I have been a die hard D.I.Y my whole life but honestly after attempting to create my own ad repeatedly I felt it was time to bring in a pro.  I asked two of my colleagues for recommendations on affordable web design.  I contacted both and received reply’s.  Michelle from A Green Dress replied promptly even though she was very ill at the time.  The other recommended person replied as well and proceeded to tell me of a very long waiting list involved and did not include quotes.  As usual I did not think a head to what exactly I really wanted and decided to take this time to figure this out.   I then did my usual thing which is lost track of time for a few weeks.

Michelle contacted me early last week and asked if I was still interested.  I said I was but I had decided that I needed to go with my top priority which was to obtain a web ad that I could send to various sites for advertising purposes.  She asked what size in which I replied I have no clue, she simply asked for the page I was planning to advertise on.  I sent her the link to an amazing blog called Living On A Limited Income. I had sent some jewelry to the blog owner Kimberley for a review and she had mentioned her fabulous advertising price of $5 a month! She also asked for the link to my website so she could get a feel for it.  So the next day I received a prompt email from Michelle on what size ad was needed along with a question of what I desired the ad to look like. So being me I sent her a picture of one of my favorite jewelry pieces, the fabulous cranberry and copper bracelet, and included my motto.  I did not give any further information I swear and she managed to come up with not only an amazing ad at a amazing price but a ad that truly fits me as both a person and a jewelry designer!  I can not express my overall feeling when I saw this ad for the first time!

So I am recommending Michelle from A Green Dress to any one who needs these essential web services.  I will also be using her for my future web design needs as she is affordable and a pleasure to work with.  I also want to mention she makes fabulous jewelry out of recycled materials!

The second case of designer bad business is refusing to share where you have obtained your materials from.  There are 10 billion sources online and offline to acquire jewelry making materials.  Refusing to aid a fellow designer is selfish and in my opinion rude.  Some items are hard to find and I guarantee the business you are buying from would prefer it if you shared. If I have found someplace that was reputable, affordable, and exceptional I am sure to pass it along because ultimately we are all in this together.  Just because someone wants your supplier doesn’t mean they will design something exactly like yours and so what if they do.  Competition is good for you it forces the designer to make new and better products. So I want to know how do you feel about this topic? Add your comments and you will be entered into a drawing for a free pair of earrings!

*Please note I am not speaking of copyrighted/trademarked items.  As in the case of a friend who makes the most amazing pendants I have ever seen he sells instructions on how to create them.

First thing I would like to share if your thinking of picking up jewelry making to turn it into a business DON’T. I make jewelry because I love it, though I must say I lost may way for a while, lost in the complicated business/website matters that complicate simple things. Jewelry is not a lucrative field, it is next to impossible to get slots at fairs/shows and even the crafter’s malls fill up fast. The reason why is there are for more jewelry makers then their is space for them. Stringing, beading, wire work so on and so forth it doesn’t matter what type you make the odds of getting in are slim and the only way is if you are a first caller. I know my jewelry is different then what is being sold yet all of us are lumped in this category and space to sell is limited.

Now I want to say I truly enjoy making jewelry I did not start making it to sell it and honestly have done rather a poor job at even trying to sell it as of late. I have far more creations then I have posted for me it is the time involved in setting up and photographing every single piece that slows me up, that and I come from a long line of procrastinators.

Now there is several reasons as to why jewelry is not a hot sell right now, one our economy is poor and jewelry is a want item not a need so therefore more people will pass on the jewelry then buy it, two jewelry makers are literally a dime a dozen, and three wholesaler’s who sell cheap crap made in china can sell for far less then we can. However remember that products bought from china are not only inferior quality but have toxic metal alloys in them as well. Please note this also includes many jewelry items bought at regular retailers.

We all know our economy is tanking badly we all want someone to blame, and while the president past or present is an easy target, it truly is more cooperate America’s fault.

In the United States very little is manufactured and sold here, most major companies have farmed out to other countries (primarily china) where they use cheap labor and cheaper materials thereby maximizing their profit. This is not new to anyone I know, but what the companies neglected to think of in their greed, is when the people who buy their products do not have job’s then there is no money to buy the products with.

So here is a challenge that I personally have decided to follow. On anything I can buy made in the USA I will, I will no longer support companies that have farmed out our job’s and make inferior products. I will buy from small businesses, companies, and people who make items here in the USA who deserve my business, and my loyalty not because I know them all personally but because they are Americans who like me and you have been hit hard by our failing economy, who do their best every day to feed their families and keep their homes while cooperate America gets richer because of our suffering.

Please Support Locally Made Items it may cost a couple of dollars more but it will keep one more family off the streets.

You can find everything from clothes to candles soap and more on these crafting sites:

http://www.Etsy.com (Look up my friend’s vegan soap, Mumz Soap Shop on etsy my etsy shop is not updated yet LOL)

http://www.MadeItMyself.com

http://www.artfire.com

will add more sites later. Remember BUY USA!!!!!!