New Directions

Wow, I can't believe my last post was in the fall!  In the last few months I've been getting more and more into metalwork, and not doing much in the way of beading.  I bought a soldering torch, and experimented with both soldering and fusing.  I made some soldered copper links in different sizes, and added them to new necklace designs.  I even made a rope length necklace out of copper links and chain.  Check them out here.

These are fun to  make, but there are a lot of steps, and they take a long time.  Also, I'm having some difficulty with the soldering.  First, what is the best kind of solder and flux to use?  There are so many brands, forms, levels of hardness, etc., it's hard to know what is the best kind of solder and/or flux to use with each type of wire.  So far, I've used silver solder (wire format) and paste flux.  The technique I use is to cut the wire solder into teensy pieces, and lay one teensy piece underneath the join, which I've coated with paste flux.  Then I direct the heat onto the seam, and since the solder flows toward heat, it flows up through the join.  My problem is that the solder hardens into a big lump over the joint, and it's hard to file off.  The biggest problem is that while filing off the solder, the file makes ugly scratches in the metal, and I can't get rid of them. 

Another problem I'm having is this: after I've soldered the link, if I want to give it a hammered finish, the hammering dislodges the soldered joint, and the link opens.  ARRRGGHHHH! Really annoying. If anyone has any ideas about how to sidestep these problems, please let me know.

I've also been experimenting with dapping metal disks.  I bought a metal dapping block like this one...

 
and a wooden block like this one.

I've made a few domed and hammered copper disks, and put holes in them to hang them as pendants or earrings.  I made some bead caps too, like these.

I used this handy-dandy hole punch tool to put the holes in the metal disks.  It's really easy to use, and makes nice, neat holes. 

Just last weekend, I tried making stacking rings.  I used 16-gauge argentium silver half-round wire.  I bought a ring mandrel and a rawhide mallet.  I cut a piece long enough for a size 9.5 ring (I know, I have fat fingers) and filed the ends nice and flat so they would meet perfectly.  For the first ring, I soldered the joint.  It turned out quite nice, after I filed it a lot.  Then I hammered them on the ring mandrel with the rawhide hammer.  For the second and third rings, I tried fusing instead of soldering.  The first one I fused kind of melted a bit at the joint.  The second one worked better.  I hammered and oxidized the ring that melted a bit, and that hid the melty bit.  I'm happy with my rings, but next time I'll try making a wider one.

I plan on experimenting more with rings, and maybe I'll try doing a brushed finish on some of them.  Another project I'm working on is setting up a permanent studio space in my bedroom.  I live in an apartment, so space is hard to come by.  I can't wait to get up when I'm finished and just leave everything where it is, instead of having to clear everything away so we can eat dinner on the table.  I'll post some pictures when this project gets under way. 

Good night, all!

New Stuff from Bead Planet

It's true I haven't been blogging, but I have been making a ton of new stuff.  Check it out!

Secret Garden Necklace

Salt Water Taffy Necklace

Mountain Crevasse Necklace

Silver Bubbles Necklace

Tax Time

Bless me, readers, for I have sinned...it's been a looooooong time since I blogged.  I know people who blog a couple of times a week, or even every day.  What the hell do people talk about on these things every day?  Anyway, I mentioned last time that I was submitting my income taxes to an accountant this year.  I've always done my own taxes with one of those tax software packages, but this year, since I've got the business, I wanted to make sure that I did everything right and that I got all the write-offs I could get.  The accountant I used was recommended to me by a friend.  She did my personal income taxes along with Bead Planet's taxes, since Bead Planet is a sole proprietorship, and since I don't have a separate bank account for it.  She also did my husband's personal income taxes.  Our personal taxes are straightforward, so she ended up charging me only $150 for all.  I ended up being able to write off my internet bills for the period since August (when I opened my Etsy shop.) We're both getting refunds.  Yay!

New Line from Bead Planet

Okay, I know I haven't posted in a long time, but I just can't think of anything new to say.  Pitiful excuse, yes, but there it is.  Anyway, I've been busy actually MAKING STUFF, which is something I rarely get time for anymore what with all this promotion rigamarole.  Take a gander at some pieces from my new line of jewellery named after literary heroines. 

