Black Daisy Designs

Fika and the best Sponge cake recipe ever

2012-02-28T11:00:00.000+01:00

From Wikipedia about the Swedish word "fika".

"Fika is a social institution in Sweden; it means having a break, most often a coffee break, with one's colleagues, friends, date, or family. The word "fika" can serve as both a verb and a noun. Swedes consider having a coffee an important part of the culture. You can fika at work by taking a “coffee break,” fika with someone like a “coffee date,” or just drink a cup of coffee. As such, the word has quite ambiguous connotations, but always including something to eat accompanied by a drink, such as cookies, cakes and even candy. This practice of taking a break, typically with a cinnamon roll or some biscuits or cookies, or sometimes a sandwich (smörgås) or a fruit on the side, is central to Swedish life, and is regularly enjoyed even by the government.

Although the word may in itself imply "taking a break from work," this is often emphasized using the word fikapaus ("fika pause") or fikarast ("fika break"), with kaffepaus and kafferast, respectively, as near synonyms. Fika may also mean having coffee or other beverages at a café or konditori (a "patisserie-based coffeehouse.)

Traditionally, fika requires sweet, baked goods, especially cinnamon roll. According to Helene Henderson, author of The Swedish Table, one needs three items minimum to avoid insult to Swedish guests; "to impress, serve a variety of seven freshly baked items--and be ready to talk about the weather."

Cinnanom rolls - kanelbulle

Fika is also combined in words such as fikabröd ("fika bread") which is a collective name for all kinds of biscuits, cookies, buns, etc that are traditionally eaten with coffee. Non-sweetened breads are normally not included in this term (even though these may sometimes be consumed with coffee). Fika is also used as a noun, referring to fikabröd and coffee combined.

The word is an example of the back slang used in the 19th century, in which syllables of a word were reversed, deriving fika from kaffi, an earlier variant of the Swedish word kaffe ("coffee").

While the term is nowadays mostly used as a synonym for "coffee break" (or "tea break", "cake break" or similar), the original use of the word - meaning just "coffee" - still lives on, especially in the elder generations. The phrase "en kopp fika" for "a cup of coffee" is not as common as it used to be, but still prevails to some degree."

If you don't have cinnamon rolls at home and you've invited friends over for "fika", it's not uncommon to make a "sockerkaka", a sponge cake. In Sweden we like to eat the cake as it is and this recipe below, is dead easy, super yummy and will give you a perfect cake everytime.

Freshly made sponge cake by yours truly.
It lasted ... well... not very long.

So, why not make a sockerkaka, put on some coffee and enjoy a traditional Swedish fika?

Swedish Sponge Cake
2 dl sugar (0.85 cups)
2 Eggs
Whisk the sugar until fluffy and until the batter becomes whitish.

2 dl wheat flour (0.85 cups)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
Mix gently with batter.

75gr melted butter (about 1/3 cups)
1 dl milk
Melt butter and pour milk over. Bring to a boil and pour directly over the batter. Mix.

Pour into greased and floured baking pan. Bake at 175gr 40-45 minutes at the very bottom of oven.

Done!

Sockerkaka
2dl socker
2 ägg
Vispas riktigt pösigt och tills smeten blir vitaktigt.

2dl vetemjöl
2tsk bakpulver
2msk vaniljsocker
Siktas över äggsmeten och blandas in lite lätt.

75gr smält smör
1dl mjölk
Smält smör och blanda i mjölken. Låt koka upp och häll direkt över ägg/mjölsmeten. Blandas.

Hälls i smörad och bröad form. Grädda längst ner i 175gr ugn i 40-45 min.

Klart!

♥
/anna-karin

Will I ever get well again?

2012-02-27T21:28:00.001+01:00

Seriously, will I? Ever? Last week it was bronchities. Week before that, fever. This week it's sinusitis. I mean... C'MON!! And I'm not completely down and out so I can still work. But I'm not feeling well and everything takes longer and I am sick of it. (no pun intended) Can I PUULEEZ get well already?

Allvarligt, kommer jag? Någonsin? Förra veckan var det luftvägsinfektion. Veckan innan det feber. Den här veckan är det bihåleinflammation. Jag menar ... lägg av! Och jag är inte helt nere under isen så jag kan fortfarande jobba. Men jag mår inte bra och allt tar längre tid att göra och jag är trött på det här. Kan jag SNÄLLA bli bra någon gång?

♥
/anna-karin

Monday Motivation - Take risks

2012-02-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

Step out of your comfort zone. Try something new. Dare to question everything.

Kliv ut ur din comfort zon. Prova något nytt. Våga ifrågasätta allt.

♥

/anna-karin

Gorgeous spring day

2012-02-26T23:10:00.000+01:00

It was a gorgeous spring day in Sweden today and we just had to get out of the house to enjoy the pale spring sun. And it did give some warmth. Wonderful.

Det var en underbar dag i Sverige idag så vi var bara tvungna att lämna huset för att njuta av den bleka vårsolen. Och den värmde lite på näsan! Härligt.

Pale spring light. Love it.

Our resident Robin Hood took advantage of the fine weather to practice some archery.

Vår lokala Robin Hood tog tillfället i akt och övade lite bågskytte.

The arrows were apparently a bit ... obnoxious. She had too cool down - so while the rest of us were busy with cutting down shrubs.... she ...err.... meditated?

Pilarna bråkade tydligen med henne och hon behövde lugna ner sig. Så medan vi andra klippte ner buskar så... eeehh... mediterade hon?

Oh well... it was a good day. :)

Nåja, det var en bra dag i alla fall. :)

♥

/anna-karin

And the winner is......

2012-02-25T14:27:00.001+01:00

So, today we did it. We pulled a ~~bunny~~ winner out of a hat. My assistent was a bit taken by the importance of the moment but even though she was nervous, she never hesitated. Her little hand plunged right down into the many many pieces of paper, each with a name on it and then she triumphantly pulled one single strip of paper out of the ~~bag~~ hat.

~ ~ ~ TRUMPETS AND FANFARES ~ ~ ~

THE WINNER IS.....

COURTNEY!

Congratulations my dear! You said you'd choose one of the rings if you won so... take your pick, hun! :) I'll drop you an email very soon.

But.. you know... I still have the other prizes left. Whattya think? Should we pull a couple of more ~~bunnies~~ winners out of the ~~bag~~ hat?

Yeah, lets do that.

~ ~ ~ TRUMPETS AND FANFARES ~ ~ ~

the second winner is

Katie C.

AND

~ ~ ~ TRUMPETS AND FANFARES ~ ~ ~

the third winner is
Jane!!

Congratulations to you both!

Now you both liked the pendant batch so Jane - it's a ring for you. I hope that is ok. I'll let you know which one it is as as soon as Courtney has decided which one she prefers.
Also - Katie and Jane - can you both send me an email with your addresses and I'll have your prizes off in a jiffy. You can find my email HERE.

To ALL of you participating - from the bottom of my heart - THANK YOU. I get all choked up just thinking about you lovely people out there. Thank you. :)

♥
/anna-karin

Giveaway winner....

2012-02-25T00:33:00.005+01:00

.... will be announced tomorrow Saturday.

♥

/anna-karin

Friday Friend - Tana from City Rustic Jewelry

2012-02-24T15:30:00.000+01:00

I have a friend.

Her name is Tana and her shop is called City Rustic Jewelry.

Eucalyptus Leaf and Baeckea Blossom Necklace with bronze and chain maille

Tana's shop is a metalsmithed wonder of sterling silver, copper, bronze and brass - all mixed fluently together to original artisan made pieces of gorgeousness. Her use of multiple metals with heavy texturing or without creates pieces of art fit for a queen.

Hinged Copper Cuff Bracelet, textured with sterling silver

All the pieces are so elegantly rustic that they will take you from morning business meetings into the night's fun galore, with effortless ease. Wearing one - or several - of Tana's creations is the perfect solution for any busy woman on the run. And let's face it - that description fits most of us.

SciFi Jasper Cabochon Pendant with sterling silver & copper metalwork

Minimalist Textured Leaf Earrings in bronze and sterling silver

Why don't you check out her store and see for yourself. :)

♥

/anna-karin

Do the work little fish

2012-02-23T10:33:00.000+01:00

THURSDAY THOUGHTS

I did not compose what you are about to read. A year or so back I was hanging in the Etsy forums and found this posted in a thread. I'm ashamed to say I don't remember who post it, but I thought it was so good so I copied the text and saved it for myself to read when I needed it.

As you all know I've just started my business "for real" last week and I'm already starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with all the "musts". I "must" post this on FB, I "must" write an interesting blog post, I "must" network locally, I "must" contact local shops, I "must", I "must"....

I just found this again, while tidying up my computer and I feel a need to share it with you. Or if you like.... I "must" share it. :P

If you who wrote this originally is out there reading this, do post a comment so I can give credit where credit is due, because this is true words of wisdom. :)

Sales....Circles...Network....Tweet....Renew...Oh My!

I am still fairly new to this whole world of creating and selling said creations. Don't get me wrong. I am having a great time learning how to run my little shop, take photos, network, show in galleries, etc. I did feel a bit overwhelmed yesterday, so I went to visit an artist friend of mine. The business side of this process has really been a downer and I needed David to cheer me up. He is a very successful ceramic artist, but kind of a hermit. I arrived at his home studio where he was already sipping sangria at 10am and glazing a stunning sculpture piece. He is a shy man, who works in his studio, gardens, goes for hikes, and has a very small circle of friends. No website, no Twitter, no Facebook, no cell phone! I pointed these facts out to him and asked him how he promotes himself without these things, yet still has top galleries showing his work, collectors, television features, and consistent sales. He pointed out to me that he also has, a modest house, a used car, and a simple life.

David: "If I wanted to be rich, I made a poor career choice. I do my work, put it in a few places and let it be. It takes time."

Me: "What if you don't want to be rich, but you want to be able to live and do what you love, but there is so much competition out there. I feel like such a small fish in this huge pond. I'm afraid I will never be seen. I haven't even sold anything yet during this Christmas rush. I've hardly sold anything period!"

David: "Do the work, stay out of the results"

Me: "What the heck does that mean?"

David:" You are a small fish, deal with it. Just do your work, do it well and with integrity. Do the work to please yourself and maybe the rest will come, maybe not. Maybe you always drive a used car. Maybe you don't sell and have to work two jobs, so what! You work just to sell...you kill the spirit!"

Me: "But if I don't sell my work, I don't feel like I can call myself an artist."

David: "What would you say if I told you, You are not a woman?"

Me: "I would beg to differ."

David: " What would you say if I told you, You are not an artist?"

Me: "I would probably be hurt."

David: "There is your problem! Fact...you are a woman, yes? To say different would be laughable. You would laugh at my stupidity to say otherwise! Yet I say you are not an artist and it hurts you because you don't believe it is fact! If you don't believe it how will anyone else believe? You are too worried about results! Do the work little fish."

I poured myself a large glass of sangria.

♥
/anna-karin

New work

2012-02-22T10:00:00.000+01:00

Last week I managed to finish, photograph, write descriptions and list quite a few new pieces. That hasn't happened since... well... forever. It really feels good being able to finish something on the same day I start it.

