Blog Readers Discount!

Don't forget, you get 15% discount in my Etsy and Artfire shops with the coupon code 15BLOG and that's 15% off your entire purchase!
Also, I can ship as late as Dec 20th for domestic orders and for International, check out the cutoff for your region on the USPS website.
Happy holidays!

Treasuries, Collections and Craft Fairs - Oh My!

This Saturday, Dec 3rd, I'll be at the Folsom Christmas Craft Fair (44th annual!) from 8am til 4pm on Sutter Street in Historic Folsom, CA. Next Saturday I'll be in Benicia for their Main Street Holiday fair. Come check it out!

In the mean time one of my beaded ornaments was featured in a cool Yule collection on Artfire and some of my other creations have been featured in Treasuries on Etsy: Black Friday Black and White and Christmas is Coming Sooner Than You Think and When they say, "Oh, you shouldn't have!," this time, they won't mean it!

Big Sale this weekend!

My biggest sale ever is running now in my Etsy Shop! Black Friday through Cyber Monday get 25% off your entire purchase in my shop with the coupon code BFCM25off (enter it at checkout). I have listed over a dozen new items in the last 3 days and more are coming throughout the weekend. Check it out!

Updated Sales Map

Yippee! I've had a few online sales this past week, plus a GREAT show at the Holiday Craft Fair in Carmichael. I'll definitely be back for that one next year and will also give their spring Craft Fair a try. So, I've updated my sales map to show what new places are now home to my creations!

I've also started a Picasa Web Gallery for my creations, so please check it out!

Holiday Craft Fair this weekend...

Saturday November 5th, I'll be at the Mission Oaks Community Center in Carmichael (off Gibbons Drive) for their Holiday Craft Fair! from 9am til 3pm. Come by and see all the creative vendors and find the best in unique holiday gifts!

Great things coming!

This weekend - TOMORROW - I'll be in Historic old town Folsom, CA for their Fall Harvest Festival and Craft Fair. From 10am til 4pm on Sutter street. There will be LOTS of talented artists and craftspeople, including me! I have gobs of new items not yet listed in my shops and all kinds of pretties I'll be finishing tonight. Come check it out!
And in the mean time, check out this great Rainbow Treasury on Etsy!

Davis Ranch Harvest Festival

You really should stop by! It'll be so much fun! Saturday and Sunday both, 9am -5pm
http://www.zslproductions.net/harvest/

Pictures taken, more listings coming soon!

I finally got pictures taken of about 80 jewelry items not currently listed in any of my shops. I didn't have my favorite model but I at least had my good setup with light box. I have another dozen or so jewelry items still to be photographed, and a half dozen crochet items and almost as many beaded ornaments still to be photographed. But before I try my next photo-shoot I'll get the 80ish item photos (usually about 3 pics per item) cropped and ready to list. SO coming soon will be many new items to my shops!!!

Competing with my desire to get those things listed is my need to get my new table covers made before the Lodi Street Fair, which is Sunday October 2nd. I got the fabric washed and dried so it's pre-shrunk, and will get one of the tables set up in my craft room behind my sewing machine so I can measure out what I need. I'll be SO excited to return the borrowed table cloths I've been using for the last year to my momma. :) The new table covers will be a light-to-medium purple swirly print that completely covers each of my 6' tables down to a half-inch above the ground, and over that I'll have big diamond shaped overlays that are a cream-on-cream print of butterflies. I'm so excited! I'll post pics of my booth at Lodi when I'm done so y'all can see. OH, and I just remembered I need to make more business cards...

Have a great weekend and hope to see you in Lodi on the 2nd! OH and I'll be in booth #1004, on Church street, near Elm street - almost smack in the middle of the handcrafts section.

Craft Fairs - update

Hey All! I'll be at Midtown Bazaar for Second Saturday tomorrow - noon til 8pm, in the WEAVE parking lot at 18th and K, next door to Harv's Car Wash, Sacramento, CA. Come check it out! I'll have all the new necklaces (finished since the last pic I posted) and some more new fun stuff.
Also, good news, I think. I haven't heard for certain where my booth will be, but my registration fee checks were cashed for the Folsom Fall Fest and the Folsom Christmas Fair. So I'll be selling at those too!

