Made By Midnight

And now for something completely different...

2011-10-25T13:28:00.004-05:00

... a product review. I consider myself to be a "general" crafter, meaning that I like to dabble in many things other than just making jewelry. I also enjoy a bit of scrap booking on occasion as well. After using these templates a bit and looking for a good review on them and not finding any, I thought I might ought to do a bit of a review myself.

Just a few days ago I purchased the X-Acto Basic Shape Templates in order to help me with crafting some holiday items. I got them for just under $8 at Walmart in their ever-dwindling craft department's scrap book section. As I already have the Designer Series Swivel Blade I thought these would come in handy to easily cut out nice, neat and precise shapes using the templates. Sad to say this is not so.

I have been playing around with them for the last hour or so and I'm just not impressed with them. The gap in which you place the blade to do the cutting is just a tad too wide and allows the blade to swagger side to side and thus giving a much less than smooth cut. The walls of the "blade channel" (for lack of a better term) are also a bit flexible which also gives a less than stable cut. Also note that the thickness is just thick enough that the blade just barely touches the paper.

All in all I give them a thumbs down. I do plan to experiment with them a bit more later so if my opinion of them changes or I get the hang of them better I'll update, but I don't expect that to happen. I think I'd rather just have my $8 back.

2010-12-17T21:36:00.004-06:00

Ohhhh, what I wouldn't give to have even just a small corner to dedicate to my hobbies. It gets kinda (okay, VERY) frustrating to try to work at the kitchen table, only to have to clear it off so we can eat a meal, especially if I'm in the middle of something. Jewelry making supplies are especially a pain in the backside to have to gather up multiple times before I finish something. I do have a mechanic's tool box that I've dedicated to my jewelry stuffs and it does roll around, but I need a dedicated work surface on which I can leave a project for a few hours and come back to it and my work be undisturbed. For this issue alone I've greatly slacked off on making much in the last several months. I live in a very small home, with 3 kids no less, and just can't figure out how to spare a corner for my needs.

With even a small dedicated work area, I could branch out into a few more methods to make jewelry and not stick to just stringing and wire wrapping. I'd love to get into polymer clay, maybe a bit of torch work, etc. I just don't have the space for it at the moment. Argh! I just KNOW there's a way to make a bit of room for what I need, I just need to come up with a better solution than kicking one of the kids out... :D Building on to my home is out of the question financially, and every single corner of my home is being used... I've just got to come up with something, there's GOT to be a way!

If anyone has any viable ideas please let me know. I feel like the answer should be obvious, I'm just not "seeing" it... yet. :) It seems I've seen other artisans post pics of their work areas, maybe I need to re-peruse those and see if I can adapt some of their ideas for my own use.

(Image borrowed from The BlueCircleGuys... hope they don't mind, but I felt it fit my situation. LOL)

Back to playin' with beads!

2010-06-27T22:29:00.008-05:00

Yep, I finally found the time, motivation, and most importantly the inspiration to haul out my jewelry making supplies again!

I'd also like to express my thanks to a most wonderfully generous friend on Facebook (Tammy) for sending me a gorgeous mix of beads! You rawk Tammy! :D The following pieces are a mix of Tammy's beads and my own. We must have similar tastes because I had several beads that coordinated well with what she sent. :)

Made two of these, one for my mom's birthday. Glass, crystal, and silver plated toggle and spacers:

Made two of these as well. I love the matte finish of the mauve beads and the frosted focal glass bead. Antique silver finish bead caps and gunmetal finish lobster claw clasp and crimp covers... and a few Czech fire polished beads, too:

And a couple o' these. Crackle glass cubes in pink and green with rose quartz chips, silver plated spacers and toggle clasp:

Just one of this, those are glass pearls, Swarovski crystals in a pretty champaign color called "silk" and an antique silver finish toggle (IIRC it's pewter):

Although I got on a bit of a bracelet kick, I managed to make a pair of earrings. Crystal rondelles, matte finish mauve beads, round Czech fire polished beads on gunmetal finish head pins and fish hooks:

Yep, felt good to "play" with my bead stash again, it's been too long. Look out, Tammy... you'll be receiving something special in the mail realllll soon. :D

Back in the saddle on Etsy!

