Weekly update. . .Summer

It has been blazing hot all over the place lately. 😏 I know it's summer but good grief with the heat wave, heat dome, ridiculous record temperatures, it's only June so I am not looking forward to July or August. 😅 

Little Merlin has recovered well and quickly from his vet visit, he is happy to be free of the cone and back to running around. 😇 

I have finally decided to conquer a project that I have wanted to do for a long time but have always shied away from.  I've been doing chainmaille for years now, ok a decade.  I have learned many patterns over the years, mostly from studying photos of completed things. I have seen a lot of photos of a lot of versions of. . . Dragons.  However, almost every version is different, there is no real standard and I have always found them to be rather intimidating in their complexity, they trigger my imposter syndrome. 😰 It is kind of sad considering how much I love dragons, I literally am a dragon under the Chinese zodiac. 😅 So, in the spirit of continuous learning and conquering my fears, I am making a dragon!

Yeah, I've been working on him all week and he's still nowhere near finished. Yesterday, I spent 2 hours and multiple attempts just to get his head attached straight. 😅

I made the head and fringe first because it seemed like an easy starting point, but it has also been a good inspiration sitting there staring at me 😶 like come on. . . I need a body.

I am about 300 rings in, and I think I underestimated just how many rings it will take, considering he is currently a scale-less wing-less serpent. 😕 There are tons of rings left to go, to line his back with scales, to make and attach wings and then a tail. So yeah, he is only about half done right now, which makes it kind of insane that I am already thinking about making another one with different chain patterns and legs. 😅😄

The kit came with a limited number of scales, but I want to make his wings bigger and different from the head fringe. I'm going to have to order more scales, this is not going to be good for my supply addiction. 😎

Weekly update. . .Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all. 😇

Not much of an update this week, it was not really what you'd call a "productive" week business wise. 😏 I got my teeth cleaned and I got Merlin fixed but that's about it. I'm fine and he is recovering very well, although he does hate the cone. 😅

I did finish the 5th beads and rings necklace. 

I think I have an idea about how to make the matching earrings, but they are not finished. 😉 I received a fresh order of rings for a whole new to me thing with scales 😬 we'll have to wait to see how it turns out. I admit I've never been really good at getting scales to lay right. 😅

Any guesses on what this pile is supposed to make? 😅

Weekly update. . .Merlin

Time for a kitten update. . .Merlin is rapidly outgrowing the "kitten" phase. 😅 He has grown in not only size but also attitude, he has begun to spray so it's time to get him fixed, his appointment is this week.  I am hopeful that this will settle his rottenness some because I am sick of him waking me up yowling his little head off thinking he needs his tuna-breakfast at 4:30 AM. 😠 I feel like I'm perpetually exhausted, I have taken to actually napping trying to make up for the fact that the cat never lets me sleep in the morning, but I'm not normally a nap person so half the time I wake up feeling worse. 😔  

In his leash training he just stubbornly pulls like a sled dog until he gets to go where he wants to, or he pops his collar off. 😏 Luckily, he hasn't actually tried to run away, so far when he gets his collar off, he knows he's in trouble and usually comes to the door. Let's face it there is unlimited cans of tuna in the house and as a previously starving orphan why would he give that up. 😉 

My next batch of frames has arrived with white, silver and gold trimmed options. I still have to sort out which frames for which paintings but with more options I am happy with the results so far. Take this piece for example, the white edges used to bother me I regretted not covering them it made it look unfinished somehow, but with the white face black recess of the frame echoing it, it looks like it was planned all along, the frame suits it and finishes it. 😍

Sometimes it is just obvious which color frame should go with certain paintings. The process of framing is kind of a pain since the screws and brackets are attached from behind you just kind of guess and pray that the canvas stays centered and straight while you tighten the screws. 😅 I'm partly kidding, it is a P.I.T.A and the brackets are basically attached blind from the back, I do have ways of marking the back and some spacers to try to help but it ain't easy. 😏