So what do we have? Well, a bunch of supercute small pendant necklaces with smooth gemstone cabochons. Really... these are adorable. I hammered some melted scrap silver pebbles to create the back plate and I only gave the edges a quick sanding. You know how fond I am of the rustic and tattered edges. :)

And this week SPRING has come knocking on our doors. We still have snow but there is a definate change in the air. We have much more day light and the birds are chirping like craaaazy. And - like previous springs - that means Leaf Rings. Two in this batch, one with a super cute Ocean jasper and one with a yummy Larimar.

Leaf Ring - Ocean jasper

Leaf Ring - Larimar

And then I made an Alien ring.... or something. I don't know. But this makes me giggle everytime I see it. It really looks like a little alien with antennas on its Blue Lace Agate head. So cute.

Will be listed shortly.

Blue Lace Agate - not listed yet

Finally - I have a couple of experiments - Pebble necklaces. I wanted to create pebble necklaces with nothing more but pebbles. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out and I've been playing around with making some matching earrings. They're not good enough to list yet, but... I'm not giving up.

These necklaces will be listed shortly though.

Pebbles 1 - not listed yet

Pebbles 2 - not listed yet

♥

/anna-karin

New friends

2012-02-21T15:25:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Source

They're a bit shy ...

Source

... but quite friendly.

And they will be perfect on my chest of drawers. Now I just need to fix the top and I think I'll cover that with some wallpaper. Something old. Something flowery. Something ... silvery. Something vintage.

♥

/anna-karin

Tuesday Tutorial - Wrapped Loop

2012-02-21T12:28:00.000+01:00

Want to learn how to make a wrapped look like this...

or how to wrap a bead between two loops like this?

Well you're in luck. Today's Tuesday Tutorial is just how to do these two quintessential jewellery making techniques. What are the odds?? Just click the link below and you'll be wrapping away in no time.

Now, I understand if the lack of the same dirty zebra striped plier handles that I have, may stifle your urge to learn, but I'm sure you'll make do with what you've got. You can't all be as lucky as I am who has a husband that bestowes me with pretty things like that on my birthdays. *giggle snorts*

TUESDAY TUTORIAL - WRAPPED LOOP

Anyway - enjoy. Let me know if you have any questions.

♥

/anna-karin

Monday Motivation - Solve the problem

2012-02-20T11:00:00.000+01:00

If you can't avoid the problem - find a way to handle it so it either solves itself or at least is managable. It may not always be as easy as in the example above though. :P

Om du inte kan undvika problemet - hitta ett sätt att hantera det så det antingen löser sig självt eller åtminstone är hanterbart. Kanske inte alltid lika lätt som i exemplet ovan. :P

♥

/anna-karin

Eat your greens

2012-02-19T16:34:00.002+01:00

So Sixten.... not done enough damage to the poor plant yet, have you?

♥

/anna-karin

First weekend!

2012-02-18T09:34:00.002+01:00

På svenska längre ner.

First weekend after my first week as self-emplyoed! It's only 8.30 in the morning so I can't sum the weekend up or anything - I'm just absorbing all the "new" things that are happening. And you are probably sick and tired of me going on about working at home... BUT THIS IS HUGE!! So deal with it. BWAHAHAHAHA....

But seriously - I can sum my feelings up after the first work week though ... and I think it's been a mixture of stress and relaxation. Oh and giddy happiness of course. But, I've been stopping myself countless times this week, telling myself I don't have to stress. I don't have to feel "oh, darn I won't have time to make .... insert chosen activity". Because I will be home more days. And more. And more. But my head is still wired with the idea that my jewellery making time is an odd day here and there and an hour in the evening etc ... so I've been stressed. But at the same time very relaxed, because of forementioned reason. Bizarr, huh? You think I think too much? :P

Anyhoo, Saturday morning, fresh coffee in my cup, ready to start the day and I'm sitting here thinking about vegetables. Let me elaborate - I've been noodling a lot about my veggie patch lately. If you remember from last year, I started a small veggie patch as a trial project and it turned out so well I'd like to increase it this year.

I've been thinking lots of what I'd like to grow and so far I have:

suger snap peas
2-3 different types of lettuce throughout the season
carrots
beetroot (I looove beetroot, boiled soft and then served with parmesan cheese...mmmmm)

Not a big selection, I hear you say. No, that's true. But on the other hand, the patch is small and these veggies are veggies we eat all the time so... But IF I decide to go bigger this year, I'm also thinking about:

broccoli
zucchini

You know... about 10years ago I was a garden-fanatic of big sorts. I used to grow all my own plants, perennials, veggies, shrubs... you name it, from seed. I actually had the spare bed room as my "seedling room". LOL Then we moved from Stockholm and I found jewellery making... but lately I'm starting to feel a renewed desire to grow stuff. There is something immensly satisfying watching a tiny seed grow into a plant. It takes time. And that is part of the beauty.

♥

/anna-karin

SVENSKA

FÖRSTA helgen efter min första vecka som egenföretagare! Klockan är bara 8,30 på morgonen så jag kan inte summera helgen ännu - jag bara absorberar alla de "nya" sakerna som händer. Och du är förmodligen urled på att hör mig gå på om att arbeta hemma ... Men det är STORT! Så gilla läget. BWAHAHAHAHA....

Men allvarligt - jag kan sammanfatta mina känslor efter den första arbetsveckan i alla fall ... och jag tycker att det har varit en blandning av stress och avkoppling. Oh.. och svindlande lycka förstås. Jag har varit tvungen att stoppa mig själv otaliga gånger den här veckan för att påminna mig själv om att jag inte behöver stressa. Jag behöver inte känna sig "oh, 17 oxå - jag hinner inte (välj aktivitet) ..." för jag kommer att vara hemma fler dagar. Och fler. Och fler. Men, mitt huvud är fortfarande inkört på att min tid för att göra smycken är en udda dag här och där, en enstaka timme på kvällen etc, så har jag varit stressad. Men på samma gång väldigt avslappnad, på grund av tidigare nämnd anledning. Bisarrt, va? Tror du att jag tänker för mycket? : P

♦ ♦ ♦

Hur som helst, lördag morgon, nybryggt kaffe i koppen, redo att börja dagen och jag sitter här och tänker på grönsaker. Låt mig förklara - jag har grunnat mycket på mitt trädgårdsland på sistone. Om du kommer ihåg från förra året, började jag ett litet trädgårdland som ett försöksprojekt och det visade sig gå så bra att jag vill göra mer i år.

Jag har funderat en hel del på vad jag vill odla och hittills har jag:

sockerärtor
2-3 olika typer av sallat för hela säsongen
morötter
rödbetor (jag ääälskar rödbetor, kokta mjuka och sedan serverade med parmesan ... mmmmm)

Inte ett stort urval, hör jag dig säga. Nej, det är ju sant. Men å andra sidan är landet liten och det här är grönsaker som vi äter hela tiden så ... Men om jag väljer att göra ett större land iår, jag tänker också om:

broccoli
zucchini

Du vet ... för 10 år sedan var jag en trädgårds-fanatiker av stora slag. Jag brukade så alla mina egna växter - perenner, grönsaker, buskar ... you name it. Jag använde faktiskt vårt extra sovrum som ett "så-rum". LOL Sen flyttade vi från Stockholm och jag hittade smycktillverkningen ... men på sistone har jag börjar känna en ny längtan att odla saker. Det är något oerhört tillfredsställande med att så ett litet frö och se det växa till en planta. Det tar tid. Och det är en del av skönheten.

♥
/anna-karin

Friday Friend - Deb from Crysallis Creations

2012-02-17T13:00:00.000+01:00

I have a friend. Her name is Deb and her shop is called Crysallis Creations.

Charmed Luxe BERRY Anklet Pink Sapphire Spinel 14kt Gold fill ankle bracelet

Deb's jewellery range on the scale from the petit and delicate aaall the way over to the bold and elaborate. But whatever design, you can always count on that they will be dripping with amazingly beautiful top grade gems, handpicked by Deb on the gem markets of Hong Kong where she resides.

Red Garnet oxydized blacken Sterling Silver 14kt Gold fill tassel dangle earrings

The gems are wire wrapped with precious metals to beautiful concotions of outmost drool worthiness. She adores handblown lampwork beads and often incorporates these in her designs. Need I say in an oh so lush way?

Bubble stacking rings

Why don't you check out her store and see for yourself. :)

♥

/anna-karin

Bag-Finds Giveaway!

2012-02-16T14:30:00.000+01:00

~ ~ ~ SORRY, THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED ~ ~ ~

A while back I found a bag from the show I did in December and it was jam packed with pendants and rings and earrings and other stuff that I'd forgotten about.

First I thought - How fun is this?

Then I thought - Oh no.. I have to take photos and write descriptions for aaaall of this stuff.

Lastly I thought - Why not have a giveaway?

So a giveaway it is and here's how we'll do it:

- Add one comment if you follow my blog.
- Add another comment if you blog about this giveaway (post a link to the blog post please).
- Add yet another comment if you like Black Daisy Designs on Facebook.
- And another comment if you Tweet about this giveaway. Post a link here.

And like the super intelligent human being you are, you have already realized that this can give you a total of four chances to win. Not too shabby, huh?

One more thing. You have to tell me which one of the following pieces you'd like.

Yes, one of the prizes is this batch of five (5!) smaller pendants.
See details below.

Sky Blue Topaz and a hammered bar of silver.

Rose Quartz and a hammered bar of silver

Tattered Petal and Prehnite

Tattered Petal and Peridot
This peridot was actually shiny from start but I managed to scratch it somehow with a
piece of sanding paper after I had set it. So after throwing a major hissy fit I told myself to get a grip and
to make it work. I ended up sanding the entire stone. LOL But I think it looks really neat.

Shiny Tattered petal

A big ring with a green turquoise US size 10

A Pebble ring US size 6 3/4
This is actually new for 2012 but... what the heck. :D Lots of silver
in this one.

So... how long should we run this giveaway for? Two days? Four days? A week?

Let's say a week. SO... next week on Thursday. Your entries. One hat/bowl/bag. One daughter. You get the picture. :P

The winner will be posted here and on my FB page.

Happy Huntings!

♥
/anna-karin

Self-employed!

2012-02-16T10:30:00.000+01:00

THURSDAY THOUGHTS

So - today is my first work day at home. I can now - truly - call myself self-employed. I'm feeling all giddy! So many ideas, so many plans, so many hopes. And to be quite honest - a lot of fear. But, I've made up my mind not to let fear dictate my life. I will not succumb to the fear of failure, because really... what is the worst thing that can happen?

1 - I won't sell enough and we'll have trouble paying our bills.

This is probably the most realistic threat to my dream and would definately be a downer but... but this is not something that will happen over night. I do have a little money saved and if I keep a close eye on my books, I should be able to see it happening and then I'll just have to find myself a second job. I can do that. I can. And I will, if needed.

2 - I sell enough but for some reason don't enjoy it.

Yeaaah, that's gonna happen. *eyeroll* Ok, but for arguments sake - let's say I won't enjoy my new life. For arguments sake, let's say I won't be happy, staying at home creating *eyeroll* ok, well... I'll get a job!! Duuhh....

