What do you do on a snowy day???

Why, you get your butt out to your workshop and create things!!! What better to do is that?

Yes, Tired I am of winter. What can I do about it? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! So being the positive thinker that I am, I make jewelry! Or drawings, or watercolors, or Spirit Deva's, or whatever's. I create. I love to let the Muse sweep me away...and often She does...She is constantly whispering in my ear... Drawing me out to the studio, my play ground, where tools are my shovel, and gemy beads and stones are my sand. A Castle I will build. (put foot down, rattle dishes in cupboard, draw strange looks from hubby). Am I nuts? YUP! Of course in a great way...at my age the child within has arisen...at my age...I can speak my opinions...I can rant... I can create wildly... and so I will. Snow is my ticket to take stuff up into my hands and bring a work of art out of my movements! FUN!! I am going to have a great day and I sure hope, that if anyone reads this, they will too! Blessed Be to all.... Linda

Smooth Hump Day....

Not all Wednesdays are like this...but so far so smooth. Studio is finally warm enough to put together some pins I've been working on. I also really need to create more of my 'Twist' hoops seeing as they have all sold! That's nice. Sure hope my Blog is seen by folks. We REALLY need to network and expose ourselves more. We have SO many 'Sacred Sparks', (items we create to sell), to offer to the world....we need discovery....

Well, out to the studio for me....I actually have two ladies coming this afternoon. They called and made an appointment! WOOO HOOO.....See ya later...Linda

Want a good laugh???

This takes the cake! and we don't have any cake...but it is a sure sign of the dreaded Cabin Fever setting in.
We are Detroit Red Wing fans...there is a game tonight... Jerry fixed dinner and we settled into our seats to enjoy some great hockey. Well, having two absolutely charming and delightful kitties it didn't take long for the regular evening game to begin. Tonight is cold. Verrrry cold...like, would you believe 0. Of course once we were settled into our seats, Gris Gris LongFur wanted to go out. So we let him out. Whatever kitty wants...kitty gets...RIGHT?
It wasn't long before Malikin Silver Toes scratched at the door, also wanting of some fresh air. Neither Jerry nor I let Gris Gris back in. We swear! Malikin did not stay out long. Twenty minutes passed. Gris Gris had not clicked his nails on the door jam. His way of saying "I'm ready to come in." Both Jerry and I looked at each other, saying...'Gris Gris is still outside! In these temps, that is not good for tiny bare toes. We called from the door but no Gris Gris. We ventured out in our stocking feet and saw no Gris Gris.. So we came back in to dress for the temps.
We put on our heavy boots, that we had just taken off for the night, donned our warm coats, hats and gloves and went out to the porch to call Gris Gris. We called, Called and CALLED. Not a sound did we hear, nor a black cat did we see. Jerry went in and fetched the flashlight...We wandered the back shoveled yard, looking for pussy tracks and calling our bloody heads off.
Surely the far away neighbors were hearing our calls and wondering...What the heck?
After a good twenty minutes of calling and then listening in the clear skied, squeaky snow night, we dragged our feet back into the warm house. Jerry thought well maybe Gris Gris is upstairs in his favorite snuggle place. No he wasn't there....BUT he was in the window, looking down at us making total fools of ourselves in the frigid night. Gris Gris must really be having some thoughts about us! If you only knew the awful thoughts going through our heads as we called and looked for foot prints in the snow. ...Coyotes, rabbit chasing into the road, speared by an icicle... Relieved that all was well...we went back to the hockey game and tried to warm back up, and calm the panic out of our veins. How mortifying! Cabin Fever is not a good thing.

Going to work soon..that is Out to the Studio!

Today we woke up to 14 degrees! Chilly house took a while to get back to a livable temp. Studio is warming up as I type. Heating with wood really saves money, but it sure is a lot of work and back aches. Just ask Jerry about that...he still has a kink left over from getting the 2 feet of snow and ice off the house roof. At 59 that is tough work...actually at any age that is tough work!

I have been attempting to harvest some friends/followers on on Twitter site. www.twitter.com/sacred_sparks come sign up for our posts and we'll reciprocate.

I am on my way to the studio to do some more acid etching for parts to make some special pieces. I do have one pair of earrings in process that I need to finish so I can clean up my beading area. I can really get a mess going there.

The photo I posted today is our studio/shop viewed from our home. The snow is piled the highest that we can remember...we've lived here for 35 years!!!

Peace...

Anybody know about 1000 MARKETS ..?...?..?..

Good Day Folks!

Just spent a lot of time exploring a site called '1000 Markets'. It is a nice place. Has a professional look, with some professional art...all American...I may add.

Does anyone know if this is an Amazon site??? They only take Amazon payments...thus the idea that it is owned by Amazon. If it is, I am impressed.

Is there anyone you know who has a shop there that is actually selling their work???

Jerry and I would love to know more about this, if anyone is willing to share...

Thanks!

Linda

The photo is of some earrings I make and sell in our shop http://www.sacredsparks.etsy.com/ These are very reasonably priced. I call them 'Celestial Kitties', they sell for only $6.50 and you can buy them at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8331683

DAY TWO IN THIS ENDEAVOR

Good Day to you! This open ended project is in day two now. I learned how to add stuff...it was pretty easy actually. I guess I shouldn't get so freaked out.
Currently, I am anxious to get out to the studio to begin several planned and commissioned projects. All this computer work takes a goodly amount of time......especially when living out in the boonies of Northern Michigan! Yup, we only have access to dial up at this time. Frustrating as it is, there is nothing we can do about it. Believe me, we've tried many, many times. We shall keep trying and perhaps someday it will all come together for us.
Right now we couldn't afford high-speed anyway. Our finances ARE going to change, real soon. I am working hard on getting our name and art out there for good folk to see, desire and BUY. Our customer base here in Northern Michigan has wisped away with the paling economic moon. Our bills are paid, but our savings for bad times are evaporating, with each monthly pay period. I know we will find a venue that will start our flow once again. I trust in the Goddess and through my Faith and Good Intent, all will return to the Balance that we seek. Not too much, but just enough to survive and carry on with dignity and good will.
I am now closing this entry and heading out to the studio, that is now warm and waiting. I have one 'Mid-Night Bunny' Pin to create for an order, one 'Fat Freddy on the Fence' pin to finish, some acid etching to begin for several other pieces I want to create. I'll start with 'Fat Freddy', I have made all of the parts, now I just have to tool them and solder them, add a pin back, buff it all up real pretty and then let the dear lady, who ordered it, know that it's done! You can see one of my smaller 'Fat Freddy's' on our Etsy site. Click on our PIN section and you will find it. Maybe I can attach a photo....I'll see... (If I do attach a pic...you do know that my designs and all photos there of, are copyrighted by me, and you have no permission to copy the image what so ever. Thank you for your respect of American artists. Please just enjoy it, or better yet...BUY IT!!!! Here's the link.....

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9383984
Thanks for your visit....return soon to see what is happening here at Sacred Sparks.

COURAGEOUS BEGINNINGS....

This marks my first post. Quite frankly.... I have no idea WHAT I am doing. No, that's not right, I know what I'm doing, I know why I'm doing it, I just don't know much about HOW to do it. As time passes, my learning curve will slowly become more than a flat line!

I suppose an introduction is in order. Maybe there is a place for a site 'about me' blurb. I'll find it eventually. Right now I'll quickly say....That SACRED SPARKS is our Trade name. My husband and I are artists, attempting to earn a living with the jewelry I make, and the fab Photography he creates. We have been doing this for a long, long time. Right now we show our designs at http://www.sacredsparks.etsy.com/.

We used to sell at juried art shows around the country. That was a fun time for us. The travel, the commraderie, seeing new art, meeting new customers, developing relationships, was a gypsy way of life...and we LOVED it!

We ended the art fairs in 1998 and opened a small brick and mortar...actually a recycled garage turned charming, and began a new way of marketing our work. There are pages of experiences inbetween these words.... but for times sake, I am keeping this in quick time.

Now we are selling on ETSY, and not really doing so well there. We are attempting to find ways of sending potential buyers to our site. Maybe our Blog will help.

I really need to end this. I have to go lock the studio up for the night...put some logs on the fire out there, and bring in the cash box. More stories to tell. I guess I won't run out of stuff to talk about. I'll need to organize it into subjects. I am going to attempt to post a picture now...wish me luck....

OK... It worked! The image you see is a pin that I made. You can view this piece on our Etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18345383 I call it 'Dance of the Dragonflies', it is copyrighted by me...Linda Beers Aydlott and you are not allowed to copy this photo to any venue with out my express permission. Thank you for your respect of American artists.

THANKS FOR VISITING FOLKS!

Blessed Be.....Linda