Here's a lovely collection of "Leaves" curated by GracefulArts...honored to have my "Ficus" Lariat included .
Visit and give it some love...
Showing posts with label artisan jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artisan jewelry. Show all posts
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Bead Fest 2011 - Philadelphia
This past Sunday I attended by first ever really large bead show, Bead Fest 2011 - Philadelphia. I have been to many trade shows for other industries and the size of the Bead Fest show was comparable, so no surprise there.
Attending Bead Fest was not something that I had planned ahead, but more a spur of the moment decision when I realized it was on...the venue is a two hour drive from my NEPA home...so I convinced my husband it was a good way for us to spend the day together. After all I have accompanied him to many comic and toy shows to scour for items to add to his collections...one good turn deserves another, right?
My husband turned out to be a good shopping buddy...he did the scouting and pointed out some really good vendors and items...of course some of the items he pre-selected where things I would have loved to buy...but were not in my budget...I mean some of my items are pricey but I would have to price in the stratosphere to use some of the very beautiful gems he directed me to.
Nonetheless I did manage to pick up some very nice gemstones and such while being quite frugal and not buying anything I wouldn't be able to use right now....there were so many tools and materials I'm not ready for that I could have dropped a load of money on...but I was a very good girl.
I will now share some photos of my treasures...not all of which would be considered "treasures" by others but we all have our market and price points to cater to!
These Pyritized Ammonite cabs were purchased from Unique Russian Mineral of Fort Lee, NJ...no website.
This is definitely my favorite group of gems..unusual super teardrop Agate beads, Citrine Druzy, Red Tiger eye cabs, Amethyst Stalactite, Calico Pyrite Druzy...all from http://www.villagesilversmith.net, They don't seem to have the incredible selection of beads and cabs that they had at the show listed on their website...but they had some really beautiful and unique stones.
Here's some copper chain I bought from http://www.chelseasbeads.com/
I also purchased some more ordinary items from a couple of smaller vendors...this Donut Assortment from vendor unknown
And these short strands offered at a very attractive price by JC Gems Company
I primarily purchased from vendors that had good prices and unusual selections...some of the more well known vendors had great selections and good prices but I chose to bypass them since I can always connect on their well stocked websites.
The best part of the day was unexpectedly running into several friends from the Jewelry Artists Retreat that I have attended for the last five years...that was definitely the highlight of the day!
Now that I have been to Bead Fest I am not sure that with it being a 2 hour drive I would do it again, not unless I was registered for a workshop...now I'll dream of going to Gemfest in Tuscon...and having a bank roll to take with me!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Crafts in the Grove...
This coming weekend I will be doing my first outdoor craft show under my brand new canopy/tent. Hubby and I did the preliminary set-up this past weekend, attached the canopy to the frame, practiced opening and closing and loaded it into the roller carrying case. Now I need to get between 100 and 160 pounds of sand for the sandbag weights that will attach to the four legs and tether to the canopy top frame.
I plan to use the same table set-up I used for my last show, which consists of two 4 ft. long and one 6 ft. long tables in a 'Z' formation...the top of the 'Z' will be a 4 ft. table set to counter height to provide a friendly viewing height for my earring displays.
Still working on some last minute inventory for this show...I love to reveal new creations at each show...I hope I don't disappoint...
The forecast is looking good for strolling the shady grove, with a bright sunny day and 110 vendors featuring quality handcrafted items.
I hope you are able to join us, I am working on some new items for this show...July is certainly a good time to start Christmas shopping!
16th Annual Upper Lehigh Lions Club Craft Show
CRAFTS IN THE GROVE
1 mile north of intersection with Route 309
Saturday, July 23rd
9 am - 3 pm Rain or Shine
Free admission
Look for games, raffles, a craft show, health fair, child safety ID fingerprinting, Sparky The Dog; & Bobby Gunther Walsh's Race Car on Display.
Miller-Keystone "Blood Drive" is available from 9 am to 1 pm, to all who wish to donate.
Something for everyone...something for all ages!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
No Longer an ArtFire Virgin...
That's right...I got my first sale on ArtFire during the Christmas in July promotion offering 15% off all items in my studio.
As it happened, I received a notice that I had a sale, but I hadn't received payment as yet...contacted the buyer thanking her for her order and reminded her that payment had not been received...no response! Waited another day and contacted buyer again to let her know that I would be cancelling her order if payment or a response was not received within 24 hours...no response...so I cancelled the order...needless to say I was a bit disappointed!
