Things are officially in full swing!

It's so weird how Halloween has come and gone already. I'm already looking forward to next year. It's still a beautiful fall though, so I'm totally enjoying the season, despite Halloween being over. The leaves have been changing, and the weather has been so warm that I haven't even needed a jacket the last two days. I wish it was like this all year long!

I'm starting to make a dent in that huge package of beads I got the other day :) I still have another package waiting for me though, so I still have tons to keep me busy. I finished up my last shift at my day job this week as well, so that leaves me with tons of time to focus on this. I cannot tell you how relieved am I to know that I don't have to go back to it. The job itself wasn't even so bad, for a serving job at least. But the money I was making wasn't even worth going in most of the time, and nothing will be ever be worth the freedom I have to give up when working for someone else. I know the majority of the population manages to do it without much problem, but there must just be something different about my own personal mindset when it comes to this. I will never be happy living my life around somebody else's policies and schedule, and that is a huge reason why I started Deepshade Creations. I've always loved making jewelry, but it's a pretty safe bet that it never would have gone past being a hobby if I didn't have this strong motivation to work for myself. It really is what keeps me going when things hit roadblocks and I start to get frustrated when I can't find a way through right away.

But enough about my personal philosophies :P Here's the exciting stuff, two new bracelets I've made today. I'm very pleased with how they turned out, I experimented with bead combinations I normally wouldn't have thought of, and the results are lovely. They're not on the website yet, but they will be soon, just as soon as I can get some better pictures.

Rose quartz chips and heart charm, snow quartz rounds, rose Swarovski crystal, silver-plated beads, and white lampwork glass with embedded pink and green roses.


Fluorite teardrops, amethyst Swarovski crystal, silver-plated beads, and purple lampwork glass with embedded pink and green roses.

New and improved website!

Finally finished the new layout on the site! It's nothing drastic, but each item now has its very own individual page, and the three category pages are now links to them, rather than packed full of all that information right there. Take a look and let me know what you think! I'm happy with it so far.

Two November shows lined up:
Sat-Sun 11/11-12 - Assumption Regional School Christmas Craft Fair, Pomona, NJ
Sat-Sun 11/18-19 - St. Stephen's School Annual Christmas Festival, Pennsauken, NJ
And definitely more to come. It's getting to be holiday season, so it's time to get in gear. And speaking of holidays, I am now offering free gift-wrapping on any purchases. Just make a note in the comment box at checkout which items you'd like wrapped, and you're good to go!

Just received a four pound package of beads on Friday, so I'm getting tons of new things made :) Lots of pictures to come, but here's one I made a few weeks ago and just photographed yesterday to hold you over:

Heart of November Bracelet

(click to see more information on its very own brand-new item page! :D )

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!@$%@$@

So I thought it was strange that I hadn't received a single email since the 6th. Not even a piece of spam. Not a word from at least four people that I'd been expecting to hear from. I let it go for a few days, thinking it must just have been a slow week. But when today came along, marking the fifth day since I'd received a new message, I started to get worried. So I sent a test email to the account to reassure myself that everything was fine.

Well, it wasn't. It bounced backed immediately, saying it was a permanent error: mailbox is full.

MAILBOX FULL! I am such an idiot. I must look just super to anybody who's tried to contact me this week. Like either A) a con-artist who up and cancelled her fly-by-night account to anyone who didn't read the mailerdaemon message fully and only saw the words "permanent error," or B) an unprofessional moron who doesn't deserve her own business to anyone who read closely enough to realize exactly why their message bounced back.

Or maybe I'll get lucky and they'll think, "Oh wow, her mailbox is full! She must be incredibly busy and popular to get so many messages! I'll just try again later and hopefully I'll be lucky enough to get through!"

Oh man. Actually, if I'm REALLY lucky, anyone who tried to reach me will just happen to read this and see for themselves exactly what happened. And if that just so happens to be the case....

Here's a message for you: I fail at life and I am truly sorry. Please forgive me, and I hope this little mishap does not tarnish your thoughts on my humble business, Deepshade Creations :( To make it up to you, and also to anyone who was kind enough to read all the way through this pathetic entry, please accept a discount code for 25% off any total purchase (any amount, sale items included). It will be valid until October 31st. Just enter the code BadStacie into the discount box at checkout.

And I promise it will work.

On Westfield and Maple Shade craft shows.

Well, Maple Shade was today and Westfield was last Sunday. Today went pretty well. It was actually supposed to be yesterday, but we got rained out and weren't notified by phone like we were supposed to be until we'd already arrived.

