Busy Bee

Boy did I get a lot done this weekend. I made at least 25 pieces of jewelry (when I get on a roll I just keep going) and took over 600 photos! And I still managed to do a load of laundry, do the dishes, and get groceries.

It's one of my least favorite parts of making and selling jewelry - photographing and editing. Blech. I only got 7 of the pieces' photos fully edited and ready to post. I've got hours more work to do.

One thing that was fun is an order I placed on Friday morning came Saturday. Woot! I had an idea which involved some Swarovski crystals of larger stature but I didn't have enough and had to reorder. I love when packages arrive quickly.

Here is one of my new Swarovski crystal pieces...I just love this style of bead and think I might get a few more in other colors.




I finished up this pair that I'd started during the week. Every day I drive home and in the middle of the freeway there's a large grassy area where purple, yellow, and orange flowers are blooming. It is GORGEOUS and I always wish I could stop alongside the road and take photos. Instead I made these earrings...peridot, lemon quartz, amethyst, and citrine.



And this pair I'd been working on for several weeks. They were not easy. I had an idea but getting it to work properly was quite a challenge...more so than I expected.


I used pale pink Amethyst (the larger drops) with a pretty purple Amethyst, gorgeous Tanzanite, and a pop of reddish purple garnet. The hoops are hand formed fine silver.

I should have a lot more pieces to share in the coming week...if I manage to edit the rest of the photos.

Some new work

I've been so tired lately that it's been tough to get up motivation to make jewelry, take photos, or post any new work. These pieces are actually a couple of weeks old. *sigh*



My mom was wearing an older design that I created a few years ago and it inspired me to create another similar styled necklace. Plus I wanted to make something with lots of green since it's been so beautiful and bright here in my area of Washington. So "Spring Green" is the result.

These peacock freshwater pearls in a neat teardrop shape have been calling my name for awhile and I finally pulled them out of my stash and did something with them. It's a simple design but I think it's very elegant and timeless.

I experimented with some semi-matching earrings.

They were a lot more difficult to create than they appear...mostly because I was hand forming the wire and working hard to get the lengths and shapes to match up.

I'm working on a new pair of earrings that I am really excited about - combining pale pink Amethyst, deep royal purple Amethyst, and some deep purple red garnet together with fine silver and sterling chain. I can't wait to get them finished and share them here. I hope they turn out the way I'm envisioning.

Hopefully next week I'll be able to share those. And a fun, and bright, Turquoise, Coral, and Freshwater pearl sterling chain necklace.

Introducing Minimalist Designs

Once I get an idea in my head it usually becomes an obsession. I asked for some advice a few days ago when this particular idea was fermenting in my brain.

I decided that because I love creating jewelry - all kinds of jewelry - that this actually made sense for me. It will allow me to create simple pieces of jewelry that don't cost a ton to create (or take too much time) and that I can offer for lower prices than my other jewelry.

So...introducing Minimalist Designs. It's not the best name, I don't think, but it'll do for now. And for now the focus will be mostly earrings. They take me the least amount of time to create and have the lowest cost. I'd like to add necklaces later but I need to find a good inexpensive (more inexpensive than what I have now) supplier for chain. It might be tougher to create inexpensive bracelets (based on my pricing model) but I am going to try eventually.


I had a blast making the first sets of earrings and think they turned out great. I made them all in an hour and a half or so and it took longer to photograph and edit the photos than it did to make them. I hate that part! =)

I decided that even the photos would be different from my other designs so I took them outside against a more rustic (aka simple) background).

Let me know what you think. I'll be posting more pieces throughout the day today and tomorrow ... I want to spread out the listings.

Oh and these designs will only be offered in my Etsy shop. My 1000 Markets shop will be reserved for my more artistic and intricate (or more expensive) pieces. I'm still working to increase my knowledge and skills and don't plan to exclusively create these simple pieces. But it just seemed like a good time to add a less expensive line to my work.

A few other details...

