Ring display-TUTORIAL...and latest porcelain creations

Carol Dekle-Foss

Hello everyone!  Recently, I ran into the problem of not having a way to display new rings for an upcoming festival. I wanted to display them in a simple, unique way that would make each ring stand out. It seems like booth design is an ever evolving challenging process! For me, rings are the most difficult to display.

Here's what I came up with for the festival.

 I just cut a slot into little wooden rounds! They display nicely this way, and I also like being able to move them about. The only problem is the rings keep falling over! So annoying. 

 I decided to give it another try and do a tutorial with what I came up with. 

I have a plethora of little rounds that my husband cut out and these leather swatches. I wanted to use what I had on hand so this is what I made.

I just glued two rounds and a piece of leather together. I cut the edge of the leather as well to make it look a bit worn and frayed. It's deeper now so the ring sits in there much better. I'm still deciding if I like it though. See, always a work in progress! If the customer wants, I can always include the display with the ring as an added bonus!

Here are the easy steps:

After I glued all the pieces together and let dry, I marked the thickness of the band with a sharp edge.

I then used a diamond cutoff wheel and flex shaft to cut the edges. A tiny saw blade might be better for this step, but they freak me out! Yep, I'm scared to death of saws, even tiny ones!

I improvised here and used a little screwdriver as a chisel. I hammered the top of the screwdriver lightly to cut out the ring slots. It's so simple and fun to make! 

I think I like the idea of cutting out larger rounds that can hold 5 or 6 rings, and then have 3 or 4 scattered around the booth. That way I can organize them by style. We'll see!

Also, last week my husband and I were able to play with clay. 

I never get over how different they look when they come out of the kiln!

Here are some of our favorites.

Oval Deep Roots pendants.

These mandala pendants are so yummy!!

Sacred spiral pendants. Oh my, I love the swirling glaze pooling in the crevices.

Such a sweet detail. Leaf swirl pendants.

Dreamy cherry blossom pendants! I have a few listed in the shop.

And lastly, these adorable teensy weensy beads. They are so cute!

So how do you overcome the challenge of displaying your jewelry? I would love to hear from you!

Messy Studio and Etsy Thoughts

Somehow it is July. And almost mid-July at that.

Seems like I just got back from Bead & Button and right around the corner is Bead Fest Philadelphia. 

Things go non-stop at times, and right now I have family visiting until next week.

So my studio will remain a mess...

 And I am going to have to get a good purging in the next couple of weeks. 

In the meantime, my brain gets a bit stressed with making sure I can keep family entertained and have some income trickling in (the bills sure don't stop).

And as far as that goes, I am constantly thinking about how to market my items, and with changes in social media, technology, and how people shop, it gets a bit overwhelming to try to keep up with.

I don't even want to get started with my frustration with Etsy and what is being sold there, and how they have dropped the artisan base. Personally, I still think that if they created "Etsy Handmade" the way they have created "Etsy Wholesale" and take it back to their origins, they could be salvaged.

And now Amazon is getting into the program with "Amazon Handmade" so I am very curious to see how that platform runs and effects Etsy.

Yesterday I got an email from Etsy saying that they have been putting a bit more effort into their Etsy Teams platform through the Sell on Etsy App.

As a captain of two teams, and members of many, this was a surprise and a bit exciting.
Although there is much room for improvement, I am pretty impressed they are doing anything for the teams.

If you have a smart phone (iPhone or Android) you can get the Sell on Etsy App.
You may need to refresh your app if you already have it on your phone to get the teams section to show up.

And as a team captain, I also received an email that gives details that one of the long requested things: for the captain to be able to address the whole team via email is now available. People can opt out of receiving the emails - especially if the captain steps over limits with this and sends out way too many emails.
Having the capability of shooting out an email to the whole team to remind them of an upcoming event, or even a monthly reminder to check the Etsy threads will hopefully allow for more activity and interaction to the Etsy Team Platform.

All of this is pretty exciting to me from the marketing end, because being able to stand together and help promote each others work is a huge part of having a successful Etsy shop.
And honestly, the only reason why I am still maintaining my shop on Etsy.com and I really hope that they will be seriously considering Etsy Handmade to leave the current Etsy as it stands in the dust.

