Simply Shiny Life

I’ve met many very talented artists on etsy in the teams that I belong. I’ll be highlighting them in the coming weeks on my blog.

Wendy, of IndigoSkye, is a fellow JET team member. She says “My jewelry pieces feature genuine natural stones or handmade art glass set in sterling silver or gold fill findings. I strive for unique but simple designs that can be worn to the office or out on the town with ease. Each piece is lovingly handmade by me one at a time in my studio.”

Etsy shop name: indigoskye
Name: Wendy Van Camp
Where else can we find you and your work?: Various Conventions and
Festivals also my website http://www.indigoskye.com/
Blog: www.indigoskye.com/blog
Your tuts or informational articles you would like to share:
Beadweaving Basics and Pom Pom Earrings

What are your jewelry beginnings? Where did you start and how did you
progress to work you are creating today?
My first jewelry project was making my bridal veil and matching jewelry for my bridesmaids to be used for my wedding twelve years ago. We were trying to save money since we were paying for our wedding ourselves. I found making the veil and jewelry to be very relaxing and took up beadweaving as a hobby. The next year I made a few things to sell at local craft shows and started a website.

During my second year in business I switched from strictly beadweaving to making jewelry with metals via wirewrapping since it was more profitable. I took a basic wirewrapping class at the local bead store and used simple tools from the hardware store. It was enough for me to make the leap into medium level art and craft shows and to begin building a name for myself as an artist. I was working 50% of the time as a television professional and 50% as an artisan jeweler. Jewelry sold during the off peak times of television production so the two fields combined together well. I would end up directing TV shows during the summer months and selling jewelry in the late fall and early spring.

In the sixth year of my business, the television industry started to go bust. Many of the companies that I freelanced for either went under or started to farm their TV commercials overseas. I was a producer/director without clients. However, at the same time the jewelry artisan circuit began to be more profitable for me. A friend of mine had talked me into taking advanced level jewelry making classes in order to increase my skills set. I was rewarded by an increase of sales in my booth that simply got better and better each year. I continue to take jewelry workshops as time allows and am blessed to live in an area where many of the best instructors live and teach. I’ve also been upgrading my tools and feel that I have the basics for a decent jewelry studio.

Now days, I am a full time artisan jeweler. In addition to wirewrapping, I do minor silversmithing, stamping and roller printing in my jewelry lines. I still have a few mid-level craft fairs that I attend, but mainly I sell at large festival events or conventions. I am working on getting my ETSY shop up and running. It’s been difficult due to my busy booth schedule. I simply don’t get a chance to take photos as often as I like, but I’m determined to kick start my online sales and toward this end I joined an Etsy street team called the JETS. They are a fun group of talented artisans and I’ve been learning much about online marketing from them.

What are your favorite materials?
Sterling Silver, Semi-precious stones

What inspires you?
Everything. Sometimes I’m out walking the dog in the park and the way a tree is shaped will translate into a jewelry design at a later time. Sometimes I see a color combination that I like and I remember it for later. You never know where an idea might come to you.

How do you describe your design style?
My designs are simple. I tend to go toward the “less is more” principal. I like the natural texture of the stones or the texture of wire coils or chainmaile to be the focus of the jewelry instead of it being too busy.

What artists have influenced you, and how?
Connie Fox is the biggest influence on my art. I’ve taken several workshops with her and after each one I go home full of new ideas and techniques to try. Eventually these techniques get absorbed into my own styles. Eni Oken is another influence. I met her at a jewelry class that we were both taking, she being an advanced student and I a beginner, and was astounded by the beautiful coiled jewelry she brought along with her. Later, I purchased her online tutorials and have been incorporating a few of her techniques into my jewelry lines. Finally, Don Norris is the last influential artist. I have been learning silversmithing from him via his DVD tutorials. Don’s style is worlds away from anything that I would create myself, but again, I am learning much from his techniques.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Be prepared to work hard and devote a great deal of time to your business in addition to perfecting your art. Take a business course at SCORE and make sure that you understand the tax laws and the basic concepts of running a business. Ask questions. Be patient. Stick with it! Be kind to your customers and fellow artisans. Be true to yourself and know that you are a unique and talented person who deserves to be creating as much as the next person.