Discounts will still be applied to these pieces - I priced them so that I will still make a profit even after the discounts I know are floating out there (I participate in the Indie Coupons and have at least two sets out now).

No free shipping though ... I'm going to ship everything USPS First Class and use as few extra packaging elements as I can. My goal is of course to protect the pieces, but to do so as inexpensively as possible to keep the shipping cost down. This may mean that I recycle old boxes to use as protection, but I'll also still use bubble wrap. I'm still trying to decide on the right envelopes though. Any ideas?

You may also notice that even my descriptions are different...just the facts ma'am. If you see something that I'm missing and should be including in the details please let me know.

I love feedback...any feedback. :)

Happily Handmade Giveaway

How could I have forgotten!?!?! The Happily Handmade Giveaway starts TODAY!!!!! Start visiting all the sponsors and signing up so that you might win one of the amazing prize packages. Each one is valued at over $300!!

I hope someone who signs up on my page wins. *grin*


If it weren't for Leila of Lightning Bug Designs I'd be so screwed right now. I got sick last night (this dang baby!) and totally forgot to upload any photo or anything for my site. Thank goodness she'd already created my sign up page. She rocks so completely! :) So THANK YOU Leila for getting my page up and ready for people to enter!!!

Featured on HHG

I didn't know they were going to do this, but I'm so tickled to see it. They are doing individual write ups of the HHG sponsors. Here is mine. :) Neato!

The giveaway starts April 1 ... get ready to start signing up to win!!!

Happily Handmade Giveaway is BACK!

If you've never participated, either as a sponsor or as an entrant, in the Happily Handmade Giveaway you are missing out.

The good news is that they are back and "badder" than ever!

HHG is a great way to promote your work, build a newsletter list, and have fun!

Last time, one of the entrants from my website won a gift box! =)

You can learn more about this fun program on their new website. Participating as a sponsor only costs you $20 up front, plus your donation. I think I donated three or four items last time. You can send up to 20 full sized (not samples) items but consider quality over quantity.

I haven't decided what I want to donate but it will probably be something that I don't have offered for sale...a one of a kind goody. We'll see. I'll definitely right more about it later.

If you have any questions about my participation experience let me know!

Why Buy Handmade?

I've posted before about why I think buying handmade is so important. I certainly haven't changed my mind and Lenox Knits recently wrote a great piece discussing why she supports handmade.

For me the most important reason to live a handmade lifestyle is to support other's passions. I know that my buyers could easily find a $10 scarf at Wal-mart but instead they have chosen a handmade creation from my heart and energy. By doing so they are supporting my efforts and helping me to support my hobby. I am happy to support other sellers whether they are a hobbyist or professional because I know that they are doing it because they love what they are doing.

Exactly.

There is a reason why I have not started making "cheap" jewelry. People who only want jewelry that is inexpensive are not going to appreciate the nature of handcrafted work. I could create $10 necklaces and try to hock them, but then I'd be competing with Target, KMart, and Walmart. And no matter how hard I tried, I'd never succeed.

I create and design pieces because I love it. An idea comes into my head and regardless of how much it might cost I have to create it. I can't help myself. Even when it is a design that goes completely against my own style...it must come out. =)

And when someone honors me by buying a piece that I've poured myself into, it does more than increase my bank account. It increases my confidence. It gives me the energy to continue to create. And, like Lenox Knits, it gives me additional income that I can use to support other hardworking artisans.

A New Selling Venue - 1000Markets

I've sold on a few different online venues in the past few years, but so far Etsy has outlasted them all.

There are other outlets though and so I thought I'd try a fairly recent one that looks super polished.

1000Markets is new but so far it looks great. It is for independent artisans to share and sell their work. I just set up my shop today and here are my first observations.

PROS

I love the listing process for each item. It's all on one page and completely intuitive. Adding photos is simple - and you can add four pictures at a time or one - as opposed to uploading one file at a time. They even provide a cropping tool within the listing page!

