What Defines Blogger Success?

Faux Silver Chunky Locket Necklace

Indeed, what DOES define blogging success? Would it be that your blog generated enough money to support you financially? Or would it be plenty of readers.  Or would it depend on the blogger’s definitions?  Hmmm, something for me to ponder.  I think it would be a mixture of regular readers, responses/comments and a financially rewarding past time.  I’m discovering some great new blogs through my new fav thing a la Twitter.  If you check out my page you’ll see what I mean.  Naturally it’s mainly jewellery-related stuff.  Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog now, right?

Rock Star Earrings

I’m really getting into Twitter. When my sis first suggested I get a Twitter account I thought she was crazy but once I set up my account AND got a follower within one day of my debut tweet I really got into the swing of things. I think it’s because it’s not ABOUT me but about what I am doing (right now). I’ll admit it was slightly strange getting my first “following you” email on my Beloved BlackBerry but now I’m really getting into it! It makes me want to put up all kinds of glamour related stuff – or not. It’s a FAB way to vent – ’nuff said! So on Sunday I decided that I wanted to have a picture of my face on my Twitter account. And being me, I didn’t want it to be some ordinary photo – not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that, I actually find myself checking out and following Tweeters with groovy profile pix. So, my profile pic is in the works. Monday am before work I took extra time to fix up my concrete jungle war paint and tried to get a picture that looked a) like I wasn’t shooting myself and b) like the carefree and/or digitally re mastered pix that I go for on Twitter. Bit of. Disaster. There is nothing like taking a photo of yourself as you think others see you. BAD idea – especially on a Monday morning.  Naturally, I’ll Photoshop the hell out of it and then post it for all to see – bearing in mind I’m neither a model, photographer or graphic design expert.

SATURDAY MORNING – GLAMOUR CREATION TIME
I had a rather productive morning this morning. I made a couple of faux silver necklaces for Thorndon Fair and went to my fav shop for craft ware that I can transform into some funky ‘lil numbers for moi!

X-Rated Earrings - NZ$10.00

I just finished making two chunky cameo-style choker-style necklaces for my own adornment. Actually, there’s no reason why I can’t go out and sell these bad boys? Hmmm, I will!! If they don’t sell … I’ve just got myself a whole bunch ‘o necklaces!

Bysies!

What I’ve Been Doing (Twiddely-Twiddely-Tweet)

I’ve been checking out some of the other WordPress blogs and I noticed that people write much more regularly than I do and I’m slightly envious of my co-bloggers.  My blogging regularity is somewhat haphazard.  I do realise this blog doesn’t exactly get read by millions but I do like the fact that anyone could read this  (Hello you, welcome).  The thing is, once I finish my office gal by day job and get home, the LAST thing I want to do is sit down at my pc and rattle off some admittedly hilarious blogs.  So I’ve been thinking of ways to blog on MY own terms and it hit me – I can BLOG while I JOG!  Every night I hit the gym for a workout which includes half an hour on the treadmill.  So I can blog while I jog AND I do this on my darling BlackBerry Curve and update my imaginary readers on what I’ve been doing from a creative point of view.

So, this week, while perusing the Daily Mail’s online edition (sic) I read about a 12-year-old blogger that has supposedly taken the fashion world by storm, through her blog.  This 5-minute-fashion-darling DOES regularly blog AND attend fashion shows AND has nobodies like me reading about her in the Daily Mail’s cyber newspaper (my fav daily news fix).   Don’t get me wrong, fashion is F*A*B but the photos of this young lady dressed in her designer duds reminded me of a little girl playing dress up in designer  fashions.  And fashionites are seemingly (or seamingly) hanging on her every word, which I found strange.   To her credit, there were photos of her with Anna Wintour, and Anna doesn’t strike me as the take-a-picture-of-us-together type.   I’m putting my shock at this fashion situation down to jealousy over blogger success.   I do tend to read the Daily Mail  for the rather snarky remarks made by the staff on their online edition.

