Big Day!

I haven't blogged for about a week or so because I have been getting ready to show some new pieces to Sarah Hamel from Made You Look Jewellery Studio and Gallery. Not a very big deal to most, but a very big deal to me because although I've sold in boutiques around Kingston, I haven't sold in Toronto, and Made You Look is definitely one of the hottest places to be featured in for a jewelry designer in Toronto.

Sooo, I packed up my wares and off to Toronto we went, hoping every km of the way that they would like my pendants. Because my medium is polymer clay and not the traditional silver, gold or beads, it is always difficult to say whether or not it will be accepted among those circles.

To make a long story short, I met with Sarah at Made You Look and she loved my pendants! She took a whole collection to sell in her store and tripled the asking price that I had suggested for retail!!! I have never had someone appreciate the quality or the value of my work as she did. It was such a huge validation for me. I have been making this stuff for so long that I sometimes wonder if it is worth it and after yesterday, I feel completely validated. She also gave me some great pointers about selling my jewelry and approaching galleries and shops - invaluable!

As I said to my husband Scott, "everyone needs a victory" and my day at Made You Look was certainly one of mine.

Thank-you Sarah and Scott for all your support!

Outstanding Artist - Revonav

This artist has definitely given me something to aspire to. Revonav, a.k.a. David, is a genius when it comes to marrying polymer clay and sterling silver. What a match! It makes me want to work on my metalsmithing skills much, much more. His interpretations of my favorite medium are unique and innovative. Bravo!





Revonav's Flickr

New Items finished - Finally!

Some days it is difficult to get focused but finally I've been able to finish off a few things for my Etsy shop. I'm having fun trying out new techniques so bear with me if my forthcoming designs don't always mesh together. What can I say? I like variety :o)

New Stuff

I've been busy making new stuff but not necessarily finishing them. Here are a few new things I'm uploading to Etsy. There are more steps involved in the resin pendants so I try to have many of them to finish at once.

Step 1: Make the faux-dichro veneers with clay, leaf and inks
Step 2: Condition the clay and make bases for pendants
Step 3: Apply the veneers to the bases
Step 4: Cure/bake pieces for 40min
Step 5: Cool then sand with 400, 600, 800 and 1000 grit sandpaper
Step 6: Buff pieces to a soft shine
Step 7: Prepare resin and apply it to the surface of pendants
Step 8: Wait 48 hrs until the resin hardens
Step 9: Resand with 800 and 1000 grit sandpaper to get off any unwanted resin residue
Step 10: Rebuff pendants and drill holes if needed
Step 11: String pendants and admire your hard work!

That doesn't include photographing, editing, writing descriptions, pricing and loading them up to Etsy!
Very time consuming but hopefully well worth it.