Polka Dot Pearl Minis

When you are selling handmade goods online, you are selling the packaging also. The beauty of a well-designed package with a unique product. The promise that the product will arrive across the globe safely. My very first experience learning the importance of how I wrap my stuff came in the form of my first vendor gig. I was selling at a local boutique and noticed something peculiar. There were quite a few children at this event, and seeing that I had miniatures there were several children asking their parents if they can have something. At the time, I was first starting out and my prices were very low, with some pieces even being around 10 cents a pop, but nevertheless a lot of parents said no. At the same time though, I had quite a few adults buying my pre packaged sets. To set the scene, I was selling both prepackaged gift bags/boxes, and then I had separate pieces at a cheaper rate. Same quality, different cover. Almost all packaged sets sold, and only a couple individuals s...

After making several new listings for the Etsy shop, I decided to take some pictures and provide a bit of a starter guide for how I make the Steampunk items. So without further adieu, let's get started. 1. So what is Steampunk, in a nutshell? Before we can think about steampunk jewelry, we need to start by knowing what the basic idea of steampunk is. Steampunk is basically the answer to "what would the world look like if we hadn't discovered electricity/ modern technology, if we depended on steam power?". The aesthetic is a combination of 19th century technology, British Victorian fashion, and post-apocalypse, and it looks very cool and unique. Steampunk has become a popular genre of alternative fashion. 2. Metallic pigments are a must So why not simply use silver and gold clay to make your pieces? They aren't convincing enough, they don't have enough color variation and dimension. That's not to say I never use gold and silver clays in steampunk w...

When I began making polymer clay products, I started with mostly miniatures. Miniature food, sculptures, etc. As I started looking for functional uses for my pieces, I began teaching myself how to piece together jewelry (necklaces, in particular). The basics to making jewelry by hand is fairly simple, but it can take time and practice. This guide is aimed to help you avoid the mistakes I made when starting out. I will also go step-by-step, explaining how you would piece together a necklace. How to use jump-rings Jump-rings are essential to making jewelry. So what are they? They are bits of wire, shaped in a circle with an opening for stretching it. These come in a variety of sizes and colors, and should be bought to match whatever chains/other materials you are using. To open them, what I do is take my skinniest pliers, close them, and stick the metal tips through the center of the jump-ring. Gently allow the pliers to extend open, extending the jump-ring. This will allow yo...

Welcome to the Etsy Guide, your collection of tutorials for all things Etsy. Today's discussion centers around the very important topic of listing items. Since Etsy's most recent 2017 site update, there have been a variety of tools added. In the long-term, these tools are meant to add ease and flexibility. For now, they make the selling experience more complex. As a seller, you always have to stay on top of site updates and your own stats, to make sure your listings are as high quality and searchable as they can be. Also a disclaimer, these tips are coming from the perspective of a seller who sells products for the sake of making them, as opposed to making products for the sake of selling them. My main source of income is not through Etsy. If you are planning to sell on Etsy as a main source for paying your bills, additional steps should be considered to really make your shop successful (but hey, people do -do it! So go find them and see what they do.). So without further ...