Adventures in Handmade Jewelry

Adventures in Handmade Jewelry is right. Here's my latest and what I learned from it. Design is very important, but like all good designs it must work. It must function well and enhance the time you spend using it. I bought these cute little wooden cubes recently and had a design all done and finished. I loved it. Isn't it cute? I even had a name for it picked out (no, not Jeff). Then I tried to put it on. And realized I couldn't. It wouldn't bend enough to do up the clasp easily. Take a look - The most flexible part of the design is where the flattest part of your wrist is. Uh. Wrong. The bendiest part should be at the sides of the wrist. Right where I put those cute little cubes. Cute, but not bendy. Not comfortable all that much either. What happens to jewelry that's difficult to put on or wear? It sits in the drawer and collects dust. Or it gets tossed away if you're the letting go type. So back to the bench. This design works much

Yesterday I was all set to post about three bracelets I made. Here they are - That's the shot I took today. You can't tell I had to rework the one on the top right can you? Actually I had to restring it 3 times. 3 times!! Not a big deal, but it took me many extra minutes. Wasted materials. And made me frustrated and annoyed with myself. All because I didn't check my work. See how they were when I thought I was good to go? Can you spot my mistake? Gah!!! So the lesson here is to check your work. Before you finish the step that completes your project, give it a good once over. By tinkering on the same piece for a while, you can expect to see it a certain way even if it isn't. Kind of a confirmation bias if you follow. You need to step back and evaluate what you've done. Really be sure you have it right before you commit. A few extra seconds can save you a lot of heartache! 

Monday motivation! I got back to the bench and made 4 pairs of earrings - I need to put them in the tumbler and get them polished up and the earwires hardened and then they can go in the shop. Except maybe for one pair that I love too much. Any guesses?  Well, I have enough material to make another pair so it's ok.  Still, I think they're rich and fun and interesting. I would be proud to wear any of them and have people ask me about them. Gasp! Maybe even to a snooty event next month which is hosted by a famous watch manufacturer that begins with the letter R. Heh.

As a creative person you try anything, right? You make an item, sometimes just to learn a technique or because you saw something similar or thought it would be great, but it turns out not to be. We've all done it, but sometimes those things have to go on the block. The other day I found a necklace that I'd strung ages and ages ago and it never sold. No wonder since it was old fashioned, boring and something your grandma would probably wear in the 1970s. So I took it apart and put the components back into inventory. I did it again with a necklace I'd saved for myself but actually wore like once or twice. Plus other things I've never worn. Sometimes it's the only way. Clinging to a piece that never sells out of sentimental reasons is just plain silly. We all grow and improve and sometimes those early works are just plain embarrassing. I know mine are. Learning curves just shouldn't be seen sometimes. It's all part of defining your style and by exte

It isn't perfect. It isn't well stocked. It isn't organized. But it's great to be back. I spent some time down there making these - Aren't they cute? Sterling silver hook and eye clasps. Very easy to make so that's where I started. It's funny how I used to just be able to do them without thinking, but now I follow a book's technique to get it right. And I used to know by experience how much wire would be taken up at any point on my pliers. Now, not so much. But my hammering technique came back to me. And why I bought a different hammer than the first one I tried. That one leaves to many marks in the metal and I prefer a smooth finish, not one with little dents. Am definitely in need of some more half-hard wire. Everything I have is dead soft. Some supplies are on the way, but not wire since I hadn't really looked at what I had or need. I'll feel my way through. Am debating whether to buy a new tumbler since the one I have is very ol

OMG. A former co-worker and now Facebook friend bought a bracelet yesterday. Thank you, Jen! I'm so happy for her that she'll get a piece that is truly lovely and since I know her personally, I know it will look smashing on her. Here it is! The funny thing is, that design has worked for me before. I've sold one almost exactly like it a few years ago from my Etsy shop . It's interesting that repeat-ability is something that a business really needs. Even a handmade business where no two things are completely identical. Designs that work are designs that work. So after spending an hour or so looking over my books, I remembered a few other pieces that sold well in the past and I'll be getting down to the bench! But first I have to print a label and ship a package to my friend. Sweet.

Funny how that old cliche "use it or lose it" is actually true. Part of my grand plan, apart from reopening the store and all that entails, is regaining my skill with the wire. I used to be good. It was effortless sometimes how neat, symmetrical and repeatable my work was. Now, it's like I'm all thumbs. While polishing a bracelet in prep for getting it listed, I noticed one of the stones I used needed to be replaced. It's a charm-style bracelet and I was just using a headpin with a normal loop and wrap style attachment. It took some concentration to get a new one made. It came out fine, but it wasn't automatic you know? So you can see what's in my future, can't you? Practice! Practice! Practice!

So I've decided to return to the jewelry business and boy am I overwhelmed. A lot of things have changed since I shut down the store and stopped creating or marketing what I had already made. 1. Moved to Wisconsin 2. Quit my day job 3. Had a major health scare 4. Stopped eating processed food 5. Had a skirmish with depression But now I think it's back. I did quite enjoy making and selling my jewelry and now I'm going to give it another go. For that reason and because I have a lot of time to devote to it. So here's my rough battle plan - 1. Reopen my Etsy shop 2. Spruce up inventory for sale 3. Engage on a limited number of social media sites 4. Get this blog up and running 5. Put together a business plan and budget Since I left the scene things have really change. Some for the better and some just confuse the heck out of me. Pinterest anyone? What on earth am I to do with that? Plus Twitter and Facebook . And do I need an Instagram account? How d