A big thank you to the folks at Sculpey.com for generously donating the clay used in this project.
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Create your way to success
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Wow this month is like a whirlwind! A business trip at the beginning of the month and lots of new fun “toys” to play with and I’ll give you three guesses where I’ve spent a majority of my time!
I’ve been having a blast playing around with Spellbinder’s Media Mixage line…….
For me so much of my artwork revolves around personal memories or things that I hold very dear to my heart. When I was a little girl, my aunt Jeanette willed me a gorgeous dollhouse that she had custom made in the early 70’s. That started me on a journey of loving all things miniature.
My Grandma Campbell collected birds – especially cardinals and in the springtime, my back yard is full of bright red cardinals hoping to impress a lady cardinal with their song….
This is a tribute to them both. I developed a way to use the dies to create this 3-dimensional birdhouse charm from the Media Mixage line from Spellbinders.
Took me a little bit to perfect the technique, but now that I have it down – I can make a charm in about 20 minutes start to finish. Kinda looks like precious metal clay in a way don’t you think?
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Love, Love my friends at Spellbinder’s Paper Arts! Stacey and I met on a Scrapbooking cruise in 2005 and I am so proud of her success!
Media Mixage (pronouced – mix-aaahhh-je – love the AHHH part!) is a delicious collection of bezels, blanks, dies, paper, textures and more to create stunning mixed media jewelry and other artful projects.
The beauty of this line is the built in value of Spellbinder’s products because everything they make is made to build on the core foundation. You simply select your base shape and then you can mix and match other elements with ease depending on your style or skill level. Each time you add to your collection with additional dies and other elements, you just expand the possibilities you have to create. I’m convinced there is no other products out there on the market that can do everything that these products can do. It’s so simple, yet the results are worth a million bucks!
Obviously I couldn’t wait to open everything and get to playing. I’m like a kid in a candy store.
The Artisan explorer is their newest machine – which is more compact and therefore the pressure that it applies to cutting is more intense. It will even cut metal! Oh I’m in love – totally in love….cut and emboss metal? Yep I’m there!! (I’ll share that soon)
Here’s the first project tutorial in the Media Mixage Jewelry series that I made. These bezels were designed by Susan Lenart-Kazmir.
Spellbinders Triangles One Bezel Set
Spellbinders Triangles One Die Set
Vintage floral Findings of choice
2-Part Resin Envirotex Light
Vintage style paper
Decoupage medium
Jump Rings
Chain
Beads
Toggle/clasp
Drinking straw
other optional items: polymer clay (for base), rubber stamps, bling, charms etc
I colorized my brass findings with alcohol ink and then wrapped it around the bezel to secure. There are so many options when adding findings, bling and bezel, I encourage to you play and practice.
You can add additional elements and charms to the bezels for added interest.
Finish by attaching your bezel to a vintage style link or chain and add a toggle. .
For more Media Mixage jewelry ideas – click here to view the idea gallery at Spellbinder’s Paper Arts
For ideas and tips on using 2-part Resin (Envirotex light) click here to visit the Resin Crafts blog
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I wanted to take a moment for all of you who are feverishly getting ready to do your line up of fall craft shows and give you some expert tips and advice that I’ve found helpful. So here are my TOP 5 must do’s for success at shows – Counting down from 5 here we go….
Number 5! – Be PREPARED! This means keep a box of office supplies, sales sheets, calculator, pens and paper, BUSINESS CARDS with your EMAIL and WEBSITE on them, scissors, tape, glue, thumbtacks, drill and hammer.
Number 4 – Dress the part. This is not the time to wear your favorite comfy pants with holes in them. Yes I have some, yes I wear them and to tell you the truth, I spent all day yesterday in them…but I was NOT seen in public. This doesn’t mean you have to dress for the red carpet, but it does mean you need to look professional, neat and organized.
Number 3 – Wear a smile and greet everyone who approaches you. Do not be caught up with posting on facebook, texting your friends or have your head in a book. If you don’t care – your customers wont either. Even if they don’t buy, it’s nice to see a warm smile on your face. Try to compliment them in some truthful way. Do you like their earrings? Are they wearing a pretty color? Make conversation! and be friendly.
Number 2 – PRESENTATION SELLS! A picture is worth a thousand words and even if you’re not showing a PICTURE of your work, what your customer sees with their eyes is a picture in their brain. Make it inviting. Stay away from colors that distract and turn people away. Touches of red are okay, but a whole booth in bright red tablecloths is not as effective. Keep your booth neutral and add accents of colors with your merchandise. Think creative when displaying your work. Use fabrics and different heights to add interest….I could go on for hours here….but think presentation! It’s a little costly…but it is your advertising and it sells!
NUMBER 1 – THE POWER OF SUGGESTION! You are at work! You are a sales person, like it or not….and you want to sell what you made….so suggest UPSELLS. An upsell is simply a suggestion of additional purchases. It can be done in a way that is soft and gentle. For instance, if you are selling jewelry, suggest matching earrings or suggest a way to combine and layer jewelry pieces together that they may not have thought of. If you see they are wearing a certain color, suggest items in that color palette. You would be amazed at what you will learn about a person if you just talk friendly to them. They will tell you their life story and based on that you will know what to present and upsell.
With a little practice, you’ll be a great SOFT sales person in no time!!!
Happy Fall!! and wishing everyone a successful fall craft show season!
Until tomorrow! 🙂