Pendant Formations

Pendants make a great starting place for more detailed designs, but they can also be quickly assembled and used on their own. These 3 examples are all used as easy pendants on bails to be threaded on premade chains - but could just as easily be connected into a beaded rope chain for a more OOAK look.

To find the brass pieces used in these necklaces, visit our etsy site and search by number or convo us and we will set up a special listing for you if you need larger amounts. These items are available in both antique brass ox finish and our antique silver plated finish.
I Have A Secret
This uses a # 220 filigree with a small handmade photo charm

Mr Darcy
This uses a # 192 with a small handmade photo charm

Banker's Hours
This uses a bar filigree # 193 and two additional charms the butterfly # 250 and the clock # 151

Holiday Flowers

This is a super easy, but oh so elegant necklace that you can put together in a snap! You can get all the pieces for this necklace in our shop - if they are not currently listed - someone else got there first, but just send me a convo and I will set up a custom listing for you!

Use 3 two inch head pins with small crystals or pearls threaded on the bottoms - gravity will hold them in place. Stagger them and then clip the tops even with wire cutters and make loops on the end. Take the eye pin and open the eye a bit, slide on the head pins and slip this into the flower bead - add the bead cap and another bead then create a look at the top for your chain.

So many variations for this piece - use for earrings or simplify for a more casual necklace....have fun with it.

NEW Items and Selling Tip

We have posted several new items today and thought you might like a preview of a few fabulous new pieces. These focals are great for quick necklaces that really show well at holiday fairs. Just add a partially beaded chain, a drop dangle or use as a simple pendant - these stampings shine all on their own!


We are using many of these pieces in our own jewelry for this fall's big fair - I like to have a good line of reasonably priced show stopping pieces between $28 and $38 mark. These pieces really draw the eye of the woman that is working and needs to spruce up an old outfit. In fact we use this as a big selling point we say something like:

"With money being so tight for all of us, instead of a new outfit that could be nearly $200, we take an old outfit and update it with a fabulous piece of new jewelry that draws attention for a fraction of the cost. It's quite a steal."

Brass Noir

It is here finally - after 6 months on the planning board and searching out the one plater in the US that could create this incredible finish we are introducing our exclusive Brass Noir.

This near black brass offers you an entire new way to create Vintage Inspired and Gothic Victorian designs. These pieces look as if they were unearthed from a Victorian jewelry chest - I've never seen anything like this finish.
I will be listing it up for you all week.

We have all sorts of pieces from filigree to focals and findings - fabulous chains and matching earring hooks and jump rings. I will be listing all week. WARNING - we have a limited stock. We did a sample run to test this finish and have less than 24 of most designs so it will be a first come first get's the goods week. More will be coming but it will be a few weeks and fairs are coming up quickly.

The jewelry here is some we have started creating for our own fall shows - no one else is going to have this - We wanted it specifically for this years fairs to stand above all the other jewelry booths with something truly unique. Feel free to duplicate any design here - we love to be your inspiration.

Design Winners

Hello we are back, after computer glitches and headaches - we are finally back to announce the fabulous winners of our design contest. All the entries were wonderful but these 3 took the cake (or rather a nice selection of beads and brass)


First prize: Morning Glory Necklace
Designed by Crystal Carrillo at Fineartreflections
Isn't it amazing - delicate and so pretty - she highlighted
many of our Woodland Brass pieces!

Second Place: My Beloved
Designed by Blanche at ShaSha Jewelry

Third Place: The Key to My Heart
Designed by Danni at nelliD
her shop is here

other fabulous entrants:
laboiteamonstres
dspdavey

Stay tuned this week for a new line of brass - Brass Noir!

Trends for Jewelry

Tracking the newest trends are not easy - as a designer, you need a few weeks to bring in supplies, create your designs and get them ready to sell - the latest fad could be over by then. So how are small designers ever supposed to keep up?

A few simple suggestions - add a few fashion blogs to your bookmarks and check on them regularly to see the larger leanings of the industry (not necessarily this weeks hottest item). You will begin to see color, shape, size and materials that tend to stand out. Also take special note of what not so popular celebrity figures are wearing - like news anchors and indie singers - they tend to be more in line with what the average Jane is wanting to wear.

