Some of my Favorite Things...

Today's post is all about some of my favorite things. Have you found Etsy yet? The place where you can go and find anything and everything you ever dreamed of homemade? The place where you can be transported into a world of fantasy and wonder? Where you can look at things that touch your heart and your inner being bringing out your true self? Well, that is how I feel whenever I go to the Etsy website. I feel as if I have found my true being. There are so many things that I am absolutely in love with on Etsy. Like this shop that offers the most beautiful lampwork beads I think I have ever seen...
www.RonsickOriginals.etsy.com
Or this shop that offers a faery chandelier made from twigs and flowers and crystals and everything else a little girl could wish for for her faery-tale bedroom...
www.queendecor.etsy.com
Or this shop that offers the most amazing notecards and tags for the Victorian soul in your life...
www.oakhollowprimitives.etsy.com
Or this shop that has the most beautiful bound paper journals covered in lovely leather...
www.GILDBookbinders.etsy.com
Oh yes, these are just a few of my favorite things.
Etsy is so innovative that if you go in and make an account, you can actually take a taste test and they will spotlight shops that they feel you would like. They have been right every time when I do this. You can even take the test over and over again and new things will come up. It is very impressive, and very addictive.
When you purchase something from ETSY, you can speak to the CREATOR of the item. The actual PERSON that made it. This I find to be one of the most appealing things to me about ETSY. Where else can you go and talk to the person that made the item you are purchasing? Who can better tell you about the item you are purchasing than the person that made it? You will get AMAZING customer service because most Etsians are there to sell their items and get you to come back to their shop to purchase again in the future. They CARE about the transaction and want you to be HAPPY with your purchase. Don't take my word for it, go and find out for yourself. 
If you have not done so yet, I think you should go to www.ETSY.com and sign up for an account and take the taste test. I think you may just find something that you will fall in love with and possibly cannot live without. If you can, purchase the item and then rate your purchase so that the person that created it will know how you feel and whether or not they can improve, or if they are doing a good job with their shop. Think of this...every time that you purchase something from ETSY, you are fulfilling someone else's dream to sell their passion. How cool is that? You get something that you will probably treasure, or that you will give to someone else to treasure, and you also helped someone to reinforce their belief that they can make things that people want to buy. This to me is the AMERICAN DREAM!
Come on...what are you waiting for? GO, GO, GO!!!

The Fighter

The Fighter is challenging me to try to come up with things that are my own...no patterns...no looking at something else and trying to make something similar...just creating some pieces that are totally my own. These are some of the things the Fighter and I have come up with so far...

I love each and every one of these pieces but I have found that I would probably do better with fine silver, the .999 silver. It is easier to create swirls and coils with, but have you seen the price of silver lately? OMG!!! I almost fell off of my chair yesterday when I actually went online to try and purchase some. I am very hopeful that my shows go well these next few months so that I may purchase some and really try to create something remarkable with it. The Fighter would love for that to happen too.
I think that I may try for Artist of the Month with Wiresculpture.com. I am really trying to put out some quality pieces to enter into the contest. It is a challenge that I have been contemplating for a while now. Me and the Fighter. I may try to enter a contest with Fire Mountain Gems as well. I always have a challenge when the Fighter is present.
I am sure you are asking yourselves who the Fighter is by now so I will tell you. I have this inner voice, dubbed the Fighter, that just will not let up. Every time I turn around I can hear the Fighter taunting me, "Come on...You can do THAT! You can do ANYTHING you want to do. Get up...get motivated...create something captivating...that people want to look at and try on and fall in love with...you know you can do it...just give it a try...come on!!!!" This is what I wake up with in the morning, this is what I listen to during the daylight hours, and this is what I go to bed with at night. This little voice~the Fighter~egging me on to be better, to do something that will make my mark in the world. It is like a shadow following me around everywhere I go. The only difference is...I can HEAR the Fighter! It never leaves me~it is always there...nagging!
It is trying at times to go to bed and have my mind not shut down and have the Fighter taunting me endlessly. I have gotten up so many times in the middle of the night to satiate the Fighter. My stomach will be in knots, the Fighter will be on active overload making it impossible to sleep. The Fighter is there whispering things to me, taunting me, and I can't turn it off. It is a constant voice...always present...always challenging me. When I finally can't take it anymore, I get up, go out to the kitchen~ that has become my studio~ and sit down. I pick up the wire, cut a piece off and start to create something. So many times I will not know what I am creating, or why I am doing it when I should be sleeping, but pretty soon the Fighter makes it clear to me that I have become motivated enough to create something in my hands that looks good...that is presentable...that is captivating...that people want to look at and try on and fall in love with...and I can finally put the Fighter down for the night and the Fighter will finally sleep...for a little while.
This is my life. This is my life everyday. This insatiable voice~the Fighter~controlling me, taunting me, never letting up, always there challenging me to keep creating and keep doing what I love the most in this world. The Fighter is an integral part of me, the part that has always been able to make me do better, to help me see things clearly and to strive to become the person I am supposed to be. I guess that, deep down, I really don't want the Fighter to stop nagging. For then, I would not be the person I am today~the person that keeps trying to improve and become that which I want to be...

