Moon: Surrendering to Beauty

Crescent Moon, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): silver crescent moon charm

The sky was lit
by the splendor of the moon
So powerful
I fell to the ground

Your love
has made me sure

I am ready to forsake
this worldly life
and surrender
to the magnificence
of your Being

- Jelaluddin Rumi

Make the moon your mistress with this delicate charm...

Kiss of the Spider Woman

spider house

Spiders fascinate and scare me. From afar I love to watch them spin their webs and then just camp out in the center waiting for what comes next.

spider light

I love this idea of constructing an elaborate architecture with only a mental blueprint. Does she know what it will look like before she starts spinning or does it just evolve? Does she make the same pattern over and over or does it change?

I admire how spider woman seems to be so confident and poised sitting on her web. Spider woman doesn't need anyone to validate her existence or artistry.

spider knitting

Spider woman has been working her magic on me these last few months, encouraging me to pick up the knitting I left behind four years ago...

Kiss, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
garnet, fine and sterling silver

and calling to celebrate her creative wisdom in a tiny, silver token from Hint Jewelry!

What have you been spinning lately in your creative garden?
What allows you to feel wisdom that flows without knowing where its headed?

Cheers to a Happy Halloween and embracing
the magnificent webs you weave!!!

In Remembrance: Honoring the Memories of Beloved Pets

Beloved, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
freshwater pearl, and fine silver cat and angel wing charms

On a beautiful autumn day nineteen years ago, I brought my Beloved Saskia home with me and from that moment forward she became a channel that allowed me to learn and grow in love.

Allowing myself to be deeply connected to animals has been my life's path toward wholeness and for their unfailing service I am deeply grateful. This week I created Beloved, a silver charm necklace to honor Saskia's generous spirit and her memories that live within me.

Love Dog, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
fine silver greyhound whippet dog charm

Do you have a connection to a Beloved animal? Have you experienced their passing? Today I realized many of Hint's charms represent animals that once inhabited my life or the lives of friends: cats, dogs, fish, rabbits, turtles, seahorses, mice, horses, and birds.

Pisces, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): fine silver two fishes charm

Did these creatures bring you moments of wonder?

Rabbit Run, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): fine silver bunny rabbit charm

Did they capture your attention with messages that had no words?

Turtle Mother, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): fine silver turtle or tortoise charm

Did they soften your heart and open you up to something Divine?

Animal Portraits: Linda St. Clair

Struttin', Linda St. Clair, 2009: oil on canvas

One of my favorite wildlife artists is Linda St. Clair. What draws me to her paintings is not only Linda's focus on animals that inhabit our daily lives, but also how she creates emotional movement with paint. Just check out this rooster's spectacular display of rich color. He's hard to resist because Linda St. Clair seems to imagine him as an aristocrat prancing around the barnyard!

Risky Rabbit, Linda St. Clair: oil on canvas

Can you feel this rabbit's soft fur and see his wet nose and whiskers twitch :)

Ripley, Linda St. Clair: oil on canvas

Doesn't this dog just ooze love and affection? It's magic how a few delicately placed paint strokes for shadows around the eyes can capture a momentary feeling and make the difference between a viewer connecting with a work of art or walking away.

Linda St. Clair always draws me into her world of color and movement. If you are able to see her work in person at galleries in either Wyoming and South Carolina or museum collections you will be sure to fall in love with her luscious paint and animals.

Behind the Scenes: Keeping Track of Internet Bookmarks

Find Hint Jewelry's Delicious favorites on the blog sidebar

Having an online jewelry and charm business actually requires a lot of technological know how when it comes to doing Internet research. More importantly, keeping track of all these invaluable favorites you've bookmarked on your computer is even more challenging. It took me a while to catch onto Delicious, an amazing technological tool that will organize your bookmarks, but once I signed myself up for a free account the payoff was enormous.

