The Perfect Loop

Holiday items are coming!

2011-11-05T19:33:00.000-04:00

I started putting up a few holiday items today on our Etsy shop. There will be more to come in the next few weeks, but I'm also preparing for four craft shows during this time, so they're coming along a little slower than anticipated. Keep checking back!

Bookmarks!

2011-10-03T22:41:00.003-04:00

Magnetic bookmarks, now up in our Etsy shop!

Website Makeover & Upcoming Events

2011-08-21T18:22:00.004-04:00

I recently changed up The Perfect Loop's website so it will show a split of our business lines. I still need to do the portfolio pages, but the rest of the site is ready:

http://perfectloop.weebly.com/index.html

Also, we have five events now booked for the fall (well, I am still awaiting confirmation on one of the events). But here is the info for all five. The last one, Holly Days, is a consignment event. Meaning, I will not be running my own table (but intend to volunteer for a few hours). I like this - it's a 3 day show, with a small commission fee, and I don't have to spend my entire weekend manning a table. Anyway, the details:

Crafts on the Courts
Sunday, September 18th, 2011
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
1 Country Club Lane
Burlington, MA

Francis Wyman Fall Marketplace
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Francis Wyman Cafeteria and Gym
Francis Wyman School
41 Terrace Hall Avenue
Burlington, MA 01803

St. Catherine's Annual Craft Fair

Saturday, November 19th, 2011
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
107 North Main Street
Westford, MA 01886

Temple Sinai of Sharon 2011 Crafts and Gift Fair
Sunday, November 20th, 2011
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
25 Canton Street
Sharon, MA 02067

Holly Days 2011
Friday through Sunday, November 25-27th, 2011
Princeton Center
Princeton, MA

Etsy Shop Sale

2011-08-17T16:11:00.000-04:00

All jewelry in our Etsy shop is now on sale, at 50% off, plus buy 3 items get a 4th free. Clearing out inventory. Great deals, so check them out.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/theperfectloop

Some new products up on Etsy

2011-08-08T22:19:00.000-04:00

Here are some shots of some of our recent work.

Recipe books:

Mini albums:

Mini Kits:

Shrink Plastic jewelry:

Puzzle Piece Magnets:

Please check out our shop for some more views of our new items. There are a lot more things coming in the next few months. You should start seeing several new items a week!

Alice in Wonderland Recipe Cards

2011-06-23T19:40:00.000-04:00

Up on Etsy tonight!

Teddy Bear Printable

2011-06-22T21:55:00.000-04:00

Put these adorable teddy bear paper dolls up on Etsy tonight!

They took a LONG time to make - stamping, scanning, coloring, and designing the print sheet, but they are cute! I'm quite pleased.

Here is the (watermarked) digital version:

Cute tags!

2011-06-16T21:05:00.000-04:00

Put these three sets of tags up on Etsy tonight. Shannon made the blue animal ones and the circus ones, and I made the elephant ones.

Photoshop Brushes

2011-06-14T16:34:00.000-04:00

My first brush pack, for sale on Etsy!

Bumble Bee Tags - Customer Use

2011-06-08T13:55:00.000-04:00

A customer purchased these bumblebee tags recently, and she posted on her blog how she used them! So cute! Check out her post on And the Dish...

Birthday Party Invites

2011-06-07T22:03:00.000-04:00

Just listed these on Etsy!

Butterfly Thank You Cards

2011-06-05T19:23:00.000-04:00

Check out these cute, colorful cards on our Etsy store!

Announcing Perfect Loop Paper

2011-04-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

The Perfect Loop Paper store is open for business! Check out our newest Etsy shop here. More items to come soon, so keep checking back!

It sure feels good to be back crafting again!

Introducing Austin

2011-04-24T11:03:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to post a quick update and introduce the newest addition to The Perfect Loop family, Austin Whittaker :)

Austin has been keeping me busy since well before his birth, so we have not been able to do as much with The Perfect Loop as we'd have liked. However, in the coming months, we'll be adding new jewelry pieces to our Etsy shop, and launching a brand new shop for our papercrafts line. We're hoping to have both shops running by the end of June, but I'm sure you know how plans can change when you have a newborn around.

So, please keep following us, and we'll update you when the new changes are in place!

Small update

2011-02-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

Just a small update. I've put our Etsy shop on vacation mode for a few months. Baby Whittaker is due in 3 weeks, and my hands have become so swollen it is painful for me to do the close work required for beading. I hope to be up with some new items around June of 2011.

In other news though, we're opening a second Etsy shop! The shop is online as a placeholder, but there are no products listed yet. We've decided to spin off the paper crafting business into it's own shop - Perfect Loop Paper. As with the jewelry side of things, I'm hoping to have it stocked with new items around June.

