5 Ways to Stay Creative

I've been making and selling handcrafted jewelry for almost 30 years now, and I love it!  But even doing something you love has its moments where you might need some help.  Take a step back, reflect, recharge...however you want to put it.  Here are five ways that help me keep the creative juices flowing!

1) Listen to new music.  Rhapsody has a "New This Week" feature, and "You Might Like.." suggestions based on what I listen to regularly.  I've found some great new bands that way!

2) Carry a notebook everywhere.  I never know when the muse is going to strike.  I often get ideas while I'm driving.  I carry a small spiral notebook in my purse so I don't forget any of those great ideas!

3) Read a page of a dictionary or thesaurus.  I sometimes use those tools when I'm writing descriptions for my online listings, and I'll look over entire pages, just checking out words and words and words.  Starts some free-flowing thinking!

4) Get plenty of rest.  I love to sleep, plus right before I fall asleep and just as I'm waking up are very often times of creative thinking.  Many mornings before I get up I'll just lie in bed designing jewelry in my head!

5) Clean my work space.  If all else fails, sorting wire and putting beads away inevitably leads me down a creative path.  I run across a stone I forgot I wanted to set, or several strands of beads will clump together in a color combination that hadn't occurred to me.  Plus I end up with a clean-ish space where I can actually work!

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Ear Sweeps Anyone?



  An Ear Sweep is a bobby-pin style earring that goes in your regular piercing and then sweeps UP your ear! Get the multiple-pierced look without the extra pain! I have more than a dozen styles, in gold or silver and your choice of gemstone or crystal beads. I've been making them for more than 20 years, and I can guarantee they make a great gift. Interesting, unique, and probably not something the person already has! My mom wears them all the time, and says that people are constantly stopping her in the grocery store or at church, asking about the Ear Sweeps. And that's what cool jewelry is all about, right? Getting noticed? (I wear Ear Sweeps myself most of the time, but the only place I go is my store, so the only people that see me are customers. I sell a lot of them because I wear them!)  I have several for sale in my Etsy shop .

 

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My First Job and What I Learned From It

My first job was at McDonald's, starting in late 1977.  I was there for almost 5 years.  It got me through college with a little cash, my first apartment, and gas in my car.

I was there when McNuggets first came out.  I remember what a huge big deal it was.  They had to put in additional deep fryers so the chicken wouldn't taste like fish or French fries.  We had a training class on the proper preparation and presentation.  I fell in love with them then, and I still love them today!  (And yes, I know what's in them.)

The biggest life lesson I learned from McDonald's stemmed from a motto they had at the time--"If you have time to lean, you have time to clean."  That meant no standing around doing nothing.  You could flirt with the cute guy working the grill area, but you'd better have a wet rag in your hand, wiping down some of the chrome!  That expectation to be doing something constructive ALL THE TIME became second nature after awhile.  It has served me well as an entrepreneur working for myself and by myself.  There are always dozens of things that need to be done every day in my handcrafted jewelry business.  I can't say that I'm the most organized person in the world, but I am pretty good about not wasting too much valuable time when I'm supposed to be working!  (Well, aside from Facebook, but that's another story!)  'Cuz if I don't do it, it don't get done!  And even if it don't get done--after 29 years of self-employment, that still happens sometimes--I always try to do the other thing I learned from working at McDonald's, and that's SMILE!

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What's On My Desk Right Now

I saw this on a "blog ideas" list: What's on my desk right now.  I don't know about you, but I like this kind of revealing little slice-of-life story.  

I think it's a fascinating list. 

Here goes:
A television and accompanying DVD player.
A desk lamp.
Multiple piles of pictures. 
A calculator.
Tons of beads, stones, wire, and findings--all the bits and pieces that go along with making jewelry.
Assorted hand tools (far too numerous to name individually).
Two pairs of reading glasses.
Four pens.
Three staplers.
A hand drill.
A letter opener.
Blank CDs
Cheese flavored Chex mix.
Cherry Craisins.
Liquid makeup.
Cuticle cream.
A lighter.
A patchouli/vanilla candle.
An extension cord.
A dust cloth.
Three polishing cloths.
Three different piles of varying heights, of papers I need to read.
A ruler and a cloth tape measure.
A flashlight.
Bills to be paid.
Jewelry supply catalogs.
My cell phone.
My laptop.

Obviously, my desk is my work space.  Once in awhile I take a day and purge all the piles and pieces and organize the tools, but it's been awhile since I've done that.  But hey, I can assure you that when I need something, I know just which "pile" to dive into to find it!  LOL.

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August Birthstone: Peridot

Did you know that the August birthstone, peridot, is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color?  An olive green. The intensity and tint of the green depends on how much iron is contained in the crystal structure, so the color of individual peridot gems can vary from yellow- to olive- to brownish-green. The most valued color is a dark olive-green.

It surprises me the number of August babies who do not like their birthstone. It's such a "happy" shade of green! Historically, peridot has been regarded as a powerful amulet to ward off evil and as protection from nightmares. Embrace it, August girls, it's GOOD for you!

All that being said, I don't actually stock peridot on a regular basis.  It's a little more expensive than most of my gemstones.  I do have some faceted beads that I could make earrings and bracelets out of!  And as an alternative, I have some nice light green quartz and some sparkly cubic zirconias in that lovely olive green color!  Check my website for design possibilities!

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Holiday Shipping Report

This is the "shipping area" in my store.  A counter with bubble mailers on the right, then moving leftward you'll see my postage meter, Sharpies to write on the bubble mailers, cute stickers to put on the packages, stamps, and the Outgoing Mail Basket.  And the official count is in...between November 25th (Black Friday) and December 24th (Christmas Eve), I mailed 148 packages.  All over the world.  Woo hoo!  Many thanks to all my friends and fans--keep those orders coming!  And tell all YOUR friends!  Contemporary Concepts is THE place for handcrafted jewelry!

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Too Busy to Blog

Craziness!  I've mailed out 76 packages in the last 2 weeks.  And that doesn't count the business I've done in the store, and the time it takes to make the stuff I need to make!  So you'll forgive me if I just haven't had time to write any blog posts recently.  I've got to take the business when it comes!

If you'd like to jump on the bandwagon and give a gift of handcrafted jewelry this year, you've got a few days left.  Hop over to my website, my Etsy shop, or my Artfire studio and pick out the perfect present--I won't mind another trip or two to the Post Office!

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Ear Cuffs--An International Phenomenon

Ear cuffs have been around for more than 30 years.  They're just an accent accessory that "clips" on the side of your ear, wrapping around the middle part of the cartilage from front to back.  I've been making ear cuffs as long as I've been making jewelry, which is 27 years now.  I've got some that are just thin simple bands, and I've got some that are intricate, ornate sweeps of wire and beads that go all the way up and down your ear.  And I've got lots of designs in between.  You can see them all on my website.

Do you know where I sell the most ear cuffs?  The Sandinavian countries...Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark (boy, do they LOVE ear cuffs in Denmark!)  But they are truly an international phenomenon.  Just last Tuesday I mailed three international packages: one to Spain, one to Japan, and one to--wait for it!--Denmark!  All ear cuffs.  I just get the biggest kick out of that. 

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Tiger Eye Multi-Stone Pendant

There's still a lot of interest in pendants made with more than one stone. This one is three graduating sizes of tiger eye, one of the most all-around-popular gemstones out there! A typical tiger eye stone will have lustrous alternating bands of yellow and brown, with a luminescent "eye" of chatoyancy. Roman soldiers wore tiger eye for protection in battle, and it was sometimes thought to help the wearer "see all", due to its appearance.

This pendant measures just about 3-1/4" long including the round bail that will fit a chain or cord up to about 6 millimeters. Each stone is outlined in continuous strands of 14kt gold filled wire. It's bold, it's eye-catching, and it's one-of-a-kind! Hurry...you can buy it in my Etsy shop right now!

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Another Custom Order

Sometimes customers themselves put together two or even three things that I already make to come up with a whole new design. Helps me think outside my usual "box" as it were! Donna was buying a 3-Bead Point Bracelet with clear AB Swarovski crystals. She wanted earrings to match. Now, Donna likes a bold earring, as you can see. She saw the J-Shape Hoop Earrings that I had, and held up the bracelet so the crystals were inside the earring. "Can you make it like this?" she asked. "Absolutely," I said. "I'm the Burger King of jewelry design--have it YOUR way!"

