Vacation Brain

I haven't been back in a while. After vacation it was  exceptionally difficult to get back in the swing of things this year. Slowly, I am back to crafting more wax seal jewelry, collecting antique wax seals and creating lots of pretty, Summery gemstone jewelry.

I have five posts in different stages, but today, some Summery pieces to share:

Italian Sun, August Birthstone - Peridot Necklace

Summer Gemstone Earrings

Delicious Sea Glass - Beach Glass Necklace

Thanks for hanging in there with me.
Norah

4 BIG Benefits of Being an Etsy Mentor

Share Your Strengths

The Benefits Of Mentoring Someone on Etsy

I can already hear the balking. “ Mentor? I can’t even mentor myself”; “I don’t know enough to mentor someone else”;   “I don’t have enough sales to be respected as a mentor”, etc.

Phooey, I say. You know more than you think you do.  If you have figured out that selling on Etsy is not a straightforward endeavor, you officially know more than a new seller.

Allow me to compare apples to oranges for a minute to make a point.  Selling on Ebay  IS a straightforward endeavor that you can figure out as you go. No need to read a lengthy sellers manual.  Ebay walks you through very simple steps.

• You decide to sell an item, any item.  
•  You take a photo or two or twelve. They can be really bad photos and nobody cares
• You look around at other items like yours to research a price.  Decide to auction or sell.  Pricing is a cinch!
• Choose a category and write a title stuffed with catchy keywords, willy-nilly.  (No worries about # of characters for the pesky Google Bot
• No matter how lame your description is, it sells. No one expects colorful language. You don’t count the characters or words to feed the Google Bot.
• Your item goes live
• You answer a bunch of email questions (maybe)
• Your item sells. You get paid through Paypal, and you print a Paypal shipping label and ship.
• You get feedback, with most transactions

If it is so straightforward, why don’t I just go and sell on Ebay, you wonder. Baaaa! Don’t get me started.  I am simply illustrating that it is a different selling experience from Etsy. In many ways, (most not good). It is quite a different world. It is not a warm and welcoming community of crafters and artisans like you will find on Etsy.

So, if you have established your shop, been active in the Etsy community, (Teams, Forums, etc.); have kept up with the ever changing tips and rules for improving relevancy and being found in search, then, face it, you are a well -seasoned Etsy-er. 

The numbers do not roll in over night in any new business, and the very competitive online handmade, vintage, and supplies (businesses) are no exception.

You do not need high sales to be able to share your strengths: 

your empirical wisdom and experiential knowledge

You know what I think? Now, as I learn something new  in business, I feel if I can’t share it, it is being wasted. I am not worried about giving the competition a leg-up. Once you become generous with your knowledge, it seeps into your core values and you find yourself feeling like a giving, better person every day,

 

inspiringmomentsblog.com

Give  and  You  Shall  Receive

4 Benefits of Being an Etsy Mentor

• Learn new things!

Mentoring a younger person will undoubtedly earn you a hearty education in a technical area you may have previously been clueless about.

    It’s inevitable that someone younger than you will know  (a lot) more about a topic you’re less familiar with.

For example, if you have always wanted to ease your way into Instagram, perhaps a Generation Y mentee can help you learn it in a day.

•  Develop leadership and management skills.

Becoming a mentor can help you learn how to oversee and guide others. If you have never been in a professional setting as a mentor, a casual mentor/mentee relationship can help you discover skills such as coaching and feedback and tap into leadership abilities you never knew you had.

• Professional Esteem

People who are seen as mentors are granted   higher credibility and are seen as greater performers. You appear as more connected and will draw others to you for consult.

• Impress Yourself: 

You take for granted all that you have learned and the skills you have honed over time.  When imparted onto someone new, this knowledge sounds vast and sage. It is great for an ego boost and a reminder of how far you have come.

 

Why would you pass up an opportunity to feel good about yourself? 

You can truly open up someone’s world with a small time investment. Very simple words can give people new ideas and opens doors for them. It can truly change lives. You open their minds to possibilities, expecting nothing in return. This, in turn, gives you more meaning in your life




Following is a quote from Gloria Flynn of Earth Energy Gemstones on Etsy. I asked her to tell me about her experience with her mentor. They have been together more than a year:

 

EarthEnergyGemstones on Etsy

"My Etsy mentor is the lifeline for my jewelry business.  From the very beginning she had my back and encouraged me to join her team called Jewelry on Etsy (JETs). From the moment I was welcomed into the team, she has been an active participant in my success.

