Merry Christmas in July!

Welcome to Sales Season! The 15th of July Etsy started the Official 3rd Annual Christmas in July Sale with hundreds of sellers offering discounts, free products, no shipping charges or anything else they can think off. It’s never too early to start buying presents, especially when we’re not talking just about holiday-related items, so stop by and check out some of the fabulous Etsy shops and their discounts.

Fantasy Bijoux is also participating with FREE SHIPPING and 15% OFF for purchases over 100$. This promo will run until the 1st of August and applies to all items in the shop, Christmasy or otherwise.

Some of my fellow D-Teamers have their own promotional sales worth checking out. Here are some of these talented new artisans:

1. SassyBelleWares – Offers 20% off all items – Warning: Sass Factor ahead!
2. PinkyCrafts – Scrapbooks and Scrapbook pages with Free Shipping.
3. UrbanHandiwork – Accessories, photography and home decor with 10% off and Free Shipping.
4. ZiasCottageIndustry – Hair clips and bobby pins – buy two, get the third free!
5. DoBatsEatCats – 20% off in this Gothic jewelry wonderland.
6. and many, many more. Find them on Etsy searching the christmasinjuly or cij tags.

Let the shopping begin!

Artisan or Photographer?

When your entire business is online, you need to be both. The merits of good photography have been discussed at length withing the artisan community and, for anyone starting out, there’s tons on information about taking good product photos. I’m not (yet) an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but by trial and error, I’ve discovered what works for me, what still needs improving and what to never do again.

I’ve heard a lot of people complaining about taking pictures, about how they don’t like it, how they’re terrible at it, how the camera is possessed by an evil genie and how the stars aren’t aligned properly for THE photo shoot. We’ve all been there. Why? Because we don’t speak the same language as the camera. It’s not gonna learn English so we might as well start reading that how-to manual. Or, if you’re like me and burned your manual to ashes while laughing malevolently above it, google it!

I’m not even going to try to explain white balance, exposure, aperture, shutter speed and ISO to you, I’m just starting to make head or tail of it myself, but here’s a few tips and helpful links in no particular order:

1. Learn what the words in italics mean and how you can use them to get closer to a better photo.
2. Say NO to flash! Especially around shiny jewelry.
3. Cloudy days may not be good for a trip to the beach, but they’re great for outside photo shoots.
4. A simple background will make your stuff POP!
5. Macro, macro, macro! Find that tiny flower button and use it when you want a close-up.
6. Better no props, than the wrong props.
7. I know, it’s been said before – get a tripod or make your own (on my Santa list).
8. If you really don’t feel like taking pictures, then don’t – they’ll just end up crappy.
9. Don’t spend your money on the most expensive camera you can find, you won’t know what to do with it.
10. Consider taking a photography course (it’s on my to do list too).
11. If your camera really is possessed by an evil genie, try bartering some of your stuff to photography students in exchange for their services: they need a portfolio, you need good pictures.
12. If you have a day job or don’t have the time to take your photos in daylight, you can make your own light box or light tent . Of course, you could also buy one, but where’s the fun in that?

I’m sure there’s lots more, but as I’ve said, I’m no expert. If you’ve got other tips, please feel free to add your comments. Oh, one more thing: don’t ever think you’re hopeless and you’ll never get a decent photo – practice makes perfect! Here’s my progress so far:

Let’s Keep It Interesting

Before Etsy, I was selling my stuff around the office and forcing persuading my friends to buy it. Usually, they didn’t put up much of a fight, but there was the odd person now and again who was determined to resist me. Or so I thought. I realized soon enough that they weren’t resisting me and my products, but they were weary of the unknown – HANDMADE. Hard to believe, right?

Well, believe it: there are lots people out there that don’t care and don’t know anything about one of a kind items, about personalized creations, about the careful work of artisans. They like to blend into the crowd, they don’t think twice about the fact that their wardrobe, their home and their life  is a perfect copy of the neighbor’s from across the hall. Of course, I acknowledge a person’s right to choose how to live, but is this something to strive for? Uniformity?

We all have something special, something our own. Why not show it? I’m not saying we should all start braiding hemp bracelets, but dare to buy a piece of art because it resonates within, not because your boss has one just like it in his office. Or buy a one of a kind piece of furniture, or decorate your home with limited edition, handmade products. Or just wear a funky necklace from time to time. Diversity isn’t a bad thing, it keeps life interesting.

There was a time when, for me, handmade meant only jewelry. Since becoming a seller myself, I started paying attention and noticing things I hadn’t seen before: handmade beauty products without all the chemicals contained by the commercial ones, handmade cards and paper goods, unique and beautiful, handmade chocolate and sweets (and who can resist that?), handmade toys and learning tools made with love and care, handmade furniture, nice and sturdy, handmade household items and so much more.

If you’ve become tired of the same commercial, sales oriented products, why not try something different, more personal, something with a story and a real person behind it?

Lemon Chamomile Handcrafted Soap by TallulahsSoaps

Mushroom Birthday Card by silkeshimazu

Assorted French Nougats by KettleConfections

Felt Cookie Counting Set by SweetPB

Purple Salsa Skirts Tuffet by MyLittleBigChair

Wag More Bark Less Hand Painted Frame by yourethatgirldesigns

Again with the Dragons!

Yes, I know, I’m a dork! But I just can’t help myself, I’m a fanatic when it comes to things out-of-this-world. Don’t even get me started on my vampire obsession (non-sparkly kind, thank you very much! ) – BtVS is one of my (many) guilty pleasures.

But back to the point, today I went to the library to get Naomi Novik’s Victory of Eagles, the 5th book in the Temeraire Series. I know I don’t have time for it, but I just can’t put it down. After writing this post, I was happy to see I’m not the only nutty one when Ioana recommended a few dragon books, among which, the Temeraire novels – thank you Ioana I googled it and thought Hmmm, Napoleonic wars – not exactly my cup of tea… but then again Talking Dragons!

The first book is His Majesty’s Dragon (US version) or Temeraire (UK version) and tells the story of naval captain Will Laurence and his capture of a French ship and it’s cargo – a dragon egg. Following the hatching and the growing bond between Temeraire and Laurence, the latter is forced to quit the Navy and join the Aerial Corps, the not-quite-respectable Air Force of Britain. I won’t spoil it for you, but this series will take you to Scotland, China, Turkey, Prussia, France, Africa and so much further. And Temeraire is the wittiest dragon ever with a HUGE soft spot for shiny jewelry – I know it’s not healthy, but I am a bit jealous of Laurence for having him

The 6th book, Tongues of Serpents is to be released in July (little happy dance) and hopefully Peter Jackson will get cracking on that film soon – that’s right, the Lord of the Rings producer is making “Temeraire” in the near future (2011 according to imdb.com).

Till next post, I leave you with one of my favorite cartoons of all time

Back to School

Me and School have a love-hate relationship. I hated (most of) it… until I graduated with a degree in administration and realized I hated working in an office even more. So I went back to school – psychology this time. But it still wasn’t what I wanted, plus I had to work to keep myself in school. So what was suppose to be a learning experience, quickly became something else to do between working and sleeping. I didn’t much like the way my life was going and I decided to change it.

Now, a year and an immigration process later, I’m back in school. Or at least I will be, starting this fall. I know this time is different (don’t snicker!) because this time I’m doing what I love: Jewellry Arts. It’s a 3-year program at George Brown College and I hope it will help me make the transition from crafter to jeweler. I love making things and get so frustrated at times when I have a design in mind and I don’t yet have the skills or the tools to bring it to life.

