Annette was innocently waiting on a bus and had a few minutes to kill so she wandered aimlessly into a local bead store.  Can you say the beginning of the end?  Well, she was immediately captured by all the shapes and colors and scooped up a few to take home.  She spoke with the woman behind the counter and added some wire and clasps and then went home to figure out how to use all the wonderful treasures she had.  After some internet searching, Annette was armed with 12 free lessons over the course of 12 weeks, but being impatient to play with her jewels, she ended up looking up info in between and ended up with her first necklace, bracelet and earrings and felt brilliant!  Her course was set and she was hooked.

When Annette is not buried in beads, she loves to sew, which she believes really launched her creative streak while making a patchwork quilt, the movies, walking, and music.  She is a homemaker that claims beading keeps her sane or insane depending on your perspective.

After really getting a feel for how jewelry was put together, Annette began selling to family and friends and was quickly encouraged to branch out and AJewell was born.  A few business cards later, and she was in business.  She currently sells at a local market stall every weekend where she not only shows off her finished treasures, but brings along her supplies so people can see her work first hand at creating a new piece.

Annette is open to help and willingly takes advice from those more experienced in either online selling or jewelry making.  She listens, researches, and then decides if the advice is worth pursuing which is a wonderful sign of a woman willing to grow in her chosen field.  She says that she makes every effort to remain positive no matter what is going on around her and has no regrets about her chosen field.  She would happily repeat the process as she knows that jewelry is what she was meant to do.

Are you ready to see what this talented lady who stumbled onto her passion while waiting for a bus can really do?  Well, she is easy to find on the HandmadeArtists as well as on her own site.  She happily shows off her creativity on Facebook here and here.

I am John Rasmussen. I was born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, but we moved soon after that. My family lived in several different states because my father was transferred from assignment to assignment. As I grew up, I developed a love for geology and natural science. I have taught geology, then became a paramedic and started teaching emergency medical care. Now, I am retired and living in South Carolina for the past 27 years.  As I approached retirement, I started studying gemstones (gemmology) and their optical, physical and chemical properties.  I have also developed a desire to cut my own stones and then using the stone and its properties design a jewelry piece that is inspired by that stone.  I continue to learn about stones, and use this knowledge to produce gemstones, wire wrapped and silversmithed jewelry.  My art can be found at my Handmade Artists Shop.

I joined the Western South Carolina Gem and Mineral Society, Inc. which provided me with more motivation and a workshop for lapidary and jewelry making.  This began the second phase of my education in further work with gemstones.  I began lapidary, cutting cabochons and faceted stones (bought my own flat lap).  Once you have the stones, what do you do with them?  So, I started making jewelry, this started my venture into that venue and silversmithing.  About this time, my wife got interested in producing beaded pieces.  This is a perfect venue for her.  She is disabled and can design and make beaded necklaces, bracelets, etc. while sitting in her bed.

As the size of our inventory exceeded what we could send to family as presents; we established out shop online.  Handmade Artists presented the best investment.  After trying two other online shop sites, we settled on only having one shop.  We have had more contacts and sales through HA than any other venue.  You can find our shop here:  Rasmussen Gems and Jewelry LLC

We continue our exploration into the artistry of displaying our loves and passions through jewelry.  Designing pieces takes some time.  Each of our pieces is genuinely one of a kind.  We don’t use tutorials to duplicate someone else designs.  That is where we are now, we will continue to expand our knowledge and techniques.

Mosaic Art with a Purpose

The primitive patterned designs of the early cone mosaics added a decorative element to the pillars of ancient buildings, but the cones served another purpose. In Ancient Mesopotamian Materials and Industries: The Archaeological Evidence (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), P. Roger S. Moorey—British archeologist and historian, specializing in the Ancient Near East—wrote, “At Urak, the decorative cone mosaics were particularly applied to free-standing columns and to walls with buttresses and recesses.”

In citing other resources, Moorey presents evidence that the mosaics were “patterned after rugs and mats hung as decoration on walls,” and that the decorations protected the walls from “wind and water erosion.” Moorey concludes that the cone mosaics, also found at other settlements in Mesopotamia, show that “the intimate relationship of protection and decoration is evident in most uses.”

Egyptian Glass

Small pieces of glass in mosaics were first used by the Egyptians during the New Kingdom (c. 1550 to 1069 B.C.). Very small pieces of dull-colored glass were used to make mosaic jewelry and mosaic stones. The stones were added to wall pieces and inlays, usually in funerary art. It wasn’t until the Roman Empire took control of Egypt in 31 B.C. that glass production would advance to a higher art form in Egypt. With an abundance of sand and soda, and with years of mastering the art, Egypt created much of the glass for the Roman nobles.

Pebble Mosaics and Tesserae

By the eighth century B.C., mosaics of random patterns were being assembled from black and white pebbles in Gordium (Gordion, Turkey). The pebble mosaics added art and design to an area and provided some protection during inclement weather. Six centuries later, mosaic floors—a precursor to the tile floors of today—were widespread among the Greek nobles. Smooth river rocks, with smaller pebbles used to fill in the gaps and create more detailed designs, were used to form floors and pathways. Mosaic art was further defined with the introduction of tesserae, pieces of stone and glass cut into small squares. These mosaic tiles of small uniform pieces made it much easier to create intricate designs.

