Hooray for organization

organized supplies 1, originally uploaded by shop clementine.

One giant mess down, two to go!

The gift of a new flat screen tv (living in the wood armoire there) spurred a flurry of cleaning up in my work/live area. Introducing: shelves left forgotten in the garage! And new plastic stacking containers for holding massive amounts of beads! Yay!

Now I have to tackle these demons:

Work desk/computer/printer

The flame and chemical desk, aka the jeweler's bench, in the basement

New Look

I'm addicted to making banners and avatars for my Etsy shop. It's an unfortunate addiction, because it means I'll never know if consistency in your shop's look increases sales. But I love playing around with fonts and colors, and I can't imagine keeping one look for too long.

I made a new one yesterday to showcase my current bestseller, the Snow Blossom Earrings. The ten inches of snow we got over the course of the day clearly influenced my work!

Of course, I'll probably change it again in a few months. 'Cuz I'm fickle like that.

Calling all Mensa members!

Apparently, this blog is for you. Because it's for geniuses. Is that the right way to pluralize "genius?" Clearly, I'm not a Mensa member. But my blog is.

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All I can see is the frost on my window

I hit the road at 6:30am yesterday to make the trek to Rhinebeck, NY for a craft show. It was 14 degrees outside. Ain't no way I was gonna scrape that windshield.


But the moon was bright and gorgeous over the Berkshire hills and I had to get a picture. At the show, I chatted with Winnie from Lucid Studios. "I got up at 5:30." "Me too! Wasn't the moon gorgeous?" Aaah, the little things that crafters get to bond over. Like the moon through the windshield.

Happy Thanksgiving

What a wonderful way to celebrate a holiday for giving thanks: my Golden Harvest earrings made the front page of Etsy.com today. I'm so soo so excited and thankful for everything Etsy has brought into my life.

Showdown!

Grudge match: Tess vs Squirrel hogging the bird feeder. Tess is sure she'd be looking at pretty, mouth-watering birdies if that damned rodent wasn't all over the feeder. She's ready to defend her territory. Only problem is that darned window in the way.

Change in the weather, change in the view

I awoke this morning to our first dusting of snow here in the foothills of the Berkshires. It will be gone by this afternoon (you can already see it's melted beyond the shadow cast by the house) but it's a harbinger of things to come. It seems so harmless when it's hardly a millimeter deep. But oh, just wait.


One of the great things about snow, though, is that it opens up a whole vision of what goes on in the animal world when you're not watching. I love finding tiny tracks in the snow. Here are some kitty prints next to the tiniest little paw prints I've ever seen. Field mouse, perhaps? They're so cute when they're not laying nests in your car's engine block.

Booth Display Ideas for Jewelers

Rena at Jewelry Display Ideas is collecting a great online library of booth display photos and ideas. It's a great resource for anyone looking for a little inspiration and how-to on booth displays. She got in touch with me to chat about my booth—and the results can be seen on the website. Now my booth is famous! wooooot :)

Get your holiday on.

Creature Comforts has put together an awesome Indie Holidays Guide, featuring an incredible array of great artists, including Clementine Jewelry. Make sure to check it out for superb gift ideas—and don't forget to buy handmade this season.

Wanna See Something Cute?

Yesterday, I was a little stressed out. I had an order for 10 jewelry pieces to fill, seven of which were made-to-order, which means I had to create them from scratch. And I had a meeting at 5pm to prepare for. I was elbow-deep in Liver of Sulfur (peeeee-ew!) in the bathroom with the fan going, sensing my brain cells softly calling "we're dyyyyying!" Then I noticed Lulu outside, spread haunch to head in a pile of leaves.


Clearly, I dropped everything and ran outside for a kitty photoshoot.

Golden Opulence

I love a good combination of tough and feminine. There's something so chic about the interplay between chunky chains and a sweet, faceted gemstone.

When I posted my first Golden Opulence bracelet, it got a lot of attention. It was featured on Another Shade of Grey and when Franki at Life in a Venti Cup saw it, she bought it and featured it on her excellent blog. I was quite tickled (also pleased as punch, happy as a clam)!

