Adding Items Back to the Shop

I've neglected this blog for a long time. I apologize. I shouldn't have been neglecting the blog this way, but lately things have been a bit on the hectic side what with school and church functions. A lot of my business has been through Candlelight Boutique as opposed to through Eternal Stardust Designs, so I haven't paid much attention to this side of things.

I started re-listing items to the shop tonight. I am re-listing things one by one, checking to see if A) I still have the items and B) editing the item photos that I am going to be using. I am also strongly considering moving this blog to a WordPress installation as well as Candlelight Boutique's blog to a WordPress installation on my host, but I haven't decided about that just yet. I have a WordPress installation for Candlelight Boutique, but I don't use it like I should.

In any case, I think my photos are looking better than they did before. :)

This is the before picture. It's kind of dark, you can see the fold lines in the tissue paper I used for a background. Just not a great picture - and this is the edited version. 

Much brighter, and to be honest, the color is actually more realistic on the playing card beads. This one had some heavy editing with a brush set to Overlay Mode and a Spot Healing brush, plus a noise reduction.

Notice the odd pink tint?

Gone, plus a better up close shot - just gorgeous now! (At least I think.)

As you can see, I'm doing better on the photo editing. :) Now to get some better advertising going for the shop. I'm not sure if I want to use the Etsy Search Ads or not. We had a small amount of success with them for Candlelight Boutique, but I'm not sure if I really want to use them with ESD at this point. 

So that is what has been going on with me for Eternal Stardust Designs. :)

Pricing Amazement

One of the things I have never been good at is pricing my items. However, I noticed something this past weekend during Art in the Park. People will pay what I think is an outrageous price for one titem, but won't pay what I think is a reasonable price for another item.

I'll give you an example. I had several crocheted cotton washcloths for sale. I priced them at $5 each. That is, $5 for one washcloth. I sold two of them. Now mind you, I can make 2 2/3 of these washcloths from a single ball of cotton yarn that cost me about $1.89 after tax. That's a pretty hefty profit for 2 washcloths if you ask me. I'm just saying. :P But yet people didn't even flinch at seeing that the washcloths were $5 each.

Now we have one of my favorite bracelets that I've made. (Go on, click it, you know you want to. I'll wait.) Now that bracelet right there is $20. The materials alone make up half of the price of that bracelet. Yet when people asked me how much that bracelet was, they were shocked to hear that I wanted $20 for it. They would quickly put it down and leave our booth. Yet when I talked to another jewelry artist who was selling at the next booth over from ours, she said that she had bracelets she'd made with beads she bought for $3 at Walmart, that she had maybe $5 worth of materials total in these bracelets, that she had priced at $35 or more, and the same people who refused to buy my $20 bracelet were more than willing to go to her booth and pay what she asked for a bracelet that she said herself, was worth less than the one I had made. She was in shock as well.

Now I will say that maybe, just maybe, $10 for my time to make that bracelet isn't quite fair. After all, I don't think the bracelet took me more than 10 minutes to string together. But when I attempted to price it less than $20, I was told that I wasn't charging nearly enough. And another bracelet that I had made (this one which I sold to a friend of mine) had beads from the same company, same store, but were $2 less in price, and my friend refused to pay less than $20 for that bracelet. I know, because I tried to knock it down to $15 since she is my friend, and she refused.

But yet people weren't willing to pay $20 for the playing cards bracelet. How can it be that people will pay $5 for a single crocheted washcloth with less than $2 worth of yarn in it, but won't play $20 for a bracelet with $10 worth of beads in it? I just don't get it.

