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Teeny Tiny Earrings for Lady A
Originally uploaded by lpdesigns

Well, I gave these to their new owner, Lady A. I hope she liked them. this was an offline sale, so it didn't change my shop stats. But I'll still count it as a sale for this month.

These are also available for online purchase in my listing in my shop. They're really cute. I think I may make them in other colors, too...I think.

So I took a break

I was getting obsessive and depressed about my shop. I still haven't sold anything in over a month and a half. This was particularly stressing because I tried hard to list everyday and bought another showcase in an attempt to 'make' a sale happen. I had someone inquire about a necklace that has since expired. It was gloomy for me.

I got caught up in helping my mom prepare a graduation party of a daughter of a friend of hers. It was nice to get lost at something. I also starting looking at *gulp* colleges. Eeek.

I happened on one by accident. I was actually looking for arts centers Connecticut to take a metalsmithing/jewelrymaking class. I found Rochester Institute of Technology. It has a lot of things that I would have wanted a college I attended to have. It's near Lake Ontario, so it will be cold in the winter. Lots of snow. I'm used that but had hoped to get away from really snowy winters. Still, I feel kind of drawn. Plus this was the first time that I read that I would need to have a portfolio, which I don't at all, and didn't panic. I actually thought 'Oh, I can do that'. I shocked myself.

Guess that's all. I'd like to have something new for the shop soon. I do have that thread and beads from a previous
post. Shall see.

Finding me 5.16

Plaque on a wall
Originally uploaded by lpdesigns.

On the 14th the family and I went to the Connecticut College Arboretum. It was mom's idea. They have a amateur photography contest every year. She wanted us to enter. (The contests ends the 18th, which I didn't know then, but that's not the point of this.)

I was apprehensive, as I usually am when I do something new. Picture-taking isn't foreign, but doing for art is. Up to that day I'd only taken pictures to capture moments in history and the quality of the picture wasn't important. So long as I didn't chop of the heads of anyone I was good. This was different. I was unnerved.

Well, reader (bit of a Jane Eyre reference there), I loved it. LOVED. I'd thought for a while that I could get into photography if ever I gave myself a chance. It's partially genetic. My dad loves photography, though he doesn't out and say it. He's not that kinda guy.

I'm not sure we'll be able to enter the contest but the above picture is one of the ones I took. There's something incredibly personal in photography. It's like machine-assisted art. The arboretum didn't have nearly as many pretty things there as I thought. But I could have stayed there for awhile longer, snapping this and that.


My mind was racing on the way home. I contemplated opening an Etsy shop for my photography. Not yet, I'm not sure where to go to print my pictures. I don't have a name for the shop. (I'd like it to have the letter 'r' in it, for my name.) But, gosh, I want to go out to take pictures somewhere else again.

I really needed this. I was getting creatively stagnant, only making jewelry. I didn't really have a ton of money to spend on new supplies. (I will make my metal earrings, yet.) I was growing to loathe the process. Allowing myself to try this medium, that could totally develop into a passion, is so exciting. I can barely concentrate.

Acute

Acute started as a custome requested from one of my mom's friends. I'd also had been trying to make some smaller earrings. These worked for both. They're just over and 1" long with the jumpring. I love them now. You can click the picture for more information. :)

Love=Heart=Still in my shop.

I love these earrings. I made a pair for my mom. She's my best customer. :P They've been all over the place, have gotten tons of compliments and 13 hearts. 13! That's a record by far for little me. Still...they're in my shop. Guess it's not all bad. I just wish I could find a way to get in front of the eyes of people who will actually buy my stuff. I do love to get hearted, though.

My showcase day is the 14th. I have some new earrings I could list for then. If I don't get a sale from that showcase, I might not do it again, until I get more income to spend on advertising and such.

Shopping

I got a gift certificate to the bead store for my birthday in April and decided to go spend it. I didn't manage to spend it all. I like to save in case I see something I 'have' to have later. :) I took the pic because I'd been wanting to take a pic of new thread and beads for a while. Plus, I needed to update here.

I haven't decided what I'll make yet. Jewelry, of course, but the details are fuzzy at best. Probably earrings. I could make some Tangent Reduxes with the kelly green, not sure it would look right in the black or the white. I'd like to make something that has the white and black together. One side black, the other white or the two knotted together. I have ideas, but they're not very concrete.

The beads are moss agate (green) and picture jasper according to the bead store lady. It would help them a lot if they put the name on the labels. I don't mind asking, though.

So new somethings at LP by rJax soon...hopefully.

This is actually old news

But Blogger and my computer were fighting and I couldn't update for a while. I am on blog. You can join groups and comment on art/crafts and upload pics of your own items.

I had participated on and off on this site as my computer would allow. Most recently, in April, I sent some of my pics to one of the groups I'm in Artisan Craft. They added them to their gallery. The pic in this entry is the collage she made for me. It looks so nice. Kinda professional. I was very happy.

I also Google myself from time to time. Well, I google my shop, not my real name as that's kinda popular and none of the results are really me. I'm kind of invisible to Google as myself.

Yesterday, when I was feeling down again, I found myself on My Indie Jewelry. It made my day.

Hopefully my computer will stop being a pain and I'll have new news to report on soon.

Lookie

Yay for supplies!
Originally uploaded by lpdesigns.

Lookie what I got. It's a square block of steel-y goodness. I'm so happy.

I searched high and low for this bad boy. (I don't really shop, I hunt.) I got down to two choices, both on *gulp* eBay (It ain't all bad over there :P) and went with this one. I saved $.18 between those two choices but about $12 from the highest priced one I found.

It's 4" by 4" by .75". The bead store near me sells the 2" square ones but I wanted it BIGGER! Plus the bead store ones are expensive.

I read and read and searched and searched until I found the ONE. Maybe I should name it.