and the winner is ...

... via Facebook - Stacie Florer! 

Thanks everyone for the excellent feedback ... I certainly have a lot to think about.  I spend so much time immersed in my own work and world.  Your comments have really helped give me a fresh perspective - seeing through the eyes of another is a beautiful thing.

No telling where all this will lead, but it feels like just starting the conversation is an important step.  I'll keep you posted.

with deep gratitude ...
l i g a - kvk

gone fishing ...

... for feedback + a givaway!
In addition to working on revitalizing my wholesale collection, in the last week or so I've been getting little nudges to get back into teaching.  Thing is - it's been a loooooooooong time since I taught anybody anything - a couple of private instruction gigs here and there, but that's it.  I used to have fun with the mixed media/Artfest approach, but I'm totally out of touch with that genre.  I've done the whole beginning PMC thing and don't really want to go back there + there's lots of peeps out there doing a fine job of teaching metal clay, not to mention they actually keep up with what's going on in that world. 

Bottom line, I'm seriously out of touch with this big wide world of teaching and I don't have a clue where to start.  I do what I do and live in a very insulated community.  What I do know is there's been serious changes to all the teaching models and venues that I knew way back when I stopped teaching in '06. 

So here's my question for you.  If I were to get back into teaching, what would you like to learn from me?  Techniques, methods, project or process oriented, online, teaching retreats, private parties ... this inquiring mind is really curious!

And hey, I should do a drawing to encourage feedback - one of the new pieces for my wholesale collection - a pebble wrap bracelet.  It's 21" on hand-plied cocoa nylon, so it can be worn 24/7 as a necklace or bracelet - a $98 piece of swag.

... I'll give this a few days and draw a name on Sunday, the 18th.  It would be lovely if anyone feels compelled to shop this idea around to your own circle of peeps.
Can't wait to hear what y'all have to say!
Thanks in advance.

liga - kvk

and the winners are ..........

Firstly, accept my apologies for the delay in announcing the winners.  My computer's been unplugged a good bit of the afternoon and early evening as we've had a series of severe thunderstorms blowing through our area ... impressive amounts of rain and wind and, thankfully, lightening strikes not terribly close.

Now, back to the business at hand ...
I am enormously grateful for all the comments both here and on Facebook.  I'm thrilled to say, I had 21 responses to my query.  The verdict is unanimous ... durability, which is looking like nylon.  But more on that in a minute ...

Here's a big congratulations and thank you to Kim, who has won the petite petal earrings ...

and Ruth via Facebook, who has won the raw pebble necklace ...

Kim and Ruth, use my email link in the sidebar and send me your snail mail addresses, and I'll get your treasures in the mail right away. 

I got so many excellent responses, some perfectly succinct, some more lengthy with much food for thought.  Each one agreeing, durability is paramount. 

Sourcing materials in this business is always a challenge.  In my daily life, I'm very mindful about how my dollars are spent.  Trying to translate and sustain that in my work is not easy ... metals, gemstones, threads and leathers, packaging and shipping materials ... weighing the usually increased costs for the green/sustainable/ethically sourced options vs. less expensive, "easier" options.   

As many of you very eloquently stated, even though at first glance the nylon seems like a less "green" option, ultimately, it's durability combined with it's "made in the USA" pedigree, make it the better option.  Your comments have addressed all of my concerns and I feel confident moving forward with the switch.

And the universe has been listening as well ... while waiting for today to arrive, I've had two stories of pieces breaking, one piece lost (a sad story that one), one on its way back for repair ... further fueling my decision to move away from using silk in my production work. 

Now I just have to decide which nylon.  Over the weekend, I ran into an old friend who gave me the name of another online source for materials - Beadshop.com.  They carry the Beadsmith line of materials and their Superlon-D sounds very promising.  It's a bit more expensive than the bobbins of Bonded Nylon #69 through Marion's, so I'll have to do some comparing.  Another consideration is I can get bigger spools of the bonded nylon for a really good price from Superior Threads ... just not as many colors as offered in the bobbins.

Working alone in my little bubble is not always an optimum situation.  Not doing shows and infrequent contact with humanity makes this blog an invaluable resource.  I've still got much to consider, but the biggest decision has been made. 

Once again, a heartfelt thank you to each of you who took the time to respond to my plea for feedback. 

And once again, congratulations to the pair of winners.

with deep gratitude ...
l i g a - kvk

urban primitive giveaway

Okay kids ......
I've just finished updating my website!  New home page, new fonts (I actually bought the main display font), new work - you know ... updated!

I do love that display font.  I think it really speaks to my concept of "urban primitive."  It's one of those 'dirty' fonts with chaotic splotches and lines within the very crisp lettering.  You'll notice I've got variations of the home page image running as headers on my other sites - I'm quite fond of the doctored version on this blog and Etsy and Facebook.  I'd really like to change the whole look of the website, but that can't happen until I re-shoot my entire catalog.  And since I just shipped the samples back out west, it won't be happening anytime soon.  Ah well, one of these days.......... 

So of course I'm looking for feedback and, even more importantly, if there are any glitches or inconsistencies ... links don't work, font colors are not consistent, images with text that should be centered and are off a pixel or 2.  If you've ever built a website from scratch, you'll know just how cross-eyed you can get.  Then there's the added challenge of remembering to stretch my right arm and shoulder so's it doesn't freeze up, which it has done and which hurts like the dickens. 

As an incentive ... check it out, leave a comment and I'll throw your name in the hat to win this Urban Primitive Steel Portal Pendant.

This one's the polished steel with bronze.  It has my 'l i g a" blessing written on my hand cut and dyed silk, adjusts from 34" down to 18" with sliding knots on my hand-plied silk cord - a KVK bronze tag at one knot and a Rory Raku bead at the other.

So check out the new and improved site and let me know what you think.  I'll draw names this coming Friday the 16th.

Thanks in advance!

l i g a - kvk

... and the winner is !!!!!!!

LeAnn from Summers Studio!

Congratulations, LeAnn!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to check out my new website and leave a comment.  I am honored and so very pleased with your feedback and praise.  It really does mean the world to me ... really.

It's such a challenge to create worthwhile, inspiring content for the internet and you all make me feel like I'm succeeding.  I definitely think I've got a good platform to launch into the next, albeit currently unknown, phase of my business.

Many blessings and deeply heartfelt thank yous!

And, once again ... Congratulations LeAnn!

l i g a - kvk

new website + my 1st ever giveaway!

Hallelujah!!!  I am ever so thrilled and very very pleased to announce my new website is up and running!  Here's the home page ...

I'm really quite pleased with the look ... it's clean, very very clean ... plus I've added a couple of fancy schmansie details (well fancy for me).  With the very patient help of my beloved, we figured out how to add my KVK favicon to the header and from that I figured out how to link my PDF price list to the site.  Plus I cleaned up all the old site pages that had been lurking around since 2008!  Such a relief!

I'm not going to put the shopping cart feature on there for now and I don't have my Talismans on there.  The Talismans need something special and different and I want to spend some more time figuring that out.  I'm pretty cross-eyed right now and have been tweaking it for the last two days.  I'd love it if anyone has the time, give it a good perusal and let me know if you find any typos or non-functioning links or glitches or whatever.

As a bit of incentive and to celebrate my big accomplishment, leave a comment about the new website or any feedback and I'll throw the names into a hat for a chance to win a pair of Pinched Donut earrings (worth over $100) ... my first ever drawing for a freebie!  I'll draw the winner a week from today, Wednesday the 21st.

So let me know what you think!

l i g a - kvk