It's a Treasure Hunt!

Ok, I'm so excited to finally have my e-commerce website up and running, with working shopping cart, checkout and everything, that I just had to do something fun, and there's not much more fun than a good, old-fashioned treasure hunt! (much more fun than a plain old give-away, and it lets me show off all my hard work! ;) You're playing to win a pair of sterling silver earrings, perfect for summer wear. (you can also opt for a giftcard of equal $ amount to be used toward anything in my store).

Here's how it goes. It's super easy, you click through the pages of my website and when you find the image of a gorgeous purple lotus flower you send me an email letting me know the title of the page you found it on and you are entered. That's it. No need to comment or anything. --You can get one extra entry by signing up for my newsletter (signup located on the homepage of my site) and one by "liking" my Facebook page (but you have to find the treasure also for the extra entries).

Here's the important info:
Contest start: Monday 5/9/2011
Contest end: Wednesday 5/18/2011
My new website (start here): awejewelry.com
The email address to send your entry to: treasurehunt@awejewelry.com
My facebook page: facebook.com/awejewelry
What you are looking for:

What you are winning:

Rules/Restrictions: One hunt entry per person, maximum 2 extra entries allowed per person, contest open to ages 16+, open to US and international customers, prize value is $44 (if opting for a gift card, the value will be $44), free shipping on prize item, winner will have 3 days to respond to my winner email or a new name will be drawn, winners drawn at random from Random.org

Feel free to ask any questions you may have and PLEASE tell your friends, anyone is welcome to play!


Thank you! I hope you're as excited to play as I am! :D

Have fun.
Deb.

Ring Haiku... and other awesome customer comments.

Just thought I'd take a moment to thank my customers. I hope to see you again soon. Here's some recent comments including an awesome Ring Haiku. :)


Ring haiku: naked fingers don't feel right. slip on some of her copper. bad morning feels less crappy.
~•~

Hi Deb - it was perfect. I got it on Friday - took a bit to get here.......but the fit was perfect! He loved it and is very happy! We haven't set a date yet, but very glad we found his ring. Your service, follow-up and help were all awesome! Thanks for making this a great experience! -Laura
~•~

Hi Deb, just letting you know that our rings arrived in Melbourne today, and fit us both perfectly! Both of us are really pleased with them! Thank you again for fast (and great...) work.
~•~

Wow! SUPER DUPER impressed with the customer service and items' quality! Thank you SOO much for getting this ring here soo incredibly quick! It made it on time for the wedding! :)
~•~

Deb,

I wanted to let you know that the rings fit and look AMAZING!!  We absolutely LOVE them!  Thank you for getting them to us so quickly!   I will definitely recommend you to anyone looking for some unique and beautiful rings!
~•~

I just wanted to send you a personal message to thankyou for the ring. I love it and it's perfect. It's exactly what I wanted. Thankyou for the quick shipment! This was probably the only good etsy transaction I've had in the past month of trying to buy myself something for my birthday.. so extra thankyou.

You rock.
Claudine
~•~

Here's to amazing, loyal customers! Thank you.
Deb.

I'm going to the Emmys...

Well, my jewelry is anyway!

The other day an awesome artisan and new friend, Tina of Tina Dean Designs, sent me an email suggesting that I might be interested in joining a group called The Artisan Group.

Well, Yay Tina... this group turned out to be a professional art promotions group that represents talented artisans by giving them the opportunity to have their products exposed to celebrities and the press at major award show gift lounges. The group is run by two talented ladies, Valerie and Nikki, who combined have tons of experience in this kind of thing and provide loads of advice and inspiration.

Before actually joining, I have to admit, I was skeptical. I mean it's just not everyday that you run into an opportunity this cool. So, as I usually do with such things, I googled the heck out of everyone involved. :) Everything checked out and was 100% legit so I joined the group.

Now, being a member of the group, although it is juried and you must be approved for inclusion, was fairly easy. Once signed up I joined in on the conversations on FB with some very talented artisans and I was happy to be a part of the group's friendly and supportive atmosphere.

But actually having your items be included in the celebrity gift bags is a whole different story and not all group members decide to take the plunge. It involves committing to producing 100 items and packaging them well, coming up with a cool display piece for the group's exhibit table, and paying a fee to cover the costs of participating in the event. I couldn't decide. It was a LOT of work and expense. On one hand, I thought, it was an amazing opportunity that I shouldn't pass up because of a bit of extra work... on the other hand, I was swamped with summer shows and such. I was also very worried that little old me would be lost in all the iPads, cruises, Rolexes and such that are given to the celebs by big name labels.

hmmm... what to do!

Two things helped me make my decision:

--the first came when The Artisan Group was invited to participate in GBK's Primetime Emmy Awards Gift Lounge -- GBK is *the* celebrity gifting organization; they sponsor nearly all of Hollywood's hottest gift lounges which means much BIGGER exposure by celebs and press. HUGE advantage.

