Leftover Inspiration

A few weeks ago, I was sitting at my work space, sorting through the detritus of previous projects, when I came across some short lengths of round chain.

I love that chain design because it’s really versatile--big but not too big--great for necklaces and bracelets.  But these lengths… Hmmm…  Connected with a jump ring, they’d be a good length for the long earrings that are in style lately.  But, of course, if they’re Bear Chick, they need more color.  

 So, into my bead boxes I go to find some small beads--yeah, purple is perfect.  I connect these with simple loops, then make another unit for the top with a focal bead.  Both the chain and beads sparkle and move when I walk.  Mmmm, the sample pair is mine!!

Once I made the first pair, I had to go out and buy more of the chain to make this design in a color wheel of colors, plus black and crystal.

Click on picture to see earrings on Etsy

Then I had to make an extravagantly long single earring.  Just ‘cause I could.

What leftover craft or art supply, food or ?? has inspired you to make something new?

Look for these earrings on my Etsy and Aftcra shops and if there's a special color you'd like, let me know! 

 C’est La Vie! Do What You Love!

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com
http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com
https://www.aftcra.com/bearchick

Aftcra--Crafted by American Hands

Aftcra.  A somewhat unwieldy name for a website (it’s an anagram of A Craft) but it’s got a lofty mission--to be a marketplace for handmade arts and crafts made in America.  With Etsy succumbing to the siren call of Big Business (they began public trading in April) and letting their original handmade promise be crushed under the wheels of profit, both buyers and sellers are looking for a virgin venue.

Click on logo above to go to Aftcra.com  

As a seller, I was happy to find Aftcra.  It’s always good to diversify and not have all your products in one market basket.  Etsy has gotten so big and full of cheaply made junk from overseas, that there’s a tendency to feel lost in the shuffle.  It’s sad, because Etsy appears to be the marketing gold standard right now for decorative and personal items but it also seems like buyers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of products returned in a given search and the wide variance of quality and price.  This has been a double edged sword for me, because, even though I’m told that as a seller, I am responsible, to a large extent, for driving customers to my shop, just as I am on Aftcra, I have to say that a lot of my sales on Etsy have been to people who actually did find me through Etsy searches, not my Facebook or Twitter feeds.  What I’m hoping is that Aftcra draws more attention to itself because it’s such a small venue at this point, with more opportunity for the sellers who are giving it a chance to be seen in searches.  And part of their appeal and unclutteredness is that they do not allow vintage items or supplies, so it’s strictly finished goods, thereby lessening the volume of search results for buyers.  A win-win for everyone!

Sea Creature Necklace-click on picture to go to Aftcra listing

Could Aftcra go the way of Etsy and get too big for it’s britches?  Only time will tell.  I’ve seen other start ups either bite off more than they could chew (Goodsmiths) or get greedy (Artfire).  For now, Aftcra is a privately owned, family owned and woman owned endeavor that has it’s heart in the right place.  The site itself is bright, clean and user friendly and I can tell you that several emails I’ve sent have been answered promptly and helpfully. The minimum price of a listed item is $10, which I think encourages quality products (folks who sell small things like greeting cards package several together to meet the $10 minimum).

I will always have allegiance to Etsy because it’s been my most successful selling venue to date. But I hope that whether you’re a buyer or a seller, you’ll check out Aftcra and bring a little American Handmade business their way.  My shop URL is below. 

Happy Shopping and Selling!

C’est La Vie! Do What You Love! 

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com
http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com
https://www.aftcra.com/bearchick

Bear Chick Reads - The Hanged Man by P.N. Elrod

The Hanged Man combines the best of science fiction, Steampunk and mystery together in one action packed story.  Alex is a young woman serving as a crime scene reader in Her Majesty’s Psychic Service.  A Christmas Eve hanging drops Alex into the middle of a governmental crisis, in which she battles traitors, monsters and her own broken family.  With the aid of a reluctant new member of the service, Lt. Brooks, and other reliable accomplices whose descriptions might give away plot points, Alex leads us on an intense adventure through the heart and underground of London.  I loved Pat Elrod’s Vampire File series (if you haven’t read those, get ye to Amazon!) and I‘m hoping HM Psychic Service has many more fine installments on the way.

