Intentional Stones

Holidays: Getting the season moving!

 

Fed-Ex trucks are coming up my little dead-end street daily, carrols are on the radio, and the ads on TV have ramped up the the max.  It's that time of year again.

And we know you're thinking about your lists, even if the racket raised by retailers is driving you nuts.  (Some years it keeps me from shopping almost indefinitely.  Handmade holidays are my favorite!)

I'm working to keep it subtle around here.  I'd much rather post artwork and let you decide to visit our shops on your own.  Still, I would love it if you spent a little of your holiday shopping time looking at Intentional Stones! 

Here's the deal:

We're looking to liquidate the stuff we have so that we can start fresh in the new year. 

And we need your help.

Starting today, The last day of November, and ending January 15th, I'll ship anything via USPS anywhere for free. 

And over the course of the season, we'll run online sales, something different every day! 

Does this work for you?

 

 

Lovely Laurel Highlands

(Sunrise over the Laurel Highlands.  I never see this hour of the morning.  It was worth it)

These past couple of weeks I've done something entirely new.  Two shows in the Laurel Highlands during leaf peeping season.

This means a lot of driving.  I know, these places are only a little more than an hour from home, but arriving there without my family, they seem forever away.  Setting up in little towns, Bedford and Ligonier, in the chill of mid fall was something different. 

Bedford was a family effort.  Adam and I drove out and set up while the kids hung out at home with a friend.  Saturday morning, when I took this photo, I set out eerily early, long before the sun was up, and launched the jewelry shop amidst the crowds in summer-like heat!  The family joined me on Sunday to help break down.  Persephone wanted to help watch the tent and to wander the fair and to eat all the food.  And they let me go do the same.  I definitely want to go back next year.  Maybe I can participate in both weekends of the Bedford Fall Foliage Festival!

Just as I got home on Sunday, I got a text from my friend AR asking what I would be doing the next weekend.  She found us a little spot at Fort Ligonier Days!!!  I wondered if Adam would forgive me causing this craziness two weekends in a row. 

We set up inside the new bead shop started by Andrew a month ago, Allegory Gallery on the main street of Bedford, PA.  (This is my dream shop, Andrew Thornton has beautiful beads and artwork in the front and Laura of Second Chance Books has used books and childrens books in the back)

It was kind of quiet for the type of weekend we'd been expecting, but the weather was lovely on Sunday and we set up outside.  I made a big point of trying to get people into the shop.  And we loved the people of Ligoiner and the costumes of the festival!  I also got to spend more time with Maria of Lost Marbles.  (funny, her marbles don't seem so lost!  or maybe it's in comparison with me) 

Anyway, it was lovely to meet so many people and have so much fun.  Now it's time to get ready for the holidays.  And it was great and very very positive to have these experiences now.

-Simbelmynë

If a Piece Sits in a Basement....

...And is never seen by anybody but the artist, is it still art?

A pretty good question, eh?  Does it become art once it's pulled out and framed or worn? Will we ever know?

Fact is, we have about 60 items listed between our two shops, and hundreds in trays in my basement.  How on earth is anybody going to see the basement dwellers between shows? 

One of the new habits I'm trying to cultivate is photography.  My new phone is helping with day to day pictures, yay for a decent phone camera.  The Tumblr blog has been pretty busy.  But it's still no good for really good pictures.  With all my frustration, I've been avoiding the real camera and good lighting and well thought out backdrops. 

So, the new routine is "get one good photo a day".  I'll take two or three, sure thing! But even one is better than leaving the camera and the pieces hiding in the basement.  Spring weather is helping out, sunshine, overcast-Sure!  bring it!  Just as long as we avoid the four letter word beginning with s, I'm fine. 

Here's one from today.

A little work and I can get some things listed.  Slow progress is better than none!

-Simbelmynë

New Year 2011

Happy New Year!

My post is a little late.  Life has gotten in the way of blogging.

Too many pieces to make, too much fun and family.  I surely do not complain!

As you can still see, time management is a new years resolution I still haven't conquered.  I won't even make it.  That would be unrealistic.  I do resolve to take stock of the time I spend, giving a realistic time estimate is essential to taking commissions.  My current work is for friends and family members and they are extra special understanding as they share some of my holiday schedule.  Next year I will officially call the holidays "vacation" and not give myself any due dates during that 2 or 3 weeks.

Currently on my bench I have a ring, three necklaces of woven chain and wire work, and some interesting non-pierced earrings.  Look forward to posts about these.

This week I'm looking at the list of art fair opportunities I've collected and choosing some.  The summer is way up in the air!  Over Christmas I visited a heritage event down at the Waterfront shopping center on the river and I hope I'll hear more about future events in these old steel-industry buildings.  Pittsburgh will definitely see more of Intentional Stones at art events this year.  As for traveling to shows, I'm pretty sure I'll be at the Cheat Fest in West Virginia again.    I'm going to look for a show in New York and a couple further away in Pennsylvania in the Laurel Highlands.  (If you're local to either of these places, please recommend your favorite art event!)  I'd love to go out to Florida or someplace warm, but I'm sure school and work schedules will make that complicated. 

I also plan some stone hunting trips.  These are very much tentative still, the Southwest hosts a rich array of lapidary and jewelry events in the spring, so I'd better get my ducks in a row! 

I'm only taking one class this semester, Jewelry Making 2.  Yes, I  can learn from past mistakes!  I have goals to do more drawing, I feel like I owe it to myself and my instructor last semester.  I even promised one of the kids' friends lessons in drawing people.  Improving my art is extremely important. And I'm not managing props for any plays.  If my daughter decides to continue with dance, I'll help out where I'm available, but no all-semester commitments. 

