Project Runway!!!!

Yay! Finally, it is on, Project Runway.  I very rarely watch tv, but I sit down and make time for this show.  My mom was a seamstress and I took fashion design classes straight out of high school.  I didn't follow fashion professionally but still do some sewing for my family.  I especially love to quilt and cross stitch.  I see the designers on this show and I think, "damn, could've, would've, should've".  I suppose jewelry design allows for a small bite into the fashion world.
OK, enough of my musings.
I created these new pieces and have yet to decide where I should place them.  Etsy or one of the shops? I'm creating a "line" of the pieces shown above and am creating some "cultural" pieces also.  I have slowed down a bit lately, I better get with it because I will be returning to work very soon.

Estate Sale



I went to an estate sale today and found this lovely painting.  The little birds are painted on silk fabric.  The frame is large and heavy, so for now it leans against my wall.





Just listed

I just added my latest pieces on etsy.  These pieces are actually going to make their way to a gallery very soon, so they will be on etsy for a limited time.

New



I love these colors



Some different sizes and colors

Here are more of those colors.  Sold all 20 necklaces today.

Yay! I won!

A big "thank you" to Lorelei from Lorelei's Blog and Lynda from SCDiva.  Lorelei raffled some of Lynda's beautiful pendants and I was the lucky winner of one of her pieces!  I am a big fan of both ladies, they are extremely talented in their fields.  I've purchased a few of Lynda's tutorials and I have learned a great deal from her.  Thanks again, ladies.

I've been working on creating these new pieces.  I LOVE color and I enjoy mixing colors together and am always pleased with the results.  I was having trouble trying to figure out how to create the actual pendants and was mostly relying on hand formed pendants.  I was looking through one of my art bins and found some cookie cutters (for lack of a better term).  I started creating some round shapes and put them together for this necklace.  I'm not sure how I feel about the actual chain, this is something I will revisit.

I have a few more pieces, as soon as I take pictures I will post them.  I apologize for the poor quality of my photographs, my camera broke and I am using one of my older models. 

finished

I finally finished my painting, God knows it took me long enough.  This painting was inspired by a Tigua Eagle Dancer that I saw a few years ago.  I have worked on this painting on and off for the past two years, even though I was inspired by the dancer I lost interest in the painting.  What I should have done is to have allowed my inner muse turn it into something that would have inspired me to work.  I was too caught up in capturing the Eagle Dancer, but I didn't let the "spirit" on the dancer find its way into me.
I am glad I finished it, my son quickly claimed it as his.  Now I will have more free time to create some new jewelry pieces that have been swimming in my head. 
Taking time off to finish my painting did allow me time to take stock of my jewelry business.  I don't know about you, but I sometimes suffer through times of self doubt.  These times completely rob me of my energy and make me question the direction I'm taking with my small jewelry business.

These are the things I wonder about:

• How much inventory should I have?  I usually make as needed.  I suppose I'm afraid to make too much and then it not sell. (There's the self doubt part).
• How much waste is ok?  I like to experiment, but hate wasting materials.
• Pricing!  I've read and have asked about pricing.  I know how much I want for my work, but I always feel that I am over pricing. 

I also feel that I am lacking in the "chain" department.  I am never satisfied with my chains and the way they hang on the neck.  I usually wear a few of my pieces just to see first hand how it hangs.  I've noticed that my necklaces sometimes "travel".  I don't know why this is, especially since I have pretty large pendants hanging on my chain. 
Well, seeing that I am in one of my energized moods I'm off to my studio to create.  Have a nice day.