The look is much more sophisticated, in my humble opinion, than Etsy. The front page looks more fashionable and less cluttered. Etsy sometimes has *too* many choices, as fun as they are. I really like clean and simple designs.

Each shop comes with a blog. A very unique feature, though I don't know that it'll get much use from me, since I already write three blogs.

Your shop must be approved. I love this. While Etsy is wonderful and anyone and their dog can sign up to sell, sometimes those with really great talent get a little lost in the quantity of sellers. 1000Markets has some standards that you must meet before your shop will go live.

Free to join and start a shop.

Customers must pay before the order is complete. This is one huge complaint at Etsy. A customer can complete their order on Etsy, but that doesn't mean they are done - they have to complete one more step in order to submit payment. 1000Markets seems to have learned from this huge issue.

I really like the "Marketplaces" ... these seem to be user generated and organized. I was asked to join two marketplaces within five minutes of my shop going live, and there are dozens of different marketplaces. You can also ask to join a marketplace, though they all have different rules for membership.

Potential pro, but in my head a con right now, they use Amazon.com for payment. This actually may be a good thing as so many people have accounts as shoppers with Amazon.


CONS

It's pretty new and looks like it's still in a start up phase. I have no idea how sales have been for other shops.

Their fees are higher than Etsy - 5.5% for each item sold plus $0.50. But that is it - there are no hidden fees (according to their fee policy).

They don't use Paypal. All payments go through Amazon. Again, this seems like a con to me right now, but that could be because I'm just used to Paypal. It could be a huge pro. We'll see.

Browsing can be a bit confusing as there are no item categories. It is organized by "Market" or by Shop. There are 168 pages (right now) of shops so there is a lot to see.

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So far that's what I see. Have you joined yet? Do you plan to? Have you had any experience with them yet? I like that there is another option for selling and buying and it looks like a great new option.

Support Thrift Shops and Handmade Artisans

I have never even visited change.org until today and, while I felt queasy, I went ahead and added my vote. That is how important this issue is to me.

Please go vote ... I feel a little dirty from being on the site but I don't know what else to do to move this issue forward.

Take Action - Save Handmade Businesses

This issue really upsets me, and it doesn't really affect me that greatly. Except that I am a small business person and independent artisan ... so what affects other handcrafters affects me. Or could someday. Not to mention the fact that I like to buy handmade items and when we have a baby I want the option to purchase clothing and toys from artisans on Etsy.

I'm writing a letter to my local paper and encourage everyone who cares about small folks like me to do the same. You're welcome to use my wording or modify it as you see fit. I mostly used the wording directly from the Save Handmade Toys facebook site but cut it down to less than 250 words for my paper.

In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China violated the public's trust - selling toys with dangerous lead content, toys with unsafe small parts, and toys that made kids sick. Almost every problem toy in 2007 was made in China.

The Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in 2008, which bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and permanent labels on each toy with a date and batch number.

All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and updating their molds to include batch labels.

For small American toymakers the costs of mandatory testing, to the tune of up to $4,000 per toy, will drive them out of business. American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007. Toy aren’t the only ones impacted – used toys and clothing will be eliminated from thrift stores – artisans who design children’s clothing will be shut down.

Unless the law is modified handmade toys will no longer be legal in the US.

Thriving small businesses are crucial to the financial health of our nation. Please write or call your Congressperson and ask that this law be revised to ensure the economic well being of small U.S. businesses. Visit www.handmadetoyalliance.org for more details and for how you can help.

I wish I had more room to include my frustration with the government overreach and Nanny State-ism. Government "do something" disease often has unintended consequences and The Simple Dollar brings up one that I had not even considered.

"Currently, all of their secondhand children’s clothes will have to be tested for lead and phthalates. Given that many such stores aren’t high-income operations - many are nonprofits - these shops simply cannot afford to do the testing on the children’s clothes on their shelves."

