A tangled web

If anyone has actually popped out here regularly, you will have noticed the little blue "Welcome" note off to the right .. slowly evolving as I began and then became embroiled in the process of developing a website. I actually started in earnest last year around this time by talking to the graphic designer who helped me design my logo, stationery, note cards, etc. For the purpose of design consistency, it made sense that she'd be the best choice to incorporate into my web the same look used for my business cards and other printed materials. I was right .. she did a great job. With only a few changes, this is the look my home page will have.

The next part is where it gets kinda tricky. The design segment was emailed to the folks who will be doing all the coding to make it work .. a couple months ago (though I've already been using since August the credit card merchant that will be incorporated into my online shopping cart). Haven't heard a peep outta them since the graphic designer alerted me that she'd sent it. 'Course, I could step up and give 'em a shout, which I may do soon, but then that means I'm on the radar. A good thing, until I have to come up with the funds for the work to begin .. and there's the rub. So I'm taking it slow and biding my time .. hoping the state of the economy doesn't preclude good attendance at shows this season or from people reaching deep down into their wallets for the more time-consuming, high-end pieces.

And then there are those things for which I will be held responsible, and without which the web will be unable to go live .. little things like photographs and text. No small feat. So .. I've once again changed the blue text over on the right to reflect my personal reality. There is little chance I'll be able to (1) decide which pieces get to go up (2) photograph them all if I haven't already (3) create the descriptions and all the extra boxes if alternatives within a piece are available (4) create the text for the About Me, Customer Service, and other necessary pages just off the cuff - even if the completed web were presented to me tomorrow. For your typical Type A personality, this stuff takes time! It needs to percolate. I should be working on it now, but then who would make all the jewelry?!? It's times like this that some really cool Star Trek type cloning machine would come in handy. I've mentioned this need before, haven't I?

Alas, there is no such machine and only so many hours in the day. I know from watching the process when my husband went through it for the new Frederic Remington Art Museum web site over a year and a half ago .. there's a lotta back n forth communication - is this right, can we do it this way instead, please change this and, oh, is it possible to ...... etc, etc, etc. And since it's your livelihood, you want it to be right. I'm thinkin' the time for all that has passed this year, and it won't come around again until after the show season has ended around Christmas time. I'm hoping my thyroid hormone levels will have been under control for a while by then and I won't feel an overwhelming need to sleep the winter months away as I did this winter. Funny how a single little body part can have such a stunning affect on one's life .. then again, I guess there are other more troublesome body parts than one's thyroid. And I guess that's 'nuff said!

Catchin' Up, Part II

These are two remaining leaves of the four I posted November 24 before I'd fired them .. I'll almost be sorry to sell them (almost) as I've been wearing them all winter. But soon (very soon, I hope!!) it'll be time to harvest some new leaves!! My friend Mary Ann Evans and I are going to collaborate on some ceramic leaves this year, too (at least that's the plan). Mare is a potter, and I'd point you to her website if she had one, but she's too busy makin' stuff to bother; and as she's got an awesome studio/living quarters right on the highway up here, she's got maximum visibility, so is probably doin' just fine without one. She'll supply the clay, I'll make the leaves, she'll apply glaze(s) and fire them, I'll finish them with leather cord or rattail .. or sterling. Who knows. Sometimes you just have to wait to see where the piece leads ya. Can't wait!















This was made by request for a customer who had originally provided her own beads from a bracelet that had belonged to her mother. She'd seen one of my herringbone weave bracelets and wondered if I could make one with her beads .. she thought they were lapis. Turns out they were a pretty cool glass imitation. So I gave her a couple choices, as her beads were only about 7mm or 7.5mm - kinda small for this weave: I could make a very delicate version with her beads - there were 15 of them, so plenty for the task, or I could find some lapis in an 8mm bead and make the bracelet out of those. She chose the latter, and I found some "denim lapis" (a lighter version) and whipped it up in time to deliver it to her at a March 29 pearl knotting class of mine she was attending. Though there was some sentimental value to her beads, she really just wanted something to wear with blue jeans .. and she's still got the beads if she decides to do something else with them.




















