I need to start this post with several huge acknowledgments. I’ve said this so many times already but I need to express how genuinely thankful I am to everyone who contributed to my Go Fund Me campaign. You got me … Continue reading
I know everyone is waiting for an insane update on my VanCon Experience – and while I’m getting that ready for you, I want you to show some love for my featured customer of the month and friend of mine, Robin!
Robin and I met while I was selling at a flea market in Bayonne, NJ. This woman pulls up a chair to my table and her ever patient fiance, Jason, sits with us and gives feedback on which pieces Robin chooses.
It’s a hoot seeing these two together, they complement each other so well, and you can just tell they love each other so much.
They’re planning on being married in the summer of 2014 – I can’t wait!
Robin and Jason travel a lot and like to collect found objects as souvenirs.
One day at another flea market, Robin and Jason came by with TONS of sea shells, stones, corals, you name it.
Robin really knows what she wants; she’s very particular and sees potential in many things to have artistic qualities.
For example, here’s Robin wearing some of the pieces I created for her using her found items:
Robin’s here to tell us in her own words about herself
Hi, my name is Robin. I graduated college back in 2007 with a BA in psychology, but I always enjoyed taking art classes for fun. I am engaged to a wonderful man that I have been with for 9 years.
I also enjoy making jewelry. Back in college I used to take jewelry and ceramic classes.
I have always preferred handmade jewelry over store bought. I don’t only enjoy handmade jewelry, but handmade anything, for example, in Pennsylvania in the Amish country where everything is handmade – I love that stuff. I love it because it has its own sense of quality you know; time was put into the work that was done and it was done with care.
In that sense it seems to make the product of greater value. Plus, with factory pieces, so many are made of the same thing.
With handmade, every piece is uniqe in its own way.
The wire work seems to be my favorite medium because of how many different designs you can make just out of the wire, any which way you turn it. It can turn into a whole different looking piece but with the same formula.
Just the care that is put into each piece you can tell that it was made by the heart, and a passion for the work.
Jodi here again – wow, thank you, Robin! It’s people like Robin that keep me going – she has a genuine appreciation for the work it takes to make my pieces. She’s a staunch supporter of my work – just recently she called me, so excited, because she was on the bus and saw someone wearing one of my pieces. That is one of the greatest compliments I could hope for.
Not only having someone interested in my work, but EXCITED enough about it when they see others wearing my work as well!
Thank you, Robin, I am fortunate to not only have you as my spokeswoman, but as my friend.
As usual, I need to throw in a Supernatural reference – so I’m not even apologizing for that anymore because you’re probably reading my post for it, lol!
As you all know, I was in Vancouver this past weekend. A FULL account of my weekend will be unleashed next Friday, I PROMISE.
I do have to say that it was an amazing experience. Many of the actors and production crew of Supernatural are walking around with my jewelry – it was INCREDIBLE!
The Vancouver convention was financially JUST under what I needed to break even, but in terms of actual sales – well I kicked ASS! Unfortunately, traveling to the other side of North America ate into my profits. Had it been a local event, I would’ve been financially very successful.
I learned so much and have a much better understanding of my audience and how to travel smarter.
In order to keep up the momentum, I need to get to the Toronto convention in October.
Would you please consider donating to my Click Start Me campaign: http://tinycs.me/9T
I need help garnering up the funds to cover my travel to Toronto – I have so many people expecting me there, it’s going to be a major success – if you share my link, please let me know so that I can give you a discount towards my jewelry! If you donate, you know the drill – I give you a gift certificate for your donation amount PLUS an additional $25 – THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME!!!
The goddess spiral is a motif I use in many of my pieces, if you’ve noticed. It’s a symbol that is used in so many different belief systems and cultures.
There is no one solid definition of its meaning because it is so ubiquitous. Its meaning varies depending on the person.
It can represent the cycle of life or infinity or energy, I could go on forever.
When I design a piece using the goddess spiral, I use it as a representation of feminine energy.
The symbol radiates the warmth and power of the goddess to me. I use it to infuse this energy into my jewelry.
Silver Hammered Goddess Spiral Ring
Goddess Spirals in Silver with Copper Bracelet
Goddess Spiral Ring in Copper
Goddess Spiral Wrap Ring
Goddess Spirals on Sea Glass Necklace
You can see many more pieces that were inspired by the goddess spiral in my shop at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com
But if you really want to get a GOOD look at these pieces, and many more, come see me at VANCON!
A week from today (or yesterday for gold pass patrons!), you will see me in the dealers room selling my handmade jewelry!
