Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Do you have the right tool for your job?

Having the right tool is essential to any job. From fixing a car to creating art, without the right tool the job can become a frustrating mess.
 
The check engine light in my car is on at the moment.  I was told to check the light flickers and compare codes to find out what was causing it. I did so and I thought it indicated that the O2 sensor had gone bad. So my husband replaced my O2 sensor. Light went off and came right back on! So, last night I took the car to a friend of mine who use to work on cars like mine. He hooked his tools up and read the code. I found out that I was right, it was the O2 sensor. I replaced the wrong one. Had I taken then time to get the right tool and have the OBD code checked, I may have found out that it was indicating the second O2 sensor, not the first. We are scheduled to fix it later this week.
 
So what does that have to do with crafting and selling? Everything! We need the right tools to create our designs. From pliers to needles, hooks, and paintbrushes; without the proper tool we would be lost. So why do we think marketing our products can be done without the right tools. We all have a tendancy to believe (at one point or another) that our work will sell itself. But our work will not sell itself, we need to market it.  
 
For us to properly market and sell our items, we need displays, photography, business cards, websites, blogs, social networking. All these things are tools that we can use to sell. However, if you don't use the tool properly, it can harm you.
 
 If you are constantly pitching your items, people will walk away very fast. On the other hand, if your sales pitch is interspersed between talking about life, goals, ideas, likes/dislikes, ect; people will tune in for more. It is a lot harder than it looks!
 
I have found that right now in my life (both as an individual and as a crafter) my best tool is research. So at this moment, I am reading a new book about selling crafts. I am also mentally taking inventory of the tools I have for marketing. I am looking at where I need to invest in new tools (ie new signs, cards, ect) and where I have exactly the right tool for the job I am trying to accomplish.
 
Do you have the right tool for your job?

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Monday, June 29, 2009

New Sea Glass Earrings Listed Yesterday!!


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Sunday, June 28, 2009

New Listings Today




My new listings today! All under $20.00










Enjoy your walk on the beach!
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Ahh the Joys of Family

We had my husbands annual family reunion yesterday. There were probably over a hundred and fifty people at the reunion. This was my son's first attendance, and boy it was like flies to honey. We were all exhausted by the time we got home. In fact my little one did not wake up from the time we left last night until about 2 am this morning. Poor little guy was tuckered out.

I do have some good news as far as my store is concerned. I had my first sell yesterday. YAY! SALES FAIRY!!!!

I am also in the Storque Showcase tomorrow. Wish me luck! Hopefully I will be able to get some more sales tomorrow.

Marketing tip. Carry lots of business cards to your family reunion. I had several requests for my jewelry yesterday ( I typically bring some with me, but decided not to yesterday.) Since I did not have any jewelry with me, we gave out business cards. Several people wanted multiple cards so that they could give out to their friends. So always carry business cards with you, even to family functions.

Have a great Sunday!
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Friday, June 26, 2009

Been Featured!

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Finally!

I spent yesterday at home with a minor stomach bug. I think that is the first time I have been home alone, for more than an hour, in about seven months. Boy was I able to get some stuff done! Even feeling sick, I was able to photograph 10 pairs of sea glass earring. I will be posting them next week at my Etsy store. I was also able to create another 22 pairs of reproduction sea glass to create into earrings. Plus 6 pieces that I will turn into pendants.
 
Since my son was born, I have been lucky to get an hour a week of free time to work on creating jewelry. Just being able to grab a couple of hours yesterday felt great! One more way to help move that mountain I guess.

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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Constantly Climbing


I am currently at my day job listening to my MP3 player, when I hear "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. WOW! That song could be my anthem as of late.

She starts off talking about visualizing her dreams but that voice inside keeps telling her that she does not have what it takes to make it. Boy do I know that feeling. We all have dreams that we don't feel like we can accomplish. However, when we continue to chip away towards our goal, we wake up one morning and we have reached it. It is only when we give up that we lose our chance.

We all have mountians we want to move. Right now my mountain is the big 0 sales on my etsy store. Every day I am taking steps to move that mountain. Some are small, some are giant leaps, but I have faith that each step is taking me closer to my goal. And once I reach that goal, I will create another goal with bigger mountains to move!

In my life I have found that when I am constantly working towards a goal, I am a more content person. I wake up with something to look forward too. Something I am going to make happen. However, when I spend my time in aimless abyss, I find myself down emotionally and grouchy alot of the time.

So maybe always having another mountain to move is not a bad thing. You always have the surprise of what is on the journey and what you may find on the other side of that mountain. If you are lucky you might just find a treasure chest on the other side of that mountain!
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Monday, June 22, 2009

New Jewelry in my Store!!!!

I decided to put some new items up for sell on my etsy store last night. Here they are if you want to take a look.
 
Thanks for stopping by guys.

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Saturday, June 20, 2009


An Award!!!!

OMG, I've received an award!This award was given to me by Shelby of Pink Lily Creations. Pink Lily Creations has a wonderful Etsy store that sells cute baby items and accessories!

What a wonderful treat to have received this great award, especially after blogging for only a week! You can find Pink Lily Creations’ store here and her wonderfully fresh blog here.

I'm passing this award along to the following blogs:

1. JeByJa

2. All Things Tangled

3. Arts Afire

4. Bee Inspired

5. Cyncontemporary

6. greciangoldsmith

7. lilacPOP

8. My love affair with silver and gemstone

9. Pat’s Encaustics

10. Pretty {much} art

11. Rocki’s Rock’n Blog

12. Southern Girl Florals

13. The Artsy Crafter

14. The Lone Beader

15. Whimsical Angus

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DIY Marketing


I have been on a marketing blitz lately. Everywhere I go, I try to figure out new ways to advertise my business. I am on the Etsy boards promoting, blogging, tweeting, ect.

So I have decided to try car magnets. You see them everywhere! They are advertising gyms, resorts, activity groups, causes, sports teams, ect. You see one on the car in front of you and your first reaction is to read it. It is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to get seen in your local market while you go about your day to day business.

You can find manufacturers online at relatively low costs. However, I am a DIY type of person. If I think I can do it, I will at least try. So, I stopped by my local Office Max and picked up a pack of Avery Magnet Paper for under $15.00.

Once I got home, I used my favorite graphic design program to create a design. I decided that 8 by 5 would be the optimal size. Besides that means I can print two per sheet :)

I printed out my two magnets and cut them out. I then sprayed them down with paint lacquer. Once they dried, I placed one on my car and one on my husband’s car.

Do you have any DIY promotion tips?
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Friday, June 19, 2009

How Cool!!!


I saw the coolest thing last night! My husband and I were out running errands, so we decided to pick up some fast food on the way home. Next to the restaurant in an open grassy area, I spotted a white deer.
How cool is that!
 
Ok, I got a little geeky and decide to look up the symbolic significance of a white deer. Here is what I found: The site of a white deer is an indication from the creator that you are on the right path. If you continue to follow the path, the growth and expansion you experience will lead you beyond your wildest dreams.
 
I guess between all the support from you guys yesterday, and the white deer sighting last night, the universe (and you) is telling me to stay the course with my art and Etsy.
 
Also a quick note: Since yesterday was my four year wedding anniversary, I am offering free shipping worldwide on all items in my store until Sunday 6/21/09.
 
See you guys on the flip side.

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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Forgot to mention!


 
Today is my fourth wedding anniversary!!!!

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So Many Stores Closing/Marketing

I was looking at the Etsy promo forum, and noticed that there are a lot of stores closing. Someone mentioned so much competition as a reason. There are a lot of vendors on Etsy and it is easy to get lost in the fray. Maybe this seller just got lost in the traffic.
 
Or maybe it is the tone that was used. Some of the posts seem almost a "woe is me, I can't hack it here" feeling. I know that reading it, I just wanted to leave.
 
Am I discouraged that I have not seen a sell yet? Yes. But I am new and times are hard. I understand this and I know that my work is good. If it wasn't I would not do as well in the local shows as I do. So I have faith that a sell will come soon.
 
My biggest obstacle at the moment is to find a following on-line. That is why I have begun a marketing campaign. I spend time each day, researching methods to be seen and to get my name out there. How will anyone buy from you, if they don't know you exist?
 
Now back to that research. 
 

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Crafting bust!!!


 

Well so far this week has been a crafting bust. I intended to get to work making some new sea glass earrings but my husband has come down with a stomach bug. That means I cannot get away to spend a few hours in my studio. Instead I have spent that time with my little boy and on new marketing endeavors.

I have also taken some of that time to redesign my old website.  I like the way it looks now, before it was way too wordy. I have also added links to my blog, facebook fan page, and my twitter page. My thinking is that if the website and blog link back, then anyone who stumbles on one may decide to become a follower.

I do have one positive spin though. Yesterday one of my co-workers came back to work from her vacation on the North Carolina coast. She brought me back five pieces of beer bottle brown sea glass she picked up. I have already envisioned the necklace I intend on making with those chunks of glass, now I just need to set aside five minutes to draw the design out.

Sigh, I think I need more time in the day!

Well Ta-Ta for now :) See you next blog!


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Monday, June 15, 2009

Blogging... Lets Give This A Try

Sometimes it feels like everywhere I go on the net, people are blogging. Etsy, facebook, twitter, my mommy forum, my jewelry forum, my gaming forum; everywhere! I have tried to blog before, but it fell through. I stopped, mainly because I felt like I did not really have anything to blog about. I realize blogging should not consume my time; it should only take a few minutes a week to blog. But I guess like everything, in the beginning it can feel a bit overwhelming.
I feel like I have found something I can blog about; my journey into the world of Etsy.
I joined Etsy in January of this year. Around the second week of May, I finally started posting items for sell. I thought the process would be easy peasy, one, two, three. Boy, it is anything but. Getting noticed on Etsy takes time and work if you are new.
Here are the things I have done to get seen on Etsy. Hopefully this hard work will lead to sells soon!
I have started posting on the Etsy forums to promote my work.
I created my first (and so far only) Treasury on Etsy.
I have started a new Facebook fan page for my work. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Eluna-Jewelry/211497655485
I joined Twitter and started tweeting! Twitter name: Elunajewelry
And now I am starting a blog so all of you can follow me as I am learning the ropes of Etsy.
As of last night I listed two new items. I have been told that it is beneficial to list a couple of items a day to get exposure. So here are the two items I listed last night and a link to my store.
Link to my Etsy Store: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6759659
New items:
Artist Earrings :
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26479571



Mother and Child Earrings:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26480231
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