Just beadin' away

Well, I didn't break the camera out today. I had to play a couple of games of Go instead. So hopefully I will be able to post my nifty new pendant tomorrow. If not, I'll photograph it with Friday's update jewelry and post it over the weekend.

Ah yes, Friday's update. I'm working on a very cool necklace for that. I didn't bead as much as I'd hoped to this week, so I'm taking the necklace with me to my Wednesday game instead of bringing the Belt of Doom. Also, while looking for beads for the necklace, I stumbled across another cache of paired beads, so expect lots more earrings this week. Woohoo! Several of these bead pairs are vintage, which makes them even more fun to work with.

I'm going to try to make more time for beading, as I had a few great ideas for necklaces for myself (yes, I'm greedy) and I don't want to cut too much into my production of website stock. After all, the holidays are coming and I want to have a great selection available for all of your gift-giving needs.

Don't forget to vote for me in the Rare Robin Awards! I'll make sad puppy dog eyes at you if you don't.

Change is coming!

They say that change is good. This change, however, is kind of a mixed blessing. Starting on November 1st, I will be raising all of my prices. I've resisted for a while, doing my best to keep prices low while still fairly compensating myself. Unfortunately, the cost of buying supplies and doing business keeps going up. At my current prices, I simply can't keep doing business; it's become impractical. On average, I'll be raising prices by about 20%. Shipping rates will stay the same, however.

I'm telling you this now, so that if you've had your eye on something, you can buy it now before prices go up. That's right, it's my "The price hasn't changed yet!" sale. Ok, so it's not much of a sale. But I felt that it was only fair to give you advanced warning. If only more businesses would do that, eh?

There are good changes coming, too. My beloved code monkey is hard at work on a new website for me. This will include implementing some awesome options, like a search and recommendations. I'm not sure when this will all happen, but I can tell you that when it does happen, it will rock!

Things are cruising right along, beadwise. I already have 2 items ready for this week's update, and I've been working on a personal project to learn a new technique. It has been just way too much fun, so even though it's a bit time-consuming, this technique will definitely show up in a few website items. I might post the finished item tomorrow, so you can get an idea of Things To Come... ooooh.

Back to the beads for me.

So glad it's the weekend!

Ahhh, it feels good to be enjoying the weekend! Today was a D&D day, and to keep my hands occupied between bouts of dice-rolling, I took my ongoing Belt O Doom project. This is a very long belt made with an African Helix in black and varying greens. It's almost long enough to go around my waist now, but I need to add a bunch of extra length for tying and dangling, and then throw some fringe on that baby. It makes a good gaming project, I took it to my Weds game this past week, and I'll take it this week, too. If I keep taking it to gaming, I might actually finish it someday.

Tomorrow, I think I'll work on a bracelet or two for Friday's update. This coming week is going to be pretty busy in the evenings, so I'll have to make up for it by being productive during the day.

The Rare Robin Awards are still going on, so if you haven't yet, you can vote for my website in the Funky Jewelry category!

Fashionable Fridays -- Everything Old is New Again

It seems to me that even going all the way back to the 90s, vintage and retro styles have been big. That trend continues even now, more than halfway through the "aughts." Different decades have held favor over the years, with the 60s and 70s being the big contenders, classy 40s-50s styles sneaking in every now and then, and now, the 80s are screaming "Hey, aren't we old enough to be retro yet?"

In the world of fashion, old styles show up in a number of ways. Designers might recreate vintage dresses, use retro prints, or even recycle old fabric, beads, and other materials for new designs. The consumer has many choices for expressing their own love of recycled fashion, too, either by purchasing these new items, or by seeking out genuine vintage items. Many thrift stores now have "retro" sections, rather than saving the bygone styles for Halloween. eBay is a source of great vintage finds, whereas a web search will turn up many sites that will either sell you vintage clothes, or educate you on the styles and how to tell the real deal from fakes.

As a jewelry designer, I love working with vintage beads. My Dark Murmurs bracelet (shown above) uses 2 different styles of vintage beads and a vintage button. Dame Autumn and Leaf Fall both feature vintage leaves, which are of course, just perfect for Autumn. Vintage beads abound in my earring section, just check out Midnight Stars, Gothic Garden, or Peachy Keen. This is just a sampling of the vintage selections on my site; I rarely turn down a chance to buy vintage beads!