I’ve been working away with so many SPN-inspired pieces! And I will be taking requests – I will custom make anything you are looking for, like the pieces I have here. I wanted to show some love for our favorite bad guy, Crowley:
His favorite greeting
His majesty, the King of Hell!
The catch-phrase to end all catch-phrases
You know what I’m really looking forward to more than anything at VanCon? Meeting all of you!
I love spending time with everyone that visits my table. I feel like my table is my home, and you’re walking into my home and sharing a part of me, I get to know you, and I truly feel enriched by everyone I meet.
It’s a blessing to be able to do this and meet you face to face. I hope that your VanCon memories include me, as I know that my VanCon memories are going to be all about the fantastic people I’m going to meet – you!
I’m now offering a special discount to anyone who shares my GoFundMe link: http://www.gofundme.com/EldwennesFantasySPN
If you share my link, just send me an email to eldwenne@yahoo.com show me how you shared it, and I will send you a coupon code for 10% off any item in my shop on etsy http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com (not including gift certificates).
But the gift certificates are special too – don’t forget that with every Go Fund Me donation, you will receive a gift certificate worth MORE than your donation amount! So if you donate $25, you will get a gift certificate for $50! $50 donations receive a gift certificate for $75 – $100 gets $125, and it just keeps getting better! And they never expire!!! They’re valid until you spend them, so there’s no pressure to use them by a certain date.
Donating to my Go Fund Me Campaign is not only about getting me to the convention locations – it’s about jumpstarting a woman’s small business. It’s about believing in what I do and giving me a tiny boost to realize this dream that not only will provide quality handmade jewelry to the masses, but help me provide for my family and build my business to the point of being self-sufficient.
Remember to swing by Go Fund Me at http://www.gofundme.com/EldwennesFantasySPN and check out what special offers I have for you in exchange for jumpstarting a woman’s small business! THANK YOU!
One of the most important design decisions I make with each of my handmade jewelry pieces is ensuring there are interesting contrasts. One way I like to achieve this is through varying line thicknesses with wire.
Green glass tile ring wrapped with three different wire thicknesses
I’ve explored this design element to a degree that I thought was rather thorough, until I found a wire that blew my mind – 1/4 inch wide silver wire.
As soon as I picked up the spool, my mind raced with all of the design potential – it was insane!
Even as I write this new ideas are popping into my head and I’m getting cracking at them as soon as I post this!
Here’s a peek at just some of the pieces that were born lately:
Rutliated glass with thick silver frame necklace
Gray agate ring with thick wire band
Beach Stone Wrapped in Thick Wire Frame and Hand Forged Hammered Silver Links Wrapped with Lavender Crystals
It’s been so much fun exploring the potential of the new wire. I’m currently working on a woven bracelet with it – I’m looking forward to sharing the results soon!
Now for my incessant need to tie in my Supernatural obsession – NEW SUPERNATURAL JEWELRY!!!
I’ve been working very diligently, getting ready for the Salute to Supernatural VanCon 2013!!! I’M GOING!!! Thanks to my generous GoFundMe friends, I am now able to embark on one of the greatest experiences in my handmade jewelry career. I will never have a larger audience than at VanCon – thank you all so much! I’m still in need of support, as this is the most expensive convention out of all of my traveling needs. I have more information on how you can be a part of my journey, read on!
To help defray the hotel costs, I tried to find a couple of people who were willing to be roommates with me at the hotel where the convention is taking place. I was very fortunate to meet two fantastic ladies who are on board. Initially we connected in order to help defray the hotel costs, but the three of us really clicked and look forward to spending time together at VanCon – so I’ve made some great friends. We’re already talking about making this an annual event for us.
In getting ready for the convention, I really needed to boost my inventory. I wanted to make some SPN pieces to celebrate being in the mecca of all that is SPN – Vancouver.
Some of the pieces that I’ve been making are heavily focused on stamping – which I am really getting the swing of and enjoying tremendously.
Team Free Will – Sam Dean Cass Hand Forged, Hammered and Stamped Necklace
Team Free Will Sam Dean Cass Hand Stamped Oval Bracelet
All of these pieces are available in my etsy shop: http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com
In preparing for Vancouver, I do still need some help from my GoFundMe friends. The traveling expenses have been a heavy burden…any sharing of my GoFundMe link would be most appreciated – and now comes with special offers!
