The Dancing Monkey Jewelry Chronicles

Bella Faire - Art in the Garden

2008-07-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

My first show that was organized by me and and group of friends is happening next week (Saturday, July 26th). This is the first show that I've been involved in during the planning stages - it's been fun and it's provided it's share of embarrassing mistakes. I've come to learn that proof-reading is a very good skill to possess and to put into practice at all times. I took on the responsibility of designing the post cards that we were going to use for marketing. They look great - except for the spelling errors on the front and the wrong date on the back. However, in my defense - no one else caught them before I sent the cards to print.

I also took on the responsibility of creating the group web site: Bella Faire - Art in the Garden. I've spent most of the night updating that web-site. I tell you - maintaining two web-sites is more work than I thought it would be.

I'm going to bed. Morning is going to come too soon - I can tell already. ;)

DMJ'S Artists of the Week...

2008-07-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

In all my "travels" about the internet I've come across some truly talented crafts people and/or artists. To be honest, I truly had no idea how many of us are out there. And it's easy become lost or undiscovered in the midst of all this talent.

I'd like to do my part to help remedy this situation by introducing to you some of those artists that I meet in my new blog feature "DMJ'S Artists of the Week". Below you will see the blog entries of some of the best shops out there on on the internet. I hope you will enjoy reading about these talented artists as much as I have meeting and writing about them.

To meet this week's featured artists you can either click on the their names and be taken directly to their post or you can scroll the blog for each post.

Rebecca Cason - Edward and Lilly - A shop selling hand-made, original designed plush animals.

Ashley Johnson - RockNRoll McMama Designs - A hip children's and women's boutique

Sedruloa Maruska - Yarn Obsession - Beautiful hand-made knitted and crochet scarves, hats and antique buttons

Silvia - Look Mama Made It - A fantastic shop selling hand made creations for children to encourage make believe play.

Linda - GalleriaLinda - A shop selling elegant hand-crafted jewelry.

These ladies are truly talented artists and their creations are wonderful. I hope that you will support their shops.

Enjoy!

Best regards,

Martha

PS: I'm always looking for crafters/artists to promote. If you're interested in being featured in a future blog promotion send me an email at dancingmoneyjewelry@hotmail.com.

Linda - GalleriaLinda

2008-07-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

Linda of GalleriaLinda is from Lakeland, Florida - way over there on the other side of the country from me. She creates very elegant jewelry that I can see myself wearing at work or on a night out on the town. Her earrings pictured on the left are my particular favorite. I love the organic yet sophisticated look of them.

Here is more information about GalleriaLinda:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

In my shop you will find a cozy and friendly virtual space where you can look around and just enjoy the sparkle and glamour! Each item has fun, creative descriptions to entertain. The basic categories that I work with include earrings, bracelets, and necklaces using beads of glass, crystal pearls, acrylic, and gemstone of all kinds; polymer clay; and silver wire. My aesthetic leans toward contemporary in style and I love to use large 12mm Swarovski crystal pearls in new ways. A new product line of hammered sterling silver wire pendants is nearly ready to be put in the shops. Pendants of polymer clay have been very popular with my in-person sales and I will be working on another group of them towards the end of the summer. There never seems to be enough time to make everything that is rolling around in my brain!

How long have you been in business?
I have created jewelry designs for many years for myself, family, and friends. In October 2006, I finally decided to sell my jewelry at the encouragement of my friends and family. Actually, it was from the gentle pushing of my kind neighbors that actually pushed me over the edge to sell!

Where do you sell your creations? Please provide link to your online shops).

The best place to sell is in person to friends, family, and others. Seeing is believing and I travel to Indiana from Florida each year for a friend-hosted jewelry show with friends. I will be sending a good amount of my inventory to Texas later in the year for a proxy show (where I cannot attend). My shops online are with Etsy.com and iCraft.ca. Because of the one-of-a-kind nature of my work, you will find entirely different designs in each store. I also have a supply and vintage shop on Etsy.

http://iCraft.ca/gallerialinda
http://gallerialinda.etsy.com/
http://gallerialindaloft.etsy.com/

Do you have a blog or web-site?

I do! I started a blog about my jewelry business early in 2007 and enjoy working on it as a creative expression. Midway I put in a counter and have over 5000 views! I love going back and reading my posts as they show me how far I have come. I blog about my jewelry designs, technique successes and failures, excitement over new equipment, pretty beads, friends who encourage me, a couple of personal stories, and the sharing of techniques and tips.
http://gallerialindashowcase.blogspot.com/

A more recent project is my new marketing blog. By day, I am a strategic marketing communications consultant to small businesses (B&M businesses). So, I thought….why not!? With only a few posts, you will soon see more about how to market small businesses, including online stores. I have not yet decided whether to make it a generic small business marketing blog (B&M and online), a crafters marketing blog (for online stores), or a combination. Readers - what say you?

http://marketyourworld.blogspot.com/

My web site is the URL that I promote, as it will take a visitor to the shops mentioned:
http://www.gallerialinda.com/

You can also find me on Facebook, MySpace, WebJam, EtsyLove.ning.com, MyHandmade.ning.com and LinkedIn.com. I am always looking for more places to share the story of GalleriaLinda.

