2009: off to a solid start!
With the expected flurry of activity surrounding the holidays, today is my 1st post of 2009 (now that the dust has settled).
I’ve got a few different things in the works. I’m most excited about a collaboration I have going withMarni of Nella Bella Beads. I have an incredible strand of lampwork glass beads that Marni has created, and I’m making them into jewelry. The first piece I made was this gorgeous bangle bracelet:
I have a necklace I’m working on as well, that will be STUNNING when it’s finished.
I’ve made a necklace for myself with a gorgeous cobalt blue lampworked bead also created by Marni.
While I’m aching to create more jewelry, I’m also trying to balance this with expanding my internet presence. I am now selling my jewelry on Handmade Fusion and Art Fire, as well as iCraft, etsy and DaWanda. More on these to come in the near future.
I’ve also started a Twitter page, I have my own business page on Facebook, I have a MySpace profile, I’m on Ning, and I’m trying to figure out Squidoo. Then there are the blogs at WordPress and Blogger. It’s a lot to keep track of!
Etsy affiliations
Square Effects is a member of two Etsy street teams:
and
While the teams have members from different backgrounds, they both have a common goal, which is to promote the team members’ collective works and hopefully gain sales.
New Technique: working with Resin
I’ve been working with new materials for the past few weeks now, and it’s time to share what I’ve achieved. The pendant at the left is a one-of-a-kind, which means I couldn’t replicate it if I tried. I’ve tried to come up with similar looks but haven’t yet. I’m using Easy Cast Casting Epoxy, and I absolutely love it. It allows me a certain creative freedom I don’t get with beads. I adore the swirled look. With the purple colored back this pendant reminds me of clouds. Anyone looking to try their hand at resin should check out http://www.resinobsession.com/. 
The woman who owns the site has a terrific assortment of supplies, and everything I’ve ordered from her has been top quality. Now, this pendant is not for sale (it’s for ME!!), but I do have one currently listed at Etsy:——————————————>
It reminds me of creamsicles or orange sherbert (sherbet?). Maybe I’m anxious for summer to get here….clouds, creamsicles…..
That’s it for now…I will try to post more regularly.
going where the urge takes me
Copper and clay
I started working with polymer clay. There is liquid polymer clay available that will to varying degrees pull a printed image into itself. I’m working on how to do this evenly. It’s difficult just cooking a blob of liquid with the photograph laid over top of it, because the liquid
usually isn’t level on both sides. I began playing around with embedding the liquid clay (and the image) into fabric, as well as some funky copper mesh I found at Michaels Arts & Crafts. I haven’t gotten too far with the process although I have successfully transferred images into workable items. The hard part now is actually working to see what can be done. I did encase the image on copper mesh in black clay, somewhat of a cabachon setting of sorts. My skill with the clay is rudimentary, and the resulting pendant is pretty dark and abstract, although the original photo is also. The copper stick at the top is what I inserted during the curing process (which means baking in the toaster oven) so that I can insert a bail or something else later on to hang it from. I think it’s a promising technique, and I’m fascinated with copper so this works.
I’m also working on how to embed pendants with copper flakes and little pieces of the copper mesh. This is my first attempt. I think adding the white clay was not the best way to go, at least not adding it after the piece was texturized. Still, it’s a work in progress and a good learning experience for me. I’m having fun working with the medium, mixing media together and seeing what the possibilities are.The business end of art
Superbowl Sunday.
The Giants are back in the Super Bowl. The team I was raised to adore above all others. And I can watch it on any one of three televisions in any of the three downstairs rooms in the house.
I’m trying to get the SquareEffects website fine tuned, but I don’t know enough about web design. So, I do the best I can and hope for the best.
My CafePress store has been up and running for not quite a year now. I’ve made some sales to people I don’t actually know, and that makes me happy. I guess it’s a pat on the back for me to know there are people who don’t know me that appreciate my art enough to spend their money on it. I hope I can get the Etsy site up to that level within a few months, although I do expect to gain many customers through my own marketing efforts.
Sometimes I feel torn between photography and jewelry….and then I start an Etsy store which requires me to photograph my jewelry, and all is well.