Art in the Park 2011

So today was Art in the Park at Latham Park in Sioux City, IA. For those not in the know, Latham Park is a privately owned park in Sioux City, IA. The Latham family home sits on the park grounds, and when the last of the Lathams passed away, the land was mandated by the person's will to become a park. Now last year it was rainy and cold all day long. This year it was misty and cold all day long. The funny thing is, the last two years have been the only years the park has had this problem - and the last two years are the years I have been attending! Maybe it's me? LOL There were quite a few window shoppers, but not many buyers. What did I sell? A bookmark and 2 round washcloths. Yes, I said a bookmark and 2 round washcloths. That was it. My best friend's mother sold one of her baby blankets and my best friend sold nothing. :( We attribute it to the dreary day as it was very cold and most people were in a hurry to get back home and out of the cold. I did manage to see some cousins of mine at the park although it was brief. :) I also saw other people I know including some people I went to school with, one of whom I am working on a couple of custom orders for. And now, for those who would like pictures, you may view them below.

Want to see the rest? Click here!

Taking the Etsy Holiday Boot Camp Pledge!!!!

I, Eternal Stardust Designs, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!

Taking the Plunge Into Etsy Showcase

Being that my current sources of income are the non-existent sales from my Etsy, Artfire, and US Trendy shops, and some freelance writing work that I do, I have been a bit lax on advertising my shop and my items. This is mostly because all of the really good ways to advertise are, well, costly.

That being said, last night I decided to go ahead and click the "Promote" link next to one of the baby blankets I posted a week ago or so. What I ended up with is an Etsy showcase on 8/25 in the crochet category. The Etsy showcase is not as expensive as some methods of advertising - it's $7 per day that you choose to participate and they just add it to your Etsy bill as opposed to charging a credit or debit card for it immediately.

Yet in the past it was the fee that stopped me. Like I said - my current sources of income are not exactly bringing in the money like crazy and extra fees just seemed like a bad idea. But I decided to take the plunge and see what happens. Wish me luck!

10% of all Sales Donated to K-LOVE

As a born again Christian and follower of Christ, I have been led by my Lord to donated 10% of each sale to K-LOVE, a wonderful Christian radio station ministry. K-LOVE is one of my favorite radio stations to listen to - between the uplifting music and the heartwarming stories of people who have turned to Christ, it makes any day brighter.

K-LOVE is completely listener supported, which means that if they don't get enough support, they could have to go off the air. So many people have come to our Lord Jesus Christ through this wonderful ministry that I have been called to help make sure that they stay on the air.

If you would like to help support this wonderful radio station, simply make a purchase from any of my stores, Etsy, Artfire, or US Trendy. 10% will be saved back from the sale and when K-LOVE makes their next pledge drive, a one time donation will be made with the money that has been saved specifically for K-LOVE. Join me in helping this radio station stay on the air! Thank you!

Getting Ready For the Market

Even though I am not scheduled to be at the Farmers Market until October, I am still busy getting ready for the market. I have to make several more scarves, I have more baby blankets to make, I have more jewelry and bookmarks to make. But I wanted to share with you some of the scarves that I've made.

These are the unedited pictures - so they probably don't look as good as they could. :)



Pink & Raspberry Scarf




Turquoise & Raspberry Scarf



At the market I'll also be selling some of the scarves and hooded scarves my best friend's mom made. I sell them in my Etsy shop right now. They are wider than my scarves but I believe that the regular scarves she makes are a bit shorter than mine are. I also plan to add shawls to the line up in the shop, as well as to my lineup for the Market next year (if I do the market next year).

Right now it's a matter of pulling together the $90 required for the 3 days I'm scheduled to be at the market, getting the table purchased, and getting all the merchandise ready. Normally I do a lot of production work on Sunday but this Sunday we've got a lot going on at church and so I probably won't get to work on my stuff then. But I hope to have at least 2 more scarves made by the end of the weekend, as well as a couple of baby bibs (which I still need to take pictures of the ones I've already got made).

Speaking of baby items, I've got pictures for you of the baby blanket I've already finished. :) This is done in soft turquoise, soft blue, and soft mauve. It's really nice and would go great for either a boy or a girl!



