We're All Ears April Reveal

Reference piece from Earrings Everyday

For a little over a year now,  Erin over at Earrings Everyday has hosted a monthly design challenge.  Each month she chooses an inspiration item for us to focus on as we create our designs.  She is wonderful at coming up with ideas!  This month she chose the architecture at The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain.   These buildings are very modern and amazing!  I strongly encourage you to read the inspiration blog post here to see examples of the buildings and the marvels of architecture design.

The building I chose to use as  my inspiration (pictured above) is L'Oceanografic which is the largest oceanographic aquarium in Europe.  I just love the design.  It reminds me of a dolphin crashing back into water after it has just taken a breath.  The sleekness and the round curve is what drew me to the photograph.

Last week,  I also participated in Andrew Thornton's Frenzied Motion Challenge. While I was making the pieces for that challenge,  I couldn't help but think how much some of the beads he had included in the kit would work perfectly for this month's earring design.

I love the smooth circular lines of the saucer shaped beads and I continued the roundness in my choice of the light lavender coin shaped beads in the dangle as well.  Since this is an ocean themed inspiration picture,  I added Swarovski crystals in shades of blue and grey to mimic the color of the sea.

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my entry for this month's challenge! Check out everyone's designs below!

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Frenzied Motion Challenge Reveal

Hello!  Welcome to my reveal post for Andrew Thornton's Frenzied Motion Challenge!  I am always excited when I see Andrew is hosting a new challenge because the combination of beads he uses are always incredible.  Between the handmade components and the selected beads it is always a large selection of great beads.  If you would like to learn more about Andrew, check out his blog here.  He always limits the number of participants, so I was very happy to get to participate this time.   

This month's theme was the frenetic energy of a New York City dance club.  The music, the lights, the people coming together in a group of motion, energy and excitement.   When I learned of his inspiration I was immediately taken back to my college days.  I loved to go dancing.  Every Tuesday and Thursday you could find me in a club for hours.  Ybor City in Tampa had a particular club that had several dance floors and I was always on one come Tuesday night.  It was the late 80's, early 90's so think lots of bright colors and big hair! Here is a peek at the beads Andrew sent us.

Look at all that fabulous pink and blue!!!  If you know me at all, you know I love pink.  It is my favorite color.  Blue is the color I design the most in, so this challenge was just made for me.  Among those beads are rose quartz, Czech beads, Japanese seed beads, vintage Italian seed beads, mother of pearl, vintage lucite, dogtooth amethyst and dyed jade.  Finally, there is a bag full of all kinds of goodies including crystals, vintage glass, all kinds of seed beads, rose quartz, Czech glass and so many lovelies I could never identify every one. Andrew also made several of the components like the pink and blue polymer clay round beads.   Also, he includes a special mystery component with each collection and this time he made a wonderful pendant. 

Courtesy Andrew Thornton

His pendant reminds me so much of the lights flashing all around the dance floor and the colors you would see in your eyes as you looked around the room.  Those lights would flash to the beat of the music.  If I close my eyes I can hear Madonna's Vogue playing and I am whisked away on a dance floor to some wonderful memories.

For this challenge I created three necklaces, a bracelet and a pair of earrings.   You will have to wait to see the earrings tomorrow because while I was making them I kept thinking how much they fit this month's We're All Ears Challenge.  But now, lets take a peek at what I made.

My first piece is a necklace that I used the two large oval pieces of rose quartz as the focus.  I just love those two stones!  The soft pink is so delicate and feminine.  I paired them with a large blue-grey crystal that was included in the luxury bead mix.  I also used some Swarovski crystals and some other blue beads I found in the bead mix.  I finished it off with some light rose crystal rondelles of my own to carry that soft pink feminine touch.  

My second necklace uses the three round pink and blue polymer clay beads Andrew made.  I paired them with some wonderful faced dyed pink jade pillow beads, more Swarovski crystal and what I believe are Czech glass square beads in a soft pink.  I can see myself on the dance floor wearing this piece.

