Tales from the craft fair: selling at Bushwick Vendors Market

This year, I've done more vending at craft fairs than I have in all of my other years of making jewelry combined. Though I've mainly sold at Ridgewood Market's monthly event, I've been experimenting with different venues. This weekend, I sold at the Bushwick Vendors Market, which was an interesting experience, to say the least.

Bushwick, Brooklyn is about a mile up from Ridgewood, which is right on the Queens/BK border. Both neighborhoods have reputations for being funky and artsy, and are the perfect places for hosting craft fairs. I figured that the BVM would be a similar type of event to Ridgewood, where local artists showcase and sell their work. I was wrong.

The event was advertised as a night market which would feature music, art and crafts. I figured it would be a fair that included some live bands. Instead, it was an immersive music/art/jam session... that just happened to have a few vendors present. Though the host was Brooklyn VENDORS Market, the vendors seemed to be an afterthought.

I really liked the space where the event was held: The Silent Barn. It's an open hall, which has an area for bands or parties, and there's a bar and backyard garden. Since it was such a beautiful night, I set up my table outside -- and was surrounded by fun and colorful graffiti art.

At first, I thought I'd be the only vendor present, but eventually four other sellers arrived. One couple sold postcards, another T-shirts, and a couple of women sold home goods. Like I said, though, these booths were an afterthought. Instead, most of the participants came to paint, drink and hang out.

This particular crowd was very, VERY young; I'm guessing that most of the people there were in their early 20s -- just old enough to drink. I'm 43 and Jon is 45... and while I consider myself to be "young at heart," this crowd made me feel ancient, lol! Jon was very amused when the bartender carded him. I explained that he was probably told to card everyone... and just wasn't expecting a geezer to show up. I thought I was on top of pop culture trends, but I didn't recognize any of the music played and the fashions weren't any I'd seen before. Apparently, I'm quite out of the loop...

There was a group of actual kids who arrived, probably around age 11-12 or so. Maybe they were with a summer camp? I'm not sure. They came early and engaged in the free painting that was offered. They did notice my table, though, and crowded around to admire my jewelry. "Do we have to pay for these?" asked a boy. I explained that yes, they're for sale and a girl sighed loudly. "They're all so pretty. I wish they were free!" Sorry, kids! I'm happy they liked my work. They had a great time painting and I enjoyed watching them express themselves through their art.

As the night went on, more young adults arrived. Many stopped by to check out my work, but the problem with selling to a younger crowd is that many just don't have cash. I can certainly understand this. Chances are, they're paying off college loans or have just started renting a place, or are at a new job. At this point, I accepted that I wouldn't be making any sales, but still wanted to see what the evening had in store.

To my surprise, I actually made a few sales. One was to another jewelry vendor, who'd arrived late. She's a fellow cat lover and purchased one of my cat rings. She was very sweet and gave me a hug after buying her jewelry. Of course, we showed each other photos of our kitties.

Around 10 p.m., the event host announced that it was time for some entertainment. I expected to hear some live music, but instead, everyone engaged in an open mic session. The host encouraged people to express themselves through poetry, music, rap, etc. A few people took the mic and recited poems or sang songs. Meanwhile, others continued to paint and the space filled up with the art. The host explained that they'd succeeded in making the space a diverse and integrated one, welcoming people from all backgrounds and race. Indeed, it was a diverse crowd, which is one of the things I love about New York City.

I have to say that everyone was extremely polite and encouraging to those who went up to speak or sing. Some shared some very personal stories, but the crowd applauded loudly and cheered them on. I really enjoyed seeing the next generation engage in art, literature and music.

In the end, I took a loss since my sales didn't make up for the registration fee. This obviously wasn't the vending event I'd expected and I didn't quite fit in. Still, I'm glad I attended the festival and am happy that my money went toward a great cause. I'm all for promoting the arts, especially to younger folk -- and I love that there's a free space where 20somethings can share their work.

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

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.

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.

Making fused glass jewelry: pendant FAILS!

