BAO Item of the Week May 21 - 27

My cuff links are my featured Bead Art Originals (BAO) Item of the Week for May 21-27. Nine other BAO artists are participating this week with their own special items and offers. Click on the image below or go to BeadArtOriginals.Blogspot.com for details on each of these items and the specials available on them below.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

It is indeed a time of renewal. I'm finally relaunching my jewelry shop, BeadJewelryShopgirl, with a SALE! Don't miss this wonderful event my artists friends and I are offering! Great value for the buck for items from talented artists! Click on the image above and see the list of shops offering these great deals.

BAO Welcomes Spring Sale!

I have exciting news! Bead Art Originals is celebrating Easter and welcoming spring with a SALE! Not just a sale, but you'll also have chances to win free giveaways! Starting Sunday, April 12, 15 BAO artists will be participating in this extravaganza. I'm in the process of adding more jewelry to my store, too!

The fun begins Sunday! Watch for it! I'll send you more details on Sunday ;)

Launch of Bead Art Originals!

It's always exciting when a group of artists from different disciplines decide to band together with the common goal of creating wonderful art. The latest group in the Etsy world is Bead Art Originals. Bead Art Originals consists of a select group of independent artisans, including creators of art beads and creators of beadwoven art. Our focus is on the business and artistic growth of our members. Visit their web site and blog to learn more about this talented group!

15 minutes of fame, part 2

15 minutes of fame, part 2
Originally uploaded by BeadJewelryShopgirl

Twice in this month alone, I've made it to the etsy front page! And I have to thank Carol Dean aka SandFibers who created the Treasury List that landed in the front page last June 18, 2008.

Lovely beaded creations were featured in this TL featuring etsy beadweavers street team creations!

15 Minutes of Fame

15 minutes of fame
Originally uploaded by BeadJewelryShopgirl

Thanks to the Treasury prowess of co-etsy seller, wmarlaine of rainy lane, I managed to be featured in etsy front page!

After over a year and a half in etsy, this is my first (known) appearance on the front page! Thanks to quick screenshooting abilities among my etsybeadweaver peeps, someone actually recorded the moment. Otherwise, I'd be totally clueless! The historic event happened June 5, 2008 in the morning.

Reflections Competition by EJA artists

It seems the 2 street teams I belong to are both in competition mode. This time Eclectic Jewelry Artisans (www.EclecticJewelryArtisans.com) is holding a competition with theme "Reflecting." Entries are being posted as we speak and voting will begin tomorrow. Of course, I entered my piece for the competition. Check out all the entries in our TeamEJA etsy store, after you've picked your favorite, go to www.EclecticJewelryArtisans.com to vote by click on Mailing List and enter who you vote for in the note. And by the way, when you vote, you will be entered into our free giveaway drawing!!! How much fun is that!

Bead Heaven!

Give a group of talented beaders, like those in the Etsy Beadweavers, a creative theme and you come up with as many variations you can imagine! Each and everyone of these beaded creations took hours to create with so much love and talent! My thanks for my friend, SandFibers, who prepared this collage featuring all these beaded creations.

Etsy Beadweaver September Challenge

Artistic Challenges are so much fun especially with a group of highly talented artisans. Etsy Beadweavers' latest challenge is to "Show Your Colors." For my entry, I created this Pearlescent Purple Freeform Peyote Cuff featuring my favorite color, purple. 20 other beadweavers came up with gorgeous creations is various styles to whet your appetite. The public also gets a chance to pick their favorite. Be sure to visit the etsy beadweavers blog and put in your vote!

Etsy Bloggers Street Team Presents a Carnival of Colors!

It is my honor to host this week’s edition of the Etsy Bloggers Street Team Blog Carnival – Carnival of Colors! Take a peek at my post about this just yesterday. Now treat your eyes and surf the Etsy blogoshere for a rainbow of colors and interesting stories from talented indie artists!

Yazmin shows how she tackles a challenging project in a Ring of Colors posted at A Pretty Rock Jewelry - blog.

Ginger Black opens a little window into her world in her own Carnival of Colors! Read on for An Adventure in Glass.

MrsDragon features a parade of talented Etsy artists in All the Colors of Etsy posted at Mrs. Dragon's Wares.

Purple is my favorite color and I found out Alicia Mae loves it, too, with her article Purple!! here in AliciaMae's Xanga.

Judy raves about Fuchsia In All Its Glory as featured in Artsy Clay.

Sue confesses she is “quite addicted to Altered and Mixed Media art” in A Carnival of Colors with ZNE Etsy. Read about it at The Lily Pepper Blog.

Enjoy an eye-popping experience with Christine as she shows how My life is a carnival of colors featured in Eye Pop Art.

Lis reveals to us the inner workings of a favorite Etsy "toy" in Secrets of the Etsy Color Picker as seen in Etsy Shops.

We have a radical (aren’t we all?) in Karen who dares to showcase the glamour of the UN-colored in her post at faded willow.

Shannon talks about her favorite season in her article Carnival of Colors: Getting Ready for Autumn featured in Anodyne Design.

