Love Marriage Baby

In that order.

I'm due June 26th, 2010! Come on, baby!

Etsy Team Columbus Treasury

Gotta love Columbus, Ohio! Thanks, SpaceDog, for including my "specs" in your Columbus treasury on Etsy! :)


Go check out some of the other fabulous goods from the Midwest! Cheers!

MollyStuff in Etsy's Geek Gift Guide

I found this out a while ago but now I'm officially blogging about it! Haha. My Windsor Tie Pendant is on the second page of the Geek Chic Gift Guide over on Etsy! I waited too long to post it so it's on the second page (the items in gifts guides start on the first page and slowly make their way down as more things get added every day) and I can't make an Etsy Mini that includes my pendant. Boo! Oh well. Check out the gift guide and all of the other items in it!

Logo: in Action

MollyStuff was on display/for sale at Craftin' Outlaws last Saturday, and the new logo was in full force! First of all, I had a new sign:


MollyStuff also had new earring/jewelry cards:


Check out more photos from the show over at MollyStuff's Facebook fan page!

Halloween Trends on Etsy

I love this Gift Guide from Etsy! Check it out!

Alternate in Front Page Treasury

MollyStuff's Windsor Tie Pendant was an alternate in a treasury that was featured on the front page of Etsy. Woot!

(oh yeah, check out my fellow Etsy Team Columbus member TsuruBride's clutch!)

It Feels Like a Monday

::Yawns::

MollyStuff on Front Page!

Good news! Another MollyStuff initial pendant was on the front page of Etsy today! I was alerted on Tuesday that my M pendant was featured in a "Miss Muppet" themed treasury on Etsy (TheLostEarring made it!). Yay! I was excited about that, and I was even more excited to see that the treasury was featured on Etsy's front page earlier today!



I wish I caught these things as they were happening... but better late than never! (thanks, craft cult!)

MollyStuff on Etsy's Front Page!

Hi there! I haven't been on Craft Cult in a while, so when I looked at it yesterday I was surprised to see a bunch of new hearts for my shop! I went to the Vault and found that one of my initial pendants was on the front page of Etsy on September 11th!

^_^

Sneak Peek: Glam Collection

I've listed a couple of my new pieces but here is the collection (so far)!

I need to take new pictures of the next 2, but here's an idea:


This was a custom piece that I'm hoping to add to the Glam or Geek Collection. Gotta love Ohio!

I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring.
-David Bowie-

My Coffee Table Project

This is a little explanation of my coffee table project. Jacob and I got this wonderful hand-me-down coffee table a few years ago. It's been through multiple apartments and generations of college students. It's sturdy and has never let us down in its coffee and magazine holding abilities! I wanted a "cheap" update for it, and painting it just seemed silly, so I opted for turning it into an ottoman sort of thing. We put our feet up on the table anyway, and we were always sticking our pillows on the table to make it soft! I tried to take pictures as I worked on it, but failed miserably. I will explain what happened in between shots!

So, here's the wonderful coffee table in all of its glory:
First I measured it, and then I went to the fabric store to get upholstery fabric and muslin that would cover all four sides and the top. The fabric is where this project can get pricy. I also got some 1/2 inch foam:

Here's my staple gun. It kills by hands but it does the job okay.

To get the tight/cushiony effect that I wanted, I spray glued the foam onto the table (after I cut it to the size of the top of the table (plus an inch or so). After that, I cut the muslin out so it could be pulled over the foam and stapled to the bottom of the table:
Our table stayed like this for a few months while I rested and regained the will to work on this project some more...

When I finally regained the will to DIY, I got out the fabric I bought months before and sewed it all up. The cover is pretty simple, just the sides sewn to the top and hemmed. I made ties for the corners so it looks more finished.

The cover is basically a table cloth that ties on the corners because I wanted to be able to remove it and put it in the washing machine. We have a dog, and his hairs get all over everything! Also, I'll be able to change the cover when I feel like it. I might get some modern looking fabric next time!

Overall, I don't think it looks perfect, and it doesn't really look like one of the cool, high end ottomans for sale but it's an improvement! Cheers!

New "Branding" and Logo!

(click image to read my design notes)

Wanted: MollyStuff Designs

I'm ready to be an outlaw!


Well... actually... I have a lot to do before the show on 10/17! I'm so honored to be accepted as a vendor at this cool show, and I'm looking forward to sharing my jewelry with everyone there. Check out the website and all of the other vendors! There will be a bunch of us representin' Etsy Team Columbus!

Summer Slacking

Oops. It's been a while! I'm not sure what I've been doing... but since we are painting our basement (where my I make jewelry), I have not had my mind on MollyStuff. I do well with structure, and with my studio set-up all jumbled I don't seem to work.

I joined the Franklin Park Conservatory (where I was attacked by birds last year)! I won't be going in any bird enclosures any time soon but I love the place. I took some pictures while I was there yesterday and I will use them to sketch from. (I didn't add hopefully in there on purpose... because this way I have to sketch!)


Colors, colors, colors! I need to stop being afraid of them. I used to hope that my jewelry could be worn every day, with any outfit, but maybe I need to change my goals. Should I aim for jewelry that can go with everything, or jewelry that can add flair to a plain outfit? Hmm...

A lot of the Chihuly glass is inspiring because very often, the glass seems to be weightless and it looks like it naturally shoots up. I need to think of jewelry ideas that seem to "defy gravity".

