What is the Art fire of Michigan Guild? It is a group of Artfire members and artisans who help support and promote Michigan artisans who sell on Artfire. Why should I be interested in joining the Artfire of Michigan Guild?For sellers, we can offer a resources for advice and support of local issues. We are able to mentor new sellers on Artfire and promote Michigan artisans and crafters. We use the tag "Michigan Guild" on out items so that members of the guild can easily find each other as we create collections, and for other promotions such as our Guild Blog and our Guild Facebook page. We hope to share information about upcoming events and sh... » Read More

I went through my list of blogs that I follow on my Blogger page. Eeks! I was "following" 236 blogs. Really. I don't know how it grew to be that many, but I decided it's time to pare that list down. I wasn't really following all of them, some I had followed when I was on Etsy, some I follow just for fun, some I really enjoy. So this is what I decided to do to make the list manageable AND meaningful. I decided to remove any that hadn't posted in at least three months. I know I'm not always great about posting-but I figured if  a blog hasn't been updated in 3 months, maybe it's time to move on. And, it reminds me, I better keep posting content on... » Read More

I've had my shop active on Artfire for a while. Admittedly, I really haven't put much effort into it in the last few months. It got to be a bit overwhelming. I really enjoy creating my jewelry, but I'm not good at marketing it. Do you really expect people to be beating down door with sales if you don't try to get some exposure. Yes, I've had sales. Mostly I think I've been found through searches. So I decided it was time to figure out what I wanted to do for my business and how much time and energy I wanted to put into this. Since I have a full time career outside of Artfire, work life balance is something I really struggle with. Do you feel this ... » Read More

I hope you will join me on a Holiday Shopping Event. I have been chosen as one of over 75 Artisans and Craftspeople who will have theire work featured from Now until November 28th.  Todays featured artisans all make handmade lampwork beads. Each day a different group of craftspeople will be featured. To find out more about this fabulous shopping experience by sure follow it on Facebook.  You can also find out more about it on my Facebook page! Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping... » Read More

I thought I'd share one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes for fresh cranberry orange relish. It's so easy to do and tastes fantastic! I like to make this up a day or two ahead of time-the flavors mellow as the time goes by. This one one of my family's favorite side dishes at Thanksgiving or any time of the year. Try it on a turkey sandwich instead of mayonaise. Delicious!1 12oz bag fresh cranberries (about 4 cups)2 seedless navel oranges2 Granny Smith apples1/2 cup sugar (more or less) Peel and core the apples, quarter the oranges-no need to remove the rind! Rinse the cranberries. If you are lucky enough to own an old sausage grinde... » Read More

Have you ever wondered about oxidizing sterling silver in a natural way? Did you know that you can oxidize sterling with hard boiled eggs! Yes, hard boiled eggs will bring a nice dark patina to your sterling silver.It's really an easy process, and I like that it uses no chemicals, is less smelly and less dangerous than liver of sulphur. You probably have some eggs in your refrigerator right now. You can use these easy steps to bring another dimension to your wire work.STEP 1: Hard boil some eggs. The eggs I use come from my daughters chickens, but store bought eggs will do just fine. To hard boil eggs, put the eggs in a pan and cover them with a... » Read More

Thank you for stopping by my Artfire Studio Blog. I hope you will check in every so often. Like a friend, sometimes I don't have much to say and other times there is much news to share. I'll be sharing some of my jewelry making tips and stories, as well as some family recipes from time to time. Who knows, I might even through in a fish tale once in a while!... » Read More