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource ?

Oh, that is a loaded question…..I love so many and have come across so many artists that have such powerful talent. I just plain love jewelry, so a lot of my favorites are in that category but I have a love of pottery, paper, clay, and other media.

I admire so much the organic shapes and metal uses of Cindy Smith's jewelry designs http://cindysmithdesigns.etsy.com/ and the contemporary jewelry metalsmith Jane Gallagher http://janegallagher.etsy.com/
Some very unique mobiles can be found at http://spindesigns.etsy.com/
These origami creations are just fabulous http://clairigami.etsy.com/
And, I am a sucker for whimsical pottery like http://jdwolfepottery.etsy.com/ and http://whitneysmith.etsy.com/
This shop uses special DECO clay in a Japanese technique to produce gorgeous and delicate flower arrangements: http://debashri.etsy.com/

There are so many more that I admire - all in my favorites in my shop on Etsy. These artists I have selected are all on Etsy but may be on other selling sites too. I am new to iCraft.ca and have not been able to explore the artists yet.

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you’ll be participating in this year?

At this time I do not participate in craft and art shows. My main avenue to exposing my product to potential customers is through word-of-mouth, personal jewelry showings, and online. Each of these require different promotions!

Silvia - Look Mama Made It

2008-07-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

Silvia is from Lisbon, Portugal and you HAVE to check her shop out. She makes the cutest little felted miniatures - they are so cute! She says their for children, however, I know more than a few adults that would be captivated by her creations. I'm thinking my 4 year old niece would just fall in love with her little miniatures

Here's more information about Silvia:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

My shop is where I try to make an old dream come true - I always wanted to make toys and beautiful things, and I am particularly fond of miniatures and small-scale objects. In my shop I sell my handmade creations, mainly (but not only) thought for children, and designed to encourage pretend play. I work with a lovely wool blend felt, and offer several kinds of felt food, and even complete meals. My favorite items are probably the colorful, soft and detailed pieces of fruit and vegetables, but I also like my "classic" birthday cake a lot - it is very versatile, can be made in almost any color, and easily transformed, for instance, with the addition of some strawberries. I also make other softies, such as dolls and bears, each with a personality of its own, and several accessories.

How long have you been in business?

Well, I started to sell my toys in the beginning of March 2008, so I've been in business for only four and a half months. I fact, I sold my first softie on my birthday, March 3rd!

Where do you sell your creations?

My favorite place to sell is my Etsy shop, called “Look, Mama Made It” (after my daughter's favorite sentence). You can see it at www.lookmamamadeit.etsy.com. I also sell to people who contact me through my blog, www.ameninabrinca.blogspot.com, but I prefer to direct those sales to Etsy, unless they are local customers. The rest of my sales are due to word-to-mouth advertising. My toys are entirely handmade, and I am a bit of a perfectionist, so they take me quite some time to craft and I simply cannot make enough items to sell anywhere else.

Do you have a blog or web-site?

As stated before, I have a blog, at www.ameninabrinca.blogspot.com. It is written in Portuguese and English, so don't be afraid to visit me!

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource?

It is SO hard to pick one. Well, I cannot really choose just one, but today I will have to say Allsorts (www.allsorts.typepad.com). It is one of those blogs I always read, and a feast to the eyes. Jenny is generous enough to share her wonderful ideas, and even patterns, with her readers. And both me and my daughter love her illustrations and online dress-up games. Plus, I just found out she was featuring one of my cakes among her Etsy shopping favorites. How nice is that?

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you'll be participating in this year?

I won't be able to do any craft fairs this year, since I am still trying to establish the customer base of my small business. Also, I have to divide myself between crafting, a full time job, and a 5-year-old daughter! At the moment, I am not able to assure a reasonable stock in order to participate in a fair. But one day!

Sedruola (Sedie) Maruska – Yarn Obsession

2008-07-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

I have a thing for scarves - knit scarves that is. What do you I like about them? Well, for starters they're warm, they're stylish and there are so many luscious colors and blends out there I could go broke buying scarves. I really am envious of anyone who can knit. My next artist is Sedie Maruska - she's obsessed with yarn and has even named her store after her obsession. Her shop features some of the cutest neck warmers and scarves - the colors are so lovely. I can just feel the warmth of one of her scarves around my neck this winter

Here's more about Sedie:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

My shop is Yarn Obsession and I think the name says it all! From the time I picked up a hook and yarn about 7 years ago I’ve been obsessed with yarn. Right now I sell accessories such as hats, neck warmers and scarves and I love them all. Everything in my shop is something that I would be proud to wear. I don’t believe in making things that I don’t love because it will show in my work. I’m working on expanding my offerings this Fall. I also sell vintage buttons that I absolutely love.

