Etsy VS Zibbet

I have been posting items on Etsy since 2008 and have had a lot of ups and downs on the site.  It has always been a well put together site, but lately it seems to be focusing more on something other than helping the people who are paying their wages.  I don't seem to be seen at all anymore on Etsy.  I research the "new" ways of listing items and being seen, but it isn't working out like it used to. 

I have been a member of Zibbet since March 2011.  I have yet to make a sale, but I haven't tried very hard there either so I haven't expected one. 

Today I listed four items on Zibbet.  Yesterday, I listed five items on Etsy. Zibbet seems to be like etsy used to be.  I saw myself on the front page!  I was so excited!  But that is how all of the items listed work on Zibbet.  They all get their fair share of front page time.  Yes, I think you get more if you are a premium seller, but even a glimpse on the front page will reach more viewers than no glimse at all. 

I posted some of the listings to my Facebook page (which is linked to my twitter page).  I used to get quite a few views on Etsy this way.  Yesterday I think I ended up getting a couple of views on a keychain I posted on Etsy and Facebook.  Today I got up to 29 views on a necklace I posted on Zibbet and Facebook!  And that was when I checked it only a few minutes after I posted it.

Zibbet is free to list items on as long as you don't post more than 50 items.  After that you would need to purchase a Premium account for $69 (that price may change but once you sign up, you are locked in at that price for life).  Etsy only costs 20 cents to list an item and you pay a percentage to them when you sell an item.  This doesn't sound like much, but if you list one item per day for a year you will be paying $73 per year.  And that isn't including the 3.5% on each item you sell.  And to be seen, you have to relist items as well or they will be buried in the pages of items for sale.  Relisting costs the same as listing, 20 cents.

I just wish Etsy didn't change so much about their site.  I used to spend hours in the forums checking on things I wondered about, or following some funny people, or learning to take pictures like the professionals.  It was a lot of fun.  I seemed to know a lot of people that way.  Then it changed and everyone had to join a team and get to know everyone else.  It seems to be trying to become the next Facebook instead of the great handmade shopping market that it once was.  I miss it.

I think I may put up a few more listings on Zibbet.  I feel more of a homey vibe when I am there.  It feels as if there are real people behind it that actually care about the little guy.  I just wish a few more people would find out about Zibbet.  But not if it means turning into another anonymous Etsy.

Check out some of my latest Zibbet listings:
http://www.zibbet.com/carelebeads

My Etsy shop link is always on the sidebar. 
Here is another link:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Carelebeads?ref=ss_profile

Things We Love Tradeshow

This Friday and Saturday will be the Things We Love Tradeshow held at the Sportsman Centre here in Moose Jaw (276 Home Street East).  It runs Friday 5pm-8pm and then again on Saturday from 10am-9pm.  There will be many vendors from around Saskatchewan.  Visit their facebook page for a list of all the vendors that will be there.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Things-We-Love-Fall-Tradeshow/155514924517729

There will be a raffle for a gift basket filled with donated items from the vendors.  Proceeds will be donated to the Kids Help Phone and Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Admission to the Things We Love Tradeshow is free, so if you are around make sure to come and see what wonderful things are there.

My loving husband gave me two dozen roses for our anniversary today.  I just wanted to share them with you.

I asked my daughter to edit the original picture I took and this is what she came up with.  I like what she did with it!

Happy Anniversary Brent!

 

I Thought It Was an Original Idea

I thought my idea for keychain/purse charm watches was such a good idea.  So did others.  Since I posted it, I have found several other places that also had the same idea.  Actually, about a week after I posted my idea here, I was looking through an Avon book and found a very close replica of what I was making.  Obviously I wasn't the first to come up with it.  I just find it strange that so many other people had the same idea at roughly the same time.

I will continue to make them though.  I think they are a great idea.  Clip them to almost anywhere - your purse, an id badge, your backpack, your jeans, or where ever you would like.

I hope most people find them as useful as I do.

Wire Wrapped Rings

One of my best sellers at sales lately is my wire wrapped rings.  I sell them for $5 each.  They are fairly simple to make and at my last sale, I was even custom making some for the smaller fingers that were eager to wear something shiny.

As I said, they are failry easy to make.  Start with a piece of wire.  I like to use 20 gauge because it isn't too thin or too thick.  I use crafting wire that can be found at any craft store.

Wire, ring madrel, beads, needle nose pliers, round nose pliers, hammer

Bend wire in half with bead in center.

All of my rings have one of my own small glass beads.  You could use any small size bead on your ring.  Thread the bead onto the wire until it is centered.  Bend the wire in half and position the bead in the center.

I have a ring mandrel so I can make rings different sizes and know what sizes they are.  Before the mandrel, I used cylindrical bottles that small beads (such as seed beads) come in.  Use what you have that will give you the right size ring.