One secret that I have yet to reveal about myself is that I'm a category junkie. I love putting things in order and creating systems to store them. This hobby that may have drove my family nuts when I had to catalog our whole book collection as a kid, led to numerous jobs in libraries, museums, and computer applications -- places that thrive on inventories :)

Delicious has allowed me to fulfill my dream of having all my favorite bookmarked Web sites cataloged and keyword searchable. No more scratching my head wondering what folder I stored a bookmark in that was so invaluable to me eight months ago.

In this Behind the Scenes article, I'll show you how I use Delicious for keeping Hint Jewelry on track and opening the door to sharing useful or interesting bookmarks with readers and friends.

The top photo in this article illustrates the Delicious widget that I have included on Hint Jewelry's blog sidebar. Any time you want to see what I have been bookmarking, you can look at my top picks listed in this widget. If you want to visit Hint Jewelry's Delicious account page for more bookmarks you can click on the hintjewelry link at the bottom of the widget.

Why on earth would you want to go digging through Hint Jewelry's bookmarks? Well, you never know what cool links I've got stored in there...maybe pages that offer tips on running an Etsy business, suppliers, neat jewelry designers, technology tools, or yummy recipes. I think of Hint Jewelry's Delicious page as my Internet tool kit that you are welcome to use. It's my own Internet attic that you get to sift through to find all sorts of treasures!

From the beginning, I have tried to reorganize my bookmarks in categories with appropriate keywords, but I'm only half way through. By doing this I hope to make it easier for other users and myself to find information quickly.

Add a favorite link to your Delicious account - mark private or keep public

If you sign up for your own Delicious account, the program will add three icons to your Internet browser's navigational bar. This makes bookmarking your favorite Web site a snap. When you see a page you want to make a favorite you click the icon on your Delicious toolbar and a window pops up asking you to add notes, tags, tweet on Twitter, and send to your Delicious friends.

You also get the choice of making this bookmark private or public. If you don't want other people to view this bookmark, make the link private by clicking the check box in the upper right hand corner. (hmmm...now you probably what secret links I've been hiding from you!)

Use keyword searches to quickly find a favorite bookmark using the Delicious sidebar

To locate a favorite bookmark, I don't have to visit Hint Jewelry's Delicious account page. Instead, using the Delicious toolbar on my browser, I click on the icon that brings up a left hand sidebar featuring a keyword search on all my bookmarks, a list of categories, or links found in alphabetical order.

Hint Jewelry's Delicious account page

If you open Hint Jewelry's Delicious account page, you can use the keyword tags located on the right-hand menu to browse links in a particular category. Another option, is to search Hint Jewelry's Delicious page for a particular topic such as polymer clay. To do this, look for the search field on the left hand side of the screen, below the blue face and next to hintjewelry in blue.

If you have been collecting favorite bookmarks for years, all is not lost. When you sign up for a Delicious account you are given the option of importing your current collection of bookmarks.

Delicious has added to the efficiency of my business, by allowing me to quickly find the wealth of information I have accumulated over the years on my computer. It has also connected me to other savvy Internet bookmarkers who are willing to share their expertise with me.

How could you have fun with this tool? Maybe each family member has an account and you become Delicious friends where you use it to exchange trip planning, recipes, knitting patterns, etc. Maybe you and a group of friends with the same interests (e.g., gardening, sewing, jewelry making, etc.) use it to keep on top of the latest trends. The possibilities are endless!

Be sure to check out my Behind the Scenes series for more articles about designing Hint Jewelry and managing a business.

Sneak Peek: Holiday Charm Collection

It's time for a peek at Hint Jewelry's holiday goodies!
You can look forward to a couple new designs as well as some
favorites that I've pulled out of the closet.

Enjoy and I'd love your feedback on these :)

snow angel

winter solstice (pinecone)

let it snow

silent night

peace on earth

night angel

Using Autumn for Creative Inspiration

What do you love most about fall?

color

pattern

texture

repetition

shape

line

Home Harvest, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
citrine, carnelian, garnet, amber, green tourmaline, fine and sterling silver

I love them all and would be hard pressed to choose one. Taken as a whole, autumn provides oodles of creative inspiration. To honor this glorious season, I created a Home Harvest necklace that captures all these elements so as to tell a story of memory...

drinking warm cider, breathing crisp air, raking leaves, apple picking, baking pumpkin bread, and gathering together to give thanks and enjoy the harvest.