My final necklace uses Andrew's mystery component as its focus.  I love that I found the just perfect magenta pink colored wire to make the bail for this piece.  I wanted it to be part of the design with a retro feel.  All the beads used in this piece were from the kit except for four large bright blue crystal rondelles that just worked so well with the color palette and helped highlight the soft color of the beads they surround.

There were a lot of really cool single beads in the mix of beads and I wanted to come up with a way to highlight them in a piece.  There was also a bag full of these bright blue vintage seed beads that I just had to use.  I decided a bracelet was the best way to show off these special one-of-a-kind beads.  Can you just imagine the lights capturing the facets in the beads as you sway your arms to the music?

I had so much fun with this challenge.  As always, Andrew gives the designer and abundance of beautiful beads to work with.  I have so many left, I am sure you will see them in future designs.  I want to thank Andrew Thornton again for putting these challenges together and I look forward to participating in the future.  Make sure to stop by and see what the other designers have made with these beautiful beads.

Beadsophisticate

Christina Hickman

Michelle McCarthy

Marybeth Rich

Alison Herrington

Ann Schroeder

Andrew Thornton, Laurel Ross, Joanne Goldberg, Lisa Mendum

Beed Peeps Swap N' Hop Sneak Peek

Why are you looking into the swirl of a cotton candy machine you may ask?   :)  A few months ago, I signed up for the Swap N' Hop through a group on Facebook called Beed Peeps.  I was matched with another jewelry designer and had the pleasure to chat with her and get to know her a bit.   My partner is Marcy Lamberson.  Check out her blog and her Etsy Shop.   Marcy is a very talented glass artist who creates wonderful whimsical creations and focuses on bright, cheery colors.  

I was a little nervous at first when I visited Marcy's page because I had planned on sending her some wonderful lampwork beads I had collected from one of my favorite glass artists.  But, since she makes her own glass I had to change that up a bit.   Luckily, a few chats with Marcy made me much more comfortable.  She is a fun, interesting person and I am very lucky to have been partnered with her.   

So what is up with that swirl?  It is a sneak peek of the beads I sent to my partner.   You can't see them until she does but check back here to see pictures of what she has sent to me and my own reveal when I know her beads have arrived and been seen.   Also check back here on May 2nd for the big design reveal!

Creating with a Joyful Muse

Several months ago,  Joyful Muse from Joyful Muse Studio announced that she was looking for jewelry designers to work with some of her newer pieces and to give her feed back on what worked, what might not have worked and of course, to make some pretty jewelry.   I was very excited to participate because she works with vintage pieces and they are always a favorite of mine.  Here is what she sent me:

Forgive the cell phone photo but my workspace doesn't allow for great photographs.   I did want to take a quick shot of what I was sent though so everyone could get an idea of the pieces.   She sent me some wonderful brass moons that appear to either be painted or had patina applied, one of her great vintage spinner pendants in an incredible shade of pink,  and a polymer clay piece in shades of tan, aqua blue, and pink with a great crystal heart in the middle, and finally some fun buttons.

I plan to use the buttons as clasps on future projects and will either use the moons on earrings or a bracelet as well.  First, let's take a look at the piece I made with the spinner pendant.

The pendant is a vintage spinner that she painted my favorite shade of soft pink (it also appears that she might have stamped the edge).  In the middle she added a polymer clay design that she highlighted with a pink crystal.  How could I not love this pendant?  It is my favorite color,  is vintage and has sparkle!  I of course had to create a necklace that fit the design.   I used light rose crystal bicones on a handmade rosary chain.  The pink just works perfectly with the pendant.  Finishing the necklace off is a short length of delicate chain and a heart toggle clasp.  

A close up of the pendant

Here is a look at the back of the pendant:

Next, I wanted to work with the other pendant so I spent some time in my bead stash finding just the right natural stone to match the polymer clay in her piece.   I ended up using grain stone and black lace marble to make that perfect match.

