Tangible Tidbits 2012 #8: MSU Metalsmith Guild, Oscars, & Pinterest

Good evening to those of you not watching the Oscars right now! LOL Can you believe the build-up to the Academy Awards has taken on Super Bowl-size proportions? I've only seen one of the nominated films this year (The Descendents), so I'm not all that interested in the show. :\

I caught a lucky break this week...a friend from Montclair State University had invited me to participate in this semester's MSU Metalsmith Guild Jewelry Galleria on campus. I wasn't online much this week, so I didn't see the invite until the day after the deadline. However, they only got four artists to participate and they wanted at least six. Soooo, they extended the deadline! I emailed my friend and asked if I could participate even though I'm not enrolled in school this semester. She said I definitely could and that I should do it! :) The show is 7-9 p.m. in the University Hall Conference Center on the 7th floor of University Hall at Montclair State. I've already enlisted a good friend from the office to be my model. I just have to make sure she can be there at 5:00 p.m...I didn't realize she'd have to show up that early. :o We both have to wear black to show off my pieces. I have to see what I have in my closet...there was a time that I wore a lot of black, but not so much anymore. ;) Ordinarily, I would have had to submit pictures of my pieces to be evaluated, but since my friend was the one who picked up my items from the Allwood Branch of the Clifton Public Library last week, they can just evaluate the pieces! :) I have no idea what they will select, but we can apparently put other pieces, including non-jewelry items, on a table at the event. As it so happens, my Chinese take-out set was on display at the library! LOL Sometimes, you just get lucky. :)

In the "not so lucky" column, I also found out this week that there are registration and transcript holds on my records at MSU due to an "outstanding balance." I have no idea why, as I have not been enrolled since last spring. According to my Sallie Mae TuitionPay account, I'm all paid up. I left a message at the school on Friday afternoon, but I didn't receive a response yet. Luckily, the MSU Metalsmith Guild doesn't care about stuff like that! ;)

I started working on the scarf my niece made for me again last night while I was watching a movie I had already seen, so I didn't have to pay that close attention to it. ;) I wasn't in the mood to start something from scratch. I have a freeform bangle and a pair of earrings to make for a coworker, but I have until March 25 to deliver them. I worked on another coworker's copper cuff bracelet earlier today. She just wanted me to "decorate" it for her. After sending her some sample photos, she decided she wanted me to add hammered texture and oxidize (darken) it to highlight the texture. I'll have to see what she thinks tomorrow. The difference is pretty subtle, but hopefully she is not be expecting a drastic change.

I don't know how many of you are on Pinterest, but I'm getting a kick out of it. One of the online suppliers I use occasionally has a contest on there. We're being asked to set up a board and pin 10 items from Fusion Beads such as our favorite necklace inspiration, favorite tool, etc. Since I already had a Pinterest account set up, I entered today. I also have boards for my Factoidz articles, Birthstones, Product Reviews I've written, and pieces I've listed on Yardsellr. At first, I thought it was "just another new social media site," but it seems to be taking off. It will be interesting to see if it eventually gives Facebook a run for its money. :o

In the immortal word of Porky Pig, "That's all folks!" Have a great week! :D


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Tangible Tidbits 2012 #3: Expanding My Horizons

Hey, everyone! My work life got pretty hectic toward the end of last week, when a colleague moved up her departure date by a couple of weeks! She took over my old job when I left in mid-2010, and I've gotten my old duties back as of today. In theory this change will allow me to leave on time more frequently, since my workload and schedule are no longer tied directly to anyone else. However, I left today a half-hour later that "normal," and I left one project unfinished. I kind of dumped it in the lap of my supervisor, but I suspect it will still be waiting for me tomorrow morning. :\

I'm still investigating the opportunity I mentioned last week, and I'll know more by the end of this week. Essentially, it's a transfer to the IT department and a promotion, but the concession is that it is a full-time position. I think I'm ready for a change -- particularly at the office -- so this may work out well. The upside is that I'll be able to afford to finish my Metalwork & Jewelry courses at MSU. In making that part of my incentive to take the position, it reinforces for me that I'm not giving up this business entirely...just putting it on the back-burner for a bit. ;) The downside is that I will miss my "family" in the Transfer Department. Many of us have weathered quite a few storms together. Hopefully, the space between my [possible] cubicle and them wouldn't be too far to travel. ;)

Last week, I started an experiment to see if yardsellr.com is a viable avenue for me to showcase my pieces. It's kind of like a cross between Etsy and eBay, with merchandise broken down into "blocks" by interest or material. My thinking was that it would be easier to reach people who are interested in wire-wrapped items, for example, by including my pieces in that block. The site automatically places the items in various blocks based on the title and description of the piece, so they are more likely to be seen by people looking for similar items. Unfortunately, I can't dictate where they should go, which means I am sort of at their mercy in that regard. I have received quite a few compliments on the Bird's Nest bracelet I posted, which has been placed in blocks for jewelry, Swarovski, sterling silver, and bracelets. It has received 138 views in a week, so that's not bad. :) Yardsellr is also connected to Facebook & Twitter, as well as Pinterest, which I also joined this week. I'm hoping to reach a wider audience through these sites than I have so far via my website and social media. What I like about Yardsellr is that the blocks are basically defining target markets. I've never investigated Etsy and Artfire thoroughly, although I did sign up for both shortly after starting this business. My impression is that Yardsellr took the concept of the former two sites a step further. My one concern is spreading myself too thin. I've had trouble finding the time to post pictures of my latest creations to my website and Facebook, let alone adding a third venue. However, I want to primarily use Yardsellr to help promote older in-stock pieces. I will be more selective in what I post there, based on what blocks I've seen available and the items I have come across in visiting them...I purchased some large-hole square glass, Amethyst, and Amber beads there recently. Custom work can be gratifying -- especially when a client is thrilled with the one-of-a-kind piece -- but it would help a lot for me to sell off my current inventory. Plus, if I ever decide to downsize or close up shop, I can probably sell my materials and tools more easily on Yardsellr than eBay. I tried selling some of my older or rarely used tools on eBay last year, and it was not very encouraging. :\

Gotta run...it's time for Hawaii Five-0! Have a great week! :)

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