How long have you been in business?

I’ve been in business on and off since 2005. In 2006 I got pregnant with my son and there were lots of things I had to be concerned with, so I took a break from knitting, crocheting and working on my craft business. This year, however, I’ve been able to re-focus on what I want to do with yarn, how I want to do it and what part it will play in my everyday life. In March I re-opened my Etsy shop and began re-listing my pieces.

Where do you sell your creations?

Right now the only place I sell my pieces are at my Etsy shop (http://sedruola.etsy.com/) I’m currently working on finding consignment shops and specialty boutiques to sell my pieces. I’m currently working on a deal that may have my pieces in a shop as early as August. I’m very excited about the possibilities!

Do you have a blog or web-site?

Yes, my “yarny” blog as I like to refer to it is called “Yarn Obsession” http://yarnobsession-2.blogspot.com/. I love to talk about things pertaining to yarn, knitting, crochet and selling on Etsy. I also like to share any information that I think my readers would be interested in such as fashion trends, other artisans, and craft shows in the area.

I do have a website (http://yarnobsession.sedruolamaruska.com/) I’m in the process of re-vamping to offer my customers the option of choosing their own colors for pieces they would like to purchase. It’s a work in progress, but I’m very happy with the way it’s coming along. I think if customers have a choice in their colors, they’ll be happier with their selection.

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource?

Right now I’m am in love with Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/) and all it has to offer in terms of someone being able to open up shop and move forward. I love Ellita (http://www.ellita.etsy.com/) because their creations are beautiful, classic and well done. I also love the Ning network (http://www.ning.com/), because it gives people a chance to really group together and network. I’m sure my list will grow as I do more surfing and learning.

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you’ll be participating in this year?

I’m still new to the whole craft show arena. My first show was on July 3^rd and I enjoyed every minute of it, even though we got rained out. Right now I don’t have any shows planned, however, I am considering two shows for the Fall. Once I’m able to make a firm decision, I will certainly blog about them and let all my readers, and customers know where they can come out and meet me and see my pieces in person.

Rebecca Cason – Edward and Lilly

2008-07-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

You won’t find a more darling shop if you tried – everything in her shop is an original design. Ashley’s little stuffed animals are so cute I might just have to buy one for myself. Rebecca is from Brisbane,

Australia

– making this post an international affair.

Here’s a little more about Rebecca:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

Edward and Lilly products begin as a gift for a loved one and the design evolves from there. In esigning my softies I am inspired by my 3 beautiful nieces and their love of animals. At the moment shop stock includes cute little bears and cats lovingly made in Brisbane, Australia. There will be more softies in my shop in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out for them.

How long have you been in business?

I began sewing 12 months ago and have been in business since March.

Where do you sell your creations?

Edward and Lilly creations are sold at the following online shops:

http://www.edwardandlilly.etsy.com/

http://en.dawanda.com/shop/edwardandlilly

http://www.madeit.com.au/

and from next week http://www.tenstickyfingers.com.au/

or you can contact me directly through my blog at http://www.edwardandlilly.blogspot.com/

Do you have a blog or web-site?

The Edward and Lilly blog is updated regularly at http://www.edwardandlilly.blogspot.com/

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource ?

This is a tough question as there are so many amazing and talented crafters out there but at the moment I would have to say I am smitten by Anna Maria Horner for her amazing ability to combine colour. http://www.annamariahorner.com/

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you’ll be participating in this year?

Not at this stage but stay tuned!

Ashley Johnson - RockNRoll Mc Mama Designs

2008-07-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

You’ll find great things at RockNRoll McMama. This shop has a little of everything – not to mention the cutest dresses for little girls. You can see my personal favorite there on the left. In addition to having two shops on Etsy, Ashley is the founder of the South Carolina Etsy Street Team. From personal experience, being a member of an Etsy Street Team is one of the greatest ways to build connections with local area Etsy Artisans.

Here’s a little more about Ashley:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

I have two shops, actually. Rock N Roll McMama Designs is a boutique for women and children that features handmade tote bags, jewelry, baby clothes, and custom monogrammed items. Yum Yum Creations is a store that focuses on detailed polymer clay jewelry, most of which looks like food.

How long have you been in business?

I started my Etsy business in February of 2008.

Where do you sell your creations?
http://rocknrollmcmama.etsy.com
http://yumyumcreations.etsy.com

Do you have a blog or web-site?

