A Visit To Portugal and Switzerland: Getting jewelry making inspiration

Wow! April and early May were quite busy for me -- though in the best possible way. After participating in the Reader's Studio convention, I had a few days off before Jon and I took our trip to Europe. Now that I'm back, I'm happy to have some time to do what I enjoy most: making jewelry.

But first, a little about Portugal and Switzerland: both countries are absolutely gorgeous and I encourage you to visit at some point in your lives. I hadn't been to either one and loved both. Zurich is a very comfortable city and we spent a lot of time in the old section. I especially liked seeing the Medieval buildings and colorful shutters. The city looked as if it were out of a fairy tale, even in the rain.

Lisbon was brighter and more energetic, almost to the point of being chaotic. It's one of the hilliest places I've visited, even topping San Francisco. Though you can take a cab, trolley or tuk-tuk to get to the various sights -- all of which are on top of mountains -- we walked everywhere. The streets in the old city are winding, narrow and paved with busted and broken cobblestones. They're barely a person-width, but somehow cars manage to fit through. So you're climbing steep hills while trying not to break an ankle... and dodging cars. It was insane! Still, I had a great time exploring and was blown away by the city views and glimpses of the tiled buildings. The tiles -- called "Azulejos" -- are unlike anything I've ever seen in my various travels.

However, Jon and I agree that our favorite place was Sintra, which is a small town about an hour out of Lisbon. It's filled with castles and palaces, all painted in crazy colors. At times, it felt as if we were in a dream or on another planet. There, we hiked a 1378-foot mountain to a castle... where we climbed another 202 steps to reach the top of the highest turret. I wanted this trip to kick my ass in terms of fitness because I really need to lose some of the weight I've gained back over the last few months. It did the job! I haven't climbed and walked so much in a long time and while it was challenging, I'm glad I pushed myself. Plus, I got to see all of this!

Sintra's palaces were, of course, a prime spot to see the tiles. I was so inspired by the beauty of the azulejos that I've decided to somehow incorporate the idea of them into my jewelry. I purchased an azulejo-style bracelet, which contains a print-out of a tile design under glass. I'd like to make my own version of this type of bracelet, working it into a wire wrapped design. I'd also like to create some fused glass azulejo art. We stopped at the National Tile Museum, which gave me some thoughts on how I can etch a geometric tile design.

Our final stop was in Geneva, Switzerland. We only spent a day here, but we still managed to find plenty to do. We wandered around the lake, visited the botanical garden and took a trolley up to the top of Mont Saleve. The mountain is actually just over the French border, so we got in a third country on this trip. What's interesting is that we simply walked into France without having to get our passports checked. It was as simple as walking from NY to NJ. I spent a month in France in 1983, but the only other time Jon has been to this country was in 2002 when we took a day trip to Paris from London. So we really need to actually visit France on its own so that Jon can log more than a mere 15 hours there.

Though I'm an avid traveler, this is the first time in a few years that I went overseas. With everything going on in the world and in the USA in particular, I've been nervous about leaving the country. Happily, all went well and we had a safe and fun trip.

Taking this trip reminded me how much travel inspires me, both in my personal life and as an artist. Now that my travel bug has returned, I hope to see many more beautiful places.

Check out my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Tales from the craft fair: Readers Studio tarot convention experience -- and some BIG news!

I'll share the details of my time at the Readers Studio in a moment, but first some exciting news! My glass tarot and mythical pendants are going to be available at three stores: Chakra Shop & Tarot I and II (in Texas and Pennsylvania, respectively), and Sparkledragon's Magical Emporium (in Pittsburgh, PA). I put my items in the mail this afternoon and really hope my stuff sells well! Meantime, I'm negotiating with some other stores and am thrilled to finally be getting my work out there. I'll keep you posted as things come up.

And now, let's discuss RS17! The event was different from anything I've attended and was mainly a positive experience. I didn't sell as many pieces as I'd hoped, but I did make a profit -- and I picked up some valuable tidbits about selling to an audience that's into metaphysical items. Overall, I had a fun weekend and met some lovely people.

