How Social Media Spanked Me
5/9/2017
Ok, social media marketing is a beast, but I figured it was a beast I could tame. Little did I know how delirious I was.
The beast has many heads - Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, You Tube, Snapchat, and the list goes on. I’m not even counting the social media that I’m not familiar with like Tumblr, Digg, and Vimeo. The thing about the beast is this - you cut off one head and another pops up somewhere else. There’s a huge amount to learn about accessing social media for your business. I go comatose when I think about it too much, so I try not to. The first time I encountered the need for tracking pixel code and how to put it into the html of my website, I backed away slowly and quietly, palms sweating. That doesn’t mean I’m giving up. It’s just another battle for another day. I keep reading social marketing articles and blogs and I keep plugging along. But it’s not easy. Just when I thought I had achieved a small victory by putting my business page on Facebook, Instagram reared its ugly head. I wanted to connect my Instagram business account to my Facebook business page, but there was a problem. I had to give Instagram my password. I hadn’t used my password in about six months and I couldn’t remember it. I hadn’t written it down. Don’t ask me why I didn’t write it down. I had written down my passwords to Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Pinterest, and everything else under the sun. But not Instagram. So I emailed Instagram Support, asking for my password. I swear I heard a low growl in the distance when I hit ‘send.’ They responded: We won't be able to help you until we receive proof that you're the owner of this account. Without verification that you’re the owner, we can’t be sure that we’re helping the right person. Please reply to this email with an attached digital copy of any of the following documents that match the information on the account: - Local business license (issued by your city, county, state, etc.) - Tax filing (Seriously?) - Certificate of Formation (Huh?) - Articles of Incorporation (What’s that?) - Utility bill I scanned my business license, attached it to an email, and sent it back. Can I have my password now? They responded again: We need you to verify your identity so that we can start resolving your issue. (You mean you didn’t start resolving it with the business license?) Without verifying that you’re the owner of this account, we can’t be sure that we’re helping the right person. Please attach a photo of yourself holding a hand-written copy of the code below. The photo you send must: - Include the above code written on a clean sheet of paper, followed by your full name and username - Clearly show both the code and your face - Be saved and attached to your reply as a JPEG file At this point I’m looking for a camera because I’m sure I’m being punked. But I write the code number down, take a selfie, and attach it to an email. Can I pleeeeeease have my password now?! The beast responded and mercifully extended its scepter - a link to a new password. So what came out of that epic battle? I jumped through all the hoops I had to and finally got a new password. What did Instagram get? My MUG SHOT! Moral to the story? Your password to Instagram is the Holy Grail! Write it down! *Disclaimer: No, the code above is not the actual code sent me. Do you think I want the Instagram police on my tail?
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Crazy Love Necklace
5/2/2017
I named this necklace "Crazy Love." Maybe it's because it's Spring or maybe it's because the shape of the heart is different from the norm. I don't know. I guess I just think love should be daring and creative and a little crazy. 😊
I'm still trying to figure out how to live on purpose. I mean living intentionally, being awake to the meaning that exists around me, and recognizing it as heaven's gift. I imagine you can love on purpose too. Maybe not a big, head-over-heels, lose your appetite and your mind, kind of love. But maybe more of an intentional, fun, and creative kind of love. Like listening between the words when somebody is pouring out their heart, or giving a makeover to someone who's been ill, or writing a valentine poem to that exasperating teenager. It's the kind of love that punctuates somebody else's day. Might not be earth shaking, but It puts the silver thread in the day's fabric. And it makes you happy because you pierced through the routine and stepped off the beaten path for just a moment... and took the opportunity to love with a crazy love.. The Mojo Of the Cat's Eye Necklace
5/2/2017
The cat's eye shell has got to be one of my favorite shells. In the Victorian era, the round part of the shell (that looks like an eye, ) was made into jewelry and was worn to ward off evil spirits. In different parts of the world, it is seen as a sign of protection and worn or carried in bags. There's also a creepy story about two kids who were afraid to sleep at their grandmothers house, for fear she would kill them while they slept. So they decided to put cat's eye shells on their eyelids, so their grandmother would think they were awake. I don't care for all that voodoo stuff, but I did laugh at the image. I actually favor the other side of the shell which is described as the third eye of Shiva. The third eye of Shiva is supposed to represent a heightened realm of consciousness. I don't know about that. I just think the shell is a beautiful, white spiral - reminds me of something pure and right and eternal. It's another bit of God's creation. That alone gives the shell a good mojo. I knew I wanted to incorporate the cat's eye into my necklaces. I decided to grind the rounded part of the shell with a dremel drill so that it would look like a flat disc. I used masking tape to tape the shell to the table and I started to grind away. It's very important to wear a mask while grinding. You don't want that shell dust in your lungs! It takes a while to grind the shell down, even with the dremel on high speed. That shell is hard! It took about 20 minutes to get it where I wanted it. When finished with that, I lay it aside and painted a stainless steel blank with swirling, fantasy paints. After 48 hours, the blank was dry and I covered it with ice resin. Before the resin dried, I placed the shell on top of the metal blank. Not only does it make a pretty necklace, but it's a necklace with a good mojo! That's about as good as it gets!
How I Combine Painting with Jewelry
4/22/2017
I've been an artist for a long time and I've explored different mediums. Starting out in watercolor, I moved on to oils, then acrylics, then paper art, and now alcohol inks. I love alcohol inks - their free-flowing, fast-moving, brilliant traits! Alcohol inks took me into brand new territory and that territory is jewelry. Im not sure how the two came together but they did. This is how I create a necklace. I cut the yupo paper to fit the silver plated pendant tray I'm using. Then I paint whatever I have in mind with the alcohol inks by Ranger. In this case, it was a chickadee. Notice the tiny size of the brush. When the painting is done, I rub a micro glaze over it so that the inks do not smear. The brand name for the micro glaze is Judikins. I wipe it with a towel and it is ready for the resin. After experimenting with different resins, I settled on ice resin for most of my work. It is easy to work with, it doesn't discolor, and it doesn't hold on to little bubbles. After the resin drys for 12 hours, I hang the painting on a silver plated chain and it is ready to wear!
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