The show was a sccess!

Boot Scoot'n boogie was great! The weather was beautiful and the night went off without a hitch. The tablecloths looked smashing and lots of people stopped by to see what I was making. It was a lot of fun.
There were some things in the fashion show that were the total BOMB! Some of the dresses were absolutely AMAZING and the jewelry was wonderful!
I have decided that I really need to come up with my own designs more. I really want my jewelry to stand out in a crowd and I know what I have to do to get there. I have some ideas and I worked on a couple of pieces this weekend that I am pretty pleased with, but I still need to capture what my mind sees. I will get it right, one of these days. I made a pretty cool pendant yesterday though, I will post pictures soon. It still needs some finishing touches.
I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend and you got to do something fun! I got to hang out with my sister on Saturday and that is always fun for me. We went to breakfast and sat and drank coffee and talked for a couple of hours. The boys were totally ready to go, but that is the way it always is when we go to eat with Aunt Sheila. They are pretty used to it by now.
I will be posting some pictures soon!
Have a nice day,
Janet

Ready or Not..

Boot Scoot'n Boogie is right around the corner. I have been very busy creating more wire stuff, but my big project for yesterday was tablecloths. I have picked out three fabrics that I thought would be very accommodating for the theme. I chose a tan for the very first layer. It will drop to floor length and I will wrap the ends around the front of the table and secure them at the sides. The next layer will be a cowboy boot print. It is a black base with all kinds of cowboy boots printed on the black. It is a very random pattern with lots of browns and golds intermingled with coral colors and tans. This layer will be draped over the tan and reach half way down to the floor. I will secure the sides of this particular design at the sides as well, creating a "box" around the base of the table. The third layer will be a golden color fabric. This piece will be the size of the top of the table and it will cover the cowboy boot print. I may make some tablecloth weights with cowboy boot charms...if I have time. The wind is always a pertinent possibility in Cody. The locals dub it "Little Chicago"!
I really felt that I needed to have something that followed the theme of Boot Scoot'n Boogie in Cody, Wyoming. It is a western town with a lot of western flair. I think things are shaping up nicely for the show.
Here are pictures of my fabric choices...

These are the three fabrics. Don't they compliment each other nicely? I believe that they will look grand together atop the tables to display my work.
Here is the tan fabric...

Here is the cowboy boot fabric...

And this is the gold fabric...

I have picked new fabric for my tables at other shows as well. Since I am trying to "brand" my Etsy store and all of my marketing tools, I thought that it was time for a facelift for my table coverings too. I went with a maroon, a flower pattern, and a green for the top. I think that they will look lovely! I will show you these table coverings when I get them finished. For now, I am trying hard to concentrate on the Boot Scoot'n Boogie. I wish I could do way more than one thing at a time. I guess that I am not the only one that wishes for this though.
I hope that you can join me here...
https://rendezvousroyale.org/boot_scootin.htm
It should be a really good time! I am anxious to show off some of my new things and hopefully garner a few more customers. Rendezvous Royale has always proven a time for much activity and excitement in Cody. I can't wait to be a part of it and I hope you can join me!