How do you spend time when you are NOT creating? I love to cook and to garden. My AARS rose bushes are my pride and joy. I also grow exotic hot chile peppers. This past year I’ve taken up OAMC (author’s note: see more info about OAMC here) style cooking in order to save money on groceries and to make the domestic part of my life easier. I’ve always been fond of cooking with my crockpot, but now I’ve added a Nesco Roaster Oven to my arsenal. It leaves me more time for making jewelry or working on other projects.

Where have you been published or profiled?
Two necklaces that I worked on with groups were recently published in Belle Armoire Magazine. I’ve been profiled as an artist in Cyndi Lavin’s Jewelry & Beading Blog. I have published a few tutorials on beadweaving that are still available on the internet. One is “Beadweaving Basics” at: http://www.eebeads.com/Webzine/june/6_10_97.htm
and another is a tutorial on Pom Pom Earrings at: http://www.bead-arts.com/pompom-delica-earrings-by-wendy-van-camp/

You can view more of Wendy’s work at Indigoskye’s etsy shop

Stay tuned in upcoming weeks for more talented etsy artist profiles from my JET and ABS team members.

The September/October issue of Bead Trends magazine featured four of my artisan jewelry items. How cool is that?

Lime green and orange bangles

Aventurine and lampwork bracelet

DNA necklace

Happy happy joy joy
These pieces are currently on hiatus from my shop, but will return in about a month.

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I’ve met many very very talented artists on etsy in the teams that I belong. I’ll be highlighting some of them in the coming weeks on my blog.

Today’s profile belongs to Brandi of Catie’s Blue, a VERY talented fellow Etsy Artisan Beaders Street Team member.

Brandi creates colorful, wearable GORGEOUS pieces of art. She has a wonderful sense of clean line and interpretation of color. I love the partnerships she creates between lampwork and gemstone beads. For those of you lucky enough to get to know her a bit, she’s funny and irreverant and likes to question the status quo. I think these qualities represent themselves well in her jewelry design.

Etsy shop name: CatiesBlue (finished jewelry), CBStash (destash supplies)
Name: Brandi
Where else can we find you and your work?
For a full list of profiles and where to find me online, visit my website, www.catiesblue.com. To purchase, I have just my Etsy shop right now. I also do home parties and trunk shows occasionally, which are always a lot of fun.
Blog: brandi-girl.blogspot.com

Your tuts or informational articles you would like to share:
I have a few tutorials on my blog, and have written a few Etsy-related articles for Indiepreneur.org. I’m working on compiling a full list of all the tutorials I’ve written and should have those up on my website or blog within the next few months (as time allows).

Location:Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas

What are your jewelry beginnings? Where did you start and how did you progress to work you are creating today?
I come from a really creative family, and have played with different materials off and on throughout the years, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when jewelry came into the picture.

I remember my paternal grandmother giving me a jewelry kit with gemstone chips when I was little, and within a day, I used everything and needed a new one! I also remember sitting next to my maternal grandmother as she taught me traditional Hawaiian crafts, like making leis with flowers and weaving bracelets with lau hala leaves. Or watching my mom make pins, or my aunts making necklaces. Looking back, it’s sort of always been there.

I did take Jewelry Design in college as part of my Art Major courses, but it was more metal smithing than anything else. The truth is I wasn’t very good at it. I didn’t have the patience to cut the sheets of silver, and kept breaking the blades, then stabbing myself with the broken ends (yeah, that was fun – but after a while, the blades would hit the band-aids, so that was fine).

So, I guess the real start was when I was on vacation in Hawaii early in 2007. I literally stumbled (I’m just that graceful) into a bead store, and that was it. I was done. I saw all the strands hanging on the walls, all the beads in tins on the tables and was smitten. I took my first beading class a couple days later, and went back to that bead shop almost everyday while I was there.

