Welcome Home 2009! I'm looking forward to what you bring :)

Some changes that I'm aware of currently:

• I was offered a permanent position! Woot! the work itself is not ideal but it's steady money, eventually insurance, and my schedule will allow for going back to school, plus an occasional art show/vending event.
  
• Taking classes at BCC. This semester it's only one art class but it will get me back in the groove. Potentially I could have my Graphic Design degree in slightly more than a year.
  
• I'm looking forward to making some new jewelry and slightly re-vamping my business plan.

facebook

I set up a Facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Izoralee/18560845655

Pics Updated

I finally re-loaded pics onto my website. Now when you look at an item and click the "Larger Pic" link - it actually brings up a large picture!
Ahh technology :)

Featured on The Handmade Department Store Blog!

http://thehandmadedepartmentstore.blogspot.com/
I'm so excited! I've been blogged about! and not by a family member LOL

Art Market in Olde Eau Gallie

note: I am not the organizer but one of the artist participating

- - - - - - - - - Invitation - - - - - - - - -

I hope you will attend our Open House and Art Market.

October 25th - THIS SATURDAY - we are hosting an ART MARKET on our large lawn along Eastbound Eau Gallie (Montreal Ave, corner of Highland Ave in Olde Eau Gallie). There will be many Artists participating with, not only their art on display, but they will also be working on their current pieces (WOW!).

I have run some advertising for it, and I wish that all my favorite people will attend. So, please mark your calendar. I would really like to see you here as it is going to be a big event.


It is this Saturday October 25th and it starts at 9am (9am - 1pm). Come see artist performing their skills right before your very eyes; Paint-on-Canvas, Art Glass, Bamboo, Mobiles, and more.

So here it is, Your Invitation, come to our Open House and ART MARKET Saturday Oct 25th 9am - 1pm. It is going to be an exciting event that you will be hearing about through the end of the year, so don't miss it - it won't be the same without you.

CANVAS - BAMBOO - GLASS - and MORE, it's the Art Market this Saturday!!!
Free Admission - Free Parking

Bryan C. Cruickshank
Funky Junky Marketplace and Gallery
Olde Eau Gallie - the Arts District
1372 Highland Ave
Melbourne, FL 32935

Call for assistance/directions/etc. 321-242-2222 or 321-609-1749

x-posted on various LJ's and sites

I started working on these last week. Glass slides, copper tape,
origami paper, rub on letters, sticker letters, tiny brass watch
parts, tiny crystal rhinestone. I used Diamond Glaze to embed the tiny gears and rhinestone on the small pendant.

I was at Hobby Town earlier today for brass wire. I wandered through their model section and noticed the tiny figures and landscaping elements. I have an idea for doing tiny 3-dimensional "specimen cases". Maybe use some of the Rement items I have... Oooo little display case necklaces with microscopic dioramas!

LOL I've been trying to work bigger but I keep getting drawn back to the itty-bitty scale LOL

::cross posted on various sites::

Woohoo! Website is live!

www.izoraleedesigns.com
I had to get over being absolutely positively perfect and just get the damn thing live LOL Not only is the gallery live but the shopping cart is also!
::crosses my fingers and knocks wood::
Obviously some tweaking and customization still to do but I'm getting there.

Another "Meh" show

The weather was fine, our drive up was great, the hotel was nice, and we found excellent Irish pub food. Nom nom nom scotch eggs! I sold 4 bracelets from my lower price point on Saturday. Sunday was nothing but "Wow! what beautiful stuff! and great prices! Ok, bye!". :: heavy sigh:: It was one of those events where no one was buying. The only bags you saw folks carrying were filled with tomatoes and cukes from a veggie merchant around the corner. One of the food vendors told me that folks were doing the same to them - they would compliment the menu options, comment how good everything smelled, and then keep walking.

Oh well. I'll get the website finished up. I also need to work on more pieces for Friday Fest and Florida Pagan Gathering.

OH! I had someone ask me to come vend at their event! I think I'm at Utopia that weekend but I pleased to be asked.

