Photography

I am slowly getting the photography done for my website. There are a whole lot of things that haven't worked, but I am happy with some of the results so far.

My line of Sterling Silver Signature earrings is what I have been focusing on, and I would like to start with several pictures of each style on the website. I started using these green felt rocks, and I think that since the size of it stays the same, online shoppers will be able to gauge the relative size of each of the styles of earrings. The shadow things are irritating me, but I will just keep working on it.

Small Squiggle - Posts with pearls

1" twisted half hoops, with pearls

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What am I doing??

I ask myself this question daily.
What ( usually with a TF added) am I doing today?

Lately the answer to this question had been "building my website".  I have talked about this for about 7 years or so now, and I am finally at it. It is everything I thought it would be...and more. I have invested hours just to learn how to scale a simple banner on my homepage. I have changed the design about three times now, and I hope I don't change it again.  I have agonized over font choices, and there aren't that many to choose from. I haven't even started the photography or writing yet, mostly because while experiencing this always -painful - software - learning curve, I am also in the studio actually making the work I am going to put on the website. Agonizing choices there too, I might add.

So I will be saved next weekend by the Sacramento Art Fiesta. This was one of my early shows, and I have always enjoyed it. It is a little smaller than in years past, and there isn't quite as much "Fine Art" as in years past, but it is still a fun show.

My booth is in front of Talbots, so if it gets too hot I run in there to cool off. This year doesn't look too hot, so I hope to see a lot of Fun Girls out for their jewelry fix. I will be focused on fun stuff next week instead of the website saga, so I hope you can make it!


Click here for a map to my location at the Pavillions

This is really a great turquoise/aqua jasper, but this photo is a little more electric than the actual stone.

Social Media Consultant?

     It was kind of funny at West Portal when a young woman approached my booth and asked if I was doing photos for instagram.
   Hardly. Who does instagram that is over 30 years old? No one I know anyhow.
She was a social media consultant, and I think that means she just graduated from college and is looking for a real job. She was darling though.
So I told her the only thing I did right concerning social media was a rule I created for myself....

NO BITCHING on social media.

    Of course, I just mean no "business" bitching on social media. I still feel OK about bitching on my personal facebook!

     So of course I want to bitch about starting early today on my newsletter, then losing all my newsletter photos and starting all over again, losing my headstart. So here I am blogging late, frantically working to get my newsletter out on time, and my HUSBANDS newsletter, then getting to work in the studio!

     So thanks for letting me bitch. I promise  to remember my no bitch rule in the future.

West Portal Sidewalk Art Show 2016

     Spring in San Francisco! I  always look forward to this show, and I always forget how challenging a show it can be.

     My booth is on West Portal Ave., right on the corner in front of Starbucks.  Obviously, this is a great location for selling jewelry on the sidewalk. However, anyone who lives near there will be happy to tell you  about the microclimate of that particular hilly neighborhood of San Francisco. It can be extremely windy, and extremely cold. One year it was so cold that I almost cried, really.

     One year, the wind blew up the hill so forcefully that it blew over one of my tables of jewelry, including the glass display case on it. The glass flew into the gutter of the street, and shattered, thankfully, into those little cubes. I stood there like a mummy, so horrified I couldn't move or speak. Luck for me, one  of my dear customers was there, and she calmly got a broom from Starbucks and swept up the mess.I think I snapped out of it when I realized the jewelry was all over the street as well.

     Wind is really one of the worst of all the uncontrollable elements of outdoor art fairs. When the wind is blowing, tables are shaking, and things are smashing to the ground, it is hard to maintain any focus on the customer who may not be noticing these things. Most artists hate the wind, along with the rain and the cold, or the heat, but as they say, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Luckily in West Portal, I can get out of the cold or the heat by slipping  into  Starbucks for a small respite.

