Teka and Zoe, Michelle's Musing

My new adventure

2012-01-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

I have taken on a new venture Or should I say ADVENTURE. I have taken over a Jewelry supply and tool business called Fundametals from my dear freind Jeanette Blix Ryan. It has been a learning curve...bit is a bumpy start...kind of a wild ride....BUT wa are building up steam over at Fundametals. So to create a little buzzzzz I am having a giveaway of some cold hard fundamentals CASH! $25 bucks to shop with on fundametals.net. Do you need a new tool? How about some metal, wire, beads..oh my? PLUS I will ship your order to you FOR FREE! All you need to do is a few simple tasks....that are oh so easy. The more tasks you complete the more entries you will get. I have wanted to have a giveaway for a while but they are so hard to manage. But I found this really cool service called Rafflecopter. It takes care of all the entries for you. The more tasks you complete the more entries you will get. Now that is pretty cool. They are also having a giveaway on their website to win an Ipad. Go to their site to enter. Yeah! Free stuff! To enter our contest just use the widget below. The more you tasks you complete the more entries you will get. Contest ends on the 12.01est 1/19/12..so hurry!

Thank-you! Michelle Mahler Teka and Zoe AND Fundametals a Rafflecopter giveaway

My new friend..He is called a Potter Press

2012-01-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

Last summer I was sooo lucky, after selling off some unused tools, to take the plunge and buy my hydraulic press. I researched and researched...Will it be the Shark Bite? The Bonny Doone? Then I stumbled onto the Potter USA website. I first I dismissed it, was it for ceramics(potters?)? I went around and asked others questions..read up on building my own. I do tend to obsess over the details when I am making a big decisions like this one. Then with more searching I found the Potter USA site again and this lead to Kevin Potter's You Tube channel. The videos of this guy totally enjoying his job..cutting and welding metal won me over. I then ask him a bazzillion questions which he patiently answered. So my order was placed...once it arrived...It was Love at first site! Or should I say first squeeze! I thought of making a video showing you how they work. But how much better could it be to see Kevin himself explaining how a blanking die (or pancake die) works with a 20-ton press. The press can do a multitude of tasks. Cutting metals blanks is just one of them. Thus the term "blanking die". This is a sample of what a pancake die looks like:Here is Kevin demonstrating how to cut with the die: This is a necklace I made using this very die. I first cut it out of copper, shaped it with some reposse and dapping tools. Then I enameled it: More about the press later. Michelle Mahler Teka and Zoe and Fundametals.net

The Power of the Front Page on Etsy

2011-09-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

From my previous post you see that I made it into a treasury that made it in the Front Page. That tiny little window in time is so important. There are so many items on Etsy it is very hard to be found. And to make matters worse Etsy changed the search method from a recency search to a relevancy search. I think for some items it is a good thing as you will get better results. But for us jewelry makers it is even harder to be found. You can imagine even if you have your titles right and all your key words right that is 5000 people are doing the same thing that it is the luck of the draw who is going to make it on say the first 10 pages of the search. Some customers may not even look down 10 pages. That being said I wanted to show you the power of a front page showing. The picture below is a screen shot of my shop on the Shop Lovers online tools on Craftopolis.com. The little purple man is the visits per that day in my shop, the white page is the page views in my shop ad the red heart is the hearts that day. I got the front page on Sept 18th. You can see the spike. The previous Sunday 873 page views...the day of the mention 6601. WOW! This is a big spike. Everything went up. Can you imagine my luck and wonder if it happened every day?? I would probably cry as I could not keep up. I have had a little spike in orders this week. But you never know what the hearts will lead to later.
p.s. not matter what i try i cannot get my picture to center. If you have any tips e-mail me.

Made it on the Front Page of Etsy Today!

2011-09-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Horray...I missed up but here it was: Thank-you AliandBellaCustomize

Famous Friday....ok a bit late!

2011-09-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

If I were "famous" Nicole Kidman would be wearing my earrings! But alas I am not....yet anyway! But I do love Photoshop HA!

Here they are close-up. Don't you think she really should own a pair?

