My First Etsy Sale!

I was so excited/happy about this. I finally had a completely unsolicited sale from Etsy. These babies were shipped off to my first official customer a couple of days ago. She indicated that she would have been interested in a white pair also. I have a set in crystal that I sent her a link to, but so far haven't heard back. Oh, well. I'm just happy that this effort has finally started to be successful.

My First Commissioned Piece

My friend Rana, whom I work with, asked me to craft a mother's bracelet as a gift. It was a good process, as she had a good idea of what she wanted, which was out of the box from what you might think of as a mother's bracelet.

I was used to using light colors, but Rana chose jet crystals and vitrail crystals. Mixed in with those were the four birthstone colors. Plus she asked for a two-strand for something I would normally make a single strand item.

But I love the piece came out.

Blue Goldstone Bracelet

I've had the blue goldstone for years now. Do you ever just freeze? Paying more than $30 for a string of beads tends to do that to me. I don't want to use them "wrong." But I girded my loins, and here is the fruit.

Ok, enough mixing metaphors...enjoy!

Easter Choker

This piece I made for my 6-year old daughter to wear with her Easter dress. I complimented it with a pair of simple hoop earrings. She looked lovely. :)

Blue Heart Bracelet

So I bought the Boss's Bead Bag from Fire Mountain Gems a while ago. It was an interesting experience that yielded a lot of dodads for my daughter to play with. Among the various items were quite a few of these heart beads. I liked the look and feel of them, but I stashed them to the side for years, until I heard their lonely call. They said "Lady! It's time to do something with us." And here is the end result.

My UFO

No, it's not an alien spacecraft, it's a project that had been languishing for about two years. The wire knitting portion of the project was easy, it was finishing the ends that drove me to procrastination. The unfinished ends of the bracelet were just taunting me, and my only response was to shove the project under piles of beading supplies. Every once in a while I would come across it, and it would challenge me anew. Well, I just couldn't stand it anymore, and decided to use these sterling silver cones I picked up at the Bead and Button show a while back. I haven't engaged in another wire knitting project since this project. I'm not sure I'm totally happy with the results, but now it can't plague me anymore.

Some New Work

This is my first successful attempt at a Sandra Halpenny design. I started to really grow in respect for Sandra's design talent. The patience it must take to map out each design bead by bead is amazing.

For a Friend

This was crafted as a birthday gift for a friend and colleague. Once again, I thank Ruby for her wonderful tutorial for this pendant. The seed beads in the necklace are size 8, the ones in the pendant are size 11 and size 8. The glass pearls are 6mm, and the faceted round Czech crystals are also 6mm.

I've Been Practicing

I've been practicing my wrapped loops, and I'm pretty happy with the results. I'd say this is the first time that I've been able to consistently produce wrapped loops. This item is made from non-tarnish silver plated Artistic Wire, porcelein heart bead, and Chinese 6mm bicone crystal beads with an AB finish. The wire for the links is 20 gauge, and the clasp is handmade from 18 gauge wire.

I'm on Etsy!

Ok, so this is the eve of my taking the plunge to actually sell some of what I make. I set up my Etsy store, and you can see it at aridanfashions.etsy.com. I set up my PayPal account. I created items for my store. So, I'm officially out there now.

I've heard nothing but good things about Etsy. Of course as a jewelry designer we all pretty much get lost among each other out there, but we can't expect Etsy to do everything for us. It's nice that they promote and categorize and try to drive buyers through the site, but I don't expect to drive sales from their efforts. If one or two come in, I'm not complaining though. I expect this is a place where I can send people who are interested in buying my stuff. Here are the pictures of what I'm offering in my shop.

I think it's the perfect, get-your-feet-wet opportunity for busy people like myself. Although I wish I could spend all my time on jewelry and designing, I actually have to provide shoes, clothing, shelter, food, etc. for my little ones.

Diamond Pendant

I just recently finished the new tutorial posted by Ruby Fisch at her site, www.rubysbeadwork.com. Many thanks to Ruby for continuing to share her knowledge on the forums, in her self-published work, and with her tutorials. Just browse her site at the link above to understand more about this talented jewelry artist.

I greatly enjoyed making this pendant, and I see a whole set of them in a variety of colors in my future. It is my hope in the future to share with others what I have learned. I only wish that I could find more time to devote to this passion.

When RAW Doesn't Look Like RAW

A few years ago I used to buy beads in bulk. It was during a time when I thought the more beads, the better. I learned better, though, over time, and therefore there are containers upon containers of unused beads wasting away. I decided to take a few of them out of their dark abode and allow them to see the light of day.

This bracelet was made using right angle weave and drop beads. It was an enjoyable project, and the result hardly looks like a right angle weave design.