Unique Handmade Designer Jewelry by Les Bijoux Créa-Lune

Facebook Social Plugins

2012-01-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

Facebook currently boasts a variety of Social Plugins. These plugins offer some awesome opportunities to amplify your business' social media marketing efforts. Let's cover the most popular ones and see how you can use them creatively and effectively on your website.

Like Button

The like button is probably the most common Facebook Social Plugin on the web, and I'm sure you've seen it on other websites and blogs already. The plugin allows users to share pages from your site on their Facebook profile with just one click. It's Facebook's official "share" button for the web.

Marketing Uses: The Like Button is a Facebook plugin staple. Adding it to your website will encourage readers to share your content with their individual networks on Facebook. Doing so will expose your content to potential fans and customers outside of your direct network and expand your reach. Here's a sampling of ideas for where you should add this button:

To every individual blog post you publish
To the landing pages for your lead gen offers
To your website's homepage
To you website's case studies pages
Any page you want visitors to share with their Facebook friends!

How to Install: Visit Facebook's page on the Like Button to learn how to install it on your website.

Send Button

What it Is: The Send Button enables your website visitors to easily send content to their friends in a private message, whether it's via a Facebook message, a wall post to a specific Facebook Group, or an email.

Marketing Uses: While this plugin, given it's more private applications, won't increase the reach of your content quite as much as the Like Button, it can offer your less public website visitors more sharing options for your content. In addition, if you're already planning on adding a Like Button to your content, you can create a combined button that displays the Like and Send Buttons next to each other on your web page. Use the Send Button anywhere you'd use the Like Button to provide your web visitors with additional sharing options!

How to Install: Visit Facebook's page about the Send Button to learn how to install it (or a combined Like/Send Button) on your website.

Comments Box

What it Is: The Comments Box is a plugin that allows visitors to comment on your website. It leverages social signals to highlight the highest quality comments from users and are ordered to display the most relevant comments from friends, friends of friends, and the most Liked or active discussion threads. If a commenter keeps the “Post to Facebook” box checked when posting a comment, a story will appear in his/her friends’ News Feeds mentioning that he/she made a comment on your website. It will also link back to your website. And if someone comments on the story on Facebook, the comment will get pulled into the Comments Box on your site as well!

Marketing Uses: At first glance, Facebook's Comments Box sounds a lot like the comments feature on your blog, right? But with Facebook's plugin, commenting becomes so much more social, as comments can get published to Facebook and attract even more attention to the page on which the Comments Box resides. Furthermore, the Comments Box can be added to any page on your site, even if it's not a blog. Consider the following places you can add a Comments Box to your website to increase social sharing, leverage transparency, and promote third-party social validation:

To your products pages
To you case studies pages
To your website's content library
To your testimonials page
To a dedicated landing page to generate discussion or feedback around a specific topic

How to Install: Visit Facebook's page about the Comments Box to learn how to install it on your website.

Activity Feed

What it Is: Facebook's Activity Feed plugin displays the most interesting recent activity taking place on your website. The feed features content users have Liked on your site, content from your site that users have shared on Facebook, and content that users have commented on in a page's Comments Box (if installed).

Marketing Uses: The Activity Feed is a great way for you to feature some of your website's or blog's top content and attract/keep the attention of new visitors to your website. For a first-time visitor, a new site can be daunting. Where should they go? Which content should the check out? Use the Activity Feed to bubble up your top content to engage new visitors right off the bat and showcase your most recently published hits to returning visitors. A great place for this plugin is your blog, but you can also publish it to your homepage to surface your most popular content right off the bat. You can also opt to show recommendations in this plugin, which we'll discuss next. (Note: In order for this plugin to be useful to your visitors, your site needs to be generating a solid amount of traffic from users that take action by Liking, commenting, or sharing.)

How to Install: Visit Facebook's page about the Activity Feed to learn how to install it on your website.

Like Box

What it Is: The Like Box enables businesses to attract new Likes (AKA fans) for their Facebook business page directly from their website. Site visitors can like their page with just one click without needing to leave the site to visit Facebook. The Like Box also shows how many other total Facebook users like the page, how many of the individual visitor's Facebook friends also like the page, and highlights posts recently published to the Facebook page.

Marketing Uses: Next to the Like Button, the Like Box is probably one of marketers' most useful Facebook Social Plugins. Essentially a "follow us on Facebook" button for your website, the Like Box is a great way to increase the following for your Facebook page and increase your Facebook reach overall. It makes it easy for site visitors to become fans, and eliminates the friction of requiring site visitors to leave your site to like your Facebook page. Great places to add the Like Box to your website include:

Your homepage
Your website's "About Us" page
Your website's "Contact Us" page
Your website's newsroom/press room
Your blog

How to Install: Visit Facebook's page about the Like Box to learn how to install it on your website.

Subscribe Button

What it Is: The Subscribe Button is the equivalent of a Like Box for a personal profile. It enables a user to subscribe to a particular Facebook profile's public updates.

Marketing Uses: While you might think the Subscribe Button has little marketing application since it only applies to individual Facebook profiles and not business pages, there's actually a very effective use for it. Think about it: your reach on Facebook isn't limited to just your Facebook page. Chances are your employees are on Facebook, too, and it's likely they're already sharing information, content, and updates about your brand. Some of them probably have tons of Facebook friends, meaning they have a huge reach! If you have pages on your website featuring bios for your employees (or maybe just your executive management team), and they're on Facebook, it couldn't hurt to add subscribe buttons to those pages. Someone interested in your brand might also want to follow the individual updates of your company's CEO. Just be sure to encourage employees to share your business' content, too!

How to Install: Visit Facebook's page about the Subscribe Button to learn how to install it on your website.

Registration Plugin

What it Is: Facebook's Registration Plugin enables users to easily sign up for your website using their Facebook account. When the user is logged into Facebook, it automatically populates registration fields with information pulled from the user's Facebook account to make signup quick and simple. If a user does not have a Facebook account, the same form can be used to collect registration information to create a seamless registration experience for both the user and the site.

Creative Marketing Uses: Considering that Facebook has accumulated 800 million users, using a Facebook-powered registration process will be helpful to many of your site visitors, eliminating time and effort. You can use this feature if you're implementing any sort of registration process on your website, whether your site includes a community element or you're attracting sign-ups for an upcoming event, webinar, or even content downloads. Keep in mind that Facebook's Registration Plugin doesn't need to be your site's only method of registration--it can be used in addition to other methods, providing another sign-up option for users.

How to Install: Visit Facebook's page about the Registration Plugin to learn how to install it on your website.

Hope this is useful to you!

In reference to a post on hubspot by Pamela Vaughan

15% sale on all jewelry

2011-12-29T07:56:00.001-08:00

ENTER THE COUPON CODE -HOLIDAYS-IN THE COUPON BOX AT CHECKOUT AND YOUR PURCHASE WILL BE REDUCED BY 15%

A few more of my designs

2011-12-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

15% reduction sale

2011-09-21T18:43:00.001-07:00

15% reduction on all purchases. Enter the coupon code "SPECIALRATE" in the coupon box at checkout and your purchase will automatically be reduced.

Searching by relevancy, default search on etsy

2011-08-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

Etsy's Relevancy Default Search Explained

By Cindy of the Etsy Alberta Street Team

******************************

As of August 9, the default search on Etsy is sorted by "most relevant". It is not currently a sticky search, so even if you change it to “most recent”, it will revert back to relevancy, & all new visitors will see relevancy as the default.
The official announcement is here:
www.etsy.com/teams/7718/site-help/discuss/8808254/page/1

Relevancy is largely based on:
1) titles
2) tags
3) most recently listed

There are also undisclosed factors.

Relevancy is NOT currently based on:
-Descriptions
-Materials
-The new attributes (style, occasion etc.)
-Tag order
-Number of listings in a shop
-Number of hearts or views the item or the shop has
-Location
-Any personalized search elements

Key things to remember to be found under a relevancy search:

1) the search terms should be in your titles AND tags. This is major change from the most recent search, where you did not need to repeat title words in your tags
2) some preference will be given to matching search strings. If someone searches "blue baby blanket", listings with "blue baby blanket" in that order in both the title & the tags will get some extra weight in the results
3) some preference will be given to the beginning of the title, so your most important keywords should go there

Other points:
- recency obviously no longer has the weight it used to, but some people will switch the search to most recent, & others will browse categories, which are sorted by most recent. In addition, the most recently listed items are shown across the top of the most relevant search. In practice, the larger the search in relevancy, the more recent the top ranked items will be. Therefore, renewing has some impact. Renewing gives you a very brief bump in most cases, then you drop back.
- in general, Etsy’s new title-writing recommendations match Google more closely than in the past, so you don't need to choose where to be relevant
- the search results are not supposed to show more than one listing from a shop on the first page of results unless it is a very small search, but after that you do see repetition.
- many of the tricks that worked for relevancy a few months ago - fewer tags, one-word tags only - do NOT work now.

How to Optimize for Relevancy:

REMEMBER, even if you have some searches that bring you a lot of views, we all get a significant amount of traffic from less common searches too; most websites get most traffic & sales from the more random searches. If you have a lot of items that are similar, you should change up the listings to match other searches, not just the most common one.
When choosing words to optimize around, I am doing one type of item in my shop at a time. So, I choose “memory wire bracelet” or “labradorite necklaces”, & do the keyword research by looking at my Etsy Shop Stats, my Google Analytics (under Site Search), the Google Keyword tool:
adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
& the Etsy suggested searches. Then I optimize each item slightly differently, depending on the existing title & tags, if it gets Google hits or not (if so, I will not change the title at all), & the attractiveness of the photo. I try to optimize the best photos for the largest searches, although sometimes you don’t have much control over that.

Take your time, & keep checking your stats to see what is working. Search engine optimization is an ongoing job, not a one-shot deal. And the Etsy search will likely keep evolving, so some of this advice might change in a few months.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE, 15% OFF EVERYTHING

2011-07-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Until the end of july I am offering a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit my shop and if you make a purchase, enter the coupon code "CHRISTMASINJULY" in the coupon box at checkout to receive your reduction.

