Hand Painted Silk Color Update...

I have been trying to get to this project for months now, but things just seem to keep creeping in.

But I've chomped away at it little by little and have gotten to this point!

Updated Silky and Fairy Ribbons and 2mm Silk Ribbon Strands…

By Number (last time I did it by color palette).

2011 Marsha Neal Studio Silk Update Set 1

2011 Marsha Neal Studio Silk Update Set 2

2011 Marsha Neal Studio Silk Update Set 3

Some colors have been discontinued because they were custom mixes that ran out of stock, they were discontinued colors (by Ute) or because there was a new color that was pretty close to it and I picked the newer color (one must try to stick to some kind of budget right?).

Now to just get all of my Etsy listings updated…

I was also informed by Ute that a price increase would be coming down the line in early 2012.

Not sure if this will affect my retail pricing yet - not at the fewer quantities anyway.

Most likely you will see the price change at larger quantities & wholesale where there are deeper discounts.

Also, the Marsha Neal Studio Website is still being worked on in behind the scenes.

We're trying to find a cart (near impossible) that will take the discounts I offer with silks.

The way it is set up & has always been is that I will correct the pricing before your cc is charged.

With the cart update though, your cc gets charged automatically, then there are credits and all that mess to take care of.

We'll see how it all works out…

Oh, and now that I've gotten my silk colors update - I'm able to work on my new monthly color palette contest with the silks where you help me pick out palettes of 5 or 10 colors, then they get voted on and the ones that win get the chance to be named after the person that created the palette. 

And of course there will be silks to be had by the winners…

More to come!

What do you think about the colors being by number vs color palette?

If I was designing, I would probably prefer by palette.

Ordering is easier by number though… Hmmm - what to do?

Hand Painted Silk Color Update...

I have been trying to get to this project for months now, but things just seem to keep creeping in.

But I've chomped away at it little by little and have gotten to this point!

Updated Silky and Fairy Ribbons and 2mm Silk Ribbon Strands…

By Number (last time I did it by color palette).

2011 Marsha Neal Studio Silk Update Set 1

2011 Marsha Neal Studio Silk Update Set 2

2011 Marsha Neal Studio Silk Update Set 3

Some colors have been discontinued because they were custom mixes that ran out of stock, they were discontinued colors (by Ute) or because there was a new color that was pretty close to it and I picked the newer color (one must try to stick to some kind of budget right?).

Now to just get all of my Etsy listings updated…

I was also informed by Ute that a price increase would be coming down the line in early 2012.

Not sure if this will affect my retail pricing yet - not at the fewer quantities anyway.

Most likely you will see the price change at larger quantities & wholesale where there are deeper discounts.

Also, the Marsha Neal Studio Website is still being worked on in behind the scenes.

We're trying to find a cart (near impossible) that will take the discounts I offer with silks.

The way it is set up & has always been is that I will correct the pricing before your cc is charged.

With the cart update though, your cc gets charged automatically, then there are credits and all that mess to take care of.

We'll see how it all works out…

Oh, and now that I've gotten my silk colors update - I'm able to work on my new monthly color palette contest with the silks where you help me pick out palettes of 5 or 10 colors, then they get voted on and the ones that win get the chance to be named after the person that created the palette. 

And of course there will be silks to be had by the winners…

More to come!

What do you think about the colors being by number vs color palette?

If I was designing, I would probably prefer by palette.

Ordering is easier by number though… Hmmm - what to do?

Ideas For Using Silks...

There is a new book called

"A Jewelry Accord, Making Jewelry Using Cording, Ribbon and Lace" 

in the works by a couple of fantastic Jewelry Designers…

Lorelei Eurto and Erin Siegal

They have a companion blog going which I highly recommend following:

I don't know about you...

But I can't wait to get that printed book in my possession so I can have some visual inspiration and a few tips and techniques to add to my growing jewelry making skills!

There is just something to being able to sit with a book or magazine in your favorite chair…

 A warm beverage of choice near by (it's winter - warm anything is welcome!)…

And get into finding your muse amongst the pages.

My muse can start to take form in visualizing something…

Then she starts to show herself more as techniques are learned…

And as I am working through a project, she shows herself fully through ideas that stream out of my heart and head through visions of projects that can be.

