Etsy Free Feature II

My calculus final is over! I'm finally free to post another entry. Last week I posted the work of some talented Etsy-artists. The post was a success, so I've put together a second feature. Once again, the pieces below are under $50, making the selection a great list of affordable gifts.

Enjoy!

Sarah

La SuaVoce Designs

p.s. I think I need a better name for these posts than "Etsy Free Feature." If you have any ideas, feel free to comment!

Moss Winds Necklace $42

Original Wood Block Print, $25

Rusty Bunny with Bow, $38

Indian Rangoli Colorful Wooden Bracelet, $16

Filigree Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings, $25

Bone and Turquoise Brass Watch, $50

Sapphire Pleated Woolen Purse, $22

Christmas Wire Wrapped Beaded Necklace, $30


Chocolate and Turquoise Bracelet, $45

Selling Your Work Wholesale: Resources, Tips, Links, and Checklist

I'm reposting a post from a few months ago because I think the information is valuable and because my sister and I (after taking time to focus on school) decided to work on going wholesale again. Hope it is helpful!

Wholesale Resources

Are you ready to start selling wholesale? We are, so we did some research and we’d like to share! Here are some great blogs, forum posts, and articles that provide valuable information about selling wholesale.

If you’re shy and don’t think you’re up to visiting stores, check out this forum post: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6201294

This great two part blog post provides information about pricing, quantity, and communicating with retailers:
Part I: http://qbranchltd.blogspot.com/2008/02/selling-wholesale-part-i.html
Part II: http://qbranchltd.blogspot.com/2008/02/selling-wholesale-part-ii.html

A thorough article about beginning to sell your artisan work wholesale. Includes a number of helpful links:
http://www.indiepublic.com/profiles/blogs/946391:BlogPost:510081

Our Checklist for Preparing to Sell Wholesale:
*Check out the links above and throughout this post for more information to supplement our checklist (some of the terms were unfamiliar to us until we read the information provided in all these links!)*

1. Prepare Etsy shop (and blog, etc.) for wholesale
-adjust prices to be RETAIL prices (double wholesale price for retail price)
*Tips on pricing wholesale:
http://www.helium.com/items/622909-tips-for-pricing-your-handmade-crafts
-make it known that we are interested in selling wholesale
-make it easy for retailers to contact us
-provide a “request form” in blog and Etsy store

2. Create a linesheet & other “things”
-Make a wholesale linesheet
-Make pamphlet to send to far-away boutiques
-Make email template for far-away boutiques
*Specific tips on creating a linesheet:
http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/jewelry-line-sheets.html
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/what_is_a_line_sheet/

3. Research for retailers
-check out local fashion magazines for label names
-explore local shops (check out the yellow pages!)
-browse online

4. Call to make appointment with boutique owner

5. Be ready with wholesale price sheet and large amount of display-ready merchandise

Black Friday Sale! BOGO FREE

Hope you are having a wonderful holiday!

La SuaVoce is having a Black Friday Sale from Nov. 27- 29!

All Earrings Buy Get One FREE! Second pair of equal or lesser value will be refunded via Paypal.

FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING on all products.
Contact us for FREE GIFT WRAP or GIFT TAGS.

Visit our shop: http://suavoce.etsy.com

Ask us about custom jewelry and hair accessories too!

Happy holidays (and shopping!),
Sarah and Angie
La SuaVoce Designs

Get Inspired! Four Useful Tips for Etsy Business Owners

I'm sitting at the computer, cup of coffee near the key board, an appointment to go to in twenty minutes, a least an hour's worth of calculus homework left, and...my jewelry business. It's times like these that I wonder how my Etsy shop still survives. When things get busy, I start to lose my inspiration. I want to take a couple minutes to bring myself back to center (and help those who are reading this bring themselve back to center!).

Get inspired...

-Get passionate. Strictly business-speaking, passion breeds sales. If you don't have passion for your work it shows (no matter how much you try to hide it). And believe me, it hurts sales too. Bringing passion into your work might mean taking a break, trying something new, or even getting feedback and encouragement from others.

-Make a change. Try something new with your shop (or in your life in general). My sister and I have decided to focus our work towards hair accessories and (could anyone guess it?) Jane Austen inspired greeting cards. Just the simple prospect of something new gets me excited to start working on the shop. The change doesn't have to drastic. Even developing a new designs bring some life to your shop.

