tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70559048209225918322024-03-05T23:36:45.897-06:00Designing HilaryDesigning Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-63733651491085709662011-01-27T11:52:00.003-06:002011-01-27T11:57:04.563-06:00Dusting the cobwebs ......because I may restart a push for business. Or maybe just for sharing. Although, after FINALLY taking a look at my un-moderated comments, I find some "anonymous" person told me people find fin my misspelling in the post below offensive because I accidentally spelled "jewelry" as "jewerly." OK. Sorry for anyone finding that offensive. But next time you care to offer some constructive criticism, Mr, or Ms. Anonymous, why not do it under your ID/name/whatever? Just sayin' ...<br /><br />Anyhow, rather than fix the misspelling or delete the comments from Anonymous, I'll just beg forgiveness from anyone who is offended. Paint me Ms. Imperfect. ;)Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-59852813593597099932009-07-23T06:53:00.002-05:002009-07-23T06:56:28.604-05:00Short Survery of Jewerly PreferenceGold or silver? <br /><br />And if you have time ... why? <br /><br />Thanks!Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-27762332692242024512009-07-17T12:20:00.007-05:002009-07-17T12:55:36.329-05:00It's a total blank ...... but first things first. Back on track (hopefully) and <a href="http://creativebloggers.ning.com/" target="_blank">Creative Bloggers</a> is going around again. <a href="http://macaroniandglue.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Macaroni and Glue</a> is up in the spotlight and I'm seriously liking the banner! I don't recall seeing this, but it has been a while since I paid Kelly a visit. I'll blame the Texas heat and I'm sure she'll understand! Check out her <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Macaroni-and-Glue-on-Etsy/18333326699" target="_blank">Facebook fan page</a> too!<br /><br />Another artist being featured is Susy of <a href="http://byearthexpressions.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Earth Expressions</a>. Susy creates exquisite jewelry. But she also is creative with her blog and I loved her post about with <a href="http://byearthexpressions.blogspot.com/2009/07/packaging-shipping-tips.html" target="_blank">packing and shipping tips</a>. I can imagine a new customer of hers receiving a package and thinking: "What a class act!"<br /><br />If you head over to Facebook, please take a look at my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dallasfort-Worth/57-Design-Studio/105123901718" target="_blank">fan page</a>. I set it up a while ago, didn't quite know what to do with it, but I've been learning. There is no documentation from Facebook about how to fully use the application, but there are some giving souls out there who are sharing what they know. It's a learning curve, but learning is great for keeping the gray matter within the skull nimble and functioning!<br /><br />And I've been slowly building my Twitter following. Twitter is like the wild, wild west of the internet. All sorts of colorful folks. And all sorts of nuts too. All sorts of lazy people amassing huge followings by using automated applications, but it's only about quantity, not quality. So I'm doing it the old fashioned way. One by one with absolutely NO AUTOMATION, not even an automatic welcoming message.<br /><br />A friend of mine has developed a new application for social media. It just launched so take a look at <a href="http://tipdrop.com/" target="_blank">TipDrop</a>. I signed up, but haven't authored a tip sheet yet. Jon gives us 255 characters which beats Twitter's 140, but 255 is not always enough. My plan is to blog tips here and link to this blog from the tip sheets. Hopefully Jon has programmed the application for follow through links. <br /><br />I've created some new handcrafted jewelry pieces for the summer, but every single last piece has sold. Sold without pictures too. I'm a dunce. o_O Beautiful pieces, too, using "Candy Jade" which has become a new favorite of mine, and some shell/pearl/crystal pieces. Ooooh, even writing about them is making my fingers itch to make more!<br /><br />Oh, and another thing, I've been making a ton of paper craft bookmarks and cards for a friend of mine to take to a special international convention (worship related) to pass out as gifts to all she meets. I've so enjoyed my monthly workshops I take from my local StampinUp representative that I've decided to sign up as a demonstrator myself! Since it will be about handcrafted paper goods, I figured it would be a nice fit with my existing creative business and I will keep it under my '57 Design Studio business umbrella.<br /><br />Now, I must remember to take pictures!Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-62118701490434886162009-05-29T12:14:00.004-05:002009-05-29T14:44:10.741-05:00Creative BloggersOh my, how could I miss last week's blog! <a href="http://chainmaillebymboi.com/category/blog/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chainmaille by MBOI</span></a> is written by one of my favorite handcrafting peeps in this world! Not only is Andrew a talented jewelry artist, but he is a most <a href="http://chainmaillebymboi.com/forum/index.php" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:bold;">enthusiastic supporter</span></a> of all handcrafting artisans.<br /><br />This week's featured artisan is Carol of <a href="http://the-blue-cat.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Blue Cat</span></a>. I am a huge fan of all things whimsical and Carol's artwork is whimsical in a really large way. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14353604&ref=em" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:bold;">This picture</span></a> looks a lot like it came from my house. <br /><br />If you are a Creative Blogger, please visit our <a href="http://creativebloggers.ning.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ning forum</span></a> and join us. The third blog ring group is forming. Each week we focus on one of our incredibly talented bloggers and give them some highly valued links.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-42209271161433630392009-05-25T10:27:00.006-05:002009-05-25T11:52:53.853-05:00Hope this is Really Muscovite<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwfKcHvE9yVGros66dx28J9chrf_DD7S4sHam-eQboTJzq9YbwJw9oYhYndutIPmu92xLYx4dZqRw_N9lXd97DqO0g33zryrLMd0Rd92r-gRtzT1V_bJCEvlq5bmtwFj37ja-i3BMNaY/s1600-h/What-stone.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwfKcHvE9yVGros66dx28J9chrf_DD7S4sHam-eQboTJzq9YbwJw9oYhYndutIPmu92xLYx4dZqRw_N9lXd97DqO0g33zryrLMd0Rd92r-gRtzT1V_bJCEvlq5bmtwFj37ja-i3BMNaY/s400/What-stone.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339805556064438674" /></a>I bought this particularly lovely stone at a local bead wholesale shop and it was labeled "muscavite" which actually is a native from Muscovy, an ancient region in Russia (probably where the name "Moscow" comes from). There is a mineral called muscovite (with the letter o, not a) but almost every picture I pulled up showed a pinkish red stone, with somewhat of a schiller effect.<br /><br />So I have a dilemma as to what to put on the label for this piece, which is now completed. Perhaps it's the metallic flecks on the stone that is the "muscavite" although it looks more like pyrite to me than mica. If that is the case, I would love to know what to call the resident stone since it is the majority of the composition.<br /><br />Is it a granite? A basalt? A gneiss?? It is beautiful, especially in person. The color is a deep charcoal with a slight hint of green. It looks like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotite" target="_blank">biotite</a>, except it doesn't easily break into sheets like typical mica.