SuaVoce: Behind the Scenes

Who ever said you needed professional equipment to make professional photos? My sister and I take our photos in our dorm room using lamps for light, pillow cases to diffuse the sun, a friend's camera, a gorgeous roommate for a model, and a WHOLE LOT of creativity.

Not bad, eh?





Happy photographing!

Sarah

La SuaVoce Designs

Craft Splurge!

Blick Art Supplies has to be one of the most irresistable places (right up there with Joann Fabrics and Michael's)! This week, bogged down with too much work and too much calculus (not to mention whatever was happening at homecoming), I found the inspiration to start up pen and ink with watercolors again. I did a bit of illustration work (a VERY little bit) in high school with pen and ink, and I've sort of brought it back with the new backgrounds for La SuaVoce's shop.

So $50 worth of materials later (that's a lot for a college student by the way), I'm looking at creating some greeting cards and illustrations...and just go crazy! :)

Happy Weekend!

Sarah

La SuaVoce Designs

Back to College

We're back in Chicago! And back in school. Moving was a hassle, as usual, but it went smoothly. Thanks mostly to the help of our cousin, Nanna, and friend. :) Our jewelry supplies seems to be growing. We came back with more supplies, shipped some out to the college, and opened a box or two filled with them. Thankfully, we have a suite this year! That means space to make jewelry (instead of making it on our beds or clearing off our desks)!

This also means we need to start organizing things right. We are going to set up a space to work and display some pieces (we sell a lot from our dorms to students on campus) with pretty little tags. I'm thinking a trip to Target might be in SuaVoce's future.

Happy creating (or unpacking!),

Sarah

Cooking, Writing, Jewelry-Making...

I just got back from watching the new movie, Julie and Julia. I thought it was great! And inspiring. Inspiring for a blogger and for an author. Our latest working novel has a cooking theme like the movie. In response, we're going to spend part of tomorrow finishing up the (first) draft. Not a bad way to close off the summer.

We head back to school in less than a week. That means it's time to start packing. Jewelry supplies included. That should be an interesting experience...

Happy creating (and cooking!)

Sarah

Postmodern Reads

I spent the first ten weeks of my summer working for my campus' press. We publish Chicago studies books but also innovative literature. I ran across this link to a list of 61 "essential" Postmodern reads. I have been asked (and asked again!): What exactly is innovative and Postmodern lit? The concept is very hard to define. I suggest reading a couple examples. I don't a hundred percent agree with all books on this list (and I'd add another: The Jiri Chronicles and Other Fictions by Debra Di Blasi, my favorite innovative piece from the summer), but it's worth a look!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/07/the-mostly-complete-annotated-and-essential-postmodern-reading-list.html

Happy reading!
Sarah

Finally...We Made Jewelry for Ourselves!

Yesterday our cousin was married. It was the first wedding we ever attended, so we wanted to make our outfits special. Except being college students we don't have a lot of money. So instead of buying new dresses, we opted to make ourselves jewelry instead. I wanted something bold and bright to match my black dress, and Sarah wanted a more tradtional look to go along with her blue and red dress.

Step one, we needed beads. We explored Etsy and found these great beads from seller PenGwynneBeads:





For my piece, I also found beautiful glass pearls from seller allearringsandsuppli



Step two, put them together. Sarah decided to combine the red resin flowers with black Czech glass beads we already owned, all connected by sterling silver to form beautiful earrings.

She used more resin flowers along with vintage chain to make a bracelet.

I used the large pink resin flowers along with the soft teal glass pearls to make the necklace I was envisioning--bold, bright, and fun!


Step three, wear them. We wore our creations to yesterday's wedding, which was on all accounts a success. The dancing was a blast and the view of the Chicago skyline was phenominal!

Angie

A Glimpse Into Our Studio (of Sorts)

It might not be the most glamorous place to work, but it's what we have right now! At home we have a studio set up in our basement, but while we are away at college we have to make due with what we have. This usually means making jewelry on our beds or clearing off our desks. Unfortunately, this also means no soldering until summer (or like this summer while we stay on campus for research, not until August). Most of our pieces (and all pieces now listed on Etsy) are made using cold connections. Suprisingly, this limitation has been mostly to our advantage. Limitations really challenge our creativity, and push it beyond it's limits.

Happy creating to all!
Sarah
(SuaVoce)

Publishers for Young Adult Writers

Finding time to write in college (and, if you’re like me, owning a business at the same time) is pretty tough. Searching for publishers who seriously consider young adult work can be even harder. Since I was personally searching for publishers, I thought I would share what I found. Below is a list of small presses and contests who all publish young authors:

This site provides a very good list of publishing opportunities specific to young people:
http://www.newpages.com/npguides/young_authors_guide.htm
This newsletter (called “The Loop”) provides some publishers (specifically for playwrights). You can also subscribe to the newsletter for free to get more updates:
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=122088b08a31d84d&mt=application%2Fpdf&pli=1
This small press holds a chapbook contest and also accepts submissions year-round for publication of chapbooks:
http://www.finishinglinepress.com/submissionguidelines.htm

Hopefully this is a helpful resource for young (adult) writers. If you are seriously interested in sending your work to a publisher, my advice is to spend a good long time checking out that publisher’s website. Make sure your piece would fit well with what they do, since every publisher is different. A publisher’s website usually has a “submit” link where you can get information about their guidelines for submission. Be sure to follow their guidelines exactly or else they won’t even consider your work. If you come across the word SASE it means “self addressed stamped envelope.” Most publishers allow you (or require you) to include a SASE with your submission so that you may be informed if your piece was not chosen. Just stick the SASE in the envelope you send your piece in. Good luck!
Angie

An Introduction

Hello,
We’d like to introduce ourselves! We are two sisters who make and sell handmade jewelry. We love trying new designs and are willing to take risks with our work. Recently, we’ve created an Etsy.com store (http://suavoce.etsy.com/).

We love input from our viewers. At our college, we like to get our friends together to help us designs unique pieces. All input is taken seriously, and we love recieving it! Don’t hesitate to design your own piece. Afterall, SuaVoce is “Indenpendent Style for Independent Women!”

Love,
SuaVoce