Natural Jewelry

May 15, 2012

Finally a Craft Show Display that Doesn’t Suck

Well, I’m just about ready for the Beloit Art Walk this Friday, and it’s all thanks to an inspiring photograph of Popko’s craft booth. She makes real butterfly jewelry which is just lovely! Her display is rustic, organized, simple, effective! I came across this picture of her craft booth on Pinterest and it was just [...]

Posted in: Authentic Living, Handmade Movement, Natural Jewelry, Small Business Tips

May 3, 2012

Why Handmade Artisans Shouldn’t be Afraid of Copycats

Some handmade artisans are afraid of people copying their work and stealing their ideas (which is something that happens, I know!) but I prefer to thank imitators in appreciation for the sincerest form of flattery: imitation. There are a three main reasons why you shouldn’t be afraid of copycats and can freely share your techniques [...]

Posted in: Arts and Crafts Tutorials, Authentic Living, Natural Jewelry, Philosophical Ponderings, Small Business Tips

May 1, 2012

Bid for My Rainbow River Rock Necklace in the Mother’s Day Handmade Auction

I’m really excited to announce that one of my most popular items, a Rainbow River Rock Necklace, is going to be auctioned off in the big Mother’s Day auction of Handmade goods over on Tophatter! The auction itself will take place THIS Saturday, May 5 at 5pm PT (Which is 8pm EST)!! Starting bid for [...]

Posted in: Authentic Living, Natural Jewelry, Sales and Promos

April 4, 2012

Why Does My Natural Jewelry Cost 30% More??

First, I want to say that a price increase for my natural jewelry is not something that I take lightly. Second, the short answer to the price change is that a small business expert whom I trust implicitly gave me some great advice and I took it. (The long answer is the rest of this [...]

Posted in: Authentic Living, Natural Jewelry, Sales and Promos, Small Business Tips

March 21, 2012

How Does a Beach Become Jewelry?

Rounded, wave-worn stones are the result of a millenia of geologic processes. Each one is unique and has a story to tell. Here is the epilogue of their stories. The visual tale of how I turn those beach stones into unique, natural jewelry: Then we bring the rocks home and I start to play with [...]

Posted in: Arts and Crafts Tutorials, Authentic Living, Natural Jewelry

March 19, 2012

Welcome to the new JennyHoople.com!

Wow. Here it is! Here we are :D I noticed that a whole group of old posts showed up in my Google Reader and I will come right out and tell you all: The old blog feed doesn’t work!! Please delete the old blog feed and add this one to your feed readers instead http://feeds2.feedburner.com/AuthenticArts [...]

Posted in: Authentic Living, Natural Jewelry

March 14, 2012

Earth Magic – A New Jewelry Line Celebrating Rare and Precious Earth Gifts

Here’s a sneak peek of the new jewelry line I’m working on! It’s a celebration of the more rare and precious objects that the earth offers up to us. I’d love to know what you think of it! I’ve been thinking of the line as “Earth Magic”. I’ll be combining the river rocks that I [...]

Posted in: Authentic Living, Natural Jewelry, Philosophical Ponderings

February 23, 2012

Quick Pinterest Tip: What People are Posting from Your Site

I love Pinterest and thanks to an awesome article on Copyblogger, I’ve got a new way to interact with fans of my work! Here it is, the big secret: How to Find out What People are Pinning from Your Site: Simply type http://pinterest.com/source/YOURSITE.COM/ into your browser and sit back and watch! Here’s a screenshot of [...]

Posted in: Authentic Living, Natural Jewelry, Small Business Tips

February 17, 2012

Check Out These Cool Stones I Got From Moldova!

I just bought these cool stone beads from Moldova and I wanted to give all of you a sneak peak! I do collect and drill some of my own Wisconsin stones to use in my natural jewelry, but I also love buying raw, drilled stones from other handmade artisans. There’s a whole world of wonderful [...]

Posted in: Authentic Living, Natural Jewelry

February 9, 2012

Shortening a Chain Necklace is Easy!

Sometimes it’s hard to decide what length necklace is best until you actually get to wear it and see for yourself how the pendant lies with your favorite outfits. You might order the necklace with a chain long enough to fall below your favorite v-neck t-shirt only to find out when you’ve tried it on [...]

Posted in: Arts and Crafts Tutorials, Authentic Living, Natural Jewelry