Back-to-school fashions......

Very quick note: there's a cool blog post over at 1000Market's Handmade Heaven Market with a few back-to-school goodies - including my "Wanting" Enamel Ring ;-) Go check out the other stellar items!!

Here's to a wonderful weekend!

The Northeast Market at 1000Markets

I realize it's been some time since I've mentioned my shop at 1000Markets. They've undergone quite a bit of change recently, all for the better in my opinion! They have an all new look, easier-to-access catagories and they've added some great seller features for easier SEO and shop management. I really love the 'feel' of the 1000Markets site and with some added exposure, I think it will be huge!

Speaking of 1000Markets and added exposure, all in one day, I found out that my "Measured" Enamel Necklace from the Bonhomie Couleurs line will be included in a 1000Markets/Amazon Fall Fashion Promotion!! Very excited about that....not sure when it's going to begin but I'll keep you updated.

And I was invited to join the Northeast Market!

The Northeast Market describes itself as:

".... both innovative and traditional art and craft from fine art to woodworking, metal craft, fiber arts, toiletries, toys, gifts, accessories and jewelry. The creative passion and free spirit of our artisans and craftsmen is inspired by the independence and self-reliance of our early American colonists. Please take some time to look through our Market and discover the premium quality products handmade in our four-season geographic climate of icy cold, sunny warmth, vibrant color and breathtaking beauty."

The market has a full list of categories with something for everyone. I haven't gotten all of my items in the market yet (my only complaint about 1000Markets is the effort it takes to "tag" everything according to the different markets) but within the next couple of days, you'll find me there, too.

Drop by and say "hello"!

Another feature!!!

God has really been blessing me the past few weeks! Adding to the blessings, I'm honored to say that I'm the first featured artist on the MetalCraft Market Blog! This brand-spankin-new blog highlights the artists, events & happenings over at 1000Market's MetalCraft Market.

Go check it out, spread the love and check out the other fabulous artisans!

The possibilities of enamel..........

Here are some beautifully enameled pieces from 1000Markets Artisans compiled into a byhand.me Spotlight:

Will it Go 'Round in Circles..........

....will it fly high like a bird up in the sky?" For those of you old enough to remember, that's a Billy Preston tune (click the link for the video!!). That song's been going through my head all morning so it became the theme to my new spotlight! Featuring the work of Metalcraft Market artisans.

..hmmm.....every time I attempt to add the spotlight, my computer crashes so you'll have to make do with a link while I research the issue! Believe me, it's worth clicking!!

And here's a Mother's Day update: the brunch was horrid, the dinner was excellent and I couldn't taste anything because I'd lost my sense of smell! ;-)

Have a wonderful day!!

Treasuries or Spotlights?

If you know anything about handcrafted goods then you're familiar with Etsy's Treasuries - "curated" by fellow etsians, the treasuries feature the work of other etsy sellers. The possibilities are endless - themed by genre, color, title, teams........the list goes on and on. The really good treasuries make it to the front page of etsy - an etsy sellers Holy Grail! You might have noticed the graphic on my sidebar that I have one item that's made it to the front page: my Bubble, Bubble Circle Pendant! But I digress........

If you're familiar with treasuries, you know how difficult it is to snag one. I've read the tutorials, suggestions and hints to help etsians create treasuries but I'm not a numbers gal. I'm numerically challenged......I don't quite 'get' how to count down to figure out which expiring treasury will open up the treasury list for a new posting and I'm relatively certain that hubby would do me bodily harm if I set the alarm for 3:00 am to catch an open treasury. Therefore, I am extremely grateful to those who include me in their treasuries despite the lack of reciprocation.

I'm also very grateful to have discovered byhand.me. Johnnie-come-lately, I realize. Many of you have been utilizing this site since it's launch (no, I've no idea when it launched but it was some time ago!) Byhand.me allows anyone to create their own spotlight of any handmade item from (I believe) any online handcrafted sales venue. I've just created my first, feauturing the copper works (go figure!) of 1000Markets Metalcraft artisans. Click here to view. Please click, comment, twitter and anything else you can think of. Then create your own and post your link in the comments and we'll spread the love!

Happy promoting!

My copper obsession.......

I promised you photos of the new copper pendants so here they are:

I've already listed them in my etsy shop and will be listing them in my 1000Markets shop shortly.

