A New Adventure

Please see the blog below for Hannah!
Here I go on the next adventure. You won’t see too many new designs coming up on here for a while as this starving artist has taken a full time job for a paycheck! While I will miss the time in my studio, it will certainly be a relief to pay the bills. There is a lot that goes into this business, more than most would think.


First, and one of the pieces I love the most is coming up with the designs. After that it is off to Cyberspace to research and purchase the materials. While I am waiting for those to come I usually have both sides of my table full with the designs I am currently making, that is the part I really love! Of course there is marketing, blogging, paperwork, taking photos, writing descriptions, listing, website upkeep on 3 sites, and inventory management. I need to keep up on packaging supplies, office supplies and tax paperwork. There is time and money spent on learning and developing new techniques. What this amounts to a lot of non-billable hours consuming my days and most nights.

Remember all this folks as you look at artisan created work wherever you find it! There is a lot that goes into each piece you buy. We are not manufacturing plants with assembly lines. We lovingly and at times painstakingly create one piece at a time hoping someone will love it as much as we do.

I am thinking that if I work a full time job and do this on the side my output will be less but I won’t be worried about eating and I can still dabble in what I truly love to do.

Wish me well and I will see you all soon!

Be sure and check out the next 2 issues of Bead and Button magazine where you will find my work!

A Hand for Hannah

A friend of mine has a 13 year old daughter with Crohn’s, a painful and at times debilitating inflammatory bowel disease.

There are a couple of ways you can help. You can  make a purchase at Divella Delights between now and Saturday May 21st and I will donate 20% of all sales to CCFA for Hannah. If you would like to donate directly you can go to Hannah’s Page and click on make a gift on the right hand side.

“Take Steps for Crohn's & Colitis is CCFA's largest fundraising event. Participants raise funds and awareness throughout the year and come together to celebrate the steps that have been taken towards a cure.”

Here is what Hannah has to say:

“Hi

My name is Hannah and I have Crohns Disease. I am 13 years old and am in 7th grade. I was diagnosed in March of 2007. Since then I have had too many tests to keep track of. I suffer with severe stomach aches and constant runs to the bathroom. I never know when or where it might hit. At this time there is no cure for Crohns. I am walking on May 21st to earn money from either your sponsorship or donations to help find a cure for my disease.

Your donation will help support local patient programs, as well as important research projects. This cause is very important to me and I appreciate your help as we fight for a cure! In addition to donating, you can join me at the event. There will be food, music and kid's activities. The more money we raise, the closer we will be to making life more manageable for patients who live with these diseases every day.

No donation is too small or too big. I hope to see you on May 21st to walk with my team to make noise for a cure!

Thank you

Hannah

Please join me or donate to my efforts to support CCFA in finding a cure!”

Many Thanks!

I woke up early this morning with a sense of peace and gratitude I have not felt in a very long time. There have been so many things in the past year that have driven me to question the very existence of anything good. I will not saddle you with all the family adversities I will say only that there has been a lot of sadness and distress. In addition to that my jewelry business cannot seem to really get off the ground except on a very local level so again I find myself looking for a paycheck from someone else.


I have been designing jewelry for several years now and have all but given up many times. If it were not for the loving prodding of family and friends I think I would probably only be stubbornly plodding along using my stock for gifts for those treasured family and friends. I have also been tempted to sell off everything just to recoup my materials cost.

Yesterday was a marvelous day when everything seemed to come together.

Not only was I offered a much needed job, temporary in nature so we can finish our move to Vermont, but I received my advance copy of Bead and Button magazine (June issue). My Winter Frost necklace is in it, page 17 with my name so I am published for the first time in actual print.

There are 3 people (aside from family) who have been very instrumental in pushing me to publish my designs. It was first suggested by Denise Dernorsek, a friend I met while working at the VA when this venture in design actually began. She has given me constant encouragement and honesty in her critique but only when asked! The other is Marsha who is the buyer for and has been with Tardif Jewelers for more than 30 years and who has purchased hundreds of my pieces over the past few years. When her niece was getting married she came to me to dress the wedding party in bling, leaving me feeling very honored. We have become friends over the past few years and she too kept pushing me to submit my work to be published. The third is Duchess from Artbeads.com who also gave me much encouragement to submit my work.

Now it has come to pass, finally it seems to me, that my work is in an actual magazine and a very good one at that! It seems a bit silly to be so excited over such a small event but it happened at such a crucial point, as those things seem to do. It gives me the encouragement I need to market my designs in earnest. I guess now that I have something in my hand that is tangible proof that I am worthy I feel more confident.

Cameo Necklace

This month we had a really fun challenge from Artbeads for Blogs and it fit into just what I was trying to do, I love it when that happens!


The challenge was “make it new” which meant to take something you already owned and give it new life, perfect!

I had a Victorian Shell Cameo given to me and all I know is the value is somewhere between $115.00 and $1500.00. While I wait to have it appraised I thought I could come up with a general design for it on a resin Cameo. I also had a variety of copper chain lengths and none of them were quite long enough to do anything with. I ordered some new copper chain, large copper jump rings, the Cameo, pearls and I was on my way.

Because the chain lengths varied I used the large copper rings to join them together in an asymmetrical pattern. I used 49 Strand wire to string the short strand of Czech Druk beads, Pearls and some odd copper beads I had in my stash, leftovers from other projects. For the last strand it was back to the 49 Strand but this time I added genuine Carnelian chips and of course the Cameo.

Now I have a showstopper Cameo Necklace that did not break the bank, used up some of my supplies that I have for a while and gave me some ideas toward what I will do with this genuine Cameo. The metals I use will be determined by the value of the cameo but I know I like the multiple chain designs and lengths and adding the gemstones and pearls worked nicely.



Blog for Beads by Artbeads.com contributed a large part of my materials in exchange for my honest evaluation of their merchandise in my blog. I am not paid to endorse them in any way.