Saturday Artisan: Shadow Dog Designs

Meet Catherine our Saturday Artisan! She is the artist and owner of Shadow Dog Designs, where you find beautiful, one-of-a-kind handmade jewelries. I admire her works, each is truly crafted with passion. Each has its own story, clearly told in the listing description. Catherine is one amazing artists I have a pleasure to 'meet' on Artfire. She is a friendly, down to earth lady who is ready to help and great to work with.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?

I grew up in Texas, and after many years of living up and down the East Coast and Canada, my husband and I relocated back to Texas two years ago, about as far west as you can get and still be in Texas. I am constantly astounded at the beauty of the desert and love the vibrant Texas/New Mexico/Mexico culture that can be found here.

Using the incredible beauty of Nature as my inspiration, I create mostly one of a kind jewelry using mainly semi-precious stones and sterling silver, although I do use copper quite a bit now. I love to incorporate other artists’ work into my creations, whether it’s polymer clay pendants, lampwork beads or other handmade items that catch my eye. I hope that my jewelry becomes like dear friends, pieces that you reach for over and over again because of their beauty, uniqueness and comfort. 

What is the story behind your shop name?  

My business, Shadow Dog Designs, was named after the 2 rescue dogs (later another rescue was added) that my husband and I had the privilege of sharing a life with. The name came about 14-15 years ago. The Shadow Dogs would follow me everywhere and were my big protectors. Naming the business after the dogs seemed the most logical choice. Plus I like the way the name rolls off the tongue! Unfortunately the first 3 Shadow Dog are now gone, but Seamus, our adopted Catahoula mix, fills their paws nicely.

 

Who is your target market?

My target market is ladies who don't want run-of-the-mill, mass produced jewelry. They love and appreciate the heart and soul that goes into designing a unique piece of jewelry that no one else will have. Most of the ladies that buy from me are between 40-65 years old and have disposable income, although I have had girls as young as 8 years old buy peace sign earrings from me. 

 

Which part of creation process that you enjoy the most?

When the Muses are rocking, I enjoy all parts of the creation process . . . from the excitement when I find that perfect strand of gemstones to when I take a close look at the final design made with those gemstones and am delighted with the piece.

Could you share on how your organize your products, we all can use a little tips here and there in this department?

Organization? What is that??? LOL! My beads are organized (ha, somewhat!) in plastic bins with drawers, usually by color or by specific stones, on plastic bookshelves along one wall. Overflow goes into whatever is handy! I also have an old drop leaf desk with handy cubbyholes where I do the packing of jewelry that has sold. I had a friend recently visit who walked into the room and was about floored by the "chaos". It is my chaos, however, and I seem to be able to find things (mostly). 

What is your best seller?

I can't say what my best seller is since most pieces are one of a kind. More earrings are sold than necklaces, probably due to the price point. I do sell a lot of turquoise necklaces, both on line and at shows.

How does your day go in general?

My days are fairly regulated. Mornings are usually spent answering emails and promo work with the various groups I participate in. About 11:00 I normally go work out, which is a wonderful chance to interact with other ladies since sitting in front of the computer or at my work table is very solitary. The afternoons are usually spent creating/photographing/editing/listing items. Sometimes I even try to "tame" my work area if the Muses are taking a day off. Evenings are usually spent with my husband, although I do seem to sneak back upstairs around 9:00ish for another hour on the computer. Weekends are more relaxed.  

What inspires you?

The colors and textures of Mother Nature inspires me, no matter where we have lived. As I type this, I can look out huge windows and see for miles and miles, across the Rio Grande into New Mexico and over to the next mountain range in Mexico. It's an awe inspiring view and is constantly changing depending on the light, the weather and the time of day. From another window I can look out the opposite way and watch the Franklin Mountains which are much closer than those in Mexico. I never get tired of watching the mountains.

What is your goal for 2014?  

