Inspiration at the dollar store

Inspiration struck today as I was shopping at the dollar store for glow sticks for my kids. We are taking them to the circus tomorrow, and it's so much cheaper when I don't have to buy the glowing toys they offer there. I even got glow stick hat kits for a buck!

I was walking down the gift bag aisle, thinking to myself, "What pretty gift bags! And for only a dollar." Then it occurred to me; those pretty gift bags would make equally pretty paper beads.

There was this beautiful shiny pink bag, with reflections of blue. I have some cute pink beads coming in the mail, and they would go perfect with paper beads like that! I only bought four different bags, so as not to overwhelm myself. As soon as I got home, I instantly wanted to work on all four. I really fought with myself as to which one to start with first. Finally, I decided on one of the shiny reflective bags.

I went to work cutting, rolling and gluing, paying no mind to the pile of dishes in the sink I was supposed to be doing. I still haven't finished all of them, since this one gift bag seems to yield about eighty beads, and I just had to move on to the next bag to see what those beads would look like.

I'm happy with the way these ones turned out, and am beyond eager to finish all four bags. Not to mention the cereal box beads I already had started. Maybe I should do the dishes first...

Buying on Ebay

My last blog was about selling on Ebay. Now, a word about buying on Ebay:

I had a very lucrative day making purchases on Ebay today. Deciding I desperately needed to add to my dwindling stockpile of beads, I did a little shopping. Apparently, this is an excellent place to buy beads on the cheap. I actually purchased one hundred glass beads for thirty eight cents. That included shipping! All together, I managed to buy a total of 1,400 beads for a grand total of $23.04. Many of these are Swarovski beads, and all are glass, not the cheap plastic kind.

Admittedly, I cannot find many of the types of beads that I look for at craft stores, but this is enough to keep me busy for weeks. In fact, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with all these beads. Many of them are green, as I feel the spring line could definitely use some more green pieces. I just hope my husband doesn't mind when the mailman comes to the door with a wheelbarrow.

Selling on Ebay

I've come to realize that while selling used items on Ebay can still turn a profit, selling new ones cannot. Moreover, selling new handmade items will not. I don't think it's that people perusing Ebay don't want hand crafted items, but that they aren't willing to spend much. I can only sell my jewelry when I use the "auction" setting, rather than "buy it now". I don't think I can really get by on selling my (painstakingly) hand made necklaces for 99 cents.

On the other hand, any used clothing I list seems to go like hotcakes. I made $15 from 3 tops that I would have sold at a garage sale for $1 each. A friend of mine introduced me to a novel idea: buy cheap at a thrift store, and turn around and sell it for a profit on Ebay. Not much of a profit mind you, but enough to make it worth the effort. If I can buy a shirt at the thrift store for $2, then turn around and sell it on Ebay for $4, I've made enough of a profit to make it worth my while. Buy 4 or 5 shirts, even more of a profit. Hmm, this may be the little bit of extra cash I need to support my crafting addiction.

Update: Photo professionalism

Well, I've got the tote, the poster board, but can't find clip lights anywhere. That's what I get for living in a small town. It is a sunny day, so we'll try some natural light. Here goes.

At first, it seems like an odd set up. Press the poster board into the tote, so it covers most of the inside. No folds or corners, just a nice curved white background. Face the inside toward the sun, and viola! A nice little well-lit back drop. Well, it would be more well-lit if I only had some clip lights!

Now for the first piece of jewelry. It is a little difficult setting it just right, since the poster board is curved. It wants to slide a bit. A few adjustments, and it's working like a dream. Now for the photo. I don't have a tripod (I know, I know, I need one!), so I just use a small box I have lying around. As long as I can keep my hands from shaking, it holds the camera pretty steady. I take a few snapshots, so I have some choices.

Ok, moment of truth...

Not bad. I think after a few sessions, I just may get the hang of this. More light would help. The bigger trick than focusing the camera seems to be figuring out the best angle for the shot. I do wish my camera had the option to take a close up photo where everything is in focus, not just part of the scene. Then again, maybe the blurred half of the necklace in the background makes it more interesting. Maybe I need some insight from someone other than myself. Facebook it is!