I haven't yet created the pendant to match my ring but I have come up with a name for the series thanks to Stacie, a fellow SATeam member..........this will be my "Moonrock" series! Fitting, yes?

1000 Markets - Ever After

With little fanfare, 1000Markets went 'live' this week - or maybe it was last week. They were so quiet about it, if it weren't for the increased traffic, I wouldn't have known!!!

Spring is almost upon us and you know what that means............weddings!!! I've got a few coming up so I thought it would be nice to feature 1000Market's wedding market, Ever After.

"Our vision for Ever After is to connect brides with our Wedding Vendors to create a meaningful shopping experience and to help with wedding planning tips and resources.
Whether it's offering a certain handmade product or just answering some questions, our wedding vendors are here to offer their expertise to make a bride's big day memorable."

From Thyme2Dream, here's something blue for the bride: Sapphire & Ice Elven Headdress Tiara Circlet

And a personalized favor box kit from Simply Embellish:

For the flower girl and ring bearer, this White Magnolias Ring Pillow and Bridal Pouch from Love to Peek Bridal:

For the bride or groom, here's a Recycled Sterling Silver and 14k Gold Wedding Band from McFarland Designs

Here's an 8x10 Guest Book from Flyleaf Books you can customize to coordinate with your wedding theme:

There are so many more wonderful ideas in the Ever After market!! I wish it was around when I got married! Be sure to visit and tell any brides-to-be to stop by!

Catch up........

I can't believe my last post was St. Patrick's Day! I am so sorry!! So let's see..........

The Grand Opening of "Brazen Betties," a local (Connecticut) artisan shop took place on March 28th and I managed to get all - well most - of my jewelry there! The opening was a blast and I think the shop is going to be a success! Julia, the shop owner, has chosen some awesome designers and artists. The shop has a really ecclectic feel without being scattered or crowded. She's really got an eye! If you're ever in the area, stop by! "Brazen Betties" is located on 95 Main Street in Torrington.

Since we spoke last, I've celebrated a birthday and on that occassion, hubby presented me with a dedicated work bench for my jewelry creating!! Oh yes, and a bench vice!! He's so thoughtful........he might have been more excited about it than I was!! Unfortunately, I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to set it up, let alone do any work on it. It's waiting for me though!

I'm doing a custom order for a friend: some charms that she's been waiting years to get and I'll be working in metal clay, which I'm also a bit excited about. I've also had in mind for almost a month now a new line which will also be crafted in metal clay. I haven't worked with metal clay in a little while so I'm looking forward to it! And........I just got an order for one of my metal clay pendants, "Words of Wisdom"! So, I guess metal clay is the direction in which I'm being led! I love it when things work out that way! Speaking of orders, I've had another through 1000Markets - one of the Copper Spinner Rings. They're proving to be pretty popular (thanks ????!!) but the purchaser hasn't gotten back to me on the size and finish! Maybe she'll stumble across this post ;-) If so, she'll be the first item created on my new jewelry bench!

As I mentioned, I've been busy. Busy with jewelry - I haven't even had time to promote my online shops recently which is bad! Also busy with my other businesses (which is good because it brings in the money!!!) and most of all, busy with family! Our weekends have been pretty jam packed lately, especially since we've found a church, and I love that we're spending time together. When you're doing what God intended, it all has a way of coming together and I'm on my way!

Lastly, I promised you some time ago pictures of my new packaging. I was aiming for simple but eye-catching. Not sure if I succeeded but I like it! If you recall, I had a custom stamp done by Cat of BabyJewels and I love it! I'm using brown craftpaper boxes and I had jewelry cards made through VistaPrint - they're nothing more than custom business cards. You know how bad I am at photography but I did my best. The color is a bit off - the jewelry cards are a light, bright green (the same shade as my banner) and the spirals are sort of sage. Obviously the box is brown but I think it looks a bit gray in the photos. So........let me know what you think!

1000 Markets...........Child's Play

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Did you know that St. Patty's day is an Irish-American creation, not celebrated in Ireland? From what I hear, the Irish don't even eat corned beef!! Oh well, they don't know what they're missing ;-)

Here's another 1000Markets posting, featuring the Child's Play Market:

"Child’s Play is a Market for all sorts of children’s goodies. You will find everything from hair clips with bows to little baby clothes. From non-toxic toys to art featuring girls and boys.
So look around, and take your time. From our hearts to your home. If you have any questions just drop us a line!"

