Friday, January 30, 2015

Having an Etsy Shop is an interesting endeavor!

Hello!  Did you know that trying to have a business on Etsy is real work? And I don't mean just making the (in my case) jewelry, taking pictures, and listing it.  Oh no!  That's the fun part.  To start, you need to know what SEO means...Search Engine Optimization.  And not just know what it means...you need to perfect it!  I'm trying, but it's a crapshoot for sure.  Plus I need to "socialize" on social media websites, ugh.  Not really my thing.  Though I do have A LOT of fun being on the Etsy Forums and getting into some of the threads.  These people are FUNNY!  Try reading them sometime.  Find a funny title and go read it...trust me.

Let's see what I'm working with...I have this Blog, an Etsy shop, a Designed By Donna D Facebook page, and now a Pinterest "business account" for Designed By Donna D!  I'd love it, if you like any of my jewelry, to follow me on Pinterest, like me on Facebook, and chat with me on my Blog!  Having people who give me feedback, honest suggestions and critique would be fantastic.  I can't grow and improve without hearing from you.  Even if it's got nothing to do with my jewelry...just a question about how to do something.  I'll do my best to get you a proper answer. 

This is my latest item listed in my shop:

 
 
I had blast creating this focal point necklace!  These milky green gemstones caught my eye at my local beadshop (Ain't Miss Beadhaven), and though I usually purchase my inventory through wholesale bead stores, or through bead shows in NC, I just HAD to have these!  (Besides, they were having a sale!)  I used the whole strand for a leather cuff I made, and purposely left these three beads to make a necklace.  I had no idea how I would use them, but when I took them out to play with yesterday this is what happened.

What do you think, does this design work?  What if I made it with different colors?  Should I have wire wrapped the third gemstone in the middle of that bottom teardrop, or left it dangling like I did?  I move things around constantly before making a final decision, but then again, it's MY aesthetic that tells me what to do.  What if someone would love this design, but using different colored gemstones?  I'd like to hear from you.  Have a great day!