In a Nutshell...

In Chicago at the Renegade Craft Holiday Show - check out the travel display!

Well, as I suspected, it's been a wild month. Completely manageable, but wild nonetheless. One month = 5 shows, etsy, wholesale for a total of about 200 pieces of jewelry sold. That's a lot of metal work! Yesterday was the first day I didn't have any sales in my Etsy shop, so I can really say for the first time that it's time to kick my feet up. And when I say kick my feet up, I mean organize and do year end calculations like mad!

Other exciting news, I've been accepted into the AltCraft section at ACC. This is such a major milestone for me. For the last two years that I've lived in Baltimore, I've always gone to the ACC show and just gazed in wonder. And then went to the AltCraft section and gazed some more and thought, I belong here. And this year I will be there!! I have exciting plans for a new line incorporating some of my ceramics into my metalwork. I've been wanting to do this forever and think this is the perfect venue to debut these pieces.

Ms. Ladybug - our only picture, since she's afraid of cameras

And lastly, we have a new addition to our family! Ms. Ladybug, a gorgeous and funny and sweet Basset House & Beagle mix we adopted from the SPCA. There's never a dull moment with this Lady, but she gives us so much love - we are all crazy about her, even Louie.

Here we go!

Well, it's hard to believe, but this weekend is my first show of the season. That's right, in just three days. The show is called Holiday Heist and it's in Vienna, Va. at the Soundry. It's my first year doing this show and I have to admit I'm a bit skeptical. It seems like there are A LOT of jewelry artists and at least 4 metalsmiths that I know of, and that's out of 30 some vendors. Hmmmm. Anyway, if you are going to be there be sure to check your goodie bag. There's a 10% off coupon to spend on your purchase at my table.

Also, remember that picture of the empty cardboard box (pictured below). Well, it's filling up with finished jewelry! I'll be sure to post a picture of it soon. You'll be amazed at all the goodies I've produced. I will do my best to keep you all posted during this super busy holiday season. And did I mention that I'm offering free shipping until the end of the year on all purchases from my Etsy shop? Just a little something to make your holiday shopping easier.

Production Time

Yes, I've known for quite some time that the holiday season was coming. A time when I need to have lots and lots of jewelry ready to be snatched up on Etsy and at the craft shows that I'll be doing. But then the acceptance notices starting rolling in and now I have 5 shows, one of which is a two day show and Craftland, which is this amazing month long show in Providence, RI. So, I sat down and started to do some figuring and came up with this awesome chart:

Basically, this chart says that I need to make over 200 pieces of jewelry. In the next 5 weeks. Luckily, I've gotten a good head start on that goal, so I think I'll be okay. I'll likely be working some late nights and weekends, but it'll totally be worth it to do these amazing shows. Seriously, check out this line up:

Saturday, November 21st: Holiday Heist in Vienna, VA

Saturday, December 5th: Holiday Heap, Baltimore

Saturday, December 5th & 6th: Renegade Chicago

Saturday, December 12th: Squidfire, Baltimore (sharing a space with Sugar Paperie)

Sunday, December 13th: Last Minute Maul at School 33

Here is my new inventory box, just waiting to be filled (don't worry, I have a whole other box of inventory already made). I'll keep you all posted on my progress. Beer and coffee will help get me through (and lots of face licks from Louie, my faithful studio companion).

Surprise! Crafty Bastards

my display

Well, remember when I wrote about doing the Fenton Street Market last week? Well, instead of doing Fenton on Saturday, I got the opportunity to be a Crafty Bastard instead! I had been on the waiting list, but it's such a great show that they weren't able to make room for me (because every single person that was invited said yes). That is, until someone cancelled the day before the show. Fortunately, I happened to have lots of stock on hand, so I was able to say yes to this last minute opportunity. And I'm so glad I did! The shoppers were wonderful, I received many, many lovely words of praise about my work and people were gobbling it up. The whole day was like a craft show dream come true, including the weather. Not only that, I but I shared a booth with Monica Stroter of Sugar Paperie. She is so sweet and her note cards are so lovely. She was a source of calm, which was nice on such a hectic day.


So, thanks to Sara and Kim of Crafty Bastards/Hello Craft fame. You guys run a pretty fantastic show and were so great to work with. I am really so thankful to have been given this amazing opportunity!

Fenton Street Market - This Saturday!!