If you have an Etsy shop where you sell your handmade, vintage or supplies to make handmade, you should consider joining the AWETeam (Art Walk Etsy Team).
We host a virtual First Friday every month, and all you have to do is add up to 4 of your shop listings and help promote the event through social media, and other creative ways.

I am curious to see if these tools will help to market artists shops more through the Etsy Teams platform.
Efforts must be made by all involved though, and on a regular basis.
If not, it all just stalls - and that is quite disappointing.

So I'm off to go update my Etsy shop with some new listings, and tags, then add some new items to my teams and then promote.

Spiral Lentil Bead Sets Marsha Neal Studio

It's the new kind of "marketing work" that I am hoping works for todays technology.

Creating price tags that will make a lasting impression

Carol Dekle-Foss

 The details are not the details. They make the design-Charles Eames

I believe that creating a cohesive brand identity is the key to impressing customers and enticing them to "want" to buy a product. This though, is no easy task.  There are so many details to focus on, your amazing jewelry of course, but also your business name, company logo, cards, price tags etc etc...it can be very overwhelming. My best advise? When creating your brand identity never lose sight of what makes your jewelry unique to you, and have your marketing materials resonate with your style.

So price tags are just a tiny part of this whole process. They are just as important as say your logo, or business cards. They will help to create your OVERALL brand identity and highlight your unique style.

I'm going to share how I solved my price tag challenge and also provide a couple more suggestions

Here is some of my tagging arsenal.

Ok, the bottom sheets are rectangle barbells from Online labels. I like the larger rectangle size because it has more room for my logo, but you can also get them in round. What's nice about Online Labels is they have a label design software called Maestro.  You can use this program to design your own personalized labels by uploading your logo, unique backgrounds, and also use fonts that you have on your computer. The downside of the program is that it's a bit tricky to calibrate and line up the print option, and also the access code they give you is only good for one month. I now just use Photoshop to make and print them. They are a great price too, $22.95, for 100 sheets, for a total of 3600 tags. If you want,  you can just buy one sheet for $3.88 if you would like to try it out first.

Here are the tags I use if the barbells are too small for a piece and also for pricier items that I want to give a special touch. Also these tags are great for writing out any product details I would like to include on the back. I created the tag design using Photoshop, printed them out on textured card stock using an inkjet printer, and then cut them out with a paper cutter. The hole punch size is 1/8" in diameter. I then use chocolate brown string to tie it to the piece. 

I just love these earring card hang tags! I was inspired by the oh so talented and ever clever Erin Prais-Hintz. She talked about some earring cards she designed in this post on Earrings Everday. Check out how she used one of Vista Prints stock business cards to come up with a unique earring card holder that stands up! Clever girl. Thank you Erin for the cool idea! It was just luck that they fit perfectly in my shutter mirror display.  If you use leverbacks for your earrings, you can use this punch to cut out your holes. On the back of the card is my web address, a place for an item number and price, and plenty of room to include an item description. You can see the backside in the pic above. 

I used the same card stock for continuity and the tag designs are similar so there is cohesion with the overall look and feel of my brand. Now If I could just do the same with my jewelry designs!

There are so many ways to be unique with your tags, that it can be impossible to decide. Just remember to focus of what makes your products unique and try to create tags that resonate with your style.

Here are some more tag ideas! 

You can use punches to cut out your own tags.

 Use embossing punches to create texture.


Use punches to make pretty edges

Have a custom stamp made with your logo and use it on tags. This one is from Rubber Stamps.

There are just so many ways that you can be creative when designing your own tags. If you do a Google or Pinterest search, you will find tons of inspiration!

Also there are shops on Etsy that have ADORABLE tags that can be custom made for you, and will have a professional look. Personally for me, I like the creative freedom (and price) of doing it myself.

So how do you tag your items? Do you have a cool technique that your love? Please share what has worked for you!

