Year: 2011

A Custom Necklace…for my Daughter…

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P1000911.jpg

September means one thing in my household – my oldest’s birthday. She will be 4 this year, and for the past several months she has been pretty clear with what she wants: a “Hello Kitty” Necklace (just recently she also added a pink stroller for her doll but she is still pretty adamant on the Hello Kitty necklace :)).

My children have no idea what Sanrio even is. All they know is that Hello Kitty is a girl and is a cat – seeing that we have 3 cats at home, it was a natural gravitation to the Hello Kitty character. And it’s all my fault that they have any interest. I was introduced to Sanrio when I was about 11 or so by my Asian pen pals…so I couldn’t resist pointing out Sanrio merchandise on shopping trips for my own nostalgia…not to mention they inherited my Sanrio stationary from back in the day! (My favorite was actually kerokerokeroppi but we don’t live with any frogs so I guess he’s just not as appealing. ;)).

So to humor myself I did do some looking around different BBS and jewelry stores to see what exactly is on the market for Hello Kitty necklaces. What I found was not surprisingly disappointing. Either cheap materials for too much money or…well, let’s just say I am not buying anything encrusted with pink diamonds for my 4 year old! 😉

This creative mama knew she could make it work, and personalized at that. I started looking at official licensed merchandise. The charms were much too big and not what I was looking for at all. I knew I was going to have to make my own charm. I had these small pewter flower picture frames that I knew would be perfect. Now where to get an image that is essentially 8mm in diameter? I didn’t want to print an image as I planned to set it in resin and I was dubious I could get a good image on our ink jet. So I thought stickers…still couldn’t find stickers small enough. Then it hit me: nail art stickers! One trip to Sephora and I was in business….

The nail sticker is set into the frame with a UV resin. Just 20 min. under a UV light (or set out in sunlight, which takes longer) and voila! Done! I added a 4mm ruby Swarovski crystal bead and an engraved silver plated disk with my daughter’s name. Since she is starting to take interest in the alphabet, particularly her name and her sister’s name, I thought plain text would be best rather than a fancy initial.

I finished the piece with a 14 inch sterling silver chain. I am quite pleased with the overall size…perfect for tiny necks. 🙂

This was actually the first image I set in resin. I liked it better because the sticker was metallic so I thought it would look more like jewelry. However, once it set it was obvious that there was not enough contrast between the image and the metal of the photo charm. So my 2 year old will get this necklace…at that age she will care not that the image isn’t as strong as her sister’s, she will just be honored to have one as well. 🙂

I will not be reproducing these necklaces for sale due to the copyrighted material. However if you have your own personal image you would like set in resin feel free to contact me. I have photo charms and pendants in several different sizes. 🙂

 

Going Solo: Setting Up My Own eCommerce Website

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Website

When I decided back in January to set up my own website using open-source cart software, I had every intention of blogging about the process along the way in hopes of  inspiring or helping others in the handmade community who were thinking of doing the same. I have always felt rather suffocated & limited by third-party sites. I tend to like to do things my own way and not have to play by the rules -or agendas- of others…it’s the artist and the entrepreneur in me, I guess… 😉

What I wasn’t prepared for, was how time-consuming it was going to be. Oh, open source, la la la…once I learn how it works, how hard can it be? I have enough geek knowledge under my belt – this will be fine. Truthfully, it was a HUGE learning curve…one that has left me feeling totally accomplished – but still, jewelry making (development & skills) has been put on the back burner while I take on this very big endeavor (all the while, I still am taking custom requests. Eeek!).

