The holidays always seem to be a very hectic time of year for some people while others seem to be more relaxed.  I am more towards the relaxed end of the spectrum.  I was never really a huge shopper or understood the draw of a big sale much.  I still don't... unless it pertains to art supplies that I can always find a reason to buy. 

What I do get is how hard it is to choose a gift for someone.  I know how hard it is to stick to a budget and find something they will love as much as you love giving it.  I find it is hardest to give gifts to someone who has no need for practical items - like cooking supplies, recipe books, storage baskets, new clothes, warm fuzzy slippers, etc.  (I, by the way, am  one of those people.  I know.  I am difficult to shop for any time of the year.) 

I like to give things like certificates that offer free babysitting for someone who needs a break from the house and kids, an offer to help with a chore like painting a room or a house, rides somewhere when they need one and do not have a car, help with organizing a space that is clearly driving them nuts.  I also like to give hand-crafted items - which would be a reason I make jewelry and art the way I do. 

I want to give something of myself - really, that is what it comes down to...  Buying something works for a lot of people on my gift list but it is the ones I love the most that I want to GIVE of MYSELF deeply.  Time, touch, thought, care and all those things you cannot box up are the best gifts I have found.  Sometimes those things come in packages made by hand by people who craft even when they could just go buy something at the Big Box Store.  I might have to search a little harder but when I find it, I know I found something they will treasure because it is made by hand but also chosen with great love.

If you are looking at my creations and wondering if something is the right style and just have doubts, giving the gift of a gift certificate is very easily done.  I know that I am not easy to buy jewelry for - especially since I have been making it for over a year the way I do - and know that there are people who are just like me.  Helping them create a custom piece by giving them a gift certificate or jump start lets them know YOU get THEM and want them to be happy.  (That goes year-round if you ask me.)

If you are feeling the pinch (or punch) of this economy,  giving your time to help someone or just giving them some time to breath is a great gift.  It does not feel like you are giving much and you likely feel pretty cheap but you are doing something that is priceless.  You touch them in a deeper way.

I hope this holiday season - whichever you celebrate - finds you and your loved ones well, that you have great times together, and build memories that last a lifetime.  My Christmas will be peaceful and spent with family, no matter how many sales are going on around us....  

Inspirations....

I am inspired by a lot of things.  Sometimes it is a color, a texture, maybe an object or a pattern.... or it is a special movie.  That is what inspired the up-cycled bottles I am posting with this blog.  "Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my all-time favorite movies!!! When the chance came to be part of an ART SHOW that had this movie as a theme I jumped at it. (Did I mention it has been at least a decade since I was part of an art show and it was not in 3D objects?  No?  Well, this is new to me but I look forward to the opportunity to do this.

I started thinking about how I could combine mosaics and up-cycling with something else i love.  I should say - some characters I love.  Jack and Sally.....  I love them!  (I know I say it a lot but I think you should say good things about what you love often.)  I love these characters because of their role in the plot but also because of the way they are put together.  They move differently and I have always felt like I did too.  That kid that never felt confident in school?  That was me and I moved awkwardly - sort of like Jack and Sally.

I am like Jack and Sally too because I pursue love and don't give up on it.  So putting Jack and Sally on a couple of bottles that could be used everyday was a quick and easy decision.  I would love to see my 2 favorite characters all year long!  I share these photos with you because I know I am not the only one who has a love affair with this movie, Jack, Sally and all of Halloweentown.  I hope you enjoy them!

NEXT!!!!!!

I am titling this post NEXT!!! because I seem to be doing one thing after another these days.  Part of it is due to the fact that I am a jewelry creator/artist in general that has to take advantage of the holiday gift buying "season" while I can.  Part of it is due to the fact that I am in several groups on-line and in the real world related to those endeavors.  Part of it is due to the fact that sitting still is not something I do very well.  I know how to relax, don't get me wrong.  I just don't want to stagnate and WILL find something to do or learn if I am least bit "wiggly". 

I know that my funds are not what I want them to be so I know that people everywhere are feeling the clamp (pinch is too kind of a word) of this economy.  It is so frustrating to want something and not have the money to buy it or create it!  It is so frustrating to want to give someone a gift but know it is just out of my price range, that there is a bill that has to be paid instead of a beautiful bracelet to buy, and so on.  I also know that at some point things will improve.  The pendulum does not stop swinging.

I will keep creating, doing all the activities that get me to NEXT and beyond, with the hopes that my fans, friends, and customers will remember that I make one-of-a-kind pieces and love to do custom work.  I have to create art to be authentic - it is the REAL me as they say.  I want to be around when anyone has the opportunity to buy something I have made because it is made with love and given or worn with love.  So with that I say NEXT!!!!!  Bring it on, bring it on..... 

