Finally pics from the Orladno Wedding Professionals Grand Soiree

It was a fun night and my first networking party! Here's a shot of the stage and the lit trees that gave the room such a fun vibe.

If ignorance is bliss than I'm radiating it ^ I had no idea I was being photographed ;)

The red, black and gold theme was beautiful. I truly loved the red "leather" walls and sectionals Swanky >>>>

I'm so looking forward to the next event.

Wrapped, Tied & Ready

I was curious to see if anyone could get an Etsy Treasury in the Treasury West pages ... well I got one! come see ....

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=77406

And having been inspired by all the fun beauties I could choose from I'm putting spats on my Christmas list ;)

Like these,

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35195871&ref=sr_list_16&&ga_search_query=spats&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=5&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

or these

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25478103

I love lace and ribbons, history and feminine allure!
Now to go make some of my own ...... ;)

Magnificent Miami

Well I've always known Miami and I would be a good fit .... I just didn't know how well.

I recently changed my marketing area to South Florida with the Knot.com.
With the change came an invitation to the vendor appreciation party. I had 6 days to decide on all of the preparation to make if I were to go ... kids, clothes, jewelry! Well after few days of debating on hiring a sitter unknown to us, or having my husband watch the kids and I attend the party alone {so glad we didn't go with that one!}, my sister-in-law offered to watch our three crazy boys!!!

So we were set! We packed the bags and off we went! The drive was long and easy. We arrived "fashionably" late {by 1.5hrs thanks to several accidents} . The party was being thrown at the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami. It is a luxe modern hotel, complete with breathtaking views of Miami and the water.

Jackie Ohh! Events did a tremendous job!!! It was fun and happy, bright and lavish! Who could ever pass up the fresh mini donuts?! If anyone did they were more than likely full of the mouth-watering desserts! And the mimes of CircX! Jackie really pulled a fun event together!

Thankfully the event wasn't just for fun. Tom and Gina of the Knot were the reason making a 5hr drive more than worth it!!! Of all the bridal magazines there is a reason it's fastest growing among the brides and Vendors!!! They listen and talk with you about how to make your dreams real! I could never find a better company to work with!

The party was fun but the after party was WOW!!!! ..... {continued tomorrow}

If I could make anything right now .....

I would love to make a woven 22k necklace with a baroque pearl dove/ angel pendant set with untreated spinels and sapphires ~ or ~ a 22k ring with a Huge colorless/white Sapphire! with a vining band attached to the bezel plate with amphora elements

alas gold is ..... only something I can do commissions in right now. If you want it I'll make it! I love working in 18k & 22k gold! For some reason I find it easier than silver {even Argentium .970} to work with. Gold has such flow! *sigh*

I dream in gold and silver, pearls and sparkly gems!

Orlando Wedding Professionals Grand Soiree

I had a Blast this past Wednesday! I'm new to the business much less to the wedding circuit - so networking was more about quality not quantity!

It was a beautifully designed event! Quest Drape had the space decked out in red and black. There were red leather panels behind the bars and red black and white leather square lounges along the perimeter. The room had red up lights along the wall and wire trees covered in red flower lights. I should have brought a camera!

I was able to talk with and enjoy the evening with some amazing women who stand out in the crowd! Thank you Jane, Vangie, Mashyda, Allison, Deborah. It was really wonderful meeting such graceful and intelligent women!

Thankfully I had my husband there to guide me through the night! Having experience in the banquet industry for over 15 years gave him a stunning presence!

Here are a few websites I think you would like to check out from the ladies I mentioned above~
http://www.blossomsfl.com/
http://www.questdrape.com/
http://www.prissyevents.com/
http://www.mynewfloridahomeinfo.com/
http://www.onlineweddingprofessionals.com/

The mark up on silver products!

You can buy this piece through ethosjewel for $661
Bracelets: 18k Gld and Sterling Silver Stiff Cable Bracelet - CabChBr28, Gerochristo at www.ethosjewel.com

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~ or ~ You could buy a Trichinopoly {Viking Weave} from me for $175! I know the ends are cool on the Greichristo piece! I know, I know - mine need work - so i charge less also because there is no middle man and I don't have a name as well known as "Greichristo".

Help me make a name for myself!
I'll be listing some of my chains tonight! Fun!

To show or not to show that is the question at hand...

So two weeks ago was a flurry of work to get my first show up and running. We fashioned three sided showcases out of plexiglass. Well the epoxy wasn't working, so we had to be careful with them. And the plexiglass cutter wore down as we tried to assemble the last of three boxes.

But here is the display at the show ....

They don't look terrible. Most people were looking in them not at them anyway;)

But alas, no sales. My price was not what they were looking for; my stuff was "under glass" not easily handled -and jewelry and textiles are such tactile things you must truly feel it to see if it's something you'd wear next to your skin .... ; this was my first show there - I was not established enough to have people willing to buy.