I apologize for the complete lack of posts on this blog - I can promise that in a few months, I'll be posting regularly. Things have just gotten so crazy in my normal routine since we found out about Austin that I haven't been able to keep up. Hang in there!

Acrylic earrings by Whittaker Classics

2010-12-01T21:57:00.000-05:00

My husband has been on a kick making acrylic earrings for his Etsy shop. I've put three pairs up with two more to come tomorrow night, and probably some others over the weekend. Check them out!

Yay New Toy!

2010-11-27T00:02:00.001-05:00

For my birthday last month, my friend Jeannette got me an embossing tool (along with everything else I'd ever need to go with it!). I finally broke it out this weekend, and boy is this little guy is awesome. I had no idea what to expect, I couldn't believe how easy or how cool it was!

I don't have anything too amazing to show yet, as I was just playing with it, but check out what it can do!

I made one set of cards (with envelopes), I call them "Secret Door" cards :-) They look all mysterious!

I can't wait to see what else I can create with this. I just love new gadgets, don't you!? :-)

Fall 2010 Sale!

2010-10-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

Now through October 31, 2010, The Perfect Loop is running a 25% off sale in our Etsy shop.

You can save 25% on all jewelry and accessories. (Magnets and paper goods are not included in this sale).

Stop by and check out our sale HERE.

Studios Magazine!

2010-10-21T19:13:00.002-04:00

I just received some FANTASTIC news!

Awhile back, when I did my craft room makeover, I sent pictures into Studios Magazine. The editor was very interested and I ended up submitting pictures via a CD. I truly didn't think my photos were good enough though, and I was so sick at that point I just figured I'd given it my best shot at the time, and if they didn't want to use me, it was ok.

But then today I got an email, and I am going to be featured in the Winter 2010 issue of Studios Magazine! My name is on the website and everything!!! I'll be in the Studio Vignettes :)

http://www.interweavestore.com/Mixed-Media/Magazines/Studios-Winter-2010.html

Scroll to page 2 of the Table of Contents and you'll see my name!!!

New craft space, new product line, baby news

2010-10-19T09:33:00.001-04:00

I realized this morning that not only have I not been updating this blog regularly (shame on me) but I didn't even post the pictures of our new craft space.

Back in June, I transferred all of our beading and crafting supplies from the smallest bedroom in our home to one of the larger ones. And then I painted and decorated.

It's given me so much inspiration. Just not for too much beading lately. I've actually been getting into paper crafts. Scrapbooking, making mini notebooks and tags, and glass magnets.

Without further ado, here are some photos of our new craft space, and some of the items we've been working on.

Music themed glass magnets

Shannon created these beautiful cards

Tags for scrapbooking, favors, gifts

Journalling tags for scrapbooking

Tags, and mini matchbook notebooks

Note cards

Holiday and thank you cards, and gift tags

And some scrapbook pages. These are from my pregnancy scrapbook. Oh, that's right, IT'S A BOY! Little Austin James Whittaker will make his debut sometime in March of 2011. We're adding a boy to the Perfect Loop gang!

Old favorites, new items, and some news!

2010-08-24T10:30:00.002-04:00

Last night, I started re-listing a few old favorites on our Etsy shop.

And some new items:

I'll be adding more of these over the course of the week, as the fall season is just about here. I'm starting to feel better after a couple of months of feeling quite ill and generally incapable of being productive.

Why, you ask? Well, as it turns out, there will be a new addition to The Perfect Loop family in March of 2011. That's right, I'm having a baby! :)

We have one show lined up for the fall, but other than that we'll be focused on online sales only. So, stop in to our Etsy shop as we add new items over the coming months! Happy shopping!

Update

2010-06-25T09:53:00.000-04:00

I haven't blogged here in months. We honestly haven't done too much jewelry making since the holidays. I am in a wedding this weekend, and I made the necklaces for the bridesmaids - I will post photos next week of them in action.

Come July, it's back to jewelry making full time for me, so that I can prepare for the fall season - both online and at craft shows. So, if you're still reading, hang in there...more posts will be coming!

Name Bracelets

2010-03-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

Made this bracelet a the request of someone I work with. I believe I'll be putting these up on Etsy soon, as a custom item.

Oh look! An update!

2010-03-11T12:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry we've been pretty inactive on here lately. I'm still around, and still intend to post. So, followers, hope you'll hang in there. Life's just been busy, and since the holidays we haven't done much jewelry making.

Here's something cute though. We make Swarovski crystal wineglass charms. I'm a bridesmaid in my friend Ali's wedding this June, and for shower favors, Shannon, Pat, and I made wineglass charms for the guests. Everyone gets two.

Here's a photo of the wineglass charms we sell, along with photos of the finished product.

Geocaching for beads?

2010-01-31T18:03:00.000-05:00

I recently started geocaching, and I've read about series geocaches where you collect beads to eventually make a piece of jewelry. I have not come across that type yet, but today I did find 3 red bracelets in a cache that I figured I can use in a piece of jewelry at some point.