Wrap top wire 3 times

Centre the bead on the mandrel (or whatever you are using).  Wrap the top wire around the mandrel 3 times.  Then wrap the bottom wire around 3 times making sure you tighten the bead and wire as you go. 

Bottom wire wrapped around the bead.
 Use round pliers to bend into wrap.

Take the bottom wire and wrap around the bead until it is almost all the way around.
Using round nose pliers, bend the end of the wire and push it into the wrap so there isn't a sharp point.  Next wrap the top wire around the other wrap.  Finish the end again by bending the wire into the wrap.

Re-adjust where needed using the needle nose or round nose pliers.  When you are happy with the shape of the ring, uise a nylon hammer to strengthen the wire.  Hammer the back part of the ring while it is on the mandrel.  This will help it hold its shape.


Remove the ring from the mandrel and you are done.

 I have yet to figure out exactly how to get certain looks.  A lot of what I do is trial and error.  So play arond with it and see what you can come up with.

There are many more complicated wire wrapped rings which turn out quite pretty.  But to keep my cost at  $5, I think I will stick to my simple wrapped ring.

***I would like to thank Karen from Wood River Creations  for showing me how to wire wrap rings in the first place.  Thanks Karen!

Another Giveaway

I forgot to mention that I am having a give-a-way once I reach 100 likes on my facebook page.  I will be giving away a bookmark to one of the 100 people who likes the page (randomly selected).  So if you don't already like the page, please click the link on the side of this page.  If you already like the page, please let others know so they can like it as well.

Thanks again!

Caroline
http://www.facebook.com/carelebeads

What's new?

Park Art is over for another year. This was my last show until October when I will be participating in the Things We Love Tradeshow. Between now and then I will be adding new items to my etsy and zibbet shops. I will also be updating my website's sale items.

 

 

For the next week, ending on July 10, 2011, I am having a sale in my etsy shop to celebrate Canada Post's strike/lockout being over. Save 10% on your purchase by adding coupon code "strikesale" during checkout.

 

 

Find a few of my "newer" items listed below:

Next Sale

I will be attending the Buds of May jewellery show in Regina on May 7, 2011. I was supposed to go to this show last year but my daughter ended up coming down with the chicken pox. I am looking forward to this show as it is put on by the same ladies that held the Harvest Hues jewellery show last year and I had an enjoyable time.

Check out their blog for more information.
http://www.jewellerywon.blogspot.com/

Something New(ish)

The other day, while sitting at the mall, I was trying to decide what to do with the watch faces that I have. I figured I would make more watches and maybe some necklaces. Then a thought hit me. Why not make purse charms and zippper pulls? So I did.

You can clip them onto most anything- purse, backpack, zipper, some name tags... pretty much anywhere you would like. I have made some of them with the face upside down to make it easier to read the watch. For instance, if you have it on a zipper or name tag and flip it up to check the time, it is much easier to read the watch if the numbers are all going the right way. If you have it clipped to a purse, it won't be so difficult to turn the watch to face you.

I am hoping to get these up on etsy soon, or on my website. Please let me know what you think of them.

Saskweddings.com

If you are getting married and live in Saskatchewan, a place you are sure to want to visit is http://www.saskweddings.com Here you will find pretty much anything you need to get married (minus your spouse). They have everything from gowns, tuxes and jewellery to venues, musicians, florists, caterers and honeymoon planning and everything in between.

Even if you don't live in Saskatchewan, there are many different stores that you might find interesting. Be sure to check it out.

Oh, yeah, I am there too. You can always click the link on my sidebar to get there.

New Facebook Address

I have finally reached over 25 fans on facebook and now can change my address to something simple.

http://www.facebook.com/carelebeads

Much easier than the twenty or so numbers that used to follow it.

Check it out, become a fan!

Take care
Caroline

Montreal Trip

My sister and I travelled to Montreal, Quebec on December 9, 2010. We left the night before due to weather (freezing rain we had to drive through-bless her for driving!). Flying was interesting. I was a bit nervous the first flight, but it was fine by the time we returned.

We had a brief stop over in Toronto, Ontario, then we arrived in Montreal at 2:30pm. We took a cab to our hotel, dropped off our bags in the room then took off on foot to find the Bell Centre. Thankfully it was only a couple blocks away. We went inside and there were already people waiting. The concert didn't start until 8pm!

Once we were done looking around there, we walked to Catherine Street. Lots of stores! We walked around for a while. We stopped at the Crocs store. Who know there were so many styles? We went looking for the underground city, but didn't find it. We did find an information centre. The man was super helpful. He gave us a map and showed us where to go, what things to see in the area, and how to use the metro to get over to Old Montreal.

We took the info and went to get something to eat. As we sat waiting for our food, it started to get dark. My daughter called my cell phone. I asked what she was doing - walking home from school! I was sure it had to be 6pm at least. It was only 4:30 in Montreal (3:30 in Moose Jaw). Wow! We had done so much and it was only afternoon. And it was getting dark!