I usually use this blog to show off and advertise my successful handmade jewelry projects, but actually getting to that point where I have something boast-worthy takes a lot of work! I've also had many failures along the way and I think it's important to show those, too. This is going to sound cheesy and cliche, but I don't get too frustrated when I mess up a project because it really is a learning experience. I figure out what went wrong, correct the problem -- and then try not to repeat it.

Take these "layered" dichroic pendants, for example. They're real beauties, right? Not.

When making them, I was attempting to use transparent dichros so I could add depth to my layers. It took me a long time to figure out how to even make triple-layered pendants, but now that I'm regularly doing that, I'd like to add something more. The idea was to slip thin transparents between the main layers so I could add some shading and texture. Instead, I went overboard and got ... well, a mess.

I like what I did with the base colors. I usually use black, white or clear glass for my base, but here I used two different dichros UNDER a layer of clear. This gave the base a super-shiny texture and I had a lot to build from.

However, this is where I went wrong. I piled on too many pieces of glass and didn't really think about which colors would work best with the base. Basically, I was experimenting to see how certain combos would turn out. But I should have gone lighter on the glass and definitely shouldn't have added those solid colors on top.

My worst mistake, though, was placing the small piece of rainbow glass in the top center of the pieces. There was too much glass in the way for it to fire properly and it turned into a messy blob.

I haven't given up on layering. There's only so much I can do with my microwave kilns, but I'll keep practicing until I figure out which tricks work! I've made a lot of mistakes, but wouldn't have gotten anything done if I'd given up.

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

Making fused dichroic glass jewelry with decals: mystical pendants

So far, April is shaping up to be a crazy, busy month! On April 9, Jon and I will be celebrating our 17th anniversary. 17 years!!! Where did the time go?! There is also Passover, our niece's birthday ... and craft fairs galore. I've been invited to Ridgewood Market's next event on April 22. Then, from April 27-30, I'll be selling Naomi's Designs at the Readers Studio Merchant Faire. Whew!

I wasn't sure if I should sign up for Ridgewood next month because it's so close to the tarot convention, but Scott said to me, "Naomi, it's your JOB." He's right. I'm spoiled because I'm so used to working in the comfort of my home, but I should take the opportunity to sell at events if space is offered to me -- especially if it's a fair where I've done well. I enjoyed my experience at Ridgewood, so why not? Jon can sample more beers and I'll finally try one of the giant pretzels they sell there.

Since I have over a month to prepare, I'm making several new pieces each day. My plan is to fill another 36-slot ring box since I sold several of those last time. I'm making more wire pieces. I also plan to sell the $5 wire pendants I'd made for my sales at the senior homes. I figure the bigger the range of merchandise and prices, the better chance I have of getting customers.

I'll only have 3-feet of table space at the tarot convention, but I'm going to fill it with pieces that reflect the theme. I know next to nothing about tarot, but I did go to a salon which was hosted by the Readers Studio founders. I learned the basics and got some ideas for jewelry that the attendees would like. Using glass decals, I'm creating mystical-inspired pendants that are colorful and fun:

Out of this batch, my favorite is the red All-Seeing Eyes pendant. It's just so creepy and cool. Those eyes came with a set of decals I ordered that feature dragons, unicorns and Zodiac symbols. When I saw those eyes (no pun intended), I knew I had to make something with them.

The opportunity came up when I played around with different colored base glass. I usually use black, clear or white base glass, but after making so many items, I ran out. I was left with blue, green and red and wanted to see what happened if I mixed certain colors. When I use neutral bases, the solid dichroic "Candy Apple Red" turns orange... but when I fused it onto a red base, it turned blood red. I loved the shade and the pendant shape happened to be perfect for those eyes, so I added them on.

I'm not sure what they are. At first, I thought they were Eyes Of Buddha, but they don't match the other images I looked up. I guess they're just supposed to be all-seeing, all-knowing eyes.

I felt like the unicorn and Aquarius symbol needed some embellishment, so I added crystals, but the eyes work well on their own. Simple and ... eye-catching (pun intended this time!).

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

Silver wire wrapped fused dichroic glass bracelets

The Ridgewood Market Night Bazaar is this Saturday! I'm looking forward to this event, especially since my good friends Scott and Christopher will be there. They'll be representing the Lewis Oliver Farm Animal Sanctuary and will be selling food, paintings, books and other educational materials. They've been huge supporters of Naomi's Designs as my business has grown, so it'll be great having them there with me.

