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!

Etsy Bloggers Street Team Presents a Carnival of Colors!

It is my honor to host this week’s edition of the Etsy Bloggers Street Team Blog Carnival – Carnival of Colors! Take a peek at my post about this just yesterday. Now treat your eyes and surf the Etsy blogoshere for a rainbow of colors and interesting stories from talented indie artists!

Yazmin shows how she tackles a challenging project in a Ring of Colors posted at A Pretty Rock Jewelry - blog.

Ginger Black opens a little window into her world in her own Carnival of Colors! Read on for An Adventure in Glass.

MrsDragon features a parade of talented Etsy artists in All the Colors of Etsy posted at Mrs. Dragon's Wares.

Purple is my favorite color and I found out Alicia Mae loves it, too, with her article Purple!! here in AliciaMae's Xanga.

Judy raves about Fuchsia In All Its Glory as featured in Artsy Clay.

Sue confesses she is “quite addicted to Altered and Mixed Media art” in A Carnival of Colors with ZNE Etsy. Read about it at The Lily Pepper Blog.

Enjoy an eye-popping experience with Christine as she shows how My life is a carnival of colors featured in Eye Pop Art.

Lis reveals to us the inner workings of a favorite Etsy "toy" in Secrets of the Etsy Color Picker as seen in Etsy Shops.

We have a radical (aren’t we all?) in Karen who dares to showcase the glamour of the UN-colored in her post at faded willow.

Shannon talks about her favorite season in her article Carnival of Colors: Getting Ready for Autumn featured in Anodyne Design.

Jen of Baby Friendly Beads tells us why blue is her favorite color in Tangled Up in Blue posted at Mama's Magic.

Confections presents Colorful Custom-Carded Rolags and Needlefelted Flower. Find out more in her blog Stelladanza.

And by photo finish, TantalizingStitches presents Tantalize Your Baby with Crochet! posted in Tantalizing Creativity.

My thanks to Linda James of Flame On Glass for her photo of Orphanz beads which goes so perfectly with our Carnival of Colors theme. Linda makes the most beautiful lampwork beads I've ever seen.

Next week’s carnival titled “Picture Perfect” will be hosted by Heather in her blog, Humble Beads Blog, with tips for taking pictures - interesting! That’s it for this carnival parade of colors!

Carnival of Colors!

This week's Etsy Bloggers Street theme is "Carnival of Colors." It is also my first time to host so it should be exciting! (I'll be posting the carnival by tonight so don't fret). I beat my brains out for what to feature (I suggested the concept I should be able to think of one - duh!) till it dawned on me as I was setting up for a show yesterday morning. I had dumped my bracelets on the table - voila! my carnival of colors photo. Enjoy!

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!

Passion for Purple

Purple is one of my favorite colors so it's not surprising that I create a lot of jewelry in this color. Just look at some of these pieces! There more not featured in this photo but I think you get the drift. What's you favorite color?

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/.

Orange you glad to be on etsy?

Etsy Bloggers Street Team theme for the week is ORANGE! Orange is not a color I would usually wear or use but I do have a few pieces that are close to orange. This necklace is called "3 Sisters in Crime!"

Front Page

I, along with the talented artists in EJA (eeja.org) made it to the etsy front page! It's a first for me!

Bead Weavers Unite!

A fellow etsy beadweaver I admire, SandFibers, has created a Treasure List featuring gorgeous bead weave creations! Too bad the list will only be live for 2 days.

Trunk Show!

My Preciousssss!

Ooh, I got a new stash of beads from a new lampwork artist I just discovered! This picture does not capture half the secret behind this bead set - the curls and dots on the surface have blue and bronze metallic highlights on it that is so gorgeous. Works of art like this need only a simple display so here's the first bracelet I made from this set. Now, I'm not sure I want to part with this but keep an eye out in my etsy store just in case I get a guilty conscience about being so greedy!

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!

Parting is such sweet sorrow!