The art of selling at craft fairs & festivals

"For every sale you miss because you’re too enthusiastic, you will miss a hundred because you’re not enthusiastic enough." -Zig Ziglar

With craft fairs and festivals well under way, I wanted to share with you some of the techniques I use to be successful.

There are benefits to both selling online and selling at craft fairs. What I like about selling online is I can still be productive in the studio. Also there is a broader customer base one can reach online.  Craft fairs can be challenging but they provide the greatest opportunity to really connect with a customer and get good feedback on your product and booth display. I wanted to create a post to address the challenges of selling at craft fairs and how to overcome them. There is great potential for profit and building a strong customer base if the right steps are taken. 

Working straight commission for eight years, I learned some very savvy lessons on selling and now want to pass them on to the LMAJ readers.  I am also providing a printout HERE that you can take with you to craft fairs as a reference if you like.

Carol's Tips for selling at Craft Fairs and Festivals

1. FIRST APPROACH  Say hello to EVERY customer that comes in your booth within at least 5 seconds. Then let them briefly look before your second approach. By doing this you are letting the customer scan your merchandise to see if it is their style. Some will walk right out, and that is fine, not all customers will be attracted to your particular style. 
2. SECOND APPROACH  Remember craft fairs move very fast, and if you still have a customer in your booth for more than a minute or two then you have their attention. Walk up to the customer and engage them in a genuine way. Each customer has their unique buying style. Some like to be left alone and choose what they want on their own, and some like you to walk them through every step and help them select pieces. To gauge what type the customer is you can say something like, "please let me know if you have any questions" to see how they respond. Or if you can read the customer and they are sending you non-verbal buying signals then try an open ended question like "are you looking for something for yourself or a gift?  At my last festival a customer actually asked me to "tell her my story". I was more than happy to 'help' her see the value in what I was selling and she ended up buying 2 pieces.
3. KNOW HOW TO CLOSE THE DEAL Don't be afraid to ask for the sale. Not all customers are going to throw you money. Although it's nice when they do! If you feel a customer is ready to buy, you can say something like "just so you know, I also take credit cards" or "those earrings will look very nice on you! Would you like to get those today?" Or "were you thinking of getting that necklace to go with your dress?" Be genuine and don't be afraid to ask for the sale.
4. HAVE AN EMAIL SIGN-UP SHEET  Keep a decorative notebook with a cute pen or pencil asking for customers to sign up for your email list. If you want even more emails, you can offer a giveaway. When a customer is buying I ask them if they would like to be on my email list. Gathering emails is great for future marketing techniques. 
5. CHOOSE EVENTS WISELY  Visit craft fairs and festivals to see if they are events that fit your style. Check out the customers to make sure they are your target market and also you can ask the vendors what their opinions are on the event. Keep in mind the cost's that you will incur, such as fee's, travel expenses and any other overhead to determine if it will be profitable for you.
6. THE RIGHT PRICES Offer a range of price points to attract a variety of customers. I always have a clearance bin where items are marked down around 25%. On some items I will do a "buy one get another 50% off (lesser price item)". Some items are not on sale at all because they are new or some of my best sellers and I don't want to mark them down. There are some customers who are sale oriented and then some that want to purchase the very best pieces you have at retail. By having a variety of prices you are opening yourself up to more buyers and more sales.
7. DESIGN A BOOTH DISPLAY THAT DRAWS CUSTOMERS IN  Create a booth that is appealing, uncluttered and easy to see your products.
   
    Make sure you have signs that are visible from the outside and easy to read. You want the customer to be able to know right away what you offer. Visible prices are also very important as well. Here is my booth set-up with a cedar wall that is to the right. It creates a vertical line that attracts customers right away. I plan on doing a post soon on how we built it. You can see it on my blog.
8. CREATE A NICHE TO STAND OUT If you create a product the customer has not seen before, then they are more likely to stop and take a look. 

There you have it! I know this isn't the most interesting topic but since I just finished a festival these thoughts were fresh on my mind.  So tell me, what techniques work for you at craft fairs? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you to all who commented on the giveaway and also made me feel welcome. Now for the results!!!! Here is a screenshot with all the names entered on random.org.  Stacie Florer, congratulations!!! I will contact you soon for your address!

