Saturday, July 31, 2010

The Coming of August


August always reminds me of Autumn for some reason, although I know it is still Summer (albeit late) for most of you in the northern hemisphere. Somehow, it feels like 2010 is passing by really fast. Someone told me that time passes faster the older you get, I wonder if it is true? I know today is still July, but what the heck, I feel like concluding the stats for July.

Goals for July 2010:

1. Get to 35 sales.
2. Get to 300 shop hearts.
3. Fill the shop to 110 items.

In which I achieved:

1. 36 sales, woohoo!
2. 230 hearts. Hmm, a little far from my target, although I really haven't been promoting myself this month anywhere.
3. 97 items. Also somewhat far from my mark as well. But I blame it all on bad weather for photos XD

I do have a reserved custom made bracelet that's waiting for the customer to respond to, so maybe there will be a +1 stat for the sales if she buys it today. Now with July concluded, here is my target for August!

1. Get to 45 sales.
2. Get to 350 shop hearts.
3. Fill the shop to 125 items.

You see, I'm not very greedy. But I am trying to stock up my inventory in preparation for the holiday season. Hopefully I will have lots of sales then, mwahaha!!

And before I forget, today is the last day for the Christmas in July sale in Skyejuice! I'm going to do some major listing edits tomorrow and shipping will no longer be free. Happy shopping! ;)

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Weekly Word Picks - Airplanes

Since no one suggested any words last week, and I exhausted all available friends for random words, I decided to make my iTunes do the word selection for me instead lol! So I put it on shuffle, and the next song it plays, I will use the first or most significant word in the title for this week's feature. Thankfully, my iTunes was smart and made my life very easy. It played "Airplanes" (pt 2) by B.O.B feat Hayley Williams and Eminem. (Eminem is the best rapper in the world IMO!)

AIRPLANES




For a complete treasury, please follow this link : Airplanes

So what should next week's word be? Suggest by posting in the comments below!

And for the hell of it, here is the youtube video of the song "Airplanes". Eminem totally made the song :)

Monday, July 26, 2010

New Necklaces

It was a rainy weekend, and the weather was dim on both days. Now on normal days I would rejoice and chill at home all day, but on the day I'm supposed to be taking photos? This really sucked. So although I made 9 pieces last week, I only managed to capture nice photos for these 3. But I am oddly proud of them though, and I hope you will like them too. :)

Title : Treasures of the Sea
Price : USD22.00

Title : The Golden Era
Price : USD22.00

Title : Heart of the Rose
Price : USD22.00

Unfortunately it started to get really dark and raining heavily after I finished shooting these necklaces. :( Ah well, I guess the rest will need to wait for next week, sucks to have a day job sometimes.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Weekly Word Picks - Secret

I apologize for the late post, my home connection had been acting up since the rain a couple days ago, which was weird because there wasn't any thunder. But in any case my home connection had been down for two days now, which made me a sad panda.

So without further ado here is the belatedly curated weekly feature. This week's word was suggested by the charming Hazel from Hazel Fisher Creations, and it is...

SECRET

Which so far had turned up the most results!



For the complete Treasury, please follow this link : Secret

Do you have a secret? ;)
So what should next week's word be? Suggest by posting in the comments below!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Sick But Still Working

Being sick sucks... I've been sick since Saturday night with fever and gastric. I know fever is a bitch, but the bigger bitch is actually gastric, I couldn't have two worse sicknesses at once. With fever I actually need a lot of rest and sleep, but that is what gastric is preventing me from doing - sleep. Seriously you can't sleep properly with it raging in your stomach. I had to wake up for midnight snacks in the last two days. :( I'm feeling better now without a fever but still have a bit of gastric... here's to a speedy recovery so I can eat normally again!

Okay, enough of me venting about my sickness woes, I finally managed to take photos today because I was too weak yesterday. *still kinda weak though*

I only have one more piece for the Flowers Of The World collection this week.

Title : Orange Calla Lily
Price : USD19.00

Title : Metallic Black
Price : USD18.00

Title : Bumble Bee
Price : USD21.00

Title : Rainforest
Price : USD21.00

Title : Noel
Price : USD21.00

Title : Grape Harvest
Price : USD21.00

Title : Sixties Pop
Price : USD21.00

The Sixties Pop bracelet was actually inspired by a building I saw the other day, talk about random inspirations! Don't forget that the Christmas in July sale is still going on in the Skyejuice Etsy shop ;) It only lasts till the end of the month!

Friday, July 16, 2010

How To Create a Permanent Etsy Mini For Your Blog Entries


It is easy to make an Etsy Mini, you just go to "Your Etsy" and find the "Etsy Mini" link under the "Promote" section and you can get the code to paste on your blog. For those that don't know what is Etsy Mini please read the What is Etsy Mini? guide on Etsy.

