Oh hi!

It's kind of depressing how far behind I fell on Grace in Small Things, because I still think about it every day. As I am not quite sure what to do with myself this evening, maybe I will just do a bunch right now?

//

On a completely unrelated note, I made a bracelet today, and it was one of those pieces where it actually looks just how I thought it would in my head. That doesn't often happen to me (I think it's one of the reasons that I'm not so good at drawing). But this bracelet is definitely one of my favorites. It's got a turtle charm in the middle, and the chain is made up of tiny Swarovski crystals intertwined with larger silver chain. I really have to take pictures and get it listed!

//

Now I must go sneeze. Please excuse me.

Motherly Love

Not to get all Hallmark on you, but I made this bracelet and it seems to fit rather perfectly with Mother's Day, which, as you may or may not know, is upon us.


I was inspired to make this bracelet by my best friend's new(ish) niece, who was born in November. Avrie is pretty much the most adorable baby ever, even if she does cry every time I get near her. I was thinking of her when I found the focal point of the bracelet, which is a heart-shaped "open" locket - the picture isn't covered up. I thought it would be great in a bracelet because then the person wearing it can also appreciate it. I went a little above and beyond on this one by using a Swarovski toggle clasp. *swoon* I do so love a little sparkle!

Oh hi!

*Ahem.* So! How are you? I'm just great, thanks.

I was ignoring my shop for a little while, which, as it turns out, is NOT the best way to make sales. Motivation is less than forthcoming when sales get slow. Jewelry is so common on Etsy that it's hard to break into being a seller...Plus, I don't have a good bead store that's both close and in a good neighborhood. I could spend hours in Micheal's, but I don't want to feel like my things are the same as anyone else's. (Or that they could be easily recreated I guess.)

I finally started working on some things, and I took pictures and listed a necklace and a pair of earrings today. I'm really happy with how both things came out; the earrings are my take on a style that seems to be popular lately, and the necklace is an attempt to break out of my comfort zone.

I've been so busy for the past few weeks - hopefully I'll be able to get back to writing here often, as well as adding things more frequently to the shop! :)

Woe

Alas, I am woefully behind on Grace in Small Things. I hope no one minds if a post a bunch of them over the next few days. You guys are pretty forgiving, yes? And quiet. (Cough.)

//

I've posted a few new things in the shop! I'm kind of, uh, running out of beads...There are definitely perks - it forces me to work with things that I've brushed over. But it also stifles creativity sometimes! Luckily, when I move back to NJ in a few months, I will be able to steal from my mom's stash. Mwahaha!

//

Did anyone do Earth Hour tonight? Dan and I turned off everything - computers, lights, tv - as well as the power strips. We read on the balcony by candlelight for the hour. It was quite lovely, although I think Florida summer is on its way back (not that I am complaining!). We turned a lot of stuff back on when we came in, but I'm trying not to feel too guilty about it and hoping that enough people participated to make a difference.

//

Back soon with more GiST!

TREASURY

You guys! Insomnia has at last paid off: I landed my first treasury!

For those who don't know, treasuries are just groups of items picked by members of Etsy. They're a great way to a) get exposure for your shop, b) introduce you to new shops, and c) network with people across Etsy! I worked really hard on this treasury, and I think I did a pretty good job with the colors/layout. PLEASE check it out! Thank you so much! :)

(Screen shots tomorrow!)

Fire Power

So! I've posted a few new things in the shop. They include: earrings (a few pairs) and a bright and shiny bracelet. Oooh, ahhh!



I'm also dealing with the somewhat annoying issue of my listings starting to expire. At Etsy, you pay 20 cents for every listing you create. Each listing lasts for 4 months. I have at least ten listing now sitting in the "expired" section of my shop, which is really kind of a bummer. A lot of the items are very simple, and they are from when I first started. Don't get me wrong - I love everything in my shop, or I wouldn't post it. But I don't think it's worth it to repost such small items, especially since buying this sort of thing seems to be slowing down. It's still anoying to deal with it though!

Anyway, I've added a few new items, as well as new pictures for most (if not all) of my necklaces. I've love it if you'd check them out!

New Beads

Hey peeps,

I just wanted to let everyone know that although I appear to be taking a brief hiatus, I do in fact have several things in the works. I purchased some beads for a custom order, which also led to me buying some things that I can use to better showcase my jewelry. You'll see what I mean when my new things arrive and I add new items to the shop!