The main drawback for me was not the time or effort involved. I understand art is always subject to theft/reproduction - I was guilty of plagiarising as a teen {not realizing the folly nor the severity/stupidity of such an act} - but as adults we can choose our exposure and limit the propensity to be copied.

At art fairs/street fairs/festivals/craft shows you'll have someone copying your stuff much more quickly than if you are in a gallery or boutique. I was surprised at how true this was at Alive After Five. To be stealing/copying my designs right in front of me was a little stupefying!

The creative flurry storm

Well I've got one day before the show! I've been worried in the past that all I had was a limited range of products {essentially earrings} so I've been investing in wire for making chains. After realizing that chains are so simple and nothing to fret over, I've knocked out a 5 foot lariat, 22 in necklace and a few other viking weave necklaces and bracelets.

my draw plate, compression paddle

Close up of the 4 loop weave

Close up of the 4 loop compressed

Here are the 3 styles I have so far {left to right}
7 loop 20ga
5 loop 22ga
4 loop 24ga

The pictures of the lariat and other neckalces will be coming. The thing that has struck me as peculiar is this - every where I go when I tell people I've made a chain or necklace that I'm wearing they look at it like they look at the cheep junk at target --- they pick it up turn it this way then that and go "oh that's nice (in a I've seen better at target way)". People are so used to having mass produced plated base metal hawked at them that they have forgotten that true silver and true gold are valuable! They also have lost the sense of value in workmanship!

So I go now to prepare myself to accept the market as it is {saturated in goods that are being sold at inflated prices to line the pockets of corporate ceo's and shareholders} and help people to see the value in the real McCoy!

I love you all .... especially my brothers!

I've got 4 days to go before the show!

My brother and his wife are giving me an old laptop {it doesn't work with the battery pack any more - only plug in} WOW! My brothers have been the best support I could have hoped for! Instead of trying to quell my endeavors in the arts they have always accepted that it's a true calling for me to be creative!

Where some members of my extended family who don't know me well enough question the risks involved ... they don't know that I see life as fraught with risk and therefore not something to fear but to jump into with the faith that something will be gained from the experience {mind you I do my research - because that's what I do best!}

I love to read. I love to learn. So learning and reading about my interest serves as incentive to study on all aspects of the subject. Not just the fun stuff but the business stuff too!

Thankfully my childhood prepared me a great deal for my first show. I know what I need. However that doesn't mean that this starving artist has the funds to have the perfect booth! But I have the plans and outlines {my English 1 prof. would be so proud!} I have my future in mind.

But something to let you know about my plans ~ I don't think about profit as being the measure of my success. Success will be measured by this for me:

1. I am able to share my passion and joy with my customers to the point where they will feel happy after coming to my shop.
2. I will be able to set up a fair trade organization to source gemstones ethically from South America
3. At least one of my children will see my philanthropy and go on to be of the same mind.

My success is not measured in money but in kind words!

Fish tanks are fun ... Even if you don't have fish

I've been accepted into the show! Alive After 5 in Sanford, FL! Sept 10th - that's 5 days away! oh man! that's quick - weeeellllllll let's just say I'm scouring every corner of the house, our neighbors and relatives for materials to build a show worth set up.

i dream about what I could re-purpose/up-cycle/recycle ~ I've got no time so I need to think in my sleep. LOL! Well one of my sleepy thoughts was what can I do to keep the expensive pieces safe and still show them. I looked on line and found table top aluminum and tempered glass case for 109.00 not including shipping - not an option. I thought I could make one! with plate glass, wood molding, silicon glue, paint, etc ~

I called White's Ace Hardware in Haines City {they are an old fashioned awesome fix everything shop!} they had 1/8" glass, but not what I needed. I called a few window glass places $4.50 a sq ft again too much - So off to the garage, I was sad and nervous if I would be able to pull my vision off - Then I saw it! Our old fish tank!!! What a beautiful golden light and dancing song played in my mind as I brought the weathered old thing into the house!!!

I knew I could get it apart but how? I tried scoring the silicone first, but the frame wouldn't budge. Then I said out loud we have a chisel! As the pieces started to chisel away I knew this was going to be hard earned but worth it! And then Success! My husband had jumped in half way through because I had to make a yummy green bean soup for the hungry mob of boys!

But this is the end of that evenings work!

1/8" tempered glass ready to be cleaned and re-purposed!

Today the boys and I tromped over to Lowe's to see their scrap section - nothing but broken doors and laminate sheet - so to fresh stock of molding. While my husband and I grumbled over design issues, the youngest of our troupe merrily ran the length of the lumber yard!

