It's my birthday and I'll talk about buttons if I want to

Yes, in fact it is.  My age is a palindrome for the first time in eleven years!  And until midnight M and I are only 8 years apart!

The buttons from the necklace I posted last week came from the single best deal I've ever gotten on vintage buttons.  Here's another made from buttons from the same lot:

 
Available here.

It was at a yard sale, and the guy selling them had sorted them into jars by color and clearly knew they were of value, but some jars had a horrifically foul-smelling mold in them, so he gave me a price cut on all of them if I was willing to clean them myself.  It turned out that only one jar had the mold, and the smell in the others was merely the natural consequence of putting lots and lots of Lucite in an airtight glass jar for a couple of months (Lucite stinks a little; it contains some kind of acid whose name escapes me at the moment).  I scrubbed them all with toothbrushes and buried them all in coffee grounds, and only ended up losing the one jar; the rest smell just fine, and there wasn't a single junk button.  All primo vintage stock.

Consequently, I can afford to do a special offer on stuff from that lot.  So here it is.  Buy two items, at least one containing buttons (look here), and get 20% off on the lower-priced item when you check out with the code "Lucite always kinda smells if you seal it in a glass jar for a month."  Spelling doesn't count.  Add the code to the Note to Seller when you buy and I'll give you the discount within 24 hours through PayPal.  Offer lasts until11:59 PM on September 30.

A fresh venture

You may have noticed a new link over in the "Contact!" box to the right.  I have sort of leaped (leapt? leaped?) headlong into a new business area.

See, the president of the International Polymer Clay Association and the delightful Rena from Home Jewelry Business Success Tips, both of whom have published my series, have both kindly implied that they think there's a market for writing workshops focused on small handcraft businesses.

I'm considering hitting the local Michaels to see if they want me to offer such artist-focused writing classes, but until then -- I sort of set up an Etsy shop in one six-hour marathon of GIMP and word processing.

Consequently.

If you agree that text is vital to online selling, and would like to have me focus on your own descriptions with you to render them ever more readable and engaging, my services are now rentable by the two-hour commitment, at quite an excellent price; I expect I could see my way clear to offering a 10% introductory discount to blog readers, so simply mention this post to me and I will discount any service offered by 10%, refunded through PayPal.

Shop reorganization

I've finally redone my shop sections, because I was starting to get irritated by some of them ("Feminine Touches"?  Really, Chelsea?  Could you possibly be less specific?).

So now the sections are "Elegant Accessories" for the classier, simpler pieces, "Fun Fashion Jewelry" for the cute, bright styles I occasionally randomly do, "Steampunk Assemblage" because I never do anything normal with the steampunk stuff but that pretty much covers it all, "Eclectic Style" for the bohemian looks and the found-object edginess, "Bridal Couture" for the more high-end sparkly pieces that are intended to make a statement and take a long time to construct, and "Versatile Jewelry Pieces," for stuff that's generally pretty workable for multiple styles.

I think this is working, because I don't find myself dithering over which section a listing fits in nearly as much as I used to!

In celebration, special offerish thing:


Available here.

Through February 28, when you order any item from the "Elegant Accessories" section, use the code palmetto in the "Notes to Seller" to get free shipping on your second item,


OR


When you order any item from the "Bridal Couture" section, use the code bread to get 20% off any coordinating pieces from the link at the bottom of the couture item's listing.



Available here.


Discounts will be given through PayPal after you purchase, custom orders don't count, and ... yeah!  It's been way too long since I did one of these.

I want to work with those copper pearls some more.  God, I love those.

Thanksgiving Sale!

Just a reminder that the After-Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Internet Monday weekend sale is in full swing!  Drop by for special deals and to see my pretty sale banner I made with beads and torn paper and a camera.

I've also decided to give a little extra something-something to blog readers, so if you leave the phrase "almost there" in the Notes to Seller section when you buy, there will be a free gifty coming your way.

A few of the things that you could buy!  and have shipped to you!  for free!  provided you live in the U.S.!  and for cheap!  if you live almost anywhere else!:


Available here, there, hither, thither, and yon.




Happy Christmas shopping!

Gifty Thoughts

It's really weird to me that there are so many bath-stuff gift sets.