Elinor Dashwood Earrings

Anne of Green Gables Earrings

Elizabeth Bennet Earrings

Jane Eyre Necklace

Holly Golightly Earrings

 

 

 

 

You can see from these pics that I've been working a lot with antique brass.  I like the vintage look of it.  I love Trinity Brass Company's components.  They have a gorgeous chocolate patina that they get through a special process involving oxidation; then the finish is protected with a non-toxic lacquer.  I buy my Trinity Brass components through a fellow Etsy seller, Fab Beads http://www.etsy.com/shop/FabBeads .  I also love Vintaj brass components.  I can buy Vintaj components at my favourite local bead store, Bead FX http://www.beadfx.com , but they're not sold at all bead stores.  I signed up as a wholesale buyer from Vintaj's website http://vintaj.com, and now I can order right from their website.  You have to be a registered business owner.  You fax or email in your business number and tax number, or vendor's permit, in my case, and you get a password and username.  Then you have access to wholesale prices on the website, and can order from them.  Your first order has to be a minimum of $200, though.  I haven't ordered from the website yet. 

Anyhoo, that's what I've been up to lately.  Night, all!

In Which I Try Something New

I'm a silver lover, no doubt about it.  My friend Rita tries to convince me to make and offer gold jewellery in my shop, but I stubbornly resist.  I really don't like gold.  So far the only metals I've been willing to work with are silver and copper.  Recently, though, I've been learning to appreciate antique brass.  I ordered a bunch of antique brass charms, chain, earwires, and beadcaps from Etsy suppliers, and I've started making some earrings and pendants.  Check out my new earrings made from Swarovski crystals and antique brass wire.  I love the extra-long fishhook earwire!

Ruby Drops Earrings

Cyclamen Drops Earrings

Tanzanite Drops Earrings

 

Small Business Accounting circa 1885

I've never been a math person.  I failed math in grade 11, and never looked back.  The most complicated math I ever use is to calculate my students' term marks, and for that I use one tried and true formula.  I don't really have a household budget, I don't know how to balance a chequebook, and although I have RRSPs, I have no idea how they work.  I let the bank manage those for me.  This is sheer laziness on my part, because I know if I had any interest in learning about it, I would be able to figure it out.  How, then, you may ask, do I manage my small business finances?  My accounting methods are similar to those one might have found employed in many frontier general stores in the 1800's.  I use a ledger-book type sheet, with six columns--Date, Purchase/Sale, Type of Payment, Amount Debited, Amount Credited, and Balance.  When I buy jewellery supplies, office supplies, or pay Etsy fees or craft show fees, I write these amounts in the Debit column.  When I make a sale, either on Etsy or at a craft fair or just to a friend, I write these amounts in the Credit column.  I keep a running tally of the balance.  So far, the Debit column seems to get much more use than the credit column. I keep all receipts for everything I buy for my business, and I write out bills of sale for all my sales.  All of these documents are kept neatly in an accordion folder.  That's it.  That is the extent of my small business accounting practices.

Ultimate Guide to Your Profitable Jewelery Booth

The Book's New Look

I recently purchased this book from Rena Klingenberg's website.  I had the option to purchase it as a paper book or an e-book.  If I had purchased the paper book, the order would have been placed through LuLu.com., and sent to me by mail.  It would have cost $39 plus shipping.  I ordered the downloadable e-book (PDF file) so I could get it right away.  The e-book cost $39, and it was the best $39 I ever spent.  This book is a practical, easy-to-read user's manual for jewelery artists who want to sell their work at retail events like craft fairs, art shows, trade shows, seasonal fairs, bazaars, etc.  I've done a few small local shows, and I've definitely learned from my mistakes! Rena's advice allows me to circumvent some of these newbie mistakes.  The book covers everything about running a jewellery booth, from taxes and insurance, pricing, smooth transactions at shows, finding good shows, applying for shows, practical tips for managing your booth, displaying your wares for maximum profitability and selling tips.  Rena includes comprehensive checklists for what to bring, and timelines for stress-free show preparation. I found these tips and checklists really helped me prepare for and do well at my last show.  After the show, I used the self-evaluation checklist to reflect on how I felt I did, and how I would improve things for the next event.

