Last Update on the Puppies

I wanted everyone to know that the final two puppies Lizzie (Elizabeth) and Alex have gone to their new homes. I am very glad but also very sad. I am surprised at how much I miss them already and Alex just left yesterday. On the other hand it is really nice to have my house back. No more hopping the gate (and we were to the point where we had to double gate one on top of the other you can imagine what a pain this was since the access to the basement where the laundry and my workbench are is thru the kitchen lol). No more newspaper to clean up and all of the stuff that was temporarily dumped in my dining room to avoid teething puppies is now back in the kitchen where it belongs! Of course we keep walking into the dining room to throw stuff in the trash can and have to turn around and go back into the kitchen.

I got a text from Lizzie's owner that said everyone already loves her even the cats. And by the way she is a bed hog. Haha! I can see that she will be quite spoiled.

Zeke's owners have sent me pictures and he looks really happy (and also spoiled).

Alex went to a couple from my church that are good friends. I will be able to visit him and be regularly updated which is great because he is just such a sweet puppy. And Elna is home all day so he will have company most of the time.

I will be posting my next edition of the Etsy artist of the week in a couple of days, hopefully by
Thursday night. I know I am behind but I am still recovering from pneumonia and still tire easily. And since I can't afford to take off extended time from work I am just sucking it up and going in. And then I come home and pass out lol!

How To Make Sterling Silver Head Pins

Okay I promised to do a picture tutorial of how to make headpins at home. Please be patient as I am recovering from pneumonia.

Obviously the first thing you will need are your supplies and someplace safe to light your torch. I don't recommend your living room. I know you may not like those curtains but trust me there is a better way.

You need your sterling silver wire 18 to 24 guage round either dead soft or half hard.(personal preference and depending on what you are using them for) Something to hold them with as you apply your torch. I am using what is called a third hand. Basically anything that will hold your wire and not catch on fire or melt while near the torch. Your fingers do NOT fall under this category and will most definitely burn. Even if you miss them with the torch the wire itself get hot all the way to to top so be careful. it to cool completely or use tweezers, pliers whatever to remove them from your holder.(Yes I am speaking from experience, take my word for it). You also need a torch. Mine is from Home Depot and was 14 dollars. Please read the directions FIRST. Move anything flammable from around your space you will be working in. (you would be surprised at how far the flame actually goes). Now you will need to cut your wire to the appropriate length ( I am still working on how long to cut for the amount I want to have left but it is just a matter of trial and error to figure out the right length.) Hook up your first piece of wire and light your torch. Apply the flame to the bottom of the head pin and watch for it turn red. This does not take long! As soon as it turns red it balls up and you can remove the torch and turn it off. Either wait for the pin to cool or use a tweezer or plier to remove it from you third hand.( I cannot emphasis this part enough, third degree burns do ugly things to fingerprints!). Continue with this process until you have made the desired amount of heads pins. This is what they should look like at this point. Not very attractive and kind of dirty looking.. At this point they need to go into the pickle pot so that the fire scale will be removed and they will start to look like usable pieces. Again please read all the directions for your pickle if you have never tried this before. After pickling the head pins come out with a whitish coating on them. This is normal, please don't panic, you have not done anything wrong. The next step is to toss them in your tumbler and give them a spin for about two hours. This not only makes them nice and shiny but also makes them stronger. Then you just straighten any that you need to straighten and you have now created your very own headpins to work with. I hope this has been a helpful piece for those of you just starting out. Please follow all safety and handling instructions when you attempt to do this.
Many thanks go to the fine etsians who have been kind enough to share their knowledge in the forums and in tutorials of their own. Not limited to but including

GlitterCritter, LooseWireStudio Stereotte, and WireYourWorld to name a few.

How to Cut Rocks Step Three

Sorry it took so long to get back to this, the holidays were a bit crazy and since we are now short one person at work (with absolutely no plans to replace him for at least a year) I have been working more too. This is tough because even though I like my job I would rather be designing and making jewelry so having less time to spend doing that and promoting my store does not really thrill me. Although the extra money is always a good thing lol!

