It's a Southern Thing...The Barn Sale!

Yes, I sold my jewelry in a Barn!

Since retiring from the corporate world I've been working full time on my Etsy jewelry shop and a traveling jewelry booth setup.  This past weekend I participated in my first Barn Sale at the Old McDonald's Farm in Sale Creek, TN.  It was a "shabby chic" themed event put on by the Traveling Bazaar Group. 

Did I make a lot of money? N0.  Did I have a great time? YES!  It was so much fun I'm going to do it again in December.  It was great networking with the other vendors at the event and I learned a lot from them.

Some Craft Show Tips:

1.)  Bring snacks - eating a full meal is impossible if you don't have a friend to booth sit.

2.)  Bring a fan(s) - shoppers will stay longer in your booth if they are cool.

3.)  Bring Backup Supplies - many shoppers wanted to mix and match chain lengths with my sea glass pendants, no one wanted the necklace "as is".  Additional lengths were needed.

4.)  Be prepared for the surge - Serious shoppers arrive within the first two hours of the show.  After lunch was very sluggish for sales.

I'm on the standby list for the Jasper, Georgia, Marble Festival; keep your fingers crossed for me to get in this year!

Cheers!

Lori in Blue Ridge, GA

Mermaid's Tears...

The Legend of Mermaid Tears... Sea maidens could change the mighty course of nature, but were forbidden to do so by Neptune, the stern, watchful god of the sea. One dark, storm-ravaged night, with sails ripping and masts cracking, a schooner fought to find safety in Friendly Cove off Nootka Island in the San Juan I. The ship was familiar to the mermaid who swam along its side . . . she had weathered many crossings with the ship and its captain. As the ship heeled in the violent wind, the captain lost his hold on the wheel, tumbling perilously close to the raging sea. In an instant, the mermaid calmed the wind and tamed the waves, changing the course of nature and saving the life of a man she had grown to love from afar. For her impetuous act, Neptune banished the sobbing mermaid to the oceans depths, condemning her for eternity never to surface or swim with the ships again. To this day, her gleaming tears wash up on the beaches as sea glass . . . crystalline treasures in magic sea colors, an eternal reminder of true love.

I received a shipment of Genuine Sea Glass from Crete, Greece this week. Naturally produced sea glass ("genuine sea glass") originates as pieces of glass from broken bottles, broken tableware, or even shipwrecks, are rolled and tumbled in the ocean for years until all of their edges are rounded off, and the slickness of the glass has been worn to a frosted appearance.

This is my shipment of "Mermaid Tears". 

I've been using the glass to make necklaces for an upcoming craft show, I will be a vendor. Here is an example of what I'm making, I've added tiny pearls....

Thanks for stopping by today, let me know what you think of my designs.  Which is your favorite?

Cheers!

Lori in Blue Ridge, GA

New Design Space...

Now that I'm no longer working in the corporate world, I'm dedicated to reinventing myself and pursuing my creative side... 

I ordered this corner desk unit to use as my creative workstation at the new house. I will have a dedicated room for my studio. 

I plan to revamp and expand my current Etsy jewelry shop and develop a new shop dedicated to wedding decor.

I'm so excited to begin this new chapter in my life!

This piece will be used as my printer stand and file cabinet for my Etsy orders paperwork.  I like the wood grain finish and the industrial look framework.  

I will have two of these matching tall shelf units flanking the corner desk. One will be used for bead container storage and the other for wedding decor storage.  I will have easy access to both units for supply selection when I'm working on a project. I won't need to jump up and down to reach supplies like I do now in my current space.

We move to the new house in about three weeks.  I can't wait to get started on my new life!

Cheers!

Lori

The Art of Doing Nothing....

I hate to admit this in writing, but I am a procrastinator. For most people a small bit of this won’t hurt anything. For me, it can influence the difference between whether any work gets done in a day or not. Time management is fortunately a skill even an old dog can learn, but taking the initiative to do it, well that is another thing….

Today, I’m committing to better time management in my creative life and this is how I plan to do it… (There, I’ve said it; it’s on paper for the world to see)

1.) I plan to take care of the most urgent tasks of the day first. Example: mailing packages from my Etsy shop sales. This way, urgent tasks won’t be weighing on my mind for the rest of the day. Time management has a lot to do with setting priorities. Completing a task can be quite powerful if you take what is known about forward momentum and put it to use.

