From Chaos to Order...Or so we try...

Okay, its been a while since my last blog update. Talk about insanity. There are of course the things that I do love about contract work. There is the variety, the new environment, the unfortunate commute.  So that has ended and I had to put a lot of my jewelry on the side burner due to the hours I was working. Trust me I loved the job but not the hours. Last thing any sane person wants to do is work from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm and still have a commute of 2 and 1/2 hrs.... each way.... But enough of that. I had a November show planned that will not go through now due to the teacher strike. So I'm now prepping  for Christmas and who knows maybe a show (would be my 1st) for the spring if all goes well.

Here's a couple of things I have worked on!

Necklace is called - Notes of Love

Earrings are called Nuts over Acorn

Okay one thing is for sure, I do not want to blog more than once every 9 months lol that's a bit crazy. So I need to establish at least a good goal for this...hmm yes, I'm thinking while typing. I'll aim for once a month. I know I haven't been working on my promotions as much aka marketing. I really need to find some focus on that. I have now more time to create some new materials. Started working with some leather cord necklaces (you know, something for the guys) light gothic style see how that works out. Still working with some beaded jewelry. In this case I'm thinking more on bracelets but first. The design phase. Maybe I'll even upload a picture. 

I've been following some blog sites, but until now will go and read since things were a bit crazy. 

Now as for my writing site..also in the back burner. No new poetry for now until inspiration decides to join me on that venue. For now looks like the jewelry is full steam ahead!!

And the verdict is in...drum roll please

In the end, for Valentines' day I came up with a couple of different ideas. I came up with a couple of earrings but not as many bracelets created as I wanted. Mostly sadly due to lack of time. Sometimes I wish I had a time machine, go back give myself more time for some things and less for others...

I've started the slow migration of my website from www.etsy.com/chantallwire to www.chantallwired.storenvy.com. One of the main reason is I feel I get more traffic to my site at the second location. Plus although Etsy is really great, I feel my items get lost in a sea of too many other artists. That can be good and bad at the same time, but I also don't want to be spending so much time and on reposting items so that they get more views.

So in the end below is some of the items I came up with.

This week I'm hoping I will get around to all my other reading. There are some friends blogs I have to catch up on :)

Happy Valentine's!

Valentine's Day Preparations

Preparations.. Preparations... Preparations...

Okay so December has come and gone and already I find myself in the middle of January juggling a full time and trying to keep up with my creativity on the weekends. Its a bit harder to do than what I expected but on that same note I know from experience I have done more.

Don't get me wrong I don't want to go back to a full time plus 2 part times but this may turn out to be the cycle for 2012. I heard from one of my students and they do want me to start teaching them again (my making jewelry lessons) sometime on January but I told them it would have to be on the weekends as I have no time during the day.   However, I also work on my websites and on my jewelry only the weekends and also meet and hang out with my friends & family on the weekends. It just really means that my Sat/Sun are way too full...

So what do I have in mind for Valentines? Since I have glass hearts I'm thinking maybe some bracelets and a couple of earrings and some necklaces but with only 6 weekdays on the weekend to do this I'm not to sure if I'm being once again a little bit of an overachiever and trying to do too much on what would essentially be 3 real days of full time exposure with my wire...

So here is a sneak peak at some of the  raw materials....yes I did start working a little with some but not as much as I will like.

Once I have the finished products I'll post an update of the new bracelets. On a different note I found this really great site called skinnyartist.com they are so good!! Yes I'm even following them on twitter. They have this amazing article about how not to let yourself go too crazy trying to keep up with everything online ie. facebook/blogging/twitter/multiple online store locations.  And many other articles on my to do to read to remember list...I still have to read the generate more traffic. I'm not a master yet nor a beginner on that...

Yes, more reading added to my list... :)

Have a happy January!

Custom Item Created for Dave's Wife

Okay, I have made it to Sunday! Which means I have survived this week. I did the custom Item for Dave's wife (Kate!) who happens to be allergic to all things metal except for platinum. Well unfortunately, platinum is not within my budget of metals to use for my jewelry...So?... Below is one of the ideas that I had but did not proceed with...

I used a stretchy fishing line  and one of my navy blue sand stones and a couple of large swarovski crystals. But since he is part of a band I though...hmmmm...I need to create something that would give me the "WOW" factor for her...

In essence, this is what I came up with...

This was my final design, a you can see I'm using a different stone. I love the oval shape stones. For the new year I'll be having a lot more of them on my pendant designs. I also used a variety of Swarovski crytsals in color gold, olive green, black diamond and dark forest green with 4 glass stones. The most hardest part of this project is that I could not use any metal parts not even crimp tubes to hold the beads from moving.. my solution was to create knots with the stretchy cord that I was using at each end.

The final component for the back of this necklace is below.  I used a beautiful silk ribbon so that she can tie it at any length at the back of her neck so if she wanted to she could make this into a choker or she could have it hanging down around the neckline. I was thinking originally of purchasing a gold silk ribbon but it would have made it too bright as a good friend, whom I ask for a 2nd opinion pointed out. I'm glad I listened to the advice!  : )

In the end the birthday girl loves her gift! And her husband is really happy too. I'm glad :)

Busy month of December!

Okay, so I won't be teaching a class this month because of the holidays. Next Jewelry class will take place in January 2012, although I'm probably going to have to change the time of it as I do not want it to conflict with my day job. That also means that my next blog, if time allows, would probably be in boxing week. I hope I can post some "draft" pictures of a couple of new projects,  one new necklace that would match the winter wonderland earrings created maybe I'll be able to at least start a little bit of it?

Plus, I have been committed by a friend to create a necklace for a gift, I only have 3 days to do that. Now why would you ask me would my dear friend, who knows  that I specialize in wire jewelry ask me to create one that does not have any metal? Well, this lady is allergic to metal jewelry... but would like to wear one of my designs...

I'm hoping that by the end of today I will have in mind at least the design concept. I'm thinking I'll probably will be creating it with stretchy cord instead of the bead stringing wire as that is made out of metal... But.. I can use glass and crystal and any of my semi precious stones... hmmm.



...I'll post a picture once its completed :)

Happy Shopping!!

Working with ETSY

There is still so much for me to read in ETSY that its a bit scary. I'm working on some Kitty Earrings. Hopefully I will have some ready by the end of the week. So far the wire component in these pretty tiny glass beads is the tail. I can do anything with that tail he he.. I hope they turn out good.  Each pair will be unique- no doubles... unless somebody wants one that gets sold out..

I'll attach a picture of the sneak peak :) 

Getting up and running on ETSY!

December 3, 2011


First Post, well this is where I will pretty much write about what I am creating. In a sense give my friends/family/potential clients/ a screenshot of what I am currently working on and what  and where I got my idea for creating what I wanted to create.  A sneak peak that would say more than my facebook page. 




Etsy site: www.etsy.com/shop/chantallwirecreation


Cheers!


Chantall