Desert Shakedown!

Well, I am all about the vending this week, but you don't have to wait until March for this one! I am returning to the Desert Shakedown for my third year of vending. This year the vendor marketplace is entirely indoors which makes me quite happy... No more worrying about my displays blowing over, no shifting my chair from one shady spot to another.

Not only will I have my usual selection of jewelry and some new work that won't be added to Etsy until after the show, but I will also be sharing the booth with my friend Sandarita who will have various accessories and some gently loved belly dance costuming. You should come see us. Two redheads in one booth? Fun times are sure to ensue.

Time for more steampunkery!

Guildmistress is one of only 7 steampunk items currently in my shop. Well, it's time to do something about that because my brother and I just got accepted to share a booth at WILD WILD WEST CON!!!! Woohoo! I can't even tell you how excited I am at the thought of spending a long weekend hanging out at Old Tucson Studios in steampunk garb, selling my jewelry to awesome people. It's also an excuse to buy new boots! Tee hee! And of course, shop for more vintage beads, keys, and other cool items to use in my steampunk designs. After all, this is going to be a convention full of other vendors in the genre, so I am going to have to stand out!

Luckily the convention isn't until March, which means I have plenty of time to design and create some gorgeous things, plus gem show is between now and then, so I can really stock up!

What to make? What to wear? How will we decorate our booth? This is going to be awesome!

Desert Raindrops -- BFAC Project

Here's my project for next year's Layne's Legacy -- Beading for a Cure auctions. I didn't add any beads to the kit this year, just a Muscovite cabochon that someone had sent to me as part of a birthday package, some coppery chain, and the supplies necessary for bead embroidery.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but included in the kit was a tube of those new-ish peanut beads. They were a challenge to figure out how to use, but I actually really like how they look laid out in a line for embroidery, so I might have to buy more for further experimentation.

Little shop update

Hello out there! I made a change to my Etsy shop this week -- change for the better, I hope! Now in addition to accepting PayPal, I also accept Etsy's new direct checkout feature. So if you'd prefer not to use PayPal, you now have that option. This also allows me to accept Etsy gift certificates! I'm pretty excited about that, because I'd been considering adding gift certificates to my shop but I wasn't sure how I wanted to do it. Now Etsy has done the work for me!

(I'm also excited because maybe people will give ME Etsy certificates for the holidays and I can go shopping! A lot of my favorite shops are now accepting them)

If you'd like to try out the new checkout feature, feel free to go shopping at Handmade Jewelry by Erthe Fae Designs.

And now, earrings!

Now that I'm caught up on listing crystal bracelets (other than two stubborn ones that refuse to photograph well), it's time to catch up with earrings! These Clear Waters Beaded Earrings feature color-treated quartz and Swarovski crystals. They have a lovely, translucent quality like chalcedony.

These basic drop earrings have always been a best-seller for me. They're a great way to treat yourself to an affordable piece of one of a kind jewelry, plus I make them in enough color combinations that everyone can find something they like. Oftentimes I use beads leftover from necklace projects, so they coordinate with each other. I think I'm about due to make some new ones to get ready for my Autumn vending and the holiday rush.

More crystals!

I am still adding more crystal bracelets to my shop! Only a couple left, though, so I should be completely done with them this week until I decide to make more. I think my focus will first be on other styles of bracelets, however. My stock of spiral bracelets is quite low, and I could use some new strung bracelets, too.

Anyway, I just listed Dark Gloaming Gothic Crystal Bracelet. Tanzanite is a great color for Fall and Winter, it has a bit of a grey undertone that goes well with more understated colors. Not that the Pantone forecast for Fall is very understated, but if you're a Goth, you're probably going to stick with more muted shades like this.

Personally, I'm starting to get excited for Fall. Maybe it's because I remembered that I have green faux suede boots. Maybe it's because I just ordered an awesome new hoodie. Maybe it's because Autumn is the busy season for belly dance performances. Either way, I am ready for Summer to make its exit!

Rings!

I took this photo a while ago but I never got around to blogging about it! Probably because as far as photos go, it is not the best. These rings just kind of lie around when they're being photographed like this. They look so much better on a hand!

I really enjoy making these rings, which are from the upcoming book Contemporary Geometric Beadwork. They work up pretty quickly and easily, which makes them a great way to swatch colors for a larger project while still ending up with a finished item. It's also a good way to fill up color holes in your jewelry collection. Have one shirt in an off shade of green, but you don't want to make an entire necklace to go with it? Whip up a ring in an evening.

The top green one has Dichroic Aikos and 2mm Swarovski crystals as accents. The black and silver is also accented by those 2mms. The bottom two are made with nothing but Delicas. The rounded one is less pokey to wear, since you don't end up having a point facing in to your hand, but I don't like it as much. Really, the points tend to soften with wear anyways. The only time I really had trouble was when I tried to play zills while wearing one that was still stiff and new.

I'll probably make myself a few more of these. I like the idea of having rings to coordinate with most of my outfits.