15% deduction on all paintings by Shirley Levie until July 3rd

2011-07-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

A selection of paintings by Shirley Levie, see her weekend special..
.

And the winner is.............

2011-07-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

The winner of a silver bracelet with mother of pearl for the June giveaway is Samantha.
She wrote on June 10th, "I love the Asymmetrical necklace with silver, onyx , shell and black leaf"

Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway!
Lynn
lesbijouxcrealune.etsy.com

June Give away.

2011-06-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Win this beautiful bracelet. The draw for the giveaway will be held on June 30th, last day to enter is June 29th.

To be eligible, visit my etsy shop and then come back here and post a comment saying what is your favorite summer item from my shop. For a second entry to the giveaway, post this giveaway on your blog or on facebook with a link and include the link to your post here in a second comment.

Please make sure to leave an email so I may reach you if you win. You will have up to one week to reply or another winner will be picked.

Thanks and good luck!

*****************************************************************
Gagnez ce magnifique bracelet.Le tirage aura lieu le 30 juin. Pour être éligible, rendez-vous à ma boutique etsy et revenez ici et laissez un commentaire disant quel est votre item préféré de ma boutique pour l'été.
Pour une deuxième chance au tirage, inscrivez un lien à ce tirage soit sur votre blogue ou sur facebook et laissez un autre commentaire ici avec le lien.

SVP laissez-moi un courriel ou un endroit ou je pourrai vous joindre si vous gagnez. Si je n'ai pas de nouvelle après une semaine, je choisirai un autre gagnant.

Merci et bonne chance!

Receive a 15% discount on your purchases. Enter the coupon code "CREALUNE1" in the coupon box at checkout

2011-05-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

How to get more visitors to your blog

2011-05-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

A blog allows you to gain visibility and is a great access to any business. Sure content is definetely important but there are also other ways and strategies you can apply to your blog posts to help you gain more traffic.

The title of your posts are all of equal importance.

Starting a post with how to is a gret strategie
Use relevant keywords people are searching for
Be specific
Be original and unique
Have give aways

Your content should be easy to read so that visitors can quickly decide that your content is worth sharing. Most internet users don't like wasting their time and are often impatient.

Using lists is usually very helpful to most people.

Your Content should be Search Engine Optimized (SEO)

If you want people to find your blog, seo is certainly helps.

***Your title should contain not over 65 characters and the keywords should be as close to the front as possible.

***Your description should be a summary of the article that includes keywords. These keywords will be bolded in the search results when people search for them, which will attract their attention.

***Linking to other relevant articles in your blog is also helpful.

***Use social sharing buttons when possible to make it easy for your readers to share your content with their social networks in order to get you more readers.

***Link to other blogs and even add comments on that article you’ve linked to. If your comment was meaningful, you’ll get new visitors.

How To Optimize Your Facebook Privacy for Business

2011-04-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

You can now use facebook lists to separate your personal friends from your business acquaintances, and here is a video to walk you through the process of setting up different profile lists in Facebook, and adjusting your Facebook Privacy Settings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5T3kwVvi1w&feature=player_embedded

RECEIVE A 15% DISCOUNT ON ALL PURCHASES UNTIL THE END OF APRIL. Enter the code "CREALUNE" in the coupon box at check out.

2011-04-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

New featured artist Tess from ScrapHappyLyrebird

2011-03-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Tess offers beautiful decoupaged boxes, chests, frames, mirrors and jewelry, as well as hanging plaques and more. Her work is unique and worth looking at.

Tell me something about yourself

My name is Tess, and I live in Quincy, Massachusetts right outside of Boston. I share an apartment with my husband and our animal friends; three cats, Sushi, Ophelia, and BabyCat, and dog Roland.
I love living in Massachusetts and am constantly inspired by my surroundings. Whether it’s antiquing in a small seaside town, apple picking, catching a game at Fenway, or just wandering around the historic downtown, there’s no where I would rather be!

How did you get started creating? Is it your full time job?

I’ve always loved crafting, whether it was needle-pointing, drawing, or floral arranging. It wasn’t until planning my wedding that I truly found my creative calling. I had a really specific idea of what I wanted for a card box and after exhaustively searching stores and the internet I decided that I would make it myself. I wanted something that looked like an old fashioned Hope Chest or travel trunk that a lady in the 1800s might have decorated with stamps, cards, letters, and other ephemera collected over the years.
A month later my dream card box came to fruition and an obsession was born!
Right now most of my time is concentrated on creating and selling my art.

What inspires you to create?

Just about anything antique! I collect cabinet cards (19th century photographs) and Victorian fashion prints. I love to imagine what life was like for the people in my old photographs and the kinds of objects with which they would have surrounded themselves. I try to make timeless, beautiful pieces that could have been part of these people's lives. Creating, for me, goes hand in hand with forging a material connection to the past. I absolutely need to create to feel alive.

How would you describe your creative process? What materials do you use to create?

Over the summer my husband brought home a big stack of antique music with lithographed covers for my mom (who collects the lithographs to frame). We found that there were so many falling apart pieces of music in the pile that weren’t useful to her so my mother suggested I use them in my decoupage projects.
Since then old sheet music has become the primary material in my decoupage. I love it because there is so much history, art, and culture packed into each piece. Sometimes just a phrase in a song will inspire a whole project, or a little advertising slogan on the back makes the perfect pendant. I let each piece decide the direction of the project and then go from there. I have fun pairing the music pieces to a variety of wood objects, as well as different paints and embellishments. Most of my ideas live as a jumbled existence in my head and aren’t fully formed until I lay out all my materials in front of me.

Apart from creating, what do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy playing the violin, antiquing, napping in a pile of cats, cooking, baking, and eating.

How do you get the word out about your shop and your work?

Hands down word of mouth is the best publicity for me. Right now my marketing campaign is basically my mom…she is always wearing my jewelry and buying my music themed items for friends as gifts. Being a musician herself, she knows a lot of people in the local music community and has really helped spread the word about my stuff.

Where we can find your art?

Right now I sell exclusively through my etsy site and local craft shows. My website is www.GildedDays.com and I will be eventually offering my products there as well.

A few points about customer service

2011-01-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

CUSTOMER SERVICE

We all know that a happy customer will tell one or two people, an unhappy one will tell 10... It pays to keep your customers happy.

Thank your customers for their order, and check their address to avoid mistakes.

Welcome them to your mailing list.

Send them a convo notice telling them their product has been shipped.

Customers have come to expect these courtesies, but not everyone online bothers.

You can even add an element of surprise to these customer-service messages.

Follow up, ask if they have received their purchase, if everything is to their complete satisfaction or if there's anything further you can do.Just because your customer receives the order does not mean that your work is done.

PROBLEM SOLVING

Listen or read carefully what the customer has to say - Listening is the first step to understanding. If you don't listen, you'll never find out the customer's problem. Understand their frustration and let them know you heard what they said. After the emotions subside they'll be in a more receptive mood for advice or whatever decision you have come up with..

Pay Attention - Multitasking is great for productivity, but never forget that the customer you're dealing with is your top priority. Listening isn't just about hearing what they say, it's hearing all of what they have to say. Get a big picture view of the issue and a more comprehensive solution can present itself.

Apologize - Even if it's not your fault, apologizing and taking ownership of a problem is one of the fastest ways to defuse an emotional situation. You don't have to assume responsibility to truly apologize. Saying you're sorry the screw-up occurred doesn't mean it's your fault, it says how you feel about what happened.

Focus On Solutions, Not On Blame - Never put the blame on someone else , instead focus on finding a solution that will work.

All customers are all different. Finding the right solution to their problem starts with knowing what they want and need.

When appropriate, have fun with the customer. If they're smiling, you've done a good job.

A few more designs

2011-01-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011!

2011-01-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

A very happy new year to all! Best wishes, love, happiness and health!

Lynn

The new winner for the giveaway is...

2010-12-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

The new winner for my Christmas giveaway is Jessica. Congradulations!!!

Jessica said:
"I love the Silver, black leaf, bubble, jade and green agate asymmetric necklace. :D"

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Christmas giveaway

2010-11-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Win a pair of moonstone earrings
The draw for this giveaway will be held on December 20th.

To be eligible, visit my etsy shop and then come back here and post a comment saying what is your favorite item. For a second entry to the giveaway, post this giveaway on your blog or on facebook with a link and include the link to your post here in a second comment.

Please make sure to leave an email so I may reach you if you win. You will have up to one week to reply or another winner will be picked.

Thanks and good luck!

*****************************************************************
Gagnez cette paire de boucles d'oreilles. Le tirage aura lieu le 20 décembre. Pour être éligible, rendez-vous à ma boutique etsy et revenez ici laisser un commentaire disant quel est votre item préféré de ma boutique.
Pour une deuxième chance au tirage, inscrivez un lien à ce tirage soit sur votre blogue ou sur facebook et laissez un autre commentaire ici avec le lien.

SVP laissez-moi un courriel ou un endroit ou je pourrai vous joindre si vous gagnez. Si je n'ai pas de nouvelle après une semaine, je choisirai un autre gagnant.

Merci et bonne chance!

A few more designs

2010-11-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

Growing your business

2010-11-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

One of the most important aspects to growing your online business has got to be content. Concentrate on efforts that will consistently grow your brand and your business and don't obsess with seo too much, use it reasonably. Search engine optimization should always be planned.
SEO marketing can often times make website owners obsess over certain efforts causing more harm than good.
Dont obssess over Google Pagerank either. People tend to get so focused over increasing that little number in the tool bar that they lose focus around actually growing their business online. Google Pagerank sometimes makes people try to cut corners which eventually will come back to bite you. There is no reason why you should submit your company to thousands of directories. There are some good quality directories and that's all you really need. Chances are the search engines won’t even recognize all the others. Too many directory submissions is a waste of energy so don''t put alll your focus into this practice.
One more thing, don’t worry about what your competitors are doing.

2010-10-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

More on keywords

2010-10-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Page Titles and keywords.

