Lorelei Eurto's Blog, page 22

Image Transfer tutorial from Heather Millican of Swoon Dimples

You have probably recognized that I use a lot of Heather Millican's polymer beads. I just love them.... they incorporate two of my most favorite things. Birds and Words.  Love this double sided coin bead that I used in a multi strand bracelet yesterday! That owl image is also on the back.

If you are curious how to make make these image transfer beads, check out Heather's new YouTube channel and subscribe!

Creative New Components

Fresh off the studio workbench today, are these little lovelies! I was just messing around with some ideas, and developed these cute little components using my old vintage button stash. Riveting them together with screw rivets, and adding rings to create links, larger rings for toggles (and toggle bars) and even a few with soft leather.  Each one is double sided as well so that in case they flip, you'll have something pretty on either side.  I kept them kind of small too so that they aren't too heavy and they should work great for both necklaces and bracelets.

You can find all of these listed in my webstore

Each collage shows, the front, the back and then size with a ruler....






























I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them!

My First Sweater

I finished my very first actual knitted garment, a short sleeve drop stitch sweater.  I hope I'm not boring my blog readers with these knitting posts but knitting has become my obsession these days. It started out as a hobby and has quickly become something bigger. I just love it. I love it almost as much as I love making jewelry. How is that possible?!

I wanted to pick a pattern that was easy, and quick. So the drop stitch knits up SO fast- and was a good one to start with. It was knit in two pieces, first the back and then the front. I got hung up a bit on shaping the armholes, and neck.... but got some great help from another knitting friend. One arm hole ended up a tad bit smaller than the other, and the body of the sweater ended up kind of wide but with the length, it kind of works. It's fashionable and looks great with a tank underneath.

 

I used a gorgeous Linen yarn from Rowan called Creative Linen.






If you are on Ravelry, I have a projects page there where you can follow my current and past projects. Feel free to add me as as friend or follow.

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/LoreleiEurto

Maximizing Etsy to Sell Your Handmade Jewelry- Craft Online University

I recently taught an online seminar, similar to the online webinar, but for Craft Online University. It is a comprehensive step- by - step instructional seminar and guides you through each step of opening your online shop.  It's available for enrollment today, July 27 HERE!


I believe this seminar will be helpful to a beginner but also to a seasoned Etsy seller.

Opening an Etsy store to sell your handmade jewelry is the easy part. Maximizing your shop by listing items correctly and accurately can help you boost sales, and views.

Maximizing Etsy to Sell your Handmade Jewelry is a 1-week online class filled with images and instructions of easy to follow step-by- step guides by seasoned Etsy seller, Lorelei Eurto. Share your progress with fellow community members and work with the instructor in a collaborative and interactive online environment. Ask questions and get immediate answers from the instructor for up to 5 days after the course ends. Create your very own cohesive online shop and learn all the ins and outs of maintaining your store.

Learn a variety of tips and tricks from taking photographs, to understanding correct tagging and pricing your items.

The course is $19.99 and is available now.

Jewelry Studio Essentials

Any jewelry artist has their own precious studio commodities. To me, these are the items I use on a regular, if not, daily basis. these items are at the top of my must-have list these days.  I use these items on a regular, if not, DAILY basis. I’m sure everyone has a list of these extra special items in their studios and I encourage you to share what tops your lists in the comments below!
Follow along to find out my jewelry studio essentials!All photos from Lorelei Eurto Jewelry
My SupillowThe answer to my aching back’s prayers. This little guy showed up in my mailbox one day with a letter asking if I would be so kind as to try it out. I couldn’t get it out of the package fast enough. Read More....

Yarn Clubs

If you are interested in trying out new and exciting yarns and want a nice little surprise in your mailbox once a month, why not join a yarn club?

So far I have received 1 shipment from Yarnbox.com.  I got the most beautiful purple yarn from Mrs. Crosby Loves to Play. 2 HUGE skeins!! This club runs about $40 a month.


You've got these options:

and then you can choose what colors you like, what yarn weights, cool vs. warm colors so that your subscription is just right for you.

I just signed up for Fiberista.com to compare the two to see which one I like better. They offer a minimum of 2 skeins of Luxury yarn.  It runs about $50 a month plus shipping. These are your options:

And then you have the options for choosing specific colors/tones/weights to cater the club to your tastes.
I will let you know how this one is next month when I get the first box!
In other knitting news.... I finished my Candle Flame shawl and started a short sleeve drop stitch sweater this past week.  The Shawl was a dream to knit. The yarn I used is Malabrigo Mecha and it's delightfully soft and fun to work with. 
The sweater is proving to be a real challenge as I am learning different techniques and pattern terms as I go along. The pattern, called Statice, is one that I spotted in a catalog for Rowan Creative Linen yarn.  I just hope I can make sense of the shaping to get this finished. I want to wear it!!

Tool Talk Tuesday

I have three new tools to tell you guys about! I think you're gonna definitely dig em. I have had these for about a month now, and cannot tell you how many times I reach for them. Almost daily!! For reals!

These pliers are from Xuron Corp. One of the leading manufacturers of ergonomic jewelry tools! You can purchase Xuron tools by contacting them directly at sales@xuron.com or I've seen them at Beadaholique.com, Amazon.com, and Fusionbeads.com to name a few places!

Today I'm going to talk about these three pliers.



First up. The High Precision Scissor. What I like most about it : It saves my WIRE flush cutters when I cut waxy linen cord! The wax can build up on your jewelry tools making future usage a really sticky pain in the butt.  I have been grabbing these to snip my cording and they are nice, smooth and so sharp! Perfect for leather too! 




Oval Head Micro-Shear® Flush Cutter with Wire Retaining Clip. What I like best about it. It's got a nice comfy handle, and retains the cut wire from flying in all directions! That. Is. Genius.  I can get in nice and close to trim my excess wire and as you can see in the photo above, it really holds that little wire from going anywhere! I just loosen my grip and the wire falls to my work area below.  How does it work?

Here are some angle shots to see that clip a bit easier. It's really just an extra piece of metal. It doesn't move.  But the angle allows it to grip the wire. It cuts up to 16g soft wire.





Tweezer Nose Pliers- What I like most about them: I can do really tiny wire wrapping like these seed beads! The super precise nose tips get in there nice and small to hold the headpin in place while I'm wrapping the wire.  But these will be great for any tight spaces that my regular chain nose pliers can't handle. They feature that super soft handle, and a nice strong grip even at the very tip!

I suggest you hunt down the Xuron booth next time you're at your favorite bead show! Test out their products and get some of their specialty pliers. I definitely love each of these! And wonder how the heck I managed without them!!

wham bam thank you ma'am

Sometimes I really surprise myself.  I had been feeling kind of out of my element or maybe struggling to design for a few days and then I fall in love with jewelry making all over again.  That is what happened today.




 

Let me catch you up

I have been busy cranking out jewelry to restock my online stores, but also because I have an event coming up on the 23rd. At the Everson Museum of Art, I will be selling my wares at their upcoming Craft & Craft event.  Hoping some local fans can come out and get a nice taste of local Craft Beer, and do a little shopping with some local artisans such as myself!

The collage above shows a small sampling of new pieces that landed in my online stores this week. Busy busy!


I had a friend come over earlier in the week to take some new head shots of me for publications. I am happy with those results, and it will be nice to have a new updated photo used in magazines!  I believe this is the one I'll be using.
But I have a plethora of shots to use so I may switch it up now and then.

What spurred this, was a recent invitation to be an Ambassador for a well known tool company  (more on that later!)






I have committed finally to planning my trip to Bead Fest this year, in August. I will be staying with an online friend who lives nearby. You may know her, Margot Potter? I'm so excited to be able to really sit down have a nice talk with her, we have yet to meet in person. I have been wanting to get some advice lately about business stuff and I can not think of a better person to ask than her. She's definitely a guru in the biz.

It's going to be a really busy couple of months - I just have to remember to really enjoy the warm weather for a change. It's been a bit dreary this past 2 weeks but I am looking forward to some sun coming up next week.

I am looking forward to a upcoming visitor next month. My BFF Amy Freeland is making the trek from Cali to New York for some nice good old fashioned girl time with moi. I can not wait. :)

Joe is finally off for Summer vacation from teaching. I imagine there will be more kayaking happening in our near future, and tonight we are heading out to a nice local joint for an early anniversary dinner. Sunday we will be celebrating 13 yrs of wedded bliss! :)

I better go get my day started.... Hope everyone is having a good summer so far! 

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