Sharma Designs - Behind the Scenes of a Handmade Jewelry Business

The Best Laid Plans

Today the girls and I ventured out to a hill near our house that has a great view of the city.  The hill is small with a winding trail and steps so it's an easy hike even for the little ones (and great exercise for us big ones!)

Much to our dismay, the hill foliage is a little out of control.  What I was picturing in my mind was green grass and pretty spring wildflowers.  This is what we got:

While it is strangely pretty...look at those thorns!!  

They were almost like goth sunflowers.  The dark and thorny cousin or something.  They were everywhere.  So while I was imagining the girls running and giggling up the hill, we were all cautiously walking and I was reminding "Stay on the path!" while I furiously scanned the ground for snakes and other creatures. 

Did I mention I was wearing flip flops?  Just call me Ms Prepared.

Try to imagine strange scurrying noises while you look at this picture.  I nearly jumped out of my skin a million times while trying to sound calm and relaxed for the girls.  The path looks innocent enough but let's take a closer look:

These things were everywhere!!

This is the view.  It's actually just a partial view of the surrounding neighborhood because the best view area was right in the middle of those crazy thorn flowers.  No thanks.  (Try to ignore the wonky braids.  I should stick with ponytails)

The girls were very sad that there were no flowers to take pictures in front of as I promised.  I was just glad we didn't see any snakes.  On the way home we ran into a lady who told us that her kids caught king snakes up there all the time.  That sealed the deal for me.....next time we only go if daddy comes with us.  I love nature but I don't want any close encounters with a snake thank you very much!

We found some neighbors flowers to pose in front of and that made everyone happy.

Weekend Wishlist

I'm going to try to post a tempting wish list from my bookmarks every week.  I tend to stay up late browsing on the computer and enjoying the silence of my house so I collect quite a list!  I also LOVE to shop.  Unfortunately, we are in saving for the house mode so I rarely get to treat myself.  I think it will make me feel better to share them rather than having them gather dust in my computer.

This week I have a top theme going.  I have no fear of shopping online but I don't usually buy pants or jeans because I really prefer to try those on.  Tops are easy though.  At least for me.  So without any further rambling...

I lied.  I also want to point out that I will tend to feature mostly Etsy shops.  I love to support my fellow Etsy sellers.

Puff Sleeve Shirt by KayLim $72

I think the cuteness of this shirt speaks for itself but I also want to say that I have a shirt by KayLim and it is so well made.  I have washed it numerous times and it still looks brand new.

Sexy Neckline shirt by Mia Blaz $36

I tend to gravitate towards simple tops but I love it if they have small details that are unique.  The little flower on this top is sweet and I love the pleating on the neckline.

Grey Cowl Tee by Replicca $55

I am addicted to cowl necks.  A crossover cowl neck?  I must have.

Vintage Scarf  Top by Tangente $30

Honestly I need to work out a bit before I wear this top but I just love it.  I keep an eye on this shop and one of these days she is going to list this style shirt in the perfect "Sharla" pattern and I'm not going to be able to resist.

Jersey Halter by Larime Loom $53

This top seems like it would be super flattering.  Having 2 children does not give you six pack abs.  A top that is forgiving in the stomach is my friend. 

Hope you have a great weekend!

An Inside Look at my Jewelry Photo Shoots

Before you start reading I have to warn you that this may be a bit like seeing the little man behind the curtain who plays the wizard .  The end shot is definitely more glamorous than the process.  If you are okay with that then please read on...

There are a few key components to my photo shoots.  The first is a nice sunny day.  If I shot outdoors I would probably prefer a slightly overcast day but because my location of choice is my work table next to a window I need lots of natural light.

Next I need a good neutral background.  I have experienced with a few different backgrounds but I am currently using scrapbook paper.  I have a wide variety of shapes and colors but I usually stick with my favorite gray color.  It is gray with a little bit of noise to it. 

I actually found my favorite gray paper by accident.  I was browsing Polyvore collections and someone was using it as a background.  I found the scrapbook paper site and ordered a few of their papers.  It was exactly what I had been looking for at the local Michaels and Scrapbook stores but couldn't find. 

Now my one and only prop.  I don't always use it but it really helps to stand the jewelry up sometimes to add a little interest to the photo.  It may not be the prettiest rock but it blends into the paper fabulously and has an organic feel that I like.  My five year old actually gave it to me one day after we had a discussion about how I needed one for my shoots.  She beams with pride whenever she sees me using it.

I also like that I get a very natural color straight out of the camera.  It is like using a gray card without using a gray card.  The shot below has zero adjustment in Photoshop and is the exact colors of both the rock and the paper.

