Occultary

About a week ago I posted a few pictures on my Facebook page of jewelry items I havefinished and jewelry items that I would be posting on etsy.  One of these items, the Occultary necklace, I made a note saying I would be doing a blog post on - and this is something I plan to continue doing with pieces.  I feel that it is a way for you to connect not only with me but with the pieces I make.

While the name is a little strange (it makes you like of witches and the like doesn't it?  It's okay to admit, it makes me think of them too) I feel that for right now it fits.  Although, as I said on Facebook, I am open to suggestions for a new name.

I have always been intrigued by Catholicism, the beauty and ceremony of it all.  While I am not a Catholic in any respect, I have known a few, as well as gone to a few Masses (is that the proper way to pluralize Mass?  Either way, I think you know what I mean).  And while I could do without all the kneeling and standing and the kneeling and the standing, the idea of Catholicism and it's rituals is quite interesting to me (for those of you who do not know me, I am a United Methodist but I am always interested in learning about new religions and learning new things about religion.

As I mentioned earlier, I do not yet have an official name for this necklace, so for now it is going to be known as the Occultary.  The bead I used remind me of rosary beads, but the charm is obviously not a cross, so I feel it would be sort of sacrilegious to call it a rosary.  Instead I found the Latin word for hidden/secret (Occulta) and mashed that with the end of rosary, and TA-DA! Occultary.  And while this necklace is not quite done, I think it is a good reminder that while religion is important, as it what it represents and means to each of us, it is also important to remember that there are somethings we keep hidden from everyone (and some that we try to keep hidden).  I think that this necklace will take on a more rosary-esque look before it is put up for sale, but I like it is not a bad prototype.

snapping and uploading

I started to take pictures of all the projects that I have in my apartment - and I didn't realize how few things I still have!  That said, I know a few people who have things that I made them who I am going to ask politely if they will let me take a picture of them wearing it.

While I think it is important to photograph items, I think it add a little something extra if you take the picture of the person who now owns it as well.  I think I might offer a discount to customers who send me a picture of them with their new treasure (it also will encourage them to buy from me again *teeheehee*) for me to post either on my FB page or my blog or both.

I mentioned earlier that it is important to photograph items, and I believe this is completely necessary from a buyers stand point but also from an artists standpoint.  I think as a buyer, people want to now only see what the item looks like, but how it falls, how big the charms are, how long the chain is, etc; but when people not only put love into the items, but into the photographs of them it shows.  It shows how much they care about what they do.  Now, as an amateur photographer I tend to pay more attention to the pictures than most people.  I not only look at how people set things up, but how they capture them.  While many people do not think there is anything wrong with simply placing items flat on a table, snapping a shot or two, and then posting said shot(s), there is - it shows that you aren't willing to spend the extra few seconds to show different views of this piece of yourself that you've just created.  Now, I take it a step further and I artsify most of my pictures; and this is simply because I think it makes them more interesting (I still try and post at least one picture without modifications though).

After spending about two hours setting up shots, snapping pictures, and then artsifying them I am finally ready to post them on my facebook page!  I hope that the more items I post up, the more inclined people will be to start ordering.  I will also add a few pictures here as a preview, but please stop by my facebook page to see all the pictures and let me know what you think.

live aloha for life!

These are from the Hope, Locks, and Keys necklace, bracelet, and earring set:

 This is a close up of the Ballet Perls clasp:

 This is a close up of the charms from the Serenity, Courage, Wisdom, Hope necklace:

 This is a hat I made when it was raining a few weeks ago because all my hats decided it was too cold and hid themselves:

aloha to you

My mom taught me to crochet when I was about 8 years old (or there abouts, my memory tends to be kind of unreliable) and I have not stopped since.  I have since added on knitting (I learned on a family vacation to Colonial Williamsburg), jewelry making (I blame a brief stint working at Jo-Ann ETC), sewing, and a few other crafty things.

I have always made things; sometimes it was to keep my hands busy while I watched television (so my hands have something to occupy them so I don't absent-mindedly shove food in my face), for a friend's birthday or baby shower (I have not been invited to any weddings yet...), a necessity (like it was really cold outside and I could not seem to find a hat or a scarf), or because someone commissioned something.  I always thought my items were interesting but nothing special, but after hearing my friends, my family, even random people tell me how cool and pretty and amazing my things look, I think it's time I start trying to sell them.  To share them with others.

When I make things, so often they are just for something to do and I end up having all these wonderful craft projects just sitting around - and I have even been known to toss the ones I could not pawn off my my sister or my friends.  It's quite awful, I know; a part of me wants to go back and delete the last two lines.  So instead, I will be posting things here, on my Facebook page (which is still under construction, so please be patient), and on my etsy site.

A good friend of mine suggested that I just sell things through a blog site, but trying to figure out how to add a paypal button gave me a headache; maybe it will be something I can add in the future, when I have time to read through all the terms and conditions things to make sure I'm not losing more money than I make.  For now, all items will be sold via etsy; this too might change as I delve into this world of homemade treasures (if you have any sites you want to recommend I check out, please please please leave them as a comment or feel free to email me with them).

As far as what I am going to be posting/selling, I will have four categories: crocheted items, knitted items, jewelry items, and stitched items.  The crocheted and knitted items are self explanitory: they are items I have crocheted or knitted.  These items could be a hair flower (I like making these), a hat, a scarf, a blanket (I feel that I should note that it is unlikely that I have have a lot of these because they are time consuming to make.  I will most likely have something where people can personally commission items, but they will probably have to submit them at least a month in advance or something.  I do not really know, I'm still working that out. ^~^)  The jewelry items will be necklaces, bracelets, and earrings; actually, it will probably be mostly earrings because I enjoy making those a lot more.  I will also take commissions for things, depending on the level of difficulty.  The stitched items will probably not show up too often, but they might make an appearance from time to time.  These will include bags, cross stitched items, possibly clothing, and there is definitely  the possibility for other things in the future.

I will also try to update at least once a week.  I am contemplating what I should post here, so as soon as I figure exactly what I want to put here I will probably have a better idea of what I will post.  I will definitely post updates of current projects, possibly knitting and crocheting how-to's (mainly beginner things), I might do a Q&A/FAQ thing once a month, and I have a few other ideas rolling around inside my head.  Again, if you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know.

Okay, so, first post done.  That was not nearly as annoying or troublesome as I thought it would be - I'll take this as a good sign.  Let the crafting begin!