This made me happy

I got two compliments from co-workers on my upcycled earrings today.  That's always a nice feeling!
And, I received an email with an image of someone enjoying their new Mighty Sprout necklace!
Hooray for lovely things!

Open Market, Inspiration, Astonishing Heir

Hello my friendly mcfriendersons!
I'm sitting here on my couch, having not five minutes ago eaten an entire container of blackberries, watching the surprisingly interesting flick Helvetica.  Not being one to sit still for more than four minutes, I thought I would take this moment to do a bit of multitasking...
I spent a good amount of time last week creating more of my upcycled earrings.  I'm running a bit low on findings, but that doesn't concern me.  I'm in the process of discovering what Ebay can offer in the direction of interesting jewelry supplies.

(Oh, a word of warning... All images from today's post are taken on the not-so-fancy iPhone camera. Ironic, since my last chat was all about the importance of photography)

I spent 85% of my Saturday shoveling and raking 13 yards of topsoil across the giant hole in my lawn. The other 15%, excitingly, was spent at the local antique store's rare sale. I scored a lot of new materials to play with, lots of rockin vintage rhinestone items.

I've found a happy new direction to head in... I'm all into pins right now. Think military awards of honor meets feminine jewelry meets funky found items.  Mmmmm delicious, right? 

I'm looking forward to some of my latest Ebay purchases to arrive, which will allow me to really bring my ideas of these items into fruition.  Feathers, tiny guns, leaves... rough and frilly at the same time. 

I know what you're thinking though.. "that's all well and nice, but what about the whole Providence Open Market dealy?"  Well... I haven't heard back, which I'm going to consider a blessing in disguise.  $85/day is a bit much for my measly budget, and as I mentioned before... I really don't feel like waking up that early.  But my "being okay-ness" is a new thing.  As of last Wednesday, I was dying to get accepted.  

Then, Thursday happened.

(ooo... what happened on Thursday?)

I was trying out the new spring menu of the all-amazing Farmstead with some friends downtown when we walked by Heir.  Haven't heard of Heir? You must not live in Rhode Island. Or read any of the really popular design blogs. This place makes my heart beat faster and my wallet try to escape my pocket.  Tyler Doran, a man with an eye for uniquely delicious patina'd items and a fantastic talent for interior design, mentioned that he may, just maybe, might, sort of... have a little space for my work in his store.

Yes.

Yes, I am pee-my-pants excited.

So, I guess we can all look forward to more items coming fresh out of the studio.  

And seriously. Seriously. Go to Heir. If I haven't brought you there yet, just go. It's to die for.

Hangin In There

Still waiting to hear back if I was accepted as a vendor... If so, I've got a whole lotta makin' to do!
In other news, I'm looking for new inspiration for materials.  If anyone has a thought, feel free to let me know!

Etsy Says: Take better photos

Well hello, friendly friends!  

You may remember last week's Etsy Says, where I failed miserably at all but 1 of the ideas. And, in case you have been holding your breath since then... No, I haven't had any success joining an Etsy team.  So, I guess I actually failed at ALL of the ideas. Let's see what I can do with this week's suggestions!

So, Etsy has sent me three tips for "Quick and Easy Photos."

1.  The Right Camera.  

The first thing you learn is that you do not need a trillion dollar camera to take good pictures. Great! Because I didn't want to go and buy another camera... cause I don't have the money.

Then, we learn about lighting. Natural is the way to go! Some of the photos I took for my Etsy shop were at night, and you can definitely see the difference. They're really grainy... 

vs 

Alright, point taken. I will re-shoot those later. You know... when there's daylight!

2.  Photo tips!  

These were pretty interesting, and reminded me that I need to take a little bit more care with my photos. I just get all anxious and want to shoot, so I don't care too much about whether the light is going down... That, and better composition.   Okay, I'll wrap that up with the one above.

3. Take photos that are worthy of the front page.

Yep.  See above.

Okay. So I have learned that I need to re-shoot and take more care with composition and light. Great! So umm... I can't really do that right now. But if anyone has good thoughts on what would be appropriate to shoot my jewelry on... let me know!

Putting my foot down

After a little bit of encouragement from a friend last night, I have made the decision to apply for a space at Providence's Open Market.