Mare’s Scale of Literary Wickedness

Wicked Boring         Yawn-don’t bother   

Wicked Good           Don’t run any red lights getting to the library but worth reading

Wicked Cool            Good enough to spend 50 cents for a library hold so you can be the next to read it

Wicked Awesome    So damn good, if your library doesn’t have it, get it from Amazon

Mode of reading: Hard cover book

C’est La Vie! Do What You Love!

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com
http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com
https://www.aftcra.com/bearchick

Guitar Pick Jewelry

Last year, when we were in the Boston area, The Husband got himself a guitar pick punch at a local comic book shop.  He goes through guitar picks pretty fast and planned to make them out of old gift cards and expired credit cards.  Now he has quite a collection.

Fast forward a year.  I’ve been borrowing his punch to make cute guitar picks for jewelry.  Sometimes I buy gift cards specifically for their graphics, like these:  

 They were Walmart gift cards available around Easter.

Unlike The Husband, I have to make at least one hole, sometimes 2 depending on the design, so I also have a hole puncher.  It’s supposed to be for metal but so far, it’s been fine for the plastic. 

And I've also used the specialty scissors to cut unusual shapes as a background for charms.

  I love adding the beads, charms and chain to the picks to create little one of a kind treasures.  You can find them in my earrings section on Etsy  HERE

C’est La Vie! Do What You Love!

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com
http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com

A Month of Thanksgiving

To kickstart the Holiday shopping season at my Etsy shop, I’ll be offering a deep discount on one item a day from October 26 to Thanksgiving Day!  And if you use Coupon Code FALL14 at checkout, you’ll get an additional 20% off on your entire order.  

Here’s the first deal--Was $32, now $16:

 Vintage Brass Floral and Blue Crystal Pendant with Brass Chain Necklace

 Check my Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/BearChick ) or Etsy shop ( www.etsy.com/shop/Bearchick ) every day for the Daily Deep Discount.

Whether you’re shopping for simple, cute earrings, one size fits all bracelets or sparkly necklaces, you’ll find something for every Chick on your list.

And don’t forget, the FALL14 Coupon Code at my vintage/destash shop on Etsy gets you 15% off! 

C’est La Vie! Do What You Love!

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com

http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com

What’s Up? Steampunk and France!

It’s been a while, boys and girls.  My creative mojo has been on hiatus.  I took a French class.  I stressed out at work.  I visited friends and family in the Boston area.  I ate way too much. I read a lot.

Sometimes I feel like I stepped back from my inner life and my physical life.  I retreated.  Don’t know why.  These things sneak up and hide themselves in your head,  so you don’t realize you’re not doing anything--creating, exercising, thinking.  

But lately I’ve been getting creative again, making some jewelry and working on a Steampunk character.  For those of you who don’t know what Steampunk is, it’s basically a Victorian vision of science fiction--think  H.G. Wells and Jules Verne.  More recently, read the Leviathan series by Scott Westfield or Gail Carrigers’ Alexia Tarabotti books (which mix Steampunk with vampires and werewolves).  Steampunk is anything goes--from corsets to tricked out weaponry, top hats to gears as embellishments.  Characters range from scientists and royalty to adventurers and ladies of the evening.  We already have our reservations for the HRH Steampunk Symposium on the Queen Mary in January, so I’m gathering materials and making my costumes and accessories.

Cats are a big part of my character, Felina Reid’s, life, so they will figure in parts of my costume.  Like my hats--yes, those are cat ears!  

 
And the embellishment also features a cat pin.

Here some great shoes I scored at Goodwill yesterday:

I’ll be making a drawstring bag (and probably my skirt/bustle) out of velveteen fabric I used to use on my tables at craft shows.  The fabulous trim I found on Etsy.

We’re also planning a trip to France next year.  The Mom recently gave me a monetary gift to start a Paris fund.  I wanted to go next year for our 35th anniversary and this money gave that dream a big boost!  The Husband is a military history buff, so naturally wants to see the D-Day beaches in Normandy.  I’m a museum rat and flea market shopper, so that’s what I’m looking forward to in Paris.  You’d think the Louvre would be #1 on my list but it’s actually the Musee D’Orsay, since I love the Impressionists.  We also love to walk, so seeing Paris on foot is going to be exciting.  I remember walking in San Francisco--a walking pace at ground level allows you to see so many tiny, amazing details!  
 

I love the planning of a trip as much as the actual travel, so lately I’m either elbows deep in beads or French tour books.

I’ll keep you up to date on what I’m making and planning!

C’est La Vie! Do What You Love!

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com

http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com

I’m Back~With Artful Things

So, my creativity has been at low ebb for a while. I guess we all go through this, at different times in our lives. The Day Job zaps energy and the will to create. I feel like I’ve been in a library-shaped cocoon, reading and avoiding the world. But lately, I’ve been jotting notes for things I want to write, create and, gasp (!) sew. While texting with a friend a few weeks ago, I looked up a cameo company online and bought a bunch, which will be showing up in my Etsy shop soon as necklaces and earrings and even pins (!). There’s a stash of fabric in my workroom and patterns I got on a super sale at JoAnn. And I’m even thinking of starting classes toward a general ed degree.

 

Right now, I just want to get blogging again. Expect to see art around town, book reviews (I’ve discovered a lot of new mystery series lately), new jewelry and just things I find interesting and think you might, too.

 

Last week, The Husband and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary in Palm Springs. Today, I’m going to post some art from around PS and their great art museum. The next blog will have nose art and some other paintings and sculpture from the Palm Springs Air Museum. Enjoy!

 

Here we are, posed beneath Marilyn Monroe in her iconic pose from The Seven Year Itch. This great gal, a huge sculpture by Seward Johnson, is quite a draw!

I knew you were wondering!

We saw this sculpture a few years ago and we’re still amazed by it. I keep expecting her to blink!

Full length

Her feet are so dang lifelike!

This is a performance art piece on a 12 minute loop. It mesmerized me. So simple--a woman holding a container of milk--but so fascinating. I think because it was presented as a piece of art on the wall, the fact that you could see her breathing and working to keep the container steady but dribbling on the floor and her black dress, it was like watching through a window. And she never looks up, never tries to make contact. Hmmmm, that does make me a voyeur?!

Here I am with Your Dog, in the front lobby of the musuem.

No explanation--just fun! I posted this on Facebook with the caption, “I’ll never get these dishes done!”, contributed by The Husband.

Loved this Glass House

Loved this Glass Man. His pants are concrete, I believe, but the jacket and the head are glass. The jacket and hood seems to have been painted, but the back of the shoulders and the face were left raw, creating the glow of light. Beautiful!

Face detail.

I was taken with these ornaments hanging above the second tier of the museum, even before we discovered that each of the 100 pieces holds a note or piece of artwork from artists all over the world.

And here’s The Husband, with a driftwood horse he admired.

And just to show that art and beauty are everywhere, here's a beautiful flower we saw on our way to the museum.  So bright and happy!!

Coming soon, The Palm Springs Air Museum!

Do What You Love!

www.bearchick.etsy.com

www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com

Video from Sea World

Since I can't seem to get these on Facebook, here are some video's we took last week at Sea World.  Enjoy!

This is the first time I think I've ever seen an armadillo.  It wanted to dig up the tree in the enclosure!

Takin' a walk around the enclosure.

Just driftin' along

This guy really wanted to tear that thing off the wall!


