Free Shipping Sale - Monday Only!

Sale begins Monday, Nov 29th, morning 'till midnight E.S.T.

If you join my mailing list (top left of my blog) you also get a
FREE GIFT with every single purchase on Nov 29th 2010!

edit: mailing list subscribers get the best deals during my sales,
so join now to be ready for the next event.


LINKS:
SHOP
FACEBOOK

10 Days 'till TWIST V in Northampton MA!!!

This is my MOST FAVORITE show of the year, and once you go, Im sure it will be yours too. It's hip, friendly, right in town- theres music, exceptional talent, even a market party on Friday. This is THE time to shop for gifts, or for yourself (as I do).




AND- I've got NEW STUFF to show off, things you've never seen before. YES! It's true! Every Twist I am invited to, I try to have new things (not just jewelry this time!), no one wants a stale table. So..once I get some sneak photos I'll have them posted here. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Location
Northampton Center for the Arts
17 New South Street
Northampton, MA USA

Twist V Show Dates

Friday November 12, 2010
VIP Reception 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Gen Admission 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Saturday November 13, 2010
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Admission
Adults $4.00
Kids (6-12) $2.00
5 and under FREE

Popko Shop is finally on Facebook!

Look who's all fancy and MODERN!

I've got a facebook fan page for my jewelry!

Become a FAN to see what's new. I just started it today, so hopefully the things that come out of my mouth (posts) are just amazing and fascinating and will wow you till the cows come home.
That's how it works, right?


BECOME A FAN OF POPKO SHOP HERE


This is my little fan page photo:



See you there!

Popko's Craft Shows for Fall/Winter 2010

Upcoming Craft Shows

Fall/Winter 2010

• Sept 19, Start on the Street, Worcester, MA, Downtown

• Oct 2+3, Berkshire Botanical Garden 76th Harvest Festival, Stockbridge Botanical Garden

• Nov 12+13, Twist V, Northampton, MA, Center for the Arts Ballroom

• Dec 1, Holiday Extravaganza, Westfield State University, Westfield, MA

• Dec 4+5, Big Brothers Big Sisters Winter Craft Fair, Northampton, Ma, Northampton High School

• Dec 11, Holiday Gift Sale, Trunk show hosted by the Popko Sisters AnnMarie & Crystal, Maeg Yosef, Sarah Platanitis & more artists, Ludlow MA

• Dec 12, Stars & Skulls Crafty Craft Fair, VFW, Hadley MA
  

Click on any show/link to go to the website for more information.
________________________________________________

Real Butterfly Wing pocket mirrors!

Ive been having a mix of SUPER FUN and SUPER WORK this August. Here's the quickest little update of whats happening today in the studio. Pocket mirrors adorned with real wings. Love them, So simple and so...scientific! Its like having National Geographic in your purse. Not many people get to stare at wings up close, so these are always a curiosity at the shows.

I'm also making new Autumn Leaf jewelry, which should debut next week. You haven't seen this style ever before!

<----- My craft show schedule has been updated to the left. Still more shows waiting to be accepted to as well. Things are busy as ever and its wonderful. Now, if only August would last forever.

Happy Days to you!

Where have I been? The STUDIO!

Phew! I'm still here in the studio too, this is just a fun* break to let you know I am coming up for air at some point in...lets say..September, or so (wink).

Though I dream of lounging around in the summer sunshine,
I have been very lucky and very happy to be BUSY!
Okay, okay, Ive had my fair share of summer, and will have posts eventually highlighting the lovliness that warm weather brings (re: eating a 10 pound lobster, row boat under shooting stars, watching a blue heron while I drink coffee.) I certainly have my fair share of awesome between the 12 hour days of making orders.**
Here's my latest order, going out the door today, heading off to Canada.

Its for a bride, and a very colorful wedding party!

I am loving the bright colors that she and her fiance chose. Often they pull together a look with repetition, but this one is all about variety. These are all real butterfly wings, for those that don't know my work yet.



Up next- a boutique in Massachusetts and wholesale in Pennsylvania! Hooray!


*fun = anything that doesn't have to do with envelopes and stamps
**I suppose I started this madness:)

Etsy Homepage featured me on the Fourth of July!

SOOoooO Exciting, to be featured TWICE in the last few weeks. Out of a bazillion shops, items, and treasuries, I am so psyched that it happened to me. THANK you 2ndcoming, for making the adorable list titled "C'mon Safari with me"


This is what she has to say about the list "Perfect for the etsy adventurer who loves to explore in style! Inspired by human curiosity and the beautiful blues, greens and browns mother nature has to offer :)"

Seconds SALE - Magnetic Glass Lockets

edit: Thank you everyone for shopping the sale! all sale items have SOLD OUT.