She makes herself available for me and responds to questions in great detail, and with love; everything from what to include on my listing tags to how to make jewelry from recycled silver. When I'm not asking her questions, she's asking ME questions. For example: How often do you tweet? Do you have a Google+ account and are you using it? She explains how things work in social media, and tells me what to do--but in a good way, like how I could be using it better.

She builds me up when I'm down, and constantly encourages me to stretch my wings a little, like "You should be making (fill in the blank) because they are in the top searches and will bring more traffic to your shop”.

The Etsy jewelry world is HUGE, and it's easy to get lost--but not when you have a mentor who shows you the way. Mine has and I'm so grateful!"

Thank you for reading!

Norah Downey

YourDailyJewels on Etsy

A Goal Without a Plan is Just a Wish, S.M.A.R.T Goal Setting, 2014

Yep, its the New Year and we are all sworn to losing weight, drinking more water, less booze, or whatever is on our list of "resolutions". This year, why not look at "resolutions"  differently and see if we can do more than "resolve" to eat less sugar. 

What is missing in all of these "resolutions" ? A unit of measure and time frame to start. We tend to think of resolutions in the 'self-help' realm and "goal-setting" in our business lives. Well, lets leave resolutions behind and just  focus on good goal setting.

If you break down goal setting and you will see how it is a key component to success in every aspect of our lives, not just business.

What makes a goal useful?  Specifics:

www.thriftysocialworker.com

  
The following  visual helped me a lot. I never thought about goal setting in terms of my attitude, for example. But this is an area that needs work, so, this is an area where I can set goals. Take time and write down smart goals in each area below. Share some or all with friends, family or co-workers. This helps with accountability.  Someone may be keeping an eye out for whether or not you are working on yourself.

It is simple yet daunting at the same time, like many of the greatest things in life. So, take the extra time you "resolved" to spend on the treadmill today, and think about and write down your goals. 

If you really want to delve deeply, start a goal-based journal. You'll be amazed as you read back and see all you have achieved if you keep reading and reaching toward the goals on page one. Oh, on that note, page one is just a work in progress, you can always add to it, and cross goals off the list when they are achieved. "Crossing off" is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I would love to hear how you do! 
Thanks for visiting and reading!
Norah

My International Sales for 2013 - Thank You Etsy and The JETS

Your Daily Jewels is Worn Around the World!

http://mapfling.com/qex999k

Each day or two I make my way to the post office to ship my handmade jewelry and one or two days a week I have the dreaded International package to ship. It comes with so many worries: how should I ship it, is it packed well enough, will it get there in time, will it even make it there?  With each successful transaction (99.5% of the time!) I am surprised and relieved, but, I don't think I will ever get used to it and not be nervous.

When I first opened my jewelry shop on Etsy,  I did not ship internationally! I was so certain no one would even bother ordering from overseas and I had a lot of anxiety about losing packages. 

I recently took a look back over my orders and I can't believe I have shipped all over the world in less than two years.  I am honestly astonished that women (and some men) world-wide, are wearing small pieces that came from MY hands and heart. I am so thankful for Etsy, and especially for my JET teammates who told me I was crazy not to ship internationally a few years ago.

Thanks for visiting and reading.
Norah

One World, Cai Yuan, www.tagfinearts.com

Shop Local This Holiday Season: #Bergen and #Rockland County, #NY, #NJ

My newest shop! SilverInitialJewelry on Etsy

This season, more than ever, there is a big push in the "shop local" movement. What better way to shop is there?  Local food growers, artisans and small shops are constantly battling  the big guys for the small piece of the pie they need to make a living at what they are truly passionate about.

Beads - good enough to eat!

And that's the biggest difference, passion. Small business men and women, whether they are farmers, jewelers, or artisan cheese makers, cannot do what they do without passion for their product. They live, breathe, sleep, their product; knowing their great fortune is having the opportunity to make a living at what they are passionate about. They yearn  for customer connection as much as their customers seek it out. This personal connection makes it impossible for them  to deliver an inferior product.

Big business lives for the bottom line. Period.

