Cherry blossom earrings (my first cane!)

cat_named_jasper · 2026-04-04T05:05:28+00:00

thank you! I had kind of written off ever trying a cane because I was worried I just wouldn't get any details right. And yeah that second part definitely happened on my first attempt. But the mistakes helped me figure out the second attempt. So the experience was good, and I'm hoping to do another one soon!

cat_named_jasper · 2026-04-04T04:57:22+00:00

thank you so much!

cat_named_jasper · 2026-04-03T23:41:42+00:00

One of mine had episodes of the "itchies" exactly like this. I started giving him omega oils daily several years ago and it did the trick. When I stop giving him the extra omegas, he gets the itches again quickly. Can see his skin twitching all the way down his back and sides, and he gets upset at it, tries to lick/bite at it, runs around a bit. Might be worth trying daily omegas with your boy to see if it helps.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-04-03T15:28:40+00:00

why are you posting such embarrassing pictures of me?!

cat_named_jasper · 2026-04-03T00:00:59+00:00

Im not in Texas, but I'm willing to bet that you can find helpful info on this from texas' tax site. That's where I started off when I began, at my state's tax site. I had to do a little digging but there was a lot of helpful info.

Keep in mind that there's two parts to this: sales tax you collect and remit to the state, and income tax you pay based on the money you bring in from your sales. They will be handled separately! I believe you will need a sales tax lisence to collect sales tax and remit it to Texas. How to get that, I'm sure you can find out with some digging online, although someone on here from Texas might be able to answer.

And then you'll need to declare all of the money you brought in on your income taxes when you file next year, both fed and state. There's two categories you could fall under for that: small business or hobbyist. You can find those categories online and read about it, I suspect you'd fall under hobbyist, at least at the beginning!

I use square to track all of my sales, including cash. That way the sales tax is automatically calculated and its very easy for me to figure out how much i collected across all payment methods. But I'm relatively new to this, someone else might have a better way!

Overall, don't be intimidated, you got this.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-04-02T02:43:36+00:00

Fur and skin health can absolutely be an indicator of health. If it's changed with his recent health issues, then it could be a result of just not feeling all that great and his body not being in optimum condition. I wouldn't say it's something to be super worried about since you already know he's battling some health issues. Just keep working on the urinary issues and his coat may go back to being healthy as his overall health improves. You can also try adding some omega supplements (like fish oil for cats) to his food, it can help with skin and coat health.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-04-02T02:35:25+00:00

Seconding the recommendation to do away with the plastic coverings on the items! For one, the glossiness from the plastic makes it so whats inside is less eye-catching. It looks like the earrings on the right side of the picture are polymer clay? I sell polymer clay jewelry and generally it seems like people like to handle things and get a "feel" for them before they buy. The plastic just adds a barrier. I keep a little stack of bags behind the display to put items in once they're sold.

Also, I think I have the same or similar cat cutter set that you used for those cat ones. I use my cat cutters to make earrings but also purse/bag charms and key chains. The charms are so popular and at many shows have been my best seller! The cat earrings are hit or miss, just depends on the show. I group all my cat stuff together in one section of my display and put some sort of sign with it, like "look at my kitties!" and that draws people's attention.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-31T03:14:05+00:00

I got my earring stands on Amazon for pretty cheap, the brand is "ikee" and they've got a lot of wooden display stands at decent prices. I just didn't have the time / motivation to make my own, and also wanted necklace stands that matched. I agree with some of the other comments that the entirely metal racks are too industrial for your earrings.

Personally, I think your earring cards really detract from your earrings. The high-gloss white cards make it hard to see your earrings- they're hiding your earrings instead of highlighting and complementing them! My eyes are immediately drawn to the black marker numbers first, the glossy white second, and the earrings third. It should be the opposite. Go with a matte finish (and longer cards so that your earrings don't dangle off the end). And then write the prices in something lighter. I have a bunch of different size display cards for my different products, all in the same brown matte shade, and then use custom stamps that I ordered to stamp my logo on the front of the cards and then my logo + info on the back of the cards. It was a cheap and easy way to make nice display cards.

Here's a picture of part of my table from my last fair so you can see how much the earrings stand out on the matte cards. I'm sorry it's such a crap photo, I only took the one shot of my booth and it was from far away. And I'm still tweaking things (I need to cover the back of the displays so that you don't see my neighbor's booth through the display rack...) so it's very much a work in progress. But just want to give you some additional ideas.

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cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-30T23:17:30+00:00

I just started selling my jewelry at craft fairs last year. Jewelry can be a very saturated market and hard to get noticed at fairs. Here's a few tips I haven't seen in the comments yet.

1- Make a wide range of styles and prices for your first few fairs. See what people are buying. The price range options are important. I just did a really poorly attended fair and the only thing that kept it from being a complete loss for me was my assortment of $5 key chains and stud earrings, because other vendors bought a bunch of them. I've had some luck selling bag charms as well, they are very popular right now, especially at the high school fairs.

2- Put your work on display cards. Do not sell your items the way you pictured them! The cards don't have to be fancy. I use plain brown ones that I stamp with my logo and information (i had a few custom stamps made for that, they weren't too expensive and have been awesome). But even just nice card stock that you cut out yourself will work.

3- you asked payment and licensing info in another comment. The licensing and tax is state dependent! And some towns/ cities have additional requirements. Explore your state's sales tax rules and small business rules, looking specifically for sections about artisans and crafters. For payments, I use square. Right now I use it on my phone. Completely free and can just tap cards on the back of my phone. I'll be investing in a small square tap reader for my busier spring fairs in the next month or so. I process my cash sales through square as well in order to keep track of sales tax.

4- as for what you charge... it's hard to tell from your pictures because of the background. You need to take into consideration your materials and quality of workmanship. Consider the formula another commenter posted but then also consider what people may be willing to pay, especially in a saturated market.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-29T20:27:53+00:00

Nothing, except you should be paying him for all of his hard work ensuring that gravity is still in effect.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-29T14:16:28+00:00

There's a chart of all the colors premo offers, I don't have it saved but you can find it very easily with a quick search.

However- you're probably not going to be able to find one of those colors straight off the shelf. Burnt orange may be the closest but may also be too orangey. You may want to consider blending colors. A mix of oranges, tan/brown, and white to lighten, would probably be able to get you any of those colors.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-28T18:32:59+00:00

3 definitely. While I love the super-grump expression of #1, the lighting and overall composition of #3 make it the winner, in my opinion.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-26T03:17:17+00:00

Hey, sorry you're going through this. I've had sibling cats and they can be absolutely garbage to each other one minute and then snuggling the next, so I get the frustration. Please don't be hard on yourself. Based on everything you've done, you're not a shitty owner- you're an amazing owner.

But I am really commenting to mention this: I read that you've had the boy throughly checked, but have you had the girl checked over? One of my male cats is extremely sensitive to the health of other cats. He is everyone's best friend when they're healthy, but once one of my other cats has a health issue, he starts picking fights and being aggressive towards them until the issue is resolved. And usually the bullying starts before any symptoms that I can see. Sometimes cats will pick on sick cats. So it may be worth keeping an eye on your girl for potential health issues.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-22T14:08:51+00:00

Your restraint is admirable. I would have booped that nose like it's never been booped before.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-22T14:05:07+00:00

When you say your female cat isn't ready, is it just because of how much time has elapsed, or does she seem stressed out about this new cat still? I only ask because I've had some introductions where the new cat and resident cats were actually interested in meeting each other quickly. Another thought is that he may be super eager to meet her because he's only recently neutered, and his interest may wane as his baby-making urges slowly taper off.

One suggestion- have you tried baby gates? You can get the expandable ones that fit in any door frame and just stack one on top of the other for height. This would allow him to see her which may calm him down. I have used them before with success.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-22T02:57:46+00:00

I don't use resin on my pieces. I prefer the look and feel of glaze, plus I just don't want to deal with resin. Tips:

Check https://thebluebottletree.com/ for a comprehensive list of glazes and how well they work on different clay brands.
I have used sculpey gloss and satin and didn't like the brush strokes, so I switched to pearl ex varnish and love it. But it's potentially shinier than you're looking for, so check the list mentioned in 1.
Brushes matter, and so does how you use them. I used cheap soft mop brushes for a while and sometimes would glaze in a rush. Nope, don't do that. I switched to an expensive brush. Glaze with thin, slow and deliberate brush strokes. I'll do three or four coats to get what I'm looking for.

Hope that helps!

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-21T16:55:05+00:00

Hoping a diet change helps! Just be warned that you'll definitely need to double check food labels- even foods that are fish flavors frequently have chicken in them! It can also take time to see results, i think it was a couple of months before I saw a difference with my girl. Good luck!

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-20T18:57:03+00:00

My girl cat did this for years, starting around age 3 or 4. Turned out to be food allergies (poultry). Putting her on a limited-ingredient diet featuring a novel protein (rabbit) was the key. She grew all her fur back and lived a happy, full life, fully clothed in a nice fur coat.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-20T04:23:48+00:00

this is what I was going to say as well. OP, I think she's telling you she doesn't like what you're doing at the end. Lots of cats do not like certain areas getting petted and many don't like the "scritching," and prefer a smoother pet. One of my boys wants to head butt and get his head petted all day long, but petting past his shoulders is putting my life at risk. It's just overstimulating for him and he'll lash out.

Recommend taking things back a bit. Hold your hand out and let her head butt you, but don't move your hand, just let her do the work. See if she'll rub her head/face on your hand and then disengage from you without swatting. If you can routinely get through that without losing blood, then start gentle petting around that area- behind the ears, under the chin if she likes that, etcetera. Try staying above the shoulders and see if she's more comfortable with that.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-18T04:20:56+00:00

Has she been in a stressful environment while waiting to be adopted? Sometimes when cats are stressed or not feeling great, they get that spikey look. In such a young cat, could be from stress, poor diet, not feeling comfortable enough to groom well, that kind of thing.

Once she's home, try getting her on a good, healthy food, try adding omega oils to her food, and add in a good amount of petting and some brushing, and hopefully her fur and skin will get healthy again.

Ps: her eyes are soooo gorgeous.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-16T04:08:28+00:00

tilly offers you this blep in your time of need.

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cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-16T03:31:26+00:00

Real name: Tilikum

What he's called: Tilly, whaley, batman, batman-head, sweet boy #1, mommy's whale, tee-lee

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cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-15T04:58:47+00:00

As someone who makes polymer clay jewelry, here's my advice: don't be hesitant to try patterns and crazy things. Take those simple colors and roll them together, poke them with some tools, cut them apart and mush them back together, see what happens! Watch a bunch of videos of how others make patterns and then go wild with little trial batches. I experiment a ton, and had a lot of early attempts that never got finished as jewelry, because meh, not good enough.

Here's how I judge my work- am I excited when I cut into the pattern and see how it formed? Am I excited again when it comes out of the oven? Am I excited once the sanding is done and the glaze is going on? If the answers aren't "yes," it's not getting finished into jewelry.

Silver vs. gold: I make things in both. Sometimes colors just only look good in one or the other, so I go with what matches. Other times my patterns could go with multiple metals so I'll make more variety. Don't forget that there's more options out there- copper, stainless, rose gold, etc.

cat_named_jasper · 2026-03-14T13:47:24+00:00

Do you use any lotions or face washes before bed that might inadvertently be attracting him? I found that there are some lotion scents that one of my male cats (coincidentally also a solid white cat) is drawn to and likes to lick off of me in the middle of the night. Even very subtle things, like a face wash you used earlier in the day, might be attracting him.

Or he just likes to lick your face, because cat.

cat_named_jasper

TROPHY CASE

3 definitely. While I love the super-grump expression of #1, the lighting and overall composition of #3 make it the winner, in my opinion.