Easing Back In

I had beautiful baby girl in January and have done basically nothing with jewelry while I enjoy time with my kiddos. All of the sudden, within a week, I got several inquiries about my work and asking about my website. It has given me the little bit of a kick start I needed. I have even been commissioned to make a piece as a birthday gift. So I am slowly, shifting back into the jewelry-making mindset. We'll see how it goes!

Busy Times

I have obviously not posted in quite some time. My life has become really crazy and busy as of late with work, teaching, and being pregnant. This blog has fallen far down the priority list. I will try to get back to it if/when life settles back down a bit.

Thanks for your support!

Upcoming Show: Lehi

I will be one of the vendors at the Lehi Roundup Boutique. In the next month between now and then I will be frantically creating so I have will have a great collection of new items to show. Come see me!

June 19-20
10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Wines Park
600 North Center Street, Lehi

Feature Friday: Rae Gun

I have little girl. One of the fun things about girls is all the adorable clothes that go along with dressing a girl. Girls’ clothes are about a billion times cuter than boys. I especially love fun patterns and girly frills. So when I came across Rae Gun clothing, I was thrilled to see it gushing with cuteness. Marissa, the name behind the clothes, makes adorable items for little kiddos. I am especially fond of the ruffles on the butt.

Her dresses are uber cute and she will happily make you coordinating bloomers. Many of her designs are made to order. She makes all kids sizes from 0-3 months all the way up to size 7. Or, you can send her measurements for your little one and she will custom make the item. Look at these little outfits!


How can you say no? For those with little boys, no fear. She also makes adorable little jumpers for both girlies and your little slugger, like this one!

In addition to making super cute kids clothes she is a graduate student completing her thesis. Plus she's located in Small Salt Lake City, which makes her a friend! So go a check out her shop if you haven't. Chances are either you have kids who need something cute for summer, or you know someone else's who do.

Spring Necklace

I made this necklace a few weeks ago after realizing everything in my shop is darker colors. You can tell when I go through color phases! Even though this has green (which I love!) it's a brighter emerald green using Malachite stone. I love the look of Malachite; it looks like marble. This necklace also uses yellow and purple Swarovski crystal. Purple and yellow make a yummy combination, especially for spring.



See how pretty those stones are? I also really like that they are not cut into a perfect shape, rather they look more like tumbled rocks.

As always, if you would like to see more of my work, please click over to my Etsy shop.

Vacation

Whew. Sorry for the lack of posting. I have been on a fantastic family vacation and still getting back into the swing of things. I'm hoping to be back up and posting soon. I will for sure have a new shop owner for Featured Friday, so stay tuned!

New(ish) Project

I made this pendent a few weeks ago. It has been sitting on my work table every since starring up at me. It's been begging me to be turned into a necklace. But I'm just not sure I can do it. I'm not totally convinced I love it yet and I refuse to list something in my shop unless I love it. So tell me, is it worthy of my shop? Should I put it on a simple chain and call it good? Should I list it as a pendent, or not at all? These decisions are so hard!

Yes, I did just put it on an unfinished chain for that last pic. I wanted to see how it would look.

I made this off an artistic prompt about dreaming. I was trying to create something that looked like the night sky when it contains every shade of night. That time of night after the sun has gone down and the top of the sky is black, but as you look toward the horizon it's still a light blue from the day. This is what I came up with and I like the colors, how it fades from blue to purple to black. But I'm just not sure it I'm in love. Are you?

Feature Friday: Emily Gray Jewels

Etsy is a fantastic place. There are so many incredible artists in all mediums. Because I am a jewelry artist, I am obviously drawn to looking at jewelry. I am blown away by the talent of some of these artists. Today's feature is one of those incredible designers: Emily Gray Jewels.

Emily's designs are breathtaking, beautiful, and in high demand! Emily calls herself an incurable romantic and the femininity of her pieces shine through. Her wire wrapping skills are to be envied especially being self-taught. She uses beautiful gemstones and fine metals to create her works of art. This is one of my favorites.

I love the simple color palate mixed with an intricate design makes for such a cohesive piece.
These earrings take my breath away. The luscious berry colors clustered together like grapes waiting to be plucked on a warm summer day. Heaven!

This necklace is just fantastic. The skill and time she must put into her work is astounding.
This bracelet is so springy. The warm yellow paired with the shades of purple is beautiful.

Emily has many other fantastic designs in her Etsy shop and I highly recommend you stop by. If not to buy, then to put a smile on your face and admire a true artist.