I was (and still am) really inspired by the materials themselves, and use what I learned as an Art Major to put pieces together – how the design should develop, where to put the focus, what colors I like and respond to, that sort of thing.

What are your favorite materials?
Gemstones! I love gemstones and Czech glass. I’m also really addicted to borosilicate lampwork beads – the colors are just amazing. As far as metals go, I use sterling silver the most, and am getting into fusing fine silver and argentinium silver. It’s really fun playing with the torch and seeing what happens.

What inspires you?
Colors and lines. I like playing with color schemes, so I’m most often trying to translate a particular color scheme from an object into a piece. I also pay attention to the lines of piece, the way it moves and looks, the outlines – positive and negative space. Keeping the lines simple and beautiful is really important to me.

How do you describe your design style?
My design style is probably more contemporary than anything else. I like clean lines, bright pops of color. I like multi-use pieces; earrings that would work well at work or at night, or a necklace that someone could wear with any casual outfit. That’s what I look for when I shop, so that’s what I think of when I create.

What artists have influenced you, and how?
Wow, that’s really tough to answer. I like a ton of different artists, from painters to sculptors to jewelry designers to lampworkers. With jewelry, or any art genre really, there’s bound to be overlap, so I try not to look too much at what other people are doing anymore; I just try to focus on my work and my inspirations. But I really do admire Meganne of MAugustaWoodland for her filigree work, Sheela of EcletticaDesigns for her wire wrapping work, Jo of GemHeaven for her design work, Deb of CrysallisCreations for her total knowledge, and a variety of lampworkers for their final product.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Stay positive, stay professional. You never know who your next buyer is or where they’re coming from, so try to present yourself as a business person when you’re doing anything related to your work. Take excellent photos – really work on them, because they are what gets your pieces sold. Do only what you love, and do it well – you can tell when someone’s enjoying themselves or not, just like you know when a piece is quality or not. Study a lot, whether it’s in regards to your craft or to running a business. Ask questions! When in doubt, go slow – don’t jump into every new thing or try to do too much too fast. It’s better to build up slowly. Provide the kind of service you want to receive, always. And take a break from the computer every once in a while to avoid burning out.

How do you spend time when you are NOT creating?
Ha! What’s this “not creating” business?? I create full-time. This is my job, and it’s the best one. When I’m not actually beading, I’m working on some other aspect of my business – dealing with the bookkeeping, creating packaging, taking photos. Few people in my life really understand that I truly enjoy doing it, so much so that I don’t want to stop sometimes (I’m kind of a workaholic, but I’m trying to learn “balance”).|

Eventually, I’ll realize that I’ve ignored my friends and family for days, so I’ll head out for dinner with them, see a movie, go bead shopping. I also travel a lot, because I can’t go more than a month before I have to see my niece and nephew, so I’m on a plane off and on throughout the year.

Where have you been published or profiled?
I’ve been featured on Cuteable, in Flickr’s Explore, taken part of the Modish Giveaways, been in the Sampler. I’m really lucky to have made the Etsy Front Page a handful of times – that was fantastically great exposure. I’m also really lucky to have been featured on blogs like yours! That always means a lot because these are usually fellow jewelry designers who are incredibly talented, so having peer respect is beyond amazing.

You can find more of Brandi’s work on her flickr site here

Stay tuned in upcoming weeks for more talented etsy artist profiles from my JET and ABS team members.

While perusing the flotsam that is the etsy forums, I stumbled across a thread that mentioned “The Little Black Boxes“, a product sampler aggregator service. (Note: I am NOT receiving any type of renumeration for this post. Just my opinion)

I’d noticed an ad on my blog with the same name, but, well, didn’t know what it was for. So, I checked out the link. Little Black Boxes organizes product samples from indie businesses and sends out fab sample packages to customers interested in trying new things. Looks like many etsy shops participate, and according to the LBB site samples have included “jewelry, bath and body, candles, bookmarks, keychains, buttons, magnets, luggage handle wraps, silk scarves, dog treats, stationary, photography, tissue cozies and much much more!” I’m intrigued that jewelry designers would utilize this service. As samples can run into the hundreds of items, I have no idea what kinds of jewelry could be submitted that would be a worthwhile sample but not cost a fortune.