I recently watched a news item on the amount of personal information/photos people post on facebook or Twitter and how potential employers can get hold of these sometimes embarrassing items.   The news story noted that compromising photos of people have reached potential employers and may have cost them future employment.  It also made me think about what kind of info I post.  However, this blog is about generally about jewellery so I can’t really get in trouble. Unless I’m too creative? Chuckles.  I do keep in mind that this IS the internet and anyone can read this and use it as they wish, so the lesson to learn is this: don’t take photos of drunken debauchery and don’t write postings in anger.

Tweets to the Tweet

As if my life wasn’t technological enough with my BlackBerry Curve, my Palm Pilot TX and my HP PC, I HAD to go and get a … TWITTER account. Yes, I know, I never thought I’d need one but – gotta say – I kind like it!? I even have followers. Ooo, check me out – talking all Twitt-like. I do only have 3 followers but that’s 3 more than I had last week. It’s a positive. So, a big HOWDO to my new followers, which I’m SOOO sure are reading right now.

Last weekend was day lite savings which always confuses me.  One hour back, Spring forward, fall back?!? Anyhoo, I went to bed at 2.00am or possibly 3.00am and then I slept in – I HATE THAT! Bizarrely, I like to get up at 5.00am during the weekend.  That’s Glamour Twinkles creation time. So, I had an idea for a bracelet that I was going to work on, had I gotten up at Creation Time. Strangely enough I jumped out of bed at 10:00 (or possibly 9:00am) and, after coffee and cigarette, I made the bracelet in record time.  I like it, the photo’s don’t really show what it looks like when you’re wearing it, but I’m not a hand model.  Anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing.  My Twitter account is all set up and you can check it out.  I still can’t believe I have one, and I’m using it too.  My sister is a very convincing convincer!

Thank you for your attention
Over and Out

Back to Basics

A couple of weeks ago I downloaded a wonderful program that enabled me to blog live from BB onto WordPress. It was wonderful until I accidentally deleted a pictures folder which stopped the blogging link to work.

I’m usually good at fixing stuff like this. But I have been unable to work out how to get the program back onto to Curvey.  So I’m going Back To Basics and emailing my blog posts.  It does have advantages – it saves the date of email initiation, runs an automatic spell checker and all the other wonderful things that Curvey does so well.

What have you been doing, I hear you ask? Well, I’ve been rather busy. I had written a number of little bloggy posts and dutifully saved them into my now defunct BB program but alas, they have been lost in cyberspace due to my efficient use of space on BB by deleting the multitude of games the previous owner had on the Curve that I now possess (or does it possess me?).

In other news, I was given the task of decorating the birthday card for my Dad’s 70th birthday – which is in a weeks’ time. I have created a disco/glam sequins card for the rather gargantuan card that my sister provided me with. I had agreed to decorate the card that was to go with a clever little idea my sister had for a”70 Things At 70″ masterpiece that she put together using old family photos and some of my Dad’s achievements through the years.

I’ve also been quite the mini money-maker on my beloved Trade Me.  I haven’t sold (or even listed) any of my jewellery in a while but I’m saving the best stuff for Thorndon Fair which is coming up in December.

“That’s a long way off, young lady,” cried millions of cyber fans.

Yes, I agree, it is a long way off but I don’t have a lot of time to make my spectacular Glamour Twinkles so I’m saving the chunky bracelets and necklaces for the fair stall.  Plus, I want my stall to look FULL of pieces this year, instead of slightly depleted looking like in the past.  It’s the new attitude – Lots Is Best – in Everything . . . or something like that . . .

See you in the funny pages, Reader!

Bloggit – LIVE @ BB Central

Monday, 7 Sept 2009 – 9.40am (technically I should be working)

A couple of years ago I got a book out of the Wellington city library called “I Don’t Recall the Name by The Author”. It had a scrapbook feel to it. It had photos of fabric samples, notes, ideas. It got me thinking that I should start getting this blog to look a bit more scrapbook/jewellery book- like(sic).