Marketing Yourself

by Staci L. Smith

My most joyful times are spent creating.  I am an artist.  I love to be coming up with new ideas, and creating them in my studio.  Give me plain old clay, or a torch and some metal, and a day to myself, and I am in my happy place.

photo by Tammy Snyder

But I need to make a living at this too.  So I am forced to sell my products.  I am forced to find the right shows, price things, keep records, do taxes, have a website, and most of all, promote my business.

picture from a few years back, when I still did a lot of sea glass jewelry

For the longest time, this was really a struggle for me.  I felt like this was only a hobby, that, people were just being nice.  I felt almost guilty taking money for something I loved doing so much.  What could I do though?  I couldn't continue to do what I love without money coming in.

And now, 10 years later, this is my job.  And marketing my art, myself, is mandatory.  I have three kids, and this has to make money, or I go back to an office job part time.

See?  Don't they look hungry?  They eat sooooo much food!  lol

So, I have learned to market myself.  I did not teach myself, I learned tips and tricks from many many many other artists and friends.  I listened, I watched what they did.  I learned, slowly.

You know, point of marketing, is so that customers can find you.  There is a HUGE world of beads and jewelry out there.  How in the world, do you get people to find YOU online?  

Hold that thought.....Let me get a little sidetracked for a moment.........

This blog post stemmed from a question someone asked on Facebook the other day.  

You see, this year, for the first year, I entered some jewelry in the Bead Dreams competition.  It is a competition held at the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee.  It is a pretty big competition.  I have wanted to enter for a few years now, but have always been intimidated, and never had given myself time to create some really crazy art pieces for it.

Well, I finally did it.  I entered two pieces of jewelry into the polymer  clay category and one in the metal clay category.  I learned a lot about big wig competition too.  It's been a great experience.

The two polymer clay pieces got in!  Just to be accepted as finalists in this competition is huge honor.  They took 6 polymer clay entries as finalists, and two were mine.  I was floored!  

To see all the winners listed click this link

http://cs.jewelrymakingmagazines.com/bnb/b/beadandbutton/archive/2014/06/02/announcing-the-ribbon-winners-of-the-2014-bead-dreams-competition.aspx

Just the other day I found out that I won First and Second place in the Polymer Clay category.  BOTH of my pieces got ribbons.

photo by Kristin Oppold

Photo by Anne of Gardanne Beads

Needless to say, the range of emotions is really hard to describe.  Mostly, I am overjoyed, to be at this place in my career.  I went between happy, and disbelief at first.  I think as artists we sometimes have trouble REALLY being confident in ourselves.   I have moved onto the sheer happiness of this honor though.  I am thrilled.

So of course, I posted this on Facebook.  My friends all knew I entered, they had supported me, given me advice on my entries, and been routing for me since I entered.  And, not to mention, I am proud of it!  And I shouldn't be scared to say that.  I am proud, because my work, my art, has grown, evolved, and gotten better and better over time.  

Of course, there were tons of congratulations, and well wishing.  I will not lie, it sure felt good.  But then, there was one, who asked, "How does this benefit her?"  I will be honest, this was not asked in a nice way.  They were persistent and not very kind.  But after I thought about it for awhile, I thought, well, there really are people who may wonder that.  Who wonder why someone would go through all the trouble to create competition pieces, to pay entry fees, ship their items and displays.....there may be people who really don't understand why someone would do that.  (so thank you to the person who tried to bring me down- you inspired this post.  I hope it helps others to market their business, and not be afraid to say, "this is mine, I worked hard, and its awesome!"

So, here are some tips, things I have learned, things that have helped me to go from hobby to business over the last 5 years.  

Before you read the list though, first and foremost, you must be confident in your work.  If you are not, why should your customers be?  So with that in mind..................here's my list.

Network with other artists.  This is HUGE.  I have made so many fellow artist friends online, and we market for each other.  If you love someones work, share it.  Help them market.  And others will do the same for you.  

