Yesterday I declared to my husband that today I would shoot and publish a video if it kills us all – me, him, the cats, the neighbours – whatever it took, I was getting this done.
I think we’re all still alive?
Making My Own Metal!
Metal clay is something I’ve been aching to put into production for years… And this past November, I did it! My gorgeous wee secondhand kiln was incredibly simple to use. Two half hour sessions at 1500 degrees and I’m well over the double rainbow with joy. This metal is solid, …
Working from home is hard, yall
I’ve been having trouble doing anything on a consistent basis. This whole make-your-own-hours thing is hard when there are kittehs to snuggle, naps to have, husbands to love, and video games to play (note that housecleaning and laundry are very conspicuously absent from this list). Apparently, from the outside, it looks …
Flash Sale – Fall 2018
Hey y’all! I’m not sure if you’re interested but I thought it couldn’t hurt to let you know that I’ve got a fall flash sale planned for later today. When I set the date I didn’t realize it was Thanksgiving (Canada) so you’ll probably be full of turkey or ham …
The Next Step
My first interaction with beads was a small Minnie Mouse tin full of seed beads. I don’t remember where it came from but I carried that thing everywhere, just to enjoy looking at them and running my fingers through the tin, and when a neighbour kid spilled it into the …
Adventures in Hobo Soldering
After a time with my real-live-jeweler’s-bench and oxy-propane torch and flexshaft, I was mildly ousted to across the room when a REAL goldsmith was finally hired for the repair shop I work at. I didn’t mind because honestly, much of what they’re doing for repairs is difficult and finicky and …
Inspiration & Buttons
A while back I was lucky enough to find and purchase this fantastic lot of vintage metal buttons online, and it has been a source of inspiration and new projects ever since. I immediately (as in, abandoned what I was doing when the package arrived) started smashing the crap outta …
Expanding Markets
If you’ve been wondering where on earth I have been hiding myself for the past few weeks, wonder no further. I have been preparing for and attending my first buyer’s markets – first a small one in Sydney, then the big one, in Halifax. This was a setup where each …
Surprise! Dream Job
Two weeks ago, money was tight and I thought I’d better look for a part time job for a little while. It’s January, and as expected my self-employed income is minimal. It took me approximately fifteen minutes to discover that a friend was looking for a full-time goldsmith. I messaged …
Working for Me
It’s nearing the end of 2017, and I’m almost half a year into my new life. Seems like a good time to take stock! Here’s what’s different in my life since I left a salaried, employed position at the end of July and began working for myself in August: SLEEPING. …
The Online Listings Thing
I’ve tried to create online listings for jewellery for at least a decade. I go back and forth between using a turnkey marketplace like Etsy or Zibbet and hosting a store on my own domain with the help of, say, WooCommerce or ZenCart. I’d try one, then the other, sometimes both …
Medallions & Evolution
There’s something always happening in my head – evolutions, adaptations, innovations – that keeps me constantly making changes to the art I produce. Every time I learn a new technique, see a new product, or play in a new medium, there’s a… a twist. I can always see how to connect the …
Holiday Jewellery Sale!
My semi-monthly Facebook Event Sales have been going well! I’m excited to present the last one for the year. I realized not everyone who reads this blog is on my Facebook business page, so I thought I’d put up a wee post to let you know it’s happening! :) Details …
Deck the Halls
Despite an autumn full of growing misgivings, the Deck the Halls show has boosted my spirits back to full capacity. A gorgeous, curated show in a venue that can only be considered “quaint”, that show basically IS Christmas, and the effect of the oldest church in Sydney festooned with greenery and …
Lessons in Audience, Booth Design, and Venue
The development of a brand requires that you know – that you decide – who you appeal to, and that you work to stay relatable to that audience. I’ve been struggling somewhat in the past few months to define who that is – which segment of the population likes what …
Wholesaling
Wholesale has never been part of my plan; as a 5-to-9er, I hadn’t time to pursue or follow up on large volumes of jewellery-making. But now that my business is now my only source of income, wholesaling suddenly has a new appeal! On my radar this summer was the possibility of attending the …
Shows & Fairs
Here it is. The end of the year; the glut in craft fairs and shows upon which I have been hanging my hopes for a successful run at being a small-business-owner. The past few weeks have been full of plans and – more exciting – execution of those plans, resulting in a healthy …
Mica and Ink on Clay – Making Alcohol Ink Shine
My last video yielded some interesting results with the Lumiere paints – but what you didn’t see was a side effect of using just mica powders and alcohol inks – no Lumiere. The mica powder I was trying to cover up was peeking out through the ink, creating this amazing, …
Watching Paint Dry – Lumiere Halo Paint Effects on Polymer Clay
Back when I was in Knoxville for one of my JTV appearances, I found a Hobby Lobby and managed to keep from dragging home the entire store. I did, however get some new carving material – it’s very thin and it was quite affordable, even with the ridiculous Canadian exchange rate. …
Clay Molds & Stamps
Tomorrow I head back to Victoria County Creates, to spend the day doing a Pop-Up Studio in their utterly gorgeous art gallery space. While I had a fantastic time there – very productive, wiring up items for four hours – it turns out that wiring up items for four hours …