Next Collection: Bollywood

While I certainly enjoy having seasonal collections for my designs, I've been wanting to do a collection that has its very own theme and direct inspiration as a whole.

As some of you may or may not know, I am absolutely enamored of Indian culture. The vibrant colors, the rich fabrics, and the stunning symbolism are things that have always drawn me to the beauty of the culture, and I want my next collection to reflect that. Therefore, in the next month or so, I'll be debuting Sprightly Strands' Bollywood Collection...so stay tuned!

In the meantime, this is one of my favorite scenes from the move Om Shanti Om:

Sprightly Strands featured on the front page of Etsy.com!!

Check out the screenshot:

Special thanks to Etsy user KFrost for including my Lauren Fascinator!

Ahhh my beautiful, wonderful Queer Etsians

So for those of you who don't know, I am part of the FABULOUS Queer Etsy Street Team. We're a gaggle of queers and queer-lovers who just happen to also be Crafty McCraftersons aside from being fabulous in our day-to-day routines. Since June was Pride Month (yes, I'm late...sue me), Etsy did a fabulous article on QEST for their Storque Blog, written by the sensational founder of our beautiful team, QueenofQueens.

So, obviously, read the article and admire the gorgeous queer creations depicted therein. But also make sure you check out all of these queertastic Etsy shops!!!

Oh, and just for fun, a snapshot of the most profound day of my life:

Sprightly Strands featured in Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine!

Yes, yes, I am finally catching up on some much-needed blogging. So first of all, I am so honored to have my pieces features in Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine's Summer 2010 issue!!! Check out the spread:

Here's Karis (who also did hair for the shoot...double threat gal!) sporting my Patsy Fascinator:

Here's Cameron (whom was also on my cheerleading squad in high school - yes...I was a cheerleader, stifle your laughter for just a second) rockin' my Chandler Fascinator:

And lastly, here's yours truly (yes, that's my silly face) wearing my Ryan Headband in Ebony and Burgundy:

So exciting, right?!?! Special shout-outs to the fabulous people who collaborated in this project:

• Michelle Slaughter of MichellePR, whom not only directed the shoot as an editor for EBW, but also organized the entire thing!
• Chenese Bean of Chenese Bean Makeup Artistry, whom had my makeup honestly looking the best it's ever looked. Seriously, it was to die for. And considering I look like a dead person without makeup on, that's a pretty special/ironic accomplishment.
• nvey eco who provided the lovely makeup for the shoot!
• and last but certainly not least, Annie Varland of Varland Photography, whom I've modeled for before. I was so excited to see her, I had no idea she was photographing the spread and it made the experience that much for fun having a photographer there that I had already worked with!

Pal Plug!

I had another stroke of genius this morning. I was thinking I needed some new ideas for blog topics/features, and it came to me: promo for my wonderful friends. Therefore, each week, I'll be doing a post where I feature a friend of mine whom has a special talent for either crafting or activism. 

For my first Pal Plug post (alliteration is sexy), I have selected a phenomenally talented local crafter. So, without further ado, I give you the fabulous Sam Ranney-Redfern:

Sam Ranney-Redfern is an anthropology student who only recently ventured into the art of jewelry making.  A young artist, of only 21, Redfern creates unique wearable art.  His inspiration is the world around him.  The earth, sky, and ocean can all be seen in his  cocktail rings and pendants.  His materials include rustic hardware wires and earth and ocean toned beads and stones. 

Some of my favorite examples of his work:

Precious!

How stunning are the colors in this stone, right? And if you don't like chains, something is wrong with you.

He's giving me some competition with this headband! So unique!

Octopus bracelet. OCTOPUS. BRACELET. Enough said.

Sam's absurdly gorgeous pieces can be purchased at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center OR on his website.

And check this, HE DOES CUSTOM ORDERS. He's working on a fabulous Krishna ring for me. I can't wait!!!

Quite possibly my prettiest treasury to date...

While procrastinating on writing a paper last night (anyone else have more trouble writing a two-page paper than writing a twenty-page paper once you've been in college long enough?), I was feeling colorful. And thanks to Etsy's new Treasury East, I've been able to go treasury apeshit. 

My latest eye candy is merely a collection of items that so beautifully exemplify one of my favorite color combinations: black and pink. Enjoy!