Buried in the pile....

Wow, I have been gone for awhile it appears by the date of the last blog entry I wrote!  I am amazed at how long it has been.  I kept doing all kinds of updating on my web-site (http://jklartjewelry.webs.com) and on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/JKLARTJewelry).  I added all kinds of photos, learned how to put a ghost label on the photos and networked like crazy.  I just forgot all about this blog!!!!  

Now my challenge is to link it all together so when I update, it is quick and dirty.  I figured it out for Facebook, Twitter (@wireitup4u), and am now linking up LinkedIn to all of those things.  Google+ is on the horizon too.  I would never have guessed I would be using this much technology when I was in junior high.  I cannot believe how fast technology changes but I am excited to learn about all of those changes.  I don't have to love all the changes, I just need to know how to work my way through the difficulties to get to the end result I want.  (Good thing I love challenges and puzzles!)

I used to think I would not need this much technology to make art.  Art - the kind I make anyway -  is made with your hands and your mind.  I have not been one to do a lot with digital art, although it interests me.  I have always done what would be called traditional art - drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, etc.  "So why would I NEED to know how to use all this new technology?"  That is a question I asked myself before and never really had a good answer so I just kept doing what I knew how to do.

Now I know why I NEED to know this techy stuff!!!  I want to have a business in art and jewelry.  I want to eventually have my own little shop - maybe with some food and beverages provided by some really talented people I know - so I need to be able to operate technology well enough to get the business of business done.  I may never be an expert but I am one of those people who likes to know what I can do on my own and where to find help if I get stuck.  I need to be able to do advertising and utilize social media to network and sell my goods.

Like I said before, I did not think I would be doing this much tech "stuff" in junior high when I was sitting in computer labs with the first generation of Macs.  If x=, then y= was hard enough then!  Look how far we have come.  Amazing what we do when we put our minds together and stretch the boundaries of our "world"!!!  I won't ignore this blog now that I have this new challenge - how to integrate this blog into all of my other postings. 

I know I have not gotten followers per se but I think that might change if I just tweak a few things....  Pass my blog along and follow me if you like what you read.  I am known to post pictures of my work on my blog so you might just find something you like.

Relationships

Relationships play such key roles in all of our lives.  Sometimes we neglect them and discover that we need to work to make them stronger.  Sometimes we make sure we nurture them and continue their growth.  Relationships are how the world operates and I have discovered over the last year just how important they really are.  I have experienced a lot of big changes in my life since last summer and honestly can say I like where they have taken me!

I started to use my love of art to create jewelry and build my own business.  I am always open to new experiences and ideas.  I look forward to meeting people anywhere and just enjoy talking with them, no matter the topic.  The connections I make with people build over time and they connect me to people I might never have met if I had just stayed doing the "same old thing", staying within my own little social circle. 

I am just about a year old in business and looking back has been great for me to do.  I see where I started, how my goals have grown, and how important people are to my success.  If I am successful, then someone else will be too.  You see, when someone is successful, they spread their success to others.  "Paying it forward" is not always easy but it is always well worth the effort! 

I hope that you will find success in all you do as well and look forward to hearing about your travels and adventures in your life.  Continue building relationships that make you a stronger, better person.  I will always remember that relationships with people are how my business will find success and grow!!  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so!

Mother's Day? Summer?? What????

I found myself looking at my calendars on my computer, now that I have learned to successfully organize myself with them, and realized it is almost MOTHER'S DAY and that right after that is summer.  I was not really prepared for time to fly so quickly!!!  I even scanned the last blog entry and saw it was not so nice in April when I last wrote.  I am crossing my fingers that this will be a nice, calm spring!!!  It certainly makes it easier to get out to vendor markets.  Sun does not just bring out flowers and green grass, it brings out PEOPLE!

I continue to create unique jewelry and look forward to wedding season, prom seasons, and all of those events that make people search out that one-of-a-kind gift.  it is challenging to create something special for brides, friends, and other relatives but it is a challenge I welcome and rather enjoy!  I want to create something that will be meaningful to the person who receives the gift and uses it or wears it. I do make lots of different things like bottle stoppers, glass rings for your wine glasses, up-cyclced containers, key chains, jewelry, and I am sure I will stumble onto something new to try.

If you have a special event or person that you would like me to create something for, please keep me in mind.  I know I say it a lot but it is true - I love to create something that is meaningful and will do whatever it takes to work with you to make that happen.

