Facebook Giveaway Alert!!!

Are you a facebook fan of mine yet? If not, head on over to my page and check out my giveaway in celebration of gaining over TWO THOUSAND fans! Well, it was in anticipation of 2,000 fans, but in just a few hours that number has grown and I've reached my goal. YAY!!

Much love to all of you who have followed me over the years. This calls for a giveaway for sure!! So, I'm thinking not one, but TWO $25 gift certificates toward anything from either my etsy or artfire shops or from my facebook page.

That said, my shops are on vacation thru the end of the week so nothing to see right now, but the GC's will be good for 6 months. The rules are posted on my facebook page at this link so head on over! Will run this through next Sunday, October 6th. Thanks everyone & good luck!!!

Customer Appreciation!!

It's not often I get to see my beads in a finished piece of jewelry, but it's always a thrill when I do! A customer shared this lovely necklace that she made with one of my focal beads. A perfect example of less is more! Love this piece by Tali Bomani of talicreations on ArtFire!

In The Scheme of Things....

I had some wonderful news to share, which in the scheme of things seems SO inconsequential! My friend, Michelle Plumb's niece, Leiryn, a little girl with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, underwent scans this week to see how/if her cancer is progressing. Her parents received the most wonderful news. There has been NO GROWTH in the cancer in the last 18 months! She is completely stable, and the doctors are baffled!

I am overwhelmed with joy for this little girl who I have never met, yet feel a connection to that I cannot explain. I'm overjoyed for the family and for this precious little girl.

To those that may be curious as to my personal news, I had a set of lampwork glass beads that were in Artfire's Daily Collection today & they sold! I'm happy, but it doesn't compare to the news about Leiryn! THAT'S what it's all about!

Are you up for a challenge??

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan and admirer of the ladies that make up the Bead Mavens. I've never met a more talented group of seed bead artists! They each have a unique style, which makes for an interesting challenge they've put forth. Their new challenge, called the Maven Meld, asks that you submit a finished piece that melds or incorporates at least 2 of their tutorials. Clever, huh?

I love working with seedbeads myself and am so appreciative of these ladies' hard work in putting forth truly remarkable designs. I've purchased several tutorials myself and so I've decided to donate a $25 gift certificate to my Artfire shop to one of the winners. Please go to their website for details on how to enter and check out the other fabulous prizes on the Bead Maven blog. I can't wait to see all the fabulous creations!

Here are a few inspiration photos from the Bead Mavens themselves.

Mikki Ferrugiaro

Nancy Dale

Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

International Shipping

I know that some balk at sending out their beads to those in other countries, but I have to say, that it always puts a smile on my face when I send orders out overseas, especially Europe.

I've been there before (to a few countries at least) and I loved every minute of my travels. So, if I can't go there personally, at least my beads get to travel and I get to live vicariously through them.

Here are a few of my bead creations on their way to new faraway homes:

3rd Month Free With New ArtFire Pro Account!!

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There are no contracts. You can cancel at any time with no cancellation fee or penalty. Read the Sellers Choice 2011 publication to see how ArtFire has surpassed Etsy overall this past year.

Become an ArtFire Pro with this link and get your 3rd month free!

Check out my new banners!!!

I am SO challenged when it comes to banners, but thanks to a good friend, Scott Bjorge, an amazing graphic designer and jewelry artist, I finally have banners for my Etsy shop, my ArtFire bead shop and my ArtFire Destash shop. I won't bore you with them all here, but feel free to click on my links to see his work.

Scott was amazing to work with. I gave him a general idea of what I wanted and he was able to hone in on the look that I was going for. Actually his banners give such a professional look to my shops that I'm not sure my beads will live to them. And did I mention that he also designed new business cards for me??

You can contact Scott on Facebook or message me here, on Facebook or any of my shops if you want more info.

Scott, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're an amazing artist and friend!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I am donating 20% of all sales from my ArtFire shop this month to Susan G. Komen For the Cure. This is a charity that is near and dear to my heart and I'll be adding new listings as the month goes on. 

My son, Justin and his girlfriend, Sara are also participating in Making Strides in memory of Sara's mother Gail. Please visit Team Gail's page to read all about Gail Finkelstein, a beloved mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and teacher lost her life to breast cancer.

I Don't know How It Happened!!

I started out making jewelry innocently over 10 years ago. My love of all things sparkly soon took over and before long my "jewelry studio" looked like this.....