I am a blogging MACHINE today!

SERIOUSLY.

Anywho, after all of that treasury talk, I decided that I really wanted to make one...so I did!

Here's a screenshot of my latest treasury sexiness:

Summer 2010 Collection is finally complete!!

There's been a pretty big gap of time between part 1 of my Summer 2010 Collection and now, but guess what? I have finally listed all of my items for part 2!! 

My darling friend Jessica (whom I like to lovingly refer to as "Jessticles") once again acted as my lovely model. Here are some of my favorite shots from this set:

So make sure you check out the entire Summer 2010 Collection in my Etsy shop!

Whoa, I'm in another Treasury!

Dude, that's twice this week that I've received a message from another Etsy seller letting me know that one of my items is being featured in their treasury. LOVING IT.

This time, the treasury honor comes courtesy of Hailey Rose at Brydferth Welsh, who has compiled a lovely collection of her favorite lime green items in her treasury:

Also, be sure to check out Hailey's own shop! I'm particularly drawn to this lovely rosette ring:

Losing My Craft Show Virginity

I've decided that today will be my day to play catch-up on all of my blogging, and I know that this is like a month late but whatever, I still want to write about it.

Back in January, I applied to be a vendor at what would become my very first craft show, thanks to the urging of my dear friend Jamie Royce. I'm sure you can imagine my excitement when I got an email from one of the organizers saying that I had been chosen as one of the vendors for Crafty Supermarket's Spring 2010 show!!

Little did I know how much preparation it would take! Of course, I knew I'd have to make plenty of extra pieces for my collection so that the show's customers could have a large selection to choose from, but then I started thinking about everything else I would need. After a mini panic attack or two, I logged onto Etsy to peruse the forums about this subject. Luckily there were plenty of other sellers willing to offer some tips and I was eventually able to come up with a nice little (okay, not so little) list.

Then I started thinking about how I would go about accepting credit cards (I had read some things here and there recommending that I do so, plus I know I for one hardly ever carry cash around). After browsing a bit, I found a great little handheld credit card imprinter from Mr. Imprinter:

 

After that, I signed up for a ProPay account, which gave me the ability to either call in for approval during the show, as well as the option to enter credit card numbers into the website once I got home. Some folks will tell you that you'd be much safer calling it in during the show, but I didn't have a single card get denied when I entered the numbers in later. Also, I just flat out did not have time to be calling in credit card authorizations - we were so busy!!

So April 15th came (the day before the show) and it dawned on me: I have absolutely nothing to display my pieces on!!! Furthermore, I was on a VERY tight budget and flat out could not afford to go out and buy a bunch of displays. Following another mini panic attack, I decided I'd just have to scavenge around my apartment and find some stuff that would suffice. 

My biggest challenge was that FOR THE LIFE OF ME I could not figure out what in the hell I was going to use to display my headbands. Because most of my headbands are best looked at when sitting up (as opposed to laying on their side), I needed some way to situate them without using a creepy mannequin head. I pondered on this for probably two hours, stared at everything in my apartment that could possibly provide such a function and then finally, it dawned on me. Behold my genius:

Finding things to set clips and combs on was no big deal, nor was a "tablecloth," I just grabbed some different sized plastic bins and covered them with some leftover material I had been using to make some chair cushions. I also had some big round mirrors that had originally functioned as foundations for centerpieces at my wedding. This was the result:

 Oh also, probably the best piece of advice I can give you is to bring a friend to act as your assistant (and, if you make wearable goods, to model some of your stuff!). See the real life version of Betty Boop to my left in the above picture? That's Sara. There is no possible way I could have made it through the day (much less make as many sales as I did) without her there. 




Furthermore, every vendor needs an apron with some big pockets to stuff money, pens, etc. in! Like the adorable pink skull one I'm wearing in the picture above? I got it from the fabulous ladies at DCR Creations. Here's a better look:

 Anywho, the show went even better than expected! My profits were almost three times as much as I had originally hoped for, and I sold more than half of my inventory!! Here's a few more shots:

Also, BIG shout-out to the fabulous Grace Dobush, the founder of Crafty Supermarket and the author of what I consider to be the crafter's bible, Crafty Superstar:

Seriously, this book rules. If you're a crafter, or if you wanna be, BUY THIS BOOK.