"Hello, I'm calling to let you know that the Maple Shade Craft Show has been postponed until tomorrow due to rain."
"Yeah no kidding, set-up was scheduled to start an hour ago, and I just received this apparently insignificant piece of information from some cranky guy in a raincoat five minutes ago, but thanks for the heads up anyway, lady."

That reply was what went through my head anyway, the actual response was more like a "'Kay thanks!" Oh well. But anyway, despite the not so fuzzy first impression we got, it actually went fairly well. The weather was gorgeous, a total 180 from the gloom and doom we had Saturday, and while it wasn't incredibly busy, we still made enough sales for it to be worth it.

Now, Westfield on the other hand. Westfield last Sunday was AMAZING. Hands down the best show we've done yet. It started out horribly, with a rainy, foggy, dark drive up, but by the time we'd finished unloading and setting up, the sky had somehow become a beautiful clear blue with white clouds and plenty of sunshine. How that happened, I'll never know, but I'm thankful. It was awesome. And so was the actual event. It was PACKED, with both vendors and shoppers. And Westfield is such a cute little town, we had a lot of fun looking at all the shops, as well as the other booths, while we were there. Particularly a chocolate shop called Brummer's that I plan on driving up and visiting again for Christmas presents.

Here's a few pictures. This first one is what my display currently looks like. We kicked it up several notches for these last two shows with the autumn leaves around the edges, the gift wrap display, the framed signs, the two new earrings stands, and the wooden table with the flowers and candles. It looks SO much better than it did before those changes. I've never been fully satisfied with it before, but I'm happy to say that I finally am now.

Manning the booth with dad and boyfriend (click for full size).


These next two are things that we picked up in Maple Shade today. A jewelry box with handcarved wood ornaments on the lid, and a cute goldfish print, which will most likely be going in our kitchen. I LOVE picking up handmade things, it's such a breath of fresh air from shopping at places like Walmart or even the mall. I just wish the two artists had websites of their own that I could link these pictures to. (Though now that I think about it, I should mention that I got a really nice lotion and lip balm in Pitman from a crafter who goes by Frogtown Soap, and who hopefully won't mind me linking her!)




And that's all I've got for definite shows for now. Haddonfield ended up putting me on a waiting list, so I applied last minute for Autumn in Moorestown on the 14th instead, but haven't heard back yet. I haven't applied for anything past that. All of the big outdoor festivals are ending within the next couple of weeks, so I'll most likely just be doing small shows at local schools and churches until things pick up in the spring. I may also be doing Rice's Market outside of New Hope, PA. We'll see! And that's it for this enormous post!

Interview at Crafty Synergy.

The show at Hereford Inlet Lighthouse was awesome! Just had to mention this, haha. It was a beautiful weekend for it, and hopefully next week will be too. I'll be back down there for one more day Saturday the 9th, and then Avalon will be the day after that. So let's hope the little weather fairies get all this rain out of their system this weekend, so next will be sunshine and butterflies, haha!

Yet Another Updated List:
Sat 9/9 - Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Craft Show, North Wildwood
Sun 9/10 - Avalon Street Faire, Downtown Avalon
Sat 9/16 - Pitman Fall Craft Show, Pitman
Sun 10/1 - Westfield FestiFall, Downtown Westfield
Sat 10/7 - Maple Shade Gazebo Park Craft Show, Main St. in Maple Shade
Sat 10/14 - Fall Festival in Haddonfield, Haddonfield Business District

And that's the last of them! I'm no longer waiting to hear back from any more, so this is my final list until mid-October. I'm about to start with the next round of applications for November and December, so I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I get somewhere with that.

And also.. I've been interviewed at Crafty Synergy, so check that out if you get a chance. It's an awesome blog that interviews a different crafty business every Wednesday, letting you get inside our crafty little minds for a bit :) I enjoy reading it every week, and I hope you find it interesting too!

Don't forget, Neptune City Day tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the big day! Neptune City Day, that is! It's going to be a long day, from 9am-7pm in Memorial Park on Riverview Ave., so I hope to see you there at some point :)

Another updated confirmed list of NJ craft shows I'll be at:

Sat 8/5 - Neptune City Day, Neptune City
Sat-Sun 8/12-8/13 - Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, North Wildwood
Sun 9/10 - Avalon Street Faire, Downtown Avalon
Sun 10/1 - Westfield FestiFall, Downtown Westfield

Still waiting to hear back from several more, but I don't expect that to happen until at least later this month, since the shows aren't being held until October.

And now, back to preparations and jewelry-making for tomorrow!

Wickedly Chic Review

Who's got an update? I've got an update! Lots to tell you about this week! But first, I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday on Tuesday. All of your kind words made the day extra special. Hopefully 24 will be a good year!

Now onto the news.

July 18 wasn't just my birthday. Coincidentally, it was also the day the new issue of Wickedly Chic came out. And if you check out their Fresh and Chic section, you'll find a lovely review of my Cape May Necklace there. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be featured on such a beautiful site. You should definitely check everything else out while you're there, the Wickedly Chic ladies put a lot of work into bringing their readers the best of independent shops, and it shows.

I also have some updates on some of the shows I mentioned I was applying to. As I said before, I'll still be appearing in Neptune City on August 5 and Avalon on September 10. I heard back from the two Boardwalk Craft shows in Wildwood though, and unfortunately it turns out the jewelry categories filled up quickly, before I got the application in. But there is good news! I received an acceptance letter for the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse show, also in Wildwood, for the weekend of August 12-13. So here is my updated schedule:

Sat August 5 - Neptune City Day, Neptune City
Sat/Sun August 12-13 - Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, North Wildwood
Sun September 10 - Avalon Street Faire, Avalon

Still have five more shows I'm waiting to hear back from, and I'm also about to begin the next round of applications, so don't think that those four are it!

Deepshade Creations, Now Touring the Full Length of New Jersey!

Hello everyone! I'm sorry about the lack of updates this past month, that should be changing as of about now. The move into the new apartment was taking up a lot of time, but that's finished (at least until possibly next year!) The place is amazing- lots of space, brand new carpeting, very cute complex. Once it's set up more, I'll post some pictures of the crafty things we've done with it.

Another thing that's been taking up a huge chunk of my time is the application process for my craft show schedule over the next several months. It involves finding potential shows, researching them, getting my hands on the information, filling the applications out, then taking and getting developed all the pictures of my craft and display that I need to send. Then, in the case of juried shows, the waiting! So far there have been about twenty shows up through the end of October that I've inquired about, at least ten that I've narrowed it down to, and seven that I'm in the midst of the aforementioned process for. And I won't be stopping there! After I get this handful out of the way, I'll be starting over again for the November/December shows. It's more work than I ever would have thought it would be, but so rewarding because I know I'm doing this for myself. It's what I love about having my own business :)

And before I forget, just wanted to update that the show in Avalon was a success. Despite heavy winds and being rained out a couple hours early, it went well and was lots of fun! I'm looking forward to going back in September for their next one (though hopefully with better weather!)


Wet frizzy hair and a somewhat emptied table.

But anyway, here's a working list of what my summer tour schedule through New Jersey may be. The bolds are the ones that I will definitely be participating in. The others are all still application pending or waiting for me to actually apply ;)

Sat/Sun July 29-30 - Boardwalk Craft, Wildwood
Sat August 5 - Neptune City Day, Neptune City
Sat/Sun August 12-13 - Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, North Wildwood
Sat/Sun August 26-27 - Boardwalk Craft, Wildwood
Sun September 10 - Avalon Street Faire, Avalon
Sat September 16 - Pitman Fall Craft Show, Pitman
Sat September 30 - Crosswicks Village Festival, Crosswicks
Sun October 1 - Westfield FestiFall, Westfield
Sat October 7 - Maple Shade Gazebo Park Craft Show, Maple Shade
Sat October 14 - Fall Crafts in Haddonfield, Haddonfield
Sat/Sun October 21-22 - Celebration of Crafts and Arts, Salem

So that's where I'll be until the end of October. Hopefully my readers in the area will be able to make it to some of them, because I'd love to meet you! And don't worry, I've been working my tail off making new jewelry, it just hasn't been updated to the site yet because of my lack of time. I'll get on that soon, but until then, all of it will be out in its full sparkling glory on those display tables. Hope to see you there!

Avalon, NJ on Saturday, June 24th.

Well, just yesterday I managed to find out that there's a craft show going on in Avalon on the 24th, and that the deadline to apply is the 19th. I emailed them immediately, and they got back to me this morning saying they'd send an application out ASAP. So with any luck:

1) that thing will get here within a couple of days, and 2) they'll accept it being faxed back, or 3) it'll either get there just in time or they'll accept it a day or two late.

Gotta love last-minute. And that's actually not sarcastic. I'm incredibly bad at planning, and exceptionally good at being spontaneous. If all shows had application deadlines that were only five days before the actual show, I'd be doing them every weekend, or at least as often as I could replenish my inventory. And speaking of replenishing inventory..



I'm told a lot that I don't make enough earrings. Well today I made several pairs, and this is one of them. Snow quartz, rose quartz, and montana Swarovski crystal.



That's an earring/bracelet set that I also made today in preparation for this show coming up. It's made from porcelain beads, malachite and rhodonite beads, and silver-plate. It's also the only one in existence, since those four pink porcelain beads are the only ones I have, and there's no way for me to get my hands on more. Gotta love real one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Anyway. Preparation for the show. Since there was no mention of a jury, I'm hazarding the assumption that just getting in the application will get me a spot, and so that means that I'm going to be spending the next two weeks in a jewelry-making frenzy. Which is going to be a feat, considering I already have the task of moving into my apartment this weekend on my hands. Not only is this a lot of work, but it also means all of my supplies are going to have to be packed up, unpacked, and sorted out before I can start working again. I also have to buckle down and get my display figured out. That's the main thing that's been keeping me from applying to shows, the fact that I don't have a real table setup. I have a few racks that I built (oh yeah that's right), a few tiles to display things on, a nice table covering.. and that's about it. I need nicer tables, more display racks.. and a tent! Oh, and a bigger car so that I'll actually be able to transport all this stuff ;)

So yeah, it's definitely time to see what I'm made of! I'll keep you updated on the status of my application, but as of now, I'm assuming I'll be at the Avalon Chamber of Commerce Craft Show on Saturday June 24th, so if you're in the area, come on out! Let me know if you plan to be there!

You won't be seeing any basement here either.

Thought I'd give you guys a look at where all the magic happens. Except to make it a bit more interesting than it actually is.. we're doing it Tina-style!



Hi, and welcome to the Southern New Jersey Department of Creative Arts official Bedroom Workspace Tour! Let's hold all questions until the end of the tour, okaaay? Thank you!



Please say hello to one of our residents Stacie. Stacie is holding a beaded necklace that she seems very proud of. She has carefully decorated it with lots of crystal and stone. She is also working with some aventurine. Can you say that with me? AYH-VEN-TUUR-EEEEEN.



The mainstay of a jewelry designer's work is beads. Beads can be used in many ways. They can be glued, wrapped, or in this case, strung. Yes, there are thousands and thousands of uses for beads, all of which I will tell you about right now!

Okay, maybe I won't ;)

Anyway. That's my space. One of these days when I'm rich and famous, I'll have my own amazing studio, and I'll give you a real tour- something more Robert Rodriguez Ten Minute Film School than Tina How'd Y'all Like the Alamo. How awesome would that be? An enormous studio with plenty of space and no distractions, right above my future brick-and-mortar shop in my dream location of New Hope, Pennsylvania. And all the biggest stars will be flying in from LA on a regular basis to see me and clamor over my work.

"Stacie, this bracelet is SO fetch. It would look so good on me at the Grammys next week."
"Thanks Madonna, that's so sweet! Brad already put it on hold for Angelina though."
"Oh really? That's a shame. You know.. I'm shooting my new video in New York tomorrow. That's only an hour or so away, isn't it? I'd love for you to come up and make a cameo."
"I'd love to, Madge. The bracelet's still Angelina's though."
"Damn."

Haha, that'll be the life.

First Post!

Yes, I've jumped on the bandwagon and created a blog of my very own! I wonder where it'll go. Won't you join me to find out? ;)

Well, if you've found this little blog, then you probably already know that my name is Stacie and I run Deepshade Creations. And if you didn't know that, now you do! I thought it might be fun to keep my visitors updated on what's going on in my life and with the business, since I was starting to feel a little nameless and faceless behind the workings of the website.

So then. Some basics? I'm 23 (for another month and a half anyway), I live in Central New Jersey (for another two weeks, then it's off to my first apartment in South Jersey, and you'd better believe you'll be hearing more about that excitement!), and wow, already I'm boring myself with these little details. Tell you what, you'll probably find out more about me as I continue to post entries, except then all the information will be in context, rather than in a forced list form. Sound like a deal?

And now, last but not least, this is what I look like. Well, I guess not always. Only when I'm attempting to take over the world!



And you wanted to know more about me. I bet you learned your lesson! ;) But anyway, thanks for checking this out! I'll definitely be updating soon, so keep it bookmarked, and if there's anything you think I should be posting about, let me know! Have a great night lovelies!