Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Making Progress!

Well, I got a new banner and avatar! I will have to update this page to reflect the new stuff! I love them. Dawn at LifesMomentsCaptured on Artfire is wonderful to work with! I can't say enough awesome things about her. If you are looking for a banner or avatar, contact Dawn! YEAH!

Also, the progress on my new design style lines I think is coming along. I have to tweak some things but I am making progress which is a good thing! I am hoping to get some more things done this week including a DIY lightbox. I hate to have to wait until the sun shines to take photos. So, I will give it a shot!

I will give some more details on my new line when I have some pieces completed which hopefully with be on Sunday! If not this week, then definitely the next weekend as my hubby goes back to nights after almost 7 years! But we are looking at the positive in that he still has his jobs and with all this economic turmoil, we are very thankful! We will take nights!

I have a couple of pieces that I need to complete for commissioned pieces that I am suppose to deliver this weekend. So I have to get busy on those tonight and tomorrow. Then I will also have Thursday to finish everything. I also have some sewing to get done for my son. Sewing some patches on a flannel jacket for him. It shouldn't take long but I have to rethread the machine since the thread that I have keeps breaking. I needed to buy something stronger.

I think that is enough to keep me busy this week! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you stop by again soon! please also visit my site at SheDesignsJewelry.artfire.com.

Friday, March 27, 2009

New Banner, Avatar & More

Sorry that I have not posted anything for a few days. I have been busy! Whew!! I pulled out some beads from my stash that I have had for a while. And ended up with a stunning piece ( sorry, I think it is Gorgeous! ) and that one piece made a light bulb go on in my head. It was the AH-HA moment. I have decided to go with a clean classic design from now one. When I get this piece photographed and posted on Artfire, you will understand what I mean. I really like it and it is something that I would buy myself. So using this as a recipe if you will, I am going to re-vamp my design style.

On top of that, I am working on a line of "different" pieces. It will still fit into the clean and simple idea, but it is different. When I get some of those pieces done, I will also post some photos so you can see. These would appeal to a completely different crowd than my other pieces.

Then, I decided to get a banner and avatar for my artfire studio. So I have been working with a lovely lady, Dawn at Lifes Moments Captured on Artfire, about that today. I think she was wonderful and I can't say enough about her. She took my basic thoughts and turned in to something wonderful! When I would ask her to change something several times, she never thought I was being picky. Hopefully, I will be able to get it downloaded this weekend and you all can give me your thoughts.

So, that is about it for now! I am going to go try a few things for that new "different" line and see how it goes! Thanks for stopping by and visit me at http://www.SheDesignsJewelry.artfire.com .

Monday, March 23, 2009

Still thinking about revamp etc?

Yesterday some wonderful people gave me some great feed back on Artfire.com about my site and jewelry. Mostly I need to get some more angles on my photos. And to try to identify a style and stick with it. There was a great blog that I think Pirate Pixie Crew posted a link to that really go me to thinking. So here is what I am going to do:

1. Get a banner soon. I just don't want to pick the first one that I like. I want to think about it and make sure it is really me. ( I hope to make a purchase by week's end ).

2. Think of a great tag line. I have one in mind but I still want to let it work for a few days. I will have to decide by the time I purchase my banner so this gives me a deadline.

3. Dawn on Beading Daily suggested that I have a classic clean line style. Which I think is a fair statement but I know that I am eclectic. So my style make be "Eclectic". Still working in this one.

4. I have thought about doing a few pieces as a collection so that those pieces are cohesive. But not that each collection has to be cohesive with the other. If that makes any sense?

I have a line working in my head and I ordered some of the pieces that I need. As soon as I get those pieces, I will be working on a few things. I figure that I can wear a piece or two myself for a while to make sure that it is comfortable and durable. This is something I have seen very little of so it is works, YEAH! I may have found a little touched market.

So thanks for your comments on my revamping, redesigning. I will keep you posted! Be sure to stop by http://shedesignsjewelry.artfire.com

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Revamp...Resdesign...

I have recently been thinking that I need to rethink my designing process. This would be in the hopes of making myself unique in some way to the market. I have a few ideas and have ordered some supplies to try out a few pieces. However, I am thinking that I need to come up with some "design lines'. You know like the fashion industry does for the spring, summer, fall and winter collections, something like that. So I have wrote down some ideas.

