Silver, Copper, Brass, Nickle, Pewter... All of the Above?

Today's Silver Price: $26.89/t.oz.

Wow-za! Silver prices are pretty low right now! It would be a great time to by materials, but I just don't have the money right now. Christmas tapped me out. Hopefully these prices will remain low into the new year and I can get a good deal when I'm ready to stock up again.

I've been looking at silver-filled wire and components on Rio Grande's website lately. Silver-filled is a silver coating over a base metal such as brass. The coating is thicker and supposedly more durable than silver-plated. I'd like to get some wire and experiment with it. The only problem is an exposed edge would show the brass core, so I would have to be creative to hide that.

I think I will also start using metals such as aluminum, nickle and possibly pewter. Many jewelry suppliers have a large selection of lead-free pewter components. I have to get over the idea that I was only going to make sterling silver jewelry. It just isn't realistic given the price of silver these days. Also I have seen that people will buy costume jewelry, and they will buy it like it's going out of style. Women seem less concerned with high-priced accessories these days.

I've gotten a lot of positive feedback and several sales with copper items, so I will continue to include copper jewelry in my collection.

Another material I need to examine is glass from broken wine bottles. I think with the right tools, ie the right Dremel bits, I can shape and smooth the broken glass pieces into jewelry components.

2012 should be a very constructive and productive year. I plan to learn a lot of new jewelry making skills so that I can expand my product line and attract wider variety of customers... and to satisfy my own creative curiosities! I love learning new things and I love creating something new. I am looking forward to the challenges and triumphs that 2012 will bring!


Have a happy and safe new year, I'll be back in 2012 with more adventures in entrepreneurship!

Plans for the New Year

Today's Silver Price: $28.91/t.oz.

There are a few things I would like to accomplish in 2012 with regards to my business.

Upcoming holidays to plan for:

Valentine's Day, February 14th- lots of jewelry with hearts!

St. Patrick's Day, March 17th- shamrocks, celtic knots, lots of green!

Mother's Day, May 13th- all kinds of jewelry... maybe some pearls? Faux pearls that is.

2012 Business Goals:

Incorporation. I would like to transition from a Sole Proprietorship to a Limited Liability Corporation. When you incorporate a business you completely separate the business legally from your personal finances. I have to do a lot of research on this, I believe I may need a lawyer to incorporate. Also I should meet with an accountant and start paying quarterly taxes if this is to be a real business.

I also have to open a business bank account which I should have done a long  time ago. I spoke to a banker once about opening a business checking account but I did not go through with it. Once I have a bank account I can open a  merchant account, which would allow me to accept credit card payments. At craft shows and fairs the ability to take credit card payments could increase my sales dramatically.

Creative Goals:

Necklaces! I want to introduce necklaces into my jewelry line. Necklaces require more materials and I can charge more for them. I am also looking into using silver-filled wire as a cheaper alternative to sterling silver. I need to increase my working knowledge of copper, I have yet to master this material.

I am planning on starting a collection of hand-painted wooden wall signs for home decor. As my watercolor paintings have received many many compliments and praise, they have not lead to many sales.

Planning: I have to make a list of events I will attend in 2012. There are a few festivals that I know I want to participate in, and I think this will be the year that I start doing outdoor craft shows and fairs.



2012 looks to be a very exciting year. I hope to grow my business and to become a successful small business owner. With some optimism, perseverance and a whole lotta work, I know I can achieve my dream of self-employment!

Solicitation

Today's Silver Price: $29.36/t.oz.


Right outside my office there is a sign that says "No Soliciting." Upon request I have given my business card with webpage information to several coworkers. Last week I sold two pairs of earrings to a coworker (in the office), and this week she wants to buy another pair. I'm pretty sure that I am not soliciting as long as they are asking to buy it, right? I'm not walking around saying "Hey, look at this, you should buy it!" I simply mention that I make jewelry and some people have asked to see it. Then I mention that I could bring some pieces in so they could see it... and buy it...

The following is from Dictionary.com:

so·lic·it

verb (used with object)

1. to seek for (something) by entreaty, earnest or respectful request, formal application, etc.: He solicited aid from the minister.

2. to entreat or petition (someone or some agency): to solicit the committee for funds.

3. to seek to influence or incite to action especially unlawful or wrong action.

4. to offer to have sex with in exchange for money.

 

Well, I know I'm not offering to have sex with a coworker for money, so I'm good on that one. Number 3 troubles me though... "To seek to influence or incite to action, especially unlawful or wrong action." I am seeking for my coworkers to buy from me... and selling them jewelry while I'm supposed to be working and while they are supposed to be working is a wrong action... oh my. I think I may be soliciting my coworkers.

 

Yikes... maybe I should stick to giving them my card.

Show and Tell: Photography Critique

Today's Silver Price: $28.90/t.oz.

I think my photography skills are improving. The pictures I am taking of my jewelry now are so much better than the pictures I was taking when I first started. I think the light tent has been a big factor in getting better shots, but also just the experience of having taken so many photos that I now know how to get a great pic of a bracelet or a pair of earrings. In the beginning I was taking 10 to 20 photos of each piece, which I would then have to narrow down to five pictures to post on my Etsy page. Now I know how to get the good shots, so I may end up only taking five pictures!

