Friday, September 23, 2016

Custom Orders Can be the Best!

I've never made it a secret that I really enjoy doing custom work.  Collaborating with someone else on a design forces me outside my comfort zone and gets me to think in ways I normally don't.  While sometimes I create designs that I don't care for and will probably never make again, more often than not I create something new and different that I'll make again and again.  My long necklaces came to being in this way.  A good friend of mine saw some of my new pearls and asked if I'd make her a necklace with them, and she wanted it to be sternum length.  I made the necklace, sold it and didn't think anything else of it.  Until I was sitting with another customer who saw my practice strand from that necklace and loved it, so, now I make long necklaces.  It all started with that custom order.
sternum long necklace sterling silver coin pearl peach and blue necklace handmade
My 'Liz Inspired' necklace that got me to start making long necklaces.  This and similar pieces are available on Etsy.
 Since then I've done many custom orders, but recently I got to do one that really stood out!  A woman I go to church with approached me about making a custom necklace for her daughter.  Her daughter, she explained, had just made the decision to accept Christ.  As she was just 7 years old, her mother wanted to get her a necklace to commemorate it, so that when she was older she wouldn't question her decision, she would have something tangible to remind her.  She wanted the verse 1 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  Butterflies are often associated with this verse because they become a new creation when they transform from a caterpillar into a butterfly.  She wanted these two things incorporated in the necklace.

So here was my challenge: a necklace that would be appropriate for a child but would still be appropriate when she became an adult, butterfly themed, includes the date, includes 1 Corinthians 5:17, and must be pink.  It was a tall order, but I was up for the challenge!

The main theme of the necklace was the butterfly, so I started there.  I created a few hammered wire pieces.  As I was perusing the internet for ideas, I found a ton of images of butterfly wings.  They looked much more adult than the other butterfly necklaces I had looked at.  I went back to my sketch book and started sketching out wings and trying out different wire forms.  What I ended up with was a steel outline of a butterfly wing with button seed pearls and light pink crystals strung within it.  I would be lying if I didn't say I was really proud of it!

With a few different options for the butterfly element of the piece I moved on to the next part of the challenge.  I had to think of a way to have the date and verse incorporated.  I had been looking at some different metal stamping and engraving tools but had yet to pull the trigger on any of them, with this order it felt like a good time to invest.  I ordered an engraver and some blank metal tags.

With the two main elements of the necklace more or less worked out, I began sketching some options for the mom.  One with a butterfly shaped tag, one with my wire butterflies, one with the wing.  I presented her with everything I came up with, my sketches, the tags, the wire designs, the wing, and all the pink and white pearls and crystals I had.  She picked my favorite, it was the wing!

I left the meeting beaming!  Not only had I made my client happy, I was making a piece that had more meaning than probably any of my other pieces.  I hoped this little girl would cherish and keep this necklace for the rest of her life.  It would serve as a reminder of the most important and meaningful decisions she'd ever make.  It also served as a symbol of her mothers love for her.  This woman had gone out of her way to have a custom necklace made for her daughter, something of value that little girls rarely get until they're older.  I feel privileged to have taken part in this.

Now to make the necklace!  I engraved my tags with the text we'd agreed on, and pulled out a selection of the pearls and crystals that went best together.  I stuck with the basic design of the sketch, making little changes as needed, making sure it was both child and adult friendly.  What I got in the end was one of my favorite pieces I think I've ever made!
2 corinthians 5:17 butterfly new creation pearl pendant necklace

2 Corinthians 5:17 new creation custom pearl butterfly wing salvation necklace


When I presented the finished necklace to my client, she actually cried!  Grant it, there were other reasons for her tears, but my creation still brought it all up!  I expressed how grateful I was that she'd come to me for this, and how much I'd enjoyed making it.

