MagdaleneJewels/Knits features Promotional Blogs featuring items from my Shops: MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com & MagdaleneKnits.etsy.com -as well as many talented Artisans
In early November, Joni : http://www.jstinson.etsy.com, wrote that President Obama had declared November as National Native American Month. See Joni's blog: I just received a proclamation from President Obama declaring November, 2009 National Native American Month and November 27, 2009 National Native American Day. You can read the proclamation on my blog: http://jstinson-trailoftreasures.blogspot.com/2009/11/obama-declares-national-native-american.html
I have long written about the plight of the Native Americans and the true history of our country. We have all been indoctrinated throughout the years in our history texts and literature about how the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, MA, in 1620, and were surprised to find that this land called Amerika was already inhabited by hundreds of different American Indian tribes. We all know quite well that peaceful setting of the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and Indians sharing whatever crops they managed to grow, and learning the various cultures of each group. Unfortunately, that scenario as we know it was very far from the truth. The Pilgrims landed in an unknown territory ready to take over, only to find no food or shelter; while continuing to be observed by the curious inhabitants that had already settled in Plymouth and the many surrounding areas around what we know refer to as "Cape Cod". The Pilgrims through much treachery, not only stole the hidden crops the Indians had stored away for the Springtime planting, but began a plot to cast each tribe against the other with the hope that each Native American tribe with total untrust of the other would follow through on their plan causing the first of many massacres that occured. It was during these terrible massacres that the Pilgrims would step in and acquire the lands of each tribe as they would retreat from the own settlements. This so-called peaceful "First Thanksgiving" would lead to 50 years of treacherous villainy and war, and the loss of 1,000's of lives, to begin what we come to define today as American. This is only a brief scenario of the many years of war that the Native Americans had to endure losing not only their land and families, but dignity as well. It is wonderful to see that American's are now taking responsibility for their actions, and are beginning to recognize who are true founders of America are. I for one am proud to be one of the Americans of today who feels that this honor although well deserved, is well overdo.
I am very grateful then to have one of my pieces from my shop: http://www.MagdaleneKnits.etsy.com, recognized as a tribute to this very worthy honor thanks to "CloudBurst"http://www.CloudBurst.etsy.com- my black scarf which was recognized in this promotion : http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35311039. I invited all of you to view Joni's Promotional thread about this great tribute to her own Cherokee heritage: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6335843&page=1In early November, Joni : http://www.jstinson.etsy.com, wrote that President Obama had declared November as National Native American Month. See Joni's blog: I just received a proclamation from President Obama declaring November, 2009 National Native American Month and November 27, 2009 National Native American Day. You can read the proclamation on my blog: http://jstinson-trailoftreasures.blogspot.com/2009/11/obama-declares-national-native-american.html
Last weekend was our annual Parish Christmas Fair. I started doing the Fair when my children were very small and attended our Parish school. As they got older, and I went back to work, I took a long hiatus from crafting. I again started doing craft shows and the Sacred Heart Christmas Fair a few years ago. This particular Fair is always a three day affair. Friday, being my favorite, is when the children come in and do their own shopping. They come in dressed in their holiday finest, with their little envelopes filled with their shopping money. What I enjoy the most is seeing the little one's with their $2 (which to them could be a million dollars) and say "I want to buy something for my mommy". The invariably head for my most expensive jewelry, but I then lead them to my Christmas jewelry which I make and price just for the children to be able to buy. I ask them how much money they have to spend - usually it is between $2 - $4, so I will pick out a pair of earrings or bracelet and say "oh, this is just $2" ; their eyes just light up as I wrap the little gift which they can't wait to get home to give to their mother or sister. One little girl, Madalene, wanted to buy a pair of baby booties for her little sister. Knowing that her sister is already 2, I told her I didn't think they would fit. She replied, "they are for Monica's little baby doll", so I wrapped up a little pair of my preemie booties for her. Friday evening, dinner is served (which is so delicious) and donated from different parents, and the parents get to do their shopping. It is more fun just running into people I haven't seen in a while and catching up on what our older children are doing now. My daughter, Kelly and her newborn son, Zachary also came to help; and in the evening Zachary had his first picture with Santa! (see if you can figure out which is the real Santa!) I must admit though as much as I love doing this one particular Fair. This year a few vendors that have been there the past few years and myself were a little disappointed in the amount of people who were selling stuff I wouldn't even be throwing away. Besides myself and my friend, who also is on Etsy, we were the only two who actually sold hand-crafted items. I miss the days when a craft fair meant just that, handmade crafts. When I first started doing this Fair many years ago, only hand-crafted items would be sold. Now these vendor come in and are literally selling right out of the boxes that they bought their items in. So in that respect, it was a little disappointing to see people being taken in by what some are calling crafts. I have noticed this being the trend in other craft shows I have done in the past few years. Well, hopefully, they will all go back to the concept of a craft fair selling hand-made crafts. Even with all that, I did manage to sell quite a few things as well as a custom order for a necklace, bracelet and earring set. I certainly didn't let the non-crafters deter from my Holiday spirit while I enjoyed selling to the little children, and catching up with old friends, and seeing my grandson having his first visit with Santa.