Sample boxes are filled and sold monthly for about $25 each, including postage. Sounds like quite a deal, actually, based on all the goodies inside. Here’s a photo of some of the items that were available in June’s box:

The recipients are asked to review the items they receive on the LBB blog, providing feedback to the indie business about the product, and its packaging. Seriously, this is a brilliant idea. If managed well, it could really benefit all parties involved. I peeked around the forums on the LBB site, and I like that LBB’s owner is involved to answer questions. She also pops up on the etsy forums to answer questions and provide feedback about her service. Nice.

LBB has an etsy shop here. The August boxes go on sale 8/22. Here is a partial list of some of the August box shop participants.

I’ll have a spot near the front of the line on the 22nd.
No cutting.

I’ve met many very very talented artists on etsy in the teams that I belong. I’ll be highlighting some of them in the coming weeks on my blog.

Today’s profile belongs to Jeannie of Beadstylin a fellow JET team member and Wichita resident WHOM I REALLY REALLY NEED TO MEET FOR LUNCH. Yep, I know, I’m a HUGE slacker.

She creates an eclectic variety of necklaces, earrings, anklets, bracelets, and rosaries, each handcrafted with love. Jeannie says “I have quite a mix here…vintage-inspired pieces, modern styles, and timeless classics. I love to work with quality gemstones, Austrian crystals, beautiful Czech glass, sterling silver, aged brass, gold-filled components, and even a few lampwork beads that I’ve made.”

In addition to being a fabulous jewelry designer, she’s also learned lampworking and is perfecting that skill as well. Multi talented JETS. Gotta love ‘em.

Shop name: beadstylin
Blog link: jeannieandaly.blogspot.com/

Jeannie says: I’ve been making jewelry for approx. ten years. I started out making rosaries. After a couple of years of making rosaries and rosary bracelets, I realized that my bead “stash” was growing and that with a little practice and a few extra findings, I might be able to start making jewelry.

Naturally, it wasn’t as easy as that, and some of my first pieces were…well…just not very lovable. But as the months unfolded, I began to understand more about design and what makes a piece of jewelry pleasing to the eye.

I am a self-taught jewelry maker, but I took a lot of art classes in school, and I believe that my art background continues to help me in the basics of color and design. I started out making jewelry with Czech glass beads; then I moved on to semi-precious gemstones. I have a bit of a restless soul (okay, maybe more like a short attention span!), so I am constantly exploring new ideas and techniques. Last year, I started soldering, and this year I branched out into the “vintage-inspired” brass jewelry. I also began learning techniques for patinaing my own raw brass findings. In addition, I took a bead-making class, bought a torch, and am slowly (very slowly!) acquiring lampworking skills.

I find my inspiration comes from so many different sources. Nature provides me much inspiration…a coppery sunset, a waterfall, a Kansas storm rolling in. A new shipment of beads can inspire me as well! Other times, I’ll see a pattern or color combination on a blouse or skirt and think, “Now, that would look pretty in a necklace!”

After years of doing the craft fair scene, the one thing I hear over and over again (other
than, “Do you have earrings to match this?”) is that my booth is so full of color. I have to agree: I love color! Not much into neutrals, I guess. When I had my Etsy banner designed a few months ago, I told the designer that I wanted it to have lots of color because when you look at my jewelry, you see a broad spectrum of all colors in the rainbow.

If I were to give any advice to an artist starting out, I would tell them that a soldering iron can burn bangs faster than you can blink, that tiny pieces of 49-strand wire can really get imbedded into fingers, and that tiny micro-crimp beads are impossible to find in Frieze carpet. I would also tell them that when opening the back of your van hatch, make very sure that ALL of your bead bins are securely CLOSED. Seriously though…I would urge them to find their own personal style and to run with that. I would also encourage them to work with the materials that they love the most, whether it be glass, gemstones, wire, or whatever! When you do what you love, the most beautiful things can happen. Be true to your own sense of style and just have fun with it!

