Etsy Interview

And THIS was our morsel of news!

Norbert and I were interviewed by Etsy for their Quit Your Day Job series and the article went up this morning. I would have posted this earlier, but I was out and about running errands and kids to school and just got back now.

The link for the article is above.

We are pretty dang excited, people :)

Now off to make lunch!

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Cloudy afternoon.

The clouds have rolled in.

Love these summer rains.....everything is so fresh, idyllic and warm.

This weather makes me feel very introspective and creative

 so I pulled out my new sketchbooks and poured some coffee.

I got these new books from a trade I did with Resolute Twig Books. They are so adorable and

 I am always in need of sketchbooks. I try to have one in my room, studio, living area and car (because I hate writing my ideas on a scrap piece of paper....they tend to get lost that way!) but somehow all of them always end up congregating in my studio ;)

I forgot to mention that I did another trade with the lovely Rosario from Oveja Negra a few months ago for this:

I made her a couple of rings and I got a lovely version of this sweater in a heather gray.

I just LOVE Etsy.....handmade is by far my favorite ;)

.....back to daydreaming.....

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Celebrations

These are my birthday flowers :)

You know I like freshly cut flowers in my house! It feels like a different kind of energy floats through here when I have them. I just wish I got them more often ;)

So today, I'm working, but not quite as much as normal (birthday orders;). The day started rather slowly and I spent a good chunk of it just sitting on my front porch sipping coffee, talking to the Mister, while the boys hopped around blowing bubbles.

It was nice :)

Today is going to be mellow....can't get too wild on a Monday ;) 

I did have a super fun birthday celebration, though, on Saturday. My friend (and neighbor) just so happens to have the exact same birthday, so we decided to have a joint b-day bash.

It was fun, fun, fun :)

And on to more important news:

We are having a sale. It's another celebration of sorts.

It's our Etsy anniversary/Grand opening of our web shop sale.

It starts right now and will be going on until June 15th. Our website has the sale prices in place, whereas on Etsy we will be issuing the paypal refund after the purchase has been made.

I put all those details in my newsletter as well, which went out about half an hour ago.

Lots of good stuff going on ;)

I just can't believe it's been one year for Etsy!!

OH! And I'm also having a giveaway over here.

By the way, you really should add that gorgeous blog to your reading list.

 Stock full of inspiration.

Okay off to have lunch.....have a great day :)

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One year ago.......

 ....this week, I opened my Etsy shop.

 This was my first sale:

I have grown so much in this past year. 

Who knew that embarking on this path would change me in so, so many ways.....where even I am amazed... surprised......I don't know, what other adjective can I use to express this feeling?? 

But, it's huge....whatever it is. 

I love it.

I'm consumed by it.

And I'm flat-out proud of it.

Thank you, thank you , thank you.......

for ALL of your support :)

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Etsy and a little bit of Funk

this necklace will go up in the shop this weekend :)

Yesterday I came across this article about Etsy. It's a good read. I thought it was interesting to note how some of the people interviewed dealt with growth and success. On my own small scale we have definitely been dealing with some of these issues, especially those related to balancing family life and business. I have a lot of thoughts and comments concerning this subject matter, but I think we will discuss them more in depth in the future......

So I have decided that I am going to leave my Etsy shop open during the holidays, but it will be limited to only what is in-stock. I won't take any custom orders or make any jewelry during that time because I will be in New Mexico opening presents and drinking eggnog!! ;) Well actually, that is only partially true! We will be in NM for one week and then when we get back I am going to lock myself away and work feverishly on new work. I am excited to re-open my shop with a different look! I have worked out a system to balance 'made to order' and new/one of a kind designs. I think it will be best for my business because it will keep people interested in my work, and for me because you have all heard me mention several times how I need to have more creative time. So on Monday night, the 21st, I will close down my workshop. I have already put this information in my shop announcement on the Etsy page and there is also some additional info if, between now and Monday, anyone is interested in ordering some last minute Christmas gifts.

Okay, so the music that I've been listening to this past week has been decidedly more uptempo with a dash of funk for good measure ;) I've had Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest & Fatboy Slim, among others, on heavy rotation while working. And speaking of Fatboy Slim.....one of the best videos I have ever seen is this one:

Fatboy Slim - Weapon of choice (Christopher Walken)- Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

Have a great weekend!!

Inspirational neighbors

One of the unexpected aspects of opening my shop on Etsy was the surprisingly strong sense of community I found amongst artists, stylists and lovers of all things artisan, handmade and inspirational. As a result, I have met a lot of fabulous people who have blogs and sites with fully wonderful things to share and say! I try to visit these sites as much as possible....although lately it has been far less than I like.

Tonight, I finally added a link list of some of these wonderful people and sites to my blog, so that you can visit them as well. The list is located in the lower right column.

I would like to introduce each of my 'neighbors' in the list throughout the month. I love visiting their locations.....so I figure you probaby will as well ;) First up is Charlotta's Space for Inspiration blog. Her blog is always chock full of inspiring images and somehow once you're there you will find yourself with tea or coffee in hand and your feet propped up ready to spend some (okay not some!) serious time browsing and reading (more like wishing and hoping you can visit every location she blogs about!).

I found these incredibly beautiful pictures on her site today, in fact.

