Lots of Changes!

So I have decided to close my shop on Artfire as well as the shop on Goodsmiths.  Once my year runs out on Zibbet, unless things drastically improve, I will be closing that as well.  I will be keeping a minimal presence on Etsy, mostly because I belong to a great group there and have some really good friends that I interact with daily, not because I am fond of what Etsy has become.  I will be concentrating on just my two stand alone sites, SilverRiverJewelry.com and SilverRiverGlass.com.  I am working on moving all of my inventory over to those two site.  Both sites take Paypal and I still accept Propay, so if you want to pay me directly via credit card you can message me and I will send an invoice.  I am actually really excited about this, as I will no longer be pulled in 8 different directions and will be able to concentrate totally on marketing just one shop for the jewelry and one shop for the beads.

I am also selling beads with a group on Facebook called Lampwork Beads For Sale.  It is a closed group, you do have to be a member to buy (or sell).  However, all you have to do is request membership to join.  Its a great group of people and there are beautiful beads by a lot of different lampworkers of all skill levels.  Come check us out!


The sister group to that group is Lampwork Beads In Action which is a group dedicated to selling things made from the beads from Lampwork Beads For Sale.  Since I make both I sell in both lol.  This is also a closed group, same thing, just ask to join if you love jewelry using lampwork that is artisan made.

Silver River Glass

I have been working on moving as much of my stuff to my own website as I can.  I have a huge amount of inventory in both my jewelry and my glass shops.  Its almost impossible for me to pay the fees to list all of my inventory on a venue not to mention I dislike the fact the they can shut your shop down for no reason, or for voicing an opinion that does not toe the party line.  And we won't even go into the whole reseller's who pretend their stuff is handmade thing.

So, I have a website for my jewelry at www.silverriverjewelry.com.  And I have a website for my lampwork beads at www.silverriverglass.com.  If you want to have a look and let me know what you think, what you like, what you don't like etc. I would love to hear from you.  They are always a work in progress, and the glass shop is only a couple of days old, I still need to add my shipping and policies page but those will be up in the next day or so.

My Messy Jewelry and Beadweaving Space

This is what my work space for beading and beadweaving currently looks like.  I will be re organizing and adding some shelves to the left instead of current fold out tray lol.  I need to get all the containers back in the proper color order and have them on the shelves in away that I can see them at a glance.  And I need to get all of the crystals organized into bins size wise along with the seed beads.  Its almost to the point that its too messy for me to work in.  I seem to go through the same cycle every couple of months though, I will start off with a clean work space and I will run with wherever the inspiration leads me until its too messy to work on, clean it all up and then start again lol.  Anyone else out there do the same?

I will be working on the clean up this week.

November Blog Contest With GiveAway

 I am a member of a great group of artists.  We are hosting a blog contest for November.  the prize package below is valued at over $200.00  This is a great opportunity to check out some fabulous stuff for Christmas (or birthdays, or housewarmings lol), and who knows, a $200+ prize would go a long way toward my holiday shopping!  Just hop on over to the gift guide from the link below. 

November blog contest

Want to earn some incredible prizes?  Check out these fantastic shops by clicking on their product pictures below.  Keep track of your favorite shop's name.  Don't forget the shops on page 2!  When you are ready, hop over to our "Poll" page and vote.  It's that simple!  The prize package will be awarded to one lucky winner by random drawing on November 26, so be sure to fill out the contact form on the Poll page.

The prize pack consists of 12 different items,  all of which are listed on the gift guide in the form of  a slide show on the page entitled Prizes.

This contest will be announced on several sites that list contests and giveaways.  The contest is now started and entries will close at midnight ET on November 25th.  Good luck to everyone and thanks in advance for your participation.

 Here is the link to the Gift Guide Site  .  The poll and list of prizes are also on this site. Repeated voting is not allowed.  Vote for up to 3 shops and than your voting is completed.  DON'T FORGET for a second chance to win choose to leave a comment.  You must fill out the form with both your name and your email address, that is the only way we can declare who the winner is and contact them for an address to ship the prizes to. 

Cute Stocking Stuffer!

These cute little posts would make an excellent stocking stuffer some one you love!

There are lots more goodies in my shop if you are looking for something unique and well made.  I am adding new items almost every day, so check back often!  You can find me here.  Or just click on the picture.

