Goodbye 2013!

Today's Silver Price: $19.49/t.oz.

2013 has been interesting, but I'm looking forward to 2014. I hope to start selling paintings and entering some gallery shows in the next year. I have some new jewelry design ideas as well that will be coming to my Etsy shop very soon!

Sales in my Etsy shop have steadily increased in the last three years. I hope 2014 blows all of past years totals out of the water! Seeing as I only started using Twitter and Instagram over the summer, I think I can drastically increase my sales for 2014.

I believe 2014 will be an amazing year for me creatively. A new chapter begins tomorrow!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe New Year's Eve celebration, and I hope everyone has a joyful, successful and amazing 2014! 

Holiday Shopping

Today's Silver Price: $19.55/t.oz.

My Cyber Monday sale seemed to generate a ton of traffic in my Etsy shop. I didn't actually get any sales that day though. What's interesting is that I had an order placed right before the sale started, two orders placed the day after, and another order today. So in summary, my 20% OFF sale increased shop views, but did not get me any orders on Cyber Monday!

I've been trying to stay on top of my social media marketing lately. I read recently that Facebook is one of the best ways to promote an Etsy site, and that you should include a photo in every post. 

In an effort to create interesting posts with interesting photos, I've been playing with some photo collage apps on my iPhone. The picture below was my first attempt. I used an app called *Collage*. I wanted to show the creative process of making wire hearts for a necklace, and wanted to include all the steps in one photo. I posted this pic on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Then I found a better app called 'Instapicframe'. It has more options. This was the updated pic:

I used 'Instapicframe' again this morning. I wanted to show several images of my yoga jewelry in one picture:

So far I am enjoying making these collages! Hopefully they will help to increase traffic in my Etsy shop! 

Cyber Monday Sale!

Today's Silver Price: $19.93/t.oz.

I'm currently running a Cyber Monday sale in my Etsy shop. 20% off all items with coupon code CYBER2013. Sale ends at midnight tonight. The coupon code must be entered at checkout. 

This is the first time I've had a sale in my shop! Lets see how it goes! 

Social Media Blitz

Today's Silver Price: $23.78/t.oz

I've recently started using Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to promote my Etsy shop. It's probably been a few months now, and I've seen an incredible jump in views of my shop. And the results are immediately seen. When I post on Twitter or Instagram, I see an increase in views that same day. On days when I haven't posted anything new, my Etsy views are often zero. Even small blurbs on Twitter can lead to shop views. I believe the social media posts have led to purchases, however I cannot be sure as there is no way that I know of to track how a specific buyer came to my shop.

I've read that in order to use Twitter and other social media sites to successfully promote a webpage or business, you must post often. Regular posts keep people interested in your feed. This type of discipline is something I've struggled with in the past and will have to overcome. Even when I'm lazy and don't feel like posting, I need to post even a tiny snipet, inspirational quote or a photo to try and hold the attention of potential customers. This obviously applies to blogging as well, so I will do my best to post here regularly.

Today I updated my LinkedIn profile. I figured that promoting my Etsy shop through this outlet can't hurt. When I created the account, I didn't think I would use it much as it seems to be a site for business connections. However I've come to realize that if I want to pursue self-employment, I'd better start promoting myself as a creative entrepreneur. I've chosen to list myself as an artist. I have always shyed away from identifying myself with this term, but now I feel that I can embrace it and live it. I am a designer, I am a painter, and overall I am an artist.

I've become fed-up with my 9-5 office job, so I am now intent on developing my business and working towards self-employment. My very wise aunt says, if you throw enough mud at a wall, eventually some of it will stick. So I'm determined to throw as much social media mud on the internet wall as I can!

Below are some of the recent items I've listed in my shop, and at the bottom is a photo of my creative process!

Silver Plated Bracelet

Sterling Silver Ring

 

Double Strand Silver Plated Necklace

Vacation is over...

Today's Silver Price: $19.42/t.oz.


Time to get back to work after an awesome vacation in the Florida Keys last week! It was heavenly... we stayed on Long Key, did some snorkeling, standup paddleboarding, kayaking, and of course relaxing!

