What's the answer to helping your creativity flow if you're a jewelry artist, a seamstress, into mixed media, or even other types of artists?
It's a little online shop called DeStash Party!
This little shop has little bits of beads, baggies, buttons, found objects, and more - you know, so you don't get bored. Because creativity waits for no one. Once it calls, you have to answer right away or you lose momentum.
If you are the short attention span artist who doesn't want to keep wading through piles and piles of materials just to find the inspiration you're looking for, DeStash Party is the place for you!
You see, it turns out not everybody needs a 100 count package of baggies, or 50 hematite beads, or crochet hooks in all sizes, or 500 popsicle sticks, or a whole ounce of memory wire, or even a whole skein of yarn. Maybe you've got a quick project in mind that only requires 2 beads. Whatever is left over just piles up and clogs your creative flow if you feel forced to create something.
That being said, DSP (that's DeStash Party) is the answer to that problem offering smaller quantities and lower prices. And the inventory is always changing - you know, so you don't get bored!
Just click here and find out for yourself!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
The MEGA $5 Jewelry Sale Starts At Midnight TONITE!
Okay, okay, okay... I know I've done a lot of work and won't get back what the jewelry is worth on this sale - I'll receive just a little money over the materials I bought. And I'm not trying to make other jewelry artists look bad for charging what their jewelry is worth.
But, here's the thing: What do you do when you need to change direction? YOU GET RID OF A LOT OF STUFF.
Not that my jewelry is "stuff"! Hey, my jewelry is quite beautiful! I'd wear it (if I wore jewelry - I have to remind myself to put it on...Lol!). But it no longer reflects my innermost personality.
Wait a minute, though...This jewelry is a part of my personality. I just want to showcase the part I've kept hidden. I'm pretty sure people will like what I finally present. Yeah, that will be good.
Anyway, I've started a brand new store for this sale which, currently, is for this weekend starting around midnight tonight! You can log into the site with your Facebook information and start shopping, how 'bout that? I was happy about that part - being able to easily log in.
But, here's the thing: What do you do when you need to change direction? YOU GET RID OF A LOT OF STUFF.
Not that my jewelry is "stuff"! Hey, my jewelry is quite beautiful! I'd wear it (if I wore jewelry - I have to remind myself to put it on...Lol!). But it no longer reflects my innermost personality.
Wait a minute, though...This jewelry is a part of my personality. I just want to showcase the part I've kept hidden. I'm pretty sure people will like what I finally present. Yeah, that will be good.
Anyway, I've started a brand new store for this sale which, currently, is for this weekend starting around midnight tonight! You can log into the site with your Facebook information and start shopping, how 'bout that? I was happy about that part - being able to easily log in.
Now, I don't know what happens when you go to check out, so how about somebody come back, comment and let me know? Please? Thanks!!! :D
Here's the link: http://marquina.storenvy.com
Go Shopping At Midnight!!!
Monday, May 7, 2012
New Product for Easy-to-Make Necklaces and Bracelets
I have come up with a brilliant product - yes, I'm sure it's been done before, but I don't see it very often: It's called a Beaded Focal Link.
This item is between 2" and 4" long and consists of beads on a piece of wire with loops on both ends for attaching metal chain, leather/cotton/rattail/hemp cord, ribbon, twine, rubber tubing, or whatever you want to use to create your piece of jewelry.
You see, the thing that makes this product valuable is that most of the design guesswork has been taken out of the equation!
So, if you are in a hurry to make a gift for a friend or out to a party and need a piece of jewelry on-the-fly (in other words, really fast!), you can grab one of these Beaded Focal Links and a piece of ribbon and keep going!
The really great thing about my Beaded Focal Links is that they are one-of-a-kind. That way you get an original piece of jewelry every time!
I am certainly looking at making more of these available to customers in my DeStash Party shop. I am also looking to create these links for wholesale business, as well.