So here is what I came to realize:

1. You can’t go it alone – unless you are a programmer in your “day” job.

Whether you use ZenCart, Magento,  PrestaShop or OSCommerce…whatever the software you find, it will never be perfect, and will need tweaking. Unpacking the software and uploading it to the web space in the first place was a head scratcher. And then, I cannot express my frustration loud enough of loading in a section or a product and having it not display properly. Luckily for me – I happen to live with a developer. My husband got me set up with the site, and tweaked the style sheet when items would not display properly. I am geeky but I do not code – unless you count simple html and that ain’t gonna cut it. 🙂 So, no matter how many hours of sweat equity you want to put in, you will still need to have help from someone with technical know-how. That may mean paying someone – or maybe setting up a bartering system for goods in trade for programming. In my case all I have to do is turn really red and mash the keyboard really hard and my hubby comes to my rescue. I know everyone cannot be so lucky. 😉

2. Be willing to make compromises.

One of the reasons why it has taken me so long to even develop my own site is because I had visions of grandeur…all the things I wanted it to be able to do, to represent – AND do it all the while with an edgy, artsy look. Over the past 7+ years I have sketched out the website of my dreams on paper over and over again…tweaked and re-tweaked. The truth is, to have the kind of website I envisioned it wouldn’t have taken several hundred dollars in development time, it would have taken a few THOUSAND dollars in development time. Although I am married to a developer – time taken to put together that kind of site is food out of my children’s mouths. Literally! If he is working for free for me he is not doing work for his clients…

So I realized that I had to settle for heavenly flower, version 1. You have to start somewhere. So when demo-ing different cart software I looked for one that was closest to what I wanted. The one I chose has a fairly easy to understand back-end, it also had modules I could add for features I wanted. Besides being able to sell a product to customers, this one allowed browsing with different currencies, had a customer wishlist and also a rewards program. Also, I was able to find a theme I liked that was inexpensive, that was fairly easy to implement and fairly easy to tweak (again – hubby took the lead here…it would have been a disaster if I gave it a go solo!!). It’s not perfect. There are things I would like to change – and being open source we will probably change. But for now, version 1 is usable and presentable so onward & upward as they say. 🙂

3. Be realistic with your goals

In January when I finally decided to go ahead with this project, I thought end of May would be ample time for implementing and launching the whole site. We are talking 4 months. Then, life happens. I am a mom to 2 little ones – and at the time I decided this timeline, I didn’t realize I was a *pregnant* mom.  Yet, I like to give myself tight deadlines as I tend to procrastinate. It turned out the fact that there is a new family member on its way really kicked my butt in gear. I spend my days with my kiddos, and added an hour or two extra at night to get my crap together. It did mean compromises – like going with older photos I had taken with the old camera. But this is heavenly flower, 1.1. I had to tell the perfectionist in me to politely eff off. I can always go back & retake photos later, once the site is finally live.

4. educate yourself as much as possible about the software you choose

I read many tutorials & posts on message boards to understand how the software worked, what I could expect, and any issues people had encountered with it. Hard on the head, yes – but if I hadn’t of done this, there would have been useful features that I would have totally missed. Not to mention when something wasn’t working it was such a time saver to pin point the exact problem.

5. weigh out the pros and cons of having your own site, and think long term

Are the sales rolling in since launching the site a little over a week ago? Oh hell no, of course not! I still have SEO (search engine optimizing) to do, not to mention all my own promotion and advertising I did when I sold on the third party sites. It ain’t that easy folks. For me, it is a long term plan. First, set up shop on a site like Etsy and try out this online thing for a couple of years. It had been over a decade since I first sold online – a lot of things have changed about online shopping since then. As a busy mom I love to shop online so I soon learned what I like and dislike about the experience. I plan to spend the next year building up my brand…which is a never ending process whether you have your own website or not. The point is, I have not made and am not making sales my goal for this year. If I get requests, great, but again I am thinking long term. I’ve never really been comfortable with my name attached with such-and-such selling community. So it is worth it to me to take the time -finally- to build something for myself. For others that may not be such an issue. Nor is everyone ready to invest that kind of time (and possibly money) on something that is not necessarily a sure shot. Remember that your own site means not only paying to set up the site, but for hosting. In my case, once I stopped paying Etsy listing/renewing fees and downgraded my Artfire to basic I have ample money to pay for the monthly hosting cost. The goal is to eventually offer my own credit card processing as well. What you want to offer, who to and when are all questions to ask yourself.