Anyway, the thing with the codes provided by Etsy is that it draws information from your account. If you chose to display items from your shop, it automatically updates itself when you list something new on Etsy, like mine on the right side there. The same goes for the one to display your favorites, it updates itself.

But sometimes people want to display themed items, like for example a themed pick, or a treasury on their blog. And instead of a full screenshot, maybe you want to let people click on the individual pictures and bring them to said listing on Etsy. The thing is though, Etsy Minis updates itself, so how to make a permanent Etsy Mini that doesn't update at all?

It is actually pretty easy. You don't even need to add the items to your favorites, this is how.

Copy the string of texts below...

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.etsy.com/etsy_mini.js"></script><script type="text/javascript">new EtsyNameSpace.Mini(0, 'list','gallery', 5,2, [45663935, 51557299, 51499897, 51334965, 50839998, 50776928, 48089993, 50563914, 49805694, 45523498]).renderIframe();</script>

...go to 'New Post' on your blog, and notice above the little brown edit box beside 'Compose' is an 'Edit Html' tag. Click on it and it will show you the complicated Html codes of your post, like so.


Now here is key, there should be quite some <div></div> tags if you are notorious with your enter key. You need to post the codes above in between those tags, like so.


Now you have a permanent Etsy Mini on your blog post! Woohoo! But wait, you need to customize it to become YOUR'S first. Or else you will be displaying all items from my shop LOL. *is sneaky like that* Teehee.

Okay, look for this two numbers in the code.


This decides how many columns and rows of items you want to display. The first number (5 in my case) decides how many rows, and the second number (2) decides how many columns.

Please note that it is not advisable to display more than 5 rows or 5 columns, It might look distorted or cut off. It is part of Etsy's design for Etsy Mini I guess, so don't be greedy!

Next up, notice the string of numbers in the code?


These are... you guessed it, listing numbers! So go to the listing of the item you want to display and look for this.


Copy them one by one (without the # please) and paste them into the designated spots in the code. Remember how many rows and columns you set and make sure you set the amount of number sets accordingly. (ie: If you have 4 rows and 2 columns, remove the last two set of numbers, if you have 5 rows and 3 columns, add 5 set of numbers)

And when you're done, just hit "Publish Post" to see your Etsy Mini in your blog post! Unfortunately you wouldn't be able to preview it in the Blogger editor due to... unknown blogger issues with scripts. You need to be sure all your codes are correct before you publish it to avoid any mishaps or embarrassment.

Here is mine! (as an example)


So that's it, that is how you make a permanent Etsy Mini to post on your blog. Any questions feel free to ask me in the comments section below. :)

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Christmas in July Sale!



Sale lasts from July 15th to July 31st. And as mentioned before, free shipping will only be available until the end of the month :)

On an unrelated note, someone shared this with me on my Facebook fanpage earlier today.

Creative storage ideas from the All Sorts blog! Isn't this absolutely delightfully colorful and cute? Now I want to get some cupcake stands for myself and put it on a lazy susan, it would make a great display too :D

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Weekly Word Picks - Balloon

I had a sudden urge to play video games today. Since I started my Etsy shop I barely touched my Xbox360 nor my PC games at all. I guess the gamer girl is still alive and inside of me, itching to get out. I've been feeling a little burnt out and inspiration-dry from crafting lately as well, so I guess it is about time I have a little break. Will try and allocate some time for gaming this weekend :)

It is Tuesday and time for the Weekly Word Picks feature. I asked another friend of mine for a random word and she suggested...

BALLOON

Which turned out really fun items!



For the complete Treasury, please follow this link : Balloon

I invoked a little Parisian romantic flare to it, and a little bit of vintage. I had a lot of fun picking these :) So what should next week's word be? Suggest by posting a comment below!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

New Facebook Page

I finally got off my lazy ass and made a Facebook fanpage! Reason being - after trying, I still couldn't 'get' Twitter. I'm not saying I'm ditching my Twitter account lol, just maybe won't rely on it so much for promotions and stuff. I'm an avid Facebook user myself, (addicted to the games LOL) so I decided, the heck I should just try it out and see if it's more fun that way. I'm thinking of having FB-fan promotions and monthly giveaways for my fans, we'll see. :) Please like me so I can have a custom url soon too! Thank you oh so very much~

Don't forget the upcoming Christmas in July sales too! It's coming soon and I hope I'm prepared for it. Eek!

Anyways, I really liked the Blue Bells earrings I made last week. And so I finally decided to make it into a featured product line for the shop. Here are a few color variations that I made.

Title : Hibiscus
Price : USD18.00

Title : Bells of Ireland
Price : USD18.00

Title : Morning Glory
Price : USD18.00

Title : Buttercup Flower
Price : USD18.00

Title : Orange Vireya
Price : USD18.00

Of course, all of their names are based on real flowers. :) Hibiscus was easy, what with it being Malaysia's national flower and me drawing it constantly for artwork competitions when I was little. I am particularly fond of the Bells of Ireland earrings though! Thinking of mixing in more colors for future pieces.

