Vintage Rothmoor Black Wool Coat

Exquisite tailoring

Being My Own Model

I alway see such nice photos on etsy and bonanzle. These are the sites where I sell my product.

The photos that I love have models showcasing the product.

I felt that some of my items needed that touch, so I searched my mind for the perfect model. I have a niece who is absolutely beautiful and she was my #1 choice. But, alas, asking a young, vibrant girl to give up her time to model her aunt's product produced no results. In her favor, she does work hard - two jobs! In fact no one wanted to actually do it, not for love or money! Actually, not much money was offered, mostly just the chance at fame on the internet!

On to plan B. I could try to do it. I have never felt photogenic, in fact I hate having my picture taken. My photographer (my husband) sighed and tried to get out of the job. I had to trust that he could focus the camera. Doesn't sound to good for plan B!!

So, one morning, with the makeup and curling iron ready and waiting, I primped for my photo shoot. When I felt ready, I found my photographer, up to his elbows in dirt, pulling weeds in the garden.

We were very stiff at first. Me with my gut sucked in and him asking how to turn the camera on. We took many pictures with the hope of getting one that was OK. Fat chance.

Days later we were having a bit more fun with this project. I loosend up and he was more familar with the camera. We joked like we were on a real photo shoot, with him telling me "To work it, Baby."

I still feel that there is much room for improvement, but it is a fun expierence!

Hope you give it a try. And don't worry about knobby knees, wrinkles, age spots or thin hair, that's what photoshop is for!

ETSY FRIENDS TEAM GIVEAWAY

Would like to tell everyone about the fab giveaway my team is having.

Welcome to an event that you wont want to miss! Someone is going to get so lucky that they win 20 handmade goodies from 20 different shops worth more than $230! Take a moment to toss your entry in the basket because the winner might be you!

Find out how to win- click here to go to etsy friends blog page.

When Life Gets in the Way

So many things to do, so little time.

I am in the hospitality industry, in Florida. The winters are filled with hours serving cocktails, dinners, deserts and coffee.

I'm not complaining, because I am lucky to have a job. It just seems that there isn't enough hours in a day.

When I have a day off, or even a few hours, I just want to kick off the uniform and relax.

Then I feel guilty because the floors need cleaning and there are dishes to be washed. The refrigerator has some Bleu Cheese dressing with an expiration date of Dec., 2009 and I guess I should clean it out soon. And a two hour trip to the grocery store would make those every night burgers go away.

There are things I love doing, working on my jewelry, watching a good movie without falling to sleep or reading a book. I do enjoy going out to dinner but then I would have to exert the energy to get dressed!

Of course I try to make time to keep up social networking. I think I have called my best friend once since November.

But summer is coming and the snowbirds are heading north. I will miss them.

But when my boss tells me to go home early because business is slow, my house will be spotless. I will have a wonderful dinner with a glass of wine. I'll watch some stupid movie on TV and complain that there is nothing to do.

Etsy, Bonanzle, Artfire

One of the things I love on a Saturday morning is to hop in the car and go estate and garage saling.
Etsy is a wonderful site, but with the 20 year vintage rule many of the neat things I find do not qualify for my AgelessThings store.
I have an ebay account, but with the fees they charge it did not meet my needs.
I found bonanzle. I opened what they call a booth. I can list anything there. I am still finding my way around. It is alot like etsy, with forums and favorites and their form of front page treasury. But there are significant differences too. They have what is called a bonanza, where you can have a sale once a month. Haven't tried that yet. You can also hold an auction, haven't tried that either.
After much thought about both my AgelessThings on etsy and my AgelessThings on bonanzle I decided to concentrate on clothing. I love purses and shoes. I also find great designer clothing now and then.
The thing I find about clothing is that it is hard to photograph without a beautiful model. Although I am beautiful in many ways, I am older and starting to show signs of wear. Also that would leave my husband to take all the pictures. He is a great guy, but he already invests enough time to my projects. A man needs his space.
I have another store on etsy called BusyBeadLady. In it I sell the handmade jewelry that I make in my spare time. I really love doing this, but with all the competition on the internet it is a full time job promoting. I also list any vintage jewelry I find in my travels.
I also have a store on Artfire called BusyBeadLady. I started as a paying member, then downgraded to a free membership. I feel that having this store is kind of a waste of my time. It's not that artfire is a bad site, I only can list 10 items for free and nobody really visits and I have not made a sale in almost a year. I do not invest much here and therefore don't get much back.
So on a nice Saturday morning, I hop in the car and I go to the local thrift stores, estate sales and garage sales. It is a nice break from the business of selling online. But then I get home, take pictures, list, double check for sales, promote, ect., ect.
Gosh I love doing this.