If you'd like to check out my geocaching blog, you can visit it at http://whittakercache.blogspot.com

Double row bracelet

2010-01-16T22:10:00.000-05:00

This one was tough. For the experience chainmailler, this would be a piece of cake. But since I'm just starting out - it was a bit tricky. The middle jumpring was the hard part.

But it's cute! Loving it! :)

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38681809

First jumpring bracelet!

2010-01-09T17:44:00.000-05:00

I finished up the first bracelet. It's using black Oh! Rings (they're stretchy, from Fire Mountain), and black and purple anodized aluminum jump rings (from The Ring Lord).

It will be listed on Etsy soon, but first I need to go in and do the update to our shipping. Last year we offered free shipping, but realized that by doing so we were losing money. We've made a decision to charge a flat $1.50 per order (no matter how many items) for US Shipping. Once I've made the update, this item will be on Etsy. Still trying to figure out what to price it at.

Jump rings!

2010-01-07T22:09:00.002-05:00

Just started making my very first jump ring and oh! ring bracelet today. It looks easy, but it is not!

I hope to have one to share with you in a day or two :)

And, now that the holidays are done, I'll have more time to focus on the blog, and the Etsy shop. Stay tuned, for more posts! I promise! :)

2010, here we come!

2009-12-30T15:29:00.000-05:00

2010 is fast approaching! The holidays are over, thank goodness. I feel a bit of a relief. Once the holidays pass, there's time to do other things (like beading!), instead of being frustrated that there's so much on your to do list like shopping and wrapping and cooking!

Now that we can re-focus, I can't wait to get some new items up online. :) Tonight, I need to put up Brad's acrylic pens onto his Etsy shop, and then next will be some of the earrings Pat made for the last show (which I still haven't had time to get up there yet!).

First thing though, the bead room is a disaster zone, so tonight I'll be straightening stuff up there, putting away the stuff from the shows, and preparing for a brand new year of beading. Can't wait!

Double the pleasure, double the fun!

2009-12-23T08:15:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, my favorite projects are those with built in inspiration. I love making jewelry to match or reflect something else.

This year for Christmas, I bought my aunt 3 different scarves.
Now, my aunt is a very put-together lady!
She likes to match!

So, I decided I would make her a bracelet to go with each scarf. I took the scarves with me to the store and mixed and matched beads to find just the right combo.
Here are the final products :

#1

#3.

I love the way they came out, and I really think she will love them!

Now you tell me... do you like to match things, or take direct inspiration? Or do you prefer to be as spontaneous and creative as possible?

Me? I enjoy both methods. I feel very enthusiastic when I have to make a direct translation from something else into jewelry. It's a challenge, but at the same time, they tend to come together pretty easily. However, I also like to just go crazy and use a bunch of beads that I love, and see where they take me!

Jump Rings!

2009-12-22T09:58:00.000-05:00

I ordered some colored jump rings a few weeks ago from The Ring Lord, and some rubber oh! rings from Fire Mountain. The rubber ones came last week, and the colored ones came yesterday. I'm super excited. I bought some jump ring jewelry at a recent craft show for some ideas - I'd always wanted to try making some jump ring jewelry but seeing it in person is much easier to grasp the concept.

I can't wait to show you what I make with them!!! :)

2009-12-19T21:48:00.000-05:00

Not much blogging lately, sorry about that. With the holidays fast approaching, we're slammed. (Both with orders and gifts).

I received some beads from my stepmom yesterday, and 2 gift cards to Michaels (one from my stepmom, one from my work Secret Santa). Sometimes people think that giving us Michaels cards wouldn't be that great for us. We must already have tons of supplies. We must already have lots of beads. But nope. Opening up a present of strings of beads is the best. Getting to go shopping for beads is even better! I love receiving beads. It's fun to see what other people pick out for you.

What about all of you? Do you love receiving gifts of supplies?

Last of the Season

2009-12-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had our last craft fair of the season! We didn't make a killing, but we at least made our fee back. And for once, I didn't buy ANYTHING from anybody else! That's a victory ;-) (Melissa and I are kind of shopaholics! hehe!)

So, we had a tiny table, but we squeezed as much as we could on it.

Brad's table looked nice, as always!

We got serenaded with Christmas carols by a choir

It was a nice day... but now we're back to Christmas orders and Etsy! :-)

First Vlog! :)

2009-12-06T21:16:00.001-05:00

Go easy on me :)

Coming Soon?

2009-12-05T20:32:00.000-05:00

I was looking around itunes video podcasts today and there is no one that does jewelry making videos on itunes. Now, clearly, I don't think I have a good enough video camera to make a podcast, but I certainly could do youtube videos. Or flickr videos.

