intenyears.

Nice can

2011-02-16T22:20:00.003-05:00

Make Out Tonight!

2011-01-27T11:51:00.001-05:00

Feeling Stitchy

2011-01-08T20:20:00.002-05:00

Show your affection this Valentine's Day with embroidered valentines! (Or anti-valentines if that's your inclination.)

Join us for our Valentines' Make Out January 27. Jennifer Bennett of Handmade Stuffs will be teaching some basic embroidery skills to express your feelings, and spend the rest of the year embellishing anything you can pierce with a needle. Fabric and patterns will be provided, along with other materials. You're welcome to bring your own embroidery hoop, floss, fabric, and/or scissors if you have them, but as always Crown Town Handmade will have basic supplies available.

Optional BYOB, $5 corking fee per container/6 pack. Sodas for sale. Patchwerk Playhaus, in the back room of Century Vintage, 1508 Central Avenue, Charlotte, 28205. Enter in the alley past Soul Gastrolounge and Snug Harbor.

See photos of our past Make-Out sessions in our FB albums.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T12:39:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

I don't know about you, but the beginning of a new year always seems like a good time to clean. Start a new year in a fresh, clean space. For me, cleaning brings along its friend, organization. The battle against clutter never seems to end, especially is you are a crafter! Little bits and pieces of things you *know* you will use. Someday. Here are some great finds on Etsy to help you keep your fresh new year feeling all year long!

MerryBluesArt has this collection of recipe cards of DIY non-toxic cleaners. Not only effective, but what pretty cards!

This soap by Beautiful Soaps is great to have around, especially if you want to try and make your own laundry soap.

I love love LOVE to have things labeled, but often things don't stay in one place for long. These Chalkboard Vinyl Tags from Leen the Graphics Queen are so perfect!

Don't forget those papers! These magnet sets from CreativeLove are super strong, and keep your papers in one place.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T12:53:00.000-05:00

We at the intenyears. family hope you are having a happy holiday surrounded my friends, family, and lots of chocolate!

Or in Cider's case, lots of rumpled, noisy wrapping paper!

Don't forget the reindeer!

2010-12-24T15:12:00.002-05:00

Here's a cute last-minute craft, with free printable tags from The TomKat Studio. Sure, we all remember to give Santa his cookies and milk, but the reindeer do all of the hard work! This treat will make sure they beeline to your place next year!

Reindeer Food Tags

I first spotted the idea on Our Best Bites, with this recipe.

Reindeer Food

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Humor

2010-12-24T14:30:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of the blog Hyperbole and a Half? Well, here's a good introduction.

The Year Kenny Loggins Ruined Christmas.

Happy Christmas!

Polar Express: Local Line

2010-12-16T06:01:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to a post by the awesome Nikki Mueller of Not Made in China, a fellow Charlottean and CrownTown Handmade member, profiling some local craftspeople. If you haven't heard of these artists, take time to check out their shops and websites!

Meet:Your Local Makers

December All Arts Market

2010-12-14T18:01:00.000-05:00

Come by and say hi to the guy and I in booth 105! Perfect place to get those thoughtful, handmade, last minute gifts, that just look thoughtful and handmade. Plus, cash bar!

Tasty Treats

2010-11-25T14:36:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for the Our Best Bites blog, and this recipe. Bubbling away in the oven as I type. I love sweet potatoes, but hate marshmallows, so most sweet potato casseroles I skip. Unless my mother in law makes it, because she leaves me a marshmallow free corner. Thanks, Patsy!

When I saw this recipe, which was marshmallow-less AND had coconut, it was going to be on my Thanksgiving table.

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes.

Worth the trip!

2010-11-23T09:31:00.000-05:00

I don't think I ever made the announcement that my organza flower hairclips are now being sold at

Beadlush

in the Plaza-Midwood area. If you have never been there, GO! Lydia and her staff are awesome, and I could play in the chain section all day. And the vintage section. And the gemstones....you see where I'm going with this!

Local Events

2010-11-21T22:36:00.001-05:00

Check out this blog post from Brooke at the myindiecharlotte blog that features local handmade artists at the recent Dogtopia of Charlotte Craft fair. Lots of Crowntowners were there, including yours truly, intenyears, who thought she wasn't in the picture. :)

Not just for the dogs.....

2010-11-12T15:49:00.000-05:00

Lunch Bunch Thurs. Nov. 4

2010-11-05T09:24:00.000-04:00

Lunch Bunch has still been going on! I just have been slack in getting the posts online. Being smarter than the average box o' rocks, though, I prepared this post the night before.

When I picked this recipe, I hadn't looked at the weather report. It was cooooold, and rainy, and gray all day long. Perfect for a hot bowl of chili. And this bowl of chili was yummy, and healthy.

You could add a bit more broth, and some toasted tortilla strips, and it would make an awesome chicken tortilla soup, also.

Chicken Chili
Weight Watchers POINTS: 5

Cooking Spray
1.5 lbs skinless, bone in chicken thighs (I used breasts)
1.25 c chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 c chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 14.5oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped (I used diced)
1 14oz can fat-free, lower sodium chicken broth
2 tbs hot pepper sauce
1 15oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed
6 tbs light sour cream
6 tbs chopped fresh cilantro

Heat a Dutch oven over med-hi heat, coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken, cook 4 minutes on each side to brown. Set aside.
Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic to pan. Cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add reserved chicken, tomatoes, broth, and 1 tbs hot pepper sauce. Bring to boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes or until chicken is done.
Remove pan from heat. Remove chicken from pan and shred, disregarding bones. (See why I used breasts?!?) Stir shredded chicken into broth mixture. Stir in navy beans and remaining 1 tbs hot sauce (I held off and let everyone add their own). Let stand 10 minutes. Top each serving with sour cream and cilantro.
Servings: 1 cup chili, 1 tbs sour cream, 1 tbs cilantro

We added some low-fat baked tortilla chips on the side. Especially once we realized that substituting chicken breast for thighs dropped the point total to 3. 3! Go ahead, add some cheese to that puppy, too!

The Makings of a Craft Fair

2010-11-01T19:52:00.002-04:00

Imagine you are a small business owner. You want to do something good for your community and promote your business. You've tried emails, coupons and ads, but want to try something different for a change. How about hosting a craft show? That is exactly what Nicole Pennell, owner of Dogtopia in Charlotte, NC decided to do.

I wanted to know what inspired her to support local handmade artists and the Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte's Center of Hope, a charity which provides food and shelter homeless women and children.

“The idea started because one of my employees makes homemade crafts,” says Nicole. “She was getting ready to go to a craft fair in Greensboro one weekend, and we were talking about it. She asked if I had ever thought of holding one here.” She hadn't, and the idea for Dogtopia's craft fair was born.

Nicole went on to mention that as a business owner, she is always looking for new ways to get people to bring their pets in for a visit. Nicole continues, “Although this isn't a dog-related event it gives us a chance to meet a lot of people and show them what a great facility we have. I'm also very community-oriented.” The hosting of a charitable event was a natural fit.

Using social media for input, The Center of Hope was suggested by several people as the charity to benefit. “Most people that make homemade crafts are women” says Nicole, “I think there's something really beautiful about women using their own creativity and hard work to help other women who are going through hard times.”

With the charity decided, she needed artists to present their work at the show. Searching on the internet, specifically Etsy, a web site devoted to handmade goods, she began the difficult task of finding artists. As luck would have it, she contacted a member of CrownTown Handmade. Word spread quickly through the group and many were excited to be part of this special event.

Nicole will be donating all proceeds from the Dogtopia craft fair, including vendor fees and a raffle, entirely to the charity. So, come out and support a great cause, a community business owner and CrownTown Handmade members. If you'd like to participate, or have any questions about the show, please email Nicole@dogdaycare.com Check out the flyer here.

Headed to the Winchester...

2010-10-25T21:22:00.001-04:00

I won't be able to join in on this awesome Make Out, but you KNOW you want to release you inner zombies!

Bored with life? Ever wonder how the walking dead experience the day to day? Time to get into their disgusting shoes for one night...the night of the living dead! Join the legion of the dead (aka the Crown Town Handmade crew) for one evening of horror and transformation.

Vanessa and guest host Brittany will show you how to apply frighteningly convincing Zombie make-up, what details to add to really appear undead, and how to make a delicious concoction of dripping blood to finish your appearance.

Join us after as Plaza Midwood experiences an invasion of the not quite dead. We will be reverse trick or treating and spreading the word about Crown Town Handmade. Be sure to wear clothing that you don’t mind getting blood all over and bring a mirror and towel. Check the supply list for other Zombie necessities.

Supplies:
CHEAP makeup (Wal-Mart/Target Halloween palates are perfect)
Suggested colors: grey, green, black, brown, yellow, purple & (most importantly)White
Eyeliner: Black, blue, green
Lip liner: Red
Mirror
Towel
Make up Sponges
Clothes that can get dirty because THEY WILL. The Make-Up (and blood) Will Stain!
Optional:
Liquid latex
“nose putty”
baby powder
baby wipes
make up brushes, like these . Flat and powder brushes are the most useful. You can purchase basic brushes in any make up section of a store or check out Morris Costumes!

Local Events

2010-10-20T15:10:00.003-04:00

Join AIGA Charlotte and Common Market SouthEnd on Tuesday, October 26 for an exclusive FREE screening of HANDMADE NATION, a documentary by director Faythe Levine, that follows the "rise of DIY art, craft, & design." CrownTown Handmade crafters will be there with some great handmade items to raffle off! Make sure you are there at 8 pm on the Common Market SouthEnd patio to watch the film and have your chance at some great prizes!

A Successful Show....

2010-10-17T20:51:00.001-04:00

Phew.

Those of you who do this most weekends, hats off to you!

I am three weeks into a 4 weeks craft show/event extravaganza. People, last night I fell asleep by 8 pm. 8 pm! Not too long ago, that was lunch time.

When you do participate in several shows, you start building a community, people get talking and acting silly. Hopefully those pictures never see daylight! Anyway, I have noticed how many times vendors ask each other "Are you having a good show? How many sales?" While money is important, c'mon we ARE selling our stuff at shows, there are other aspects that make a show successful to me.

If you've met my husband, you know he loves to talk. Perfect, since I am a bit shier. What is often overlooked about this skill, and it is a skill, is how it builds contacts and friendships, especially a good reputation, and those often leads to advance event notice, calls about product that hasn't hit the sales floor yet, consideration for consignment spots, and it goes on. I think you are picking up what I'm throwin' down, right?