Blog, make a business page for Facebook.  This is what really did it for me.  This is what helped me to find that network of artists (now friends) online.  It was really hard at first, but over the last few year, it has become quite natural to talk about the business, my life and what I am working on.  I have discovered that I LOVE to share what I learn, because, it is how I myself have learned.  The kindness and openness of other artists is how I have learned what I know.  So I try to pay it forward.  

Join in group sales, enter contests, blog hops- anything that gets you into the community more.  Blog hops are especially a wonderful way to broaden your reader base, and welcome new customers.

Write for magazines.  This is a wonderful way to advertise your business, as well as show off the fact that your work is indeed handmade.  People feel more comfortable buying from someone who knows what they are doing.  When you write for magazines, you get to show that side of you.  Check out the post I did on how to get started with that here.

http://www.lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2014/05/getting-published.html

Writing for magazines not only gives you credibility as an artist, it advertises your business, AND you get paid for it.

Let me share where some of these things have lead me, to encourage you.  By entering contests and such on blogs- I got featured by them now and again (blogs like Art Bead Scene and Love my Art jewelry).  Love my Art Jewelry used to have a contest, and entering that consistently is how I landed writing for this blog.  They would have never know who I was, and I would have never known I could write for a blog like this.  

Friends and networking has given me a life in the arts I never thought possible 10 years ago when I was stuck in the corner of my family room, home with the kids, stringing beads.  The encouragement, collaborations, friendships and cross marketing has been an amazing journey, and helped me to reach new customer bases at the same time.  There are many groups on facebook, but Creative Bead Chat is my favorite place to meet new artists and get valuable information and tips from others.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CREATIVEBEADCHAT/

And Bead Dreams.  Well, there is a cash prize, but mostly, its just a plain old honor to be juried by Kalmbach judges and picked as winner.  I am hoping that my work being at Bead and Button will introduce it to new people, who I would never reach sitting in my PA studio.  It will be seen by hundreds, thousands of people.  And that surely can't hurt.

My next venture, is yet again, friend / artist recommended.  It has been recommended to me from the start.  TEACH.

So this year, I am teaching at Bead Fest in Philly.  I have always loved being with people, talking (and talking and talking), and sharing what I know freely.  So, I think I am going to like teaching.  I will let you know how it goes!  (link goes to my class information)

So, to wrap this up, everyone who you may see online, that has "made it" in your eyes, started out just like you.  They learned all they could about business (and are always looking to learn more), and they tried.  And they tried.  And at times they failed, and got rejected and felt like they were never going to make it.  But they didn't give up.  When I started out, I remember seeing these awesome artists, big names, like Lisa Peters and Marsha Neal......and now I know them, and they are just amazing ladies, and artists, that put themselves out there.  We know their names because they were not afraid to say, "Here it is, my work, my art".  

So go and pimp yourself out today.  Show off your stuff.  Be proud of what you make.  And lets encourage each other, lets share each others work, because we are a community.  We are all artists at different places in our journeys and careers.  But we are all the same, and we all need to stick together.

PS- That is one of ideas of our Boot Camp blog hops.  It is an opportunity for you to show off, and market to an audience that you may not have reached on your own blog.  Take advantage of it!  Show it off.  We here at LMAJ want you to succeed.

Handmade Artists on Etsy Part 2

It gets more and more difficult for me to find a clear path in todays technological world to be able to navigate through social media and websites.

Do you ever feel like that?

Just overwhelmed. Ready to shut it down and focus elsewhere?

Going back to what I started to mention about being a handmade artist and selling on Etsy Part 1, it is getting more and more difficult and frustrating to get your items found through the default searches and categories that Etsy has set up.

Even this last week, getting ready for this post - I've been disappointed at what comes up in the default clickable searches from the front page.

But somewhere inside there is this little glimmer of light down deep inside that burns.

I think it is that little light that glimmers when a person has a sense of being part of a community.

Part of something that is special and unique and helps you rise above the ordinary and mundane...

