Author: Cathy

Hi, my name is Cathy Kelly! When I was introduced to sea glass I didn't know that it would become such a passion for me. Whether it's walking on a beach or wading in a river searching for sea glass and pottery, creating jewelry and crafts, searching out the history of a piece of glass or pottery, or marketing and selling online and at craft fairs, I enjoy every aspect to it's fullest.

Mermaid and Sea Glass Art!

I’ve been having a great time playing with my sea glass in a new way.  While I truly enjoy creating lovely sea glass jewelry I have found another fun way to use my sea glass by creating sea glass art!

I created a lovely Mermaid art piece in a picture frame. This lovely Mermaid has special meaning for me too. When I was a child I was given a book of Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales. This picture was the picture in the book that accompanied the story “The Little Mermaid”.

Along with the sea glass I used a variety of sea shells found by me on the Caribbean island of Anguilla as well as sand a lovely sand dollar that was found by me in the Bahamas!

I plan to be offering this and other pieces of Mermaid Art in my Etsy shop in late Spring 2015. Please make sure you stop by and visit! SeaGlassVisions

Mermaid Art Frame

Hand Painted Sea Glass Jewelry

I am thrilled to be offering beautiful and original hand painted sea glass jewelry in my Etsy shop and at my craft fairs! The pendants are painted by my childhood friend, Kate Cocoros, also known at Painter Kate.

Kate is a very talented artist and has a wonderful and whimsical style that perfectly compliments my jewelry style.

Kate paints these lovely pendants on frosted white jewelry quality California sea glass with acrylic paints and the surface is sealed. I then wire wrap bails and add decorate beading and necklaces.

Below are just some of the fabulous designs that are available!

Lighthouse pendant

hand painted lighthouse oneDragonfly pendant

painted dragonfly oneStarfish pendant

painted starfish two

 

Greetings and Happy Summer!

It’s been a very long time since I’ve posted on this blog. Even with me focusing more on my Sea Glass Visions Facebook page and Etsy shop and creating jewelry there still doesn’t seem to be enough time. A lot has been going on.

This past winter I took classes in silver smithing with Jen Soderberg Straub at Mad Tom Studios in East Dorset, Vermont. I was able to create three pieces during these classes, the final one with a piece of sea glass. I hope to take more classes this coming winter. Right now due to lack of space at my home studio (family room) I don’t plan to offer custom sterling designs, but I hope to be able to someday!

Since May of this year I have started selling in a new consignment shop, Side Street Framers & Art Gallery in Pasadena, Maryland. I’m particularly excited about this as I am selling my beautiful jewelry quality sea glass on sterling silver as “Sea Glass Visions by Cathy Kelly”.

fort bragg beach glass smaller

Continue reading “Greetings and Happy Summer!”

Cutting Back on FaceBook, a Return to the Basics

I did something really smart for my sea glass hob-business (hobby/business) today. I unfollowed about eleven Facebook pages.

I have realized over the past few months how much time it’s taking me to keep up with all the pages that I’m involved with. I then started to remember why I got on FB in the first place. Continue reading “Cutting Back on FaceBook, a Return to the Basics”

The CFO Hat of a Sea Glass Jewelry Business

“CFO” – Here is a general definition of a CFO or Chief Financial Operator, another hat I wear – the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) provides both operational and programmatic support to the organization. The CFO supervises the finance unit and is the chief financial spokesperson for the organization. The CFO assists on all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to budget management, cost benefit analysis, forecasting needs and the securing of new funding.

When my hubby said to me last month it was time to get all my tax records together I froze. I am by nature extremely organized but still dreaded this. And worse was I knew it was coming, and I knew it was coming for a long time. I had all my receipts in one place and had even kept records in my ledger book, but there was a whole lot to gather up from credit card records and online in my email receipts.

BTW – Here is a picture of some beautiful English Multi’s sea glass, just because…

multis three
Continue reading “The CFO Hat of a Sea Glass Jewelry Business”

More Sea Glass Jewelry Business Owner Hat’s

“Customer Service” – This is one of my favorite hats and a very important one for every small business owner. I guess I like this one because it comes naturally to me.  My parents and grandparents owned an antique shop and I learned early on from them how to treat a customer with respect and how to offer exemplary service. What makes a small business special is the personal aspect, and when you are competing with so many others offering the same item you need to give unforgettable customer service. I want every person I deal with to have a smile on their face and a happy memory.

I AM the face of my business to everyone I deal with, buyers at craft fairs, owners of consignment shops, hosts and guests at trunk shows, online buyers, members in online groups.  To me customer service means being up front and taking care of any issues that arise immediately and fairly. It means answering questions quickly and it means following through on promises.

Continue reading “More Sea Glass Jewelry Business Owner Hat’s”

A Few of the Many Hats of a Sea Glass Jewelry Artist

I can’t believe that it’s been over a month since I’ve made a post to this blog.  I guess that’s because it’s been a super busy CRAZY time for me, and, I have to admit that I have loved every minute of it!  I am experiencing what every small business owner experiences, the necessity to wear a whole slew of different hats, and sometimes many different hats on one day.

I hope you enjoy this picture of beautiful English End of Day sea glass –

english multis colorful
While my favorite hat to wear is Jewelry Designer there are lots of different hats I have to wear that are just as important. These are just a few…
Continue reading “A Few of the Many Hats of a Sea Glass Jewelry Artist”

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