Mosaic Art of the Roman Empire

As the Roman Empire expanded, mosaic art grew with it. The mosaics at Pompeii are an excellent example of the styles and types of designs the Romans preferred. Marble tiles became a popular choice for floor mosaics and styles ranged from geometric patterns to bucolic scenes. An excavation in Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) revealed one of the largest collections of mosaic floors from the second century A.D. Many are on display at the Hatay Archaeological Museum in Antakya.

Byzantine and Italian Mosaics

By the late fifth century, with the fall of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire came into power. With a surge in Christianity, mosaic art turned to religious subjects and the walls of churches, temples, and palaces displayed colorful intricate designs made with smalti, deeply colored glass tiles with uneven surfaces. Smalti were also made with gold and silver leaf, layered between two pieces of glass. While other tesserae were also used, with smalti, the variety of colors and the luster of gold or silver added another dimension to mosaic art.

During the sixth century, under Emperor Justinian’s rule, the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, was built with most of its walls and ceiling covered with mosaic art. The town has many other exceptional examples of Byzantine mosaic art and is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Rome and Venice are other towns in Italy with excellent examples of mosaic art. The art was popular throughout Italy during the late middle ages.

Historic Multicultural Mosaic Art

Mosaic art has a long and varied history, and although it was widely popular in Europe and the Near East, examples of ancient mosaics have been uncovered in China and South America. Mosaics served a purpose of protecting walls and floors from wind and water, as well as adding a decorative element With each advancing civilization, mosaic art advanced with it—from clay stones to colored glass, from smooth river rocks to tesserae and smalti. Today, mosaic art has become even more specialized with varied materials combined in a blending of artistic interpretation.

My Handmade Mosaic’s

Done in what is called Pique Assiette, which comes from the French language, meaning literally translated “stolen from a plate”. However I have never, ever used a new plate rim, all my mosaics are made from already damaged china plate rims, broken, scratched, cracked, with flea bites, enhanced with colored stained glass and other pretty’s, vintage broken jewels and baubles, handmade clay roses, pearls and such.

Monika of Myeuropeantouch

This is my story….

A few weeks ago, I received a message from a client requesting a pair of simple earrings to match the bracelet she purchased. Without hesitation, I agreed to make a pair for her and she knew I did not offer earrings in my shop, nor was it my specialty.

Later that same day, I sent her an email letting her know I shipped her bracelet, along with a few pictures of the earrings. She liked them, they were exactly the length she was looking for and she couldn’t wait until her package arrived.

‘The next week the same customer sent me an email, stating how she loved her bracelet, and the earrings. She has received all kinds of compliments, which made her feel terrific and she was very pleased with everything.

The question was… Why do you create?  I create to share the joy, the excitement, and hopefully bring a smile to someone’s face. Not only for a day or a week but also for years to come.  Even now, I think about how excited she was and I begin to smile.

⌘⌘⌘⌘ ⌘⌘⌘⌘ ⌘⌘⌘⌘

Handmade Artists create for different reasons. Some feel compelled, some for a loved one, some to inspire others, some create only on the weekends, and some… well just because.  Whatever your reason is, everyone has his or her own unique story.  Now I am going to ask the question… Why do you create? Leave a comment below and share your story with us.

Thank you for visiting and have an inspirational day.  Cari

I also wrote a post on my blog about this article click HERE to read my blog!

Check out these tips for more inspiration.

 Written by Cari Baker aka CrochetHooked

Linda as always a creative person who has always had her hands in something.  Her mother taught her to crochet and she quickly created an abundance of pot holders, scarves, leg warmers and even a dog sweater-while she claims it wasn’t the prettiest dog sweater around it was wearable which is better than I could do!  She advanced to afghans and then added cross-stitch, knitting, sewing, latch work, acrylic and oil painting and woodworking which held her attention for quite some time…over 20 years in fact!

When Linda is not up to her elbows in crafts, she works for Homeland Security and spends time with her family.  She is a wife and mother of 2 and grandmother of 4.  I have a feeling if her husband wants to see her he probably has to visit her in her craft room!  When he does get her away from her creations, she loves to play outdoors whether it is hiking, gardening or working on remodeling their home.  She even claims to have two “non-yapping”Chihuahuamixes…though that I would have to see to believe.

With this busy schedule and an ever growing collection of jewelry, Linda quickly found that she would have to start selling and MixedKreations was born.  She set out to do a few craft shows, but with time constraints found that may not be the best way to get her name out there.  She still plans on doing a few, but hopes to make her primary living selling online.  She spent hours building her own website and is experimenting with various venues to get herself and her work seen.  She admits that it has been a learning process far beyond creating beautiful things…marketing, photography, and social networking are not comfortable places for Linda; but if she is one thing she is persistent!  She has joined us on HandmadeArtists and become an important part of our community…in her words, “I feel like I’m not alone anymore.”