A couple of blogs I ran across for fashion:
Fashionizing
Jewelry Trends '09
Fashion Jewelry

Keep in mind that not every woman wants to be a fashion model - most of us working women want to create a look for ourselves that will last more than one season. What this means to designers: keep in mind that a large portion of your designs should be geared to the everyday woman - this is your largest customer base (say 65%).


So when you are thinking about this fall's fairs and online sales think about keeping a ration that will help you promote volume sales - 65% everyday jewelry - 25% fashion trend jewelry (as close to up to the minute as you can get) - 10% elegant jewelry (evening out). Whether you work predominately with gemstones, glass beads, brass or hemp twists - you can tailor this formula to meet your customers needs, offering a nice variety in designs.

Holiday Show

Very good news - we have a booth in the Denver Holiday Gift and Craft show! Yeah-hip-hip-hurray! We are very excited and have started the vast planning process for doing such a large show several states away. I intend to devote a few blogs to the process - it is going to be a grueling 4 months.

Tonight it is schedule time - from purchases to completion dates for each style of necklace and earrings. I just got in a bunch of Twilight themed items as the premier is the weekend after the show - I am also considering bringing in a men's line for the fellas.

So much fun - I just love seeing things set out for the fairs - all in neat little piles with their bright unbent tags....

Also, I wanted to thank everyone who has gotten in their entries to the design contest - some fabulous pieces!!!! You still have about 2 weeks so send in your ideas so keep them coming.

Can't go wrong with Silver

Thought I would share a super quick pair of earrings with everyone that really pops in the display cases. These are made with silver plated components - nickle free, antiqued and sealed for a lifetime of fabulous wear.

Personally I love these earrings because I can wear them with my more casual suits for when I teach classes or I can wear the with my strappy black evening gown - my choice for Christmas events. Anyway - they are supper easy to put together - just take a crystal bead of your choice - 6mm and an eye pin - thread it on, make a loop and use it to conect the dangle to the earwire.

These should retail for you between $12 and $20 depending on what area you are in economy-wise when you do your fairs.

Quick tip for the week - go to Next Day Flyers and have some fabulous biz cards printed just to dangle your earings from - you can have a decorative front that is nuetral enough to highlight but not compete with the beauty of your earrings and then you can load the back with info about you and your website. Etsy has several very talented digital artists that make backgrounds for ATC's that work really well for this application.

Punch holes for the earrings and if you hang the cards at your shows you have 2 options - either attach a plastic peal and stick hanger (jewelry show supply shops sell these in 100 packs cheap) or you can punch a hole in the top to hang on a peg. You can also get cello sleves to slip them in, if you want to set them out in a basket (people love to pick things up and get a really good look at how fabulous they are!)

Featured

We were featured in the Etsy Wedding Blog with our Medieval Story Cameos from the Winter Rose Cameo Site Thank you Etsy for the feature - the other artist we were selected with have absolutely fabulous items!

Water slide decals came in this week, so I will be experimenting with them - they are a great way to get pictures onto odd shaped brass pieces - personalizing them. They are great for dominoes, bamboo tiles and other pieces as well - hopefully instructions for those will be up next week as well as a picture of the prizes for our Designer Challenge.

UPDATES

Catching up a bit today - listing new cameos to our cameo site with a holiday theme (Halloween that is) It is right around the corner and I have noticed an upswing in Halloween supply sales so many of you are already getting your shops stocked with frightfully fabulous designs. Following on the tail of Halloween will be the premier of the new Twilight movie in November so be sure to stock early on that - Twilight fans are crazy wild for Etsy jewelry.


There were a few questions on the twitter blog so I hope these are the answers you wanted - LOL:

1. Our Twitter name is WinterRoseShop.
2. To add Twitter to your tool bar - If you have Firefox this is the bar between the address line and your open tabs. All you have to do to create a quick is click and drag the www address down to this bar and Firefox will create a quick link for you that is always on the ready.

and a few...IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER...

June 30 - last day to get a free earring kit with your order of $10 (scroll down for info)

July 15 - Entries for Design challenge are due (scroll to next post for info)

Aug. 15 - Purple jewelry entries are due at Somerset - they are sticklers for having these in on time so do not put it off - mail them no later than August 1 (yes you guessed it - scroll for info)

Call for Designers

Posting late due to fabulous weather and a new garden - hopefully you were all out enjoying the last day of spring too. And now on to the posting - I am running a contest for designers using our Woodland Brass pieces. Simple rules and a fabulous prize for everyone who participates.
Prizes first cause that's the fun part:

First Prize - Your design and site will be featured with our next Ad in Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine and featured on this blog and Twitter. Plus a fabulous set of supplies.