Klingenberg's writing style is accessible, supportive and down-to-earth.  Her anecdotes about her own growth and experiences as a seller are comforting and inspiring.  I've referred back to this book time and time again while preparing for my next show.  I would absolutely recommend this book to newbies to the craft show scene, and even jewellery designers who have many shows under their belts will find valuable tips and things to try in this book.  I plan on purchasing Rena Klingenberg's other books, Social Networking: Selling Your Jewelery Online, and Secrets of a Handcrafted Jewelery Shopping Service.  Check out Rena Klingenberg's website, and sign up for her monthly e-newsletter.  I look forward to receiving mine each month.  Here's the link:

http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/

Later, readers!

New Jewellery Display Stuff

There are countless different ways to display your jewellery at a craft fair. I was at a loss for how to display my earrings, which I sell on my homemade earring cards.  I came up with this design for an earring rack.  They were easy to make, inexpensive, and they are light enough to carry to craft shows and fairs.  I keep these racks loaded with earrings, and covered with clear plastic bags, and when I have a craft fair to do, I just pull the plastic bags off, and voila!

This is the earring rack empty.

This is the earring rack fully loaded.

I used 12-gauge copper wire to hang the earring cards on, and bent it into spirals at the ends to finish the look.

 I love these earring racks!  I need to make more to hold all my new designs.  They only cost about $15 each to make.   

New Bead Planet Offerings on Etsy

Blue Velvet Necklace

 Check out these new items I just listed on Etsy!  It's been a while since I last listed anything new.  Report card time for a teacher is like tax time for an accountant.

Chocolate Mint Necklace

Copper Sea Necklace

Juliet's Heart Necklace

These are the last of my Tudor Queens collection of earrings. They're called Katharine Parr Earrings.

Bead Planet's Pre-Boxing Day Sale on Etsy

Get the jump on Boxing Day savings with Bead Planet's Pre-Boxing Day Sale on Etsy!  Enter the coupon code below at checkout to receive 15% off anything in my shop from December 22 to December 31.  See shop policies for more information on how to redeem this coupon code.

Coupon Code:     PREBOXINGDAY1411

Happy Holidays!

Shipping Snafu

So far in my journey to bead tycoon status I've made four sales on my Etsy online shop.  The last sale involved a lot more customer service than any of the others.  The customer convo'd (contacted via the Etsy communication system) me with a request to adjust the length of a bracelet he wanted to order.  I contacted the buyer to let him know I'd be happy to make the change.  He then ordered the bracelet.  As per my shop policies, I wanted to send the order out inside the 3 business day time period, but I was having trouble getting more of the exact type of chain that I used for the bracelet in the picture.  I convo'd the buyer with pictures of the original chain and a chain that was as similar as I could get, and asked if the change would be OK with him.  He convo'd me, saying no problem.  So, I made the bracelet, and shipped it out by US Post Light Packet on December 6th.  (Through Canada Post, of course.)  This was within the 3-day time limit promised in my shop policies.  I then emailed the buyer to let him know that the package had been shipped.  Mission accomplished...or so I thought. 

The Frugal Tycoon's Money-Saving Tips

Marketing and promotional materials are an essential part of building a small business and getting your name and product out there.  The costs of these materials can be prohibitive to a budding tycoon, though.  Through research and happy accident, I've found a few ways to save money on these promotional materials. 

1.  Make mini cards.  Buy pretty blank cards from the dollar store, and cut them into 1-inch strips.  Using a nice marker, write a personal note to the buyer on these and slip them into the package before shipping.

