Old Pueblo Earring Company

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-28T10:13:00.001-07:00

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-10-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday, so it's time for another great recycled find! This week's find is this beautiful

Vintage Memories Mosaic Mirror

by artfulaccents on Etsy who is based in Michigan. Here is what the seller has to say about this item:

"Every time you look at this beautiful mosaic mirror, you will see something different in its collection of vintage broken china, buttons, jewelry, glass tiles, a key, a spoon, and pieces of a miniature tea set.

The pieces of china are among the most beautiful in my collection. Included are some pieces of china with reproductions of paintings from Fragonard, one of my favorite artists of the 18th Century.

Overall dimensions are 11" wide x 12 1/2"high.

This has to be the prettiest mosaic I have ever seen and so uniquely created with recycled "stuff"!

2009-10-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-10-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

Today's Fabulous Friday Recycled Find is this colorful bracelet made by GoGoGirlz on Etsy and based out of College Station Texas.

This bracelet is made from soda and energy drink can tabs and even the flowers are made from aluminum cans. I have seen stuff made from cans before but this is by far the most colorful and interesting piece I've seen in awhile.
Here is what GoGoGirlz has to say about the item:

"This bright and colorful trashion fashion bracelet is made from recycled energy and soda drink can tabs.

The eco-friendly, 4-layered flower is made from pink, yellow and orange cans. The bottom flower is backed with foam for strength and comfort. The chain is made from can tabs woven together with flexible, colored wire. It measures approximately 8.25 inches and fastens with a lobster clasp. If you have a larger wrist, this is the bracelet for you! Custom sizes and colors can be created at your request. Convo us.

This unique, attention-getting bracelet will turn heads and get you wonderful compliments".

This bracelet is $15.00 with free shipping. Awesome deal for such a unique piece of art/jewelry.

Besides this awesome colorful bracelet, GoGoGirls also offers a selection of other interesting goodies made from recycled items such as book marks, earrings, hair clips, scrapbook embellishments and pendants. Also offered in the shop are beaded bracelets and other jewelry. (I love the cowgirl bling!)

This shop is on my favorites!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-14T09:44:00.001-07:00

Sunday Special

2009-10-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

I am having a sale in my shop on Artfire! Save 30% on orders over $15.00. Hurry, sale ends October 18!

Visit BottleCapsGalore's Studio

SAVE 30.00 % On Order Total (orders above $15.00)

Use Coupon Code:

BL230

during checkout.

Hand Knit

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-09-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

Today's Fabulous Friday Recycled find is an Upcycled Capri Sun Wallet

How cool is this? My daughter drinks Capri Sun like there is no tomorrow and it never dawned on me that the pouches could be made into something else. I stumbled upon the creator of this wallet, You've Been Upcycled on Facebook and knew that I wanted to feature one of her creations for today's feature.

Here is what the seller had to say:
"I love this wallet - it's small & fits right into your pocket!

Has pockets for 2 cards & some cash, or 3 cards & some cash (depending on how much cash you have of course).

Would also fit business cards..."

Belts made from Capri Sun pouches are also available as well as bowls made from records and even a cuff bracelet also made from a record.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-16T09:24:00.001-07:00

Ten on Tuesday

2009-09-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Today is Tuesday,so here are my ten random thoughts for today!

1. I finally finished and posted my new tutorial yesterday. Yay! One more thing to cross off of my "to do" list.

2. I have to glue on about 280 bails for a custom order today.

3. Trying to get a consignment package put together today.

4. I have to take photos of some new things I want to post in my shop.

5. I just found out that Patrick Swayze passed away yesterday. Sad. RIP Patrick.

6. I am hungry, so what should I have for breakfast? I think I'll make some oatmeal.

7. I need to do laundry today. Kiddo needs clothes for school.

8. The weather here in Tucson has cooled somewhat. Only 89 now instead of 105. LOL

9. I secretly want to move to California. Oops, it's not a secret anymore...

10. Hope all that has read this far has a wonderful happy and productive day. :)

DIY Bottle Cap Magnet Tutorial

2009-09-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Here is another tutorial brought to you by me! Enjoy!

Bottle Cap Magnet Tutorial

by Carol Bryce

Here is an easy inexpensive DIY project. These make great gifts and are good sellers at craft shows.

This is what you will need to do this project:

New or recycled bottle caps

A one inch circle collage of pictures of your choice

Photo paper or card stock

One inch circle punch

Scissors

Glue stick-I use Aileene's Tacky Glue Stick

E-6000 or other strong holding glue

Glaze sealer-I use 3D Crystal Lacquer

Neodymium(rare earth) magnets size of your choice

All of the above

items are available to purchase on Etsy.com. You can get Aileene's glue sticks, E-6000 glue and the circle punch at a craft store such as Michaels.

The collage sheets that I will use with this tutorial are

courtesy of Magpie Mine. She has a wonderful selection of collage sheets in various sizes for different projects.

Links to the collages that I am using: Retro 50's Designs and Birds, Squirrels n Swirls Collage Sheet

Now that you have all of your supplies, it's time to make your magnets! For this tutorial, I will make 4 magnets.

First you will need to print your collage. I would recommend printing on soft gloss photo paper(you can get it at Target) or use 90-110 lb white card stock(you can get it at any office supply store) if you are printing at home. You can also have your collages printed at any office supply store, however I do not recommend drug store or self service printing. It has been my experience that the colors fade with time with these printers. Set your printer for whatever size your collage is-most are 8x10- and print. If you have a collage of circles that happen to be 2”, you can set your printer to print at 5x7 instead of 8x10 to have the circles turn out to 1”. Select the circle you want to use and punch it out with your circle punch.

Next apply some of your glue stick on the back of the circle, a little heavier at the outer edges of the circle. Place the circle on the inside of a bottle cap and press down the circle with the end of the glue stick body. This will help it stick. Let the glue dry for about 15 mins.

The next step is to apply the glaze. This will seal the circle inside the bottle cap and give it a nice shine.

Place the tip of the bottle at the edge of the circle and go around the circle with gentle pressure, making sure the glaze goes between the circle and the sides of the bottle cap. Next fill in the rest of the circle going from side to side using gentle squeezing pressure on the bottle. Do not

apply the glaze in a circular motion as this creates air bubbles. If air bubbles do form, just pop the

m with the tip of the bottle or with a push pin or a toothpick. Let the glaze dry for at least 8 hours.

After the glaze is dry, just glue on your neodymium magnet to the back with E-6000 or other super glue.

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-09-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

This week's Fabulous Friday Find is an adorable Scandinavian style dress and sunhat made with a recycled vintage tablecloth.

This can be found on Etsy in a lovely shop based out of Sweden, KajaDesign
Here is what the seller had to say about the dress:

"This is a dress from what I like to refer to as my "Table cloth collection". Vintage fabric, mostly from the 60's and 70's. Very retro and very eco friendly!

This one has some of our most beloved summer flowers, so I combined it with lavender blue lining and a matching seam binding.

The pattern is my own and has a very good fit, and is superpractical. Especially for small children, since you don't have to pull it over the head. Just slip it over the bottom and button it up over the shoulders. Perfect over a tee or a onesie!

This is a complete set with a sunhat. This model was very popular in the 50's here in Scandivia. It is tied under the cheek and has two holes, which was used to pull out the pony tails or pig tails through for older children."

I am always amazed at what I find when looking for recycled items. The possibilities are endless. This is one more item that will not be in a landfill for a very long time.

Ten on Tuesday

2009-09-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Musings from the passenger side of a semi...

1. I've been out of the loop for a couple of weeks, was tagging along with bf in his big ole truck to California and back. Let me just say that I have a lot more respect for truckers than I used to. It's a tough job.

2. There's no way in hell that I could drive a vehicle that huge and still have my nerves intact.

3. I encountered a few female truckers along the way. I admire their bravery.

4. Grape processing plants and beer making plants STINK!! We went to a grape processing plant in Fresno that literally smelled like vomit. I'm not sure how to describe the beer plant smell in Van Nuys. Had a cornish smell. The plant in Irwindale didn't smell too bad, but it was obvious that they made beer!!

5. Truck stops charge a lot for their stuff. 10 bucks for a shower. Really? At that price the shower should include more than the soap dispenser on the wall and a towel. One truck stop in Ontario was going to charge to park the truck. Come on.

6. Found out that GPS can go nuts if the signal is weak. I have GPS navagation on my phone. One day a couple of weeks ago we were on the way back from Fresno looking for a truck stop, so I plugged it into the navagation and the thing went beserk and took us into the middle of an orchard. It was screaming at us to turn right, but right was into a grove of trees. Interesting. So we had to turn the semi around and go back on the highway all along the GPS was screaming at us that we were off track. No silly GPS, YOU are off track. The truck stop ended up being at the next exit about 5 miles down the road. We are still laughing about it.

7. Hey Sprint...put up a couple more towers in the San Joaquin Valley, will ya?

8. Finally found a place hotter than Tucson. The desert in California was murder. The thermometer on the truck dashboard said 120. I seriously believe it. We got out of the truck at a truck stop right before we got to the Arizona border and I thought I was going to melt before I got inside.

9. Speaking of heat, I was very surprised at how hot it was in the LA area last week. I was beginning to think that the Tucson heat followed me to LA.

10. What you've heard about California drivers is somewhat true. I was expecting the drivers and the traffic to be a lot worse, but it really wasn't bad. The highways were busy, but moving. But then again, I wasn't driving...

New tutorial in the works!

2009-08-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

I am working on a new tutorial! I will be making one for bottle cap magnets using a collage from a seller who was offering them in exchange for tutorials. This will be a good one, so stay tuned!