WHO IS THE INDIE ARTIST?

One evening, not long ago I spent quite a few enjoyable hours on the forums in etsy.

I had started a thread in promotions. Now, the promotion threads die easily, so to keep it alive I visited the stores who did post and wrote a little comment on each.

I met some amazing etsy sellers. Wheither it was a seasoned or newbie store, I wondered how buyers pick just one to buy from. It was overwhelming.

I reluctantly drew myself away from my computer.

With the wish of winning the lottery (so I could buy everything I saw) and a slight backache from sitting too long, I ran a hot bath and made a cup of tea. I settled in the tub, ready to relax. Closing my eyes, a strange thought entered my head.

Who are these people that open shops on etsy?

I imagined the whole world crafting away!

Now, looking at the handmades on etsy, it is hard to tell who is behind them.

A beautifully crocheted item may have been made by a grandmother, a teenager or even - gasp - a man.

The maker of childrens items may have a house full of children or none at all.

Imagine a jewelry maker who doesn't wear jewelry.

But making something with your own two hands is not a geographical concern. Nor does it know age or gender. What is involved is imagination. A desire to create something tangible from a wisp of an idea.

It is knowing that even if the whole world is making the same thing, your's is unique because there is a piece of you in the item.

So I decide that I must look at the indie artist differently. I don't care about the age or gender. And I could care less if the view from their window is the Pacific Ocean or the sidewalks of Paris.

When I see a get well card, I know the hands that made it felt a need of making the receiver feel better.

When I view a felted monster or toy, I feel the smile behind it's making.

There is a warmth that is added in all the knitting, quilting and crochet.

Can you feel the love in the wedding products, the desire to adorn you by the jeweler.

And what about the photographer who give us that nano second in time to hold forever.

I could go on and on (I bet you thought I was going to).

The indie artist is all about feeling while creating. It's what handmade is all about.

And thats who these people are. I'm proud to say I am one of them.

WHERE DOES YOUR INSPIRATION COME FROM?

In most of the interviews that I read of etsy sellers, there is one question that scares the heck out of me. "Where does your inspiration come from?" The answers given are usually very good and really make you want to look at the seller's work.

My inspiration is a concept that totally baffles me. Even when I ask myself "Where did that come from?", my mind is a blank.

Many times when I purchase beads and things, it is on a whim, an impulse buy. It may sit in my stash for a long time without any recognition of it's real potential. I have been known to find a bag of product, months later, tucked away in a cabinet. Oh yea - let me make something with this! I'm inspired.

Other times "inspirations" come on me like a hurricane in Florida. I'm sitting around wondering what to make and the greatest idea comes to me. I'll make wedding jewelry. I'll do a whole line with this idea. I run out and replenish my pearl and crystal supplies. I scour the bridal magazines for "inspiration". Finally my creation, a new necklace is born. I'm on my way! Cool! Now to make the earrings.

As I dig thru my stash, looking for a silver bead for the new wedding earrings, I find this great piece of turquoise that I purchased last May. Wow, why didn't I make something with that? It's beautiful and with some coral and black colored beads it would be fabulous.

