I have to say that I've tried selling items from my Facebook fan page and it doesn't work for me. But recently I noticed one of my lampwork friends posting about a private Facebook page for auctioning lampwork beads. I was skeptical, so I messaged her and asked a ton of questions.
When she told me her sales were better then anywhere else online and that she was closing down her selling Etsy and Artfire shops I knew I had to give it a try, and am I glad I did!
My auctions usually run for 24-48 hrs. And within the first 24 hrs I had already made a sale. And again the next day. I have to say I'm pretty happy. I haven't sold everything I've listed, but that's okay!
I love the idea of being able to interact with the buyers, and I'm available to answer questions if needed. What buyer wouldn't want that?
This group is called Artisan Lampwork Beads For Sale . This is a closed group, but you can easily join by clicking one button. They monitor it very strictly to make sure only artisan beads are listed. And that's really good. So if you make lampwork or like to buy it head on over there and sign up. You won't be sorry!
June 22, 2014
And It Only Took Me One Year!
I find it funny that I come back to my blog to write this and see that it's been basically one year since I last posted here. And that the thoughts I had posted were the exact same thing that I came back to post about today! So here goes....
I've made up my mind. And it only took a year! I will be discontinuing hand stamped metal. I won't be giving it up completely. I'll keep some supplies so I can stamp words of inspiration, but no more custom orders. But I'm very happy to announce that I'll be going back to lampwork beads!
It's been a really long time since I've been able to sit at the torch, years I think. I have a lot of catching up to do, and a million tutorials to read through for inspiration.
What changed my mind? I have a new day job which is going to be super busy with a lot of overtime from October through February. That in itself will make it impossible for me to keep up with custom orders during the busy holiday season. So I had to make the decision, and that made it a whole lot easier. And I have to say, a ton of weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
I've had a blast creating hand stamped jewelry, it's been very successful and a whole lot of fun. I feel this could have been something I could have quit my day job for. But as life moves forward and the need for health insurance becomes more and more important I need a stable job where health insurance is offered. I'm sure many of you can understand that.
I'm not entirely thrilled with this new job. I'll have to make collections calls at some point each month, which I will dread. But the people I work with are great and there are plenty of team members so I can now take vacations that are longer then 2-3 days. Which is something I sorely needed. After years of working with only a few days off at a time I was ready to go insane! So that was a trade off, for sure.
But I believe things happen for a reason so I'm thrilled to be back at a craft I love: lampwork. And we'll see where this new job takes me. I can always change later on. So stack of colored glass, HERE I COME!!
I've made up my mind. And it only took a year! I will be discontinuing hand stamped metal. I won't be giving it up completely. I'll keep some supplies so I can stamp words of inspiration, but no more custom orders. But I'm very happy to announce that I'll be going back to lampwork beads!
It's been a really long time since I've been able to sit at the torch, years I think. I have a lot of catching up to do, and a million tutorials to read through for inspiration.
What changed my mind? I have a new day job which is going to be super busy with a lot of overtime from October through February. That in itself will make it impossible for me to keep up with custom orders during the busy holiday season. So I had to make the decision, and that made it a whole lot easier. And I have to say, a ton of weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
I've had a blast creating hand stamped jewelry, it's been very successful and a whole lot of fun. I feel this could have been something I could have quit my day job for. But as life moves forward and the need for health insurance becomes more and more important I need a stable job where health insurance is offered. I'm sure many of you can understand that.
I'm not entirely thrilled with this new job. I'll have to make collections calls at some point each month, which I will dread. But the people I work with are great and there are plenty of team members so I can now take vacations that are longer then 2-3 days. Which is something I sorely needed. After years of working with only a few days off at a time I was ready to go insane! So that was a trade off, for sure.
But I believe things happen for a reason so I'm thrilled to be back at a craft I love: lampwork. And we'll see where this new job takes me. I can always change later on. So stack of colored glass, HERE I COME!!
June 21, 2013
Cross Roads, Which Way Will I Turn
As I sit here with two minutes to go before I need to get ready to work I suddenly feel the need to put this in writing. I've been so incredibly busy lately with work at my day job, family, friends and life. And I love it. But it leaves little free time for my wonderful handstamping work.