The Industrial Collection at the Fine Eye Gallery

   
     I am pleased and proud to tell you that my Industrial jewelry collection is now available in the Fine Eye Gallery in Sutter Creek. The Fine Eye is an award winning, American craft gallery in

The Fine Eye Gallery- Sutter Creek

the Gold Country's tourist mecca, Sutter Creek, for 26 years. The owner, Gail Pimlott indeed has a "fine eye", and has been bringing the best of American, and local craft to this part of California. I must say also that her staff are so helpful and knowledgeable that I could spend hours browsing and talking, and you all know how many hours I already spend at Craft shows- talking!

      I have expanded my line of industrial necklaces, and earrings to include a roll-on bracelet using various agates, and smaller necklaces that are great for layering. It would be great to have a photo of those here, but since I sent them all to the gallery, I need to make more! I will have pictures of the new work in my next newsletter that you can sign up for using the link here on my blog.

Industrial Frilly Lariat with Lampwork Glass

Orinda Clearance Sale this Saturday

     I am having a clearance sale at the Orinda Holiday Bazaar this coming Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Orinda Community Center -  248 Orinda Way, 94563. It is right next to the library.
This is a one day show, and the hours are rather short. 10a-4p.

     The show itself has gone on for many years  now, and it helps the Community Center there fund some of their programs, like the Orinda Music in the Parks series. So it is a good cause. It is a small show, and it is not exclusively "handmade" items. There are some interesting imports, Narsai David food items, and lots of locally made things.

     All of my necklaces will be 40% off, 50% for two or more. I will have a small selection of bracelets and earrings. The bulk of the sale will be necklaces, since the majority of my work is necklaces!

     I will have a few glass pendants available as well, but only a few. They will be 40% off as well, 50% for two or more.

   I am hoping to get some items on sale from my studio that just never made it to a show for one reason or another. I will be in the studio the next few days searching for these items, so I can't really list them yet. There may be earrings too!

 The Orinda Communty Center is next to the Library on Orinda Way. It is the first Orinda exit as you come from San Franciso on 24 east through the Caldicott tunnel. It is on the north side of the freeway.

Just in case these directions are less than accurate:

Here is the link to the Orinda Community Center's location.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Orinda+Community+Center/@37.8829462,-122.1878097,15z/data=!4m6!1m3!3m2!1s0x0:0x8f7f493a3edc67a3!2sOrinda+Community+Center!3m1!1s0x0:0x8f7f493a3edc67a3

New Word- Scatoma

I love it when I learn a new word.
At the Sacramento Arts Festival last weekend I had a FUN husband come along with his wife. He helped me out with a new word that I find  intriguing. Not only is it a new word, it is a concept that I was totally aware of, but had never actually thought about. I am sure you all will think the same thing.

The word is scatoma, and the best definition I could quickly come up with was "visual items in your world that you've seen so often that you no longer see them". I am sure if I went to the dictionary I could find a much more elegant definition, but this is my blog so I like my own description.

So in my world this helps me out a lot. I am not really a house keeper. The difference between everyone who says they hate housework, and me, is that I hate it, and so don't do it. Maybe I hate it more than most. Maybe it's because I never had children, and the thought of poisonous germs emigrating into small mouths was never a concern. Maybe it's because I never, ever wanted to be housewife, since growing up in th 60's, that is pretty much what was expected of me. Whatever, I just don't do it. I would like to tell you that I don't do it because I am self employed, and just too busy. While this is true, it isn't totally true, since I didn't do a lot of cleaning when I worked for someone else.

So "scatoma" really helps me out here. As my floors get dirtier, I really don't see it. As the refrigerator turns into a mess, I don't see that either. It is really a marvelous thing. How about a really new word : 

"scatomassy"- the messy actions of a person who is messy and doesn't see it. Used in a sentance - "She is very scatomassy and doesn't know it". 

Or, scatomatic, or scatomatossis,....I could go on and on. Now I'm going to have to go to the dictionary to see if these do exist!