In case you were wondering, I have made more of my butterfly wings!  You can find this one on Etsy:

 butterfly wing white and purple pearl pendant necklace

butterfly wing white and purple pearl pendant necklace


butterfly wing white and purple pearl pendant necklace stainless steel hand hammered


butterfly wing white and purple pearl pendant necklace hand hammered
butterfly wing white and purple pearl pendant necklace stainless steel hand hammered

If you are interested in a similar piece to the custom one above, please send me a message, either through the contact form on this blog, or on Facebook, Etsy, or my Website!

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Adventures in House Parties

A few months ago a friend of mine hosted a party for Arbonne, you know that company that sells overpriced skincare products?  It works like Tupperware and Mary Kay, there's a consultant and she comes to your house for a party and you get so much free stuff depending on how much your friends buy. (Do men ever do this kind of thing?)  There's always a demonstration, with Pampered Chef it's making food, with Arbonne it was foot baths and facials.  The funny thing is, I was told my face would be SO amazing when I woke up the next morning...it felt exactly the same.  Throughout this highly structured evening, I was disappointed in not being able to talk to the other girls there.  I didn't know anyone other than the host, and for once in my life, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and talk to people I didn't know.  We even spent part of the evening with towels over our faces!  By the end of the party I was covered in thick creams and only thing I was interested in buying from the catalog (after having to look up the price in a separate booklet) was over $70, after that I was pretty much turned off to Arbonne.

Even though my experience at the Arbonne party left much to be desired, it gave me an idea.  Lot's of companies operate through parties like this.  I've been to many of them myself, though I've never been in a position to buy very much, I've seen women throw down a lot of money to order products that, in my admittedly limited experience, seem to be overpriced.  There are even jewelry companies that sell in this way.  I hear people say things like "oh what a nice necklace, is that a Lia Sophia?"  So, could it be "oh what a nice necklace, is that from La Petite?"  

Last year my husband and I were forced to sell our car.  (Her name was Tahloullah)  She needed some repairs that we were putting off until was had the money, and then the transmission went out.  With the other repairs still looming, we knew it would be unwise to try and save her.  There certainly wasn't enough in the bank for a new car, and not enough in our paychecks for a car payment so we were forced to go without.  In Chicago, it's not hard to not have a car, but it does create some unnecessary stresses.  One of them for me was craft fairs.  I took a leap and signed up for one in the suburbs knowing I'd have to rent a car to get there.  The day of the fair was unbelievably hot and not a lot of people came and sales were down for everyone, that combined with the money I spent on the car, it was a bust.  I swore, never again!  So if I can't do fairs, what do I do?  The best way to get people to find my work and love it, is to put it in front of them.  That's about the time I was invited to the Arbonne party, which gave me the idea to try it out.

I pitched the idea to a few key people, my husband, mom, and dad of course.  They loved the idea!  So I contacted a good friend of ours in Kentucky, Linda, I knew if I were to be successful at this, she was my best shot.  She loves my stuff, loves to host parties, and has a ton of friends that are my target demographic.  She was up for it!  We worked out a weekend, I bought a bus ticket, and started sending out invites!

I made portable, table top displays, bought a few things, and started cranking out new designs.  (Even though I told myself no new pieces, I never listen!)  I have no clue how much women make as consultants for home sales companies, it can't be a lot as I've never met a woman who did it full time.  But, if I was selling my own work, not some product from a catalog, would people be into that?  Turns out...they are!

The house was packed!  From my experience at the Arbonne party, I did not have much structure.  I got up and gave a little spiel about who I am, what I do, and what my jewelry is, and hoped the women would be content to talk among themselves.  It was truly incredible to look up and see all these women with earrings and bracelets in their hands, and then a little nerve raking trying to get all the orders done in a timely manner!  

