Annette was innocently waiting on a bus and had a few minutes to kill so she wandered aimlessly into a local bead store.  Can you say the beginning of the end?  Well, she was immediately captured by all the shapes and colors and scooped up a few to take home.  She spoke with the woman behind the counter and added some wire and clasps and then went home to figure out how to use all the wonderful treasures she had.  After some internet searching, Annette was armed with 12 free lessons over the course of 12 weeks, but being impatient to play with her jewels, she ended up looking up info in between and ended up with her first necklace, bracelet and earrings and felt brilliant!  Her course was set and she was hooked.

When Annette is not buried in beads, she loves to sew, which she believes really launched her creative streak while making a patchwork quilt, the movies, walking, and music.  She is a homemaker that claims beading keeps her sane or insane depending on your perspective.

After really getting a feel for how jewelry was put together, Annette began selling to family and friends and was quickly encouraged to branch out and AJewell was born.  A few business cards later, and she was in business.  She currently sells at a local market stall every weekend where she not only shows off her finished treasures, but brings along her supplies so people can see her work first hand at creating a new piece.

Annette is open to help and willingly takes advice from those more experienced in either online selling or jewelry making.  She listens, researches, and then decides if the advice is worth pursuing which is a wonderful sign of a woman willing to grow in her chosen field.  She says that she makes every effort to remain positive no matter what is going on around her and has no regrets about her chosen field.  She would happily repeat the process as she knows that jewelry is what she was meant to do.

Are you ready to see what this talented lady who stumbled onto her passion while waiting for a bus can really do?  Well, she is easy to find on the HandmadeArtists as well as on her own site.  She happily shows off her creativity on Facebook here and here.

Worst case I heard of was, someone sold a flat screen TV, buyer states not as described, gives paypal proof that the buyer has send it back via giving paypal the tracking number. Paypal don’t even cares what you receive back, you don’t even have the package back yet and buyer has their money back. This seller received a wooden board back in that package. SO……that’s a reseller case…
So this reseller had to fight for month with paypal to get his/her money back which was paid to the buyer regardless what they had send back to the seller.
Tedious….unbelievable, and really wreckless of Paypal, BUT thats how it is now with paypal.

Now talking about HANDMADE, CUSTUM MADE….
If you include these words in your description, title, tags, anywhere, paypal cannot give the buyer their money back according to their own written policies! The buyer does not qualify for a refund on custom handmade items. Also, if your buyer pays for an ONE (1) item in numerous payments, in other words makes a payment schedule, the buyer does not qualify for a refund via paypals own rules and regulations – unless your item really arrives broken and is totally not as described.

There is a reason, why I have the words handmade, custom made in my descriptions and titles.

Just a lil helper in regards to handmade, custom made….it took me a while to find paypal rules and regs, its well hidden within their site….
******************************

******************  Paypal Policy:
To qualify for PayPal Purchase Protection:
·　　　　　　　　 Use PayPal to complete your payment.
·　　　　　　　　 Pay for the item with one payment.
***Items purchased with multiple payments aren’t eligible.
***
Paypal Policy:
13.3 Ineligible Items. PayPal Purchase Protection only applies to PayPal payments for certain tangible, physical goods. Payments for the following are NOT eligible for reimbursement under PayPal Purchase Protection:
Custom made items
Even if your payment is not eligible for PayPal Purchase Protection, you can file a Dispute and try to resolve the issue directly with the Seller; however, PayPal will generally not find in your favor if you escalate a Dispute to a Claim for an item which is not eligible for PayPal Purchase Protection.
***************************************************Reason I know all this, I had a case 2 years ago, which was buyers remorse, a custom, handmade order, the buyer send it back, provided paypal with tracking number and they immediately took my funds away. There was no reason, no damage, she filed claim under item not as described even though had seen pictures and approved of it all.
When I received my item back, the post office had broken it, so I was out my money plus the item, which was now unsellable (is that a word).
I fought with paypal and found that they decided this case against their own rules and regulations, which I copied and pasted and held it under their own noses so to speak, and finally won and got my money back. Took 3 month for me to get my money back. If you fax documents of any kind of proof, paypal does not even look at them. My experience!I brought out the big guns, wrote to one of paypals lawers and filed a complaint with the BBB in CA, which Paypal apparently does care about and you finally hear from paypal in some form or other. They have over 6600 complaints with the BBB in CA, that tells you something.

So, in the handmade world this is important to know………

 

Monika of Myeuropeantouch

I am John Rasmussen. I was born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, but we moved soon after that. My family lived in several different states because my father was transferred from assignment to assignment. As I grew up, I developed a love for geology and natural science. I have taught geology, then became a paramedic and started teaching emergency medical care. Now, I am retired and living in South Carolina for the past 27 years.  As I approached retirement, I started studying gemstones (gemmology) and their optical, physical and chemical properties.  I have also developed a desire to cut my own stones and then using the stone and its properties design a jewelry piece that is inspired by that stone.  I continue to learn about stones, and use this knowledge to produce gemstones, wire wrapped and silversmithed jewelry.  My art can be found at my Handmade Artists Shop.