When planning your titles for your shop, think carefully of what words you put at the front of your title. The very first thing that someone will see on a search results page are those words. Do not start with your name or your shop name, anyone who types your name or your shop name will be arriving at your site anyway. Begin with the most relevant keywords to your item.

Once your titles are well-optimized do not reuse your titles on other websites. If you should list your same items in another shop, reword things so that you don’t have five pages with the same name. If you have many pages around the same keyword, think about variations or other words that may fit better, this should be more interesting to your readers, as well as to search engines.

Emi from mehartgallery shares her tutorials on various crafts

2010-10-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Tell me something about yourself, your name and where you are from?

My name is Emi Harrington, I live in Nova Scotia, Canada on the outskirts of Halifax, the capital city.
Not being right in the city gives me the freedom to walk in the woods behind my home. I can meander in my back yard, and find all forms of flora, such as mosses, lichen, woodland ferns, as well as a babbling brook. I was born in the country, so I need to live where there is a minimum of forest or woods nearby where I can photograph nature. I use these images to create jewelry, or to frame as art. When you enlarge an image of tree bark, for instance, it becomes a lovely texture which no one can identify immediately, but once glued to a pendant, or made into beads, it becomes a conversation piece!

How did you get started in crafts? Is this your full time job?

I have always been interested in the creative side of life. I can remember as a young child of 2 or 3, playing with soap bubbles in the sink, and admiring the irridescent nature of all the colors they reflected! I have always loved art and I can't imagine my life without being able to create. Crafting has always been part of my life. My mind is constantly developing new ideas, new technique and new designs! There are times that I don't leave my home for days, because I have so many ideas that I must bring to fruition, so the other ideas awaiting may also be fulfilled and materialized.

I am retired from the business world now, but I always was involved in some form of art in one way or another in my spare time, weather it be teaching, creating or even selling my art. Now, I have the time to totally immerse myself in the creative development, so I could affirm that it has become my full time job!

My mind is always filled up with designs, I can see the crowd of ideas. As I develop one idea, there are always many more popping to the forefront. It never ends!

What inspires you to create? Why did you decide to sell tutorials instead of creating and selling your own designs?

If I could channel my creative interests into one category, my life might be more calm... but I am interested in everything creative. Over the years, these are some of the things I have been involved in: sewing, knitting, crochet, papier mache, photography, sculpture, ceramics and so much more.

Teaching art and craft classes has also been a blessing to me because I want to spread my ideas around, so people can make use them. For me, designing comes easy. I can see how things are made in my mind and then it's just a matter of making a physical replica.Many years ago, people would ask me to show them how to create certain things. At that point I had been selling my designs to magazines and then I began to teach courses on how to make the items I was designing.

I did begin selling wooden buttons made from branches from my back woods, and selling finished knitwear, but people began emailing me, asking if I would sell them the pattern, and so that business evolved from the requests for patterns. When I received a request for a pattern on Christmas Day, I had the intuition that there was a reason for this and that I must listen to what people were asking for and that there was a demand for patterns. Offering tutorials for flower making, jewelry making, card making, and knit and crochet patterns just came as a natural conclusion.

How do you get the word out about your shop and your work, publicity, etc?

I actually am not very computer literate making it more difficult to get word out about my shop, or my work. I don't use facebook, twitter nor do I have a blog. I am too old to start learning about computers now. The only thing I know how to do is navigate on Etsy,(with great difficulty in the beginning). But things are getting easier as I go along. I wish I did know how to advertise or to attract people to my shops, but I don't. I rely on Etsy and search engines to do it for me, that's it!

Where we can find your work?

Emi offers her tutorials on flower-making, jewelry-making, and card-making in PDF files ........
so you can now make your own!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mehartgallery
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Hectanooga

You can also find her knit and crochet designs in her daughter's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ashton11
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FleeceForAll

The winner for the September giveaway is...

2010-10-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

The winner for the September giveaway is NGS, CONGRATULATIONS to you.
You have one week to contact me.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway and who visited her shop

Lynn
Les Bijoux Crea-Lune

September giveaway

2010-09-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

THE SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY DRAW WILL BE HELD ON OCTOBER 1st.

This giveaway is for a set of 4 beautiful blank 5 X 7 greeting cards of your choice from Shirley Levie.
She has been painting for over 50 years now.
To be eligible for her giveaway, please visit her shop and come back and post a comment saying what your favorite item in her shop is. It can be a card, a painting or a print, whatever you prefer.

(All the paintings are oil. The cards and prints are either images of her watercolors, oils or china inks with mixed media).

Please make sure to leave an email so I may reach you if you win. You will have up to one week to reply or another winner will be picked.

Thanks and good luck!

SEO and Key Words

2010-09-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

The first steps on how to optimize one page of your website very quickly with seo

1) Find keywords.
Pick a list of words relevant to your business. Think about which words are most likely to get people to find you. Then pick one word (or phrase) to use on one page of your site.

2) Put keywords in Page Title.
The Page Title is one of the most important things that Google and other search engines evaluate to determine what is on a web page. Put your keyword or phrase in the title, keep it short.

3) Put keywords in Page URL.
Google and other search engines also use the text of the URL of the page to determine the content of the web page. You should use your keyword or phrase in the URL of the web page

4) Put keywords in Meta Data.
While the page metadata (Page Description and Keywords) are not nearly as important as they used to be, they still count. Take advantage of them by putting your keyword or phrase there. The description should be readable by a person and make sense and the keyword metadata should focus on your keyword or phrase - do not make it long, less is more.

5) Put keywords in your H1 text.
The H1 text is usually the title of an article or some larger bold text at the top of your page. Google and the smaller search engines can see this and they put extra importance on the words in the H1 text. Make sure your keyword or phrase is there.

6) Use keywords in the page content.
Putting the keyword in your page content also signals to search engines that the page is actually about the keyword and should show up in search results. I have heard from "experts" that you should use your keyword anywhere from 4-10 times. Just put it in naturally as often as seems natural.

7) Monitor your rank.
Give the search engines some time to do their thing (a few days) and then keep checking your rank to see what happened and track your progress.

In conclusion, the first step is all about keywords.

From an article by Mike Volpe

New artist on etsy

2010-08-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Shirley Levie has been an artist for over 50 years and has opend a shop on etsy, http://www.oilpaintingsandcards.etsy.com

Her shop consists of:
A few of her original oil paintings
(Her oil paintings are all made with a trowel ((palette knife)) and no brush.

She has also included cards and prints of her oils, her watercolors and her china inks.

One of each is pictured above, a china ink reproduction print with watercolor wash.
The second is one of her original oil paintings and the third is a watercolor reproduction card.

The winner for my August giveaway is....

2010-08-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway!

The winner for my giveaway for August 15th is AIK, Congratulations!!!
You can view her blog here.

Please contact me within one week to claim your $20.00 gift certificate from my etsy shop.

Giveaway for a $20 gift certificate on August 15th

2010-07-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Giveaway for a $20 gift certificate from my shop with free shipping.
To be eligible for the draw you must visit my shop and post a comment here saying what jewelry you would like to see more of in the future, your preferences, etc...
If you are a follower of my blog or become a follower, you will have an extra chance at winning. (please leave a note saying if you are following)
The giveaway will be on August 15th..

Please leave a website or email, so I may contact you if you win. If I don't hear from you within a week, I will pick another winner.

*****************************************************************
Gagnez un certificat cadeau de $20.00 de ma boutique avec expédition gratuite. Pour être éligible, rendez vous à ma boutique et laissez un comentaire ici de ce dont vous aimeriez voir plus dans mes items, vos préférences, etc.....
Si vous suivez mon blogue, vous serez éligible pour une chance supplémentaire de gagner (svp laissez moi un mot ici à cet effet). Le tirage aura lieu le 15 août.

SVP laissez moi un courriel ou un endroit ou je pourrai vous joindre si vous gagnez. Si je n'ai pas de nouvelle après une semaine, je choisirai un autre nom.

The July feature seller is Julie Rose from meiguidesigns

2010-07-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

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The feature seller for July is Julie Rose and her shop is called Mei Gui Designs, Mei Gui is chinese for "rose". Julie creates a variety of items such as shoulder bags which are hand knitted by her and jewelry. She lives in Dayton Ohio with her husband and two daughters which they adopted from China. This adoption has brought them a very special connection with China.

How did you get started as a designer?

I work full time as a reading specialist in the public school system and have my Etsy shop on the side. It fullfils my need to express myself creatively. I have always wanted to have a little shop of all handmade items and Etsy has made that possible for me. I love making things and working at various crafts. I got this mostly from my mom who was very crafty.

What inspires you to create?

I would be miserable if I was not able to create. I need it in my life. It's part of who I am. However, being with other artists and seeing beautiful art (no matter what kind), does inspire me. It makes me want to learn more and get better at it.

How do you get the word out about your shop and art?

I spend a lot of time promoting in the forums on Etsy. I love to make treasuries and feature other sellers/artists. It's great to connect with them and let them know they have been featured and I get featured in others' treasuries as well. I also use Facebook to post my items and network.

Julies shop is at www.meiguidesigns.etsy.com and you can also see her art at www.craftjuice.com

LINK BUILDING

2010-06-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Your link building should always be methodical and planned out correctly to acquire a diverse group of one way links pointing to your website. Social media activity is starting to show up in Google webmaster tools so having a focus on branding your business in the social space will be just as important as anything else. Your in-bound link structure should be diverse and robust.

Your links should also be targeted so a link sitting on a completely unrelated website will not give you any link building benefit. It will most likely just hurt your websites power if you attempt to connect with an unrelated website simply to acquire a link pointing to your website. Building up your website links is very important to the overall success of a business online. Treat each link as an actual pathway that could deliver a website visitor and not as much as a link to help you increase your rankings. The rankings will happen over time and you can’t speed up the process or you will find yourself cutting corners to get the job done. The search engines need to see a natural type of growth for things to work exactly how they are supposed to. Take a tasteful business branding approach to your link building and you will grow as a business online with a very strong foundation in place.

