Work as Flow – August studio update

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

-Lao Tzu
I finally finished the 3ply BFL (Blue Faced Leicester sheep wool) I started over the winter! To show just how grand a 32oz bobbin really is, here it is beside the bobbins for my Lendrum and Electric Eel Wheel

Flowing through the Rest of my Summer

Part of my plan to live more intuitively, is to make adjustments to how I structure – or should I say – flow through my day. For the past few weeks I’ve been making a conscious effort to ask myself, “What do I want to do now?” rather than, “I have to do this first”. Of course there are appointments and obligations that I have to keep, but aside from that I will go through a list of the tasks or projects I would like to accomplish in a given day and see what “speaks” to me.

It’s hard to resist the urge to tackle the chores that seem more important, more responsible and more pressing, so that I can get them off my plate to do what is more desirable. The better I got at listening to my inner voice and doing what I desired first, my day would not only flow perfectly, but I struck a good balance between doing tasks I enjoy and doing tasks that are part of life that need to be done. More was being completed and I felt more balanced and accomplished by the end of every day.

I am by no means perfect at it, but I found the latter part of July went much smoother than the first half. I got so much done! Once I started aligning my day by feel rather than expectation, I found even the most mundane tasks would pop in my head to say, “Okay, it is now the right time to switch to (enter chore here)”. Hopefully I can keep it up. I’m excited to see what August has in store. No expectation. Just going to let it happen.

Highlights This month:

  • Engraved Awareness charms are now available on Etsy
  • Tiered and bulk pricing is now live on the website
  • Add a gift note to your order
  • New products both on Etsy and here on the website
  • Product videos – coming soon!
  • Fiber braids – coming soon!

Engraved Awareness Charms on Etsy

Now Available: Tiered and Bulk pricing

I’m really excited to have tiered and bulk pricing set up on the website. It finally came to me just how I would like the pricing to be structured. Let’s take a look at it more closely as the options are different depending on what you buy.

Bulk Discounts

screenshot of a listing to show an example of a bulk discount
An example of a bulk discount: buy multiples of an item and save

Bulk discounts are available if you buy 2 or more of an item. The price gets lower the more you buy. If you see an item and would like to purchase more than what’s listed, it’s worth asking me if I can make more. The price gets cheaper the more you buy.

Tiered Discounts

An example of a tiered discount. Purchase 1 item at regular price and receive discounts on subsequent items from the same listing

Tiered discounts are on products where you buy 1 item, then save on subsequent items from the same product listing. This usually occurs on products that have several options for customization. The above example is from the product listing Custom Charm Necklace with Engraved Letter Charm – Animals & Insects. You will have to add the items to your cart to see the discount. If you don’t see an option in the listing for bulk pricing, then tiered pricing will come into effect.

Discounts for Yarn and Fiber

An example of discount pricing for handspun yarn

Yarn discount pricing applies to any items purchased from the handspun yarn category. Since I very rarely have more than one of each skein, it only made sense for the discount to apply to any yarn in the category. This will also apply to fiber braids when they come available (for more on that, keep reading…).

Sale/Clearance Discounts

Items where there is 1 left will be moved permanently to the Sale/Clearance category

Any items where there is only 1 left and will be retired after sold, will be moved to the sale/clearance section until sold. I’ve also decided that any items that I create that there is only 1 of, will be available on Etsy only. I find these items better suited to Etsy as they get more views quickly.

I still will be running sales from time to time on top of the built-in discounts, or in replacement of. I wanted to be sure the opportunity was always there to save instead of waiting for a sale. If you are a small business in Canada looking for stock I can do better with wholesale pricing. Fill out this form to inquire.

Adding a Gift Note to your Order

Etsy already gives an option to add a gift message to orders, and I’d say the majority of orders I get are for gifts. I have changed the wording to the “order notes” section in the checkout to give a place for customers to write a small message to go with their order. I will include your message in a small handmade note card. Usually I handwrite these messages, but if you include special characters then they will be printed on a label and included that way. I’m happy to offer this little extra free of charge.

Where you will find in the checkout the place to add your gift message

New Products for August

These items are also available on Etsy. The Teacher Clip on charm and Engraved Celtic clip on charm are revamps.

New Products – Etsy Only

The following products are available on Etsy only, and they are OOAK (One of a Kind) or only 1 left (usually made up of charms I have had leftover from past custom work either personal or for customers):

I’ve been catching up with photographing new products so I hope to have many more items available in the coming month.

