Some more pictures, some new listings, and a question. I'm going to start with the question, though.
How do you price your work?I'm not just being nosy or anything, but I'm curious. Do you really think about everything that goes into your creations? Or do you price your pieces at lower prices than you really should, in hopes of appealing to buyers? It's a pretty safe bet that everyone who's creating work to be sold is accounting for materials, and you're probably giving yourself at least some sort of hourly wage, but in looking at the prices being charged on Etsy, it appears that many of the sellers are shortchanging themselves... and in the process, they're devaluing the work of their fellow sellers.
I'm by no means an expert on pricing, but I have spent some time recently analyzing the pricing structure on my beadweaving in an attempt to place an appropriate value on my creations. A lot of thought went into developing a formula that would work. While many people use a formula as simple as cost-of-materials x 2.5 or 3, that type of formula doesn't work well for something like beadweaving, which requires relatively low material costs but a great deal of time.
So, what do you account for in your pricing?
1. Materials. You know what the beads, chain, wire, clasps, jumprings, etc., cost. Right? Did you remember to include the cost of the gas you used to drive to the store? Sales tax? Shipping costs?
2. Fees. There are lots of fees associated with selling, even on a site like Etsy where the fees are relatively low. There's that $.20 listing fee. The 3.5% transaction fee. PayPal fees, which vary based on the type of PayPal account you have and the type of account and/or location of the buyer. Think you have everything covered? What if your item doesn't sell the first time it's listed? Do you have some extra fees built in to cover renewals? (One of the best ways to "advertise" your work on Etsy is to list frequently. If you're not making all sorts of new creations every day, you should be renewing the ones you have in your shop so they get some extra attention. Every renewal puts your work on Etsy's front page, even if it's only for a few seconds, and you never know who might be looking.)
3. Time. This is where everyone seems to falter. You probably include at least some sort of hourly wage in your calculation, to cover the time it takes you to create your pieces. Do you include the time it takes you to design the pieces? How about the time it takes you to do the photography? Or to write up your listing? Do you blog about your creations? Post pictures to flickr, Talent Database, or other places to promote your work? How do you account for the time it takes you to do those things?
4. Packaging/shipping. You probably account for the cost of postage when you calculate the shipping cost for your listing. You might even account for the cost of packaging. Are you sure you have everything? Bubble mailers, boxes, bags, tissue, bubble wrap, ribbon, string, tape, mailing labels? Gas for the trip to the post office?
We all have different skills, we work at different rates, and we create different types of art. So it's unlikely that there's a formula out there that would work for everyone. Just be sure that when you're pricing your work, you're giving yourself credit as an ARTIST. Don't shortchange yourself. And don't devalue the work of others who may be creating in the same genre by offering your creations at prices that are too low.
*steps down from soapbox*
Okay, enough of that. Now for the pictures. These are my newest listings, for two very different bracelets.
First is an Oglala bracelet, Garnet and Mauve Ruffle. These are so much fun to make, and even though I'm not a "red" person, I love the colors in this piece.
The ruffles are made up of beautiful clear beads that are lined with a pale mauve color, and then there's a picot edging made from size 15 garnet colored glass beads. The larger beads are painted glass, and I added some little strands of the size 15 beads for some extra embellishment.
The second bracelet is very different from the Oglala. This one, Abstract in Bronze and Sand, is the same design as the Evolutionary cuff I created awhile back, but I used only two colors of beads this time.
The beads in this one are have a matte metallic finish (my personal favorite). The bronze beads, which have an iris finish, are absolutely gorgeous!
Hey, look at that! I managed to get some pictures taken today!!! Of course, there are a few other things which I should have gotten done that didn't quite make into my schedule... but then, that's always the way.
Do you ever keep track of all the things you do during the day? I've often thought I should just carry a notebook around with me so I could write down everything, and then maybe I'd see where the time goes. I don't believe I'm getting my full 24 hours. Some of them are lost, like that sock that never quite makes it out of the dryer. I'm missing a sock, too.
Today I had one big plan. Take pictures of the beadweaving I have finished and sitting on my dining room table, waiting to be photographed and listed in my Etsy shop.
