My new pens whee

Got some new pens...  Found this montblanc 254 at the junk shop in town along with 2 sterling pencils (also pictured).  I've been trying to register on the pen network without any success, to try to figure out where I can get the MB serviced...  I'm pretty excited about it even though it has a crack :P  The bottom photos are some of the new pens I got from the clearance bin at the art supply shop in town.  (And a few from Wubear on ebay)...

Best part about the MB is it was $10 :)

Got a new phone.

Wasn't expecting to buy a new phone for some time... but happened to be going to the mall for some other stuff and there was an auction going on.  I got the xperia S... usually around 4700kr for 2000.  Been having to deal with all the attendant crap that goes along with changing abonnement and moving over the sim card and indeed having to change to a micro sim card blah blah blah.

Anyhow, did actually manage to list my daily 2 items (one in each etsy store)...

Beaded bead

Based on (and similar to, but not the same as) the Cluster Beaded bead by Gwen Fisher in the Apr-May 2012 Beadwork magazine.  The funny thing is, I've been playing around with that beaded cube with the truncated 3-bead corner for a while now.  I should've carved out a little more time to work with it.. then I'd feel less like I was 'copying' Gwen and Florence's beads...  ahh well.. great minds and all that. :)

and

Catseye fibre optic teardrops

Hopefully we can get the phone stuff sorted out before I have to lose my mind studying for my history finals on wednesday... then I have 2 MORE the next week... Norwegian (blargh) and natural sciences stuff...  Not really sweating it.. perhaps I should be more worried.

I've been slogging along with 2 items a day (one per shop)...

Here are the latest:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98250607/focal-beaded-cube-crystal-silver-and

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98251445/12-mm-faceted-opaque-crystal-round-beads

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98374005/adjustable-beaded-flower-ring-crystal

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98374285/faceted-6-mm-round-peridot-green-crystal

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98545491/blood-red-siam-faceted-crystal-drop

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98560072/argentium-sterling-silver-925-beaded


Some pics:

etsy saga

More stuff.  Also got a 5 on my sociology presentation _final_.  Free of that class forever. YAYAYAYAAAA.  *ahem* much better now.

More etsy goodness:

Which is located here

Beads are here

Pinky ring here

More beads here

I have another final (history *sigh*) next wednesday.. so I'm not sure how much beading time I'll get in between now and then.  Wish me luck.

today's etsy

Major stress today... Ø being annoyed at me constantly, kids being jerks, school being stressful, final on tuesday, another one the next wednesday etc etc...

I want to run away to a hotel and eat chinese food by myself and study and just be alooooone.  *sigh*

Main shop, earrings and beady supplies shop, rondelles

more beady beads...

Today's etsy

Here are today's offerings.  I've been ignoring the blog a little bit lately because of looming finals and labwork etc...

Hopefully after the next couple of weeks are over, I'll have more time to chat and post and stuff.

Ring in the main shop and gorgeous ruby drop beads in the beady supply shop.

Back to sociology.  I will be glad to see the backside of that class.  It'll leave me more time for bio-nerdery! :D

today's offerings

Still hanging tough with the 1 per shop per day.

Tonight I had a MASSIVE test in my math class.  Jeez it was hard.  4 hour test.. all kinds of volume integrals and find the area/volume and number theory stuff. 

Worst part is my head will NOT stop throbbing because I can't stop coughing.  I don't think I got more than 3 or 4 hours sleep last night because of coughing so much.  Blargh.

Oh well, at least it's done.  Hoping for a 4+.. we'll see.

Here are today's listings:

In the main shop and in the bead shop .

Pics:

and

Seeya tomorrow

more etsy stuff

Go Annie Go.  I really am sort of getting into the groove of listing items every day.  It's beginning to take a lot less time.  I still probably average about $1/hour of effort overall, but eventually I'll have to start selling more things... right? :P

Here are today's offerings:

First another beaded sculpture for the main shop and....  celadon flower beads .

Pics:

Young roo is going nuts outside.  That goofy bird.  I'm studying for a calculus test tomorrow...  sort of looking forward to it in some weird way.  I think I'll do ok.  I'm still unsure about the samfunnsfag exam next Tuesday.  *sigh*  Then history the next wednesday.  At least it'll all be over, right?  I hope I pass.  I think I'll pass.

