Sneak Peek! New Photos of New Jewelry!

I managed to take some photos on my lunchbreak today of items to list in my Etsy shop. Let me know what you think of these "rock-collector" rings :)

Smu is Back! Sneak Peek at New Work

After a long break I am back at the jewelry bench and the computer! I was able to spend some time being creative this weekend while hubby and baby took a nap together :) I am quite pleased with the fruits of my creative labor and plan to list the matching set pictured above in my Etsy shop along with a newly-created copper and chyrosocolla ring.

Sneak Peek!

I finally got a chance to take photos of some recent creations so I can post new listings in my Etsy shop! Here is a sneak peek for my blog readers at three of my favorites from this recent photo shoot before they hit Etsy. Above is a quartz cyrstal pendant made with a stone purchased at the Raleigh Gem & Mineral show. Next is one of my perennial favorites--a fossilized ammonite. This fossil pendant is on a antiqued copper bail and chain which coordinates wonderfully with the rich earthtones of the ammonite fossil.

Finally, an aqua-blue seaglass pendant with a double-bail on a silver plated chain. Let me know what you think of my new work!

Handmade by Mom :)

Like the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree :) My Mom is also a crafty lady, and used her talents to make me a fantastic handmade Christmas gift--a jewelry seller's necklace roll!

The heavy dark brown fabric is printed with a leafy teal pattern and features a brown ribbon to secure the necklaces at the clasp opposite a row of pockets to protect focal stones/beads and anchor the necklace in its space.

Once the necklaces are secure I can just roll up the holder and each necklace will be nestled against the fabric :)

Once rolled up completely and secure the two sets of attatched ties in a bow the entire roll can be tossed in my (rather large) for a quick getaway!

Thanks again Mom for such a great handmade gift! I love it!

Sneak Peek - New Work!

At long last I have photos of new work to share! I'll be listing these items in SmuTopia's Etsy shop soon, but wanted to share a sneak peek of some of my favorite photos from this round :)

Wish List Wednesday!

I came across this Jewelry Seller's Travel Roll for necklaces and thought, GENIUS!!!! This item is from the shop of fellow EtsyTwitter Team member Dig Under Rocks (aka Sandy Pantalones). I had never seen anything like it, and can say from my own experience that this could save a ton of time during show set up as it will keep the necklaces from tangling (a problem I always seem to have despite my best packing efforts.) Great item, great shop--this one just shot straight to the top of my wish list :)

Sneak Peek - New Listings Coming Soon!

It's been rainy all day here, but that didn't stop me from shooting some photos of new work while I was home on my lunchbreak.
The photos came out rather well considering the lack of sunshine!

Let me know what you think, and be sure to check my Etsy shop later in the week as I will be listing these new items and several others!

Happy Feature Day for Smu!

I resumed my normal Smu-tivities this morning after some well-earned weekend rest, and was happily suprised to find I've had items featured on non-Etsy shopping sites!


MyShopping Connection has featured my "Jewel of the Sea" beachglass and brass necklace :)

and IndieSpotting has selected my "Washed Ashore" medallion necklace! I love both selections as they represent the beachy-feel of my shop while incorporating my new autumn color palette :) The MyShoppingConnection feature has a place to leave comments--I would love your support and feedback--please visit!

Thoughts for Thursday and Sneak Peek at New Work!

Autumn is definately here! While much of the country has been cooling down for weeks now, the cooler temperatures have just made their way to Raleigh, NC within the past few days. While I am enjoying the cool fall air, I must say that I miss the long days of summer! As an early-riser, I'm bummed that it is getting dark before I get up lately--Daylight Savings Time, where are you?On the other hand, the changing seasons offer a great deal of natural beauty and inspiration! I created the Seahorse Bauble set (to be listed soon on Etsy!) shown here to bring on of my favorite designs into the new season--what do you think?

Happy Birthday to Smu!

I've turned 29 years old on 9/29/09 :) To make my birthday just a little sweeter, when I picked up my packages from the apartment office at lunchtime this adorable bag from BagsPlusMore was waiting for me! I found this cute little yellow flowered number through her MadeItMyself storefront and arranged a trade. I hope she is as happy with her "Mocha Madness" bling ring as I am with my sunny little bag!