What autumn memories would you add to this list?

Baby Owl: Innocence

Hoot, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): silver baby owl charm

Just beginning to discover its night owl hoot, this baby bird will capture your heart with his innocence and mirth!

Who is Your AKA?

Lego Beth aka Indiana Jones

When you let your fantasies run wild, who do you really want to be?

Last year during an innovative personal development class, I was tasked with picking five people who I'd love to be and told to let my imagination take charge. Then while evaluating the list, I was asked to mark two imaginary lives that caused me to feel the most embarrassment.

The idea behind this exercise is the belief that hidden within these other personas is a deep unacknowledged desire, yearning to find fulfillment. Looking back at my most embarrassing answers from a year ago, I realized that my two small voices have definitely taken root and turned my life into something I didn't know was possible.

*********

Over a year ago I had come to a place of creative desperation, which turned into a moment of complete openness. I wanted to change my life, and I was willing to reveal my most embarrassing desires in order to put the wheels in motion. Like diving into ice cold water I raised my hand and shared my most embarrassing dreams:

I want to be Indiana Jones and the medicine man Rolling Thunder.

While I blushed a deep, crimson red and shamed myself internally for having the audacity to say such a silly thing out loud, an amazing thing happened. Life sent me a dazzling surprise. The most logical, stoic, middle-of-the road, unassuming man in the class looked at me with complete reverence and said, "I think get it," and proceeded to eloquently voice my desire in way that captured everything I was wanting.

Through his thoughtful picture of me, I was able to see the actions these two people personified, and I gave myself permission to be these things in the world.

Indiana Jones
adventuring, learning, uncovering, thinking creatively

Rolling Thunder
contributing, teaching, connecting to spirit

Who is your alter ego? What secret persona would cause you the most embarrassment? I dare you to go to this hidden place and seek out the voice who is most ignored. If you uncover their true actions, you will not be disappointed. For in this small voice is a profound wanting that knows it has a place in this world, and it will continue tugging away at your heart until you bring it forth into the light of day.

Cross: Strength of Spirit

Valiant Milagro, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): fine silver cross charm

Strength of numbers is the delight of the timid. The Valiant in spirit glory in fighting alone.  
- Mahatma Ghandi

Breaking Spiderwebs

Breaking Spiderswebs curated by Lunalove

Today I was graced with being in an amazing Etsy Treasury called Breaking Spiderwebs curated by the fabulous Ashli of Lunalove!

First off you must go check out Lunalove's latest fall creations. I took a peek today and saw some amazing pieces of jewelry that use not only Hint charms but some other amazing component designers like Anne Choi and Mamacita Beadworks. I don't want to ruin the surprises but Lunalove sure knows how to pair silver with a cascade of colorful wire-wrapped beads.

Now as for this latest spider-inspired Treasury...I've fallen head over heels in love. Of course, Ashli of Lunalove kept everything to a tight palette of turquoise and shades of grey, which is one of my favorite color schemes. Moreover, she picked some of the coolest handcrafted designs to tell her story of spiderwebs. Hope you enjoy a few of my favorite new picks from Lunalove's Treasury:

Spider Cut Out Necklace by Myriad Art
Spider Kanzashi Pirate Mask by CCaspia
Silver Spider Chain Necklace by Jewelry Vixen
Sterling Spider Post Earrings by Signeture Line
Eek Earrings by Pamela Susan

Miksang Moment at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden

Schmap Guide - Portland Classical Chinese Garden

The coolest thing just dropped into my lap the other day -- the opportunity to have one my Flickr photos be part of an interactive Schmap travel guide for the city of Portland! I haven't done much traveling over the last several years, but after Schmap contacted me for permission to use my photo of the lotus blossom at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, I'm thinking their online interactive guides would be perfect for my next destination. They're specifically designed to help you plan your trip from your computer by giving you virtual tours and then you can download it to your mobile phone to take it on the road with you.