Beverley Start was always surrounded by creativity thanks to her mom who loved both craft and music.  She currently lives in Kingston ON Canada with her girlfriend of 3 years and their furry kids.  She enjoys a quiet life writing, biking, playing guitar and coffee!  She found that as a tactile person, working with her hands was as natural as breathing; so much so that Beverly spent some time as a pastry chef at True Confections Dessert Restaurant in Vancouver BC!  She worked her magic on pastry and other confections much to the delight of her customers. Beverly also was a Plastics Research Technologist at Polymer Engineering Company…how do these two jobs work together?  Polymer clay artist!

Beverley loves the fact that clay can take on any shape or form or texture she is in the mood for.  The colors keep her eye fascinated and the results are amazing.  She did not set out on this path of poly clay artist but was given a necklace by a friend made of the stuff and she could not believe it.  After hours of YouTube videos she was off to buy clay for herself and Start’s Arts was born.

This talented artist jumped in with both feet after finding her passion for clay, selling right off the bat so that her customers could see the development of an artist as she learned and grew. Beverley sells her creations at a couple of local shops and loves to hear the praise for her growth from her customers.  She also sets up as local craft fairs so that she can get face to face feedback as well as seeing the look of awe when she explains that her treasures are not painted, but in fact created with colored clay!  There is something very rewarding about talking about your process and Beverley has turned it into an art.  She admits, however, that there is a downside to selling her treasures, and that is when she has to let a favorite piece go to its new home with its happy owner.  She admits getting attached to certain pieces as I’m sure most artists can understand.

Beverley is encouraging to all those that are thinking of joining us in selling their own handmade creations as advises them to jump into a local craft fair or two.  The face to face conversations will help you grow as an artist and provide much valuable feedback.  She also puts in a plug for joining a forum like the HandmadeArtists where feedback and encouragement from other creative people fuel the fire to create and help ground you when you are going in the wrong direction.

If you are new to Polymer Clay art or think you have seen it all, I will encourage you to check out what can come from this imaginative lady!  Think back to your younger days playing with clay and then check out what a talented artisan can do with it!  Start’s Arts is easily found on the HandmadeArtists as well as on Facebook, and Twitter.

I joined the Western South Carolina Gem and Mineral Society, Inc. which provided me with more motivation and a workshop for lapidary and jewelry making.  This began the second phase of my education in further work with gemstones.  I began lapidary, cutting cabochons and faceted stones (bought my own flat lap).  Once you have the stones, what do you do with them?  So, I started making jewelry, this started my venture into that venue and silversmithing.  About this time, my wife got interested in producing beaded pieces.  This is a perfect venue for her.  She is disabled and can design and make beaded necklaces, bracelets, etc. while sitting in her bed.

As the size of our inventory exceeded what we could send to family as presents; we established out shop online.  Handmade Artists presented the best investment.  After trying two other online shop sites, we settled on only having one shop.  We have had more contacts and sales through HA than any other venue.  You can find our shop here:  Rasmussen Gems and Jewelry LLC

We continue our exploration into the artistry of displaying our loves and passions through jewelry.  Designing pieces takes some time.  Each of our pieces is genuinely one of a kind.  We don’t use tutorials to duplicate someone else designs.  That is where we are now, we will continue to expand our knowledge and techniques.

An amazing product and bright, clear pictures are just not enough for online selling…you still have to write a description that grabs your customer and demands attention.  Why then are so many artists leaving out this important step?  Do they not realize that the customer is not standing in a shop, holding the item in their hands, turning it over and judging the size and weight for themselves?  Would you buy a piece of art having no idea if it is a miniature for a dollhouse or a work that needs a room of its own for display?  Would you purchase a piece of jewelry with no idea of the length of the chain or the size of the focal bead?

When you sit down to list your products you must think like a customer.  The most important part of your description is the part that lets the customer know the “must have” information so that they can make an informed choice which greatly lessens the risk of buyers remorse coming back at you.  What would you want to know?

Size would be at the top of the list.  This pertains to any product on the web whether it is jewelry, clothing, artwork, cards, or soap.  Your customer will not be pleased if their purchase arrives and is smaller or larger than they had pictured.  Photos can be deceiving so measure your piece and give accurate information to your potential customer in both standard and metric sizes.  Don’t ask your buyer to try to convert for themselves…the more work they have to do the less likely they are to buy from you.

What about the weight of the piece?  You made it and are used to the way that it feels.  You created your art and understand that it is deceptively heavy or light.  Give them a weight if it affects the piece.  Do you make cards that require more than one stamp to mail?  Do you make earrings that are a bit on the heavy side?  Does your painting require special support to hang?  Your customer has a right to know this before buying and there will be much less chance of buyer’s remorse down the road.

Be sure your customer knows what materials are in your piece.  Many people that purchase jewelry have metal allergies and must avoid certain things.  Don’t claim a piece is sterling silver if it is really silver plated or silver art wire!  You will do no more than damage your reputation with that customer…and an unhappy customer will have no problem spreading the word about your deception.  Be honest about the stones you use.  If it is a real gemstone then highlight the fact!  Not only will your buyer know what they are buying, but it will often times explain the higher price.  If you are unsure of what the stones are, find out or admit it.  Don’t claim to be using Swarovski crystals if you actually using Czech crystals.  It won’t take you long to run into a customer that knows the difference and they will spread the word.

