A world without color?

 Color. Color has power and impact. When I think about the importance of color, I realize how almost every movement/ action/ interaction involves color in some way. It is a topic that feels too huge to tackle and to write about - where to begin? Color effects mood and the environment, it invokes emotion and feelings, it acts on the body and the mind, it is cultural, symbolic and has universal, national and personal associations. It can be a warning that something is wrong. It is everywhere - in everything. Color is light and light is energy. Colour lovers at http://www.colourlovers.com/index.cfm - a web site devoted to people who love color - share color palettes and talk about color. The sidebar highlights top colors and new colors and people submit colors and color palettes. And people add all kinds of comments to the color submissions, some absurdly unrelated, such as "My friend sent me a postcard. It was a satellite  picture of the entire world. On the back it said, "Wish you were here'" and "Curiosity killed the cat. But for a while I was a suspect." This site would be a place to find inspiration when designing web colors, colors for jewelry or for knitting projects. Or for putting together clothes or designing a garden. The most loved color right now, according to this site, is BLACK, followed by a slate blue color. In the top ten four are green-lime greenish, and the rest are shades of blue. The most used colors are white, followed by black, then various shades of grey, slate, then some shades of red, blue and yellow. 

And then there's John Mayer's comment on color as it relates to people: "Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the 8-color boxes, but what you're really looking for are the 64-color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I fancy myself to be a 64-color box, though I've got a few missing. It's ok though, because I've got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. I have a bit of a problem though in that I can only meet the 8-color boxes. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation.. so when I meet someone who's an 8-color type.. I'm like, "Hey girl, magenta!" and she's like, "Oh, you mean purple!" and she goes off on her purple thing, and I'm like, "No - I want magenta!"

There are now 120 colors in the biggest box of Crayola Crayons. (see http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0872797.html for timeline and history of additions and names of colors - kind of interesting, especially if you remember the excitement of getting a brand new box of crayons as a kid! If it is tough] to find a 64-color box type person, imagine finding a 120-color box type! I am fortunate to have several of those rare 120-color box type people in my life  - others who color my life with shades of love, adding layers of brilliantly hued meaning to my existence.  I thank the spirit of the world's colors daily for these wonderful beings.

 

 

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Abandoned no more?

Basically, this was an abandoned blog. I stopped making jewelry because it became too demanding and was draining cash for materials and supplies that never became self-supporting. I just found the blog again when I listed a few new bracelets on Etsy, deciding get back to using some of what I still have on hand. NOT going to be buying more of anything, but I still have lots of good stuff. So, the challenge is to use it. I will stick items on Etsy, more out of a wish to have someone enjoy a piece, rather than have it sit around in my work room.

So far, mostly bracelets with a spring theme. Let's just see how it goes.

Spring Bracelets

I know I can't catch up all these years in one post, so I will leave it for now. Hope to chat again soon. 

and more work!

It is amazing what goes into putting together a display for a show when it comes down to actually doing it. I have been happily puttering with my jewelry for several years, doing a custom job now and again, and more recently, posting on Etsy and making some sales there. Now I am preparing for my first show and sale. I was invited with about 5 weeks leeway, and kicked it into gear. But, I had to rethink packaging and still must think about pricing and display. There is an amazing web site that I'm sure anyone searching for packaging and display ideas could find with a google search by Rena Klingenberg at http://jewelrydisplayideas.com/ that has been helpful.

For packaging, I was using a fairly time consuming process with a (not sure what to call it....) puffy box that I was cutting, scoring and folding myself, then wrapping with a paper ribbon and sticking my card in it. Looked good, but not doable for a show, especially when I am not the one doing the packaging - the show has a central check out station.

So.... I bought some kraft boxes and I am circling the cover only with the paper strip. I also got some sticker paper, and printed up my name and email to stick on the cover of each box.

Display - have a table, but no cover. I bought a large black 'wedding' table cloth on ebay to cover the table. More to do and think about, but I will have to do that later in the week.

Earring cards and display - designed some earring cards (pictured, except the background image of the tree is fainter) , and will need to come up with a display hanger. Have an idea for using picture frames.

It's been a while

since I've sold anything on Etsy, but I sold a pair of copper earrings yesterday. I have been busy getting new inventory ready for the Holiday sale and have not posted new items or done any pr to attract buyers.

My living room is overtaken by trays of jewelry parts, wires, beads, threats, tools and you name it. Thank goodness dh is unfazed.

And in other news, the mild weather continues to hold. 50's in November is a treat. The deer hunting season started today, and puts a dent in the outdoor activities I feel comfortable doing. No walking in the woods for me. I don't even like running by woods at this time of year.

oh, and new earring design!

not a good photo - just snapped a quick one so I could remember the design after I sell the earrings. These particular pairs won't be going on Etsy. I won't be posting on Etsy until after this Holiday sale, so if there are requests, please make them as custom order requests.

Plugging away

at getting enough stuff ready for my first sale .... Holiday Art Show at the Cafe Wren. It is exhausting to work full time at the 'day' job and then try to do jewelry work at night. And the weather has been so blasted NICE! No, that's not really a complaint - it's just that it's so hard to stay inside to work all day on the weekends when it is so unseasonably warm. Another two weeks and I can let down a little. I think!

Holiday Art Sale

coming up at the Cafe Wren in Luck, WI. A great place to get much of your shopping done, the show will run for two weekends. 25 area artists are participating. Wares include jewelry, stained glass, aromatherapy lotions and soaps, framed art, pottery and more!

I will be posting photos of some of what I will have there soon.

Join us and spread the word!