BAO Item of the Week May 21 - 27

My cuff links are my featured Bead Art Originals (BAO) Item of the Week for May 21-27. Nine other BAO artists are participating this week with their own special items and offers. Click on the image below or go to BeadArtOriginals.Blogspot.com for details on each of these items and the specials available on them below.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

It is indeed a time of renewal. I'm finally relaunching my jewelry shop, BeadJewelryShopgirl, with a SALE! Don't miss this wonderful event my artists friends and I are offering! Great value for the buck for items from talented artists! Click on the image above and see the list of shops offering these great deals.

BAO Welcomes Spring Sale!

I have exciting news! Bead Art Originals is celebrating Easter and welcoming spring with a SALE! Not just a sale, but you'll also have chances to win free giveaways! Starting Sunday, April 12, 15 BAO artists will be participating in this extravaganza. I'm in the process of adding more jewelry to my store, too!

The fun begins Sunday! Watch for it! I'll send you more details on Sunday ;)

CALL FOR ARTISTS AND CRAFTERS!

The DC Craft Mafia is pleased to announce a call to Artists and Crafters for its annual craft fair, The UnUsual Suspects Holiday Arts & Crafts Festival, to be held November 1, 2008. Deadline for applications is September 28, 2008. The event will be held at The Anastasi Room at the Bethesda Fire House, Battery Lane, Bethesda, MD. Applications can be downloaded from the DC Craft Mafia website: http://www.dccraftmafia.com/application.php.

Over 50 vendors will be chosen to feature a wide selection of handcrafted gifts in all price ranges, from bath and body care items, glass art and home decor, fine art and photography, clothing and handbags, toys, paper goods, accessories and artisan jewelry.

The DC Craft Mafia (DCCM) is a group of diverse independent artists in the DC, MD and VA area who endeavor to bring craftiness to the nation's capital. For more information on the event and DCCM, visit www.dccraftmafia.com.

15 Minutes of Fame

15 minutes of fame
Originally uploaded by BeadJewelryShopgirl

Thanks to the Treasury prowess of co-etsy seller, wmarlaine of rainy lane, I managed to be featured in etsy front page!

After over a year and a half in etsy, this is my first (known) appearance on the front page! Thanks to quick screenshooting abilities among my etsybeadweaver peeps, someone actually recorded the moment. Otherwise, I'd be totally clueless! The historic event happened June 5, 2008 in the morning.

At the Women's Museum

It began to look a lot like Christmas last December 4-5, showing off my wearable art at The National Museum of Women in the Arts holiday gift show. Showing my work in the same building housing the works of great female artists like Mary Cassatt, Georgia O'Keeffe, Frieda Kahlo is quiet a heady experience for me. I also met 2 fellow Etsy CREST gals, Bella Luna Designs and Cavanaugh Craft.

Now I have to prepare for the American Craft Council Show in February 2008 which is an even bigger show. I was accepted to be part of their New Wave Artist Exhibit (15 artists were chosen out of 90 applications). This is totally unexpected as I entered an application last minute. I thought I could rest after the museum show but it looks like I'll be beading like mad from now till February.

Happy Beading!

Reflections Competition by EJA artists

It seems the 2 street teams I belong to are both in competition mode. This time Eclectic Jewelry Artisans (www.EclecticJewelryArtisans.com) is holding a competition with theme "Reflecting." Entries are being posted as we speak and voting will begin tomorrow. Of course, I entered my piece for the competition. Check out all the entries in our TeamEJA etsy store, after you've picked your favorite, go to www.EclecticJewelryArtisans.com to vote by click on Mailing List and enter who you vote for in the note. And by the way, when you vote, you will be entered into our free giveaway drawing!!! How much fun is that!

Bead Heaven!

Give a group of talented beaders, like those in the Etsy Beadweavers, a creative theme and you come up with as many variations you can imagine! Each and everyone of these beaded creations took hours to create with so much love and talent! My thanks for my friend, SandFibers, who prepared this collage featuring all these beaded creations.

Etsy Beadweaver September Challenge

Artistic Challenges are so much fun especially with a group of highly talented artisans. Etsy Beadweavers' latest challenge is to "Show Your Colors." For my entry, I created this Pearlescent Purple Freeform Peyote Cuff featuring my favorite color, purple. 20 other beadweavers came up with gorgeous creations is various styles to whet your appetite. The public also gets a chance to pick their favorite. Be sure to visit the etsy beadweavers blog and put in your vote!

Hot August Nights Etsy Beadweavers Challenge

One of the street teams I belong to in etsy.com is ETSY Beadweavers. A group of very talented artisans equally obsessed as I am about weaving teeny tiny seed beads into gorgeous wearable art. We have a monthly theme going on now. The above creation was done by NoEasyBeads, titled "Midnight On The Bayou Raku Necklace"as her entry for this month's challenge on "Hot August Nights." Check out the other hot artisan jewelry and vote on your favorite!

Crafty Helper? Crafty Businessman in the Making!

I'm fortunate that I'm never alone when I go to craft shows. I always have my son with me. Why? That's because he has his own craft to sell - origami. My son has been doing origami since he was 5 years old. He has always been fascinated with paper - cutting it, crumpling it and finally discovering the joys of folding. Now at the veteran age of 11, he can do large origami figures from one long sheet of paper or the smallest crane I have seen from a 1cm square piece of paper (click here for my previous post on this). So when I started doing craft shows, he sets his origami table next to mine. It's great moral support to have him by me!