Time Will Tell

As I sit and ponder what life means to me, I can't help but wonder where I will be in five years from now. Will I be working full time at a job that really brings me no satisfaction? Working for someone else and letting my life lead me instead of the other way around? Will I be able to accomplish goals that I have set for myself that seem realistic, but somehow still loom as unattainable? Will I be happy~I mean REALLY happy in the life that I am living and creating for myself? Oh, how I hope that I can say "no" to the first two nagging questions, and "yes" to the last two pulse pounding, gut wrenching, burning questions.
I know what I want for myself. I know that I want to be creating fine jewelry and selling it and making a living at just that. I want to be able to be there for my boys when they need me. I want to be able to have time in my life to do the fun things that are so important to me and my family. I want to take hold of my life and change it. I want to have peace and tranquility in the work that I do and the life that I live. I want to do this...

and be able to make a living at it.
Am I the only person in the world who feels unsettled? Am I the only person in the world that yearns for something else? I am the only person in the world that feels that there is more for me~I just have to reach out and grasp it and not let fear get in my way?
FEAR~now there is a big word! it consumes me at times. Every time I think about taking hold of my life and changing it. Every time I think about making jewelry and having that be my only job. Every time I think about making big changes in my life. There is one thing about me though...Fear has never stood in my way when I really wanted something bad enough that I would do anything for it.
I guess I am also afraid of failing. Failing as a self-employed, work at home, jewelry artist with kids to take care of. FEAR OF FAILING!!! That is my biggest fear! It grabs a hold of my throat and holds me down until I can't breathe. It chokes the life out of me and makes me re-evaluate every decision I have ever made...every decision that I want to make for my future. And then I rise up and my mind starts to clear and I am right back at it again~wanting more...dreaming about more...wishing for more...and determined to not let FEAR stand in my way. I think I must push forward because that is what every ounce of my being is telling me to do! Fear has taken a back seat once again...but I am not sure how long it will last this time. I guess time will tell.

New Ring Pictures...

I have been very busy today taking new pictures of my rings. I had finished taking pictures of all of my rings in the last couple of weeks only to find that over half of the pictures were blurry. It was a HUGE disappointment because I have a lot of rings! I am getting a new banner and avatar for my Etsy store, so as I am preparing for that, I have decided to add some Victorian look to my pictures. Here is what I have come up with...

What do you think? I love the flowers in the background. I think that a backdrop gives the pictures life, And I love the Victorian look. I can't wait to get started on drafting up my listings for Etsy. I hope that you all check out my shop. It is going to be nice! Rings are done, now for the rest of the pictures. I am going to be very busy trying to get things done. I have decided to get all of the pictures done and do all of my draft listings and then post all of my stuff at once. I want my Etsy store to be amazing, so I don't want to piece it together. I want it to be fabulous from day one.
Thank you Graphic Confections for the amazing work you are doing for me. I can't wait to see the rest!!
Would you like to see what this amazing woman does? Check it out here:
http://www.etsy.com/people/graphicconfections
Now, I need to get busy drafting for Etsy. Talk to you all again soon!!

A Prisoner of My Own Making

I have been trying to figure out how to coil and make jewelry with the coils. I have seen many pictures and I am IN LOVE with this look. I have picked up my drill and attached a swivel to a hinge and then attached the hinge to a board and began the coiling process, but I still have a long way to go before I perfect this art that I find so fascinating. I have weaved a couple of things and I coiled a necklace night before last, but I want it to be better! I wish that I knew someone that could teach me... Oh well, I guess I have always been one that loves a good challenge. It took me a while to figure out the art of wire wrapping, I guess it will probably take a while for me to learn the art of coiling as well. I do have some ideas that I think I can manage without too much difficulty. I just gotta get the coiling with the drill perfected!
Here is a necklace that I weaved...

 And here is a necklace that I coiled...

Both are OK, but I really want to do more with both techniques. I have the will to do it, I just have to put in the time.
Have you ever done something that totally captivates you and holds you prisoner? This is how I feel about jewelry design. I don't mean that it holds me prisoner in a bad way, but rather that it holds me prisoner in other ways. Sometimes I am consumed by thoughts of a design that I just can't get out of my head, or my hands will not stop trying something until I get it right. This is what I mean by holding me prisoner.
I have dreams and aspirations and things I need to accomplish. All of them relate to my creative brain working overtime. The one thing that I can say is that I never grow tired of it. I never grow weary of the thoughts that race through my head. I never grow tired of sitting at my kitchen table for hours on end continually doing something over and over again until I get it right. Do you ever get like that? Where you just can't throw in the towel because you know that you are going to achieve your vision on the next try?
This is how my mind works continually, always striving for that exact moment when I get it right and the satisfaction rushing through my body like euphoria! I will get there with these designs, I just need to be patient and steady and keep trying. Keep watching because I will achieve what I am after...one of these days.