(iPhonography by me)
Today, I am thankful for my Mom, she's always there when I need her.
Thursday 31 January 2013
Wednesday 30 January 2013
STOP! Hammer time...and Giveaway!
Somehow I feel like I should be wearing really baggy pants and doing some MC Hammer dancing. I've been spending a lot of time at the hammer and torch this week. It started as an experiment and I am really enjoying making these new hammer copper penny buttons and charms. They can be ordered either heat patinaed or not (just plain copper).
I can see a lot of uses for these little buttons, sweaters, jewelry, shirts, hats, etc.. So, to kick things off I'm going to have a little giveaway. I will select 2 winners, 1 will win a set of 3 charms (picture below) and the other will win a set of 2 plain buttons. I will choose the winners from the comments left on this blog post by random picker.
OK, I am off for a little more Hammer Time. Have a great day and thanks for visiting.
All the best,
Traci
You can purchase my buttons and charms in my Etsy Shop at Downtown Glam.
www.facebook.com/DowntownGlam
www.etsy.com/shop/downtownglam
And of course, I have made some plain hammered copper penny buttons.
Below is a finished custom order. The customer wanted the charms to just have designs and no words, she also wanted some heat patinaed and some not.
I can see a lot of uses for these little buttons, sweaters, jewelry, shirts, hats, etc.. So, to kick things off I'm going to have a little giveaway. I will select 2 winners, 1 will win a set of 3 charms (picture below) and the other will win a set of 2 plain buttons. I will choose the winners from the comments left on this blog post by random picker.
GIVEAWAY 1: Set of 3 Charms
GIVEAWAY 2: Set of 2 Buttons
How can you win?
1.) Leave a comment on this blog post
2.) Share this blog post on your Facebook Page
3.) Tweet this blog post
4.) Follow my blog
For each item you do leave a separate comment.
Have fun and I will choose the winners on Friday, February 1, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. (MST).
OK, I am off for a little more Hammer Time. Have a great day and thanks for visiting.
All the best,
Traci
You can purchase my buttons and charms in my Etsy Shop at Downtown Glam.
www.facebook.com/DowntownGlam
www.etsy.com/shop/downtownglam
Monday 28 January 2013
Experimenting....
Things got a little back to normal today, so I decided it was time to try a few new things. I have been hammering a lot of copper lately. I thought I would try using a flame to the copper to get that lovely patina look and I LOVED it! Then I got a crazy notion to try stamping and then take the flame to them, OH MY! I'm hooked. Here's a sampling of what I started to do today.
A couple hammered and patina'd sets, I think they will make great earrings! (picture above)
Then I decided it was time to try stamping them and made these charms. (pictures below)
Ok, so if I could make earring charms and these fancy little stamped charms, then why not BUTTONS!!
Here's where it gets really crazy for me, STAMPED BUTTONS!
So, I was thinking of adding these to my Etsy Shop. Let me know what you think? I had a lot of fun today and can see a lot of possibilities for me.
All the best,
Traci
Saturday 26 January 2013
A little of this and a little of that...
This week has been a little all over the map. I've had a sick kiddo all week, home from school all week, so my time making jewelry has been limited (which is perfectly fine). I did have some time to come up with a few new things.
I've also seen a lot of spring colors popping up in my designs and colors I really haven't been drawn to in the past are more appealing to me now.
Finally, I had an opportunity to create a Custom Keychain for a local Charity, The C eFfort. The C eFfort is a great local charity in Calgary that is focused on 'improving and lengthening the lives of those suffering from Cystic
Fibrosis while raising the awareness and education about this horrible
genetic and always fatal disease in Alberta and beyond.' You can visit their Facebook page - The C eFfort, give them a like, let them know Downtown Glam sent you and check out their upcoming fundraising event on April 12, 2013 (Dinner and Silent Auction with guest speaker), its a very inspirational & worthwhile evening.
That's been my week in review, may you have a great weekend and I'll look forward to catching up with you next week.
All the best,
Traci
Come follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DowntownGlam - stay up to date on all new jewelry.
I've been playing around with metal a little more and seeing where that takes me, here are a few of my new pieces.
That's been my week in review, may you have a great weekend and I'll look forward to catching up with you next week.
All the best,
Traci
Come follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DowntownGlam - stay up to date on all new jewelry.
Thursday 24 January 2013
Thankful Thursday
(iPhonography by yours truly)
Today, I am thankful for the medical care available to us.
Sometimes this is taken for granted, but we are truly blessed to have great health care.
My kiddo has been sick this week and our doctor is fantastic.
Hope you have an awesome day and think about all the good things in your life. :)
All the best,
Traci
Friday 18 January 2013
A little photography update...
Photographing my jewelry has been the most dreaded task for me since I started creating & selling it. The daunting chore of trying to capture the colors, texture & essence of the piece.
I've been snapping hundreds of pictures & editing pictures for the last several days and have completed the switch over for the great majority of my Etsy Shop. All in all I've been pleased with the results, but I do think my photography will always be something that I need to slow down and focus on (no pun intended).
Here are a few pictures of what's come out of my many hours of re-photographing and editing.
All pieces are available in my Etsy Shop at www.etsy.com/shop/downtownglam
All the best,
Traci
I've been snapping hundreds of pictures & editing pictures for the last several days and have completed the switch over for the great majority of my Etsy Shop. All in all I've been pleased with the results, but I do think my photography will always be something that I need to slow down and focus on (no pun intended).
