I received some great emails regarding my shopping tips about making gifts (and not really doing all that much shopping!) and shopping handmade. Of course I network with other artists and creative types and those kind of gift-giving tips are ones that are near and dear to us!
It then dawned upon me that there is a fantastic Holiday shopping/Holiday gift-giving tip combines a "Do-It-Yourself" aesthetic and creating something "Handmade" with what you already have in your possession...
HOLIDAY SHOPPING TIP #20:
Look to what you already own that you can embellish or improve upon to re-purpose and give as a one-of-a-kind gift!
This is not "re-gifting" or doing any kind of "White Elephant" type gift. I once had a circle of friends and we passed around this really ugly (in our humble opinions) purse that one of them had received as a gift from their grandmother. Of course it was done tongue-in-cheek, but it almost became a gift of "hot potato"...who could get rid of that purse the quickest?! This is not getting rid of a fruit cake or some other odd gift you have received!
Instead, this tip is about re-purposing, and creating something completely new and different out of something that you may already own. I have a friend who is giving people on her list scarves that she has beaded and embellished. She has taken smaller scarves and pieced and sewn them together into large wraps, then crocheted borders and painstakingly beaded accents onto the silk. She has taken something that she already owned, but did not use (and that she acquired from ebay, garage sales, vintage finds, etc.), and made these items into something extraordinary. What an amazing gift!
Think of how you can re-purpose items that you no longer use that can make them special and unique for friends and loved ones!
Showing posts with label handmade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label handmade. Show all posts
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Shopping Tips for the 25 Days of Christmas: Tip #18
To accompany my last Shopping Tip #17 (DIY this holiday for gift-giving!) I thought it would be important to also pass along another related shopping tip that is certainly near and dear to my heart...
HOLIDAY SHOPPING TIP #18:
Buy HANDMADE gifts this holiday season!
I love handmade gifts. I love that someone took the time to make something by hand. I enjoy that passion for their talent and gift. I really dig the idea of supporting an entrepreneur and not a huge corporation. Of course I love some really amazing brand products, however, I also truly appreciate how hard an individual works at creating something that is often one-of-a-kind or something that simply cannot and should not be replicated in a factory somewhere!
So, support an artisan this holiday season, buy local, buy handmade!
HOLIDAY SHOPPING TIP #18:
Buy HANDMADE gifts this holiday season!
I love handmade gifts. I love that someone took the time to make something by hand. I enjoy that passion for their talent and gift. I really dig the idea of supporting an entrepreneur and not a huge corporation. Of course I love some really amazing brand products, however, I also truly appreciate how hard an individual works at creating something that is often one-of-a-kind or something that simply cannot and should not be replicated in a factory somewhere!
So, support an artisan this holiday season, buy local, buy handmade!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Inspirations...
Admitted, I have taken a bit of a "break" from my jewelry design. I think that for many of us, as artists and "creative types", it can be great to step away for a minute or two and step back to see the bigger picture. It can be a quiet, introspective time to look at the world a bit differently, possibly learn a new aspect to our craft (or another!) and find new inspirations.
Inspiration can certainly come in many different forms. I have always been inspired by nature, and have tried to work those organic themes into my designs. My love for the beach, for example, is often reflected in my work.
I found some new inspirations, I believe, just this morning. Outside, drinking my coffee, this is what welcomed me this morning, this amazing array of hibiscus blooms:
Yes, even on December 4th, these beauties are bursting with color and vying for the sunlight!
I looked at each one more closely, to see its full glory...At first, my favorite was this amazing yellow, so yellow-licious it hurt my eyes!
Then, on further inspection, I fell for the graceful, more quiet loveliness of this incredible coral blossom:
Then, my heart truly stopped. This showy pink blossom called out to me!
I truly began to think that these blooms were trying to send me a message...that I, too, should find the sun. I, too, need to bloom. I, too, can bring a bit of color, hope, joy, loveliness to someone else.
I am already plotting and planning my next collection...Inspiration.
Inspiration can certainly come in many different forms. I have always been inspired by nature, and have tried to work those organic themes into my designs. My love for the beach, for example, is often reflected in my work.
I found some new inspirations, I believe, just this morning. Outside, drinking my coffee, this is what welcomed me this morning, this amazing array of hibiscus blooms:
Yes, even on December 4th, these beauties are bursting with color and vying for the sunlight!
I looked at each one more closely, to see its full glory...At first, my favorite was this amazing yellow, so yellow-licious it hurt my eyes!
Then, on further inspection, I fell for the graceful, more quiet loveliness of this incredible coral blossom:
Then, my heart truly stopped. This showy pink blossom called out to me!
I truly began to think that these blooms were trying to send me a message...that I, too, should find the sun. I, too, need to bloom. I, too, can bring a bit of color, hope, joy, loveliness to someone else.
I am already plotting and planning my next collection...Inspiration.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Holiday Gifts from K. A. Mace Jewelry!
