Sunday, November 28, 2010

Happy Holidays and an Update

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. To those enjoying a long weekend I hope it was a good one for you. :)

I would first off like to get into my absence. I apologize to everyone for lack of updates over the last several months. Toward the end of the summer going into the fall season I haven't been feeling myself. I have been in a long string of a depression funk, one I'm trying to pull myself out of. Things have been difficult for me and they finally escalated over the last month.

For those not in the know I still do live at home with both of my parents. Two weeks back there was something that happened between them and as you can all guess it affected me as well as my brother since we all do still live together. It hit me particularly hard. Naturally all these emotional blows left me falling behind on my orders through Etsy and Artfire. I had sold orders waiting on me since September that just shipped this last week. Before the problems between my parents though we had Halloween to deal with and the last week of October was hectic for me even though I was off from work. We have been in the process of moving for over 4 months now, give or take, so my dad's decision to have Halloween at the other house was a poor one. It meant my mom had to rent a box truck on a Saturday I was scheduled to work. I work nights so I sleep days. Naturally I didn't get to do more than snap a few pictures as they were moving things into the truck. Being carted back and forth from the old house to the new and back again was also a huge chore. I can't drive so it meant I had to have my mom bring me over. Lack of communication meant me missing a few days in the middle of the week.

Now that Thanksgiving has passed (which we had at the other house even though my brother and I still fully live at the old house) we are fast approaching Christmas. I haven't gotten to make any holiday pieces like I wanted for my shops because of all the nonsense going on and my emotional troubles. I also just got a brand new 10 week old kitten just two weeks ago (so he's now 12 weeks) so handling him and trying to work with hemp has been a chore, not to mention just having to get him adjusted to the new house, our other animals, and watching him in general. I have to say he's remarkably well behaved despite his bouts of zoomies here and there and his need to get into plastic bags and the garbage. I have been trying to get my room cleaned a little more each day so that he has more room to roam and I have more space to function in. I am going to try and see about carting some things to the new house but I don't know if that will happen.

My "day job" has also been extremely stressful. The overnight manager and two supervisors I work with are, for lack of a better word, assholes. Things came to a bit of a blowout between myself, the manager, and one of the supervisors several weeks ago. They made me an offer that I know they didn't think I could complete with the promise they would switch me from being one of the truck unloaders to the ad set team that changes the store signs. I met their challenge and they were forced to comply with switching me. The manager had no issues with it but the supervisor has been a real bitch to me because she no longer has me for truck nights (she's the supervisor for the truck). Just about every night I work with her now we butt heads at least once. Just my being there seems to agitate her to no end because I'm not on her truck team anymore.

Long story short I have caught up on my orders. I have one bracelet I need to alter, 7 pairs of my grape cluster glass pearl earrings to make for a custom order, and one vintage macrame belt and bag book to ship all before Christmas, so I have until the end of the week I believe to ship these for guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery.

I have so many pictures I want to upload and post here. Please bear with me though. I work pretty much every weekend now, Friday through Sunday (not always all three days but it pretty much turns out being at least 2 of the 3) plus several days during the week. I don't have a set schedule and because my truck supervisor, who also does the overnight schedules, hasn't yet put me under the ad set schedules, she usually doesn't get around to giving me my updated schedule for following weeks until Saturday nights and Sunday starts each new work week.

I still have shop listings to edit and update as that was about where I was when my activity died off. I still have all those new items to put up in my shop as well. For anyone who is on Etsy and has seen my shop please be aware that in my absence a lot of my listings expired. Over the weekend I posted a lot of them back up again just to boost up my shops stock. Over the next few weeks I will be re-listing the rest of the items two at a time, one vintage item and one of my handmade jewelry items. My Artfire shop is still fully stocked though, items never expire there.

As for sales I have a big Cyber Monday sale I'm going to post up now. On Artfire you can get any of my handmade items, excludes all vintage, destash, and supplies, for 20% off from tonight until early Tuesday morning, eastern standard time. You will be able to retrieve the coupon code from the right hand side bar of my artfire studio page.

For Etsy shoppers you will receive 15% off for Cyber Monday on any of my handmade items, excludes vintage, destash, and supplies, through early Tuesday morning. That coupon code is CYBERMONDAY2010.

I will work on getting another update in here soon and I hope to get back to promoting as soon as possible. It's unfortunate I missed this holiday season sales wise but I hope next year will be better. I'm working on snatching up holiday themed beads though so perhaps I'll be making some stock for that throughout the year as well as next year's Christmas in July sales.

A last note to my Artfire buyer, I haven't yet had the opportunity to edit my new shipping prices into Artfire. Rest assured you WILL receive a refund for all overcharges in shipping once your payment is received and I have packaged and shipped your item. I don't like to issue refunds until I have shipped my packages due to the fact when I weigh my packages for shipping I try to estimate as best I can. It has happened in the past that the post office has charged me more than I thought when they re-weigh the item.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Stickers, Stickers, and more Stickers! + Item of the Day

My first apologies for not updating in a few days. There are many things going on in real life that have kept me from being able to update.

