Market and Swap-and- Shop

Some days I feel like my life is spinning out of control. I want to come here and document all that is going on, but then I don't know where all of the time goes! The highlights of the last week have been:

Opening day of Kent Farmers' Market: This is my second full year selling jewelry, and it is such a different scene than last year. The Kent Lions, who are in charge of the Market, have done a fantastic job of organizing the Market this year and an even better job of communicating with the vendors about everything that is going on. It was a cold, yucky day, but some of our good friends from last year were there, and some amazing new vendors came. I had a good day, selling several pairs of earrings, and I am looking forward to next week.

The first EtsyRain Swap-and-Shop: This happened on the Sunday following Market, and was an absolute blast. I really appreciate the support I get from my EtsyRain buddies and I just absolutely enjoy spending time hanging out with all of them. Not to mention the fact that I scored some beautiful bookmarks for my dad and father-in-law from NORIK, some destash beads, and a great recycled t-shirt dress from Kayce at WorldofWhimm (from her OnaWhimm shop). Even better, I got to pay for the dress in fabric.

I'm going to try to post more regularly, hopefully my life will calm down. Until then, I'll keep reading everyone else's blogs and enjoying hearing about your lives.

Uh, Oh, Where'd She Go?

It has been a very long time since I have been able to post here. Life has certainly gotten in the way. I had a great time at the show in Edmonds on May 10th. I sold lots of earrings and keychains, and even a bracelet – yeah! I saw so many of my great PSIA/EtsyRain friends, and lots of other people stopped by to see me as well, including my super-crafty mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law and her husband (who ended up putting my stuff away for me and taking it home when I ran away to Disneyland for Mother’s Day with my daughter, my mom, my sister and my niece).

That was actually the next big thing that I did in my blog hiatus, Disneyland and Southern California in two quick days. We had an absolute blast! I miss my sister and niece so much, and it was great to spend some time with them, plus this was a big chance for my mom and I to spend some much needed time together. Happy Mother’s Day to me!

I keep creating new, fun stuff for my Kent Farmer’s Market Booth (Opening Day is June 7th – Woo Hoo) and for my Etsy Store. I like creating. I just don’t like taking the pictures and posting quite so much. Hopefully, I ‘ll be able to get better at it really soon!

Finally, I have just been taking a little break from all things blog (at least the posting side). Family life has taken over, and that will continue to take priority as long as it needs to. I love to read blogs and comment, and I will post more when things calm down.

Take care,

Trina

New Stuff

I don't have a ton of new stuff for the PSIA sh0w, but I seem to have more than I have ever had in one spot before. I also think I have done a better job of organizing and displaying my work than I ever have before, especially for taking the totality of my inventory (which normally fills a 10' by 10' booth) and scrunching it down onto a 6 foot by 2 foot table (which is a much larger table than I have used in the past, BTW). I have shutters to display the earrings, and risers to put under my table coverings to give my display some height. I'll try to get pictures, but they always seem to come out yucky when I take them at shows. We'll see.

So...the new stuff. Also posted as my "Sun Challenge" entry. The Sun and Moon Pendants. I really like these.

Getting Ready!

My first big show of the season, the PSIA/EtsyRain Edmonds Show on May 10th (see my previous post for details) is coming up in exactly one week. I got the nicest write up in anticipation of the show from Kayce at World of Whimm on her blog (thanks Kayce). I am frantically getting ready. Creating, packing, redesigning my display, deciding on whether or not to scramble and order a banner, its enough to exaust even someone who doesn't have a full time job and a family!

To top it all off, those who know me well will tell you that to call me organizationally challenged would be extremely generous. My work is scattered hither and yon, and it has been a major undertaking to unearth all of the its and bits I need for a show that haven't seen the light of day since the pre-Christmas Season. All day long it was "have you seen the bracelet stands?" or "where in the heck did I put the marbles for the martini glasses?" Hopefully we have found most everything now, and all that is left is to finish the last bit of packing during the week.