 The reason is, they're both highly personal and bizarrely impersonal.  They say, "Here; I've given you something that I expect you will rub all over your body while naked."  They also say, "Here; I couldn't think of anything unique but this bag of stuff from Ross was in a color you like.  You like that color, right?"

It's not that I mind them -- I got this mandarin orange set from one of the adults who attended my high school graduation party which I loved -- it's just that I feel skeevy if I give them to other people.

Reflecting upon this topic, I have created a treasury:  The "I Barely Know You" Gift Guide.  It was fun.

This would be the point where, if I was good at marketing, I remarked upon the appropriateness of jewelry gifts -- but frankly my stuff is a lot better for those whose interests and favorite colors you're clear on.  It's just often rather specific in audience and rarely simple.  This may not be a good thing in this case.

Semi-relatedly, I'm now experimentally offering a Stocking Stuffer Pack of like five to eight bracelets in different colors.  Will this be semi-useful to people?  They're all nice glass, individually hand-beaded, adjustable and all, and mostly hypoallergenic, so they seem kinda perfect for it ...


Completely unrelatedly, my right index finger hurts.  It's bruised.  For the first few hours I just couldn't feel it.  Monday night, I spent three wearing but incredibly satisfying hours hacking day-old French bread into half-inch cubes for stuffing/dressing in the basement of Riverside's First Congregational Church.  I have decided that the most charitable thing a private individual can do to help feed the homeless, bar actually putting in some time and labor, is to gift their nearest church kitchen with a.) an industrial-grade food processor or b.) a set of actually sharp knives.  Alternately, send a donation to Project Food. 

But it was good.  I was joining K, the lecturer I tutor for.  I'd forgotten, since I gave up on church as a concept, how enjoyable church-basement work is.  They are very fine people, and I got barely a raised eyebrow when I mentioned Megan, which disposes me well toward them.  They have a big lovely basement kitchen with stainless steel and butcher block and wrought-iron barred windows up at street level.  And I had sweet sticky coffee and a roast beef sandwich and we got a lot done.


Anyhow.  By virtue of date alone, this is also the place to remind people that I do an annual Black Friday/Thanksgiving Weekend sale.  This year I'm offering free shipping in the U.S.!  Convo for discounts if ordering from another country.

Quick reminder ...

Riverside locals, I'll be doing my winter art-boutique appearance at a private show this year.

The show is tomorrow from 11 to 3 at 8738 Quailbush Drive in Riverside.  Entry is free, there is a free raffle, and apart from me it will also feature Chef Barcelona, Coco's Crafting Corner, Dove Chocolate, D*Tales Custom Bulletin Boards, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Simply Fun, and Tisa's Vintage Affairs.

Come see me, and if you mention my blog there's a free bracelet in it for you!

Bridal Collections 5: Ocean Bijoux

I'm not sure I've ever made crazy statement pieces like this before ... or simple delicate pieces like this before.

The collection was challenging.  The materials are all AB crystal, freshwater pearls, green natural shell and various kinds of findings and chain, but the designs, almost to a one, are way out of my comfort zone.  My favorites, naturally, are the earrings, which are very me, but the necklaces are rather different.  This is good, though.


Available here.

This is another one that Mom made off with a bit of, but that one was a mixed metal piece, which I personally love and it's supposed to be stylish, but I'm hesitant about the bridal market for it.  But Mom loved it, so that's all good.  The rest of this elegant, bohemian bridal collection will be selling with a special offer for the next few days:

Through October 24, purchase any piece from the Ocean Bijoux bridal collection and get a free bracelet if you mention this post.  The bracelets I use for these promotions are high-quality metal and glass beaded pieces, and all are adjustable.





Enjoy!

Bridal Collections 4: Opalesce

I am totally in love with sea opal.  I tend to like manmade stones in general -- witness my abiding love for sunstone/brown goldstone.  This is a treated glass which is absolutely freaking amazing in sunlight.  So naturally, I did an entire collection with it.


The name comes from the verb "to opalesce," meaning "to shine or glow like an opal."  I almost called it "Faience" but I figured there was even less chance of me or anyone else ever spelling it correctly.


