Wow--You Have Such a Nice Package! By Karen McGovern

So I have the sense of humor of a 12-year old boy.

In writing the past few posts this month, I have found myself thinking of the many things we all do as artists, especially artists trying to make a living MAKING ART, to give our clients a truly wonderful experience when buying our work.  We pour so much of ourselves into our designs. Mary Jane Dodd exemplifies this like no other artist I have come across in a long time.  Her works are filled to overflowing with intent, each piece a tiny universe of meaning and consciousness that she fearlessly shares in her soulful writings that accompany each piece. Oh, and the work is GORGEOUS as well.  I secretly may hate her.  Each of us strives to create from the heart, our works a sometimes intimate, personal glimpse into our hearts and minds.  

Sigh....Mary, you KILL ME.

Then we wrap it in newspaper and Scotch tape, stuff it in a padded envelope and off it goes to its new home.

Wait, what???

Packaging.  The Achilles heel of many a working artist.  For me, this is a HUGE PROBLEM.  I really do pour a lot of myself into my designs, especially the mixed media designs that include an original short story or poem.  Days--sometimes weeks--go into the creative process, and the end results are a multi-dimensional representations of a dream, a fantasy, an idea that just couldn't wait to be born. AFTER ALL THAT YOU WANT ME TO COME UP WITH SOME STUPENDOUS WAY TO PACKAGE IT?  I'm exhausted just thinking about it. 

Yet, I know how important this is and I HATE KNOWING HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS.  I have never had the privilege of purchasing one of Mary's designs.  I imagine if I did, it would arrive in a vessel created from spiders silk, organically dyed with fairy tears and tied together with thread hand-spun from the hair of a unicorn's mane.  AND I WOULD WEEP FROM THE BEAUTY OF IT.  You may think I am making fun of her or any artist that takes the time to create packaging as artful as the designs they carry, but I am not.  I am simply SOAKED IN JEALOUSY that they are able to do this.

For me, packaging is simply a means to an end.  It's just not high on my priority list.  I tell myself it's because I'm all about recycling and not creating waste, but we all know it's because I'm somewhat lazy and my brain just doesn't pump out ideas when it comes to this.  I am forever digging through my stash of recycled boxes and bags, all of which have had long, hard lives prior to me slapping a label on them and sending them off.  For a while I tried, I really did, to create thoughtful packaging.  I have a dear friend who gave me some spectacular heavy handmade paper infused with flower petals and leaves.  I created envelopes from the paper to fit whatever design I was shipping and yes, each was lovely and each NEARLY KILLED ME TO MAKE BECAUSE I HATED EVERY SINGLE SECOND IT TOOK TO MAKE THEM.  That's when it hit me.  Here I was, sending off a design I created with joy and intent, now soaked in anger because I was forcing myself to make something to accompany it that I simply didn't have the creative energy for and resented deeply.  KARMA MUCH?  So, I embrace that I am not good at fancy packaging and have moved on.

You don't have to stress over packaging, and you SHOULDN'T.  Find a simple packaging technique and stick with it.  Here's what I do.  I buy basic, solid color Kraft boxes whenever I see them in a variety of sizes.  I also splurge on Bali cloth bags whenever they are on sale.  I buy cool stickers and pretty yarns.  I have a stash of this at all times.  I also have a variety of stamps because I etch a lot.  So--plain Kraft boxes get a stamp or a sticker, and are tied with pretty yarn.  The bags are good to go as is. GENIUS!  AND, you can buy beautiful hand crafted gift boxes online, you know.  ETSY THAT STUFF.  Now, the actual shipping box may be a tattered mess, but I will tape it up like a little box mummy and it will arrive safely, and I hope that the quality of the works inside more than make up for the less than Martha Stewart exterior.

Simple.....I like it!

So, forgive me, and yourself, for not hand crafting all our packaging.  Simplicity is often best, keeps us sane, and is very effective.  Besides, it is a BITCH to find good quality unicorn hair these days.

Psst....Your Crimps are Showing! Fine Finishing Boot Camp!

Details, details.  This month's boot camp is all about details.  Fine Finishings, the little things that make your work really POP, really shine.

As a newbie jewelry designer, some of the basic details were often the most difficult to master.  One thing in particular I have always been obsessive about is covering my crimps, and creating good, strong crimps. 