Linda loves it when that perfect buyer finds that perfect treasure; almost like someone else has a piece of you that they will enjoy wearing as much as she enjoyed creating it.  Her dream would be to eventually do her jewelry art full time.  Her advice, based on her own growing experience, to anyone that want to jump into a handcrafted business is to stop and think real hard…are they willing to put in long hours on creating as well as marketing?  If so, research, research, research!  See what others are doing and make yours better!  Read everything you can get your hands on about SEO, marketing, social networking, branding, etc.  This is not for the faint of heart and the hours can take their toll, but the rewards are so worth it.

So are you ready to see what this talented lady that began with a dog sweater and moved into amazing jewelry can create?  Well, she is easy to find on HandmadeArtists of course and there is plenty to read and drool over on her own Website.  Linda can also be found on Twitter and LinkedIn as well as StumbleUpon as well as follow her on FaceBook.  Linda has submitted a few articles and even written some tutorials…I told you she was busy!

We all know commitments are important, But do you realize just how important they are to your future integrity as an artist and entrepreneur?  If you promise a customer a piece will ship and should arrive next Friday, when Friday comes and goes and no package how many times can you make an excuse before it escalated and you had to refund the money? Now you lost a sale and all future business from that customer.  And I would bet they would tell their story to anyone that would listen, that’s  not a way to win in this competitive marketplace.

I am writing the post because I committed to be a regular contributor to the Handmade Artist Blog. The wonderful founders of this terrific site are way overworked and asked for writers. They are smart enough to know this has grown so large and at such a fast pace they can’t do it all.  I am committed to writing two posts a month and I don’t want to let them  or myself down.Shows are a huge commitment!  If you show up unprepared with  ill done art jewelry do you think you will be asked to return?

I think as entrepreneurs we need to stop, take a breath, and  ask ourselves if we can do everything we are committing to in a timely manner and with excellence, before we take on more.

We owe it to ourselves to meet our obligations. If we don’t we can only blame ourselves if we feel stressed and overworked. My paycheck depends on my willingness to meet my deadlines. If I don’t show up for an art show my entry fees are lost,no refunds. And I miss an opportunity to sell my art. Not to mention the negative feedback hurts my credibility. In our high tech world word spreads fast. Remember you can’t pay at the grocery store or the utility company with good intentions.

I know it’s hard, but be good to yourself, don’t let yourself get over extended and stressed out. You will not help anyone if you don’t follow through. No one does their best work when they are stressed. I owe myself and my customers my very best, don’t you? Now, I better get busy:)

I will be creating lots of original pieces like these to take to the art shows. These are past works, all sold or gifted. If you would like to see more of my work please visit my HAS shop Nancy’s WildWireArt

Thanks for visiting our blog!

Nancy Pace

Shelley’s creativity and love of pretty objects only grew from there.  She eventually became a pastry chef creating beautiful eatable things!  The only problem with this plan was that she loved to taste her creations (you know quality control!) and loved what she tasted, so she kept on tasting.  This love of pastry resulted in massive weight gain over time.  Realizing that she had to make a change in her life, Shelley left the pastry industry and managed to lose an impressive 100 pounds which she has kept off since the 80’s, never to return in her own words.

Shelley could not leave her creative streak behind, so she made the leap and began working in art full time.  She was lucky enough to study jewelry design with famous stained glass artist Kay Bain Weiner which led to a one woman show at a prestigious Frenchtown,New Jerseygallery.  Shelley also works in oils, pastels, watercolors, pencil, and ink…but nothing has gotten her blood pumping like jewelry.  Guess you can’t take that love of shiny gemstones away!  She is currently adding to her repertoire by getting back into silver smithing so that she can incorporate even more creative elements into her work.

Shelley is a widow with two grown children whom she is very proud of.  She could not leave food behind forever, and still enjoys cooking when she gets the chance and reads anything she can get her hands on, when she is not busy creating beautiful one of a kind pieces of wearable art that is.

This talented lady is not a snob about her own work and readily admits that seeing others creation’s prompts her to create and push herself.  The advice that she would give to another person trying to work in art full time is that you must love what you do, and it will never feel like work and warns that if you don’t love getting involved with people then this may not be the business for you.  The only problem that Shelley has really run into with her passion is that she doesn’t want to part with her creations!  She has found that craft shows really aren’t for her and find fulfillment in online selling.

So, are you ready to feast your eyes on what a former pastry chef turned jewelry designer can create?  Well, Shelley is easy to find on HandmadeArtists.com as well as her own website.  You can also see her creations on Etsy, ArtFire, and Ebay.

Debbie was raised to be practical, so her creative side was in hibernation for far too long.  One fateful day, standing in line at a craft store, she spied a jewelry making magazine and not too long after, a jewelry creating monster was born!  She was at a point in her life where she wanted to do something new, and creating beautiful jewelry seemed to fit the bill.

Debbie began by working with beads and stones, as so many jewelry creators do, but has since added the drama of metal-smithing and glass fusing to her repertoire.  The learning process itself is enough to get her heart racing as she found that the two art forms allows her to add color to her jewelry creations as well as to her world.  Designs are constantly swirling around in her head.

This talented lady was on an unstoppable path…finding the need to create.  The result was much more jewelry than any one woman could find time to wear.  The solution came at the urging of her then husband who encouraged her to put her work to the world and sell some of her creations and Athena6 was born.  Debbie has found that selling her creations justifies her faith in her own work and feels very fulfilled when a customer finds that perfect piece that came from her head, heart and hands.  She readily admits that getting your work out there is not an easy task.  There is a lot of competition, especially in the jewelry market, so she takes time to do some craft shows and pushes her work on several websites.