<br /><br />I'm stumped. Any rockhounds or petrologists visiting here, please weigh in what you think this may be.<br /><br />In the mean time I will have to come up with something creative for the tag. At the moment, it only has the $72 price on it. I used 14k gold-fill wire for both the wrapping and the linking of the beads. I used 8mm Swarovski crystals, black diamond color, and the combination is stunning. I'll put up a picture of the completed necklace as soon as I get to photographing it.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-26931955401357094452009-05-11T06:49:00.007-05:002009-05-11T07:19:42.326-05:00Will the Real Competition Please Stand Up!I've been asked, time again by many people, why I share my space and hard-learned information with other jewelry designers. Even my Project Wonderful and Entrecard ad spaces are typically occupied by other jewelry artists.<br /><br />Most people cannot grasp the idea that jewelry designers, while in a black-and-white world are competitors, don't view each other as such because we are first and foremost artists and artists rarely deal in black-and-white. Even using a black/white color palette, there are so many shades of gray.<br /><br />Artists feel a connection with other artists, even if we are using the same medium ... even when our art is our business. At every event I attend jewelry artists are drawn to each other and we compare and share notes (and wine, too!). At every on-line community I belong, jewelry artists form their own groups to compare and share information.<br /><br />It is my pleasure to feature another jewelry artist, Jill of <a href="http://www.livngoodjewelry.com/">Liv'nGood Jewelry</a>, who is also a fellow chainmailler! The <a href="http://www.livngoodjewelry.com/2009/05/im-so-behind.html">latest post</a> on her blog hits a note in me because we both seem to be having trouble getting caught up on the photography that is necessary to get our art listed on our various on-line selling venues.<br /><br />I have my eye on a pair of her earrings! I need to sell some of mine so I can buy them. Yes, I said "buy them" because copycats are not playing fair, even if one is copying for their own use.<br /><br />Jill is also a member of <a href="http://creativebloggers.ning.com">Creative Bloggers</a> and I invite every creative type reading this blog who also blogs to come and join us!<br /><br />So, there is real competition for jewelry artists, but it is not from other jewelry artists. I'll leave it to the reader to figure it out. I've made a promise to myself not to market me by stomping on others. Besides, there is plenty of room in this wide world for everything under the sun.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-45128581659250651992009-05-05T06:44:00.004-05:002009-05-05T06:55:12.554-05:00Creative BloggersI belong to this wonderful group of <a href="http://creativebloggers.ning.com/">creative bloggers</a> on the Ning network. Each week we focus on one blog, make a comment if so moved, and feature the blog of the week in our blogs. We give each other linky-love and SEO juice.<br /><br />This week's blog is beautiful! Marie-Michele is a very talented jewelry artist and she writes in her native language of French. Fortunately for the English-only reading world, she translates <a href="http://mllem.wordpress.com/">Mademoiselle M</a> for us. <br /><br />Her <a href="http://mllem.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/cheveux-dange/">latest post</a> is featuring another blogger and I suggest you follow the link because you'll be in for another treat! I had to leave a comment expressing my thanks ... the comment box was in French, but I think I recalled enough of my high-school study of the language (decades ago) to put the appropriate information in the data boxes.<br /><br />Finding these beautiful gems on the world wide net is a delightful spending of a few of today's moments.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-59775426179488515282009-05-04T16:37:00.006-05:002009-05-04T17:23:24.125-05:00Renovation Part 1 ... or "Why I Was AWOL"It's hard to imagine the house as it was at the beginning of the year, but I found the camera's battery charger, spare battery and the USB cord to download photos. I just went through a heap of work-in-progress photos and it brought back the memories.<br /><br />We lived in this place for 13 years before deciding to put our own personal stamp on the thing. I guess it took that long to determine our sense of "style." I knew it was going to be a lot of work; I've watched friends renovate their homes. Whatever we did, I wanted to do it when we knew it would stick with us for a long, long time.<br /><br />I had "discovered" the Arts and Crafts style quite a number of years ago and it slowly took root in my mind as what I'd like to have in my home. Even having the style in mind, picking and choosing the color palette and textures and everything else that goes into home decor design was an arduous process. Most of the standard palettes for the Arts and Crafts interiors were very warm in tone. Both hubby and I prefer the cool tones. But with the help of a good friend who has a very keen eye for interior design (she really oughta hang a shingle, she could make a fortune!) the color palette was finally decided.<br /><br />I'll post pictures of the walls, etc later on. I need to tidy the house a bit before taking some "after" shots. :o)<br /><br />So here is the first part of what will be a series. The renovation is by no means over. There are still plenty of details to finish up, but all the major, back-breaking, arm-aching work is done ... for now. There is still bedrooms, bathrooms, family room and the dreaded kitchen. Ka-ching! Ka-ching! Anyone having too much money is more than welcome to send some this way!<br /><br />This first photo is the dining room. I believe the color is up on the walls. I chose Olympic Paint's "Camel" for the dining/living room walls. It's not a huge statement of color, but it's much prettier than the basic off-white we lived with for all those years. By the way, Olympic is a nice brand of paint. It's relatively inexpensive, and therefore doesn't have the coverage the more expensive brands may have, but there is absolutely NO ODOR! I believe the VOC registers a big, fat 0 (zero) when tested. If you hate the smell of fresh paint, consider this brand. We bought all our paint at Lowes.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvsLlEfhW_hAaURGtZ_P76YeBqm0YHqD2ZEmJmo1AWSK3RN5jEAZ1PknIXTp7JGLODKsUidGFJC_5UU1QvavfD-oZIYQWb4QPkdf0rfL5zNzVN9ar5DtxPiQWh7NTbM-ZANH1TNAyOPg/s1600-h/P1020729.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvsLlEfhW_hAaURGtZ_P76YeBqm0YHqD2ZEmJmo1AWSK3RN5jEAZ1PknIXTp7JGLODKsUidGFJC_5UU1QvavfD-oZIYQWb4QPkdf0rfL5zNzVN9ar5DtxPiQWh7NTbM-ZANH1TNAyOPg/s400/P1020729.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332075277877938082" /></a>This is still quite early in our process. Eventually, all the furniture you see was moved out into the garage where it was stored for about a month. Our cars were NOT happy.<br /><br />What I want you to notice is the dining room light. I believe it is original to the house. This house was built in 1979 by a firm that used to be known as Fox and Jacobs (now called Centennial Homes). When we bought the home, I liked the lighting. I still, to this day, could live with it if I had to, but it's definitely not Arts and Crafts.<br /><br />The dining room light was probably the toughest choice out of all the possible choices we had to make. I looked long and hard for a light that I liked. For whatever reason, I avoided Home Depot's lighting department. Since most of our purchases were made at Lowes, I hardly went into Home Depot. But I made a trip to find something not available at Lowes. While there, I thought: "Why not check out the lighting." That's when I saw this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNN9Lz5WOaLd7j3dx1bsFuAtor4cogZyiBquIpv-Y1O8Oi8Kgf9K051-gQ0yj0fjqN0JB-AlySm1GSjGiehTsADuQivk1q-fUtKIcC4myYRVhnCfMwUtiqlSvqXIxuTMD0wuTOWMAgiw/s1600-h/P1020795.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNN9Lz5WOaLd7j3dx1bsFuAtor4cogZyiBquIpv-Y1O8Oi8Kgf9K051-gQ0yj0fjqN0JB-AlySm1GSjGiehTsADuQivk1q-fUtKIcC4myYRVhnCfMwUtiqlSvqXIxuTMD0wuTOWMAgiw/s400/P1020795.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332075286485501938" /></a>It was love at first sight! Of everything that changed in our world, this is my absolute favorite. Four-square in traditional stained glass style of the Arts and Crafts movement. My artisan heart still skips beats when I look at this light ... the details are amazing. And burnished bronze ... I'm seriously into burnished bronze now. I got all new switch and outlet plates in "Venetian Bronze" to coordinate. There is even a choice of the lamps pointing up or down. I choose up so when I sit at the dining table and gaze up to the lighting, I see the beautiful stained glass rather than the screwy looking "green" bulbs. <br /><br />Click on the photo to get the larger version and see more of the detail. This is really a gorgeous lamp. I didn't expect this sort of find at any of the big box stores that we all see in throughout the United States. I searched endlessly on the internet, but never found anything I truly wanted. Even when looking at things I knew I could never begin to afford, I never saw anything as beautiful as this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xKwU3bGkAHYm8W8mzABXVAeRF3e_wStaRB9npUjKjtVllmGCWvjrrKHq4t1vPwM3mbIjGjkRNTXWKZIXyy8zdhNXRU-0HeN0bjnHeUZqHX5CqEMxypiS-v8dB-iuenDbZGlNQ3fcNxs/s1600-h/P1020759.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xKwU3bGkAHYm8W8mzABXVAeRF3e_wStaRB9npUjKjtVllmGCWvjrrKHq4t1vPwM3mbIjGjkRNTXWKZIXyy8zdhNXRU-0HeN0bjnHeUZqHX5CqEMxypiS-v8dB-iuenDbZGlNQ3fcNxs/s400/P1020759.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332075269141595314" /></a>This shot is the entry way and stairs. Again, it's the lighting on which I'd like you to focus. It used to coordinate with the old dining room light, but one of the glass hoods broke and I couldn't find a replacement since the thing was already close to 20 years old at the time. So I took all the hoods off and went with bare naked bulbs, although I used the "frosted" version to give it a fraction of an ounce of style. The biggest problem with that light was the chain. The thing hung low enough that anyone over 6 feet tall had to duck or bob their head out of the way. Our contractor friend told us to be sure to change out that light!<br /><br />The stairway is draped because the walls above the first landing was getting its coat of paint. "Timeless Taupe" is also by Olypmic Paints. The rustic wood of the stairs, and throughout the rest of the house was changed from a very dark brown to Lowe's Valspar brand of paint in a gorgeous color called "Oyster."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w_IiHTHN8EfTx5GwYiw-aotF6kGyA_u8O3NcZ9G8hW41AkvVUB5DBPotyto0i8BD30ZDkhTK_RMw8cTW3_fXiCGVE_4QLcFkhIsz_mlZNtlG9kKOOHBEXUScxpBeI1A5RXaDKPs6UpM/s1600-h/P1020796.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w_IiHTHN8EfTx5GwYiw-aotF6kGyA_u8O3NcZ9G8hW41AkvVUB5DBPotyto0i8BD30ZDkhTK_RMw8cTW3_fXiCGVE_4QLcFkhIsz_mlZNtlG9kKOOHBEXUScxpBeI1A5RXaDKPs6UpM/s400/P1020796.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332075270970536514" /></a>I found this when I found my dining room light. While not an exact match, it's very close (and an exact match isn't necessary anyway!). It's a semi-flush mount and the angle you think you see is really what it is. Our ceilings in this part of the house are at on slope of about 15 degrees. I was concerned that having any sort of flush mount would look weird, but it works. And all our tall friends are happy. And the hubby is happy. Even most of the NBA could enter our house now and not have to duck.<br /><br />You may get a fair glimpse of the ceiling texture if you click on the photo to get the larger version. I did not save these photos as hi-res, but you may see the suede-effect on your monitor. The beam is the "Oyster" color I mentioned above. A lot of the wood trim in our house is that rough finished pine which drinks paint and tears up brushes. Rollers were out of the question since they don't make rollers for that rough of a texture. I bought every type of roller available. I ended up using cheap brushes, a ton of sheeting and just slapped the paint on thick.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQzBVI0ENJ44ZB4dziKqXskWEXINjyyY-40P8YvqDTz4r-BuoK8d2LW4-TzZVrxEuN6I8q57jTYWS-xAnd2JndylD0QNhhNzy-O5axI1oMTwUPMMb3s5v9d43fcWQis7H9OOD-Q2qrWo/s1600-h/P1020798.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQzBVI0ENJ44ZB4dziKqXskWEXINjyyY-40P8YvqDTz4r-BuoK8d2LW4-TzZVrxEuN6I8q57jTYWS-xAnd2JndylD0QNhhNzy-O5axI1oMTwUPMMb3s5v9d43fcWQis7H9OOD-Q2qrWo/s400/P1020798.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332075279906929810" /></a>And finally, the newest light. We bought new furniture to go with the new decor (when you see the rest of the "before" pictures in the next installments, you'll agree new furniture was needed) which included a huge "papa bear" chair for the hard-working hubby. But with it's logical and natural placement in the living room, there was no direct lighting for which he could read. I've had my eye on this lovely thing at JC Penney for over a year. When it went on sale at half off, I couldn't resist. I had to break out the credit card to get it ... something I was trying so hard to never use again. Backslides are no fun, but at least this light is pretty enough to cover the guilt with pleasure!<br /><br />Stay tuned ...Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-82518544254445597612009-04-30T18:15:00.002-05:002009-04-30T18:22:31.512-05:00I'm ba-aaaack!And it took the "swine flu" to do it!<br /><br />One of my community's middle school has been closed due to one confirmed case of the new flu outbreak. One. The whole school closed for one. According to all the science stuff available, this is not a particularly deadly strain of flu. The seasonal flu that is making the rounds is supposed to be worse. So why don't schools close every time someone has the flu? Any flu????<br /><br />Would some one PLEASE! ... tell me the reasoning behind this!<br /><br />Other news: the house is almost done. I'll post pictures soon. New jewelry has been made. I'll be taking pictures soon. So much I need to do ... soon. <br /><br />I'm holding my breath that my daughter's school doesn't close. Someone was sent home with a high fever today so I'm probably holding my breath in vain!Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-48325453433318396512009-02-23T15:12:00.005-06:002009-02-23T15:18:08.309-06:00A quickie ...Because everything is still uprooted, and I've been away from my computer and blog and marketing etc ... I missed the start of Creative Bloggers Blog Ring!<br /><br />Last week, I should have posted about <a href="http://macaroniandglue.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Macaroni and Glue</a> which is a wonderfully fabulous blog written by Kelly Drill. Her blog is well-written and beautifully done so be sure to visit!Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-68340997982220202562009-02-21T06:49:00.002-06:002009-02-21T07:02:03.800-06:00No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth ...... but it sure feels like it!<br /><br />We are updating our house. Our living room, dining room and entry way, along with the landing at the turn of the stairs AND the landing at the top of the stairs which is almost a room to itself, are all getting new floors and new paint. The ceilings in the living/dining/entry areas also are having the popcorn texture scraped off!