Handmade Weddings

So, I've got this blog, and I've got all of these ideas, I just have to sit down and write! I am currently fascinated with multimedia jewelry design, but just learning what I am doing, so there are far more knowledgeable bloggers out there. So, I was listening to my Introvert Entrepreneur podcast – and I am just supposed to do it. "Doesn't matter if you're not good enough, or if anyone else might hear…" So here goes:

Weddings – specifically handmade weddings. When I got married, five years ago, I had a horrible time finding anything online about simple, handmade weddings. Apparently the market is glutted with wedding vendors that think you have twenty grand to blow on a dream, fairytale extravaganza. We didn't have that kind of a budget at all, but I did have dreams of a beautiful wedding. My Mom and I had been planning these events, shindigs, parties for family and friends for years. Luaus, birthday parties, sweet 16 parties and three weddings and wedding receptions. I knew we could do it on a bit of a shoestring. I know that the complete cost on my wedding for 150 guests was around $5000. That was a bit over budget, but it included everything from my dress to food, invitations, bridesmaid gifts, the venue, and the most expensive part – photography. That was my splurge, and it came in at around $2K when all was said and done. But I felt the most important thing I could spend money on was preserving the memories of our big day to look back on 20 years from now. Because anyone who's had a large wedding will tell you that it's all a blur.

How'd we do it? Well, with A LOT of help from our friends. We were not afraid to ask for help, and accept gifts. We have a friend that owns a rental company, her very generous gift to us was the use of tablecloths and dishes. For another wedding we planned, the groom had a friend who what a photographer who shot their wedding as a gift. My brother's wedding was catered by a good friend, Tom supplied the food and Jeremy and Kenny from New Century Catering came out and cooked it for his 170 guests. The other aspect – good old creativity, and thinking outside of the box.

I hope to be able to share some of the tips we've learned, the only hitch is, you do have to be crafty. I come from a long line of crafters, so it's in the genes. I remember being about eight and helping tie these little pipe cleaner bride and groom figures on favors for my aunt's wedding with my grandmother and great grandmother….three Jordan almonds, a circle of tulle and this cute little pair. Grandma Peters was a florist in her younger days, my Great Gram made these incredible ceramic Christmas trees out of upcycled costume jewelry; she also sewed like a dream. My Mom sews, knits, crochets, gardens, designs furniture and makes a wicked bow. My sister can draw, paint and arrange flowers. My Dad is a genius. A carpenter, woodworker, an electrician, plumber, he can build or fix anything. I am a paper crafter at heart, I love paint, scissors, tools, glue, beads, baubles and glitter.

So, if you're not crafty, grab a crafty friend and give it a try – you can do it!

Red River Paper Giveaway at Everything Etsy!

It's s super week of giveaways at Everything Etsy this week - Red River Paper giving away a pair of printers and eight $50 gift certificates.  They have beautiful papers to print cards and photos on.  Including great panoramic cards - for those long skinny panoramic photos.  I have some great shots of Joshua Tree National Park that would look incredible printed on these.
Check it out!
Red River Paper giveaway on Everything Etsy

Millefiori - newest obsession

Some shots of the newest creations - I love the look of these Millefiori beads! I recently received a bunch from the bead supplier, and have been creating like mad! Wait until the crocheted necklace gets finished, made with deep red wire and millefiori chips,Swarvoski crystals and a few glass drops. Spectacular! 

Millefiori flowers - linked bracelet

Almost Harvest Time!

My husband and I also have a small business called RheaRange Farms. We are a small producer of local, sustainable food. This is our first official year in operation; we had a few hoophouses in last year and grew much of our own produce. I made a minestrone soup from all of the vegetables I was able to can or freeze last year. Yum! August has got to be one of the busiest times of the year for us because all the produce is ready or nearly ready to harvest. We have over 100 tomato plants in production this year. We plan to wholesale to one of our local produce stands and hopefully find some individuals who are interested in canning. I am also planning on connecting with some other local farms if possible. The Tomatoes are just starting to get some color, so it's going to be a busy few weeks.

I am trying to get some of my newest designs up on the Etsy account and keep up with everything. Here are some of the newest designs:

black, pink and green wire crochet necklace

antiqued brass with teal pressed glass

antiqued copper hoops with turquoise colored beads

 

trio of small flower drop flowers with crystal centers

crocheted strands with seed bead accents, finished with antique silver. Listed on Etsy with matching earrings for $48

Christmas in July!

Paisley Sheets - Christmas in July

It's the Annual Christmas in July sale on Etsy - there are deals all over the site. just search for "christmasinjuly" of "CIJ".  I am offering free shipping throughout the shop and a few special deals like $10 this very cool lampwork bracelet - I named it "Vanessa" after my niece who loves lavender. For her wedding, she custom ordered bows for her Bichons from Etsy.com to match the groomsmen :). The bracelet is made up of set of seven beautiful handmade lampwork beads that I picked up a few years ago, loaded with Swarvoski crystals, pewter beads, and some pretty pressed glass beads to finish it all off.

I've got a load of new beads I picked up today, my favorite store, Ben Franklin Crafts had all of their semi-precious stones and Czech Crystals 40% off, so I was able to get some great deals! Stay tuned for what comes out next!

Etsy Front Page!

Very exciting day on Monday - I put together a treasury on Etsy (like Everything Etsy told me), and it was picked for the front page! I was so excited, a built another one called Oh Mexico, it's based on a couple of neat pillows I found while searching. So far it has 29 views and 22 clicks, that must be a pretty good ratio, huh? The Etsy treasury that was on the front page is to the right there (thanks craftcult.com for the widget). Here is a screenshot:

June in the studio

Well, the sun has finally come out here in the Great Pacific Northwest. We usually don't get good weather until after July 4, so we really appreciate the beautiful days of spring. But, the rain makes all the green around here, so who can complain? Leaves lots of time to create!!

Because I split my time right now between the jewelry making and working on the farm (and the search for a day job), sometimes the blog gets neglected. June is a busy time on the farm, the tomatoes are getting started and need to be strung, beans, cucumbers and squash planted. Then there are the ducklings and the chickens to tend. How did I work and get all of this done? Hmmm.

Jewelry wise, I am having a great month.
My friends and family have been so supportive and receptive of my designs. It is so encouraging! I sold a piece to my Mom's friend, who sent me a note about two days later with a custom order for her friend, and then our old family friends the Witts came over and loved everything! They chose many pieces, necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

They were nice enough to model some of my new designs as well. These are crochet necklaces, they are really great. Two are mixes with chain and seed beads, and the other is three strands of gold colored wire with garnets. It looks like it is floating. Now that I have some modeled photos, I hope to get it up on the Etsy site soon.











I sold my first item to a "stranger" on Etsy - a pair of earrings. Really exciting!! I've always been particular to this pair too....

Wire knitted bracelets

I have a number of wire knitted bracelets in my Etsy store, I thought it would be fun to show some construction photos of one being made. In writing the blog, I now realize how very complicated the process is. Maybe I'm not charging enough?

It all starts with a bead mixture, I am usually inspired by a single bead strand or color and work from there. The bracelet in the construction photos was inspired by these turquoise seed beads I had in a vial on my worktable. I put all the beads in a dish and add beads from the collection until I am satisfied with the look and it feels right. the bead choices can be tricky because they cannot be much larger than 4mm or it is really difficult to knit. It's a balance of large and small beads to get the right texture and look in the finished product.

I have a collection of 28-32 gauge copper wire in different colors, so then the wire color decision must be made. I usually like copper or silver, but sometimes a color calls out (gut instinct). All of the beads in the bracelet then are strung out on the wire. I use permanently colored copper wire, it seems to hold up the best to the knitting process. There is a lot of strain on the wire while knitting, to keep the tension, and I have had other types of wire break. Also, there are between 45-75 feet of wire in each bracelet, sterling silver 30G wire can get pricey.

Then the knitting begins, I choose the width that I want and cast on that number of stitches. I knit in garter stitch back and forth, only adding beads on one side until it is the desired length, then bind off. The knitting needles are metal, about a size 000 (that's really fine). I also use them to knit beaded bags, which is another post. Those take months, literally.

This is a shot of the beginning of a bracelet. once the bracelet body is finished, I use crimp ends to finish the ends and add a clasp.

testin g the new blog

I wasn't happy with the features on the Wordpress blog (being able to post to my facebook page and etsy account) lets try this one!