Debbie believes firmly in following your dreams, but reminds new artists to be realistic.  You must put yourself out there for people to find, but you can’t sit back and wait for them to knock down your door…Create, Market, Sell!  Despite all the difficulties of living as a handmade artist, Debbie knows that creating is the most wonderful thing…she has learned a lot about herself through her life and creative process and that is a gift in itself.

Are you ready to see what one woman with a drive to create can make?  Well, Debbie’s wearable art can obviously be found on HandmadeArtists.com and her own site as well as on Etsy and ArtFire.  She also shows off her creations on share her life with her fans on Facebook .  Check them all out and know that Debbie’s heart is in each piece.

What is Article Marketing?

It is the process of using short articles, usually between 400 – 700 words, for publication and distribution by other websites and off-line publishers, typically free of charge.

How Can Article Marketing Help Your Handmade Business?

1. Develops Your Expert Position – Article marketing can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field whether it be jewelry making, crocheting, or metal art. As you share your knowledge with your audience they will come to know you as the ‘go to’ person when they have a question.
2. Exposure – The more places your ideal market can find you, the more paths to your shop or blog, the higher your traffic will be. Each article you write creates a separate trail someone can follow back to you – and become your customer. Think of it as a spider web. Your shop is the heart of the web and the various paths to the center are your marketing efforts – article marketing being one.
3. Approval – When you publish your article on someones site this serves as validation or an introduction to that person’s audience, making them more receptive to your message.

Article Marketing Tips:

• Spell check your work. Even if you’ve read it forwards and backwards use the spell checker. After you do that, read your work once again and if possible get someone else to read your work.
• Be sure your article is between 400 – 700 words.
• Take time to do some keyword research before you write your article.
• Add a keyword to your title and in the first sentence or paragraph of your article.
• Check the sites terms on in-article links to see if links to your shop or blog are allowed.
• Use white-space. Reading online is different so short paragraphs with 2-3 sentences are ideal.
• Using numbered or bulleted lists makes it easier to skim the article.

Article Marketing Tools:

• Squidoo.com – an easy to use Web 2.0 article submission site. I’ve been using this platform since 2007 and the traffic to my blog from my articles is consistent. It is a fairly easy system to learn, using modules that you drag and drop into your page. It also has a very good community of authors and mentors. Last week they launched a new magazine called So Crafty where they highlight craft articles. Coming soon they will be offering artist spotlights where they highlight the art of a featured author.
• Hubpages.com – similar to the previous article submission site plus many who write on Squidoo write here as well. I’ve only submitted one article to this site but I’ve heard positive things about fellow writers article marketing efforts.
• Wizzley.com – this site was made by a number of authors who have used the previous two sites and so the platform is very similar. Their writing standards are superb and I highly respect the owners of the site. They are always willing to help new writers.

Article marketing is for any business owner who wants to drive more traffic to their site, establish themselves as experts, and gain access to new audiences. Your potential customers are out there looking for the next hot crafty skill; make sure you show up in the right place at the right time by creating great articles and sprinkling them throughout the web.

Sara Duggan is an avid blogger of all things crochet. She is known as Momwithahook on Squidoo where she shares her patterns,   book reviews, and other crafty knowledge. Visit her at http://momwithahook.blogspot.com or http://saraduggan.com sign up for her monthly newsletter and ask her how you can build your own Squidoo page for your small business or blog.

The Eagle Mt piece is available in my shop NancysWildWireArt . The Pony is in my best friends collection(another blog post) And the earrings are in my personal jewelry collection. Now back to our subject, counting the cost. I had a lot of trouble with this in the beginning. I can’t tell you how many custom paintings I did from life or photos for $25. I forgot to pay me for my work and my talent, I was not told that had worth and added value. I am not trained in art, never took an art class, I just do things. I just don’t always do them in a way that benefits myself. Thank goodness supplies were a lot cheaper back then . Do you always know what you have invested in a piece? If you don’t you can’t possible price it at fair market value. Do you keep track of your time? Well you should! I don’t work for nothing, cause they don’t take smiles at the grocery store or the electric company. I am not going to tell you how to price your jewelry, I simply can’t. I just hope this post makes it easier for you. Everyone must determine their own skill level, and what they are worth as far as an hourly wage. I have my hourly wage in my mind, and that is what I pay myself for the hours I have invested. If I think the market will allow, if I think anyone will be willing to pay that price for my work. Sometimes you have to adjust to stay in the market, but never,never,never short change yourself. From now on keep track of your hours, keep records. A simple index card for each piece is all you need, once you finish the piece and get your price you can toss it. Now for some fun! Do you count the elements in your jewelry? I mean the beads,the wire,copper sheet,gemstone cabs? It will help if you mark the per foot price of each gauge of wire when you get it, it is frustrating looking it up every time. When I buy beads they are usually gemstone beads and they come by the strand. Once you cut open the strand use a few, bag or bottle them, do you know how much they cost? Do you dig through your files for the packing slip and guesstimate the cost because it is too much trouble to do anything else? You probably cheat yourself. Let me show you a much easier way to this part? Yes it takes a few minutes , but you will be so glad you made the investment:) I recently got a shipment of Turquoise,I saved them to use for this. They are pricey so you don’t want to give them away. I have 2 strands I saved to work with for this blog post. Hubei coins on a 16″ strand@ $10.99 and a 17.5″ strand of Sleeping Beauty @$19.99. Lets talk about the Hubei coins first.. I use a ruler, lay the strand alongside it and count the beads in an inch As you can see, it is about 5 coins per inch, and we have 16″ divide the cost of 10.99 by 16 to get $.69 per inch divided that by 5 (the # of beads per inch) gives us bead cost of $.08 each. Lets do another one? Sleeping Beauty chips,17.5″ strand same thing. Cost of 17.5″ strand is $19.99 divide cost by # of inches to get the cost per inch in this case it is $1.15 per inch. Count the number of beads in an inch it’s approximately 14-16 of these divide the cost of an inch by 14 and you get $.08 each per chip. I always round off, so please don’t email me and tell me my figures are wrong:) This is not rocket science we are just counting beads, but they do add up. To keep it simple and not to repeat this every time I use a few of these beads, I put them in herb bottles I find at garage sales.The ones with stoppers. I label the bottle with all the information like material,size, cost per inch and cost per bead if they come on a strand. Write it on the label. While we are on the subject,bag and label cabs too in the same manner. A little work now saves time later and you will be glad you did. This what my finished turquoise looks like bottled up.Aren’t you glad you don’t have to read my writing,that I type this?

I was not doing all this when I first started and I gave a lot of things away when I was trying to make money. I happened to read an article on a site where I shopped for gemstone beads about pricing your jewelry. I have since gotten to be friends with Szarka the owner and have learned a lot from her. I will be forever grateful for this tip:) She taught me to value myself as an artist. Don’t forget to add any shipping or handling cost you pay too. When your order arrives divide the # of items by the shipping and handling costs and add the cost to the item. I scored free shipping on the turquoise we used so I didn’t need to do this. Now when you make a piece of jewelry be sure to count the cost! Please feel free to check out my shop NancysWildWireArt and my other blog Nancy’s WildWire Art

A few seconds passed (seemed like eternity) and I read ‘Beaded Braidlets by Cari of Crochet Hooked’ and the URL address of my shop!  I almost jumped out of my skin I was so excited. I read the title and the address at least 10 more times and clicked on the link to my shop, hmmm about 50 times… ok, maybe once or twice.  There it was in black letters… handmadeartists.com/shop/CrochetHooked

OK, before I give you the link and you run off and submit your story for promotion… which I encourage you to do for which ever shop you choose…I submitted my story for my Braidlet business as well as for Kimberly, Andrew, and HandmadeArtists.com!

I hope this promotion effort brings a ton of traffic to HandmadeArtists.com as well as more handmade artists signing up to sell their creations.  Kimberly and Andrew… Thank you for the countless hours you spend promoting all of us on Handmade Artists Forum.  This is my way of promoting your handmade creation… HandmadeArtists.com ;o)

Now, here is the address – DIYFashion .  Just answer a few questions, upload a couple pictures, preview, and submit!  That’s it!  Now you wait for a review and an email stating ‘Your contribution has been published!’  Good Luck Everyone!

My Story - 10% off Beaded Braidlets from Crochet Hooked

share some personal info. I’m a native Southern California girl, married to John (retired Atty.) who supports my passion 110%. Yet, his motto stated is (with a Cheshire grin and a wink of his eye), “Honey… I’m not always right… but I’m never wrong.” I reply, “legal mumbo jumbo, so I win!” LOL. We live in Lakewood with our brindle colored, fur faced, eighty-six pound lap dog, Max!

I learned to crochet from watching tutorials on the Internet. I loved the items I created with all the different yarns and colors available. I looked for a job change, so it was logical (to me, anyway) to want to work in a craft store. So, I thought my crochet skills would help me, and it did. I was hired as a Custom Framer (go figure).

What? They gave me the job because of my knowledge of color combinations; they taught me how to frame anything.

When they wanted to start crochet classes, the store manager asked me if I wanted to be their “crochet teacher.” I looked at her and thought “OMG, be still my beating heart” in less than a blink-of-an-eye, I accepted. I was teaching beginning crochet within two weeks. I knew I could teach anyone because I taught my husband who resisted learning for a zillion man-reasons. So, since he didn’t have any valid reason he crocheted a little square. He and I still consider it one of his great learning accomplishments.

I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm and love for the art of crochet. The look of accomplishment on student faces, along with their grateful words was more valuable to me than anything. They learned to crochet, read a pattern, and create their own items for life. They overcame their fear of being “less than” and looking inadequate in ability. Once they learned, practiced, and found out how easy it really was they were astonished. It’s all about “risk taking.”

So, I thought I would practice what I preached which led me to try other mediums besides yarn. I loved beautiful handmade jewelry bracelets, so I tried crocheting seed beads to artistic wire. I then braided 3 single strands together, and I had my signature jewelry design I call Braidlets®. I gave them to family and friends as gifts, and the feedback was so positive I decided to sell them at boutiques, fairs, and the Internet.

