Saturday, July 16, 2011

Summertime Creating and Giving New Life to Things of the Past

This Summer I have focused my creative tendencies toward my collections of vintage pieces.  From brooches to earrings, I have held them in my hands and stroked them into ideas for new repurposed designs that are worthy of today and any day.

The fun to combine items and embellish them to be interesting and sometimes a bit funky has been a ball.  Some have sold and others are available at http://www.diannearnettedesigns.etsy.com/, where my collection lives until someone purchases it either online or from me directly.

The piece to the left is a drop dead, jaw-dropper!  It is going to make itself important.............and you importantly accessorized...
It is great on a tee....or on a gown.  Anyway you like it, it likes you.

As you can see, it has multi-layers of stones and chains and many outstanding elements........just fun and it was so much fun to construct.




The next piece is a bit more subdued....It is more demure and is pearls and enameled pieces to make a more symetrical design. You will see that I like it alone or layered with pieces that you probably have in your jewelry collection.  Very pretty, and feminine...

The blue colors are clean and classic.  The white makes it a natural to use with business suits to little black dresses.......
Wear it alone or in layers as you see to the right in the next photo.
The other two designs are examples of pretty vintage items that were just too pretty to discard.  They are no longer worn as they were orginally....but now they are enjoying new life.  Take a look on my etsy site and see what you think.  They love company!
DiAnneArnetteDesigns on Etsy.com


Sunday, May 23, 2010

Subject is Summer and what kinds of Fun Crafts are Lirking!

Lirking crafts you say......yes! Lirking...The kids will be going to camp and doing all kinds of crafts that are going to be great fun.........Remember in Girl Scots when you made an OIL CLOTH PILLOW to sit on so you wouldn't get dirty around the campfire.
Mine did not look that this one at Cherry Hill Cottage http://cherryhillcottage.typepad.com/cherryhill_cottage/2008/04/cottage-oilclot.html, but I thought it was great...Our troop made them from Kelly Green solid oil cloth and we stiched around them with yellow yarn...I'll never forget that Summer when my Mom was our troop leader.  That was a lot of fun.

Other Crafts lirking will be those from the camps all around the country...your child may come home with something like this...although maybe more crudely made. It is at this link from Katesy's shop http://www.kaetsy.etsy.com/   http://www.etsy.com/listing/47882323/perfect-for-summer-wooden-armoury?  Very cute...don't you think. 
And if you are going to the beach..........think of all of the shells that you and the kids may want to pick up for making shell, beachy stuff later.  My kids and I made all kinds of neat things after visits to Padre Island and other beaches......We made shell frames...just glued the shells on...after soaking them in bleach to get the stinky smell out and all kinds of jewelry.........I came across these site on Etsy for shells and other neat things that may give you some great crafting ideas.  www.thesaltyseahouse.etsy.com has these and other wonderful treasures for you to purchase if a trip to the beach is too distant on your Summer Calendar.And don't forget about all the wonderful things you can do with Rocks. You can pick up rocks anywhere.........you don't even need a Vacation!  I have loved rock projects with my kids....Paper Weights, Door Stops, Scuptures, Mosaics and lots of other things that you can let your imagination fly with....and...I found these wonderfully colored and shaped crayons for kids that you may love...www.AugustGrove.etsy.com has them and lots of other great things  too. 

The only problem that I see with these crayons...they look good enough to eat!

Enjoy.....until nex time...take a look at my own art on my etsy sites:
I am a CREATOR...when not working on real estate!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Weird is the Topic of TODAY...TOAY'S creatively WEIRD!

CosmicFirefly
Today just felt "weird" to me, so I decided to support my feelings with some really cute and creative weirdness from my fellow artisans on Etsy, the famous handmade website that helps us all "get discovered". The idea of weirdness is, well, weird but also weirdly creative....In fact, we artists are used to being referred to as delightfully weird, or original...we like that!  The shop for the eyeballs is  BeanDoll.etsy.com

Lilley.etsy.com
Isn't this just adorable!  How sweetly weird...almost anyone would love to cuddle this little guy.



