Sharma Designs - Behind the Scenes of a Handmade Jewelry Business

Local Show Dec 5th!

Since joining Etsy I have had a lot of people ask me if I do local shows.  This year I have had to answer with "Unfortunately..no"  We are in a temporary residence that is much smaller than where we were living and I had to put my excess Sharma Designs things in storage.  Which means I have no show equipment.  I honestly didn't even see this coming because I had no idea we would be here so long but...such is life.

Because I am a perfectionist of sorts the idea of doing shows without my perfectly planned setup is unthinkable.  Apparently though, I have a weak spot.  That would be a fundraiser at my daughter's preschool.

So if you are in the Bay Area please come by and shop!  There is going to be a book fair hosted by Hicklebees in Willow Glen and vendors selling their handmade goods.  Some of the proceeds of the show will go to Campbell Parent's Participation Preschool.  I don't have all the details yet but I do know that Dribs will be there and also it sounds like there will be raffle prizes.

Here are the details:

CPPP Holiday Boutique and Book Fair

Campbell Parent's Participation Preschool 528 Harrison Avenue Campbell, CA

December 5th 4:00pm - 7:00pm

Petite Wood Twiggy Earrings

I've added the new edition to the twiggy earrings in my shop.  These are the little sister to the twiggies....the petite twiggy earrings.  They only have a small twig instead of two longer ones and the twig is shorter.  Here is a picture to compare the size:

They are a great little earring that are more suited for people more comfortable in a smaller earring.  Lots of colors available!

Later today I hope to have a pretty new twiggy earring up too!  It's a romantic or whimsical twiggy.  Check my shop later today to see!

Twiggy Earrings

I got these great new wood paddles and quickly decided they needed to be earrings.  Wood is great because it is so light.  That's definitely a plus when making earrings because no one likes saggy lobes right?  I'm pretty sure those went out with the 80's.

I have a few pairs listed on the site right now and will list more over the next few days.  Special color combination requests are welcome.  I tend to make up my favorites first but can certainly accommodate yours too.

My personal favorites are of course the super sticky ones.  Aren't they funky?  Perfect for all my black shirts.

I also made these really simple delicate curved wood dangles.  My hair was up when I was working and I quickly made myself a pair too.  They look fabulous with your hair up.  Just something simple to frame your face.  They are like air too!  These are a must have.

Enjoy the new earrings!

Just in Time for Valentine's Day

I would not call myself a "Valentine's Day kind of girl".  In fact, growing up my friends and I always called it "Day of Death" (I still do just not around my husband. He gets mad.)  I personally would rather have little tokens of affection all year round then heaped on me on a specific day because it's expected. 

But that being said, a little gift on Valentine's Day is kinda sweet when paired with a meaningful homemade card (I like when my husband hand draws mine.  He draws a mean stick figure.  I keep them all).  As long as it is not just that one day because it is expected.

I feel like my little heart necklaces fit my feelings on Day of Death Valentine's Day perfectly because they are not just the expected red and pink and can be worn all year round.  The pendants are vintage Asian enameled hearts and are fairly small (about an inch wide) but super sweet.

I have a bunch of these little pendants and will be posting more styles as they sell.  They might have the same pendant but I will switch the beads up a bit so they will all be one of a kind (Okay I lied.  The red one I made two of because when I tried other beads they just didn't work.  That one only).  At only $29 I think they definitely qualify as a "small token of affection" and are way more useful than flowers, balloons, or chocolate (although I have never been one to turn down chocolate)!

I strive for shipping same day or next day for domestic orders.  I always ship within 48 hours.  I also send everything priority mail so you have plenty of time to hint to your honey.

Hope you have a great week!

Once Again..

This blog is in need of an update!  I have added a lot of new jewelry to the store this month.  My husband had a nice long vacation during the early part of the month so I got to create to my heart's content.  Of course now life is back to normal so I'm doing the best I can to keep things fresh.

At the beginning of next week look for a contest for a chance to win free stuff.  This contest will be in addition to the regular monthly contest.  I love to spread the love and although I am personally very unlucky when it comes to contests I think they are super fun.

As far as jewelry news:

The ebony teardrop lariats are back in stock.  These have been wildly popular.  I ran out around Christmas time so this time I stocked up.  Remember that you can also get this style in the Bayong wood.

I also made a silver style that is a tad bit dressier.  It is made with black Swarovski crystals.  Sparkly and perfect for a night out with a low cut shirt ;)

There are lots of other new styles in the shop.  Be sure to check them out.  Also if you subscribe to the Sharma Designs shop feed you may have noticed it now includes pictures!  Pretty fun

The weather in Northern Cal has been amazing.  In the high 60s and 70s.  While I feel bad for all those that are freezing on the East Coast I am pretty happy with our weather.  The kids and I are off to another fun filled day at the sunny park.  Have a great day!