Seeya tomorrow!

Today's listings

Finished some more listings.  I think Suebee definitely has the right idea when she says she's taking enough pics to list a full week's worth of items and then listing them as she goes through the week. 

My pics are getting a little better, but I'm still frustrated by how useless I am at taking good pics.  It's definitely a steep learning curve.

Watched another episode of Lewis last night... I like Kevin Whately.. I was resistant to watching it because I love the Colin Dexter Morse novels so much... but he's (Whately) really good in the role.

Ok.. here're today's listings:

Beads here and beaded focal here

more listings today

Beads here and rivoli beaded focal here .

Today's saturday and I've got a sociology final exam coming up that I'm sort of sweating.  I just want to pass everything so I can go on....  *sigh*

I'm heading to the library soon also... the minions all three were gone to sleepovers last night... quiet night here. I have to admit I'm enjoying the peace and quiet.

Supplies shop

I've finally opened my beads supplies storefront on etsy.  I have promised myself to try to put 1 new item in both shops every day to keep them active.. we'll see how that works out.

Here is the Etsy beadery and here is the finished jewelry shop.

Here are some of the beads I put in there:

Finished more...

I have been doing a little less beading the past week.  Big physics test looming (today)...  Happily it's the last of the semester... I've got such a nasty workload this year (300% study load) and my head is about to explode really.  I just want to go to sleep until the semester's done.

Anyhow... I've finished a few more things...
I especially love the little pressed glass leaf.  It was taken off a sad and broken old headband thing.  The bicones are gen. swavs... silly things cost a mint, but they're so so sparkly <3
The pressed flowers are preciosa from FMG... got them on sale a while ago, but these are the first ones I've used from the strand...

new arabesque

Don't have a clue if anyone is even reading this.. buuuut... I'm mostly writing it as a design-note-stream-of-consciousness-what-does&doesn't-work-guide to future me.

I got some purple pipe beads (20x5mm) in the gets.cn order.  They're sort of greyed out mauvey purple with a neat gradient in colour because of the bicone-ness of the beads... darker in the middle and greyish transparent purply out toward the ends.  Anyhow.. I paired them with some 8mm faceted purple rounds (gets.cn) and some 4mm ovals (dollarbeads.com).  Netting is in miyuki duracoat gold 11/0 rocailles (crystals-and-ice in wales), and 15/0 rocailles purple/green/gold transparent rainbow (from crystals-and-ice).
I need to fix the netting (which is 3 15/0, 1 11/0, bicone, 11/0, 10 15/0, 11/0).  It needs something (larger beads on the end caps? or maybe more beads in the net)...  It's pulling the bead into a twisty shape in the middle... out of alignment...maybe need to match the pipe beads better.. some are notably thicker than others...

Here're pics:

one more reworking should nail it.  No idea what to DO with the beads.. maybe a pair of earrings and a Y shaped necklace?  Bracelet?  Dunno...

 I like the way the light goes through the bead (it's not quite as crooked as it looks in this pic).

argentium earrings

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97033982/pure-argentium-sterling-silver

new beaded beads

I am really enjoying these beaded solids.

Here're a couple more.

More etsy stuff!

posted these today... I am getting better at the photography thing :)  Finally.

Would be nice to actually sell some stuff.. but I'm really happy to feel like I'm making progress with the etsy shop.  We'll see :)

Up to 35 now

Just posted my 35th item on my etsy shop... and sold my first item on etsy.

It was to a fellow Goosemoose forumite (THANK YOU!) and I couldn't be happier. 

It made my whole day :D

I've also posted a few new things to the etsy shop, including

Link is  here

And these are here

I've also been working on a totally new beaded bead pattern... it's a sort of trefoil and the way I've been doing them turns into a sort of saucer/lentil shape.  I've been using heart and FP beads...

here's a preliminary pic.  They're super simple...

More etsy

After Missy said something about Etsy charging a transaction fee, I went looking for it... She's right.  It's 3.5% of the transaction, not including shipping and other charges.  Here's the quote from the ToU:

Transaction fee
When you make a sale on Etsy, you will be charged a transaction fee of 3.5% of the item price. This percentage does not include the shipping cost or tax. Transaction fees are added to your monthly Etsy bill.

That's ok with me..at least I know about it beforehand (thanks to Missy).   I should read the ToU more carefully :P

Regarding Etsy

I've been wondering about the whole Etsy/Artfire thing and whether it's honestly even worth it to try to sell finished items or to concentrate on supplies.  I'm mostly convinced that what sells on Etsy is supplies, to other Etsy folks who use it to make stuff.  It's the same pool of cash, traded around endlessly... and there are very VERY few instances where Joe Q. Public goes to Etsy to find a present for his wife/GF/mother/whatever.

I could be wrong... I've not seen actual figures (though I've been looking)...  but I think the only people getting rich off Etsy... is Etsy :P  That's fine.. I never had any ideas of doing this instead of a day job... more as a way of making my hobby a little bit less expensive.  No real plans of 'paying myself' to do beadweaving... I enjoy it.. and I suspect that if I _were_ to pay myself a wage and do all the spreadsheets etc, it would wind up being a regular job, and then I wouldn't want to do it anymore...  I'm sort of contrary that way.

Made this little ring last night... took about 45 minutes total.

Here is a link to Missy's post on the Look What I Made goosemoose thread about Etsy.  I have heard the '100 item' number a lot.  That's my next goal.  I think I have 32 items in my shop at the moment... but I probably have at least 30-40 more items that are done and sitting here and only need to be photographed and posted.  (haha.. 'only').

Here's a partial quote from Missy's post:

I talked to my friend who has been selling on etsy a lot.  When I found her, she only had a small shop and now she has over 300 items.  She told me that she started getting orders everyday when she HIT the 100 mark in her shop.  She had 100 different things for sale.  Apparently her husband is a nerd and he figured out that if she were to list 700 things in her shop she could definitely live off selling on etsy.  Her advice was, make up an appropriate price for your item.  If you are selling something that is similar to someone else, you have to make a price that is the better bargain I guess.  You HAVE to research your items before you list them.  Also don't be afraid to make up for prices to list etc.  It cost .20 to list an item on etsy.  You can include that in your shipping but don't try to supplement your listing by jacking up the price of your shipping.  Honestly, who wants to pay $7 to ship a pair of earrings?  I've seen that all over etsy and it's a shame because there are some awesome items with jacked up shipping costs that I will never be buying.  I can understand if it's been shipped out of country (like your stuff Annie) but shipping a pair of earrings within the USA shouldn't be over $3 and even that is pushing it.
Tag the hell out of everything.  It gets your item out there.  If there is a blue bead in your item, tag it.  I try to tag everything as much as I can WITHOUT misrepresenting the item.  Search Twilight once...there is all kinds of things that pop up that has nothing to do with the movie whatsoever.  I think you can report those items, but people are just trying to get their shops out there.  I won't ever do it because I don't want to have to refund someone's money because they claimed my listing had nothing to do with what I tagged it with.
Advertise like crazy!  I got business cards printed up for fairly cheap and I also put a coupon code on the back.  That's another thing!  Run specials in your shop...even if it's just 5% off a purchase.  Everyone likes a discount.

I made a facebook page for my shop because I thought it would be way to promote and for people to buy directly from my shop without even having to visit etsy.  At first I didn't have any likes, just a few friends...then I joined a giveaway where I donated one of my items from my shop.  My likes went WAY up and although I don't have any orders yet, I'm hoping that after the giveaway is over I might get a few.  I'm hoping they are just holding out on the item I donated...LOL...there are a ton of groups like that on facebook that help promote your page.  I would never pay for their services though, I've seen them as well.

I've also heard that it's a good idea to add your shipping cost to the cost of the item and then offer free shipping.  I wonder if that's something for me to consider.  Obviously not with really low ticket items.. but maybe with the more expensive stuff.

I was looking for the SEO tutorial on Etsy.. but of course I didn't bookmark it last night and can't find it now.  Blargh.

Ok.. enough for now.