<br /><br />Ugh. I have been living in a construction zone for almost a month. <br /><br />I do have pictures, but I don't know where I put my camera. Nor do I know where I put the cord to attach the camera to the computer. Come to think of it, I don't know where ANYTHING is. We even lost a cat for a couple of days.<br /><br />The numbnuts who flipped this house back in '95 (from what I understand, this house was foreclosed by the VA and was left empty for a while so the neighborhood kids used it as a flop house!) decided to glue down the vinyl floor as if it were being tiled. This means every square inch of the vinyl in our entry way was glued. It took two solid days to remove the floor ... it was only about 50 square feet. I so dread pulling up my kitchen floor. My wrists still hurt and it's been more than a week.<br /><br />Eventually we will get to the rest of the house ... 4 bedrooms, two baths and a kitchen/family room are that is open to each other. I am hoping that the updating process is like labor for childbirth. It's agony while in process, but after it's over, one is happy and content enough to do it again. <br /><br />But for now, all I can say is "UGH!"<br /><br />The jewelry business is basically on hold during the updating, but the economy sorta knocked it on its rear end anyway. I do have a home show next Saturday, however, and looking forward to it!<br /><br />Anyone in the D/FW area who would like an invite, drop me a line.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-7376393669701712312009-01-28T22:08:00.001-06:002009-01-28T22:12:46.128-06:00Guess it's the computer ...I see the widget just fine on my laptop.<br /><br />It's my desktop that the widget does not show. I wonder if it's the Verizon security. My FIOS service gives me all the typical internet security at a reduced fee which I use on the desktop, but not the laptop. I opted for the service after the desktop crashed, which wasn't too long ago. So now I need to troubleshoot the incompatibility between the widget and the security software.<br /><br />I'm going to have a massive headache.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-31322454389785284782009-01-28T15:23:00.005-06:002009-01-28T15:26:49.820-06:00Something broke my Entrecard WidgetAnd it wasn't me! For some bizarre reason, the widget is not showing even though it is there in the layout. I don't have a clue. Entrecard doesn't have a clue. If someone does have a clue, I would be grateful for a fix!<br /><br />This is the code:<br /><br />< script id="ecard_widget" src="http://entrecard.s3.amazonaws.com/widget.js?user_id=21950&type=standard_200" type="text/javascript" >< /script ><br /><br />Without the space after the < and before the >, which I had to insert to show the code.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-46088002405824651782009-01-07T09:55:00.006-06:002009-01-07T12:41:17.723-06:00Tweet, TweetTwitter is quite the animal. I recall seeing a prediction a while back that Twitter would prove to be a major component in a fundamental shift in how the internet will be used. I'm not 100% convinced of that, but it definitely is a movement that keeps growing. Not everyone understands it, but they'll still play with it. Those that do understand it do more than play with it. <br /><br />I'm not going to bother defining Twitter ... if you're reading this blog, you've probably already have it in your head what Twitter is all about. I find some opinions about how to use Twitter to be very interesting. I've read several comments for very web-savvy folks that if someone uses Twitter only for promotion, they would tune out (stop following) that person. They want to see some of the personal behind the person. But I'm not too sure about that ... most of us are living in the moment (even though we are aware of our past and planning our future, we still <span style="font-style:italic;">live</span> in this moment) and most of our moments are rather mundane. No matter how exciting life can be, most moments are still mundane. I couldn't care less if you just washed and dried 3 loads of laundry. Even if you're my mother (Hi Mom!) or a good friend (Hi Jenn!) I couldn't care less. Now if your washer or dryer broke down and you found a great service guy who came to your house in less than two hours and charged you an unbelievably low price for an excellent repair job ... THAT I would care to hear about, IF you can talk about it in 140 characters or less.<br /><br />So I won't bore my followers with my mundane life stuff. I will tweet, when I remember, about going to a local network meeting. I will tweet when I find something intriguing on the web. I will tweet when I made an amazing discovery (that hasn't happened in a while). But my usual forms of tweets are promotion and they happen automatically because of the beauty of <a href="http://twitterfeed.com/">TwitterFeed</a>. You can feed anything that has an RSS feed to your Twitter account. Both my blog and my Etsy shop have RSS feeds. Blogger makes setting up an RSS feed really easy, nearly automatic, just be sure you have your "<span style="font-weight:bold;">Site Feed</span>" which you will find in your <span style="font-weight:bold;">SETTINGS </span>section turned on to either "Full" or "Short" ... not "None." <br /><br />After you set up your account with Twitterfeed, you can add any number of feeds to automatically post to Twitter. All you need is the URL of your feed, and each one is different. That was the most confusing part for me, but I fumbled around and found out what they are. <br /><br />After you click "Create new twitter feed" you'll be given a new page with a form to fill out. The user name and password are where you will enter your Twitter info, and be sure to click the "test twitter authentification" to make sure you've entered the correct data.<br /><br />If you are a Blogger/Blogspot user, your RSS feed URL is as follows:<br /><br />http://<span style="font-style:italic;">yourusername</span>.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default<br /><br />You'll need to replace your actual user name before the .blogspot part.<br /><br />I found my Etsy RSS feed URL by clicking on the RSS widget, as if I were going to subscribe the the feed. The URL displays on the browser, just copy and paste the address in appropriate box in the Twitterfeed set up. You can find any of your RSS feed URLs this way.<br /><br />Another way to determine the RSS feed URL is to right-click the link and select "Properties" from the right-click menu (this is how it works with Windows, I don't have a clue about Macs!) and find the <span style="font-weight:bold;">link address</span> (NOT the image address!) which you can then copy and paste.<br /><br />Go ahead and hit the "test RSS feed" to make sure it's going to work.<br /><br />You'll have a few more things that are preferences you'll need to fill out to finish up the feed set-up. Give some thought to the update frequency. If you do a lot of listing in your Etsy shop at any given time, you may want to experiment with the frequency so that you don't send a feed for every single listing which could be considered spam by the Twitter community and your followers. You do not want to lose any of those precious followers! Keep in mind that this feed cannot tell the difference between a new listing and a relist.<br /><br />Also give some thought as to what you want in the "prefix each tweet with:" box. I simply say "Just listed:" for my Etsy feed and "Blog update:" for my blog. The form only allows up to 20 characters, but each one counts towards the 140 maximum allowed. I use the "Tiny URL" option.