"Amazing Artist's Giveaway"

Welcome to the "Amazing Artist's Giveaway". Jewels of India has put this thing together and done an amazing job! I am participating in this giveaway and hoping to get the word out. The prizes are fab and there will be more than one round. For more information please visit here:

	Awesome Artists Giveaway 5 prizes with gift baskets worth $190 to be won. Enter here http://livebreathedreametsy.blogspot.com/2009/08/awesome-artists-giveaway-edition1.html

Thank you so much to all the prize contributors and especially Jewels of India for all of here hard work.
T♥

Today's Feature.. "Ux Critter's Place"

I am so happy to feature Ux Critter today. This girl and I go way back to the dawn of Etsy when I created the JET Street Team, (Jewelry Etsy Team). Her jewelry is amazing and I'm so happy to see her other fab items. She has come so far on Etsy and I think even surpassed me in the number of shops she keeps!! LOL

Please read on...

Ux Critter's Place

My name is Paula and I started Ux Critter with my two teenaged kids,Jesse & Sarah, who like to craft as much as I do. Since there are 3 of us, we have a wide range of crafts available. I am a bead-nut! It is my passion to craft with beads, especially sparkly ones like swarovskis.

Jesse, added into this shop with his woodburning projects, paintings, and photography, but he has since opened his own shop Marsh Hill Photo.

Sarah, adds into the UxCritter shop still at this point with her new line of revamped shirts. She will be opening her own shop soon Odd threads.

We have a very wide range of items. So be sure to drop in often and see what's new and exciting. We have beaded jewelry, wire wrapped jewelry (rings are another passion of mine), knitted items, crocheted items, pet items and critter related jewelry. You can even find occassional photos, photo coasters, photo calendars, photo puzzles, and even photos on Tshirts! And there is always too many supplies in my craft room since I love to buy more & more, so I do sell some of my supplies as destash.

My crafting varies so greatly that I even opened 2 other etsy shops.

Fine Essentials carries healing blended massage oils to lessen the amounts of drugs that goes into our bodies.

Affordable Fun has easy-on-the-pocket-book, inexpensive jewelry to help out with the uncertain economic wonders we all sometimes face.

Please visit her main Etsy shop here:

Ux Critter's Place

More fab features for fun soon!
T♥

Featuring "Buddha Kitty Glass"

If the name doesn't reel you in the beautiful glass certainly will!

A little bit about this artist...

Buddha Kitty Glass

My love of glass goes back many years. During a college trip to Europe, I became fascinated with the stained glass in the cathedrals. Upon returning home, I took my first class in glasswork and learned how to make stained glass windows. This served as a wonderful introduction to the world of glass art. From there I began to learn glass bead making and became intrigued by the amazing transformation that takes place in glass once heat is applied. These glass beads became parts of handmade jewelry that I gave to friends and occasionally sold at small craft fairs. A cross-country move and new neighbors served as my introduction to fused glass. My new neighbors in Virginia commented on a glass bead necklace I had made which turned into a discussion about kiln formed glass. My neighbor’s mother taught fused glass. We talked about my fascination with glass she suggested I try one of her mother’s classes. I signed up for her class and was immediately captivated by kiln formed glass. Shortly after the class, I purchased my first small kiln and began perfecting the art of fused glass in my basement in Virginia. After several years, my husband and I decided to relocate back to the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area is renowned for its glass art and is a wonderful location to continue to pursue fused glass. I continued my study of fused glass and kiln formed glass at Pratt Fine Art Center. In January 2009, I launched Buddha Kitty Glass.




Places to visit Buddha Kitty Glass;

Buddha Kitty Glass

Buddha Kitty Glass Blog

Thank you for supporting our artist features!
T♥

New From Me At JBT!!! (How corny is that title???)

Vintage steampunk style jewelry, too cool for school!! LOL





You can find the items above here:

Jewelry by Tara


For the steampunk style "Jules Verne Octopus Earrings", please visit us here:


JBT eBay

More to come stay tuned....



