Jewelry of the Cannes film Festival

Here's luxurious gemstones, eye candy for the weekend. Enjoy.



http://linkd.in/iqnnqg

Pay attention to what your customers want

I was checking to see what I had sold and what I needed to replace, when it dawned on me all the cowrie  shell rings I had sold were a size six. I didn't have a size six on either site. I made some size six rings and listed them. How many sells did I lose because I didn't have a size six listed. I don't know, but you can bet I won't do that again.

The hardest part of selling anywhere, online or offline  is finding your niche. What are the characteristics of your customers? What do they read? What  do they like to do in leisure time? Do they roller blade or listen to opera or both? Don't laugh, this describes one of my best customers and she didn't care what I charged as long as she liked it. She was all of five feet tall and wore some of the biggest earrings I had ever seen. She would tell me I made earrings too small. I am tall and assumed my jewelry appealed to big women. Nope, most of my customers are petite. They speak of how delicate my jewelry is. (Its sturdy but it does look delicate) . I've since translated this to mean feminine,which is what I wanted to convey.

When I did shows in person I would make most of my money at the end of the show. Why? Those giving the show were usually my customers and  I might make $300-700 in 30-40 minutes. I had to wait on them to get free and come to my table. This meant most of the day I might have sales dribbling in but my biggest sales almost always came at the end. A very good way to learn patience. Smile

How did you find your niche? Is it on or offline? What do you do to make your customer feel extra special? Leave a comment.

Thanks,
Michelle

Wireless Jewelry

I have been on a tear since I did the challenge piece. I've made hairpieces and brooches without using wire. Some of the pieces like the brooches above I just didn't want anything distracting from the beauty of the gemstone. My camera skills were not up to capturing the beauty of this stone. The first stone is a beauty and highly polished. The second stone has no pitting its smooth and flawless.

I wanted something you could wear with the man tailored suits or sweaters which go with the seventies look. I know a lady who retired from a high level corporate job last year and one of the things we had talked about was her having to re-femininize(?) herself.  I had noticed the higher up a woman went on the corporate later the less feminine she had to come across so I asked this lady about my observation. She stated matter of factly, That if you wanted to be taken seriously you had to one of the boys. There was nothing "Butch" about this lady but it was obvious she had taken steps to defemin. Very little jewelry, expensive man tailored suits. Even when wearing a skirt the suits were mannish.

So I created these brooches with the intention of feminizing the man tailored look without screaming"Look at me I'm female".

Was I successful?  What's you take on this issue?

Challenged by thebohemiangypsy Challenge Met

I was challenged by the bohemian gypsy to take these bits and pieces and make art. I don't think my finished product was what she had in mind. She was expecting jewelry. Isn't that why they call it art?

I have never taken a painting class or tried to paint.  After the Bohemian gypsy challenged me I dreamed this piece.

The piece is titled Calm/Chaos. What would you have done with the pieces?

As always click on the title to purchases

Feature Monday:TheBohemian Gyspy Revisited

The Bohemian Gypsy in her own words.

Hi, I've had many misadventures that have lead me to be the artist that I am today. Some skills I learned thru classes some were self taught. My creative learning is a long winding never ending road with a lot of stops along the way. Here are a few of my stops.


My first creative vibe was in grade school in art class. We were making ash trays from clay. I made mine rectangle with diamonds going around it and every one else made the traditional round. That was my first adventure outside the box.


Then when I was older, I saw a watch in a boutique that was covered in crystals,I put it in layaway and after I had it for a while ,it broke. Well, at the local craft stores you couldn't buy Australian crystals so I thought If I took a jewelry class I could find out where all the magic stores were with all the pretty stones. Well the class turned out being a metal smithing class and the teacher had no idea where to get crystals so instead I learned how to pierce cut, form and forge metal and sterling silver.


I loved going to the antique stores. I would buy unique shaped purses and jewelry from a time gone by ,(when it was o.k. to be a girl). The jewelry was so fragile that often it would break or I would lose stones from it. Because the piece was so different I couldn't bare to throw it away ,so I started turning the broken parts into a new piece of jewelry and using parts as a clasp on a purse . Thus starting the use of antique crystals in my pieces.

As always click on the title to visit her shop.

Have a great week.

My Cowrie Shell Lariat Is In An Artfire Collection

Shell game anyone?

Curated By: MarquisCreati...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

 
 
Click on any image to purchase. Mine is middle picture second row MichelleS

Five Reasons I sell on ARTFIRE.com venue

I sell on two sites. Lets talk about ARTFIRE.com today. Artfire was the second site I started selling on.

These are the top five reasons I'm sticking with ARTFIRE.com.

1. Ease of set-up- For this tech phobic person it was breeze to set-up. I also love that Artfire doesn't make you sign up to purchase on this venue. Many like myself are tired of having to sign in and can't keep with the sites we are signed into. I think there's a backlash coming regarding this. Any site that demands I sign up to look I ignore now.

2. PRICE-I went pro with the $5.95 deal and anyone who complains about 6.00 a month to sell isn't serious about selling. That's less than $2.00 a week.  Even if I open another shop at $9.95 per month you can't beat the price. This is a no brainer. I just wish they would let us pay for multiple months at a time instead of this take it out every month thing.

3. I've gotten sales on Artfire when I was doing nothing here and directing my marketing efforts and money to the other sell site. Google Analytics showed I had five times more people going to my other site than to Artfire. NO SALES on the other site. Yet Artfire had me on the first pages for my key words. My return on investment (ROI) has been much greater on Artfire.

4. When I have asked for help or posed a question on Artfire I got answers without my character being attacked or  people spouting off without  reading what I had written.

5. Administration on Artfire is constantly working to stay on top of the changes (GA, Facebook, etc) that impact the venue and it shows. When I google my keywords Artfire has me on the first page for most of my words.

I got some bad advice when I signed up and used my name instead of my branded business name thinking that would cause a conflict on the search engines. If I could just change to my business name I could shut the other site down and focus solely on ARTFIRE my name is too branded to give it up.

Artfire currently has a special going for signing up.  If you have or purchase a pro  account refer someone, they get their third month free and you get a free month. Here's  the link http://www.artfire.com/users/MichelleS/sell-crafts

Have a great week end.

Steel Horn Cowrie Cowry Ring

I took Steel wire, big buffalo horn disc and a cowrie shell and turned them into a ring. If your fingers swell I would not suggest wearing this ring as it does not have the give of precious metals.

The steel made up into a nice ring and takes a pretty good polish. I wanted to do some very large pieces and since I had these 2 inch horn discs it seemed the perfect opportunity. The shell is 7/8 of an inch. I made earrings and pendents with the horn discs. I will photograph them and get them posted.

I've been Challenged by the Bohemian Gypsy

Another jeweler (theBohemianGypsy.ety.com) challenged me to do something with the pieces pictured below. You know I love a good challenge, so I'm giving myself till Tuesday 5/24/2011 to create something and get it posted. Make sure you check back to see what I've come up with.

The Bohemian Gypsy is the artist for Feature Monday May 18, 2011. Make sure you check back on the Tuesday to see what I've come up with. Smile

Attended the premier of "The Beaver" with Mel Gibson and Jody Foster

Last night we attended the premier of the "The Beaver" At Scottsdale Fashion Square.  Mel Gibson and Jody Foster starred with Jody Foster directing. The subject matter clinical depression and mental illness is hard to  convey on the big screen without losing your audience. This film nailed it showing both how the depressed person unravels and the effects it has on those around them. More importantly it showed the various forms depression can take based on different scenarios. A very hard subject matter to covey losing without your audience. Jody Foster nailed it. She kept the pace moving not allowing you time to withdraw or put up protective shields for what might be around the next corner.

 I've been a Mel Gibson fan since his Mad Max days so its good to see him back  in the saddle. He nailed the main character playing a middle aged man who is severely depressed and has done the "traditional treatments" without success. He finds his own coping mechanism hence the title.

One of the side families had a kid die from a drug overdose and no one was dealing with their emotions and the impact this had on their lives. They were all sweeping it under the rug and acting as if everything was just peachy. Yet peaches will rotten if not properly cared for, so it is with humans and their psyche. Their not talking about the death was manifesting in crippling ways to the family.

People in the audience laughed and cried at difference scenes some very funny which you would not have expected given the subject matter. Even a gory scene was dealt with in a way to give full impact without slapping you in the face with blood and gore.

I don't want to give out to many details because you have to see it presented in the context of the entire film, but The Beaver is well worth the price of admission. I will be going back a second time and paying to see what I missed from the first viewing. The film was that deep and that good.

Wire Work Earrings Video

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.


 
 
Making videos to add to my youtube.com/ mshawkins55 channel. I want to make some tutorials also.What do you think? Is the music appropiate for the jewelry?

Adjustable Rings Pink Shell on Sterling Silver

I had been looking for an adjustable ring shank in sterling silver. I finally found a supplier and made this ring with a very large thick cut pink Mother of Pearl Cabochon. The cab is 1 5/8 by 1.25 and 3/8 thick. So large and feminine.

I just love the trend back to women and girls being feminine again. Now I don't feel like such an outcast. I'm a big woman (5'10") with a unisex face, the last thing I need is mannish looking clothes. I'm in skirts and dresses most of the time.  Yes, I know here in the desert I'm considered over dressed because I have a skirt on, even denim. I never could get into the boyfriend, let me see how mannish I can dress trend. That's way too much mixing of male/female energy. The shift is including giving girls female names again. We wonder why the kids are gender confused.

What's your opinion on the shift to females being more feminine  again? Why do you think its happening?

Can't wait to hear you views.  Have a great day.

Gold Flower Hijab Pin Brooch

You can wear these to keep a scarf in place, as a brooch or whatever you heart desires. I used an antiqued pin back to make the brooch, hijab pin. I have been getting requests for these for a while so I located a supplier of the the antiqued pin backs and started making these up. I will be adding more to my wirequeenfanpage on facebook.

Playing with Flowers Hair Pins

I wanted to try my hand at making some cute hair ornaments.These look so good in your hair and oh so feminine. I'm so glad the trend is moving back to women and girls looking like, women and girls.

As always you can click on the title to purchase.



Featured Monday The Pixel Prince

The Pixel Prince is the creation of husband and wife duo, Kenny and Rene, started in late 2009. They create one-of-a-kind inspirational, funny, customizable original illustrations for homes and offices. Kenny is a self taught artist with formal training in Computer Science while Rene holds the title of Accountant, Organizer, Fact checker, Craft extraordinaire, Auditor etc…etc. You get the picture. Their designs are funny and thought provoking.

Members of Etsy Artists of Color

Their store can be accessed at  http://www.thepixelprince.com or you can access their etsy store by clicking on the title.

Enjoy you week.

Wirequeen

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! I Am Thankful MY Mother is....

I am thankful my Mother is my Mother.  Happy Mother's Day to all the Mother's around the world. May you receive the Respect, Protection, and Admiration for all that you do. There is no playbook for being a Mother and a Mommie. You do the best you can and if that isn't good enough for some people then to HELL with those people.

You do not have to be super MOM. You do not have to sacrific your PERSONHOOD or your HUMANITY to be a good Mother. Your house does not have to look like Better Homes and Gardens. You are not a failure if your kids are not bringing home 4.0 report cards. Your kids to do not have to have the lastest gadgets and outfits.

Kids need more than anything else your time and attention however little of it you may have with having to work to keep a roof over their heads. Sharing a walk in the park, a conversation, a book, your perfume that is what your kids will take away from childhood.

As they used to say Kodak moments, thats what kids take away from childhood. So make them put the electronics down and go take a walk see how many different birds or critters you can spot. Spent time with your rugrats because those memories  are what they take into adulthood.

Never forget you are the nucleus of the family, as you go so goes the family. Do what you have to keep you mentally and physically healthy.

Most of all recognize SUPER MOM is dead may she RIP. Just do you.

Wirequeen stepping off her soapbox.

Love Y'all  and let's enjoy our day.

Michelle

I am thankful my Mother is POETIC.

Mommie wrote all my younger siblings poems from iambic pentameters to Haikus, she'd whip them off the top of her head.

What was all the more interesting is that Mommie didn't finish high school. So for you Mommies who feel intimidated, don't be. You have more talents than you realize and you are your childs first and best TEACHER. This is your child and no one knows your baby better than you. You are the expert not the ameteur when it comes to your child and don't you ever forget that.

prm6 - Black Business Women Online

prm6 - Black Business Women Online


This dress would be so awesome with my jewelry.

Name This stone and win $10.00 Gift Certificate

My photography skills do not do this stone justice. I can't remember the name of the stone, it look like a flower. I'm told it grows from another stone as if its flowering. Beautiful shimmer in the gray ridge as if it has thousands of sparkle points.

I have a $10.00 gift certificate to the first person  who can name the stone and give me a link to its properties.

 Make sure you leave me an email with your comment.