This USED to be my desk. 

The dresser is filled with more beads. The bottom drawer, that's now broken, is filled to the brim with pearls. The rest is miscellaneous. Gotta love miscellaneous. hehe!

 

These bins are filled with gemstones, sterling, gold-filled, etc. (LOTS of etc.!)

See, the thinking behind all this "stuff" is that you never know when you might need something. The trouble is that I stopped being able to find anything long ago and so just kept buying MORE! And, these days, though I still love making jewelry, my focus is on making beads. Where to put all the beads???

As much as I'd love nothing more than to open a bead shop, hubby doesn't care for the idea of getting further into debt, so sadly I must part with some of them. I've therefore opened up a 2nd ArtFire shop, LAJewelryDesingsDestash for destashing some of my beads and findings. I'm slowly stocking it so please bookmark it and keep checking back. I'll be uploading new listings to my facebook page so please friend me if you haven't already done so.

Go Pro With ArtFire for $5.95!!!

ArtFire is about to exit from their beta status & is offering $5.95 per month memberships to the 1st 20,000 people that sign up. I already have an AF shop, but I've elected to sign up for another one so that I can have 1 be Certified Handmade Artisan, which means that everything in that shop, LAJewelryDesigns, will get the recognition that 100% of the items in that shop is made by hand by me!

The new shop which I just opened, LAJewelryDesignsDestash, will be reserved for destash items from my jewelry making days. One look in my basement will tell you that there's LOTS of destash items coming! But don't delay! Once those 20,000 spots are filled, that's it! ArtFire only announced this new pricing opportunity a few days ago and over 4,000 of them are gone already. Check out their Group Deal for the specifics and to sign up!

Tuesday's Treasures - Lune Artisan Jewelry

This week I'm featuring a fabulous jewelry artisan, Keirsten Giles. Keirsten has some beautiful pieces for sale in her shops on etsy and artfire including these:

Let's get to know Keirsten better....

1. If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it?
Well, of course there isn't just one thing, but what pops into my mind right away today is that I usually "march to my own drummer", i.e., I pay the most attention to my own "inner voice" (or I try to) for every decision I make, and this is becoming more and more the case as I get older. If something doesn't feel right, or I think it will divert me from a direction I am wanting to go, I don't do it. (Or at least I don't do it for very long!) Oddly enough this has always been something I've had to work at; my inner voice is often kind of quiet and hard to distinguish from other influences.

2. What role does your family play in your art?
My boyfriend is my best cheerleader--he lets me know regularly that he's proud of my work and what I'm doing to market and sell it, and he's willing to help with whatever I need. My mom is one of my best customers, and she and my stepdad let me know all the time that they believe in me and love my work. It's a great confidence booster to know they're behind me. They even bought me my first Dremel!

3. Where do you live and what is it like?
I live in a small resort town in northwest Montana called Whitefish; it's surrounded by towering mountains, glacial lakes and endless green. The lifestyle is pretty laid back, and most people come here for the lifestyle and scenery. Our summer playground is Flathead Lake, which is about an hour south of Whitefish by car. We try to spend as many weekends there on our boat as we can. We live extremely simply, in a very small house that keeps us from accumulating a bunch of useless crap, and we like that. I love small houses.

4. Where did you learn to craft or are you self taught?
Couple years ago I was frustrated that I couldn't find the kind of jewelry I wanted to wear. It seemed that everything I found was characterless and mass produced. I started making some pieces for myself and quickly realized I didn't know what I was doing. I signed up for Tammy Powley's email "Crash Course" in jewelry making on about.com, and started practicing those techniques. I found other instructions here and there online too. I found I really liked it, and had a lot of ideas. Too many ideas for just me to wear, so I decided to give it a go selling it and took the plunge in December of 2008, designing a little collection of pieces and opening shops on Etsy and ArtFire. Every technique I use I have learned either from online instructions, looking at other people's jewelry, or occasionally video tutorials.

5. How long have you been working at your craft?
Well, I'd been dabbling in jewelry making for about a year before I decided to get serious at the end of 2008. So I guess it's been about two and-a-half years.

6. Where do you receive your inspiration, in general?
Oh, everywhere. Nature of course--that's really plentiful around here. But sometimes I'll see somebody wearing an outfit and I'll love the color palette; or a plateful of colorful food will inspire me; or a building, or an oily puddle, or a photograph, or even a feeling I want to capture. I once designed a necklace around the carpet at the gym where I work out.