Selling on the Internet is a whole different topic in itself, but I was blessed to find a website where the owners and members freely gave me so much valuable knowledge to succeed. I provide a larger selection of Braidlets® in my Handmade Artists Shop CrochetHooked or personal Website. I also provide a free patter of how I crochet beads to artistic wire, and lot’s of information.

I am a member of the ‘Crochet Guild of America’ and recently joined a charity called ‘Crafting for a Cause’. In addition, I am a VERY PROUD member of the Handmade Artists’ Forum, dedicated to supporting handmade and handmade artists from around the world.

Website/Blog – www.crochethooked.com

Shop – http://handmadeartists.com/shop/crochethooked

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Braidlets

Twitter – http://twitter.com/crochethooked

Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/crochethooked/

You know those young children at summer camp that can always be found in the arts and crafts area gluing Popsicle sticks to every surface? Do you ever wonder what happens to them when they grow up? Well, I found one such lady and boy has her Popsicle gluing days lead to some amazing work.

Teresa was lucky enough to have had supportive parents that didn’t mind that every notebook was covered in doodles and patterns and even bought her a watercolor set at 4 years old…and she hasn’t looked back.   She spent time atWarrenWilsonCollegestudying studio painting and is currently a student, working towards a combined Bachelor’s and MBA in marketing at Capella University.

After marrying and having 3 sons, Teresa found that there was not too much time for crafting…but she could not just walk away.  Instead, she picked up watercolor painting and eventually began developing her own style.  She even rented a space in Winston Salem’s Downtown Arts District and began selling her work.  While doing a small show, Teresa was approached by an artist that was interested in getting into enameling and cloisonné but did not have the design skills.  The result?  New doors opening to reveal a passion for metal that she never knew she had!  Teresa is consumed by metal’s textures and malleability.  She has recently started etching and is still wanting to work in enamels.

Fast forward a bit, and Teresa found herself laid off from the healthcare industry in 2010.  Rather than wallow in pity or dive into yet another full time job, she decided to follow her passion to go full tilt into her art and Man in the Moon Metal was born.  She has found excitement in creating, not just stock pieces, but working with customers to create custom orders just for them.  She loves the design process and the challenge, but especially the happy faces when she reveals her creations to her customers.

The downside?  Well, Teresa admits that selling and marketing herself is not her favorite part of this life.  She would happily spend countless hours creating and not have to sell, but that is how we live!  Teresa did over 26 weekend craft shows a year everywhere from Florida to Chicago, including the North Carolina State Fair as an apprentice to a master silversmith.  This grueling schedule takes its toll on anyone.

Teresa has recently put more efforts into online selling, and we are thrilled that she has found the HandmadeArtists.com! Marketing and pictures are still not her favorite part of her job, but the rewards of working for yourself and creating beauty is well worth the cost.  Her friends have called her nuts for thinking she could support herself through her art, but Teresa is not in it for the money but for the passion she feels when she sees a new piece come to life.

Are you ready to feast your eyes on what this talented lady can create?  Well, she is easy to find on HandmadeArtists as well as her own website.  You can follow her blog as well as like her facebook page here and here!

My first real job was as a decorator at my friend’s donut shop. Then, I learned how to bake the donuts. After some time and a move to Toronto, I started working for a great company where I was hired as a muffin scooper. When I left years later I was making and decorating cakes. I was headed across the country to see what life had to offer over there and to my surprise Vancouver is where my baking skills really paid off. I worked for a very well-known dessert restaurant downtown in the city. I loved decorating cakes, theme cakes, wedding cakes! My creativity had a wonderful outlet and great people who nurtured it. The one thing I was missing unfortunately would take me away from this place for a long while, perhaps forever.

I never wanted to be a baker. It was something that I happened into and although I was happy and extremely grateful for all I had learned and experienced I also had this logical mind that loved math and science and was desperate to make a go of it perhaps working in research and development somewhere or maybe in design. Long story short – I graduated from BCIT as a Plastics Engineering Technologist in 2002 and worked in research and development for a few short years before my health declined and I made the decision to move back east to Ontario.

I believe that my previous schooling in science and engineering, and the years of being a cake decorator (which required a high level of artistic ability) gave me a real edge going in to this whole polymer clay thing.

In 2008 when I moved to Kingston, Ontario a dear friend of mine gave me a beautiful but somewhat mind bending pendant made from polymer clay. The way in which the artist had made it was fascinating to me because polymer canes are just like those logs of cookie dough with the picture running through their entire length! I had a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of 3-dimentional 2D images. So after watching a few hours of how-to videos on YouTube I was off to Michaels to buy what I needed to get started.

The first pendant I ever made was a horseshoe. I remember how difficult it was and I only got three good ones out of the cane; just a simple horseshoe or so I thought. Now I can make much more difficult designs and get many more “good” pieces out of a cane. Not only have I been working on my polymer cane skills but I’ve also been sculpting and working on my jewelry making skills. I’ve come a long way baby and I hope to just keep on practicing and improving.

Now, I work from home in Kingston Ontario where I live happily with my girlfriend of three years, Amanda, and our crazy petsJ I really enjoy my life as a polymer clay artist doing what I can to make a go of this artistic dream of mine.