Yes, I have a brand spanking new blog located at http://rocknrollmcmama.blogspot.com and you can find me on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/rocknrollmcmama.

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource?

It's hard for me to choose one person, but the South Carolina Etsy Street team is full of talented artisans. I manage the team and the blog and we feature a new artist frequently. Check it out at http://scstreetteam.blogspot.com

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you’ll be participating in this year?

Right now, I don't have anything upcoming. There are talks about possibly doing a team craft show for South Carolina in the future, but details to that will come later. Right now you can find all of my items online and if you don't see something that is just right, I love doing custom orders.

So, do you want to be featured in my blog?

2008-07-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy summer and it's only going to get busier. I've got a couple of jewelry shows coming up in the next couple of weeks and I've been spending time getting ready for them. I've been spending time in the Etsy, flickr and my various social networking forums promoting my shop and blog. And...and...the summer vacation of my dreams is coming up - a trip to England to visit my husband's family with side trips to Paris and Edinburgh!!!! In the middle of all this activity a few things have been neglected such as my blog, haven't posted any pictures on flickr, and my house is in a shambles (though the public rooms aren't that bad) and I HAVE to work in my garden today. On the positive side - I'm never bored. ;)

I'm getting ready to launch a new feature on my blog - promoting independent artist who sale on Etsy or other on-line marketplaces. It's a great way to drive traffic to your blog - whether it's mine or yours. Hopefully, this exposure will drive more sales to our shops - because the more people who know you exists the bigger your potential customer base will become. I've gotten a good initial response from people wanting to me to promote their shops. I've emailed them a short questionnaire for them to complete asking a little about their backgrounds, their shops and their favorite web-resources. It will be interesting to see how many send me their responses. If you have a on-line shop or blog/website and are interested in being featured on this blog please let me know and send me an email: dancingmonkeyjewelry@hotmail.com.

Sunday morning...

2008-07-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today was the day I was going to get up early - around 7:00am - and clean house . I didn't roll out of bed until 9:00am. Now I'm sitting here drinking coffee and decided to write a post for much neglected blog. Aside from this, I don't think today is going to be as productive as I had planned on the homefront. Oh well...why should this weekend be any different? So, what's new since my last post?

This summer my first craft fair was on June 27th at the Ballard NW Senior Center BBQ and EtsyRain Craft Show. I had a good time - my booth neighbors were good company and I got to meet some more artisans that are part of EtsyRain. A side benefit of participating in EtsyRain sponsored events. Because it was a gorgeous day that day and there was lots to do sales weren't what I had hoped they'd be so I spent some time working on jewelry. I was able to create 10 pairs of earrings - so that the silver lining behind that dark cloud (if you can call it a dark cloud - spending some time with a group of fantastically talented and friendly people).

My July shop promotion generated 3 sales (Yeah!!!) and one of the pair of earrings sold were a full price pair. So that made my day. Of course, I hope there will be more sales in my shop later on this month - but this is a great start since this is the first shop promotion that has generated sales. In case you were curious, those earrings in the photo to the left are the ones I'm offering for $1.00 during the month of July. They really are a pretty little earrings - I have a pair myself and I get lots of compliments when I wear them. I think it's the color that gets them noticed. The color of the pearl is called "Black Cherry" - it's deep, dark rich color with a hint of iridescence to make them interesting but not flashy. I really like the style of the pearl - it's called a "button" pearl - it's round and flat and shaped like ...well a button. For me the best part of the earring is the hand forged ear wires and head pins - those are made by me. So these are truly artisan earrings.

My next craft fair will be on Saturday, July 19th - The Susan G. Komen For the Cure Walking Warriors - Breast Cancer 3 Day Craft Fair. This will be my first fund raiser and it's for a good cause. 10% of all my proceeds from this sale will be donated tot he Walking Warriors team. So, I'm really hoping for a big turn-out to this craft fair and I'm hoping that I'll be able to make a sizable donation.

Then there's the art show that I'm helping to produce this summer - Bella Faire - Art in the Garden . What started out as just a conversation at a party has turned into something really special. The quality of the artist who will be participating in this show is amazing. I'm really running with the "Big Dogs" now. Below is some information about a couple of the artist who will be participating

The bracelet in the photo was created by Eloise Haroian of DreamArt Designs. The bracelet is constructed out of antique buttons and it's truly stunning. By the end of the day - it might becoming home with me.

Another artist who will be participating in the show will be Barbara De Pirro. This summer my husband, father and I will be taking a trip to England to visit family and I know that somehow I'll end up carrying "things" for my father and husband. So, I'll be needing a new bag and I want it to be stylish, functional and fabulous. Actually, I want it to be the bag in the photo to the left. Barbara creates the fabulous bags out of old grocery bags. She manages to weave in bright colors and the bags are truly stunning when you see them in person.

