The gaudy goddess's Page

elle from downthestreetcreations has tagged me in this game of blog tag. find her at
http://downthestreetcreations.blogspot.com/
i love this little game! okay, the whole premise of this is to learn something new about our blog friends....so, those peeps i've tagged, time to offer up 6 things we might not know about you! and then go tag some more peeps.....

1} i have played the saxophone for over 25 years. i originally was told by my band teacher that i would do well playing the flute...but my dad's heart was set on me playing the saxophone. being daddy's little girl and all, i had someone change the "recommended" instrument on my parent's note to reflect saxophone, so he would get his wish....i never ever told anyone in my family about this little scam....and when he passed away a year after i went to national competition playing the sax, he still knew that it was the instrument for me!

2}i was a baton twirler starting at age 3 and went all the way through high school twirling! i even had fire batons at one time!

3} i used to own a motorcycle.....from age 18 to 22, it was my vehicle of choice....for those who know me...this is huge. i'm the girliest girl around...and to picture me on a motorcycle is a pretty hilarious visual!

4} when i was married {big mistake} my husband insisted that i go out and buy my own christmas presents with my own money and wrap them to take to his parents house and act "surprised" when i opened them. i did this for three years....and put an end to it.

5}i never finished fourth grade....my dad fell ill around easter, and we had to go to st.louis for his heart transplant {he was the third in the nation at that time...pretty cutting edge back then}....i tried to keep up with school work, and my mom insisted that i go with her to st.louis....so, when i fell behind, my teacher just took my grade at that point for the year...and passed be on through....i had a's so i guess it wasn't a big deal!

6}my favorite color is pink...every shade of pink.....i like them all....okay, no big surprise or secret really....i just love pink! it's been my favorite color all my life. you know how girls go through the purple phase, and the peach, and the aqua, or whatever....nope, pink is it!

so there ya go....6 "not so secret secrets!" have fun playing tag and have a fabulous night!~deborah

p.s. tag madboodesigns, belladonnabeads, and misspinproductions......YOU'RE IT!!!

Saturday night specials are over on etsy, but my sale remains! i have 11 more sales needed to make my goal of 100 by the end of september! so, now is the time to check out my store, and get a great coupon to come back with!~deborah

i am running a special starting now though end of september....free shipping, free monogram pendant, and $10 gift certificate to use towards a future purchase! i'm trying to reach 100 sales by end of september! so go to http://thegaudygoddess.etsy.com/ and start your holiday shopping!

start by taking your unfinished pieces of wood and decide what designs you want. i used the vintage newsprint. you could also just paint them....prior to painting, just give a light sanding and dusting. for newsprint or paper, measure out the front, back and side pieces. i did this by just laying my plaque down and drawing around the piece. instead of cutting with scissors, i hand tore my edges.

then, coat your wood plaque with your decoupage adhesive. you want it to stick well, so you want to be generous; however, too much will cause the paper to buckle. if you want to get really down and dirty with the project, use your fingers to smooth out the paper as you apply the adhesive....

let your first piece dry as you continue this step with the remainder of your wooden plaques.

once this step has been completed on all, and the back and fronts of pieces are dry, take alittle more time to make the edges concise. my wooden plaques are sortof a bevel edge, so i took my small paint brush and really got the newsprint into all the nooks.

next....after entirely dry...you will want to put a layer of your adhesive on the outside of the piece. this is to just ensure all edges are glued down and help make the design durable. i would let these dry for a couple of days...especially if its at all rainy or humid. then, spray each with a light coating of the sealant of your choice!

then, after your final sealant is dry, place your tacks at the top left and top right corners on the back of the piece. these tacks are going to hold your necklace in place...i just wrap the chain around them...so you want to purchase tacks that will work with your jewelry designs.


then take your nails and place them at the intended bottom of display, on the back. you want to measure to make sure they are placed pretty much even so that the display won't sit wonky....and lightly tap them into place with your hammer. i used some huge finishing nails, as they were what i had around the house. they are easy for me to pull out of the wood, so that i can easily lay displays flat in my suitcase when packing before and after shows. depending on your table you use for display {or in my case when i occasionally use the hostess's table at a home show} you may want to wrap the end of your nails with felt and a drop of glue to prevent any table scratching...just something to keep in mind! better to do it at this stage, than have to apologize for a big hairy scratch later! ;)

finally, you are ready to display your necklace on your new display stand. i think by mixing up the sizes and types of finishes, you can draw added depth to you show table layout. also, by using different colors, it allows customers to see how your designs might work with the colors they have in their wardrobe, thus hopefully increasing the number of units you sell!

also, on larger displays, you could add more tacks to the back to display a layered look of your pieces, also promoting multiple sales! Remember to be engaged with your customer, so that you can help pull the piece quickly from the display for them to play with....we know that the first step to selling is to get it into their hands!

i hope you have fun with this tutorial, and feel free to email me if you have any questions at thegaudygoddess@kc.rr.com

many blessings, deborah