Lotus Flower at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Beth Hemmila

The funny part of this story is that I really do love this photo, and it seems unexplainable. It's not particularly innovative or special but something about the colors and light give me a sense of peace. I'm dying to share a secret about this shot...it came to me from a prayer :)

Have you ever heard of Miksang? It's a form of contemplative photography that emerged out the teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Choygam Trungpa Rinpoche. Miksang in Tibetan means "Good Eye" and is based on Shambala and Dharma art practices. This idea of "good" is more about freeing your mind of thought and opening to a pure moment. It is described as moment when you are able to merge a clear mind with a softened heart and experience pure perception without any emotional blocks. I've never actually attended a Miksang workshop, but the day I visited the Portland Chinese Classical Garden, I did a small, silent meditation before each photo as a way of letting go of perception.

For me, this lotus blossom photo is filled with my own reverence for a splendid summer day, and the gratitude that this image arrived without any expectations but rather a sense of being available to whatever happens. How delightful to think this lotus blossom photo may inspire others on their travels through the fair city of Portland!

Designing for Summer in Fall?

2009 Summer Beach Bead Swap: silver shell and seahorse charm

This past summer creative mavens Heather Powers of Humblebeads and Lynn Davis of Expedition D organized a beach themed bead swap. Well, things got in the way of me being creative over the summer -- like the sunshine -- and I let my wonderful sea treasures languish in my bead stash.

Seahorse photo by Laurie

Around the same time, I met this wonderful woman who raises seahorses, and she shared this amazing photo with me. Through several conversations, I was lucky enough to learn more about these fascinating creatures, which led to a much better title and description for my tiny seahorse charm now called Flirt. I wanted so much to create a necklace that honored this creative exchange and birth of Flirt, but time slipped away and summer faded into fall.

Then the other day I had a flash of inspiration. What could make me design a summer piece in the middle of fall? Well, hello, a submission to Stringing Magazine for Summer 2010! I've been wanting to submit jewelry designs; however, I'm usually grumbling because I'm two months behind on planning.

Heather Powers: polymer clay pendants
Daphne Runge: glass bead

Well, not this time!! I've got until the end of December to play with all my beach themed beads and enjoy summer during the colder months. Check out some of this beadrific inspiration like Heather Power's stunning polymer clay pendants that remind me of coral (when you flip one over and it has an etched copper bezel). The gorgeous underwater inspired glass bead is by Daphne Runge, a Saint Louis artist who teaches at Glasshopper Studio.

Gaea Cannaday: ceramic mermaid pendant and round beads
Erin Siegel: ceramic sand dollar
Lynn Davis: pewter seashell

Though not a part of this bead exchange, I am including one of my cherished summer purchases, a beautiful ceramic mermaid pendant by the clever Gaea Cannaday. One of the best parts of shopping at Gaea's bead store is that you get to choose from tons of glazes. I also have a couple of Gaea's round ceramic beads, Erin Siegel's delicate ceramic sand dollar from Every Heart Crafts, and a host of cool cast pewter charms like this conch shell by Lynn Davis.

Aphrodite and Flirt, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): fine silver seahorse and shell charm

For the bead swap I submitted my tiny Aphrodite shell to the mix, but I hope to also include Flirt my hippocamp inspired seahorse into whatever I create for Stringing Magazine. Using as inspiration the photos from my seahorse loving friend Laurie, I want to tell a story that captures the mystery of living underwater. No matter the outcome of my submission, I'm sure to have fun with all these wonderful treasures that will take me to magical places under the sea and call to mind sunnier days!

If you can't escape the cold this fall and winter, maybe uncovering some of your own summer treasures in your bead stash and piecing together memories will bring you warmth and fun :)

P.S. To explore a special underwater place for inspiration, check out this amazing Youtube video from the Monterey Bay Aquarium called The Secret Lives of Seahorses.

