Five Year Plan

I started dabbling in jewelry design five years ago. I didn't expect much to happen for the first three years at least. I read that most businesses don't turn a profit the first five years. I told myself I'd give it five years. So here I am...I don't feel like I have come any closer to turning a profit than when I started doing this five years ago. It has been ultra hard during this recession to convince people that, yes, they should buy a new piece of handmade jewelry even though they lost their job and their house is about to go into foreclosure.


I have seen other artists who have had sales...numerous sales, actually. Artists whose work is no better than my own. Why is that? What makes the difference? Well, I'm not entirely sure. I think a lot of it is luck, honestly. I know that there are some things that I need to do better, though:


1. Marketing. I have to get into the habit of doing some marketing every. single. day. I have a short amount of patience and often I will go full force on marketing myself for a week, see no results, then give up. I have to remember that it doesn't work that way. It builds up over time. I read Jack Canfield's The Success Principles, which was a great read. He talks about doing five things every day that help market your business. I think about that every day, but don't follow through. That hurts my business because if I don't hit the market with my name every day, people will forget who I am.


2. Hustling. If I had the courage and confidence to really hustle my product, I could sell it. I'm sure of it. The problem is I don't. The confidence is coming along, but the courage? I get an anxiety attack just thinking about it. I prefer to do shows and tell people "hello" and "let me know if you have any questions." The other day I was browsing at a Swarovski store. The saleslady was trying SO hard to make a sale to me or my mother. It was so annoying, I just wanted to get out of the store asap! It was like she didn't even really "see" us, she just saw a potential sale. I don't want to be that sort of person, always pushing a sale. That said, I miss great opportunities when I'm out and someone says "I love your necklace." and I simply say "Thanks." I know what you're thinking. Believe me, I know. I'm working on it.


3. Patience. I have realized that five years is nothing. It has gone by in a flash. I may not be making a profit, but I have come a long, long way since 2007. This dawned on me when I created a board on pinterest recently. The things I have accomplished in five short years made me proud of myself. It's not all about the money, anyway. It's about the journey.


So what's my five year plan now? I'm not sure. I think I'll just focus on one year at a time.

Hot Hardware!

I am so in love with my new Aisle 15 Collection, I almost forgot how horrible the heat and humidity are in Kansas City right now!

I chose basic black today (as I often do) and accented the outfit with two items from my Aisle 15 Collection; the Washer Cross Necklace and matching cuff bracelet.

I discovered a new layered look, pairing a frilly fitted black top with a basic dark grey tank as an overlay. I simply pulled the collar over the top of the tank and voila! A new look! Exciting indeed! : )

Don't forget to check out the Aisle 15 Collection! If you live in the Kansas City area, check out select pieces exclusively at NGBoutique in Westport, 4149 Pennsylvania, Kansas City.

Aisle 15

Before I officially started my jewelry business, I had been involved in graphic design, as well as rehabbing homes for resale. Odd combination, I know. For the five years I spent painting, tiling, tearing things out and putting better things back in, I practically lived at places like Lowe's, Home Depot and Ace Hardware. Everything I saw at these stores my mind contorted into a piece of art. Aisle 15 at Home Depot was my favorite aisle. Washers, retaining rings, nuts, bolts...wow. It was like a gold mine for my artist mind!

When I first started designing and selling jewelry in 2007, I constantly thought about creating a line that revolved around that simple hardware I had passed by almost every day when rehabbing homes. So, when exploring concepts for my fall collection, I re-visited this idea and started experimenting. I created a necklace for myself using a steel retaining ring and a jet black Swarovski pendant and knew I was on to something by the sheer number of compliments I received.Local singer/songwriter Jillian Riscoe models what was the original necklace design that inspired this line.

Utilizing the elements of that necklace design, I created a collection that is edgy and elegant at the same time.Stunning local model Courtney Lace, wearing numerous pieces from the collection. All pieces feature brass or steel hardware paired with genuine Swarovski crystals.
Jolie Carrillo-Allen, make-up artist, styles Courtney for the shoot.

In addition to Jillian, Courtney and Jolie, Jen Thomas, owner of The Last Tangle Salon was on hand for hair, and all photography was taken by the incredible Vicki Smith. It was such a pleasure to collaborate with this group of talented and professional women!

