500th Sale Giveaway!

Today marks a very special day in my Etsy selling History….I have made my 500th sale!  Whoo Hoo!  Sound the trumpets, imagine confetti and balloons exploding all around you!
In honor of this special milestone I decided to do a giveaway.  Sale #500 was a copper ring.  In honor of that I will be randomly giving away 5 copper rings to 5 lucky people!  (plus I thought that sorta went with the fact that I am gearing up for holiday sales, and 5 is the number of rings needed in the 12 days of Christmas…okay so them may be 5 golden rings…mine are copper.  Who knows maybe when I hit 5000 sales I can splurge and do 5 golden rings )
Okay so it is simple to enter…All you need to do is leave a comment on this blog with 2 things….1  what size ring do you wear, and 2. what texture do you like?  Easy Peasy!  I will have a random Drawing on my birthday, Nov 2, 2011 at noon my time (Central), to determine who the lucky winners are.  The textures available are:

Coral Reef:

Fluted: 

Hash Mark:

Slate: 

Tree Bark:

Smooth: 

Search Term Tuesday, an Ode to Lady Gaga

Yes, Yes, Yes…I know I know my posts have been soo sporadic lately.  But today I just had to do a search term Tuesday.  Last night I had received a custom bookmark order with the words “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich” (title of a Lady Gaga Song) stamped on it and I was a bit curious  as to what search terms people had been using to find my shop since I have not looked lately. 

Well to my surprise, I found a slew of Lady Gaga terms.  So, I decided that she would be my muse for this posting.  To further cement that idea, as I drove my son to preschool, the song Poker Face came on and my 1 year old started to groove in his car seat.

So here it goes:

Search Term 1:  Lady GAGA
I love to think that Lady Gaga, herself, has been perusing my items.  But I fear that my offering are not extreme enough for her fashion style.  I did come across this Felt Doll of her when looking up the search term for sample….maybe under that coat she has on one of my necklaces!

 

Search Term 2:  The Fame Monster
Once again I have to say I am in awe of what people can do with stickers and creative placement on items.




Search Term 3:  Poker Face
Can’t read my, Can’t read my, No he can’t read my Poker Face….



And here is a little something that will forever play in my minds eye whenever I hear the song Poker Face…I am sure these boys did Lady Gaga proud!  A little gem for any Poker Face fan:

Sneak Peak….

Look at these lovely bits of textured copper and silver.

I wonder what shall become of all you. 

 

Check back tomorrow and maybe I will show you!

Search Term Tuesday!

You know the drill….Search Term Tuesday features some of the unexpected search terms that people used and came across my site according to Google Analytics.  I then use the search terms to look up products in Etsy to see what products actually show up.  Maybe some of these new ideas will provide fresh inspiration for future products.

Just to clarify, these photos are not taken by me.  If you click on the image it will take you to a link of the listing I found when I ran the “search” based on the terms in google analytics.

So here are the terms and a resulting item form my search:

hand painted totes

shirt with scissors heart

 

 

 snow white mac apple decal

Search Term Tuesday

Well I am running a bit late on this Tuesdays installment of Search Term Tuesday.  I have been running all around and the kiddos have napped in the car but not at home, so I have not had my quiet write time today…
By now you probably know the drill.  Search term Tuesday is about me sharing with you some of the interesting keywords that were used to find my shop and then the items I find using those search terms myself.  The photos shared are not my own, but if you click on the image, it will take you to the actual listing on Etsy.  All seller have been notified that I used their item in my blog…maybe yours will be next!
popcorn bobble hat pattern:  WOW…this one brought 5 viewers to my shop!  I must admit, I had no clue as to what I would find when I typed this phrase into the Etsy search.  I was half expecting a pattern for making a hat for a bobble head figure.  Instead I was pleasantly surprised that it was for a a cute beret like hat.  Now, if only I could knit or crochet!  


art deco beaded hairpiece :  I was very excited to see where this search term took me…I was expecting a slew of vintage items to show up.  What I found was this sweet butterfly hair band.  It reminds me that although Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, Spring IS around the corner…really… 

  
chanel military blazer :  I love the thought that someone looking for a Chanel blazer ended up in my shop.  I hope they were not too disappointed with the lack of Coco items I had.  When I did this search I was actually surprised at how few items showed up.  This fun little number is very reminiscent of a toned down version of a coat Michael Jackson would have worn.