The convention was held at the LaGuardia Marriott, which is right by LGA airport. I'm local so it was a short trip for me, but attendees flew in from China, India, Australia and the UK. There were also people from Canada and every area of the USA. Altogether, there were about 200 attendees, but the world was well represented.

Most of the lectures were held in the ballroom, while the vendors' tables were placed around the border of the room. I had a half table, which was three feet of space. It was smaller than the table space I usually get, but I managed to fit everything. The good thing about jewelry is it's pretty compact.

Thursday's sales didn't get off to a great start. My table partner hadn't yet arrived, nor had the man who had the next table over. So my stuff was crammed into a small space, while I was sitting next to a large bank of empty tables. The area looked lonely and not too many people stopped by my booth. Meanwhile, a tarot celebrity was sitting to my left and was selling dozens of his absolutely gorgeous hand-illustrated decks and books. Attendees were asking him to pose for photos and a crowd of people surrounded his booth. His work is amazing and he was really nice, but I was admittedly envious as I sat at my quiet table.

Fortunately, things picked up when the lectures began and I could soak up the atmosphere. I'm not going to go into too much detail on the workshops because I'm still a tarot newbie and wouldn't do the lectures justice with my simplistic descriptions. I will say that I have a new appreciation for the artistry and history surrounding the cards -- who knew that so many different types of decks exist?! -- and have a better understanding of how the cards can play into psychology. Participating in the lectures, even from the sidelines as a vendor, gave me the chance to meet people and get a better sense of the tarot culture. In some ways, it reminded me of my years at Soap Opera Digest. Covering soaps was about so much more than simply documenting the storylines. There was a whole history and culture associated with the shows and the fans. Being in this crowd gave me a similar feeling.

At most craft fairs, vendors sell for a steady block of time. At the convention, people shopped between lectures. Fortunately, sales picked up for me in the afternoon and people purchased several of my tarot-related items. I was particularly pleased when Judith's friend, Janet, (who's now my friend, too) bought one of my fancy tarot necklaces. I'd joked about not putting a Death pendant on a fancy chain, but Janet had me swap out the image for the Death card. She had me hold the piece for her and came back to pay for it, so I told her, "Don't worry, Death is waiting for you." Here she is, modeling my Death Necklace:

The next day perked up a lot. My table partner finally arrived and we hit it off. Judith also decorated my table with colorful, flashing lights and sparkly scarves. I brought a faux candle and a pair of maneki nekos (Japanese cat statues meant to bring luck to merchants). Judith also set up a dish full of candy on my table. So my booth was now covered with lights, sparkles, toys and "bribery chocolates."

The decorations seemed to work and many more people approached my table. I sold some more big-ticket items and got to know my fellow conference-goers. Not all purchased my jewelry, but most struck up a conversation. One lady wore a "Kitchen Witch" shirt and explained that she was a Wiccan/former line cook. I noted that I'm also a "Kitchen Witch" since I perform alchemy with my glass in my microwave.

Another woman, who hailed from New Mexico, wore chili pepper earrings and we had a discussion about my trip to her state. And a third lady and I joked about her name being the same as a pop star's wife. Really, everyone who stopped by was friendly. Also, no one gave me a hard time about being new to tarot -- and no one pressured me to join in anything. I was afraid I wouldn't fit in, but the environment was very warm and accepting.

The banquet was held on Saturday night. I wore a semi-casual dress, but several attendees donned tarot costumes. Jon joined me that evening and had his introduction to the tarot world. He knows even less about the practice than I do, but enjoyed meeting my new friends.

Judith and I were invited to perform in the banquet talent show. We played "Fool On The Hill" and "Every Little Thing (He) Does Is Magic," in honor of The Fool and The Magician, which are the first two cards in the Major Arcana. Judith and I have played together many times, but it's always been for seniors. It was great entertaining a more "mainstream" audience. Judith pulled out some rock star moves with her guitar and the attendees were all on their feet as they danced and sang along. I became emotional because I wasn't expecting such a lively reception.