Of course, I also hope to sell many items. I've been working literally round the clock as I finish my final rounds of jewelry. I've made dozens of fused glass pendants, of all shapes and sizes. I also made this collection of dichroic link bracelets:

I'm particularly fond of the crystal Rainbow Swirl bracelets that match my Rainbow Swirl rings. I think the prism glass resembles moonstone, but my friend Diana says it looks more like opal. What do you think? Either way, I love the colors! I've managed to clock the exact firing time for these so they form perfect circles.

I also like the color block bracelet, which is simple, but so pretty. Honestly, I don't wear much of my own jewelry -- terrible for business, I know, I know -- but I actually plan to make one of these for myself.

Along with the bracelets and pendants, I also made enough rings to fill all 36 slots in my ring box:

When I sell rings on Etsy, they're usually made to order so I can size them correctly for the customer. In this case, I couldn't do that, so I made the rings in a variety of sizes. The ones toward the front are small, ranging from a 5-6.5 US. The largest ones are toward the back of the box, going up to about a 7.5-8 US. I figure that these rings will fit the fingers of MOST people -- and if they don't, that person can always order a custom piece from me.

Ridgewood Market advises their vendors to have an interesting table set-up, so I purchased a few new display items. I have that ring box, as well as black velvet leveled columns. My plan is to lay a few glass pendants on each column so they can be seen at a distance. I usually just spread everything out flat on the table, but I'm trying to spice up my booth. These tables are going to be 9-feet, which is much bigger than the spaces I've been given at other events. I've almost always had to leave items off the table for lack of room, but that won't be an issue here. In fact, I'm hoping I'll have enough inventory to fill the entire table.

The rest of this week will be spent getting ready for the fair. Here's hoping that all of my hard work is appreciated!

You can check out my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Making Jewelry: This Fall's Classes!

September is almost here, which for New Yorkers means it's time to go back to school! In my case, I signed up for two jewelry making classes at the 92nd Street Y: my usual enameling and a new workshop, where participants make keyhole bracelets.

I'm not really sure what making a keyhole bracelet involves, but it seems like it'll be interesting. Truth be told, I'm missing classes a lot. This summer has been fun, but it's dragged -- and I miss learning new things each week and seeing my friends. I've gotten a lot of work done on my novel, but it's work that I do by myself. I'm also sick of people trying to "help" me find jobs. Many are very well-meaning and are like, "Oh, why don't you teach music to babies? Or to seniors? Or teach a writing class?" when they don't realize that you can't just pop in and begin a profession in these things. I have no desire to get an early childhood or music therapy degree -- or a PhD -- which is what you need for these types of jobs. I LIKE writing novels and I LOVE making and selling jewelry. Sure, neither is conventional in terms of a career; they're not 9-5, but I worked a 9-5 job for years and grew tired of it. I'm happy doing what I'm doing now; why can't people understand that and support me?

Anyway, back to my classes! I'm looking forward to working on more champleve pieces in enameling. My plan to spend time at the Brooklyn studio hasn't worked out, mainly because I've been busy, but I'm hoping to head down there this week. Meanwhile, I think that the keyhole bracelet course will help me improve some basic techniques, such as soldering. Either way, I'm really looking forward to it -- and to fall in the city.

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Tales From Enameling Class: Having A Great Week!

There are still days when I question my decision to make jewelry full time. After all, I've only been doing this for about three years and the work isn't as steady as when I worked for the magazine. I love working for myself, but wonder if I have what it takes to a) make it in this business and b) even be called an artist. Well, this was one of those weeks where my faith in myself was restored.

It began with me finishing my enamel and cloisonné hamsa pendant. I wrote a longer post about it, but here it is again. You can buy it at Naomi's Designs:

Meanwhile, I'm having a really good sales week over at my kids' store MayaGirl Creations. Next month will be that shop's year anniversary and I'm pleased with how it's shaping up. People seem to like my pieces online and at fairs so I'm glad that I took a risk in expanding.

