Kathryn Designs Featured at GBK Oscars Gift Lounge- Part One

  Displaying my work and creating 100 necklaces from my Open Locket Collection for the GBK Oscars Gift Lounge was a remarkable experience. From a business standpoint,  I gained a tremendous knowledge about creating my work in larger quantities, while maintaining a "one of a kind" appeal.  Valerie (founder) and Nikki (managing partner) of The Artisan Group did an amazing job at every aspect of planning for the event, providing feedback and guidance, and making sure each member was well represented at the event.

Here is a photo of The Artisan Group's Display:

The Artisan Group at GBK Oscars Gift Lounge

As you can see, it looked amazing!  Here is a little close up peek at my display pieces:

Kathryn Designs' Display Jewelry at GBK Gift Lounge

I was glued to my iPad during both days of the event, as Valerie was posting updates about some of the celebrities who visited the display and picked up swag bags.  To name a few:  Melissa McCarthy, Kevin Nealon, Marcia Gay Hardin, Dermot Mulroney, Hector Elizondo, Penelope Ann Miller, Kristi Lauren, Frankie Muniz, Penny Marshall, Cloris Leachman, Josh Sussman, Tess Hunt, Reshma Shetty, and Jon Bernthal (oh boy, I am big Walking Dead fan, but I doubt he wanted to pose with my jewelry!!)

I got great feedback on Twitter from Jane Emery of LA's The Place, Los Angeles Magazine!  

Twitter / Jane Emery: @KathrynJewelry @theartisa ...

twitter.com

‎@KathrynJewelry @theartisangroup Very imaginative and nice~! Adored it!

I will find out this week which celebrity posed with my display piece!  In the meantime, I got word that the lovely Chelsea Rendon, of the movies "A Better Life" and "Nine Lives" loved my work and was interested in my display piece, so I will be sending it to her! 

Chelsea has also been featured on the television shows "Flash Forward" and "Judging Amy"

Chelsea Rendon on IMDB

More to come!  Thanks for reading and all the support during this journey!

Countdown to GBK's Oscars Gift Lounge, and Introducing Melissa, Modeling My Jewelry

In a few days, I will be anxiously awaiting word from The Artisan Group about the GBK Oscars Gift Lounge.  I am so excited for everyone who is participating in this event, and hope we all get lots of exposure for our handmade products.  All the hard work is done on my part. Now it is just a matter of waiting and letting Valerie and Nikki from The Artisan Group work their magic at the Gift Lounge this weekend!

In the meantime, I am excited to share a few of my first professionally modeled jewelry photographs.
Thank you to the gorgeous Melissa for making my Open Locket Necklace, ( featured in the Swag Bags)  and teardrop earrings look so great!

Also, a very special thank you to Sweet Grace Models and Cupcake Sprinkles for making this possible!
I cannot help myself, so I am going to share a few more photos:

I was so excited to use Melissa's picture in my online Press Release as well.

 I would like to share a sneak peek at the necklace I will be gifting at the Press and attendees at the MTV Movie Awards industry mixer this spring (2012).  This necklace will also be included in special Mother's Day gift bags provided to celebrity moms such as Beyonce, Jessica Simpson, and Jennifer Garner via The Artisan Group!  Look for this new line to be in my Artfire shop soon!  I will be posting in more detail about these fabulous opportunities after the Oscars :)

Giveaway winner, and I got a new camera!

I just completed the Random.org drawing for my Oscars swag necklace giveaway and the winner is World's Edge Beads!  I will be emailing the winner with this information,  and will also post this result on my Facebook Page. 

I am sending out a huge thank you to all those who entered and left such kind words with their comments! I really appreciate your support.  I feel so grateful to have the opportunity to focus on my jewelry making at this point in my life. 

I recent news, I have purchased a new camera in an effort to improve the quality of my product photos.  The number one comment I hear from people who purchase from me online is "your work is so much prettier in person."  This leads me to believe my photos are not what they could be!  I am so excited to have my first Digital SLR camera and fancy macro lens.  I am hoping I can become somewhat proficient at using them!  My goal is to capture the depth and colors in my work with better clarity and make the photos "pop."  Here is my first effort:


http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4366684

 I think it is an improvement, but as I am a complete novice at "real" photography, there is still plenty of room for growth.  I am looking forward to learning.  Thank goodness for "Dummies" books and the internet!

Again, thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway!

We're going to Hollywood! Hello, Oscars and hello,swag giveaway.

Finally!  I have been itching to post about Kathryn Designs being featured in swag bags at the GBK Oscars Gift Lounge, via the fabulous Artisan Group.  It has been a long and busy road, that ended up with 100 plus of my Open Locket necklaces. They are created using polymer clay, liquid polymer clay, and resin.



Open Locket necklaces

Here are some of the lessons I learned along the way:
1)  If you think it will take one month to create these necklaces, which involve several steps, you are SO wrong!  Maybe it is my perfectionism, but I ended up spending too many hours to count making these creations.
2)  Applying several layers of resin will assure maximum glow and depth of color.  To pass the time while stirring each batch of resin, it is helpful to listen to music by Adele, Amy Winehouse, Joni Mitchell, Florence and the Machine, U2, Johnny Cash, Kings of Leon, and Wilco.  It is even more fun if you sing along.  It is especially great that my dogs are not judgemental of my singing voice.
3)  Deciding on how to package your items will be a real challenge and will involve lots of internet searches.  In the end, I decided on a small grey velvet bag and added a small silver charm with my business name and a fabric flower to glam it up a bit.  I placed the bagged necklaces and my business card and product information card into a simple sheer organza bag. I won't tell you how many things I ordered that I ended up not using!  I know they will be perfect for something else, so I am chalking it up to "lesson learned."

I could go on and on, but I will save my other insights for another post.  Without further ado, let get to the giveaway......
To celebrate all the lovely people who have been so supportive and encouraging on my Facebook page,and to celebrate reaching 1470 Facebook fans, I am going to give away this necklace:

This necklace from my Open Locket Collection features lovely and luminous shades of blue and gold, with a hint of lavender. The center flower charm is shimmering gold.  I am selling this style in my Artfire shop for 65.00.  The winner will receive this beauty all packed up like my Oscars swag. 

To enter, simply leave a comment for this blog post and include your email address so I can contact you if you win.  If you are not following my blog, that would be great too, but it is not required!
The giveaway will start tonight, February 3rd at 6:30 PM EST, and will end on Sunday, February 12th at 11:30 PM EST.  The winner will be drawn using Random.org and I will announce the winner here on my blog and on my Kathryn Designs Facebook Page on February 13th. Thank you for visiting my blog and good luck!