One Way Links:

A one way link is a link that only points to your website. A good example of this would be putting a link in your social profile, an article or a press release assuming that you don’t link back to them would be a one way link. The big thing that I always preach about one way link building is that relevant link building is marketing. It is about building your brand and reputation in the eyes of the search engines and your visitors. As far as I am concerned a great link source is any type of link that could potentially generate visitors to your website. This could be a press release, article, blog comment, blog post, directory, social networking, natural type of one way link source.

Internal linking:

If you are new to SEO or even a seasoned professional and you have never really dabbled with internal link building it is probably time for you start thinking about interlinking your pages and your posts to help with your long term SEO efforts. Interlinking is just as important for rankings as building external links so it is ideal that you start sooner rather than later. Internal linking offers a web user little portals to travel through to get to other important pages very quickly.

The whole goal of linking between pages is the ability to pass link juice to other pages of your website that could benefit greatly from it. Your natural website copy is littered with great potential areas to really increase the power of your internal website. Naturally the content of your website already has keywords throughout the text giving you great opportunities to link to some really nice and powerful anchor text throughout your website. When you link throughout your website to other pages always make sure you use beneficial keywords that you are already targeting in your ongoing search engine optimization efforts. Internal linking helps you balance out the power of your website quite a bit. Naturally over time certain pages of your website will build significantly more power than others so it is important to try and create a balance. Internal linking will allow you to drive extra power to other pages so that your website does not become top heavy with just a certain group of pages.

Nick Stamoulis

The winner for the giveaway for the turquoise and silver necklace is...

2010-06-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

The winner of the June 1st giveaway is Jasmine1485, here is her blog.
http://ntfancy.blogspot.com/
I will send her an email and she has one week to respond or I will pick another winner.

NEW GIVEAWAY for June 1st

2010-05-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

GIVEAWAY FOR ONE OF MY ITEMS, THIS BEAUTIFUL TURQUOISE CHOKER NECKLACE .

To be eligible for the draw you must visit my shop and post a comment here saying what your favorite summer item is (the name...not the url). You may indicate, a necklace, pendant, earrings...anything you would love for summer. The giveaway will be on June 1st.
For an extra entry go to this thread and leave your comment on your favorite item there.

Please leave a website or email, so I may contact you if you win. If I don't hear from you within a week, I will pick another winner.

GAGNEZ UNE DE MES CRÉATIONS, CE MAGNIFIQUE COLLIER EN TURQUOISE.
Visitez ma boutique et inscrivez ici votre bijoux d'été préféré de mon site pour une chance de gagner, vous pouvez inscrire l'item de votre choix, collier, bracelet, etc... Le tirage se fera le 1er juin.
Pour une chance supplémentaire, allez ici et inscrivez votre commentaire sur votre item d'été préfère.

SVP laissez moi un courriel ou un endroit ou je pourrai vous joindre si vous gagnez. Si je n'ai pas de nouvelle après une semaine, je choisirai un autre nom.

Jade

2010-04-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

“Jade” is the generic term describing two distinct stones: nephrite and jadeite. While the two are visually similar, they are different in mineralogical characteristics. Nephrite and jadeite are both white in their pure state, with all colors caused by inclusions of other minerals. Jadeite is the harder and denser of the two, with a richer, more brilliant range of colors. For these reasons and because of its scarcity, jadeite is the most precious and sought-after type of jade. Guatemalan jade is jadeite.

That jadeite in serious quantity and in a rainbow of natural colors (no heat treatments or other enhancements are used in the Guatemalan jadeite) is being mined in Guatemala comes as no surprise to researching geologists and archaeologists who have long believed that all the native Central American ancient cultures - Olmec, Toltec, Mixtec, Zapotec, Aztec, and Maya - got their jadeite from Guatemala. In Jades of Mesoamerica, author and jade expert Fred Ward has compiled exhaustive research on Guatemalan jadeite used in the ancient Maya culture. He writes that discoveries of jadeite in the Motagua Valley area of Guatemala (also known as the Motagua Fault Zone) confirm the country as the source for most if not all of the jadeite used by Mesoamericans for three thousand years.

There are some visual differences in the jadeites of Myanmar and Guatemala, the most obvious of which is color. Although some individual pieces of Guatemalan jadeite cannot be separated from their Burmese counterparts (particularly after they are worked into jewelry), the majority of materials have distinct color and often textural differences. For example, the intense and highly saturated Imperial green of Burmese jadeite is not often found in the Guatemalan material. This does not mean it doesn't exist in Guatemala, rather it simply means that at this time, ongoing exploration has failed to produce any sizeable quantity of this highly desirable color.

ANNA M. MILLER

A few new designs for summer

2010-04-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

SEO 101 Rules to Follow NOW!

2010-04-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some SEO 101 rules you should always follow:

1. Keywords – Identifying keywords is most likely going to be the first step with anything you do. I always hear from people that they already know their keywords and then generate a list for me that have 10 or so relevant keywords. I then take that list and generate a few hundred or so. Don’t assume you know your keywords because there are always different variations that people are using and if you miss out on those words you could end up missing out on a lot of valuable traffic. And ALWAYS make sure the keywords you select to target on each page of your website are 100% RELATED to the great content you have written for that page.

2. Patience – If you are looking for results tomorrow I wouldn’t even try to attempt search engine optimization for your business. SEO is something that requires a great deal of time and effort. Results are carefully monitored over a certain period of time. Generally it takes 6 months of aggressive search engine marketing efforts to start seeing some sort of positive results. Anyone that tells you otherwise is lying or trying to pull a fast over you.

3. Rankings are Not Everything – Sure the end game for your SEO is to get your website ranking for your popular industry search terms but don’t be discouraged when your website is not number 1 in the search results. Rankings are not the only byproduct from search engine optimization. There are many other positive things that occur from conducting search engine marketing efforts. You want people to bump into your articles and press releases and not just your website.

4. Don’t Cut Corners – If you think that an effort you might be doing might raise an eyebrow with Google or any of the other major search engines avoid doing it at all costs. General rule of thumb is that if you think it might jeopardize your website’s rankings it could very well affect you down the road so you are better off just avoiding the situation.

5. Content, content and more content – Content is probably one of the most important factors when it comes to SEO. Good content will always go a long way. Whether it is content in an article, press release or even a profile it is always important to put 100% into any content you are writing.

These are just the basic SEO 101 rules to really always keep in the back of your mind. As your business grows you will learn other basics that you will end up carrying throughout the lifespan of your search engine marketing campaign.
By Nick Stamoulis of Brick Marketing

The winner for the $15.00 gift certificate is...

2010-04-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

After a random draw from your entries from my blog as well as the thread, Julia ( sugareaterATgmailDOTcom) is the winner for the $15.00 gift certificate from my etsy shop with free shipping.

This was her response.
"I like the Classy black leaf and jade necklace - Romancing the stone best, I love green things, and plants especially! "

She will be contacted and if I receive no response within 1 week, I will pick another winner.

My next giveaway will be on April 15th is for a gift certificate

2010-03-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

A $15.00 GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM MY ETSY SHOP WITH FREE SHIPPING

To be eligible for the draw you must visit my shop and post a comment here saying what your favorite necklace from all categories is.(the name...not the url) The giveaway will be on April 15th
For an extra enty go to this thread on etsy and post your favorite necklace there.

Please leave a website or email, so I may contact you if you win. If I don't hear from you within a week, I will pick another winner.

GAGNEZ UN CERTIFICAT D'UNE VALEUR DE $15.00 DE MA BOUTIQUE AVEC LIVRAISON GRATUITE, inscrivez ici votre bijoux préféré de mon site pour une chance de gagner. Le tirage se fera le 15 avril.

Robin from Robin's flight and her terrific purses and bags

2010-03-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

For my next feature, I found some great hand bags, purses and wallets on etsy that are all hand-crocheted by Robin. Here is her story...

1-Tell me something about yourself and your art + your full name and where you are from

My name is Robin Flatley, and I live in Livonia (Detroit area), Michigan. I'm a stay at home mom of two beautiful children.

2-How did you get started as a designer?

My grandma taught me to crochet when I was 8, and my mom taught me to sew not long after that. As an adult, I started to crochet again and switched to bags and other small projects . I slowly started designing my own patterns, and lining my bags to make them more useful. I love combining the crochet with fabric, as well as zipper pockets and multiple sections to make the bags more handy.

3-What inspires you to create?

Often, my inspiration will be a nice fabric or set of fabrics. Or I'll see a nice handbag that will give me a design idea. Or, as with my forsythia tote, it's nature itself that fuels my imagination.

4-How do you get the word out about your shop and your work

I'm not very good at that, I'm afraid. I try to make connections on the etsy forums, and I do have a facebook page. I carry business cards and hand them out if people notice my own bags. My mom's probably better at that, she's one of my best advertisers!

5-Where we can find your purses and wallets

My items are found on my etsy website!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RobinsFlight

The winner for my March 1st giveaway is...

2010-03-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

The winner for the March 1st giveaway is Martina (avalonne83)
This is her blog http://avalonne83.blogspot.com/
She has picked the 'full moon' earrings and will also receive free shipping.
Congradulations!!!

Searching Google with more accuracy

2010-02-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

While surfing on the net I found some very useful information on how to search on google with accuracy.. I'm certain this should be of use to anyone who uses google for searching the net. Here is a list to help you out.