I even tried to take some pictures of my work area with its glorious dissaray of earrings and bracelets before they all got bagged, tagged, carded and packed. Unfortunately none of them turned out.

On a better note I have gotten some great ideas from our EtsyRain group about displays and I just took a great class from Marlo M. of IMakeCuteStuff on selling at craft shows, so I feel better prepared than I ever have before.

I'm very excited about the show, just in case you haven't figured it out already. I just wish all the tedious, mundane details would be done with, and the fun part could begin!

A Show, A Show

On May 10th, I am going to be participating in a great show in Edmonds, WA. There will be 25 EtsyRain/PSIA (Puget Sound Indie Artists) participating, showcasing everything from jewelry to fine arts to dress-up clothes for kids to fabulous textiles. I'm getting very excited.

I think the best part is the Gift Bags that will be given away to the first 50 people to come to the show, and to one lucky show-goer every hour. Most of the vendors at the show and several other PSIA artists contributed. These are not your typical, filled with flyers, magnets and business cards gift bags, but will hand-made bags (some by yours truly) stuffed full of goodies lovingly created by true artisans. I made something totally new for me, and don't worry, there will be some for sale at my table for those who aren't lucky enough to get a gift bag.

I only hope that I have enough time to do everything I need to do in order to get ready for this show. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who will help me.

I hope to see a lot of you there!!!

Crafting with Friends

Today I had a chance to get together with my really good friend Elli, and spent most of the day crafting. It was absolutely wonderful. We took pictures, bounced ideas off of one another, laughed so hard my tummy hurt, and worked so hard my hands are still sore. Elli makes the most fantastic semi-precious stone jewelry. It was wonderful. I'll post pictures of what I made as soon as I unpack everything from my outing. I can't wait to do this again!

Sushi, Sushi Everywhere, but not a Roll to Eat!

My crafty mother-in-law, Kristine, struck gold again last weekend. When we went over on Sunday morning, there was a small pile of strips of felt, and I was intrigued. She gleefully informed me that the strips were to become felt sushi! Even better, she had stopped by Fusion beads and we had "roe" to add to the top of some of the rolls.

While I worked on the earrings I had to finish, Kristine and my daughter worked on cutting strips of felt, rolling them into tight rolls, and stitching the rolls closed. There was red for tuna, orange for salmon, yellow for yellowtail or radish, green for wasabi and avocado, white for rice, and black for nori. They stayed busy for hours.

The whipped cream and cherry on this whole project was the roe that Kristine sewed to the top of two of the sushi pieces. It was a wonderful project. The inspiration came from an article printed in The Seattle Times on Monday, April 7th.

Two Piles of Earrings to Be...

I'm in full production mode for Summer. For me, that means making about a dozen different styles of earrings in about twenty different colors, give or take. I find it amusing that at one stage I have a pile of earring dangles that don't look anything like earrings. In these piles there are Fairy Wings (my latest), baby Byz (short for Byzantine), Peppermint Love Knots, Clovers, Flowers, and probably some I missed. I also inlcuded something new I'm trying -- gold accents instead of silver on some earrings.

Ick, Blech, Yuck

I feel the need to whine and complain a bit. Maybe even more than a bit. I came back from a spledidly wonderful anniversary trip in San Francisco last weekend to one of the worst weeks I have had in a very long time. The first thing we noticed Sunday night and Monday morning was how cold our house was. We thought the thermostat has just gone wonky, but that was not the whole story...more on that later.

Then Monday, I started to feel awful. I couldn't keep my eyes open and my whole body ached. I wanted to go home, but with my commute I knwe I had better wait to carpool with my husband. I ended up going straight home and climbing into bed. I didn't really get up again until Thursday. It was one of the worst cases of the flu I have had in many, many years.