The best part of this week, though, happened in my enameling class when my teacher paid me a huge compliment. She's praised my work before; in general, she encourages all of her students, but she took me aside and told me how good she thinks I'm getting and how proud she is of me. It felt great to hear this and for a moment, I went back in time to when I'd get a good report from my elementary school teacher, LOL. Still, it's great that she has faith in me, especially since she's been a successful jewelry designer for decades.

This month marks a year since I began enameling and I'm thrilled that I found a new skill which I love. I was very wary after taking that metalsmithing class, but I think you have to keep searching until you find something that you enjoy. I'm proud of myself for keeping at this and look forward to my next year as an enamellist.

Enameled jewelry: Tales from enameling class

The 92nd Street Y's spring semester kicked off yesterday so, of course, I was there for my enameling class.

In some ways, it was the same as always because I'm taking it at the same time with the same teacher, and many of the same students have returned. But there's always an exciting energy in the air on the first day of school (which this essentially was) and there were several new students present.

What's weird and kind of cool is that I'm now considered to be one of the "advanced" enamelers. Compared to some of the others, I'd say I'm more intermediate than anything, but I'm still skilled enough that the newbies felt as if they could turn to me for questions. My teacher even singled me out as an example a few times, "Watch what Naomi's doing," or "Feel free to ask Naomi for help." A few of the students did have some questions for me about the enameling process and I was happy to answer them.

This is my fourth semester in enameling so I've been at it for not quite a year. I really do enjoy it, but it's still a newish skill for me so it's a novelty for me to even associate myself with it. I'd love to eventually do something with teaching it, though. At the end of this semester (in May) I'm going to ask my teacher if I have what it takes to be a teaching assistant. The Y uses TAs to cover bench (studio) time. I'm not sure what they get for the work -- maybe free bench time hours or a discount? -- but it would be a great way to work toward teaching jewelry. Several of the advanced students in my class have been doing this for a while. I wonder if I'd qualify to work during the summer semester, which is a shorter, quieter time at the Y. In other words, it would be the perfect time to do a trial run as a TA.

This beginning of the spring semester also marked my year anniversary at the Y. I remember how nervous I was when I began taking Jewelry I last february. It was the February 2, the day before my birthday, and I'd signed up for this basic metalsmithing class as a gift to myself. At that point, I was breaking into sweats over the idea of using a torch, drill or saw, so I've come a long way. I still suck at soldering, though. I really wish that I'd signed up for any teacher other than the one I'd had for that class because she and I just didn't mix. She wasn't a bad person by any means, but she was a little too no-nonsense and impatient with a clumsy newbie like me. The class was always so quiet and serious and somber, not at all like I envisioned an art class being.

Happily, the rest of my jewelry classes have been exactly what I thought they'd be like: informative, but fun. I work really hard in enameling, but everyone is friendly and we always have a lot of laughs. The teacher actually seems to enjoy being with us and teaching the class; we're not just a way for her to make money. I'm glad that I stuck it out after that first class and tried a different skill because that beginner class almost made me believe that I had no talent; it almost crushed my dreams.

I'm actually thinking of repeating Jewelry I during the summer semester, but this time with a different teacher. Yes, I've completed Jewelry I and II, but I still feel lost when it comes to soldering and working with fire. I've disliked my metalsmithing classes, but perhaps I'd like them more if I had those basic skills down and didn't feel as if everyone were so far ahead.

Meantime, I'm really glad that my teacher persuaded me to continue with enameling. I don't know why I even considered taking a break from it.

To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Handmade Wire Jewelry: My Jewellery Making New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! I don't make a big deal out of New Year's resolutions because I'm always working on some new project or goal. However, I do like to begin each new year with a clean, fresh mind and with some new goals in mind. Here is what I'd like to achieve in regards to my jewelry businesses:

Spend more time promoting my children's shop, MayaGirl Creations. I'm really pleased with how well its done considering how little I've advertised for it. I opened the shop in June and during the past six months, I've sold more than twice as many items as I did during the first YEAR of Naomi's Designs! I also sold some children's items in person at craft fairs. I know that I can be even more successful, though, if I list more items on Etsy. So I plan to spend more time making kids' items and will be more diligent about promoting them.

