Creative Bloggers

Oh my, how could I miss last week's blog! Chainmaille by MBOI 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 enthusiastic supporter of all handcrafting artisans.

This week's featured artisan is Carol of The Blue Cat. I am a huge fan of all things whimsical and Carol's artwork is whimsical in a really large way. This picture looks a lot like it came from my house.

If you are a Creative Blogger, please visit our Ning forum 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.

Will 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.

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.

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.

It is my pleasure to feature another jewelry artist, Jill of Liv'nGood Jewelry, who is also a fellow chainmailler! The latest post 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.

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.

Jill is also a member of Creative Bloggers and I invite every creative type reading this blog who also blogs to come and join us!

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.

Case of the Yucks?

Over the weekend, whilst dropping my card on some fellows of Entrecard, I read several posts about bloggers feeling the Yuck. I wondered the possibly of actual viruses, the biological sort, traveling over the net and infecting people through their keyboards. I know that sounds ridiculous, but now I'm feeling the same!

Yuck! I hate gastrointestinal viruses. But I'm on the mend. I'm still feeling shaky on my feet, but the fever is gone and hopefully for good.

My feature today:

Pyrite and Crystal Byzantine Chainmaille Choker, available here at my Etsy Shop. And again, if you read this and decide to purchase, put in the code DHBlog in a message to seller and you'll get a 10% discount refunded through PayPal. Convo me if you have any questions.

I must warn any potential buyer that this choker is a tad heavy. There's a lot of stone and metal in it, so if you have any neck problems, this choker isn't for you. But if your neck is healthy and strong, this stunner will get a lot of compliments!

The pyrite teardrop beads are exceptional with lots of gold-toned flecks gleaming on the polished surface. The chainmaille is the Byzantine weave made with oxidized silver-colored rings. The black diamond crystals give the piece just the right amount of bling. Click on the photo to get a larger view of the detail.

I really need to get some more items listed in my Etsy Shop! I just noticed it's a bit thin. Maybe I'll have a chance to get my newer items photoed and listed today ... after I've completed my card-making project. I have a friend who is launching her Arbonne business at a home showing this Friday at my house. I hope I feel 100% by tomorrow so I can get things situated.

Well, hello Dolly!

It fascinates me that the unseasonable clouding, and the humidity that comes along with it, over my little ole spot of Texas is brought to us by what remains of a hurricane many hundreds of miles away! I even got rained yesterday when going into my local grocery store. I came out after the rain stopped into a literal sauna. The temps were in the high 90's yesterday and all the rain did was create a huge bubble of water vapor ... so much that I found it hard to breathe when heading back to my car. Now I think I know what asthmatics are feeling when their air passages close up.

Ron Jackson, Channel Fox4 news weather meteorologist is on right now telling us to expect temps as high as 100F today. Woo hoo!

In keeping with the "rule" that blogs with pictures are appreciated more than text-only blogs, here's a detail photo from my Malachite Splendor necklace, still available at my Etsy shop. This piece gets a lot of attention, both on-line and at my local shows, but I still haven't found the one woman to whom this piece belongs!

I'm still enthralled with making chainmaille pieces and there will be a number of new items coming out for fall. I hope copper and brass are still the "hot" metals of fashion because I personally like the look they add to jewelry pieces. Even if they're not hot for fall, I'll still use them because they should be timeless! In our toughening economy, these "less precious" metals are more appealing than ever. I think they offer a rugged look to elegance ... hopefully that's not too oxymoronic!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday! I'm looking forward to the hubby's bar-b-qued ribs that will be cooked over at Son #1's house. Playtime with the grandbabies!

Close-up of slider I used for the newer necklace I listed in my Etsy Shop last week. The chain was crafted from nickel jump rings in a double spiral weave. Ideally, this is a choker, but at the moment it's about 21 inches long. It can be easily altered to any length desired.

Chokers are my favorite pieces to design. They are ancient ... a beauty made of gold and lapis lazuli was excavated in the archaeological site of the ancient city of Ur dated between 2500-2400 BCE and can be seen at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This pretty slider has been in my stash for years. I found it in a small shop in Laramie, WY while vacationing a number of years ago. My son attended a technial school there to learn all about the ins and outs of the huge engines that power diesel trucks which carry just about anything and everything we purchase each and every day.

I could use another trip to Wyoming! It's blazing hot in Texas. Blistering hot. Some cool mountain evening air would be most welcomed. However, these dogged days are good for my business. Staying in to create and photo and list is a good way to beat the heat!

Networking

For the past several months, I've been engaged in exploring the various network marketing groups in my area. Because I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area, I have a number of groups from which to choose. Because I am a jewelry designer, I focused on those that cater to women. Most I have found in a nice little site called MeetUp.

I have expanded my business horizons since joining various groups. Some have worked very well for me, some have not. But even those that haven't worked out for me because of various reasons still helped me grow as a business woman. I have met a large variety of women engaged in a wide variety of businesses, some of which offer services that I can benefit from.

The starring jewel of my finds has been Sharon Schierling, a life/business coach who is smart and wise and caring and giving. She offers a variety of services and I highly recommend her to anyone in need of a different perspective on life and/or work. In addition to being a certified life coach, she also has an MBA and a lot of experience both in the corporate world and as an entrepreneur. Visit her website, Refined Perspectives to learn more about her. And by exploring her site, you'll learn more about yourself.

While on the idea of refined, and to post the obligatory picture, here's a piece I designed a while ago that is one of my favorites and it's still in my case:



The pale pastel mother of pearl coin beads are joined to gold mobius knots made from 14k gold-fill rings I made myself. It's available on
Etsy.

I should be working on other things

P1010706
Originally uploaded by hiljohnqu

... like ID badge laynards. So I'm forcing myself away from the computer, I'll finish the other project I have on my studio table, then knuckle down and do what I SUPPOSED to be doing.

Or maybe I should hide under a rock.

I did list this on Etsy yesterday and you can find it here at a great price ($16). It worked up easy and fast and the rings are gold plate, not gold fill, so the price is very reasonable.

Amethyst Maille Mudfish

Amethyst Maille Mudfish
Originally uploaded by hiljohnqu

Lookie at what I made this weekend! I had done another Mudfish and sold it to a boutique in west Texas. This one is a different chainmaille weave and I added the amethyst to compliment his purple eyes.

I got this mudfish from Bally Beads in Rockwall, Texas. The owner of Bally's owns the mold and all the midfish are signed on the inside.

I have a new favorite! I may make one to keep myself! And yes, Comptroller of the State of Texas, I will pay sales tax on the materials for the one I keep.