End of Summer SALE!

I have an end of summer sale going on in my Etsy shop now through the end of the month. You can check it out here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6258277§ion_id=5991231

Just of few of the items that are looking for happy homes:

My tree...

I've been trying to find something to hang on the massive wall in our living room for almost a year now...can't believe that we've been here a year already. Anyway...I couldn't find artwork that I liked AND could afford and my plan to buy bookshelves went out the window when we bought new furniture and I realized they would not fit.

I came up with the idea of the tree a couple of months ago...it was a random idea that I sketched on the back of a paper placemat one night at dinner. Overall, it came out like I had imagined. As is always the case with the first of something, I made a few mistakes that had to be corrected and to do it again would be a lot easier and faster with the lessons learned. I'm not sure it will remain on our living room wall forever but for now it fills the large expanse of taupe wall with something I enjoy looking at and my husband can tolerate.

My "New" Chandelier...

I haven't been getting much work done yet...lots and lots of ideas and sketches...but no actual jewelry design/creation. My work space seems to have some bad mojination so I'm hoping I can bribe my hubby to help fix that this weekend.

Anyway...what I have been doing is working on a few projects around the house. The living/dining room are now all the same color (finally) and almost all the baseboards on the first floor are painted. Necessary stuff but boring for the artistic mind (and most people who have been to our home would never ever be able to tell that I spent days doing all of that).

My "new" chandelier on the other hand came out fabulous and very certainly looks different. Of course however, I neglected to take a before picture so you could really see its transformation. The best I can do is to say that when we bought the house it looked something like this:



What I wanted was this $400 piece from Pottery Barn (but was definitely not willing to shell out for it):



What came from that inspiration is this:




Obviously not as detailed as the one I wanted but I think it captures the spirit...and for only $15 in spray paint and crystals...spirit and sore fingers are much, much more affordable!

Trying to end my hiatus...

So...it's been a very long time since I've written anything here. I started this blog by writing about how much I suck at blogging...I wish I could say that is why I haven't posted here since March.

The truth is that life has been a little crazy for the past five months. Around the time of my last post my husband and I were happy to discover that we were pregnant and would be welcoming our first child before Christmas. The next three months were exciting, nauseating, happy, and busy. I was dealing with feeling sick most of the time and trying to prep for my first summer of art shows in Wisconsin.

Everything changed with our first ultrasound when we found out that our baby boy was experiencing a serious complication. As the weeks went by, we painfully waited and watched as he progressively and inexplicably got worse. Two weeks ago at our last ultrasound appointment we saw that his heart had stopped. He was delivered on 7-21-09 and we named him Cooper William Atkinson.

Needless to say, it has been difficult, it continues to be heartbreaking, and it feels like things may never be the same again. We are beyond thankful for our family and friends who have been supportive and there for us when we've needed it most. We appreciate the cards, e-mails, phone calls, and visits more than you will ever know.

For now...I am home and trying to get back to life and back to work in the studio.

Overcast skies...

It may be overcast and a little dreary here but I still managed to shoot some pictures of my new pieces this morning...everything went up onto Etsy earlier today!

I was wrong...

...today's newbie is my new favorite!

My obsession continues...

My obsession with piercing silver not only continues but is perhaps inspiring the most wonderful things I have ever made. While I do miss making beads, I am feeling more and more like taking a new direction with my designs and continuing my bead hiatus for the foreseeable future. Only time will tell if my new pieces find an everlasting place in my collection and if I can live (and sleep) without dreaming about melting glass.

Of all the things I have ever made, this new design from yesterday might be my favorite...

Hooray for Etsy Sales!

I first opened my Etsy shop last fall...September I think. Right after I opened, my husband was transferred back to Wisconsin with his company. While the move was a welcome opportunity and change, it did put a little kibosh on my Etsy launch. My new shop ended up with very little attention from me (as well as potential customers).

Now that we are settled, I've been able to spend more time focusing on polishing up my shop appearance, working on photo layout/consistency, designing new items, and promoting my little treasures. Like many sellers, I struggle to have my work seen and stand out in a sea of other items (some of which are outstanding examples of creative and talented artisans and some of which are, lets just say, less than outstanding.)

While I'm not raking in the sales or new customers quite yet, I do consider it a huge victory to have scored three sales this week from three new customers. It gives me hope that, even in tough economic times, those of us who create beautiful things that come from our hearts and souls will not only survive but also succeed.

Insufferable inability to sleep...

So, it's 1am and this is now my 4th night of not being able to sleep. My enviable husband is snoring the night away all warm and toasty in our large, fluffy bed. As much as I love him, I often want to slug him just a little for being able to do that. Even our furry, four-legged critters are soundly snoozing in their happy little corners of the house.

It is my dream to someday, someday be able to just roll over and sleep...

I hate daylight savings...

