Jewelry in Action

An old friend of mine from high school got in touch with me recently. She saw my jewelry online and special ordered eight pendants of the same color, but different shapes, for the bridesmaids and flower girls at her wedding. Today, I was browsing Facebook and saw some pics of the wedding. And, I saw my jewelry being worn! I normally send orders out and never get to see the recipient of my creations! It was a real treat.

Plugging along...

I haven't finished those new pendants yet, but I am up to 79 sales on Etsy. Now I really need to list some new stuff and pull in some customers!

New Projects...it's about time...

Ok, so I didn't do so great in the last two weeks accomplishing any of my goals. But I am happy to say that I'm trying to make up for lost time. I am finally working again!!! Last night I prepped several new pendants. I was going to just make one from start to finish, but as usual, I started cutting the glass and couldn't decide on just one design. So I did some sketching, then cutting, grinding and foiling. Then it got too late, so I couldn't do the soldering last night. Hopefully, I will finish a couple tonight. I am SO excited to finally be making jewelry again!

My Etsy Goal

I'm at 75 sales now on Etsy, and pleased with the positive feedback I've received from my customers! And I seem to continue making sales, despite my lack of new inventory. My main website, however, continues to decline in hits, because I know nothing about marketing. But I am prepared to let that go for now, because of the promising future I see on Etsy, and the success I've seen others have on Etsy. I think that the benefits will outweigh the listing fees I will pay.

I have also had much success with my recent clearance sale. I am excited to clear out my older designs to make room for the new ones coming soon. I have had a long vacation (if it can really be called that) from making jewelry during our transition across the country to our new home. But, my art room is almost organized enough to start working again.

I figured I would make some new goals regarding my business here on the blog. So here they are:

1. Post on my blog at least once a week to keep track of my progress on goals.
2. Create at least one new piece of jewelry to completion every day.
3. List at least one new piece of jewelry for sale every day.
4. Revamp my Etsy site - new pricing for new items, new chain/cord selection as separate listings, possibly a new style of product photography. (This goal may take a few weeks to complete.)
5. Ship out orders within one day of receiving payment.
6. Record sale transactions on my business spreadsheet to track expenses/profit.
7. Reach 100 sales by the end of August.

I'd better get to work!

New Wire Wrap Style

This is a new pendant I just made. I have seen this style of wire wrapping done be several other jewelry designers and wanted to try my hand at it. I love the look of the wire across the glass instead of around the edge. And I love being able to use some of my photography. I plan on making more. Hopefully everyone will like them as much as I do!

My Perfect Handbag

Here are the pics of the handbag I made for myself. I sewed it together with my old Singer, fighting it the whole time. When I was almost finished, my Singer refused to do the final stitch around the top. Hence the need for the new machine. My bag is finally done!

My New Sewing Machine

No more fighting with my 40-year-old Singer sewing machine. (No disrespect to the old Singer...it's been there for me over the years, but just isn't what it used to be. And thank you mom for handing it down to me!) Here's the BEAUTIFUL new replacement, equipped with all the bells and whistles that I need.