craft and co.

Panyizsuzsi silver line

2009-05-11T14:17:00.002+02:00

My whole english part of my blog is under construction for a while. I worked a lot on the hungarian part, that leave me no time to update this one.
Today some really important things hammened. I launched the panyizsuzsi silver collection. How do you like it?

I promise to be back soon!

Orange and Black Bracelet

2009-02-22T12:04:00.003+01:00

The previous post was about our retro house. To continue that I show you a retro jewelry, an orage black bracelet. This is my favourite at the moment. Do you like it?

Retro Ceramic

2009-02-17T13:49:00.004+01:00

I do have to admit: I am collector of retro ceramic pieces. Especially orange and turquoise color. I love them. The collecting habit of mine started with this first one. Then I found a couple more, but I knew, I need six to decorate the bookshelves. When I already found 5 the last one was the hardest. One local antique shop sold them for a fortune, but I insisted and waited until I found the last one at the flea market.

Here are our bookselves:

Get Organised!

2009-02-12T09:17:00.005+01:00

Last year I started a new way of time management. The hardest part I found was keeping the house nice and clean without having a full time cleaner. I found a good and cheap solution. The Motivated Moms Chore Planner. This is printable chore lists is an e-book to be downloaded and saved to your computer. You can then either print the full year out at once, print a week at a time or just view it on your computer.

These printable chore lists are just what i was looking for. It tells me exactly what to do each day in my home and I love to check items off a list to feel the sense of accomplishment. It is the best system I ever met! You can see the sample pages of several versions of the planner here.

Tsunami Glassworks

2009-02-02T09:08:00.000+01:00

As I was browsing the net, I found these really cool glass items from Tsunami Glassworks. This vase set is all one piece. They have them in different colors and they each mean a different thing for me. This is like a forest. Please check them all aout on theri stie!

Designer Glass Buttons

2009-01-20T08:59:00.000+01:00

Through a friend of mine I met a really nice designer, who has an own studio, named kamchatka. One day she called me, that she is in need for cool, BIG, glass buttons for a deep purple coat. I made her these. They are cool, aren't they?

Secret Santa 2008.

2009-01-12T16:00:00.002+01:00

To tell you the truth, the Holiday Season was rather busy for us. Be both tried to manage family and business at the same time. This was not easy. Now, I spend the January on catching up wirth things to do. One of them is to blog about my Secret Santa present.

As a member of the European Street Team of Etsy I took part of this secret santa thing, organized by ArtMind. I sent a fused glass ring to PetiteNilda early enough to get forget about it by Christmas.
Mine arrived just a couple of days before Christmas. The sender was Meltemsem. First I thought I will open it at Christmas Eve, but I could not resist and opened it the night it arrived. There was a fantastis sterling silver ring in it. I was really happy about my Secret Santa.

THANKS Meltem!

Start Fusing Glass Again!

2009-01-05T12:33:00.003+01:00

Christmas is over. The kids are back in school. We has a nice REALXING time. I tell you the truth I did not feel the relax-feeling while we were at home, but last night everythin was so nice and peaceful. I am REALXED.

Why is this important in a business blog? Because business is not all about work and die at the end. You neeg quiet times too. That was it!

Now we are back in business, starting to work on our new patriotic collection ang catalog.
I will show you when it is done!

How To Trade On Etsy

2008-11-11T17:19:00.000+01:00

This is how it works:

contact the person you would like to trade with to ask if they want to trade with you (helps if you already know that there is a mutual appreciation of each others work)
decide what you would like from that person and find out what they would like from you
the value of your item(s) and their item(s) needs to match - or near enough match
reserve the items they would like in your esty shop - by putting a note in the description/header saying something like 'reserved - only purchase if your name is panyizsuzsi'. Your trade partner does the same in their shop.
to make sure etsy get the fees, you and your trade partner need to purchase via the etsy shopping cart (we all like esty and we want them to get their fees - it's bad practice if you don't do this)
you do not need to make an actual payment via the company that handles payments
trade completed - send off the goods as you would with any order via etsy
leave feedback for your trade partner.

I hope this all makes sense to everyone who hasn't traded before, and for those who have traded via etsy - did I get this right?

EST Business Series - part two

2008-11-05T12:50:00.002+01:00

As a memeber of the European Street Team on Etsy, I am responsible for the business series on out blog. Here is the todays part:

The Business Plan is our next topic we will discuss here on EST blog. If you are being crafty, selling your stuff and knowing ho you are sellin it to you have to make a decision: is it a hobby with minor, irregular income, that you do for fun ot it is BUSINESS? If you decided, that you are doing business, keep reading! Business you can do two major ways: full time or part time. Even being a part time business person with a nicely paying job, I strongly recommend you to make a business plan!

Why? Because that sets you apart from charity! You can not run a business without planning how much you are planning to spend and to make.
Thing that you should include in your plan:
Why are you doing business?
What are you selling? product or service
Where are you selling? on-line or off-line
To whom are you selling to? target market
How do you deliver?
Who are your competitions? What sets you apart from them?
What motivates you?
What is your Mission?

You can change these later as you move on, but believe me to have a good business plan is like to have a GPS in your hands when you entering an exciting unknown forest!

We Are Fusing....

2008-11-04T01:30:00.001+01:00

... like crazy. The kiln never stops, we supported a fund raising event lately and getting ready with our first coorporate order. I will be back soon with more detailed posts!

Unique Glass Jewelry – Unique Modul

2008-10-25T21:11:00.002+02:00

To tell you the truth, I do not like glass litter, especially considering that Bullseye (our glass supplier) is jut about to raise prices. I know that not all firing will be perfect especially not at the first time, but unused glass scraps are a waste of money. For this reason we used to collect these scraps in out studio for later use. This is perfect for making one of a kind design, but if you make several pieces of one design it is no help at all. Being an architect, who constantly uses modules, I realized why can’t I have an own modul system. While designing in a modul system is not a big deal, cutting is faster and there is hardly any waste. So I created my own modul system. We also found out a new production system to match: first we cut modular width strips that is chopped to smaller pieces (the grammatic here might not be correct L) Yesterday we did work with the new system. It was great, fast more effective. The only thing that did not change is the style!

I've Been Tagged!

2008-10-21T08:34:00.000+02:00

It seems that I have been tagged by MissX and now I need to share 7 facts about myself – some funny, some strange and some secret facts.

Here they are:

1) I love to cook.

2) I love to speak.

3) I cloth diaper.

4) Housework is not a priority for me.

5) I have a Swiss Army knife in my purse since I was 14.

6) My indoor plants hardly survive, but the oudoors ones are georgeous.

7) I did not eat mushrooms until I was 21.

The rules are:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are the ones I am tagging:
Vadjutka
Ledanna
JennSki
syko
Jellybean
Karlita
LaPomme

Glass Fusing and Lapmworking

2008-10-17T11:45:00.008+02:00

Many people ask why don't I offer glass beads if I do glassworking anyway. There are a wide range of wish list in my blog comments and other feedbacks: some people would like some long ones and others wish to have somehuge ones or even tubes. There are many great ideas and inspiration in these comments, but fusing and lamworking are two totally different things.

Fusing
Fusing means cutting and layering some glass sheets and fuse them in a kiln at about 1500F. The end result is determined by the temperature and time spent in the kiln.

Lampworking
For lampworking you need a special torch to heat the glass rods until melting point. Then you "twist" it on preaheated stainless steel rod. These rods are previously covered vith a special liquid, that helps to separate the rod and the glass from each other.

Both of them has to be annealed. Annealing is a way of slow cooling method to minimie the stress inside the glass. If it is not sow enough, the glass will break.

Christmas shopping

2008-10-16T18:12:00.003+02:00

As a member of European Street Team of Etsy, I do promote to shop early for Christmas. I usually shop early too. This has lots of great advanteges:

you not have to shop in crowd
you will have plety of time to order from Europe
you will have plenty of time to bake cool cakes and cookies for Christmas
you will not be dead tired on Christmas Day

This is what I do every year, believe me it worth it!

Rigblogger

2008-10-14T14:18:00.001+02:00

There is a blogger, who blogs on rings. She recently found my rings and blogged about them!

HERE THEY ARE!

Craft Fair and Rice Souffle

2008-10-13T21:28:00.004+02:00

As I was at a fair this week-end I had to take care of the lunch for the family. Usually there are two menu that is easy to make, the kids love it and easy to serve. They are:
A. potato boid egg dish with sour creme
B. rice souffle
I have chosen the second one this time:

És a recept:
17.5 oz. rice
8 cups soy milk or regular milk
2 2/3 cups water
grated lemon peel
some sugar
2 tbsp. flour
3.5 oz. butter
8 eggs

I bring the water, milk and rice with some grated lemon peel to boil. (DO NOT blog at this point, otherwise it will spill out!). When the rice is almost done, I put a lid on and remove from the gas, until it cools down. This time I add flour, egg yolks, sugar and butter. I beat egg whites until stiff and mix it in with the rice. I filll int in a greased pan andbake it on 340F for 30 min. If the top gets red too fast I usually put a piece of white paper on top.
It tastes the best with some apricot jam (that is why I use very little sugar!)!

Murgatroyd & Bean

2008-10-08T17:48:00.000+02:00

Tell me a bit about Yourself!
Hi, I am Kathleen, the person behind 'Murgatroyd & Bean'. I live in the beautiful rural county of Herefordshire, England, with my partner and two cats. I find Herefordshire a very inspiring place - it is home to apples & cider making, historic churches and strange customs; 'pressing the blessing', Morris dancing and ancient green men carvings. The local landscape, wildlife and folklore all inspire my work. I love colour and things with a twist.

What you do apart from creating?
As well as designing and creating for 'Murgatroyd & Bean', I am studying a qualification in creative embroidery part-time and I do voluntary work for Oxfam. Sometimes it feels as if there aren't enough days in the week to do everything I want to!

When did you start crafting?
As a child I could usually be found either drawing, painting or reading! As a teenager I used to make caricature dolls of my friends. After completing an art degree I found myself on a totally different career path for 12 years working with young people who needed help and advice, so the creative process was put on hold. My interest in textiles has remained constant and about 12 months ago I started to sew and create again, thus 'Murgatroyd & Bean' was born!

How do you work?
I have a studio space at home with a desk which looks out onto my garden. From here I can watch the birds coming and going and the crazy antics of the cats. I usually work with the radio on or my ipod playing.

What is you favourite part of creation?
I love working with colour - putting different combinations together to see what works and I love the rhythm of hand sewing. I am starting to work a little more with free machine embroidery, which is definitely quicker, but my first love will always be hand sewing I think. I enjoy working with tactile fabrics such as felt, wools and velvets and love it when I can 'reclaim' material which had a life as something else, i.e. a jacket, and turn it into a strange creature instead.

Any favorites?
Place: The folk art collection at Compton Verney, Warwickshire, UK Artists: Andy Goldsworthy, Clare Woods Textile Artists: Tilleke Schwarz, Maxine Sutton Books: 'Wuthering Heights' Emily Bronte, 'Rosie Goes for a Walk' Pat Hutchins (super illustrations), 'The Velveteen Rabbit' Margery Williams, Grimms Fairy Tales

How do you promote yourself?
I sell a lot of my work through Art Fairs & craft markets across the Midland region of England. I really enjoy the direct contact with customers. I also have a selection of my smaller items for sale on the Etsy website, i.e. brooches & decorations. Occasionally I sell through local galleries and gift shops and there is a gallery of Murgatroyd & Bean images on Facebook, , where you can also join the mailing list for the latest news.