I'll be posting more jewelry in my Etsy shop soon - there will be a special section for jewelry $10.00 and under. I know I can offer quality hand-made jewelry at these prices. While I would like to sell my higher priced items I need to be realistic and $10.00 seems to be a price that just about anybody can afford. I can cultivate a dedicated customer base I know that when the economy picks up I'll be able to sell my more expensive pieces so I just got to hang in there.

So that's it for now. I must go see about doing some housework. Yeah, I know it's a horrible way to end a holiday weekend but at least I had two days dedicated to fun - can't complain about that.

I'll be back soon.

Until then - Best Regards,

Martha

It's My Birthday Today...

2008-07-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

I'm celebrating my 46th birthday today. Normally, I wouldn't tell anyone it's my birthday because I sort of like staying under the radar on this topic. I tend to be a little shy in person and hate the attention. However, when you are a business owner you need to promote your business - so here I am talking about myself. What I've discovered about myself is that no matter how old I get, I'm always the youngest in my circle of friends - so I'm having hard time believing that I'm this old. I swear the older I get the younger I feel. So, much for aging graciously - I'm not going down without a fight!!!! Unfortunately, I'm a bit under the weather today - spent yesterday sipping Gatorade and popsicles with ignoring the baleful looks from my dog. I'm hoping this isn't a preview of the year to come.

Because this is my first birthday as a business owner, I've decided to go ahead with my plans to offer a pair of sterling silver and pearl earrings to my first 46 customers for $1.00 a pair. I'll be interested to see if this promotion generates any sales in my shop. The promotion will be going on for the month of July.

Ballard NW Senior Center Fundraising BBQ & Craft Show...

2008-06-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here's the flyer for the next craft show I'll be participating in with my Etsy Street Team: Team EtsyRain. Megan of Baubles by Hand created it and I think she did a really good job. Great colors and graphics. She one of the many talented artists of EtsyRain. Hopefully, we'll have a good turn out and it will be a profitable show for us and fundraiser for the Ballard NW Senior Center. I know that I, for one, will be partaking of their BBQ (just doing my part to make their fundraiser a success).

If you should find yourself in the Ballard neighborhood on Saturday you should drop on in. You can get lunch, do a little shopping (think of it as helping to stimulate the economy) and when your done you can spend sometime at the Ballard Locks. It supposed to be a lovely day on Saturday. After the show I'll be heading over to the Locks with my camera in hand. It will be a well deserved side trip after the show.

Pssst!!! I've got something to tell you...

2008-06-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Each month I offer a special promotion in my shop as a way to entice all those shoppers on Etsy to make a purchase from my shop. In all honesty, it hasn't been very effective. But what the hey, it hasn't cost me any money, so far, and I just know that one day someone will not be able to turn me down.

With that thought in mind, I've got a little something up my sleeve to generate some sales activity in my shop. Here's what I'm thinking:

My birthday is July 1st and I'm going to throw a little birthday celebration sale. I will be offering a pair of hand-crafted pearl earrings for $1.00 (plus shipping and handling) to the first 46 customers who respond to my Etsy posting. Yeah, I know it's not exactly a give-away. But it's pretty darn close when you factor in the cost for materials and labor. I won't be making any money - but maybe I can generate some sales so my little shop doesn't look so ignored. Maybe I'll offer free shipping with a purchase of another pair of earrings.

So, for those of you who read my blog you have the inside track to my plans. I'd surely love it the readers of my blog were able to score a pair of these earrings. Having my "sales" number go up considerably would be the best birthday present I could imagine.

PS: I case you haven't figured it out - that person staring at you is Me. :) Those are my new glasses that I'm in "Love" with.

And I thought one blog was a lot of work...

2008-06-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

So, I've been helping to organize an art show that will be happening this summer (Saturday, July 26th) called Bella Faire - Art in the Garden. I volunteered to create the blog (or web-site) for the group, http://www.bellafaire.blogspot.com/. I also volunteered to create the post cards were sending out to promote the show. Plus, I took it upon myself to list the show on a few web-sites:

Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/events/tacoma-bella-faire---art-in-the-garden-art-show-and-market

FeedTacoma.org: http://www.feedtacoma.com/events/event.php?e=1266

I've submitted notices to the

Seattle Times - NW Source events column - www.seattletimes.com

Urban Fashion Network- http://www.urbanfashionnetwork.com/

and on the Seattle's EtsyRain - (http://craftsellers.meetup.com/82/ )-message board - a group that I belong to that promotes western Washington artists who have shops on Etsy.com.

There are other artist's who will be promoting the show - but I just wanted to do my part.

