This journal is for the ever evolving artsy side of me, Beadoodles! Most entries will be about wonderful artists I've found, purchased from or admire. There will be a few blurbs about me, my shop, or any great specials I'm running. This place is ever evolving, and I hope to introduce great changes in 2007!

Google Analytics - June 2009 That big spike there? Washington post.

My shop, Isette, has just gotten the highest amount of traffic I ever have on Etsy today, and I finally tracked it down to this post at the Washington Post, more specifically, Chatalogical Humor.  It's pretty far down, so let me quote from the update for today:
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Springfield, Va.: If there were a single object that existed in the world, that could sum up everything that Gene hates and is against, I'm thinking it might look a little something like this...

Gene Weingarten: You're right!
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I think the ring hit on two of his favorite rants - The "bourgeois tastes and lassitudinous habits of the American public -- advertising Americans to the world as fat, lazy, tasteless clods" and his ultimate dislike of large weddings ("He has called them unseemly, ostentatious celebrations of self."  Oh, both quotes are taken directly from the Chatalogical Humor FAQS )

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I hope the satirical nature of the ring is appreciated.  Like the mustache ring and the spectacles ring, the hint ring is meant to be funny. I wish I could find the right words... It's meant to be a little commentary on weddings, engagements and the expected... I wonder if I could send Gene Weingarten one of the rings...he can destroy it as an effigy.

And I apologize. I've been really focusing on Isette this year, and Beadoodles is suffering. I have made a ton of really cute rings...but not much else. And it feels a little weird posting about Isette here on Beadoodles.

But, on the Isette front, the spectacles ring got posted in the Storque...and I'm shocked at the attention it's gotten. I've never had a piece in the Storque before under "related" and I got in the top slot, so it showed up on the front page as well.

I have Isette's website 80% up - I just need to finish a couple forms and maybe throw a blog on it. I'm not sure yet...I obviously don't keep up with this blog too regularly! 

Other than that, this last couple weeks I've spent adjusting to not having my impending MA thesis and Sampler contribution on the mind, so hopefully I can spend time clearing out small things I want to do, like figuring out flickr, finishing the website, listing new stuff at Beadoodles and perhaps putting some things on sale there (!)

I made a page for Isette in a fit of "go" a couple nights ago :)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Isette/60518343400

I find this amusing because I still have an unedited Beadoodles facebook page from *months* ago. Hmmm...

Mustache Ring by Isette Shop at Etsy Shop at 1000 Markets

I've got my Amethyst Swing Necklace in the drawing!  Plus For each comment left to enter the giveaway, Scoutie Girl will donate 5 cents to the winner's charity of choice.



Enter the drawing here!

I posted in the idea section last night, thinking it would be awesome if there was a way to get a feed of favorited items.  Some people have amazing taste on Etsy and as a person that browses through favorites, I'd love to see what they keep picking (without bookmarking and checking periodically).  Kind of like Stylefeeder, but easier (does anyone out there use stylefeeder?  I do, sporatically!)

Well, lo and behind there is a way this can be done...sort of.  You can subscribe to someone's public favorite shops on Etsy, getting updates when new things are posted. 

As deleteyourself described it:
"You can already subscribe to a RSS feed for any etsy user's public faves. Here is yours: http://www.etsy.com/favorite_sellers_public.php?user_id=2821&type=rss anyone who wants to follow which shops you heart can use that link to do it."  (the link is an RSS feed of beadoodles shop favorites FYI - just put your shop number or your favorite users' number there)

Here's the thread I posted if you want to chime in, or read what others thought. 

Yes!  My 3rd anniversary on Etsy is being celebrated in style -  the sale has been on since August 16th, and yes, it continues until the end of the month, August 31st!  Whoo!

I finally had a quiet weekend (24 consecutive hours I didn't have to leave the house!  Whoo Hoo!).  Things I did:

Slept.  A lot.
Watched 2 movies with my husband (Harold and Kumar, and National Treasure 2).
Watched two movies by myself! (A Tale of Two Cities and Anna and the King of Siam - Thanks to TCM!)
Took a bath!
Got a treasury, Pomegranate Love (Check it out - I think it is my best yet)
Launched my 3rd anniversary sale - the $10 sale.  All Rings and earrings are only $10, bracelets and necklaces are $10 off.  I'm quite pleased at the response!  Sale goes until August 31st.

New piece listed this weekend: Keyed Up Labradorite Necklace




Things will be pretty much status quo for the next couple of months (as I hammer out my dreaded thesis) but keep tuned to a big shop announcement come October! :)

Well, sort of.  I subscribe to the Modish RSS feed, and when they posted they were planning on featuring shops, well I fired off an e-mail to the Unique Freaque, where I was going to have a trunk show on June 21st, two days after.  Kay (the owner) was excited and sent off an e-mail immediately for submission.  We took pictures and went over the questionnaire during the trunk show, and I thought wow, a mention in Modish!

And here's the write up!  (These people are on the ball!)

Sadly, no Beadoodles mentioned.  They used a photo of my jewelry set up, but mentioned other designers.  But it's still a cute little write up, and hopefully it brings in people to the Unique Freaque!

PS - Yes, I know I've been silent for *months* ... I'm hoping to have some great new things to talk about soon!

Did you hear?  Etsy has changed their renewal policy, so now instead of getting 4 months tacked on to the original renewal date, now you just get 4 months from the date you renew.  So, in essence, the renewal tool is pretty much just for advertising purpose, rather than continuing to have items that would other wise expire stay in your shop...which is pretty much what people used it for anyway.  Another half second on the top of the pile.