And even though it seems impossible to be found through Etsy Search, or ever make the front page, or get Etsy to make a handmade seller section (that is actually handmade), and I would rather go to Pinterest and find items, then click through to find them on a website or Etsy shop...
I still find that glimmer of light inside for the Etsy community.

Previously I mentioned using Etsy as a marketing tool.

Through changes in their website platform in the last couple of years, it is easier now to get your items from your shop to show up higher through Google searches (all that SEO stuff) if you use the right tags and key words in your listing title.

Talk about a marketing tool that I appreciate someone else taking care of because my brain just comes to a halt when it sees technology terms such as SEO.

Wonderful Handmade Gifts Treasury Collection

Being part of the Etsy community by having a shop open there or through Etsy Teams: via discussion threads, through Treasuries that team mates include your item in, by favoring, by pinning items via their Pin It button, new items from your favorite shop in the updated activity feed, etc, makes that glimmer just that much brighter.

It always feels great to feature beautiful items in treasury collections.

And that some of my items in return get featured.

I just love that.

And we all have those days where just being included in something like that can really be uplifting - and make you feel that sense of community.

Especially for those of us that work alone or are a bit reclusive.

So I created this then used TreasuryPin.com to pin that treasury collection of wonderful handmade items that I quick found on Etsy (by clicking on links on blogs to the artist Etsy page) and pinned it, then shared via social media (FaceBook and Twitter).
Just like that - a few clicks and reaching out to a broad audience visually...

Sure you can communicate with others through other social media sites and blogs, but it's not quite the same.
Not to me it isn't.
The tools just aren't quite there and as easy to use.
People and small businesses are coming up with cool tools to use the Etsy platform.

I personally like being part of a group (a team) that likes to help promote each others work.

Having a common focus: a theme, an event, a deadline, and a goal is always key.

If there is no focus or deadline then efforts seem to fizzle and people move on.
And this marketing style is not for everyone.

But when it comes down to it - with marketing your work in any way - you get out of it what you put into it - regardless of where you sell your work.

I love being part of a handmade community of artists that like to support each other.

I want to market my work in a way that is easy and FUN and reaches new people all the time.
This is why I am writing this post. To let you know about what I find enjoying with marketing.

And I have to agree with Brigid Ashwood, host of the Google+ Podcast: Art-Share.org when it comes to social media, Etsy, website, etc and if what you should do for your artistic business:

Try as much as you can! If it works for you, great!

At least you've tried it and see if it is a good fit.

See the Art Share Episode 14, around 27 minutes when they start to talk about selling online - her small business online marketing hat goes on around 30 minutes.
They have many great posts to listen to on Art-Share.org - especially when working in the studio or in transit (car, bus, airplane, train...)

I look forward to working with many of you to help promote your work if you are interested in testing out some of these team events.

Here are some links:
Join an Etsy Team
Search for a topic you are interested in and see if it is a fit for you.
What is an Etsy Team?

AWETeam (Art Walk Etsy Team).
Every First Friday of the month, we hold a virtual Etsy shop tour of items from our team member shops through a "Event" discussion thread and a blog post.
This team gives you a deadline and a focus for getting new work into your shop, and getting your work out to a broad audience on a regular basis.

This AWETeam is extra special to me. I stepped into the Captain position in early 2013 and have enjoyed trying to figure out how to update the team event and all the new technology to promote our team shops.

Love My Art Jewelry on Pinterest
You can find items from our LMAJ Blog contributors as well as tutorials.
By clicking through on the item pins that you will like, Pinterest automatically will give you other options of items that are similar (selected by how they are pinned to other boards).
Lots of fantastic handmade jewelry and supplier resources can be found that way.

And remember, if you want to help promote your work through our post that will go live on Black Friday (for sales, promotions, etc through Cyber Monday), link up your website or other online shop HERE.

You can choose to run a promotion, a sale, whatever you want during that time.

It does not mean you have to put your work out there on sale, and feel like you are cheapening yourself or running in the rat race.

Get creative.

Think up a fun giveaway (a tutorial, maybe some extra supplies you have lying around - who couldn't use more beads or supplies?!)

And get yourself set up now - so you can sit back and actually enjoy the long holiday weekend, and see about getting some shopping done yourself if you so choose to do so.