So, it got me thinking. I think I may do a few "vlogs" on here. :) I'll have to see how Shannon did hers (which I totally forgot to watch, I'm such a bad friend). :(

Thoughts? Videos you would like to see?

As promised

2009-11-24T14:04:00.002-05:00

Here is one of the fine silver wire wrapped bracelets.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35204732

Fine Silver Wire

2009-11-24T10:31:00.001-05:00

We've recently started using fine silver wire for wire wrapping and making our own headpins. This weekend I made 3 freshwater pearl bracelets wrapped with the fine silver wire (pictures to come!). The huge benefit of using the fine silver is that it is essentially pure silver, and does not tarnish like sterling wire does. It's amazing!

I definitely am considering trying to order some fine silver wire in other gauges (we are using 24 gauge right now), but it all depends on price. However, as I'd like to start doing some more upscale pieces as well as our usual beaded jewelry, it might be worth the investment.

Well, at least we looked cute!

2009-11-23T08:42:00.000-05:00

Well, I can't say anything about the craft show that Melissa didn't already say :-)
Except that, no matter how long a day, how far a drive, or how much a monetary hit we took—I still always have a good time just spending the day with my girl! So, its never a total loss for me.

Anyway, I took a pic of our table to share...
We had 1/2 the table space as the last show, but we still managed to fit a lot out there, without making it look too stuffed.

Here's some earrings lookin' all cute...

I don't feel like craft fairs are the right venue for us, but it seems to be the best option for getting out there locally. Unfortunately for us, beading & jewelry making is still very popular, and so we're going to have too much competition at every show. I guess we also need to ask the coordinators about whether or not they are letting in non-handmade vendors before we agree to do it!

STOP THE IMPORTS

2009-11-22T18:44:00.000-05:00

We did a craft show today, where there were sixteen other jewelry vendors. Two of them had imported goods. How do I know? They had a TON of sterling silver pieces, like rings, and they were about $3 each. No real crafter can do that. Ever. Even for a sale. Not wire rings, SOLID RINGS. We didn't even make back our $75 table fee. We raked in $37.

And this place also let in Silpada. Come on. Since when are Silpada, Tupperware, and Tastefully Simple consultants crafters?

I'll be sending the organizers a nasty email tomorrow.

I'm a professional!

2009-11-19T16:41:00.000-05:00

I was in the bead aisle in a craft store last night, and this woman asked if I knew anything about making jewelry. "Sure!" I said, "I'm happy to help"
She proceeded to ask me questions, about how to assemble earrings, the pliers she should use, wire types, all kinds of things!

And you know what? I knew all the answers! I used to prefer to think of myself as the Useless Partner :-) Melissa is a genius when it comes to constructing jewelry, and she's great at the business-running aspect. So, I am happy to be more of a helper monkey that indulges in creative input.

But hey! I was thrilled with how much I could help this woman. She looked at me like I know my stuff. So, maybe I do!

It's nice to think of our jewelry as a quality company, and not just a craft we sloppily do to keep ourselves busy :-) We started, years ago, just cobbling together little bracelets for ourselves to wear. We still love doing it, but now we're actually good at it!

(and as Christina would say... it keeps getting better!)

31 Etsy sales in 36 days!

2009-11-17T16:17:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! We've had an amazing first month on Etsy :)

Time to celebrate...by making more jewelry! :)

Stack Attack!

2009-11-15T18:45:00.000-05:00

I went to a bead show this weekend, where we picked up some great beads. I found some colorful ceramic washer-style beads from Clever Treasures, and made this!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34566986

Whittaker Handcrafted Classics

2009-11-13T10:57:00.000-05:00

We've been quiet this week. I've actually been focused for a couple of days on creating my husband's new website and Etsy store.

His Etsy will launch this weekend (you can view it, but there are no active listings yet) but his weebly site is up and running.

Please check it out:

http://whittakerclassics.weebly.com/

Here's one of his best selling products. Photo by me, of course, with fabulous editing by Shannon.

Stone Interchangeables!

2009-11-10T22:58:00.002-05:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34249009

First pair of Interchangeable earrings!

2009-11-09T21:46:00.004-05:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34171611

Bronze of Steel

2009-11-09T13:09:00.000-05:00

One of our favorites:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33210075

*This is a test for Polyvore. Hopefully it works!

C Sells CShells

2009-11-09T10:12:00.000-05:00

At our craft fair yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting a very sweet, wonderful lady named Christa, who drills her own beautiful sea glass finds. I purchased a few items from her (some cute earrings, and a great wind chime), and I wanted to share her Etsy shop with you.

You can find her here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CsellsCshells

She does such wonderful work. At the show yesterday, she had not only jewelry, but the wind chimes, buttons, and these great nautical maps accessorized with peices of sea glass.

So please, check her out! Tell her The Perfect Loop sent you!