Just about the same time, I received another notification that I had a sale on a different item...along with that came a message from the buyer (from Canada) that they had an issue with checkout...so I went to check my PayPal settings and lo and behold...I had some settings that restricted purchases from unregistered buyers, non US buyers and the use of foreign currency... immediate made the necessary changes, issued a PayPal invoice and notified the buyer to proceed with payment using the invoice...yay...payment received.
I wish I had taken the time to check these settings with the first buyer, but I didn't know if she had a problem with checkout because she never tried to contact me nor did she reply to my communications. She was more than likely an unregistered user on PayPal and couldn't process her payment because of the settings I knew nothing about...oh well, live and learn...I'm just happy to be seeing some activity in my studio...a virgin no longer...and lusting for more sales!
As it happened, I received a notice that I had a sale, but I hadn't received payment as yet...contacted the buyer thanking her for her order and reminded her that payment had not been received...no response! Waited another day and contacted buyer again to let her know that I would be cancelling her order if payment or a response was not received within 24 hours...no response...so I cancelled the order...needless to say I was a bit disappointed!
Just about the same time, I received another notification that I had a sale on a different item...along with that came a message from the buyer (from Canada) that they had an issue with checkout...so I went to check my PayPal settings and lo and behold...I had some settings that restricted purchases from unregistered buyers, non US buyers and the use of foreign currency... immediate made the necessary changes, issued a PayPal invoice and notified the buyer to proceed with payment using the invoice...yay...payment received.
I wish I had taken the time to check these settings with the first buyer, but I didn't know if she had a problem with checkout because she never tried to contact me nor did she reply to my communications. She was more than likely an unregistered user on PayPal and couldn't process her payment because of the settings I knew nothing about...oh well, live and learn...I'm just happy to be seeing some activity in my studio...a virgin no longer...and lusting for more sales!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
A Beautiful Turquoise Collection
I am so pleased to have my earrings chosen for this lovely ArtFire collection of "Turquoise Beauties" by Aya Designs. Congratulations to the other artists who had there designs chosen as well.
You will find the turquoise and coral earrings featured in the upper left, along with many other great gift ideas reduced !5% for "CHRISTMAS IN JULY" in my studio AMDesignsbyAngela...the home of "artfully handcrafted jewelry".
Friday, May 20, 2011
5 Things I Like Best About Selling on ArtFire.
I migrated my OOAK Artisan Jewelry Studio AMDesignsbyAngela from Etsy to Artfire about 6 months ago.
Why would I leave the #1 indie handmade selling venue for an underdog upstart? There are many reasons why I decided to leave Etsy, one being I was tired of being a little fish in a big ocean,,,I prefer being a little fish in my own pond, but I will focus on the reasons why I chose Artfire, well, at least my top 5 reasons.
First, it's about economics. I was fortunate to get in on the highly promoted, limited time offer to create a Pro studio for $5.95/month, FOREVER!...no listing fees, no transaction fees, EVER!...no limits on the number of items I can list for this nominal monthly fee. This will actually be saving me a minimum of $15.00/month, but on average much more.
Then there is my ability to use my own domain name. I can lead customers to my ArtFire Pro Studio and they will never see anything other than "my" registered domain name in the URL provided. In fact, the Artfire platform is based on each studio virtually appearing to be a stand alone website. Each Pro studio can enhance and modify the look and functionality of their shops individually by using tools and apps, many of which are provided as part of the Pro package.
Yes, naturally the availability of particular tools that make the ArtFire platform very attractive. I can put my shop on sale using either of two available tools, I can create and manage multiple coupon codes, give them expirations dates or validate them for a specific time period. The Global Product Editor allows me to make across the board changes to the product files...and then of course there is the Etsy Item Importer which was a godsend. I love the widgets tool...allows me to enhance my page in a variety of original ways.
One of the most refreshing features at ArtFire is that I am able to post links in my Bio and in the Forums to any off site venue...including competitive selling venues...it's nice to have the veil of paranoia lifted. Buyers don't have to be a member in order to purchase...I like to think because they are purchasing from individuals not from ArtFire.
Although I am stating this last does not mean it is viewed as "least" in value of what I LOVE about ArtFire...The people, buyers, sellers and most of all Admin...these people care and they "get it". Yes, people do come along now and again that don't get it...and they throw up their hands and leave...but I couldn't ask for a more supportive community.
Do you have your top 5 things you like about selling on ArtFire? If you write a blog post about your thoughts and post a link here you'll be eligilble to win a $500 gift certificate.