USED CLOTHING and children's items are also included in this law. !!!!! This means that used clothing stores, thrift stores, etc. will no longer be allowed to offer discounted, used children clothing or toys. Non profit stores will go out of business (there are several in my area alone) and places like Goodwill have apparently already stopped accepting children's clothing.

In these economic times it is absolutely insane to force people to buy brand new clothing - not to mention a complete waste of resources. I'm all for used clothing if it is still clean and wearable. And someone posted a good question in the comments at The Simple Dollar - what about garage sales? I know lots of people who go around to garage sales for used kid's clothes. My aunt has sold all of her four girls' clothes at garage sales over the years. I suppose this puts a stop to that as well.

Please spread the word on this issue. The Help Save Handmade Toys group now is on Facebook. Please join them there and add your thoughts.

Also, the US Consumer Protection Agency is soliciting comments on the new law. Please PLEASE go to their website and implore them to revise the law and help them recognize the significantly negative impact (and unintended consequences) that this law brings to our economy.

Unintended Consequences

Cross Posting from my other blog Amid Clutter. It's that important.
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The "do something" disease is an epidemic in government. They have to try to make themselves seem relevant so anytime the slightest thing happens that might have a negative impact on their constituents, politicians rush to "do something" to prove that they can solve the problem.

Here we have the government trying to protect our children (it's always all about the children you know) with stringent new requirements for products intended for kids under 12.

Why does this matter? Because, once again, the politicians, in their rush to protect us, did not think through their new law.

One of my favorite things in the world is handmade items like the ones found on Etsy. I sell there and I buy there. When I have a baby I want to be able to buy clothing and toys made from the amazingly talented folks who sell their products on Etsy.

But this law may make that impossible. And it really ticks me off!

I can understand regulating manufacturers importing things in from China. But to affect the livelihoods of super small, sometimes one person, businesses who are crafters and artisans is unnecessary and harmful to the economy.

These are people who are trying to make it on their own by working for themselves. Many of the people on Etsy are understandably concerned that this law will make it impossible for them to sell their goods. And I'm worried that I won't be able to buy their products.

For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers, however, the costs of mandatory testing will likely drive them out of business.

• A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
• A work at home mom in Minnesota who makes dolls to sell at craft fairs must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
• A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
• And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

There is an alliance of artisans and crafts people who are trying to call to the attention of lawmakers the negative consequences of this overreaching bill. Can you help???

Write to your congress person and your senator. Post about this issue on your blog. Sign the petition.

Because the more government sticks its fingers in our lives the more they will do so in the future. First they came for the toy makers ... soon they'll come for the jewelry designers. After all, we know that Chinese jewelry will contain led.

New Business Ideas Get Me Revved Up

I am so excited and my brain is going a thousand miles a minute. A coworker gave some people this really neat gift that she made. I've never seen one exactly like it out there in the crafty world so I told her she should sell them at our gift show next year.

Then I said she needs to set up a site on Etsy. I think she'd do really well! Of course I can't tell you what exactly she's doing but it's personalized and very affordable. =)

What are the first steps to take if you think you have a great idea that can be sold online?

First, research. Research. And research some more. I did not do this when I first started selling jewelry. As with most of my life, I jumped in with both feet without a second thought. In reality it would have been to my benefit to do research first.

Research the cost of supplies. Since her items will all pretty much be the same (with slight predictable variations) she can pretty easily estimate her costs. Knowing the cost to create a widget is vital.

Not only do you need to account for the precise cost to produce the widget, you need to think about the intangible costs...

• Power/Electricity - it costs money to turn your lights on and if you need other types of power it will cost that much more...and it can add up.

• Space - how much space will your work take up in your home? Or will you need to actually go out and rent space?

• Advertising - Business cards, fliers, and any ads you may take out can quickly add up. If you haven't factored in the cost of this into your product you may come up short of funds.

• Office Supplies - I go through a lot of pens. And order forms. Right now I am totally out and really need to go pick up more. They aren't super expensive but every penny adds up.