Palette Play

2011-09-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

I love building Palettes of color. It really lets you see the colors within the picture. This Bangle took my months to make but it is finally finished. The colors are so bright and lively.

Famous Friday

2011-09-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

This is my new series I am calling "Famous Friday". It is a funny thing "fame". If I were "famous" Paris Hilton would be wearing my earrings! I hope you see the humor in this. I find it hysterical. Aren't I a funny person!! HA HA! Funny in my own mind?

You to can be famous...You can find these earrings on my Etsy site: Dogwood Earrings

Silk String Bundles

2011-08-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Silk Strings bundles....Hand dyed...lots of fun!
Find them on my artfire site "Textures"

I have been in some GREAT and Inspiring Treasuries on Etsy

2011-08-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

'Lightning's Daughter' by 3pearls

Two-fer Tuesday Treasury Island Spotlight on PaintBrushedBoutique and RoyalRegards :)

Decorative Hand Painted Bric... PaintBrushedBo... $37.00	Birthday Card- Yellow Flower... RoyalRegards $3.25	Francesca - Wooden Round Eph... ComeDayGoDay $12.00	Hoop Earrings Mustard Color ... tekaandzoe $42.00
Oak Tree Print 11.7x16.5 ChasingtheCray... $30.00	Augustina - Felt Donkey. Ar... TwoSadDonkeys $35.00	Vintage Bunsen Burners, Set ... bellalulu $36.00	Dazey Metal Flower Frogs TheVintageParl... $18.00
1918 Beauty Christine Whispy... maclancy $8.50	Yellow Buttercups 8x8 inch F... FloraCollectio... $65.00	Calling for Lightning's ... UltraMedia $13.95	Mid Century FLINTWOOD SALAD ... WellWudJaLookA... $15.99
Coffee Sterling silver Amber... SilverLinesJew... $28.00	Black Leather Cowboy Boots S... TheVintageParl... $58.00	Original Artwork, Mixted Tec... ersimarina $35.00	Autumn red carnelian and ste... littlebugjewel... $60.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

'Number 2 Colour - Green' by TheBetterly

pine, olive, grass... ... ... it's all green and it's all beautiful!

Light moss green hand knit f... HandmadebyMia $60.00	Pear earrings - Free Worldw... beautyspot $22.00	Vintage Handmade Green Flora... MayDae $40.50	Mid Century Modern Lime Gre... CaptainCat $28.00
1980s 8-pc Set of Olive Gree... Scentsiblescen... $8.50	70's vintage green geome... Peleda $24.00	Vintage button collection - ... vintagebuttone... $2.50	Green Vintage Fabric with Li... EasternMarket $39.00
Set of 4 Fabric Covered Butt... shagpile $6.46	Cushion cover 16 " x 16... itsokretro $30.00	Oversaturated grass OOAK- Ba... Dyeforwool $19.50	Grass Flower Button Bobby Pi... nicolecarey $5.00
Dots of Color - Copper Ename... tekaandzoe $16.00	Pin Up with Gas Mask on Bike... darkcyclecloth... $21.00	Felt Coasters in Lime and Gr... fuzzylogicfelt $21.00	Simple Penny Rug Charm Neckl... SewSweetStitch... $16.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

'Peaches and Green' by CaraScarlett

All I can ever say is that I am always amazed at what beautiful things I can find here on Etsy!

mini purse necklace - koke kikosattic $46.00	Two Old Books Bundled with T... Sawdusty $10.00	To Sir With Love messenger b... tamilyn $47.99	Green Wool Felt Bowler LeChapeau $95.00
Romantic Eiffel Tower Paris ... glasslaceandlo... $5.25	Provence, France 1999 - 8x8 ... opart $21.00	Painted Cottage Aqua Chic Ro... paintedcottage... $565.00	Up-Cycled Locker Number Tag ... thelittlecraft... $14.00
Vintage French radio lapomme $295.00	Mint Lace Earrings enlalumiere $22.50	Sale, Laundry day, 8x8 fine ... stephmel $27.00	French Onion Soup Bowl Mug L... darshanpottery $20.00
Early 1900s Czech Enameled B... BlueGrotto $225.00	Mossy Old Ivory Leaves Hand ... tekaandzoe $42.00	Gaea handmade ceramic bead c... gaea $24.00	Canvas art collage Lilla $22.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

So Inspired by Treasuries Today....

