Holy Cow. I'm suddenly a fan of Mad Men!

Ok, I know it's a bit silly, but it's moments like this that make running an Etsy shop so fun, so I gotta share my excitement. Imagine my surprise today when the Prop Master for the show Mad Men purchased these mugs from my shop! It was totally out of the blue. Especially so because I've been badly neglecting my little vintage shop lately.

Unbelievable to think that Don Draper may be sipping his coffee from one of my cups on an upcoming episode! Although I know a little about Mad Men, I can't say I follow the show. I'm not sure I've even seen a full episode of the show. But believe me, I'll be glued to the next season now!

Anybody else had a brush with fame (even an extremely minor one like mine) through their Etsy shop or their craft business? I'd love to hear about it!

Invaded by Gnomes!

The pesky little creatures have been super busy lately making the lovely acorn earrings that are so popular in my Etsy shop. The only problem is that I've been such a slacker about updating my shop lately that the gnomes decided to take matters into their own tiny hands and take over the shop. It's a mutiny! They even tried to change the shop name, the rascals!

Anyway, they won't leave until all the wonderful new creations have sold, so if you've been dreaming about fall like I have, head on over and treat yourself or a friend to a fun fall-inspired gift. Everyone will want to know where you got your cool new earrings, so send your friends too and help me get these mischievous gnomes out of my hair (not a good look believe me!) and back to their workshop in the woods. :-)

News! ...and an apology.

First for the news flash... This amazing avocado green phone from my vintage shop was included in a treasury that was on Etsy's front page today. 665 new views and tons of new hearts in one day! It didn't turn into any sales, but it was exhilarating none the less. Here's a link to the treasury if you're interested:

Spring Mood by Baymut

On to the apology... 
I started this blog (like so many other things) with the best of intentions, but it's become painfully obvious that I'm just not ready to be a regular blogger yet. Between my two etsy shops, my hobbies, my house, my husband, my cat and my freelance graphic design biz, I have too many irons in the fire. Something had to give and sadly, it looks like my blog is that something. So I owe an apology to everyone who signed up to follow my blog and hasn't heard a peep out of me for the last couple of months. Oh dear, this is starting to sound like a bad break up speech, "It's not you. It's me. Really." ugh.

So, where to go from here... Well, I want to keep the blog as a place that I can post extras about my etsy shops from time to time. But for the foreseeable future, there probably won't be a lot of new blogging going on round here, unless something cool happens like it did today. That's probably really how it should be. I'd rather be working on new items for my shop (and design work that pays the rent) than blogging anyway. So I guess I'm officially stepping away from blogging for a while to focus on other stuff.

So for now, I'll say toodles. I'm sure I'll pop up occasionally with updates and hopefully it'll always be with good news. Good night and good luck. :-)

The quest for socks

By knitting iris

When the first cold front hit last fall, I pulled out my favorite pair of socks (they have snowflakes on them) and was disappointed to discover a sizable hole in one. I was bummed, to say the least. On the heels (ha!) of this crushing disappointment, I decided I needed more socks to get through the winter. And so began the quest. Over the next several weeks I hit various stores looking for socks I liked. I'm sort of picky and nothing I saw really struck my fancy. I resolved to keep looking.

I was folding laundry this morning when it hit me. I never bought any new socks and despite record low temperatures, my toes have stayed nice and warm. I didn't need new socks. I was disappointed about losing my favorite pair and assigned a "need" to something that was really a want. I WANTED a new pair of favorite socks. But obviously, I didn't NEED them. ...and looking back, I'm glad I didn't spend the money.

It's got me thinking today about other things I convince myself I need that are really just wants dressed up to look more important than they are. I was planning to order business cards this week and now I'm wondering if I  need to order pre-printed cards or if there's a different solution. Check out the creative idea that Gena (aka Verdant Violet) came up with for this very problem. It's part of what got me thinking too.

So what "needs" do you have that are just wants in disguise?

 

This is all my fault

Last Saturday it was 73 degrees here in North Texas. Sorry to those of you who are tired of winter, but I just don't like it to be that warm in January. It's a reminder that August and 100+ temps aren't that far off. Winter is my favorite time of year and usually we get precious little of it around here. So last Saturday I created a little Etsy treasury devoted to winter.

And then... Sleet, freezing rain and record low temperatures hit the Dallas area Monday night. It hasn't warmed up since. In typical Dallas fashion, the city has been more or less shut down all week. (I've always thought it crazy to close the city for 2 snowflakes, but huge sheets of ice covering the roadways are something else altogether.) Just when hope was in sight with warmer temps in the forecast...

This is what we woke up to this morning. 5+ inches of snow. Dallas has gone years without that much snow in the past, so it's big deal for around here.

And it's all my fault. This is what I get for complaining.
Be careful what you wish for...

It feels good to be featured!

WooHoo! reFinds is featured on Heather's nifty blog The Gift Closet today. If you haven't discovered The Gift Closet yet, do yourself a favor and drop by. There's always something fun going on. Heather showcases a lot of unique items (many handmade). There are great gift ideas and more often than not, stuff I want for myself. Be sure to check out "Win it Wednesday" for unusual and lovely give-aways.

Special thanks to Heather for featuring reFinds! Happy Friday everyone!
Amy

My favorite place to be

For the last several days, I've been inspired like crazy to make stuff, so my favorite place to be right now is at my battered old work bench, wiling away the hours gluing, stringing beads, wrapping wire and totally destroying my manicure as only making jewelry can. It's been awesome! 

I had an online conversation recently with other jewelry makers and we all agreed that we tend to create in chaos -- the messier the better. So, although I considered tidying up before taking the pics, ultimately I decided it was more fun to show my desk in all its cluttered, creative chaos. After all, the mess is one of the reasons it's my favorite place to be right now. 

Got a picture of your favorite place or your work space? Share a link in the comments... I'd love to see it! :-)

Getting with the Groove

I've got a Facebook page for my Etsy shop! I know, I know...what the heck took me so long? Well, I don't have a good answer for that. Fear, I guess. Which is just silly. It was a lot easier to set up than I expected. Anyway, check it out (here) if you feel inclined... 

Like it if you like it, or don't. No pressure. But if you all like it, it would make me feel all warm and squishy. :-)
Amy

Tips from the World's Worst Photography Student

I admit it. I stink as a photographer. Since getting really great photos is one of the biggest factors in succeeding on Etsy, that's a problem. You'd think photography talent would go hand in hand with being a graphic designer, but I'm living proof to the contrary. I appreciate great photos, and I certainly want to showcase my products to the best of my abilities, but when it comes right down to it, I'm just not interested in learning all the ins and outs of photography. It's too technical and (this is going to sound weird since I make jewelry) a bit too fiddly for my liking. I'd rather be making jewelry than figuring out how the aperture setting on my camera works.  

So, lucky for me, I have a husband with a great eye and an interest in photography. Even so, up until now, his interest has been landscape and wildlife photos. That doesn't translate terribly well into product shots. Getting good photos of my jewelry and other small items for my etsy shop had been pretty hit and miss over the last couple of months. Practice really does make perfect, I guess, because I've noticed a real improvement as of late. Amazingly, I've been learning along the way as well, despite my lack of interest in photography. Who knew this old girl could learn some new tricks after all!

One thing I've learned is that the right lighting is the single most important factor in getting a good picture. And, getting the light right can also be the most illusive and frustrating part. But, as evidenced by the before and after pictures below, I think we (and most of the credit really goes to my wonderful husband here) finally have it figured out! Yay!

Before - I just couldn't manage to capture the vibrant gold colors in this necklace, even using indirect natural sunlight as many photography blogs and forums recommend. It just looked flat.

After - The right light makes all the difference. Just look at the rich colors! I'm so happy to finally have a photo that does this beautiful necklace justice.

Stay tuned over the next several weeks for a series of posts on product photography tips for non-photographers, specifically those who'd rather spend their time making and listing things than playing with their cameras. I plan to share all the tricks and secrets I've learned to help out others who are struggling to take better pictures like I was. More soon...