Of course, I'm far from the only jewelry designer inspired by the styles and materials of yesteryear. Elle B uses vintage beads in all of her creations, and I especially love her earrings! Oasis and Canyon are very cool, and the latter features perfect Autumn colors! The Wing Thing works some awesome vintage buttons into her jewelry, check out this faerie bracelet! Vintage style and beads alike are found in Miss Evil Kitty's floral pins. Dejarnette's Minty Julep necklace also caught my eye. And while I don't normally "do" plastic, this 80s robot necklace from Zlanarama brought a huge smile to my face!

I also got a big, cheezy grin when I saw Rotem Gear's vintage-inspired Tofu T-Shirt. Usually I see this graphic used to say something raunchy, so this was a pleasant change! For other vintage-style clothes, why not check out the aprons from Sweet Pea Handcrafts or Modern June? They almost make me wish that I cooked enough to need an apron -- but that would cut into my bead time! ;)

There's no denying the absolute cuteness of vintage purses, but finding the real-deal in good shape and affordable can be difficult. Why not buy a modern day purse based on vintage designs instead? Goodmorning, Morning has some cute ones, especially the Scalloped Bag. 2 Fresh Petunias also offers several vintage-style bags, but I like the Sophisticate Handbag the best, especially the green bird one! Meanwhile, Teacups and Tadpoles has vintage-inspired lunch totes, perfect for kids or adults!

Those of you with kiddoes either of your own or on your gift-buying list might enjoy the Vintage Baby section over at Hip and Little, or One Little Monkey.

After all this shopping, you might feel the need to pamper yourself (I do after all this typing!). You might not think that spa supplies can be vintage-inspired, but Vintage Body Spa is out to prove you wrong with their retro labels and packaging!

This is just a small selection of the vintage and vintage-inspired items that you can find on the web... and just think of what you might be able to find locally, in boutiques, craft fairs and bead stores!

So much inspiration!

The above image is a custom necklace which I was recently commissioned to make. Having received a satisfied e-mail from a very happy customer, I feel like I can display it on the blog now. I LOVED making this necklace. Working with vintage jet is so much fun!

When I was getting the jet out, I was reminded of how much I love all of my vintage beads (for the most part, they're kept in the same place. I am somewhat organized). As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I decided to make some things with them this week. Well, here it is only Wednesday, I've already made 4 items, and 3 of them contain vintage beads. Yay! All 4 items will be in Friday's update, and I might even have a few more items by then.

I'm working on a super-secret collaboration with Deborah of Bead Indulgences, and I just got her contribution to that project today. Because she's such a sweetie, she also included some crystals that I wanted but was unable to get at the gem show. So tonight I'm taking just a little break from website stock and I'm going to make myself a crystal bracelet.

In closing, don't forget to vote for me in the Rare Robin Awards! :)

Artist Spotlight -- Bead Indulgences

I am pleased to be able to announce that my dear friend Deborah has just launched her site, Bead Indulgences. Deborah is a lovely and talented lady who creates some simply breathtaking jewelry. Where my "thing" is beadweaving, Deb has found her niche in wire and maille, and what a fine niche it is! I love how she incorporates a wide variety of beads, from common Czech glass to fantastic carved stones, into her pieces to give them a more unique feel.

I met Deborah on-line in the beading forum that we both frequent, and I had the pleasure of meeting her in person at the gem shows in February. Her husband also does jewelry work, and it was so nice to see the two of them shopping together and sharing ideas. I believe that couples who share interests truly have the richest relationships... although it is hard to share beads sometimes!

If you read Step by Step Wire Magazine, you may already be familiar with Deborah, as she had a tutorial in their Summer 2006 issue. She swore me to secrecy, but now that it's on her site, I can brag ;) Although I don't work well with wire and as such was not able to test it, the project looked very nice and the directions were concise. I hope that in the future she'll share more of her designs with the world.

Deborah does one-of-a-kind work, so I recommend that you check her site often to see what is new and exciting!

A jewelry-ful day!

Just as I'd hoped, today I was able to get some serious beading done! I strung a beautiful necklace which I'm very happy with, and I'm working on a nice woven piece, too. These items will of course be in Friday's weekly update.

Keep watching my link section for more great sites, I added another one today.

In the meantime, please vote for my website, www.erthefae.com in the First Annual Rare Robin Awards, hosting by Rare Bird Finds! If you vote for my site and at least two other great business websites, you'll be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Click on the banner below to get ready to cast your vote :)

Posting After Midnight

Darn my late-night posting habits, making it seem as if I am posting the next day!

Today was regrettably another jewelry-free day, although I did get some business-related things done. Actually, I got a lot done, but it's all boring technical stuff.

Speaking of boring, I'm getting bored with my current blog template and name and stuff, so I'll probably be tweaking it up over the next few days. I already added a new link, to Lois Oster's great lampwork, and I expect to add more links soon.