I knew I'd have a couple of interruptions during the day because we had to take one of the vehicles in to the dealer for a checkup. That pesky little light that indicates "something" is wrong has been on for four days. The vehicle seems to be running okay, but you just can't ignore that "something is wrong" light and feel good about it.
So here's the day:
7:00am... Wake up, shower, get dressed. Grab book, water, wallet, etc., for short road trip.
8:15am... Take vehicle to dealership. This requires that both my husband and I go, since we'll leave one vehicle at the dealership and use the other for the rest of the day.
8:45am... Drive to restaurant and have breakfast. We split one breakfast. They have HUGE helpings.
10:00am... Go to Wal-Mart. Supposedly the trip to Wal-Mart is to pick up a new blender (ours is acting up), but there's an ulterior motive. My husband wants to look at "stuff" related to the new pellet gun he bought a few days ago. He needs a case, cleaning equipment, maybe more pellets. He is NOT a speedy shopper. I choose the blender, browse through several other departments, and find him still looking at pellet gun stuff. We finally leave, carrying the blender, some bread and eggs, and a bunch of pellet gun stuff.
11:30am... Drive back home.
11:45am... Check email and respond to everything needing an answer.
12:00pm... Prepare to take pictures. (See? I told you this was in the plan.) This involves getting out the hand models and busts I want to use for the photos, and then gathering up some different papers and fabrics to use as backgrounds.
12:05pm... Husband requests cappuccino. I have to make it because he hasn't learned all the steps involved.
12:20pm... Back to picture taking. Haul all the stuff outside that was gathered before, and pile it on the table. (Oh yeah. I've found the best place to take photos is on the table at the end of our deck. It's under a roof, so it's sheltered from weather, and it gets a good amount of light without being in direct sun.)
12:25pm... Arrange necklace on small pillar for photography. Prepare to take pictures. WHAT THE HECK?!?! Look who's decided to get into the picture.
12:30pm... Well, I can't very well squash him, and I do have my camera in hand. He finally crawls away, and I'm able to take some pictures of a necklace I want to list.
The only problem is that I don't particularly like the pictures.
12:40pm... Husband requests another cappuccino. Here I go again.
12:50pm... Back outside for more pictures. This time I manage to get enough pictures of my Raspberry Lemonade bracelet to be able to list it in my Etsy shop.
1:10pm... Edit pictures, compose listing. Done!
1:15pm... Check email again and respond.
1:25pm... Get packages ready to be put out in the mailbox for pickup this afternoon.
1:45pm... Work on some Etsy orders for tags and cards.
2:00pm... Answer doorbell and politely decline to purchase beef from the truck parked in the driveway. I don't care if it does say "Fresh Beef" on the side of the truck.
2:05pm... Back outside for more pictures. I'm told that my standing on the deck taking pictures is dangerous, as there is pellet gun practice underway. Back inside. (You just don't argue with a man holding a pellet gun.)
2:15pm... Spend a little time working on a custom bracelet order.
3:15pm... Dealership phones to say they can't figure out the cause for the warning light. They've replaced the spark plugs (at our request) and will have the vehicle ready for pickup shortly.
3:20pm... Straighten up the dining room and living room. Stand with hands on hips and look around both rooms, realizing that they're still not all that "straight," but it'll do for now.
3:30pm... Drive to dealership to pick up vehicle. Give dealership $264. Blech. Talk with mechanic, who says he has no idea why the light was on. He reset the light (turned it off), and he suggests that we drive the vehicle and see what happens. If the light comes back on, they'll check it again (and of course, we'll have to pay them again for this service). If the light comes on and blinks, we have a big problem. Yippee.
3:45pm... Drive to Mexican restaurant for dinner. Consume lots of chips and salsa before the main course of carne asada. Yum!
5:15pm... Drive back home.
5:20pm... Check the lighting. It's too late in the day to get good pictures. Drat.
5:25pm... Listen to the sound of pellets hitting the target in the back yard.
5:30pm... Give up on any hope of getting more pictures taken today.
Well. That's enough of that. I didn't really keep track. Because that would have been kind of insane, don't you think? So the times you see are merely estimates. They're pretty accurate though.
Maybe I'll get some pictures tomorrow. I'll have to get out there and claim my spot before the Pellet Gun King gets started again.