Coming Soon

Fiber braids! I’ve started photographing my available braids of fiber (mostly merino top, with a few exceptions) to start listing for sale, and I’ll have much more once I start dyeing commercial yarn. I like to dye fiber in tandem to either test the color or to use up excess dye. I’m going to put the fiber up for sale hereon the website only first, and gauge the interest. Price is a struggle especially with inflation and Canadian shipping charges. I usually don’t get paid for my time. I hope to have a few up by next month’s update.

Finally, I will be adding a short video of products to the listings. This option is already available on Etsy, and I thought it was such a shame that I was not offering the same visual representation here on the website. Once I get it set up I’ll start adding videos to the products. It’s not for every product, particularly some of the older ones, but I’ll work toward filming those in the future. As a visual person, I know I appreciate seeing items in “real time” as video gives a better idea of size, how it moves/wears, etc.

That was one heck of an update! I hope you are inspired to try to flow through your day, if only for a portion of it.

Until next time,

Leilani signature

40% off Stitch Markers AKA Knitting Bling Oct 2-8

Collage Stbling

Most sets of stitch markers are $13 for a set of 8: this week they are on sale for 40% off

Weekly Sale October 2 – 8th, 2017
This week I am offering my knitting bling as I call it, for 40% off. Most sets of 8 stitch markers are only $13 regular price so it’s a great time to stock up for personal use or to gift a knitter or crocheter in your life.

Prices as marked on Etsy. Discount available on my website with promo code STITCH40 at checkout. Sale on until Sunday, Oct. 8th, 2017. I’ll announce a new sale every Monday via Facebook.

April’s Giveaway is a Triple Play

Question

question

Today is my birthday! To celebrate I have an extra special giveaway with 3 chances to win. April’s giveaway via the newsletter is a game of sorts. You enter telling me your first and second choice of prize from bb3.ca. I’ll draw the first name at random, and they will win their top choice. The second name will get either their first or second choice, whichever one is not already taken. Same with name #3: however, if both of #3’s choices have been taken, I’ll draw for another winner. Clear as mud? Check out the entry form for a more concise explanation. Hey, it’s my birthday, my mind is definitely not on blogging…blah blah blah… 😉

I’m taking entries until April 30th, 2015 11:59EDT. The only thing I ask is that you are a subscriber to the newsletter. You can sign up here and unsubscribe at any time, no problem! The newsletter is a once a month emailed publication, and I do a giveaway every month, so why not? The newsletter helps me share my creative ideas and also keeps me on point, per se. It’s my monthly butt kick to keep the creative juices flowing. 🙂

signature

New Clearance Jewelry Items – More to Come…

Dpp 2137

sterling silver turquoise chip hoops on sale at 40% off
sterling silver turquoise chip hoops on sale at 40% off

I’m going to be adding new items to the clearance section for the next little while. I finally have to give up some of this stuff. I have a huge bin of product that I made, either it was once available for sale and I took it down for some reason or another, I had plans to develop it further – or for no particular reason they just never made it up on the website (probably because I am so busy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it ;)). For example that cute pair of earrings above is available at 40% off. Sterling silver people! 🙂

I also have items that I engraved to fill orders but they weren’t quite up to my standards so I redid them. Maybe they are engraved slightly off center, the blank was scratched up or I simply made a mistake and engraved the wrong letter. They are essentially handmade seconds. 🙂 So I’m thinking I should list these deeply discounted as well. Why waste them? They may be perfectly acceptable to someone else. Score if you can get them below cost!

I’m starting with earrings and I have quite a few pairs. Some of these I can make more of and I just might do that if they sell/time permitting. I do so much custom stuff these days it is fun to just play around with stones and beads again just for the heck of it. 🙂

signature

New Product: Dark Angel Necklace in Tourmaline

Dpp 3939

DPP_3941

A dear friend of mine requested the “dark angel” necklace in tourmaline for her daughter. I was surprised how hard it was to find faceted rondelles the right size for this piece, I was finding only teeny tiny beads. I know tourmaline can run on the expensive side compared to other gemstone beads but sometimes I get frustrated trying to find supplies in this country. I finally found a supplier in the US thanks to help from my jewelry group. Although these rondelles run smaller than the beads featured in the other necklaces (these are from 6 – 7mm in size) I still think it works just fine.

DPP_3939I absolutely love tourmaline and I’m happy to finally add it to my complement of beads.

signature

International Babywearing Symbol Necklace Plus New Advocacy Keychain Sets

Dpp 3981

International Babywearing Symbol necklace in Gold
International Babywearing Symbol necklace in Gold

By customer request I am now engraving the International Babywearing Symbol. I’ve developed a necklace available in silver or gold and paired with a Swarovski crystal or pearl (or no embellishment for a small discount).