So we left off at the trim saw. The next step is cabbing the stone. This takes a little more skill and time although there are some tricks to make it easier. This step requires lots of water instead of oil to avoid heat. You do want to make sure all of the oil is off of your stone. We use a bucket of kitty litter and a brush. Then wash well with warm, soapy water. (The large round object in the picture is a vibratory tumbler. We use this for all of the odds and ends left over from the trim saw . After several weeks it gives us highly polished stones that the kids at the gem show go nuts over). So we have our lovely almost oval trim sawed stone and we are going to start grinding it to a 15 degree angle with the machine on the left. This machine does not have removable belts, the grinding wheel has tiny diamond pieces embedded in it. This spins at a high rate of speed. A plastic apron is a good idea with this machine as the water you use to keep it from getting too hot sprays in the direction of your body not the wall. Also eye protection is a must. Here is one of the tricks of the trade. The grinding wheel has a natural 15 degree angle so that you really don't have to do any fancy calculations to get it right. Remember that oval we drew on here with the magnesium stick? This is where you want to grind it to. This is the back of your piece and the angled portion is the front. When you have it to the right size and before you begin to grind your dome you need to put it on a dap stick. I am going to leave off here because I need to take pictures of the dap stick and how it is done before I can continue. (Remembering the camera is always an issue for me. When I head for the rock club I usually have two toolboxes and my purse, and since it is winter my coat, gloves etc. I'm lucky I remember my name on some days much less the camera lol!). This is a good stopping point as I will be able to finish hoe to cut rocks with my next post on this subject in a couple of weeks.

One of My Treasuries on Etsy

Okay for those of you who don't know what a treasury is I am going to show you one of mine. I love making these, they are highly addictive and there is a great deal of competition among fellow etsians to secure a spot when they become available. This is how it works. When the list drops below 333 (don't know why they picked that particular number but that is what it is.) So if you are lucky enough to get the little title box and get your title name in it before they are all grabbed you then get to make a treasury.
TIP - copy your title from Word so all you have to do is paste. This increases your chances exponentially. You then get to design a theme and go thru all of the lovely shops on etsy to choose your photos for your treasury. It is considered bad form by many to put your own item(s) in a treasury. It is meant to showcase other artists. As you can see from this screen shot I have chosen a theme of Black and Sunset. Of course your theme can be anything you want and does not have to be based on color. To see more treasuries go to www.etsy.com and click on the treasury link on the left side of the page. Have fun! But be careful they are highly addictive.

Do You Need A New Banner? Check out this Etsy Artist

Well I have decided that with all of the talk about branding and making a statement that has been going on in the etsy forums that I would go ahead and give it a try and see if it helped my sales any. I spend a good amount of time browsing the many talented designers on Etsy who make things like banners and avatars, not to mention business cards etc. I finally decided to go with Callista's Design Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5353905. I convo'd her at about 10:49 pm and she responded immediately. I explained to her what I wanted and said I would check back the next day. Less than 24 hours later I had my new banner and avatar. Did I mention how pleased I am with them?! I have also shown a small sampling of custom banner designs that she has in her shop and she also does blog headers etc. Go check her out!

I will also be finishing my series on how to cut rocks very soon and will do another update on the puppies soon. We are down to three right now so we are making progress lol!

An Etsy Seller and Fellow Blogger

I know that I usually do a post on an etsy seller and link to the blog on the sidebar but I am going to do this one a bit differently. There are lots of sellers on etsy who also have wonderful blogs and it would take years to post everyone of them.

BUTTERFLISLM
This particular etsian has added to her blog a very long list of beautiful shops that you can find on etsy. If you want to check some of them out you can go here http://butterflidesign.blogspot.com/
I am guessing that you can spend several days checking out her list alone. And it is a chance to see some really talented artists. So I was browsing thru her shop and came across this very cute and practical crocheted scrubby. Now my sister's, husband's grandma makes me a couple of crocheted scrubbies every year for Christmas and I love them. They work really well and they wash easily in the washer. However Stacy has gone one step further and has crocheted hemp yarn in the middle of hers. This means MORE POWER to clean my stove and countertops. (My teenagers can leave a horrendous mess and walk away. Three hours later when I come home from work I practically need a flamethrower to get the dried on gook off the stove). So I suggest you check out her blog for lots of cool etsy artists and check out her store for some great crocheted items. (She does more than scrubbies lol!).