Rivertown Craft Show info

Rivertown Craft Show, Woodland Blvd/17-92, Deland FL, Sept 20-21 10am to 4pm each day. I'll be in space #124, approximately between Indiana Ave and New York Ave. Come by and say Hi :)

Successful Friday Fest

Last night I vended for the first time at FridayFest in Melbourne, FL. I usually go to FridayFest as an attendee. I enjoy strolling the street, checking out the vendors, listening to the band, then hanging out with the drummers and bellydancers.

It was a big different be a vendor. For one, I couldn't explore as usual but I was fine with that. The organizers were kind enough to put me down by the drummers so I was the first tent in the row. I got a lot of very positive feedback. Many people asking if I was local, did I have shop, where do I sell at, and most importantly - would I be back next month? Obviously I will LOL

About halfway through the evening a gentleman approached my table. He stuck out his hand and said "I've been talking about you all evening". I know my eyes got big and eyebrows shot up LOL Turns out he was one of the organizers and was working a mic & pa system further down the street. Since this was my first FridayFest he was talking up my stuff on the mic! How cool!

OH! and I sold a couple of my higher price point pieces!

Woohoo! I'll be vending at Friday Fest in Historic Downtown Melbourne on the 12th ::bouncy::

Notes to self

small base - undo petals, spiral stitch on thin wire for shaping, organic oozing shape, vase?
larger base with section of bottom - raw petals, make individually then apply, wire outline? stage or display section, like Faberge egg
research sugar skull designs

Zen Cart update so far

Saturday - Brain Cell Increase Or Decrease???
So did I just kill or increase a few brain cells getting the shipping options setup in ZenCart? It has taken me the greater part of the evening to set the shipping costs as I wish. Thank Goddess I'm doing this locally install of a live install LOL I love being able to change - test - change - test with no consequences.


Sunday Afternoon - All Your Credit Card Are Belong To Us
Bwhahahaha! I have conquered the Payment & Credit Card module! Woot! Once I go live I'll install the PayPal payment option module and the Transfirst credit card authorization module. They can not be installed nor tested on local system.

::rubs hands:: closer my Prrrrrrecccioussssss, closssssseeerrrrrr ::/Gollem::

heehee

More Baby Steps

In addition to some TS Fay cleanup I finally got a good local install of Zen Cart! Nothing wrong with the program, I just had computer issues last time I tried. This time it was just cake! Apache installed, MySQL installed, MercuryMail installed. Thunderbird is setup with the test emails. I changed my host from GoDaddy over to BlueHost. It should propagate by tomorrow but I'm taking my time, setting up a dummy/local store so I can learn how Zen Cart actually works. I want to have complete control over my store.

Gonna fix myself a tall glass of cold milky chai then get back to it :)

Upside of Tropical Storm Fay

There was an upside of Tropical Storm Fay. Being stuck inside while we got hit with nearly 30 inches rain resulted in two nearly complete beaded projects.

The first is a beaded necklace using a cool lampwork bead I picked up several years ago at a local gem & mineral show. To me the bead looks like a Chinese dragon is trapped inside.

I'm going to string these on a shimmery metallic ribbon, maybe a light purple or pale gold.

The second project doesn't look like much yet LOL

I'm using a broken fragment from either a crystal wineglass or a crystal candlestick as a base. I started with peyote stitch then right-angle-weave when I increased bead size. I have a vague idea of what I'd like but just kinda going free-form with for now. An interesting departure from jewelry :)

Book Recommendation

I read a recommendation on Craftster.org for "Be Your Own Boss: Small Time Business Operator" by Bernard B. Kamoroff. It was the subtitle, however, that grabbed my attention, 'How to start your own business, keep your books, pay your taxes and stay out of trouble' LOL!

I had questions on exactly how to handle paying for expenses from both my personal and business account, and what I should be documenting, etc. This book answered all my questions! The table of contents and chapters are clearly labeled so you can skip straight to the necessary sections. The language is straightforward and simple. Terms are defined and examples given. Spreadsheets are in the back of the book too.

