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
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
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!!
This is the second customer of the month feature and I’m SUPER excited to present Ms. Julie Anne Rhodes!
Julie Anne is a huge jewelry fan. As a matter of fact, her nickname is Jewels!
Julie Anne and I have much in common, including being incessant workaholics, creative souls, and devoting time to give back to others.
She and I connected by way of her phenomenal site: www.personalchefapproach.com – we worked together to create a pendant that Julie Anne sold out of her shop and we donated 100% of the proceeds to a charity that was near and dear to her heart.
Here is the stunning Julie Anne wearing Jodi’s Jewel for Jewels, our collaborative effort to fundraise against children’s hunger.
From there we just hit it off and she’s been an endless source of inspiration and support to me. She’s literally transformed my household with her Personal Chef Approach, aka PCA.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself, anything you’re comfortable sharing; family, work, philosophy, etc. Also, if you have a website or brick and mortar business, please feel free to include that info here!
First and foremost, I’m a mom to a beautiful daughter. I’m also the proud owner of the Personal Chef Approach.
Family comes first and in this day and age where time is a commodity, I strive to provide ways for families to eat better together.
Julie Anne’s website – http://www.personalchefapproach.com – incredible food and company await you here!
2. Do you have creative outlets? Tell us about them and if you have photos of your work, please feel free to share!
My work is a creative outlet – I paint with flavor! I am constantly challenging myself by experimenting with different ingredients and flavor combinations.
I’m also an avid art fan – I’m always on the prowl for inspiration!
3. What draws you to handmade jewelry as opposed to store-bought, factory manufactured pieces?
I like the personal touch that handmade jewelry has. Every piece is unique and I feel like it’s made just for me.
4. What types of pieces stand out to you, for example, wire work, crystals, etc and why?
I find something to appreciate in all kinds of pieces.
5. Is there something specific about Eldwenne’s Fantasy – Quality Handmade Jewelry by Jodi Zulueta that stands out to you? (Don’t be afraid to say no, Lol!)
Jodi puts her heart and soul into every piece she makes and it shows. I always get tons of compliments when I wear her jewelry!
Julie Anne wearing earrings I designed made of Bali sterling silver and Swarovski crystals. These are available in my shop!
Wow, thank you so much, Jewels!! I am fortunate to be a member of her site. Working my tail off every day leaves very little time to plan and cook healthy meals for my family and thanks to her, I’ve been able to do just that!
Please follow Julie Anne on Twitter @julieannerhodes as well as @therovingstove. Her FaceBook page is always a fun place to visit her as well: https://www.facebook.com/therovingstove
My daughter, Raven, is such a huge fan of your recipes and always looks forward to meals!
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your hectic schedule – I’m sending goodies your way!
Next topic on the agenda – gearing up for the Vampire Diaries convention in Parsippany, NJ! Whoo hoo!! I’m so excited and I’ve been cranking out tons of new pieces, including pieces that read “My Heart Belongs to a Vampire”, “Werewolves vs Vampires”, “Peace, Love, and Supernatural” (I know, it’s not Vampire Diaries related, but I have t tie everything in to Supernatural, you know that!)
My Heart Belongs to a Vampire Necklace – available at http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com
And very importantly – please visit my friends at http://www.carryonsupernatural.com – they provide a huge support network for Supernatural fans that are in need of a little help from their friends. I designed a bracelet celebrating the fantastic work they do and it’s available to purchase through their site. Every purchase will result in $5 being donated to support their hard work!
Keep Calm and Carry On…Peace Love and Supernatural
If you’re coming to the convention next month, please come visit me! Id love to meet you!
Here is my convention schedule for both Vampire Diaries and, of course, SUPERNATURAL!!
– The Vampire Diaries Official Convention 7/13/2013-7/14/2013 in Parsippany, NJ
– Salute to Supernatural 8/23/2013-8/25/2013 in Vancouver
– Salute to Supernatural 10/11/2013-10/13/2013 in Toronto
– Salute to Supernatural 10/25/2013-10/27/2013 in Chicago
– Salute to Supernatural 11/22/2013-11/24/2013 in Los Angeles, CA
– The Vampire Diaries Official Convention 12/14/2013-12/15/2013 in Orlando, FL.
My traveling jewelry business is just in its infancy and I’m really in need of support, so I’ve set up a Go Fund Me page that gives all of you incredible incentives! http://www.gofundme.com/2kwx90
Every donation receives a gift certificate towards any jewelry in my shop: www.eldwenne.etsy.com
If you donate $25, you get a gift certificate for $40! If you donate $50, you get $75! If you donate $75, you get $100!!! Ad it keeps getting better!
The gift certificates never expire! So you can hold onto the as long as you want! They’re only gone when you’ve spent them!
Thanks everyone and I hope I see you at one of the conventions!
I think the art directors for Supernatural are geniuses. The sigils and symbols they design are absolutely beautiful. You WANT them to be real!
Just look at the anti-possession tattoos our fearless leaders have – brilliant as the sun they represent.
Or the sigils that send angels back to oblivion temporarily – are they not art-worthy??
Yes, this is what runs through my mind while I watch the show. I want to design pieces based on ancient sigils, symbols, lost languages.
I’m easing into the process and decided to tackle the symbols for the elements.
My first piece is the symbol for earth. I wanted to use a stone that best represented earth so I used amethyst.
