Websites, Webhosting and Photography, OH MY

Do you want your own website? Are you confused about what came first the chicken or the egg? Me too!! It took me a year of digging so here are the steps I took to be able to open my own store cheap but with all the features I needed.
I have been designing and producing jewelry and fiber products for a few years now and had a shop on Etsy.com. That experience gave me the opportunity to break into the Internet marketing plane, something I was a little shy about for a while. I had some wholesale accounts but wanted to make this a full item occupation rather than burning the midnight oil in addition to a full time job. So I opened a little shop there. It took me 2 years to get up the courage to plunge into my own website. I am pretty much computer hostile so it took me some time to see that it might just have some benefits. I am science minded and have to analyze everything so first of course I had to do some research.
First I had to have the thing designed. I looked at other sites and came to a decision on the basic design I wanted. Something simple, not garish or trendy and I knew I did NOT want anything to dance or sing on my pages. My taste in music is not for everyone and I have left many sites because of the music or some dancing woman, flashing stuff, glitter all that stuff distracts me and makes me dizzy. I am 50, not 12; this is jewelry not dolls; so I don’t want cartoons on my pages. I love earth tones, despise neon, etc… So I had the basic concept, what next?
The next logical step is to find someone to do it for me because although I said I was computer hostile, I am really just inept! So I had to find someone to do it for me…

Falling Leaves

In honor of my new website and my love for the fabulous Fall in New England I have created this new set. It was created with genuine gemstones, pearls, vintage Lucite and gold. You can see more about it at my new website http://www.divelladelights.com/. If you go by please sign the guestbook!

More Crocheted jewelry

With or without the bead? I make 2 basic styles of these crocheted bracelets, one with a center focal bead and one without. I crochet them with heavy duty nylon cord (they can even get wet) and high quality Japanese seed beads. You will not see any of those craft store beads in my work. I am sure I can get them cheaper somewhere else but I prefer to get them locally so I can see them. I have been disappointed in buying them on line before, not quite as nice as the photos. The Raku beads are by Keith O'Connor, a Maine artisan; and the lampwork beads are all artisan created, one of a kind, for the most by Generations Lampwork in Massachusetts although I do buy from other artisans from time to time. Certainly I could get cheap imitations or glass beads made by the thousands but I prefer to offer one of a kind quality pieces to each of my customers. When a piece leaves my studio I want to know that it will bring years of lasting pleasure. I have had the unfortunate experience of buying jewelry in the past only to have it fall apart, literally the first time I wore it. It is so disappointing. I have never had a piece of jewelry returned as of yet for anything other than lengthening. Oops, that is not true. I had one piece returned that was one of the very first pieces I made and 2 years later it came back. I repaired it free of charge of course using the materials I use now, professional grade rather than than the "beginner's" supplies. I have learned a lot creating. I use my daughters for field testing when I come up with a new design. I also use my 5 year old granddaughters like when I began making the crocheted bracelets! I thought if they could survive those active little girls they could survive just about anything!

Etsy.com Shopping

These are my latest pieces using those wonderful handmade lampwork beads by Generations Lampwork, you can find them at http://www.generationslampwork.etsy.com/

Cruise around the Etsy site while you are there, they have so many wonderful and truly unusual items ranging from conservative to truly bizarre and it's all handmade. There are many ways to browse there, there are categories and sub-categories; you can even shop by color or geographical location. You can support the arts in your own community by using the " shop locally" button. They really make it very easy to find that special item you have searched long and hard for. Etsy.com has so many talented folks. One word of advise...cheaper does not always give you the best deal BUT sometimes it does. There are some very talented Etsiers who sell their goods as a hobby only to be able to buy more materials so they sell their wares cheaper than someone who depends on the income. They are very good and the quality is wonderful. When shopping for gemstone jewelry keep in mind that there are different grades of gems and this has a lot to do with pricing. For instance, when I first began incorporating gems into my pieces I was purchasing my pearls through a distributor I found on line and the quality was not very good but they were cheap, sometimes $1.00 for a 16 inch strand. I quickly switched to a local distributor who was considerably higher, but so then was the quality. The same was true with gemstones. I sell mostly wholesale now as I have found several fine jewelry stores here in Maine that do very well with my gemstone line. If you visit my site you will notice that I have a blurb on the front page about discounts. This is yet another way prices fluctuate on Etsy. Sometimes local contracting issues can demand prices be set higher on line to those areas served by local shops. I have another shop at http://www.divellasfibers.etsy.com/ where I can sell at wholesale as I have none of these items in jewelry stores.