What else?  Well, that really depends on what you sell.  If you are a baker and are trying to convince people to buy your latest chocolate creation then ingredients are a must to avoid allergy problems.  If your kitchen is not peanut free then say so, and if it is, then use that information to attract customers dealing with food allergies.  What about licensing and professional kitchens?  You will instill confidence if you are honest about your product.  Pets?  Sometimes this would not matter, but if you are a textile artist and your cats have a tendency to nap on your fabric then it would matter to someone with a cat allergy!  These tidbits are really art specific, but stop yourself and think about your work space and home and be sure to include pertinent information in your descriptions.

Now comes the fun part…Personality!  You are an artist and you put a piece of yourself into every piece you create so why not let that shine through in your descriptions? There is a reason you create what you do; why not let your customers in on that information?  You are not a robot so don’t sound like one when you write about your piece.  Now, before I go any farther, please do not fall into the trap of writing so “artsy” that the customer does not even know what is for sale!  Long, rambling descriptions will turn off a customer before they get half way through so edit yourself if creative writing is your downfall.  Other than that one word of warning…have fun with it!  Tell people how you came up with this idea for such a unique piece of art or even a bit about the process.  Not only will they be amazed at the effort that goes into your piece, but they will be much less likely to balk at a higher price point if they understand the hours of labor to create this treasure!  Talk up your one of a kind work so that your buyers feels like they are buying more than a card/earrings/bag/soap and are buying a piece of handmade art.

Your product descriptions are more than just a bunch of words to fill up your page; they are an important part in a buyer’s decision to purchase from you or one of the other hundreds of sellers making similar items.  If you take the time to think like a buyer you will be better able to include important information so that your customer is not left with more questions than answers.  Try it for yourself?  Snoop around various handmade sites and randomly click on different items and read for yourself.  Be critical and ask yourself if you are getting all the information you need from this seller?  Ask yourself what is missing and be sure not to make the same mistake yourself.

Selling online and getting noticed among the millions of sites around the world takes work.  Once you are found by a potential buyer you don’t want to lose them due to lack of thought.  That few minutes you take to really write informative, fun, eye catching descriptions will pay off in sales so take the few moments it requires when listing your items and think like a customer.

I went to the Jewelry section of the Handmade Artists’ Shop and perused the first 12 or 13 pages of photos.

Just for kicks, I decided to show some of the ones I found striking, some of what caught my eye:

Now this has nothing to do with actual pieces I prefer or the idea that I might not like other pieces as much. I do. But these are the ones that were photographed in such a way that I actually had to do less work to notice and see them.

I’m a lazy shopper. I think many people are inherently lazy. We as sellers need to catch their eye or we’re a lost cause. No matter how much the Handmade Artists administration tweets and Facebooks and stumbles things, no matter how many cards we hand out, no matter how much we blog, no matter if we shout from the rooftops, no matter how many hits we get, if our photos don’t really show our wares well, no one’s going to be drawn in.

Take an example from a marketing giant: Coca-Cola. Good ol’ Coke. Look at these product photos:

Bold, bright, clear. Instantly, you know what they’re selling and you see nothing but.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with props accompanying products in photos. But they should make sense and not be distracting. I know for a fact I have one photo that doesn’t work as well as the others. Look at the difference between this:

Coffee Soap

and this:

Garden Party Soap

See?

Then, descriptions. I’ve seen so many items in the Handmade Artists’ Shop that have no description. Or descriptions of just a few words, a phrase or one sentence.  Short, non-descriptive descriptions are also incredibly frustrating for me. If I click on a photo, it’s because I’m interested in finding out more about the item. If there isn’t anything more to learn, I’m disappointed. And I click off the item. We both know I’m not the only one.

Descriptions that are misspelled and that use poor grammar also drive people crazy. It’s a turn-off. I honestly will be less inclined to frequent a shop with poor spelling and grammar than one that’s more professional. By the way, I’m fairly certain that misspelled words and poor grammar are bad for SEO, since search engines pick up the text in descriptions, and no one will find you if they’re properly spelling “silver” and you’ve got the typo “sliver.”

We are in business, people. Yes, we are creative, we’re artists, we’re crafters. But unless we’re just doing this for our own edification and our friends and family, we are in business. We can never forget that. There’s a reason advertising agencies can command the prices they do, as well as graphic artists, marketing companies, and branding specialists. It’s because they’re necessary and they work.

Most of us don’t have the money for that. We’re not Coke. We do, however, have tools at our disposal. We have cameras, maybe light tents and some decent lights. We can have some photo editing software, even something free like Gimp. Use what you have.

There’s a reason most product photographers use tricks of the trade to achieve the results they desire, even for something as simple and innocuous as supermarket circulars. Did you know that when you see a cooked turkey in a circular, the actual turkey being photographed has not been cooked? Cooking is too unpredictable. That turkey has been painted. Yes, painted.

