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!