Article by Barbra of All About The Buttons
Slide photo courtesy of artbyjywheeler
Pin photo courtesy of Imagine247

I received an e-mail about a month ago stating that at the end of August the planet Mars would be very close to Earth. In fact, in the night sky, it would be as big as the moon and this will NEVER happen again in our lifetime…wow! Okay, not true. Mars will not be that close or that big but it got me thinking about the Moon. There are so many quotes and sayings with the moon as a symbol. I wanted to see how artists use the moon in their work. I found evidence in everything from paintings and jewelry to shoes and quilts. Here are a few samples of what I found which have plainly put me over the moon!
This is a stunning Victorian Lunar map engraving from 1892 offered by PetitPoulailler

JewelryByNorth has created a wonderful sterling silver moon pendant.

Another pendant, this time in black resin, was created by Janimie

This wonderful quilt by HMJQuiltsPlus has the moon in fabric.

And finally, what fun to be walking in these by Inkwear99

Do you use the moon in your work? Are you attracted to the night sky? And by the way, the expression “once in a blue moon” refers to the rarity of 2 full moons in one month! And that comes straight from the man in the moon….!

By Contributing Columnist Jay of Haffina Creations

Not many people know, but I am the mother of twin boys, and as such I understand how challenging it can be to be creative with twin bundles of joys dancing like a whirlwind through your house. Now let me introduce you to another mother of twin boys, who creates beautiful items whilst being a fabulous mom to her darling boys. Teri Landow is the driving force behind The Beaded Branch and my featured ArtFire artisan.

What will people find when they drop into your studio/store? What types of items do you sell?
An eclectic mix of bead jewelry, sterling silver chainmaille, Bug Bag pouches, and of course, my very own line of Present Past Treasures.

How did you come up with your studio/ shop’s name?
The name for my shop came about by combining several ideas:
1) I really love trees, and wanted to incorporate the idea of trees into my business name somehow.
2) I loved the idea of “branches” being related to arms, necks, ears, etc of a person and them being decorated with my jewelry.
3) When I started out, my designs were very simplistic bead earrings, necklaces and bracelets. I never really thought I’d expand out past the beaded branch of jewelry making. Of course, I was wrong, but I still try to incorporate beads in everything I sell.

How long have you been selling online?
I started my own online shop over 10 years ago. I ran into the trouble that so many do, though. After I got married, and started a family, the huge time commitment of having to maintain a website just got to be too much. So, I started exploring my options, and came across Etsy, then ArtFire. In November of 2008, I opened my Etsy shop, and then in May of 2009 I opened my ArtFire Studio. I still have my own website, and might actually get around to updating it now that my children are actually starting school.

What lead you to join ArtFire?
Many, many factors lead me to joining ArtFire. The sense of community was the main thing, but other than that, all of the wonderful features that AF offers. The guilds, the ability to have ten pictures of each product, the coupon and gift certificate codes, being able to edit everything in my store with a few simple keystrokes, the list goes on and on. The real clincher for me was when I made my first sale in my ArtFire Studio. I was so excited, I tweeted it on my Twitter page. When the owner of ArtFire sent me a direct message, congratulating me on my sale, that meant the world to me. I’ve never deleted that tweet, and still read it when I need a little boost. The fact that he took that time to do that was a real sign to me that ArtFire cares about the artisans that choose to sell there.

What is your favourite feature on the site?
I have to pick ONE? (lol) It’s a toss up between the coupon codes and the bulk editing feature. I love how easy it is to set up coupon codes for my customers. The fact that I can pick what code for the coupon will be is awesome, because it makes it much easier for me to keep track of when it was used.
The bulk editing feature is awesome. Being able to go in and reprice everything in my studio, or add tags to everything with just a few keystrokes, is wonderful and so time saving. It’s just so easy and convenient.

What tips/advice would you give to others considering joining the site?
Read up on how to take really good photographs of your products. Make sure your photos are nice, clear, and in focus. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Learn how to market using blogs and social networks. Figure out all of your shipping prices before you start listing. Set aside money for advertising. Join guilds and participate. Make a lot of friends in the crafting world. We are the best support to each other when sales are slow, and we need a little mental boost.