Search Term Tuesday!

Welcome back to this weekly installment of Search Term Tuesday! This is when I take some time to explore my shops Google Analytics with you and share some of the fascinating ways people have come across my shop. All of the search terms selected were from visitors that found my shop and stayed to browse for at minimum 5 mins.

This weeks common theme is “Vintage” search strings. I LOVE vintage items and I have the desire to use more in my work, maybe these will serve as inspiration to me.

vintage style plastic glasses

I first looked at this search term and thought obviously it must be eye glasses. I do love vintage eyewear and really think that a lot can be learned stylistically by studying vintage glasses…

Then I put the phrase in Etsy’s search and it came up with a lot of drinking glasses as well. It really goes to show how important it is to think about the words you use to describe an item!

vintage vinyl record cases

I have great memories of all the old vinyl records my parents had and the special furniture pieces that were dedicated to their storage. I often wish we still had the old record cabinets from my youth because it would make a great storage cabinet for my coils of silver and copper and other raw materials I have now. I did a quick search to see what items would come up with this string, and I found this lovely record tote.

There is a interior shot of it and if you look carefully, you will find that it has “American Jewelry” written on it. How Ironic! Hmmm….maybe it will be a future purchase for me…

vintage save the date

I really enjoy seeing this search term. In today's era of e-vites and electronic communications. It is great to see that some people still send out a tangible note to let you know that your presence is requested at an event. And even more sweet is the thoughtful sending of a Save the Date card so that people can plan, well in advance, to attend your event. This not only helps with time management to schedule vacation time to attend, but also allows you to save money to pay of attending the event. Depending on what stage of life you are in, you may have a jam packed season of weddings to attend, and that can get a bit pricy!

I hope you enjoyed this installment of Search Term Tuesday.

Just remember that no matter how you found me, I am glad you did!

ps...The images in this post are not mine. If you click on the photo, it will take you to the Etsy Listing for the item shown.

Search Term Tuesday!

Well Tuesdays seem like a good day to look at odd search terms that brought people to my site. Here are a few of them that I found very interesting. Based on the data in Google Analytics, each of these search terms brought one viewer to my online store and that person spent 5 mins or more viewing my items. Unfortunately, I can't tell if a sale resulted from that view, but I do enjoy looking at what brought people my way so I can better address the needs of my audience.

The first fascinating search term was:

“Handmade jewellery shops in Vancouver, bc”

Well, I am a handmade jewelry shop, but I am neither located in Vancouver, nor am I in British Columbia. I think that Illinois is geographically no where close to that location, but somehow via the cyberspace gods, it is.

The second term that stood out to me was:

“crochet market beach bag”

For sure I do not do any crochet work, nor do I have any bags. But I REALLY would love to go to the beach right about now with my own crochet market beach bag! Anytime I leave my house right now, I have to battle the snow drifts and bitter cold. Burrrrrr.

And the third fascinating search term was:

“ferret print”

Okay, well there are no animal prints of any kind in my shop. And to be honest with you I am not sure I am much of a ferret person. Don’t get me wrong, they are cute in a sneaky sorta way, but just not my thing. When I was growing up, we found a domesticated ferret in our trash can one day. I don’t know if he got lost or the owner was trying to “dispose” of him. We lived in a rural area next to a little General Store, so odd things were often appearing in our yard. All I remember about him was he was cute, curious, and stunk to high heaven. We found him a happy home and I haven’t really thought of him until this search term triggered the memory of that surprise find.

Fab Finds Friday: My Carol Hannah Dress

Okay, so I have found so many wonderful artists, many of them on Etsy, that I figured I start to share my finds with you each Friday.

