New Business Name - Yoga Journeys

I have been going through a lot of personal growth and transformation lately.  I felt my business needed to reflect more of who I've become rather than holding onto a name that is at best "tongue in cheek".

LUXE Luther Creations was a creative play on words.  Perhaps it was easy to remember, but I feel the name doesn't reflect how seriously I take my work and the inspiration that drives my designs.

Yoga Journeys is a name that brings the work and inspiration together.  My latest works are inspired by my own journey through yoga in that yoga demands your awareness to how you live your life and to make changes if necessary.  This involves a lot of personal reflection.  I feel my latest works are honest representations of me, not some uninspired piece created simply for the purpose of having inventory(which is something I used to do).

I know that my leather wrap bracelets are Chan Luu design.  However, use of color or a particular pattern make my bracelets unique and different from Chan Luu and are reflective of my thoughts, feelings and experiences in yoga.

My Peacock bracelet is inspired by the story of Krishna, who's animal counterpart is a Peacock.  Peacocks symbolize immortality.

My spiral hoop earrings are called Spiral In-Shine Out.  This creation was inspired by the act of self reflection and practice of meditation.  When we take that journey into ourselves, to really understand ourselves, we uncover so much and then can see with new eyes what is working and what is not and make shifts to live the life we deserve.  I use faceted glass gems to symbolize ourselves.  Every experience we have in our lives shapes us and gives us a new facet.  The more experiences we have, learn and grow from, the more faceted and brilliant we become.

My Adaptations Necklaces are fun.  They can be worn short or long, as mentioned in the last post, but they represent our ability to adapt when shifts occur and life becomes challenging or unpredictable.

I am in the process of creating other pieces such as malas.  I will be making mini-malas with 27 beads for the days when one is only in the mood for a little meditation.   These malas will be strung on elastic cord and can be worn as a bracelet.  I'm still tweaking and testing the design before I offer it in my shop.   If these pieces speak to you, please visit my Etsy shop and take a look at my other offerings.

www.yogajourneys.etsy.com

Namaste!

Kristen

Prices Changes & New Necklace Designs Unveiled!!

I have this wonderful opportunity to sell my products through a big name salon on Friday, January 20th.  The salon is Warren Tricomi.  I had never heard of them before, but after I told my friend, Ashley where the trunk show was being held, she gasped at the stroke of luck I had been dealt.  Here's the deal.....I get to sell my products at their salon for the day, but they get 50% of my sales.  That means if I stand a chance of turning a profit, I have to increase my prices.

Up until this week, I didn't see my products as terribly inexpensive.....in fact I've had a hard time justifying charging as much as I do.  Fact is, my prices are wholesale as they are.  They only factor in cost of materials and the time I spend in creation.  To be retail, I need to double that price.   This way I can offer wholesale pricing to future vendors and not feel like I'm losing money.

And honestly, my products are well made and I'm always thinking of ways to tweak the designs so it's better for future buyers.  I never understood how Chan Luu bracelets could cost $300 or more, but now I get it.  Her wholesale price is probably not much different from mine.

So, as of January 20th, my prices in my Etsy shop will reflect a retail mark up.  If you have had your eye on something, buy it between now and then.


Now for the New Necklaces.....drum roll please....da,da,da,da,da,da,da,da

Loving these:  Versatile and stylish.  You can't go wrong!!!

Convertible necklaces that can be worn short or long.  Attach the toggle for short, detach for long.

Now for the other style:  Gorgeous, simple.

These are so pretty and so simple.  Just tie them around your neck and go.  The clusters of gemstones will prevent the necklace from coming untied.

Here's another style that is also a gemstone chain, but without clusters.  It's longer, so it can go around your neck several times, but you decide the look you want.

I still need to list on Etsy, but the shorter necklaces will be priced at around $100 and the long chains will be around $200.

Thanks for reading.

Until next time.....

Kristen

New Designs Are In The Works!!!

2011 has been a year of self discovery. A year where I've had to turn inward and really explore the different facets of myself and what truly resonates with my heart. My newest designs are highly reflective of that journey and what I've been creating is finally an honest representation of who I am. 

My new designs will be launched on my Etsy site between January 1st and January 5th. As usual, I will be incorporating sparkle into my jewelry designs. These pieces are versatile and are elegant, but can also be worn with your favorite jeans. My offerings will be narrowed down to one style of bracelet, two styles of necklaces and two styles of earrings.

The earring wires are shaped by hand.  There are no pre-fab structures at work here.
Here's a few shots of the earrings to come.

The bracelets will be Chan Luu style wrap bracelets with my own sparkly twist on the design.  Bracelet size will range from 1x wrap to 5x wrap. Custom orders are always welcome.  Here's a preview.

Necklaces will be the surprise.  Versatile, fun and beautiful.  I hope you like what's in store.