Stainless steel crimps

If you work with gemstone beads, you know how important a good crimp is.  Especially if you like heavy, large beads.  The crimp is the very foundation for any strung design.  The strength of your crimp is the difference between a design that will last for generations and a disaster that falls apart after a few wears.  So, what's the deal with crimping?  For starters, crimps come in all materials.  You may think that sterling silver or real gold crimps are the way to go to make your designs lux, but I prefer base metal crimps and here's why--pure silver and gold crimps are usually weak as Hell.  Silver and gold are soft, and a tiny crimp needs to be strong to support your design.  I have found that base metals are much stiffer and stronger, and hold up for the long haul. You can get them in stainless steel, which will last forever! 

Tools matter and a good set of crimping pliers is a must.  Learning how to use them matters.  Where to place the crimp in the jaws, how to then finish the crimp with that all important fold, then test that crimp to make sure it's holding.  I sometimes use two crimps if the design is heavy or I'm not sure about the crimps themselves.  Practice, practice, practice.
 

Then, covering those bad boys.  To me (and this is just a personal opinion), nothing makes a design look unfinished like an exposed crimp, yet I see this so often!  Get yourself some crimp covers and hide that thing!  Crimp covers are basically seamed round beads (usually 4 or 5mm) that are left open, allowing you to slip the bead around the crimp like a clamshell, then you squeeze the crimp cover closed--viola, no visible crimp!  Crimp covers are also great for fixing mistakes in layout or spacing.  Have a loose spot or space between beads you didn't notice?  Slip in a crimp cover or two and you're good to go.  If you want to get super fancy, you can also use French wire to cover the stringing material you made your loop with. French wire is fine wire coiled up like a micro spring.  You thread your stringing material through it to cover it.  I must confess that this is something I should do, but don't because I am lazy and impatient and never remember to order it.  BUT, whenever I see a strung design finished with French wire I love it and really think it adds a professional detail and look to the design.  AND, it protects your stringing material from whatever you crimped it to (clasps, hoops, etc.).  Again, these little things matter so much in the long run!! 

Gold French wire from Rio Grande

You'll discover all sorts of ways to cover crimps--pre-made crimp covers are just one quick and convenient way to do it.  I create tiny wire wrap bundles around my crimps as added texture to a design, or use a large hole bead that will slide over a crimp, followed with a crimp cover or bundle somewhere else in the design to take up the slack.  You can be creative, even with something as basic as crimping.

Two recent designs showing how I cover crimps--either with large hole beads followed by crimp covers
to take up slack, or bundles of wire as an accent following or over a crimp or large hole bead.

Finally, when trimming your stringing material behind a crimp, try not to trim flush with the crimp.  Leave yourself as much room as you can for stretching or loosening (unfortunately, this is pretty much inevitable over time).  I try to use beads with holes big enough for my stringing material to pass through twice (at lease near the crimp) so I can tuck a nice tail of material behind the finished crimp.  This way if the crimp gets loose or fails, the entire design won't immediately fall apart.  This is also a good argument for double crimping on each end.  Better to be safe than sorry!

The process--All it takes is patience.  Notice the extra tail of stringing material I left, going through the turquoise. 
If this was an extra heavy design, I would add another crimp here, then cover it.

While crimps may not be the most exciting topic in jewelry design, learning how use them properly and professionally are basic skills all jewelry designers must master.  So, go forth and CRIMP ON...just make sure you COVER YOUR CRIMPS!

what is your intention?

mary jane dodd

mjd - 2014

you are a maker -

whether you work with raw materials like metal, textiles,clay or glass or you purchase handmade components and artfully assemble them into something that speaks your language.

you use your hands and both sides of your brain.

mjd - 2014

i think most of us agree that making is a therapeutic activity, one that we cannot imagine living without. 

you put so much of yourself into it. 

do you think about how you release it into the world?

mjd - 2014

what i wish for first is that my work connects with people - not everyone naturally. but with those who are like minded, your tribe.

do i hope that someone might buy it? of course. this is how i make my living. while i wish i could give it all away, i can't. 

but what i can wish is that it brings someone joy, or peace. that it perhaps gives them a chance to step outside of our demanding world and connect with something that was made by hand. to appreciate the depth of meaning in the simplicity of a stitch. to connect back in time to others who worked in a similar way. 

and so how do i release it into the world? 

with intention and love. 

i hold each piece in between my hands & give thanks for the ability to give voice to my heart through the use of those hands. i give thanks to the person who values what i do. i give thanks for the ability to connect with people.

you do all the work you do to create your finished piece - whether it be a necklace, a bead, a finding - why send it out from you without a blessing of your own?  

Creating your own ear wires....... simple!