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Custom Orders

I often joke with customers that if there were about 8 of me, I could have every piece of jewelry made in every size and every color. Don't get me wrong...I have a LOT of inventory made up. But since there's only 1 of me, every size and color isn't possible, so I'm obviously happy to make any item in whatever size or color the customer wants. Consequently, I have a lot of special orders.

But I also have a lot of custom orders. Loose stones or coins or random vintage jewelry that a customer has lying around in a drawer or a jewelry box. It can't be worn as-is, so people bring or send me stuff to set all the time. This pendant I have pictured is one of those. A beautiful faceted yellow citrine and a large blue drusy from a lovely lady named Shayna. Shayna wanted the stones set together in one pendant. Not the easiest thing to do with wirewrap, but I was able to come up with this design, which I think really showcases the stones. She was thrilled with it, which always makes me happy!

I'm going to post a few more custom order pictures over the next few days. Look through your drawers and dig into your jewelry boxes--do YOU have anything I can transform for you?

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Beautiful Pearls

I recently got a shipment of beautiful colored freshwater pearls, and I've got all kinds of interesting plans for them. Plus I'm sure additional "inspirations" will strike as I'm actually working with them. But this strand just screamed to be strung right away. Gorgeous deep teal blue, spaced with small sterling silver beads. Yum! (And don't you just love that fantastic piece of natural driftwood they're draped over? It's one of my favorite things to photograph my jewelry on!)

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Ear Cuffs

I don't know what the deal is recently, but 8 out of the last 10 orders I've received on my various online venues have been for ear cuffs. Apparently there's a resurgence of these little cuties, and I know from many years' experience that they're not easy to find. Well, I've got 'em, and I've got lots of 'em! From thin, simple bands to ornate, climb-your-ear beauties with lots of beads, I've got a nice selection ready for immediate purchase in my Etsy shop, and I've got more styles available for order on my website. Check them out now!

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Statement Pieces

Because I spend most of my "creating" time making what I call regular inventory (the same style of earrings in 10 different colors, or the same ring in mulitple sizes), I don't often have the time to create special one-of-a-kind "statement" pieces. I have lots of little pieces of paper with designs scrawled on them that I've come up with over the years, but I have to carve out special time to work on them. Usually a statement piece will take quite a bit more time to make than regular inventory does, so I can't help thinking about how many rings I could be making in the same amount of time!

But recently I just had to let the true creative beast come out and make something special and spectacular. This is it. A sterling silver neckwire with an asymmetrical curve and two very large white marquis cubic zirconias dropping from each end. Can you imagine the comments and looks of admiration you would get wearing this to a holiday party? One-of-a-kind. Spectacular. Truly a statement! (It's available for sale in my Ruby Lane shop.)

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A Little Productivity

I'm happy that I finally got inspired enough to make some pendants last week. Sea glass! I've got tons of it, the finished pendants are quite affordable (average about $20), and it's always a great seller because each one is a unique work of art.

The good news is that it only took one afternoon to make all 10 of these pendants. The bad news is that it's taken me 4 days to shoot and edit the photos for them, so they're not all posted yet. My goal is to have them all up in my Etsy shop and/or my Artfire studio by the end of the day. (Feel free to click over and check on my progress!)

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A Once-In-A-Lifetime Event

I am done with all my special orders. I can't believe it! I've been making this handcrafted jewelry for 25 years now, and I can't remember EVER having all my special orders done! Somebody always wants something in a different size or a different color. Or they've got a stone that's been laying in a drawer for years and they want me to set it. Or they have a necklace to be restrung (not my favorite thing to do, but it always makes the customer happy!) or a vintage piece they want remade into something new. (The earrings pictured are a pair I made for a customer to match a tanzanite necklace and ring she had.)

I do have a couple of "orders" on my To Do clipboard. One is a "if you find a turquoise stone in the same color as the bracelet you made me, I want a pendant". Easier said than done with turquoise--there are so many shades and tones and hues that it's hard to match. And I have 3 cameos to set for another customer, but she wants them for Christmas, so I'm not counting them. Should I do the work 5 months before I know I'm going to get paid? Maybe, but I've decided it's cooler to be able to say I've got all my special orders done!

I don't really know what to do with myself...

Okay, THAT was a joke! Those of you who might have read some of the posts in my series about all the online venues I try to keep up with will know that I've got PLENTY on my plate to keep me busy.

But still...I am done with all my special orders!

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On A Roll

I know it's been quite awhile since I posted, but I've got a good reason this time! I've been making stuff like crazy! And when The Muse strikes, I've learned to go with it.

In the past week, I've made 3 bracelets, 7 pendants, 31 pairs of earrings, and 9 anklets. Way too much to put all in one picture, so I just photographed the anklets. I have 13 different anklet styles available on the Chains page of my website. (The designs are also available in wrist and necklace sizes, too, but I sell more anklets than bracelets or full chains.)

So it's almost summer. Your shorts and sundresses are just begging for a little "ankle bling"! And you want something unique and different. You don't want to wear the same anklet styles as on every leg in town. Custom-fit to YOUR ankle size! Your choice of silver or gold, or both! Your choice of bead color--more than 30 colors to choose from! An affordable treat. Check them out!
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Mini Pendant & Earring Sets

I have always offered a variety of earrings in the same beads and/or stones as my pendants. But I haven't really put them together as a specific set. Often I would get requests for matching earrings for certain pendants I had listed on eBay or Etsy, and I would always refer the customer to my regular website to view the Earrings page and pick something they liked. Sometimes they would, but more often they would possibly be overwhelmed by the choices and just not get earrings at all. Or worse, not buy the earrings OR the pendant!

So recently I've started making specific small post earrings to go with my mini-sculpted pendants, and I'm listing them together as a set in my Etsy shop and in my Ruby Lane shop. I've got half a dozen or so made and photographed already, and I plan to keep going until I have all my available stones made into sets in both gold and silver. That should satisfy everyone, right?

A Plug For My Website

It's been awhile since I've directed my readers to my website. And I don't really have anything to write about today. (The only thing on my mind this morning is my 9-year-old son's recent penchant for lying, and I'd rather not get into that until I've calmed down a little!)

So if you've got a few minutes, go visit my website! It actually hasn't been updated in awhile, so I'd kind of like to hear what people think about it. My webmaster Eve and I have been working on some improvements, mostly bigger and better pictures. (You can tell which pages have been upgraded and which haven't.) The Stone Samples page is kind of cool if you want to see what a stone looks like or find out its metaphysical properties. The Great Gifts page is crappy--I don't think we've updated that for a couple of years. What kinds of jewelry items do YOU think would make great gifts? I'd really appreciate any input on any aspect of the site.

And if you find something you like, feel free to buy it!

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Online Venue #9 -- Artfire

Artfire is a relatively new site for selling handmade stuff. It's still in Beta, in fact. But so far it seems like the people running it really want to make it a success. The listing form is only one page, and your item appears on the front page for a little while as "newly listed", which is pretty cool. I check yesterday, and the ring I added stayed on the front page for just under half an hour before it was pushed off by more recently listed items. Not bad. Of course, I realize that as more artisans discover and join Artfire, the listings will increase in frequency and the time on the front page may fall to mere minutes (or seconds...?).

I've had my shop on Artfire for about 2 months now. Haven't sold anything yet, but I also haven't paid as much attention to it as I could have. There was a period of nearly a month when I didn't list anything new. It's hard to be found if you're not really "there"! I've vowed to myself to try to list at least one new item there every day. And I'd like to purchase an item or two, to start building my "karma" points (feedback). But to be honest, I haven't taken much time to try to figure out how to buy things. Every online selling site has it's own format for searching and purchasing, some easier than others. I'm sure Artfire wants its members and their items to be found! I understand that they plan a marketing push to make the general public aware of their existence, but it's likely that that won't be happening until they do a full launch of the site.

For now, I'm happy to be in on the ground floor of a venue that appears to be willing to give their merchants what they need to sell successfully. The fact that I am in on the ground floor also gives me the benefit of paying only $7 per month for life. Can't beat that price with a stick! This offer is apparently for the first 5000 artisans who sign up, and there are still (as of today) around 3000 spots still available. Artfire will inevitably grow and change, but this is one venue I plan to be with for a long time. I figure the more places people can "discover" my jewelry, the better it is for me!

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