2011-06-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

I just HAD to post a few. The colors are SO gorgeous and inspiring! What do you think?

'Some like it Hot' by BlushingMermaid

up, up, away cassandrapence $15.00	My lonely friend - ACEO Prin... zime $4.00	In Flight 7 print hunterartist $20.00	funky bright colorful swirly... maryjudy $48.00
Festive Flowers Garland -- ... MadeMary $32.00	Papaya and Lime. Original Oi... LilyCrowder $100.00	Curled Circles Aqua and Or... tekaandzoe $32.00	The Chase - couple riding bi... dannyphillipsa... $25.00
Extra Long Turquoise Howlite... rachelungerjew... $36.00	Vintage Lace Earrings - ster... modesign $28.00	Indian Spices, Curry and Swe... karmelidesigns $18.00	Turquoise Leather Wrap Brace... patunias $60.00
Spring is Peaceful and Green... aslancrafts $12.00	Having The Guts emmarts $161.00	Twin Lap Festive Freda Qu... squirrelshire $170.00	Turquoise and Carnelian desi... khmetalwork $145.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

'i spy with my bluest eye' by hairofthehare

Hoop Earrings Robins Egg Blu... tekaandzoe $40.00	NEW - sea siren necklace - s... piehat $28.00	Handmade Paper Flowers - Aqu... umwowstudio $4.75	Fly Like a Beagle (greeting ... echarrow $3.00
Crisp Cool Ocean Sapphire Bl... BootsNGus $245.00	Sparkle Earrings Swarovski C... CuteJewels $30.00	Sky Blue Dragonfly Magnets merritthyde $15.00	Blue Skies Picnic Dress DepanneurRoyal... $54.00
AQUA Tri Circle Beaded and S... bethanylorelle $24.00	Vintage 50s 60s Blue and Whi... MoreToAdoreVin... $45.00	Sky Blue & Gold Tone Designe... bvjbondVintage... $24.95	Sky Blue Vintage 1950s Stile... BombshellShock... $34.00
Blue Moon Clock CyberMoon $17.00	Midnight Teensy Barn Owl Fel... OrdinaryMommy $20.00	Clip In Feather Extensions -... FlourishSalon $26.00	3D Paper Butterfly Ring Sky ... SpotLightJewel... $9.95

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio

'Poppy Rock' by Blushie

hippie chic tie headband BeSomethingNew $32.00	Field of Poppies -Flower pho... Raceytay $30.00	Dancer - an earthy textured ... peifferStudios $29.00	Pendulum Earrings Ruby July ... PoleStar $47.00
Light summer rain in a bottl... Coocachoo $18.00	Moss and Old Red Cone Flower... tekaandzoe $42.00	Treasure What You Have ThePolkadotMag... $85.00	vintage 1950's nautical ... Thrush $32.00
handmade ceramic espresso cu... claylicious $52.00	Limited edition- Fiesta - cr... soradesigns $14.50	Brooch - Brown & Red Fabric ... ByCameoCurio $8.50	Check Coupon Availability Re... drobart $299.99
Red and Multi Color Rock Wre... BeacheryDesign... $28.00	Adventure companion (wood co... yellowbirdpape... $36.00	Red Hoop Earrings. Painted r... ChristineMarie... $25.00	Pitcher- Rustic Red NSpottery $30.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Made it on the Front Page of ArtFire - Woo Hooo!!

