Dawn, fellow jewelry maker & blogger, nominated me today for a lemonade award, in recognition for great gratitude/attitude. It may seem like a small gesture, but to me it means so much! Dawn is also a talented jewelry artist & a great source of inspiration for me. I am honoured to be a source of motivation & inspiration for her as well. Big hugs to you, Dawn!! Check out her Etsy Shop…
Shop Promo for Sales of $50 or more & background of Shop Philosophy
I have an on-going shop promo that I wanted to mention. First, background on my shop’s philosophy…
I call my Etsy Shop my “playground” since I wanted a venue to cheaply & easily list pieces while I get my “feet wet” into the jewelry business game again. This is where I can create pieces freely, without any pressure of sales or expectation. I take left over beads from past custom projects & think of ways to breathe new life into them by making these limited edition pieces. Sometimes I do dip into the “good” supply that I am hanging on to for future custom work, but for the most part, I enjoy pushing myself creatively to figure out what to do with the leftovers…how can I make these all look good together when originally they were not purchased to be together…
So because of this, I make little to no money on the work that goes into these. In fact, if you think of the time that goes into making the jewelry, photographing, cleaning up said photos, posting them on Etsy with descriptions, then offering free shipping…well, do the math quickly in your head…there is no money to be made…
My Etsy Shop is simply for the joy of creating; to share my talents to the world and get back into it again. It’s a way for me to have an on-line portfolio to showcase my work. It also leads to custom order requests which is where the money is to be made…Eventually, I will complete my website so that I can offer many different styles for customizing. For right now though, it’s too overwhelming of an endeavour with a toddler and another baby on the way…
OK, so that leads me to the promo. Since the pieces are final sale I wanted to make purchases of $50 or more worthwhile. It also helps me move inventory, so really, you are doing me a huge favour here…
Buy jewelry totalling $50; either by purchasing 1 piece or several, and you will get $10 off an additional item. For example…
You buy a bracelet for $29, a pair of earrings for $14, and a pair of earrings for $12. Since the sum of these equal more than $50, you decide to take advantage of the promo & get a pair of earrings that are $14…with the $10 off promo, you get the third pair of earrings for just $4.
Or, you buy a necklace for $53. You then decide to buy a bracelet for $29 because the promo entitles you to that bracelet for $19…
You get the idea? đŸ™‚ Of course, there is always free shipping worldwide & Canadians will pay at par pricing. All this info is located in my Shop Policies section. Simply include a note in your purchase that you would like to take advantage of the promo & I will send out a revised Paypal or Alert Pay Invoice (or advise the new amountif you are paying by cheque, money order or email money transfer). Off-line sales as usual, contact me with which pieces you would like to purchase, I will unlist them & proceed as mentioned above for payment. Happy shopping!
100 Days of Creativity: Day 39
I still felt like playing in hematite & those peacock blue fossil beads, but this time a slight variation. This piece emerged, and felt very earthy to me. I added it to my “down to earth” section of the Etsy Shop.
Despite the earthy quality, the hematite is still very shiny, so this piece would really add to any outfit. The hematite is 10x10mm two-holed beads; the dyed fossil beads are 4mm. Find out more about this piece in its Etsy listing….
My Fellow Canadians…
I am honoured to be able to sell jewelry on Etsy & most of my sales have been to our American cousins south of the border. Canadian sales so far have come mostly from pre-existing customers who I have sold pieces off-line or through custom work.
It wasn’t too long ago, that we enjoyed for the first time in many, many years the Canadian Dollar & US Dollar being matched exchange wise almost dollar for dollar. Now we are back to that ever fluctuating market game of dollar up & down…now, shopping in the US is not so attractive for us Canadians, eh? đŸ™‚
Since Etsy lists in US dollars, I want to give my fellow Canadians a break & offer at par pricing on my work. Therefore, if you buy a bracelet for $29 USD, and the item is going to a Canadian address, you may have the piece for $29 CAD. Simply include a message with your purchase & I will either send you a new PayPal or Alert Pay invoice to the current exchange rate that day, or advise you the amount to make your cheque, money order or email money transfer out for.
More details on my Shop Policies page. As always, shipping is always free world wide.
100 Days of Creativity: Day 38
Um yeah…so I was doing the math today as today is exactly 34 weeks …there is no way I will make 100 days consecutively. I hope that I can at least get 100 pieces in my Etsy Shop before this baby arrives! We shall see…I’m over half way there now!