Thanks to this book I've set up my checkbook in Microsoft Office Accounting, and used Excel to create a Monthly Income Ledger and Expenditure Ledger. Come month-end and year-end I'll be pulling it off the shelf again :)

I'm still lethargic and meh but shaking it off. Part of my 'meh' is procrastination in doing biz admin stuff. I did manage to take a shower, get dressed, and meander down to B&N. I read a good recommendation on a small business operations book and decided to buy it. I've got MS Accounting for Small Business but had some questions on other record keeping.

So this week's tasks are: getting more familiar with record keeping; learning how to put the EZ-Up so I can get pics; brainstorming costume with Kat; work on ZenCart set up.

Afterthoughts

I had a good safe trip home. Traffic was not bad at all and we made good time. I dragged my suitcase in the front door about 9pm. Of course all the rest of my stuff is still in the car LOL
Changed immediately into a comfy nightie and relaxed for the evening. I love my bed :)

The positives:

• I received many compliments on my display.
  
• I received many compliments on my work.
  
• Not one dreaded "I can do that".
  
• I sold 6 pieces.
  
• No one blinked at my prices.
  
• I have enough pieces to use at my next show, less to replace.
  
• I know now to make some matching or coordinating earrings and rings.
  
• I have time to focus on some planned arty pieces.
  
• Follow up administrative tasks will be easy this time around.
  

The negatives:

• It was a slow vending event overall. Some just broke even, some sold nothing at all.
  
• Poor initial impression of the event due to uninformed staff.
  
• Never laid eyes on the Vendor Coordinator the entire event, couldn't pick her out of a line up.

So overall - not bad. I've got a show under my belt. I have another event already scheduled and I'm prepared to pick up a few more.

Quick update before I head down to vend

James and I had real treat last evening. We decided at the last minute to head over to the Cuban Club for Voltaire's, http://www.voltaire.net/, off-site performance. The fashion show was still going on so we mingled in the lobby and he noticed that Voltaire was selling his cds off to the side. We bought the newest one and paid in cash. As Voltaire was signing it for me he told us a story. Basically he caught a cab to the airport and then realized he only had $6 and no wallet. His girlfriend had the cab come back so she could pay him and V managed to get on the plane with just his passport. He found enough change to buy a bottle of water and a cup of coffee in his backpack. Luckily someone from the con was picking him up in Miami and bringing him to Tampa. The point of the story was that the $15 dollars I handed him was literally the only cash he had on him and he was thanking us cause now he wasn't 'penniless'! Dunno if it was true or not but hilarious to hear him tell it! ROFLMAO!

Before I forget - ohmygawd, our dinner last night! We went out intending to have Quiznos or Subway, which was just a block away from the hotel. We ended up in this gourmet meal instead for maybe $15 each. James had a roasted pear, bacon and blue cheese salad, while I had a duck & brie crepe on a slice of grilled pineapple. Yes. You read that right. We treated it like tapas and shared. I think we just stopped ourselves from licking the plates clean. Nom Nom Nom!

The trip over to Tampa went well. A little behind schedule but it's not like we were on a deadline LOL James' photoshoot went well. He got a couple of awesome shots. I enjoyed downtime by the pool, flipping thru a 'Bead and Button' magazine, brainstorming some new pieces. After the shoot a few of us went out to dinner in Ybor City. Nom nom nom :)

The event is going exactly as planned but I'm rolling with the punches. I must have looked at last year's schedule and thought it would be duplicated this year. This year vending is only two days (Saturday & Sunday) and from Noon - 5pm. This is really odd for any event I have ever been to but hey, roll with it. Load-in is Friday afternoon and we're planning on getting booth & product shots.

Tomorrow morning we're walking a couple of blocks to a French restaurant for crepes! Rawr!

Finished photographing all the pieces I'm taking with me to C14. I was only taking quickie pics to document for my database but dang, 50+pcs! whew!

Got my table drape cut and the raw edges serged.

All show stuff packed up!