Other vendors love what they do, too, so chatting with them is pretty educational. Whether they sell something you work with, or another product completely, it is interesting to hear their stories and why they do what they do. I have found out a ton of info about vintage jewelry just through chatting, info that would have taken forever looking through books and online sites.

So a successful show to me means more than just sales. Making friends with other vendors and customers, building contacts and inventory, learning more about what I love to do are all important aspects. Oh, and good food and no porta-potties. :)

What makes a show/showing successful for you?

Inspiration?

2010-10-05T20:42:00.002-04:00

I am in the middle of a month full of craft shows, art fairs, and a wedding showcase each weekend. I might have to give wine by the box a chance to get through it!

Our first show, AutumnFaire at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, was this past weekend. We shared a booth with Jessica's Jacket and Vanity Independent Creative Design,which was lots of fun, even at 7:30 am, and very successful. So much fun that when Jessica offered to share her booth again at a show this upcoming weekend, Ahlara Art Show in Mooresville, YES! flew out of my mouth so fast I thought we were engaged. So successful that I need to prepare and restock, and make lots of pieces. LOTS of pieces. But everything I touch just seems to turn into....bleh. Boring. Typical. Symmetrical. Bleh.

All that leaves me feeling discouraged, and unmotivated, and uninspired. I will just have to push through it, but any pointers, tips, or ideas out there on how to speed it along will be appreciated. Random acts of wine are appreciated, too. With brownies.

Lunch Bunch - Tues. Sept 21, 2010

2010-09-21T17:59:00.004-04:00

Do you love Tuesdays as much as I do? This week was Suzanne's week to cook, and she was bringing a mystery lunch as there were several recipes that sounded SO good, we couldn't decide. Mystery lunch might bring back bad memories of your school lunches as a kid, but we at the Lunch Bunch know better, and we were eagerly anticipating the unveiling!

Those of you who have been in the Carolina's this summer know it has been HOT!HOT!HOT! and we are eagerly anticipating some cooler weather. Doesn't seem to be happening, but if we crank up the AC at work we can pretend, and eat some yummy Lentil Soup!

The crock pot was in the break room, and we could smell the soup while we worked, exquisite torture! The keilbasa, carrots, lentils....oh my! And then. You know what, let me just show you.

Swoon. We were a little unsure, as the cake was short and quite frankly looked like an Easy Bake oven cake. I would still eat it, after all, I had an Easy Bake growing up. Who doesn't enjoy baking with a light bulb?!?
But one bite...it was a denser cake, almost like a pound cake. Perfect size. Perfect taste. We learned our lesson....don't judge the cake by its layers!

Recipes

Lentil and Sausage Soup
6 points (we think 5!) Weight Watchers
2 tsp olive oil
2 carrots thinly sliced
1 onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 lb turkey kielbasa thinly sliced
1 1/4 c brown lentils picked over and rinsed
5 c water
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/ tap black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over med hi heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes
2. Add kielbasa, lentils, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes longer.

Vanilla Layer Cake with Chocolate Ginger Frosting
3 points.
Tip: Don't substitute fat-free ricotta, the grainy texture doesn't work as well.

1 c + 2 tbs cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c + 2 tbs granulated sugar
2 tbs + 1 tsp unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/c fat free milk
2/3 c part skim ricotta cheese
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbs packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350, spray two 8 in. round cake pans
2. Cake: In small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In medium bowl, with electric mixer on high, cream sugar and 2 tbs of the butter; add egg and 2 tsp of the vanilla, beating until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk, until batter is smooth. Divide batter between the pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 15-17 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely on rack. Place one cooled cake on platter.
4. Frosting: In a food processor or blender, combine ricotta, cocoa powder, brown sugar, the remaining 1 tsp butter, ginger, and remaining 1/2 tsp vanilla. Blend until smooth. Spread a thin layer over the cake on the platter, top with remaining cake, then ice with remaining frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lunch Bunch- Sept. 14

2010-09-15T09:22:00.004-04:00

Another week of Lunch Bunch! What you don't hear is how much we talk about the day of Lunch Bunch before it actually happens. Halfway through the meal, out come the cookbooks! Anyone else out there agree that *ALL* the recipes should have pictures?!? We are often drawn in with the professional food styling, and probably overlook some just as good recipes because there isn't a picture!

This week was my turn to cook. I definitely picked this recipe based on the picture...and luckily it was also the easiest thing in the world to put together. If you have the chicken ready, this is something you could put together while you are putting away the groceries, settling in the family after school, or after a hectic day at work. I even assembled it the night before. And, the servings were huge!

Black Bean-Chicken Enchilada Casserole
7 WW points
Can be frozen
3 8 oz. cans no salt added tomato sauce
1/2 c. salsa
1 tsp cumin
3 c. chopped cooked chicken breast
1 15 oz rinsed and drained black beans
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, undrained
12 5 in. corn tortillas
1 c. reduced fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 c. reduced fat shredded monterey jack cheese
3/4 c. reduced fat sour cream (optional)
1/2 c. chopped green onions(optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients; stir. Spread 3/4 c tomato sauce mixture in bottom of 13x9 pan.
3. Combine chicken, black beans, green chiles, and 1/2 c. tomato sauce mixture in a bowl.
4. Place 6 tortillas on top of tomato sauce mixture in baking dish, top with half of chicken mixture and half of remaining tomato sauce mixture. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and tomato sauce mixture. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve with toppings, if desired. Serves 6.

Lunch Bunch - Sept. 9

2010-09-10T07:25:00.007-04:00

Mmmm, time for Lunch Bunch again! I don't know about you, but we talk about it all week. All. Week. This time it was Jean's turn to cook, and we were all drooling over the picture of Mulligatawny we saw in a Weight Watchers cookbook. The smell of curry wafting down the hallway completely distracted me....it smelled soooooo good! Jean wouldn't let us peek while she plated it up, but I went in anyway and could barely contain myself.

We decided it was worth it to add the extra toppings at the end to really round out the meal. Sometimes the smallest detail makes the biggest impact.

Mulligatawny
weightwatchers.com 5 points

Cooking Spray
1 8 oz. pkg refrigerated prechopped celery, onion, and bell pepper mix
1 1/4 c. chopped peeled Granny Smith apple
1 tbs. minced peeled fresh ginger
3 c. fat-free less-sodium chicken broth
1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
1 1/4 c. chopped tomato (~1 large)
3 c. pulled cooked chicken breast
1 tbs. red curry powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbs. fresh lime juice
1 8.5 oz pkg precooked jasmine rice
6 lime wedges

1.) Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add celery mix, apple, and ginger; saute 4 min. or until tender. Add chicken broth and coconut milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in tomato and next 3 ingredients. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in lime juice.
2.) While soup cooks, microwave rice according to package directions. Spoon rice evenly into 6 bowls. Ladle soup over rice, and serve with lime wedges.

serving: 1 1/2 c soup, 1/4 c rice, 1 lime wedge.

Optional toppings: plain yogurt, chopped fresh mint, sliced toasted almonds, and mango chutney.

This recipe is something I would make again, especially with the autumn and winter months coming up.

Badges, who needs badges....we do!

2010-09-06T14:23:00.010-04:00

When Rachel sent out an email, asking if anyone wanted to help her with a jewelry project involving Girl Scouts, I answered so fast my keyboard smoked. I was only a Girl Scout for a short while, but I firmly believe in doing whatever you can to empower young girls. On Aug 21, I was able to help Rachel Taliaferro of Rachel Taliaferro Art Jewelry as she taught some wonderful York County Girl Scouts the art of making jewelry to obtain their jewelry badges. We started off with some jewelry history, how to craft jewelry ourselves, materials (AKA, borrow Dad's tools), and how we can use vintage and found items in jewelry. Then, Rachel taught them how to make paper beads, and while we waited for the beads to dry enough to string, everyone decoupaged some jewelry boxes. Who doesn't love Mod Podge?!?

I know I can speak for Rachel in saying that we had a great time spending the morning with the girls, and moms. Thank you so much for letting us share our knowledge (and love!) of jewelry with you!

Here are a few pics.

Materials

Beads Drying

Et Voila! Art!

intenyears. display

Rachel Taliaferro Art Jewelry display

Tuesday's Lunch Bunch

2010-08-31T13:02:00.006-04:00

Mmmm. This week's Lunch Bunch is here. Those of you who are wondering what this has to do with jewelry, I work for www.agrainofsand.com ,an online retailer of unique vintage & contemporary beads & findings. I'll wait a second for your wave of envy to pass. Not only do I design my own jewelry, I play with beads all day, AND get to share yummy recipes. Again, I'll pause here a second for you to pull yourself together.

What is Lunch Bunch? Once a week, Suzanne, Jean, and I cook one of these recipes and bring it in to share.

This week was Suzanne's day to cook. She brought in Pasta Salad with Apples and Chicken.

Pasta Salad with Apple and Chicken

Serves 4
6 points each
1/3 cup orange juice
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
3 cups cooked whole-wheat pasta
1 cup diced cooled chicken breast
¼ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 5-ounce bag baby arugula

Method:
To make dressing, whisk together the juice, vinegar, mustard, and maple syrup in a large bowl.
Add pasta, chicken, pecans, apple, and shallot to the dressing, toss to cop
Divide the arugula evenly among 4 plates. Spoon the pasta salad evenly on top.
Per serving (1 cup arugula and 1 ¼ cups pasta salad): 315 cal, 8 grams Fat, 284 Sodium, 46 Carb, 5gr Fiber, 19 gr Prot

www.weightwatchers.com

Ladies who Lunch

2010-08-30T19:19:00.006-04:00

For the past few weeks, a few of us at work have started to take turns bringing in a healthy lunch one day a week. The rules are:
1)new recipe
2)Weight Watchers (or know the points!)
3)be food-obsessed

I don't follow WW, but I follow good food. I'm always looking for ways to eat *more* good food. I keep thinking "I should blog about this".....so tonight I am stopping the procrastination and just posting.

Tomorrow is our next Ladies' Lunch, and hopefully, I will not forget photos and share the food-p*.rn love.

But...until then, here is the yummy yummy recipe we had today, an 'unofficial' lunch day.

Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash and Ricotta.

Overall impression was yum! Definitely a recipe that makes you look forward to autumn.

