Thursday, June 18, 2009

Liquid Clay 101

These Projects are for persons 18 years old and older!

Liquid Clay comes in many forms, but many of us just refer to all brands as TLS, which actually stands for "Translucent Liquid Sculpey". In actuality, Sculpey certainly isn't the only one who makes Liquid Clay. Fimo makes a Liquid Clay called "Fimo Decorating Gel", and Kato makes a Liquid Clay called "Clear Liquid Polyclay".

From my experience, you can use a WIDE variety of things with your Liquid Clay. If you want it to be Translucent though, I suggest using Fimo Decorating Gel. It is EXTREMELY translucent and makes the BEST sauces and syrups and anything else that needs to be coloured but still still transparent. TLS will leave you with an opaque mixture, so it's good for things that don't need to be see-through like chocolate sauce, slime, blood, icing, etc.

For colouring, things like Oil Paints, shaved Oil Pastels, Chalk Pastel/Charcoal, Kneaded Polymer Clay, Eyeshadow, Metallic Powders, Alcohol-Based Ink, Dry Pigment Powder, etc...

DON'T use Acrylic Paint. It does BAD things when baked, and turns out like crap!

I can't tell you how many times I have been questioned on how to use liquid clay, though. How do you make icing? How do you make chocolate sauce? All sorts of things can be made from it, so here is a little list that I have compiled!

Blood Hah, figures I start out with something morbid, huh? A good thick red blood is a combination of TLS and red oil paint. Just squeeze a dab into the TLS, mix it up, and than drizzle or squeeze this liquid onto the object of your choice. Here is an example of BLOOD: [link]

Slime Like blood, slime is just compiled of TLS and a mixture of a bright or royal blue and bright yellow oil paint. Just mix and use! Here is an example of SLIME: [link]

Frosting/Icing When I make icing, it is generally a mix of TLS and Kneaded Polymer Clay. If you add Polymer Clay to TLS, it gives the mixture a very spreadable texture, and is much more thicker than using something like Oil Paint. Just take a ball of the colour of polymer clay you want your icing to be, and knead/warm it in your hands. When it is nice and warm, tear it into pieces and throw it onto a ceramic tile or into a container.

With the back of a spoon or a solid mixing object, add TLS and mix and mash it until it becomes smooth. A lot of people get discouraged because it is chunky at first, but trust me... just KEEP mixing. If it is too thick, add more TLS... if it is too thin, add more clay. After it is nice and smooth, spread it onto your cakes, cupcakes, and cookies with a stirring stick or something that spreads well! Here is an example of FROSTING/ICING: [link]

Syrup & Sauces A great way to make syrup is with TLS or Fimo Decorating Gel and shaved chalk pastels. If you want a VERY clear syrup, I suggest using Fimo Decorating Gel. Take a brown chalk pastel, and swipe it across a nail file or piece of very fine sand and put it into a little baggie. Add a little bit of Liquid Clay and squish it around with your fingers until it is mixed. This will make Maple Syrup! If you want something like a strawberry syrup, just use red chalk pastel! If you don't have any Fimo Decorating Gel, mixing the chalk pastel with some gloss also works well. Now you just pour it on top of Pancakes, Waffles, Cheesecake and such!

Here is an example done with Fimo Decorating Gel: [link]
Here is an example done with TLS, see how much more opaque the syrup is? [link]

Peanut Butter Whether you like it crunchy or smooth, all you need is TLS and some kneaded brown (peanut butter coloured) clay! Just knea the clay, add the TLS and mix mix MIX! The more you mix, the more smooth your peanut butter will be. If you don't mix it all the way, you have chunky peanut butter!

Whipped Cream Like Frosting/Icing, Whipped Cream is also made with a mixture of TLS and Kneaded Polymer Clay. Just add slightly more TLS. If you want that "piped" look, just scoop some into a baggie, cut the corner, and squeeze it out! You can also use Cake Decorating bags and tips, as well! Just make sure to keep ones just for using with your clay - don't use them for cake decorating once you use them with clay! Sometimes I like to add a tiny bit of Vanilla Scent to my whipped cream just for fun! Here is an example of Whipped Cream: [link]

Here is an example of how whipped cream or frosting can be PIPED to make it look really pretty: [link]

Chocolate Sauce: Is made the same was as blood and slime (Gross, huh?) except with Brown oil paint!

