Handmade Holidays (continued)

Next up on the handmade holidays: The Helmet.
























This Moleskine is not your average Moleskine. It's been cleverly laser etched by Modofly to display a intricate design of a Medieval helmet. The photos just don't do this stuff justice. Seriously, if you've been thinking about getting one, and aren't sure, go for it.
Details:

• Available in two different sizes
• Customizable by different page types: lined, sketch, squared, reporter, or watercolor.
• Tons of various designs available by different artists.
  

They may be a bit pricy at $32 for the large size, but they're worth it. You can purchase them from their website or their Etsy shop.

Handmade Holidays

Now that the gifts have finally been exchanged, I thought I'd use this as a chance to show off some of the handmade items that I've both given and received for the holidays. I've been aching to do this for some time now, but haven't had a chance due to a suspicion that some people may have seen their gifts on this blog.

First up, the Shark King:

I managed to snag the Original Shark King for a friend of mine who likes sharks. PoorDogFarm makes lovely watercolors, and they're hilarious. I also ordered an ornate gold frame online to frame it in, and overall the gift receiver nearly died laughing and said it was very 'grand.' Perfect.

The Pear Project

I'm happy to announce that Freeforged Jewelry is now available at The Pear Project. Also, take a look at the Pear Project blog for updates on other new items and for the latest info when things go on sale. And, for anyone doing some early shopping, this months super secret discount code is: NOV08 - but you have to hurry if you're going to use it, it expires at the end of November.

The Devil wears Etsy

Thanks to Capitolagirl for featuring my mushroom earrings in her blog this week! Apparently, when the Devil wears Etsy, he wears mushrooms in his pierced ears.
I've been eyeballing this ctrl-alt-delete fridge magnet from her shop for awhile now. I guess being a closet nerd means these thing appeal to me.

Jingle Bash!

Only 8 more days until the Etsy Dallas Jinglebash! Come see over 40 local artists with work ranging from soaps, jewelry, clothing, and more! (pssst... I'll be there!)
Read more at the Etsy Dallas website.

Baby-Friendly

I gotta say, after hearing some of my mother's horror stories, I bet she wishes she'd had one of these baby-friendly nursing necklaces from bfbeads. Designed to be durable and flexible, they'll distract your little one with shine and sliding beads and keep them close. Plus, they're made with wonderful materials, such as crystal quartz, that will make you look good too!

Veteran's Day

Well, Veteran's Day is coming up, shortly after the election, and I have to say that I am one of the unlucky ones who will not have the holiday off. However, if I did have the day off, I'd use it to catch up on some holiday gift shopping, or as my boyfriend likes to call it, Yuletide Swag. I've been making my list, and you can be sure that these lovely photo pendants from blackdrop are a top contender.

Bazaar Bizarre

Last weekend was the Maker Faire Austin. Part of the Faire was the Bazaar Bizarre, which I had a table at. While I spent most of the time at my table, I did get a chance to explore a little bit, and among the things I saw were:

• Bat houses.
• A rickrolling, ping-pong ball shooting robot.
• Tasty lemon shortbread cookies.
• Fighting robots turn on their masters.
• Shrinky-dink demos.
• R2D2
• A Life-Sized Mousetrap (the game)

And all I have to say: Amazing!

Favorites

Necklace
Originally uploaded by diana lerias

Thanks to Diana of dianalerias.net for featuring my Fleeced Necklace among her favorite picks recently. Diana is also a jeweler who made the necklace shown above. I also love the cute little cow ring you can see in her portfolio or on her flickr page.

Thievery!

So you're an office supply snitch, eh? Wear your spoils of the inner-office war proudly upon your ears, and let the rest of the office see your wealth!
Just don't tell your coworkers that you really got them from BlinkingMouse.

Stylelist Interview

Today I found out that my interview with Stylelist for their Indie Designer Interviews was finally up! Stylelist is a website dedicated to fashion and beauty trends, so I'm excited to be interviewed by them! You can read the whole interview here, or you can see a full shot of it on my flickr page.

Hello Goodness!

