Business Cards -- Maximum Use; Minimal Cost!

I bet you like to save money as much as I do. I used to watch for online specials before ordering my business cards in various shapes & sizes. My skinny cards (like Moo cards) are double-sided & colorful. They're unique as business cards & pretty as hanging price tags for my necklaces. I also ordered 3 other cards featuring my brand "look" & logo, including a standard business card for handouts, a square card to hold & display my earrings, and a small card to string as price tags for small objects like pendants & bracelets. BUT ORDERING EACH SIZE SEPARATELY WAS RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE! What to do?

BRAINSTORM: To create all these cards, I now watch for specials on standard POSTCARD product! The high resolution image file I create in Photoshop Elements & upload to the online print business is exactly the postcard's size & includes graphics & cut-lines for 3 of the 4 cards sizes I need. Note that I added the orange margin so I wouldn't need to be so careful submitting my "bleed measurements." (I don't like math:) I chop off the orange.

I wanted contact info on the backside of my Moo-like cards, requiring 2 images, with matching cut-lines. I line up multiples of colorful jewelry pics on one side & my logo & contact info on the other side. The extra time spent aligning the back & front cut-lines exactly is worth the effort!

When my postcards arrive, I'm busy with the paper cutter until I've cut enough for the current project, but I can cut through 2 postcards at a time. As I chop, chop, I remind myself that I got THREE TIMES the product for 1/3 the price, & I did it all myself:) So the final image large enough for the postcard contains whatver size & shape card designs I might want, with cut marks to help with my paper-cutting task. The hardest part is preparing any backside image (contact info) so that its cut-lines exactly match the frontside image.

What online print shop do you use? I usually use Vista Print because of their frequent "free" product specials, where I pay only a reasonable shipping fee, plus a one-time fee to upload a particular image.

Special Gifts for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a big deal in our culture, and I hope to foster this tradition. (Ok, I'm a proud mother & feel I earned the Big Deal:)

Q: How could I combine my favorite passion with Mother's Day?
A: By making Wire-Art jewelry, personalized with 0-3 children!

See full descriptions in my Etsy Shop!

International Sales -- Yes or No?

Shortly after opening my Etsy shop, I did major research before opting to include international buyers. It seemed complicated, & I wondered if it was worth the hassle. For example, I learned that "jewelry" on a Customs form might cause problems, as many destination countries exclude fine jewelry, gemstones, etc. Though all these issues seemed overwhelming, the allure of opening my market to the rest of the world won me over in the end.

My "Plan for International Sales":

• Shipping -- U.S. Postal Service's "First Class International- Small Package"- the lowest cost method for my small, light-weight items.
• Insurance -- U-Pic.com - 800-955-4623- 3rd party insurer, reasonably priced, excellent customer service. NOTE: They won't insure certain destination countries.
• Customs Form -- Depends on how shipped, item's size, & value. For me, Customs Form 2976 was right. Here's a chart outlining which form to use & another helpful "how-to" website.
• Product Category for Customs form -- This is a tricky business if you make quality jewelry. I chose the "Fashion Accessory" category to label my jewelry, a tip from a USPS postal worker. BUT I had my fingers crossed for its success.
• Beware of "Gift" category -- It's tempting to help out the buyer by tagging your product as a "Gift" on the Customs form, BUT this is illegal and you likely will get caught & fined. Certainly not worth it!
• Transit time -- Depends on the destination, but generally from 1 wk to 1 month.
• Tracking -- Another tricky business. It's really all about insurability, right? If the item is lost, with or without tracking, will you lose your item & your money reimbursing the buyer? I only considered low-price shipping==> USPS. (Who would pay $35 for expensive, tracked shipping on a $35-$90 item?) Besides, when using USPS in any form, the package is released to the local mail service of the destination country, so what good is USPS tracking at that point? U-Pic.com will insure un-tracked USPS shipping.
• If Lost or Damaged - I'd ask the buyer to wait 3-4 weeks for it, then credit my buyer myself, while I filed my claim with U-Pic.com to reimburse me. If damaged, I'd get pictures from the buyer, reimburse her myself, & file a claim. I've been lucky so far.
• Disclaimer About Customs Fees- I posted a note in my Policies page that Customs & other taxes are the buyer's responsibility.
• Sales Receipt- Pack it with the item to confirm for Customs what buyer paid.

THE RESULTS--
Unfortunately online sales remain insignificant, compared to loyal local fans of my work. BUT I never anticipated one possibility ==> That one international buyer would think my Shipping Fee included her Customs fee. (She didn't read my Policy statement?) If she accepted the delivery, the base Customs fee in the U.K. for this item would be about 50% of her purchase price...an outrageous tax! I felt terrible. She felt terrible.

I made TWO important decisions: I offered to reimburse her total purchase price if she chose to refuse the item, which her postal service would return-to-sender free (by international agreement)... eventurally, OR I'd split her Customs fee with her. She opted to pay the fee & keep her earrings.

My 2nd decision was to quit selling internationally. If I worked even harder to have an online presence, I might walk the risky international path with my jewelry, but so far, international business for me has not been worth the trouble. I'm certain that many other kinds of products aren't slapped with such penalty fees abroad, but sellers of quality jewelry will face hassles, & buyers in many countries will likely pay dearly. Luckily most buyers abroad are well aware of their country's fees before they buy from us.

Don't Forget to Pack Your Passion

I confess. I really don't need an excuse to pack my jewelry paraphernalia when I travel. So here I go again, loaded with the beading tools allowed in carry-on baggage & the disallowed in my checked bag. I've got about 5 hours sitting each way at airports or on plane PLUS about 15 hours driving around the SW laughing & gabbing with 3 girlfriends of 30 years PLUS about 15 hours of downtime when I'm not with my 3 "sisters." That adds up to a lot of new beaded jewelry to include in my 2011 Spring Collection. The biggest challenge before leaving is to package each beading project in ziplocks, while remembering to bring all the wire, crimps, & legal tools required. Oh, and my clothes! Off I go again:)

Cruising with Beads

I was supposed to be fully recovered from major surgery by the time the Caribbean cruise on NCL's Epic was scheduled. But Mother Nature has her own ideas, right? The doctor said I could do the cruise, but without any of the water fun around me -- no ocean, no hot tubs or pools, & worst of all NO WILD WATER SLIDES!

SO...

I packed up an extra large supply of new beads, all my tools that TSA approves for flights & cruises, & sat where I could SEE the water slides. It might not have been the most fun I could have on a cruise, but it was the most productive:) PLUS several cruisers talked me out of some of my creations for money. Not bad!

MORAL: Clouds might have silver linings after all!

 

2011- The Year to Invest in Equipment

Have you been keeping a Wish List of Goodies to buy for your business? A new sewing machine? Maybe a kiln? A dapping block? Mannequins? Expensive tools? Thanks to "Tax Relief Act of 2010" recently passed by Congress, this is my year to BUY!

The GOAL of the provision is to encourage business, especially small business, to invest in itself in 2011 to stimulate the economy.

The BENEFIT is that a business can fully deduct the cost of qualifying equipment bought in 2011 instead of depreciating it over several years.

Be sure to discuss with your tax advisor the benefits & restrictions on this "Section 179 Deduction" for 2011. By purchasing business equipment & taking this deduction, you'll reduce your taxable business income for the year as well as your income tax liability. If your 179 deduction exceeds your business income for 2011, then you might qualify to carry the loss forward to future years under revised Bonus Depreciation rules. Presumably the requirement to make a profit 3 out of 5 years still applies, however, which might affect how extravagant you can be with your purchases in 2011. I trust Basic Turbo Tax to get me through the tax maze again this year. At any rate, small business owners with a growing Wish List won't need to count on the whims of Santa in 2011:)

Here are some items on my Wish List :

Growing Up To Excel

Making jewelry is not just about making jewelry. By January 31, I must pay WA the sales tax I collected on their behalf during 2010. This process is not nearly as much fun as making jewelry!

I'm only marginally proficient at Excel spreadsheets, so for 5 years I've maintained a table for each year's sales data using Word. Word has been barely adequate for this purpose. SO...

I'm bracing to stumble up another learning curve- Excel! The syntax of formulas that make Excel such a powerful tool is my biggest challenge at the moment. I must say, I was rather proud of my first sophisticated Excel formula==>

=(IFERROR(F2/(1+H2),"Verify calc")

It determines the base price of an item sold, given (F2) its gross price including sales tax & (H2) the sales tax rate. Excel puts the result in the single cell I highlight (G2). If Excel encounters a problem, IFERRORS places my "Verify" string in cell (G2)instead. I "drag" the G2 cell down the column to perform the same operation on the matching F & H cells.