Now, I’m not telling you to be deceptive about your products. I’m telling you that cropping a photo well to remove a distracting object in the background is a good idea. Using photo editing software is not unethical if you’re simply cleaning the dust off a velvet backdrop or making the colors in the photo more true to the actual object that’s sitting in your kitchen.

We are in business. That has to be in your head at all times. You know your work is wonderful. Probably everyone who comes into physical contact with it tells you the same thing. But on a website, no one’s right there, touching it, trying it on, smelling it, feeling it, examining it.  Their only contact is that tiny thumbnail in a sea of thumbnails. Make yours pop, draw the shopper in, and you’ll see an improvement. I’d bet on it.

Written by Reef Botanicals

Fran was always a creative soul, learning to crochet from her Grandmother at 5 years old. This creative spirit continued into high school when she was hired to make all the school’s choir performance outfits.  She has even pulled off the ultimate sewing coup and created several wedding dresses as well as the wedding party dresses for friends…now, why didn’t I have a friend like this when I was getting married?  Her gift of sewing and crochet, often making up her own pattern, has never left her and she continues to create wonderful keepsakes for babies of her friends and family.

Fran has also tried her hand at tatting, cross stitch, woodworking, and quilting; but fell head over heals for Polymer Clay.  She has created the most darling wedding cake toppers (again, where was she when I was getting married!) as well as Christmas ornaments.

Fran loves being surrounded by her huge family; 30 nieces and nephews as well as hundreds of cousins, since retiring from a government law enforcement agency.  While working, she even created a “crafting bunch” at work!  She started by bringing her work into lunch with her to work on during her break and soon after others followed along bringing whatever projects they were working on at the time.  Soon, the table would be covered by a variety of crafts coming together as they ate and chatted.

This talented lady’s retirement was a bittersweet event.  She shares that 18 months ago she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer and has been going through continued treatment with her family and 3 Long Haired Chihuahuas by her side.  This has not stopped Fran’s creative spirit by any means; instead she drags her craft supplies with her to Chemotherapy…even selling her treasures to nurses and patients!

Because of her illness, Fran is no longer able to deal with the stress and work of doing face to face selling at local craft fairs or working in her local crafter’s mall so she has joined us in online selling and the HandmadeArtists are thrilled to have her!  Fran says that her favorite part of selling her handmade creations is sharing her love with other people, and the hardest part is pricing her work!  She still is encouraging to others that want to break into the handmade marketplace themselves telling them to “take advantage of every opportunity to share links with other crafters and list your items everywhere you possibly can.” Fran admits that getting found in this vast market is not always easy, but it can be done and once a customer has a good experience with you, they will tell their friends and you are off and running.

Are you ready to see what this intensely talented lady with an amazing positive outlook on life can create given the chance?  Well, she is easy to find on the HandmadeArtists as well as on her own website.  She can also be found on Etsy and Artfire.

The weather’s turning nicer all the time; summer is coming! You think, “I’ve been to all these arts and crafts festivals and everyone seems to do so well. I should do an arts and crafts show – after all, my things are just as good – no, better – than those other people. I’ll make a killing!”

Whoa!!! There are lots of things to consider before your send in that first check for your very first street show.  To get the most return on your investment in yourself (your booth fee), here are some things to consider:

1.  What’s your inventory worth?  Seriously!  At your asking price, if you have a complete sell out, how much money would be in your pocket?  A couple hundred dollars?  A couple thousand?  This figure is going to have a huge impact on what you’re willing to pay for a booth.  If your total inventory is worth $500, you’re not going to want to pay a $475 booth fee.  There’s no guarantee that you’ll sell anything at an arts and crafts festival.  I’ve found a good rule of thumb is 10% of what I have on hand is the maximum you want to pay for a booth.

2.  What are the demographics of your target market?  You could spend boatloads of time and/or huge amounts of money doing market research to determine that your buyers are going to be 25 -50 year old single adults with a median income of $150,000 a year.  But you’re an artist, not a demographer!  You should have a really good idea of who wants your products.  Here’s your starting point…  who are you?  I would hope what you’re making appeals to you!  You’re a certain age/gender/income.  Your product probably appeals to other people in that same group or one very similar.  Maybe you’re the right age and gender, but honestly, you couldn’t afford to buy your pieces.  Consider how that group might expand to the general population.  Just by thinking about your creations objectively, you can get a pretty good idea of the demographics of your prospective buyers.

3.  Do you already  own or can you afford to acquire tables, displays and a canopy?  There are lots of shows that don’t require a canopy, but exhibiting without one leaves you completely vulnerable to the elements (wind, rain, blistering heat).  If you don’t own them, could you borrow or rent them?  Shows typically do not supply any of these items and you certainly don’t want to throw a blanket on the lawn and call it good!

4.  Do you have a way to move all of your items and equipment from where it is now to the show location?  All of those beautiful stained glass lamps you make may not fit in your Mini Cooper!

