Etsy

I'm now almost two months into my sabbatical and I must say, it is pretty great. While I'm keeping myself somewhat busy with classes (I'll have a new post about that soon) I'm also exploring other things. One of them is opening a new shop on Etsy to sell chainmaille jewelry. It makes my hobby seem a lot more serious, although partly it is just that one can only own so many chainmaille bracelets before it become ridiculous.

I have been told that making chainmaille is a particularly nerdy pastime (meaning it fits in with all my other hobbies) so maybe selling my creations makes it slightly more respectable.

It has definitely been an interesting experience. I wasn't totally sure where to start since I'm not sure what the demand for chainmaille jewelry is. I decided to start with bracelets because it would require less initial investment of time and money and I could explore some different designs. I've made 10 bracelets that are all up on Etsy. My plan is just to see what happens and to maybe start exploring some more unique designs.

I am really happy with how all the bracelets turned out. I think I have a good selection that does reflect my personal design aesthetic. However, I used standard weaves and a limited selection of rings sizes (to keep the cost down) and I think I could do a lot more variety. I also want to develop more of a unique aesthetic, perhaps incorporating some different items (costume jewelry, machinery, antiques) to have a bit of a steampunk feel.

I had a lot of fun photographing my bracelets today. I set up a little makeshift light box on a T.V. tray in front of the window. On a side note, my boy friend had no idea what a T.V. tray was. Is that not a thing anymore? I got a set because we have a really low coffee table (actually a repurposed steamer trunk filled with board games) and if we have guests over there isn't anywhere to put drinks/snacks. 

So I collected a bunch of fabric scraps from various sewing projects (for example, this fabric above was used in a Princess Zelda Halloween costume) and took over a hundred pictures. That is something I've learned from all my food photography: if you take enough pictures one of them will be good. It was super satisfying to see the final pictures looking rather professional. Now I just have to sell one and I'll feel especially accomplished!