The pendant has some great aqua blue dots on it so I had to find just the right crystals to add a bit of my signature sparkle.  I used aqua and opalite rondelles to add some color between the grain stone beads.   The red crystal heart on the pendant adds just the right pop to the design.  I have a feeling the setting for the pendant is vintage and I really love the way she continued the circular design of the metal through out her piece.  

I hope you enjoyed taking a peek at the designs I made using Joyful Muse's pendants.   Be sure to check out her Etsy shop!  It has been such a pleasure to work with these pieces and provide feedback to a designer looking to grow her art.

Checkerboard Blog Hop Reveal

Hi there and welcome! I want to thank Lisa Lodge of Pine Ridge Treasures for hosting this fun checkerboard themed blog hop!  Way back in July I received a collection of cultured sea glass and clear crystals in shades of clear, red and black.   Here is a sneak peek of what I received.

As you can see,  Lisa sent me many different pieces and styles in my collection.  I just loved the sand dollars and there was a secret about those cuties I will share later in this post.   I was challenged quite a bit with the theme of this hop and I spent some time staring at my bead board wondering what I would do.   I really wanted to embrace the theme, having my piece look like a checkerboard instead of just using the beads in a straight design.   I love red and black together, I think they make very classic jewelry, but this time I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone.

I spent some time bouncing ideas back and forth with my good friend, Mowse Doyle, and I want to thank her very much for the late night chat and her great ideas.  She even drew me a sketch so I could picture what she was thinking of!!   Thanks to her,  my idea came together and I was able to really see a checkerboard in my design.

I created a choker using the black and white cultured sea glass rods to represent the squares on a checkerboard.   The red cultured sea glass completes the squares and reminds me of the checkers themselves.   Finally,  the back of the choker has that touch of sparkle with clear crystal rondelles and more of the red cultured sea glass.

Where are the sand dollars you ask?  I love them very much but they just didn't work in my necklace.  And if you know anything about me, you know I never ever do a blog hop and not make earrings.   So,  the sand dollars got to become earrings.   Here is where the surprise comes in!

I didn't know they were red!!  Actually a deep maroon that go very well with this Panatone color of the year, Marsala. I was totally shocked when I saw the pictures and saw the rich red color.  All the times I had handled the beads, figuring out how I wanted to use the sand dollars I always thought they were black.   I tied the earrings back to the choker, using the clear crystal rondelles and the red sea glass beads to add that touch of sparkle.

I want to thank Lisa again for hosting us for this Blog Hop.  Please stop by and see everyone else's designs!

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall

Mischelle Fanucchi, Micheladas Musings

Becky Pancake, Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Kari Asbury, Hippie Chick Design

Susan Anderson, La Main Tresor

Kathy Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Margaret Pelech, Margaret Pelech's Blog

Lisa Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs

Annette Rivers, Mama Owls Mess

Carol Briody, A Beads Life

Miranda Ackerley, MirandAck

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines  (you are here)

Karin Grosset Grange (France), Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Katrina Scuderi Taylor, I Wanna Go Out

Are You Making Your Customer Jump Through Hoops?

Hello Again!  One of the things I want to do with this blog this year is offer tips and thoughts on jewelry design and maintaining your own business.   I love that you come visit me to take a peek at my challenge designs or to find out what I am working on, but I am also looking forward to adding additional information to the blog as well.

This month,  I would like to take a look at the idea that I titled this post with.   Do we make our customers jump through too many hoops?  This is especially important to consider for those of us who sell online.  Why?  Because when you sell in a store or at a fair, the customer comes up, admires your goods then hands you cash or credit card to pay for the item.  Your interaction ends there, and you are both happy.  You can see your customer, see and touch their payment (even if it is delayed by your payment processor for a few days)  and you feel safe in knowing that, in most cases,  a fair exchange of goods for payment has occurred.

