another edition of why I love my customers

Welcome to another edition of why I love my customers! When I started selling jewelry nearly four years ago, I never imagined that I would end up doing so much custom work and that it would be such a rewarding experience. I've had many great customer orders the past four years. This most recent order was no exception.

 
This customer is a teacher, and she wanted a set of jewelry in her school's colors. Do you remember this charm bracelet? I still have a bunch of those maroon buttons, which worked out perfectly for this order. I love the addition of the gray, silver, black, and white.

I created a second set that I now have listed in my shop. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut with the color combinations for a certain line in my shop without even realizing. I keep creating new versions with those same combinations without taking the time to experiment with something new. Getting the inspiration for a new button set was much needed.

This was also a great excuse to make a new set of button dangle earrings. I have never been able to keep these in stock for very long because they are so popular. I'm determined to have a whole bunch of new pairs ready for my fall shows this year.

This past year I started branching out with my photography because I felt like my product photography was stagnating, and I really needed to mix up the routine. I am thrilled to report that all of my photography work elsewhere has improved my product photography. I am really happy with some of these new shots and feel like they're at a new level from what I was shooting even a few months ago.

Have you been working on any neat custom orders recently?

sea green and reworked continued

I finally listed the last button charm bracelet that I made over the summer.

It's available here.  I made and sold one of these a couple years back.  I finally rounded up enough buttons to make another one.  While I was searching for beads for another project, I found the sea green seed beads from this mix.  They coordinate perfectly with this button mix!  This bracelet is packed with buttons.  Each link has 2 buttons on it.

While I was hunting for buttons for my new magnets, I pulled buttons for another charm bracelet like this one.  This particular style has done well so I'm going to keep making it.  I'm planning to add beads to it this time.  I'm also contemplating a couple more of these bracelets.  They were a whim project when I first started selling on Etsy, and they've done really well.  I think it would be great to do some seasonal ones: fall, Christmas, and winter if nothing else.

I've also been remaking a few old designs to update some of my Etsy listings.  Here are the latest ones.  Click on the photos to go to the listings.

The original version of this just had a few rows of red and purple daggers with a seed bead base, but I decided to fully fringe this one with a cube bead base so I could include it in my standard dagger line.  I know, I keep saying that I'm done until I sell one, and then I add another piece to my line.  It does keep pushing the pattern, which has been extremely popular.  Hopefully one of them will sell soon, too.

I mentioned this little pendant a couple weeks ago when I shared a sneak peek of the new coordinating herringbone bracelet/necklace (it can convert to either) that I'll be releasing in 2012.

I only made a couple pairs of these "flying" earrings.  Now that I've done a lot of beaded bails, these little ones work up really quickly.  I may make a few more pairs to coordinate with new listings.  No specific plans at this point, although it's still always available as a custom option.

This is one of my favorite posts from this past week so I'm linking it up with Erika's It's a Wrap Link Party.  Join us!

back in black and white

I listed a new button charm bracelet this week.

It's available here.  I know that last month I mentioned that the only designs I had left to list were both green, but that's only because for some reason I kept forgetting about this black and white one.  It's been one of my best selling button charm bracelet designs so I keep making new versions of it.

I actually put off making this one for a while because I thought the tiny black and white buttons were going to be hard to find again, but they weren't.  I should have gone looking and put this together months ago.  Anyway, the black and white design is where I originally started using the tiny buttons and seed beads.  It's because of its success that I've continued using them in other button charm bracelet designs.

A while back, I made a version that had these awesome vintage white with black circle shank buttons.  You can see it here.  I wish that I'd had more of them to include in the newest version.  I still love the way it turned out, though.  I also love how great the black and white looks against the gray background.  When I re-shot a bunch of old pieces against white last summer, one of the things that I consistently had trouble with was the black and white ones.  Many of the pictures had a weird pink or yellow tint like ones in that listing do.  No more with the gray!

getting back in the listing routine

Even though I set up my light box this past week, I'm still completely out of my creating, photographing, and listing routine.  Thankfully I still have a small stash of pieces that I created before we moved so as long as I can keep up a little motivation, I can keep listing until I get my creative routine a little better established.

I got a new button charm bracelet up last night.

It's available here.  I'm pretty happy with the purple shades in the pictures.  I have a couple more button charm bracelets from my little button charm bracelet making frenzy this spring that I'll be listing over the next month.  Both are green.  As always, if there's anything else you'd like to see, let me know.

My biggest concentration the next couple weeks will be to make button stud earrings for Christmas in July.  I'm also planning to make some earrings with my new Domino beads that I showed off here.

some final green for spring and a custom order

As you know, I've gone a little crazy with green lately.  I had to list one more green item this spring.

It's available here.  I sold my original green button charm bracelet last summer and honestly can't believe that it took me this long to make another one.  I'm really happy with the way all of my newest button charm bracelets have turned out this spring.  I know that you're probably tired of hearing about how much I like the tiny buttons and beads on them, but I am still enjoying that.

I have purple and black/white coming up in the next month.  I still have a couple green mixes to make into bracelets as well.  As always, let me know if there's anything else that you'd like to see.