Drizzle: Great for finishing off baked goodies like cinnamon rolls and donuts! Just mix some TLS with some white oil paint (for Vanilla Drizzle) or any colour you want, stick it in a small baggie and make a TINY cut in the corner! Drizzle across your piece, and bake! Here is an example of Drizzle: [link]

Have anymore suggestions? Go ahead and make a comment!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

How to Green your Shipping Operations

Most Etsy sellers are probably ecstatic when they stumble across a nice shoebox or a small corrugated box they can reuse in their own shop – it’s like finding gold! But are you doing everything you can to keep your shipping practices green? Here are some ideas to consider:

Reduce:

Try and reduce the amount of packaging you are using. It's important to keep a variety of boxes and envelopes on hand so you don't have to put a small item in an oversized box. Also, consider a refillable packing tape dispenser and buy replacement tape rolls in bulk, rather than buying packing tape with a new dispenser each time (P.s. - those cardboard tape rolls make excellent bead or knick-knack dividers when a cardboard circle is glued to the bottom!)

Avoid double and triple packing items – for instance, a necklace in a mini zip bag, in a gift box, in a bag, wrapped in tissue, in a shipping box.... you get the idea!

Reuse:

Don't be shy - see some great boxes sitting outside a business or at your work? See if you can take them to reuse. Trophy shops, gift stores and even restaurants often have oodles of boxes. See if you can find a local business to partner with and offer to take all that "waste" off their hands!

Fill material is important for many Etsy sellers sending fragile items. Plastic bubble wrap and peanuts have their place, but you probably have things around your house that will work just as well! Popcorn is an excellent replacement for foam peanuts (encourage buyers to throw it in their yard for the squirrels!) Newspapers, magazine pages, and junk mail make excellent fill material when crumpled. Save the tissue paper from new purses or shoes to reuse. Many department stores put colored tissue paper inside shopping bags - reuse it! If you have a paper shredder to shred your bills, save those shreds for padding!

If you print your own shipping labels, why not print them on the back of scrap paper? Grab a few sheets out of the recycle bin at your office and print on the back. As long as the paper isn't too transparent, this works great and gets another use out of a sheet of paper before it goes to the recycle bin. Recycling is great, but it takes a lot of energy to recycle paper and plastic, so it’s most efficient to get as many uses out of an item as possible before it is recycled.

Extra fabric cut into strips makes for charming ribbon and ties. During the holiday season, if your yard is covered in pinecones, try using some as a festive fill material! Packing materials are everywhere…

If you are wary of how using reused materials might affect your business image, just consider it a marketing challenge. You could buy a rubber stamp that proudly announces you have reused packaging. Or consider an announcement in your shop that tells customers they can expect their package to arrive in eco-friendly upcycled packaging. Additionally, consider wrapping your main item in lovely printed tissue paper to make it stand out from your mishmash of upcycled fill material.

If you need to use new packing materials, consider eco-friendly products such as cornstarch peanuts or 100% recycled bubble wrap.

Recycle:

Be sure recycling is part of your shipping process. Scraps, packing material or other goods that cannot be reused or upcycled should be sent to the recycle bin. Avoid buying packing supplies that come with extraneous packing or waste.

Part of the recycle mantra that sometimes gets forgotten is to also BUY recycled. In the United States, its easy to buy recycled if you ship Priority Mail, because all of their packaging is Cradle to Cradle certified! Check to see if your favorite shipping supply vendor offers products made from 100% recycled content, or with a high post-consumer content percentage. Uline.com offers several products that are made from recycled content: http://www.uline.com/CustomerService/ULINE_FAQ_Ans.aspx?FAQ_ID=147&searchedkeywords=recycled

Additionally, recycled labels can be found at: http://www.theallgreenstore.com/green-office-supplies/mailroom-supplies.html

If your favorite supplier doesn't offer supplies made from recycled materials, ask! Show them there is a demand for these products.

If you have unique packing needs, try searching the Internet for greener options by using a search engine like http://green.thefind.com or http://www.earthmoment.com/.

Transit:

How far have your mailing supplies traveled to get to you? Are you driving to the post office twice a week to pick up boxes or to mail items? Are you ordering packing supplies once a month? Driving back and forth to the post office or having goods delivered to you more frequently than needed wastes energy.