During this time, my hubby did determine that our furnace -- in our five year old house, no less-- was totally on the fritz. NO HEAT! And we are having one of the coldest Marches on record. In fact, when I went back to work on Thursday, there was 3 inches of snow to be scraped off of my car. This whole thing is more than crazy.

Well, things are starting to look up. We are going to get the furnace fixed, I'm feeling much better, there is no more snow in the forecast and there are really no lasting effects to my terrible week.

I'm sure next week will be better!

Swag Bag Sewing Fest

Wow, EtsyRain (or whoever we are now) artists sure can work! On Saturday a whole bunch of us got together and sewed for hours and made almost 60 bags for our Swag Bag give away at our Edmonds show on May 10th. Whew, what a job. But wow, what fun. Marlo and Dawn were there, of course. Emma and Kayce had to be there as swag bag organizers. Sima was there, gamely learning how to cut and sew. Sherrie came by, and Jonah. Meghan brought the beautiful fabrics we ended up using as the There were many more people than that who came and worked really hard to make a ton of really cool bags.

When will Spring get here?

I love Spring. And I love Spring Flowers.

I Love PURPLE!!!

I finally got my second entry up in the latest EtsyRain challenge "Purple Rain". I had planned on doing several pieces, and due to life getting in the way, I only made two. I still have lots of ideas, though, and maybe I'll make some of them later on. I love this bracelet, and it may have to go home with me.

These Little Guys Need a Name

At my Farmer's Market booth, I sell earrings that I call "Martini Glass" Earrings (so called because I display them hanging from martini glasses). Each type of earrings is made out of 15-20 different colors of enameled copper, and they all have fun names. This earring is my latest, and I like it, but the weave is called Trek and, with all due respect to the Trekkies out there, I don't think that is the best name for an earring -- there might even be trademark issues. I'm stuck. Does anyone have any ideas? I'd even be willing to send a pair in the color of your choice to the person whose name I choose.

Thanks in advance!

Some Weaves have the Darndest Names

Just like quilt blocks, many chainmaille weaves have several different weaves. This particular weave was originally given the name Rhinos Snorting Drano. I wonder what the weave inventor was snorting to come up with that? It is also known as Barrel Weave and Stairway to Heaven. If you double the circling rings, the weave becomes Double Visions. I like the openness of the weave, it looks good on a wrist.

More Copper!

I just can't seem to get enough of this metal. I have made so much copper jewelry lately, it's getting almost ridiculous. Now I just need to get earwires attached, pieces tumbled and cleaned, Etsy worthy pictures taken, descriptions written and pieces listed. Where to find the time

In this post there is a Romanov bracelet with Amazonite beads, Celtic Star earrings, Dragonscale earrings and my personal favorite -- Love Knots. Pretty, pretty

Tiny Little Earrings

Just a couple of little pretties. The round ones are the Romanov weave with aquamarine swarovski crystals in gold-fill and the diamond shaped ones are sterling silver and gold-fill. Both are about 1" or so from the top of the ear wire. Tiny, but impressive.

Crazy for Copper

Lately, my favorite material to work in has been copper. (It doesn't hurt that silver and gold-fill keep getting more and more expensive). So, last night I lined up a whole bunch of my copper bracelets and snapped a pic. Wow, that's a lot of copper.

Etsy Really does Listen

So, lately on the forum, there has been this itermittenent outcry from many of the chainmaillers about the number of items in the "chain maille" sub-categories that are mislabeled. Usually they are jewelry made from pre-made chain that gets called chainmaille for some strange reason. Several chainmaille artists got together and decided to do something about the problem. The decision was made to petition admin to change the sub-categories from "chain maille" (two words) to "chainmaille" (one word) in the hope that would stop some people from choosing the wrong tag. Amazingly, admin said yes, if we could get an overwhelming number of chainmaille artists to agree. We convo'd and posted in the forums, and we got about 75% of the chainmaillers on Etsy to post that they would agree to a change, and admin not only agreed, they changed it (YEAH!!). The collective power we held was pretty amazing.