How do you want people who visit your studio/shop to feel, what mood are you attempting to create?
I try to create the feel of a cozy and relaxed slightly upscale boutique where you never quite know what’s going to spring up next.

What types of things do you do to try and create that feel/mood?
I don’t necessarily revolve my stock, but whenever I add pieces, I always try to make sure that I add an assortment of pieces in a new line at the same time, as a boutique would do when they received a new shipment, instead of one piece here and one piece there.

What is your favourite tool or material to use at the moment?
Right now, at this moment, I don’t really have a favorite. Actually, at any moment it would be hard for me to narrow down my favorite of anything to one thing. I love pearls, and would incorporate them into every piece I make if I possibly could. I’m also currently exploring materials and techniques that are new to me. Polymer clay and epoxy resins are the big ones right now, and since I’m still in the learning phase of those two mediums, I get to play with them, and learn how to make pieces that are good enough to sell.

Are there any skills or techniques that you would like to learn, or materials that you would like to work with, aside from what you already do?
Oh, several. I would love to learn to work with glass, and also I want to expand my knowledge of polymer clay, epoxy resins, metal clays, painting, and sewing. I love to learn new skills and techniques that can cross over from one medium to another, seeing how and what I can combine to create some new, unique pieces.

Are you still selling the same kind of items as when you started selling, or has it changed with time?
Yes and no. Yes, I still sell my basic bead jewelry. I’ll never fully get away from that, and wouldn’t want to. But, because I get distracted easily, and my desire to explore new techniques often overwhelms me, I switch off what I’m working on at any given moment, and my lines are continually expanding and growing. That’s the one problem with having so many friends who are so very talented in different art forms. I see their work, and think “Ooohh, I’d like to try that!”, and I do.

Which part of being an online seller do you find the most challenging, and what do you do to deal with that?
The whole process of listing products in my Studio- pricing, photographing, descriptions, tagging, all of it. It can really drag me down. The way I deal with it is to just bite the bullet and do it. Generally, I wait until I have a stockpile of products made, and I do a several day long photo shoot of everything. Then I spend another day editing the photos, and then another day or two listing. It’s a very draining week or so for me, and I always refer to them as my “necessary evil” days.

How do you balance your online and offline life?
I try to keep it balanced, but there are some days when the lure of the online world is just too great, and I’ll spend all day chatting, and drooling over my friends new works. There are other days, however, when I have no desire to go online at all, so I just check my email once or twice those days, and leave it at that. Having kids helps keep the balance, because their needs come first. So, I do have to spend time offline feeding them, playing with them, reading to them, and doing arts and crafts with them.

What kind of supplies do you always seem to buy, even if you do not really need them?
It used to be beads. Now, I have to admit, it’s pretty much whatever comes into view that I think I might be able to use. If I find a new craft that I find intriguing, I’ll buy just enough of the basic supplies to try it out. But even that I’ve slowed down on. I need to use up what I have before I buy anything more.

To see more gorgeous creations from The Beaded Branch check out her ArtFire Studio.

By Columnist Suzanne aka Nurses Naturally

Since ancient days rings and jewelry in general have represented wealth, power and status.The Greeks and Romans broadened the scope including cultural icons as more detailed designing evolved.

For as long as precious metal and gemstones have been used to create jewelry it has existed as a sign of wealth. Jewelry has also played an important part of religion denoting membership and status within the religion as well as various social groups

During the Medieval period is when rings became popular. All classes of people wore rings from the poorest to the richest. Rings were typically made of iron, copper, silver, and gold. The material of the ring worn usually indicated the class of the wearer.

Here is an interesting example in lovely leather by Dragonskins.

Leather Ring

Mary of Burgundy became the first known recipient of a diamond engagement ring from the Archduke Maximilian of Austria. The history and tradition of the engagement ring began with this gift in 1477. Depending on the culture and country, engagement and wedding rings may be worn on different fingers.

One of the best known designs is the Irish Claddagh that also has an intriguing story attached to it.

