New Etsy listings, and other news

Well, well, well. I swear I'm going to be better about updating this regularly. Anyway, I wanted to let y'all know that I have been working really hard on making lots of cool new jewelry, updating my Etsy shop and trying to promote everything.

My boss is totally awesome for letting me sell my jewelry at her shop, Carousel Saddlery in Portola Valley, and hopefully I'll be able to get some custom orders out of that too. I really like being able to people's personal pictures and quotes because it creates something a lot more meaningful for them. Of course, it's always gratifying to have someone really like my work and actually pay money for it and buy it as well. :)

Anyway, I hope you all like the new pieces, get ahold of me if you have questions!

Creative Cycles

It seems like I am never tied down to one artistic technique. You know how lots of artists have that signature "style" or craft that they just do beautifully? It seems like I haven't found that for myself yet. Not to say that my work hasn't evolved since I began collage work four years ago, or that I haven't found any one thing that I really connect with (like art journaling), but my creative process always seems to go from paper art to jewelry to card making to scrapbooking to...well, whatever else it goes to. Like the past few days, I've been finding myself wanting to make jewelry, which I haven't done much of in the past nine months or so. But hey, if that's where I feel inspired, that's what I'll do. I still have a ton of my little glass pendants, so maybe I'll work on making complete necklaces/bracelets out of them.

And on a side note, I've been trying to keep up with Stampington & Co.'s nine billion publications, all of which are fabulous. The one I bought most recently is Somerset Home, which details a bunch of home crafty projects that are just superb.

The other one that I've been reading is Artful Blogging, which is a new publication that features artists' blogs, tips, techniques and hints for how to keep an art blog.

This magazine has articles by "emerging" artists (ie., people I don't see regularly in Somerset Studio magazine) Patty Van Dorin, Michelle Ensminger, Tracie Lyn Huskamp, Andrea Singarella and many, many others. I highly recommend grabbing a copy.

Go out and make stuff! I'm off to bed.

New stuff is UP!!

New MOO cards!!!
Originally uploaded by alexn614.

Well, some divine power must have been reading my post yesterday, because guess what came in the mail? Yes, my new glass! So definately check out the new pendants in my store (you can click on the "etsy" icon to the right), and keep checking, I'm putting new ones up every day!

And if you order a pendant from me, you get one of my new Moo cards!

New stuff in my Etsy shop

Go to my Etsy shop for a couple new pendants. I'm waiting for new glass to arrive in the mail so that I can make some more, but until then, I'm working with the little that I have.

My friend Mike taught me how to cut (score) and break glass at school on Saturday, so I'm also awaiting a brand new glass cutter!! I can finally just do it myself! Buying the individual little pieces gets so expensive. Plus, sometimes I'd like to make an odd-shaped piece, like 1/2" by 1" and you can't find pre-cut pieces like that. Anyhow, it should be fun, and I'll have a lot of new pieces for you by next week.

Suddenly busy

Whew! I'm so excited-- my art is going to be sold in a FABULOUS store called Thistle in Palo Alto. Apparently the store owner met my mom last weekend at the Gamble Gardens show, and wanted me to bring in some more pendants, cards, tags, trinkets, etc. I went in yesterday and WOW! They have incredible stuff. Very cottage/shabby chic, kitschy, vintage, and a huge selection. I saw notebooks and candles from Anna Corba, great stationary, pretty aprons, even 5-inch glitter letters, sold individually. I'm so thrilled that they actually like my artwork!

And of course, I've been making stuff. Tags, mostly, while I'm waiting for a new shipment of glass pieces to make pendants out of.

Hooray!

On Thursday night, my mom told me that she had a booth at the Gamble Gardens California Creative event, which would be held Friday and Saturday. She was selling her fantastic California landscape oil paintings, and offered to take some of my glass pendants as well. I had school all weekend, but said "Sure!"

I really didn't expect to sell much, but apparently, I did pretty well! I sold11 of them! This is one of the first times I have tried to sell to the general public, and I am very happily surprised to have done so well. I was completely unprepared, didn't have any business cards, no artist bio, etc. So, I decided to give Mom what was left of my MOO cards and a bunch of my ATC's--hey, at least they have my contact info on the back! According to Mom, people loved the artist trading cards.

Flickr Faves of the Week

1. Whimsy Birdhouse, 2. Beautiful vintage finds........., 3. I am dreaming of a Shabby chic Christmas..........., 4. Closer view of the "Our Home" book........, 5. Entry into Dariannes baby book........., 6. Acrylic Paint caddy......, 7. My finds this weekend........., 8. Fairy Dress Form assemblage......, 9. basket of vintage goodness..., 10. Share your own spark#98, 11. molto affettuoso, 12. Nature's pink, 13. LOOK CLOSELY necklaces, 14. L- garland mama made me, 15. sea nymph, 16. My mom made this!!, 17. altered photo/painting/collage for a special lil girl!, 18. Front Cover~ Grandma Brag Book I made for my mom today, 19. Untitled, 20. Paperback Book Cover, 21. 3rd month collage, 22. My latest shabby chic commission, 23. Judys Shabby Rose Garden, 24. Ancient, 25. Linda I's deck

My recent jewelry

My creation
Originally uploaded by alexn614.