It's Show Time!

2009-11-09T08:31:00.000-05:00

As Melissa said, we had our first craft show of the season this weekend. Despite some slow segments it was still successful. We didn't make a killing in sales, but we don't really have to. Melissa and I both have the feeling that - as long as we cover the cost of our table, we're happy. Its fun being there, setting up, hanging out, beading when we can, shopping, and meeting other vendors. We're still selling a little, and getting our name out there!

We had an awesome space... 2 looong tables! So long, I couldn't even fit them all in the picture! So you'll get a few angles ;-)

One end of our table, which held the earrings, rings, cell phone charms, and holiday earrings

Some of our earrings, lookin' cute

Looking down the length of our table

Some bracelets laid out

The center of our table, with our wonky sign, before it relaxed :-)

A look down from the other end of the tables.

Our biggest seller, Melissa's fabulous pendants!

People really liked these bookmarks, too!

And the REAL star of the table... the free candy!

Now, we've got a few more shows to look forward to, and we hope to see you there!!

First show, and a new line

2009-11-08T22:35:00.000-05:00

Shannon will be making a post for you all with lovely pictures of our booth at the craft fair. We did well enough, but I think next year we may do a different large show. The person that runs this one does not advertise very well, and alot of vendors were really upset about that. We made a couple hundred above our table cost, but really, we only sold alot of smaller items. There was not alot of customers through the door.

I've emailed the people who run some of the shows in Mansfield to find out if we could get into a show next fall.

Also, tonight I came up with a way to make earrings interchangeable. I've started with the chain style earrings, and will move on to other styles at some point. Here is a mockup. (The picture isn't the best because I was taking it quickly just for the blog).

We'll offer these ones for $20 for a pair (sterling wire & chain) with 3 sets of interchangeable crystals. Other styles will come eventually without the chains, and just some different interchangeable dangles.

First show this weekend!

2009-11-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

Our first show of the season is this weekend, and we are so ready for it. I have decided not to include eyeglass chains (after going back and forth on them for a bit) because I don't feel we have enough stock to put out in that area.

However, we've got necklaces, bracelets, lots of earrings, rings, pendants, cell charms, wineglass charms, napkin rings, and bookmarks to display. Shannon is coming over on Saturday to help plan our set up and get prepped for the show. I'll take pictures of our booth to share with you here. This show we have 2 tables; the next two shows are only 1 table.

I'm working on getting my husband to start his own Etsy store for his wood turned items. You can view some of his items here:

http://perfectloop.weebly.com/whittaker-classics.html

He makes wood pens, pencils, letter openers, peppermills, and birdhouse ornaments, along with the occasional pair of earrings or bangle bracelet. He may start doing hair pins next year as well.

We will be running a holiday sale this year, so stay tuned for details :)

Copper Wire Wrapped Pendants

2009-11-04T11:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, so the picture is bad, because it's taken with my cell phone, but i started making wire wrapped pendants last night. I figure we can sell them at the craft shows for $6 including a cord of your choice to put them on. (I have different colors and types of cording, including cotton, leather, and ribbon).

Boxes O' Love!

2009-11-03T08:12:00.000-05:00

Melissa had this genius idea of us making our own boxes for the jewelry sales. I love that it represents us as being a real homemade, personalized, made-with-love kind of business. So last night, we did nothing but BOXES! It was fun, crafty, and productive!

Handmade boxes out of scrap paper

2009-10-31T21:15:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the help of this tutorial:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/how-to-make-a-box-out-of-paper-scraps-243/

I started making some boxes for our upcoming craft fairs. I'm using a slab of scrapbook paper from Michaels and folding and making boxes for our jewelry. We'll wrap the jewelry in tissue and put inside these cute boxes!

The cards are in!

2009-10-31T10:53:00.000-04:00

Got the business cards from the printer (aka, My Daddy!) yesterday! He printed them on a heavier stock, so they feel really nice. I hope Melissa loves them! Here's a peek -

Halloween Weekend!

2009-10-30T14:40:00.000-04:00

A Happy Halloween to everyone reading. Sorry we've been a bit quiet this week, it's been a busy one at my full time job.

So that I don't leave you with zero pictures, here are a couple of items that Pat made that I'd like to share with you.

Malachite Necklace

2009-10-25T21:15:00.000-04:00

We've had these malachite rondelles around forever. I used some in a pair of earrings I sold last week. I used a few more in this necklace here. Still have some left. I love the color combination of this necklace.

2009-10-25T12:32:00.001-04:00

Sold ELEVEN items last night on Etsy!!!

2009-10-24T23:35:00.000-04:00

I had a productive day. I made 5 pairs of earrings (and sold one right away), a necklace, and got 3 bracelets ready too. I also sold another item to a friend - a nursing necklace, just a stone donut with black cording.

