I Changed My Shop Name on Etsy

Most of you know me as a mosaic artist, but I also have a vintage store and a mosaic supply shop.

Recently Etsy offered a one time chance to change the names of our shops and I decided to do that with my supply store that is currently named Memories Mosaic Supply.

Originally, I wanted to keep the word "Memories" in each shop to continue the link of my name (Memories in Mosaics; Memories of Yesterday and Memories Mosaic Supply) but I realized later that it wasn't really the right term for what I wanted people to remember about my shop.

My new name will be "Discount Mosaic Supply".  I will be offering lower prices and a larger variety of items to my regular inventory of hand cut tiles. I plan to add glass gems, glass and ceramic tiles and more focal pieces over the next few months.

My Mosaic shop will be changing too.  I have decided to concentrate in other areas and will not be producing new pieces as much anymore.  I will still offer custom orders, but my inventory will be less overall.  I have come to the conclusion that I just can't sit at my computer as much as needed to keep all 3 shops promoted and right now my inventory for my vintage shop just keeps growing. 

My husband and I are in our mid 50's and all our children are grown and out of the home, so we wanted something we could do together.  Hunting through Estate Sales, Garage Sales and Thrift shops is a lot of fun for the two of us and something we both love to do, so my vintage shop won out over my mosaics.

I hope you will stop by and check out my shops.  I will give 10% off to anyone who reads my blog in each of my stores.  Just use coupon code "Blog10" when you check out.

My mosaic shop is http://www.memoriesinmosaics.etsy.com/

My vintage shop is http://www.memoriesofyesterday.etsy.com/

My supply shop is still http://www.memoriesmosaicsupply.etsy.com/ but soon will be
http://www.discountmosaicsupply.etsy.com/

Until Next Time :)

Custom Mosaic Part 2

Just getting the feel of the design.

I changed the tiles a bit and have added my flowers.

I have been working pretty steadily on this mosaic and have it partly laid out.  I have changed a few things from the original drawing, but it will still have the same look when I have finished it.

My customer wants lots of bright and light colors so I am doing my best to keep to that.  I cut the flowers out of the checkered pattern dishes to keep the country feel to this.

The pencil markings toward the bottom are where the shelf made from the salad plate will go.  I just want to be sure I don't tile over that area.

Just a few more to lay out and I will run this by my customer to make sure we are on the same track.  If she is good to go I will probably glue down what I have to keep it from shifting while I design the rest.

I should have my progress here on my blog in the next day or so.

Until Next Time. :)

What's New?

 Since I didn't sell much at my craft fair I have quite a number of new mosaics in my shop and I thought I would share them in my post today. 

Like most online sellers I am always trying to figure out what people want in the way of design, colors and overall appeal.  My new pieces are a variety of all of these and I plan to continue making more for the upcoming Christmas season.

I am happy to say that this one has sold!



I call this one" Caribbean Contemporary" because of the blue and yellow wavy pattern of the dish tiles I used.



An adorable little plant stand



Another contemporary I call "Cafe Latte" due to the rich brown colored brown tiles and the  creamy beige glass gems in this one



This one isn't mine.  My husband made this mask from a palm frond leaf from our yard

My daughter made this funky fun photo frame

Sort of an abstract that my husband says looks like a man with a yo-yo.

Mosaic cross wall hanging

My First Craft Show

I will be doing my very first craft show this weekend at the auditorium here in town.  It's a 2 day show and inside (the only kind I will do because of the heat here) and is put on by the Junior Women's League.

OK, it's probably hard for some of you to believe that I have never been in a craft show before since I've been selling my mosaics for nearly 2 years now.   Well, I have if you want to count the 4 hours I set up during my grandson's Halloween Festival at school a few years ago.  I was bored out of my mind and so was everyone else.  Hardly any sales that day for anyone and it turned me off of doing a 2 day show.

Anyway, I have heard there can be some real horror stories involved in doing one of these gigs so I am a bit curious what some of you have run into.  I suppose the weather can certainly throw a ringer in it.  I have some online friends who recently experienced what rain can do to ruin a perfectly good day of sales.

I just hope I have everything I will possibly need so that things run smoothly. I have made a list of the supplies I think will be used such as tablecloths, cash box, sales receipts, pen, bags, bubble wrap, tape, etc. etc. etc.  I even plan to take a lunch in case we're stuck there and can't get out.  Some inside shows don't have the food like others except for the tasting kinds of things like soups or dips.

All in all I am looking forward to it mostly because I would love to hear what people say about my pieces.   When selling online the only contact you really have is in the feedback people leave and half of them don't know to do that.

Anyway, let me know how things went for your craft shows as I would love to know.

I'm Having a Spring Sale

I have decided to have a "Spring Sale" in my mosaic shop, Memories in Mosaics, and have featured some of the pieces that will be discounted until the end of the month beginning tomorrow, March 26th.

Here are a few that will be marked down anywhere from 15%-20%, so if you know someone who might like to get in on a good deal, be sure to let them know.

New and Upcoming Mosaics

I haven't been on my computer much these last few weeks as the sprain of my foot makes it difficult to sit at my desk, however, I have been busy on a few new mosaics.

The first one was inspired by a friend whom I met online. She is a fellow Design Style Guide member and has a lovely shop called Another Bright Idea.

I did a custom frame for her with some of her mother's keepsakes in a white-on-white mosaic and it gave me the idea of doing one in a Bridal theme. I purposely kept it simple with just a few touches of gold and vintage pearls for interest as the primary focus should be the bride and groom.

It could also work well for a Golden Anniversary or any happy couple for that matter. It was fun and different to do and a bit of a challenge, which is always a good thing.


This is my current project. This is obviously an ocean-themed piece with the cute little crab in the corner. I plan to use various tiles from dishes with blue as the main color.

This is a very large mirror at 24"x 28", so it may take me a while to complete.

This frame is ready to be grouted and I have decided to grout it in blue keeping to the theme. I just love the periwinkle blue that dominates this mosaic and have used that color in several different types of glass tiles to make this design.

Talking Mosaics at the Mosaic Cafe

When you are an artist and seller on Etsy you have the opportunity to join teams and groups where you share a common interest. In this case it is a love of all things mosaic.

"Talking Mosaics at the Mosaic Cafe" is a group of very talented artists who come together to share their techniques, advise, support and sometimes failures. It's a place where you can express your opinions, show off your newest piece, or just talk about your everyday life.

I have been with this group a very short time, yet they all have made me feel welcome and connected as though I had know them for years so I wanted to take the time to showcase the talents of these wonderful women. I have mentioned before how it truly amazes me that our creations are so very different yet we all have the same resources at hand.

These photos are just a hint of the wonderful mosaics you will find in their shops. Many of them have more than one shop, so please stop by and take a look. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Just click on the photo.

RedCrowArts


JoyfulArtStudio

Domosaics

Julen

Artsyphartsy

MosaicSmith