I’m now offering a special discount to anyone who shares my GoFundMe link: http://www.gofundme.com/EldwennesFantasySPN
If you share my link, just send me an email at eldwenne@yahoo.com and show me how you shared it, and I will send you a coupon code for 10% off any item in my shop on etsy http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com (not including gift certificates).
But the gift certificates are special too – don’t forget that with every Go Fund Me donation, you will receive a gift certificate worth MORE than your donation amount! So if you donate $25, you will get a gift certificate for $50! $50 donations receive a gift certificate for $75 – $100 gets $125, and it just keeps getting better! And they never expire!!! They’re valid until you spend them, so there’s no pressure to use them by a certain date.
Donating to my Go Fund Me Campaign is not only about getting me to Vancouver – it’s about jumpstarting a woman’s small business. It’s about believing in what I do and giving me a tiny boost to realize this dream that not only will provide quality handmade jewelry to the masses, but help me provide for my family and build my business to the point of being self-sufficient.
Remember to swing by Go Fund Me at http://www.gofundme.com/EldwennesFantasySPN and check out what special offers I have for you in exchange for jumpstarting a woman’s small business! THANK YOU!
Feathers have always been so fascinating to me. Birds in general – I mean I named three of my four kids after birds – Raven, Phoenix, and Jaden (he likes to think his name is inspired by the blue jay). … Continue reading
I met so many beautiful women at The Vampire Diaries Convention in Parsippany, NJ – they all deserve the spotlight!
Every single person that stopped by my table to browse or to buy – they were all so encouraging, sweet, and whether they bought something or not – made me feel very good about what I was doing. That’s how I know I’m in the right biz here! It’s not just about what I’m creating, it’s for whom I’m creating – YOU!
These ladies are featured in no particular order, they are all equally beautiful, fiercely intelligent, great conversationalists, and I do hope to see them again at future TVD and SPN events!
Here is Monica. Monica had a perpetual smile on her face while she perused my wares and was such a pleasure to talk to. She opted for a pair of silver pentagram earrings accented with beautiful black beads with silver stars etched into them.
I saw her again a little while later and she stopped by to show me that she had to put them on immediately and wear them for the rest of the weekend!
The beautiful Monica, modeling her new toys!
Here’s a closeup of the earrings – these were not available in my shop but will be soon! Keep an eye on http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com
Then there was the dynamic duo of Zephyr and Kierstin – they were working the booth directly across from me which was heaven on earth – autographed photos and posters galore! You name the movie, they had it! My particular favorite was this gorgeous shot of Jensen Ackles. Autographed! AAAHH!!!
Zephyr and Kierstin (I soooo love their names!) worked their tails off the entire weekend and spent a lot of their hard-earned money at my table on such things like one of my silver woven and glass necklaces and one of my hammered silver and glass necklaces:
This is Zephyr wearing a green glass necklace with hammered silver
This is a made to order piece available in my shop www.eldwenne.etsy.com (Photo by BrowsersOnline.com – 201-298-3444)
Here is Kierstin wearing my silver weave with blue glass necklace.
This is also a made to order piece – just drop me a line! www.eldwenne.etsy.com (Photo by BrowsersOnline.com – 201-298-3444)
Jezzalyn and Lauren – best friends extraordinaire! They were looking for matching bracelets to represent their friendship and were smitten with a pentagram bracelet I had that was adorned with red Swarovski crystals. I had more of the pentagram links to make another bracelet, but no more of the red crystals.
They came up with a great solution on their own. Turns out that Jezzalyn’s birthstone is red and Lauren’s is green. I did have some green crystals. I told them to go have a swim in the hotel pool for a bit and that when they are done, their bracelets should be ready. Here’s how happy they were with the results:
The smiles on those faces made my day!
A closer look at their matching pentagram friendship bracelets
It turns out that these young ladies were busy working with Bob Somerhalder’s table. Yes, THAT Bob Somerhalder. He does amazing work with repurposed pieces of lumber from farmhouses – the business is called Built of Barnwood, or how it’s affectionately known as B.O.B. Here is a link to their site: http://www.builtofbarnwood.com/
My customer of that weekend – Joanna!! She and her mom were such an absolute delight to spend time with. They have such a beautiful relationship and I do hope that when my daughter Raven is older that she and I have what Joanna and her mom, Joan share.
Here is the beautiful Joanna wearing two of my pieces: Ice Blue Earrings and the Wire Wrapped Peacock Crystal Necklace:
This young lady is quite the diplomat and is most likely a future Hillary Clinton! And she has this perpetual smile that’s infectious!
