Book Review! - The Art Of Resin Jewelry

The Art of Resin Jewelry: Layering, Casting, and Mixed Media Techniques for Creating Vintage to Contemporary Designs by Sherri Haab

I’ve been intimidated by resin and after reading this book cover to cover I’m going to buy resin tomorrow. Sherri gives an overview of the basics, which is great because when I picked this book up I knew nothing about resin. The “basics” include info on the different types of resin, supplies you need, basic techniques, and helpful tips. This book also has great projects and offers plenty of inspiration. The pictures are amazing and the instructions are detailed yet simple, on top of being well written. If you can’t tell I am in love with this book. I got it from the library about a week ago, and it is now on my must buy list.

Book Review!

Guerrilla marketing for free : 100 no-cost tactics to promote your business and energize your profits By: Jay Conrad Levinson.

I must admit this review may be a bit biased because Jay Conrad Levinson has recently become one of my favorite authors. I have only read two of his books but so far I am very impressed. This book is amazing. There were many marketing strategies mentioned that I have never thought about and many that have. The best part about this book is that it shined new insight marketing strategies that I have thought of and it gave me a new perspective on many that I have thought about. While reading this book I took 3 pages of notes, front and back. Trust me there is a lot of information and insight to gain from reading this book. My favorite chapter was chapter 8, personality traits you need to market for free. I definitely suggest you check it out. This is one book I truly believe has something to offer everyone. I also think it is important to mention that not every marketing tactic mentioned in this book is for everyone, every business, and/or every business. I suggest taking notes as you read this book and implementing only the strategies that you feel are right for you and your business.

Craft Room

I have finally cleaned my craft. I have everything nicely organized and I took picture!!

You can find a few picture on my flickr account!

Rings!!

So I’ve been making rings for awhile now. I taught myself to make wire wrap rings using this tutorial. I also bought silver plate adjustable rings with glue pads. I’ve started listing the adjustable rings but I have to wait for my ring mandrel to list the wire wrap rings. I don’t want to list them with out knowing their exact size. I’ve been photographing rings all day, well for a few hours at least, and I got finally got some pictures that I am happy with.

My First Market

I did my first market today at Rogers, Ohio. When I went there I knew it was a large flea market. In my opinion, my jewelry is priced on the lower side, for handmade jewelry. I’m a little disappointed because I had to lower my prices to sale anything (which I didn’t like but I wanted to at least sell something!!), and even then I had people asking for specials. I made a small profit, and when I say small….I mean SMALL. I barely covered my booth fee and if you look at the vendor info…that isn’t much. I was in the back, where there was not much traffic, and I was right next to a guy selling cheap import jewelry… But I’m still glad I went. It was a good experience in general and it is something to learn from. It was a good way to “get my feet wet” so to speak. Next time I sell in person, I will do a real craft show where people understand that $4 for a pair of handmade earrings isn’t crazy… By the way- $4 was after I lowered my prices. I’m not going to let this discourage me too much. I am going to keep plugging away at Project Wonderland. I haven’t given up hope yet :)

July Goals!!

We are a week and a half into the month, but it is better last than never!

July Goals:
1. Orgnaize my craft space and keep it that way
2. Keep my blog current- post at least 4 times a week
3. Spend 8 hours a week promoting and advertising
4. Do my first show on Friday the 13th!
5. List or relist at least once day
6. Track views daily and I’m hoping to see an increase in views due to promoting

Wish me luck!!

Vote for Etsy!!

You can vote for, and rate, the 50 best websites of 2007… and Etsy is in the running!! I vote and you can too! Go here to vote and before submitting your vote make sure you adjust the slider to say 100 (or whatever score you think Etsy deserve!) Did I mention this is for Time Magazine!!!

Vote for me!!

So an awesome Etsian 1stcreationz created an awesome advertising board for sellers of handmade items. Check it out! It also has a voting feature. You can vote for me by clicking on the link to your left :)

Book Review!

"Guerrilla marketing excellence: the 50 golden rules for small-business success” by Jay Conrad Levinson”

Before I review this book I have to admit I did not finish it. There was a hold on it at the library so I could not renew it. I read half of it then I skimmed the rest. One of the things I absolutely love about this book is that is perfect for skimming. Each oof the 50 golden rules has it’s own short chapter. If you want to read this book but don’t have time to read all of the 200+ pages read the title and headline of every chapter and the first paragraph. If it is a rule you think is particular important to you and your business or a rule you need more explanation to understand, read the rest of the chapter. If you don’t feel it is crutial to you and your understand it, more on to the next chapter. As far as the rules go… Some are things I expected to see, others are things I never really thought about. Some of them I things I feel are crutial to anyone running a business and should never be broken. Others are well, not for everyone. I won’t discuss the rules indivudually, but I will say this is a book worth reading. Even if you don’t feel the need to follow every rule, you should know what they are.