Wire wrapped double daisy dangle earrings

One of my best-selling items at MayaGirl Creations have been my wire wrapped daisy flower earrings. In honor of it being my store's first anniversary, I designed a variation on this popular piece: double daisy dangle earrings:

As you can see, these earrings have two daisies instead of just one! They still have the colorful flowers in purple, hot pink, pink and aqua blue, but they're adorned by a smaller silver daisy.

I initially thought about mixing colors -- purple and blue, for example -- and still might do that, but I like how the silver looks with each. It's fun and colorful, but elegant. I also had to make these daisies a bit smaller than the single-design ones because I don't want them to hang too long in children's ears. I like the result, though, and think they're a fun addition to my shop! Check it out, as well as my other store, Naomi's Designs.

Happy Anniversary MayaGirl Creations!

Hey there! It's been a really long time since I've written, but life has been busy. I'm back, though, for a special occasion: today is the one-year anniversary of my children's jewelry shop, MayaGirl Creations!

I came up with the idea for a children's jewelry line after a friend requested that I design some kids' pieces for an upcoming show. I then purchased a collection of colorful wires and beads, came up with some fun shapes ... and MayaGirl Creations (named for my cat, Maya, who's sitting on my lap right now) was born!

Designing jewellery for kids is a bit different than making pieces for adults. Kids like bright, fun jewelry so color is key; I use a lot of blues, pinks, reds, etc. Safety is also a very big deal. Of course, it's always important as you don't want to make necklaces that strangle the wearer or bracelets that'll poke someone in the wrist, but I'm extra cautious when it comes to making things for little ones. I blunt the edges of the wire so they won't accidentally poke themselves and use hypoallergenic surgical steel earring wires since most kids' ears can tolerate that material. I also recommend that kids under three don't wear my jewelry -- and that younger kids only wear pieces when an adult is supervising.

Another thing I've had to take into account is size. It should go without saying, but children have tiny hands, wrists and ears! Though my earrings are all dangle style, I try not to make them too long. I've also made a lot of my bracelets with an adjustable chain so that kids can grow into their piece. It still surprises me a bit when I realize just HOW small kids' need their jewelry sized. I feel like Godzilla in comparison!

So far, my most popular items have been my wire wrapped earrings. I've sold many at craft fairs -- to both adults and kids, in fact -- and a bunch online. One person even bought nine pairs from me, which was awesome.

My next most popular item has been my wire wrapped infinity birthstone ring. I've sold several of these to moms giving them to their daughters as gifts. I've also sold a few to adults who stumbled onto this site instead of my grown-up store, Naomi's Designs. I don't really care if they order from this site, though; as long as they give me the proper size, it's fine.

I haven't sold too many bracelets so I haven't made too many. Since earrings seem to be what kids like, I've been concentrating on those, though I do like to shake things up and add in different types of pieces. So far, though, it's been an exciting year and I'm happy with my shop's progress. Be sure to check it out, as well as my other shop, Naomi's Designs!

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.

Silver star earrings with pink Swarovski crystals

Back in September, I created many new children's earrings for my shop MayaGirl Creations. However, it's taken me some time to photograph and list them all. This is the pair of silver wire wrapped star earrings with pink Swarovski crystals:

Making a star shape is more difficult than you'd think! You have to get all of the angles correct and all of the points even for the star to look attractive. It took a lot of practice for me to learn how to construct the star, but now that I've got it down, I've found that they're fun to make. There's something satisfying about finishing one and I like how they look. Stars are supposed to sparkle, which is why I added a pop of color with the pink Swarovski crystal bicones.

Stay tuned for more of my whimsical kids' jewelry from MayaGirl Creations! Meanwhile, to purchase my other jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs.

Children's Jewelry Design Gallery

Here is another Etsy mini gallery, this time featuring pieces from my children's jewellery collection, MayaGirl Creations. To purchase my grownup jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs.

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.

Wire wrapped jewelry: daisy flower earrings

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I expected business to slow down after Christmas and Chanukah, but I'm still getting orders. I guess people are now enjoying gift certificates and are buying for themselves. Nothing wrong with that -- I love to shop!

What's been really nice this holiday season is that my kids' shop, MayaGirl Creations, has picked up. Honestly, I don't advertise it as much as I do my main store -- I have only so many hours in the day -- but sales have been picking up on their own. While the infinity rings rule Naomi's Designs, my most popular girls' item seems to be my wire wrapped daisy flower earrings:

I think that girls like these because they're simple, but colorful and sweet. I loved floral jewelry when I was young; in fact, I still like it. And these daisy earrings are youthful, but not childish looking.