I love the old world.....and as much as I am drawn to clean, simple and modern lines, I also completely adore all things ancient and old, with loads of history. This house to me is like something out of a beautiful storybook.

Click on the pictures to read more about this stunning 15th century home.

That bed, in front of that fireplace, looks exactly like the place I can imagine myself at.this.exact.moment!

I think that means its time to go to sleep.......'til tomorrow ;)

Last minute ordering...

Yesterday I was in my shop working for roughly only a couple of hours for the whole day. I had an earring order to fill and outside of that I have been trying to finish all the ordering I need for the fair. I want this to be the last day that I wrap that part up and spend the remaining days just making my wares and fulfilling etsy purchases.

My parents will be coming in next week to help us watch the kids so we can concentrate on final preparations. They will actually be watching my little monkeys during the fair so that my husband can work the booth with me. That is a massive help....and I am extremelly grateful they are coming to stay with us that week!!

One thing that I have yet to discuss on here is the fact that I have not opened up the 'fine art photography' portion of my shop yet. I have been working on it all along as well and after the show I will add that to blue hour designs. It has been a part of the plans all along but it took a backseat while I was trying to get the jewelry going. I will be selling my prints at the fair though, and so I've been having to buy all the matting and prints, which is a big job in and of itself!

I also decided to make my own earring cards because I have not been happy at all with the selection out there. I want a very simple and modern card, but for some reason all I am finding are the puffed pad and velvet kind. I am working on that right now actually. Way to go for last minute plans though, right?!!

Yesterday I posted these two up:



It was all I had time for. I will post a few more today.

I also love to share my favorite finds from etsy and so here are a few pieces that I would love, love, love to have!

Look at that incredible neckline! I love the simplicity of this girl's designs. Everything in her shop is be-autiful.

I really dig the colors too. I have been drawn to more muted colors lately....and then I'll throw on a splash of color with my jewelry ;)

And this fantastic sweater is perfect for fall! I lo-ove sweaters.....this one looks incredibly cozy and warm.

That's it for now...back to work :)

Images of Estonia

I finished putting up the last three pieces of jewelry today. Etsy had some maintenance issues last night so I was unable to post everything then.

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I wanted to put up some pictures of Estonia from our last trip several years ago. I was unable to include any before, because my camera had gone belly up during our travels. So thanks to my mom I have some to share :)

The following seven pictures were taken in the capital city of Tallinn, where my husband is from. Tallinn was first mentioned in historical records as a city in the year 1154. I'm sure there was a village located there even before that. Needless to say their old town is REALLY old and extraordinarily beautiful...

This picture of my dad, one of my wee ones and me was taken in the city of Tartu when we were visiting family. I don't have very many pictures of this city unfortunately. It is also quite beautiful there.

The last two pictures are from the Estonian island of Saaremaa. The picture below shows part of the castle that we visited and the last one was taken at a local restaurant.

So I'm off to the post office now to ship off a couple of orders. My Botswana ring was snatched up last night and 20 minutes after I posted this ring today:

it flew off the shelf!

I am feeling very, very grateful right now :)

Upcoming sale

I am listing these new pieces in my shop this evening:

I have been on a flower kick....two more pieces have them. I also used a variety of stones in my jewelry today. No amber in this group, but I'll include them in my pieces at the end of the week.

Time to 'talk shop':
I am going to participate in the 'Weekend Deals' on Etsy this Friday thru Sunday EST. All of my jewelry will be 15% off. Also, we are still feverishly working on preparing for the Fair in September. Right now we are creating our banners for the booth. I am going to have two: one main one for inside the tent and another that will be up on an easel at the opening of our booth. We are almost done with that and then we'll send in the order. I have been sketching ideas for the layout and I still have a lot of things to get for the displays. I'll post pics of my booth after the fair.

I am also planning on attending a nearby rock and gem show this weekend. Hopefully I'll come back with some new stones to add to my shop!

So now it's back to work. I have to finish taking pictures of everything and then they'll go up in my shop. Take a look when you get a chance! :)

Almost done

My five necklaces and one pair of earrings are currently in the tumbler and will soon be set with stones. Today was a great day. For all the metalsmiths out there, it is amazing how some days the solder just flows perfect. My hands followed my mind's lead wonderfully. I had constant realizations today that I am in my element....the fish who finally found water. It is such an exhilarating feeling to be content, challenged and excited in what you DO.

So since I refuse to blog without posting pictures (I am an ultra-visually stimulated person myself) I decided to post some pictures of etsy items that I adore. I just found these items today...what beautiful designs, don't you think?

I quickly added these to the favorites section of my shop. Etsy is very addicting. I am in a constant state of inspiration and awe when I browse through there.

I've got to go and finish my pieces now...they'll be up in my shop tomorrow ;)

Almost there!!

How to begin?

My life has taken such a dramatic turn and I hope to document much of this change on here. I also plan on writing frequently about what inspires me as an artist, which is really quite wide-ranging. I guess I'll just let this grow on it's own...and see where it takes me :)

Right now I am working soo hard to get my listings up on Etsy.....It is taking much longer than I anticipated. I figure that it will be much faster next time considering this is a completely new process to me. You have no idea how excited I am. I have worked SO hard for this.

I'll be back.....