5.  Are you physically able to put in one or more incredibly long days by yourself?  Each show’s hours of operation will be different.  For conversation sake, let’s say you want to do a two-day show that’s open 9 AM – 7 PM daily.  You’ll need to arrive at the location at least 2 hours early on the first day to set up your booth, so your first day will actually be 7AM – 7PM or twelve hours.  Day 2, you’ll be able to arrive later, but at 7PM you will need to pack all your remaining items, collapse all your displays, and travel home.  In a total of 36 hours time, you will work at least 24 of those hours.

Fused Glass artist Robert McLeod at the 2011 Cedar City Summer Arts Festival

6.  Do you have some expense money available to purchase supplies such as bags and business cards?

Are you completely discouraged?  I really hope not!  By the time you get through this list, you will know what your ceiling is on the booth fee, what your target market looks like, how you’re going to display your items, how you’re going to transport them, and how much of a show you’d like to try.  Maybe you’ve even recruited a friend to take on this adventure with you!

My next article will discuss taking all this information and picking a show just right for you.

By iKnitQuiltSew

This is my story….

A few weeks ago, I received a message from a client requesting a pair of simple earrings to match the bracelet she purchased. Without hesitation, I agreed to make a pair for her and she knew I did not offer earrings in my shop, nor was it my specialty.

Later that same day, I sent her an email letting her know I shipped her bracelet, along with a few pictures of the earrings. She liked them, they were exactly the length she was looking for and she couldn’t wait until her package arrived.

‘The next week the same customer sent me an email, stating how she loved her bracelet, and the earrings. She has received all kinds of compliments, which made her feel terrific and she was very pleased with everything.

The question was… Why do you create?  I create to share the joy, the excitement, and hopefully bring a smile to someone’s face. Not only for a day or a week but also for years to come.  Even now, I think about how excited she was and I begin to smile.

⌘⌘⌘⌘ ⌘⌘⌘⌘ ⌘⌘⌘⌘

Handmade Artists create for different reasons. Some feel compelled, some for a loved one, some to inspire others, some create only on the weekends, and some… well just because.  Whatever your reason is, everyone has his or her own unique story.  Now I am going to ask the question… Why do you create? Leave a comment below and share your story with us.

Thank you for visiting and have an inspirational day.  Cari

I also wrote a post on my blog about this article click HERE to read my blog!

Check out these tips for more inspiration.

 Written by Cari Baker aka CrochetHooked

You have until 6 pm EST on April 2nd to enter. All you need to do is comment on her blog. So take a peak and  good luck!

We at the Handmade Artists’ Shop love doing these giveaways as we truly want the help up and coming artists to be successful. Not having to deal with the overhead of a shop, is just one less thing to worry about. Granted $5.00 a month is not much, but still free is always better. So good luck again, and we look forward to meeting our latest free shop winner next week.

Linda as always a creative person who has always had her hands in something.  Her mother taught her to crochet and she quickly created an abundance of pot holders, scarves, leg warmers and even a dog sweater-while she claims it wasn’t the prettiest dog sweater around it was wearable which is better than I could do!  She advanced to afghans and then added cross-stitch, knitting, sewing, latch work, acrylic and oil painting and woodworking which held her attention for quite some time…over 20 years in fact!

When Linda is not up to her elbows in crafts, she works for Homeland Security and spends time with her family.  She is a wife and mother of 2 and grandmother of 4.  I have a feeling if her husband wants to see her he probably has to visit her in her craft room!  When he does get her away from her creations, she loves to play outdoors whether it is hiking, gardening or working on remodeling their home.  She even claims to have two “non-yapping”Chihuahuamixes…though that I would have to see to believe.

With this busy schedule and an ever growing collection of jewelry, Linda quickly found that she would have to start selling and MixedKreations was born.  She set out to do a few craft shows, but with time constraints found that may not be the best way to get her name out there.  She still plans on doing a few, but hopes to make her primary living selling online.  She spent hours building her own website and is experimenting with various venues to get herself and her work seen.  She admits that it has been a learning process far beyond creating beautiful things…marketing, photography, and social networking are not comfortable places for Linda; but if she is one thing she is persistent!  She has joined us on HandmadeArtists and become an important part of our community…in her words, “I feel like I’m not alone anymore.”

Linda loves it when that perfect buyer finds that perfect treasure; almost like someone else has a piece of you that they will enjoy wearing as much as she enjoyed creating it.  Her dream would be to eventually do her jewelry art full time.  Her advice, based on her own growing experience, to anyone that want to jump into a handcrafted business is to stop and think real hard…are they willing to put in long hours on creating as well as marketing?  If so, research, research, research!  See what others are doing and make yours better!  Read everything you can get your hands on about SEO, marketing, social networking, branding, etc.  This is not for the faint of heart and the hours can take their toll, but the rewards are so worth it.

So are you ready to see what this talented lady that began with a dog sweater and moved into amazing jewelry can create?  Well, she is easy to find on HandmadeArtists of course and there is plenty to read and drool over on her own Website.  Linda can also be found on Twitter and LinkedIn as well as StumbleUpon as well as follow her on FaceBook.  Linda has submitted a few articles and even written some tutorials…I told you she was busy!

We all know commitments are important, But do you realize just how important they are to your future integrity as an artist and entrepreneur?  If you promise a customer a piece will ship and should arrive next Friday, when Friday comes and goes and no package how many times can you make an excuse before it escalated and you had to refund the money? Now you lost a sale and all future business from that customer.  And I would bet they would tell their story to anyone that would listen, that’s  not a way to win in this competitive marketplace.

I am writing the post because I committed to be a regular contributor to the Handmade Artist Blog. The wonderful founders of this terrific site are way overworked and asked for writers. They are smart enough to know this has grown so large and at such a fast pace they can’t do it all.  I am committed to writing two posts a month and I don’t want to let them  or myself down.Shows are a huge commitment!  If you show up unprepared with  ill done art jewelry do you think you will be asked to return?

I think as entrepreneurs we need to stop, take a breath, and  ask ourselves if we can do everything we are committing to in a timely manner and with excellence, before we take on more.

We owe it to ourselves to meet our obligations. If we don’t we can only blame ourselves if we feel stressed and overworked. My paycheck depends on my willingness to meet my deadlines. If I don’t show up for an art show my entry fees are lost,no refunds. And I miss an opportunity to sell my art. Not to mention the negative feedback hurts my credibility. In our high tech world word spreads fast. Remember you can’t pay at the grocery store or the utility company with good intentions.

I know it’s hard, but be good to yourself, don’t let yourself get over extended and stressed out. You will not help anyone if you don’t follow through. No one does their best work when they are stressed. I owe myself and my customers my very best, don’t you? Now, I better get busy:)

I will be creating lots of original pieces like these to take to the art shows. These are past works, all sold or gifted. If you would like to see more of my work please visit my HAS shop Nancy’s WildWireArt

Thanks for visiting our blog!

Nancy Pace

Born and raised in Germany, I have been an artist all my life and worked with a lot of different mediums; been a mosaic artist for 9 years now. I specialize in doing mosaics using a style referred to as “Pique Assiette or Tesserae” This process involves transforming vintage china/porcelain plates into artistic designs that are always one of a kind and my own.

About me, the Artist: Growing up in Germany shortly after WWII; watching my parents re-use, re-cycle, re-invent – my involvement in the arts developed very early at about 5 years of age. Trying to make new candles from candle stumps – melting them on my little doll cooking stove, using simple yarn for candle wicks; (almost burned the house down) clothing my dolls by sewing, crocheting, knitting and cross stitch. Creating clay vases, paint and draw in my family’s home in Germany to now creating/working in my home in Florida. My interests and talents have evolved over time. Any type of art has been a constant presence in my life.

After all this experimenting with my very diverse talents I have grown into and have a very addictive desire to create MOSAIC, done from precise cut/nipped vintage fine bone china/porcelain plates, paired with stained glass mosaic, vintage jewelry and other tidbits and baubles. My tools are Glass Nippers, Wheeled Cutters, Glue, Grout and Sealer; sometimes paint. I create from my thoughts, feelings and inspirations around me. I reclaim/re-invent unwanted items from various sources and breathe new life/usefulness in them, create functional, fabulous, or whimsy Mosaic Art. Never having attended a class/course for mosaic I can be called self taught. Every new piece I create is a discovery and revelation for me. I have sold many pieces of my mosaic art since I started 8 years ago. Some of my works are also displayed locally, including being invited and voted to be the Visual Artist at our Classical Concert Series. On commissioned Mosaic Art I always work with the client and involve them in “Their” Art Piece. I invite you to have a closer look, please, as I do use precise cut, nipped bone china porcelain plates that otherwise would have been dispersed off and give it a new life in form of a mosaic art piece. I have sold and shipped all over the world, Hong Kong, Australia, Bahrain, Great Britain to name a few. And of course all over the United States.

Myeuropeantouch

What is Article Marketing?

It is the process of using short articles, usually between 400 – 700 words, for publication and distribution by other websites and off-line publishers, typically free of charge.

How Can Article Marketing Help Your Handmade Business?

1. Develops Your Expert Position – Article marketing can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field whether it be jewelry making, crocheting, or metal art. As you share your knowledge with your audience they will come to know you as the ‘go to’ person when they have a question.
2. Exposure – The more places your ideal market can find you, the more paths to your shop or blog, the higher your traffic will be. Each article you write creates a separate trail someone can follow back to you – and become your customer. Think of it as a spider web. Your shop is the heart of the web and the various paths to the center are your marketing efforts – article marketing being one.
3. Approval – When you publish your article on someones site this serves as validation or an introduction to that person’s audience, making them more receptive to your message.

Article Marketing Tips:

• Spell check your work. Even if you’ve read it forwards and backwards use the spell checker. After you do that, read your work once again and if possible get someone else to read your work.
• Be sure your article is between 400 – 700 words.
• Take time to do some keyword research before you write your article.
• Add a keyword to your title and in the first sentence or paragraph of your article.
• Check the sites terms on in-article links to see if links to your shop or blog are allowed.
• Use white-space. Reading online is different so short paragraphs with 2-3 sentences are ideal.
• Using numbered or bulleted lists makes it easier to skim the article.

