Post on xojane.com

Hooray!  Coryographies' vintage penguin book ring is featured on a lovely list of literary fashion on xojane.com.  Check it out :)

Bookshelf necklace making process...

If anyone wants to see a half-made bookshelf necklace... here is a new design coming together!

Coryographies on Go Team Kate!

Go Team Kate! is a fantastic blog run by mummy Shanell, raising awareness, advocating and educating about autism. It's an intense and honest exploration surrounding the issues of family and interacting with a world that doesn't always facilitate the easiest of times when you're a young little one with autism. But Shanell's words are engaging and entertaining, and plus she features a ton of great products on her blog, with chances to win them in giveaways that raise money for things like a service dog for Kate! Check it out and you might win something - or at least learn about a lovely little girl!

http://www.goteamkate.com/products-we-love/coryographies

First sale to Trinidad!

I just made my first sale to Trinidad... that's exciting! I love it when I get to send my jewellery to a new country; now I'm dreaming of sandy beaches and seafood and tropical cocktails, yum... can I fit inside the package and go too?

NaNoWriMo 2014

I've never done this before, but I thought it'd be a good challenge and a way to practice writing - I'm participating in NaNoWriMo 2014! NaNoWriMo means National November Writing Month, and is an international online group of people that for one month ban together and lend support, and write 50,000 words of a first draft of a novel. See nanowrimo.org for yourself if you find that interesting and haven't heard about it before!

I've had a story idea (haven't we all) knowcking around for a year or so, and hey, don't we all need something fun like this to distract us from all our other commitments? I have a 50,000 word thesis upgrade due in May, so I might as well practise writing 50,000 words in one month, so I can write 50,000 more over the course of 6.

Anyone else out there participated in NaNoWriMo before? Will you be doing it this year? Words of advice? Words of warning?

Chameleon Necklace

This is so so so cute (click here for Etsy listing):

A chameleon necklace, transparent so it 'changes colour' based on what you're wearing!  Adorable.  I wonder if she makes them a bit smaller... check out the maker's shop yourself at dinosaurYEAH!

Tattoo Jewellery

ShimmerTatts

This is my new favourite thing - the possibility of wearing a bracelet without it getting in the way?  I might have to order 500!

Melissa Drake of ShimmerTatts on Etsy writes that metallic temporary tattoos are the next big thing - even Beyonce has been spotted wearing them.  Well Beyonce, if it's good enough for you, it's good enough for me!

Talking Canadian

I found this lovely documentary from the CBC on the unique aspects of Canadian English. It was really interesting!  I had read a book on this same topic last year, and they covered some of the same points - regional vocabulary, vowel differences, intonation, some grammar - Canadian English seems so close to American English at first glance, but if you delve into it you can find a lot more that's unique than just 'eh'! :)

Hunting for backpacks

Blue leather and canvas backpack by skyleatherstudio

I've been surprised at the backpacks listed on Etsy - not surprised that there is such a great range, which I expected, but that many are quite affordable, too! September is of course back to school for many, but for us university kids it's often late September early October. So I have only now starting looking disdainfully at my 7 year old detachable day bag that

Dr Who Bookshelf Necklace, new design on Etsy!

Dr. Who Bookshelf Necklace by Coryographies, £32 on Etsy

I have a brand new bookshelf necklace design that I've unveiled to coincide with the new Dr Who season. I hope you like it!  It's my Dr Who Bookshelf Necklace, and I've painted the

Coryographies moves yet again... workshop number three!

Ah, the life of a transient student.  Never in one place for long. My husband and I are unpacking boxes in a new flat - and I really do mean new!  That's exciting for the UK, where I've only lived in places originally built before central heating and indoor toilets were commonplace, so there's been much jiggery-pokery and everything doesn't always fit/work

Coryographies being sold at The Literary Gift Company

Charles Dickens Soft Toy, £16.95

Have you visited The Literary Gift Company before?  They specialize in all sorts of literary gifts, from a stuffed toy of your favourite author, to this delightful animal farm brooch:

An Interview With 'Art as Worship'

Vanessa Lowry runs a blog called Art as Worship, which interviews artists and asks them questions pertaining to their art and spirituality.  I really enjoyed answering Vanessa's questions, as I'm an athiest myself, but have an interest in religion through my studies in

A chilly photoshoot...

I took some of my bookshelf necklaces out into the back garden today for a little winter photoshoot.  Here are the results (it was a chilly day, I took the photos very quickly!!):

Featured on Buzzfeed.com

Hooray, look who got featured on buzzfeed.com!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliapugachevsky/book-inspired-accesories-youll-want-immediately

This is a nice collection of things as well, I would love a cute book clutch!

The Top 5 Social Media Tools for Your Etsy Business

So you've opened an Etsy shop, and you've taken some beautiful pictures of your products to show people what you make - now you need to get the word out!  Here are the best tools that I've found gets your word out and doesn't waste your time:

Dun dun dun... US state takeover!!!

In what is comparable to stamp collecting, and just as nerdy, I'm very interested geographically in where I've been lucky enough to sell my jewellery to!  In past times I've looked through all the US states, marking them off and trying to complete the set.  Last year I played this game, and found 5 states that Coryographies hasn't sold to.

Well, I can tell you that I'm closer to completing the set by 4! That's right, I'm now only missing Hawaii, and then at least one person in each of the US states will be sporting some fashionable Coryographies jewellery.  That's so cool!!

So... come on, Hawaii. I know you guys like to read too!!

I'm back, and open again! Reflections on 2013

Wow - and I mean wow, what a crazy Christmas.  What started off as a bit of a slow Autumn turned crazy at the end of November, where I dove straight in to full-time Coryographies, and put my PhD studies on the shelf for a whole month, as these little earrings suddenly became my most popular product:

Stack of books earrings by Coryographies

Eventually I had to close my shop just so I could concentrate on the orders at hand!  I reopened my shop on January 2nd, and things seem to be back to normal now.  It was a bit hectic and worrying at times, but luckily all the orders went out on the days they were planned.  It looks like 3 orders to the US got lost in the mail and never showed, and 1 was very late but showed up right on Christmas eve!

All in all it was the most orders I've even done during the Christmas season, this being Coryographies' third Christmas.  I also reached a milestone - I sold my 1000th item on Etsy! That calls for big cheers. But since it happened in the middle of the crazy December, I didn't have any time to celebrate!

So now, I've finally recovered, and as I say, things are back to normal.  I can start going to the library again for studying, do my Etsy admin in the morning and make jewellery when I come back in the evenings. My husband, a fellow archaeology PhD, will be leaving for a month of fieldwork starting next week so I'll be all on my lonesome!  Luckily, that means you'll probably see more posts from me as I become bored and start posting more...

I've been spending the morning looking back on 2013 (and trying to make sense of what just happened in December!), and looking at the places I was able to send my packages in 2013.  Here are the countries I was lucky enough to send to, in a rough order of most to least:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Australia
• France
• Germany
• Switzerland
• Sweden
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Finland
• Russia
• Czech Republic
• Romania
• South Korea
• Brazil
• Peru

Hooray! All that was pretty exciting - I thin the most exciting was Peru, which I had never sold to before and sent my first ever order.  I've always wanted to visit Peru after I read a book set there when I was a child, and when I was a child my family actually looked after a llama in our back yard for a couple of months.  A funny story for another time...  

Well I'm off to tabulate if I've finally reached my goal of selling to all 50 states in the US.  I know I haven't completely, as I've never sold to Hawaii.  So... if you are from hawaii and reading this... please have a look at my cute book jewellery and see if you'd like it!  Maybe I should make a unique discount for all Hawaiian customers?  What do you think, 50% off to Hawaiian addresses???