Hopefully everything - especially the new beads!! - will be here soon, because I am eager to have more work to share with everyone. Thanks for checking in!

New stuffs!

You guys, I posted so much stuff on Etsy today. Much of it sparkles:


Abalone makes me drool.


I really like these because they are so much funkier than anything I could pull off. The main bead is amber in the middle, with green edges. I used a prepackaged combo of Swarovski crystals for the bottom half, and I really like those colors together. Plus! They are all wire-wrapped, which means they were a huge pain in the rump. But they look pretty!


I enjoy seeing things in pairs.

Oops

Yeah so, I'm a teensy bit behind on Grace in Small Things. I had a bit of a rough week, but things are looking up so hopefully I can start being a little more grateful!

//

You guys, I got my stamp from Blossom Stamps today, and it's GLORIOUS. It's small, but so intricate! It's a fairy with butterfly wings and lots of flowers around her. I can't WAIT to use it. I might even do it tonight, even though it's already getting kind of late.

I really love shopping at Etsy. I know how great it makes me feel when I make a sale, and I love feeling like I could have made someone's day with my small purchase. And who can complain about having something that is one of a kind (or OOAK, as they say there)?

I'm off to get some things done. I hope to have new items listed in the shop very soon!

Google Analytics

I signed up for Google Analytics about a month ago; basically, once you sign up, you put a code on your page and it gives you visitor stats. You can see where people clicked from both Internet-wise (sometimes they just click right into the shop, and other times people come from my Twitter account or random places that I haven't head of) and geographically. I kind of forgot that I had it for awhile, so imagine my surprise when I checked yesterday and had visitors from all! over! the world! Countires include: well, the US, obviously, Canada, Honduras, Argentina, Vietnam, Thailand, India, China, Taiwan, Mongolia, Japan, Sweden, the UK, Italy, Netherlands, and Greece. AWESOME.

Google Analytics provides a TON of info, and I'm pretty sure that I don't understand most of it yet. But it's pretty exciting to see how many people are viewing my page and where they are from.

Mmm, shiny.

I know, I know. Try not to look directly at it.


Made with sparkly black, clear, and pink Swarovski crystals (even the crystals on the spacers are Swarovski!). You can find it here!

I don't want to set the world on fiiiiire...

So I've been working on this complicated (for me, anyway) three-strand necklace that uses turquoise beads and large white shell beads. I still can't get one of the strands to sit quite right, which is SUPER annoying, because I don't know how to fix it and I'm really proud of this necklace and I want to show it off! My perfectionist tendancies preclude me from photographing it just yet.

I do, however, plan on finally taking some pictures of the sparkly pink and black bracelet I made the other day so that I can post it on Etsy. I hope it sells quickly so I can justify making more, because I love it!

//

The Fallout soundtrack is making my brain cells rot. That is all.

Etsy Chat Team

Oof, sorry for the blog slacking. My parents were here for a week and I couldn't take pictures of my stuff, so I was highly unmotivated.

However!

My light box arrived, and it is GLORIOUS. I got it from ThinkGeek, a website I could pretty much live at. The light box itself folds into a tiny little compartment in the bag that it comes with; I was worried that it would be super small, but it expands quite a lot when you unfold it! Somewhat unfortunately, it becomes about the size of the cube my cat loves to sleep in...She jumped into the light box twice within seconds of my opening it. I really hope she doesn't ruin this one, so I'm keeing it folded up (even though that means it's a bit wrinkly).

The lights that it comes with are also very handy; they have built-in stands, so it's very easy to position them. They are much brighter than the lamps I was using previously, so hopefully that will save me some editing work in Picasa!

In other Etsy-related news, I am now part of the Etsy Chat Team! I'm very excited to be part of a team, especially one with people I have already gotten to know and whose shops I truly love and admire. I'll be linking to these shops in a blog entry very soon, once I get myself a bit more organized!

The Death Of My Light Box

Yeah so, the cat? She killed my lightbox. Siiiiiigh.