The past couple of months have been a bit slow and trying for me, not much happening: new town, new people, away from friends and family and on a strict budget due to the decision of not getting sucked into another cubicle job that drains all my energy. But, as someone told me, we all need some time off to figure things out and map out our future. So I’m leaving all guilt about not being a responsible adult aside and I’m enjoying my last months of self-employment freedom: working on my Etsy shop until 2 in the morning, waking up at 11 and having my coffee in my pjs while watching an episode of Leverage, then going about Fantasy Bijoux business until I get hungry or tired or until I forget that I’m hungry or tired. And, more importantly, taking time off whenever I feel like it – now I love working weekends!

Jewelry Supplies in Montreal

As I might have mentioned before, I currently live in Montreal, Quebec. As most artisans living off their craft, I tried finding that one special supplier offering good quality, variety and pleasant service, all at affordable prices. Haven’t found them yet, but I’m still looking. Till then, I’m making a list of the suppliers I’ve used, with their pros and cons.

• BIDZ – 3945-A St. Denis, Montreal, H2W 2M4 (Phone: 514-286 2421). Bidz is a wonderful bead shop on St. Denis with extremely nice, helpful staff, a good variety of glass, wooden, semi-precious beads and other craft supplies. Last October I bought a starting batch of supplies from them, took a couple of their workshops and was very happy with what they offered. If you’re just starting out, it’s a really nice shop: they have a little workspace for their customers where you can bead away with any supplies you want, read the books on display and they’re always ready to help. However, their prices are a bit high and, even if they offer wholesale, you’re probably going to want to find something cheaper in case you’re interested in a large purchase.
• FRABELS – 5580 rue Paré, Montreal, H4P 2M1 (Phone: 514-842 8561). When buying wholesale, Frabels is the place to go. They have a huge showroom with tons of merchandise, from chains, findings and cords to glass beads, Swarovski crystals, gemstones to trimmings and tools. You can pretty much find anything you want in there. On one condition: your purchase must be over 200$ (officially – I’ve gotten away with purchases of 150$ thanks to some helpful employees ). The service is ok if you’re in the showroom, but if  you want to reach them by email, don’t expect a reply very soon. Another problem with Frabels is that they don’t price their products, you have to ask an employee for prices or your total purchase so far. They do have a website, but if you’re not a member, the price isn’t posted (it takes a while to get your membership approved).
• CHATONBEADS – 7541 rue St-Hubert, Montreal, H2R 2N7 (Phone: 514-278 8989). The cheaper alternative to Frabels is Chatonbeads. They offer a great variety of glass, plastic, wooden beads, shell, semi-precious stones and crystals, along with cheap findings and cord and wire. The prices are low and they offer great discounts (25% off for purchases over 250$ and 50% off for purchases over 500$), plus there is no minimum purchase policy. The problem I’ve had with them is that their semi-precious stones aren’t tagged. They show the price, but I don’t know what I’m buying. When I asked what kind of stone that was, they just said “Semi-precious”. I asked what kind of semi-precious and couldn’t get an answer. I was forced to google it at home. In addition to that, their gemstones don’t seem like the best quality to me. True, I’m not a gemologist (yet ), but I did a bit of research and if you want quality stones, find another supplier. But if you’re interested in crystals, glass beads, cheap findings and chains, it’s a great store (also stay clear of the brass wire – it’s not manageable and the coating peels off easily).
• GARNITURES DRESSMAKER’S LTD – 2186 St. Catherine West, Montreal, H3H 1M7 (Phone: 514-935 7421). I discovered this shop recently, when I was desperately searching for sterling silver wire. It’s got a lot of sewing, tailoring and knitting supplies, but also some nice sterling silver findings, chains, wire and beads and gemstones. You can also find beading books and tools. They’re a bit expensive and I wouldn’t recommend it for a big purchase.

I’m not sure about the last one, but all others also have jewelry displays for sale and bags and boxes for gift wrapping.

