Item of the Week, Faceoff, and Latest Items!

Item of the Week

This lovely set was created after I was randomly looking through some Peruvian Ceramic Beads. I saw these beautiful blue fairy's and had to have! Mix in some seed beads and tiny sapphire colored crystals, and you have a beautiful set of jewelry for a beautiful lady out there, somewhere, waiting to buy it :) Earrings are approximately 1 3/4 inches long. The necklace is approximately 17 1/2 inches long with the pendant measuring another 3/4's of an inch.

It's on sale this week for only $16 plus $2 shipping and handling!

FACEOFF

Over at Blockhead Radio we're always doing new things! This week we started something called the FACEOFF. What is that? Well, the hosts and staff each go out and find an awesome item, we put them up on the radio's page, and you come vote for your favorite! So why am I telling you this? I want you go vote! See the lovely item above? It's by a team mate of mine - Beads Forever - and it needs your votes! So go VOTE!

My Stuff

Here's the latest items in my shops! Which one is YOUR favorite? Tell me which one and why and you'll get an extra entry into my Top Commentators contest!

Looking for some great advertising?

If your like me than your always looking for a great way to advertise your work. Well I've found you one! You've heard me talk about Blockhead Radio right? Well the station is growing by leaps and bounds! Advertising is way cheap. I'll let the boss man tell you all about :)

What kind of reach does BHR have and why would I benefit from advertising. BHR is an Internet radio station, so that means people all around the world can listen and do. Our top 5 countries are:

1. United States
2. Canada
3. U.K.
4. Israel
5. Australia

Our demographics are a split of 60% Artisans and 40% General Listeners. 70% Women and 30% Men. Ages vary from 12 years old to 71. Yep we got a grandma jammin' with us.

Why use Internet Radio for advertising? Simple, interactivity. With an audio commercial you have put a voice/personality to your site. When your ad is playing a banner is displayed in the player and the listener has the option to go to you site right then and there. Then the most 5 recent audio plays are kept in a list on the player and those link up to your site too. It opens in it's own window so you have the listeners complete attention.

We sell in stream audio/banner spots on CPM. That way you know that 1000 people will hear your ad. CPM is frequently used in advertising to represent cost per thousand (where M is the roman numeral of 1000). When used in advertising it relates to the cost per thousand page impressions. Using the CPM model the advertiser is guaranteed that a minimum number of listeners will hear their ad.

The cost is $15.00 CPM. Advertiser is responsible for supplying a 240 pixel square banner and link to information. Please provide us with a couple sentences describing your site and we will do a script and voice over. You can renew your ad for $7.50 for another 1000 impressions.

If you have any questions or would like to setup and ad please email us at advertsing@blockheadradio.com

Would You Like A Jingle For Your Ad?

How would you like a catchy jingle for your ad? This special $30 offer for a low cost jingle will boost your image and grab the listeners attention! Singer/Songwriter Mike Burnes is available for this.

One quick more answer. When checking your Goggle Analytics/Incoming URL's the incoming link from the player is: media.streamads.com

And if you love me (and I know you do!) you can ask for me to be the voice of your ad when you purchase it! Just go to their artfire (no account needed) to order now!

Thursday Spotlight on DeDe Sorensen

Last night was a great show with DeDe Sorenson. DeDe creates fine art in a variety of styles. You can find her work at: http://dedesorensen.googlepages.com/ andhttp://dedesorensen.byhand.me When you check out her google pages you'll see that she sells on a variety of sites!

In fact, one of the things we talked about last night was how she manages all of the different sites she has her stuff on. I was quite impressed because this is something I struggle with! She told us that every morning she checks her blogs and social sites. Then, she has a schedule for when she updates her selling sites. A different place every day, that way there's always new things going up, but she's not overwhelmed on any particular day.

As well as her incredible art work, DeDe loves to write. She has several different blogs, but her main one is: http://paintnpen.blogspot.com/ She also writes for The Art Network, doing two columns monthly, and the next magazine will be coming out at the end of May.  The Art Network is an international magazine, and I think you'll find some wonderful advice in her columns!