This is another version of "Pearls with Attitude", which have become very popular. All the charm, charisma and class of pearls ... with a little Ooooomph! (And you can always wear the clasp in the back if you want). These were freshly knotted just before I took the photo, which explains why they're a little hinky on the left side. I don't use a jig for those clasps, so every one is a little different. This one is attached to a strand of Oceanic Blue Pearls .. if you're reading this on the blog and not in an email, you can click the pic to see them up close. They're a gorgeous color .. and I think this is the last strand of them I have (I'd buy another dozen if they were still available).

This little gem is yet another type of bangle, this one uses Swarovski cream rose pearls for an incredibly elegant look! I was amazed when it was completed. I immediately went hunting for other beads that size to see if I could make one with stones ... it took about 120 of the little buggers, so it would tend to be a bit more pricey if made with peridot, smokey quartz, turquoise or some other spectacularly colored bead. But I may have to try one or two, just to see. In the interim, I may make another one with pearls .. this one fits me perfectly, which means it won't fit about half the population of jewelry buyers. It looks so good on gold, I may even do gold again!

I'm still waiting for the return of my The Wild Inside stamp, which I sent back to the company who made it for a replacement. For some reason the bottoms of the letters T H and E were deteriorating, and the W in Wild was beginning to disappear as well, so that all my tags were starting to look like I wasn't hitting the stamp hard enough to make an impression. They couldn't figure it out, so I've got a new one on its way. I've got a pile of new stuff waiting for jewelry tags, including this piece.

We interrupt this program ..

Yes, I have a few more jewelry images to post, but I wanted to point you to a relatively new site .. not a whole lot going on there, but the concept is one dear to my heart:



Click on the "Why Buy Handmade" link on the right of their home page for more information and a ton of great links.

OK, I'm done here.

Catchin' Up

It's been awhile, I know. Sorry for the extraordinary gap, but between thyroidal madness and some bugs that snuck into my laptop, it's been difficult to get out here. Got a few new posts for you though, so here we go ..

First and foremost, I must tell you that at the end of February, the woman for whom I'd repaired a bracelet (see The Dark Side of a Sole-Proprietorship) came through with a check! On one hand ya could've blown me over with a whisper when it arrived, I was so surprised; on the other hand, it confirmed my belief that she just finally got around to sittin' down, writing the check and dropping it in the mail. It made me feel a whole lot better .. especially since I've had a couple of additional opportunities since then to send a package prior to receiving payment for it. I'm still inclined to believe Bruce Baker may be right to trust in people that way.

OK .. new jewelry .. sorta. This is a turquoise version of the olive caged and coiled bracelet I included here a few posts down. They're real eye-catchers. I still plan on making some additional colors, but it's creatively refreshing to break away to something else ... in between.

And here's a little bit of the "in between" .. three more fibulas. I apologize for the slightly out of focus images, but I took about 15 shots of each of the three and still couldn't get a clear, crisp photograph. I think I may have just been away from the camera a bit too long!

This one, which I call Gold Coast (the name just bubbled up from inside my cranium .. no idea where it came from), is downright opulent!! I got a little wild with the clasp this time and added that fancy wire wrap to spice it up a bit. The lentil and donut shaped beads are handmade lampwork glass, the pale brown nugget is smokey quartz. I call those three large connectors "garage door springs" . This picture doesn't give you a straight on perspective so you can see the "spring" aspect, but trust me, they look just like industrial springs. And they're pretty darn sturdy. I've previously used them as a base for bulky (i.e. heavy) charm bracelets, where they can't really be seen very well because they're smothered in beads. This is the first time I've used 'em right out there in the open. This version is a little bit too big for me and would probably fit a 6.25" to 6.75" wrist. I'm thinking of doing another with a lighter gauge wire. Oh, and there are earrings to match the lentil bead (which is about 15mm round) .. they're very light weight.














I've got more, but as my internet connection is dial-up, I'm sensitive to others in the same situation .. and for those who have subscribed to receive new posts via email, I know how long it takes for all those images to load. So I'll include the rest in another post.

