Is There Anybody Out There?

Hello....hello, anyone? Nobody, really? Oh well, I'm just as comfortable talking to myself. Still no new sales this morning and though I'm really beginning to feel ignored, I'm doing alright. This is shaping up to be one of the single longest weeks ever and I'm getting an amazing amount of things done with my time. Yesterday I tried out a new photo style for my future Lollishop. I figured that my usually style wouldn't blend in very well, so I searched my abode for something girly to use as a prop and I found this vase that was a wedding present. I hope this looks alright, it is clearly not within my comfort zone.


Feel free to let me know what you think of them. There are more on my flickr page. That is of course, if there is actually anyone looking today!

Water, Water Everywhere, But Not A Drop To Drink

I have been floating in a sea of productivity and recognition for the last few days. Prompted by my acceptance to Lollishops, I have been working on new pieces for that future storefront, my etsy shop as well as another set for a Steam Punk convention in the fall. In fact I had been so busy creating, I took me a few days to realize that I haven't made a sale in a while. Just when that was starting to get to me yesterday, I got a couple of nice surprises. I was mentioned in the lovely blog by Amy Esther. It's listed on top of my feature list on the left. What was even nicer than the kind writeup were the comments left at the end. I am always uplifted by those comments from strangers who confess to being fans of my work. I'm always surprised to find out that people have heard of me.

Then the mailman brought me my early copy of Belle Armoire Jewelry. It contains my second article for the publication. This one features my tatted chokers and I write out the pattern for my Grand Victorian Daisy choker. Of course I was not actually surprised by my article in the magazine, but what did surprise me a little was that I was not the only artisan using tatting in the issue. I was the only actual tatter, but there was a feature on two different artisans that use vintage tatting in their work, one does gorgeous assembled necklaces and the other makes cuffs. While the magazine is not what I would call a mainstream publication, it does appeal to an entirely different demographic of jewelry creators, exposing the art form to a new audience.

I made a ridiculous claim months ago that one of my goals was to make tatting the next crafting craze. I never in a million years thought that we were truly at the beginning of a resurgence of this amazing art form, but if this magazine is any indication, the world might be ready for tatting! Check out the magazine when it hits shelves and be sure to tell me that you saw it so I can feel all famous and stuff even if I'm not making any sales.

There's A Birthday At The End Of This Week

I am not a complicated person. I generally do not act in a way that is contrary to my nature. If I have done something that appears out of character you can be fairly certain that the reasons behind my actions explain them entirely. You see over the weekend I applied and was accepted to a forthcoming online marketplace. I have often said that I am very happy at etsy and I have no plans to diversify my selling experience. This is still true, when this site was mentioned in the forums simple curiosity led me to check it out. The site is called lollishops and it is by far the most sacrin site I've ever seen. Frou frou is not a strong enough term to describe the pink, ruffled bow that is lollishops.

Now, if you know me at all you're wondering why on earth would I, of the black themed blog, be at all interested in the wonderful world of frou frou. Well, the simple answer is, I wouldn't, well not to shop anyway, it's just not my bag. However, as a tatter I have a natural draw to create the doily and the doily does not sell on the etsy. Lollishops aims to fill a niche that the owner feels is left out in the modern, hip bent of etsy, so only folk that can fit in with this niche would benefit at all from joining. All I have to do to fit in is ditch the black thread in favor of a softer palette, which I'm happy to do while continuing my Gothic, Victorian vibe on the etsy. That isn't the reason I applied though. The real, deep down reason that I did it, is that it is a juried site. If you don't know what that means, juried is a fancy way of saying you are being judged and only the people whose work is not only good enough, but also fits the theme or niche will be allowed in.

You see, I have a few, lets say odd habits. One of those is my love of people watching. I sit and watch and analyze and judge people all the time and I often wonder what people think about me as well. Since it is virtually impossible to walk up to strangers and get their honest opinion of you, your work or anything else for that matter, I jump at chances to be virtually judged. I apply for things just to see if I would fit, or if I'm good enough. So this being juried was just another way for me to fish for opinions. I honestly assumed that my black tatting would be rejected, but apparently the frilly frou frou of tatting can not be fully hidden with dark thread and it was clear that a small color change would make me a perfect fit. I'm actually pretty excited to be in on the ground floor of a new site and I've been busy tatting in my new shades so I'll have enough inventory when the site goes live this fall. I added their button the right column near the bottom if you'd like to have a look.

In other news, Friday is my birthday. I'm certain to have a little sale to celebrate, so if you've been waiting for an excuse to shop, there it is. Though at this point birthdays are more reminders of the steady march of time than chances for rampant celebration, if you'd like to send gifts, I'm not adverse to that kind of celebration. I'll let you all know what the sale will be on Thursday so you have a little heads up.