The last day was pretty quiet and by the time I got home, I was exhausted. Like I said, I wish I'd sold more, but I came away with great ideas for the future. One attendee suggested I make pieces with runes (ancient letters) etched into them. My table partner advised me to make wire wrapped crystal pendulums. Judith thinks I should design etched pieces with simple Zodiac symbols.

My biggest take-away from this event is that when people attend a specialized conference, they want specialized items. Though the attendees admired my regular glass pieces, most purchased tarot and spiritual-themed stuff from me. If I do another metaphysical-type event, I'll fill my table with items that relate to the theme. In this case, I had a few tarot and Zodiac pendants that were mixed in with a bunch of other pieces. Next time, I'll put the mystical jewelry front and center and have only a few "regular" things.

I'm really happy I participated in this conference, mainly because I met so many wonderful folks. Hosts Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone did a fantastic job organizing this event and made sure the newcomers felt like family. Also, preparing for RS17 is what led to me making metaphysical jewelry ... which in turn, led to me getting my work into stores. So I owe Judith a huge thank you for setting me on this path! I don't think I'll become a professional tarot reader, but I do appreciate the beauty and passion behind the craft. I enjoy learning about new things and like to stay open-minded. RS17 helped me see the world in new ways.

Stay tuned for more news on my jewelry -- and check out my pieces at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Weird tales from the craft fair: Selling handmade jewelry at Ridgewood Market, the sequel

I'm currently in the middle of one of the busiest weeks I've had in a while. The tarot fair begins Wednesday night -- aaarrrrgh! -- and I have a gig tomorrow. Meantime, I had my second run at Ridgewood Market on Saturday.

My husband, Jon, and I are avid walkers and are training for Avon's 39.3-mile Walk To End Breast Cancer, which is in October. So when I mapped the market and saw that it's not even five miles from our home, I suggested we walk there -- especially since it was supposed to be a beautiful day.

Bad idea. Though five miles isn't that long a trek for us, it's a much different experience when schlepping craft fair paraphernalia. Also, it rained. On top of that, we discovered that about a mile of the path that goes past a cemetery is unpaved and without a sidewalk ... even though it's on a main road. Needless to say, plodding through a dirt path in the rain with a suitcase and bags wasn't fun and by the time we made it to the market, we were both kind of cranky. But we did it! We walked the entire way and didn't give in to catching a bus, even though several drove by. Happily, the market is held in a German beer hall, so Jon rewarded himself with a beverage and I indulged in delicious potato pancakes.

I set up my booth pretty much the same way I did last time. I really love those risers I purchased. They're an effective way to arrange my glass pendants and add a little depth to my display.

Last time, I joked that I wanted to be seated across from the man selling animal parts instead of a bakery stall so I wouldn't be tempted to have too many treats. Well, guess where I was placed? Apparently, he and his wife, who makes ragdolls, have sold their items at every Ridgewood Market since its inception four years ago. Good for them! I'm wondering how many people buy jars of animal parts, but he must do well if he keeps returning. Indeed, there were many people who stopped by his booth to look at his stuff.

Unfortunately, not as many folks visited my booth as I'd hoped. Even though the fair is indoors, the rain kept people away and the crowds weren't as big as the last event's. Still, I did make a profit and, as always, met some interesting customers.

I'd made several pairs of wire wrapped earrings for the market, but my customers ended up buying a variety of items. They purchased a few glass pieces, as well as wire wrapped ones, and even an enamel pendant. I'm particularly excited about finally selling this pendant, which was a double-sided cat, because I've had this piece for several years and it's special to me. One side is a ginger cat and the other is calico; I created it in honor of my friend, Laura, who runs the Marmalady Facebook page. Marmalady is a tri-pawed cat who "blogs" about her adventures and raises money and awareness for the sanctuary Cat House On The Kings. She has nine kitty siblings and one canine brother. Jon and I actually visited Laura and her animals in 2015 and I made a version of this pendant for her. The orange side represents Marmy and the calico side was to honor her then-kitten, Willow (Willow is a big girl now and Laura has since gotten three more cats!).