I think I might be "in like" with Excel, especially if next year, this is a whole lot easier!!

Exploring a Motif or Style

I strive for variety in jewelry design. Apparently this variety is unusual enough that customers comment on it often at craft shows & on my website albums. To tie such variety together, I've chosen a rich, black background for both my craft booth & my website albums. Variety keeps my artsy passion alive & challenging for me.

But sometimes a little design motif fascinates me so much that I can't let it go, which explains the recurring appearance of the "dot on a stem," for example. And, of course, this clean, spare motif requires a clean, spare design. So far, it has represented a decorative feature among wire curves, a moon near a mountain, flowers in a garden, & sprigs in a bouquet. It even appeared without the dot as cactus in my pendant High Desert. My imagination is working overtime, so I suspect you'll see the dot again. Stay tuned:)

Merry Christmas!

A Big Thank You to all the friends of Classic Beadwear (aka Seattle Chic Jewelry) for making 2010 a good year, despite the lousy economy. I am humbled & truly grateful.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas & a New Year filled with Love, Family, Friends, & Imagination -- what makes life worth living:)

Fondly, Cherylz

Fresh Look for a Fresh Start

H.A.P.P.Y...H.O.L.I.D.A.Y.S!

I hope you're all surviving another hectic holiday season still smiling & feeling that "your glass is at least half full":)

It's been a strange month for me. As I was gearing up for my last holiday craft show, I learned that I needed major surgery & was lucky to schedule it on Dec. 14, thankfully a week after the show. (I'm trying to view that as a glass-half-full idea:) On the good side, let's just say that surgery gives me a legit excuse to bypass ALL the holiday hubbub -- a good thing, right? But the glass-half-empty news is that my little gremlins (aged 7, 4, 8 weeks) & our daughter have taken turns being sick, so they've been off-limits to me since I learned I needed surgery. What's Christmas without kids buried under wrapping paper & bow ribbons! I'm hoping we're all well by Christmas Day for my first visit with them in a month.


Since I can't see my kids, the next best medicine is jewelry making, & I've had LOTS of time to take my "medicine." All of these pieces should be named "Recovery Therapy" & are the first entries in my 2011 Spring/Summer Collection.

For variety, I've been working on this fresh look for my blog. What do you think? Suggestions & comments always welcome. I love the concept of Fresh Starts:)

I wish for you all a Merry Christmas & a New Year full of smiles, good health, love, & optimism:) CHEERS!

In Search of Uniqueness

Perhaps the nicest compliment I receive when shoppers view my jewelry is this one: "Your work is so unusual." It's hard to be unique in a market as saturated as jewelry design!

The single trigger to whatever creativity I've discovered in myself is AGE! Yes! At this point in my life, I've developed a level of shamelessness! So what if a creation is flawed? That's what recycle bins are for. Who cares if a brainstorm doesn't sell? I know I learned something from these "failures" that has enhanced my skills. I view them now as learning exercises. When I was younger, a total lack of confidence & fear of failure stiffled any urge to experiment & whatever artsy brain cell might have been lurking! Now I am entirely open to brainstorms -- The Unusual Design -- even if I haven't yet formally acquired the skill to create it. Such brainstorms are as much fun for me as producing a near-flawless piece.

Sometimes the unusual design is a simple one. My favorite example of this is the safety pin closure of Versatile Sail, allowing the wearer to swap-out beads or stones to match her outfit.


Some brainstorms are funny & quirky. The serious Cherylz is much too proper to claim them, so they are blamed on Crazy Cheryl, who escapes from the attic occasionally. The Spuds Family, Zany Ladies, & Naughty Nelly are a few of CC's offspring. CZ is NOT responsible for their misbehavior!

Other designs are based on a unique concept, where specific variations on the concept are endless. These are the best brainstorms! I'll create more instances soon of my U-adjust-art concept, like Floating Feathers. (Wearer can change the pendant's shape, since the copper feathers are connected by rivets.)

Many of my best (& worst!) ideas come while I'm dreaming, where self-imposed constraints are apparently set free. Other ideas come as I'm sitting around waiting for an appointment. Why not get creative instead of wasting that time? To document ideas from dreams & creative waiting times, I whip out my small Idea Notebook (always in my purse) because the memory brain cell expired long ago.