Plus, my items have been featured in two Etsy treasuries recently:
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - featuring my labradorite spiral earrings
Hush! The rain is coming but not today - featuring my gorgeous chunky lace cape

Craft Fairs

Well, I did NOT get into the juried craft fair I applied for. I'm a little disappointed, but then again, it's probably the mark of a growing artist to get your first rejection notice. :) I followed up on two other shows in Folsom I hadn't heard about yet, and the coordinator emailed me the apps and asked me to apply again, something was wrong with the online app I filled out. There's another show I'd been wanting to do that was the weekend before the juried show, so now I'm free to apply for that too. I'll mail all my new applications in tomorrow. So the plan is:
1) Lodi Street Fair on Oct 2nd (already accepted and booth number assigned)
2) 3rd Annual Fall Fest in Folsom on October 29th
3) Midtown Bazaar 2nd Saturday November 12th
4) 3rd Annual Davis Ranch Harvest Festival November 19th
5) Folsom Christmas Fair on December 3rd
6) Midtown Bazaar 2nd Saturday on December 10th.

That's assuming my applications are accepted for the Davis Ranch and Folsom shows. :) They aren't juried shows, but if they already have too many jewelry vendors (for example) they'll probably turn me down.
And, since I haven't been doing much creating (grad school is almost done, but it still calls!) here's a sneak peak at the new items waiting for clasps! 8 knotty crystal necklaces, 2 bracelets and 2 rainbow pearl knotty necklaces. I have 2 more Renee 3-strand knotty pearl necklaces that are almost done too!

Recent Treasuries and Collections, planned craft fairs & shows

I've applied for two craft fairs in Folsom (one end of October and one early December), we'll see if I'm accepted. I applied for the Crocker Art Museum Holiday Craft Fair and I haven't heard from them yet. That's the first juried show I've ever applied to, so I'm really anxious! I'll also be doing the Lodi Street Fair on October 2nd. If I don't get into the Folsom craft fair on Dec 3rd, I'll be doing one in Granite Bay instead. I'll also be doing Second Saturday at Midtown Bazaar in November and December. Gearing up for all that, I have been trying to make more things, and have been totally slacking on getting them photographed and listed in my online shops. maybe this weekend... :)

Meanwhile, here's the most recent treasuries (Etsy) and collections (ArtFire) my items have been featured in!
Monday Night Stripes - featuring my striped beanie
Red - featuring my red beanie
Simply Sapphire - featuring my midnight moon crystal and pearl cluster earrings
and Handmade Crochet Lace - featuring my chunky lace shawl

Treasury Roundup and Creations Update

Yippee! I've had a quite few items featured in treasuries on Etsy since the last time I posted here. Please check them out!
Misty Blue - featuring one of my knotty silk necklaces
Sunrise, Sunset - featuring my Sunshine crystal and pearl cluster earrings
Summer's Watercolors to Stay COOL - featuring my Aqua Ocean crystal and pearl cluster earrings
End of the Rainbow - featuring my rainbow Fun Fur crochet hat
Dont' Break the Bank - featuring my multi-colored beaded choker necklace
A Whisper In the Mist - featuring one of my knotty silk necklaces
Autumn On Its Way - featuring my mini beaded Autumn ornament
A Little Girly - featuring my Pink chunky lacy Beanie

I have been frantically creating and making new things. I have 8 knotty silk necklaces waiting for clasps, a new Renee 3-strand pearl necklace in natural white freshwater pearls waiting for a clasp, another Renee 3-strand pearl necklace started in peacock blue-gray pearls, a new smaller cape/shawl in the same lovely pattern as the one currently listed in my shops is almost done, a new rectangular lacy shawl in a lovely color-change yarn, a new scarf in the absolute softest white fluffy yarn I've ever touched is almost done in a cute chain of hearts crochet pattern, and I just finished another basketweave scarf in this fabulous bamboo blend yarn in pinks and whites. So new stuff is coming soon, I promise!

New Collection! And new items

One of my mini beaded ornaments was featured in this cute collection "Ooooo Christmas in July Already!!!" and I'd really appreciate if you could check it out, tweet it, etc.

 I also got some new items photographed last time I was at Midtown Bazaar and those pics are now up on my Facebook Small Business Page so check that out, "like" my page, and see all the new items coming soon to my online shops!

Collection and New Items and Craft Fairs

My BasketWeave Scarf is featured in a new ArtFire collection -YAY! called "Men in Charcoal" and you should view it and comment it and tweet it and see all the other lovely things in the collection!

Also, I've been getting new items listed in my Etsy shop recently, with many more to do too! I'll get those things listed in my other shops this weekend (I HOPE!) so check out my Etsy shop now and all my other ones soon to see the new items.

I have reserved my spot for the Lodi Street Faire on October 2nd - so come on down and see me there! When I know my booth number and approximate location, I'll post it here. It's my first time doing this particular Faire. It's just the one day, from 8am til 4pm, and they have over 700 vendors and 25,000-30,000 shoppers! SO exciting! I gotta print a bunch more business cards before that event...