Richard Joyce was among the crew of a fishing boat from the village of Claddagh, Ireland that was captured. He was to have been married that very same week. During slavery Richard Joyce was put to the trade of goldsmithing. Through the years of capture neither married. Richard Joyce created a ring for his love with a heart for love, a crown for loyalty, and two hands.

After Joyce escaped, he returned to the village of Claddagh and was overjoyed to see his love again and to know she had never married. She always knew he would return to her. He gave her the ring that has become known as the Claddagh ring. If the Claddagh is worn on the right hand with the crown inward (toward the wrist) the heart is not yet committed. If it is worn on the right hand with the crown turned outward the wearer is committed to someone. Finally, if it is worn on the left hand with the crown outward it means “Let our love and friendship reign forever, never to be separated.”

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-of-Rings&id=51128

This example is from the shop of clodaghmjewellery.

She says of her experience and this set “I am an Irish, Dublin based Jeweller. I have a degree in Craft Design and Metal work from the National College of Art and Design and my work has been purchased by the National Gallery of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin. I have always had a love of Irish History and Culture. I first thought of using reference to the historical design of the Claddagh, when I was asked to design jewellery for a Jewellery manufacturer here in Ireland. While looking through their range of traditional Claddagh Jewellery. I thought I could make a modern version without losing the essential elements of the Claddagh. Love, Loyalty and Friendship. What I produce is a ring that can be instantly recognized as a Claddagh ring but can be worn by the modern and discerning jewellery lover.”

From Rickson Jewellery we find another version of this timeless ring. Rickson is an independent jewellery artist and designer who creates high quality, unique creations in precious metals and gemstones. She works exclusively with the lost wax casting technique which means she carves her ideas in wax and then casts them in the desired metal.

She says of this ring,”…the classic design has the hands holding the heart in what I consider a very detached manner. When I was commissioned to create a ‘funky, modern’ claddagh ring I was so excited, I wanted to find the ‘essence’ of the Claddagh ring. Since it’s about love, closeness, loyalty and faith, I finally settled on the position of the hands cupping the heart in a more intimate manner. I love my Claddagh ring design because it melds the traditional elements of the hands, heart, and crown, into a modern, heartfelt, artistic ring. ”

Puzzle rings, are also sometimes called Turkish Wedding Rings or Harem Rings. The story is told that in ancient times a Turkish nobleman was so in love with his wife that he wanted to be sure she was faithful to him while he was away. He asked his jeweler to make a puzzle ring for his wife that would fall apart when removed, and he would not tell her the solution.

A traditional puzzle ring is a type of finger ring made up of four, six, eight, or twelve interconnected rings. Contemporary designs include rings of three, five or seven bands. Puzzle rings often appear to be endless knots.

From the shop of nellyvansee: I got interested in puzzle rings when I found an ancient puzzle ring in an antique shop. It’s so old the person didn`t have any of the modern tools to make it. Everything was hand made, even the wire was just hammered down. I looked at how it was made for months trying to figure it out. It took us about 2-3 months too come up with a functional puzzle ring design.”

Another category of interest includes gemstones and birth stones. It is difficult to determine with any certainty in what country precious stones were first worn as ornaments, but the consensus of opinion seems to point to India.
Around the world and throughout the ages, people have noticed and appreciated the beauty of gemstones, often assigning these gems special powers. Many, like amethysts, have interesting histories and the details may be found through various museum, geology and internet sources.
Remember next time you put on or purchase a ring…there may be some great history behind it.
Slide photo courtesy of cavaliercreations.

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Written by columnist Linda aka LindaGJ

“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea-whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from whence we came.”
Jack F. Kennedy

Enter my daydream, so surreal, an escape from reality so vivid that you feel as though you are actually there.
As I leave the real world, my daydream begins to swish me away to a place so serene. You feel as though you are actually there!

My soul is completely fulfilled with a sense of familiarity.
I have been transported to the Pacific Ocean in a Tropical setting

I traveled many artistic avenues before discovering silversmithing. Creative stops along the way included pottery, macramé, crochet, cross-stitch, and calligraphy just to name a few! Working with metal, particularly silver, has finally allowed me to translate the designs that are constantly running through my head into something tangible. Sometimes the translation is literal; sometimes the translation is more of a figurative nature, sometimes the “translation” gets melted into a nugget.

