Entries from November 2008 ↓

Today’s featured Etsy seller is Carole Lago, who is a fellow member of Worldwide Women Artists Online (WWAO). She’s an amazing woman who creates beautiful glass pieces.

I have been creating one kind of art or another for most of my life. I have tried and liked many mediums. . . Painting t-shirts, oil painting, charcoals, sewing, quilting, making jewelry, decoupage. . .
Then I discovered glass and fell in love. After a couple of stained glass classes, I realized that I could work with glass and not have to use a set pattern. It could be as free flowing as I could imagine while I was working on it and if my mood or vision changed, I could pick up where I was at the moment and convey that to my glass.

How did I get started???
I have had a couple of great shops where I sold my items. My start was decoupaging hurricane shades with handmade paper and making earring holders on frames with screen. One of the shop owners made a comment to me that something she would be interested in was jewelry boxes. I kept that idea with me, but became a little sidetracked. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. With all that icky stuff going on in my life, I needed something that would get me to a place where I could create beauty and become whole again. Light bulbs and fireworks went off in my head, (no, it wasn’t the drugs) and another evolution in my work happened!
I loved the idea of functional art, so I began with jewelry boxes. They evolved into making serving trays with inlaid art glass as well as poster sized wall hangings – all with art glass. My inspiration is the beauty that is my life and my love of making things that bring joy and a smile to people’s faces.

My day job??
I am a certified canine massage therapist. I incorporate therapeutic massage, reiki and aromatherapy on my 4 legged clients. I work on large and small dogs and love to work with older dogs that have arthritis, post surgical dogs or active dogs with aches and muscle pains – it enhances their quality of life. I use therapeutic grade essential oils and make my own essential oil blends. They are sold locally and also on Etsy at: www.pawsneffect.etsy.com

Advice???
Appreciate your talent and know that it was a gift from whatever source you believe in. Don’t be discouraged by setbacks, listen to comments and advice with discernment, listen to your heart.
Produce a high quality product that is your one of a kind work of art.

Carole’s work can be purchased through her Etsy shop, and you can see even more on Yessy.

First of all, I’d like to say Happy Birthday! to my mom today. (Hi mom! Have a good one!)

Next, I’d like to talk about holiday decorations. Do you like them? Do you display them? What do you put up? Indoors? Outdoors?

I love holiday decorations, especially lights. As a child, my mom would drive us around at night to look at the decorated houses. I still like it.

I also love TONS of candles. It helps that I make candles.

I will be putting up lights in my studio tomorrow. I can’t wait! I also have a tiny little tree (maybe 18″ high?) that I’ll be putting in my studio. I used to put it in my apartment, but my cat Tiger would grip it in his teeth and drag it around the house, unraveling the lights as he went. Funny, yes, but not all that safe.

So now I want to hear about your holiday decorations! Poinsettia? Mistletoe? Menorah? Tree – live or artificial? Photos are a plus!

I mentioned this in the comments of my last post, but I wanted to turn this into a separate post.

I want to hear your stories from Black Friday!

Did you brave the crowds at the mall? Did you find amazing bargains? Did you make a ton of sales? Was it a day like any other? Do you have any unbelievable Black Friday stories from previous years?

For me, I did not go out shopping, but I did a little online shopping. I had some nice Thanksgiving leftovers, and I took it easy a little more than usual. I still got my work done, but I didn’t let myself think of all of the things I have coming up. I watched a couple of Monty Python movies. It was a nice, relaxing day. I’m having a BOGO sale this weekend in my Etsy shop, so I hope that goes well.

Your turn! Tell me about your Black Friday!

Lava Jewelry BOGO SALE — Nov 29-Dec 2nd!

Buy one piece of jewelry, get a second piece of jewelry at HALF price! (equal or lesser value)

*Does not include items in the jewelry care/supplies section of my shop.

Just write BOGO in the message to seller when you check out, and wait for me to send you a revised PayPal invoice before paying.

Offer good until Tuesday Dec 2nd, 6am Eastern time (3am Pacific).

While you’re in my shop, be sure to check out my new Clearance section for amazing bargains!

I now offer PayPal gift certificates for Lava Jewelry.

They can be purchased in my shop in amounts starting at only $5, and redeemed at my shop at any time. Very simple and easy-to-use. You can email the certificate to your gift recipient, or give them a print-out. Your choice.

For sellers interested in offering this, it can be set up easily on PayPal under Merchant Services. Let me know if you have any questions.

Today’s featured Etsy seller is TheHouseofMouse. She is not only the founder of the Sellers Assisting Sellers Team on Etsy, but she is also the owner of a shop featuring little handmade felt mouse characters, in a large variety of styles, all with their own little personalities. What perfect gifts for Christmas!