Tomorrow there shall be beading, oh yes, and new news for the blog, so it feels special. For now, it's back to the pretty faerie book. Mmm, weird Victorian artwork.

Of books and things...

Now that I finally finished the book series I was reading, maybe I can get back to being productive. A word of advice -- don't read Tad Williams' Otherland series. It's not worth the time. I remember enjoying his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, but Otherland had me constantly complaining while I was reading, and now I don't want to read anything of his ever again.

Standing in the way of my productivity are two other books which I picked up recently, being "Children of Cthulhu" (a collection of short stories inspired by Lovecraft), and "Anansi Boys" by Neil Gaiman, sequel to "American Gods" which is one of my all-time favorite books. While at the bookstore, I saw that Gaiman has a new short story collection out, but it's in hardback, so I resisted. Instead I bought a book on faerie artists... ooooh.

None of these books, however, are 1000 pages of literary devices and false suspense, so I should be able to breeze through them and still bead. I'm hoping to make some jewelry tomorrow. I would have made something today, but it was not to be. Had to do some writing instead.

I'm working on things behind the scenes, business-related and otherwise. Might have news to talk about in the near future. For now, time to ready my faerie book and then catch some sleep.

Fashionable Friday -- Of Jewelry and Adornment

Just a brief column this week; I've had quite a long day getting everything just right for today's webpage update. The above photo is part of the fruit of my labor. I just love how the earrings look against that little dish! Such pretty colors...

Today, I feel like rambling on a bit about jewelry in general. You surely don't need me to tell you that jewelry is very popular right now. Many people have turned to beading and jewelry-making as their craft of choice. Magazines on the subject abound. Even JoAnn's has realized the popularity of beads, expanding their once-small selection (mainly consisting of those cheap bulk bags) to several aisles of interesting beads, including some very high-quality selections.

On the one hand, it's discouraging to face so much competition in the jewelry market, but on the other hand, it's very nice to see that so many people are learning what I've known since childhood -- beads and jewelry are cool!

Although wide-spread obsession with making jewelry may be a relatively recent thing, a love of jewelry dates way, way back. Archeologists have discovered prehistoric beads of stone and shell. The Bible tells us that the golden calf was made from the gold of melted earrings. The Norse goddess Freya lusted after a particularly beautiful necklace the dwarves had made. Tribal peoples the world around have ancient beading traditions.

Jewelry has a way of making you feel special. Most women, after all, are thrilled to receive a gift of jewelry from their beloved. Western culture uses rings to symbolize marriage. And at times, jewelry is used to commemorate other milestones in life: class rings, pearls for a girl's coming of age, and birthstone-bedecked rings, bracelets, and necklace for mothers.

But beyond that, the simple act of wearing a piece of jewelry merely for its beauty is a wonderful feeling, too. Jewelry, whether it be gold and diamonds or beadwork, adds that special touch to any outfit. Even jeans and a casual blouse can be dressed up with the right accessories. Jewelry draws the eye, adds that little bit of visual interest, that little extra punctuation. Of course, some of the more elaborate jewelry out there does more than that, taking over the entire outfit and shouting "Look at me, I'm HERE!"

We can already see the jewelry-making craze die down a bit, as some people filter off towards the new trends of knitting and quilting, but a love of jewelry will remain behind. Years from now, those who put down their beads to pick up some yarn will come across a beader and smile, thinking "I used to do that" and maybe they'll pick up the beads again.

I, of course, refuse to put them down in the first place!

Oh, happy day!

There's nothing quite like opening your mailbox and finding beads. I just got my order from Out on a Whim, a box chock-full of new seed beads. Oh, such colors! I decided to order a lot of neutrals, but also a few nice greens and purples and such. Lots of exciting new things to jazz up my Fall and Winter line. Even some of the neutrals are spiffy, with shimmery coatings and the like. I can't wait to play with these!

I haven't done as much beading as I expected to this week (I've been reading instead, shame shame), so tomorrow will be a jewelry-making frenzy, to ensure a plentiful update.

In the works!

I have a great bracelet in the works and several more items floating around in my head. It feels good to be back to my usual creative ways!

Not really a whole lot to blog about, everything is in a very quiet state right now, maybe the calm before the storm? New items will of course be posted on Friday, look for some rather different bracelets and maybe a necklace or two.

I had a custom order this week and it got me thinking about all of the beads that I don't use, but should. I think lately I've been limiting myself far too much, using mostly seed beads, Czech glass, and crystals. I have all these nice stones and vintage beads and shaped seed beads, I should be experimenting with them. Keep an eye out for the results of these experiments!