A Winter's Tale

With the days getting just a tad longer - interior lights aren't needed now until almost 5:45 pm - my mojo seems to be slowly returning. I had little energy or motivation to do much of anything in January .. oh, except shovel snow, of which there has been much! We had another north country dump earlier in the week; and for one of the first years in memory, we have some serious snow banks. Romping with the dog in her usual three-acre "dog park" is an adventure in deep snow .. we both get twice the workout slogging through it. I'm still debating whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

One definite good thing about the return of the light is the corresponding return of my need to create .. and I've been spending time in the studio again. I actually had full-spectrum lights installed back when we were making the decision about such things; but they were my choice for their ability to reveal true colors rather than for anything having to do with counteracting Seasonal Affective Disorder. And I'm not sure they really have much affect on that malady, anyway. Though I will admit, the longer I'm down there working, the more I want to stay!

I had been looking for some time for the beads I used in this bracelet .. and back in November found and purchased multiple strands in multiple colors. It was orange for which I had been searching, but snagged olive, emerald, purple, turquoise, peacock and a soft, subtle washed out gray. They remind me a bit of crysophrase or chalcedony. Though not nearly the same value as those beautiful stones, the beads nonetheless seem to be illuminated from within. Real eyecatching.

When I was first learning how to create this piece, I used lava rocks - black, pitted and full of personality - and called it Ancient Civilizations. It was a substantial piece. This time I scaled it down and softened the effect .. I used a lighter gauge wire for the caged beads and as the core in the coiled wire beads. It's much lighter, both in appearance and weight, as a result. I've learned to take notes when doing this sort of piece, so when I want to repeat the design, I don't have to try to remember what length I cut various pieces to make it all work with as little waste as possible. This made it so much easier to begin this time .. I just had to find my notes!

The Dark Side of a Sole-Proprietorship

It was an interesting year, 2007. No doubt you all have your own highlights .. events or even small incidences that come to mind immediately for the joy or pain or surprise and delight they caused. While I had many positive memories in 2007, one thing that I and many of my artisan friends recognized was an overall slow down during the year .. smaller crowds at shows, more frugal buying habits .. things that alert us, without a doubt, to an economic downturn.

Perhaps it was because of this economic decline that I had a couple of unique experiences that highlight 2007 for me with a big red flag. I had my first ever theft at a show. It just boggled my mind at the time .. it still does. I saw the movement of the hand into a shopping bag. Due to things immediately preceding this action, I knew without a doubt what had just happened; but I didn't actually see the earrings plucked from the rack and popped into the bag - I only saw the tail end of the movement. It was only after the customer (and I use the term loosely) left my booth that I was able to confirm my suspicion. The earrings were gone. I was absolutely certain that this person had snagged them, but much like with the O.J. jury, there was reasonable doubt. I couldn't approach her for fear of embarrassing us both. And I had never encountered such a thing before, so I was frozen with indecision. I was a mess for the rest of the show, fearful that another similar incident might occur at any moment. This feeling was worse than the actual loss of a trifle.

Another relatively unpleasant situation involved having to become "collector" for monies owed. Again, a brand spankin' new ordeal for me. Anyone who has ever been owed money knows how uncomfortable it is to have to request payment for some object, service rendered, loan or whatever .. one would hope that a sense of obligation to pay would be enough. But when it isn't, what do you do??? Well, the "big league" sends out Over Due notices once, twice, maybe a final third time ... and with continued lack of response, it gets turned over to a credit agency, and they get to do the dirty work. Not being anywhere near the big league, my first choice was to print out the original invoices and include a little printed note at the bottom: "Did you forget ..... to remember?", along with a friendly little piece of clip art. I'm not into high pressure. Besides, people forget. I forget. Been there, done that. I didn't want to be nasty, I just wanted to be paid.