My most recent customer orders have been going slowly because I've had to wait for new supplies.  It's tough waiting for new goodies!  I'm still waiting for some more leaves to make a new modern leafy bracelet (with a few color changes) and a pair of custom earrings to match this bracelet.  But I got one new leafy bracelet done this past weekend.

I should mention that the blue round focal beads are from alishawhite.  Normally I order lamp work from blueseraphim's shop, but she didn't have exactly what I wanted and Alisha did so I decided to order from her.  Very pleased!   The beads are great, as was everything else about the ordering process.  I'll be using some more of her rounds in the custom modern leafy bracelet, too.

This is longer than most of my bracelets.  I added an extra loop so the buyer will have some flexibility with the length.  The only downside with this piece is that I didn't have enough dark blue beads left over to make another one.  I would still like to make a lighter turquoise one sometime as well, but I don't have enough beads for that at this point either.  The leaf collecting continues!

classic blue buttons are back and a black/white treasury

I listed the newest version of one of my best selling designs last night.

It's available here.  My button charm bracelets have always been popular, but the blue ones have done particularly well.  I added beads and tiny buttons to this version, as I will be doing with most of my new button charm bracelets.  I have purple and green finished and in line to list soon, am still working on black/white, and have a couple other green button mixes ready to start.  There will be no shortage of button bracelets any time soon!

And on the subject of buttons, Sanna (SannasSecrets) included my Button bracelet - Black and White (small) in her Black and/or white treasury.  Thanks Sanna!

turquoise and red is back and a lesson learned

As you know, I've been working on a bunch of new button charm bracelet designs the last couple weeks.  I listed one yesterday.

I'm sure that by now many of you already know how much I love the turquoise/red color combination.  This is the third time I've mixed these button colors together, and I'm still not tired of it.  I'm making two of many of my new button designs, so I can re-list more quickly in the future.  I didn't for this one, but I did make another turquoise and red bracelet while I had my turquoise and red beads out so I'll have that up soon, too.  This new button charm bracelet is available here.

While I was photographing some newer pieces this past week, I learned a little lesson.  Typically I store all of my jewelry in closed Tupperware containers.  I've been storing my waiting to be photographed pieces from the past few months in an open Tupperware container.  Most of them are fine, but the open air really discolored some of my earring wires and jump rings.

Is there any way to clean this wire?  It's silver plated, not sterling silver.  I have made two sets of all of my shell earrings from the past few months and I do have safely stored pairs of these new designs in with some of my older pieces.  The bracelets are ready to go so I will be hunting down and photographing the other sets soon so I can continue to list these shell bead sets in a somewhat timely manner.

Let me know what you think of the pale blue against the gray background, too.  I feel like the blue disappears against both light and dark backgrounds, but maybe I'm just being too critical.

finished photo display and a classic combination

I finished the photo display that I first blogged about last week here.  I seriously overestimated how many photos I would need for one display board.  So I ended up making two displays.  I had to buy another display and then wait for a day that wasn't rainy or super windy so I could safely bring it into work.  Yes, normally I would work on this at home, but we're showing our condo so I'm not leaving any projects out.  Anyway, things got a little delayed, but I still got it finished with plenty of time to spare.

I apologize that this photo is a little cluttered with the full shelves underneath.  This was the clearest spot I could get on a raised surface in my room.  I'm really happy with the way that they turned out.  Hopefully others will enjoy them, too.

Also, I'm finally bringing back my black and white button charm bracelet design.

contrast

My newest listing is neutral, but all of the treasuries that I've been in the last few days are brightly colored.  So you get a little bit of everything in this post.

I know that I'd said in my turquoise/red post earlier this week that I didn't have any more button charm bracelets in the works.  That is true.  However, I still had one more finished button charm bracelet to list: Button Charm Bracelet - Two-Hole Explosion - The Neutral Version.

I absolutely adore these little two-hole buttons.  The color version of this design is still available here.  These particular buttons (both the neutral and colored shades) were all vintage finds in a button bin so there won't be any more bracelets exactly like them.  But I'm sure that the two-hole design will continue to live on in other variations.

Also, I didn't use any beads for this button charm bracelet, but I doubled the number of buttons so there are two buttons on every link, which I think creates a neat look, too.

I was very fortunate to be included in several more treasuries since Monday.  Megan (megansbeadeddesigns) included my Beaded Bracelet - The Leafy Series - Vibrant Fall Autumn in her Got Orange Juice? treasury.

Megan also included my Beaded Bracelet - Simple Birthday Cake in her Sunny Days and Bright Ideas treasury.

Eileen (CookalasHouseOfCards) included my Beaded Cuff Bracelet - Dagger Fringed - Pink Garden in her OVER THE RAINBOW treasury.  I am not normally a huge fan of pastels, but I absolutely love this pastel rainbow color palette that she put together.

newest turquoise and red design

I listed a new button charm bracelet in turquoise and red this week.