We went back to the hotel and got ready. We left around 7:30 pm for the concert. We saw the crazy long line up when we arrived and decided to get a drink while we waited. When we got back at 7:45 the line was all the way down the block both ways - at least twice as long as before.

The concert was great (see my other post). I would see them again in a heartbeat. I hope they do comeback again sometime.

The next morning we were on our way at 10 am. We took the metro over to Place de arms and went to look around Old Montreal.

First stop - Starbucks. We sat for a few minutes then we were off. The architecture is beautiful. We quickly came upon Notre dame church. We decided to go in on our way back. We walked down one street where we saw city hall. It had a covering over where workers were working on it. The covering looked like the building was supposed to. I thought it was quite interesting.

We walked a few blocks more. Basically no one else was around. Very quiet, very peaceful. At one point a man came walking towards us. As we drew near, I looked at him and said my sister's name. As we passed the man, Cathy said "That was him." I said " I know it was him." We stood dumbfounded and didn't know what to do. The keyboardist from Rammstein, Flake, had just walked inches away from us. By the time we decided we had to talk to him, he was quite a distance away. We followed him for a few blocks but lost him at the corner where McDonalds was as the light took forever to turn and we couldn't see which way he went. Oh, well, we missed our chance to talk to him, but at least we do have a bit of story to tell.

We walked around checking out the buildings and the St. Lawrence. We eventually made our way to Montreal Poutine. What better place to try authentic poutine than there. It was very good!

We made our way to the church. Words and pictures can't even come close to letting you know what it is like inside. So much detail! If you are ever in Montreal, be sure to check it out.

We went to take the metro to find the underground city - one stop away. We walked and looked for about an hour. I am not patient and I became quite angry. My wonderful sister kept it together and we kept pressing on. Eventually a woman on the street pointed us in the right direction.

We shopped for quite sometime. I eventually started to feel ill so we started back to the hotel. We stopped for supper on our way at a Mexican restaurant. We had a ton of food for a small price and the atmosphere was wonderful. I just wish I could remember the name of it.

After supper we made our way back to the hotel. We both got into pjs and were ready for bed. Saddly it was only 6pm. We had walked all day and deserved the rest. We watched Fred Claus on TV.

The next day we did a little shopping before checkout. Then we went to the airport and hung out for a bit before our plane left. We decided to eat lunch at a restaurant there. My sister had wanted to try a Montreal smoked meat sandwich while in Montreal. Thankfully they had one one the menu.

With my meal I ordered a coffee with Baileys. I always wanted to try a properly mixed one. It was pretty good. Unfortunately I forgot to check the price before ordering. I was surprised to see the $8.99 charge on my bill. Oh, well. I was on vacation. And it was good.

We arrived home quite late that night. I am very glad we went.

Thank you, Cathy, for making it possible!

Rammstein Concert

The concert was excellent! The line to get in the Bell Centre was ridiculously long and just got longer closer to the show. We got in eventually. I bought a poster first thing. Then we found our seats. I was actually quite happy with our location. It was at the bend near the back, but it was only a few rows up from the pit. In fact we were right above the entrance/exit the hockey players would use to get on the ice.

Combichrist was up first. Thankfully they were better than anything I found of them on YouTube. And thankfully they only sang a few songs. Not quite my cup of tea, so to speak.

My sister and I waiting between shows.

It seemed to take forever, but finally Rammstein was up.

The stadium became dark. Suddenly someone punched/kicked their way through the "wall" on stage. The two guitarists emerged through the wall. Moments later someone else bashed their way through. It was Till, the singer. Then it began. The power, the drive, the energy... and don't forget the fire. A lot of fire!

This is only a small amount of flame compared to some songs.

What a great concert. They played a lot from their newest album Liebe ist fur alle da. They also played some of their biggest hits including Du Hast, Sonne, Engel, and Ich Will (my favorite - or at least one of them).

Engel. Love the wings. They shoot fire.

I took pictures and a few video clips. I would have liked to take videos of complete songs, but I didn't want to watch everything through my screen. I paid enough and travelled far enough that I wanted, no needed, to see them live and not through a lens. I could do that when I got home.

Flake crowd surfing.

After looking at a lot of the videos people took at the concert, I am even more happy with our seats. We had a great view of the stage - all of it. And even though we were at the back, or close to it, we were still fairly close.

Some videos that were obviously taken right by the stage made me realize how good our seats were. In the video there were speakers and other things in the way of the stage. In one particular video all you could see was the front of the stage, you couldn't even see the three band members in the back. We could see everything, and I am quite happy with how everything turned out.

I was pumped after the concert. Even though it was over it didn't feel quite complete. I found out the next day why.

And I will let you know what happened in my next post.