2011-06-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

I just found out I made it on the front page of Artfire in the Citrus Splash Collection by Biddysbeads

i heart marco {in the studio}

2011-05-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

I decided to participate in the i heart macro blog share. Join in and share your love of macro photography.
Check out all the entries at Studio Waterstone by clicking this link:

Yummy G R E E N

2011-05-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

'It's Kiwi Time!' by LunaDiArgento

Enjoy

Bohemian style, lime lace ea... CoupDeCoeurJew... $14.00	Spring Creamy White Tulips P... happeemonkee $15.00	Green tint Enamel Ring mariastudio $74.00	The Sea Urchin Bag StarBags $122.00
Trefoil handmade wool felt h... tricotaria $15.00	Lime - Peridot heart shape... sivylla $18.04	Lime Green Curly Long Scarf,... beemaya $10.00	The Mad Aroma of Wild Limes ... kraplap $18.00
Fabulous Pebbles shoulder ba... colettecolor $63.00	Sparkling Green Crystal Tria... bysweetmom $60.00	Eye Pillow - Rockin' BoutiqueKarma $10.00	Oui, je t'aime- A perido... ericosmicgirl $27.00
Lime Green Scroll Earrings tekaandzoe $32.00	Torch Fired Enamel, Copper -... Balanced $30.00	Ring Beaded Lime Vikulya $17.00	Paradise Shea Butter Soap KBShimmer $5.50

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

I found this cool tool....

2011-05-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this new tool you can use to generate code so that you can have an Etsy Treasury added to your blog post. This approach is better than just taking a screen shot because the links will be automatically created for you.
The treasury title links to the Etsy treasury page
The name of the curator links to their Etsy page
The photo and the title of each item links to the Etsy listing page
The name of the seller for each item links to the seller's Etsy shop
Check it out here: Etsy Treasury HTML Code Tool
Here is a sample of a Treasury I have made:

'Thoughtful' by tekaandzoe

Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.

Theodore Roosevelt

Yes, She Can. A Folk Art Col... allisonstrine $	I Step Outside Myself and Se... bluebicicletta $20.00	Forgiveness- A painting afte... ArtByCorby $30.00	Faithful Guidance photograph godwithdan $22.00
Be The Change You Want To Se... colorbee $	Something on your mind.. a 5... candacejean $10.00	Luke 6:31 mixedmediamama $15.00	I Am Good Enough Softcover J... thisisit $12.00
Bansky Graffiti - One Origin... davidsphotogra... $	Kindness 8x10 Print tornperspectiv... $18.00	The thought- original sculpt... roisinreilly $250.00	Rain Begins Again Metallic P... phoot $150.00
Girl Thinking, Having a Goo... tiffanymcfarla... $18.00	Follow Your Heart Button kohaku16 $3.00	Lost in my thoughts Tosya $	Oil Painting of old man rlabonte $550.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

'Sky Blue ' by AngelaDesign

Japanese rose necklace fleurfatale $39.00	locket pendant necklace in g... birdsoforegon $32.00	And the Sky Went on Forever ... bomobob $40.00	reusable cup cozy - vintage ... laurabucci $24.00
Lightness- sterling silver h... soradesigns $32.50	Quaint Embroidered Floral Mi... RiverOfRomansk $43.80	Tree Crown Jewelry set - Spe... beautyspot $45.00	Summer Skies - 8x8 bird prin... elgarboart $30.00
Vintage Large Sky Blue Marbl... foragervintage $27.00	Stillness - 8 x 10 paper pri... maechevrette $20.00	Earth Sea and Sky- Hand Pain... marysworkshop $30.00	Faded Denim and Aged Ivory D... tekaandzoe $42.00
2pcs (Matte Powder Blue/Corn... CMVision $3.79	Our Nest - The Perfect Littl... barnowlprimiti... $23.00	Luna - Original drawing ACEO carambatack $25.00	For Moms Sale 25% off- It ... southwinddesig... $24.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

I do LOVE green... I DO, I DO !

2011-05-06T12:39:00.001-07:00

I love everything about the treasury. My husband just cut our grass for the first time this year. All the green...no more white, gold or brown! YEAH spring!
Thank-you HallesHouse for all the wonderful green.
Click on the picture to see the Treasury on Etsy and comment.

