We’re All Ears – September Challenge
This is my first time taking part in the “We’re All Ears” earring design challenge. I’ve been following along since I first learned of the monthly challenges on the Earrings Everyday blog.
How did I not know there was a blog all about earrings sooner? If you follow my blog, you know how I feel about earrings. If you’re just now joining me here – I love them. Love!
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Spinning Gold earrings
The fairy tale theme for this week’s Self-Representing Artists in Jewelry Design blog challenge is the story of Rumplestiltskin. Unlike many fairy tales, where the story bears the name of the protagonist, this tale is named for the devious imp-like creature in the role of the antagonist.
The story begins with a young woman being locked in a room by a king who commands her to turn straw into gold using a spinning wheel. Why does the king demand this? Apparently, the girl’s father boasted that she could. Continue reading
My Handmade Forum member badge
The Handmade Forum is an on-line group of handmade artisans “dedicated to showcasing, supporting and promoting handmade designs and sellers from all over the world! ”
Beginning September 15, some of the forum members, myself included, are participating in a “Spa Day” challenge. We each get a designated spa day on which the other participants virtually pamper us by promoting our on-line shop via their respective social media networks. Continue reading
The fairy tale theme for this week’s Self Representing Artists in Jewelry Design blog challenge is “Little Red Riding Hood.” As I mentioned for last week’s challenge, Sleeping Beauty, I enjoy researching these weekly themes and finding jewelry design inspiration in the information I gather. Continue reading
Ahoy mateys, mermaids, selkies, water sprites, and finfolk, and welcome to reveal day for the Anchor’s Aweigh Design Challenge and Blog Hop. Our hostess on this creative voyage is Toltec Jewels, who challenged us to design with our choice of sapphire blue or stormy seas green anchor charms hand made by our featured artist, Diana Ptaszynski of Subarban Girl Studio. Continue reading
The theme for this week’s challenge on the Self-Representing Artists in Jewelry Design blog is “Sleeping Beauty.” It’s the first sub-theme in an overall “fairy tales” theme for the month of September. One reason I enjoy taking part in these themed jewelry design challenges is because I get to do research. Continue reading
I decided to add my two cents to the comparison of selling handmade jewelry on Etsy versus Indie Made. I’ve had a shop on Etsy since December 2008. I set up a shop on Indie Made in July 2014. I’ve had 74 sales on Etsy and none on Indie Made. You may be thinking those stats would stack the deck in favor of Etsy for this review. Not so fast. Continue reading
The final concept on the Self-Representing Artists in Jewelry Design blog challenge for the month of August is “communication.” We could design jewelry around anything “that gives the impression of communication. Reading, telephones, storytelling, writing, symbols, body language, signs, etc.”
I was initially going to design with signs. Road signs, to be precise. I planned to make resin coated charms with stop signs, yield signs, speed limits, etc. Then, as the deadline approached for the challenge reveal, I started leaning more toward symbols. Continue reading
The “Blogger/Non-Blogger Challenge” is a round-robin event held on a Facebook group page, so that folks who don’t blog can participate. It’s sort of like a blog hop, but without the hopping. Participants post photos of their designs in a group album and any member of the group can vote on their favorites. The winner, by popular vote, becomes the hostess for the next challenge and selects the theme. Continue reading
The theme this week for the Self-Representing Artists in Jewelry Design blog challenge is “opposites.” We could choose any pair of opposites, from black and white, hot and cold, yin and yang, to arrival and departure, opulent and minimalist, happy and sad, etc.
I immediately thought of using black and white. And then I thought about colors that are opposite on a color wheel (red vs. green, blue vs. orange, yellow vs. purple). Then I went back to black and white. It’s a classic. Continue reading