Aisle 15 will be available in my etsy shop on August 1, 2010. Select pieces will also be available at Nikki Grant Boutique in Westport.

Butterfly Rising

It's hot here in Kansas City. Really hot. And humid. Really humid. And that calls for a gauzy, light maxi dress. Covered in butterflies :) and accented with pieces from my Rising Collection.

I wore this dress to a somewhat informal wedding about 12 years ago. I love it! The colors are amazing, and it is very comfortable. Trying to find pieces from my collections to accent this dress was rather difficult. I didn't want to select any piece that would compete with the fabric design.

Therefore, I chose a simple necklace and earrings. Cast in clear resin, they feature glass seed beads, meticulously hand-placed in a cascading arrangement. The pieces shown here are my own that I sanded to a matte finish. You can see the actual collection for sale here.

Happy Summer!

Line Sheets

In my previous post, I mentioned "line sheets". Until a few months ago, I had no idea what a line sheet was or it's function. Basically, it's a sheet that has your products listed and pictured, along with the wholesale price, suggested retail price, and wholesale terms (minimum quantity, etc.). At least that's my take on it. After doing some research and looking at other line sheet examples, I came up with this for my new summer line, Ocean View.
It features the following: Clear photos of the merchandise, short and concise descriptions, basic measurements of each piece, the wholesale price and suggested retail price, and the minimum purchase requirements.

I might need to make changes down the line, but you have to start somewhere! Plus, it sure is nice to have something that can easily be emailed to retailers!

Speaking of retailers, I have an appointment next week at a fabulous boutique in town! All because of the promo card I sent out! If anything develops, I'll be sure to post the news on this blog!

Gypsy Emporium!

The Gypsy Emporium is next Saturday, March 20th, the first official day of spring! This amazing spring equinox celebration will be held at the historic Madrid Theater in midtown Kansas City. Fashion, food, and fun will be there, and so will I, with a load of yummy jewelry! I will be showing the Sweet Dreams Collection live for the first time, so don't miss it!

Find more information about location and times here. Hope to see you there!

It's here!

The new Sweet Dreams Collection is officially available in my shop!

I began working on this collection in the dead of winter, after Christmas, when we were knee deep in snow and I could only dream about warmer days. Finally, it is complete - and spring is just about "officially" here! I couldn't be happier!

The Bleeding Heart Ring

I decided to add a ring instead of a bracelet to the Bleeding Heart Collection. The first one I listed sold ultra-fast - yay! I found out my supplier is no longer going to carry the reptile embossed bands that I was hoping to use for these rings, soooo, I have ONE band left. After it's gone, I will be using a brushed finish band for these rings. Still cool, but not as edgy as the reptile finish! Wish I'd stocked up on more!

Jewelry Tag Branding

As anyone who is trying to build a business knows, branding is a crucial part of marketing. For quite a while I have realized that when someone purchased one of my items, chances are, two months later they will not remember who made the necklace or where it came from. I finally came up with a solution after seeing what a fellow seller on etsy was doing.

After running out of ink on my inkjet printer and not wanting to pay the money for new cartridges, I decided to hand-typeset a logo tag on shrink plastic. Not perfect, but it really adds something to my pieces, and at least now people will remember where their purchase came from. I wish I had done this sooner! I was able to fit about 48 tags on one 8x10 sheet of shrink plastic. The cost of one sheet is around 60 cents. So each tag costs me just over 1 cent!

Don't get me wrong, I would love to have tiny metal tags with a professionally embossed logo like this, but for now, my charming little hand made plastic tags will have to do.

New Press Kit - Finally!

I have been working on my "new" press kit slash look book since early this year and finally have it up. Feel free to take a look by clicking on the link in the upper right of this page.

Seeing Stars!

When I went to buy resin last week, I found a star shape mold and had to get it! I have been wanting to do stars for a while and there was only one mold left, so I took that as a sign :) I also found some spiritual quote decals that I used to make some new pendants and I love how they are turning out!

Here are some of the new designs I worked on over the weekend:

Resin Star RingResin Star PendantResin Pendants with religious/spiritual text.And, my favorite of the bunch, a trio of black resin stars with silver holographic glitter, each accented with a single Swarovski crystal.