Article Marketing Tools:

• Squidoo.com – an easy to use Web 2.0 article submission site. I’ve been using this platform since 2007 and the traffic to my blog from my articles is consistent. It is a fairly easy system to learn, using modules that you drag and drop into your page. It also has a very good community of authors and mentors. Last week they launched a new magazine called So Crafty where they highlight craft articles. Coming soon they will be offering artist spotlights where they highlight the art of a featured author.
• Hubpages.com – similar to the previous article submission site plus many who write on Squidoo write here as well. I’ve only submitted one article to this site but I’ve heard positive things about fellow writers article marketing efforts.
• Wizzley.com – this site was made by a number of authors who have used the previous two sites and so the platform is very similar. Their writing standards are superb and I highly respect the owners of the site. They are always willing to help new writers.

Article marketing is for any business owner who wants to drive more traffic to their site, establish themselves as experts, and gain access to new audiences. Your potential customers are out there looking for the next hot crafty skill; make sure you show up in the right place at the right time by creating great articles and sprinkling them throughout the web.

Sara Duggan is an avid blogger of all things crochet. She is known as Momwithahook on Squidoo where she shares her patterns,   book reviews, and other crafty knowledge. Visit her at http://momwithahook.blogspot.com or http://saraduggan.com sign up for her monthly newsletter and ask her how you can build your own Squidoo page for your small business or blog.

” Hard work spotlights the character of people.. some turn up their sleeves.. some turn up their noses.. some don’t turn up at all ” ..
Share the L ~ O ~ V ~ E .. hugz.. KaT

Thanks for looking,

John

She fell in love with it and ordered one .

I started out cleaning up this teapot, sanded, ruffed it up a bit to prepare it to take a white primer and paint. Before that I removed the finial on top of the lid, drilled a hole, marked the bottom where I would drill the hole for the threaded hollow rod to go thru all the way to the top. I secured the threaded hollow rod with washers and nuts.

After primer and paint where dry, I then cut up vintage bone china plate rims with my tile nippers, added stained glass pieces which were also cut over and over again until the fit to the curved body just right and glue them to the body with thin set.

There, one side done, proceeded to the other side, and partially the bottom, and stained glass around the rim. One can see part of the teapot that is not mosaiced yet, just the white paint. The thin set needs to dry for quite some time before I can go on to the grouting of the entire teapot body.

After usually at least a week the mosaic on the teapot is ready for grouting. The grout just has to be the right consistence to get into all the nooks and cranny’s. I let it sit for about an hour until I wipe the grout overflow of the teapot body with a wet sponge. Then it will sit again for a while until I wipe the grout film of the stained glass and fine bone china pieces cut from plate rims to make everything shiny. I wait a few more days normally before I seal this mosaic on the teapot body with a tile sealer. My client needed this in a hurry for a gift so I sped up some of the process a bit to help her out, by using a hair dryer.

Here we go all done so far…

The lid was then covered in thin set and glue to build it up a bit, I then set in all the clay roses, vintage rhinestone brooches, cameos, pretties and baubles which would dry within the thin set/glue and be secured.
In the meantime I made the lamp shade, finished it up with tear drop pearl trim and an old fashioned Rhinestone Earring. I threaded the electrical cord thru the hollow metal rod and connected the cord to the actual light kit and mounted it on the top of the hollow rod. Put a light bulb in, yep it works, all good….Topped of the spout with a Crystal Chnadelier Tear Drop and a Rose.

Here is the finished project and my client was very happy, which in turn pleased me and made me happy.

Handmade Teapot Lamp Decor, formerly silver plated. An exquisite presentation, loved previously – to remain now a treasure for the next 50 years in your home perhaps?

I sanded, primed and painted this teapot in a cottage white color and then sealed it. This timeless classic, I then adorned the lid with handmade clay roses, vintage antique Jewelry and bling, meticulously laid on this teapot. The handmade clay roses and leaves I arranged so to give the impression they are climbing from the lid. A chandelier Prism hangs gracefully from the spout accompanied by a lil rose.
A classic Cameo, who you might usually find on a sweaters and blouses, settles on the lid and some on the belly of this Teapot.
I am quite pleased with the outcome of this reclaimed Teapot.
An abundance of Shabby, Cottage Chic… A treasure for a Victorian, beach, cottage, shabby, Paris home or Apartment.
I do accept custom orders, please contact me.

Mosaic Art by Myeuropeantouch

I prefer natural methods over harsh chemicals when it does start to tarnish.
Believe it or not any tomato based product like ketchup or tomato sauce does a
great job,it’s not fast but it works well. Dab some on the copper and let it set
a couple of minutes,then rinse in cool water. It may need to be repeated on
stubborn tarnish and you can also rub with an old T-shirt or soft brush to help
remove it,then rinse again. Buff with a soft cloth and it should be bright and clean.

My favorite method is lemon juice or vinegar.Dip or squirt it on, let it sit a
few seconds rub with a soft cloth or brush(baby toothbrush) if it is very
stubborn add a little salt and rub lightly. Rinse well,pat dry and buff to a nice
glowing patina.

Which ever method you chose,always be sure to completely dry the piece before you
place it back in the bag and remove as much air as you can when you close the
bag.If your jewelry has stones avoid getting the cleaning solution on
those, especially pearls, shell, and opal, any dyed or treated stones too.

