Whimsical Pecking Order

I ran across this fun necklace on Etsy in the Strangely Yours shop last week.  It is a movable part, interactive necklace that shop owner Lorraine and her husband make.  (needless to say, I ordered it and it's in the mail!)  I love movement and the unexpected....this one fills the bill.  But what I also thought, (beadmakers and jewelry designers- what do you think?), is to add a little of my glass beads to make it into a little more.  I was thinking some transparent green glass leaves in soft colors and maybe some dark ivory with silver stringer (or not) beads.  I don't want to take away from the unique focal part of it, but a little something else, perhaps  might be fun too.  Visit Strangely Yours and look to see if they still have their sale going.  I got this at 20% off, which was nice extra benefit.

Spring Buzz on Etsy

Sometimes I go to Etsy Treasuries for a burst of inspiration.  I don't look to other glass folks, but kind of an overall type of feeling.  I saw this treasury curated by lidi of ceraminic, (which you can find here)  And I see a plethora of choices. Now to decide where to start.

Valentines Day...The Perfect Card

I think I found the perfect sentiment for Valentine's Day.  It's not too mushy, not is it too mean.  So for all my friends and loved ones who read this blog.......

(and I have to say, I am a big fan of bacon, so i must be a bigger fan of you!)  Happy Valentines Day from someone who doesn't take the holiday over seriously.

PS,  you can find this awesome card on Etsy right here.

Robot Sculpture on Etsy

I have to say, I'm a sucker for cute robots and this one by Reclaim2Fame on Etsy (HERE) strikes a chord.  The rest of the shop is enticing as well.  Steampunk pups, and all kinds of cuties made out of recycled items that give the art pieces a lot of panache.  Stop by this shop for a lot of fun.

Folding Jewelry Display on Etsy

Craft show display maker "Wudls" on Etsy makes this wonderful folding angled jewelry box display.  I accidentally found his shop, and spent the next 20 minutes looking through all the different handmade displays.

If you need to pack up your displays like I do, it seems like this makes a lot of sense.  I love the idea of being able to box it up more easily, especially when it's traveling in my luggage on an airplane.

Have you run across some good displays for traveling sellers?  Post a link and share with the rest of us.  And let us know whether you have some other great ideas too.

Etsy Owl Inspiration

I look all over the internet for inspiration when making different sculptural beads.  Often, I go directly to Google, but sometimes, I'll pop by Etsy for fun ideas.

For example, I love to make owls in different poses and with a variety of faces.  Here are some Etsy shop examples.  This first one came from SarahTrotterVintage.  And it's a pendant from the '70's.
I like the design in the center and the use of colors.

And here is a totally different look from Etsy.  This one is apparently rare and porcelain from NotTheBeatles' shop.

They both would make really cool beads and yet are so very different.

So I would encourage you to check out vintage Etsy.com for another source of inspiration.  And you'll see what fun ideas different decades have to offer.

See you tomorrow.

I'm A Little Tea Pot

I'm not a huge hot tea drinker, but I think I could convert if it means getting this Personal Teapot from Etsy artist Hodaka Hasebe.  I love the shape, the colors and sweet details.  What a great find!

Designing a Special Wedding Necklace of Friendship Pearls

I recently received a wonderful email from an Etsy friend.  We were on the same "team" together and have enjoyed a lot group bantering back and forth over time.

In her email, she announced her engagement and also explained that she wasn't able to invite us due to large families, cost, etc.  Of course we understood.  But the part I really loved, was that she asked all of us, her jewelry making friends- to send her just one pearl of any type, color, etc. and that way, she would have a bit of us with her for her special day.

I'm such a girl.  I still get teary eyed thinking about this fantastic idea.  Friendship, jewelry, and an upcoming non-traditional wedding....  I love it all.

So her big day isn't for quite a while. I had my pearls spread out and was trying to figure out, which one to send, until she saw one of my flower beads with bees and said she would like one of those. So now I'm designing one of those to send instead.

Have you seen any great non traditional wedding ideas that you wouldn't mind sharing?  I'd love to hear about them.

Little Secret Boxes

I found these cute little secret boxes from Greek Art on Etsy.  They keep the shipping cost low by coming unassembled, but apparently they go together quite easily.  

I don't know..I'm thinking that some of my little treasures or special gifts might be fun to present in a wrapping as cool as this.

Friday the 13th? It's Your Lucky Day. Be My Blog Buddy!

I've decided that I want to have an occasional guest blogger here.  And you might be just perfect for one of the openings.

You know, there are multiple reasons why we blog.  Sometimes it's to sell items from our Etsy shops.  Sometimes it's because we have something to say or show, or perhaps it's to increase our web presence.  Sometimes it's even to perform a service of some kind.  I'm sure there are lots of other reasons too.

I guess I'm kind of all of those in varying degrees plus some other stuff.  But I know there are a lot of other talented bloggers out there, who would love to increase their blog audience.  And I think doing a trade of a "guest shot" could do that.  

I seem to somehow have found that folks email me a lot asking me artist type business questions.  Many relate to marketing, etsy shops, facebook, twitter, social networking, etc.  And one of the topics is blogging.  How it helps get your name out to more folks.  

I'd like to do an experiment with a few of you.  Let's trade a post on a blog and see what our viewer ship does.  We'll both promote it and see if our numbers change at all.  