*The trick to making polymer clay canes is the skill to think three dimensionally and the imagination to create it. Other than that it’s like I always say, “It’s as hard as it looks”.

I am a self taught artist I’ve never had an art class, and I have really enjoyed my journey so far….I have many more mountains to climb and hurdles to jump,but I feel totally energized and ready to face any challenge!
My dream for the next part of my journey is to be able to help other artists discover and develop their potential. I am most interested in teaching folk art skills, make do art. I am committed to being as green as possible and helping preserve our natural resources. I believe when you are given a gift, a talent it’s a true privilege and meant to be shared.

Nancy’s WildWireArt Studio

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” Hard work spotlights the character of people.. some turn up their sleeves.. some turn up their noses.. some don’t turn up at all ” ..
Share the L ~ O ~ V ~ E .. hugz.. KaT

Thanks for looking,

John

I prefer natural methods over harsh chemicals when it does start to tarnish.
Believe it or not any tomato based product like ketchup or tomato sauce does a
great job,it’s not fast but it works well. Dab some on the copper and let it set
a couple of minutes,then rinse in cool water. It may need to be repeated on
stubborn tarnish and you can also rub with an old T-shirt or soft brush to help
remove it,then rinse again. Buff with a soft cloth and it should be bright and clean.

My favorite method is lemon juice or vinegar.Dip or squirt it on, let it sit a
few seconds rub with a soft cloth or brush(baby toothbrush) if it is very
stubborn add a little salt and rub lightly. Rinse well,pat dry and buff to a nice
glowing patina.

Which ever method you chose,always be sure to completely dry the piece before you
place it back in the bag and remove as much air as you can when you close the
bag.If your jewelry has stones avoid getting the cleaning solution on
those, especially pearls, shell, and opal, any dyed or treated stones too.

I was thinking and decided to try a twisted wire project.  I took three strands of 18 gauge round soft copper wire and twisted them together into one strand.  Showing this to my wife, she said, why don’t you use silver.  I would like something done with this in silver.  I took three strands of 21 gauge square half hard sterling silver wire and twisted them in a similar manner.  When I show this to Debora, she asked what I was going to do and I replied that I was thinking of a twisted drop with a stone set in the bottom loop.  She asked to select the stone, and she selected a 6 mm round peridot.  That set the size and shape of the stone and setting.

The twisted wire was formed into the basic shape, then the top was wrapped with 21 gauge half round Argentium sterling silver wire to form the bail.  A precast head was soldered into the loop with hard silver solder.  The entire piece was then pickled, hand polished and tumbled to a high gloss polish.  The prongs were notched with a square fine file, and the peridot was set into the silver setting.  We have a finished pendant:

These last to views are from the back and the extreme left side.  Overall, the effect of the twisted wire accents the entire design.

Eryka describes her work as Pappier Cole, which means using paper in other ways than the usual. This term was new to me and I had to really stop and think about how we use paper and what else could you do with it? Nothing like meeting an artist that really makes you think for a second about such a common item. Eryka admits her heart races a bit faster when she plays with the colors and textures of paper and is giddy over all of the possibilities for art.

Eryka was born in England to a German mother and a Latvian father that met and married in a displaced person’s camp after the war…talk about a wonderful love story during a very difficult situation!  Her father discovered that he had an uncle in Australia and the family found a home.  Eryka casually began trying to track down the rest of her family tree, an interest that soon became an obsession, and has managed to trace her father’s family back to the 13^th century!  She happily refers to her obsession as “annoying the dead and irritating the living,” which about covers it.

Eryka herself has been happily married for 32 years next month (Happy Anniversary and many more to come!) and has two children and one grandson.  She also takes time caring for her now 88 year old mother.  If this wasn’t enough, Eryka has an active social life connecting with her girlfriends and caring for her house and garden.

When time and money permits, travel is another obsession.  There is a long bucket list of places that they would like to visit, but have already traveled to China, Africa, New Zealand and Fiji and are planning a cruise from Prague to Parisas well as a national park trip around North America.

As a child, Eryka was always crafty, sewing and making TShirts by copying images from her coloring books led to a later project of creating two wedding dresses in 6 months!  Now, she admits that while they were spectacular there is NO WAY she would ever take on such a huge project again!

 After retiring from a successful career in Mechanical Engineering and web design, Eryka began playing with decoupage…soon nothing stationary in her home was safe…stand too long and Eryka may just cover you in paper!  When her home was thoroughly covered, she began to look at other things that she could do with paper.  Eryka began working on small scale with paper beads and fell in love with the process and end results…which creates another problem of having too many to wear!

Next logical step for this talented and well rounded lady was to try to sell her creations to the public!  Eryka does market stalls locally as well as displays  in a local gallery.  One of her pieces was recently selected for display and the local Art Center…which she admits pleased her to be shown along with “real artists.”   She gets a thrill to see someone wearing one of her creations and satisfaction when someone compliments her work.  She is encouraging to anyone wanting to break into the handmade market, in her words “Give it a go, what do you have to lose?”

 Eryka also sells on line for those of us that are not close enough to visit a market and see these artistic treasures in person.  You can obviously check her wearable treasures out on the Handmade Artists Shop as well as her own website.  To keep abreast of the latest goings ons, follow Eryka on Facebook.