Today I found out that my Texas Twister earrings were featured on the blog Hello Goodness by the Etsy seller TimidAcorn. You can see some the vintage shoes from her shop above. Make sure to check out all the other lovely earrings also featured on her blog as well!

Make like a tree...

I managed to snag a treasury slot last night, and this time I was more prepared! My theme is pretty obvious - trees. It will be up only until tomorrow, so make sure to take a look soon. Should you miss out on seeing it live, there's a screenshot I took that you can see on my Flickr.

Business Cards

Overnight prints on the left, Gotprint on the right.

I recently ordered new business cards from gotprint.net. I had been looking to find a better deal on business cards that were of good quality but inexpensive, since I was looking to use stickers that I could place on the back of the cards to create promotional coupons. After browsing the etsy forums for suggestions, I settled on Gotprint. I ordered 1000 cards for $22, including shipping. This also included a 5% off coupon that I found via a google search.

My old Overnightprints cards were approx. $30 for 300 cards, which is far more expensive. This also including a discount coupon that I had found with a google search.


After looking at the two cards side by side, I've determined that while the Overnightprints cards were of a slightly better quality, the price difference at Gotprint makes their cards worthwhile. While the designs on each set of cards is slightly different, the main thing I noticed was the feel of the paper. The texture on each set of cards was pretty much the same, but the Overnightprint cards felt a tad thicker and sturdier. Also, on the back of the cards, the paper around the black text did not seem as white on the Gotprint cards. I believe this was due to the nature of the paper used - Overnightprints used a whiter paper to print on.

If you look very closely on the Gotprint cards, you can see some slight pixelation at the edges of the text. I am not certain as to if this is because of Gotprint's printing, or if there was a problem when I resized my files from 300 DPI to 350 DPI. Also, my cards are designed so that when you lay two cards above and below each other as shown in the photos, the designs combine to make one large logo. The alignment in the Gotprint cards was slightly off, but this is another thing that I was not sure if it was due to my files or due to the way Gotprint crops and cuts the cards.

I was also happy about finding a better deal than Vistaprint's 'free' business cards deal. Because of Vistaprint's habit of scamming their customers, I wasn't really willing to give them my business, even through Paypal or various other 'safe' methods of dealing with them.

Overall, I was very satisfied with my new cards, as this enables me to have very affordable marketing. I've already sent several batches of promo cards out to various places.

Oxide Gallery Opening

I was recently accepted into a new gallery opening up in Denton and their grand opening is coming up on the 30th. Anyone who's in the DFW area is welcome to stop by for the fun and festivities and to see some lovely artwork of all varieties.

Jewelry Geeks

My latest online social networking experiment: JewelryGeeks.com
This one, I think, applies especially to me, because not only am I both a jeweler and a geek, I'm also a geek for jewelry, or jeweling (we usually like to call that metalsmithing, but I'll let it slip this one time) Take a look at my profile here.

The last social networking experiment I tried online was Twitter, which is still going, occasional though it might be.

There's monster on my pants!

I'm not usually one who goes gaga over baby things, but I have to say, these monster pants by Joeyandaleethea are pretty kickin'. If I happened to still be a kid, I'd totally wear some. But maybe that's just because I've always had a thing for interesting pants.

Green

Green happens to be one of my favorite colors, which is why I'm always delighted when I can get that perfect metallic green color in the process of oxidizing my jewelry. Try as I might, I can never get the silver to turn those colors on purpose, only by accident. As an added bonus, the blues and greens in the oxidation perfectly compliment the green of the Chrysoprase stone I used in this ring.

Workshop style

If I were a horse-back traveling metalsmith, these belt pouches would be my tool kit. No clunky plastic boxes for me - everything I'd need would fit into two hardy leather pouches on either hip. In a post-apocalyptic world, I'd be awesome, all thanks to Rubyzaar.

Rainbows

I'm a big fan of piggy banks. I've kept one for years, and recently when it was full used it to buy tools to start my business. They're pretty useful critters, I just wish they'd fill up faster. Pig-ment - a rainbow colored piggy bank created by Starless, is just the kind of piggy bank I'd like to have. Vibrant color to brighten up a room, and you won't have to worry about breaking him because the bottom is removable!

