Thursday, June 4, 2009

50% Off Earrings

We’re having a special 50% Off sale at market this weekend - the Mosman Markets on Saturday and The Rocks Markets on Saturday and Sunday!

It’s very simple, buy 2 pairs of earrings and get 50% the 2nd pair of the same or lesser value.

To make it happen, just mention the offer in the email newsletter or here at the blog. It’s a great way to get ahead with those mid-year birthdays or even start the Christmas stash (yes, some are already starting).

Want us to tell you when the sales are on? Just join our email newsletter, go in the running for a $50 gift voucher and we’ll tell you when the sales are on.

Can’t get to market? Check out our Online Sale!  We have an entire page full of discounted goodies for you - no discount coupons needed, the specials already apply to make life easy for you!

Cheers,
Belinda

Posted by Belle at 16:35:22 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, May 29, 2009

Lots of Lovely Necklaces too!

Well last week was all about making earrings, this week’s been all about making the Limited Edition necklaces.

I love working with these necklaces. These are some of my most satisfying designs to create. I really enjoy that they are limited too - only up to 6 are made but usually this means only about 3-4 as I get distracted with the beads and make something else, then run out of beads. By the time I have more in stock I’m onto other designs.

Here’s one of my most loved photos of the Limited Edition Treasure Box at market showing them off in all their glory together. 

Next, pearls…

Cheers,
Belinda

Posted by Belle at 18:17:37 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, May 22, 2009

Lots of New Earrings!

I’m really enjoying the cooler evenings and getting to make more earrings for market.

The Rocks Markets have been great for sales but the flip side is I keep being short on stock. I catch up with pearl necklaces one week, the next week I’m out of charm bracelets and drop earrings. I make more bracelets and earrings, I sell out of jewellery rolls. It’s great having this side of success but it is also great having cooler evenings so it’s more comfortable making designs.

I tend to work at the computer during the day, go out on errands, have lunch with friends, go shopping, you know, the usual things during the day! So the evenings I’m at home I’ll settle down with a movie or the tv and make my earrings, necklaces, bracelets etc.

This week I’ve been good, stayed home and made heaps of earrings. I’m feeling very proud of myself for being so diligent. I’m really hoping I’ll get to market on the weekend and find that I’ve remembered all the different types of earrings I had to make - usually I find I’ve missed something after all, even though I write myself notes at market in the first place! Hopefully this just means I’m human after all.

So next week will probably be necklaces, and the story continues.


See some of my earrings online in the gallery.

Smiles,
Belinda

Posted by Belle at 17:07:16 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Free Green Issues and Fair Trade Stories

I’ve been busy writing away a series of articles for the new Green and Fair area of the online women’s magazine SheInspires and come to see that all the different areas for the articles reflect my interests! How typical is that?

We have a great one on Upcycling by Trish Koh, tips for saving this winter and ideas for making your work place green and fair - something I think is really important for bringing about the change we want in the world.

Online ezines are a great way to practice values of environmental and social responsibility by avoiding printing paper, distribution costs, fuel usage and landfill (sadly, not enough of the paper magazines are actually recycled).

By acting locally we really can make changes globally!

SheInspires has a heap of stories to inform, inspire and invigorate! Join the email newsletter today!

Cheers,
Belinda

Posted by Belle at 12:49:07 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, April 24, 2009

Long Pearl Necklaces Discounted Online Jewelry Store

I have the stunning long freshwater pearl necklaces back in stock so while they’ll be coming to market with me this weekend I thought I’d get them online for you too!

So how about having long freshwater pearls in the Online Jewelry Sale with a discount too? Gotta love that!


We have black freshwater pearl necklaces as well as white pearl long necklaces and just a few of the white and pink freshwater pearl necklaces. Matching freshwater pearl drop earrings and stud earrings are also available - many are in the Up to 40% Off sale too.

Want to be the first to know about our sales and specials? Join the free email newsletter and go in the running for a $50 gift voucher that be used online too.

Shipping: we ship everywhere for the flat shipping of $6.50

Have fun!

Cheers,
Belinda

Posted by Belle at 17:28:23 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Fashion and Style News Online

With the new online women’s magazine SheInspires one of the first sections to be lavished attention on is the Fashion and Style news.

With girlfriends in the industry I thought the best place to start would be some how-to articles about getting your foot in the door.

So our first articles include Get Your Dream Fashion Job,  Big List of Roles within the Fashion Industry and Breaking into the Fashion Industry for you.

 

Smiles,
Belinda

Posted by Belle at 15:55:28 | Permalink | No Comments »

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

New Online Women’s Magazine

Well I’ve done it, I’ve launched the new online women’s magazine SheInspires!

It feels like it’s taken for ever to get it to this stage but really it’s only been a few months. I’ve surprised many of my friends with it as I haven’t talked about it much. Most (I think all) had heard something about it but I’m always coming up with ideas so I thought it was better to not talk about it too much and just get it done instead - to deliver. So now most are rather surprises with how many articles there are and the beautiful images.