Really all that is left is to decide what I'm taking in regards to clothing and makeup :)

I have a pair of earrings I'd love to finish but not sure if it will happen. They may end up going with me as 'booth work'. Plus I received some Swarovski rivolis today from Artbeads.com that are destined for earrings too.

Hmmm... adds "put together box of beads & tools to take to C14" to my to-do list :)

well phooey :(

So much for my bright idea to paint henna patterns on my display arm. The paint pen I was using was just too thick, the paint too light (I wanted subtle but invisible is ridiculous), and my hands just shake too much.

Ahh well, a quick coat of spray paint and the evidence will be hidden LOL

I may find a local henna artist and have them paint on a design then clear coat.

Yup, I think that is a plan.

More Purging!

More purging of the good kind! Mom just left with my old computer desk, a free standing sewing notion holder thingy, and a huge plastic tub of... stuff! I can't believe how much of a difference it made - there is more floor! open space! airy-ier! I can see what is left better too. Some of it she'll sale on Ebay, some will get sold in an upcoming yard sale.

I showed off all the elements I've been pulling together for C14. She loved it. Yes, she's my mom and she's gonna support nearly everything I do but it feels good to get some validation for my work. To have someone else see the same vision and think it's on track - well, it feels good. I've got all the jewelry entered into the database. I'm going with over 50 pieces. I showed her everything too and she thought it was enough too. Whew!

All that is left is: cut & serge the table drape; buy table cloth; put pinback onto Spider Broach, paint henna-like designs onto display arm; pack it all up!

I ordered a couple cute tops & a dress from www.alight.com. They should be here today and hopefully fit. When they arrive I'll start pulling together outfits and packing my personal stuff. Tuesday I have a hair appointment to spiff up my layers. I may re-red it before I have it cut. If not before then immediately after so the smell is gone by Thursday.

Just got back from errands. I'm still bouncing from her praise, "Wow, you've really got this all together"! This coupled with some comments I've recently received from folks on my work is just making me glow :D Ok, tablecloth, clips & table skirt is bought. Found a funky placemat at Target that will coordinate with my table drape too.

Gonna scarf down some lunch and paint an arm LOL

rings!

I finished up 9 rings, 1 ring&earring set, and 2 pairs of earrings. Still to go is: finished red&black bracelet, finished green&brown spiral tube necklace, string green&black beaded bead, remove necklace part from spider piece and add pin back. I have a couple other pieces that I'm mulling over either re-doing or re-working all together. By that I mean, either redo them just as they are but better, or rework to make a completely different item. They are not a priority right now but I'll get 'em eventually :)

cross-posed on http://www.myspace.com/izoraleedesigns

I heart Big Lots

I went to Big Lots with the intention of buying one box of snack size plastic bags. They are perfect for storing jewelry pieces in. I walked out with not only the bag of snack bags but a cool metal frame mirror, a wooden tray from which necklaces & bracelets can hang off of, and metal easels for both!

18 days away!

Only 18 days until I head to Tampa for C14!!! I'm nervous and excited but nearly ready :)

Today I worked through a pile of unfinished necklaces. I finished 8 necklaces! Woot! I have one that is still unfinished because I need more Crystal Fireline, and two that I'm just not happy with. I'm not sure if they need to be re-worked or re-done completely. I'll look at them later with fresh eyes.

I'm going to make some more necklace displays this week. I found these two cool tutorials that I'm going to try out:
Necklace Display Tutorial
and
Taco Bell Bowl Necklace Display.

I'm also going to start pulling together a 'show box'. I've found several good lists online plus I remember some of what my bosses took when I worked at the jewelry manufacturer.

Hopefully I can stay busy enough to keep the anxiety at bay LOL

gasp! an Update!

What's this??? an update?? GASP!!!

LOL I know, I know! Its been ages since I've updated, but I can either create or blog. And sometimes creating wins :)

Looking forward to CON14, http://www.c14ybor.com/, in August 2008. I'm finishing up some gorgeous decorated bra's. I've got a few display props on order, hopefully they will arrive this week. I need to lay out my wares and start planning my display. See what I'm missing, what needs to go upwards, etc.