And after everything is set up here is what the area looks like:

I use the white paper on the side to reflect the light from the window back into the shadows.  At least that is what it does in theory.  I don't know if it makes or breaks the picture but it makes me feel better. 

The last step is to set my camera to macro and start shooting.  The pictures are a work in progress and always have been.  Every few months I try something new and come up with a better picture.  I personally think my next move is to have my husband buy me the macro lens I am drooling over for my birthday.  My current lens has a macro feature but is not a dedicated macro lens.  I need it!

And in case you were wondering....

what that stunning jewelry was in the background.  My mini diva daughter insists I keep her jewelry displayed on this bust so she can keep it safe.  A fine starter collection isn't it?

And yes that is a new "still in packaging" bead bin just waiting to be filled.  Not to worry...I have the beads to fill it just not the time.

Mom Jewelry Minus the Cheese

Mom jewelry seems to be very popular these days.  I myself have a few pieces of mommy jewelry but I tend to be pretty picky about it.  While I like my jewelry to be big and bold I don't feel the same about my mom jewelry.  I want it to be sweet and symbolic to me  but not necessarily obvious or in your face. I also prefer for it to be handmade...for obvious reasons.

Since Mother's Day is coming up I thought I would share a few of my favorite mom finds.  I'll start off with a necklace I own and adore.  I bought this in September of 2008 and it looks like the shop no longer carries the style but maybe they would take a special request.  The stars are tiny and I love that they are just initials because they could mean anything.

If you are in to birth stones this next necklace is a fabulous find.  It is simple and elegant and could be worn everyday.  It is very customizable too!

Next up is one I just stumbled on today and I think it is so perfect.  Granted, you need to be a fan of birds but lucky for me...I am.  Hidden away inside the necklace is either "eggs" made of turquoise or you can choose Swarovski crystals representing the birth months of your children instead.

Bracelets and rings personally drive me crazy but I do love them and this next tiny bracelet makes me want to become a believer.  You choose what you want to engrave on the bracelet so you could go with initials, song titles, birth dates etc if you felt that names were too much.

I think these rings are also perfect.  You choose the birthstones of your children and make your own silver ring stack.  Very understated and meaningful at the same time.  I'm seriously having to control myself to not click buy buy buy.

It really is unfortunate that my husband does not read my blog.  He would have a variety of gift choices in one easy spot.

Am I missing a fabulous piece of mom jewelry?  Let me know!

Etsy Shop Related News

As my Facebook fans already know (as the news automatically posted 2x on my fan page. sorry) I was on the front page of Etsy yesterday.  It's great when it happens because your shop gets a lot of traffic.  Some shops are on the front page quite regularly but mine has only been featured a handful of times so it is still like Christmas morning when it happens.  My 5 year old gets quite a kick out of seeing mommy's jewelry on the front page.

In other Etsy news, I have marked down 20 items in my shop (19.  Just sold one).  Most items are at 50% off so get on over there and check them out.  There are some great deals to be had.

I'm going to make a conscious effort to be a better blogger this month.  For those of you who don't know I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old who keep me quite busy.  They want mommy out at the park and entertaining them and not attached to her laptop.  We are also (still) in the process of house hunting so I have to rearrange my schedule at a moment's notice to go look at a house.  Not to mention the days of mourning spent when we don't get my dream house.  It has been a rough process for us.  I'm definitely ready to be done with it and in my own house with a brand new workroom.

My solution to everything is to get more organized and make more lists so I am going to try to brainstorm a bunch of topics so that I can sit down and have a topic ready to go so I can pound out a post during nap time.  In the past I have used the blog to list new items for sale but I feel that there is too much crossover with Facebook and Twitter doing this so I want to give more behind the scenes posts and let you guys get to know me more.  If there is any subject you would be interested in hearing about please let me know.  

I hope everyone has a great week!

The Island of Misfit Beads

At three separate times this weekend I sat down to make new jewelry and ended up staring at the table uninspired and frustrated.  I have learned that when I am experiencing what I like to call "Beader's Block" it is best for me to just walk away and do something else.  I will NOT like the result of anything I force myself to make when I am in that state of mind.

Instead I went online and drooled over new beads and pendants.  I may have a few new packages in the mail this week.  Yes I know that "drooling" implies that I just looked and did not buy but I mostly just looked.  There were just a few things I couldn't pass up.

Last night I sat down to my table just to straighten things up a bit.  I started through my collection of misfit beads.  This includes pendants I have never been able to match beads to, beads I just have a few of, and other things that I love but just don't have solid plans for.

Low and behold, I got inspired.  Not only was I inspired but my head was overflowing with ideas!  Let's just say my table is a mess today because of all the ideas I have laid out.  I went on a bead binge..heh. 

I just had a couple of these turquoise howlite beads that I used in a custom necklace and I really wanted them to be the star of the show.  They have such a pretty color!

