Rainbow Button Earrings

I'm having fun starting some of my new collaboration pieces, but I've also been working on restocking a few best sellers this month.

Editing RAW light box images in Lightroom has been a whole new challenge the past couple weeks. Some of my previously learned skills translate pretty well, others not so much. I'm pushing ahead regardless. Lightroom is still changing my entire photography world for the better, and no, I'm not being paid anything to say that.

Putting together photos of the beads and buttons that I used for the latest set of rainbow button earrings was kind of a little reward for this project. I love having best selling items, but sometimes I burn out making whole sets of very similar items.

I never get tired of these gray backgrounds.

Look at that whole group of pretty earrings ready to go. I'm hoping that if I keep plugging away at little sets like this, I won't get too overwhelmed during the holiday season. It just might happen, right?

I messed up experimented and made one set loaded with beads. They have close to three times the number of beads as the original design. In case you need a bigger explosion of color.

Next up on the best sellers: purple celestial earrings. And on that note...

I've been thinking about new color possibilities for future celestial bracelets and earrings. Black and gray/silver is the first one that's come to mind. Other thoughts? Other ideas? I always appreciate your input!

What have you been working on lately?

another edition of why I love my customers

Welcome to another edition of why I love my customers! When I started selling jewelry nearly four years ago, I never imagined that I would end up doing so much custom work and that it would be such a rewarding experience. I've had many great customer orders the past four years. This most recent order was no exception.

 
This customer is a teacher, and she wanted a set of jewelry in her school's colors. Do you remember this charm bracelet? I still have a bunch of those maroon buttons, which worked out perfectly for this order. I love the addition of the gray, silver, black, and white.

I created a second set that I now have listed in my shop. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut with the color combinations for a certain line in my shop without even realizing. I keep creating new versions with those same combinations without taking the time to experiment with something new. Getting the inspiration for a new button set was much needed.

This was also a great excuse to make a new set of button dangle earrings. I have never been able to keep these in stock for very long because they are so popular. I'm determined to have a whole bunch of new pairs ready for my fall shows this year.

This past year I started branching out with my photography because I felt like my product photography was stagnating, and I really needed to mix up the routine. I am thrilled to report that all of my photography work elsewhere has improved my product photography. I am really happy with some of these new shots and feel like they're at a new level from what I was shooting even a few months ago.

Have you been working on any neat custom orders recently?

another edition of why I love my customers

If you're been reading my blog for a while, you know that "why I love my customer" posts come from my custom orders.  I love to sell in stock pieces that I created with my own ideas, but I love to make the designs that my customers have come to life, too.  Over the last few years, I have tried designs, color combinations, and more that I never would have otherwise because of my customers.  These last few orders were no exception.

Some of you know that I got a couple custom orders from open house guests before I even had the open house.  Before that happened, I had a request for a custom size of my red/pink rock garden bracelet.

I am so happy that my rock garden line continues to do well.  I've sold versions of the first four color combinations and just released the newest color combination: neutral this week.

The first custom order I got for the open house was for two color gradation button charm bracelets.

 

Isn't this a cool effect?  I love the result, especially the black and white one.  It is really tough to find black buttons, especially in unique sizes or with unique details, but I may try to make another one of these at some point.

I shared photos of the bracelets with the customer before the open house.  She loved them and asked if I made button earrings.  After showing her examples of a few different designs that I make, sure ordered 4 pairs!

 

I loved making stacked button post earrings and enjoyed using these new color combinations.

As I now included beads in the vast majority of my button charm bracelets, I decided that it was time to start using them in my button dangle earrings, too.

I included these earrings are as a freebie with her order.  Aren't these little buttons so sweet?

The second custom order that I got was from my brother's girlfriend.  Do you remember her Star Wars pendant?  She loves it and wanted several more to give to her friends before they see the new Star Wars 3D movie.  Don't tell George Lucas.

Normally I attach my glass pendants to lobster clasps so they can be interchanged with any of my wrap pieces, charm bracelets, etc., but she just wanted these as pendants on chains so I left them with just the bail.

I included a little freebie, too.

I'd been thinking about my Star Wars pendant again recently before this even happened and had been brainstorming other fun pendant ideas for her in the future.  She loves The X-Files so I went with it.  So much for future gift ideas, right?  That's okay.  When I made the first Star Wars pendant for her, I printed it on regular paper.  This time I upgraded to card stock.  The result was definitely better, but I may try photo paper sometime instead.  I don't know how it would do with the glaze, but I think that the clarity would be even better. 

Have you been working on any custom orders lately?

Stay tuned tomorrow for a wrap up of the open house and what else I did in Chicago over the weekend.



And in unrelated news...

Amy of CopperDiem is having an amazing 3 pound bead giveaway on her blog right now!  If you love beads as much as I do, go check it out.