I find myself drawn to the older styles, more vintage. Someone suggested steampunk but when I read about steampunk, I am not sure that I am that either. So I am going to be doing some reseach at different styles or techniques to see if I can identify with something.

Have any of you done through this whole process? If so, I would love to hear from you so please send me a note. If you would like to look at my studio and give me your opinion, please visit me at http://shedesignsjewelry.artfire.com . Thanks!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Wonderful Weather!

Here in Indiana we have had the most beautiful perfect weather! There is nothing to complain about! I have been so wanting to get my beads out and work on something, anything, but unfortunately real life has been calling. So I have been busy doing tons of other things ( I won't bore you with the listing of laundry, cooking, dishes, etc, etc ). However, tonight, I think that I may be pulling out some beads and working on a few things.

I have a piece for a finished piece swap that I need to work on. On Beading Daily some of us swapped names and we are doing a completed piece swap. I have to have it done and in the mail by May 15th. That seems so far away, but time can slip by so quickly! It has been just over a month since we switched names! UGH! I have a picture in my mind of what I want the piece to look like but finding just the right beads has been the issue. At first is was the focal beads. I found those! But the beads to go with it right now are the problem. I know that when I see the right beads, they will stand out and scream at me "HELLO, HERE WE ARE! ". So until I hear the yell, the search goes on!

So hopefully tomorrow, I will be able to post all the wonderful things that I was able to do tonight!

http://shedesignsjewelry.artfire.com

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day! Make sure that you wear your green!

I also haven't blogged for a few days as nothing really has been going on. Last night, the weather was so nice that we took our St. Bernard for a walk to the local Dairy Queen which is about 5-6 blocks away. He LOVES an ice cream cone. He is well known at this walk up Dairy Queen and the wonderful employees always fix his cone and hand it out right away. You see...he stands with his head resting on the outside counter waiting patiently! Do I need to describe his huge, sad looking eyes?

Once they hand out his cone, I take him over to the grass where he proceeds to lick and bite at the ice cream until he gets a brain freeze. Yes! You can tell it as he will close his mouth and give a little shudder. Then he starts back in again. We have to make him take the cone in about 3-4 bites. He would like to eat it in one but I make him be patient.

By the time his cone is gone, and I have wiped him clean ( yes we take a hand towel with us ), our ice cream is ready and we start the walk home. The entire time he keeps stopping and looking at us as if to say " You aren't sharing!". Usually by the time we walk back, we are done with ours and he gets the left overs.

He is so spoiled that he knows that if we turn left out of our driveway, he is going to Dairy Queen! No...not spoiled at all!

We do this about once a week until the weather gets too hot for him...or too cold for us. Once it gets too hot for him, we will add trips into Petco and then either McDonalds or Dairy Queen depending on what we want. He prefers his hamburgers without pickles. He will spit them out immediately!

Anyway...that is how we spent out evening last night. We all enjoyed it. Soon we will be lighting fires in our fire pit. Our dog loves that as well as he will lay by our feet and wait for any dropped or unwanted toasted marshmallows!

Did I mention that our dog is spoiled? Anyway...thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out my artfire studio at www.shedesignsjewelry.artfire.com !

Sunday, March 15, 2009

New Listings

This morning I went out in the sunshine and managed to get some more pictures of my jewelry. I have been working on getting those pieces loaded to my artfire studio. So please take a look at http://www.shedesignsjewelry.artfire.com and see what you think!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Use the Muse Entry Submitted

Well, finally with some sunshine, I was able to get pictures of my Use The Muse entry. I wrote the description and off the e-mail went. I was glad that the sun finally decided to shine for a few hours so that I could snap the picture. Although, I am sure that the neighbors that I was crazy. I went outside in a loose top that has the elastic around the top so that you can wear it on or off the shoulders. So I have the necklace on, top pulled low so as to not get in the picture. Then I have a mirror in one hand so that I can check that the necklace is laying just so, and the camera in the other hand. I would snap a picture and look at it on the display. Adjust and snap the next. Actually, I did pretty go and only took about 10 photos. Of those about 5 were usable although I really only needed one. I was losing the afternoon sun and just kept clicking to be safe. I am sure someone across the street was shaking their head thinking "Yes, she has definitely lost it now!"

