The Etsy Adventures of Beadywoman and Squidgirl

Posting is back in full swing again, as the laptop has returned from Hewlett-Packard in working condition once again! For those considering such a purchase, my two cents: I have had more hardware problems with this thing than the Hubble Space Telescope, but it's never taken more than a week from sending off for repairs to return in perfect condition again.

M's Etsy shop is also up and running. Pay her a visit! And as a joint special: If you buy any squid from her shop, you can get free shipping on your TangoPig jewelry order. Just make sure you remind us in the Notes to Seller to send them as one package.


Available here.

The charm bracelet special offer -- that is, free coordinating stretch bracelet with the purchase of any charm bracelet when you enter "no more june bugs" in Notes to Seller -- will run through 11:59 PM on Sunday, Aug 2.


Available here.

Home again!

The shop is back online!

At the conference I had, hands-down, the most successful jewelry show I've ever had. In two hours. Most of my shows are eight hours long.

That said, that particular event was disappointing. I was told we'd have six-foot banquet tables. I arrived, and we had ten-by-ones.

Better yet, the tables were set up such that only one person could possibly pass between them ... and if you've got hips like mine, only sideways. Spatial geometry FAIL. Then the person nominally in charge told us we couldn't move the tables. Someone gave her a long look, and said, "I'll bet the fire marshal would love to see this setup. And you know, I'm pretty sure that the organizers were aware we have at least two disabled guests. In wheelchairs." Oddly enough, she backed off at that point .... Seriously, though, how could anyone think that was workable for a selling event? M and I had to leave our booths each time the other one needed to move from one end of the table, because the only way anyone could possibly see the items for sale was if everyone buddied up and moved their tables so close only one could pass between.

But despite that misery, things sold well, and several people seemed interested in contacting me about custom work. M sold three pre-made squids, one from swatches and three custom ones! We went yesterday to find ink-blot fabric and smiley-face button eyes for a Rorschach squid, and radish fabric for a Luna Lovegood one. I'll post a link to her Etsy shop once it's live.

The lecture went beautifully if a bit garbled because I got flustered by my own hands.

Photos to come in the next few days of six-inch leverback earrings and glass beaded dress hooks!

Aaaand we're off!

This is it! We're going to San Francisco, and we have flowers to wear in our hair.

We'll be back on the 23rd. Until then, Etsy shop is in vacation mode. I'll get to any e-mails when I return, and there will also be photos of Gothic belly dance jewelry I made for M, and ... (sob) Potter jewelry. So very much Potter jewelry.

See you soon!

Shame on me

I still like macaroni and cheese. I think I was supposed to stop liking it sometime before the age of twenty.

New vintage beads!

I've been given some great new vintage plastic beads - top-drilled discs in purple, white and red. They're begging to become stretch bracelets.

Word on the laptop: It seems that I'll be able to get it repaired, since HP extends special warranties for the motherboard and fan, and someone my dad works with can rescue my jewelry photos. Listings will still be slow for a while, though - probably until after the conference at least. Fortunately I can use M's computer and I have hard copy of the paper I'm using to write my lecture.

Since my plan of posting more charm bracelets has gone out the window, I'm extending that special offer indefinitely (i.e., until I can post photos of the ones I've made). Keep an eye out for the vegetable garden and bromeliad charm bracelets in the next couple of weeks!

Laptop woes

My laptop has, to put it simply, bitten it. M thinks it's the motherboard. So that's off for repairs ... at the worst possible time, since I was supposed to apply for a job today. Hence the hours I just spent retyping samples from hard copy. Palm, meet face.

So, um ... all jewelry sales for the next unspecified period of time will go toward hard drive rescue.

But! On a much happier note! I found a cool cameo at a local antique store! It's a beautiful shade of medium gray with a classic ivory-colored portrait layer, in a gold setting, pin back, beautifully cared for. The jewelry on the subject of the portrait is very detailed -- part of me wants to try to replicate the necklace the woman in the cameo is wearing with the cameo as the centerpiece. This way lies madness. Someone tell M to stop me.

There was a second cameo, too, this one just the white profile portrait, no background, a bit more discolored. It'll need mounting or wrapping. This one is of a woman who appears to have an octopus in her hair, so, um ... that may become part of my personal collection.

New offer through July 12

From now through 11:59 PM, Pacific time, on Sunday July 12, get a free stretch bracelet in coordinating colors with any purchase of a charm bracelet. I often do this for my mother; she likes to layer them.

To claim your bracelet, enter the discount code "no more june bugs" in the "Notes to Seller" box at checkout. To find all the charm bracelets, use the search box at the top of the shop home: select "tangopig's shop" from the pulldown menu and use the search term (this will be a surprise) "charm bracelets."

This one is tied for first in favorite charm bracelets I've made. I had no idea how I was going to use the very large fan button, since I bought it for the rest of the set, but given some jump rings and a couple of vintage beads it came together. I've been "test driving" it to the grocery store, and the fan catches much less than you'd expect and sits straighter than I thought it would.

Available here.

There will be more charm bracelets posted over the course of the coming week, including a really cool one made of vintage buttons and baroque pearls, so keep an eye on the shop! The offer also applies to custom orders if you had a theme in mind.

Potter jewelry proceeds apace. I neglected my tally long enough to wind up with more Hufflepuff stuff than I needed, so now I get to play catch-up with the other three Houses.

Happy whatever day it is ...

I've been so deeply absorbed in the Harry Potter jewelry that I didn't realize until I logged into Blogger that it's the fourth of July. Patriotic one, me. Time to feed Benadryl to the dogs before the fireworks get started this evening.

My absorption has paid off, though; I'm pretty much set for everything except Slytherin jewelry. I'm also doing a Marauders charm bracelet, assuming I can find a black dog bead, and I've made a Patronus memory bracelet, and I have centaur charms, and M found a large focal bead among the bits my grandfather gave me from his collection that makes a passable Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone.

I've moved from the "feverish creation because I won't have enough!" stage faster than usual, possibly because I actually made a tally this time and possibly because I only have a six-foot table to look forward to setting. Unfortunately, this leaves time for my dread that I'll show up and no one will want to buy anything. Partially alleviated by the fact that after the show, all of this is going on Etsy -- unless, of course, you've been searching for years for a one-of-a-kind magical creatures bracelet, in which case, go ahead and make me an offer ...

Speaking of offers, the last one is still in effect until Sunday night if you love button jewelry.