Posts Tagged ‘handmade’
July 26, 2008
FLA
Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek
Ahhh sunny Florida and vintage souvenirs….
Sometimes, though, there is a little too much detail on pieces… This particular intaglio pictures some palms, the beach, a flamingo, and what I’m guessing is a lady sunning her legs while the rest of her is under the cover of an umbrella…
But, due to the monochromatic and general tiny-ness of the piece is looks like a giant clam eating a person.
Now that would have been a classic drive-in bit…
With Love,
From Sunny Florida
Posted in C'est Moi. | Tagged vintage, metalsmith, florida, horror, handmade, sterling, silver, silversmith, gift, artisan, jewelry, jewellery, beach, tropical, movie, souvenir, intaglio, oranges, kitsch, giant man eating clam, flamingo, clam, palm, trees, present, one of a kind | No Comments »
July 22, 2008
Ad
Originally uploaded by Outlined.
Voila! The ad!
Be sure to visit KnottyByNature -lots of cool paper goods and other treats! Knottybynature, aka Outlined. (on flickr) is totally awesome and scanned this baby in…
Can you spot my piece? Hint: It’s red and cordiform (word o’the day)
Congrats to everyone who got a space and fingers and everything else crossed that even with this economy this ad gives all of the fine Etsy folks a little nudge in the sales department!
And for the time being…Tell me how you found my Etsy shop in the “notes to seller” area during checkout and I’ll refund your shipping via Paypal. (Even if you have shopped with me before…Just tell me how you originally found me.)…
Hugs all around!
B
Posted in C'est Moi. | Tagged lucite, vintage, etsy, etsy.com, handmade, coupon, silversmith, jewelry, handcrafted, artist, shipping, papergoods, bust, magazine, ad, co-op, coop, knottybynature, free, rebate, direct | No Comments »
July 19, 2008
Candy!
Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek
Cufflinks! Not really edible…Well, unless you are a vintage lucite and sterling silver chomping creature, I guess…
Anyway… New pieces being added over the next few days and a few old favorites revisited….
Hope everyone is well!
Giant hugs!
B
p.s. MRI came back “unchanged” since my last one- phew….good news… Of course that just means that the docs may have only been looking at my old MRI… But today I am feeling a little better and only when I move a certain way does it really kick up… So hopefully tomorrow I will feel even better….
Posted in C'est Moi., jewelry | Tagged .925, accessories, aqua, back, candy, care, cufflinks, handmade, jewelry, lucite, medical, men, MRI, silver, sterling, unique, vintage, women | No Comments »
July 3, 2008
Custom packing tape…
Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek
Custom packing tape… Almost a year ago I was trying to find a way to use up my inked gocco screen in a practical way…
Eureka!
Custom packing tape… Ok, it’s not tape- it’s that fiberglass thread reinforced brown papery stuff, but it works like a charm and makes all of the outgoing packages look fabulous…
I am a packaging and branding geek (for those that had not noticed yet!)
I believe the giant roll from our local staples was around $10… I don’t use a whole foot- only about 3 or 4 inches… I did the math- that’s around $0.01 per package (I only use one strip per padded envelope) at most (actually it came out to $0.006/strip, not including the ink and time..but as the ink would otherwise go to waste and it only takes me a few minutes to do a pile of these I don’t think the labor adds up to much in this case)…
Pretty easy, quick, and economical…
And a pretty touch when shipping an order…
I find that running one of these over a dampened sponge (I have one dedicated to this) does not take any more time than getting out the tape gun, unsticking the tape from itself, and changing the roll out… Instead I have a pile of these by my shipping area and before I put my envelopes by the door I slap these on the backs (to prevent pilferage during shipping as well)….
Posted in C'est Moi. | Tagged branding, care packages, decorative, details, final touches, gocco, graphic design, gummed, handcrafted, handmade, mailing, marketing, packaging, packing, paper, promotion, reinforced, silkscreened, small business, tape | 1 Comment »
July 2, 2008
Rascal
Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek
Rascal, the ring…
Very, very old Bakelite (older than vintage, younger than antique, by definition)…
Had some scotties and some ring blanks and went to town….
Available in my little shop on the internet superhighway… or zip me a message for more information…
Always Be Clever…
xo
B
ps. I have that song stuck in my head (You Rascal You)…Boyo is forever on a Louis kick (lots of Armstrong and Prima)…Glad he is more into the tune than the lyrics…Yikes! I have to give this another listen! Not the nicest song in the world…But oh so catchy…Perhaps I’ll swap it out on his song mixes with The Music Goes Round and Round!
Posted in C'est Moi., jewelry | Tagged vintage, red, plastic, clevergirl, bakelite, bek, handmade, modern, whimsical, jewelry, handcrafted, scottie, dog, jewellery, black, fun, scottish highland, terrier, ring, assemblage, industrial, cute, louis, armstrong, prima, phenolic, mold, cocktail, costume jewelry, bridge jewelry | No Comments »
April 4, 2008
Yippee! 