If you are interested in wholesale quantities and prices (or you know someone who is) or if you are interested in customized focal links (or you know someone who is), just convo me at my Etsy shop! Prices for individual links start at $8.00 each.
This item is between 2" and 4" long and consists of beads on a piece of wire with loops on both ends for attaching metal chain, leather/cotton/rattail/hemp cord, ribbon, twine, rubber tubing, or whatever you want to use to create your piece of jewelry.
You see, the thing that makes this product valuable is that most of the design guesswork has been taken out of the equation!
So, if you are in a hurry to make a gift for a friend or out to a party and need a piece of jewelry on-the-fly (in other words, really fast!), you can grab one of these Beaded Focal Links and a piece of ribbon and keep going!
The really great thing about my Beaded Focal Links is that they are one-of-a-kind. That way you get an original piece of jewelry every time!
I am certainly looking at making more of these available to customers in my DeStash Party shop. I am also looking to create these links for wholesale business, as well.
If you are interested in wholesale quantities and prices (or you know someone who is) or if you are interested in customized focal links (or you know someone who is), just convo me at my Etsy shop! Prices for individual links start at $8.00 each.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Good Grief! I'm Actually Still Here!
Wow! It's been more than 6 months since I've done anything here! I've been busy everywhere but here!
Still going "against the tide", as it were.
Some people are less than enthused that I am determined to carve a niche for myself somewhere in the fashion/artist industry. Others are telling me to keep going.
Whatever.
I have had some definite ideas about marketing women's jewelry, some things off-the-wall, but no ideas of how to create repeat customers.
I may change the products I have currently, i.e.: change the materials in my current line to accommodate the prices people say they want to pay (I'm talking acrylics instead of glass), and also branch out into mens' jewelry (a sadly neglected segment of the jewelry industry), and I'm thinking about scarves, too. Extremely simple fleece scarves for not a lot of money.
Just some really simple stuff that I can outsource the work on when things really get going and I have several projects going on at once.
Gotta quit knocking my head up against the wall and making things hard for myself and quit attracting difficult customers! Whew! Life would be SO much easier and more fun to live!
Thanks for reading my post! And my advice for today: Life should be easy and fun. If it's not, find out why and fix it!
Still going "against the tide", as it were.
Some people are less than enthused that I am determined to carve a niche for myself somewhere in the fashion/artist industry. Others are telling me to keep going.
Whatever.
I have had some definite ideas about marketing women's jewelry, some things off-the-wall, but no ideas of how to create repeat customers.
I may change the products I have currently, i.e.: change the materials in my current line to accommodate the prices people say they want to pay (I'm talking acrylics instead of glass), and also branch out into mens' jewelry (a sadly neglected segment of the jewelry industry), and I'm thinking about scarves, too. Extremely simple fleece scarves for not a lot of money.
Just some really simple stuff that I can outsource the work on when things really get going and I have several projects going on at once.
Gotta quit knocking my head up against the wall and making things hard for myself and quit attracting difficult customers! Whew! Life would be SO much easier and more fun to live!
Thanks for reading my post! And my advice for today: Life should be easy and fun. If it's not, find out why and fix it!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Handcrafted Jewelry Mini Store Events
Ah, the mini store events...they go a long way toward getting my jewelry "out there". All in all in the world of marketing, a pretty great idea.
The mini store events are actually jewelry showings I host in my own home. I make a list of everyone in my area I can think of, create invitations, hand deliver or mail them, and then I set up the displays in my livingroom.
While I did set up these events to gain customers and to create a customer mailing list, I also used these events for creating new ways to display my jewelry (pictured above: the lollipop necklace display was done by my daughter and we worked together on the earring display), something I expected to get better at the more often I tried doing it. (The two displays below are from the 2nd mini event, which my son and daughter both helped me to set up. There are about 114 pairs of earrings on the earring table that I had previously packaged separately, so you can imagine why I'd need help with the setup. Whew!)
It does look as though I am getting better at this, which is great in case I decide that I want to do craft shows again. I must now get better at setting the displays up faster...