Explicit Phrase:
Lets say you are looking for content about internet marketing. Instead of just typing internet marketing into the Google search box, you will likely be better off searching explicitly for the phrase. To do this, simply enclose the search phrase within double quotes.
Example: "internet marketing"
Exclude Words:
Lets say you want to search for content about internet marketing, but you want to exclude any results that contain the term advertising. To do this, simply use the "-" sign in front of the word you want to exclude.
Example Search: internet marketing -advertising (with the -connected to the following word)
Site Specific Search:
Often, you want to search a specific website for content that matches a certain phrase. Even if the site doesn’t support a built-in search feature, you can use Google to search the site for your term. Simply use the "site:somesite.com" modifier.
Example: "internet marketing" site:www.smallbusinesshub.com
Similar Words and Synonyms:
Let’s say you are want to include a word in your search, but want to include results that contain similar words or synonyms. To do this, use the "~" in front of the word.
Example: "internet marketing" ~professional
Specific Document Types:
If you’re looking to find results that are of a specific type, you can use the modifier "filetype:". For example, you might want to find only PowerPoint presentations related to internet marketing.
Example: "internet marketing" filetype:ppt
This OR That:
By default, when you do a search, Google will include all the terms specified in the search. If you are looking for any one of one or more terms to match, then you can use the OR operator. (Note: The OR has to be capitalized).
Example: internet marketing OR advertising
Area Code Lookup:
If all you need to do is to look-up the area code for a phone number, just enter the 3-digit area code and Google will tell you where it’s from.
Example: 617
Calculator:
The next time you need to do a quick calculation, instead of bringing up the Calculator applet, you can just type your expression in to Google.
Example: 48512 * 1.02
Word Definitions:
If you need to quickly look up the definition of a word or phrase, simply use the "define:" command.
Example: define:plethora

Hope this list of Google search tips proves useful in your future Google searches.

Please see my next giveaway below

2010-01-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

Giveaway for one free pair of earrings of your choice and free shipping.

Please read the post below to see how to enter.

My next feature is ChrissyAnn Ceramic

2010-01-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
ChrissyAnnCeramics

I found her shop on etsy and I would love to share it with you!

2010-01-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

Tell me something about yourself and your art

My name is Chrissy Ann Feiteira, I am a ceramic artist living in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, a lovely small town by the sea. My clay studio is located close by, about a fifteen minute bike ride, in a small city called New Bedford. I have been working there since 2002 after finishing college and moving back to the area from Providence, Rhode Island, and began Chrissy Ann Ceramics.

How did you get started as a designer?

As an artist, I was nurtured creatively from early childhood. My family always encouraged my sister and I to create by supplying us with plentiful art supplies, and new craft projects. It was a way that our family spent time together, and socialized.

I began my studies as a sculpture student, but clay was always my real love. So, I enrolled in a ceramics class and when I mixed up my first five gallon bucket of glaze, I knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After graduating in 2002, I began renting my own studio, and slowly purchased my own equipment.

What inspires you to create?

I get weird unexpected inspirations at really random times. Certain seasons really do it for me, like spring time makes my creative mind go wild! I love making early spring discoveries watching things as they grow. It's a really great moment to sit, reflect on, and sketch.

Once I had collected rocks that had a deep glow of burnt colors and I thought "Oh, this would be a great new palette for some vessel forms I can make for the fall." I love those moments of inspiration because it gets you out of your head for a moment, and into that very moment of time with fresh uncluttered eyes and heart. It is refreshing! Inspiration just happens sometimes when you least expect it and you just have to try and hold on to it before its gone.

How do you get the word out about your shop and your work?

Most of my advertising comes from the many shows I participate in within my local community. I've grown to love outdoor markets, I love meeting the locals, and forming relationships with my buyers. I love to hear the stories of where my pieces have gone, and how they are being used. I pass out many postcards with my Etsy shop and contact information as well as traditional business cards, show schedules, and workshop info if I have one coming up.

Where we can find your items?

You can find my work in my Etsy shop of course, www.chrissyannceramics.etsy.com. I am trying to be better disciplined this year with regular new Etsy listings, and updates.
Our studio building has a website that we've been slowly getting together. You can find me and my studio mates at www.hatchstreetstudios.com.
You can find my blog, facebook and twitter here:
www.chrissyannceramics.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/ChrissyACeramic
www.facebook.com/ChrissyAnnCeramics

Help the population of Haiti

2010-01-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

After the terrible disaster that struck Haiti earlier this week, human rights conditions are now worse then they have been in years. The people face an immediate critical need. Indie Fix is coordinating a silent auction of items that have been donated by indie crafters, artists and designers.
Please consider bidding in the auction. Every little bid will help!

All information regarding the auction can be found here:
http://indiefixx.com/images/haitirelief/index.html

I so wanted to donate some of my jewelry for the auction, by right now they have received so much that it's alot of work on their hands, they are not accepting more art.

I have decided to donate 50% of my sales on etsy until January 20th to the Red Cross for Haiti Relief.

MY NEXT GIVEAWAY ..

2010-01-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

A FREE PAIR OF EARRINGS OF YOUR CHOICE FROM MY ETSY SHOP WITH FREE SHIPPING

To be eligible for the draw you must visit my shop and post a comment here saying what your favorite pair of earrings are. The giveaway will be on March 1st.

Using a new marketing strategy

2010-01-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

*Track what you are doing and find out where your traffic and sales are coming from.

*Start a mareting calender before starting new mareting strategies. If you track your activities on a marketing calendar, you can quickly refer back to specific dates and figure out what could have contributed to the increase in traffic or sales.

*If you start a marketing strategy that is costing you money and/or alot of time, make sure you’ve researched it enough to know what the odds of it working for your are. There is enough cost-free information on the Internet to get you started in the right direction. If you are well informed of a strategy before you try it, you’re more likely to succeed at using it effectively. You should also figure out who your target audience is and focus your efforts there.

*Set up Google analytics, if you haven't already and track the traffic coming into your shop. Google analytics contains valuable statistics such as where your traffic is coming from, how long pople stay on your site, and what time of they day they visited your site. Alot of useful information for tracking your traffic can be found here.

*Give your marketing strategies enough time to work effectively. The typical turn around time for most marketing plans is 3 months. Make sure you give your strategies at least this amount of time to work. It may take a while before you start to see an increase in traffic or sales, but hang in there to know for sure if your marketing strategy is working.

*If you have a steady increase in sales, you can assume something is working for you. To find out what that something is do a bit of research by checking your marketing calendar and your Google Analytics stats.

Some of the information used in this write up was taken from an article by Jamie on handmade news

The winner for my January 10th giveaway

2010-01-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

I have picked a new winner because I have not had a reply from fivelittlegems, nor from Vasillas Pasparas, so the new winner is Vikki from the quiltingV

Best greetings for 2010

2010-01-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Please see below for my next giveaway

2009-12-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

for a $15.00 gift certificate from my etsy shop

Marketing ...search ...tags

2009-12-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

Every website owner has heard of them, every search engine uses them, and if you are into SEO you just can't ignore them. Yes, we're referring to 'keywords'. Perhaps the most crucial aspect of search marketing are keywords, and choosing the most 'relevant' keywords can be the difference between success and failure of your web-based venture.

Search marketing and knowing your keywords

A keyword is a single word or a phrase which is used to help search engines index your site. Generally, keyword can be a one to five word phrase that can be used by people during search to find your website. However, choosing 'relevant' keywords for your SEO strategy is not easy. Some business owners tend to use keywords that are internally focused rather than being based on the kinds of searches people actually make. Other times, people tend to be almost 'careless' in researching their keywords and choose generic or irrelevant keywords that have extremely high competition. Some examples of generic keywords could be SEO, website, search engine, UK etc.

The best way to choose keywords for your business is by thinking like a person interested in your service/product. What type of word or words would they type in the search engine browser to find your offering? What are the qualities of your product or service? Answering those questions will better help you in choosing the best keywords for SEO.

Choosing the best keywords for SEO

Typically, there are many different methods to find best and relevant keywords and some of these steps are:

Finding words that people use to find product or service similar to your offering.

Keyword research tools such as google adwords, Keyword tool, Wordtracker, Trellian Keyword Discovery, etc., are tools that help you pick the most searched and relevant keywords for your website.

A keyword list helps you understand your target audience 'search psyche.' So, create a keyword list to find the best combination of primary and secondary keywords that:

Drive traffic to your website

Finding related keywords used for search on large and small search engines.

Discovering keywords using trend related tools such as Google trends & Google Insights
Discovering news, forums, and blog related keywords

Finally, remember that the main goal for choosing the best and most relevant keywords for SEO is to divert large amounts of targeted traffic to your site and stay ahead of your competitors.

Part of this article was taken from "John Hill" Website designer, seo uk professional and search marketing specialist

January 10th giveaway

2009-12-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

Become a follower of my blog and you will be eligible for my January 10th giveaway. I will offer the winner a $15.00 gift certificate from my etsy shop. Shipping will be paid by me.
Please leave a website or email, so I may contact you if you win. If I don't hear from you within a week, I will pick another winner.

http://www.lesbijouxcrealune.etsy.com

Tirage du 10 janvier pour un certificat cadeau de $15.00 dans ma boutique etsy. Les frais d'expédition seront payés par moi. Vous n'avez qu'à suivre mon blog pour être éligible. SVP laissez un courriel ou un site pour que je puisse vous contacter si vous gagnez. Si je n'ai pas de vos nouvelles à l'intérieur d'une semaine, je vais piger un autre gagnant.

The winner for the December 1st giveaway is ....

2009-12-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

The winner for the December 1st giveaway is Camille Henrie
Here is her blog...
http://myhidingplaceincyberspace.blogspot.com/

Please see the post below for my December 1st giveaway

2009-11-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

You could win these earrings. Just become a follower and you will be eligible, please see below.

GIVE YOUR BLOG A CHANCE

2009-11-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

Blogs are one of the most effective ways to communicate with a vast amount of people around the world. It is also a prime focus for individuals to promote and market their business.

Starting a blog isn’t very difficult, all you really need are a couple of thoughts and a computer connected to the internet. The hard part is to get strangers to read your blog and to get them to keep coming back for more. Most blogs are doomed to fail because they are not treated like any other marketing campaign. You need to plan a blog like you would a business and put yourself in a position to succeed.

Here are a few tips to make your blog successful:

Make sure you have a reason for starting a blog. There a many reasons why a blog would be beneficial to you, but successful blogs are a benefit to the people that read them. And that is what’s going to keep online surfers coming back. This will attract consumers, reduce your costs, and improve your reputation and media coverage.

The key to getting your blog recognized in search engines are the keywords and phrases you choose to emphasize. Blogs will take the text you have written and store it onto a database and send that information through templates which generates the blog we read in the search engine.

