And the winner is...

I'm pleased to announce the winner of my May/June competition to 'Find Monkey' is Nina who has chosen the amazonite briolette wire wrapped earrings as her prize. There were 12 entries - not a huge amount but quite encouraging for my first competition. Losers have been notified. Rather than picking a winner out of a hat I used a random number generator www.random.org/integers - this probably was a bit more sophisticated but I thought a fair way of choosing a winner. Been very busy lately with non-Etsy things but am planning a new competition soon. Commiserations to all who entered and didn't win but each entrant can have a $10 discount if they spend $30 or more in my Etsy shop. http://selador.etsy.com

May/June Competition-Find Monkey!

This is Monkey! All you have to do is to find Monkey (or a part of him) in one of my listings in my Etsy shop and you could win a pair of earrings of your choice in my shop up to a value of $20 - currently 9 pairs to choose from! You have until 30 June to register and I will draw a winner on the first of July. All entrants will be entitled to a $10 discount when they spend over $30 in my Etsy shop! http://www.selador.etsy.com/

Please note that your name/email address will not be passed to any third party, not now, not ever!
Click Here to Enter!

April Giveaway!

Anyone spending $30 or more until the end of April can choose a free encaustic ACEO worth $10. I have a new idea for a competition to run in May - at present it's a secret but watch this space.

Promoting Again and Facebook

Still busy promoting and listing - just signed up for Timothy Adam's Etsy Marketing Course that start's next week and is free! Also joined Facebook - didn't seem that easy to load up Etsy links but managed it in the end.

Helped by these:
http://www.handmadeology.biz/home/archives/523


http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2388263529&b&ref=pd_r


http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/connect-with-us-on-facebook-1371/

Also going to add photos to Flickr today - here's hoping for sales!

Busy Promoting

As I'm on leave this week I've been busy promoting my Etsy shop and sorting out all my jewellery bits. This has made me feel much more organised and in turn has led to some more creations as for once (and it won't last!) I know where everything is. Checked Google Analytics this morning and I had 32 visits yesterday - this is much improved. As I've said before this is a laughable amount of visits for some people but think it's the most I've ever had in a day. Also registered with Timothy Adam's Handmadeology - I seem to be the only Etsy shop on there so don't know if I've done something wrong! New items:

Wire Wrapping Briolettes

I recently bought some gem stone briolettes and then realised I didn't know how to achieve a wire wrapping finish on them. Etsy offers some tutorials but these aren't free; a simple internet search found the following:

http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-wire-wrap-a-briolette-jewelry-making



A pdf version from a fellow Etsyian (this one's very clear):

http://madeinlowell.googlepages.com/Howtowirewrapabriolette.pdf



If you want me to find any jewellery techniques I'm a great Google searcher so let me know; this is the result of what I've learned:

I'm Very Fickle...

Ashamed I haven't posted anything on here for nearly two weeks. Reason being I had a germ of an idea to put together all those awful craft items we come across from time to time. So I've been working on this and woefully ignoring this blog. If you're a bit fed up with poor sales (things seem very slow at the moment) this may be a bit of light relief for you: http://crapcrafts.blogspot.com/

Have just joined Byhandme : https://www.byhand.me/ - saw this on an Etsy forum post; will let you know if any good results come from registering on here.

Loads of listings and more views!

Google Analytics say that viewings are well up on last week - perhaps due to (fairly) intense marketing and lots of listings on Sunday at different times. Encouraged that there were still quite a few views on Monday - 17 may be laughable to some but after a few weeks of flat-lining is very cheering. Offering free postage throughout March - needed to change one item to a multiple as after posting one item to US have not done better than break even! Tip to others - if you offer free shipping make sure that items are priced at more than a few dollars or you'll make a loss. Didn't think of this in all the excitement of listing numerous items at the weekend. Onwards and upwards - next week it's social networking sites to see if things keep improving. Somebody please leave a comment - you could win a $10 voucher!

Giveaway!

As my blog is sadly lacking in comments and according to Google Analytics has had the princely total of 11 views since its' inception I have decided to run a Giveaway (thanks to Timothy Adam Designs for some great ideas on increasing blog traffic). Everyone who leaves a comment on my blog will be entered into a draw and the winner will be randomly picked to receive a $10 voucher for my Etsy shop. Either use it to put towards a more expensive item or choose an item that costs $10 - like the encaustic ACEO pictured above. The draw will be made at the end of March or whenever 50 people have made comments - whichever comes sooner!

Fusing Fine Silver

I recently bought and reviewed Liz Jones' book 'Silver Wire Fusing' and this weekend tried my hand at making fine silver rings. Any excuse to fire up my blowtorch! Great results (as I hope you will agree from the picture) and I quickly turned out what I think are some fairly decent results. I am putting these on sale in Etsy today so will see if anyone else thinks the same. Fine silver doesn't tarnish with firestain at all and remains bright, only needing a light polish. Liz recommends tumbling the finished rings - my budget doesn't run to having a tumbler at the moment as they are priced at about £150. However, hammering the rings does harden them into durable, solid findings.

Supplier of the Month

I recently discovered Shiana - this is a suplier of mainly Hill Tribe silver and has some more unusual items that I haven't seen before. They are also an ethical fair trade company who support the people who painstakingly create beautiful designs using basic equipment. An interesting section is their black silver range - some of these would look lovely mixed with the usual silver. Prices seem good and shipping costs fair. Go to: http://www.shiana.com and see what you think!

