Dear Diary, 

It’s been too long. My apologies! See, it turns out that I was offered one of those jobs I mentioned interviewing for. And I took it. I realize that after singing the praises of leaving your job and working for yourself, this might make me look like a hypocrite. The thing is…I’m not. My new job is an exciting new turn for me, career wise. It’s a departure from what I’ve done in the past, and so far, I like it very much! Plus, I have no intention of letting Birdseed gather dust. 

Since my last post, I celebrated my first Etsy sale! Full disclosure: the customer is my sister-in-law. But I get the sense that she actually LIKES the necklace she bought, so I don’t think it was an act of charity. Yay!

Aaand, perhaps my most exciting news: I was accepted as a vendor at Handmade Arcade! If you don’t know, HA is Pittsburgh’s biggest indie craft fair. I’ve always been SUCH a fan of all the vendors, and I’m completely honored to be a part of the whole thing this year.

This year, you can check it out on April 16th, 2011 at an exciting new venue- the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. I really think the convention center is going to be a fantastic fit for the event, with all its natural light, and the fact that it’s near the Cultural District. Plus, after my own heart, it’s a LEED certified green building. I digress…it’s going to be an awesome event, and I hope to see you there! 

Be sure to check out the other HA:11 Vendors, here! 

Did I mention that my business cards came in the mail this week? Yes! I really love the way these turned out. I could have done something more handmade, but I like the polished look of these professionally printed babies. Thinking about using a paper punch to round the corners like the beautiful InvitedInk letterpress cards that I featured in my “Networking and Business Cards” post on January 28.

Two new items in the shop this week, and more to come! I’m really loving the new silver tone supplies that I ordered. They’re nice + bright, and more modern than the antiqued brass finish I used for my first batch.

Click the images to visit these items in my shop…and maybe do me a solid by clicking the “favorite” heart! Looking forward to a new treasury, a few more new Etsy postings, and some Twitter outreach tomorrow. And coffee in my favorite chair… le sigh. This is the life.

It’s ironic, if not down right ridiculous, that mere days after blogging about the freedom and wonderfulness of giving up a professional life for a creative one, I received two completely unsolicited calls asking me to come in for job interviews. I’d like to say that I told them “NAY, I AM DEVELOPING A CREATIVE BUSINESS,” but I didn’t. No, I didn’t. Call me a hypocrite. Fine. 

My plan is this: go to the job interviews, present my best self, but be clear about my intention to maintain BALANCE in my life. I will not work 60 thankless hours a week, as I have before. A very good friend of mine reminded me that I don’t have to *take* a job if it’s offered to me (oh, it’s so good to have friends who get it). So there’s no harm in going to these interviews and exploring my options. 

One thing I know is this: detouring from my crafty venture is NOT on the table. Even if I accept a position, my long-term goal still remains creative self-employment. And roller derby. <3

At long last, my Etsy Shop, Birdseed, is up and running (and on time, no less)! This is just the beginning, but I feel really good about achieving one of my first short-term goals. Hurrah! Small Victory!

This probably seems obvious to a lot of people, but over the last month, I’ve realized how satisfying it is to work for myself on something that I love. Duh, but…not. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I didn’t enjoy my chosen profession. I knew I had anxiety and motivational problems, but I guess it never occurred to me that those issues would cure themselves if I were actually *interested* and *invested* in what I do. Funny how that works. 

These days I love brainstorming marketing strategy. I love making lists and crossing stuff off. I love the process that I so loathed before. What a flipping relief! 

So if you feel totally beaten down by your job; if you feel guilt about not doing as much as you could; if your job anxiety is infiltrating your personal life- maybe it’s time to take a serious look at what you do and think realistically about what ELSE you’d rather be doing. Not an easy conversation to have with one’s self in this crap recession, but…just do it anyways. Believe me, making due on a fraction of your previous income is surprisingly easy when you’re HAPPY. 

…more to come, people. More to come. 

Today was awesome. I had two of my best friends over to my apartment to model the first batch of necklaces I made. Aaand we made a bit of an event of it: baked brie, Bellinis (champagne with peach nectar), sliced fruit, and naturally, cookies. NOM. Here’s my beautiful buddy, Cassie, lookin’ foxy in a pearl and antiqued brass necklace. 

I’m thrilled with the way these turned out. My photography experience is limited to one beginners class in college, and my digital camera is a simple point-and-shoot….so you can understand why I was a bit apprehensive. 

To overcome indoor lighting challenges, I hung the curtain backdrop  next to one of my biggest windows. I supplemented the natural lighting with a cheapie aluminum clamp lamp from Home Depot, outfitted with a 100W equivalent “daylight” style CFL (situated opposite the window, pointed a little above the model’s head). I also had the models hold one of those metallic reflective windshield shades, facing upwards toward their face. Combined, I think these were the keys to avoiding unflattering and distracting shadows!

The up-close product shots were actually way more difficult to set up. I experimented with a number of background colors (cardstock), before ultimately finding that a black background was the best.

Unlike warmer colors, it didn’t distort the colors of the jewelry. 

Go figure. I thought white would work best, but it was actually too reflective! Washed everything out. So…black it is! 

Anyways, I feel like it was a really productive day, and I’m looking forward to getting this stuff up on Etsy. Also, using my tax return to buy more jewelry supplies. I’m hooked!

Look, it’s still cold out and I’m still being a baby about venturing out into the cold. Thus, MORE picks from Etsy that will keep you (and your loved ones) warm!

View the Treasury on Etsy to click through these amazing sellers. 

It’s freezing flipping cold here in Pittsburgh, so naturally I stayed inside all day trolling the internet. And the internet tells me that there are nice warm things to wear outside on freezy days like this. Consider wool. It’s where form meets function. Who wants to wear a big downy mountain-climber coat, when you can wear a beautiful, tailored one that protects against the bluster just as well? Or better yet…a cape! I LOVE this cape by Qinliumei on Etsy.

Aand not to be outdone, this vintage plaid wool skirt would keep a butt about as warm as a butt can be in a skirt in freezing cold weather. I’d pair this with some pretty opaque tights, tall wooly socks, and my favorite riding boots. 

I’ve been working on new jewelry for the Etsy launch for the past 24 hours…almost straight through. Aside from friendship bracelets and little kid craft projects, I’ve never worked with beads or jewelry findings before. And um…it’s seriously addictive! I love shopping for pretty stuff, I love laying it all out and sketching designs, and I love twisting wire and assembling the whole thing. A+ 

Here are a few photo previews of what I’ve been working on. This batch is all antiqued brass finish, accented by pearls, glass briolettes and crystals. A vintage look, for sure. This’n here features a pretty brass-finish feather, a pearl, and a pacific blue swarovski teardrop briolette. The chain is accented with brass beads and pearls. I think I’ll wear it out tonight and seek critique from my stylish little friends.

Ooh…the jewelry supplies are starting to come in the mail, and I can’t wait to get started on some necklaces & earrings! Here are a few of my favorite findings. 

Well, it’s January 31st! It’s been about a month since my craft resolution took effect, and about 3 weeks since I actually started working on it. I’m feeling pretty good about the progress I’ve made in the last month, and also itching to get on to the next step….selling stuff! I have quite a few things made, but I’m resisting the urge to jump the gun. I still need to write my shop policies and gather some friends for a quality photo shoot. I’ll be spending the next few weeks duplicating a few of my favorite designs and getting my shop stuff together. In the meantime, here are a few preview photos of two of my favorite neck warmers!

I’ve been thinking a lot about getting out into the local craft community more. You know, attending classes, going to their happy hours and getting out to gallery crawls. For one thing, it’s a great way to meet new friends with similar interests. And as a bonus, it’s an opportunity to get your name out there. Who knows who you might meet- a shop proprietor, a potential customer, or an event organizer. Being friendly with people certainly can’t hurt.

My problem is that I’m never prepared for that all-important exchange of information. When I meet someone I’d like to talk more with, I end up scribbling my phone number and e-mail on a nasty gum wrapper that was living at the bottom of my purse. I don’t think I really need to list why that’s problematic, but there are a couple immediate issues that come to mind. First thing: I get flustered looking for a scrap of paper and a pen, and I end up looking completely disorganized. Not the greatest foot forward in a potentially professional relationship. Secondly, it looks like garbage and says nothing about my work.

So, my advice for myself and other entrepreneurial crafters? Rustle up some business cards. Being on a budget, I will likely make my own, or do some combination of professional printing and hand-customization. I’ll be sure to post pictures of whatever I come up with.

In the meantime, check out these BEAUTIFUL letterpress business cards by InvitedInk on Etsy. I’ve always loved letterpress, and these are no exception. Ohhh…if I had the money.

I think these are so appealing because they mix Don Draper-ish fonts with a modern, feminine color palette. The flower silhouette is both modern and vintage, too. All in all, a really classy design that would suit a wide variety of people.

What do your business cards look like? Leave a photo reply below, and your Etsy address, if you have one!