***

So it’s the end of May – did I reach my goal? Yes in the sense that the site is live. No, because I am not done – yet. Still more products to load. And we need to move over to the faster more reliable hosting. Am I happy with the direction things are heading? Absolutely! Having my own site in many ways is like birthing a baby. It’s a huge responsibility and can be scary/intimidating at times. But I have never felt so free and excited about the future of my handmade business! 🙂

Sneak Peek at the Custom/Engravable Line…

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Dpp 416

Well, I cannot believe my eyes. As of last night, the website is LIVE!  All of my Etsy & Artfire inventory is now available on my own little piece of the world wide web. But, before I work on search engine optimization, we still need to move the site over to the faster hosting, & I really need to get my custom collections up & running. I had originally set a goal of having it all live by the end of May, however after finally assessing how many collections I developed over the the winter, I have my doubts that I can go public with every single one in less than 2 weeks, especially with the custom requests that happen to come in in the meantime.

Here is a sneak peek of what to expect nonetheless. I will launch one collection at a time and announce each on the home page of my website. I also would like to do a giveaway to kick off the launch, but I haven’t figured out what just yet. Suggestions welcome! And sooner than later before I get wrapped up in all things infant! 🙂

So here is but one item available from each collection.

From “Awareness”:

From “Beaded”:

From “Children’s”:

From “Dark Angel”:

From “Gemstone”:

From ” Gothic Spider”:

From “Keepsake”:

From “Sweetheart”:

From “Remembrance”:

I also have a pet tag engraving collection conceptualized on paper only. At this time I decided it is best to go forward with what I have before developing anything new. 🙂

Cross fingers that the attributes (for customization/choice on each piece) built into the software are straight forward and I can get this up and running smoothly. With open-source, anything can happen. 🙂

 

New Engraving Font

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Interlock Mono

I am excited about this new engraving font. And even more excited that I mastered it quickly. I engrave manually so it takes a bit of skill to have the letters of this monogram interlock:

 

Here is an example of it actually engraved:

This font will be available as part of my engraving collection on my website. The website will be going live shortly with my clearance section active – over the coming days I will be loading in the custom collections as well as upgrading to faster hosting.

Personalized Necklaces – My latest Custom Engraving Order

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Boxing

I just shared this custom order on my Facebook page…and I mentioned there that I normally do not share custom requests. Normally the pieces I do are very personal in nature & I just don’t feel comfortable putting them out there.

This particular order, was a request by a business for their employees. I engraved the names, and added a pearl charm. And since the company is kickboxing – I found these adorable boxing glove charms. I really love the final product, and with prices of sterling going through the roof, happy to offer the engraving blank in a silver plated steel.

If you are from the Calgary area, why not check out this company run by women, for women? Kick butt and get in shape! Foxykickboxing.ca.

My Eye is on the Ball for a May launch…

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Me

Here is a cross post from my other blog, to explain the growing excitement for our family these days: Our Growing family .

Despite all the excitement & distractions, I am still working towards an end of May launch for my new website.  (Preview new look of the site here).

My clearance section, now currently the inventory on Etsy & Artfire is loaded. My hubby the developer has my list of tweaks as there are a few hiccups with the style sheet (I am using an open source software to power the site) which are well over my head technically speaking. Stage 1 of testing the Paypal API has been successful – I now have to test it using different currencies & countries.

This weekend I started pairing and pricing collections, which is exciting…and I am itching to make new things. I have to keep my eye on the ball, though. Due to our family’s unexpected coming arrival I am really behind, but I am confident I can catch up even if it means launching with only one collection live.