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-08-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of great items that have been made from something that would have ended up in the trash. I have found most, if not all of them on Etsy. However, I recently discovered a great website(from the Etsy forums of course), Greenwala, which is a "green" social network. Here is a little blurb about them taken from the website: "Greenwala is a For Profit Philanthropic company focused on harnessing the power of a community to create opportunity for people to "Go Green" and improve their lives. We believe that every individual has the power to foster change and it is through that belief that we feel that the Greenwala community will be the destination for those wishing not to just Green their lives but to improve the lives of those around them."
Greenwala is currently running a few contests, one in particular that I love is a contest sponsored by HP which the entrants submit photos of things they have created from something that would have been thrown away. The person that gets the most votes for their creation will win an eco friendly laptop and printer. While it would be nice to win a new laptop as mine recently died and now renting one, I am not too lucky with contests but entered my recycled paper snowman ornaments anyways.
What I would like everyone to do that reads this is to vote not only for me but for at least 4 other entrants as well. It only takes a couple of seconds and you don't have to join the site to vote-that is as far as I know. All of the creations are fabulous and just think that stuff would have ended up in the trash. I love them all.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-12T07:27:00.001-07:00

Ten on Tuesday

2009-08-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

Today is Tuesday, so here are my ten ramblings for today:

1. I will be offering advertising on my blog soon. I just need to figure out the details. Project Wonderful wasn't working for me.

2. I will also have my giveaway sometime soon, just too much going on right now to sit and plan it.

3. I am currently working on a large custom order which has been a lot of fun, yet challenging at the same time.

4. I am going to start making snowman ornaments soon. I have made them for the last couple of years from recycled paper-junk mail, school papers, receipts, etc. Those are fun to make too and it's less paper to end up in the landfills. Here's a link to some I sold last year: snowmen

5. BF is doing well after his transplant. Even got a new job. :)

6. As for me, still laid off but working two days a week instead of one. Broke as heck.

7. Can't wait for cooler weather. I don't recall sweating so much last summer. Hurry October! I never got around to inventing that seat cooler for my car. I think I need to invent a steering wheel cooler, too. LOL

8. Daughter started school Thursday. She likes the new school-so far...

9. My desk is looking pretty cluttered. Man I wish I had a craft room or my own house for that matter.

10. Hey, it may rain today. I just realized that it's cloudy outside. Woo hoo!

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-08-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! This week went by really fast. This week I will feature one of my own recycled creations, so here we go:

This week's fabulous recycled find is a set of 4 magnets made with recycled bottlecaps featuring a recycle theme.
These were made by me with recycled bottle caps and the recycle theme fits the purpose of them perfectly. I glued a rare earth/neodymium magnet to the back for a super strong hold to a metal surface. These would look great on a refrigerator, file cabinet, school locker, or any other metal surface.
These can be found in my shop on ArtFire
along with a ring and a bracelet that were also made with recycled bottle caps.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T09:23:00.001-07:00

Ten on Tuesday

2009-08-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

Today is Tuesday, so here are my ten random ramblings for today:

1. My daughter goes back to school Thursday. She seems excited as she will now be in middle school and finally going to a new school.

2. Is it just me or do they go back earlier every year? and why are they starting on a Thursday?

3. It's been so freaking hot in Tucson this summer, so ready for it to be over already. Hurry October!!!!!!

4. Last night at around 8:30ish it was still 94 degrees. At 3:30 this am it was 84 and really sticky. ugh.

5. I am working on new listings/photos for my shops on Etsy and on Artfire. I have decided to move my bottle cap creations to Artfire and close my other Etsy shop.

6. Is it just me or is Artfire starting to have an increase in traffic? My views have increased a lot in the last couple of months.

7. I had almost equal number of shop hits Sunday for Etsy and Artfire shops. That amazed me. I really think that things are going to take off soon and give Etsy a run for their money.

8. I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?

9. I have a couple of errands to run today and then off to work this afternoon. yay.

10. I am working two days a week now instead one. This has been the worst summer of my life. I have had my hours cut since the end of May. Struggling for money for everything. Ah well, I am comforted by the fact that I am not alone. I am sure there are others in the same boat.

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-07-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have been featuring handmade items on Fridays that are made from recycled materials. It's always amazing to me the things that can be made from something that would have ended up in a landfill somewhere. Purses from plastic bags, bowls from old dish towels, windchimes from odds and ends from the kitchen. I also make items from recycled stuff from time to time. I made a ring and bracelet from recycled bottle caps, which can be found on my Artfire shop: Ring Bracelet I forgot to mention my bottle cap magnets, too.

Anyway, so here is this week's Fabulous Recycled Find:
Set of 5 Christmas ornaments made with recycled juice can lids

These cute ornaments were made by ScrappinCorner on Etsy.

Here is what the seller had to say about them: "I love how these cute ornaments turned out! I cut out a vintage image and decorated the front and back of these lids! They are perfect for stocking stuffers, tie them on a gift, or give as a teachers gift!

If you need more or less, let me know and I can set up a special order for you!"

...and shipping is free for this item as well.

What a great way to recycle!

I'm Back!

2009-07-24T02:54:00.000-07:00

Finally back online after a long hiatus! Will return next week to regular postings. Yay!!

Ten for Tuesday on Thursday!

2009-06-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yep, my Ten for Tueday post is late!

1. My laptop has decided to take a dump on me, so I am limited to the computers at the local library until I get it fixed.

2. This is bad because all of my pictures, collages, photo editing software are on my laptop. Really bad.

3. Will have to wait for awhile to get it fixed until either me or bf goes back to work full-time. I won't go back until August, bf is any day now.

4. Thinking about renting a laptop until I get mine fixed. I have a desk top that I rarely use, but no internet at home, so it doesn't help much with internet stuff.

5. BF is doing well with his new kidney. So far everything is working like it should.

6. I like this computer at the library. It's got a nice wide screen and a new keyboard.

7. The only thing I don't like is waiting my turn. Yes, I am selfish that way...LOL

8. I was looking at a really interesting book about making mixed media journals while waiting my turn to use the computer. Maybe that will be my next craft to try.

9. Not sure when I will be able to update next, since I am limited to an hour a day at the library computer.

10. Until next time, peace!

Fabulous Friday Recyled Find

2009-06-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! I found a lot of great recycled items this week and was hard choosing just one. I may have to start featuring two at a time! So, here is this weeks find!
Black, White and Red Fabric Coiled Basket
This is a basket made with dishcloth scraps and was made by klosti,based out of Illinois and on Etsy. Here is a clip from the listing: "The great texture of this catchall is created by wrapping a variety of torn red, black and white dish towel fabric strips around cotton clothesline and stitching it by machine. It measures 6 1/2" across the bottom, 8 1/2" across the top and 2 3/4" tall."
Sunny yellow trivets are also available using the same method. Klosti also offers adorable dresses to "dress" up your kitchen also made with dishtowels. What a unique shop! I will not look at dishtowels in the same way again. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T09:36:00.001-07:00

Ten for Tuesday

2009-06-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's Tuesday, so here are my 10 random ramblings:

1. It's hard to type when you have the hiccups.

2. It's the only time I wouldn't get mad at my daughter for scaring me. :)

3. The Air National Guard is practicing or something today. Planes flying over the house are LOUD.

4. It's a good thing that I don't work graveyard shift, I would have a hard time sleeping with all the planes flying over today.

5. BF is doing great after his transplant. It's been two weeks since his surgery. Staples are supposed to come out Thursday. He's lost a lot of weight which I think was probably mostly fluid.

6. He said last night that we should get married. So was that a proposal or what?

7. TV goes all digital soon. Are you prepared? We aren't. No cable TV and old TV's leaves us in the dinosaur age.

8. I tried to use one of the so called government coupons back in October on the day it expired and stoopid Wally Mart wouldn't take it. Hello, it's not expired yet. Yep, I was po'ed. So yea, we have no converter boxes. Life is going to be boring until we get one.

9. Supposed to be nice day in the Old Pueblo today. "cool" for this time of year. Yay! No burnt buns today.

10. I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?

Giveaway coming soon!

2009-06-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

Yay! I now have 100 followers, so I am going to have my first blog giveaway. I still need to decide what I am going to give away and what you folks are going to need to do to get it. *Rubs hands and laughs eerily* Nah, just kidding! stay tuned for my 10 on Tuesday and Wordless Wednesday.

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-06-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today's Fabulous Friday Recycled Find is Hey Copper, a fabulous recycled copper teapot turned into a wind chime! Hey Copper was made by Sharon of Studio Musings on Etsy.com based out of California.
Here is what Sharon had to say in her listing: "Anyone longing for spring?
Made from a found, vintage copper tea pot, this chime will brighten up any corner of the garden! It has copper tubes for the chimes, along with beads in orange, green and yellow.
I painted the wooden lid knob a bright green and attached an old metal flower to it.
Although I cleaned it thoroughly, I left the natural patina on the pot.
It is on a swivel and will rotate with the breeze.
Great for indoor or outdoor hanging."

I love this wind chime. Great use for an unloved tea pot! Besides wind chimes, Sharon also creates beautiful mosaics and wall masks made with recycled items.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

Ten for Tueday

2009-06-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

Well, today is Tuesday. This past week has been crazy, I may need more than 10 lines!!

1. My bf had a kidney transplant last Tuesday. Was released Saturday. Doing great.

2. We are now a walking pharmacy. He's on 16 different medications, everything from anti-fungals to anti-rejection to blood pressure meds. We have a pill box for everyday and have a list of meds and check them off as they go in the box. Yep. a bit overwhelming.

3. He has to get blood drawn twice a week for awhile to make sure he has enough anti-rejection meds in his system and to make sure the new baby is alive and kicking.

4. More than ever now I support organ donation. This transplant will let him have more of a 'normal' life.

5. I saw a little girl at the hospital yesterday who was a kidney transplant recipient. She must have been about 8 years old. Her mom looked really tired.

6. My daughter graduated from 5th grade last week. The school had a ceremony for them. I cried.

7. I am a bit behind with shipping for my shops. Thank goodness I don't have a lot of orders. Will be catching up today for sure. The rest of the week will be busy as well.

