The holidays are here

It's been a long time since I've written on my blog.  I had problems with the way it looked and that was my fault.  I changed it and didn't know how to change it back. 

Anyway, now that it's mid November and things on Etsy are getting very serious regarding the holiday season, I'm trying to figure out what the public wants and what I want to give to them.  In October I had quite a few sales.  So far this month, NOT ONE.  And people are starting to shop for Christmas.  Why are they not buying from my shop? 

Recently I read some of the posts on the forum at Etsy, and found that there are nearly 350,000 shops there!!!  No wonder that we don't all get a lot of business. However, they do have over a 1,000,000 sales per month (!!!!), so people are visiting and buying too.  A lot of people don't realize that Etsy is all over the world.  Those people not only sell, but they purchase too.  I'm working on figuring out how to make my shipping almost free.  I think that would help my sales.  In order to do this though, I would have to raise the prices of the products because the shipping price currently includes what I pay for my shipping materials.  That's the box the jewelry is in and the padded envelope to ship it in. It also obviously includes the postage.

On another note, I went to the card shop today to buy four Christmas cards.  I couldn't believe the prices!  Most of them were over $5.00!  I think my homemade cards at $3.00 are still a great deal!  However, I do know that very few people buy cards anymore.  They all send e-cards which I wrote about in a past blog. 

Ho hum, so many things to consider for the holiday season of  sales.  I need to pay some attention to my shop and get some things put on it so that I don't miss the whole season of sales!

Fall Fun--Time to add to my shop

It's already October 9th and things are getting ramped up for the holidays on Etsy.  I'm about to make my shop all that I've wanted it to be by adding greeting cards to my sales.  So let's say you want to buy a birthday gift for a friend, or a thank you or just a have a good day and thinking of you, gift.  You can choose one of my handmade jewelry items as well as a card to go with it.  If you'd like, I will also gift wrap your purchase for you!

But let's back up a bit.  When I started my shop, it was always my intention to make it a "one stop shopping" site.  I wanted people to be able to buy a gift for a friend and get a card to with it so that the person never had to go out to a store after they'd purchased their gift, to get a card. 

My shop opened on July 24th, but until this week, I have not had any cards on my site.  I work three days a week, and on my days off, things like cooking, laundry and grocery shopping have gotten in the way of crafting my cards.  All of my cards are one of a kind and take some real creativity and time, to make.  In addition, when I make my cards, I spread my things out, and the cleaning lady doesn't like it when things are in the way of her dusting!  :)

So this week, as the Christmas season is ramping up, I'm finishing my cards and getting them into my shop.  Take a peek maybe later in the week and look at my cards as well as my jewelry items and see if you don't find something for a friend or yourself. 

Labor Day is soon upon us, and I'm starting to think of fall, winter and Christmas creations.  My husband and his parents have always been campers, but I have never camped in my life.  So over the Labor Day weekend we're going camping and I am expecting to soak up all of nature for three reasons.  As my motherinlaw pointed out to me this morning, it will be just be a time to forget about everyday life. No phones, no schedules, just nature.  Secondly, this trip into nature while the weather is still beautiful, will have to last me through a long winter of cold winds, and snow.  And thirdly, I look forward to getting some ideas for my fall jewelry creations, from the nature I oberve at this place where we camp.

This afternoon I went through my stash of Swarovsky crystals that I bought on various visits over the month that my favorite bead shop was having "going out of business" sales.  I probably spent at least $200 on crystals of every size, shape and color during that month.  I intend to use every single crysal in a piece of jewelry as a design strikes me.  So when I went through them this afternoon, I divided them into summer, fall and winter colors.  When I get home next week, I will decide how to use my crystals and in which kind of designs.

Inititally I was not very enthusiastic about this camping trip,  but I've come around and think I will find so much inspiration in nature that I will actually wish I had been a camper all my life!  Happy Labor Day to all of you! 

What to do first????

All you fellow crafters out there:  Do you have the same problem I have?  I have so many things I want to create and not enough time to do them!  I have been adding bracelets to my etsy shop, but I'd really like to get into making more jewelry with polymer clay.  And I'd like to get some cards made so I can get them in my shop as well, so that people can buy a gift and a card all in one-stop shopping.  And I'd like to take some more bead making classes so that I can make my jewelry even better, but life keeps getting in the way!  Sigh...if only...I didn't have laundry to do, dinner to make, sheets to change, towels to wash, errands to run, and work! 

How does a person do it all?  They used to say that you can have it all, but I beg to differ.  I have it relatively easy and I still can't seem to "have it all."  I have a cleaning woman, no children, and a husband who helps out when I ask, and I still find it hard to fit everything in.  It just seems to me that it shouldn't be that hard.  I can't even imagine how women who have children and full time jobs get a chance to indulge themselves with something they like to do!  Of course I have health issues that make it difficult to work late into the night on my projects which is probably what these women do, but with the help that I do have and only a part time job, I should be able to get some cards made or some clay projects at least started.  Every day that I'm not working, I get up earlier and earlier thinking I'd have all my work done by noon, and then I can get to my crafts.  So here's what happened today: 

I got up at 7:15.  I threw a load of clothes in the wash, got a cup of coffee and slice of bread and watched the morning news program for 40 minutes.  Then I took a shower, and paid some bills, did the morning dishes and started the dishwasher. I threw the clothes in the dryer and left the house.  I delivered the rent check to the office, mailed the bills at the post office, went to the bank and then went to return some items I had bought the previous week.  I was back home by 11:30.  Good, almost noon.  When I got home, my mom called so I talked to her for about 40 minutes.  I took the cclothes out of the dryer, folded them and put them away.  I heated up some lunch for myself and then ate it while I watched my sopa opera.  During the second half of the soap opera, I made a set of clay beads and got them ready to put in the oven for curing.  When the soap ended I cleaned my lunch dishes and then the guy came to clean our carpet.  While he was here, I took pictures of my new pieces for my Etsy shop and listed them.  That whole process took about 1.5-2 hours but only because the carpet guy kept interupting me with questions.  After he left, I advertised my new pieces on my facebook page and then I started this blog.  It's 4:50 and my husband will be home from work in an hour.  I got almost nothing done except my Etsy shop.  Sure, I got the housekeeping issues taken care of, but where's the fun in that??  My husband went for a golf lesson in the morning and then played around of golf this afternoon after work!  I absolutely do not begrudge him that, I'd just like to have a day where I do nothing but crafting from the minute I get up until I go to bed.  No disturbances either, like making dinner or answering the phone!

Oh well, someday that day will come and I'll be so shocked, I probably STILL won't know what to do!  :)

Shopping, shopping, shopping

I love to shop for new products to use in my crafting.  I have recently begun working with polymer clay which my brother and sister in law introduced me to last Christmas when they bought me every imaginable color of the clay and a great book which shows possible projects made of the polymer clay.  My brother in law, like my husband, is a great supporter of my beading talents.  I have made several bracelets out of the clay, but wanted to make flat, square beads to use on the bracelets.  In order to bake these, they need to probably lie flat plus they need smaller holes for threading than the round beads do.  So today I shopped for a different kind of skewer.  A co-worker suggested I try the wire floral stems that they use for flowers, but we weren't sure if they woukld react with the clay while they bake.  I think I will just have to try it and see how it goes on a few tester beads.  For bigger beads I just use a regular wooden skewer that you would use for cooking.

I also found some beautiful new beads.  I normally order my beads from an online shop, but I was very pleased to see the new beads at the store which first gave me the bug to bead bracelets and earrings. 

All in all it was a very prosperous morning.  Later today I'll be posting some new items on my Etsy store so come visit it any time.

My new Etsy shop

I'm so excited, my new Etsy shop is open and I've got seven or eight nice pieces of jewelry, very reasonably priced!!.  There are anklets and chilren's bracelets as well as bangles for adults.  As time goes by, I will design more jewlery and am planning on expanding into a full service store so that you can buy your gift as well as an appropriate card, to go along with your gift. 

I have been focusing on jewelry for so long now that I haven't designed any cards for quite a while.  But this weekend my husband, who is my biggest supporter and my personal hero, and I, went to the craft supply store and I stocked up on some card making materials so that I can get started on the cards soon. 

I'm not that bright when it comes to computer skills and I want to thank my husband Richard for helping me to set up my store as well as all his encouragement.  Also, a shout out to my friend Karen (kwdesigns2 on Etsy), for giving me tips and recommending a good book to get me started on Etsy.

Please visit my shop frequently to see new listings as well as my expanding product line!  The shop is located at:  www.etsy.com/shop/awristocrats

Thank You!

My Etsy shop....soon to be

I've been working on getting my Etsy shop up and running.  My friend Karen (Karen Waterbury designs), has been giving me great tips and ideas on how to set up a shop that is interesting and will be well received.  There's a lot of work to be done, but I'm excited.  Much of my jewelry will be geared toward young ladies/teenagers, but I'll have some other items as well.  I'm thinking about putting some of my newer cards on the site too.  That way if you want to give the jewelry as a gift, you can add a simple gift card or an actual greeting card.  Still much to do, but I'm getting there.  :)  Thanks for all your advice Karen!  Be sure to visit Karen's Etsy shop a see all her lovely pieces! 

Greeting cards are GREAT!

I've been creating greeting cards for many, many years.  I always made them and gave them away to friends and family.  Then three years ago after many positive comments from everyone who has ever gotten one of these cards from me, I decided to start selling them at craft fairs.  Imagine my huge shock when many people stopped at my tent, and though they told me the cards are beautiful, they either don't send greeting cards anymore, or, they buy one card, right before they need to send it!!!  I was shocked. I usually have a good stock of cards on hand for every occasion!  I had a set of children's birthday cards on Etsy, but no one bought them.  So I stopped producing the cards and did some further research.  It was true.  Even my husband's aunt who is from the older generation, almost exclusively sends e-cards!!!!

I've been wanting to get back to making cards and thought I'd start a line of faith based cards and see how that goes.  I love making the cards even more than creating jewelry.  There's just something so refined about it for me.  I feel more creative when I design my cards. 

Recently I went to a local card shop to find a "bon voyage" card for my mom and sister who were going on vacation in Europe.  After searching the shelves and seeing none, I went to ask the check-out clerk if they had any.  This girl was maybe 20 years old.  She told me where she thought they'd be, but then told me that really cards are just a big waste of paper.  She can send a text much faster. 

Ho hum...I miss the good, old days! 

Beading and more beading

I've been creating all kinds of different jewelry for several years now.  I started out by buying all my beads and findings at Michael's or JoAnne Fabrics, until my brother-in-law told me about an online bead shop.  So then I started ordering from them, but it was hard beacuse I could never see the product up close, before I bought it.  One day my husband and I were at Barnes and Noble where I picked up a jewelry making magazine.  In the back they had advertisements for bead shops.  I found one in my state that was just a few miles from my house!  The very same day, we went to find the shop and I was in heaven!  The place had so many beads.  It was not a big shop, but every square inch of it was used for beads and anything else that goes with beading. 

Imagine my shock when I got an email about two months ago telling me that the shop was closing for business.  I had just found it and now they were closing!  At the month worth of "going out of businesss" sales, I found a lot of little beading gems.  I even bought some ready made jewelry for Christmas gifts.  

I'll miss that store, but I hope another one opens up close by, soon!