Get to make more tomorrow! One of my LJ friends gave me a good suggestion for earrings and I can't wait to do that. I'm making alot of earrings lately but they're easy, cute, and fun!

Photography Tips

2009-10-22T15:02:00.000-04:00

Today, a woman I work with who makes charms with your picture in them (http://www.bostonbragbracelet.com/), asked me who does all the photography on our site.

Me, I answered! She was amazed, and asked how I take such great pictures. Let me tell you how amazing this makes me feel. I've worked VERY hard to improve my photography skills over the past few years, and having a neutral party (sorry Shannon, you're not neutral!) tell me how impressive it is, that's the best feeling.

So I thought I'd offer my tips (most of which I've picked up from various online sites) for photographing jewelry:

The setup:
Light tent
2 or 3 lamps
Natural light bulbs (they're a bluish color)
A tripod - this is a MUST

The "props":
My best props are two different colors of floor tile, picked up at home depot. One lightly colored, one slate gray.
A mug or bowl to hang earrings on
A bust
A prop hand/wrist

The camera:
This doesn't have to be fancy. I use an Exilim EX-Z250, but i used to use the Z75.
Macro setting. The Casio Exilim's have a "flower" best shot mode that works awesome
Tungsten white balance is usually the best, though you probably can get away with auto white balance

Tips - play with different modes. You'll almost always need macro for jewelry photography. But check out different ISO's, white balance and brightness settings, etc. And take plenty of photos, from all different angles. Some above the item, some right at eye level, some on the props, some closeup of just a section of the piece, whatever possibilities you can think of.

Later, for Etsy, you'll need 5 photos for your listing. So as you go through your photos, delete any that are blurry or just not useable right away. Use GIMP (or another editor of your choice) to lighten, sharpen, crop, and color adjust your photos. Cropping is a big tip I just really learned about. A cropped photo can look super creative, and if you look at other eyecatching Etsy listings, you'll see that these people usually crop their photo in very cool ways.

New Business Cards!

2009-10-22T10:49:00.000-04:00

Shannon designed new business cards for The Perfect Loop, and I wanted to share a few examples of them here. She's amazing, I tell you! We're going to have several different ones (about 20 different ones) to hand out so everyone will get different pictures!

Here's 6 examples of the front, and a picture of the back for ya!

Polka Dots!

2009-10-21T16:52:00.003-04:00

I found these great glass polka dot beads at Michaels this past weekend, and made such a cute copper wire-wrapped set!

Also, I'm kind of in love with my earring pic here:

A Tour of The Perfect Loop's Studio

2009-10-20T19:41:00.001-04:00

A post on Etsy's forums last night inspired me to photograph my craft room and give you a tour. I've made them small because there are quite a few.

First, the view from the door. Our studio is the 4th bedroom in my house. It's approximately a 10 by 10 space, with a plush carpet, and a large window facing our backyard.

View around the room, counter clockwise

Here's a closeup of my photography table. I've got a light tent set up with natural lighting, and a tripod (which needs replacing - I broke it the other night).

Some of the new purchases at Michaels, and my tools I'm using currently.

EDIT: I meant to put here that the craft table was from Ikea, and upon last visit they still have them. I like it because both sides fold down and the table will be only about a foot wide. Drawers on both sides. And it's very heavy duty. (All solid wood).

This shelving unit houses my beading books and magazines (closeup of all my magazines in their bins below). And the inspiration for the future color of the room, Bartlebee the duck.

I made this piece of artwork using tons of paint chips I grabbed from home depot ;)

another sale!

2009-10-20T10:07:00.002-04:00

We had another Etsy sale this morning, to a new customer! Yay! That's a total of 10 items in 10 days!!!

Winkelf

2009-10-19T21:54:00.000-04:00

Okay. I set up a store on Winkelf. Or, I should say, I started to set one up. Looks like it is alot more involved than Etsy, so it will take a bit of getting used to. It is free, and they take 2.5% commission, which is cheaper than Etsy. I'm going to obviously maintain Etsy, but I'm trying to expand to other sites as well.

So, I'll give you the links once it's active.

Tomorrow, I'll be blogging about my craft space! :) (Gotta straighten up the room for photos first!)

New design!

2009-10-18T22:37:00.000-04:00

Made these earrings today, with a new wrap technique I learned:

Dripping Honey Necklace

2009-10-17T16:50:00.003-04:00

Today I posted this lariat style necklace to Etsy. It is made with yellow aragonite and sterling silver.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32784253

Wire Wrapping

2009-10-16T16:42:00.000-04:00

I am sure you'll all notice a new trend in our jewelry making. Melissa and I recently learned how to do more intricate wire wrapping, and just working with wire in general.