I know what I want now I just have to wait for the money to be in the bank ---I only have 5 days - I would prefer not to do this last minute but somethings just must wait.

Alive After 5 in Sanford, FL

Well I've decided to try my hand at a show --- I did enough of them in my childhood.

My grandparents and mother are all crafters/artists. I started helping out when I was 6. set up and breakdown mostly. But then when I was 7 I was able to start helping my mom sell things too. Then when I was a teen we moved to my mother's home town of Dubuque, IA {http://www.cityofdubuque.org/}. This is where my grandparents, and mother still live. I used to help every Saturday at the Farmers Market. My grandmother made thousands of baby blankets hand stitched with her delicate, arthritic hands. I would wander off every once and a while to go find the stones and jewelry vendors. Even then I couldn't stop my fascination with all things metal or crystaline!

So while I'm not sure if I will be picked for the event this time (it's an event presided by a committee), at least I think I'm in the runing for a spot. And it will get us motivated to create displays and custom order forms, brochures/a catalog of my previous work, etc.

I'm very happy to say that I finished the ends of the 7 loop viking weave and made it into a handsome bracelet for my husband! I've also completed a nacklace out of the 22 ga wire. Now I just need to order some more silver for more bracelets, necklaces ,etc ....

They are so fast to make it's just a matter of buying more metal.

A Great Article about Spinels

This is truly a beautiful image to me the hands that bring these stones to use are so far from our minds when we purchase our pretty baubbles! I try to show everyone that there are thousands of people behind me when I creat a piece of art. The people who risk their lives to bring silver and gold and precious gems out of the crust of the earth!

Sorry for the melodrama ~ I simply love this image and all it inspires!

This is The Black Prince's Ruby in the Crown Jewels of England. The most famous not ruby in the world! It's a Spinel. When this beauty was mined all red stones were known as ruby - it's wasn't until relatively modern times that the gem was "discovered" to be a spinel.

Everyone is always chasing for those four main stones that they don't see the beauty of other things around them - they just see "cheap" imitations of the "real" thing. When today the "real" thing isn't obtainable (nor every truly was) for the masses. Those beauties are beautiful not only for their color and fire but also for their rarity.

This is why I've always been one to appreciate the misunderstood of the jewelry trade. Spinels top my list of favorites, as well as colorless sapphires, and quartz - I've always been drawn to the clarity of quartz (or lack therof when citing dedritic or rutillated quartzs). Quartz is what started my love for gemology to begin with.

But I digress, the reason spinels are important especially now is their natural range if color and availability for the masses. While you will still see tons of rough stones being "cooked & colored" you can still find affordable untreated stones with good color and clarity. The same cannot be said of sapphires and rubies and emeralds and diamonds.

As I always say we must be educated buyers rread everything, and take time to make purchases, be wise (realistic, frugal and yet fantastic) with your investments and you will be happier for the long term. Plus always remember, that brand nammes don't mean anytthing if they are selling junk! Custom made jewelry is more affordable than the name brands!

Here's the source of the images as well as my choise of topic for this blog entry:
http://fieldgemology.org/Spinel_article.php

Here are two of my favorite shops for perusing stones:

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/

http://www.planetarygems.com/Diamondpage.htm

Back from the Abyss

It has been too long! I fell off the face of the virtual world for a while when my computer suddenly fell ill. I though it might have been my processor again but thankfully it was just my keyboard! LOL!

With all of my "free" time I decided to dabble into knit silver wire necklaces. My first attempt I wanted to try to challenge myself. The concept of weaving the silver is pretty simple and easy to cath on to but I wanted to see if it would be complicated by adding more starting loops. I went off the "Viking Weave" technique but I decided to start with 7 loops of 20ga Argentium Silver wire.

It went off smoothly, and after a few connections I realized how to make the transition from one section of wire to the next with out a misformed loop. I had though in the beginning that I must keep everything tight and secure - but I soon found out that the weave is very forgiving if you keep it loose. So now I have this 8 inch section of thick Viking weave. It's beautiful and easy it only took 45 min to do the 8' 7 loop weave.

Thus incouraged I decided to burn through the rest of my order of silver wire ... I have now 3 sections of fine silver wire in various thicknesses. My main purpose is to make a necklace for my wing pendant. And now I'm waiting on my next shipment of silver to burn through!

I can't get enough materials ... so many ideas not enough silver and gold to eat! Ha Ha
Well -- of to see what I can do with my scraps!

Ideas I'm brimming with

I'm brimming with so many Ideas I can't buy enough metal to create them all! Bridal combs for the hair with antique laces and pearls and faceted gemstones! Brooches and rings! Oh my!
Well to start off properly, I'm continuing to work on creating a shopping page for my website. I'm hoping that the Flash applications don't freeze up prospective clients pcs but --- what can you do? Wix.com is a great resource for creating websites but it's all Flash applications.

