Whistle While You Work

...er...sorta.

I have a major deliverable due for work over the next coming week, so my blog posts will be a little light. I've been having trouble with inspiration lately with what I do at work; I have to write, and occasionally I get a little case of the writer's block. What I'm working on isn't even really requiring me to write brand new material; I have to take existing content and change it up a bit. Then, I have to put it into a paper-based storyboard format so the content can be converted into e-learning. Not hard, right? Well, sometimes it is. And when it is, that's when I put in my "Get Sh-- Done" playlist on my iTunes. What is in it? It's full of a nice mix of thumpin' hard techno beats. Yum. Currently spinning is Misstress Barbara: Relentless Beats Vol. 1. My office is rockin', I need some coffee, and then I'm going to crank this sucka OUT. And then I have two more to do. Hmmmmmm...ooooh I just got rocked by some crazy-a-- beats. Gotta go...there's work to be done.

Shop Highlight: The Hermitage

Don't you just LOVE when you have been looking and looking for something--the perfect thing--and then you find it on Etsy? And to top it off, don't you love even more that it's a handmade piece of art, crafted lovingly by someone who is so passionate you can see it in every aspect of their work? I do! I do!

That brings me to the shop I want to highlight today: The Hermitage.

Not long ago, in a little corner of my living room, I wandered across an Etsy front page collection filled with unique items. One in particular, however, brought me to Rima Staines's shop, and I'm so glad that I clicked on it so I could explore all of her wonderful pieces of work. Unique and mystical, magical and spellbound, all of her products make me want to close my eyes and live in the place that she has created, a place where conversations with faerie folk and magical creatures is an every day occurrence.

The reason why The Hermitage is such a fantastical find for me is because for months now I have been searching for the perfect piece of art that will adorn my entry way. It had to be that one perfect piece that would be situated above the coat hooks on my wall; the one piece that no matter whether someone was coming or going, they would be intrigued by its look and compelled to read it. You can imagine my delight when I came across this:

Isn't it just absolutely lovely? And it's going to go so well with the theme of my entry way. It will undoubtedly garner much attention, along with a request for information on where I found it and who made it, which I'll be absolutely delighted to share with all of my friends and acquaintances.

You can be a part of The Hermitage's world, too, by visiting Rima's Etsy store, The Hermitage web site (which houses a charming collection of characters, words, and creations), or for even more wondrous pleasure, visiting The Hermitage blog.

So what are you waiting for? Take some time for yourself, settle into your comfiest slippers and your coziest chair, and prepare to be enchanted. It's OK--The Hermitage's inhabitants welcome all wayfarers; see for yourself when you visit the Porch.

In the Mist Bracelet

In the Mist Bracelet
Originally uploaded by Simply Wired Custom Jewelry

Finally finished! This is the piece that accompanies the In the Mist Lariat; there are also earrings that will go along with the set (to be posted in my shop in about an hour or so).

I'm applying a special to these items--you can save $5.00 USD if you buy the lariat with the earrings, save $7.00 USD if you buy the lariat with the bracelet, or save $10.00 USD if you buy the lariat with the bracelet and the earrings.

Also coming soon will be the final Bizzy Buzz necklace (recall I had to rewrap the focal bead; it's done, but I still need to photograph it), as well as some new labradorite earrings and a new Earth Coils pendant.

I've been a busy, busy girl trying to create new stuff and get it ready for sale; I'm also going to be doing some traveling in March so I want to be sure my shop is well-stocked. On top of that, although I missed the opportunity to purchase an ad for Craft magazine through Etsy's Cooperative Advertisting Program, I did purchase some space on Modish--which will be up and on display on March 15th.

More to come ya'll...but it's Monday and I'm tired and I still need to package up some orders. Nighty night.

Bizzy Buzz - In Progress

Bizzy Buzz - In Progress
Originally uploaded by Simply Wired Custom Jewelry

Hooray for spring! This necklace was inspired by the upcoming season. I had some adorable little cast metal bees and so I decided it was time to incorporate them into a design.

This one isn't ready yet--I have to rewrap the focal bead. Ugh. The reason is because I thought I did the frame and the outer coils in 24g and 26g wire, and here I did them in 26g and 28g wire, which makes for thin coils that just bend too much for my liking. I also need to polish it up some more, but the little critters hanging from it told me that they were camera ready. In fact, if you look closely you can probably see little bits of steel wool hanging off of the chain links and the focal piece...the Bizzy Buzzies wanted their picture taken so bad they just couldn't wait for me to brush it off! LOL.

The design is asymmetrical and the necklace is long...I haven't measured it yet, but it's probably about 28" worth of chain links, including the clasp.

I think I'm going to model this one with some long, fun skirts. Perhaps I'll try to infuse it with a charm that will make spring come quicker. Whether it does or not, the other cool thing about this necklace is the weight of it--it's perfectly heavy--meaning that you know you've got your bling on, but it's not causing a kink in your neck.

Promotional Debate

This weekend, I opened MySpace.com and clicked the little link to open a new account. And then I couldn't bring myself to do it. For some reason, that site just bugs me. Perhaps it's because we already have one for The Simple Groove, and we get tons of spam, or perhaps it's just because I don't want to do it because everyone else is doing it. Ha.

I'm curious about this site as far as selling a product goes, especially for jewelry. Does it require a lot of maintenance? Is it something that has to be updated daily? Do you have to consistently add "friends" to get exposure? It seems that actively promoting yourself on there for Etsy-esque type products is significantly different than having a music page. Because honestly, between that and relisting on Etsy, posting photos on Flickr, updating messages and adding friends on Ning (Indiepublic and Everything Skwiggle), and acknowledging and bookmarking on Talent Database, I worry that I won't be able to keep up! My main focus, which supersedes promotional activities at this point, is to make new products and learn new skills. Do I need yet another site that will take up a block of my marketing activities that are carved out on my schedule? Yes--promoting is a ton of work, and I'm prepared to deal with it. But is MySpace really all that it's cracked up to be? I mean, if folks are getting sales from it, why not?

Please let me know your thoughts. I also have a poll

<----- over there.

I'd appreciate your participation and any comments you have.

Tagged Again

Hey there doodlesprouts...sorry in the delay in this post..but I was trying to think of seven things that people would care to read about! Haha.

Well, here goes another of those lists where you are "tagged" by another blogger, and you then have to list random items about yourself, and then tag seven other bloggers. The rules are as follows:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.


2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.


3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.


4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

As mentioned, doodlesprouts tagged me, so here are my not-so-interesting facts:

1. I know how to tap dance.


2. I am in a band.


3. I have been to Ireland, and my trip, which was in 2006, was the first time I was ever out of the country and needed a passport (I went to Canada in '98, but they only required a driver's license back then).


4. I love big dogs...I think most readers know that...and I'm currently the proud owner of two St. Bernards who weigh in at a grand total of about 340 lbs. When people ask me, "Why St. Bernards?" I say, "Because I can't have pet bears."


5. Sort of in relation to item #2...I am a folksinger, but my musical tastes include a wide variety of different genres. For instance, I absolutely LOVE electronica, and once in a while you can see me jammin' out to old school hip-hop.


6. My favorite color is purple. Not the pastel purple, but the deep, dark, mysterious purple.


7. I was married in Las Vegas.

...and here are the lucky folks that I tagged. Hopefully they're not too angry with me. :0D

kieutiepie
FaerieRebecca
aromafields
anodynedesign
jgdesigns
BeckieKayDesigns
sallers

In the Mist Lariat

In the Mist Lariat
Originally uploaded by Simply Wired Custom Jewelry

Whew, finally finished with this one, too! Today's new addition will be a lariat titled "In the Mist." The piece includes faceted smoky quartz teardrop beads and aquamarine rounds, all delicately wrapped with 24 and 26g wire and suspended by hand-shaped chain links of 18g wire. I also oxidized it and tumbled it to shine.

The name was inspired by Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon; I imagine Morgaine wearing this for courage and protection as she fought for the preservation of the Goddess.

I was also able to include some soldered pieces into this one (yay!)--the two rings at the ends were soldered together for extra durability. The length of the chain is about 24.25" (61.6cm), so it works well with sweaters and turtlenecks as well as shirts with a round neck.

Additional views are available on my Flickr page, and will be available in my Etsy shop later today. A matching bracelet, as well as earrings, will be coming soon.