(copper & crystal necklace)

Personally, I was always a bit scared of it! It seemed time consuming, tedious, and ... well, HARD! We had a wonderful teacher show us some methods and tricks and now we're getting good! Now, it IS just as time consuming and as tedious as I'd feared, BUT it is truly satisfying! Making our own headpins, etc, makes our pieces that much more unique and that much more beautiful! The thing that is so special about our jewelry is that WE made them, with our hands, time, creativity, and love. Anyone can buy some wire and some beads and string them together, trust me, that's how we started out, too! But once you really embrace jewelry making as a true art form — an expression of ourselves — that is when the magic happens!

(Sodalite Bracelet)

I hope that when you see our jewelry, each tiny piece of wire wrapped beautifully and carefully around each other, each stone and bead chosen perfectly to suit... that you see you can see our passion well represented. And come on now, who doesn't want a big ol' chunk of Shannon & Melissa passion hanging around their neck? ;-)

(Copper wrapped ring)

Ok, so this post started out as an introduction to wire-wrapping and it ended in a profession of love for beads. So sue me! ;-)
(and when you win all that law-suit money...buy some Perfect Loop stuff!!)

2009-10-16T15:39:00.000-04:00

Well, our Etsy shop is "booming." :) We had quite a few sales this week, which is great! I have been shipping pretty much next day because we have the items in stock. I discovered last night I could save a little bit by shipping via paypal and printing my own label. The post office charges 80 cents for delivery confirmation. If you do it through paypal, it is only 19 cents. Since we offer free shipping, every little bit helps.

This weekend I'll spend the majority of tomorrow beading and putting items up online. Sunday, Shannon and I will bead for a couple of hours and then I'm taking her out for her bday meal. This year, she's a cheap date, too! And then, we get to go play with a bunch of kittens, and pick one out for me! I won't be bringing her home that day, because we'll have to be approved by the adoption agency, but I'm excited to get the ball rolling.

Thanks to all my new followers for tuning in to our blog. I can promise you lots of updates and pretty jewelry to come! :)

item sold!

2009-10-15T17:10:00.001-04:00

Sold my 7th item this week! Yay! ;)

Rustic Bracelet

2009-10-14T23:36:00.000-04:00

This is one of Shannon's :)

Catseye Heart Earrings

2009-10-12T23:29:00.000-04:00

Had these little hearts forever - finally found something to do with them!

New packaging

2009-10-11T21:21:00.000-04:00

One of my goals is to use more creative, fun packaging when shipping out orders.

I decided to try something different with the packaging for the latest order. I am using some scrapbooking supplies, and making little thank you tags for inside the package, plus a handwritten thank you note on cardstock, and my own handmade envelope.

What do you think?

JOY!

2009-10-11T00:25:00.002-04:00

Weebly has added captions to their photo galleries! Oh the happiness!

2009-10-10T22:59:00.000-04:00

Spending the weekend in production and promotion mode. Been making some items today and looking around for places to promote the Etsy shop.

Two items purchased today, yay! :)

More beading tomorrow! Any thoughts on what I should make?

Snowflake Obsidian Earrings

2009-10-07T20:24:00.003-04:00

Made these cute little dangles tonight!

Also put 2 rings and 3 other pairs of earrings up on Etsy. Productive night! May they all be this good :)

2009-10-06T23:06:00.000-04:00

Put 4 new rings up on Etsy tonight.

This one's my fave:

2009-10-06T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'm so inspired lately. I dreamt all night about making rings and jewelry. All I want to do is keep making stuff. The smartest thing I've found in the past few days is to photograph an item the same night it is made and get it online. It only takes me a few minutes to do, and is much less tedious feeling than doing 20 items at once. Having the photo tent permanently up has really helped.

Anyway, I'm working hard! All my time is focused on getting Etsy running, and doing web promotion of our business. Finding new inspirations and planning for the craft fairs. It truly is a second job right now! Now, if I can only make some money to pay myself for this time spent! Come on Etsy shoppers, start buying! I've got like, 33 views on the napkin rings - someone must want to buy them!!!

I know, I know. There is ALOT of jewelry competition on Etsy. But I've made sales before. And people are buying on there, all the time. So I know it's just a matter of time. At least I'm having fun doing it :)

Got another one!

2009-10-05T22:21:00.000-04:00

Love this!!!

By the way, I love having this blog. This is a really great way to post the new projects we're working on and different inspirations. I'm so excited by the things I'm making recently, I'm sure to keep this blog active! Now, if I can just get more followers!

Tonight's Masterpiece

2009-10-05T21:33:00.002-04:00

Check out these cute new napkin ring sets!

2009-10-04T21:32:00.002-04:00

Now on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32050294

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32046650

Set of 4 Colorful Beaded Napkin Rings

2009-10-04T16:46:00.003-04:00

Now for sale on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32032862

2009-10-03T16:09:00.001-04:00

Just set up a sale section in our Etsy shop, and put some items on sale. Need to make some room for new items coming this month!