I had a show today and one of the things I sold is this favorite bracelet I made from the lampwork bead set I bought from artist, Linda James of Flame One Glass Studio! I will miss this but I'm glad she found a new home. And it fit perfectly on the lady who bought it, too!

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

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

And My Treasury Luck Continues!

So I've hit the jackpot again this weekend and gotten featured in 2 Treasury Lists at the same time. One was created by GirlieGirls and the other by DBrownDesigns. It's always great being picked by fellow indie designers.

A Treasure to be in a Treasury List!

Etsy has a section called Treasury List (TL) where members can create a list of items from the site based on a theme or concept. It's an honor to be featured in a TL -- kinda like a People's Choice awards since your colleague sellers and buyers are making the choices. I'm proud to be featured in 2 lists this weekend!

Lampwork Beads by THE ARTIST!

I am dazed by talented lampwork bead artists, especially those the come up with exciting and unbelievable designs in a bead that's barely an inch wide! I like beads that seem to draw me in, like I can jump right into the bead and spend days studying the swirls and patterns created by the artist. Such an artist is Linda James whose beads I covet but alas is always auctioned way out of my budget. By a miracle I was able to procure a set and I was in heaven when I got my beads in the mail. There wasn't much I had to do with them to make them pretty, just some simple thai beads, crystals, etc.

The Beaded Bead

Q&A: What is a beaded bead? You basically decorate a bead with other beads or create a bead using a cluster of beads.
How does one bead a bead? Very obsessively!
I made my first group of beaded beads and showcased them in this necklace. Kinda a modern and old world feel to the design.

Eclectic Jewelry Artisan BOGO Sale

Beading Challenges

UPDATE: The verdict is in! This necklace was selected as Special Mention:
**Most Likely to Start a Conversation:
BeadJewelryShopgirl's "Winter Medley" Necklace.
It's stunning, dramatic, and incredible in every detail.
Art, geometry, and fashion work together exceptionally well here.

--Rena Klingenberg of Home Jewelry Business Success Tips.com

Last fall I participated and won "Best in Show" in the Bead4You Fall Beading Challenge, judged by Tamara of CraftRevolution.com. Another challenge has been launched for winter, this time to be judged by Rena Klingenberg of Home Jewelry Business Success Tips.com. Do you think it can happen a second time? Who knows. It's fun to enter these challenges. This time I have 2 necklaces representing the challenge concept of "Winter at Dusk" -- one has a lot of wire-wrapping and the other necklace is all beadwork.

Bead Jewelry by Shopgirl Featured in Wickedly Chic!

I just got featured as Indie of the Week in Wickedly Chic! Read on......

Regina Jiron is a self-admitted obsessive compulsive beader. That’s quite a title for this DC area mom but it doesn’t seem too bad if you have to called a compulsive something. Bead Jewelry Shop Girl is the name of her Etsy shop and she creates jewels that Wickedly Chic readers will want to take note of. Click here for more...

Eclecticness!

Talk about an eclectic group of jewelry artisans! Gorgeous jewelry made by members of the Etsy Eclectic Jewelry Artisans featured in a Treasury List in Etsy. For more on this group of talent, visit their web site EEJA.

Painted Desert

I'm celebrating my birthday today by listing this new necklace in my etsy store, titled "Desert Queen." This is a beadwoven necklace in Ndebele stitch aka Herringbone stitch.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

My son was born in the year of the Pig so I'm celebrating the coming of this Chinese New Year. The jade pig pictured in this necklace is one that was given to me by a Chinese friend for good luck when my son was born. I made it into a necklace with other jade stone chips.

Showcase for February 10, 2007

I have a spot in Etsy Showcase for Valentine! Pardon the poor picture. Can't get why it's not coming out right :(

Newest Gallery Piece

This is one of my freeform pieces available in The Way Goose Gallery in Maryland.