This is currently available in my shop http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com
http://www.gofundme.com/2kwx90
Another aspect of Wiccan jewelry I started exploring is what I’m calling a ‘dedication bracelet’.
It’s a charm bracelet that is devoted to a specific deity. My first one is to the goddess Diana; Goddess of the Moon,,the Roman version of the Greek’s Goddess, Artemis.
I wanted to capture some of the many aspects of Diana, as you can see below, which is also available in my shop http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com.
Other deities that I am currently working on include Athena, Anubis, and my personal favorite – Demeter.
If you have a specific deity or theme you’d like, please email me at eldwenne@yahoo.com and I’ll gladly create it for you!
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
I need help funding the travel expenses – if you donate to my Go Fund Me page, you will receive a gift certificate for my jewelry equal to (sometimes more than!) the amount of your donation!
Thanks to a couple of really cool individuals: Eve LeStrange and George Volkman, I was able to explore a new material in my handmade jewelry journey – fossils!
Eve is a gothic horror writer extraordinairre and her site is: http://www.evelestrange.com
Eve and George gave me the most gorgeous examples of fossilized ferns imprinted into deep blue rock.
Fossils are believed to have magickal properties that ward off negativity. What better way to keep the baddies away than by wearing a fossil as a talisman?
All of the below pieces are available for purchase in my shop: http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com
Jewelry house calls are something that can be more than just a glorified Tupperware party.
My jewelry house calls are about engaging the group, creating a workshop atmosphere without the monotone lecture.
How fun is it when I bring over a project to do and we got a bunch of adults and kids sitting round together learning how to create their own handmade works of art??
When I do a jewelry house call, I make sure that each person works on a piece that fits their personality – handmade jewelry is all about being unique, human, and YOU.
Now, as most of you may have noticed, I’m Wiccan and proud. Many pieces of mine either contain Wiccan/Pagan imagery or can be used for Wiccan/Pagan needs such as talismans.
How many times have you been asked, “um, that star thing – that’s the sign I’d the devil! Are you a satan worshipper??”
Imagine that question coming up at a jewelry house call – awkward doesn’t even begin to describe the vibe….
I have to calmly explain that the star represents the elements. The triple moon represents the three phases of the goddess.
Once you get into the feminine empowerment aspects of the goddess, it usually paves the way for their acceptance, understanding’ and either a ‘tell me more’ or ‘ok, understood, let’s make that woven pentagram necklace now.”
Now you probably think this blog is all over the map and disjointed but I really can connect the fossils, the house calls, and the education pieces together, I swear!
The introduction of these fantastic new materials, fossils, has given me an entirely new medium to explore, to share with my house calls/workshops, and to help others understand the potential and beauty of natural materials in art.
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
I need help funding the travel expenses – if you donate to my Go Fund Me page, you will receive a gift certificate for my jewelry equal to (sometimes more than!) the amount of your donation!
http://www.gofundme.com/2kwx90
Last week’s Supernatural Convention in Whippany, NJ opened a HUGE door for me – Creation Entertainment has asked me to vend at more of their events!
There are 2 Vampire Diary conventions and 4 Supernatural conventions – I am beyond excited!
The schedule:
– The Vampire Diaries Official Convention 7/13/2013-7/14/2013 in Parsippany, NJ
– Salute to Supernatural 8/23/2013-8/25/2013 in Vancouver
– Salute to Supernatural 10/11/2013-10/13/2013 in Toronto
– Salute to Supernatural 10/25/2013-10/27/2013 in Chicago
– Salute to Supernatural 11/22/2013-11/24/2013 in Los Angeles, CA
– The Vampire Diaries Official Convention 12/14/2013-12/15/2013 in Orlando, FL.
If anyone will be at any of these events, please come say hi to me! If you mention my blog, I’ll have a special piece reserved just for you as a special thank you for your support!
One of the most popular pieces that sold at the convention was my original design – a wrap necklace.
I take memory wire and adorn it with gorgeous seed beads. Then I wire-wrap a focal stone. The finishing touch is adding chains with either crystals and/or charms, which hang down to the shoulders.
This is my Tree of Life wrap necklace.
This is the Goddess Spiral Wrap. The design concept is the same, however, I played with the idea of having two different lengths of chain.
The necklace was made with chains of equal lengths, however, I decided to wrap one side of the chain around a little more to see how it would appear with asymmetry.
All of the necklaces can be worn symmetrically or asymmetrically. I think asymmetrical is a bit edgy.
This is my Keys wrap. I wrapped Swarovski red crystals to silver skeleton keys – this was a convention favorite!
I then started playing around with wrap bracelets.
I used the same keys here as I did in the necklace, but I wrapped glass pearls on them to complement the gorgeous glass pearls in the wrap.
So now that I know what the attendees of the conventions are looking for, I know what work is cut out for me in terms of designing more pieces and having adequate inventory to cover all of these amazing upcoming events!
I set up a Go Fund Me page so that I can hopefully attract donations to cover all of the travel and supply expenses I’m going to need in order to attend these conventions and make them a success.
The link to my go fund me page is below. All donations will receive a gift certificate to purchase jewelry in my etsy shop: http://www.eldwenne.etsy.com – it’s a win/win!
http://www.gofundme.com/2kwx90
Thank you all for your amazing support and I look forward to seeing you guys at the conventions!
This is the start of an incredible journey and I look forward to taking you all with me!
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Down to the Wire - Jewelry by Jodi Zulueta 