Anniversary and my biggest Giveaway!

by Patti Vanderbloemen

This November marks four (4) years since I have opened up an online shop.  Do you sell your jewelry online as well?  Was it as scary for you as it was for me?  Did you drag your feet....like I did?!

So much has happened in these past four years.  I have gone from simply stringing jewelry, to LOTS of wire wrapping, and I now incorporate metalsmithing into many of my designs.  My love of artbeads has only grown deeper, and I will never tire of gemstones! I still enjoy doing this gig - so I am going to "keep on keeping on".  The greatest pleasure I have is the ability to donate my proceeds to charity - Miracle Horse Rescue.  So, I am truly grateful for every single sale!

Just to show you all how grateful I am to continue on this path, I have come up with a few items to giveaway.

First up, I FINALLY use this mixed metal cone I made a while ago - AND - I paired it with an amazingly drop dead gorgeous lampwork bead by Sarah Moran of ZBeads.  I dug through my stash and found a beautiful, coordinating "sugared" lampwork bead by Susan Kennedy of SueBeads, added some fringe in the form of copper chain with sterling silver beads, and an 18" sterling silver rope chain...It was done!

I couldn't stop at the necklace, so I made a pair of mixed metal earrings - again, using pretty lampwork beads by Susan Kennedy.  The earrings hang on hand forged, sterling silver ear wires.

I thought...necklace, earrings...you have to add bracelets...so I did!  Two bangles, forged, soldered from 10 gauge solid copper and solid sterling silver - textured, of course - and shaped into a slight oval.

I did not stop there either!  I have been making lots of tiny posts lately, so I paired these little gems with gorgeous lampwork by Maryse of GlassBeadArt.  These clear beads remind me of Winter Ice - - and, they are made from recycled glass!  In fact, almost the entire earring is recycled (except for the posts, which I purchased).  I melted down the silver, flattened the tiny little balls into discs, stamped, added a "bail" from sterling wire...and tada!

Absolutely terrible pictures - these look so awesome in person, as the bead shape is very unique!

While the earrings were in the tumbler for their final polish, I was perusing the latest issue of WireWork Magazine and came across a very simple tutorial to make a ring in 5 steps.  (Original design by Gabby Guest).  I changed the design up just a bit - I added some coiling to strengthen the shank, and multiple coils in the center of the bead.  This simple little ring, with a gorgeous lampwork flower disc by Susan Kennedy - is so comfortable - and so CUTE!

So there you have it - the goods for the Giveaway - all for one winner!

Some for the winner to keep for themselves, perhaps to give as a gift to a friend or loved one (I think there is a big holiday coming up next month...).

How to Enter

What do you need to do the win the whole thing?  (I will ship international - in case there is a question!)

1) Leave a comment on this blog post - PLEASE BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU! (Sorry for the yelling in All Caps...but...it needed to be said!)

2)  For a second chance to win, Share my blogpost link on Facebook, then come back to this blog post and leave a second comment, advising me that you shared! 

That's it!  I will pick a winner in a week or so!

Many thanks for hanging in there until the end of this long post! I am grateful to every person who has ever stopped by, and left a comment...or not!  So, thank you for stopping by today...here is to four more years?!

xo

Patti

Another Wednesday post!!

by Patti Vanderbloemen

It has been a busy week for me - lots of little non-jewelry-related tasks that have to get done.  I keep making lists, and crossing off the tasks, but I always feel like I am playing catch-up!

Anyway, I posted a not-quite-a-tutorial for a new-to-me technique, over at the Love My Art Jewelry blog.  It features a two-tone metal pendant, this time I used brass and sterling.  It was a practice piece (in case it did not work out), and I used a kinda  hum drum Labradorite that was devoid of the gorgeous flash that this stone is known for. So it is now mine! I've worn it twice already!

It was rather time consuming, but now that I have the gist of the steps to take, I will be visiting this technique again.

A very lovely repeat customer of mine quite recently purchased almost all of the sterling silver bangles in my shop.  Still my all time favorite piece of jewelry to create, I made another one.

I used 6 gauge sterling silver wire.  This time, I soldered 3 tiny silver embellishments to the top of the bangle - the center one is made using my shot plate.  I prefer to make the heavier gauge bangles in an oval shape.  They are much easier to put on (for me), and the decorative element is more likely to stay centered on the wrist when the bangle is oval, versus round.  

I also like to texture 3 sides of any bangle I make (I try to, anyway). When I wear bangles, I always tend to bang the bracelet on whatever surface is nearby (perhaps that is why it is called a bang-le???) Anyway, by adding texture, any future potential "dings" that may happen in the metal are disguised by this little bit of texture.  That's my theory, anyway.

I made some more hollow beads for some earrings.  These have sold already, but I have got to make a pair for myself!  They are so lightweight and comfortable!

It was time to add some color to my shop!  I bought these three GORGEOUS lampwork glass beads from Susan Kennedy (her shop is here) LAST YEAR.  I keep a pretty little handmade ceramic bowl on bench FULL of art beads.  I like to stare at their beauty every day - it is inspirational! Well, my bowl is overflowing, and it was time!

In my listing in my shop, I even went into detail as to why I loved these beads!  The ribbon of glass in khaki, navy, and ecru that flows all around the bead; the sterling silver droplets melted into the design; the rectangular shape of the bead; but mostly, it's that translucent deep blue glass! Just gorgeous!

I could not decide on copper or silver...so I used both, and made a little mixed metal chain.

My morning routine is cast in stone: I get up, brush my teeth, start the coffee, and turn on my I-Pad and read emails.  I received an Etsy email from a potential customer.  She referenced a pair of Sterling Silver earrings that I have in my shop, which are priced at $55.  She asked if I would sell them for $35.  Almost half of the stated price. I was shocked, and a tiny bit insulted.