I was particularly impressed with my latest round of earring pictures. I think I may be getting better pictures because I am using more interesting backgrounds. It's tricky to find backgrounds (in my case I use scrapbook paper) that is visually interesting but does not overpower the jewelry. I am getting good results using papers that have blurry or faint images that compliment the jewelry and are not too distracting. I am also trying to use the tripod more, even though I get impatient setting up the shot. I need to allow myself enough time to take good photos, and not just rush through the process to get it done.

I'm pretty satisfied now with the pictures I've been posting on Etsy. I think they are attractive and eye catching and much more dynamic than my older pics. Hopefully over time my pictures will continue to improve and help to boost my sales!

Forbes Gives A Shout Out To Crafters

Today's Silver Price: $31.35/t.oz.

Over the weekend I came across an article on Forbes.com which suggested that entrepreneurs look to the craft industry for guidance and direction. The article entitled "What Every Entrepreneur Can Learn from the Crafting Industry" discusses the surge in small business development amongst crafters and artisans and how these entrepreneurs have found success.

One of the major tools that an artist or crafter has is their creativity and ability to think outside of the box. Creative and inventive marketing strategies help to promote a new or expanding business. While creative people may not have great business sense, imagination and problem solving skills can go a long way in developing a business. One area where crafters are recognized in having an edge is social media marketing. Many crafters put a lot of time into Twitter posts, Facebook updates, Etsy pages, blogging and other social media outlets in order to grow their business. This is often how crafters and artisans establish a customer following.

The article cites a couple of craft-focused organizations that are aimed at assisting crafters and artisans grow their business and steering them towards success. One of the things I have learned in my internet surfing is that there is a tremendous community of creative minds out there that are eager to help one another. I am finding more and more blogs, forums and conferences that specifically discuss the business of crafting or art and how to be successful selling your creations.

It is very satisfying and validating to see that Forbes has recognized the craft industry as a source of knowledge and experience in the small business field. The article encourages anyone thinking about starting their own business to take a look at crafters for inspiration. Crafters and artisans are motivated by their imaginations and dreams and have envisioned lives lived on their own terms. Creativity and innovation are essential to any entrepreneur in any field so anyone pursuing self-employment should think about connecting with their inner-artist!

Shipping and Handling

Today's Silver Price: $31.80

I've been learning a bit about shipping lately. So far I have only shipped bracelets as those are the only items I have sold on my Etsy site!

I first wrap the bracelet carefully in tissue paper, then place that little package inside a small plastic bag with my business card inside, along with a hand-written note thanking the customer for shopping at Silver Current Designs. Everything goes inside the plastic bag so if the envelope gets wet everything should stay dry. Now I'm not talking about Ziploc sandwich bags here, I have purchased small 4" by 5.5" bags from a craft store. I've been using small padded mailing envelopes from the post office- I think they are 6" by 8" (not sure on that). The envelope costs $1.19, and I get shipping confirmation which costs 80 cents, and the whole thing costs between three and four dollars.

I shipped a package yesterday and it surprisingly arrived to my customer today. She only lived a few towns away but still that was pretty quick for the USPS. At the post office I was expecting lines, people trying to mail huge boxes, general chaos and screaming but there were only a few people in there yesterday. I guess the holiday mailing madness hasn't started yet!

Here's a little secret for you. On my website my items are listed with free shipping. The fact is, I have included the cost of shipping in the price of the item. If I were to sell a bracelet at a craft fair, I would charge the customer $15. When selling the same bracelet on my Etsy site, the price is $19.00 with "free shipping." I think there is something about the phrase "free shipping" that encourages customers to make a purchase. Most people of course will probably realize that the cost of shipping has been calculated into the price of the item... but still that word FREE has magical powers...

I am looking into opening an online account with USPS. This would allow me to print postage labels from home and just drop packages off at the post office rather than waiting on line to pay for postage. I would have to get a scale which could connect to my computer in order to get correct postage for my packages. I don't know that I'm ready for this phase yet. I think if I start shipping orders on a regular basis I will set up an account, but for now I'll just run to the post office on my lunch break.

Debriefing

Today's Silver Price: $32.00/t.oz.

Level of success? My success was moderate this weekend. I did sell a lot of items, but unfortunately I won't be quitting my day job... yet.

This past Saturday's event was a craft fair at a local high school. Quote of the day: "Oh, I knew a girl that made jewelry but it was crap. Yours is really nice!" LOL. I was also asked twice if I go to school there. Mmmmm no, but thanks. I guess I should be happy that I can pass for 15 years younger than my real age!

Anyway, this craft fair was not so great. The vendor next to me said that the fair the school holds in November is better attended. Dammit. I made a little more than my table fee, which is to say I didn't make much profit. AT LEAST I made that table fee. It's a sad day when you lose money doing a craft fair (which I have).

Sunday's event was much more successful. A friend of mine held a vendor party in her backyard. It always helps when the customers are a bit liquored up... haha! The best thing about this event was there was no vendor fee, so everything I made was profit. I sold several bracelets, several rings and a few pairs of earrings. I found it very interesting to learn that what sells at one event will not necessarily sell at another event. Remember those dangle earrings I told you about? Didn't sell one pair this weekend. I was quite surprised.

Last night and tonight I've been posting my leftovers on my Etsy site. I've given my card out to a few ladies at work so I'm hoping I'll start getting more activity on the site.

That's all for now. I'm quite tired after not really having a weekend, so I'm off to bed early tonight!

Double Header

Today's Silver Price: $32.93/t.oz.

I received my order from Rio Grande today! The production line is now in full swing! I have a craft fair on Saturday and Holiday Boutique Party on Sunday... LOTS TO DO!