Just before Father's Day I took the week off from online selling and I have to admit I was relieved not to have to check my emails every hour and update listing and do this and that and the other thing. So I started to get this idea...what if....
What if I took the summer off?
But then this little question grew into....What if I just went back to lampworking and made beads when I wanted. No custom orders, no stamping, no pushing orders out the door. And I felt relief with that idea.
So, being a cheap skate I decided I would let my items expire over the summer and see how it goes, and see how I feel. I may yet just put my shops on vacation again, and give my brain some relief.
More to come....
Just before Father's Day I took the week off from online selling and I have to admit I was relieved not to have to check my emails every hour and update listing and do this and that and the other thing. So I started to get this idea...what if....
What if I took the summer off?
But then this little question grew into....What if I just went back to lampworking and made beads when I wanted. No custom orders, no stamping, no pushing orders out the door. And I felt relief with that idea.
So, being a cheap skate I decided I would let my items expire over the summer and see how it goes, and see how I feel. I may yet just put my shops on vacation again, and give my brain some relief.
More to come....
April 11, 2013
A Great Giveaway For My Wonderful Customers
I am thrilled to announce that I have a giveaway being hosted on Aquariann's blog Fantasy Art And Tree Chatter! So head on over there and sign up. There are a lot of ways to get your name in there for chances to win.
I'm offering a $30.00 gift certificate so you can create any custom hand stamped treasure you have in mind. It will be a great gift for you, or for a loved one as well.
I'm offering a $30.00 gift certificate so you can create any custom hand stamped treasure you have in mind. It will be a great gift for you, or for a loved one as well.
<a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/2013/04/jewelry-giveaway-mothers-day-gift.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/giveaways/125x125-dzignbyjamie.jpg" alt="Jewelry Giveaway" border="0"></a>
Click the picture above to head over to the giveaway!
And while you are over there check out her blog. It's loaded with great treasuries and other awesome giveaways. Enjoy!
February 02, 2013
Wellness Words Jewelry Challenge
I love reading blogs, and one of my favorites is Make Bracelets by Tracy. Tracy is very talented and I love to see what great creations she comes up with. For 2013 Tracy has challenged us with a Wellness Words Jewelry Challenge, how COOL is that!
We were asked to choose a word of meaning and create using that. I had a lot of words I wanted to use and it took more time to figure out which word I wanted to use.
As I was re-working one of my pieces I decided that it was perfect for the inspiration challenge. My word is FLY.
About a year ago I decided to expand my jewelry from lampwork to hand stamped metal. I've been so happy with the success and it's been so much fun!
So my inspiration word to everyone is FLY. Trying something new can be scary. But, if you don't take the leap you'll never know how high you can fly!
Check out the other great challenge entries here:
January 20, 2013
A Day Of Accomplishments
Wow, what a title! Makes me feel like I flew to the moon or something amazing!! lol But actually, yesterday was a great day of accomplishments for me.
Since I work a full time job and make jewelry and lampwork on the side, there's not much time for household necessities. I always manage to find time to paint or rearrange the furniture, but I rarely manage to get anything productive done around the house. Until yesterday.
About six years ago we tore the wall down in our galley style kitchen and widened it by two feet. It doesn't sound like much but it was an amazing transformation. And I was thrilled to finally have more storage. But, the weird thing was that it didn't seem like there really was more room for anything!
While browsing the webpages of Better Homes and Gardens the other day I came across some organization ideas for the pantry. And a huge light bulb went off over my head. Did you see the bright flash? I'm thinking you did!
So, Friday after work I made my way over to my local Target (LOVE Target) for some organizing supplies. I wanted some of those double tiered spinning lazy susans and some wire racks. I do have to say that I was really disappointed. They only had one size wire shelf, and no double tiered spinning anything. UGH! So, I settled with the one size they did have and went home.
I emptied out the whole pantry and the canned goods cabinet. While it was empty the marred white walls were screaming for a paint job. But I didn't have time for that. So I just wiped everything down and stacked my wire shelves and started putting the canned goods on them.