Now mind you, my coffee was still brewing (I must have coffee FIRST THING in the morning - I MUST)!  I try very hard to keep my prices affordable.  It is stated in my listings that ALL proceeds are donated to charity.  I mean, I don't just pick a price off the top of my head - it's calculated.

I turned off the I-Pad, drank my coffee, and sat down at my computer. I wrote her back, thanked her very much for her interest.  I told her that my price was firm and fair, and is based upon the materials used in the design, the craftsmanship, and most importantly, the skill set required to create these earrings.

I have not heard back from her, and I am sure I will not.  But, it threw me off a bit!  I have had people try to "barter" with me at craft shows before - that never goes over well, either!

It took me a couple years making jewelry before I even considered selling it.  I am a private person with not the highest self esteem to begin with. Selling one's art is, in a way, like selling a piece of oneself.  Our art is personal - at least mine is.  It took me a while to learn that just because a piece of my jewelry does not sell, it does not mean that design is awful - it's subjective.  So, every once in a while when I receive comments like "why is that so expensive" or "can you reduce the price", I have to remind myself that it's not me - it's them.

If there are any other jewelry designer's reading this blog, I would LOVE it if you would share with me in the comments how YOU would have replied to this inquiry. I can tell that this is going to bug me for a while.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!! I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week!

xo

Patti

Handcrafted Ornament Swap & Hop

Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime is hosting her 3rd Annual Holiday Ornament Blog Hop today!  We put our names in a hat and Sally chose our partners.  The only requirement was to use at least one art bead in our ornaments.  Who would not love to receive a handmade ornament?!

I was pleased as punch to have Susan Kennedy of Sue Beads chosen as my partner!  I have blogged many times about Sue's lampwork beads - and she is also an expert with enameled beads and now...beaded beads (those dreaded little seed beads that I CANNOT work with)!

First up, Sue's box came wrapped with this beautiful pendant she made with one of her lampwork beads and a highly faceted glass bead with AB finish.  (I tore the package open BEFORE taking a picture, because that is how I roll....)

This looks gorgeous on a silver chain - wearable holiday ornament for me!

The ornament Sue made for me is comprised of gorgeous faceted chandelier crystals and one of her beautiful green lampwork beads!  I have made earrings in the past from those beads!  :)  Love them!

She used these awesome gold connectors for each section of the ornament -  I have never seen these before!

The ornament looks fabulous in situ...don't you agree?

Sue also gifted me a pair of her beaded beads - which I just LOVE!  

Love the baby blue with purple seeds...so much so, that I already whipped up a pair of earrings with some faceted Amethyst:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Sue!  I am beyond grateful for your generosity!  The ornament looks fabulous on my tree, and I will cherish it for years to come! To see what I made for Sue, go to her blog here.

A HUGE thank you to our wonderfully creative hostess, Sally, for hosting this wonderful Blog Hop!   

Now, hop on over to the other blog participants to see the beauties they received!

Sally Russick and Beth and Evie McCord

Erin Prais-Hintz and Melissa Trudinger

Karen Williams and Shirley Moore

Lori Finney and Alicia Marinache

D Lynne Bowland and Paula Kramer

Kim Bender Hora and Jenny Davies Reazor

Becky Pancake and Lori Anderson

Veralynne Malone and Therese Frank

Tanya Goodwin and Sandi Volpe

Jeanette Ryan and Rochelle Brisson

That's me! --->Patti Vanderbloemen and Susan Kennedy

I am vending today at my last show of the year (praying for good weather - snow/ice is in the forecast!) - I will be hopping after the show on Saturday evening.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend!!

xo

Patti

Inspired by Winter Challenge

As if Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime did not have enough on her plate with the 52 Week Focus on Life Challenge, she came up with yet another one... "Inspired by Winter".  Sally instructed us to create a piece of jewelry that reflects the beautiful shimmer of newly fallen snow ; the muted colors of nature as it awaits Spring; the yummy browns of hot cocoa, the deep greens of the evergreens, or the bright red berries from the holly bushes.

I love Winter - it is my favorite of all the seasons.  I was born in Chicago and vividly remember The Chicago Blizzard of 1967 that literally shut down the City.  Over 23 inches of snow fell in less than 24 hours on January 26th.  To this day, it is the worst blizzard in Chicago history.  COOL! My Mother remembers it too, though her memories of this week were not as fond as her 6 year-old child who did not have to go to school!
 

Just say the word Winter to me, and this is what my mind sees:

So far this season, Mother Nature has basically forgotten about me, as there has been but a smitten of snow in Northern Virginia...sigh.  Oh well, still inspired, this is what I created:

GORGEOUS beads by Sue Kennedy (SueBeads)  aptly named "Winter White Sparkle Beads" adorn this bracelet wired in Silver. 

I added some tiny Czech glass bead dangles

Had to make earrings to match!

Look at this absolutely stunning lampwork bead by GlassBeadArt!!!  It just shimmers and shines and screams Winter!

I had fun playing with these pictures in PicMonkey - I added my own frost, since Nature could not provide it for me!

Thank you, Sally, for hosting this Challenge!  I at least got to visit Winter in my mind!  Now, go visit all of the participants who have been Inspired by Winter!

Sally Russick

Patti Vanderbloemen <--That's me!

Shelly Buettner

Therese Frank

Donna Bradley

Jo Tinley

Karin Slaton
Rochelle Brisson

Renetha Stanziano

Tanya Goodwin

Jenny Davies Reazor

Cynthia Machata

Lola Surwillo

Veralynne Malone

Mary Lamoray

Lynsey Brooks

Mary K McGraw

Ailsa Cordner

Staci Smith

Rana Wilson

Karin King

Beth Emery

Pam Farren

Jess Green

Susan F.