These vintage plastic flowers I have had for a long time!  When I got them I loved them but just wasn't feeling them for earrings and wasn't sure how I wanted to incorporate them into a necklace.  Last night everything came together and I love how the necklace came out.  Incidentally, the sterling silver circles on the necklace are also misfits.  I ordered the wrong size and I have used them but they weren't originally what I wanted.  I'm only bummed that I didn't figure out this design earlier because I can't get any other colors of the flowers now.

Now I just have to fight the weather to get pictures of everything.  It's been storming here in the Bay Area for the last week.  Gray clouds do not a pretty picture make....

Look for the new editions in my Etsy store this week!

A New Twist

New to me that is.  Many jewelry artists oxidize their sterling silver jewelry to give it that antiqued look.  While I have been aware of the process for some time I was somewhat leery of trying it myself.  See..the process is done with a substance called Liver of Sulfur.  As you can imagine, it is quite stinky.  That is not, however, the reason I stayed away (I have 2 small children.  Bad smells are an all too familiar reality to me)

It sounds silly now but I am highly allergic to sulpha drugs.  I just assumed that sulfa drugs = sulfur.  So even though I had some liver of sulfur gel waiting in the wings I just never got around to using it.  I love the look of shiny sterling and usually just prefer that look anyway.

Then I came across these pendants in my stash.  I had put them aside awhile ago when no metals I had seemed to work with them.  I decided to use sterling silver and oxidize them very dark and leave them unbuffed (The picture above shows the sterling oxidized then buffed to let some of the shiny silver show through).  I am very happy with the results.

 

Right before I went to work I googled sulfur and sulfa drugs and apparently they are totally unrelated.  Phew!  The Liver of Sulfur actually reminds me of the smell of a photography dark room which I am quite familiar with as I took 3 years of photography in high school.  You know...way back then when people actually used film.

An ironic fact?  Still life, like the pictures above were my least favorite things to shoot.  Now that is the #1 thing I shoot.

My second least favorite thing was people.  Did I mention the small children?  A close second to jewelry pictures

My favorite photo subject was nature.  While I still love to be out in nature I am usually keeping a sharp eye on the kiddos or chasing after them.  No time to stop and snap a shot of a leaf or flower.

Enjoy your Monday!

The Snow Queen or the "other" Lovely Ladies

My Aunt from Maryland was visiting over the Christmas break.  Since she also makes jewelry I thought it would be fun to take her on a "bead tour" of the lovely bead shops in the area.  When I first starting making jewelry I used to frequent them all on a weekly basis but as my business has grown I've had to find wholesale sources to keep my prices reasonable.

Still, I love supporting local business and shopping for beads is always fun so off we went.  My favorite local bead store is called Beads n Things.  They have millions of loose beads and it's fun to buy a few without the commitment of a whole string (I should have pictures I know!)  They also have a great selection of Swarovski crystals and filigree stampings.  Whenever I need to color match for a custom project I head there.  

While we were browsing these ladies caught my eye:

They are not my normal style but something about them drew me to them. I immediately decided to buy myself a little treat.  Sadly, it's something I rarely do when it comes to beads.  The big pendant is for me.  However, she was sitting with 2 smaller style ladies and I decided they shouldn't be left alone.  So now I have a few for the shop too.

When my finished necklace was hanging on my other lovely ladies my 5 year old told me they look like the evil queen from Snow White.  I don't see it but maybe someone else will.   

So if you are scratching your head when you see the necklace because it isn't exactly what your used to seeing in my shop you will know the background story.  I hope mini lovely lady goes to a good home too!

A Mini Shopping Splurge

I spotted these lovely ladies yesterday in the Marshalls clearance aisle.  They were a mere $13 and while I have no room for them in my current corner-of-the-room studio I just had to have them. 

If you have been a Sharma Designs fan for awhile you recognize these colors as the signature Sharma Designs colors.  I have veered away from the colors slightly as I like to shake things up now and then but in my heart they are still "My colors".  There were only two colors of these mini dress forms and these were the colors.  I decided it was fate and snapped them up. 

There were a few more and I'm trying really hard to resist going back for the rest.  I think they would be really cute on a table display at a show although they would take up space and space is precious in a small table display.  So for now, they will sit in my little corner and make me happy.  Hopefully the new year will bring us a new house which will include a brand new bead studio for myself.  Then these lovely ladies will have a place of honor next to my original Sharma Designs framed logo.

Facebook Fan Page Contest

Want to win free jewelry?  Pop on over to my Facebook fan page and comment on my contest with which piece of jewelry from my shop you would be thankful for.

Easy to enter!  One entry per person and the winner will be chosen tomorrow night.