It was sitting on top of the three plastic drawers that hold a ton of my crafting stuff (uh, when I actually decide to put it away), along with two desk lamps that I used as my lighting source(s?). I went over to the dining room table to start working, and I noticed that both lamps were on the floor, one of them twisted and bent in an unfortunate manner. As I was fairly certain that I had not left them like that, I looked on top of the drawers and noticed that the lightbox was tilted and suspiciously covered in cat littler. She has ruined the poster board that went inside the box, as well as further distorted its shape. I sighed, admitted defeat, and threw it in the trash.

So! Now I am in the market for a new cardboard box. Anybody wanna help me out?

Turtle Power

In furthering my turtle obsession, I've added another pair of turtle earrings to Atlantic Coast Art. I realized today that I hadn't added them despite the fact that I made them a few weeks ago becauuuuse I love them so much! The turtles are super cute and I'm also kind of in love with All Things Swarovski, especially shades of blue and green (lately; I'm sure that'll change). I've added a few other things to the shop as well, and there are still new items waiting to be posted!


Thanks for stopping by! :)

New Necklaces

I finally sat down to make some new things yesterday, and I got a lot of work done! I felt most inspired by the handmade African beads - I used them to make a purple and brown necklace, and I love how it turned out. (Clicking on the picture should take you to the Etsy listing.)


I absolutely LOVE those beads. I wish I had gotten more! (Or that the store had been in Pitman when I was!)

I'm hoping to visit a bead store in West Palm Beach soon; I checked out the website and it looks like it'll be the type of bead store that I am looking for. I definitely hope so, anyway!

Free Bird

I made these today:


I kind of love them. Unfortunately, I tend to make things that are way bigger than what I am used to/comfortable wearing. Which is sad. Because I love all of the stuff that I make.

Actually, it's probably good, because otherwise I wouldn't be willing to sell, whiiiich would sort of defeat the purpose.

Anyhoo, those are up at AtlanticCoastArt.etsy.com...Feel free to check them out for alternate pictures (or, you know, to buy them)! :)

The Crazy

Have you ever noticed, whilst traveling the aisles of your local craft store, how many people are talking to themselves? I don't mean like, muttering about cost comparisons or trying to choose one thing over another...I mean like, exclaiming loudly how CUTE something is, or voicing their complaints about the way things are arranged on the shelves. I go to Michael's, um...a lot, and I always see (well, hear) at least one person doing this. I'm always startled--do they want me to respond? Can they just not help themselves? I'm also really hoping it's not contagious, because I've already got Crazy Cat Lady thisclose to being added to my resume.

//

I bought a ton of new stuff today, and I'm waiting for some bulk orders from Etsy to come in. Expect lots of new stuff in the store soon! Oh, and business cards are also on the way. This is what they look like so far; I'm not sure if I want to move/add/subtract any of the information yet. Also, I know the font is super light, but I don't know how to bold it and other colors weren't working for me. Your thoughts?

Am I Becoming A Morning Person?

You know those ideas that float into your head right before you fall asleep, the ones that seem like, so obviously awesome that it's hard to imagine that you've never thought of them in your fully conscious hours? Well, I totally had one of those as I was waking up this morning. I mean, how perfect is THAT?!

I've been trying to make dangle earrings for awhile, having both purchased materials and scoured the Internet for methods/inspiration. Finally, though, it all just sort of came to me, and I ended up making four pairs of earrings this morning. I really love how they turned out, too! It was one of those great, rare moments when the idea in your head actually translates to your intended creation.

Why Hello

As much as I love both writing and reading other's people blogs, the little white box always intimidates me. Why did I sign on again? Why do the ideas I have waiting in my head never quite materialize on the screen?

But I've decided to stop being so obsessive compulsive about my words, because I love blogging. I've met some really cool people through blogs, and it's sort of awkward not having one. Plus, it's pretty sweet to have an autobiography of yourself, especially when you have an epiphany that causes you to wonder what your younger self may have been thinking, or to peer in at those hard-to-remember details of your past that seemed so important at the time.

Another reason that I have this blog is because I just opening a shop at Etsy.com, and I'm kind of obsessed with it. Etsy is a site that allows people to sell their handmade items, from (in my case) jewelry and stationary, to clothes and candles and beyond. There is an absolutely endless amount of stuff to look at there, and knowing that it was handmade by someone just makes me feel happy. People are so creative!

Anyway, my shop is called Atlantic Coast Art, and you can find it at (surprise!) AtlanticCoastArt.etsy.com.

That's all for now--thanks for stopping by!