--the second was a matter of taking risk. I've been struggling with direction lately, not know which direction to take my business. I don't want to be doing art and craft shows in 5 or 10 years. There are very happy jewelry artists who do this, but it's not where I want to be. So I started thinking, what's the difference? How do you make a change? How do you get to be where you really want to be? I decided it's by taking a risk, putting yourself out there for possible failure, but also for extreme opportunity and success. By deciding to put aside the fears, the cost issues, the thoughts of sleepless nights, and just jump in head first. Seeing it from that perspective I felt better instantly; I like the thought of being a risk taker. I read something recently about making a personal statement that said think about what you'd like people to be able to say about you at your funeral and strive to be that person. Besides being a great Mom and wife, I want to be known as a great artist, a world traveler, and a risk taker, it has a good ring to it!

Anyway, I did it! I committed to a journey that I'm hoping will lead to huge success ...or at least one great photo of a celeb wearing my earrings!

:D

Spring: The Beginning of Show Season

Show season is starting, and unfortunately, so is the rainy and windy season! Spring is exciting because everyone is going outside, ready to cruise handmade shows and markets and bask in the sun... when the sun is out that is! Lol.

Shows are a challenge in the rain (obviously) but even more so in the wind. It requires some creative thinking to ensure that all displays, and more importantly, items for sale stay put when it's windy. I use a lot of river rocks to weigh things down, tape to secure displays and signs, and my display tends to stay closer to the table surface rather than up high on shelves. Securing the display is definitely tricky but securing the tent is detremental, no one wants their tent flying off into the horizon (or into someone else's display)! Really heavy tent leg weights are the key, enough to hold the tent down in mega wind is important. I've seen people literally hanging from the roof beams of their tent to keep it in place! Not good... it's kinda hard to chat with customers, answer questions, and sell your goods while hanging from your tent!

The worst thing about rain and wind at a show, though, is that fewer people come out to shop. So, please, remember us die-hard vendors out there, hanging onto our tents in the rain and wind, and come out and say hi and maybe pick up a handmade item for yourself of a friend.

I have a couple of shows lined up already and am waiting to hear back from a couple more. I hope to see you at one this summer.

Check my website for current show info: AWEjewelry
and LIKE me on Facebook: AWEjewelry

Finding Inspiration

Every room should have exposed brick!

I adore the colors and texture of exposed brick. Just the feeling alone of exposed brick is inspirational; it has the feeling of a past, stories to tell, memories and events. It makes you feel comfortable and welcome and is just gorgeous to look at.

Mixed with solid bold colors it's to die for...
Throw in some luscious fabrics and stacks of books and I'd never leave...
Wood floors are a given...
Put it all together in a city apartment with a view and you have my version of heaven.

 

Love the dark wood! (and that ceiling feature!)

 

So many interesting things; travel mementos???

 

Bright and cheery.

 

Look at all those books! :D

 

Blue looks good with the brick (and I kinda like the modern feel)

 

A kitchen to die for...

  

Even bathrooms feel cozy with brick.

 

Love everything about this room!

 

What an awesome studio space!

aaahhhhh...

photo sources (top to bottom): alexandervanberge.nl, apartmenttherapy.com, apartmenttherapy.com, apartmenttherapy.com, hulyakolabasphotography.com, designspongeonline.com, designspongeonline.com, ihouse-designs.com, style-files.com

Artscape 2010 - An AWEsome festival!

Artscape Festival in Baltimore was fantastic!

Even though it was a million degrees and as humid as a sauna!

I was part of the DIY section, which had heavy traffic, and means I got to "booth" with two other fantastic artisans! Illegible Ink and Metropolis Bath and Body. Kathy of Illegible Ink makes super unique linocut art prints that she individually hand colorizes and Megan of Metropolis Bath and Body makes the most amazing smelling soaps (that are wonderful to use, I bought 3!) Check out their sites!!

I didn't get a chance to walk around the whole fest myself, but what I did see was really great. Tons of great artisans and artists, food and music!

Here are a few pics that I snapped while I was searching out some dinner:

My booth... I'm back there, really :)

There I am, although it's a little dark...

My dinner! Yummy :)

Some unscheduled music!

A Hookah Lounge... how cool is that!

 Crowds... (shot just outside my booth)

...and more crowds!

 
The art cars were also fantastic, but I spaced out and didn't take any photos of them :(

I'll definitely be back next year (despite the heat :)

Deciphering a Woman's Words...

I found this while surfing today and thought I'd share! :D

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE
(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It!
(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)
(6) That’s Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you’re welcome. (I want to add in a clause here – This is true, unless she says ‘Thanks a lot’ – that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say ‘you’re welcome’ . that will bring on a ‘whatever’).
(8) Whatever: Is a woman’s way of saying GO TO HELL
(9) Don’t worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?’ For the woman’s response refer to # 3.