...and Thanksgiving is Almost Here!

Good gravy (no pun) readers, it's almost that time. So much stuff to do before then, so little time. Not to mention, I haven't been keeping up with my reading of the Etsy Bloggers boards, and I almost missed this Blog Carnival. Yup, you got it...another one related to the holidays, 'cept this one is related to Thanksgiving.

I have until midnight to finish this post for Stormy Designs, who is hosting this blog, so this is gonna be quick and dirty for sure! To ensure that I get this in on time, I'm going to post my "To Do" list here for my holiday weekend. That way, if I have to add anything later, during the week I'll be back to update the progress I've made.

Here goes:

• Go to liquor store. Much wine is needed for this holiday.
• Prep items for the things I'm responsible for making (dinner is at my parents' house this year): apple dumplings, pumpkin pie, tomato basil dip
• Determine what else to make to go to my friend's house, which is where we hang out at Thanksgiving evening.
• Dig through all of my DVDs to find "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," which is a family tradition where we're all stuffed and feelin' fat and we watch this hilarious movie while drinking that wine I bought at the liquor store.
• Make apple dumplings, pumpkin pie, tomato basil dip
• Try to fight off my husband from eating apple dumplings and pumpkin pie (my honey has a bit of a sweet tooth)
• Did I mention go to the liquor store?
• Begin holiday shopping on Etsy :oD

Well, there you have it. Perhaps I'll put recipes up later this week? They're quite easy and yummy too.

Nighty-night, all.

Dyed Beads: A No-No in the Tumbler!

So last night during an anal retentive phase, I decided to throw my "Paint it Cherry Red" brooches into the tumbler. The one that is now available for sale as of this evening made it through OK (see pic); however, the one that was supposed to go out the door this week is history. Yap. Gone and redone. I used red coral beads in these, and totally forgot that they were dyed. The one that was to be mailed out...the custom order for my friend, had a few marks on the wire from my pliers, so I figured I'd just throw it back in there and the tumbler would polish them out. When I took out the brooch, the poor little red coral beads were a very dull pink color. Ugh.

So anyway, I got up this morning early and wound, wound, wound another one. Here's a photo of it...all nice 'n shiny 'n new looking. The good thing is I'm starting to become proficient at the technique. Another good thing is that my friend will get a better product, as hers was the very first one I made and as I mentioned it had some slight scratches. I thought everything was a goner last night though. But...after asking for some help in the Etsy Forums, I got the encouragement to at least salvage some of it, and I did. I was able to keep the frame, as well as all of the beads that weren't red coral. So...chalk it up to a lesson learned.

I also took some additional pics tonight of my new products, but they turned out crappy due to the colors of the beads. I'll need to mess around with my settings...and there might be a lot of Photoshop going on this week! Expect some labradorite, some moonstone, some smoky quartz, some pearls, and some garnets. Most are earrings, but I have a new necklace/earring set on its way, too.

Peace out.

So Much Info to Share!

Greetings readers. Much info in the world of Simply Wired Custom Jewelry today.

The first piece I want to share is my latest Treasury, basically because I'm unable to put up any new photos due to my lack of a camera (see my last post). It's titled "Get REDdy for Holiday Shopping" and it includes links to some of my faves that are--you guessed it--red. Yum. You can get to it with this link...but hurry 'cause it's gonna expire in about one day.

Next in my news: the All Things Handmade blog. littleputbooks and schOOLLOcker sponsor this one, and I'm a volunteer. Here's why it's great: It houses lists and lists of sellers' Etsy Minis, grouped by category. Us volunteers read the blog on a daily basis, and check the comments, which is where sellers request to be listed. We then upload their Etsy Mini, and woo! They get some promotion on the site. Sound cool or what? I know it does, that's why you should go there now! For quick reference, if you'd like to know more information, jump to these links directly:

• About Etsy Mini Blog


• Press & Media Information


• Add Your Mini Now!

Currently, I'm curating the Music and the Zines & Comics categories. I've sent out a few requests, so I'm waiting for responses and comments. Feel free to visit and leave a comment if your products fit within one of those categories!

Wow. I think that's it for now. Check in often for updates that relate to new products that I'll be releasing in my shop; I hope to get pics up on my Flickr page this weekend. I also bought some wonderful holiday-esque packaging materials tonight from Michael's, so I'm looking forward to my next sale.

Paint It Cherry Red

Well, even without my camera, I gotta put something up that I'm working on, so readers, you'll have to deal with the less-than-perfect photo for now.

I introduce you to: Paint It Cherry Red, a brooch that incorporates the lovely colors of red (red garnet, red coral, and red Czech glass) into a mosaic technique against a hand forged sterling silver frame. In case you missed it, you can see the draft version of this brooch here.

These were quite fun, and took up most of my weekend! I made the frame out of 16g wire, and then hammered it to flatten it. Then, I used 18g wire to wrap the ends together tightly and form the pin. On the opposite side is also an 18g wrap that holds the hook for the pin to fit in.

Notice the one on the left has a defined set of Czech glass beads going up the middle, from the bottom left to the top right. I designed this one a little differently--I added this strip first, and then "mosaiced" (I think I just made up that word) each side of the brooch separately. I hope to post these next week in my Etsy shop.

Speaking of Etsy, have you started to put together your shopping list yet? Here's a few pointers: Check out my post on shopping picks for the holidays. You might also want to read up on this "Handmade Pledge" that's going around, especially in light of all of the recent toy recalls we've been seeing on the front pages. Need a quick refresher on the recalls? Check out fellow Etsy Blogger AliciaMae's article at: http://www.quazen.com/Shopping/Gifts/Christmas-Gift-Alternatives-to-Recalled-Toys.57776.

That's all for now...four days 'til I get my camera back!

Can't wait to click click click...

Why I Love My Camera

So, my husband went away on a hunting trip this week to Vermont. Before he left, he asked if he could take my camera with him. I said yes of course! I want him to be able to capture scenes from the deep woods of Vermont and its mountainous landscape with only the best of the best. However, this is putting a real damper on me at home, as it's going to hinder me listing new items because I believe my old camera (The Brick) has finally had it.

Yes readers, for tonight I was going to do some quick 'n dirty pics of some of my works in progress, including some of my custom orders. I took The Brick into the photo studio (as in, my little work room), and snapped away. I then loaded the pics on to my computer, hoping something would be salvageable; alas, they were all stinkaroo. I really don't know how I functioned with that thing. The macro setting is terrible; I was only a foot away and the photos were STILL blurry! Image stabilization is also a luxury that I just don't know HOW I lived without for so long.

Anyway, here's some updates if you care to know:

The brooch I was working on for my friend (view the draft version) is finished; it has a combination of red coral, red garnet (so deep red it's almost purple), some red Czech glass faceted rounds, and some sterling silver beads. The weight of the brooch itself is awesome! I hope she likes it. If not, I'm sure there's room for it in my Etsy store.

A friend of mine requested a custom order for his girlfriend, and I was really torn about what to make for her. Then, I decided labradorite would be the perfect fit. Now, I must tell you, I'm a turquoise girl at heart, and I noticed that quite a few sellers list labradorite as their favorite gem. I really didn't want to jump on the bandwagon, as I figured the stone had enough followers. And then I received a big strand of nuggets in the mail. Oh, how I love it. The way the color reflects differently in each piece, with flashes of blue and light green...it's just magical. And the combination of it with rainbow moonstone? YUM. So, I can't wait to make this gift. She's going to love it.

So, without the camera, I'll be renewing this week rather than listing new stuff. That's OK though, because it will give me time to create a few more originals (including some pieces with smoky quartz, another new fave of mine). Next week, I'll be back with some works in progress, as my husband will be back and hopefully my camera will be in one piece!

First Sale, 100 Hearts, Life is Good

Well, I reached two milestones this week--I made my first Etsy sale, and I reached 100 hearts. I also got another custom order! I'm quite happy, and it's been a great week. My sale came as a result of placing my item on Skwiggle Kreationz--it's a Social Network within Ning (IndiePublic is in this network, too!) that helps artists and designers with exposure and advertising. It's a great site! If you decide to get over there and join, be sure to send me a friend request; I'm happy to accept.

I also put a pendant in my shop today, as promised. It's called Luna; here's a li'l photo for ya. You can also go directly to it here.

As far as my weekly feature goes, I'm thinking I might have to put it on hold until after the holidays. The reason is because of the number of custom orders I have, along with the fact that everyone ELSE is undoubtedly very busy. So, although it may give me an increase in traffic, I'm going to have to postpone. Who knows? By then, I may determine a bigger, better feature to include. So, until then, stay tuned!

Get your wire out,

Chelsea

They Love Each Other

They Love Each Other
Originally uploaded by Simply Wired

They really do! As promised, here's one of my photos of one of my St. Bernards, Gus, and one of my cats, Shammer. For more photos of my pets, along with some new work, go see my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/simply_wired. Leave some love! I promise I'll get back to you.

Shop Etsy for the Holidays!

Today’s entry is related to the Etsy Bloggers Street Team Blog Carnival. The theme? Christmas Gift Ideas! This one is going to be soooooooo easy, as I’ve already been doing Christmas shopping on Etsy. Not to mention, I’m trying to stick with the Handmade Pledge as much as I can, because gifts that are crafted by hand are much more unique and meaningful than those that are mass produced.

What this nice little entry will do is give you an idea of some of the wonderful items that are available on Etsy…I’m trying to stay practical and reach a broad audience. I’ll provide five items below that would serve as a great Christmas gift…if you don’t think so, you’ll at least be exposed to the wide range of goodies available! Also, please keep in mind that I’m not going to let you know if these are MY specific Christmas gift items…I have friends and family reading this post, so I don’t want to spoil it, of course! Anyway…enjoy.

Scarflettes!

These are one of the coolest items I’ve seen on Etsy so far. They’re like a little mini neck warmer, without all of the extra material that goes into a scarf! Many sellers are going to be offering scarflettes as the cold weather sets in; my favorite so far is from AllInStitches. The color combination is fabulous, and it matches just about everything I own!

Hats!

My hair was short for a very long time, but now it’s long once again, and so I LOVE wearing hats (they just didn’t look right with the shorter ‘do). Etsy sellers have a fabulous line of hats available, in all different styles. I need to get one for every day of the week! One of my favorite sellers that specializes in hats is BKMHattitude. I love this one especially…practical ‘n funky.

Toys!

Yep, I love toys. Especially ones that are handmade, of course! This little creature here is brought to you by NattyStuffs. I just love it! And, I can tell you that I’ve already bought one, and the quality is fantastic. I can’t wait to buy more!

Pottery!

When I decide to break down and redo my stoneware theme for my kitchen, I can tell you that nothing will come from Target or The Bon Ton. They’ll come from someone who specializes in pottery, like khphillips. His Mudstuffing Pottery studio has some amazing items, all done up earthy and practical, just like I like ‘em! This lovely set I have pictured here is one of my faves because it would be the perfect addition to my kitchen, especially the colors. I am certain that YOU have friends or family members that would love this!

Handbags!

Handbags are a very popular item on Etsy…there are a ton of fabulous sellers, each offering different styles, color combinations, and themes for their handbags. The one I’ll mention here is HerRoyalMajestyBags. HRMB’s items are absolutely lovely, with styles that accommodate anyone’s taste. Not to mention, her descriptions for her items are a joy to read, and I’m sure the Queen would be delighted if you visited her shop! She has a wide variety of offerings, and stands behind the quality of her work. From what I’ve noticed just by running into her on the forums, she’s an all around great person, and a pleasure to converse with.

So, that’s it for now. As you can see, I only listed a small number of items…I wish I could list more, but I have work to do for my own store, silly! Now, get out there and BUY HANDMADE. Your friends and family will love you for it, and you’ll be considered the best gift-giver EVER. Happy shopping!

Thirsty Visitor

I LOVE IT when birds visit my feeders. Today I was camera happy, and this little cutie decided to hang out at our birdbath. I also got an excellent photo of a female cardinal, but I love how fat 'n furry this yellow goldfinch looks, so I posted it here for all to see.

Today was also the first day of Etsy's Jewelry Showcase; I bought a spot in it. After thinking about it, it was probably a bad idea to have purchased the spot on its debut; however, it did generate 40+ hits for my featured item (Ocean Storm) as of the time of this posting. I also purchased numerous other Showcase spots, including the main Showcase on November 8th, and Jewelry Showcases on November 21st and November 23rd ("Black Friday"...oooooooooh).

I'm also in an Etsy Treasury today! ArtisticDetour was able to curate yet another cooooool list. This time, my Winter Grapes and Lemons Earrings were featured. Thanks once again, ArtisticDetour!

This week I hope to keep filling up the shop with items; I worked on some new earrings today and some pendants. The photo shoot took longer than expected of course, some requiring a re-shoot, but I should have enough to work with for initial postings.

Wrap it up,
Chelsea

Couchbound

Gooooooood grief Charlie Brown, my cold has kicked my butt this week. I thought I was coming around, but today my head felt like it would explode and my energy is all gone. So, most of the day has been spent on the couch. I have my little bead board beside me, waiting to be picked up, but the creativity just isn't there, basically because every two minutes I have to grab another tissue and blow my nose. Ick.

So, I'm going to have a slight delay on the feature article; look for it early on in the week. I also think I'm going to do a book review of some of my favorite resources. Finally, I need to figure out how to do this Blog Carnival thing, as I'm a member of the Etsy Bloggers Street Team and I need to determine ways that I can be further involved.

I'll also be posting some new items this week--a few pairs of earrings, my Talking in Circles necklace (finished! finally! yay!), maybe a bracelet, and a pendant or two.

Wire it up...
Chelsea