When that didn't elicit a response from either of the two parties to whom these reminders went, my second choice was a phone call. One of the two reminders went to one of my larger wholesale customers for a good chunk of jewelry they purchased in early December for the holiday season. It took two phone calls and a couple of days to elicit payment. This was the big one .. this was the check I needed to be able to order supplies not only for three pearl knotting classes I'm teaching this year but also for supplies necessary to re-create some popular designs that several other of my wholesale accounts have been requesting. It was an incredible relief when the check arrived. I fear many of these folks fail to understand that THIS is what I do .. if I'm not selling jewelry, I don't make money. I don't have a full time job on the side. There is no paycheck waiting for me at the end of the week. That invoice IS my paycheck. This is my job ... sell, sell, sell. That's the only way my business account goes from red to black.

And this brings me to defaulter number two - no less distressing for being a vastly smaller amount. A customer (again used loosely) by virtue of owning a bracelet of mine given to her as a gift. As it happens, the bracelet was purchased from one of my other wholesale customers in Clayton, NY. I can't remember how she got my business number, but she called and related a tale of woe - the bracelet had sentimental value as it was given to her by her sister. Plus, she just loved the bracelet. I don't normally do repairs, but I'll always take in one of my own .. and I have done restringing contract work for local jewelry stores. She said she wasn't sure if there were missing pieces, but when she described the bracelet, I knew exactly which it was (a special edition bracelet called "1000 Islands Sunset" made exclusively for this wholesale customer), and was certain I could replace anything that was missing .. so I told her to send it me. She even relayed this piece of information to me via email, which strengthens the sentimental value of her sister having seen the name of the piece and buying it for her:

"Thanks for all the info. My older sister .... came across the bracelet. My grandparents have had a cottage ... on Wellesley Island since the 1950's. The story goes you can spend all weekend in the islands but there are no sunsets until Sunday when the majority of people go home for the work week. So after a few years my family decided to make our plans to stay over for Monday morning so we can watch the sunsets. ... I really do appreciate getting it done so fast. Thank you. I have passed on your website to a few .. here ... and will definitely keep you in mind. Have a Wonderful Holiday! Thanks again, [customer]"

And I DID turn it around fast. In the midst of holiday craziness, both with my business and at the museum with my husband, I set out in order and cleaned every single piece of glass, crystal and sterling silver on the piece, restrung it, and sent it back within a day or two. I replaced a headpin (as well as a couple pieces I neglected to add on the invoice) .. and, my bad, I added one of my "the wild inside" jewelry tags at no charge, but neglected to put it on a separate line with n/c .. so perhaps that annoyed her, I don't know. But I did call her with the intention of finding out if there was something about the returned bracelet or my invoice that displeased her (the total invoice was for less than $20 .. I even charged her my wholesale price for restringing the bracelet!). That was my feeling .. I must have done something wrong, else, why would she withhold payment .. especially after I alerted her the day I sent it out and got this reply:

"Thanks so much for getting the bracelet completed so quickly. I will put a check in the mail for you today. I love the bracelet. It is a sentimental gift from my sister. I used to wear it everyday but I think now I will wear it to work. Any suggestions for cleaning it without harming the wire? Thanks again, [customer]"

But the fourth nasty truth hit me right smack in the ears when I called her .. she said she'd mailed the check two days ago. Yep, the check was in the mail, folks. Despite what turned out to be an ... untruth .. I still wasn't prepared to believe it and waited a couple more days before reality finally struck, thinking that perhaps she'd quickly mail a check out the day I called. Nada, zip, nyet. I would have been fine with a complaint about the misunderstanding regarding the addition of the jewelry tag, perhaps the newly strung piece was now a bit too tight ... whatever. Tell me the truth, and I'll fix the problem. Bruce Baker, a hero to those of us who need a little help out there in craft show land, tells us to trust our customers ... he assures us that to do little things like sending out their purchase before it's been paid for creates trust in you, sends a little arrow of warmth to the customer that strengthens the relationship. I guess I need to drop a note to Bruce and ask, "OK, what now???"

So, dear readers .. I am more disappointed than you can imagine. I thought of calling her again this weekend; but that would have been an uncomfortable confrontation for us both. But, of course, I will be forever hesitant to trust an unfamiliar customer again because of this. As a small, sole-proprietor type business, I'm angry, hurt, amazed and resigned all at once. I know I should just shrug it off, but "anxiety R us" .. I just can't help letting it hang there.