I threw out old food and packed up anything I wasn't using, and slowly filled the shelves, making sure I was making the best use of what little shelf space I had. And I was thrilled with the outcome!
I had been so excited to get started that it didn't even occur to me to get before pictures until I ran to get my camera after pantry was all nice and organized. Let's just say that it looked like everything was thrown in there by a monkey! That would be me :(
I managed to get most everything from the pantry back in there, along with all the canned goods from another cabinet, and boxes of bars from yet another cabinet! I put most of the snack bars in a basket for easy access and used my storage containers for other bulky packaged items (Tupperware-bottom shelf and OXO-top right).
I put the canned goods at eye level so they're easy to see, and the other boxed and bagged items are down below. And when the grand kids leave today they'll be taking their snacks home so there will be even more room down there!! Oh, the wire rack on the bottom shelf came from the cabinet were the canned goods used to be.
I'm so happy with how everything turned out. And now I have more room in three different cabinets!! How cool is that! And the cost of my pantry make-over: $9.98 plus tax!!
I'm no inspired to do some more organizing. I'm starting to enjoy it, and love getting inspiration online. I hope this has inspired you as well.
Happy organizing! You an do it!
January 05, 2013
Challenging Yourself AND Having Fun!
I'd much rather do something fun then "working". That's why I enjoy hand stamping and making lampwork beads. It's so much fun!! And to add to that fun I'm going to join a really cool challenge over at Making Bracelets.
I love that she talks about how doing what you love is healthy for you. I never really though of it as being "healthy", but it sure makes sense. I'm a lot happier, and being happy is a great step towards being healthy. Don't you think?
So, if you're up for a challenging 2013, join us! I know it will be fun :D
January 03, 2013
The 36th Avenue Blog
Awesome stuff, what can I say? There are always fun projects and great ideas to be found over there, and she hosts a blog party where you can link back to your blog. Check it out, there are tons of great ideas posted in this weeks party!
January 02, 2013
Valentine's Candy Hearts You Can Wear
Everybody loves candy hearts on Valentine's Day. You know, the ones with the super cute phrases! Well, everyone in my house does! ;) And I love them so much I was inspired to make this cute Candy Heart Necklace. Sorry, it's not edible, but it is made with love!
You can buy them on Etsy or The Craft Star! Each necklace has three hearts that can have very small quotes hand stamped on them. It makes the perfect gift for that special someone. Imagine proposing with this necklace!! Will U....Marry...Me? How could she say NO to that??
Here are some actual candy hearts for inspiration!
What will you create??
What will you create??
September 23, 2012
Work Shop Progress: Under Construction
My new workshop is coming along nicely. We've been working about 14 hour days every weekend for a month now. Everything always takes a lot more time then you expect. And it's always more work then expected. But it looks great!
We've nailed the paneling up on the walls and ceiling. We bought easy maintenance bead board, already coated in a nice soft white. But it can be painted, which is always good. I'm a gal who likes change.
I did all the wiring for the lights, which is really very easy to do. My hubby bought me my own pair of electrical pliers. He calls them T-5s, but we're really not sure on the technical name.
So here are the latest pics of our progress:
We've nailed the paneling up on the walls and ceiling. We bought easy maintenance bead board, already coated in a nice soft white. But it can be painted, which is always good. I'm a gal who likes change.
I did all the wiring for the lights, which is really very easy to do. My hubby bought me my own pair of electrical pliers. He calls them T-5s, but we're really not sure on the technical name.
So here are the latest pics of our progress:
top left: Me
top right: Ceiling fan
bottom left: the window
bottom right: the door and electrical box.
September 09, 2012
Make A Great Hobo Style Bag From A Scarf!
This is an amazing idea!! The first thing I thought of was that this idea would come in sooooo handy when you come across a craft sale or flea market. You can take a large scarf, which won't take up much space at all, and convert it into a great hobo bag to stuff full of goodies while shopping!!
August 19, 2012
A Dream Come True!
Yay! After waiting for years it's finally happening! I'm getting my studio. The concrete has been poured. And in less then two weeks the builders will be here. Once they start it will take about a week. Then my husband and I will work on the inside.
