Humblebeads at Lima Beads

I met the Ali from Lima Beads at Bead & Button this summer where they picked up a nice collection of my beads.  I was excited to hear from them in September and that they were planning to carry art beads on their site and wanted to place an order.  I'm so honored to be included as one of their first featured artists.  I blogged about it on the Art Bead Scene today along with a contest to win a grab bag of beads with Humblebeads, Jangles, Green Girl Studios and C-Koop.  To enter create a Fresh Pick, like the one above and leave a comment on the ABS. 

Humblebeads at Lima Beads

Brrr...baby it's so not cold outside

10 Random Facts about Me & the Holidays

1. I start day dreaming about the holidays in October. 

2. I like to keep a Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book, old issues of Martha Stewart and Home Companion on the table and look through them during lunch.

3. Favorite holiday movies: The Christmas Story, The Snowman and Die Hard.

4. We decorate our tree in a different handmade theme each year.

5. My husband gets as excited about the decorating as I do.

6. I have a holiday craft book for kids in the works, as soon as I finish my current book I will start the submission process.

7. I probably wouldn't be so crazy about Christmas if I still lived at home - I think it's my way of dealing with being homesick during that time of year.

8.  I love snow - until January 15th and then I'm stinkin' happy that I live in Texas and enjoy 50 degrees in January.

9. I try to be non-commercial with gift-giving for the holidays - everything is handmade, art supplies or books.

10. I have an impressive collection of skinny and light-weight scarves so I can pretend it's chilly outside when I accessorize in October and November!

(So is there a limit on how many photo collages blog readers will tolerate?  They are just so much fun, thanks Lorelei!)

Yes, I rolled out the holiday themed beads today. 

I know you guys are already working on gifts and getting ready for shows!

Don't forget to visit the Art Bead Scene today for some Holiday Boot Camp tips.

Earring Inspiration

I love making earrings! I can't believe how many different things you can do with the same basic bead shape.  The silver wire ones were inspired by projects in Denise Peck's 101 Wire Earrings.  Still one of my favorite books.

When I do shows I make up 5 or 6 different designs, like the ones shown, and do them in 4-5 different colors.  It's a quick and easy way to come up with a collection of earrings in a hurry.  Oh how I wish I had a craft show to do!  Well, I mean an artist's market because me and craft shows are not good buddies.  My customers shop were art is sold and not country crafts.  You can be at the busiest craft show in your city, but if you sell work that is more urban, artsy and targets a different market, you'll find you have very frustrating results.  In general if paintings are being sold at a show, I know it will be a good place for my work.

The earrings above feature my Branch Disk Beads.  Other great earring beads that I make include the new Willow Disk Beads, Petal Disk Beads and my handy tiny Spacer Beads.  You can also find an earring bead grab bag in my Etsy shop and save a little green.  The grab bag beads sets are ones I made up for Bead & Button and there are just too many to photograph individually.

Thanks for visiting today! 

Photo Redo

So I whipped up some headpins over the weekend and photographed them. I was happy with the photos and listed them in my shop. And then I looked at my shop and realized that the photos were dull and not eye-catching at all. Blah. I quickly realized I didn't have enough light. So this afternoon I pulled out the camera and tried again. You can see the first photos on the left and the updated ones on the right. I took these photos in the same area with the same camera settings, the only difference? I took the better photos during the middle of the day and the other ones too late in the afternoon. It can make all the difference. Do some experiments during different times of the day and see if you can find better natural lighting.

So how important is that first photo in your Etsy shop? Which one would grab your attention and deserve a click through? Which ones are more likely to end up in a treasury or on the first page? Let the photos work for you!

And now for some props! Here you can see the original photo in the lower right-hand corner. The raven was okay as is, but I didn't feel the photograph captured this little guy clearly or with enough personality. With a few strategic props this listing is much more of an eye-grabber than before.

I also wanted to give this little guy more attention because I went crazy making them last week and have about a dozen more than usual in stock. So they are on sale in my Etsy shop, yep you can save a whole buck. And with that dollar you could buy yourself a little chocolate treat and celebrate Halloween 4 weeks early. Yep, that sounds like a plan!

Join the Book Club

Do you crush on beads?  Is that too weird?  I'm crushing on these little books from Jubilee.  They are so sweet and tiny and have little dog-eared pages - yes, it's definitely puppy love! 

I so badly want to do a holiday market or two - but I'm just not able to find one that fits me here in SA.  I should look into some places in Austin - but of course, it's probably already too late.  Sigh - oh well Etsy may have to be my craft fair this season.  I have several lines of jewelry planned, like the little Book Club pendants above - I love thinking up the titles!

Are you starting to plan out your holiday selling season?  Etsy has a boot camp you can join.  Here is the 1st newsletter and checklist.