MaryAnn Carroll

Hi, One of the things that is really important to me when creating handmade with handmade is:

1. Use everything that is handmade and/or something that has been modified (like chain).

2. Make sure that everything is smooth. You must sand your copper and your wire or anything else that is sharp!

3. Finish off your handmade earrings with handmade wire.


As for number 3, I have tried to get fancy with that one too many times. It just turned out that getting fancy with the ear wire process is just not my thing. I may try again one day, but for now I keep it simple.

Today, I am sharing my FIRST YouTube tutorial. The lighting isn't the best, but my Videographer (aka husband Bill) did his best to chase my hands around using my i-phone.

Who knows? I might become famous with this and you'll see my name up in lights somewhere! Anything is possible, right?

Thank you for supporting artists who create handmade with handmade.

MaryAnn

Ceramic Flower Disc Beads and Organization

I love that I have my creative studio space in my house.

I dream of having a secondary building somewhere where I can run my business and hold artist retreats, but right now with young kids, it's just not something on my horizon.

I try to sneak in an hour or two of clay time a week.

I remember those days where I could work all day and night on my work, but having kids, those days are long (LONG) gone. And even though I miss it sometimes, I really enjoy where I am right now in life...

And sometimes when I work on new pieces in series, I should listen to my brain that says:

"Hey! WAIT!!! Now that these are drying in groups, you should immediately sort them into smaller bisque containers for the bisque firing NOW instead of having to sort through all of these pieces after the bisque firing!"

Did I listen to my brain?

Not at all... (kicking myself)

So I had to spend (waste) an extra 20 minutes to sort through this entire 6" x 8" container full of my new flower disc beads.

Truth be told - I think my brain ignored itself because it somehow knew that I needed that 20 minutes of extra bead fondling once these were out of the bisque firing.

Now that they are fired and sorted, when I get to the glazing point, I can easily pull out the plastic drawer (I use the ones from the hardware store that stack high and have 30-50 drawers in each) and pick pairs. 

I like to work in pairs from the glazing point. If they make it out of the kiln with a matching mate, then it was meant to be. 

If not - then well - independence is theirs!

I have some in my Etsy Shop, and will be glazing more in early May for a shop update and for stock for Bead and Button (booth #610 with Nikki Thornburg Bead Studio).

And to send to Darlene of D7Studio where she represents Marsha Neal Studio.

And I am taking a little bit of time here and there to tend to the garden and spring clean up.

I just love these Hellebores...

First time this one is really blooming!

Curious to see about the cross pollination of this double blooming head with some of the others in the garden (they take 5 years from seed to blooming mature plant).

And a little educational treat for myself...

I adore felting, and have had two opportunities to take classes with the very talented Sara Renzulli of Sarafina Fiber Art, where we have been needle felting structural creatures.

This one is the Bunny Puff Kit (she has all kinds of critters as fibers are available and restocks often).

I love these for my house, and learning about creating structural fiber work is really going to help me take the next steps towards where I want my body of work to end up...

If you have ever wanted to learn needle felting you should check out her shop and her SarafinaFiberArt You Tube channel for a bunch of tutorials.

Whoops--Almost Missed This

So, it's 4:30AM and I'm feeding baby parrots when it hits me....Do I have a post due today for LMAJ????  Well, yes, I do.  Crap. 

I'm a bit distracted, we are entering into the busiest time of the year for us here at the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, the organization my husband founded and where I work and live.  Our South Florida 30-acre breeding and research facility is home to some of the world's rarest and most endangered animals.  One of our many programs involves breeding endangered South American parrots, and right now we are hatching this year's crop of Red-browed Amazon parrots.  Native to Brazil, less than 500 of these beautiful birds remain in the wild, and we have the entire captive breeding population in North America.  So, every egg is incubated and every chick is hand-reared to ensure the species survival.  Right now I have three babies I'm feeding every 90 minutes around the clock, with several more eggs in the incubator ready to hatch.  A totally different take on Easter eggs...seriously.

They may not start out very pretty, but they sure do end up GORGEOUS!

 So, forgive me almost missing this post.  Sleep deprivation will do that to you.  THANK GOD FOR STARBUCKS DOUBLE SHOT EXPRESSO IN THE CAN.

I will say that baby season is sometimes my most productive design time as well.  I often create some of my best work while trying to stay awake between feedings through the night.  Last night I finished the ring you see here and LOVE IT.  Imperial Jasper, sterling silver, copper and a dot of 14K gold.  I'm not quite in the groove yet, these are only the first babies of the season.  In a couple weeks I should be really rocking the studio between midnight and 6:00AM!  Of course the rest of the day I am a scene from the Walking Dead, but...whatever.