Mademoiselle G

Earlier I was browsing Indiepublic and I happened to find a very interesting painter who is a Canadian living in Belgium. Her work is very surreal and odd and I can't stop looking at it. She has a shop on Dawanda, or you can see her blog, which is mostly written in French. Either way, I'm sure you'll find it as intriguing as I do.

Bazaar Bizarre

I'm officially going to be participating in the upcoming Bazaar Bizarre. It takes place in Austin, TX in October, so for the next two months I'll be making items for that and for the holidays. The Bazaar Bizarre is part of the Maker Faire, an event I wished I'd been able to go see last year. Wish me luck in my crafty adventure!

Show Pony Show

Show Pony Show flier
Originally uploaded by freeforged

Hey Texans, if you're living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and are looking for something to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon, then come check out the Show Pony Show in Deep Ellum this weekend. There will be crafts available for the whole family, as well as local artists showcasing their handmade wares. You can even see the Show Pony! Part of the sponsorship is by Etsy Dallas and as a member I've donated a pair of earrings to the raffle and some promo goodies to their goodie bags!

Here's the info:
When:
Sunday, August 17th
11am - 7pm

Where:
Continental Lofts
3311 Elm Street
Dallas, TX 75226

Drama Bomb

I must say that I think this flourite crystal necklace by TulipsTreasureBox is quite stunning. The crystals are graduated so that the longest are in the center, which reminds me of an Egyptian Pharaohs pectoral neckpiece. I can only imagine how dramatic wearing it must feel. You could be Cleopatra, or a movie star. Definitely 'raw' beauty. It's one of a kind, so if you must have it, get it quick!

Math is Elegant

Etsy Front Page 8/4/08
Originally uploaded by freeforged

I was on the front page earlier tonight! Thanks to Jobojury for selecting the Math is Elegant treasury.

Review - AmyEsther

I just completed a trade with the awesome Etsy seller AmyEsther. I sent her a pair of my Nuclear earrings and she sent me a pair of her red square cups.


Because of a problem with one of the cups, she ended up having to send me a replacement. However, not only did she replace the cup, she sent me two of her adorable dip trays as well!


All of this was instigated because of a give-away that she had on her blog, In the Night Kitchen. Needless to say, I'm very happy with the results of our trade, even despite the slight problem with the one cup.
I'm in the slow and drawn out process of transferring my kitchen to handmade ceramics. Right now I have an assortment of cups (AmyEsther's pair is the only matching set) and several large and medium sized serving bowls. I'm hoping someday to get a set of matching plates or shallow bowls, and after that a full set of matching cups.
While I took a ceramics class in college, I determined that clay hates me even though I love it, and didn't come up with anything I'd trust to eat off of or want to look at while eating. Thus, I welcome the cups Amy sent me as another addition to my growing collection!

Etsy Sellers Do Wholesale!

So JuliePeach of Etsy has created at great new blog that is dedicated to listing all of the Etsy sellers that accept wholesale orders. It's searchable either by location or by the type of product the seller makes - so for example, you could search for glass artists from Florida, and find exactly what you wanted. To see the whole site you can go here, or if you would like to see my listing as an example, click here. I'm sure this will make many shop owners very happy to have one big list to look at instead of endless searching for the perfect wholesaler.
Thanks Julie!

Moleculeology

Big thanks to Anandi of etsy for including me in her lovely molecule themed treasury this week! My Nuclear earrings are featured on the second row, far right. The treasuries are only live for a limited amount of time, so make sure you check it out before tomorrow night! If you miss it, you can still see the screenshot I took on my flickr page. It's a little hard to read in this picture, but if you click on it it will show you an enlarged version.

Mossy Fun

I have to say, I find moss to be a very attractive plant. It's always fuzzy and soft, and I wish they could make pillows out of it.
Since they can't, I guess I'll have to go for one of these moss terrariums by MadebyMavis instead. They look like they're just the right amounts of soft and fuzzy, and by 'the right amount' I mean 'a lot.'

