As Promised!

Today was not the best day for outdoor lighting when taking pictures. I promised to show you all what I have been slowly working on though, so here they are! Flowers!

I have been making an attempt at adding paper to my wire art! Slowly but surely I will get there. These little darlings look much better in person. Though they do still need a little work! Hopefully, I can finish them this coming weekend and make something beautiful from them! I'll show you a completed piece when I am finished! Until then... Enjoy! 

I can Breath!

Wow! It has been a very interesting two weeks for me! I spent a beautiful Mother's day weekend with my family- Outside! And due to my allergies, caught a heck of a cold! But, I'm back to almost normal now. (if I ever was!)
This week I plan on finishing the first of many of my new little additions to my work! I will give you all a hint... I have been working on flowers! I love flowers! I'm not sure why, I think almost everyone does! Maybe it is because I cannot sit outside much and enjoy them.
While I was ill and feeling sorry for myself I became inspired on some floral images I had come across! I slowly went to work on them over the past two weeks. I hope you will all enjoy them as much as I did making them! So, I plan to finish up on them and take pictures within the next few days and reveal them to you on Thursday!

I would also like to remind you all that I have a contest going on over on my facebook page. It ( like my cold) is not going so well. I'm chalking it all up to experience! It is the first "contest" I had ever tried. I got the idea from an article I had read and I have seen others on facebook doing such things that I thought I would give it a try!
A few people have taken note and have given it their all spreading the word about my shop and sending over their friends! I promised I would give away the necklace and I will! But, it make take us a little while gals! LOL Through it all I am keeping my humor! I am getting a big laugh over how slow it is going! All in good fun! :)

Thank you all for your support as I grow!
Talk at you again on Thursday!
- Michelle :)

Contest!

Hello Everyone!

I want to let you all in on the Facebook contest I am having! I am giving away a Necklace! I hope you all will join in! Like many contests we see on facebook it is a fan contest. I'm not sure what facebook rules are on such contests so I am not advertising it on my page.

We are looking for facebook fans! 

Contest will work as follows:

1. If you are not a "fan" yet go to Designsbythewire on facebook and " Like" my page! 

     http://www.facebook.com/pages/Designs-by-the-Wire/151203648239232?ref=ts

2. Via facebook recommend my page to your friends! Let them know about my shop and have them " like" my fan page sharing who 

    recommended them. 

                                                    example: Jennifer "likes" sent by Judy Smith 

3. I will keep a tally of how many of your friends joined my page.  

    If your friends what to join in the contest they may, by sending me their email marked " Contest" to 

    designsbythewire@gmail.com

4. The Fan that brings the most " likes" to my page will win my "Flower Patch Necklace" marked Promotional Piece on my facebook 

    page.   http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.220769557949307.74773.151203648239232

5. Contest will end when my fan page has reached 200 fans!

6. There will be a special prize for everyone who participates! 

7. You must be 18 years or older to participate. You must live in the US to participate. I currently do not ship
    international sorry!

Remember step two is the most important part of the contest for you so I can track the fans you sent! Have fun and Thank you for participating!

If you have any questions feel free to email me! 

Good luck to all of you! 

Michelle
--
Designs by the Wire

designsbythewire.etsy.com

Patience!

Patience! According to wikipedia patience is: the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one's character can take before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.


There are many who would say that I have the utmost of patience. Those who have seen me work with children for the past 15 years, who would tell you I am magical with those little ones! There are others who would say this when they have seen me create a piece of jewelery. Who have watched me sit there for an entire day, sketching something, sorting out the beads and wire I will use and than piece by piece bring it all together! 


It seems I have a lot of patience when it comes to these things. Things I love to do. Then, there are the things I don't love to do so much. Of which, I feel I have no patience at all! One of which is waiting! I don't care at all for waiting. 


Recently, as many of you have read, I began to sell the jewelry I create. I set up an etsy account, opened shop and have worked on it daily ever since. Yes, I have made three sales! That was very exciting! But, the wait on a daily basis is trying my patience! 


There are a few things I need to get better at with my shop. I have read up on many tactics in blogs and etsy as to how to list items. Changed things here and there. I have read the SEO, for the second time yesterday. My patience is thin with SEO. I don't understand it! I have little idea on how to title each piece so that it gets the most hits. I'm sure if I keep trying, yes, I will get there. But, grrrrrrrr, today would be good! LOL 


I was thinking last night while reading SEO that it would be so nice if my fairy godmother would come down and magically thump me on the head and I would then be a genius on SEO! That, while I read, I would just magically "get" it! Or, maybe, that someone would just do it for me! :D


I am an artist. I love sitting in front of my palate of beads working combinations. I love taking my wire into my hands, bending and manipulating it to form shapes and objects. I Love putting all these things together and coming up with something beautiful for one to wear with that special dress or shirt or just because! 


I love watching someone wear something I have created and hearing them say " Yes, that is just what I wanted!" 
I Love seeing their faces light up when they take their first look! " You did this!" 
I Love walking down the street and being stopped by perfect strangers and asked " Where did you get that Necklace!" 
But, I fear I may not have the " patience" to learn the SEO that will sell it!

Frustration!

I found myself very frustrated yesterday at my camera! I don't know how to use the stupid thing! I needed to take better pictures of my jewelry so they can be added to a catalog I am creating for home shows, the web and such!
Finally, after some screaming, fuming and yes some tears I found a site on google that explained exactly what was wrong with what I was doing! Oh! There is "White Balance" on my camera?!! What a miracle!!!!
Excited I ran outside, set up my area and began manipulating my camera and snapping photos!

They turned out Perfect! Well, at least close to it! What do you think?

Hello

Hi!
Crazy how these things work. Someone suggested that I start a blog and here I am. Not much of a writer myself, but here we go!
Let me introduce myself! I am a mother of two wonderful children! For 12 years I was an in home child care provider. This allowed me to stay home with my children and provided a safe, fun environment for other children while their parents went to work. While the children were napping or at the end of my long days and weeks I would create jewelry! Wire Jewelry!
I began this art when I was working part time for an Arts and Crafts store. I have always loved jewelry and found myself constantly looking at things I wanted. I am allergic to metal, so the things I "wanted" were not a reality for me. To find that I could make my own was fascinating! I didn't enjoy stringing but I found the wire spools intriguing! So.. I picked them up, bought me some tools and off I went!
I am completely self taught and still perfecting my craft! I enjoy working with wire so much that I find myself dreaming of little things to create! I keep a notebook and sketch designs daily! Some things turn out to be. Some things stay on the paper!
Many friends and family have enjoyed jewelry that I have given as gifts for years until one day someone suggested that I should sell. After trying my hand at a few craft shows and consignment shops I decided to give it a go at Etsy! I am also beginning a home jewelry party business. I have had a few shows and they all did surprisingly well!
Which brings me to this blog! So I am out there now! Excited, nervous and completely scared.
I'm putting myself out for the world to see! And for a stay at home mom/ in home child care provider that is a very curious place to be!