Etsy Artists January 3rd 2008

PATEREEVES
This artist on is fairly new on Etsy but I have to tell you I was so impressed with her bead work. I also thing that she is seriously underpricing so if you want to get in on a good deal I would head over to her shop soon as I am sure she will eventually raise her prices to what the work is worth. I don't have the patience to do detailed bead work like this and I admire anyone who can follow a pattern that turns out so beautifully. Her monarch butterfly looks soo real that you just expect it to fly right off the page. Can you believe that this is made out of beads. Just blows me away. I usually only post two pictures but I really couldn't resist putting one more dragonfly up as they are some of my favorite bugs. They are beautiful in nature and I think that this artist has captured that beauty in her wonderful beaded creations. Enjoy!

Update on our Puppies (Finally)

Well it is New Years Day and I finally have a small breather as I am waiting on the turkey to finish cooking so I am going to do my long overdue update on the pups. We have sold four puppies, Zeke our smallest puppy, Hope and Bluto went to the same home, and Mo was the first to go. While I do miss them, being down to four pups is much easier to manage.

Zacharia is our teddy bear, both in looks and in personality. He is a great big ball of four and since he has a naturally bobbed tail when he is running away from you he really does look like a bear cub. Must be all that fuzzy fur. He just loves for you to love on him and is usually the first to greet you.

Lizzie (Elizabeth) is the only female left and is also the smallest. Her fur is more sleek than the rest of her siblings so this also makes her appear smaller (She is not as fluffy lol!). She is a very happy go lucky dog and very active. She has no fear of anything either. I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing. And if you are wondering yes she is behind my vegetable garden fence. They are still little enough to squeeze thru the "bars" and seem to take great delight in doing so.

Alexender (the Great) is another sweetie. He looks up at you with big brown eyes and you just melt lol! (Have I told you how spoiled they are?!). Always willing to please he also has an adventursome spirit and is often the first one to get into something new. As you can see in this picture he is trying to figure out what this fountain is and of course he has never seen a fish before.

Last but certainly not least is Boo. He is a blue merle and he has one blue eye and one brown eye. He is our most gently and laid back puppy and he is also the biggest puppy. He has such a sweet personality just kind of waits to see what the rest of the pack is going to do before joining in.

They are all paper trained and have just introduced them to the outdoors. They absolutely love it and went out in their very first snow storm today. They love being outside and don't willingly come in on their own even when it is snowing. We have to train (bribe) them with treats and occasionally chase one down to get them all back into the house. They really needed the exercise, the kitchen is just not enough space anymore. Much easier to do with four than eight though. This also cuts down on the amount of mess I have to clean up which is of course a good thing for me. We are hoping that their new owners show up soon because every day I get a little bit more attached. However we live on a city lot and seven dogs is out of the question lol! Three is really pushing it. I am very glad our back yard is fenced! This will most likely be our last litter also so that makes it a little harder. This is Liberty's third litter and I think she probably doesn't want to do this again either.

The Next Edition of Etsy Artists.

Well I hope that everyone had a fabulous Christmas. I am feeling a bit more relaxed now that things have settled down a bit. I will be doing an update on the puppies very soon as I have sold four and have four left. If your in the mood please pray for good homes to come soon lol! I am getting way too attached.

Here is my newest find on Etsy

CreativeDesignz
She is from Newcastle Australia and does some really beautiful work. I can't decide if I like her jewelry better or her photos. Both are beautiful and eye catching. She is the mother of two and as anyone who has kids knows, it can be tough to be a mom and still find time to be creative, much less creative and then sell online to boot. As you can see by the fine pelican photo, she takes gorgeous pictures. However this is not her only talent as you can see by the photo on the left she also makes beautiful jewelry. I happen to know that she is undertaking a new venture and will be listing some beautiful fused glass pendants in the near future so make sure that you check out her shop on etsy soon!

Featured in Talent Database

I am so excited! I feel like I am truly starting to produce quality jewelry and it is so cool to be recognized! Check out this link

Cast Team Christmas Contest

Okay, so this week I am doing a post on the Cast Teams Christmas contest instead of separate etsy artists because it is close to Christmas and they are having a wonderful Christmas contest you should go and check out. Here are the details.