So, in lieu of one of my usual fabulous posts (snort), I will instead share a FANTASTIC tutorial recently posted by one of my favorite artists, Kharisma Ryantori Sommers of Popnicute.  She is an AMAZING designer, I love her works, and she just recently started creating wonderful YouTube tutorials she posts for FREE.  This copper tube cuff tutorial rocks...and makes me, once again, long for a real torch so I can anneal with ease.  I am so appreciative for artists willing to share their techniques--so generous and her video is fun, detailed and easy to follow.  So, take a look and then go bang some metal.

Fine Finishings Boot Camp : Copper......AND a giveaway winner!!!

                                                                                           by Kelli Pope

Copper is a WONDERFUL metal to work with. Probably my favorite.  Although left untreated, it can be very bright, AND will turn skin green.   NOT a good selling point for jewelry. 

It takes patina wonderfully!

It's beautiful when "flame painted"

And one of my favorite finishings is Liver of Sulphur. 

(I prefer the gel form)

 LOS gives it a rich, rustic, dark, aged look.  

Most importantly though, once your copper component is completed,  make sure you seal it.  MissFickleMedia turned me on to Permalac years ago.  It's the only lacquer I use now.   

It's available in gloss or matte. *Make sure you use LOS and lacquer in a well ventilated area.*

What are some of your favorite finishing products?   

and now for the winner of Stacie's 4/17/14 giveaway...........

RE-MAKER

Congratulations!!!!!

(winner picked via random.org)

A Special Request....

MaryAnn Carroll

Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate this special day.

Today, I would like to ask that you take a moment to think about what you can do to help someone that you have never met. There is a good chance that you may have never heard his story.

I connected to this story for many reasons and I would like to do what I can to help with his defense. He does not belong in prison.

I am offering earrings to purchase and ALL money collected minus PayPal and shipping fees will be going to the Charles Erickson Defense Fund.  

You can learn more about donating/purchasing the enameled copper earrings of your choice by clicking HERE.  There are 4 different sizes with 4 different donation amounts.  There is one size pendant.

When you get there, please read the entire post and visit the links that I shared.

What you do and how we bond together to do what's right will make a difference.

Please join me in the Circle of Support for Charles Erickson.

Samples of what you will receive. Click HERE to see sizes available.

I made a range of sizes of the earrings pictured. I chose to make hoops (circles) in one common color, which is symbolic of the "Circle of Support" that Charles is receiving by so many people through online connections. It is a color that goes with many outfits, but I like to mostly wear them with my jeans since that is the color they remind me of. All ear wires are made with silver-filled wire. If you would like anymore information, just ask.

Thank-you, MaryAnn

True to your Art, True to your Business or Both?

MaryAnn Carroll

What is the most important to you as an artist? I think most of us would say that it is that we remain true to ourselves, grow from our experiences and perfect our techniques. I agree.

On the other hand, there is an art of selling. With show times coming up for many or if you sell online, I think you need to ask yourself if there is a balance in what you do?  This has been an ongoing discussion with my husband Bill Perrine and me. He has been a ceramic artist for many, many years, but started to create wood-fired pottery in 2008. At the time, he was not going to "bend" from being the artist that he was. I respected that, but as time went on, I started to give my female perspective on his work. Although beautiful, much of what he created had a masculine feel to it. Don't get me wrong.... I love most of it!

Although, I love what he does and he is incredibly talented, we have had many discussions about who the buyers are.  I travel with him to shows and have my little section set up for jewelry. I have paid lots of attention to how people shop when they walk into your both.

I can assure you (I think I will actually tally it this year) that the majority of your buyers are women. Once again we found ourselves having the same discussion and he came up with a way to stay true to himself while thinking about his buying "audience".

Those are a few examples of what will be going into the wood-fire kiln in a couple of weeks. The beads that will be going in still remain in one big ball of clay sitting on the kitchen table......

So, this is my take on his sales. I know you are dying to know...... "what's my take on my sales?" Well, it is basically the same thing. I have learned that some of my best work often sits because of the price tag. I also learned that I have to learn the art of creating for my audience. I am in a small gallery in Cortland, NY called Cinch Art Space. It is a great little shop filled with art from over 40 vendors.

Being in Cinch has been a learning experience for me. I had to know the community (near SUNY Cortland) and think about who the other buyers are. With that said, I began designing a range of jewelry from simple to complex. When I create simple it allows me to keep the price down. On the flip side of that, I tend to get bored easily, so I have to balance simple and more complex.

There you have it. I would love to know what strategies work for you.