The reason many blogs fail is because of failure to upkeep. You need to structure your blogs so people can find the content they are looking for. Think of it like a filing cabinet. A reader doesn’t want to look everywhere for a specific question, make it easy and efficient for them to find their answers. Also, if you make the decision to blog, keep it up. Don’t make you posts random or sporadic, make sure you are consistent when you blog. It doesn’t matter if it’s once a week or once a month. Be consistent!

Blogs are a way to communicate and it’s very important for bloggers to socialize around the Web. Respond to comments made about your blogs and look for other websites and link them to yours. Comment on other people’s blogs and become a name around the internet and as an expert in your field. You will also be able to track the hits on your blog and the more you contribute, the more your blog will continue to grow, and your business will continue to grow.

Once you have your blog in full force and everything is going well; don’t be afraid to promote your success. Getting people to take time out of their day to read your work is not an easy thing to do. Do not be afraid to flaunt your positive reputation as a blogger, especially to other businesses. This can be key to expanding your services to different sectors and opening new doors.

It is important that your blog serves a purpose, not just to promote your business. Use your years of experience to help people and it will all come back around to help your business. Not only is this a chance to market yourself, but the networking, learning and opportunity will pay many dividends in the end.

Article by SEO Sapien

December 1st giveaway

2009-11-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

For my December 1st giveaway, I am offering a beautiful pair of moonstone and silver earrings. Become a follower of my blog and you will be eligible for this give away. Please leave a website or email, so I may contact you if you win.

Tirage de ces boucles d'oreilles en pierre de lune et argent le 1 décembre. Vous n'avez qu'à suivre mon blog pour être éligible. SVP laissez un courriel ou un site pour que je puisse vous contacter si vous gagnez.

And the winner for the November 1st draw is Jody Morin

2009-11-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

Her etsy shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/handmadebyjody

Please see below for my November 1st giveaway

2009-10-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

The first thing to consider when selling online:

2009-10-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

Taking good pictures, check your lighting, try different shots and see what turns out best, take your time before posting them.

Set up your profile, take a look at other profiles if you aren’t certain what to put in yours. Fill in your shop policies, don’t just write the cost and what payment you accept, give out the most information you can so your buyers will be confident about purchasing from you.

List more items, don’t publish your shop until you have a reasonable amount of items to list. Keep adding some every time you have a chance. When listing, fill out your description with a lot of detail, size and materials you use for making your art. Add your tags, fill up the 14 tags that are available to you.

Make sure you are pricing your items correctly, don't overprice.

To upgrade your shop image, take a look at other shops and what they do.

Go to the forums, read, read, read, there is so much advice on the forums in etsy.

Once your shop has the look you want, start promoting, open a facebook fan page, a twitter account. If you have time start a blog. Get your work out there.

2009-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
BabyEtte

BabyEtte on Etsy

2009-10-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

Beth is the designer of BabbyEtte, She designs babywearing accessories and has various items in her shop. Her designs vary from unique, European style neckscapes, as well as Cloche Hats,magnificent slings, as well as many more babywearing accessories. . Her style is absolutely unique! Intrigued by her work, I asked her a few questions about herself and her art.

Tell me something about yourself and your art. And your full name and where you are from?

My name is Beth Ritzman born and raised in Seattle but moved to Fort Wayne IN 6 years ago. I’m a wife and mother of 4 daughters ages 1-10. I’ve been making things since my fist pregnancy when the “creative hormones” first hit me and have never left. My girls are home educated and so we spend a lot of time together, which is great. They are a lot of fun.

How did you get started as a designer?

I’ve sewn little things here and there for years. I’ve always been an avid BabyWearer and am pro-Attachment Parenting, so when my first ring sling wore out, I started making my own.
I took my favorite aspects of all the different slings I’ve tried and made the best of the best. The slings I create now are the result of essentially 10 years of babywearing experience and feedback from La Leche League and Attachment Parenting International members from several states.

What inspires you to create?

I am inspired by the desire to be close to my baby. I want to be able to carry and nurse my baby while doing all the other things that Life demands of me, while still expressing my individual style and personality. I do not want to look like every other mom at the playground. And I’ll admit it… I like the attention. ;)

How do you get the word out about your shop and your work?

I can’t avoid it! I have one of probably every sling in my shop in my personal collection! I also wear my NeckScapes and BabyWearing Ponchos all over town.
If people don’t comment about my line of ducklings following me through the store or library (why are they not in school?!) they will definitely comment about the eye-catching, obviously well-made sling holding my sweet Vignette.
Also, I think BabyEtte slings really stand out in the Etsy searches. They are unique, just like the Women I make them for.

Where we can find your items ?

Right now I sell on Etsy, who does a great job supporting their sellers. Of course, I am really new at this. I opened my shop in late July. So I am always looking for ways to grow and learn. I especially want to learn more about photography and work towards a new/better camera. My photos just do not do my items justice.
But you can find me on Facebook as “BabyEtteBoutique” and on Twitter as “BabyEtteEtsy” and Email at Beth.BabyEtte [!at] yahoo.com

November 1st Giveaway

2009-09-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

For this next giveaway, I am offering a beautiful pair of turquoise and silver earrings. Become a follower of my blog and you will be eligible for this give away. Please leave a website or email, so I may contact you if you win.

Tirage de ces boucles d'oreilles en turquoise et argent le 1 novembre , Vous n'avez qu'à devenir membre de mon blog pour être éligible. svp, laissez un courriel ou un site web pour que je puisse vous contacter si vous gagnez.

And The winner is...Lisa, click here for her etsy shop

2009-09-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

The winner for the September 15th giveaway for the Stone of wisdom, brass and moonstone pendant, is Lisa - Alternity. Congradulations to you!

NEW ITEMS

2009-09-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

September 15th give away

2009-08-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Become a follower of my blog and you will be eligible for my give away on September 15th for this beautiful pendant. Please leave a website or email, so I may contact you if you win.

Tirage de ce magnifique collier le 15 septembre , Vous n'avez qu'à devenir membre de mon blog pour être éligible. svp, laissez un courriel ou un site web pour que je puisse vous contacter si vous gagnez.

AgapeGiftShoppe Click here to view shop

2009-08-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share with everyone this gorgeous shop I found on etsy. The owner of the shop is Maria from the Atlanta area in the States. She makes gorgeous hair accessories, many have a romantic and unique style! I decided to ask her a few questions about herself and her work.

Maria, tell me something about yourself.

Querida Maria Jones is my name and I'm from the suburbs of Washington D.C and Maryland. Me and my artwork are continuing changing for the better and remains unique over the years. I have more ideas than time to create and therefore makes me an insomiac

How did you get started as a designer?

I always find this to be an odd question. Its like asking someone," When did you start growing and appreciating the thumb on your right hand?" Your thumb aids you in gripping your most favorite cup of Starbucks, it helps safley lift and play with a newborn, and withoutout thumbs being able to help us ladies to hold our mascara wands we would very upset. So no one is contiously aware or gives appreciation for having a thumb but we need it and would be lost without it. The same goes for anyone that pocesses a talent and niche. I wasn't even aware that there was a name for what I liked to do intil Third Grade, and my class had a once a week Art Class. It became my favorite part of my week next to recess and I welcomed and succeeded in every project I was given.

What inspires you to create?

Alot of nights when I'm up late creating I'll be watching old movies I had recorded, it aids in my inspiration. My old movie taste range from Bettie Grable musicals, Joan Fontain in Hitchcocks Rebecca and I loved her in Jane Eyre with Orson Wells, Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun. I'm just a HUGE movie classics lover all around. I adore how the women dressed for every occassion with purpose , attention, and fit. There is just a perfect flow to the feminity and sexuality to that stlye that took place then that just didnt cross the line of vulgarity that I can find disgusting in alot young fashion. Nature inspires me a great deal I'm a pretty good sketch artist and do water colors of various landscapes. But I'm the worlds wost gardner and just killed me and sons summer garden. I really do regret disapointing him but I did warn him that mommy is only good at recreating flowers in clay and on paper. So to make up for this failure we are going to to make sets of tie died pajama T- Shirts

How do you get the word out about your shop and your work?

I am born to a very large female family and I happen to be the oldest of 22 first cousins. They are very beautiful and have gorgeous hair and I use this as an advantage in my advertising when they wear my pieces. If they are able to bring in two sales I'll create a hair piece for them for free. Right now my sister and two of our cousins are getting married this year and I'm doing custom orders of hair accessories and bouquets. So I'm getting direct exposure that way. My Etsy page seems to act as a profolio of my abilities to other people and I recieve direct orders away from Etsy that way I avoid the fees.

Where we can find your lovely hair accessories?

Recently, I was invited to join 1000 markets
( http://AgapeGifts@100markets.com ) and one of their market groups. I like the smallness of the community and the proffessional level of all the shops there and the expectation of great costomer service there. I'm very new to online selling but I know Etsy and 1000 Markets are the two right places for me to learn and grow from current local roots. Before when someone asked me what I did it was very hard to describe clay Floral Accessories and Vintage Receations but now I have a places to direct people to.

The winner for my August 15th draw is Michele from prettypaperpassions

2009-08-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
prettypaperpassions

Website Grader and Tips to get found online

2009-07-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Website Grader http://www.websitegrader.com/#ReportTop

•A useful tool for measuring the marketing effectiveness of your
website, get a free custom report in seconds with advice for your website

Get Found Online, Search Engines

• phrases, optimize for the one with the larger number of searches.
Choose keywords that your target market is using to describe and search for your products and services.
Difficulty or Competition – Consider your chances for a good ranking on Google for that keyword phrase. Look at the sites ranked in those first 10 slots, their authority and relevance to search terms.

• Place keywords in the page title, URL, headings, and page text.
Your meta description should be no more than 150 characters.
Optimize your page description for maximum click.

• Build more inbound links from other sites into yours.
Build more links from trusted websites. Each link serves as a recommendation or a reference to tell the search engines that your site is a quality site.
Each link serves as a recommendation or a reference to tell the search engines that your site is a quality site.