The words to the carol "Oh Holy Night" will be posted in the CAST Team shop:

http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=5372642

with 10 words highlighted. The highlighted words can be found in listings in the participating shops. The words will be in listings found on the first page of the shop. Entrants will send a convo to the Cast Team with the links to the listings containing the words. All correct entries will be eligible for one of several Gift Baskets. Each will consist of items from the cool shops in CAST. One correct entry per person.

http://www.etsy.com/favorite_listings_public.php?user_id=5372642

Contest will run from Tuesday, Dec. 4th through Tuesday, Dec. 11th. Winners will be notified via convo on the 12th.

Contest is not open to members of CAST

There are some really beautiful prizes and you may find some neat shops that you have never seen before.

You can see some of the prizes on the right of the screen.

Etsy Artists

This week I am featuring two artists who have caught my eye in the forums. (Truth be told that is how I find most of the artists that I like. The posts in the forums also give a good indication as to what kind of person lies behind the art.)

stOOpidgERL
Well I have to say the name threw me for minute as it may throw you. I don't, however, believe there is anything stupid about Kim as her sales speak for themselves. Kim has a degree in fine arts/photography and has a wide range of mediums that she likes to work with. Some of those would be resin, collage and assemblage.
She has a totally unique point of view and if you are looking for something out of the ordinary this is the shop you want to got to.



MichellesCharmWorld
Michelle has some really cute, funky items in her shop that take me straight back to my childhood. Take this Barbie necklace made with charms that represent everything we love about Barbie. This takes me right back to the bedroom I shared with my little sister and the hours we spent on the floor organizing Barbie's accessories and getting her ready for her dates with Ken.
The Micky Bracelet is just fun. Talk about memories of those Disney vacations and the sheer joy of seeing Micky in person for the first time. Not to mention the great rides! For another taste of childhood fun check out Michelle's shop and forget about being a grown up for just a bit.

Next Round of Etsy Artists

Sorry it took so long, it has been really nuts around my house. (See previous post to see why!). Everyone comes to my house for Thanksgiving also so I need to clean and cook and ..... I have called my daughter off of school tomorrow to help ( she is fourteen). She asked to stay home and help cook and since she is a 4.0 student and has only missed one day I said yes. (and I really need the help). So anyway here are two more of my favorite Etsy artists with some really unique and fun things.

HIPHOSTAGE

Donna has some really cool vintage items in her shop. I don't know a whole lot about vintage but I keep going back to check and see if she has made any other great finds! Donna has done some selling on the other e site (whose name shall not be mentioned lol!) and has decided that Etsy has some unique features and that she would give it a try. She is also a member of the CASTTEAM (Christian Artist Street Team) and Etsy Believers. Not only does she have super cool items in her shop, she is a great person too. I have never seen a negative post from her in the forums (mind you this can be difficult to do some days!) and she is always encouraging. Check out her shop for some great items!

STEREOETTE

Joi is originally from Texas and currently in New York with some really unique things. She makes jewelry, sews clothing, makes bags, fuses glass and screen prints cards and fabric. In her spare time. I found her items to be unique and interesting and I have never seen anyone meld acrylic with metal in the way that she does. Very cool! If you are looking for something unique and different and just a little bit quirky then her shop is the one you want to check out!
I also have to mention that she is one of the people who generously shared some information on beginning metal smithing with me that was very helpful and saved me a good bit of time and money in my search for what I needed to get started. Not everyone is willing to take the extra time to help out a beginner. So thanks Joi!

Update on the Puppies 4 weeks old!