K. A. Mace Jewelry has holiday gifts in a wide variety of styles, gemstones and freshwater pearls and pricepoints. Visit the K. A. Mace Jewelry website today to discover just how incredibly affordable fine, handmade jewelry can be for those on your holiday shopping list (or for a special gift for YOU!)!
K. A. Mace Golden Glory Ring
Furthermore, K. A. Mace now offers financing on K. A. Mace Jewelry Orders!
(K. A. Mace Beer Quartz and Multitourmaline Vine Earrings)
K. A. Mace offers financing on orders $150.00 or more! Upon sending and acknowledging your order, K. A. Mace will charge 1/2 of the total amount to the credit card (or PayPal account) that you choose. Your jewelry will be created and sent to you, as per the order. 30 days after shipping the order, the other 1/2 of the order total will be due, and automatically charged to the credit card (or PayPal account) that you designate. Please contact K. A. Mace at kelly@kamacejewelry.com for more details. (Subject to credit approval).
For orders over $250.00. this financing can be split into as many as four payments!
Visit K. A. Mace Jewelry today! Feel free to contact me at kelly@kamacejewelry.com with questions regarding specific pieces, pricing options, or just to say "Hello"!
K. A. Mace Golden Glory Ring
Furthermore, K. A. Mace now offers financing on K. A. Mace Jewelry Orders!
(K. A. Mace Beer Quartz and Multitourmaline Vine Earrings)
K. A. Mace offers financing on orders $150.00 or more! Upon sending and acknowledging your order, K. A. Mace will charge 1/2 of the total amount to the credit card (or PayPal account) that you choose. Your jewelry will be created and sent to you, as per the order. 30 days after shipping the order, the other 1/2 of the order total will be due, and automatically charged to the credit card (or PayPal account) that you designate. Please contact K. A. Mace at kelly@kamacejewelry.com for more details. (Subject to credit approval).
For orders over $250.00. this financing can be split into as many as four payments!
Visit K. A. Mace Jewelry today! Feel free to contact me at kelly@kamacejewelry.com with questions regarding specific pieces, pricing options, or just to say "Hello"!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
K. A. Mace Jewelry Consignment Series Continues!
For those of you who have been following my series on consignment, thank you for your wonderful input, experiences and feedback! And, yes, I am continuing on, for those of you out there who have emailed me asking for the series to continue!
Next up...How does the boutique/retailer market YOU and YOUR MERCHANDISE?
Yes, even on consignment, this is a great question to ask a boutique/retailer. And, of course, you have your side of the marketing equation to cover as well. Here are some great ideas that you can share with the buyer/owner to drive your sales, and truly the overall sales of that boutique!
Will they work with you on a trunk show, or special in-store event? Many boutiques LOVE trunk shows! YOU show up with inventory, THEY sell it, you BOTH profit. They do not take the risk on the inventory, and you get to sell your goods to their customer base, plus those you invite. The best way to do this is to ask the boutique if they have a mailing list or email list that you can communicate with.
You can very easily, and inexpensively, produce great postcards to announce your trunk show to their customers, and your own that may be in that city. Often, the boutique will even split the cost of the postcards, and/or the postage as they are driving traffic as well. I highly recommend Overnight Prints or Modern Postcard. They are both very, very easy to work with, you can easily upload graphics and information and design your own postcard, and they arrive in literally days!
You can also create a professional enewsletter or e-vite for their email list, combining it with your email list as well. Ensure that you are capturing all emails from your website, and you can easily create an opt-in box on your website or blog to ensure that anyone who visits gets the opportunity to join your email list. You can also use Constant Contact, iContact and other online services that help you create mailing lists and have wonderful templates to create e-newsletters.
Some boutiques will also enter into co-op advertising with their designers. In this case, you will pay a small amount to be included in a print or online ad with your business name, possibly even a piece of your jewelry, included in the ad. Please note, being that it is "co-op" you have to remember that other designers may also be involved in this advertising. I have found this to be really beneficial when it comes to the major jewelry-selling holidays only, however. Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and the Holidays are perfect times to partner with a retailer on such an ad. I would steer clear of other times of the year, unless they are having a special Anniversary Sale or another type of meaningful sales event that is specific to that community. For example, is there a major local parade or holiday that brings a lot of traffic and tourists to the area?
Also, do they market and sale off of their website? This is a wonderful way to basically enter into not so much of a "consignment" relationship, but a "drop ship" arrangement. The difference? Well, with consignment, you do run the risk of jewelry being lost, stolen, broken, sold and accidently credited to another artist, etc. With a drop ship arrangement, they put images of your work on their website, item description, price and when they receive an order, the alert you and YOU actually fulfill that order. They may ask you to send to them, and they send out to the customer. They may require you to directly ship to the customer yourself. Either way, make sure that you understand their expectation for shipping methods, packing, invoicing, and insurance. All of that the customer will pay for, however, understanding those expectations is key to a successful drop ship relationship.
