My Studio

It's been a super busy season! I had to reorganize, reorganize and then reorganize! So here is my studio these days! In the closeup you can see Sparkklejar's beautiful tins which hold my various pliers!

I'm so much more productive and my shop is growing steadily! Thank you one and all for the terrific support! YOU ROCK!!

I'm ever

An Artist's Pay

The debate among many artists historically has been how do we price our art in order for it to a) sell and b) sell enough for the rent to be paid. If you are an artist of any type you deal with this dilemma constantly. Here's how I deal with this issue.

I pay myself $20/hr or my costs times 5, whichever makes most sense. That said, I know that new designs take longer to make than the tried and true. I take into consideration when designing, how long it will take me to make the item.

I do two types of designs these days 1) Artistic expression or items I WANT to make and lean toward OOAK or 2) best seller items that are clever in design, use less materials, are less difficult to repeat and take less time.

For number 1, I just let my creative soul take over and make what I am inspired to - a key component in a successful shop, I feel, keeping you creatively inspired and motivated. If my artistic creations don't sell, I either donate them to charities for fund raising, and they really appreciate them (and they sell for higher prices than I could get) or I put those items in galleries.

For number 2, this is where I spend the most time creating, using my skills literally (the one's I learned in jewellery school) and as an artist - trying to find that clever design that is pregnant with potential of repeat selling and simple to make. I find that within a month period I only have 3 or 4 truly creative days where ideas just flow. I don't waste those days on process ie. making jewellery. I get out the sketch book and brass wire, which I use to make proto-types, and sketch and bend until I get dimensions that I know will work or don't. Sometimes I put ideas that don't work aside and come at them again later, next month or next year. Never throw away an idea - I have a box where I put all these 'stuck' ideas that didn't work that day, but later turned into best sellers. Like these happy mistakes http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=41563455 These are the ideas that turn into creations I'm happy to make again and again.

There is no time limit on creating - love what you do FIRST! I often wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, my first clue that those 3 days or so might be here, and jot down an idea. Only count the time when it becomes a job. Once you are selling regularly, THEN look at time, but until then, HAPPY CREATING. ENJOY!

All the Best
Sharon

New Tools - New Designs

Welcome, welcome, welcome. I hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics - we in beautiful British Columbia, Canada are truly LOVING the role of playing host to the World!!

On the jewellry front, I've been having a blast!! I received some cash at Christmas and thought I'd do something productive with it other than a manicure and pedicure, which I badly needed. :-) I bought TOOLS!

I bought an awesome top of the line dapping set that will last a few lifetimes, a beautiful disc cutter and some stamping tools.

The dapping tools are used to shape metal and I had a ball making these Silver Spheres of Imperfection!! Ok, bad pun intended!! The Silvery Moon Pendant was super fun as well. Check them all out at my Etsy shop.

I haven't got the stamping down yet, it takes a bit of practice and I'm impatient so it'll be awhile before you see anything up in my shop which encompasses them. Keep watching though.

The disc cutter has been tons of fun as well and it has been instrumental in several new designs including the Silver Spheres as before I shape the sheet metal I have to cut it out. It is super easy to use and I wish I would have purchased one years ago.

I'm loving my studio these days and it's hard to pull me out of here, however the sun shines more often these days and with flowers starting to bloom here on the west coast of Canada - I'm being pulled outside. I'm sure my family will be very happy about that - maybe they'll see me every once in awhile!!

Til next time...enjoy!!!

Be Mine Valentine - Heart Felt Jewelery

Good day all! I've been in the studio creating from the Heart! After the dizziness of Christmas has for the most part passed, it's winter nesting time which brings the heart home and announces Valentine's Day. I've created several pieces with hearts, some new designs and others a heart-take on some popular MetalRocks designs such as my Silver Hammered Hearts with a Tail!

Enjoy a browse thru my shop and please comment as I dearly love to receive feedback.

Until next time, when our topic will be To Stamp or Not to Stamp - What Does the 925 or SS stamp Declare?

All the Best

Thank You for a Wonderful 2009 and Introducing New Designs for 2010!

2009 was quite the year for my Etsy Shop and I have all of you to thank. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU - from the bottom of my heart! My sales increased every month in 2009 even during the summer when I closed my shop and went on holidays. Absolutely amazing!! Without the support of family members, friends, everyone at Etsy, my Twitter-mates, my blog followers and all my customers this would not be possible. I am so grateful for everyone and everything I have been blessed with in 2009!!

