jarandhel

I've just completed a major update of my online store, and I've added a lot of new functionality as well as a lot of new inventory.

I'm particular proud of the item in the top image in this post: a Tree of Life made with sterling silver for the frame, trunk, and branches, mother-of-pearl for the moon, and meteorite chips for the leaves. I've named it "Odin's Eye" and I think it really does him justice in his role as Runni vagna, the Mover of Constellations.

It and the other items pictured here are available on my site at http://dreamhart.org/shop/ They are all hand-crafted, and perfect for holiday gifts. And, if you're interested in a good deal, head on over to our page on Facebook: there's a coupon code for free shipping waiting for you in the pinned status.

First off, I would very much like to thank everyone who helped me out last month by donating or by buying one of my necklaces.  You guys are awesome. :)

This month I'm somewhat better off, as I've started getting paid by my part-time evening job doing elder-care and I've picked up a gig helping a friend remove vines from their back yard.  But my evening job is, on average, one to two hours each day and i still haven't gotten a new primary job yet.  I keep getting nibbles, but nothing solid, though I'm working on it.  I'm told that one of my friends was interrogated quite thoroughly by another couple who are thinking of hiring me for elder-care during the day, but I haven't heard from them yet.

And in the meantime, I still have bills to pay - rent, food, transportation via bus & metro, etc - none of it is cheap or free.  So I'm asking once again that if you can afford it, please buy something from my online store or make a straight donation through it:  http://dreamhart.org/store/  I can also make custom pieces if anyone would like something specific, or I can offer webdesign work.  Examples of my work in that area include both Dreamhart.org itself and the newly relaunched House-Eclipse.org website.  I can also do some work coding and customizing wordpress plugins, though I'm far from an expert in that area.

Finally, a question for those local - do any of you have, or know someone who has, a bike in my size that you would be willing to sell cheaply, barter for, or even loan me for a bit?  Having one would help me save significantly on my transportation costs, but the best I've found in person is running $100 for a used girl's bike in my size and I would need to go to the ones advertised on Craigslist in person to check that they are the correct size, which is currently problematic with only the bus and metro for transportation.

Thank you all, and once again please reblog.

Edit: just realized I didn't update the prices from the last post...

Two more new products in The Dreamhart's Hoard:  

Shark Teeth: $10.00 USD
Rosa del Inca: $20.00 USD

Two new products in The Dreamhart's Hoard:  

Tree of Healing: $22.00 USD
Fire Fruit: $20.00 USD

Hi Folks. 'Tis the Season and all that, so I've got a special offer over at The Dreamhart's Hoard. Now, I already sell my products at fairly low prices: the cost of materials plus about $15 an hour for my time, plus shipping (which includes the cost of packaging). So I can't afford to take too much off. But from now until January 1st, if you use the coupon code HAPPYHOLIDAYS, you can get 10% off any purchase from my store. I hope it makes your holidays, whatever they may be, a bit brighter. :)

Don't see anything quite right?  I'm happy to take custom orders, and I'm making more all the time anyway.  Here's a glimpse of one of my personal favorites from the current inventory:

I've updated the comments on my Flickr Jewelry Photoset to indicate which items are now on sale via Sticks and Stones in Fairfax, Virginia. The rest I'll have with me to sell at Midnight in DC tonight, where I'll be vending with Raven.  I'll also be making new pieces throughout the evening, and I've already created four new pieces in addition to those posted on Flickr which I'll have with me.  If you'd like to see them, you'll have to come out tonight or else hope they haven't been bought before I set up my online shop tomorrow.  As a hint, though, the four pieces I've made include aventurine, blue and red goldstone, and blue quartz.

Hope to see people there! :)

One more piece of jewelry that I made tonight... I think my wire-wrapping technique is getting a little better, plus I'm learning techniques to improve my photography of jewelry. This picture actually captures the real color of the piece quite well.

Artflock vs Etsy... anyone have any input? Artflock is looking pretty good to me, since it's free listings and the same fee as Etsy if I sell through my own website (which I plan to do) using their software, and only a slightly higher fee if I sell straight through artflock.com (5% vs 3.5%).

Artfire is out of the running since I'd have to list at least 60 pieces every month for the monthly fee to be worth it for the paid version, while it's free version only lets me list 12 pieces at a time.

Also looked into Zencart as a possibility for hosting the ecommerce software myself, but it looks insanely complicated for my needs.