T☺

I really don't like this:(

Here we go with another rant by Tara!

I'm looking through a well known site, that shall remain nameless, and I come across something unpleasant. No, it's not the usual things that upset me like animal carcasses, fur, or hate images. It's the ongoing destruction of vintage/antique books and other cherished items. Why the heck would someone tear apart books then turn around and sell them for altered art? Or my real peeve, destroying old watches and clocks for steampunk projects. Something is going on with that and it's not an old factory gone out of business. Which FYI is the lamest/oldest BS from a lot of plastic and brass sellers. "I have x amount of these items because I got them from an old factory that went out of biz", or "I worked at said factory". Most of these components turn out to be not even 5 year old replicas! Beware, especially when dealing with someone on the internet. It's sometimes hard to tell the differences with plastics, but I can usually figure out if the brass is vintage.

Back to the books, I totally understand if these are already trashed, but they have entire books for sale:( And where does one find 100's of watch faces? And why, oh why o, do we have to smash those vintage plates for reassembly???

My solutions to this problem? Go to the library and borrow some old books for your photo taking needs. Use some clip art you buy online or for craps sake Google free clip art and start printing out images. Maybe actually be creative on your own and scan images for your altered art projects? The plate breaking could be managed by going to garage sales/thrift stores and looking for chipped or broken plates. Hopefully, this is what most artists are already doing. For your steampunk creations visit your local swap meet and dump. Heck, if you have to you can even go dumpster diving!

Why the freakin' rant?? I love and admire everything vintage and antique. People should cherish and protect these rare reminders of the past.

Okay, gotta stop now time to eat a muffin and ponder why The Real Housewives of Atlanta is on T.V.

T♥

P.S. I absolutely love when people take vintage/antique cups and make them into candles. It's so darn cute and you can still appreciate the art.

New Jewelry and Message Board

More jewelry, yay!!! I have put some new vintage art jewelry on my site.

New Jewelry


Also, I just added a message board for your comments, promotions, business info., and random thoughts.

Message Board

All for now signing off....
T♥

Featuring "Jannio Feltwear"

Always looking for the next artist to buy from, feature, or just admire. Here's another one that is extremely talented and unique.

Jannio Feltwear

A little bit about the artist....

When I left school I went to Art College I specialized in textiles at the Amersham Collage of Art and Design. I left Art collage and started working with ceramics.

I am now living in the south west of France. After bringing up my children, I started working with my mother in law who taught me the techniques of sculpture and ceramic. As a result I make ceramic objects like birds.
My interest in textiles came back to me when a friend taught me the art of felt making. I used this knowledge to turn the felt into usable objects like hat’s, scarf’s and bags. I now combine the two mediums in my latest collection; felt and ceramic buttons. My creations are like little paintings with wool, silk and other materials.



Please visit this shop here:

Jannio Feltwear

Long Live the OFFICIAL Jewelry by Tara Website!

HUGE Jewelry by Tara day! I have closed my actual eBay shop and all of my OOAK, (one of a kind) jewelry is being moved to my official site.



The good news?? Now I can offer better discounts, shipping, and variety of items. More vintage and altered art, less mass market reconstructions.

Nothing will change otherwise so no fear:) This blog will continue as always to bring you our info, promotional/marketing ideas, my life, and features by fab artists. My official site is chocked full of jewelry, and handmade seller opportunities including;

Link Exchange

Plugboard

I will still be holding auctions on eBay for my inexpensive quality vintage rings and earrings.

JBT eBay


I appreciate all of my customers, business contacts, friends, and fellow artists. You can count on me to do my best to make this change as easy as possible.

Thanks so much for supporting Jewelry by Tara!
T♥

Double Feature Starring "4lilcupcakes and Lizzy B. Designs"

To much of a good thing is never enough!! So that's why I decided to double your visual pleasure and submit 2 features today.

The first is the very talented 4Lilcupcakes, "Where Shabby Is Chic" I absolutely love her style and I know you will too!

And now for the artist's own words...

First I like to thank Tara very much for putting me on her blog,that is really sweet of her. I have never been featured on anything before .I am a house wife who love's to do crafts very much.I have done them for many years.I always make my gifts as much as I can.Then one day my daughter told me about etsy.I looked into it and thought I would give it a try.I absolutely love to do this,and I am having a ball.For me it is not for the money so much as it is for the fun.You can only give out so many gifts to people.However the money does help.And it is nice to know people like your work I try to keep my prices down so I will have more shop visits.Here is a small sample of my item's.Please note that I am working like crazy to put lot's of items in for the holiday's,so please come back soon.
Thank you so much,Teresa 4lilcupcakes.etsy.com





Please visit 4lilcupcakes here:

4lilcupcakes



For our other feature I selected someone who I felt had some very unique designs in her store and beautifully colored stones in her work.

Please welcome...

LizzyB Designs~ Beautifully designed, exceptionally handcrafted, unique & wearable jewelry.

Artist Elizabeth Bohaker designs her handmade pieces using natural gemstones & other materials. As a lifelong resident of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, nature has always played an important part in her life.

She is able to create one of a kind pieces by implementing her independent style & meticulous attention to detail. Every piece is unique & different as the stones used naturally come in different shade variations, shapes & sizes.





Please visit here here;

Lizzy B. Designs
Lizzy B. Designs Twitter
Lizzy B. Designs Blog
Lizzy B. Designs Facebook
Lizzy B. Designs Facebook Groups

So that's our amazing talent for today and who knows, you could be next....

Thanks to our features!
T♥

Featuring.. "Mariah's Creations"

I'm happy to bring you another extremely talented jewelry artist. Not only is her beaded jewelry unique, but we both share the same birthday! Here is a little info. from the artist herself...

Hi! My name is Mariah. I am the mother of the cutest 2 1/2 year old boy ever and am expecting a girl at Christmas time!! Between being mom and wife, I don't have a lot of spare time, but the little I do have goes to making jewelry. I started making jewelry last year after taking a class that got me addicted! I am learning new things every day, and continue to get excited about the things I'm making. It's neat to put a little piece of me into every piece I make. I hope you like what you see and come back often!





Please visit her beautiful shop here:

Mariah's Creations

And her fantastic blog here:

Mariah's Creations Blog

Thanks so much for supporting our artist features. Stay tuned for more...

T♥

Promote your A*& off!!!

So what else to do when summer is ending and sales are in the toilet? Why not spend 12 hours a day coming up with new ways to promote and market your sites. Here are some of my projects...

For a blog feature With a permanent Link, please Email Me Please send me your site URL so you can be considered, you will only be notified if you are selected.

Link To Us

Plugboard

Win a website and/or blog award from JBT With Permanent Link

Top Handmade Sites List from JBT, almost 500 members!

*Please note, you may only submit your site for an award through my website.

Win Our Award

For feature consideration, please convo me on Etsy, via Email or through my website, Contact Us

Thank you so much! You all make my 12 hour days worth it!!! LOL
T♥

Featuring "Podgehodge"

I knew when I saw their yummy felt strawberries dipped in chocolate that I had to feature Podgehodge! Their artwork is beautiful too. More from Podgehodge....

Based in Toronto, Canada, Podgehodge is a joint shop owned by Ruth (myself) and Daniel. Being recently opened, the shop is filled with prints and felt goodies by me. With a background in fashion illustration from The Ontario College of Art and Design, my prints are inspired by historical costumes, fabled heroines, and colours found in haute couture fashion and nature. Lately I've been making felt accessories and playfood, fulfilling a crafty goal of mine. I am a huge lover of food, especially dessert, so it's only natural for me to make food inspired crafts. Etsy is perfect for gathering all my ideas and creations into one place.

Visit our store often as more items are arrive shortly, such as DIY paper crafts."





Please check out their fabulous shop and blog!