2.  Make your own promotional literature.  If you don't have Microsoft Publisher, consider investing in it.  I've used it to design my own business cards, flyers, craft booth signs, and e-invites for beading parties.  I printed my own colour flyers, on my ink-jet printer, on normal office paper.  After looking into the price of printing 50 colour flyers at a print shop, I figured that it was cheaper to buy a new colour cartridge just for this purpose.  I got 50 copies, and there was still lots of ink left.  Of course, this is economical only if your printer's cartridges aren't atrociously expensive (mine, thankfully, aren't.)  The flyers look great, and the whole thing cost about $30.00. If you don't want to buy Microsoft Publisher, you can download a trial version that lasts for about a month. 

First Sale!

I finally got my first Etsy sale!  About a week ago, I was listing my new Trinkets charm bracelets, at about 10:00 or so.  When I was done, I signed out of Etsy and signed on to Facebook to feed my Frontierville addiction.  Just before midnight, as I was about to go to bed, I made a last minute check on  my email, and found an email from Etsy telling me I had a sale ! Hallelujah!  Will wonders never cease?  I was so excited, I was tempted to wake up my husband and tell him.  Then, I came to my senses.  Waking my husband from a dead sleep is, let's just say, ill-advised.  The order was from Ohio, and it was for one of the very Trinkets charm bracelets that I had just listed.  Woo-hoooo!  Of course, I packaged it up and sent it off the very next day.  No feedback yet, so I hope they got it. Maybe I'll email them and ask them if they got it. Would that be stalker-ish?  Let's hope this is the first of many!



This is the bracelet that I sold.  It's called Purple Trinkets Charm Bracelet.



Inspiration from Henry

Sometimes I find myself at a loss when sitting in my studio (kitchen table) for inspiration--what should I make today?  Earrings, necklace, bracelet?  Dangly earrings, long necklace, choker, pendant, no pendant?  Copper, silver, or...you get the idea.  This week, I got some inspiration from an unexpected source--the TV.  This week, I watched an episode of CBC's "The Tudors" for the first time.  I knew a bit about Henry VIII from reading a couple of Phillipa Gregory novels, but I'd never been interested in watching the Emmy-winning series, which is in its final season on CBC.  I tuned in, to be honest, because I couldn't find the remote, and was too lazy to get up and change the channel (heaven forbid!)

The Eternal Question - What is My Stuff Worth?

When I first started selling my jewellery to friends, co-workers, and at a couple of small local legion craft sales, I used this formula for deciding what to charge for my work:  What would I pay for this?  The problem with this method of pricing is twofold. First, I'm extremely frugal (read cheap.) Secondly, I tend to undervalue my work and my time.  When I decided to register my business and really make a go of it, I began reading other jewellery designers' thoughts on the matter of pricing your work, and I began to realize that I was selling myself short.  I used to concern myself only with covering the cost of the materials, and maybe make a little bit of profit.  I didn't consider all the other costs of running a jewellery business, like marketing costs, website fees, packaging, shipping, displays, show fees, a tent for outdoor shows, tables, replacing and upgrading tools, computer software for accounting and tweaking photos, and classes for learning new skills.  If you're not pricing your stuff to cover these costs, and making a bit of profit on top of that, you're not going to be successful.

Diversify!

It's been a month now since I opened my Etsy shop, and I've had no sales as of yet. I read on the Etsy community blog The Storque that the average time before the first sale is one month, so I won't take it personally yet. In the meantime, there are other things I'm doing besides my Facebook page and this blog to promote my shop. I made a business card on Publisher. Now that's a program that takes some time to master. If there was ever a reason to buy a Dummies book, that program is it. But I managed to figure it out, and the business card turned out really nice. I got 500 made, and I'm handing them out to anyone who comes near enough. Since I'm a teacher, I work with mostly women and have access to many moms, so I've been able to give away tons of cards. My business card also has info about the beading parties I do. I had my first booking recently, for a Girls' Night Out beading party with a bunch of women. I charge $30 per guest, and the guests can make either a necklace or a bracelet and earrings. That includes your choice of beads, gemstones, spacers, findings, use of tools, and instruction. The hostess for this party is providing the munchies and drink. If this were a regular booking, I would offer her a choice of some of my inventory, or maybe something custom made for her. I wonder what percentage I should offer? I would appreciate feedback on this, and any advice or hints anyone can offer on this topic.