Freeform Beaded Pendants

My beadweaving continues. I can't stop creating my freeform peyote beaded jewelry. From my bracelets, to rings and now pendants.

And some exciting news - Bead Jewelry by Shopgirl jewelry are now available at The Waygoose, a Fine American Crafts gallery in Bethesda, Maryland! Woo-hoo!

Such a Cutie!

It pays to have a good model for your product shot and even better when the product itself is well made that customers just flock to your store in droves. Such is the case with The Portland Beanie Company. Since they opened their etsy shop last October 2006, they have sold 400 of these cutie beanies (adult sizes also available). Check them out!

Scarfguy Extraordinaire

Surfing through the stores in etsy one day, my jaw dropped when I landed into Scarfguy's shop. Handweaver, Fred Ullom of Ohio, weaves unbelievably beautiful scarves and shawls using luxurious natual fibers like superfine merino wool, mongolian cashmere, fine chinese silk, quviut and even yak! Each scarf is his own design and can take him 2 1/2 to 3 days to make. I am in awe.

A Trail of Hearts!

I found a novel idea for Valentine's Day! Dottyral of Dyed in the Wool Designs has these adorable crocheted hearts to romance your love on Valentine's Day:

"Here's [Dotty's] idea...On the night before Valentine's Day, hide these hearts everywhere...next to the coffee-maker, on the bathroom counter, in a pocket, in the car, in a briefcase. Your guy or girl will be finding them throughout the day. How about if you snail mail a heart to the office so they open it up on V day? Then, when your loved one comes home, the trail of hearts begins. Place a trail leading to a romantic dinner, a special gift, or straight to you."

That and more ideas on how to celebrate Valentine's Day. So visit Dyed in the Wool Designs etsy store for more heart ideas!

Rings!

I just had to share that I've started to make freeform peyote rings and this is the first one I've listed on my store called Mermaid Ring. Each ring will be one of a kind due to the nature of how these are made -- freeform, improvisational with no pattern. Even I don't know how these rings will end up. Where the beads, needle and thread take me, I will go!

Eclectic Jewelry Artisans

I've joined an incredible group of jewelry artisans --Eclectic Jewelry Artisans (eeja.org) who create just about the most fabulous pieces of wearable art you can find! Take for example this Chaos Ring with Rhodolite Garnet handcrafted by Ahna of Shattered Glass. Ahna's bold and original designs are not for the faint-hearted!

Pamper Yourself - Victorian Style

After a hectic rat race day, there's nothing like relaxing in a nice warm bath infused with bath salts like this Lavender Violet Bath Salts from Mishutka Design Studio, another inventive etsy artist. Their slogan "Vintage elegance. Modern comfort." says it all.

Starry Designs and Birds Nests

Another top Etsy store is Starry Designs from Singapore. Talented jewelry designer, Cindy, creates bold yet simple contemporary designs. My favorite is her signature piece, Birds Nest Rings. Clean, expert and uncluttered wire wrapping I so envy!

Etsy is the Place To Be!

My second home is Etsy - an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. It's a great community of artists and crafters featuring all their awesome work and craft. I'll be featuring interesting pieces as often as I can starting with one of my favorite sellers, Art by TR.

Art by TR features an awesome collection of home decor pieces made from metal. This Brass Light Switch Cover Plate is embossed with a colorful leaf and flower design. Light switch covers comprise the majority of their collection but also includes picture frames, garden stakes, night lights, welcome signs and gift boxes. The craftsmanship is just first rate!

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to say Happy New Year! So it's another one but I'd like to say it always a good feeling to start fresh so here's to new beginning!

You can purchase this slinky bracelet directly from my Etsy store!

Estate Treasures!

Till I started selling my jewelry I could care less for going to estate sales, craft shows or bazaars. Now I go like I'm on a treasure hunt. I recently went to an estate sale and found a valuable loot! I've taken the metal components from these treasure finds and re-made them into interesting pieces, like the necklace above, which you can find in my etsy store.