So far, these are the places I’ve bought my supplies from. If you’ve shopped somewhere else, we’d love to hear your supply shopping experiences

Define your business

That’s among the first things they tell you when opening your own business: make sure you know what it is, what your target customers are and write it all down. Easier said than done, especially when you just want to bend wire, string beads and let inspiration carry you. I’ve been putting it off for ages and it’s time to get to work (not the fun kind of work, but still better than the death-inducing cubicle type from before).

So I took out all the jewelry I’ve made and asked myself: Who would wear this? Me – popped into my head. OK, what kind of person am I? Well, I like freedom, nature, music, being my own person without worrying about others’ opinions. I like doing what I want, when I want it, I like speaking my mind and I don’t give a tiny rat’s ass about society imposed values that don’t resonate within. So I’m kind of a gypsy… with the long flowing skirts, but without the stealing of horses. And I mostly make gypsy-like, bohemian jewelry: big earrings, bold colors, chunky bracelets, long necklaces in earthy tones.

Figuring this out helped me realize what my customer base might be. I know we all want everybody to like and buy our stuff, but that’s just not gonna happen. So my next step is thinking up a marketing strategy to reach my intended customers.

Have you planned your business for your customers or are you waiting to see who likes what?

Taking Care of Your Little Treasures

Sterling Silver Jewelry

We all know the beautiful shine of silver. But what exactly is sterling silver? It is a very popular silver alloy in jewelry making, as pure silver is too soft to be successfully used.  It contains at least 92.5 percent pure silver and is usually marked with .925. The remaining percent is often copper, which hardens it but also makes it prone to tarnish or oxidation – a darkening in its coloration when exposed to gases in the air.

This can be prevented by keeping your sterling silver in anti-tarnish bags or anti-tarnish cloth, both of which can usually be found in a craft supplies store. Of course, you can make your own tarnish prevention bags, with a cheap plastic zip-lock bag in which you place a piece of  anti-tarnish strip. Just be careful to replace the strip as advised on label (usually every nine months). Try to avoid storing your sterling silver with other metals, rubber or on wooden surfaces, as these cause tarnish and damage.

Over  time, sterling silver develops a patina, which has it’s own charm. However, if you prefer the shinier look of silver, you can use a soft 100% cotton polishing cloth to restore it to its previous state.  You can buy a sterling silver cleaner or can make your own cleaning solution by adding a small amount of mild liquid soap or detergent into half a cup of warm water. Do not use polishing solution on gemstones! Rinse the silver carefully with clean water and fully dry your jewelry before storage. You might have heard that toothpaste can be used to clean silver. It’s a cheap method that can work pretty well, but I must advise that a lot of toothpaste brands are abrasive and can scratch the metal. If you don’t want to risk it, better not try it!

Just remember, the more you wear it, the harder it is for it to oxidize!

Silver Plated Jewelry

Silver plated refers to a metal coated with a thin layer of silver.  That metal, especially when it comes to accessories, is, more often than not, copper.

The same methods used to clean sterling silver can also be successfully used on silver plated items. But, due to the fact that the item is only plated with silver, you must be careful not to wear out the plate or scratch it. I would suggest using a smaller amount of cleaner or a milder solution. Always remember to use a soft, 100% cotton cloth to avoid scratches.

Because silver plated items can be damaged more quickly by cleaning, it’s better to prevent oxidation. Store your jewelry properly, keep it out of the open air and avoid humid environments (try putting a piece of cotton in your storage unit to absorb humidity).  Be careful when placing your jewelry in a cardboard box or on paper, as these might contain chemicals which can produce sulfur and accelerate the tarnish process.

Copper Jewelry

Copper is a reddish brown metal, closely related to silver and gold. It ranges from a shiny rose coloration to a warm brown, depending on its age and the oxidation stage.  According to the type of jewelry you have, you can choose to keep it new and bright or to let it develop a lovely patina that gives it more depth.