Bridal Chandelier

My brother is getting married in less than two weeks. As a wedding gift to his soon-to-be bride, I offered to make her wedding jewelry. We got together to discuss what style she likes, colors, stones, etc. She choose a simple floating necklace with small chandelier earrings in clear Swarovski crystal with stardust beads and sterling silver. I love stardust beads because they sparkle magnificently and look like they've been dipped in diamonds.

I was so excited after I finished the necklace that I didn't think to take pictures before I gave it to the bride. I did remember to take a few shots of the earrings that I wanted to share. At some point, I'll get some shots of the necklace and post that too.

It's so exciting and flattering to make wedding jewelry. I love being part of a brides' special day in a way that makes her feel like a princess. I love doing custom work and it was so fun to do this for my new sister in law.

Booth Setup

Last weekend I had a boutique show. I finally took some pictures of my setup and wanted to share it along with some tips.

This show provided tables and I had two narrow tables pushed together to make my table. I used bed risers to hoist up the back table to create the different heights. (I still use bed risers when I just have one table.) I try to create different heights using my display stands as well. I use two tablecloths, one that reaches the floor and hides my storage underneath, and the second that adds more depth and provides a backdrop to make my pieces pop. I also brought a lamp to add extra light to show off the sparkle of the crystal. I hung my banner off the front of my table, but I'm working on finding a better way to display it. Always bring a mirror!

During this show I was also paying attention to what pieces people looked at. Just based off this show, the pieces that were laying flat and upfront got the most attention. Even with different heights, the pieces hanging on the bar in the back got no attention. Because of this, I like to mix up where I place pieces for shows and sometimes even during the day at the same show. It's all about rotating the pieces so each one gets the attention it deserves.

Feature Friday: Paper Cakes by Rachel

I love paper. I'm a scrapbooker and I love going to the craft store and look at the aisles of printed paper. I love the patterns, colors, and textures. People can make the most amazing things with paper. Everything from cards, to flowers, to cakes. Today's Friday Feature is Paper Cakes. Never heard of a paper cake? Neither had I until I met Rachel on Etsy.

Rachel makes these incredible party favors out of paper that look like cake. If you saw this cake, you would never guess that it isn't made form eggs, flour, and frosting. I'm not sure it I should be disappointed or impressed! I'm going for the later.

Each piece is an individual party favor that can be filled with candy, toys, or any other small trinket. These cakes make a beautiful centerpiece and double as a party favor. How fun! Rachel makes all her cakes to order so you can get any size color or embellishment you want. These cakes are perfect for any party occasion - birthdays, showers, or girls night out.

Perfect for the upcoming summer baby showers.
Unless you looked close you wouldn't know it was paper. This will impress your party guests!

M&M filled cake. Need I say more. Yum!

Go visit Paper Cakes by Rachel and order a lovely one today. Tell her I sent you.

Blog Button

I have wanted a blog button for quite some time. But I'm not savvy in the graphic arts and I'm too lazy to figure it out. I have a great blogfriend offer to make me my very own blog button. I was thrilled! Brittany was kind enough to whip up this fabulous little friend who will live on my sidebar. Everyone say hello and make her feel welcome (Hello!)

Show Banner

I am finally done with my banner! I am so excited about how it turned out. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a big vinyl banner (even though that would be great). Instead I decided to create my own from cute paper and ribbon.

I used big scrapbook letters. The ones I got were actually unfinished so I painted them brown. Then I cut the shapes and attached it all together. I strung on string and tied ribbons between the letters. As I was standing back to admire, my husband walked in and asked "Aren't you going to put some gems on the Jessica's Gems banner?" I'm a little slow and had honestly not thought of that. What a brilliant (yet painfully obvious) suggestion. So on went some huge crystals to add a little bling. What do you think?

Yes, it is hung off my stairs so I could get a feel for how it will look hung. I plan to do mostly indoor shows, but do have one outdoor show planned. I'm concerned that a paper banner is not going to hold up so well in the elements. I guess we'll find out!

Feature Friday: Marie's Cosy Cushions

I am on a home decorating kick. I troll the decorating blogs for fun ways to liven up my home and make it more "ours". I have a large number of items that are awaiting being spray painted as soon as can find a time to get to the store to buy spray paint. I have also recently become obsessed with pillows. I love them. Big, little, patterned, solid, bright, dull. I want them all. My husband has joked that he is surprised we are not currently swimming in pillows because I talk about them often.
"A red pillow would look great on the living room chairs."
"What we need are some pillows to rest on the trunk."
"Pillows would add some great fabric and softness to the room."
"I love these pillow to go on the storage bench I don't currently own, but want."
See, it's a problem for me.

So when I found Maire's Cosy Cushions, I fell in love. It was all I could do to not purchase everything in her shop. So instead of blowing my mortgage payment on puffy love, I will send you there instead. All her items are made to order. These are the ones I really want. The ones that would coordinate in my living room so perfectly.