Turquoise, Purple, and Blue Twinkle Star Baby Blanket


The pattern I got from the back of a yarn label. I think it's absolutely adorable and I've designed a couple of variations on the theme of the blanket that should be in production in the next couple of weeks. I'm not putting the blankets in the Etsy shop I've created for them just yet - they haven't yet been labeled properly according to CPSIA & FTC standards. As soon as they are, they'll be available in my shop as well.

If you like what you see, but not the colors, don't be afraid to convo me on Etsy or contact me via Artfire, Facebook, or Twitter - Most items can easily be made in a variety of colors to suit your needs.

Eternal Stardust Designs Has Made It's First Etsy Sale!!!

As the title says, I have made my first Etsy sale. A friend of mine saw and wanted to purchase the Annie bracelet from this post (the bracelet was actually named after her) and she wanted to purchase one of my best friend's key chains. She didn't want to have to purchase from two different places (my best friend's key chain was on eBay) so I helped my best friend end her auction and then posted 2 custom listings - one for the key chain and one for the bracelet!

Now please do not think that you cannot get this beautiful bracelet! If you are interested in the bracelet, just let me know! I can definitely make another one for you - or I can make another one like it but using slightly different beads. Just let me know if you are interested - you can convo me on Etsy!

Looking For New Venues

I am constantly looking for new venues in which to sell Eternal Stardust Designs jewelry. To that end, I have yet to find an offline venue in which to sell my jewelry. Until tonight that is.

Our local farmers market, which I had always thought was exclusively for edible products, actually does allow arts and crafts to be sold there. There is a website for the farmers market and I found the application plus the fees for selling there. There were a few things that weren't clear, so I went ahead and I emailed them for a bit of clarification on those things. I am thinking of perhaps a day or two in July, a day or two in August, a day or two in September, and a day or two in October, but I am not positive.

I'm not sure because I don't want to choose 8 days and find out I have to shell out $240 all at once to do it. I might just find out from them if I can apply for a date in July, see how things go and then apply for more dates if I decide it is worth it.

Or I might just start saving up now to actually go ahead and rent a space for the whole season. It's $350 for a 10-foot space, not that I need that much but that's the smallest space you can get, at least for 2010, and if I start saving now, just a bit of money each time I get paid for blogging or get a sale, I should have enough by next March to be able to go ahead and buy a space for next year.

If you sell offline, what venues have worked for you? Farmers markets? Street fairs? County fairs? Museums? Gift shops?

More New Designs

Well, I posted 2 new designs although one ended up being switched to a custom listing for a friend as she wanted it. LOL I can make more of the bracelet though as soon as I get more of the heart beads for it, so no worries there if you like it and want it.

This is the bracelet I am going to be calling "Annie":



The above bracelet is the one that my friend wanted to buy, so it's now in a custom listing. I can make more later if someone else wants one. :)

This is the bracelet I am calling "Royalty in Purple":



This one is a double-row flat spiral weave - and off-loom woven bracelet. It's absolutely gorgeous and I wish there was a way to capture the sparkle and shine of this bracelet in a photo.

More new designs are coming, just as soon as I get the materials I am looking for.

My Newest Creation & Renewed Faith

Well, I finally got off my buns and started making some new creations. :) The first creation I have (well, only creation I have since I ended up needing to order more beads for the other one) is the "Dreaming of Vegas" bracelet. I was going to name it "Poker Face" but then my friend bought a couple of items from me on eBay and her username there inspired me to name the bracelet something else. The funny thing is that another friend of mine said she thought this bracelet would sell really well in Vegas! :)


Dreaming of Vegas Bracelet

My friend bought the following two bracelets from me on eBay. These are my first jewelry sales via eBay and so I was thrilled to realize they'd been purchased. :) I should have known who it was who bought them. She'd told me she wanted one of them already. :D


Red, White, & Black Flat Spiral Weave Bracelet


Green & Blue Flat Spiral Weave Bracelet

Don't you love the packaging?? I use colored card stock type paper that I get in packs of 50 and my best friend ever so sweetly cuts it to the size needed to put it in the self sealing bags. She cuts it for me because I can't cut it right to save my hide. :D It's a good thing we live in the same house, huh?? LOL

So there you have it. My newest creation and a bit of renewed faith as I've sold a couple of pieces. Now to sell some other pieces! :)

Giveaway: Hand Made Loop Earrings

I've decided to hold a giveaway for a pair of my hand made loop earrings. This gorgeous pair of earrings features a large loop that was hand formed from 24 gauge jewelry wire, an 8mm purple & turquoise glass confetti bead, 4mm CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements in Jet, and 8mm pink/purple/turquoise glass rounds. They are on rhodium plated base metal fish hook ear wires.

