Happy Holidays

Happy holidays to all from Juli's Jewels. I hope that 2013 has treated you well and that 2014 will be even better. Thank you for your support.

Updates are fun! What's up with Juli's Jewels right now.

Tomorrow is thanksgiving. Thanks to all of you for your support. :-)

For your Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping pleasure, free shipping on all orders using code NOVFREESHIP2013. Don't forget, there are bunches of great items in the $10 shop and the 20% off clearance section. Look for pop-up specials throughout the weekend. :-)

I've had no one nominate anyone yet for the Holiday giveaway. I'm not sure how I feel about that...you've got to know someone who deserves a little something extra for the holidays.

Do you think stores should be open on Thanksgiving?

This is a question that was posed to me the other day by my friend, Monica. She was talking about grocery stores, but in this I heard the Big Question; Do you think retail stores should be open on Thanksgiving?

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about big retailers opening on Thanksgiving Day and starting their Black Friday business early. To this I say a loud and resounding NO! No, I don't think Black Friday should start on Thanksgiving Day. Stay home. Watch a T.V. show marathon (I think I saw something like 83 different Series marathons will be aired) or some football; play with your kids; have more mashed potatoes; relax.

Thanksgiving is the weirdest holiday we have; it's on a Thursday and not everyone gets the following day off. It's a little island of a holiday; we should enjoy the time it gives us to overeat and watch T.V. but more importantly, it gives us a day that we spend with our family and/or friends and are thankful for all the awesome we have in our lives.

Do your shopping on Friday if you must, but skip Thursday and let all the shop workers be thankful for their day too.

Updated Craft Show Dates (Or, where to find Juli's Jewels these days)

A quick update on where you'll find Juli's Jewels in the upcoming weeks.

This Saturday, November 16th, Bake Sale and Mini Craft sale. It's an old fashioned front yard bake and craft sale located at 4501 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA from 8am to 3pm. The bake sale proceeds benefit Run to Feed the Hungry.

Saturday, December 14th, VOX is having their 2nd annual VOX Box event from 5pm to 8pm! Coinciding with this event is their Second Saturday Winter Craft Fair, from 1pm to 8pm. I will have a box and a have some of my jewelry for sale. Where is VOX? 1818 11th Street, Sacramento, CA.

Finally, Sunday, December 15th, the YMCA Holiday Art, Craft and Gift Festival. It is from 10am to 7pm at 2021 W Street in Sacramento, California.

Don't forget to submit nominations for this year's Holiday Giveaway on the Facebook page. A brand new, one of a kind jewelry piece in a prize pack for one lucky person. Nominations will be taken until December 5th so get them in early!

Festive Holiday Charm Bracelet

Juli's Jewels Holiday Giveaway, 2013 edition.

This year for our annual holiday giveaway, Juli's Jewels is mixing it up a little. We are doing the usual; we are exciting nominations through the Facebook fan page for people you think deserve an extra something special for the holidays. We will accept nominations now through December 5th, so that we'll have time to get the prize pack in the mail before Christmas. The second will be a random love to someone who has purchased from my shop this year, as a thank you for your support. The gift packs will include new, custom pieces and a few fun bits. Happy holidays from Juli's Jewels.

Juli's Jewels ArtFire shop is finally all up to date!

It has been a lot of work, but it's finally done! My ArtFire shop now has pretty much all of my ready made items listed! (There are a couple of things that I haven't decided if I want to post them or dismantle them for parts...) So, at current count, there are 441 total items in the shop; 111 items are listed in the $10 Specials section (lots of gift ideas in there! Ho Ho Ho), 29 items in the 20% off Clearance section (pretty things and great deals), 37 items in Braclets and Anklets, 42 pairs of Earrings, 133 necklaces in the Necklace section (some with complementary coordinating earrings!), 21 bottlecap and domino Pins, 11 Rings of various styles, 25 assorted Christmas items (One for each day!), and last but not least, 31 Halloween and Harvest items (again, one for each day!)

Whew! Now I can go back to the fun of creating! I made this one yesterday...now I just have to list it.

Juli's Jewels Schedule Through the Holidays

Hi all! Halloween is just 3 days from now and I'm ready, but just barely. Eight weeks 'til Christmas though, and I am certainly not ready, how about you?

To help you plan, here's a quick update on what's happening with Juli's Jewels through the holidays...you know, for gifts and stuff.

We have two craft shows coming up. The first is the St James Holiday Bazaar; it's on both Saturday and Sunday, November 9th and 10th from 9am to 3pm at 1375 B Street in Davis, California. The second is the YMCA Holiday Art, Craft and Gift Festival. It is Sunday, December 15th from 10am to 7pm at 2021 W Street in Sacramento, California.

We'll be offering free shipping on all orders from Black Friday through Cyber Monday! Please use coupon code FREESHIPNOV2013.

For quick and inexpensive gifts, don't forget the $10 Specials section of the shop and the Clearance 20% Off section, too! There's a lot of really nice jewelry in both of these shop sections, they just aren't really what I'm making anymore, so I thought I'd clear them out. There are some pretty awesome bargains in there, some of the $10 items are actually 1/2 price!

I've added over a hundred items to the shop with more being added all the time. Once I get all the items in I can back to the fun of making jewelry.

Gift boxes.

Do you read me?

I haven't really had time to write a good blog post this week, but we'll see who's reading any way. I have been working more hours at home on my ArtFire shop than I have been during the day at my day job...and I still have so many things to post! Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win something and save me from having to list that one more thing in my shop. Thanks for reading!

Juli's Jewels ArtFire Shop - What is up with the $10 Specials?

I need your help. 

There, I said it. I need your help. 

Those four little words are very hard to say, but I am finally saying them. One more time...I need your help. I need money to pay for my car insurance next month and I need to clear out jewelry that is just not what I am making these days. I need to have all the items sold by the end of November, which is awesome because it is just before Christmas! Think of the stockings you could stuff or the little co-worker gifts...the kid's teacher? How about your sister- or mother-in law?



Example of $10 Special

I will have at least 100 $10 items listed in my ArtFire Shop in the $10 Specials section. All of the items listed in the $10 Specials section will be worth $10 or more and are all very nice pieces, they just aren't really what I'm making these days and have been working on clearing them out of my shop anyway. Each person who purchases one of the $10 items will also receive a coupon for free shipping for their next order.

Most of you (my fans and followers of Juli's Jewels) only know me as the girl who makes jewelry and does give-aways and maybe gets a little too posty on facebook sometimes. I also write a blog about crafting business and life, I have an on line shop, I get pretty excited when someone adds one of my pieces to their ArtFire Collection, and practically squee myself when it gets on the front page. The people who know me think I'm nice. I'm introverted and shy, but once I get to know you and am comfortable enough to open up, you'll find me funny and caring. My heart is big and I believe in paying it forward. Frankly, those of you who do know me, know I'd really rather give the jewelry I make away than sell it...but can't because I'd quickly not be able to make anymore....all that being said, this is the hardest post I have ever written. 

Please look over my ArtFire Shop in the $10 Specials section and find something awesome that you would like to give a home to, and help out a hand made jewelry artist in the process.


Juli's Jewels Anniversary Fun; The Metamorphosis of My Craft Fair Booth

I've been selling my jewelry at craft fairs since October 2007! Wow! That's six years! In honor of my business anniversary, here is a look at my booth through the years.



My first booth; West Sacramento Neighbors Fair - 10/2007

 

Last Year's booth; Taylor's Art Park - Summer 2012

My newest booth - 09/2013



Combining Colors; the Basics for Craft Design

A big thank you to Kari Ackeret for suggesting this topic. :-)

Oh so many colors! How do you decide which color will pair nicely with some other color? Let's start with color basics before we move on to combining the colors.

The primary colors – Red, Blue & Yellow

The secondary colors – Violet (Red + Blue), Green (Blue + Yellow) & Orange (Yellow + Red)

The tertiary colors – Red-orange, Orange-yellow, Yellow-green, Green-blue, Blue-Violet & Violet-red

For information sake will keep it to primary and secondary for now, but the rules apply for tertiary as well...

Color mixing basics -

Primary colors easily pair with each other, 'nuff said.

Complimentary colors (these sit next to each other on the color wheel and combine easily); Red with orange or violet; Blue with violet or green; Yellow with green or orange.

Contrasting colors (these sit opposite each other on the color wheel and are a bit more challenging to combine; Red and green (think Christmas); Yellow with violet (think pansy flowers); Blue with orange (think Denver Broncos).

Tones (warm and cool) -

Complimentary Cool Tones

Complimentary Warm Tones

Cool tones; Violet, Blue & Green; these will pair easily with silver, pewter and steel (complimentary), but will pop paired with “warm” metals like gold, brass and copper (contrasting).

Warm tones; Red, Orange & Yellow; these pair easily with gold, copper and brass (complimentary), but will really pop when paired with “cool” metals like silver, pewter or steel (contrasting).

Tints and Shades -

Tints and shades are the degree of a color (i.e.. Light Red, Red, Dark Red). Tints are a color made lighter by adding white; Shades are a color made darker by adding black. It's an easy way to combine colors, as they are all the same color just different degrees of it.

This actually takes me back to my painting class in High School; My teacher required us to do a color blend chart for all of the primary colors using black and white in various amounts (ie. ½ white + ½ red = pink). The Chart actually had white and the bottom, red (or blue, or yellow) in the middle and black on top. It didn't go too deeply into each color gradation, but was kept pretty simple; 100% white, ¾ white + ¼ red, ½ white + ½ red, ¼ white + ¾ red, 100% red, ¾ red + ¼ black, ½ red + ½ black, ¼ red + ¾ black, 100% black...but I digress

Neutrals -

You can combine neutral colors (i.e.. White, black, grey, brown, etc.) with most other colors and with themselves to lovely effect.

Now that you have the basics, take a little time to lay out your crafty project, or paint some swatches next to each other and just see if you like the way the colors look together. If you do, well, get crafting!

The hidden costs in running your crafty business, or what is overhead exactly?

Some of your crafty costs are obvious and you can easily recoup them. For instance, a simple pair of earrings cost you $5.00 in assorted parts, and about 15 minutes to make at your $20 hourly rate (or whatever rate you are paying yourself, as discussed in “Starting your crafty business, Part 2 -Okay, I've decided how I want to sell it, how do I price it?”), so, about $5.00, but what is this mystery overhead?

Overhead is all the hidden costs of doing business. Did you buy a canopy for your outdoor craft shows? The cost of that gets paid in your overhead. Folding tables? Display pieces? Business cards? How about the tools you used to make the earrings? That is all covered in your overhead, as well as the less obvious, but still very necessary. In my overhead are things like the fuel I need for my torch so that I can enamel or work with metal clay; also, my enamel powders. It would be impossible for me to figure out how much enamel powder I use per piece (or fuel for that matter), so I can't assign it a price when figuring out my cost for pricing, it absolutely has to become part of my overhead or I wouldn't be able to continue enameling.

If you don't figure your overhead into your prices, you might as well be giving your crafty awesomeness away. The same goes for making sure you get your time paid for and you recoup the cost of your parts. If you think your stuff is good enough to sell, do it right.

Super Model Mannequins = Overhead!

Craft Fairs - How to Choose the Right One for Your Crafty Business

I've recently been trying to reboot my business by doing more craft shows. Let's face it, people are more likely to buy a piece of jewelry that they can touch and try on over the one they can only see pictures of online. (That's actually why I bought my super model mannequins, Mathilda and Lucille, so people viewing pieces in my online shop can get a better idea of length, hang, drape, etc., but I digress.) So, I've been tuning up my booth display pieces and have been searching out shows to do. It is starting to be craft show season, so there are quite a few out there, but how do you know if it will be a good show?

There are a lot of "Craft Fair(e)s" out there that have almost no crafters. If the show you are doing includes Cookie Lee (and other catalog/resale jewelry vendors), Tupperware, ShamWow, Avon and/or Mary Kay, etc., it isn't a craft fair, it's a vendor fair and you will have a very hard time making sales, unless you under price your craft, which only hurts you. When searching for your show, search for Handmade Only. Also, see if it's a juried show. A juried show will ask you to, at minimum, submit photos of your work and booth set up. Some will even ask for your artist's statement and process pictures (you assembling your jewelry or knitting your hats, etc.). These are usually more expensive for your booth fee, but the people coming to the show are expecting quality handmade goods so you will actually have better sales. The next part is deciding what craft shows are a good fit for your type (and style of craft). I do better in and indie craft fair environment with my collage pendants and bottle cap rings than I do in a church fund raiser craft fair environment, but that doesn't mean I should consider the church one, it just means that I should check out a sow really well before I commit to one. The church may be in a neighborhood like Sacramento's Midtown, where I would be a very good fit. Your hand knit baby hats and blankets will be a hit in a neighborhood with lots of young families, just do a little research.

How do you know if the show was a success? That is the big question, and frankly, there is no right answer. Some of the articles out there say you didn't have a successful day unless you made 10 times your booth fee for that day ($75 booth fee = $750 in sales), other's say that just being out there and networking and giving out business cards is a success. Frankly, you are the only one who knows if your day was a success. Do you feel like your time was wasted while you sat there, even though you made a few sales? Not a success. Did you sell nothing, but felt like your time was well used and you wish you didn't have to leave because it was all just so much fun? A success!

Anyway, it's food for thought. Go out and find yourself a good fitting craft show and sell your crafty awesomeness!

How my booth used to look. I'm looking forward to posting new booth pics soon.

  

Starting your crafty business. Part 1 - So, you want to start a crafty business?

So, you've amassed a pile of whatever your crafty madness is...jewelry, collage, afghans...whatever your awesome creativity has spawned and you have that moment, the one where you think "whatever am I going o do with all these?" Everyone you know has one; you even gave one to that person don the street, you know, the one everyone sees but no one knows. Yeah, that one. Now what? Then you get the bright idea (or, in my case, some one says) "you should sell these!" Okay! Hmmm... Okay? How do I do that? 

Decisions, decisions. Online shop? Craft fair? Consignment? Wholesale to that little shop? All of the above? How do you choose?  Well, there is a lot to think about before you decide which way to go with your new crafty busines. Yes, business. The first time you take money for your creation you are leaving the world of crafty hobby and move over to crafty business. You're gonna need to decide if its just a little hobby business that is just a means to buy more crafting supplies, or will it become your sole income. Either way, you're gonna need some stuff. First and forwmost, if you are planning on selling anywhere outside of the occasional one-off with the gal in the cubicle down the hall, you are going o need a sellers permit. Here in California, they're free.  You've got to have one if you are going o sell at craft fairs or to that little boutique. You don't need one if you are going to consign (the consignment shop will have one though).  The cool bonus of your sellers permit is that you can now purchase your supplies wholesale!  Also, depending on your local laws and regulations, you may need a business license, check with your city or county. That will cost you money annually, but for a tiny home-based crafty business it will be nominal.

Does it seem like too much? Yes? Turn back now! No? Alright then, lets go! 

You need to decide how you want to get your stuff out there. I'll leave you with this until next time; how do you want to sell your craft? You'll need to decide that, so you can figure out your prices. No matter what, you don't want to lose money on this endeavor, so you really need to decide that question first. 

So, come back next Wednesday for Part 2 - Okay, I've decided how I want to sell it, how do I price it? 

 

Upcoming Show Schedule - Updated

Just a quick update up upcoming shows where Juli's Jewels will be vending.

Restoration Church, 8098 Foothills Blvd #900, Roseville

Saturday, October 5th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

2nd Annual Craft Fair, Arden Church of the Nazarene. 3337 Arden Way, Sacramento

Saturday, October 12th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

I've applied to and I'm still waiting to hear back about the Nevada City Craft Fair, which will be held in December, and the Orangevale Parks and Recreation District's 16th Annual Holiday Craft Fair; It's in November. I'm also looking at a couple other dates and IndieSacramento is in the planning stages of a pampering/pre-holiday shopping day! More details to come on all of these.

 

 

Friday the 13th

It's Friday the 13th and I'm having a Flash Sale in the shop! Everything is 13% off today only. That includes the already reduced priced items in the Clearance section of the shop. Here's the link, just in case.

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/JulisJewels

New Product Display Cards

GoFundMe

I never thought I'd do it but the time has come...I am asking for money. The economy has taken it's toll on my little business, and frankly, if I can't start doing more shows and turning a little profit, I'm going to have to quit...and the thought of that just makes me sick. Making jewelry brings me joy; it has gotten me through some really rough patches, but if I can't sell any jewelry, truly I wont be able to make any more. In the last two years I have actually given away in my little fan page contests and random love, more jewelry than I have actually sold. Sadly, I wish I could just give it all away, as I am not exactly the best sales person out there. Being an introvert and somewhat shy make it very challenging to work my own booth at shows, I am always very grateful when someone comes to shows and helps me sell.

Honestly, I'd really rather have you buy my jewelry, but since thats not really happeming right now, I'm  trying this. Please check out my GoFundMe page - http://www.gofundme.com/49baqs If you can help, I would appreciate it more than you can ever know. Anything will help, but I have set up three levels that will get you a small gift/token of my appreciation. I am asking for funds to replace my canopy, some over used tools, fuel and enamel powders so that I can continue enameling, and funds for show booth fees.

If you can't help out monetarily, please send me your good thoughts and wishes, so that maybe your positive energy will find it's way into my campaign.

Thanks for listening.

Example of $100 thank you gift

Example of $75 thank you gift

More fun with Enameling

I'm finally feeling comfortable enough with my enameling to add it to designs using my favorite metal, natural brass. The designs have been fun to play with and I like playing with colors and textures.

Here is what I've been doing, in order of completion:

Peirced and Layered

Lovely Layers

Stamped and Embossed

A little bit of everything

Textures and layered colors

I think they are really turning out nicely; what do you think?

How to survive an outdoor craft show-repost

This is a pretty good post, so I thought I'd share it again.

Okay, I know we've all seen the great lists for being prepared for craft fairs/shows, what to take, etc. This is not that kind of list. This is more survival based...

1. Know what the weather is supposed to be like, in advance. Check with the Weather Channel or AccuWeather the day before the show. Check it again in the morning, it might have changed while you were sleeping. Also, if you are near where the show will be held, look out the window. I cannot stress this enough.
2. Prepare for the weather to change during the day while you are at the show. I have set up my booth in the rain in the morning and been roasting with the intense heat and humidity by closing time. Wear light layers and if you wore tennies, bring sandals (or vice versa).
3. If it's going to be windy, forget the canopy. Yes, you can get sand bags or other kinds of weights for your canopy, but they don't always help...better to be same than sorry. It's just not safe, your canopy can move or worse, fly. Duct tape comes in clear! Get a roll. People don't really see it and your displays will be less likely to blow away. Also, keep your displays low or flat. .
4. Table cloth clips are cheap and you can purchase them at your favorite big box store (i.e. Target, K-Mart, etc.) in the camping or outdoors section.
5. Those chairs you get for camping will save wear and tear on your good folding chairs, as long as they aren't too comfy. (Falling asleep is just not professional.)

I know this sounds a little tongue in cheek, but I'm serious. Also, if you live in the Sacramento Region, outdoor (especially parking lot) sales in October are crazy. It will be windy, it may be rainy, It might be hot or really chilly. Just be aware. Oh, and try to have some fun.

Starting your crafty business, Part 2 - Okay, I've decided how I want to sell it, how do I price it?

Okay! You've made the big decision to sell your handmade awesomeness and now you are ready to price it...umm...yeah...but how?

It's a pretty big deal, getting the prices right. You want to be able to make a profit otherwise you might as well go back to giving it away. You want to be competitive with other artisans and crafters, too.

Do not sell your stuff cheaply! It, and you, are worth more than that. Undervaluing your items hurts you in the long run, but it also hurts the handmade marketplace. That being said, there is also a limit of what your regional market will bear. Yes, you have to take your customer type into consideration when pricing your items, but that doesn't mean selling an item for less, sometimes it means revamping your line to fit your customer base (i.e. making less expensive pieces for the church bazaar vs. the high end ones you make for the gallery).

You have to remember, this is now a business. Even if you are just a hobbyist, you are going to need to keep records of your supplies and what you paid for them. You are going to need to know how long it takes you to make a piece (including design time). You need to decide what your time it worth. Imagine you did this as a job; what is your boss paying you per hour to create your awesomeness? Most artisans rate their time in the $18-$20 range. I think you're worth it, you should too. Trust me, you wouldn't do this job for minimum wage. You also need to add some overhead for packaging and other materials that can't make it into the rest of the price, because all of that stuff really goes into making your sale.

There are several formulas for pricing items to keep you competitive and profitable; the one I use is pretty simple. First I figure the base price, that is the price it cost me to make it. I add parts plus time (labor) plus overhead (I use a flat 20% on the parts + labor to get my overhead). To get my base. (P + L + O = B)

My parts on this piece were $5, my labor was 15 minutes at $20, so $5, my overhead then was 20% of $10, so $2. Adding these all together, my base price for this item is $12. This is what it costs me to make this item. If I were to sell the item at this price, I would have no profit whatsoever.

On top of my base price, I have 3 price points; wholesale, direct and retail. The markup I use for wholesale is 2.5 times parts plus labor and over head. (P*2.5 + L + O = W); for direct it’s 3 and for retail it’s 6.

So, an item that costs me $12 to make would be priced at $19.50 for wholesale, $22 for direct and $37 for retail.

You will have to decide what you think is the right pricing for your craft business, but remember, there is no benefit to you or anyone for underpricing (and undervaluing) your work.

 

Finished Bits; Enameled Pendants Become Pretty Jewelry

Here are pics of the finished pieces that I started at the VOX Mini Maker Fair. I'm really enjoying playing with layering the enameled pieces.

What do you think?

Demo Days - the VOX Mini Maker Faire Wrap Up

So, yesterday (Saturday, July 13, 2013), I did demonstrations of torch fired enameling at a really cool gallery space here in Sacramento, VOX. It was there first ever Mini Maker Faire. I certain after how well yesterday went, there will be more.

This was my very scaled down, but totally workable enameling space. I had both of my torches, 18 enamels and a lot of pieces (copper blanks and iron filigree beads) to demonstrate with.

Here I am showing Luke some basic torch fired enameling.

Working a bead in the torch flame.

There were quite a few people who came by the event and got to paint with TJ Lev, sculpt clay with LaLa Ortiz and Rachel Young, make bots and color with Eric Sweiven, check out the awesome yarn bomb styling a of Rebel Threadz and she brought some cool break dancers with her. 

These are all the pieces I enameled while demonstrating. 

It was a good night and I look forward to doing it again.

Demo Days!

I've been invited to demo torch fired enameling at the Mini Maker's Fair at VOX coming up on Saturday, July 13, 2013 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Come spend an evening with people who want to share their art with you. It'll be fun.

Learn how I turn plain beads into these beauties!

A Good Night's Work.

This is what I did last night.

And this.

Upcoming Show Schedule - Updated

Just a quick update up upcoming shows where Juli's Jewels will be vending.

Placerville Craft Faire, Downtown Placerville

Sunday, August 11th from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Elk Grove Craft & Antique Show, 8820 Elk Gove Blvd, Elk Grove

Saturday, September 21st from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

2nd Annual Craft Fair, Arden Church of the Nazarene. 3337 Arden Way, Sacramento

Saturday, October 12th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

I'm still waiting to hear about the Nevada City Craft Fair, which will be held in December. I won't know about it until October though. 

If for no other reason, come out to one of these events just to see my new banner. 

Stay-cation...all I ever wanted...

Stay-cation...didn't have to get away.

I have been enjoying a nice little staycation for the last six days. Who knew it could be so nice just being home! This time off from the dayjob has given me time to relax, sure, but also time to explore. 

I spent some time working on some enameling techniques that I'd only just done once before, the stamping technique to apply a design to the enamel. I now have a much better handle on the best way to do it and what types of designs work best. 

I learned that torch-firing crackle base and trying to use regular enamels (not liquid) will only result in miserable failure. It was pretty for a minute though.

I didn't just spend the whole time inside though, I got out too. I took a nice almost six-hour hike around the Foresthill Divide Loop Trail. It was about 11 miles. It wasn't super hot and there were breezes...and I only almost got squished by a cyclist once.

Now I'm off to do a little putting. 

Tomorrow it's back to the dayjob, but for today, I'm going to enjoy my last bit of staycation.

I hope your summer is great too.

Look at this beautiful redwood tree!

Linky Love Tuesday - 6/11/13

It's Linky Love time again! Last week's link sharers were:

2 of Mind and Spirit https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/2-of-Mind-and-Spirit/49612386274?fref=ts

And

Jenny Arnold. You can follow her on twitter https://twitter.com/JennyArnoldSHJ.

Boy, I love enameling!

Here's a quick peek at the progression in my enameling; 4 new techniques,

This one is layered and has motion. Had to figure out how to keep the enameled pieces from rubbing against each other.

This one used a rubber stamp to apply the enamel for the stars.

This is sgraffito; after enameling a base, sift another layer and then scratch in a pattern.

This one uses piercing and stenciling.

I'm certainly having a good time experimenting with what you can and can't do with enamels.

Linky Love Tuesday-6/4/13

Hi everyone! It's Tuesday and that means its Linky Love time over on my Facebook fan page. Starting last week, I'm giving you a chance to promote yourself; share your Facebook, twitter, blog, artfire or etsy, regular web page...basically, whatever you've got.

Last week's participants were: 

Spooky Grrrl Bath and Body - www.facebook.com/spookygrrrlbathandbody www.etsy.com/shop/SpookyGrrrl 

Accidentally Mommy - http://accidentallymommy.blogspot.com/

Magikal Kabinets by Kalypsokrystal - www.facebook.com/magikalkabinets

So, look for this week's Linky Love post on Facebook and share your stuff.