Sunday, February 23, 2014

Getting Ready To Photograph My Jewelry...Supplies


The messy business of creativity!


When I begin to take my photographs, I like to gather an array of items that could potentially be useful.  While I do have my own workstation for crafting my jewelry, I don't really have a specific place to use for photography.  My budget is very limited so my main tools are:

  • My iPhone5
  • A table near a window with relatively good light
  • Morning light for said table placement 
  • White poster board
  • A glass bottle
  • Shabby Chic jewelry display shadow box
  • Necklace display
  • Bracelet display
  • Scarfs
  • Flowers of various types
  • Tape and pins


My favorite pins


I have used wooden backgrounds in the past.  Unfortunately, I don't own wooden furniture in the style I like to use for my photos...so I cheat!  I print pictures of the wood I like and use that instead.  No one seems to have noticed yet!
A clear case of fake wood!

My shadow box/jewelry display case serves as a great background also.  I can use my favorite 'Leukemia Orange" pins to dangle jewelry from; I can use the burlap as a background; or I can use the wood of the box itself, as I did with the Mother of Pearl Silver Loop Earrings below. 

Ready to use

Mother of Pearl Silver Loop Earrings
The final picture 

The final product really depends on several factors.  I have to time my shoot just right for the lighting to work.  Using natural light only is quite a challenge but it does keep costs down and I like the look of natural lighting more.

I am sure I will find more fun ways to photograph my jewelry.  I often use the plain white background  for pieces to make them really stand out.  I like to try other things, however...and find my creative juices flow when I try out new ideas and staging for my pieces.  

Using flowers as a background




The glass bottle

Just white!


Moonstone Bracelets




I enjoy creating items out of interesting stones.  This pair of bracelets is made from peachy pink moonstone.  Moonstone has many properties that make this jewelry wonderful to wear.  In India, Moonstone is regarded as 'dream stones' with the power to bring the wearer beautiful visions as they sleep.  Arabic countries regard Moonstone as a symbol of fertility.  Other cultures regard Moonstone as 'Lovers' Stone', keeping one's feeling of love and happiness safe.

This peachy pink moonstone is thought to stimulate the mind, calming and soothing any anxiety the water may feel.  It supports the heart and sends out loving energy.




Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The Superman Sammy Bracelet



Before I begin blogging about all my creations, I felt is was important to showcase the talents of my sons.  The bracelet pictured above was designed and created by my nine year old.  He selected the beads and decided how it was going to be put together.

At first I was very concerned about the beads selected.  The color combination was a little unsettling to me and I questioned the choice.  My son stood firm and told be to, well, back off!!!  So I did and merely acted as a guide in threading needles for the elastic.  The rest was all Sammy.

During treatment, Sammy could not hold a pencil properly without help; the chemo had affected his motor skills.  That seemed like such a distant memory as I watched the bracelet grow with each carefully sewn bead. And what a beautiful bracelet it turned out to be!  I posted it on my Facebook page and within three minutes it was sold....wow!

Sammy was very happy to have created something that someone wanted, and even happier that he made money for his cause.  He now makes these bracelets to order...yes, he is the one making them...and you can find yours right here.  

Monday, February 17, 2014

The Chunky Monkey



This is one of the early items to appear in the first incarnation of my shop.  It was designed and created by my son, the cancer warrior.  This bracelet trio is mine; I sold similar items based on this design.  It was very popular as a summer item.  I eventually ran out of fun beads that worked for the piece and so The Chunky Monkey was retired.  I'm often asked to do more and have created a couple that were not posted in my shop.

Sometimes these items did not work out.  Although the bracelets are created with a mish-mash of random beads, they only work if the right beads are selected.  Then, the way the beads are threaded on the elastic had to be right or the whole thing just looks odd and imbalanced.

I wanted you to see the original work that began my journey in jewelry creation.  Please let me know if you have any questions...what do you think?  Should I reinstate The Chunky Monkey in the future?

Starting Out...Again!

The Family 

Here I am folks!  Yes, I am starting a new blog...right from scratch...brand new...again!  No, I'm not going to ditch this one, it is my passion.  Let me explain why.

My first venture into the world of blogging started a month into my son's treatment for leukemia way back in 2009.  The last thing on my mind was gaining an audience, making friends, sharing my wisdom.  Instead I was desperately trying to make sense of the worst situation of my life while having a place to let my close friends and family know what was going on.  The blog evolved into a therapy session for me...and shared a LOT about my beautiful son and his amazing brother.  It served its purpose and helped to keep me sane...my son is now a happy, healthy nine year old.  He has moved on from the world of cancer, pain and death.  Yes, he knew he could die...some of his friends passed away.

So now I am one of the lucky parents who continue to hug her children to sleep.  But the amazing fact I can do that is not lost on me.  While my family and friends move beyond our battle (as they should), I want to ensure this fight comes to an end for everyone.  Especially children.

I now create jewelry to help fundraise for cancer research.  Money raised thorough sales goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  My son has a team that gets together once a year to Walk for the Cure.  I will be posting the team webpage as soon as it is active for the 2014 walk.  Everyone is welcome to join the team, even if you cannot walk on the night :)

I try to vary my creations so that I meet the needs of a wide range of customers.  I also try to hit a variety of price points too.  All the items are made with love...real love for real heroes.

So enough of this...check in on the About the Butterfly tab at the top of the page to find out more about my passion and the VERY good cause I fight for.

Katy xx