If accepted, I will be at Lippitt Park Saturday mornings, starting May 22nd!  Wish me luck...

Make it! - Personalized mug

This project seems ridiculously easy. They even make chalkboard spray paint now!

I'm dying to make something a chalkboard, but I'm not sure a mug is the answer for me.

Etsy Says: Increase Your Reach

Got another email from Etsy today. She (we'll refer to Etsy as female) gives four methods of increasing my outreach. Okay, I'll give it a shot.

1. Use Your Connections
Etsy says that I should ask my fellow bloggy friends to post something "non-spammy" about The Mighty Sprout.
Umm... connections? I don't have any. And friends with blogs? Certainly nothing relevant. Okay, maybe I just don't feel like begging friends to write some shameless plug about my jewelry. Whatever, Etsy, let's try #2.

2. Team Up
So, now she wants me to join Etsy teams. Etsy says this will increase traffic to my page. Okay, so I checked out the teams that I can join. First shot, the RI team. Wellll... Apparently I don't qualify because you need a minimum of 10 positive feedback. I have 0. Not because I suck, but because who really leaves feedback these days?
Then I found an "Etsy Designs" team. Graphic designers. Okay, I applied, we'll see how that goes. Just so you know, all team seem to require some sort of proof of how awesome you are. Darn, I was kind of hoping for instant gratification. I'll come back to this.
[Fun fact: there's an Etsy team for Menstruation. Sweeeet.]

3. Make A Statement
Etsy says to get funky. Make something pretty outlandish. Something where everyone is like "woah, that's nuts." So, what, they want me to make a vagina necklace? Or thong earrings? Not my style. My rule of thumb is if I would wear it, I'll make it. I don't make things that I don't find attractive. Forget #3. Move on.

4. Be a guest blogger.
Etsy! Woah! Move back to #1! Remember that part about me not having connections? Yeaaaaah. Didn't think so. Screw you, #4.

Okay, WASTE OF TIME. I'll work on #2, but that's all you've got, Etsy.

Amos House opens its Friendship Cafe

Thursday evening marks the opening of Amos House's new Friendship Cafe.  Click here to read RI Monthly's write up of the cafe.
A new place to get lunch, and a great way to benefit your community. Congrats, Amos House!

Buy yourself a staple gun

You may have heard (or experienced) the overwhelming flooding of RI last week.  It was, and still is, pretty bad.  Thankfully, my house made it through! The garage? Not so lucky. 

Well, whatever. Who needs a garage anyway?

Saturday, Elan and I headed up to MA to check out a craigslist find.  We bought these crazy retro patio chairs, and then scored some ridiculously low priced outdoor fabric at Jo-Ann fabrics (who, as an entire store, was incredibly un-helpful).  

Refurnishing the four chairs (a favorite past-time of mine) was all fun and games until I stapled through my leg.

And in lieu of the gorgeous weather we've been having, I finally brought my seedlings outdoors.

Anyone got a good design for a raised bed?

To be or not to be... a vendor.

I have been considering the idea of applying for a spot at one of the local farmer's markets.  Although it seems like a no-brainer, a few things are holding me back.
1. Do I really have the time to create enough pieces to fill a 10x10 space?
We all remember how stressed I was about the last big event I participated in. Elan was probably contemplating murder, just to put both of us out of our misery.  And this would be so much more!
2. A 10x10 space requires some fashion of furnishing, of which I do not have.
So, now I also need to think about acquiring tables and possibly a tent. Plus, you can't just pop up some tables and say you're open for business. You need some finesse! How would I display the jewelry [that I have to find the time to make].  And then there's getting change, and bags.... and table clothes, at the very least.
3.  I like to sleep in late.
Yes, the market opens early, which means I would need to be there even earlier.  On a Saturday.  I know, I know, stupid reason.

So, thoughts? Has anyone ever done one of these before? Or want to share a booth? Or at least give me some words of wisdom?
Anything? Anything?

New items in the shop!

Once again, I acknowledge my absence.  And this time I have an excuse! YES! Here it is (as stupid as it may be)... I set up this blog to talk about my progress with making jewelry and starting a "business."  So, why the long silence? Because, up until a few days ago I didn't have anything to show for myself.
So, here's what's new in the shop:

I think I need to do some better photography...