2010-05-30T12:55:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I've still not gotten graphics or any jewelry listed on there yet, however I have been doing some spring cleaning and plan to post some excess crafting supplies in the destash section of my Etsy store. so far I have a few retired design/rare rubber stamp sets up for grabs at phenomenal (IMO) prices. I've done my homework and researched the sets I have and saw that they were going for ridiculous prices, especially on eBay, so I've listed what I have at a fraction of the eBay prices... better grab them if you want them! I shall be listing more in the next few days as I have time to take pics and such (there's a big box of them!) so stay tuned!!

Yeah, I've been MIA for a while

2010-05-26T12:48:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I've been MIA for quite a while, both here and at my Etsy store. However, school for my kids is drawing to a close very soon and I'm planning a major overhaul on both sites, so if this blog appears a bit wonky from time to time it's because I'm doing some tweaking.

Throughout the course of my hiatus, I have acquired a new version of Photoshop for my graphics and I've been brushing up little by little on that, and I've also gotten my hands on some new jewelry making materials that I'm just dying to get creative with a.s.a.p.! New PS, beads, bead caps, wire, etc.... oh boy! See? I've not abandoned anything, just been working in the background a bit. :D

I've also been getting into makeup a little bit. Gosh only knows why as I seldom wear it on a day to day basis, but for some reason I've been enjoying watching tutorials on Youtube on how to apply it. My makeup skills are sadly lacking since I haven't been a regular makeup wearer since the mid 90s or so (yikes!) so I've been trying to bring myself to the present times on that. Most of the "gurus" I've seen are in their late teens to mid 20s, there seems to be very few that are my age and/or do looks that I feel would be age appropriate for me. I certainly can't afford high end products such as Mac, so I stick to common drug store brands. Ya know, I don't even know if I'd buy the high end brands even if I COULD afford them, I've found some bargains just with locally available common brands that IMO are pretty good quality.

The kids and I are currently building a fire pit in our front yard. It's been kind of fun, not to mention the kiddos have actually been (semi)cooperating during the process. We're still not done with it but when we are, look out marshmallows, we shall be impaling you with long sticks and toasting you to sticky gooey goodness when we get it done. Mmmmm....

Anywho, that's all I'm going to post for now, have a great day! Be good, and be good to each other. <3

Plus size and unisex bracelets... and earrings, too!

2009-10-02T21:26:00.010-05:00

I've added 2 new bracelets as well as a pair of earrings to my Etsy shop today.

The earrings above are of all gold filled metal and super clear 10mm glass rondelles. They are both classic and versatile, suitable for everyday wear and dressing up.

The bracelet above is substantial enough for a man but would look just as great for a woman. It's approx. 8" long making it appropriate for someone with a larger wrist or for someone who just like their bracelets a bit "roomy". Made in the classic Byzantine chain mail weave of 18g bare copper wire that has been lightly oxidized then tumbled.

This last bracelet is a knock out with the large hand wire wrapped clasp that also serves as a focal point... clever, eh? LOL It also is 8" long, great for larger wrists or for someone who just likes their bracelets a bit larger. Made in a variation of the classic Byzantine chain mail weave of 18, 20, and 24g copper wire, the 20g being coated. I think when this bracelet oxidizes (as all copper does eventually) it will make an interesting combination of dark and shiny, or of course ALL the shiny can be kept with just an occasional quick dip in warm lemon juice!

I have an "average" sized wrist but I love how both of these bracelets drape onto the top of my hand. Both are also quite substantial pieces, not "dainty" at all.

All 3 of these listings have been tumbled for hours for super shine and durability and are available for purchase at my Etsy shop.

Ahhhh, quiet. :)

2009-09-28T22:24:00.004-05:00

Isn't it astonishing that just a few moments of silence can uplift a mood so dramatically? Had to make an unexpected trip to town, had things that needed to be done when I got home, got the kids from school (noise noise noise LOL) and worked on younger son's homework with him for 3 1/2 freakin' hours, have done laundry, worked on a custom graphics package, and kiddos are finally asleep... on the couches of course but at least they're being quiet! Gotta love that "winding down" time. :D It's not been altogether hectic today but a steady pace of "busy", just enough to be frustrating, but ahhhhhh that quiet time-- gotta love it.

