The finished displays! (And some new items...)

The necklace display and bracelet display are finished! Now, I am just about set in terms of displays. I just need one more ring display and then I'll be good to go!

The bracelet display that my boyfriend built for me (and I painted it...and choose the pretty green paint):

Bracelets on the display:

The necklace display:
And since I finished some of my brand new resin bangles, I thought I'd include a few pics of them, too. I am very proud of how they turned out!

The first two bangles I made:




So I am loving these! And I am very excited to see what customers and other craftspeople think of them at the fairs, festivals, and farmers markets I'm going to be doing. I have been hunting for more vending locations. So far it's the farmer's market, starting May 29th. August 14th is August West Fest. There's still potential of doing a fundraiser at the high school sometime in April/May. I was contacted regarding a festival in Montgomery, VT in early Sept. which I am highly considering. Last night I found an indie crafts fair in VT! I applied to be a vendor and I am REALLY hoping to get in. That will be May 8th, if I get a table. I didn't know there was an indie/alternative crafts fair in this state! It's called the Queen City Crafts Bazaar. I will know in about 10 days whether I'm in or not, but fingers crossed until then! Really want to be a part of this one!

Keeping busy!

Sometimes, it's just easier to update fans and followers via my Facebook page or Twitter page with a quick sentence or a picture, than to write an entire blog. To be honest, I tend not to have much to say, and I haven't been keeping up on my blog as much as I would like to.But mostly lately, it's because I have been so busy!

I've been getting ready for upcoming events, at which I am going to be selling. That means trying to build up a lot of inventory and items to sell, working on brand new items that I've never made before, getting all of my displays ready, ordering supplies...It may not sound like much, but it is keeping me fairly busy. But, I am very excited for everything that is coming up. Starting this May, I'm going to be selling at a local Farmer's Market. In August, I'm going to be selling at the August West Festival in Jay Peak, VT. Also, I visited my former high school this past week and spent a day there talking with each art class proposing a sign designing contest to them. I need a sign for my vending table to get the attention of potential buyers and let them know what I am selling. I put up an offer to the students, to design a sign for me to display at my table at all of these upcoming events, and whoever creates the sign I choose as my favorite I will make them a pendant/necklace from my shop for free (or a ring, or hairclips if they would prefer). My former art teacher got a kick out of the idea, loved that I wanted to involve and likes that I am still involved in art. Several other former teachers of mine were very impressed with my work, and the fact that I was attempting to run a small business on my own and pave such a path for myself. I brought some of my latest items with me to show the students, and I even made a few sales (to students and teachers). I will probably be posting pictures of the winning sign when the contest ends, so keep an eye out for that upcoming post.

The reason I decided to blog today was because I have been working on getting some of my jewelry displays finished today, with the help of my boyfriend. We picked up some wood and a jar of bright green paint. The two displays that we're working on today are - a necklace display (using some wood that he fashioned into a frame, and some screen), and double-tiered bracelet holder. I wanted two rows of bracelets because I think I'm going to be putting beaded bracelets on one row, and the resin bracelets that I will soon be making on the other.

They're not finished just yet, but I will try to post pictures when they are. In the meantime, here are some pictures of a few of the things I've been working on:

The beginnings of the bracelet and necklace displays.



A few of the brand new necklace designs. None of these are posted in my Etsy shop right now, but they are available upon request, if you see something you like!


One of my ring displays. ALL new rings, none of these are listed in my Etsy shop. I still need to make another display for my bigger rings that are going to be around maybe $8 (which is still VERY reasonable for a handmade resin ring, they're typically at least $10.)


The same ring display as previously pictured. Guess what this pretty, green box originally was? .....A box of chocolates! Gotta love re-purposing and recycling! I stuck some of my new hairclips (again, available upon request but not currently available in my shop) and some sets of earrings to the back of the box, as you can see. Which, conveniently frees up a lot of table space. ...I love being so crafty!


Now, all I need to do (in terms of display gathering, anyway) is get another ring display for my bigger rings that will cost a few dollars more, and I need to put some finishing touches on a ring display that I have for my children's rings! I know, I know, LOTS of ring displays. But I can't wait till I put all these displays to use really soon!

These are a few of my favorite things...

I'm fairly new to this whole blogging thing and I'm trying to keep up with it fairly regularly. So, I decided what better idea for a post than my favorite handmade items that I got this past year!

Indian Blue Feather Headband, from Stix And Jones-


I wasn't sure how well I would pull this headband off, but I thought it looked gorgeous, reminded me of something a flapper might wear in the 1920's. Although it's a very bold accessory, it's classy- not flashy. It is a very beautiful hair piece, and I have gotten many compliments on it.


Divine Cha-Cha Heels Magnet, from Picard Creative-


The day I found Picard Creative on Etsy, I fell in love immediately. Seriously! Her shop is honestly one of my absolute favorites, I just adore everything she makes. I love the mixed-media style of her work - the glamorous pinups, old Hollywood stars, and humorous photos, paired with witty phrases. And, her magnet are made of recycled tin can lids! How cool is that?! Magnets isn't the only thing she makes. She also has bookmarks, checkbook covers, and lots of other items in her shop. Oh, and she does custom items!



End Mass Production Womens T-Shirt, from DeadWorry-

My boyfriend got this one for me for Christmas. I found it on Etsy one day and ended up wanting to get it for months. I have always loved creating things and been very much a Do-It-Yourself kinda gal, and then I started selling on Etsy in November. So finding (and owning) this shirt just made perfect sense!


"She Couldn't Be Good" Glass Pendant Necklace, from Laughing Vixen Lounge-

I love pinups, so I thought this pendant was fabulous the second I saw it. Laughing Vixen sells glass pendants, charm bracelets, bubble bracelets, and charmed pendants. She has quite a bit of retro style pinup and pulp stuff. But that's not all she sells - check her out!



Coco Lavender 4 oz. Massage Candle, from YumYumCandles-


I am usually weary of scented items over the internet because you can never know exactly how the product smells. Also, I had never tried massage candles before. In theory, it sounded great- I like lavender, candles, and massages...And when I got it and tried it out, it was totally great! Their Coco Lavender scent is so good. It isn't super potent, it's a really comforting smell. They describe it on their site as "A mix of lavender & vanilla with hints of coconut & musk." Let me just say that the term "musk" usually scares me off, because any time I have ever smelled anything with a musk tone it usually has a VERY strong smell. The notes in this scent are very subtle, and it all comes together wonderfully to form a very nice, cozy scent. Also, if you like the smell of drier sheets or warm laundry, I suggest you try their Clean Massage Candle.

Who Doesn't Love A Good GIVEAWAY?

2009 is almost over...and why not ring in the new year with a brand new pair of earrings! I'm giving away THIS pair of resin sprinkle stud earrings- handmade by me!

These earrings are approx. 1/2" wide, are made of resin and filled with sprinkles. Although they may look good enough to eat, they are not edible. They are, however, the perfect way to brighten up your day!

TO ENTER:
Visit my shop and leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite item in the shop is. Don't forget to leave me your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win! (And if you want, you can leave me a link to your Etsy shop, so I can check out the great things that you make!)


EXTRA ENTRIES (leave separate comments for each entry):

- Follow my blog - (1 Additional Entry - Don't forget to leave a comment telling me that you're following.)

- Become my fan on Facebook - (1 Additional Entry - Leave a comment telling me, and if you're already a fan, you still need to leave a comment on this post!)

- Add my button to your blog. (2 Additional Entries - Leave a comment, with your blog URL.)

- Purchase an item from my shop - (8 Additional Entries per item. *Entries valid upon payment* Leave a comment on this post with your Etsy username, or put 'giveaway' in the message to seller box at checkout.)


This contest ends January 24, 2009 at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be chosen by traditional drawing (number of entries) and will be announced the following day. In the event of a tie, a winner will be chosen at random from the tied entries. This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents. This prize is not redeemable for cash or a shop credit.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Ahh! It's a really busy day for me, and the internet has been down which hasn't helped any!
But, I'm in pretty good mood, nonetheless. My resin arrived today! So, I'm working on all kinds of great, new items that'll be in the shop soon (so keep an eye out)! Plus, I sold another item today! Woohoo!
...And if that's not enough to be happy about, I won a contest on this blog: http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-giveaway-holiday-ornament-from.html. I'm am simply ecstatic about this, because Picard Creative truly is one of my favorite Etsy shops. I'm not just saying that because I won, either! If you haven't yet, you should definitely check out her shop. She sells these great magnets (and ornaments!) made from upcycled tin can lids, with great pictures in them. She also sells checkbook covers, debit card cases, bookmarks, and all kinds of cute stuff.

So, definitely check out Picard Creative, and don't forget to check out my shop as I'll be posting new items in the days and weeks to come.