I have noticed the same bracelets for more than double the prices using the exact same seed beads and no lampwork; they probably have local contracting they have to price for. I have also noticed prices less expensive but the beads look more like craft store beads. It just depends what you are looking for. Please remember that just because someone has prices set higher does NOT mean they are ripping you off. It could just mean that they have little control over the prices they set. Also when talking about lampwork...I use only original handmade lampwork beads by local artisans. They are going to be more expensive than mass produced beads but they are worth considering. I sell my jewelry made with these at table events and fairs and always get a LOT of compliments on the beads. To me they are worth the extra expense. Just make sure they are "kiln annealed" as this process produces a very hard, nearly unbreakable bead. Trust me on this one! I have dropped them on my tile floor and held my breath. I have been fortunate none have broken. One does have to keep in mind they are made of glass and treat them accordingly.

The only other thing this time around as far as Etsy shopping goes is pay attention to the total cost with shipping. Sometimes the shipping is pretty high and sometimes the shipping is free but the item is higher. So, visit Etsy and have a look around. Come back and let me know what you think.

Selling my wares

OK so I needed to make myself something to go a-marketing in because I wanted to be able to wear both the styles I do...black pants, green sweater...what do you think? I am making some bobs this morning to complete the set. The bracelet is a little big for me, I did not get the idea until I crocheted it. I will have to make myslef another to fit. I am on my way down the coast of Maine and to Cambridge and surrounding areas. I have been told by several women that live down there that I need to go to Harvard Square so here I come! I am really hoping to get at least 3 accounts between Maine and Mass. My sweetie bought me a very nice black leather jewelers case to travel with, much nicer than plastic bags. Wish me luck!

Cheap imports vs. Handcrafted

After reading this through please drop some feedback to the questions at the end of this post.

I decided to give this a try. Each day I am going to list one item at 1/2 price and change the item every day so that the item is on sale for one day only. I am hoping to encourage folks to stop by and see what is on sale for that day which will also keep people aware of what's new. The thing is that because of an agreement with the jewelry stores I deal with I have to list the retail price at my on line site. The crocheted items because I don't sell those to the jewelry store yet I can list at wholesale which I already do so those will not be included in the sales. For the bracelets like the one pictured I get on the average $25.00 and they take about an hour to do including stringing time. The basic bracelets are at $23.00 and they go up to $33.00 if they have some sort of spendy lampwork in them.

Some have asked me why I don't use commercial lampwork as my prices could be lower. I prefer to support other artisans knowing how difficult this market is with all the cheap imports available. Also, I want to give my clients the best product I can produce and something they are not going to see on anyone else at the next affair they attend. But it is difficult at best to compete with "made in..."Even on a very popular high end street in Boston the answer I got to most places I went is that they can get it imported a lot cheaper and still sell close to the same price and make 4-9 times their investment rather than just keystone. There are those out there who prefer better products such as the ones made by artisans here in the good old USA. It is just a matter of finding out how to get our goods out there to them. Jewelry is difficult to photograph well and pros cost over $100.00 per hour which at this point is too much for the likes of me! I sell very well when I can get it into the consumers hands, when they can see the quality of my work and materials I use. The jewelry store here in Waterville, Maine has purchased over $3500 from me since the middle of last October and she has sold all but a very few pieces so I know there are buyers out there for what I do. Generations Lampwork http://www.generationslampwork.etsy.com told me that she does not make much jewelry anymore because she has to compete with the cheap, mass manufactured imports. It really is a shame as she does exquisite work. I am sure the same is true with many in her field. Still, as I said there are those out there who would rather have something unique, original and handcrafted. Where are they and how do we show them our wares is the question. On line is good for some things but like I said getting good photos of jewelry is hard and it can be expensive.

I would like some feedback on these questions:

1. Would you rather have an item that was handcrafted and more unique or something less expensive that everyone can own?

2. For those who have purchased handcrafted jewelry online, what factors went into your decision to make the purchase on an item you have not actually held in your hand?