So what topics am I looking for?  Something relating to your art, or someone else's that is fun and entertaining.  Your art or craft doesn't need to be glass, but it could be about tools and materials, a cool studio, actual art or craft, or something along that line.  It could be showcasing what you do, if you'd like.  Just tell me in a paragraph or two what you'd like to write about.  and don't forget, that blogs need good pictures too.

And how will I choose?  I'll keep all submissions and look them over.  Then I'll see what I have scheduled for upcoming weeks and pick some that will complement the content that I'm already doing. And I'll contact you and let you know.  I'll just pick one or two at first and if it seems to work, I'll ask more of you for your submissions.

And then we'll both write about it - before and afterward.  How did the experiment work?  We'll look at from a personal as well as a business aspect.  Perhaps we'll start more people trading and increasing their presence as well.

So post any questions you have here about it.  That way everyone will know.  And please submit your ideas by this coming Wednesday to me via email.  Here's my address.  And we'll see how it goes.  You do not need to have equal readership to mine- less or more, doesn't matter.  But we'll see what we can do and everyone can learn in the process.  Now send me some submissions please!

Rub a Dub Dub, Let's Scrub

This handmade natural stone sink on Etsy appeals so much to me.  Stonemason is the shop's name and you can find it HERE.

Easter Bunny Donates Body

Happy Easter!
Emily Stoneking's The Crafty Hedgehog shop on Etsy is always a delight.  But this Bunny Who Donated His Body to Science really makes me laugh.

Wishing you a day of peace, love and jelly beans...

Which Is Your Personal Taste?

I love having a nice outdoor fire on a cool evening,   Here are two very different fire containers from Etsy.  This top one is a FireBowl which is handcrafted and 100% recycled.  You can find it HERE.

And this second one, is also handcrafted, this time by Modfire on Etsy.  It is made to order and comes in a variety of colors.  You can find it HERE.

So tell me, which one is more your preference?  And why?  They are two very different, cool styles that do essentially the same thing.  I relate it to many of our other art/craft styles.  In my glass bead making world, I see a contrast between modern streamlined to a more earthy/organic style.  Both beautiful in their own way.

So..., tell me what you think?

You Are What You Craft

stationary from Sweet Perversion on Etsy.com

So do you agree?  You are what you craft.  I do.  But I think for some people it really is who they are and for others, it is just a part of them.

I'm one of the latter.  Perhaps it's the Gemini in me, but my whimsical art is what tends to come out of me, but I have a grown up side of me too.  It comes out sometimes.  I don't know what the catalyst is, but it does.  And then I get comments like, "it doesn't look like your work".  I know it's confusing, but to quote a famous thinker, "I yam what I yam."

Do you have two or more very diverse sides to what you do?  Do you have a single voice?  Have you evolved from one thing to something very different?  I'd love to hear more.  

and P.S., if you check out Sweet Perversion on Etsy, caution... there are a lot of "adult language" cards on her site.  Funny, but definitely not rated PG.

Butter Me Up

Okay, if you misunderstood, the title is not meant to be kinky, but a witty lead in to this adorable butter dish that I found on Etsy. It's made by Natalya Sots who grew up in Kazakhstan and now lives in Chicago. Natalya's shop can be found here. And Santa, if you are reading this, I've been a very good girl and would like this or her Sunshine Girl Tea Cup which also makes me smile.

Time For Christmas Yet?

I guess I'm one of "those" who could skip Thanksgiving and go directly to Christmas. Yes, I'm thankful for so many things, and I do love turkey and apple pie, but I still love Christmas. I like giving gifts, and I love red and white and green together and best of all, I love the smiles that the holiday elicits.

So I know it's just November 1st and some of you will strongly disagree with me and discuss the commercialism of the holiday, etc. Point taken, agreed with and I understand completely.

I just wanted to say that I'm excited.

Crafty Biology Lesson

You know, this might be the only type of fetal pig dissection that I can stand. I never thought I'd be smiling at the process. CraftyHedgehog on Etsy has got the corner on the market for biology lab knitting . It makes me laugh and want to take up knitting, just so I can make this quirky project.

And the one that really gets me going is this one. I almost posted this picture, but didn't want any little children upset from seeing it. You'll smile, don't worry.

See you tomorrow!

Baby Feet

There are some days I just can't help it. My eye catches cute little baby clothes and in this case- shoes. My kids are grown and being a grandmother is light years away...(if my kids are reading this..no pressure- I swear!)

But *sigh*...aren't these baby feet adorable? I found them on Etsy.

Steampunk'd Computer

Okay, so it isn't really punk'd- but it's a pretty cool version of Steampunk Style...
I saw this computer retrofit by Old Time Computer on Etsy. And actually he's adding more eras and styles to his repertoire. You can also find out more info here.

It reminds me of a line of song in All That Jazz..."everything old is new again".

Let me know what you think. Do you like it? I find it delightful.

The Glass Webb

My friend, Chris has opened her Etsy shop Glass Webb and I have to say, I'm charmed.

She works in boro and makes a lot of ocean related pendants, which I love. But one of the reasons I wanted to show you, is because Chris's proceeds for the next couple of months are all going towards her daughter's medical condition. Her daughter can't grow hair, and needs some hair pieces. Needless to say, they're expensive.

So pop on by and see if you find something you can't live without. I know I did. (I chose a darling seahorse BEFORE I showed you the shop... I couldn't resist. I apologize.)