Enjoy the time you have with the special people in your life every day but be sure to celebrate Mother's Day with at least a hug or phone call to say, "Thanks Mom!"  (Us moms love that....as much as we love our kids!)  Take time to play this summer too.  Play is necessary!!  (5 year olds are not wrong about that!)

Thoughts on a cold, windy, rainy Saturday......

After several beautiful weekends and great shows at local vineyards,  this cold, windy Saturday morning has me wishing for those days back!!!  I have spent some time reading different blogs related to jewelry creation and business.  I wondered what some other people experienced and thought as I am new to this venture.  It is certainly helpful and reassuring to know that I am not the only one with the same questions, concerns, and quandaries!!  The internet definitely makes networking much easier in this business!

One of the things that I read recently that has stuck with me is that there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes and that it gets to everyone at some point.  It is hard to be your own boss!!!  It is much easier, I have discovered, to work for someone else than it is to work for yourself.  (Even though I must admit it did not appear that way until I began to work for myself after losing my job last year.)  When you work for someone else, you can leave the work behind and there is someone else to pass things along to when they are no longer your responsibility or become too huge to handle.  Granted, not everything or every job works that way, but when you work for someone else in my experience, there is more than just you in the boat to help paddle (whether they like it or not and whether or not they do it well....).

I love to work for myself though and having the chance to take this chance, risk, gamble, opportunity - however one views it - is a blessing!!!  There are days that I would like to just be told "Task 1.  Task 2.  Task 3.  Go home.  Come back tomorrow." but I know in the long run that is not going to work for me at this particular point in my life.  I have been given the opportunity to create work I love and the things I need to do that.  For me to ignore that would be impossible and would not allow me to use the artistic and business skills I have been blessed with by God - or whomever your higher power is.  It is so satisfying to know that at the end of a very hard task that I accomplished my goals and more!!!

I love networking at the shows and getting feedback from people who stop by, whether they purchase things or not.  I love sharing what I do and hearing what other people think, always getting ideas from multiple sources.  When people look at my web-site and leave feedback, I learn even more.  My repeat customers bless me with more business and I love being able to create custom work.  No request is too much!!!  If it is something I cannot quite do, I will learn a new technique and consult the customer so I make something they will love to wear.

I have used the word love quite a bit in this post.....  There is not another word that means the feeling I have for the work I CHOOSE to do now.  I went to school to become an art teacher and for the 15 years that I did that job, I loved it.  My former students, colleagues, parents, and anyone else I met in that situation along the way are always a special part of my memories and of my present today.  It was time for that to end because teaching changed so much from my first year to last year.  To continue teaching, I would have had to stifle my natural tendencies and my heart would not be in it.  No, I do not belong in THAT kind of classroom.

It is time for me to expand my horizons and try something new.  I have helped my brother join the vendor market network and the way that he has grabbed onto this opportunity is so cool to witness!!  He has a gift of baking and presenting his baked goods in such a simple, clean way you cannot help but buy the bread.  It helps that we share the same house right now and I get to smell (and sample) the breads he makes.  Having someone else to talk with daily about vendor and farmers markets, as well as other ideas for expansion like wedding shows is priceless. 

I am really blessed to be where I am these days!!!  Some might say I have taken on a huge task and that I might want to give it up when it seems like the economy is not growing as fast as we might need it to and especially in the jewelry (or "extra fun money" as I call it) market.  However, I look it at as an opportunity that has been given to me and while I have the skills, desire, and energy to do it I need to take the chance to succeed in something I love.  To ignore it, would be to turn away the gifts I have been given and to accept the answer "NO" before the question is even finished.

The question?  Can I find success using the skills I have been given and do the work it takes to find success? To me, the answer is "yes".

Ah, Spring!!!

Hello sunshine!!!  It is so nice to see you and feel your warmth......

In preparation for Spring, I have been creating some fun jewelry and other items.  I have new bottle stoppers in a range of colors and styles.  I also have new glass rings that will make any stemware easier to identify as "yours" when you are at a party.  There are different color combinations that make what you are wearing get noticed, like spring green with a red beaded necklace.  (It really does work!)  The brighter colors and fun designs inpired by spring and its warmer weather make me feel happier and I am sure I am not alone in that feeling.

I am concentrating mainly on winery vendor shows since they are so much fun!  They are very social and relaxed.  The next show will be in Cambridge at the White Oak Winery and guests will get a free glass of wine until the supply runs out.  It is April 2nd from 12-4 pm.  Stop out and leisurely do some shopping whether it is window shopping or actually buying something from the many vendors that will be there.