When I’m not creating, I keep busy with my husband and family of four. We homeschool our children, and that keeps me occupied during the school year. During the summer, I enjoy metal detecting, reading, walking for exercise, and puttering around in my flower gardens. We also have two cats and six seven toads (although my husband insists that the toads are not pets but “hostages”).

My jewelry making has evolved into a business, but I would continue to do this even if I weren’t making money at it. Beading is in my blood and is wonderful therapy!

Look for Jeannie’s colorful designs in her etsy shop http://beadstylin.etsy.com

Stay tuned in upcoming weeks for more talented etsy artist profiles from my JET and ABS team members.

Ok, so this isn’t exactly craft related, but its definitely post worthy, and well, you just need to watch it. I think it is written somewhere that it is a requirement for successfully completing 2008. Besides, you REALLY need to be able to say you saw Neil Patrick Harris mumble “Oh, wow, look at my wrist, I gotta go”.

Official Site to watch the video http://drhorrible.com/
Official Fan Site http://doctorhorrible.net/

And yes, it is a musical, sort of, and yes it is a love story, sort of.

I’ve met many very talented artists on etsy in the teams that I belong. I’ll be highlighting them in the coming weeks on my blog.

Vicki, of Orion Designs, a fellow ABS Team member extraordinaire. She’s the brains behind our new member communication and approval process. Vicki you ROCK!

Etsy shop name: Orion Designs on Etsy
Name: Vicki Potter – Orion Designs
Where else can we find you and your work?: oriondesigns.net as well as art galleries and gift shops throughout Alaska
Blog: http://vickiorion.blogspot.com
Your location: Alaska

What are your jewelry beginnings? Where did you start and how did you progress to work you are creating today?
I took my first beading class in Scottsdale, Arizona. I had just quit my job as a financial analyst/industrial engineer at Revlon in preparation for my move to Alaska. I walked into the Beadbox, which was around the corner from my apartment. I was immediately enthralled and signed up for a beginner class. Since then, I have taken countless classes in wire work, beadweaving and metalsmithing, all which have lead me to where I am today. There are pieces of all of those classes to be found in my work. I have a short attention span and I get bored easily. As a result, my style is very eclectic and my etsy shop reflects a wide variety of jewelry making techniques.

What are your favorite materials?
I adore freshwater pearls in all shapes and sizes and can’t seem to get enough of them. Faceted gemstones and sterling silver chain in lots of variety have dominated my purchases this year.

What inspires you?
Mostly, I’m inspired by the gorgeous gems I surround myself with in my studio. I seem to do my best work when my inventory level is at its greatest! Having lived on a sailboat for 7 years, I am also inspired by the things that infused my life at that time: watery colors, spectacular sunsets and sealife.

How do you describe your design style?
This is a tough question for me. As I stated earlier, my style is eclectic. I love classic designs involving pearls and sterling silver. But I have other lines of jewelry that feature mixed media techniques, cold connections, brass and copper.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Take classes whenever the opportunity arises, from a variety of instructors. Each instructor will be able to teach techniques with their own perspective. By melding all different approaches, a receptive student can develop her own techniques and styles.

How do you spend time when you are NOT creating?
I love knitting, baking, paper crafts and reading. In addition to that, I spend lots of time with my husband, Rick and my Bouvier Xena.

Don’t forget to check out Vicki’s other venture at http://www.badgirlsofthenorth.com/ as well as ALL of her GORGEOUS flickr pics at www.flickr.com/photos/vickiorion/

By the way, don’t miss all the wildlife shots from her back yard like these here and here and here. Vicki files those critter shots in her “Around the House” folder on flickr.

Stay tuned in upcoming weeks for more talented etsy artist profiles from my JET and ABS team members.

Bob, from Jewelry24Seven, a fellow JET team member, has written a post on the etsy JET Team blog about Google Base.