Also, I've decided to stop stressing about the photos - they are clear and show our products well. After the holiday craft fairs, I'm going to focus on streamlining the photos - similar backgrounds in all pictures, etc. Just to make the shop look more...neat.

I pulled out an extra piece of the bathroom tile to shoot against, but it is light, and therefore only really works for darker items. I think I'll pick up a piece of slate tile at home depot tomorrow for the lighter items!

Anyone else out there find that taking good photos and getting them put up online is very time consuming?

Sale!

2009-09-27T15:24:00.002-04:00

Decided to run a Grand Re-Opening Sale in our Etsy store. From now through 10/31/09 we're taking 10% off all items in the shop!

Inspiration

2009-09-27T13:53:00.000-04:00

While posting my own yellow jade bracelet onto the Etsy store, I stumbled upon this one by another artist. It has given me some inspiration to make something similar (but with completely different supplies). How pretty!

Love these colors

2009-09-27T00:13:00.000-04:00

Man, I love this necklace that Shannon's mom, Pat, made the other night. It's so pretty. Gorgeous colors. I've just loaded it up onto Etsy.

Etsy

2009-09-25T14:12:00.001-04:00

So I found out that you CAN run sales on Etsy. Lyz bought some items over the weekend, and the seller puts either on their front page or the listings, not to pay right away. Then the seller adjusts the invoice. So you can offer a discount or a buy one, get one free promotion.

Which is good - because now I don't have to do the "free gift" idea (which I 'm sure really wouldn't thrill anyone) for our annual holiday sale.

New camera and a fabulous necklace

2009-09-24T20:40:00.004-04:00

My new camera arrived last night. (I broke my old one at a wedding recently, and while it still "works", you have to tape the battery in to use it). It's the same brand/line as my old one, a Casio Exilim. This one is a EX-Z250, as opposed to my old Z75.

Still learning the settings on it though - while my last camera took excellent macro shots in the "portrait" mode, it looks like this camera works best when using the "text" mode for macros. (Odd). But to be honest, I haven't tried too many of the settings, so I'll find the best one soon enough.

In other news, Shannon and I took a class over the summer with a very nice woman, Cristina Hurley (you can visit her website here. She taught us how to make our own headpins, and how to do some very simple wire-wrapping. Well, we LOVED wire-wrapping, and we have created some great pieces already. Shannon made a fabulous smokey quartz and copper necklace that I wanted to share with you. It is absolutely stunning:

Peacock Copper

2009-09-24T09:28:00.000-04:00

At a tiny gift shop, I spotted some stones for sale. They are boraite, but nicknamed "peacock copper". I love anything peacock colored, and anything copper... so it is a match made in heaven! They have a cool, rustic, earthy feeling...but the vibrant colorful metallics really make them pop! I picked out two of the most beautiful shaped ones.

Peacock Copper is a stone that has been treated to bring out the natural colors in the mineral. I thought they would make amazing wire wrapped pendants!

I can't wait to show you what I make with them!

New websites

2009-09-23T22:49:00.000-04:00

We've moved from our old website, and are now located at perfectloop.weebly.com.

We are also now selling on Etsy. You can start shopping with us at theperfectloop.etsy.com.

November 2009 Craft Shows

2009-09-23T22:46:00.000-04:00

Westford Regency Fall Arts & Crafts Show
Sunday, November 8
10am to 4pm
219 Littleton Road
(Rt 110 West)
Westford, MA 01886

Temple Sinai of Sharon Crafts & Gift Fair 2009
Sunday, November 22
10am to 3pm
24 Canton Street
Sharon, MA 02067

Contact Information

2009-09-23T22:44:00.000-04:00

You may contact us at:

perfect.loop@yahoo.com

The Perfect Loop
234 River Street Ext.
Billerica, MA 01821

http://perfectloop.weebly.com
http://www.theperfectloop.etsy.com

About Us

2009-09-23T22:41:00.000-04:00

The Perfect Loop was started as a hobby by Melissa and Shannon—two best friends—in the Summer of 2005. As time passed, their passion for beads bordered obsession and they decided to share their creations with the world, and the world was impressed! Along the way, friends and family were recruited to help with the booming business, and that's why The Perfect Loop is just that—a solid circle of family and friends bound by support and adorned with a shared love for jewelry.

Every piece from The Perfect Loop is designed to be a one-of-a-kind, handmade, stunning display of wearable art. We work with materials that inspire us, such as: precious and semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystal, Bali silver, glass, wood, shell, gold, and sterling silver. Specializing in custom orders, The Perfect Loop is an ideal place to begin gift shopping!

The Perfect Loop is not our full-time job, but we enjoy beading together on weekends, having jewelry parties, and setting up at local craft fairs. Creating pieces is a passion for us, and we love sharing our creations with you.