Plus I just received confirmation that I will be vending at Florida Pagan Gathering, http://www.flapagan.org, in November! Bouncy Bouncy SQUEE! I'll finally get to use my EZ-UP canopy! I may need to rent a small trailer or suv to haul up canopy, table, plus my camping gear (tent, screen room, collapsible kitchen, picnic table, etc). I may invest in a better quality air mattress too - one of those that sits up higher. That is the one bad thing about tenting it - getting up and down off the air mattress LOL

Hope everyone is having a good summer so far!

Website Update :)

I've added some new galleries to my website, www.izoralee.com! Pics of bead work, bracelets, and costumes. Some photos are courtesy of SLE Photograph.

Almost Done

Nearly done!
I just need to buy some satin cording to finish it off. I'm really happy with the way the moon face turned out. I have a few more of those faces and think I'll do a few more of these in different colorways. I'm so glad I finally got the hang of the Dutch Spiral!

WIP dutch spiral

Dutch spiral is just so cool. I love the way some beaders are able to manipulate the pattern using different size beads. Plus its a fabulous way to either tie together, or inject, color into a project. This is my first time working with dutch spiral so I'm keeping it pretty simple: 39 rows with 4 main color beads, 3 rows of 6 main color beads, 3 rows of 8 main color beads, 6 rows of 10 main color beads, 3 rows of 8 main color beads, 3 rows of 6 main color beads, and finish with 39 rows of 4 main color beads. It's just a gentle increase that creates texture & visual interest. If the bead section isn't long enough for a choker or necklace I'll lengthen with satin cording.

The center focal is a moon face stitched and glued onto a Vintaj brass filigree disk. I'm going to surround the moon face with the same beads, maybe some short fringe :)

inspired by...

I've been a lurker on Art Junk Girl's blog for sometime and have been particularly inspired by her moleskine journal pages. I love the idea of having a 'capture device' ready for my creative urges.

I really got into the Get Things Done movement several years ago and went thru many... many, many... gadgets, widgets, programs, tools trying to be more productive. It took some time but I was able to filter down to the essence of GTD - a simple capture device that got stuff out of my head so I could 1) focus on other tasks; 2) free up mental resources; 3) retrieve when ready and/or needed.

The same idea can work for creative ideas. I now carry a small sketchbook and colored gel mini pens along with my trusty Moleskine journal. The journal is lined paper and I write everything from shopping lists to design ideas to addresses, etc. I had a bit of a wibble of the sketchbook. Tiny would be more practical in my tote bag, lighter and take up less room but I have a tendency to sketch micro-size. I get very tight, very secretive, very controlled and that constricts the creative process. I've been working to 'go big' in my sketches and other art projects, to break past boundaries, but even an 8.5x11 sketchbook would be too big to haul around every day. So I compromised with one thats roughly 5x7 and wire bound at the top reporter-style. That with some Staples-brand mini gel pens in very brilliant & vibrant colors seems to work so far :)

I have long been wishing there was something like the Craftgrrl Mafia locally. I've found inquiries from folks looking for groups but nobody seems to be organizing one. I was getting to point of thinking I would have to do it (and don't really have the time or energy). Today I hope I've lucked out and found a similiar group. The Help! section of my local paper listed several craft groups and organizations. I've emailed one that sounds cool. A collective of crafty chicks would always be a nifty resource ;)

Ups and Downs

First and foremost the Up - I no haiz bye-pho-kals! I'm so delighted the eye doc decided AGAINST giving me bifocals! He found that my eyes are basically the same rx but are straining so hard to see the tiny stuff it's taking longer to re-adjust & re-focus. Since my problem seems to be task oriented he felt that reading/task glasses will solve it - woot! He did not dilate my eyes either, double win! LOL

After the doc I went immediately to Lencrafters. I was incredibly lucky to find a spiffy pair of frames marked down plus $100 off. And they had the lenses in store. Technically I could have picked them up after 6pm but I'll get them in the morning :) Woohoo, one thing off my list :)

And the eye doc re-wrote my whole prescription so I can go back in a month and get new sunglasses.