Hanging by a Thread

2010-08-20T21:33:00.001-04:00

Photo: Amazon.com

Rachel Taliaferro of Rachel Taliaferro Art Jewelry will lead our next Make-Out session, "Hanging by a Thread" on Aug. 26 at 7:30PM.

Taking a cue from kinetic sculptor Alexander Calder, Rachel will show you how to make grown-up mobiles out of wire, string, origami, paper and/or found objects. If you want a special color of fishing line or string, bring that with you along with any special papers or found objects to make yours unique! As always, Crown Town Handmade will have some supplies. Bring your inspiration, and...BYOB/W for $5/pack/bottle. We wouldn't turn our noses up at a donation, either....

Our last book binding Make-Out was our highest attended ever, so help spread the word so that this fun event keeps growing in our community!

Homesick

2010-08-12T22:23:00.003-04:00

This link was on my Twitter feed today, and makes me wish I was back home in NY so I could get to participate in these cool events. If you are in the area, you should totally take advantage of having Etsy headquarters nearby.

Etsy Craft Night at South St. Seaport.

Holiday Plans

2010-08-08T11:43:00.003-04:00

The All Arts Market is returning to the Neighborhood Theatre, and intenyears. will be there! Thanks to all of the great customers who voted us one of the Top Ten Favorite Vendors for the June All Arts Market! If you are in town for Labor Day weekend, stop by and say hi. Free admission, and its gallery crawl weekend as well.

Win a free book!

2010-07-27T19:33:00.000-04:00

Win a copy of the new book, Craft Corps: Celebrating the Creative Community One Story at a Time! Stitch Machine and publisher Lark Crafts are sponsoring the giveaway. All you have to do to be entered into the drawing is visit the Stitch Machine blog before July 30th and comment about who your favorite crafter or maker is and why. Is it someone you know? Someone famous? Be sure to leave a way to contact with you if you win.

Craft Corps is a series of in-depth interviews with 30 well known makers, and 60 everyday crafters. See interviews with fabric designer Amy Butler, stencil artist Ed Roth, Big Ass Book of Crafts writer Mark Montano, and TV icon Carol Duvall. This book is stronger than most craft profile books because includes lesser known quietly successful business owners and people who craft for fun.

Five Friday Favorites (Fashion)

2010-07-23T20:23:00.003-04:00

CircularAccessories Looking for my five favorites, I found this dress and and another shirt I loved. I then noticed they were both from the same shop. Kismet. Check out the rest of the shop, you can thank me later.

LamaWorksWoolies. This shop is pretty new, but this cowl caught my eye. I hate being cold, but hate hate HATE constricting things around my neck. Turtlenecks, mock necks,scarves etc. Cowls seem to give me warmth, look cute, but still let me feel like I can breathe.

RedThreaded. Channel your inner Elizabeth Bennet. Mr Darcy not included.

LaMistinguette. My mom (sorry mom) was a teen on the 1950's. I look at her pictures, and wish she had saved those dresses. They were so, so awesome. That is what this dress reminds me of. Makes me want to lean on a cherry 1955 Chevy.

TheGreedySeagull. Everyone needs a cute purse. Even better in pink.

2010-07-21T10:05:00.001-04:00

Nikki Mueller of Not Made in China is leading a session July 22, 2010, on Japanese book binding. Please join us! We will have supplies, but feel free to bring your own paper/pages for your book. What is Japanese bookbinding, you ask? The simplest answer is pages bound/tied together with string. See, not scary. Now, what kind of pages? Here's a few ideas to jumpstart your creativity:

-why not make pages for an entire 'zine ahead of time and bind it at our session?
-finally gather up all those torn out pages and family recipes you have laying around that just move from pile to pile
-bring prints of your paintings and make your very own art book
-gift idea alert! Make a blank book to use as a journal

Take a look at Nikki's blog to see a book she made in the past:
http://www.shopnotmadeinchina.com/1/post/2010/03/i-made-a-recycled-book.html

The usual info: 7:00 pm, free admission, optional BYOB, $5 corking fee per container/6 pack. Sodas for sale. Patchwerk Playhaus, in the back room of Century Vintage, 1508 Central Avenue, Charlotte, 28205.

Five...errr FOUR Friday Favorites

2010-07-09T18:47:00.002-04:00

Miss Mossy I don't have the greenest of thumbs, so this Moss Garden Under Glass is right up my alley. Plus, it's cute!

beepart Everyone dig out your edition of The Preppy Handbook! Argyle for your walls.

IMOTIME. Hate to admit it, but THIS is the punchline to lots of jokes around here.

Have It Sweet Confections. If you are like me, your answer to "What is your favorite dessert?" is "yes." I love sugar. Marshmallows, though, are not my favorite...until I saw these.

Start Your Own Craft Fair

2010-06-29T12:23:00.006-04:00

Want to participate in a craft fair? None going on in your area, or do you have a group of crafty friends who you always bump into at shows? Here's a great Storque post about how to bite the bullet and truly, do-it-yourself!

Start Your Own Craft Fair

Party Redux

2010-06-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

Here's a great recap of the Etsy Craft Party from one of our CrownTown Handmade members, Nikki Mueller of Not Made in China.

Etsy Craft Party and 5th Birthday!

The cupcakes with the chocolate flowers on top were my contribution. :)

Let Them Eat Paste

2010-06-21T12:09:00.002-04:00

Crown Town Handmade, Charlotte's new group of artistic entrepreneurs, is hosting its third monthly Make Out session Thursday, June 24, at 7:30 PM. The event is free and will take place at Patchwerk Playhaus, in the back room of Century Vintage, 1508 Central Avenue in Charlotte.

Come join Amanda Fisher from Verabelle, a vintage clothing line that is as unique as you are, as she teaches us to make decoupage coasters, using magazine clippings and ceramic tiles.

Party!Party!

2010-06-14T13:35:00.008-04:00

CrownTown Handmade is hosting the Charlotte Etsy Craft Party on Friday, June 18th. It will be a evening of crafting and fun, starting at Midwood Park and ending at the Patchwerk Playhouse! There will be a viewing of Handmade Nation along with craft supply swaps. Oh, and cupcakes. And prizes!

Come join us if you are in the area, or check out your local handmade community if you love elsewhere...its nationwide!

Tag, You're It

2010-06-07T21:33:00.005-04:00

This past week was the June All Arts Market hosted by Nodarioty. You may remember that the All Arts Market in March was my first craft show, so I was excited to be back. My inventory was very different from last time, so was that first success a fluke, or is my vision something that others really enjoy, too?

One of the things that has been a constant is the feedback about our logo and tags. Each and every time people have commented that they thought the tags were part of the jewelry, and that we should turn the tags themselves into necklaces. Well, don't think we don't listen to our customer feedback.

Our new resin tag pendant made its soft launch at the Market, and out of the 4 we made, 3 were sold. 3 of those necklaces were put together at the Market itself, and they sold as soon as I put them out. I made the last one at 9:50, closed at 10, bet if I had another 15 minutes that baby would have gone home with someone, too. They were on the table, but off to the side, until the usual 'You should make a pendant out of this', et voila! I had one to show. It seemed that besides the logo, what people really liked was the simplicity of the design. Re-using our actual tag and not a replica was a big talking point.

You know us, so we will be finessing the end product a bit more. I mean 'we', since Guy and I both have a hand in this simple design. He does all the resin work, and then I make it into jewelry. I think it is a great collaboration, but then again I am not the one coating small tags with chemical mixtures!

Look for them on my Etsy shop, and at craft fairs near you.

Is it time to hibernate?

2010-06-04T19:09:00.002-04:00

All Arts Market Wednesday and Thursday was a success. I have now officially gone from being exhausted to being....too exhausted to eat ice cream! I KNOOOOOOW!

I will tell you all about it, catch up on photos, etc., but first, I am taking a nap and snuggling with my dog!

Cash Money

2010-05-30T21:08:00.003-04:00

We recently became approved to accept credit cards, which I think will come in handy at craft fairs. While it seems many people come to fairs, handmade or art expos with cash in hand, many still seem to carry plastic, namely their debit cards. I am not ashamed to admit that I would be one of them.

At first, when we didn't know how successful this venture might be, we decided to hold off and see if 1)it WAS successful and 2)if we actively noticed losing any sales because we didn't accept them. Because let's face it, as a small business the fees we pay are a much bigger part of our take home, plus who wants to add yet another thing to keep track of or set up?

Well, I did lose a few sales when customers weren't willing to go to the nearest ATM or write a paper check. OK, I wasn't really pushing the paper check thing. We also are selling lots of jewelry, more than I ever expected at this point. So I made a deal with the devil and we now accept plastic. Our first show with it is this week, it will be interesting to see if it impacts our sales immediately.

How about you. Do you accept plastic at shows? What are your reasons for accepting or not accepting credit?

Friday:Five Favorites

2010-05-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

Yay! It is the end of a looooong, but very fun, week. Here are my five random favorites picked from my Etsy favorites list.

My Black Dress
I love, I mean love, dresses. But they rarely fit me off the rack, and well, I can't sew. Alterations get expensive, and I mentally add them into any dress purchase, making many of them not so good a deal. So, affordable custom dresses that reflect my modern retro sense of style? Squeeeee! Check out this one, I love the neckline and the little flounce of white peeking out.

Green Post
Wow. 100% Recycled. Upcycled. Re-Used. That's a lot of -ed's! Oh, and totally plantable -ed. Add to a gift, and its a bonus surprise! Weddings, baby shower favors, the list is endless, and nobody breaks a tooth on those hard jordan almonds that look so tempting.

RedLightStudio
All I ask is, where were they 11 years ago when I refused to have a cake topper because I didn't like anything traditional? It may be time to order another wedding cake just for the toppers. And the cake....mmmmm, sugar. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, these. Cute penguin couple! Awwwwwwww! Oh, and their Etsy join date? My anniversary. Kismet!

Blueyedgirls' Boutique
I found this shop because this sign made me laugh, case closed.

LaBelle Fairy
Just because....I wish. And my husband wishes even more. These corsets are just so beautiful, having a hard time finding a favorite one to link. This peach one will do. They all just make me speechless.

Wow.Yeah.Okay....on that note I think I am going to head off and have a great weekend. Maybe watch some Tudors ;)

Friday: Five Favorites

2010-05-21T09:14:00.000-04:00

Another edition of Friday: Five Favorites! This is where I list five random Etsy shops from my Favorites list, and hopefully you'll add some of yours in the comments!