• Photos - Online sales can only be as good as the photos showing your widget. You should see some of the hideous photos I took when I first started. I cannot believe anyone ever bought a single thing from me (not that I had many online sales at first). I tried to pick a horrible one but this is the worst I could find...and it's a huge improvement from when I truly first started.And it costs money - real money and money in terms of time). A good digital camera is vital. For me, a photo 'tent' was a priceless investment as well. But it was an investment. You can build your own, but I could never make one as good as the one I bought.
  

Include all of the above expenses in the cost of each item. It doesn't have to be an exact cost for all of these intangibles, but they need to be accounted for somehow.

Once you figure out the actual cost of your widget you need to decide what sort of profit you want per widget. Some people figure out the hourly wage they want and then figure out how long each item takes to make.

Others just take the total cost of the widget and multiply it by a certain number. Sometimes two, sometimes three, it just depends on the person. The problem I find with doing it this way is not always accounting for time. Something that doesn't cost a lot in dollars may still take a long time to create.

I sometimes use a combination of the two pricing methods...figuring out a total cost and factoring in my time as well. I don't really want to work for less than minimum wage. =)

My juices are flowing now with ideas from my coworker ... and it's not even my business!

There are other factors to research and consider when starting up a new business but we can talk about those later.

Happy Monday

Well, are Mondays ever happy? I wore a hot pink turtle neck to work today. I wanted to be optimistic. =)

An update on my website...It is being worked on. In an effort to simplify my life, I am going to go ahead and have my shopping cart system scrapped. All sales will either be through Etsy or direct paypal invoices. I will still have an independent website at www.castocreations.com but to purchase pieces people will need to either create a user account on Etsy or contact me and ask for an invoice.

This creates several inconveniences for me and for anyone who wants to buy my jewelry. However in the long run it is better for me and my family. And perhaps even for customers. I will be sending out a newsletter e-mail explaining the changes as soon as they are in effect. If you aren't already on my newsletter list you will be able to sign up again once my site is back up and running.

So while I wait for my new site to be loaded I started feeling more inspired than I had in months! I created two necklaces, four pairs of earrings, and a ring this weekend. Woohoo!!!


First one up on Etsy is one that I really want to keep for myself. It is just so gorgeous (in my humble opinion).

I called it Crystal Ice ... it just brings to mind an elegant black tie event with chandeliers at Christmas time - lots of ice cycles, white and blue decorations, quiet music.


Hope you like it. =)

A Gorgeous Rare Stone - Rutilated Amethyst

Earlier in the summer I made my way to a gem show up in Seattle. I haven't gotten to go to Tucson in awhile (if you aren't aware - Tucson hosts the largest Gem and Mineral show in the United States every year) and while I don't ever really *need* anything I do like to see what's out there.

I *try* to stick to a budget when I attend these things ... and yet somehow manage to come home with all sorts of things not on my list.

One of those things this time was an absolutely amazing and stunning strand of gemstones - the vendor called them Rutilated Amethyst. I'd never heard of it, though apparently it has been around for awhile. It is a Quartz gemstone with shades of Amethyst and rutiles in red (I believe the rutiles are a mineral called lepidocrosite).

This species of stone can range from clear with sharp rutiles to mottled amethyst purple. The stones I purchased are sharp, clear, crisp, and huge. =)

Translation = Expensive

Even though it's been around for years no one bothered to cut and market it as a gemstone so there really isn't a lot of it to work with.

So I got suckered, I mean talked, into buying a strand for an arm and a leg but I tell you what... I got these home and they were even MORE beautiful. Using the whole strand in one necklace would make the necklace ridiculously expensive. I finally got around to cutting the strand apart this weekend and made a necklace and a pair of earrings.




Hope you like! =)

A Rose for Rose

By now my aunt Rose has received her birthday present so I can share it with you. I thought it turned out really beautifully.

A slightly pink mother of pearl pendant carved into a delicate rose - I had a difficult time deciding what to use to compliment it properly. I finally went with small ivory colored freshwater pearls and a few dusty rose quartz smooth stones.