<br /><br />The tiny URL link generated for the Twitter feed is a "no follow" so don't get your hopes up that this will help in search engine optimization. In fact, it appears that all links in Twitter are "no follow." Oh well. Guess we still need to get our coveted links the old-fashioned way ... beg or buy.<br /><br />Hope this is clear and understandable. Let me know your thoughts.<br /><br />*************<br /><br />Now for the LinkyLuv for those taking the time to read and comment:<br /><a href="http://getpalmd.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Getpalmd</a> * <a href="http://storybeader.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Storybeader</a> * <a href="http://handmadebitsandpieces.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Leah</a> * <a href="http://annasbrainthing.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anna</a> * <a href="http://meekiyua.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Meekiyu</a> * <a href="http://blog.feefifoto.com/" target="_blank">FeeFiFoto</a> * <a href="http://sochicandvintage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CassieMarie</a> * <a href="http://blackfeatherfarm.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">BlackFeatherFarm</a> * <a href="http://kerrieslade.blogspot.com/" Target="_blank">Kerri Slade</a> * <a href="http://sewingmom.com/" target="_blank">Lynne</a> * <a href="http://pieceofcakeparties.blogspot.com/" target-"_blank">Abigail</a> * <a href="http://uniquecharms.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Leslie</a> * <a href="http://www.my-junk-drawer.com/" target="_blank">Angie</a> * <a href="http://michabellacreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Michelle</a> {{hug}} * <a href="http://lauriebethbeggin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Laurie B</a> * <a href="http://castocreationsjewelry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Casto Creations</a> * <a href="http://blog.avenue7.com/" target="_blank">Avenue 7</a> * <a href="http://shinade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shinade</a> * <a href="http://zenforyou.dalefg.net/" target="_blank">Zen Ventures</a> * <a href="http://findingyourself.net/">Fidget</a> * <a href="http://cookncraft.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Swapna</a> * <a href="http://originals-by-terri.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Terrie</a> * <a href="http://www.roguesun.com/" target="_blank">Raymond</a> * <a href="http://youthmystique.today.com/" target="_blank">Lois Lane</a> * <a href="http://glassbyjennifer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jenn</a> {{{{big hug}}}} * <a href="http://www.petulaw.com/" target="_blank">Petula</a> * <a href="http://tulipstalking.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lily</a> * <a href="http://threechannels.com/" target="_blank">Elizabeth</a> * <a href="http://annettepiperjewellery.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Annette</a> {man, I miss Skwiggazine!} * <a href="http://photographybykml.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">KML</a> * <a href="http://freakyfrugalite.com/" target="_blank">Rachel</a> (I hope I got the name right!! Memory ain't what it used to be...) * <a href="http://www.acricketinagarden.com/" target="_blank">Tammy</a> * <a href="http://lovelypurses.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Duni</a> * <a href="http://mylittleredcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Michelle</a> * <a href="http://www.iwalku2.com/" target="_blank">iWalk </a>(love the cow graphic! How y'all manage to draw pictures with a keyboard amazes me.) * And last but NEVER least, <a href="http://leet-gallery.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Leet</a>!<br /><br />Whew ... this post took forever!! But may all your page ranks rise because y'all helped my bounce rate to fall. I should take a lesson from The Turnip and concentrate on getting the bounce rate down. Which could mean "bye bye" Entrecard. But that's another meditation. My eyes are really tired now.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-57269917126309140602008-12-18T16:24:00.000-06:002008-12-18T16:29:26.642-06:00Just a quickie ...... because I haven't updated in, like, forever!<br /><br />My page rank rose back to a 3! Woo hoo!<br /><br />Been super busy, which is why I haven't updated. Jewelry business is not paying the bills so I got a part-time, flexible "day" job to help make the ends meet. So I'm back to dabbling in bookkeeping which has always been my forte. I like working with numbers. Clear, concise, honest ... well, in the hands of an honest person, that is.<br /><br />I'll still be working the jewelry business, but now I can relax a bit. Not getting enough to make the ends meet was making me a tad uptight. Uptightness stifles creativity. Juices are flowing better now.<br /><br />My next post will be about using Twitterfeed. And I'll give some much deserved link luv to all my commentators from the prior post.<br /><br />Everyone be safe!Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-66567966526608367862008-12-02T05:15:00.003-06:002008-12-02T05:47:53.116-06:00Not bad for an amateur<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8iA3fWYEPelZWBTqn7lNMn1s7Mw8Qx92RQcJzqeluQOsKwrvgY26XrJUrixJ6_q81rOT01YVWYTnmMI5Gn9JVUzw4C4RhwanJcGFQPnD17pp4ceq6GCHNwhrHpOcJeIhb6XE7UC7Kbj4/s1600-h/Pink-Cloisonne-Nckl-CU2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8iA3fWYEPelZWBTqn7lNMn1s7Mw8Qx92RQcJzqeluQOsKwrvgY26XrJUrixJ6_q81rOT01YVWYTnmMI5Gn9JVUzw4C4RhwanJcGFQPnD17pp4ceq6GCHNwhrHpOcJeIhb6XE7UC7Kbj4/s400/Pink-Cloisonne-Nckl-CU2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275150423701355298" /></a>Running an on-line jewelry shop on a shoe-string budget forces a person to stretch their limits in many avenues. The starving artists that we are, we cannot afford professional photography, and yet quality photos that are inviting, compelling and functional are essential. So we read and apply, read more and try, and practice and read even more. There is so much that goes into the making of a good photo. I've worked with enough professional photographers in my many decades to know that they discard 90% of their photos because they don't measure up to the photographers standards of "good."<br /><br />Unfortunately for jewelry artists, we don't have the time to shoot and re-shoot a piece 100 times to get those 5 "good" shots. But with enough trial and error we find a method that works for us so we can get our decent entries to use in our shops somewhat expediently. <br /><br />Every once in a while though, it's fun to push the boundaries. I'm a wee bit proud of this photo ... the focus on the lovely bead and all the wonderful "bokeh" in the background to take the mundane out of the photo of a simple necklace.<br /><br />You'll find this listed in my <a href="http://hiljohn.etsy.com" target="_blank">Etsy</a> shop <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18062595" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v310/Gina57/?action=view¤t=snoopy-dance.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/Gina57/snoopy-dance.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>On another front ... I got my Etsy shop's RSS feed linked to my Twitter! So now when I list something, it'll get tweeted with a link. Happy dance!<br /><br />I'd like to thank a couple of recent folks who left comments, <a href="http://uniquenurses.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">UniqueNurseGranny</a> and <a href="http://circlesareforever.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kim</a>, with some link luv!Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-91652398001679000922008-11-30T09:48:00.004-06:002008-11-30T10:35:03.433-06:00It's Sunday ...... and time to feature a good buddy from<a href="http://skwigglekreationz.ning.com/" target="_blank"> Skwiggazine</a>! This week's featured artist is Corinne Sullivan of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5727208" target="_blank">Daydream Art Studios</a>! Corrine also has the <a href="http://daydreamartstudios.