Here are closeups of the pieces that Joanna is wearing:
The Blue Ice earrings are available as a made to order item! www.eldwenne.etsy.com
Joanna snatched up the last one of these! Lucky girl! (Photo by BrowsersOnline.com – 201-298-3444)
What an amazing experience the TVDNJ was! I’m now looking forward to getting to Vancouver for the Salute to Supernatural convention next month!!
My friend and I are looking to share a hotel with a roommate to help defray the costs. The hotel room is in the Sheraton where the convention is taking place (and is sold out, by the way!)
There’s a tremendous perk for you if you’re interested – as a vendor at the event, I have access to the entire weekend for myself plus one guest. The convention is sold out, so if you’re still trying to get a weekend pass for the event, you can get in FOR FREE FOR THE ENTIRE WEEKEND, if you share hotel costs with my friend and me. The cost would be $200 plus tax for the entire weekend.
Please note that my access does not include any autographs or photo ops – those you need to purchase on your own.
Also good news – if you donate to my fundraiser to jumpstart my convention circuit jewelry business, you receive a gift certificate for my jewelry that’s worth MORE than your donation amount! You can also cash these gift certificates in when you see me at a convention, not just in my online shop!!
If you donate $25 – you get a gift certificate for $50.
Donations of $50 receive a gift certificate for $75
Donations of $75 receive a gift certificate for $100 -it just keeps getting better!!
To donate to my fundraiser, please visit my link: http://www.gofundme.com/EldwennesFantasySPN
Thank you everyone for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you at the VanCon 2013, if I can get the funding going – thank you!!!
Wow, what a weekend!! The Vampire Diaries Convention in Parsippany, NJ came and went so quickly I’m still reeling!
I arrived late Friday night to set up and be ready for the Gold Pass patrons that were there to pre-register.
The location of my table was ideal – I was literally five feet away from the autograph table where a couple of very special guests would be greeting the fantastic TVD fans!
What a challenge it was to arrange my table – I created soooo many new pieces and I just wanted to be able to put them all on display at once. Logistics being what they were, unless I rented three tables it wasn’t happening, lol!
So I tried my best to artfully arrange my wares and my table did receive a lot of attention.
Cluttered, yet classy….I think
This was an incredible learning experience for me. I learned that I do absolutely adore selling in person as opposed to online. I mean I do need to keep a strong online presence, obviously, but nothing takes the place of being there with someone and working with them directly to get to the perfect piece they are looking for, or didn’t realize they were looking for!
Not only were the patrons there amazing, but the other vendors as well. I got to meet some very special people, such as Zephyr and Kierstin. They specialize in autographed posters and photos of celebrities. I can’t tell you what an amazing view I had the entire weekend of a GORGEOUS signed pic of Jensen Ackles directly across the way….sigh….
Then there was the mom and daughter team of Joan and Joanna – a dynamic duo to say the least!
I also met a great couple of best friends Jezzalyn and Lauren. They were looking for matching bracelets to represent their friendship.
The lovely Monica bought a pair of earrings and put them on immediately – warmed my heart!
Zephyr, Kierstin, Joanna, Joan, Jezzalyn, Lauren and Monica are going to be featured next week, so keep your eyes on this space!
I’ve been getting asked “What were your biggest sellers?” – well, I had a couple of really big hits – my wrap necklaces and a lot of my pentagram jewelry.
My wrap necklaces were a big hit! This is my Goddess Spirals Gunmetal Chains and Angel Wings piece
The Ladies of TVDNJ – They will be featured next month, so watch this space!
Also up there were my stamped necklaces.
Damon Stamped Necklace
Stamping is a new medium for me (please refer to my last post “Stamping out The Vampire Diaries – Jewelry That Is!”). I had so much fun doing it and am still enjoying exploring its potential that I’ve come up with a TON of new stamping ideas.
Imagine this – five silver circles stamped with the most memorable quotes and word associations of Supernatural!! Here are some descriptions of what I have on the drawing board:
Dean’s bracelet:
Son of a Bitch
Pie
Eye of the Tiger
Awesome
Jerk
Sam’s bracelet:
Moose
Spectacu-lacular
Salad
Bitch
Clowns
Castiel’s bracelet:
Angel
Trenchcoat
Pizzaman
Ass-butt
I’m God
Crowley’s bracelet:
King of Hell
Morons!
Let’s Make a Deal
Son of a Witch
Hello Boys
I even came up with a other bracelets celebrating Bobby, Charlie, Gabriel, Dick Roman – I can do pretty much any SPN character, just let me know if you have an interest in someone specific or if you want a combined bracelet!