Podgehodge Etsy

Podgehodge Blog

Out for today, I think???
Tara♥

An excerpt from my latest book, "Jewelry.Com"

Jewelry.Com

“How To Learn the Ins and Outs, and tricks of the trade, to selling your handmade jewelry online, or anything else you make!”

By Tara Van Stelle
Jewelry by Tara

This Book Includes;
Tips on internet selling,
Setting up your own site,
Answers to most asked questions,
Where and what to buy,
Find It Free,
Top 10 Mistakes,
And much, much, more!!
Chapter 10
Common Mistakes We Can Easily Avoid

At one time or another, we will all make a mistake with our business. Whether it’s a mailing issue, broken item, or misrepresentation, we’ve all done it.
Here is my list of the top 10 mistakes that we can hopefully avoid.
1. Getting Angry With a Customer
This happens in my head a million times a month. But in reality, it is a definite no no. No matter what and I mean what, you will answer all emails, questions, and problems, with an immediate resolution, apology, and extreme politeness. You can be entirely in the right, it doesn’t matter. Every customer has the potential to leave negative feedback, and/or ruin your reputation. Plus, it is very hard to understand the tone of someone’s email. So please take the time to respond with kindness, before flying off the handle.
The exception to this would be customers who threaten you with bad feedback, or just want to yell. These offenses are not justifiable, and should be handed off to someone else, if you are on a large sit. If it’s your own site, and you’ve already shipped to the customer, it may benefit you to give them a partial or full refund. If you haven’t shipped yet, tell them politely that you don’t feel they will be happy with their purchase, and you’re issuing them an immediate refund. After that, no more emails, cut them off with kindness, and send them on their way.

2. Stuck In a Rut
Just because you like it, doesn’t mean it will sell online. Let’s try and understand that everyone’s got their own taste. Like it or love it, sometimes you may not be a good match for the jewelry market. There’s only one way out of this. Either you revamp your own jewelry style, or play to the marketplace and their whims. You may have to come to terms with the fact that your jewelry isn’t only a representation of you, if you want to make money.

3. Being a Stickler for the Rules
Have you ever heard the saying, “Rules Are Meant to Be Broken?” Even the best laid out store policies may need to be changed on a case by case basis. For example, do you really need a ship back on a $1 pair of earrings? Take the loss, and please a customer. The over referencing of policies to customers on your site, can also lead to profit loss. Some people are almost afraid to buy from merchants with a homepage full of rules. So don’t scare them off, be flexible! You are still in charge of your site, just easier to work with.

4. Drama and Gossip
Just because you meet a lot of other sellers on the internet, doesn’t mean you have to make friends there. Sometimes these can be wonderful experiences, but beware… Forums and chat rooms can turn into a battleground. The last thing you want your customer to see is your personal information, attached to some negative words. This also goes for posting our beliefs, politics, etc. You may win over some new friends and customers, but you will risk alienating a lot more. Always remember, everything you say and do on the internet is there forever. Another thing that can cause a huge problem, is talking about your customers. So many times I see people bad mouthing sales. Even if we don’t know who you’re talking about, your negativity is reflecting on potential customers.

5. Selling supplies that you use for your best sellers.
I am so guilty of this! When I get a great wholesale deal I want to share it, and profit of course. It took me some time to figure out that one, if a customer wants to make it, they won’t buy yours. And two, if a designer buys it they will copy your design, and possibly undersell you. Ouch!

6. My work isn’t great…
Yes it is! Never say this, or downgrade yourself. Even if you get a bad case of the self doubts, there is no reason to project anything but confidence. Please don’t list something as not that good, damaged, etc. Just redo it, or reuse it in another way. You want all of your work to be up to a standard that your customers can appreciate.

7. Let Your Business Consume Your Life
Working diligently is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. But when it’s 2:00 A.M., and you’re still taking pictures, it’s time to stop. Burning yourself out can be discouraging to a new business. Set a schedule for yourself, and stick to it. This is something I still haven’t learned! Just like anything else in your life, don’t overdo, or take on too much at once.