My first find is a dress that I have very excited about. It is a custom order from the designer Carol Hannah Whitfield. Some of you may recognizer her name since she was one of the top 3 finalists on Season 6 of Project Runway. She has 2 shops on Etsy. The first, “Carol Hannah”, showcases her designs that are more daily staples for your closet. The second, “The Wedding Collection”, features dresses for special events.

My dress, called the Gadsden Street Dress, came from the the Wedding collection shop. At the time, I had no clue that the creator of the dress was someone with reality TV connections. I saw it on the front page of Etsy and fell in love with it. My intention was to wear the dress for a Sunday Brunch event I had to attend. Unfortunately due to the mail system being bogged down with holiday shipping, it arrived a day later than the event….boo hoo. And even more sad is that between the time I ordered the dress and when I received it, I actually lost about 10 or more pounds (post baby weight loss), so the dress is a bit big on me. I will need to get it tailored a bit in time for the next event.

Well here it is, my dress that has been handcrafted by the talented Carol Hannah.

It arrived, Yea!

Time to unpack the dress…

Awe, a nice handwritten note was included,

Thanks CH!

Here it is….on my Mannequin. Isn't it gorgeous!

I think I need to name my mannequin, any suggestions?

And a little sneak peak of a Crazy Lace Agate necklace that I will add to my Etsy store soon….I wanted to show both the front and the back since each one displays its own unique personality and color ways of salmon pink, grey and cream.

Resolutions…

Okay we all make them, but I figured I would share mine with you. Lets see how well I do this year actually keeping them…

1. I will scan and file ALL of my receipts on a weekly basis.

2. I will not obsess over what my shortcomings are both professionally and personally. Instead I will celebrate my accomplishments and work to improve myself in the areas that need a little tweaking.

3. I will take more photos of my family!

4. I will improve my jewelry photography skills with the camera I do have and not dwell on what I could do with the camera I don’t have.

5. I will experiment with new recipes…I feel like we are in a food rut. Maybe if you are lucky, I will share some with you!

6. I will continue on my path of a healthy living lifestyle…not that I am particularly unhealthy, but I can do better.

7. I will re-evaluate my business plan, products, pricing and sales avenues.

8. I will develop new product lines.

9. I will document my work in a more organized manner.

10. I will communicate better…

Funny Search Terms

So I decided to look at my Google Analytics again today for odd search terms that got people to either my Etsy site or my main Luster Metal Works Site.

The one that popped out as being significant and unusual was “Dirty Dancing Dress”. That on its own is not such a odd term to search, the strange thing about it was that the search brought a total of 8 visits to my Etsy shop! And better yet, the average time the viewers spent in my shop was almost 9 mins. So it makes me wonder…should I actually make an item and entitle it Dirty Dancing Dress? I did get married up at Mountain Lake in Pembroke, VA which was where the outside scenes from Dirty Dancing were filmed.

After I began to write this, I decided to take a moment and look for some photos to share of my wedding day at Mountain Lake. Here I am with my hubby on 8-8-98 in my own “Dirty Dancing Dress”. My mind is now cranking and I think I have a few ideas for some jewelry items inspired by my wedding day! I can’t wait to start sketching!

Holiday Orders OUT!

I have been a very busy little elf lately! That is both a good thing and a curse. I am thrilled to be having such success thru my personal website, Etsy, and 1000 Markets. I have filled about 100 orders between the 3 locations in the last 2 months. BUT, as a mom of 2 small kiddos, it is hard to balance it all sometimes, especially right now.

Lately I have been finding myself dreaming of all the order I need to get done and wake up feeling anxious about how long it has been taking me to get them out the door. Under normal circumstances I try my best to get all items made and shipped within about 4 days, lately it has been more like 8 days. The delay has been because of sick kids, lack of babysitter time available, and just the juggling of priorities. Sorry to all of my friends and family, I have not even begun to finish your presents yet…

It has made me realize that I need to figure out a better system in order to grow my business. One step I will be taking is to actually get a small inventory made up of some of my more popular items. I will also be increasing prices in January to allow me to “buy” more babysitting time. I hope to use that time to create more one of a kind statement pieces as well as develop a new line of jewelry to debut in the Spring.

I have so many ideas for my shop, and just not enough hours in the day to do it! I want to thank all of you who have been a part of Luster Metal Woks this year and helped me get to where I am now!

Yea! My 250th Order on Etsy!

It was about 2 months ago that I reported my 200 order on Etsy….and now I am happy to announce my 250th! This time it was one of my signature pieces…the Vertigo Necklace. It is a necklace that features 2 hammered silver circles and 2 hammered copper circles on a silver chain. I love how the mixed metals look together!

I have been open for business on Etsy for almost 22 months and I am thrilled to see how well everything is developing. My personal website, Luster Metal Works, is also taking off! There has been a nice steady stream of visits and sales in that shop as well. It always amazes me how people find my items.

I hope that this trend keeps up because I love what I do, and I love that you like it!

Copper BookMarks

Many of you have been asking for my hand pierced copper bookmarks from years past. This year I am having trouble finding the time to make enough of them to actually list ! They sell before I have them finished, but I am accepting custom orders.

As an alternative, I have come up with a line of hand cut and textured copper bookmarks. I have a variety of motifs available such as monograms or simple theme images such as a snow flake, fleur de lies, leaf, or an apple (great for teachers gifts) and many more as well as your custom requests. I also have about 25 colors of tassels available to finish off your bookmark.

These make GREAT gifts for ANYone! You can find them in my Etsy shop or my personal online shop for Luster Metal Works!

I can also customize the bookmarks with either an initial, monogram, word, date,or phrase for no extra charge. Just let me know in the note for seller section at checkout!
The bookmark is shipped in a gift box ready to give! How Great is that!

Also, please remember, these are made by hand not a machine. Sometimes there are little quirks to the product like a slight wiggle to one side or what have you. It makes the item all that more special and unique, just think of it as me, the artist, leaving my permanent fingerprint on each product.

Copper items are a great gift for your health, and here are some benefits of copper According to Copper.org:

Copper is one of a relatively small group of metallic elements which are essential to human health. These elements, along with amino and fatty acids as well as vitamins, are required for normal metabolic processes. However, as the body cannot synthesize copper, the human diet must supply regular amounts for absorption.
Copper combines with certain proteins to produce enzymes that act as catalysts to help a number of body functions. Some help provide energy required by biochemical reactions. Others are involved in the transformation of melanin for pigmentation of the skin and still others help to form cross-links in collagen and elastin and thereby maintain and repair connective tissues. This is especially important for the heart and arteries. Research suggests that copper deficiency is one factor leading to an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Yippee, My 200th Order!

I am so happy to announce that I have made my 200th sale on Etsy today! Even more fun, the purchase was made by someone living in Australia! Although the item was a ring sizing gauge rather than a handcrafted item, it is a item that hopefully will lead to a future sale of a custom ring.

According to my Etsy info, I opened my account in Nov 21, 2007. In reality I did not begin to sell items until February of 2008. So in 20 months I have sold 200 items. That averages to 10 orders a month. Oh by the way, I also was pregnant and had baby #2 during that time as well…and we are in a recession. So I am more than pleased with progress of Luster!

I continue to find it so amazing that I can be here in the cornfields of Illinois and make products that are sold globally. This is especially great for me since I am a little shy and also a stay at home mom to 2 young boys. Lots of travel right now is just not feasible or particularly desirable.

So where do I hope this is going? Well I try not to put too much pressure on myself with sales goals…but I would love to hit 250 orders by the end of the year. I also would like to start to spend more time creating once the baby is a little less dependent on me. I also want to do a few “local” show to get my name out there more. I am also proud that I have been able to make donations to charities both monetarily and product based on behalf of “Luster”. I plan to continue with that as my brand and company grows.

XOXOX Thanks for all of your support out there!

Hearts on Fire

I have been busy hammering away at some hearts with a variety of textures. I will get them listed in my Etsy shop and soon on my website! I love how as I hammer the texture and form unfold.