I'm in Print!

Months ago, I participated in a collaborative project as a call for artists by Belle Armoire magazine. Together with a group of etsy artists, we created a charm necklace with each charm representing each artist's concept of the Etsy Community. Lo and behold, our submission was accepted by Belle Armoire and is now featured in their Sept/Oct 2007 issue! I've included a picture of the necklace and a detail of the freeform beaded pendant I submitted for the project. I also include the published article that goes with the necklace. Read on!

Le Chic! Le Wicked!

I just found out that my Embellished Gold Bracelet is featured in WickedlyChic.com!!! They have a Daily Ditties sections (see under August 13) featuring some neat handmade stuff. This happens to be the same bracelet I did an article on and will be featured in the holiday issue of Step By Step Beads magazine! Wicked!

Lemonade Stand.....NOT! or How To Prepare for a Craft Show

Don’t we all wish that selling in craft shows is as simple as selling lemonade when we were kids? Never that easy! I’m preparing for another craft show next weekend and it’s great timing that the theme this week for Etsy Bloggers Street Team is “How To Prepare for a Craft Sale/Show.”

So here are a few pointers on how to prepare for a craft show. I sell jewelry but some of these pointers apply to whatever type of goods you create.

1. Rehearse – if you are a newbie to craft shows, do like a dress rehearsal. Practice setting up so you know how long it takes you. Set up your booth at home. See how it looks, make adjustments. Imaging your buyers going through your booth, what do they see first, what do they see last? Take a picture and bring the photo with you to the show to help you remember your set up. Then pack up your stuff as if you were ending the show. I added a candy dish to my booth with mints or chocolates.
2. Tags – I like to tag my pieces, although I find a lot of people don’t. The tag not only states the price of the item but also the materials. As a shopper, I’d like to know what materials were used in any handcrafted item. The price on the tag makes it look professional and not something just thought of on the spot by the seller. Besides, I have a poor memory so I can’t really remember all my prizes!
3. Have a door prize raffle – have a sheet and pen in hand for customers to enter their name, address, phone and email address for a chance to win a prize. Tell them you’ll contact the winner after the show. This also helps you to create a customer base/distribution list for your newsletter. Just because someone didn’t buy from you at a show doesn’t mean they won’t buy online from you later.
4. Simple Displays – I like to keep my display simple. I’ve seen too many displays where there was just too much going on that you could hardly make out the jewelry. So keep your display simple, drawing the eye to your jewelry/ merchandize. And they need not be expensive. I use decorative gold colored radiator screens to display my earrings and short necklaces (found them in home depot for $5!). They can hold about 50 – 60 pairs of earrings with room to spare!
5. Jewelry and tools – I like to bring my beads and tools to a show. My bracelets are often on the shorter side because it’s easier to lengthen rather than shorten. When a customer needs a bracelet longer I can easily do that on the spot with beads and tools on hand.
6. Bring something to eat and drink, especially if you will be alone. Some craft show organizers are thoughtful enough and bring snacks to their vendors but more often you’ll need to feed yourself. You really don’t want to spend time away from your booth (other than that unavoidable bio-break!).
7. Bring your smile with you! Ignore rude and grumpy people!
8. Sleep well the night before and be at the show on time!

The Wire Competition by EJA – Your Chance to Vote and Win!

Here's your chance to vote for your favorite wire project by the artisans of Eclectic Jewelry Artisans (EJA) and your chance to win a free gift bag that will include hand made jewelry and other goodies!!

Just visit EEJA web site and fill out the form. On July 25th, we will draw a lucky e-mail address from those that have voted. One vote per person. Voting on an item will sign you up for our newsletter that will inform you of future sales and other prize drawings.

Thank you,
Team EJA

Big Guy, Sweet Guy - Phil Mickelson

I admire Tiger as a golfer but as a person, there is none other than Phil Mickelson. This is a man with a BIG HEART! Like Arnold Palmer, he enjoys his fans and knows not to neglect them. After his pro-am round today at the AT&T National he spent at least half an hour signing EVERYONE's memorabilia. Now that is class! More pictures loaded in my flickr page or or copy and paste to your browser: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beadjewelryshopgirl/ .

Today, I followed Tiger Woods Around

I'm a bead-addict, aikido-addict, golf-addict and Tiger Woods addict. My hubby, son and I spent the day following Tiger Woods today as he had his practice round in the golf event he is hosting this week in Washington, DC - AT&T Invitational at the historic Congressional Golf and Country Club. It was fun and exciting to watch him play in a relaxed mode. Here are a few shots. For more pictures, visit my flickr page or copy and paste to your browser: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beadjewelryshopgirl/.

Trunk Show!

I'm Reader of the Week!

This week on Wickedly Chic, I'm their Reader of the Week! As Reader, I get to mention a few of the indie designers I have grown to admire. It was a hard choice as I have a long list of indies I would have loved to mention but space would not allow. I just had to take the indie designers who stood out in my mind in terms of their devotion to their craft and high level of creativity they demonstrate in their art. So click on WickedlyChic.com and read on!!!! P. S. Thank you Liz N., you are great!

EJA Summer Solstice Give-Away! 3 Lucky Winners! June 21st!

Don't miss this! Visit eeja.org before June 21, 2007!