ChelseaRainbow - Colorful Accessories for all Seasons

How to get craft ideas – Who is looking for them, and where do you find them

2012-02-17T11:50:00.000-08:00

Chain necklace

What I probably need to point out quickly is that everybody looks for craft ideas for different reasons. Firstly let me cover the different searching types, and then I will show you some great places to get ideas and inspiration.

Existing crafter with existing tools

This person that is looking for craft ideas and has already got the tools and systems in place in their home to be able to do that specific craft – and is simply looking for inspiration for new projects.

Brand new crafters

Someone who is creative and wants to discover all the different ways that they could express their talents by starting up a small crafting idea from their home, either as a hobby or as a small home business.

Crafters looking to make money from their idea – or from new ideas

Crafters are known to want (or is it need) to try new and different crafting things and methods. One of the nicest things about doing crafting is that for everybody things turn out differently. If you sat down with a group of 10 crafters and you all made exactly the same thing, they would still all turn out differently.

Because of the crafter training systems that I offer I also realize that even those searching for profitable ideas need to be taught how to search for new and different crafting ideas.

Business card holders

Crafting types that are looking to make money from crafting

Now this is different, because when you are looking for a money making crafter idea you are really doing keyword research and niche research.

You would still need to follow the links that I have included below, but you would also need to do more intensive keyword research.

Places to get craft ideas and inspiration

• Blogger is often one of the best sources, as bloggers that are also crafters have found each other and link between their sites. Also blogger itself has a system where you can search for blogs within the blogger site. Nice!

• Searching Google and the other search engines, by putting in search terms like “how to make” – very often those tricks will bring up ideas that you had not thought of before.

• Search online for your keyword but add forums to the search string. For example crafter forums, beading forums or scrapbook forums and you should get a great source of websites that you could join and meet other like minded crafters.

• Go to Amazon or Google books and look through their stock to get ideas, and even buy some of their books to keep as a reference.

2011-12-26T00:56:00.000-08:00

On December 1, I was trying to reach an event I was coordinating. I was late and so I started to run and unfortunately tripped and fell, hitting my head. I didn't pass out, but I was shaken and broke my glasses while falling. Two people stopped and helped me up and helped me calm down from the ordeal. I established that I didn't have to call an ambulance, so one of the couple bought me a coke and the other walked me to the event. I was bleeding heavily and when I got to my destination, they gave me a bandage and some ointment to clean out the wound. I was still shaking so I spent the evening taking pictures instead of doing the projects for the most part.

Tuesday, December 6, I went to my doctor to check myself out and she established that I was neurologically sound and took some blood to be sure.

Three days later, I developed a urinary infection with a high temperature. Dennis came over and took my temperature, which ended up being 103 degrees so we called the ambulance to go to the hospital. At the hospital the doctor decided that I needed to spend the night and I waited for a bed to become available. I was put on an IV, blood taken and blood pressure taken. I had severely low blood pressure and a high temperature.

I spent four days in the hospital with my infection. Finally my temperature went down and I was let go. I had a doctor's appointment a couple of days later. My doctor prescribed a blood test and a pelvic sonogram to make sure I was ok.

It's now been two weeks and I'm recuperated from my illness. I wish I could say I would take better care of myself, but I didn't realize I was sick, so I will just have to say I will try to keep track of how I feel when I find myself feeling ill.

West Elm and Etsy Share in Christmas Season Event

2011-12-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, December 1 Etsy and West Elm coordinated an event at West Elm. The event was one of having customers making a tree ornament that Etsy had designed. Also, some Etsy sellers were included to sell their work during the evening.

The ornament event and sale were great. I didn't have too much time to talk to the Etsy sellers, but our ornament table was crowded from just after 6 to just before 9. Also people took the ornament templates to different tables and couches in the store and worked on their own either because the table was full or because they preferred to be independent. I took a walk around the store at one point and helped out a number of folks folding independently. ;-) At the table, we were consistently about two deep with people waiting to make an ornament.

Some of the results were fantastic. I have some cool pix of the tree with all the ornaments on them. Maybe one of the other people took close-ups. I got some great photos of intent faces working on their creations.

I think everyone had a terrific time. The instructions were clear and the participants didn't have too much trouble following them to get some beautiful results. We gave out a ton of templates to people to take home to make more and a lot of people hung their ornaments on the tree at West Elm. We also had an incredibly large quantity left over, which we left at the store.

There were a few glitches in the system that didn't stop the fun, but were a bit frustrating. The process itself proved to be cathartic to many and everyone seemed to be delighted with their creations when they saw the finished results.

Dawn, Megumi, me and Claire, from Etsy, had a fun time working with the people who came to the table. I think West Elm would agree that the event was a success. I also noticed a lot of people in line making purchases during the evening. I don't know whether the store made more money than usual or if the majority of people came to look and craft; I think it was a combination of both.

Anyway, I enjoyed the experience and would definitely do it again, although I don't know how I would have gotten the packages to West Elm without Etsy Admin's intervention. ;-)

Christmas is Coming – Great Stocking Stuffer Ideas

2011-11-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

Pining for Christmas Earrings

Why not check out some great shops that make their items by hand. Is anyone else sick of shopping in stores where you find something that you think is really great and then you get it home and realize that the quality is poor?

Chelsearainbow

I am a part of a great community of creators, artists, and avid crafters and the items we produce are put together by hand, not a machine. This community I am speaking of is Etsy and it is a great place to go and find wonderful Christmas presents and stocking stuffers. Pictured are a couple of my creations that would fit nicely in any stocking! I have found may wonderful items in shops of other etsyians and am well on my way to fulfilling my christmas list without going to a store. I am avoiding the crazy crowds, the horrible traffic, and the waiting in line. At the same time I am receiving wonderful items in the mail that I am very happy with. I think, this Christmas season you should really consider spending a few minutes checking out these great shops!

Mindielee

I would also love to hear about your mishaps in Christmas shopping. What is it that really gets on your nerves when you are trying to find those perfect gifts for your loved ones?

Photographing Your Own Portraits

2011-11-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

When I photograph my work to list it on Etsy, one of the shots is usually a portrait shot of the necklace on a model. I live in a building where I have a number of women with whom I can have them model for me. I usually wait until I have around a half dozen items that need portrait shots to get in touch with my models.

Today I was needed photographs taken and set about looking for one of my models to pose for me. Unfortunately, no one was around during the day. I could have waited until the evening and had my art teacher do my modeling for me, but I was impatient to list my items in my shop.

I remembered that another artist had told me that she took pictures of herself using a mini tripod and a mirror. She was able to pose for herself and get the photos done without needing a model. I was doubtful about this method, but I decided to try modeling for myself.

I set the camera up on the mini tripod, turned out the lights and set the camera for portrait format and gave it a try. Amazingly, it worked! I posed for the photographs and they came out perfectly. I took six photographs and was able to list my items. I like to have one shot that's a portrait shot because it gives the scale of the design. It was also good to be able not to have to rely on finding a model and being able to take the portraits at my own time.on

If you're interested in taking your own photos and want additional information contact me at Chelsearainbow for details on how I did this.

Changing Design Styles

2011-11-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Red Coral Necklace with Barrel Pendant

When I started doing jewelry I did mostly strung beaded items because they let me get familiar with the different stones out there and were relatively easy to create. Unfortunately the trends have shown that beaded jewelry is less popular than it used to be and it doesn't sell as well as it did in the early 2000s. I've been tracking the trends on beaded jewelry and I see that the trends are lowering in popularity. People still buy beaded jewelry, but not as frequently as before.

I'm also finding that I'm not as excited about stringing beaded jewelry any more. I can string a beaded piece in about 20 minutes and the creative energy isn't requiring me to create pieces that are intricate so I'm starting to change the style of jewelry that I'm doing. I tried switching to wire wrapping, but most of my pieces come out looking like the 1980s. I don't know whether it's the style or the stones that I'm choosing.