CosmicFirefly.etsy is where you will find this very Cosmic Steampunk necklace....you are sure to be the only one at your party with this cutie...and how orginal...to have her head stuck in a camera...This could be one for the Pavarotsi girls.  Of course, being weird can be wonderful! And speaking of wonderfully weird...see what is next. I seem to be attracted to eyes and heads today in this blog on weird so take a look at what HappyFunShop.etsy.com has created and how it is just too cute and wierd for words.The other thought that I have as I blog and share today is how great the photography is for all of these items.........The photos make us really notice how wonderfully weird these all are.
and without further babbling about wierd, enjoy some of these other creations from Etsy and friends.

KristinaEllis.etsy.com

hapitat.etsy.com has beautiful and unusually created items....take a look there.   Well...as you can see as I stop today's findings and expressions...I am beginning to find more on the beauty side of weird.

Note:  I is not that I actually think any of these are "wierd"....it is just that "wierd" was one of the tags used in each of these listings........so I guess that "wierd" like "beauty" is definitely in the eye of the beholder.




Tuesday, May 18, 2010

I am Crafting in Pink today......Pink is for Girls and Pink is for Spring...


What the heck....I just love pink and bet you do too.
Along the way today, I am going to show you some lovely "pinks" that are onsale at http://www.etsy.com/.
At Etsy, we are crafters and we love to make stuff............but to make it is not enough, we also want to sell it.  There are many budding designers just waiting to be discovered.....and of course, there is me!
(I am in the process of closing http://www.wantzit.etsy.com/ and everything is 20% off...so close me quick!)

Now for PINK!   Pink can be reddish, orangish, bluish, .........purpleish.......well you decide.

You can mix pinks and reds and blues and turquois and they just all work together.  You can dress a girl, a baby, a man, a woman in pink and they all look good..........It may be a jewel, or a tutu, a tie or a purse......Pink looks, well Pink! and Pretty.
Pink mixes with checks and just about any pattern that can be imagined.Dogs wear pink.............mine does! And she just loves it!


I love pink in anyway it is used.........I often like pink in my own designs, but this blog is about other people's pink today...
Enjoy

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Arts and Craft Shows....Good, Bad, Beautiful, and Ugly!

Since I began selling the jewelry and accessory items that I design, I have found that one way of promoting my jewelry business is by participating in art and craft shows in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  This has been both rewarding and frustrating at times.  At my first show I had no idea of what to expect.  Would they like my things? Would they be priced too high or too low? Would there be a lot of people there? Did I have enough inventory to show?  Maybe I would sell everything and then have to start over!

Now, with 6 shows under my belt, I have become a good judge of what is good, great, bad, or just plain ugly in the way of craft shows.  Read up!

1.  Timing.........if the show is too close to a holiday, people won't come and buy....because they already bought.  If it is on a weekend of a holiday, people are getting ready to go out of town, or are already gone.
..........slow people traffic
2. Promotion ....Show organizers are going to make money whether the vendors do well or not. They have their money up front.......so I now know to ask what kind of promotion advertising the organizer will be doing.......and ask to see the printed materials and dates for those ads.  New promoters will often think they can just pocket the money and not do anything to produce buyers at the show....News alert!  If there are not many people there........the vendors will not participate a second time.
3.  Types of vendors showing.  If every other booth is offering the same as your product, you may have too much variation in product and it will just confuse the shopper.  They cannot decide what they want when earrings are $25.00 at one booth, and $6.00 at the booth down the way....Shoppers often don't take the time to find out what the differences in the products may be.
4.  Music........If there is entertainment at the bazaar.......it must appeal to a wide variety of people.  The music should make the shoppers enjoy the experience, not make them want to flee the area.
5.  Concessions........Vendors need a place to get a snack, drink, etc. Promoters who do not think of this, are not thinking of the vendors who are counting on them for comfort, traffic, etc.  Vendors will feel unimportant..frustrated .i.e. you just wanted my booth fee, but did not want me to like your show.
6.  Good Promoters make everything as easy for vendors as possible when checking in and out.  They ask for feedback about the show...was it what you expected?...How can we improve?  etc.