My goal for 2014 is to continue developing a larger online presence and to keep building my local clientele by doing higher end, juried shows. I also have new ideas for jewelry designs rattling around in my head - we'll see where the Muses take me. 

Any advice for others running their on-line shop?

Work hard - internet selling is HARD work with many, many hours involved. Don't under price your work - ask what it is worth!

Where can we find Shadow Dog Designs?

Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Wanelo
Google+
Amazine

Stay-tuned for tomorrow's giveaway! It'll be an awesome one :-)

Spotted Tuesday: Classy and Elegant

Classy...elegant...simplicity....that's all I want! 

I'm pleased to share my Etsy finds from fabulous shops: 

1st row from left: 

5 feet Vintage White Pearl by DestashAttic 

Green Science by DressGreen 

2nd row from left: 

Bloom by byrdiegraphics

Forever by Baghy

Saturday Artisan: BastilleBleu & BastilleBleuBijoux

Meet another talented artist on Etsy: Nikki of BastilleBleu & BastilleBleuBijoux. She makes beautiful lamp beads.

Here is another thing why I love handmade: not only you get one-of-a-kind product capturing the artist's passion, but also how the product is packaged and presented shown the personality of the artist. Find out how Nikki saves money during this recession time and at the same succesfuly promotes handmade.


Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
Im a wife, mother of two grown sons, dog lover, and reside with my prince of a husband in a 100 year old farmhouse in Milwaukee, WI. Im also a lampworker, or more commonly known as a "glass bead maker". Ive been doing this for 3-1/2 years, self-taught, addicted and completely in-love with lampworking! I cant imagine doing anything else, and frequently dream about creating cool looking beads. I opened shop on Etsy two years ago and Ive been having so much fun I havent looked back since. Last year I opened up my jewelry shop featuring my hand-torched lampwork jewelry designs and although it was slow at first, its definitely getting noticed a little more.

What is your favourite item in your shop?
It varies from day to day as I try not to repeat my bead designs or jewelry designs so that they remain to some extent, one-of-a-kind and special to each buyer.



How does your day go in general?
That too, varies. A typical day would be, getting up early to take the beads that I made the night before, out of the kiln and clean them and polish them. I string them onto wire and photograph them, and then edit them on photoshop so that the colors in the photos are as "true" to real life as possible and I add my shop name. Then comes the listing of each set and jewelry piece, which for me can be the toughest part trying to come up with interesting things to say about the piece, or worse... coming up with a name for the item. This roughly can take from 2-4 hrs and I havent even begun torching yet. Some days are dedicated to making my own puffy pillow boxes that my lampwork beads are packaged in, or printing out my own bagtags.... and other days, its all about promoting my shop on the forums, my blog or facebook, creating Treasuries, and browsing other shops and hearting them. When its all said and down, I typically spend 14-16hrs a day doing a job I "truly" love, which in my opinion, is what I call total BLISS!

What inspires you?
Im inspired by color, whether it is in nature, a clothing catalog, the newest color trends each year, random photographs in magazines, my dreams, other lampworkers and artists, or just a random thought of "what if".

What is your goal for 2010?
To continue to love what Im doing, and maybe if the heavens allow it, I can start to make a profit doing what I love.

How do you promote your shop?
I definitely take advantage of the forums for promoting my shop, as there are a number of posts asking sellers to post their sales, giveaways, blogs, etc. I also use my fan page on Facebook, my blog, and Twitter... in fact my new items can draw 30 views to that listing in under 30 seconds at times just by posting on Twitter. I also hand out a LOT of business cards and do as many craft/artisan shows as I can.

Any advice for a newbie running his or her on-line shop?
Its slow at first, its definitely worth the wait! Take advantage of the forums, make connections with other sellers to help spread the word of your shop and so you can do the same for them, patience, and definitely check around to see who your competition is and where their price point falls at for the same types of items that you sell, and most importantly... have fun, because if it's not fun (and your not making tons of cash) then you might want to ask yourself what are you doing it for?

