Halloween Sample Sale

Halloween Sample Sale 

Sunday October 20, 2013

 Go to

www.facebook.com/PoppysGardenGate

Artfire Collection - Beautiful Winter

Beautiful Winter

  Curated By: PoppysGardenG...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

Creativity On The Run

A few days ago, I was waiting for my cousin to pick me up to go to the Art Museum. It was fairly early in the morning, and we don't have the greatest roads, so I was meeting her a few blocks from home.

While I was waiting I realized I didn't grab any jewelry for my arms or fingers and I kind of felt bare. I started to look around and saw some nice stones, if only I had something to mount them on, and a decent sized length of white electrical wire.

The night before I was looking at a Wire knot ring tutorial, kind of like this one on Handmadeology. I couldn't find the one I was looking at. It was a bit bigger, more like a rose. So I thought, I could do that with the electrical wire. Before I started, I checked my bag for a Swiss Army knife with scissors to snip the end. Yep I had them.  And here's the Ring.

Not too fancy, but I had to twist the wires by hand. Not that shabby considering it was made from garbage I found at the side of the road. Too bad I didn't have time to snip a beer can into a bracelet too.

I Want to be a Writer

I've wanted to be a writer for some time now. It's not like I haven't done enough things in my life that I need to be successful at something else.

Maybe because of the ADD, I really seem to like variety. I do a thing for maybe 5 to 7 years and then I get bored with it. I can't imagine ever doing the same thing for my whole life. So not me!

So I'd like to write, maybe a book. But what do I write about? How do I compete with all the other with all the other writers out there? There are so many writers, what do I write and how do I complete? I'm obviously not that great at competing in the handmade jewelry business. I am however, fairly decent in residential lighting design, as there are very few of those by comparison, but I've been doing that for 17 years on and off.

Maybe I need to do a little research and compare book subjects. I can pick a seldom used topic. There, that's it. Or maybe I could just spam away on twitter like others I get followed by do. Follow and drop, there, that's the ticket.

Or maybe I should just join a convent. I've never done that before. Are there convents for agnostics?

Biz Buzz - Should I Close My Shop?

Dr Who Bow Tie

I know I'm not the only one who has ever considered closing up their handmade shop. I hear it all the time. The depression when you go for a week or two without sales. Imagine what it's like for sellers who have been forced off of Etsy, and believe me, there are a lot of us now.

Helleborus Necklace

Actually there are a lot of sellers who do very well on other venues. Sometime you just have to find the right one. I do very well with my genre Aprons and Accessories on Artfire, but my felt flower jewelry sales is very slow. Although the sales have doubled from last year, they still are not enough to do much more than pay for materials and shop fees. If I was on Etsy, with the changes I've made, I'm sure I would do very well, but I'm not on Etsy, so I have to be more flexible.

Ao I've been considering closing my akaCINDERS Artfire shop. I might try another venue. Not sure yet. I've written more details about the where and why on my other blog in the post A Few Months Later. Maybe it's because I've had no sales in the shop this month, although I had a decent amount last month, but when you compare the $0 in sales on a slow month to the $800 in sales on a slow month in my other shops, what choice is there?

Shops I Like - Cubits - StudioBotanica - TheHickoryTree

This week I'm looking forward to the garden. It's been a crazy winter and an even crazier Spring. I think April was colder here than it was all winter, and March had days as warm as Summer! I hope to plant my veggies as soon as I'm sure we're not getting snow (like in June).

These three sellers are nature lovers like me. All three have very different product, but all three celebrate the garden and nature. I love what they have to offer. Two of the sellers I know, the third is a shop I recently found  and love too.

The first shop is Cubits. cubits.etsy.com. Like their banner says, organic, rare and heirloom seeds. And what a selection there is in this shop. Someday my garden will be filled with these treasures. I can't wait to try the Organic Lemon Cucumber or the Heirloom Tomatoes. Look at these yummy veggies and fruits. Head over to the shop right now and get you seeds, I did. Great selection of Herbs too. What can I say, my mouth is watering.