I hit 100

Hooray! I listed two items today and that finally brought me up to a nice round 100 items in my Etsy shop! Of course, I am not going to stop there. As much as I love seeing that "100", I photographed a lot more than two items today so I will be listing them throughout the week. My goal is to keep my shop stocked with at least 100 items for the rest of the year, so I need to build up a bit of a buffer in anticipation of holiday sales!

The two new necklaces are Baby Bat Necklace (above) and Queen of Love and Beauty (below).

The Last One!

This Alexandrite Crystal Bracelet is the last one from that batch of photos! I need to re-photograph a few that didn't turn out, but I think I'll take a break and get some new necklaces or earrings listed first. I also need to sit down and design some new anklets since I am almost out. A jeweler's work is never done!

They Keep Coming

Ok, I really need to photograph something other than crystal bracelets this week! I love them, but it gets boring to list multiples of any type of item -- there's only so much variation I can have in the descriptions while still adhering to the dogma of SEO.

This beauty is called Spring Snow and it brings my shop up to 95 items! I should hit the big 100 this week, unless a lot of items sell. Please note, I will not complain if I do not hit 100 this week due to sales. Don't hold back on my account! Buy as much as you want. Heck, buy it all. I will happily refill the shop while buying new dance costumes with the proceeds.

Celtic

As I was listing this Knotwork crystal bracelet on Etsy today, I realized that I don't really work with Celtic themes a lot. I don't know why this is. I love knotwork, and I've certainly purchased focals and other buttons with Celtic designs, I just don't seem to use them very often. I should definitely change that, as I feel it's a good fit with the fantasy theme of a lot of my other work.

Loving what I do

I just listed this cute little Lovestruck Crystal Bracelet over on Etsy. In thinking about how to theme today's blog post around it, I was reminded that lately this blog has become really commercial and that I don't really talk about my life at all anymore. So now that we've got that shameless self-promotion out of the way, let's talk about something other than what is in my Etsy shop.

Dancing remains my primary obsession. I'm in classes 4 days a week, and practicing almost every day at home. Later this month I will be performing a solo with a live band, which is a pretty big step for me. I am also still performing with Fire & Gold Bellydance, my teacher's student troupe. My goal is to eventually go pro. You can of course read more about all of that at Confessions of a Dance Pants Addict.

Lately I have been killing time playing Guild Wars 2, a video game which came out last month. Probably not the best use of my time, but it's been a really long time since Chris and I had a video game that we enjoyed playing together. The game has a crafting system, so of course I am a jeweler in game, just like in real life. Unlike real life, my jewelry in GW2 has magical powers.

A less frivolous use of my time is my new blog Politely Worded! For a while now, people have come to me when they wanted a little help writing a difficult response to someone. I decided to spin that off into a blog, so more people could enjoy my writing hobby. It updates once a week currently, but I may switch to 2-3 times a week if I get enough letters to answer.

Lastly, for those of you who care about my four-legged companions, they are all in good health. Lira continues to be very spry for her age, no one ever believes that she is 16ish years old now! Topher has also crossed over into what pet food manufacturers consider senior, but I am in denial about that. He will always be my kitten! My 18 pound fluffmonster of a kitten. Daisy and Maggie are in the prime of their doggie lives and remain convinced that every human was put on this earth to give them belly rubs. I think I'll go back to doing weekend updates with pet pictures.

Back to listing!

I am trying very hard to get my shop up to 100 listings! The fact that many of my crystal bracelet photos did not turn out is slowing me down a bit, but I did get this Night Sky crystal bracelet listed today.

Pro tip: Photographing bracelets laid out on a black pillow against a black background does not lead to success. Especially not when said bracelets are woven out of dark crystals! Some of the lighter, brighter colors turned out alright, but the vast majority of the 111 photos that I took had to be deleted!

It's a butterfly kind of day!

 I just got back from delivering this pendant to Margaret of MZGlass. The cabochon is her work, and I did the bead embroidery. It's liberally embellished with fire opal Swarovski crystals! I like how bright and cheerful it is. As I was getting into my car to leave MZ's place, I saw a huge butterfly fluttering across her yard. No doubt, it's a butterfly kind of day!

Not only did I deliver this pendant (and take home a lampworked butterfly/moth for my own collection), but I also listed this Teal Butterfly crystal bracelet. It features lovely Pacific Opal Swarovski crystals (one of my favorite colors) and a Sterling Silver butterfly clasp.

Warning: Crystal Bracelet Invasion!

 I think a while back I mentioned on this blog how I had found a stash of crystal bracelets that I had never listed on Etsy. Well, I got distracted by a few things, like needing to make a new costume bra for a troupe performance and then going on vacation, but today I finally tackled those bracelets! They're all in the image above, as well as a few that were already listed. I wanted to show a wide variety in the updated listing for a Custom Crystal Bracelet.

Taking the photos was so time-consuming that I was only able to list Picnics and Sunshine Crystal Bracelet today. Consider it the harbinger of the incoming crystal bracelet invasion!