House Necklace

Recently, I found a library book called Chain Style by Jane Dickerson. Chain Style showcases 50 projects using chain as the key design element and it's turned my mind around. I haven't been copying the work in the book, but rather using it as a resource for coming up with new designs that are more unique than the beaded jewelry I had previously been doing. You can find Chain Style on Amazon.com. Chain is also fast, fun and affordable. I've been using silver, copper, brass and bronze. I've found lots of inspiring ideas for using chain creatively with a wide variety of design styles and levels of commitment.

I've started to combine different chains in my jewelry and the colors are wonderful, as is the textures. Using a variety of metals including silver, brass, steel, and colored wire, you can create stunning and fashionable wire jewelry pieces.

Additionally, the great thing about designing with chain is how fast you can finish a piece. A few special beads connected with random lengths of chain can make a fabulous necklace in minutes. And there are so many different types of chain available.

Chain is easy on my budget too, particularly if I use base metals. I stretch my beading materials by incorporating chain in my designs. I don't throw anything away. Every link on a chain has the potential of becoming a jump ring and every scrap chain can turn into a one of a kind necklace. There's no limit to what you can create, one link at a time.

Take a look at my new designs at ChelseaRainbow.

Let the Creativity Flow

2011-11-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Blue Agate Pendant

I already havemillions of designs imbedded in my mind. My brain stores everything I have everseen, and an idea usually springs forth from these previous experiences andmemories. I build my creative ability by collecting ideas wherever I go.This is quite easy in this information filled age where images and ideas areonly a click away. I look at designs whenever I can. Collecting designs doesn’tmean I copy them, but sometimes I only need a small glimpse of a design to comeup with something dynamic and creative.

Inspiration can comefrom so many things not only jewelry pieces itself.

Silver Turquoise Pendant

There are no rules fordesigning jewelry but only guidelines:

Istart by designing something I like, and develop my own style and touch. I havea sketchbook and draw designs I have seen and liked. I alter these designs andmake them my own. Everytime I seean interesting design I draw it in my sketchbook thereby expanding mycollection of ideas. I promise you my drawings are not always that of an artist!

I usedifferent types, textures and sizes of beads in one design. For eg. Crystals,pearls and gemstones combined in one piece will make an interesting design.

Ichoose color combinations to create harmony and unity in my design.

House Necklace

Ikeep my designs functional because I must be able to wear it!

I usemy jewelry findings creatively. Spacer beads, bead caps, connectors, jump ringsetc. can just be the magic ingredient i need to add a touch of class.

Theremust be an element of balance in my design. That doesn’t mean I can’t createsomething asymmetrical. When I look at a design it either feels good on the eyeor it doesn’t. All the elements in the design must be in harmony and they mustcompliment each other.

I usebeads I love and the design process flows automatically.

Allthe jewelry making components must be in proportion. Beads and findings areavailable in a variety of sizes. I always make sure I select correspondingsizes.

Ribbon Copper Pendant

If Idesign a piece with a focal point, it stands out and draws my attention first.

Themore I know the more I can create...I keep on looking and learning!

Inever underestimate my own creativity.

Remembercreativity needs to be nurtured. I struggled coming up with original, creativeideas in the beginning but after a bit of practice the ideas started flowing.Before I knew it I was designing jewelry pieces fit for a display window!

Visit ChelseaRainbow for more creative pieces.

Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

2011-10-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hand Stamped Stainless Steel Pendant

HARO: Help aReporter Out, (helpareporter.com) is a service whereby reporters put out queriesto the public looking for information on a broad variety of topics. They tap into the largest source repository in the world with over 80,000mainstreet and expert sources who will respond directly to the reporter’s queryon their terms. No more flipping through their rolodex; searching out-of-datedatabases, or being bothered by unsolicited sources with off-topic pitches. Thereporter submits his/her query and lets HARO deliver the perfect sources rightto their inbox.

SOURCES: that’s you. From The New YorkTimes, to ABC News, to HuffingtonPost.com and everyone in between, nearly30,000 members of the media have quoted HARO sources in their stories.Everyone’s an expert at something. Sharing your expertise may land you that bigmedia opportunity you’ve been looking for.

I have been published over adozen times by getting HARO queries in my email account. Usually when I amquoted, a link is sent back to my etsy site so anyone reading my writing getsto see my work.

What’s the catch? There is none.It’s free and you get listings twice or three times a day during the week.Sometimes there’s nothing in your category, but other times there are three orfour quaries where you can quote your expertise. In addition to being publishedwith short answers to questions, I have had my profile published twice (http://shoestringventure.com/2011/05/14/chelsearainbow-com-%E2%80%93-i-design-with-fashion-in-mind/)(http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7865324/interview_with_chelsearainbow_from.html?cat=49) and I have created two tutorials for online magazines. (http://theplungeproject.com/diy-wine-glass-charm-set).

Foradditiional information contact me at ChelseaRainbow.

Unsuccessful Craft Shows

2011-10-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did my third attempt at selling at Hell’s KictchenFlea Market and finally came to the conclusion that this is not the venue forme. I need to be in an environment where the audience is educated andsophisticated and not looking for a bargain.

One more piece of advice, and this goes back to the points above: I’ve found that I do very well at shows marketed as “indie” or “DIYcrafts,” but “country charm” or “homespun, Midwestern charm” usually spells amore lackluster event for me. You need to have a clear image of your idealcustomer, and aim for shows where that customer is likely to shop. Going backto my example, the young(ish), hipster customer who loves my work is unlikelyto be at the antique flea market show, so I can cross that one off of my showlist.

Do youhave any pointers based on your experiences, either as a craft show vendor oras a shopper? Any booth displays that really wowed you? Can you remember anyfactors that prevented you from buying something at a show? Do you have anygenius tips for organizing inventory on the road? Please share!

Stop by my Etsy shop to see my work. I'm located at ChelseaRainbow

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

2011-10-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be vending at Hell's Kitchen Flea Market on Saturday, October 22 from 9am to 5pm. If you live in NYC or the New York Metropolitan Area, come by and see me. Tourists are also welcome.

Named one of the Top Ten Shopping Streets in the World by National Geographic, Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market sets the standard for distinctive vendors, where the fashion éclat, collectors and top-notch hagglers still delight at fine old things, memorabilia, original art & antique.

I will be selling beaded jewelry and home decor items. All my necklaces are on sale at 50% off so stop by and do some haggling ;-)

My shop, ChelseaRainbow, will be closed on Saturday, but be sure to stop by and see my work on Sunday if you miss my show.

Google Places - Reach Your Audience

2011-10-20T04:26:00.000-07:00

Google Places is more efficient than Etsy's Search Ads
To sign up for Search Ads, you’ll first need to pick the items in your shop that you’d like to promote.For the number of hits you get on your site you pay less than Search Ads. Choose your own tags. Reach millions of Google users, quickly and for free, with Google Places

More people search for businesses online than anywhere else, so it's important to make sure your business listing can be easily found on Google.com and Google Maps. With Google Places, creating a great listing takes just a few minutes and doesn’t cost a thing.

Edit your listing and speak for yourself

Your business probably already shows up on Google, but you should still verify your listing and make sure its details are accurate and thorough. Your improvements will start appearing as soon as you verify them through Google Places. Also, you can add notifications

Practical and easy to manage

Your Google listing is an easy way to maintain an online presence even if you don’t have a website. You can visit Google Places anytime to edit your information or see how many people have seen and clicked on your listing.

Premium options, all for free

Make your listing really shine with photos and videos; custom categories like your service area, brands you sell and how to find parking; and coupons to encourage customers to make a first-time or repeat purchase.

Create your listing today using Google Places by following the walkthrough below.

Signing up for Google Places is simple

If you own a business, you probably know the basics. You can add extras like photos and descriptions if you have them handy, or come back to add them later.

At the end of the sign-up, we'll ask you to verify your submission by phone or postcard. We do this to make sure that only the right people are able to change any public data about your business.

