Back from Vacation, Off Again for Another Work Trip

Hello readers! Long time, no hear from me. My apologies. I've been swamped! Much work to do in the studio, plus very busy with my job, creating online learning courseware.

I've been trying to stock up as necessary on some of my items; it's a slow process. August will be tremendously busy, as I plan to get ready for the holidays. My supplier once again ran out of the beads I use for my Santa Fe Teardrops earrings and all of their different variations in Red and in Copper (available at Simply Wired Custom Jewelry on Etsy!), so I'll be making more and re-photographing with different beads, yet again. Why not give up? Because they are some of my best sellers. So, I don't want to ruin a good thing.

Amongst all of this activity, I have a show with the band next Saturday. You can see details on The Simple Groove web site. Or, you can certainly be our friend on The Simple Groove MySpace page. We welcome all of you!

Finally, as mentioned in the title of this post, I have another trip for work coming up...this time to Kansas City, MO. I'll be posting an announcement in my shop, and I'll be filling orders when I return on 7/26 (oh, how I wish Etsy would establish Vacation Mode for us!).

As promised in my previous post, I do have some pictures from vacation, but I still need to get the large amount of them off of my camera. That will come soon, but not tonight, as I have many things to get done over the next few days. You may not hear from me until I get back from Kansas City, so have a great 1.5 weeks!

Improving the Etsy Shop, Part 4

I'm still playing the slow catch-up of the 30 day plan, but hey, since my shop isn't up and running yet, I should be OK eventually. Today's activity is to update my profile. Here's where I am so far:

I'm Chelsea, the creator of Simply Wired Custom Jewelry. By day, I’m an instructional systems designer, and when I find time outside of being a workforce professional, I’m a jewelry artisan. Wire and gemstones are what continuously draw me in…the combination of the two is electrifying. At the beginning of this side-profession of mine, I was searching for something to keep my hands and my brain creatively occupied. I started to explore different types of beads and techniques, and when I saw what could be done with wire, that’s when I decided it was for me.

Nature, art, music, people, emotions, weather, and my day-to-day surroundings inspire me. Within my portfolio, you’ll find creations comprised of sterling silver wire, in many cases oxidized. I also favor the look of copper, so a few of my recent pieces incorporate its basic, earthy glory. Weaved, enclosed, or entwined among the wraps you’ll find many types of gemstones, my favorites being turquoise, carnelian, and amber. Metal has also been calling my name as of late, so stay tuned and watch me grow. I promise I will keep trying to improve!

None of my designs would have ever come to fruition without an incessant desire to learn from established professionals. Continuous reading, researching, and enrolling in online classes have enabled me to develop my own personal style, which I attribute to Lisa Niven Kelly, Kriss Silva, Sharilyn Miller, Mark Lareau, Linda Chandler, and Christine Ritchey.

Finally, when I’m not working on jewelry, you can find me working on my musical career, where I’m a vocalist for a little project called The Simple Groove. You can also find me spending time with my wonderful husband, my two St. Bernards, and my two cats. The free moments that are left are spent reading, baking, and watching my backyard birds from the comfort of my living room.

"Six Things About Me"

Yes, fellow Etsy bloggers, I've been tagged. Cori (http://www.designsbycori.blogspot.com/) chose me as one of her lucky six recipients that have to list six things about themselves, and then tag six other bloggers. Being that it's almost 11:30 on a Sunday night, I'm not thinking too clearly. So hopefully I'll have this list ready for you tomorrow. It will give me something to think about while I'm working! Haha.

For now I can give you item #1: I'm in a band.

Yes, I'm a rock star. Well--er--sorta. I'm a folksinger in a band called The Simple Groove, and we play acoustic tunes for audiences who like to drink wine or coffee, smoke cigarettes (even though we're non-smokers), and listen to us in small little intimate settings. I'm the vocalist, and I write the lyrics and compose the melodies for most of the songs. Who else is in the band, you ask? Why, it's my brother, James. A very talented musician indeed, much more so than I, and he's pretty much the brains behind the whole thing. He plays the guitar and lays down the main guitar riffs for our songs. Anyway, I'm rambling about this now because I'm very passionate about it, but you can check us out on our site (mentioned above). If you like us, you should also go to The Simple Groove MySpace page and become one of our friends! We'd love to add you to our list.

That's all for now, I hope to have five more tomorrow, and I'll also need to dig up six bloggers to pass this little game on to.

Rock on,
Chelsea

"Reloj" Update, New Stuff, Store Update, Etc.

Reloj Update

Well I'm still trying to come up with how I want to put Reloj together. I decided I hated the way I wrapped the focal pendant, so I ripped it apart and started anew. At first I used 24 and 30g wire, and I thought it looked too thin. So, I switched it up and did it with 20 and 24g, and I love it so much more! Plus, I'm becoming a fan of the coiled bail...it's nice and thick and wirey (is that a word??!!).

Also note that I changed the "headpin" spiral a little bit...I created a loose spiral and then hammered it out...it gave it this asymmetrical, textured look that I really like. I'm probably going to go with that approach much more often, it's sooooooo much more "non-uniform".

I created some easy links for one of the strands, and incorporated some lapis and amber beads. The amber chips were left over from a previous project, so I had just enough to make the other strand with the carnelian and lapis. Next will be another strand made of wire and beads only...mostly carnelian, I think. Finally, I'm also diggin' the way I'm going to wrap the wooden tusks...I'm doing a basket weave at the top rather than a full wrap around it (I'm also turning into a HUGE weaving fan...need a lesson? Check out http://www.beaducation.com/ -- it's one of my favorites).

New Stuff

So I worked on this little guy this past Friday night, and I love, love, love it. Its title will be "Talking in Circles," as I've decided I might start to name my pieces after the lyrics in some of the songs I write for The Simple Groove (yeah! check it out--mp3s 'n such!). The focal pendant is red jasper, and I wrapped it in sterling silver wire. It'll eventually be oxidized , but until I put it all together it'll stay nice 'n shiny. Stay tuned for updates to this one; I promise I'll post 'em.

Store Update, Etc.

So I wanted to get my Etsy store out there this past weekend, but I was a bit under the weather. Next weekend will be the target, and I'll probably post a new item daily. If you have questions in the meantime, you can email me. Of course, I'll still take custom requests, in fact, I just got asked to do bridesmaids' jewelry for one of my friend's weddings. If the couple lets me, I'll post my progress here. If not, I'll get the final photos on this site when it's finished (after their wedding, of course) and on my Flickr page.

Well, my favorite shows of the week, Weeds and Californication are on, and I'm missing them. So, I'm out for now.

Coil it up,
Chelsea