Alice in Wonderland

White Rabbit, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
Alice in Wonderland bunny charm necklace
sterling silver, silk thread, pink tourmaline, iolite,
tanzanite, and freshwater pearl

Johnny Depp, Lewis Carroll, Tim Burton...who wouldn't be intrigued by next month's movie premiere of Alice in Wonderland?! I am really looking forward to some eye candy that will be exploding across the screen, and in celebration I put together a necklace honoring one of my favorite fairy tale characters -- the White Rabbit.

White Rabbit, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
Alice in Wonderland bunny charm necklace
sterling silver, silk thread, pink tourmaline, iolite,
tanzanite, and freshwater pearl

What if you slid down a rabbit hole? What would you find there?

White Rabbit, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
Alice in Wonderland bunny charm necklace
sterling silver, silk thread, pink tourmaline, iolite,
tanzanite, and freshwater pearl

I'm hoping for a dreamy world of soft lavenders and deep violets along with a pair of rose colored glasses :)

Behind the Scenes: Taxes for Artists

I admit that when I looked at the paperwork for doing taxes by hand for Hint Jewelry, a part of me was running for the hills, but after going to the tax workshop at the Oregon College of Arts and Craft I had a revelation. The information I would need to provide an accountant, who I would pay to do my taxes, were the same exact questions TurboTax was asking me. By knowing the questions up front, I organized my business revenue and expenses around the answers and the process seem a whole lot more manageable.

I suppose this is where financial software like Quicken would come in handy, but what the heck, I designed a new Excel spreadsheet for expenses based on the questions from TurboTax and an example of an income statement from the Small Business Administration. Why am I going to such great lengths to build an income statement for Hint Jewelry? To expand Hint, at some point I may have to apply for a business loan and this would require an income statement. Why not start practicing now?!

I'm sure designing my own accounting spreadsheet is making somebody at Quicken cringe right now. Besides being lazy about purchasing new software, I'm of the mindset that by building my own organizational tool, I'm more in tune with how my business runs and cash flow happens. Getting into the organization and math of Hint Jewelry's finances is empowering. I'm not ready to hand that experience over to someone else at the beginning stages of Hint Jewelry before I know how it all works.


Here are some tips that came out of my Taxes for Artists class:
1. Take a class on taxes -- hey, you can write this off as an expense and it was great to meet people who had similar questions about art and business!
2. Keep accurate records of everything: business income, expenses by category, and travel. Keep receipts for three years.
3. Keep a journal and take notes of purchases, vehicle mileage, and travel expenses. This journal can be used in conjunction with your receipts during an audit. For any expense, answer these key questions: who, what, where, when, and why?
4. Keep records of gifts and refunds, which will impact your final inventory.
5. Contributing to an IRA is beneficial because it lowers your adjustable gross income.
6. If your business is run out of the home, be sure to add a rider to your homeowners insurance, which can be reported as an expense.
7. The self-employment tax rate is 15.30% of 92.35% of net self-employment income: 12.4% Social Security on the first $106,800 of net income and 2.9% for Medicare on all net income.
8. Read the small business IRS.gov guidelines for travel expenses.
9. Unless a charitable contribution resulted in marketing or advertising, it is not a business expense for a sole proprietor. Charitable contributions can be taken as a personal deduction.
10. If you are recording expenses for property such as a phone or computer and these items are used for both your business and personal life, you must know the percentage of business use and provide a phone bill and computer work log. It seems easier to me to have a separate phone and computer that is used solely for your business then go through this hassle.
11. Open a bank account for your business and and get a credit card for your expenses. This will keep everything clear and separate from your personal life.

Here's a cheat sheet for what things to keep track of:

REVENUE
Gross Sales
Shipping and Handling
Returns
Gifts

COST OF GOODS SOLD
Beginning Inventory
Ending Inventory
Material Purchased (directly related to cost of making your product)
Freight-In (cost of shipping material to you)
Direct Labor (if someone makes a part for you and charges you labor)
Indirect Expenses (small tools and material that is part of the process of making the piece like a chemical)

EXPENSES
Advertising/Marketing
Credit Card Fees (PayPal processing fees)
Delivery Expenses (shipping supplies)
Web Site Fees
Insurance
Maintenance
Miscellaneous (books, classes)
Office Supplies
Operating Supplies (furniture, computer, software)
Permits and Licenses
Postage
Professional Fees
Property Taxes
Rent
Repairs
Subscriptions
Telephone
Travel
Utilities
Vehicle Expenses (gas, oil, repairs, insurance, registration fee, parking)
Wages

For more information on running an online business check out my whole Behind the Scenes blog series.

Saraswati: Swan of Absolute Truth

Absolute Truth, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): silver swan sister charm

Hiding within a fragile lotus blossom is Saraswati, Hindu goddess of wisdom, the divine swan maiden, and physical manifestation of Absolute Truth. When you are able to see the purity of your becoming in every moment, you embody the ancient wisdom of Saraswati.

Gem Stories: Amethyst

amethyst

February's traditional birthstone is amethyst, but I'd love it to be mine too! After reading Victoria Finlay's Jewels: A Secret History, I've become somewhat more liberated in regards to adopting other gems as my own birthstones.

Apparently, during the glorious year of 1912 in of all places Kansas City, Missouri, an official meeting of the American National Association of Jewelers came up with an arbitrary list of birthstones based on gems they most wanted to sell. Lucky for me this group of marketing savvy jewelers chose garnet for January, which is one that both looks good on me, and I adore; however, I would have been just as happy with an amethyst. Life is no longer neat and tidy anymore! I invite you to throw caution to the wind and adopt your own personal birthstones :)

A member of the quartz family, amethyst has always drawn me in with her intoxicating hues of lavenders and deep violets. Known as a stone of transformation, amethyst awakens spiritual journeys and new levels of consciousness. An amethyst crystal is believed to take your lower vibrations and transform them into higher energy. If you are experiencing any type of change, loss, or grief, then amethyst is going to be a great source of comfort.

Even though I don't totally understand the science behind a gemstone's structure and its healing powers, this connection between transformation and amethyst doesn't surprise. Intuitively I know its color soothes me like seeing the end of a gorgeous sunset, and when I hold any type of quartz in my hand I feel the awesome power of how the earth conducts energy through its body of minerals.

I think the most important aspect of connecting with any particular gemstone, is to first sense what you are feeling when you hold it in your hand and gaze at its color. If you trust the voice inside, then you'll truly understand its personal significance. You have an inner knowing that is deeper then any words found in a book or outlined on an arbitrary list.

Susan Brubaker Knapp: Blue Moon River Quilts

Harbinger's Hope (Detail), Susan Brubaker Knapp (Blue Moon River)

Having Hint Jewelry out on the Internet invites serendipity into my life every day. Like a kid at a gigantic show and tell, I do something, post it on Flickr, Facebook, or Blogger, and if I'm lucky, magically someone sees a part of their heart in it. They reach out to connect, and I get to join in the fun of looking at art together.

This is how I met the amazing fiber artist, quilt pattern designer and teacher Susan Brubaker Knapp of Blue Moon River. Susan saw Hint Jewelry's Mini business cards in a Moo.com newsletter and wandered over to my shop. In return, I got to peek inside her Blue Moon River studio and see nature expressed in a whole new and refreshing way.

Harbinger's Hope, 2007, 53 x 62 inches
Susan Brubaker Knapp (Blue Moon River)
Batiks, hand-dyed cotton, fusible web, non-fusible interfacing,
cotton and rayon threads, and perle cotton

My favorite piece from Susan Brubaker Knapp's fiber arts collection is Harbinger's Hope -- an abstraction of a nest, tree and robin. What a beautiful personal story painted eloquently in cloth and thread, celebrating the coming of spring and the preservation of trees amidst society's fast-paced development.

I really appreciate Susan Brubaker Knapp's ability to take a feeling about nature and translate it into a visual image that has rhythm through pattern and color. My eye keeps circling through the quilt looking for details that I've missed such as the falling feathers.

Heart's Desire (Baltimore Album Quilt Pattern), 62 x 62 inches
Susan Brubaker Knapp (Blue Moon River)

If you can't afford one of Blue Moon River's one-of-a-kind beauties, and you're handy with a needle and thread, then you might consider falling in love with one of her incredible quilting patterns. I'm not a fiber artist, but this version of a Baltimore Album quilt called Heart's Desire, is just the type of thing I would want in my possession as a family heirloom.

Creating pleasing patterns takes a special talent for understanding line, shape, color, texture, and balance. Not only is Susan able to call to mind an American heritage of quilt making with this exquisite piece of artistry, she's knocked it out of the ball park by harmonizing the elements of design. The added cool thing about Heart's Desire is that you can buy just one block or the whole pattern.

Lepidoptera, 2009, 39 x 39 inches
Susan Brubaker Knapp (Blue Moon River)
cotton fabric, cotton threads, fabric paint,
wool polyester batting, and machine quilted

Susan Brubaker Knapp created this next startling burst of color based on a photograph she snapped of a Painted Lady Butterfly. Lepidoptera reminds me of sunny days where you if you look closely you'll see small color explosions erupting all around you. This piece makes me want to get out my colored pencils and just draw what ever shapes come to mind without following any plan.

Susan's work explodes with color and vibrance, and I'm guessing this is because she has an amazing wealth of creative energy! Don't miss an opportunity to visit Blue Moon River's blog to learn more about Susan Brubaker Knapp and take part in her creative journey.

Behind the Scenes: Experimenting with Patina Gel

Cool Tools Patina Gel: Liver of Sulfur for Jewelry

Sometimes I get into a groove where I resist trying new things. I feel comfortable with a certain habit that seems to be working and flying off into unknown territory that may cause me to have to do more work later is concept that often holds me back.

Last year when Cool Tools introduced their Patina Gel, I realized how much I needed to experiment more with finishing Hint Jewelry's silver charms. I purchased a four ounce bottle of Cool Tools Patina Gel and also found some liquid Silver Black Oxidizer. Over the last couple months I've compared the Patina Gel to the Griffith liquid Silver Black Oxidizer and liver of sulfur in dry chunks, and hands down I love working with the Cool Tools Patina Gel best of all.

The stabilized Cool Tools Patina Gel is easy to store, so you don't have to worry about sealing in a bunch of baggies, and a little goes a long way. I'm guessing that this small bottle might last the whole year or more! Also, Cool Tools has provided excellent online patina videos and documentation for their Patina Gel. Even if you don't purchase their product, I highly recommend watching their liver of sulfur videos for new tips and tricks.

For more information on working with metal clay and running an online jewelry business, check out my whole Behind the Scenes blog series.

Forgiveness: A Gentle Peace

Forgiveness, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
fine silver flower in hand charm

Be kind and gentle to your soul for it only wants to be loved. Whatever forgiveness you seek, it blossoms for you. When you accept forgiveness, know that a greater peace is shared with the whole world.

Be My Valentine Heart

Be Mine, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
silver valentines day heart charm

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)

E. E. Cummings

Secret Life of Diamonds

diamond

Happy Valentine's Day, lovelies! Did you find a diamond glittering inside your heart today? Is it sparkling for the ones you love :)

I offer my farewell post on Victoria Finlay's Jewels: A Secret History, because it seemed like the perfect sentiment to acknowledge love in all its shapes and sizes. Like a diamond, love can feel elusive, and it was this particular aspect concerning illusion versus reality that made Finlay's last chapter so delightful.

I'm not a diamond girl. In fact, part of me feels a bit chagrined for all the times that I looked at girlfriend's diamond engagement ring and automatically exclaimed "it's soooo gorgeous!" Like opals, the sparkle of diamonds has always been somewhat disorienting to me, which seems odd because I'm a sucker for a twinkling star or glittering snow.

I guess that's why I loved reading Finlay's book Jewels: A Secret History. She's changed me. She turned my belief system upside down, like a cook that transformed your least favorite veggie into something tantalizing. I'm hooked.

There were a lot of favorite parts in this chapter on diamonds, because honestly everything was so fresh. From finding out that the curse of the Hope diamond was a media ploy to learning that its name comes from the word adamatine (unconquerable), I think Finlay's story about diamonds was one of the most fascinating, because it's built around our perception of value.

I won't ruin the eye-opening story about De Beers and the diamond industry for that alone is worth the purchase of the book. Rather I'd love to share what Gabi Tolkowksy, one of the world's best diamond-cutters, thinks when he begins to fashion a stone: "Whenever I first see a diamond I ask it, 'What do you want to become?' And it says, 'I want to be the most beautiful.'"

For Gabi Tolkowsky, a sculptor of light, every cut is a decision that can never be taken back. Every new facet is another leg on a journey of towards on unknown destination. Every moment of cutting is a yearning to tell the story of a diamond's beauty to its fullest potential.

He understands that each person perceives beauty differently but aptly theorizes that an empty space is created when visualizing an object. An opening in our field of perception that allows the viewer to fill in this space with their own fantasy image. For him, diamonds are the perfect blank canvas, allowing people's imaginations to run free when viewing something completely real.

Some people run towards a blank canvas or empty sheet of paper with gusto, but not me. I'm one of those indecisive folks that squirms when faced with filling space. To think all these years I've been running away from looking into diamonds, I've really been running away from letting my imagination be free.

Thank you Victoria Finlay for writing this book and touching my heart with stories that I will be coming back to over and over again!

Catch up on the rest of Jewels: A Secret History by reading my entire blog series The Secret Life of Gems.

Heirloom Memory Necklace: January 2010

Memory Story 2010, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
sterling silver chain, aquamarine, gold filled wire,
and fine silver lotus blossom charm pendant

Last month I was struck by the idea of keeping a personal journal in the form of a necklace. I got the idea after reading about an artist who drew a picture that symbolized every year of his life -- a visual autobiography. Unfortunately, I can't remember the artist's name even though he does reside here in the Northwest, but I was completely entranced by the enormity of his work and its meditative qualities.

Instead of taking on forty-one years for my project, I decided that keeping a record of each month in 2010 would be a completely doable design project. The partial necklace pictured above is where I've started.

Choosing the zen lotus pendant was pretty easy, because in January I was re-energizing through my yoga and Buddhist beliefs. Aquamarine gemstones always remind me of air -- the element I love most -- and a marriage between gold with silver gives me a tremendous feeling of balance between light and dark.

I really enjoyed the reflective process of looking back over the last month and trying to communicate it through symbols. Have you tried this with your art or jewelry making before? Creating an object as a symbolic self-portrait instead of using words? I am also digging the idea that I don't know where I'm headed, and I have twelve months of waiting to find out! Not many of my design projects have such a slow pace so I'm excited to experience a new kind of creative journey that gives consciousness to each month.

What will February hold? Maybe something about the excitement of the Winter Olympics, southwest splendor, spring flowers....

Behind the Scenes: Collectible Ball Chain Necklaces & Items Not Shown At Actual Size

personalized, interchangeable, and collectible sterling bead ball chain
Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry):
sterling beadball chain, gemstones, and silver charms

Last month I got busy! While Hint Jewelry was chugging away unattended, I was doing a lot of clean up on my Etsy shop photos and adding to my build a charm necklace component section.

One of the the top customer suggestions over the last year has been to include a chain option that will allow people to mix-and-match Hint Jewelry charms and gems. I procrastinated on this decision for quite awhile because I had a hard time making up my mind how it would work and choosing the right materials. I finally settled on a 2mm sterling silver bead ball chain that will allow people to collect both my charms and gems with the possibility of building a new story necklace every day to match their mood. Utilizing the concepts of both interchangeable and collectible leads to infinite possibilities when designing a necklace and puts the customer in the driver's seat.

I had been tracking this design concept by watching other key jewelry designers in the industry such as Jewelry by Cari, Christy Lea Payne for Sundance, and Heather Moore. As a small business owner, pausing to watch trends in jewelry design before investing money and time worked out for best for me. When Sundance launched Christy Lea Payne's personalized charm and birthstone collection last fall, many people on Etsy had already been exposed to my similar Your Story listing and let me know that they were choosing Hint Jewelry for quality of design and affordability.

modeling a Hint Jewelry necklace

Another major project I've been working on is modeling Hint Jewelry for photos. Oh, there have been a bunch of excuses like I don't know what to wear, the lighting is bad, background stinks, and I lost my smile, but really I've just been a horrible procrastinator. I know these photos have been the missing link to a lot of potential connections, because honestly people want to know what Hint Jewelry looks like being worn. Also, adding a live person to my Hint Jewelry listings makes the place feel a bit more comfy cosy like adding a plant to my cyber shop!

relative size photo for add-a-gem listing: Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

Lastly, one of the biggest drawbacks to selling online is effectively communicating size to customers. Written descriptions or measurements don't seem to capture the smallness of Hint Jewelry charms and gems. On Etsy it is customary to photograph jewelry using macro mode so people can see the details up close; however, this distorts one's perception of size.

relative size photo for add-a-gem listing: Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

I could just put a note "items not shown at actual size" on every photo, but I decided to try different ways of photographing gems to demonstrate relative size using a pencil, ruler, and a dime.

relative size photo for add-a-gem listing: Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

It's hard for me to figure out which photos work best. So if you have some thoughts on the matter, please let me know which photograph seems to give you the best sense of size.

relative size photo for add-a-gem listing: Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

I thought this one was fun because it reminded me of a color wheel :)

birthstone chart for add-a-gem listing: Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

I snagged Sundance catalog's cool idea and created
a chart of birthstones for my add-a-gem listing.

gemstone colors for add-a-gem listing: Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

I decided to wire-wrap every gemstone that I offer in my shop so as to create lists based on color. Above is my red-orange-yellow-green photo.

gemstone colors for add-a-gem listing: Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

These are my blue to violet options.

gemstone colors for add-a-gem listing: Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

Here are my offerings in neutral colors.

As a shop owner I'm always looking for ways to improve how I communicate visually with a customer. Sometimes I need to rethink my photos, the layout of my shop, or the words that I use; however, the most important aspect is staying flexible and being willing to look at something in a new way.

Have you been working on new ways of organizing your shop or presenting your work? I'd love to hear what you've learned from your customers.

Check out my whole blog series Behind the Scenes, to learn more about running an online jewelry business.

Busy Bee Home from Tucson

sunny bee

I'm back from my trip to the glorious southwest town of Tucson, Arizona, and this busy bee is still buzzing from all the amazing things I was able to see and do in such a short time. I'm still trying to absorb everything, so I hope to share more throughout the month of February. Here are a few snippets from my meandering...

To Bead True Blue Show, Tucson 2010: Objects and Elements booth
Susan Lenart Kazmer

I was only able to hit about half of the art bead shows in Tucson --
wow, there are a lot of beads out there!

hola coca-cola

My hubby couldn't resist a Mexican bottle of Coca-Cola...yum!

historic home near Tucson Museum of Art

Wandered around the Tucson Museum of Art
and saw lots of wonderful historic buildings.

Saguaro National Park

Hiked out in the desert -- gorgeous!

prairie dogs

Met some friendlies at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Aren't they adorable?!

a plane with a view

Flew through a pink cloud on the way home through Los Angeles :)
The perfect ending to our southwest adventure!

Shop Closed for Sunshine & Gems

turquoise, spinel, amber, peridot

This week I'm off to Tucson to take in an amazing collection of gem and bead shows. I've closed Hint Jewelry and plan to reopen on February 10th. Things got a little hectic over the weekend, so I shelved my blog post on Victoria Finlay's final chapter on diamonds from Jewels: A Secret History until later in the month.

I can't wait to look at gems with a whole new eye for story and get a taste for sunshine again! Wishing you a wonderful week, and I hope you enjoy whatever creative impulse grabs you :)

Curious Cats Have Nine Lives

Nine Lives, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): fine silver cat charm

How exciting to be as daring as a cat, getting into tussles and leaping from tree tops, all the time secretly knowing you have nine lives!