Fire Gypsy Necklace

Fire Gypsy Necklace
Originally uploaded by Simply Wired Custom Jewelry

Finally finished! I hope to get it listed in my shop today. I recently posted a writeup on this one--I had to take it apart and rewrap. Ugh. But, this time it turned out much nicer. The spiral at the bottom has to kinda situate itself a little funky in order to hold the frame correctly, but that's OK, because the frame and its coils look so much better now!

The best part about completing this piece was finding the clasp accent, which is one of my favorite things to do. I was delighted to find an amber bead that matched perfectly; once I incorporated it into the design, that's what inspired me to name this necklace Fire Gypsy.

More Giveaway Results

If you were a participant in my Valentine Giveaway, thanks once again. The rules for that particular contest included providing me with some feedback related to the items in my shop so that I have an idea of what to continue to keep in stock. Over the next year, many changes will be taking place, but I want to be sure that my customers still have their old favorites available to them if they want them.

At first glance, the results were pretty spread out--nearly all participants had a different favorite. I see this as a good sign, as I'm hoping my products reach a versatile audience. A few items stood out, however:

• Pinkleberry Drops Earrings received the most votes


• Beneath the Blood Moon Necklace ran a close second


• The Beneath the Moon Necklace, and Warmth, Trails, Snow Berries, and In a Flash Earrings were all one vote behind Blood Moon


• The Beneath the Blue Moon Necklace, and Shadow Drops and Snow Berries II Earrings rounded out the final set of faves.

Many of these I planned to keep already, with the exception of the Beneath the Blood Moon and the Beneath the Blue Moon necklaces. I'll probably only do those on special order requests, because the garnets are quite pricey and I haven't been able to find any more amazonite teardrops like the ones in the necklace. I'll keep an eye out for them from sellers on Etsy, as that's where I got my first pair.

I'll probably also keep the Beneath the Moon Earrings, as well as the Santa Fe Teardrops and Santa Fe Red Teardrops Earrings, as I have a large amount of turquoise that I need to move out of my shop. Otherwise, the remaining items for sale will most likely be considered one of a kind, and once they're sold, they'll make way for some of my metal jewelry.

Interstitial Obsession

Interstitial Obsession
Originally uploaded by Simply Wired Custom Jewelry

Yes readers, it is finally here--my first metalsmithing project (good grief, now I can stop whining about it!). Interstitial Obsession is a pendant comprised of copper and nickel silver, suspended from leather cord.

The general design--a simple background and a simple shape--comes from Mark Lareau's book, Getting Started Making Metal Jewelry (yes, I am a big fan of both of the Lareaus--recall in a previous post I mentioned his wife's book).

The reason I like Mr. Lareau's approach is that he really puts everything in layman's terms. He gives you the "need to know" information that's necessary to get started, and before you know it, you're on your way to your first project. Of course, his book won't be the only book I study and learn from, but I'm really glad I have it as a starter!

That being said, here's a rundown of what I did to create this piece:

1. Cut out shapes and filed them
2. Soldered the foreground shape to the background shape
3. Soldered the bail to the background shape

Of course, there are some things I'll be doing differently for my next project. Some of these, as well as things I can improve upon, include:

• Making sure I'm careful while filing my shapes...the heart you see on this pendant bent a little at the bottom tip; therefore, it was hard to get it to situate itself flat against the background.
• Making sure I flux appropriately...my bail suffered a bit of an impact, which is fine because you can't really see it, but it's definitely discolored and it won't polish off.
• Investing in a more powerful torch...I'm running a small butane torch right now, and it takes forever for the solder to reach its flow point. I'm not sure if this is normal or not, I have to do some reading, but I'm thinking with some more flame it wouldn't take as long.

Keep watching, dear readers. I promise I'll post new items as I get them created (and as soon as my husband lets go of some space in the basement--we're both currently working in the same room, as he is building our entertainment center and I'm trying to learn all of these metalsmithing techniques).

For those with experience, any tips for future projects? I'd love to hear them. One special Flickr contact of mine recommended that I integrate my wire working techniques with my metal work...which is exactly what I'm plannin'. I'm hoping to come up with some really unique designs by combining the two styles together.