I will be using a white factory coated wainscoting fiber board from floor to ceiling, which will be easy to clean. My dad has some old wooden cabinets I will be hanging on the walls, and painting them a nice bright purple. And when I get bored I can choose any color I want. That's the beauty of having the main walls a nice neutral white.
I should mention that I don't get the whole building. It's a nice 12x24 feet, and half of it will be for hubby, he wants a sauna. That was one of the ways I was able to finally get him to agree. But hey! After all these years of working our butts off don't we deserve something we want? I say we do.
Want to know how we can afford this? We refinanced to a much lower interest rate. That was the big push my husband needed. Our refinancing brought our total interest paid and our monthly payments down. So the refinancing itself is paying for it. In the end, after paying for the building we're paying less money then if we hadn't refinanced!
Stay tuned, more to come!
I will be using a white factory coated wainscoting fiber board from floor to ceiling, which will be easy to clean. My dad has some old wooden cabinets I will be hanging on the walls, and painting them a nice bright purple. And when I get bored I can choose any color I want. That's the beauty of having the main walls a nice neutral white.
I should mention that I don't get the whole building. It's a nice 12x24 feet, and half of it will be for hubby, he wants a sauna. That was one of the ways I was able to finally get him to agree. But hey! After all these years of working our butts off don't we deserve something we want? I say we do.
Want to know how we can afford this? We refinanced to a much lower interest rate. That was the big push my husband needed. Our refinancing brought our total interest paid and our monthly payments down. So the refinancing itself is paying for it. In the end, after paying for the building we're paying less money then if we hadn't refinanced!
Stay tuned, more to come!
May 03, 2012
What Kind Of Trouble....
No trouble. Not at all. I never EVER get into trouble, not as long as my hands and mind are busy. Oh, wait. Busy minds can get you into trouble. Like when you're innocently looking around the net and come up with more ideas. So, let' see what kind of trouble I can get my brain into.
I went shopping and got myself a boat load of bracelet supplies. I'd never really thought too much more about bracelets other than some chain on both sides of a copper blank. But then I came across these cool leather wristband blanks.
In high school I had made a hand embossed leather wallet. It turned out great and and I loved it. I won't have time to get into full leather work, but I love the idea of stamping on metal and attaching it to leather. Now that I can do!! So, more to come on that.
Today my grand daughter learned metal stamping. She stamped her name on a copper cuff blank and she did a great job. I hope she enjoyed it and can find as much pleasure in creating as I do.
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| New Bracelet Supplies |
In high school I had made a hand embossed leather wallet. It turned out great and and I loved it. I won't have time to get into full leather work, but I love the idea of stamping on metal and attaching it to leather. Now that I can do!! So, more to come on that.
Today my grand daughter learned metal stamping. She stamped her name on a copper cuff blank and she did a great job. I hope she enjoyed it and can find as much pleasure in creating as I do.
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| Copper Cuff Bracelets |
April 30, 2012
Mother's Day Is Coming Fast!
Spring is upon us, and with that comes a very important holiday: Mother's Day. Don't forget your important gal. Give her the treasure of keepsake hand stamped jewelry. One of the hottest trends right now is metal hand stamped jewelry. Shiny metal with sparkling crystals, everything a gal loves!
Right now my Artfire shop has the biggest selection. So CLICK HERE to find some great items for your gal. And below I have just a few examples of some great gifts. Check em out. You can also shop on Etsy and Zibbet.
Right now my Artfire shop has the biggest selection. So CLICK HERE to find some great items for your gal. And below I have just a few examples of some great gifts. Check em out. You can also shop on Etsy and Zibbet.
April 29, 2012
A Giveaway From Me...
Sponsored on Aquariann's blog, Art And Tree Chatter. Aquariann is an amazing artist! Click here to check out her shop. And to celebrate this great giveaway I'm offering a rare 10% discount with coupon code: FAIRYDEAL.
And to check out my giveaway, click the pic below. Thanks Aquariann!