Anyway, a woman approached my booth and admired my glass owl pendant. She then asked, "Do you have any pieces with kitty cats?" Well, she came to the right place! I'd actually placed several of my glass cat pendants on a riser and she enjoyed looking at those. However, she chose the Marmy/Willow piece instead. She was thrilled when I told her about Marmalady. I think jewelry is much more interesting when there's a story attached.

Three of the women who purchased from me asked if my crystal pieces are healing or if my rainbow briolette earrings helped align chakras. This amused me since I'll be selling at the tarot fair and have been trying to get my work into metaphysical shops. I wasn't even trying to reach that audience at this event, but they came to me! I was honest and said that I couldn't guarantee that my jewelry would heal or align anything, but that making my pieces is always a positive experience for me, so they do have good energy in that regard. This satisfied those customers and they all bought items from me. I had a long discussion about jewelry making with one of the ladies and suggested she come to the Reader's Studio convention next year.

There were a few people who didn't buy anything from me, but had a lot of questions about my glass. Some folks treat these fairs almost like a museum, where they'll admire the products and ask questions, but not spend money. That's fine with me. Obviously, I'm there to make sales, but I'm happy to discuss my passion, as well. One woman took my card and explained that she produces a local cable show and invited me to be on it. We'll see if she actually gets in touch, but that could be a lot of fun if anything materializes.

I still haven't figured out what appeals to this group. Last time it seemed as if they wanted more wire items, but they also liked the glass. Jon believes that my variety is what's attracting them. Next month's fair is during the day, so it'll be a different crowd of people. I'll continue making a bit of everything.

The evening ended early since the crowd had dispersed around 10, but I had a great night! By then, the rain had let up, but Jon and I took the bus home. The next time we explore Ridgewood by foot, it will be without bags.

Check out the rest of my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Selling handmade jewelry: Pounding the pavement, Part II

At the beginning of the year, I wrote a post called "Pounding The Pavement," where I shared my plan to finally get my jewelry into some more stores. Well, I have some great news! Things are going surprisingly well -- knock on wood, fingers crossed -- and I have some exciting opportunities coming my way.

As you know, I've been making tarot and spiritual-themed pendants for the upcoming Reader's Studio convention. When I told a friend about this, she said, "You know, you teach at a cemetery and will be selling jewelry at a tarot festival. You need to hit up new age and metaphysical stores."

I decided to take her advice and contacted a handful of stores that sell metaphysical, occult, new age and spiritual gifts. I included photos of my tarot pendants, as well as my Zodiac pieces, fairy pendants, tree of life jewelry, etc. Several places have already written back! One in particular is very interested in my work and wants to feature my pendants in two stores. Meanwhile, the store in Upstate New York is still working out a deal with me.

As of now, I still have to finalize my sales with these stores, which is why I'm not mentioning them by name and am being a bit vague. Basically, the owners have to decide which particular products they want, how many items and whether they'll be sold wholesale or by consignment. Much as they like my work, they're still running businesses and have to work out details.

I'm obviously very excited about these developments, especially since the first store I had products in, Threading N' More, is unfortunately closing. However, I'm trying to stay grounded and realistic about the process. I know all too well from publishing that deals can fall through. They can decide that my pieces ultimately aren't right for their stores, my work may not sell ... or a store can close. Anything can happen. It means so much to me that they even like my work enough to consider it. I figure I'm on the right track and this is a numbers game. I just have to keep making jewelry and networking. I'm confident that SOMETHING will happen to me eventually. My big break will come!