I feel ready to run right now!

-Simbelmynë

 

Crafting month is getting away from us!

It's like I just blinked and it's almost gone! 

Working madly to get ready for the show, as I've mentioned, at this point I need to be making more basic items- pendants, more simple necklaces to put them on, earrings, stuff like that.  I spent yesterday taking pictures, discussing the website with Mina, makign more earring leaves and finishing my table linens for the show.  I should start making daily to do lists and small goals again.  Ugh.  Photos exist, when I have time I'll upload them!

Halloween, on Sunday, marks the last day of crafting month and time to turn to NaNoWriMo.  I should say NaNFWriMo for me, even if there's another official version of this I'm going to piggy back on NaNo for non-fiction.  (I really need writing buddies, so add me over there!  I'm the Pagan Librarian)  I'll be working on the gemstone reference page.  I'm going to work in book form and try to update here one entry at a time.  Like NaCra I know I'll get behind keeping you up to date.  Please keep being patient with me!

I hope your holiday seasons are ready to kick off on Sunday!

-Simbelmynë

 

West Virginia Loves Us!

Intentional Stones will be showing at the West Virginia Arts and Crafts Spectacular in Morgantown WV on November 5-7th 2010. 

We're pretty excited.  This will be our very first big arts and crafts show!  I'll do my best to keep you up to date on the projects we're preparing and the special pieces we'll be making for this show. 

We look forward to making new friends and enjoying West Virginia once again.

 

Networking thoughts

I've said before that I'd love to be more active with the guilds on Artfire.com and yet, I feel like not much comes of it.  We're all struggling to make enough noise in the online world that somebody will notice our shops.  Standing together seems to be the best way.  But we're taxed enough getting our own shops going, hours blogging seems like it's not going to do much.  

Artfire has introduced Collections, and I think this is a great tool, similar to showcases on Etsy.com.  I need to read up more on the rules and etiquette of these delightful opportunities to highlight our favorite items and sellers.   

I played with it and made a Fall Collection of a few of my favorite things.  I hope it does a bit to help out my fellow sellers. 

-Simbelmynë

Refreshing Monday

School's back in and my days seem so much more organized. I'm getting much more done, so here's today's rambling list.

I've joined a gym, and today was my first time going.  I even found workout buddies!  I don't plan to restrict my visits to times when people can come with me, but it's really nice knowing they're there and available.

I'm taking the time to carefully set up the Intentional Stones booth display.  Both for the purposes of formally photographing it for show applications and practicing to optimize my setup time.

Setting up at home gives me a chance to rethink the look of the booth.  I think some sewing is going to happen in the near future, to tighten up the corners of the tablecloths and smooth the edges of the buntings.  Also, pendants and charms are very difficult to display!  I've got these little cards that stand off the table (empty cards visible above), and I may set some larger wraps on jewelry trays full of pebbles.  Frequently people hang them from frames or on paper cards- which puts the smaller items in a more visible place.

Weight is a huge issue in this shop.  The mirrors, which add so much depth and light to the experience of the stand, are really heavy.  They're difficult to store and if I put them all in one box, I cannot lift it!  I cannot imagine what people do with the larger glass/plexiglass jewelry display cases when they're on the road.  I almost feel like I'd have to buy a truck or van just to transport my booth.

Maybe finished photographs will have to wait a couple more days.

On top of all that, community college classes have started for the fall and the drawing and jewelry classes I'm taking include *gasp* homework.  Reading, drawing, even bench work. Goodie! (That was not sarcastic.  Homework at my bench is really exciting.)

And I'm getting my sleep schedule on track finally.  I don't want school to be suffering just because I fail to get to bed.

House?  What house?

-Simbelmynë

 

 

 

 

Momentum

I live a fair bit of my life as a firm acolyte of inertia.  It took me over two years to file for divorce after a nasty break up because I quickly settled into a routine for my kids' sake.  That time was crucial to my sanity, and theirs, but it also put a lot of my long term goals on hold.  As I sometimes do, I convinced myself that doing those few things left on my to do list, the ones that would answer the big What Ifs, were just too daunting. 

I had all these other obligations, don't you see, and I couldn't possibly find the time to take care of all those things.  It's the same roadblock we all put in our own way sometimes.  "I'd love to bead today, but I need that one piece..."  Never mind you could make something else entirely or run out for that missing bit.

Then I talked to a good friend who knows more about the things on my to do list than I ever will.  The things that looked so huge, so scary, so time consuming?  "Stop into the office," she said.  "Half hour, tops, and they'll have you sorted." A HALF HOUR?  Was she kidding?  As it turns out, the process probably took closer to five hours all told, but she was right about that office.  They got me sorted.

And now I'm back in college.  Taking real classes toward a degree I abandoned when I had my first child.  Shocked?  I am.  That kid is fourteen now.

In the meantime, Simbelmyne took her own huge leap, got past the idea that something was just 'too much' and got us the best showing at a sale that we've ever had.  I don't have words for how proud I am of her hard work or how grateful that her family supports her, and thus Intentional Stones, so fully.

After years of putzing away at this, of trying to chip away, Simbelmyne kicked us into high gear.  A real business, the real thing, our momentum has changed.  I only hope I can keep up. 

--Mina

Take any excuse to look professional

Business advice I have heard and taken to heart. 

It's my mantra this week as I get ready for the Art Market.  

We're incorporating, a process that's making us consider every essential of treating art as a business.   

We have a new website: Intentional-Stones.com

Shiny new business cards.  A professional grade display setup.

Rethinking our market, our audience and the difference between "art" and "craft."

It's time to step up.  Time to bring this vision into reality.

-Simbelmynë