Now that I've recovered from pneumonia (yes, you heard that correctly) and my vacation, I'm back in the studio and have all manner of shows and other opportunities lined up. This Saturday, I'll be selling my goods at the Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring, Maryland. This is a new street market which premiered last month. Word on the street is that it was a hit! You can find me sharing a booth with my super talented and sweet friend Jen of Yummy and Company. She makes really cute flower and botanical accessories made from polymer clay.

If you're in the area, please swing by. Did I mention that they also have hot mini-donuts? Mmm.

Saturday, October 3, 2009
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
rain or shine
Corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue
*Free parking in public lots across Fenton Street*

Our opening market will feature more than 60 vendors with an exciting array of fine, unusual, imported, and handmade goods...plus live music and hot mini donuts

Ahhhh, Seattle!

After taking 10 days away from the east coast, followed by 5 days in bed sick, I am back! I had a lovely, lovely time in Seattle with dear friends and family. But really, my best friend of all on this trip is the city of Seattle. Remember how on Sex in the City, Carrie has a date with NYC? Well, that's sort of how it was with Seattle on this trip. It rained buckets the first few days, but that didn't stop us from making little jaunts into the city and we even spent a day up in Vancouver. Here are some highlights of our trip, you may notice that most of these center around food, since I really like to eat!

Bakery Nouveau: A fantastic bakery filled with baked goodness in West Seattle, a favorite neighborhood of mine. It's like a little escape to France, and the is owner famed for his baguettes. We enjoyed slabs of pizza, served very much like in Italy, and double baked almond coissants (yeeeesssss!). And, how cute are these pictures of our jaunt there?


bakery nouveau fun!

Sushi and the Pike Place Market: I went for super yummy sushi with my dear friend Leo, a graphic designer, semi-professional ballroom dancer and musician, at an sushi place that I can't remember the name of. Afterwards, my sweetie Jeff and I strolled the Pike Place Market and purchased tea at Market Spice and all manner of goodies at Delarentis italian deli. We even ran into a friend!

Vancouver, B.C.: Jeff, my lovely in-laws Dave and Judy and I piled in the car and drove to Vancouver for the day. We spent most of the time on Granville Island, which is like the Pike Place Market, except that there are tons of amazingly talented crafters and artists in addition to the yummy treats and produce. They have these beautiful galleries with working artist's studios in the back. . The Gallery of B.C. Ceramics has long been a favorite place of mine and so inspirational to me as a potter. I scored a stunning mug by B.C. potter Jackie Frioud there. It's just so sweet and simple and lovely to hold and looks so cool on my desk. After Granville Island we strolled around Stanley Park and then ate dinner at one of my favorite restaurants ever, Delilah's where we indulged in martinis and yummy food. It was a perfect day!

ivy covered beams under the bridge on Granville Island

Madison Park: One night we went to Madison Park, which is a fantastic neighborhood on Lake Washington, just near Capital Hill. It has restaurants and cute shops and it's fun to walk along the water. It was one of those sunny days where the water is glistening and we enjoyed margaritas and butternut squash and goat cheese enchiladas. Mmmmm.

not in Madison Park, still funny!

Nordstrom: Okay, I couldn't exactly go to Seattle without going to Nordstrom. The Nordstrom in Bellevue Square is one of the best in the country. It's about 5x the size of the Nordstrom stores here in MD and has so many pretty clothes and shoes. They even have entire section (the size of a shoe store) of sporty Nikes/Pumas/Adidas for the ladies. I swooned, but walked away with only one denim skirt.

Barbecue at Judy and Dave's: Our last night in town my previously mentioned really sweet in-laws hosted a barbecue for us and our friends. We had a great time catching up with lots of folks that we haven't seen since we moved away. The food and the conversation were perfect and it was a sunny 85 degrees, rare warm weather in mid-September. Hooray!!! A perfect end to a perfect trip.

My (very cute!) husband Jeff and his dad and beer

Hold the Meat

For a long time now, both my husband and I have toyed with the idea of giving up meat. We love animals and have often made veggie and vegan meals for ourselves. We also have had a penchant for the Hamilton Tavern's tasty bacon, egg and cheese burger and for fine cured meats. Nonetheless, a few weeks ago we threw in the towel and actually gave up meat. And you know what? We both feel great! Besides, there are so many yummy, yummy foods that don't have meat in them. Here are some examples of my favorites:

-Guacamole/avocados

-Salsa and Chips

-Pizza

-Gnocchi with pesto

-Chocolate

-Peanut butter

-Beer

The picture at the top of the post was my lunch today, and it was so tasty. It was half of a toasted homemade English muffin, soy sausage, basil from the garden and fresh mozzarella (melted). So simple and incredibly satisfying. I'd love to hear about your simple veggie meals.

