Prehistory Chunky Stone Necklace

We have favorites. I'll admit it. I made one Saturday night. I came home from my glass jewelry workshop, and instead of doing responsible household things or things that other people wanted, I made jewelry.

Ha! Take that, world!

This is my favorite kind of necklace to design -- multiple strands of contrasting shapes, colors and materials! This one-of-a-kind treasure is composed of picture jasper, tiny fossil rounds, and polyhedrons of green apple turquoise capped with shells. Only the bold need apply! Visit Jellybug Artworks to make it yours.

Featured in an Etsy Treasury

I discovered this morning that my Lemon Glass Blossom candleholder is featured in an Etsy Treasury called HELLO BUTTERCUP full of bright, sunny, yellow things!

The swirly glass I used in this lovely draped piece, perfect for tealights, is indeed like a little bowl of sunshine -- completely radiant! When I dye my hair yellow, this is the hue I use.

The treasury curator, JodieMO, makes adorable handbags. If you're in the market for a carrying accessory, check out her Etsy shop!

New Toy!

I'm back at Vitrum Studio again this weekend for a two-day workshop in making fused glass jewelry. I'm learning the technique for composition of layered dichroic pendants, plus I'm going to learn new edge finishing methods! We designed seven-layer pendants today (the average pendant you see for sale on Jellybug Artworks is two to three layers), but we don't get to see them until tomorrow afternoon -- they're very cruel over there at Vitrum.

During our lunch break, we're free to roam the retail part of the studio, drool over the gorgeous supplies, and lighten our wallets buying beautiful glass and the tools to work it. Having done all that last weekend, I spied a large bowl sitting on a stool. It was just done in clear glass, but the shape was wonderful -- sides that are slightly concave rather than the usual convex curve. Inspecting the mold rack, it was clear which mold it was shaped with. I was smitten, but I wasn't sure it would fit in my kiln! Application of a ruler revealed that at 12 inches in diameter, it might.

My larger kiln runs on household current, which limits its size. It has a 13" round shelf, but I can't necessarily put a 13" round mold in it because the pyrometer sticks out from the wall of the kiln a couple of inches, interfering with the vertical clearance. (What's a pyrometer?  When a thermometer is in a kiln, it becomes a pyrometer -- it measures FIRE! I derive great amusement from this.) The folks at Vitrum said they'd happily take the mold back if it didn't fit, so I dashed home with my new toy only to find that someone (okay, it was me) had put something in the kiln this morning before heading off to the workshop, and it was still too hot to come out! OooOOoh, the agonized waiting!

A few hours later, I was finally able to remove the wine bottle cheese tray I'd been slumping and eeeeeease the new mold down into the kiln. Shoved over to one side because of the projecting pyrometer, with a quarter-inch to spare on all sides, I judged that it would do. (I frequently decide that things will work whether they like it or not -- because I want them to, darn it.)

So tonight, I am prepping the new mold with kilnwash and emitting small squeaks of delight while a beautiful slab of blue Spectrum waterglass is in the kiln, fusing into the 12" circle that I will slump into a gorgeous, drool-worthy bowl tomorrow.

Ain't she a beauty?

Coldworking Glass Workshop

I made this platter at a workshop last weekend called The Complete Bowl at Vitrum Studio, which is conveniently right up the road from my house. It's about 15 inches long and 6 inches across with a graceful curve. I took the workshop to learn how to use various pieces of coldworking equipment -- lap wheel, tile saw, sandblaster -- for finishing the edges and working the surface, but I also picked up some design techniques like using clear glass to displace transparent glass to make light spots and cutting transparent sheets to let the undercolor well up in the cracks.

Look carefully, and you'll see that I've sandblasted leaves into the orange stripe and horizontal stripes into the green stripe on the end.

I love the square, polished edges you get from coldworking the fused piece before slumping it. Unfortunately, a sufficiently large diamond lap wheel setup is about $5,000 and requires a lot of upkeep. Fortunately, I can rent time on Vitrum's equipment!

