$5.95 Deal on ArtFire

Time is running out for you to secure a $5.95 per month Pro account.  The deadline for signup is October 1st.  If you've been considering getting on this great deal, now is the time.  If you're a Pro already, there's nothing to lose.  I was already a pro when this deal was announced, so it was just about saving money for me.  And that's always a good thing, right?

If you're a basic studio or an artisan looking for a new venue, give a try!  My favorite Pro tool is the ability to make categories.  It really cleans up your studio and allows your customers to browse in an efficient way.  Another great feature for those of you who love FaceBook, is the ArtFire Kiosk.  You just add it your business page and viola!, folks can browse your studio without ever leaving FaceBook.

Now I've only scratched the surface here.  Come on over and check it out for yourself.  ArtFire is all about helping artisans to do what we love. 

Pit Bull Love

As an owner of one of these special guys, I love finding new artisans who create unique Pit Bull pieces. 

Pit Bull Love

   Curated By: RockBug

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Photography

Inspiration of the new season

As the evenings grow chilly and the days shorten, I find myself gearing up for fall and winter.  I also notice that the jewelry pieces I'm creating are inspired by the changing leaves outside.  You can certainly see these colors in recent bracelets. 

I'm sure you can tell that I prefer the colder weather.  I just love bundling up and taking Rockford for long walks.  The world just seems more peaceful during these walks.  This picture was taken on such a walk last year.

So as we humans at RockBug get ready for the season with Halloween jewelry and totes, the pups also like to stay warm with a fun hoodie.  As you can see, Rockford loves to lounge around in his, even after the walk is over.

Learning a new basic skill

So I wanted to try my hand at some very basic wire use/wrapping a few weeks ago. Since I'd never touched jewelry wire before, I knew it would take some patience and practice. There are so many gauges (size of the wire) out there and you have to determine which size is best for what you're creating. I bought a variety of wires just to practice with. In the beginning, I won't lie, it wasn't pretty. My main problems were making loops that were consistently the same size and getting the wrappings tight enough.

I just created these earrings. You can see that I used the wire to connect the amethyst teardrops to the links. I made the loop big enough that the teardrops could still move a little.  They're quite simple but I'm very proud of them. The practice is paying off and my skills are improving.  I'm excited to see where I'll be in a few more weeks.  Learning even basic wire work is essential, in my opinion, and opens up a whole new world in jewelry making.

Also, let me say that I have a ton of respect for the very talented wire wrappers out there. A wire wrapped piece is nothing short of a work of art. I've always been impressed by what they create but now I'm totally blown away!