7. What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists?
Well, I'm kind of a practical sort with an analytical bent, so my advice would be to research the crap out of the practical aspects of whatever you want to do. If you are hoping to make money at it, or at least practice your art without it being a financial drain, figure out how you're going to make it work. Is there a market for your art? Where is it? How much does your art cost to make? Can you get your money back out of it? How long will that take? Do you have the cash to invest in it? Can you afford to spend that cash right now? How much time can you give it right now (not just the creating part, but the selling/business part too) based on your other commitments? Scale it appropriately to where you are in life; starting small is OK--just get your bearings, and don't put too much pressure on yourself. Treat it as reconnaissance! A little intelligence gathering sortie--and if it snowballs into a full-fledged business, well, right on!! Talk to other artists, find out what this kind of commitment entails. Choose a selling venue that suits your personality, and when you're confident with that, start pushing your boundaries. "Follow your heart" and all that is fine advice, definitely do that, but frankly your heart is going to need help with things like pricing, marketing and record keeping.

8. If you won a thousand dollar craft shopping spree, what would you spend it on?

Tools. 

Check out Keirsten's work at the links below:

ArtFire

Etsy

Blog

Tuesday's Treasures - Andrea Designs

Andrea Wagner is an accomplished knitter and crocheter. I love her use of color and texture in her designs!

Let's get to know Andrea better....

1. If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it?

 Being positive.

2. What role does your family play in your art?

My husband is really supportive of what I do. Sometimes he could be the hardest critique. That helps me to really put my feet on the ground. But he lets me be. We just moved to Indiana. This is a new house and it has a basement the size of the house( 3 bed, 2 bath) minus the 2 car garage. The whole thing is my studio, that I am preparing, including the floor and walls, to my liking.

3. Where do you live and what is it like?

A month ago we moved from El Paso, Texas to Batesville, Indiana. Love the place. It's a small town with about 6,000 people (El Paso is about 600,000 inhabitants) 60 miles away from Indianapolis ( El Paso was to the East  800 miles about 8-10 hours driving to Dallas, driving to the West about 4 hours to Albuquerque, NM, and about 5 hours to Phoenix, AZ), and 50 miles away from Cincinnati, OH. It is a lot of green. Across our cul-de-sac is the woods. I am in love with the place.

4. Where did you learn to craft or are you self taught? 

I learned to knit in High School using two needles and crochet. When I was in my  first year of college my cousin gave me  classes on the knitting machine. I started making a sweater. From the basics I was able to self teach how to make skirts, dresses, pants. Later on I got a job as a Singer machine instructor. I was trained to use the different tools the knitting machine has and how to use them when preparing a garment. I provide that information to my students for them to create sweaters, baby dresses etc.

 When I got married and came to the States, my husband got for me as a  wedding present, a knitting machine. The thing was so simple. I could not work with it. That was 22 years ago. During the time I did not work I still  crocheted some dollies, but I was missing my knitting machine until I got a new one like I used to have. I was already working in my daily job as a Call Center supervisor, and I was dreaming to have a small business to run from home using my knitting machine to create shawls, baby clothing, and scarves. The first scarf I made using the knitting machine I did not like at all. I was looking for a product that will be good looking and soft to the touch. I bought several yarns in the internet that I liked, but they were not to be used in my knitting machine. Then I started to use my two needles again and I was able to create amazing scarves and ponchos for  my customers. Unfortunately I never took a photo of them. Now I am able to dare to try new thing like painting, love to making greeting and business cards, jewelry, and always open to learn new things.

5. How long have you been working at your craft?

More than 10 years.

6. Where do you receive your inspiration, in general?

I receive my inspiration from everything that is around me, nature, people, situations, places, the nature in general.

7. What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists?

Never  give up. The first time you fail doing or creating something, keep trying. That is not a  failure, that’s called  experience, if we learn from it.

 I have three step I always follow if I don’t get  things right the first time:

1. 5 minutes of feeling sorry for myself or probably getting upset

2.Thinking what I could change. If not possible, look for new alternatives

3. Chin up and continue working in the new project

 

8. If you won a thousand dollar craft shopping spree, what would you spend it on?

Yarn, Yarn and more Yarn, some beads, probably another knitting machine, I have already two, and more yarn…

 

Here are some links where you can find Andrea's wonderful products:

ArtFire

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

500 Facebook Fans!!!

WOOHOO!!!! 500 fans! Cause for a celebration! With every purchase from either my etsy or AF shop for the next week, you can select a similar or lesser value item for 50% off! Sale ends a week from today, on Memorial Day, May 31st!!!