Right now I'm working on some sterling silver earrings with Murano glass beads. They are very long dangle earrings and have sold very well in the past. They are fairly simple to create. The only tricky part is creating links for the beads. I am using 18 gauge sterling wire to thread the bead, then forming wrapped rings on each side. The beads can then be attached to the sterling components with jump rings.

Also in progress are several beaded bracelets, both sterling silver and copper. I should have almost 40 bracelets when I am done, including bracelets that I have made previously. I have a whole lot of wire spiral charms to make for these bracelets.

I'm very excited and optimistic about my two events this weekend. I will be displaying my largest collection of jewelry so far. This will be the biggest opportunity I have had for making money selling jewelry. Having two events in one weekend is great. I am doing two events, but I really am only preparing once. It will be a very busy weekend but I think it will be worth it! 

In my order today I received copper stripping that I am hoping to make cuff bracelets out of (with my baseball bat). It is very thick and I'm not sure if I will be able to cut it with the tools I have. Also I will have to file and polish the edges which are unexpectedly rough. I am also going to attempt to make rings out of this material. I think I can make some funky chunky rings with this stuff.

My displays are pretty much all set. I am using the same displays I have used in previous shows. No need to change things now. The earrings will be hung on window screens with painted black frames. The rings will be nestled in between rolled up black felt that has been sandwiched into black wire trays. The bracelets will be draped over paint rollers that have been wrapped in black felt. I will also have elastic wooden beaded bracelets and elastic shell beaded bracelets in glass bowls on the table. These I make and sell for a few bucks- they are usually pretty popular. I'll buy a plastic black tablecloth from the dollar store and be all set! Totally a DIY table display!

Tuesday evening I will be reporting my success...  :)

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

                                                            -Helen Keller

Getting Ready; Wine Bottles Revisited; Hammers and Anvils

Today's Silver Price: $31.96/t.oz.

Getting Ready!

I received a shipment  yesterday from Fire Mountain Gems- 18 different colors of 6mm round glass beads! I immediately started making bracelets and before I knew it four hours had gone by, lol. It was a very productive evening!

I have two events this weekend. One is a holiday craft/vendor fair at a local high school. I've done a fair there previously with not much success. However this time I will return with a much larger inventory and better displays. I think I am going to stick with hanging my earrings on the window screens. It's more attractive, and so what if it takes longer to present them to the customer? I don't think I'll be that swamped... but you never know!

On Sunday a friend of mine is holding a holiday boutique party at her home. She is having Avon, Tupperware, myself and some other vendors. Pretty sweet idea... maybe she will become a vendor fair promoter in the future.

I haven't worked on any paintings, I have focused my energy on jewelry alone. Trying to focus on that 20% effort which should lead to 80% revenue. I may over the next few days work on a few watercolors already in progress, but I don't think I'll be creating anything new.

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Wine Bottles Revisited

I tried breaking wine bottles again into pieces I could use for jewelry. I was able to break the bottles this time, I just had to use more force. I had an idea to use different colored pieces to create glass snowflake ornaments but I had trouble getting the pieces into the shapes I wanted. I broke the bottles inside of two plastic bags. Then I tried grinding the edges down with a Dremel grinding stone to change the shape, but that did not work very well. I then used a cutting wheel on the Dremel. I found that if I scored a line in the glass piece with the cutting wheel, I could then use a pliers to break off the excess. I seem to remember a video I saw once of a stained glass artisan doing exactly that... my brain must have stored those images deep in the library of my head.

The whole thing was  very slow and tedious and might be too ambitious of a project. I might just not have the right Dremel bits. I think next I'll see if I am able to drill holes through the glass pieces so that they could be used in jewelry.

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Hammers and Anvils

In the spring I'm hoping to purchase some hammers and anvils so I can be a rockstar like this guy. I also want to learn how to solder so I can create more complex pieces. And I want to get a kiln and try out metal clay (clay that when fired burns away to leave metal)... and I want to get a jewelry tumbler...  So much to do, so little time!

Stocking Up On Supplies

Today's Silver Price: $32.30/t/oz.

Yesterday's price of silver was $31.20. Perfect for buying!!! I went online to Rio Grande and I bought some sterling silver earwires, some sterling silver pear shaped components in two sizes and sterling silver jump rings. I also got some 10mm Murano glass beads. All of this is for making earrings. I've made these earrings before, they are long dangle earrings with one colored bead in the middle and they sold like HOTCAKES when I set up a table in my sister-in-law's teacher's lounge one day in 2010. Teachers love jewelry! It of course helped that it was a week before Mother's Day.

I also purchased some 16 gauge copper wire to make wrapped wire rings, and I bought a pound of copper stripping with which I hope to make cuff bracelets. I'll be giving the baseball bat a try for those.

From Fire Mountain Gems I ordered 18 different colors of 6mm glass beads. The beads come in 16" strands so I am going to have a whole lot of beads! I'm looking forward to making multicolored glass bead bracelets in both sterling silver and copper. I also bought some 10mm Greek evil eye beads- one package of 100 in traditional blue and white and another package of 100 which is multicolored. I have a friend that requested a bracelet with green evil eye beads so I thought I'd make a whole bunch, I think they would be popular. 

I spent a little over $200 on these orders combined. Hopefully it will be worth it! My supplies should be arriving early next week. Can't wait to get to work on it!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Today's Silver Price: $32.52/t.oz.

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I woke up this morning to an email informing me that someone had purchased an item on my Etsy page. Today was a good day! One sterling silver and amethyst beaded bracelet SOLD!