My aunt's name is Rose and I love finding 'Rose' things for her gifts. And she's always liked my jewelry in the past so I hope she likes this necklace.

Birthday Celebration Sponsor - InVita Paper Studios

People don't write personal notes or cards anymore...at least not nearly as often as they should. It's so fun and uplifting to receive a special letter in the mail. For no reason at all. I've had a couple of customers even send hand written thank you notes and those mean SO much. I save them all.

What better way to motivate yourself to send cards is to have amazing and classy cards at hand? InVitaPaper Studios is there to provide! I started buying Adriana's cards last year and was so impressed that I asked her to do custom Thank You cards for my jewelry business. Every time someone gets their order they also receive a thank you note written on my InVita note cards.

And for all of April people are receiving a free card in their Birthday Party Favor gift. There are two different cards available and this lovely Thank You card is one of them. I actually ordered a set for myself because I liked them so much, and sent them out to folks after my birthday party. :) While supplies last of course and the stock is getting low!

InVita has great customer service and I love supporting handcrafting. All of her cards are designed and created from her home. Oh and she's pregnant! Congratulations, Adriana!!! :) I am so excited for her.

She also kindly contributed two packs of cards for the big Birthday Giveaway (ending in just over a week!!!). A pack of recipe cards that make even me want to cook just so I can use them! And a set of So Sweet super classy and elegant cards.

She also does Wedding Invitations and Birth Announcements! If I were getting married I would totally have her do my invites. And when my little cousin finally ties the knot (we're waiting guys!) I'm going to pony up and pay for InVita's amazing work. My JoJo deserves it. =)

If you love surprising people with a special note I highly recommend InVita's professional and handcrafted work. Oh and visit her blog One Blue Chocolate to say hi!

A Little Something Different

It's been awhile since I sat down and just played at my jewelry table. But last night I had a bug to put together a few different pieces. It was fun! I get sort of obsessed and just keep going and going and going like the Energizer bunny!

I won't be offering these on my main website, only in my Etsy shop. They are one of a kind creations for me. I won't be duplicating or making more of these designs (except maybe the Amethyst and Carnelian earrings).

I saw this gorgeous brushed vermeil toggle at my local bead store and had to have it. It's so lovely. It sat on my desk for a few weeks and last night inspiration finally hit. I wanted a multi-strand look but didn't want two plain "strung" strands. So I used 14k gold filled wire to wire wrap one strand and beaded the other strand. I think the look is different than most beaded bracelets, combining the two techniques. And it's very elegant and classy. I love Rainbow Moonstone!

Vermeil is a term used for items made from sterling silver and coated in gold - usually 22-24k. It is a great alternative for that rich gold look without spending hundreds of dollars. I've priced this bracelet with the discount already figured in...plus a little extra because normally I would price this at more than $125.

Then I kept going and decided I hadn't challenged myself enough for the evening. I forget how hard some of the most simple looking designs are sometimes. I was obviously in a Rainbow Moonstone mood.

Don't these look like they'd be perfect on a bride's ears as she walked down the aisle? These are also one of a kind and I won't be making another pair. I love the rainbow moonstone teardrops. It's really hard to capture the blue rainbow flashes but every stone shimmers in the light.

The gold is also Vermeil (sterling silver covered in gold) and super rich looking. I've posted these in my Etsy shop as well.

I also made a couple of simple pieces that I will eventually post in my Etsy store. I want to keep my main website cohesive and these looks aren't really in the same tone as my normal designs. :)

Carnelian faceted triangles with dangling faceted Amethyst rondelles.

Hand painted ceramic beads and vermeil French hooks.

Matte sterling silver hearts with fine silver French hooks.

Phew...I was a busy bee this weekend. I even got my first set of orders out on Saturday. :) Happy Sunday!

