"Lost My Day Job" Chapter One: "Don't you make one other thing until you sell something."

I love reading those "Quit Your Day Job" stories on etsy. Well, I've lost my day job.  I am going to take this as an opportunity to focus on "ColieArt" and improve my sales! I've been on etsy since 2007 and have only made 330 sales. Why? I know that I haven't put much effort into it so it is lucky I have any sales at all. So...what am I going to do about it?

"Lost My Day Job"

Chapter One:  "Don't you make one other thing until you sell something." 

It wasn't even my idea- selling my jewelry- my brother was visiting for the holidays and when he discovered me drowning in beads and tools and projects he said "Don't you make one other thing until you sell something." I make jewelry primarily. But I also make polymer clay beads, origami functional art, and paper art like journals and sketch books. What? Sell something? Why not? I found etsy and it seemed so easy it would be a shame not to do it. So, I did, I set up ColieArt. I opened my shop December 4th of 2007. I made my first sale before I was done setting up my shop! 

It was this necklace, earring, and bracelet set I made from polymer clay.

10 days later I sold these two pair of earrings I made with my own polymer clay beads. The customer had written "The finials are cute too so I must have them!" in the message to seller box. I was like "Wow! She thinks my beads are cute!" That felt good, but after she'd gotten them she left even more uplifting, encouraging feedback! 

"These earring are quite girly and cute. They are also well made. (Love the paint job, Nicole!) I can't wait to see what ColieArt offers next."

"These earrings are lovely, and at the same time they're funky. I love them!"

I was in awe. Someone likes my work! Wants to pay for my work! Is complimenting not only the design but the craftsmanship of my work! And while I love all compliments, the ones I get for my polymer clay work mean the most. 

At first, I listed everything I made in my shop...my polymer clay beads, my origami boxes, and my jewelry- polymer clay, custom metal clay, wirework...everything. I kept saying I'll let the customers tell me what I should focus on. But that didn't happen. I didn't get vary many sales and I was selling a little bit of everything and getting wonderful feedback. I love making all kinds of stuff and working with different materials. I couldn't figure out what I was going to do to focus my shop. 

 Let me share some sales and their feedback from my first year on etsy with you then call this a night!

"SO PRETTY ! these are wonderful, perfectly shaped and beautiful color combination, Thanks for everything. Super fast shipping and easy ccommunication, beautiful beads!"

"THANKS A BUNCH! This was an amazing piece, and I am SO proud to wear it! Great seller, fast turnover, will do business again!"

"Nicely packaged and beautifully crafted!"

"These are my new favorite earrings. The wirework and stones work wonderfully together. Wearing them truly is a regal experience."

Finished the necklace from my works in progress post! I've got it listed in my etsy shop.

I'm so excited! I have admired Lorelei Eurto's jewelry since I discovered her in Stringing Magazine a while back. I am thankful for having such a great artist appreciate polymer clay beads. Since her work is everywhere I dreamed about her using my polymer clay beads but from what I could tell she only worked with a couple of polymer clay artists. Well, I finally decided to reach out to her and ask if I could gift her some beads. Lorelei was kind enough to take a look at my shop and point out some stuff she liked! I was too thrilled to send them to her. 

A few days ago she sent me a shot of this necklace! You can find it here:   loreleieurtojewelry                                   

What to do with all those holiday cards? Make a secret keepsake box!

This project isn't my creation. I came across it years ago and I don't know who gets credit for it. I thought this would be a good project to share this time of year and I was intending to share a link to a tutorial for it with you but cant find one. So, I'm showing you  how I made mine. 

Materials: 10-20 cards in envelope

exact knife

glue

decorative paper

index card or other scratch paper to make a template

This is what we are making! 

this stack of cards disguises a little treasure or keepsake box!

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the top card is a lid that covers the cavity inside!

step one: decide what dimensions you want the cavity to have then make a template for the size of the box.

step two: use the template to draw rectangles on each card, make sure to do some at an angle to add interest and make the stack more believable. Use an exacto knife to cut the rectangle out of each card.  

step three: stack the cards up, aligning them by the rectangular cut out and glue them to each other. I used about 15 cards, I stuffed a folded piece of paper in a few to make them thicker. You want to use as many cards as you need to make the box the depth you want.

Step four: line the inside of the cavity with decorative paper.

Step five: making the lid. Decide which card is going on the top.

You want to create a hinge from a piece of card stock so you can flip the lid open. I cut a slit into the top of the lid card and slid half of the hinge in it. The other half I tucked under the top of the box card.

does this help?

This is what you end up with!

I added a ribbon to look like it's holding the stack of cards together.

Please feel free to ask any questions if something isn't clear.