Book Review

I've just treated myself to Liz Jones' book 'Silver Wire Fusing'. The techniques in this book are centred upon solderless joins achieved by using pure silver wire rather than Sterling silver. Pure silver melts at a lower temperature and doesn't attract firestain in the way Sterling does. The book's written in a chatty style and the photos are excellent. The only supplier of pure silver wire I can find is Wires.co.uk who sell various gauges either by the reel or in 1 metre lengths. The only thing that the book misses is putting the equivalent millimetre width of wire. Best place to buy this book is on Amazon - lots of sellers and I bought it new for less than £9 sterling.

Inspiration

Design Sources
The following links are those sites I like to go to when I need a bit of inspiration – in no way am I suggesting copying someone's designs but rather use them to give your ideas a kick start.

Jayatu
When I first started making jewellery this was the site that really gave me inspiration. Connie Fox's designs were brilliant and very different to anything I'd seen before. Although she's focusing more on classes now the site's still full of galleries with designs from Connie and her students. Also a very useful section on basic wire techniques.
http://www.conniefox.com/

Sundance
The Sundance Catalog has some amazing jewellery but at a price! Not so well known in the UK this US site has many followers and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery you only need to put in 'Sundance' as a search on eBay's US site to find lots of people selling Sundance-inspired jewellery. If you like the designs of Jess Maharry try looking at Cathy Dailey's shop on Etsy – she produces charms and findings that are very similar.
http://www.sundancecatalog.com/index.jsp

Jewellery Techniques
As well as Connie Fox's tutorials mentioned earlier Etsy also provides details of techniques in its' forums. Also, try the following links for ideas:
http://www.allaboutjewellerymaking.info/jewellery-making-tutorials/
http://jewelrymaking.about.com/

Findings Suppliers and Tips - UK Buyers

Findings is the term that describes any component used to make a piece of jewellery and can include wire, sheet, ear wires, clasps and beads.
Sterling silver wire is extremely useful – lighter weights can be used for wrapping, attaching beads to chain, making your own eye pins; and heavier weight wire can be used for clasps, earring wires and making your own chains. In the UK wire is usually sold by millimetre thickness ranging from about 0.02mm – very fine wire that can be knitted; to upwards of 2mm. Also comes in three types – soft, half hard and hard. Soft is more bendy and malleable whilst hard is more difficult to bend into shape but will keep the form it has been bent into more easily. As a personal preference I buy half hard wire – if you hammer the wire after forming with a rawhide or wooden mallet it will become harder and this method won't flatten the wire. Wire is also sold in gauges – to convert use the table at the top right.

I've recently been making large link hammered chain by using heavier gauge wire and forming into a circular shape, then flattening it on a steel anvil and hammering with a ballpein hammer. This is a small hammer used to decorate metal and creates an interesting textured finish very quickly. I've found 1.2mm to 1.5mm wire best for this – if you're nervous about traditional soldering methods which involve fluxing and pickling try the easy solder that the Solderman sells on eBay; much quicker and with a bit of practice you can achieve a professional finish.

When buying ear wires do check the gauge of the wire – you can buy some very cheaply but they can be flimsy and poor quality and made from very thin wire that will snap easily and not hold anything of any weight. Also check the length of the wire – short wires can fall out easily and earrings will be lost.

Remember, photos can be magnified many times – check the size against a ruler to see how big or small it really is!

It is often cheaper to buy chain loose rather than finished – most chains can be finished easily with bolt rings and jump rings or other clasps.

There are some excellent suppliers selling on eBay and Etsy – the suppliers that follow are tried and tested and will provide a source of well priced, high quality findings.


Palmer Metals
Palmer Metals are a UK based website supplying quality jewellery findings – no minimum order and all items sent recorded delivery. Order on-line or by phone – small, friendly supplier who are often cheaper than anywhere else. Excellent, easily navigable website. They sell sterling silver, gold, gold filled (higher quality than plated), and even some copper findings. Also very good for leather cord and other stringing materials. Their loose chain is a really good buy – I've sold lots of their 0.64mm beading wire on eBay and they've just started selling a round link 12mm chain – great for the current style in oversized links. Compare the prices with Cooksons-I find Palmer Metals can be cheaper for some items.

Cooksons
One of the largest bullion dealers in the UK but don't let that put you off! They will supply small quantities of wire, sheet and findings in sterling silver and gold and you can either order on-line or by phone – staff are friendly and knowledgeable. A huge range of professional jewellery findings and supplies. Also very good for tools and packaging.

Wires
An interesting UK website that supplies all sorts of wire – copper, silver plated, sterling silver and pure silver. Can sometimes be cheaper than other suppliers; best to check what you're after and do a comparison check. If buying in bulk they have a link to their wholesale site. They also supply some tools including a beadmaker which is a useful little tool for making your own silver wire beads.

Perles
Perles are a European site that sell all sorts of craft materials - very good for Swarovski crystals and sterling silver beads, chain and other findings. Prices in euros – postage very reasonable and they usually put in a little free gift with each order. Also have a small free projects section.

Welcome and First Post

I always find it hard to start a blog and have started and deleted more than I care to mention - this one is designed to be a resource tool for all jewellery makers - whether it be where to buy the basics - precious metals; findings; chain; beads etc; or to showcase those designers who can give our inspiration a kickstart when we're lacking in ideas.