In honor of St. Patty's day, I've selected a few of my favorites in green!


From Jumping Jack Designs, the Giraffe Invitation:













MonsterBug Blankets has an adorable Kelly Green Dot Diaper & Wipes Holder:












And how cute is this Green Hippo oil painting by A Bunny A Day?

Here's something sure to spark the imagination - a Dreamy Green Tree House for Owl & Squirrel by PrettyDreamer:

There's so much more to see.......please be sure to visit and show these talented artists some love!!

1000 Markets.....Artist Collective

I really love 1000Markets! I had my first sale there a few days ago and the transaction was very smooth. I really can't wait until the site is out of testing and live! (yes - you can join and you can shop. Only thing missing during this testing phase - as far as I can tell - is promotion)

I've decided to help that promotion along by featuring a few items each week. A few posts prior, I mentioned that I had been accepted to a new market at 1000Markets online sale venue. In keeping with the market theme - and to showcase the variety and specialties of 1000Markets - I'm going to do these features by market (in no particular order)!

Beginning with the Artist Collective Market, they're self-described as:

"Artists Collective began as a cooperative advertising campaign about a year ago for a few artists and myself. The original site can be found at http://www.artists-collective.com. Much like what the principle of how 1000 Markets was founded- that the sum is greater than the individual parts. We decided to pool our resources to purchase advertising space collectively. We could afford a larger ad together than what each individual artist could afford. Now a year later, we are expanding to 1000 Markets."

They've separated the artwork into categories: acrylic; oil; pastels, drawings, charcoal, etc.; and watercolor with media. Here are a few of my favorites - one from each category - from the Artist Collective Market:















"Through the Prism" Acrylic work by Amy Giacomelli, Fine Art by Amy Giacomelli (I've featured her before but I really do love her work!!)












"Phalaenopisis Orchid II" - Oil work by Kevin Aita, Aita Studios












"Contemplation - Man" - Graphite drawing by Reenie Kennedy, Originals by Reenie











"Spring Fever" - Watercolor by Rachel Parker, Fine Art by Rachel Parker


This should give you some incentive to head over to 1000Markets and shop around!! See you there!

New Market on 1000Markets..........

My work was accepted into a new Market at 1000Markets - the Jewelry Artisans Market! The members are wonderfully talented (as are all artisans at 1000Markets - it's a juried site. did I happen to mention that?) and every month (or so) JAM members will be challenged to create a 'themed' piece. The submissions will be posted on the JAM blog.

The first inspirational challenge is "Sunrise". I took the easy way out and submitted a piece already created. I'm finding that I'm not so great at thinking outside the box once I've already created a themed piece. What I mean is - since I've a series already entitled "Sunrise, Sunset", I couldn't get my mind to imagine anything else. I am very much looking forward to future challenges. I see this as a way to broaden my skills and my imagination.

Be sure to check out the JAM blog and the JAM Market! I am IN LOVE with 1000Markets!!

Sneak peek.....

Product review and an AWESOME seller!!

A few days ago, I wrote this post highlighting a few 1000Market items that I covet. Well, Cate from Urbbody read my post and sent me this:

The Ginger Almond Pear Solid Lotion Bar. The smell is divinely yummy......even better than I expected. It lingers longer than most lotions I've tried (yes, even B.....& B........... ) and it just glides on. Even in the dead of winter, in my dry-heat house it keeps my skin soft. And the solid lotion bar is so convenient!! Definitely a must have!! This has made it to my list of staple items!

Thank you, Cate!!

Certificates, Stats and Changes....oh, my!

Let's start off with the exciting news........gift certificates are now available at my etsy shop and 1000Markets shop! Just in time for Valentine's Day. Guys, when you don't know what to choose get a gift certificate! She can pick out her own piece or even custom design something making it all the more special!

What else..........oh yes, I've made a few minor changes to my sidebar - I've organized the blogs I follow into categories and I've added an Entrecard Top Dropper widget. Which leads me to..........

Stats. Stats, stats and more stats. (WARNING: lots of talky-talky, blah, blah coming up!!)

