Same blog - new name!! After 2 years, the business has grown and has split into two distinct ventures. Get Your Bead On will continue to operate but will sell jewelry components to other jewelry designers. My new business, Cheryl Foiles Designs, will sell my finished jewelry pieces along with other artwork items. I've decided to merge everything into one blog so hang on - we're in for a wild ride!!
I'm so excited to be participating again in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party. This is her 7th event and there are over 600 people from around the world participating this year. My partner for this BSBP is Hope Smitherman and she has put together a soup for me that has my head swirling with ideas.
But, first things first. Let me tell you about the package I received. When my soup arrived in the mail, it was in a bubble envelope just like any other package. And when I opened it, I found a treasure of goodies all wrapped up so pretty -- there were so many little packages, it felt like Christmas.
My first instinct was to rip into all those little packages but I didn't - I took my time and enjoyed opening each one. Here's a pic of all the wonderful goodies Hope sent.
Notice the beautiful pendant in the lower right corner? I treasure that piece most of all because it was handmade by Hope and sent as an "extra" gift just for me. Please take a moment to learn a little about my BSBP partner: Hope's Blog, Hope's Etsy Store, Hope's Facebook Page.
Wondering what I sent Hope? I decided I would make all of the beads and components for Hope's soup so I got out the copper and enamels and came up with this:
Now to go dig into all those goodies Hope sent me!! I am part of the second reveal and will be posting my finished piece(s) on April 6th. Be sure to check back then to see what came of the wonderful bead soup I have to play with.
I wish I knew what it is that triggers inspiration and creativity.Sometimes, the last thing I want to do is
look at a bead or a piece of metal.Other times, I can work all day long and not run out of ideas.There really is no rhyme or reason to it, so I
figure I better enjoy my creative muse when she graces me with her presence. Yes, this picture represents my muse. I don't know why because I'm not into fairies or frilly things, but she is what I envision when I picture her in my mind.
Today was one of those insanely creative days.I finished up two pendants, a necklace, and a pair of earrings.I worked happily all day in my studio and
finished up a couple of projects that were started awhile ago and then set aside for lack
of inspiration.It sure feels good to be
productive, especially when I like the pieces I end up with.If you are a crafter of any sort, you know
what I mean.You can work all day on a
piece and then hate it when it’s finished.
Do you struggle with creativity and inspiration? How do you handle it? How do you rekindle the creative flame?
I am so excited to be participating in my first Bead Soup Blog Party and before I go any further, I want to say a big THANK YOU to Lori Anderson for making this happen. This year is the biggest BSBP yet with 400 participants from around the world.
When I received my beads from my partner, Dawn Pierro, I knew I had a challenge on my hands. She sent small metal and gemstone beads, several short lengths of chain, fresh water pearls, and a lovely copper focal and clasp. I've never really worked with such small beads; it took a couple of weeks but the design started coming together. A multi-strand necklace is what I had in mind.
I laid out the beads and the longest piece of chain and I loved the look but didn't have enough beads to complete the necklace. It was either back to the drawing board or figure out how to make this work. I happened to have some dark olive silk ribbon that I braided for the back of the necklace, and I made a couple of copper connectors to tie it all together.
I'm thrilled with how the piece turned out. It was definitely a challenge that took me out of my comfort zone but that's what this is all about.
Thanks so much to Dawn for the lovely bead soup and for getting me out of the box and trying something new.
I'm already looking forward to the next BSBP!
Please take a moment to visit the web sites of the other amazing designers (links below) and see what they did with their bead soups.
When I opened my jewelry business in July of 2011, I never imagined how much work it would be to build a customer base.I figured that all my friends would come to me when they needed a gift or something for a special occasion. And of course my family would buy my stuff and promote it to their friends.And then there are the people at work.Once they saw my beautiful baubles, they would become lifelong customers.And then there’s Etsy – surely people would flock to my store.
The reality is that it doesn’t work that way.Sure, I get sales from friends and co-workers (and I appreciate every one of them) but not enough to sustain a business.As for family – they love my stuff but most of what they have of my jewelry is by way of gifts from me.And Etsy?I’m just another small fish in a very large pond.
What I’m finding is that it takes a lot of work to build a base and stay relevant to my customers.I’ve also learned along the way that I can’t be all things to all people.I have my style and I need to stick to that.There have been countless suggestions from people – “you should make this” or “I’ll bet people would buy if you only made that.”I’ve decided to focus on what I do best and get really good at that.For those who are looking for something else, there are a lot of talented designers who would appreciate the business.