8. Spending Too Much Money
Assess, assess, and then reassess. Keep track of what you spend on supplies, advertising, etc. Remember, your time is money too. Don’t just buy on a whim, comparison shop. And don’t buy in bulk if you don’t need to. Just because it’s a great deal, doesn’t mean you will be able to turn it over into profit. Spend slowly, and shop around.

9. Signing Up For Everything
Can you really manage 10 jewelry groups, 5 indie boards, 3 social sites, 2 blogs, and 4 websites? Probably not well, but I’ve done it. Better to just focus in on your main selling site, and a couple of your favorite ones. I do think you should have a site on a larger site, as well as your own. But when you start having 10 sub sites with selling capabilities, you can easily lose track of inventory. If you’re just signing up for marketing, and other advertising, more is always better.

10. Scatterbrained Site Management
This includes a lot of things; constantly changing themes, websites, domain names, and jewelry types. Your customer expects some consistency in your brand. So if you need to spruce things up a bit or add some new ideas, go ahead. But don’t change your site from purple skulls to blue shabby chic in one day.


Post your own ideas to comments of "Not To Do's".

Want to purchase this book?

Jewelry by Tara

Jewelry by Tara eBay


Only $10 get's you my vast wealth of knowledge, which was learned from screwing it all up! LOL

T♥

Flawless Art The Jewelry Studio

You know when you see something handcrafted that is just so amazing and you think, "there's no way I could make that!" Personally, it makes me want to share it with others so they can appreciate it too. This is one of those amazing artisan finds.

Here is a blurb from the artist herself...

My Items are made from different kinds of materials that I choose carefully for every piece. Every Item is one of a kind. I love to spend all day at my studio and all of my jewelry is handmade and designed by me. I also teach new jewelers at my studio.



Please Visit Flawless Art

JEWELRY

Wordpress and I are having some challenges in our new relationship:( They won't let me Google my friends, or show my wares w/html. There are some little tricks to get around these things, but they are blocking me at every turn!!

Just a little sample of my pieces....




Hope we can work out our differences, or I'm crawling back to blogger. Stay tuned as we battle it out...

T♥

Such cuteness!! Featuring "Little Elfs Toyshop"

I absolutely love this Etsy website, Little Elfs Toyshop. The artist's work is really detailed for these tiny pieces of art.

Here is a little bit of info. from the artist herself...

My name is Kelley and I’m just your friendly little elf toymaker. I started out making toys when I was 18, so it’s been almost ten years now that I’ve been doing this. I prefer to use natural materials whenever possible and just love working with wool to make little felted creations. All my dolls are double sewn so they are nice and sturdy and can be customized to your liking as well. I’m always adding new animals to the shop and just love making story book critters too. ^_^ Beatrix Potter is one of my biggest inspirations, her animals are so sweet and just have a nice whimsical flair to me that I just love.



Please visit Little Elfs Toyshop here:

Little Elfs Toyshop

Little Elfs Toyshop Blog

Glass ain't crass and/or Classy and Glassy!

I wanted to try something new with all of my popular images. So I bought some glass from an Etsy artisan. I've been experimenting for a couple of weeks, and I've finally listed some on both sites here:




eBay Glass Pendant Necklaces

Jewelry by Tara

They are a little more pricey than the domino pendants, but you get a ribbon necklace and glass people! Glass is tre expensive compared to plastic!



So far so good and no complaints, (knock wood). But that's another rant....for another much looooonger post!

Welcome to my world!

And what a crazy world it is!!! I'm an artist raising 2 boys 10 and 13, 1 husband, and 4 chihuahuas. I live in Southern California, but I am a New York City native. I have been selling online/offline for 10 years. I enjoy all projects that are DIY and I am constantly striving to learn something new.

You may also know me from...

JBT Etsy
Sewn by Tara Etsy
Supplies by Tara Etsy


Loved the Etsy but it was time to strike out on my own. You can now find me on my official site...

Jewelry by Tara

And eBay...


JBT eBay

So welcome to my world and stick around because you never know, it could get personal!!!