Back to Work

First day of school today, for the kids and for me.  I've got a nice bunch of kids this year--it should be a good year.  The disadvantage of going back to work is that I now have less time to build my business, to make jewelery, and to develop my "web presence". 

I must confess, I've never understood the appeal of social networking sites.  I can see the value for those who live far from family and friends; it's a good (and free) way to keep in touch.  I always said that if I wanted to keep in touch with people from high school, I would have kept in touch in the first place.  Also, I don't want to know what my acquaintances are doing during every waking moment.  But every handcraft guru whose books, articles or blogs I've read says that you have to build your "web presence".  So, I bit the bullet and created a Facebook Fan Page.  In order to do that, I had to create a personal profile first.  Maybe I'm just from the wrong generation, or maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I just don't see how this is going to help my business.  To add insult to injury, I'm now hopelessly addicted to Farmville..

A Store is Born--Part III

I didn't manage to take any photos today.  I normally set up my portable photo studio (point and shoot camera, patio table and slate tile) on my balcony, but today we seem to be experiencing a bit of Hurricane Earl.  Winds are gusting strong enough to blow the BBQ cover off, it's raining, and it's damn COLD!  Try taking pictures while your earrings are shimmying to beat the band.  I don't think the motion stop feature is THAT effective.

Last time I blogged (I love that verb--it sounds like a euphemism for clogging the toilet by vomiting into it too much) I had figured out the ins and outs of Canada Post, written my shop policies and a bio, and signed up for PayPal.  As luck would have it, my kids, (I'll call them Rampaige and Helliam,) were being spirited off to the ancestral family home in rural New Brunswick by the grandparents, bless their misguided souls, for two whole weeks!  That meant I would have extended periods of uninterrupted time to concentrate on setting up my Etsy shop.  Pure luxury! 

A Store is Born Part II

Classroom finally ready!  Bulletin boards decorated, deskplates on desks, lockers assigned--all ready for Tuesday.  I'm hopeful that I can get some photographing done this weekend so I can list some new items on my Etsy shop. 

Back when I was preparing to open my Etsy shop, one of the things I had to research was shipping. Before I could write my shipping profiles, I had to figure out how I was going to ship items to the buyers.  Up to this point, my experience with Canada Post consisted of sticking a stamp on an envelope and dropping it in the mailbox, or opening my crammed mailbox and struggling to extract the bills without destroying them.  I needed to know how to wrap the packages, how long shipping would take, and how much to charge buyers.  I tried to navigate Canada Post's website, but it was about as easily navigable as a meerkat family's den.  Instead, I went to the post office with a sample of a typical package, and asked the clerk how much shipping might cost to mail that package anywhere in Canada, the U.S., or internationally.  Apparently, the package has to fit into a 2 cm plexiglass slot, or it costs more.  Armed with this knowledge, I was ready to fill out my shipping profiles.  All that was left was to sign up for a PayPal account, write a bio, hammer out my refund and exchange policies, and write some descriptions for my jewellery.

I'm falling asleep at the wheel here, so I'll continue this thread next time.  Good night, all.

A Store is Born

Hello, blogreaders.  Just got home from work, where I spent twelve hours moving my classroom, organizing my stuff, and setting up for the first day of school.  I don't understand why, despite the fact that I've been doing this for fifteen years, this process never gets any easier or quicker.  I must be working hard, but not working smart, as they say. 

Last I blogged, I had just done a business name search and chosen the name Bead Planet.  I paid for and received my Master Business License, Business Registration number, and Vendor Permit.  Now everything felt official.  The next step was to figure out sales tax.  Before July, 2010, Ontario businesses had to collect and remit 8% sales tax as well as 5% GST on taxable goods, such as jewellery.  If your annual sales will be less than $30 000.00, (ha, ha) you are exempt from the hassle of collecting and remitting GST, but not PST.