Here are a few pictures of what's come out of my many hours of re-photographing and editing.
All pieces are available in my Etsy Shop at www.etsy.com/shop/downtownglam
All the best,
Traci
Thursday 17 January 2013
Thankful Thursday...
(iPhonography by yours truly, Pyramid Lake, Jasper, AB)
I thought it may be fun to have one day per week just to acknowledge 1 thing I'm thankful for. I think in our day to day hustle & bustle we sometimes forget about the many things we are blessed with. So to start it off, for my 1st Thankful Thursday;
I am thankful for my family.
Nothing more needed, just a simple appreciation for a blessing in my life.
Please feel free to join in. What are you thankful for?
All the best,
Traci
Sunday 13 January 2013
Photography, trying to get it right...
So, I've been doing jewelry design for 2 years, but have always kind just got by with the photography end of it. I'm going to try to get it right this year. Christmas 2011 my hubby bought me a great photo light studio. The photo booth is great, but again, I have just not taken this photography seriously, so the pictures are still so so.
Today, I decided I would take a trip to our local home renovations store and buy a nice floor tile to use as a base for my jewelry. I'm trying to standardize my pictures for listings, make the details of my work show off instead of the background. This evening I had plenty of jewelry to photograph and all in all, I'm pretty pleased. Here are some of the fruits of my labor this evening;
I just love that floor tile I bought, kind of wishing I could put that down in my kitchen and hall, but somehow, I'm thinking its not in the budget. All I could afford was 1 tile ($5 for a 12"X12" tile = ouch to the pocketbook) :(
Anyway, hoping this new tile brings me some luck in the photo booth for many months to come.
All the best,
Traci
Today, I decided I would take a trip to our local home renovations store and buy a nice floor tile to use as a base for my jewelry. I'm trying to standardize my pictures for listings, make the details of my work show off instead of the background. This evening I had plenty of jewelry to photograph and all in all, I'm pretty pleased. Here are some of the fruits of my labor this evening;
I just love that floor tile I bought, kind of wishing I could put that down in my kitchen and hall, but somehow, I'm thinking its not in the budget. All I could afford was 1 tile ($5 for a 12"X12" tile = ouch to the pocketbook) :(
Anyway, hoping this new tile brings me some luck in the photo booth for many months to come.
All the best,
Traci
Tuesday 8 January 2013
January 2013, New Year, New Focus...
My goodness, its been some time since I have blogged, but to be honest I wasn't very consistent to begin with. :) Well, its a new year, a new beginning, a clean slate, a time to reflect on the past, a time to focus on the coming year, a time to make goals.
On a personal note, I have to say 2012 was a pretty good year for me and my family. We had many great 'adventures', lots of laughter and our home was always filled with love. This year we expect more great 'adventures' and exploring of the world around us, many more laughs and yes, plenty of family hugs & a house filled with love.
On the jewelry business side, I had a good year. This month makes 2 years since I started to design and hand-make jewelry. I have certainly enjoyed it, even when I have hit a creative brick wall, and I have seen my improvements over the 2 years. I have been very fortunate to have met and become friends with many wonderful people in the last 2 years. I also have been privileged to have some of my designs featured in Bead Trends Magazine. (Below is a collage of my published work in 2012.)
In 2013, I have decided to make only one true goal for myself personally and professionally, to be happy & content. I'm always grateful for what I have, I have learned what mountains vs. mole hills are, I feel like the luckiest person alive for the people I have in my life, but I have always struggled with feeling content. I am learning that I don't need to be the showiest, center stage type. I just plan on living my life for me and letting go of what I think I should be. I think I'm a pretty good person, maybe plain and simple to some, but its who I am. I'm a Mommy, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an auntie, a friend, occasional runner, gardener, camper, explorer, jewelry designer and just plain old Traci. In the end, I'm happy to be 'plain old Traci', I know I'm loved by many and look forward to what will be in the coming year.
May your year be filled with lots of great 'adventures'.
All the best,
Traci
On a personal note, I have to say 2012 was a pretty good year for me and my family. We had many great 'adventures', lots of laughter and our home was always filled with love. This year we expect more great 'adventures' and exploring of the world around us, many more laughs and yes, plenty of family hugs & a house filled with love.
On the jewelry business side, I had a good year. This month makes 2 years since I started to design and hand-make jewelry. I have certainly enjoyed it, even when I have hit a creative brick wall, and I have seen my improvements over the 2 years. I have been very fortunate to have met and become friends with many wonderful people in the last 2 years. I also have been privileged to have some of my designs featured in Bead Trends Magazine. (Below is a collage of my published work in 2012.)
In 2013, I have decided to make only one true goal for myself personally and professionally, to be happy & content. I'm always grateful for what I have, I have learned what mountains vs. mole hills are, I feel like the luckiest person alive for the people I have in my life, but I have always struggled with feeling content. I am learning that I don't need to be the showiest, center stage type. I just plan on living my life for me and letting go of what I think I should be. I think I'm a pretty good person, maybe plain and simple to some, but its who I am. I'm a Mommy, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an auntie, a friend, occasional runner, gardener, camper, explorer, jewelry designer and just plain old Traci. In the end, I'm happy to be 'plain old Traci', I know I'm loved by many and look forward to what will be in the coming year.
May your year be filled with lots of great 'adventures'.
All the best,
Traci
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)