One of my goals was to focus my advertising and I mentioned previously that I'd set up some advertising campaigns. Well, it doesn't do much good to set all this stuff up if you don't monitor the progress. I took a quick look at what's going on and, well frankly it gave me a headache. So I thought I'd share it with you 'cause that's what friends are for ;-)

I'll start with my 1000Markets shop since I don't have as much detail there. For those of you who don't know, 1000Markets provides some basic shop stats......a running 15-day graph of total page views and 2 weeks of total data on item views, total views vs. unique visitors. My highest number of views since my shop opened is 85 and that occurred on January 8th - the day I posted My Favorite Things. Makes sense. Over the past two weeks, my main page views come in at 205 visits/112 unique visitors and the most viewed item is my Industrial Age Earrings (didn't expect that!) at 27/20 followed by my Bubble, Bubble Circle Pendant at 27/17 and my Fallen Leaves Copper Necklace at 25/16. So, aside from my blog, where is this traffic coming from?

Right now I have 4 items published on CraftJuice which point to my 1000Markets shop: Words of Wisdom Pendant, Fallen Leaves Copper Pendant, Dichro Stacking Rings and Silver Wishbone Earrings. In addition, I have a Project Wonderful campaign running, linking to my 1000Markets shop. It was set for 1 week and is due to expire today. The ad ran on approximately 45 blogs with a total of 32,873 page views. I received 102 total clicks with a .31% click-thru rate and an average cost of $.03 per click.

Now on to my etsy shop. Did you guys know that etsy has added Google Analytics as a feature?? Very cool! Here's the Storque article if you missed it. The install was incredibly easy! I added GA to my etsy shop just a few days ago (January 8th, I believe) so there isn't much data yet. Since then, I had the most visits on January 10th (34). 58% of my viewers came from referring sites with Starving Jewelry Artists in the lead. 29% came from direct traffic (hmmmmm....I wonder if that's me. Anyone know if I can block my visits from the report???) 8% came from search engines and 3% came from "other" (not a clue). I can't tell which items were viewed most often...when I click on the page link, they all bring me to my main shop page. Aggravating. Now on to my etsy advertising.......

I have another Project Wonderful campaign running.......same time frame as the other. Total page views are 40,590 from approximately 40 blogs. 154 total clicks with a click-thru rate of .38% and an average cost of $.02 per click. In addition, I have a few items posted on "ThisNext" which you can see in the top of my sidebar.

Of course, there's the occasional "twitter" about both shops and some Facebook postings, also about both shops but I haven't been able to determine (yet) if they're having an impact. So what's it all mean? I have no idea. I told you, it gave me a headache. But at least I'm on top of it! Makes me feel much more proactive. Ignorant but proactive.

So how's your advertising?

Speaking of 1000Markets..........

If you haven't been there yet (what are you waiting for?? go, go!!!) you may not know that 1000Markets has 'specialty shops' for specific types of items, holidays and locations. For instance, I'm a member of the Metalcraft Market and the Bejeweled Arcade Market.

This morning, I opened my email to see an invitation to a new specialty market. You might have guessed.......yup, it's the Valentine's Gifts Market!! Full of awesomely cool ideas for Valentine's gifts for everyone!! This market will be open through February 14th so just 'click the pic' (or the name) to check it out!!

Happy Shopping!!

Thursday Thirteen #6 - My Favorite Things

I'm very much enjoying being a member of 1000Markets - the site is very streamlined and has the feel of an exclusive gallery while maintaining a friendly, approachable 'attitude'. I thought it would be nice to share with you a few of my favorite things that I've found on the site while browsing around (as I frequently do!!). In no particular order:

1. By Formfire Glassworks, this Amethyst Droplet Sticks 3 lampwork necklace:

2. By Heart of Nature, this Dainty Mushroom Village Print:

3. By Designer Photo Imaging, these Ravida Wedding Invitations:

4. By Amy Giacomelli, Four Seasons:

5. From Tickled Pink Knits, the Rococo Shawl:

6. By StrawberryLuna, this "G" is for Giraffe print:

7. From Metalsgirl, these Multi Dot Earrings:

8. From Georgia Treats, these Red Velvet Cake Balls:

9. By One Girl Circus, this Felted Wool Jacket with Lace Cut-outs:

10. From Recycled Jeans & Things, this Jean Pocket Card Set:

11. From Happiknits, this Funny Girl capelet:

12. By Urbbody, this Ginger Almond Pear Solid Lotion Bar:


13. From DuffyDesigns, this Hammered Brass Leaves Necklace:

And I could go on and on.............be sure to visit these talented artisans. Just click on the photos to be brought to the product or or click their shop name to see everything else the have to offer. And while you're there, do some browsing yourself. You never know what you might find!!