Okay, let's learn more about getting started on Google Places

For more information contact me at ChelseaRainbow

Avoid Dumb Things During Craft Shows

2011-10-16T04:14:00.000-07:00

You might be the most experienced craftsperson ever, but let’s face it: we’re all human. As such, we craftspeople are fully capable of making the most stupid mistakes around. These are never more apparent than at craft shows. Here are four simple ways to be prepared for your own slipups.

Make a list One way to minimize the potential for making mistakes is to make lists—incredibly detailed lists. It might seem unnecessary to list even the most obvious of things, but as the following example illustrates, everyone has their “moments.”

Have a dress rehearsal I strongly recommend doing a dress rehearsal before going to your show, especially if it’s been a while since the last time. Set up your booth. Set up your shelving or display units. Put all of your stock on the shelves. Put up your signage. If necessary, put on your costume (for themed events like Renaissance fairs). Pretend to process a transaction. There is no finer way to figure out what you’re forgetting.

Anticipate the environment It’s impossible to determine everything you may need at a show or event, particularly with outdoor events. But it helps to be aware of the area and/or season.

Follow the “rule of three” Sometimes there are things you can’t anticipate or control when doing a craft show. That’s why it’s nice, whenever possible, to have one or two backup options for critical functions (like financial transactions). A prepared neighbor calls this “the rule of three.”

For more information, contact ChelseaRainbow... and leave a comment.

Countdown to Crafts in Chelsea Craft Show

2011-10-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

The Crafts in Chelsea Festival is being held on Saturday, October 15, West 21Street between 8th an 9th Avenues from 10am to 5pm. The weather is predicted to be a crisp fall day and there will be loads of fantastic craftspeople showing their wares. It's going to be a great day for browsing and buying! Get your Christmas shopping started tomorrow!

I'm in a tizzy getting ready to exhibit in this craft fair. Almost everything is packed and I spent today making a few last minute projects to show and sell.

I have a list of things to bring and all of my display items and wares are in their respective carts. Crafts in Chelsea is in my neighborhood, close enough to walk to. My boyfriend an I are going to carry everything the four blocks to the show. We have two tables that roll up, two rolling carts, and two folding chairs to take with us. We have to be ready to set up at about 8:30am and ready to go at 10am.

I'm really excited to be doing this show. It's my first craft show in years that's not just a flea market and actually was somewhat juried. There was a cap on jewelers so I won't be competing with too many other jewelers. Below are pictures of the final pieces that I made today. They are finished, and priced and packed, but here's a peak:

Hand Stamped Spoon Pendant

Beaded Key Chains

Hand Stamped Copper Pendant

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Crafts in Chelsea Festival on Saturday, October 15!

Take a peak at my shop to see other work that I will be showing.

Click on this link: ChelseaRainbow

The {NewNew) Crafts Team on Etsy

2011-10-11T00:20:00.000-07:00

CRAFTS IN CHELSEA

WHEN: Saturday, October 15 from 10-5pm
WHERE: 21st street between 8th and 9th avenue

This event spotlights over 100 of the best local New York artists and craftspeople vending their own unique jewelry, pottery, clothing, fine art and other handmade goods. Visitors to the fair will enjoy the opportunity to converse with artists about their creative processes while shopping for one of a kind items.

The{NewNew} is an eclectic group of independent artists devoted to fostering a creative and supportive environment among its members. The group encourages a spirit of camaraderie through craftsmanship and collaboration, and strives to help its members achieve success on both a personal and professional level.

Created in the summer of 2007, The{NewNew} brings together Etsy artists from NY, NJ and CT to share resources, search new marketplaces, and seek out business opportunities in the tri-state area.

What began as a small group now boasts more than 150 active members—and that number continues to grow.

Members come from many different backgrounds and produce fine, handcrafted goods including clothing, home décor, jewelry, accessories, paper goods, bath and body products, toys, and baked goods. Everything is designed and produced locally by the talented artists of The{NewNew}.

{NewNew} members regularly participate in local and regional fairs, markets and craft events including:

Creating handmade gift wrap designed by several members as a collaborative artist project

• • •

Brooklyn Indie Market Renegade Craft Fair Brooklyn Fort Greene Artisans Market

• Artists & Fleas • BUST Craftacular • The Brooklyn Flea

In 2008, The{NewNew} began creating its own events, specially designed to promote the group and its growing membership. And so the Handmade Cavalcade came into being. The first two events took place at the legendary Knitting Factory in New York City and up the Hudson in Beacon, New York, and each featured more than 30 artists.

These events bring shoppers face to face with some of their favorite Etsy sellers, and offer a rare chance to meet the designers behind the handmade products, providing a more intimate shopping experience.

With more live and virtual events currently in the works, The{NewNew} have firmly established a prominent presence in the rapidly expanding craft/design market in New York City, online and beyond.

METAL STAMPING – CREATE PERSONALIZED JEWELRY

2011-10-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

(ChelseaRainbow) Metal stamping іѕ a crafty way tο express уουr jewelry mаkіng creativity. Wіth inexpensive stamps уου саn add names, dates οr whatever message уου dесіdе tο pass along. Yου саn add stamped metal charms tο bracelets οr necklaces οr υѕе thеm alone аѕ earrings. Hοw еνеr уου dесіdе tο υѕе thеm, уουr stamped metal pieces wіll hеlр уου mаkе a personalized handcrafted statement.

Tools

-Metal stamps- Yου саn bυу alpha-numeric stamps frοm jewelry tool suppliers οr online catalogs; bυt Harbor Freight, a tool discounter wіth showrooms іn many cities аnd аn online catalog, hаѕ a simple, inexpensive set οf metal stamps.

-Hammer

-Anvil οr Metal Block

-Manual hole punch οr drill

-Fine line felt tip marker

-Sandpaper – 600 grit οr finer (οr υѕе cushioned emery files lіkе уου find іn beauty supply stores)

-Protective glasses – Whеn stamping metal οr performing аnу metal tο metal activity, thеrе′s always a chance οf a mishap.

Protect уουr eyes wіth аn inexpensive pair οf safety glasses available аt hardware stores.

Materials

-Metal blanks – Thеѕе аrе exactly аѕ thе name suggests. Thеу аrе simple blank metal pieces wіth room fοr stamping οn words οr textures. Sοmе metal blanks come wіth one hole thаt mаkеѕ thеm convenient fοr earrings, charms οr necklaces. Others hаνе two holes tο сrеаtе bracelets. Sοmе come іn decorative shapes.

Yου hаνе a couple οf options fοr metal blanks:

–Cυt metal blanks yourself. If уου know hοw tο υѕе a jeweler’s saw οr metal shears, сrеаtе уουr οwn custom metal blanks іn whatever size οr shape уου сhοοѕе. If уου mаkе blanks yourself, уου′ll need a manual hole punch οr drill tο add holes.

(Hammerandme)–Pυrсhаѕе blanks – A qυісk Google search turns up a number οf metal blank suppliers fοr stamping. Rings & Things hаѕ decorative blanks іn several shapes. A few Etsy shops sell handcrafted metal blanks аѕ well.

-Optional supplies – earwires fοr earrings, jump rings οr bails fοr necklaces.

-Select thе metal blank οf уουr сhοісе, thеn dесіdе whаt уου want tο ѕау. Keep thе message simple. Stamping letters οn metal саn bе a bit tedious.

- Tο gеt thе letter spacing аnd hammer pressure thаt’s rіght fοr уου, practice stamping a few letters οn a scrap οf metal.

-Remember, once уου stamp a letter οn уουr metal piece, іt’s pretty much permanent. Yου саn remove іt, bυt іt wіll take a lot οf filing, sanding аnd possibly hammering tο сοrrесt a mistake.

Dο a layout

-If уου want thе words уου stamp tο read vertically, draw a line tο mаrk thе center οf уουr piece.

-Mаrk a line whеrе уου wіll рlасе each letter.

-Yου mау аlѕο wish tο write each letter whеrе уου intend tο stamp іt.