Shows, the Beach and New Work

After 3 super fun, but crazy days at Artscape, followed by my final business plan being due, followed by another show, I took a much needed couple of days at the beach. I was too busy relaxing to take many photos, other than the one above. I got to spend time with my adorable nephews, my fun sister and brother-in-law and a had great time at the Lewes, Delaware beach, just relaxing. We even drove over to Rehobeth beach to get some Nicobolis (mmm), beer and boardwalk. It really doesn't get better than that.

Now that the vacation is over I am (surprise!) focusing my time in the studio. I'm fascinated with hand-fabricated cabochons, the metal-on-metal 3D possibilities are really interesting to me. I've posted this necklace, but also have about 2 more charms half done sitting on my bench. I can't wait to see where this will take me.

"Grafitti Bezel Charm" $72

Oh, and also, one of my classmates from my entrepreneurship program wrote an article about my jewelry and earth-friendly material and studio practices. Yeah!!! Check it out for yourself: http://www.examiner.com/x-4019-Baltimore-Pop-Culture-Examiner~y2009m7d23-Are-you-practicing-the-three-Rs-This-local-jeweler-is

Never Want To Let You Go....

Like the song, I never want to let these new pieces I've hours obsessing over go. I'm usually so busy producing quantities of work that I don't normally get too attached to any one piece of jewelry. However, I recently discovered not one but two totally unique, Montana Agates that are so gorgeous, they have these lovely inclusions that give them a sense of movement and have a subtle modern transparancy about them. I'm so happy with the settings I've crafted, I've been doing a lot of scalloped edges lately and they seem to work so well with these pendants.

Also, as it turns out Montana Agate isn't actually mined, but instead is found in gravel bars by the Yellowstone River in far eastern Montana and then hand gathered. I am so excited that something so pretty is earth-friendly and conflict-free.

I've been wearing the necklace shown above since last night and refuse to take it off. I will try to part with it, as I would like to feature these two pendants at Artscape. They will be priced between $120 - $14o.

New Galleries!

Good news! I've been approached by the coolest, prettiest small boutiques and galleries lately to carry my jewelry. I feel really, really lucky. Just this week I dropped off my first order from Red Tree in Hampden. It's a really beautiful store full of great home goods, furniture and great gifty items. They also carry the most amazing jewelry from Figs and Ginger, Liz Matthews and Imogene - plus other favorite crafters of mine like Biggs and Featherbelle and Pink Kiss. I'm especially excited about Red Tree, because they were my number one choice for a local gallery. Yeah!

Made Gallery in New Orleans is also now carrying my work now. I sent off my first order to them just a few weeks ago. They are a really nice independent gallery that sells original art work, gifts and accessories. They are super nice and really active in the community, and sell the jewelry of fellow BEST member Tigerlilyshop's sister - Maria Fomich. If you are in New Orleans, be sure to check this place out.

I'll also soon be sending off some work to Magpie in Boston. They are a super duper cool indie fashion boutique and I'm excited about that opportunity, as well.

A City Girl and Her Garden

Now that I live in the bucolic countryside north of Baltimore, I've decided to take up gardening. Both my sweetie and I have dreamed of a vegetable garden forever, but have only had the room to grown herbs up until now. This year we've planted cucumbers, red peppers, two kinds of tomatoes, sweet peas and of course, lots of herbs. Everything is doing really well, especially now that it's getting hot. We've already enjoyed the sweet peas, but can't wait for fresh Roma tomatoes and sweet cucumbers mixed with our mint and basil. Mmmmmmm. If only we could grow fresh mozzarella, too!

You can tell that we're having a hard time letting our city ways go, since we planted everything in planters. Some habits die hard, but our patio sure looks cute with all the veggies around. I wish it could be early summer all year long.

New Stuff!

Well, summer is here and I've been in the studio cooking up some new stuff. I've added some gemstones into a couple of pieces, combining the bright colors with oxidized pieces. I am especially loving the black/red/charcoal combo. Perhaps that's more of a fall combo, but I personally wear black all year round. Check out these cuties!

"Rustic Flower Charm"

"Jade Drop Earrings"

"Blue Candy Drop"

I've also been having too much fun with my trusty companion, Louie. He likes to make the most of summer by swimming and chasing balls as much as possible. Check out this photo of him hanging out after a particularly athletic romp - I don't think his tongue could be hanging out any more!

Lastly: I was featured on Indiefixx yesterday. My Petite Teardrop Earrings made Jen's top 8 birthday picks. Too cool!