If you are going to be featured on their website, inquire about how they market the designers. Is there a "Designer of the Month", "Spotlight Designer"? Do they market special gemstones for special events, like "Gemstone of the Month" or "Birthstone Specials"? Bring some ideas to the table for the boutique, you just might find your jewelry, your art, on their homepage! Blog about your jewelry and products on their website, send the link to your email list, and make sure that the entire world knows that they can buy YOUR jewelry on THEIR website! The more traffic, the more sales!
One caveat: Ensure you understand their expectation of the artists they feature on their website. They will most likely ask you to not have those same items on your website or blog for sale, unless you are solely directing that traffic to them.
One key tip: Developing a relationship with the staff is truly key. They are selling your product day in and day out. Ask if you can have some time to meet with their sales staff to present the key selling points of your work. Drop in, introduce yourself, ask if they have any questions, and thank them for their hard work. Some boutiques will allow you to give small gifts to their associates; I often provided jewelry for them to wear. It became an inexpensive way to encourage that associate to sell even more of your jewelry! Just check first, they may have conflict of interest policies for their associates.
Love the rings featured? Go to K. A. Mace Jewelry to view more of the K. A. Mace Jewelry Ring Collection and many more designs!
Next up...How does the boutique/retailer market YOU and YOUR MERCHANDISE?
Yes, even on consignment, this is a great question to ask a boutique/retailer. And, of course, you have your side of the marketing equation to cover as well. Here are some great ideas that you can share with the buyer/owner to drive your sales, and truly the overall sales of that boutique!
Will they work with you on a trunk show, or special in-store event? Many boutiques LOVE trunk shows! YOU show up with inventory, THEY sell it, you BOTH profit. They do not take the risk on the inventory, and you get to sell your goods to their customer base, plus those you invite. The best way to do this is to ask the boutique if they have a mailing list or email list that you can communicate with.
You can very easily, and inexpensively, produce great postcards to announce your trunk show to their customers, and your own that may be in that city. Often, the boutique will even split the cost of the postcards, and/or the postage as they are driving traffic as well. I highly recommend Overnight Prints or Modern Postcard. They are both very, very easy to work with, you can easily upload graphics and information and design your own postcard, and they arrive in literally days!
You can also create a professional enewsletter or e-vite for their email list, combining it with your email list as well. Ensure that you are capturing all emails from your website, and you can easily create an opt-in box on your website or blog to ensure that anyone who visits gets the opportunity to join your email list. You can also use Constant Contact, iContact and other online services that help you create mailing lists and have wonderful templates to create e-newsletters.
Some boutiques will also enter into co-op advertising with their designers. In this case, you will pay a small amount to be included in a print or online ad with your business name, possibly even a piece of your jewelry, included in the ad. Please note, being that it is "co-op" you have to remember that other designers may also be involved in this advertising. I have found this to be really beneficial when it comes to the major jewelry-selling holidays only, however. Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and the Holidays are perfect times to partner with a retailer on such an ad. I would steer clear of other times of the year, unless they are having a special Anniversary Sale or another type of meaningful sales event that is specific to that community. For example, is there a major local parade or holiday that brings a lot of traffic and tourists to the area?
Also, do they market and sale off of their website? This is a wonderful way to basically enter into not so much of a "consignment" relationship, but a "drop ship" arrangement. The difference? Well, with consignment, you do run the risk of jewelry being lost, stolen, broken, sold and accidently credited to another artist, etc. With a drop ship arrangement, they put images of your work on their website, item description, price and when they receive an order, the alert you and YOU actually fulfill that order. They may ask you to send to them, and they send out to the customer. They may require you to directly ship to the customer yourself. Either way, make sure that you understand their expectation for shipping methods, packing, invoicing, and insurance. All of that the customer will pay for, however, understanding those expectations is key to a successful drop ship relationship.
If you are going to be featured on their website, inquire about how they market the designers. Is there a "Designer of the Month", "Spotlight Designer"? Do they market special gemstones for special events, like "Gemstone of the Month" or "Birthstone Specials"? Bring some ideas to the table for the boutique, you just might find your jewelry, your art, on their homepage! Blog about your jewelry and products on their website, send the link to your email list, and make sure that the entire world knows that they can buy YOUR jewelry on THEIR website! The more traffic, the more sales!
One caveat: Ensure you understand their expectation of the artists they feature on their website. They will most likely ask you to not have those same items on your website or blog for sale, unless you are solely directing that traffic to them.
One key tip: Developing a relationship with the staff is truly key. They are selling your product day in and day out. Ask if you can have some time to meet with their sales staff to present the key selling points of your work. Drop in, introduce yourself, ask if they have any questions, and thank them for their hard work. Some boutiques will allow you to give small gifts to their associates; I often provided jewelry for them to wear. It became an inexpensive way to encourage that associate to sell even more of your jewelry! Just check first, they may have conflict of interest policies for their associates.
Love the rings featured? Go to K. A. Mace Jewelry to view more of the K. A. Mace Jewelry Ring Collection and many more designs!
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