Plus, if the moss ever started overgrowing my jar, I could use it for some natural pranking. Try out some moss graffiti using either a dairy mixture or a beer/sugar mixture.

A tiny bit of delicious...

BO Tartelettes
Originally uploaded by _sk.___ PetitPlat

So I'm usually not much of one for the miniatures fad (unless you count my job, but that's slightly different), but I do happen to have a weakness for fruit, especially fruit tarts.
I have to say, these fruit tart earrings by PetitPlat are looking pretty tasty right now.

So whether you need a fruit salad for your dollhouse, or you just happen to really like super tiny recreations of your favorite snacks, you should check out her shop.

Natural Blues

Right now I'm totally loving the blues in this necklace from AKeepersJackpot. The matching iridescent beads compliment the blues, teals, and pinks of the pendant perfectly, and these cool colors are the perfect thing to contrast the heat of summer. And, at just $16 dollars, it's pretty affordable too.

Sea Sirens

Remember back in high school, when you were young and rebellious and used to draw on your old jeans? I did. I even had my friends drawing on my jeans as well. These Sea Siren Jeans totally blow everything I ever drew completely out of the water. If I owned a pair of these jeans by KikiLaCreme, you can totally bet that I wouldn't draw on them no matter how rebellious I'm feeling. Too bad it's the only thing in her shop right now...

The Masked Bandit

Why should a masked bandit settle for boring old black? This leafy green mask by MythicalDesigns could be perfect for a champion of nature, or a wood elf sorceress. Just use your imagination.

Strands of kelp...

The newest addition to the shop is a pair of earrings that are hand forged and soldered together so that they look like strands of kelp. These earrings are based on a portfolio piece that I created in 2007 entitled Nereid.



A nereid is a sea nymph according to Greek mythology. This necklace features a kelp chain of sterling silver and copper links. Her face is copper, pierced in a design that shows kelp leaves and seahorses in her hair. Her brain is cloisonné enameled copper in the shape of a brain with a wave in it. This shows that her thoughts are of the sea, her home. The copper has a green patina as a reflection of the sea-life surrounding her.

Robots = Binary Love

I admit it. I'm a nerd.

That's why this robot shirt from Chopshopstore totally rocks to me. I love trying to guess which robot is which and what they're from. It's like a test of my nerd-dom. Unfortunately, I need to be studying harder because I can only recognize about 13 or 14 of these. My boyfriend on the other hand? Almost 50.

How many can you name?

Cicadas and Fireflies

At Penland these past couple of weeks, I was taking a class called Enameling; Image and Word with a focus on Haiku writing. We had to write five haikus a day. We picked the ones we liked most from each day, and ended up creating a one of a kind book that went in the scholarship auction at Penland. The haikus by each person chosen were amazing, and I loved participating in the creation of this amazing book.


The borders around each page were letterpress. The front hinge was made of copper and brass. The front and back cover were made of museum quality navy blue book cloth, with enameled tiles (one by each member of the class) inlaid. The paper was Mohawk Superfine, and the stitching was done with waxed linen. It was mostly (90% or so) archival.


You can see more pictures of this one of a kind art-book on my flickr page.

Artists: contact your representative!

There is currently a bill in Congress to change the way tax deductions for donated artwork work. Currently, if you donate a work of art to a museum, library, or other non-profit organization, you can only deduct the value of the materials. That means that the 40 hours you spent with planning, construction, tweaking those details etc. are not compensated when you donate it. If you're an established artist with a high going value for your work, that doesn't matter. Only the materials can be deducted.

This bill will change that so that the fair market value is able to be deducted. This would make it feasible for artists to donate their work to non-profit institutions, so that the public would get a better chance at seeing them. If you're an artist, you know an artist or you just like art, you should contact your representative and encourage them to support H.R. 1524.

The Advocate for the Arts website has a handy little form that you can simply enter your e-mail address, name and such and will send a e-mail to them automatically with your name attached. It's very easy to use and only takes a minute. I've already done so myself.

Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease...

2nd Feature!

Wow; by a stroke of luck while I was away on vacation I got a second feature by Amy Esther on her blog In the Night Kitchen!.
This time, the feature was for my Nuclear Earrings.
Thanks Amy!

Like a dream

Watercolors are an art medium I've always wished I've had more skill with, but everything I seem to make comes out like a 5 year old did it. Not Redheathers's fashion sketches though. This woman looks as though she's walking straight out of a dream and into reality.

Long time no type

Wow! So the last month or so has been crazy busy for me. First I have the Etsy Dallas BBQ, which was awesome, and on that same weekend there's a conference at my job so I was working double hours for that.
Then, the very next week after that, I took a 2 week class as a studio assistant at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC. Penland was an amazing place up in the mountians, but I had limited computer/phone access and wasn't able to do more than update my twitter a couple of times.

Now that I'm finally back, I can start updating more often again. Also, the shop is back open for regular shipping again. At my regular job, I'm learning to spin-cast pewter into the rubber molds that we use to make all the miniatures.

I should have some new items inspired by my time at Penland in production soon, but in the meantime, you can check out this colorful wood-burned and painted box by Etsy member AliciaMae:

Beer-B-Q Tomorrow

Since I'll be up late tonight preparing for tomorrow's Beer-B-Q, I thought I'd post this lovely treasury created by Sadiesthings of Etsy Dallas. Also, I happen to be in it, front and center, which is pretty sweet so a big thanks to Sadie who also happens to make lovely jewelry!!

I did manage to take some pictures of the stuff that will be in the show tomorrow, but unfortunately due to a UPS disaster with my business cards and the fact that I'm going to end up printing my own at home tonight, I won't be able to edit and post them until next week.

So, to everyone in the DFW area, I hope to see you at the show tomorrow, and to everyone else, goodnight!

If I were on a picnic...

If I were out on a picnic, instead of working Reapercon, then I'd have to wear...

A classic lacy headband by Cozy:

A lovely blue dress by Funky Junk Jewls:

And some long ornate earrings from AncaNY:

Hopefully I wouldn't mess it all up by eating fried chicken!

Busiest weekend ever!

So on top of the Etsy Dallas Beer-B-Q that is happening on Sunday, this weekend happens to be Reapercon 2008. This means that I'm working extra hours at the convention while still trying to get all of my work finished for the sale.

So far I've completed several necklaces, and many earrings, and I'll hopefully have time to take pictures of them tomorrow after I escape the convention, although I can't promise any pictures anytime soon. Anything leftover from the sale is sure to either make it into the shop immediately, or if it's sold out will be put into production.

Also, as a side note my One Yen Coin earrings were featured in In the Night Kitchen this week! Thanks to Amy Esther Ceramics for the sweet write-up!

Huzzah for free beer!

So right now I'm gearing up for the Etsy Dallas Beer-B-Q coming up in a couple of weeks. This will be my first time participating in an Etsy Dallas event, and since we'll all be selling our jewelry I've been working on building up as much stuff as possible. If you're looking for more information about Etsy Dallas, you can check out their blog or their website.

From some of the forum posts I've read, most people recommend taking as much as you can, so I'll be making more than a few new designs and one of a kind items to go with my standard themes. I'm currently working on some simple geometric pieces, as well as some that incorporate filigree style wire-work. I'll make sure to get some pictures of everything before the show, so keep an eye on my flickr page for the next couple of weeks.

So, if you'll be in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area on the weekend of May 18th, between 11 am and 5 pm, and you're interested in some free food, free beer, or just checking out some awesome handmade stuff by local crafters / artists, then make sure to come see me at the Etsy Dallas Beer-B-Q!

Black Widow

So one of the guys at work today opened up a box of stuff he was going through and found this inside it. Rather than just smash it, I decided to save it and see if I can set it in resin for a necklace or ring. They said they seem to find them fairly often, so maybe I'll end up with a whole series of black widow jewelry.

Until then, you'll just have to do with an ACEO of a black widow by Etsyian biggirl4664: