Vacation = Productivity
Written on August 19, 2010 at 1:03 pm, by Emma
Special Order
I got a tweet Sunday that read “@lookforthewoman I NEED CUSTOM NECKLACE.” – a few emails later and one vacation day later and I had made the above necklace.
This is what I love. I love putting something together that someone else wants, I like the creativity that happens when communication is open. This was why I liked playing in band in high school (Alto Sax), I didn’t like being 1st though, I didn’t like the solos, I wasn’t good at them. But I liked the feeling of a such a large group of people putting together so many individual efforts to bring forth something larger than them. Now don’t get me wrong, my high school band was terrible. We never won any awards, and we all took a perverse pride in coming in last every year at the Kiwanis competitions, but that was all because we disliked our teacher. We all liked band. And when we had a substitute or were allowed to jam, it was awesome. Custom work is like that, just straight up awesome. 
Still not dead!
Written on August 16, 2010 at 11:35 am, by Emma
Bling Bag
I’ve been so busy, not with making anything, just with summer. I love the summer. BBQ’s, swimming, cottages, music, friends, good times, its all so awesome, so I’ve not really been doing anything at all except enjoying myself.
Though I recently did a collaboration with Bathory of heartStopping Bags (http://codebloo.com/bags/) above is one of the results, which is pretty awesome!
Close up below!
And I’m about to make a custom necklace for Panic, which is fun!
But beyond that, it’s summer dude, get out there and enjoy it! I’ll be back and busting out new things in the fall.
Ciao!
***Update***
I totally forgot, I donated some jewellery to an arts auction, and they sold!
Someone one got a very good deal, and some money went to the arts!
http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/544/auctions/609/auction_items/9339
Neato!
I’m not dead!
Written on July 22, 2010 at 11:49 am, by Emma
Just filled with ennui.
It’s hot, and the garden is lovely.
My office is full of unorganized eBay treasures.
And I remember why the summer is my least productive time of the year.
In the mean time, here have a photo of a Butter Burger I snapped at Xmas last year in Florida. This is at a “Steak and Shake” I believe. (They were very proud of their “Feed a family of 4 for under $20 promotion.)
Butter Burger
Sneak Peek!
Written on July 9, 2010 at 8:20 pm, by Emma
So I’ve been working on some collaborations! Which is fun and hard all at the same time, gee, is this what fulfillment feels like? Ha!
Anyhoo, I just made this!
Sneak Peek
30 Days of Landfill – update and recap
Written on July 3, 2010 at 11:26 am, by Emma
So, 30 Days of Landfill, my attempt to take all the best sellers on etsy.com ‘s advice and post something new everyday, was both a success and a failure. A success in that I sold some pieces, I got some attention, I’m in a local charity auction this fall (http://www.labcab.ca/), I got some recognition, and I realized that there is in fact a market out there for me to tap.
It was a failure in that I didn’t post something new every day. But even in that “failure” it was a success too. I know now that I cannot create, photo graph, describe and post 30 pieces in 30 days. That’s a little insane making. So going forward I need to have 30 pieces on hand, and hopefully some idea of how to describe/sell them and some photos too before I do this again. Which is a very valuable lesson to learn to say the least. I also know that I get distracted easily, and that buying new materials while trying to post “older” pieces is a mistake. I need to focus on one theme at a time otherwise I get distracted with the new shiny stuff and I play emotional ping pong with what I want to be doing and what I should be doing and then nothing gets accomplished! Insight is always good to have about oneself and your own work habits!
So, of 30 days, I managed to post 20 pieces, so 60% achieved. Which for a dry run, and a solid C student like I was in high school, is not too bad for a first try, especially cuz I totally didn’t study for the final exam! And I’m going to post those remaining 10 days/pieces in July, just for completeness sake, only this time I have 31 days to do it in, which is much more manageable now that it’s fully summer out there, and the pool is open, and my garden is producing more peas by the day, and there’s camping and BBQ’s to be had, and just oh you know, summer time!
And in other related news I’m working on a collaboration to bling up some purses and clutches for Code Bloo. Which is awesome and difficult at the same time. Necklaces hang and are subject to movement and gravity. Bling on purses needs to give the illusion of movement but be secure; this is making me think in 3-dimensions instead of 2 and it’s awesome/hard. Using the brain meats in ways they’re not used to, good thing we won’t charge labour on this piece cuz if we did I could retire on this one piece alone! But as I know from experience muddling out how to do something new for the first time takes a billion times longer the first time than the second, third, etc, learning is hard, but completion is so worth it!
Here’s the mock up of what I’m attempting to do:
Purse Bling
So with any luck, it’ll look at least a little bit like that when it’s attached to the purse! Though I’m still really wanting a small black bow of vintage silk ribbon in there somehow… just not sure where or how yet… /shrug, we’ll see, these things take on a life of their own. I often feel like I’m not creating it, I’m just revealing it. Like that old joke; how do you carve a horse from a block of marble, easy, just cut away anything that doesn’t look like horse.
Now, off to make more dream keys!
Dream Key
Sold!
Written on June 23, 2010 at 11:24 am, by Emma
Gin and Tonic
And SOLD!!!
Key to mystery
Now granted I sold these to friends, and friends who are already owners of my jewelry, and that was not the intent of this exercise, to get my friends who are already supportive be more supportive, but hey, if they love it they love it, I’m not going to say “NO, YOU ALREADY HAVE SOME! CAN’T BUY!” that would be insane.
No the point of this exercise was to try and get me to adhere to some sort of schedule. The fact that this was a creative schedule perhaps eluded me when I first conceived of this idea, as I’ve not be able to stick to it at all (like all those other day to day schedules I stick to all the time /sarcasm). It’s been a fun and a positive experience, but holy is it tiring, and I’m not even done yet! I am committeed to 30 pieces for 30 days! I’m 5 days behind right now… but I’ll catch up by Sunday, by jove I will! You just watch! And buy something, take some of the pressure off my awesome friends!
I’m going to be a charity auction!
Written on June 21, 2010 at 7:10 pm, by Emma
WhiteSet
This 30 days of Landfill is doing something. I’ve gotten lots of interest, and sold on piece (to a friend, still counts) and while I’ve yet to do 5 days in a row on time (I’m lazy) I’m meeting people and they’re getting to know about me. So it’s working… just not in the way I would have expected… not that I had an idea of what would happen, but it’s interesting to see it happen.
And of course its interesting to see what people are interested in. No one ever likes the ones that are my favourites. I find that interesting. Also awesome, because that means I get to keep them.
Things I’m working on…
Written on June 15, 2010 at 11:39 pm, by Emma
What time is it
The problem with starting a new style is that I want to tear apart all the “old” style pieces and remake the pieces in the “new” style. Which is a bit silly. As there is nothing wrong with their style, it’s not even “old”, it’s just not all shiny and new, to me. To someone else, they are probably tons shiny and new.
And having done this once already with all my pieces I’m reluctant to do it again because it’s a really easy way to wipe out all your stock really quickly. And lord help you if you’re suddenly accepted to a craft show and you find yourself staying up all night making jewelry. That is not the way things should go!
That all said, I really just want all my auctions to show up already so I can make new stuff! The old stuff is boring, I need new stuff! 
And more watches! Cuz, in case you didn’t know, thats a real watch up there that keeps real time, and seemingly on time too.
WATCH!
Bonus 30 Days of Landfill Update
Written on June 13, 2010 at 8:49 pm, by Emma
Gin and Tonic
Ok, I feel better now. I’ve had this necklace in my head for a few weeks, and now it’s out. That’s much better now! Now I can try and do something with another key! If only I could attach a train ticket…
Day 10, 11, 12, & 13 of Thirty Days of Landfill are up! Finally!
Written on June 13, 2010 at 2:43 pm, by Emma
Key to mystery
This week got the better of me. Grey rainy days coupled with bright sunny days means mood swings extraordinaire! I was either busy in the garden or a slug on the couch.
On the upside, I did get a lot of photos done, on the downside, I didn’t post anything for 4 days straight! Oops! I will try better next week! Hopefully the weather will cooperate and keep me cheery and sunny and active!
On the super upside, PEAS!!!
Snow peas