Busy, Busy, Busy -- Weekend.

It was a busy weekend around here -- in and outside the shop.  Several products sold out over the holiday weekend -- which is to be expected when its a small scale handmade shop here. 

Which also caused me to do a little soul searching.  I have been watching how things are going and have been planning a few changes for the shop come 2014:  maybe my own website if I gain the energy to do my own coding in addition to all the other aspects of the shop, maybe a move from Etsy to another smaller, more handmade friendly venue.  There has been a lot of chatter on Etsy of late because of the definition change of "handmade" within Etsy. 

For some sellers its kind of a scary proposition -- having built up a community on Etsy, Facebook, Twitter, etc., of people who love your work -- and then it feels like with all the SEO work one puts into their shop that they are still put back in the back of the line for views.  It's just a hard proposition.

Oh yeah -- did you know that my shop venue, Etsy, changed the rules on what can be labeled "handmade"?  There is all kinds of chatter going on across the interwebs about it -- and it was a polarizing decision made by Etsy.  Personally, I like the community -- but I feel like I am working too hard to re-list items to be seen even when I have pitch perfect SEO after a few years of tweeking.  I even change my SEO according to the yearling changes that happen just before the holidays, sending us all into a tizzy as our "views" and "favorites" crash and burn, like clockwork, each year.

So, as a small handmade shop -- I've been soul-searching, between the cooking of the holiday meal and getting items set to ship this morning, and deciding how I am going to go about 2014, as the changes on Etsy become more pronounced.  (Jan 1 is the day some changes go into effect -- which won't effect my shop as I am in compliance with it all, but it may shove me down the listings because I am a small, one woman shop, and can not compete with manufacturers. ).

Until I make these decisions, however, I will be plugging along making the most beautiful stuff I can muster. Ahh, love the garnets for the holidays. 

Also, as a shameless plug at the end of this posting, check out the rubies, sapphires and emeralds I have in the shop for this holiday season.  You know that's right :)

~Maggie~

http://www.etsy.com/shop/maggiesjewelry

Magic Happens -- or so the saying goes.

I am going to come out and say it once and for all-- I do believe Magic Happens.   You're probably wondering where I come to this conclusion from, having had a rough month or two -- mostly personal but partly frustration in the shop.

See, in the shop -- summer months are notoriously slow.   Like snails pace -- or more accurately, it takes time for a caterpillar to become a butterfly.  And honestly, who wants to be online shopping when you can be out in the markets, enjoying the sunshine and that one guy selling "Cadillac peaches" who gives free samples?  The juice just drips from your chins, right?  Delish.  It's what summer is all about.

Photo Courtesy the Very Talented Vermont Photographer at Moonshine Designs and Photography.

I have fought the urge to put my shop on vacation mode -- and just go out to enjoy the sun.  Instead, I have just sharply focused when I do things, so that I can spend the summer with the kids, still clean up a bit around the house -- and keep the shop fruitful.

I also made one slight change in the shop that has done a world of good for my psyche.  Usually I have on my listings:  "Ready to Ship in 1 business day."   But, a few weeks ago, I changed that to "Ready to ship in 1-2 business days."

I know, I know, it doesn't seem like much  -- and generally I still get everything in the mail within a 24 hour period -- even on weekends which are technically not business days.

But, in giving myself that little bit of leeway for the summer -- I am now free to have an item sell at say 2 pm, and get it in the mail the next morning without dropping whatever I am doing for the day, but still be within what I promise.  Just knowing I have that takes a load off, I must say.

Granted, when school starts back up, I will most likely return to the "1 day processing time"  -- but the shipping will remain the same -- free and super fast. (I do first class mail for free -- during the holidays, expedited shipping will have a bit of a fee.  First class generally gets across the country in 2-3 business days).

But the one day has left me with some fun in creating -- which means magic for my poor weary soul. 

This Sapphire Necklace is more about technique for me -- plus it is September Birthstone Jewelry, so I had to add it.  I was perfecting my wire wrapping by doing these rosary style dainty necklaces.  So Much Fun.

I am adding this because in addition to being a rare form of apatite -- I love how much fun I had with the photography.  It's a necklace, and individually wire wrapped in sterling silver and this beautiful Green Apatite.

Simple and elegant -- these are the color of the year, and a little bit like Angelina Jolie's famous emerald earrings.  These are Emerald Quartz -- created by heating the clear quartz to bring out the green.  I am not a scientist, so I don't understand all of the techniques -- but I do know they sure are pretty.

