Nice Girl Notes Cute Stuff Sale

Ok folks, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but you do not want to miss this event.  What exactly is it?  Well I'm totally going to rip this off from Roo over at Nice Girl Notes, but she is the genius who came up with this concept in the first place, so here it is in her words:

what’s a Cute Stuff Sale? I bring together some awesome Etsy shops with NGN readers for a couple hours of chaos. Etsy shops offer their products at discounted prices. NGN readers get to buy really wonderful handmade things for super cheap. Etsy shops get famous. NGN readers get retail therapy. Seriously, it’s a marriage of beauty and wonder. And we have so much fun doing it. (Really, just peek in and watch the madness unfold.)

Now really, I know people don't really think of a FB page as a place to have fun, but I'm telling you, there is a lot of fun and interaction during these things.  Make sure you like her FB page, check it out during the sale hours, and click on "everyone" under the top row of photos so you can see what everyone else is saying/doing. You totally don't have to buy anything, just come and hang out.  Trust me, it's that much fun!

So on Saturday, 8-11pm EST (which makes it 2-5pm HST), be there or be square!  :)


Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Cool Etsy App: Etsync

You might have noticed the nifty little signature block on the bottom of my blog posts... The code is generated by a nifty little website called Etsync.com and it is so easy to use!  You can pick a couple different layouts that will either display your profile pic, shop banner, or a listing from your shop.  Plug in your shop name, click the size you want, and Voila!

How cool is that???


Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Testing

The new camera has a panorama feature. Just testing it out to see how it messes with the blog layout.

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Another Kind of Busy

The good news is that the hubster made it home in one piece and the household is starting to readjust back to the two-parent norm around here.  Our landscaping project is done (except for weeding and waiting for the grass to grow in).  I also received a LOT of supplies ordered with the intent to start building inventory for some craft fairs.  (LOL, I was trying to get them to arrive prior to his return, but oh well.)  Anyway, it should keep me busy for some time.

The bad news is that I haven't had time to blog for about a couple of weeks.  I promise all is well here.  Just busy.  We are running errands, getting our quality time in, and reconnecting.  The summer PCS season is also upon us and we are trying to catch up with old friends either before they depart or assist others who are arriving.

So I hope you don't mind terribly, but this space won't move very much for about another week or two as we come up with the "new normal" around here.  
  
Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

How to make your own light box...

If I had an extra $100 laying around, I'd buy this light tent kit from OBN.com:

http://obnphoto.com/item/17in_black_photo_cube_light_tent_product_photography_lightbox_lamp.html

Ok, so I'd probably need more like $150 with shipping and all, but you get the idea...

Anyway, I'd rather use that money to buy beading supplies, so I'm relegated to the milk jug light box.  Here's an example of how to set one up.  You can also create an infinity background by placing a piece of card stock inside the milk jug.  (Create a slope like a skateboard ramp.)

If you don't drink milk, you can make your own light box out of cardboard, tissue paper, and card stock.  This is also great for items that are a little bigger than most jewelry pieces.  Here's a great how to that I found on a blog.  LOL, my brother had one of these set up at home, I just didn't feel like writing the how-to since this was such a nice example...

Anyway, there you go, another inexpensive way to improve the photos you take for your Etsy listings.  Hope that helps.

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Homefront Artistry Team: Mother's Day Giveaway

Homefront Artistry Team: Mother's Day Giveaway

The Homefront Team is hosting a MEGA giveaway in honor of Mother's Day. Yep, we really, really love mothers here on the Homefront Team. They are amazing women who have reserves of strength enough to baffle the mind, and they helped shape who we are. So you want to spoil your Mom? Well, we have the answer for you right here, and the best part of it is that it is ALL completely FREE to one lucky winner!
We have a huge selection of wonderful goodies, all donated by super talented team members. One very, very lucky winner (no really, I am jealous already) will win all of these fantastic items:

From LilacAve:
1 Passion fruit candle and 1 Aloha body butter



Aloha body butter

 From Hold It!:
Your choice of any brooch in the shop

From Nikid:
Your choice of four 1/4 Lb. nut clusters


Pecan clusters

From HHSIX:
A lovely Irish rose doily and a Lavender sachet

From Kristyns Kreations:
2 Relaxing eye masks. *Actual masks won may not be pictured below*

From Bad Cat Jewelry:
Ice Wine lampwork earrings

From Two Seaside Babes:
Women's cotton buckle newsboy cap in black

From Her Hero:
Custom her hero lucite pendant

From The Craft Queen:
Your choice of eyeglass case

From Noah Bear1:
Two personalized nest necklaces

From Fully Hooked:
A random colored A Rose is a Rose Ring


Actual prize may vary in color

 From Lillianne Lee:
Too cute clipboard chalkboard

From wear ever:
Blue dichroic glass earrings

From Reyna Red:
One pair of pearl barrettes in your choice of color. One pearl and crystal barrette in your choice of color.


