I have been constantly making jewelry in my spare time for almost 5 years now. I have refined my technique, I have upped my clientele and my materials. I was very proud of the fact that all my supplies were new, organized, and ready to make millions! (Dream on, I know). My friends are all big fans and I love that. Some of my closest friends are my best costumers. However, it is truly rare that my friends want to "learn" what I do. I was ecstatic when one of them asked if she could come over and help me get ready for a festival I was vending. "Absolutely you can come over!" I completely expected her to just play in the beads for awhile, maybe string a few things but she really surprised me with her eye for color and quick learning skills. She wanted to learn how to clasp, how to wire wrap and how to make earrings. I was so excited. Being a teacher at heart I took this as a new challenge and teaching really does bring out the best in me.
One day, as the festival was quickly approaching, Ashley brought over some items from the Goodwill. "Did you go by the Goodwill before you came here?" "Yep. And I got you some stuff." She begins to pull out a bunch of old belt buckles, brooches, and even a zip lock bag of broken jewelry. I was thinking this girl is crazy! She began to dig through what she had found and she simply said, "I thought you could use some of this stuff in your designs." Use this junk in my desings? No way. I was high end, I was HighStrung! And then I saw the excitement in her eyes and she showed me this and that and the entire time had a HUGE smile on her face. She was right, this is great stuff! Suddenly, I was thrilled! How could I have not thought of this before? Low and behold, in front of my eyes, were unique glass beads, rare findings, antique clasps, and great pendants for the taking! Not to mention all at a fraction of the price I would pay at a bead store or on-line store. We went to town on those beads. (as we say in the South for diving into a project). Having all of these new and creative elements, I was motivated to bead all night long. And that is exactly what we did.
I still travel from bead shoppe to bead boutique, but I always manage to make a stop at a local thrift store or antique road stand along the way. "What treasures will I find today?." (That is my mind set all the time.) Flipping jewelry is my new passion. Giving life to something that someone just tossed away because a jump ring was missing is so rewarding. You should try it too. If I didn't enjoy beading as much as I do, I would become a professional yard saler. I'm not kidding.
1 comment:
Bidz.com is another good spot to find good deals on jewelry.
Post a Comment