Speaking  of DeDe's great advice, she's going to be starting up her own show on BHR! I'm really excited about it! It is going to be called Outside the Frame and will begin on the 29th at 1PM EST. Many artists struggle with the business side of things, because it's never really taught in art schools. It can be a vicious world out there! So DeDe is going to share her years of experience with us. The first week she'll be talking about Gallery shows. I'm really excited to learn more about them! I definitely have plenty to learn.

Thursdays Spotlight on Kamila's Dolls

First, just let me say, I know it's not Thursday! Sorry, I usually try to get this post out the day after the show and life got in the way this week. When I had such a great artist too! 

Thursday night we met Kamila. Kamila is an art dolls artist and you can find her work and all her links at www.woodedwoods.com. She told us that her husband is very supportive of her art, and he not only does all the web-site building, he also helps her take the stories that form in her head and put them down on paper to publish with the dolls! That sounds like a wonderful partnership. 

Now Kamila's art dolls are not what you might typically imagine when you think of an art 

doll. Through away all your previous concepts, these are NOT your mother's dolls! Which is probably why I love them so much. 

Kamila has an eye for the strange and the creepy. One of her inspirations (and it shows!) is Tim Burton. We were all telling her on Thursday that we look forward to the day when we can say "I know her before she went to work on Tim Burton's movies!" Her works so incredible that I can see that as a real possibility. 

When asked about her prior art experience Kamila told us that she's always loved to draw, and that's still an important component in her work today. She often sketches out a piece before she begins work. One thing that amazed me was that she had never really worked with polymer clay before she began making dolls! That floored me considering how detailed her work is. I also enjoyed hearing about how she searches in thrift stores for the right fabrics and components to complete her work. 

Kamila works full time as well as devoting time to her art work. This means she often works late into the night when the inspiration strikes her because there is simply no other time to do it! Lately production has been slowed a bit because she's pregnant (congratulations!) but she does have one piece up on eBayright now that you can purchase.

I hope you can join us for next weeks interview Thursday night at 9pm EST - it will be a lot of fun!

~Ruthie~

http://roseworksjewelry.byhand.me

Beautiful Jewelry by Lily Wrey

When I first joined the on-line community, selling my jewelry, I felt a little overwhelmed by all of the different things to learn and to do! One thing that quickly helped me to feel more grounded was making relationships with other on-line sellers. Lily Wrey of Tulips Treasure Box was one person who took me under her wing. In fact, we eventually adopted me! I call here my cyber-aunt, and one day we hope to meet in person.

I love Lily's jewelry design, and I'm not just saying that because we are close friends! I'm saying that as a jewelry designer myself. I've also watched her jewelry design grow quite a bit in the time I've known her. She has a great imagination, and she loves to learn. Recently she's been taking classes on jewelry design, and while I've always enjoyed her work, her new pieces are even more incredible!

Lily got her start by selling on ebay, but quickly grew dissatisfied with that venue for her jewelry. She joined Etsy as Tulips Treasure Box in December of 2007, and that's where I originally met her! Lily hasn't confined herself to that site alone though. She's stressed her wings and tried out many different selling venues, more recently, Artfire, also as Tulips Treasure Box.

We spent quite a bit of time talking last night about both Lily's shop on Artfire and Artfire in general. She's very excited about what she sees developing over there, and plans on becoming even more involved than she already is!

One of the best things about Lily is that she loves others. Remember how I said she took me under her wing? I'm watched hertime and time and again reach out to others around her, offering her support and knowledge. Be sure to check out her shop!

Some Patriotic Sparkle and A HuGE Challenge!

So I'm a little late - but it's time once again for my weekly special! This week brings us to my "Patriotic Delights" section. I originally created this last year, as a new artist in the selling world, to celebrate the 4th of July. I've kept it in my shop instead of distributing the pieces to other sections because I think we all have our moments where we want to show off our pride in being Americans!

Patriotic Sparkle Bracelet

The say diamonds are a girls best friend, but I think Swarovski crystal is pretty close! And that's exactly what this bracelet is, a band of Swarovski crystal hand woven on a base of white Delica beads. Very reminiscent of a tennis bracelet, and because of that you can wow your friends, without all the expense!

Bracelet is approximately 7 inches long but could easily be made to fit any size wrist :) Please allow one week for special orders.

Only $18 for this bracelet this week on this blog! That's 20% off with only $2 shipping (already included) to anywhere in the world!

And now...for the Challenge!!!!!!!!