• Submit your website to directories
Communicate with others in your industry through blogs and other social media

Get in to Google Analytics https://www.google.com/analytics

•See real business results: number of visitors, number of pages viewed, traffic resources, amount of time spent on your site, etc

August 15th give away....

2009-07-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Become a follower of my blog and you will be eligible for my give away on august 15th for this beautiful pendant necklace. Please leave a website or email, so I may contact you if you win.

Tirage pour le 15 août pour ce magnifique collier, Vous n'avez qu'à devenir membre de mon blog pour être éligible. svp, laissez un courriel ou un site web pour que je puisse vous contactez si vous gagnez.

SALE

2009-07-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

I have a CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE going on!!!
Pleasse see my sale section on the right of my shop.
***All items will go back to their regular price after July 31st***

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24779236

The Winner for the July 15th give away in Jan. Click here for her blog

2009-07-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

July 15th Give away...Moonstone pendant

2009-06-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

Become a follower of my blog and you will be eligible for my give away on July 15th. Please leave a website or email, so I may contact you if you win.

Tirage pour le 15 juillet, ce magnifique pendentif avec une pierre de lune. Vous n'avez qu'à devenir membre de mon blog pour être éligible. svp, laissez un courriel ou un site web pour que je puisse vous contactez si vous gagnez.

And the winner for June 15th Give Away is Paige from Plenox

2009-06-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ten Tips For Marketing Your Crafts Business On A Shoestring Budget

2009-05-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

If you're like most people just starting to sell their crafts, you don't have a lot of money to spend on marketing. Well, you'll probably be surprised to learn that there are many low-cost and even free ways to market your handmade items. Here are ten tips to get you started.

1. Be A Human Billboard

If your handmade items are meant to be worn, wear a piece of your work whenever you go out. You'd be surprised how many people will notice it, and compliment you on it. Don't miss the opportunity to graciously whip out your business card and give it to your admirer.

2. What, You Don't Have Business Cards?

Business cards are a must for anyone who's serious about marketing. You should also have letterhead stationery and fliers, all with your eye-catching logo. It won't take long for people to start to thinking of you whenever they see your logo.

Don't be satisfied with plai-old, boring, white business cards. Moo is a great place get bold, attention-getting business cards, stickers, and other promotional items for your business at affordable prices.

3. Leave A Trail Of Flyers Behind You Wherever You Go

Post your flyer or business card on every public bulletin board you find. Look for them at grocery stores, libraries, schools, laundromats, colleges, and a host of other places. Leave them at welcome areas along the interstate to draw in tourist traffic.

4. The Press Release Is Your Friend

Get free publicity by sending press releases to local newspapers. Think out of the box. The electrical co-op where I used to live in Tennessee published a little magazine that often featured local artisans on the cover with a nice write-up inside. This went to thousands of homes across middle Tennessee every month. Is there something similar in your area?

5. Join Your Local Chamber Of Commerce

You should also join local and national craft organizations. Take plenty of business cards along when you attend meetings as these are great opportunities to network with other business owners and crafts artists in your area. The Chamber of Commerce may also publish a list of its members, which will be handy for contacting local organizations.

6. Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking

Once you have the handy list of local groups, you can contact them and offer your services as a speaker. Non-profit organizations, the Rotary Club, the YMCA, and local civic groups usually need speakers to jazz up their meetings.

7. Teach Your Craft

If you're a bead worker, organize an after-school class at the local library for teenagers (and their moms) who want to learn to make earrings. You'll be popular and well-loved. Not only can you charge for lessons, but you can sell books and supplies, too. Once you get them hooked on making these things, they'll be back to buy more supplies from you.

8. Make A Donation

A great way to get lots of publicity locally is to donate a piece of your work to a charity auction or fundraiser. The organizers usually promote their sponsors in their ads and brochures, which can give your business a nice boost.

9. Set Up A Special Showing With Another Crafter

Look for someone who produces handmade items that complement yours. If your specialty is handcarved picture frames, perhaps you can team up with a watercolor artist to do a special show during the holidays. You may want to include other crafters, too, to keep your costs lower, and to draw in a bigger crowd.

10. Write Articles About Your Craft

Your local newspapers are always on the lookout for story ideas. Avoid blatant self-promotion in your article, but mention your business at the end.

Look for online ezines that are related to your craft, and offer to do an article. You'll get a link back to your online store in return. There are many article directories online, too. Write interesting, informative articles, and you'll probably develop a following. Be sure to include your store link.

There you are -- ten ways you can market your crafts business for free, or at very low cost. What are you waiting for? Get busy!

by Darlene Norris

Tirage du 15 juin...June 15th Give away

2009-05-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

Become a follower of my blog and you will be eligible for my give away . If you don't have an email or website marked, please leave one in order to contact you if you win. If I have no way to contact you then I will pick another winner.Please read below the info on this Mexican seed.

Devenez membre de mon blog et courrez la chance de gagnez ce pendentif le 15 juin...... SVP laissez un couriel quand vous vous abonnez pour que je puisse vous contacter si vous gagnez. Si je ne peux pas vous contacter, je vais choisir un autre gagnant. Vous pouvez le faire en me contactant ( à droite). SVP lire plus bas sur cette semence du Mexique.

And the winner for the May 15th give away is Michelle from EviesToolEmporium...This is her shop

2009-05-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
EviesToolEmporium

5 tips for everyone who loves to create

2009-05-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

I was going through a magazine for jewelry making called 'Jewelry Artist' and I came upon this short article that is a must for anyone who is creative.

1. Passion. Love what you do; have enthusiasm and excitement for every part of the process. Equalize the unpleasant by giving it the same attention as the pleasant.
2. Play. Be open to approaching the usual, customary, or repetitive tasks you face in a new way. Kids do this with ease: just watch them use an empty cardboard box.
3. Practice. It is important to master your craft through repetition. Once you’ve done something many times, you’ll have the confidence to do it well every time you do it.
4. Patience. Trust yourself to go through a series of tasks in the amount of time each task requires. Sometimes, it is better to finish well than to finish fast.
5. Perseverance. Don’t stop when you hit a bump in the road. Commit to finding a way to solve a problem in your own timeframe, and don’t abandon it entirely.

May 15th Give Away

2009-05-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

................ Become a follower of my blog and win this pendant May 15th...Please read below

If you don't have an email or website marked, please leave one in order to contact you if you win. If I have no way to contact you then I will pick another winner.
Just click contact us(on the right) with your info please.

Drawing on May 15th
Tirage le 15 mai
SVP laissez un couriel quand vous vous abonnez pour que je puisse vous contacter si vous gagnez. Si je ne peux pas vous contacter, je vais choisir un autre gagnant.
Vous pouvez le faire en me contactant ( à droite)

2009-05-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

And the winner for the April 15th draw is............ Miri Louis...Here s a connection to her blog

http://outrunthehalfling.blogspot.com/

April 15th draw...Become a follower of my blog and you could win this pendant. A name will be chosen at random

2009-04-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Eccentricity - Necklace $49.95

2009-04-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

And the winner for the March draw is Beth from Chickscratch.

2009-04-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
chickscratch

Extravagance..Necklace...by....... Les Bijoux Créa-Lune

2009-04-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

March Give Away...............Become a follower and you could win...Devenez membre pour gagner...

2009-04-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

My Destash shop...Almost a Give away everything under $10.00............... C'est comme une vente de garage, rien en haut de $10.00

2009-04-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
CreaLuneDestash

Back to business...The ''Ojo de Venado''

2009-04-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a 3 week trip to Mexico to celebrate my 50th birthday. It being my favorite country I can't think of a better place to turn the big 5 0

I found great seeds while I was there. They are amulets and are a Mexican form of magical protection. They are called ''Ojo de Venado'' seeds of Mucuna pruriens. The Ojo de Venado mature beans are considered both aphrodisiac and very protective, with strong healing properties. Upon my return I used them to make these earrings and pendant after carefully polishing and drilling them.

SILVER

2009-04-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Silver was once thought more precious than gold. It is referred to as the metal of the moon and some believe it has powers over emotions, the psychic mind, love, and healing.

This is a very soft metal, so it is often mixed with an alloy like copper. Sterling silver originally was created in an area in Germany called Easterling. So that’s where the word sterling came from. To be sterling sliver, the metal is made up of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper.

Pure silver, aka Fine Silver (.999), will melt at 1761 degrees F (961 degrees C), while sterling melts at 1434 degrees F (779 degreees C) and the flow point is 1655 degrees F (902 degrees C).

Coin silver melts at a slightly lower temperature than sterling because it has more copper alloy in it; usually any where for 10 to 20 percent of it is an alloy.

By: Tammy Powley

Indian Summer - Astmmetrical Necklace $27.99

2009-04-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

How do we manifest creativity?

2009-02-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

First of all, what is creativity? There are many definitions. Creativity is learning; creativity is unlearning as well. Creativity is an inspired action-manifestation, flavored with newness, exhilaration and passion.

Creativity is the act of turning your imaginative ideas into reality and involves three processes: thinking, inspired action and producing or manifesting. Your intention comes first before action in the creative process. Inner action first, then outer action. If you have ideas, but don't act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.

Whole-brain thinking
Creativity requires whole-brain thinking: right-brain imagination, artistry and intuition,
plus left-brain logic and planning. Creativity is the process of bringing into being something new that did not exist before, that was previously hidden to our awareness, either as a thought, a process or a product. To have a creative experience, you will want to heighten your consciousness.

We are all creative at every moment because we are constantly changing our perceptions that we have about the world around us. Creativity does not have to be about developing something absolutely new for the world. It has more to do with developing something new to our perceptions. When we change ourselves in any way, the world changes with us. We are changed by our responses to our new perception-experiences and the world is changed by our changed actions.

Raising your consciousness
You are constantly creating. Keep the intention to always create something positive and of a higher consciousness. When you slip and have a thought that is not quite as positive as you would like, you can ask yourself a question. Can I find a thought right now that feels a little better than the thought I have been thinking? (ref. Hicks)” You would ask the same question for a feeling that you want to make more positive. Can I find a feeling right now that feels a little better than the feeling I have been feeling?” Find a thought or a feeling that creates a feeling of relief. Once you answer your question with inner action, this will bring you up a vibrational notch. This is personal creativity at its best.