My family and I are in the process of moving to my grandmother's house. My parents have been actively trying to fix up the place for her for over two years now. Finally they hired a contractor to come in and redo the driveway and the sidewalk leading from the driveway to the front steps...but they botched it! The contractor never excavated the sidewalk and the
y botched the stonework that is to line both sides of the driveway. On top of that they butchered the sidewalk. They set the cement and black work right on top of dirt, not gravel as was requested vehemently by my parents, and to top it off when they set the cement they didn't put in good enough supports so the outside edge of the entire walkway is now wavy/scalloped. The surface is also highly pocketed and uneven and there are cracks and gaps in places where water can seep in. It's been a fiasco. I've even had to go and house sit as we have caught word from one of the bosses (who let it slip while talking to my dad) that some of the people have been coming to the house while we aren't there. We haven't moved in yet so my parents don't get to go over there until late afternoon when they both leave work.

However, I have been working on Threaded Chains as well. I have simp
ly been working more days last week and also this week. Tonight and tomorrow are my last two days for the week and then I should hopefully have much more time to work on new pieces, update my shop fronts, and continue my renovations with the store. Thank you SO much to everyone who is hanging in there with me and being patient and supportive as I work hard on improving my customer service initiative and overall SEO and other aspects of my little business.

I am also starting my first Item of the Day promotions! Each day I will choose one item from my shop and offer it up for a sepcial discount. It could be anything from a percentage off, free shipping, or you could even get it FREE with the purchase of another item or maybe even get a few dollars off the original price.

~*~Item of the Day~*~

A one of a kind black and white stone and
glass bead charm bracelet. It was originally $6.75 but is is now 15% off for the 21st of September ONLY! Don't miss out on this great deal. The item expires off my Etsy shop on the 26th of this month so Etsy shoppers snag it while you can! You can also get this deal on my Artfire shop.
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/29336476/sale-bracelet-ooak-wire-black-beads
Artfire: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=384766

~*~Item of the Day~*~

As promised though I have shiny new pictures for you! All orders are now wrapped and fancified, it's like receiving a little gift in the mail. I have taken great lengths to find stickers to use as seals on my tissue paper I use to wrap my items when they sell. I don't have any images of all the colors I have for tissue paper but I do have pics of my stickers!


This is just an overview of what I have. I left out some on mistake that I ordered from someone on Etsy. ):

Here are some little overviews of some of my holiday/seasonal stickers!


And lastly here are some shots of my wrapping. Blue and
red just happened to be the two colors of tissue paper I chose for the order I was shipping out the day I took these photos.

Every package is different and I never put two of the same stickers on packages within any order. For the time being all tissue paper that I use is being recycled from what I had used to stuff my mother's present bags for her birthday back in August. I used a TON of tissue paper (I not only stuffed the bags but I wrapped all her gifts inside the bags with it too) so I am now taking the opportunity to recycle it instead of allowing her to throw it away. She got neat gifts and I got to keep the 'garbage' so we're both happy, lol.

If anyone is interested in seeing all the photos I took (I got some close ups for my stickers and some of the packaging) please check out my flickr page. I would love more contacts on there as well!

Check out my flickr page here: Threaded Chains on Flickr!

Also I am nearing my goal of 150 fans on facebook. I have joined the group #LINKLOVE so come on by and check out my discussions tab, you can leave your links too. I have a special offer for all my fans if I can hit 150 before Friday the 24th. Think you guys can help? I only need 7 more! Just click the button on my sidebar to go right to my facebook page. :)

And as a little extra teaser here are two more photos of some of my new jewelry that I will be posting soon.


Sunday, September 12, 2010

Giveaway? I'm there!

Hey guys. Just wanted to give a quick shout out for a giveaway. Step on over to The Frosted Button and see the latest giveaway! It ends on the 16th so you'd better hurry!

The featured seller for the giveaway is Beadpod8 on Etsy. Go on and get your entries in now, and possibly buy one of Beadpod8's wonderful pieces of jewelry.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Crazy Train!


Hey everyone, I've got another awesome seller for you guys to come and check out. She makes really gorgeous hair bows as seen to the left.








She also has humorous burp cloths too. You can check her shop out on artfire.

Click here to see Puckleberry's shop!







In other news I have a very busy schedule this coming week, hopefully I'll get to blog my new photos for you to see. I'm aiming to get a lot of things accomplished Monday and Tuesday. Stay tuned!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Crazy Train Promotions & Updates & Ad Space!