Purple Rain Challenge: Take One

Here is my first entry for the Purple Rain challenge. I love purple so much that I will probably submit several. I love the challenges because it forces me to expand my thinking and try to be more creative.

Recap: First Thursday

Well, First Thursday at Stir didn't end up to be the marketing boom I had hoped, but I had a great time. I got to hang out with some great sellers from EtsyRain and talk to the few people who stopped by to shop. It was unfortunate that Hilary Clinton was campaigning just a few blocks away during much of the Art Walk, which both seriously impacted traffic and drew in many of the same people who would have normally visited the gallery.

The reactions that I did get were very positive, however. Everyone who looked at my work was very impessed with the amount of work that went into each piece, and many commented on the great variety in the work that I had out on the table. I enjoy doing shows, mostly because of the interaction with people, and I certainly got that last night.

I'm excited to stop by next month and see the different artists hanging out at Stir.

First Thursday at Stir

So...I actually got one of the coveted spots at First Thursday Art Walk at Stir Boutique tomorrow night from 5 to 10 p.m. at 216 Alaskan Way in Seattle. I will be selling with Rosalie from Ugly Baby, Marlo from IMakeCuteStuff, Kayce from World of Whimm, and of Course KimberlyatStir. The mix of art should be absolutely fantastic. I had a blast last time I went to First Thursay back in November, and I expect tomorrow to be even better. I would love for any of you to come visit us.

Crazy for Pendants

I find myself making more and more pendants these days. And what's more, I want to make lots more of all different types. It was never a type of jewelry I thought I would get into. Until recently, I wouldn't wear necklaces, and pendants were certainly out of the question. Now, I'm sporting different pendants almost every day -- I just rotate through my collection according to my mood.

One difficulty with being a chainmaille artist and making pendants is that chainmaille lends itself to long chains rather than discrete units. I'm struggling to find different motifs that are small and discrete and pendant-like. Every time I stumble upon a good idea, I quick-quick make up a proto-type, and I find myself constantly searching the internet for more ideas. I just hope that pendants are just as popular with my customers and they are with me.

Creating Newness

I have a hard time coming up with new and orignal ideas. In chainmaille, most of what is done is pretty formulaic, just recreating or rehashing (for lack of a better term) what has already been done. There are some tremendously creative chainmaille artists out there, but overall, the art of chainmaille lends itself to recreation and re-expression rather than originallity.

That is why I am always very pleased when I come up with something new for me. I love these earrings, which are my latest "Love Knot" design, which is as creative as I have been lately -- even though this is just a variation on a theme.

Maybe this is the challenge I need to set for myself, to come up with some truly original designs and then execute them.

Wish me luck!

Wizard of Oz Chalenge: Take #1

I absolutly love the challenges that Kayce comes up for us to do. I like that we get the chance to stretch our creative juices and try some things that are new and different. I also love that I get a chance to branch out from my "stock" pieces and work on something challenging and exciting.

This is my first attempt to represent the Wizard of Oz in chainmaille. The rings represent the yellow brick road, and the green crystals represent the beauty of the Emerald City at the center. I think they turned out very pretty.

I'm hoping to get one more piece done, but due to a mix-up with some rings (two sizes got mixed together, so I thought I had more than I really did) I came up a little short. We'll see what happens with Wizard of Oz Challenge: Take #2.

I can hardly wait to see what Kayce has in store for us next!!!

Treasury Fever

For many months after I started on Etsy, I couldn't figure out the hype about the Treasury. It jsut seemed to be a bunch of lists that only occasionally appealed to me that everyone seemed to get overly excited about. I didn't ever seem to be able to figure out the secret of "snagging" one to be able to make my own list, and it just seemed like a big waste of time. Then along came Treasury West for a few weeks, and I was able to try out my hand at curating my own Treasuries, and I decided I kind of liked this. Added to this, I have been wanting to help promote EtsyRain, and Treasuries feel like a great way for me to support my Street Team buddies. So, now I activly try to snag treasuries.