Anyway... I'm looking for some new bracelet designs. I was Googling this morning to find some inspiration, but I didn't come across anything. I have some ideas brewing in my head so I may just work on developing them. I want to create some big bold bracelets. The bracelets I currently have in my Etsy shop are mostly simple, thin, one strand bead bracelets. I may experiment today with wire links and see what I can come up with. They need to be BOLD!

I also have yet to use the knot component that I learned to make a long time ago. It's super cool, I just haven't figured out how I want to use them. I think they are too bulky for bracelet components so they'll probably end up in a long necklace.

I won't work too hard today... I made a promise to myself that I would get outside as much as possible this summer! Maybe I'll play some tennis with The Hubbie. Ciao!

Etsy Postings for 6.2.13

Today's Silver Price: $22.26/t.oz. (WOW!)

I've had a tough time getting back into blogging. I'll do an easy one tonight... below are the latest additions to my Etsy shop. A lot of the silver-plated components used in these designs I purchased from Etsy sellers, so that's pretty neat. Also, I'm liking the solid black background in the newer pictures. I think the older pictures are using backgrounds that are too busy and they take away from the jewelry. I think I'm going to continue using solid black backgrounds, or white backgrounds with a very subtle design on them. I'd like to re-shoot the older listings eventually to create a uniform look in the shop, but who knows when I'll get to that!

Just posted these on Etsy tonight:

Silver Leaves Necklace

Silver Leaves Earrings

Diamond Shaped Earrings 

Hematite & Silver Earrings

Back to Work!

Today's Silver Price: $28.97/t.oz.


I got married in June of 2012. This is my first post since. No more excuses. No more distractions. Time to get back to business! I've had a few sales on my Etsy shop in the last couple of months so it has gotten me excited again about creating new jewelry.

Yesterday I posted several new items in my Etsy shop. I've recently been making jewelry with supplies I've purchased from Etsy sellers. At first I was annoyed that people were selling supplies on Etsy. I mean, isn't Etsy supposed to be totally handmade or antiques? Then I realized they had created a specific category for people selling supplies. I guess it makes sense, buying supplies from and Etsy vendor, keeping the commuinty spirit. So I've purchased some charms and components that are very affordable and I'm so happy with them!

I'm making an adjustment to my previous blogging schedule. I'll be posting weekly, rather than bi-weekly. I haven't picked a day yet though, so it may be random for a while. I need to figure out what will work best for me, being that I'm not real fond of schedules and set times. LOL.



Here's what I've been up to recently:

Spiritual Charms 2-in-1 Necklace:

Cascading Hearts 2-in-1 Necklace:

Shell Bead Necklace:

Om Charm Bracelet

Silver and Black Beaded Necklace:

Silver-Plated Teardrop Bead Necklace:

Mulit-Strand Necklace- First Attempt

Today's Silver Price: $31.33/t.oz.


My first attempt at a multi-strand necklace (please excuse the bad lighting in the photo):

So this is a copper necklace with three strands. The top and the bottom strand are simply copper chain. The middle strand is copper beads strung on beading wire.

I tried to be very careful of measurements while constructing this necklace. I laid out the beads and the chains, and I made each strand exactly 2 inches longer than the last. I thought I would end up with perfectly spaced strands- but as you can see from the picture I did not.

To fix this issue I'm thinking of adding two more strands. One would be a chain in between the shortest strand and the beaded strand, and the other would be a chain below the last strand. It would then become a five strand necklace. I think I may just eyeball it this time instead of wasting time measuring everything.

Updated version coming soon!

Wire Om Pendant

Today's Silver Price: $31.61/t.oz.

I love the Sanskrit OM symbol. I love the beauty of the shape and I love the concept that it represents. Om is the sound of the universe, the sound from which all other sounds arise. Chanting the word Om during yoga practice or meditation has mental and spiritual benefits, while the vibrations of the sound massage the inner organs of the body.

I've purchased some sterling silver Om charms in the past and made some beautiful earrings. However these charms can be quite expensive.

After receiving my last wire shipment I started playing with some of the silver-plated wire, bending it into shapes. I wondered if I could bend the wire into an Om symbol. Here's what I came up with:

It's a little sloppy, but I think with some practice I can perfect this! I also have to experiment with hammering the wire, because hammering will make the wire harder and stronger so it should hold the shape better. I think this would be a great pendant!