-Fοr added placement precision, mаrk each metal stamp wіth a vertical line аt thе bottom-center-back. Match thаt mаrk tο уουr center οr placement line аѕ уου stamp each letter.

-A mаrk οn уουr stamp wіll аlѕο hеlр prevent accidentally stamping уουr metal wіth upside down οr sideways letters.

-Lay out уουr letter stamps іn thе order уου wіll need thеm.

-Once уου′ve stamped a letter, mονе thе stamp out οf thе way ѕο уου won’t mistakenly pick іt up аnd υѕе іt again.

Stamp Away

- If уου hаνе practiced, уου already (TinyTokenDesigns) know thе force уου need tο mаkе a gοοd impression wіth a single blow.

-Hold уουr stamp upright аѕ уου strike іt. If уου hold іt аt even a slight angle, іt mау nοt mаkе a complete impression.

-If уου need hеlр holding уουr metal blank іn рlасе аѕ уου stamp іt, try taping thе ends tο уουr block οr anvil.

-Don’t gеt frustrated wіth stamping metal іf уουr letters don’t line up thе way уου expect. Thаt’s whаt happens whеn уου сrеаtе words one letter аt a time.

-Lіkе “Wild Woman” іn example #4, wildly placed letters actually look a bit more handcrafted, creative… аnd wild.

-If уου want уουr letters lined up really nеаt аnd straight, take іt ѕlοw.

Assemble уουr pieces

-If уου mаdе 2 metal stamped pieces, add earwires fοr a pair οf earrings.

-Add a jump ring οr bale аnd chain fοr a simple stamped necklace.

-Uѕе jump rings tο add уουr stamped creation tο a bracelet.

Additional Metal Stamping Tips

(oakhilldesigns) -If уου hаνе a kiln οr blowtorch, уου саn υѕе heat tο anneal уουr metal. Thе softening wіll mаkе іt easier tο stamp.

-Uѕе sandpaper tο remove thе guide mаrkѕ уου drew. Thеу wіll аlѕο come οff wіth alcohol аnd a cotton ball.

-Mаkе уουr letters stand out bу applying a blackening agent lіkе liver οf sulphur. Brush іt οn. Rinse іt away аftеr a few moments, thеn gently sand уουr piece. Thе blackening wіll remain іn thе recessed areas.

-Fοr a less toxic blackening, complete thе above procedure wіth black permanent markers.

For more information, contact ChelseaRainbow

What I like about Working from Home

2011-10-02T01:43:00.000-07:00

I work at home making handmade jewelry and I love the challenge of creating my own work environment. My company, ChelseaRainbow is comprised of three outlets; a computer website on Etsy, doing craft shows, and selling through retail stores.

For the better part of my career, my ability to work from home would only come once in awhile when I would finagle a reason to do so. I was lucky enough to have a work laptop, which made it easier for me than for most. But, I never really got the full-throttle ‘work from home’ experience until recently. And I’ll tell you, now that I have, working from home is underrated…pure and simple. I’ve fallen in love with it and I hope that I can find a way to keep this gig going.

Here are my favorite things about working from home:

. No more 9 to 5: I’m not restricted to the conventional work day. I get to set my own schedule. More often than not, I tend to work normal hours, but if I feel like working half a day, then working out and then working a few more hours, I can. Further, I get to schedule the beginning of my day when I want instead of when the ‘man’ wants me to.

. Less Chores on the Weekend: When I used to come home after work, straightening up the house or doing the dishes were the last things I felt like doing. As a result, the weekend became ‘clean up time’ and ‘chore and errand time’. Now, I’m able to stay more on top of things throughout the week, which makes cleaning less daunting and I can run an occasional errand or do a chore during weekdays, leaving the weekend for more play time.

. Higher Productivity: There are times that you can be distracted, but having the ability to work when you are most inspired, and take a break when you most need it, maximizes your productivity when it feels right for you, instead of when you are expected to.

. Eat Better for Less: I make my own lunch and dinner right at home, which means I’m eating healthier and spending a lot less money.

. I Don’t Work for the Weekend: Working for a company made the week drag on. Working for myself and at home feels like the week and weekend blend together. I don’t dread Mondays, I don’t hate Sundays and I don’t work for the weekends.

. Increased Concentration Levels: I can easily get distracted. Working in an office environment made it difficult at times to focus and do my work without interruptions. Now, my level of concentration is deeper and more focused.

. Greater Privacy: Any time I had to make a personal phone call at work, I had to go into a special room or leave the building to do so. Now, I can make business calls AND personal calls from the same space. Further, I don’t have any office mates who are inconsiderate with loud decibel levels.

. No Attitude or Political Drama: Although I could say that I miss some of the human interaction I had when I worked in an office, I definitely do NOT miss those individuals who were patronizing, disrespectful; or possessed any other endearing qualities. Further, I’m happy to be far away from the political bull__it that is bred in many office environments.

. No Commute: Working from home allows me to start my day without the extra headache of traffic, jammed subways or exposure to the cold elements.

. Low Maintenance Wardrobe: I admit, I’ve worked a whole day in my workout clothes or my pajamas. Not that this happens every day, but it sure is nice not to have to look all put together every day of the week. Further, not working in an office allows you to spend less money on expensive work clothes.

Do you work from home? What do you love about it?

Delicate Donut Necklace Tutorial

2011-09-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about making jewelry is that just by changing the scale of some of the basic techniques will produce a whole different look. This very fine copper chain is embellished with 4mm howlite round beads then strung with a chunky light blue agate. Big impact with tiny beads!

The second necklace is sterling silver with the same tiny beads and a turquoise donut bead. The same but very different.

These necklaces aren’t listed yet on ChelseaRainbow, but if you are interested in them contact me at my shop (listed above) to start a conversation.

Materials

17 inches (43cm) of 2mm x 1mm copper cable chain

5 howlite round 4mm beads

2 copper 5mm jump rings

1 copper toggle clasp

10 inches (25cm) of 26mm copper wire, dead soft

1 piece of light blue agate odd-shaped donut.

Tools

Round nose pliers

2 pair chain nose pliers

Flush cutters

Finished size 19 1/2 inches (49.5cm)

1. Cut the copper wire into one 12 inch (30.5cm) and one 5 inch (13cm) pieces. Attach the lobster clasp to the 5 inch chain with a jump ring. Cut the 10 inch piece of copper wire into five pieces.

Attach the five beads to the five inch piece of chain, wire wrapping each to the other and the final one to the 12 inch piece of chain.

3. String the Agate onto the 12 inch chain. Attach a jump ring to the end of the chain. And you’re done!

This is similar necklace with sterling silver and a turquoise donut:

Wine Charm Set Tutorial

2011-09-26T04:36:00.000-07:00

ChelseaRainbow offers handcrafted semi-precious stone jewelry, precious metal jewelry and beaded necklaces, earrings and bracelets created for day into evening wear. In addition, Jacqueline also offers home decor accessories and knitting and crochet items. Be sure to check her out on Etsy :) In the meantime, enjoy the post…

Colorful and unique, I created these six wine glass charms to liven up your glassware for any occasion! These beaded charms are an ideal hostess gift, wonderful for a night out with friends and make perfect party favors.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

▪ 6 – One-inch silver plated earring forms

▪ 6 – nine or 10mm beads of different colors

▪ 48 – gold seed beads

▪ 1 pair of pointed jeweler’s pliers

Each charm is made the same way using a different colored large bead in the center. Here are the steps:

1. Slide 4 gold seed beads onto the hoop.

2. Slide one large colored bead onto the hoop.

3. Slide 4 more gold seed beads onto the hoop.

4. Bend the straight edge of the earring hoop to a 90 degree angle up.

5. Slide the bent piece into the hole existing for closing the hoop. (Put the hoop around the wine glass stem first).

Add a little style to your glassware and never again have to answer the question: “Is that glass mine?”