I also have been trying to make more of an effort to check and see if I am featured in any lists. Usually is just an exercise of clicking through and hoping to see a gold star, and being mildly disappointed when none pop up. I always make a point of stopping and commenting in the treasuries that do feature me, and clicking on all of the items.

Today was a banner day. Not only was I able to snag a Treasury for myself, but I am actually featured in FOUR others. I could not believe my eyes. And one of those I have two items in the Treasury. Just in case anyone wants to go check it out, here are the links:

• I COULD DRINK A CASE OF YOU -- I'm featured (Expires 1/27)


• It's in the MAILLE -- I'm featured (Expires 1/28)


• All I Want for VDay! -- I'm featured (Expires 1/28)


• Dungeons and Dragons Fantasies -- I'm featured (Expires 1/28)


• Purple Rain, EtsyRain Style -- I Curated (Expires 1/29)

I have really come to love and appreciate the fun and the power of the Treasury. I will keep curating, and keep having fun.

So Many Rings...

and so many ideas!!!

I just got a huge order from the vendor who supplies the rings for my chainmaille, http://www.theringlord.com/. Sixteen pounds of sterling silver, gold-fill, copper and aluminum were waiting for me on my doorstep when I got home today. You can not believe my excitement. My husband just laughs at me when he sees me pointing and quivering at the beat up, tape-covered, not-very big, but very expensive box.

I really like the actual act of receiving supply boxes. The opening, the sorting, the checking in each line item on the packing slip. All of these acts are a pleasure to me in themselves. I also love the possibilities. Right now there is nothing more than tangles of rings, waiting for me to figure out what to make. Some of my options:

• Copper Byzantine Bracelets
• Bobble Pendants
• Wobblebobs *Galore* in every color imaginable
• Gold-Fill Graduated Persian Earrings
• Stering Double Spiral Earrings

I can't wait to get started, my hands are itching to get a hold of my pliers and start bending metal.

First Sale of 2008

After the rush of the Christmas season, I was certainly ready for a little break. I needed to relax and to restock all of the things I had run out of.

Well, I had a couple of weeks of resting and relaxing, and now I'm ready to get back into the swing of things on Etsy. Good thing I had my first sale of 2008 today!

Yeah, me!!

Photo Shoot!

Recently I got some new photo equipment (a light tent, some really good lights and a few other goodies) and today I had a chance to try them out with Elli, a friend I sold with at Market this summer. We had such a good time! I love my new toys.

The lights and light tent made taking good clear photos so much easier, and Elli was able to take photos that she was satisfied with for the firs time ever. I can't wait to take more pictures and experiment more.

This was fun!

Crafty Kids Rock!

My daughter has been doing pretty sophisticated crafting for several years now. My intrepid mother-in-law (check out the Handmade Holiday posts below for some of her accomplishments), has had my little one sewing on buttons, painting, snipping threads into tiny piles of fluff (not crafting per-se, but great for small motor skills) and so many other things I can't remember off hand. Lately I have begun to walk into the sewing room to see my little one crouched under the sewing table running the presser foot while Ma guides the fabric. What a hoot.

This weekend, my daughter designed and made a fused applique pillow with only minimal help from the grownups (except for the ironing and the sewing). I think it turned out great! Watch out Etsy, in a few years, she is going to take you by storm.

201 Hearts

I know it is a bit silly to be so excited about something not directly related to sales, but I finally made over 200 hearts. For those of you not in the Etsy-know, that means over 200 people have marked my shop as a favorite. I've been deathly ill since right after Christmas (that's why no posts for so long, sorry), and I haven't been checking my hearts like I usually do. It came as a complete surprise to see that the number had grown so high. And this also came on a night when I got two wonderful feedbacks left for me as well. What a great set of pick-me-ups after feeling so cruddy for so long.

I promise to post some pictures this weekend of some of the handmade gifts that were shared at Christmas time.