Now it's late, and although I'd love to be able to stay awake long enough to snag a treasury (some are going to be expiring, and I think there will be an opening), it's just not gonna happen.
Good grief. A week's gone by. Poof!
Well, it was a busy week. That's why my blog wound up being the thing I neglected. I'm going to try to make up for some of those missed posts by posting every day this week, but I'm not making any promises.
So with this post I'll just show off some of my newest creations. These are (or were) all listed in my Etsy shop. I have another little stack of completed pieces waiting to be photographed, but I didn't get good enough lighting today to do much.
This cuff, another color variation of the design I created of monsterosa deliciosa leaves, is called Blue Hawaii. I love these two colors together!
I'm not even sure what gave me the idea to use this robin's egg blue and the purple together. Sometimes I just sit and stare at all the colors of Delicas I have, choosing different pairings to see how they look. I'll have to try some more variations of blue and purple, cuz I really like that one!
Most of the cuffs and bracelets I create use peyote stitch, but this time I decided to try something different.
This bracelet, called Lisa's Heart, was created using some beautiful matte beads whose official color is iris gray. Trust me, though, when I tell that you that there's absolutely no gray to be found!
Now, for the name. Why Lisa's Heart? It's simple. See that beautiful little stoneware heart? It was made by a talented bead artisan (and fellow member of Bead Art Originals) named Lisa Peters. It's such a beautiful button, and I designed the bracelet to show it off. The colors of the beads are the perfect match for it, too! If you want to see more of Lisa's work, check out her Etsy shop or her flickr photostream. You'll be amazed!!
This last one is so simple, but I still love it. I'm gaining a whole new appreciation for the color green, so I used two different types of beads to create this little bracelet.
I named it Emerald City, and then I printed off a movie still from the Wizard of Oz to use for the photographs. I'm always messing around with backgrounds, and this one was just too much fun to pass up.
The other "Monday" news to share is the Bead Art Originals items of the week. There are 12 participants this week, with all sorts of different offers. All the details of the offers are posted on the BAO blog. I don't usually discount my beadwoven pieces, but I thought I'd break with tradition this week and offer a $20 discount on my Passion for Purple necklace and pendant. The offer's good only until August 31.
Off to the video store to return the movies! It was such a busy weekend that we wound up watching all three of our rentals today so we could return them on time.
Looking for some bargains and good deals? Check out the Bead Art Originals Items of the Week!
It's a great way to get a beautiful piece of jewelry and get a bargain at the same time. Some members offer free shipping, some offer a special gift with the purchase of the item of the week... you just never know what it's going to be.
This week I'm offering a free pair of matching freshwater pearl earrings with the purchase of this Pennies and Pearls oglala bracelet.
Visit the Bead Art Originals blog to see the other members' offerings!
The newest listings in my Etsy shop haven't been shown off here yet, so I thought I'd share them. With all those new delica colors I added to my [already massive] bead stash, it's fun to try out new color combinations and new designs.
The Electric Smurf. Of course you're wondering where that name originated. Well, it's those blue beads used in the band. Their official color name is Electric Blue, and I really love the Smurfs.
See how my mind works?
Frightened yet?
By the way, Grouchy Smurf is my favorite. Underneath all that gruffness, he has a good heart.
:-)
Puzzled.
This WIDE cuff was really fun to make. The design was a little tricky, because it's tough to get the puzzle pieces to look like puzzle pieces.
I've loved doing jigsaw puzzles for as long as I can remember. I've even been insane enough to do some of those "Impossibles," the ones where there's no actual design on the puzzle, but just a bunch of pieces all of the same color.
It was only fitting that I grabbed one of my completed puzzles (this one was all glued together on the back) to use as the background.
Limeade Orange Swirl.
This one's just yummy. Bright opaque orange swirls against a pale lime green matte background.
It's a skinny version of my Just a Scribble cuff. I doubt that I'll do this one again, since I like the wider version better.
Lilac Labyrinth.
Okay, technically it's not a labyrinth. It's not a maze. It's just a bunch of concentric shapes.
But doesn't it look like a labyrinth? It almost makes me want to create a maze cuff... almost.
:-)
Lemon Lime Twist.
