My D.I.Y. Wedding Part III

Here are a few more sneak peaks of my upcoming wedding!

Enjoy ;)

Spotlight on...

Zen25 Release Me Creations

Gloria's Jewelry Box is very excited about our weekly Artist Spotlight Series. You have to check out the creative work from this talented artist! I am in love with the White Quartz Bullet with Peacock Necklace! Show her some love!

1. Tell me a little about yourself! What inspired you to open an ETSY shop and what is your business?
I'm a silly crafty girl who moved from Philadelphia to Fort Worth about two years ago. While driving to Texas for the move, my Mom called and informed me that my dad had been diagnosed with Cancer. Eight months later he had passed away after a brave battle with the disease. I spent the last three months of his life at home with both of them, helping and just spending as much time as possible with my Dad. During my down time, while my Dad was sleeping, I found myself becoming increasingly anxious and stressed and needed to find a way to channel it. I suddenly thought, "I want to make some jewelry." So my Mom and I hopped in the car, went to the craft store, and I have been crafting ever since. My shop, Release Me Creations by Zen25 resulted from my newly crafted pieces.

2. What ETSY team(s) are you a part of?
I LOVE Etsy teams, thus I am a member of a lot of them. Okay, deep inhale and...Etsy Success,Norfolk and Chance, Conquer Etsy Front Page, Epic Treasury Team, Global Arts Team, Craft Count, Handmadeology, Pure Handmade, Etsy817, Creepy Queen Team, Inked Etsy, Click One Treasury Team, Pay It Forward, Etsy Under 30, Technique Q & A, Custom Order Corner, Etsy Texas Crafters, Etsy Ugly Cute,

3. When did you begin your business?
I started my business in November of 2009.

4. What inspires you to create?
I am inspired by colors and shapes, stormy weather, the ocean, the sky, industrial metal buildings, zippers, and anything that is unique or different

5. What do you envision your business in the next five years?
In the next five years I envision my business to be bringing in triple figures, with a five shop locations and a staff...oh, you wanted realistically? In the next five years, realistically, I see my business making steady growth as I continue to learn and refine my pieces. I am completely self taught, so I learn as I go, and make the mistakes right along with it.

6. What is the best business advice you have ever received?
Rome wasn't built in a day.

7. What are three of your favorite ETSY shops?
All three of these shops are pure inspiration to me each for different reasons

Art Akimbo: "Puttin' the fun in funky and the eek in unique." This artist has some of the most unique, incredibly funky and fun sculpture art I have ever seen. I love how he just makes what he loves. I am still saving up to buy that wall tentacle
http://www.etsy.com/listing/56638710/wall-tentacle?ref=pr_shop

Theatre Clouds: Gorgeous romantic and whimsical, not to mention incredibly unique prints. I LOVE the sailboat pictures:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/62466934/ill-travel-with-you

The Angry Weather: She is a serious inspiration to me. I wish I could work with metal the way she does! Love all of her pieces
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheAngryWeather?ref=ss_profile

8. What is something that you tried crafting, that turned out to be a disaster?
The first time I tried making a steampunkish pendant filled with resin it was a complete and total messy disaster. The resin overflowed, and I only had a small paper towel under it so it went everywhere. When I got that all cleared up, and let the resin set, it turned out I hadn't sealed the image underneath completely so the inks bled and everything turned a murky blue. Definition of disaster! I have since gotten better with resin, but I am nowhere near mastery!

9. What are three things that few people know about you?
I have two degrees, a B.A. in Education, and a M.A. in Education Leadership. I taught 9th Grade English for five years, got completely flustered with the educational system, and now do what I love working at a Martial Arts school where I also train in American Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

10. Check out this fabulous seller at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/zen25
http://www.facebook.com/ReleaseMeCreations
http://twitter.com/releasemecreate
http://www.releasemecreations.blogspot.com/

Enjoy;)

I WON A GIVEAWAY!!!

I like most people always enters contests but NEVER expect to win. I magine my surprise to see that I won the Purple Package of the Joni Girvan Photography Giveaway! Here are some of the pictures of my goodies!

Enjoy ;)

I've been treasured...

These are a few treasuries, I've been featured in...

Enjoy ;)

Spotlight on...

Pieces of Amber

Gloria's Jewelry Box is very excited about our weekly Artist Spotlight Series. This is the third interview of many to come. You have to check out the amazing work from this talented artist! Show her some love!