I also submitted my application for the Crocker Art Museum Holiday Art and Craft Festival. It's a pretty big deal, runs all weekend after Thanksgiving, and it's a juried show - which I've never done before. What that means is I apply, submit pictures of my work, and hope they judge me to be good enough for their show (or enough of what they're looking for). I will hear about that in August, I think. So when I find out, you dear readers will be the first to know! I hope I get in - I'm a bit nervous having my work judged.

I also inquired about another smaller craft faire in Sacramento in early November - if I get into that I'll be sure to post about it here too!

In preparation for all these craft fairs, I actually planned out all the new items I'll be making and I am gonna be BUSY! But I love doing it so I'll also be happy! :)

Christmas in July and Reader's Discount

Hey All! Starting now through the end of July, all my beaded ornaments will ship for free from my ArtFire shop - celebrating Christmas in July! I have 4 more that are made but not photographed and listed - I'll get those up this weekend if I can, or 4th of July weekend. In other news, I'm nearing the end of my Capstone Project (master's thesis) Proposal and almost have it all worked out and approved. I need to present it to my adviser and classmates the first week in July (online web meeting - I LOVE my online program through Penn State's World Campus!) so that may interfere with getting the new ornaments listed. But I'll try! I have to finish the last round of edits on my Proposal (it's about 2200 words and shaping up WELL, I'm really proud of myself) and make the PowerPoint presentation I'll give the first week of July. Then I might get a week or two off of school to do crafty things - more ornaments and getting the rest of what I've already made listed in my shops! And in case anyone is wondering, the coupon code 15BLOG is good in my Etsy, ArtFire, Yatimi and Zibbet shops. Groove Press doesn't have the option of coupon codes yet, but I'll add one there as soon as I can. So you can get your special "Blog Reader's Discount" in most of my online shops.

Midtown Bazaar

Hey All! Come on out to Midtown Bazaar tomorrow if you're in the Sacramento area! From noon til 5pm, at 19th and L, behind WEAVE, next door to Harv's Car wash. And if you buy anything from any vendor, you can enter to win a free car wash! I'll be there with new stuff, rocks, and hopefully a bit better display. Come check it out!

Holiday Weekend Productivity

So I set up my booth at Midtown Bazaar this past Saturday - and got rained out! It's not supposed to do that in Sacramento for Memorial Day Weekend... But I also got quite a lot of productive things done, like 5 new pairs of crystal-pearl cluster earrings and a couple new pairs of amethyst gemstone earrings. I'll get them all listed in my shops in the next week or two, but for now, here's a preview, as well as a pic of my booth set up.

Also, one of my items was featured in a new Etsy Treasury! Check out "Lilacs in Bloom"! And now, the previews of the new earrings (with rain spots on the velvet pad):

Yay! Another Treasury

Hello All,
One of my handmade creations is in another Etsy Treasury called "It's a Man's World" and I'd really appreciate you checking it out. Plus, there's great gift ideas for father's day and graduates too!
Also, I will be selling at Midtown Bazaar tomorrow in downtown Sacramento, 19th and K streets - really easy to find - from noon til 5pm. Come on out and see, it'll be a great time!

YIPPEE Sales! and a new MAP!

So one of the online shops I VERY recently opened has already produced two sales! I'm so thrilled, I had to update my sales map - yes, I'm THAT much of a map geek. :) The new online shop is on Groove Press, which has only been open for about a week. It's a handmade marketplace, much like ArtFire, Etsy and Zibbett. I also opened a shop on Yatimi. I did purchase my domain name, and have a very stripped down, simple webpage up at my new online home: www.RocksMapsandCrafts.com
Hopefully I'll be getting that updated SOON to something more my style!

New Etsy Treasury!

One of my items is featured in a new Sac Etsy Team Treasury! Please check it out.
A Man of Particular Style

In other news, I now have 5 online shops, and am about to register my own domain name and make my own webpage that will link to all 5 shops (so you can shop at the venue of your choice!) and to my blog here. That way I can put ONE thing on my business cards, and have one go-to spot for all things Rocks, Maps and Crafts! More news, and link to new webpage, when I have it!

Treasuries!!!

Oh, and I'm WAY behind on posting the fun and exciting Treasury links! Please check out the following and give them some love (clicks) and if I'm really really lucky, one of them might make the front page of Etsy and give me (and my fellow artisans) a much-needed promotional boost!
Coolest Dudes on Etsy - oh so sexy!
Life is a Journey - wonderful trees of life and spirals
I Got The Rainy Day Blues - so appropriate for the extremely rainy month of March we had in CA
Lighter than air - like clouds, bubbles, feathers, and one of my knotty silk necklaces!