BOGO Sale picked up by CheapTweets!

First, I'd like to announce to my wonderful Blog readers that I'm offering a BOGO sale on everything in my shop (SmuTopia on Etsy) through midnight EDT on Friday 9/25! Check my shop annoucement for details, and be sure to check in often as I'll be listing new items throughout the week!

Second, I'm very excited that this deal has been picked up by CheapTweets! Stop by and VOTE for my BOGO deal!

New Work! Sneak Preview :)

I have photos of new work all edited and ready for listing on Etsy! I would love your feedback on my new work--what would you call these designs?

Smu's Friday Finds: Harvest Gold

With fall rapidly approaching, I'm devoting this week's Friday Finds to "Harvest Gold", the wonderful rich yellow-gold hue so popular on appliances in the 70's. Whenever I hear "Harvest Gold" I think of my Mom's kitchen from my early childhood :)

Hand embroidered fiber wall art DRAGONFLIES AND THISTLES

Honey
Golden Leaves, Leather Journal, Suede
Amber oval Earthling ring sterling silver

Sneak Peek: New Work for 9/12 Show!

As promised, here is another sneak peek at my new work for the upcoming Designers' Downtown Market in Raleigh, NC on Saturday September 12th. This latest version of my Seahorse Bauble pendant features lovely labradorite faceted stone beads and dainty matching earrings :)

Twitter Garden: Etsy Twitter Team Treasury!

Check out my Treasury!

Messy Jessie Checking In!

After reaching a seldom-seen level of tidiness during my parents' weekend visit, my craft room has already started on the downward spiral toward messiness and disarray. This is nothing unusual as my creative process and organization tend to be mutually exclusive :)

The head of the guest bed in the room is usually pushed up against the window, but I moved the bed a few days back so I could set up to take photos in the afternoon sun (natural light always gives me the best results for photos.) As you can see, I don't need much room for photo shoot--I just use a few pieces of my craft show display to put my props and tripod at the right height and I'm ready to go.

I've been tempted for awhile now to rearrange the furniture in the room to relocate the bed for easier access to the natural light from the window, but my kitty Cleo loves lying on the bed to watch the world outside the window which has prevented me from acting on the idea. I think a compromise is in order--maybe we can move the bed so only half of the window is covered :)

New Work!

I staged a quick photo shoot this afternoon and just finished editing--Here are three shots of new "bling rings" I'll be listing soon!

I've Joined the Virtual Craft Show at Cafe Handmade!

Today is the first day of SmuTopia's month-long exhibit on Cafe Handmade's Virtual Craft Show!

Be sure to stop by and cast your vote for best-in-show! I'll be keeping an eye on Google Analytics to see how much traffic is generated for my Etsy shop from this $10 investment. Wish me luck :)

Branching Out

After reaching 800 hearts this week in my Etsy Shop (Yay!) it occured to me (not for the first time) that after devoting so much time to developing SmuTopia Etsy I would be well served to spend more time developing my new shops on Artfire and MadeItMyself. I love Etsy and could never have reached this point without it, but it can't hurt to expose SmuTopia to new audiences in these alternative handmade communities. I have a few token items listed in both my Artfire and MadeItMyself shops, but plan to add new listings as quickly as my free time will allow :)

In addition to adding items to SmuTopia Artfire and SmuTopia MadeItMyself, I've also been creating new project wonderful ads for SmuTopia using photos of new work. Here's my latest, just added to my project wondeful bids today:

Finally, I have made an investment in some additional advertising by joining the Cafe Handmade Virtual Craft Show for next month! The cost was $10 for four weeks in the Virtual Craft Show......more to come on the results of that investment!

Smu's Friday Finds - Ocean Creature Feature: Jellyfish!

Here is the first round of Smu's Friday Finds for today! First up, another ocean creature feature: Jellyfish!

Jellyfish Earrings

Jellyfish Jacket

4x6 Print - Jelly Romance Jellyfish Earrings

J is for Jellyfish Limited Edition Animal Alphabet Print