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">sweetest blog</a>. While you're checking out her Etsy shop, be sure to visit <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5522731" target="_blank">mine</a>, too.<br /><br />I'll be providing FREE SHIPPING for all Cyber Monday sales! I'll be furiously stocking overnight. Here's a sample of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17856955" target="_blank">available prettiness</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNUn-g9vpO5_uGBJdQEvqXyIphg7Jv7iFHd16sCIaLjGxDAlvH0qS0xH3x9vC69fZigMzqlxNHq1RmtPgfzf7qLZsVDjo_qSPv9ABSsYbQVaiEG4cAZmilxs2xmmM_a6CQk5tS8eEgzo/s1600-h/Crystal-Cluster-Lt-Rose2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNUn-g9vpO5_uGBJdQEvqXyIphg7Jv7iFHd16sCIaLjGxDAlvH0qS0xH3x9vC69fZigMzqlxNHq1RmtPgfzf7qLZsVDjo_qSPv9ABSsYbQVaiEG4cAZmilxs2xmmM_a6CQk5tS8eEgzo/s400/Crystal-Cluster-Lt-Rose2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274480494021751826" /></a><br /><br />Oh, and some linky luv for my recent commenters!<br /><a href="http://storybeader.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Storybeader</a> Take a stroll through her lovely blog.<br /><a href="http://beadsme-mandyharvey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Beadsme</a> aka Mandy Harvery, a very talented jewelry artist.<br /><a href="http://saveyspender.com/" target="_blank">Savey Spender</a> ... you'll save a buck or two!<br /><a href="http://uniquecharms.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Leslie</a> of Unique Charm and another fellow Estian!<br /><a href="http://always-amy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Always Amy</a> ... always da bomb! (BTW, I signed up for ArtFire and mentioned you as the referral, but I signed up with the wtong e-mail so I have to get my registration straightened out! Here's to our mutual success!)<br /><a href="http://arosebyname.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anna</a> of A Rose By Name and one of the phenomenal beadweavers. I so admire your skill, patience and talent.<br />Viv of <a href="http://creativeminds2008.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Creative Minds</a> is another fellow talented Estian. Etsy is stuffed full of talented people!<br /><a href="http://kalapohl.blogspot.com/">Kala Pohi Studio</a> ... another talented Estian ... I'm feeling extraordinarily humbled.<br />And last, but never least, my two partners in the Skwiggazine madness, <a href="http://michabellacreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Michelle</a> of Michabella Creations and <a href="http://annettepiperjewellery.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Annette</a> of Under the Loupe.<br /><br />May all your page ranks rise!Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-43934189661787373422008-11-28T16:43:00.007-06:002008-11-28T17:12:00.531-06:00Oh boy ...Two back to back shows.<br />One major computer crash.<br />One nasty cold virus.<br /><br />The last thing I've felt like doing is blogging. <br /><br />I had an on-line show scheduled for today, my first ever, but the thing got canceled by the organizer because of lack of support by other vendors. We are trying again this Wednesday evening. But I got lots of new items posted to my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5522731&show_panel=true" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a> and more to come in the next couple of days. I figured a way to more efficiently take photos, prep them and list.<br /><br />Here's some of the latest entries:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhA996ZbH9eoIVgQKLE_h1xxZNDYLEs1od3tMrkh5YLj9M1eteWL90L_NgbFSxcBiAp4uGVfWVAIbDeRQMKhp8kd1idrlgg_7ICBMDywNVsDXkXTDZxnENGoo2TXeLQIOcRmfF86fSJwk/s1600-h/Alexandrite-Glass-earrings.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhA996ZbH9eoIVgQKLE_h1xxZNDYLEs1od3tMrkh5YLj9M1eteWL90L_NgbFSxcBiAp4uGVfWVAIbDeRQMKhp8kd1idrlgg_7ICBMDywNVsDXkXTDZxnENGoo2TXeLQIOcRmfF86fSJwk/s400/Alexandrite-Glass-earrings.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273848863214465154" /></a><div style="text-align:center;">These are listed <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17911491" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><br /><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRKeBw0T5_XI8DFctPm-yXtdtK8OMEeVsQnMh9nYjttYxW9nj6UgjlI1y-yUNjAKmc5M9S85h04fi42Xj4HDKtXuMcDIvoDV36kWOGEGIKgUb9kv8szrM3v_R2ceqGnkixwCvyj5mYlc/s1600-h/Amazonite-and-crystal-chan5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRKeBw0T5_XI8DFctPm-yXtdtK8OMEeVsQnMh9nYjttYxW9nj6UgjlI1y-yUNjAKmc5M9S85h04fi42Xj4HDKtXuMcDIvoDV36kWOGEGIKgUb9kv8szrM3v_R2ceqGnkixwCvyj5mYlc/s400/Amazonite-and-crystal-chan5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273846463616399730" /></a><div style="text-align:center;">These are listed <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17852931" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><br /><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0tSLCWkZzHRk9udv1o78MCx0I_DaL8mOXEChWt0DSILyTEBpXosyafdsz-C3SaNsGTEuW-knSVAnd8UsyWEyuR1XmR93S792rii7-VRYCsses3L4y9H1QJyGbsc5113sK9cgRrt2foQ/s1600-h/Red-and-Pink-Spiral5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0tSLCWkZzHRk9udv1o78MCx0I_DaL8mOXEChWt0DSILyTEBpXosyafdsz-C3SaNsGTEuW-knSVAnd8UsyWEyuR1XmR93S792rii7-VRYCsses3L4y9H1QJyGbsc5113sK9cgRrt2foQ/s400/Red-and-Pink-Spiral5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273847473079343698" /></a>This is listed <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17904675" target="_blank">here</a>.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-37753329564476865532008-11-16T07:00:00.005-06:002008-11-16T07:17:17.116-06:00Good Morning, Autumn!It's about time! Crisp and cool weather that is hopefully saying bye bye to the buggies that bug our poor pooch.<br /><br />As I am welcoming Fall, my friend from down under is welcoming Spring! Annette Piper, who I have featured before, is enjoying her spring although she is quite busy down there!<br /><br />Annette's blog, <a href="http://annettepiperjewellery.blogspot.com/">Under the Loupe</a>, is back in rotation for our <a href="http://www.skwigglekreationz.com/">Skwiggazine</a> Blog-Ring. I always enjoy featuring Annette, her work is stunning! Her craftsmanship is exceptional and because of her knowledge of minerals, I always learn something from her. <br /><br />Speaking of the need to wear earrings, check out Annette's latest earring entry:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMD4b3A5WlN2KofbQJGDFJiCMq0ufExG9Hd0l9ATKaHYzshoegiTc1Dk9PXFyi6bPtF4nvNKtyLfO2JQ-hI1Pv1aWXgc5veLqCs37KdUfR6uYF0cQJILmll7FCkGcCrZy3D-RS_5KlIaA/s1600-h/grn+amethyst+fwp+bot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 389px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMD4b3A5WlN2KofbQJGDFJiCMq0ufExG9Hd0l9ATKaHYzshoegiTc1Dk9PXFyi6bPtF4nvNKtyLfO2JQ-hI1Pv1aWXgc5veLqCs37KdUfR6uYF0cQJILmll7FCkGcCrZy3D-RS_5KlIaA/s400/grn+amethyst+fwp+bot.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269242189237254210" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Copyright Annette Piper.</span><br /><br />She featured them <a href="http://annettepiperjewellery.blogspot.com/2008/11/melbourne-cup-and-green-amethyst.html">here</a>. Aren't they gorgeous? Did you know amethyst comes in green? I didn't! These lovelies would work in any setting.