Reiki: The Mountain & Absurdity

Three weeks ago my life felt unbalanced. Sleep has become work for me, but this isn't a surprise because usually when I seek emotional growth insomnia emerges. So I decided to turn to my Reiki cards for direction. Usually I play with Reiki in a pretty loose manner, but after three weeks of pulling the same card three times, I'm sensing a powerful gift happening.

The card I keep pulling is called "The Mountain: Spiritual Attainment." It always comes up in the reverse with a focus on "Absurdity," which implies that I am nearing a transformation and rebirth. There is a promise of something new to come. In archetypal Reiki, the mountain symbolizes a passage to a state of consciousness more connected to the Divine.

I should feel excited. I mean I'm usually driven by this idea of something wonderful and new, but today when I pulled the card I sensed resistance. I want the card, but lately "The Mountain" is beginning to feel like a job interview that I just can't gauge the outcome. In this brief moment of recognizing reluctance, I began to hear a long list of negative thinking in the back of my head.

Do you ever feel stuck in this in between place? A place where you don't know what is coming, but you get to make the choice of excitement over dread and you choose the latter?

The gratitude for me is in this small moment of recognizing that I have been disconnected from my fear and taking the time to offer myself some thoughtful compassion. Sometimes our own selves are last on the list for receiving kindness and empathy, but when you finally nurture yourself something blossoms and expands tenfold.

Right now I am hoping you too are taking a moment to offer yourself some love and support as we move through autumn -- a momentous season of change...

Etsy Metal Clay Team Treasury!

Woke up this morning and found that one gorgeous chica and artist, Lorena Angulo of Pueblo Folk Art, included my Frida Kahlo Day of the Dead necklace in her Etsy Metal Clay Treasury called E=MC!

What fun to be sitting among such beauties as Lorena Angula's Arbol de Vida, Kale Primitif's Posie Bronze Earrings, Lora Hart's Percheron Earrings, KFehr Design's braille jewelry, Happy Day Art's Big Beautiful Heart pin, and Birdland Creations Be as a Bird Silver Poem Bracelet.

Frida Kahlo Day of the Dead, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry Design):
amethyst, peridot, garnet, sapphire, carnelian,
yellow and green tourmaline, fine and sterling silver

I hope you take a chance to explore these wonderful metal clay artists through this wonderful Treasury. A big hug and thank you to Lorena Angula for honoring Hint's Frida Kahlo necklace in an Etsy Treasury!

Behind the Scenes: Shipping for Online Jewelry Business

Shipping Day at Hint Jewelry

Sounds like a mundane topic for a Behind the Scenes look at making Hint Jewelry and charms: however, 13% of my overhead expenses are devoted to shipping costs and a good portion of my labor is focused on packaging and mailing merchandise.

Being a person who loves to create efficiencies, I am extremely aware that the shipping portion of Hint Jewelry could do with some streamlining, and I've added it to my list of goals for 2010. In the meantime, I'm sharing my current shipping process so that when I do revamp this portion of my business it will allow for some comparison and perhaps generate helpful tips by other readers.

Most people who purchase charms or jewelry from Hint Jewelry on Etsy use the PayPal interface, which makes shipping easy because I generate labels through their Multi-order shipping feature (if you are a merchant this link is located on the left side of your PayPal account under the tools menu). The labels generate a bar code that I swear have some sort of positive impact on the postal service because shipping seems to go faster. I currently print these labels out on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, trim them to size, and affix them to the envelope with packing tape. For international shipping, I don't use PayPal because they only offer Express or Priority shipping online. For international packages, I create my labels in Microsoft Word, fill out the green customs form for packages under 4 lbs. (form number 2976), and then stand in line at the Post Office and let the professionals take over. My international packages are untrackable because I am unable to purchase Delivery Confirmation on First Class overseas.

For Hint Jewelry, I only ship on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I can process all packages in bulk. I ship everything using the United States Postal Service, First-Class Mail Parcel (2-5 days), Package/Thick Envelope with Delivery Confirmation Service. Most of my packages weigh under 2 ounces and do not require insurance, so postage costs between $1.41 and $1.58.