Cantaloupe Corner
Cute, cute, CUTE baby & toddler clothes. What I love is that she does a dye removal process, instead of adding inks and dyes to the fabric. I think this one would be adorable at a beach or, honestly, any wedding. All the men would be jealous.

Dancing Circle
I have a thing for wreaths. If they are displayed in a store, it is impossible for me to walk past them. I dream of decorating doors for different seasons, propping them on photo ledges, or placing candles in the middles as centerpieces. The other thing I love is flowers, any and every. So, this shop is full of dried flower wreaths, and was one of my first favorites on Etsy. Hydrangeas are tops on my list.

yippiekawaiiyeah
I don't understand sweets that cannot be eaten, but they so adorable who needs to? Maybe wearing little donuts, ice cream sundaes, and cakes would keep me from craving the real thing....nah. The mini popsicles are perfect for summer pendants, but isn't this guy cute (ahem, kawaii...)?

Goat Mountain Arts
Who doesn't love yummy smelling bath stuff? Her soap is hand milled, and love the fact that you can get custom orders or order a trial size sample of her soap. Also, she makes me laugh. Sellers should check out Grumpy Haters. Warning, a sense of humor is required!

KatyDiddy
While her paper and fabric creations are cute, she's on this list because of her extremely helpful e-books for sellers. The Craft Fair e-book is especially cool, and found that sucker listed all over the blogosphere as a resource.

So, did you finish reading the blog, or did you immediately start clicking on links??

Friday's Five Favorites

2010-05-14T19:59:00.006-04:00

I'm here! I'm here! Things have been so busy I admit the blog has been neglected, but being busy is a GOOD thing. To keep you distracted, I am going to link you to Friday's Five Favorites Etsy shops. In other words, five random favorite shops from my list! I always mean to go back, but time has a way of...look, oooh pretties!!!!!

knotworkshop
I just love her sense of humor. One day I was browsing the Etsy forums, and this popped up in one of the threads that was taking itself a bit too seriously. I was hooked (heh) ever since.

Jean Pelle
I fell in love with the decor in the film Mr & Mrs Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. When I went to look up a lighting fixture,
specifically the one in the living room scene, I found out I wasn't the only one. Check out the blog Hooked on Houses if you love set decorating! I about fell out of my chair when I recently found the shop by Jean Pelle on Etsy, and immediately bookmarked it into my inspiration folder.

Sunny SideUp Studio
I just love her spoolie dolls, especially the Cosmic Girl. Wait, I might have just found a new favorite! Reminds me of Nightmare Before Christmas. Aren't they freakin' adorable??

igotcooties
This is not me trying to tell you TMI. Go look, I guarantee you'll have a smile on your face by the time you scroll down the first page. Everybody will want your cooties!!

Creative Thursday.
Oooh, one of my favorite Favorites. I have this print hanging on my wall to motivate and remind me of what I am doing. Her blog inspired me to jump into this business with both feet, and do what I love and the rest will follow.

Have you looked at YOUR favorite lists lately? Feel free to post a random favorite or two in the comments section!

2010-04-29T13:02:00.009-04:00

So, I have some pics from the ArtWalk I did this past Friday. I'm sure you don't want to see them, so what shall we talk about instead?

Wait, what? You do?

Let me tell you first that I had a great time. It was the first time I participated, so I had no expectations. The ArtWalk, held by the Cabarrus Arts Council consists of local businesses staying open later and hosting artists' displays, and people walk from place to place to look, mingle, and purchase local art. My only regret is that being an artist, I didn't get to wander to the other buildings and see what they had. I heard there was a tasty NC Wine display.

First, the importance of doing a mock table display at home. I was told the table measurements were 5x30", so we marked out our trusty plywood and set up a display in our garage.

My next post may be on garage organization. Eep. Anyway, pretty sweet looking display, right? It is important to be prepared, because you know what they say about the best laid plans. They turn into tables that are 5X20"....

That may not seem like a huge amount, but it makes a HUGE difference in a display. The tables were free, so I am grateful they were even available! Guy wasn't able to make it, so I had to do some quick thinking on my feet, with a few reassuring texts from Guy. My focus had to be on keeping the most merchandise on the table without cluttering it up.

I think I ended up pretty well. The photographer behind me was Alexandra Pope. It was her first show, and she had photos of the architecture of Barber-Scotia College, and the display was made out of windows they found in the dumpster of said college and refurbished. Pretty darn neat.

Another angle:

Here is the other side of the room, with some new friends that I made. In order, right to left: Nena Wilson Jewelry Designs , Baskets Apropo by Patricia Lindsay , Carolyn Fisher, Artist and Art Educator.

Then reversed:

Ohhh, that's what jewelry should look like

2010-04-21T20:39:00.003-04:00

Guy here.

So gal has been hard at work burning and poking her poor fingers as she makes more flowers than an Amsterdam tulip garden. I have been trying to get more bezel cups and such to tag all the creations she has made lately. The display at Nectar is going well, so life is good.

A good friend of mine is a professional photographer here in town and I always love to pick his brain about how to improve the shots that I take. Obviously, buying the new camera helped out tremendously and really improved the quality of pictures I was able to capture. I am never satisfied with what I know, I always want to improve how we display gal's work. He told me that if I wanted to shoot truly professional quality pictures of jewelry, I needed to get black glass or acrylic to shoot on. As a side note, he had told me of shooting full bodied nudes draped with wet sheets clinging to their bodies on black glass and how stunning the results were. Now, I am not going to say that gal's stuff is more interesting than hot near naked models, it must be a close second. Ok, maybe third.

I have a list in my head of things to do for intenyears. and when I can I try and knock items off that list. Crossing another item of that list, we went to a glassworks shop and bought a piece of black glass (nude models sold separately, and on back order, who knew?) I only wish we had done this sooner. Imagine the scene from 2001 where the apes find fire and the timpani's are booming and the trumpets start blaring, this was me about 1 hour ago. Rather than fling some poo or throw some rocks, I decided a blog post was probably more appropriate (and more hygienic). So without further fanfare here is a sample pic of the direction intenyears. photography is going.

Spring Flowers

2010-04-16T17:57:00.004-04:00

Once you begin to create things, you find that you just.can't.stop. I have lists of ideas of things I want to try when I have the time. Not just one list, but a whole binder, with sectioned tabs, to try and keep a handle on these ideas. Since I seem to sell things pretty much as I make them, you can see where I am having issues trying to find the time to branch out. Worse things could be happening, right?

One of the ideas I did find time for was fabric flower hair clips, kind of an offshoot of the Felt Flowers that I make and will share as a tutorial for CrownTown Handmade April 29. Since launching intenyears. at Nectar, my focus for that line has been garden, floral, and summery. I made these neat organza flowers for a necklace, and thought they would be cute on clips.

I used organza fabric, flame to sear the edges, added czech glass beads, and attached to a clip. Yes, it is a process to make them, but the end result is worth it. I think Guy was a little worried about me veering of the jewelry path too much, but he really didn't say TOO much about it. And, wouldn't you know, those clips were one of the first things I sold that day, to a lovely family from San Diego who had no idea that they just totally made my day. If you are reading...hi! Hope you had a safe trip back!

They made my day because I think selling the first of something you created is a special kind of sale. I remember the first necklace I sold on Etsy, and the first necklace I sold at a crafts show. They are all reminders to make sure that I take the time to try new ideas, because you never know which will be successful.

Make sure you check out my Etsy shop, I added the clips a little while ago. :)

Working with a new model

2010-04-12T14:46:00.003-04:00

I am trying to get some photos together for a Community Craft Night at the end of April for CrownTown Handmade, and I decided to try out a new model. I don't think she's impressed, or I just may not be haute couture enough for her.

Here she is when she first saw who she was working with:

She realized it might not be beneath her:

"Is that brown? Matches my lovely chocolate spots."

"Wait! Is that frame BLACK! Black & Brown??? FAUX PAS!"

Where's my agent? Get him on the cell ASAP! Still waiting on my latte, people!

intenyears. instoresnow.

2010-04-11T11:50:00.009-04:00

Guy here.

Hope this gorgeous Sunday afternoon finds you all well and happy. Just a quick post to upload some pictures from Gal's retail debut. The lines were wrapped around the building, a little old lady was trampled as the doors were opened and throngs of people rushed to be the first to purchase an intenyears. authentic jewelry piece. Well, at least that's how I recall it.

While this might not exactly have been the scene yesterday afternoon, I think we were both happy with the turnout and results. We had several sales and it was great to see the pieces displayed and selling. Here are some pictures from the show for your enjoyment. Up next is getting prepared for the Artwalk in Concord.

I am artist, hear me...crimp?

2010-04-07T10:18:00.004-04:00

One of the things that I have been working on since I started intenyears. is self-promotion. I'm really sensitive to being seen as 'pushy'. Maybe its was the decade of retail management experience, maybe its the fact that I can be shy in new social situations, or thinking that people won't really like what I do, then proceed to tell me about it...in detail! Guy doesn't have the same issue, luckily. He can walk in, and be comfortable with everyone and everything. Explains why one of his many hats around here is Marketing, doesn't it?

His comfort with new situations, and understanding of how I work and feel about them, is really helping me push my comfort zones and grow intenyears. On the surface, its things like...gentle insistence on trying my first craft show, the All Arts Market in March, even though I was nervous and felt I wasn't ready. Do I even need to tell you yet again what an unparalleled success that was for me? Or...getting me to apply to a Silent Auction by prepping a portfolio. We got the email at dinner last night saying my application was approved for the ARTcravings Silent Auction . Check out the website...my name is on there as an artist, and I had to have the page printed out to go on my inspiration board!

Less obvious is how much more confident I feel trying new ideas, see my previous post about 'doing things wrong'. More importantly for me, is how I now answer that famous question, "What do you do?" I am a handmade jewelry artist/designer. No other caveats or self-depreciating laughter.

Now that you know how sweet and timid and shy I am, look at my new links up top. Check out my new Events page, because I am going places, and I want you all to come along for the ride. :)

2010-04-03T19:00:00.004-04:00

No need to be coy any longer. The details have been finalized.

intenyears. will be launching at Nectar a floral design shop located in the McGill Rose Garden in NoDa.

The date is Saturday, April 10. It is the re-Grand Opening of Nectar, so there will be yummy refreshments and lots of gorgeous flowers. I will be there myself from 12- 2 to talk about my jewelry and hopefully meet lots of cool new people.

I'll be looking forward to working with Karisa, and the Rose Garden is a gorgeous spot and will surely give me hours of inspiration. Did I ever mention how much I LOVE flowers? Can't wait to see you there!

And the gears were set in motion...

2010-03-31T19:13:00.004-04:00

Guy here.

So this week for me officially marks the beginning of the great marketing push for gal and her stuff. I have been waiting for her to get her pieces in order and have enough inventory of goodies to create with before we started pushing intenyears. out to the great wide world.

If you've been with us since the beginning, it is amazing to think of how far we have come in just a few short months. Going from her part-time hobby to a (sort of) full blown enterprise. I've felt especially creative and with the purchase of a new printer that is capable of printing 5x7 photos I am ready to start building her portfolio to use for juried shows and events. There are so many deadlines coming up they are hitting hard and fast. No need to be specific yet, however, if they all come through there are A LOT of things to be done. We might need Boris the intern afterall...

I am huge branding person, anyone who saw our booth at the show learned this first hand. From the booth itself all the way through to the box and the bag, intenyears. was all up in yo' grill. I firmly believe that in order to set yourself apart, no matter what business arena, you have to be branded and do it professionally. People might not expect it, especially at an off-site craft show, but they are REALLY impressed when they see it.

One of the reasons why gal and I work so well together has to do with her creative side and my business side. That's not to say there isn't a lot of overlap, for example we're both HUGE perfectionists. You can see this in anything she creates, she refuses to put her name on something that isn't just right. I'm the same way with any creative material or copy I create. We were chatting after the All Arts Market about putting our name on a piece (in the metaphorical sense) and realized we needed a way to put our name on on her pieces (in the literal sense). So the creative juices starting flowing.

I have never played with resin before, and I can tell you...it's pretty f*in cool. It was like I was mixing with one of the kiddie chemist sets from back in the day, except I didn't grow those lame powdery "crystals" (Remember those?) Anyway, although it didn't come out perfect, due to me being impatient and not sealing it properly, here is what every necklace will eventually roll off the line with:

Even though the sides have some "bleed" going on, it sill sort fits the vintage feel. We'll keep messing with and get it right, but its cool to know that all of her pieces (when we can) will have this attached. Ain't branding grand? Oh, and once we have the portfolio pics up on Flickr, we'll post that link for you.

Not to be outdone...

2010-03-24T11:58:00.005-04:00

Two posts in one day, amazing. Gal is right, we have been super busy in getting her "studio" (i.e. the extra bedroom in our house) up to snuff. After clearing out more books than the Library of Congress and donating them, we had room to work. Finally the marketing and photography department have their own offices. Those artsy people smell funny and listen to classical music.

We have a new intern in the marketing department, Boris. We have no idea where he comes from or what his CV looks like he just sorta appeared out of nowhere. He tends to like dark corners and keeps to himself most of the daylight hours. I will say he is great at multitasking and helping out around the office. Here is an artist's rendering of our new intern:

Did I mention my phobia of spiders? Gal thought it hilarious last night when I looked into my light box and saw not only Boris, but his damned web with a fruit fly in it. I asked gal to remove our interloper only to have her force him behind the poster board at the back of the box! Thanks hun. I think he hitched a ride when she used the box outside last week. God, I hate spiders...

Thriving artist

2010-03-24T10:43:00.006-04:00

So, yeah. Hi.

We've been busy here, but I know its hard to tell since it has been so quiet on the blog. Grab a cup of tea and let's dish!

First, I've been working with the owner of a local shop, let's call it Rose's, on carrying intenyears. along with other handcrafted items. Do I even need to explain how exciting that it for me? And stressful! I hope that if you live in or around the Queen City you will be able to stop by, browse, and take time to smell the flowers. Rose's is really an unique shop and in an awesome location, it would be well worth a visit. I'll post the definite info, date, and of course all the shop information as soon as I can.

Second, this being creative thing is pretty new to me. Or, at least the confidence in my creative voice. It amazes me that now, I seek out other things to try, and I don't think twice about attempting them. Before I would have never put myself out there, not even making the attempt, because I may 'do it wrong'. What I'm learning is, aside from safety issues, there IS NO WRONG when it comes to your own creativity, your own voice. I have so many ideas and dreams filling up my little notebook, a little craft bucket list if you will. Hmm, that gives me an idea......

Third, do you remember me talking about joining the local handmade and vintage group CrownTownHandmade ? They have been awesome, supportive, and informative. They've been trying to set up a community craft night, and as you can imagine the logistics of doing something like that can be crazy. Looks like the first one will be near the end of April, and you can meet me and do a fun craft. Because as of right now, I will be instructing how to do said fun craft. :) Of course, there is still so much time and plans may change, that's how things are looking. Of course I will post the finalized date here, and on Twitter.

And, last, we spent the day yesterday sorting and reorganizing out work space. It takes up a whole extra room, with my work table, a set area for the light box/photos, a new desk with our network printer, an area for soldering/wire work, and storage for finished pieces. I also hung up my print from CreativeThursday . To think, this started out as a lap project!

Thriving artist, indeed!

Hi ho, hi ho

2010-03-15T13:58:00.005-04:00

Finally back to work as of today. Finished 2 necklaces I have been working on here and there. Mostly, I am excited to get started on the pile o'goodies my husband brought home with him from a recent trip.

Isn't he sweet? Lots of vintage buttons and beads and pins to incorporate into new pretty things! Plus, I took a soldering course recently and have expanded my wire work knowledge, so new things and new techniques = awesome new necklaces for you! Plus, sore fingers since I did hit my finger with a hammer working on a pendant. Don't expect that to be a one-off occurence.

This week should be pretty busy with creating, photographing, and posting new items, so check here or Etsy often. Lots of irons in the fire, it's an exciting time for us here!

Quickly...

2010-03-06T17:28:00.004-05:00

So, the All Arts Market was a success. Not only in sales, but people were so friendly, and the feedback/comments we got were phenomenal. I guess we're not changing our tags any time soon, as they were as much of a hit as the jewelry. The comments gave me some exciting ideas to pursue, so I am in full research mode. Which is about all I can do since I happen to be under the weather. As soon as I'm able, I will post the photos I have and give a much more detailed description.

Etsy shop is on vacation, because frankly I need to make more stuff to put in there!

But, most importantly, thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth, whether you purchased something or not. It was great talking to you and having you get to know a little more about us.

What I am doing today:

2010-03-02T13:04:00.010-05:00

Today is prep for tomorrow's All Arts Market. Here is what I'm doing.
First, tagging. These are the tags I tea-stained, and Guy hand stamped with our logo. Prices will be handwritten in on the back.

Second, inventorying. I am writing up index cards with general info, and then inputting them on an ex.cel spreadsheet that is numbered. Check off as we sell/pack up.

Third, taking photos. Many of the pieces I haven't bothered to photograph or put on Etsy, but I'd still like an image record. It's snowing outside, so I brought out the lightbox to take advantage of the natural light reflection.

Fourth, bagging. For ease of transportation, and so there are no tangles, each piece is getting their own baggie, with tags and index cards inside.

Phew. It is taking awhile, but one thing I have learned working retail is all the extra effort up front MORE than pays for itself later. Think I deserve a tea break, and then back to work! Hope you are having a productive day as well!

Yeah, so I'm a Trekkor. What of it??

2010-02-28T21:10:00.003-05:00

I am panicky. I am trying to hold it together, and thought I was doing ok, until I went to the mock booth display we had up last night and tried to decide what pieces should be out, where, which color display, etc. All of a sudden, the red alert noise from ST:TNG was going through my head along with this stream of conciousness: YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH PIECES! YOU DO.NOT.HAVE.ENOUGH! STANDBY FOR SAUCER SEPARATION!

So, I want to blog about my awesome CrownTown Handmade meeting & workshop on Thursday, and how it was so cool to brainstorm with others and get their ideas for improvement. I want to blog about how it inspired me to really narrow my focus on what I want to make, namely jewelry from found items. But, I can't seem to focus on anything other than getting ready for Wednesday. Even trying to ignore the weather person who said it will probably snow. *Lalalalala*

So, the nerdy girl with fingers in her ears and a tricorder on her belt loop standing in the corner? It's me. Be gentle and kind. Thanks.

Burning it from both ends

2010-02-24T20:38:00.004-05:00

Busy busy busy. If you are wondering why it is quiet on the Etsy front, registration for the All Arts Market finally opened last week. Our booth is reserved! If you are in the area, stop by and say hi! It is at night so after work is fine, and the admission is free. There will be lots of cool local artisans to look at, and you can make it a date night by heading out for dinner in NoDa. Crepe Cellar is my favorite!

So everyday of the last week has been spent trying to build up inventory, make up lists for our booth display, and basically working out the logistics. This is my first craft fair, so there are lots and lots of things on my to-do list. I am in general panic mode, and Guy is being great at talking me down from the ledge. I know this could be done by myself, but I am so glad to have help!

Yesterday Guy was off of work, so we spent most of it driving around and working on our booth. We had some amazing (and lucky) finds, and by the end of the day it was looking pretty good. We've searched the internet for tips, and one of the ones that made the most sense to us was setting up a mock booth and working out your placement beforehand. Then you can just take a pic, and use that to set up without stress. Brilliant! Right now it is temporarily set up on plywood set atop sawhorses in the garage. Look for a new page soon with updated booth/fair pics!

So tonight was takeout pizza in between me making more jewelry and Guy making necklace display stands and hand-stamping(yep) our tea-stained (yep) price tags with the tree logo. And also doing his usual work from home Wednesday office work. Like I said, its great to have help, especially with all these details.

Now that we are full of yummy pizza, time to refill the coffee cup. Back to wire wrapping pearls and making displays. You'll probably hear from me soon, as frankly I need the break!

The Return of Guy

2010-02-17T17:20:00.011-05:00

So I've been allowed to post again. After the lawsuit from Kellogg for the illegal jeweling of Ernest J. Keebler, I was forced to reside in the Keebler Treehouse for 3 months for sensitivity training. I'm a changed man now and elves are not friendly and cute.