I connect with each of my customers on line. I send at least one email to them to thank them and inform them of shipping time. I have some customers whom I am always in constant contact with, whether or not they are shopping. Etsy's system keeps count of "back and forth's" in their "convo" or email system. It is not uncommon for me to have 50 or 60 convos for one custom order. By the end of this process, we are discussing children's runny noses, and recipes. It is a personal connection yearned for by both parties. As I tell all my customers. "feel free to ask a million questions".

When I stop to think about it, it is a little strange. All this takes place so personally, virtually. This has become what now feels like a connection to people. Granted, ordering from a large company gives you zero human "contact", but what about face to face, hand to hand contact?

I don't do shows, the street fair circuit or any type of market. But I am local to my neighbors. I do have a huge studio that customers can visit. So I am opening this up. This is new for me. I am encouraging my customers to "shop local".  Come to my dusty, basement jewelry studio. Lets meet and have coffee and look at gemstones and pick out typefaces for custom silver wax seal jewelry and initials. Lets have face to face and hand to hand contact.


Its not pretty, but a lot of pretty stuff comes out of it!

Everything is on wheels for functionality

Every day starts with a smudge of Sage

Aromatherapy while I use my Dremel

If you  are local in Bergen or Rockland counties, I am literally on the border,  and you would like a personal studio visit. Email me or "convo" me at Etsy and we can set this up.

Thank you for visiting and reading

25 Days until BLACK Friday, 50 DAYS Until CHRISTMAS, 22 days until CHANUKAH - What Are You Waiting For?

Time is flying! Whether you are buying or selling, scroll down for my post on  stress reducing  ideas for the holiday crush. I wrote it 25 days ago. It feels like I wrote it yesterday!

Spots and Snowflakes Curly Toe Stocking  by Festive Jester

Its here! Lets Get Shopping. 

 Some Helpful Hints:

• Stores are posting their Black Friday flyers NOW!  Just get it over with for more obvious reasons than I can list!  Google "early black Friday deals 2013" and you can sign up to have flyers delivered to your email as soon as they are out.

• Anything that needs to be ordered needs to be ordered NOW so you get your choice of stock and holiday delivery dates. The longer you wait, the more likely your beautiful holiday basket will be out of stock or will have to be delivered a week before Christmas when no family or friends have arrived yet.

• Anything that needs to be shipped internationally needs to be at the Post Office no later than December 1!

• Anything handmade needs to be ordered NOW because crafters get swamped, backed up, and often stop taking orders several weeks before holidays because they are overwhelmed with orders. The "perfect" gift you planned on giving may be unattainable no matter how much you beg the lone crafter, baker, or jewelry maker. 

Don't forget!

Shop locally. Whether online or in a shop - shop fair trade. And support handmade!
 (Artisans - feel free to use these images!)

Visit my handmade jewelry Shops!

Thank you for taking the time to visit and read ,

25 Days until BLACK Friday, 50 DAYS Until CHRISTMAS, 22 days until CHANUKAH - What Are You Waiting For?

 Happy Holidays

 Do you loathe doing battle with the crushing holiday shopping  crowds?  I get panicky just thinking about it. Does  competitive parking bring out a side of you that no one would recognize? Have you ever encountered a sold-out toy shelf only to silently berate yourself for not rising at 4:00 a.m and waiting on line at the risk of being trampled by adrenaline and Starbucks crazed shoppers ready to SPEND, no SAVE, no SPEND, SAVE!  It is all truly crazy when you think about it. 

Whether you're buying or selling this holiday season, the time to be on the move is now! I have read countless news articles and seen TV news features about how retail prices are lower than, or as low as Black Friday right now! 
According to Time magazine, Sept. 24th issue, 49% of big marketers stated they will launch Holiday Marketing prior to October 31st . A 2.4% rise in spending is forecast for this holiday season and adding to the rising pressure is this:

"Retailers have a reduced window of time to capture peak holiday spending as only 25 days lie between Black Friday (Nov. 29) and Christmas this year, compared to 32 days in 2012. Typically, weekends are busy times for customers to visit stores and, unlike last year, consumers have only four (not five) full weekends to shop.  Also, Hanukkah starts 11 days earlier than it did a year earlier"

Read more: http://business.time.com/2013/09/24/5-ways-retailers-are-trying-to-snag-holiday-shopping-dollars-extra-early-this-year/#ixzz2hsODTQmK

Retailers are rolling out the big guns:

• Layaway
• Early 'hot toy' lists
• Giant retailers are price matching
• Buy-Online, Pickup-in-Store
• Newcomers entering the Online arena: H&M and TJ Maxx.