3 - Hmmm..... can't think of anything more really.

So... the worst thing that can happen, turned out not to be so scary after all.

There is however one fear, that do dictate who I am and how I live my life. A fear that I can't - and to tell the truth don't want to - get rid of. The fear of not trying. Because I can think of nothing more frightning, then to realize one day when I'm old and thinking back on my life ... that I dared not even try to live my dream. That I was too scared of what other people would think if I didn't succeed. That I lived my life with the motto: "At least I know what I have".

To me, that would be the saddest of existences.

♦♦♦

But NOW... I have work to do. I need to make a lot of calls and plan in meetings with different people.

I need to take photos and write descriptions.

I need to talk to my Muse and discuss new designs.

I need coffee.

♥

/anna-karin

SVENSKA!

Så - idag är min första arbetsdag hemma. Nu kan jag - verkligen - kalla mig egenföretagare. Jag känner mig nästan yr! Så många idéer, så många planer, så många förhoppningar. Och för att vara helt ärlig - en hel del rädsla. Men jag har bestämt mig för att inte låta rädslan diktera mitt liv. Jag kommer inte att ge efter för rädslan att misslyckas,eftersom egentligen ... vad är det värsta som kan hända?

1. Jag kommer inte att sälja tillräckligt och vi kommer att ha svårt att betala våra räkningar.

Detta är förmodligen den mest realistiska hotet mot min dröm och skulle definitivt vara en downer, men ... men det här är inte något som kommer att hända över en natt. Jag har lite pengar sparade och om jag hålla ett öga på mina böcker så borde jag kunna se när det är på gång och då jag får jag helt enkelt hitta mig ett andra jobb. Jag kan göra det. Jag kan. Och jag kommer, om det skulle behövs.

2. Jag säljer nog, men av någon anledning njuter jag inte av det.

Yeaaah ... det kommer ju att hända. * eyeroll *

Ok, men för argumenteringens skull - låt oss säga att jag inte kommer att njuta av mitt nya liv. För argumenteringens skull, låt oss säga att jag inte kommer att vara lycklig vara hemma och skapa ... * eyeroll * ... tja... jg får väl hitta ett jobb! Duuhh ....

Hmmm ..... kan inte tänka mig något mer egentligen.

Så ... det värsta som kan hända, visade sig inte vara så särskilt skrämmande trots allt.

Det finns dock en rädsla, som dikterar helt vem jag är och hur jag lever mitt liv. En rädsla som jag inte kan - och för att vare helt ärlig - inte vill bli av med. Rädslan för att inte ens försöka. Jag har svårt att tänka mig något mer skrämmande, än att en dag när jag är gammal och tänker tillbaka på mitt liv ... inse att jag inte ens vågade försöka leva min dröm. Att jag var för rädd för vad andra människor skulle tänka om jag inte lyckas. Att jag levt mitt liv med mottot: "Man vet åtminstone vad man har."

För mig skulle det vara den sorgligaste av existenser.

♦ ♦ ♦

Men nu ... har jag arbete att göra. Jag måste ringa en hel del samtal och planera i möten med olika människor.

Jag måste ta bilder och skriva beskrivningar.Jag måste prata med min Musa och diskutera nya designs.

Jag måste ha kaffe.

♥

/ anna-karin

Good things on a Thursday morning

2012-02-16T09:42:00.000+01:00

Tulips - wilting or fresh - are my favorite flower.

Fresh coffee...mmmmm..

The sun shining in on our (semi) clean tiles making shadows.

Temperature rising (it was -7 and now -1) and a clock set for
summer saving time. Soon...

A pile of work - FUN work - waiting for me.

♥

/anna-karin

HAPPY VALENTINE!

2012-02-14T09:58:00.000+01:00

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

HAPPY VALENTINE, my luffleys!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥

♥

Monday Motivation - COFFEE!!

2012-02-13T09:00:00.000+01:00

Just sayin'....

♥

/anna-karin

NO... no no nonononono.....

2012-02-12T10:40:00.000+01:00

Click on the pics to get the full monty of that white crap coming down.

Klicka på bilderna så att ni verkligen kan se det där vita skräpet som kommer ner.

Well.... at least she's happy.

Tja, hon är glad åtminstone.

♥

/anna-karin

Silver sparrow drawer knobs

2012-02-12T00:25:00.002+01:00

Seriously - are these cute or are these cute??

Silver sparrow drawer knobs

And here I was looking for drawer knobs. These will be perfect.

Happy happy!

Silver sparrow drawer knobs

♥

/anna-karin

FRIDAY FRIEND - Jo from Gemheaven

2012-02-10T17:19:00.000+01:00

I have a friend.

Her name is Jo and her shop is called Gemheaven.

Sterling silver bird and gemstone pendant - Fly High with Tourmaline

Me and Jo go way back. We've had the similar journey and I swear that we sometimes share Muse. But Jo has something I don't - the constant creative inspiration from her Cornwall surroundings and that echoes through her gorgeous, organic and highly covetable designs.

Sterling silver cuff bangle with labradorite Cabochon - Stormbreaker

They are infused with the magical and ancient history of the Druids, but at the same time very contemporary and fit for the edgiest of fashionistas to rock at any red carpet event.

Sterling silver ring and cabochon - The Big green Ring

Why don't you check out her store and see for yourself. :)

♥

/anna-karin

akhdesign.se

2012-02-05T14:33:00.001+01:00

See that domain name up there. *points*

It's mine and even though it's not activated yet, soon everything will start from there.

*pats self on back* One step closer to The Dream.

♥

/anna-karin

~ ~ ~

SVENSKA

Ser ni domän namnet där uppe? *pekar*

Det är mitt och även om sidan inte är aktiv ännu, så kommer snart allt att börja därifrån.

*klappar själv på axeln* Ett steg närmare Drömmen.

♥

/anna-karin

Friday Friend - Modeste Parisienne

2012-02-03T21:00:00.001+01:00

Raspberry Garnet Tangerine Sapphire Heart Bib Sterling Necklace - Alizarine

I have a friend.

Her name is Catherine and her Etsy shop is Modeste Parisienne.

Purple Amethyst Pyrite Dangle Sterling Bracelet - Violette

Catherine makes exquisite jewellery with top grade gemstones, fabulous colour combinations and to top it off, she also manages to mix design styles from days gone by, with more contemporary ones.

Aqua Gel Smithsonite Colombian Emerald Sterling Necklace - Giverny

It's just so very ingenious, very chic, very high fashion, very now.

Take a look in her store, but do remember to bring tissue paper because there will be drooling. ;)

♥

/anna-karin

I stumbled...

2012-02-03T12:30:00.000+01:00

... and I fell down on my knees. But I got back up and now it's full speed ahead again. Once you've battled depression, you will always do a balancing act on the edge. And sometimes you will stumble.

It's almost 1½ years ago, since my body finally said No! and wouldn't let me go to work anymore. I stayed at home for three months; crying, questioning myself and my place in the Universe, talking to a therapist, wondering why I can't do everything when "everyone else" can, going for long walks, taking my medication, wondering why my super powers failed me....

Today, I can honestly say I'm thankful for the experience. I don't ever, ever want to feel that way again, but I'm glad for the knowledge about myself those feelings brought me.

So, am I well? Am I 100% ok?

Well, I laugh myself silly almost every day. I'm off my medication and have been for a couple of months. I don't question myself or my place in the Universe anymore. I don't cry. (Except when people are cruel to children, animals or eachother.) I still go for walks. But I do occasionally stumble. And I will probably do so from time to time, but I don't think that makes me weak any longer. And that... that is a good feeling.

I'm still Wonder Woman... only a little bit more human.

♥
/ak

~ SVENSKA ~

Jag snubblade ... och jag föll ner på knä. Men jag kom tillbaka upp igen och nu är det full fart framåt. När du har kämpat med depression, kommer du alltid att balansera på kanten. Och ibland kommer du att snubbla.

Det är nästan 1 ½ år sedan, min kropp sa Nej! och inte lät gå till jobbet längre. Jag stannade hemma i tre månader grät, ifrågasätta mig själv och min plats i universum, jag pratade med en terapeut, jag undrar varför jag inte kunde göra allt när "alla andra" kan göra allt, gick på långa promenader, tog min medicin, undrade varför mina superkrafter hade svikit mig ....

Idag kan jag ärligt säga jag är tacksam för upplevelsen. Jag vill aldrig, aldrig någonsin känna så igen, men jag är glad för den kunskap om mig själv dessa känslor fört mig.

Så jag bra? Är jag 100% ok?

Tja, jag skrattar så jag får ont i magen nästan varje dag. Jag har slutat min medicin och har varit utan den ett par månader. Jag ifrågasätter inte mig själv eller min plats i universum längre. Jag gråter inte. (Utom när människor är grymma mot barn, djur eller varandra.) Jag går fortfarande på promenader. Men jag snubblar ibland. Och jag kommer förmodligen att fortsätta göra det från tid till annan, men jag tror inte det gör mig svag längre. Och det... det är en bra känsla.

Jag är fortfarande Wonder Woman ... bara lite mer mänsklig.

♥
/ak

Facebook

2012-02-03T09:30:00.001+01:00

På svenska längre ner.

If you become a fan of Black Daisy Designs on Facebook you can take part of some very special deals, only open to Facebook fans. I will post special sales, special offers, games, giveaways etc etc on Facebook from time to time and these will ONLY be open to Facebook fans. You can find the deals under the tab 'Special Deals for Fans' in the left hand margin.

So - join me on Facebook! You never know what will happen. :D
Black Daisy Designs on Facebook

I will flag deals on my Wall and they will run until I say otherwise. It might be a day, it might be an hour... it might be a week. *evil grin*

♥
/ak

~ SVENSKA ~

Om du blir ett fan av Black Daisy designer på Facebook kan du ta del av några mycket speciella erbjudanden, som bara är tillgängliga för fans. Då och då kommer jag att lägga upp specialerbjudanden, reor, spel, giveaways etc etc på Facebook och dessa kommer endast att vara öppna för fans. Du hittar erbjudanden under fliken 'Special Deals for Fans' i vänstermarginal.

Så - bli ett Black Daisy Designs fan på Facebook! Du vet aldrig vad som kommer att hända. : D
Black Daisy Designs på Facebook

Jag kommer att flagga erbjudanden på min vägg och de kommer att pågå tills jag säger något annat. Det kan vara en dag, kan det vara en timme ... det kunde vara en vecka. *flinar*

♥

/ AK

Best quote ever.

2012-01-25T13:05:00.001+01:00

Orange Fish Tree - Art Print - The Epic Tree Collection
by Typeposters

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

(A. Einstein)

♥
/anna-karin

Gold?

2012-01-21T21:22:00.000+01:00

'Holly' from my previous shop, Små Blå
14k goldfilled with Emeralds

I dug out my old stash of gold-filled wire and findings today. I didn't have very much left but I did manage to make a pair of simple hoops, a pair of creole style smaller hoops and a Can You Reach Me ring. It felt good to do a bit in gold so I'm thinking that I might get some more gold filled wire. I'm actually already plotting designs with sterling and gold filled mixed, so yes... definately more gold filled.