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Stores everywhere are preparing for Black Friday. People everywhere are preparing for Black Friday- making lists of stores they are going to hit, alphabetizing the items they will buy, taking out a third mortgage, raiding their 401Ks...  My first couple of jobs were in retail and the phrase Black Friday brings to mind chaos, bedlam, mayhem and hysteria. Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving when an enormous amount of shopping occurs. It has been dubbed Black Friday because this is the day that will often take businesses out of the red (negative profits) and into the black (positive profits). Thus hoping to spur even more frenzied shopping, most stores have implemented massive sales on this particular day to draw customers in... and it works. There probably are some amazing deals out there on Black Friday, but I don't think I have ever been out shopping on this infamous day. I prefer to stay home in my pajamas and eat turkey sandwiches.

The Monday following Thanksgiving and Black Friday has become known as "Cyber Monday" because of the tremendous amount of online shopping that now takes place on this day. Why do people shop online so much on Cyber Monday? I have no idea. Maybe it's because they are starting to emerge from their turkey-induced coma and want to shop, but don't have the strength to leave the house? Maybe they are too embarrassed to go out to stores because they have wicked turkey farts?

After reading so much lately about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I've been thinking that I may just put all of my jewelry on my Etsy page for these big shopping days. As I have mentioned previously I usually separate my stock between items listed on Etsy and items that I bring to craft shows. It is always a dilemma as to whether or not I post something on my site. Also that means a large portion of my jewelry stock would be sitting unseen in a box until my next show.

My plan for this weekend is to get every piece of jewelry that I can up on my Etsy page. Just throw it all up there and see what happens. As my aunt says, if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick. Guess what? This morning some of it stuck.

To List, Or Not To List, That Is The Question.... and Show & Tell

Today's Silver Price: $34.24/t.oz.

Ok, Twilight is on FX at 7:30 tonight so lets make this quick. LOL.

To List, Or Not To List?

One of my challenges in keeping an online shop and doing craft shows at the same time is which items to use in which arena. When I list an item on my Etsy site I don't like to take it to a show or fair because if I sell it, I would have to immediately take it off of the website which is not always possible. Today's smartphones do offer easy internet access, however my Crackberry has limited capabilities (I may have to upgrade- I need better technology!!!). So if I am taking particular items to a craft show I cannot post them on Etsy. I want to have a large selection on my website, but I feel that I have a greater chance of selling something when customers can pick up a piece of jewelry and try it on.

For every piece of jewelry that I make I must decide if I will post it on the website or use it for a show. I suppose if I were to have an inventory large enough there would be enough merchandise to fill both the website and my table at shows. I feel like for a craft show or fair I should bring every piece I have and sometimes I have even removed pieces from the website in advance of a show.


Show & Tell

Over the weekend I finally got to make my new rings out of the sterling silver patterned wire that I've been babbling about. This is the patterned wire. It comes in a coil- I believe I purchased two feet of it (not all of it is shown below). I cut it down to 3-inch pieces in order to make rings.

 I've grinded down the ends of each piece with a Dremel to a diagonal slant to match the pattern of the wire. After grinding with the Dremel I used a file to smooth the edge.

 The rings have been bent around a ring mandrel. The ends have to be bent using pliers, it's too hard to do with my fingers.

I've made several of the rings below using 16 gauge sterling silver wire. I made one for myself and I wear it all the time. I've also made these out of copper wire.

Below are some copper bracelets with glass beads that I've made this past weekend:

I still have to add the spiral charms to each one. The charms are made from copper wire.

Here's some sterling silver bracelets that I've made previously. The first two pictures were taken using my homemade light tent- you can see the difference in these from the third pic below which was taken only using the camera's flash.

 Amethyst Beads:

Black Onyx Beads:

Multi-colored Glass Beads:

That's all I've got for Show & Tell tonight!

Holiday Game Plan...?

Today's Silver Price: $33.79/t.oz.

Game Plan: None.

Am I supposed to have one?

During an online forum on Etsy I heard that for the holiday season you should plan for increased sales, therefore you must have increased inventory. The audience members were asking what the experts were doing to prepare for the holidays. The experts suggested simplifying your collection of merchandise- or editing down to the most popular items. Focus on creating items that are proven sellers. Hmmm, I guess this is no time for experimenting.

This makes me think of a presentation I watched on creating your own path to success. The presentation was entitled "Design Your Own Success." The speaker was Sharon Ann Lee who is a cultural trend analyst, writer and artist. The presentation is about 30 or 40 minutes and I highly recommend watching if you have the attention span especially if you are a small business owner. There's also some good life lessons in there. She explains the difference between when "your ass is broke," and when "money is coming out of your ass." Good stuff.

ANYWAY.... One way Lee says we can be more successful is to become more efficient in our work. Lee explains the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto principle. It goes like this: 20% of your work brings in 80% of your results (revenue), and therefore 80% of your work and effort only brings in 20% of your results. She states that you should cut out the 80% of your effort that is not producing maximum results, thus giving you more free time. Interesting theory, however I have yet to determine what 20% of my effort is most profitable.

If I were to compare painting to jewelry making, painting definitely takes more time and effort, and so far has been the least profitable. A painting may take 5 hours, 10 hours or more to complete. Usually a piece of jewelry takes 20-30 minutes to complete and maybe less. So perhaps I should focus solely on producing jewelry? Devote my time and money to creating as much jewelry as possible and put the painting projects to the side. I hate the sound of that. But it may be a sound business decision. Did I just figure out what the 80% to cut is???

And thus ensues the battle between heart and mind!

Consignment Shops and Baseball Bats

Today's Silver Price: $34.79/t.oz

Consignment Shops

People are always telling me that I should sell my jewelry in consignment shops. My immediate reaction is always 'Hell No!' Just this morning someone told me that a friend of theirs had opened a consignment shop in the area and I could contact her to sell my jewelry. Here's how it would work. I make an agreement with a shop owner in which they will sell my jewelry in their store, and they keep a percentage of the sale. I trust that the shop owner will take good care of my handmade merchandise and make some effort to sell it. Now I'm not sure of the details of these kinds of agreements such as what percentage of the sale they keep, I suppose that depends on the arrangement.

From what I have read consignment shops can be a very bad choice.

In his book Philip Kadubec describes how he and his wife made an agreement with a consignment shop to sell their handmade baskets. They set up the baskets in the shop's window display and left the store with high hopes. When they returned at a later date they found that their baskets had been moved- placed under a table and out of view. That's no way to sell a product! Once you leave your product in someone else's shop you have no control over how and where it is displayed.

One of my objections to consignment is that I try to keep my prices as low as possible in order to attract buyers, but at the same time make a decent profit. If I were to give a percentage of my sale to someone else it wouldn't be worth it. I would have to raise my prices.

Also, I have always been terrible at delegating responsibility. So how could I trust someone else (a stranger, by the way) to sell my product? They didn't make it, they have no love for it, and if it doesn't sell it's no loss for them. For now I will stay away from consignment arrangements because it just doesn't feel right for me. Maybe in the future I will revisit the idea but for now I will continue to respectfully decline the suggestion.

Baseball Bats

This past Friday I was sitting in my car on my lunch break thinking about cuff bracelets (this is how my mind works- I daydream about jewelry). I found this video last week in which the artist makes a cuff bracelet out of a strip of 16 gauge sterling silver. He simply bends and then hammers the silver around a mandrel and forms a bracelet. Rio Grande sells a great selection of plain and patterned wire that can easily be made into cuff bracelets using a bracelet mandrel. A bracelet mandrel is a cylindrical object (usually steel) around which metal can be bent or wrapped in order to form a bracelet. As I mentioned last week, I do not have a bracelet mandrel, and one would cost about $30 or $40 to purchase.

I thought about what other objects I could possibly find that are similar to a mandrel and could be used for shaping cuff bracelets. I remembered I have an aluminum baseball bat in the back of my Jeep (a girl can never be too careful) and realized it was quite similar to a mandrel. I pulled the bat out of the back and found it was a pretty good size for wrapping a bracelet around. Aaaaaand... makeshift mandrel? Check!

I'm psyched out of my mind about it! I think cuff bracelets will become a large part of my jewelry collection in the very near future.

Holiday Prep!

Today's Silver Price: $34.11/t.oz.

I've got one month to go before I do a craft fair and a holiday boutique party in one weekend (Dec 3 and 4)! I'm hoping that these two events will be my most successful yet! I'm also hoping that silver prices stay relatively low this month because I need to stock up on materials. The price of silver has been creeping up in the last couple of weeks. The patterned sterling silver wire that I bought recently worked out REALLY well, so I am hoping to purchase more of it. And.... it comes in copper!  I'm going big on rings this time around. I made a great ring out of the patterned wire but I gave it to my mother and forgot to take pics. I'll have to make another ASAP so I can post images. I also learned to use a Dremel to grind down rough edges on the wire. I'm on my way to being a real metalworker, haha!

The patterned wire also lends itself to making cuff bracelets, however it requires a bracelet mandrel- which I don't have! From what I've seen they cost about $30 to $40. I may just have to spring for one! The wire is bent or hammered around the mandrel to form a bracelet shape. Pretty simple process and could produce some very popular pieces (no alliteration intended).

I have a new necklace idea that I want to try. I saw it at a jewelry party- it's a 2-in-1 necklace. Basically it's a 32" necklace that can be doubled to become a 16" necklace. I think it would be pretty expensive to make in silver so it may have to be only in copper. Maybe I'll try out some silver-plated material, but that makes me nervous. I worry that the silver plating will chip or peel. Also I think any cuts made would not be clean. I guess I'll never know until I try it.

So I've been re-thinking my display as I seem to do before almost every show, lol. For my first show I displayed my earrings on homemade black earring cards. Then for a couple of events I used window screens to hang my earrings from. The window screens were great because they allowed light to pass through the earrings and a lot of my pieces have glass beads that reflect light. However when a pair of earrings was purchased it was a little tedious to take them off the screen and put them back on a card. I'm debating whether or not I should go back to the card display... which now that I think about it may pose a problem as I believe I threw out the display box I built... hmmmm. I might also need more boxes for ring display, since I plan on having a ton of rings available. If I have necklaces to display (which I haven't in the past) I will have to come up with some new display ideas. Better start planning for it now...

I'm very excited about these two events coming up and I am anxious to see what the public will think of my new items. There's lots of work to be done so I will be a busy bee for the next month! Time to get the production line (me) cranking!

Multitasking- How Much is Too Much?

Today's Silver Price: $32.80

This past Thursday night I was multitasking. I was watching a live online forum in which the topic was using social media to promote your small business, writing a blog post, posting on Facebook, posting on Twitter, and updating my website. Whoa!

I think at some point doing to many things at once not only becomes overwhelming, but can also be detrimental to your productivity. If you are doing five things at once, one or more is going to suffer because you are not giving the task your full attention. Multitasking can also lead to errors, mistakes or mixups. Details can be overlooked when your are not focused on one thing.

My life is one big multitasking tornado. Working a full time job, trying to develop a business, attempting to keep my home clean, fighting to stay healthy... and have I mentioned that I'm planning my wedding? Yeah. There's a lot going on. So I often have to make a choice as to what gets put on the back burner. Maybe I really need to post new pictures on my Etsy site... but you know what? I also have to get my Save the Date cards mailed out. It's a constant game of prioritization and re-prioritization. Luckily my full-time job does not spill over into after hours- once I leave the building at the end of the work day I don't have to think about it until the next morning. However working full-time only leaves me with four or five hours in the evening to get other things done. So I roll up my sleeves and get to multitasking!

Lately I've been wondering if this is a healthy way to exist, always doing several things at once. My brain is not used to juggling so much and I have become very forgetful. I have to stay organized otherwise it does become too overwhelming. Making 'To Do' lists seems to help keep me on track and remind me of things that need to be done. There are only so many things I can keep track of in my head before they start falling out of my ears. Lol. I often feel as if I am going against my own grain as I believe I am naturally a lazy person. Lazy people are not successful people! All this multitasking is making my schizophrenic. Lazy Sara wants to sit on the couch and watch movies. Business Sara wants to post ten more items on the website and then Tweet about them, post on Facebook about them and blog about them! I suppose if I were not working an office job during the day I would feel less bogged down and would be able to peruse these websites all day at my leisure...  but that's not happening any time soon!

It's hard to find a balance.

The Price is Right... Or Is It?

Today's Silver Price: $34.89/t.oz.

One of the most difficult things in selling your creations is determining how much to sell them for! If you do some research there are all kinds of formulas out there to figure out what to price to put on your product. Obviously I have to cover the cost of materials. And then there's labor. Should I use an hourly rate? How much is my hard work worth per hour? $20? $50?

One of the ways I determine my pricing is to think of how much I would spend on the piece if I were buying it in a store. I'm pretty knowledgeable on purchasing sterling silver jewelry... I've bought a ton in my lifetime! So I try to think about how much would I spend on a pair of sterling silver earrings and price my earrings accordingly.

A tricky little curve ball here... the price of silver has fluctuated tremendously in the last two years. Metal markets have been a roller coaster ride recently. So if the price of silver goes up, should I raise my prices? I guess not for pieces that I have already made from materials that I bought when prices were low... but any pieces made with new materials should be priced higher... but my customers wouldn't understand why there is a difference... arrrgggghhhhh.  

The objective is to keep merchandise prices low so that people are more likely to make a purchase. However if prices are too low I won't make any profit and it won't be worth all the time and effort. Finding the happy medium is quite a challenge!

Wine Bottles

Today's Silver Price: $32.64/t.oz.

I've had this idea for a while now to make jewelry out of recycled glass from wine bottles. The idea was inspired from an empty Riesling bottle that was a beautiful blue-green color. I have always loved glass beads, their transparency and the way they reflect light. I thought large glass pieces would make really interesting jewelry components.

At first I thought about cutting the neck of the bottle into rings and using those as jewelry components. Then I thought about cutting or breaking the bottle into pieces and shaping and smoothing them to use in earring designs.

I learned that wine bottles are a lot stronger than they seem! One day I took an empty wine bottle outside, wrapped it in a plastic bag and hit it with a hammer. The hammer bounced! I kept hitting the bottle trying to shatter it into pieces (so I could at least practice smoothing and shaping the pieces). However the bottle would not break!

I have a glass cutting tool that I haven't really tried yet. It is a small handheld tool with a cutting wheel on one end. The tool is supposed to score the glass and allow you to break pieces off. I'm not sure that it was designed for cutting wine bottles... but it's the best option right now. I have seen tools sold online that are specifically made for cutting the tops off of wine bottles to make them into drinking glasses. I may purchase one and see if it will be useful.

Wine bottles come in several different colors- clear, green, blue, brown and of course blue-green. Some of the shades are really beautiful and I am excited to incorporate them into new jewelry designs... if I can figure out how to break them into pieces!

Information OVERLOAD.

Today's Silver Price: $30.35/t.oz.

The amount of information now available to us is staggering. These days if I am curious about something or need an answer to a question the solution is always "Google it!" The internet is a vast library of endless information and resources. I have learned to make rings from videos and articles online. I made my light tent from an online article. I check the price of silver everyday on the internet. Anything I want to know about or learn is at my fingertips.

Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed by all of this information. I keep finding new websites or new blogs that are interesting or educational. Videos on jewelry making, articles on fine art, blogs on selling handmade goods, webinars on utilizing social media to promote your business... I want to absorb it all! Then there is the news and current events, protests, wars, politics... forget about it. It's too much! Even if you stayed on the computer all day everyday you probably would not be able to soak up everything.

I just watched an instructional video on metal stamping on JewelryMakingDaily.com. It was a short five-minute video. Wasn't earth-shattering but was still informative. This is the kind of stuff I want to see more of and could see more of if I didn't have to work an office job all day. After spending most of my eight hour work day on a computer, coming home to use my computer is not all that appealing.

I have a ton of saved emails from Handmade Success that I never have time to read. They are full of tips and advice for crafters and artisans that have their own business. I keep saving them thinking one day I will sit down and read all of them. I may never have the time to read them all.

Today on my lunch break I was on Facebook and I saw an interesting post from Halstead Bead Inc. However I was using my Crackberry which is not conducive to reading an article, so I told myself to remember to come back to it later when I could sit down at the computer. Today I actually did go back to it and read the post and watched the free metal stamping video it linked to (mentioned above). However this is unusual. Typically I glance over the posts on Facebook and make note of the interesting things, but then never go back to get a closer look. I tell myself that when I have time I will look at all this stuff that I've perused. I think trying to catch up on everything would be impossible!

I have a Twitter account but I hardly ever use it. I really should utilize it more often, I have heard stories of jewelry designers who have been successful simply by promoting their product and website on Twitter. I haven't fully grasped Twitter. I don't see how people find one or two sentences to be interesting. Also I feel it contributes to our rapidly shrinking attention spans. We read a post, we giggle, we move on. Always worried about what's next; what else is out there.

So many ideas floating through my head. It's hard to hold on to them! Do you ever get home from work and try to remember some really great idea you had in the middle of the day but it's gone? This happens to me all the time! The ideas that I can't hold on to are jewelry designs, patterns, painting inspirations, interesting shapes and new materials or a new way of creating something. A coworker's necklace, the shape of the clouds in the sky, or the color of a highlighter can all spark a new idea. Today I brought my sketchbook to work. On my lunch break I started jotting down some of the things that had been bouncing around in my head that morning. This may partially solve my problem of fleeting ideas and thoughts... if I can hold onto the thoughts until lunch time! I feel that I may start to become preoccupied with the sketchbook when I should be focusing on work projects. Today I was doodling at my desk on sticky notes. Not a good habit to get into. Even though my office is super laid back, I don't think they would appreciate me using company time and supplies to scribble down the designs in my head... sigh.

Managing the information- both on the internet and in my head. I believe this will be one of the biggest challenges I find in maintaining my business, improving my jewelry making skills and nurturing my creative energies. Being able to focus on one idea at a time and seeing it to it's fruition. I think I need to start meditating to keep my mind clear! More yoga!

Different Brushstrokes for Different Folks.

Today's Silver Price: $31.65/t.oz.

When I started doing craft shows I quickly learned that my style of art is not exactly mainstream. I enjoy exploring and learning about other cultures, and some of my paintings reflect that part of my personality. I connect with exotic patterns and designs and I am particularly interested in Indian and Asian art. I naively thought that everyone would appreciate this type of aesthetic- but I was wrong. Below are some of the first watercolor paintings I displayed for sale at vendor shows.

Most people had no idea what the Om symbol was or what Namaste means. I got a lot of compliments and folks passing by said that my paintings were beautiful or lovely, but no one was buying them. Not my audience? I still have not sold these pieces.

In February of 2010 I was doing a vendor fair at a high school. A very old woman in a wheelchair came by and was looking through my paintings. She left, but a while later she came back and bought this painting:

The woman had no knowledge of the symbolism of a lotus flower; that it represents strength and perseverance. She bought it because it was a pretty flower. Again, not my audience. It made me think about my customers and what they were looking for. Being the stubborn bull that I am, it was hard for me to put aside my own ideas about art and try to create pieces that would be more popular and more attractive to buyers. I noticed that vendors around me were selling items that were cute, witty, or personalized. While I still like to create spiritual or cultural pieces, I am starting to incorporate paintings such as this into my offerings:

Items for the home (mostly the kitchen) that are witty and playful are being added to my collection. I have a wooden sign that I made in my kitchen that says La Cucina (The Kitchen in Italian). These are the kinds of things people will by, and I have to offer at my table. I am also considering offering personalized signs that people can order, such as "John's Tavern." I think that personalized items with children's names would also be very popular.  

I did a show at a bar last spring. The show was held on the second floor in their catering room. It was part of an Earth Day celebration. There was live music and dancing downstairs in the bar, and the attendees would wander upstairs to see what was happening at the craft show. I found that people are more likely to buy something if they've been drinking... lol. I sold the painting below, a 9x9 watercolor along with two others.

That event turned out to be rather successful for me. I sold several jewelry items and 3 or 4 paintings. A woman stopped by and complimented my wire technique. She stated she was a jewelry maker and was impressed with my rings. There was a heavy hippie population at this event and lots of young artsy hipsters. Had I found my audience? 



I guess I have to find a balance between the super artsy paintings that I enjoy creating and the more commercial pieces that are more likely to sell. Then of course I have to think about the time of year...jewelry with hearts and paintings about love will sell well around Valentines Day, Celtic jewlery and art will sell more around St. Patrick's Day, etc.

I guess when I'm rich and famous I can paint whatever I want and people will buy it...  For now I will cater to the conventional masses and see if I can make a few bucks here and there.

What's In A Name?

Today's Silver Price: $31.66/t.oz

I originally registered my business name as Silver Current Jewels. Drove out to the County Clerk's office and registered a sole proprietorship. I think it was about $35 to register. A sole proprietorship is the simplest form of business. Soon I will incorporate which will legally separate my business completely from my personal finances. Incorporation is a bit more pricey... I have to figure out what it's going to cost. I see those commercials for Legal Zoom all the time saying they can help you incorporate your business. Maybe I'll check them out.