An example of the pearl barrettes. You choose the color.



An example of the pearl and crystal barrette. You choose the color.

 From Stork Bites Delivers:
John Deere crayon roll up

From Banana Bear Boutique
Coffee cozy and coordinating key fob


*This is just an example. Actual prize may vary from photo.*

 From Simply Leilani
Set of four stunning magnets

From Dixie Dreams:
Your choice of any 8x10 print

From Jessica Hanna Designs
Set of five bobby pins


*Actual prize may vary from photograph.*

 From Well of Creations:
One pair of fingerless gloves


*Actual prize may vary from item pictured.*

 From Quite Crafty:
Crochet topped kitchen towel

From Camelot's Treasures
Handmade fabric basket

From Cupcakes and Cameos:
Pink bow cupcake necklace

Do we have your attention yet? Would you like to know how you could win all of these fabulous items? Here's how you can enter to win BIG:

Step 1:
Follow this blog and leave a comment here that you did.

Step 2:
Like us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/HomefrontTeam and leave a comment here that you did.

Extra points:
Share a link to this giveaway on your facebook page, twitter, or blog (each site you share on will get you an extra point). Leave a comment with a link to your page(s) for proof.

Become a fan of our lovely sellers who kindly donated their super awesome stuff! Check out our comment section to find the fanpages/twitter/blog accounts. Leave a comment telling us which pages you have liked/followed for proof.

The giveaway will close out on Tuesday April 19th, and the winner will be announced on the Homefront Team's fanpage on facebook.

Where'd Monday Go??? HF community: Monday Meetups

The 2nd and 4th (sometimes 5th) Monday of every month, watch this space for a few questions that you can take, post and answer on your blogs and THEN LINK BACK HERE so that we all can come around and visit.

This adventure is OPEN TO EVERYONE!  You DO NOT have to be a part of the Homefront Team.  We just ask that when you leave your link here, you TRULY have a post that pertains to the set of questions.

OK so....

This Week's Questions come from 

Sarah of Florida Scarf

Sarah's links:

Etsy

Blog
 

1. Where is your favorite place to go for inspiration?  

I love the beach.  A hot, sandy beach with no boardwalks and no vendors.

2. What is your most embarrassing moment as an operator of a small business?

Actually, I don't have one yet since I only have time to sell via Etsy.

3. What is one thing that you have to do everyday that you dislike?

As a mom, I have to run a mini-boot camp to get the kids out of bed and ready for school on time.  I really wish I could get them out the door more efficiently by being friendly... but apparently that just doesn't work.

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Stocking up on Etsy Listings

I snagged this tidbit from the December Etsy Mom team newsletter.  If you are a mom and have an Etsy store, here's how you can join the team.  (I highly recommend it!)

Etsy Tips
Stocking Up on Listings
By Jenny of loulou tutu

I love Etsy, and I love selling on Etsy, but as a busy Etsymom I certainly don’t have endless amounts of time to create, list, and post. Sometimes I feel like it takes me just as long to list something as it does to create it. Thankfully, a friend of mine gave me the best tip ever: stockpile your listings!! She told me to create a file of unfinished listings that would allow me to “stock up” so that I wouldn’t be losing time listing and posting every day or so. Of course I was confused, but after a very easy phone tutorial I was in business.

To stockpile your own listings, create a listing as you normally would. Fill out all the sections, including descriptions, materials, tags, price, shipping, and photos. When you get to the final page before you post the listing to your shop, instead of clicking “Finish,” copy and paste the URL into a word or text document and save it to your computer.

I like to save mine as a Microsoft Word Document, but depending on your operating system you could also use Notepad or Text Edit for a Mac. When you are ready to post your listing, just copy the URL from the document, paste it back into your browser, review the listing, and click “Finish!”

This is a great technique for those with seasonal shops or just a great way to stay on top of things!

Good luck stockpiling!

As a working mom with two jobs, two kids, two dogs, and a hubby off running around somewhere hot and sandy (and not the beach) for the next couple of months, this tip is a real life saver.  I can work on my listings in batches and have them ready to go so I can maintain a steady level of activity within my shop and have better control over my Etsy fees.

