My blog is moving!!!! AAAahhhhhhhhh!

Hi Everyone!!! Thank you all so much for being so supportive by following this blog. You have no idea  how much your encouragement has meant to me, and what I do. I just wanted to let you all know that I am moving this blog to my own site. I appreciate all the services that blogger has offered me to express myself, but it is time for everything to be consolidated on one site. So for more updated on all things Steampunk and everything I make click over to http://www.ejpcreations.com/blog.html . And if you want to see all my paper crafting shenanigans go to http://www.ejpmenagerie.com/blog.html . Thanks again and I hope to see you over there.

-EJP

Burlesque headband and the creative process

I started this headband SUCH a long time ago. Probably two years ago. I knew exactly how I wanted the shape to look. It needed to be like a 1940's side sitting feather hat, but very burlesque in feel. The problem was I didn't quite know how to move forward with it. Every couple of months I would pick it up again. Look at it, love the shape, try it on, think about it for a little while more. Then put it back in it's little drawer to be worked on at a later date. I do this with a lot of projects that I just can't seem to get the right inspiration to complete the look I envision in my head. Almost like I'm waiting for a little imp to skip through my workspace and bonk me on the head with an epiphany. Well, no sign of the imp he must have been busy elsewhere. But then something amazing happened. I needed to make a Christmas gift for a dear friend of mine and the image of her wearing the headband Popped into my head. From that moment forward It's construction was a mystery to me no more. And I must say Nacreous Alchemy looks just as fetching in it as I imagined.

We called him The Chamberlain in homage to Dark Crystal

I made a new friend the other day. While working on a new project on my balcony I felt a shadow pass over head. I looked up just as he landed on the roof across the way. The biggest Grey Heron I have ever seen walking around daintily on the roof top. It happens to be a great vantage point for the little crawdads that swim in the streams in my complex. We have called him The Chamberlain in homage to the Dark Crystal. He was posing for quite sometime. And seemed to know he looked best with the Plum tree leaves in front of him. He even stretched up a few times as if to say "girl go get your camera, don't let this go to waste." I had my hands in plaster, but he waited patiently until I had cleaned them off and snapped off a few picts.

My Love of Tiaras

A year ago the ladies of STEAMED! blog were kind enough to allow me to be a guest blogger. I wrote this article on my love for tiaras, and then got caught up in something else and completely forgot about it. For posterity sake I reprint it here so that I might never forget it again.

A love affair with tiaras

April 3, 2011 by suzannelazear

Today’s guest is Edanna of EJP Creations, makers of clockhand jewlery, including, my favorite, tiaras.  I own a bunch of her stuff.  (The gold tiara is mine.)
EJP Creations specializes in tiaras, chokers, earrings, necklaces, fascinators, and hair combs with a noir, and gothic flair. Creating body adornments with a hint of vampire elegance, a dash of Steampunk bravado, and plenty of Neo-Victorian sensibilities. Perfect for prowling the streets, haunting the clubs, or adding an aristocratic air to any outfit.

A little about my love affair with Tiaras…
by Edanna of EJP Creations
I still vividly remember the time I saw my very first tiara. It was love at first sight. I was probably 5 years old and flipping though a book of paper dolls of famous women through the centuries. I had looked at this book a thousand times before. Lady Murasaki always intrigued me in her flowing robes. Joan of Arc took my breath away in her gleaming armor. And then of course there was Queen Victoria the pinnacle of womanly grace dripping with elegance. But wait what was that… was something in her hair… and its making her regal features even more aristocratic! It looked like a necklace but was positioned like an angel’s halo. I pondered … What could this thing be?? I ran over to my mother hoping she would tell me what such a lovely and intriguing article was. The word poured from her lips into my ears … T-i-a-r-a. Such a captivating word. I quickly sat cross-legged in front of her eagerly waiting for her to tell me more. She then elaborated on this completely new world of ornamentation. There were Crowns, and bandeaus, diadems, and fascinators, combs, circlets, coronets, and headdresses. All sorts of hair adornments, it made my head spin! As she went on to explain it seemed to me that almost every time period through the centuries had a magical way of adorning the head in such a regal manner. It made me wonder why this wasn’t still in vogue for our time. The 1960′s gave us the last spattering of the tiara, but they were fashioned more like an elaborate headband. I was determined from that moment on. I had a new mission in life sparked by that little paper doll book. It would be my life’s work to pursue that mythical unicorn that is the tiara until its mysteries were mine.
The years passed, and I ended up going to college to study jewelry making, and metal smithing. Surely my questions about these magical circlets would be answered there. Unfortunately, they weren’t I was thwarted at every turn. One teacher even went so far as to laugh at my pursuit because… “no one wears those things anymore” my mind instantly snapped back with, “well maybe they don’t wear them because they aren’t available anymore, you ever thought of that!” It did cross my mind that the reason my teachers were so against them might just be because they couldn’t figure out how to construct one. Tiara’s might look easy to make, but it really does take some skill and engineering. Unlike a necklace they have to withstand much more wear and tear. Also comfort is key, and fitting everyone’s head is not easy. Lastly there is the issue of keeping it in place. Heads are round, floppy things and anchoring a piece of art work on it is not easy. Thus, I embarked on the lonely mission of teaching myself how to make one. There were oh so many late nights at my workbench. Drawing after drawing that were thrown into the trash can after spending hours making a paper mock-up only to have it fail. But then after a few months small successes started to emerge from my toils. And then finally the break though I had been waiting for. Shortly afterwards my first triumph! A finished tiara, victory at last!!! At that point I was so pleased with myself I decided to have a gallery show with nothing but tiaras made of sterling silver sheet and wire. It took me a full year, and a large proportion of my saving to make all of them. They were so well received that all the doubts about my mission melted away.
Graduation from school came soon after, and then the Steampunk movement wrapped me in it’s warm gear lined embrace. Whisking me away on countless adventures then placing me gently on Esty’s front door. After that the real work began. My two and a half year long odyssey of perfecting my neo-Victorian tiara line. Of course I make other pieces of jewelry, but the tiaras always have a special place in my heart. I still get the odd comment here and there such as, “where would you ever wear one?” I just smile and keep walking because I know once you have one there is an understanding that comes over you. Sure you might wear it out to a club or a formal occasion, but the real joy comes when your sitting at home on laundry day wearing your tiara in your jammies eating ice cream on the couch watching “Gaslight” or “My Fair Lady.” That is a joy those people will never know, and it makes me a little sad for them. Also, I must add that those same teachers who thought my passion was shear folly laugh at it no more.
~Edanna
http://www.ejpcreations.com/

Silly Symphony - the skeleton dance 1929 disney short

Nothing reminds me of Halloween as a kid more than this video...

Tiara's and my move...

In case you didn’t know I've been moving for the last few weeks and I am just about finished. YEAAAAAAA!!! It has pretty much absorbed my life for the last couple of months with packing and all the drama that goes along with that. But now it is finally at an end. My studio is just about unpacked and then it will be back to work. I have had the privilege of working on a few custom orders during this time. They are just about finished, and I posted a picture of one of the pieces. As soon as they are completed I will open my shop to work on a few more custom orders. All the while I have had a ton of design ideas floating about in my head so lots of tiaras and necklaces are just on the horizon.

Vincent by Tim Burton and my Halloween Obsession

I'm still on my Halloween kick. I bought all kinds of things for making decorations. I've been looking up fun recipes, and images on pinterest. A whole flurry of activity on my side, but I just can't seem to get anyone else to be excited about it right now. It is the middle of August so it's understandable, but still! Though.... last weekend my friends and I had a girl night, and I made them all watch "Vincent" my favorite short film by Tim Burton and Rick Heinrichs. But other than that no interest. The thing that always irritates me is that by the time I am in the mood for it Halloween is a week away with no time to savor the festivities. This year was nice because we had one day in July that had a little of the Halloween smell in the air for a few hours, and that did it. I was in the Halloween zone from then on. I'm thinking it might have to do a little bit with the fact that I am moving, and I want to hide my head in something fun that I dearly love instead of in long, long lists of things to do and back breaking work. Don't get me wrong this move is going to be the best of my life. I finally get to live with the man of my dreams and build a life with him, but everything that goes with it to get to that point is a little overwhelming. So I let my head swim with thoughts of my favorite season to get me through the finish line.

Penguins Need Your Sweaters People!!!!

