Kinaree Jewelry Supply

http://kinareejewelrysupply.etsy.com/

As you know, I started selling some of the beads that I've collected over the years because as much as I love them, either I won't use them or I bought so many that I could keep some and sell some. I've also listed my handmade PMC pendants...we'll see how they do. Each and every one of those pendants is near and dear to my heart, since I made each one by hand. It's different when you're selling "supplies" and when you're selling a piece you created. On a great note, I opened the shop about a week ago and I've already made 3 sales =)

Some of the items in the shop are pictured above. Fun little tidbit, I used a very large throwing knife and my eskrima sticks (Filipino fighting sticks) as props!

Let's not forget my other shop, http://camarilladesigns.etsy.com

That's where I list my finished pieces, RTW jewelry. I need to figure out some promotion and marketing. If I could make even 5 sales a week I'd be thrilled. Gravy baby!

It's a new dawn, it's a new day....

Obviously I've sucked at keeping this updated. I'm really going to try to be better (heard that before? I'm sure you've even said it before!). Anyway, I finally quit my day job. Most people quit their day jobs when their side business is doing so well that they can. That wasn't the case for me. At 36 I'm still soul-searching on what I want to be when I grow up. Well, the two things I've been good at in my life are making jewelry and martial arts - in no particular order. I don't want to teach martial arts, so jewelry making it is :) Of course in order to stay home and do this I have to take my son out of daycare, but if I do this right, I'll still have time to run both of my etsy pages AND take care of my boy - who is very close to potty-training! Well... maybe.

You might have noticed I said *both* of my etsy pages. That's right, I started another store. There's my main store which carries my finished, handmade pieces: http://camarilladesigns.etsy.com. I've also started a shop that sells supplies - mostly beads. I went through all my inventory and found I had a LOT of stuff that I wasn't using. I started http://kinareejewelrysupply.etsy.com to sell it all. I'm even considering taking it a step further and buying strands to specificially sell on that site. We'll see about that.... I have to finish listing what I have at home.

For the month of May I'm going to update both shops and clean my house and HOPEFULLY when the boy is home with me all I'll have to do is some maintenance and upkeep. New items will be listed and orders will be packed during nap time. That's the plan, but we'll see what really happens :)

...and away I go!

New Stuff

I posted some new pieces in my Etsy shop. If you look to the right you'll see them. I also made FIVE of this pendant the other day, because my friends liked it and wanted to buy it. It says "Alis Volat Propris" - Latin for "She flies with her own wings." Very empowering for a female, and isn't the typical "believe", "courage", "faith" and "strength" so often seen out there lately. Of course I've used those words in pieces myself, and will continue to, but this one is unique to me. A lot of the women I know are strong (read: headstrong) and amazing women, and this fits pretty much all of the females I know. If you know me at all you'd know I wouldn't surround myself with anything less.

Anyway, back to the piece, I've also had it done in gold plate for a friend who usually wears silver, but wanted to symbolize new beginnings in 2009 by buying and wearing something she usually wouldn't.

I wear one myself...hopefully it's a piece that does well. More women should fly.

New Year....

I really don't like resolutions, but recently I came up with goals I want to accomplish in 2009, and somehow I don't think I can avoid calling them anything but RESOLUTIONS.

There are only TWO things I want to do this year.
1) Lose 20 lbs.
2) Grow my jewelry business

The first one will require discipline, etc. etc. I know what I need to do to achieve it. It's the doing it that is going to be the hard part.

The second one was stated in four words but requires a LOT of things on my to do list. I want to have a website created, I want to learn how to better market my jewelry, I want to do at least 3 shows this year, I want to hire a sales rep and get my pieces in at least 3 boutiques, and last - and this is something I JUST thought of while I was typing this, I want to have a piece featured in a magazine.

I don't think that's asking too much :)

I'll try to start blogging here more and featuring more pieces as I make them, and I'd like to learn how to take better pictures. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Hope you all had a great New Years, and that 2009 is prosperous for you and yours!

This entry has nothing to do with jewelry.

There are many cons to new credit cards, but the one I'm annoyed about today is when you're trying to activate your card and they put you on the phone with a customer service person (located in India, the Philippines, or some other country where labor is cheaper) and they offer you all kinds of programs. Credit cards are bad enough. Why on earth would you want to join a program that adds $12.99/mo. to your balance? That's $156/year + interest on top of the balance you already owe. And then when you tell them you don't want to enroll in their program, they ask you why. AND, you can only tell them you don't want to enroll when you can get a word in edgewise to the script they're reading. I've had to do this twice in the last few days. Once it was for a new card, just now it was for a replacement card. The other day when the customer service agent (located in the good ol' US) wouldn't take no for an answer, I interrupted her and said, "Look, this is an optional program, and I'm just going to opt not to do it. Okay?" She was quiet for a second and said, "Okay." Then did the "thanks for your time" part of the script. I thought I was so clever.

I made these 2 necklaces today. For about a week or so I wasn't sure what to do with the two pendants I made. I was considering oxidizing the moon pendant and finally decided to go ahead and do it last night, and I'm glad I did! I really like the way it turned out. I liked the necklaces too. They're a little rock n' roll =)

well..

I've been sick, which has had its ups and downs. It allowed me a little bit of time to rest, but in resting I neglected all of the housework I planned for my days off from my day job, and kept me from continuing to promote my jewelry. Currently you can find me here, http://www.myspace.com/camarilla_designs (of course) and ideally, at http://camarilladesigns.etsy.com.

I listed some new items tonight, from pictures I had taken on Friday while I was aware of an oncoming cold but still fighting it (or was in denial that it was coming). I took a ton of pictures that day and still have quite a few items to list. You can see them in my mini shop to the left, so please check them out :)

I still have plans for more promotion, and maybe one day, the big plunge into trying to sell my pieces in stores. The idea freaks me out because that would mean having to talk to a boutique owner and possibly facing rejection, like "Your jewelry is lovely, but it's not what we're looking for here in our store..." with that piteous look on their faces. You know, that sad smile that is basically a pat on the head and run along now.

But! I did get an email from a friend of a friend who said he would like to introduce some of my pieces at his art gallery (that also sells jewelry) in the next few weeks. That's a pretty vague timeline if you ask me, but he did say he wanted to do it, and that's cool with me! So thanks Robert, I really appreciate the opportunity. His gallery is in Chinatown and that means tourist traffic at the very least, not to mention the locals who are looking to do something different and hang out in Chinatown for the day and hey look, I didn't know Chinatown had art galleries!

I'm considering taking a day-long seminar on "How to Talk to Anyone". You know, I think I already can, I just want to stop faking that I enjoy it. Find me a seminar in that.