Calling all facebook friends....

Hey!  If you are a facebook user, I could really use your help with something....  I've entered an earring design in a contest and I could win $200 worth of beads if I get the most votes.  I'm only a few votes behind, and it ends soon... so, if you find it in your heart to help a girl out, click here:

https://www.facebook.com/BeadShows/app_381115221953426

you'll need to "like" the page to access the voting.  You can unlike it on September 1st if you want :-)


Thanks for your time!


Krystle

The countdown

 

 A week worth of stocking up on necklaces.

One final week of Farmers Market craziness, and then the Homeschooling craziness begins...actually we start schooling tomorrow, so today will be spent sorting the school room and running to Walmart to restock any basic supplies. 

One other project on my list is to add my other finished patterns to the Etsy shop.  Now that they offer immediate download capabilities, I'm going to list my Sweetpea earrings, Petal Perfect Necklace, as well as the swirl rhinestone crystal bracelet patterns.  These should be listed and ready for purchase sometime next week.  I'll let you know when.

Once the market is over, I will also need to buckle down and file my income taxes..... my extension will be due in October sometime, and I just want to get it done and over.  The good news is that I took much better records over the summer as far as sales, and January won't be so nuts when it comes to paying my state sales tax. 

Components

 Since I have a list of custom orders to finish by Friday, and a whole heap of necklaces to get made and back in stock by Friday as well, I did the smart thing this week by playing at the workbench and doing completely unrelated work. (I swear I'm never more inspired than when I'm under the gun for something else!)  This pair of earrings I made for myself, with some really great cathedral beads, and some copper frames that I soldered.  The patina is Liver of sulphur.  It's stinky to work with, but gives such a beautiful finish.

 Eventually I did steer a little closer to getting some tatting work done, the earrings above are in brass, and below in silver.  I'm fiddling around with the proportions still, but I think it's a really nice way to incorporate my little rosettes into a more substantial feeling piece. 

I make the little rosettes reversible, so the earring will look good no matter how it hangs.  A lot of my work has been in this vein-- using the tatting as a component of the jewelry design...  there is definitely a certain "customer" who will gravitate more toward the more sturdy feel imparted by the use of beads and metals.  Metalsmithing has really become my friend in that respect, as I am able to ready make findings to the size and color I need.  I think I am attracted to the juxtaposition of the metal and the lace.  I love contrasts!  Colors, flavors (I can't get enough sweet and sour!).

 Ok.  It's not an earth shakingly innovative design or anything, but I'm really enjoying how they turned out.  Especially since I did the metalsmithing on those big hammered silver loops!

All my big talk about wanting a torch quickly turned into a full blown workstation dedicated to the metal arts in the garage.  

My facebook friend have seen pieces popping up here and there over the last few weeks.  They will make their way over to ETSY this Autumn, as I am currently focused on finishing strong at the Farmer's Market.  I have a sketchbook of ideas and gobs of wire and sheet metal to incorporate in with my tatted work, and I'm super excited to get out of my busy season to have time to focus purely on the creative stuff.  It's funny, because I've been having this inner argument with myself after attending a leadership conference.  There was a professor talking about how to create and fuel innovation, and his schpeal was that you needed to build a whole new department or team focused on innovation, so you don't tax the main engine or processes of your business....  I'm still working out how to split myself in two and keep the production work going while creating new work.  I tend to only be able to focus on one box at a time.  But.  During the summer when I am working week to week to stock up, I've got regular patrons who come down just to see what's "new".  Oh the joys of wrestling balance into your life!  

At the end of the day, I'm just thankful that I get to be creative and call it "work".