So Silver Current Jewels became official in 2010. However I realized that I also wanted to sell paintings. And perhaps start making furniture someday... who knows what else! So I changed the business name to Silver Current Designs. I figure I can have different product lines such as Silver Current Jewels, Silver Current Home, Silver Current Body... the possibilities are endless. At the time I had thought I would only be selling sterling silver jewelry. I did not foresee the drastic jump in silver prices which would force me to find other materials! However silver will always be the main focus of my jewelry, so I do not see a need to change the name.

I have read that a business name should be short and simple; easily remembered. It also should reflect the product or service that the business makes or provides. Silver Current Jewels would have been more descriptive of the business and the product, but I felt it was too limiting. Rather than creating multiple businesses to sell multiple types of products, I changed the name to a more generalized version.

The idea for the business name came from a novel by Ursula Hegi called Floating In My Mother's Palm. In the novel the main character is floating in a river at night and the author describes the flow of the water. "Where the two currents merged, a silver line shimmered under the moon, shifted, and adjusted itself, over and over." This is such a wonderfully descriptive line which has stuck with me for many, many years and has inspired the name of my business.

Will Silver Current Designs become a household name? Who knows! That's the exciting thing about life- you'll never know what's possible until you try it!

Craft Shows, Vendor Fairs, and The Pickle Man.

Today's Silver Price: $32.18/t.oz.

When I started thinking about selling my jewelry and paintings at craft shows I figured I should do some research on the subject. I knew absolutely nothing about it. How do you find shows? How do you get into shows? How much does it cost? Do I need my own table? Do I need a tent? Do I need a permit or a license?

I read a great book called "Crafts and Craft Shows: How to Make Money," by Philip Kadubec. This book showed me the world of crafting and craft shows. It got me excited about pursuing a career as a craft vendor. Kadubec helped his wife turn crafting into a full time business. Together they sold baskets at craft fairs throughout the country for many years. The book gives an excellent look at the life of professional crafters, artists and artisans. Kadubec tells you what works, and what doesn't work at craft shows. It includes everything from work schedules to pricing; booth display to customer service; cost of materials to paying taxes. Also the author tells you what to watch out for, i.e. event organizers that take advantage of vendors. One big thing to watch out for are event promoters that collect booth fees, but then don't spend any money advertising the event. An event must be well advertised within the community in order to get the maximum amount of attendees.

I found a picture from my very first vendor fair. It was held at a local volunteer fire house. It was the First Annual Vendor Fair of I Don't Remember Who/What. I heard once you should never go to the first annual ANYTHING. Apparently the best shows/fairs are the ones that have already been running for several years and people already know about them.

Looking at the picture now it's a little embarrassing- I had nowhere near enough merchandise! The table is almost empty! LOL.

I was very excited about this show. I had high hopes. A couple of hours into this show I realized that this was NOT my target audience. Hardly any of the women there were into jewelry. They weren't wearing any and they weren't interested in mine. I sold a pair of earrings to a teenager, and I sold a few elastic bracelets. A few of my friends stopped by and we had some laughs, but it was a disappointing day. I did not 'make my table.' Oh, did I mention there was a nor'easter that day? Yeah, so the event was not well attended. The terrible weather made packing everything back into my car a miserable experience.

One of the most surprising things about this event was The Pickle Man. Now this was a vendor show, so people were allowed to sell whatever they wanted. There was a Tupperware table, an Avon table, a Pampered Chef table, a woman selling handbags, etc. Hardly anything handmade. And then there was The Pickle Man. This guy shows up with four huge buckets of pickles and sets them up on a table. He scooped them out of the bucket and put them into plastic containers and sold them. Guess what? He sold pickles like they were going out of style! People were lining up to buy pickles! Unreal! The guy made a killing selling pickles! I later found out that he had driven to Brooklyn that morning, purchased the buckets of pickles, then brought them back out to Babylon to sell them! Come on! This was not the kind of show I wanted to be in. I was pissed off because this guy put no work into the product he was selling. Also reinforced the realization that this was not my target audience! Maybe I could sell olives...

So a weak display and lack of merchandise led to a flop at my first show. 'Making your table' means that you sold enough items to cover the cost of your table fee, or break even. If you don't make your table, you've lost money. I lost money.

Nowadays my displays have improved. I bought two window screens and spray painted them black, added a piece of wood to stand them up, and use those to display my earrings. I took paint rollers and covered them in felt, and I drape my bracelets over them. I also have small rectangular metal baskets from Staples in which I rolled up three pieces of felt lengthwise and placed them inside, creating slots for my rings to sit in.

I have a table rack for my watercolor paintings, and I'm considering bringing my easel to my next show. I'm almost to the point where I could fill up two tables, and eventually I will start using two, but that means twice the table fee. Outdoor summer shows are a whole different ball game, for those you usually pay for a 10'x10' space and bring your own tent and tables.

The most exclusive of shows are juried craft shows in which only handmade items are sold. In order to enter a juried show you must submit photographs or slides of your work to the show's organizer. They will choose which vendors to allow at their show. These are some serious shows. You must have a tax ID number and it must be displayed in your booth. You must have your own tent and tables. Vendors at these shows are professionals and go all out on their booth displays. Some vendors use lighting and require electrical hookups (which is another fee). Many organizers require that all fabric in your booth is fire-retardant. This is a whole other ball of wax than what I am involved in. This type of show is my goal. As Kadubec explains in his book, a vendor must prepare months in advance for these types of shows. Most vendors plan out there events for the entire year, budgeting money for entrance fees 12 months ahead of time. This is when crafting becomes a full-time job, as I hope it will for me.

For now I'll settle for the vendor fairs... but I've got my eye on bigger things...