It's always something, isn't it? Never stop learning...
I have done three mini store events now and am about to do my 4th and final event for the season. (I may do one or two more at the very end of 2008...maybe.) It's going to be rather interesting because it will happen just before Mother's Day. Not just that...I'll be holding it on a Friday evening instead of a Saturday...AND...I'm considering holding a 2nd event on Saturday as well, but I think I'll invite a whole different group of people...
I will keep mulling that Saturday over, letting it "marinate", if you will... Meanwhile, I'll be spending this week posting brand new jewelry PLUS some de-stash items in my web store at http://www.marquina.etsy.com/.
("De-stash", by the way, refers to thinning out a stash of items once you've collected a lot of stuff - in my case, this includes things related to making jewelry and, since I used to sew, sewing items I no longer use. Just FYI...)
The mini store events are actually jewelry showings I host in my own home. I make a list of everyone in my area I can think of, create invitations, hand deliver or mail them, and then I set up the displays in my livingroom.
While I did set up these events to gain customers and to create a customer mailing list, I also used these events for creating new ways to display my jewelry (pictured above: the lollipop necklace display was done by my daughter and we worked together on the earring display), something I expected to get better at the more often I tried doing it. (The two displays below are from the 2nd mini event, which my son and daughter both helped me to set up. There are about 114 pairs of earrings on the earring table that I had previously packaged separately, so you can imagine why I'd need help with the setup. Whew!)
It does look as though I am getting better at this, which is great in case I decide that I want to do craft shows again. I must now get better at setting the displays up faster...
It's always something, isn't it? Never stop learning...
I have done three mini store events now and am about to do my 4th and final event for the season. (I may do one or two more at the very end of 2008...maybe.) It's going to be rather interesting because it will happen just before Mother's Day. Not just that...I'll be holding it on a Friday evening instead of a Saturday...AND...I'm considering holding a 2nd event on Saturday as well, but I think I'll invite a whole different group of people...
I will keep mulling that Saturday over, letting it "marinate", if you will... Meanwhile, I'll be spending this week posting brand new jewelry PLUS some de-stash items in my web store at http://www.marquina.etsy.com/.
("De-stash", by the way, refers to thinning out a stash of items once you've collected a lot of stuff - in my case, this includes things related to making jewelry and, since I used to sew, sewing items I no longer use. Just FYI...)
Friday, January 25, 2008
Marketing Extravaganza - Really Interesting Ideas...
Here I am sitting in front of the computer again, writing with impaired health and thinking to myself that I am really going to have to do something about dissolving the "tortured artist" stereotype by taking better care of myself. I really did not get into this so that I could be "tortured" (though it kind of seems like it at times), but so that I could be challenged.
So here are my thoughts/ideas:
First of all, there is no one way to sell jewelry. A lot of people would be majorly (my word - don't bother looking it up in the dictionary!) surprised to find out just how many ways jewelry can be sold.
So, I have these ideas, and I thought to myself, "If I tell people about my ideas, someone will steal them and profit from them." Of course, if I were perfectly honest with myself, every idea I've ever had "stolen" was "stolen" by people whom I'd never met, and they did profit from the ideas. The only thing I got out of not sharing was feeling stifled at not being able to share and develop my ideas.
And since I'm a part-time sharer (the other part of the time, I'm private - just so you know), I'm going to say that the best way to sell jewelry, by far, is personally. As in face-to-face with your customers, because people do like to interact with people who make jewelry. They always want to see if we look different, live, dress, speak and act different from them. It's a major curiosity thing, and just being there personally gives the customer an extra reason to want to see if they want to buy from you.
Yes, it is time-consuming, and no, it is not always profitable, though it can be quite fulfilling because you can see the interested faces. Very encouraging. Which leads me to my next idea:
Get your friends to sponsor jewelry showings in their homes. This is the way to build your client base. Offer something nice to your friends in return for their help - maybe you can offer some jewelry to them based on their favorite colors. (Sidebar: Do not offer custom jewelry unless you are an expert at communicating with people to produce jewelry they will want to keep, otherwise you will get stuck trying to sell jewelry that is not even your style.) When you offer something nice, keep it business, as in: do not offer to babysit your friend's kids in exchange for the jewelry show. You do want them to take your work seriously.