Available here.

This is probably the most "usual," classic beaded collection.  I like how some of the pieces are very sleek and modern and some are more feminine and ornamented.  It sort of begs for mix and match.  I actually think it would be really cool for a carnival-themed wedding, with all the colors it picks up like carnival glass, but it would suit a beach wedding or a cocktail-hour sort of affair too.  And of course, there will be a sale with great discounts on this fascinating modern wedding jewelry:

Through October 21, purchase any piece from the Opalesce bridal collection and get free shipping (in the U.S.) or a shipping discount based on location (everywhere else) if you mention this post.

Discounts are given through PayPal.

Happy shopping!

Bridal Collections 3: Ocean Branches

This is the collection that was actually requested for consignment -- longtime readers may remember another white coral piece with wire-wrapping which sold last Christmas, and around the same time I showed the photo for consideration, which is why I was asked to do a whole beach-wedding line.

This collection is the only one that's 100% sterling silver, and it involves a lot of fine wirework. The wire is used both to adorn the coral branches and to create a smoothish surface against the clothing or skin -- coral is a lot smoother than it looks, but it never hurts to be sure.


Available here.

Two pieces broke in their return shipping, one irreparably and one just depressingly. The rest, however, is now in the Etsy shop. This elegant one-of-a-kind coral and pearl bridal collection for classy ocean-themed affairs is now on sale:

Through October 18, purchase any piece from the Ocean Branches bridal collection and get 15% off a coordinating item. If only one item is purchased, I'll send you a pair of pearl earrings as a free gift.

Discounts are before shipping and given after purchase through PayPal.  Just mention this post to get your deals!

On another note, that piece on the lower left is in an absolutely amazing number of treasuries.  I'm not sure if it's because I've been making a lot and people are reciprocating with the first image they like in the shop, or if it's the white-on-white closeup that people like.

Bridal collections 2: Entrance

From the first to the last: I made these pieces two days before I sent off my whole bridal line on its not-so-fateful consignment tour.

It uses primarily white mother-of-pearl and jet Swarovski crystal. It started out as an all-white necklace, which I think I've blogged about, but I think the black and white palette is very chic -- a nice simplicity that the collections sort of needed. Black and white is supposed to be in this year; the old Hollywood glamour and silver-screen femininity that we're seeing a lot lately, I imagine. The neoclassical look is rather cool and different, though, I think!

 
Available here.

If this appeals to any readers, good news: This classic, feminine black-and-white formal jewelry is going on sale as of right now!

Through October 11, purchase any piece from the Entrance bridal collection and get free shipping in the U.S. on your order of $20 or more. This is not combinable with other offers, and price is before shipping. Discounts will be given through PayPal refund.

Sorry I can't do free international shipping, but email me if you're ordering internationally and I'll see if I can do an equivalent drop.  Just mention this post to get your shipping discount!

Bridal collections 1: Antigua Cove

This was the first collection I made for my 2010 bridal line, and I'm posting it first because I think in many ways it's the truest to my style.
It uses ivory, bronze, brass, topaz and gold shades. The inspirational motifs:

1. I wanted each piece to be able to go from an ivory wedding dress to a cute jeans outfit.  This doesn't mean they're simple; quite the contrary.
2. I wanted a bit of a pirate-queen feel,which could be played up or down with the right accessories.
3. I wanted each piece to be something my mother would wear.

Mom likes earth tones and relative simplicity, and wears a lot of bracelets and earrings.  If she and Dad got married now instead of twenty-two years ago -- yeah, I think she just might wear these.


Available here.

Apparently I achieved my goal; some of the pieces shown above, Mom loved and has been persuaded to make off with.  I'd love it if she took more; I can generally persuade her by reminding her that she's my advertising department. For the rest, a special offer on this eclectic, sophisticated one-of-a-kind collection of seashell and pearl wedding jewelry in brown, gold, ivory and antiqued brass tones:

Through October 6, purchase any piece from the Antigua Cove bridal collection and get a second piece of equal or lesser value 25% off.  This is not combinable with other offers and is taken from the price before my small customization fee, but it does apply to orders for multiples of one item.  Discounts will be given through PayPal refund.