Or maybe it's just a "me" problem because my wrist has been broken and dislocated previously so the hand screwing things makes my wrist hurt. I also hate the steel hanging wire. 😅 Sure sure it looks nice and proper and professional and all that jazz, but it is the least enjoyable part of my art process. Followed by one of the least enjoyable things about having an online business, the spam. 😖 Spam is literally everywhere, I get spammy messages on instagram wanting photos of my pets or wanting me to model "their" jewelry, never mind that I am not a model and if I wanted to do that, I'd do it for my own jewelry.  I regularly get spammy messages on facebook, makerplace, and goimagine, nowhere is safe from the spammers and bots, sadly.  Mostly I just ignore it but sometimes I wonder what is the purpose? what is their point? what do they achieve? 

Now, I'm not sure how they wound up in my goimagine shop to find the button to message me, but goimagine's home page is pretty clear that the site is Handmade, my shop's main page is pretty clear that my art and jewelry is Handcrafted, and within the listings it is very clear that each piece is one of a kind and handmade. So seriously asking if they are handmade is just ridiculously repetitive, again what is the point? However, I don't just assume every message is spam, so I politely replied that "yes, all my items are handmade."  The follow-up makes me think it is spam and likely angling to sell me some SEO advice or other "help". 

I appreciate anyone who appreciates and compliments my art, but the asking about my sales is out of bounds, especially if this was an actual buyer. I suppose it could be one of the new sellers looking for insight or advice but seriously that's what social media is for not marketplace messages. 😉 I have plenty of social media, facebook, instagram, threads, pinterest, Maker Circle and this blog, there plenty of places to contact me. 😇

Weekly update. . .June

Well, it's June, the event I had scheduled for this month got cancelled, so currently I have a blank calendar. I have just submitted an application for an event this fall but I do not have high hopes, it's a juried event and I got rejected last year. 😅 Although, they have a $150 booth fee this year so if I get rejected again, I'll probably do a happy dance at not having to paying that much for a booth. 

I'm currently about halfway thru the 5th beads & rings necklace and I'm going to run out of clasps soon. I used so many making the necklaces for all the pendants.  Heck this old photo doesn't even show them all because they didn't fit on the board. I think there are actually well over 2 dozen now. 

I decided to go ahead and order even more frames, 😅 mainly because I wasn't thrilled with the solid black frame on one of the paintings, I was really hoping to display at the art show this fall. 

I have ordered new frames with silver trim and white, in hopes of bringing out the metallic silver paint and overall brightening the look.

I have been given the ok to bring the chainmaille ornaments and balls to the art show, which is great, I think they will display around the framed art nicely. I want to use a large crystal bowl to put most of the balls in and only have a few loose on the table. I will probably use the wreath to display the ornaments, but I think spare sets already gift boxed is a good idea too. Actually, I should probably start making more I may not have an event this month, but I have multiple events this fall. 😊 

There is always so much to do when you are the only one doing it. 😉

Weekly update. . .Memorial Day

Welcome to a holiday weekend in the 90*s and my central air is still not fixed. 😞 We now have 3 room units running non-stop trying to keep up with the heat, but when the overnight temperature doesn't get below 70 and it is perpetually 90% humidity it's an uphill battle. 😟Slightly afraid of my next power bill. 😶

On the upside all of the beads I ordered did arrive before the weekend, so I have been productive. 😎  I do believe that the beads & rings necklaces will need to be priced by length just like the chainmaille. It is actually kind of shocking how many of those little beads it takes to make real distance. 😏

The blue/gold one is only 16.5" inches and has 135 beads (and 135 rings). 

The longer red version has 187 beads (and rings) and is still only 22" inches long. 😐

I honestly think a 24" inch necklace with this size bead would be over 200 beads and rings, which is a lot of work. I mean it is time consuming to get perfect closures on rings, so to sit and close a ton of rings and then still have to string and stack them, wow. Yeah, I think I under-sold the first one. 😅 I'm also thinking it's a good thing I ordered literally thousands of beads, but they may not make as many items as I had thought. 

