Tales From The Craft Fair

I just got home from the Great Neck Street Fair. Boy, was it a long day! I made a few sales, but I unfortunately didn't do as well as I'd hoped. Still, it was a nice day and I like to think of these events as learning experiences. When we arrived at Great Neck, we discovered that the actual fair was about a two-mile walk from the train station. So we walked all the way there, with me lugging the suitcase with my jewelry and Jon pushing the cart that contained our table and chair. We got a nice workout! Happily, it was a perfect spring day and Great Neck is a beautiful, upscale town so the walk was pleasant. Once at the fair, I tried to sit back and relax and enjoy the experience. We were right across from the food court, which was convenient and our booth neighbors were nice. On the left they were selling handmade wooden bowls, which were unique and beautiful and on the right, homemade paintings and a variety of other things like headbands and junk jewelry. A nice crowd came by today and many more people stopped by my booth than at the last fair. I also got many more teenagers checking in, especially to look at those wire wrapped coil rings. Unfortunately, few people were willing to dip into their pocketbooks. A lot tried on some jewelry pieces and asked questions, but only a handful actually bought. This was pretty discouraging since I was already charging rock bottom prices for my handmade stuff. The guy in the booth next to me said that they experienced the same thing with their jewelry -- that people seemed reluctant to pay $5 for stuff. It's kind of funny because Great Neck is a very wealthy neighborhood, but as Jon said, maybe that's why the people there are wealthy -- because they're also frugal. At one point, our friends Scott and Christopher came by to say hello. I was very glad to see them and was hoping that they'd help with sales, as both are very good-looking guys. But their handsomeness did nothing, LOL. I guess maybe if they'd removed their shirts and danced or offered to kiss the customers or something. But they were useful in that they invited me to sell my jewelry at their upcoming charity party. They're hosting a drag queen event to raise money for an AIDS walk and suggested that I sell pieces there and then donate a portion of the profits. I like this idea because it not only benefits me, but will help them with a great cause. There were some, well, interesting people at the fair. There was one woman who wasn't interested in any of the booths; she just wanted business cards for her business card collection. There was another who came back to my booth three times, but never looked me in the eye, grunted when I spoke to her and did everything with short, quick movements. I wonder if she was stoned? There was one woman who asked me how much things cost in the booth next to me. Then there was the inconsiderate woman who just casually rested her soda can on my display. I was like, "Um... excuse me?" You definitely meet all types at these things. I've decided that I'm no longer going to do these expensive fairs on Long Island. The registration is high enough that I'm losing money since I'm not getting many sales. The traffic is there, but I feel like my booth gets lost in the sea of goods. It also seems like many don't seem to appreciate the fact that my stuff is handmade and that my already very low prices include the cost of the labor I put into them. Maybe my jewelry just sucks and that's why it's not taking off, but I refuse to believe that. I've had enough people purchase my stuff who've really liked it. And I have to have faith in myself. My next fair is in two weeks and then that night, I'm doing the drag queen party. It's going to be a really looooong day, but hopefully something will come of my hard work. To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. To read about my travel adventures, head to Naomi The Traveler.

Wire wrapped filigree bracelet with multicolored Swarovski crystal hearts

This silver wire wrapped bracelet is an oldie, but goodie. It's one of the first things I made when I was putting together my Etsy store.

To make it, I crafted several squares with my favorite filigree design. As you know, I often use it in my jewelry pieces as a base and it's because that looped design is so versatile. In this case, the linked squares look almost like a mesh piece. It kind of feels like that, too, as the bracelet is soft and springy. I dressed up the design by weaving Swarovski crystal bicones through the filigree. I then attached a Swarovski crystal heart to each link. Looking back, it's probably a bit much, but it's definitely a fun bracelet. I could see a teenage girl liking this. Right now, it's big enough to just slip over your wrist, but I'm thinking of removing a link and added a clasp. It's fun to look back and see how far I've come with techniques. But I'm always going to have a fond place in my heart for my early experiments. To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. To read about my travel adventures, head to Naomi The Traveler.

Weird Blogger thing

For some reason, Blogger is not separating my paragraphs and is instead publishing my posts in one big blob of words. I apologize if this is difficult to read. I'm checking in to see what the deal is. Please hang in.