Tell me about Kathleen in 10 years!
I hope to continue working with textiles designing & making, maybe taking some of the creatures I have created into their own story / books. Um. Watch this space!

He is 40

2008-10-06T22:01:00.000+02:00

He is 40. I organised a huge suprise party for the week-end. The hardest thing was to keep it in secret. If I make him a surprise it is really hard not to tell. I am so excited what he will say. Believe me I had a really hard three weeks, but he did not even thought about this party!

It was so much fun. He had 48 friends there. I made a powerpoint presentation of his life, all the way from birth to now.

Now I am tired, bt it really woth to be tired!

Contemporary Glass Jewelry 3...2...1... start!

2008-10-04T07:16:00.000+02:00

Talking about Christmas has two aspects for me. One is the personal. I do start Christmas shoppong in August. (Yes, you read it well!) I do not like (might say hate) to shop in mid-December, when most people are in a hurry and impatient. I do not enjoy that. By end of October I am mostly done.

Considering the business part end of October is the time when our business starts to go fast, really fast! The panyizsuzsi contemporary glass jewelry line is real Christmas treasures and they make perfect stocking stuffers! We will not run out or have a low stock by December. In spite of this we will announce our deadines here. Deadline for commision and last shipping day for Europe and the rest of the World. This way we can make sure that you have your presents on time! That is part of the panyizsuzsi guarantee.

Until then we have many local fairs. The next one is:
WAMP
12th October, 2008. Gödör Klub (It will be inside, thanks God!)

Art Jury

2008-09-30T15:02:00.000+02:00

We are proud to have the panyizsuzsi fused glass jewelries juried by the National Art Jury in September 2008.
This always feels good to be recognised, not only by friends and relatives, but some professionals. This Jury has quite a background. I remember as a child, that what a big deal was to buy a juried art piece. Today when there is a china shop in every other street I feel it has an even bigger value.

It always makes me happy to buy stuff from artist. This way I do vote against child labor and other nasty things and I do help an artist to live on his or her art! That was emphasized last Christmas to buy handmade and take the handmade pledge!

That is what I thought walking away form Buda Castle, knowing I am an Art Jury Certified Artist!

Just a Bit of Info

2008-09-26T07:51:00.000+02:00

I must reformat my computer. It is full of junk. I will have no computer until Tuesday!
Thanks for your patience!

Free Giveaway

2008-09-17T19:13:00.000+02:00

Would you like to have this ring absolutely free? You have nothing els to do, but to visit this blog and follow the rules!

Fall Winter Colors and Fused Glass

2008-09-16T11:23:00.001+02:00

If you have been following out blog, then I am pretty sure that you know, that colors are a must for panyizsuzsi's glass design. We both follow the trend and stay unique and personal at the same time. We went shopping for some glass recently, take a look what we got! See them soon in our on-line shop!

And here is a color chart for the fall winter trends. Can you find some identical colors?

Business Series - Part One

2008-09-15T20:31:00.002+02:00

Target Market is a business term meaning the market segment to which a particular good or service is marketed. It is mainly defined by age, gender, geography, socio-economic grouping, or any other combination of demographics. It is generally studied and mapped by an organization through lists and reports containing demographic information that may have an effect on the marketing of key products or services.

When you ask people who are they marketing for many of them will say: EVERYONE, since that is the biggest group ever. Do you think is is the right answer? I tell you NO! For an indie business it is just as important to determine the target market as it is for those giant multi-national companies.
Why? Because you HAVE TO know who are you marketing for!
You have to know:

what they like
what are their latest trends are
where do they spend their free time
what do they read
what is important for them

Do you know all of this? If yes, than CONGRATULATION. If not, well, you better do a quick research. Because it is much easier to make and sell your good if you know:

what your target market loves
what their trends are
where you can find them
where to advertise
what catches their eye and soul

Are you willing to work on it to sell more?
I will be back in a couple of weeks, talking about business planning!