If you are interested in any items/pricing, drop me an email.  I would love to hear from you!  I like to make deals too....

Julie Luedtke

JKLART Jewelry

Events I Am Attending

Hello!

I have updated my facebook events and those on my web page but forgot to update on this blog.  oops!!!  I guess I do need to look at a list and be able to cross something off so it gets done.

There are 3 events at this time in March.

March 5, 2011  10 am - 3 pm
Mercy Holiday Inn
Des Moines, IA

This vendor market is filled with lots of different items like Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Discovery Toys, and many many more.  It is held monthly so you can find your favorite vendors easily!

March 6, 2011  1 pm - 5 pm

 March 26, 2011  9 AM - 3 Pm
Spring in Bloom
Lots of hand-crafted items to bring home!!!
Fisher Community Center
709 S. Center Street
Marshalltown, IA



There are pending vendor markets at other local wineries.   This is a new venture and those of us involved really, really hope that it takes off!  How fun it could be to go to a winery and experience different markets!  Spring is around the corner, I am sure.....  No excuse to stay inside and hide!  :)

February Special

BRRRRR!!!!

It sure has been a cold start to February.  A blizzard made me think about the warmth of spring and how great it is to be able to go outside without having 20 layers of clothing on and no problem driving anywhere.  I created some bright pieces in pinks and greens, red and oranges in the hopes of warming me up a bit.  Perhaps Mother Nature will take the hint and decide to let us get to the warmer weather sooner.

Since February has Valentines Day and prom seasons are starting, I am offering a special for customers and facebook friends.  Purchase a necklace and choose either earrings or a bracelet for free.  If I do not have a pair that matches the necklace in my stock, I may be likely to custom create them for you for free.  Something to think about when money is tight but we want to have something special.

If you have a deal you would like to create, I am sure we could come up with something.  I am extremely flexible! 

I still have lots of pink stained glass necklaces for those of you who like to wear pink to show your support for the cause that affects so many people - breast cancer.  I do not have any items that are marked to donate a percentage of sales to a breast cancer organization but would certainly look into that if a large enough number of them sell.

As always, if you have a special request, I would love to hear it!!!

Think Spring!!!

Bottle Stoppers

I have been pleasantly surprised by the way my "friends" on facebook like the bottle stoppers that I have customized with beading and wire-work!!!  I had no idea that this idea would catch on the way it has.  I guess when money is tight and people still want to give something special, unique, and practical, there is always room for new ideas.  I am amazed that I have been given this opportunity in my life....never would have guessed that I would ever be pursuing something like this.  It is good, so good......

If you have an event coming up, like a wedding at a vineyard or outdoors, and would like to give your extra special guests something to remember this day that they will use for years to come, consider this option.  I am open to just about anything and can make you a "deal" that fits your event and budget!!!

 Keep looking at my work and as always, thank you for taking the time do it and share it!!  <3 

Stretching Out

I have noticed that it is really hard to find anyone with "extra money".  I have noticed that people are shopping very carefully and try to find gifts that will be useful but also unique, special, hand-made.  To that end, I have started to create items that are not necessarily meant to be worn.

I know that I love to go to places, retail and otherwise, and find that one thing that I want to just have in my house, car, or work environment.  There is always some little glass thing that catches my eye that I don't have a USE for really.  I just like it and want to see it.  There are some things I put out all year because I love them or the person who gave them to me or the memory attached to it, even if it is a snowman in July.

I am creating work that could be used as a key chain or pendant but also as a pull on a ceiling fan.  I have them on my main website.  Check them out!!  If you like something, drop me an email.  I would love to make these kinds of things for special occasions so it is my hope that I price items for today's economy.  I negotiate prices at craft shows all of the time because i know that there is only so much money to spare but that we all like something new and different.

I will post more photos as I create more items in the "Odds and Ends" category!!!

Expanding horizons....

I am expanding horizons and trying to learn as many ways as possible to make it easy to find my jewelry work, shows, and me. I am excited for all of these things to happen because it is something totally new to me!!! I love finding ways to expand my resources and knowledge. Perhaps that is why I have been an art teacher for as long as I have.....

If you know someone who would benefit from any or my resources or just find something cool I have created, pass this along please. Word of mouth is the best way to start an enterprise like this I am told.  If you wish to comment on a posting or about a specific jewelry piece I have created, do not hesitate!  I love to have great conversations and meet new people. 

I have several web resources that I have linked the best I can with the knowledge I have at this time.  I hope you will take some time and check them out!

Julie Luedtke

Betterist in: Beadwork (Education)