Monday is Fashionably Purple!

Purple is big right now. Maybe even huge. At the mall this weekend, I saw a dazzling array of purple clothes on display, even a few lilac-hued dress shirts for the men. Before I fell in love with green, purple was my favorite color, so I've been quite happy for the excuse to buy and work with purple beads.

Fall and Winter are a time for dark colors, so deep purples are a great choice. Purple Dream (pictured above) mixes dark with light for year-round wearability. Deepest Purple pairs Purple Velvet Swarovski crystals with icy silver for a wintry look. And Rumpled Velvet adds hematite for a dark and dramatic look. Purple is scattered throughout my site in other items, sometimes in shades of tanzanite, or amethyst or even perriwinkle.

I see purple as the perfect color for evening wear. This daring dress would look splended with a purple choker. Of course, for cooler weather you might want a shawl or jacket to warm up your otherwise bare arms. Why not knit or crochet your own with some beautiful purple yarn?

You can add a touch of purple to your current wardrobe with the perfect accessores. Earrings are a subtle touch, and I'm fond of these, with their stylish vintage beads. For a wilder statement, go with these vampire kanji earrings. How about a nice purple hat to keep your head cozy on a brisk Autumn day? Complete your outfit with an eco-friendly purse, and now you're fashionable and conscientious!*

In my hunt for purple, I came across a few non-clothing items which still look great. Apricot-Plum lip balm comes in purple heart tin and surely tastes quite purple, too. Meanwhile, the purples in this soap are so beautiful that I wish they were clothes or jewelry, so I could wear them!

I could go on and on and on, but really, I encourage you to get out there and search for your own fabulously purple treasures!

*The creator of these bags doesn't currently have her web store set up, but she assures me that she has some purple bags, and I like her idea so much that I had to share. Enjoy :)

Fashionable Friday -- Fashionably Late

I'm experiencing technical difficulties with the items for this week's Fashionably Friday column, so I won't be able to post it until sometime this weekend. Thank you for your patience!

The end of my pirate days

Alas, I didn't bead like a pirate after all. My best idea involved some beads that I've been saving for myself, and I really needed to be practical and make some more website stock. Of course, just because the holiday is past doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy pirates. Shala Kerrigan at Bella Online posted some great Jolly Roger bead patterns. I intend to modify them to make myself a bracelet, as I wear skulls year 'round.

In the meantime, I'm working on a lovely collar which will be featured in this week's Fashionable Friday column. I hope to have a couple more new pieces for Friday's update, too, whether or not they fit the column theme. With the holiday season approaching, I really want to increase my stock.

With that in mind, I think it's time to go do a little beading!

Bead Like A Pirate!

Arrr, ye probably already knew this, but today be Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Ok, ok, I'm not going to write my entire blog in bad pirate-speak. But I do enjoy this corny holiday. Who doesn't like to let out the occasional "arrr"? I even intended to dress like a pirate today, but since I'm not going anywhere, it would be a bit of a wasted effort. The cats don't care how I dress, after all. They'll shed on my clothes whether it's jeans or a pirate shirt. Instead, I'm thinking of beading like a pirate.

How does a pirate bead? Well, that depends on how much rum she's drank!

Having a hook might make beadweaving difficult, and that eye patch really messes up depth perception, so I'm guessing a pirate might stick to simple stringing. Stormy seas make for many bead spills, so the smart bead pirate would work on a towel or vellux pad to catch those stray beads.

And what kind of beads would a pirate use? Why, whatever she could plunder!

Trade beads immediately come to mind. After all, people traded with them, so they were probably occasionally found on ships that pirates raided. If you take a look at this pic of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, you'll see that the beads in his hair have a definite trade-bead look.

Recycled glass beads from Africa have a nice, rough look that brings to mind antique beads without the price of trade beads.

Afghani jewelry has a mysterious, antique aura about it, and I think any pirate wench worth her salt would enjoy wearing it. Big pieces can be worn as-is, whereas pendants and the like could be worked into beaded creations.

Coins, naturally, are a great accessory for every pirate lass. If you can get real coins, that's even better, but the imitation coins will do in a pinch.

Of course, what pirates really love is GOLD! But for those of us who don't make a living out of plundering, real gold beads can be just too expensive. To get the gleam of gold without breaking the bank, might I recommend vermeil?

Don't limit your imagination to the materials I've listed, though. A pirate might just as easily wear some nice, chunky stone beads, or tarnished brass, maybe some precious Venetian blown glass beads. Because honestly, who's going to tell a pirate -- armed with cutlass and flintlock, naturally -- that she can't wear something?