A little goody every workbench should have

2011-05-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

I have been selling and using these great little disposable brushes for years. Not many people now about them but I think they are GREAT. They are great because you can use them with a yucky product for a quick applications and then just pitch them in the trash. I really like it when I can put a bit of patina were I want it to go instead of all over a piece. They come in 3 sizes and 1 brush size. 1 pack of 10 brushes of: The Ultra Brush, Regular size microbrush, Fine microbrush and Super-Fine microbrush. The originated for the Dental industry and the manufacturer packs them for hobby users too. The benefits of the patented design with a bendable neck that facilitates precise placement in difficult areas Non-absorbent, non-linting fibers suspend solution as small as 1/8 of a drop No dripping or spilling Minimum waste of material applied. Usage: Paints, Adhesives, Powder, Lubricants, Solvents, Patina...so many more. If you want to give them a try you can find them on my ArtFire site Textures.

Man I love these colors!!

2011-05-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am so inspired by these color choices. I feel I must make something with Teal and that Rusty Apricot. Now I just have to come up wit the design and get enameling.
Thank-you cayennepeppybags for your inspiration! Click on the picture and go to the treasury live and leave a comment.

I am so in love with these colors!

2011-04-25T20:10:00.001-07:00

I am in love with these colors. Please click and view leave and leave a comment. I really LOVE these colors. Blue and Olive. YUMMY! Thank-you LiciaBeads for including me.

Warm up your spring with this HOT treasury

2011-04-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

I do love this shade of RED! Thank-you noblegnome
for including my Purple and Red cone flower earrings. As a side note I notices that you can now scroll over the corner of the picture of the item you are viewing and a little "heart" pops up. You can see it in the corner of my pciture. You can "heart" your favs just by clicking.

Bright and Lively Treasury on Etsy

2011-04-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Really love'n this fresh treasury I am included in on Etsy.
Thnx shellieartist
She has called in Feeling Peachy

Did you know I also have an ArtFire supply store?

2011-04-09T23:51:00.000-07:00

Last last year I set up an ArtFire supply store. I have called is Textures. Such a great word Textures...Isn't it? I think it has a perfect meaning for the things I love, find...buy to much and and want to share. My latest find I love so much I feel greedy and want to keep them all myself. But I cannot, so good for you. But I really cannot wait to enamel some pieces and make some jewelry using them.

Stunning hand dyed Shibori Ribbon from Shibori Girl Studio, Glennis Dolce. Shibori is a Japanese term for several methods of dyeing cloth with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, or compressing it.

This technique is applied to bias cut 100% silk satin ribbon, which is carefully pole wrapped and dyed and over-dyed multiple times to create stunning, vibrant color variations between the pleats and throughout the ribbon resulting a three dimensional work of art!
I will surely post my creations when I get them made up.
Aren't they Luscious? See them here too.

Palette Play

2011-03-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in so long...I have been to busy for my own good. I decided to take a few moments and play with Photoshop Elements wish I love...but never have that much time for.
I am playing with Palettes tonight. It is fun to see what colors are actually IN the picture.

My new favorite Tools

2011-01-12T14:36:00.001-08:00

I treated my self to some new tools. I am so glad I did as I really wanted to get to some sawing. I have drawn out some deigns a lonnnggg time ago and just never sat down and DID IT. So I made time and just started cutting. The first flower I made was a large pendent. It took more 6 saw blades to get thru. That was with my old 8" saw frame. So I had ordered some more saw blades and hemmed and hawed about the knew concept saw...should I spend the $$ now?...guilt guilt..this was close to Christmas time. But I did take the plunge. I LOVE THIS SAW FRAME! I was able to cut a whole flower right thru with out breaking a blade. It is so lightweight. Very easy to tension the blades. I must also mention the Studio Flux bench pin too. I love it also. I specially like the little whole to the right for cutting tiny details. I purchase my blades, saw frame and bench pin from fundametals.net. Jeanette Blix Ryan is the owner, she is so kind and helpful.
Here are a few of my creations:
You an find them at Teka and Zoe on Artfire

Long time no post...

2010-12-21T20:16:00.001-08:00

It has been to long between posts. I have been crazy busy with x-mas sales. I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel. In between my orders I have been experimenting with new techniques. I have been wanting to try stenciling for while. Finally got the correct sifter and dabbled a bit. More to come as time permits. I like it and want to experiment more.
Here are the results:

Busy Busy Busy!

2010-11-22T21:09:00.000-08:00

New Styles.... So busy.... Color Color Color! No time for words......