WOODEN JEWELRY

I know I said I was going to bring you Maine Artisans, but I went to Canada this weekend for my husband's uncle's 50th wedding anniversary and felt inspired to bring you some Canadian work. I love wood and I love jewelry so this artist seemed logical and Wow what gorgeous work. The middle one I love especially (titled "Let the rain fall down) as the entire time we were there it rained with the exception of a few hours during the party. We all had a great time and I met many relatives. I have decided to take french lessons so I can communicate with them! How fun! You can see much more at http://www3dots.etsy.com/ Have fun shopping!

Acrylic Paintings

Home is where the heart as goes the saying. Laurie, a Maine artist will create a painting of your house for you by custom request. I was thinking although I don't live there anymore it would be nice to have a painting of the home I grew up in. I love to drive by there every chance I get. I can still see our underground fort (long since filled in), picture my old room from the front window. I sit parked and daydream of days gone by in the carefree world of my youth. It would be a delight to have that right here in my home and the new owners would probably prefer it as well!

She also has original art as well as prints for sale in her shop of some beautiful Maine landscapes. One of the features of her work is the gallery wrap canvas she has this to say..."For those who are unfamiliar with gallery wrap canvas, it has a wide (approximately 1.5-inch) edge that is painted, so you don't have to deal with the added expense and hassle of framing. The painting will wrap right around the edges of the canvas. Your painting will be finished with a protective layer of varnish, and will arrive wired and ready to hang." This is really nice because the additional cost of framing can be outrageous. Wen I did it for a living people were amazed. They would bring it a print that they paid $25.00 for and spend over $100 easily for the frame. Stop by her shop and take a look at her landscapes and cityscapes. You can find her at http://www.viridianart.etsy.com

More Beautiful Lampwork Beads

Luscious rose lampwork beads! Here is another great Etsy find! These lampwork beads, all properly kiln annealed, were designed and created by Sandy at Urban Oasis Art Studio in California. Visit her Etsy shop at http://www.urbanoasis60.etsy.com and take a look at all the beautiful designs she has listed there. On her main page you will also find info about her other 2 shops containing hand knit items and hand-dyed yarns and a supply shop where you can find jewelry making supplies, beads and her own jewelry designs.

Cheap imports vs. Handcrafted

After reading this through please drop some feedback to the questions at the end of this post.

I decided to give this a try. Each day I am going to list one item at 1/2 price and change the item every day so that the item is on sale for one day only. I am hoping to encourage folks to stop by and see what is on sale for that day which will also keep people aware of what's new. The thing is that because of an agreement with the jewelry stores I deal with I have to list the retail price at my on line site. The crocheted items because I don't sell those to the jewelry store yet I can list at wholesale which I already do so those will not be included in the sales. For the bracelets like the one pictured I get on the average $25.00 and they take about an hour to do including stringing time. The basic bracelets are at $23.00 and they go up to $33.00 if they have some sort of spendy lampwork in them.

Some have asked me why I don't use commercial lampwork as my prices could be lower. I prefer to support other artisans knowing how difficult this market is with all the cheap imports available. Also, I want to give my clients the best product I can produce and something they are not going to see on anyone else at the next affair they attend. But it is difficult at best to compete with "made in..."Even on a very popular high end street in Boston the answer I got to most places I went is that they can get it imported a lot cheaper and still sell close to the same price and make 4-9 times their investment rather than just keystone. There are those out there who prefer better products such as the ones made by artisans here in the good old USA. It is just a matter of finding out how to get our goods out there to them. Jewelry is difficult to photograph well and pros cost over $100.00 per hour which at this point is too much for the likes of me! I sell very well when I can get it into the consumers hands, when they can see the quality of my work and materials I use. The jewelry store here in Waterville, Maine has purchased over $3500 from me since the middle of last October and she has sold all but a very few pieces so I know there are buyers out there for what I do. Generations Lampwork http://www.generationslampwork.etsy.com told me that she does not make much jewelry anymore because she has to compete with the cheap, mass manufactured imports. It really is a shame as she does exquisite work. I am sure the same is true with many in her field. Still, as I said there are those out there who would rather have something unique, original and handcrafted. Where are they and how do we show them our wares is the question. On line is good for some things but like I said getting good photos of jewelry is hard and it can be expensive.

I would like some feedback on these questions:

1. Would you rather have an item that was handcrafted and more unique or something less expensive that everyone can own?

2. For those who have purchased handcrafted jewelry online, what factors went into your decision to make the purchase on an item you have not actually held in your hand?