The next shop is Studio Botanica studiobotanica.etsy.com. I've been acquainted with Cristy for quite some time. I remember when she first started selling and wasn't sure which craft she wanted to focus on. she's a very talented person. I think her love of nature pushed her in the right direction finally, because her new shop offerings are just wonderful. My personal favorites are her pressed flower and leaf rings and pendants, but her botanical vials and plant printed flowers and journals are great too. You really need to stop by and see her work.

Finally we have The Hickory Tree thehickorytree.etsy.com. I recently came across this shop. I'm not only a big fan of nature, I'm absolutely fascinated with stones and wood, and does this shop have the wood. The shop is filled with some of the most unique buttons you could possibly find. For those of you who do not know wood, finding spalted maple or hickory or even lilac wood buttons are just a delight. So beautiful and well crafted. These are all made from branches, which is wonderful because branches fall naturally, or they do have to be thinned from trees, helping rather than harming the tree. You have to take a look at this shop, really! These buttons are really great for fiber artists, but there are more things in the shop too.

It's been such a beautiful adventure. I think I'll go sip some coffee out in the sun and enjoy the day. Please stop by these great shops and get yourself a little treasure or two.

Shops I Like - Polarity - HautTotes - JulianBean

This week the shops I like are all about inspiration and how it creates your craft. Three very different mediums, three very different lives, three very wonderful artists, and three great women and mothers.

The first shop is polarity.etsy.com. You will find the coolest lockets, rings, magnets and bracelets at Cat's shop. The images are magnetic, so you can have several looks and one great price. There are a few things I love about Cat and her product. First, she repurposes materials (auto parts), and she showcases amazing artists. The artwork is wonderful and features every genre and style you can imagine. See for yourself.

The next shop is hauttotes.etsy.com. Melissa is another seller who features great artwork on her purses and bags. I love the rich and often dark themes of her original fabrics. Her bags are incredibly well made too, and for the quality and uniqueness, the price is amazing. The bags are great, but the selection of artwork is even more wonderful. I love every artist Melissa chose to work with. Take your time browsing.

Finally there's julianbean.etsy.com. Erin is just the cleverest with a crochet hook. She makes Hats and accessories that are just adorable. Every time I look at her shop, she has something new. I absolutely adore her owl hats, and the other animals, monkeys, lions, giraffe, kitty, monkey, bees and bears are too fantastic. I think she must have been inspired by the zoo. The great thing is that she can make those awesome hats from tiny newborn size to adult.  I really love her slouch hats too, great big buttons on the side and great colors too. Please Stop by JulianBean to see what Erin has for you.

I couldn't give a better recommendation to these shops or the lovely sellers. Such unique and well crafted product. Fun, wonderful, and you will definitely have a treasure that's as unique as you are.

Shops I Like - LittleBugJewelry - TwillyPop - Lumafina

Today I'm featuring jewelry shops again. I'm going to have to do this often, because there are way more jewelry shops than anything else. And because I'm a jeweler (although some may say a fiber artist) I have a lot of friends in the jewelry trade. Don't worry if you're not here, you will be eventually. There are lots of shops to love.

Actually two of the shops are friends, whose work I love, the other shop I just adore, and do not know the artist personally. As usual, I feel that these shops offer a fairly different style product, even though they are all jewelry.

I'll Start with littlebugjewelry.etsy.com. What a delightful shop. Jane makes the sweetest bezel set stacking ring sets. Someday I have to get one of those. I really love her bezel set druzy and petoskey pieces best though. There is such a wonderful variety in this shop. There are wire wrapped jemstone earrings, freshwater pearl, rough stones, smooth stones, original and unique mixed metal settings. The variety is so amazing that you just have to find something you like there.

The next shop is twillypop.etsy.com. Sara had this great idea of weaving beads and ribbon together. She started out simple, but it's expanded into some pretty wonderful creations. You really have to browse through her shop to see just exactly what I'm talking about. Like myself, Sara took what she had available to work with and made her art. Her modeled photography is wonderful too, mostly done by her daughter standing on a chair to be tall enough. Very clever and creative. I just love her brooches too.

Finally, a shop I just adore from afar lumafina.etsy.com. There is something so calming about the elegant simplicity of this jewelry. It's like nature put on a simple white pedestal. Settings are simple and the features are like they were plucked from nature. A slab of antler, a Herkimer diamond, glass bead or quarts crystal are featured in these simple, mostly silver, settings. I've been really drawn to the simplicity of these designs since I first saw them, while searching for Herimer diamonds. I love the idea of using antler too, as this is naturally shed, and eco friendly. Please stop in and take a look.

Those are my shops for the week. I think you'll really be surprised at what you find in them. Stop in and see for yourself.

Shops I Like - Renathe Schneider - The Joy of Color - Hippie Kingdom

This week is all about COLOR glorious color. Bright, vibrant, sunny, wake you up and make you smile color. These are three of my absolute favorite shops and I might add that the sellers are not only phenomenally talented, but particularly nice too.

The first shop is Renathe Schneider. Renathe makes the most awesome resin jewelry. Her specialty is resin that holds insects. Creepy to some, very cool to me. Don't worry, the insects are already dead when she harvests them. You know the kind you find in your windowsill and such. I'm sure Renathe could find quite a few in my kitchen light fixture at Summers end. How about yours? She also makes some very cool recycled jewelry too.

The next shop is The Joy of Color. Yael's watercolors, just bring a smile to my face. What a simple and fresh style she has. I think those Pomegranites are my favorite. I love the pattern the leaves make. Wouldn't it be fantastic fabric? Fruit, Animals, Birds, even People - Yael does it beautifully and full of color color color!! 

Finally I have loved Hippie Kingdom for such a very long time. Such wonderfully creative jewelry made of recycled paper. Beautiful Bright fiber and cardboard delight. There are even some subtle neutrals for those of us who need a little calm now and then. I think those rainbow earrings might be the first thing I fell in love with. Oh and those paper bead necklaces are to die for. I wouldn't care if I had to wait a bit to get them from India. I just love everything from this very special shop. 

Such bright and delightful work my friends make. Please stop by and visit them. They can even brighten a cloudy Summer day.

Giveaway - Valentine Jewelry for You

Winter doldrums got you down? (What the heck is a doldrum?) Perk your self up with a pretty peony from my akaCINDERS shop.

Romantic Red and Ivory Peony and a Pretty Spring flower to remind you where we're going.

Entry is Easy! Tweet or Facebook Post Post any item from my shop akaCINDERS or just Tweet or Facebook My new Website akacinders.com.

Want extra entries? Post something Pretty on Pinterest for 2 additional entries.  Make sure you let me know what you did in the comments on this post.
Contest Ends January 31, 2012. That will give me enough time to get this to you by Valentines Day.

Please be sure that you leave a comment with a name I can use to contact, or check Back February 1 to see if you have won. No entry limits.

Buyers Paradise - GlitzGlitter - TheSlyFox

This week, I'm going to Ambush Feature one of my Oldest friends on Etsy. Well, she's not old, I am. But I think I've known her longer than just about anyone else there. I've known Celia for about 2 years at least. She is wonderful and makes the prettiest things. She is focused, and works hard at everything that is needed to be a successful seller.

When I first found GlitzGlitter, Celia was making wire wrapped earrings and pendants. She not only crafts beautifully, but searches for the most wonderful and unique stones and supplies. Celia does her own Photography, and it is outstanding.




I really love her Wire Wrapped Spring Green Leaf earrings.
I even have a pair.

Celia felt something was lacking in her offerings and she wanted more in her life and to offer her buyers, so she started taking metalworking classes. It's always inspiring to see how my friends have taken the time out for personal and professional growth. Celia started TheSlyFox as a result of her new skills. This shop offers more in the way of bezel set pieces and more metalworking intensive pieces.

Isn't this Green Blue Flash Labradorite Ring awesome. Beautiful Stone, Beautiful Setting.

Whether you shop at GlitzGlitter or TheSlyFox, both on Etsy, you will not be disappointed. Celia is a Fiend for Perfection.

This Rainbow Moonstone Floral Pattern Oxidized Sterling Silver Ring is another of my favorites. Well Maybe some day.