Thoughts on Selling...or not

Okay, so I am seriously disappointed with my jewelry sales on Etsy as I am sure is the case with lots of others. I was reading a blog today by another Etsy seller(jewelrybytara) who made some excellent points about internet selling. Instead of whining and looking for symapthy from other people about the lack of sales-especially in the forums, which is REALLY annoying me, it's time to re-evaluate what you are doing and what you are selling or not. Instead of taking the time to write and whine in the forums...try using that energy and time to improve your products, come up with better descriptions, photos, and so on. So, that I what I am going to be working on for the next several days. I have bracelets that have been sitting in a shoebox for over a year and can't sell them, so I am taking them apart and selling the beads. This is really killing me, but this stuff is taking up space and I have to let go. I have probably hundreds of pairs of earrings that I may do the same thing with, or maybe I will save them for craft shows. The jewelry I have listed now on etsy I will just let run until it expires and will not relist. I am hoping that my key chains, magnets and bottlecap items will start moving. I will also be introducing more of my items made from recycled paper. I redid my Flickr folders and have one especially for my paper stuff. Once most of my jewelry is gone off the site and into my supply shop, I plan on starting other crafts, such as candles and soap, maybe mosaics. I have come to realize that there are too many jewelry sellers both online and at craft shows/farmer's markets. I am still trying to find my niche and what people will buy from me other than supplies. I love making things and the satisfaction that comes from someone oohing and ahhing over my stuff and buying it. Another thing that worries me is the state of the economy here in the USA. I am praying that we don't end up in a recession. People are struggling with high gas prices and the housing boom appears to be heading down the tubes as well. A major mortgage company here in Tucson shut down over the summer leaving lots of people without work. So, if people are broke, there won't be anyone to buy our crafts. So, this was just somethig that was on my mind and thought I would jot some thoughts on the subject.

New recycled paper projects and zipper pulls

I have been a little busy with new stuff. I made a few bottle cap zipper pulls. I also made a new batch of paper "pulp" and made a bunch more easter eggs that will be magnets. I also made a couple of flowers that will also be magnets, a big heart that I think will be for display for my upcoming shows and made another pencil holder. I need to get some glaze so I can finish it. Oh and I got real creative and made a saguaro cactus...kinda reminds me of a pickle, though. LOL This will probably be a magnet as well. I need to get more magnets too. I have more ideas for decorating pencil holders other than painting flowers on them, which by the way is the ONLY thing I can draw. I can only make one at a time because I am using a heavy glass container as a mold and it takes forever to dry, like a week. I am looking for plastic things to use instead, but haven't found anything yet. My photos show the stuff that I have done already, just waiting for the rest of the eggs, flowers and beads to dry. Ho hum...

Lucite/Plastic Beads

This is just some free writing about lucite. I was racking my brain to come up with something to write about to update. I thought, well what the heck, I'll ramble about lucite! I was never a fan of plastic beads until recently. Lucite is so pretty! I have some lucite beads that look like they could be gemstones! The blue ones remind me of sodalite. I have seen a lot of flower type lucite beads and whatnot lately on both Etsy and eBay and they seem to be very popular. I have to clue as to what to do with the large fancy ones that can be stacked on top of other flowers. I look at them and think..."huh"? You gotta be kidding... I have stumbled across some really cute plastic charms, like cats, hearts and even some cute striped round beads that I may consider buying. I made some basic heart earrings for Valentine's Day and added white pearls to them for extra color and have them listed on Etsy as seen in the Etsy mini over there>>>>>>>>.

I made another pair of earrings and a necklace from the same hearts and hoping to sell them at upcoming shows.

I also learned an interesting tidbit about Lucite beads. Apparently they are cut from a huge mold and aren't pressed, so they don't have a seam.

Bakelite was used for beads around the 1920's and became obsolete after WW2. I am sure these are highly collectable and pricey. I wouldn't know the difference between Bakelite and Lucite. Maybe I will do some more research when I am bored on a Saturday afternoon...

I tried to find some info today, but most of what I found on the net was for shops that carried lucite beads. Didn't help much. Drat.

By the way I have some lucite available in my supply shop BeadsOutWest!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=38436&section_id=5185387

Editing to add a nice tidbit about Bakelite from http://Beads2string.etsy.com:

Bakelite is a plastic which was made around the time they were making things out of a plastic called catilin. It was used for a variety of things from jewelry to utensils and handles on dressers and appliances. It is very collectible. To tell if something is made of bakelite you can rub your thumb against it and you will smell a certain chemical smell.

Awesome! Thanks so much.

Etsy Supply Street Team sale this week!

Etsy Supply Street Team is having a sale! Just type in ESST in the search box and get ready to feast your eyes on some of the BEST Supplies being sold on Etsy!

Sale starts January 16, 2008 and runs through midnight January 20, 2008.

My sale is free shipping for any combination of purchases $5 and over to anywhere. Please wait for me to send a revised invoice from PayPal BEFORE paying.

First Farmer's Market Experience!

On Sunday the 13th, I participated in my first Farmer's/Artisans Market show here in Tucson at Civano Nursery. The weather was perfect, temps around 70 and sunny. I met a few other artisans who were great! There were other jewelry sellers, natural soap, photography and fresh fruit and vegetables and others. Sales and traffic were a bit slow for all of us, including the nursery. My guess is that people were out doing other things since the weather was so nice. Despite the sucky sales, I went home semi-satisfied and the best experience was that my ego was stroked by a lady who gushed over my cha-cha bracelets and the guy in charge of the market, Ken, had nice things to say as well. I really needed that because I am constantly questioning whether my stuff is good enough or not, since so many people look and walk away. I don't know if my prices are too high or too low, too ugly or funky, or?? It's tough to sit there and watch other people get sales, especially when I need the money so much. This is my only source of income at the moment and I really want it to work. I will probably do the market again as long as the weather co-operates. I am considering doing other markets, but it depends on how much the fees are. My project for the week will be checking on prices for other markets here in town. I am not selling anything on Etsy, so I need to get my stuff out of the shoebox and in the people's faces. I am not ready to give up yet, I just need to find the right niche and the right place for my stuff. I am considering trying other crafts since there seems to be an influx of jewelry makers and sellers. I want to try candles or mosaics, but this will be much later in the year. I need to have cash to buy all of the materials that I need, plus instruction, as I have no clue as to what I will be doing. :) Here's to better sales in the future!!

No "new" projects...

Still working on bottlecap necklaces, I've made about 20 so far. I am preparing for a small farmers market show that I am doing tomorrow. I had to make my displays from stuff that I had at home. Hopefully I will start earning enough money to buy real displays, tables and an easy-up tent... But they look nice, so no biggie. I'll take some pictures and post them. I listed two of my bottlecap necklaces on etsy, here is one of them: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8875444 Well, gotta run, I need to find a cover for my table for tomorrow.

Another new project...

Bottlecap necklaces...

I purchased a sheet of images from Saven Sense on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5098004 and created a couple of necklaces for my daughter. I am having a bit of trouble with the ink fading/running when I apply sealer. I used Aleenes Paper Glaze and Triple Thick Glaze on top of that and I came to the conclusion that the Triple Thick stuff is too strong for ink even with a coat of paper glaze, so I will have to leave the Triple Thick off. I worked on these today and they made me crazy. I have a few other images that I thought I took pictures of, but I guess I will do that tomorrow. I am doing a small show on Sunday and I want to bring some of these with me, so I will be busy again tomorrow. Work, work....hopefully all of my hard work will pay off, soon I hope! :) I am a starving crafter at the moment!