yeah, sure............

Right on, there Diana, I'm going to keep up this blog and work hard all year to make sure all my websites are updated, linked and impressive, PLUS build and outfit my own Art Studio, do every craft show and gift shop within 200 miles, AND set aside 2 hours every single day to make jewelry, jewelry and more jewelry... as I said,

yeah, sure....

Well, here it is, December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day, and I have a selection of my handmade earrings and silk corded necklaces being sold on consignment at Service Pharmacy in Norwich, NY, and I have the rest of my inventory at the Chenango County Council of the Arts Holiday Gift Shop from Dec. 6th to the 20th.

I have the desk I'm going to use in my studio, some shelving and lots of ideas, that's it. I'm lucky if I get 2 hours a WEEK to make jewelry. With 2 kids in high school, you can imagine how hectic my life is right now! I ended up having to skip ahead on my www.naturalearthjewelry.com and not put Paypal "Add to Cart" buttons on each piece just to get them online. I have my email address on each piece so customers can contact me direct at this point. I will (somehow) get those buttons added soon!

I'm expecting (ok, hoping) that showing my jewelry at the CCCA Gift Shop will generate interest in my pieces and I will add to my customer base from it. I am currently working on a new Squidoo lens entitled (ready?) Cheap Art Supplies (www.squidoo.com/dianaparkerart). Why would I call it this? Well, I am on a strict budget to get this much anticipated studio up and running that I've found my wallet is a lot tighter when it comes to supplies. Thankfully I have gathered enough beading supplies that I'm all set for probably, oh, the next 40 years without having to buy so much as another jump ring.

But as far as art supplies go, I didn't have much. I like to think of myself as thrifty and creative, and when those two words are put to use together, well, I ended up with a Squidoo page that I'm really excited about. I have promised myself that I will make time to list all my cheapskate ideas THIS WEEK, so please check back and see what happens!

Oh, and I also opened up an Etsy store at www.naturalearthjewelry.etsy.com. I've got a few pieces listed so far, but I hesitate to list more because I am SO hoping I will sell most of my inventory at the Gift Shop! As I said, I did put some serious work into my www.naturalearthjewelry.com website, so nearly every necklace I have is posted, it IS worth checking out!

NEJ Website Update

No wonder why people pay $1200 to have someone make them a business website! I guess I never really thought about all that goes into it. My old site, www.jewelrycreationsbydiana.com, is so simple and out of date. This new site will be much more involved. I finished the links and then decided to add more product categories, which will take me forever to add onto every page. Seems like the more I try to remember every little thing I could possibly conceivably want on the site, the more I get discouraged. Right now I'm making sure each piece of jewelry has a clickable link to a larger picture of it, I feel that's really important. There's no way you can choose to buy a piece of jewelry from a thumbnail pic.

Besides all that, the site is truly coming along "in spite of myself". I've got to get over the perfectionist attitude because making sure everything is lined up micron by micron shouldn't be as important as putting out a site that's easy on the eyes and easy to navigate. I get so frustrated when I can't find out how to get to see the products on a site because the webmaster has made such a fuss over the "front page" that they lose the link to get in! Ever had that problem? ARGH!

Enough gripping from me for now. I'm sure to have more venting sessions before I'm done. Then I get to start on the www.dianaparkerart.com site, whoopee!

Have a great day!

Diana

First Post!

Hello fellow Jewelry & Art Lovers!

I'm Diana Parker, and this is my first blog posting! Let me tell you a little about myself. I'm a 40(something)

self taught creator, living in the beautiful hills of Upstate New York. I'm not sure I feel right calling myself an artist when so many wonderfully talented people has taken the time to get a college degree and/or

taken art classes to earn their title. Am I an artist? I don't know. Are you an artist? Who cares! If you love creating the beautiful things in life, creating what's in your heart, or just viewing or purchasing art and jewelry, then maybe we can make a connection on a personal level and share our love of individual expression.

I invite you to share your creations, your links, your insights into the whole subject of art, particularly Mixed Media, Collage, Paper, Fiber and Found Object Art. Just beginning this journey? Maybe I can teach you something! Have a little experience under your belt? Teach me something! Let me share your knowledge with others too.

I really look forward to seeing where this blog takes us. Remember, we're all along for the ride together...

Diana

http://www.naturalearthjewelry.com/

http://www.dianaparkerart.com/

(These are my 2 websites. I am finishing Natural Earth Jewelry first, that will take me (probably) until the end of March to complete. I'll then begin work on Diana Parker Art. Send me your links for inclusion on my Links Lists! Email me @ naturalearthjewelry@yahoo.com or dianaparkerart@yahoo.com.