Once my jewelry is actually in the stores, I will include more details and links to these places. Like I said, I have my fingers crossed and am looking forward to the future. Meantime, you can check out my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Silver wire wrapped glass tarot card necklaces with spirals and crystals

It's only a few weeks until the Readers Studio tarot convention and I've been busy! I'm very excited because I actually managed to find tarot card decals. They're designed by a wonderful shop called Stained Glass Elements. The artist makes all sorts of unique glass decals, including a set of the 22 tarot cards from the Major Arcana -- a suit in the 78-card deck.

The decals came with 27 pieces, representing the 22 cards: 21 larger pendant decals and then six tiny "World" card images. Each of the bigger decals is about 1 1/2 by 1 inch; the perfect size for a pendant. I made several wire wrapped statement necklaces, featuring a spiral and crystal design. The rest will be simple pendants attached to a cord. I then used the "Worlds" to make tarot rings and charm bracelets. Because the decals are on a clear backing, I used a simple white glass base.

I'm still learning the basics of tarot, so it felt a little weird to be making "Death" and "Devil" pendants. For the fancier necklaces, I went with more pleasant images, like "The Star" and "The Magician." However, my friend Judith explained that all of the cards will hold meaning for people and that some might want a "Death" pendant if it's associated with their birth sign. She likes my plan of selling fancy and simple necklaces, noting that men and women can wear the cord-based pendants.

Making these pieces has helped me get to know the cards in the deck, or at least the ones from the Major Arcana. My favorite is The Star. I love the strong woman who's confident in her nudity and the contrast between the blue of the water and the sky. What's interesting is that this card is apparently Aquarian and I'm an Aquarius. Again, I really don't know much about tarot or astrology, but it does make sense that I'd be drawn to this particular image.

A funny thing happened when I was firing my last batch of pendants: I placed a couple too close together, put the heat on a little too high ... and "Death" and "Justice" fused. It was freaky! When I showed my husband, who is an attorney, he joked, "Sounds like a day in the office." I cut them apart so they wouldn't crack, but it was an odd coincidence that those two cards happened to connect.

I really hope that the convention attendees like my work. I think I'm portraying the cards in a way that's beautiful and respectful, but still reflects my jewelry style. For more of my handmade jewelry, check out Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Adventures in teaching how to make handmade jewelry: making handmade glass earrings at Maple Grove Cemetery

What a great weekend I had ... spent at the cemetery! I've been teaching at Maple Grove for a few months now, but I still get a kick out of saying that.

The weekend began with a 1950s-style tea party, which was held in Maple Grove's main reception hall. I didn't wear a costume (that's me in the black top with the roses), but many of the attendees dressed up in vintage outfits. Some borrowed their mother's clothing or donned outfits that they'd worn back in the day. The woman at my table who is holding up the plate of treats even wore a poodle skirt and an "I Like Ike" pin. She and the other people at my table decided that in my all-black ensemble I could be a beatnik.

I didn't really know anyone there other than the organizers, so I was a little nervous when I entered the hall. Happily, everyone was very friendly and I had a great time chatting with my table mates. When I mentioned that I teach jewelry there, they were like, "Oh, you're the jewelry lady!" I then ran into a couple of my students who'd forgotten my name and they also referred to me as "The jewelry lady." So I guess that's my new nickname: Jewelry Lady.

I expected to be served some tea and sandwiches, but we were presented with a feast -- most of it made by our organizers Helen, Carl and Celeste. There were, of course, tea sandwiches, as well as cupcakes, muffins, mini tarts, cheese cubes, fresh fruit, little cakes. Everything was delicious and I ate way too much.

We also enjoyed a quartet and singers who performed '50s songs, as well as a history lecture about Volney Chapin Daggett, who is buried in Maple Grove. He perfected cold cream so that it wouldn't turn rancid and had a longer shelf life. He was also the founder of Daggett And Ramsdell, a cosmetic company that still exists.

On Sunday, after I'd recovered from the festivities, I returned to the cemetery so I could teach a class on making fused glass earrings. The group was smaller than usual, but this gave me the chance to teach my students some more advantage glass fusion techniques. One student has been to all of my classes so far and has been dying to make a triple layer piece. I hadn't been able to let her because those pieces take longer to fire and with so many students, kiln time is precious. I was finally able to give her to go-ahead and she was ecstatic.

Though I pre-cut pieces for everyone, I like to give my students a chance to score and cut their own glass. I was pleased to see that this woman was able to successfully cut pieces without any help. She's been paying attention! Her earrings turned out beautifully and she was really pleased. A couple of students even had time to make pendants.

While we waited for the glass to cool, I showed everyone some basic wire wrapping techniques and had them practice making round and square spiral shapes. "It's so much harder than it looks!" said one woman. The above-mentioned regular admitted that the wire frustrates her and she much prefers working with the glass. I understand because soldering was frustrating for me, but I took to enameling right away. I guess certain types of jewelry techniques "speak" to people while others don't. She said that creating glass pieces is "addicting," which makes me so happy. I love working with glass and am thrilled to know that others appreciate this art form.

While we finished our pieces, we chatted and munched on leftovers from the tea party. Technically I was working, but this didn't feel like it at all. It was more like I was hanging out and making crafts with friends. Having large groups of students is fun, but I really enjoyed getting to know the others in this intimate group. Some say that you should aim to find a way to get paid doing the thing you love. That's exactly what I'm doing and this cemetery class is one of the best "jobs" I've ever had.

Check out my handmade jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Adventures in making handmade fused dichroic glass jewelry: the great glue debacle of 2017!

I always try to take safety precautions when making jewelry... but sometimes, well, shit happens. Take my recent mishap, which I call the "Great Glue Debacle Of 2017."

When making wire wrapped jewelry, I never solder the pieces together: they're all attached with handmade findings and jumprings. However, I can't put metal in my microwave kiln so I simply glue my findings onto my glass pieces. I simply use Krazy Glue -- nothing expensive; nothing special -- and it does the trick. A little bit goes a long way and keeps my necklace and earring hooks, etc. intact.

Gluing my backings is usually the easiest part of the process; I squirt on some glue, attach the backing, let it sit. No sweat, right? Theoretically. Unfortunately, everything went pear-shaped this weekend and I ended up with a big mess.

I'd purchased a brand new tube of glue and gently squeezed it, intending on squirting out just a small dab. This tube was defective, though, because a giant wad of glue spilled out. It got all over the pendant, all over the table ... and all over me. I quickly went to clean it, but my stick hand attracted another pendant and a ring that were drying... and now glue was on these pieces. Ugh!

I keep a bottle of nail polish remover on hand for these situations, so I polished off as much of the jewelry as I could. Then when they dried, I gently peeled off the rest of the glue. But this stuff would not come off my fingers. I dipped them in the acetone, rinsed them in warm water and soap... nothing. So much had gotten onto me, it just stubbornly sat there.

People often ask if it hurts to get such strong glue stuck to your skin and no, it doesn't. It's just annoying. It gets in the way when you're trying to do something that requires precise finger coordination... like, in my case, play the flute. It doesn't hurt or burn, though. I do tell my students to rinse it off immediately so there's less chance of it sticking. I just spilled so much onto myself that some stayed.

The glue is finally peeling off today and my fingers are getting back to normal. I try not to get too upset over these things; really, all I can do is roll my eyes and laugh at myself. I mean, hey, Julia Child made a whole career for herself by showing off her cooking mishaps!

I've always been a perfectionist, but have gotten more relaxed about making mistakes in recent years. Being a jewelry designer has definitely gotten me to loosen up because you just can't expect perfection on the first run. It's all about trial and error, and practicing -- and part of the fun of it is in learning new techniques. I enjoy playing "Mad Scientist," even it means spilling glue on myself every so often.

I like to tell my students that there isn't a wrong way to do something; that it's just one more step to doing things the right way. I'm trying to take my own advice.

Check out the rest of my handmade fused dichroic glass, wire wrapped and enamel jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.