Bella Bella Jewelry!

I've been chatting on and off for a few months with Linda from Bella Bead Jewelry and have really enjoyed our corespondance. I was first capitvated by her bright colors and funky lamp work style and have been enjoying reading her daily blog since.



1. I've been making beads for several years. I don't know exactly how long since I don't track time well! I'd guess about 8-10 years.



2. I did not always make beads but looking back on my life, beads have always been with me. In High School I made a pair of (heavily) beaded jeans & they were part of a school art show...I wore them for a long time but sadly they are gone somewhere! Before my current bead career I did ceramics & pastels... actually I was an art gypsy. I was a jack of many artistic things. For awhile I did stained glass too.



3. I love color. But so many people can say that. I guess if I dig deeper about myself & color I would say that color is energy and I am typically an energetic person. So color says volumes about my personality. Of course, may other things are inspiring too. Nature, different cultures, music...anything that is emotive or symbolic I find intreging. Lastly but probably most importantly....the children I work with each day inspire me. Watching them joyfully create & loving what they produce inspires me to feel the same about what I make...be it "good" or "bad". Its the process of creating.




4. Challenges....hmmmmm. Well, here it is....the biggest challenge was to learn to disregard "mean, negative" people. They're out there. Don't get rattled by rejection and as far as "copy cats"....let them. My mother always told me that there is nothing new under the sun (Barnimam Baily quote) and that is soooo true. Its how you put it together that is the original thing & people will have a tough time capturing your spirit. In addition, I would say pricing. Pricing is difficult. There are many ideas on pricing but when I started out I first checked to see what others were getting and then I took into consideration that I was "new" and unknown. So my prices to start were slightly less. Once I was "established" I matched what was competitive.



So, go check out her website, and say hello to her! She is a sweet gal and would love to hear your opinions! :)

Greek Life..Greek Jewels. :)

Looking for a unique idea for your next Greek event??

Throw an origional Sister Hood event. Have a custom jewelry party with your girls!! E-mail me for more information. :)

Ohh...Put a cork in it!

What started off as a search on Etsy for "trees" led me to the intriguing Cat from Uncorked. A clever Etsy shoppe devoted to jewelry crafts made obviously, from cork. :) It was crafting love at 1st site. Her idea is creative, the packaging is the cutest, and her photographs are awesome. Plus, the icing on the cake? This all started out as a science fair project..! Read on...

1. I have been crafting always! I remember my poor mother going to work with a pocketbook made from ziplock plastic sandwich bags covered with purple feathers and having to store her kitchen supplies in decoupaged cereal boxes and fabric covered Pringles potato chip cans!



2. This is the first time I have ever crafted jewelry and I am certainly no jewelry artist! I have always worked with industrial supplies and always sought to re purpose those supplies into something new, unique and beautiful. As a science teacher I started my Uncorked line after receiving an unusually wonderful supply of cork with my test tubes. I found myself rolling the cork around in my hands, reminding myself of the clay I have always loved to work with, and really within a few minutes I had a picture of my jewelry in my head. I wanted to use Uncorked as a way to inspire girls with my love of science and math, especially my crafty girls, who I am always trying to convince of the connections between science and art! I am determined to get my artsy students to see the beauty in Tesla coil, exploding glass and, yes, cork! And I am equally determined to get my computer students to see the beauty in their binary numbers!





3. As a scientist I am continually inspired by the things I do not know. When a student asks a question in a way I had not though about, I get excited. When I hear something I am unfamiliar with, the researcher in me kicks into high gear. I love to google! I am also a born skeptic so I love to experiment. As an artist I am always inspired by the rawness of real emotion and the contrast of color and texture. I have been an artist all my life. College was kind of a crossroads where I choose science as a career because I knew the art would always be there for me (and maybe I copped out a little bit for the money, but just a little bit because I am a teacher after all!).





4. Bringing a craft into the marketplace is a challenge because when you create something you are not thinking - can I sell this? If you are thinking that you will probably never create anything new or exciting. The scope of my pieces changed quickly from science and math themed into the humor and more modern illustration that my wholesale customers requested and those pieces have also been the primary sellers with my retail customers, so my line has evolved from the influence of the marketplace in a way I had not anticipated. It has been a bit of a trade-off to get my work out there. I am still determined to get my science and math themed pieces (UNCORKEDucation) into the hands, or I should say around the necks, of girls though! It may take a bit of good luck to do it, but luckily I am a mad scientist and luck is something I strongly believe in!



If her images alone aren't enough to interest you to go to her Etsy, i don't know what else will! She's a swell gal and would love for you to check out her shoppe! :)

What an Artsy Man!

I see these earrings and i think of a sculpture at the museum. It's such a unique charm, and i was excited when i found it.

This Copper man wears his face on his sleeve and has a loving face. Show off a true art piece in earring formation, and proudly wear these Loving Man earrings.

Faux Cakes, Faux Calories

When i saw Jenni from Jenni B's shoppe, my 1st two thoughts were "Hey she has my name!" and "Aww cherry cupcakes!!" so why wouldn't those two facts give me enough reason to blog about her? The funny part is that i never realized how large of a fan base Jenni has. Martha Stewart herself asked Jenni to come and show her audience how to make faux treats. Isn't that amazing?



I've been crafting for a long, long time! My mom ran a seasonal craft fair when I was young and she would let my sister and I make crafts to sell. We thought it was a good deal because she would buy the supplies and we'd keep the money! I think my grandma really bought all of our items because she'd feel bad if we didn't sell anything. As far as faux food goes, I've been making it for less than a year.



I get my inspiration from lots of things! I try to get new ideas every day. My mom and I love to look at magazines together and get fun ideas. I've been looking at a lot of cookbooks to find pictures of yummy desserts. I also love shopping and going to craft stores so I just keep and open and creative mind when I'm out and about. My mom also comes up with new and fun ideas once in awhile that she'll share with me.



Selling your products can be so intimidating!! I think because you make them you have a personal attachment to them. And when someone says something critical about something you've made, you definitely take it to heart! After I finished making my first batch of faux chocolate truffles and cream tarts, I thought they were the cutest things in the world! I thought they belonged in every store! I thought up a list of some of my favorite local stores and set out to sell my wares. My mom was even nice enough to come with me for encouragement. We were out all day. And we weren't getting any takers! I was turned down time and time again. But guess what? The last store I went to (as it was closing up) had the nicest owner. She loved it all and bought every sample I had with me and I walked away with a $200 order for more! You never know what's going to happen.




My advice for anyone starting out with new products is to just believe in yourself and what you have to offer others. Make it a great product.

Back in October I had some items listed in my Etsy shop. Nothing fancy and photographs that were, well....lacking. But I thought my products were cute, even though I didn't have any buyers. Then I got an email from a producer of The Martha Stewart Show. I was sooo ecstatic! That was the biggest compliment I could ever receive for my product. She requested that I call her. Two months later I was on the set of the Martha Stewart Show, meeting Martha herself, and showing her how to make my products on LIVE National Television. Wow! I now have my own local crafting show and have been requested to teach some educational classes next Fall.

You really do never know where your path will take you. Carpe Diem (Sieze the Day)! That's my favorite saying right now. Take the gifts your God has blessed you with and use them.





Your are more then welcome to contact Jenni via her Etsy side or her personal website, www.jenniboriginals.com. :)

A charming little Fruit and Tea necklace.

I thought my cute "Fruit and Tea" charm necklace would be a great addition to the last artist interview!! :)

Knit and Tea

When i saw these cute Tea holder at Etsy, i sat back and though, how clever!! At the time, i was bringing tea and sugar to work frequently and had a hard time keeping them all together. Jacqueline from Jacqueline Knitcreated this cute creation, along with fun other knitted items that make life a little more practical and a little more fun!

1) How long have you been crafting?

I've been knitting for as long as I can remember (I was taught by my mother)



2) Did you always craft in this genre?

I've done other needlework like embroidery, sewing, cross stitch and crochet, but knitting is by far my favourite. I'd like to try rug hooking at some point as well.



3) Who or what inspires you?

I like to make things that are useful. My house is at the maximum for space so anything that comes in has to either replace something already there or have a use. So my knitting kind of follows along these lines too. (The fruit jackets stop bruising, the tea bag holder replaces plastic baggies (that's what my friend was using when I thought of the idea to knit her one!), etc.)







4) What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

Having to learn how to take good quality pictures (I'm still working on this) has been a bit time-consuming and frustrating. Also determining price was difficult at the start. As well, I've still got some work to do on finding various ways to promote my shop.



Head over to Jacqueline's Etsy page and check out the rest of her knitted goodies! :)