To me - an event like this touches back into being part of a community and marketing your work on that level (which is definitely not for everyone).

When you have a specific date in mind, goals, and a focus - that is an open door to get your work out there in front of a larger audience.

The link up for the event itself will be archived in these blog posts and through links in social media sites.

That is why we ask that you link to your shop or website home page - and not to a specific "Sale Page" that will be expired once Tuesday hits.

And every person that signs up, and helps promote handmade through those crazy shopping days helps to bring a bit more light to the handmade community as it exists.

And with those little bits of handmade goodness and insight streaming through social media when the majority of people are out there in the shopping madness, and we (for the most part) will be avoiding it like the plague, we can try to tap into that marketing and be a part of a handmade community trying to educate those consumers and get them to appreciate items made by individuals.

So get creative when it comes to your marketing of your work.

Look at the tools that are available to you.

Figure out what makes you happy with marketing your work, and expressing your voice.

There are many options out there (and we would love to hear about them as you have had good or bad experiences - and what you have learned from them). 

Handmade Artists on Etsy Part 1

If you are a regular reader of this blog, it is very likely you have a good understanding or are at least learning how to tell what is "handmade" when it comes to jewelry and jewelry making materials.

If not, click around, follow us through social media and you'll soon have a clue about the current handmade jewelry making movement.

But if you search on the internet for "handmade" jewelry, beads, anything...

How can you, the consumer tell that something is made by an artist?

It gets frustrating and disheartening when you really start to think hard about if something is purely handmade or not.

All handmade artists use some sort of material for their work that was produced by an outside source: mother nature, industry manufactured or mined materials, artist components, and so on.

So let's throw away that purist "handmade" attitude and move on to a "handmade" attitude that includes items of good taste, original artistic expression, uses quality materials, and of high craftsmanship.

There used to be this awesome handmade website called Etsy where you could go and find items that were handmade, supplies to make your handmade, or vintage items.

But it is getting harder and harder to navigate through their search to actually find their "handmade goods" because that term "handmade" has become diluted with mass produced items.

November 2013 Explosion of Etsy Treasuries of "Handmade" items.

With how huge Etsy is, it is practically impossible to sort through all of the items that are on there that show up through the front page clickable searches to find items that you are looking for. Forget trying to find anything handmade through those default searches.

AND as an artist listing items, to try figure out how to label items so that they show up from those clickable searches is beyond frustrating and seemingly impossible.

Then you have to compete with people severely underpricing their work which undervalues the entire handmade artist industry...

No wonder why people and the handmade community in general are in an uproar!

It's a puzzle by Joe on Etsy

I searched: Etsy.com ~ Jewelry ~ Necklace ~ Statement ~ All Items

and this is what came up:

Etsy.com - Jewelry - Necklace - Statement - All Items

I then noticed an extra button and clicked from "All Items" to "Handmade" thinking

"Ah, ok! That will get rid of all that - in my opinion - trending junky cheap jewelry - and will bring up actual handmade artist items".

Talk about disappointment...

Most of that crap was still there!

Etsy.com - Jewelry - Necklace - Statement - Handmade

So I question - Why is that happening?

The simple answer: it's in the background settings and the way computers work (based upon decisions made by Etsy and the way they want their Search to work).

Know what I would love to see?

Etsy Marketplace which would be the Etsy as it exists now.

And Etsy Handmade the Etsy of yesteryear.

It would mean an overhaul and re-sorting of what exists there now.

And that shops on the Etsy Handmade site should need to prove their level of handmade.

A huge undertaking technologically speaking, but very much worth the effort.

And with all this technology and updates to how they are doing things -
Really - would it be that hard to do?

They have done it before.

They will surely do it again as technology moves forward.

My question is WHY would a company as well known as Etsy and as powerful as Etsy not want to embrace such a strong and passionate community of artists to give them their online selling home back again. 

Why not give the consumer a clear place on the Etsy home page to click and find individual artist handmade without having to go crazy and give up on searching for unique items flooded with crap?
Heck - make the handmade version of Etsy the default and make the marketplace the "clickable" link. Put handmade above all else!

You may be thinking: Marsha. Why do you care? What is the point?

Isn't Etsy just some big company trying to make money and that doesn't care about individual artists?

Well, I'll tell you why I care so much.

Etsy to me is an awesome marketing tool.

Pure and simple.

WE - the handmade community - have done a great job at getting their name out there, getting people to shop their site, and I want those customers to find my work, feel something about my work, and hopefully - buy something.

I love being part of Etsy Teams and the camaraderie that comes with promoting work with like minded shop owners (for the most part).

And the way you can share your work or treasuries through social media via Etsy has helped promote individual items, and through teams - a bunch of items from many shops.

It feeds that need that some people feel of being part of something more, outside of your own little world.

Yes - some things DO need to change if they want to save their company.

Please - Etsy - Make the right changes to help support "handmade" once again!

And as people that love to use, make, wear, handmade items, it is up to us to help educate the public to be able to find "handmade" that includes items of good taste, original artistic expression, uses quality materials, and of high craftsmanship.

More to come from me next week on this topic of "Handmade Artists on Etsy".
Part 2 HERE.

Please post your creative thoughts and comments on ways that Etsy could be improved.

How do you market your work?

Are you on any Etsy Teams?
What things do you really enjoy using on Etsy and to make your selling and marketing experience better?

We all know how "bad" it has become, and don't need negativity, so please avoid straight out bashing as that does nothing to improve the current situation.

Find the positive twist to what your negative feelings are saying and find a solution.

Want to check out a few more "handmade bead and jewelry artist" groups that helping lead this current handmade artist bead and jewelry movement?
Art Bead Scene
Art Jewelry Elements
Creative Bead Chat and Artisan Whimsy
And of course - us - Love My Art Jewelry

Here are a few images you can use on your site, shop, blog, etc to help get the word out:

Thank YOU for supporting and caring about handmade!

Book Review: Recipe for Press by Amy Flurry

by Barbara Bechtel

In July, I traveled to Kansas City to help a friend produce a yearly indie craft show. Etsy, one of our sponsors, sent us a kit of free goodies to distribute to vendors and customers and among the free goodies was a copy of Recipe for Press by Amy Flurry.

If you've ever wanted to expand your handmade jewelry business and wondered how you can take it a level where your art is reaching the masses through exposure in large websites (i.e. Daily Candy, Refinery 29, Design Sponge) and the BIG magazines (think O!, Better Homes and Gardens, In Style, and the like), the author give insight on public relations for a small business perspective.

Geared towards entrepreneurs and makers, the author emphasizes keeping your publicity and public relations in house, even as your business grows and you may find yourself struggling to keep up with all of the different areas a growing business demands (paperwork, making, marketing, selling, etc)

I have to admit I was a little skeptical when I began to thumb through it as I personally seem to waffle from one end of the spectrum to the other when it comes to self-promotion. On one hand, you have to get your work out there for people to find, but I often shy away from those who are constantly pushing themselves as a brand or businesses who try to elevate and market to be or sell something as a "must-have"

I did take away lots of wonderful information from the book, regardless. It offers interviews with small businesses who have an effective publicity plan, such as makers and chefs.

Flurry discusses social media and how, rather than trying to do it all, i.e. Facebook, Blogging, Twitter, etc. ...to pick one and do it well, and cancel or remove yourself from the outlets that don't resonate with you! Seems simple, right? You mean you don't have to jump on the latest and greatest of EVERY new social media outlet?! Right On!

Another idea that I took away was rather than constantly trying to keep up with your press (in the case of jewelry makers, it could be submitting of tutorials or seasonal merchandise), keep files of ideas and products that are strictly for promotions that you can pull out and send in regularly to obtain new press. This becomes easier to be able to respond quicker to editors if they need ideas ASAP and if you have ideas constantly at the ready for sending out, you will become a trusted source if editors know they can count on you as a quick, informative, and reliable source.

All in all, it's a great primer for those who have no idea where to even start or what basic self promotion and publicity entails.