Do you remember me mentioning the Artisan's Challenge returning? Well it's back...and it's time for you to go vote! So go...go...GO and vote!

This is going to BLOW your Mind!!!

Did you do participate in the old Artisans Challenge? If you did then you know that it was a MAJOR opportunity to get your name out there! And it's coming back!!!

For all of you who've never heard of it before - the Artisan's Challenge is a weekly contest where other people come in and vote for YOUR art. Here's the rules:

Blockhead Radio Artisans Challenge Rules:

1. You must be the creator of the item you are entering. It must be handmade not a mass produced item.
2. It is first come first entered into the challenge. All entries are held in Que on our server till they are put into an active challenge.
3. The Artisans Challenge is well promoted. You will be notified when you are in a challenge. To increase your chance of winning, let your friends, teams, groups, and forums know. Only one vote per ip address per category.
4. Winner is determined by the most votes received.
5. Voting is held from 1 p.m. eastern time Monday till 9:13 a.m. the following Monday. This gives us 4 hours to tally up all votes and get the next challenge started.

Weekly Challenge:

Each week we will have a challenge with Artisans that won from each of the twelve categories. The winner of the weekly challenge will have an in stream audio ad with click through banner the week after the challenge.

Categories:

Primitive and Rustic

New things made to look old. It can be 2D or 3D with no size limitations.

2D Art

Any art piece that can be hung flat on a wall. This can include painting, drawings, aceos(see miniature/sfa), collage, etc. It should have a smooth and flat surface and has no size limitations.

3D Art

Depth, width, and height. This can include sculpture, ceramics, pottery, etc. No size limitations.

Candles/Bath/Beauty

Any handmade candle, soap, lotion, fragrance, lip balm, salve, scrub or skin care. No size limitations.

Knitting, Crochet, and Needlework

If it is knitted, crocheted, or sewn(hand or machine). No size limitations.

Photography

Any image that is available as a print. No size limitations.

Miniatures/Small Format Art

Miniatures are defined by the Association of Miniatures as:

·Minute in scale vs. life sized. For practicality following the general 1/6th scale for my work sent to formal miniature exhibitions and shows.
·Delicate and painstaking technique that withstands magnification.
·Small in format and size. 25 inches or less for surface area. Sculpture should fit inside an 8"x8"x8" cube including the base.
·High in quality. The work should exemplify Fine Art ~ demonstrating a mastery of composition, color, values etc.

Small Format Art (SFA) is defined as any type of artwork that has a maximum size of 14 inches (35.5cm) in any one direction. This will include aceo, doll house miniatures, small sculpture, etc. If you have any concerns if you item fits in this category, please email us with a description. Many items can fit into this and 2D/3D art category. It will be up to the entrant in which category they want to enter their item.

Jewelry

Any handmade item meant to be worn. Necklace, ring, bracelet, etc. This category will include unstrung pendants and beads as long as they are handmade. No size limitations.

Paper Crafts

Any item that was created using paper as the main material. This category will include downloadable patterns and collage sheets. No size limitations.

Any Holiday Any Format

Open to any art format that has a holiday theme. No size limitations.

Clothing/Bags/Accessories

Any handmade item that would be considered clothing, purse, bag, and clothing accessory will go into this category. No size limitation.

Wild Card

This category is for any handmade item that does not fit in any of the other categories. No size limitation.

I also wanted to let you know that we are doing some changes at BHR. We're going back to more of where we started. We will be kid friendly so you can listen and not worry about your children hearing things! We'll continue to play music, but we'll be doing some more Artisan and Family orientated shows :) So look for new shows to be coming. AND we will be rebroadcasting shows so if you miss one - you might be able to catch up!

Come Meet Kamila's Dolls

Like these dolls? I sure do! Which is why tonight's guest with me on the radio will be Kamila, maker of these awesome art dolls! I'm so looking forward to it...will you join us? Awesome chatter, awesome music, and learning more about Kamila's art!

Check out her website here: http://www.woodedwoods.com/

And join us tonight at 9pm EST for the radio show! www.blockheadradiolive.com

Can you imagine???

