First Ever Wacky Wednesday- LuvToSparkLe

Welcome to our first ever Wacky Wednesday. In this feature we will focus on sellers with wacky, crazy, or offbeat items. This week our wacky seller is LuvToSparkLe! She is a wonderful seller with a few offbeat items! One offbeat item she sells are her "Dead Men Tell No Tales Rings".  These rings feature a skull which can get a little creepy for those offbeat people! Most of the things in her shop like this "Ugly Duckling Necklace", "I Scream for Ice Cream Sprinkles Necklace", and her "I Heart Candy Rings", you will not ever see again because they are just so wacky! So next time you want to show off your love for candy, just wear your new I Heart Candy Ring!

Dead Men Tell No Tales-Pretty in Pink Adjustable Ring

Pink Skull Barrettes

Kitty in Love Resin Sprinkles Necklace

I Scream For Ice Cream Resin Sprinkles Necklace

First Ever Talkative Tuesday- Lyn Lloyd Designs

Welcome to a new feature called Talkative Tuesday! In this feature we will interview a very successful Etsy seller! This week our seller is the wonderful Lyn Lloyd Designs! This wonderful seller is a graphic designer. Here is my interview with Lyn Lloyd Designs:




What products do you sell?


      I sell graphics. Mostly shop banners for Etsy shops and logo designs. I have also done web banners, business cards, ad designs, flyer designs, brochure designs, wedding invitations, stickers, tile designs for scrabble necklaces and glass necklaces. 

Where did you get your shop name?


     I got my shop name from my nickname “Lyn”. My real name is Carolyn, but in high school I wanted everyone to call me Lyn because I hated the name Carolyn for some reason. I always thought it sounded like a grandma name. Now I like both, but I still have a soft spot for my nickname. I think it’s cute. Lloyd is my grandmother’s maiden name. I have always loved it and I don’t know why. Mostly because I think it sounds soft and pretty. It reminds me of the 30s. It sounds like a name from the past…

How did you get into graphic design?


     I can’t remember the exact date, but I’ve always loved art. You could find pictures of me creating things from a very young age. My passion for it grew and grew as I got older, which is usually the opposite for most people. I took my first real art class in 8th grade when I quit the cello. In high school I loved comic books and started trying to be a comic book artist. I had big dreams to one day illustrate a comic book. Then during my senior year of high school I found my style. I found it by doing patterns and designs that I loved instead of creating what I thought looked good. I fell in love with pen & ink and watercolors. They are still my favorite medium to use. I have always had a love for logos and things like that. So, it was just a natural career choice. 




What was you inspiration for this shop?


      My father. He gave me the confidence to start my own shop. But as for designs, it comes from anywhere. Usually I listen to music. 

How do you work? Describe your working style.


     It’s not that structured I suppose, but it’s close. I wake up around 9 ish and have tea with toast and walk my dogs. I love running so I try to fit that in before I go to work. I start at noon. I get all the housework done about at noon so it’s always a good time to get working. I put on Radio Paradise or sometimes I watch a show while I’m designing. Half my screen is Illustrator and half is Hulu or Netflix. 




Can you tell one random fact about yourself?


     My favorite show is Doctor Who. 




What tips can you give to someone starting the same kind of business?


     Be unique! Don’t copy anyone else’s style because that’s just boring.

If you could do one thing differently with your shop, what would it be and why? 


     Post a lot more every day because I need the exposure. 




Interviewing this wonderful seller was great! I am sure after reading this, you want to go right to her store and buy a banner!  Great seller with great advice!

First Ever Make It! Monday-How To Close a Crimp Bead

After having so much fun with my feature on lovelylovedesigns, I can't wait to do my second feature, Make! It Monday! Today, I am going to teach you how to close a crimp bead when making jewelry such as a bracelet or a necklace with a clasp at th end. A crimp bead is used to end a bracelet or necklace and make a loop for the clasp to hold on to. You will need crimp beads, obviously, some string, such as Tigertail, and crimp pliers. Crimp pliers are a special tool for closing crimp beads. When you close the crimp pliers, you can see that there are two holes. The end hole is an oval shape and the second is the shape of a pair of lips.

Crimp Bead

Crimp Pliers

1. First grab some string, such as Tigertail or beading wire, and string the crimp bead onto the end of the string.

2. Next, take the end of the string and loop it back through the crimp bead.

3. Put the crimp bead in the second hole (the pair of lips) and close the crimping pliers. The crimp bead should curl into the shape of the hole.

4. Then put it in the first hole (the oval) on its side. Close the crimping pliers and you should notice that the crimp bead is now an oval shape.

5. Now you are almost done! All you need to do now is to trim off the extra string . You can trim it almost all off, or you can leave it longer so that you just string the beads on the extra string.

Congratulations! You have just finished closing a crimp bead. I hope this Make It! Monday helped you learn how to close a crimp bead.

First Ever New Seller Sunday- lovelylovedesigns

Welcome to the first feature week and the first ever New Seller Sunday. Our first new seller is lovelylovedesigns! She sells wonderful aprons and totes in her shop! The aprons are so creative and she has many designs to choose from. The designs range from simple and elegant to really cute patterns. These aprons are great for any cookout or craft day! Her totes are simply amazing! The designs will catch your eye as soon as you see them! You will get many compliments walking down the street with these beautiful totes. Are you looking for some accessories for the Fourth of July? Well hurry up and buy a tote from lovelylovedesigns! She has a few patriotic totes that you will love! No matter what the occasion, I know you will love the totes and aprons by lovelylovedesigns!

Brown and Cream Damask Tote

Pink and Green Wavy Tote

Purple and Orange Damask Apron

Blue and Brown Polka Dot Apron

New Jewelry!

We have two new bracelets! To go along with Summer, we have our Green Summer Bracelet and Pink and Green Summer Bracelet. They are both really pretty! Hopefully we will make some matching sets to go with them! We are still working on that Bead Book. We found out that it is actually really hard to find beads like the ones in the book! We will also start up our Promotion Days of the Week! Sunday will be New Seller Sunday where we will feature a new seller. Monday will be Make it! Monday where we will share a project how-to in the world of jewelry. Tuesday will be Talkative Tuesday where we will interview an amazing Etsy Seller. Wednesday will be Wacky Wednesday where we will feature a crazy Etsy seller or item. Thursday will be Through the Process Thursday where we will show a new piece of jewelry in the making which will then be shown finished on Something New Saturday. Friday will be Favorite Friday where we will feature one of our favorite Etsy sellers, and finally, Saturday will be Something New Saturday where we will talk about a new listing. We will start tomorrow with New Seller Sunday! Be sure to check out a neat new seller! Best Wishes to everyone!

Pink and Green Summer Bracelet

Blue Summer Bracelet

Journey Through a Jewelry Book

Hello!

Well, we have decided to embark on a new journey! We own a book entitled It's All About The Beads! and want to go on a quest of completing all of the jewelry in this book. Some are very difficult designs and some are very easy. This should be a lot of fun and we will be able to change colors and shapes and make these our own! We will post an entry after each new piece to show our progress. We can't wait to make some really cool pieces!

-MSJewelry