As most of you all know, I have reached Grandmother status. Little Zachary arrived Oct 2, 2009 at 8:25pm, weighing 6lb 3 oz. When I first saw him right after he was born, he was so tiny and fragile. Well he has reached his 1 month old birthday, healthy, sleeping, at least in these pictures (although my daughter says he never sleeps) and gaining weight. Although my daughter lives in New Jersey, about 1 hr away, yesterday was such a beautiful day that I took a ride to go visit little Zachary and my daughter. Although you have seen his newborn picture, here are his latest pictures a few of which I took yesterday. Another in his Yankee outfit watching the World Series! and as "Charlie McCarthy" for Halloween.
As most of your know by now, I have belonged to a local theatre group for about 8 years. The group, The Fort Hill Players (FHP), just celebrated its 71st year. I guess it was inevitable that I would be a part of such a successful and talented group of actors, directors, and cast members. My mother started out as a make-up artist for FHP in the early 50's; then went on to acting in a few of their productions. My daughter, Kelly, who was the director of the HS drama group for two years, and then was a part of a theatre group in college, joined the FHP about 10 years ago as an actor, stage manager, and director for many of their productions. I joined soon after as their costumer and make-up artist for all of their productions. This season our production is "An Inspector Calls"; a very famous English murder mystery centering around the Birling family celebrating the engagement of their daughter Sheila. The Birling's are a very prominent English family in which everyone is, and could be, a suspect in the death of a young woman from one of the factories. Since the time period for this play is 1912, it was very enjoyable finding costumes for each actor representing this time period. Of course, some of it couldn't have been done without "a little help from my friends". If you notice, Inspector Goole, in his Mac and Bowler Hat; the hat was a terrific find from Judi's shop, VintageLegacyStudio: http://www.VintageLegacyStudio.etsy.com. Mrs. Birling, in her English finest, along with her string of pearls is also wearing a Vintage necklace of 3 large pearls and crystals on each side of it's chain, centered by a large pendant with a large crystal center and a large drop pearl. I was lucky to find this Necklace in Nonnie's shopo which now features many vintage items, along with her beautiful gemstone jewelry: http://www.Nonnie60.etsy.com. The daughter, Sheila, dressed in a beautiful vintage dress from the early 1900's with moss green and taupe ribboning, is wearing a double-strand Necklace of Swarovski Pearls and Emerald Swarovski Crystals, which I just made, and will also be featured in my shop shortly: http://www.MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com. A little side note! The young couple whose engagement is being celebrated just before the Inspector Calls, just became engaged in real life, having met through our theatre group while actor together in "Run for Your Wife".
As most of you know by now, yesterday and last night was touch and go with little Belle. The little kitty was sick when we got her, but the Breeder said it was just because she had just been wormed. We were also told that the kitty was 7-8 weeks old; old enough to be weaned.By yesterday her situation got worse, and we rushed her to out Vet, who upon weighing her found that she was just 1 lb - and also was only 5 weeks old. He did some cultures, immediately started her on antibiotics and Albon which is used for kittens with intestinal problems. When I called the Breeder, she said the Vet should have never given her the shots and that she definitely would not make it through it night. I called the Vet, and he assured me that what he did was correct. Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. Today she is eating, back to her little animated self, and I think she might have even gained 1/2/lb. So just wanted to share the pictures I took of her today, looking like little "Tinkerbelle" about to fly off to Neverland.
Little kitty arrived today unexpectedly. My boys had told me about the Cat Show at the County Center (which is right near us). As soon as I saw these little eyes staring at me - Well, how could I resist! They told me the kitty's name was Wendy - since that is my sister's name, I don't think she would actually want a kitten named after her. So as of yet, she does not have a name. All suggestions welcome! Of course, my other kitty is a little jealous right now, but I am sure they will soon be best friends - hopefully!
Pam, from Magdalene Jewels, sells her jewelry on the Internet, in addition to filling custom orders and attending fairs. On Etsy, she's an active member of the Etsybloggers (where I first met her) and the Bbest (Boomers and Beyond) Team. She's also involved with Blockhead Radio and Plugger's United. Now don't get confused - Pam has TWO blogs: one ending with "pjk", the other ending with "blogs." I enjoy reading her blog posts because she's so passionate about what she writes about. Read more about Magdelene Jewels here:
I primarily sell Jewelry in my shop, which consists of Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings – all of which I have designed and created myself. I primarily only use Swarovski Crystals for all my pieces. I recently added “personalized bracelets” to my shop, and so far I have done over 18 custom bracelets with the individuals’ names; and just received an order asking if I could make a “personalized” necklace to match one of the bracelets I had already made. During the winter months I also sell a few knitted and crocheted items in my shop, such as scarfs and neck warmers. In the Fall I plan on opening a new shop just for knitted and crochets items (stay tuned – there will lots of cute stuff!)
Show us a piece you recently finished
I just listed these earrings this week –
What are you working on right now? Any sketches?
Right now I am working on a bracelet which will be totally different from the items in my shop. It will be Antique copper with large gemstones which I covered with Antique filigree pieces to give them a Vintage look. This is a sample of some of the pieces which are almost ready to be assembled onto a Vintage chain. [Here's the finished piece, a few weeks later, called Anais, named after the French writer]
If you have a website or blog, what do you use for advertising? What do your avatars look like?
On Etsy it is hard to advertise except through Treasuries or listing your item in the Promotion or Team Forums. Since the blogs are linked through Google – any item listed on my blog is automatically listed on Google (search: MagdaleneJewels). I started selling on ArtFire about 2 months ago: what I like about ArtFire is that every item can be viewed through an internet search. They have a section called “STATS” which shows how many people have viewed your item and also how often it has been viewed from an outside source by showing the # of URL hits.
If you have a website or blog, tell us about your favorite widget?
I just recently posted a widget call on my Blog: http://www.MagdaleneJewelspjk.blogspot.com “Baby Mia Giveaways” If you click on the widget – you will find a heartwarming story about Baby Mia, who at birth was given no chance of survival as she needed a heart transplant. Fortunately, on November 10th Mia received her “angel heart” from an organ donor, and has just recently celebrated her 1st birthday. They have a few fundraisers on their site. It truly is a miracle, and when I see her little face on my blog, I realize just how precious life is.
Which online selling vendors do you use? What do you like best about each one?
One can find my jewelry on both Etsy and Artfire. Although I like both venues for selling purposes, I find they do differ in many ways. I very much like the format of Artfire and how my jewelry is set up. I think it is a cleaner look and easier for a shopper to browse through. I also like the "stats" which shows how many views you have, not only from those who go onto Artfire, but also those who browse my shop through Google or other online websites.
I have been selling on Etsy for exactly 2 years this Aug. I would love to see them be able to set up the shops in the same format as ArtFire. or give one a choice of how they would like to set up their shop. I notice just not from my shop but from others also, that people tend to just browse the first 2-3 pages (which you can tell by how many views there are), then assume the rest is all the same. In favor of Etsy compared with Artfire, one does not find the friendship that exists through the various teams that we have in the Forums. To me that is most important, although we promote our shops and a new listing, the caring that exists when one is going through something personal, or just wants to chat about the Yankee's, we are all very supportive of one another. I have made quite a few friends while here on Etsy, which to me is more important than any sales could compete with.
Are you involved in social networking? What's your favorite and why? If you're not involved, you must have a good reason!
I can be found on Facebook – it is fun chatting with friends some new and some from my past. And love doing my many YouTube Videos.
All of us can use a helpful business hint once a week. What's yours?
I tend to always put my jewelry projects last in my list of things to do. I recently was lucky enough to work on a project with Marion Barnett, and learned so much, one of which I will share will all of you. Commitment! I made a commitment to myself to complete at least one project a week of which I have kept to my promise.
Do you have a "modus operandi" for computing the price of a handmade object? Tell us your formula?
When I first started I really didn’t know how to price my work. I asked a friend who owns a bead shop in Nyack NY – she said I was completely under pricing myself; that one should price according to materials, design and labor – each adding up to 1/3 of the total price. I do still tend to undercharge at times, I totally enjoy what I am doing and to me that is what is important – money comes second.
We'd love to see your little corner of the world, where you create.
I create in my head, and my workspace is my bed, if I show some pictures that means I would have to clean my room first. Actually though I have organized shelves for all my different crafts; jewelry, quilting, knitting, crocheting etc.
Where do you see your artwork in one year? Any plans in the works?
My goals are to learn new techniques in beading and designing. As I mentioned earlier, I am planning on opening another shop in the Fall in which I will be selling knitted and crocheted items.
OK, the storybeader's turn to pick a favorite!
I especially love Pam's crystal necklaces. Even though I like the look of multi-strand necklaces, like her Marley necklace, I think my favorite is called Nightingale. I always assumed crystal jewelry meant bright colors, but this 17" necklace is just beautiful with the use of black, gray and white.
Thank you Deb for doing such a nice interview about my work, shop and myself. I know all the work you put into these interviews, besides trying to make all your beautiful pieces of jewelry; so it is very much appreciated and from the heart ;) hugs Mags
Beautiful work, great interview. Pam is a wonderful person and helped me a lot when I was a newbie on etsy. Thanks for 'highlighting' her and her work. Julie
I took the liberty of copying this blog from my friend Marion's blog, this is just one of her many beautiful quilts that I have seen her make over the years. I also attached a second blog Marion did regarding a custom order quilt she did for a woman who rescues Greyhounds. Her shop on Etsy is: http://www.mademarion@etsy.com Marion's other website is http://www.mademarion.com; and her blog is: http://www.mademarion.com/blog/
My good friend of many years just recently gave a baby shower for her daughter Kelly. Kelly’s first baby is due in October. I met Pam when Kelly was a year old and my daughter Sarah was a newborn and we lived in the same apartment building. It is hard to believe Pam’s baby is having a baby!
I wanted to make Pam’s first grandchild a special quilt. Knowing that the new baby will be a boy, I chose to make a string quilt in a combination of blues and greens.
I have made string quilts before from scraps and was very pleased with the results. This time however, I used a soft blue foundation block and used fat quarters of greens and blues. For the quilting I did “stitch in the ditch”. I plan to start another string quilt in my other favorite color combination of pinks and yellows.
Pam and I are avid crafters and have collaborated on many projects from knitting and crocheting to quilting and beading. Please take a look at her beautiful jewelry in her etsy shop.
ps: My daughter Kelly loved this Quilt that Marion not only made for her baby, but on the back embroidered the baby's name, Zachary
Greyhound Rescue and Rehab is a non-profit organization that rescues, fosters and prepares ex-racing greyhounds for adoption. Since May 2000 they have placed over 700 Greys with loving families. GRR’s site describes Greyhounds as “quiet, well-mannered, loving and sensitive.” My friend Lorraine, an owner of two Greys and an active member of this organization, asked if I would make a quilted wall-hanging that she could donate to their most recent fundraiser. She gave me several tee-shirts with various graphics of Greyhounds on them to work with. I then made two wall-hanging quilts that were added to their silent auction.
Greyhound Rescue and Rehab is a non-profit organization that rescues, fosters and prepares ex-racing greyhounds for adoption. Since May 2000 they have placed over 700 Greys with loving families. GRR’s site describes Greyhounds as “quiet, well-mannered, loving and sensitive.” My friend Lorraine, an owner of two Greys and an active member of this organization, asked if I would make a quilted wall-hanging that she could donate to their most recent fundraiser. She gave me several tee-shirts with various graphics of Greyhounds on them to work with. I then made two wall-hanging quilts that were added to their silent auction.
I made both quilt tops with mainly fat quarters and scraps that I already had. In the larger wall-hanging I used colors that Greyhounds come in. GRR’s site states that Greys “come in a wide array of colors with 18 recognized variations.”