Where I linked up today:

I included this post in Michelle's Delicately Constructed Friday 2/10/2012.

starting my Christmas in July sale

I should have listed this a week or so ago, but I finally got this new patriotic piece up last night.

It's available here.  I got a large stash of these adorable, vintage flag buttons at Christmas.  They're from my mom's button collection.  I honestly have no idea how old they are or who originally bought them in my family.  They are so old that the backs are literally wearing away.  The cards that they were attached to were very worn as well.  I originally wanted to make a button charm bracelet with them, but I was worried that clinking them into metal and other buttons would wear them down even more.  This design was the perfect solution.

I have enough flag buttons left to make one more of these bracelets.  I'll be making a slightly longer, very similar version of the bracelet above.  I still have a pair of matching button earrings available as well.

And on the subject of button earrings, I also listed the button earrings that I'll be giving away with all of my orders in July.  I currently have three styles available.

They're all available under the same listing here.  If you have a preference which pair you get with your order, leave me a note when you place your order.  You can purchase them separately, too.

I'm just starting to get my sale items marked down, but as I mentioned yesterday, I'll have lots of Christmas and other red and green items on sale this month.  Here are a few that are already up in the sale section.  Click on the pictures to go to the listings.

Keep checking back throughout the month to see additional sale items.  Wishing lots of sales for all of you also participating in Christmas in July this year!

June Top Droppers and July happenings

Happy Fourth of July!

A new month means that once again, it's time to thank my Top Droppers.  I really appreciate everyone who drops by my blog regularly, especially those of you who comment.  It means a lot to me that I have a handful of people who come by every day and let me know what they're thinking pretty often.  I especially appreciate it this past month when I've been much less active online than usual with all of the moving craziness.

Here is the Top 10 list for June.
1) Sparkle
2) The Pond
3) Learn Affiliate Marketing
4) BeadedTail
5) the crazy suburban mom
6) Patsy's Photos
7) Dave Lucas
8) The Sewing Mom
9) Dragon's Alley
10) Melissa's Gem and Jewelry Blog

Here are some lovely Etsy items from a few of the ladies who comment here regularly.  Start leaving me some messages and you may see one of your items here next month!


I have to give a shout out to Nancy at nfall2rt who has been busy with wedding planning for a friend.  Please go check out her shop when she returns!

Safari - Zebra, Leopard, and Giraffe Print Polymer Clay and Black Onyx Beaded Antiqued Brass Earrings by BeadedTail

RED MARDI GRAS Fun Bracelet Using a small variety of pretty related colors in reds this one of a kind bracelet "Mardi Grass" by SaffronRoadJewels

Custom Personalized Wine Bottle Stopper Engraved Optic Crystal by memoriesforlifesb

Collage and paint art journal - Birdhouse Book by storybeader

Christmas in July doesn't officially start on Etsy until later this month, but I will be running a sale most of the month.  I'm marking down lots of red and green items 15% and all of my Christmas items 25%.  I'm also giving away a free pair of red and blue button earrings with every order all month.  I'll have more information about all of that later this week.

FYI, you will be able to order the button earrings separately, too.  I'll still send an extra pair with that order.  I ran a promotion like this at Christmas that was very successful.  Hopefully this one will be, too.

Fourth of July sneak peak

I've been working on a few Fourth of July pieces this week, including a bunch of Fourth of July themed button earrings, which will be my free giveaway with all orders during the month of July.  Here are a few pictures of my progress this week.  I'm planning to list them by the end of the week so they'll be ready to go July 1st.  I'll have my other item up shortly, too.

Now that I have my gluing tray back in action, I'll be working on more button earrings and button magnets in the near future.  I already have 8 more earring pairs in other assorted colors ready to be glued.

button dangle earrings and some more treasury love

Over the weekend, I finally took pictures of the new button earrings that I made over Christmas break, including a new pair of my explosion earrings.  I took pictures of the last pair right after I made my light box and really didn't know how to use it to photograph earrings, especially when they were hanging.  These new pictures are so much better.  The Etsy listing is now updated, too.  And the bracelet that matches them is still available here.

I also listed my newest pair of button dangle earrings: Button Dangle Earrings - Two-Hole - Ocean.

And the treasuries keep pouring in!  I may have to start planning a once a week treasury thanks post.  For now, here are a couple new ones.

Lois (FoxyGknits) included my Beaded Bracelet - Purple Rock Garden in her Etsybloggers Team: Singin', "Happy Birthday, February Goddesses!" treasury.

Kathy (jenniferlynnstudio) included my Beaded Bracelet - OOAK Turquoise and Brown in her My Heart Has Wings treasury.

FourthKingdom included my Beaded Bracelet - Button Embellished - Rainbow in her Color Theory Explosion treasury.  This little bracelet always gets a lot of attention when I renew its listing or include it in my featured Etsy listings.  This held true once again!  I sold one version of it a while back.  Hopefully I'll sell another one at some point.