The Torch In Our Garage

I think I not have to explain how much I am into glasses. I simply love this material. I do quite a lot fusing, but I did not have a torhs, so far!
I had all things for lampworking. The steel rods, separator, glass rods. This morning I went to pick up a gas tank and a hot head. On the way back i bought safety glasses too. After my husband left for work. i set up a part time mini studio in the garage. play around with a torch is a glass addict dream. You do not really see the end result. It is all red. Then you slowly cool it. And there is the miracle, you just made. Mine are cooling right now, so i pick the kids up.

Stay tuned for the end result!

Bing on Front Page of Etsy

All Etsians feel really happy about being on front page. It is like a shop window for us. It is an honor to be there to represent the Etsy look. For us, as a European seller it feels much more better, especially when it brings sales.
Thanks a lot Karlita. (It was her treasury!)

Branding

I consider branding an important thing. A new company, just like panyizsuzsi, has to have a style and a "face". I think if someone, who knows our work looks at the jewelry I designed, they should recignise that it is my design. To strengthen this we made a whole set of printed promotional material. Here is some Examples of it!

This is the logo, theat hass little dots for the beads and nice kiwi color to match our jewelry box.


Just an example of our business card.


This is the address label for packages.


Finally, here is our Thank You card, to say thanks for your purchase at www.panyizsuzsi.etsy.com, and for reading this post!

Saturday surprise

This is a glass artist must! I love it!

Retro and Interior Design

The same time we built out house I also worked on my Masters of Architecture degree. Moreover, my final presentation was three days apart from moving in our house. (I also had a 10 months old baby and heated our apartment with a wood fire. Fun isn't it?) To tell you the truth there is not much architectural detail in our house, so it has quite flexible spaces and you can do a lot with interior design.

After moving in we totally run out of money and for many years our house looked like if we just moved in . Now, 6 years later we put a lot of effort to make it a nice, comfortable house, where it feels good to be. During these years I finally found a style that is appropriate for my need of beauty and for also the kids. I know you are getting really curious what style it could be, but I can not name it. I call it my style or maybe panyizsuzsi style. (I like my style better)


This style is somehow a post-minimal retro vintage feeling. I love certain things and designs from the art deco and many things from the 50's to the 80's. I not only buy up to date design things, but also regularly search the Hungarian EBay, called Vatera and visit flea markets every now and then. I am a Collector, I'd say, but please do not ask my husband about collecting things! I always have some stuff up in the attic and in the garage to work on. Some things I do renovate, some others I take it to more experienced people, like woodworker, upholsterer etc.
Here are some examples of the renovated ones. I love the way they look in our house!

Check out my Flickr for more!

Laurum and the Cork

It's been a long time since I wanted to blog about cork.
A friend of ours just bought a company that is the wholesaler of Wicanders cork. Last week she invited me to tell some more about this product and this material.

I tell you cork is a wonderful material. It is a warm silent and also durable material for both flooring, walls and insulating, moreover it is environmentally friendly, renewable, recyclable, sustainable, that is a favorite option for environmentally conscientious builders.
I just like the whole idea of using cork. Maybe combine with some glass? :-)

The other thing I like is their business. They are a nice couple with some corporate and motherhood background, ready for a change! Therefore was the company, Laurum was estabilished. Check out their site it is so pretty. You know, branding... Next time I will write on panyizsuzsi branding...

Avocado toast

Well, since yesterday it is Lent. No meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays until Easter. Actually I am ok with no meat, but it seems to be so hard on Fridays. But let you tell you lent is not a bad thing and absolutely not about bad food. Nowdays, we have all kid of wellness a and detox tips and tricks. Couple of hundred years ago people just had lent. Easy and simple. After eating heavy food in the winter, they just prepared their body for spring and summer. Lent is not starving. It is just getting into summer mode!

OK. so here is a good, Friday recipe. Healthy, fresh and nurturing.

Get an avocado. It it is too hard, let it stand for a couple of days. When you think it is softend, cut it in halves ans scoop the inside in a bowl. Mash it with a fork (if it is not soft enough, you can use your potato masher) Mix it with a grated clove of garlic, two spoon of butter, another two spoon of mustard ans a bit of salt and pepper.
To use it a spread on your toast is the most fantastic way of eating it.

Did you enjoy it?

Craft Inc.

Reading the book of Meg Mateo Ilasco: Craft Inc. – Turn your Creative Hobby Into a Business was so much fun.

She is such an expert writing a book on crafting business. The way she writes is fantastic. On one hand she tells you the possibilities in case you start from your living room, but on the other hand she deals with press releases and celebrities gifting suite. She does it in such a clear manner, that is kind of obvious what she is saying.

The whole book is so inspirational, that you want to sit down and reorganize your whole life and business. To tell you the truth, a couple of days after finished reading this book I reorganized my studio, moved all the furniture and I am thinking on new decoration, too.

She covers everything you need to know, the production, packaging and promoting. She goes into opening and closing your business, and what to do if you become a mom in meanwhile. She not only tells us the theoretical part. There are many examples in the book from real craft businesses, like Design*Sponge, Lotta Jansdotter or port2port press, who started like any of us.

The whole book is not just well organized and clear, bus it has an outstanding layout. You just start to feel god even if you just have it in your hand!

This book is a must!

Packaging II.

Couple of weeks ago I wrote about how we started and improved packaging of our glass jewelries. That time it was the jewelry cards, that needed some work on. Those days a friend of mine warned me that it should not be a “bare foot” product any more. She told me, that the quality of jewelries requires something more attractive packaging, than cello bags. We got to another milestone. I already knew it needed some kind of boxing.

Spending so much time looking at local and online packaging vendors to find a good decent box, that can be both personalized and matches the product itself it was all waste if time.

So, the only possible way was to create our own packaging. For this I found a great tutorial for box making on Etsy. I worked a bit on it. Finally found the right colors, that matches our logo and our little card with the web address on it.

I hope you like it!

Crafting Kids

Right now we have a festival season in Hungary, called Farsang. this season lasts from Twelvth-day to Ash Wednesday. This time of the year we have balls all around the country. Schools love this ball season and they all organize fancy dress balls, where kids dress up, like at Halloween in the US.

Some people rent costumes for such an occasion, some make themselves. I always made something for my kids, which was pretty easy since my son always wanted to be a soldier, he wore his costume for three years. This year they both choosen a character from their favorite book. My son was Findus, the cat, while the little girl Baboca, the ladybug.

This year I decided to make the costumes together. for the ladybug we draw the outline and let my daughter color it, while I thought my son how to use the sewingmachine, so he could saw the shoulder strap of the cat's trousers.

We had a lot of fun. They were so happy this morning to put on their self-made costumes.
This is a milestone to raise and educate crafty kids. I wonder when they will open their Esty shop?!