2.) I will break down large projects into smaller, more manageable ones. This will help me work on large projects a little bit at a time without feeling overwhelmed or stressed. If I work on different elements of the task on different days, I will stay more interested in it.

3.) I will overcome inertia that binds me. The longer I put off a project, the hard it is to get moving. Inactivity becomes the norm and nothing gets done. Even if I take baby steps it’s at least a start in the right direction.

4.) I will give myself rewards! Giving myself something to look forward to after I’ve completed the “to do” list will give me a good reason to finish the task.

Wish me luck and scold me if you see me wasting time!

Cheers!

Lori

Wire Wrapped Triangle Bead Bail

I have been asked what technique I used to wire wrap the triangle focal bead on my turquoise and pearl earrings.  I originally experimented with 24 gauge wire until I got the look I wanted.   Today I found a good tutorial for the process on the Fusion Beads website.  Below you will find (from their website) a step by step tutorial to help with this technique….

Cheers!

1.) Cut a 4" piece of wire (24 Gauge). Slide wire through the hole of the bead, leaving about 1 1/2 in. on the left side.

2.) With your fingers, bring the wires up - crossing the wires. The short piece should be in front of the longer piece.

3.) Using your fingers, form the wire to the briolette.

4.) Use the tips of your chain nose pliers to grasp the short piece of wire directly above where the wires cross.

5.) Bend the wire down to a 90° angle.

6.) Use the tips of your chain nose pliers to grasp the longer piece of wire directly above where the wires cross.

7.) Bend the wire straight up, forming a 90° angle between the two pieces of wire.

8.) Grasp the triangle that was created with your chain nose pliers.

9.) Wrap the short piece of wire around the longer piece about 1 1/2 - 2 wraps.

10.) With your wire cutters, cut the short tail as close as possible.

11.) Using the tips of your chain nose pliers, grab the wire directly above the wrap.

12.) With your finger, push the wire to a 90° angle.

13.) Using your round nose pliers, grasp the wire right at the bend.

14.) Pull the wire around the round nose pliers until it is almost pointing directly down.

15.) Reposition your pliers by opening your round nose pliers (but do not pull the pliers out of the loop) and pivot your pliers so the bottom tip is on the top.

16.) Continue pulling the wire around the nose of the pliers until the loop is completely round.

17.) If you are attaching it to a chain or ring, this would be a good time. To then wrap the loop, grip the loop with the chain nose pliers and grip the wire with your fingers.

18.) Wrap the wire around the base wire. Continue wrapping the wire down to the first wrap.

19.) Using the wire cutters, cut off the extra wire as close as you can to the wrap.

20.) Congratulations, you have now created a wire wrapped triangle bail!

Thanks for dropping by my blog!

Lori

Lovely Etsy Treasury...

One of my necklaces was included in a lovely Treasury today...take a look.

'Today Is That Day' by nenafayesattic

To start the journey into your future, to walk confidently in the direction of your dreams Remember to support small business this holiday season - Peace Nena

Typography Art Print Motivat... EEartstudio $12	Never Empty Handed . giclee ... ClareElsaesser $25	Wrap Beaded Bracelet, Friend... crystalglowdes... $18.5
Original Landscape Acrylic A... KamaraLarryStu... $125	2pcs Go Green Sea Glass Fros... GoGreenSeaglas... $7.95	Cute wise owl, home decor, c... DeepSilence $37
Sea Green Abstract shyphotog $15	Fall decor, thanksgiving dec... Clayshapes $75	Vintage 1970s, petite, green... brightbaublesa... $5.99
16" Rose Imperial Ja... beadmany $5.6	Animal Bowl, Small, Dog And ... barbaradonovan $30	100% Pure Mulberry Queen Sil... AliceInStitche... $9.5
Nautilus Shell Art Print fro... BuyArtSharonCu... $75	Coral and Turquoise Pendant ... LorisGlasswork... $59	Crochet Mermaid Tears - Croc... LaPerLaA $10
Leather Bound Journal - Sea ... HerringboneBin... $95

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CHEERS!