During this recession time, tell us one thing that you do to save money?
Try to do EVERYTHING handmade, including your business supplies. I save quite a bit on packaging by making my own bagtags, recycling stuff I get from other sellers I buy from like bubble wrap, jewelry boxes, tissue paper, and ribbons. And when Im not recycling, Im making my own packaging from cardstock and other recyclable items... even my own crinkled shreds.

Visit her shops: bastillebleubijoux and bastillebleu! Let me know what is your favorite. And I'd love to hear from you on what you learn from her.

Happy weekend!

Giveaway: Dragonfly Set Jewelry

Have you been enjoying the giveways that I've been hosting since the new year? Well, I'm sure you will love this week giveaway as well.

Donna, proud owner of Dryan327 shop generously sponsor this week giveaway. I really encourage you to read her profile featured yesterday here. It's always nice to find out more about the artist, after all we're talking about handmade jewelries not those mass-produced ones.


You could be the lucky winner winning the beautifully crafted Dragonfly Set Jewelry shown above. There are Seven ways to win the giveaway with a total of 18 chances to win. Please make sure you leave a separate comment for every entry. How to enter to win:

1. Go to dryan327 shop. Return to my Adore By Nat blog and simply leave a comment here about your favorite item from her store.
2. Heart her shop and earn an entry. Simply let me know your Etsy username.
   
3. Follow my blog and you earn another entry. If you're already a follower, you still get an entry, just says you're following already.
4. Become my Facebook Fan and you earn another entry. If you're a fan already, you'll also get an entry. Let me know your FB username please.
   
5. Tweet about this giveaway. Provide me with your tweet please. Each tweet worths one entry and you can tweet each day until the end of the contest (a maximum of one tweet per day is counted). That's a total of 7 entries!
   
6. Blog about this giveaway to earn 2 entries. Leave two separate comments here please providing me with the link to your post.
7. Purchase an item from dryan327 shop and earn 5 entries. Don't forget letting me know by leaving comments :-)
   

Contest starts now and ends on January 30, 2010. Contest opens worldwide.
Max 18 entries per person please (based on the rules above). Don't forget to leave me your e-mail address. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn on Sunday, January 31st by a random number generator. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected.

>> EDIT The contest is now closed >>

Saturday Artisan: 1000roads

Meet this week Saturday Artisan: Vichuta, the artist behind 1000roads and Littletwinklestar.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?

I went to school in France and graduated with bachelor degree in drama. I worked as creative group head in many international advertising agencies such as Saatchi and Saatchi , Mckann Erickson , DDB Needham etc. in Thailand. After 10 years in Madman world, I've started my own business with bead jewelry then scarf, cushion cover and fabric bag. My work has been featured in several magazines such as Living ETC (UK edition), Marie-Claire Maison ( French edition), Elle Deco (German and Thai edition), Sawasdee, the in flight magazine for Thai Airways , and Crea (Japanese magazine).

What inspires you?

I love shopping at flea market where I get ideas and materials. I love travel too. I always get inspirations from my trip. I name my shop 1000roads because I use materials from around the world. I've just have my first baby girl. I love to make hair clip and headband for her. That’s why I come up with a new shop, Littletwinklestar

What is your favorite item in your shop?

My favorite item is season of color, a hemp cushion with pompom which has been featured on Living Etc cover. I try to sell this item at Etsy but no one buys it!

What is your best seller?

My best seller in Etsy is My Blossom in winter scarf. It is made of silk velvet.

Do you have a favorite Etsy seller?

I have many Etsy favorite shops. There are around 120 shops! I love to see fresh ideas from Etsy designers.

What is your favorite tool that you cannot live without?

I don't have favorite tool but I can't work without plier. I'm more to materials. I have lots of materials!

How do you promote your shop?

I promote my shop at showcase and forum. I want to promote more but I don't know which media is really effective and inexpensive.