Must include "500 fans" in the notes in order to get the discount! Will refund the difference thru paypal!

LA Jewelry Designs on ArtFire
LA Jewelry Designs on Etsy

Tuesday's Treasures - Beadlady5

Margo is the guildmaster for the AJDJSS guild on ArtFire. Besides spending much of her time promoting our members, she's a very talented jewelry designer. Many of her designs have a lovely vintage feel to them. 

Let's get to know Margo a little better....

1. If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it?

I think my strong sense of humor combined with my positive attitude is what defines me more than anything else as a human being.  These 2 attributes have been my strongest survival skills and have helped me to continue to be pro active in everyday life.

2. What role does your family play in your art?

My family is quite supportive of my creative endeavors.  They give me their honest feedback about my creations.  My husband and younger son help me with my craft fairs by assisting me to set up, by bringing me breakfast, then lunch, and they also help with the clean up.

My husband is in charge of having my orders shipped properly.  It is a comfort to have their help.

3. Where do you live and what is it like?

I live in Staten Island, NYC for over 30 years now. Recently, we moved into a 2 family home so my mother could live in the apartment to be closer to me.

I love living here because we have Manhattan close by with all the wonderful things it offers--yet, we also have the peacefulness of a suburban haven.

4. Where did you learn to craft or are you self taught? 

I am self taught.  I come from a family of creative "genes" and am lucky that these genes have been passed onto me.  I have been a crafter all my life--from knitting, crocheting, needle work, macrame, quilling, faux painting, and more. 

I became interested in the art of jewelry design and creation when I needed a necklace for a dress I bought for a wedding.  Couldn't find anything that I liked and prices were a bit outrageous for the necklaces.  After looking over how a few necklaces were made I felt that I could make my own necklace.  Off to Barnes and Nobles I went to check out the books on jewelry design and creation and this is how my wonderful creative journey began.

5. How long have you been working at your craft?

It is almost 7 years now and I find it quite amazing that I still have so much more to learn and so much more to create.

6. Where do you receive your inspiration, in general?

My inspiration comes from:

1. The beads, cabochons, filigrees, and jewelry supplies in general.  When I see beads or other supplies that I like I start creating immediately in my mind. 

2.  The pieces of jewelry worn by people in my everyday activites, T.V., movies, and magazines.  I like to take a design that I have admired and recreate it in my "style" and

3.  Repurposing  old jewelry pieces.

7. What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists?

Enjoy your process of creation.  Try very hard not to allow others opinions deter you from doing what you love to do.  Remember the saying "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder"--it is true for you!

8. If you won a thousand dollar craft shopping spree, what would you spend it on?

Oh my goodness, what a wonderful thought!  I would so love shop for  vintage beads, cabochons, stones, cameos, filigrees, etc.--I guess you can see that I am now in "A Vintage State of Mind"!

ArtFire 

Etsy

Zibbet

ArtFire's Praises!

I've been selling on ArtFire since January 2009. The changes I've seen have been HUGE! I've never dealt with a company so anxious to listen to their membership & implement ideas that have been suggested to them. Their growth in that time period has been HUGE! And here's why. Find Out Why Over 66,000 Artisans Sell Crafts On ArtFire.com!

My personal favorite tool is the Global Editor. If you have 10 listings or 110 you can edit them all in one easy step unlike some other sites. You can also list as many items as you'd like for 1 low monthly fee. Contact me if you'd like a code for $12/month for life as opposed to the current $15.95/month.

Tuesday's Treasures - Exquisite Studios

I'm a little late with my post this week, but hey....it's still Tuesday SOMEWHERE! ;)

This week's featured artisan is someone who I have come to know pretty well the past few months, someone who started out as a customer, who I now consider a friend. Emily Schmitz-Zieman of Exquisite Studios on ArtFire. Em is an incredible jewelry artist with a wonderful eye for composition! Let's get to know her a little bit.

1. If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it? The one thing that defines me is my spirit.

2. What role does your family play in your art? My daughters are both very gifted in their creativity and imagination. my oldest is an artist with every brush,pencil,piece of clay she touches. My youngest loves to design along side me. My husband is by support-system for confidence in my work. Without all of us together, nothing would be possible.