I apologize for not updating on the pups sooner but as they grow they become a HUGE amount of work. I spend more time cleaning up newspaper and mopping my floor than I do anything else. (not really true because I spend more time playing with the puppies than cleaning up after them, which means I spend most of my free time on the kitchen floor doing one or the other lol!). Any way they are growing by leaps and bounds and have started eating semi-solid food. This is a real relief for Libby because not only are their tiny claws like razors they now have teeth and are NOT afraid to use them. We have succumbed and named all eight of them. We have Zachariah, Lizzie, Hope, Zeke, Mo, Bluto, Boo, and Alexander. Zeke is still the runt and half the size of his brothers and sisters, but he more than makes up for this with attitude and will cheerfully jump into the pile every time even though he always ends up at the bottom. We have introduced them to chew toys, however they still prefer to chew on each other most of the time. We do frequently pull Zeke out and carry him around when the rest get to rambunctious because despite his attitude he just cannot defend himself all that well from the some of his much bigger brothers. Bluto and Mo are both just BIG puppies but so sweet and cuddly. Hope is the talker, she just is always making noise about something. Boo is just a sweetheart and Alexander is a huge bundle of friendliness. Lizzie is a sweetheart and loves to come over and cuddle and Zachariah will do anything for attention. Needless to say they are all terribly spoiled already. I will have another update soon. From the top left we have Zachariah, Lizzie, Alexander and Hope. Next week I will have individual pics of the other four.

More Etsy Artists

Here is this weeks edition of Etsy Artists. It has been a really busy week for me and I was feeling a bit under the weather (okay I was feeling more than a bit under the weather) so I haven't been able to post as much as I would like. I usually aim for 3 times a week but this week has just gotten away from me. I will be updating on the pups in a couple of days (they are getting BIG and developing personality and teeth lol). I will also be doing the next step in the How to Cut Rocks series. I had to actually go and cut some rocks this week for the next step to be able to take pics of each step and each stone as I go. Not a really fast process I might add.

Simonesboat
This artist has some truly beautiful photos and prints. Located in New South Wales, Australia these pictures evoke the beauty of sand and sea. Maybe it is just because I live in the United States but I don't think of Australia necessarily as a place with lots of beaches, I tend to associate Australia with the bush. However these photos have reminded me that Australia does indeed have beautiful beaches and most likely they are not as overpopulated as the ones here in the states.

This artist also has another shop called Bird on a Wire that has the most awesome wire sculpture. I can't even imagine the amount of time it must take to make just one piece. For a little piece of Australia in your home go check this artist out.

Recycled Ideas
I like this particular artist for a variety of reasons. One of them is her commitment to a more green earth. Obviously this is good for all of us. Maybe we should all rethink how we use and throw things away so easily. Another is the fact the she has a passion for primates and is concerned about the fact that their habitat is disappearing rapidly along with the habitat of many other species. You can see that the two go hand in hand. She makes beautiful cards and papers from recycled papers. I had no idea how rich the textures and colors could be from re-using every day items like cereal boxes. She also does the most awesome primate portraits in pastels that are also used in an educational way. For great gifts this holiday season, check out her shop and help us keep our planet green.

Round Four of my Favorite Etsy Artists

Okay so this week I am featuring two artists. One is a jewelry designer and one makes the most incredible bags... Anyway I chose these two not just for the items that they make (although they are well worth checking out) but also because of the way they respond to people in the forums. Always helpful and kind (and honest in a nice way when needed) they just really stand out as good people.

DesignedbyLucinda

Lucinda makes some really awesome jewelry ( I struggle with posting other jewelry designers on this blog , let's face it, it is competition for me so when I do decide to post a jewelry designer it will be someone I truly admire.) She has some really beautiful designs and quite reasonable prices. She stands out in the forums as well, always willing to help out the new people with good advice and is generally always patient and kind.

I have it on good authority that she has a ton more stuff that she hasn't gotten around to listing yet (although I know she is working hard on it lol) so if you are looking for something in particular just ask her she could very well have it. And if she doesn't I bet she can make it.

HerRoyalMajestyBags

What can I say? She has the most awesome collection of bags and I can't wait until I get some spending money. Veronica is from Maine and says that her husband is awesome! That alone gets kudos my book lol. Her bags are fabulous and very well made. They come in a wide variety of colors and styles so there really is no excuse not to buy something from this lovely shop. Vibrant colors and patterns that quite frankly make me drool.

She also has a lovely sense of humor and has posed quite a few thought provoking questions on our etsy forums, always geared at having people take a good look at how to improve their shops to get the most out of what they are selling. I always look forward to hearing what she has to say, I usually learn something that is to my benefit.

Well that 's it for this week. I really hope that you will check these two talented ladies out. You can find the link to their stores on the right under etsy artists.