She is very elusive though…

I must start to keep a sketch book and drawing utensil with me at all times while designing

A big Thank You to the girls at A Jewelry Accord for posting a wonderful blog post about the silks I carry in my Etsy Shop and my Website.

Here are a couple of my favorite OOAK color combos from my Etsy shop…

OOAK Random Color Grouping 51

Sea Shore Knot Bundle (made from stock colors).

These bundles allow you to get a quick selection of colors to fool around with in your jewelry design.

I also have added a bunch of listings where you can pick your own color palettes in specified quantities.

With over 75 colors - there are endless color palettes to be created!

You can also visit my website and pick whatever combination of colors and types (make sure to hit add to cart within each color section - you'll see what I mean).

My website is best for larger orders or orders with lots of different silks because it all goes into a cart directly vs you sending me the colors in a message.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have fun designing or buying handmade jewelry with these beautiful silks!

Ideas For Using Silks...

There is a new book called

"A Jewelry Accord, Making Jewelry Using Cording, Ribbon and Lace" 

in the works by a couple of fantastic Jewelry Designers…

Lorelei Eurto and Erin Siegal

They have a companion blog going which I highly recommend following:

I don't know about you...

But I can't wait to get that printed book in my possession so I can have some visual inspiration and a few tips and techniques to add to my growing jewelry making skills!

There is just something to being able to sit with a book or magazine in your favorite chair…

 A warm beverage of choice near by (it's winter - warm anything is welcome!)…

And get into finding your muse amongst the pages.

My muse can start to take form in visualizing something…

Then she starts to show herself more as techniques are learned…

And as I am working through a project, she shows herself fully through ideas that stream out of my heart and head through visions of projects that can be.

She is very elusive though…

I must start to keep a sketch book and drawing utensil with me at all times while designing

A big Thank You to the girls at A Jewelry Accord for posting a wonderful blog post about the silks I carry in my Etsy Shop and my Website.

Here are a couple of my favorite OOAK color combos from my Etsy shop…

OOAK Random Color Grouping 51

Sea Shore Knot Bundle (made from stock colors).

These bundles allow you to get a quick selection of colors to fool around with in your jewelry design.

I also have added a bunch of listings where you can pick your own color palettes in specified quantities.

With over 75 colors - there are endless color palettes to be created!

You can also visit my website and pick whatever combination of colors and types (make sure to hit add to cart within each color section - you'll see what I mean).

My website is best for larger orders or orders with lots of different silks because it all goes into a cart directly vs you sending me the colors in a message.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have fun designing or buying handmade jewelry with these beautiful silks!

Silk Descriptions on Etsy…

Ok, real quick because I have to pull a couple of small orders and make it to the post office before 4:30 & get the kids…

I attended most of the Etsy Online Symposium yesterday (awesome!).

It was a lot of stuff you should know if you are at all a seller of your product. It was like a big reminder kick in the rear to get you pumped up and have some order to renovating your shop to market it to "your ideal customer". Which in essence - is yourself - if you make your art because you LOVE it.

So I thought, hmmm. I've been selling a lot of silk strands through my Etsy shop (Thank God! And yes that is a link to my sold items. I'm nosey too and look at what you've sold - see what is hot in the market) in knot bundles. I need to romance my listing more.

Today I updated one listing, and will spend tonight or tomorrow night most likely copying and pasting, for hours I'm sure, to update the rest.

I also saw a link to Lindsay Whimsies Shop shop that listed multiple custom items, and she commented shared how she did it. And I thought. Hmmm that could work for my custom color palette silk knot bundle listings too… They were also updated and romanced a bit too.

Darn… Got Valentine's Day on the brain I guess. I'm "romancing everything". Maybe just the thought of the milk chocolates (focus: tight jeans, pancake belly, uncomfortable feeling). Ok I'm over it now…

Leave me a comment back her on this post about:
1. What you think of the new "romance description". Be honest really...
2. What your favorite color palette is and why from my Silks Etsy Shop Section

And I'll pick a random winner on Saturday. Will ship you your favorite palette out to you on Monday (if it happens to be one of the OOAK, I'll pull something similar for you).