I'm headed back this coming weekend for a workshop on glass jewelry to gain new insights and techniques for my fused glass pendants.

Pearl Posie Pendant

Spring is in the air -- just the ask the daffodil sprouts in my front yard!

If you're longing for the return of sun and warmth, this pendant is for you! A metal pendant with a cheerful carved flower hangs from a double strand of cultured pearls in fun, fashion colors -- spruce, teal and mango -- accented with tiny pewter flowers.

Visit Jellybug Artworks for more pictures and a chance to own this item!

Where Should I Sell My Work?

From time to time, new artists who are just starting to think about selling their work online contact me about how to go about this. While composing another such response on Etsy this morning, I realized that a blog entry would make it even easier for new entrants to stumble across this information!

In addition to my main online store, Jellybug.com, I have a few of online boutiques, and Etsy has definitely been the most fruitful. I've had two sales among the four other third-party stores I maintain. However, Etsy is a vast sea of products, so it's hard for anyone to find you.

If you have programming expertise in the family, though, my own online store is the source of most of my sales. People generally find it by Googling for what they're looking for, and the vast majority of my customers use it.

Here are some online boutiques you may want to set up a storefront with. They're all free or free-per-sale sites -- I don't bother with any of the monthly-fee sites because I don't know whether they're worth it and I already have the monthly expense of Jellybug.com.

Etsy
Etsy, the 800-pound gorilla of indie art scene, is, in my experience, the best of the bunch, at least for US sellers. It's fairly easy to use (though you'll find that setting up sales is annoying and very manual), and it's been the source of most of my sales outside of Jellybug.com.

Dawanda
Geared toward international markets, all prices are in euros and the US is considered a foreign country. I've had one sale here, and it was to a very nice lady in Switzerland.

Smashing Darling
Definitely meant for the indie clothing market, I've had one sale here. Their commissions are the highest -- 18% -- but they absorb the Paypal fee, so it's more like a 15% commission.

Shop Handmade
The tool for setting up products is incredibly irritating, so I use it minimally. No sales here. You can either pay a listing fee, or allow a sponsor's ad to appear on the product page.

SilkFair
Another zoo of a site, SilkFair has the advantage of bulk uploading (thought I've never gotten it to work, and I'm a computer professional, and it can import from your Etsy store (though it's necessary to check every product afterward for accuracy of shipping costs and such). I haven't had any sales here.

1000 Markets
Haven't tried this one yet, but I intend to.

ArtBreak
Haven't tried this one yet, but I intend to.

Made It Myself
Haven't tried this one yet, but I intend to.

Supermarket
Very indie-looking site for buying straight from the artist. Haven't tried it.

Where do you sell your work online? Any good sites I've missed? I've love to add them to the list.

One Day Mardi Gras Sale!

Celebrate Fat Tuesday with 25% off purple, green, and yellow items! This sale will run for one day only -- Tuesday, February 24th. Below are some of the lovely things that will be discounted next Tuesday. Browse all of my sale items now so you'll be ready to pounce when the sale starts!

Capitol Region Etsy Street Team Sale

I'm not the only one having a Fat Tuesday sale! Some of my fellow members of a local artists collective are also offering discounts on the 24th!

SewArtsy.etsy.com
Half price on this pink and brown paisley tote - (regularly $44.95)



Brigabauble.etsy.com
50% off Sterling Silver and Rose Quartz 5-decade Catholic Rosary (regularly $65)

UndefinedVillage.etsy.com
50% OFF all 8x10 photos!


MaryEllenDoran.etsy.com
Half-off hand cold forged sterling silver hoop earrings (2-inches long) (regularly $15)


MaggieSueDesigns.etsy.com
All Hair Accessories 50% off the listed price!


Shelbyb.etsy.com
10% off Yarn and FREE SHIPPING!


ArtStudioShanti.etsy.com
All Neckwarmers 50% off Listed price