8. My mom had a test done last week that showed she has a hole in her bladder. I think it's from the radiation treatments she had a few years ago for her cancer. She had to go back on chemo treatments last month.

9. Cancer sucks.

10. As for me, no stress... :)

100 followers needed...

2009-05-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

so that I can have a giveaway! I am at 89 right now, so once I hit 100 followers, I am going to have my very first giveaway. I am still in the planning stages and getting ideas. Any and all suggestions, ideas are welcome. Comment away!

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-05-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

Good Friday morning! Things are starting to mellow out a bit. BF is doing fine, he's already complaining that he's bored. Looks like he'll get to come home on Saturday. Yay!

So, on to this week's recycled find! Last week I put out a call on the Etsy forums for recycled items and had a great response, so I chose from this forum thread again for this week's feature:
Recycled Diet Pepsi soda can earrings by KimTetmeyerJewelry

Here are a pair of earrings that were created using a Diet Pepsi soda can. These are so cool and free shipping, too! Here is what Kim wrote in her listing:

Looking for recycled 'green' jewelry? Or maybe(like me) you just can't live without you daily caffeine fix. If so..These fun and funky earrings are for you. They are made out of a recycled Diet Pepsi can! There are no sharp edges...I promise! There is a ring that matches this necklace ...Check it out http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24557944 Feel free to convo. me if you would like this item made out of a different beverage can.

These red, white,and Blue earrings are perfect for all the upcomming summer holidays(4th of July, Memorial Day, etc..)

Besides these great recycled earrings, Kim has other interesting items in her shop including wire wrapped jewelry, "mermaid" glass jewelry items, and even yummy candy resin pendants.

No Tuesday or Wednesday post this week!

2009-05-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

I will not be posting my Tuesday or Wednesday posts this week. I have wonderful news, my BF was called for a kidney transplant last night and was transplanted about 3:00 this am. As of now all is okay, the kidney is working and he's okay. I am functioning on no sleep. I tried to sleep this afternoon after coming home and washing the hospital stink off of me, but I must be running on adrenaline (sp??) because sleep fails to claim me. Doesn't help that I've been sucking down Diet Cokes like crazy...

Sunday Sale! Wholesale earrings!

2009-05-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

I just reduced the price of my wholesale lot of earrings on Art Fire to $21.00. Yep, that's a buck a pair. I really need to move these out because they are lonely and need a new home. Here's your chance to get a bunch of great handmade earrings for a STEAL! These would make great gifts for Christmas or even as party favors. Come and get them while you can!

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-05-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday, so here is my recycled find! I had a lot of great items to choose from this week and was hard to pick only one!!

Today's pick is Recolored Crayons by TalkTagz on Etsy.com

So what's a recolored crayon?? Here's a description from the listing:
What do you do with the broken crayons in the bottom of that crayon box? You recycle them of course....This set of WE LOVE HEARTS have turned into little pieces of art that are ready to create again....

Each Recolored Crayon measures approx. 2 1/2" tall by approx. 2 1/2" wide x 1/2" thick. Perfect jumbo size for little fingers. Kids love to be suprised by the different colors they find inside.

This is a great way to recycle, I love this idea. Be sure to stop by TalkTagz's shop for other great items including recycled coasters, scrapbooking tags and cute ponytail holders.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T07:57:00.001-07:00

Ten for Tuesday

2009-05-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Tuesday, so it must be time for Ten ramblings for Tuesday!

1. I'm happy that I am actually keeping up with my blog! Yay me!

2. BF had to go to the ER last night. He's on dialysis and had a reaction to something in the dialysis machine. I'm a bit miffed at his clinic because they refused to tell me anything because my name wasn't on "the list", so I had to to call the ER's and find him myself. Said they couldn't tell me anything because of HIPPA. Fine, just tell me which hospital so I don't have to call 6 hospitals. Really.

3. HIPPA law is a joke because we overheard a patients entire health history in the ER. So much for privacy laws.

4. It's gonna be another hot day in Tucson. Someone needs to turn down the furnace.

5. I have the next few days off from work, we are in between semesters. No students to feed, so no work. Hours might be skimpy even when we go back. Summer is slow. May have to look for a second job or start praying that I sell a lot of pendants.

6. I am working on a bunch of new pendants, including a few map pendants for my Road Trip line. The sealer is cooperating nicely this time. The last batch had bubbles for some reason. Maybe just have a funky batch of sealer this time.

7. My daughter will be "graduating" from 5th grade next week. She's looking forward to middle school. Yea, she says this now, just wait...

8. I love the Goodwill shops here. Some things can be a bit pricey, but I have found two complete Scrabble games in the last month for reallly cheap. One was a buck, the other was two bucks. Yay me! Most of my and my daughter's wardrobes come from Goodwill or Savers.

9. I'm hungry. What's for breakfast??

10. Will be back Wednesday with a cool pic for wordless Wednesday. :)

Fabulous Friday Recycled Find

2009-05-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today's Fabulous Friday Recycled Etsy find is an

Upcycled White and Yellow Plarn Tote Bag

by debs1967

Here is an awesome bag made with "plarn". What's plarn you ask?
"Plarn is made by cutting strips of plastic bags that are turned into a 'Yarn'."

Debs1967 made this bag by tightly crocheting together plastic grocery bags and light green string.
Tight stitches add to the strength and durability, leaving "no holes" that your change could fall through.
Also has a double layered handle.
It's lightweight and versatile enough to use for the store or as a purse, the beach, for the library, or anything else you can think of.

Debs1967 is based out of Melbourne Florida and has her shop open since April of 2008. Besides recycled bags, she also offers other beautiful crocheted items such as kitchen scrubbies and towels, appliques and even crocheted doughnuts! She is offering free shipping on selected items as well as a free gift with your purchase.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

Ten on Tuesday

2009-05-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

So, I have been in a blogging slump lately, having some serious blogging blocks. I saw a tweet on Twitter today from "Mama Mauby" who blogged 10 things today and gave kudos to the person that started it. I thought that was a brilliant idea. So here's my 10.

1. I apologize for not updating in over two weeks.

2. I am happy that I now have a blogging idea.

3. It's going to be another hot day in the Old Pueblo. 100 degrees. Yea buddy, time to get out the oven mitts for the steering wheel of my car.

4. I think I should invent an air-conditioned seat for my car. My bf said yesterday that Chrysler makes Sebrings with heated seats, so why not an air-conditioned seat?

5. I wonder if the peeps from Chrysler have ever sat on a leather seat that's been baking in the Arizona sun? Esp with shorts on? Oh yea. Baked and burnt buns.

6. I love Arizona, but not in the summer. I hibernate in my house on my days off.

7. This blog needs a new banner and layout.

8. I have an addiction to buying collage sheets for my pendants. Hello, my name is Carol and I am an addict. I have a gazzilion of them hearted for future fixes.

9. I have 5 sheets drying after being sprayed with gloss, just waiting to be turned into pendants.

10. I better go fetch them from outside, the wind may be blowing them away...

Fabulous Friday Find!Trans-Canada Etsy Team Blog: Earth Day Preview : Eco-friendly Products and Upcycling Tutorial

2009-04-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here is my fabulous Friday find! I found this awesome recycling idea on the
Trans-Canada Etsy Team Blog: Earth Day Preview : Eco-friendly Products and Upcycling Tutorial

Save your cereal boxes and other boxes to use for mailers. I am going to try this.

Fabulous Friday Find!

2009-04-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

While browsing on the Etsy forums this morning, I had the pleasure of encountering angeldamico who offers ONE OF A KIND hand screen printed, hand dyed, hand painted, unique items such as shirts, handbags, hankies, scarves and even prints of her artwork. I really like her handbags and that they are one of a kind. She is based out of Chicago which is close to my heart because I was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Joliet. She's had her shop open since 2006 and it looks like she's doing well with 800 sales and great feedback. Go check out her stuff at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=48554

3D Crystal Lacquer vs Art Deco Triple Thick Glaze

2009-04-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

I am blogging this in response to a comment in my bottle cap sealing tutorial:

She-ality said...

Carol, awesome tutorial!! Can you share the differences you found between 3D Crystal Lacquer vs. the ArtDeco Triple Thick glaze? Do you get a good hard coat with either? Is one clearer? Are either prone to cracking or bubbling? I can't find these locally and wanted to ask an expert before ordering online. :)

April 2, 2009 9:09 PM

Thanks for the question, She-ality. First of all, I am far from being an expert, but I have used both and here are my observations:

I used Triple Thick when I first started making bottle caps(about 2 years ago). It is available at craft stores such as Micheal's. Our Micheal's always had the large 8oz jar locked in the cage with the spray paints. Dunno why because the small 2oz jars are usually next to the paints. Anyways, I love Triple Thick for the paper mache snowmen that I make around Christmastime. I don't like it for bottle caps anymore because it bubbles like crazy, which in turn drives me crazy because I have to waste another image. Sometimes it did play nice without bubbles but after the caps sat for awhile, they magically appeared. I have also found that it does not dry hard even after a week. I can poke my finger on it and it leaves prints. Not nice for bottle caps. Weird because it dries rock hard on my snowmen. I have also placed clear nail polish over Triple Thick once it dried, but it yellows after about a week and DO NOT recommend this step at all. I had no problems with cracking. It clouds if your layers are too thick.