Google is the most popular search engine, and most people use the regular Google search engine when they arrive at the home page. But Google has a lot more to offer. More and more people are searching on Google Products, a shopping search that is part of Google Base. This is a great way to get your items in front of people. Here’s what happened …

Read more at the Jet Team Blog.

Great article Bob!

Reached 200+ 400+ (8/7/2008) visitors to my blog today!!

A new record for me. So here is my short list of how I increased my blog traffic. Use or not.

1. Blog at least daily with content someone else might actually want to read.

2. Ensure posts are pushed to google via XML 

3. Profile other etsy artists

4. Announce etsy artist profile by adding my new blog post to ALL the daily blog threads in the etsy forum

5. Announce the etsy artist profile by adding my new blog post to ALL the daily etsy artist profile blog threads

6. Post articles about jewelry making, tips techniques.

7. Post links to articles in etsy forums about blogs and in the team thread

8. Join entrecard. Drop my 300 card limit per day. Make sure I use ALL my entrecard credits to purchase ads all over the place on pertinent sites

9. Add some space for Project Wonderful ads

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Etsy Artist Profile: Jewelry 24 Seven http://jewelry24seven.etsy.com/

I’ve met many very very talented artists on etsy in the teams that I belong. I’ll be highlighting some of them in the coming weeks on my blog.

Today’s profile belongs to Jewelry 24 Seven , a fellow JET team member. He creates works of handmade sterling silver art jewelry, including rings, pendants and other jewelry from wire, sheet and tube and gemstones. Bob says “We have been selling our jewelry online since 1998. We began selling online at ebay, gave that up in 2000 and have had our own site for six years now. We decided to open the Etsy shop as a compliment to our web site because we enjoy the Etsy community and how the indie atmosphere here fosters creativity.”

Enjoy!

Etsy Artist Shop: Jewelry24Seven
Etsy Artist Name: Bob Edwards
Where else can we find you and your work?: http://www.jewelry24seven.com/

What are your jewelry beginnings?
I began making jewelry in school – when I was 14 I made a copper tie clip for my dad. So I learned how to form and solder metal at an early age. I went through more advanced metal shop courses in High School. Began selling commercially made jewelry in flea markets, and met a professional jewelry vendor there who became a friend. He welcomed me into his store – he had a back room that was his repair shop. Nick taught me that silver and gold were no different to work on than copper, and as I became better at handling the little “projects” he gave me to do (simple repairs) I got over my fear of using expensive metals. He also taught me to set stones … I owe him big time.

What are your favorite materials?
I love to work with silver. It is a bit more challenging than working with gold due to the metal’s properties …

What inspires you?
Everyday stuff and natural forms are my inspiration. I am starting to use found objects and small “things” in my designs. Handcrafted jewelry is unique and so visually unusual objects make me think … how would that look in jewelry?

How do you describe your design style?
Well, I guess classic and traditional. But I am also capable of surprises … I have lots of “out of character” pieces also. (Note from Kristy: Bob is a traditional dresser too…with a penchant for black. Simplifies the clothing issue each morning….:-) )

What artists have influenced you, and how?
I guess I have been most influenced by Balinese design. But I can name a few … Tim McCreight, CeCe Wire and Sherri Haab are favorites … I am inspired by their work.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Never give up. Create because you love to … and others will share your vision by buying your pieces.

How do you spend time when you are NOT creating?
Terry and I love to go to the Bronx Zoo, NY Botanical Gardens, and other local educational attractions like museums. We watch a lot of baseball – I’m a Mets fan and she loves the Yankees. We’re into photography, have film cameras and a full darkroom setup in addition to newer digital equipment. We love music and are constantly finding new bands we like so our CD collection is getting to be out of control …

You can view more of Bob’s handmade silver jewelry at his site. By the way, he has a PLETHORA of interesting information at his web site for those with an inclination to visit. Be sure to check out
Interesting facts about gold, silver and alloy metals
Gemstone facts and care A-L and M-Z
Diamond grade information

Stay tuned in upcoming weeks for more talented etsy artist profiles from my JET and ABS team members.