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-2110814501416082542008-11-13T08:43:00.004-06:002008-11-13T09:26:15.383-06:00Why Business Women Should Wear EarringsThe following is a true story. It happened to me. It came back to the forefront of my memory because of my recent networking experience. When networking, one has anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds to give a "commercial" about their business. It's also known as the "elevator speech" in some networking circles.<br /><br />When one does a lot of networking, one recognizes the need to change things up in order to sound interesting. I attended a meeting a couple of months ago where <a href="http://www.kleincreative.tv/index.html" target="_blank">Jeff Klein</a>, a local network marketing guru, gave us a presentation on making our elevator speeches more memorable. Most people give their name, company name, what it does, what they do, and ask for your business. After a few of these, the yawn factor sets in. The collective mind of the room begins to wander. Hence the need of giving an <span style="font-style:italic;">effective</span> elevator speech and that often begins with a story. <br /><br />Here's my story that I used the other day (although 30 seconds is simply NOT long enough to use this story effectively ... I needed 60!):<br /><br />Once upon a time in a land far away, I was the manager of information systems at a Beverly Hills CPA firm. It was April, a busy time for CPAs, a very, very busy time. Not only are the 1040 tax returns due on the 15th, the first quarter payroll tax returns are due by the end of the month. Needless to say, workers in CPA firms put in a lot of long hours during the month of April. And because of the long hours, workers at CPA firms dress for comfort during that time.<br /><br />We're talking jeans and t-shirt comfortable. There are some periods of time when even appropriate business casual has to fly away in the face for the need of comfort. Comfort = productivity, productivity is the single most important goal for CPA firms in April. But I digress (which I did NOT do in my elevator speech).<br /><br />A guy comes in to sell us a computer thingmabob. I don't remember exactly what it was, but it was something in which the firm was interested enough that I took the time to talk to the guy. Unfortunately, he spent his entire elevator speech time, which was much longer than 60 seconds, talking to my boobs.<br /><br />He did not make the sale.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVUdJ-_xMzvP0HSy6eaNNw1sqO7BgmPX63IFIG-dpmROrwGbpfPi4-DoMmFR7f5p8xFPQcvYcExdxyvJpDRSUzn29xfspTQSORobSxC-jvRj0JgaybNKMnQuYDJ4aMek3g9KPH4LIlbo/s1600-h/DSYE-017.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVUdJ-_xMzvP0HSy6eaNNw1sqO7BgmPX63IFIG-dpmROrwGbpfPi4-DoMmFR7f5p8xFPQcvYcExdxyvJpDRSUzn29xfspTQSORobSxC-jvRj0JgaybNKMnQuYDJ4aMek3g9KPH4LIlbo/s400/DSYE-017.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268161858174963986" /></a>There are two lessons to learn from this real-life story:<br /><br />#1. Gentlemen, if you want to sell to a lady, look her in the face! Don't talk to her boobs. And trust me, guys, I was NOT provocatively dressed.<br /><br />#2. Ladies, no matter what the setting, no matter what is going on in the office, dress in a way to focus attention to your FACE. And of course, the single best tool you have is a pair of noticeable earrings. Noticeable, not extravagant. But even with jeans and t-shirt, there are earrings that are appropriate that will keep the focus where it belongs.<br /><br />These particular earrings sold a long time ago, but they are a good example of what you can wear with business casual. They are understated but pretty. And they will do the job of keeping the focus on your beautiful, intelligent face.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-51849023979475218982008-11-12T09:40:00.003-06:002008-11-12T10:30:38.527-06:00A Proud, Indulgent MomentI have a very beautiful woman for a daughter-in-law ... she truly is, both inside and out. And what's really amazing is that with her gorgeous looks and personality, she's extremely smart AND creatively talented. She has launched her own photography business, Sprinkles Photography, and I am beyond myself with excitement and pride!<br /><br />Visit her <a href="http://sprinklesphotography.com/blog/">blog</a> and see that two most beautiful grandchildren in the world. Not that I'm biased or anything. Visit the <a href="http://www.sprinklesphotography.com/index2.php">website</a> to see more.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-52966291920822142932008-11-06T05:13:00.005-06:002008-11-06T14:33:30.831-06:00Art as Legacy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR72HoCrIVt8s-Az5ojpoLuw_0zQsamCHud6QCACPzUItR1estXEn96TD437c4yzHKuIIooTe9mVX19a2GHC4p8f0akMlA-Hdn-9mEUHip_G95FXFRVcCw7TzGwMwXTPTSyGpb2MpwglQ/s1600-h/flyeribid.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR72HoCrIVt8s-Az5ojpoLuw_0zQsamCHud6QCACPzUItR1estXEn96TD437c4yzHKuIIooTe9mVX19a2GHC4p8f0akMlA-Hdn-9mEUHip_G95FXFRVcCw7TzGwMwXTPTSyGpb2MpwglQ/s400/flyeribid.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265501353095424530" /></a>Every once in a while, I'll see something that makes me stop and look. Michelle Ruschman's work is one of the once in a whiles. She makes jewelry, very simple jewelry, but it packs a punch when it comes to meaning and purpose. Her jewelry transcends the mundane and even art because it has a deeper purpose ... preservation of a culture.<br /><br />I "met" Michelle on the Ning social network <a href="http://sta.rtup.biz/" target="_blank">Sta.rtUp.Biz</a> when taking some time to meet and greet new members. She's a Filipina living here in the United States. I suppose it was on a journey of self-discovery that she stumbled upon the ancient Philippine script called baybayin. It developed into a full-scale passion and a legacy she is handing down to her daughter. Her work touched something deep inside of me and I felt compelled to share her art with my readers.<br /><br />You can read her story on her <a href="http://sta.rtup.biz/profile/MichelleRuschman" target="_blank">profile page</a> ... doesn't she have a beautiful face?!? She has one of the $1 million dollar smiles that lights the place up. Her website is <a href="http://www.philippinescript.com/home.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />I wish you much success in all you set out to achieve, Michelle!Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-65581564387713743512008-11-02T06:04:00.007-06:002008-11-02T07:02:14.050-06:00What on Earth??<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWW_rerfNCR12xFk55UnRCcVu4c3hFFPHwPxZGHMOkfmt3r2q64qFVnKGeEfgcjyOHKSvj0MBan5stCzjiDs3DwFycNk34UyAeZsFHztXRORsgileTHB9egdT852Rlw9R5lumTRdEjY0E/s1600-h/Quake+Map.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 370px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWW_rerfNCR12xFk55UnRCcVu4c3hFFPHwPxZGHMOkfmt3r2q64qFVnKGeEfgcjyOHKSvj0MBan5stCzjiDs3DwFycNk34UyAeZsFHztXRORsgileTHB9egdT852Rlw9R5lumTRdEjY0E/s400/Quake+Map.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264030122912085490" /></a>Or should I say: "What in Earth?"<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Image is from the <a href="http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/32.34.-98.-96.php" target="_blank">US Geological Survey</a> agency.</span><br /><br />Earthquakes in the Dallas area. Eight of them! The biggest was a puny 3.0 so on the scale, it's barely a blip ... although a lot of folks in the areas around the airport felt them and were talking about them. I live in Plano, too far away, so my world didn't seem to move at all. Unlike the years I lived in southern California. During those years, my world moved a lot. In fact, it was two back-to-back earthquakes in 1992 ... Landers and Big Bear ... that made us decide to pack up and get out of there. (To be honest, the earthquakes wouldn't have been nearly enough to cause us to make a huge changed in the lives of our boys, but these earthquakes followed on the heels of the Rodney King verdict riots.)