Printing your own postage labels at home will save you time and gas - in the United States, you can log in to USPS.com to arrange for packages to be picked up by your postal carrier. This is more efficient because they are already making the rounds through your neighborhood! Keep in mind, the USPS will also drop off packing supplies to you - order them for free online at USPS.com.

And while it may be painful on your wallet in the short-term, consider ordering your packing supplies in large enough quantities to last a year. You will usually find a lower per-piece price for buying in bulk, and you are saving energy by minimizing the number of deliveries you get (less truck trips to your house saves gas!)

Don’t forget to keep your packages light, especially if you need to use Air Mail. Tissue paper, newspaper, popcorn and paper shreds make for good padding and lightweight packages and help save fuel.

Complete the circle:

Lastly, urge your customers to recycle and reuse the packaging you've invested in!

Wrap items in ribbon or fabric that can be upcycled again and again. Provide your customers with information on how to recycle their packaging and/or what parts of your package are recyclable, and where they can find recycling outlets (http://earth911.com is a good site). This is information that makes great fodder for your newsletters or Message to Buyers.

If you're still not sure you are being as green as possible, you could offset your shipping operations by purchasing carbon credits from a broker such as Terrapass (http://www.terrapass.com/). Carbon offsets are not without controversy, but you will be funding green energy projects.

What do you do to keep shipping green?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Featured Artisan: FreshlySkweezed


I've never met a piece of paper I didn't like! I like paper so much, I work at a library just to be around it. Sometimes, I even read! I'm a former (radio) disc jockey who decided to make the switch from working with my mouth to working with my hands. It's a happier choice because my hands have much more to say!
GREAT GIFT IDEA ---> Personalized stationery sets for under $20, including shipping!!! It's fun to do...Just match the color/design to the personality!
Perfect for BRIDESMAID gifts, TEACHERS, HOSTESS gifts, GRADUATES...

More Gocco Screenprints on the way!...... Letterpress in the coming months!
My personalized stationery sets have been popular with brides-to-be.
Hey! My shop's been featured in Brides.com. Come see!
http://www.brides.com/blog/weddedbits/102/2009/05/7288/for_your_maids.html
My Etsy Shop:
My Twitter:

Monday, June 15, 2009

Newbies. Here's why you're not selling yet

When you're new to Etsy, you're desperate to make that first sale (I know I was!) and I remember that it seems to take forever.

I know plenty of you think it's your store, your prices, Etsy customers etc, but here's one set of events that applies to every new seller.

It's all about connections and connections take time.

It could go a little something like this:

♥ Day 1 ♥
When you first open your store, nobody can find you. You may as well have opened on Pluto. You will not sell anything.
Connections - 0*

♥ Day 2 ♥
Then you list a product. It appears first in the Time Machine and puts your shop at the top of the Seller list. But it will quickly move down that list. If you're lucky a couple of people may stumble across you in these places. You probably still won't sell anything!
Connections - 4*

♥ Week 1 ♥
You list more products (hopefully over a period of days). More opportunities for different buyers/sellers to visit your store. Maybe some of them will 'heart' your store. If so, you'll appear in their favourites list.
Connections - 20*

♥ Week 2 ♥
You start making forum posts. Now you're building relationships with other buyers and sellers. Hopefully they're starting to visit you.

As you build up these relationships, you'll find more and more people put you in their favourites lists. The more favourite lists you appear in, the more likely it is that people who visit another sellers store will wind up in yours.
Connections - 80*

♥ Week 3 ♥
Now you've built up a decent number of connections on Etsy.

Maybe someone will pop you in a treasury (more connections), you're now hearting people (they check their hearts and bingo! more connetions), you're regularly posting in the forums (connections), and you're listing regularly (you guessed it - connections).
Connections - 300*

♥ Week 4 ♥
Finally all these connections and links to your store pay off. Someone buys something. Now your store also appears in the 'Sold' Time Machine and in 'feedback'. Plus the buyer will start talking about what he or she bought from you - so now you're also getting word of mouth outside of Etsy.
Connections - 1200*

You can see where this is heading. The connections build up exponentially, which explains why nothing happens for 4 weeks or 8 weeks or 12 weeks and then all of a sudden you're rushed off your feet!


So if you're new, don't panic.

Just build up as many connections (on and OFF Etsy) as you can.

xxx scarlett



* number of connections example only and based on nothing more than my fertile imagination.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Twitter Tips

hi...

by now most of you have heard of Twitter. and if you are not using it yet, why not?!

of all the social networking sites I use (Flickr, blogs, etc), I have seen the biggest results with Twitter.

