New Site Revision is Online!

It's Live!!! Come on over and visit my newly renovated site.

I've been working on a major site overhaul since the first of the year. This time around, rather than doing it all myself, I hired a web designer, Melanie Edman-Osmer of We Have a Site, and she has done an incredible job. Come on over and take a look at the new site!

In the process of doing this update, I have been going through more than 13 years accumulation of product images, most of which have been edited and re-edited very badly. Some I had as many as 9 versions of the same product, and none of them was good enough for the new site. I scoured my computer files trying to locate the original picture of every product only to find that even the original was horrible! I found more than 3800 images of product which was particularly daunting, especially as those 3800 images represented only about 400-500 jewelry items, at most. I'm about a third of the way through. Sigh.

I have, however, learned to use my camera much better, and have a functioning procedure in place for getting new items web-ready. Those of you who have visited my site in the past, or are regular craft show customers, will recognize, I hope, that the newer products have much cleaner, better images.

Here's my latest Wow piece, a beautiful, removable Labradorite pendant on its matching necklace. See, I told you the pictures were better. :)



I've also designed new ring style since last year. I've some new earrings, as well.

Now that the site is ready, I can get back to making some new product for my upcoming craft shows. It's a darned good thing, too, because as you all know, the years is going fast!

Hope you can come by to see me at the next show: The Crocker Art Museum's Christmas Show on Thanksgiving Weekend. Yes, I know, seems too far away to think about, but ....

By the way, my blog will be updated next. I hope, then to be updating it on a more regular basis. Heck, it only takes time. LOL

The finished necklace. This was a fun one! It's difficult going back to making earrings after getting to play like this, but since Apple Hill starts in about 2 weeks –Yikes!– guess I'd better get to it.

 

I've been getting trees and brush cleared on my property, and am trying to get all the deck plants repotted (repairing some of them) before the El Dorado Orchards weekends begin. I've been putting this off so long that it has finally caught up with me.

The other thing taking time away from jewelry is that I am now singing with the El Dorado Hills Senior Funtime Band, and sometimes with just the guitar playing, bass singer, Joe, and the keyboardist, David. It is a blast! Will post a photo  at a later time, because this, too, is part of the "Day in the Life of ."...

Back to the subject of jewelry, I have received confirmation for the Crocker Art Museum's Christmas Show in Sacramento, and have added the Chico Christmas Show as well. With all this coming up –and you know how fast time flies– I'd better get going. Enough posting, :-)

Decided I'd rather write a new post than work. :-) Actually, I'm trying to design a necklace for a customer –yes, I'm talkin' about you, Kay– and thought it would make a great post. First thing was a sketch she made; she thinks it's awful, I thought pretty good.

She wanted a combination of silver and gold so here are the first two flowers I came up with; gold flowers with silver bead centers. At this point I just wanted to see if she likes the flowers, had no idea how I was going to make it work.

Made flowers with different centers, different gauge wires, and different sizes. Still just loose pieces, and it's a good thing each one was supposed to be different! I was looking for a center for the first silver flower when I glanced into my findings drawer and saw the large earring backs that looked like flowers. An Aha! moment....

While linking it all together, I couldn't quite get it to hang together when I decided to use couple of coiled bead caps that I had made for a different project quite awhile ago (never throw out pieces just because they don't work where they were intended). Still quite a bit of work to do, but I'm liking it. Hope she does, too. Will post the completed necklace after she sees it. It's only fair that she be the first to see it, as it was her sketch that started the whole thing.

Life is sure different now

Clay Ludlow 4/24/1920-6/8/2009
My husband, Clay, died on June 8, 2009, and my life has changed forever; I miss him so dreadfully.

Except for a few orders from the web site, and some new custom wholesale work, I’ve barely touched my tools since April. Luckily, I did get some new things made before we realized he wasn’t likely to come home from ICU. Here’s one that was fun to do; an adaptation of a tutorial by Abby Hook:

Seems nowadays when I try to make jewelry I make more scrap wire than ever before; so hard to concentrate on being “creative.” I’m really thankful for the two new wholesale orders because they’ve made me get back to work. Both are for setting very large stones, something I’ve not done in awhile, so it is a good lesson in concentration. I have the Graeagle show coming up in mid-August and really must get some things made, so hopefully, this is the start of productivity.Since Clay’s passing, I find it easier than ever to procrastinate; after all, these things need doing, so it isn’t really procrastinating, right? I must, must, must get that order out today. Since this blog is “A day In the life of…,” my idea for the day is to first wrap those three stones, get them to the Post Office after loading up the truck for yet another dump run, get some food in the house that isn’t fats and carbohydrates, and finally, begin on my second quarter’s business books so I can do the sales tax form due at the end of the month.

Life is sad, but it’s still good.

Nifty wire conversion widget

I ran across this easy wire conversion widget in an email newsletter by Rena Klingenberg. If you're interested in great jewelry business help, check her out at by signing up for her newsletter.

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

This was fun to do. Clicking on the image will take you to thisgardenisillegal.com for a "flower quiz." Take a few minutes to fill out an easy form and find what kind of flower you are. I was sure I was a daisy, but a snapdragon is cool.

Announcing CraftersofCalifornia.com

I am in the agonizing, but fun, initial steps of creating a new site for Crafters of California. The first part was easy! I had a great idea, a web site featuring only California crafters, artists, photographers, anyone who makes their own product, is serious about sales, and who lives and works in the state. What is unique to this site is that the artist doesn't need a web site, an email address, or even a computer to be listed. I knew I'd hit on a good idea when http://www.craftersofcalifornia.com was available, so I grabbed it. Yippee, I'm on my way!

Then the hard part, the site itself, the brochure and application forms. Its always the details.... I rather liked the brochure, but the website was boring; I got bogged in details, and couldn't think of a good design. Then, in comes the helping hand of Virginia Vivier of the Ganoksin Project. What a gem! She looked at my site and gently said, "I visited your new site and see that it is a 'work in progress'.” Then she said to call. When we talked she gave me some fabulously helpful hints for improvement.

I'm soon off to the Fotolia and other site to look for California images, then the new site updates will begin. I'll post updates here as the site evolves. In the meantime, I invite anyone to check out the site as it is now, and if you're a California jeweler, I'd love to have you list.

Please pass the word to other fine craftsmen you know. (And please, I use the word 'craftsmen' in it's wonderful, pre-politically correct form: "one who is excellent at one's craft," so don't send "I'm offended" comments about the term. Any other comments or tips would be greatly appreciated.