I was thinking and decided to try a twisted wire project.  I took three strands of 18 gauge round soft copper wire and twisted them together into one strand.  Showing this to my wife, she said, why don’t you use silver.  I would like something done with this in silver.  I took three strands of 21 gauge square half hard sterling silver wire and twisted them in a similar manner.  When I show this to Debora, she asked what I was going to do and I replied that I was thinking of a twisted drop with a stone set in the bottom loop.  She asked to select the stone, and she selected a 6 mm round peridot.  That set the size and shape of the stone and setting.

The twisted wire was formed into the basic shape, then the top was wrapped with 21 gauge half round Argentium sterling silver wire to form the bail.  A precast head was soldered into the loop with hard silver solder.  The entire piece was then pickled, hand polished and tumbled to a high gloss polish.  The prongs were notched with a square fine file, and the peridot was set into the silver setting.  We have a finished pendant:

These last to views are from the back and the extreme left side.  Overall, the effect of the twisted wire accents the entire design.

Can you Believe it's a Jewlelry box?

Where do you keep these pieces of adornment?  Do you have a jewelry box?  Do you spend a lot of time and money on jewelry only to have it all over the house?  Perhaps, the top of your dresser is loaded with these treasures and trinkets.  “No, I have a jewelry box,” you say in protest.  But let’s be honest, is it organized?  Is it just as nice as your jewelry?  Was it handed down from your great-grandmother or your grandmother?  Is it as great an heirloom as some of your pieces of jewelry?  Is the quality worthy of your treasures?  I pose all these questions because I know a secret– handmade jewelry boxes!  “So what?” you ask.  Here’s the “so what.” These aren’t just any jewelry boxes.  Read on…

Nestled in Cincinnati, Ohio is RDC (Ramon Design Concepts) Woodworking.   Ramon is the artist who creates these wooden jewelry fortresses.  The boxes are exquisite, unique, exotic and some are just downright cute!  There is nothing typical about RDC’s jewelry boxes.  The designs are mind-blowing and the only thing you can say is WOW!  How did he do that?

The Zebra Jewelry Box

The first jewelry box that was sold was made of tiger wood.  The customer was so excited, she looked at her granddaughter and said, “You can help me take my jewelry out of the plastic bags and put them in my new jewelry box!”  I cringed at the words “plastic bags.”  However, I applauded the customer for the serious upgrade.

I doubt if the little girl knew that one day she may own that same jewelry box.   It will have monetary value and a sentimental value that will be priceless.  That little girl will have fond memories of helping her grandmother to place treasures of adornment in a little tiger striped box that brought so much joy.

This is called Queen of the Nile

That’s the aim of RDC’s creations.  We design and create works of art that are functional, beautiful, and intended to become heirlooms that will be proudly passed down with sweet stories and precious memories from generation to generation.  Most of all, these wooden beauties are one-of-a-kind.  So the little girl in this story will have a jewelry box as unique as her memories.

In order to create my art, I first cut the stone that will go in the piece, then design around that.  Here are two stones cut in the lapidary in the past week.  The first is a piece of Lapis Lazuli about 2.5 inches long and it is very heavy.  Will probably use it in a horizontal position in a necklace.  Way too large for a ring.

The second is a free form cabochon made with “Pudding” jasper.  Feel free to change the adjective ‘dding’ to anything that you think describes the stone.

I will wait, but am currently working on a mixed metal pendant (gold and silver) with a highly included rutilated quartz *16 mm round faceted stone.  Another project is a ring to ask Debbie to marry me “again” next October on our anniversary. A friend is cutting this as I certainly can not do it in my shop.  Any way, that is the news so far for the day after Thanksgiving.

John

I just wanted to share with you a short contest I just ran on my facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ShendoeCeramics) that was super fun and easy for my friends.  I was just about 16 people shy of my 2011 goal of having 400 fans, so I ran a contest asking for existing fans to share my site and if one of their friends became the 400th fan, then both of them would get one of my handmade porcelain necklaces.  It worked wonderfully and in two days I had my winners!  To say thank you to all of my friends on Facebook for participating, I gave them a coupon code for my etsy ( FRIENDS11 ).

Just thought I would share this idea with all of you … feel free to use the coupon code and join my FB page.

Thanks for being part of the handmade community,

shen…

www.shendoe.etsy.com

One of the things that make handmade jewelry so appealing is that no two pieces are ever identical. Even if you purchase a piece that has been made several times, it will still be different from the others like it simply because you cannot exactly duplicate handmade design.

In addition, many people who create handmade jewelry opt for pieces that are less common than what is traditionally worn. This allows those wearing the jewelry to create a look that is individual to them and will never end up being just another part of the crowd.

Handmade jewelry is also popular because it is often so affordable. Where some pieces may cost an enormous amount, handmade jewelry is often considered to be less expensive. You are paying for the materials and the person’s time creating a one-of-a-kind piece and that is appealing to many.

The simple fact is that there are plenty of reasons to love handmade jewelry. Whether it be the look or the cost, you are certain to find your own reason to love it.