The party was a total success!  I made more money than I could have hoped for, and the reactions to my work were incredible!  While I was setting up, a man came in to drop off his two daughters, as he looked around at my displays he asks, "what company is this?"  I can't tell you how much pleasure it gave me to answer "mine."  This is my business, I made all these things, there's no factory somewhere cranking out pieces for me to sell, there's no marketing department printing materials and setting up websites, there's no one else doing this, it's all me.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening, while I was tucked away in the corner of the living room feverishly altering bracelet sizes and waiting on a phone signal so credit cards could be processed, was what Laura told me.  Laura is my mom's best friend, I grew up with her kids, and she and her husband are like surrogate parents.  She picked up the most expensive necklace I've ever made and without hesitation said "Ok, I want this." I was a little stunned to be honest.  I thought I'd be holding on to that one for a while.  As we were talking about lengthening the necklace, she said something I don't think I'll ever forget.  She told me she was proud of me, proud of what I had accomplished.  From her, it meant so very much, and her purchase almost made it more meaningful.  Not only was she telling me my work was good, she was buying it!

The party was amazing, and I want to do more!  Even though my husband and I have saved some money and plan to buy a new car soon, I still want to do parties!  Not only is it a low financial investment on my part (I don't have to pay a pricey booth fee, just some free stuff to the host) it's a really great way to connect more with my customers.  I love talking to customers, even more so here because many of them were also my friends!

I'll end this post by saying, if you are in the Chicago or Louisville areas and are interested in hosting a party, get in touch with me!  Either here, through Facebook, or via my website!  Below are some pictures of some of the new designs I told myself I wasn't going to make right before that party!

You can find the rest of my work on Etsy (top right hand corner of the blog, or click here to go directly to the shop, and you can now also go to my website!

minimalist pearl bar necklace
Minimalist Pearl Bar Necklace

Dew drop coin pearl pendant necklace
Dew Drop Coin Pearl Necklace

coral, peacock, pink, and brown pearl and stone long pendant necklace
Brown Stripe Pearl and Stone Pendant

hessonite garnet and gold pearl fall statement necklace
Garnet and Pearl Fall Statement Necklace

fossil stone pendant with peacock and pink pearls
Fossil Stone Pendant

coral and peacock pearl and hammered steel pendant necklace
Coral Swirl Pendant Necklace

fleur de lis shell and pearl pendant necklace
Fleur de Lis Pearl and Shell Pendant Necklace

Sterling silver ring and mauve pearl statement necklace wedding bridal
Mauve Pearl and Sterling Statement Necklace

metallic iridescent stone pendant with peacock pearls pick crystals and hammered steel celtic double infinity
Iridescent Stone Pendant with Peacock Pearls and Hammered Steel

pink and peacock pearl statement necklace steel chain
Pink and Peacock Pearl Statement Necklace

sterling stardust bead and white pearl bridal necklace wedding
White Pearl and Silver Stardust Bridal Necklace

minimalist silver pearl bar pendant necklace biwa pearl sterling
Silver Pearl Bar Pendant Necklace

tree of life pendant green and pink pearl stainless steel
Green and Pink Pearl Tree of Life Pendant

white and mauve pink pearl bridal statement necklace sterling silver
White and Mauve Pearl Bridal Statement Necklace

Silver coin pearl turquoise celitc earrings stainless steel
Silver Coin Pearl and Turquoise Celtic Earrings

pink pearl and garnet earrings sterling silver ring encircled hoop
Encircled Pink Pearl and Garnet Earrings

mauve pearl and sterling silver ring drop earrings
Mauve Pearl and Silver Ring Earrings

sterling silver stardust shimmer white pearl bridal earrings
White Pearl and Stardust Bridal Earrings

white and mauve pink pearl silver ring bridal earrings
White and Mauve Pearl Bridal Earrings with Sterling Rings

silver biwa bar pearl cuff bracelet with blue turquoise agate
Silver Pearl Cuff Bracelet with Blue Agate

triple strand cuff bracelet white rice pearls and black onyx
Triple Strand Cuff Bracelet with White Pearls and Black Onyx