I'm Back!

I took about a month and a half off from blogging, and I missed it (and you!) very much. I got swept away in shows - three in 4 weeks and two features on Etsy which made my shop really busy. This is all very good news, but it's nice for things to settle back down a bit.

Even though it's been a little quiet for the past week or two, it's going to get really busy again. I have Art Star this weekend and my brother's wedding. To juggle this, my friend Karen of Dari is going to man our booth on Saturday and I'm taking the train up to Philly (from D.C.) on Sunday. Madness, I know. It's just one weekend, right?

So, I hope to spend lots more time blogging very soon. Everything is just so exciting right now, I have lots of cute new styles to share with you and also, our country house is filled with flowers and gorgeous lush rolling hills. I hope to take some pictures to post.

xo - Elisa

New Work!

I have to say that I haven't been a very good blogger lately, sorry about that. I've been busy with a Bridal Happy Hour at AVAM and a trunk show just yesterday at Magnolia Designs - all with the ladies of BEST. Not to mention the fact that I'll be in the studio a lot for the next two weeks cranking out lots of goodies to take to Spring Bada Bing with me. Oh happy days! I just love shows and meeting new people. It's really what it's all about for me.

Here are some new styles for you to feast your eyes on. Yes, I'm still obsessed with flowers and scalloping. I also got a nifty mini disc cutter, which allows me to make the teeny tiniest little discs. I love that!

"Vintage Flower Necklace"

"Spring Blossom Earrings"

"Gold Mini Pebble Necklace"

"Golden Pebble Earrings"

Vinegar and Lemon Juice?

You may or may not know this, but 2009 is the year of green here at Elisa Shere Jewelry. I started hearing about other jewelrs using recycled metals, and finally have found a source. Even though it took a while to figure that part of it out, it really is the most important part since mining metals is devastating to the environment, and it's pretty easy to buy pre-recycled metals. The harder part is getting rid of some of the other nasty chemicals lurking about in my studio.

One of the things metalsmiths use when making their jewelry is a substance called "pickle". It's a yucky chemical that removes the dirt that collects on your metal after you've heated it. Some alternatives are citric acid and, as I found out today, vinegar and salt. I am currently using citric acid (which is really lemon) in my pickle pot and it works just fine. See, that wasn't so bad? And the earth is just a little bit happier!

Spring Showers

Spring showers have begun here in Maryland. Yipee! It feels like forever since it's rained and although I don't miss the Pacific Northwest perpetual rain, I do enjoy the occasional rain shower. One of the reasons I love rain is so I can have an excuse to break out one of my fancy, girly umbrellas.

Imagine my joy when my monthly copy of Body + Soul Magazine arrived the other day and there was an entire feature on cute, Eco Umbrellas. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Look at this colorful and fun upcycled umbrella made from detergent containers and other packaging destined for the landfill. This site features lots of other upcycled goodies, not just umbrellas! By Monsoon Vermont.

This cute umbrella is made from recycled plastic bottles, as is the umbrella shown at the very top. Sophisticated and earth-frienldy! By Dayton from Radley out of the UK.

Snow Day

I woke up to this lovely winter wonderland today! This picture shows my faithful companion, Louie, checking out the snow in front of the barn. This was taken just after I attempted to drive my husband to the metro, only to turn around after about a 1/2 mile of driving on treacherous roads. After we got back we were wondering what we were thinking? We've surrendered to the weather now and are all snuggled up in our cabin house.

This weekend was the ACC in Baltimore and I really enjoyed it. On Friday I volunteered at the Hello Craft booth. Hello Craft was interviewing folks that had purchased items and hearing their story about why handmade is important to them. The Hello Craft ladies, Kim, Kelly, and Sara are so smart and were a joy to talk to and spend time with.

Sunday I went back to the show and took it all in. There was so much to look at and so much talent, I am truly humbled. I even reconnected with my very first metalsmithing teacher and super talent, Amy Tavern. Other favorite artists include: Eric Silva, Arthur Hash, Rebound Designs and Pistol Stitched. It was great to see what all these amazing talents are doing. Overall, the ACC experience was fantastic.

New Designs

Now that I have the time to do it, I've been focusing on my jewelry and creating new designs. I've also been challenging myself to work on some new techniques, pushing out the designs that I have and exploring certain themes. You'll see more bezel set work incorporating vintage cabachons - I've been so lucky to find some good ones (check out the two pieces below).