-Promote! Marketing is always a good idea, and it's especially helpful when you are feeling unmotivated. Promoting might seem like the last thing you want to do in a slump ("Aren't I doing enough promoting already?!"), but it's probably one of the most useful things. Monitor the success of your marketing (with Google Analytics, Craftcult.com, Craftopolis.com, etc.). Realizing the success in your hard work is where the inspiration comes from.

-Get off the computer. Yes! Take a step back from Etsy, close out of Twitter, sign off Facebook, turn off your IPhone and go outside (or at least into the other room). Time is precious (and time is money afterall). If you find yourself staring glassy-eyed at the computer, waiting for a new heart to show up on Craftcult (haven't we all been there?), then you're wasting time you could be using creating, exploring, learning and getting inspired. The world is where we find our inspiration.

Happy creating!
Sarah
La SuaVoce Designs

Halloween is Coming

Vampiro Passione Headband

I spent the last half hour updating La SuaVoce's Etsy shop for Halloween. We have a selection of Halloween pieces, from vampires to Harry Potter to fairies. It's the first time we've made so many pieces for a specific holday or event, and we are hoping for some success!

On a side note, I was inclined to make something Twilight inspired for Halloween, but my sister has strikely forbidden me from doing this (she's is a serious Twilight hater). So in case you have an addiction to Twilight (like me) check out our vampire-inpsired pieces. While I can't say they are directly inspired by Twlight, they certainly remind me of a certain vampire book...

Blood Red Vampire Inpsired Earrings

Happy (almost) Halloween!

Sarah

La SuaVoce Designs

http://suavoce.etsy.com/

Friday Fantasy Feature: Hightower Botanicals

We stumbled across Hightower Botanicals on the Etsy forums, and it wasn't hard to be drawn in by the quality and details in the jewelry. Her pieces are truly unique...and stunning. We are die-hard fans of sterling silver. Silver is a splendid style for the autumn and winter months. Though her pieces are not directly related to fantasy, we felt that her pieces were reminicent of woodland faires, elves, and other mysterious creatures...

Hightower Botanicals makes rings, necklaces, bracelets and anklets, all made with amazing attention to detail.


What do you do? By day I work as an artist assistant in a large studio. I make allot of molds and help fabricate and cast sculptures. By night and on the weekends I make jewelry!
Where do you get your inspiration for your work? I love plants. Especially herbs. Herbal teas and medicinal uses. And I love stones.

Do you have any pieces that are inspired by fantasy? Or are reminiscent of fantasy? I like reading about the folklore behind plants. Allot of cultures used and use herbs for magic potions. In ancient Greece, their was a legend about a beast called the Basilisk. It was described it as dragon like creature with the head of a rooster, body of a serpent, and the wings of a bat. If one looked at a Basilisk in the eyes, they would instantly die. Basil leaves were considered the best cure for a Basilisk bite. As you can see, the name Basil was in the Basilisk. Many of today's names for herbs are derived from traditional uses in medicine. Quite often this mixed in with folklore and sometimes fantasy. A also like to read about the metaphysical properties of stones and the power that they are said to hold.

How did you become involved in your work? I have always made things with my hands. I went to art school for painting. During my senior year I took a foundry class and learned how to cast bronze. I fell in love with the process. After graduation I worked in several bronze foundries in Brooklyn and Queens. I learned how to make various types of molds and learned allot about metal work, casting and chasing wax and metal castings. (Chasing is cleaning up seams and imperfections in a casting.)I've never had any formal jewelry training but my skills as a mold maker and metal worker transferred over to jewelry nicely. A few years ago my friend Robin took me under her wing and taught me how to make jewelry. She taught me so much. And I am still learning new things all the time.

What made you start selling your creations? I guess I've just always been prone to selling handmade creations. In junior high I made lots of polymer clay/ Fimo beads! I made bracelets and necklaces out of them and sold them on the school bus after school. I didn't sell many but receiving money for my creations was an incredible feeling. Before I learned how to solder I made jewelry with stone beads and sold them at Bittersweets when Robin had a store in Brooklyn. After graduating to cast metal jewelry, I began to sell that at her store and it has evolved into Hightower Botanicals on Etsy.

What is your favorite item that you make? My new rosemary hoops are my favorite at the moment! I have so many favorites that they change allot.

Which fantasy creature is your favorite: fairy, dragon, or vampire? H. P. Lovecrafts's Cthulhu is one. I am drawn to the more evil, demon-like creatures!