Just like my last two awesome featured artists, Vichuta is sponsoring a giveaway. Stay-tuned!

Saturday Artisan: StudioSeventyFive

Meet my first Saturday Artisan ever! Jennifer of StudioSeventyFive

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
I am a happily married, stay at home mom of two wonderful boys and I've been making jewelry for over 4 years now. I've always been been into creating and also knit, scrapbook etc... but I really fell in love with making jewelry and have put all other things aside to focus on it.

What is your favourite item in your shop?
I feel such a personal connection with so many of my pieces that it's really hard to pick a favorite. If I had to choose I'd say I really love my "Tres" necklace. It is simple and calming and I just love the color combination of the stones.

What is your best seller?
I have sold a variety of things, so I don't really know that I have a best seller at this point.

How does your day go in general?
I check my emails in the morning and then get the kids off to school. I do alot of picture taking and computer related things while the kids are at school. Most of my creating is done late at night. Ideas often pop into my head at 10:00pm or later which does not lend itself to a good nights sleep.

Do you have a favourite Etsy seller?
I can't really pick a favorite. I am a huge fan of the handmade soap on Etsy. I've tried alot of them and am hooked. I will never buy store bought soap again!

What inspires you?
Anything and everything! I am very inspired by nature and my surroundings. I also love reading magazines to see the latest trends in jewelry.

What is your goal for 2010?
My goal is to do more selling off Etsy. I did my first craft fair Dec. 2009 and really loved having the personal connection with my customers. I'm planning on doing several more in 2010.

What is your favourite tool that you cannot live without?
I don't have a favorite. I need them all!

How do you promote your shop?
This is where I am lacking. I don't have alot of time to promote. I have had a few blog features and spend some time in the forums. I tried twitter for a few months but found it very time consuming with little results. I guess it's something I need to work on.

Any advice for a newbie running his or her on-line shop?
Pictures should be one of the main focuses when running an online shop. It all boils down to how the public connects with your product and good pictures really make the difference. Of course, I haven't perfected it yet and still work on taking better pics every day.

During this recession time, tell us one thing that you do to save money?
I actually buy alot of my supplies on Etsy. I find better prices and great sales! I've actually saved alot of money this way and feel like I'm supporting the Etsy community.

I enjoyed chatting with Jen. She is very friendly and responsive, a sign of GREAT seller. When the word "scrapbook" came up, I had to ask her to share with me her pages.

And this is her descriptions to the pictures (starting from the top left picture):

The first two pages are from our vacation two summers ago to, Sesame Place and Hershey Park. I found some great Sesame Street stickers and also some fun chocolate paper for the Hershey page. I also made cut out my own little hershey kisses from silver paper. Aren't they cute?

The bathtime page is my youngest, Aidan. It was his first bath and as you can tell he was not thrilled. I just cut out a bunch of circles in different colors to look like bubbles and I think it came out great. Aidan actually loved baths after the initial traumatic one.

And the last page is just simple and fun. It's my oldest Caleb in his jolly jumper. I found stickers that said "Play Time and "Bouncing Baby Boy", and thought they were perfect.

Now, the good news for you:

All purchases made in her shop in the months of January and February will be entered into a drawing to win $20 of free jewelry.

And wait! There is more. Jennifer is sponsoring a giveaway and it starts tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Spotted Tuesday: Welcoming New Year

1st row from left:

Eat, drink and be merry drink stirrers by ideachic

Longevity Symbol wall decal by blankcanvasdesigns

2010 Giclee Calendar by joojoo

PEP TALKERS you are strong Ceramic Motivational Ornament by aphroditescanvas


2nd row from left:

2010 Zenbelly Planner by Zenbelly

Printable Photo Greeting Card by kottageon5th

AlteredRolodex Filing System by craftycrew

Weekly Planner 2010 - Cowboys with Red and White Polka Dot by luxfordst