If you opt for the shinier look, you can prevent tarnish by keeping it in anti-tarnish bags or cloth, in a cool, dry place. When cleaning it, use a soft cloth.  You can use a commercial cleaner or make your own solution with a cup of vinegar, 1 spoon of salt and a pot of boiling water and let your copper jewelry soak for a couple of minutes. Rinse well with water and wipe dry with cotton cloth.

In case your copper jewelry contains gemstones, especially porous ones like turquoise, do not use such soaking cleaning solution, as they will damage the stones. Try instead to carefully rub the copper around the stones.

Please remember to remove your jewelry when applying lotion, taking a shower, washing dishes or going swimming.

Tiger’s-Eye

Precious or semi-precious? In less politically correct times, all gemstones apart from the “big 4″ (diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire) were considered semi-precious. Fortunately, nowadays the word “precious” is also used to describe beautiful gemstones such as: malachite, cat’s-eye, quartz cat’s-eye (and it’s variations, tiger’s-eye and hawk’s-eye), tourmaline, amethyst, agate, jade, amber, alexandrite, turquoise, lapis lazuli and so many more.

In the following posts, I’ll take a closer look at some of my favorite gems. It’s a subject I’ve become interested in recently and I wanted to take a few notes on it. All the information is taken from books such as Gemstones of the World by Walter Schumann, Gemstones – Understanding, Identifying, Buying by Keith Wallis FGA and Jewels: A Secret History by Victoria Finlay, an interesting book written by a journalist on a search for the stories behind the stones. And of course, everyone’s best friend.

Tiger’s-Eye

My first encounter with gemstones took place at a very young age, when I used to get really bored around the house and started going through my mom’s stuff. That’s how I found a little box of treasures, her jewelry box. Everything seemed so “shiny” to me then, but I remember being very impressed by these little beads that were just … there. Not part of a necklace, not broken earrings. And I wondered why, because they were too beautiful to not be worn! I finally got the courage to admit to my mother I had been snooping around and I asked her about it. She told me they were semi-precious stones called tiger’s-eye and that I should keep them a secret. This was, of course, before the Romanian Revolution in December 1989, when we were still under the communist regime and no one was supposed to own anything of slight value. After discovering them, I couldn’t help myself and everyday, when I was alone in the house, I used to sneak and look at them – to me they were more interesting than any doll. She knew, of course, and she gave them to me later on, as a birthday present. Last year, I brought them with me to Canada and I still can’t seem to want to make them part of a piece of jewelry.

Tiger’s-eye is formed from hawk’s-eye (blue variant), the iron in the chemical composition oxidizing to a brown color. Together with the quartz cat’s-eye, they belong to the quartz species, showing chatoyancy (the cat’s-eye effect) due to asbestos inclusions in the stone. Usual colors are gold-yellow or gold-brown. There is also a red tiger’s-eye, but it is artificially dyed. It has a Mohs’ hardness of 6 1/2 – 7, meaning it can scratch gems such as: amber, pearl, malachite, turquoise, opal, peridot, it is tougher than glass, a knife blade or a steel file. However, it can be scratched by any stone above 7 (zircon, tourmaline, garnet, emerald, topaz, spinel, chrysoberyl – the original cat’s-eye, cubic zirconia, ruby, sapphire and diamond).

Although brown has never been my favorite color, this stone will always be close to my heart, forever reminding me of that tiny treasure box at the back of a closet.

Another Day, Another Blog

I’ve just moved shop from here and I hope to have this blog up and running as soon as possible. This time, I hope to make it mostly content, so for photos please visit my Facebook Page. And you know, if you happen to stumble on the Like button…

If you are interested in owning and wearing one of a kind Fantasy Bijoux jewelry, you’re more than welcome to visit my online store at Etsy, the largest platform for selling and buying handmade and vintage stuff. Yup, handmade rocks!

For all you fellow Etsians out there, if you’re interested in being featured on my blog, send me a word – either leave a comment here, or convo me on Etsy.

Well, gotta get to work which is more like pleasure now. Have a great weekend everyone!