I've been trading as part of the Trade A Holics team on Etsy and have made some FABULOUS trades! I've received in trade for my graphics services some great beads, earrings, some awesome little fabric bags that I'll use for shipping jewelry items and gift giving for the holidays, a couple stocking stuffers, and a few of my trading partners have even been so generous to include a few little extra goodies in my packages too! I've received some awesomely encouraging and uplifting feedback to my shop for the graphics I did for my trade partners, and even had a small sale over the weekend. Life is good at Etsy these days. BTW, my shop is HERE in case you'd like to take a peek. :)

AGAIN this year, I'm stumped as to what to do about family gifts for the upcoming holidays. The kids are usually "no brainers" as they never cease to tell me all through the year what they would like for Christmas, it's the grown ups and nieces and nephews I'm stumped over. Due to the continuing financial crunch, It'll have to be another handmade holiday this year and I'd like to get started on things asap, I just have to figure out what direction I'd like to take this year. I did jewelry last year and probably will do a few small items again, but also I'm considering doing handmade soaps... hey, everyone uses soap, right? LOL Maybe a small gift basket with a wash cloth, hand towel, appropriate soap dish, and a few handmade soaps to round it all out. Inexpensive, yet useful. Maybe some "floatie" soaps for the younger ones, and elegantly scented soaps for the adults... yeah, that's what I think I'll do.

Enough rambling and thinking out loud for now... the dryer just stopped. Argh. LOL

New section in my Etsy shop... JEWELRY!

2009-09-22T13:53:00.008-05:00

Surprising, eh? LOL

I've recently gotten the courage to list some of my jewelry items on Etsy. I've not sold any yet however I'm still proud of my work and will not let that discourage me. Making jewelry is something I enjoy doing and hope that fact shows through in my items. I take great care and I'm very meticulous in its construction. I genuinely feel that anyone who purchases my jewelry will be very pleased with its quality, especially for the price. Hey, I'm a "real" person too and often cannot afford to purchase all those high end beauties I see everywhere, so I've innovated a way to have beautiful accessories and still stay well within my budget and I'm very happy to be able to make these items available on Etsy. Don't forget that jewelry ALWAYS makes a fantastic gift, too!

If you are interested in purchasing my jewelry (or even my graphics too!), even if you are just curious, please visit MY ETSY SHOP to see what I have to offer.

Thanks for reading!

Getting ready for the SALE!!!

2009-09-16T22:56:00.003-05:00

It looks like I'll probably be sticking close to home after all and won't be going out of town! That leaves me free to participate in the TRADE A HOLICS $5 weekend sale!

I've been busily listing and tagging my graphics items in my shop, be sure to also check out other participants by putting the term "trade5" into the search option when you get to www.etsy.com !

For those who are unaware, Etsy is a wonderful site that allows individual sellers of handmade and vintage items and supplies to have their own shops. It's Ebay without all the Ebayness. LOL The buyer purchases directly from each individual seller, but there are no auctions. It's awesome-- if you've never seen it before, check it out!

ETA: Argh, blogspot keeps minimizing my images... grrrr! LOL

Trade A Holics $5 sale on ETSY!!

2009-09-15T08:22:00.009-05:00

The members of the Etsy street team that I've recently joined, Trade A Holics, is having a $5 weekend sale! Sale runs from Friday Sept. 18 through Sunday Sept. 20. Each participating shop will have their $5 items tagged with the term "trade5" so that their items can be easily found.

There will be a veritable cornucopia of cool, classy, funky, fine, eclectic and elegant handmade items and supplies from which to choose!

** Please note that this is not a trade event but an actual SALE to both promote our team and our individual shops.

There is a chance that I may have to go out of town either on Friday or Saturday (see my shop announcement) and if I do, any orders received on Friday and Saturday I will begin to fulfill on Sunday Sept. 20th. Thanks for understanding!!