Happy shopping!

New Special Offer through August 2

I just realized it's been a really, really long time since I posted any special offers. Mea culpa.

So welcome to the "Console Chelsea as M leaves for the opposite side of the country" Earring Sale!

Available here.

Buy any two pairs of earrings and get a third pair (of equal or lesser value) half off when you use the the code "graceland." Just enter the code in the Notes to Seller section and I'll refund you through PayPal.

New special offer through June 30

This is the "hopefully it will garner a lot of sales to help Chelsea pay for moving expenses" special offer!

Available here.

Until June 30, buy any three or more items and get free shipping on your order, no limit! Just use the code walking when you order and I'll refund the shipping through PayPal 24 hours later or less.

On a completely different note, howzabout the new layout? I decided the last one was a little painful with all my gadgets being white on the dark background. Very harsh, very modern. I'm not modern. So I think this looks nice and is a little less eye-torturing.

New Special Offer through May 26

Friday's show was less profitable than previous ones at that venue ... which is a pity, but I know exactly why: UCR claims to limit the number of non-handmade vendors and they don't, so the people who make it an art fair have been slowly trickling away over the years and the people selling sweatshop crap have been surging in two at a time for their spots.

I sold a total of nine pieces ... cringe. Still, though, it's nine pieces I wouldn't have sold otherwise, and I also got a custom order for wire-wrapping some raw diamonds, which is incredibly flattering.

Surprisingly, sales were slowest of bracelets. I have a lot of them in inventory that I've made -- more than I can actually display -- hence the next couple weeks' special offer.

Available here.

Through May 26, when you place an order of $15 or more (not including shipping), get a free adjustable beaded bracelet with every item you order! This can quickly add up to quite a few pieces that make great little birthday or client gifts, and are also awesome for layering.

TO claim your bracelets, use the code "inventory" when you order!

New Special Offer through May 7

Mother's Day is May 9 this year ... apparently there's a separate holiday called Mothering Sunday in the UK, which I didn't know. Anyway, it's already over.

The point is!

Nothing says "I really thought about this gift" like a matched set of jewelry. Therefore, I'll be running a promotion up to two days before Mother's Day:
When you purchase any item in the shop, take 15% off any item in the same color of equal or lesser value.

So, for example, you could purchase this bracelet...

...and these earrings...

Available here and here.

... and get 15% off the earrings, since both of them contain the color pink.

To get the discount, use the code bubble when you buy. Discounts will be given through PayPal.

And look into the new option I'm offering in my shop: Custom Personalized Gift Packaging! Buying this listing means you'll get a coordinating notecard that tells the recipient things like who designed their jewelry, why it was chosen for them, special features ... all the little details that make the gift special.

Someone actually asked me to do this for a custom order and I thought it was an awesome idea. Particularly for charm bracelets. Really adds to the wow factor!

New Special Offer through April 18

I've been thinking of making little placards for my sales tables telling the history of beads. Beadwork is an important part of some Native American artwork -- some of the beaded and quilled dresses from (I think?) the Southwest are bloody amazing, and the ancestors of the Incas did some interesting inlaid sculpture with them.

In the ancient Near East, many lapis and other gemstone beads have been found in excavations of the great walled cities of times past. A group of bored graduate students studying ancient Assyria once tried, with near approximations of the Bronze Age tools they found, to hand-drill a gemstone bead. It took about two and a half working days. I think the method of drilling must have been lost to time. The wealth to support full-time bead drillers would have been extremely limited, and beads are too numerous in the archaeological record for that to be the case. Maybe one day we'll discover how ancient gemstone beads were actually drilled. Personally, I think that would be incredibly exciting.


Available here.

In the next couple of weeks, when you purchase any item containing gemstone from my Etsy shop, you'll get 20% off any second piece of equal or lesser value. You can use this offer as many times as you want -- so, if you order a $25 necklace and a $12 bracelet that both contain gemstone, you'll get 20% off any other two items that are $25 and $12 or less.

And don't forget to check out Ballet Llama, M's and my joint shop! We're listing new items, including miniature embellished top hats, polymer clay art and Victorian-inspired collar-choker necklaces, and you can combine shipping between the two shops!

