Mettaville New Feature Artist on my Team

Alison Koh of Mettaville.  Part of my TEAM.  We have a new feature on Panda Wear's blog.  About once a month we will feature an artist in my "TEAM".  I have been selling my work online and have a great TEAM of people whom I consider my second family. Here you will learn about the artist and their work. 

Mettaville

Indigo Journal

All the artist were asked the same questions.  As for why she choose this as here business,  If you know Alison,  you'll know she love writing in journals.  She writes frequently, of many
things, ups and downs of life, recording the joys and sadness,​adventures and stories. Sometimes ​drawing, ​doodling, sometimes just a single word or phrase in a blank page.  Alison also writes to  seek answers, she would write her heart out, asking questions ​after questions ​and​ as she writes she will get some form of clarity.  ​ It's strange but if you ask any journal writer, you'll get the same answer, there is something about writing that connects you to a higher intelligence that knows and that guides you to a path of healing, learning, growing and taking you to a better place, one step at a time.  ​

Back in late 2010, she had an opportunity to attend a bookbinding workshop. The thought of making her own journals to write in delighted me. Then the big move happened, her husband and she with their cat, left their birth country, Malaysia and migrated to New Zealand in 2013. A new adventure and fresh start, she picked up where she left and here she is - making books.

A5 found here:  Butterfly Journal


 As for advise for someone starting out in her line of work, ​Practice. Practice. Practice. ​
Exactly what I would say.  Some things are universal, media does not matter.   Allison finds people love the larger version of journals (A5 size), as she does. ​​They are all fun to make! She loves the whole process of making a book from start to finish. ​

Alison sells both online and at local events.  She has a monthly market in Titirangi village every last Sunday of the month.   She has an Etsy shop - Mettaville & a Felt shop   She also has some of her books in East West Gallery in New Lynn, Auckland. Alison teaches workshops at the gallery from time to time and believes it is a fun way of meeting people.Mettaville accepts special orders.  Average turn around time depends on the request.  A safe time frame would be 1-3 weeks.  

Upcycled Pocket Notebooks

How to reach Mettaville and Alison

https://www.etsy.com/shop/mettaville

http://felt.co.nz/shop/mettaville

https://instagram.com/mettaville

https://www.facebook.com/mettaville

http://www.mettaville.blogspot.co.nz/

 

 

I hope you are enjoying meeting my team.  They are the Best! 

My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                   Cabochons and Supplies


Facebook:  PW Facebook
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
Pinterest: Pinterest 
Instagram: Instagram

Guess What....garden bounty?

My new shopping cart is working well for the website.  Very happy to have new traffic and from so many different places.  Visitors from over 25 countries and the majority from about 10 different countries. Surprised to see visitors from so many countries. 

and drum roll please......

The long wait is over.  My Vegetable garden has produced the first ripe tomatoes.  I harvested them this morning. these are the first two cherry tomatoes form the 2015 garden.  Behind them are kale and leaf lettuce, all going into a great salad for dinner tonight.    Prior years tomatoes were ripe by about the 10th or 12th of July.

This second pic shows the greens better.  I enjoy gardening.  Wish my father and his Mom were here to show them what I have in my yard.  Many thanks to both of them;  my love of tools and growing things is due to they love and teaching me when I was younger.

This is Genny From Charlotte, a stunning Sterling silver pendant. I collected the beach glass myself in Charlotte on Lake Ontario. To see this & many more of my creations, website link is below.

Have a happy summer day.

My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                   Cabochons and Supplies

 
Facebook:  PW Facebook
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
Pinterest: Pinterest

Vera Jayne - Handmade with Love

Vera Jayne

Handmade with Love

Vera Kirkpatrick started her business, Vera Jayne as a way to work from home while she home schooled her 5 children. Vera has had numerous handmade businesses before that but all of them involved craft markets and selling in brick and mortar stores.

Blue Baby Shoes

 

She wanted to start selling her handmade goods online. She wanted the freedom and flexibility of choosing her own working hours and still having time to do the things that she thought were important in her role as a mom.

Vera Jayne sells hand knits – scarves, hats and accessories for ladies and children and crocheted baby shoes. Vera has always loved creating and she started making these particular products as there was a demand for them.

As for advise for someone starting out in her line of work:

•  Running a handmade business is hard work. You start off creating and doing what you love but when the orders start rolling in, you need to move from a hobby (creating and selling the few things you create which brings a little income and job satisfaction) to running a business! 
•  Use all free social networks. Her favorite is INSTAGRAM and she have gotten many sales and wholesale orders through this venue alone. It is free! Vera also use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Wanelo, We Heart it, Keep, Polyvore
•   Keep learning – She reads as much as I can about handmade businesses and small businesses. There is a lot of information out there! Vera is constantly self evaluating her product photos and trying to better her skills as a crafter.
•  Interact – She interacts with many handmade businesses and has formed good friendships. We support and promote one another. We pool resources and help each other succeed.

