Practice Makes Perfect

I got my metal stamps in the mail! I've been practicing all day, and I'm almost etsy ready. I also ordered genuine birthstones to embellish my jewelry with, but I'm still waiting on those. Take a look at my progress! Any comments/critiques welcome. Do you think my work is etsy ready?

Go Green Tea

I'm admittedly not a huge supporter of the whole carbon footprint reducing, going green lifestyle. I drive a fuel efficient car, don't use more water or electricity than I need to survive. I believe in recycling, and I do my part. I'm just too busy to worry about every little thing and how it impacts our poor environment- I have a life to live and I'm sorry if that offends anyone. I know my stance is not the trendiest, but oh well.

Now that I'm done ranting, I wanted to compliment this beautiful bracelet. Just because I'm not as Eco-chic as the rest of you, doesn't mean that I don't appreciate a work of art!

When I was little, my father was always taking a piece of nothing and making something beautiful with it. One day our washing machine broke, so instead of throwing it away, he buried it in the middle of my mom's flower garden. She was rightfully furious, but then he filled it with water, and bought some large goldfish, and released them into the new up cycled pond. Those fish lived there for years (even through the winter somehow).

This bracelet is very touching to me, because it reminds me of those "wow" moments we used to have when my dad would come up with some crazy way to use something that would have otherwise been discarded.

This bracelet is made by Eleven And One Design on etsy. The small tiles are an old iced tea can. To me, the highest form of creativity exists in these types of items. The world has discarded it, and the artist recreates it into something beautiful that the world can relate to.

Metal Stamping, Are You Doing It?

Shown above is a beautiful hand stamped necklace by Alvina Abramova on etsy, featuring a 1/2 inch 14kt gold fill disc with stamped initial, and complimented with gemstones. The bright combination of colors in this necklace spoke to me instantly- and since I will be starting some metal stamping of my own soon, I just had to write about it! If it speaks to you too- I suggest you check out her shop, where you will find more hand-stamped goodies. I love the feel of her shop- it has a slightly more polished and elegant look than some of the metal stamped jewelry you see.

Metal stamping is a huge trend right now, and I don't see it going away anytime soon. I recently bought an amazing kit from sparklingshamrock on etsy. If you are looking to get in on the stamping action, then sparklingshamrock is your one stop shop for all your stamping needs! She has tons of fonts, ranging from $10.75 for the basic starter upper case font, to 240.00 for a set of upper case and lower case fancy fonts. That's the best deal I've been able to find anywhere online. She also puts together these amazing kits that have everything you need to get started on this awesome craft, including instructions. You can get started with the economy kit for just $69.75!

I can't wait to get started, but it looks like I'll have to. It just so happens I get into a fight with my boyfriend at the same time I need to borrow his hammer. Damn!

If you're not sure if metal stamping is something you want to get into, just browse through etsy's jewelry section, and look at the sellers who've had such success with it. People are always looking to personalize their handmade gifts, and stamping is a great way that jewelry makers can do that. I know I've lost out on a couple sales because I just didn't have the means for personalizing my items.

I watched a couple of tutorials, and I feel like I'm ready to dive in and get my hands dirty... Updates to come on my progress! Check out Beaducation.com, where you can buy tutorial videos and watch them instantly! Or, you can do it the cheap way, (like I did) go to youtube and type in how to hand stamp jewelry. There are a ton of very helpful (free) videos on there as well. That's all for now, gotta go make up with my boyfriend!

May I Giveaway

I figured the best way to start off a new blog would be with a great giveaway! So I'm starting with one of my own pieces: The Aidenne bracelet.

The Aidenne Bracelet is the perfect accessory for summer! A $28.00 value, this bracelet is made with rose quartz rectangle beads, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls, and sterling silver. Closes with a spring clasp and measures 7" in length with a 1" extender chain!

HOW TO ENTER:

Just leave a comment on this post, letting me know you are interested. I will draw a name randomly on June 15th, and announce the winner here- on my blog!

Welcome To My World

I'm finally done with Spring Semester at Stark State University and ready to start blogging. School and work take up so much of my time, I wish I could give up sleep to have more time to create and run my etsy shop!

...Let me back up a little bit. My name is Margo Snyder and this is my blog. I have a full time job, and also go to school, but my real passions are: Art, Making Jewelry, and Psychology. I will be attending Kent State University next fall to pursue a degree in Fine Arts in Graphic Design, then its on to Ursuline College for a master's in Art Therapy.

I am inspired by colors, textures, people and whatever strikes me in the moment. I started making jewelry as a hobby, and sold some here and there to people I work with and family members. I decided to open up an etsy shop and realized I really needed to improve my technique to be taken seriously as an artist. I closed my etsy shop for three months, in which time I developed new skills, which led to a sense of pride in my work to a degree that I hadn't felt before. In January I launched my couture collection. Since then I have been working on more everyday pieces and have also launched a new line called "Margo's Little Somethings". Everything in this line is under $15.00. I will soon be releasing some Hand Stamped jewelry creations in my shop as well.

Enough about me for now. I intend to use this blog as an outlet for my creative process, but also as a way to promote independant artists all over! I hope that those who read my blog will give handmade artwork of all mediums a chance before buying into the mass produced "Target" style that you see everywhere. (I am to blame for this- My Futon is from Walmart and I regret my purchase every night I sleep on that metal bar.) Handmade work is so much for enjoyable because you know that it meant something to the person who created it, and you also know that it won't be on sale for ten dollars when you paid fifty for it last week. Hate that.

Above are some pictures of jewelry and accessories from my shop. Enjoy!