OH, by the way, I'm having a SLASH & BURN SALE in my Etsy shop to clear out the old designs to make room for the new.  Go to the sale bin in my shop and scoop up great products at unbelievably low prices.
Have a wonderful holiday and a fabulous New Year!!!

Thanks for reading.

Kristen

I'm Baaaaaaaack!!!!

After a VERY long bit of time off, I have returned with some fresh, new, handmade items for sale. While going through my yoga teacher training, I was captivated by a particular style of bracelet that so many people were wearing.......and get this; they were spending upwards of $300 on one of these bracelets!!! The very frugal shopper in me said that was ridiculous and swore that I would learn how to make this type of bracelet or just find it really inexpensively elsewhere.


The type of bracelet I'm talking about are the leather wrap bracelets that essentially weave beads into the design. They are very cool looking and super comfortable to wear......a perfect yoga accessory! Here's an example of what I'm referring to.

I just love the look of these bracelets, but seriously, how much money does it really cost to make one of these to justify a price tag of $300???!!!! Well, I decided to find out.

I marched myself to the craft store, picked up some leather cord, hemp thread/cord, silk cord, beads and buttons. All of which maybe cost me about $20. I got to work trying to figure out how to marry the components together and make it look like all those fabulous bracelets I'd already seen. My first few attempts were pretty good, but I wasn't satisfied.....the weave wasn't tight enough! As I continued to toy with my latest crafting endeavor I realized the justification for the steep price tag.........these bracelets take FOREVER to make. A bracelet that wraps around twice, can take as long as 3 hours to make! I have made only two bracelets that wrap around 5 times and they took me about 2 days to complete. Next time I'll log exactly how many hours the really long ones take, but it takes a long time! And as we've all been told, time is money.

Here are some examples of my latest creations that you can purchase on Etsy.

Not bad, but I need to figure out how to use the silk cord I picked up instead of the hemp. It lays flatter and doesn't fuzz with wear. I'm sure there is a trick that makes the silk cord easier to use, but I'm not sure what it is yet. I'm sure I'll figure it out......I figured out how to make these bracelets all by myself, didn't I? Yes, I did! In time, the answer will come and maybe one of my fellow Etsian's will clue me in.



Until next time......


Thanks for reading!


Kristen

Hiatus

As I'm sure anyone can tell from my lack of posting that I've pretty much taken some time off to focus my attention on other things. I'm currently getting 200 hour certified in yoga and simply have no time to create much of anything or even update my shop. Sorry.

I did create a bunch of new inventory prior to the start of my training, however between the amount of time it takes to get decent photos, uploading and resizing and then composing something catchy about my products......a whole day is spent. Mind you, it's always time well spent and I look forward to diving back in once I've completed my studies.

For the time being, here are some previews of what I've been working on. They won't be posted to Etsy for a while, but at least you know what's going to be available.


Until next time.....

Thanks for reading!

Kristen

Addicted to Beading

I told myself a LONG time ago that no matter what, I would NEVER become addicted to beading. I thought it was really strange that there were actually people who liked to sit there and bead.....for HOURS.....and they had massive collections of beads and findings and all the things that go along with the hobby of beading.

Nope....it wouldn't be me.....not a chance. I'm not going to be sucked in by a bead or two.

Then it happened. I was in the craft store one day looking for ribbons and charms for my bookmarks and was caught off guard by some silver doughnut beads. I pictured something crystaline suspended in the center of those beads and thought it might look nice. I refused to buy beading wire and crimp tubes, because they require tools. Nope, I went for clear elastic cord and found some clear pink glass cubes to be suspended. I bought my stash and took it home. The rest is history.

I still create the same basic bracelet I started with, just with different beads in the center. It's always been a big hit with those who come across the bracelets. As far as my bead stash, I have two HUGE bead organizers; each with 5 boxes FULL of beads.....and the collection keeps growing.

Ebay and Etsy have been my best friends for supplies. Oh what I wouldn't be able to do without them!!!! And to think that I never pictured myself a beadaholic. Crazy.

Until next time......

Thanks for reading!!!

Kristen

LUXE Luther Creations Fundraiser Catalog

Hi Everyone. It's been a while since I last posted. Apologies. I've been a bit sidetracked with the fundraiser catalog that I've been putting together for an Irish Dance Class that needs to raise money to get themselves to Ireland in 2011.

It is such an honor that to be asked to do this. My neighbor's daughter is in the Irish Dance class and all the girls are super talented. It's amazing to watch them dance! The speed and agility with which they dance is incredible!

I have hand selected some of my favorite pieces from my collection as well as create a few new ones for the catalog. Several of the pieces have an Irish theme as it is for an Irish Dance Class. It was only fitting to include those pieces. I love the Irish culture and the myth and lore that surrounds it as well.

In addition to the catalog, I have created an online shop on Etsy where customers can order the fundraiser items of their choice. Here is the link: http://www.mulkerins.etsy.com/

Here is a preview of some of what you will find in the catalog:

Friday Shop Props!!!

Here we are....it's Friday again and as promised I would make up for the brain fart I had last week and forgot to post my weekly shop props. It's been a busy day, and it's only getting busier.

This week I would like to focus on painters. Whether it be painting on canvas or glass, this week I am featuring those who use brush strokes in their creative expressions.

First up is Art to Art Colorado (http://www.art2artcolorado.etsy.com/). I stumbled across this artist by freak accident and fell in love with the colors that are used in the work. The texture of the paintings was also something that pulled me in. The way everything looks all soft and fuzzy and so very inviting. Here are some of my faves from the shop.

Second comes from an artist that I discovered on Etsy some time ago. I was looking for hand painted wine glasses at around 1:00am and stumbled into her work. V Silcox Designs (http://www.vsilcoxdesigns.etsy.com/) has the most wonderfully beautiful and yet highly functional wine glasses, vases, bowls, etc. and each pieces looks like wonderfully leaded stained glass. However, each piece is lead free, dishwasher and microwave safe and every other fabulous perk you could imagine in hand painted glasses. Here are some of my faves from her shop.

Next artist is Mandala Arts (http://www.mandalaarts.etsy.com/). The use of color in these works is exquisite! This man creates these window stickers that all have the theme of peace and well being built right into them. One of the images of a Pegasus brings me right back to my childhood when I was obsessed with all things fantastical and imaginary. Truly stunning works and inexpensive too.....only $3.00 per sticker. I may just indulge in a few. Here are some of my picks from his shop.

The next artist is Dana Marie Art (http://www.danamarieart.etsy.com/). She makes the most wonderful little pendants. She takes little squares of Strathmore linen paper and then creates one of a kind paintings that can then be worn around your neck. Her work has been featured worldwide and she just LOVES what she does. Her little masterpieces as well as her bigger masterpieces are a true delight for the eyes. What I love is her style and technique....it reminds me of one of my favorite artists, Van Gogh. Take a look.

I know I promised six artists to be featured this week, but when it comes to art that uses brush stokes, these four are my all time favorite right now. Once I find more that I like, I will post them. All of these artists have one very obvious thing in common.....they love color and are not afraid to use it. Just love it!

Until next time....

Thanks for reading!

Kristen

YART SALE Days on ETSY!!!

Beginning tomorrow, June 10th, 2009 thru June 14th, Etsy is having their annual YART Sale which gives Etsians the opportunity to clear out all their "older" merchandise to make room for new items.

I have 26 items in my SALE section that have been significantly reduced.....some as much as $30! Check it out! www.LUXELuther.etsy.com


Until next time....

Thanks for reading!

Kristen

Friday Shop Props

Happy Friday Everyone!!!! It's been a rainy day here today in Norwalk, CT, but I'm making the most of it by getting lots of business work done....and neglecting my house chores. The laundry and floors can wait until just a little later.

This week I've chosen to focus on Etsy shops that make one feel good about buying their products whether it's because it's a product that's made from sustainable materials or because it simply smells nice. Here are my three picks for this week......

The first one is Gudonya Too (http://www.gudonyatoo.etsy.com/). I have purchased their products in the past and let me just say that if the pictures of their products alone don't make you want to buy their stuff, you are simply a hard sell. C'mon people, you know a great looking cleanser or scrub just by looking at it......and they show you what it looks like....and the quality is obvious from the pictures alone. When I purchased from them, I asked if they could make a custom scented Whipped Clean(c) for me in Pink Grapefruit......they were perfectly willing to oblige and the body wash is HEAVENLY! Check them out!



My second pick of the week comes from Econica (http://www.econica.etsy.com/). I just stumbled across this Etsy shop today and absolutely LOVE the designs and the fact that the materials used are all organic and sustainable fabrics like cotton and bamboo. And the prices are very affordable as well. These days, lots of shops that sell clothing made from organic fabrics are hiking up their prices to cash in on the new wave of earth conscious people. This shop is keeping it realistic for anyone who would like to do better by our Mother Earth! Check out these items from Econica's shop:

My third and final pick of the week comes from Darrielle's Clay Art (http://www.darriellesclayart.etsy.com/). I've always loved pottery and the process that goes into making the individual pieces. Each piece is unmistakably crafted by hand and by doing so is also crafted with love. Her pieces are simple and yet varied and her prices are so incredibly reasonable that anyone who would like to own a piece certainly can and not feel the least bit guilty about it. Here are some of the pieces I adore from her shop.

All these shops have one thing in common, you can feel good on so many levels by owning a piece of their creations. Check back next week for my next three picks and see who I give shop props to. Keep up the good work!

Until next time....

Thanks for reading!
Kristen