My favorite thing about working with silver is the infinite possibilities it holds. Oh, yeah, and getting to melt and hammer stuff! My designs are inspired by everything from nature to architecture to movies and songs – even the design on my paper towels can inspire me to create!

I sell my designs in galleries and shops in SC and opened my first Etsy Shop in December 2009. Finally, total control over every aspect of my work! I really enjoy being a part of Etsy. I’ve learned so much and met lots of great people – like the IndieSmiles team!

I live and create with my husband and dog family in Coastal SC – we love animals!

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By Contributing Columnist Jay aka HaffinaCreations

I am a Polymer Clay artist, and one of the best things for me about being involved with Polymer Clay are all the other ‘Smooshers’. One of my absolute favourites happens to be the Guildmaster of the Polymer Clay Smooshers on ArtFire, and one of my best friends. It gives me much pleasure to introduce you to Coltpixy aka Star.

What will people find when they drop into your studio/store? What types of items do you sell?
Small sculptures, scale miniatures and some jewelry and accessories.

How did you come up with your studio/ shop’s name?
I love and collect fairies. I have 100’s of them ranging from sculptures to paintings to just about anything. Magnets, a zippo lighter, pretty much anything. Many are handmade, some are not. A ColtPixy is a mischievous fairy.

How long have you been selling online?
I’ve been on ArtFire since 2008.

What lead you to join ArtFire?
I learned about ArtFire from an ad they had on a blog I read. I did not join it immediately. It was very new and I didn’t like the way it looked but I thought it had promise so kept an eye on it. I saw them make changes based on the sellers input. The staff were friendly and approachable. I joined and have been very
happy there.

What is your favourite feature on the site?
I like how buyers do not have to register on ArtFire to buy. I love that the studios are customizable so that they reflect the individual sellers. There are lots of great tools.

What tips/advice would you give to others considering joining the site?
Read the Help guides. There are many available giving step by step advice along with screen shots to help you learn not only how to use ArtFire but how to use SEO and even payment processors, various networking sites, etc. ArtFire wants you to be successful and not just on their site but everywhere.

How do you want people who visit your studio/shop to feel, what mood are you attempting to create?
A sense of playfulness. I really hope that my shop and the things that I create make people smile.

What types of things do you do to try and create that feel/mood?
Everything from my colorful banner and avatar to the items that I make.

What is your favourite tool or material to use at the moment?
I have worked in many different mediums over the years. Right now my favorite is polymer clay. The possibilities of what can be done with it are endless.

Are there any skills or techniques that you would like to learn, or materials that you would like to work with, aside from what you already do?
I would very much like to play with precious metal clay.

Are you still selling the same kind of items as when you started selling, or has it changed with time?
It has changed quite a bit over time. My first job was as a teenager designing and painting murals and huge signs for a big real estate company in Texas. The man who owned the company saw some of my pieces
that my high school art teacher had entered in a gallery show and liked my work.

Which part of being an online seller do you find the most challenging, and what do you do to deal with that?
Time management. I live in a rural area where the only internet option is dial-up. For me the most challenging thing is having time to do everything I need to do online and still have time to create, take care of family and other offline responsibilities. No matter where you sell online or offline people cannot buy from you if they do not know who you are so I have to schedule time to network and promote at various sites online.

How do you balance your online and offline life?
I can’t stand to sit for very long so I go back and forth from online to offline. I am blessed to have wonderful people in my life both online and offline. They are all very important to me.

What kind of supplies do you always seem to buy, even if you do not really need them?
I don’t think I understand the question. I really need all of them from every medium.

Drop into ColtPixy on ArtFire and see her fantastic Polymer Clay creations, you will not regret it.



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By Contributing Columnist Jay aka HaffinaCreations

The ability to crochet well amazes me, the ability to crochet well with wire astounds me. Catrin aka Catswire from Germany crochets with wire, incredibly well. She graciously agreed to answer my questions.

What will people find when they drop into your studio/store? What types of items do you sell?
I sell mostly jewelry crocheted, knitted or spool knitted from wire, beads and nowadays polymer clay. I just started to list my wire crochet sculptures as well.