I made these as a process piece.  I wanted to perfect the "all in one piece" earrings that these really are.  They are Natural Peridot and Freshwater Pearl, on a one piece "ear wire".

I have made heart hoops before -- but I have not played much with the precious stones on them -- leaving them to showcase the "hoop" more than  the stone.  With these shaded ruby heart hoops -- I played with both the ear wire and the stones to make something very unique.  And I made them in gold because then I wouldn't steal them for my own jewelry box.

I am adding these pearl earrings because I just can't get enough of the color.  Classic and elegant -- the perfect holly red for holiday events.

Oh Gosh, Not the Creativity Slump!

I am sometimes pretty markedly creative, like so creative I get that wisp of a thought that "This Rainbow Necklace will change the world!"  Then several people favorite it -- and my ego rises. I get happy, go-lucky and so excited that people think the same of that rainbow necklace I thought.

Then I wake up to a dreary Seattle morning with no desire to even edit the photos I took the day before for the shop.

I am not a psych major, so I can't tell you in all honesty where this sudden slump comes from.  It's like: OMGosh, this can not be happening -- just after this massive surge.

I woke up like this on Monday -- after having a fabulous surge of creativity that lasted quite a while actually. Most of those new items are similar in nature however -- so maybe it wasn't as big of a surge as I thought.

When I get here -- to this out of creativity place, I write a lot.  I tool around the interwebs.  I look at other items by other creative people and I try to get sparks of imagination. 

Or, I set everything aside and I take the kids to the pool, or out to a park, or something, and just take the day off from the shop.  (Not really as still throughout the day I edited a few photos here and there to post, and watched my shop so I could ship orders quickly).

It's like lightening really -- so fast and furious. But worth the ebb and flow that it works in.

Maybe I should look at my gemstones once more and see if something "sparks" -- or maybe, just maybe I should walk for a while with the kids, after all -- even though they are older now -- they do still see the world in a very different way from me.

Rainbow Necklace

Christmas in July

When I was a kid, growing up in New England, there were a lot of stores advertising "Christmas in July" sales -- it was always a bit over the top with an air of "Sunday, Sunday SUNDAY" commercials on the local stations.  Always (and still) kind of made me chuckle.

I never understood the concept until this year.  See, it's not just for you, the customer, it's also a fabulous time to reorganize my shop and get some really interesting items in front of you. It's something deep-down about knowing my jewelry is out there in the world, and knowing it makes whoever owns it feel like a million bucks.

Take these fabulous (though a new design for me) Ruby Earrings I recently added to my "clearance section" for "Christmas in July."

Ruby Leaf Earrings

They are kind of a hoop, kind of a dangle, kind of a leaf.  But they are this beautiful variegated ruby -- starting at nearly crystal clear at the top and hitting that deep wonderful clear ruby at the bottom.  Plus, I am a sucker for the photograph --it mixes the rustic favorite "prop" rock outside my studio, and the deep elegance of the fabulous rubies.

It's in the clearance section not because it is an old design -- like some of the other items -- but since it's Christmas in July, why not use something that can be either a gift for a July Birthday Girl -- or a wonderful gift to put under the tree -- or give for Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa.  (These are normally $58, but currently on clearance for 34.80).

Some of the other items in clearance are a bit older -- a classic design that will always work, but still, I want to make room in the shop for the "new" designs I am working on. 

See, I have quite a few items ready to post already -- I just have to have time to do it, really.  But what is happening during this "Christmas in July" season-- is I am really playing with different things.  I am trying some use of glass in order to bring in the gemstone look, but to be budget friendly, and I am also working out my Luxury Line (Like if the sun would ever come out today, I have some darling Rose Quartz and Diamond Oxidized Sterling Silver Hoops I would just love to cue at the beginning of the "I'm behind on posting these" line.)

So until I can get the motivation to post those new items -- I am adding to my clearance section some wonderful old favorites -- great ideas for the holidays this year, and several July Birthstone items.

Check out the Clearance Section when you get a chance -- it's dual purpose, Christmas in July, and Clearance after all.

New Year -- back to the grind

I've been meaning to post for a while now.  But, I have been luckily bombarded with family stuff, as in my family all lives under one roof now.  Hubby is home again, and getting settled and signed into the local base here -- as we get used to doing things as one household.  It's proven....challenging. 