Unfortunately The Creative Switch in me is fickle & can't be flipped on & off at will. But when it's on, I try to draw & document as many ideas as I can. When The Switch is stubbornly off, I grab my notebook & make some of these designs.

Artsy types have blessed the world with countless unique concepts & designs. Since I find NO personal satisfaction in making sales on their creativity, I hope to keep my own creative brain cell well exercised, alive & brave.

Northgate Festival 2010 - "Special Sale!"

I've been as busy as I wanted to be so far this year, making & selling jewelry for a wonderful, mostly-local customer following. But as Fall approaches, it's time to THINK CRAFT SHOWS. I don't do many, but the first for me in 2010 will be the Northgate Festival on Saturday September 11, 11:00 am -- 7:00 pm, in Seattle, WA on 103rd between Northgate Mall & the new Thornton Place. I've not been to this show before, but it looks like a good venue for sellers & buyers alike, with lots of interesting "side events" & attractions very close by-- Northgate Mall, classic Mustang car show, & 2 stages of live music!... in addition to our craft booths, featuring original, all-handmade artisan work, food booths, etc. There's ample parking & a Park n Ride nearby. Lots to keep us all busy having fun! For a sneak-peek at the latest jewelry originals from my shop, check the links at Classic Beadwear. Then to make sure I bring to the show the specific items you want to see, just post a Comment below. SAY THE MAGIC WORDS FOR SPECIAL SALE PRICING==> "I'm a Classic Beadwear Fan." As a special "Thank You" to my local following, ALL online prices have been reduced & include tax! In addition, IF YOU SAY THE MAGIC WORDS & buy 2 items from me, you'll save another 30% on the cheaper item!

PLUS I'll be sharing a booth with my talented friend Roz of Scarf City. She's debuting her 2010 line of fashion-forward knitwear... FINALLY Seattle has cooled down enough to think knits:) You'll love her sense of style... and her sense of fun:)

Please look for our Classic Beadwear & Scarf City booth, near the Northgate Mall-end of the craft booth lineup. Hope to see you this Saturday!

Finding My "Signature Look"

I'm a work in progress. In my 5th year as an aspiring jewelry artist, I still find every medium I try a compelling challenge, full of surprises. Frankly, these are the experiences that motivate me to continue experimenting. When I'm really "in the zone," I go to bed reluctantly, obsessing over ways to solve some technical challenge to implement a design. Often the solution appears in a dream... really! Many brainstorms, sending me off in a completely new direction, were born in my sleep.

At this point in my evolution as an artist, I might work seriously one week with stones, another with metalsmithing, another with wire-art. How can I develop one signature look about my art? Do CUSTOMERS want variety OR one signature "look" from a Jewelry Artist? I do sense that the ART COMMUNITY wants a signature look...

Furthermore, my art really reflects who I've been all my life -- seeking, learning, branching out, evolving. This is my 4th "career," & I've loved them all with passion.

ONE look? It's not who I am...

Samples of Evolution...
2006 2007

2008


2009


2010

Assuring Product Safety for Kids

Today I read that another dangerous product had been recalled-- the Best Friends charm bracelet, marketed to children in the U.S. As a consumer, an artisan, & a grandmother, I'm always shocked when a manufacturer anywhere knowingly exposes children to toxic products.

What preventive action is the U.S. taking to protect our kids? CPSIA -- nightmare legislation.

Since 2008, I've heard about CPSIA. It mandates that most raw materials & end-products obviously designed for "children" -- anyone under 13 -- be tested & certified as lead-free & phthalates-free. Presumably CPSIA will expand its list of banned materials periodically. Too bad that I don't have a law degree because without one, understanding the regs will be a challenge for any small business owner, however conscientious. This flowchart (not intended as legal advice) by the Handmade Toy Alliance makes some sense of dense pages of CPSIA legalese.