Be sure to check out Natural Mother Magazine for more info on this symbol.

DPP_4056
Keychain pair International Breastfeeding Symbol & International Babywearing Symbol

New keychain sets also come in both silver or gold plate. Choose from a double or triple set.

Keychain Triple Set with International Babywearing, International Breastfeeding and International Child Symbols
Keychain Triple Set with International Babywearing, International Breast Feedings and International Child Symbols

Bulk orders for events are always available, simply contact me for a quote. All pieces are manually engraved and assembled at time of order.

signature

New Pearl Option for the Flower Child’s Personalized Necklace – with Engraving

Flower Child Engraved With Pearl

Flower child engraved with pearl
Pearl option in silver (click to be taken to listing)

A customer recently asked me if I could do a pearl instead of a Swarovski crystal for her flower child’s necklace order. I had some 4mm freshwater pearls on hand, and I loved the result so much I decided to add it as a permanent option for both silver & gold versions of this product. Now added on the website and coming soon to Etsy (my Etsy shop is closed as I am currently travelling).

DPP_3106
pearl option gold (click to view listing)

As an aside, I get asked every now and then if the blanks I use are black. What you are seeing here is the reflection of the camera lens. Often the glare is so bad on these very shiny blanks I cannot capture the detail in the engraving. Often times the best way to take a clear picture of the engraving is to have the reflection of the camera lens absorb the light. So in the closeups this is why sometimes the blanks look black. My photography skills leave much to be desired, I know. 😉 I try to post several photos to help best represent the piece so always browse through them all to get an overall feel for the product. Photos are so flat and one dimensional they do not do my work justice. I think most – if not all – online sellers are feeling my pain, here. 🙂

signature

Artist Inspired: Double Duty Diaper Buddy – Diaper Bag and Change Pad by Nana Brown’s

Nanabrowns

Sometimes I am totally inspired by a handmade item not just for its beauty-artistic appeal but for it’s practical-artistic appeal. So is the case with the Double Duty Diaper Buddies by Nicole Lulchak of Nana Browns.

nanbrowns_db_open

I discovered this fellow Canadian’s  Etsy Shop a few months ago, upon preparing for summer with essentially two babies. I was actually drawn in by her adorable sun hats which I ordered (they are totally cute too!). Then while browsing her shop thought I would try the diaper buddy as well. I was immediately impressed at the craftsmanship and by the versatility of the item. It held diapers for both my girls plus was the perfect change pad while on the go (and we have certainly been on the go A LOT this past summer!).

nanbrowns_db_flat

When I inquired as to how she came up with the diaper buddy, Nicole replies:

“The inspiration behind the Diaper Buddy was truly necessity. We were going on a vacation to Arizona and Mexico and I was trying to find ways to make the diaper bag lighter, while still carrying everything that we needed. I also wanted to be able to just grab the things needed for a quick diaper change and leave the big bag behind. The criterion was lighter, functional and stylish and after some tinkering with the pattern and different fabrics the Diaper Buddy was born. We tested it out everywhere we went on our vacation, it was fabulous, and I got all kinds of feedback from people who saw us using it and wanted to get their own. Mine travels everywhere we go and it really is great to just be able to grab it and go if we need to.”

nanbrowns_db_closed

Nicole has been designing and sewing for approximately 20 years.

“…not quite longer than I can remember, but a lot of years. I think I made my first piece, a patchwork pillow, on my Mother’s sewing machine when I was about 10 or 11.

“I have a large collection of fabric and patterns, both new and vintage and really enjoy designing new pieces from all the ideas in my head. Both my Grandmothers were avid sewers and I learned a lot from them. One of my favorite patterns is a hand drawn quilt pattern that came from my Grandmother on my father’s side. I use it often and it always reminds me of her.

“I have had a lot of fun since I set up shop on Etsy about a year and a half ago. It has been really incredible to send my pieces to people all over the world and know that they enjoy them. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to make more custom pieces for people as well.”

Nicole is inspired by colours and textures, and also finds her daughter is a great source for inspiration. Necessity will drive the creativity as well, and as a busy mom myself, I can totally relate! She also finds that her creativity & tactile nature motivates her to find inspiration in most things.

“I am a very tactile person – I love to wander through a shop and touch and feel the things that catch my eye. My husband always says it takes twice as long to shop with me because I have to stop and touch everything!”