Jen of Baby Friendly Beads tells us why blue is her favorite color in Tangled Up in Blue posted at Mama's Magic.

Confections presents Colorful Custom-Carded Rolags and Needlefelted Flower. Find out more in her blog Stelladanza.

And by photo finish, TantalizingStitches presents Tantalize Your Baby with Crochet! posted in Tantalizing Creativity.

My thanks to Linda James of Flame On Glass for her photo of Orphanz beads which goes so perfectly with our Carnival of Colors theme. Linda makes the most beautiful lampwork beads I've ever seen.

Next week’s carnival titled “Picture Perfect” will be hosted by Heather in her blog, Humble Beads Blog, with tips for taking pictures - interesting! That’s it for this carnival parade of colors!

Carnival of Colors!

This week's Etsy Bloggers Street theme is "Carnival of Colors." It is also my first time to host so it should be exciting! (I'll be posting the carnival by tonight so don't fret). I beat my brains out for what to feature (I suggested the concept I should be able to think of one - duh!) till it dawned on me as I was setting up for a show yesterday morning. I had dumped my bracelets on the table - voila! my carnival of colors photo. Enjoy!

Lemonade Stand.....NOT! or How To Prepare for a Craft Show

Don’t we all wish that selling in craft shows is as simple as selling lemonade when we were kids? Never that easy! I’m preparing for another craft show next weekend and it’s great timing that the theme this week for Etsy Bloggers Street Team is “How To Prepare for a Craft Sale/Show.”

So here are a few pointers on how to prepare for a craft show. I sell jewelry but some of these pointers apply to whatever type of goods you create.

1. Rehearse – if you are a newbie to craft shows, do like a dress rehearsal. Practice setting up so you know how long it takes you. Set up your booth at home. See how it looks, make adjustments. Imaging your buyers going through your booth, what do they see first, what do they see last? Take a picture and bring the photo with you to the show to help you remember your set up. Then pack up your stuff as if you were ending the show. I added a candy dish to my booth with mints or chocolates.
2. Tags – I like to tag my pieces, although I find a lot of people don’t. The tag not only states the price of the item but also the materials. As a shopper, I’d like to know what materials were used in any handcrafted item. The price on the tag makes it look professional and not something just thought of on the spot by the seller. Besides, I have a poor memory so I can’t really remember all my prizes!
3. Have a door prize raffle – have a sheet and pen in hand for customers to enter their name, address, phone and email address for a chance to win a prize. Tell them you’ll contact the winner after the show. This also helps you to create a customer base/distribution list for your newsletter. Just because someone didn’t buy from you at a show doesn’t mean they won’t buy online from you later.
4. Simple Displays – I like to keep my display simple. I’ve seen too many displays where there was just too much going on that you could hardly make out the jewelry. So keep your display simple, drawing the eye to your jewelry/ merchandize. And they need not be expensive. I use decorative gold colored radiator screens to display my earrings and short necklaces (found them in home depot for $5!). They can hold about 50 – 60 pairs of earrings with room to spare!
5. Jewelry and tools – I like to bring my beads and tools to a show. My bracelets are often on the shorter side because it’s easier to lengthen rather than shorten. When a customer needs a bracelet longer I can easily do that on the spot with beads and tools on hand.
6. Bring something to eat and drink, especially if you will be alone. Some craft show organizers are thoughtful enough and bring snacks to their vendors but more often you’ll need to feed yourself. You really don’t want to spend time away from your booth (other than that unavoidable bio-break!).
7. Bring your smile with you! Ignore rude and grumpy people!
8. Sleep well the night before and be at the show on time!

Passion for Purple

Purple is one of my favorite colors so it's not surprising that I create a lot of jewelry in this color. Just look at some of these pieces! There more not featured in this photo but I think you get the drift. What's you favorite color?

Orange you glad to be on etsy?

Etsy Bloggers Street Team theme for the week is ORANGE! Orange is not a color I would usually wear or use but I do have a few pieces that are close to orange. This necklace is called "3 Sisters in Crime!"

Front Page

I, along with the talented artists in EJA (eeja.org) made it to the etsy front page! It's a first for me!

Bead Weavers Unite!

A fellow etsy beadweaver I admire, SandFibers, has created a Treasure List featuring gorgeous bead weave creations! Too bad the list will only be live for 2 days.

Trunk Show!

And My Treasury Luck Continues!

So I've hit the jackpot again this weekend and gotten featured in 2 Treasury Lists at the same time. One was created by GirlieGirls and the other by DBrownDesigns. It's always great being picked by fellow indie designers.

A Treasure to be in a Treasury List!

Etsy has a section called Treasury List (TL) where members can create a list of items from the site based on a theme or concept. It's an honor to be featured in a TL -- kinda like a People's Choice awards since your colleague sellers and buyers are making the choices. I'm proud to be featured in 2 lists this weekend!

Eclecticness!

Talk about an eclectic group of jewelry artisans! Gorgeous jewelry made by members of the Etsy Eclectic Jewelry Artisans featured in a Treasury List in Etsy. For more on this group of talent, visit their web site EEJA.