I'm hoping that we get some sort of exposure and at the very least we get our name out there and people will come check us out at the very least. Sales would just be the cherry on the top of the Sunday.

So, if you live in the South Puget Sound region and find some extra time on your hands, please come visit us.

Hello...

2008-06-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems it's been a while since I've last checked in with you. Lot's has been going on - not all jewelry related and not all good I'm afraid. Yesterday, after spending more money than I thought was possible to have our sewer line "snaked" we found out that we'll have to replace our sewer lines - soon. I'm still reeling from this news - it's going to cost a pretty penny to do this. But that's what you get for buying a house that was built in 1915. What is it about this house? All our problems seem to be water related. If it's not clogged sewage lines - it's a basement that floods during winter storms. Then my husband pointed out a crack in our foundation and started mentioning something about replacing the foundation in the future and raising our roof. Yikes!

So now I'm more motivated to make money selling my jewelry. Mainly to have an excuse to get away from the reality of homeownership and all the woes and expense that go with it. The Tom Hanks movie "The Money Pit" was on today - talk about perfect timing - of course I "had" to watch it. And of course, I'm all freaked out but I'm holding it together though it's sort of hard to reign in my "Chicken Little slash Drama Queen" coping mechanism.

Perfect segue into my next topics - my upcoming shows. I have three planned this summer and then I'm on vacation.

My first show this summer will be sponsored by my Etsy Street Team: EstyRain/PSIA: It will be held on Saturday, June 28, 2008, Show Hours: 10:00am - 4:00pm - Ballard Northwest Senior Center Fundraiser Barbecue featuring local artists from EtsyRain/PSIA, Location: Ballard Northwest Senior Center, 5429 - 32nd Avenue NW, Seattle, WA 98107 (located near the "Locks" in Ballard) at the corner of NW Market St and 32nd Ave NW).
The last show I did with them was fun and it was a great chance to meet the members of my Street Team who, for the most part, I had only "chatted" with on the message board.

My second show this summer will be part of a fundraiser for the a team that participating in the Susan G. Komen walk: Saturday, July 19th, 10:00am - 4:00pm - The Picket Fence presents: Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day - Walking Warriors Craft Show. Location: 30741 3rd Ave, Ste 120 (hwy 169), Black Diamond, WA 98010 - Shop for homemade crafts & support the fight against breast cancer! 10% of my proceeds from this fair will be donated to the Walking Warriors 3 Day Team.

I'm looking forward to this one because it will give me the opportunity to contribute to a very important cause - the cure for Breast Cancer.

My third show for the summer is the one that is closest to my heart: A group of friends of mine and I are putting on this show and the venue is a lovely garden of our sponsor - it's a lovely intimate space that is going to help make this show incredibly special. This is my first foray into organizing a show and I'm so lucky that I found this group of incredibly talented artists. I've even created a web-site for our show - please check it out: http://www.bellafaire.blogspot.com. I hope you'll be able to check us out: When: July 26, 2008 - Bella Faire - Art in the Garden Show. Location: Tacoma, Washington (As soon as I have the address I'll post it the Bella Faire and Dancing Monkey Jewelry blogs). Take a exquisite garden and fabulous artists and your sure to have a show that won't be ordinary. Join us for a lovely day in the garden, enjoying the visual treats of the flowers in bloom and the wonderful art that abounds. More information to follow.

I have a lot of work to do before now and my first show but I'll be back to keep you posted on the upcoming events. The first thing I'll have to do is put my studio back together - it's been torn apart so that I could move a much larger table in my space. Right now I've been told it's a bit of an obstacle course by a not so happy husband. He discovered my train wreck of a studio on his way to bed.

Until then take care.

Best Regards,

Martha

PS: Anybody know a good and cheap plumber?

Explore!

2008-05-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

Because my former hobby (making jewelry) has become my business, I needed a new hobby - which has become photography. My long time readers will remember my early posts about the frustrations I was experiencing in trying to photograph my jewelry for my on-line shop and the less than desirable results I was getting. So one day, out of desperation, I decided to go outside and practice with my new camera. After a few photo safaris/practice sessions, I discovered that I wasn't as bad as I thought I was and with after getting to know my camera better along with a little practice, my photography skills dramatically improved. I'm happy to say that I can take a decent picture of my jewelry.

Another thing I've discovered - I like taking photographs. So much so, I will tell you thatone of my hobbies is photography. Aside from the cost of the camera, it's cheap entertainment (no film to develop - it's digital). Every now and then I take a photograph that I think is good when that happens I download that photo to a photo sharing site called Flickr.

Flickr is a pretty cool site (http://www.flickr.com/) - it's a sort of social networking site dedicated to photographers. You get photographers from every skill level from around the world downloading their photographs to share with the world. From all the photos downloaded to the site each day Flickr will choose 500 photographs to post on their "Explore" page. Here's a blurb from their web site that explains the significance of being chosen:

"Flickr labs have been hard at work creating a way to show you some of the most awesome content on Flickr. We like to call it interestingness. Explore the gorgeousity by choosing a point in time..."