I can count about 10 sales so far (of my 75 total) from customers who found me via Twitter. In fact, I just got one the other day :)

here's why Twitter works:

you can reach a LARGE amount of people with minimal effort! (be sure to not "protect" your updates, or else they will not appear in the public timeline).

and actually, a large number of those Twitter sales came from people who had never even heard of Etsy before! they saw my items, liked them enough to sign up, and made a purchase! isn't that wonderful?! :)

I spend most of my time "promoting" more on Twitter than anywhere else. a lot of people may frequent the forums here on Etsy, or chat, or take out ads on sites like CraftCult. here's the thing though -- mostly it's just sellers who know about these. and we all know that we are usually looking to sell, not buy! ;)

Twitter reaches soooo many different people. and who knows, one of them might like something enough to make a purchase!

a few quick tips:
-- participate! @ reply to people and get talking!
-- don't "spam", i.e. posting nothing but link after link. people are less likely to click on anything you post if it's ALL you post
-- follow people back! you don't have to follow anyone you don't feel comfortable following, but a lot of people DO unfollow those who don't follow back
-- follow @Etsy and check out who they are following and who's following them!
-- ask questions of your followers! tweet something like, "what are you working on today?" or "what did you have for dinner?" anything to interact and get the ball rolling!
-- be sure to post a link to your shop in your bio page, and also use keywords. I have had a lot of people on Twitter find me by searching Twitter for "jewelry" or "photography".

basically, Twitter is a wonderful marketing tool! it's quick (only 140 characters allowed!) and it's fun too. a great time-waster ;) and hey, if you make some sales with it, fabulous! also, it's free. :)

you can follow me here:
http://twitter.com/worksinprogress

I look forward to tweeting with you all! :)

Friday, June 12, 2009

Better Photography part 2

These are all great tips for photography. I do a lot of photos of Rosaries, which are a great deal like jewelry to photograph. I have tried several different types of lighting, backgrounds and settings on the camera. I recently got a new digital camera. I am still learning it, but have found some interesting things to do with it that have helped.

My additional tips:
1. Learn your camera. Even if you can’t access the on-line instructions, play with it. Take photos in different lighting, different backgrounds and different settings. You may take a lot of photos, but it is worth it. I have seen a lot of very bad jewelry photos. I have seen a lot of very bad rosary photos (those are all mine)!
2. Lighting. Very important, but you may be able to work with what you have. All the digital cameras I have had allow you to choose your lighting settings… fluorescent, incandescent, etc. However, after playing with all of my settings, I found leaving it on the incandescent (or it’s original settings) worked best because I could adjust in photo software.
3. Background or backdrop. I recently purchased several pieces of different colors of satin fabric. After trying photos with various pieces on various colors, white STILL works best. I still have difficulty with photographing white, but I have a royal blue piece that helps a little. Gold and silver tones are also difficult, as sometimes what works for the color of beads does not work with the color of the metal.
4. Flash. With jewelry-type items, I have found setting the camera to flash ALL THE TIME is better than allowing it to decide which is better (the auto setting). It is VERY difficult to fix lighting issues with jewelry-type items. They either become too bright or you can never get the color proper.

Some colors almost never photograph true to color. Purple is a big issue. I try to just make sure if I cannot get the color accurate or close to accurate that I list that in a listing. I also try to get several different photos. Most of my listings here and on other sites have multiple photos. Y’all are more than welcome to check out some of my photos of my rosaries. If you go to the item’s page, you can see how I list several photos for better “look see’s”.

Another tip for photos of jewelry-type items. Make use of your Macro setting. Some cameras will use it automatically. Mine does. I just learned that recently. Macro allows you to take really close up photos.

Tips for taking photos without a flash (sometimes it’s necessary) USE A TRIPOD! I don’t always do this and they come out blurry. I have one item with an additional photo (pink miracle bead cat rosary) that was taken without a flash. I have it listed as the photo is for color reference only, as miracle beads (also known as fiber optic beads) give a halo effect when a photo is taken.

I use Corel Paint Shop Pro, and it allows you to brighten photos, as well as adjust the color balance. It helps with lighting, as sometimes lighting can change the color of metal. I rarely adjust the gold-tones with the color balancing because it washes out the gold.

