SOMETIMES YOU JUST CAN'T LET GO . . .

'FLUTTER', my latest design. I was almost done listing it, but couldn't Let Go!

We all do it! Every once in a while we create something that we just can't bear to sell! Am I right? Don't try to deny it . . . I know better!!!

Once in a while I begin a project specifically for myself, but more often than not I have every intention of passing it on to a good home. In most cases it's some extra special, one-of-a-kind component that turns my head. I love it, and I just gotta have it all to myself!

So on the light side, this week I decided to show you a few of the jewelry items that never got included in the line-up over at jQ jewelry designs. 

'FLUTTER' ~ Sterling silver, Oregon Sunstone and a Preserved Dry-Flower Charm from Rosalera

This next piece is a necklace created with a very high quality Tourmaline, Spinel and extremely lustrous stick and biwa pearls. I manipulated the tension on the pearl's beading wire pearl so that they appear ruffle-like.  I'd intended to sell this piece for a pretty penny, but when it came right down to accepting a buyer's very generous offer, I just couldn't part with it.

 

Appeared in Ornament Magazine and worn at the Bellagio by yours truly ...

I was crazy about the colors in this strand of Chalcedony that I found at a Gem Show. The vendor only had one and I've never seen anything like it since.

 The rest of the pieces are a lot more casual ...

I simply couldn't resist the high quality of this Rainbow Moonstone with it's beautiful subtle blue flash

Fell for this softest shade of sea-green Druzy - the sugary crystals are spectacular!

And designed around some very special Vintage components ...

These old tin cut glass beads from the 20s were very limited ... couldn't bring myself to share ;D

One of my personal favorites with all vintage components and some extrememly rare Carnival Glass beads that show off a rainbow of color.

Now please feel free to share what you've created and then just couldn't let go!

DOES YOUR WORKSPACE WORK?

When considering your workspace, here’s rule #1 ...   

If it feels right to you, it's right!

End of Rules.

When we moved to Atlanta from St. Louis at the end of 2003, I left behind a house with enough storage space to comfortably store three decades of collectibles gathered by a certified 'Collectoholic' . . . that would be yours truly!  More on my favorite collection at a later date . . .

I had started creating jewelry and selling locally about a year earlier, but had no special place to work. I used the kitchen table and would drag out all my tools and supplies each time I went to work, and got into the habit of cleaning everything up when I finished for the day. What was I thinking? Who needs a kitchen table, anyhow?

Well, old habits die hard, and even though I now have an entire second bedroom in the apartment for my office/workspace I still clean up at the end of a day I've spent creating  jewelry for my Shop on Etsy.

The cubicles stay on the messy side until I get sick of looking at it, but for the most part there's
a place for everything, and yada, yada, yada.

PS  All this storage space courtesy of my favorite Collection that is packed up and stored for the time being.



Two large windows provide excellent lighting



Cubicles hold paperwork, incoming supplies and finished jewelry . . . Do you see my Treasury Timer?



Shelving with glass doors keeps the most expensive supplies dust-free

Rolling cart has a canvas cover and contains gemstones and tools



Tower shelving containing sterling components and canvas-covered cart are portable



NICE TO MEET YOU . . . Krystals Jewelry!







Meet Krystal ... one of the newest faces in our Promotional Frenzy thread!

Krystal specializes in creating intricate jewelry pieces.  As you can tell from her work, she loves to work with all materials and explore different styles.  A huge perfectionist, she strives to make sure that each piece is handmade with quality and precision.  And as anybody can clearly see, she has indeed succeeded!




Krystals Jewelry available on Etsy

 

Krystal recently graduated from California State University of Northridge majoring in Business Marketing.  With her huge passion for handmade jewelry, she definitely wants to pursue this as a career.

One of the qualities that I personally admire in Krystal's jewelry, is her ability to draw on a wide variety of design elements and the quality of her componenets.  Her workmanship reflects that perfectionist personality of hers, and her pride in the designs she creates is clearly evident to all who read her Etsy Shop Profile.

I'd love to show you some of my personal favorites; stunning high-end designs that are sure to please ...



Lacrima Cluster Necklace



Carlee Red Briolette Earrings



Sylvia Multi Strand Purple Bracelet


Want a sneak peak at what one who creates Beauty considers Beautiful?  Take a look at a few of the items that Krystal has Favorited ...




More of Krystal's Favorites here

  

You may visit Krystal on Facebook and she has a blog for you to enjoy ...

Click banner to visit Krystal's facebook Business Page



Click banner to visit Krystal's Blog




As you can see, 'KrystalsJewelry' is just as lovely as Krystal is herself!











You Know You've Been Designing Jewelry Too Long If . . .

by guest author Lisa McClinsey

* In January, a gardening friend mentions that she needs to order seeds... so you give her the address for Fire Mountain Gems.

* You discover you don't even have to look at your beads anymore. You can string them by feel. This means you can now bead in the dark.

* You can thread the needle in the dark, too. When you're down, you go to jewelry stores to laugh at their prices.

* You have to remember not to be surprised when someone says that doing the peyote stitch is difficult.

* You can't remember the last time you knotted your thread before beginning to weave.

* You can accurately calculate the expected lifespan of mass-produced jewelry by looking at the width of the gaps in the jump rings and counting the loose threads.

* If someone tells you something is 4 mm, 6 mm or 8 mm wide, you know exactly how big that is without looking at a ruler.

* You have more tools - including power tools, torches, sanders, drills, tumblers and other assorted gadgets - than your last boyfriend had. And you use them all on a regular basis.

* When computer and electronics geeks talk about wire gauges, you know exactly what they mean.

* Not only do you shop for supplies at the craft store... you also get them at the hardware store, the sporting goods store, the aquarium shop and the medical supply store.

* You can name every bead store, craft store, fabric shop, sewing outlet and embroidery emporium within a twenty mile radius...and you know which items they carry.

* You know where all the craft stores are in each town or city where your friends and relatives live.

* If there are beads somewhere in a store, even if it's not a bead or craft store, and even if they are not prominently displayed, you will somehow find them.

* When you're in the bead aisle at Michael's, newbies who don't even know you flock to you with questions, like iron filings to a magnet.

* On more than one occasion, you've held informal classes in the bead aisle at A. C. Moore.

* You know there's more than one place in each craft store where beads are displayed... and you've shown store employees where the other places are!

* You stop buying beading magazines because the projects are too easy.

* Brick buildings remind you of peyote stitch.

* You have the amazing ability to find the tiniest objects in any shade or depth of carpet.

* You feel it's unethical to let your friends buy or wear bad jewelry.

* You see a complicated beadwoven necklace pattern on Tuesday, and think, "No problem. I can wear that this weekend..." And you do. This really annoys your best friend, because you don't start working on it until Thursday night.

* You know a Toho from an Ornela without looking at the package.

* You don't buy jewelry to match your clothes. You buy clothes to match your jewelry.

* The bowls in your kitchen cupboard are used more often for beads than for cereal.

* You find at least one bead in an unexpected place at least once a week.

* When your best friend asks if you want to see the Stones, you're excited, because you think she means the rock and gem shows in Tucson.

* When someone asks you to get them a cab, you dive into your stash and hand them a flat, rounded rock.

* You give your children, pets and plants jewelry names. Charlotte. Margaret. Jules. Crystal. Iris.

* Instead of saying something is purple, you say it's amethyst, plum, lilac, lavender, or aubergine.

* You think your Mrs. Santa 3X magnifying glasses make you look cool. Especially when you wear both pairs at once.

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Author Lisa McClinsey is a writer with over 30 years of experience in beadweaving and jewelry design.

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Note from Rena Klingenberg: www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com

Lisa's article also made me realize that you've been making jewelry too long if ...

* You realize that paper towel and toilet paper tubes are really just oversized beads.

* You notice that your children's toothpaste is exactly the same color as Chinese amazonite.

* You take your morning vitamins, and see that one of those pills has potential for wire-wrapping.

* Your favorite carbohydrates are in the pearl family - rice and potatoes.

Jill Q.
http://jqjewelrydesigns.etsy.com/