Luckily, I had this bracelet in mind when I went to the gem show a few weeks ago. There, I found a stunning strand of Copper Rutile. Swoooon! I gulped back my fear and paid more than I usually would for a single gem strand. But it was worth it.

The Golden Opulence bracelet will be a limited edition run featuring vintage brass chains and a single nugget of Copper Rutile. Each bracelet will be unique, as no two Rutile gems are ever the same.

Shall. We. Play. A. Game?

Don't you love these games where you get to fill in all sorts of information about yourself in the name of entertainment (and, let's just go ahead and say it, narcissism)? Yeah, me too.

This is one I stole from my bud Tonya at Happy Dash (who stole it from One Good Bumblebee)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Keiko Volvo

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Mud Pie Thin Mint

3. YOUR FLY Guy/Girl NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
C-Gra

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Cerulean Dolphin

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Sara New Rochelle

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Graca

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Purple Old Fashioned

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Bertil George

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Sugar Blossom Red Hot

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
Sheridan Nels

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Mislak Miami

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Halloween Orchid

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Strawberry Fleecie

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Peanut Butter Japanese Maple

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Metalwork Lightning Tour

If I Were a Shoe....

From the annals of Odd: a pair of shoes that share my name.

There's also a female bodybuilder that shares my name. She's not as cute as these shoes.

Poster Perfect

Etsy sponsored a contest for users to design a poster that showcased a curated collection of items listed for sale on Etsy. One of the 60 winning designs features my Teal Bow Earrings--what a thrill! And what a gorgeous poster by Lunalove.



Etsy says "We are going to be giving these posters away at fairs and festivals. They will be used to promote the featured artisans, the artistic eye of our curators, and a hint of the beauty to be found at Etsy." See the full archive of winning-poster-gorgeousity here.

Crime Scene Photos

So, I just went up into the attic of the garage to start collecting craft show stuff. And what do I find, hiding under a tarp, but a horrifying crime scene.

(Note to self: try to remember to remove food items from boxes after you move and *before* you store them in the garage and forget about them for three years)


Not only did the little buggers (raccoons? porcupines? opossum?) get at my Good Cocoa (MarieBelle, yuuuuummmmm.....I can't believe I forgot about it), BUT THEY PRANCED ALL AROUND WITH THEIR COCOA-COVERED PAWS. Seriously, that's just rude.

Gearing Up

As the summer days dwindle in length and number (and I think "where the HELL did the summer go?!"), my focus turns to fall.....and with it, the annual Craft Show Parade.

This year, I'm aiming to do three craft shows, which is two more than last year. Yipes! I'd better start ramping up the production now if I hope to have enough inventory.

I also need to make some modifications to my show set-up.


Here's the lovely booth I had last year at the Ashfield Fall Festival (a must-go for anyone in Southern/Western New England--it's the cutest small-town fair ever). I was really, really pleased with the way the grid turned out for the earring display. But I was underwhelmed by the effect of the big board of necklaces.


My uncle John (who does displays for the Winterthur Museum Store) came up with a couple of great suggestions that I've been playing around with. But if anyone else has any brilliant ideas on how to better display the necklaces and bracelets, I'd love to hear 'em.

Times I'm Glad I Don't Live in NYC Anymore

There's a lot to miss about my old life living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan.

But frequent subway flooding is not one of them.

The first time the subway flooded when I was there, I had to walk from 34th and 9th to 51st and 3rd (that's a bit of a hike). About halfway thru my slog, soaked up to the knees by the rain and puddles, a homeless man came running at me and tried to knock me down. Luckily, I parried and was able to keep my balance when he rammed into my shoulder.

Ahhhh, good times.

Dear Mr. Spider Living Outside My Bedroom Window,

you are one giant mo-fo. Please don't eat me in my sleep. Thank you.

So THAT'S why my iPod has a mirrored back.

Picture yourself on a walk down a country road on a late summer afternoon. The crickets are making that "it's so HOT!" noise and and the goldenrod is starting to paint the fields yellow. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a large bug does a kamakaze divebomb straight into your eyeball. In mortal terror, it burrows straight into the depths of your eye socket—and suddenly, all you can think about is getting that f**ker out.