How did you come up with your studio/ shop’s name?
The name came up with itself, even before I opened an online store. I have been called Cat by my friends forever and I work with wire.

How long have you been selling online?
Since February 2009.

What lead you to join ArtFire?
I saw a report about Etsy on German TV. When I looked it up on the net, I stumbled upon ArtFire. A few people from the handmade jewelry forum that I had joined already had ArtFire studios. Their experiences sounded good, so I decided to give it a try.

What is your favourite feature on the site?
That is a tough question. ArtFire has lots of great features, like the Etsy importer, the Tweet button, the global editor, the possibility to edit/delete/deactivate an item right from the listing, the merchandizer and they add new ones all the time. If I have to choose one, it would be the global editor.

What tips/advice would you give to others considering joining the site?
Work on your pictures. Online shopping means your pictures really have to bring across the message of what you sell, so show your item from all sides if necessary. Size is important. Even if you tell about the size in your description, it is helpful to show scale in one of the picture, may it be a necklace around a neck or a miniature with a coin. Be creative using your tags. Think about how you shop online first and then list accordingly.
And get your name out there!

How do you want people who visit your studio/shop to feel, what mood are you attempting to create?
In fact I want them to feel comfortable and have fun. I want people to feel they are welcome, no matter if they want to spend a small amount, a large one or just have a look and want to ask something.

What types of things do you do to try and create that feel/mood?
I try to bring across the message that beneath the avatar and a banner there is a human. I hope customers will be able to tell from my bio, from my descriptions etc. that they are welcome and that they can talk to me.

What is your favourite tool or material to use at the moment?
My favorite tool is always the one I use at the moment, but I’m still addicted to the crochet hook. For someone like me who didn’t like to crochet with yarn it’s unusual to love it so much when I do it with wire. The possibilities seem to be endless and I’m sure I have barely started yet.

Are there any skills or techniques that you would like to learn, or materials that you would like to work with, aside from what you already do?
I would like to learn how to make lampwork beads. Glass has always been fascinating to me.

Are you still selling the same kind of items as when you started selling, or has it changed with time?
I added items made differently, but I still sell the same kind of items as well.

Which part of being an online seller do you find the most challenging, and what do you do to deal with that?
Taking pictures and promoting myself. I never used to take many photos before I started selling online, but I experiment a lot and try to catch up on things I don’t know yet.
Promoting myself is hard because I don’t like to talk about myself much. I joined social networks and try to learn from others how to do it right, though.

How do you balance your online and offline life?
As I have a daytime job , I do have an offline life automatically. I meet friends, I love to watch movies, but I have to admit that my craft follows me everywhere. It’s easy to take it along, I craft during my commute, during the lunch break and so on. If there is a real balance, I seriously don’t know.
What I know is that sometimes I have a phase in which I try to cut down on computer time. I guess I need that to get back into balance.

What kind of supplies do you always seem to buy, even if you do not really need them?
In the beginning I got too many large beads because I couldn’t resist them. I try to cut down on that and just buy what I really will be able to use.

Catswire on Artfire is well worth a visit, you may not want to leave.

I’m Pam Hurst Hill and I live in the western suburbs of Philadelphia PA. I started making jewelry the way many people have – no one sold what I wanted to wear! I’ve always been the crafty type, as in I can paint/modify/improve that. Drives my family crazy!! So when the necklace I was looking for didn’t exist, I headed off to the craft store, bought the supplies and made it myself. One necklace led to two, then some simple earrings, stretchy bracelets, how-to websites, jewelry design books, etc., etc., etc. And here I am now, sharing my creations with the world!

And the name Electric Penguin? My husband’s college roommate came up with it while trying to name a band. The band never formed, but I loved the name and it stuck in my head. At last I finally found a use for it!