I have a wonderful mental picture for you - but before I get to that - if you want to know why my blogging has been so sporadic lately check out this blog post :)

Now - do you listen to Block Head Radio? Well, if you do your probably familiar with our dear producer Rod:
Well - if we sell 50 of the 5,000 impression ads by March 15th .... he'll put on something like this:
Scary? Yes. A good reason to buy advertising for your shop? Of course!

Disclaimer: this will be done as tastefully as possible and I promise your trauma will be no where near as severe as the trauma his 6 children go through when THEY see it!

Want more information? Check out the original blog post on the stations blog :)

Like the pretty purple tutu? I found it (where else?) on etsy :D Go HERE to check it out :)

January - A Crafty Month in Review!

As you may remember, I decided at the beginning of the year to formalize some of the goals that I had rattling around in my head. I didn't want to make some New Years Resolutions that I'd break right away. No, I wanted to start systematically working towards certain goals. I've been using To Do Lists and the web-site Goal For It to help me keep track of my progress and stay motivated.

As I've gone along this last month there have been times I've gotten discouraged, but having the Goal For It site has actually really helped me stay positive! I can look at it and see that I've made progress in some areas, and it's very rewarding to be able to remind myself that some goals are met even if I haven't quite made time to work on every goal every day! That helps a lot as I battle my health problems and the depression that tends to go along with them. So, without further ado, I'd like to share with you a little of what I've accomplished this month in Rose Works Jewelry, Kindred Spirit Treasures, and Block Head Radio.

Kindred Spirit Treasures

Lovely White Butterfly Hair Bow

This month marks the beginning of my Mom and I's shop - Kindred Spirit Treasures. We've been talking about it for a few months now, but between one thing and another, it just never got off the ground! It's up and running now with 13 items in the shop, and a bunch more to list this week! We've even had our first sale :) I hope we have more this next month! I know it's hard sometimes to get sales started in a new store on etsy, but I think we have some great stuff.

My only disappointment with Kindred Spirit Treasures this month has been that I was hoping to get some items up in the shop that weren't my simple cell phone charms but that were still my own creations. One of the reasons Mom and I are sharing the shop is so that I have chance to flex my creative muscles in non-jewelry after all! That never happened, but I do have a bookmark in the works that I'm really happy about. :)

Rose Works Jewelry

Wind Dancer - Elements Series

There's so much to report in this area! I'm going to try and keep from going TOO long - and I'm gong to break it up into different categories :)

Sales

First of all, even though this is REALLY late, I'm happy to report that I made $250 in sales during the months of Nov/Dec, so I raised $25 for my local homeless shelter! I was hoping to raise at least $20, so this makes me really happy. :) Now I just need to write the check and send it in :P

Last year: I finally finished my state taxes today (yes I'm a procrastinator) and discovered that I made $800 in sales last year! Considering I just opened shop last May, I've been really sick this whole time, and I've moved a couple of times, that's SUPER EXCITING! Here's to a successful (and more profitable) second year of business eh?

This Month - When I set out my three month goals I decided that I wanted to try and reach $100 in sales each month. Well, I didn't quite reach my goal this month, but I did make $70! And you know what? I'm happy about that :) Considering today's economy it could have been much, much worse. And I at least made it 70% of the way to my goal the first month I set myself one!

Creativity

Towards the end of last year I challenged myself to start making one woven item a week. I did that because I love my woven pieces, but they were taking me forever to complete! I was averaging 2-3 items a month, max. By December I was getting pretty settled into weaving (and faster), and then this month I took off like a crazy woman! If I counted right - I made 10 different woven pieces this month! One custom order, one in the elements series, one for myself (mostly completed, I need more beads), 3 for sale on consignment, and 4 pairs of woven earrings (also for consignment)! No, you haven't seen all of them yet, but you will soon :) I've also learned a new weaving pattern and started a bracelet (hope to finish tonight) that I'm REALLY excited to unveil :)

Blogging

I haven't done as well in blogging as I'd like. This makes only 21 posts this month! *sigh* But most of the days I didn't blog it was for pretty valid reasons - like being all melty-brained from migraines. I also haven't been as consistent with my Entrecard drops as I'd like to be, but that's for the same reasons.

The good news is that Theresa and I have continued our Selling Venue Series - and that's been a lot of fun!