To understand what's terrible about the implementation of CPSIA regs, let's look at an example of the processing sequence from manufacturing to purchasing by the parent for a child. Assume I make & sell handmade jewelry for children. (Thankfully I don't & I won't! I created Ladybugs below, using copper wire, as a gift for my granddaughter.) Assume I want to buy a batch of mystery metal wire with a silver finish because it's cheap. Because that mystery wire is not obviously intended for children, all producers & sellers of that wire are exempt from testing it under CPSIA regs. I also buy a batch of generic-looking inexpensive clasps, spools of coated beading wire, and dozens of red ladybug resin beads. Except for the ladybug beads (clearly intended for children), all are exempt from testing like the mystery metal wire. BUT if I combine these components to create necklaces designed for children, I must certify that ALL the components are free of lead & specified chemicals. Assuming I received written certification when I bought the ladybug beads that they tested safe (since they were made for children), I must have 3 of my 4 components tested at roughly $100 per test so I can document the safety of this batch of ladybug necklaces. When I purchase a new batch of raw materials, I must re-test & re-certify my next batch of ladybug necklaces. Note that all businesses that buy the untested metal, beading wire, & clasps I described to create their own products designed for children must repeat the same expensive tests I did to comply with existing CPSIA. The goal of the law is spot-on, but the procedures are redundant, wasteful, & will either bankrupt small businesses & artisans OR drive them underground.

THE POLITICALLY-INCORRECT REALITY: We all know the source of most dangerous raw materials & finished products we import. But in our Country of Political Correctness, we pretend we don't! Instead of burdening our small businesses with testing, why not spot-check ANY cargo ships of any nation arriving with goods from China? Stop the dangerous goods at its points of entry into the U.S., as we successfully did with the Best Friends bracelets? Levy heavy fines, with a 3 Strikes You're Banned policy for any exporter in China who violates our regulations. Honestly, except for children's products exempt from CPSIA regs, I don't know why any small manufacturer or artisan would make products for children. They should seriously consider opening product-safety testing labs instead...

How to Flyfish -- NOT!

Besides my family & friends, I'm passionate about 3 things-- making jewelry, duplicate bridge, & fly fishing. But stuck with only 24 hour days, I haven't seen my fly rod in 2 years. So yesterday was The Day... an opportunity for creative renewal surrounded by Mother Nature in all her glory. That was the plan...

Parked by my favorite lake 2 hours out of town, I stuffed body & layers of clothes into tight waterproof waders (How did they shrink so much in just 2 years?!), blew up the float tube, grabbed my equipment, fly rod, lunch, life jacket, flippers & lucky hat, & launched myself into the cool, serene water. WHAT A GLORIOUS ESCAPE --tall evergreens surrounding the small, glistening lake, the occasional bald eagle, but especially the water rings all around me as large rainbows sipped bugs off the surface. Finally! A day to watch fish take my visible fly! What luck!

But the next 4 hours were a slap-stick comedy of my errors--

• I discovered that I'd left my fishing reel at home.
• The reel I then borrowed from a kind local fisherman fell apart when my first rainbow struck the fly.
• I held the reel together to land the 2nd rainbow. YEAAA:)
• As I was whining to my husband, who was fishing another part of the lake, about all my dumb mishaps, I forgot to hold the borrowed reel together. So its spool with 200' of fly line fell out of the reel, bounced off my float tube into the lake.
• Luckily I retrieved the spool by pulling all 200' of its line into a rats nest onto my lap.
• I spent the next 90 minutes unknotting the mess of line to wind it back on its spool-- all of this while sitting in my float tube in the lake.
• I finally got the borrowed reel back together, kicked back into shore to return it to the kind man who lent it to me.
• By then it was time for us to quit fishing & go home.

From a fishing standpoint, I've definitely had better days:)! However, it's hard to describe the beauty of fly fishing from a float tube, half in & half out of the the fish's world. Landing the fish & gently releasing it unharmed are a very personal & intimate experience for me. Although my special day was full of mishaps & frustrations, it was still magical.

Life with a Man from Mars

Last night, flush with excitement that at last(!) she had finally wrapped 3 perfect silver wire bubbles into her new round earrings, she entered the bedroom. He sat glued to the chair staring at the History Channel. "Rattattattattattattat" blared through the speakers. She started to speak, but the Man-Brain was honed in on the fire power of the Gatling machine gun. She was invisible, standing 6" away from his chair. On & on the gun blasted -- first at a lineup of large watermelons (heads?), then at a perfectly good 1980 car, transformed within 1 minute into a shriveled blob of metal, smoking. With a tap on the shoulder of Man-Brain, she screamed, "Greg" to compete with the Gatling."What!" he yelled back............. "rattattattat"............... Realizing she couldn't possibly explain the asthetic of the beautiful sterling bubbles on the earrings or the 3 hours of frustration curving those circles just so to achieve Victory Over Metal. It was all too beautiful for Gatling guns. She quietly left the room & returned to the comforting clutter of Her Shop.