As I am sure you have already seen we have purchased a new camera that makes me look like a champion photographer. It actually has legs and walks around and takes pictures for me. Well not quite but close. So I've spent my time retaking all the crappy "poser" photos from the first items we posted. Sometimes you never realize how bad something looks until you see it side by side with something else. The originals weren't bad just...ok, they were pretty lame. Now armed with the proper equipment, Gal's stuff has the photos they deserve.

Speaking of things walking around on legs, it reminds me of something I've wanted to post for a little while. I feel as though this will be an ongoing concept which I know you will all love. One of gal's favorite websites to waste time on is Cakewrecks, so I began to think, what if I did that but for all the "treasures" we find while hunting for vintage beads and other cool stuff. I'm sure someone has devoted a website (and also) their life to doing this already, but it will add some fun to our blog. I think the items will end up falling in 2 categories: one being items that don't belong in antique's stores at all and the other being "WTF?". Let's explore each shall we?

Recently, I came across a bottle of Tanqueray Gin being sold in a vintage booth. Now Tanqueray has been around for 100+ years, so imagine how excited I was to find a rare bottle of Tanqueray to take back to the house and nurse. But wait a minute...it's a new bottle...and it's empty...and they want 10 dollars for it! How could I resist that offer? Now keep in mind a new FULL bottle of the stuff only costs 17 bucks down on the corner. I bet the owner of the booth is scratching their head wondering why this bottle just won't move. File under: Doesn't belong in an antiques store.

Now for the bread and butter of this post. This next one is actually what really got me thinking about doing this. I love Toy Story the movie, it has great animation, wonderful values for children to learn and all those cool toys. If I had the spare time I'd build those toys for all to enjoy in real life. I mean, I'd put my blood sweat and tears into those bloody things. But wait, what if someone had the vision to do this for me? What if they put all their love, adoration and heart into handcrafting these toys? Well I now have the pleasure of putting up for your consideration someone who had that vision, that determination, to make these thoughts a living breathing, tangible reality. I know give to you my gentle readers, baby's head in a vase.

Now, I know what you are thinking, "Where can I get one fo those for myself?" And as tempting as it would be to tell you where you can purvey this fine object d'arte, I'm keeping it a secret. Why spoil it for everyone else who will no doubt walk by and wonder just who the f*ck in their right mind would conceive, design and build this thing? Oh I know:

Now I know what to do with that empty bottle of Tanqueray:

Until next time...

Quick Update

2010-02-17T16:46:00.005-05:00

Feel like I am back to square one. Guy has been busy with his main job, so I've been learning how to use the lightbox, set up the camera, edit the photos, etc. Last week we bought a new camera, and its wonderful. But, with no earthly clue where to start with it, so far I've gotten as advanced as "on", it might as well be a paperweight. Until Guy gets home. So, back to waiting until he's able to take photos, but at least now it goes lots quicker than it did with our vintage horse-drawn digital 6 megapixel. This means a backlog of necklaces to photograph isn't so daunting. Just thinking about the write-ups that are waiting gives me shivers, though.

We went to the local homestore and my storage problem is solved - for now. Guy also suggested we head to Ikea, who am I to staunch his creativity?!? New shelves and various props later, it's feeling less cluttered and overwhelming in here. Which is good, because I just ordered a bunch of vintage crystals and metal findings.

Took a few days off, but I'm back in the work area and creating again. It feels good, especially because I have lots of ideas floating around. Time to get out the pen and paper and sketch them out. Or, in my case, a written description because my sketches make sense to no one, including myself.

I've Got a Fever...

2010-02-12T22:06:00.006-05:00

No, really, I do. A low grade fever that Ty.len.ol is helping with. Luckily it is snowing out, so I'm not really expected to be anywhere. Unlike yesterday, where I was expected places, but with my car keys hitching a ride in Guy's coat pocket to HIS work, they had to be rescheduled.

You could say I also have a fever for creating lately. This week, at least 2 completed pieces each day, 2 trips to the bead store, and 2 bead supply deliveries. We've had some crazy weather this week, so it was nice to stay inside and work. Thursday it was extremely windy, but needed to finish a necklace so I headed to the bead store. On my way in, the wind blew a large tree over, in slow-motion 3-D, crashing down about 3 car lengths ahead of me and blocking both lanes. Luckily, no one was hurt but I was a bit shaken. Called it in, and went on my merry way to the bead store. I was still a bit shaken, and they let me ramble on about it a bit, but wasn't so shaken that I couldn't cure it with beads.

I am also trying to be more active on the Etsy forum community, and using my Twitter account to self-promote. Its that community thing I was talking about last post. This week, we are going to try making my own earring cards and price tags, try to find something to display my necklaces on, and settle on a color theme for our display area.

Craftiness. In me. Sometimes, I don't even know where this crafty girl has been hiding all my life, but I like it. The other day I was looking at a necklace, and it still awes me that I made that. I created that. That I think they are beautiful, and hopefully someone else will, too. Is this the artist's version of a runners' high?

Speak now...

2010-02-10T11:45:00.005-05:00

So, it was a day later, but there are still new items photographed and posted on Etsy as of yesterday. I still have at least one more in the works, and am heading out to the bead store today to get some chain to finish it. Oh, peeps, the sacrifices I must make to keep the ravenous hordes at bay!

Lately it seems we are preoccupied with doing our first craft show in March. So many details to think of: earring cards, display themes, invoices, will anyone actually buy anything?? We both have strong retail/service industry backgrounds, so we actually may be a little bit more relaxed AND stressed about the details at the same time, if that makes sense. Visual marketing is key to attract and maintain a brand, so we are trying really hard to come up with a theme from the beginning that we like. Yes, it may take some tweaking, and I am sure our first craft show will be a HUGE learning opportunity for the both of us, but we both think its important to have a cohesive starting point. Watch this space, as I am sure you will be the first to know everything!

I am also looking forward to talking to other artists/crafters. As someone who is a bit late to this creation game, finding a feeling of community is special. Support is key when you are putting little pieces of yourself out there for others to comment on, critique, and (hopefully)love. Plus, networking grows your business. To go back to the craft fair, we were told about it from a friend who runs a spectacular florist in the area. The newest dates and information aren't even posted, yet. We now have an email conversation started with the coordinator and I have volunteered to hand out flyers and just help out in general. Word of mouth, whether by customers, friends, or fellow business owners is what really drives everything!

Errr...

2010-02-08T09:09:00.003-05:00

...due to football watching and imbibing early in the day, and not the bowl of the super variety, photos were delayed until thunderclouds depart...

2/9/10 update: photographs are being taken! Keep your eyes peeled! O.O

New Toys

2010-02-07T00:54:00.002-05:00

Let's get it out of the way, I actually did have computer problems! Love all two of you, but am not crazy enough to be typing a blog post on my Xenon.

Lots of goodies! We had a day off, so Guy and I hit some local antique malls. We are getting scary good at working our way through all the stuff and finding things that are awesome and a great value. Even scored some great vibrant vintage buttons and beads that will go great with felt flowers. I love making the flowers, but to me it seemed they still needed something that made them 'mine' and cohesive with my style. The only downside to all of this is coming home and sorting through everything, and then trying to find homes that make sense. Yeah, everything is labelled, but I've run out of bins so two or three items are stored together. Think I will make Guy's day when I suggest a trip to the home store! Smooths the way for the trip we NEED to make to Ikea.

There is another new toy on my workbench, a wire jig. At first, the jig and I circled each other like prize fighters. Its many pins and vacancies just made no sense. How can these linear holes with pegs make round, flowy, loopy wires??? And then some tutorials came my way. Cannot say enough about the crafters who go through the effort to make these tutorials, they are so helpful to newbies like me, and help build a feeling of community. So, if any of you see this, THANK YOU!

My first necklace using the jig to fashion a pendant is now complete, and I love it! Photographing new items for Etsy Sunday, and probably posting them Monday, and it surely will be on there. Possibly a felt flower necklace or two, and one crazy colored necklace that just makes me smile. Oh, and a really neat necklace that uses a few vintage beads we found this last trip.

Snow day!

2010-01-30T16:08:00.002-05:00

Snow that stuck. Not too common in the South, its usually ice. Well, we have both, so I am home bound and beadilicious! Looking out my window, the street is all ice and my neighbors haven't been able to drive up the hill. My 4x4 is in the garage, because I know that 4 wheel drive doesn't help with ice. Someone hasn't passed along that message! Guy is at work because people are crazy. Anyway.

Lots to tell you about! I just posted 2 new necklaces today, both different for me. Do I always say that? Well, I like to make things that make me happy, so who knows from one day to the next what that will be. The first one is an illusion multi-strand. Thats different for me because all that individual crimping makes me bonkers and I usually end up ruining a strand three quarters through. Just enough to really piss you off! But I perservered, and it is pretty damn gorgeous if I do say so. Go check out Etsy and see!

The second involves a big felt flower. Big.Felt.Flower! I discovered felt and flower making this past week (that is what I was talking about last post, thanks V!), and oh boy, I love it. I have little daisies, and posies, and somethings, oh my. I have put some on pins and on hairclips, so expect that to show up soon. I am trying to tamp my enthusiasm and get some more jewelry up before I veer off into yet another new craft.

Might be doing my first craft show next month,so I really need to get some inventory and make a cohesive statement. See previous paragraph. Also need to vary my price point, and think about packaging.

Favors are not just for weddings

2010-01-23T22:27:00.002-05:00

It hasn't been that long. Hush.

Nothing going on here. I can't seem to shake the guilt that when I spend time making something, I could be doing something more 'productive'. Not my definition of productive, or my spouse's, but the ubiquitous THEY. They always seem to be Debbie Downers! I am also in the phase of not believing that anyone actually likes what I make, but then I remember I do.

Finished some necklace/earring sets and posted one of them tonight. There is another necklace to post, but my camera battery died. Of course. It is recharging now with a martini and a massage, so it should be good to go in a few hours. I think it heard me drool over the SLR. Eep.

The bead order I was waiting for arrived, and spent some time sorting them. Love love LOVE it when the freebies you get are something totally unexpected and awesome. This time there was a 16" capiz bead strand, some rose quartz, and....a ruler lol.

As usual, there are some ideas banging around in my head that need to find a way out. I have a friend, V, who is so crafty she'd pwn Etsy. Hi V! I need to make it a priority to spend some time together because, well girl time, and also she might be able to help me with my ideas. So, look for that. Hint hint, I know you read this!