I hope this helps you too!

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, handcrafted in Hawaii!

Take decent listing pictures without going crazy

You hear it again and again in all the shop critiques and Storque posts.  Pictures, pictures, pictures.  "But I'm not a photographer," or so you say.  Anyone can take a good product photo- for those without all the fancy gadgets, here's how to make the most of what you've got:

Lighting.  Indirect, natural lighting is the easiest for a beginner to work with.  Take a look at the photos on this blog.  Some are infinitely better than others.  They're all taken by the same person using the same camera (more or less).  I assure you, the ones you find the most appealing were all taken in indirect, natural lighting.  Direct sunlight leaves a glare, low lighting doesn't show enough detail, and artificial lighting wreaks havoc on color (which is impossible to fix after the fact unless you're a photoshop whiz).  After playing around a bit, I found that the lighting on my front steps is the the most consistent.  If you have to be out in bright sunlight, a cut milk jug makes a great photo box for small objects.  (Google "milk jug light box tutorial" for instructions.)  Good lighting also helps make sure your pictures are in sharp focus.  Low lighting generally means slower shutter speeds (more chance to blur due to movement) and wider aperture (shallower depth of focus/less of your object in focus).

Background.  Keep it simple.  I know lots of folks tell you to "brand your store front" or whatever, but ultimately, you want folks to see your product.  The eye is easily distracted, so if you're just starting out with photography, you don't need to use crazy props.  Frame your object tightly enough to keep competing interests in the photo to a minimum.  If you use a model, the general guidance is to scale the frame of the photo to the size of your object.  What I mean is that if you're selling a puffy tutu and fairy wings, you can include a full body shot of a cute girl having fun... but if you're selling a ring, you should have a close up of the model's hand.  If you use an artificial backdrop, pick a matte surface in a color that doesn't compete with your object.  (You can do a google search for color wheel for help.)

Lighting.  (Are you seeing a pattern here?)  If you have to take photos indoors and can't be right next to a window during the day, use diffuse, pure white light.   In most cases, this means the flash on your camera is useless because it's not diffuse enough when close up.  If you have one of those flashes that attaches to the body of your SLR, you could get a flash diffuser.  Another trick is to take a bright light and reflect it off of another surface (say, your ceiling- ever see those photo shoots with the upside down umbrellas?)  For smaller objects, you can still use the cut milk jug as a table top photo box.   Typically though, you want the lighting source to be off to one side behind you, the photographer.  (Note that if you use a flash, the light source is between you and the subject.)

And what about photo editing software?  Well, sure, it's useful... but in most cases I think it's easiest to start with a good photo instead of relying on software to try and "fix" things.  It's also time consuming and frustrating (unless you're into that sort of thing, in which case your skills are probably too advanced for these particular tips). 

Here's a great down and dirty video on how to set up for a jewelry shoot:
How to Photograph Jewelry: Digital Photography Tips | eHow.com

Care to share any of your cheap and easy photography tips?

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, handcrafted in Hawaii!

Homefront Team Treasure y Hunt Challenge on Etsy

My favorite Etsy team, the Homefront Team, is having a Treasury Challenge.  This is a fun way to learn about how to tag items properly and how to choose an outstanding product photo.  There were some really nice items that I didn't include based on the thumbnail.  There were also some things I just couldn't find without getting creative with my search words, which is saying something, since most of my day consists of looking up stuff on the computer.  All of this has inspired me to take a closer look at my own listings to try and turn it up a notch.

It's one thing to think of a concept and try to find the right items.  It's another to have an item and try to think of someone else's concept.

Here's the link to my treasury challenge response, depicted below.  (You can see everyone else's responses here.)

All items must be from a Homefront team member. The items in the treasury must be represented by the following (you can use creativity here)

1. First comes love
2. Then comes marriage
3. Then comes baby in a baby carriage
4. Big/little siblings
5. Growing up
6. Starting school
7. Tweens
8. Teenagers
9. High School
10. College life
11. First apartment
12. Job interview

For kicks, I repeated the first 4 items in the last 4 spots.

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, handcrafted in Hawaii!

Something Else Different...

Part of the fun of designing with natural components is that no two items are ever exactly the same. However, sometimes that also makes it challenging when you want a more formal look. When I first started designing jewelry, I opted for Swarovski crystals specifically due to their uniformity. Then, I got a little bored with the structured patterns I was making, and went entirely the other direction- using oddly shaped, mismatched natural components. But that can also be challenging in that sometimes the variation in each element of a piece competes for attention.