An impromptu cleaning-out-the-studio LOCKET SALE!! I only have a limited number of these guys (6 small & 3 large to be exact) so be quick if you love a deal!

Sale price: $16, no chain - Regularly $28 w/chain

"SECONDS" SALE ITEMS
What does this mean? These lockets have the smallest flaws ever. But- I don't send them out as 'first' quality because of this.
Possible teeny tiny flaws (that you probably wouldn't notice if I didn't tell you) include: hinge may be more wiggly than the rest, but does not affect usage/ Locket may open wider than normal, or less than normal(you can see that in photos)/ tiny mark on outside.
Really, this is a super deal, because I am being picky.

I want to have a super studio blowout sale, but haven't made the time for it. That sort of thing requires lots of photos and writing. So I plan to have little sales like this throughout the summer, as I get the cleaning bug again.

Thanks for reading my blog!

LOCKET SALE HERE

Thursday Three (or 12) Wedding Edition

Something Old, Something New

For this Thursday Three I've made a treasury!
I couldn't resist going overboard today, since it's been a while since my last T3 (oh i just came up with that! feeling clever!).


Weddings are a great excuse to go overboard with accessories & favors, and an appropriate time to inherit or gift heirlooms. I LOVE weddings..oh the acoutrements!!


I've included two of my sisters works in there too, flowers for your hair by AnnMarie, and sterling hair spears by Monique. They both work very hard at what they do, full time, and I want to show everyone else what they make too!

Visit this list, where you can comment, click and buy it all. Buy one for me while you're at it :)

HAPPY JULY EVERYONE!

something new! tiny leaf necklace

tiny leaf necklace
Originally uploaded by PoPkO!

I can never decide if I want huge or tiny jewelry. I like them both. I want clunky chunky baubles, I want teeny tiny charms. Here's something new for summertime, a simple, organic, understated charm.

P.M.C. is 99.9% pure silver (more pure than sterling even) that looks like white clay while I'm sculpting it, but once fired the organic binder is burned out leaving one the purest silver to wear. I have to sculpt the shapes, sand, file, and drill it. I then fire it with a torch until the binder is burned out. I then brush it with a steel brush and sand it with fine paper until smooth. I like to hammer the jump rings to add texture.

Pmc is really inspiring to me, it just feels like 'possibility', not being boxed in at all. If you ever want to try it and have questions, ask away, I will share what I know so far!

Q's & A's Below!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Candace says:
I love it! I've always wanted to try it, but I think I would like to take a class rather than investing in all the supplies. I jump in head first way too much and end up with lots of supplies I never touch again. :)

Popko:
Candace, I am the same way! I have a lot of extra supplies. But you never know what you will love! Classes are a great idea. The most expensive part is the silver, the price is high- and rising. Sterling is about $19.50 an OUNCE today, and this is more pure than sterling. The little brick of pmc is currently about $60- $80 (depending on source) but you can get a lot of little things out of it for sure. If you are selling your pieces, they can pay off the block of clay quickly. Then you have a little freedom to try something wild with the clay!
I use a torch, even though I own a kiln for glass work. You can go the cheaper route with a butane torch which works great. A little bit of sanding paper, a wire bristle brush, maybe a few dentist tools or some cheap silverware to carve shapes. I use a ziplock bag as a work surface.
The startup cost is pretty cheap, if you can wrap your head around the silver price first.

this moth fluttered onto my doorstep today!

real moth
Originally uploaded by PoPkO!

He is so fluffy and furry I wanted to cuddle up with him! (well, you know, as much as YOU would want to cuddle up with a furry moth)

When we found him, we made sure NOT to touch it with our fingers, because of all the fluff/fur he is made out of. He was very still, enough to worry us for a bit, but with a blade of grass we were able to coax him to flutter onto a shady part of the grass, and away form the doorstep. I have never seen a moth like this before, its such a gorgeous mix of colors.
He has already flown away!

Etsy Homepage featured me on their birthday!

Etsy Homepage featured me on their birthday!
Originally uploaded by PoPkO!

...and I sold the featured pocket mirror to bring me to 2,500 sales!

What milestone!
It's funny though, because every sale on Etsy is like my first- I see there's something missing from the shop, I RACE to the sold orders page, its like Christmas. Every - single- time.
Thank you to YOU for supporting my etsy shop!

Springtime Giveaway - Popko + The Owls = Free Glitter Pop Ring!

Noel Vallens photo via The Owls Are Not What They Seem

Noel Vallens + Joelle Van Dyne have an incredible fashion blog over at The Owls are Not What They Seem. A long time ago Noel purchased a ring from my shop like any other buyer...but then-

I first spotted my Antique Glitter Pop ring on the blog and freaked about how THRILLING it was to see a FASHION WRITER + MY RING, out in public, looking fabulous and online for the world to see. Yes, I was psyched.
Since then, she has fallen in love with the accessory (!) and used it to accent her amazing wardrobe combinations and been so lovely to give credit where it was due. Thank you.

She is so stylish, being the model in most of the posts, and has such an easy glam, she makes it look easy to be gorgeous! Something we can all learn to do.


Recently she was asked to be a guest blogger on the Anne Taylor LOFT blog (yes! Another total surprise & THRILL! ), and gave a shout out to my ring, with an incredible photo to boot.
(click link to read her post)


And if it couldnt get any better, shes now hosting the

GLITTER RING GIVEAWAY

on her blog. It runs from today, June 4th -Friday, June 11th,
when a winner will be chosen from the comments.

Noel Vallens photo via live.love.LOFT

NEW in the shop...Butterfly wing CUFFLINKS!

Can you tell I'm excited? These have been on my 'bridal list' for ages, I'm very happy to
1. have finally made them
and
2. have amazing photos of them for the shop. It's not easy!


(Here's a little secret, the shirt in the pictures is just a regular shirt. shhHHH!!) I had to pretend its a French cuff for the photo shoot. Next trip to the store, and I'm going to get a nice crisp white one ready for my next wedding event so I can dress up my date! (and have a new model to sport some around my pals). Find them in the jewelry section of my shop.

What do you think?

How To : Have a Trunk Show / Home Party / Jewelry Sale

Let me start this post by saying this: My sister did all the work.
Okay, cleared!

How it started:In March I went to the Czech Republic to visit my sister, and we decided that having a sale would be really fun- together. She makes jewelry too, beaded jewelry and funky necklaces and accessories. She also makes delicious products like home & body sprays, bath scrubs and other yummy things with essential oils. She's had a few sales in her home overseas, so she knows a thing or two about how to wrangle in the troops, I mean buyers/ friends.I've never hosted a home party, or even been a vendor at one, and now that I think about it- Ive never even shopped at one, so this was all new to me. Thanks to my sissy April, I am happy to say that now I'm not scared of them anymore!

My show experience:
I am a seasoned craft show vendor/seller/ shopper. I have done little shows, and (according to me) huge shows. (The huge ones are the ones that cost over $150 to attend and have to look reallllly pretty on display.) The little bitty ones are where little bitty old ladies sell right next to me and I make nary a dollar but still have fun. I know all about customer experiences/relations, selling, displays and the "arrive and sell" part of shows.

Her show experience:She's sold her stuff right along side me in the summertime since we were about 7. We've done beach sales, and yard sales, and craft sales on our friends lawns. I don't think shes ever had to formally 'apply & pay'- wait, we did the flea market many years ago where we had to pay.

She's also had a few home parties before (in Czech republic), with cocktails and cupcakes that were a success and a lot of fun. Shes only hosted them by herself.
This is her first one where she invited other crafters/artists/vendors to show along side her.

The artists:

There was moi, my sister, and she invited a woman who makes childrens clothing, and also a masseuse! Right on! There were supposed to be one or two more gals selling, but they didn't show (which turned out great space-wise, re:checkout).

The guests/shoppers:
It was a little tricky with the invitations, because it was in her home, we couldn't advertise all over the world. We didn't want strangers to eat our cupcakes! Or steal her children. So, we left it up to the other vendors and her friends and friends of friends to spread the word.
And she sent an evite from evite.com.


The invitation listed the items & artists that would be selling. She also mentioned that there would be a free raffle drawing for a giant gift basket of crafted goodies.
She also posted on facebook more often than I would have, only because I am shy/weird (and havent started a fan page, I know, I know).
She sent out the evite and it has a yes/no/maybe tally so we could sort of get an idea of #'s & interest.She sent it out like 6 weeks ahead and about 2 weeks ahead as a reminder. I think I would've done it a few days before as well. Its a fine line between advertising and irritating. She did it perfectly, because the guests were there! There was possibly 40 people there.(april correct me because it may have been more).
Our show was on a Saturday at the end of March from 3-7pm.
Like I said, she did all the work, and she is amazing. :)

The digs:
It was less than 24 hours after my plane landed, so we had to hustle to get it all set up in her living room!
I was sort of expecting this show to be somewhere in between the good shows and the bad shows, but we agreed that it didn't matter if anyone showed up because we would be in her living room, and we would have a bottle of champagne handy for better or worse. Either way, we would have fun. I was in Europe, an exotic land fahhh fahhh away, with my sister, and we had champagne..there's no way to not enjoy ourselves. Did I mention champagne?

We moved all the furniture around to make a big open space for the two main tables.
we borrowed neighbors tables and furniture for display. It turned out well that she has one dedicated year-round ikea shelf unit for showcasing her jewelry. This was used to showcase a lot of her jewelry stuff (beaded necklaces & earrings), and also my mothers sewn items, and two more sisters work (feather hair accessories and more jewelry). Side note: there's a lot of us popkos and we all make things! 5 sisters and two incredibly talented parents.

The tables:
Worked out that I got one big one and she got one big one. YAY!

What we didn't intend, was for the other crafter to NOT show up. This gave us free space. What to do with it?We made a checkout table! This worked amazingly well. I recommend that everyone do this when you have a show. We didn't set it up until people were already shopping and choosing things to buy. We were holding out for the last crafter. (see empty table on the right?)



As SOON as we made it the official checkout/wrapping table, the customers flocked to the spot. They finally had direction as to 'what' to do next! It really gave them a destination. Otherwise, I can see how they would flounder like, "where do I give them the money?" "Do I interrupt crystal and her cheese and cracker frenzy?" "which sister do i pay?".
It gave them somewhere to drop their "basket" of goodies.

The basket: Aprils genius idea. Just like at the candy store, just fill up your basket/bowl and take it to the checkout. This will allow them to not think about how much they are carrying around. It was intended to make their life easier, but really worked for the former reason!

The snacks: Aprils wonderful baking genius friend made glorious cookies, brownies and cakes. She should have been selling those confections, maybe this will fluff her feathers a little and make her want to next time! There was plenty of "help yourself" snacks and drinks in the kitchen. Tea, coffee, cocktails. This is right off the living room and everyone felt comfy gathering there at first, before venturing off into shopping land.

April and I just wandered around the whole time telling people to try things on and assisted them with the bath salts and such.

I did a lot of the "checking out" and tried my best to keep tabs separate, and figuring out what the foreign bills and change were added to the fun. It was a casual affair, where someone was helping to keep the music fun, others were just sitting on the couch chatting. Everyone got a massage! It was an 8 minute massage for the equivalent of about $5 or $6. Deal!!
I think that I would like to have one at every home party on earth.

The day was a lot, LOT of work, and I was only there for 24 hours at this point! So maybe it was the jetlag. But we were both exhausted, and happy. We both made a bunch of Czech crowns (their $) and it was worth all the work, especially because we were together. And we could clean up the mess together! I didn't have to exchange any money for the rest of my trip! The artist who sold dresses and the masseuse both said they would come back for another one, which is a good sign.

Using what I learned from my sisters party, I am going to host one of my own before Christmas. I am going to have a few vendors at the house to make it interesting. I cant wait to report back about how it goes without my super awesome party planner by my side.

Good luck with your own home/trunk show!
Share YOUR tips, tricks & experience with home parties in the comments below.
We can all learn from you!

Glamour.com + Etsy Finds + Butterfly Jewelry =

= Happy POPKO!

Glamour.com wrote an article for the Etsy Storque (blog) about Outdoor Weddings, and guess who was in the "related items"?

ME!
oh my goodness!

My bridal party set of real butterfly wing necklaces were in the little article suggestions at the bottom. So, brides, come over and choose something from nature for your outdoor wedding. I can make these with black and white and yellow wings too!

Very exciting! Thanks Etsy + Glamour, I'm feeling happy!

Twist IV! Visit me in Northampton May 7+8

This is a big big big FUN FUN FUN show!!!
Please come! I'll be there!

Friday night is a blast, and the energy is high, so bring your friends and shop, have a beer. Last time I saw the same people stay and shop for three hours straight, hang out, roam around.
Its a party! Its a show!

Saturday is a full day of awesome. Artists/makers/crafts/shoppers/music and more awesome. Here's the full VENDOR list.

"Twist is a fresh kind of fair, showcasing original goods and art from 60+ talented vendors.
Twist is held twice a year, in May and November.
Save the dates for an exciting feast of shopping and fun!"

Location
Northampton Center for the Arts
17 New South Street
Northampton, MA USA

Twist IV Show Dates
May 7 & 8, 2010

Friday May 7, 2010
VIP Reception 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Market Party 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Saturday May 8, 2010
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Admission
$4.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids 6-12 Free for kids 5 and under.


See you there!


(until then, I'll be squirreled up in the studio, as always...)