I know it's just an hour but for some reason it really messes with me. Something about it just doesn't feel right...I'm oversleeping by an hour and at night it just doesn't feel like the day is done, yet the clock says it's 10 o'clock. Perhaps I will pull a Kramer and just boycott...or did he decide to embrace it and start early...can't remember.

Anyway...at least I've still been able to create this week. I've made a ton of cute little flower earrings that make it feel like spring when you wear them and designed a new leaf necklace yesterday.

Spring Filled Goodness...

The warm weather, sunny skies, and melting snow have inspired me this week. While I know it is all fleeting and that spring is still yet to come, at least it now feels as though it is right around the corner.

My head is filled with spring birds, leaves, and branches and so is my sketch book! A new nature inspired line is in the works for Spring 2009. A few new creations went up onto Etsy today...check it out at www.eclectiwendydesigns.etsy.com!

A few more items are soon to be listed:

The return of Chuck...

So, it's been some time since I've seen our little squirrel friend and the bird feeder has held a steady line of birdseed for at least a month...until today.




Ahhh...the life of a well-loved cat. We should all be so lucky!

What happened to February?

I actually have no idea what-so-ever where February has gone. It seems as though I blinked my eyes and suddenly it was March. I suppose the weeks that I spent re-painting the majority of our house has something to do with this missing month...once I picked up the paint brush it was hard to put it down.

I've had enough of the mess and the fumes for awhile, however, so am back in the studio and prepping for what I hope will be the onslaught of spring and summer sales. At the moment, I am working to find art shows in Wisconsin that will be a good venue for my work. Applications have gone out to be juried and I hope to be able to post dates and locations for shows I will be attending soon!

For now I'll leave you with a little preview of Spring 2009 @ EWD:

The Love of Creation...

...and no, I do not mean in the biblical sense...

What I mean is the pure high I feel from making something that I truly love. I've been working a lot with (and thinking a lot about) shapes cutout from silver. I probably haven't thought about piercing a piece of metal since I attended a jewelry design class over 4 years ago. Now for some reason, it's all that I can think about.

A few new goodies were born from obsession last night:

25 Random Things About Me...

This is going around on Facebook and, since I took the time to write it, I though I'd post it here as well:

1. I am allergic to lipstick.
2. I prefer to drive a stick shift and miss my 1988 Jeep Cherokee.
3. I have traveled to lots of countries and lived in 5 different states but do not have one friend who has known me my whole life and that makes me sad sometimes.
4. I took ballet lessons from the time I was old enough to point my toes until after I graduated from college.
5. The last ballet class I took kicked my ass so badly that I didn’t want to walk for a couple of days.
6. I miss dancing.
7. When I feel uncomfortable I can become defensively bitchy and I routinely feel bad about that.
8. I miss going to work everyday…
9. …and I NEVER saw that one coming.
10. In the 80’s I routinely worn 4 different colored socks at the same time.
11. I also once used an entire gallon of hair spray (which was a gag gift from my dad).
12. In the 90’s I shopped at St. Vincent DePaul and wore combat boots with a skirt and flannel.
13. Now…I’m still in my PJs.
14. I am eternally grateful that I am not the person I was yesterday.
15. I prefer taking a bath to a shower but almost always take a shower rather than a bath.
16. I walk, talk, and carry on incoherent conversations in my sleep…there is often yelling involved for some reason.
17. I am addicted to Mexican food and would eat it everyday if I could.
18. I feel extremely guilty that my husband kisses me goodbye every morning while I am still in bed…despite the fact that it is obscenely early.
19. I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up and I fear that I need to figure it out very soon.
20. I’m not sure that God exists and don’t really understand people who so faithfully believe.
21. In high school I took a pottery class rather than a jewelry making class.
22. I often wonder what I would be doing today if that had been the other way around.
23. I routinely recite random quotes from movies or TV shows that I love.
24. I faithfully watch every episode of LOST despite the fact that it seriously pisses me off.
25. When I’m alone I sing loudly, often, and extremely off key.

New creation...

Despite the doldrums of my complacent melancholy, I had an inspiring idea today for a new pendant that incorporates my silver work with my lampwork...at least I think it might be inspiring...I can't decide if I love it or just like it or if it is total crap.

If anyone is out there your thoughts would be appreciated...

1-20-09

I remember the first time that I saw this date. I was driving in NY almost two years ago and noticed a bumper sticker that said something like...1-20-09 Hang in There! It took me a little while to decipher its meaning and when I did I just about peed my pants laughing.

With all of the hype that has led up to today, I sincerely hope that it is a date we hold in our hearts forever as a moment in history when things really did change.

I'm so excited...

...and I just can't hide it! My creation from yesterday made it into a Valentine Gift Guide curated by Etsy staff! Check me out on page two:

http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/my-funny-valentine/110?&page=2

I have no idea how long it will be there or if it will translate into sales but it's something...and I needed a little something today!

Things that make me happy today...