So far, I've sold these in every color that I offer. The red ones are brand new; I haven't even listed them yet on Etsy, so you're getting first view!

I enjoy making complicated jewellery pieces and am always trying to challenge myself. But I'm discovering that it can be just as rewarding to make simpler designs when you know that the person who's wearing your work is happy.

To purchase my wire wrapped jewelry, 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.

Craft Fair Disappointment

Today was the Autism Speaks charity event and the in-person debut of my kids' line, MayaGirl Creations. The fair was held in the basement of a nearby church and was set up to be a really nice event. There was a live reggae band, a fashion show, an arts and crafts table for the kids and a dozen vendors. Unfortunately, hardly anyone attended. There were about 50 people there, but almost all were somehow involved in the fair itself. They only got a handful of traffic.

Despite the low turnout and despite the fact that I made a nice donation to the cause, I still managed to turn a small profit. It was disappointing, though, to have so few people. Had my friend been able to hold the fair in the church yard instead of the basement, she probably would've had much more traffic, but she explained that she didn't have the insurance to run an event outdoors. Apparently, if a kid gets hurt outside, for example, there can be a suit and, I guess, the church isn't covered. That sounds ridiculous to me, but that's our country for you.

My friend, the organizer, was disappointed with the numbers for today, but she still did a great job in setting things up. This friend, by the way, is the same woman who helped me out when I broke my leg a couple of years ago. And it was my broken leg that led to me making jewelry (it was something to do while laid up in bed), so in a way doing this fair was like coming full circle. No, I didn't make a whole lot, but people did seem to like my pieces. I did sell a couple of precious metal clay and enamel pieces, so I was pleased to move those. As I've said before, my "unique" pieces sell better in fairs than they do online -- and this again proved to be the case.

There was one little girl who was obsessed with my stuff and kept coming over to try things on. Turns out, her name is Maya! So she was thrilled when I told her the name of my line. She was upset, though, when her mom wouldn't let her buy earrings due to allergies. Instead, she got a ring, but I know that she had her heart set on the earrings. Maybe when she's older, her ears won't get as irritated.

There were several women who admired stuff at my table, were like, "Ooh, it's between these two, I'll be back..." and then, of course, never returned. Have I mentioned how frustrating that is? I understand it to some degree when you're at a large fair and you want to check out the hundred or so tables before making a decision. But at this fair, there were only a handful of vendors! Basically, you just had to spin around to see everything. So it was annoying when they walked away and forgot about me. I mean, I spent all week working my butt off on these items, I was completely lowballing the price AND part of my profits went to the cause. Plus, these women kept going on about how they "loved" my work. Know what? For $10 or $15, just buy the damned thing! I'm not selling the Crown Jewels; I'm selling costume jewelry. I'm not saying to waste your money or to purchase something just for the heck of it. Not at all. Times are tough and many need to be frugal. But if you're PLANNING to buy something, just do it, especially if you're at a fair and it's a handmade item that an artist worked hard to complete. It's so discouraging for us to think that we've made a sale ... and then nada. So next time you go to a fair and are all set to buy some item that you "love" don't hem and haw, and get distracted and forget. Buy it and show some respect for the artist.

Anyway, time to get off my soap box. Like I said, I made a small profit and made some money for a great charity so all in all, it was a successful day. I'd definitely work with this friend again and will do what I can to help her get more of an audience.

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

New wire wrapped jewellery for kids

I had a very productive day today making jewelry for my kids' shop, MayaGirl Creations. My next craft fair is in two weeks and this is the one where I'll be selling ONLY my children's jewelry -- so I need to get going and create enough pieces so that my vendor table doesn't look completely pathetic.

So far, I'm well on my way to having a nice number to sell. I made 16 new items today and have about 30 already made. I'd like to have at least 100 pieces ready by the fair. It's going to be a small event, so that should be more than enough to sell -- and it's enough so that I can spread them out over the table and make my display look substantial.

Here are some of the wire wrapped earrings that I designed:

Hot pink triangle earrings:

"Crazy daisy" earrings:

Red crystal heart earrings:

I was able to get so much work done today for a few reasons. For starters, I didn't make the earring hooks and instead used ready-made hypoallergenic ear wires. Since I'm dealing with kids, I want the earrings to be as safe as possible and children's ears are often sensitive to other types of metals. I also made a lot of repeat items. At other fairs, I usually only have one or two of each piece, but I have to think differently when selling to kids. Kids often want to wear the same piece as a friend of want to collect the same thing in different colors. So I made, for instance, daisy earrings in many colors, heart rings in pink, silver and purple, etc.