Once I decide on customizing options for each collection & price, I then get to play around with attributes on the website. Oh goodie, I say apprehensively. I am excited to be able to offer custom choices on each piece, but it is a bit of a headache to figure out on paper, let alone figure out  how to do it via software. It will cut down a lot of back & forth time with my custom work though, which is win-win for both me & my customers. Well worth the headache.

I will be permanently closing down both my Etsy Shop & Artfire Studio end of May. I really need all the funds I can get to pay for my hosting. I have cheap hosting now but it is not reliable. I need an upgrade like, yesterday! To be honest, my feedback from customers on the third party sites has been luke-warm at best, to the down-right, “I hate it”. Unless my customers are already members of these communities, they haven’t really served me well for what I do. In fact, this blog accounts for 95% of my jewelry requests! So it will be nice to finally have my own little home here on the internet that I feel best represents me. 🙂

I am planning on having a sneak peek of the collections here on the blog shortly…stay tuned. 😉

 

Changes…

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Heavenlyflower

There are some changes (challenges?) coming up this year for my family that have forced me to evaluate what projects this year are most important and concentrate on them. I am a big believer in change & getting out of one’s comfort zone…so as much as it is not how I envisioned my year I choose to embrace it!

Change has a way of kicking my butt in gear. When I realize my timeline has been shortened, this is when my best work emerges. I tend to over think – over perfect things. In essence I work the best under pressure.

So the one thing I could not put off any longer, was programming my website. My own little piece of cyber space where you can browse my jewelry online for purchase – either limited edition or custom and to request pieces for wholesale or consignment . I needed a place of freedom where everything would be in one space and I would have total control over it. This would eliminate the need for selling on third party venues. Maintaining these shops is time consuming & I have not much control on the space itself (customizing). I find myself constantly saying, “I wish I could do…”, “I wish I could offer….”

So the software has been picked. The theme has been chosen and customized. I am now adding product for testing. Here is the test site… http://shop.heavenlyflower.com – which will soon become http://heavenlyflower.com.

(This is a test site so browse only…created accounts will not be kept once the site goes live). Once completed customers will be able to browse/buy and request jewelry, keep a wishlist & email items to friends/family, earn reward points, join a referral program & browse in 5 different currencies (more may be added later).

We still have to test the sign in/account/payment capabilities. For now I have payment set up via Paypal API, and eventually will also offer direct credit card payment.

I also have plans to add downloadable brochures & press releases to the site as well.

This will not only simplify my life but allow me to market my business & represent me the best way possible. 🙂

So that is what I am busy with. Along with moving over 100 ready to ship pieces to the site, I have over 30 pieces for my custom/engravable collection to photograph and add to the site as well. Then once that is complete I have to do it all over again for my supply shop. 🙂

To keep up to date with the site’s development & new products, check back here on the blog, or via Facebook.

 

 

 

Creativity 2011 – Learning to Knit! Basic garter stitch…

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Knit

With the stick weaving mastered in no time flat, it was time to try my hand at the needles. Knitting is another skill on my list of things to learn in 2011.

So on this same trip, I brought along with me some size 7 needles and a great skein of wool I had picked up at the Vermont Wool Show. I should mention that I have knitted before – when I was about 10 years old. I don’t remember actually completing a project, just casting on/off and doing what I know now is the basic garter stitch. I can’t even remember how got to doing it – if it was a kit as a gift, if someone showed me or I just figured it out somehow, but I can picture the plastic knitting needles. In any event I don’t remember a thing about how to do it, so to me this was like my fist time. 🙂

The thing with me is, I simply do not learn in a conventional manner. I find books and instructions rather confusing as they are too one dimensional, and videos I never seem to be able to keep up with or I am too concerned with copying exactly what the person is doing in the video rather than actually learning. In other words, take the video away, and I freeze. If my work doesn’t look like that in the book or my technique doesn’t go as smoothly as the person in the video, I get discouraged. This is probably due to anxiety of my conventional schooling: text books are intimidating & due to the learning anxiety I simply regurgitated what I was “taught” in school – nothing truly retained. I guess that’s why with my jewelry making I’d rather just figure it out for myself than be taught…regardless of how many hours extra it takes me…I can be stubborn like that!

