amethyst amethyst

in

I've always loved purple, I think it's because my birthstone is an amethyst. Below are some new post earrings in a variety of purples, though there are plenty of other colors available and coming soon in the shop.

After a lot of consideration, I've decided to make my post earrings in a new way. Back when I first started my shop on Etsy, there weren't any other teeny glitter post earrings out there. Now, they are everywhere, and they are made in a different way than mine and often cheaper. Many of the shops that make them are still very inexperienced and small, and I'm guessing that they don't consider many things when pricing their earrings (like cost of material/labor/expenses/fees/wholesale) OR pay taxes, and probably don't make much if any of a profit. I feel like that might make me sound like I make a huge profit, and trust me, I don't! This is how I make a living, therefore I obviously need to make some kind of profit. My original globes were made much differently than the copycats, which are made with polymer clay. I've always only used resin. The process of making the original globes is time consuming, and though I love how they look, I can't complete with the prices of the others or offer them for wholesale. I've decided to revamp how I make them to take less time and allow me to make them in larger batches, keeping their prices slightly lower and allowing me to offer them for wholesale. I haven't gotten that far yet, but I'm building up my stock and testing out colors right now in my Etsy shop first.

The original globes will still always be available as a custom order, and I'll keep them around until I run out. I may keep them permanently in a few colors, but I haven't decided yet. I have never seen anything exactly like them on Etsy, or elsewhere, and they will always hold a special place in my heart. The new (non-globe) posts are below. They are available in both 8mm and 5mm sizes, just like the globe earrings.

IMG_1932 IMG_1607IMG_1954IMG_1963IMG_1217 IMG_1262

this year, so far

in

I know I haven't posted in awhile, and that's not without good reason. Things have been VERY hectic. January was filled with wholesale orders, and for that I'm very grateful. I've been working very hard to streamline my jewelry line in order to make more room for wholesaling efficiently. For those of you who don't know, wholesale is VERY important to maintaining a successful career in this industry. I'm grateful for the new accounts I've made this year, and for a busy January. Aside from that, I've been working on transitioning a few styles to other, more practical ways of making my post (for those of you who are familiar, I'm talking about my globe style) earrings in large batches. I won't get into that, it's boring and really should have a post of it's own. I'm also working on some other new stuff that should be posted soon. Oh and I still have my other shop, which is always pretty consistently busy. So even though I've been pretty quiet, LOTS of things are happening!

I'm not going to get into this TOO much, but something very disheartening has happened and I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it yet. You know that feeling when your heart just drops? Well that happened to me last week when I stumbled across someone very blatantly ripping off my designs. I'm not talking about the glitter posts, that's been happening for years now. I know that it's possible that someone else could have independently come up with the same idea as me, but to be honest, this time I am certain that's not the case. The particulars are just too exact for it to be accidental. I've always come up with my ideas for designs on my own, and I cannot understand how someone could copy someone else's designs in good conscience. It honestly really does hurt, and I can't wrap my mind around it.

But, I'm not going to focus on that. Good things are happening, and I am blessed to have the life I do. Last weekend, I got engaged! Ryan and I have been together for almost five years (this coming April), and I'm so happy that we're finally getting married. I've never been the type to dream of my wedding, honestly I've always been very intimidated by thoughts of all of the planning and money that goes into it. I'm finally in the right frame of mind to do it. All of our other ducks are in a row now (house, careers, etc), so it's the right time! I am actually kind of excited about planning it now. I guess that's a good thing!

I know that no one cares about other peoples rings, really. I mean let's be honest. I couldn't resist taking a few photos though. It's antique, and I love it!

IMG_0999

IMG_0992

glittery digits

in

IMG_9418  

Today's manicure, sponsored by glitter. FYI, I used Red Carpet Manicure's gel kit, but with regular polish, glitter polish, and some glitter from my stash. I've been using their gel polish and it lasts a good week before there's any sign of wear, two weeks until I want to take it off. Not sure how it performs with regular polish yet (though it's more difficult to apply to their base coat than gel polish is).

Oh, and if you were wondering, my ring is from the very talented Laurie over at Hedgerow Rose.

I have a secret...

in

I have a new shop! It's almost two months old now, and I'm just getting to post about it. When I was making packaging for Tiny Galaxies, a thought popped into my head, that... maybe... I'll make fun packaging for other shops, too. I shoved it into the back of my mind for awhile until one day, I mentioned it to my boyfriend. His reaction was a positive one, and ever since then I just had to do it. I've been focusing on stickers and tags, particularly for other shops, party and wedding stickers, as well as plenty of fun stickers for anyone to use and gift tags that you can use to spruce up your wrapping. Below are just a few of the many things I've made in the past two months. I'm so pleasantly surprised at the reception I've had so far and I can't wait to make more things! Jewelry is still my priority, but it's fun to have something else to make as well.

 

IMG_64131

IMG_3554

IMG_4717 2

IMG_6500

IMG_2438

Leather and Glitter

in

IMG_0244

Ever since I first brought some leather into my shop, I've been thinking up ways to combine it with glittery resin pieces. Well, I've finally done it and here's a sneak peek of how it turned out. I think that the pretty, delicate sparkle of the glitter and the toughness of leather works perfectly together. They'll be listed in the shop soon, along with some similar earrings not pictured here. I'm so excited about them!

Hi

in

Gus

I'm starting this blog for a few reasons. I'd like a place to put photos of images that really don't belong on my Facebook page, my Etsy shop, or Pinterest. During the day, I work from home and take a lot of photos of my kitties, our home renovations, decorating ideas, recipes, behind the scenes of my jewelry shop, etc. I also find so many great things from other artists and I'd like to share those too. I've never been good about keeping up with a blog but I'm hoping that now that I work full time making jewelry, that will change.