It has taken me almost two years, but I think I’ve finally discovered my niche and what I want my brand to stand for.I’m working with a graphic designer to create a logo and in the process came up with some bullet points on how I want my customers to view my work and my business:
·High quality (this above all else)
·Organic (but not sloppy)
·Unique
·Memorable
·Outside the box
I’ve still got a long way to go before I have a strong customer base and a recognizable brand but I’m on my way and learning something new every day.How about you?Do you have any tips to share on building a brand and a customer base?
Do you ever feel like you've "settled" for something less than you deserved? A job. A spouse. A car. A best friend. A vacation get away. Anything really.
Every now and then, I stop and evaluate where I am in life and overall, I have nothing to complain about. There are a couple of areas where I feel I've "settled" rather than holding out for what I deserve. I prefer to focus on what's good about my life but there are lessons to be learned from settling.
I'm in one of those reflective moods lately. I think it's good to reflect once in awhile and take stock of successes, failures, and where I am settling for something less. Where I am successful, I want to keep on that same path. Where I have failed, I want to learn from that situation to help me in the future. Where I am settling, I have to decide if I'm OK with that or if I want to make changes to correct the situation. It's not an easy thing to do. It is a necessary thing to do.
How about you? Are you "settling" for things in your life?
One of my goals this year was to "get more involved" in groups and events that will a) provide resources to help me hone my craft, b) provide exposure for my business, and most importantly c) make some new friends. I'm happy to say that I am meeting that goal. I've met so many great people through online forums and I'm participating in some fun events. I'm very excited about two upcoming events and wanted to share with you all.
The first is Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party (BSBP). Lori has been running this event for several years now and it is the creme de la creme of blog hops. The 6th BSBP is just kicking off and I'm excited to be on the roster. I've been assigned my swap partner, Dawn Pierro of Turtle Moon Designs. We will send each other a "soup" of beads and then make something with the soup we receive. On the appointed day, we will post our creations and then hop from blog to blog looking at all the beautiful creations.
The second event I'm participating in is a silent auction. I've donated a necklace and $20 gift certificate to the Leilani Farm Sanctuary Silent Auction to be held on July 3rd.
You may wonder how I came to be involved in an animal sanctuary in Hawaii. The story goes back almost 20 years when a delightful young woman, Sarah Kenefick (now Sarah Taylor), worked for me. Sarah has since gone on to marry and build a career as a motivational speaker, published writer (Vegan in 30 Days), and educator. I feel a little bit like a proud mom every time I read about one of her successes. Sarah has always been an animal lover so it was no surprise when I read that she was involved in the Leilani Farm Sanctuary. She recently posted on Facebook asking for donations for the silent auction; I was more than happy to support this endeavor and my old friend.
I'm happy to be meeting my goal but even more so because of these great events and the people involved. Oh, and as far as new friends? I can't begin to name all the new friends I've made this year. Keri, Carolyn, Diana, Linda, Lori, the list goes on and on and I treasure every one of them.
You can visit the following web sites for more information about the events:
On Memorial Day, I was making a casserole to take to a
cookout, and it struck me – simple is better.
The casserole I was making was an old recipe from my grandmother. I cherish all of my recipes from her because
I adored her and boy could she cook. A
lot of recipes today call for a variety of crazy ingredients and spices, but grandma’s
recipes were simple and easy to make, and often taste much better than the fancy
recipes. This particular recipe was a
calico bean casserole with different types of beans, hamburger, bacon, onion,
ketchup and brown sugar. That’s it! Mix it all together, throw it in the oven and
voila – a great dish for the cookout.
My revelation got me thinking about my jewelry making and
how simple is often better there too.
Sometimes, I try to make my designs more elaborate than they need to
be. Why?
Because I figure if someone is going to pay the price for a handmade
piece of jewelry, they should get something elaborate. Don’t
get me wrong – the elaborate pieces are very pretty and I’m told they are very
reasonably priced. However, I find that
it is the simpler pieces that sell better.
I’m guessing that simpler is more versatile with different wardrobes and
different occasions.
One of my best sellers was this simple pair of disc
earrings. I textured and domed the
discs, applied alcohol inks, sealed them, and hung them on the ear wires. Nothing elaborate but they sold like
hotcakes.
I realized that it is not the elaborate components but the
design that people are looking for. The
lesson I take from this is: 1) Use
simple, high-quality materials, 2) Don’t over-think the design, and 3) Put a
little of my personality into the piece and people will love it.
What about you? Do
you like simple or elaborate jewelry? If
you are a designer, which sell best for you?