So after reading through & studying diagrams from an ebook on my Nook, and watching a video on our Tab – I felt I had somewhat of a foundation of what I was supposed to do – so I threw them to the wayside and practiced myself.

First of all I loved the size 7 needles & found them easy to maneuver – I can see why this size was recommended to me for a beginner. But, I really wanted to work with a larger size while I was learning. Smaller needles = smaller stitches so my work was progressing really slowly.  I wanted to see some results fast just to keep me motivated. I also realized I needed to get some cheap yarn for practicing. I kept unraveling the good stuff if it wasn’t perfect…I just felt like I was wasting it. As with jewelry making, it felt like leaping straight into the fine silver wire when you don’t even know how to wire wrap yet… 🙂

So the next day I was off to the craft store. I bought a pair of size 10 bamboo needles & some yarn that was on sale for about $2. The instructions for the project on the yarn called for a larger needle than a size 10 so it had the “fatness” I desired to see larger stitching.

My very first knitted – anything. It’s a simple cast on & garter stitch. Believe me there are a lot of mistakes here…yarnovers, double stitches…oh well. My goal was to get comfortable with the feel of knitting, so rather than going back to fix mistakes I simply carried on.

My tensioning gets tighter as I go as well. I think I struggled with this the most even more so than holding the needles. My stitches were loose in the beginning and would easily fall off the needle, as well as looked sloppy…with practice they got better & will continue to get better.

See how loose the stitches are at the bottom…

I keep this project in the car & work on it while we are away. Obviously, I am not the one driving. 😉 I love being able to have something to do with my hands…jewelry making was never a practical traveling project for me since I work with beads. I love how easily yarn & needles tuck into a bag. “But what are you making?” My husband says. He only pictures knitted socks & hats! For now, I think I will stick to making blankets for my girls’ dolls. 🙂 When this is done I’ll try a different stitch to make another one. Those dolls will be nice & warm. 😉 Once the movement becomes totally natural with a variety of stitches I will then tackle an actual project…other than just square objects. 🙂

So I am finding knitting, now that I don’t have to think so much & the feel is natural, very soothing & satisfying. I wondered if the repetitive motion would bore me but I found just the opposite. Interested in seeing if other stitches feel as natural, or what actual projects I will be inspired to do.

I couldn’t tell you if I knit in the “English” or “Continental” method. Or even if my form is correct – hell, even if it looks correct. All I know is, in my hand, it feels right, and that’s all that matters. If there is a new project that you want to take on but you are intimidated because you may not do it “just so” or the “right way” – what makes it right is if it is right for you. Make it your own…Own it! Make 2011 your year to try something you’ve always wanted to do! 🙂

 

Stick Weaving

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Stickweaving

I have declared 2011 the year to learn some creative skills that have been on my list for ages (not jewelry making related). One is to learn to knit, which actually has only been on the list a few months. I was inspired to give it a go after attending a Sheep & Wool Festival last fall.

Before knitting however, I found this inexpensive stick weaving kit from Lee Valley. It says it’s simple to learn so I thought I’d give it a go. I am always looking for creative objects that I can pass along to my girls as they get older.

On a recent road trip I packed the stick weaving kit & the knitting needles. Upon reading the instructions I opted to try stick weaving first. The verdict? Stick weaving makes knitting look like rocket science!! This was incredibly easy – and incredibly satisfying as the projects work up really fast.

The instructions say that stick weaving is “the simplest version of warp and weft weaving” and I believe it! It made me feel like I knew what I was doing right away.

Definitely a project highly appropriate for children. Not my girls who are very young, but elementary grades for sure. Although I am sure you could teach pre-schoolers this as well.