Oh, and while I was at it I checked out the price for genuine gold. *cough* Yeaaahhh.... I'll stick with gold filled, thank you very much.

♥

/anna-karin

Svenska

Jag grävde fram mitt gamla lager av gold-filled material idag. Jag hade inte mycket kvar, men jag lyckades att göraett par stora och ett par mindre kreoler och en Can You Reach Me ring. Det kändes bra att arbeta lite i guld så jag funderar på om jag inte skulle ta och skaffa mig lite mer gold-filled tråd. Jag grunnar redan på några designs med både silver och gold-filled, så jo ... det blir definitivt mer gold-filled.

Åh, och medan jag var på gång så kollade priset på äkta guld. *host host* Eeehhhh jomenvisst serru.... jag tror nog att jag håller mig till gold-filled, tack så mycket.

"Gold Filled är nästan i samma klass som rent guld. Skillnaden är att man har en basmetall som kärna och sen ett mycket tjockt lager av äkta guld över. Metoden är speciell och man använder sig av hetta och tryck för att få tilll delarna. Detta är inte så vanligt i Sverige och det verkar inte finnas ett svenskt ord för det än. Detta ska ej blandas ihop med guldpläterade delar då guldpläterat fort tappar färgen och inte kan bäras av allergiker. Gold Filled kan bäras av nickelallergiker då guldlagret är så pass tjockt att inte någon nickel ska kunna irritera huden. Guldlagret slits heller inte bort och guldet behåller sin vackra färg och glans i år efter år, bara man sköter om det någorlunda bra." Källa: Pärlguiden

♥
/anna-karin

Facebook = extra-special-super-duper-mega-deals!

2012-01-20T09:52:00.000+01:00

På svenska längre ner.

Are you "liking" Black Daisy Designs on Facebook? If not you really should. I will soon start to add extra sales, special offers etc on Facebook - but only to those who "like" me.

I'm not completely clear on the structure yet, but here are some ideas:

Monthly sales
A "Special product of the month" with huge discount
For new pieces that I upload on FB - "Buy before listed in shop and receive a special discount"

So - go ahead. You know you already like me, now go ahead and "Like" me. :)
*bwahahaha.... wow, that was cheesy*

Black Daisy Designs on Facebook!

♥
/anna-karin

SVENSKA!

"Gillar" du Black Daisy Designs på Facebook? Om inte så borde du verkligen göra det. Jag kommer snart att börja lägga upp extra reor, specialerbjudanden etc på Facebook - men bara till de som "gillar" mig.

Jag är inte helt klar på strukturen ännu, men här är några idéer:

Månads-reor
En "Månadens produkt" med stor rabatt
För nya produkter som jag lägger upp på FB - "Köp nu innan den är upplagd i butik och få en extra rabatt"

Så kom igen. Du vet att du redan gillar mig, gå nu vidare och "Gilla" mig. :)
*bwahahah.... ojj, bara lite smörigt va?*

Black Daisy Designs på Facebook!

I received a darling letter....

2012-01-19T14:27:00.002+01:00

Svensk text längre ner!

Yesterday evening I got the sweetest convo on Etsy. It was from a - dare I say it? - a ... fan (!) *giggles* expressing her love for my jewellery. It turns out she's been reading my blog for over a year now (winks and waves) and now she had to approach me regaring something. May I just say that I find it so amazing that people out there are actually reading my ramblings. I feel humbled and proud and filled with re-newed responsibility. I avoided starting a blog for the longest time because "no-one would read it and I have nothing to say". But, of course, I jumped on the band wagon and pretty soon realized it wasn't about who read my blog or not, it was about me having my own space. And in a way, the blog has become my third child. (A child I neglect for weeks on end occassionally but ... you know what I mean. :)

But I'm digressing. The author of this lovely letter had a little... request from me. Or maybe I should say she had a longing for something she hadn't seen for a while and she was begging me for more.

"It has been a while since you produce any more jellyfish earrings, but I had to write you this note, expressing my nostalgia (and longing) for them!"

Do you remember the Jellyfish earrings?

These Turquoise and white Sapphires were the first one I made (and they are still available HERE)

Then I made this custom pair in Rhodonite and Amethyst to a lovely, lovely customer. She was such a trooper. We had MAJOR problems finding pink cabs for the bodies but she just patiently waited.

In between the Turquoise and Rhodonite jellyfish earrings I made these in all Labradorite. Ok, they're not jellyfish', they're squids but I figured it's same element and same design style so for me they're almost jellyfish earrings. :)

"Sometimes, I think to myself that, maybe you do not feel confident based on your audience, or that your muse is being too fickle, but you must bring them back again(please!) So that is why I write to you to make more."

So.... how do I continue from this lovely letter? What do I do? It just happens that I bought material for two pairs of jellyfish earrings early last year, but I never got around making them. But the cabs and rondelles are still packed together, destined to become sea creatures for your ears. One pair in Lapis Lazuli and one pair i Prehnite.

I guess I'll be posting some pictures of Jellyfish earrings in the near future. :)

♥
/anna-karin

SVENSKA!

Igår kväll fick jag det sötaste convot på Etsy. Det var från en - vågar jag säga det - ett... fan (!) *fnissar * som uttryckte sin beundran för mina smycken. Det visar sig att hon har läst min blogg i över ett år nu och nu behövde hon närma sig mig angående något. Får jag bara säga att jag tycker det är så fantastiskt att det finns folk där ute som faktiskt läser mitt babbel. Jag känner mig ödmjuk och stolt och fylld av förnyat ansvar. Jag undvek att starta en blogg under en lång tid, eftersom "ingen skulle läsa den och jag har ingenting att säga". Men, naturligtvis, hoppade jag på tåget och ganska snart insåg att det handlade inte om vem som läser min blogg, det handlar om mig och att jag har mitt alldeles egna utrymme. Så på ett sätt är bloggen som mitt tredje barn. (Ett barn jag försummar i veckor i sträck ibland men ... du vet vad jag menar. :)

Men jag kommer bort från ämnet. Författaren till det här brevet hade en liten ... begäran från mig. Eller kanske jag ska säga att hon hade en längtan efter något som hon inte hade sett på ett tag och ville se mer av.

"Det har varit ett tag sedan du producerar några nya Jellyfish örhängen, så jag var tvungen att skriva till dig för att uttrycka min nostalgi (och längtan) för dem".

Kommer du ihåg Jellyfish örhängena? Eller Manet örhängena som vi säger.

Dessa i Turkoser och vita Safirer var de första jag gjorde (och de är fortfarande finns HÄR)

Sedan gjorde jag en beställning för detta par i RODONIT och Ametist till en helt underbar kund. Hon var en rikigt trooper. Vi hade enorma problem att hitta rosa cabochoner för "kropparna" men hon bara väntade tålmodigt.

Mellan Turkos och RODONIT örhängen jag gjorde dessa i bara Labradorit. Ok, de är inte maneter, de är bläckfiskar, men jag tänkte att det är samma element och samma design stil så för mig så är de nästan maneter örhängen. :)

"Ibland tänker jag att, kanske du inte känner dig så säker baserad på din publik eller att din musa är för fladdrig, men du måste föra dem tillbaka igen (please!) Så det är därför jag skriver till dig, att göra fler par. "

Så .... hur fortsätter jag från ett sånt här underbart brev? Vad ska jag göra? Av en händelse (!) så är det så att jag köpte material för två par manet örhängen till, i början av förra året, men det blev aldrig av att jag gjorde dem. Men cabochonerna och rondeller är fortfarande kvar, packade tillsammans och avsedd att bli små havsdjur för dina öron. Ett par i Lapis Lazuli och ett par jag Prehnite.

Jag antar att jag kommer att publicera några bilder av maneter örhängen i en nära framtid. :)

♥

/anna-karin

More and more and more...

2012-01-16T11:47:00.000+01:00

Right now my Muse is working overtime and I'm giving my all just to keep up.

And I confess - I'm failing. But my head is buried in silver and cabochons and brass and shapes and colours... not focused on photos and descriptions ... so I'm falling behind. I think I have maybe 30-40 finished or semi-finished pieces waiting ... and she is not showing signs of slowing down. LOL

But I'm not complaining. It feels simply splendid to sit down in my studio, immediaty get an idea and find out after finishing it, it actually worked.

It's quite amazing, really.

♦ Svenska ♦

Just nu arbetar min Musa övertid och jag har fullt upp för att bara hänga med.

Och jag får väl erkänna - jag misslyckas. Men mitt huvud är begravt i silver och cabochons och mässing och former och färger ... inte fokuserat på bilder och beskrivningar... så jag hamnar obönhörligt på efterkälken. Jag tror jag har kanske 30-40 färdiga eller halvfärdiga smycken som väntar ... och min Musa visar tecken på avmattning. LOL

Men jag klagar inte. Det känns helt enkelt fantastisk att sätta sig ner i studion och omedelbart få en idé och få reda på efter att ha färdigställt smycket att idéen faktiskt fungerade.

Det är ganska fantastiskt egentligen.

♥

/anna-karin

Bunch of new stuff....

2012-01-13T19:33:00.000+01:00

A whole bunch of new listings are available in my Etsy shop. Some of these aren't what you usually see in my shop, but as I've mentioned before, I'm expanding my inventory. But, I'm going to list loads more over the next few days and there will be quite a lot of my usual style in that batch. :)

Svenska!

Massor med nya varor i min Etsy shop. Kanske inte produkter du är van att se i min butik, men som jag sagt tidigare - jag håller på och bredda min produktlinje. De kommande dagarna kommer jag dock att lägga upp massor med nya smycken och av dem kommer de flesta vara i min gamla vanliga stil. :)

BRACELET

Brass filigree bracelet

NECKLACES

Dainty sterling silver pendant necklace

Petit sterling silver and turquoise pendant necklace.

Lily pendant necklace.

EARRINGS

South Sea shell pearl earrings in teal.

South Sea shell pearl earrings in deep mauve.

South Sea shell pearl earrings in deep forest green.

South Sea shell pearl earrings in sage.

Bohemain brass filigree earrings

Brass filigree post earrings

♥

/anna-karin

Taking photos....

2012-01-13T14:16:00.000+01:00

.... lots and lots of photos.

♥
/anna-karin

My no.1 priority.

2012-01-05T18:57:00.000+01:00

I - need - to - make - more - jewellery.

Loads of jewellery. And I need to list said jewellery. And to do that I need to take photos.

AND THEN THIS DARK AND GREY AND GLOOMY AND MORDOR LIKE WEATHER DOESN'T HELP.

The last couple of weeks I've tried to take photos of some new stuff. FIVE TIMES!! And I've scrapped all of those photos because they were rubbish. That's about 500-700 photos I've deleted, people. 500-700 photos!!

And don't tell me to get a light tent. I've got one. And believe it or not - my photos turn out even worse when I use the light tent than without. So no... I just need sweet, lovely daylight. Softly slipping through my curtains, gently laying itself on my jewellery, bouncing off said jewellery and into my camera.