My favorite piece of news from this month, blogging-wise, is that I've finally set up a sales widget on the right hand side of my blog! Each week (approximately) I'll be featuring a different item on sale, through the blog only, for 20% off! I'll alternate between the different categories in my shop, so you'll get a chance for all sorts of different items :)

Oh yes - and have you entered my contest yet? It's open until the 11th! Click here :)

Alternate Venues

I'm working on opening up my first consignment deal - but first I got sick and then she got sick! I'll be calling again on Monday to see if we can set an appointment. And then I'll take a week or two off before I worry about looking for my second consignment opportunity. This was a lot of work! I don't think that the next one will be as much work because I've learned a lot, but I still want to give myself time to focus on other things.

I'm still planning on opening up at least one shop in another on-line venue, but I haven't really started on that yet. The research Theresa and I have been doing has given me some great ideas though :) So maybe this month?

My show, Thursday Spotlight on Artisan, continues! LOL - not a lot to report personally there - but there have been big changes in the radio station as a whole! We've moved from Blog Talk Radio to our very own platform at www.blockheadradiolive.com! This is has been a big change for us, and a lot of fun. Well, at least for us hosts, poor Rod is working his fingers to the bone trying to get all the kinks worked out.

Join me this week at 9pm EST, www.blockheadradiolive.com, for my interview with Kamila of The Wooded Woods!

Meet Sew Happy Designs Live on the Air!!!

I'm very excited about tonight's Thursday Spotlight on Sew Happy Designs! Ok, ok, ok, so I'm USUALLY pretty excited about my show - but this week is extra special! Cindy, of Sew Happy Designs, is the number one fan of Block Head Radio and has been working behind the scenes since the very beginning.

Kites and Brights Quilt with Matching Tote Bag

Cindy has a fantastic personality, she's always cheering me up, and she's a very busy woman too! You can find her all over the web - check it out!

Cindy on Etsy

Cindy's Blog

Cindy's Teaching Web-site

Cindy's Quilt Photos

Shop where Cindy has items on Consignment

Follow Cindy on Twitter!

Want to get to know Cindy better? So do I! I have about a million questions to ask her tonight, and if you join us in chat (or call in) you can ask her YOUR questions too! Just join us at www.blockheadradiolive.com at 9pm EST :) I look forward to seeing you there!

Zebra African Potholder

Change is in the Air!

Have you heard all the excitement about the new selling venue that's opening - the Artisan Shoppe? I know many of my readers have because they also follow Block Head Radio, and it's by the same awesome people! Well, the sad news is that the Artisan Shoppe is going to be down for the rest of the week. BUT, the good news is that when it comes back up it's going to be chock full of new features, a new look, and in general it will just be a better all around! I know it's frustrating to have the site down, but trust me, after a long talk with the "man behind the scenes" it's going to be more than worth it, and wouldn't you rather have it go down at the beginning and be done RIGHT instead of him trying to slowly fix things after its going full swing? Don't worry, as soon as it's back up I'll tell you more about it!

The other change that's in the air right now is with Block Head Radio. BIG and FUN changes. Are you ready for it...drum roll please.... Block Head Radio is going to be going 24/7!!! It's also moving from being hosted by BTR to being our entity. I'm really excited! This is going to give us a lot more control and solve some of the problems that have been cropping up with BTR.

Don't worry - you'll still be able to find us at www.blockheadradiolive.com! However, if you have one the players on your blog, you'll want to take it down. We'll have a new one for you soon! The new format should be up in about a week :)

Please help me spread the word about the changes in the Artisan Shoppe and Block Head Radio - it's going to be great when it's all together!

Bazaar Time!

Yesterday was an exhilarating and frustrating experience. I love the adrenaline of being in a bazaar/fair atmosphere, but I'll admit that my body isn't very happy with me as a result, but more on that later.