Where are those black beads that I purchased in the fall?

I push the pearls and crystals off to the side of my work bench. I drag out my bin of black beads. I search thru the little plastic bags which I use to "organize" my beads. I find the right bead. Now where did I put the turquoise? It's definitely mixed in somewhere with these pearls and crystals.

So when I do my first interview as a seller, I'm just going to lie when they ask me where my inspiration comes from. I'll tell the interviewer "I put on my CD of ocean sounds and I close my eyes and think of the nature of things. I see the blue of the bluebirds, the browns of the owls, the reds of the roses and it inspires me to make beautiful jewelry." I won't mention the cluttered work space. And I won't admit that what started out as pearl earrings ended up being a Southwest turquoise necklace.

MARKETING

Since opening a store on etsy, I have become one with my computer. Thankfully, my husband has a great disposition and a sense of humor. I get up in the morning, before my eyes are fully open or a cup of coffee, the computer is turned on. Between shifts at my real world job, I take the short time I have to click on and see if anything is happening. At night is when I have some real time. I am on the computer before my shoes are off!

I have my routine. First I check my etsy site, then it's off to my artfire. Next is usually Craftcult to see if I have any new hearts , or been featured anywhere (not yet), a new feature they've added. I then travel to either my blog (which hopefully is where you are), or on the etsy forums to visit. Once I have accomplished all of this, I kind of go surfing. My favorite's site is so filled with places I want to spend more time on! I wonder when my computer will go "Warning,
warning! I'm stuffed!"

Anyway, this brings me to a site I found last night. It is packed with tips by etsy sellers and for etsy sellers. I read most of the articles, but one really seemed tailored to me. It is written by AmyVanderVorste. (She owns avlor imprints, a lovely shop with banners, avatars, stationery and art prints.) The article is under the Shop Tips section, and is titled "eating a marketing elephant". Great title, Amy! It addresses the issue of scattering yourself around. She gives great tips that I intend to implement, especially the one about concentrating on one thing and perfecting it, then moving on to the next.

I don't suppose that I will give up surfing completely, but facebook, twitter etc. etc. will be on hold for a little longer. How will they survive without me! So much to do - so little time.

ETSY OR ARTFIRE

I finally got off my butt and got creative. I made new product, took and edited my photos and listed the items.

I sell on two sites right now http://busybeadlady.etsy.com/ and http://busybeadlady.artfire.com/

The dilemma for me is what to list on which sites.

I have a few good reasons to have the two sites.

Etsy was my first. Etsy is a site that has a loyal following. I love the artsy look and feel of etsy. I like the fact that I can list items for a fairly reasonable price, and pay a minimal commission when I sell an item. I think the way the etsy community connects through the forums, chats, virtual labs and treasury is wonderful. I also like the look of my store on etsy. I do find that getting noticed on etsy is a constant battle, especially for jewelry makers. At first I relisted all the time. This can become a costly proposition. It does bring you to the front of the searches, but that is only momentarily. And I don't think etsy markets itself enough.

My artfire store on the other hand lets me list as much as I wish for a monthly fee, and no commission. The searches are random. I have searched my items and sometimes they are on page 1 and other times they are on page 50. The look of the site and my store is not so artsy, but I am beginning to see many very good people putting their work on site. Also I love the fact that they let me connect back to my etsy site! I like that my item stay on the front page longer and larger, when I list an item. The community is not as tight, but I think that part is coming along. I found artfire though a magazine ad and I see their ads on many sites, so I know they are spending advertising dollars.

I try to spread my lisings to both sites. If buyers are like me, they get bored after looking at a couple of pages in a site and lose interest. Between both sites I have 72 items listed.

I don't feel compelled to love one site and hate the other, which is how many have expressed themselves on both sites. I think of it as an opportunity to reach as many people as possible.

A way to have my cake and eat it too. Besides, it gives me more places to check 20 times a day to see if I have made a sale!