gundowerks

I've been a busy woman!

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:55:58 GMT

Here are links to a bunch of brand new listings up on ArtFire, and I'm pretty excited about them.

Turquoise and Pink Wrap Pendant

Plum & Blues Wrap Pendant

Cotton Candy Pendant

Peeking Butterfly Pendant

Butterfly Dreams Pendant

Lots of news:

I'm on Twitter. I also have a personal account, but I realized that one with my business name would be a lot better for posting gundowerks art pieces and so on.

I have a Facebook Fan Page.

I'm regularly posting on Vote Handmade - I'd appreciate votes if you're a member there. It's a great deal of fun, and I really enjoy the interaction with other artists' work.

and... soon I'll be a verified member at ArtFire. I have set a personal goal of 10 items listed (that's all that's allowed for a free membership) and 10 more ready to list before I pay for the membership. We're going to give it 6 months and see how it goes in that time. Wish me luck!

I'll have a few more things to post at ArtFire soon, so keep an eye out!

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More loose bead sets

Fri, 29 May 2009 01:56:53 GMT

I decided to put up some loose bead sets on Art Fire as well as at Just Beads. Here are the links to the Art Fire listings as well as a photo of each.

Earth Spirit

Golden Ocean

Pink Magic

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And another Just Beads auction

Wed, 27 May 2009 19:14:40 GMT

This link is to one auction for a set of blue beads I did with a faux mokume gane technique variant.

An example of one of the beads in the set:

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Setting up at Just Beads

Wed, 27 May 2009 19:11:41 GMT

Some of you might remember the auction site Just Beads. They had a catastrophic crash and went off the grid, but have returned anew. I decided to try to help them get back off the ground again, and have started putting loose bead auctions up.

This link is to one auction for a set of purple beads I did with a faux mokume gane technique variant.

An example of one of the beads in the set:

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Here's the first in the series up for sale

Mon, 25 May 2009 21:14:58 GMT

I just put this one up for sale at ArtFire. I have several more to finish and put up as well.

Keep an eye out for the opening of my Facebook Fan Page, as well as a rock bottom sale on the last of my silk scarves.

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Coming soon...

Mon, 25 May 2009 16:28:12 GMT

I am working on a new pendant line, and I thought I'd give everyone a preview. The first will be finished and up for sale soon. Until then, here's two views of something brand new:

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Narrowing things down

Mon, 11 May 2009 01:28:50 GMT

My creative live has been sketchy and rather bare over the last four years, mostly to do with the Bundle (my four year old) but some to do with other chaos in my life. That's settled down completely and I'm working on my studio space, and trying to get back into the swing of being creative while running a household and being a full-time Mom.

I sat down and made a list of items that I want to center on for a while, to see how they go over and sell. I'm starting simple, and trying to incorporate my best artistry and my strengths, creatively. I want to populate my stores and also start planning to do craft shows, hopefully starting with one in the fall of this year.

Pendants & beaded necklaces, bracelets and brooches
I'm working on new and interesting way to feature pendants, as well as on my beading skills so that I can offer jewelry items that feature both my polymer clay beads and glass/semi-precious beads.

Fan (accordion) books
These are easy and fun. Marketed as greeting cards or fun gift tags, they'll be sold with handmade envelopes.

Covered tins
I have a great deal of fun covering mint tins. Thanks to friends who eat a lot of them and send me the tins I always have a nice supply. I cover other types of tins as well. These are great for jewelry boxes, sewing kits, all manner of different applications. They're wonderful for desk top and dresser top!

Anglican Rosaries
These are a wonderful new prayer concept, not just for Anglicans. Unlike the Catholic rosaries, Anglican rosaries do not come with a set prayer format. You are able to find or write your own set of prayers & meditations. I include a small bag with each rosary and a sheet with information on how to use this tool for prayer. Rosaries are made with glass beads, semi-precious stones, and some feature my handmade polymer clay beads as well.

Buttons
I love love love to make buttons. I've been supplying a knitter in New York (Thank you, Deb!) and I would love to help out any knitters and sewers who would like handmade, coordinated buttons for their projects. My prices are reasonable, and turnaround is usually good. I also want to make up button sets to sell pre-made.

I have so many more things that I love to make and I'll probably add some in from time to time, but I think it will be best to concentrate on a few things at first, till I get back into the swing of selling, and get a feel for what sells and what people want.

I'd appreciate any comments and questions that people might have. I am working on items, when I get them made and photographed I'll do a picture post to give people a better idea of what I'm talking about.

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Some background

Tue, 05 May 2009 19:00:24 GMT

Perhaps those reading who are not already friends with me (in real life or elsewhere online) would like to know more about what I do. I've been involved in "arts & crafts" as long as I can remember and very little pleases me more than getting to "make stuff". The birth of my son four years ago put a cramp in a lot of my creativity (time, space & financial-wise), but in the past year I've started to get things back together again. I've moved my basement studio (that isn't currently usable) up to the guest room/office and I'm trying to settle in there. It's a little hard, but my stuffice (as I call it, an amalgam of office and studio) is coming along. I have room for several of my favorite art endeavors, although keeping it neat is a challenge.

Polymer Clay: My first and most long lasting love is polymer clay. I first started playing with it in the late 1980's, but it wasn't until I started working with silk dyeing that my p.c. passion really took off. The reason for that was needing beads to accent the corners of my silk scarves. I priced them and realized I couldn't afford the amount and variety that I wanted, and then I remembered polymer clay. I was able to created one-of-a-kind beads to compliment and contrast with my scarves. From that bloomed a new love of the medium, and with the help & support of Delphi Forums Polymer Clay Central forum I was able to really put my heart and soul into it. I love to do my own style of faux Mokume Gane, I enjoy covering things (tins, glass and more) and making beads for jewelry as well as masks.

Silk Dyeing: Dyeing silk is a wonderful hobby as well, and I love it, but it's expensive and messy enough that I probably won't be picking it back up anytime soon. I might do small pieces here and there because I love the process so much. Someday I'd love to have the time and money to devote to really mastering the art.

Other Fiber Arts: Sewing & quilting are two things I have always wanted to be better at. I've played around with basic sewing and I love to make hats (easy fleecy soft hats) and simple handbags. I'd like to spend more time with this and try to hone my skills.

Beading: I do a little of this from time to time. Right now making Anglican Rosaries has captured my imagination, and I also love making what I call "Caterpillar bracelets". Surface embellishment with beads also holds a place in my heart.

Scrapbooking/card making: I love to play with paper. I like to make small books and bookmarks, as well as greeting cards and notecards.

Crochet: I love to make simple items with hook & yarn, mostly small bags to include with jewelry or rosaries that I sell.

This pretty much covers what I'm into right now. I look forward to sharing more with you all. I plan to use this journal as a part of my online selling presence, as well as my Facebook fan page (still in progress). I'll be writing entries about various projects and featuring items for sale as well.

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