Etsy

I'm just mulling around this new advertising thing on Etsy.

I read this in the forums the other day, about why we shouldn't do it.
Previous to reading it I had already signed up for the $5 deal.  I think it gives you 5,000 impressions or something like that.

Then I read the post, and decided I should think about it more.

I'm kinda one of those people that takes things for what they are, and try not to complain about things that are beyond my control.  That being said, my sales have really bombed since they changed the relevancy thing.  And now this advertising thing.

Maybe it's the loss of control I thought I had when I was able to renew items to bump them to the top.  At least I felt like I was doing something to try to get my stuff noticed.

I guess the advertising deal would kinda give me the same feeling, but what I really want to know is if it's worth it.  I guess there's really no way to know without giving it a go right?

Maybe I've already answered my own question.
I think I'll give it a trial run.  I guess it won't be any more than I was spending on renewing.

I don't know.

What do you guys think?

San Antonio Part 2

We also visited The Market while we were in San Antonio. It is an indoor marketplace made up of all kinds of little shops selling imports mainly from Mexico and South America. The girls had $ burning a whole in their pockets, so Adriana bought a little coin purse and a little wooden box full of worry dolls from Guatemala. Isabella bought a stuffed Armadillo with a little purple bow on it's head. I picked up a couple of hand painted soap dishes, and my dad and husband both bought these woven hats. Arturo looks like Poncho Villa in his, and my dad looks like Panama Jack! I'm kicking myself now for not getting a picture of them wearing them!

The above pictures were part of a killer display at one of the shops. Mexicans use a lot of skulls and skeletons in their art as a remembrance to their ancestors.





There was a building in down town that had all of these poor miserable looking people built into it. The faces are just eerie, and the people look absolutely miserable, like they are responsible for holding up the weight of the building, and have been doing it for an eternity. I wish I knew more about the history of the architecture of the building. It was really interesting...

Between shopping in San Antonio, and in Fredricksburg, I saw a lot of hand crafted jewelry. It is interesting to step outside of the Etsy bubble and see what the rest of the world is doing jewelry wise. I've only ever sold my jewelry on-line, and have only done one art show. I've not even contemplated taking my jewelry to boutiques, or other places locally that may take consignments.

There were a couple of things that struck me while checking out retail jewelry. One, the prices were so high!!! One boutique had quite a few silver cuffs with stones and detail work that on Etsy would have sold for around $ 200 listed for $ 450. The other thing I noticed, and it could be just because I am used to the jewelry artists on Etsy, Etsy has so much more to offer. I saw store after store filled with jewelry that all had the same look. A lot of American South West designs. I grew up seeing these designs, to me they are not fresh. They are not updated, they aren't modern.

When I discovered Etsy just over a year ago, it really opened up a whole new world for me. Joining such a large marketplace, with so much to offer showed me things being done that I had never thought possible. Selling on Etsy really makes a person step up their game, create beyond their limits, do things they never thought possible. The way we all influence each other can be both good and bad. Influenced to the point of copying? Clearly not acceptable... but being pushed to create to the utmost of your abilities because you want to be at the top of the heap? I've seen amazing things because of this.....

Anyway, this post took a turn somewhere ;) So back to the prices of retail jewelry...are they out of line, or are we??????

Thinking out loud.

I just recently went pro at ArtFire for my supply shop. While perusing the forums this afternoon, I found a post saying that in March they're going to raise the pro sellers fee to $ 15 a month. It might have even been 15.95, I can't remember.

This gives me food for thought. Do I want to go pro with AmyNicole over there too? I have a basic account right now, that is so dead, I forget it exists. Which could be part of the problem, that I forget it I mean. I don't do any promotion at all over there for my jewelry. I have started promoting RubyMtnBeads a little though. No results yet.

Here is my conundrum. Does ArtFire have potential? Or are they just the anti-Etsy? I'm not trying to be harsh. I'm just trying to look at the place with open eyes. Is this going to be good for my business? I don't know what Etsy was like at the beginning. I just wish I had found them sooner. ArtFire is not really visually appealing. There I said it.

I love the fact that ArtFire is trying to be fair to everyone, ie front page items are rotated at random, searches by relevancy, unchecked forums, etc, etc, whatever. But the front page is a visual assault to the eyes. It is not appealing at all. Just any old thing, photographed any which way is up there. I mean there is plenty of less than pretty items on Etsy too, but you don't see them on the front page.

I've seen complaints in the Etsy forums that the front page is only geared to attracting a certain clientele. Which I do agree with, however, the beauty of the front page makes buyers want to walk in the cyber doors and have a look around the place.

I've seen questions in the AF forum about why AF doesn't have a just sold feed like Etsy does. Could it be because they just aren't making the sales over there? Oh, AF forums. So boring. Except when they're fighting. Don't get me started.

Anyway, after all this, I think I have answered my own question. I just don't think I can justify spending an extra $ 144 a year for AmyNicole on AF. The place just isn't there yet. Who knows when and if it ever will be.

Ruby Mountain Reviews

Don't forget to enter my first give-a-way. Click on first give-a-way in the archive section of this blog for details!






Presenting a new feature on Ruby Mountain Beads blog! I will be reviewing hand made items that I purchase! The first product is Lemon Slice soap by DeShawn Marie.

I first found DeShawn Marie on Twitter. There are many wonderful artisans out there on Twitter, Facebook, Blogspot, etc. We are everywhere and have taken over every corner of the Blogosphere! DeShawn Marie's company became one that I quickly began to admire for her presentation of her product over the internet.

DeShawn Marie drew me in with her lovely images and descriptions of handmade soaps. There are almost as many soap artisans out there as there are jewelry artisans, but DeShawn Marie grabbed my attention right away. Once I had made the decision to purchase a bar, the difficulty came in deciding which scent I wanted. I decided to purchase Lemon Slice through DeShawn Marie's Etsy shop (Click Here to view listing)

The soap arrived in my mailbox quickly, and when I opened the package I was immediately impressed by the beautiful gold box with a custom DeShawn Marie sticker, and thank you letter (on letterhead!) that the soap came with. The soap itself was wrapped lovingly in tissue.

My little slice of lemon soap is as beautiful as the pictures. It smells wonderful, lathers well, and leaves my hands feeling oh so soft! I wouldn't hesitate to order from DeShawn Marie again, especially for gifts. I know that the gift the recipient will receive will be nothing but the best. Take a stroll through her shop! You will be happy that you did.

Spreading the handmade love has been a lot of fun and I am enjoying my purchase. Stay tuned for more reviews!

All About Blood

I've read that in order to draw people to my blog, I should blog about something interesting. That I shouldn't just blog about what I am making, or items related only to what I make. To draw people to my blog I should do features, tutorials, and contests/give a ways. Whew!

It all makes sense. I mean, how else am I going to get people to notice me here in cyberspace with my craft table out full of jewelry and findings?

If you've read any of my previous posts, you'll know that I am now an official Etsy fanatic.

There are some of the most amazing and beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. The Etsy community is fabulous too. Everyone is friendly and helpful. I hadn't really thought of buying handmade before I discovered Etsy, but now, if I need supplies I always try to buy from a fellow Etsian. I even have my eye on some favorites I would love to treat myself with.

That brings me to today's post. It is All About Blood featuring Etsy sellers. Enjoy!

Dragon's Blood Soap

by FairyBubbles

Dragon's Blood Soap. I love that name! And the name of the shop it came from.

Click here for Etsy listing

by RedHeart13

Elizabeth Bathory's Necklace. This necklace is in keeping with the blood theme, and absolutely gorgeous!

Click here to view Etsy listing

by CountryWorkShop

This one reminds me of my friend who right now is Vampire crazy. It started with New Moon, of course, and has continued with Anne Rice's vampires. I have a special fascination for Vampires myself. They are probably my favorite preternatural creature.

by VulvaLoveLovely

Handmade, reusable menstrual pads. I'm sorry, but these blew my mind the first time I saw them. I hate to admit how shallow I am that I had never thought of such a thing! But are these amazing or what? So surely there are others who have never heard of these. I knew I wanted to do a feature on these the minute I ran across them.

Bottle Caps

Bottle caps, bottle caps, bottle caps. This picture has a lot of reflections from the lights in the room, but you get the idea.

A friend of mine made a bottle cap necklace for her little girl. I thought it was the cutest thing, and decided to make some for my girls too. Luckily my friend willingly shares her crafting secrets and told me exactly how to do it and where to go to get the supplies.

Shortly after I started making bottle cap necklaces, I discovered Etsy. www.etsy.com LOVE, LOVE, LOVE , Etsy. I can spend hours just browsing all of the brilliant art work. But, I digress. During one of my marathon Etsy browsing sessions, I discovered graphics already formatted to the size I needed for the bottle caps! Yay!!!

I quickly discovered that I was addicted to buying graphics on-line. It was too easy. I pick what I want, I pay for it, and the graphics are e-mailed to me usually within a couple of hours. No shipping fees, almost instantaneous gratification, relatively cheap, I was totally hooked! Each cute little image makes me want to own it. Just like each bead I run across.

That brings me to the subject of today's post. Bottle caps! I do enjoy making them for my girls, but as usual I have taken it to an extreme, and have more than they could possibly ever wear.

There is a local artists market in the town I live in. There was a lady there selling bottle caps on ball chains for $ 12.00 a piece. $ 12.00!!!!????? So, I listed some on Etsy for $ 4 to $ 5 a piece. I've sold 3. Oh well, at least the girls have a wide variety of bottle caps to choose from.

The other plus (or is it a plus?), all the unused bottle caps I purchased will be listed in Humboldt Supplies. I hope they can find a home and a use.