I WISH...

I wish I had enough to say daily to keep you guys entertained, but I'm so busy keeping all of my balls up in the air that I'm not even coming up w/ things to say on FACEBOOK! How crazy is that?? :o)

Things are going GREAT... I'm enjoying keeping my Etsy shop stocked... although it's ALOT of work & life tends to keep me from listing as often as I would like to, but it's really satisfying to have my work on the internet instead of just @ shows, where only a small amount of people have access to my pieces. I'm focusing on acorns these days, I just can't make enough... can't complain, but they're the most labor intensive of any of the work I do, so I have to do them in batches, which makes each step, including photo taking & listing, a process. I do enjoy it, though. I've just listed 30 new acorns in my Etsy shop, they're already being plucked up, which makes me very happy... but there you go, I have to get busy making more!! :o)

Anyway... here's a few more acorns that I listed.....
(clicking images will bring you to their listings)

& a FABULOUS skeleton key heart that I just love!

Off to make some more acorns!!

~ Julie

ARE YOU READY FOR TOMORROW??

I'm getting there!

I didn't do very well w/ a countdown, did I?? :o) 5,4,3,2,1....

Here's a quickie....
I've been making a bunch of pendant beads that only have one hole... it lets me make really nice tips to hearts & such, they come to a nice point or spiral, etc. Only problem is that I always glue them up the way I want them to be, where someone else might've done something completely different. SO... I've decided to offer these one-hole pieces as-is & then will offer BAIL PLUGS as an add-on. See what I mean below. I use 2-part epoxy to glue them up.

One-hole pendant bead & "bail plug"

complete piece ...plug isn't glued in yet, it's just modeling for you...

 Here's a heart that I'm offering the same way... 1 hole heart bead only, Bail Plug is an add-on.

Heart w/ Bail Plug in place

What do you think? I hope people "get it"...

See you in my Etsy shop tomorrow morning!!

Till then...

~ Julie

GRAND RE-OPENING COUNTDOWN... PLUS 1

Well... I've got to give myself another day to get my Etsy Shop open... hoping nobody gets their BEADWORK magazine a day early. :o) I know, you guys are out there waiting patiently, but I've been killing myself to get this stuff together, can't believe how much work it is!! Once I get this all up, I'm posting pieces at least weekly, if not daily. I was told the magazine starts hitting mailboxes on the 9th, so I'm pushing to get it up & running by midnight (or the middle of the night) before the mailman comes! :o) I still have so much to do. You'd think I'd just start adding one item, then another, etc. It's empty... I'm trying to hold it all off for a grand entrance, LOL... working up the anticipation, you know?? :o)

Here....I'll give you a little tease, though..... enjoy!

Such a beautiful acorn!

Comparison of standard & mini acorns... next to a penny, a Cheez-It & an 11 year old's hand. :o)
(these specific acorns are no longer available)

I'm getting items listed on my website store... for the first time since I started up my site! I've decided that it will mostly be items that are stocked, like findings (my Changeable Twig Bead Pendant! See below), bead alignment tubing, & such, as well as made-to-order pieces, such as my utensils, kaleidoscopes & such. 

I have a wonderful new batch of sterling silver Changeable Twig Bead Pendants... they're so beautiful & make such a statement. They'll regularly be for sale on my website & will be on Etsy, too. Click on the picture to take you to my website & all of the details. (bead & ribbon is not included, of course)

I'll also have some simpler changeable bead holders on my website & Etsy in the next few days... they're $15-$25 & I've done them in both sterling & gold filled/vermeil. 

This next piece is going to be a deal for someone... I'd prefer if it was someone who will remember it came from me, just in case. It's beautiful (& is pictured in my BEADWORK Bead Artist article!), 40mm diameter.

 

I made the mistake of thinking that it needed to be lined w/ some sterling tubing the other day. See the little raised dots there around the center,? I ended up knocking tiny little pieces of 2 neighboring dots off as I hammered, trying to get the lining down tight in front! SO, I'm including the ribbon... it hides the owies :o) ...but they're still there. I was dremeling the hole on the back, too, & put a little scratch on the back surface, arg! Luckily it's under the ribbon, too!! I'd keep it for myself, but I thought someone might want a deal. Normally, I'd sell the disc for $50 lined w/ the silver & the ribbon would be an extra $8... so $58. I'll give it up for $38, including shipping to wherever you are. So that's $20 plus whatever the shipping charges will be. It's still a solid piece... not about to fall apart on you, I just can't sell it as perfect. 

See the white spots on the 2 raised dots in the center, that's where the top of the glass was chipped off

I'm offering it right here for sale on my blog. First come first serve...eMail me your PayPal address & I'll send you an invoice, to be paid w/in 24 hours, otherwise I go on to the next in line. Thanks!!

Maybe I'll start offering a "Deal of the Week". We'll see!!

Enough teasing. I'll see you guys on Etsy in a few days!!! 

Till then....

~ Julie

COUNTDOWN TO ETSY SHOP REOPENING...5 DAYS...

(click images to enlarge)

I've been working my butt off (I wish) to get a gazillion pieces photographed & listed in my Etsy shop & get it opened by September 8th. Shall we have a Grand Re-Opening celebration?? :o) Maybe we will. Maybe there will be a shop discount. Maybe there will be a shop discount to anyone who mentions my blog, or the BEADWORK Glass Artist article about me in their upcoming October/November issue!!!

Thought I'd put out a little teaser... a few pictures. You know how much I love to tease. 

