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We're moving! I will be temporarily closed for Summer while I move to Boston and set up the business from there.

Here's what you need to know:

• You can still place orders.
• Credit cards will not process until September 1st, 2011.
• Orders will begin shipping September 5th.
• If there will be adjustments to your sales tax, you will be notified.
• Emails and phone calls will be returned starting September 1st.

Thank you for all your support, and I'll see you soon!

As much as I'm enjoying the rain, it's starting to encroach on my ability to work. I want to start recording more videos, but between the rain and the cranky neighborhood kids trapped in doors there's hardly a perfectly quiet moment.

In the mean time, I'm working on some new designs. If you haven't seen them yet, I added lots of new earrings this week, including two pairs of encusted hoops.

I love this look, and somehow they manage to stay lighter than air! Now I'm on a wrapping role, so expect lots of new pieces with similar adornments soon.

I'm in a book! Beth Schillaci contacted me a while ago to get some input for her book, Your Social Media Roadmap. I had to keep it under wraps, but her book is now available!

With tips from entreprenuers and social media experts, it's a great crash course into getting the most out of your social media campaigns.

Your Social Media Roadmap is available at Amazon.

I've been playing with gemstones! Citrine, moonstone, iolite, amethyst and more. See all the new slave earrings here.

Plus, I have a whole new design! These cuffs dangle loosely from the top of your ear and come with a pair of plain sterling silver studs. Wear the cuff on its own, or with your own earrings. They're a whole new way to add sparkle and shine to your outfit.

Startup Nation is a network and resource for entrepreneurs. Each year they select 100 home-based businesses that have proven their strength and resourcefulness, and I'm so proud to have been selected!

Read my profile at Startup Nation

And, of course, a huge thank you to all of you that have helped me get here!

The wonderful Holly of The Work at Home Woman was kind enough to interview me recently about how I got started, and my biggest challenges as a business owner.

Read the interview here.

Ordering for Valentine's Day? It's coming up fast, so here are the shipping deadlines:

International: Order by January 31st

Domestic US: Order by February 4th

Domestic Express: Order by February 10th

Custom orders must be finalized a week prior to the shipping deadlines. Need ideas that always fit? Girls always appreciate earrings!

How many SEO specialists does it take to change a light lightbulb light bulb light-bulb?

This joke's been doing the rounds on Twitter lately, and if you've ever had to deal with search engine optimization you'll appreciate that it's funny and frustrating at the same time.

One of the biggest problems/benefits of search engines like Google is that it can't necessarily tell that two people searching for "lightbulb" and "light bulb" are looking for the same thing. If a site notices a search term that people use frequently that hasn't been linked up as a synonym, they can take advantage of that. For instance, it's much easier to get to the front page with "chain maille" than it is "chainmail". The second is just more common, but one could potentially dominate the results for the lesser-used term with less work. Given that there are thousands of sites with chainmail somewhere in their content, it's a hard market to break into.

That brings me to slave earrings. I've been going with the term for much the same reason. Most people recognize the term and when I asked other jewelers they weren't able to come up with a better way of describing it, that wasn't something cumbersome like "multiple piercing chain earrings". It was a term more commonly used in the last century, but it's slipped out of popularity.

Until recently I'd pretty well held onto the front page with "slave earrings" until a stupid experiment into article marketing saw my content ripped off and scattered across the internet under different author names, pointing back to other websites. Those websites now hold the front page. My options are 1) get angry and rage at intangible cyberspace and the injustice of less-than-honest businesses 2) play the game and start reposting my articles a thousand times over in different locations or 3) get over it and find another term.

Turns out options 1 and 2 are terrible for my health and sanity.

Now I have to decide whether to take on the monster term "ear cuffs". With about 12,100 searches per month that is a seriously competitive field, and I'm not sure I have the tenacity and patience to start that kind of campaign.

So what's the difference between a slave earring, cuff, ear chain, bajoran, non-piercing, or multiple piercing ear cuff? Zip. Nothing. Nada. It's all in the marketing, making it all an exercise in futility. I'll continue to dabble in SEO, but I think I'm going to shift my focus to the real world for a while. I'll just have to wait and see if the playing field is less dirty.

That said, there are a few new pairs of ear cuffs available. (Lets not forget that, first and foremost, I like making them!)

And more are on the way! See all the slave earrings here.

If you're in San Francisco this Sunday, go check out Thread. Independent designers from all over the Bay will be flocking to the Metreon at Westfield. Come and do your holiday shopping and stop and say 'hi' to me. Mention this post and you'll get 20% off a pair of earrings. The show starts at 11am, and there will be music, food, drinks, and a fashion show with giveaways. Plus, donate some clothes to charity at the door for discounted tickets, or hang out at the clothing swap corner. Get your tickets online here. AND I'll be giving away a pair of earrings at the show. (Congratulations to Melissa G. and Jenni W. who won the earrings at October's Women's Show.)

A couple of weeks ago I found...something, a piece of furniture out by our complex's trash. I haven't a clue what it is, perhaps part of a book shelf, or side board.

At my last show my major problem was getting enough height. While I'm not planning to do too many shows, seeing this was just too perfect. I had tried

numerous other ways of displaying my ear cuffs, but finding something sturdy, and tall while finding a way of keeping it upright was a challenge.

Going with my black and white theme I bought some black ribbon, with the plan to hang earring cards. Since I tend to mess up anything involving glue I decided that using push pins to secure the ribbon was a much better option.

Using the pins, I attached the ribbon to the back of the stand. Using pins also meant I could adjust the height of each strip and tighten them easily.

Using the earring cards as a guide for distance, I attached the rest of the ribbon, then tightened them so they wouldn't slack under a little weight. I think it looks pretty good.

When I ran out of ribbon, I knew I had enough space to use for my earring cards, but the bottom space was quite large - perfect to hand some necklaces.

Best thing is, it's really light, so it will be easy to transport to and from the car.

I'm debating whether to add fabric to the back. It might bring better focus to the jewelry, and give it more of a shadow box feel, but I'm concerned about creating too much of a barrier if I'm behind the table.

The whole thing will sit on top of a waist-height table. Here's the finished product with jewelry: