new website in the works

So, I've been wanting a real website of my own for ages now but my skillz are rusty or nonexistent and I am a procrastinator at heart so it's been a shelved project for a couple of years now. Well, no more! I got a notion and finally sat down and sketched out a rough idea of what I want my website to look like and then I found a tool (Wix.com) where I could play around with different elements to create a prototype. A practice run, if you will. The result is linked over there on the right or you can click HERE to see what I came up with. It's a work in progress so it's not fully fleshed out and it has a couple of issues but I think I'm generally satisfied with how it turned out.

Now the trick is going to be creating something from scratch on my own without the handy-dandy bells and whistles of the tool that makes it so easy. I installed WordPress and I'm going to give that a go and I've been spending time pouring over stock image websites looking for and gathering elements to play with. No small task I'm finding. I'm trying to persist in the madness and I keep telling myself that I can do this but, holy crap, this is complex. :-\ I hope this works!

Yay! I made it into a fun treasury!

My Flower Beetle (Mr. Happy) made it into an awesome Etsy Treasury called Feeling Kinda Buggy. It's a really fun treasury and I think he's in good company. :)

Fits & Starts

Went to a gem fair yesterday and came home with a few goodies, although mostly I just restocked some supplies. Gem fairs are always so fun, even if a lot of the stuff is the same time after time. I always look forward to seeing some of the vendors and seeing what new things they are excited about. I got some fantastic crystals to make into pendants that I think are going to be very nice.

I got some new things made and am sifting through and editing photos so can get them listed. One of them is this -


I suspect the pendant is some kind of calcite or maybe even chalcedony shot through with streaks of carnelian but that's just a guess. Whatever it is, I think it's gorgeous. I paired it with serpentine, carnelian, red jasper and some fire agate and gave it a silver wire bail. I'm quite pleased with it.

I've also added a new street fair to the summer line-up. I'll be at the Multnomah Days Festival in Multomah Village in Portland on August 21st from 10-5. I've decided against vending at the Hawthorne Street Fair this year but I will be going just to hang out and have fun.

I said what now?

HAHAHAHAHA! OK, so making plans to post on a weekly basis is obviously a lot easier than actually doing it, it seems. Why is it so hard? Not really sure.

So summer has finally arrived in Portland - YAY! The warmth feels sooooooo good. I've been inspired to sketch out several new designs and now all I need is find the focus to sit down and make them. Not easy when the sun has come out to play. :)

The craft fair I did this past Saturday was a mixed bag. Attendance was, if I'm entirely honest, absolutely dismal. I have to admit I was pretty bitter about it at first. I mean, I gave up going to the Annual Family-Friends Summer Solstice Camping Trip to attend on the chance that it would be a source of some dearly needed income. It was not. At all. That was a hard pill to swallow. However, with a little perspective, I realize that it did give me time to sit with and think about my jewelry for awhile. I polished silver til I got cramps in my forearms. I reconsidered and reorganized my displays. I found several pieces that I really want to rework differently and thought about how I could improve things overall. I feel like I'll be better prepared for the upcoming Mississippi St. Fair because of the time I've spent thinking things over and that is a good feeling to have.

I'm really excited to get to work on new pieces. I've cleared and organized my workspace so that it no longer resembles a picture out of an I Spy book and I'm ready to go. :D Look for some new things coming soon.

Wow, time really flies! I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. Not good. Time to get back on track here.

I guess the first order of business is an update on craft fair appearances. So far it looks like this:

*Creston-Kenilworth Craft Fair, June 26th, 10-3
*Mississippi Street Fair, July 10th, 10-9
*Woodstock Festival, July 17th, 10-6
*Belmont Street Fair, September 12th, 10-5
*Last Thursdays on Alberta Street starting in June

I haven't decided/heard yet, but I'm also considering these:

*Division/Clinton Street Fair, July 24th, 10-6
*Hawthorne Street Fair, August 15th, 10-6 (this one is a big maybe)

I've been working on some Spring/Summer designs that I've really been enjoying, including some more delicate necklaces that I've fallen in love with. Everything here in the Northwest is so green. I mean, it's June and it's still raining almost every day and I feel ungrateful complaining because everything is so lush and beautiful but, um, some sun would be nice too. Everyone needs their vitamin D. I am noticing more than ever before the effect that my environment has on my work. I'm drawn to greens more than usual and I've been using a lot more light stones, including, to my surprise, more rose quartz and moonstone. I still want to do some of my larger, bold designs but I think they'll come out later on as summer starts to get a foothold and things heat up. For now, things around here have an almost fairy feel to them so that's what I've been paying attention to.

A Crystal Fairy Blossom Necklace

Ocean Shades

So, I promise not to be such a stranger. You can look forward to more frequent posts as I try to make blogging more of a priority around here. My goal is to shoot for a weekly kind of thing, more or less. Hope you all have a wonderful day. :D

Tis the Season!

Well, this cold/flu season has been brutal but I'm trying to stay hopeful that eventually we'll all be back on our feet. I hope all of you out there are staying well and taking care of yourselves. I've got some more jewelry up in the store and will be making more pieces in the days to come. Also, I'll be vending in person, here in Portland, at Sunnyside Environmental School's Holiday Bazaar this Saturday the 5th from 11-4. Come by and say hi if you can! 3421 SE Salmon St.

Bundle up and stay warm! :D

Elegant Smokey Quartz and Silver Fancy Dress Necklace

Elegant Labradorite and Silver Fancy Dress Necklace

Brass Filigree with Rubies, Black Spinel and Mystic Green Topaz

I'm having a big Fall/Halloween Sale! Come check it out - I may have marked down something you've had your eye on. :D www.LaurasDesigns.com