*This kind of interactive Etsy to Blog to Etsy Giveaway was also talked about in the Etsy Symposium.

Silk Descriptions on Etsy…

Ok, real quick because I have to pull a couple of small orders and make it to the post office before 4:30 & get the kids…

I attended most of the Etsy Online Symposium yesterday (awesome!).

It was a lot of stuff you should know if you are at all a seller of your product. It was like a big reminder kick in the rear to get you pumped up and have some order to renovating your shop to market it to "your ideal customer". Which in essence - is yourself - if you make your art because you LOVE it.

So I thought, hmmm. I've been selling a lot of silk strands through my Etsy shop (Thank God! And yes that is a link to my sold items. I'm nosey too and look at what you've sold - see what is hot in the market) in knot bundles. I need to romance my listing more.

Today I updated one listing, and will spend tonight or tomorrow night most likely copying and pasting, for hours I'm sure, to update the rest.

I also saw a link to Lindsay Whimsies Shop shop that listed multiple custom items, and she commented shared how she did it. And I thought. Hmmm that could work for my custom color palette silk knot bundle listings too… They were also updated and romanced a bit too.

Darn… Got Valentine's Day on the brain I guess. I'm "romancing everything". Maybe just the thought of the milk chocolates (focus: tight jeans, pancake belly, uncomfortable feeling). Ok I'm over it now…

Leave me a comment back her on this post about:
1. What you think of the new "romance description". Be honest really...
2. What your favorite color palette is and why from my Silks Etsy Shop Section

And I'll pick a random winner on Saturday. Will ship you your favorite palette out to you on Monday (if it happens to be one of the OOAK, I'll pull something similar for you).

*This kind of interactive Etsy to Blog to Etsy Giveaway was also talked about in the Etsy Symposium.

Color Inspirations: Seed Pod In Decay

Here is another selection of 5 of the 2mm silks inspired by some of the colors in Seed Pod Shells in the photo that follows.

Now mind you, color inspiration does not have to be from a perfect photo (this one was taken with the iPhone and just would not focus properly for me. I was probably rushed that day.)

I often look at things with squinty eyes to just get an overall feel for color hues, shape, symmetry, etc.

Here is the Seed Pod Shell palette from my ColourLovers app:

And the silks are available in my Etsy shop by bundle or website by individual strand.

Color Inspirations: Seed Pod In Decay

Here is another selection of 5 of the 2mm silks inspired by some of the colors in Seed Pod Shells in the photo that follows.

Now mind you, color inspiration does not have to be from a perfect photo (this one was taken with the iPhone and just would not focus properly for me. I was probably rushed that day.)

I often look at things with squinty eyes to just get an overall feel for color hues, shape, symmetry, etc.

Here is the Seed Pod Shell palette from my ColourLovers app:

And the silks are available in my Etsy shop by bundle or website by individual strand.

New Silk Photographs

Here it is! The complete color selection of silks I have for my Marsha Neal Studio website shopping cart. If you visit my website and don't see the new color swatches (they will be skinny still, but snippets of these) hit the refresh button on your browser address bar, and they should reload.

It has been a process pulling every color (75 currently) in each string type (3 kinds) and getting a photograph that is as close to the actual string color as possible (of course your monitor and printer will alter that too). 

Marsha Neal Studio's Hand Painted Silks (by SPIF)

Marsha Neal Studio's Hand Painted Silks (by SPIF)

Marsha Neal Studio's Hand Painted Silks (by SPIF)

I started selling these hand painted silks when I was selling my pendants through Bead Shows all across the country. When I first met Ute (Silk Painting Is Fun) she was wearing a many-strand silk necklace in Royal Blue (and totally can pull off those colors!) and commented how her silks would go great with my selection of Porcelain Pendants. She of course was right, and ever since I have been selling them through shows (which is now run through my friend Darlene of D7 Studio), my website and a selection of silk knot bundles in my Etsy shop.

Not all of the new colors are in my website shopping cart yet (we are working on the new site right now, although I think I may convince Dave he needs to show me how to add the codes - even without pics to the current site for ease of ordering… He does not like it when I get in there and fiddle with all the website stuff - it becomes super cluttered - much like my studio ;).

With the addition of new colors by Ute, some of the old ones have been discontinued. This is because they were too close to another color or some ingredient changed within her dye mixture and it can no longer be reproduced. I can totally relate because sometimes I get variations in my glazes because ingredients have change and colors need to be discontinued.

So refer to these pictures for the correct number and name to order the silks by until we update the website (by tonight? I sure hope so!) **The silks page of the website is updated!!!

Oh, and if you have a moment, let me know what you think of those three images. Are they useful, hard to read, etc… I appreciate the input since I have been working on the computer all day and my brain is now shutting down.

And one last thing. If you want to get hands on with these high quality, beautifully hand painted silk strands (and many more colors) shop with Darlene of D7 Studio in person. This weekend Jan 14-16 she is in Marlborough, MA at the Innovative Beads Expo show.

New Silk Photographs

Here it is! The complete color selection of silks I have for my Marsha Neal Studio website shopping cart. If you visit my website and don't see the new color swatches (they will be skinny still, but snippets of these) hit the refresh button on your browser address bar, and they should reload.

It has been a process pulling every color (75 currently) in each string type (3 kinds) and getting a photograph that is as close to the actual string color as possible (of course your monitor and printer will alter that too). 

Marsha Neal Studio's Hand Painted Silks (by SPIF)

Marsha Neal Studio's Hand Painted Silks (by SPIF)

Marsha Neal Studio's Hand Painted Silks (by SPIF)

I started selling these hand painted silks when I was selling my pendants through Bead Shows all across the country. When I first met Ute (Silk Painting Is Fun) she was wearing a many-strand silk necklace in Royal Blue (and totally can pull off those colors!) and commented how her silks would go great with my selection of Porcelain Pendants. She of course was right, and ever since I have been selling them through shows (which is now run through my friend Darlene of D7 Studio), my website and a selection of silk knot bundles in my Etsy shop.

Not all of the new colors are in my website shopping cart yet (we are working on the new site right now, although I think I may convince Dave he needs to show me how to add the codes - even without pics to the current site for ease of ordering… He does not like it when I get in there and fiddle with all the website stuff - it becomes super cluttered - much like my studio ;).

With the addition of new colors by Ute, some of the old ones have been discontinued. This is because they were too close to another color or some ingredient changed within her dye mixture and it can no longer be reproduced. I can totally relate because sometimes I get variations in my glazes because ingredients have change and colors need to be discontinued.

So refer to these pictures for the correct number and name to order the silks by until we update the website (by tonight? I sure hope so!) **The silks page of the website is updated!!!

Oh, and if you have a moment, let me know what you think of those three images. Are they useful, hard to read, etc… I appreciate the input since I have been working on the computer all day and my brain is now shutting down.

And one last thing. If you want to get hands on with these high quality, beautifully hand painted silk strands (and many more colors) shop with Darlene of D7 Studio in person. This weekend Jan 14-16 she is in Marlborough, MA at the Innovative Beads Expo show.

To Do List - Getting Done...

I have been super busy taking pictures, cropping them, naming them, all the while juggling Riley being home and only napping here and there… 

So it's been a busy few days for me.

I'm seriously considering listing things up on Etsy only once, maybe twice a month…

I'm missing out on my garden photography time! And that makes me a bit grumpy...

Porcelain Halloween Ghost Pendant in the My Mom Pattie Etsy Shop.

I am however working on getting the new halloween pendants into my Marsha Neal Studio Etsy shop.

Just in time to help you get chances to win Marsha Neal Studio gift certificates during:

2010 "Honoring September"

Click on the Magnolia picture on the blog sidebar for details.

There are plans on re-photographing all the silk strands for my website overhaul. 

I spent the day today pulling one of each kind in every color. 

Pshew - glad that is done…

This is what I have in mind for the actual photographs (in better lighting) for each of the colors.

What do you think?

Hand Painted Silks #0 Almost White in Silky, Fairy and 2mm.

So on my mom's birthday (9/1), I was on a mission to get some pieces up into the My Mom Pattie Etsy shop. 

Finished pieces… 

I had wire wrapped a few of the halloween pendants the other day…

Halloween Porcelain Pendants pre-oxidation.

The sterling needed to be darkened though… 

Too bright for what I had in mind.

Now if I could only find the Liver of Sulphur… 

It hides somewhere in the midst of my jewelry/beading/metalsmithing area.

I know it's in a place that "makes sense" to store it.

That place where you can never find it again…. 

I just saw it the other day - dang!

Ah-ha - Found it (on a shelf, in a basket, behind a bin…)

See… Much better - more in the feel of "old and decrepit"

Porcelain Halloween Pendants with oxidized sterling silver for My Mom Pattie Etsy Shop

I also picked up some glass etching cream from AC Moore the other night…

Which was an adventure in itself…

Not just because the store is being remodeled and things are rearranged…

But because I decided to have dinner with Chloe & Riley out…

By myself…

Then go to the store…

All was ok until the potty training accident…

 Then add a screaming baby not wanting to be put in stroller while I helped clean up #1's #2 to the mix...

But we dealt just fine…

I'm a prepared mother (usually…)

Marsha Neal Studio Etched side of pendants.

Etching and Patina all in one morning - WOAH Nelly!

I was on a roll...

Light a candle over here…

Spray the NeutraAir over there…

All in preparation for the Liver of Sulphur…

No Dave, that stink wasn't from me. 

And no, I'm not cooking with rotten eggs… ;)

Marsha Neal Studio pre-etched side of pendants. 

It was great… 

I can't wait to etch more of my pieces.

And to make more jewelry!

NOTES: I used the cream glass etch. 

Wish I could find my bottle of liquid Etch-All (in that hidden place…). 

Different glazes take different amount of time to etch. 

Some of my glazes won't etch easily (not even after 10 minutes) - they are that hard. 

Others etch quickly (like 4-5 minutes).

Oh, and a quick picture from Beading night...

My work area for Bead Night. Little rabbit pendant is from Jenny Davies-Reazor.

Now I've got the jewelry making bug - darn you beading night!

Which is such a good thing for me, but bad for my plans of getting organized.

Maybe I should make another "Bead Night" my prize for getting organizational goals reached…

Thanks for stopping by!

To Do List - Getting Done...

I have been super busy taking pictures, cropping them, naming them, all the while juggling Riley being home and only napping here and there… 

So it's been a busy few days for me.

I'm seriously considering listing things up on Etsy only once, maybe twice a month…

I'm missing out on my garden photography time! And that makes me a bit grumpy...

Porcelain Halloween Ghost Pendant in the My Mom Pattie Etsy Shop.

I am however working on getting the new halloween pendants into my Marsha Neal Studio Etsy shop.

Just in time to help you get chances to win Marsha Neal Studio gift certificates during:

2010 "Honoring September"

Click on the Magnolia picture on the blog sidebar for details.

There are plans on re-photographing all the silk strands for my website overhaul. 

I spent the day today pulling one of each kind in every color. 

Pshew - glad that is done…

This is what I have in mind for the actual photographs (in better lighting) for each of the colors.

What do you think?

Hand Painted Silks #0 Almost White in Silky, Fairy and 2mm.

So on my mom's birthday (9/1), I was on a mission to get some pieces up into the My Mom Pattie Etsy shop. 

Finished pieces… 

I had wire wrapped a few of the halloween pendants the other day…

Halloween Porcelain Pendants pre-oxidation.

The sterling needed to be darkened though… 

Too bright for what I had in mind.

Now if I could only find the Liver of Sulphur… 

It hides somewhere in the midst of my jewelry/beading/metalsmithing area.

I know it's in a place that "makes sense" to store it.

That place where you can never find it again…. 

I just saw it the other day - dang!

Ah-ha - Found it (on a shelf, in a basket, behind a bin…)

See… Much better - more in the feel of "old and decrepit"

Porcelain Halloween Pendants with oxidized sterling silver for My Mom Pattie Etsy Shop

I also picked up some glass etching cream from AC Moore the other night…

Which was an adventure in itself…

Not just because the store is being remodeled and things are rearranged…

But because I decided to have dinner with Chloe & Riley out…

By myself…

Then go to the store…

All was ok until the potty training accident…

 Then add a screaming baby not wanting to be put in stroller while I helped clean up #1's #2 to the mix...

But we dealt just fine…

I'm a prepared mother (usually…)

Marsha Neal Studio Etched side of pendants.

Etching and Patina all in one morning - WOAH Nelly!

I was on a roll...

Light a candle over here…

Spray the NeutraAir over there…

All in preparation for the Liver of Sulphur…

No Dave, that stink wasn't from me. 

And no, I'm not cooking with rotten eggs… ;)

Marsha Neal Studio pre-etched side of pendants. 

It was great… 

I can't wait to etch more of my pieces.

And to make more jewelry!

NOTES: I used the cream glass etch. 

Wish I could find my bottle of liquid Etch-All (in that hidden place…). 

Different glazes take different amount of time to etch. 

Some of my glazes won't etch easily (not even after 10 minutes) - they are that hard. 

Others etch quickly (like 4-5 minutes).

Oh, and a quick picture from Beading night...

My work area for Bead Night. Little rabbit pendant is from Jenny Davies-Reazor.

Now I've got the jewelry making bug - darn you beading night!

Which is such a good thing for me, but bad for my plans of getting organized.

Maybe I should make another "Bead Night" my prize for getting organizational goals reached…

Thanks for stopping by!

New Silks EnRoute...

If you have ever met me at one of my bead shows, when I was doing bead shows, you know how much I love these silk strands... And how great they are to use in jewelry designs!

They are all hand painted by Ute of Silk Painting is Fun and she is right now working on filling a large order for me which includes these 2mm silks in 12 new colors (in Silky and Fairy Ribbons too).

New Silks for August 2010 being made now...

I don't have any names for these colors yet. Won't decide until I get them in hand and can compare them to the tones of the other ones I have (60+ colors already). Then their names come to the surface...

A quick snapshot (basement lighting - sorry)  of the new colors and their numbers.

I think I may try to retake this shot outside. I just have to remember to grab the card, phone and brain all in one place and have a kid free hand or two to take it, then upload it...

No wonder why things take me so long to do sometimes...

Oh, and until Midnight tonight (EST), I am having a 150 fans giveaway on my Facebook page. You've got to be a fan to enter. Basically one person that comments on my post will be drawn at random and will receive one of my new cutout flower pendants... 

And come to think of it, I was supposed to do a giveaway at 100 fans, but I got side tracked with Riley arriving... So I will be picking 2 winners to make up for it - Surprise!

New Silks EnRoute...

If you have ever met me at one of my bead shows, when I was doing bead shows, you know how much I love these silk strands... And how great they are to use in jewelry designs!

They are all hand painted by Ute of Silk Painting is Fun and she is right now working on filling a large order for me which includes these 2mm silks in 12 new colors (in Silky and Fairy Ribbons too).

New Silks for August 2010 being made now...

I don't have any names for these colors yet. Won't decide until I get them in hand and can compare them to the tones of the other ones I have (60+ colors already). Then their names come to the surface...

A quick snapshot (basement lighting - sorry)  of the new colors and their numbers.

I think I may try to retake this shot outside. I just have to remember to grab the card, phone and brain all in one place and have a kid free hand or two to take it, then upload it...

No wonder why things take me so long to do sometimes...

Oh, and until Midnight tonight (EST), I am having a 150 fans giveaway on my Facebook page. You've got to be a fan to enter. Basically one person that comments on my post will be drawn at random and will receive one of my new cutout flower pendants... 

And come to think of it, I was supposed to do a giveaway at 100 fans, but I got side tracked with Riley arriving... So I will be picking 2 winners to make up for it - Surprise!

Silks Have Arrived!

I just got my shipment of out of stock colored fairy and silky ribbons...


Oh I just love these! Ute you do such beautiful work - Thank You!!!

-- Pictures Taken With & Posted From My iPhone

Silks Have Arrived!

I just got my shipment of out of stock colored fairy and silky ribbons...


Oh I just love these! Ute you do such beautiful work - Thank You!!!

-- Pictures Taken With & Posted From My iPhone