Heart Necklace Handmade Lampwork Glass Heart Necklace Copper Bronze Green Beaded

I really struggled with what to do with this particular heart bead.  I finally chose to pair it with faceted copper metallic beads and softer, pale green serpentine beads.  Here is the result!  I was qite happy with the way it turned out.  The metallic copper beads pic up the metallic look of the heart bead and serpentine softens it just enough. To see more about this necklace just click on the picture.

New Designs!

I have been really struggling with the flu the last couple of weeks.  No time to slow down, which means its taking longer to get well than I would like.  Despite the struggle I did manage to squeeze some creating time in.  I am introducing a line of glass rings into the jewelry shop.  These are fun and different and will come in a wide range of colors and designs, although each one will be one of a kind and unique.  Currently, they are available in a size 6, although I will be ordering the mandrels to make a size 5 and a size 7 ring.  If there is enough interest in other sizes I will consider ordering more mandrels in other sizes also.  Here is an example of a simple ring with a geometric dot design.

 If glass rings aren't your thing, I also have a variety of more traditional rings, like this pretty copper and red wire wrapped ring.  The wire wrapped rings come in a wider variety of sizes that the glass rings, although each one is also unique, and one of a kind.

    
I also have a small line of the more traditional metal smithed rings.  I will be adding to this line in the future, but for now, what I have listed is all I have left (we are working on re organizing my metal smithing space, currently, I have a 6 foot snake in a cage occupying most of my metal table). 


If you would like to purchase one of these rings or take a look at what rings are available you can either click on the pictures, which will take you directly to that listing or you can go to my Etsy shop and visit the rings section.

I'm Back. I Think Lol!

Well, its been quite a while since I have posted last.  Its been a crazy 7-8 months at my house.  My youngest graduated from high school this May and everything leading up to graduation has just kind of taken over our lives.  Her grad party is finally going to be next Saturday then we will be done!  Of course, college starts next month, my oldest's last year of college and my youngest's first year of college.  Lots of changes in our house.  In the mean time I have started adding items back to my Etsy shops, so for those of you who prefer to shop on Etsy, most of my new work is there.  You can find my jewelry at silverriverjewelry.etsy.com
I've added a mixture of old and new to this shop, with several new styles including more beadwork, ear cuffs and more.

I have also been adding new beads like mad to my etsy bead shop silverriverglasswork.etsy.com  Lots of new beads, more orbits beads, some very large lentil and heart focals among other things.  The lentil in the picture is a whopping 1 1/2 inches across!  This would make a stunning focal.

One more item on the shop news front, I have re opened my stitch marker shop on Etsy also, so if you are an avid knitter or crocheter, and want unique stitch markers/row counters come check them out! silverriverstitches.etsy.com.

I am hoping to be able to start posting again more often and may do a weekly post involving a coupon or an item prices at a special price for the day.  Keep an eye out, you might come across a great deal.  And dare I say it?  Christmas is only 5 months away!

Jewelry Item of the Week July 26th, 2010

This is one of my favorite pendants. I love being able to make most of each piece myself. In this case the lampwork bead is made by me and of course I put the rest of the finding together. This pendant has a lot of depth and has a very cool and serene, earthy feel to it. If you look closely you can see the flowers inside the glass. You can find this pendant in my shop at http://www.silverriverjewelry.artfire.com

Beads To Finished Piece

I just love it when my lampwork customers send me pictures of what they have made with my beads. I am always inspired as most of the creations are things I would never have thought of putting together. Scott bought these beads and then sent me pictures of what he made. He is also entering the fire divas monthly challenge with the necklace so please make sure that you go and vote for him! Here are the challenge beads he bought and here is the necklace he made with them. I totally love this design!

Here is the other set he bought and made a wonderful bracelet with.

Check out this great contest!

The Fire Divas are hosting an Introductory Jewelry Challenge! This challenge will be for jewelry designers who use artisan lampwork in their pieces. The winner of the Challenge will receive a beautiful group of Fire Divas' work. This is a wonderful chance for jewelry designers to show off their talents and get exposure!

Please click on the link below to get all the details & to enter: We love to see how designers use our creations, though for this 1st challenge, ANY artisan lampwwork beads will do as long as they're handmade.

http://firedivas.blogspot.com/2009/11/calling-all-desingers-introductory.html

Things Have Been Crazy!

