Glad Tidings

I picked up some of Diane Hawkey's word beads and Earthenwood's porcelain disks at Bead & Button this year and decided to order more for a series of pendants. Here they are, I created 3 of each design. I wanted something that was "holiday" but could be worn all year. Diane's beads remind me of worry stones. I could see someone wearing the pendant and touching the bead to remember the message they carry.

That reminds me of my Great Grandmother. She would play with her necklaces while she waited her turn at cards or while visiting with family over a cup of coffee. Beads rubbed between fidgeting fingers mindlessly while she recounted the details of stories from her past or news of friend of the family. I catch myself doing the same thing every now and then.

Nest Earrings to match the other pieces in my collection. I really love these. They are made with tiny eggs, makes me wish I could still wear earrings!

After the holidays and the book deadline I'm going to work on offering a line of jewelry to shops. The nest pieces will be part of that. I miss making and selling jewelry as part of my business so I'm easing back into it. 

Etsy Opps!

Squirrel 1: "What do you mean it's not in there?  It was here a minute ago."

Squirrel 2: "I don't know, I just found it that way...burp."

For those of you who are trying to check out from Etsy per my instructions for the discount - ignore it.  I didn't realize Etsy changed their shopping cart and you can no longer check out without paying.

So to take advantage of my 20% off discount: add 'winter20' to the note section, complete your purchase, pay and I will refund the discount back to your Paypal account.  This seems to be working the best for everyone.  Thanks!

Ye old Etsy Shoppe

Birds of a Feather

I'm doing a holiday market in a few weeks and a big part of my inventory are nest, egg and bird related items.  I have been making multiples of the same design - like the nests above with some eggs in a smaller size. They are so much fun to create, I feel like mother nature over here weaving together such lovelies. 

Nests symbolize the home, security, safety.  I like nesting, doing those little things to make a house a home.  I'm very thankful for my nest!  This bracelet features a Green Girl Studio nest, pewter branches, a branch disk bead and labradorite.

Eggs whisper to us of renewal, birth and hope.  An egg is a promise of good things to come - and who doesn't want a reminder of that!

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" - Matthew 6:26

I think that verse is why I like these symbols most of all - they are a gentle reminder to me that my needs are always met, I can let go of my worries and trust in things bigger than myself.

Winter Forest and a Gift

One Christmas my Dad took my cousins and I for a walk in the woods. There had been an ice storm the night before and the forest was covered in ice and frost. We came upon a brush that was covered in hundreds of tiny icicles. It was amazing, I could have stared at it for hours. My cousins, being boys, grabbed some sticks and started smashing the icicles to pieces. I was 8 and I was so mad at them for what they were doing. I remember that was the first time I realized I saw the world different from others. Where they saw sticks and ice, I saw magic.

It didn't matter whether I was 8 or 28 I always felt a little tinge of that winter magic whenever the first snow of the season would descend upon our sleepy little Michigan town. Three words - lake effect snow - oh the joy! These little pendants conjure up those cozy holiday feelings for me.

I whipped up this bracelet using one of my new toggle clasps. I used icy sterling silver wire and pewter branches. I could see this design used with copper branches and one of my Willow and Wildflower toggles too.

And here it is in action.

I added the toggle clasps to my shop and you can find them with the rest of my winter collection.

And because I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy I'm going to offer a 20% off coupon for my blog readers.

Check out as usual and wait for an updated invoice.

Use the discount code: Winter20 in the notes section when you checkout.

This is for my Etsy shop only.

Photo Redux

Morning all, thanks for popping by.  I've been recovering - from a computer crash and some health issues, not a good combo. But I'm back.  Working again like a little mad elf before the holiday rush.  Since most of what's been going on has been catching up and production work, I thought I'd share some before and after photos with you and some photo tips. 

The before shot - too dark.  The composition needed work - too much metal in the foreground took the focus away from the earrings.

The updated photo - better lighting and cropped closer to the subject.  I like the little addition of the sprig from a bush out of my front yard.  This pair of earrings sold the day after I changed the photo. 

Wowzers - way too dark and did nothing to flatter the earrings.  Bleah, bleah, bleah.

Now there is the stuff - love the lighting - nice diffused sunlight.  You can see the sparkle of those crystals and the flowers (from MissFickleMedia) much better.  Hmm, same composition as the photo of the other pair of earrings - that must have been working for me that day.  With the new Etsy photo dimensions of 500 pixels wide, horizontal pictures seem to work better for the first photo.

I photograph with diffused daylight next to a window. I have white sheer curtains to filter out harsh shadows. Another trick I have been doing to improve the lighting is holding a piece of vellum above the jewelry while I'm photographing it, the light reflects off the paper and seems to help the camera adjust better to the lighting.  (I'm not a techie camera person, I'm sure there is a reason for that little bit of magic.)

I use the window seat in my studio and stack up some books so that my photography area isn't at a back-breaking angle.  A trusty tripod is a must for good photos.  Simple backgrounds and props add some interest, they relate to my nature-inspired brand and hopefully they don't distract from my items.  And where would I be without photoshop to crop my images, sharpen them and adjust the brightness if needed. 

My favorite background for my photos is an old piece of slightly rusted metal that Jess found.  Other things I've used for backgrounds include scrapbook paper, old books opened and closed - love old linen covered books - embossed ones are even better.  A painted canvas with white crackle paint has been fun but works best as a background for small objects/beads. 

If you want to improve your photos - this is a must see!

What Is It?! Product Photography from I Heart Art: Portland on Vimeo.

What is your favorite background for your product photographs?