Not So Stinky Oxidizing Adventure

I wanted to start oxidizing my copper jewelry pieces a long time ago, and actually tried the hard boiled eggs method before, but it was taking so damn long and was wasting so much food, that I knew I had to get the proper “liver of sulfur” (a.k.a. LOS). A tiny problem – I had to order it online.. and I was over-researching (as usual) and procrastinating. You know, the fear of ordering the “wrong” product. Probably. Or the fear of buying notoriously stinky stuff? Although we are very much used to buying something for the first time nowadays, for the types like me it takes ages to thoroughly research all options..

Secret Santa on Etsy Lithuania Team

Happy New Year to all readers! Here’s a bit overdue post about the exciting Secret Santa game we had on the Etsy Lithuania Team, pics of the wonderful gift I’ve received and a spotlight on two artists I had an opportunity to get to know a little better: talented knitter Irma who was very generous to send me one of her bestseller pieces and also an outstanding fiber artist Rita who was receiving Secret Santa gift from me.

Hooked on Hoops – new beaded hoop earrings

Yep, I am. Totally hooked on wire wrapping hoop earrings lately. And it seams that each time I try to make the same earring design twice, I end up with something quite different. Like the moonstone hoops below – after the first design was sold, I wanted to make another one to put in my shop… And created two more moonstone hoops none of which really replaces the sold one. To be completely honest with you, I still haven’t managed to do the design I had in mind before I started wire wrapping this first pair..

Handmade Polymer Clay Beads .. destash

I love playing with colors and creating / crafting polymer clay beads, not so much – finishing them, and it seems I totally cannot come around to using them in my designs recently. So after hoarding saving them for over a year, I’ve decided to go ahead and offer these beads for sale in my Etsy shop.

So here’s the line up of my theoretically homeless handmade polymer clay beads (clicking on photo will take you to the Etsy listing):

How to safely package earrings for shipping

What to do when your earring cards don’t fit in the gift box you have?
Selling handmade jewelry is fun, a day that brings a double sale is twice as fun.. until it’s time to pack and you realize that your packing plan just doesn’t work and does not guarantee the package will travel safely across the globe.
Join me on this mini earring packing adventure – a simple “how to” full of pictures and some words

How to make Halloween pumpkin beads from polymer clay

Halloween 2011 is just around the corner but there’s still plenty of time to collect ideas and get busy with homemade crafts! Here’s a very simple and well illustrated (and completely free!) step by step DIY sculptured pumpkin beads tutorial.

Learn how to make these unusual pumpkin shaped beads in 7 simple steps and use them in your craft projects just as you would use regular beads or charms – created pumpkin earrings or make other accessories to go with your Halloween costume, create beaded bookmarks and key chains, Halloween charm bracelets, party accessories, home decorations and so much more.

Last Sumer Night: beaded beads in green and black

Friends and family often make fun of me because I simply cannot leave home without my beads.. and wire.. and tools..

A family picnic, a walk to the lake, a three week hitch-hiking trip across Europe.. my beads are going too! Even when I know for sure that I will hardly have time to create, it somehow feels better to have them.. you know, “just in case”

Old Beads, Fresh Earrings

I must tell you, my handmade polymer clay beads are very much used to just lying around. First they wait for me to bake them, then I need to gather up all my patience to finish them – each bead must be individually sanded with several grits of sandpaper and buffed to bring out the soft natural sheen of the polymer clay. And then finally some more lying around until I feel like using them

Handmade Artist’s Shop: First Impressions

Yesterday I was at the doorstep of Artfire getting ready to open an account with them when I realized I cannot find a button for the basic (free) account anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty good at locating tiny-wrong-color buttons, reading small text or finding disguised links. It simply is not there any longer! So, naturally, I stepped back and went to see what google knows about this. Was hoping to find a secret entrance but… Artfire has made a decision to get rid of the free accounts.. Surprise?

Not a pleasant one anyway, but it pushed me to go looking for new marketplaces to sell my handmade jewelry. From the many options I especially loved a new discovery – the Handmade Artist’s Shop. A reason for this love at first sight was very simple – they do not allow resellers of mass produced items and Chinese junk on their boat. At least for now the Handmade Artist’s Shop is strictly and exclusively “handmade”. Lovely!

First Craft Show – Lessons Learned

Reflecting on my first open air craft show… Some thoughts, notes and tips.

Overall the experience was great and a real adventure too! The only serious “mistake” was the weather and, sadly, it’s something I have no power to control. But I should learn to take the weather forecast more seriously. Especially when the forecast is stable for several days before the show, hoping that the meteorologists might be wrong yet again is just over optimistic stubborn.