Add-A-Badge

2009-09-13T22:42:00.008-05:00

So I've just rolled out a new item available in my Etsy shop... Add-A-Badges!

These are simply a small graphic that can be added to a shop or blog banner, photo, or can even be made into an avatar. They can contain a short message, announcement, or can help promote a sale, street team, etc. You can see a badge in use in the image above and on my blog banner at the top of this page... kinda cool, eh? :D

They are available for purchase at a nominal fee at my Etsy shop HERE !

Woah, time sure flies...

2009-09-08T15:52:00.004-05:00

... and it doesn't seem to matter whether you're having fun or not. LOL

I've downgraded to basic and pulled my inventory for the time being from my Artfire shop due to lack of sales and views. I'm not very keen on Artfire anyways, at least as far as selling my graphics goes. It just wasn't worth $7 per month to only have had 2 sales since opening shop there. It seems I have more views in one day at Etsy than the entire time I've been on Artfire. May put some fresh new stuff in there shortly, time will tell.

I've also revamped my Etsy store lately and have restocked it with fresh new material. If you're interested in some type of graphics, feel free to peruse my shop via the shop window to the right of your screen, I'm open to custom orders!

Have recently joined the Trade-A-Holics Etsy Street Team, it's a gathering of shop owners who are willing to trade/barter their store's goods. Seems like a GREAT idea to me! Most of the money I make at Etsy goes right back into purchasing stuff from there anyways. LOL While on Etsy, do a search for the tag "team trade on" to see other trade friendly participants. :)

Times, they are a changin'....

2009-04-22T07:59:00.004-05:00

Hi all!

As you'll notice, I'm changing a few things on my blog. Please bear with me as I make these changes... I'm playin' and experimentin', not sure how I'll keep things just yet. LOL

ETA: I've added a poll to get my viewers' opinions on my new layout, colors, etc. to the right, halfway down the page. If you would, please take a moment to cast your vote. Your opinions matter to me!

Just wanted to "brag" on myself a little...

2009-03-31T12:22:00.003-05:00

In the short time I've been selling on Etsy, I was so fortunate as to have one of my shop graphics sets to be featured in a Treasury! Woot! (Screen shot above)

One of my customers (my FIRST customer, actually) was so kind as to include one of my banner sets in her treasury, which also featured other graphics designers as well. What a pleasure it was to see my work, as a newbie no less, included with other well established sellers!

You can see the curator of the treasury, JustTheBest4U's shop HERE... which, BTW, is sportin' the banner set she purchased from me. :D

Anywho, in just over a month's time, I've made 4 sales, one sale being from a repeat customer who requested a matching business card image. I must say that I enjoy what I've been up to lately, and look forward to continuing this endeavor!

My Graphics!

2009-03-29T12:28:00.011-05:00

So I've FINALLY not only opened an Etsy shop as promised... but I've also opened an Artfire shop as well!

So far, I have only graphics for sale, but I've already made 3 sales on Etsy! Yay me!!! My "big plan" is to use the funds I make through these shops to help pay for my jewelry making supplies, though so far I've only managed to break even what with the selling fees and a purchase of commercial use images to use in my graphics. LOL Still, considering I've only just started out, I think I'm doing okay. :D

But anyways, go ahead and check out my Etsy and Artfire shops! I'm also open to not only shop graphics, but also doing some custom blog banners, avatars, business cards, etc. I'll also be brushing up on doing layouts as well. If you're interested in any of these services, feel free to contact me here, or via the convo/message options on each of my shops. I'd love to hear from you!

I've placed an "Etsy Mini" and my Artfire's "Shop Window" to the right, I'm just a click away!

Photographing Jewelry... on the cheap!

2009-01-23T12:23:00.007-06:00

For those who are just passing through, you may think my setup looks a little wonky... for those who also make jewelry, you know the time consumed, frustrations involved, and the lengths we go to to get a good pic of our work and can probably relate. :D

Just for the heck of it, I thought I'd post a pic of my current photo shoot set up. This was recently inspired by a lady who goes by SC Steph on the SJA forums. (Her works can be found HERE and HERE) Maybe her idea will inspire others as well (who may not already be a member of SJA and haven't seen all the helpful hints there) to also strive to take better pics of their work.