This design was a challenge! The design itself was tricky, because I had to keep track of which direction the lines were going. The beadweaving was also tricky, because I had to make sure to pick up the right color bead each time.
Whew!
It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but the ribbons are actually made from three different color beads -- bright lined kelly green, lined peridot, and transparent lemon yellow. All against a matte white background, and topped off with the perfect vintage button.
Sunset in Metropolis.
I love love love this color combination! It's one I would never have thought of doing, but then I saw a treasury that featured orange and charcoal gray together, and an idea was born.
The abstract design encompasses the entire length of the band -- no repeated pattern elements.
I'm going to have to try this one out in some different color combinations...
Thank you! First things first. A big thank you to the Etsy sellers who featured my work in their treasuries during the week. One of the treasuries, curated by Cheryl of littlestonedesign, even made it to the front page on Wednesday! Her treasury featured work by fellow Etsy BeadWeavers and fellow Bead Art Originals members, so I was among great company. Here's a screenshot so you can see just how pretty her collection was. (That's my Peaches and Cream peyote cuff in the upper left corner.) I don't know if any of the sales I made after that appearance were a direct result of the exposure, but I do know that I wound up with some extra shop and item hearts. I don't count them, but I checked the majaba Heart-O-Matic. What a great tool that is!
The other Etsy sellers who featured me in their treasuries were:
enchantedbeads - Ileana, a fellow Etsy BeadWeaver, assembles some of the nicest treasuries! She makes incredibly beautiful jewelry that use semi-precious stones, tiny beads, and all sorts of embellishments. I'm amazed at how many different designs she has. Each is a tiny work of art.
SandFibers - What can I say about Carol Dean? She's one of the nicest people on the planet, and she creates drop-dead gorgeous beadwoven jewelry. Carol Dean and I believe we're cosmic sisters. You just wouldn't believe the number of things we have in common. One thing we have in common is the Bead Art Originals Etsy street team. If you haven't checked out Carol Dean's work or the work of the other members of the BAO team, you're really missing out!
MAKUstudio - Mak is another member of Bead Art Originals, and her shop's filled with raku pendants and jewelry that's jaw-droppingly beautiful.
beadsandblooms - Debra is a relatively new member of Etsy BeadWeavers, but she's obviously been beadweaving for awhile if her shop is any indication. I love the stone and fossil pendants she creates!
SmadarsTreasure - If you're looking for unique designs and beautiful beadweaving, check out Smadar's shop! You just won't believe your eyes. The cuff that's featured in the slideshow is one of her newest creations, and it's just gorgeous! Smadar's a fellow member of both Etsy BeadWeavers and Bead Art Originals.
homespunheartprim - I'd never come across this shop, but when I visited it I found all sorts of handcrafted, handsculpted wax figures. They're so neat! The shop also has some fun patterns, and I really liked the one I found for these birds.
AnotherCountry - Morwyn is another member of Bead Art Originals, and I love the artistry in her creations. Sometimes when I'm choosing a favorite piece from a shop to feature here I try to choose something new, but I've been in love with the Ancient Walls bracelet Morwyn has in her shop ever since I first saw it.
DanaSaylorDesigns - It was easy for me to choose a favorite from this shop, as soon as I saw those amethyst colored Swarovski crystal earrings! I love love love purple! The earring listing is for a custom order, so you can choose the ones you like best.
SuzisCornerBoutique - Another shop I'd never encountered, this one is filled with all sorts of fun and colorful vintage things. Aren't those salt and pepper shakers fun?
Tresijas - Although Kelly's a fellow Etsy BeadWeaver, I just couldn't resist choosing something non-beadwoven from her shop. As soon as I saw the Booga Booga Doll, I just cracked up! Kelly also makes funky, original jewelry from old LPs! (And for those of you who are too young to remember anything pre-MP3, we used to listen to music that was recorded on big round plastic disks. Can you imagine?!)
adorationsoap - I'm constantly amazed at the creativity of the people who make soap! All the colors, scents, shapes, and textures are overwhelming. This shop has some really yummy sounding ones, but I thought the sea salt one looked intriguing. I might have to stop back by for a visit...
juiceglass - The newest member of Bead Art Originals, Carli's shop has some beautiful glass and silver jewelry. I'm becoming such a fan of lampwork and glass that I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her shop for more listings!