So that's my story of my first craft show. Tell me about yours!!

One of my items has been featured in a Treasury!!

I was so honored and excited when I got a message from thebluecottage  letting me know that she featured my Ryan Fascinator Headband in her rougue ey bleu Etsy treasury!!

Check out all of the loveliness:

For those of you who may not know what Etsy's Treasury feature is all about - you can check it out here.

Sprightly Strands Boutique Summer 2010 Collection Part 1!!!

I'm super excited to introduce the first part of Sprightly Strands Boutique's Summer 2010 Collection!

I am lucky enough to be a crafter with the most stunning friends on earth (meaning I have gorgeous models at my disposal that don't cost me a dime), and the exotic, breathtaking Emily is the perfect example.

As I'm sure my fellow Etsians can attest to, photographing your crafts is a skill that takes a LONG time to develop. And I am very slowly improving by reading up on adjusting my camera's settings, finding good lighting, working without flash, etc. When I started my business, I took some utterly shittastic photos. And like I mentioned before, ALL of my friends are ridiculously gorgeous, so I can only blame my crappy photography skills for shots like this:

Ashley is so beautiful, yet I didn't know any better than to position her awkwardly, under terrible florescent lighting in the lobby of my apartment building, while standing over her casting a shadow. Blech. 

I still have a long way to go, but I'm getting better. I promise. :)

So, without further ado, here are a few of my favorite shots from Saturday's shoot with the stunning Emily:

Many more in my Etsy shop...go check 'em out!!

I snagged a treasury!!

Check this out: my first ever Etsy treasury

Inspired by the gorgeous, fabulous goddess herself, Ms. Lady Gaga

Spring 2010 Collection!!

I've just listed 19 new items in my Etsy shop as the official debut of my Spring 2010 Collection! A quick preview:

So go check out the rest of the collection! 

Now I just have to get to work on my summer collection. :)

Shameless Self-Promotion Saturday!

As some of you know, each of my hair accessory designs has its own name. These names are derived from the people in my life who inspire my designs, and I figured I'd dedicate a blog post to giving a few examples of how I try to have my pieces embody the qualities of their namesakes.

The Nell Fascinator

Nell was my Gammer's middle name. She was one badass independent woman. At 4'10" she was always the commanding force in any setting, and I always thought she stood out in such a feminine way despite her battle-ax temperament. Guess I know where I got it from. :) And how hot was she in the 60's? Loves it.

 

The Jessica Clip

Jess is one of the coolest chicks I know. She is the embodiment of style. She is incredibly shy, but once you get to know her, you will die laughing at some of the witty comebacks that come out of her mouth. "Diamonds, honey. Diamonds."

The Tara Headband

Tara's mom and my mom have been best friends for years, and Tara was my favorite babysitter growing up. Even though we're both all grown up now, my perception of her hasn't changed one bit. Tara is intelligent and sophisticated, but also super bubbly and NEVER afraid to be silly.

The Nick Fascinator

What can I say about Nick? He is the definition of a drama queen (in many senses of the term), talks a mile a minute and is the sweetest thing you'll ever meet. He can turn any situation into a performance, and he absolutely cracks me up.

The Sara Headband 

Sara is MUH GIRL!!! I absolutely adore this chick. Despite being the youngest in our circle of friends, she is ironically the most mature. From babysitting us when we've had a few too many glasses of wine, to making sure we "focus" (hahahaha), this voluptuous Betty Boop look-a-like is the best friend any of us could ask for. :)

The Frechard Clip

My darling friend Richard (affectionately referred to by me as 'Frechard') is one of the most perfect people I have ever met, and is without a doubt an 'old soul.' Not only is he absurdly gorgeous (just wait until you scroll down and see his gorgeousness), but he also has a heart of pure gold.

The Alex Comb

Alex is a complete hopeless romantic. He's also the kind of person that everyone just immediately adores. He has inspired so many of my pieces because he just radiates this sweet warmth that makes it easy for me to capture in my art. Oh, and we were the coolest Adam and Eve EVER at a costume party last summer. :)

That about wraps up this post. Hope you enjoyed getting a little insight into what inspires me. :)