She recently posted a thread about how she used a chafing dish stand and tissue paper (the gift wrapping kind) to form a photo box. Being that I don't have a chafing dish (and I'm too cheap to go buy one LOL) I substituted a small wrought iron magazine stand (magazine rack removed) that I turned upside down for mine. :D I wrapped the tissue paper (wrinkled on purpose for texture) around the outside, suspended fishing line from the bottom braces, positioned it to catch the morning light from the left and a lamp with a natural lighting light bulb on the right, set up my camera and voila! What's that old saying... Necessity is the Mother of all invention? :D

Kinda innovative if I do say so myself... thanks for the inspiration Steph! Works quite well for my needs, even if it DOES look a little wonky.

Teal Trendsetters

2009-01-23T10:48:00.016-06:00

I've always loved all shades of teal, and with these earrings I've captured my most favorite shade-- dark, deep, and mysterious.

15mm lamp work glass coin/lentil shaped foiled beads encased top and bottom with scalloped copper bead caps that I've custom formed to fit the shape of the glass, 3mm round copper beads, and the best of the best in fresh, clear 4mm bicone crystal beads-- Swarovski crystal. All this lusciousness is hand wrapped on ball tipped head pins and suspended from handcrafted 20g copper ear wires which have been carefully filed smooth on the ends for comfortable insertion and wear. Ear wires measure approx. 1/2 inch, total length of earrings is right at 1 1/2 inches, a perfect length for most preferences.

I can visualize these earrings being worn both casually with denim, and with those famously sparkly Swarovskis they can also easily be dressed up with many of today's trendy styles. They are just feminine enough to even go with many vintage fashions as well. Soooo versatile!

**Please note that I will happily substitute the current ear wires for others of different material if you prefer a different look or are concerned with allergy issues. I have hypoallergenic (silver colored, free of charge), or I can oxidize (darken) either silver filled ($1 more) or even solid sterling silver ear wires to better match the copper for a mere $3 more. Just be sure to make a note of it when you contact me to purchase. :)

If you are interested in purchasing, you can shoot me an email via the email address listed above or the link in my profile.

Icy chic!

2009-01-23T09:28:00.013-06:00

Oh. My. Gosh. I've surprised my own self in being brave enough to break out my GOLD FILLED supplies! I've been chicken for quite a while, for fear of using my "good stuff" and goofing it all up, thus wasting it... but I think I did rather well, if I do say so myself. :D

I stuck to a simple design with these earrings. I've featured ultra icy, uber clear 10mm faceted rondelle glass beads, round GF beads, and tiny scalloped GF bead caps for that extra finishing touch. GF curb link chain that flashes light when in motion. All that bling is suspended from simple yet flirty handcrafted 20g GF ear wires that measure approx. 3/4 inch, filed on the end for comfortable insertion. Total length of earrings from top curve of ear wire to bottom of rondelle is a bold 2 1/4 inches. I tumbled the earrings for several hours for the utmost strength, smoothness and shine!

I'm telling ya, I can visualize these surprisingly lightweight earrings going with all spectrums of style, and I'm enamored with how clear these glass beads are, they remind me of super clear ice and they catch the light beautifully.

These stunners are bold enough for an evening outing, yet simple enough for the office. Dramatic enough for the bold, still yet refined enough for the sophisticated. Whomever wears these, I'd be willing to bet these will be their "go to" earrings... they'll go with everything.

If you are interested in purchasing, please go to my Etsy shop at madebymidnight.etsy.com .

Whew,it's over! ... a handmade Christmas.

2008-12-26T10:53:00.008-06:00

Christmas 2008 is now officially a thing of the past. All our gifts have been given and opened, and though the quantity we were able to give was noticeably less this year, I'd like to think the quality far surpasses many years gone by.