New Wood Hoop Earrings and Contest Reminder

My Bayong wood hoops have been very popular this year!  People love that they are so bold and still so light.  I might add that they are a steal at only $15 (and free shipping!)

 

I just added two new styles of wood.  There is a grayish green color call Graywood.  I personally love these because I wear a lot of green myself!  I think they would look good with black too.

I also have some ebony wood hoops.  I love the grain of these earrings.  They have nice stripes!

I have changed my newsletter service provider.  The old one was giving me problems.  It seemed like people were having a hard time confirming their emails.  So things should work a little better now.  Let me know if you see any problems.

And don't forget to sign up for my newsletter if you haven't already because the beginning of December is fast approaching and a new winner will be picked!  See details here.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I wish I had a cute family picture to share but we forgot to take one this year!  That happens when you are sleep deprived and running after small children.

One for me..one for you

This is a necklace that I made last weekend that I loved so much I had to keep it.  I never keep anything for myself anymore.  Sometimes I will design something for a specific outfit but I never take things I made to sell.  I take the beads and pendants that are imperfect or flawed and make myself things out of those because they are still beautiful but I don't feel right selling them. 

Not this one though...I just loved it too much.

Big bold and yummy.  I got this pendant when I did a custom necklace for a customer.  Here is her necklace.  Not my best camerawork I know!

And finally...the one for you.  Whoever you may be who is in desperate need of a chunky bold black necklace.  I will be posting it tomorrow on Etsy.

Next we have custom necklace #2.  A remake of a necklace I sold earlier this year..with a couple of small tweaks.

And here is the one I made for you.  I wire wrapped it instead and used some smaller howlite beads.  I ran out of sterling silver wire so it's not done yet (should get it tomorrow!) but I wanted to post a teaser:

I've been a busy little bee!  Hope everyone is having a great week!

An Interview with Little Ol' Me

Think you know everything there is to know about Sharma Designs?  Head on over to Charmingly Chic and read the interview I did with them and see if you learn anything new!  I really liked the questions Kristy asked because they were the same ol same ol questions that most blogs ask.

In other news, I finally finished my side project and can return to jewelry making again.  I'm very relieved.  The project was slowly sucking the life out of me!  I have some new pendants I'm going to start playing with tonight that are very different from my normal work.  We'll see if they make the cut!  Check back to find out!

Here are some new jewelry pieces I have just uploaded to Etsy:

This baby was hard to photograph!  The shell is so shiny that it makes it hard to see the design.  You can see different views of it here


This pendant is on the smaller side for those of you that like things a bit smaller!

I have one more announcement I want to make but I think I will wait until tomorrow.  Gotta spread out the blog posts since they seem to be few and far between!  Hope everyone is having a great week!

It's been a month...

.....since my last blog post!  Wow! 

Coincidentally, it has been a month since Bella started preschool.  Things got a little crazy when she started school.  I have managed to keep making and listing new jewelry but blogging has fallen by the wayside.  It's amazing to me that 3 hours, 3 times a week can make such an impact on our schedule!  The preschool is not exactly close.  So, while some parents get to catch up on jobs and such at home I stay in the area of the preschool so I don't waste a ton of money on gas!  It has been a blast to see my little girl blossom!

But enough about that...this is a jewelry blog!  I have millions and millions of new pendants that are waiting to be designed.  Last night I made a few gemstone necklaces that are on the simpler side.  Sometimes I find the perfect beads to match a pendant and sometimes I want the pendant to be the star of the show.  Plus, I know that some people like to keep things clean and simple. 

I scored some very very cool laser engraved pendants recently.  They have always been very popular in my store.  When I had a chance to get some new ones I jumped at the chance.  I know some people might not think shells are very wintery but I say "Who cares?"  I love shells!  And besides, just because you buy it now doesn't mean you have to wear it right this minute (in case you are anti shells in winter).

The wood teardrop lariats have also been a popular item.  I have some listed right now and have the supplies to make a few more.  Don't wait too long if you want one because they seem to go fast.

I think that catches us up. Phew! 

I may not be able to get my groove back with the blog.  I'm going to try because I enjoy giving a behind the scenes look but my schedule doesn't seem to be getting any lighter or my house any cleaner (Darn!). 

If you love seeing the new designs early please become a fan on Facebook or subscribe to my Flickr feed.   I have been pretty good about keeping those up to date. 

Oh!  One last thing:

A customer of mine saw this blog post and asked me if I could remake one of the necklaces for her.  Because my necklaces are mostly one of a kind I might not have the exact beads hanging around but I can definitely try to make something similar for you!  I actually like how the second version turned out even better!  So don't be afraid to ask!  I'll see what I can do.

Another New Wood Filigree Earrings Style

Aren't these new style of wood filigree earrings fabulous?  I am so excited about them.  I have three colors so far: Black, Brown and Blue.

They are a steal at $15.  Get them for yourself, your girlfriends, your coworkers...you won't be sorry!