Paper beads!

One of my newest endeavors is paper beads! One of the big questions about paper beads that I have been asked is "do they fall apart?" The answer that I usually give is "well...all beads can fall apart or break." In reality, paper beads can actually be very durable. The ones I make are painted with several coats of paint and several coats of varnish which makes the paper . They end up being pretty strong little beads. They aren't waterproof or crush proof so I don't recommend swimming with them or setting heavy things on them. One of the best things about paper beads in my opinion, is that they can be made out of recycled paper. You can use old magazines, printer paper from the recycle bin, scrapbooking paper scraps, old book pages, old sheet music, origami paper and almost any other paper you can think of! They can be painted or left as is before being coated with varnish for protection and shine. They are extremely versatile and add a unique touch to any project. The picture above is just one example of how these beads can be used.

At Whit's End makes a comeback!

As you may have noticed, I haven't been blogging or really doing much with my online shop on Etsy. Well that is no more! I am back, have a little free time, and ready to make this blog and my Etsy shop better than ever! I have new photos of my jewelry, new designs and new beads! I also have a business page on Facebook which you can become a fan of (check the fan box to the right ~>). I'm working on updating things on Etsy so you can consider it "under construction" meaning it will have some of the old pics and info for a little while until I get it all switched over. Please spread the word to people you think may be interested for themselves or for handmade Christmas gifts! If you are interested in purchasing any of the necklaces you see, you can either contact me on this blog, facebook, Etsy or email me!

Esty shop: www.atwhitsend.etsy.com
Email: wsmith4186@gmail.com

Collections?

So I've been spending quite a bit of time on Etsy either chatting and promoting my shop or getting great advice and ideas. One thing I think is very cool is to have some sort of theme to the items you create. I'm toying around with the idea of making jewelry collections, each with their own theme. Al the names, colors, and styles would go with the certain theme. Things like food or nature or those stripped hearts I use or gothy or steampunk....just kind of make different collections reflecting different things I like :) What do you think?

At Whits End!

Finally! My Etsy shop is up and running! I currently only have 10 items for sale but expect more to come. I'm also planning on taking my stuff to some festivals in the next year. *Crosses fingers for sales* So go take a look...tell some friends...maybe even buy something! The address is atwhitsend.etsy.com Right now it's all jewelry but I may be adding other things too. We shall see! I'll keep you all updated on what is going on with the shop as well as festival and my other projects! Thanks to everyone for their support!

Old watches and lots of tinkering!

Happy forth of July everyone! I just returned from a nice morning at the flea market and boy did I make out like a bandit! I now have 19 watches, all quite old, and mostly falling apart. Now what would I want old broken watches for? Steampunk fun! Back at the Maker Faire that I was lucky enough to go to, I was fascinated by the steampunk culture and especially their accessories. I loved the fusion of something old and something new and decided that I'd love to give it a try for myself. While I've never made anything steampunk worthy in the past, I figured I might as well try something that interested me so much. I don't see myself living that lifestyle (not really a part of any particular "lifestyle"anyway haha) but I think branching out into that area in terms of creating things would be great. Afterall, I do love to tinker with stuff and I love my jewelry making so why not? So yeah...expect to see a few pieces involving cogs and gears and all sorts of watch parts coming soon!

Business Life Here I Come!

Hello! First off...I am officially out of my non creative rut. I had been getting quite discouraged and couldn't think of new ideas and I was just unhappy with things overall. Lucky for me, my wonderful boyfriend took me to an amazing fair to get inspiration and reminded me of my dreams and goals with words of encouragement. Thank you mucho Shadow!!! Well I'm back and in full force! I have made several new necklaces and earrings and even have some ready to sell! I've also started making little knitted pouches to sell. They are good for credit cards, business cards, small cell phones or even an item of jewelry from me that you can give to a friend :) Anyway...I will be setting up and account on Etsy.com (awesome website) and selling my stuff there. The only issue I'm having now is what to name my "store"...any ideas? Once it is up and running I'll post it here so people can go check it out! The following pics are what I have so far for sale. Of course there will be a ton more as the days go on. Let me know if you are interested in any pieces before I post them on the site! Prices are yet to be determined but I'm sure we could work something out. Also, it has been brought to my attention that it isn't easy to post comments/questions unless you have certain accounts so feel free to send me an email at wsmith4186@gmail.com with any questions or comments. Enjoy!

A new necklace!

Here is the newest addition to my collection of necklaces! It's made out of black and purple beads and the diamond shaped beads are amethyst.