Modern Pearls

When I saw these pearls at the gem show I went to two weekends ago I just stopped and stared. Even among strands and strands and strands of other pearls these stood out. Of course the sticker price just about gave me a heart attack, but I had to have them. I only got one strand (it's all I could afford) and brought them home and stared at them some more.


I thought about how to showcase these properly and truly the only thing I could do is leave them alone and show each pearl off by itself. No extra metal. No extra beads. Just a big, huge, gorgeous, lustrous, rainbow, ivory, pink, pearl. How's that for a description?

I even created my own 14k gold headpins and 14k gold ear wires for a pair of earrings that are elegant and classy while still being a tad sassy.


I'm thrilled with how the gold accents turned out - sort of rough and abstract just like the pearls, which aren't rough but are abstract.

These are extremely limited edition because I only bought one strand and there were only 14 or 15 pearls on the strand. Each one is brilliant! And though no two are exactly alike they all 'go' together.

Adventures With Grandpa - Thwarted by a Dop Stick

Weathermen are always wrong it seems. It was supposed to snow on Saturday so my mom and I were a little hesitant to head to grandpa's house. But he was really looking forward to our visit, and so was I, so off we went in my mom's new little box shaped car (Scion). The freeway was fine but the back roads were a little shiny. We didn't slip or slide but my aunt, who joined us and arrived about an hour after we did, said it was icy when she got off the freeway.

So while there was no snow, it was freezing cold...hence the scarf and sweatshirt you'll see in my photos here. The rock room (yes he has an entire room) is in the basement ... and it is COLD!

My adventure actually begins with trying to find a size 10.5 women's ring with a bezel setting for a cabochon at least 13 x 18 mm. Yeah...didn't happen.

While my soldering skills have increased over the last year I was still supremely nervous ... but I marched on and created my own dang ring mounts. The first bezel I completely melted...oops. But the next three, after several heinous attempts, finally worked (well, mostly...the next morning I woke up and got them out of the tumbler and one of the bezels had fallen off ... so I had to re-solder it before I left!).
Anyhoo...grandpa seemed pretty impressed with my work. But I think he is slightly biased. :)

We started setting up his equipment ... And let's just say this equipment has seen better days. It is OLD! Older than me (going on 30) and I was a little concerned that it wouldn't work properly.

We had to take time to clean everything out - there were old shavings/dust and quite a few dead ladybugs in the grinder saw.

Going through his rocks to pick out which stones to use took us a little while. We kept finding all these really cool stones that were so beautiful - but too beautiful and unique to use on a practice run. So grandpa found a nice slab of Sodalite and I decided to use a slab of stunning natural Tiger's Eye.
I really love that I can tell people for sure that this stuff is completely natural. And I mean ... some of his stuff hasn't even yet been cut into slabs and looks like it came right out of a mountain. It is that natural. Some stuff you can't even find anymore. I can't wait to play with that stuff!

Grandpa goes first and cuts his Sodalite. It's a gorgeous deep blue color and it's no wonder they call it "poor man's Lapis" because it is hard to tell the difference when you have this high quality of Sodalite.

I watch him cut and his finger hits the blade! He just laughs (the old fart!) and says that it won't cut skin...as he sticks his finger on the blade on purpose to prove it. That actually makes me feel better about using it (I'm a wuss when it comes to tools - I even flunked Shop!) though I didn't plan to purposely drag my finger across it.

Then it was my turn. I got my slab and marked it to the proper size cab I wanted to create for my ring.


Don't laugh at my hair or clothes please. It was really cold down there!

Then I started to cut.

The machine is super loud and the vibration went through my whole body. But it was really fun!!! As if I need a new jewelry design addiction ... now I want to cut stones!

The next step after cutting around the basic shape - grandpa instructed me to not cut too close to the actual line because we shave it down to get the exact shape - is to grind it down.

One thing I learned - the side you mark will end up being the BOTTOM. So the pretty design that I thought I was going to have on the top ... not so much. Thankfully the new top design isn't so bad. But I'll have to remember this in the future.