Next idea: Ask your friends' friends to sponsor jewelry showings in their homes. Trust me, they'll be expecting it. If you have ever been to a Tupperware, Lia Sophia (formerly Lady Remington), or cookware party, you know that there are always incentives in place for anyone who wants to host the next parties. It's a model that works. Run with it!
Great idea: Get the names and addresses of everyone who attends the showings/parties. Create your own mailing list so that you can create a "following", or a fan base. Let the customers know when and where you will be doing public events or if you choose to hold your own private trunk show (trunk show sounds great, doesn't it?). Weed the list out over the next six months to a year so that you are only communicating with people who buy what you make and not those who just come for the free chips and dip.
Here's an idea I came up with within the last 2 days. It's not original since it's based on the idea of a musician's manager or actor's agent: Ask a couple of your friends to book parties for you in other places and pay them a commission - a portion of the sales. Your friends become the booking agents instead of the hostesses of the parties.
I'll let you know if it works for me, because I'm about to try it this weekend. I finally got the "nerve" to just go ahead with one of my ideas - a handcrafted jewelry mini store event. I will be presenting one every month on the last Saturday of the month. I'm looking for this to get so large that holding it in my little apartment will become ludicrous!
I've also got lots more ideas in my "noodle" that I'd love to share, but right now, I've got a mini store event to process.
PS - The "Jub-Jub" sale idea that I mentioned in the bottom of my last blog is a bust idea unless you are gifting customers who already appreciate what you do!
So here are my thoughts/ideas:
First of all, there is no one way to sell jewelry. A lot of people would be majorly (my word - don't bother looking it up in the dictionary!) surprised to find out just how many ways jewelry can be sold.
So, I have these ideas, and I thought to myself, "If I tell people about my ideas, someone will steal them and profit from them." Of course, if I were perfectly honest with myself, every idea I've ever had "stolen" was "stolen" by people whom I'd never met, and they did profit from the ideas. The only thing I got out of not sharing was feeling stifled at not being able to share and develop my ideas.
And since I'm a part-time sharer (the other part of the time, I'm private - just so you know), I'm going to say that the best way to sell jewelry, by far, is personally. As in face-to-face with your customers, because people do like to interact with people who make jewelry. They always want to see if we look different, live, dress, speak and act different from them. It's a major curiosity thing, and just being there personally gives the customer an extra reason to want to see if they want to buy from you.
Yes, it is time-consuming, and no, it is not always profitable, though it can be quite fulfilling because you can see the interested faces. Very encouraging. Which leads me to my next idea:
Get your friends to sponsor jewelry showings in their homes. This is the way to build your client base. Offer something nice to your friends in return for their help - maybe you can offer some jewelry to them based on their favorite colors. (Sidebar: Do not offer custom jewelry unless you are an expert at communicating with people to produce jewelry they will want to keep, otherwise you will get stuck trying to sell jewelry that is not even your style.) When you offer something nice, keep it business, as in: do not offer to babysit your friend's kids in exchange for the jewelry show. You do want them to take your work seriously.
Next idea: Ask your friends' friends to sponsor jewelry showings in their homes. Trust me, they'll be expecting it. If you have ever been to a Tupperware, Lia Sophia (formerly Lady Remington), or cookware party, you know that there are always incentives in place for anyone who wants to host the next parties. It's a model that works. Run with it!
Great idea: Get the names and addresses of everyone who attends the showings/parties. Create your own mailing list so that you can create a "following", or a fan base. Let the customers know when and where you will be doing public events or if you choose to hold your own private trunk show (trunk show sounds great, doesn't it?). Weed the list out over the next six months to a year so that you are only communicating with people who buy what you make and not those who just come for the free chips and dip.
