to mention its always more fun to work with a buddy :)

I did get some more pictures at the bazaar - but I don't want to overwhelm you guys - so if you want to see the rest go check out my flickr page!

Bazaar Update!

2009-11-08T08:41:00.001-08:00

Dori and Char :)

Yesterday at the bazaar was a lot of fun! It wasn't super stellar with sales or anything - but it was decent, and the most important part, is that I'm having a ton of fun and still feeling pretty good! I had a lot of fun meeting Dori and Char in person, and I look forward to talking to them more today!

Today is day two, and I'm hoping we get a huge influx of people when the three Churches on the corner get out :P But even if we don't, if I even do what I did in sales yesterday, I'll be happy :)

I have a whole bunch of pictures and I'll be posting a much longer blog post either tonight or tomorrow with more pictures and my thoughts about improving my displays and everything :) Although...looking at my pics this morning...I need to give someone the camera and actually get a picture of myself...

It's Bazaar Time! (And a Treasury)

2009-11-07T06:12:00.001-08:00

It's Bazaar time again! I'm excited! It's great to finally be getting strong enough to do bazaars :) Hopefully this one will be more succesful than the last one. But no matter what - I plan on having fun! Two of my best friends are going with me, and I'll be meeting two of my team mates for the first time! If your in the Portland/Vancouver are and you'd like to come out and see us here's the details:

Sterling Heights Apts.

1221 SE Ellsworth Rd.

Vancouver, WA 98664

11-4, Sat. & Sun

Hope to see you there!

Both my shops will be in vacation mode for the weekend.

I'm also in another treasury! HUGE thanks to Liber Teas for featuring my necklace in her treasury :)

Purple Passion

2009-11-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot of my current treasury! Thanks Meg of Little Studio Photography and Jewellery for getting a picture for me :)

We tried turning my lap top on last night and it was having problems. So we took the case apart and let it dry over night. I have a dentist appt that we're leaving for soon...and we'll try again when we get back! Hoping and praying that it works! If not...I've come up with a plan so I can do a make-shift inventory for the new items for tomorrows bazaar.

Oh! And I signed up for two more bazaars yesterday :D

It Seems Like Things Always...

2009-11-05T14:51:00.001-08:00

Some times it seems like things always go wrong at the worst times! There are days I'd like to hunt down Murphy of famed Murphy's law and insure that he/she had never been born! *sigh*

Today I managed to baptize Jack. Who's Jack? Jack is my laptop. Yes, I know, your not supposed to baptize laptops! It was an accident. I would never purposely subject my baby to half a glass of water for any other reason. The fact remains, it happened, two days before my bazaar. Ahhh!

The good news is that I can still borrow my hubbies computer today for e-mail and blogging and the like. The bad news is that we won't know for sure if Jack's ok until we try turning him on tomorrow...and I can't access my inventory until Jack is turned back on. Which means I will have a bunch off last minute stuff to do tomorrow (in and around appointments and other plans) that I planned on working on today!

I was panicking earlier, but I know that the hard drive should be intact no matter what, and I can figure it all out eventually. It's just bad timing. And, if for some reason I can't access my inventory before the show, I've figured out a plan to wing it without it. I'll just be grumpy :P

Oh! In good news - I managed to snag a treasury this morning! I call it Purple Passion :) I'd post a pic of it - but I don't think my hubby has any photo editing software on here. *sigh* Can someone snag me a shot of my treasury and send it to me in case I don't get Jack up and running quickly enough?

Now I'm off to get my monthly newsletter out! If you don't get a copy of it in your inbox by this evening, and you'd like to (especially if you want the bazaar info), send me an e-mail to roseworksjewelry@gmail.com and I'll add you to the list and send you at a copy of this month's newsletter :)