This concept mixes a little of each.   I really like how this turned out.  This concept would also make a great choker length necklace.  (But alas, nap time is only so long...)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66682322/hawaiian-cuff-shell-bracelet-tahitian

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66682161/hawaiian-cuff-shell-bracelet-white

So here's a question for my crafty friends- what kinds of media do you like to work with?  Where do you find the time and inspiration to create?

Lazy Saturday

It's a nice day, everyone is home, and there are no soccer games, activities, parties, or anything else scheduled. The yardwork is done, the house got a good deep clean last weekend, the dishes are done, and I've got a creative road block going so I don't feel like making jewelry right now.

I'm pretty sure it's been months since we've had a weekend like this.

We're bored.

What do you do when there's nothing else to do?

Seven Sisters Pearl and Shell Choker

Here's an adorable little piece I whipped up a couple of months ago, and am only now getting around to photographing. (Etsy listing for pearl & shell choker here.)

It's a pretty and simple design... dressy enough for everyday wear.

Seven pearls are framed by red lip heishi shells, then securely wire wrapped to a sterling silver chain. The clasp is magnetic for easy wear.

Hopefully this weekend, I'll catch up with the photos... and show you what else I've been working on!

Search Words and Your Etsy Store

It's no secret that Etsy is absolutely swamped with jewelry.  Within Etsy, it's important to have your item tagged correctly so folks can find it.  Personally, I don't know how much of a help that is, because most of the folks who are already on Etsy as customers seem to frequent shops they've heard about from other places.  So how do you get strangers to find your shop?  Search words.

This is no great secret.  It's all over Etsy.  But how do you figure out which search words to use?  I did a quick Google search and found this gem:

When employing search engine optimization techniques to the web pages, you must identify the main concept a page talk about and base the main keywords and phrases from that. For handmade jewelry websites most have pages for handmade earrings, handmade bracelets and handcrafted necklaces so focus on those keywords and related keywords. It is best to have only two or three phrases per page.

The title tag, meta description and meta keywords tags of each page should also be optimized with the chosen keywords and phrases. It is crucial to make the title tag and meta description attractive to your customers as well as the search engines. Most major search engines will use the title tag and description on the search engine results pages which means that this is what people will be reading once they search for a query relevant to your content. The meta keywords tag is not used by most search engines anymore but it is worth including just in case.

WTH does THAT mean?  Well basically, you want to keep your message short and sweet because the more times you can work it into the content of your page, the higher the keyword density and therefore the better your Etsy shop will perform in google searches.  Once upon a time, people used to get around this by more or less spamming a key word on a page repeatedly (the easiest way to do it was by typing the text in tiny letters in the same color as the background).  Search engines have long since been able to identify and discard such pages and you can't do it on Etsy anyway.  So you just have to find a key phrase and work it into your content as naturally as possible.


So which key words DO you want to include on your Etsy listing?  Well, it depends.  I used to use the Google Trends tool but that really didn't help me much other than to tell me folks will spend an average of less than a minute on your shop before clicking through to something else.  In my case, since I'm a very small shop and really have only one "best seller," (a silver ring with pearls and shells)  which as far as I can tell, is a fairly unique item, I decided to focus on trying to get that one item to place high in Google searches, and hope that maybe customers would also click through the rest of the store.  Where I normally sell 4 of my pearly shell rings per year, I managed to sell 4 in December alone.  So while that's not enough to quit my day job, it did multiply my business by a factor of twelve.


Granted, I did luck out and got a repeat customer.  Which brings me to my next point.  If you don't have a unique item, you could try focusing on your location instead of the item description.   Almost all of my items are tagged with Hawaii, since that's where I am.  You can add your location to the footer of every page on your website/blog, facebook fan page, and in your product descriptions.  (It's quite easy to do- at the end of the listing, just say, "If you're local in Hawaii, please contact me for alternate shipping options." And there you go.)  


Another way to get more business to your Etsy store is to trade links.  I joined a three teams- the "local" Hawaii team, and two large teams- Homefront (for folks affiliated with the military) and Etsy Mom.  People are always willing to trade links.  When you have the same URL associated with the same hyperlinked phrase a bunch of times, it pops up higher in search engines.  The Blog List widget on Blogger will even set up your blog roll to display the 5 or 10 most recently updated websites so you don't have an overwhelming list in your margin.

Finally, you could try giveaways.  An online jewelry supplier had a killer program in which they allow beading bloggers to select a few items to receive and review in exchange for hyperlinks back to their store.  For example, one of the most popular jewelry supply searches is "Swarovski crystals," so say that you could pick out $20 worth of Swarovski jewelry, make something pretty, then blog about it... and every time you said "Swarovski" or "bicone" or whatever, then you create a hyperlink going back to their storefront.  While most of us probably don't have the inventory to do something quite on that scale, you could offer a giveaway in exchange for a product review on a popular blog.  Or you could offer a freebie for your 100th Facebook Fan or for readers of your blog who comment on a certain post.  But, tying back to the original topic, "free" is one of the top search words.  That, and people who have popular blogs are generally willing to promote something that's free for their readers, as opposed to someone trying to sell something.

Yes, yes, it takes time.  Internet content writers get paid obscene money for their ability to do this and generate business.  I know- we're already expected to create our products, learn bookkeeping, be spectacular photographers, and have colorful item descriptions... and now we have to be content writers too?  Nobody ever said it would be easy.  But I hope this makes things a little less confusing.


And if you happen to like what you read, please let me know by leaving a comment.  With no comments on this blog, I'm sort of drifting here.  :)  P.S.  You can also like Simply Leilani on Facebook.  It's free.

Another New Year's Resolution

Remember last year, when I decided to try "a picture a day" blogging?  Well, that lasted about a month.  :)  This year, I decided to ditch the minimalist black background and liven things up a bit.  

Here are my blogging resolutions for this year:

1. Post at least one photo a week
2. Include a tutorial or how-to at least once a month
3. Expand the content beyond just crafting projects

Simple enough, right?  We'll see.

Pencil Urchin necklace

Until recently, I haven't made many necklaces. Part of the reason is that when I first started beading, my most of my previous crafting experience came from sewing... therefore, I was drawn to beadweaving and other intricate, time intensive, eye straining techniques.

Obviously, in the end, my impatience got the better of me. Besides, while I do wear chunkier bracelets, I don't wear beaded ropes around my neck... For daily wear, I like delicate chains and simple but unique focal. Actually, I personally like sturdier construction on bracelets, since I am rough on jewelry. Maybe it's weird that I like such delicate chains...


So anyway, this particular CZ pendant is a 9x36mm Light Amethyst faceted flat teardrop. Buying things online can be tricky, since the concept of scale can easily be misconstrued. I actually got two of these, intending to make a pair of killer, dramatic, threader earrings. When they arrived, however, I immediately recognized that this piece is just too spectacular to get lost in a pair of earrings. And so I made a necklace instead. :) This is a really beautiful cut -check out the firey sparkle and delicate color!

The chain is a sterling silver link, connected via handmade bail constructed from 22 gauge sterling silver half hard wire. Due to the small openings in the links, I also used the same method to attach the chain to the clasp.

You can find this necklace and other creations online at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyLeilani

Disclaimer: The CZ pendant was sent by Artbeads, free of charge in exchange for a product review. I was not compensated for my opinion or endorsement. My opinions as expressed are my own.

New Storefront

Since my husband's been deployed, I've really been hard pressed for time to keep up with the kids, housework, and just life in general. So anyway, I finally got around to revamping the Etsy shop so that the URL matches the name of the store. :) Hey, better late than never, right?

Check it out:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyLeilani

For now, the old store is still technically active, and items listed there are still for sale... but new items will be listed in the new store and the inventory in the old store will slowly dwindle down as the listings expire.

Thanks so much for following along!

My new "Mommy Blog"

I decided to keep this blog strictly for beading, but wanted an outlet for a little more creative and personal writing.

Please join me on my new "mommy blog," at: http://somedaysijustworkhere.blogspot.com/

:) I will be migrating some of the non-beading posts over from this blog to the new one.

Thanks for sticking around!

Cherry Blossoms and a Red Panda

Since I haven't been crafting a lot lately, I thought I'd throw in some photos that I took on a trip to Washington DC last spring. (Yes, photography is another hobby of mine. Is it any wonder I'm always running late?)

Baby/Toddler Hair Clip How-To

Here are some of the hair clippies I've been making for the baby:



Part of the fun is that it's a great way to use those scraps of ribbon and left over flowers, etc. from other projects. They're great for keeping her baby comb over in place while playing and super cute for pictures, but definitely require close supervision when in use.

Here's the tutorial I used when getting started. I did not make this tutorial. Note that the fabric glue being used in the video is fairly expensive, relative to other types of fabric glues. Spend the money for the good glue. I cheaped out on the glue and it "dries wet." (Look at the pink clip with the rhinestone flower and you'll see exactly what I mean.)