New Turqoise and Blue Eye Earrings

These cool blue earrings consist of lightweight glass and plastic beads. They measure just over 2 inches (5.1 cm) long from the bottom tip to the top of the earwire.

All of my jewelry comes with a complimentary gift box made from post-consumer recycled paper - perfect for gift-giving!

Available in my Echoes of Stars' Designs Etsy shop.

Helping the Earth, One Shoe at a Time

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We did as we shared it with family.  During our conversations, I noticed Craig's shoes.  They were pretty cool looking.  He told me that they were from Simpleshoes.com, a shoe company that makes shoes from organic and recycled materials, including car and bike tires for the soles!  I checked out their website, and I definitiely am getting a pair.  What a cool way to save the planet! :)

Slow Motion Owl

 Pretty amazing.  And a little creepy.

Just in Time for Christmas: Simple Stuff Skin Care Gift Baskets!

This week I will be posting two skin care gift baskets to my Etsy shop, Simple Stuff Skin Care.  Here's the first! 

Are you looking for something to give that person who has everything?  Why not give a gift of rich, creamy goats' milk soap and lotion?  Everyone can use a little help combating winter dryness!  It's a gift that they'll definitely use.

Blue Eye Earrings

New cool Blue Eye earrings made from glass and plastic, available at Echoes of Stars' Designs.

Virtual Rummage Sale on ebay, Part 1 of Many

We have *a lot* of stuff.  Too much.  In lieu of having a rummage sale this year, we're attempting to pawn off some of our goods on ebay.  Mind you, they're in pretty good condition since Todd and I were both collectors.  We're starting with the massive pile of Beanie Babies.

This particular pair has a coloring snafu. As quoted by Mike:

Rainbow the beanie is a Chameleon.  This beanie has a collar of fabric around his neck. He should be made with a rainbow colored fabric (pink, yellow, red, green, blue... mostly light colors) (Ty-died)

Iggy the beanie is an Iguana. Iggy looks almost identical to Rainbow. He has no collar, but green spikes down his back, and is made with a blue green fabric (Ty-die)

Originally people thought that these two beanies somehow got their tags switched in production.  What actually happened was their fabrics were switched.

Check 'em out and buy them in my new ebay store.

Nifty Guitar Shoes

So I designed these fabulous Keds on Zazzle.  I'm waiting a bit before I order a pair, but they sure do look nifty online!

PS - If you like them, you can buy them, too. ;)

Lomographic-Style Prints

I am so stinkin' proud of myself.

I love love love lomography.  I wish I had a camera and the know-how to shoot cool pictures like those.  But alas, I don't.

However, I DO have an old version of Photoshop and a curious mind that likes to experiment and figure things out.

I found this nifty tutorial on how to make digital photographs look like lomography.  Although I couldn't follow the tutorial exactly since my version of Photoshop is so old, I think I did come up with something pretty cool.  What do you think?  Please leave a comment.  I'd appreciate feedback on this new endeavor.

PS - I just posted prints of this picture for sale in my Etsy shop.  Check it out! :)

Good Goats' Milk Soap in Lavender Vanilla

So rich, creamy, and thick. Your skin will love the moisture, and you will love the relaxing scent!

**Why should you care about which kind of soap you use?**

Your skin is the largest organ in your body. It is permeable and will allow the things that come in contact with it to be absorbed. This includes the chemicals and artificial fragrances found in commercial soaps.

**So why is this soap so good for your skin?**

Goats' milk is naturally full of many essential vitamins and minerals that help your skin cells stay healthy and repair themselves. Goats' milk naturally contains: calcium, phosphorous, sodium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamins B-1, B-2, B-3 and B-12, to name a few. Since your skin absorbs some of what comes into contact with it, why not allow it to come into contact with a daily dose of healthy vitamins and minerals?

Since goats' milk is easily absorbed by the skin and contains so many healthy ingredients, it is especially well-received by people who have sensitive skin (like me!). People who have problem-skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis can especially benefit from the vitamins and nutrients in goats' milk. (Although always check with a doctor before using this product if you have a severe case of problem-skin.)