Here's an idea I came up with within the last 2 days. It's not original since it's based on the idea of a musician's manager or actor's agent: Ask a couple of your friends to book parties for you in other places and pay them a commission - a portion of the sales. Your friends become the booking agents instead of the hostesses of the parties.
I'll let you know if it works for me, because I'm about to try it this weekend. I finally got the "nerve" to just go ahead with one of my ideas - a handcrafted jewelry mini store event. I will be presenting one every month on the last Saturday of the month. I'm looking for this to get so large that holding it in my little apartment will become ludicrous!
I've also got lots more ideas in my "noodle" that I'd love to share, but right now, I've got a mini store event to process.
PS - The "Jub-Jub" sale idea that I mentioned in the bottom of my last blog is a bust idea unless you are gifting customers who already appreciate what you do!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Super HOT Jewelry Sale Starts Tonight!
As I sit here writing this post with bleary eyes - I have been SO busy today getting ready for this sale - I am really excited about all the new customers I will get to share my jewelry with as a result of this sale!
No, I'm not finished with preparations for this sale by a long shot. But at least I will know how to handle preparations for the very next sale I'm having after this one. (It's about 2 months away, maybe...I haven't decided yet...) I do know that I will have to begin preparations as soon as I'm finished with this sale - this sale ends Friday at midnight (should it be my midnight - I'm EST - or everyone else's interpretation of midnight? I don't know yet...).
I have 57 pieces of jewelry already on my website, and I have maybe 40 more pieces ready to be loaded before midnight. I will probably meet my original goal of having 100 pieces ready for the sale, but I wish I had done more.
I will probably say this every time I do a sale or point someone in the direction of my website. I'll wonder if I should have had more necklaces available or bracelets, or something like that. I'll wonder if I should get back into designing and making pins and brooches again. I'll wonder if maybe I should go back to making hair accessories again. I will probably always wish I had done more.
Right now, I'm taking Excedrine Migraine so that I can keep working. I'm in a time crunch, so taking a nap isn't really an option. There are pictures to edit and upload to the site and descriptions and prices to determine. Then, some time around 10:30 or 11:00pm I'll have to go and adjust every single item on the site that is above $5.00 so that they all read $5.00 (or the equivalent of $5.00 per piece in a set).
"$5.00??? Are you crazy?" you might ask. "Your jewelry is worth more than $5.00."
Yeah, I know. You think I'm crazy now...just wait until the "Jub-Jub" sale...
No, I'm not finished with preparations for this sale by a long shot. But at least I will know how to handle preparations for the very next sale I'm having after this one. (It's about 2 months away, maybe...I haven't decided yet...) I do know that I will have to begin preparations as soon as I'm finished with this sale - this sale ends Friday at midnight (should it be my midnight - I'm EST - or everyone else's interpretation of midnight? I don't know yet...).
I have 57 pieces of jewelry already on my website, and I have maybe 40 more pieces ready to be loaded before midnight. I will probably meet my original goal of having 100 pieces ready for the sale, but I wish I had done more.
I will probably say this every time I do a sale or point someone in the direction of my website. I'll wonder if I should have had more necklaces available or bracelets, or something like that. I'll wonder if I should get back into designing and making pins and brooches again. I'll wonder if maybe I should go back to making hair accessories again. I will probably always wish I had done more.
Right now, I'm taking Excedrine Migraine so that I can keep working. I'm in a time crunch, so taking a nap isn't really an option. There are pictures to edit and upload to the site and descriptions and prices to determine. Then, some time around 10:30 or 11:00pm I'll have to go and adjust every single item on the site that is above $5.00 so that they all read $5.00 (or the equivalent of $5.00 per piece in a set).
"$5.00??? Are you crazy?" you might ask. "Your jewelry is worth more than $5.00."
Yeah, I know. You think I'm crazy now...just wait until the "Jub-Jub" sale...
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