Miles and Miles of Wire!

Today's Silver Price: $32.81/t.oz.

Ok, not miles and miles, but feet and feet. 400 feet to be exact. Today I received a delivery from Paramount Wire, or http://www.parawire.com/. I ordered 200 feet of 18 gauge silver-plated copper wire, and 200 feet of 18 gauge copper wire. And yes, I've already gotten into the copper wire to make a new necklace!

I've figured out that one necklace uses about 11 to 12 feet of wire. Each heart link uses 4" of wire, and there are 32 hearts in the necklace. That's 128", or 10.66 feet. Add in jump rings and I guesstimate it's about 12 feet. So if I have 400 feet of wire from this new delivery, I have the potential to make 33 necklaces. If I sell them for $25 each that would be $825. I spent about $70 on the wire, so that's about $755 profit. Not bad! Of course I have not factored in the cost of labor but that's ok. I will probably sell the silver-plated necklaces for a higher price as that wire is more expensive.

Anybody want to check my math?

I definitely would recommend checking out the ParaWire website if you are interested in wire wrapping or wire jewelry. They sell wire in a very wide range of colors, gauges and lengths. Good find, I am grateful for that Etsy forum I stumbled across!



Non Tarnish Jewelry Wire

Today's Silver Price: $31.44/t.oz.

I've been wanting to purchase some copper wire so that I can make more of the heart link necklaces. So far they've gotten some great responses. I had a coworker ask if I could make one in a different color (besides the nickel silver) and I have a friend that wanted one but is allergic to nickel. I've gone to both Michaels and Joanne's to try and find 18 gauge copper wire but haven't had much luck. I am looking specifically for non-tarnish copper wire.

I came across a website just now that sells non-tarnish copper wire in a large variety of colors. They also sell silver-plated wire that I may try out as well! The website is http://www.parawire.com/. I actually stumbled across it in an Etsy forum while doing a Google search on Zebra Wire reviews (I found the Zebra Wire on Fire Mountain Gems but it doesn't say 'non tarnish') Seems to be decent pricing, they have a 200' spool of 18 gauge copper wire for $19.00. I think I'll be purchasing some wire this weekend!

It's been a long week, I deserve a treat, right? The silver-plated wire was $35 for a 200' spool, so I'd be spending about $60 total. With 200 feet of wire I can make about 18 necklaces, so that's 36 necklaces if I get both kinds of wire! Totally worth it!

Bridal Accessories

Today's Silver Price: $33.58/t.oz.


DISCLAIMER: The following picture is not my work!

Below is the Endless Summer Necklace by Albina Manning.

I was sent the instructions for this fun necklace last week. I get regular emails from wire-sculpture.com with new jewelry designs and patterns. This one piqued my interest on a personal level. I thought this would be a great necklace for my wedding day! Well, a variation of this. I'm not crazy about pearls so I would probably change the necklace portion, but I absolutely LOVE the mother of pearl flower and the wire accents! I do worry though that the wires sticking out may be uncomfortable.

My wedding dress is rather simple, and I'll be going with simple jewelry for the ceremony. However I plan on making a jewelry change into something more dramatic before the reception!

Hmmmm, I wonder if this will clash with the flower in my hair...

Quick Tip- Raise It Up!

Today's Silver Price: $32.70/t.oz.

NEW CONCEPT ALERT!

Today I read a very brief tip on wire-sculpture.com that suggests jewelry makers raise the height of their tables at fairs and craft shows. This way the customers do not have to bend over to look at the jewelry. By simply adding some PVC piping to the legs of your folding table you can raise your display up closer to eye level. Brilliant!

I suppose this does present a challenge when trying to find a table cloth for your new MacGyver-style table, but I guess an extra long piece of fabric from the craft store will do. I'll have to try this out! I think that actual eye-level would be too high though. Maybe a foot above regular table height would be good. Chest-level, maybe?

Any time you can bring your product closer to your customer you are increasing your chances for a sale!



~~~{Blog Playlist}~~~
Modest Mouse, "Float On"
Franz Ferdinand, "Take Me Out"
The Chieftains w/Sinead O'Connor, "Foggy Dew"

Pricing Decoded?

Today's Silver Price: $35.05/t.oz.

I found a new resource this morning while I should have been getting ready for work but instead opted to log on to Facebook and see what was new. Well, this is what was new. A website called Home Jewelry Business Guide. I mean, if ever there was a website that I was supposed to find, THIS IS IT. A crafter had posted a FB link to an article on this website that discusses how to price your jewelry. So of course I immediately clicked on the link. It's like some ancient mystery- how to price your work. These folks seem to think they have found the magic formula.

Jewelry Wholesale Pricing

Pricing Handmade Jewelry for Retail Sales

The two links above will bring you to the articles which contain the afore mentioned secret formulas. Let's discuss the first formula (I'm not going to post the formula, you'll have to go to their page to check it out- the differences between the two are explained).

At first the formula seems a bit silly. The hourly rate looks a bit steep, and the genius pay is stretching it. They actually factor in an emotional distress fee. Really?? If you're under emotional distress while making jewelry, maybe you shouldn't make jewelry!

This did however bring up a very important factor that I had not before considered. This individual calculates profit AFTER they have totaled up cost of materials and COST OF LABOR. I've always just figured that if I'm making a piece using $10 worth of materials, and I sell it for $20, then I'm making profit! I generally don't consider time and labor as part of my price calculation. So in a sense, I've been working for free. Yes, I have made some money by selling the piece, but I have not been paid for my labor.

These formulas are great for pricing your work. They cover all bases and give any crafter or artisan at least an idea of how to price a piece. However I think there is one very big factor that has been left out. Quite often I base my pricing on what I think I would pay for it in a store or at a fair. In our struggling economy shoppers are not looking at expensive items, they are looking for deals and bargains. While there is the niche of consumers that are willing to pay high prices for unique handmade pieces, I feel that most people these days are on too tight of a budget. 

If you look at the formula for retail sales pricing, this blows the word 'bargain' or 'affordable' right out of the water. Apparently I should be charging much more for my jewelry than I currently am.

So is this a magic formula for me? No, but it's a good place to start. I have yet to explore this new website in depth but I am excited to have stumbled upon it!

The Next Level

Today's Silver Price: $35.24/t.oz.

Silver is up $1.09 today... UGH! 

I sold a necklace at my office today! It was a nickel wire heart link necklace. All I had to do was wear mine to work and someone wanted to buy one! Easy peasy.

I realized today that my day job is NOT making ends meet. After an expensive car repair this week I've decided that something has to change. I've already cut back on a lot of things. I don't buy new clothes, I bring my lunch to work, I don't go out much on weekends. The problem is I'm not binging in enough money to pay for Life in General. So it's time to kick the jewelry biz thing into high gear. I really need to designate time each week for making jewelry and getting it posted to Facebook and my Etsy page.

These wire necklaces could be a big money maker. At $25 a pop, or $29 through the Etsy page (includes shipping), they have the potential for creating greater income than the smaller jewelry items (obviously!).

I do have two events on the horizon... but actually only one of them would be for jewelry. Last year I did a craft fair at a local bar that was having an Earth Day celebration featuring female musicians, dancers, crafters and artists. It was a really cool event! There was no table fee for this event so every sale was profit, and I made several sales that night. I've heard from the organizer that the bar will be holding this event again on April 21st. Sweet! I think I may have mentioned before- people buy more when they've been drinking!

The other event is an outdoor art festival. Artists are able to purchase booth space to sell their work in. This one is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, though I have not yet found the registration form or pricing information.

Both of these events look promising. I just have to be ready with a LOT of inventory! It works out well though, in April I can focus on making jewelry, and in May I can focus on paintings. It's nice when The Universe lays out a path for you to follow!

Longing for the More Compliated Life...

Today's Silver Price: $33.40/t.oz.


As I sat in my office today under the fluorescent lights and in the dry stagnant air, I realized that I always feel crappy when I'm at work. Physically crappy. Staring at a computer screen all day makes my eyes burn and sitting in a chair that's too big for me makes my whole body unhappy. Don't get me wrong, it's a good job and I am happy to have it (happy to have the steady paycheck), the office is laid back and people are decent. I just feel that it is not not a healthy place. This thought was exemplified today by the wicked headache that descended upon me at approximately 3:15pm... and still lingers in my temples now.

I know that I am in no position to be quitting a full-time job to pursue jewelry making as a career. That is the goal though. Self-employment. Being my own boss. Getting up when my body wants to get up, not when the alarm tells me to get up.

They say that when you own your own business you work twice as hard, twice as many hours. They also say if you do what you love you'll never work a day in your life. Operating a small business is no easy feat. Certainly not the simple life... or is it? Instead of a company of a few thousand, I would be a company of one. One person creating and selling a product. No sales department, no HR department, just me. Simple. Terrifying? Yes, maybe, but still simple. No coworkers means no miscommunications. One person makes the decisions, not a committee or board. One person does the work and one person receives the profits. Simple.

The hard part comes in staying motivated, keeping track of EVERYTHING, performing a juggling act. One person to purchase materials, manufacture the product, market the product, sell the product, collect payment, manage the budget. There would be no one to give me deadlines. No one to assign me tasks. No one to review my performance. Just me, myself and I.

I had a few days off from work recently. One of those days I spent making jewelry. I absolutely LOVE spending an entire day making jewelry. I truly believe that someday this will be my job. Getting up in the morning, having a leisurely cup of coffee (rather than drinking it in the car on the way to the office), deciding not to take a shower, listening to some kickass music, and then when I feel like it, settling down at the kitchen table or coffee table to make some jewelry. (((Sigh.))) The good life.

On the Back Burner

Today's Silver Price: $34.09/t.oz.

This has been a very unproductive week in terms of jewelry making. I've been feeling crappy since Monday night, so I haven't made anything new. I started on a new nickel heart necklace but only go two hearts done. Only 30 or so more to go...

I've had several comments on my latest posts to Etsy. I also post them on my Facebook business page for more exposure. I've had two people contact me inquiring about purchases... but so far no concrete deals... hmmmm.

I started playing around with some different chain link ideas last weekend. I made a few swirl links out of the nickel wire and connected them with jump rings- I'm going to finish that project this weekend and see how it looks as a 32" necklace.

I've been doing some internet research to see if I can find some sort of wire Celtic knot design, but so far I haven't found anything good. I actually have a book on Celtic wire jewelry but it's been a bit disappointing. There was one design that I want to try but it will take a lot of wire. The links are doubled up wire that has been bent into spirals. Not really what comes to mind when I think of Celtic but it is an interesting design.

Another design I found on YouTube is an Egyptian wire link necklace. The intricate links form a really cool chain. Again, this is a design that will use a lot of wire. I suppose if I'm using more material I can put a higher price on the finished product!

Sterling Silver Alternative?

Today's Silver Price: $34.15/t.oz.

Recently I've come across a material called Nickel Silver, or German Silver. It is however, a misnomer, as nickel silver does not contain any silver. 

From Wikipedia:
Nickel silver, also known as German silver, Argentann, new silver, nickel brass, albata or alpacca, is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver is named for its silvery appearance, but it contains no elemental silver unless plated. The name "German silver" refers to its development by 19th-century German metalworkers in imitation of the Chinese alloy known as paktong. All modern, commercially important nickel silvers contain significant amounts of zinc, and are sometimes considered a subset of brass.
 

I've purchased a spool of nickel silver wire and have used it in a wire heart necklace. The metal is silver-ish in color, however it does have a slight yellowish tinge to it. It is a bit dull, definitely not as shiny as sterling silver. It is however an extremely economical alternative. The spool I bought was $27 for 200 feet of 18 gauge wire. The same amount of wire in sterling silver would be over $600. Bargain? Yes I think so!

Below is a heart link necklace that I've made from the nickel wire.  

I'd like to do some more research on this material and see if I can find out how durable it is. I'm not sure if this will tarnish, and I don't think that it can be polished. Definitely have to look into that.

One of the disadvantages to this material is that some people are allergic to nickel and would get a rash from wearing jewelry that contains nickel. I would have to be very clear when selling these pieces that they are made from nickel. 

I'm hoping to post some nickel jewelry on my Etsy page this weekend so I can see what kind of response it will get. It's still very hard for me to let go of my sterling silver obsession, but at this price I think nickel silver and I will become good friends!

Bead Landing by Michaels

Today's Silver Price: $32.19/t.oz.

I was in Michaels last night picking up some scrapbooking paper for a project I'm working on, and I of course wandered into the jewelry isle. I noticed that a lot of the beads and components were on sale, except for a certain brand called Bead Landing. I had never before seen this brand, although I haven't investigated the jewelry isle at Michaels in quite some time. 

Apparently Bead Landing is owned by Michaels, as noted on the back of the packages. There was actually some cool stuff that I almost bought. Almost. I'll get to that in a minute. They had a large selection of chain, as well as lots of metal components, some jump rings, earwires and head pins. They also had a large section of pendants which were a little to shabby for me. I guess they are going for the shabby-chic thing, with lots of antiqued metals and large oversized pendants. Anyway, what I suspect was happening at Michaels was they had the other brands of beads and jewelry components on sale so they could get rid of it and bring in a larger stock of the new Bead Landing line. How crafty.

I was looking at some rather attractive chain I spotted and was leaning toward purchasing it. I turned the card it was attached to over to find out what type of metal the chain was. I was thoroughly disappointed to find that they did not list the metal type anywhere on the card. I proceeded to inspect other cards and packages only to find that none of them had the actual material listed.

One of the great things about Etsy is that you can list all of the materials you have used in the items you are selling. I always include the type of beads (usually glass), the stringing material and the type of metal components (usually copper or sterling silver) I have used. I want my customers to know exactly what they are getting and what kind of durability they are getting.

This mystery chain from Bead Landing would not allow me to inform my customers of what type of metal they were purchasing. While the chain was decently priced, I did not buy it because I had no idea what it was made out of! Maybe it wasn't even metal... maybe it was plastic made to look like metal! No me gusta!

So for now, I give Bead Landing by Michaels a big thumbs down. It will however be interesting to see how this new line evolves and hopefully expands... and hopefully figures out that they should list the materials on their labels!

Fire Mountain Gems and Resin

Today's Silver Price: $30.55

Fire Mountain Gems

I've been doing some browsing on Fire Mountain Gems today. I got one of their catalogues in the mail yesterday and dammit I was suckered in. What drew me in was the glass heart shaped beads on the cover for $2 per strand. Check em out! While Rio Grande is great for metals (wire and components), Fire Mountain Gems has some awesome deals on beads.

Probably the most badass thing about Fire Mountain Gems is that when you buy a large quantity of items, you get a discount. Now I'm not talking about bulk pricing per item. When you buy a large quantity of any assortment/combination of items you get a discount. I believe the first price break is at 15 items. And that's ANY 15 items. 15 bags of wooden beads... or 10 bags of glass beads plus 5 charms... or 2 bags of glass beads plus 7 strands of pearls plus 6 sets of earwires... you get the idea!

Anyway, those heart beads are an awesome deal and just in time for Valentine's Day items. I'll be placing my order next week!

*************************************************************

Resin

I was watching videos last night on creating pendants and components using resin. Resin is a clear liquid that is poured into a mold and then left to harden. The cool thing about it is you can put items into the liquid and the item will become encased once the resin hardens (think mosquito encased in amber... a la Jurassic Park... although I won't be using mosquitoes). The resin has to be mixed with epoxy in certain measurements in order for it to cure correctly. I'll have to do a little more research, but my understanding is that you can drop anything into the resin and it will become part of the pendant. Once the resin has hardened you can drill a hole in it to insert a bail or jump ring to hang it from, or it can be wrapped with wire. I could sell them alone or put them on chains to sell as necklaces or bracelets. Lots of possibilities here!

There are also different colors of resin that can be used both to color the pendant and also to create designs. I'm looking into getting a resin starter kit from Rio Grande which is $145. I'll have to purchase some molds separately but they are not expensive (around $8 for a tray with different shapes).



There are so many materials and techniques out there that I am dying to learn about! I've only just begun my relationship with wire, and now I'm looking at a totally new material! I think having a diverse set of skills will only help my business as I would be able to offer a wider variety of jewelry to my customers. Bring it on!