Okay and on to 3D Crystal Lacquer. I stumbled upon this one day when I was browsing on Etsy. I am skeptical by nature so I was hesitant to buy it. I used Diamond Glaze after Triple Thick and had problems with bubbles again so I thought that all of it bubbles. I was even at the point where I was going to stop making caps because I had no hair left from pulling it out in frustration over those nasty bubbles. Well, let me tell you that I am glad I purchased it because it is like manna from heaven. Little to no bubbles, dries hard and has a very nice clear shine. It does make ink jet prints run or fade, so I use a high gloss spray (I am still experimenting with sprays, so can't recommend one yet) after printing and problem solved. I also had runny/fading pictures with Diamond Glaze and Triple Thick, so I guess that's the norm. I had no problems with fading or the runs with prints that I got from commercial printers, like Office Max. I don't go there as often anymore since I found the trick to conquer ink jet prints. They are also a little pricey at about a buck a sheet printed on card stock.
My only complaint about 3D Crystal Lacquer is that the tip of the bottle clogs after using and I have to buy it online. I can't use my 40% off coupon at Micheal's to buy it. :( LOL
I can glaze about 80-100 caps-maybe more or less, this is a guess-with a 4 oz bottle. It does come in a refill bottle, 20 oz I think.

Thanks again She-ality for the question and giving me something to blog about. I was just thinking last night about my next post.

News that I used!

2009-04-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you that participated in my poll. The lucky winner was "buy three items and get free shipping". Actually I was surprised because I would have chosen "buy three items, get one free and pay shipping". I am still contemplating a bonus for my shop, it will be along these lines. I think I'll wait until I have more items to choose from before offering a bonus-maybe like 20 more items, then I'll have about 70 things to pick from.

Grand opening sale ends tomorrow!

2009-03-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

My grand opening sale ends tomorrow! get your $4.00 while you can. They go up to $5.75 April 1st. Along with the price increase, I will also be offering my customers a bonus incentive. Not sure what it will be yet though. I will also be listing new pendants. Thanks to all who supported my shop during the first month of opening.

Poll added!

2009-03-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

To better serve my customers, I added a poll to see if I can get an idea of what customers want. I realize that situations vary, but I want to try a new approach for my shop.
1. Buy three, get one free or a free chain
2. Buy three, get free shipping
3. or buy two...
4. leave it as is

It would help me if you could fill out the poll----->>>>> or comment with your answer.

5 days left of my grand opening special!

2009-03-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

My grand opening special ends in 5 days! All of my pendants are now $4.00, will go up to $5.75 on the 31st. Get them while you can at this price!

New projects

2009-03-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated in awhile! Time is flying by anymore. I have been working on some new ideas for my pendant shop and I have new ideas for my bottle cap shop that I still need to start. Anyways, I found an old Rummikube game at one of our local Goodwill shops that had all of the pieces and all of the stands, not to mention very well priced...so I have been making collage sheets to fit the Rummikube pieces and have found some neat scrapbooking paper and stickers that work well on these. I also put together a few button stacks and will make them into pendants as well. I got the idea from a purchase of some stacked buttons on Etsy from kitsandcaboodles. I added a larger button to some of her stacks. I also got a huge bag of buttons at Michaels that had some interesting buttons in it. Most of these new pendants probably will not make it to Etsy, will be going to consignment instead. I am also planning on finding a couple of shows to do as well. Busy, busy!

Make a collage with GIMP!

2009-03-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Here it is! I have finally finished my GIMP tutorial. Things have been a little crazy here with work and life in general! I apologize for not having any photos to go with the tute, hopefully you can figure it out and find it useful. If you don't have GIMP, you can download it free from gimp.org
This tute may be more beneficial to those already familiar with GIMP or Paint Shop Pro.

Making a collage with GIMP

by Carol Bryce

This is how I make collages using GIMP!

Open GIMP

If making a circle collage, click the little icon on the left side that is round/oval. Click on file then click on new. This opens a box called Create a New Image. This will be where you will create your round images.

Next set the size for your image. For one inch circles, it is 300 pixels for width and height. Then click on advanced options and set your x y resolution to 300. This is for good print quality. Then click OK.

You will have a box with dotted lines.

Next, click on file and new. This will be a new image and where you will paste your circles into. I usually make 4x6 size, but you can make it any size you want. From the drop down menu select inches and type in the appropriate size. Make sure your xy resolutions are at 300. You will have another Create a New Image box with dotted lines.

Go back to your one inch square image box and mouse over to the left side of the box where the measurement line is. You should see a bold circle and a thingy that looks like a cross. Place it at about 150 at the dotted line and drag the mouse to the other side of the box moving the mouse up slightly, ending right at the dotted line. You should see a circle forming. Go to the middle of the circle you just drew and look for a little arrow. Move the mouse up to make the circle go to the top of the box, not crossing the dotted lines. Next go back to the bottom of the partial circle and drag the mouse to the bottom of the box to finish the circle. You should see a circle with moving dotted lines. Now click on one of the boxes that appear in the corners and you should have a circle with moving lines. Do not click in the gray areas because you will lose your circle and will have to start over making another circle.

Now that you have your circle, click on file and open to open a picture on your computer. Select your picture. I have found it to be easier to make circles with GIMP if the picture is 300 pixels. So, if you need scale the image, click on image and click on scale image. Click on the little icon that looks like a chain link-that will unlock the image dimensions for editing. Type in 300 for height and width and change x y resolution to 300. Then click scale. Click edit, then cut. You will see a checkered background. Now go to your circle image and click on edit, then paste into. Your picture should now be round. Click edit, then copy. Now go to your 4x6 image and click edit, paste (or ctrl v). Your circle will appear in a box and will be in or near the middle of the 4x6 image. Now, click on the circle with your mouse and move it to the top of the page, leaving some room between the circle and the lines on the image. If you want duplicates, just repeat the ctrl/v or paste. You can fit three circles across the collage. You can do four, but I find it to be too crowded. Repeat the steps until your 4x6 page is full. Once the page is full, you will need to save the finished collage to your computer. Click on file, save as. Give your collage a name, such as one inch circles 4x6. Go down the page until you see the line that says select file type and click on the little plus sign. This will open up your file options. I usually use jpg/jpeg. Select your file type then click on save. A box will pop up with the photo quality. I slide the bar all the way to 100 then click save. You may also have another box pop up that will tell you to export the image from GIMP to jpeg. Click on export and you should be all set.

New tutorial in the works and new stuff!

2009-02-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that I am working on a new tutorial. This one will be how to create a circle collage using GIMP. This is a bit challenging for me, but I think it's coming along pretty well. It will be beneficial for those who have used GIMP or Paint Shop Pro already. I am no professional by any means, but I have made many collages using this method and feel comfortable enough to share with others. :)

I have made a few pendants for St Patrick's Day and have them all listed. I have some time off this week, so I will have some time to work on new stuff. Yay!!

Project Wonderful

2009-02-20T00:08:00.000-08:00

I "applied" to have a Project Wonderful spot on my blog for advertisers. I am still learning about it all as I go along. I think it's a pretty cool set-up. You can offer free spots or have an auction style "sale" for spots. I think I will offer free spots for now, maybe rotate them out every week-that is if I am accepted by PW. We'll see. They are supposed to e-mail me within 3-4 days to let me know.

Grand Opening special! Free shipping!!

2009-02-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

GRAND OPENING SALE!!
To celebrate the opening of Pendant Patch, all pendants are on Sale for $4.00!
Buy 3 and get free shipping. Shipping will be refunded!

pendantpatch.etsy.com

All about me!

2009-02-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

I know I don't post a whole lot of stuff about me on my blog, my creations are more interesting than I am!!! Since I have a fair amount of followers now, I thought it would be kinda cool to interview/introduce myself. I have been thinking about interviewing other people as well, so if you want to have a spot in my blog, let me know! So, heeeeere's Carol! My picture was taken in 2004, so it's a little old. :) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

About me:
My name is Carol and I am originally from the Chicago suburbs-Joliet, IL. I moved to Tucson with my daughter and my family in 2000. I love the winters here, no snow to shovel! I have always had an interest in creating things. I can remember making wreaths and other wall decorations as a teenager. I also made macrame plant hangers that I learned how to make in Home Ec in junior high. A few years ago, I made hair barrettes from beads and safety pins, then jewelry, bottle cap stuff and now pendants. I enjoy cooking and baking as well. I am an evening shift supervisor at one of our local community colleges. We make pre-packaged food items for all campuses. It's fun and I like my job.
I got into the bead biz first on eBay about 6 years ago. I began selling beads after a failed attempt at making hair barrettes from beads and safety pins. I sold off the rest of the beads that I had and found that the beads sold better than the finished products, so Beads Out West was born. I bought beads in lots and divided them up and sold them. I began attending the annual gem and mineral/jewelry/bead shows here in Tucson and bought things there for my shop. I left eBay after the last fee increase nearly three years ago and found Etsy shortly after. I opened my supply shop on Etsy and about a year later, I started making things again-mainly earrings and bracelets and decided to try to sell my finished work. It was not very successful, so I tried a new craft with making things from bottle caps, it's going okay. I love making things with bottle caps. I finally sold off the rest of my beads and closed my bead shop in August 08. So, around Christmastime this year, I decided to try yet another craft, seriously trying to find my niche...I started to plan out a new shop, took a LOT of notes, wrote down a ton of ideas and Pendant Patch was born. I have only about 20 things listed so far, I am waiting for a shipment of bails to come in so I can list some more of my wooden tile pendants. Crossing my fingers that this is my niche!
My online presence:
Etsy: bottlecapsgalore.etsy.com and pendantpatch.etsy.com
blog: oldpuebloearringco.blogspot.com
Flickr photos: flickr.com/photos/beadsoutwest
Twitter: bottlecaps
My Space: myspace.com/cantinacarolina
ArtFire: artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=10543
IMadeitMyself: madeitmyself.com/user/pendantpatch.aspx

Where do I get inspiration?
I get inspiration mostly from reading bead magazines and craft books. Sometimes ideas come to me when I am browsing the craft shops. Bead Style is my favorite magazine. I check out craft books from our local library. I also like Tammy Powley's work. Etsy sellers are also a great inspiration for me. If they can do it, so can I!!

The next craft I want to try:
I want to start making soap again. That is also a lot of fun.

What I am working on now:
My next creation will be more pendants! I have a bunch of graphics that I need to print and get busy!

I have so much ambition, but not enough money and time to do it all. So I guess I will take it one baby step at a time.

Thanks so much for learning about me. I hope you found it interesting and entertaining...LOL

My new Etsy shop Pendant Patch

2009-02-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I am finally announcing the opening of my new shop on Etsy. I have spent a lot of time planning and doing some research and decided that having one concept in the shop is the best way to go. So, I opened up Pendant Patch and I am offering handmade pendants and chains. I will be offering pendants made from wood/scrabble tiles, bottle caps, dominoes and glass. I am editing listings as we speak to add a pic of my packaging. I am also going to add chains today to the shop. Come on over and check it out! Adding new stuff everyday.
pendantpatch.etsy.com

I found my banner for Pendant Patch from a great seller on ArtFire- libertydoll- http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=12192

A Few Craft Show Tips

2009-02-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share with you all some of my tips for craft shows based on my experience. I have done a 'few' shows and learned some things along the way. Besides the obvious things like wearing sun screen, bringing bags, change, pens and paper, business cards, etc...

This may seem a bit off, but don't expect to make a lot of money. If the show is slow or people are just browsing, then it won't be a big disappointment if you don't make what you expected.

Plan your table display ahead of time. Match your tablecloth and displays, especially during holidays. It really looks nice.

Don't scramble to make things for the show at the last minute. Way too stressful.

Pack up your car with your stuff the night before the show. This saves a lot of time and stress the morning of the show.

Write down all of the inventory you plan to take to the show.

Write down what you sell.

Make sure everything is clearly priced. I find it frustrating when something I am interested in has no price and the seller is busy with someone else. Lost sale.

Bring a project to work on, if possible. People will take an interest.

Bring your own lunch and drinks. Food at shows tend to be pricey.

Bring a friend, spouse, an older child. Helps to have someone watch your table during bathroom breaks. My 11 year old daughter loves to come to shows with me and she is quite the sales lady.

Smile and have fun even if you aren't selling anything. If you looked pissed off, people will see and feel your vibes!

Why Buy Handmade??

2009-01-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

I posted this on this blog last year, but it is so worth repeating. I found it on MySpace and do not know who wrote it, so I can't give proper credit, but here it is:

Why buy handmade?
Because once upon a time there were shoemakers who made shoes, and you bought then from the shoemaker... they lasted, and they were lovingly made... The bread was baked by a baker, who did what they loved doing, and you could taste it. It tasted like love, a nourished your body much better than the empty processed stuff of today. Because People still DO make things with love, and THEY ARE better! You can feel the love when you touch, taste, or feel, or see it!
Lets bring the humaneness back into our purchases, and buy from the makers again! Why give your money to corporations that farm out work to 3rd world countries at ridiculously low wages, exploiting the peoples, and feeding their greed. Know where your purchase was made, and by whom, and that they got a fair price for their wares, and so did you. You also get the satisfaction of knowing that you are able to talk with the maker if something is wrong with it, or if you just want to say thanks for making such a great… whatever. Not only that but buying handmade you can usually work with the artist/artisan to get the perfect product, even if that means then creating one for you.
You also know that your input sways the next or newest product in however blatant or subtle ways. So you know that your needs and desires are creating the trends, not some corporate bigwig who probably doesn’t even use/wear/get your product.
When you purchase handmade you also feel special, knowing that you are giving your money to the peoples, instead of the corporations who have nothing to do with the creating/creative process, who’s main concern is making a profit. Not that us artisans don’t want to make a profit, but we are actually making these items you/we purchase.
So do something good for your soul, for your peace of mind, for quality over quantity, and buy handmade!
You can find all things handmade at www.etsy.com
Or shop in my store....bottlecapsgalore.etsy.com

My first sale on ArtFire!

2009-01-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I just had my first sale on ArtFire today. I am very excited! I sold a set of my blank bottle cap pendants! I think I will list some of my collages over there today.

I also made a bunch of scrabble tile pendants last night. I am afraid that I am addicted...

Revamping my shop

2009-01-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

After much thinking and thinking and a little peeking into other sellers' shops...I have decided to do a sort of makeover of my shop on Etsy. Instead of offering a slew of bottle cap items, I think I will offer only two or three different items plus my collages. I am going to open yet another new shop dedicated to pendants and chains/necklaces only, including my bottle caps. I am planning on offering scrabble tile, domino and glass tile pendants. I had a hard time choosing a name, I couldn't stay with the 'galore' in my shop, as someone has a website with the name already. I didn't want to steal someone else's name.

Another new project!

2009-01-20T12:36:00.001-08:00

Well, unfortunatley the CNA class isn't working for me, so I dropped out. Yea, I know. BAK BAK! Chicken...

Anyways, I had a couple of dominoes that looked really lonely, so I decided to decorate them. I made three with some scrapbooking paper that I have. They turned out really cute, not tooting my own horn one bit. :) I am out of bails, so they are plain for now. I think these would make great magnets and maybe even keychains as well. I would have to decorate both sides of the domino though. We'll see.

I am still having problems with getting good pictues of my scrabble pendants. It's making me crazy. Anyone have any tips that they are willing to share? I thought that the picture on this post turned out well. The background is a brown paper bag. I tried it on the scrabbles, but didn't turn out too well. Ah well.

More new scrabble tiles!

2009-01-15T15:19:00.001-08:00

Wow, so my time is seriously limited these days. I am taking a 7 week CNA/Caregiver course and working. So any spare time I can squeeze in will be for my crafts and internet. So, here is my latest batch of scrabble tile pendants. I glued the bails on last night. I am having some difficulty with getting good clear pictures though. GRRR!

More scrabble tiles!

2009-01-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have had a little time to make some more pendants and glue on bails. I am wearing the pendant with the pink rose on it. I took my nail file and filed the corners to make them a little rounded. That turned out cute and not too much work. I also made a couple morewith initials on them that turned out cute. Just waiting for them to dry so that they can have their picture taken.

Sealed bottle cap tutorial

2009-01-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, here it is. I have finally finished it. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Sealed Bottle Cap Tutorial

by Carol Bryce

BottleCapsGalore!

So you want to make your own sealed bottle caps for your DIY projects, but you aren't sure how? Well, here is your chance to learn! I am far from being an expert, but I have been making sealed bottle caps and things from them for about a year now and after MUCH trial and error, I am to the point where I am comfortable enough with my technique to share it with others. I know there are tutorials out there in cyberland that you can buy, but you can get it here for free. So, here we go!
You will need the following supplies to make your sealed bottle cap:
One bottle cap. You can buy new ones on Etsy or you may reuse a clean beer bottle cap.
One one inch round image. You can use scrapbook paper or you can purchase collages inexpensively on Etsy. I would recommend printing collages commercially, like at Office Max. Most home printed ink jet prints fade and bleed when the sealer is applied. I would also recommend placing a coat of Aileene's Paper Glaze on scrapbook paper before using the 3D Crystal Lacquer. This will prevent any possible bleeding or fading. I have found that some scrapbook papers do fade or bleed, so I just place it on all scrapbook paper that I use. There is no need to use it on commercial prints.
A one inch circle punch for nice even images.
An adhesive to attach the image to the bottle cap. I have found that Crafty Chica gloss/varnish works the best. Yes, I know it's not an official adhesive, but it works great! I got mine at Michaels. If you can't find it, you can use Mod Podge.
A finish/sealer for your adhered image. I use 3D Crystal Lacquer. This is by far the best stuff I have used. Little to no bubbles and it dries to a nice mirror like shine.
A tissue or paper towel for blotting the adhesive.
A Popsicle stick-optional
A flat surface to place your finished cap on for drying.

So now that you have all of your supplies together, you are ready to create!

Determine which side of the cap that you would like to decorate. The inside and outside decorate well, the inside is easier to seal. I use recycled caps for rings.
Once you have decided which side to use (for this tutorial, I will use the outside), place a small amount (a pea size amount) of your chosen adhesive to the cap and spread it evenly, either with the tip of the bottle or with a Popsicle stick. Apply carefully from the bottle as some adhesives can be thin!
Add your chosen image and place it on the cap, making sure it is straight. Take your tissue or paper towel and press down lightly on the image to adhere it to the cap and blot any adhesive that oozes out.
Let it dry for about 15-30 mins.
Apply Aileene's Paper Glaze if you are using it and let it dry-about10-15mins.
Apply 3D Crystal Lacquer; do not shake the bottle. Using gentle squeezing pressure on the bottle, apply a thin line of lacquer in the middle, go around the edges and fill in the rest with the tip of the bottle(don't squeeze the bottle, just move the tip around. Do not use a circular motion, as this may form bubbles) making sure to cover the area evenly. If any bubbles form, just pop them with the tip of the bottle or blow on it gently.
Let dry on a flat surface for 12 hours. I would recommend waiting at least two days before shipping or packaging to allow the sealer to dry entirely.

Working on my tutorial...

2009-01-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

I have started writing my tutorial for sealed bottle caps. I am not the best writer in the world, so I think this may take longer than I anticipated. I have a couple of hours to kill today, so I am taking advantage of some quiet free time. :)

I did it!!

2009-01-03T17:01:00.001-08:00

I made a couple of scrabble tile pendants last night. They are a bit tedious, esp with cutting the image, but I think with a little practice, I should be okay with it. It doesn't help that my Exacto blade is dull and wouldn't cut butter on a hot day. My local Michaels was out of the size that I use. Figures. But I did find a pretty sheet of scrapbook paper to use and I found a pack of ABC tiles similar to scrabbles, 60 in a pack for 4 bucks. Not bad. I didn't have time to glue the bails on the back, probably will next week sometime, I have to go out of town for my job for a couple of days. I took a couple of pictures. I was particularly impressed with how the music paper ones turned out and the red rose one with the greenery on it. I think that one may be mine! I made that one with the tiles I got from Michaels. They are a little bigger than scrabbles.

Nothing Special News!

