The Winds Of Change Are Blowing, art One

The Winds Of Change are officially here and blowing out the old as they blow in the new.

I have started moving items to my Glass Goddess shop on Artfire. I am moving out old stuff that I feel doesn't represent the style or quality of jewelry I desire to have in my Willow Walker Designs shop nor does it reflect what I am doing now. This mainly consists of pendants and some matching earrings. These are all older pieces and styles that I am tired of looking at and packing around to shows. I will be selling them as handmade supplies. The pendants and earrings will be listed separately. I will be leaving them at the current prices. I have dropped the prices on these items down to the cost of the materials and I have to have that back. I can kill my labor costs, but not the cost of the materials.

"Harvest" Round Stained Glass Panel & Online Shop Plan One

Finished this lovely piece just over a week ago. I never really used to be into fall colors. Then one of my best friend's mentioned her favorite color is orange...Since then I have found myself drawn to a lot more orange. I chose the dark amber jewel in the center and built my colors around it. Unable to find a fifth color that I liked I hit upon the unlikely use of pink-and it worked perfectly!

You've heard me talk about some things I want to do with my on-line jewelry stores. One of the first, biggest and most important change I have planned is the removal of ALL the pieces that I feel do not suit the design style I have settled upon. These are different dichroic techniques and styles I have tried my hand at in my dichroic journey and have decided are not what I want to do. I will be removing the current post earrings, all etched design pieces and the simple wire wrapped bail pendants and all the other pieces that don't suit. These will be moved over to my Glass Goddess shop and sold as supplies until they are gone.

Red Earrings & Ideas For 2012

Here is a pair of my new earring design done in reds and golds.

I have been working on ideas for next year. Where I plan to go with my jewelry, how to improve my blogging and such.

I need to get back on the regular blogging bandwagon and make it a habit again. I am thinking of doing four weekly features. I can research a different gem for one week, two different jewelry design challenges would fill another two weeks and I'm thinking a stained glass challenge for the fourth week. I can show the design sketches, creation along with the finished project.

I have definitely decided to concentrate on making the intricate wire wrapped jewelry designs that I so love doing. I want to challenge myself and setting myself weekly theme challenges would really help with that. I'm thinking one for every month of the year and still debating the other. I was thinking of a "name" challenge, but am not sure.

I miss writing a short sci-fi-fantasy story for my jewelry using my alter ego Willow and am thinking about doing that again. We'll see.

I need to sit back and evaluate how things went at the end of each month. Figure out what is working and what is not.

And I really need to get serious about doing some fancier, higher end shows with my jewelry. I think my stuff is to fancy for a lot of the shows I have been doing. I seem to end up at the window shopping ones anymore courtesy of this lovely economy.

New Earring Design

I have a new earring design made! I made this pair in rich deep blues with blue crystal dangles! I also think these would look nice without dangles too.

I am debating whether or not to list these new designs now or after the holidays. If you are interested please don't hesitate to let me know!

New Necklace, Sneak Peek!

Here is my newest piece, "Harvest Moon".

I've taken an older piece and reset it. It is wire wrapped in 14K gold filled wire with Hessonite Garnet briolettes. Suspended from a 14k gold filled chain connected with Hessonite links.

Raspberry Parfait Wire Wrapped Necklace Set

Raspberry Parfait Wire Wrapped Necklace Set! I've finally listed this gorgeous set on Artfire. I also uploaded it on jewelrylessons.com where it received an astounding amount of compliments within the first 12 hours it was posted.

This is the kind of work you will be seeing from me in the future. I love setting my dichroic glass cabochons into intricate wire wrapped settings especially when I can add in some gemmies too! These are time consuming creations that I love making!

When I first started listing I would write short stories about the piece using my alter ego, jewelry designer whom I named "Willow" She's was a sci-fi fantasy gal living and traveling in the future who was also settling on a new world with others. With these fancier pieces I have been playing with bringing her back with new short stories. What do you think?

New Jewelry Pieces & A Business Decision

So I fianally had the time and energy to make some new pretties! And I've even managed to get some listed! These are the first pieces I've made ALL year.

The first is the elegant Wire Wrapped White Dichroic Glass Jewelry Set. Three of my handmade dichroic fused glass cabochons all wrapped up into 14k gold filled netted wire bezel settings accented with white crystal beads. I am really impressed with this design style!

The second are these lovely Wire Wrapped Tanzanite & Cobalt Blue Dichroic Glass Glass Dangle Earrings.
Yum!

I have also made up a bunch of rings and am working on getting them listed. Two down and more to go.

Business Decision-With everything going on in my busy life, running two businesses, one brick & mortar and a job delivering papers equals 11 hour work days during the week. My time and energy is rather limited now . Add in this horrible economy that appears as if it's only going to get worse.

I find I have been asking myself several things lately. What can I do to make my life easier and simpler? To reduce my workload and stress? One thing I thought/realized is "Why should I waste my precious time and energy making things I don't truly love and enjoy creating?" So with this in mind I have decided to create only that which I truly love and enjoy. And I love and enjoy the challenge of designing and making intricated wire wrapped dichroic glass jewelry so this is what I will be focusing on from now on!

Also I have noticed that those who ARE buying are not worried about price. They are buying what they really love. A friend of mine who works for a retail clothing outlet store agrees. She says people are buying that which looks expensive and that they are shying away from that which looks cheap.

Two New Ring Listings!

I'm finally back to listing! I've started with the newest "batch" of rings I've made up.

The first one is my Adjustable Gold & Blue Ripple Dichroic Art Glass Wire Wrapped Ring in sterling silver. I've used a larger cabochon in this one and so as to make it lay on the finger better I have slumped it so that curved to fit your finger. ;)

The second in my Adjustable White Opalescent Dichroic Art Glass Wire Wrapped Ring in 14 gold filled wire. I really wish I could of caught how intense the colors in it are. Their is a whole rainbow of iridescent colors in it, purples, pinks, coppery red-orange, gold, blues greens and more. It truly is prettier in person.

Also I realized I haven't announced that I am offering free shipping on everything in my studio-Willow Walker Designs for the holidays!

The past week and half has been a rough one for me with my new "real job" delivering papers in the wee hours of the morning, fighting a cold and trying (not always successfully) to get enough sleep to function. I do believe that once I get over this cold and have adjusted to a new sleep schedule things will be much easier. I do feel as if a lot of stress has been removed from my shoulders and I have more respect for myself now that I am a "productive" member of society. This will also allow me to have a steady income to get my teeth fixed, not to mention money for more glass and gemmies! :)

Pink Beauty Dichroic Art Glass Wire Wrapped Earrings

Here is my newly listed Pink Beauty Dichroic Art Glass Wire Wrapped Earrings. A pair of my handmade dichroic art glass cabochons wrapped in enameled copper wire with garnet beads and crystal briolettes. Another addition to the Elegance Collection!

Have you you signed up for my give away yet? Details are in my previous posts.

Burgundy Gemmies Earrings & Moving Sale

Here is the newest Elegance Collection listing, Burgundy Gemmies, Dichroic Art Glass Wire Wrapped Earrings. Just listed them in my Artfire Studio, Willow Walker Designs this morning!

I have decided to go ahead and move some of my categories over to my other Artfire studio, The Glass Goddess. I have a few details to work out before I move them over there. So until the end of the month they are on sale for 40% off the regular price. I will be moving my Modern Bold Earrings, Modern Bold Pendants and the Art Deco Collection.