Even though I don't post all the treasuries here, I do post them in my flickr photostream. Please check out the slideshow to see the favorite items I chose from each of the shops mentioned above.
Bead Art Originals Item of the Week -- time2cre8
This week (August 11-17), I'm offering a free matching pendant with the purchase of my Limeade Orange Swirl bracelet. The bracelet is a narrow version of my Just a Scribble cuff, beadwoven in bright, summery colors.
Several other members of Bead Art Originals are participating in the IOTW promotion, also. You can see their items in the mosaic to the right. Click here to visit the BAO blog for the details.
If you'd like to find out more about the members of this talented team, visit our website: www.BeadArtOriginals.com
Happy shopping!
:-)
We're busy watching the 2008 Olympics on TV, so it's no surprise that I had Gold, Silver, and Bronze on my mind when I snagged a Treasury West on Etsy yesterday. I decided to fill this one with the medal colors and with some red, white, and blue. What better place to find such things of beauty than in the shops of my fellow Bead Art Originals and Etsy BeadWeavers members. It'll be "live" until the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, so please visit and check out some of these fabulous artists! You can click the picture to be taken to the treasury.
The Etsy BeadWeavers monthly challenge entries are all posted, and everyone is invited to go to the blog to vote for a favorite. This month's theme was Art Deco, and the entries are absolutely gorgeous. There's a mosaic which shows them all, but be sure to check the links underneath the mosaic so you can get a closer look at them. You won't believe your eyes.
Friday again. Boy, do these Fridays come around fast! Were there seven days since last Friday? I think I might have missed one or two.
Oh well. It's a pretty neat day for anyone who's into numbers. While I'm not a complete fanatic, I do pay attention to them. I watch the odometer in the vehicle and have tiny (silent) celebrations when there's a "special" number. Our main vehicle has almost 60,000 miles on it, so there was one of those little celebrations at 55,555 miles. One kind of funny number thing is my online moniker - time2cre8. I like mixing letters and numbers to make words and statements like that, and as I puzzled over what to call my Etsy shop, my blog, etc., I thought time2cre8 would be fitting. I was just getting ready to leave corporate life and figured I'd have... time to create. (Little did I know that, despite having 24 hours a day to do whatever I want, there's still never enough time.) Anyway, it wasn't until later than I realized the numbers in my moniker are significant. 28. My birthday is on the 28th. :-)
So the neatness of today is that it's 08/08/08. I even saw someone else's blog post done at 08:08:08. Neat, huh?
I thought I'd send some thanks out again to the nice Etsy people who featured my work in their Treasuries this past week. I think I got them all, but I might have missed some along the way. It was a busy week. I made another little slideshow to feature one of my favorite pieces from each of the shops. Please stop by their shops, though, because you'll see LOTS more eye candy!
BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.
Here are the links to these wonderful shops. A special thanks to my fellow Etsy BeadWeavers, Ileana and Marilyn; and another special thanks to my fellow Bead Art Originals members, Carol Dean and Mak. You guys are great! :-)
I'm certainly not famous, but I did feel a little bit famous earlier this week. It was such a nice surprise to find one of my cuffs featured on the August 5 Bead and Button Newsletter.
Subscribers to the magazine can upload pictures of their creations to the Subscriber Gallery, so every once in awhile I take advantage of that to show off one of my pies. The one they chose to feature was my Piano Man cuff. YAY!
Although it's been a busy beadweaving week, I haven't really listed too many new pieces. I have some finished ones that are waiting to be photographed, but I'm busy right now creating some custom tags and also some custom artwork for Etsy customers.
The pieces I did list are pretty varied. I decided I wanted to create a different color version of Evolutionary, and I chose the brightest colors in my bead stash to come up with the Polychromatic cuff and matching pendant. These are definitely bright!
Having fully admitted becoming addicted to creating peyote triangles, I created one using Swarovski crystals. I don't work with them too much, but I wanted to see how it would look if I added crystals to the outside edge of a peyote triangle; and so was born Sky Blue Gems. I really love the way this turned out, and I decided then that it needed a matching bracelet.
I'm offering a special price on the bracelets and pendants when someone buys the set -- 10% off both pieces!
The other new piece I listed this week is a really simple little bracelet that I named Glimmer. It's just pure sparkle! Even though I offer the option to have almost all of my bracelets created at custom sizes, I decided to make this one a bit larger, so it'll fit a 7.5" wrist.
I know this blog makes it look like all I do is beadweaving, but I also spend lots of time creating custom tags, cards, and artwork. It's been awhile since I added to my "inventory" of tags, but this week I listed some colorful little round tags that are only 1" in diameter.
Little tags like that are so nice for jewelry items, as they don't "take over". After all, customers don't want to look at TAGS! One of my Etsy customers, Candy (aka Candies64) agrees with that and asked me to make a smaller version of my Fancy Price Tags so she could use them for her creations. I just finished these this morning, and they're sooooo cute! She asked for a mixture of 1" tags with scalloped edges and just plain round ones, all printed in black ink. Check these out!
I'm also working on some custom artwork, similar in look to Chelsea Cheerleader and Lola Lounge-Singer. The artwork, which is to be displayed on the guest table at an impending wedding, is going to be an 8" x 10" picture featuring the bride and groom. I've been checking out the pictures the bride sent me so I can make my silly drawings resemble the real people. These are such fun to do!
Along with several other members of Bead Art Originals, I'm offering a special Item of the Week in my Etsy shop!
This is something new for me, and for this first week I've chosen one of my newest designs, the Yellow Windowleaf Cuff, as the Item of the Week.
Purchase this cuff anytime between now (August 4) and midnight on August 11 and receive a gift of a matching pendant, valued at $24.
Be sure to check out the Bead Art Originals blog to see the Items of the Week being offered by some of my fellow members.
Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon. Yes, it's the name of a song by Queen. It's also the name of the Treasury I curated today. I just happened to be on Etsy when they reset the server used for their treasuries, and one popped right up for me. For some reason the Queen song was running through my head (I love Freddy Mercury's voice), and I started out thinking I'd fill the spots with things related to Queen.
I wound up filling the spots with the creations by my fellow Bead Art Originals members. It's not hard to find beauty among their creations. It's just hard to decide WHICH beautiful thing(s) to include!! There are more than 500 listings now by members of our new Etsy team. This is kind of a "cheater" view. I used the Etsy Poster Sketch Tool to make this image, so you can see the pieces I've included as alternates. Click the picture to be taken to the treasury, which will be live until Wednesday.
I wasn't really lazing this afternoon. All in all, it was pretty busy. I did a little beadweaving, but not very much. For a couple of hours I was outside helping my husband tend to the fire he started in the corner of our property. We had accumulated quite a lot of weeds and brush that needed to be burned, and today was calm enough and cool enough to accommodate. Unfortunately, the pile was larger than it probably should have been, and since it had a lot of evergreen branches in it the flames were uncomfortably high. We now have some walnut trees that have a few branches of dried-out leaves on them. It was all contained, though, and it's mostly burned down now. Just a few stubborn stumps left to smoulder.
I listed a few new pieces on Etsy this afternoon, also. It was a good day for picture taking, so I grabbed the oppportunity to catch up on some photography. It's been so hot and humid here for the past week that I've had some false starts. You know it's hot and humid when you walk outside with the camera and the lens fogs up immediately. It's tough to take a picture with a foggy lens!
These are the new pieces I listed today. Obviously, I've become enamored of these little triangles. Now I want to make them to go with everything! I made one for myself and wore it yesterday, and it was so comfortable I kept forgetting I had it around my neck. I was visiting Long Grove with some friends of mine, and several people commented on my necklace. :-)
Etsy Friday. I'm not really sure how it got started, but there are lots of Etsy sellers (and buyers) who do something special on Fridays. I'm not one of those people who can commit to having something special every Friday, but I thought for this week I'd offer up some thanks to a few people.
These nice Etsy people featured some of my creations in their treasuries. I love going through the Treasury and Treasury West and finding that little gold star!
Check out the slideshow I put together with a favorite item from each of these shops. Click the names to see the item up close and have a visit to the shop.
Seriously! As I was going through all these shops I found some INCREDIBLE bargains!!!