My sister came to visit me on Sunday as we were going to celebrate Father’s Day at my “Parental Units” house out in the ‘burbs. So I was showing her some of my new Glamour Twinkles private collection (a fancy way of saying stuff I’ve made for myself) and she asked the familiar question:
Did you take any photos?
To which I gave the familiar reply “No, darnit, I keep forgetting . . . “
“You should. You could use them on your blog.”

Of course! The blog! I can put them here. I couldn’t see the point of taking photos just to have them sitting on my pc doing nothing. But I can have them up here entertaining all of you reader out there in the digital wunderland.

So this is the beginning of the new blog. I’m going to visit the library on my lunch break and see if the book is still at the library so I can be “reinspired” and share it with you – oh by the by … this will be working in conjunction with Blackberry du jour 8310 (just in case you were wondering what was going on with that). It has spellcheck on the BB so it is a multi-user-friendly genious device for the ages.

Time Stamp: 3.01pm
Booohooooo the booky-wook wasn’t at the library. I looked and looked but all for nought. Waaaaaaaa! OK – I’m over my little temper tantrum now.

I also bought a micro”disk for the micro aliens to travel around in. . . little spaceman humour there, Reader. See, I am thinking about you too.

The Great Gadget Gawd Calls . . . again!

Contact Established
Yaay! !
BB 6310 is on the way. Next blog will be coming from that ‘lil baby . . .

caio4now!

And The Winner Is . . .
Me! Yaaaay, I rock!
I won the auction, I’ve paid the money and now I play the waiting game. A couple of small probs – it is a 2nd hand purchase so it doesn’t come with a disc.  And no instruction book – but I’m quite tech savvie when it comes to the gadgets I love so that’s no biggie.

The Beginning . . .
Welcome back to my obsession. I looked at Trade Me today and just glancing around my eyes fell upon TA DAA! A BB6310 for under $123. I’m trying not to give too much info away as I wanna win it!! Me me meee!!! The auction ends next week at some stage – I’m not telling all of you reader out there. But I can’t wait!! I hope I win, naturally, you’re all asking yourselves why the Heck I’m bidding for a BB when I already have one? Well, let me give you an insight into my brain-workings + gadgets. I love technology. I don’t make enough $$ to buy tech when it first comes out and I am slightly cautious when it comes to “the latest model”. Now my sis thought I’d love the iPhone. Me too I remember when it exploded into the celeb-blogs that I guiltily indulged in. I was envious. And then I noticed that many celebs went back to Black (so to speak) and I was a little surprised. So I checked out my fav gadget blog Brighthand and I read the forums and I decided that though I had a Palm Pilot TX that did everything that I wanted and I had a mobile with Bluetooth that worked with beloved Palmie I really wasn’t missing anything. BUT I still yearned for the BlackBerry – except for the price to run it. Now I’m in a whole new headspace. I’m totally addicted.

Me again – Posessed by The Great Gadget Gawd!
Even tho’ this blog is supposed to be about jewellery related paraphenaliants (sic) I’m going through a gadgets obsessive phase. I’m completely hooked on the BlackBerry. Something has happened to my gadget brain and my new obsession is to buy a (Trade Me) BlackBerry Curve. I know, I’ve only had the RetroBerry for a short time but I’m in lobe with the BB! I don’ think I could go back to a normal cellphone now. CrackBerry addiction, meet your newest convert! Being a total Gadget Geek, I’m going to continue researching BB Curve’s just to see what the pros and cons are. I mean I miss having a camera, but I could sell this model on Trade Me. There’s nothing wrong with it – I just want an upgrade. My mobile plan goes for the next year so I don’t see any problems changing models. Yes, Gadget Gal has already done some preliminary research into swapping models. The only thing I haven’t researched if my mobile “carrier” works with the Curve. Stay tuned!

My, How You’ve Changed

I was on the way to work the other morning when I happened to go past someone I was quite good friends with many years ago. The first thought that entered my head was “oh my god, it’s ____!” Then I thought “please don’t recognise me” and then “should I say something?” I did not.  Instead I imagined how our conversation might go. “Oh hi, ____! Gosh, I haven’t seen you in ages! Whatreyoudinhere?”  Then I remembered why we lost touch all those years ago. You see, she is a very motivated person.

She is in the fashion industry and she is quite respected in her field.  That’s great – for her.   I, on the other hand, have a more “laid-back” way of doing things.  I’m not into the go go go world she thrives on.  I like to be able to relax and not rush home to get more and more jewellery out in shops, and on my website and at stalls and pressuring people to look at my stuff.  Our conversation would drift onto what I was doing and she would make it her pet project – with unrealistic promises of her getting photographers to shoot my stuff or she would get the models to wear it or I could model it for a shoot. . . it’s all coming back to me now!

I sound like an ungrateful moo-cow.  I mean this friend only wants the best for me right? Wrong! She loves to pick up “strays”, turn them into big dreamers and then she picks up the next stray – promising them connections, work, all the fantastic ideas she can think off without really being practical about the realities of her usually unrealistic promises.  She had a way of nagging her acquaintances into joining with her project while she was around but once she left the picture it always came to nothing.   I know how irritating being her latest project can be and I may be going about things the slow or wrong way but I’m doing things my way – not how someone else wants it to be done.

Above: A preview of Glamour Globes, just a little taste of what I’ll be selling

at Thorndon Fair, Wellington – see you there, hmmm?

Who’s A Clever BlackBerry, Then?

I’m really getting hooked on my BlackBerry! I mean, this blog is coming to you live while I’m on my way outside for a cigarette at my day job in the concrete jungle! I did a very dangerous thing and checked out Trade Me to see how many updated BlackBerry models they had available and I’ve got 6 on my watchlist! I’m still lovin RetroBerry (try’n a new nickname). I’ve sold a couple of Glamour Twinkles chunky charm bracelets on Trade Me and RetroBerry emailed me right away, as I was lying asleep in my snuggly warm bed.

Its strange, I don’t get that many emails but its definitely making me list stuff to sell. I’m yet to receive a bill for my first month’s usage which I’m more than a little scared of – I’m used to paying $20 on the PrePay plan every few weeks as opposed to the substantially higher rates I’m being charged for RetroBerry here, although I can TOTALLY see why people call them CrackBerries!

Money, Money, Money

Just got back from “Phone Company X” with my BlackBerry setting up pricing.  SOOOO MUCH $$$ – still, you have to spend money to make money . . .    I thought the $40.00 monthly fee for email service was quite reasonable.  Today,  I learned about the monthly fixed fee of $29.00 just to be on the network so I could play the EXTRA $40.00 for email to my darling BlackBerry.   And the $30 is a fixed term of 12 months! Thus I’ll need to list more stuff on Trade Me over the next year as my payment plan has changed from “PrePay” to “Expensive Pay” all because-I-want-a-BlackBerry-with-email! Cue childish stamping of feet.

On Saturday I’m looking forward to getting up before the sun at 5.00am to get into my most productive jewellery making phase.  That is my favourite time of the weekend.  No matter what time I go to bed, I still get up at 5.00am Saturday and Sunday to work on the glamour!  Of course this compulsory 1 year BlackBerry monthly fee  thingamajig does have the advantage of  forcing me to start shifting my butt and get my gems out there for selling in the cyber marketplace!  I want the BlackBerry to pay for itself.  It’s almost like having an invisible boss, or having to make a quota each month.   No more can I wait until Thorndon Fair in December to sell my sparking wares.  After all, there are other websites out here for me to sell my jewellery.  In fact, I can link them to this blog, such luminaries as Etsy, Trade Me, flickr, and Felt.  I may as well get the most of out of my BlackBerry payment plan while I’m paying through the nose.  I’ll be blogging my little finger tips off – actually, that should read blogging my thumb tips off.  Chortle.  Little BlackBerry humour.

Caio!

Blackberry/Trade Me: Errors of Brain vs Justification

I’ve listed a couple of things on Trade Me and in a fit of auction excitement bid on FOUR BLACKBERRYS – insanity! It’s too darn easy – just one click! Anyhoo – I’m Palmie-blogging in a justification for Blackberry necessity.

~ Justification No 1:  Blog ‘live’ as it were.  All of my millions of reader(sic) will be able to read about my worldwide hair-raising death-defying jewellery adventures As They Happen!  Yes, you can be with me while I go to work, see me eating dinner, watch as I sort through my  beads, marvel as I check out sales in shops.  Too much excitement you say?  You bet! Who needs their own life when they can join in my supercalifragilistic life of – COMPLETE NORMALNESS.

~ Justification No 2:  Shorten looong Palmie  blogging  process. Now, I love my beloved Palm Pilot TX – by the way I AM a gadget gal and I know it.  My Palmie has been with me through good times and not so good times.  I have genuinely invested a lot of time finding things to fill up my Palmie.  It is the BEST reading tool ever.  I don’t have to be stuck next to a PC all day – I can (sneakily) get stuff onto my Palmie and read it at my own pace.  You can read into this comment how ever you like – I will deny everything.  I don’t even admit to writing this blog.  Wrap your head around THAT craziness. However, my Palmie has a touchscreen keyboard and it has started to get a bit “mixed up” meaning when I hit the letter T the gadget could enter an F or a G as it seems to have ’slipped’ a row of letters.  Somewhat annoying when I am writing on the run and I can’t actually make any sense to what I have written.

~ Justification No 3:  Internet access.  Although my Palmie has (supposedly) internet access it does not work.  In my rush to by this model (released two years ago) it was not mentioned that a “patch” would be required via download for the internet to work. D’oh!  It does have World, Excel and Powerpoint on it, so you can’t win ‘em all, eh Reader?

~ Justification No 4:  Cost is an issue.  Study shows that in EnZed it costs around $30 per month to run a Blackie – at the cheapest option.  However, this can be paid for by keeping $30 worth of Glamour Twinkles products on Trade Me and Etsy – another wonderful jewellery selling site.

~ Justification No 5:  Will replace my ‘jinx’ mobile phone sitch.  They regularly wear out after two years. I don’t know what it is about me and my mobiles, but every phone starts playing up after two years.   It will switch it self off – not a favourite annoying habit.  It’s taking 30 minutes to receive texts – annoying when I am in a department store with someone and we have become separated and she has the car and I can’t track her down.  By the time she replies to my text I have already found he That’s when my bag buzzes – and it’s the text she sent me 20 minutes ago!

~ Justification No 6:  Join Etsy to sell jewellery.  Not that I need a Blackberry to join Etsy but it is my justification list so it stays.

~ Justification No 7:  Join photo-sharing website Flickr to load pix and regularly check comments on my stuff.  See above for same reasoning.   Flickr seems to have some great search tags like – Stuff In My Handbag.  I love seeing stuff people carry around in their handbags – especially if they have gadgets – the smaller and more groovy, the better.  Laptops are a bit too large, but little notebook pcs, flip phones, even memory sticks are endlessly fascinating to me, I don’t know why.  I’d use Flickr.com to load my jewellery pix and then gleam valuable insights into the type of comments people would write up about the piece – not the photo.  Remember, I make it, I don’t really know how to shoot it.  Also, some people out there make the most unbelieveably beautiful filligree jewellery that I have ever seen.  Check out Flickr to view stuff.

~ Justification No 8: Hmm – can’t think of another thing that the Blackberry can do that my Palmie can’t do – well, except for it being a Blackberry.

~ Justification No 9:  It’s a gadget.  No explanation necessary.

~ Justification No 10:  All of the above.

There.  I did it!  10 Justifiable Purchase Reasons I totally agree with.

I’m going to try and keep regularly updating my blog. I think monthly would be a good time ‘period’ – pun intended, right gals?!   I recall hearing something about “if you write it – it will happen”.  The sarcastic b*#@% in me thinks “Ha! Try smoking a cigarette while scuba diving then!”‘, but the realist in me says:  Why not?   So here goes . . .

This past month I have . . .
I picked up some plastic coloured alphabet letters, amongst other things, from The Warehouse and started making an Alphabet Charm Bracelet.  I’m thinking of doing poem necklaces: “Roses are red, violets are blue” – type thing.  Of course once I decided on the poetry idea I realised that I don’t have enough of the individual letters.  After  I sorted each little bunch of letters out I was left with the following odd bunches of letters:

8  letter Z’s

10 letter Y’s

1 letter D!

5 letter X’s

I can’t really do much with that.  Below is MY alphabet bracelet.  It makes a great sound when I wear it and it looks a little kitchy – which I like!

I have a new found enthusiasm for listing my Glamour Twinkles on Trade Me.   I’ve listed a bunch of giant bead charm bracelets – Chunky Charm Bracelets.  I love making them, but find that my pieces do need to go out into the world and make some lucky gal’s wrist ache – they can be heavy.  However, each one is an original, made by me and  judging from the positive feedback that has been posted on Trade Me.com about me as a trader and a jewellery maker I seem to be doing okay.  I just need to keep up the postings/listings.  Which brings me back to my (hopefully) new little Blackberry friend.  I’m slightly joking about the “friend” bit – slightly.

The auction on Trade Me finishes on Wednesday night at 9.05pm and I’m kind of impatient at the best of times.  However, it will cost me monthly payments to run the Blackberry and this will be justified by me keeping a regular listing of my gems available on Trade Me.

So, that is the end of my blog for this session.  I will no doubt write to tell you good news vs bad news regarding my Blackberry sighting.  Oooh, I might even Blog From the Berry – who knows?

Keep reaching for the stars.

Coming To You Live from Procrastination Central

Hello and welcome to my very special treat – A Blog Entry. Last time I graced you with my digital appearance . . . well, I don’t actually recall what I said, to be perfectly honest!
Things I’ve Been Doing
Well I’ve procrastinated for so long over putting my Glamour Twinkles stuff onto Trade Me that my sister came over to my house and got a first hand taste of my extreeeemly sloooooooow computer.  Ladies and Gentlemen , I Still Have Dial Up Internet. So she is trying to sign me up to Trade Me and get me onto gmail and the blasted computer is sooo slow and we almost have everything done . . . when . . . tzzzzzzt EVERYTHING SWITCHES OFF – we had a power cut. Of all the infuriating times to have one. The timing could not have been MORE perfect . . . so we jump in her car, get to her place, start up he super speedy pc and get everything done – INCLUDING posting a listing – in less than 10 minutes.
So, I now have a Trade Me account, a sparkley new gMail address which I discover can be customised to match my crazy screen persona!
Anyhoo, my trade me listing sold -

Black Rosery

and I have got my bum into action and loaded another piece.

Yaaaay, now I can relax and focus on my Xmas gift – PLAYSTATION 2! Oh my GOD!  I see how people get hooked on that thing! l love it.

Buyee!

Movies and Jewellery

I’m struggling with making a cobweb necklace using silver wire and pearls. I’ve also made these rose-aries. They’re not strictly ”rosearies” but Y-shaped necklace doesn’t quite do it for me – like the cobweb they still need working on. Ages ago I got these cool little cloisonne crosses in gold, blue, green, black, and – for some bizarre reason – brown.

I watch many movies – with my television commercial aversion, and I’ve noticed that certain pieces remind me of the DVD I was watching while making it.

Glamour Twinkles Chunky Junk Necklace

For example, the blue/green chunky junk necklace will always be ‘Poltergiest’ necklace, the blue rose-arie necklace will always be ‘Amityville Horror’ necklace. The only thing is I’m hoping to attract a range customers who will, more than likely, find this disturbing. Please believe me when I say: “I’m not a complete nutcase”. I just enjoy the spookiness of ‘horror’ movies. “Horror movie” has such negative connotations, I’ll call them GLAMSPIRATION MOVIES!

Chuckle-chuckle.