The soul’s creativity
Regardless of what you are attempting to create, you can always ask: How can I make this more perfect?” Your soul is infinitely creative. It expresses its creativity in everything that it does. As you open to the creative power of your soul, you are allowing a new consciousness to emerge from within you. Observe your creativity as it blossoms with new ideas, insights, and other treasures that will come to you as you continue to access the creative power of your soul.

Energize your intentions to manifest your creativity by writing about new feelings, experiences, or insights. Explore how to express new and creative ways to inspire others, to live a more enriched life and to love and nurture yourself as well as others.
As you explore your creativity, let it express your intuition, your capacity to bring beauty into your life at every level and to enhance your relationships with all. Open up to your soul's creative expressions through movement, sound, language and all that utilizes your five senses and beyond.
Release all limitations, letting go of ways that your personality-self has limited your real self your soul. Open to your soul’s unlimited capacity, allowing your soul to reveal to you many new and wondrous experiences as you now regularly manifest your creativity.

Author: Rijuta Tooker

BEAUTIFUL LIFE - One of a kind pendant $29.99

2009-02-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19168762

A FEW JEWELRY MAKING TIPS

2009-02-25T05:55:00.000-08:00

How to antique your sterling silver with an egg!

Boil an egg; chop it up and place it in a baggie with your silver for a few hours or until the silver has darkened to your liking. The sulphur in the egg yolk causes the reaction.
It will turn yellow and purple bluish, then greyish blackish. Wash off the silver with water and soap, then rinse.
Your jewellery or wire has turned black! This is a good thing. Just shine it up with some steel wool and/ or a polishing cloth. This technique is not very cost-effective.

Balling wire with a torch

The thinner the wire, the quicker it will ball up. Short pieces of wire take longer to ball up or won't ball up at all. You don’t want your pliers too close to the flame. The closer your pliers get to the flame, the more likely it will be that your pliers will absorb all the heat of the flame before the wire gets hot enough to melt into a ball.

Opening and closing loops and jump rings

Always use a twisting motion with your hand holding the pliers (like twisting a doorknob) to open links, loops, and jump rings. Don’t pull the loop out or you’ll never be able to twist it back into shape.

Do’s and Don’ts of Selling Items Online

2009-02-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

First and foremost choose the right venue. There are numerous sites on the Internet, some of which charge a fee for listing and/or transacting goods and/or services. A free venue is just as good as any; why pay to sell online when you can get the same services elsewhere for free?

Save yourself time down the road by choosing a site that allows you to re-post the ad instead of starting completely over when the if/time comes. Some sites require you to start over from scratch after a certain length of time depending on each site’s individual policy. This can be very tedious and time-consuming, especially if you have had several different ads up at the same time that have all expired relatively close to one another.

Make sure the site is safe. The Federal Trade Commission, Identity Guard and ID Theft Center are just a few sites where you can better understand how to conduct business online safely.

Do your homework ahead of time by researching the competition before listing online. Compare the item you are selling to other items in similar condition. Do this by scanning online classified sites and searching for a similar item you want to sell. Determine a fair price somewhere mid-range of what other sellers are asking to ensure a successful sell.

Post a picture. If the item warrants it and you have the resources, by all means attach a photograph to give credibility to a product’s value. Make sure to photograph from all sides. Most importantly, what you write about in your ad will make all the difference in the world. Make sure you know your audience and write to that audience. Take a look at the difference parts of an online ad and what you should include in each.

The headline

Be creative. Your headline determines whether or not potential buyers will even open your ad and read it. Steer clear of overhyped messaging including typing in all caps, using too many exclamation marks, question marks and other symbols. Do not assume that people understand abbreviations. Spell them out whenever possible in headlines.

The body

In the body, answer the questions people will have about your product. Do not waste other peoples’ time with unanswered questions. It could cost you the sell. It also looks like you are hiding something if you don’t come forward with the information from the beginning.

When describing your item, make sure you write about its benefits and not just the features. This is key! Writing about benefits means that you are answering the question, “What will this item do for me?” For example, don’t just tell potential buyers that your camera comes with three lenses; tell them that the three lenses enable the user to shoot from close by, mid-distance and far away making photography possibilities incredibly versatile.

When it comes to price, there are two ways you can approach it. After doing research on competitors’ products you can choose to be firm or negotiate your final price. Either way you choose, be sure to state so in your ad. If you are open to negotiating, be ready to play the game. Half of the thrill for some people is the fact that they can haggle the seller down a bit.

If after a period of time your item does not sell you should re-evaluate the situation. Look at the competition’s prices and see if the market value has changed. If so, you may have to adjust your price. If you are offering your product at a fair and comparable price, it could be that the demand simply isn’t there. Pulling your ad and trying again later when the market demands might do you well.

Be available. Whenever you post an ad, be aware that potential buyers might contact you with questions about your ad. You will need to be available to answer those questions. You will likely receive email inquiries and the faster you can respond, the better. So, don’t schedule that trip the day you put an ad online unless you don’t care about selling the item.

By: ''Candy Osborne''

Flea Markets, Festivals and Craft Shows

2009-02-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

The differences between the types of events you choose to market your products can mean the difference in success and failure. But just because a promoter's ad says that the event is packed with buying customers does not mean the show will be worthwhile. Below you will find guidelines to help you determine which types of events are best suited for selling your crafts.

Flea Markets
Many creators of handmade arts and crafts will do well to stay away from flea markets. These events allow a very wide range of exhibits, ranging from imported mass-produced products to yard sale items. However, if you have a product that is priced in the lower-end for its category, you may do well at some flea markets. Keep in mind that the majority of handmade products cannot be sold at a price that will be attractive to the average flea market shopper.

Festivals
A festival has the type of atmosphere that makes many crafters cringe! Arts and crafts are not usually the "main event" at a festival. When people are walking around in the sunlight munching on a corn dog, watching parades and live music, they do not think about buying quality handmade merchandise. That same shopper might very well be a great customer at another event. Though many feature crafts, festivals are not where big profits are made.

Craft Shows
Now we come to the catchall of events, the craft show. A typical craft show should consist of handmade products alone. No mass produced items should be sold at a craft show. Some event management will weed out vendors by using a "jury process" in order to ensure that only certain guidelines are met.

But too many events bill themselves as "craft shows" and "craft fairs" where the promoter will actually allow anything from bake-sale items to mass-produced imports. In other words anyone with the booth fee may exhibit. And booth fees at shows can range in price from $5 to thousands. Higher fees do not definitely mean higher profits, so be cautious when choosing which events you will attend!

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Photographing for your shop

2009-01-21T18:15:00.001-08:00

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Marketing after the holidays

2009-01-08T17:22:00.001-08:00

After wrapping up a very busy and sometimes lackluster holiday craft show season, I have come to a few grand conclusions about the economy at the moment, and – no surprise – it sucks! Though the jury is still out on how the craft community will be impacted by our nation’s (and world's!) crashing markets, it's always good to prepare for tough times when in the midst of uncertain ones. As independent artists and crafters with scarcely a safety net in sight, we are vulnerable in many ways, and I sometimes worry that we may be hit the hardest. Sadly, many customers are now opting for the lower quality, cheaper priced, large chain store gifts over our handmade masterpieces. While sitting there for hours at my booth at various craft shows contemplating this fact, I dwelt on what I could do better next time in order to combat the holiday season of lookie-loos...

Be flexible: It might be time to think outside the box with special promotions, painstakingly hunt for a cheaper supplier, or work on a fresh new idea that you may have been stewing over. The more items you carry and the more price points you have, the wider audience you can appeal to and the more sales you will make.
Learn to tighten your own belt: Do not under estimate the smaller, more local craft shows, such as the ones run by craft mafias or Etsy Teams. Since many of these shows are well-run and attract a specific audience, they are some of the best and cheapest ways for you to get your items out there. The simple fact is that the more money you spend traveling and paying for tabling, the more money you need to make in order to break even.
Network, network, network: Get to know other crafters, and listen to the wisdom they have to share about specific craft shows, cities, and markets. Why waste your time sewing purses for craft show in a city that is really into housewares and already flooded with handbags? You are just wasting your time and supplies. I know it takes time and can be tedious, but check out the Etsy forums, Craftster.org forums and the switchboards for some real talk about the business end of things. It does not cost anything to be friendly!
Promote intelligently: I think I find this the hardest part of this business, because I tend to just sit around and think the customers are going to come to me. However, in these tough times, we all know that is not the case. Stop just giving everyone a plain boring business card or an elaborate promotional item that costs way more to make than you have to comfortably spend. This year I started giving people buttons, magnets, and pencils with cute images of items in my shop. Not only do the customers love to get free gifts, but when I got home, I had tons of new hearts and orders from people who got my promo items at a show. These promo items were cheap and easy to get and got me a much better response than a plan business card. Also, get creative and friendly with your local print shop – you will save money doing the printing yourself.
Be realistic: Although some of us (like myself) really depend on the money made from crafting to live, it's time to get realistic about potential changes that you may need to undertake in order to stay afloat during these lean times. If buyers are thinking twice about their purchases, then you need to think twice about the best, most cost effective way to run your business. Be smart and in the true spirit of D.I.Y., do it your damn self…it is cheaper anyway ; )
Don’t underestimate the quality of your own work: Many people might not understand the time-consuming process or expensive materials that go into producing your items. However, once made aware of the time, effort, and love you put in, buyers will be more apt to fork out the cash. I noticed this a lot at craft shows. A person would pick up a yarn from me and admire it, but when I told them about the almost 6 hour process that goes into making every one, I think they felt more comfortable paying almost triple what they would for it at a large chain store. Don’t be afraid to market your process. Describe it in your Etsy listing and profile; include it on the back of your price tag, or chronicle it on your blog.

Story by inhope
Published on January 6, 2009