The Simple Stuff in this product:
Saponified oil (coconut, palm, castor and safflower), glycerin, pure liquid goat's milk, filtered water, sorbitol (a humectant derived from berries), sorbitan oleate (an emulsifying agent taken from sorbitol), soy bean protein, and essential oils (for fragrance)

Queen of Diamonds Pendant

New!  For sale in my Etsy shop. :)

Urban Spectacles

I must own a pair of these wonderfully wooden glasses before I die.  They are just the coolest thing I've ever seen. I love this pair with the metal dots. Check out www.urbanspectacles.com for these and other really cool glasses!

The New "Music" Pendant

It's available in my Etsy store: www.echoesofstars.etsy.com

Starling Ballet

As seen on The Buzz Log.

"A really, really big flock of 300,000 birds created a wavelike cloud over Denmark. According to ornithologists, these feathered friends really do prefer to roost together, and the massive formations are a sort of pre-roost ritual that take on these odd shapes."

Nom nom nom!

The Parrot Who Shagged Me

You know you're a hard-core conservationist when THIS happens...

I Only Have Eyes for You...

Check out my treasury before it expires on Sunday.

Another Gorgeous Treasury

Filled with gorgeous work!  Check out the Sugar Plum Themed Treasury, curated by me. :)

Confidence, Confidence!

Today's post is on what so many artists and crafters need - CONFIDENCE!  I recently talked to a couple of crafty friends who are just starting out in their businesses, and they were reluctant to either open an online store or participate in craft fairs because they thought that no one would buy their work.

By the way, both of these crafters' work is fabulous (in my honest opinion).

Which leads me to the point of this post.  You will always be your own worst critic, and in actuality, it's not your opinion that counts - it's your customers'.  So how do you know if your products are something that other people would buy?  Here are two questions to help you discern if you have something worthwhile:

1. Are your products something that not everyone can make?   (i.e. do they require a certain skill or a large amount of patience to produce?  If so, then they are most likely marketable.)

For example: Crafter A makes necklaces by threading a single paper clip on a string.  Probably not much of a market for that.  Crafter B, on the other hand, makes complex scenes out of bent paperclips, paints them unusual colors, and markets them as "desk art."  Now, there may be a market for this.

You may be thinking, "Well, anyone can bend paper clips," or "Anyone can work with wood."  But that's simply not true.  The key question is: is there SKILL involved?  For instance, I can work with wood by gluing it, hammering it, or drawing on it, but my father in law can make entire benches and mailboxes.  His skill level is vastly greater than mine in woodworking. Not everyone can do what he does.  I certainly can't right now.

2.  Put your ego and your self-esteem aside.  Do you (in general) like your work?  Would you buy it?  (Don't focus on your worst piece; when answering this question, find a piece to critique that represents the majority of your work.)  If you would buy it, probably others would too.

Now some people have trouble honestly critiquing their own work.  If you cannot do this fairly, enlist an honest person to tell you what he/she thinks and be prepared for both positive and negative feedback. (Asking a friend isn't always helpful, because the friend may not want to hurt your feelings.  Asking a total stranger is preferrable.)

If yes, it is not something that just anyone can make, and yes, it is something that you would buy yourself, there is most likely a market for it.

Now here's a common scenario: a crafter attends a craft fair and does not sell many goods.  Does this mean there is no market for his craft?  No!  The crafter may simply be at the wrong venue for his work.  What sort of people would your goods attract?  Are they artsy, country, girly, manly, students, old ladies, or steampunk?  A seller of goth steampunk jewelry probably won't do much business at a parish craft fair attended by little old ladies.

So, if no one or few people buy your work at first, don't despair!  Reevaluate the type of person your work would attract, and seek venues to sell your products where those kind of people frequent.

And above all, remember that most businesses start out slowly.  Don't expect great mobs of people to buy your work at first, but don't be so hard on yourself that you assume that your crafting endeavor is a failure right off the bat.  It may take a year or two of dedicated work to get your name out and establish a solid customer base.

One word on integrity: don't infringe on other people's ideas.  I see so many crafters using copyrighted characters on their goods.  You wouldn't want someone copying your work and selling it, so don't do it to others, even if it's a big corporation.  Instead, why not come up with your own characters?  Write a story to go with each item when the customer buys it.  That not only heightens your creativity, but prevents your integrity from being injured by becoming a "knock off" artist.

So, fellow crafters - have confidence!  Confidence attracts others.  If at first you don't succeed, reevaluate, and try, try again!