I also love these organic tree pillows. What a great way to bring the outdoors in.

Who wouldn't love a flower pillow? I know I would!
And if the pillows weren't enough, she also makes wall art in the same fabric as the pillows! How cool is that. I made something similar for my office but it was made from scrapbook paper and Styrofoam, not fabric and canvas. This is the real deal!

So if you haven't seen this great shop from England, go check out Marie's Cosy Cushions. You'll be glad you did.

Shows Next Week

Next week I will be participating in two different shows. I would love to see you at one (or both) of them!

Spring Boutique
Tuesday, April 7
7:00 - 9:00 pm
2304 Pointe Meadow Loop
Lehi, Utah
Vendors: Jessica's Gems, Angela's Accessories, Mymby, Modbe

Spring Spectacular
Saturday, April 11
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Courtyard Marriott
10701 S. Holiday Park Drive
Sandy, Utah
Vendors: Jessica's Gems and too many others to list!

I hope you will come visit me at one of these great boutiques. I will have much more product than is currently listed in my Etsy shop.

Feature Friday: Crystalyn Kae

There are so many incredible artists out there I wanted to start a feature to showcase some of their talent. (I try to not make it all me, all the time!) Most of these artists are people I have met or found online. I think handmade can use all the applause it can get. So, without further ado, I give you this week's featured artist: Crystalyn Kae

I first found Crystaly Kae when looking for a green handbag. I have decided that I want something bright green for spring. Off to Etsy I went searching. This is the bag from CrystalynKae I found.

I love it! I love how it combines the two greens, has pleating with the pattern peaking through. I love that the print gives it just enough to create some interest but is not overwhelming.

A bit about the artist: Crystalyn lives in Seattle and got her BA in Apparel Design and Textiles from Washington State University. She makes gorgeous bags that are sold in boutiques around the country as well as on Etsy. Her style is a mix of classic with a sophisticated touch of modern in the details. It's apparent why she has been featured in many magazines. Here are a few more of her great bags. I wish I could afford one in every color! Go check out her Etsy shop if you haven't discovered her yet! You can also find her on her website.

Featured Artist is Me!

Today Allison from Allison Kelley Designs has featured me as an Etsy seller. How exciting! Thanks Allison! Click here to read the interview and support handmade.

Show Considerations

As I've been seeking out shows to display at, I have found more shows than I can possibly attend. There seems to be a show almost every weekend. Not only do I not have the time to attend every one, but I don't have the financial resources either. In my effort to narrow down the ones that will be the most successful for me, here is a list of questions I have been asking the show curators.

1- What is you average customer attendence?
2- What is the demographic of your customers?
3- What are averagae show sales?
4- How many vendors will be at the show?
5- How many other jewelry vendors will be there?
6- What kind of marketing has been done for the show?
7- What is your checkout process? Each vendor does their own or one central checkout?
8- What is the booth fee and what does it cover?

Ideally, I would like to attend the show and get a feel for it before I commit to the booth fee. But that doesn't always happen. Are there other questions that you ask show curators to decide if the show is right for you? After all, good sales help everyone, the vendor and the curator.

Spring Shows

Spring shows are starting up in full force. This is the first year I will be doing shows and I'm really excited to start! I have been noticing flyers pop up all over the place for various shows. So I have been contacting the boutique hosts as asking about vendor spots. I am late on many of them, but often the host has offered to keep me informed about later summer or fall shows. And that's a great start!

I also put in an application last week for an outdoor summer boutique . I'm still hoping to find someone to split the booth with (assuming I'm accepted). An outdoor show brings on a whole new set of challenges and supplies. I know I'm not fully prepared for that but there's no time like the present!

Indoor stuff I can handle. I have done several home parties and recently did a charity boutique. It's so fun being new, learning so much, and getting to know people in the circuit! My neighbor has been doing this for a while and has offered to help me out. Hurray! Since she is being so nice to me, you should stop by her shop and check her out. She makes cute hats, flowers, and bows.

Custom Sale

Sorry for being MIA this weekend. I was busy at home jumping for joy. I got my first custom order from Etsy this weekend. Hurray! I had placed a bid on Alchemy and was chosen. It was very exciting for me and I spend a good portion of the weekend working on the project. It is for a bride who is looking for a Sapphire pendent. I will be using the same crystal the I use to make this necklace. Tonight I will be photographing it and will post pictures!

I am so excited to get my first real sale from Etsy and look forward to having some feedback.

The rest of my weekend consisted of putting a top coat on my shelves and housework. I'm hoping to get those hung soon.