For one, shopping for one more adult has thrown a wrench in my shopping habits.  Who knew that much more was needed to maintain the cooking.  And for some reason, I didn't anticipate the extra laundry, extra household goods to buy, or even that my jewelry studio may impact hubby's netflix addiction.

See my studio is small, one corner of the master bedroom -- mainly so that I am still available for the kids and not in a separate location.  Also, it's sequestered in the master bedroom, because I don't really want to be searching for inspiration in the dining room while cartoon network plays in the living room.  Or Halo.  Or whatever new XBox game they are into this week. 

But I have been expanding my line -- even before hubby got home -- to include not only bridal jewelry, but also trendy, modern and relevant to the time of year jewelry.

Oh, an example?

14k Gold Filled Heart Hoops

These are hoops, in the shape of an open heart I made sing some 20 gauge 14k gold filled wire.  They are sturdy and dainty all at once.  It took me a while to get the shape perfect -- a lot of hammering, a lot of trial and error.  And several Youtube searches.

Once I got the shape right -- I tried to use a wig jig, but I am not that coordinated, so I had to make them by hand --  I hammered and tempered the metal in order to make the half hard fully hard so they wont bend and get all messed up.  You know, there is a history of young kids in my house testing the jewelry I make -- by accident at first.

Once that was all done, I decided, you know what?  These would look so cute if I added a little something something.

Sapphire Hearts

So I started wire wrapping stones onto the bottom half of the heart.  See, the area where there are no stones serves as the ear wire, and the stone part of the heart dangles.

They were so pretty that I went outside and took a million pictures of several different pairs and styles of these heart hoops.  And bam!  A set sold within minutes of me putting them up on the esty site for Maggie's Jewelry. 

See these in the Shop.

These lovely garnets are the ones that sold. 

But, as I have a touch of OCD, and the pictures sure did look nice, I went through my post shipment quality check -- which includes making sure they would be perfect on by holding them near the ear and checking how they would look, in addition to polishing, sanitizing, and blow drying after the polish and sanitize.   (I know what you;re thinking:  "You blow dry your jewelry?"  Yes I do, to make sure it's fully dry before I package it up to ship -- we don't want oxidation in the shipping time to occur, do we?)

And what do you know?  While the pictures looked divine, and they really did, the earrings were all wrong.  Because I had wrapped both earrings the same direction, I had to take one earring apart and wrap on the other side of the hoop.  Okay, a bit unclear there:  by re-wrapping, the gemstones face out to the world on both ears now -- rather than them facing one direction only -- and inevitably, one earring's gemstones facing the neck rather than the world.

So, live and learn, right?  I will be making sure I take pictures more often of these earrings on from now on -- because then I could know much earlier in the process if something is off, even if the pictures are pretty perfect.

~Maggie~

Check out all my new designs at:  Maggie's Jewelry

Another Jewelry Show

I don't know about you, but this economy is kicking my butt. My mother is at a planning session for her retirement (go Mom!) and we are planning between us if we can get into the fancy jewelry show that is going up here this weekend.

It's this one: International Gem and Jewelry Show . I really love this show, went a few times in Huston and Austin when I lived in Texas, have been to the Portland one, and as often as I can, I go to the Seattle one.

The only trouble is, a few years back they started charging full pop for kids to get in, insane. Granted, I always have the coupon, bringing the price to 6 bucks entrance from 8, which sounds pretty good.  That is, until you realize there are three kids, and my Mom that go with me, bringing my cost up to almost 40$ just to walk through the door.

I know it seems ridiculous, but in order to keep my prices reasonable for the stuff I like to sell, I have to keep the costs of my materials down. It's bad enough how much gold and silver are now, wow!

A decent pair of earrings now costs over 18 bucks at COST when I use the silver and gold-filled, because the ear-wires and wire alone are above 10. Add to that production costs, and keeping these prices down is hard, hard, hard work.  It's like couponing, selling your own stuff.  Which I do do :)

But, I do have a few designs in mind I hope to bring you in the coming weeks--that is, if we decide we can go.  Otherwise, we are hitting up the 'gemfair' at the Tacoma Dome. Which unfortunately has some very pretty beads right as you enter the door, but they guy who runs that booth is so rude I can not bring myself to buy there -- NO MATTER how pretty the gems are.

Well, off to clean off the beading desk and prepare for the future spring ahead--since I took much of winter off trying to maintain my 4.0 in my masters. 

That's right, I did it, mission accomplished!  4.0 for almost an entire academic year at Gonzaga University!  Woot!