I will admit I was a wee bit obsessed about my expiration dates - I didn't renew things ad nauseum because I couldn't stand having an expiration date so very far in the future that I couldn't easily surpass it by listing new goods.  Every time a new listing overtakes an item I've already renewed in expiration date, I do a little happy dance.  It's insane, I know.  It was like a little game though...how to manage my jewelry on etsy without renewing until, say, 2020?  (Which I heard some people have gotten there!) 

So, for the record, my last expiration date is December 19th, 2008 for the very last item in the shop (which I wouldn't bump to the top because then I'd have 4 more months to wait until it expires!) 

I'm trying to decide now if this is a good or a bad thing...it's good because I am not hindered by a number and can now bump with abandon!  But of course everyone else can too.  So time at the top will be once again limited...even for new items.  And I'm still getting the 4 months I would pay for if I needed the 4 months for expired items...are there any cons you can see?

Well, I've finally hit the magical round number, on tax day no less! 

And my Retiring Design sale is going smashingly - only 14 pieces left!  Here are a couple the pieces listed at 40% off!

Plummet Earrings


Daisy Buchannon Necklace

Well, I did it.  I actually ordered 10 oz of one size of wire at a time.  Yup.  at the most insane moment ever, when silver is over $17 an ounce.  The most I've ordered in one size before was 6oz of 20 ga...and I did that in the beginning of February.  And it's gone. 

Because I've upscaled, I also tried a new supplier CGM.  They offer price breaks starting at 10 oz of one style...previously I didn't have the buying power or need.  And today is the first time I checked that there prices were competitive with Rio Grande...and actually cheaper when I ordered 10 oz at a time.  Happy dance.  They also had the clasps I love and some stardust beads I needed to do a wedding order, and I'm test driving a new chain.  Very exciting.  The guy on the phone let me know that they haven't adjusted their silver prices yet to the market value, so their internal number is around $15/oz, and gold is still $800/oz (it's topped out at over $900).  Shipping was cheaper too. 

So here's my moment of supply glee.  *whee!*

I know I've been pretty quiet lately, just busy like a bee, trying to get some things with my business organized (like inventory!  Ugh)  But here are some pretty new sparklers that I *finally* got in the shop...

Quartz Solitaire Rings


London Blue Topaz Bouquet Ring


Layered Hoop Necklace (Also available in Smoky Quartz)


Oh, and I *did* open a flickr account, though I'm not sure how to link to it...That I'll have to figure out another day!

I've developed a sort of rhythm when posting new items in my Beadoodles Shop.  It doesn't apply really to the Beadeux shop - I've noticed things sell pretty well there without having to stress about timing, exposure, etc. and admittedly I don't work as hard at promoting it as I do at Beadoodles. 

I list 3-5 items a day.  I list first thing in the morning (any time from 7:30 to 9 am) .  Somewhere around noon or early afternoon, about 5 or so when I get home, about 8 is I feel like it, and at 11 pm on the dot (which is 12 etsy time and it lists as the next day.  This also does the double duty of reminding me to go to bed). 

I will periodically check the Treasuries before I list, because that really is the only place you can get any idea of the Etsy traffic flow.  The upper right corner tells you how many people are currently viewing the lists...I find if I'm waffling whether to list something, if there are more than 250 in the treasury, I will do it.  I've seen it as low as 100, high as 450, average around 200. 

In the last week or so, my strategy has changed a little - I still use the treasuries, but I find myself trying to figure out how long it will be before new treasuries open up.  This isn't so I can snag a treasury, no - but instead so I can gauge when to list for optimum chances of being *in* a treasury.  When compiling treasuries, I know I spend about a half an hour before hand pulling together a list of items to go in it.  I pull items from my favorites, then I do a search.  And the way search works, newest listings are on top...I want to be in the top of the search when the 100+ new lists show up.  Getting into a treasury is added exposure in itself, and the gateway to the front page. 

It seems to have worked for today, as I made it into a treasury (Gorgeous Green).  We can only cross our fingers and hope we make it to the "big leagues" aka front page...but it's happened once before.  So here's hoping, and maybe insight on my strategy will help you out as well!



PS - I have a main showcase today as well...admittedly, not so impressed.

Okay, I'm not sure if anyone else is getting their sales taxes together.  I'm a little lazy and I include sales tax for IL residents in the price of the item.  At shows this keeps me from lugging around insane amounts of change, and on-line I don't have to contact people and say "uh, you owe me more..."

I did all my records the hard way, trial and error, to find the actual tax that would have been included in the final price.  Today, thinking I really wish I was better at remembering Algebra and that there had to be an easier way, I found the Sales Tax Calculator and De-Calculator.  The internet is a wonderful thing, and I share my finds with you :)

Even though I still haven't sat down and figured out how to use paypal shipping...or endicia (which I'll have to actually start paying for soon, so I better get to it) I did officially figure out how to get faxes in my e-mail.  For free.  Which is fantastic, since now stores can fax me their wholesale orders *happy dance*

Next Endicia, then flickr...then the world! 

Silver is at $16.25 and gold has almost hit $900 an ounce.  This is a horrible horrible time to run out of those things.  If it ever gets back down to $12 an ounce, I'm totally buying enough to last the *year*

After two and a half years, I have a new banner and avatar!  Yippee!  (Yeah, I don't change things too much...)

Thank you to my husband - I'll have to upload it the new avatar here too!





(I'm not a narcissist, really - I'm thinking about changing the avatar to be a product on etsy :) )