Just a quickie ...

... because I haven't updated in, like, forever!

My page rank rose back to a 3! Woo hoo!

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.

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.

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.

Everyone be safe!

Not bad for an amateur

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."

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.

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.

You'll find this listed in my Etsy shop here.

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!

I'd like to thank a couple of recent folks who left comments, UniqueNurseGranny and Kim, with some link luv!

It's Sunday ...

... and time to feature a good buddy from Skwiggazine! This week's featured artist is Corinne Sullivan of Daydream Art Studios! Corrine also has the sweetest blog. While you're checking out her Etsy shop, be sure to visit mine, too.

I'll be providing FREE SHIPPING for all Cyber Monday sales! I'll be furiously stocking overnight. Here's a sample of available prettiness:



Oh, and some linky luv for my recent commenters!
Storybeader Take a stroll through her lovely blog.
Beadsme aka Mandy Harvery, a very talented jewelry artist.
Savey Spender ... you'll save a buck or two!
Leslie of Unique Charm and another fellow Estian!
Always Amy ... 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!)
Anna of A Rose By Name and one of the phenomenal beadweavers. I so admire your skill, patience and talent.
Viv of Creative Minds is another fellow talented Estian. Etsy is stuffed full of talented people!
Kala Pohi Studio ... another talented Estian ... I'm feeling extraordinarily humbled.
And last, but never least, my two partners in the Skwiggazine madness, Michelle of Michabella Creations and Annette of Under the Loupe.

May all your page ranks rise!

Oh boy ...

Two back to back shows.
One major computer crash.
One nasty cold virus.

The last thing I've felt like doing is blogging.

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 Etsy shop and more to come in the next couple of days. I figured a way to more efficiently take photos, prep them and list.

Here's some of the latest entries:

These are listed here.

These are listed here.

This is listed here.

Good Morning, Autumn!

It's about time! Crisp and cool weather that is hopefully saying bye bye to the buggies that bug our poor pooch.

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!

Annette's blog, Under the Loupe, is back in rotation for our Skwiggazine 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.

Speaking of the need to wear earrings, check out Annette's latest earring entry:


Copyright Annette Piper.

She featured them here. Aren't they gorgeous? Did you know amethyst comes in green? I didn't! These lovelies would work in any setting.

Why Business Women Should Wear Earrings

The 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.

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 Jeff Klein, 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 effective elevator speech and that often begins with a story.

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!):

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.

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).

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.

He did not make the sale.

There are two lessons to learn from this real-life story:

#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.

#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.

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.

A Proud, Indulgent Moment

I 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!

Visit her blog and see that two most beautiful grandchildren in the world. Not that I'm biased or anything. Visit the website to see more.

Art as Legacy

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.

I "met" Michelle on the Ning social network Sta.rtUp.Biz 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.

You can read her story on her profile page ... doesn't she have a beautiful face?!? She has one of the $1 million dollar smiles that lights the place up. Her website is here.

I wish you much success in all you set out to achieve, Michelle!

What on Earth??

Or should I say: "What in Earth?"

Image is from the US Geological Survey agency.

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.)

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!

HOUSEKEEPING
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:

Leet: She's a wonderful artist. Really! To prove it, check out her gallery. This is one of my favorite blogs, I make sure to check in every time I sit to blog surf.

Cheryl: 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.

I've been tagged twice:
Glitzy Gallery Gals and Silver Canyons... 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!

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. I am an armchair scientist (and I believe there is a Creator). 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.

Skwiggazine Featured Artist
It's Sunday! My time for participation in this wonderful blog love exchange. This week we're focusing on Michelle Harvey of Michabella Creations. Be sure to check out her "Shop for a Cure" post. While October is over, cancer of all sorts is something which we should all be consistently aware.

I hope every single one of my readers has a fabulous time this upcoming week!

Dressing for Success

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.

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.

What really made this strange was that last Friday was the day after the news broke about Sarah Palin's $150k image makeover 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.

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.

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.

There seems to be three basic categories of business attire: casual, conservative or formal, and cocktail. 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.

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.