The aim of the online magazine is to share news, bring inspiration into life easily, showcase what’s out there for Australian and New Zealand women (any women from around the world really, just in an Australian voice).


So come an be inspired online with SheInspires!

Cheers (with a big grin!),
Belinda

Posted by Belle at 23:04:21 | Permalink | No Comments »

Monday, April 6, 2009

Enjoying Meeting Visiting Artists

At the Rocks Markets this weekend I met a bundle of really lovely people, including a couple from New York, a couple from Fyfe, Scotland and another from Chicago.

Each couple first came to market on Saturday and we had time for a friendly chat (it was a tad quiet on Saturday with the cooler autumn seasonal change) and then visited again on Sunday morning with much sunnier and brighter weather!

I love it when people come back the next day because I find it a sincere compliment that they have been thinking of me and my work so with each visit yesterday my smile just got bigger.

The Chicago couple swapped cards with me and I’ve just been visiting Jessey’s website at www.littleladystudio.com with her beautiful work. Jessey is an artist and her charming husband is still in the corporate world.

I love the yoga mats with the original designs that are also made with the environment in mind - I love the intelligent holistic approach, it makes so much more sense! Having met Jessey her choice of design and materials makes perfect sense as she’s friendly, open and secure in herself.

Something I find really enjoyable about The Rocks markets is getting to meet so many different people from around the country and the world and to think that my jewellery goes travelling all over the place and becomes part of the stories people have about their own adventures.

Jessey and Michael are perfect examples of getting to meet new people who you’d love to have a good meal with and talk about each other experiences for hours. I love that my jewellery is going off to be part of their lives and the idea that the Limited Edition necklace and earrings that now belong to Jessey might be worn to one of her exhibitions or work shops! (ahh, the ego of a jewellery girl!)

Limited Edition Necklace Treasure Box at The Rocks markets!

Smiles,
Belinda

Posted by Belle at 09:08:19 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Friday, April 3, 2009

New Glass Ventian Style Pendants Online

Posted by Belle at 13:02:22 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, March 27, 2009

How to Increase Your Sales

Something I love about presenting my handmade jewelry designs at Craft Fairs, Wedding Expos, Jewelry Parties and Jewelry Shows is having all my work around me on full display. I know this sounds obvious but the key is I love what I do and playing with the beads. I find it very satiating having the beaded earrings, necklaces and bracelets all displayed around me.

I love making jewelry I find beautiful and I think this is true for all of us who create - whether that creation is jewelry, sewing, quilting, weaving, scrapbooking, whatever it is we make we do it because we love it.

Because I make my business from selling my work presentation is very important for me. If my jewelry is poorly displayed then my sales are down. If well presented then my sales are up. It is very simple.

At a charming regional art co-op I love to visit the jewelry member has her work under lock and key hidden behind a wire security screen. It looks ugly and tells you to go away and stay away. Now she is wondering why her sales are non-existent. The answer is blindingly simple - the wire is ugly and gives a really negative message to potential customers.

Her concern is about having her work stolen. By using a locked glass cabinet she could securely show off her creations and sell pieces.

For me I use jewelry display stands to show off my jewelry creations. They are carry multiple pairs of earrings, are easy for customers to pick up and look at the jewelry and are appealing in their own right.

I have a really simple system for carrying the earring stands with all their earrings on them so it is easy for me to quickly setup as well as pack-up after a jewelry showing - always important but I think having systems for your business is also vital but more on that in other articles.

I started using jewelry display stands at home years ago because I find it very satisfying to have beautiful jewelry around me. I would always find places where I could buy one - this usually involved kindly and politely pestering the jewelry shop owner until she would sell me an earring tree - so I built up my display at home. It was so much easier having my favorite earrings out on display so I could pick them out first thing before work quickly and easily.

For me using jewelry display stands for presenting my jewelry creations was just logical and luckily it also put me ahead of my show competitors because I knew where to buy beautiful display stands when they were still using flat display boards and picture frames covered with wire (seemingly practical but hard for customers to easily use).

So when you are preparing for showing off your creative designs have a good think about creative and beautiful ways to display your work - whether this be at home or at a retail location.

Look around both online and at shops and galleries at what others are doing for displaying similar goods. For fabric creations like quilts, shawls and scarves often a simple white painted bamboo ladder is really effective. It looks good, is space efficient and light to carry.

For creating different heights on tables for display you can use a plank of wood supported by two small plastic containers covered in fabric. This gives you storage space under it at a craft show while giving you spacial structures for display.

By looking around with an interested eye you will find all manner of different ideas that are easy to use. Remember, keep it simple and effective.

 

Shop online today for Earring Holders, Necklace Stands and Ring Stands at www.CreativelyBelle.com/stands today!

All the best,
Belinda

Posted by Belle at 11:05:20 | Permalink | Comments (1) »