These hanging sculptures are reminiscent of jewelry because they hang like pendulums. Hmm... sketch away, Molly!

Cruisin'

This is the only picture I have of all of my friends together! ::mwah!::






In Nassau, we went snorkeling in the reef and rode on a sailboat. I think this was my favorite activity of the week!

Here is "Coco Cay" (made up name), a private island, owned by Royal Caribbean. We kayaked around the island and saw stingrays!

My shrimp sandwich in Key West. It was at Red Fish Blue Fish... yummm!

No More Point-and-Shoot

...Pentax camera!
I just got a new digital camera! It's a single lens reflex camera (SLR), so I have a lot more manual controls. I was happy with what I had before but I've always enjoyed photography. I don't like it when people just get the "latest thing", so I tried to get what makes sense for me. While researching cameras, I found that the digital Pentax cameras are compatible with older Pentax lenses (I think that Pentax is the only brand doing that). That is awesome for me because I've had a 35mm SLR collecting dust in my office for a few years now (who wants to develop film anymore?). I had the kit lens that came with my original Pentax camera and a Sigma telephoto lens. I've tried both on my new camera and they work (with some tweaking... people who don't want to mess around with settings shouldn't get one of these)!

I know that there are bigger names in the camera business but I feel loyal toward Pentax. They seem to make affordable cameras that work very well. I've taken a bunch of pictures so far, just trying to get my feel for the features and getting used to use an SLR camera again (I've been using point-and-shoot). Here are a couple of examples of my photos so far:






I am looking forward to re-shooting all of my jewelry with my new camera. :)

USA!

Hey y'all,

Hope you have a super 4th of July! May you see fireworks and eat burgers!

M = 01101101

I made a pendant with the binary version of my first initial, M. :)

(when I make letters, I might as well start with mine!)

Be Creative

B E Creative!
I'm excited to start listing new stuff. Soon...

Flashback

... to senior year of high school (when I learned about binary code)!

I've seen some jewelry with binary code in the past, and I'm thinking about doing some of my own (no copying)! I like this idea because binary code can be used in jewelry in order to display a secret message.
Somebody (including me) could wear a necklace that says either normal things, mushy things, or even really weird things and (almost) nobody would ever know!

I Heart...

Target Market?

I got an Etsy conversation from someone who featured an initial pendant on her blog. As always, I was excited and checked it out! I LOVE the site! Plaid + Hound is a bloglooks for new products and designers that have preppy, modern style! I think that this blog has products that my target market looks for! Here's their description of themselves:

"Plaid + Hound is a web magazine for the prepster moderne. We find modern day things with a preppy twist, keeping it deliciously stuffy."

I've been looking for my target market lately, and yep, they've got it. You see, I'm not sure if the stereotypical Etsy shopper/craft show shopper is my target market. Nothing against them, but they may be more hipster than I'm really going for. I love the hipster look but my look is definately more preppy/modern. Just read my mission statement:

"MollyStuff Design's mission is to create affordable fine jewelry and fine art that can be appreciated for it's everyday simplicity and long-lasting beauty."

Okay, I'm rambling but I'm sort of typing and thinking at the same time. That's what blogs are for, right?

New Search Pictures in My Shop!

I didn't really change much, except I rearranged the order of a lot of my pictures so the first pictures (the ones that show up in searches and timelines) of most of the jewelry in my shop are different! (that was a mouthful!)

I did this because I was thinking that my shop looked too uniform before. What do you think? Is this an improvement?

poll by twiigs.com

MollyStuff Special Offers for the YART Sale!

I'm participating in the Etsy-wide YART Sale this year! It technically starts on Wednesday but I'm getting started a little bit early! Check out the YART Sale section at my shop!

Stamped Collection

Here's a link to my new Stamped Collection. It's all really simple stuff- great to buy as presents with a little personal touch. :)

These are a great alternative to my Initials Pendants. Especially for when you need to buy multiples on a limited budget!

I Have Issues...

...photographing jewelry!

I hoped that my new tripod: and my little lightbox setup: would magically make it easy... but it's not.

These bubble rings are so hard to photograph! They look cool in person, but I can't seem to do them justice.
Hmm... I know most of my jewelry looks better in person than it does online... I need to work on that issue!

In Case You Missed It...

... I know I did... missed it by 5 minutes!

My "specs" were on Etsy's front page! (from 9-10pm)

Cheers!

Fast as Lightening!

Here he is last November:
...and just a couple of weeks ago:

Etsy's Color Search

If you're new to shopping on Etsy.com you may not know some of the cool ways you can browse through all of the listings. If you want to see what's out there, or if you are working on an inspirational picture, you should try out Colors!

Here's what you see when you first get to the page:
As you move your mouse across the screen, the little colored dots get larger... it's fun effect!
When you click on a color, a random Etsy listing will show up and you can click again for more, throw them around the screen, or click on a listing again and even buy it from this page!

I hope you go check this fun searching tool out... you never know what you might find!

Free Shipping Sale!

I'm having a free shipping sale until 2:30pm tomorrow (5/20/09) afternoon! Also, this will be your last chance to get a dancer pendant for a while because I'm going to remove them from MollyStuff (after the sale tomorrow) for a while!
Cheers!

http://www.mollystuff.etsy.com