Fashionable Friday -- The Old Black

I'm sure we've all heard it at some time or another, even those who don't follow fashion very closely at all: "X is the new black" where X = whatever color is hot this season. Honestly, who do they think they're kidding? Black is queen of the fashion world for good reason. There is no color which is more dramatic and versatile than pure black.

As such, whenever I hear about a "new black" I have to ask myself, "What was wrong with our old black?" After all, there are those who say that every woman should own that perfect little black dress, and that it's acceptable to wear just about anywhere. Black can be formal, casual, or artistic. Many colors have come along to challenge black, but it cannot be dethroned. Today, I am honoring black by making it the subject of my very first Fashionable Friday column.

One doesn't have to go far to find black on my website. After all, it is one of my favorite colors and I consider it the perfect neutral. Midnight Cascade (seen above) features a wide variety of black, silver, and hematite-colored beads. Remember, monochrome is in for Autumn and Winter! For a more subtle jewelry statement, might I recommend the Black on Black spiral rope bracelet?

Naturally, when I think of black, I start thinking of Goth clothes. This skirt is perfectly Gothic, but when paired with a white or colorful blouse, it could also make a wonderfully elegant statement. But what about accessories? Whether it's for a Halloween party, the Rennaissance Faire, or just because you love the attention, you can't go wrong with a handcrafted leather bat mask. If you're not feeling that daring, but you still want an unusual accessory, this monochrome ring might be just the thing for you.

Fashion writers will probably always tout the new black, but the old one is here to stay.

Things to come.

Tomorrow, in addition to emerging from my hiatus with new jewelry for the site, I'm hoping to start a new series on this blog: Fashionable Fridays. I am not by any means a slave to fashion. Instead I like bending current styles to my own whims, both in the creation of my jewelry and in how I dress. Fashionable Fridays will be all about looking at what's "in" right now, what I think of the trends, and things I've found on-line that hover on the edge of trends.

Sound fun? I think it will be!

I may only be adding a few things tomorrow, but there is a lot of new jewelry on the horizon. Not only will I be expanding my selection of old favorites, but I'll be adding news designs, some of which you've already seen previewed on this blog.

Autumn should prove to be an exciting season for Erthe Fae Designs!

I'm in love!

I fell in love with a beautiful boy today. I really don't think that the two cats who I already have would be very happy if I brought in a third, but if you'd seen this cat rubbing up against his cage and kneeding his claws because he was just so happy to be coo'd over.

I'm really hoping that someone else adopts him, because if not, I'll have to find a way to work a cat into my life. I've always loved silver kitties, and this one was so friendly that he just sunk his claws right into my heart at first sight. Curse you, PetSmart, and your on-site adoption!

Getting pets through rescue or adoption is a pretty big thing to me. Yes, I did get my Topher-kitty from a friend whose cat had a litter, but I wasn't planning on getting a new cat, it just happened. When I go out in search of a pet, I hit the shelter. There are so many homeless pets out there that it just makes me cry. Lira is a former shelter cat, as is my brother's striking and lovable Manx, Bubba. Both cats have proven to be great, hearty pets. I don't think Bubs has ever had a health problem, and Lira's only emergency vet trip was when she had broken claws from her great escape.

What does any of this have to do with my business? Well, I'll definitely need to sell some jewelry if I want to adopt a cat ;) Oh, and Iggy's coloring is very fashionable. Monochrome greys and blacks are in this season, you know.

Remember, new jewelry will be on my site on Friday, September 15th! I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you are, too.

What passes for normal...

Well, with both my vacation and the gem shows behind me, and jet lag finally purged from my system, life should be back towards normal. Of course, normal for me is a little strange, but that's how I like it!

I'm hoping for a week or two of peace and calm to get things done before life goes all topsy-turvy again!

I have a few plans for the next couple of weeks, related to Erthe Fae Designs. Obviously, my main priority is coming back from my hiatus on the 15th with new jewelry. I didn't get nearly as much done as I planned to, due partially to the ongoing stress about my husband's job and the temporary stress when my website disappeared. I do have a few nice things ready though, and lots of wonderful supplies to create new pieces throughout Fall and Winter.

I'm also working on getting my supplies more organized, for ease of creation, pricing, and restocking. While I'm organizing and cataloging, I'll be weeding out the beads that really don't fit with my designs, which I will then sell off at bargain prices. If you're a fellow beader, you may want to keep your eyes peeled for an announcement of when and how I'll be selling them.

Other things are still in the planning stage. Over all, I'm excited to get back into the swing of things and take my business to new and exciting places. I hope you'll come along for the ride!