Adventures in Handmade Jewelry

My husband said something that stuck with me. Yeah, go figure. Seriously. He said the last bastion of good packaging is in luxury goods. Remember your first iPod...or iWhatever? The box, the way it was placed inside the box which was heavy and beautifully made. The accessories were cleverly placed and the whole look and process of discovering your new toy was pretty special. It helped you feel good about buying such a spendy item. The presentation reinforced the luxury status of the Apple brand. It's exclusive, but in a good way. The receiving should be a continuation of the joy of purchasing. I had a similar experience when I ordered a camera tote bag from a small, specialty designer. It came in a lovely presentation box with tissue, ribbon and a note. By extension I felt privileged and appreciated. And who doesn't love that? As part of any business that sells a tangible thing, I needed to plan my packaging strategy. I looked at lots of pictures. Evaluated options. W

Let's talk about burn out. I've been there. You've been there. I think every one has, but especially a home business person trying to sell online in a very crowded space. At first you think you make the best things ever. You can't wait for everyone to see what an artist you are. They'll be beating down your door in no time. You post and promote and create like crazy.  Then reality sets in. You start to skip days in the shop or at the bench. You ignore twitter. Let your Facebook page languish.  How do you keep up your positive attitude and enthusiasm? Diversify! You have other stuff you like to do, right? Do it. Yes, you need to focus on your business quite a bit, but you're allowed to have hobbies. If I spend time doing other things I enjoy, I find going back to the bench refreshing. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and it works for your love of your art, too.   Set time limits! Don't spend all day, every day a

the Wire Smith boutique Do I have to say anything else? New items added daily!

You know that feeling when you know you've done something good? Maybe your best? It's really too bad that most of us, women especially, feel like we should be ashamed of feeling proud of ourselves or our work. Like it isn't "seemly" or "ladylike" or even just plain polite. But it is, darn it. It's a positive emotion. It feels good. Why shouldn't we let ourselves indulge in it when we deserve it? Men don't seem to have a problem with feeling like they're the best. Recently, I think it was on Lindy West, I saw a t-shirt that read something like "Please give me the confidence of a mediocre white man". And how. So I'm going to toot my own horn a bit.  There.  I love this piece. I love that I made it. I love the bright, 16 gauge sterling silver, the smooth little washer beads (which are REALLY hard to find), my hand hammered clasp. I love the blue lampwork beads. It's all I can do to keep from licking

Branding is important. Having a consistent look and feel to your work, your identity as an artist and in how you present your work is part of having your own business. It can be a little tough, but once you've got your logo and colors and associated motifs, that's enough, right? Maybe. Lately I've been trying to develop a routine with my business - to do at least one thing a day to promote or create or interact with other people in craft or home businesses. The other day I decided to work on packaging since what I had was running low and I wanted something more distinctive. That led me down a tangent, let me tell you! Part of what I need are stickers and while looking at my current logo documents, I did a bit of a refresh. Nothing too drastic, but definitely an improvement. Check it out! became  It's subtle, but I think it's important and I didn't catch it in my first go-round with logo design. A professional probably would have, but 'wh

Shopped at my "local" bead shop today. It's 45 minutes away, but what can you expect when you live in the middle of nowhere? There was a trunkshow recently and while I couldn't attend on the day, I got some lovely gemstones and some lampwork glass beads. Take a peek! Starting with the yellow strand by my pliers - 10 mm matte finish citrine wheels 12-15 mm polished barrels in what I think is a jadeite or similar. I forgot to ask and they weren't labeled. 10-12 mm polished aquamarine pebbles (I love these!!) 9-10 mm freshwater pearls in pink (Spring here we come!) 6 mm matte magnesite (they have a very slight veining, but are basically white) 1 x 1.5 cm matte lampwork beads 1 x 1.5-2 cm shiny lampwork beads (so gorgeous, made by a Wisconsin artist, too) 5.5-6 mm round faceted strawberry quartz No two are the same shape!!  With some of the wire, findings and other stuff I just ordered (some in rose gold!) I should be able to make some

Remember when you were in school...did you LOVE getting new school supplies? Oh me too! Lucky for me I still get that thrill when I get new jewelry-making supplies. Woo hoo! That's it there by the vise. I have a few projects in mind and so look out for new items in the shop !

Playing with a couple of variations on a design today. Figuring out how much wire I need and what gauge. With pearls it can be a little limiting since the holes are so small. I also think I need a bead borer since I had to go through a few pieces of ametrine before I got some that took 22 gauge wire. And of course they don't match. Lol. Good thing I'm only in the experimenting stage!

People have been asking this since...I don't know...forever? And it isn't a universally accepted standard, but I'd like to post about things I love and designs I admire. So because I'm a reader and it's the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I'll begin with SP Books' inspired cover of her original manuscript - I think it's brilliant because it's understated. It's restrained. Many Frankenstein covers are garish and shocking, but this one is subtle and subtly painful.  Sutures. Just that. ~~~ shivery! ~~~