Now is that too much to ask for? *grumblegrumblegrumble*

♥

/anna-karin

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

2012-01-02T21:20:00.000+01:00

I'm gearing up for 2012. I have good feelings about this year and I intend to prove myself right. Since my Winds of change posts (here and here) I've had this rush of creativity. Heck, I actually made a necklace and a bracelet on New Year's morning. 2012 was but mere 1½ hours old and I was busy in my studio. That gotta say something, right?

I'm streamlining, simplifying and I'm now creating with my newest motto in mind:
If I believe something could look nice, well then god darnit I'll make it.

That's why you will see bracelets like this one in my shop soon.

And earrings like this pair.

Montana Agates always looks nice, so I'll keep making things with those.

And I'm using my recycled silver instead of buying new silver sheets. And I don't even bother to trim the edges... because I think it looks nicer like this.

I'm feeling more confident than I have in a long time. I feel like I've stopped apologizing for my pieces not living up to par (to my own imaginary critics). And if/when that little insecure creature poppes her head out again and asks:
- But what if they won't like it?

Then I'll just turn around, stare her blank in the eyes and say:

- Well frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

♥
/anna-karin

What I've picked up during 2011.

2011-12-31T13:44:00.001+01:00

Most important of all is to feel well
My daughter is becoming increasingly bossy by the day. In a funny way. Go figure.
Having my son live with us is beyond wonderful.
I'm married to one of the truly good guys out there.
Shoveling snow can be kind of therapeutic.
But summer is still my favorite season.

Brown stain is impossible to get out from fabric.
I can make my own jewellery displays!
I can live a whole weekend without coffee and still be nice! Who knew?
Homegrown veggies are a blessing.

Having a bunny is far, far... far more entertaining than I ever thought it would be.

I really, really don't care for cilantro. Bleurgh.
I do however care very much for Mojitos.
A cat can be missed for a long time. I still love and miss you Spock.

Car payments are still a nuisance.
I can cut the teeth on a bunny!
I still think I'm hilarious.
Pinterest is too much fun.
Apparently loosing weight, becasue "I really want to" doesn't work.
Excising is still boring.
Dieting is still boring.
Dancing all night is still fun.
And I still have the bestest customers in the world.

To all of you out there - friends, customers, accuaintancies, strangers - I truly wish that 2012 will bring you nothing but joy, love and happiness.

Happy New Year darlings.

See you on the other side!

♥

/anna-karin

Winds of change part 2

2011-12-27T14:13:00.000+01:00

I feel I need to elaborate on my thinking from yesterday.

For very long now, I have been making all the findings and all the elements in my pieces on my own. Ok, not the chains. I draw the line at the chains. But otherwise - everything has been hand made by yours truly. And with all this thinking going on the last weeks, I started to wonder about this.

WHY has it been so so important for me to say that my pieces are 100% handmade?

The answer has not been easy to find. Sure - there's the ego thing. "LOOK... I've made all of this, ain't I clever?" But that is only part of the answer and after much soul searching I have to admit that I think I'm guilty of doing the one thing I always tell others not to do.

I've been comparing myself with other artisans.

But not just any artisans - oh noooo - I've focused on the best of Etsy. Of course. *eyeroll* On the silversmiths that have empty shops all the time becuase the sell out everything they make. The silversmiths with a fan base the size of a small country. The silversmiths that have become legends among other silversmiths. THOSE are the ones I compared myself with.

Excuse me while I laugh at my own naivety.

What I seem to have forgotten in this blinded worship is, that these artisans all have their own distinct style. Styles that appeal to a broad range of customers that collect things of beauty. That gladly pay an arm and a leg for the gorgeousness. My style is ... that I don't have a style. I'm all over the place. I like super modern - I swoon over victorian. I adore simple - I love over the top. You could argue this would appeal to an even broader range of customers, but... somehow it doesn't. My theory is that, if you are going to spend a small fortune on a piece of jewellery, you want other people to know or recognize the style. And if they don't - you at least want them to swoon when you tell them who it is. It's the same mechanism as someone wearing the latest Dior dress, Jimmy Choo shoes, Vuitton bag etc. Be it on a smaller scale.

And THESE are the ones I decided to compare myself with and emulate.

*falls off chair laughing*

Man, I can be silly. Get me right, these artisans are amazing and we should all aim for the stars when we try to evolve... but just becuase they make their pieces 100% by hand doesn't mean that I become one of them by making my pieces 100% by hand too. Which brings us full circle back to style. Looking at the other artisans I can say that they DO have a distinct style. And it's not in their photos - it really is in their pieces. It's their style.

And to put it brutally - I can never be one of them becuase I don't have a distinct style.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not cutting myself short. I'm not pitying myself. I'm super proud over all I've done with Black Daisy Designs. Back up just a few years and I had never even touched a jewellery plier and now I'm about to start a REAL company designing, producing and selling my own jewellery. In many ways that is a success story. No wait... that IS a success story. But this also requires me to be honest. To think. To act. To adjust. And this is me trying to think like a business woman.

Take a step back.
Evaluate the situation.
Identify the problems.
Find solutions to the problems. DON'T overdo it. Keep it simple.
Implement the solutions.
Adjust.

Gosh.... I thought this was only going to be a short little addendum to my post yesterday but it turned out to be much more. LOL Well... it is my blog so I can do what I want. But it is so very helpful putting it down in writing like this. I get to read through my own thoughts time and time again and it's amazing how much you can learn about yourself that way. I suppose it's like keeping a diary or a journal, a way of keeping track of my somewhat erratic thoughts.

♥

/anna-karin

Wind of change is blowing

2011-12-26T18:49:00.000+01:00

There are big changes blowing in Black Daisy Designs' direction. Big. As in - possibly life changing big. That big. As of Feb. 1st, I am only working half time at my day job and will spend the rest of my time at home, creating.

And I'm a nervous wreck.

As you all know the sales on Etsy has plumethed and my sales are now about a 1/10 of what they were last year. So I choose this time to quit my day job! Smart move, lady. *eyeroll* Oh well, why make it the easy way, when you can make it the tough way, right?

Anyway - this is a major change for me so I guess you wont' be too surprised if I tell you this has been occupying all my thoughts for weeks. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking... and even though I have been talking about it here earlier, I now feel like I've reached a definate conclusion.

I need to change my inventory.

*letting the last sentence sink in a bit*

I read an article a couple of weeks ago from one of Etsy's most successful sellers. I can't remember who it was but she said something that stuck with me. (Probably because I've been thinking the exact same thing.) She said "personally I wouldn't list anything above $50 on Etsy today". She made this statement based on a lot of different parameters such as; the economic situation in the world, the search change Etsy made in August and the fact that high end pieces don't do as well on Etsy as on other venues any longer. I can't verify this, but I've had a hunch there's been a shift and that lower priced items are selling more than more expensive. Ok... this has always been true, but... I still feel that expensive jewellery don't do as well as before.

So, new inventory. But don't worry, I will continue - to some degree - with my usual silversmithing type of jewellery, but my main focus will shift towards simpler, easier stuff. I will use some pre-made findings and elements so I will not be able to claim these pieces to be 100% handmade. By doing this I will be able to cut my prices - a lot - but I hope I still will be able to keep the Black Daisy Designs feel, to these new pieces. By doing this I'm also hoping to gain some new supporters here at home. Swedes tend to like more modern, simple pieces over elaborate, extravagante stuff. And if they buy big elaborate pieces, they almost always buy costume jewellery insted of handmade, quality jewellery. I think this is because Swedes are generally very fashion forward and don't want to spend a lot on something that might be out of fashion next season. I think.....

So - with all this in mind - am I a moron for quitting my day job now? Probably. Could I've done it any other way? No. Which leads me to the change of inventory. For this to work, I need to sell stuff and if that means I have to change direction and inventory - so be it. Etsy is still too important for me as a venue to just drop it. I don't know if this is going to work, but I'm working with what I've got and I'm adjusting.

So - bring on the changes. I'm ready. Sorta....

♥

/anna-karin

CRRRAAAZZZYYY SALE!!!!

2011-12-26T10:20:00.000+01:00

Sale runs this week until Sunday 1 Jan. 2012 and only in my Etsy shop.

Make sure to use coupon code CRAZY40OFF during checkout to receive your 40% off.

I might have a screw loose, but hey.... take advantage off it!

♥

/anna-karin

God Jul!

2011-12-24T10:15:00.002+01:00

Cookies and milk for Santa!!

NO... Sixten, no. Those are for Santa. Not for y.....

SIIIIXTEEEEN.... NOOOO......

From all of us

to all of you

~ ~ ♥ ~ ~

/anna-karin

My first show

2011-12-14T00:48:00.000+01:00

Ok... so a couple of weeks ago I did my first show ever and boy was I knackered! I sold enough to cover my fees which was my - rather modest - goal, but the show was actually more about me wanting to find out if I could do a show. If I could put together a table to be proud off, if I could last a weekend and just, well, pull it off. And the answer to that, my friends, is - Yes.

My table looked exactly what I had invisioned, with oldish flavours yet clean and crisp. Cozy. I had plenty of stock with me and I think I had set my table up making the customers working themselves from right to left with something drawing them on, looking some more. I noticed several of them stopping to look and making motions as to leave, but then spotting something that pulled them in again. These customers typically made a second round of the table too. LOL

So what didn't work?

The weather!! Saturday was horrendous! Storm gusts and pouring rain. I felt so sorry for the customers coming in through the doors, they looked like freezing, drenched rats. That kind of weather don't really make people want to stop and ponder jewellery.
My location on the show. This is partly my fault because I thought the barn I was in, was a completely different one. They hadn't marked the map with the names of the seperate barns (not uncommon in these parts "EVERYONE knows which barn is which".. umm... no.) But I should of course have called and asked them. The barn I stood in turned out to be in the "food end" of the show (which was nice for me ...rubbing tummy) but not the right location to set up a jewellery booth. Oh well.... lesson learned. :)

Now - this was a learning show and I did learn a few things I'll keep in mind for the future.

Notes for future shows.

Black earring cards - I either have to mark the prices on the front with a white pen, or change earring cards. I had marked all my earrings on the back of the cards and even though a LOT stopped to look, not that many turned them over. (I did tell them of course that the price was on the back.)
It probably depends on the show, but for this show it was not the right decision to flaunt my most expensive, elaborate necklaces. I ended up removing the price-tags on Saturday on these as I noticed it scared people off.
People seemed scared to touch the jewellery. I repeatedly told them it was ok to fiddle with it... and yes, your children may touch too. But still they were reluctant. Talked this over with DH and one of the conclusions was that this show wasn't the right type show for my jewellery at all. I'll probably do better at a juried handmade show, when the customers expect more expensive things. This one is a typcial Christmas Fair/show with all types of handmade/semi-handmade/wholesale things and people wanted to buy cheap stuff. My jewellery isn't cheap and that might have been what scared them off. (see #2)

Please don't mind the background - we were setting up. :)

But the one thing that struck me was how much fun I had. I was riding on a high all week after the show and was literally aching to do another show the weekend after. LOL So... apparently this type of selling works for me and needs to be investigated further.

