I'm in the middle of staycation, dealing with cramps, obsessively making tassels, and thinking about lots of stuff. Most of my thoughts I'll keep for myself because I doubt you need to know how much I think about random things like, "wow some people have really annoying voices but I believe it's totally inappropriate to judge someone on that basis, grow up, Freda." Something I've been thinking about that I will share: EARRINGS. I DON'T LIKE MY EARRING SELECTION. This isn't to say that I don't like the cutie little earrings I make, it's more that I wish I had a better selection with more variety. There is a certain something that happens when I design my necklaces... they come about because something clicks in me, "Hey! That needs to become a necklace!" This is also how I made my little rings. My earrings are more from a place of knowing I need earrings in my collection. This also isn't to say that I don't have that experience at all regarding earring making... there is a major factor that has held me back: pricing. Earrings are hard to price! You have to make two! Yes, there are people that like single earrings but the majority of earring-wearing folks want a pair of earrings. For some reason, earrings get grouped as a kinds of jewelry that should be less than say, a bracelet or a basic necklace. Because of this, I have always tried to design earrings that could be priced in a certain range that makes them an easier grab. The thing is, for me, an earring lover, I want my earrings to either be simple to not detract from other things I may or may not be wearing, or to be absolutely fantastic OMG WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE? I have a few basic earrings I'm satisfied with, but when it comes to making earrings that are more special, that are exciting... well, they take more time. When they take more time, the price goes up. And even though my path to wholesaling has been a long, slow, meandering journey, it is my goal. So I have to be careful to not wiggle prices a whole lot. My solution so far has been to just not make statement earrings but that isn't ideal for me when I want to have a robust selection of earrings that reflect my esthetic. Since I am currently not using precious metal in my components, most of the cost in my work is for labor. There is no way around this, handmade lace takes time to make and finish. I have a motif that would be stunning as earrings but then the earrings would be more than the necklace... As an aside, I am letting you know that although I price to have a round number, I use a pricing formula to figure all of this out. I wiggle down for larger pieces, and up for smaller things. ANYWAY. I've been obsessively making tassels, which obvs are not a special thing I designed - not even wrapping them the way I do is original BUT the colors are my selection, and the way I chose and use them are my own, and to make them into earrings would be grand. Overall they will communicate that they are from my brain, I think. I'm about to time how long it takes to make them reasonably (at a pace slightly slower than crack the whip, carpal tunnel syndrome risk-taking) and price them. They might be more than other earrings of mine. And. This might crack the seal a bit and free me to just make the earrings I want to make, and charge what they're worth just to see. Because, many of you have fantasized about me having more and better earrings. So, we'll see. This also ties into the shift in how I will be offering my work. I haven't quite settled on how to make it easy in my shop, but I'm going to put ready made AND made-to-order options there. That way, when everyone is in a red mood but I didn't get the memo and sell out of every red thing, the slow poke red fiends can still order a red thing because HEY I CAN STILL MAKE IT. Anyway, this is a rambling update, and perhaps I show my hand too much, but I think all of this is good! I've sorted out how to push through a design quandary, and soon that will mean exciting earrings for everyone that wants them. Yay!