Why would I leave the #1 indie handmade selling venue for an underdog upstart? There are many reasons why I decided to leave Etsy, one being I was tired of being a little fish in a big ocean,,,I prefer being a little fish in my own pond, but I will focus on the reasons why I chose Artfire, well, at least my top 5 reasons.
First, it's about economics. I was fortunate to get in on the highly promoted, limited time offer to create a Pro studio for $5.95/month, FOREVER!...no listing fees, no transaction fees, EVER!...no limits on the number of items I can list for this nominal monthly fee. This will actually be saving me a minimum of $15.00/month, but on average much more.
Then there is my ability to use my own domain name. I can lead customers to my ArtFire Pro Studio and they will never see anything other than "my" registered domain name in the URL provided. In fact, the Artfire platform is based on each studio virtually appearing to be a stand alone website. Each Pro studio can enhance and modify the look and functionality of their shops individually by using tools and apps, many of which are provided as part of the Pro package.
Yes, naturally the availability of particular tools that make the ArtFire platform very attractive. I can put my shop on sale using either of two available tools, I can create and manage multiple coupon codes, give them expirations dates or validate them for a specific time period. The Global Product Editor allows me to make across the board changes to the product files...and then of course there is the Etsy Item Importer which was a godsend. I love the widgets tool...allows me to enhance my page in a variety of original ways.
One of the most refreshing features at ArtFire is that I am able to post links in my Bio and in the Forums to any off site venue...including competitive selling venues...it's nice to have the veil of paranoia lifted. Buyers don't have to be a member in order to purchase...I like to think because they are purchasing from individuals not from ArtFire.
Although I am stating this last does not mean it is viewed as "least" in value of what I LOVE about ArtFire...The people, buyers, sellers and most of all Admin...these people care and they "get it". Yes, people do come along now and again that don't get it...and they throw up their hands and leave...but I couldn't ask for a more supportive community.
Do you have your top 5 things you like about selling on ArtFire? If you write a blog post about your thoughts and post a link here you'll be eligilble to win a $500 gift certificate.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Where Will It Stop?
Five years ago when I started my journey into the world of jewelry design, my first metal of choice was sterling silver. At first it was just findings, then I starting using various gauges of wire as I explored making my own findings and components. It wasn't long before I took the plunge into forging sheet sterling...I have loved sterling all along, it was my metal of choice prior to my foray into creating my own designs, I have been collecting and wearing sterling silver jewelry most of my life, but when I started hammering it, heating it up to make it easier to transform it, applying textures, connecting multiple pieces to create a singular design, creating dimension, manipulating and morphing it, I knew that it would be a life long love affair.
Ah, but now this magnificently malleable metal has risen in price from around $8.00 an ounce, when I started, to very soon to be $50.00 an ounce...well it already has if you consider cutting charges, etc. Prognosticators are hedging that we won't see the brakes applied anytime soon...hitting $100.00 an ounce is considered to be a certainty by many. What is a jewelry artist to do?
This jewelry artist will never forsake silver...but its rise to "precious metal" price levels has certainly given me reason to reconsider how I move forward in this affair...I will definitely need to look closely at how and what I choose to create. It will require fabrication and finishing methods and techniques that I have become more than proficient at to ensure that I am able to impart each piece with the highest level of craftsmanship...the level of craftsmanship that my affection requires I give to this precious metal and to the discriminating collectors of handmade artisan crafted silver jewelry that deserve nothing less.
So where do you think this wheel of fortune will stop? Up and up she goes where she stops...does anyone know?
Ah, but now this magnificently malleable metal has risen in price from around $8.00 an ounce, when I started, to very soon to be $50.00 an ounce...well it already has if you consider cutting charges, etc. Prognosticators are hedging that we won't see the brakes applied anytime soon...hitting $100.00 an ounce is considered to be a certainty by many. What is a jewelry artist to do?
This jewelry artist will never forsake silver...but its rise to "precious metal" price levels has certainly given me reason to reconsider how I move forward in this affair...I will definitely need to look closely at how and what I choose to create. It will require fabrication and finishing methods and techniques that I have become more than proficient at to ensure that I am able to impart each piece with the highest level of craftsmanship...the level of craftsmanship that my affection requires I give to this precious metal and to the discriminating collectors of handmade artisan crafted silver jewelry that deserve nothing less.
So where do you think this wheel of fortune will stop? Up and up she goes where she stops...does anyone know?
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