Now, back to the TVDNJ convention!
As I mentioned earlier, my table was so close to the autograph table for a couple of special guests.
First to come in and sign was the most beautiful Torrey DeVitto! She was so stunning and treated each and every fan as if they were the most important person on the planet. A true, genuine person.
My daughter, Raven, insisted on giving her a present! She grabbed one of my geode necklaces (because she said it matched Torrey’s shirt) ran over and gave it to her. Torrey very graciously took the gift and immediately put it on!
Later on came the charismatic Charlie Brewley! He was very upbeat and also treated everyone very nicely.
Raven said we can’t give Torrey a gift without giving one to Charlie as well, it wouldn’t be fair. So I tore apart my table trying to find a piece that could remotely be considered masculine. Aha! I found something!
I had a very simple dalmation obsidian stone on a black cord. Great! I lean over to retrieve a gift box from my bag on the floor. And promptly stumble over my own two feet and land on my rear end. I look up and I see one of the Creation people trying to help me up, the volunteer at the table with Charlie AND Charlie, all looking over at me with their jaws hanging open.
The Creation lady asked me if I was ok. “Aside from an extreme case of embarrassment, I’m fine,” I replied.
I then looked over at Charlie and said, “Yes – I AM always this graceful. But this is actually your fault.”
“What did I do?” he laughed?
“I was trying to get a box so my daughter could give you this.” I said and walked over with Raven, so she could hand him the necklace.
He looked at it and appeared to like it, I think, lol! He then asked me a bit about my jewelry making, said hi to Raven, and I went back to my table to try to salvage what was left of my dignity.
I want to point out that I do not have photos of the celebrities because there are very strict rules in that you are not supposed to take photos of the celebrities while they are at the autograph table and I respect the rules laid out by both the celebrities and Creation Entertainment.
So overall it was an amazing time filled with fantastic people, learning experiences, and more inspiration to “carry on” and continue my journey on the convention circuit.
Raven was also very inspired by the weekend and told me that she wants to become a jewelry designer when she grows up. I’ve never received a greater compliment.
Raven taking a very well-deserved rest after working such a hard weekend!
I’d also like to thank all of you who have been wonderful customers and those who have been such supporters that have donated to my Go Fund Me Page:
http://www.gofundme.com/EldwennesFantasySPN
It’s because of support like this that I’m able to get my small business started. I still do need a little boost in order to successfully complete the convention circuit for the remainder of the year, if you could please pass my link along I would greatly appreciate that!
Remember, every donation receives a gift certificate worth MORE than the donation amount! And it never expires – so there’s no time limit. It’s good until ya spend it!
Thank you, everyone!!
A great friend of mine suggested I branch out into stamping to see how what I could come up with.
I don’t get out of my comfort zone often enough, so I welcomed the challenge.
I invested in a stamping kit, some beautiful silver discs, and some tools so that I could shape the discs, and I was raring to go!
You see Damon up above, here is Stefan and Elena:
I had so much fun making these. I also learned a couple of new skills. Stamping is not as straightforward as you may think and it takes some concentration to get the desired effects you’re looking for.
And to make the pieces more interesting, I hammered the discs into domes for some dimension.
The finishing touches are a gorgeous bead and black satin cord.
Now you all know me, I need to tie in some Supernatural action, right? Check out my license plate necklace:
I also created so many new pieces, such as my pentagram cuff bracelet, Medusa ring, and my Blue Aurora Borealis and Copper necklace:
Blue Aurora Borealis and Copper Necklace
I’m really looking forward to meeting you at the Vampire Diaries convention this weekend, please do come by and say hi!
I will also be selling gift certificates at the convention, but if you want more bang for your buck, if you make a donation via my Go Fund Me page: http://www.gofundme.com/2kwx90 you’ll receive a gift certificate worth MORE than your donation amount which is good towards all jewelry in my etsy shop at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com! The gift certificates never expire – they’re good until you spend ’em!
For example, if you donate $25, you receive a gift certificate for $50! For a $50 donation you recieve $75! for $100 you receive $125! and it keeps getting better – It’s a great opportunity and you’ll be helping a woman jumpstart her small business dream.
Supernatural and Vampire Diaries fans – I’ve been invited by Creation Entertainment to sell my jewelry at Supernatural and Vampire Diaries conventions!
I have a lot of gorgeous Wiccan and Pagan pieces! New ones uploaded every day into my shop: http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com
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