I love the opportunity to meet my potential customers at various shows...and I like it when I see repeat customers...It is like seeing an old friend!  I also like visiting with the vendors who I have often met before at other shows.  They are helpful and I am finding a vendor network who is willing to share other really good information with me....

If you have been to a craft show recently either as a Vendor or a Buyer..please take the time to tell us about your impression of the show.

I am always looking for new shows and venues....I love to craft my jewelry and accessories and offer it to the people who will appreciate it........

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Finding Inspirations Where You Are

Drive through the Botanic Gardens, or open a Catalogue....you may see something that is pure inspiration.
From a crafters mindset, it is always what could I do that would be in that feel, but with my orinality?
Recently, I have been fascinated with fibers and what I can do without actually sewing too much. So I have delved into the world of knit tops and tees.  With a twist.
Here is one from Valentino and it is very sophisticated....sewn by a real professional in a factory in Italy.............and Here is one from Wantzit2 (which is me)....By the way the Valentino is $195.00 on the Neimans website.  Checkout http://www.wantzit2.etsy.com/ for the price of mine.
What I am enjoying is that with my creativity, I can enjoy a "look" at a price and offer it to my handmade addict mavens like me.  It makes being "in style" fun and affordable........and you know, we will be on to the next idea next week.  
By the way, speaking of other ideas....I can't say this idea was orginal to me or the many who also do this kind of experimentation....but look how cute this is!  I have this on my jewelry website http://www.wantzit.etsy.com/ and it is VERY AFFORDABLE.  I have done a lot of silky statement necklaces but usually more formal........this one is just Gigglie Fun!


I hope you will drop by my stores and also follow my Fort Worth art and real estate blogs..........I get around!  You never know what I will be talking about next....Just Yelp me!

Monday, March 15, 2010

I JUST LOVE FORT WORTH...AND FUNKY FINDS WAS FABULOUS!

What a great day we had in Fort Worth at the Will Rogers Complex on Saturday.  The Funky Finds Spring Fling show was hosted by FunkyFinds.com and Etsy Fort Worth and it was a big hit. I am not sure how many people came through the show, but it was a lot.  There were groups of people constantly up and down the isles of booths and impossible to see from one end to the other for the people milling around and shopping at the neat....no...NEAT, artisan's displays.

I was a participant and had a great day of meeting people, showing my hobby/business (I am really a REALTOR, disguised as an artist.) and selling my work.  Since I am a people person, meeting the people is the number one priority for me.  I just love to visit and hear what they are doing, what they like and just intereact.  I always learn so much and make several new friends.

You may want to know what I sold........Well...a little of this and a little of that........

This black with pink flowers tee was a big hit.  And after I sold all of it, I took orders for black and also for white.  I like either pink or white blossoms on the black one. And on the white, I like pink or black blossoms.

I also sold 4 pieces of jewelry to a Gallery that will be representing my jewelry designs.  This is one of the pieces the Gallery selected.  The others were pretty too.  The Olive Tree Gallery in Keller will be showing this and other pieces in their new gallery which will open soon in Old Town Keller.

Of course.......I sold earrings which you can see at http://www.wantzit.etsy.com/ and soon on Funky Finds.com when I can get my shop opened.

My other good sellers were necklaces to layer one on the other and to mix to make the look you like.  Since the trend is "mix it all up" and "the more the merrier"..........I have beautiful beadery that alone is conservative, but when you add something to it, it pops and is bold and fabulous.

That is enough about me...........the other shops at Spring Fling that I though were great were Bob Collett's woodturnnings..........He shows at Stanley Korshack and is a wonderful artisan.  His website is
http://www.intothewoodswithbob.com/  and the vessel here is only a taste of what he does.  Check it out and also look at Korshack's store online in the gift department.  He will have more on both places soon.

Thank you to all of my wonderful friends and shoppers who stopped by to see me on Saturday.  I will be emailing each of you a thank you and for those who placed special orders, I will contact you this week to work out the details of your order.

I will be doing other shows all Spring.......always new creations on my websites..........
http://www.wantzit2.etsy.com/ headbands, tees, clutches, and whatever other accessory that I want to add

and of course..........my REAL business http://www.diannearnette.com/  is where I am working daily!