1. It's Friday so I get to spend the next two days with my hubby.

2. My cappuccino filled Hoops and Yoyo Mug:


3. Loving and supportive friends, family, and fans...thanks for the early morning sales people!

4. A day of finishing new pieces in the studio! Yeah!

5. The fact that it's actually above 0 degrees right now.

6. My cute, furry, four-legged kids:


7. I'm going blond again tomorrow! Woo-who...no more icky brown hair!

8. We're going out for margarita and guacamole later...yum...

My Dyslexic Heart...

I think I finished this in record time...




I even already listed it onto Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19779609

Frigid, freezing, and...

...crap what's another "F" word for miserably cold? The one I'm thinking of has four letters and I'm too polite to write it here...ok, I'm not too polite but I have a sense of decorum around people I don't know and might offend.

Anyway...it is crazy cold here (10 below when I got up this morning) so I am working my way up to heading down into the cold basement to work today. I'm thinking it's going to require my Uggs, a hat, scarf, and another cup of coffee. It must be done, however, as I have a clever new idea for a necklace. I actually almost got up out of bed last night to start it...my cozy down comforter and toasty warm husband kept me firmly in bed however. If I finish it I'll try to post here or to Etsy later today...

Hope you are someplace warm!

Hot and cold...

Cold as in sub zero...at least that's what they keep saying on the weather channel. As for me, I've got a frig full of food, a month's worth of crafty ideas, and no desire what-so-ever to shovel the driveway. So...needless to say...I'm staying in until the thermometer reaches at least 15 degrees ABOVE zero!

Hot...well that would be the fabulous wool hat I made today:

Chuck...

Not having actual children yet, my husband and I have two cats that we obsessively spoil and basically treat like our kids. Howard and Ruby are good kitties whom we love dearly but I'll be the first to admit that we are sometimes a little nutty about them. Any serious pet lover would understand I suppose.

Anyway, they of course needed to have a Christmas present this year and what do you buy for the spoiled cats who have everything but a new bird feeder to go outside of the sliding glass door in our new kitchen. Now in Upstate NY, we lived in a veritable wonderland of wildlife. There were tons of birds, bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks, deer and of course the turkeys. This cornucopia of wildlife would empty a bird feeder in less than a day (always to the delight of Howard and Ruby).

Fast forward to today. Living in Wisconsin now, we figured the wildlife situation would be similar. We figured wrong, however. The neighbors keep telling us that there are deer but despite seeing tracks in our yard we've yet to see one. I swear I've not seen a single bird, bunny, or chipmunk near our house since we moved in (not the mention the lack of turkeys). It's like we've moved to some strange parallel world...it's called the sub-burbs.

That, however, brings me to Chuck, our one and only squirrel, who miraculously appeared earlier this week. He seemingly has no friends or family or at least is not about to lead them to his pot of gold in our backyard. To the delight of Howie and Ruby, he comes each morning and gorges himself on birdseed, sitting on the steps just inches from their noses, whiskers, teeth, claws, and salivating mouths. He is either blissfully unaware of their presence or happily tormenting them with his twitching tail, bulging belly, and tiny little arms. Either way, the kitchen is now the hip kitty place to be!

Buzz, buzz, buzz...

As ever, the holiday season took over life and I feel like I'm just getting back into the swing of things...honestly, from the week before Thanksgiving to the week after New Year's is a total wash for living a normal life! A good time was had, however, and I was busy, busy, busy with EWD orders and gifts. A busy little bee...buzz, buzz, buzz...

Anyway, now that we are entering the doldrums of winter, I will likely end up so bored that you will find nonsensical gibberish written here. Hopefully (instead) I will end up so busy with new creations and actually selling jewelry that I am happy and content...ahhh...such fleetingly wonderful emotions.

While still looking for an actual "day job", I'm spending my self-employed days pondering new designs and new directions for EWD. My new jewelry creations will be up on Etsy as soon as we get a sunny day for photographs and I'm considering designing some baby items (for others not for us). I've also still been working with felt and fibers but am not sure that those items will make it online...they take so long to make that I'm fearful of the list price I would need to make it worth my time. A few holiday and birthday gifts for the wee-ones in our lives have been very fun to make...I made this one yesterday:





In my mind her name is Kitty Sue but we'll wait until Sunday and find out what Maddy wants to name her. Kitty is made entirely out of felted wool and cashmere sweaters...oh, and a little lace on her socks. She is the first from this pattern I made and may need a little tweaking...darn thing took me almost an entire day to make, however!

That's it for today...

New felted creations...

I've been borderline obsessed with felted items lately...I think it started when I first saw felted beads combined with glass...something about the contrast of soft and fuzzy along with hard and smooth that just peaked my artistic energy. Anyway, I've been reading a lot about how to felt lately and finally sat down yesterday to play...these sweater pins are the first to be born from this new obsession. My brain is still filled with ideas so there will likely be more to come...one of the best things about these projects is that they are made entirely of recycled wool or cashmere sweaters...