I did spy on the other sellers around me and I think I have an embryo of a plan for shows but basically it boils down to: bringing the right type of merchandise to the right type of show. So, what can you conclude from this? Well.... I'm expanding. (Well not literally... no, wait that too... Christmas candy... my nemesis.... *mumblemumble nom nom mumble*) But my range. I'm thinking of selling not only jewellery but also other stuff, mainly within the home decor area. (I'm going to use Frog Crossing for this expansion so expect to see other stuff besides digital images in there soon.) So to some shows I may ONLY bring jewellery but then again to other shows - no jewellery at all. I'm still noodling on this and I have to do a lot of research but I'm quite sure the right way to go is to offer a wider range of merchandise, with a wider range of prices to a wider range of customers. The economy is tough - for all of us - and we are all looking to make a bargain. If I want to do this, I have to adjust to the customers. Simple as that.

And besides, I've found something out about me. I have a huge need for ego boosts. And every sale is an ego boost. So... *giggling* I actually prefer to sell 10 things/day at $10/each, than one thing/day for $100. Of course - if I could sell 10 things/day at $100/item I'm not going to argue. LOL Also - I work better when I have a lot to do. When things get quiet... I tend to relax too much so every single thing that needs to be done, feels like a huge mountain to conquer. Stupid, I know. But that's me and I'm glad I'm finding these things out now.
So, my first show was really a success. I reached my goal saleswise and I learned a LOT! Now... onwards and upwards. I'm just going to finish this box of Christmas chockies...

♥
/anna-karin

CHRISTMAS SALE!!

2011-12-05T07:25:00.001+01:00

It's SALE time again! 20% off everything in my ETSY shop - this week only!

Just add the coupon code DEC2011 during checkout and the 20% will automatically be deducted.

Sale ends Friday 9th Dec.

Happy shopping!

Shipping times for Christmas 2011

Sweden - order no later than 20Dec

Europe - order no later than12Dec

Rest of the world - order no later than 1Dec

Orders may arrive in time for Christmas if ordered after these dates, but I can not guarantee it.
~ Made-to-order pieces must be ordered a day or two before these dates! ~

Last minute shopping? Too late to ship? Check out my PHOTO MOSAICS that'll solve that problem. Read more HERE.

♥

/anna-karin

A reminder

2011-12-05T07:04:00.001+01:00

Getting too late to ship from Sweden to your end of the world? Well... let me just post a gentle reminder about my photo mosaics. Read more HERE

♥

/anna-karin

T'was the night before....

2011-12-02T20:51:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow it's time, my darlings. At 10am the doors open to the 15th anual christmas fair at Bubbetorp Gård just outside Karlskrona in Blekinge. Wish me luck. My table is in one of two smaller barns with only five tables in each. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.... but the pony rides start just outside the doors and that means lots of mommies. LOL

Pic from the set up tonight.

♥

/anna-karin

And another tutorial - earring display

2011-11-23T12:01:00.001+01:00

I've been busy! Another display tutorial, this time for earring card displays.

You find it HERE or under the tab "Tutorials".

Enjoy!

♥

/anna-karin

Necklace stand tutorial

2011-11-21T21:24:00.001+01:00

New tutorial!

Necklace stand display - click here.

♥

/anna-karin

Check, check....

2011-11-16T18:51:00.001+01:00

► 250 business cards ordered. Check.

► 100 olive green organza bags ordered, delivered and packed for show. Check.

► Green tissue paper purchased and packed for show. Check

► 100 paper bags stamped with BDD. On both sides. Packed for show. Check. Check. Check.

► One banner - 90 x 50 cm - ordered. Check.

Yep, things are moving along.

♥

/anna-karin

Working..

2011-11-14T11:01:00.001+01:00

I'm making necklaces. And plenty of them. But now I'm not sure in which store I should list them - my Etsy store or my Wedzu store?

Decicions, decisions.....

♥

/ak

New store now open!

2011-11-13T10:06:00.001+01:00

The newest addition to the Black Daisy Designs store chain is now open. *snort* Ok... just exaggerating a bit there, but I always wanted to say that. LOL

Anyhoo... there really is a new store. I was accepted into Wedzu and I just opened up my store. Like in literally ... just now. So I only have a few items stocked and you know them all from Etsy, but with time I intend to create more wedding jewellery/accessoires that I will list on Wedzu exclusively.

Hope to see you there.

♥

/anna-karin

A-haaa!!

2011-11-11T13:50:00.001+01:00

So today me and my co-worker Marielle went on a mission. A mission to track down some wooden boxes I can use for the Christmas fair and I'm happy to report we were successful! Two, brand new boxes are stowed in my trunk and this weekend I'll try to make them look older.

Yes, you can expect a tutorial. :)

But of course, we had get lost on the way there. *giggles* Well, to our defense - we did check out the map online before we left and it turned out to be wrong. Very wrong. Actually a whole village wrong. But, like pioneers we drove on and even though the road got more narrow by the meter, Marielle calmy stated: "as long as we have tarmac we have no reason to be worried" and in the end we found our way into the little village where the carpenter had his outlet. And oh boy it smelled good in there. Fresh wood and saw dust. Mmm.... And all the wooden boxes I could ever want. I also found some excellent Christmas gifts for me that'll inform hubby about.

So even though we got lost and it did take a little bit longer than expected, we ended up having a lovely ride through autumn country side bathing in autumn sunlight.

Yep, this definately falls under the category "nice lunch breaks".

♥

/a-k

Feeling lost...

2011-11-09T21:13:00.000+01:00

... not sure what to do - how to proceed.

What will happen if I do?

What will happen if I don't?

I hate not knowing.

♥

/anna-karin

And breath....

2011-11-07T19:46:00.000+01:00

Sooo... we're back again after a weekend in Lund, in the very south of Sweden. We were visiting relatives and we had such a lovely time.

We stayed at a really nice hotel and....

... can we say upgrade?? We got a mini-suit!!

Lund is a university town so there are students everywhere... students and bicycles....

.... and old old houses...

... and loads of parks.

We had excellent weather so we could go for a long walk on Saturday

And the cousins played and played.... even at the car park.

We ate loads of yummy food and drank good wine.

And in the evening one of just couldn't keep her eyes open one more minute.

But now we're back and it's time to get cracking but I feel like I've reached the point when I don't know what's most important to do. Very frustrating. I'd really love to create some things for the shop, but all my Muse seems to think about is the Fair. *snorts* We're like two dizzy hens, blazing by to get to the fat worm first. Hehehe... Oh well... I've taken two days vacation in a couple of weeks time so I should be able to get a lot of things done then. So my Muse will HAVE to stop thinking about the fair for a little while.

Especially since I'm about to open a shop on Wedzu. Yep - I got accepted! WOOT. So far I've only registred and started to fill out all the info for My Shop but I really, really.... REALLY would like to start to create some jewellery for Wedzu soon. Since Wedzu mainly is for indie and handmade weddings I want to come up with some new fresh ideas for my shop there. Hopefully this week.

♥

/anna-karin

Making a list

2011-11-02T10:43:00.000+01:00

So, I've been working late on my day job for the last week and I just can't find the time to do much in the evenings then. It's really sad, to be quite honest. I have so much I want to do for the show and then I want to stock up my shops - both Black Daisy and Frog Crossing. And this weekend we're going away to visit a new little additition to the family - Little Liv - and to celebrate Liv's father's 50th birthday. So nothing much is going to be done this weekend either. Ack ack...

But anyhoo - I'm making plans so when I do find the time I know what I'm suppose to do. Maybe I better start a list too, just to be on the safe side?

So for the show I need to/want to make:

3-4 ceramic cabochon necklaces in different colours
5 Can you Reach me rings in different sizes
2 pairs of Linear earrings
2 pairs of copper Dandelion earrings
2 pairs of silver Dandelion earrings
2 pairs of silver Dot earrings
2 pairs of copper Dot earrings
2 pairs or brass Dot earrings
1 pair of Adele earrings
1 pair or Daisy earrings
BRACELETS!!!

I also need to:

finish my "table look". I'm looking for older wooden fruit boxes. I've found a carpenter nearby who makes crates/boxes like that but the shop is only open on Fridays and this Friday we're going away. Meeehhhh.....
finish my necklace display. Hubby needs to make a stand for my new iron cast swiwel wall hanger I'm going to use.
finish the earring displays - I've bought spray paint but hubby needs to help me with the backgrounds. I'm using some old frames we have that I'm going to spray paint white. I want to have plywood backgrounds that'll I cover with fabric and then screw small brass hooks into and hang my earring cards on.
make a tutorial of point 3.
buy small brass hooks for earring displays
As soon as my new stamp arrives I need to stamp my bags.
~~Buy some more organza bags.~~
Price everything in BBD Etsy shop with Swedish kronor. (I'm going to inactivate the whole shop and bring evertyhing with me.)
buy electrical extension cords
buy an apron
buy a receipt book
make the display trays

Most of these things won't take all that long to finish, I just need to get started. I think I'll try to make one or two of the things above each day and then move them down below on the finished list. If I can make one thing/day I'll be finished in a couple of weeks time and then I will still have two weeks until the actual show. Yes.... I like that. I'm sure there are other things that'll pop up that I need to do but... it feels kinda good to have a list I can add them to.

FINISHED!

finished my ring displays
made a tutorial of above mentioned ring display
bought fairy lights
bought paper bags
bought tissue paper
ordered stamp
bought and received the fabric for table
made new stuff - about 20-25 small pendants, 20 pair of earrings, 5-10 necklaces
packed some of the items that will be placed on trays in cellophane bags
priced all the new items in Swedish kronor
made my "About Black Daisy Designs" brochure. Hubby just needs to print it.
bought more organza bags

Soo... let me know if I've forgotten anything, will ya? :) It's not sure it'll be something I use but bring it on nevertheless. Smooches.

♥

/anna-karin

Confused Muse?

2011-11-01T16:07:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I wonder how my Muse work.

Right now I'm busy stringing seed beads on to thin button hole silk, so I can crochet bracelets with a thin-think crochet hook.

Ummm.... ???

♥

/anna-karin

Halloween and Day of the Dead

2011-11-01T09:52:00.000+01:00

A belated Happy Halloween

Source: marthastewart.com via Anne on Pinterest

Different cultures celebrate different things, for this celebration Etsy's Best Kept Secrets Team decided to celebrate Day of The Dead

Check out the amazing different pieces we made for the challenge

♥

/anna-karin

Halloween disco

2011-10-31T12:45:00.001+01:00

Yeah... I got to spend my Friday evening at halloween disco.

Lucky me, huh?

♥

/anna-karin

One day....

2011-10-28T11:09:00.000+02:00

What are you afraid off
by Darla Jackson sculpture

One day I will not be afraid. One day I will believe enough in myself, my creativity and my desire to make a change for myself and my family.

The Hands Ins Side Us
by Kait's Photography

It is a desire that runs deep. Deeper than anything I've ever felt. It penetrates every fibre in my body, but still it runs sheltered. Afraid to take place and make demands it still lurks in the dark.

Hell Gate Bridge, 2010
by Maggie S Photography

I've been through the outer dominions of hell this last year and now...

now I feel I can do anything.

But still, I hide my desire.

Of fear it will hurt those I love the most.

Of fear that they will pay the price for my desires.

I do not yet know how set it loose.... but one day I will not be afraid.

be not afraid of your light
by twenty six Mermaids

♥

/anna-karin

Stephen King

2011-10-27T09:17:00.001+02:00

It's true Stephen King weather out there today.

Scaaaaaryyyy......

♥

/anna-karin

New necklace

2011-10-26T21:52:00.000+02:00

Another piece that's been sitting on my desk since forever and I just couldn't figure out how to finish it. I kept adding more and more stuff and finally gave up. Then I realised while looking at it this week... it doesn't need much. A few green Moss Agate rondelles to pick up the green in the lovely rutilated Quartz cabochon and that's it.

Now WHY didn't I think of that a few months back? Huh?

Not listed yet - but I'll do so tomorrow. I need to get some sleep now. ;)

♥

/anna-karin

Posting from mobile

2011-10-25T09:01:00.001+02:00

Testing testing... This is so awsome. Take a pic with phone and upload on to blog immediately. How on earth did we survive PMo? (Pre-Mobile)

♥
/anna-karin

Tuesday

2011-10-25T06:40:00.003+02:00

No, seriously. Why can't I just say no and stay in bed?

♥

/anna-karin

Monday

2011-10-24T07:14:00.003+02:00

Can I just say no and go back to bed? Please. Pretty please. With a cherry on top.

♥

/anna-karin

New tutorial - ring display

2011-10-23T19:50:00.000+02:00

As you probably know I'm about to do my first show ever in just over a month. I'm a wreck already. *snort* Anyway - today I made my ring display and I remembered to take photos while I was doing it so... my luffleys, here's my brand new Suitcase ring disply tutorial. :D

Suitcase Ring display Tutorial

Enjoy.

♥

/anna-karin

Just because.....

2011-10-23T16:11:00.000+02:00

.... it was a quiet autumn morning.

♥

/anna-karin

And more new stuff....

2011-10-22T19:05:00.000+02:00

First a necklace - Black Garden. This has been sitting on my desk since forever and I just couldn't figure out how to finish it. The cabochon I planned it for didn't work out so I just left it.

Then on Thursday evening I tried it with the Black Onyx cabochon .... and everything just got crystal clear. Strange how things turn out sometimes.

Black Garden

The Copper Leaves earrings is actually a design revisited.

And revamped.

And still lovely.

It was among the first designs I did when I opened Black Daisy Designs and then it fell out of mind. It popped back this week and I have to confess I'm still fond of it.

Copper Leaves

And yes.... I have more but I need to edit the photos. :P

♥

/anna-karin

New stuff

2011-10-21T09:10:00.000+02:00

Finally some new pieces. And as usual I have plenty more to list, but I'm starting with these two.

First a new ceramic and copper necklace, this with an awesome lime green cabochon. I really love these neclaces, they are - truly - the best everyday necklaces.

In my shop now.

And here we have a pair of hoops.... eerrr .... fire hoops... fire copper hoop earrings.... oh, I don't know what to call them!! Anyway - they're listed in my shop too.

♥

/anna-karin

Doing it all

2011-10-20T09:50:00.000+02:00

As struggling artists, I think we all fight more or less the same battles: supply costs (increasing), design ideas (lacking/overwhelming), sales (vanishing) etc.etc. Add to that a full time day job, family, a big house and a big garden I can safely say that my biggest issue right now is lack of time. There simply aren't enough hours in the day. Especially since I'm one of those who creates best during day time. And day time are either for working (weekdays) or taking care of house and garden and family (weekends).

I don't think I can explain how utterly frustrating it is to sit at work and suddenly get this great design idea, knowing there's nothing I can do about it. Oh, well I do scribble them down, that's really all I can do. (My desk it cluttered with design ideas sometimes. *snorts*) But I want to get my hands dirty, I want to saw and drill and use my torch .... but I know I have to wait until I get back home. And when I get back home it's dinner time and then I'm too tired to get up in the studio. Pffft....

But, as you may remember from this post, I am doing something about this and I'm going to drop my day job to 50% and by that get more day time hours at home creating/doing the books/promoting etc etc.... But not yet for a month or two. I don't know and it's driving me bonkers. It feels like I can't plan anything. My boss said "no later than New Year" but now there's been some issues as work and I'm starting to get nervous. I know these new issues aren't of any fault of my boss - but it's very frustrating. I have so many ideas I want to try out, but they take time and there's simply no use of starting up things if I can't see them through.

In the meantime I try to juggle on as I've always done, hoping for the best. Trying to focus on the next thing instead of planning ahead. Not the best tactic - I know - but it'll have to do for now.

At least I've finished the self-indulgent piece I started HERE.... oh boy did my Muse take me for a spin with that one. Hither and dither and change this and change that.... but now it is finally finished. And we are very pleased with the result.

Almost 2oz of silver.

1 big black and grey Picasso jasper cabochon.

3 oval black and grey Picasso jasper beads.

5 Labradorite ovals

4 small faceted black Spinel rondelles

Photos as soon as the weather permits.

♥

/anna-karin

It's here!!!

2011-10-15T09:16:00.000+02:00

EEEEPSSS..... I got the invitation for the Christmas Fair at Bubbetorp Farm, yesterday. Noo... not farm... it's more lika a smaller manor house with a lot of different outbuildings. Anyway, now my head is swimming with display plans. And ... how much do I need to bring. Jewellery I mean. I have - literally - no idea. Thank goodness I still have some time to go.

And while I'm noodling on that, you can look at some photos from last year's fair.

Pretty cosy, huh?

♥

/anna-karin

About the self-indulgent piece

2011-10-13T15:30:00.001+02:00

If you remember I imitated my friend Louise O'Dwyer and started on a self-indulgent piece that I talked about HERE.

Yeaahhh...

It's not one piece anymore. It's two. *head-desk*

The first piece just didn't come together as I had planned it to and I was twisting and turning it over until I finally removed the skull and THEN saw how it was supposed to be. But - the skull and the crocheted parts fit together so well so I had to remove those too and 1-2-3 I had two necklaces on the go. And they are both pretty self-indulgent.

Yesterday I made two new elements for the chain for the first necklace (instead of the crocheted parts) and me oh my they came out amazing. Very ... foresty and mystic. Can we say matching earrings? *snort* THREE pieces. Pssshawww... I'm hopeless.

♥

/anna-karin

Worrying about the future

2011-10-12T13:42:00.000+02:00

I know I'm supposed to keep a stiff upper lip. I know I'm supposed to say "it'll be allright, I'll create in the meantime" but the total lack of sales is really getting to me. I thought maybe, maybe things changed last week as I got a few sales but it soon died again. (I think they came from an onslaught of treasuries made by my lovely team mates in Etsy's Best Kept Secrets.)

I still have very low views. I am getting hearts which of course is nice and I try to think "people are waiting to start their Christmas shopping" and "it'll turn soon". But truth be told - I've got a knot in my stomach, teary eyes and a head filled with questions and serious doubts about my craft. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I-don't-know-what-to-do. And I hate that. If everyone else is doing fine, it must be me.

Gaah, I shouldn't write here today. Feeling so depressed over the whole damn thing.

Maybe I need to take a break from it all?

I hear Pinterest is fun. And addicting.

Think I'll check it out.

♥

/anna-karin

Other venues

2011-10-10T22:24:00.000+02:00

So, Etsy is still eluding me. I'm clue less what to do really. And it is kind of discouraging reading about top-sellers complaining about low views and no sales too. And now we're talking about seasoned sellers with 10 000s of sold items. What a nightmare to have your whole income vanish just because of some changes. I really feel for them. And I've changed and tweaked my listings. I've spied on other sellers that still sell to see what they are doing and I'm not... and I can't figure it out. I really can't.

So, today I re-opened my old shop on Dawanda. I've only listed two pairs of earrings yet - easy does it... LOL - but I'll list all my made to order items there too. I'll fill up my store on Swedish Epla.se also with the made to order pieces... but then I have accounts on Artfre, Big Cartel and Zibbet. I'm very torn about what to do with these - should I start to list items or not? Maybe I'll finish listing on Dawanda and Epla and then I'll see what to do? And I'm very curious about Wedzu too and I have an account but I haven't applied to sell yet. GAAAAAHHHHHH......

Hmmm..... I think I need to sit down and make some plans. If only the days had more hours in them. And along with all this Etsy headache, I'm busy stocking up for the Christmas fair I'm hoping to attend. I still haven't got the invitation but I really can't wait until I get it and then start to stock up. I actually made 13 super-simple pendants this evening that I'm planning to bring to the fair. Bead, head-pin, lobster clasp - finally I got use of all those lobster clasps I bought ages ago. LOL

Oh well.... better get some sleep now so I can figure all this mess out.

♥

/anna-karin

Being self-indulgent

2011-10-08T20:05:00.000+02:00

I have a lovely friend - Louise - who is an amazing silversmith. I'm sure you know who it is if I say Louise O'Dwyer. She told us on her blog the other day, that she had had a horrid week in the studio. Everything she touched ended in misery.

So Thursday she decided to put all the angst aside and just make something completely fun and self-indulgent. Not something any metalsmith do easily as we always have to consider supply costs, work costs, saleabiltiy etc etc. But, Thursday she sat down and put all those "musts" aside and created for the sheer love and fun of if.

After reading her post and drooling over her amazing piece of art, I got the urge to do something similar myself today. I had just soldered the bezel for this cabochon

when inspiration hit me - warm and fuzzy - in my solar plexus. I wanted to do what Louise did - forget about silver prices for a while. Forget about saleability. Forget about Etsy frustration and just .... create.

And I am creating.

A necklace.

A dark, mysterious and kind of gothic necklace to go with the dark and mysterious Picasso jasper cabochon. Quite out of my comfort zone (if I have one... hmmm..) but it feels good to saw in silver again. It feels good to, not think about how much the end price will be for this necklace and if customers will like it not... I don't care.

Because this will be my self-indulgent piece.

I can't wait to show it.

Maybe tomorrow.

Maybe.

♥

/anna-karin

What Louise created?

This masterpiece. My jaw still drops every time I see it.

Read her blog HERE and find the ring in her shop HERE.

Etsy frustration

2011-10-07T11:22:00.000+02:00

I am so frustrated with Etsy right now and I simply don't know what to do any more. My views are dropping like a stone and the sales I've had have all been from old customers. (Whom I love and adore but I also need new ones.) I've had consistent sales for two years but now they've come to a grinding halt.

It all started with the new relevance search Etsy changed to. Earlier items were sorted by recency wich meant that if you renewed fairly consistent, you'd be on the first pages. Worked like charm for me.

Now items are sorted by relevancy. As a customer I can see the benefits of getting the exact items I'm looking for instead of hundreds of unrelated items. Thing is - I never use relevancy when I'm out shopping myself because I usually don't know what I'm looking for. I'm just browsing until I find "that" item.