Put together a book featuring tutorials of several of my wire wrapped jewelry projects. A few people have said that I should teach jewelry making so this will be my way of doing so. Ideally, the book will include 10 projects ranging from easy to intermediate, with step-by-step photo instructions. This is a long-term goal, but I'd like to complete it by the end of 2013.

Make more new items. This is an ongoing goal for me, but I want to keep at it. In 2012, I made about 100 new pieces. Not all were listed, but I got plenty of practice. I want to do just as well, if not better, in 2013.

Learn to take better photos. I think that my Etsy sales will improve even more if I have better pictures. I'm still working on this, but I'll try my best!

Blog more. I've been pretty good about sticking with a blog schedule, but there have been long gaps where I've gone without writing for a while. I'd like to aim for three entries a week.

Have more successful craft fair experiences. I did many fairs in 2012 and they were hit or miss. I know that sometimes this success is out of my hands, especially when people come simply to look and not buy -- but I want to maximize my experience as much as I can.

Sell my work to stores. This one is a little out of my control. I've tried doing this already, but many stores aren't buying from new artists. I hope that the economy and business improves -- for their sakes and mine.

Continue doing what I did last year! 2012 was a very good year for my jewellery businesses. I took some classes, learned new techniques and sold many pieces. Overall, I'm proud of my work and am pleased with the results. I'd love to have a repeat performance!

To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations. To read my novel, check out REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Handmade enamel skull keychain

Thanksgiving was a double treat for my family this year. Not only did we get to celebrate with our family; it was also my dad's birthday! In honor of the occasion, I made him a special gift: a handmade enamel and cloisonne skull keychain:

I chose the skull design because my dad collects them (not real ones! I get asked that all the time, LOL). He's also not a big jewelry wearer other than watches. I couldn't picture him wearing a skull necklace, but I realy wanted to make him something so a keychain seemed like my best bet. Happily, he really liked the gift, especially because it is handmade. He used to make stained glas pieces so he understands how much work went into it.

As for how I actually made the enamel piece, it was all about layers. I first put on two coats of opague black enamel powder on the back on the copper square. After I fired them to smooth glass, I put on a coat of white enamel on the opposite side. Meanwhile, I shaped the fine silver cloisonne wire into a skull, and I have to say that cutting out the tiny eyes, nose and jawline was the most difficult part. The cloisonne fired up nicely, but the nose moved slightly so it looks as if he has a broken one. Oh, well.

Once the cloisonne set, I wet packed the rest of the colors. Wet packing is a little like water coloring and is a great way to do tight, intricate work with a brush. I added white to the skull, filled in his eyes and teeth and painted the flames beneath him. I fired the piece then added another coat of these colors to smooth them out and really make them pop.

This enamel piece was a lot of work, but worth it because I wanted to give my dad something special. Now he can carry his keys -- and think of me!

To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations. To purchase my novel, check out REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Handmade Jewelry: Enameling Gone Wrong

The good news is, my mother-in-law loved the enameled necklace that I made for her. She put it on and it looked really nice, and it matched the dark-colored clothes that she tends to wear.

The bad news is, yesterday's enameling class was a big disappointment.

I had a very clear idea for a pendant in mind. I wanted to make a circular pendant with a few cloisonne swirls laid out on one side. I then wanted to paint the swirls with dark shades of blues and the other side of the pendant with a lighter shade of blue so that it looked like waves on the ocean. In my head, it was beautiful.

Things got off to a good start. I shaped the silver cloisonne wire and applied a base coat of glass to the circle. But when it came time to fire the cloisonne, I left it in for about five seconds too long and the wire melted.

I attempted to paint over it and cover the melted spots with more glass, but it just didn't work. While the colors were pretty, the design just looked like a big, swirly mess.

Oh, well, I guess I'll just try again next week, but I was hoping to have the pendant ready for this weekend's craft fair.

I love the class, but still think that the teacher is too hover-y. She's sweet and means well, but I think the solution is for me to buy some studio bench time. This way, I can get work done without her being there to stand and watch my every move.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to taking another shot at my ocean piece next week!

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewellery, head to MayaGirl Creations.