You can go to the Etsy listing here.  I'm sure that you know by now that I love turquoise and red.  Turquoise is one of my all-time favorite colors (which is saying a lot because you know that I love lots of colors).  Turquoise paired with red is about as perfect as it gets.    I sold a turquoise and red button charm bracelet a while back.  It was way past time to make another one.  My button charm bracelets with beads have done well so I'm continuing do add them for a lot of my new designs.

I don't have any more button charm bracelets in the works yet, but if there's anything you'd like to see, let me know.

I also have one more Valentine's Day treasury for this year.  Yesterday Marta (martacreazioni) included my Beaded Bracelet - Red in her Happy Valentine's Day! treasury.

back in stock continues

Happy Groundhog Day!  And happy snow day to those of you in the midwest or northeast who have today off work.  I'm not posting any snow pictures because I think a lot of us have already seen plenty of snow this winter.  But I am still unrolling new versions of older designs that I made over Christmas break.  I'm getting to the end of my stack.

Here's the new Button Charm Bracelet - Tortoiseshell Cat.

And here's the newest Beaded Bracelet - Skinny Square Stitch - Raspberry.  On the whole, the skinny square stitch bracelets have not done especially well.  I'm not planning on making a lot more of these this year.  The raspberry one continues to sell, though, so I'll keep making it as long as it keeps selling.

These skinny bracelets are also hard to photograph at flattering angles.  At least the color balance on this latest set is pretty good.  If anyone has any idea for better angles/poses, let me know.

appreciating orange

ohpie included my Button Charm Bracelet - Orange in her Orange you glad you made it treasury.  Isn't that a cute idea for a treasury?  I kind of got into orange for a while when I was younger because my high school's colors are orange and blue.  I'm not into it so much now, but everyone once in a while, it's very refreshing.

On the subject of orange, if you've never checked out Jessica's How About Orange blog, please go over there.  In addition to appreciating any and all things orange, she has lots of great freebies, tutorials, and much more.

two-hole explosion is back

I've had a lot of success with my original two-hole button charm bracelet design.  I found these adorable buttons at Vogue over the summer and decided that I had to make another version of the design.

This bracelet is available in my Etsy shop here.  I am going to make a neutral version with this same style of buttons, too.  Other button charm bracelets in the line up include a new turquoise/red bracelet and a new tortoiseshell cat bracelet.  At some point, I'd like to make another all green bracelet and would like to explore some more other single color styles again, too.

It's a Girl Thing

Janet (HoneyFromTheBee) included by Button Charm Bracelet - Tortoiseshell Cat in her It's a Girl Thing treasury.  This is one of the weekly EtsyBlogger team treasuries.  I absolutely love the color combination that she put together in this collection.  Thanks Janet!

continued Christmas with the EtsyBloggers, supporting local crafters

Linda (pruithandcrafts) curated the most recent EtsyBloggers treasury: Christmas Light and Favorite Things.  She included my Button Charm Bracelet - Christmas Trees.  Thanks Linda!

potterabout included my Beaded Bracelet - Raspberry in her Random Accessories from the heartland treasury, featuring artisans from Iowa.  Edi (memoriesforlifesb) is in there, too. :)

another Christmas treasury

Edi (memoriesforlifesb) included my Button Charm Bracelet - Christmas Trees in her EtsyBloggers Gift Guide-Under $25 treasury.  Thanks Edi!

November Top Droppers, another Christmas item

Happy December!  New month means it's time to thank my Top Droppers again.  As always, thank you to everyone who drops by my blog regularly, especially those of you who comment regularly!  Your support means so much to me.  Here are the Top 10 on Entrecard for November.

1) Moonangelnay on Etsy
2) Sparkle
3) BeadedTail
4) English Wilderness: Nature Photography
5) The Twitterer
6) The Sewing Mom
7) nfall2rt designstudio
8) Dave Lucas
9) the crazy suburban mom
10) Learn Affiliate Marketing

And as always, anyone who is in my Top 10 who is also an Etsy seller is welcome to leave a comment with a link to an item in your shop that you'd like me to feature in a future post.

Usually a new month also means a new sale on Etsy.  This month I'm continuing my holiday sale section that I started last month.  I've been adding new items since I started it so please check back if you haven't been over there in a while.  I will continue to add more over the next month.

I added my second new Christmas button charm bracelet to the section earlier this week: Button Charm Bracelet - Christmas Trees.

You can see the original design here.  I've thought about making another Christmas charm bracelet with jingle bells.  Let me know what you think.

treasury feature

This is the first Christmas treasury that I've been in since Etsy's Christmas in July sale.  I'm so excited, especially because I just listed this bracelet this week.  CJKingOriginals included my Button Charm Bracelet - Christmas in her A Christmas Celebration treasury.  Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone's been having a wonderful holiday.  Some of us have found lots of time to relax around here.

All in all, it's been a great day. :)

I listed a new Christmas button charm bracelet last night.

This design has done really well so it's back!  I'm making another version with Christmas tree charms that I'm planning to have up this Christmas season as well.  The new one is on sale through Christmas.  The Christmas tree one will be, too.

Also, FREE SHIPPING all day tomorrow for Black Friday in my Etsy shop!  Happy sales everyone. :)