Our own DOT COM

PHEW! It has been quite a while since I blogged, and the reason is because our Etsy Shop has been doing so well... And I recently decided to take on a new project to expand our business as well.
Over the past few months, I've been using my free time to create a new website and online store for Psysub. Our Etsy shop will still be up and running, I just thought it might be cool to have our own website as well.
The great thing about the new shop is that I now have the ability to add lots of neat customizations to each piece. If I have different bead colors available, I can make it so you can choose. Hemp colors, clasp types and even length will be chosen before the item is purchased. How cool!
So, we have quite a few things on our online store. I'm pretty proud because its way more customizable of a shop than Etsy. I get to use my super psychedelic colors, backgrounds and logos that I've created as a graphic design artist as much as I want.
And the extra great thing for you is if you are reading this, you can receive a 10% discount as a Winter Solstice and starting up the new shop discount. Use Sols22 for a coupon during checkout :-)

Hand Dying my own hemp! :-)

Last year, a huge local supplier for dyed hemp went out of business. Ecolution, (who also supplied pretty much the world) had the best hemp. Romanian hemp, multi-ply and soft with bright and rainbow colors. When they went out of business, I almost did too.

But I sat down one day and thought, why can't I dye my own hemp? So, I did the research.
I found the best dyes to use that hold well, have wonderful colors, and aren't bad for the planet.

I had to work pretty hard to track down the 6ply and 12ply Romanian hemps that I was used to as well, but I did it!

So, now for the past few months, my husband and I have been working hard at getting good at this new technique. We now have dyed all of our own colors, and do not use any pre-dyed hemps. I have to admit, it feels really good to be self-sufficient.

Its so much fun, too! Its just like tie dying when we make our Rainbow and Variegated hemps, because they have gradient colors. We now have everything Ecolution had to offer and more.

1000 Sales and more intricate Macrame designs!

So, we did it. We hit 1000 sales on our Etsy Page. I'm so happy that I've been able to sustain for this long. A lot of people say that its pretty hard to have a successful Etsy store, and thay are right. It is a lot of work. But its been worth it to be able to spend my time doing something I love, and sharing my designs with people who enjoy them, meeting cool people along the way.

So, I had been pretty much doing the same knots for a long time on my designs. Square knot, lace knot and fish bone encompassed much of my design work. I had gotten crazy enough to make combination's of these knots on some of my pieces, such as my V necklaces. But honestly, it had been a couple of years since I say down and learned something new. I thought with the success of my store, I should add some more elegant and intricate macrame designs.

So, I got out my old 1970s macrame book that my friend got for me, and cranked out some new stuff.
I made this watchband (which comes with the watch) with 10 strands of black unwaxed hemp. The design neatly wrapps around the rainbow moonstone beads, hugging the piece together.

I also made 2 bracelets using 10 strands, with a similar knot style in different variances. All of these pieces have a very sturdy feel to them, like a band of canvas.
You can click on the images if you would like to see the items in my Etsy store.

A special thanks to all of my customers for supporting my art and making my life happier than ever!

Choose Your Own Mushroom Hemp Necklace!

Since I started this virtual journey a couple of years ago, I have had an idea about creating forms for fully customizable hemp jewelry. Lots of people have really great ideas, and many people have a difficult time finding something that matches their perfect idea of what they want their jewelry to look like.
I have a surplus of materials including lampwork glass beads, india glass beads, wood beads, metal beads, handmade glass pendants and pewter pendants; as well as soft hemp string in lots of different colors (especially since I hand dye my own hemp). This makes me a great resource to help create someone's dream necklace.
So, I have now officially created my first "Choose Your Own" form. I decided to start with something super classic as far as hemp jewelry, and something with a real message behind it. This being Mushroom Hemp Necklaces.

Within the form, I have included differing macrame knot styles, hemp colors (including tie dye and rainbow), necklace length... and of course, a borage of different handmade glass mushroom pendants by different artists from around the country. There are also many other options that I have not mentioned.

You can check out the "Choose Your Own Mushroom Hemp Necklace" listing on my personal Psysub webpage at http://www.psysub.com/choose_mushroom.html

I've gotten 3 sales so far on this form, and I am very excited to offer some creative freedom to my customers. It won't be long before I'll have more "Choose Your Own" forms. I hope these will help my customers really feel comfortable that they are getting just what they wanted. Just the idea of someone thinking something up, and then sending me the plans. I would love to see the smiles when they have it in their hands! It makes me so happy to pass along the confidence :-)

Kind Words of a Fellow Macrame Artist...

Over the past few weeks, I have noticed a lot of new hemp jewelry designers on Etsy. Many of them are starting out, and although I'm sure they have much potential (We have have to start from somewhere, you should see some of my pieces from 10 years ago) None of them have particularly stuck out to me.

I did run by one person, who had very detailed pictures and consistent, tight knots in their pieces. This person's user name was Neicosknots.

I decided to convo her to compliment her on her wonderful pieces and pictures, and she asked me if it was okay if she would mind if we were mentioned in one of her blogs. I gratefully obliged.

After reading what she wrote in her blog titled "My Hemp Heroes" I was blown away.
Neicosknots wrote:

"I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to PSYSUB. Aaron and Jessie create absolutely stunning hemp jewelry.

According to psysub's Etsy profile, "Our lives are encompassed with creative thought and contemplation on a almost constant basis regarding our products.... And most of all, we do it for the happiness!" In a recent convo with psysub, they told me "We're just some humble hippies trying to make a living doing what we love."

It definitely shows in their work. psysub's collection ranges from goth to psychedelic, and there's perfection in every piece. It's obvious from the moment you see their site that everything they create is made with a passion that few of us can match.

Aaron and Jessie have been a HUGE inspiration for me. Not only with their wonderful jewelry, but their dedication and graciousness as well.

Now you may be wondering: why am I promoting my competition? Well, the answer is quite simple. It's because psysub is Just That Good!"



Such nice words! This really made my day and warmed my heart. It takes a really humble person to compliment another person in the same field. This really reminded me of how we should share appreciation with other people without any walls created by whether or not we are selling similar items.
What I have noticed, is that there is a different crowd for every artist, and yes, this is true even for more hemp artists. It is in big part because of the online marketplace that hemp jewelry is becoming so versatile.

Here are some of my favorite pieces that Neicosknots has made:





You can check out her shop at

Surely you can see the detail in her work. Very good. And I am all that much more excited about this because someone with so much talent complimented MY work.

Here's too appreciation for eachother's work, and making friends through common interests :-)

Pushing the 800 Sale Mark...

We have about 750 sales on our online Etsy store right now. I have to say, that I never expected to be this successful as a jewelry designer. I also have to say that it is a dream come true, and that I am extremely happy with my day to day life of contemplating creations, making them reality, and then sharing them with the world.
I am so thankful that we live in a world that respects art. There is so much great inspirational art out there, and it really is a needed part of culture. I hope that I can only contribute to this collective idea by helping other people express themselves through my jewelry.
Even more than that, I am thankful for all of the inspiration I receive from other artistic minds on a day to day Basis. Maybe its just that with busy lives in a world with a lot of resistance, its difficult to find the time for many creative people to make the things that they think about. It makes me so happy to dedicate such a huge piece of my life to bringing ideas to light for people. So many good ideas, so little time.
The custom orders are really what makes it worth it, because afterall, without any input I would surely come to what Neicosknots calls a "hempers block". Sucessful art is not an expression of a single persons idea, but rather an expression of a collective thought or feeling.
Thanks to everyone who has supported us through patronage, commentary, discussion, honesty, and friendship.