So, Etsy changed in August and I confess, I didn't do much to change my titles and tags back then because - as a seasoned seller on Etsy (I've sold there since 2007) I've been through a lot of changes and they've barely had any impact on my store previously. So I decided to wait and see. It didn't take long to realise that my views were plumeting so I started to "tweak" titles, descriptions and tags just as Etsy Admin said we would and let me tell you - that's not an easy thing. It takes time, it takes trial and error, it takes stamina. And when you like me and don't even use relevancy yourself - a whole lot of imagination. I've changed most of my pieces but I still don't see any improvement in views. And I'm continuing to tweak them as soon as I figure something out.

Like - if you are a syndicated seller on Etsy (requirements: a few sales, no late payents on bills etc) your items will be searchable on Google shopping. But ONLY if your titles comply to the Google rules - for example you can not have free shipping in the title. What have I had in my titles? Yep, free shipping. So day before that I started to delete that from my listings. (I still have free shipping though, so don't worry.) But all this is so time consuming and my stomach hurts from worrying about not getting any sales.

So I turned to the Etsy Forum - a never ending source of information. And what do I find? Loads of threads about the same issue I'm having. I'm obviously not alone - some comfort - but it does raises the question about what Etsy is doing. Especially as Etsy Admins says in one thread "you have to do this" but gives the opposite advice somewhere else. And getting bounced from one thread to the other with the constant "See this thread for further info" is really getting me annoyed. Why not write one, single sheet with the new amendments sellers have to do to make sure their items are being seen by the customer. Gather all the information in a list. Don't spread it out in different threads. I know, I know. There probably excists some sort of list somewhere, but I haven't found it.

So, I'm thinking maybe it's time to start looking on other international venues? Any ideas where I might start?

Or maybe the sad truth simply is that my pieces stink. *pouts*

♥
/anna-karin

Christmas Fair

2011-09-29T11:18:00.001+02:00

Oh dear.... time slipped away from me again. Oh shoot... But I have been busy. I've made and listed a lot of new earrings (click names to direct link to resp. listing in my store) but mostly I've been surfing the net. Yep, surfing the net. For the perfect stuff.

For a Christmas Fair!

Adele

Hopefully I'll participate in this year's Christmas Fair at Bubbetop Farm just outside Karlskrona. It's a lovely old fashioned fair in an old manor house and it's stables/outhouses/barns dating back to the 16th century. I'm really looking forward to this and with my usual gusto, I threw myself into figuring out my booth. I tend to get slightly.. *cough* over-enthusiastic about things like this, so lately this has been all I've been thinking about. Literally.

Anna-Belle

So, if I don't get accepted to the fair I'll be somewhat disappointed, but I'll live. And besides, there are lots of other fairs to attend and if I'm going to do this "for real" I need to attend fairs and markets. So I need to get my display in order anyway.

*snort - I love my logic*

Daisy - sold

So, my head has been buried deep in displays and booth ideas and colour schemes and what-not. I'm starting to get a grip of what I want and I've started to buy a few things but I'm actually planning on doing most of the displays myself. So - if I remember to take photos - there just might be some tutorials here on the blog later on.

Madeleine

The overall colour scheme will be grey and white. Fabrics unbleached linen and white cotton lace. And with darker brownish details. Like the new book I'm using in my photos. That's my plan.... but knowing me I won't be suprised one bit if it turns out black and blue. Hehehehe....

Mathilde

My problem is that I like both sleek and minimalistic as well as romantic, old fashioned and over-the-top. I'm constantly drawn between them, although... I have to say that with age I think the latter is winning points. I'm lazy, and over-the-top is so very much more easy to maintain than minimalistic. Believe me.

Marie

Now all I have to worry about.... "all"...hehehe... is how much jewellery I need in my booth. I seriously have no idea. 20 pair of earrings.... or 200 pairs? 20 rings or... 500 rings? Not that I'll ever manage to produce 200 earrings or 500 rings by early December... but you get my point.

Padma

But knowing the people in the area, I know I can't produce too many expensive pieces. I'll have a few with me, to show width in design, but people tend to be a bit cheap when it comes to handmade stuff so I'll stick with simple, easy stuff. That's quick to make... which leads me back to my inital question - how many pieces do I need to bring?? Gaaahhh...

Skulls

Oh well... I'm sure I'll figure it all out. But get prepared to get assaulted with fair/market/craft show ideas from now on.

As I said -I do tend to get a bit over enthusiastic when I get an idea in my head.

♥

/anna-karin

Memory Lane

2011-09-19T17:53:00.001+02:00

The other day I was browsing through my old pictures on Flickr and it was a trip down Memory Lane. If you 've followed my ramblings for some time, you know I started out as a wire wrapper. Back then I remember thinking I was a pretty decent wire wrapper and looking at the photos today, I still think I did pretty good. My shop - Små Blå - opened in September 2007 and closed in 2009.

There are a few pieces from back then, that I still hold very close to my heart. Like the Ruby Treasure locket. This is probably my favorite piece ever and I'm still a bit sad I sold it. Over 100 small rubies cover one side of the locket, and the other side is covered in sterling silver wire and the letter T for treasure.

Ruby Treasure Locket

And my Milky Way necklace along with my Stardust necklace. In many ways these necklaces really are "me" and they almost felt like a signature style for me back then. The Milky Way was made in sterling silver and lush, white Freshwater pearls and the Stardust - probably my most luxurious piece ever - in 14K goldfilled and genuine sapphires.

Milky Way

Stardust

And my Fairy... ooh... my Fairy who I know have a wonderful new home... but that I still miss. I made her with childhood memories of my mother saying it wasn't mist raising from the fields, it was the fairies coming out to dance. And I still have the sketch I made when I first started to plan this piece, on my billboard in front of me when I work. I often sit and stare at it... thinking and planning.

The Fairy

So, going down this memory lane I started thinking, would it be possible for me, to use my old designs but creating them with my new techniuqes? The idea is very appealing and I can only think of one problem - my torch. It's just a small kitchen torch so I have to find a way of attaching pieces together without too much soldering as these are all pretty big pieces. Can we say rivets? LOL

So.... this is my new quest and if you stay tuned, I'm hoping to be able to present a lovely marriage between the old me and the new me pretty soon. Old designs - new techniques.

I still have more pieces I love and actually still have at home. I just couldn't bare to sell them when I closed Små Blå. But I'll show you those another day. :)

♥

/anna-karin

Copper and rabbits

2011-09-18T17:46:00.001+02:00

Sooo.... along with my previous decision here, I have spent the last few days making earrings in copper. And may I just say - HOLY MOTHER OF BATMAN I'M AWESOME.

MWAHAHAHAHAHA......

Ok, let me try that again with a liiiittle more modesty.

I think I've done good. Unfortunately the weather gods decided we should have an "oh so cloudy and dark day " today, so there's no point in me trying to take any photos. But the earrings look good. Really, really good.

Anyway - Sunday evening and a new work week soon to begin. But first we're trying something new for dinner. Rabbit.

Noooo.... we're not having Sixten for dinner. He's running around safely wondering if we possibly have anything yummy to treat him to. Like a carrot or a piece of fruit or a piece of chocolate or a piece of that apple pie we had yesterday. Yes... he got to try a tiny corner of the pie crust. He's spoiled rotten, that one.

No, we're having another rabbit for dinner and I cut it up all by myself this morning and put it in marinade. Never done a thing like that .... but the pieces looked allright so cross your fingers it'll taste good too. It's simmering away on the stove now, potatoes are in the oven and I only need to make the salad and the chantarelle sauce. I'll let you know how it tasted.

If the weather gods are in a benign mood tomorrow I might be able to take some photos when I get back home from work, otherwise I'll do it as soon as it possible. You just have to wait for the oh, so pretty earrings, my luffleys.

(Wow.... I really suck at modesty.)

*snorts*

♥

/anna-karin

Giving up on silver

2011-09-14T14:37:00.000+02:00

I'm done, I'm throwing in the towel. Book me a flight outta here.

Outta Silverville.

*gasp*

Ok, I'm not completely done. I'm not giving up 100% on silver but I'm definately shifting my production. Why, I hear you ask? May I reply that with a question - have you seen the silver price lately? The soaring prices of silver has actully gone so high it's quenching my creativity. For the longest time I've been hesitant about sitting down at my desk creating stuff beacuse that means I'll be using silver. And if I use silver I have to order more silver at some point. And ordering silver nowadays is a soul crushing event.

Just look at the price increase 2009-2011

Silver price 2009
Please note - it started on $11 in Jan. 2009 and ended around $17.

Silver price 2010
Started on around $17 ended on $30

Silver price 2011
Started on $30 and is currently hovering around $40

So, last week I dug out my copper, brass and aluminium sheets and looked at them for the longest time. Then I went down to my computer and by chance came across a store using brass and all of a sudden my Muse was standing beside me, shouting ideas in my ear. (And she's been quiet as a mouse that one for weeks, but now... oh lordy.) I jotted down one design after the other and rushed up to try them out. And I like it! Yep, there will be more. Plenty more

Brass Buds earrings
Actually made these in aluminium too and I'm wearing them today.
First question I got: Oohhh... are those silver? *snorts*

I will of course still be using silver in settings and always in ear wires, but there will be less of my typical style. If I continue the way I have, I'd have to raise my prices a LOT ... and I don't want to do that. I might still create high-end pieces and those will be priced accordingly but my major focus will be to create for everyday use. That's what I do best (as I see it) and it's definately what I enjoy to do.

Dimpled Brass earrings

But.... there will always be exceptions. (Hey, I'm an artist. It's my preogitive.) Like these beauties - all the brass and copper earrings I made, made me think of my thin sterling sheet and my Mattel Thing Maker molds from 1966. So after a LOT of hammering and many trips to the torch to heat the silver, these emerged. (Soon in copper as well.)

So you see.... there will still be some silver.

Snow Flowers earrings

And of course - there are always my Tattered Petals. I still have loads of silver scraps hanging around so... But please notice.... this is NOT a silver chain. It's a gunmetal chain. *nods happily* Yup yup... I'm finding substitutes.

Tattered Petal necklace

I hope you will find my new pieces exciting and fresh. I know I do.

♥ always

/anna-karin

Today

2011-09-11T10:47:00.000+02:00

It's been 10 years since that dreaded day, when the world stopped breathing for a while. 10 years of sadness, hate, fear, fanatism, war, more dead people and more money spent that we can ever imagine.

But today .... today is a day of rememberence, of sadness yes, but also of determination that life will go on. Today is about showing we are better than hate, fear, fanatism and war. That we as a race has improved and learned during our bumpy ride through history. Let's celebrate life today by remembering the dead but with a conviction in our hearts, that love is the key.

My heart and my thoughts go out to you all.

♥
/anna-karin

Shop update - Band of 15, the next 3

2011-09-09T23:02:00.001+02:00

I'm continuing with the Band of 15 rings now.

This time smaller rings, with raw and natural gems.

Band of 15 - Amber

Band of 15 - Rhodochrosite

Band of 15 - Aquamarine

♥

/anna-karin

Sinus tooth ache from hell

2011-09-07T21:55:00.000+02:00

I have the sinus tooth ache from hell right now, paired up with an itchy nose that makes me long for a good ol' bottle brush ... and just to go at it.

See the things I like to share with you.

*snorts* For real. :/

♥

/anna-karin