Even after all this, a little spot in the back of my brain still insists it's an oversight .. that this woman's life is so jam packed there's just no time for the task of writing a check, addressing an envelope, putting a stamp on it and dropping it in a mailbox.

If any one has any ideas or suggestions, for this or future similar situations, I'm all ears.

Last of the season's leaves

I sold the last of my finished fine silver leaves in Lake Placid on the 18th; and until spring when new leaves burst out for me to collect and use, the four shown here are all I have left. I had rolled and cut these some time ago, but have found that they clean up so much better if they're left to dry natually .. the longer the better. Any moisture left when you put them in the kiln, and bad things happen.

Shortly after taking this photo, I added bails to all four and they're currently drying. I'll be able to clean them up some time this week. (I'm sorry I didn't put a half dollar in the middle so you could see the size comparison. I'll have to remember that next spring).

I've found it easier to add the bails later rather than trying to work them into the design when cutting out the leaf. They just end up looking so much better. And it's easier to clean up and "polish" the dry clay without the bail being in the way (I've broken one or two bails this way, one of the reasons why I switched). I've toyed with the idea of creating the bails, letting them dry separately, and then adding them later. But I've been making the leaves with Standard (or original) PMC, and I haven't been able to find paste (or in clay terms, slip) in this version of PMC, so I have to make my own PMC Standard paste. And the few times I added water to the PMC powder that results after sanding, I ended up with a moldy mess when I went back to use it. Not good. Scary, in fact. So now I still collect the powder, as the stuff's too expensive to waste; but I keep it dry in its own container, and create paste as I go by just dipping a wet brush into the powder. Takes a lot of wet brush dippin' to create the kind of paste blob one occasionally needs to "glue" one really dried piece to another. So .. while at least the bails are still moist and willing to stick to stuff, I form them with greased up little straws, attach them, muck around with their placement, and hope I've been able to create enough of a sticky mess at their connection points to meld in the kiln (the PMC version of soldering!). I haven't been disappointed yet. Mostly 'cuz I'm a bit of a stickler for overkill. Not a bad thing in cases like this.

Anyway, I was really pleased with these four .. I think they're the best I've done all season. Can't wait till they come out of the kiln!! The one on the far left is my absolute favorite local leaf with which to work. It sticks nicely to the clay while still being easy to remove when I'm done with it. It has a lovely shape, great veining and they're the perfect size for working with both Standard (which shrinks 25-30%) and PMC+ and PMC3 (both of which shrink about 10-12%). I can't tell you what it is - I've tried to find out, but can't find it in any of our collection of books on trees and local flora. It comes from a grapeleaf like vine and is found at the base of several of the maple, oak and apple trees on our property as well as in among the honeysuckle the birds have "planted". If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to know! The next one is a birch and the third and fourth examples are a red maple and a white maple (one of which is already spoken for, just don't know which one yet).

OK .. I'm off to run errands. One of which is to stop at the local Agway and see if they have any house plants from which I can raid leaves over the winter! I haven't really thought about house plants as a source, but there just may be one out there with the perfect PMC leaf! I'll keep ya posted.

Rubber stamps .. not just for scrapbooking!

In between all those shows, I do occasionally have time to create something new. This piece came out of the discovery of a local rubber stamp dealer at a show I did at Clarkson University's Cheel Arena back in October. I purchased several from her over a couple visits to her booth (from among a collection SO much more interesting than what's available at Michael's or the local JoAnn's!!), but this particular one was the only stamp that barked at me for immediate use. I really liked the long twining vine theme. I initially thought I might attach the precious metal clay piece that resulted to a strip of leather, as I've been toying with the idea of creating some sort of leather design with a sterling clasp - but for some reason I decided on something more delicate. The pearls are faceted, dyed teal and are hand knotted. Aren't they a great color!?!? I call the piece "A Secret Garden". The silver piece is a 1/4 ounce of .999 silver, yet it's still a dainty, elegant bracelet.