How did you get started making your art?
I have always loved making things ever since I was a very little girl, but the mice are a relatively recent addition to my creative endeavors. I originally made them as Christmas gifts for my family last year, a Photographer Mouse for my father who loves taking pictures, an Artist Mouse for my painter friend, Reading mice for my bookworm friends etc… They went down so well that I decided to sell them. I can hardly believe how well they have been received!

What inspires you in your work?
When I first came up with the idea the inspiration came from my friends and family, since I made each mouse with a certain person in mind. After Christmas I was inundated with other suggestions from the people that received them! I regularly think of other mice to make while doing my everyday things, I’ll be watching a movie and think “Oh, a Supermouse would be cool!” sometimes it is from finding an object and trying to see it from a mouse-size point of view. For example the Gladiator Mouse’s shield is actually a particularly ugly earring I picked up at a car boot sale. Suffice it to say the ideas hit me all the time. I also regularly get suggestions from people visiting my shop or MySpace page. And there is continued stream of suggestions from my friends. I have a little book I always carry with me to keep my ideas in.

What other types of art do you make for fun?
Before the mice I was a professional oil painter, it was my main source of income for a long time, but after a few bad customers I decided to stop trying to make money from it and just to start painting for myself again. You can see my oil paintings here if you are interested www.annagreaves.com. I also love less serious crafting, I am learning to knit and I want to get back into working with clay some time soon. I would love to learn to play the guitar too. There are so many types of creativity I want to master!

The cute little mice of TheHouseofMouse are currently only available on Etsy, but soon TheHouseofMouse will have its own web site.

I’ve been the president of my Rotary club for just over a month now. I became president when our president resigned. At first I was uncertain about taking on the presidency and continuing with Rotary, but that very weekend, I participated in an event that made me want to continue. The Santa Clara Rotary Club gives out new shoes to underprivileged children to start the school year in a program called Steps for Success. Our club contributes by giving the children socks. It might not sound like much, but being there with the parents and children, being able to make a small difference… that is why I want to be part of Rotary.

The biggest challenge I face is in not feeling overwhelmed. It’s too easy for me to get involved in every little detail of things, and make things more difficult than they need to be. Being a leader and presiding over weekly meetings is a very new thing for me. I try to stay focused by remembering the one thing that is most important in Rotary: Service.

I have several events scheduled for our little club over the next month or so. On December 6, we’re helping with a book sale held by the Friends of the Alviso Library. On December 13, we’re participating in the Santa Visits Alviso program. On December 17, our club is hosting a presentation by The Tech Museum of Innovation on Leonardo DaVinci. The presentation is open to the entire community of Alviso. On December 20, our club is having a holiday dinner.

Yes, it will be a very busy month. I’ll be sure to post here with photos and news about each event.

Question of the Day: Can you offer me any advice on not becoming overwhelmed?

I rarely sell at shows, so if you’ve been wanting to buy from me in person (and I know you have!), here’s your chance!

When: Sunday December 14, 2008, noon-6pm
Where: W Hotel & XYZ Lounge, 181 Third St, San Francisco (next to MOMA)
What: LAUNCH SF

More info at Indie Industries web site. Free admission! Free swag bags for first 100 customers! RSVP today!

I have not yet written about October’s other birthstone, tourmaline, but I promise to get to that. Such a beautiful stone should not be skipped in my series!

Today, I’m writing about November’s birthstone, beautiful yellow citrine.

Citrine is a yellow gemstone variety of the mineral quartz (SiO2). It derives its yellow color from trace amounts of iron. Natural citrine is relatively rare. The vast majority of citrine that is available commercially is actually amethyst (primarily from Brazil) that has been heat-treated to turn it yellow. It is safe to assume that any citrine you purchase has been heat-treated.

Citrine is a 7 on Moh’s hardness scale, and it has pretty good toughness (meaning that it doesn’t fracture easily), making it a fairly durable stone. Citrine is suitable for rings, as well as necklaces, pendants, and earrings.

Citrine is relatively easy to care for. It can be cleaned either in an ultrasonic bath, or simply with warm water and mild soap. Steam cleaning is not recommended. The color of citrine is stable (it won’t fade in sunlight), but it can be changed by extreme heat. As with all gemstones, it’s best to avoid exposing your citrine jewelry to chemicals or impacts. Jewelry that is properly cared for can become a family heirloom.

I carry citrine jewelry on my new web site and in my Etsy shop. Perfect for November birthdays of course!

Question of the Day (unrelated to citrine): What is your favorite episode of The Office? (either US or UK) Or your favorite scene?

I just created a new site for Lava Jewelry on Big Cartel. I’ve found using Big Cartel to be much easier than creating and maintaining my own web site. It’s fairly flexible, and I’ve done some customization. I’d love some feedback on how to improve my shop!

Post here if you have any questions about Big Cartel, or if you have any suggestions for my shop.