My brother (usually referred to as my geek consultant, but yesterday was operating as my jewelry set up slave), asked me yesterday, "Where on earth did the term bazaar come from? Is it because the stuff people sell is so strange?" I thought that was pretty cute, but it also got me curious.  So this is what I found:

"The word bazaar derives from the Persian word bāzār, the etymology of which goes back to the Pahlavi word baha-char (بهاچار) meaning "the place of prices".^[1]
During the time of the Crusades, when Europe and the Middle East had
their first major encounters and cultural dissemination took place, the
word was assimilated into Italian as bazzara, before being transferred to English in its current form, bazaar.^[2] While currently the word is most often used to denote outdoor shopping areas, particularly those of Islamic origins, the word is sometimes used loosely to refer to such places and events as flea markets or swap-meets." ~New World Encyclopedia

My wonderful Mom took that picture of me and my table yesterday! if I get healthier again, and I'm able to do more fairs and such, I have a lot of work I want to do on my displays.  This works for now though! I did get some ideas from another jewelry vendor on some cheap ways to create displays :) 

I didn't make very much money yesterday - but I did make some - so that makes me happy! My mother-in-law and I had a lot of fun chatting and working together.  We purposely had our tables next to each other so she could watch mine if I needed it and I could watch hers.  Part of that was because I left for about an hour to make an appearance at a family Christmas party, but an unspoken part of that was the concern that I might not make it through the whole day, and that my asthma would flair.  Fortunately it didn't! Not while I was there at least >_>

One of the amusing things about yesterday was a play on names.  My mother-in-law and I, for those who don't know, are both named Ruth.  So that got a little confusing at times! Usually people call her Ruth and me Ruthie, but some people call her Ruthie as well, and either way hearing "Ruth" called across the room would get both of us turning to respond!

The other really amusing thing was our "shop names."  Ruth doesn't sell as a business, she does it for charity, and she's been doing it since before we met.  I had my shop name in mind long before I opened it, and long before she told me hers.  So yesterday we had "Ma Rose" and "Rose Works Jewelry" right next to each other, and the two "Roses" run by two Ruth's was totally not planned! Well, I mean, we did plan to be next to each other, but the name thing wasn't! People were talking about it all day :P She's "Ma Rose" because, when she was a missionary to the Philippines, they called her Ma Rose because they were unable to pronounce the "th" in Ruth.  I've just always loved the name Rose and loved Roses :)

Now here's the set-back from yesterday.  My asthma has been getting much better, I'm still really weak and all, but I had high hopes for the future.  I still have high hopes, but yesterday showed me I'm not doing quite as well as I thought I was.  I've been having a lot of asthma problems and massive headaches since last night.  While I am getting better as the day goes on - I was pretty non-functional all morning. So, while I was hoping to maybe research and see if there were any winter fairs I could participate in, I'm currently thinking I'll need to wait until spring.  Which is frustrating, but it all balances out!

There have been a lot of good things going on in my business life that I can focus on instead of getting frustrated about not being strong enough to do fairs right now. As I believe I mentioned in a previous post, I'm going to be starting the process this week to set up a consignment account at a local bead store, I'm super-excited about that!  Then I got an e-mail from my mother-in-law today, apparently one of the gals from church who was at the bazaar wants to show some of my jewelry where she works! I have no idea where she works or what this might end up looking like, but that's exciting none-the-less! 

The other two things that I'm super-excited about it are Blockhead Radio and Pluggers United!  As you know if you follow this blog, last Thursday was the premier of my new show on Blockhead Radio co-hosted with the fabulous Lily of Tulips Treasure Box! We've gotten excellent feed-back on the show (Thanks guys!) and it looks like we'll be moving to a prime time slot as a result!

Pluggers United is a new etsy team forming as a result of Blockhead Radio. Rod, the King Plugger Lugger and producer of Blockhead Radio, has always had a focus on "plugging" other artisans.  Thus his title :) That's what the radio station is all about! Helping and supporting artisans.  Now his wife, Annette of Huckleberry Arts, the often unrecognized motivator behind Rod's work, has started this new team to help band together the Blockhead fans and to help organzing the work we love to do!  Here's the info about the new team:

"We are artisans for artisans....working together we can gain more exposure for team members and their shops. This is done through the radio shows, blogs, advertising, guerrilla marketing, entrecard generator, website, etc. We will be doing charity events also.

Only requirements for members:

1. Join the Yahoo Group and add your info to the databases. This is needed for team guerrilla marketing.

2. Place the Pluggers United badge on your blog.

3. Blog about one of your team members at least once a month. You pick them. This is done on the honor system and you do not have to
report it.

4. Try and sell on of your team members item during the month. Blog post, twitter, etc. One item specifically......honor system here too.

We will not allow any calling out, blasting sites, etc. This WILL be a fun and friendly team. We are here to support each other."

So come join the fun!