New Special Offer through March 28

I've been combing all the 2010 fashion forecasts in search of ideas for my first bridal line, which I'm spending most of my time trying to get finished and packed to go, and all seem to agree: Those crazy big statement pieces that have been in fashion the last couple of years? They're not going anywhere. Or rather, they're going everywhere.

The big bridal trends, apparently, are vintage-inspired, cameo pieces, and beaded-fabric bib necklaces. I like how I'm currently doing none of these.

However, statement pieces I have. This I can manage. Hence!


Available here.


Available here.

So, buy any item tagged with "statement on or before March 28, 2010, and I'll send you a free coordinating piece. If you buy a necklace, you'll get a bracelet; if you buy a bracelet, you'll get earrings or a pendant.

To claim your free gift, use the discount code "final" when purchasing.

New special offer through March 14

March's birthstone is aquamarine, which I have a soft spot for. This is a little odd as I don't think I know anyone who was born in March. A little Googling later, I have a Fun Fact to share: Aquamarine is actually a color variant of beryl. Other variants include dark green (emeralds), though the aqua coloration is found in massive crystals and emerald usually in very small deposits, explaining the value difference. Aquamarine beryl tends to start out as heliodor, which is a pale yellow beryl stone; heat treatment turns it to the valued pale blue-green shade. Outside of geological circles, the word "Beryl" primarily survives as an out-of-fashion woman's name rather than a gemstone descriptor. Don't you feel educated now?

For items that are definitely not made of aquamarine but share its color, here's a special offer.


Available here.

Get 10% off on any item containing the color aqua when you use the discount code spiff. In addition, use the code to get 75% off shipping on any order over $40!

Aqua items in the shop include one of the popular bobbin charm bracelets, several pairs of earrings and a couple of necklaces. Search for it or go on a scavenger hunt -- with only 14 tag slots, not all of them have color tags! Offer runs through midnight on Sunday, March 14. Discounts will be given through PayPal after purchase.

New Special Offer through March 1

For the remainder of the month of February, when you buy one wire-wrapped pendant or ring, you'll get a free adjustable wire ring to keep it company.


Available here.

The above is one of the beautiful adjustable rings -- click the link to see how dramatic these look on the hand! I have a good-sized stockpile of them and am using them as free samples for this offer.

To claim your ring, use the discount code "peanut butter" in the "Notes to Seller" section.

Links and a special offer ... who said I never gave you anything?

So ... I totally forgot to mention this but I have an article up since forever ago on Rena Klingenberg's awesome "Making Jewelry Now" site. It's got a couple of pictures and combines my three favorite things: Jewelry, anthropology, and semiotics.

My article

On another note, today I was reading about the steampunk aesthetic and I ran across a couple of quotes I wanted to respond to. Since I have a midterm on Thursday I've barely begun to study for, I have of course begun to compose my own little steampunk manifesto about what steampunk means to me. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, those with an interest in the genre would do well to read the following:

Steampunk Magazine's Guide to the Apocalypse, which is funny, beautifully laid out and ... um ... surprisingly informative, if you know what I mean,

and Ursula Vernon's Gearworld Blog, by my favorite artist who's also the author of the Nurk books, the Dragonbreath series and Black Dogs, and the author-artist of the superb comic Digger. It's an unfinished travelogue of an explorer way over his head in the investigation of a clockwork labyrinth. Since said explorer is a bespectacled antelope, this will also be of interest to the anthro crowd. But you immediately lose track of the fact that the characters are nonhumans in the creepy, beautiful fascination of the story with its precise humor and fantastic twists. It's a blog, so you start from the last page. There are also illustrations here (some nudes, NSFW).


And finally, on a more relevant note, a special offer through February 22:

When you purchase any one-of-a-kind item from the shop, you will get an exquisite wire-wrapped pendant.
When you purchase a second one-of-a-kind item from the shop, you will get a lovely pair of dangly pearl earrings.
And when you purchase a third one-of-a-kind item from the shop, you will receive free shipping on your entire purchase, which will be refunded through PayPal.


Available here.

To claim your free stuff and free shipping, use the code "glove" in the Notes to Seller section when you purchase.