1. Tell me a little about yourself! What inspired you to open an ETSY shop and what is your business?
My name is Amber, I am a 30-something married mother of two boys, live in a small town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and work part time in an natural food store as a deli leader and cheesemonger. I just recently acquired the cheese part of the job, and it's been an awesome learning experience. In the small amount of spare time I have outside of work, being a wife and mother, and housework, I garden and make jewelry. I've made jewelry off and on for 18 years. I started out with hemp, then learned the art of peyote stitch. I didn't get into working with gemstones until 2005, and that's when I discovered my passion for making gemstone earrings, necklaces and bracelets. I really have enjoyed learning the names of all the natural and manmade stones and am always asking the vendors at gem shows to tell me the names of any stones I don't know yet. I also like to incorporate glass, crystals, wood, shells, pearls, and nut beads into my designs. I almost always use silver.

2. What ETSY team(s) are you a part of?
Etsy Tristate Area Team, MD Etsy Street Team, East Coast Artisans, Handmadeology, Art for the Environment, Etsy Delmarva, Jewelry, and New Etsy Sellers.

3. When did you begin your business?
In May 2006, I went for it. I had been selling at local flea markets and craftshows for a year to see how sales would be, and my family and friends had placed orders and bought from me, so I made my dream a reality.

4. What inspires you to create?
Everyday life inspires me to make jewelry. I see customers wearing different jewelry everyday at the store. When I shop for beads, I get inspired. I get random design ideas in my head at weird times of the day. I love the colors that I find in nature, and tend to choose greens, blues and browns mostly, but I also choose brightly colored pinks, purples, reds, and orange.

5. What do you envision your business in the next five years?
In the next 5 years, I plan on reaching out to more customers, and hopefully more success will entail from that. It would be nice to be able to make a full time business out of it, but I'm enjoying the work I do in the deli presently, so hopefully I will still be doing both. I have many dreams of success, but I'm taking it one day at a time.

6. What is the best business advice you have ever received?
Someone once told me to never sell myself short. I always try to heed that advice.

7. What are three of your favorite ETSY shops?
Picking just three is really hard, because I have so many. Check out my page to see what all my favorites are. I'm really smitten with:
www.etsy.com/people/elseetee
www.etsy.com/people/zulasurfing
www.etsy.com/people/MarcusBerknerJewelry
because they are doing what i want to learn someday, metalsmithing.

8. What is something that you tried crafting, that turned out to be a disaster?
Recently I tried making these beaded flower earrings through a glass flower. I had the idea in my head, but couldn't execute it. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be! That's just one example. Sometimes I'm just not feeling it, and I'll scrap an idea in the beginning stages.

9. What are three things that few people know about you?
One of my goals is to turn my yard into a beautiful thing. I want flowers, trees, plants, fountains, slate tile walkways, a pond, a bridge, a rock garden, a cactus garden, etc, etc, etc. Few people think I care about my yard that much. I am really anal about recycling. If it can be recycled, it better not go in the trash! I hate scheduled working out and exercising. I think its the most boring thing ever. I just pull weeds, dig, play with my dogs and kids, and lift things instead. :)

10. Check out this fabulous seller at:
If you live locally, you can find my pieces at Lizzy Dee, and Due East.

These are my sites:
www.etsy.com/shop/PiecesofAmber?ref=pr_shop
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pieces-of-Amber/132730043440159
http://twitter.com/PiecesofAmber

A page I share with other artists:
http://www.facebook.com/CreatingWithCompassion


Enjoy ;)

My D.I.Y. Wedding Part II

The big day is in June. I can't believe that it is almost here! This is a complete D.I.Y. event. There is nothing better than putting your blood, sweat and tears into something. These are a few of the hair pieces that I made. Believe me, by no means am I an expert...lol... These were my first attempts! Let me know what you think ;)

Spotlight on...

Mackwire Wire Sculpture

Gloria's Jewelry Box is very excited about our weekly Artist Spotlight Series. This is the second interview of many to come. You have to check out the amazing work from this talented artist! Show her some love!

