Orange Energy - Return from the Blogless

I have been away from this blog for far too long.  It's a beautiful Sunday morning over a long weekend, and I am ready to share again on this blog.

Orange is an exciting, energizing, refreshing color. Madlena Gocheva created this beautiful Etsy treasury to wake us up on this Sunday morning.  She features all kinds of lovely orange items from a fine art painting of orange poppies that just glow to a baby headband with a lovely orange flower.  And she was so kind to include my orange lucite flower ring.  Take a look at this fine collection below.

Mistakes Can Be Your Friend

"The man who makes no mistakes does not normally make anything."

   - Edward John Phelps - January 24,1899

Oh gee! How many mistakes have I made?  Countless mistakes.

One of the biggest deterrents to taking up a new hobby or activity is the fear of failure.  Years ago I thought I had no artistic ability.  Why did I think that?

My father could draw very well.  He had been a commercial artist for awhile when he was a young man.  When I  was a child, he would entertain me by taking a blank piece of paper and with a pencil, he would quickly sketch a picture of a puppy or Mickey Mouse or any number of delightful pictures.

This was wonderful. Unfortunately, when I picked up a pencil to try to do the same thing, I was slow, clumsy, and really not very good.  I gave up and decided I had "no talent".

It was many years later that I started painting.  I learned that it takes practice and patience.  I really think that "talent" plays the least important part.

Early attempt at jewelery and photographing it

I don't paint much now, but I started creating jewelry about 7 years ago.  Again my first inclination was that beading wire and working with pliers, crimpers, and cutters was definitely not my cup of tea.  Yet I was drawn to the beautiful beads and the endless possibilities to create unique jewelry.  Once again I found that practice and persistence paid off.  Now I am not so clumsy when I wrap the wire or attach a clasp.  It is fun to do these things, and it brings me hours of enjoyment.

More recent piece I made and photographed

Did I goof and make mistakes to start with?  Absolutely!  Many many mistakes. I had to cut wire off the piece and throw lots of it away, and then start again.

Do I still make mistakes?  - Oh, YES! Not as many, and not the same ones, but every time I try something new, I go through a learning curve and make new mistakes.

Never fear making mistakes!  It is part of the path to success!

Have you had similar experiences with learning from mistakes?  We would love to hear your story. Comment below. 

"Though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."

                                                                              Psalm 37:24 -NIV

Copper Glow - Summer to Fall

Most of us are looking for accessories that we can wear for multiple occasions and across the seasons.  I am so pleased with this necklace and earring set.  The copper is great with clothes in summery yellows, oranges, pinks and reds.  Then the copper is equally good for fall browns, golds, rust and plum colors. It all hinges on these warm glowing shimmery square Czech glass beads.  These are square and backed with a bright copper metallic color.  The top of these beads are glass so the copper shines through and just glows.

I chose soft white shimmery freshwater coin pearls to compliment the coppery glass beads, and then added champagne and amethyst color faceted Czech crystals to give a touch of color.  Wear this necklace with a dress or shirt with a scoop neck, or place it over a sweater in the fall.  The earrings can go with just about anything.

I must admit, I am not always thinking about this type of versatility when creating a new design.  If you are a jewelry designer, do you try to create items that are versatile either regarding colors or transitioning seasons? From a marketing perspective, do you prefer to create lots of neutral pieces or do you design mostly with colors that are trendy, fashionable, etc.?

Fasten Your Shawl with a Brooch Pin!

I have been making some brooch pins that can be used to fasten shawls or scarves, or perhaps worn as a decorative accessory on a coat or jacket. I was inspired by a scarf pin in the December 2008 edition of Simply Beads. After searching online for awhile, I found a source for the pins and bought some in silver plate and some in gold plate. It is fun and easy to place about 2 1/2" of beads on the pins, and after some practice I was able to bend the pins to form them into a pin that looks like a kilt pin. I sold several at a recent craft show. Here are some pictures. See the fuschia pink and cobalt blue pin at my Etsy shop, Plum Beadacious!

Stylin' As We Work

As school is started and vacations are over, we all start thinking about supplies and needs to make our everyday work a bit easier and more convenient. Many of us, including myself, are required to wear or carry an ID badge to work or school. These have absolutely no style or fashion sense at all, and are a necessary item in today's world. Many crafters make beaded ID badge holders to wear around the neck as a fashion accessory. They are called lanyards, and some are remarkably beautiful.

I tried my hand at making a few of these and will be selling them at my Plum Beadacious shop on Etsy. They are comfortable to wear, and add a touch of fun to every day attire. I made mine without magnetic break away clasps. I did this because whenever I wear a piece of jewelry with a magnetic clasp, I am constantly watching to make sure it has not fallen off. I have had problems with that, and so don't want to be losing my ID badge because of this. However, I do know that for safety reasons, many schools and employers require break away lanyards. So I will do them if customers would like me to. I plan to go ahead and make some with break away clasps so that customers have a choice.


I would love to hear your comments about these. Do you wear an ID badge? Would you wear a beaded one? Would you need a break away clasp? Please let me know.