I also had to keep the scale of my jewelry in mind. Young girls usually don't wear long dangle or chandelier earrings, so I kept my designs smaller and shorter for little ears. I also used a lot of color and simple, but pretty designs. I want my table to be an attractive rainbow of colors -- just the type of store where a girl would want to shop.

I feel like I've been counting down to this fair all summer so I can't believe that it's almost here! Time flies!

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

Back To The Grind!

My vacation in Florida was wonderful, but I'm home now and have a lot to do! I know that for many -- my teacher friends in particular -- September isn't the happiest of times, but I've always liked this month. As a kid, going back to school was exciting for me, a time for a new beginning. And as an adult, it marks the start of my favorite season, fall.

In New York City, you can physically feel the start of this change -- not just in the cooler weather, but in the city's energy. Summer is hot, lazy and slow, but September crackles with electricity.

I'm feeling that electricity this morning as I try to leave my little vacation behind and get going with my work. Today's agenda involves making more items for MayaGirl Creations. The Autism Speaks charity fair is in three weeks and I need to make more items for the event. So I'm planning to make some rings and earrings today with my colorful wire. I want to have a nice variety so that my table will look full and inviting.

Meanwhile, my dad finished my jewelry catalogue! It looks great! He's a skilled photographer and graphic artist so he was able to take my so-so photos and actually make them look decent. I also love the font that he chose, which is very New York magazine in appearance. I can't wait to send my line sheets to stores and see if anyone is willing to buy from me.

So I'm off to do some work and have a productive day. It's raining here, which means there is even more reason for me to stay inside and keep busy. Happy fall, everyone.

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

Cute Wire Wrapped Rings For Kids

As I add more items to MayaGirl Creations, I'm playing around with more colors and shapes. Sometimes I feel a little like a balloon artist, twisting my materials into familiar-looking items.

That said, here are some more of the wire wrapped rings in my collection. This is my monster ring:

Here's my eyeball ring:

And this is my hot pink high heel shoe ring!

My friend Karen, who is an elementary school teacher gave my designs her stamp of approval, so I feel like I'm on the right track. Meantime, it's nice to relax a bit this summer and try to *think* like a kid!

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

Funky rainbow multicolored wire wrapped bracelet with filigree design

This rainbow filigree bracelet is one of the first items I made for my new Etsy shop, MayaGirl Creations. I've been invited to sell my jewelry at an upcoming charity event, but the woman in charge asked me to make children's pieces. So I took my basic wire wrapped filigree bracelet design and used pink, blue and purple to create this multicolored version of it:

I made this using 18 gauge plated copper wire, which was a little difficult to work with, especially since I was trying to make smaller versions of the filigree clovers. I find that the colored wire is tough, so I ordered some in 20 gauge. I think the slightly softer wire will have more flexibility for creating this type of looped design. Still, I like the colors in this bracelet.

Yesterday, I gave a bracelet and two rings to the charity organizer so she'd have some samples of my work to show around. I hope that the kids (and their parents) like my stuff and will be interested in buying my pieces when the time comes. I guess I'll hear of their reactions when I next see the organizer at the bus stop on Tuesday. But for now, I'm having fun making bright, colorful children's jewelry designs.

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

My New Store On Etsy!!!!

Big news! I've opened a second shop on Etsy. In this one I specifically sell children's jewelry. I'm calling it MayaGirl Creations (Maya is my cat, FYI).

I got the idea for this shop on Tuesday when I was chatting with a friend at the bus stop that morning. She invited me to sell my jewelry at an upcoming charity event that she's hosting for Autism Speaks. However, she asked if I could rework my designs for kids since she's already secured a vendor who makes adult jewelry. She even plans to have a fashion show with the girls modeling my stuff! One of the girls is a real model who's appeared in commercials and print ads, so this is very exciting!

Anyway, I created a few sample pieces for her and thought that as long as I'm making this stuff, I should try my hand at a children's jewelry store. I already had all of that bright colored wire and I have all of those Swarovski crystal hearts so I have plenty of materials to get started. It'll also be interesting to see how well I do in a narrower market as there are far fewer children's jewelry vendors out there -- at least on Etsy. Yet the demand still seems to be pretty high because most popular retail outlets devote a section to kids' jewelry.

So far, I've only made a few pieces, but I ordered some more wire so I can create colorful things. Here is a peek at some of the pieces I've listed so far:

Pink daisy earrings:

Shooting star earrings:

Rainbow spiral bracelet:

Pink heart ring:

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