Metalsmthing Class, Part IX: Works In Progress

Big news! At my metalsmithing class last night, I managed to solder by myself with no assistance. Woo hoo! I finally got around to attaching my bezel (the border wire that surrounds a stone and holds it into place) to my copper pendant. It was NOT easy, let me tell you. Because of the way my pendant is styled -- it's a copper disc with a carved out radial triangle pattern, sort of like a sand dollar -- the bezel had to be centered exactly. I figured this wouldn't be so hard because there was so much space to work with. I was wrong. For one thing, my bezel ring is pretty big, so I needed a lot of solder for it. I put pieces of solder in each corner, but my teacher said to use more. That's when things started to go wrong. Every time, I added a piece of solder and tried to push it up against the wall of the bezel, the bezel would move out of place. Then when I tried to move the bezel back into the center, the solder would move out of place. It seemed like a no-win situation. I finally solved the problem by adding more flux paste. The solder pieces stuck, but now I had a huge blob of flux in the middle of the piece. This wasn't that big of a deal because it could eventually be removed, but I knew it would take more time to clean the pendant later on. Soldering this piece was odd because you had to fire it from below, but it was really cool to watch. The bezel needed so much heat, the flame turned turquoise and the copper began to cracke, bubble and turned black. It felt a little as if I were rosting a marshmallow. The teacher assured me that the black would wash away, though, and it did when I put it in the pickle solution (though I had to keep it in for about a half hour). After all of this, though, she suggested that I add more solder because the bezel wasn't secure enough. This was my cue to take what I'd learned and do it myself. And I did! I think I added a little too much solder because there are big solder blobs on the pendant, but the bezel is centered and attached, and the stone fits into it like a glove. Now all I have to do is sand away the excess solder and polish the copper to even out the color. By next week, it *should* be finished, so I'll post a photo. I had a lot of time leftover in this class, especially when the pendant was sitting in the pickle, so I started a new pair of copper earrings. I have so much leftover hammered copper that I figured I might as well use it, right? I was pleased to see how much easier sawing them was for me. All of that practice paid off! I'm almost finished with one earring and will work on the other at home. Then I can solder the jumprings at the studio. I don't usually solder my ear wires, but I want to get the practice and this is a good skill to have. I can't believe that there are only two more Jewelry I classes left! Then it's on to my next three. There were times when this class really frustrated me. I'm such a klutz and having to work with small, very precise things isn't the easiest task for me. But I'm doing it. I made a nice ring, am pleased with the way the pendant is turning out and think these earrings will be really cool. I also learned how to saw, drill, file, texture, roll and solder metal. Pretty sweet! I may be clumsy, but I'm getting more and more confident each time I do these things. While I'm proud of my work, I'm more proud that I stuck with this class, despite having some doubts at first. I was really out of comfort zone, but forced myself to learn some new things. I don't think that my teacher had a lot of faith in my abilities, but she now sees how handworking I am, even if I'm not the best or the most skilled. The class has dwindled; we only had TWO students there last night. I think it's because this isn't really a "fun" class. Every project you make requires a ton of work and patience. I think it's worth the time, though, because I'm leaving a better designer -- and a more enriched person.

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. And to check out my travel blog, head to Naomi The Traveler.

Infinity Symbol Earrings With Swarovski Crystal Hearts

Lately, I've been on an infinity symbol kick. I think it's a cool symbol; it means forever and it looks really funky when it's in jewelry form:

Because of the show Revenge, it seems like everyone else is getting into infinity symbol jewelry, as well. On Etsy, I get more views and "likes" on my infnity jewelry than anything else. Part of me is thinking, "Why?" Let's be honest here; some of my other pieces are much more unique and well, artistic, than a pair of infinity earrings. But then again, there's something to be said about simplicity. Not everyone likes to wear big, complicated pieces of jewelry; some appreciate the beauty that's found in a minimalist style. And when it comes to an infinity symbol, everyone knows what it means. If you give someone an infinity necklace, it says a lot about your relationship or friendship. A necklace with a million beads on it just might not mean as much in this case. So I get it. I get why infinity symbols are so popular and made the above trio of infinity symbol earrings ot of 18 gauge silver plated wire. But I had to add an extra *something* to them just to give them a "Naomi touch" so I attached the Swarovski crystal hearts. I figured that love and forever go together perfectly! I need to keep reminding myself that the time I spend on a project doesn't necessarily reflect its value to the person wearing it. It's more about the completed vision and how each piece makes a person feel. To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs On Etsy. And to check out my travel blog, head to Naomi The Traveler.

Rainbow heart charm bracelet anodized aluminum with adjustable silver chain

This cute, little bracelet took sooo long to make. Working with anodized aluminum is fun, but actually constructing the pieces is very time consuming.

Perhaps it would help if I had proper tools. For the past few weeks, I've been using a center punch (a took that you punch to make a little dent, marking where you'll drill) AS a drill. It worked... for the most part, though I'd have to punch about a million times to carve a hole through copper and silver. Punching through the aluminum was easier, but still took quite a bit of effort.

Then today my punch broke. I'd noticed that it was getting less, well, "punchy" so I took it apart to see if I could fix the spring ... and everything fell out. Once I put it back together, it was no longer doing its job. But it wasn't me, I swear! I think it just got worn down since I was overusing and misusing it.

I managed to finish my heart bracelet by hammering a sharp file into the metal to create the hole, but that's not really the way to do it either. So I ordered a little hand drill and we'll see how that works out. I'm looking forward to being able to create a hole in a matter of seconds and to not getting my hands blistered while doing so.

Meanwhile, I'm happy that I finished this bracelet. I have an idea for a whole line of colorful bracelets and I'd like to get a bunch finished by this weekend so I have them for the craft fair. I think their rainbow colors wll attract customers -- which is what I want.

I'm becoming such a geek about jewelry tools and supplies. How weird is it that I'm so excited about a DRILL?

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.

Check Out My New Travel Blog!

One of the things that I think is really cool about this jewelry blog is that I'm getting a very international audience. I think it's great that in this day and age, I can communicate -- and get my words read by -- people in Europe, Asia and Africa.

I've mentioned many times in this blog that I'm an avid traveler and have been all over the world; many times, this is what inspires my jewelry designs.

That said, I've started a new blog called Naomi The Traveler

, where I chronicle my travel adventures from my childhood and adult years. There are interesting stories, photos and travel tips. So please check in!