In this case the point in time is March 30, 2008 - http://flickr.com/explore/interesting/2008/03/30/page9/ (scroll down to the 5th picture on this page). There I am - 84th out 500 pictures!

Another web-site says this: "Explore is a swell way for photographers to be seen by thousands of people, but the only way to get there is to take great photos and upload them to Flickr (so what are you waiting for?)."

I thought being chosen was pretty damn cool!

I know it's been a while...

2008-05-29T08:26:00.001-07:00

Every now and then, my "other life" demands attention and after neglecting it for too long I have to start paying attention to it. So for the last couple of weekends I've been working around the house - mainly in my garden. Man, it really needed it. Last fall, the rains came and stayed and I didn't get a chance to get out there and trim my plants, mulch my beds, weed and do a general tidy up. This spring my garden looked more like a weed patch more than anything else. So, I had my work cut out for me.

I don't have a very big garden, but I do have several different kinds of beds: a Woodland garden bed, a shade garden, my version of a "prairie-style" garden, a cottage garden and one that I've lost total control over that contains lots of "volunteer" plants. I'm not sure what happened over the winter and during this spring but my plants are in over-drive. Never has my garden look so lush and green. Especially, my Bleeding Hearts their taking over the over garden and are about 3 feet high - they're beautiful.

So, now that I've got my garden under control the next project I'll tackle is my house and my workshop. My house hasn't had a proper cleaning in a long time and it's shows. My workshop is in disarray because I haven't had the time to put it back in order since my last jewelry show that was held on May 10th. I need to get back at my bench as I have two outstanding commissions that I need to work on and I have 3 upcoming shows that I need to get ready for this summer.

Then there's the upcoming family vacation that we're planning. After being away from home for 11 years, my husband, my dad and I are planning a trip to to visit his family in England. We're also planning a side trip to Paris. This will be my first trip abroad. ;) So there's lots to do and not enough time to get it done. I'm planning a pretty hectic summer.

Also, there's a matter of post that I need to complete as promised in my last blog post...I can feel that feeling of being "overwhelmed" coming on.

Stay tuned, I promise there will be more.

Best regards,

martha

You could have knocked me over with a feather...

2008-05-22T14:49:00.003-07:00

There I was, reading the new posts on my Etsy Street Team message boards - something about members of our street being featured on the Front Page of Etsy (I made a cursory glance at the names - mostly the usual suspects) then I went on to about our team was mentioned in a Storque article...and then it hit me...I had to go back and re-read the names of the artists featured on the Front PAge and that's when I got the shock of my life! Dancing Monkey Jewelry was one of the artists. That's me!!!! Then my world came crashing down because I missed the front page...I missed it. I was devestated - I missed my own BIG MOMENT!!!! However, I did get a consolation prize. Margo, the team organizer, capture a screen shot of the front page - and there I was in all my glory (second row - on the right) - along with a few of my team members. I sat there basking in the glow of my computer monitor, takin it all in. Then I started sending out emails to all my friends - letting them know. And now I'm telling you - my loyal and devoted readers. What the heck is good about good news if you don't share it?

Oh, what a wonderful day. Thank you, Margo for being so vigiliant. If it weren't for you I would have never known.

But wait there's more - I'll be back to write Part II of this post. I want to introduce you to the other members of the Team EtsyRain Street Team that were there with me on the Front Page - they're a talented bunch and I would like to sing their praise.

Until then, take care and I'll be back later.

Best Regards,

martha

I've been featured in another blog!

2008-05-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

In my April 11th post, I wrote about sponsoring a give-away for Capitolagirl's "Friday Findings" column. Well, last week when I was checking my Etsy account I had this message waiting for me from one of the winners of that give-away:

by slymagpie

profile

shop

contact

Hi Martha!

I won your contest with Capitola Girl, and I just wanted to let you know that I loved the earrings! They're really beautiful and your materials are lovely. I'm off to tell everyone what a talented artist you are on my blog. :)

Margaret

How cool is that???!!! Plenty, if you're asking me. I'm not sure what part of this posting that I like the most - the part about her liking my earrings or the part about her telling me that she was going to write a post for her blog telling others that she liked my earrings. Really, it's still a toss up for me. So, I sat around all day waiting for the blog to be published. And true to her word, she wrote a nice post about me. If you're anything like me, curiosity will get the best of you and you'll want to read the post. So, here is the link to the her blog that she the little piece she wrote about little ol' me: slymagpie: I won a contest!

Thank you Margaret for letting me know that you liked my earrings an for letting others know too! And too my readers, for some reason I couldn't get any pictures to post - but don't fear - I've provided links - just click on them and you'll be taken posts with lots of great pictures.

So much to write about and so little time to write it...

2008-05-11T22:20:00.000-07:00

The last week was an eventful week. Of course, I "wasted" a good part of the time and was a panicked mess Friday afternoon. But I'm getting off topic here - so back on track here. While I "wasting" time last week instead of working, I was also reflecting on all the good things that have happened to me since I've started this business. I've made new connections with local artists, a friend of mine and I are planning our art show and will be featuring some incredibly talented artists at this show, I've been featured in a couple of blogs, and what astounds me the most, I've won several contests, drawings and door prizes from fellow artist on Etsy (who I will be featuring on my blog) . Which is what I'll be writing about this week. That's about as much as I'm going to tell you - I don't want to give you an outline and then not stick with it I'm sure you've all pretty much figured that I'm not one to be constrained by "organization" - I like the flexibility and freedom of winging it. :)

So, until then I hope you enjoy the pictures of my jewelry that I just posted in my Etsy shop today. I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again, I think my photography has come a long way from the early days. I'm still not quite satisfied with it - but I see improvement. Feel free to agree with me or offer some constructive criticism.

Alright, I'm really leaving. Morning is going to come too early - the vacation is over and the real world is waiting for me.

Best regards,

martha

My progress - such as it is...

2008-05-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

I'm so far behind. So far, I've created several sterling silver stack rings, head pins and ear wires and earring findings (my fused ovals, squares and such). Spent some time on the computer - networking and meeting with the artists who will be participating in the art show that I'm helping to organize - something I'm very excited about and will fill you in on later.

So, my plan for the day is to head upstairs and complete at least 20 pairs of earrings and at least 5 more necklaces. Then later on this evening I'll get ready for my show tomorrow.

So much to do and so little time! Aarrgghh!!! I do this to myself each and every time - will I ever learn? Probably not - not at this stage of my life. "Hi, my name is Martha, and I'm a Procrastinator."

But wait - there's more - so much more to tell you about. A few really nice things have happened to me and I want to share with you. However, I'll have to save that for later.

Martha

The first day of my "Dream Life" is today...

2008-05-03T13:31:00.001-07:00

Next week I'll be taking a break from my day job (the one that is currently paying the bills) to get ready for my next show on May 10th (see the right side bar for more info). I'll also be working on the show that I am coordinating with friends that will happen this summer the last weekend in July (more information regarding this show is forth-coming). While I'll have lots of work to do next week, I intend to have FUN, FUN, FUN!!! I mean, I'll be living my dream life, which is that of a successful, busy, in demand jewelry artisan. :) I'm one of those people who likes and thrives in "solitude" and know that I would do well if I worked at home. As I write this I'm thinking about the routine I would establish, it would be the perfect combination of work and personal time. I'm one of those people who likes to work in spurts and then take time to recharge my batteries. So, I would set a routine that would be like this:

My schedule for next week (Monday - Friday):

Rise at 6:00am - 6:30am. Make coffee and drink 2 cups while standing in the kitchen watching the early morning news (Yeah, I got a TV in my kitchen - I like to watch the "Food Network" while cooking or cleaning
6:30am -7:00am. Take Bruce for a walk. He's not a very demanding pooch but when he wants to go for a walk he's quietly persuasive and it's best to get such demands out of the way as soon as I can.
7:00am (or 7:30am) - 2:00pm. Sit down at jewelry bench. I'll either be working on designs or creating my findings.
2:00pm - 4:00pm. Take a break or run personal/work related errands
4:00pm - 5:00pm. Clean up jewelry bench and wrap it up for the day.
5:00pm - 9:00pm - Domestic chores and spend time with family.

Will I be able to maintain this non-harried schedule? Probably not - only because I'm sure there will be nights when I've got a creative streak where I'll tell my husband that he's on his own for dinner and will work at my bench until all hours of the night. Which will throw off my schedule for the next day. And I'm sure I'll get sucked into watching some daytime TV - so I'm going to avoid the siren song of the BIG TV and the comfortable couch in the living room. My TV daytime TV will be confined to either my kitchen or at my jewelry bench.

So that's my plan.

What else have I been up to? Well, I've been terribly remiss in tending to my shop on Etsy. It hasn't been very busy and truth be told I was avoiding it. Yeah, not the best plan. So, add it to my list for next week: Pay attention to your shop on Etsy!!! This morning, I added more earrings to my shop. Next Sunday, I'll be adding more stock to my shop.

Now I've got to go and get ready. My husband is getting his documentation together to renew his passport. We need to go to the notary today. We're planning a trip to visit his family in England this summer.

I'll be back later.

Until then, Best Regards.

martha