Do What You Love!


http://www.bearchick.etsy.com/


http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com/

Not To Brag Or Anything, But…

The Bead Society of Orange County hosted a bead challenge this fall. They gave us a packet of purple seed beads and lavender flower beads, with the instructions that we had to use at least 75% of those beads, plus any other beads we wanted, in whatever colors we chose. There were six categories, including bead weaving and novice~I chose Wire Work. And, woo hoo, I won!

I had a lot of fun with the challenge. The flower beads are really made more for bead weaving and flat projects, I think, so they truly were a challenge. I didn't want to just string them (although after seeing some of the projects, people got truly creative with their stringing!), so I used a funny technique I saw earlier this year. I put a fire polished glass bead on the end of a head pin, followed by one of the flower beads and a metal spacer for some stability. Then I "curled" the head pin and bent it up so the flower would face outward, not just dangle down.

I'd been think about how to use the seed beads and I didn't have a lot of choices since I was using a lot of chain. Again, head pins to the rescue! I threaded a bunch of the seed beads onto a long head pin, made loops at both ends and then bent the head pin into zig zags. Connected them with more curled wire. Pretty different and I think that got me some extra points! And my BFF has already asked me for a zig zag necklace!

 

I worked on the necklace a little bit every night for a few weeks, making components with crystals and headpins and eventually connecting it all with jump rings. I knew I’d need components to attach the three strands and when I saw the round silver connectors that looked like flowers, I knew I’d found the perfect ones.

For the focal piece, I took a length of chain and kept adding flowers and seed beads and crystals until it was full and lush.

Here I am with three other category winners, including Cindy Carpenter (left), who won the big prize~a jar filled with beads, tools and other crafty necessities. I’m jealous!

But I was very happy with my $50 gift card to Brea Bead Works. And all but $1.55 is already spent! On tools for my next class and seed beads to make some more zig zag things. And a wire jewelry magazine. And some other cools beads… Well, I had a 20% off coupon and, really, you didn’t expect me to just let it burn a hole in my pocket, did you?!

Do What You Love!

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com/

http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com/

Bear Chick~The Wonder Years

*sigh*

This is almost as bad as showing my high school pictures!!

Here I am at the first show I ever did, at the clubhouse where I live:

Ah, simple stringing, necklaces and bracelets. I sold quite a bit and it encouraged me to actually get my business license and get serious about jewelry making. I think that's a piece of foam board beneath the fabric… Oh, the innocence!

And here I am at a monthly art fair that the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton used to hold on their beautiful property:

We got a canopy and real tables and everything! I was experimenting with different props and creating levels on the table for visual interest. I'm the first to admit that I'm not the best merchandiser around…

And we sold a few times at The Rose Bowl Antique Swap Meet in Pasadena, where they had a handmade section:

Ye gods! You had to be there at 5 in the morning (earlier if you were doing antiques) but you got to keep your car with you and the foot traffic was wild. It was a great experience. And it must have been pre-canopy because we only had the big umbrella. A canopy definitely defines your space better…

Of course, these shows were all pre-Etsy! I don't do a lot of shows these days. For someone working full time (knock wood!), it's more time consuming than I'm willing to deal with and right now, in this economy, it's a bit hit and miss. But my canopy and tables and velveteen fabric, jewelry busts, props and trays are just waiting for their next outing!

Do What You Love!

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com/

http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com/

Take Advantage of Me~I Mean, My Sale!

Take advantage of this quick sale Bear Chick is having!

Christmas is coming, so this special sale is two-fold. ONE, I want to clear out some things and get fresh stock in my shop for the holidays and TWO, you may find something really awesome as a gift for friends and family or just a treat for yourself.

Most of the items on sale are half price--you can't beat that! So take a look with stocking stuffers and hostess gifts in mind.

 

Here are a few examples:

Coral and Glass Necklace~wear this long or doubled

Original Price $35  Sale Price  $20

Purple Spots Memory Wire Bracelet

Original Price $14  Sale Price $7

Pink Princess Anklet~your favorite princess would love this in her stocking!