Hubby and I have felt the financial crunch this year much the same as everyone else so we concentrated the small amount we could spend solely on our kids and I handmade the remainder of the gifts for everyone else on our list with supplies I already had on hand. I ended up making 14 bracelets (12 were some type of chain maille), 1 key chain (also chain maille), and 1 pair of earrings! LOL I loosely used a "theme" for each family by using byzantine variations for one family, inverted round for another, and so on... My jewelry seemed to be generally well-received with a lot of "how did you DO that?!"s and "that's neat!"s, and seeing that this was the first real exposure my and hubby's family has had to my jewelry making, it made me feel pretty doggone good. :D

I'm not the only one to give handmade gifts this year. My brother gave the kids some cute little potted cacti with jiggly eyes and us some delicious smelling seasoning of herbs that I'm assuming he grew, dried, and combined himself. Can't wait to try some of that on baked chicken... My neice jumped on the handmade bandwagon as well and gave us a beautiful Christmas wreath that I hung immediately on our front door when we got home. While we received many other wonderful gifts as well, we all enjoyed each other's company and that, I consider, is what the holidays are all about.

But now that it's all over for 2008, I'm all freed up to stress about NEXT year.

Wow, I figured it out!!

2008-12-15T11:47:00.002-06:00

Yay me!

As mentioned in my last post, I've been tweaking my blog page a bit. I've decided to switch from the "classic" to the "new" layout thingie, and have had trouble getting to keep both the banner AND the textual blog description I had on my "old" layout. But hey, as you can see I figured it out awwl by muhsewlf. :D

Thanks for sticking with me! Who knows-- this blog might take on a color change sometime in the near future. I feel a poll coming on....

Please bear with me...

2008-12-14T23:08:00.004-06:00

... as I attempt to tweak my blog a bit. For those who have viewed my blog before, you'll notice a few visual changes here and there. I'm by no means an expert, so things may seem a bit wonky whilst I work on it. For one thing, I can't seem to get my banner into this layout and still keep the header blog description text (and not be one on top of the other).... ugh. LOL

I have, however, managed to figure out how to add the 'follow this blog' thingie to make it easier for those who might be interested. Baby steps... baby steps. :D

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say that I appreciate each and every one of you who take the time to visit my blog page, and would like to wish you all a very happy holiday season and a wonderful, healthy new year!

Small order on its way...

2008-08-23T14:27:00.000-05:00

I've recently placed a small order for stainless steel wire and some fire polished beads and it should be on its way very soon! I've been told that stainless steel wire is much more difficult to work with than other common jewelry wire such as gold filled, copper, brass or silver, but I believe the trade out will be worth the effort. Stainless steel does not discolor, rust or tarnish, and will be a wonderful alternative to silver for those who suffer from metal allergies. It keeps its shiny luster without the hassle of polishing and is very strong and durable. I'm very excited to be able to offer this option to my customers and look forward to creating with it as soon as it arrives. Yay!

Sneak preview of things to come...

2008-08-13T13:46:00.000-05:00

I actually had a bit of time to sit down with my wire, beads, and tools today! No doctor appointments or dentist appointments, and only one kid home from school today. LOL

This piece is not for sale, but I'm kinda proud that I was able to accomplish it... I managed to (almost) finish a Pipa Chinese Knot pendant and a leather cord necklace to go with it. I used medium hued turquoise crackle glass bicone beads, freshwater pearls, and a dyed jasper turquoise bead to adorn the center, all on a copper wire Chinese pipa knot frame. Leather cord is finished on the ends with copper wire wrapping and a manufactured lobster claw clasp. Length of the necklace is approx. 18 inches.

Here's a preview of the pendant...

This style was first introduced (in wire) by the lovely and talented Malaysian jewelry artist de Cor and one can purchase a tutorial from HERE at her Etsy store, though I managed to figure it out for myself without it. (Sorry Corra, curiosity got the best of me before I was able to purchase the tut. :D ) While not too extremely difficult, it IS quite time consuming and I suggest if you'd like to learn it, save yourself a bit of time and hassle and go ahead and purchase the tutorial. I just happen to be one of those quirky people who enjo... erm, are driven to figuring things out for themselves. LOL

Anyways, keep checking back for more updates!