If you do have an online business that requires shipping, I found it valuable to calculate the total cost of materials, postage, and labor when determining what is a reasonable amount to charge for shipping and handling. Here is a sample breakdown of what I discovered when I looked at the cost of packaging and shipping a piece of Hint Jewelry:

Materials & Postage
Moo.com MiniCard $0.24
Small Gift Box $0.46
Plastic Baggie $0.06
Large Ribbon $0.09
Small Ribbon $0.01
Kraft Bubble Mailer $0.10
Paper for Label $0.01
Black Toner for Printer $0.09
Packing Tape $0.05
Bubble Wrap $0.05
Paper Receipt $0.08
USPS Postage $1.58

The total cost comes to $2.83 for each package. It probably takes about 10-15 minutes of labor to put together a package and send it off in the mail. Once you start factoring your time into the equation you begin to get a better picture of what is a reasonable charge for shipping. Ironically, this exercise really helped me break free of wondering about other merchant's shipping costs and honoring the work that must go into sending me my latest fav book from Amazon.com.

Shipping Material Resources
Novel Box Company - Chocolate Kraft Cotton Filled Box 3 x 2 1/8 x 1 inches
RoyalMailers.com - #000 Kraft Air Bubble Mailers with Self Seal 4.5 x 8 inches
Moo.com - MiniCards
Staples or Office Depot - packing tape, receipt book, plastic baggies, paper, bubble wrap, and toner
Michaels - ribbon

Stamps for Branding the Hint Jewelry Logo

Another area of packaging that I would like to upgrade is Hint Jewelry's branding. For the most part I have been relying on rubber stamps with my logo to reinforce the Hint Jewelry brand name on my packaging. The stamps seem fun and quirky, so I definitely feel like they may have added to the charm of my business, but I've never received any feedback so it may all be in my imagination :)

I designed my stamps using Adobe Photoshop and then submitted the images to Rubberstamps.net. I have a stamp for my receipts that allows me to write a personal note to friends who have purchased an item. I have my own "Fragile" stamp using a font that seems more friendly then the one you can purchase at Office Depot. And lastly, I created a stamp that places my logo on rustic, brown Kraft coin envelope (2 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches), which I use to package my charms.

Hint Jewelry's MiniCard from Moo.com (front and back)

Another important marketing tool is my business card. I have gravitated towards using Moo.com for all my business cards because frankly I love their easy software and the unique size of their MiniCards. I also enjoy being able to have many different designs in a package of a 100 cards.

Keeping Hint Necklaces Untangled During Shipping

One nagging aspect of packaging delicate Hint Jewelry has been preventing the tangling of chains. How do I ship a delicate sterling silver chain necklace all the way to Australia so that when the wonderful person on the other end who opens it up can slip this necklace on without getting a headache from having to untangle a mess? Well, this part is still a work in progress. I've tried a variety of approaches, but lately I haven't experienced any negative feedback from my method pictured above. Using the cotton in the gift box, I gently wrap the necklace around it length wise and slip it into a plastic baggie. My idea is that the pressure from the baggie tucked under the cotton will hold everything in place.

Gift Wrapped Jewelry for Hint

I slip a business card into the box and then use two different sizes of ribbon in contrasting colors to complete the gift wrap. I'm still enjoying this geisha inspired East meets West gift wrap that I came up with and will probably continue using it in 2010.

Here are some things that I am looking to improve on packaging and shipping for 2010: more efficient methods of receipting and accounting, a shipping label printer, and redeveloping my branding.

The most important upgrade will be a printer for labels. Slowly I have been researching a Dymo LabelWriter printer and have accumulated some helpful links along the way:

Etsy Forum on Dymo Printers
Etsy Forum on Shipping: PayPal, Endica, Stamps.com
Brother QL-570 Professional Label Printer that was recommended by a fellow Etsy seller

If you own an online business, I'd love to hear any tips you have for shipping and packaging merchandise. More importantly, if you have received Hint Jewelry and charms and would like to offer feedback on shipping and packaging that would also be warmly received.

Be sure to explore more of my Behind the Scenes blog features to learn more about creating jewelry and running an online business!