 As for where to one can find Vera Jayne products,  several places.  At the moment, she sell on Etsy, Storenvy and a South African online site.    She also sell her patterns on Craftsy and Ravelry. Vera supplies a local wholesaler who buys her baby shoes and sells them along with a baby outfit (sold as a set) that sell in Brick and Mortar stores all over South Africa.  Her baby shoes are sold wholesale to an online shop in the US that stocks brands

Chartreuse hair elastic

Vera love custom orders! At the moment her turn around time is 7 days but with wholesale orders (big numbers), depends on the amount required.  During the busy months her turn around time may be 2 weeks.  Her most popular item is baby shoes. 

To contact Vera of Vera Jayne

Instagram

Email

Store

Facebook

The Retired Quilt - Artists on my Team

Cindy Strader of The Retired Quilt is the featured artist this month. I met her online about 3 years ago.  About once a month we will feature an artist in my "TEAM".  I have been selling my work online and have a great TEAM of people whom I consider my second family. Here you will learn about the artist and their work.

Cindy's response when asked why she started her business & the products she sells.  She was contemplating retirement from my “real” job and knew that she needed a plan after retirement.  She had been sewing for more than 40 years and it was what She loved to do.  Cindy had had so many requests over the years to make/create things for others that her husband suggested that she start her own business doing it - it really started as a hobby and has grown into something wonderful.

The most popular request that she get is to create T-shirt/Memory quilts for people. As for what is the most fun to make, the same item. Because she makes so many t-shirt quilts, they really have become one of her favorite things to do - each one is different and unique.  No two are the same - the creativity part and seeing the final product is what makes it fun.

As for what to say to someone starting out in the quilting world, what advise would you have.  Her Grannie taught her how to sew when she was just in high school - the best advice she could give is “listen to your Grannie” - but if it is too late for that - then listen to your heart.

Absolutely she accepts custom orders.  All of her t-shirt quilts are custom orders.  She has also accepted many quilt custom orders.  The turn around time is really dependent on the item requested.  T-shirt quilt are just 2 weeks currently.  But around graduation time and Christmas time you want to be sure to get your order in early - Cindy becomes really busy with them at those times of year.


Want to know where to buy her wonderful creations?    Cindy has an Etsy shop, a web site, a Facebook page, & sells in a local Galleria.  She has tried the craft fair/ art events and does not feel they were successful for her.  She gets a lot of referrals from past customers also.

   Contact info for Cindy

   The Retired Quilt

Website

Etsyshop

 Facebook

My stores: Jewelry shop
                 Cabochons and Supplies

Facebook:  PW Facebook
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  

New Direction for Panda Wear - Stone DIY

New direction and focus for Panda Wear...what is this about you ask?
 
I am a lapidary which means I hand cut my own stones.  Having enjoyed cutting gemstone for many years, there is a surplus of stones I am unable to use right away. Also, there is a surplus of rough stone - which is the rocks before they are cut into cabochons.  The rocks started to accumulate (pile up) around my home.    To make space,  I decided to start selling the extras.


Above is a Unakite boulder in the quarry where I have collected some rough in NY state.  The travel mug in this pic is about 10" tall to show perspective. The boulders are over 3 feet tall.  The blue rocks on the left side are mostly calcite.
 

Steps to make a cabochon

1. select a rock
2. cut a slab form the rock
3. decide  the shape of the cabochon & draw it
4. trim the slice around the lines
5.  dop the trimmed piece
6. start cutting the cab
7. polish the cab

Michigan Kona dolomite slab.  This is a piece of the selected rock cut into a slice.

Texas graveyard point agate slab.  This is a slab or a slice from the rock. the slice is the second step to making the rock into cabochons.    Imagine the rock as a home made loaf of bread cut into slices.  They can be cut whatever thickness I desire. Clear or transparent rough works best cut thick to show the beauty in the stone when finished. 



In my work, I have bought nice quality supplies for many years. Having bought the high quality beads and cabochons for years I believe I have an idea what other designers are looking for.  Your referrals of friends whom are jewelry designers or jewelry store owners are always appreciated.   Most of my cabochon sales are to other jewelry designers right now.   A few are sales to collectors. Yes, I still sell my OOAK jewelry.  It is just that my focus is on the gemstones right now. 

On the right, a piece of the Unakite I collected as a finished cabochon.  I went through all of the 7 steps above with this rock.

Below is a Montana Moss Agate cabochon ready to be set into a piece of jewelry. This is a transparent stone and the light is reflected best when the back of the piece is left open.

My cabochons are free form which meas they are not round, or oval like most of the ones I see for sale.  This makes them unique and OOAK.
OOAK means One of a Kind. Cabochons are also called cabs.

Please feel free to ask any questions about the process of stone cutting or making cabochons that you have.   I have taught wire wrapping and jewelry making for years.  I also taught my boyfriend to cut cabs. He is a natural and is a better cutter than I am.

My stores: Jewelry shop
                 Cabochons and Supplies

Facebook:  PW Facebook
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems