Ny at work in her favorite shirt :)- Update

Today is the fourth day of Kwanzaa, Today's principle: Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah)(Cooperative Economics). Desired action- helping build and maintain profits and entrepreneurship, and economic self-sufficiency within the community. When I originally posted this blog, I wrote about a young woman I met a festival named Esra and her family. Esra had opened a small clothing boutique in the Bronx and was looking to add handmade jewelry to her shop. She also imports beautiful fair-trade bone, glass, semi and shell beads from the Congo that she uses for her clothing designs, with tons left over unused.

As part of contribution to Ujamaa in my daily life, I did sell her unused beads in my old destash shop on Etsy last year and Esra sold special collection of my hammered earrings in her boutique. Unfortuately the economic woes of 2009 proved to be a difficult first year for Esra so her store front was closed and her husband took over the property to expand a new branch for his already established travel agency.

I took these picyures of me creating some pieces tonight for Esra at the time.

It's so peaceful to sit in my room with my portable table and just hammer away comfortably. The pair I was making in these pics was my personal pair. Thats the only time I don't use gloves.

The tee shirt I am wearing I purchased from ZeCe Designs at Etsy.com
Consciousness - Hand screen printed women's ringspun cotton

As you can see I am a "big girl":) lol, but this shirt ( Size XL) fits me comfortably easy to wash and wear and 100% ring spun cotton that feels great on my sensitive skin. I am very happy to find great quality shirts that fit perfectly for my size.


Zece means "Ten" in Romanian, and Diana & Alfonso are the perfect "10" couple behind Zece Designs with an awesome selection of screen printed tees for men and women. Please check out Diana's oil painting art shop as well http://zecearts.etsy.com/ :)

Monthly giveaways & interesting news on handmade items, at ZeCe's blog: http://zecetrends.wordpress.com/

Thanks for visiting,

Be Well,

Ny

Bag Making Night at EtsyLabs

Hey family Elcome to Brooklyn - LOL I typed that on purpose;-) I didn't notice I cut off the W in this photo till it was too late. But this is one on the cool Wecome signs you see when you enter downtown Brooklyn just off the Brooklyn Bridge. I took a pic of this one on my way to EtsyLabs Monday Craft Night November 16th.

Hey, who needs building  numbers when you can have a super bright neon sign located right in your building's lobby LOL! This is the first thing yuo can when you reach the address when EtsyLabs is located;-)

Here we are on the fifth floor where Etsy is located;-) My camera battery was dying so I had to limit my pics..so not happy about that;- alot of the pics came out fuzzy and out of focus- these are the best ones I had till I can get he others ones fixed up;-(

Me ironing my bags" wrinkles out the following day post crafting.

Sewn in "Bags for the People " tag that Glen Robinson provided

Glen Robinson and I taking a quick photo together with my large drawstring bag made from repurposed fabric, Glen is an awesome teacher.

Tthis post doest do the Organization justic so I have included some links to learn more about them :

Log onto the website for the latest event pictures, news and information:

http://www.bagsforthepeople.org/

Check out the upcoming events calendar below:

http://www.bagsforthepeople.org/events.htm

***Upcoming Event***

If you are in NYC, come out to Bags For The People's Sweatshop Social -- Monday Nov 30, 7pm – 10pm: Sweatshop Social @ 3rd Ward( www.3rdward.com );195 Morgan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237

You bring the fun and the fabric; they'll provide the sewing machines, instruction, Beer by Brooklyn Brews( http://brooklynbrews.blogspot.com/ ), food from Nha Toi( http://newyork.timeout.com/restaurants/williamsburg/36016/nha-toi ) and live music curated by Pendu Org Arts & Actions( http://www.pendu.org/ )
 
Also, you can show your support for Bags for the People with a tax-deductable donation that will not only help us continue, but expand our FREE programming. You can view more info at the link below:  http://www.bagsforthepeople.org/donate.htm


You can also see more EtsyLab Photos on their Flickr Pages

Etsy Labs Photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/etsylabs/


Etsy Labs Show & Tell Flickr group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/etsylabsshowandtell/

Etsy Labs Meetup group:

http://www.meetup.com/etsylabs/

EtsyLabs Profile Page
http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=8314911


Thanks for visiting!

Be Crafty,

Ny

Friday the 13th

Scary , bad luck, superstitions..??? Nonsense!

Friday the 13th is:

SEXY

Triskaidekaphobia Beaded Pendant with Black Ribbon Necklace

Fivefootfury13.etsy.com

One of a Kind

Leather messenger bag Friday the 13th Jason Voorhees

jno006.etsy.com

FUN

Friday the 13th Blank Greeting Card

CantonBoxCompany.etsy.com

MYSTERIOUS

Tiny Friday the 13th Bottle Pendant on a Burgundy Cord

Kitcameo.etsy.com

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL

Beatricks' Rings

argonzales.etsy.com

Now, this post was scheduled to post on the 13th..and it never posted...do you think it was..??
Nah............:-P

Be Well,

Ny

New Listings-Update

I just posted these adorable crocheted ball earrings. The balls themselves were pre made but I decided to add some "spice" to them by adding some faceted glass , a little bit of semi-precious stone and very little commercial findings.

Cherry Bomb

Crocheted ball earrings with faceted carnelian rondelles.Oxidized brass findings hand crafted by etsy artist Metamorph.

Spring Fever

Beautiful shades of lime, forest and spring green.hand wire wrapped to faceted 6mm glass tear drop beads and clear faceted 3mm bi cones.Lever backs and wire are .925 sterling silver.

NEW!!-Listed 1/9/07

ChocoTaffy

Tempting crocheted earrings in brown/caramel color cotton yarn with faceted Tigers' Eye. 14K gold -fill commercial earwires
You can visit my other new items in my New Listings section

Thanks for visiting:)

Ny

I'm doing it AGAIN- Another Great BlogGiveaway Hosted by HeatherKnitz@etsy.com

This will be my third jewelry Blog giveaway as the first two were a crazy hit! This one will be hosted by the lovely HeatherknitzDesigns-http://HeatherKnitzDesigns@etsy.com

Stop by her knockout blog by clicking the button here:

Here is the prize for entering..but you can find out all the juicy details at Heather'sHope to see you there!!
Happy Holidays!

Be Well,

Ny

Another day as a designer - Some of the common questions a designer goes through:)

I remember when I was vending in NYC and I would across alot of questions , which was expected...but some questions seem to repeat themselves more often than any other. This one here happens to be my personal favorite"Why do you charge $10 and up its only handmade, that's expensive!?".

At first it was understandable , then it became funny, but when customers would approach me during the holiday season draped in "jewels" that cost an estimated 3months of my NY rent.... then it got annoying.

My first thought was..."you cant be serious" .....followed by .."this is NY do you reeaaallly think think $10.00 is alot of money for a pair of earrings, have you been to Macy's lately" lolol!!!!.. Of course not you just cleaned out Tiffany's LOL!!

Sighhhhh...............anyhow. I thougt this might be a bit fun and informative to those who don't know. Just so you,well..know:)

Why the cost?

1.Well, I create all the designs, purchase materials, assemble/produce all pieces by hand solely.
2. Materials are purchased wholesale for a better quantity/and quality product.
3. As a self represented jewelry designer I have to replinish any an all investments made into each pieces I design and sell. Plus I would like to get paid for my work too:)
4. Gold, silver and copper are priced based on the current stock market( London, NY) values which determines how much a precious metalswill sell per troy ounce. This trickles down to folks like me who pay the wholesale price.


"What is the difference between gold fill/gold plate, sterling silver/silver plate?"
GOLD
We all know that gold is not inexpensive, So I offer a long lasting, economical way to enjoy gold without the big price tag. 14 Karat Gold filled is not a base metal filled with gold, contrary to popular belief! By law, it has 1/20th by weight layer of 14 karat gold overlay that is permanently heat-and-pressure-bonded several thin layers of gold to a brass core.Under normal wear with reasonable care that you would give precious metal jewelry, 14KGF jewelry will not peel or flake, and is safe for most people with sensitive skin who can wear solid 14 karat gold jewelry.
Gold-plate is created using an electro-chemical processes.Gold-plate places a thin molecule of gold, or most often, something that really isn't karat-gold and which leaves a gold color, on copper or brass or some base metal. The weight of the gold can be less than 5% of the total weight of the piece. The gold color wears off pretty quickly when interacting with the wearer's skin salts or the pollutants in the air.Thus gold-plated jewelry is less expensive and less durable than gold-filled.

SILVER
Silver plate is the term used to describe any product that is made of metal and that has been quoted with a layer of silver. The actual material is usually some other base metal and the plating material used is silver. The silver used to plate the metal is usually sterling silver and it is quoted by a process of electroplating. Depending on the quality of the product the thickness of the silver coating may differ from product to product.
Sterling silver is .925 silver with a .075 additive, usually copper or zinc alloy that is used to harden the silver. Sterling made in the USA after the 1850's always has a sterling mark. It may say Sterling. But usually, its says 925 or 925/1000. If it doesn't have this mark it is not sterling. It can also be tested with an acid to determine its content. This should be done professionally. Anything made entirely of sterling silver is ninety two percent a precious metal and maintains and increases in value.

Thank you for visiting :)