And now for something completely different... the Down. Next week is gonna be rough work wise. A co-worker had a death in the family and will be out most of the week. I'll literally be working open to close to cover. I'll like the overtime on my check but not fully comfortable with certain tasks she handles. Plus one day I'll literally be on my own as Manager had vacation already scheduled. Ahh well :[

Enough of that....

I'd love to bury myself in beading but I'm waiting for new glasses. Plus I have headache that just won't stop. Not taking big meds cause I want to stay up for the new BattleStar Galaticta tonite LOL! Speaking of beads, once I have my task glasses I'm hoping to really bury myself in my work. I'd like to complete about 10 pieces this month, start on a big 'show stopper' piece I have in mind, and get some ideas fleshed out for a Burner buddy. My plan is to use June for embellished clothing, most likely tribal-ish bras.

Tomorrow I pick my new glasses, go to my Mom's to finish taxes (insert heart attack here), grocery store, make some ice cream, maybe cook a roast, and get my bead on :)

My visit to IBead

Good Morning! Hope everyone had a good weekend :)

Saturday I drove across the state to Tampa and included a side trip to the IBead showroom. IBead's showroom is open to the public and, I gotta say, pretty darn spiffy! They are only open until 4pm on Saturdays so I had about an hour to drool & shop LOL but trust me, I did some damage!

An incredibly neat, clean and well organized store. Plenty of staff on-hand to help out, plus I observed more staff pulling orders. Everything was clearly marked with tags and signs. Swarovski crystals, lampwork beads, and some findings are behind glass in the center of the store. Again, very helpful staff was present to pull trays & mark purchases. The incredibly pleasant woman that helped me even pulled a different color bead mat for me so I can see colors more easily. (I was looking at Volcano which pulls all sorts of colors. A change to a lighter color mat really illustrated that.) Obviously I was quite impressed with the place :)

So...more importantly... what did I buy???? I spent less than $200 and came home with some very cool stuff! I realized I didn't bring the bag with me to work but what I can remember off the top of my head: Swarovski jet hematite beads in 2 sizes; several glass pendants in odd shapes; some larger shaped pieces in hematite, jasper and lapis; several different pieces from the Vintaj line (including some scarabs that look suspiciously like roaches LOL); as well as various strands of glass beads. Ya know, I had my camera with me but did I think to lay them out on my hotel bed & take a picture? noooo LOL

It wasn't until I was checking out that it occured to me that I should have brought a copy of my tax certificate - doh! I mentioned it to the gal checking me out and she kindly suggested I fax or email it when I get home for future purchases. I will certainly do that, and keep them in mind for my next trip over. How cool would it be to send them my order and then pick up when I'm there the following Saturday? very cool indeed :)

fun peyote rings

Yesterday afternoon I finally tried out the Peyote Stackable Ring pattern from Beading Daily. Took me a bit to figure out how to continue the patterns past the first 4 beads, but I eventually saw the flow. I think these will be fun to use up leftovers! Plus would be fun to have a ring that goes with a piece :)

I also played with the spiral rope stitch from 'Creating Crystal Jewelry with Swarovski'. A few fumbles at first, of course LOL, but then pretty happy with it. I haven't really used it yet, so I don't own the stitch, but looking forward to using it in a piece.

Its funny. As excited as I am about a new project or design, I have the hardest time getting started. Its like I'm afraid to start, afraid I've bitten off too much. But then I just can't stand it anymore and jump right in :) I'm at the point with my spider piece. I bought a nifty spider button off Ebay and plan to create a larger pendant around it. I'd love to either use fine chain or lacy needle lace as the necklace part. I'll decide on that once the pendant is done.