Things have been a little crazy at my house lately. I am getting that "I really need a break" feeling lol! My oldest (19) just left for a trip to Tahiti which kind of freaked me out a bit lol! Its not a vacation but a research trip for a college biology class. (Ya I know, if you have to work, you might as well do it in Tahiti lol). This was his first time flying and his first time out of the country so it was a little hard on mom! However I am so glad that he has the opportunity to do something like this! He will be back in a couiple of weeks.

My youngest (almost 16) is learning to drive. I have to say I was a lot more nervous with her than I was with my son (because I know both of my children very well lol!) and I have been very pleasantly surprised by how well she is doing! Still nerve wracking but not nearly as bad as I expected!

Summertime is always busy with all the added outdoor activities (since its only nice around here for about 5 to 6 months of the year we have to sqeeze all the fun stuff into that time lol). I am also working on REALLY cleaning out the house, all the STUFF that has accumulated over the years that we don't use needs to go! And working a day job and finding time to make new pieces on top of all of this is proving to be difficult. Not to mention doing a semi regular blog post.

I am working on a whole new technique and am really loving it (in what little time I can squeeze out lol). I have taken up metal etching and am beyond thrilled that I can now combine my love of metal and jewelry making with my love of drawing. AND I can also use this combined with bezel setting my cabs etc so its really the best of both worlds. I am sooo excited lol!

Check Out These Awesome Photos!

I found these awesome photos on Artfire yesterday and was just blown away. I don't know why these particular photos appeal to me so much but they do. Something about the composition, the angle or the beautiful colors. PLUS she is having an awesome sale through the 15th of June so I would go and snag these up before they are gone. (AND she has jewelry and other goodies to buy too! I am particularly fond of her charm bracelets). Her name is Gayle and you can find all of her goodies HERE. Or just click on one of the pictures.

Inspiring Creation

I have to say that I am continually impressed by the sense of community and the helpfulness and overall friendliness and kindness of the hand made community. I am frequently amazed at the willingness of these people to help out their fellow artisans. One of these is Inspiring Creations. I am not going to tell you her kindness to me but it was a very nice thing she did. She makes awesome jewelry and some truly beautiful banners so please go take a look and share the love. She also does customized web site design.

Ajdjss Guild Contest and Promotion!

Don't forget to get your entry in! There are a lot of really beautiful prizes and you will have a blast checking out all of the shops! Go HERE for the info.

Ajdjss Guild Contest and Promotion!

Here is another fabulous opportunity to win some great jewelry and find a whole bunch of great jewelry designers that you may not have known about. Many thanks to our guild master BeadLady5 for all the time and effort you have put into making this happen! Also many thanks to the people who have donated items for prizes and re arranged things in their shop to make it fun for everyone. Here is the scoop so go check it out and find some really great artisans to put on your list of people to buy from!Ajdjss Guild "Spring Cleaning & Treasure Hunt" Event

The Ajdjss Guild "Spring Cleaning and Treasure Hunt" Event starts on April 17th and runs through May 1st.
To visit the guild's shops you need to search in the handmade section for "ajdjss guild" and in the supplies section for "ajdjss guild". When you do this all our studios will come up for you to visit.
When you visit our studios you will find that each one has a special section called "Spring Cleaning"--check out this section for fabulous sales and specials on beautifully handcrafted jewelry and wonderful jewelry supplies. Deals you will find hard to resist.
But that's not all--We are having a "Treasure Hunt"--with the chance for you to win fabulous handcrafted jewelry from our talented jewelry artisans!

Here is the info about our special "Treasure Hunt":
1.Visit our studios and check out the "Spring Cleaning" Section.

2.Find the item with the special "treasure phrase" in the last sentence of it's decription.

3.There are 2 phrases--"This is a piece of jewelry to treasure for a lifetime" or
"This can be used to create a piece of jewelry to treasure for a lifetime."

4. Find 10 studios with the hidden phrases and you will be entered in a drawing for a pair of lovely handcrafted earrings.

Find 15 studios with the hidden phrases and you will be entered in a drawing for a beautiful handcrafted bracelet.

Find 20 studios with the hidden phrases and you will be entered in a drawing for a fabulous handrafted necklace.

5. There will be 4 winners in each category.

6. Contact Beadlady5 with the names of the studios that you find, your name, and your email address. Beadlady5 can be contacted by clicking on the guild's avatar at the top right of the guild page.