Show Me Etsy - St. Louis Artisans

I am so pleased to be a member of the up and coming Etsy team, ShowMe Etsy! We are an energetic group of artistic entrepreneurs who have banded together to support one another's endeavors and to have some fun. Last night we met at a local Starbucks and talked non-stop for two hours, yet managed to make plans, yes, even important decisions, for upcoming events. We have a blog, a webjam site, and a flickr site.

Some people will participate in some arts and craft shows this week-end and others will participate at shows in August and into the fall. Come on over to our web page to learn more about all we are doing. We're looking for other Etsy artisans from the greater St. Louis area. We do cross that big old Mississippi, and have members from Illinois too. So check us out!

I will be displaying my jewelry at the Cool Art Hot Jazz Festival with this group on August 15, 16 and 17 at Queeny Park. Come see us!

Summer's End Necklace

Have You eBayed Today?

Lime Green Swirl Lampwork Earrings for sale - eBay- plumbeadacious2

Red & Pink Lampwork Earrings - on sale at eBay - plumbeadacious2

I am trying eBay again to market my jewelry. I've tried before and almost gave my jewelry away by starting with $.01 auctions and $.99 auctions. Bidding frenzies just did not happen for me. My bidders are cool and collected. They sit back and watch.

For the last three weeks I have posted earrings on eBay after doing some serious studying of keywords and categories. I priced my earrings at $6.49 per pair, the rock bottom I could take without actually losing the money I put into them. I've got about a 30% sales success, which for eBay is just fine. Unfortunately, I have yet to work up a bidding frenzy with my customers, but I have had a few small bidding tussles between bidders. Here are some of my most recent sold items.

Have You Declared Your Independence?

If you are like most women, you probably feel driven by all the tasks and obligations of each day. I know I have certainly felt that way and behaved accordingly.

Did you know if you just step off that treadmill for awhile, and take time to reassess your priorities, the whole world will not fall apart? I know it is hard to do. I have had to do that, not just once, but on multiple occasions.

I recognized that much of what I felt enslaved to was of my own making. I can be my own taskmaster and worst enemy. But I finally realized that if I skipped some of the chores or responsibilities, no-one would be upset or burdened by it. Of course, I am not talking about all of your chores and responsibilities. Choose carefully!

That gave me a whole new perspective on my life and allowed me to start pursuing my own interests. VOILA! My little jewelry business emerged, and is beginning to blossom. Plum Beadacious is a by-product of my new found freedom.

So declare your independence! Open your heart and mind to your creativity! Celebrate you and the freedom God has given to you! HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY - JULY 4, 2008

Results of some of my happy creative moments:

This necklace is one of my all-time favorite. I've made several of these. I have one more of these lampwork beads, and promised myself to make this necklace one more time for me. I really like this style of necklace. With beautiful lampwork beads, this style is one of my best sellers.

Some of my newest creations in my Cottage Garden collection.

Spring Craft Show

Wow! It has been way too long since I posted anything here on my blog. I have been working diligently everyday to prepare for the craft show that I am participating in this weekend. I have everything boxed up, displays loaded, receipt books ready, etc. We set up tonight on Friday. I am pleased that I have this opportunity to set up the day before the show. That way if something is not quite right, I can try to make it right for tomorrow.

The weather should be good tomorrow but still cool. The show is inside at Lindbergh High School. See the details here at Plum Beadacious. I will be introducing my Cottage Garden Collection and my Filigree Romance Collection. Wish me well!

Plum Beadacious on Etsy

I started a new shop on Etsy called Plum Beadacious. It is the same name as my regular website. I also have a shop on Etsy under the name LeAllyson, called LeAllyson's Creations. I started that first about a year and a half ago. When I came up with the name Plum Beadacious for my website, it was too late to change my Etsy name. I finally decided to start a new shop. I am not sure if I will phase out the LeAllyson's Creation shop, or just change the focus of that shop.

Anyhow, I purchased a custom designed banner from an awesome designer on Etsy. She is creative, delivers the product quickly, and very helpful. If you need a banner for a very reasonable price check out henryrabbitdesigns at Etsy.

This is the banner above that she created for me in less than 24 hours. Isn't it absolutely beautiful?

Lavender Sparkle

I like the color purple and its many variations. Have you ever noticed how some people kind of giggle or snicker when you say you like purple? I am not sure why. I think the color has gotten a bad rap. I painted a bedroom a beautiful shade of violet several years ago, and I still like it. (I should say my husband painted the bedroom. I just did a tiny amount of trim.) I have a plum colored shirt, a lavendar sweater, a periwinkle jacket, and a deep purple sweatsuit.

My newest purple treasure is this bracelet and earrings set. I call it 'Lavendar Sparkle'. I made this with Czech glass cathedral beads and bright silver filigree tube beads. Then on the end of the extender chain there is a tanzanite Swaroski crystal. There is not a bit of sterling silver in this set, and I think that is just fine. It is a fun item to be worn whenever the whim hits.