I've been having a blast making my first skeleton keys. Yes, this is a key. It was a teeny-tiny key that was calling for a heart... but not just ANY heart... THIS heart. :o) It was made directly onto the key

These are my first 5 keys EVER. I love them. :o) They've been so much fun to do & I really love making them MINE... 

Okay, not MINE, for me, but MINE, as in JULIE STYLE. You can tell that I made them, right? I'll probably lightly embellish them (or some of them), but hmmmmmmm... they're so beautifully simple just hanging from a long ribbon. Maybe I WON'T lightly embellish them. What do you think???  

From here on out, other than when I'm REALLY on vacation, my Etsy store will be stocked daily w/ new items. I'm also going to be working on setting up a shop on my website. Stay tuned for that one. 

Till then...

~ Julie

BUSY BUSY GIRL...

Hey you! (yeah, YOU!)
I've been a busy busy girl the past several days trying to put together a RESOURCE page on my website for lampworkers. It started out as a simple list of my go-to glass & supplies sources that my first lampworking teacher asked me to put together for her for her students. (she knows I get around) But, being the A.D.D. perfectionist that I am, I couldn't leave it w/ SIMPLE. No way. It needs to be a COMPLETE source list... starting out w/

GLASS . TOOLS . SUPPLIES

...then adding subcategories for SPECIALTY suppliers, like:

Frit & Murrini

Glassworking & Shaping Tools

Glassfinishing Tools

....then Studio Equipment...

then books & magazines & tutorials & teaching studios, jewelry making supplies & on & on & on.

LOL... it never ends.

I'm getting some wonderful suggestions... can't use them all... but it's nice for others to check it out for me & fill in some blanks.

BUT... I have to stop for a few days, at least..... the BEAD SOUP PARTY is coming to an end on Wednesday & I have got to finish up my piece!! (no, I'm NOT a procrastinator... no way. LOL. I've been a little stuck w/ this piece... fighting to keep myself from taking this fabulous pendant that I've made from Jen's polymer piece & put it on a gorgeous silk ribbon. LOL. I like simpler pieces where the focal stands out...but we've challenged eachother to do something outside of the norm & Jen's done a fantastic job w/ my piece & is learning new techniques & is working w/ new materials in the process!! So time to get busy & do the same thing!!!

While I'm here :o) ...here's a little show & tell... a new heart necklace...I love it!

(click for larger image)

What do you think??? You love it, too... don't you?? :o) Need to get it listed in my Etsy store... will be after I get this Bead Soup piece finished up & posted, though!!

Till then...

Have a great week!

~ Julie

FINALLY!! LISTINGS ON ETSY...

If you're here for the ONE WORLD ONE HEART giveaway...

click link on top right sidebar >>>

I rarely get a chance to list items for sale online. With the shows that I do & the summer gallery, it seems like I'm in "show mode" most of the time. Finding the balance that it takes to photograph & list, TOO, seems to be tough for me to reach.... but I'm TRYING!! I get so many inquiries from people all over the world that have seen my stuff on my website, blog, Facebook, LampworkEtc & so-on, & I'm happy to sell to them, anytime.... but I know that if I could get some pieces listed online, I'd have some happy customers!! :o)

So... I'm spending the next few days getting pieces listed in my Etsy shop. First up, hearts for Valentine's Day, earrings & other pendants... then will get some beads & such out there for you designers. I have a good amount of stock. Never hesitate to contact me to see what I have. I'm happy to just shoot a quick picture for you.

Here are some of the pieces I'm listing before I go to bed (& it's definitely time for bed!! :o)

(click on the images to take you to their listings...)

& I still have 3 fabulous kaleidoscopes out there, too.... check them out!

More tomorrow...

New Etsy Street Team...

I’m a proud member of the new Etsy street team, LEST (Lampwork,Etc Etsy Street Team) which is made up of some seriously talented glass artists from the Lampwork Etc. online forum.

As a team of Lampwork Artists, we plan to work together to increase our visibility and to share knowledge about different marketing ideas that relate to selling on Etsy. We'll have group sales (that I'll announce here in my blog as well as in my Etsy store announcement, etc...) & promotions... we'll be opening an Etsy LEST group store SOON where we'll sell beads & such for fundraisers to various causes like Beads of Courage .....& we even have a LEST group BLOG! (Now I just have to come up w/ something clever & glass related to talk about!)

To find my fellow LEST artists & a multitude of fabulous handmade lampwork beads, jewelry & other glass items...search on Etsy for “LEST” in titles & tags.

Here is our gallery of LEST artists' Etsy shops
& our new LEST blog

Come check us out!!

HOUSTON, WE HAVE LIFT-OFF!

WHEW!!

I've worked literally 20/7 for the past 3 weeks or so to get my site up, had some "image issues" that kept me from being able to launch it on the originally planned launch date (December 5th), but it's ready!! I'm trying to get available items up on Etsy & eBay right now, it's pretty time consuming & I'm pretty exhausted, but I'm getting there!

Funny thing is that I listed 3 items on Etsy, the last one I listed at 3:30 am yesterday just before I finally went to bed. When I got up 3 hours later (ugh) to get my son off to school, I checked my listings & that last item wasn't listed anymore. I'm like "what the heck?? Didn't I post it correctly" Took me a few minutes to realize that it had already SOLD! LOL! My first Etsy sale in less than 3 hours!!! LOL! Yes!!! :o) VERY exciting!!

Will spend more time blogging from here on out...it's just been nonstop photoshopping for the past several weeks. My poor family! (my poor hand/arm/shoulder! I couldn't do this [webdesign] for a living!)

Hope you enjoy my website & my blog!! I now need to go through my blog & see if THESE images need a bit of tweaking, too! (will explain later)