Artfire Artist Review

So, I have to say I am very happy that the holidays are over. January doesn't really seem to be moving any slower though lol!

As previously mentioned I am expanding my selling venues on some fronts and getting rid of some on other fronts. One of the Ivenues I am going to be using quite a bit is artfire. Lovely community, great artists and lots of things to choose from. I came across a fabulous glass artist in the forums there. Her name is Tanya and her shop is ArtisticAccentsEtc-artglass. Now I do little bit of glass fusing, mostly for the fun of it but when I saw her shop I started to drool. Now I know that drooling is not that attractive but I really couldn't help it lol! Wonderful work, some of the best that I have seen and I strongly encourage you to go take a look at her shop. They are planning on adding many more pieces so I would encourage you to check back with her shop often. Below are a couple of words from Tanya about her and her family's business.

" I am a 33 year old glass artist from Chicago. I have been working with glass for about 8 years. This is now our family business and we have never been happier to be able to create our glass art full time. We are constantly trying new techniques and furthering our education in glass art to bring cutting edge designs to the art and jewelry lovers alike. Our techniques included, fusing, lampworking & blown glass."

So as you can see by the photos (and this is a small sampling of what she has) there is something for everyone in her shop. If you haven't spent your Christmas money yet (or even if you have lol) this would be a great place to shop at.

1000Markets

So I have been away from my blog for awhile. It has been super busy at my house between my day job and the new venues that I am currently exploring. It takes a long time to list all of my items in new venues (over 230 plus new stuff that I am trying to list at the same time). Not to mention that I need time to actually make the new stuff lol, since that is the fun part. So I have mentioned before that I am pairing down on my venues and will be letting some of them die a natural death when my items there expire. One of the venues I will be keeping is 1000Markets. This venue is extremely classy and elegant looking. The concept is different from many of the other online market places. (the main concept, that of selling your items is obviously the same lol).

There are no listing fees, they only take their cut at the end. I like this part since it means that I am not out any cash unless something sells. This also is a great motivation for the owners of the site to make sure that the site is the best that it can be for its sellers.

It is a juried site, if you photos or your items are really bad, you will have to work to improve them in order to be accepted. This is great for everyone accepted on this site since there are NO resellers, no shoddy workmanship and you can see clearly what an item is in every picture. The fact that the pictures need to maintain a certain standard gives the whole site a very professional look and feel. This can only be good for business lol!

They also have markets and arcades. Specific markets for specific items. For instance, the Wear It Out market has a variety of items, a shopper could easily put together a complete outfit from clothing to jewelry to hair and outerwear. There is a market just for metal craft, a market for kids, several markets based on location, a market devoted to food, I could go on but there is something for everyone. It's kind of like walking into a virtual market place, kind of like the mall only better and bigger. The possiblities are endless. This will be one of the venues that will get a lareger portion of my time and advertising budget in the new year.

Anyway, sellers you should check it out, I think that this is one of the new venues that will succeed in the next couple of years. Buyers, you should check it out just because the site is so beautiful lol! No really, there are a huge group of extremely talented people on this site.

Wow I can't believe it!

Not too long ago I mentioned that I was going to be broadening my horizons and listing items on a several new venues. I specifically did a post on Shop Handmade, and how it was eco friendly and helping the rainforest.

Well I just got an email from them that said they were going to feature one of my items in an ad spot in the January edition of Beads Unique magazine! How exciting is that! Truly I am doing the happy dance lol! Needless to say I will continue to list my products on this site and come the New Year, when I need to make decisions on which venues to cull, Shop Handmade will be a keeper. And to confirm what I said in my previous post, this listing is free (can't beat that) you can choose to donate to the save the rainforest or not and it does not get billed til you sell that item. I choose to donate but that's just me. Please take a closer look at this website and if you are looking to help the environment this is the place to shop.

Cyber Monday Madness!

Check out this event at http://www.fashionsensei.wordpress.com . She has the most amazing fashion blog and will be having some excellent, one of a kind offers from many online shops. If you are shopping on Cyber Monday you need to make this your first stop!

Come celebrate the official kick off to the online holiday shopping season with Fashion Sensei's "Cyber Monday Madness!" Enjoy Exclusive Discounts, ONE HOUR Web Busters and amazing ONE HOUR Giveaways. You won't want to miss it!