To enter just do the following:

Go to Eternal Stardust Designs, pick your favorite item, then come back and leave a comment letting me know which item is your favorite.

Extra Entries:

1 Entry Each:
Become a fan of Eternal Stardust Designs on Facebook

Friend Eternal Stardust Designs on MySpace

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Follow this blog by clicking the "Follow" button on the right sidebar.

2 Entries:

Tweet the following out to your followers:

Win a pair of hand made loop earrings from Eternal Stardust Designs! - http://bit.ly/abGYtx #esd #giveaway

This giveaway will run from today through Saturday May 29, 2010, and the winner will be announced on Sunday May 30, 2010, prize to be shipped on June 1, 2010!

Good luck!!! :)

***NOTE*** This contest is open only to people living in the United States. Sorry!

Where I Find Inspiration

People are innately curious. They wonder about everything. They wonder about life, God/Goddess, faith, how things work, and where inspiration comes from. When it comes to artwork or crafts, they definitely wonder where inspiration comes from.

My inspiration is everywhere. I can look at beads and say "oh, that would be so cool as a (insert piece of jewelry here)." I can look at trees or flowers and say "oh, if I could find beads that color, or find beads shaped like those leaves or flowers, I could make an adorable (insert piece of jewelry here."

I have been inspired by paint schemes on NASCAR race cars - I've done items based on Tony Stewart's cars, Kyle Busch's cars, and Jeff Gordon's cars. I am continually inspired by their paint schemes, I just don't have the beads or money to get the beads to make more of the NASCAR inspired items.

I have been inspired by things that I know my favorite celebrities like. Several of my favorites are poker players - so you can imagine the thrill I got when I found beads that were made to look like the Jack - Ace of Hearts. I even have a title for the bracelet I'm going to make for them already - a favorite tune by Lady Gaga - "Poker Face."

So inspiration comes from many places, and has many faces. I've even been inspired by seeing items others have made - they inspire me to learn a technique I don't already know and to create my own designs based on those techniques. Inspiration comes to you in many ways - you just have to play around until you find yours.

Hard At Work

I have been hard at work lately creating new items, listing new items in the Etsy shop, and even posting items on eBay to see if that is a feasible solution for selling/marketing Eternal Stardust Designs.

Right now I have 4 items up for auction - three of them are not in the Etsy shop, so you would only be able to purchase them via eBay right now. If you're interested in seeing what we have to offer on eBay, you can click here to view my eBay page.

There are currently 45 items for sale in the Etsy shop - Eternal Stardust Designs on Etsy so you can definitely check that out as well if you are of a mind to. :)

I also have some blog posts for this blog planned, including giving some insight into my inspirations for making my jewelry.

We Have New Things Coming...

There are quite a few new things coming up - the first being 2 new bracelets & 1 new pair of earrings. The earrings I am really excited about because they're a bit of a difference from the normal earrings I make. :)

Also I am working on getting the official website up and running - it will soon house this blog, links to the MySpace, Twitter, & Facebook pages, and will also have a shopping cart where you can purchase items as well. The Etsy shop will still be up and running, but you will be able to purchase items from either place.

New items will be split between the offical site shopping area and Etsy. All custom orders however, I would ask that they be done via Etsy through the conversation system. This way I can keep track of them better. :)

I should be rolling out the website soon - just have a few more kinks to work out and then I'll be ready to open the website up!