Today’s creation: I was feeling like adding more to my “eye candy” section. I just love these hematite donuts & think they look awesome with these peacock blue dyed fossil beads:
I added quartz to the piece to amplify some good energy!
I find fossil beads really interesting. They are formed from limestone, a sedimentary rock which is formed by the skeletons of tiny marine organisms (calcium carbonate). Since limestone is so porous, it is ideal for making into beads since it will easily take on dye. A very affordable way to add colour to my pieces.
Check out more about this piece in my shop…
100 Days of Creativity: Day 37
I”m tired tonight. Between running after my toddler I decided it was time to clean up my email. I am about ready to go cross-eyed!
I did sneak this piece in however:
I was in a quartz mood today. Quartz is so amplifying…I think because the weather has been so mild & sunny for February in QuĂ©bec I wanted to capture that good energy within the quartz. I am also partial to clear quartz (AKA rock crystal) since it is a birthstone alternative for April, my birth month. Let’s face it, we can’t always afford diamonds! đŸ™‚
The blue quartz is formed by a process called reclaiming. That’s where they take pices of quartz and fuse it into glass to make beads. I’m all for waste not want not so I think that’s a great idea. The clear quartz is the real deal, through & through.
Check out more on this piece as well as other birthstone pieces in my Etsy Shop…
100 Days of Creativity: Day 36
I have all these fun, brightly coloured beads: dyed quartz, fossil beads, etc. When I look at the bead case, they really remind me of candy. With the sun shining coupled with unseasonably warm temperatures for this time of year, I have been motivated to make something with these yummy colours. I have started a new section in my Etsy Shop called “eye candy“. This is the first piece I have created today. Simple yet very fun!
The pink is a bit deeper than what you see in the photo; more like a hot pink. Find out more about today’s creation in my Etsy Shop.
The Jewelry Thief…
I happen to live with 4 jewelry “thieves”. One comes in the form of a pint-sized little girl with chubby little fingers; the other are the 4-legged furry variety. I don’t get what the temptation is for babies & cats to touch exactly what it is you are working on at the moment. It doesn’t matter what I give them as a distraction; as soon as the jewelry gets laid out for that perfect shot, a cat lays across it, bats it across the floor, walks into the shot or my 16-month old picks it up just as I am pushing down on the shutter. It is so nice to have so many admirers of my work under one roof. đŸ˜‰
Mind you…sometimes cute little feet in the photo works!
100 Days of Creativity: Day 35
I had a rather hectic Monday as Mondays usually are. I ran out to mail my jewelry orders this morning…I wonder what the woman at the post office thinks, all these little packages from me lately…
This is what I put together today. I was very happy to be able to get something made earlier in the day to take advantage of the great sunlight for photos. What mild weather we are having! It certainly makes February more bareable.
These earrings remind me of the sea. In fact, I have a whole section in my Etsy Shop dedicated to pieces that remind me of the Ocean: still waters run deep. Growing up in Nova Scotia I have always been pulled to the Sea. Even now we live in a community outside Montréal that is right on the St. Lawrence so there are lots of boats & Yachts around.
I used 10x14mm faceted quartz rectangles (dyed), 4mm quartz beads (dyed), 4mm lead-free pewter bead caps, & 8mm sterling silver bali spacers. Sterling silver wire & earwires. The length is approx. 5cm (2in). Get a closer look including more photos in my Etsy Shop.
100 days of Creativity: Day 34
I started this blog a little late into my 100 Days of Creativity…which honestly I will never reach before this baby arrives! So I am aiming for 100pieces in my Etsy shop. I’m half way there. This is today’s piece that I made:
I used 5x5mm square glass beads that are an earthy red tone with gold accents. I decided on a magnetic clasp as the chain was rather lost in all the beads; a lobster or spring ring clasp would have been a challenge.
This piece is currently for sale in my Etsy shop. Please visit for more information on this bracelet and to see many other creations from my creative journey…
Blog Feature
I am honoured to be featured on the Caly’s Day At the Beach Blog for my contribution of a brain cancer awareness bracelet for the silent auction. Thank you Dawn for your appreciation & recognition.
Donations Kick Start the 2009 Year…Could I help you with your fundraiser?
So far this year, I am pleased to have donated to two causes by donating jewelry for silent auctions. I always love to donate my talents to worthy causes that help people at the personal, or at the grass roots/community level. Both donations were for fellow jewelry makers from the Starving Artists Team on Etsy.
I made three pairs of earrings for a silent auction in North Carolina. Proceeds go to an elementary school which has a high percentage of children with special needs and non-English speaking children attending. Since their funds have been drastically cut, the school has no money to purchase much needed equipment, ESL materials, etc. Upon talking to Jenni I decided to make three pairs of earrings as they are lower end items and (hopefully) easy sales. They already had lots of higher end items donated.
The second fundraiser is for a man fighting brain cancer. I decided to make a brain cancer awareness bracelet. As the silent auction was in conjunction with a golf tournament, something a little higher priced seemed fitting. Plus since this was a fundraiser for an individual, I wanted the piece to be more personal & inspirational. You can read about Chris here at Caly’s Day at the Beach Blog.
If you think my talents could help you with your community level fundraiser, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear about your cause & see if it is something that I can help you with.
100 Days of Creativity…
Driving back to MontrĂ©al from Holidays in Nova Scotia, I had a lot of time to think about what I want for 2009. Besides the usual growing family happiness & prosperity bit, I realized that my creativity suffered in 2008. I had most of my attention on my daughter, and convinced myself I just didn’t have the time or the inclination to be creative. I would be creative on the computer: editing photos, working on my website, etc…
The only problem with this plan was, this was not tactile creativity. Although photo editing can be fun; staring at a computer screen did more soul killing than building for me. I realized, that if I were to keep on top of my creativity – which is my unwind, my meditation, my zen – I would have to make jewelry design more of a priority in 2009, even if the logic in the back of my mind is telling me I should be cleaning the house or finishing my website so to market all the things I make.
So, after being very inspired by the Starving Artists Jewelry Team I joined on Etsy, I decided to embark on 100 days of creativity: a piece a day, made & listed on Etsy until I reach 100 listings. Ok, so I cheat a bit here. I had about 30 pieces to begin with in my Etsy shop, and there are days when I get inspired to make 2 or 3 pieces in one sitting, and some days I don’t get to make any because my motherly duties come first. But the general idea is, 100 pieces of jewelry to signify 100 days of putting this side of me to the fore front. I am creative through & through, and without it I feel very out of sorts; it even led to depression in my early 20’s. Hell, I’m even left-handed! The touch, the colours & textures…this is so a part of me as breathing, it needs to be nurtured like a new born baby.
At first, I got off to a slow start. I had not been making jewelry regularly for so long I had a bad case of performance anxiety. So it meant unlisting and rearranging a few things I already had on Etsy. Finally, I was forcing myself at 10pm to make one piece. Even though my body was screaming go to bed – you have to get up early tomorrow. Even if it was a simple pair of earrings; just something. And you know what? It was the best thing I have ever forced myself to do. All of a sudden, the business ideas starting coming to me…the next step for marketing, where I want to take it, where I want to be in March (when I have to take another hiatus to play new mom all over again). I feel totally clear-headed, and directed. It was all because, I needed to reincorporate into the mix the one thing that inspires me, motivates me, gets me excited: making jewelry!
Now this probably sounds completely hokey to some (most?) of you. For goodness sake, you are making jewelry, you say…body adornment to pretty up one’s vanity…but no, I don’t see it that way. We all have talents; this happens to be mine. I believe in wearable expression: not wearing jewelry to hide our self-hatred or self-believed ugliness. It is to express, to inspire and heighten one’s self. I, as the artist, express myself with each piece. The wearer interprets the piece in the way that it makes them feel when wearing it. Maybe it reminds them of someone, something…this is my goal, that you enjoy wearing the piece because it goes with such-and-such outfit…and then go farther to wear something that is infused with the good intentions & energy of the person who made it. You know who made it. It is a one-of-a-kind, not just something off a conveyor belt. In our throw away society, materialism means so much, yet so little, as we will discard what we buy just as fast as we swiped the plastic to purchase it. I am hoping, especially in this economy, that the sentiment of cherishing the goods we buy because of the hard work that went into it – you for making your dollars – me for making the jewelry by hand – is brought back. This is not just for myself, but for all those who work away in the Cottage Industry. We are not driven by money, but by enjoyment, & a deeper need that so needs to be fulfilled again in this day & age.
My jewelry making philosophy is outlined on the front page of my (incomplete!) website heavenlyflower.com
Please check out the goodies in my Etsy Shop. I am almost half way to my goal! Even if you don’t buy you can look & appreciate. I hope it inspires you to evoke your own creativity, however you choose to express it.
Oh, and on the business side of it: once I get the 100 pieces complete I will then use this as an online portfolio to promote myself while I work on finishing the website. Don’t worry, I’m always thinking… đŸ˜‰