Original Price $14  Sale Price $7

And here's a link to the section on Etsy where you'll find these and other great buys: SALE

Do What You Love!

 

www.bearchick.etsy.com

www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com

Palm Springs Art Museum

I always find the beadwork! A few weeks ago (yes, I'm a little behind…), The Husband and I ambled through the wonderful Palm Springs Art Museum. One of their exhibits, Comic Art Indigene, showcased Native American comic book art and related subjects. Here are two colorful examples of amazing beadwork:



I don't do a lot of work with seed beads, the little tiny beads. I don't have the patience to work with something that small, so I appreciate the talent and amount of work that went into these pieces.

Unfortunately, Comic Art Indigene ended it’s run last Sunday. But here's a couple of favorite artworks from our visit:

Woo hoo! Neon paint, scads of texture and, oooooooo, glitter!

Bear Chick, herself, posing with her favorite Dale Chihuly glass sculpture

Even the chandeliers are works of art!

I'd love to have a small version of this~it makes me smile!

The Husband and Bear Chick~part of the art!

The Husband loved the artwork and I love hearts

Do What You Love!

 

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com/

http://www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com/

I Missed Publishing My Newsletter

I used to send out a snail mail newsletter that I really enjoyed producing. It was like having my own little magazine! But with the economy the way it's been going, it became difficult to justify the paper, ink, time and postage. So I let it slip away and started playing with my blog, which has also been fun.

 

Then a few weeks ago, The Husband started thinking about sending out marketing for his educational school shows electronically. We looked at a few newsletter sites and decided we'd try Mad Mimi, which I'd seen a recommendation for on Etsy. Our partnership is sort of stereotypical--I generally handle the software and he does the hardware. Meaning, I had to learn how to use Mad Mimi while he figures a way to put new gutters on the house…

 

So, I set up an account for Bear Chick and started learning how to put together an e-newsletter. I'm happy to report that Mad Mimi, unlike most semi-tech websites, answered all the questions I had, right from their help screens. And there are so many guidelines when sending out newsletters, Mad Mimi does their best (her best?) to make sure you're adhering to the laws. So far, it's been a very good experience.

 

Next, I'm going to start working with a photo editing website to create a new banner for the top. I love to learn new skills, so, thanks, Husband, for pushing me into a new realm!

For now, using an old banner from my Etsy shop, I really like the look of the newsletter--it's crisp and clear. And it's so easy to set up--uploading pictures is easy, adding text and pictures is easy and editing was pretty simple. I used their template, which can be customized with color and fonts, etc. Now that I've done it once, the next one will be easier. Bear Chick likes User Friendly!

They also have several ways to import or cut and paste email addresses, that you can then separate into different lists. For example, I have a special list for Southern California only, in case I want to send out a special edition before a live show. That's why I ask for your state/country in the newsletter sign up to the right here on my blog (hint, hint!).

There are tracking reports for each promotion you do and Mad Mimi takes care of all subscriptions, forwarding and (I hope not a lot) unsubscribing. And they've been sending an email a day with ideas and tips for a better newsletter.

I know what you're thinking--that's a fun new toy for you, Bear Chick. But what's in it for me?? Well, I'll keep you up to date on what I'm doing and new things I'm making. And like my paper newsletter, I'll feature people, places and things that you'll hopefully find fun and interesting. Like the bead challenge I'm participating in at the Bead Society and my friend, Barbara, a great artist and jeweler. Bear Chick's 10th anniversary is next month, plus the holidays are coming. Jewelry makes great gifts! That’s why I'll be doing special coupons and deals for my newsletter subscribers. There's still time to get the first issue~I can identify all my new fans and I'll get you the first issue when you sign up.

 

So, yeah, I’ve got a web-crush on my e-newsletter provider. Hmmmm… Mad Mimi could be the George Clooney of e-marketing!

Do What You Love!

www.bearchick.etsy.com

www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com