So my entry is done and gone. So the deadline is Monday and the winner is to be announced about one week later. Once the winner is announced, then I will post pictures. That is one of the rules, that you cannot post pictures until the contest is over.

I can't wait for the next one to start!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Designing New Pieces

On Beading Daily, some of us decided to do a finished piece swap. Although we all make jewelry, some do weaving, some do stringing, and everyone creates differently. So I finally found the focal beads that spoke to me and I have been working out the actual design. It has been taking a while to say the least. I am still not happy with the smaller components of the necklace but I think that the overall thought is there. Now just the fine tuning so to speak.

Once I have finished the piece and the swap actually happens in May, I will post pictures of the piece that I did as well as the piece that I receive. I can't wait!

On Artfire, some of us have decided to do a pendant swap. This way we can get a new piece without spending any actual money, other than the shipping. Just like the finished piece swap, it allows us to trade products without any out of pocket. I would recommend others giving it a try. You might be surprised by what you get!

Anyway...don't forget to check out Artfire.com. Some of the artisans are doing our own stimulus called the Artfire Stimulus Package. These are items that have basically been put on sale to try to help others afford wonderful handmade items. Visit www.artfire.com and search for Artfire Stimulus or AFTP.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Use the Muse

Through Beading Daily, Scarlett announced her "Use the Muse" contest. This was a kit that you purchased that included beads and findings. There would be one item that you had to use, "The Muse". The rules were that you had to use the muse but that is the only piece that you had to use. You had to make a wearable piece of art. You could not disclose what the Muse piece was. You cannot publish pictures of your piece until the contest closes. Once you have created your piece, you have to submit two photos with a description of no more than 100 words. A winner will be selected.

This will be an ongoing contest. I did this because I had been in a rut and felt I needed something to get me out of it. So, I purchased my kit. As soon as I saw the kit and the "Muse" I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Amazingly, it went together very easily and I think turned out very nicely! I am quite happy with it.

The finished piece is ours to do with what we want. I think this may be something that I keep. I don't know that I want to sell this one yet. Once the contest deadline has passed and we are allowed, I will post pictures of my piece to get your ideas.

This really helped to get me out of my rut! Now if I just had a little more time in the day to get some of my designs from paper into reality! Maybe soon things will calm down a little and I can get back to designing!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Finally back home!

Well, we finally made it back tonight from our son's college visit. He will be moving in August and we went down to apartment hunt. Well, we have narrowed it down to two and probably have the decision made. We just want to think on it a day or two before we start all of the application process with all those fees!

So after a sleepless night in a hotel ( too much noise ) and a five hour drive back home, this posting will be short. I do apologize! I will post more tomorrow and get back on the jewelry track!

Friday, March 6, 2009

College Visit

Early this morning we are leaving to go on a college visit with our son. This is a huge thing for us. Neither my husband or I went to college, but our son will be going. He will be 4 1/2 hours away in August so this is a big step. He is our only child so we will be empty nesters very soon. However, we are very excited for him and support him all the way.

Since his girlfriend has also decided to go to college in the same town, we will also be looking for an apartment. That is the main reason for this visit so that we can look at some apartments, take some pictures, and then come home and think about it.

So I will not be creating any actual jewelry this weekend, however I am taking a notepad for some sketching and notes.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Hello!

Hello! I am new to the whole blogging thing, so please be patient with me. You will probably learn way more about me and what I am doing then you really wanted to know. So feel free to let me know when I have shared too much!

I work full time, am married, have one son who is 18 and a senior in high school. I also started designing and making jewelry in the summer of 2007. It started as a fund raiser for my sister who does a mission trip every year. However, by the time I stopped making stretch bracelets for her, I was addicted to making the jewelry.

Currently, I do simple stringing. I have tried wire work but find that I get easily frustrated. So I am always looking for other projects to try.

I spend my time on the internet on either Beading Daily or on Artfire.com. Beading Daily is a great source of information and friendship! Even if you are not into the whole beading thing, it does make for some hysterically funny reading at times. There are some wonderful people on that site!

Also, Artfire.com is a new place that I have listed some of my jewelry. You can find me at http://www.shedesignsjewelry.artfire.com/ . Please take a look and let me know what you think. I appreciate the constructive criticism! Have a great day and I hope you'll come back to visit often!