Yesterday I had to create something all the web designing made me hunger for physical artistry! So I melted some of my dwindeling resources to make this ring ...

the band is a brushed matte finish ant the front is high polish. Twas hard to capture the gleam with the setting sun but alas my efforts bear some fruit...

The new site is running!

It's of course a work in progress- I realize I need to create a page where you can actually buy from me without having to go to Etsy - that's coming. And I need to work on the Eco descriptions a bit I don't think the recycing talk has come across the way it should ...

I am hoping to start {within a year} forging my own ingots, wire and sheet, with the help of my husband.

For now I am continuing to use the same mill I have in the past. Great prices and excellent quality products.

Web Hosting vs Web desgin

Well I made a web page on wix.com. It's gorgeous! but alas the domain I signed up for here on google, I was using for this blog ... so I went into the DSN Settings and messed it up baaaaaaaaaadd. now I had to go to GoDaddy.com and try to transfer my domain name because their management is much easier than google!

Etsy Handmade Moment Video Contest

I love this one too!





I am currently making my own but first I must finish my website .... it's almost ready, final tweaks going down now!

To Market we go ....

I am in the last push toward the end of this task ... creating an introductory website outside of Etsy. I have this blog but now I must try to showcase my final product. I still haven't gotten to the Etsy Moment 30 second flick ... I think I might make it tomorrow ... can't remember the deadline.

I'm formulating in my head which pitures I want on my Knot profile and which I want on the Partyspot profile but I still haven't figured out if I should waste time trying to make my complex logo work @ 72dpi or not? It's fuzzy and awful to be kind. Then oh my there's my actual 45 word profile I haven't hashed out yet ... YAR!

But priorities first must have website running out side of Etsy to have on the Knot profile! I don't need all my sales going to elsewhere - sorry fellow Etsians - I love your work and that's the problem if I do so will they {my potential clients}!

Website anyone?

I'm burning the midnight oil as usual trying to make my own website, or create a e-commerce/blog site....I'm frustrated with the "do your own background" bit, but I'm not quitting yet!
This was my first back ground a bit "dark"....

So I thought of this but it still doesn't have the feel I want ...
well the song birds are singing as the sun slow awakens this side of the world

I'm just glad the baby is finally sleeping ~~~~ yawn ~~~~ time for tea!

THE KNOT!!!!

This is only my second attempt at repousse!

I'm going to be on theKnot.com, The Weddingchannel.com and Partyspot.com!!!!! WOW!

• I'm completelyand absolutly giddy! I have followed "theKnot" since my husband and I eloped in '98. I'm so busy creating more pieces and shooting them {sunshine permitting}! It's also pushing my hand a bit to work with what I have left of my stock.....I'm creating some amazing one of a kinds -that I can make using my basic tools. Each piece will then be a work of art that no one else will have!

I am so excited!

Kremer Pigments

When I think of Fra Angelico Blue this is where I dream it get it from!

http://www.kremerpigments.com/
http://kremer-pigmente.de/en

This is actually crushed Lapis Lazuli!!!

Someday is not quite good enough! I want this now! I love the earth and all of the beauty it contains!!!



and this bottom one is truly an amazing aqua!

The name game

Well part of be a business is getting your face out there.

Now I understand that my business name is difficult to pronounce for those that aren't fluent in Italian. Miele Melograno {MEE-el mel-o-GRAH-no} means literally pomegrante honey.
I chose this name to personify the ageless custom of giving brides-to-be and wives gifts bearing symbols of abundant life.

My life has been a productive one thus far and I hope to continue to offer the love and gifts of my hands for the rest of it!

My First Blog!

Well I've decided to plunge into the blogging world! I'm online most of the time regardless. Now I can share with the bloggoshpere.

To let you know about me:
I'm long winded, most of the time (which I'm trying to amend).
I'm a wife and mom first.
Then I am a artisan.
But they blend well.

I have since my childhood {as most artists} been enthralled with the beauty of what is around us! During long road trips to relatives in the north I would spend many hours happily studying my finger prints {a pass-time I still enjoy periodically}. In school, I was torn between Science and Art. Art usually predominated my schedule. Luckily my passion for chemistry and biology and geology have helped me have a better understanding of techniques and functions in art.

Some day I'll fresco I can promise you that! Fra Angelico Blue, Kremer Pigments to DIE FOR!!!! Pigments, earth, minerals, metals ... ah, what fun. So to get to the point, I'm a "jack of all trades" when it comes to art. If I try one I've got to try another to follow the chain to the beinging, the source. Some day I will have a small quarry, or alluvial "mine".

But for now I am a jeweler. I buy my gold and silver and manipulate it into what I can with my basic tools {hammer, anvil, pliers, shears, torch, etc}.