Ok, going to procrastinate a bit more and fix dinner...then I'm beading! :)

new choker and a wip

Not the best pics so please excuse!
Most recently finished choker:

Right angle weave with matte and faceted size 8 glass beads; bezel & netting from size 10 & 15 delicas; cab worked on Lacy Stiff Stuff foundation


And work in progress:
This one is a little bigger than a quarter

stitched onto Lacy's Stiff Stuff foundation, size 8 glass beads w/size 11 square cuts, size 10 tri-cuts, and size 15 metalics
It will be paired with this section of netting:

Planned Purchases

There are two beading books that I plan on buying soon.
The Art of Bead Embroidery: Techniques, Designs & Inspirations by Heidi Kummli & Sherry Serafini
and
Creating Crystal Jewelry with Swarovski: 65 Sparkling Designs with Crystal Beads and Stones by Laura McCabe

Both look like excellent inspiration resources :)

I have Nymo!

Thankfully Island Bead had nymo available! I can finish up my experiment now :) Ok, I have to confess... I bought more than nymo LOL I also picked up a tube of S-Lon beading thread - its such pretty colors! A range of yellows, khakis, orchids, oranges & reds. Perfect for two different projects I have with both orange&yellow and orangish-red color schemes. I also bought beads for two more projects but I'm not admitting that yet LOL

doh! can't believe I forgot...

I can be such an idiot sometimes! In the midst of my teeth nashing over the lack of Nymo at Joann's & Michael's, I completely forgot about a local, independantly owned bead store, Island Bead ::head desk:: I'm not even sure they are open on Sundays but they were just 5 minutes away from where I was. It wouldn't have taken anytime to swing by their store.

I'm flipping through the October 2007 Bead & Button magazine and come to the store listings in the back. My attention was caught by two stores north of me. I was busily planning a Saturday trip to Cocoa Village and then over to Cocoa Beach when my eye spied the words "Melbourne". Huh, I thought, a bead store in Melbourne? Go figure. Then I read the ad... I repeat, I can be such an idiot at times LOL

I'm headed there after work today :)

quicky camera phone pic of my latest work in progress: dichroic glass cab with 11/0 seed bead bezel in peyote stitch, surrounded by 8/0 glass beads alternating with more 11/0 seed beads, starting to add glass oval beads and bugle bead fringe; all set on the previously mentioned Stiff Stuff.

Its only a work in progress because neither Joann's or Michael's had nymo beading thread. Both places were out completely! I swear its a conspiracy LOL but I've got some on order, so ha! I'll just move on to another project that can use the rest of my white nymo thread. My creative has been unleashed so double Ha! :P

Chalking it up a positive :)

I got home a little while ago from the Micco Community Sale. I didn't sale anything but I'm counting it as a success. Why? well...
1) as suspected, it was NOT my target market LOL median age of attendees was about 68
2) my pricing was high for that market but again, see above
3) I received many compliments on my creative designs, techniques and execution.
I may not have sold anything but I'm actually feeling very energized and excited about my work. I'm going to forge ahead and look into several local craft shows & street fairs :)

Houston, we have website!

www.izoraleedesigns.com
My fabu friend, Cherie, helped me out immensely and knocked together a quick website for me! Check out the gallery page for some examples of my work :)

Busy weekend for me - I've got about 5 designs rumbling around in my head that I'm trying to get out. Plus I have a table at the Micco Community Sale on Feb 2nd, so I'm trying to get some of the inexpensive items made.

I'm finding myself conflicted. I have these cool ideas but they are quite time-intensive. Do I spend time on my "art" or make what I think will sell? Gotta find the balance :)

First Time Coming Up!

Izoralee Designs will be vending officially for the first time next month! Woohoo! My mom and I will be sharing booth space at a local flea market/farmer's market. I'm busy making some spring & valentine themed pieces - pictures coming soon! The stock will do double duty as I'll also something to get up on my website.

Mom found an artist tent at a yard sale for $25!!! what a steal!! just need to get some tarps and clips for the sides. We have an 8ft table. I bought a few necklace and hand display pieces. We'll pick up a colorful tablecloth and be good to go :)

I've crossed off a few more items off my business to-do list. Two more will go away tomorrow after work when I pick up my local re-sale license and open my business account.

Squee!! LOL