1. Tell me a little about yourself! What inspired you to open an ETSY shop and what is your business?

I'm a wire sculptor from Baltimore City. I've been twisting and doodling with wire for over ten years. My specialty is the human figure but I dabble in just about anything. Etsy's DIY culture has inspired me along with the ease of it's networks, so I've set up a little shop to sell some of my smaller retail pieces.

2. What ETSY team(s) are you a part of?

The Etsy Tristate Area Team
Maryland Etsy Street Team


3. When did you begin your business?

Officially I started my business in 2004 .

4. What inspires you to create?

Difficult to say what inspires me. Inspiration changes from day to day and place to place. One night it will be a specific kind of bird and the next, maybe an acrobat.

5. What do you envision your business in the next five years?

I'm hoping to keep my business growing and take it full time.

6. What is the best business advice you have ever received?

It's all about the light.

7. What are three of your favorite ETSY shops?

ETSY is full of so much creativity, I would hate to pick.

8. What is something that you tried crafting, that turned about to be a disaster?

Every dog that I've ever tried to sculpt has turned out a disaster. Not sure why that is, I've sculpted nearly everything else...it seems.

9. What are three things that few people know about you?

I'm color blind, a sucker for the ballet, and I used to be a choir boy like Sting.


10. Check out this fabulous seller at...

www.mackwire.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Mackwire
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MackWire/192632233676
http://twitter.com/#!/mackwire

Enjoy ;)

Five Dollar Vintage Finds!

The leather clutch was $4.95

The paisley scarf clip was .99 cents plus $3.00 combined shipping

As promised, this is the second installment in my Five Dollar Vintage Finds! series. I LOVE vintage everything! I was raised in my grandmother's house, around all of her jewels, china and vintage prints. I am an avid thrift/ vintage store shopper and I decided to share some of my finds with you. Each item was less than $5.00 each. That is the one and only rule of this series, NOTHING over $5!

Hair Jewels New to Gloria's Jewelry Box!

Good Evening! Wanted to share some new goodies in my shop, Gloria's Jewelry Box! I am pleased to share my new Hair Jewels with you! I have a variety of bobby pin and vintage inspired tortoise combs to share with you. These hair pins are perfect for all hair types from straight to natural hair!

Spotlight on...

Diaspora Designs African jewelry with beads from my world travels

Gloria's Jewelry Box is very excited about our weekly Artist Spotlight Series. This is the first interview of many to come. Show her some love!

1. Tell me a little about yourself! What inspired you to open an ETSY shop and what is your business?

I have a background in ceramics and sculpture and received a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Alfred University. I love working with my hands. I have been sewing, collaging, drawing and sculpting with anything and everything for as long as I can remember.

2. What ETSY team(s) are you a part of?

Etsy Artists of Color and It’s a Zen Life

3. When did you begin your business?

I opened my shop last August (2010) after one of my friends suggested that start making hemp jewelry to sell at some local festivals around Boston. I started making things and I just couldn’t stop, I love having multiple projects going and I am a workaholic by nature.

4. What inspires you to create?

Traveling the world inspires me. Every new city and country has so much rich culture, architecture, color, smells, food, crafts and history. I went to Egypt this past October (2010) and I am still unpacking the experience.

5. What do you envision your business in the next five years?

I hope that in five years I can afford to have a line of jewelry whose proceeds go tocharity. I really want to be able to have my business give back to places that have been struck by natural disaster such as New Orleans, Haiti and Japan. I also want to expand from just the jewelry and sell my travel photographs of all the places I visit.

6. What is the best business advice you have ever received?

Hire an accountant to handle your taxes and use an online accounting tool to track your income and expenses.

7. What are three of your favorite ETSY shops?

naKiMuli because she showcases truly one-of-a-kind afro-funk style that blows my mind!

BoutiqueDeBandeaux because I love to see fashion forward hair accessories made for natural and curly hair.

HotBunnyLove Jo’s glasswork is phenomenal I am so glad another Alfred graduate is sharing her work on Etsy!

8. What is something that you tried crafting, that turned out to be a disaster?

Knitting--- I never had the continued patience and the yarn always seems to get tangled in knots!

9. What are three things that few people know about you?

I learned to swim before I could walk, I prefer the quiet countryside to the city, and I want to go to Las Vegas before I die.

10. Check out this fabulous seller at:

Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/diasporadesigns
Twitter: twitter.com/DiasporaDesigns
Facebook: www.facebook.com/diaspora-designs

Enjoy ;)