If you haven't done so already you must check out this seller on artfire. She has a fantastic shop filled with jewelry, incense burners, soap dishes, and tons more. She also makes wonderful polymer clay creations, many of which are not only jewelry but handmade bead supplies. La De Da Creations pretty much has something for everyone.

See La De Da Creations here!

If you don't understand the title of this blog let me explain...

As you are all aware I've been working on updating my store fronts. Well, my Artfire has officially been updated. It now has all my listings that are on my Etsy page. I have also caved in and bought a pro account a few months back. It allows me to do a lot of things on there I otherwise couldn't, making shop sections is one such thing which becomes a necessity for someone like me who lists multiple creations in many categories.

If you haven't been to see my artfire shop please stop by and have a look. Prices are all the same but I won't always have the same sales promotions up for all my store fronts. This means I could have exclusive sales for buyers on my artfire like free shipping, whereas I wouldn't be offering that to any Etsy buyers during that promotion time and vice versa.

Come see Threaded Chains on Artfie here!

In other news my store policies have changed. Most things are the same, just reworded. I wanted to minimize how much I had written but still highlight all the important things. I understand it may seem long to some of you but please understand, everything I have listed IS important.

In blog related news I will be updating this journal to have a pages layout. I will also look into getting my shop policies on here for everyone to see be you someone who found me through Etsy, Artfire, or Shophandmade.

Fortunately and Unfortunately I do not have such a free schedule next week. This week I only had one day scheduled at my day job (not my choice). I was allowed so much time to work on my store. Next week I have four days, including this Sunday and next Saturday. of course, I will be working on Threaded Chains every second I am able in between.

I've got some neat pics I want to share with everyone.

I had hoped to have some new items listed this week, but it's looking like I will be postponing my posting still as I have my Shophandmade.com store to update yet.

I am doing a few short bursts of advertisements for Threaded Chains. Check out facebook, maybe you'll see my ad! On the 17th I will also be showcased on Etsy in the Necklaces and Earrings showcase sections. Keep your eyes out for that.

Lastly, in regards to advertising I will be looking into having a space on my blog here for anyone interested in purchasing ad space. I will be figuring out ad sizing and placement on my blog page within the next few weeks, hopefully sooner. I'll be offering spaces up on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Don't worry, it will be cheap! My blog is connected to my Threaded Chains facebook page and I have links up to it on all my store fronts, plus I mention new blog pots via facebook, twitter, and in etsy (soon to be artfire as well) forums. Anyone purchasing ad space will also be up for getting direct promoting from me as well. I have over 90 likes on facebook and counting, plus over 200 followers on twitter, and counting, so there is tons of potential for you to get additional shoppers coming in to your store.

My goal is to be eventually able to remove Google Adsense from my blog. I dislike it and it isn't bringing in any revenue for me. I would much prefer to advertise handmade artisans or vintage sellers. Supplies sellers of both commercial and handmade goods are also welcome too.

If anyone is interested leave me a comment here, convo me on Etsy or Artfire, see me on facebook, or shoot me an e-mail at Deathinthereaper@hotmail.com. Just be sure to title any off blog or facebook inquiries in the subject line with "Blog Adspace" or something to let me know who you are.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

New items + Treasuries & More

Well it's late Monday night and Labor Day is drawing to a close, so happy Holiday to all! I hope everyone is had a fantastic weekend.

To celebrate the holiday Threaded Chains is having a BOGO sale!
Buy any two handmade items and get the third item half off. Plus you'll receive FREE SHIPPING if you participate in the BOGO sale. Vintage items and destash that I've listed for my mother (not including my two personal destash bead listings) are not included in this sale and are also not eligible for the free shipping. However, as always, if you do buy jewelry and vintage items your shipping will be combined.

The other day I had the chance to get my new items outside to take pictures of. I have recently gotten into wire wrapping and bought some briolettes to experiment with. I made a gorgeous little earring line with this technique using gold and silver wire. I also had some extra wire wrapped beads so I made cute little necklaces with them. I had a minor misshap with one pair of my silver earrings so they aren't available in lavender briolettes yet, but as soon as I get that pair made I will get the pictures taken.



I also wire wrapped some other pieces, some sharp oval deep red glass beads(in both gold and silver wire) and some sunburst color shell beads of which I chose two yellow colored beads and wrapped in silver wire.


I have also started making some semi precious stone jewelry. I work for a department retail store and I see such highly priced pieces when I know I can make something way more affordable.












There are so many more pieces I have and all the ones here still need to be listed. Hopefully I will be able to do so tomorrow.

For now though I need to begin the long process of updating my artfire shop. Once that is complete ShopHandmade will also get an update. Unfortunately facebook will have to wait until my three main stores are situated.

I would also like to mention I was featured in a blog today! Come check it out, you can read the little mini interview over at Hali's Lost and Found. Be sure to follow her blog and maybe even leave a comment. You could be the next person she features!