For the 2010 Season I have introduced 18 new designs and I hope you love them as much as I did making them. I'm really proud of the Well Healed Collection and all the other new designs plus I have a sketchbook of ideas ready to be made. I'm going to upgrade some of the 2009 designs but I will leave the Goddess Tear Falling Behind series http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37764580 and the Maria's Goddess Tear Studs http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37739894 listed due to the tremendous interest these 2 styles afforded last year.

Along with new designs, logo and business cards you can expect more blogging regarding the jewellery industry from the prospective of the artist. Jewellery has almost over-taken the Christmas fairs, outdoor markets and both Etsy and Ebay have strong jewellery sellers - not to forget chain stores that can sell at a fraction of the price it often cost me to make an item. How does an artist stay in business and compete with the countless competition? As well, I hope to provide some discussion on shopping for jewellery and some simple but insightful questions and answers that I know people would appreciate.

Thanks again everyone for a fabulous 2009 and here's hoping that 2010 is the best year yet for one and all!!!

Happy Easter Weekend!

It's been an exhausting week, but I finally got the first order to Manila Tag. I feel much better, but still have several pieces to make. As well, I've been trying to ensure my on-line store has daily new feature items if possible. It hasn't always been possible. I worked until 1:30AM last night and feel a little more caught up.

I decided to take Maria's lovely idea to make the Maria's Goddess Tear Studs with a 14K gold tail and a solid silver stud. I think the woman should design jewellery. The results are pictured and I think absolutely lovely.

I must run as I yesterday's turkey needs to be made into stew plus the Masters is on AND Canada is playing in the semi-finals in the curling. What's a girl to do but grab a beer and hit the tube. The turkey can wait!

Parent Panic - Thrilling Week of Sales

This week has been thrilling for MetalRocks on Etsy. People are finally finding me! Some of my designs have really taken off, especially the Goddess Tear Mini Studs! I shipped pieces to the UK, Australia, USA and Canada this week! If I can't afford the ticket, at least my work is seeing the world!

As well, the pendant pictured is called Imagine, as neither my husband nor I could agree with what we see in the piece so I decided not to try and lock down our or anyone else's creative interpretation. The process is one of my favourite (ok I admit I'm a melting metal junkie!!) called fusion. Suffice to say it was a satisfying fun week creatively.

On the parenting front, I'm wincing. My daughter, Kat, is turning 12 at the end of the month and I'm trying to prepare a party, sleepover, or whatever. Communication is not thriving. I'm suddenly feeling old, outdated, trend ignorant, and my daughter told me she and her friends think I have similar characteristics to her teacher. I didn't dare ask if they liked the teacher!! I can see them rolling their eyes when I try to chum around with them and of course all conversation stops when I appear, letting me know I couldn't possibly understand what they are going thru!! My feelings were smarting and then I started to remember; something that now takes effort!

I remembered ME. Me at twelve. It was more fun to look back nostalgically than realistically. I somehow felt it was necessary for me to understand a stage in my life so I could understand that stage in my daughter's. I got out the wine!

I was a head-strong kid and by the time I was twelve I was listening to no one. Luckily I was smarter than I was brave, so that helped save me at times. Back then people didn't talk about hormones or even mention 'that time of the month', these were all secrets. Remember Cathy Rigby and those tampon commercials and what a scandal it all was. I am embarrassed at what I put my poor unsophisicated mother through. I made only the most mandatory appearances at home and the rest of the time, well I don't even want to mention because my daughter will likely read this.

So after my little trip down memory lane, I realized while Kat may be changing, so are the times. Conversation may stop when I appear but I am still smarter than I am brave. I simply hide and LISTEN. Kat and her friends are totally interesting, definitely more advanced than I was, more conscious of who they are and where they are going, and very frank about hormones, boys, etc. It's all fascinating stuff and way better than TV! After all - all is fair in love and war...AND PARENTING!!!

Enjoy your day!!

By the Light of the Silvery Moon Pendant

I am so thrilled with this new piece. I posted it on Etsy on a Full Moon no less. It did seem fitting. I'm going to make a whole bunch of Moons and then start to put them together into bracelets, pendants etc.

Today I'm working on a new idea, if I can get to it. I love hoops and if you look at my site you'll see I have a good amount of them. I want to do a new take on them. My piece Refections, pictured here (along with my Moon pendant) is a design based on my love of hoops. Tomorrow post will hopefully have a picture of my new idea! See you then!!