A New Style...

Sorry, I haven't blogged for a bit. Lots of things have been stirring around...

I have been considering for quite along time how I can make my jewelry more profitable and more efficent to make. My ultimate goal is to fully support myself solely by making jewelry. Those of you who make jewelry also can probably understand the challege in this.

One logical solution that I'm leaning towards involves creating a large line of easily assembled, and easily reproduced pieces. These can be sold on Etsy and re-listed easily after each sale thus saving me tremendous amounts of time photographing, editing, and listing each one of a kind each time. Plus the benefit of ordering bulk quantities of supplies, the option of "made to order" which minimizes slow moving inventory, the ability to then offer my line to retailers... etc... endless benefits. One drawback... will I still feel creative? or will I feel like a factory? will I still be an artist? is a vision of profitability causing me to "sell out"??? Or is that what "being in business" is really all about?

I suppose these are only questions that I can answer myself... and these answers will probably only come once I begin to follow that path. I just wish I could wipe away the feeling that I have. I just feel a bit like I am compromising my original vision. But, maybe, I am really just adapting.

Anyway, these are the whirlings of my busy, restless mind... any thoughts? feedback? guidance?

Above is a new photo of a new piece that would likely be part of my new line. This is a new style of photography as well, which I am truly loving!

The Super Glue Mishap

Oh the mess!!! I was so incredibly focused and mildly frustrated at the 4th attempt in perfecting a bracelet I was working on. I normally don't remake things mulitple times but this particular piece just wasn't working out. I was struggling with how to complete my closure. I had hand knotted the bracelet using hemp cord and I wanted to used a wood bead toggle and create a loop with little beads, but I wanted to string the beads on the hemp and the holes were small and the cord was thick... you know the story... so I thought if I just add a bit of glue to the tip of my cord it might just stiffen it up enough for me to use it like a needle and add my beads (this has probably been done before, but it was a eureka moment for me)

So enlivened with my new idea I grabbed my super glue, twirled off the cap and tipped it upside down....... uggghhh..... I stared at a puddle of the entire contents of my full bottle of super glue which was now emptied on to the surface of my work table and all of my nearby components! The tip of the bottle was stuck inside the cap and I literally just dumped an open bottle !Wow! My first reaction was to lift up a paper napkin which was soaked because I did not want it permanately attached to my table. The glue quickly spread out and climbed up the napkin saturating most of my right hand and some of the left. Immediately it began severly burning! So I dropped the napkin and ran to the sink to rinse my hands! A moment later, I returned to the scene and the napkin was smoldering and smoking!!! I was seriously afraid that it was about to explode into flames!!!! I yelled for my boyfriend to come to my rescue! He quickly helped me to minimize the damage. The napkin was charred, hot, and toxic! The fumes were seriously stinging our eyes and it took hours to remove the glue from my skin, in fact in took days for all of it to come off. My table is marred and my favorite wire cutters were made victim as well... a very sad misfortune... but at least, not a single bead was lost!

But, I am happy to report that my efforts were not in vain because, despite the tragedy, the trick worked! Adding a bit of glue to the tip of cord does work like a needle and the bracelet was finally a success!