I've also been torturing myself with these miniscule glass flowers that my friend Jill Popowich gave to me. They have about a 50% mortality rate so far, but I'm hoping to improve. For those interested in these pieces, they should wear well and not be fragile - as long as you aren't hammering on them like I do.

Still Life

I love still lifes. I especially love perfect little still lifes that you stumble upon, particularly sparse ones that occur by chance. While photographing some new pieces yesterday I noticed this nice little still life in our kitchen. A little pile of fresh bay leaves that I was drying for future use and a stack of fabric napkins. So simple, so serene that I couldn't help taking a picture of it. In this 250 year old cabin I live in, these still lifes are everywhere.

Weekend Sale: Necklaces!

To kick off the weekend (yes, Valentine's Day weekend) I am having a sale on my best seller - necklaces. 15% off all weekend long just for you. Also, my sale was featured in this week's Etsy "Weekend Deal" email and blog feature, which is very exciting. Thanks to Mary in admin and Etsy for the feature.

• To take advantage of the sale, please enter the code "kisskiss" at checkout and you will be refunded via paypal. Have a lovely Valentine's Day and a restful weekend.

The Man Bracelet and My New Life

Well, we never know where life is going to take us right? For months I've been slammed with tons of Etsy orders, shows and more. At the same time, I was working at a demanding day job, fantasizing about the day I could just work on my art. All of the sudden that day is now. Here I am with no job and all day to work on my jewelry, starting yesterday. It's a little shocking, but exciting at the same time. For instance, I could go for a hike - right in the middle of the day or write this blog entry. It might take me a little while to wrap my mind around this.

On another subject, I was commissioned to create a "man bracelet" for a very nice Baltimore girl a few weeks ago. Her boyfriend is Mexican and we brainstormed different Mexican themes and landed on Day of the Dead. I'm so happy with the way this bracelet turned out. I'm especially proud of the little skull that I sawed out by hand, and the manly badass quality of this bracelet. It was such a thrill to be challenged and to spend a lot of time developing one piece, sort of like being back in art school (except without the stress and grades). It was the perfect project for me right now, and I dropped it off in person right after I left my day job for the last time on Friday. Pretty symbolic, I think.

I heart Baltimore Magazine!

On December 5th, the ladies of BEST (Baltimore Etsy Stree Team) threw a party to celebrate the December "Made in Baltimore" feature in Baltimore Magazine at the Budda Lounge. Our party actually made it into the Baltimore Main Event section of the magazine this month. I've never been featured in the social section of a magazine (my parent's synagog newspaper really doesn't count) and I have to say, it's pretty exciting.

In case you're curious, I'm the girl with her arms in the air, second to the right, in the bottom picture. Good times!

Secrets!

This picture was taken of me by Juliet Ames, of The Broken Plate during the holidays. I think it's really funny. I may have been a little tipsy as I appear to be telling secrets right into a camera! Jill Popowich is the one giggling in the background. She's always giggling, which a wonderful quality in a friend.

**Editor's note: It has come to my attention that Allison Fomich, of Tigerlillyshop, actually took this picture. Thanks, Allison!

Etsy Love: Moxie and Oliver

"Hanako 6 Buckle"

Every once in a while you come across an artist that really just speaks to you. That's how I feel about Moxie and Oliver and their shop on Etsy. They make beautifully crafted leather belts, dog collars, purses, flasks and more. Their work reminds me of old west meets modern design. It also reminds me just a little bit of one of my first artistic endeavors: leather work at sleep-away camp. Of course, none of my leather work efforts even hold a candle to Moxie and Oliver.

These items are just a sample of the many incredible pieces they have for sale. Be sure to check out their shop for even more tempting treasures.

"Poppy Patern Purse" - I'm crazy about this purse. The colors, composition and design are just precious.

"Winged Heart Leather Clutch" - Adorable and badass at the same time.

"Sugar Skulls Purse" - I love this Day of the Dead themed purse. There is so much detail to this piece, including crossed shotguns on the back of the bag.

Suprise Sale: Necklaces

"Dark Flower Necklace" by Elisa Shere Jewelry

One thing is for sure, I LOVE necklaces. Love making them and love wearing them. I feel like it's the place where my creativity really comes through. In honor of my love of necklaces and the launch of some new styles (including the necklace featured above) I am offering 15% off necklaces just for my blog readers from 1/5 - 1/9. If you were thinking about treating yourself to a necklace, now is the perfect time.

To take advantage of the necklace sale, please mention my blog in the notes to seller when placing your order and I will refund 15% of your necklace purchases via Paypal.