2005-01-05
Jewelry musings and yukky weather
Wow two entries in two days � it�s a miracle. Heheh.I had made a fair amount of jewelry for the Holidays, for various people as gifts, and for others to GIVE as gifts, but lately hadn�t really been in the mood. But for the last couple of nights I�ve fallen asleep thinking about various different styles and patterns I�d like to make so I guess I should start doing that again.
Problem is, I get to my office and can�t FIND anything, it�s such a mess in there. There are bags and boxes of pearls and beads and findings all over the damn place and I feel like a crazed raccoon when I�m burrowing into a box to find what I want.
I know I need to clean it all up (as Partner keeps reminding me � incessantly) but damn. I HATE doing that stuff. I have all the jars and such to put the beads in but just can�t seem to bring myself to sit down (on the floor) and just START the process. It doesn�t help that I don�t have anywhere, really, to PUT the jars when I�m done. I�m working on that. But Partner won�t let me buy the cabinets I want for them until I HAVE them in jars so � it�s a lot easier to just sit and play computer games and make stuff out of what I can lay my hands on, than it is to delve into that pile of jewelry making madness.
I�ve lost track of how much I�ve spent on it all but I can�t seem to stop accumulating it. I�d guess it�s over $2000 now. And how much have I collected in payment from people who requested stuff?
Oh, about maybe � um � $250. Total.
I just can�t bring myself to charge. I love the picking out of the beads, the receiving and looking at beads, the designing and making the necklaces, earrings and bracelets and what not, and then I�m done. I�ve gotten my kicks. Some of it I wear but most I give away.
Then I see the prices for some of that type of thing online. They range from �why bother to charge at that price?� to �You MUST be kidding!�. Sometimes for the exact same thing. So I really have no idea how to price the stuff. The standard seems to be to triple the cost to make the item and then add $10-50 depending on your time spent. If I did that, I�d be charging way more than I�m comfortable with. And some of the stuff I see is really ugly! So I just kind of guess.
It was such a pain to sell on eBay the last time I tried that it just wasn�t worth it to me.
I�d start an online business except for the fact that I�d have to get a retail tax license thingie and if I do that I have to then deal with the tax aspect of a business *shudder* ... So I just keep making the stuff and giving to friends.
Anyone have any requests? Hehe.
In other news, it�s been raining for days, and supposed to sleet tonight with possible flurries tomorrow. Then the temperature creeps back up to the 50�s.
This weather is insane.
Mitakuye Oyasin
Walk in Balance