Spring Shows 2012

Hey everyone! Hope all had a great Valentines Day! I know That I am ready for some spring colours and fashions now! Here are some of my dates that are comming up!

*Every 3rd weekend of the month we are at The Shoal's Flea Market in Muscle Shoals @ The Fairgrounds. This is a really upscale market in the area and we are so glad to have found it!

*First Fridays downtown Florence on Court Street. This market is every first friday of the month starting in March 2012.

To Have A Website On Etsy...Or Not

You know with all the millions of artist out there now, is it a good idea for me, galore' jewelry, to even be on etsy? I'm starting to think, no. I don't know if it is advantageous for me as a jewelry maker and designer to put myself out there anymore. I have not sold anything on the website for about a year now and am only using the site as a meeting place for customers to see my jewelry. I do better at my shows and things like that there. I think I am taking up too much time on the site and taking pics and uploading and all that just to put my jewelry on a site where anyone who has my card can go find jewelry somewhere else. So, at this point, I am no longer putting new items on the etsy page and will probably close the site after Christmas.
I will however, starting after the first of the year, place more emphasis on the blog site! So, look for daily updates on my blog page! I will have more time to spend on the blog page now that all my waking moments will not be spent on Etsy.com

Artfire vs. Etsy...Tell Me What YOU Think!

Artfire Is The Way To Go!

Well, etsians and artfire...ians, I believe I have figured out that I like Artfire much better. 
1. It is less expensive.
2.  It doesn't cost to list an item.
3. The forum is easier to work with, and so many people will talk to you and NOT be stuck up!
4. Artfire peeps are mostly crafters.
5. The process of listing does not take as long.
6.  You get 8 pictures to showcase instead of 5.

Anyway,   you have a referal program that is really neat.

blue slab cut quartz crystal earrings...new on artfire only!

To Tweet or Not To Tweet

Well my galore' jewelry lovers,

I am now officially tweeting. As of last week, I starting learning the "art" of the tweet. It seems simple enough, really it does. But, it's time consuming to say the least. As with anything else, you must (or i do, anyway)stay with it till you get it down. I'm still with it, til I get it down.

I went onto the etsy forum sites to find "help" with my problem. I had not sold anything from my 'etsy site ' since I started the dad gum thing. People were saying, "you might as well not be on there if your not going to sell anything; it just takes up time!" Well, they were right. It does take time. Drying your hair takes time too, but you got to do it if you want to look presentable.

So, the forum, "blogs of help" in etsy that I came up with..."What Am I Doin Wrong?"...triggered lots of answers and guidelines. So many people said to go to twitter and social network and market, market, market, anyway, I did. I opened a twitter account and off I went. First, I plugged in the "buzz" words like, "arts and crafts, sewing, cooking", and so on. I "followed" everyone I could get my mouse on and then people started following me. It was amazing. In a few short days, I had nearly 300 followers. Then, I started advertising and saying things like..."Turquoise...my drug of choice," then add a link to a bracelet or earrings or something like that. Well, the views in my etsy shop started doubling, then more views and so on, and so on.

The first week I was on twitter, I sold a pair of earrings! A couple of days later...I've sold a bracelet! No more showcases for me baby, they have been useless up to right now. I'm not giving them up completely...I'm just sayin! There's no sense in me buying a showcase that produces nothing. You advertise for sells, right?

So, in conclusion, tweeting has been extremely successful for me and I'm going to keep doing it! Grant it, it takes a lot of time on the computer, but time management is key. And if it works for me right now, then that's what I'm going to do right now. Later on down the road, I'll probably have to change to something else. Change is inevitable. But for now, twitter is my friend. This computer world is changing everyday, what comes next...we can only imagine.

lymi!

san