GalleriaLinda

Intriguing Historical Jewelry: Vintage Aluminum

You can’t keep us ladies from our jewelry. Neither snow, sleet, floods, nor war will stop us.

As I collect vintage jewelry for my GalleriaLindaLoft vintage jewelry shop, I seem to go in spurts of collecting interesting themes that peak my interest. …

Vintage Memories; Vintage Jewery

Yes, I…am…vintage. See, I am more than 20 years old. Along with being vintage comes memories – lovely memories. Some of you that follow this blog know that as a young girl, I lived in Brazil. We lived in the state of Minas Gerais (General Mines) w…

Feeling Creative? I Have the Perfect Thing for You!

Found objects can be so cool. And when you incorporate them into your designs, you create truly unique and one-of-a-kind art!

This little lonesome guy was found in a pile of vintage jewelry in a "trash to treasure" type of store, just begging for attention. The metal is so well done – it is satin brushed and quite sturdy – not true silver but it actually looks and feels like stainless steel (but

Vintage Beads Are So Inspiring

I have fallen in love with plastic beads, especially uncirculated vintage beads. The word "plastic" to me is kind of a negative word but I have found that "plastics" (acrylic and Lucite) have properties that allow for fabulous design and texture possibilities.

Pictured are yummy vintage beads made from quality acrylic and Lucite. You can find 64 varieties of colorful vintage beads in

Amazing Retro Vintage Shop! Nestled in Lakeland’s Outter Downtown

I recently visited an amazing shop here in Lakeland, FL!

I was not expecting "amazing," but when I walked in, it literally made me stop and take it all in. It is dark and brooding but draws you in with an eyefull of magnificent finds that keep pulling you through the shop.

360 Unlimted is a retro vintage shop that has everything but the kitchen sink (and maybe even that)!.

The store

GalleriaLinda’s Designed Pages for Diary Project 2011!

GalleriaLinda has participated in the Diary Project for four years now. Reservations are closed and my designed pages were submitted a month ago.

This year, I reserved pages for all three of my shops: GalleriaLinda Handcrafted Contemporary Beaded Jewe…

DIY Network Features Tampa Bay Innovator

 Ok, so this is not about jewelry but I love to hear about DIY people with good ideas that take their innovation to market. And, I am especially proud when it is someone from my area!

This is about shower rods with hanging curtains that make a water…

Shifting Your Design Paradigm

Handmade artists and designers, as a community, are typically driven by artistic vision and not fad market trends. GalleriaLinda’s jewelry designs are no different, however, there is a time and place to shift your design paradigm a bit.

When the fash…

Artists’ Elemental Challenge: Earth

I had fun with an artists challenge! I seldom enter artistic challenges because of time. However, a challenge for artists of all media is being held on iCraft.ca forum and the theme is "elements." The first challenge, "wind" has been completed. The second challenge, "earth" just finished. Now the challenge is "water" and I cannot wait to start that one!

Challenges are always incredible as they

Vendors Wanted: Florida Artists, Artisans, Crafters for Online Art Fair – Positions Available for National and International

We are all curious about "want ads" – right?  Especially those for artists!

I want to update you on the online art fair and selling venue that is quickly coming into its own, Zibbet. I have had a Premium shop on Zibbet for a little over three months and have settled in nicely. The look of Zibbet is white, clean, and uncluttered, which is an important criteria for my shops. And if you have a

Beads…bead…beads…and 7-1/2 lbs of beads can be yours!

I came across a great blog by Denise Yezbak Moore (http://deniseyezbakmoore.blogspot.com) and she is doing a classy and fabulous give-away of BEADS, beads, beads! Could you just die for this?

What fabulous beads too – not your throw-aways and this is …

A GREAT offer from iCraft.ca Handmade Selling Venue!

I have been selling my GalleriaLinda handmade jewelry on iCraft.ca exclusively for over 2 years now and I love it – it is hard to believe it has been that long!

iCraft is a "handmade only" selling venue that is a "paid by month" model. The Canadian site allows us to sell in USD or CAD dollars. The reason I love iCraft is:
Sell handmade only makes it more focused
Artful site design – lots of

Just a Quick Note About Zibbet.com – New Selling Venue

A new handmade selling venue is on the scene and I am sure you have seen Zibbet mentioned on the Etsy forum and elsewhere. Sellers are taking shops faster than a skinny minute! Some of you know that I try a variety of selling venues to find out what is…

A Wonderful Find That Takes Me Back

Finding vintage and antique treasures takes us back to times gone by and oddly, this little pin brought back many warm memories of my grandmother – but in different ways than you think!

The pin is circa 40s or 50s and is adorable! It is artist-signed…

I Love You So Much I Can’t Let You Go

The reason I am enthused about sourcing vintage jewelry is that I get excited about the surprise element of finding that fabulous treasure in an unexpected place in an unexpected moment in time. Many of the items I procure for GalleriaLindaLoft’s Vinta…

Today! Great Day for Lakeland’s Artisan Market!

Today is the day that the Artisan Market is open! Every quarter these markets are held in Lakeland, FL with some of the Lakeland area’s most creative artisans. The Florida weather is fabulous – cool, sunny, slight breeze, and no humidity – a perfect da…

New Web Site Offers Free Animated Ad Creation for Etsy Sellers

Have you seen the latest? Create free animated Etsy ads for your shops to embed, post, or share! Several sizes will allow you to create one that will fit most anywhere.

Go to: http://esellerads.com/ now and get started. There are so many useful Etsy…

Vintage Modern

I have been on a roll with success in finding such great "modernist" designs in vintage jewelry pointing to the modernism movement of the 20th century. I will be posting several in the next few weeks – most are brooches but are lovely little works of art in themselves. Many are handmade and amazing little jewels of the past, surviving the ravages of time to bring joy to the present. What a jewel

Vintage Artisan Signed Heart Zipper Brooches – Hot!

For GalleriaLindaLoft’s Etsy Vintage Store, I could not believe it when I spotted these vintage handmade zipper heart brooch pins!. They are both from the same estate sale and after inspection, they appeared to be really old and really special. Likely one-of-a-kind artisan work, they both are created with the same techniques so I believe they are of the same artist. Only one is signed "Ann Potter

State of the Union – GalleriaLinda Style

It has been nearly two months since I blogged. I don’t practice what I preach! These two months have been busy with family, seasonal colds passed from one to another, holidays, putting up decorations, taking down decorations, day job, and visitors. It…

GalleriaLinda and IndieCEO Featured on HandmadeNews.org

LAKELAND, FL: How exciting! I was interviewed by Wendy T. Gibson who is a columnist that writes for HandmadeNews.org.

The feature called "IndieCEO Helping Handmade" is part 1 of the interview that is published and part 2 will be published later. We talked about the GalleriaLinda Contemporary Handmade Beaded and Silver Wire Jewelry business, as well as things about marketing and why I put them

Countdown to Lakeland’s McDonald Street Artisan Market – Saturday Nov. 7

The countdown has begun for the holiday season kickoff at Lakeland’s McDonald Street Artisan Market! You will find handmade pottery, artwork, fiber arts, jewelry, and many unique and special items for your holiday shopping and browsing pleasure. Be su…

GalleriaLindaLoft Vintage in Etsy Treasury

After a year’s long hiatus, I have been loading in vintage items to my GalleriaLindaLoft Etsy shop. A lot of what I offer is vintage jewelry of all kinds, but I have started listing some interesting miscellaneous items. One item caught the eye of InColdStorage, who put my item in her "Black Magic Women" treasury on Etsy. InColdStorage has a fabulous vintage Etsy shop so please visit!

For some

GalleriaLinda Necklace Featured on Vintaj Blog

What a great surprise this morning to find GalleriaLinda’s Handmade Vintaj Brass Filigree & Green Crystal Pearl Necklace design featured on the Vintaj Blog. Rose from Vintaj sent an email to let me know and I have been posting this excitement everywhere!

Vintaj makes the most fabulous natural brass filigree and stampings. I love them for their warmth and detail and they make a design

McDonald Street Artisan Market is Back! GalleriaLinda Exhibiting!

This month’s McDonald Street Artisan Market in Lakeland, FL will be a winner! If you are local, please join us for Lakeland’s finest artisans, where you will find handmade pottery, artwork, fiber arts, jewelry, and many unique and special items.

NOW is the time to get a handle on your holiday shopping and what better way to say "you are special" than to give handmade designer items? Your

Meet Lucy – My New Assistant!

Having a dress form has been my fondest dream. Although I don’t sew, I wanted one for the ability to display necklaces on a full sized scale. Meet Lucy, my new assistant!I was at the right place at the right time – you know – one of those deals you can…

Announcing the McDonald Street Artisan Market – Lakeland, FL

If you are local, you must put on your calendar the monthly McDonald Street Artisan Market! Artisans in the area will display original art, pottery, handmade jewelry, glass art, and other handcrafted goods!Every first Saturday of the month is the date. For October, it is next weekend:October 3, 200910 a.m. to 4 p.m.Located in the courtyard of Yia Yia’s Beads & Gifts, this monthly show has been a

Vintage Rockhounding AKA GalleriaLinda Rocks!

OK, maybe I was a little dramatic with the title but I had to share this! If you follow me on Twitter or on Facebook, you know that I am cleaning out for a garage sale in October. I am finding all kinds of treasures. Many go to the garage sale pile, th…

Preparing for the Holiday Selling Season

I hate to bring this up, but we are two weeks away from October and six weeks away from the start of the holiday selling season November 1. Are you ready?I have to say that I was not even thinking about until I read TheTinyFig’s blog post. Then I got i…

Product Video Captures Attention!

There are all kinds of video sharing and photo slide show utilities online for small businesses to use for their marketing.One interesting online video utility I recently found is Animoto.With photos, you can produce a 30-second video for free! When yo…

Staging Photos – Mix it Up!

Constantly trying to upgrade my photos, I am challenged as an amateur photographer! I have tried so many phases of backgrounds and staging for the jewelry product. With my point-and-shoot camera, I can only do so much, but believe that my photos have i…

Glass "Moon Rocks" Make Interesting Materials

Named "Moon Rocks," these beads just explode with creativity! Irregular dimpled lumps of glass that have an opalescence light-capturing personality that literally takes light hostage and won’t let it go! They are a white translucent glass with cognac circles and when light glows through them the light is much like a warm, light Brandy.One can get lost in beads. They are all so different and I

Tiger and Lily Boutique – Make it! Sell it! Buy it! New Site

On Twitter, I ran across Tiger and Lilly Boutique’s craft web site and it looks very interesting! With a selling feature, craft blog, craft forum, and craft projects – what more could you want?Tiger and Lily Boutique – Make it! Sell it! Buy it!, is an…

Creative and Free Promotions Are Great! The Diary 2010 Project.

As an online seller of handmade jewelry, I am always looking for free promotional opportunities. Forums are a good resource for free promotional opportunities as you will see calls for product and seller features. I am always keeping my eyes open!An an…

Back to Basics

When I started making jewelry for other people, bracelets were my staple. You could not stop me! It was like Picasso’s "blue period." Bracelet after bracelet after bracelet.Then, after months, well, frankly more like close to a year, I fell in love with making earrings. Then, necklaces caught my fancy. Now I go in spurts of frenzy-creating from one to another.I am back to my basics making

Weathering the Economic Storm with Earrings

Isn’t that just like a woman? When the economy goes down, ladies buy earrings! At least I’m hopin’. Well, really, they are.Last fall when the economy in the US was at a standstill, I made a decision to stock GalleriaLinda’s iCraft shop with $12.99 USD …

Participating in iCraft’s Sellers’ Bootcamp!

I am embarking on a high-energy Sellers’ Boot camp in iCraft.ca!! Already, the sales strategies are electrifying!This is a new admin-supported program started by Christine of PillowThrowDecor for sellers on iCraft.ca! Christine not only produces the most elegant pillows for your home, but she is also a sales expert that creates energy that motivates!She is the one that started the awesome “Odd

Getting Ready for Spring with Spring Garden Earrings

Is anyone ready for Spring to come? Here in Florida, spring has sprung. Bougainvillea is in bloom, as well as Azaleas and various flowering trees. I guess I am in the mood!I have had these two sets of beads for quite some time – the carved yellow jade flower and the glossy green elongated acrylic beads – never thinking they would come together in this spring-inspired symphony!Over the winter,

Sometimes, Design Just Happens

Well, I never meant to go this direction. But, this is what happens when you are inspired at first sight.We have a gorgeous bead shop here in town that has the most quality and luscious Czech glass beads. I love to just stroll the perimeter and take in the glass beauty hanging in strings along the wall and windows, glinting in the sunlight in every color of the rainbow. What a treat!The Czech

Earring Design Exploration

It is a good thing that I have been in the earring exploration period of my jewelry design journey! With the economy as it is, customers are trending to these small bits of ear art with smaller costs. Earrings are a great way to update any wardrobe for a small amount of money.GalleriaLinda’s earring designs are unusual, bordering on bohemian or sometimes downright crazy. See the latest

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