Visit Hightower Botanicals at her Etsy shop: http://hightowerbotanicals.etsy.com/

Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6124496

Blog: http://hightowerbotanicals.blogspot.com/

Other: Check out this site for more fantasy-inspired silver jewerly! http://www.bittersweetsny.com/


Happy creating!
Sarah and Angie

Advertising on Craftcult: Our First Expedition into the World of Online Advertising

SuaVoce was able to acquire enough money (and we worked up enough motivation) to advertise online. But in fact, it wasn’t that much money and it didn’t take us that much time.

Several days ago, we purchased an advertisement from http://www.craftcult.com/ . The ad cost us only $15, and for four days, four of our pieces would rotate through the website’s “carousel.” (Check out craftcult to see what I mean. It’s right at the top.) We were worried, of course (never having advertised online before), that we could get nothing from the ad. Our jewelry pieces tend to only cost $15 at average. So if we sold once piece due to the ad, we would only be paying off the price of the ad (in fact, we wouldn’t even be paying off that since Etsy.com takes a percentage of the $ from your sale). So…we were worried.

Our Pride and Prejudice Journal we advertised on Craftcult

And we haven’t made a sale from the advertisement.

But we might. And that’s the key. We got many more hearts for each of the items we advertised. Hearts means that an individual “favorited” our item so that they may look at it later. I always heart something before I buy it.

The Pretty Little Rosebud Hair Clip, also advertised

All in all? Go for it, if you’re considering purchasing an advertisement spot. Just think about what the benefits might be of the advertisement (even if they may not be explicit or apparent). Plus, it couldn’t hurt now that the Christmas season is almost upon us!

Happy advertising,
Angie

Back To School

Well, Sarah and I are back at college once again! More that 1/2 my luggage was consumed by SuaVoce's jewelry supplies, and now it's sitting on my yet-to-arrive roomate's desk. Organizing everything is our newest objective. That and making tons and tons more hair accessories (keep your eyes open!)

Classes start on Thursday. I'm hoping that my life won't be so crazy that SuaVoce gets pushed to the side. But then, Sarah and I are leading the school's Business Club...so maybe that can be a good excuse to spend more time on our jewelry business. We'll see how it goes!

Angie

Back to College

We're back in Chicago! And back in school. Moving was a hassle, as usual, but it went smoothly. Thanks mostly to the help of our cousin, Nanna, and friend. :) Our jewelry supplies seems to be growing. We came back with more supplies, shipped some out to the college, and opened a box or two filled with them. Thankfully, we have a suite this year! That means space to make jewelry (instead of making it on our beds or clearing off our desks)!

This also means we need to start organizing things right. We are going to set up a space to work and display some pieces (we sell a lot from our dorms to students on campus) with pretty little tags. I'm thinking a trip to Target might be in SuaVoce's future.

Happy creating (or unpacking!),

Sarah

Cooking, Writing, Jewelry-Making...

I just got back from watching the new movie, Julie and Julia. I thought it was great! And inspiring. Inspiring for a blogger and for an author. Our latest working novel has a cooking theme like the movie. In response, we're going to spend part of tomorrow finishing up the (first) draft. Not a bad way to close off the summer.

We head back to school in less than a week. That means it's time to start packing. Jewelry supplies included. That should be an interesting experience...

Happy creating (and cooking!)

Sarah

A Sneak Peek (In Photos)

So I guess you could say SuaVoce is going through a bit of a make-over. Campus research is over and our ice cream jobs are back, which (thanks to all this rain, and cancellations at work) leaves us with more time for jewelry making...and experimenting. Be on the look out for our newest creations. :)

Sarah

(SuaVoce)

Launching My New Line “Dichotomy”

I’ve had this haunting feeling even since SuaVoce set up an Etsy.com store. I thought… “We make bridal jewelry, everyday jewelry, funky jewelry, simple pieces, big bold pieces, stuff for readers and writers…Are we too SCATTERED?!” Well, as a writer I’ve been told “write what you like to read.” Just so as a jewelry designer I’ve “created what I like to wear.” And I don’t always like to wear the same thing. Some days I’m in a simple and silver mood. Sometimes I like to be bold and bright.

We make a lot of very different pieces!

So…
I’ve decided to launch a new line entitled “Dichotomy.” I’m not sure if you could call it a line, maybe a “branch” of SuaVoce is more appropriate. But either way, I intend to possibly open a new Etsy store or transform SuaVoce’s current store with “Dichotomy” as my focus.
What’s Dichotomy?
Well, strictly speaking it’s, “division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups.” In regards to SuaVoce though, it’s a unifying yet “dichotomous” theme to our store.
Interested?
Keep reading in the days and weeks to come as I update you on my progress with “Dichotomy!”
Angie

Finally...We Made Jewelry for Ourselves!

Yesterday our cousin was married. It was the first wedding we ever attended, so we wanted to make our outfits special. Except being college students we don't have a lot of money. So instead of buying new dresses, we opted to make ourselves jewelry instead. I wanted something bold and bright to match my black dress, and Sarah wanted a more tradtional look to go along with her blue and red dress.

Step one, we needed beads. We explored Etsy and found these great beads from seller PenGwynneBeads:





For my piece, I also found beautiful glass pearls from seller allearringsandsuppli



Step two, put them together. Sarah decided to combine the red resin flowers with black Czech glass beads we already owned, all connected by sterling silver to form beautiful earrings.

She used more resin flowers along with vintage chain to make a bracelet.

I used the large pink resin flowers along with the soft teal glass pearls to make the necklace I was envisioning--bold, bright, and fun!


Step three, wear them. We wore our creations to yesterday's wedding, which was on all accounts a success. The dancing was a blast and the view of the Chicago skyline was phenominal!

Angie

A Glimpse Into Our Studio (of Sorts)

It might not be the most glamorous place to work, but it's what we have right now! At home we have a studio set up in our basement, but while we are away at college we have to make due with what we have. This usually means making jewelry on our beds or clearing off our desks. Unfortunately, this also means no soldering until summer (or like this summer while we stay on campus for research, not until August). Most of our pieces (and all pieces now listed on Etsy) are made using cold connections. Suprisingly, this limitation has been mostly to our advantage. Limitations really challenge our creativity, and push it beyond it's limits.

Happy creating to all!
Sarah
(SuaVoce)

As the Fourth of July Approaches...

Today Sarah and I created a few pieces for the coming holiday! I am very happy with the results. I created a key necklace pendant with Czech glass beads and a red spiral. Sarah made a pair of "chandalier" earrings with red, white, and blue Czech glass beads. These pieces and others will be posted soon (hopefully tomorrow) on our esty.com page!
Angie

P.S. I am currently listening to the soundtrack for Pride and Prejudice (which I just saw for, I think, the 5th time). It puts me in such a romantic mood. Possibly some more Pride and Prejudice pieces will come from this... :)

A Beautiful Summer Night

In Chicago, June hasn't felt at all like summer until now. It's a gorgeous summer night: 75 degrees with a cool breeze from the lake. What a nice break from lots of rain and 50 degree days! I wanted to share a few summertime-inspired jewelry pieces. Above is a pair we call "Blue Ice Chandelier Earrings." Kind of makes me want some ice cream. :)

^Above is one of my favorite pieces, called "Scrumptious Cherry Tomato Earrings." My roommate (who is now back at home in China, and from what she tells me is having a great time) helped me design this pair and I think they came out amazing. She has a knack for unique things, espeically fashion, and these earrings are definately one of a kind.

I'll just go back to soaking up this summer night and hopefully getting some new art inspirations from this beautiful weather!

Sarah

(SuaVoce)

Finally! Some Confidence with Photos

It seems like I've spent a lot of time struggling to get the right photo of my jewelry. There are so many little things to consider when picture taking: lighting (I use natural light, in the shade), editing (Picnik.com or the Microsoft Photo Editing- already installed), background (Recently I switched to a simple, but elegant backgroud: a book), and the camera (I have a simple digital camera, nothing special). I've tried all sorts of different things, like beach backgrounds, expensive camera (borrowed a friend), inside light, sunlight, Gimp (free photo editing software), etc.

Now I think I'm on to something! I took these newest photos using natural light on a cloudy day and brightened and cropped them with the Microsfot Photo Editing software already available on my computer. I placed the jewelry on the white pages of a book (The Alchemist, my favorite book, and one I'd recomend to anyone). They really popped on this background, but the background was still engaging and elegant at the same time.

I'm finally getting some photo taking confidence!

Sarah (SuaVoce)

http://suavoce.etsy.com

Custom Bridal and Event (or Prom) Jewelry

Just recently Sarah and I were shopping in Walmart with our grandmother. She struck up a conversation with a lady working in the vision center…and by the time we left Walmart the woman at the vision center had commissioned us to make a custom pair of earrings for an outfit she had bought for a wedding!

This event and the fact that my cousin is having a wedding this summer (and I’m planning to design my jewelry to compensate for the fact that I can’t afford to buy a new dress ) got me to thinking…

Weddings and other special events (e.g. prom—Sarah and I designed our little sister a necklace and earring set for her prom) are coming up soon, and many women buy their outfits for these events BEFORE they buy their jewelry.

So why not have your jewelry custom made?

SuaVoce of course makes custom jewelry (just check out our Etsy store http://suavoce.etsy.com/), but I wanted to provide a resource that lists small shops that do custom and bridal jewelry.

Here is my list:
http://pickmeup.etsy.com/ OR http://www.pickmeupboutique.blogspot.com/
This is a small store that sells beautiful wire-wrapped jewelry. If you check out pickmeup’s blog you can see the jewelry they made for a bride-to-be! I like pickmeup because their designs are clean and delicate, and personally I love silver wire! Pickmeup also does custom jewelry, so check them out!
http://shacara.etsy.com/
Shacara specializes in custom-made bridal jewelry. Their pieces are very elegant and priced very well, too!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6716075
OceanBayDesigns has custom-made jewelry for bridesmaids. Their pieces are modern and unique! I love the fact that this store uses a lot of silver (can’t you tell I love it?).
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6776989
Tilley Jewels Bride also specializes in bridal jewelry. They also sell nice hair accessories that would be great for prom, too!
http://expressyourself.etsy.com/
Expressyourself makes custom jewelry pieces and bridal jewelry. I like their pieces because they are very elegant and use a lot of gorgeous pearls and beads.
http://dreamsandjewelry.etsy.com/
Dreamsandjewelry has also done some bridal work, and their pieces are very beautiful!

I hope this list is helpful. Happy shopping!
Angie (SuaVoce)

New Etsy Banner, Thought I'd Share

I created a new Etsy banner a few minutes ago on Picnik.com. I love Picnick because it makes photo editing (and banner making) easy. Plus, it’s free! The photo is from a beach on New Hampsire (there are beautiful beaches in New England, by the way). I thought it fit in well with the beach photos we have of some of our jewelry and with the new Pride and Prejudicd journals.

(Visit http://suavoce.etsy.com to see it in action on our Etsy page.)

Pretty simple, but it keeps the shop looking clean and pretty!
Sarah
(SuaVoce)

Jewelry Suppliers? Here's Where We Go!

It’s tough finding a reliable jewelry supplier that sells a variety of quality products at affordable prices. SuaVoce has made a number of mistakes when it comes to purchasing supplies. We turned to eBay in an attempt to find inexpensive supplies. EBay, however, was unreliable (sometimes you may not get quite was you expect), and quality control was iffy. We have purchased items from craft stores, and while they are often convenient, they tend to be pricy.

So where do you go? Well, SuaVoce has discovered some great suppliers, and we’d like to share…

Rio Grande Jewelry Suppliers
I could rave all day about Rio. Their customer service is incredibly helpful (they always know what they are doing, and they are very efficient). You can be assured that the supplies you receive from Rio are high quality. Plus, they ship your purchases in a timely manner.
http://www.riograde.com/

Etsy suppliers
There are a couple jewelry suppliers, who SuaVoce has had good experiences with, on Etsy.com. Etsy is a really good source for supplies. Generally, buying off Etsy is less expensive, and (from our experience) their products are quality. Also, you can contact the seller and ask if they will reserve a special order for you.

LLing2303 is a seller who sells a variety of items. Of particular interest for this post are her beads and supplies, which are very affordable. We purchased clip-on earring hooks from LLing2303, and we were really pleased! The hooks were packaged nicely and she included a free gift with our purchase J
Check out LLing2303’s shop:
http://lling2303.etsy.com/

Infiniteconcepts sells beautiful connectors, links, charms and other findings. Infniteconcepts allowed us to custom order silver plated earring wires. We were very happy with our purchase, which arrived quickly and in perfect shape.
Check out infiniteconcepts’ shop:
http://infiniteconcepts.etsy.com/
And twitter page:
http://twitter.com/rowrow1
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25580596

“Tibetan Silver Connector Charms” by infiniteconcepts

Hopefully this provides some good sources for your supply shopping!
Angie (SuaVoce)