2009-01-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

I am excited! The scrabble tiles that I ordered from cheapoldcrap on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5779402 arrived today and I am just about set to start my new craft. I just need to print up a couple of collages that I ordered from Majik Design http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6205510 and get a new blade for my Exacto knife. Hopefully I will get to start tonight or tomorrow.

I wrote out a basic outline for the sealed bottle cap tutorial that I plan to write and offer here on my blog for everyone. Hopefully I will have it done by next weekend.

I have decided to offer blank bottle cap pendants as supplies in my shop: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19212960

Happy 09!

2009-01-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

Well, another year has past! Here's to 2009! I am not one to make resolutions for the new year, but I did decide to tweak some things for my shops on Etsy and ArtFire.

First, I am going to blog more regularly and try to keep it as interesting as possible. I have been thinking about posting a tutorial to make sealed bottle caps, since I am now confident enough with my techinque to share it.

Second, I am going to work on a system for better record keeping. I have a couple of spreadsheets that I am going to try.

Third, I am going to try a new craft. I tried both soap making and bottle caps last year and still enjoy them, although I haven't made any soap for a few months. This year I am going to do scrabble tile pendants. I think I am a little late jumping on this bandwagon, but ah well. I think if they turn out well enough, I will place them in my ArtFire shop, since Etsy has probably close to 15,000 already. Little fish in a big sea!

News!

2008-12-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

I have been neglecting my blog for too long now. I am going to start showing some love really soon! I need to update the template and add new links and stuff. Hopefully I will have the time to contribute to it because I am going to be taking a caregiving class in January and will be working, plus I am planning on trying a new craft project-scrabble tile pendants or the scrabble tile size glass pendants. I am not sure yet which way I want to go. I may just try both to see which one I like better. I am still trying to find my niche on Etsy. I am doing okay with bottle caps, but I want to do better than okay. I know there is something out there that will work for me, but it's eluding me! ...somewhere out there....

Latest projects and news

2008-08-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

My supply shop is now closed. I am a little sad, but ready to move on. I have been looking for new ideas for my bottle caps and I came up with a couple of new designs. I made a few "initial" necklaces and I created some girly "attitude" images and made ready to use caps from them.

After stuggling for months with the issue, I have decided not to sell any more celebrity or logo items online out of fear of copyright violations. I cannot afford to get sued over a $2.00 item. You would think that they would appreciate the free advertising, but I guess they see it as making money off of something that they created. I can understand that, too. I am straying away from the "everyone else is doing it, so it must be okay" way of thinking. Let them get sued.

Well, I guess that's it. I am going to try to update more often!

Jewelry making supply clearance sale continues

2008-06-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! A month has gone by since my last post. I have been busy with getting the rest of my jewelry making supplies gone thru, photographed, listed, promoed(is that a word?), and shipped. This week I will be shipping out close to 15 packages. I sold over half of my inventory in the last two weeks, so it's going pretty quick. I was listing stuff today and sold some things within an hour of listing. Whew. I will be glad when it's all gone. I will have more time to devote to other craft projects-soap making mainly. I will still have my other shop and continue with bottle cap creations. So, if you are in need of some great supplies, come on over to my shop! Things are going quick so get it while you can!!! http://beadsoutwest.etsy.com

My newest project-fused plastic coin purse

2008-05-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am unemployed and nearly broke, so I am trying really hard to keep myself amused these days. Yesterday I decided to make a little coin purse from plastic grocery bags that I fused together. I used yellow bags and hand sewed it together with black thread and sewed on a black button. This took me nearly all evening, as my sewing skills are really bad...I think I may take some sewing lessons once I go back to work....Anyways, it was a fun project and I am now using it in my purse to hold my loose change. I also made more shipping envelopes. They are working out great, but take forever to make. Just a little less plastic bags in the landfil....

Hannah Montana ready to use bottle caps, plus more!

2008-05-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

I am now offering ready to use bottle caps in my shop on Etsy, due to customer requests! So, I have been busy working on new designs. I have several sets available including Hannah Montana, Jonas Borothers, Bobby Jack, dogs, happy face and many more. So, come check them out! http://oldpuebloearringco.etsy.com

I will have to come back to add pictures because they are not uploading right now!

Jewelry supply blowout sale continues on Etsy!

2008-05-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

I am still having my jewelry supply clearance sale. Nothing over $2!! Free shipping for purchases $20.00 and over. See my shop header for details. I still have a pretty good selection of beads, findings, charms and pendants. I have more items to list, just need some time! Come on over!http://beadsoutwest.etsy.com/

PS Tell me that you saw me here and I will give you a free gift with your order.

So, what do YOU use plastic grocery bags for???

2008-04-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

I never gave it much thought until I read a tutorial on Etsy for fusing plastic bags. http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/howTos/article/fusing-plastic-bags-with-the-etsy-labs/1098/

I normally just use them to line my small trash cans. I have used them also for adding padding to shipping boxes.

Anyways, while looking through the tutorial, I was amazed that fused plastic could be used for things like wallets and handbags. Wow! A few hours later I had an epiphany...and thought I could make shipping envelopes from fused plastic grocry bags, so this am I got out a huge pile of bags, my iron, some scissors and a sheet of parchment paper and started cutting and ironing. It took me all morning, but I made 3 different sizes. Small ones, medium ones and sorta medium ones. They seem to be pretty darn sturdy, so I think I will try them out for my next shipment and see what happens.

Below wholesale jewelry making supply sale continues!

2008-04-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

My jewelry supply inventory sale continues with most prices below wholesale. Nothing in the shop over $2. Includes findings, glass and plastic/lucite, some vintage...charms, pendants and even handmade paper beads. I have a lot of stuff, so check back often for new listings. I will be working on a huge batch of photos and listings this week.

http://beadsoutwest.etsy.com

Cancer Sucks support necklace and other new projects

2008-04-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated in a few weeks, so I thought it was time to share my latest projects.

I made a couple of necklaces in support of my mom who has cancer. I was inspired by the pins and buttons that the nurses wear at the cancer center that my mom goes to here in Tucson.

I also stumbled across some new images for my bottle caps by Jelene at Etsy. I think she made a banner for me in the past because her feedback was in my feedback on Etsy. :)

http://www.ets y.com/shop.php?user_id=715

Her pop art is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time and knew that her images would be perfect for pony tail holders, ready to use bottle caps and necklaces. So I went to work as soon as the images came out of the printer and the photos show what I have come up with.

Jewelry supply sale-below wholesale!

2008-04-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

My blowout sale continues in my jewelry making supply shop on Etsy. Nothing over $2, most items priced below wholesale. I will close the shop once everything is sold-will be awhile though because I have a lot of stuff. I am adding new things almost daily, so stop on by!

http://beadsoutwest.etsy.com/

Homemade Treats for Dogs and Cats

2008-03-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

Sigh...yet another home made project...

Home made dog and cat treats, made by yours truly in my kitchen! I am a former Culinary Arts student and have been trained in proper food handling techniques. I am also ServSafe certified. I first made these last summer for my doggies and just recently decided to make more to sell at the local Farmer's Market. I also have some on Etsy. I have made veggie flavor with real shredded carrots and parsley flakes as the main ingredients. I also have meat flavored with bacon bits and chopped chicken and beef. I have large treats as well as small size treats. I created a treat for kitties as well, as suggested by a customer on etsy. They are nuggets with salmon flavor. My dogs love all of these treats and beg for more.

Jewelry Making Supplies-Clearance Blowout Sale!

2008-03-27T15:43:00.001-07:00

With a heavy heart, I have decided to close down my bead shop on Etsy. Unfortunatley, it seems that jewelry making supply shops are going in the same direction as jewelry shops, too many and not enough customers. I have been selling beads and other supplies online for about 5 years now, the last two on Etsy and this past year was the worst for sales. I have seen loads of shops open and surpass me in sales by the thousands. I guess I have been weeded out and it is time to move on.
So, I am going to sell off the rest of my inventory at below wholesale prices to move it out. Right now I have about 80 items listed and I have lots more waiting to list, but I need to sell some things first and pay my Etsy bill, then will mass list the rest of my inventory.
I will continue to make bottle cap necklaces and pony tail holders and continue with soap making.
BeadsOutWest, RIP...2003-2008. It's been a fun ride.
http://beadsoutwest.etsy.com

My First Real Attempt at Soap Making

2008-03-13T17:37:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I finally did it. I finally had enough supplies to make a batch of real soap. I followed a recipe by Delores Boone called "Simply Soap". It consisited of castor oil, coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, lard(yup, real lard!!), lye and distilled water. I used the hot process method with a slow cooker. I was convinced that I would screw it up somehow or end up in the ER with lye burns. Well, I suprised myself with no burns and a great batch of soap so far. The entire process took maybe two hours including molding. Some of it I scented with lavendar and some with patcholi. Smells awesome. I tried using dye in the lavendar batch, but all it did was turn a grayish color with bits of the color suspended in the soap. Looks kinda cool anyways. The first 5 bars in the photo are lavendar and the other three are patcholi. My drying rack has seen better days, lots of paint!! The rest I molded in a handmade mold-from a plastic container that contained coffee creamer. I lined it with parchment paper and secured the bottom with plastic wrap left over from Halloween. It looks a bit scary but I think I will have some nice round bars once they are hard enough. This batch I left out the fragrance. I will probably use most of it for hand-milling. That is where you take soap that is already made and remelt it and mix with other things to make a totally different bar of soap. I am anxious to get started on that project as well, just awaiting some supplies to come in the mail. I am also anxious to use this in the shower, as I am NOT a fan of bar soap...hate the sticky feeling with it after showering. I may have a different opinion of it fter I use my own soap. I noticed the difference after cleaning the bowls and the pots that had left over soap in them. It lathered really nice and my hands felt smoother. So we will see...

Bottle Cap PonyTail Holders! Featured item!

2008-03-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

I am updating today with a post about my latest favorite project (and I have a lot of favorite projects...LOL).

Today's feature is elastic ponytail holders with an attached unused bottlecap with an image. So far in my Etsy shop I have Bobby Jack the monkey, the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana. My daughter's influence is pretty obvious in these creations, don'tcha think??? I also have High School Musical, Minnie Mouse and another set of Jonas Bros made but not listed yet, saving these for shows.

These were suprisingly easy to make and they hold up well. They have been tested on my daughter's hair. I have finally found a glue and sealer that won't run the image colors that are printed from my printer. Yay!!! (See my previous post below about glue)

Kinds of Glue That are in My Craft Box, What's in Yours?

2008-02-20T15:05:00.007-08:00

Oh my goodness...two posts in the same week! Yay!

Okay, so I know glue isn't all that exciting to talk about, and some of you crafters may know about these products anyways, but I just realized the other day that I have 5 different kinds of glue in my craft box and one bottle of paper glaze.

Three of the five are Aleene's products. I have Tacky glue, Fast Grab tacky glue, and jewelry super glue. I also have basic white school glue, and Martha Stewarts decoupage glue and sealer. So, what do I think of these products? Tacky Glue works pretty good, but not on slick surfaces, the glued stuff comes off very easily after the glue is dry. Seems to me that Tacky Glue is just glorified school glue, but that is just an opinion. Fast Grab works very well on slick surfaces and dries fairly quick and plays nice with Aleene's Paper Glaze. I like it and I think this will be my glue of choice with my bottle cap creations. Martha Stewarts glue is not all that...it has a brush attached to the lid, which I liked, but this glue was very runny and made a mess. It also ran colors from stuff printed on my ink jet printer. So, no I don't like it. Sorry Martha. Aleene's jewelry super glue works great also, sticks well to metal, but it has a strong odor that burns my eyes sometimes. So, I only use this occasionally and with a gas mask. No, not really, but may be a good idea...Last but not least is Aleene's Paper Glaze. what can I say? Does not run ink jet colors - actually highlights some colors that make them stand out. Seals very well too. Very happy with this glaze, despite the fact that it is a little pricey. I will probably buy my next bottle at Michaels with a 40% off coupon....shhh...don't tell anyone.Oh and I forgot one other product, which is Triple Thick Glaze. I use this on my paper creations to give them a nice shine and a hard finish. I really like it and the best thing is it doesn't smell!! Just slightly...

So, this was my exciting opinions about the types of glue/glaze in my box. What's in your box?

Handmade Soap...(from a kit, that is)!!

2008-02-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

Yay! I finally did it. I have wanted to make soap for many months now and I did last week for the first time. I bought a kit at Michael's (with my 40% off coupon)that contained two clear plastic pump bottles, liquid concentrate and thickener, dye, fragrance, glass marbles and silk flowers. There also was a pound of glycerine soap and molds for bars. I made the liquid soap first, which was so easy! All I had to do was add warm water to the concentrate, add thickener and fragrance. Then added some marbles and silk flowers to the bottle and filled it with soap. Viola! Instant soap! It smells lovely and makes a pretty addition to my bathroom. As you can see, I have used quite a bit of it already. The bars were a bit trickier to make, the glycerin cooled pretty fast after melting, so I had to reheat a couple of times. I also learned that a little dye goes a long way. The purple bar was the first one I made and it turned out way too dark. I also made a pink bar that I let my daughter use in the shower that also tuned out dark. The green bar turned out real nice, the color was perfect and the pink flowers set it off nicely.

As for the kit, the directions were simple enough to follow, but I think tips about using too much dye and how quickly the glycerin cools would have been nice. They also did not label ANY of the items in the kit. I assumed that the powdery stuff was the thickener and the bottle of stuff was liquid concentrate. I had to look closely to see what color the dyes were. Ah well, I bought the kit for practice anyways and too see if I would like making soap. So, I came to the conclusion that I did like making soap and I will be making more in the future. I want to make my own concentrate if possible and add moisturizers to it because the stuff in the kit seemed to dry my hands a bit. I love the silk flowers and marbles inside the bottles. It's so pretty. I also want to try cold-process soap with lye, but I need to purchase equipment first. I checked out a couple of soap making books from the library and saw a LOT of soap that I want to try. I just need to find a supplier and get busy. Michael's doesn't carry a whole lot of soap-making supplies and neither does JoAnn's. I don't know of any local suppliers, so I guess I will have to purchase online. Any Tucson folks know of any suppliers here in town? I know there is a candle making supplier, but that doesn't help much.

Featured item!

2008-02-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

Wow...it's been over a week since I updated. I have been busy with preparing for an upcoming craft show and others in the future and filing my taxes. I did it myself online using Turbo Tax and it was extemely easy...

Anyways, just wanted to update with a few favorite items from my shop. Right now I have two sets of Easter egg magnets listed in my shop, made by me with recycled paper. I have a couple of earlier posts about my paper creations. These were so fun to make and paint. I made a bunch as promos and hoping to get them out soon. I am hoping to post a more interesting topic soon...

Thoughts on Selling...or not

2008-01-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am seriously disappointed with my jewelry sales on Etsy as I am sure is the case with lots of others. I was reading a blog today by another Etsy seller(jewelrybytara) who made some excellent points about internet selling. Instead of whining and looking for symapthy from other people about the lack of sales-especially in the forums, which is REALLY annoying me, it's time to re-evaluate what you are doing and what you are selling or not. Instead of taking the time to write and whine in the forums...try using that energy and time to improve your products, come up with better descriptions, photos, and so on. So, that I what I am going to be working on for the next several days. I have bracelets that have been sitting in a shoebox for over a year and can't sell them, so I am taking them apart and selling the beads. This is really killing me, but this stuff is taking up space and I have to let go. I have probably hundreds of pairs of earrings that I may do the same thing with, or maybe I will save them for craft shows. The jewelry I have listed now on etsy I will just let run until it expires and will not relist. I am hoping that my key chains, magnets and bottlecap items will start moving. I will also be introducing more of my items made from recycled paper. I redid my Flickr folders and have one especially for my paper stuff. Once most of my jewelry is gone off the site and into my supply shop, I plan on starting other crafts, such as candles and soap, maybe mosaics. I have come to realize that there are too many jewelry sellers both online and at craft shows/farmer's markets. I am still trying to find my niche and what people will buy from me other than supplies. I love making things and the satisfaction that comes from someone oohing and ahhing over my stuff and buying it. Another thing that worries me is the state of the economy here in the USA. I am praying that we don't end up in a recession. People are struggling with high gas prices and the housing boom appears to be heading down the tubes as well. A major mortgage company here in Tucson shut down over the summer leaving lots of people without work. So, if people are broke, there won't be anyone to buy our crafts. So, this was just somethig that was on my mind and thought I would jot some thoughts on the subject.

New recycled paper projects and zipper pulls

2008-01-22T17:24:00.000-08:00

I have been a little busy with new stuff. I made a few bottle cap zipper pulls. I also made a new batch of paper "pulp" and made a bunch more easter eggs that will be magnets. I also made a couple of flowers that will also be magnets, a big heart that I think will be for display for my upcoming shows and made another pencil holder. I need to get some glaze so I can finish it. Oh and I got real creative and made a saguaro cactus...kinda reminds me of a pickle, though. LOL This will probably be a magnet as well. I need to get more magnets too. I have more ideas for decorating pencil holders other than painting flowers on them, which by the way is the ONLY thing I can draw. I can only make one at a time because I am using a heavy glass container as a mold and it takes forever to dry, like a week. I am looking for plastic things to use instead, but haven't found anything yet. My photos show the stuff that I have done already, just waiting for the rest of the eggs, flowers and beads to dry. Ho hum...

Lucite/Plastic Beads

2008-01-19T13:54:00.000-08:00

This is just some free writing about lucite. I was racking my brain to come up with something to write about to update. I thought, well what the heck, I'll ramble about lucite! I was never a fan of plastic beads until recently. Lucite is so pretty! I have some lucite beads that look like they could be gemstones! The blue ones remind me of sodalite. I have seen a lot of flower type lucite beads and whatnot lately on both Etsy and eBay and they seem to be very popular. I have to clue as to what to do with the large fancy ones that can be stacked on top of other flowers. I look at them and think..."huh"? You gotta be kidding... I have stumbled across some really cute plastic charms, like cats, hearts and even some cute striped round beads that I may consider buying. I made some basic heart earrings for Valentine's Day and added white pearls to them for extra color and have them listed on Etsy as seen in the Etsy mini over there>>>>>>>>.

I made another pair of earrings and a necklace from the same hearts and hoping to sell them at upcoming shows.

I also learned an interesting tidbit about Lucite beads. Apparently they are cut from a huge mold and aren't pressed, so they don't have a seam.

Bakelite was used for beads around the 1920's and became obsolete after WW2. I am sure these are highly collectable and pricey. I wouldn't know the difference between Bakelite and Lucite. Maybe I will do some more research when I am bored on a Saturday afternoon...

I tried to find some info today, but most of what I found on the net was for shops that carried lucite beads. Didn't help much. Drat.

By the way I have some lucite available in my supply shop BeadsOutWest!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=38436&section_id=5185387

Editing to add a nice tidbit about Bakelite from http://Beads2string.etsy.com:

Bakelite is a plastic which was made around the time they were making things out of a plastic called catilin. It was used for a variety of things from jewelry to utensils and handles on dressers and appliances. It is very collectible. To tell if something is made of bakelite you can rub your thumb against it and you will smell a certain chemical smell.

Awesome! Thanks so much.

Etsy Supply Street Team sale this week!

2008-01-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Etsy Supply Street Team is having a sale! Just type in ESST in the search box and get ready to feast your eyes on some of the BEST Supplies being sold on Etsy!

Sale starts January 16, 2008 and runs through midnight January 20, 2008.

My sale is free shipping for any combination of purchases $5 and over to anywhere. Please wait for me to send a revised invoice from PayPal BEFORE paying.

First Farmer's Market Experience!

2008-01-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

On Sunday the 13th, I participated in my first Farmer's/Artisans Market show here in Tucson at Civano Nursery. The weather was perfect, temps around 70 and sunny. I met a few other artisans who were great! There were other jewelry sellers, natural soap, photography and fresh fruit and vegetables and others. Sales and traffic were a bit slow for all of us, including the nursery. My guess is that people were out doing other things since the weather was so nice. Despite the sucky sales, I went home semi-satisfied and the best experience was that my ego was stroked by a lady who gushed over my cha-cha bracelets and the guy in charge of the market, Ken, had nice things to say as well. I really needed that because I am constantly questioning whether my stuff is good enough or not, since so many people look and walk away. I don't know if my prices are too high or too low, too ugly or funky, or?? It's tough to sit there and watch other people get sales, especially when I need the money so much. This is my only source of income at the moment and I really want it to work. I will probably do the market again as long as the weather co-operates. I am considering doing other markets, but it depends on how much the fees are. My project for the week will be checking on prices for other markets here in town. I am not selling anything on Etsy, so I need to get my stuff out of the shoebox and in the people's faces. I am not ready to give up yet, I just need to find the right niche and the right place for my stuff. I am considering trying other crafts since there seems to be an influx of jewelry makers and sellers. I want to try candles or mosaics, but this will be much later in the year. I need to have cash to buy all of the materials that I need, plus instruction, as I have no clue as to what I will be doing. :) Here's to better sales in the future!!

No "new" projects...

2008-01-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Still working on bottlecap necklaces, I've made about 20 so far. I am preparing for a small farmers market show that I am doing tomorrow. I had to make my displays from stuff that I had at home. Hopefully I will start earning enough money to buy real displays, tables and an easy-up tent... But they look nice, so no biggie. I'll take some pictures and post them. I listed two of my bottlecap necklaces on etsy, here is one of them: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8875444 Well, gotta run, I need to find a cover for my table for tomorrow.

Another new project...

2008-01-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

Bottlecap necklaces...

I purchased a sheet of images from Saven Sense on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5098004 and created a couple of necklaces for my daughter. I am having a bit of trouble with the ink fading/running when I apply sealer. I used Aleenes Paper Glaze and Triple Thick Glaze on top of that and I came to the conclusion that the Triple Thick stuff is too strong for ink even with a coat of paper glaze, so I will have to leave the Triple Thick off. I worked on these today and they made me crazy. I have a few other images that I thought I took pictures of, but I guess I will do that tomorrow. I am doing a small show on Sunday and I want to bring some of these with me, so I will be busy again tomorrow. Work, work....hopefully all of my hard work will pay off, soon I hope! :) I am a starving crafter at the moment!

My latest project...

2008-01-08T18:23:00.000-08:00

I have made some Easter egg shaped magnets to sell at future shows....this is just a few of them.

Wow!!Another item in my line of recycled paper creations!

I started making things from shredded paper over the summer and I am trying to come up with new things. I had a huge pile of junk mail, reciepts, papers from both my school and my daughters and ran it all through my shredder and made a mushy pulp like clumpy clay stuff and started making things. I have made snowman ornaments, pins, magnets and earrings....beads...bowls molded from two liter soda bottles and plastic bowls...I made a pencil holder for my desk...now the easter eggs...I have also molded some flower forms and will make magnets out of those, too. Also working on hearts and cactus!! Additional pics can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beadsoutwest/

I am proud that my junk paper isn't in the landfill. My mom shredded a bunch of her old checks and that batch of paper was part of the stuff that my biz card holder bowl was made from. Kewl!!

Today's Feature...

2008-01-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

From time to time I will be featuring items from both of my shops.

Today I will be featuring my latest creation, keychains.

I have added keychains to my line of goodies in my jewelry shop on Etsy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5297253&section_id=5252100

I have several different styles to chose from in different colors and sizes! I made all of these with glass beads, heavy gauge wire and lots of love. Makes a nice handmade gift for a special person! Easy on the wallet at under $5.00 each.

Why Buy Handmade?

2008-01-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

This is a very good article that another Etsy seller wrote(sorry, but I don't have the name!!)that was passed along to me on MySpace and I wanted to post it here on my blog. Check it out:

Why buy handmade?
Because once upon a time there were shoemakers who made shoes, and you bought then from the shoemaker... they lasted, and they were lovingly made... The bread was baked by a baker, who did what they loved doing, and you could taste it. It tasted like love, a nourished your body much better than the empty processed stuff of today. Because People still DO make things with love, and THEY ARE better! You can feel the love when you touch, taste, or feel, or see it!
Lets bring the humaneness back into our purchases, and buy from the makers again! Why give your money to corporations that farm out work to 3rd world countries at ridiculously low wages, exploiting the peoples, and feeding their greed. Know where your purchase was made, and by whom, and that they got a fair price for their wares, and so did you. You also get the satisfaction of knowing that you are able to talk with the maker if something is wrong with it, or if you just want to say thanks for making such a great… whatever. Not only that but buying handmade you can usually work with the artist/artisan to get the perfect product, even if that means then creating one for you.
You also know that your input sways the next or newest product in however blatant or subtle ways. So you know that your needs and desires are creating the trends, not some corporate bigwig who probably doesn’t even use/wear/get your product.
When you purchase handmade you also feel special, knowing that you are giving your money to the peoples, instead of the corporations who have nothing to do with the creating/creative process, who’s main concern is making a profit. Not that us artisans don’t want to make a profit, but we are actually making these items you/we purchase.
So do something good for your soul, for your peace of mind, for quality over quantity, and buy handmade!
Support independent artisans and phooey to the corporate crap and sweat shops! (added by me)
You can find all things handmade at http://www.etsy.com/

2008-01-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

About me
My name is Carol and I am originally from the Chicago suburbs-Joliet, IL. I now live in Tucson with my daughter and my family. I have always had an interest in creating things. I can remember making wreaths and other wall decorations as a teenager. I also made macrame plant hangers that I learned how to make in Home Ec in junior high. A few years ago, I made hair barrettes from beads and safety pins. I enjoy cooking and baking as well. I am 6 credits from graduating with a degree in Culinary Arts that I can't really do anything with. No experience=no job. Right now I am conteplating as to what to do with school. I may switch majors or I may try to make a living with my crafts. I hate the bs that comes with jobs and little satisfaction or appreciation for my work.
I have two shops on Etsy.com, one for jewelry making supplies and one for my crafts, mostly jewelry, keychains, magnets and cell phone charms. I also make beads from recycled junk mail and other paper that would have ended up in the landfill. I made snowman Christmas ornaments, magnets, pins and earrings from the same material. I have made bowls and I am currently working on a pencil holder for my desk and heart magnets for Valentines day.

My Etsy store fronts are: http://beadsoutwest.etsy.com and http://oldpuebloearringco.etsy.com
My new blog is here! oldpuebloearringco.blogspot.com
My flickr photos are at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beadsoutwest/
Squidoo lens:http://www.squidoo.com/oldpuebloearringco
My Space: http://www.myspace.com/cantinacarolina

I got into the bead biz first on eBay a few years ago. I began selling beads after a failed attempt at making hair barrettes from beads and safety pins. I sold off the rest of the beads that I had and found that the beads sold better than the finished products, so Beads Out West was born. I bought beads in lots and divided them up and sold them. I began attending the annual gem and mineral/jewelry/bead shows here in Tucson and bought things there for my shop. I left eBay after the last fee increase nearly two years ago and found Etsy shortly after. I started making things again around that time and decided to try to sell my finished work. It's been slow, but I am selling off Etsy at various shows. I have only done two so far, but have plans to do more in the next few months. The last show I did pretty well. I sold more in one day than on Etsy in a week.
I get inspiration mostly from reading bead magazines and craft books. Sometimes ideas come to me when I am browsing the beads at stores or shows. Bead Style is my favorite magazine. I check out craft books from our local library. I also like Tammy Powley's work.
The next craft that I want to do/try is candlemaking. I also want to try silversmithing,lampwork beads,leatherwork and wirework. Much ambition!
My next creation will be bottlecap necklaces. My daughter likes Hannah Montana, so I will be making her a couple of necklaces with Hannah's picture and will also sell them in my craft shop. I also want to make pendants and various jewelry from scrapbooking embellishments. I want to buy a wigjig and make earwires. I also want to find some cute lucite/plastic beads and pendants to make kitschy stuff.
I have so much ambition, but not enough money to do it all. So I guess I will take it one project at a time.
Thanks so much for learning about me. I hope you found it interesting and entertaining...LOL

Ideas

2007-12-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, here are some ideas that I am working on for this blog not in any particular order.

ideas for blog:

* interview/introduce myself

* select an item to feature
a. keychains
b. magnets
c. earrings
d. bracelets
e. paper stuff
f. stuff from BOW
* write about my gem show experiences

* write about my craft show experiences

* interview etsy sellers

* write about business frustrations/succeses

* business/etsy success tips (although mine isn't yet!) write about what I am doing

* photography in my experience

* write about a particular jewelry making componet/process
a. lucite
b. gemstones
c. handmade beads
d. metals
e. working with resin - making pendants

* write about other crafts
a. silversmithing
b. leatherworking
c. wirework
d. ceramics/pottery
e. candle making
f. soap making
g. knitting/sewing

Okay, I have finally done it...

2007-12-31T08:51:00.000-08:00

and here it is! One of my business goals for 2008 was to start a blog. I am not too sure what to do with it or what to blog about, but I guess I will wing it for now. I have a few ideas, so I guess that is what I will be working on today or tomorrow. I have seen interviews and features of Etsy sellers on blogs, so I may consider that when I feel like there will be people reading it. I may also offer links and banners on the blog if I can figure out how to do it and if I can. I may feature one item from my shop a day, post links to advertising sources and whatever else I can think of. I think I will leave personal and health issues to myspace. Ok, off to play more.