Photograph courtesy of both the show participant and the banner maker who is www.promopixie.artfire.com. The craft show participant is: www.callunacreationsllc.artfire.com

By contributing columnist Donna Knox of GlassandWireGems

It’s that time of year where summer craft shows are popping up all over. Some are attached to special area events and others are stand alone events. When you are thinking about participating in one there is a lot to consider. Participating in a craft show involves a lot of hard work. So where do you begin? This is a tale of two craft shows run on two consecutive weekends about two hours drive from each other. Both of these shows were stand-alone events not connected to any holiday activities. I’ll be telling this tale as though I was the vendor. In reality, this is the tale of several friends who have participated in recent craft shows.

Upon arriving at the site for the first show, I started setting up my tables. I don’t have a tent but in this instance my spot was under several trees and the weather wasn’t too hot. My tables are set in a U-shape so that people can walk in and look at everything on all of the tables and ask questions if they have any. Holly from Royal Designs (ArtFire and Etsy) said, “I think once people are into your ‘shop’ they are more apt to stay and look. And buy.” As we all know, getting people into your shop is always the first step.

The foot traffic at this show wasn’t as good as I had expected. It was a beautiful day so weather wasn’t a factor. I was wondering why things were so slow when a lady stopped to look at my jewelry and mentioned that she didn’t even know that there was a show. She lives across from the park and noticed the tents and people and came over to see what was going on. After hearing that, I knew why things weren’t going as well as I had hoped.

The second show was a week later. The weather was hot and my spot didn’t have any shade. What a difference. I will certainly have a tent for future shows. One crafter I talked with not only had a tent but also had fans that she would turn on to encourage people to come in, shop and cool off. What a great idea! My morning sales were great. The afternoon sales during the hottest period were slow because there was little foot traffic. I sold a lot more at this show because there was more traffic even though there were slow hours during the heat of the day.

I learned a lot from these back-to-back experiences. Here are some things to consider when you’re thinking about signing up for a craft show.

The first show was the more expensive of the two and cost over $200 for registration alone. The show had been ongoing for several years and because of that the crafters assumed it would be well attended and they would do well or even better than they had in prior years. They also felt that people would return because of its history. This turned out to be not true. The show’s promoter did not do a good job of getting the word out about the show. There were even people in the immediate neighborhood that didn’t know about the show and only showed up because they saw the tents that day.

Promotion for the second show was much, much better. It had been ongoing for several years as well so that wasn’t an issue. Having flyers available, ads in various papers, etc. all helped to get the word out that this show was occurring. One of the things that you need to do is to check out the show’s promoter before you sign up to make sure that you’re getting what has been advertised. You might also want to check around the area to make sure that it is happening.

Another consideration is that registration fee. When you spend $200 for registration, you want to have, at minimum, twice that amount in sales to break even and triple the amount to make a profit. I didn’t at the first one. Getting ready for a show is a lot of work. There’s time spent in creating items for the show. There’s time spent setting up and tearing down for the show. Then you spend a lot of time at the show itself. Try to find others who have participated in previous years and see how they did. In my case, the registration fee for the second show was much lower and I did quite well at it.

Another consideration is the number of crafters with similar items. If you’re a jewelry vendor at a show where there are 50 vendors and ten or more of them are jewelry vendors, you’re not going to do well unless you have something really, really unique. If there’s a way to check this aspect out, do it. It will help you decide if this is a show that you should participate in. The vendor ratio was about the same in both of these shows and it was higher than I would have liked but was more evident in the show that had less foot traffic. Here too promotion plays a factor because it brings in more foot traffic and, if more people are going through the show, the number of competitive vendors isn’t as big of an issue.

For me it was like night and day between the two shows as far as the business part goes. My sales were so much better at the second show. For the most part, the vendors I met and the people that came to shop were great at both shows. I’m sure that I’ll see several of them at other shows and next year. A number of people took my business cards and I’m hoping that they’ll shop on line as well. I know that I’ll be more aware of who is promoting the show and checking out how they’re doing it.

I’d like to encourage you to try a couple of craft shows. They can be enriching and fun even with all of the hard work. Many towns offer Chamber of Commerce juried shows which are less costly. These can be very good. My experience has lead me to believe that the less expensive shows are better for me because I don’t have to sell as much to break even and come away feeling better about the process. Check them out and see what works for you. After all, once the summer shows are over, there are always the holiday shows to look forward to and, for the most part, you don’t need a tent for those!