ShopHandmade.com

Well....after much thought I've made the leap to list on ShopHandmade.com . I've only listed one pendant there so far but should be listing more as I get more familiar with the site and more products made. The pendant that I have listed there is a pendant that I also sell on Etsy, but I have 5 of them already made, so all is okay if I sell either one of them. It's a pretty cool site, and not to take away from Etsy but I really like that it focuses on an Eco-friendly environment. So check it out and stop by My Store there too!

I did a screen shot of the front page and my pendant was featured on it (though I think they do that for all new listings), I thought it was pretty cool that it was on the front page, unlike Etsy. Really in order to get on the front page on Etsy you have to be featured in a treasury that catches the eye one of the Etsy admins.

I'll keep you posted on how it works out.....Ohh I forgot to mention that it costs .25 cents to list or you can get a sponsor and it's free, 5 free photos and...this is the big one....you can decide how much you want to pay ShopHandmade when your item sells...and that fee is anywhere from 0-100% of your sale cost. All I can say for that is WOW! No, I didn't choose 0% I chose 1%. You're probably asking why give them anything if you don't have to?? Well, because they are donation based, so to keep running they need donations so there's my answer plus I really like what they stand for and how they advertise...1% is nothing!

Ring

I made another ring today, this one is a size 8 and I'll be listing it in my shop tomorrow. I thought about doing custom sizes, but I haven't perfected soldering, so whatever size I make will be what I list. I'm almost there though so I should be offering stackable and custom sizing in the near future.

For these rings I've used 16g half round sterling silver wire, just slightly hammering it for texture and then I do something a little extra that gives it a brushed satin finish. They're so comfortable to wear, I've worn my thumbring every day!

A Shout Out!

I had purchased a custom stamp with my logo. Unbeknownst to me I had to change the picture of this logo to black and white line art with no grey...wth?? I'm no artist, and I know just enough about my photo program to get by. Well after hours of messing around with my image and finding myself nearly bald from pulling out my hair, I sent what I had come up with back to the seller. But of course it was not at all what she needed...uuuggghhh. She said, think "coloring book" and it needs to be really large...aye! So at my wits end, I had no idea what I was going to do. I was about to give up and ask for a refund when a light bulb went off! Duh...on my street team there is a very talented graphics designer, Chris Strohm!!! I sent a convo to Chris, pretty much begging and pleading, and hoping he would understand what I needed....he did indeed, and was more than happy to help....YAY!! *Happy Dance* He was very patient with me with all the changes that I asked for, and created exactly what I needed.

If you need any graphic design help, or if you have an Etsy store and need a banner and an avatar that truly represents your shop, I definitely recommend working with Chris. You can find him on Etsy, just look for his shop Avatarman . While you're at it, check out his Digital Fine Art and Photos shop, ideasign and his Custom and Semi-Custom Temporary Tattoos shop at ideasigntattoos . He's very easy to talk to and an absolute pleasure to work with.

Chris, if you read this, thanks again, you turned a very frustrating experience into an enjoyable one, I couldn't have done it without you! I can't wait to get my custom logo stamp and show off what you've done for me!

My Fellow Easties And Their TSAE Creations

More Items

Here are some more items for The Spirited Autumn Event Sale! ~Enjoy

A Good Start!

Today was a lot of fun promoting and seeing all the wonderful and unique items offered by my fellow Etsy Street Team members. You can take a look at all they're offering by doing a search on Etsy for the tag TSAE . You'll find everything from original artwork, pottery, photographs, jewelry to knitted items and oh so much more. It's never too early to start purchasing Christmas gifts!

I sold my Carnelian Goddess Adorned Necklace pictured below. I've also made two necklaces to list tomorrow in wonderful Autumn/Fall colors. I love this time of year!

Support some very talented artisans and buy handmade....shop the EAST street teams Spirited Autumn Event Sale!

My items for the event!

These items are part of The Spirited Autumn Event! For this event I will be offering a ♥FREE♥ pair of Mini Ball Stud Sterling Silver earrings for each item purchased with the TSAE tag. Also I will refund any shipping charges for purchases over $30 during this event!!

Upcoming Event

I'm getting ready for The Spirited Autumn Event, listed above. I will be offering a free pair of mini ball stud earrings for each item purchased with the TSAE tag. I will also have this information within the listings that I have set up for this event.

I'm off to make those stud earrings. Ohh and on a side note, I've made 3 rings so far...woohoo!! One I wear, and the other two I will have for sale in my shop soon....after I'm done getting ready for The Spirited Autumn Event....for more details on this event read the caption above.

Got A Lot Accomplished!

So I took today off of work to take care of a few things. First was purchasing a Main Showcase on Etsy, they always become available while I'm at work and I didn't want to miss out on it. I'm hoping it'll get me some more exposure!

Second was soldering and just getting comfortable working with my torch. I made my own pickling solution using white vinegar and sea salt...it works wonderfully...love it! I also used self pickling flux..I'm not sure if others use this type, but it worked fine for me. I made 2 rings. After the 1st one was done pickling, I filed down the excess solder and it looked great...then I hammered it for texture...uggghhh! It broke my solder right off :( So I'm going to resolder it now that I've already hammered it, all I'll have to do is file down the excess solder. I'll pull the 2nd one out of the pickle tonight, file it down, and wear it tomorrow and I can't wait!

I also tried my hand using Epoxy today. Of course with the help of a great Etsian, Ed from Stonesinmotion . I tell you, I don't know what I would do without his sage advice, he's such a wealth of information and really just an all in all great guy! On a side note, I've purchased some Rainbow Obsidian cabochons from him, and I can't wait to get them!! Okay so back to the Epoxy, it's tricky stuff and has to be mixed just right or it won't set at all. A coworker had a cabochon that I purchased a flat back sterling silver setting for so I needed an adhesive that wouldn't damage the stone. Well so far, so good...and it looks like I'll be able to give my coworker a new pendant tomorrow.

The other was for another coworker. She had a 14kt gold solitaire ring with a faceted Smoky Quartz, that she wanted switched out with a CZ. So I purchased a really nice quality 3/4ct. CZ and some tools to work with the prongs on the ring. I was really nervous because I didn't want to break one of the prongs off or damage them beyond repair...but phew it worked out well too!

The last thing I did was set some 8mm (2ct)colored CZ's in sterling silver pendants with notched prongs...oooo...I really love the way they look and will take pics of those tomorrow.

So I really did get a lot accomplished today and I can't wait to share some pictures of everything with you tomorrow.

Soldering

I didn't post anything yesterday so I wanted to add something today. I took tomorrow off and I'm going to be trying my hand at soldering some sterling silver rings. I have my fingers crossed that everything will go well. I've been watching soldering videos on Youtube like crazy, and of course I've read all of my books, and have even looked up all I can on the internet to read. Overdoing it??...nah ;) I'm just nervous and I don't really care to waste too much silver. I'm sure that my first few rings will be mine to keep because they won't be the prettiest, but what girl turns down jewelry??

Well that's all I have for now, I'm off for coffee night with the girls! Woohoo :)

I'll post pics of my creations tomorrow!