A recent oil spill on New Zealand’s coast has left the environment and wildlife in shambles — including the local blue penguin population. While volunteers are working hard to rescue and clean the animals in the region, they require a little bit of crafty help: tiny sweaters, or penguin pajamas, for the rescued birds. These woolen sweaters keep oil-soaked birds warm until they’re well enough to be cleaned and prevent them from ingesting oil from their feathers. http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/knit-a-sweater-help-a-penguin-in-need/?ref=fp_blog_title

Paperwork vs. Jane Austen

It’s a little frustrating because this whole week all my allotted creative time has be absorbed by paperwork preparing for reporting my sales tax. The only down side to selling my work. This has of course made me VERY grumpy! I have just two months of paperwork to go and then I am fee again for another year. But your saying Edie why don’t you just do your paperwork every month then you wouldn’t have to go through this again. And to that I say sure I start off every year that way, but slowly a month turns into two then three. Before you know it I haven’t done any in six months. Then it’s just too much to start because I have fifteen different projects I’m working on. So all that paperwork is put in the corner to sob silently until I freak out around May or June. Poor paperwork. But that is ok it is almost done then I am free again! FREE I TELL YOU!

Once I get sprung from this paperwork hell I have a TON of ideas I have to work on. I have one new necklace idea that is simply bursting out of my head to make. So that has to be constructed right away. I am also in the middle of a shrine to Jane Austen that I am particularly proud of. I have always been able to relate in a very real way to her characters. Given the present situation in my life even more so. So a little shrine to her would be just the thing to help me through. All around this post are some process pictures of my little baby. I use to do little shrines, sculptures, and dioramas like this all the time, but jewelry took over my life for the last couple of years. It feels good to get back to that a little bit. I think from now on I will have one that I am working on continually. Since they take much longer to make.

In my research for this piece on Jane I have found that most scholars say there is no definitive portrait of Miss Austen. There are silhouettes of her sister and parents, but none of Jane. So for her image I used a watercolour and pencil sketch, believed to be drawn from life by her sister Cassandra around 1810. Since the drawing is very light I touched it up just a tiny bit so her face could come though and then hand colored it and setting it in a cabachion. Her picture lays on a bed of crimson curly goose feathers to symbolize her country upbringing but the daring of her mind, and determination of her spirit. Rolled up hand written pages are creatiuvly exploding from her prim propper Hanoverian/ Georgian period head. The papers are ornamented like little crowns with bits of ometal elevating the pages to the regal status that we all hold her work in today. The base of the piece is made up of images of her family and glimpses of her past. In there you will she her parents and beloved sister, various homes she lived in including her house in Bath, and Thomas Langlois Lefroy a great love in her life. The very things that formed her reality and made her what she was, to make her the creative spirit that we all love so much. So here is a taste of what it will look like. The finished piece will have an arch around the sculpture, and will be both free standing and wall hanging. Once I get this stupid paperwork done Jane will once again get all my attention, as she should.

Blood Rorschach

My boyfriends and my anniversary was this last Sunday. We are both artists so we usually make things for one another for such occasions. This year I wanted his gift to be very special, and personal. So what did I do? I made a Blood Rorschach!!! You know ink blot tests, but instead of ink... you guessed it my blood. Alright don't freak out I know it's weird, ( you have seen my other artwork right?). Don't worry I'm too much of a chicken to cut myself for it. A couple of weeks ago I cut myself with an exacto like I always do. Usually I wear leather gardening gloves whenever I even think of holding an exacto knife, but this night I was sleepy and forgot. Also, that day I had taken a lot of sinus medication so once the wound opened it didn't clot right away and I had enough time to grab some paper, and play with it. I realize that this isn't the first thing people think of when one cuts themselves, but you didn't grow up in my family. My oldest sister who is a sculptress did an entire series of blood Rorschachs for a gallery show a few years ago, ( She had the blood taken from her by a nurse ). I was VERY please with the end result. The variation in quality of line, and shading made me very proud. The I accented the piece and give it definition with a brown micron pigment pen. The only thing that irritates me that I only had crappy computer paper to put it on. It was the only thing I had within reach. I will know better for next time.

I have an Eyeshadow Named after me!!!

Ok it's named after my shop, but same thing really. Mrs. Evils of the shop My Pretty Zombie has decided to name an eyeshadow after my shop!!! I am beyond excited!!! It is part of the Darksider Eyeshadow Collection, (named after the Etsy team we belong to Etsy's Dark Team ). And the color is just so, so pretty and sparklie I just love it! It goes on really well too,and stays on a super long time. Honestly I love her eye shadows better than my Smashbox, or Bare Minerals. The colors are true, and stay put all night on your lids. I have been hunting my whole life for a really true red eyeshadow, and to have it made for me by a teammate who could ask for more. So here it is EJPcreations- Darksider eye shadow.

2nd Anniversary Selling on Etsy!!!!

It has been two years now that I have been selling on Etsy. My first sale was on September 21, 2008. At that time I never thought that anything I made would possibly sell, but it has and the satisfaction it has given me has been enormous. This whole week I’ve been thinking really hard what I have learned in that time, and what selling the items I make means to my life. To me the funniest thing is the real lessons I have learned about this whole experience have been about taking better care of myself physically, and emotionally. I guess because only through taking really good care of yourself can you continue to create. I never knew just how unorganised my finances were until I started running a business. That has been the biggest obstacle I have tackled recently. I also can’t really function anymore without at least taking a walk everyday to not only get exercise but as a way to recharge and clear the clutter out of my head. Along with cleaning out the clutter in my head has been scaling down and cleaning out the clutter in my life. The next thing I’m going to force myself to do is to start cooking healthier… I hate cooking. See none of this really has anything to do with creating and selling my work, but it all is the foundations of who I am. The person who does make the work so I guess it comes down to I have to be right with myself before I can create items for others. Listed below are excerpts from all over the web of advice that has helped me in this last year….

Kristen Jackson Fadich- 9-20-10 (Facebook)
“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get
started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more...and more successful.” Mark Victo Hansen

Adele Elizabeth – 7-9-2010 ( facebook)
Sometimes I wake up in the mornings and think "What the hell are you doing?" It all seems so utterly meaningless and I wonder to myself why I ever became a creator in the first place... why I never studied law (or something 'sensible') instead of drama and the arts. So I glance out of the window into a world full of people who live their lives on autopilot. I see them every day out there on the street… merely existing… the living dead. So many sad, empty faces that were once so full of life. That’s when I look inwards and remember that I didn’t choose to do this, IT chose me and I live, breathe and bleed it. It’s all I know . And I remind myself that if I weren’t creating, I too would be truly dead on the inside… “ you see things; and you say why? But I dream things that never werem and I say why not”

Quit Your Day Job: redrubyrose (Etsy Blog)
There are always going to be practical reasons why you shouldn't make that leap, especially coming from people around you (believe me, I heard them all at the beginning of my illustration career), but it's amazing how resourceful you become when you believe in your work and feel the terror of the next mortgage/rent payment looming. It's a hoary old cliché but true to say: jump and the universe will catch you.

Quit Your Day Job: loopyboopy (Etsy Blog)
What do you enjoy most about not having a day job? Is there anything you miss?
Every morning when I open my eyes I love the fact that I don't have to put on a monkey suit and go anywhere: I don't even have to get out of my pajamas if I don't want to. I love that I am my own boss and the success I experience is completely within my power and the direct result of my efforts. If I want to take a day off and go to the museum or take a stroll through the French Quarter I don't have to ask someone for a day off to do so. I really can't imagine ever going back to a job where I am told what to do and when.

What's the hardest part about running your own business?
Because art was always something I did for fun, it can be difficult at times to treat it as a job. Some days I don't want to make what I know will sell but would like to try something new. Some days I don't want to make anything at all. Creating art is such a joy for me, but when I feel forced to do it, a bit of that joy is diminished and it can start to feel like a "day job." It's still, of course, the only job I would ever want. Believe me, I'm not complaining, but I would say that was the hardest part of running my own business.
I also struggle with time management, but this is nothing new. I've always struggled with time management. I am easily distracted and I have to really force myself to stay focused on the task at hand. It's harder to do when there isn't someone standing over you. Sometimes a break is in order and I make myself get out of the house, take a stroll to the coffee shop or walk the dog. This usually helps me to refocus and I find I'm more productive if I give myself these little breaks.
Though at the time coming down with the disease and the financial burden that resulted seemed overwhelming and insurmountable, by going in the direction life was pushing me I eventually was able to overcome and get on the right path for happiness and some success in the field of art, which is what I was meant to do. I do believe that all of life is like this. We just need to learn to follow the signs.

I'll end with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho:
“Trust and start walking. We are not alone in the dark; our path will unfold as we move.”

Quit Your Day Job: dolangeiman (Etsy Blog)
Lastly, work your tail off, but also remember to take a step back from everything once in a while. Go for a hike, do some yoga, spend the day cooking, whatever. It’s amazing how many times we’ve found ourselves going 100 miles an hour on something only to step back, reflect, and realize we need to change our direction. This perspective is not always easy to obtain so make sure you occasionally let your mind go to a place where new ideas and direction can float to the forefront.

Quit Your Day Job: kgarnerdesigns (Etsy Blog)
Take yourself seriously, even if no one else does. Be confident. When people ask me what I do, and I tell them “I make jewelry and sell it online," the typical reaction goes something like this: “Oh...that’s nice...good for you!...” They think it’s a cute hobby I use to keep myself from getting bored as a stay-at-home mom.
If I had listened to the people who never thought I’d sell a thing (including myself at times) I never would have opened my shop and my family wouldn’t be where we are today. If you think you can do it, go for it!
Stick with it, stick with it, stick with it! This takes a lot of effort and we’re not all going to start making regular sales overnight. I didn’t. Keep trying new things until you start getting the results you want.
Don’t waste the slow times. It’s easy to let yourself feel bad when sales are slow. Slow weeks or months are a great time to make and photograph new items, get your paperwork organized and stock up on supplies. Take the time to make a new banner and business cards or freshen your shop by rephotographing some existing items. You'll feel much better if you're doing something constructive!

Quit Your Day Job: timssally
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?
If I could go back in time to right after high school graduation and right before going to college, I would tell myself to major in something that interests me, like art. I remember walking through the art gallery on campus and being almost envious of those students. I thought I was majoring in something practical and where I could "get a job.” I figured out very quickly that my marketing degree was not going to land me that cool ad or writing job right after graduation. I eventually went back to school in 2002 and earned my MBA. After struggling once again to find that perfect job, that’s when I decided that I wouldn’t spend any more of my time in a job I hate. Enter makeup. Then in 2006, I went to art school and emphasized in painting. I was chipping away at it until last fall and decided I didn’t want to do anything else with an art degree that I wasn’t already doing. So, I’m taking an indefinite break and concentrating on my business.

Fall is in the air

Fall is in the air yeaaaaaa!!! I swear my creativity just shuts off the second hot weather starts. I had about 50 projects that I was right in the middle of at the beginning of summer, and they just sat there for the whole season. Staring at me, begging me to finish them for the last two months. Could I do it? Could I even lift a finger in their direction. No, no I didn’t and that is sooooo not like me. But summer has faded for now and I am back at my work bench. Here’s a few things I’ve been working on so far. A pretty little choker and 1940 inspired necklace. More to come shortly.

Here’s what I’ve been up to...

Well, I’ve been battling really sever burnout since the beging of summer. Of course I have been burned out before, but this has been really bad. Only recently have I even wanted to look at my workbench. Before that I couldn't even bear to walk past it. I finally decided it’s cause. I realized that in my whole life I don't think I have made as many pieces of jewelry as I have in the last two years. Even in school we had to complete a piece of jewelry or sculpture every three months. Before summer started I was making at least 20 pieces of jewelry a month. Don’t get me wrong I am NOT complaining. I am absolutely amazed. When I started this venture I began making pieces for myself, then made a second one and listed it on Etsy. I didn’t actually expect it to sell. To my shock and surprise they did. Then I decided to incorporate all that I had learned in the various occupations and degrees I collected over the years ... merchandising, sales, visual presentation, bookkeeping office managing, customer service, inventory control, and graphic design to name a few... and apply that mess of seemly unrelated knowledge to this business and it has served me very well. My main focus with my shop has always been that I would take all my profits from it and use to pay off my school loans from my art, and anthropology degrees. A sort of thumb of the nose at all the people who sniggered when I told them what I was studying in school. The question that followed was always, “what on earth are you going to do with those degrees you can’t get a job with them. Why waist the money just switch to a business degree and do art in your spare time”. I tried for a little while, it didn't work. And they were right I couldn’t get a job with those degrees, but I sure as hell can own my own business and make it successful completely on my own with the knowledge I’ve amassed. So with this realization and confirmation of my position I have been slowly getting back into the groove of things. Taking it easy, working on fun projects, helping other artist with their gallery events, cleaning out my studio and living spaces, completely retooling all my web presence as well as the look of my business cards and banners so that when I finally am ready I will be able to jump right back in the saddle again. My line fully listed on Etsy and hopefully several new lines that i've been working out in my head as well as getting back into sculpture.

Face Book Fan Page... Finally!!!

You have no idea how unbelievably proud I am of myself. Sure, I can make a bowl out of a single tree limb. Take a flat piece of silver, and create a stunning necklace. Even balance the books of a busy produce brokerage, while fielding phone calls. All of these things are great, but they are nothing compared to the feat I have accomplished! I have created ~drum role~ MY FACE BOOK FAN PAGE!!!!! Yeaaaaaaa!!! I know, I know everyone else has done it years ago, and sure a 16 year old could make one up in an hour. Do these facts diminish my accomplishment….NEVER!!!! Well actually, now that I think about it, maybe a little bit. Still I am just so pleased after months of reading, and researching I was finally able to do it, as well as get enough fans to get a customized URL, and I added all my pictures. Of course, now that I have accomplished this Face Book will go the way of the dodo, and I will have to figure out a completely new social networking site. So if that happens you will know whom to blame, until then here is my link to EJPcreations Fan Page Also I have created a discussion page to start a Link Love campaign so that we all might get a few more fans.

1 Year Anniversary Selling on ETSY!!!!

It’s my 1 year anniversary of selling on Etsy YEAAAA!!! One year ago I took the plunge, and I’ve never been happier. It's been such a learning experience, but it has been so much fun, and so worth it. To spread that happiness I’m offering my customers FREE SHIPPING party from 9-21-09 to 9-27-09. Come visit my shop and help me celebrate :)

On the Artists Soapbox…

After I finished art school there were not a lot of options open to me. Basically, they boiled down to this… get a day job in an office. After an 8 to 9 maybe 10 hour day come home, eat dinner, do chores, and then if your still awake work on art. What if you want to make art a career? Then added to that work week, find time to hustle what you created around the galleries in hope of landing a show. By that, I mean go to all the art shows you can, network and pray that someone might take an interest in your work. If a gallery does give you a shot with all that effort those pieces still might not sell. Such a dismal prospect!

Most of my classmates after leaving school were so burned-out on making art that they wouldn’t pick up their media again for maybe six months after graduation. Then IF they did they were so tired after work that more than likely they would only do artwork on the weekends. Then life gets in the way rent, and children become far more important than any esthetic pursuit. Slowly and surely, the dream is strangled and fades until art school is just a distant bittersweet memory. A little joke that HR people, and the family snickers at when you feel your lowest.

This is what I feared. It is also why I probably put off graduating as long as I did. I knew the second I stepped off that campus my options were slim to none. More than likely I would become another casualty to a world that DOES value art, but makes it very difficult for you to make a living at it. This all changed one day when a friends showed me Etsy. It took so much courage for me to open my own shop. I thought about it for at least a year and a half. What would I sell, would anyone actually buy it, would they hate it once they received it. Once I did I was hooked. It was a ray of hope to help me continue to create. A venue that helped me reap a little profit for all the effort I had put into learning my craft over the years.

A few months from now it will be a year since I opened my shop. There has been about ten years of knowledge crammed into this one little year. It has been a crash course in every single area of business. On Etsy, as a seller, to succeed you have to do it faster and smarter or you just get left behind. Out of this trial, most shops rise to the challenge and surpass expectations. There are just so many amazing people making creative imaginative off the wall items that I have to share a list of some of my favorites. This blog is my little platform to showcase the gems I have found on my travels through the web. One little laundry list of amazingly artful items that I have found irresistible that need more attention, along with some of my own creations along the way.