Grandpa went first to show me how it's done. Look at those hands! Boy have they seen a lot in 80 years.

Then it was my turn. I like this part too!

The goal is to grind it down until it will fit into the ring mount. And finally mine did.
The next step would be to attach the bottom of the stone to a Dop Stick with wax. The problem we ran into ... the wax would NOT stick to the dang stones. Oh, it would stick enough to make us think it was working but when grandpa then tried to start sanding the stone would pop off. He's not sure if the wax is just really super old and no good or what. But that foiled our plans to complete our rings that day.

I really wish he lived closer. It takes about an hour to get to his house but I'm definitely excited and ready to go back down. I have cut a stone once before with him but I don't remember enjoying it nearly this much. Perhaps I've gained enough confidence since that time to have faith in my ability to finish a piece. All I know is that the weekend can't come fast enough. And I'm glad it's still winter because once summer starts I know grandpa won't have the same amount of time to play - he's still a farmer after all.

It never did snow that day, although I did wake up today to an inch and some fun driving conditions.

Stay tuned for our second adventure in stone cutting. :)

Professional Matters

Being a small business means having to compete with the big boys. Some people don't give Indie designers the respect they deserve and it is up to us to earn that respect with extra effort to customer service and professionalism.

I buy a LOT of indie stuff. I love supporting artists and crafters and I have found some really unique and special gifts that you can't find at Walmart or Target.

As a buyer, not just a seller, of Indie designs I pay very close attention to the way a person conducts themselves as a business entity. Do they contact me after my purchase? Is my purchase shipped quickly? And when received is it professionally presented?

Tips for Professional Presentation:

• Go the Extra Mile - Do not simply put your item in an envelope and ship it off. It's tacky. Take time to carefully wrap it to protect it if needed. Add a ribbon or something special to present it to your customer. Even a simple piece of gift tissue paper with a sticker works.
• Do Not Reuse if it's Not Clean - I reuse bubble wrap and peanuts but that's it. I do not reuse bubble mailers. I sometimes will be able to salvage tissue paper but that's only if I haven't ripped it. If I ship in a bubble mailer it is new and clean. I find it very tacky to receive a used bubble mailer taped up and patched when I've ordered a new and clean item. I *will* reuse boxes if I can completely remove or cover writing and make it look new again.
  
• Creativity is One Thing - This goes back to the reusing issue ... Some people seem to think that they have to use every piece of cardboard or paper in their home. I've heard of packages shipped in cereal containers and toilet paper rolls used to package items. Not cool. Would you ever receive a toilet paper roll from a major business??? NO! Even businesses that are so called "green" would not do this. It's tacky ... beyond tacky. Just recycle your food containers and toilet paper cardboard, k?
  
• Include an Invoice - Especially if you sell supplies, but anytime you ship an item that was purchased you need to include an invoice of some sort. Even half a slip of paper with the purchase written down is better than nothing. Have you ever ordered from a major business and not received some sort of invoice? Nope. Not going to happen. I know it is an "extra" piece of paper but do you really think a forest will die if you include an invoice? Use recycled paper if it bothers you that much.
  
• Thank you - Thank you goes a long way. Include some sort of hand written note thanking your customer. I have received packages with absolutely no personal touch at all and I hate it! At LEAST write thank you on the invoice. At the very least. I include a hand written special card with a couple sentences handwritten thanking my customers for their purchase.
  
• Make It Pretty - When I open my package do I "oooo" and "aaaahhhhh"? Or do I at least smile? I hope that my customers enjoy looking at their purchase before they even see it. I have custom boxes that I tie in a ribbon. Inside pieces are placed in a silky custom gift bag. I believe it's a lovely presentation. You don't need to be that fancy but it should look like you put some extra effort into your packaging.
  

It is the small things that make customers remember you. Your packaging also helps brand you. The more they see the same logo or packaging the more it will be associated with you. Tiffany's won't be changing their little blue boxes any time soon. =)