The Show Circuit

It won't be long now before the 2007 Show season will be over .... whew! I'm not even out there every single weekend like many of my artisan friends, but I'm still tired! And longing for January when I can dive back into some new designs, play around with some cool new PMC tools I've been collecting and try out some of the tutorials and lessons I've purchased over the last year (as a reward here and there when I did well at a show!)

The photo above was taken in early November at Jefferson Community College in Watertown. It was one of the last times I used the black velvet table covers. It's a nice look; but I had originally purchased several different sizes of velvet to fit over a variety of display cases at the show that followed this one - and they weren't meant to be long term (though I've been using them now for two years). They're wide open in the back, which leaves all my boxes, tubs, bags, lunch and stuff visible whenever my booth doesn't have a good backing ... like another vendor's stuff or the back panel of a pop up canopy.


This was taken at the next show, the Jefferson County Historical Society, also in Watertown. I was the featured artist here in 2005 and have tried it a couple more times with good results - thanks to several great fans from the area! These are three women from my Artisans Guild - all four of us were at the JCHS Holiday Victorian Faire on the 9th and 10th. From left to right, Carrie Sweredoski , who makes awesome handmade soaps, lotions and potions using real essential oils - no fake 'r phony scents here. She and her husband are off to California Dec 15 and won't be back til Spring. Color me green; Moi, in the navy jacket; Mary Ellen Tyner in front of whose decoupage plate booth we are standing. She's an FIT graduate and can actually make a wedding gown from scratch - this skill amazes me - AND while a student there, she's the one who designed the famous Isotoner glove!! No recognition for that whatsoever .. life is most definitely not fair; Susan Lyth makes beeswax candles .. the kind of candle EVERYone should be burning in their homes instead of those high-pollutin' wax and so called "soy" (not 100% soy, but soy and paraffin blends that are sold as soy candles) .. or those especially nasty, artificially scented things you find in the grocery stores and gift shops .. yes, ladies, I include Yankee Candles in this category.

It was fun being all together at the same show .. that doesn't happen very often. Though several of our group will be at Lisa Nortz's Open House at the Fire Hall in Croghan on the 24th - if you happen to be in the area, stop in! Lisa does silver jewelry, Marcia Walligory makes gorgeous baskets (including sturdy pack baskets), Lis Barsuglia-Madsen is a weaver and makes all those warm winter things you like to have this time of year, as well as very cool woven handbags, table runners, placemats, etc., Susan will be there with her candles, I think Sharon Stewart will have her herbal blends, teas and animal treats, and Lisa's husband will be displaying his wooden lazy susans and cutting boards. Worth stopping in if you're the type who likes handcrafted things. We're a pretty cool bunch, even if I do say so myself.














These shots are from a show on the 18th at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake. It was the first time I used my new table covers!! A very good friend of mine made them for me from material I found on sale at JoAnn's in a color that matches the blue on my business cards and stationery (I can do buttons and hems, that's the extent of my sewing ability) . . and I had a graphic art company in Watertown put the logo on the front of one of them. It was supposed to be only six inches from the top .. I'm not sure what happened, but it still beats hauling that little wooden sign around with me, and I love the way it turned out regardless! Oh, and the covers all have back flaps that velcro shut .. so I've got a ton of privacy for all my show "stuff" now! I just love progress!

An "Oooops" is saved

I had to come up with a piece for the St. Lawrence NYSARC Art Benefit recently and, as the deadline was fast approaching, decided on pearls. I've still got several strands of these "marine teak" pearls, and they're perfect for this time of year; I just needed to knot a strand and pop a clasp on it. As it happened, I had this little piece of 16 gauge squiggle left over from a fibula pin I had inadvertently destroyed with a misplaced snip (see "The Same .. Yet Different" post), and it was the perfect size for the pearls. After finishing the necklace, I thought I might throw in some earrings to go with it and found myself struggling over making a pair spare and simple or a bit more funky. So I did both. The simple pair is just a pearl on gold-filled leverbacks; the funky ones echo the clasp. I liked THEM so much, I may have to pound out a few more!! One thing often does lead to another ...