When worse comes to worse, I paste a photo in Word and adjust the contrast and brightness with the picture toolbar. Then, I copy and paste into Paint and save as a “.jpg”. It’s a last resort I don’t do often.

Hope this helps for all you jewelry-type photo takers. If anyone needs any additional help, contact me and I’ll try to help.

One thing I have noticed here with photos is the lack of using the editor in Bonanzle to adjust the cropping. Seeing only a partial photo is annoying. My suggestion to all those who have photos that are only partially there because the photo is too big, go in to the editor and adjust the cropping.

Another tip…

I noticed I do when I took another photo tonight. I use it when I take photos of enameled pieces or items in plastic sheets or glossy finishes.

If you have a problem with glare or shiny spots…
~ Try to take the photo at an angle. ~
When the flash hits a glossy or enameled finish head-on, it usually creates a shiny spot or “white spot”. I’m sure all those selling sports cards in the plastic protective sheets know what I am talking about. You may have to take the photo several times to make sure you get a “good” shot.

A tip I learned a long while back with any photography… ALWAYS TAKE MORE THAN ONE PHOTO!
I ALWAYS take more than one shot just in case. I hate to have to go back and set everything up again.
Several shots will help if…
1. one is blurry
2. one cuts off something you didn’t realize while taking the photo, one glares
3. one’s too dark
4. one’s too bright

Take your shots…
1. with the flash
2. without the flash
3. from several angles
4. with different backdrops – change colors to enhance colors without washing them out (here’s a tip I learned… just because a white porcelain item is trimmed in gold does not mean it will photograph well on a gold backdrop. I found the gold backdrop is rather distracting and washes out the trim)

It may seem time consuming to take so many photos, but you will be much happier with your photos in the end.
From so many photos, you will learn…
1. how your camera works with the lighting
2. how specific items photograph
3. what angle works best
4. how to make adjustments for certain colors
5. how certain metals photograph

If photographing jewelry-type items, keep this in mind…
once you find a spot – lighting, backdrops, etc. – that works well and produces great photos for your items, ALWAYS start off photographing in that spot. But, don’t limit yourself. There will always be that one piece that doesn’t work and you have to find out the best way to photograph it.

If I think of anything else that may help the jewelry-type photographers, I’ll let y’all know!

Have fun with your photos & God bless!

Sacred Heart Blessings Handmade Catholic Rosaries & Chaplets
Sacred Heart Rosaries
St Francis Paws4Critters Rosaries
~ Hand-crafted by Robyn, Hand-guided by God ~

My Online Shop: http://www.sacredheartblessings.com

My Bonanzle Booths: www.bonanzle.com/booths/sacredheartrosaries
www.bonanzle.com/booths/paws4critters
www.bonanzle.com/booth/texascapes

My Blog:
http://sacredheartblessingsrosaries.blogspot.com

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Better Photography


Photography of your item is key to a sale. When browsing through booths on Bonanzle, I have noticed washout caused by flash and brownish photos due to too much red. I have been taking photos since I was a child and have been told I have a “good eye”. However, learning how to use a digital camera and getting the right shot for internet selling takes time and practice.

You should set up an area in your home specific for photographing your merchandise. Through trial and error I have found that a white poster board works very well. I can set up three items at a time, take one photo, and then cut & paste to save time.

If the item is light colored I use a dark colored background so it shows up better. Also, I have noticed that some people stage items around the item they are selling, this can actually be distracting or misleading. A nice clean photo that is crisp makes an item sell faster.

If you go to my booth, you can see I still have a problem with reflection. When I took a photo of my silverplate items, I wore a pink top. Wrong thing to do as it reflected into my photo. Good example of what not to do.

Also, you have to learn how your flash works. Many times I actually turn off the flash to prevent the washout.

Regarding the redish or yellowish tint to your photo is caused by too much color in the room reflecting back into the photo. That is why I suggest using the white poster board. However, you can use your digital camera editing program to adjust the contrast, brightness, and color to remove the unwanted tints.

A photo that is out of focus has to be retaken. Adjust the distance from the item you are photographing. My worse photos are of jewelry because I have not mastered the distance I should be at yet. Sometimes taking a group shot from a distant and then cropping the photo actually works better for me.

Just remember the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” and enjoy selling on Bonanzle.

My Bonanzle Booth:
My Etsy Shop:
My Twitter: