Lust and Desire on Etsy

My secret lust on Etsy... browsing through the really high priced jewelry. This week I want to share some of the most amazing, gorgeous pieces that I have found there. This is enough to start my mouth watering and me fantasizing. Ah, whatI would create if price were no limit! It inspires me, and makes me dream.

Check out this amazing necklace, created by Katinka Pinka. It's a beautiful collection of lemon quartz, lemon topaz, citrine, and other luscious golden gems.

I love the colors in these earrings, found in Scarlett Shoppe. A rich combination of black spinel, iolite, amethyst and citrine are warm and lovely.

I found some beautiful treasures at Seafairies Jewelbox. Just look at this necklace, rich with smokey topaz, pink tourmaline, pink topaz, pink quartz, and other gorgeous gems.

Another amazing Etsy shop is Febra Rose. There were so many gorgous pieces to look through, and this bracelet was one that really caught my eye. It's full of rubies, along with gold vermeil.

This shop is full of the most gorgous jewelry - Sky Dreams. I just enjoy spending time gazing at these earrings. The ametirine is amazing, topped with sapphire and blue topaz.

Another fun and sparkle-filled shop is Kalliope Jewelry. I love these earrings, with dangles of sapphire, tourmaline, and garnet.

Finally, I just recently found this shop - Lee Ohio. Take a look at this necklace of Peruvian opals and saltwater keishi pearls.

I hope you enjoy looking, and check out some of the other amazing pieces of jewelry that these shops have, just waiting to be oggled!

Have you seen other sparkly shops that I might love?

Leave me a comment!

Trade and Stay, aka, Why my Eyes Burn

I tend to jump into things and get started before I fully understand what I have gotten into. Like Etsy. I started an account in October of 2008, but didn't put anything in my shop till the next June. But I did it because a friend told me I should be selling on Etsy. So even though I didn't have time then, I opened my account and made sure to get my shop name.

Then, about a month after I started filling up my shop, I discovered there were forums on Etsy. I wish I had noticed them a little earlier on - I could have gotten a LOT of my questions answered by some of the helpful people who hang out there.

So as it was getting closer to holiday shopping season, I noticed some people talking about trading in the forums. Apparently there are sellers on Etsy who are willing to barter and trade with other shops for things they want. Sounds like fun, right? So, I found this list of Etsy sellers who love to trade; I contacted the administrator, and got myself added. I barely knew what I had gotten into. It turns out, I had gotten myself into the Trade-a-holics group on Etsy.

A message came through one day, saying that an event was coming up. They called it a "trade and stay". I didn't pay much attention, even when I got another message saying that it had begun. But at the end of the first day of this three day event, I got curious. I looked at the link in my email. It took me to a post on the forums. 10 shops had been picked at random and placed on a list. Anyone who wanted to play had to try and strike a deal with someone on that list and make a trade. Once one of those shops traded with you, you got put on the list. So, basically, it's a fevered weekend of shops sending messages back and forth, asking each other to trade.

The list had already gotten pretty long by the time I looked at it, but I noticed a familiar name. A shop that I had traded with before. This was before I knew about the group - I got a message asking me if I wanted to trade one day. She had a really cool shop, so I went for it. It was Mireille's shop. So I sent her a convo, we eventually made a trade, and I got added to the list.

{some of the crazy-cool things Mireille can do with a process called wet felting}

What follows is a weekend of blurred vision as I stare at a computer screen, scanning small print and wildly thinking about what I need for Christmas presents. I hadn't planned on this, but I got swept up in the event and had so much fun. I even got crazy, deciding that I should try to photograph and list two necklaces that I had made the previous week. Thus, two new items appeared in my shop:

After the first day, I had a hard time sleeping. First I couldn't fall asleep. Then, I woke up at 6am after having a dream that I had 3 convos waiting for me. Well, how can I stay in bed when I'm ignoring messages?!? That would be rude, right? So I got up, only to find that I had 2 convos waiting for me. I never did find out what happened to that third one...

By the time the weekend was over, I had made a total of 10 trades. Not only did I get to know a bunch of other shops, but they got to know me. I had never realized what a great way this would be to get exposure for my shop. What I did know was that I would find other shops, which I did. Friendly shops. And some of them like what I do! Which is a bonus.

Now, I have to be careful about what I say here. Because some of the trades that I made will be used for Christmas presents. And some of the {future} recipients of those presents look at this blog from time to time. So, it will remain a mystery for now. Perhaps I'll share more about my trades in the new year.

So, now the event is over and my brain is starting to slow down. The next part, though, might even be more fun. That's the part where I come home from work each day and run to the front door to see if there are any packages waiting for me...

Ok, yeah, this might be the best part!

It's Been a While - for Etsy

After a couple months of creating, selling locally, creating more, and another sale, I've finally gotten what is left photographed and listed in my Etsy shop. I find that I tend to work in shifts, somewhat. I go through stages when I am creating new designs, and I just keep going and going. I don't take the time to photograph or list things in my Etsy shop. Well, I finally took a creative break, picked up the camera, and got to the part of the job that I struggle with. {photography} I'm working on improving my technique, and am hoping that I'm making progress. So, without further ado, here's all that is new and fresh in my Etsy shop:

I've been working hard on improving my photography skills, so please leave me a comment with any advice or suggestions. Of course, you can always leave a comment to ask me a question, too!

My Love...Shopping on Etsy

Spending my days either in my chilly office cubicle, or in my even chillier home, I have come to feel that my life will not be complete without a pair of fingerless gloves! I can barely string beads anymore, my fingers are so cold! So, off to Etsy I went, searching for a solution to my freezing cold hands. I found some really cute options out there on Etsy. Here's just a few of the kitters/sewers that have great creations for our seasonally adjusting arms:

Little Pistachio Cashmere Armwarmers
by clfbyclairelafaye

Long Cable Knit Wrist Warmers in shades of brown and orange

by bijouxboutique

Classic Magic Dark Blue and Burgundy Fingerless Gloves

by Nikifashion

Pippi Longstocking's felted wool Scroogies

by miabaggali

So with the weather turning colder, I'm looking for inspiration in the fall colors and little things meant to help us stay comfortable and warm. Thanks to all those Etsy sellers who are creating such cute and tempting choices!

A Wonderful Weekend of Art!

Art Beat is over, and it was a wonderful, sunny day in the streets of downtown South Bend. The show was a huge success. I’d like to thank the rain cloud, for bugging off by 9 am! And of course the sunshine, for showing up eventually. I handed my camera to my husband, and he got a nice shot of my set up, before it got crowded with people.

I had lots of help from my husband, mother, and mother-in-law, on the day of the big art show. My father-in-law even hung out for a while! (You can see him sitting on the bench behind my tent, above.) We set up in some drizzling rain, but it soon past and we had a sunny and breeze day, with temperatures probably getting close to 70 degrees. Can you say perfect?

In the morning, before it got busy, my mother (in the black sweater) would shop. Partly because she loves to shop, but partly because I asked her to. I've learned that people tend to be more interested in a shop if it looks like other people like it. Marketing 101, I guess...

My dream came true – I was located almost directly across the street from the Chocolate Café, where I had my morning coffee, my afternoon iced coffee, and a snack of German almonds (which just turns out to mean “soaked in sugar”).  Here you can see the blue awning of the Chocolate Café, from the vantage point of my tent.

I ran my contest, and I lucky shopper won a $25 gift certificate for my shop. I ended up giving everyone who signed up a discount code for $5 off their next purchase, to encourage them to check out my Etsy store. It's always work, getting the word out about Etsy!

After Art Beat I removed all of the items that had sold from my Etsy shop. I also felt inspired to tell others on Etsy about my experience, and posted this statement in the forums:

I had a craft show this weekend that really woke me up after the last few months of focusing on developing my Etsy shop. In one day, I sold about half of my inventory (and my inventory was probably 4 times bigger than what was in my Etsy shop, with 112 items). I was so excited, and I realized that while Etsy is lovely, nothing compares to selling jewelry to people who can handle it and try it on.

Selling jewelry on Etsy is a tough business. Because of my craft show experience, I plan to refocus my efforts. I will be looking for more venues to show my stuff in person, and just keep my Etsy shop open as a side effort. I’ll be spending less time fussing over views, hearts and sales on Etsy!

I have to mention that I got so many great tips on doing craft shows; many from this thread: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6028527.

Here’s the few that I put into place that really helped:


Not crowding my displays and just putting more jewelry out gradually as things sold.


Making levels of displays and getting things up to eye level.


Running a give away for a $25 gift certificate to my shop in return for their contact info.


Making a clearance sale area with older items (they went like crazy!).


Taking my tools and findings with me and making custom changes on the spot (silver for gold, remove a pendant, etc.)

I know I see many jewelry sellers complain of the market here being oversaturated. It's true! I'm using this experience to change my focus, and though I'm not leaving Etsy, I'm going to take a deep breath and not worry about it.
 
The thread is here, if you're interested in seeing what others had to say about this topic:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6299125

Let me know if you have any thought on the merits of selling in person versus online, and how you strike the right balance!

My glorious return

So, I thought I could start a blog, and that was almost a year ago. Little did I realize that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or what to talk about. I was just going to let it die, but I thought I'd give it one last shot. So here it goes...

I've been working hard on my Etsy shop. (http://www.blackrockdesign.etsy.com/)

I started it in June, and have learned so much about photography and writing. There's still a lot of work to be done, but here's an example of what I mean.

One of my first listings in June. Note the horrible photography!:

But I've been working hard, and even though this photo is still on Etsy (*gasp*), I think I've come a long way in improving my photos.

So, here's one that's a bit more recent:

Yeah, I'm not a professional photographer or anything, but I'm doing what I can to improve with what I have to work with. And I do think progress is happening! This necklace here is part of my Autumn Collection, which I'm going to be uploading to Etsy very soon.

Notice how, unlike the previous necklace, you can actually see this one? ;)

Alright, goodnight for now.

Jenny