 My boyfriend and I love to go to garage sales during the Summer. After a while you see the same people at each one, (if you get up as early as we do). We started recognizing other early regular's  cars because of their particularly crazy and fast driving speeds, passing us at  8:00 a.m. in a sleepy beach town. 

Then we realized they all had the same look on their faces. Stress, anxiety; almost seething  to get to the sale before the others. We deemed it "Garage Sale Face".  

One time we needed a new "beach bike" because one of ours had rusted to smithereens.  We knew we had to get there early because good beach bikes go quickly. Off we went with our coffee mugs from home in our hands, "early-birding" the homeowners (annoyingly arriving ten minutes before the start of the sale).  Sure enough, we looked at each other and laughed, we each had Garage Sale Face as the other regulars pulled in. We got the bike, but we had fallen right into the frenzy!

Well, Holiday crowds to me, all have Garage Sale Face and it ain't pretty! 

"Garage Sale Face" examples:  (not exactly but you get the idea )

Take advantage of the early savings and beat the  crowds. Coupons and free shipping deals abound. You must put in a little extra time, do your due diligence and you will reap the benefits of early Holiday shopping deals. 

Shop early and you will also find the best inventory because  of the recession of recent years, retailers have scaled back on inventories in order to cut back on end of season overstock and unplanned super-markdowns.

 Use positive visualization. YOU, finished with your shopping a week before  Thanksgiving. You saved lots of cash and you can actually enjoy the holidays instead of frenetically stressing out through them.

 This is the buying side of the coming season. What about all of you online sellers.
What are you doing to get your ONLINE Shop Ready?   We'll talk more about that next post.

Thank you for visiting and reading,

Matte Gold - The Perfect Neutral

I love matte gold jewelry. It goes with everything. I mix it with shiny 18k gold and even with my  oxidized sterling pieces. Like fashion these days, anything goes, if you do it right! 

I just loaded  a few more pair of matte gold earrings into my original shop on Etsy, "Your Rustic Jewelry". I f you haven't shopped there yet, take a peek. It is very affordable and full of great and unique gift ideas.

This is my most expensive item and it is only $79. After this, the prices drop to $50 and some pieces are $15.00!

Pink Chunk Tourmaline Points Necklace - October Birthday Idea!

Here is a nice selection of some of my matte gold earrings, all between $24 and $28!

This Gorgeous Matte Gold Bracelet comes in Matte Black Too

Minimalist Matte Gold Triple Loops from Your Rustic Jewelry

one more:

Thanks for reading!

Tomorrow I will be reporting in from www. SilverInitialJewelry.com and announcing the two grande prize winners of the Facebook contest that has been running for the past two weeks!! The lucky two will choose wax seal silver initials to be made just for them by my newest shop

Bye for now!

Silver Initial Jewelry on Etsy - Personalized Initial and Monogram Silver Gifts

It's Here! My New Shop: Silver Initial Jewelry! on Etsy.Com

 

For all of your silver initial, monogram, and wax seal jewelry needs

Rustic Rock Jewelry's Time to Squeak

100% Recycled Bronze

Everyday I am filled with ideas and passion for both of my  Etsy shops. But, Your Daily Jewels, has become the squeaky wheel, and Rustic Rock Jewelry has not been receiving the promotional attention it deserves.

 Many of my customers, friends, and Etsy teammates are not really sure what Rustic Rock Jewelry is all about, so I feel it is time to devote  few  minutes to it. 

Years ago, it started out as a place where I would only deconstruct vintage or broken jewelry and reconstruct it into unique modern pieces using the older metals, findings, and stones. 

Vintage Necklace Re-purposed into a Triple Chain Choker (sold)

Your Daily Jewels is filled with shiny and oxidized silver and gold; and here, I love combining natural stone with earthy brass, copper, and oxidized, (antiqued) metals;  as well as reclaimed or vintage  metals.  

"Small Bananas" (sold)  Reconstructed from a Vintage Necklace

Through my love for gemstones in their natural form, Rustic Rock Jewelry evolved into a shop where I could get my fill of playing with druzy, (drusy), geodes; rough cuts, and hammered gemstones and create modern and affordable jewelry for everyday wear.

Earthy metals and chunky stone. In a word, "rustic"

Thank you for reading,

I hope you visit soon,

Norah