On a completely different note, we have a few other things going on. Staci is offering a fabulous pendant giveaway. You can click HERE to read her post and leave your comment. Please remember to comment on the blog so that you will be counted when drawing a name.

Karen's non-profit organization Rare Species Conservatory Foundation is currently going through some difficult times. If you have a passion for preserving wildlife and our environment, please go to her website to read about their very important mission. You can also get to it by clicking the link on our sidebar. Funding is always needed to keep organizations like hers going.

Lastly, for those of you that might know me through online friendships or "in real life", you probably know that I am a big advocate for political injustice, particularly for those who are in prisons all over the United States for crimes that they did not commit. My passion evolved from one of the worst experiences that changed my life forever. The case involves a loved one and since it is not completely closed (despite the fact that it is now in year 4), I am not going to go into any details, other to say that it was very close to ending up like so many others who did not end up as "fortunate" as we did with wrongful convictions. I know we do not like to believe that the corruption can sometimes be on the side of the "good guys", but it can be and it has been.  I am offering a sale/donation to help Charles Erickson. You might have heard about the case since it has been all over the media. If you would like to learn more about how you can make a purchase while donating at the same time, you can click HERE. There is also a link on our sidebar.

Today, I do not only want to thank-you for supporting artists who create handmade with handmade, but also thank-you for supporting causes that are there to right the wrong.

MaryAnn

Boot Camp: Fine Finishings Wire Tips Continued

by Staci Louise Smith

Barb did a wonderful post on wire.  If you missed it, you can read up on it here.

http://www.lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2014/04/art-jewelry-boot-camp-fine-finishings.html

She talked about wire gauge.  I thought perhaps I could add a little bit to that, with some tips and tricks I have learned a long the way.

I like to make my necklaces as ONE large focal piece, connect solidly by wire.  This allows me to control how everything hangs and fits together.

see some of the samples below

However, this also posed problems.  First of all, I love adding stick pearls as an accent.  The holes are always too small though, usually 24 g, if I am lucky, 22g.  I found out early on that these thinner wire gauges, even 20, are not strong enough for these sort of necklaces. 

While those smaller gauges work well if you are connecting beads with wire wrapped loops (which allows for movement and won't cause pressure on the wire itself), for a connection that doesn't allow for movement, it will not end up well.

 Although I found that my necklaces I wore didn't break, some customers had problems with them. What was happening with the customers was that they would move the focal pieces up and down, adjusting how they lay a little each time.  You know what happens with you bend a wire back and forth and back and forth over time?  Yeah, it breaks.  

So I added heavier wire to secure them.  I started to wrap more wire around it, to prevent it from being able to be moved by the customer.  Still, there were plenty of times I want to use pretty beads with thinner holes.

I found a solution.  It may not work for everyone, depending on what you are doing, but it works for my designs.

What I do is take my take my heavy gauge wire- usally 18g, and make my wire wrapped loop, add my first bead, then, in the place I want the pearl I leave the spot open.  Lay that piece down for now.

 Then I feed my pearl onto the 22g wire leaving plenty of tails on each end.

Now you can lay it where you want it

Wrap the thinner wire around the thicker wire.  You are essentially wrapping the pearl onto the thicker wire

Push it close to the first bead

repeat on the other side

Warp it back around the pearl, and you can even wrap it over the first bead if you want.  wrap tight and tuck your ends in

Now add your next or last bead, and go back around the pearl and first bead with the reaming thick wire.  if the thick wire was on the backside of the pearl, this time make sure it goes across the front

backside

All done

(refer back to the above picture when you get to the end of the post)

Another wire tip, use your fine files!!!  Especially when using thicker gauge wire.  Even if you tuck an end in really good, it may be rough, just because it is so thick.  Use your needle files to gently round the end, so it won't catch or scratch anyone.  

I often run my fingers up and down a piece over and over to try to find snags.

You should also use dead soft wire for wire wrapping.  Many beginners make the mistake (like I did) of buying half or full hard wire, thinking it was stronger.  It will not work smoothly, and will not hold shape well (it forever wants to spring back to form).  Dead soft will actually hold is shape for wire wrapping better, and your hands will thank you too.

I hope that gives you some fresh things to think about where wire is concerned.

AND- since we have not had a giveaway in forever.....I am giving away the pendant shown above.  This is open to US residents only this time.

All you have to do is share this post, either on facebook, your blog, tweet it, pin it, ect.....

Then be sure to leave a comment below, with how you shared, and your email so we can contact you if you win.  A winner will be picked Monday April 21st by random generator.

(do not leave your comment on our facebook page, leave it here so it can be counted)

Good luck!