a wrapturous blog

YOJ09-40 Knotted Tourmaline Earrings

Knotted Tourmaline Earrings (2009)
Constructed, cold joined
Sterling silver, fine silver, tourmaline

Recently members of the Starving Artists Etsy Team did a critique of my Etsy shop.  One of the comments that came up a couple of times was that my descriptions tend to be a bit on the sparse side.  I generally give information about the piece, what it’s made of, basic sizing, etc., but only rarely is there a “story”.

My reply to one of the ladies who asked me about this was “Well, sometimes the design is the result of nothing more than “I had this idea and decided to play around with it.” ”

The truth is that I just have no talent for writing bullshit.  What I write has to feel authentic, otherwise it doesn’t work for me.  Hmmm…. maybe I need to look into a creative writing course…

Anyways… I was playing around with some scraps of wire left over from working on my Clip-on Earrings tutorial.  I tied the wire up in a small knot – not quite as tight as I would have liked, but it worked.  I have a “thing” about dangles, so I added these little tourmalines.  I love the vibrant pink – they’re just juicy!  The result is a cute pair of earrings that works for everyday wear.

The SATeam critique did confirm one thing: my photography is pretty good. It never stops surprising me how much time it takes to get the photography done. Nowadays, I’m not only doing photos for my regular record keeping; I’m also doing set up for Etsy. “Product” photography is different from jury photography – attention must be paid to angles, and multiple positions. A lot of people on Etsy photograph on elaborate backgrounds. I have yet to find one that works for me, so I’m still working with the “jurying grey”.

Photographing studs is difficult at the best of times, but these earrings were particularly challenging. There was just no good way of laying them nicely to get a straight-on shot. Finally, I decided to cut a upright display card out of an old layout board and poke holes in it. Voilà! It worked!

Other views:

Starving Artists Holiday Wrist Candy Giveaway – Oct. 26-Dec. 6, 2009

A bunch of members of the Starving Artists Etsy Team pooled their talents for a Christmas Promo this year.  We all contributed a charm, and put together this wonderful bracelet.

Valued at over $400, it will be given away to one lucky customer!  With each purchase at one of the participating shops, your name will be entered into the draw!

For a list of the participating shops, check out the SATeam’s Blog.  Or, do a search on Etsy using the tag SATEAMWRIST.  Members have also contributed items to the SATeam Etsy Shop, so be sure to check it out as well!

This holiday event runs from October 26 to December 6, 2009!

YOJ09-34 Stocking up for Christmas

The week 34 project isn’t a specific piece of jewellery, per se, more like a bunch of things I made in preparation for Christmas sales on my Etsy shop.

Not really much more to say than that.  Oh, and if you’re interested in purchasing my jewellery, click this link.

Etsy SATeam Mother’s Day Sale – April 24-26, 2009

The Starving Jewelry Artists Etsy Street Team is having a Mother’s Day Sale, starting at 16:00 EDT Friday, April 24 until midnight Sunday, April 26.  Participating shops are offering free worldwide shipping on all purchases.  For a list of shops joining the sale, check out the SATeam Blog.

Also keep your eyes peeled for Treasuries featuring SATeam items on Etsy.com, like this one:

Buy your mother something handmade for Mother’s Day!

YOJ09-13 Kaleidoscope Pendant

Kaleidoscope Pendant (2009)
Fine Silver, sterling silver, Swarovski crystal
L 5.5 cm x W 4.7 cm x H 1.0 cm
Cold-connected, formed

For the first time this session, my entry is one day late.  It proved to be much more challenging to construct, as I kept changing my mind about what I wanted it to look like.

This piece also doubles as my entry for the Etsy Wire Artisan Guild’s April theme “Kaleidoscope”.  The technique is drawn from a tutorial written by Perri Jackson, a friend and very talented wire artist who makes very intricate pieces from very thin gauge wire.  Ever since Perri asked me to test the tutorial for her, I’ve been mulling over an idea in my head for a piece that adapts the technique.  I’m not ready for that project yet, but “Kaleidoscope” is an intermediate step.

Perri’s blog features more of her spectacular work, and is well worth the visit.

More photos:

Recent Etsy Treasuries

I joined Etsy.com last year as part of my research for an article. Since then I’ve joined two “Street Teams” – groups of people who work collectively to promote each others shops. One of the ways to promote a shop is through the “Treasury” – an exhibition of work curated by Etsy members. At any given time there are 333-500+ treasuries on display, with a wide range of “themes”.

Many of my fellow street team members have been kind enough to include my work in their treasuries, so I’ll take the time now to say “thank you” collectively to them, and to post a gallery of the recent ones.

[View with PicLens]

 

Etsy Shop Now Open!

I’ve launched a shop on etsy.com!  There are a few things available now, and more will be added over the coming days and weeks.  To see what is currently available, click on the “Shop” tab at the top of my blog.  To visit the shop directly, go to diannekargbaron.etsy.com.  Thanks for looking & “hearting” me .