I firmly believe you need to attempt to allow your customer to get to know you a bit, even if it is on a surface level. Selling online is tough that way, they can’t touch or feel the item, all the can do is see the pics and read whatever info you give them. I’m not going to go back over this, but we already covered a big part of writing good descriptions and how it will affect your search engine results. Showing a little personality doesn’t hurt as well, we’ve noticed this in the past. We have customers that call us by name, chat with us like we are old friends, tell us about their kids, and have never ever met us face to face.

I know it’s tough to allow yourself to be transparent, but you need to reveal a little about you. It helps the customer feel comfortable with who they are buying from. One good way to show some personality is with your shop announcement. I would give a concise description of what your shop is about but maybe add a cute comment or something to make them feel you’re human. There is a profile page as well where your customer can learn about you. Under shop set up and about me, you can write a little bio about your self. On the same page you can add you avatar as well. I’m not going to go too crazy about avatars but it drives me nuts when someone has a full shop and no avatar. If you don’t have an avatar put a product pic, or a pic of yourself, or have an avatar made! Sorry I digress LOL, it is important to make your shop presentable, just like you were walking down the street window shopping. Attraction is what will pull you in. So look at how you’re shop is set up and step back and think like a customer, ask for a critique from a friend or on the forum.

Additionally another good way to get your name out there is to blog about yourself and use other social networks as well. So under shop set up you will see a promote area. Here you can add your blog, twitter, facebook, and youtube urls so that people can find you elsewhere and get an idea of who you are and what you do.

I hope this little article with selling tips will help bring you even more success in the new year. Please do not hesitate to post comments with additional suggestions and opinions, we are all ears.

Colette is originally from the Ivory Coast West Africa and a native French speaker.  Like so many creative souls, she began as a child working with her hands.  Colette began crocheting little coin purses and pencil bags and selling them to her classmates in third grade…talented and enterprising!  She played around with embroidery and sewing as well and is still known to pick up a needle on occasion…but her real passion was found later.

Colette was working in the corporate world as a Database developer up until about 2 years ago when she was laid off.  She used this time to enjoy her two children; a daughter who is 8 and a 3 year old son…speaking from experience, this is enough to keep any mother busy for the entire day!  Unable to sit still, Colette used what little spare time she had to dabble in jewelry and a passion was found!

As many of us know, once we start working in a medium that we love, there is not stopping; a fact that Colette quickly found.  She was unable to wear all the stunning pieces that her talented hands were churning out and with the encouragement of her family and friends, ColettesBoutique was born.  She has found much pleasure in selling her work, most of all seeing people really fall in love with a piece and appreciate the time and love that she puts into her art.  She does warn those that are thinking of joining the handmade marketplace that selling your art is not always the easy road and you do have to have perseverance and patience…but definitely…if you love it…keep trying!

She has not ventured into the world of craft or art fairs just yet, but lucky for all of us that she has made a presence on the internet for the world to enjoy.  She is a star on the HandmadeArtistsShop as well as her own Website and on Etsy.  You can follow her on Facebook to see her newest creations as well as!  While you are clicking around, take note of the incredible detail that Colette puts into each and every piece and don’t be surprised to find yourself drooling uncontrollably over one treasure or another!

Can you Believe it's a Jewlelry box?

Where do you keep these pieces of adornment?  Do you have a jewelry box?  Do you spend a lot of time and money on jewelry only to have it all over the house?  Perhaps, the top of your dresser is loaded with these treasures and trinkets.  “No, I have a jewelry box,” you say in protest.  But let’s be honest, is it organized?  Is it just as nice as your jewelry?  Was it handed down from your great-grandmother or your grandmother?  Is it as great an heirloom as some of your pieces of jewelry?  Is the quality worthy of your treasures?  I pose all these questions because I know a secret– handmade jewelry boxes!  “So what?” you ask.  Here’s the “so what.” These aren’t just any jewelry boxes.  Read on…

Nestled in Cincinnati, Ohio is RDC (Ramon Design Concepts) Woodworking.   Ramon is the artist who creates these wooden jewelry fortresses.  The boxes are exquisite, unique, exotic and some are just downright cute!  There is nothing typical about RDC’s jewelry boxes.  The designs are mind-blowing and the only thing you can say is WOW!  How did he do that?

The Zebra Jewelry Box

The first jewelry box that was sold was made of tiger wood.  The customer was so excited, she looked at her granddaughter and said, “You can help me take my jewelry out of the plastic bags and put them in my new jewelry box!”  I cringed at the words “plastic bags.”  However, I applauded the customer for the serious upgrade.

I doubt if the little girl knew that one day she may own that same jewelry box.   It will have monetary value and a sentimental value that will be priceless.  That little girl will have fond memories of helping her grandmother to place treasures of adornment in a little tiger striped box that brought so much joy.

This is called Queen of the Nile

That’s the aim of RDC’s creations.  We design and create works of art that are functional, beautiful, and intended to become heirlooms that will be proudly passed down with sweet stories and precious memories from generation to generation.  Most of all, these wooden beauties are one-of-a-kind.  So the little girl in this story will have a jewelry box as unique as her memories.