And of course I have been busy making treasuries. I didn't get to make one today but I hope to do so tomorrow. I had a handful of items needing some treasury love! My second treasury also had one of it's items sell. Please head on over and check these treasuries out, maybe even give the featured seller's a sale! Both are Halloween themed:

All Hallows Eve #1: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c82b78c6d3d6d910472ed1d/all-hallows-eve-1
All Hallows Eve #2: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c843ee171ee8eef914b80ff/all-hallows-eve-2

That's all for now. I have a lot of work to do! Enjoy the last 20 minutes of the three day weekend! :)

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Treasury Time!

Here's something I put together today, my very first treasury on etsy!

The theme is Halloween. Come have a look and give the features shops some love...or a sale!

Treasury: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c82b78c6d3d6d910472ed1d/all-hallows-eve-1

Don't forget, my Labor Day sale is also going on so don't miss out. :)

Friday, September 3, 2010

Labor Day BOGO Sale + Free Shipping!

Here it is! The Threaded Chains Labor Day sale!

Starting today, Friday the 3rd through Tuesday the 7th when you buy any two handmade items, or any of my personal destash items, you will receive the third item HALF OFF! Participate in this BOGO sale to also receive FREE SHIPPING!

The BOGO sale is only applicable to handmade items and any of my own personal destash listings. Any items I have listed for my mother are not eligible for the BOGO sale or free shipping. All discounts and refunds will be refunded via Paypal or Revolution Money Exchange, whichever you use to pay.

If you are paying via cash, check, or money order though you MUST CONVO ME FIRST! I will send you an updated total. If I receive any cash, checks, or money order payments before a convo is sent from you no refund will be given.

Please convo me if you have any questions. Comments here will also be accepted. :)

That all said I have run into some trouble. Today, while trying to get my Labor Day sale information written my monitor died. Many attempts to revive it failed. Luckily my dad had a spare monitor in his workshop and I am currently using that one. However, I will need to invest in a new monitor within the near future. Any sales will greatly help my expenses.

Hopefully I will have things situated soon. Don’t forget too that I am going to hold a giveaway one I reach 500 hearts on etsy. Check the shop out and send us some love. :3

Happy shopping everyone!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

It's been awhile! Giveaway, Labor Day Sale, & More

Hello all! It's been a VERY long time since I updated here. I would like everyone to know I now have a tumblr.com blog as well as this one. I may do exclusive sales and promotion offers through there and not here and vice versa. Be certain to bookmark Threaded Chains on tumblr so you don't miss out! :)

Things have been relatively active lately. I have many new items and sales have been slowly trickling in. I hope for a fruitful holiday season this year.

I would like to take this time to alert everyone that Threaded Chains is slowly changing. It has been a year since I’ve been actively selling my jewelry and handmade items as well as my mother’s vintage finds from my nana’s house. I am a year older and wiser in selling and I’ve made some great friends along the way.

So what is changing? Here’s a little run down:

  • - Items are now wrapped and sealed with various shaped stickers. It’s like receiving a present in the mail!
  • - Store items are expanding; I am beginning to branch out on the types of items I offer
  • - Policies WILL be changed. Please check back often as I will be editing shipping costs (I want to make them cheaper for you!) and store policies will be revamped.
  • - New items. After my move to my nana’s house I will be experimenting with creating candles (eventually soaps as well) and making polymer clay beads to both use in my jewelry and to sell.
  • - I will actively be seeking feedback. I want to know what sorts of items you all wish to see and I always welcome comments on pieces I have already made.
  • - I am going to actively seek out handmade items on etsy, artfire, and shophandmade that I can use to incorporate into my products. It’s about time I invested in some lampwork beads!

Of course this list isn’t all there is. I am certain I missed something, but this should give everyone an idea of what is to come.

With Threaded Chains slowly gaining a tiny bit of popularity I would like to start setting some goals. For one I would eventually like to turn it into my full time job. I would like to be out of retail within the next 5 years. I’ve been wanting to attend craft shows for awhile now as well. It is too late I think to look into doing any for this holiday season, but I would love to have some suggestions from others on shows they may want to see Threaded Chains attend. Keep in mind I need them to be as local as possible. Any states around NJ are highly preferred, in NJ is even better though.

So shoot me a comment or a message with suggestions for craft fairs and such I could look into.

Now, for the giveaway!

Threaded chains has reached over 230 hearts on etsy. In keeping with the spirit of setting goals for the shop I would like to host a giveaway once 500 people have hearted Threaded Chains on Etsy. Hop on over to the shop and give it a heart! I’m only 268 hearts away.

Now with labor day weekend upon us I will be hosting a sale all weekend long, straight through until Tuesday night at midnight, eastern standard time. The sale will start tomorrow, Friday the 3rd. Stay tuned for that.

For now I’m out, new items will be posted soon and I should hopefully have shop policies updated completely within the next week or so.