<br /><br />There's not a whole lot of information regarding intercontinental earthquakes, except for those occurring in the large river valleys ... Mississippi, Ohio, Wabash, etc ... so I can't find any answers as to what, exactly, caused the rumbling in our Mid-Cities area. But it is certainly weird. And eight of them ... not aftershocks, 8 individual quakes. So I'm really, really curious to know what is going on under our feet!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">HOUSEKEEPING</span><br />I've received some tags and awards so I'd like to extend my gratitude to my blogging friends. The award was the one bestowed on me earlier, but I want to thank the two lovely ladies who though enough of me to nominate me again:<br /><br /><a href="http://leet-gallery.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Leet</a>: She's a wonderful artist. Really! To prove it, check out her <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/litta.ariesca/LeetCollection#" target="blank">gallery</a>. This is one of my favorite blogs, I make sure to check in every time I sit to blog surf.<br /><br /><a href="http://stampingeverythingwithcheryl.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cheryl</a>: I love her blog ... it's all about card making and scrapbooking utilizing Stampin' Up, The Angel Company and Studio G products. Card making is one of my hobbies, and in fact, I use some of the items in my business such as packaging and thank you cards. I enjoy seeing the work of others, and Cheryl's work is beautiful. This is another favorite blog of mine I check on every time I surf.<br /><br />I've been tagged twice:<br /><a href="http://glitzygallery.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Glitzy Gallery Gals</a> and <a href="http://silvercanyons.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Silver Canyons</a>... both fellow Etsians who make lovely handcrafted jewelry. I always feel honored to promote other jewelry artists. While it may seem to the rest of the world that we are competitors, and I suppose we really are when you look at it from a purely business standpoint, the fact is that we are first and foremost artists. Our styles are unique and there's a huge world out there with billions of differences in regards to taste and preference. It's a big enough world for all of us!<br /><br />The tag is to list 7 little known facts about myself ... but that would kill off 7 future blog posts! But the first fact can be discerned from the beginning of this post. <span style="font-style:italic;">I am an armchair scientist (and I believe there is a Creator)</span>. And geology is one of my favorite subjects which explains my love affair with rocks. Being fascinated by earthquakes and volcanoes is just an extension on the scale of macro.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Skwiggazine Featured Artist</span><br />It's Sunday! My time for participation in this wonderful blog love exchange. This week we're focusing on Michelle Harvey of <a href="http://michabellacreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Michabella Creations</a>. Be sure to check out her "<a href="http://michabellacreations.blogspot.com/2008/10/shop-for-cure.html" target="_blank">Shop for a Cure</a>" post. While October is over, cancer of all sorts is something which we should all be consistently aware. <br /><br />I hope every single one of my readers has a fabulous time this upcoming week!Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-46622269410102095422008-10-29T06:44:00.004-05:002008-10-30T12:42:05.504-05:00Dressing for Success<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjudcwhy-CZOvMWKN68aXy_xj1OoNwKCRetaU5se_Tec-qHzAXKg08Ti4__ukQ3bbYuNjGfwKDaZBxnUhkQtICtLuLpcK1z2EQKTdNT5sIiPMwynXXGWDKnhjYI1XAQiT6_wcGBKIAik/s1600-h/57DesignStudio+Handcrafted+Necklace+Fall+001_1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjudcwhy-CZOvMWKN68aXy_xj1OoNwKCRetaU5se_Tec-qHzAXKg08Ti4__ukQ3bbYuNjGfwKDaZBxnUhkQtICtLuLpcK1z2EQKTdNT5sIiPMwynXXGWDKnhjYI1XAQiT6_wcGBKIAik/s400/57DesignStudio+Handcrafted+Necklace+Fall+001_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262540869275454194" /></a>I attended a networking event last Friday late afternoon. I was one of 15 vendors to have a show and tell table and it went very well. Over 100 business people attended the event.<br /><br />I came home rather puzzled, though. I was somewhat surprised at the way some people dressed, especially those representing their businesses at the show and tell tables. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I did not understand why someone would come to a late afternoon event representing their businesses wearing the clothing one would wear to a picnic or to watch their kiddo play soccer on a Saturday morning.<br /><br />What really made this strange was that last Friday was the day after the news broke about <span style="font-weight:bold;">Sarah Palin's $150k image makeover</span> price tag. Whether one agrees campaign funds should have been spent or not, or whether that much should have been spent or not, whatever ... the bottom line was that there was a perceived need to have Ms. Palin look more vice-presidential. Unique thought? I don't think so.<br /><br />Personally, when I heard the news, I secretly was clicking my heels with excitement. It was bringing to national focus the concept that image dressing does matter and for someone like myself, who designs accessories for the businesswoman, that is a good thing.<br /><br />I know business attire has changed over the decades, "business casual" dominates the scene in a lot of arenas, but business casual does not equal jeans + t-shirt + sneakers.<br /><br />There seems to be three basic categories of business attire: <span style="font-weight:bold;">casual, conservative or formal, and cocktail</span>. In my line, I have different pieces for the different settings. And there are pieces that could fit in any of the settings, like the necklace above. Because it is made of fire-polished Czech glass faceted roundel beads, there is enough bling it could stand up to any cocktail setting. But when worn under a tailored blouse that has a collar with the three strands peeking out from the v-line of the blouse opening, it would look fabulous with a jacketed suit that is the conservative assemble, or the blouse that is worn with casual slacks in the casual setting. <br /><br />Any way you slice it, what we wear to any situation says a lot about how we feel about that situation. Being well-dressed and groomed for business says "I am confident" and gives the impression of authority and validity, which are critical for success. When someone comes to me in a business setting well-dressed and groomed, not only are they making that statement about themselves, they are also telling ME that I am worthy of their respect. That's a good feeling.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7055904820922591832.post-19796451102424142432008-10-26T18:09:00.002-05:002008-10-26T18:17:25.638-05:00Featured ArtistArtist and Blogger of the Week for Skwiggazine is <a href="http://tulipstalking.blogspot.com/">Lily Wray of Tulip's Treasure Box.</a> Click the link and check her out.<br /><br />I've been laying low this weekend ... I had a networking event Friday afternoon to early evening and it sorta wipe me out! I made some nice sales, though, and treated the hubby to dinner at the restaurant where the event was held. The earrings below went to someone who won my gift certificate. Another pair is still available so I didn't take the Etsy listing down.<br /><br />Now I gotta go and do the Entrecard surf thing.Designing Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812992000977731244noreply@blogger.com5