3. Where do you live and what is it like? I live in Kasson, MN with a population of just around 5600. MN is crazy-cold in winter but a beautiful state to live in and raise a family, laying down roots as you go.

4. Where did you learn to craft or are you self taught? I am self-taught in every facet of jewelry designing and many other design work I create. I read books, tutorials, but I have found the best designs for things come from ones heart and soul.

5. How long have you been working at your craft? I've been doing artsy-stuff ever since I was little.

6. Where do you receive your inspiration, in general? In general, I gather inspiration from being very spiritual, from people, and from the natural beauty in things.

7. What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists? My best advice for anyone in this world is to imagine!

8. If you won a thousand dollar craft shopping spree, what would you spend it on? $1000 Craft Shopping-Spree you say? WOW! Wire, Lampwork, and whatever that moves me the very moment I see it--trust me, there would be nothing left!

Here are links to where you can find Em's beautiful creations:

ArtFire
Facebook

Tuesday's Treasures - Emily Claire Creations

This week's handmade artisan spotlight is on Valerie of Emily Claire Creations on ArtFire. Emily is a hugely talented polymer clay and jewelry artist. Let's get to know Valerie better!

1. If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it? I have always done my own thing, I have always been self directed in many areas of my life. Whether it was my formal education or my personal life, I tend to keep my own counsel.

2. What role does your family play in your art? I spend a lot of time with my two daughters, so I get to revisit a lot of my favorite childhood memories, such as walking to the library, visiting the local woods, sharing all my favorite children's books with them. All of this seems to come through in my jewelry designs, in one way or another.

3. Where do you live and what is it like? I live in Northeast Ohio, near the border of Pennsylvania. It is very beautiful here. There used to be a lot of industry here, but it's gone, and now we are considered part of the "Rust Belt". We have a very vibrant artist community here and they are trying to revive our area through the arts.

4. Where did you learn to craft or are you self taught? I did take some jewelry metal working classes in College, but mainly I am self taught.

5. How long have you been working at your craft? My very awesome cousin in NYC got me interested in beading. I started beading in College, but I have become more serious in the past two years.

6. Where do you receive your inspiration, in general? my inspiration mainly comes from nature, mythology, fairy tales, and fantasy.

7. What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists? Follow your bliss.

8. If you won a thousand dollar craft shopping spree, what would you spend it on? Tools, books, and more classes!

You can find more of Valerie's amazing creations here.

Tuesday's Treasures - Haffina Creations

I am starting a new weekly blog feature, called Tuesday's Treasures. I am going to be posting some of my favorite handmade artisans each week so please check back often.

I met Haffina, aka Jennifer on Plurk. She's an extremely talented Polymer Clay and Jewelry Artist. The turquoise is NOT real turquoise BTW. It's polymer clay! Can you believe it??

Let's get to know Haffina better!

1. If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it? I dont think there is any one thing that defines me, I'm pretty much an onion - lots of layers :)

2. What role does your family play in your art? They are one of my sources of inspiration, and part of turning this into a business was to build a future for us all.

3. Where do you live and what is it like?I live in South Australia, in a rapidly growing semi-rural area. It is relatively quiet and my kids can walk to school.

4. Where did you learn to craft or are you self taught? I am pretty much completely self-taught, or family member taught. I read a lot and watch youtube videos and experiment.

5. How long have you been working at your craft? In terms of my jewellery design and creation, about 3 years. Chainmaille wise its about 2 years and Polymer clay is about 18 months. But I have always done something creative, including cross stitch, knitting, crochet, mandalas and painting.

6. Where do you receive your inspiration, in general? Everything is, or can be, an inspiration, depending on my frame of mind or what materials I am using.

7. What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists? Be true to yourself. Create what you want to create, the way you want to create it. Don't allow currently fads or trends to dictate to you. And believe in yourself and your abilities and talents.

8. If you won a thousand dollar craft shopping spree, what would you spend it on? Rings for maille, polymer clay, Czech beads, lampwork, Swarovskis, Gemmies, wire, findings, resin, tools, tumbler.... okay..can I have another thousand dollars LOL!

Here's where you can find Haffina's creations:

Haffinacreations
HandmadeArtistsShop/Haffina
HaffinaCreations on ArtFire
BeadsByHaffina on ArtFire
HaffinaAgain on Zibbet
HaffinaAgain on Etsy