I love this necklace!

The Moss Spirit is one of my favorite necklaces. Definitely one of those pieces that is really hard to offer for sale instead of keeping. But if you could see how much jewelry I have (which would require me to be able to fit it all into one image), you would tell me that I really don't need to keep anything, or make anything for myself. That would not stop me, of course, but you could try.

Olivine greens are my favorite, and I love layered jewelry, and the green garnet focal is just so beautiful. It looks great with the elegant simplicity of Rachel's black velvet choli. I didn't make it with tribal costuming in mind, but it works well, especially for fusion. Tribal jewelry doesn't have to be all kuchi and stones!

I'm definitely glad that I decided to include this necklace in the photo shoot. I have several pieces in this style and NONE of them are in my shop because they are so hard to photograph! They look so great on a person but just do not lay right on a neck board or flat background. They need to hug the real contours of a real body.

Feminist Photos Kickstarter!

Let me tell you a bit more about my totally awesome photographer friend, Liora K. She took all those beautiful images you've been seeing in my shop, but she doesn't stop at fashion photography! She has done a number of artistic projects as well, and is currently trying to raise funds to embark on a cross-country road trip to photograph a feminist in each and every state! You can learn more about the project on the Kickstarter page for The Feminist Photos.

The above image is one of my favorites from the series so far. Not only is the slogan one I can really get behind, but I think the pose shows how women can be strong AND beautiful. A month or so ago, a comics artist that I follow on Twitter posted a sketch of one of his female characters working out. She was a little more buff than the model is this photo, but nothing ridiculous. Someone actually told him that men didn't find muscular women attractive. REALLY? I mean, I'm not a man, but I think there are few things more beautiful than a woman with muscle definition.

Anyway, until recently, I never realized I was a feminist. I thought of feminists as activists. I figured if you weren't part of some specific group that was lobbying congress or protesting in the streets, you weren't a feminist. But it turns out that the very fact that I think that women should have equal pay, and control of our reproduction, and the right to marry other women, means that I am a feminist. I wish that I didn't have to be, though. I spend a lot of time getting sad and angry that I live in a world where any of that is still an issue. Most of the time I feel like I live in the future. Not only am I sitting here typing out something that can be read by people all over the world, but I also own a little phone that allows me to look up things on the internet, process credit cards, take pictures and video, and listen to music. Unfortunately I don't think our social mores are progressing as quickly as our technology is.

I hope you'll forgive me for getting a little political on my blog. I also hope that if you feel the same way that I do, that you'll consider supporting an artist who is raising awareness of feminist issues, and throw a few dollars into the Kickstarter.

Regular jewelry pushing resumes tomorrow. Thank you!

Introducing... Feather Earrings!

You may have noticed some of these feather earrings in a few of the images from the photo shoot! It's true, I decided to jump in on this fashion trend. I have sensitive lobes, so I can't always wear a lot of big earrings, but feathers allow me to go big and bold without hurting myself. The pair on the left made with green feathers and silvered leaves was my initial prototype which I made for myself. They're really fun, in most instances.

Pro tip: Don't wear feather earrings to Biosphere 2. Part of the tour takes you through all of the ventilation stuff underneath, and there's a couple of spots where it's like being in a wind tunnel.

The other two pairs are available in my Etsy shop! Luck in the Wind Feather Earrings are turquoise and grey with Hamsa charms, and Om Feather Earrings are beautiful and earthy with brass charms and shells with Om symbols on them.

Dragon Dreams of Allegory Gallery

 My most recent package from Allegory Gallery contained some great beads! I was immediately drawn to pair the Green Girl dragon focal with the magnesite beads, due to their similar shapes. I added some Swarovski crystals in Sunflower because I am all over that turquoise and yellow combination!

The magnesite beads are really interesting. Before I read the label I thought they were Czech glass with a Picasso coating, but no, they're stones! They have a very smooth, even shape and a bit of a seem on the sides, so I think they are a reconstituted and pressed stone. Just one of the many unusual materials on the market today! I think their mottled appearance is the perfect companion to the handmade dragon.

Dreaming Dragon Necklace is available in my Etsy shop, if you love this combination as much as I do and have to make it your own!

To see what my fellow Design Team artists have been up to, check out the side bar with all of their blogs!

FTC disclosure notice thingie: Some of the items in this post were provided for promotional consideration as part of the Allegory Gallery Design Team.

Awestruck

 I am awestruck by how beautiful these images are! I knew that Sata and Rachel would be great at modeling, but I had no idea just how wonderful it would be to see so much of my jewelry being worn by fully-costumed dancers... Especially when photographed so professionally by Liora K!

Check out the Tribal Jewelry section of my shop for more images. I haven't added them all yet, but I'm working on it! Some of them will show up in other sections, too, because I couldn't resist throwing in some beadwoven pieces, like the herringbone rope that Rachel is wearing, layered with a Ganesh necklace.