Second and Third place get a fabulous sample pack of supplies and a feature with photo on our blog.

EVERYONE gets a shout out for their shop here on our blog and on Twitter for participating.

And now the rules:
A good photo of your design will need to be sent to me - use the etsy convo for this at our shop or you can send me a link to a listing you already have designed at the shop or in the comment box here. Designs must use our Woodland brass pieces prominently in either the silver or brass ox colors. (Chain and/or beads need not be from our shop but the stampings/charms need to be from us.) All entries will need to be in by July 15, 2009.

Designs will be chosen based on three factors:

1. Focal use of our products
2. Overal esthetics
3. Originality and Creativity

We may need the winner to send the product to us for a picture suitable for our ad. If you have any questions, just let me know and good luck to everyone - I can't wait to see all your designs.

SALE

Trying something new today - with every $10 order for the rest of the month, if you mention this blog you are going to get a kit to make these fabulous Midnight Blue Dangle earrings with silver plated hoops and antique silver plated bead caps - you can even cut and paste these pictures to sell them on your Etsy site. Easy and Fun.


1-2-3 instructions:

1. Push pin through bead and cap.
2. Trim pin and make a loop
3. String on ear wire

The beads are Czech 8mm - the caps are our Gothic Caps (S-167) - the ear wires are the nice long ones - nearly 2 inches for added drama.

Simple Summer

My sister requested a few very simple designs to wear this summer with sleeveless V-neck tops (apparently all the rage in the Midwest) so I thought I would post a few pictures here for everyone to get a bit of inspiration from - Simply Summer!

The supplies for these designs can be found at Winter Rose Designs


Clip a pre-made chain in half and insert a connector focal like these owls or the butterfly bellow.
Quick - Simple - Showstopper


This is a lariet style necklace with one of our silver washers and the Fleur de lis pendant - add a gem or pearl to add a bit of interest.

A charm, a wrapped pearl, a pre-made necklace and a jump ring - instant crowd pleasing necklace.

Twitter Update

Finally got the account set up for the supply shop - first post on that one this morning - if you would like to follow the name is WinterRoseShop - I'll be posting listing updates, new items, sales and anything else that pops into my head. I will return follows - so tag me if you want.

Have a great week!

To Twitter or not to Twitter

Getting the word out about your shop is hard on a budget - I advertise a bit in national mags. and I have done a few paid internet ads, but more of my sales come through direct communication like blogs and inserts. So when Twitter came along I was fascinated, but a little leery of this new phenomena - So I stayed away - till now.

In my new marketing plan 'check out Twitter' was in my research section - so I wandered over there last night and set up an account for one of my jewelry shops - It was easy to do and I was sending out tweets right away. I thought "OK, but now what - how is this going to translate into sales? Is it going to be more work with no real benefit?"

Well, here is how it translates into easy sales - you add the Twitter page to your toolbar so it is easy to log into in the morning - just like your Etsy, Email and Blog - get up there and make life easy - now click on it and send out a tiny message. Add a link to the newest piece of jewelry you listed and just watch how many hits it gets in the 2 hours after you post the Tweet!

Next, Twitter is a social networking site so you follow folks and folks follow you - within 12 hours we had a Teen Celebrity following us! You can also send out personal messages on Twitter to all your followers and invite them to look at your site - do the same for them.

And yes, Twitter did translate to sales for us last night! I was thrilled - 5 minutes was all it took!

Some Twitter tips -be spontanious and funny - it's not all about the product-it's about your personality getting some attention. Second, Twitter puts up a list of other Tweeters that you might want to add as friends based on the messages you send out - so use words that will garner you friends that are into what you do.

Be sure and post comments about your Tweeting here - I have to create another accout for each of my sites - this is far too much fun! Tweet you later - have a Fabulous weekend!

Victorian Elegance

It is getting time to start gearing up for holiday sales. That means getting lots of product made, photo'd and packed for all the orders that will start coming in around September.

While we all want to have OOAK items in our shop, for the holiday rush we need items that can relist quickly (with just a click) to stay on top of the search engines. I like to create a few easy to assemble designs with real wow factor to create in batches. These earrings are in my top five. Take an eye pin and string on a cap, a glass pearl and a crystal then loop a filigree bead in the end to finish. Slip this onto a pair of earwires and you are finished.

