Pantone Spring 2012

And the winner is... Tangerine Tango! Read all about it at the link.

Here's a preview of what you can expect in jewelry trends. These colors really make me smile, and they're a joy to work with on a cold January day.

And here's what designers like Gaultier, Missoni and McCartney are putting in the shops RIGHT NOW. Be sure to check the color cards on the left hand column of these links, and see how closely they line up with the Pantone forecast.

Now, I don't know about you, but I look TERRIBLE in orange! Don't let that scare you off. Think coral, salmon and persimmon, and keep the really hot shades for small accessories and accents. Pair it with turquoise, and you have an instant classic. With pale melon green, it calms down and becomes a citrus splash of refreshing coolness. With an unexpected accent of pale lavender blue, it brings to mind a field of wild flowers, yarrow and cornflower nodding in the summer heat.

Here's part of what my current bead stash looks like. I pulled these out of my stock to see how well the colors "play together".

I highly recommend you go through your wardrobe, yarn pile, fabric stacks, etc., and see what you can come up with in the Pantone palette. It's a great exercise!

Rose (pink) gold is emerging as the HOT new metal of the day, after decades of being considered terribly old fashioned, and only fit for Victorian watch fobs. If you follow trend sites like HauteLook or Fab.com, you already know what I'm talking about. It's everywhere!

For those of us mere mortals on a budget, there's rose gold vermeil over Karen Hill Tribe silver, 14k rose gold plating over both brass and alloy, and even bright polished copper for a darker rosy look. Rose gold compliments every skin tone, whether you are a "warm, cool or neutral". Darker skin tones can really rock the bright copper look like no one else!

Be sure to check out B'Sue's Boutique for delicious jewelry supplies custom plated in her proprietary Rose Gold finish. Sure, you can find something less expensive, but once you get your hands on her pieces, you'll never go back. Rich,warm and absolutely gorgeous, with a plating so thick you won't believe it's "costume quality". Her items come in relatively small batches, so if you see something you like, grab it quick!

Less is more, so look for high quality materials and key pieces to highlight minimalist designs. "Effortless chic" is the phrase of the day, and it's harder to accomplish than you'd think. For many years now, I've been operating on the theory that if a bunch of beads is good, then a whole bunch more is even better! Now, it's a matter of finding that perfect bead, with just the right chain, and a charm that's not too big or too small. Scale and balance are everything. Even if you get all the colors right, if it doesn't "feel right" to the eye, it won't sell.

Pre-Fall 2012 will be more of the same, but with the colors more muted, softer and dustier looking. The turquoise blue will be replaced with slate blue, and sand beige will play a much more prominent role as an anchor to coral and carnelian tones. You'll be seeing more oxidized copper in earthy Tibetan style beads.

Bronze ox and brass ox will always be fashionable for Victorian romantic styles - and of course for the steampunks. You'll have to pry that oxidized brass out of their cold, dead, gear enhanced armature! The goths, in their unholy graves, will never give up their silver and gunmetal hematite. Be that as it may, if you want to be on trend for the next few seasons, do the Tangerine Tango and think PINK for your metals.

Happy creating!

Copy Cats - Why I'm not on Etsy

Several people have asked me why I don't sell on Etsy anymore. It's a rather long story, but this website pretty much sums it up.
http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/

Here's my story: http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/?p=1631

I am sick and tired of Etsy being a place that supports copyright infringement, trademark theft and plagarism of all sorts. That site gives serious artists everywhere a bad reputation. Ever since I got off of that site, all I've heard from people has been "Good for you!" and "You're a professional, why were you even on there?" That alone is enough to make me wonder how much Etsy has hurt my reputation as a business person.

If you are using Etsy to sell a few crafts or as a sideline, then I'm sure it can be great, but if you are hoping to do your art full time, for a living, think long and hard about who you want to be associated with.

This year will bring many new venues from people who want to run their sites with integrity and honesty, and they will be very competitive. Don't think for a minute that Etsy is the be all and end all in the craft world. Creative minds are coming up with better mouse traps every day, and these sites are getting launched left and right.

Etsy Tip - The "Sneaky" Template Trick

Everybody has been begging Etsy for listing templates for three years now. For those of us who sell similar or duplicate items, this is a royal PITA, especially with tags, which are the bane of my existence. There are two ways to do a "work around" listing template.

1. Wait until you sell something, and then use that sold listing as a "new listing" template, editing the old listing to fit the new item and then renewing. Make sure that you proofread all of your changes really well!

2. If you don't want to wait until something sells, here's the super sneaky trick. Each template you want will cost you twenty cents. You will need to have TWO shops to do this, or have a friend help you out. List an item for twenty cents. Quickly go into your other account and buy it, or have a friend buy it. (If you wait too long, someone might see a twenty cent bargain and snatch it up, and then you're really in trouble!) DO NOT cancel the sale through Etsy once you make it. This will remove the listing from your sold items, you will lose your template and you will have to start over. Just check the "paid" and "shipped" boxes, and don't leave any feedback for that transaction.

(Buying from your other store is technically against the Etsy TOS. Some people do it to bump up their feedback scores or sales figures. The way I see it, you're not doing anything to deceive anyone and you're not pretending to be anyone else, so I figure it's not so bad.)

When you choose option two, make sure that you change the .20 cent price to the price you actually charge! I made that mistake once, and ended up selling someone a pair of $15.00 earrings for twenty cents because I had to honor the sale price. Again, proofreading is your friend, especially if you do your listings late at night, when you are more prone to overlook things.

Either way, the goal is to have a "sold" listing to work off of as your template.

Edited to add: I've recently emailed with Erin in Etsy Admin, she says that this is NOT ok. Now, if everyone starts using my method, maybe admin will be annoyed enough to actually give us a real listing template, just like all the other sites in the world.

Grrrrr. Etsy not working right now.

Etsy is currently switching servers, and lots of people (including me) can't get in at all. This makes me all sorts of cranky, because I have a TON of things to list.

In the meantime, here's a picture of some of my new rings. They are made with words taken from scrap booking sheets, sealed under lucite magnifying cabochons, and then mounted in vintage copper ring bases. The rings are adjustable to fit most sizes, and are very comfortable. The words say all kinds of nice things like Live, Hope, Joy, Love, Breathe and Heart - although one of them says Panic.

While Etsy is down, I spent most of my time listing a bunch of my "Cuffless" cufflinks on my personal website. These are so much fun! Some of them are made with watch movements, but a lot of them are made out of vintage buttons. These are great because cufflinks are back in style, and now you can enjoy the look without spending a fortune on a whole new wardrobe of french cuff shirts. Simply snap these onto the buttons of your favorite shirt and they will stay on nice and tight. You can dance the night away without worrying that they will come loose. You can see them all here at Rivkasmom.com (search "cuffless" in the upper left hand search box)