Well, as my battery is charging, its time for me to recharge with some nice pinot. Till next time (month!)

Taking the romance out

2010-01-08T12:39:00.005-05:00

So, there is a relatively large bead order winding its way across the U.S. towards my humble little workspace. Mostly findings, and less fun stuff, but since the problem is not finishing the pieces I've made, they are a necessary evil.

I am hoping to get myself back in create mode starting Monday. Maybe it sounds funny, but it is something that has to be scheduled into my day, otherwise it can get lost in the mudane household stuff. Spending time being creative can make me feel guilty, since it is also such a 'me' time. Since not only its 'me' time, it can be hours of work with no finished product, or playing with new techniques, and even *gasp* organizing if nothing inspires me. This week I went into my work area and cleaned up my table, put away my tools, found homes for all the lone stragglers and things that could be used for practice. It felt good to be in there. What I have learned, though, is my laptop and cell phone need to stay OUT. Technology is great, but it also makes it so easy to be distracted or sidetracked.

What I'm wondering, is how others deal with making time to be creative, or just time for yourself. Is it something your schedule, or is it more organic and just happens? Do others understand when you need to take time out? Do you feel scheduling time for yourself to create 'takes the romance' out if the process?

ETA: I just spent some time working on my 'to be dealt with' pile, listening to Vivaldi and having a cup of tea. It was wonderful!

2010

2010-01-05T16:43:00.002-05:00

Well, um, hello there. Long time no see. *kicks dirt with toe* Would it make it better if I admitted that the guilt of not writing has overwhelmed me?? No?? Hmm. Tough crowd.

To be honest, I haven't written because there was no momentum with intenyears. for the last few weeks. Holidays, stress, lack or creative energy all played a part. There was a post Christmas Eve, but it seemed kinda sad, and who wants to read that over the holidays? Everyone has their own problems to deal with, and this is supposed to be a blog about Creating! and Adventure! There were a few pies that were created, but this isn't a baking blog. Check out the awesomeness that is bakerella for that!

Today I posted my first items all on my own, from photography to finish. Yay! The Rock Candy necklace is the unfinished quartz previously blogged about, and the brass filigree was a remake of the necklace I have gotten SO many compliments on. In fact, it is the necklace that spurred me to get the business cards made up. Much classier than writing it in a cocktail napkin, but way less fun. Maybe they make bourbon-scented card stock?

As for the photography, we knew our camera was the sucketh, but thought it would suffice to start off. On New Years' Day I was able to play with a friends' SLR (Mom, not as bad as it sounds!), and OH.MY.WORD. Did not want to give it back. The ease!The focus!The clarity! Makes me want to weep. Plus, you just look like you know what you're doing with a camera like that in your hands. Then, today, back to reality and our old digi. I tried not to show Canon my disappointment, as it is not his fault and he snaps his little heart out. But, there is cheating in my heart. Its name is Nikon.

Now Hiring: Personal Assistant

2009-12-20T20:28:00.002-05:00

No snow for me. Not that upset, since winter is an over rated season IMO. Not really necessary, other than to piss you off, mess up your car, and cause lots of knee and elbow injuries. The whole thing is really a marketing tool for the dairy, wheat, and salt industries. Tell me that the threat of a snowflake on your local news channel doesn't create a run on bread and milk, and then the roads get covered in salt or brine, starting 2 days before? Exactly, think about it. The weather did force me to stay indoors and work on some necklaces. Oh, and it forced hot cocoa down my throat. Those extra marshmallows were pure evil.

If you read the blog, you know guy does the photography of my pieces. I create, and he does the rest. This time of year his primary job gets a bit hectic, so there has not been the time to get the photos set up, taken, edited, and posted. There are at least 10-12 pieces, many with earrings, that are on deck and ready to go. So, that means learning how to photograph my pieces. Sounds easy, doesn't it? But there are lightboxes, and shutter speeds, angles, tripods, and editing software thingies to deal with. I, to put in mildy, do NOT have the patience of a saint. Is that the sound of guy chuckling ?? He doesn't even know what I'm blogging about, its that bad. The game plan so far will be to have creative days, and posting days, and bonbon days. The main reason guy was doing the photography is, well, he's good at it, but also to keep me from getting bogged down in things other than creating. So, setting aside time for each task will probably be the best and most sanity-keeping way to get it all done. It can be difficult to keep to a schedule when you are working from home, so does anyone have a system to get it all done and not go crazy? Maybe a big dry erase board, or paper planner with my days marked out. There also has to be time set aside for housekeeping, and time for just me. I don't ask for much, do I?

Family Eyes

2009-12-10T15:31:00.002-05:00

Brrr, its starting to feel like December, even here in the south. Now, anything below 75 degrees and the whining begins, but it will be in the 20's soon. So how am I coping? I headed straight for the local bead store, of course!

I stocked up on some things that were needed to finish a few projects that have been lying around, so that was a necessary purchase. But! They had a 50% table! And pretty new sparkly things! In orange! And pink! Orange has been my latest obsession, so a strand of orange beads on sale was a no-brainer. Pink I just love, but can't seem to work it into a design I like that isn't too twee. This pink would go perfectly with some unfinished rough quartz we picked up on our last trip, which is white with a hint of pink. The rough texture of the unfinished white quartz and the smooth shiny tiny pink quartz beads will go excellent together, IMO. Plus, now I know that they are having a huge Boxing Day Sale. Important info to have.

The holidays are coming up, so of course most of my projects have been for gifts. It is really stressful to make something to give to family! You worry about every single detail, things that no mortal eyes would even notice. But family eyes, family eyes would notice, or so you believe. Honestly, they probably would overlook any flaws and love it just because I made it for them, but still. Anyone else feel more pressure when making gifts for family, or is it just me?

Holiday Baubles

2009-12-02T13:24:00.003-05:00

The Thanksgiving holiday is over, house is back to just us, and my lungs have firehosed the soccer hooligans. Back to work time it is. Make sure you check the sidebar listing, as there are quite a few new pieces to post, new gorgeous gewgaws to work with, and of course you'll want to be updated since it is the season of giving! What better gift than something handmade, that is as unique as the person you are giving it to. Can you tell I used to work for a social expressions company? No? Good.

On an exciting note (at least for me), my new business cards arrived this past Friday. They are so awesome and it makes me feel 'legit'. It feels much more professional to have this beautiful card to hand out when someone tells me they like what I'm wearing, instead of writing it on a napkin or trying to find a non-awkward way of promoting my website. Some have already been handed out to friends, visiting family, and the woman at the bead shop we stumbled upon during our latest adventure. Yes, I said adventure. I am going to let the Guy talk about that in his next post. It should be quite a read.

Are you wondering what I've been working on? Since the holiday season often includes lots of events and parties, what better way to get more mileage out of that LBD than some fun jewelry sets? And guys? We girls would *LOVE* it if you bust out a cutely decorated jewelry box as we're getting ready for a night out. Colorful chokers, earrings, semi-precious stones and bright copper to really get noticed amongst all the tinsel. I really seem to be drawn to working with copper, it seems to showcase the gems just that little bit more than silver or gold, and people definitely seem to notice it more. It is just warmer.

In other words, come check out all the fun and pretty stuff that will be posted soon. We are very excited here about the next few weeks, and hope you will love the new stuff, too.

Your trash is my inspiration

2009-11-20T23:12:00.003-05:00

I see you've met my guy. Proves you can't leave your blog password out or just anybody will start posting. He has a way with words, that one.

My lungs are still auditioning for the next Muci.nex commercial. Soccer hooligans seem to have moved in and are throwing dustbins and Gui.nness around in there. Lots of singing and shouting. But, overall, I am feeling better and have some adventures to share. There are some new necklaces to talk about, antique mall finds, and of course the beaders' night out.

Guy and I went to few more antique malls around here this past week, and scored some nice deals. My favorite is an ugly copper wire tree that I found for $1.50. There isn't a picture quite ugly enough, or that isn't some one's art, that can be linked to. But, basically, for $1.50 I have at least 50 copper leaf pendants and a whole lot of copper strands for jewelry work.

I spied it from across the aisle, and went straight into stalker mode as there was a woman looking in that stall. I stepped closer. Closer. Clos...er. She must have been glad I brushed my teeth. My left hand was physically restraining my right from darting forward past the eyeless baby doll heads and snatching the tree. My eyes darted back and forth. The tension was thick. The music was bad. Closer, until there was an uncomfortable lack of distance between us. She finally muttered 'excuse me' when I pushed her down to step on her as I grabbed my tree. Guy thinks it looked more like I stepped back politely to give her room to exit and then went back in, but not IN MY MIND.

Back to civilized behavior. There was a beaders' night out to attend last night. Even though I've been sick and wasn't sure if it was good to go, I was excited about spending time with other beaders, swapping ideas and inspirational stories. Insert laughter, crying, and chocolate eating montage here. You get the idea. Anyway, so packed up several project ideas, my tools, some beading wire, and headed out. Got there right on time, early enough that I was the first one. Chatted with the employees, who said about 6 RSVP'd. Set out my stuff, and started designing a necklace. Very quiet. Thirty minutes later, someone else! One hour later.....nobody else! Only 2 of us showed up. 2 does not a montage make....well not the kind of family-friendly one I was thinking of. It was a nice time, though, and got to know my local bead shop employees a little better, but next time there better be inspirational bonding, damn it!

Two new necklaces to post about, and two others that are photographed and ready to put into the shop. At the BNO, I used some more of the vintage cream-colored flowers in a longer length necklace, with some really pretty orange glass rondeau beads as accents. It is supposed to line up asymmetrically on the neck, very nice. Also finally finished a necklace today using a stone
I've had for awhile. Its been in another necklace, but it didn't make me happy and finally dismantled it to reuse today. It is a blue-green faceted dyed quartz, and I added a lapis lazuli bead and a clear acrylic disk to a chunky silver color metal chain. Very simple, yet the size of the stone and shape of the chain links make it a statement piece. I cannot wait for you to see them!

And now a word from the Marketing Department...

2009-11-17T18:44:00.004-05:00

So, as "gal" mentioned, there is a "guy" behind the scenes and he is me. We figured that while she handles the creative side in regards to making the jewelry, I'll handle the fun stuff such as (but not limited to): web design, marketing, heavy lifting and photography. Often times the "offices" of the marketing department overlaps the design department, (i.e. our workspaces on the table co-mingle) but overall we work well together. Personally, I don't really find this as a surprise, but I'm sure "gal" would answer differently.

We've already had some learning experiences in this venture and as time goes on, we thought it would be fun to share them with the world. We are by no means suggesting our lessons are unique but if you're here reading this, you must care about us in some form or another. So in that regard, here is hard fought lesson number one: scale.

About one week into our venture gal and I were perusing on Etsy looking at the different beads that were available. In a stroke of genius I decided to sort from most expensive to least, just to see what the "top" beads where and what their prices were. We came across this beautiful watermelon tourmaline, fate and destiny intertwined, it was meant to be ours. It was green on the outside, gorgeous pink on the inner band. We both immediately fell in love with it and I'm sure both had visions of this being the gem to kick start our store and be our first sale. (ok, so I might have added some extra drama for effect, but you get the point.) We ordered this gem and another few things from this seller, who is based in Thailand, and preceded to wait.

About ten days later we get the package notice (actually we missed the delivery and had to go to the Post Office) but of course it was still out for delivery. The next day rolls around and Gal goes to pick up the gem to end all gems; I still wish I could have been in the car to see her face. Below is a transcipt (more or less) of the ensuing phone call:

Gal: Hey, it's me...how are you?
Guy: Good, at work the usual fun stuff. What's up?
Gal: Well, I went and picked up the package...
Guy (giddily): And...is it everything we hoped for and more?
Gal: It's really pretty. Green on the outside, pink on the inside. The other pieces are cool too.
Guy (sensing a strange tone in Gal's voice): How big is it?
Gal: Well, it's thicker than I thought.
Guy: Wow, that's great. How big is it?
Gal: It's a little smaller than I envisioned...
Guy: Like how much smaller, is it the size of a quarter?
Gal: Umm...
Guy: A dime?
Gal: Ummm, I'm in the neighborhood at the bead store, I'll show you.

So Gal shows up at work and hands me the package. This thing must have had like twelve layers of bubble wrap around it. I carefully unwrap the gem and lo and behold it looks like...

You know how if you actually suck on a Jolly Rancher until it gets really thin right before it disintegrates in your mouth? Combine that with the diameter an Altoid, then shave off a few millimeters and you've got it. Right.

Well there you have it. So, the marketing department learned a valuable lesson that day: Always check the scale of your purchase, otherwise you're making necklaces for the Keebler Elves.

cough

2009-11-15T23:13:00.003-05:00

Something has me completely down and out. When you work from home, and the commute seems impossible, there is a problem. It came on suddenly Thursday evening, and I was hanging on until Saturday night, then it went downhill on skates. This morning had a burst of energy and did some chores, but that quickly caught up with me. I think a call to the Dr. is needed tomorrow, because breathing shouldn't hurt so much. Reading even hurts, and if you know me at all, I must be sick if I am not reading something!

Made myself some pantry chicken rice soup, and hot tea with lots of honey. Took a nap, and hung around with co-worker, BooGirl. She wasn't complaining, as she has a gold medal in napping. Her pro tips include: take all the room you need, no matter who else is there, and don't feel guilty, sleep is awesome. What do you do when you are sick to make yourself feel better?

It hasn't been all idleness, though. I've been thinking of some ideas for necklaces, and am excited to try them out. I still have a bunch of beads from the antique store to sort through, and looks like there will be a bunch more arriving at my doorstep next week. There are some other leads to check out, so should have a bunch of stuff up for the holidays. Keep an eye out on the Etsy mini store on the side!

The past is the future

2009-11-12T15:42:00.004-05:00

What a dreary, ugly day outside. Which means it is a perfect day to hibernate at my workbench, string some beads and chill out with some classical music. Oh, and talk to you.

Remember that antique mall I told you about? We went Tuesday and came out with quite a few things. Some will take a bit of work, some are perfect as is, but overall a pretty decent haul. Lots of pretty stones, interesting craftmanship, and quality just not seen in today's products.

I have a love/hate relationship with these 'antique' malls. They usually make me quite depressed, walking through and seeing people's lives being displayed for pennies on the dollar. I always wonder what stories those objects could tell, what interesting things they must have been a part of. That rhinestone hairclip....did it have wild times at an illicit speakeasy, dropped and lost forever after a police raid? Or that circle pin, was it being worn the night he asked her to go steady after homecoming? So many stories to tell, so many stories lost. I tell them that with me, they are getting another chance to go out and experience life. Yes, out loud. As you might have guessed, sentimentality is a trait of mine. I like to think that this is my small way of honoring the past.

There is a piece that I finished today using mostly these recycled beads, it is so pretty and delicate. Hopefully it will get posted tonight, because my description would not do it justice. My other main project, saying it is a source of frustration right now would be an understatement. The desired result, which is only in my head, seems easy and fluid. The execution of assembly is proving to be anything but. I will not give up, because that is how you learn and stretch and grow, but it is so not fun!

...and the clouds parted....

2009-11-09T19:22:00.000-05:00

The biggest news is my first sale has made it safely to its new home. Slight moment of panic when I released it to the unloving maw of the postal system, but you have to let go and let your babies be independent. Next, sound the alarms! I am looking at 2 completed creations, both styles new to me creatively. There was still some drama with lack of creativity until this afternoon, but just keeping my hands busy finally paid off. I can't wait for you to see them, but since my photographer is busy, you'll just have to deal with my descriptions.

The first one is an antiqued brass necklace, where the pendant is made up of small metal pieces held together with copper plated jump rings, so it has lots of movement, 5mm amber glass beads and 4mm red Swarovski crystals. The colors all together kept making me want to find a hookah, very spice market feeling., very Ab-Fab spice market, one of my most favorite episodes ever.It was inspired by a necklace a wonderful friend of mine let me bring home to study, it was her mothers' and it was very generous of her to part with it!

The second is a bracelet, which is completely new to me. It started off as practice for my bead wrapping/loops using natural garnet beads (I know, a bit too nice for practice!) and copper wire as busywork. Today I started to have a few necklace ideas for it. Nothing was exciting me till I draped it over my arm to look at a wrap....and it hit me, a bracelet! To top that off, the clasp is handmade by yours truly. I can't believe how giddy making my own S-clasp has me!

There are a new pair of earrings completed, so that really makes 3, and those earrings inspired a pendant, but still figuring out chain options for that one. B and I are heading to one of those 'antique' malls tomorrow to check out some jewelry, so there should be some great new stuff to work with and re-energize me. Can't wait for spring to come with all the tag sales, garage sales, and estate sales! We also have lunch with friends planned, so check back in a few days to see if the muse has hit me with a feather or a brick.

itsdonner

I believe, Tweak.

2009-11-07T21:31:00.001-05:00

I feel like a tortured artist! It felt so good to sit at my table today and start working, I haven't made anything in 2 days, trying to get some other parts of the business going. Yet, my work table is littered with projects I have started but just cannot seem to finish or even be happy with. I have no vision for what to make with these pieces yet, was hoping that it would just hit me as I went. Busy hands and all that. *sigh* Maybe if I leave it all out, the bead fairies will come by, like the cobbler's elves, or the underpants gnomes. Its making me cranky, which doesn't help me calm down and concentrate. No wine in sight to grease the wheels, maybe a nice cup of hot cocoa instead. Is there brandy in this house?

I did sign up for a local beading/jewelry making meetup group today and a beaders night out later in the month. Hopefully being around others who are as excited about this stuff as I am will help. Maybe I should start posting photos of things I am working on to get me inspired before then. Uh, not tonight, I'm too cranky and my table is too messy.

And in the beginning there was me

2009-11-06T21:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the beginning of an era, which is me starting a business and a blog that tells all about it. This blog is meant as a space to talk about creating, following dreams, and the journey of turning that into a successful business. Why is this worth reading? There should be lots of interesting ups and downs, twists and turns, and painful mistakes as I try to start a completely new chapter in my life. As someone who doesn't usually make a move until all the i's are dotted and all the t's are crossed, this is uncharted territory. You'll be hearing from me the most often, but there may be posts from my husband/photographer/marketer B.

So, you can see the gist of my business over on the sidebar, but just in case, I create handcrafted jewelry designs. You can check me out at www.intenyears.etsy.com . I've always loved jewelry, but tend to wear only one piece at a time, so I am always on the lookout for something special, different. Not easy to find things that speak to me. So why not create my own? And, based on comments from friends and strangers, it seemed there was a market for my style, which tends to be a little off-center, vintage inspired, and one of a kind.

Oh, and throwing out a wild guess here, but I bet you want to know whats up with the name. intenyears.? intenyears ... aaaaaand ....what?!? That is a post for another day. :)

itsdonner

intenyears.

Nice can

Make Out Tonight!

Feeling Stitchy

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Don't forget the reindeer!

Christmas Humor

Polar Express: Local Line

December All Arts Market

Tasty Treats

Worth the trip!

Local Events

Not just for the dogs.....

Lunch Bunch Thurs. Nov. 4

The Makings of a Craft Fair

Headed to the Winchester...

Local Events

A Successful Show....

Inspiration?

Lunch Bunch - Tues. Sept 21, 2010

Lunch Bunch- Sept. 14

Lunch Bunch - Sept. 9

Badges, who needs badges....we do!

Tuesday's Lunch Bunch

Ladies who Lunch

Hanging by a Thread

Homesick

Holiday Plans

Win a free book!

Five Friday Favorites (Fashion)

Five...errr FOUR Friday Favorites

Start Your Own Craft Fair

Party Redux

Let Them Eat Paste

Party!Party!

Tag, You're It

Is it time to hibernate?

Cash Money

Friday:Five Favorites

Friday: Five Favorites

Friday's Five Favorites

Ohhh, that's what jewelry should look like

Spring Flowers

Working with a new model

intenyears. instoresnow.

I am artist, hear me...crimp?

And the gears were set in motion...

Not to be outdone...

Thriving artist

Hi ho, hi ho

Quickly...

What I am doing today:

Yeah, so I'm a Trekkor. What of it??

Burning it from both ends

The Return of Guy

Quick Update

I've Got a Fever...

Speak now...

Errr...

New Toys

Snow day!

Favors are not just for weddings

Taking the romance out

2010

Now Hiring: Personal Assistant

Family Eyes

Holiday Baubles

Your trash is my inspiration

And now a word from the Marketing Department...

*cough*

The past is the future

...and the clouds parted....

I believe, Tweak.

And in the beginning there was me

cough