Considering the hematite beads have holes that are too small for the leather cord, that's 800-ish that I can't use for jewelry. No worries, they won't "go to waste" I have ideas for wire trees. 😉

I was also serious about doubling up the rings for the larger bead size so that the leather cord doesn't show thru as much. 

I do like the look, but I'll have to consider the effect on pricing, doubling the ring count does dramatically increase the time involved. ~sigh~ 😏 

Weekly update. . .do-over

Well, it's been a week, and this is an update. 😏 I'm tired, like all the time, Merlin never lets me sleep, literally I tried to take a nap yesterday afternoon and he followed me into the room and yowled and yelled and pounced on Reover repeatedly until I gave up and got up. 😒 

Kittens. . .they demand all the time, attention and energy. 😏

I can barely be in my shop let alone get work done, if I even walk in the room he runs in and jumps on my bench, no matter how many "no you" I shout or how many times I chuck him off it, he just won't stay off my bench. 

It has become very frustrating, annoying and time consuming, at least he has stopped trying to eat beads, but he mucks things up walking on/thru. He jumped on a painting the other day and it was pure luck that he didn't damage the canvas. 😐 Somehow, I have managed to get a couple of things done but not a lot. I did remake the beaded necklace that sold, but I did most of the work on top of my laptop on the couch. 😏

I did try a different bead/ring combo to make a second necklace but I'm not loving it. It's ok and it will likely sell but for me personally it's "lumpy" and just doesn't have the smooth slinky feel of the original. 😉 So I have ordered more of the other bead size. 

Also, not super thrilled that in this version you can totally see the leather cording 😒 maybe if I had doubled up the rings it wouldn't be so bad, but I don't really like that it shows.  😞 Speaking of things that didn't quite work. . .

My photo shoot, ok so using the easel is a good idea but it just doesn't work with my cardboard stands (which really are better for smaller things). 

So now I'm contemplating moving my photo lights and trying the easel on the nightstand in the spare room. It's not ideal but it might work, if I can get the lighting right. 😏 Although it's on the wrong end of the house, because right now our central air is broken and it's hot down that hall. We've been making do with a couple of small units for 2 weeks already, hopefully the part comes in this week before it gets back over 90*. 😶 

Fingers crossed for a more productive week ahead. 

Happy Mother's Day

The plan for today is to do as little as possible. . . if only. 😅 My actual plans include finishing the unpacking, restoring the art to order, doing some bookkeeping, and setting up to do a photo shoot this week. However, today is starting with photos and social media, as it is Mother's Day I had to post a "Happy Mother's Day" post, it is a Sunday so writing this weekly blog post and I have photos and video from yesterday's event to edit. 😉  

It was a beautiful day at the park and my banner looked great! We had perfect weather, the bands rocked, I really enjoyed the event overall, it was a great crowd. 😎 There was a lot of Mother's day gift shopping, I sold several wire trees and jewelry pieces. I've been invited to vend at the farmer's market that is held in this park monthly, not sure if I will do it but it is nice to be invited. 😇 

Remember that necklace test I did with the beads and rings design? Well, it was the first thing that sold yesterday, its' first time on display, so I guess I should make more. 😅 

Also matching earrings, because the buyer asked for matching earrings but since I didn't have "matching" she went for coordinating, all rings no beads but the same color. I am still not selling the bracelet design because the button/loop closure on mine is wearing, and my product testers have not hit the 6-month mark yet. However, I may just have to buy the larger crimps and findings to make the bracelets with proper ends and clasp. 

For now, the focus for the next week is a major re-do of photos of art. I have a few ideas for set up and staging including using my new tabletop easels. I also plan to start selecting and framing what I want to display at the art show in October, and since some of those pieces are already listed online, once I frame them, they will need new photos and price changes to reflect that. 😉