We have moved our blog to http://suavoce.blogspot.com. We are new and improved, with more updates, more tips, and great photos!
Don’t forget to check out our shop: http://suavoce.etsy.com 
Sarah
(SuaVoce)
Publishers for Young Adults June 23, 2009
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:
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
P.S. We are slowly transitioning to a blogspot blog. Check it out at http://suavoce.blogspot.com
New Etsy Banner, Thought I’d Share June 19, 2009
I created a new Etsy banner a few minutes ago on Picnik.com. I love Picnick because it makes photo editing (and banner making) easy. Plus, it’s free! The photo is from a beach on New Hampsire (there are beautiful beaches in New England, by the way). I thought it fit in well with the beach photos we have of some of our jewelry and with the new Pride and Prejudicd journals.
(Click banner to see it in action on our Etsy page.)
Pretty simple, but it keeps the shop looking clean and pretty!
Sarah
(SuaVoce)
Creating for Writers June 16, 2009
Along with being a jewelry designer, I am also a creative writer. Sarah is too, and we wanted to combine our passion for writing with our passion for creating. Recently we have added two new pieces into our etsy.com store (check them out here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26549969 ). They are two collaged Pride and Prejudice-inspired journals, which we hope mark the beginning of SuaVoce’s “for writers and readers” line.
We intend our “for writes and readers” line to include more journals, bookmarks, and inspirational cards (to help writers get out of writers block!) The theme of our products will be literature based. For example, a bookmark with quotations from Jane Eyre or a journal collaged with bits of poetry from Gwendolyn Brooks .
Hopefully this path is as lucrative as it is fun!
Angie
One Look From You… June 15, 2009
“One look from you will silence me on the subject for ever”
-Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice
We are proud to show our newest design: Pride and Prejudice-inspired journal. This handmade, collage journal turned out so lovely! We’ve just added it to our etsy.com store, and are happy to say it is getting many views. Soon we will be posting another journal.
How I Try to Stay Stylish…Without Big Spending June 14, 2009
As a college student (with ever growing school loans!) in this economic time, I initially had a tough time trying to balance good style with a tighter budget. One of the best solutions I found was something right in front of me the whole time: jewelry.
I bought a couple pretty, simple (and inexpensive) tops. With jewelry I can switch up the style of these tops whenever I wear them. I can dress them up and down, and play around with a whole lot of different looks…without spending extra for expensive outfits.
At the mall today, I bought shoe cleaner and new laces. I’m going to fix up my old (okay, not THAT old) shoes instead of buying a whole new pair.
I’d love to hear your tricks to staying stylish on a budget, so comment away!
Sarah
(SuaVoce)
Never Enough Time… June 10, 2009
I’m working full time this summer on a rearch project for my college’s press, and it seems like time has been slipping away so quickly. I hardly have time anymore for jewelry-making or updating the etsy store. I’ve tried stuffing in a few hours here and there, but this week I got fed up!
This weekend Angie and I are spending a full day completely updating and improving our store, blog, and facebook group. We’re going to begin serious promotion on our new “Special Event Jewelry: Bridal and Prom” (the beginning stages can be seen at http://suavoce.etsy.com) as well as fixing a lot of our photos, descriptions, etc. I can’t wait to get this started. Be sure to check out the results next week!
Happy creating,
Sarah
(SuaVoce)
Don’t Have Photoshop? Don’t Worry! Other Ways to Make Your Photos Beautiful June 9, 2009
Sarah and I use a great FREE program (called Picnik) when editing our photos. What I love about Picnik is that it has an “Auto-Fix” option, which adjusts light automatically. This option is especially nice for people like me who don’t particularly have a knack for fixing photos.
Here is an example to how a photo can change just by croping and clicking “Auto-Fix:”
Picnik also allows you to crop, resize, rotate, remove red eye, and manually adjust color and exposure.
The “create” tab also has some great options, and the “collage” option allowed up to make this banner:
Good old Paint (that comes on most computers) is useful, too. We made this banner using Paint:
Angie
SuaVoce on Twitter! June 7, 2009
I signed SuaVoce up on Twitter. Check out our new page:
This seems like a pretty cool thing.
Angie
Jewelry Suppliers? Here’s Where to Go! June 3, 2009
It’s tough finding a reliable jewelry supplier that sells a variety of quality products at affordable prices. SuaVoce has made a number of mistakes when it comes to purchasing supplies. We turned to eBay in an attempt to find inexpensive supplies. EBay, however, was unreliable (sometimes you may not get quite was you expect), and quality control was iffy. We have purchased items from craft stores, and while they are often convenient, they tend to be pricy.
So where do you go? Well, SuaVoce has discovered some great suppliers, and we’d like to share…
Rio Grande Jewelry Suppliers
I could rave all day about Rio. Their customer service is incredibly helpful (they always know what they are doing, and they are very efficient). You can be assured that the supplies you receive from Rio are high quality. Plus, they ship your purchases in a timely manner.
Etsy suppliers
There are a couple jewelry suppliers, who SuaVoce has had good experiences with, on Etsy.com. Etsy is a really good source for supplies. Generally, buying off Etsy is less expensive, and (from our experience) their products are quality. Also, you can contact the seller and ask if they will reserve a special order for you.
LLing2303 is a seller who sells a variety of items. Of particular interest for this post are her beads and supplies, which are very affordable. We purchased clip-on earring hooks from LLing2303, and we were really pleased! The hooks were packaged nicely and she included a free gift with our purchase J
Check out LLing2303’s shop:
Infiniteconcepts sells beautiful connectors, links, charms and other findings. Infniteconcepts allowed us to custom order silver plated earring wires. We were very happy with our purchase, which arrived quickly and in perfect shape.
Check out infiniteconcepts’ shop:
http://infiniteconcepts.etsy.com
And twitter page:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25580596
“Tibetan Silver Connector Charms” by infiniteconcepts
Hopefully this provides some good sources for your supply shopping!
Angie (SuaVoce)