Also, I found this awesome site that takes your ho-hum photos and tweaks them a bit to make them look sharper, brighter, and more professional. It's called Fotofuze. Here is the same pic after using this...

Big improvement, right? This is definitely the way to go if you don't have a professional photo studio. I think I'm going to go take another fifty photos now.

Time for a change

For those of you who don't know, Green Bead Expressions was previously CB's Made 4 You. I have decided to go with a more interesting and professional sounding business name, and that one just takes the cake. Soon, I will be transferring my domain to my current website, and everything affiliated will reflect the name change as well. This has no effect on this blog, however, as the name is already set. For now, my website is still www.cbsmade4you.com, but will be changing in the next few days to www.greenbeadexpressions.com.

Interesting finds

Sometimes I like to search through Etsy to check out what other crafters have, and to get inspired. I occasionally come across a few things that really catch my attention, whether because they are exceptionally beautiful, or just odd and interesting. I thought I would share some of these with you.

My first is a real different kind of jewelry. It's called "Toilet paper & poop ring". I kid you not. It's a happy little roll of TP with a bit of poo on it.
Toilet paper & poop ring

My next is along the lines of cute-but-creepy jewelry. "Origami dress earrings-skulls" is interesting. The origami dresses are super cute. The skulls that sit atop their necklines, however, not so much. I picture these being worn by a little old voodoo lady down on the bayou.
Origami dress and skull earrings


Next up on the weird list: *Caution*- adult word coming up... "Diagram of a penis" necklace. Oh yes they did. This is a very novel idea (or maybe a bit more phalic than novel), but it caught my interest. It is an actual  diagram from a medical book on a clay medallion. Although I'm pretty sure I would never find an occasion to wear this piece. Adult toy selling party perhaps?
Diagram of a penis

Have you ever wished your pretty ring pop could just stay that way forever? Now it can! But don't lick this one, it's only resin.
Ring pop ring

And last, but not least, we have ba-bomb earrings. I actually find these ones pretty adorable. Who doesn't love something that takes them back to those good old days of playing Mario Bros. When video games were simple and one dimensional. Oh, to be a kid again.
"Bombomb" earrings

As I come across these strange and different items, I will be saving them to put in another post down the line. I hope you found these as interesting as I did, and believe me, I will be posting more.

Etsy shops, in order from top to bottom:  mybeadgarden, VintageFolds, sushipot, 1badattitude, and wasabeads

Photo professionalism

So, I've started really trying to work on my camera skills. I go on Etsy and see other seller's item photos, and think to myself, "Mine look nothing like that." I know my digital camera has good quality, even if it is just a regular Nikon. It must just be me!

I love taking photos, but that doesn't mean I'm any good at it. I have recently noticed that so many professional looking photos have white backgrounds. I'm hit with a "duh!" moment. Now I find it somewhat humorous that I thought my micro-suede couch served as a good back drop for my jewelry. I'm reminded of the old rule they taught me back in art school: KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid. Once again, duh! This goes for a lot of things when it comes to art and design, but especially for photos of something you are trying to sell. I've forgotten so many things from college, and I'm sure a few of them might have helped me out a bit in this department.

On an Etsy blog, I found a very helpful little article about how to make a simple photo set up with nothing more than a tote, poster board, and a couple clip lights. I think I'm going to head to the store and pick those up right now.

A new blog is born

I've created this blog as a self proclaimed artist with a need for crafting. My fave? Creating recycled paper bead jewelry. I stumbled upon this idea a year or so ago, and quite honestly, I'm hooked. I spend a good chunk of my days diligently finding and cutting strips of paper and rolling them into beautiful beads. I just can't get enough! My latest find is using empty cereal and pop boxes. I've realized that this gives me an extra thick chunky bead, full of personality and charm.

As I sit here typing this, I look around my living room, thinking of all the things I should have been doing today. I'm babysitting for a friend in the morning, and the house is strewn with kid's clothes, toys, and of course, my jewelry making supplies. I know I need to get off my rump and tidy up before bed. It isn't lack of motivation, but more too much motivation for crafting, and not enough for cleaning. Maybe it's time to put down the beads for the night. I can just hear that pile of clean clothes calling my name.