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.