Posted in C'est Moi. | Tagged chartreuse, earrings, green, hammered, handcrafted, handmade, homemade, hoops, jewelry, lime, loops, pierced, silver, silversmith, spring, sterling | No Comments »
March 13, 2008
Green ApplesOriginally uploaded by CleverGirlBekEvery time I see these my mouth starts to water… I bought a pound of green apples yesterday (washed and sliced and ready to go) because of these earrings… Even though the color is a bit deeper, more of a lime, the contrast reminds me of freshly sliced apples…Yum. Fresh and springy and you can find them in my shop
Posted in C'est Moi., handmade, jewelry | Tagged lucite, vintage, beads, clevergirl, green, etsy.com, handmade, silversmith, jewelry, handcrafted, spring, apples, fresh, granny smith | No Comments »
January 27, 2008
Be clever.Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBekNew boxes…. Gocco’d them last night… The faux bois came out pretty spotty on the words “be clever”… I wound up writing over the words with a pen to match the imprint on the side of the box with my web addy and eureka…. worked….A little different from my last ones, but if you know me then you know that my obsession with the representation of natural things using manmade materials runs deep…. So I have faux bois. fake paper grass, and my packages come lovingly sealed with a plastic grass sticker…. Good stuff.
Posted in C'est Moi., branding | Tagged diy, etsy.com, handmade, jewelry, handcrafted, faux bois, fake wood, gocco, screenprinted, branding, small business, packaging, moo cards, easter grass, fake grass, artificial nature | 2 Comments »
December 16, 2007
One of the many joys of buying handmade and direct from the person who makes and ships your goodies, is that you usually have a wider window for shopping when there are deadlines involved….
I’m finding that many domestic US sellers on Etsy.com are shipping orders placed by 12/17 in time for the holidays… I am one of them and you can find me here: CleverGirl.Etsy.com
My top tips for buying handmade with the shipping windows closing:
COMMUNICATE. Check communication the seller may have left for you- check shop announcements and always check their profile on Etsy.com - lots of shop policy info and sometimes some fun info about the artist can be found in the individual’s profile….
If you don’t see the info you need- click contact and send them a message and be sure to include: the item(s) you are interested in, when you need it to arrive, and where you need it to go (city,state, zip are helpful!)…
I have added a priority shipping upgrade to my shop but it must be purchased as an “item” as Etsy doesn’t allow for us to have multiple shipping speed options and prices within a listing and I’m busy packing up orders to head out tomorrow and I just don’t have the time to go in and edit 100+ listings…
Of course, my dear blog readers, if you buy before noon tomorrow (12/17/2007) and put “beclever” or “blog” or something that lets me know you read this in the “notes to seller” area when checking out of Etsy, I’ll upgrade you at no charge (so don’t add that Priority shipping upgrade listing to your cart!) to USPS Priority…
Also, as someone who has worked retail and done lots of shipping over the years, please keep in mind that once a package has left a seller’s hands and is in the hands of the US Postal Service there is nothing they can do to change or speed up the delivery of your package- so if you want it faster let us know- I can do 3, 2, or overnight via FedEx (make sure you allow for 24 hours in addition to the delivery/shipping times as I do need to pack up your goodies) at an additional charge- many folks can and are happy to help with such details…
Also, at the risk of sounding a bit cranky (from when I worked in shipping for a major US toy store way in the past…I still have flashbacks :-) please do not lambaste the person you purchased an item from (or leave them negative feedback) if there is foul weather, and if the post office takes longer than their “suggested” time on first class mail and priority mail this time of year- they do not guarantee delivery dates on those types of packages. Once a package is out of our hands, and it has been labeled and shipped properly, it really is in the hands of our friendly postal workers!
*hugs*
Let’s all do our part (read the instructions, ask questions, and not expect anyone to be a mind-reader… I think that goes for everyone this year- buyers, sellers, husbands, wives, parents, kids, etc….) to keep all of our increased stress levels to a minimum and let’s all work together all year to make the holidays more enjoyable and less stressful!
Woohoo!
Group hug.
Peace out.
Always be clever.
xo
B
Posted in C'est Moi. | Tagged christmas, clevergirl, code, coupon, craft, customer service, cutoff, etsy, etsy.com, free shipping, gifts, handmade, holiday, homemade, jewelery, last minute, priority, shipping, silver, speedy, sterling, unique, USPS | 1 Comment »
December 5, 2007
I was interviewed for an article over at LoveToKnow.com!
That’s right…
They were working on an article on “Plus Size Jewelry” and I found them and the list of links to plus size jewelry and I commented that Etsy.com is a great place to shop at any size as working with the person who is making your piece of jewelry offers so many opportunities for custom sizing and complete custom pieces, and not just for plus size gals- for people of all sizes and shapes and needs… I also tried to focus on how jewelry should be about feeling great so you can project confidence and beauty, at any size.
Anyway…
Here’s the link…
Interview
Posted in C'est Moi., education, handmade, jewelry | Tagged etsy, handmade, buyhandmade.org, jewelry, gifts, plus, size, plus size, special needs, fashion, custom jewelry, jewelry design, custom sizing, jewelry sizing, beauty, confidence, interview | 1 Comment »
