Salon de Maria Blog

I went to Michael's yesterday to find inspiration and to soak up some creative energy. I've been so involved in my writing that I actually haven't given much thought to my jewelry business. Being in the craft store surrounded by all those beads helped me get into jewelry-making mode!

Today I spent part of the day working on new jewelry pieces and organizing the jewelry collection.  The newest addition to the earring collection is this pair pictured here. These earrings are made with blue and green Swarovski crystals and Vermeil gold earring components. As I made these earrings I realized how much more I like working with Vermeil versus sterling silver. It's something about gold that gives off an aura of pure elegance and royalty.

Click here to purchase these earrings!

Posted by Maria Palma at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After a little break from jewelry making, I decided to explore the bead inventory and see what I could put together.  After seeing the same beads over and over, it's a challenge to feel "fresh" about creating something...

Usually when I start to make a jewelry piece, I don't really have any particular plan or design in mind.  In this case, I took out this little pendant I bought from a local San Diego artist.  She calls her business "While My Babies Were Sleeping" because she did all her work well, while her babies were sleeping!  I bought it a few years ago, but have yet to find the right beads for it.  So, I started pulling out beads to see if I could find a combination of beads that would "fit just right".

Well, after stringing a few beads on, I realized that it just wasn't working.  Usually I start to feel an adrenaline rush as I'm stringing beads together and creating the design, but this time I wasn't feeling it.  After a little while I decided to ditch the pendant and instead ended up with this piece pictured here. I call this necklace "Spring Fling" and it's now available at my Etsy shop!

Posted by Maria Palma at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Maria Palma at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As I made jewelry last night, I thought about how I could make my jewelry absolutely unique.  What can I do to make my jewelry stand out from the rest?  How could I give my jewelry business a little oomp?  A little spark of glitter and sass? 

Most fashion designers look to the past for inspiration, so I thought I would start by looking at vintage jewelry.  I found out about this company named Lang that specializes in antique and estate jewelry.  I started looking at the art nouveau jewelry and this amethyst piece pictured here definitely caught my eye.  Purple has been my favorite color since Prince's "Purple Rain" song and this necklace definitely has sparked some of the creative energy in me...

Can you believe this piece costs $10,750? Ah-mazing...I wish some of my pieces could be worth that much some day! 

Posted by Maria Palma at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I did spend this past Saturday organizing all my jewelry and uploading new pieces to the shop - like the earrings pictured here.

Posted by Maria Palma at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Something in me got really excited to make jewelry this weekend!  I don't know if it was from browsing through the latest issue of Vogue or this article about Sandy Ip from CNNMoney that my brother emailed me. 

It's made me seriously rethink my jewelry business and whether or not I want to take it to the next level.  I've been so involved with writing that I haven't paid much attention to making jewelry...until this weekend.

I have new pieces up in my Etsy shop!  By the way, I also changed the banner to my shop.  I think it gives it a more chic/whimsical feel...

Posted by Maria Palma at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My boyfriend and I had a conversation today and he asked what I was going to do for the rest of the day.  I told him, "Make jewelry!"

"Wow, you sound excited about it!" he replied.

I told him how I had gone out to buy new beads and how getting new beads inspires me...I think anything new would inspire anyone, right?  

I think the art mode really started yesterday when I woke up super early and worked on a new banner for the Beauty is Within blog.  I had so much fun doing that - so I decided to update the banner at my Etsy shop as well.

Lesson learned:  Do something different!  If you are an artist like me who starts to feel uninspired.  Change up the routine a little and work on something else.  Instead of waking up and writing articles like I usually do, I started off working on graphic art.  It definitely got me excited again - excited in general...about work...about life...Just plain excited!  Who knew just a little shift like that could change everything for me ;)

Below is one of the newest pieces: The "Love" Bracelet in Black and Grey. I was playing around with the Photoshop brushes, so it's not exactly the best-looking photo montage.  Oh, well, let's just say that it's art! Inspired by the Fall runway shows...Buy now!

Posted by Maria Palma at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I swear, it just seemed like yesterday that I wrote the previous post!  Time sure flies when you’re doing what you love.  As usual, I’ve been busy, busy, busy and it really dawned on me tonight how much of an overachiever I am.  I can hardly sit still for 10 minutes!

My latest burst of energy has manifested itself in the form of uploading all kinds of goodies over at my Etsy shop!  Now’s the time to buy for Mother’s Day…only 10 days left!  I’m sure you can think of a friend who has a love for handcrafted beaded jewelry ;)  Besides, you’ll be giving back to the community in the process because I’m donating 10% of my sales to Idol Gives Back during the whole month of May!

So, going back to being this "overachiever".  I can't seem to help pursuing all my passions - and boy, do I have alot of them!  My parents feel that I should be focusing on one thing at a time, but that's been a challenge for me.  What's so wrong with doing everything that you love?  One minute I'm a blogging maniac, the next minute I'm making jewelry...or working on my book...or finding real estate properties...

I think one of the most important things in life is to just enjoy every moment of it and to do what you love and brings you the most joy!

Posted by Maria Palma at 11:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Maria Palma at 03:50 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Spring is in the air and I know all those fashionistas will soon be shopping for a new spring wardrobe, so I decided it was time to update my Etsy shop and add some of my new pieces.  I spent yesterday working on these fun Cha Cha rings and used Swarovski crystals.  A little bling-bling ;)  They look like little crystal sculptures sitting on your finger.  I wore one of them to a party and got quite a few compliments on it...

Posted by Maria Palma at 10:09 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so I'm making sure that I'm ready for those of you who are looking for gifts and greeting cards to give to your loved ones ;)

So far I have only seven Valentine's Day greeting cards uploaded over at Greetings by Maria, but stay tuned because I'll be adding more soon!

I'm also working on adding more jewelry pieces to my Etsy jewelry shop... 

Posted by Maria Palma at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continue reading "How I Started My Jewelry Business" »

Posted by Maria Palma at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just a quick update that I'm still busy, busy making jewelry to get ready for the holiday rush that is going to happen in the next few weeks!  I've added some new pieces to my Etsy shop!

If you live here in San Diego, I will have a booth next Saturday and Sunday (December 16 & 17) at Kobey's Swap Meet - weather permitting. I will post again with the exact space I will be in.  Also, if you are interested in hosting a jewelry party at your home, you can earn $100 in free jewelry!!  Party and get free jewelry - how can you beat that?  Email me at maria [at] salondemaria.info if you are interested.  This offer is available to residents of San Diego only.  However, if you live out of town and can entice me by throwing a HUGE party, I may just make a trip to visit you ;)

Have a great weekend!
  

Posted by Maria Palma at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've spent a considerable amount of time this week making jewelry and beaded dog collars for this festival next month.  It's been months since I've participated in a street fair because I've been so busy with my writing lately.  However, my soul was crying to take some time out and make jewelry and visit other jewelry artists....I came upon these two jewelry artists through an article I wrote at Customers Are Always about justtwogirls.com (a must read for those of you who are thinking about hiring a web designer!)  There's also a very long thread about it at The Switchboards.

• Dreams & Jewelry - a blog about artisans, jewelry, and everything else
• Castro Creations - elegant jewelry designs - Megan also offers some tips on pricing your jewelry - very helpful!

I still have yet to update my Etsy store with new jewelry creations, but it is certainly on the "To Do" list for next week.  Stay tuned!  Oh, and shout out to Stephanie of Back in Skinny Jeans for the write-up ;)

Posted by Maria Palma at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Maria, oh, Maria, where for art thou?

I am here!

Yes, folks I’m back ;) I know, I’ve probably let you down by not honoring my commitment to post often. I take full responsibility and have nobody else to blame but me....

With that said, I’m back in creative action and have been taking pictures. Pictured here is a gorgeous sunset here in San Diego - my little piece of heaven on earth. More pictures will be added soon to my flickr album.

This weekend called for just a little rest and relaxation, so I took time off from blogging yesterday and ventured into the other creative endeavors in my life - mainly taking pictures of my jewelry and playing around with the Photoshop Elements that I bought a couple months ago. I’ve always wondered how other jewelry artists get their pictures to look so professional using Photoshop and the answer came through Crafty Like a Fox. At first I thought that the process was too tedious, but with a little practice I’m getting a little faster at it - and yes, it is worth it! Check out the new jewelry listings I have at Etsy...

Now I just need to work on updating my website...Part of me is saying to heck with it and just hire someone to do it for me, but I tend to have a hard time giving up creative control to someone else. Plus, I really do like making websites when I have the time to devote to them.

Posted by Maria Palma at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With summer in full swing, my jewelry has been selling like hot cakes.  After looking at my inventory the other day I realized that I need to get busy with the jewelry making!

Today I take some time out to think about how far I've come since starting out my venture as an artist and jewelry maker.  It wasn't too long ago that I was sitting in front of the TV late at night making jewelry with cheap-o beads I bought at Joanne's or Michael's.  Those were the days when I was making jewelry for fun.  I never imagined that it would go this far. 

And who knows what the future holds! 

I'm thinking of adding a new service...Recently I've been doing quite a bit of jewelry fixing for clients and I'm contemplating if I should become "The Jewelry Doctor" as well.  People could mail in their jewelry to be fixed or remade into another jewelry piece.  I'll have to see if there's a need for this.  Would anybody out there be interested in a service like this?

Posted by Maria Palma at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've always thought of fashion as a form of art.  Even as I create my own jewelry, I'm formulating compositions in my mind like Monet would have done back in the day.  So when I happened upon this book, The New Jewelry, I was very much inspired by all the pieces featured.  For jewelry makers, this is a great how-to book full of photos with step-by-step instructions on creating innovative and distinctive jewelry.  From ceramic, to resin and paper there are so many materials to enchant the jewelry designer and this book can help you discover new avenues in jewelry making. 

In the introduction of the book Carles Codina i Armengol, the author, says this:

"I am more interested in the processes that are based on certain concepts and values that often are more akin to contemporary art than to the requirements of the marketplace.  Thus, I believe that making creative objects should involve a certain amount of reflection and a close personal relationship with the materials, and that it should also involve a slow, precise method of workingtha twill produce a consumer item that is more durable, more stylized, and much more personal."

This book has my creative juices flowing! 

For more inspiration, you may also want to check out "500 Bracelets"

Posted by Maria Palma at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

I had a huge order for jewelry a couple weeks ago, thus the lack of posts here.  However, it is all done and it's full force ahead with more creativity ;)  I have often thought of going back to making jewelry just as a hobby because sometimes I get the feeling that I would enjoy it more if there wasn't the pressure of having to update my website constantly or be into the mentality that I "have to" make money or else I won't survive.  In other words, sometimes it feels like "work" versus fun. I'm sure many artists feel the same way. 

However, I do enjoy seeing the smiles on women's faces as they try on my jewelry and comment on how everything looks "so pretty!"  They are thrilled when they see the prices of my pieces and know that if they bought it in a department store, it would cost five times the amount. 

Posted by Maria Palma at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Finally!  The weather is warming up in gorgeous San Diego and it inspired me to make some fun new jewelry pieces.  Pictured here is one of the first pieces I made today.  I named it "Hot Fudge Sundae" because doesn't it look like chocolate fudge swirled in with vanilla ice cream?  I made it with these shell chip beads accented with pewter beads and a pewter toggle clasp.  The pendant is glass and I just love the design! 

You can find this piece and my new "Nautical Collection" over at my auction booth.  The Nautical Collection is a product of me playing around with blue and white beads.  There are only a few pieces right now, but I'll add more in the next few days.

I think I've gone nuts because I'm starting these auctions at $0.07 and $0.97!

By the way, I've revamped my necklace gallery and added some new pieces...Enjoy!

Posted by Maria Palma at 01:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

I just came across Tammy Powley's blog called Jewelry and Beading... after reading her bio I found that I had visited one of her other blogs, designersReport, earlier today and talked about it at my other blog, TheRunwayScoop!  We must be on the same creative wavelength or something!  PLUS, Tammy is the author behind a blog I subscribe to, The Jewelry Weblog! 

It truly is a small world after all!

Posted by Maria Palma at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

I've been cranking out new jewelry like there's no tomorrow!  Of course, I've taken some breaks to do some blogging.  But other than that, just trying to stay focused on making jewelry for this weekend.  I used to make jewelry while watching TV, but since I've banned myself from watching TV, I'm listening to music instead - which has actually given me more energy when making jewelry. The picture here is a few of the pieces I've made in the past day and half. 

It's something about making jewelry that you just lose your sense of time.  I guess that happens when you're doing something you love! 

Posted by Maria Palma at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, the weather seems to getting pretty warm here in San Diego, so I thought I'd walk to the bookstore today and on the way capture the signs of spring!  I saw these flowers in the front of a shopping center and they were calling me to take a picture of them...so here I share with you!  Wish you were here :)

And for a new addition to the jewelry collection.  This is a stark contrast from the picture above, but it seems like the fashion colors for this spring are black and white.  So in the spirit of art and fashion, I present this black three-stranded bracelet which is available at a special introductory price of $15! This one is made of hematite, glass beads, and quartz.

Posted by Maria Palma at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

I've added a new feature on my website: Jewelry Articles.  I wanted to provide my website visitors some valuable content and resources. 

The first article is called Spring Break - Jewelry Fashion Trends.  This article gives an overview of what the latest spring jewelry trends are with the college crowd

The second article is a how to guide on cleaning sterling silver jewelry.   

In other news, I've added another jewelry auction item.  This set I made a couple weeks ago.  The "boho" set is made of goldstone, faceted glass beads, amazonite, onyx, and freshwater pearl  for accents.

You can bid on this set at my jewelry auction booth at Yahoo!

Posted by Maria Palma at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

I've been quite busy with work, so I haven't been able to post in a couple days.  Writing has been more of the creative outlet for me as of late and I have been missing the jewelry making sessions.  However, I did make some time tonight and made this abstract piece: a two-stranded bracelet with an oval serpentine stone focal point. There's a mix of faceted glass, brown gold-stone, and peridot. 

I wasn't too sure of the color combination at first, but after it was done I was quite pleased with it...

Anyhow, I have added a few more earrings at my auction booth! 

Posted by Maria Palma at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I celebrate my upteenth birthday today!  And of course, I celebrated with a chocolate birthday cake - my favorite :)  Thanks, Cruz Family!

We also celebrate the first days of spring.  Down here in San Diego it's been quite warm, so I've been out and about taking pictures in my travels around town. 

I say goodbye to winter here with a picture of these colorful leaves....

And say "Hello!" to this cute three-stranded pink and purple bracelet!

A great spring accessory :)

I'll have this bracelet available soon on my website!

Subscribe to receive updates and notices of sales on my art and jewelry...

Posted by Maria Palma at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I wasn't quite sure whether or not I should start another blog being that I have so many blogs right now to keep up with, but somehow I feel the need to do an art and jewelry blog.  In the long run I think it will be beneficial for me and for you, my friend, customer, and reader, to be able to track my growth as an artist. 

With that said, it's been quite rainy here in San Diego and has made for some great photographs of clouds and blue skies in between the rainy days.  Here's a view of the sky from beautiful La Jolla, California.

It's also been a great week for making jewelry as well.  This is a fun retro-geometric-looking piece in my favorite color combinations of brown and blue. 

You can check out the details of this necklace in the new necklace studio of my website.

Well, it's 2 a.m. and it's been a long day of writing!  Time to catch some z's :)

Posted by Maria Palma at 01:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)