Oh Nuts!

What squirrel doesn't need a few acorns? I worked these up this afternoon. They are so tiny. I could be on a roll here. I'm feeling some mini Christmas ornament earrings in the works. I think my nieces would love them.

A whole pile of acorns, even better!

A little hedgehog bracelet. Love the clasp!

Right now, I want to dream of fall, it's actually chilly here tonight.

My Autumn Wish List:

Buy a burnt orange cardigan

Sew a fall-inspired table runner

Cook an acorn squash - bought one this week

Go to a pumpkin patch

Shop at a market day or craft show

Visit Lost Maples to see the leaves changing colors

What fall activity or tradition do you look forward to each year?

An Unexpected Visitor

Why hello there muse. Yes, yes, please come in. Oh, well I'm working on a few projects, but I'm ever too busy for you. Sit please. Would you like some tea?

Hedgehogs you say? Really, I never thought of them before. They are a lot like the birds. I could try it. (Thanks to Penguintrax on twitter for the little whisper.)

Okay, there is a hedgehog. Oh my, that's some serious cuteness. Hmm, if I'm branching off into woodland creatures I better give my favorite furry animal a try.

Jess saw these little ones and in his best Motley Crew impression he began to sing, "Squirrels, squirrels, squirrels...short hair, bushy tails, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels."

And thanks to some inspiration from a customer, a little purple martin has come to rest in the humblebeads studio.

Okay guys, to the etsy shop with you...

I didn't wake up expecting to add woodland creatures to my collection of beads, but when the muse comes to visit you never know what will appear on the bead table.

You don't say?

(insert funny caption here.)

I just wasn't witty enough to come up with a funny caption for this image, but there seems to be a story here. Leave a caption for this photo in the comments. I'll draw one random winner on Saturday for a free Winter Dove Bead. Yep, they are new.

The little house sculpture is about 3" tall, I wish I could remember the artist's name. We picked it up at an art fair a few years ago.

Craft Business Resources

I was looking up some information for a friend and thought I'd share a few resources with those who have Etsy shops & other creative businesses.

1. Did you know you can download your Etsy sales and billing information into a spreadsheet? I did not know Etsy provided this service, how handy! Check out the how-to article here.

2. Need a spreedsheet for your inventory, sales & expenses? Etsy has a free one you can download: Etsy Seller Inventory Worksheet. There are several to take a look at on the page and see if one works for you.

3. Free online and local advice/mentoring is available through SCORE for small businesses. They have tons of resources on their site too. If you have a local chapter in your area they also offer inexpensive workshops. Check out their website!

4. The friendly folks at Modish have awesome online marketing articles. Want to know how to crack the online marketing code, get featured in the top indie blogs or how to find your niche? Go read the Modish Marketing Column, you can subscribe and have them sent directly to your inbox.

The bead show was fun. I picked up some brass/copper/gunmetal findings, just some basics for a great price! I spent Sunday morning finishing up new holiday beads. After the show I sat down and created the samples for my new holiday line. I have new ornaments - birds and retro snowflakes. I made some dove beads and a few new bird necklaces. I also pulled out my holiday inventory because I think it's time to start listing these bad boys again. Now, if you'll excuse me Bing Cosby and I have a date in the studio.

Beady Weekend

Today was a very busy day, I had a nice stack of orders to ship out. Thanks to my bead-packing man, they were shipped with very little oversight from me. I like that. I taught him how to print my invoices & labels and he can wrap a mean little package, complete with ribbon. My hero!

5 new projects have been sent out. A few more cropped up on the bead table. I took a quick trip to Hobby Lobby for some essentials. Ha! When do you go into a craft store and only get essentials? We are planning a $10 Tuesday feature for the Art Bead Scene and they had quite a few interesting findings for 50% off. So, those were essential, right?

Tomorrow I'm going to the bead show with my dear friend. We'll spend time chatting and scheming creative plans. I like scheming! Maw-ha-ha-ha. (That's my evil craft laughter. You know, because the laugh is just about standards.)

You're Invited!

Join me in 2 hours for the Bead Art Originals Trunk Show!

Along with an amazing group of jewelry designers there will be 7 bead artists participating in tonight's show.

We are giving away 8 door prizes, one every 15-20 minutes. You must be present to win. Along with the door prizes there are sales and specials that will be announced during the trunk show. You have to attend to find out what they are. I have a pretty amazing special for tonight!

The party starts at 7pm Eastern Standard Time. (That's 6pm for you Texans!)

Where is this party? In the Etsy virtual labs, here is the direct link.

What is a virtual trunk show exactly? It's really just a fancy chat room. Along with visiting with the artists, the moderator has a presentation prepared sharing our work and a little about our team members. Fun, inspiration, deals and a chance to win free stuff - you are going to be there, right?

Never been in the labs or a chat room on Etsy? Not to worry, here is an article that covers the basics. See you there!

Hallo-Weenie!

I'm not real big on Halloween, I'm more of a harvest girl myself. Maybe it was looking through my old fall issues of Home Companion and Martha Stewart that did it. I worked up some cute little Halloween inspired jewelry.

An ode to Edgar Allen Poe.

Pumpkin Earrings

Little Hoot Pendant

Harvest Stripe Earrings

I think I've been listening to NPR too much today. Seems like the world is falling apart. Makes me thankful for what I have and reminds me that in feast or famine there is joy in it all.

How has the economy effected your business? Are you planning a wider range of price points? Making smaller items? Purchasing your materials at wholesale for a bigger discount? Creating larger, more expensive pieces to appeal to those outside of middle America?

Chin up creatives, we have the greatest power in the world, know-how. We can create something from nothing and relish in a make-do way using what we have. And isn't that just amazing? Celebrate it!

Well, let's take our minds off it all tomorrow and meet for the Bead Art Originals trunk show.