I only made 2 bracelets this week, couldn't concentrate with my dizzy spells so can't spend long amounts of time on them, had to take a few breaks.

Title : Neopolitan Ice Cream
Price : USD21.00

Title : Primary Colors
Price : USD21.00

Pretty straightforward concepts, the Primary Colors one really reminded me of carnivals or circus!

I attended a Shop Critique virtual lab session on Friday morning, (should be Thursday evening/night for the Americans) and I asked about my pricing concerns, since a handful of people had told me that I am underpriced in the forums in last week alone. Although I missed the majority of my critique... :| (I was not in the room at that time, had to be away for a bit and thought they would check if I am there or not before they start) I felt quite bummed, only heard the last 1 minute of the critique. Oh wells. Anyways, the conclusion is... instead of raising the prices for the items, I had decided that I should omit free shipping altogether. BUT... not this month. I will be offering free shipping for the entire period of July for the Christmas in July sales, but after that a shipping price will be implemented.

So it is now or never!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Weekly Word Picks - Quirky

Woohoo, it's that day of the week again, it is none other than... *drumroll* Weekly Word Picks feature! (forgive me for my dorkiness, my brain is still a little high from the migraine medication) This one was a bit more difficult to pick, in the sense that there was too large a selection to determine on a theme! But I persevere and here are my picks. This week's word, suggested by the lovely Sarah from Magnolia Surprise is...

QUIRKY



For the complete Treasury, please follow this link : Quirky

So what should next week's word be?

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Organization

Been feeling rather sickly throughout the weekend, migraine from the heat on Friday and Saturday nights. I tried to drink more water and stay cool for the entire day on Sunday and today, but my head still feels groggy and heavy, probably from the heavy doses of the medicine.

But somehow I still managed to put this thing together! Went to Ikea on Saturday and bought this drawer unit, my room is in desperate need for a spring cleaning and organizing since my brother is coming back in mid July.

Work in progress... these are the boards on both sides, still in the midst of unpacking.

And ta-dah! I am done in an hour! My youngest brother only helped with screwing on the handles for individual drawers, the rest I did myself without anyone's help. I feel really accomplished and proud! Now the drawers had been filled with my finished pieces, all labeled accordingly and organized properly.

One of the reasons I needed the drawer unit so urgently was because I ran out of storage space. Which resulted in clutter on my desk which made crafting very difficult, but somehow I still managed to make 7 pieces last week, it was a miracle.

Title : Black Heart
Price : USD18.00

Title : Fish Bait
Price : USD16.00

Title : Blue Bells
Price : USD18.00

Title : Shades of The Night
Price : USD23.00

Title : Azalea
Price : USD23.00

Title : Raisins
Price : USD21.00

Title : Ginger Malt
Price : USD21.00

I originally wanted to make a cream-colored bracelet, but somehow I just couldn't help myself but add a dash of light brown in it. I can't make nude, plain colored bracelets??!

Personally I am quite happy with the items I made this week. Especially the Shades of the Night bracelet. Going to make one for myself later as well. :)

On a semi-related note on organizing... I want the furnitures in this video... quite badly! Homigosh it would totally rock if I had that desk-bed thing, since my room is too small to fit another desk. But I have a feeling these furnitures cost a BOMB! And too bad they are based in New York, Malaysia always miss the good stuff :(

Friday, July 2, 2010

The Month of June

Wow, is it me or is 2010 zipping by really fast? It's already July and I feel like Christmas was just yesterday. Last month I set a couple of goals that I wish to achieve in June, let's see how I fair.

Goals for June 2010:

1. Get to 30 sales.
2. Get to 150 shop hearts.
3. Fill the shop to 80 items.

In which I achieved:

1. Just 23 sales, sales was pretty bad. :(
2. 192 hearts woohoo! Almost doubled from last month.
3. 82 items.

Aside from the sales, I think it's not too bad. Hopefully out of those 90 that hearted me, some will buy something in the future hahaha. Now with June concluded, here is my target for July!

1. Get to 35 sales.
2. Get to 300 shop hearts.
3. Fill the shop to 110 items.

I do intend to have a sale during the Christmas in July period (15th-25th July) so watch out if you're interested! ;) For now, I need to stock up for it!

In other news, I've been thinking of revamping my logo for a long while. I just felt that it was rather 'blah' and I want to make it... cuter? Perhaps? And this is the result of my tweaking around. Since I open my Etsy shop I barely have time to do logo designs, so my skills are a little rusty.


I wanted to make a simple wordmark logo, since this type of logo actually has the best marketability. (ie: Coca-Cola, Microsoft, FedEx etc) So what do you guys think? Yay? Nay?