Poppy Jasper and Carnelian Creation

OK Here it is. This set is stunning. You know, I usually get one of these sets done on a day. I am in my studio at 8:00AM and wrap up for the day at 5:30PM. After supper I do my crocheted pieces in the living room while I watch a little TV with my sweetie. So in a full work day I can get everything done except the clasps because after I weave everything I put a drop or two of G-S Hypo on the knots and let them set overnight just to be sure everything is wrapped up good and tight. This set took my 3 days only because I was so amazed by the colors in each little nugget of the Poppy Jasper. To see it in person this set is just gorgeous. I have put it on line although I am not really sure I want to sell this one. I told myself I would give it 5 days and see what happens. Then, it's mine! I have yet to keep a set I have made. I keep telling myself I will and then someone wants it so I part with it.
I am so grateful to be able to so this for work. I left my full time "day job" to pursue this passion. I began this line of work in a rather odd way. I knit hand made, felted bags and thought it would be fun if I put some beaded embellishments on them so I picked up some craft store beads and such. I had some left over after a bag and thought I would see if I could produce a piece of jewelry. Now, I am the type of gal who likes to have matching earrings for every outfit so after I made the first pair I bought some more beads and was introduced to Swarovski crystals by a friend so I got some of those. Time went on and I came up with a design for a bracelet that I really loved. I took them to a jewelry store and the wonderful store owner bought some and suggested I look into doing this design with gems and pearls. That frightened me a little because of the cost involved but I gave it a try. This series is the result of that and I was hooked. Meanwhile he had gone to Hawaii where he winters. I took them to a local jewelry store and she bought them and has continued to purchase from me. She ran out twice the week before Christmas and all total she has purchased over $3200.00 of my designs since mid October of last year. When I went to see her 2 weeks ago she told me it had been really dead in the store and the only items she has sold are my creations! WOW! What a compliment that was, and she bought more. She sells them at a fairly high price, double what I get.
I am truly blessed to be able to do this. I guess I would say I am successful as I define it, although I still need to do a lot of marketing to be able to support myself. I have a passion for what I do and God has given me the talent it seems opportunity to do it. Things are getting a little tight now as far as money goes. With Summer coming and Bob opening for the season next month things should get better. I am really excited to be able to show him the results if his suggestions! Well, Off I go again to see what I can come up with next!

In need of marketing tips

This is another one of those beautiful shells made by Generations Lampwork at http://www.generationslampwork.etsy.com. The remainder of the bracelet is made with pearls, Avenurtine, green Quartz, gold, and Swarovski crystals. This is my signature design and one that I have been quite successful with. The local jewelry store sells them like crazy and has been steady with the sales since I began my account with them last October but I need a few more stores like this one. I enjoy making these although each piece takes me about an hour and a half. I love to do one of a kind items. The jewelry store marketing is a little difficult as they seem to want to have items that can be reordered. I can't or I guess won't make copies. I can use the same gems and other materials but each one comes out different, even if I try. As a result I have not found my niche but will keep trying. I enjoy the process very much and I think that is the important thing. A small sample of my desings can be seen at http://www.divelladelights.etsy.com. I welcome any tips anyone has for marketing!! Please comment.

CROCHETED BRACELETS

As you can see I am having a good time making these crocheted bracelets. In the ones you see here I have used some of those lampwork beads by Generations Lampwork http://www.generationslampwork.etsy.com . I special ordered these with holes slightly larger than normal so they work better with this series. The completed bracelets run in price between $23.00 and $33.00 just depending on the cost of the bead and materials. The orange one with a solid spiral of Swarovski crystals is at the higher end of the range. You can always go to http://www.divelladelights.etsy.com or click on one of the photos to the left to see more. The ones similar to the first photo sell in the local jewelry store for $49.00 retail! I am hoping they will go when I do my tables too. Marketing is definately the down side of this business! I am no salesperson and I have a hard time "talking it up". I figure the work should sell itself. I know I should talk more about the materials, workmanship, etc and that is where I get stuck. I do use the best materials available, I don't want to worry about work coming back to me. I want people to love what they purchase and have it last a lifetime. I can talk about that. I just have a hard time selling the artist! Well, I have a couple of special orders I am working on so I had better get to it!