However,  for many online sellers, they are wary right from the start.   You look for the right online platform to sell from, do your research and try to feel secure.   Once you start getting ready to sell, one of the first things you do is type up your policies with great fonts and bullet points.  Of course, every online retailer needs policies.  Your customer can't talk to you face-to-face, so they need to know what to expect when purchasing from your shop.   But, take a look at your language; does it sound friendly and inviting or is it worded in a way that it makes your customer feel like they are walking down the hall to the principal's office just to get the pleasure to purchase from you?   

Ok, your customer decides that she must have that fantastic pair of earrings you just listed, great!!!!  Now it is time to purchase and...wham!!! Hoops again!   Do you offer all the payment options the site you list on offers?  Let me tell you a little story to make an example of why this is important.   I was given an Etsy gift certificate for Christmas.  I love getting them because I love to shop handmade and treat myself.   Well, I go looking at beads, some of them made by very well known artists.  I fall in love, add something to my cart...and get sad.   They don't take Etsy gift cards!  So I have to delete my order and move on.  It happened, not once...not twice... but four times!!!  I would understand if a payment type was questionable,  I certainly wouldn't be comfortable accepting Bitcoin, but  when it is a well known type of currency, in this case created by the listing site itself, you are just letting sales slip away.  Either your customer jumps through a hoop to make you happy with the sale,  or they move on by to the next store who is more willing to make the experience a much more pleasant one. 

Ok, your customer has purchased those must have earrings, where is the next place we make our customer jump through hoops?? Shipping!  It isn't really the rates, as much as the timing involved. Please try to ship your customer's order in a timely manner.   I can't get to the post every day either, I know how it is.  But,  your customer deserves the effort of you trying to get the item on the way to them quickly.  If you only go to the post office on Monday and Friday, put that in your policies so that your customer is aware.  And don't print out a shipping label unless you know that your going to the post office in the next 24 hours.   Your customer gets notification their item is on its way and they are expecting it.  Not expecting it to be sitting on your desk for another week.   I've really had this problem with bead orders lately.  I need those beads for designs I am planning and it frustrates me.  Can you imagine if your customer ordered those earrings to wear to her engagement party  and you have just let them sit?

I really wanted this post to give you ideas to think about.   Take a look at how you run your business from your customer's point of view.  Are there things that you can change to make the experience more inviting?  When customers have to jump through hoops, they most likely will jump right on over to another seller.   Re-assessing how you run your business may just have more business headed your way.  

January We're All Ears Reveal

Hello and Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and am welcoming 2015 with peace and happiness.   I am happy to return to the We're All Ears Challenge hosted by Erin over at Earrings Everyday  I love the monthly challenge to make a new piece of my favorite style of jewelry and I missed it when I had to take some time away when life got in the way.

This month, we were given the new Panatone color of 2015 as our inspiration.   I was excited when this year's color was announced because I find that shade looks very nice on me.  It is a wonderful shade for both lipstick and nail polish.   I can't wait to spend the year weaving the color into my jewelry designs.   

I was given an Etsy Gift Card for Christmas and I patiently kept an eye out for something extra special that spoke to me to buy.  (As a side note, several bead sellers lost out on a sale from me because they don't take gift cards!)  Ashley Bonney's painted wooden beads just spoke to me the minute I saw her post about them on Face book.  They are wood that are stained, and painted with watercolors.  I just love them.  The wood is very light and doesn't make the earrings heavy at all.   I also purchased a pendant from her, and will be making a necklace with it very soon.

I thought the colors worked well not only with the color of the year, but also with the whole Spring, 2015 fashion color palette that Panatone released.   To the wooden drops, I added larger crystals in smoke and citrine and added extra sparkles with fuchsia spacer beads.

I had so much fun with this month's challenge and there are several great jewelry artists that have participated as well.  Come check out their work here! 

An InLinkz Link-up