More online shopping opportunities...

I have just opened a new online shop on Zibbet, which is an online handmade marketplace much like Etsy and Artfire. I am also looking to open one more, but we'll see how that one goes. It's a brand-spankin-new online selling opportunity and thus there are a LOT of bugs still to be worked out. If that all goes well and is working, I'll be linking to it here as soon as it's ready, I promise. Meanwhile, please check out my new shop on Zibbett!

In other news I am now working on my Capstone Project Proposal (i.e. Thesis Proposal) and have LOTS to do for that in the next month. I want to present at the NACIS conference in October, so my abstract is due at the end of the month and I'm behind on the research already. So as badly as I want to keep getting items listed in my shops, it's not happening as fast as I'd like and I do have other obligations right now. Then again, I'm a terrible procrastinator and listing items in my shops is a GREAT way to put off the often distasteful task of scientific research... ;)

New Items!

I've managed to list 7 new items in the last 4 weeks and am aiming to get a few more listed in the next day or two. I have added 4 hats, a great open work scarf, a gorgeous necklace with a stunning art-glass focal bead, and this AMAZING cape/shawl. Still to be listed - 4 more scarves, 3 more hats, about a dozen pairs of earrings (many in my fabulous crystal-pear cluster/crystal cascade style) and a half dozen or so fabulous necklaces. Please check my shops and stay tuned!
Etsy Shop
ArtFire Shop
OH, and here's some sneak peaks:

I love custom creations - part 1

I had the fantastic opportunity recently to make a necklace for a good friend of mine, Renee. We'd been spending a weekend in Monterey last summer and she saw a 3-strand pearl necklace and she was just drooling over it. Then she looked at the price tag, sighed and walked away. Because she is a dear friend, and had so recently done a million things (including preserving my sanity and helping me finish making my veil the night before) for my wedding, I offered to make her something similar, just for the cost of supplies, and my time and skills would be a gift. Well, I ended up finding pearls that were so perfectly "her" that they could've been custom dyed for her. Mauves and golds and peaches and all pearly... so nice. I strung the pearls on silk cord, pale peachy-pink in color that blends right in, and knotted the cord between each pearl to protect them from rubbing against each other. I made three strands in consecutive lengths, and then found the perfect clasp from one of my favorite Etsy sellers (Lily's Offering) for supplies. So I finally got the necklace made for her by the end of January (that's the other thing about custom jobs where I don't charge for my time - they happen "when I get around to it") and she didn't mind how long it had taken at all and was totally thrilled with the necklace. I liked the result so much, I plan to make more. I don't have very many of "her" pearls left, but I did purchase a bunch of other colors and shades in the same size/style and will be making more in the future. Here's a couple of pics of what I've since named "The Renee Pearl Necklace". If anyone would like something similar, feel free to contact me through Etsy or Artfire and I'd be delighted to make one in other colors. Though unless you're also a dear friend, my time won't be free for you! :)

New Etsy Treasuries!

I've been featured in a couple of treasuries since the last time I posted. Please check out
"Sac Etsy Team is a Passionate One" and "Silver and Gold" and click on the links to all the talented artists (including me!) and leave a comment if you feel so inspired. :)

In other news, I finally got all kinds of awesome photographs taken of almost everything not currently listed in my shop. I still need to get pics of the earrings, but in the mean time, I have LOTS of photo re-sizing to do and then a ton of items to get listed. Stay tuned for more new things soon!

Knotty Things

I made a new Collection on ArtFire - hoping to draw some traffic to my shop, and to a bunch of other talented artists! Please check it out:
Knotty Things

Pearl and Lace - Etsy Treasury

Yay! My pearl and crystal cluster earrings are featured in an Etsy Treasury! Please check it out:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d40d2878a738eef88d955d2/pearls-and-lace

Welcome Back

Well, after a busy and crazy time leading up to the holidays, and a rather nice time enjoying them, I am jumping back in to the creative mode. I had lots of buying supplies and laying out what I needed for making things and not putting any of it away before the holidays and I've finally almost finished getting all my beads organized. I'll post a pic when I have my table all set. My awesome husband helped me pic out the table and encouraged me to have a crafting table in the first place and it's been SO nice to work at. We got our digital camera replaced in mid december and I finally had time to take pics of some of my newer items last weekend. I'll get them tweaked (cropping, re-sizing, that's usually about it) and get new items listed in both shops soon. Check back here for updates!