Finishing is a breeze. You can knot or braid the ends, creating fringe. Or tuck it under with a crochet hook. Weave sections and sew them together for larger projects.

In fact, I enjoyed this so much I decided to go out & buy another kit while we were on our trip & purchase some inexpensive yarn to experiment with a 12 stick weave.

It will be neat to try weaving other materials as well: embroidery thread, strips of fabric…I’m sure you could even weave wire in this fashion. The possibilities are endless…and I love that the finished project looks like you had a lot of skill & took a lot of time to make it. 😉

 

Cool Tool: Silica Gel Dehumidifiers

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Silica

Recently I moved my finished jewelry pieces to a jewelry carrying case equipped with jewelry trays instead of my usual plastic baggie in binder or on shelf option. I wanted everything in one place and most of all – portable so I could easily take my work with me to show potential buyers. However  I was a little concerned about tarnish since the jewelry is no longer concealed in plastic with an anti-tarnish strip. I placed anti-tarnish strips inside the case but I didn’t have  the confidence that they would do the trick.

Then I found these silica gel humidifiers from Lee Valley. They wick the moisture out of the air around metal gardening tools – so why not try them in the jewelry case? I bought the 40g one which is nice & compact. I like that once the beads fill up with moisture you can pop them in the oven & dry them back out – reusable over & over again.

It’s been several weeks now & so far so good. I’m thinking of getting another; one for the bottom of the case & one for the top.

I’ll report back with an update in a few months. I figure if the results are not great then I can always throw these into my garden shed. 🙂 But so far…no complaints.

 

New Year, New Goals…The End of the Jewelry Sabbatical

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Jadenrose

I have been quiet. The end of the 2010 was drawing near & I wrapped up my jewelry sabbatical getting a head start on 2011 projects. Like a writer who sequesters themselves in a secluded cabin to write a novel, a lot of times I do similar when I feel a new project idea coming on and I need no distractions to bring it to fruition. I’m glad to have been inspired to get a jump start as January is not going quite as smoothly as I had hoped. I am the perpetual over-achiever. 🙂

So let’s recap what I’ve been up to…

I started one year ago my jewelry sabbatical. I decided over Christmas break a year ago, after over a decade of beading/beaded jewelry that I wanted time to concentrate learning/trying new skills. I found myself feeling really stagnant making the same style over & over – and I needed time to not feel pressured to be making sales. The biggest result of that is I learned how to engrave using a pantograph engraver. A line is already in development & well on its way to completion. I decided to source out supplies that were quality but not precious metal. I’ve always been dedicated to offering my work at a price that is affordable to everyone. There will be sterling silver variations as well, but I will start out with blanks that are treated for durability, the cores being metals such as brass, copper & steel.

This is my new project. Named after my two girls, jade-n-rose will be offering jewelry making & craft supplies in small lots. Inspired by my early days jewelry making, I will strive to offer quality supplies in small quantities for those who only want a few items at a time. Currently housed on Artfire, we are starting to work on its very own website in tandem with the heavenlyflower website. I was hoping to have more items listed by now but have gotten sidetracked. I hope to get back to it soon; I literally have hundreds of items ready for sale.

I also (finally) chose a blog layout I am happy with! I believe these types of themes are called “magazine” layouts…and they give a snippet and photo from the post rather than showing the whole post on the front page. I’m a skimmer so I love this format for searching for topics that interest me. My holistic blog has also been updated.

There was a lot of things that I didn’t get to last year or only barely scratched the surface. I have carried it over to my to-learn list this year, although it is a tall order since I already have non-jewelry creative projects on the list. Considering all the goals I have for this year, it still feels exciting & ambitious rather than daunting and impossible. I will dig in, and hope that the blog this year will continue to inspire you to take on a creative project that perhaps you have been putting off for some time. This is my theme for 2011: tackle the projects that I have always wanted to do but never got around to do it.

Creatively yours,