You desperately jam your fingers in there, hoping that introducing another foreign body will somehow cancel out the terrible sensation of bug-death-throws-in-my-eyeball. You wonder if the neighbors will think you're strange when you run up and beg them for a mirror so you can get the damn thing out.

And then, you remember your iPod. Steve Jobs, you're a genius.

Blue Crush

Sometimes, as a jewelry designer, you get a set of beads that just rocks your world. You want to show them to everyone you know--Look at these! Can you believe these were hiding underground? Just look how preeeeeettttyyy!

I just got some bright blue Apatite that I want to show everyone. If they were edible, they'd be gone by now.


As soon as I got them, I sat down to make this Blue Crush Necklace, inspired by surfer girls and waves unfurling, all white foam with a bright blue core. You can see the listing here in my Etsy shop.

Lovely Lucite

Lipstick Red Vintage Lucite Oval Pendants

Ahhhh, Lucite. The Noble Plastic. Seriously, is there anything cooler than a sweet piece of untouched, vintage lucite? It's amazing to me that something made in the 60s and stored away in a warehouse ever since can look so incredibly modern and of-the-moment.

I've amassed a giant Lucite collection, so big that I've started to sell some of it to other designers in my second Etsy shop, LuluBeads.

This dynamic plastic is perfect for using in jewelry because it's lightweight, meaning you can make a big, dramatic statement without giving yourself a neckache or feeling like you're wearing weights for earrings. And the colors—amazing and varied.

Goodmorning Sunshine Earrings

And one of the most rewarding things about integrating vintage pieces of lucite into my work as a jewelry artist is the element of reuse: this lucite is decades old, and if current designers hadn't taken a shine to it, it would undoubtedly be in a landfill right now. And that's no place for something this pretty.

Let's Play Tag

I've been tagged by Hojpoj (that's her gorgeous work!)

Now I must list 7 random facts about myself and then get 7 other people do the same.
I'm pretty sure most of the Etsians who have established blogs have been tagged long ago--so I'd love to tag new sellers with brand-new blogs. Comment on this post and I'll tag you!

1. I eat nothing from the sea. The only exception I make is for crab cakes, but they must be about 10:1 on the breadcrumb: crab scale.
2. I have an extensive collection of Linda Ronstadt songs from the 70s.
3. I'm constantly calling my pets by the wrong names.
4. ack, I haven't responded to a MySpace friend request in over a month! Bad bad!
5. I have an orchid obsession. I currently have 8 plants.
6. I have a wickedly good sense of direction.
7. I watch The Bachelor. And I like it.

All the Etsy Tips You'll Ever Need

I found a great blog today, by fellow Etsy.com seller littleputbooks. She's a high-volume seller who does gorgeous work with handmade books and paper, and she's compiled some really thoughtful, helpful hints for selling on Etsy and succeeding as an independent artist/crafter.

Check out her blog here.

Washed Away!

Last week we had a killer storm here—first snow, then torrential rain. The dirt road I live on was completely washed away. They're still working to get it passable today, over a week later. It was surreal, and we were pretty much trapped in the house for days.

A visit to the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn

On Thursday, April 12, the local ABC news crew made a visit to the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. I made the trip down from Western Mass to hang out and work on some pieces at the great jeweler's bench setup at the Labs. I was excited to talk to the reporter and give a quick little interview about Etsy and the Labs. Unfortunately, I don't think I made it into the clip, but I might never know since the NYC ABC news site hasn't posted a clip yet. Maybe someday I'll see it...



But while I was there I worked on this braclet, made from a brass cuff form and a large silver lucite flower. I riveted the flower onto the cuff and I love the way the silver and goldtone of the brass play off one another. You can see it listed for sale here.

Antique love

I recently stumbled upon a basket full of antique buttons in a shop, and bought practically the whole mess of 'em. They are so gorgeous. I've been having a great time playing around with them. I slipped two little ones with yellow rhinestones onto goldtone earwires, and I've decided to keep those for myself. :)

But my favorites are a pair of filigree drops. I added gunmetal earwires to compliment the patina of the vintage metal. They're really a fantasic pair of earrings, and they're currently available for sale in my shop on Etsy.com.