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| Click me!!! |
April 14, 2012
Down By The Frog Pond
While wandering around the Internet today I came across the cutest tutorial for little frog beads. I've made frog beads before, but these were so cute and the price was right so I thought "why not try something different today!" So I bought the tutorial and went straight to the garage....I mean my state of the art studio. And now I have some frogs hopping around in my kiln and I'm just dying to see how they turned out! Check back soon to see for yourself.
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| Tutorial cover picture. These are not my beads. |
March 29, 2012
For The Love Of Pets
Our family pets hold a special place in our hearts. They protect us, love us and even entertain us. No matter what kind of mood we're in they still love us. My dog will sit and listen to me complain, as long as I'm scratching him behind the ear, that is. So to celebrate our furry family members I've listed a small collection of pet related items.
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| Doggie Dresses |
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| Small Dog or Cat ID Tag |
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| Lampwork Collar Charm |
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| Large Dog ID Tag |
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| Cat ID Tag |
March 25, 2012
Great Things
Giveaways and tutorials, how can you get any better then that? Kind of hard, I'm guessing. And I came across these two as I was lounging away my Sunday at the computer.
First, let's talk about this giveaway. Yay, jewelry inspiration is always a plus, in my book. And this DVD is going to be packed with it. Actually, there are three DVDs to give away. This is just one of them. Just click the book cover to go to the blog and learn how you could win. Thanks Lori!!
And this great tutorial can help you turn a simple ball head pin into a cute little rosette for you jewelry designs. I love this, it's a small detail with big impact, don't you think! Just click the picture below to be taken to Kristen's blog tutorial. You'll also find a link to her Etsy shop where she sells all her yummy metal jewelry goodness. Thanks Keirsten!
December 18, 2011
My Blog Is Moving
Hello everyone! You may have noticed that it's been pretty quiet around here. I've been busy with Christmas orders and decision making.
I've decided to make my life easier and lower my overhead by combining my Metal Amore hand stamped metal jewelry shop with my Glasstastic Treasure shop. Everything will be under my Glasstastic Treasures link but will be renamed Dzign by Jamie! Please visit my new blog and follow it, I'd really appreciate it. You can Click Here to do that.
After the holidays I'll be moving items over to Glasstastic Treasures and emptying out my metal shop. It will be sad, I love the name I created for it and love stamping metal. But I am really going to love Dzign by Jamie. Because now no matter what my hands decide they want to do I can include them all in one sweet location!
I hope you'll join me in my new blog. See you there!
I've decided to make my life easier and lower my overhead by combining my Metal Amore hand stamped metal jewelry shop with my Glasstastic Treasure shop. Everything will be under my Glasstastic Treasures link but will be renamed Dzign by Jamie! Please visit my new blog and follow it, I'd really appreciate it. You can Click Here to do that.
After the holidays I'll be moving items over to Glasstastic Treasures and emptying out my metal shop. It will be sad, I love the name I created for it and love stamping metal. But I am really going to love Dzign by Jamie. Because now no matter what my hands decide they want to do I can include them all in one sweet location!
I hope you'll join me in my new blog. See you there!
August 04, 2011
Summer Can Begin Now?
Just wanted to update you all on Eric's condition. So far he's getting stronger. He still isn't able to stand or walk like he used to. Luckily he can sit at work through most of the day, so he still gets a pay check.
His second Lyme Disease test came back negative again. But he's been on his second dose of doxycyline so there's no sense doing another test.
Now what he needs is insurance. It's too late to help pay for the bills he already has, which is too bad because he's got a small fortune in bills. We're hoping Badger Care Plus will get to his application soon. Although he was 100,000 something on the waiting list when he applied. How sad is that? But if they can get to it in the next three months and he's eligible, they'll go back three months. We have our fingers crossed.
I want to thank everyone for their well wishes. It means a lot!
His second Lyme Disease test came back negative again. But he's been on his second dose of doxycyline so there's no sense doing another test.
Now what he needs is insurance. It's too late to help pay for the bills he already has, which is too bad because he's got a small fortune in bills. We're hoping Badger Care Plus will get to his application soon. Although he was 100,000 something on the waiting list when he applied. How sad is that? But if they can get to it in the next three months and he's eligible, they'll go back three months. We have our fingers crossed.
I want to thank everyone for their well wishes. It means a lot!
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