To create a matching necklace - make another dangle and instead of clipping it into hooks, attach it to a larger filigree and then attach that to a necklace chain.

Photography

Do you spend more time setting up a photo than you did making the jewelry? I admit to being a bit of a perfectionist, so maybe that is my problem. I gaze fondly at magazine photos and then dissect them element by element, wondering what makes them work!

I have come across a few helpful bits of info on taking good photos, like proper lighting (Tabletop Studios) I have an under-light and surround bulbs to get crisp edges on my white background photos. This works great for our supplies site but jewelry needs a little more romance to it.

So I made a photo needs list with three basic points. I want backgrounds that are interesting, but don't compete with the jewelry. I also want to show off the way jewelry hangs on the body, but have no models. Third, I need a photo that really pops in the tiny gallery size picture in the search engines.So I experiment (a lot) trying different backgrounds and color schemes, different props and lighting. I am thinking about getting an old fashioned cloth mannequin to take pictures on. So if anyone has tips - comment here and help everyone out - Thank you.

FREE CHARM OFFER

I'm breaking away from the bride blogs to do a free charm special -these just came in- not even listed yet - and they are too cute to not share. So till the end of May 2009 every order over $15.00 that mentions this offer will get one of these wonderful cast charms of a vintage sewing machine. Order over $30 and you get 2 charms, just put 'free charm' in the message to seller.

I have a thing for old sewing machines - I have collected more than my share and just love to gaze at them. The ornate wrought iron the golden filigree paint...Oh for the days when tools were a work of art themselves... here is a necklace inspired by pastimes for your inspiration.

Bridesmaid Gifts

A couple of ideas even a bride has time to create - charm bracelet and charming necklace. All charms, beads and blanks can be found here. Because these items are made with blanks (an empty chain precut and with clasp already inserted - such a time saver) these pieces seem to make themselves.

True Love in Lavender has a bit everything Lovely - key and heart lock, rose, swan, cherub, rings, wedding cake.... all slipped on with sturdy 18 gauge jump rings (the lower the number the stronger the gauge) The flowers are hooked on with an eye pin.

Love is Buzzing is a perfect gift for all of those people helping out in the wedding events. Create these little necklaces in groups of 6 and market them as gifts for occasions like weddings, office exchanges, book clubs etc. They take minimal time and supplies so you can offer fabulous pricing.

Here Comes the Bride Month

June is right around the corner - bridal showcases are popping up all over Etsy and you need something to set yours apart from the crowd. So think outside of bride's maid necklaces - How about a truly memorable gift box favor!

Take some colors from the wedding and a charm that highlights either a hobby the bride and groom adore, their honeymoon vacation spot or even a cathedral - the sky is the limit here - for a focal charm. In the favor box you can include an inexpensive chain necklace and zipper pull hook so that your guests can turn this fabulous box charm fob into a memorable necklace or zipper pull to be treasured!

With favor boxes you are looking at creating over 100 pieces, so make life easy - a beaded fob and a charm - super simple and can be done very inexpensively. Tip : ask your supplier (Here) for special bulk discounts - you would be amazed at the discount you can get when you purchase items like charms 100 at a time.Assembly: lay out your beads and do a bit of sample layering to see what combination looks best. Grab a head pin (1.5 - 2 inch) and start building - mix up bead caps, pearls and crystals for a fun, sophisticated look. Trim the head pin and make a loop. Add a jump ring to your charm and slide both pieces onto a twisted jump ring. This sturdy ring will make a perfect bail for later.

More Wedding ideas to come through the end of the month
as we count down to June's weddings!

SALE -- FREE SHIPPING

I am running behind this week and getting this post out a day late -- sorry -- our site update is taking on a life of it's own as we add over 120 new products. I'll be loading them on our Etsy site this week and The Contessa will be filling them in our website as well. So please stop in and check out what we are up to -- samples pictures below -- new mini charms for earrings, filigrees and gorgeous focal, even new cast charms.So for the entire week right up till Midnight Saturday (May 16, 2009 PST) we are offering free shipping on all orders mentioning this promo in the message to seller box. Just place your order as normal and we will send a paypal refund for the shipping amount. Thank you for stopping in.

Doodles in Brass

I am a doodler - I have notebooks and sketchbooks full of odd little design bits, drawings and architectural details. Until a few months ago I had no idea these could be turned into wonderful custom art pieces by transferring the drawings to brass. (There is a fabulous artist on Etsy who cuts both brass and silver to help you turn your doodles into fabulous art you can add into your designs. You can find her shop here: strozzistawzeeh or you can give brass cutting a try - check out this article)

The pieces here were from my sketchbook - I had so much fun drawing them and now even more fun wearing them.So if you can't find the perfect pendant, you know that piece in your dream design - create it yourself - go on, give it a try!

Creating a Website

I have been working on our website for about a year now -- it is challenging to say the least. If you don't' already have a website, you might be thinking of setting one up before the holiday rush sets in right after summer. So a few tips I have learned along the path that might make your lives less frustrating.
1- Find a good carrier for your site - I use Pappa Shop

• they are reliable
• they are cheap
• their free templates are,well.. free (just load in your Etsy banner and you are good to go)
• the cart they use hooks to paypal without any hassle
  
• they have an order tracking system for your customers
• you can run your blog right from your site if you choose
• easy to use data feed for google search
  

2- Get help when you need it (I hate to ask for help, but this project has cured me of that!)

Web Designers can give you a fancier look - check on Etsy or here are two of my favorites:

Wild Oak Design - I have used them on other projects - very good!
Avalon Rose - She does fabulous work!

Web Product Imput - this is a very time consuming part of having a website - loading in new products. But I have found a gal who will do it for you and she is very reasonably priced. She can take your info and photos right from your Etsy shop and give you a fabulously full website. She is the Web Contessa.

3- Advertise free. Once your site is up, you will have an email address that links to your site - start using it. Add your new website to all your invoices from other sites to get the word out. And use the google data feed to get your products listed in the search engines for free.

I hope this helps someone - if you have any other tips, please feel free to post them in the comments for everyone to benefit from - craft on!

If you want to check out our website you can visit it here.

Treasury

Thank you to EccentricitySupplyCo at Etsy for including us in her treasury of fabulous Steampunk items!

The horse medalion at the bottom is ours and is now available in real silver plated and antique brass finish at our Etsy shop.

You can visit this selection of steampunk items here **Treasury**

Chandelier Inspirations

Dangle me fabulous - I love a grand chandelier, swinging slightly, letting soft light bounce along the walls. The cascade of dangling metal and crystal translates well into jewelry. The three examples here all start with a photo pendant/charm with looped edges.

The loops allow for optimum dangling positions - there is a bit of science behind the chandelier look, such as shorter sides and a longer dropping center. These are so easy to make - you will want to have head and eye pins on hand - use the eye pins to create smaller links that connect into a single dangle, the more "joints" your dangles have the more they will sway.
No need to keep things symetrical - try dangling similar size items from both sides, even if they are different, like in this romantic necklace:These looped settings, brass baubles, gemstones and findings can be found in our shop - thank you for stopping by.

Shrunken Charms Technique

Please forgive the low quality lighting on my photos today -- These little tag charms are far cuter in person! And they are so easy to make! They make great additions to charm bracelets and earrings - they are light weight and you can put any picture on them.
1. Get great artwork - on etsy, or if you like items here check out Dover Publications and their dozens of CD's filled with artwork (cheap!!). Then size in a basic art program, keeping in mind shrinkage.

2. Print onto shrink paper made for inkjet printers - available at most craft shops. Go ahead and print on both sides - I like to put a picture on one side and a pattern on the other (makes it easier to align for cutting) Let the sheets dry well before running them back through the printer and be sure to follow the directions - lighter amounts of ink and No Black (use grey instead).

3. Punch with cardstock punches - I love the large ones - because the paper shrinks so much you want to start big - I like tag shapes and hearts! Be sure to punch a small hanging hole too.

4. Now shrink 'em and try to not to giggle too much as you watch them bubble and bend into tiny adorable charms. Tip - keep two glazed tiles on hand to pull them out of the heat and press between - this makes them perfectly flat.

5. Spray both sides with a coat of Krylon's triple thick clear glaze - finishes them like glass, but it also makes them water resistant - inkjet ink will smudge when wet. If you want you can also use a bit of acrylic paint (gold looks fabulous) to dab around the edges if you don't like them white.

6. String into your fabulous spring creations - artwork to go!