Typewriter Key Pendant Tutorial

2011-09-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

This pendant is made of a large filigree flower and a typewriter key in the letter “J”. The typewriter key comes from a vintage Royal typewriter and has had the back attachment sawed off so that it has a flat back that makes it easy to glue to the flower. The combination of new (filigree flower) and old (typewriter key) makes for an interesting pendant that is wearable by either men or women.

Materials

1 – typewriter key 

3 – 6mm bright copper open jump rings 

1 – Gold-plated lobster clasp 

1 – 45mm filigree flower 

18 inches gold plated 1mm x 2mm chain 

E6000 glue

Tools

1/32 metal punch 

Pointed pliers

Instructions

1. Cut 18 inches of chain. Picture shows all materials.

2. Attach one jump ring to one end of the chain. Close the jump ring.

3. Attach one jump ring to the other end of the chain and string the lobster clasp onto the jump ring. Close the jump ring.

4. Punch a hole in one of the flower petals on the filigree flower.

5. Attach the third jump ring to the filigree flower.

6. Glue the typewriter key to the center of the filigree flower using the E6000 glue. Let it dry.

7. Make sure the letter is facing up to the jump ring.

8. Thread the chain through the jump ring and close the jump ring.

8. You are finished!

For more information contact ChelseaRainbow

22 Relevancy Marketing Tips for Beginners

2011-09-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

Vital advice

1) 'Content is king' is massively over-quoted for a reason. If your website isn’t offering value to visitors then all the technical SEO in the world won’t boost your ranking.

2) Your website caters to humans and not just search robots. Don’t be persuaded to damage the customer journey in order to boost SEO – it rarely works and it alienates customers.

3) Don’t fixate on Google. It’s big, but millions of visits begin with other search engines, so be sure you’re checking where you rank in Bing too. A 10% UK market share is often overlooked, but it's still 10% of billions of search queries!

4) Don’t try to trick the search engines. It won’t work for long and your website could be penalised once the search engines catch up with you.

5) Don’t be afraid to link to good, relevant pages from your website. The internet is a sociable place and you’re more likely to make friends and build inbound links if you’re willing to showcase other relevant pages once in a while.

Your targeted keywords

6) Target relevant keywords, don’t be tempted to increase traffic with popular but less relevant terms. Think about the likelihood of conversion and test with PPC.

7) Targeting niche or highly specific keywords will increase the relevance of your visitors.

8) Use Google Analytics to monitor the volume and quality of search terms are driving visitors to your site, as this can inform your wider search strategy.

Your website

9) Use highly descriptive anchor tags for internal links as these reiterate your site’s relevance to the search engines. Internal link building is often overlooked, but still important.

10) Use target keywords in your page titles. This is still the single most important on-site factor, so make sure you put significant effort into constructing title tags.

11) Do you have a page of interesting links, such as supplier websites? Don’t call the page ‘Links’ as this can look like link farm behaviour.

12) Signup for Google’s Webmaster Tools to monitor your website and assess any potential technical, link or keyword optimisation issues.

Blogging rules

13) Set the tone you plan to use in your posts so your blog remains consistent no matter who’s writing it. Bigger content sites are likely to require blogging guidelines.

14) Write how you’d speak. Don’t force keywords into text to try and score some SEO points, you’ll put off your human visitors.

15) Blog post headlines should be catchy and sharable for humans.

16) Headlines should also contain your keywords if possible, but not at the cost of making them interesting.

17) Encourage sharing by promoting your posts on Twitter, Facebook and any other social platforms that you use.

18 Readers love lists, like ’10 top tips…’ and ’20 ways to…’, so aim to include this kind of content on your blog if you want to boost links and shares.

19 Keep website copy short and snappy, it works best for the online reader who scans over blog posts with a limited attention span.

Behaving sociably

21) Encourage sharing by adding social media sharing icons to your pages and blog content.

22) Be socially interesting. If you’re going to use Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms, you can’t just bore on about products and services. Develop a personality.

For more information contact ChelseaRainbow

Pricing Your Handmade Jewelry

2011-09-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Black & White Mother of Pearl Necklace w/Chalk Turquoise Pendant

I posted this information about a year ago, but I decided that it’s worth looking at it again. I just adjusted my prices based on one of the calulations below and I thought people might be interested in the information below.

Let’s end 2011 right and stop being afraid to charge prices for your jewelry that show you are a professional. Even if you’re new to the craft of jewelry, you should be pricing for the luxury that jewelry is. One mistake that new (and not-so-new) jewelry designers often make is to price their work too low.

Pricing handmade jewelry seems to one topic that jewelry artists seem never to agree on. There are lots of different viewpoints and philosophies. This article discusses some of the things to think about as you consider how to price your jewelry and some of the common pricing models that jewelry designers use.

Keep in mind that you do much more than make jewelry as a business owner. In order to cover costs and overhead it is essential to charge more than your hourly rate + material costs and to keep your hourly rate on the high side (i.e. $20/ hour is much more realistic than $10/ hour) if you want your business to be profitable.

Here are a few pricing tips:

• Don’t compete with imports on pricing! Your quality is better, and you can never compete with people who make $2 a day. Instead, position yourself as the high quality jeweler that you are, and command reasonable prices.

• As a newcomer, you can start lower if you would like, and move your pricing up as you become more established.

• Low pricing also can work against you because it cheapens the perceived value of your work. People tend to think you get what you pay for, so if you charge too low, people tend to think something is “fishy” if the price is lower than they expect for a handmade object.

I have another reason for not charging too low. This is kind of my personal soapbox:

If you charge too low, you are not only cheapening the perceived value of your own work, you are also cheapening the work of others because the public learns to think that jewelers who charge what they are worth, are charging too much.

Jewelers who charge what they are worth then have to work so much harder to convince customers that their work is worth the price.

That said, as a jewelry designer, you also need to consider two types of pricing: wholesale and retail.

Wholesale and Retail Pricing Models

Here are common wholesale pricing models used by jewelry designers:

• 3 x the material cost

• 3.5 x the material cost 

• $20 - $25 /hour

• labor plus 1x materials plus 50% (or whatever you want your hourly wage to be)

• Eyeballing i.e. guessing at what it should be worth (not recommended, but common) 

• labor plus 1x materials 

• labor plus 1x materials plus 50% 

• $20/hr.labor + mat. + 5%overhead + 20%profit

And here are common retail pricing models used by jewelry designers:

• 1.4 x wholesale 

• 1.5 x wholesale 

• 1.6 x wholesale 

• 1.7 x wholesale 

• 1.8 x wholesale 

• 1.9 x wholesale 

• 2.0 x wholesale 

• The ever common but not recommended “eyeballing” method

Feel free to use any of the wholesale or retail pricing formulas to price your own work. Remember that customers are not only buying the materials in a piece of jewelry, and the time you spent making it, they’re buying your unique vision and expertise.

For more information contact ChelseaRainbow

Designer Handcrafted Jewelry Fall Trends For 2011

2011-08-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

With autumn approaching and people preparing to upgrade their wardrobe for the next season, designer handcrafted jewelry plays an important role as a wardrobe essential in the coming lineup. New and emerging handcrafted jewelry designers are making a splash with very distinctive, yet simple and bold designs that are fashion forward for today's wearers of designer handcrafted jewelry. (ChelseaRainbow)

(stargazinglily)
Those who like to go beyond the cliche of the department stores and malls are choosing handcrafted jewelry designs that display warm earth tones, much like the leaves of burnt orange, golden yellow, lime green and brick red or browns to accompany the colors of a beautiful dress or suit that can be worn for work or play. Say goodbye to the bright pastels of summer's handcrafted jewelry designs. 2011 is coming in with pleasing tones of more subdued colors and even semi-precious stones to bring us back down to earth.

Designer Handcrafted Jewelry 2011 Autumn Styles Resemble Earthen Blends

(laurrose) Some of the materials chosen by the best handcrafted jewelry designers put high precedence on elegance and sophistication for this coming season. Yet today's recession prices make it possible for everyone to hit a home run with autumn accessories that add distinction and an extra touch of class. Of course gold prices are at an all-time high, yet that hasn't stopped consumers from making the investment in designer handcrafted jewelry made of gold. Silver, wood, metal and other unusual materials will be a strong motif not just in the US but across the globe.

Big, dramatic stones (even rocks) are also making their way to the new necklaces, bracelets and earring sets for the autumn designer jewelry trendsetters. Expect a variety of layered necklaces, bracelets, square designs, fringes and other unusual designer handcrafted jewelry looks this coming season.

You'll also see popularity in pearls, rhinestones, crystal, and neutral colored jewelry handcrafted designs. Multistrand pieces and clustered bead ensembles will become an eye-catching fall wearer's favorite. If you're a little bit daring, you might like to wear some gorgeous chandelier earrings or a big, chunky handcrafted ring. Maybe a little audacious but certainly in style!

To summarize the market for designer handcrafted jewelry this season, it could best be described as a cross between vintage retro jewelry "meets" eclectic ornamental earth. Look for bold styles with down-to-earth colors to accompany the autumn 2011 jewelry trends for today's "earth friendly" shoppers.

Contact ChelseaRainbow for more information.

Back To School Jewelry

2011-08-27T01:45:00.000-07:00

hippiekingdom

I am so excited for back to school season this year!

{Your kids may -or may not- be as enthusiastic as I am about it}

I had a love/hate thing with school as a kid. After high school, I really enjoyed it so much more, once I had the chance to decide what I was learning. For the most part though, I've loved all of my teachers.

There were a special few that really stayed with me. Their lessons didn't always come from textbooks, but rather from the heart. I hope that your children have the same experiences with their teachers. buttonit

Custom Initial Glass Charm Back to School Glass

Pendant Soldered

Glass Charm Necklace

(GlassRealm)

Back To School Special Notebook Dangle Earrings (MoonFaces)

Laugh Love Teach red, blue or yellow back to school - Scrabble Tile Pendant (PrettyWhimsical)

back to school green apple button post earrings (HandyJan)

Happy Spiral Notebook with Pencil Back to School Kawaii Necklace - Handmade by The Happy Acorn

Back To School Special --School and Colors Sterling Silver Necklace - Custom Hand Stamped (PersonallyForever)

Building a jewelry brand – What NOT to do

2011-08-20T01:28:00.000-07:00

We have ample experience in developing brands and especially those brands that represent premium products. ahemm..JEWELRY.

What I have found is that you must marry your line with a story. Tell the story of your brand and how it came to be. Express the joy your consumer experiences while wearing your jewelry. You see where I am going here? It’s not just about a “cool looking” piece. It must have more than that to decrease price sensitivity and improve customer loyalty.

· Do NOT tout aspects of the brand that degrade its quality.

· Do NOT skimp on your web site. Keep in mind that your site is a positioning tool and those who seek your jewelry and find it online will have an opinion of your product based on the presentation layer of your site. If your site looks like crap, odds are your product is crap (in the minds of the consumer).

· Do NOT ignore current customers. They have already bought so they are likely to buy again. Be sure to reach out to them frequently.

· Do Not expect an ad in a magazine or similar outlet to explode your line. It simply doesn’t work that way. You will get some sales, but nothing to retire with.

· More to come as I think of it. Best of luck to all of you.

More Tips on Branding a Jewelry Line

An ounce of silver is an ounce of silver. BUT, your job is to take that ounce of silver and turn it into a story. Selling a silver ring for $500 that has about $10 worth of silver is very doable, but you must do it with care or you will never be positioned for premium pricing. You must accompany your jewelry with other touch points that speak a language of quality.

This is step two. I can’t tell you how many business I deal with who listen to a comment like this and attempt to take a crappy “story” to market. They think more traffic will make them successful. Anyone care about conversions? I would rather bring 10 people to a site and convert 8, versus 100 people and convert 2. Get the point?

Social Media can work, but you must have a solid plan of attack for all forms of advertising including Social Media. Don’t think you are going to see huge gains by simply chatting with people. Your content must be more engaging than that. Also, keep in mind that Social Media does COST. It’s called TIME and it is irreplaceable and unavoidable.

Increase Your Creativity

2011-08-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

Did you know that it's possible to increase your creativity? Everyone is creative, but everyone could also use a little help to increase their creativity, especially when they've been doing the same creative activities for a long time.

Taking a Creative Break

Sometimes we all just need a break from our day-to-day activities. Even people who consider themselves creative can occasionally get burned out on the creative pastimes that they enjoy.

The good news is it can be easy, and certainly fun, to get back in the creative spirit by going on a play date with your muse. It doesn't have to take a lot of time or cost a lot (or any) money, but it can do wonders for your creative fire and your attitude in general.

How to Increase Your Creativity

The first step for you may be considering your creativity as a thing that needs to be nurtured and given appropriate stimuli. If you don't consider yourself a creative person or are new to creativity, this may be a leap. Think of your creativity as a five-year-old child. It likes to be entertained, to try new things, and has a short attention span. Sometimes you just have to let it run around and play.

So what do you do to let your creativity play? Julia Cameron calls her play dates "artist dates" and says that every week you should take time to do something new or engaging and fun, just you and your artist. But I don't think creativity likes anything regimented, including regimented play. Just do something fun when you have time, or when you need a creative pick-me-up. Don't stress about it. Playing with your artist can be something as simple as doodling on a big sheet of paper or rustling in the leaves in your backyard. You can surf the Internet for something you always wanted to know about (How do you get noticed on the national hog-calling circuit? How much wood would a woodchuck chuck? How much would it cost for you to take your family on a scrapbooking cruise?) or go on a virtual vacation and then write about it, draw it or dance it.

More Ideas for Increasing Your Creativity

One of my favorite playtime activities is a trip to the dollar store. You can load up on markers, crayons, stickers, coloring books, silly toys and fun journals. Search the toy section for an artistic "mascot" you can keep in your workspace to cheer you up and on as you create. Stock up on cheap picture books that you can cut up for collages, and don't forget fun paper goods (tissue and wrapping paper). Give yourself permission to buy anything that strikes your fancy. Take $10 every month or so and go all out on fun things just for you to play with.

Have fun, be frivolous and then go home and use your new treasures. Color in the coloring books, make a sculpture from modeling clay, write a poem in fuchsia marker in your new journal. Just play. Have fun. Your creative spirit will thank you.

The Importance of Increasing Your Creativity

Going on a regular play date with your muse will make you feel more creative and more in touch with your creative side. As you work more with these kind of fun projects, you will see that you don't just have a creative side, you are actually a creative being who lives in creativity all the time and is filled with fun ideas of ways to express yourself. You'll probably also find yourself less stressed and more excited about daily life when you approach life in a more playful, creative way. You've got nothing to lose and whole new angles of creativity and passion to gain.

Contact ChelseaRainbow for more ideas on being creative

ANNEALING METAL FOR JEWELRY

2011-08-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

What is annealing, and why is it important?

When metal is hammered, bent, stressed, or otherwise “worked”, the molecules of the metal are pressed more closely together, causing it to lose flexibility. This is known as work-hardening. While we hammer our metal for jewelry, the metal will become progressively harder. If we do not stop to soften, or anneal, the metal, it will crack or split. Pieces may snap off. Stay aware of your metal, and anneal frequently when working.

How will you know when it’s time to anneal?

• Listen to the sound when you are hammering. Soft metal makes a duller thud than hard metal, which makes a higher pitched, more ringing sound.

• Feel subtle differences in how your hammer reacts to the metal. The hammer sinks into softer metal, and bounces sharply off of hard metal

• Watch the shape of the metal change. Soft metal changes shape, becoming flatter or longer, responding to the pressure of the hammer. Hard metal will keep its shape and resist changing.

• Test the metal by trying to bend it when you notice the above signs of work hardening. If the metal is hard, springy or difficult to bend, STOP hammering and ANNEAL the metal.

Setting Up an Annealing Area

On your work bench or table, create a fire resistant surface.

Some ideas are: several large ceramic floor tiles, sheet metal (try to be sure not to use zinc-plated sheet metal, this can be hazardous to your health when heated), masonite, cement board, etc.

On this surface, set up your area with:

• a fire brick, soldering pad, or other safe, heat-reflecting surface

• insulated tweezers (cross-locks are a good choice)

• A bowl of water

• Torch (a high quality butane torch is fine, as long as your metal is small enough, no more than about 1” x 1”)

How to Anneal

1. Mark your metal with a permanent marker (such as a Sharpie) or a dab of jewelry flux (Handy flux and Dandix are common brands).

2. Place hardened metal on your chosen surface (fire brick, etc).

3. Light torch according to manufacturer’s directions. If your torch uses both fuel and oxygen tanks, you can adjust the flame so that it is soft & bushy rather than sharp and hissing.

4. Begin by warming the metal gently across entire surface.

5. Bring flame in closer until the point of the blue cone is about ¼ inch from the metal. This is the hottest part of the flame.

6. Continue to move the flame constantly across the entire piece, evenly raising the temperature of the entire piece. Don’t stop the flame on any one area.

7. When the marks you made disappear or the flux turns first white, then clear, you are near annealing temperature. Watch for changes in color that indicate annealing temperature has been reached. This is a difficult state to describe. If you have not annealed metal before, I suggest you turn off the lights and watch the metal as you heat it. When it begins to glow pink, you have generally achieved annealing temperature for sterling silver. If you can get someone to turn the lights back on at this moment, you will see that the glow is not quite visible. There is, however, a particular look to the silver at this time. With practice, you will be able to “see” this internal glow and recognize the changes in color that indicate that annealing has probably occurred. Sterling silver should not get much hotter than this temperature or you will risk melting it. Copper and brass (or bronze or Nugold) should be heated until their glow is visible with the lights on. Copper should glow gently, while Nugold should be made to glow brightly to anneal well.

When you have reached annealing temperature, back the flame away from the metal somewhat, but continue to heat it gently, maintaining annealing temperature for about 60 seconds to fully anneal the metal. If sterling starts to glow so that it is visible in normal room light, you have usually exceeded the normal annealing temp, so pull the flame back and heat more gently for 60 sec. Brass needs to be annealed for longer than copper or silver, so keep it glowing for 60 -120 sec.

• Things to be aware of: Wire will heat and anneal very quickly, and it is safer to coil the wire to protect it from overheating. Sheet will take longer than wire. The thickness of the metal (gauge) and the size of the sheet or wire will make a significant difference in the annealing time.

• What happens if I heat too much?

With copper and brass, there is rarely a problem. Both are difficult to melt, and it’s nearly impossible with a butane torch. Overheating will cause more oxidation (discoloring), and drive it deeper into the metal, that is usually the worst that will happen.

With silver, both oxidation and melting are potential problems. Before silver melts, it begins to get a shiny, liquid silver look to the surface. If you begin to see this, you have raised the temperature of the silver well beyond the annealing point, which may create unwanted textures and brittleness. I strongly recommend melting a piece of scrap silver and carefully noting the changes prior to melting. Once you have seen them, you will begin to recognize the signs, and may avoid damaging a piece you hope to complete.

• If noting color changes just doesn’t work for you, just watch the sharpie disappear or the flux turn clear. Increase heat a bit more, then pull the torch back a little to keep the heat at annealing temperature for 60 or more seconds. Cool and quench.

8. Once the metal is annealed, remove the heat and turn off the torch.

9. Allow it a few seconds to cool a bit, carefully pick up the metal with your insulated tweezers, cross locks, or tongs, and quench it by dipping it fully into the bowl of water. Don’t be alarmed if it hisses as it quickly cools, this is normal.

10. Remove the metal from the water (it is cool enough to touch almost immediately) and dry. Wet metal on your steel tools is a quick road to rust, so be sure to dry well.

11. Check for softness by gently bending the piece. If fully annealed, it should now bend easily. If not, anneal again, allowing the metal to get slightly hotter and hold for a longer period of time.

For more information, contact ChelseaRainbow

How to Stamp Letters Into Metal

2011-08-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Stamping letters into metal is a craft generally used in jewelry making. The concept of the craft is not difficult, but it takes some practice to become proficient. You can stamp letters on the back or inside of metal jewelry to write a message, or imprint information about the quality of the metal. Letters may also be part of the jewelry design.

Instructions

1 Gather or purchase your supplies. You will need a stamping letter set, a bench block, practice sheet metal and a 16-oz. (or heavier) hammer. You may also want to buy some metal blanks. These are preformed metal jewelry pieces ready for stamping.  

2 Place a small piece of scrap sheet metal onto your bench block. The bench block is used so you will not mark up your work area. It will give you an even, hard surface to stamp on. Choose one of the letter stamps to practice with.  

3 Place your fingers into the stamp's side grooves to keep the letter in position. Hold the hammer midway up the shaft, rather than towards the end, as you would when nailing. Place the stamp on the scrap metal and give it a good whack, not too hard and not too soft. It will take practice to know exactly how hard to hit the stamp. Check the indentation on the metal. Practice until you achieve the appropriate depth.  

4 Practice spacing the letters. This is a matter of preference, but generally you don't want the letters spaced so far apart that it no longer looks like a word. Practice stamping letters next to each other until you get the feel for the spacing you like.  

5 Use a metal jewelry blank to make your first metal-stamping project. Start with a self-made pattern. Trace around the metal blank onto a piece of paper and then write a word within the traced shape. Find the center of the word and the center of the metal blank. Instead of stamping from left to right, begin at the center. Stamp the letters from center to right, and then center to left.

Design vs. SEO: Can My Site Look Good And Rank Well?

2011-08-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the birth of professional search engine marketers the top ranks are saturated with the pages of companies that can pay for such insight. That said its certainly possible to employ high ranking tactics in your own website. Actually the most basic tactics can move you up from an 800 position to a 300. However its the top of the scale where efforts seem almost inversely exponential or logarithmic you put a ton in to see a tiny change in rank.

How do you meld the ambitious overhauls required to attain significant ranking and NOT compromise the design of your site?

Design Can’t Be Ignored

If you have an existing site youve probably tied it into your existing promotional content. Even if you’ve allowed your website to cater to the more free form of the net it should still be designed as a recognizable extension of your business.

The reasons for doing so are valid and can’t simply be ignored for the sake of achieving a first age position can they? If your research into search optimization leaves you shuffling around thoughts of content keyword saturated copy and varying link text you are correctly understanding some of the basic pillars of search engine optimization.

And you aren’t alone if you have this disheartening thought. If I do all this SEO stuff and reach number one across the board who would stay at my site because its so stale and boring I’m even embarrassed to send people there!

There are two ways to successfully combine design and SEO. The first is to be a blue chip and/or Fortune 500 company with multi million dollar advertising and branding budgets to deliver your website address via television radio billboards PR parties and giveaways with your logo.

Since chances are that’s not you and certainly not me let’s look at the second option. It begins with some research into your market some thoughtful and creative planning and a designer who is a search engine optimizer and understands at least basic CSS and HTML programming techniques. Or a combination of people with these skills that can work very well together.

Design is for brochures. Instant results are for the web.

That’s not the whole truth but it will help compare and contrast design and SEO. In reality SEO needs the quantity and detail of supporting text that a brochure has but good web design has to catch a viewers attention in 5 seconds. It’s pretty difficult to read and absorb the content of an entire brochure in less than 5 seconds.

Search engines need rich related appropriate changing and poignant content. And for them to rank you all of that must be on your pages. But if its not well organized and broken down into bite size chunks no one is going to bother learning about what you’re offering.

Find out more information at ChelseaRainbow

Vintage Typewriter Key Necklaces-Pendants

2011-08-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Pendants and necklaces have long been a staple in fashion jewelry and today typewriter key necklaces are one of the hottest trends going in hand crafted jewelry! These creations are crafted from recycled vintage and antique typewriter key pads of days gone by. Throughout the 1930's-1960's there were many companies and brands producing dozens of styles of machines. These were primarily manual typewriters and the keypads were made to withstand tens of thousands of hits. Most of the letters (font) were laid upon steel and coated in thick glass.

Vintage Typewriter Key Necklace Initials

These machines were very durable, especially the keys and they still look great today! Crafters and jewelry makers across the globe are catching onto the idea of this nostalgic creation and designing some very nice necklaces! Initials are very popular and some of the function keys make quite a curious conversation piece with charms such as "shift lock" or "margin release" or "back space" dangling from your neck!  Some of the very old antique typewriters from the 20's-40's are particularly nice. As soon as someone sees one of those keys they know it's something special! Often yellowed from years, it's that natural aged vintage look that's instantly appealing.

While most keys are black, white or cream, there are numerous brands that used reds, orange, green, Yellow and blue or a combination of the standard colors and the bright colors for punctuation or special function keys. Some of these colored keys are stunning and will look fantastic on your vintage typewriter key necklace or pendant!   Find ball chains, gold link, silver, stainless, leather and many other creative looks. There's something for everyone's taste in these unique, hand crafted jewelry pieces. Whether you are seeking a one of a kind necklace for yourself or looking for a classy memorable gift, typewriter key necklaces are a great choice!

For more information contact ChelseaRainbow.

Develop the Courage to Take Risks

2011-08-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly” –Robert F. Kennedy

What person do you know who has achieved something great who has not taken risks? The willingness to take risks and the skill to make intelligent decisions between risk and irresponsibility will to a large degree determine the level of achievement that you will attain. Your biggest risk is not the possibility of failing, it is not trying. Burn this thought into your brain: The one sure way to guarantee failure to achieve your dream, is to play it safe.

“The comfort zone is seductive. We all desire comfort. It’s human nature. However, too much comfort does not serve us well. An inability to step out of your comfort zone will profoundly limit your performance.” –Jim McCormick

Within each one of us lies great potential. The way you explore that great potential is to take risks. Taking a risk will tell you what works and what doesn’t. If you fail the first time then you know what not to do next time. Any particular attempt is not failure. Failure is staying down after you fall down. If you get up and try again you will ultimately succeed. Thomas Edison tried 2,000 times before successfully creating the electric light bulb.

Watch a child learn to walk. They struggle and they fall. Then they bounce back up with a smile on their face and they try again. They are not afraid to fall and somehow intuitively know it is part of the learning process. Failure is a key to learning. It is the fastest route to success because you learn far more from your failures than you do from your successes. I read once that embracing and amplifying risk is the best way to learn. What an incredibly positive way to look at risk!

“Why is it that we do not see the process of reaching our goals as having steps similar to the ones a child must take in order to learn to walk? We will stumble and fall in the learning process, but success can only be reached when we are prepared to take those steps, all of them, even the ones where we fail.

The real win is the confidence and experience we acquire which translates into new opportunities for growth, enjoyment and expansion in all areas of our life.” –Bob Proctor

Many people do what you do and so the only way you are going to stand out from the crowd is by doing things differently. That means taking risks. Most people don’t take risks because they are afraid, and fear comes from ignorance. You are afraid of what you haven’t done before and what you don’t know. How are you going to learn enough not to be afraid anymore unless you step up to the edge and take that first leap of faith? Fear is simply the unknown and courage is making the decision to learn something new.

Being trapped by fear and refusing to take risks my lead to a safe, boring and mediocre life. But you will never thrive, learn, love, or grow if you stay in that trap. You must test and stretch your abilities by taking risk. But what is risk anyway? What are you going to lose? Something you never had to start with cannot be lost.

Imagine seeing that girl across the room who you know intuitively would be the girl of your dreams. But you are so afraid of rejection that you don’t approach her. You just can’t take the rejection. Yesterday you were not with her. Tomorrow you won’t be with her if you don’t take the risk. How is that worse? You lose nothing by asking and you just might gain your lifelong soul mate if you do.

You will seldom lose anything of value by pursuing your dream and if you do you can simply replace it. You might need a source of income, but you don’t need one particular source of income. You might need a place to live, but you don’t need one particular place to live. You might need relationships, but you don’t need one particular relationship. You might need support, but you don’t need one particular instance of support.

So if you take a risk and walk away from a job, why on earth do you believe you will not be able find another source of income? If you take a risk and move to another city, what are you really risking? If doing something that lies deep within your soul causes you to lose a friend or other relationship so what? Do you want relationships with people who don’t want you to be your authentic self and live your dreams? Do you think you cannot form other and even better relationships? Life is growth so step out and grow!

“Remember, it makes no difference whether your goal is starting a new business, buying or building a new home, getting a new automobile, a new position at work, setting a sales record, or getting an honors mark in school. Whatever it may be, you must step out and boldly pursue it. Keep reminding yourself that you have tremendous reservoirs of potential within you, and therefore, you are quite capable of doing almost anything you “set your mind to.” All you must do is figure out how you can do it, not whether or not you can.” –Bob Proctor

Success compounds and it will compound to great heights if we will only let it. Success requires taking risk. Taking risk requires courage. Courage is strengthened by the knowledge that the fear you are feeling is a result of the unknown. When you step up and take the risk it becomes known and you no longer fear it. As Bob Proctor said in the quote above, you can do almost anything, you just have to figure out how. The “if” is not in question.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” –Eleanor Roosevel

Call on ChelseaRainbow for more risk-taking ideas.

Facebook in 15 Minutes a Day

2011-08-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

I’ve often said that social networking can take up your entire day, if you allow it. You sit down at your desk in the morning, and you see several Facebook event invites and friend requests. As you log into your account, someone’s Facebook status update catches your eye, and before you know it, 3 hours have passed while you’re reading and responding to social networking messages. How can you possibly get any work done in your business or for your clients at this rate?

Facebook doesn’t have to be a time hog. As a matter of fact, you can actually handle most of your Facebook tasks in as little as 15 minutes per day. Here’s what I do when I log into my account each morning (thanks for wonderful training I’ve received from Facebook guru Mari Smith for these great tips):

1. Update your status. This is the first section that you’ll see on your homepage when you log into Facebook. While you can do this from your Facebook account, I prefer to update my status in Ping.fm, as this service will update my status in all of my social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and MySpace. However, if you’re using only Facebook for social networking, then go ahead and use the status update there.

2. Review your news feeds. This is the first tab on the right on your home page. In this review, you’re seeking stories on which you can share your expertise and on which you can comment. Some of your comments may be personal in nature, but this is a great opportuníty to showcase your experience in your field and industry.

3. Review news feeds of your friends. This feature is available from the home page as the down arrow on the far right of the home page tabs and permits you to view the feeds of your Friends Lists. Friend Lists allow you to create private groupings of friends based on your personal preferences. I’ve got my lists created by industry, i.e. Coaches, Virtual Assistants, Marketing Professionals, People to Watch, etc. Pick one líst and comment on those feeds just as you would yours.

Welcome to BaconSquareFarm

2011-08-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, The folks at BaconSquareFarm live on a farm and once raised purebred black angus cattle & hogs hence the perfect name for their Etsy shop was Bacon Square Farm.  They converted the hog feeding station into a woodworking area the cattle barn transformed into the iron-metal shop. They’ve been producing premium high quality handmade collections since 1985 and continually evolve and change to keep current with trends and styles in their product line.

Offering Shabby Cottage chic, coastal & beach, farm house, birdhouse, wedding home decor. Featuring table, shelf, bench, iron lighting, dog bowl feeder & eco green finds designed one at a time on their farm.

BaconSquareFarm’s style ranges from farmhouse cottage chic with a twist of french country to industrial modern plus somewhere in between their own unique flavor in design.

Pete enjoys taking a piece of wood or steel and transforming these raw products into works of art for your home, cabin or garden decor.

Tanya and Pete sit at the kitchen table drinking coffee where they sketch out our ideas on paper of new designs that are floating around in their heads, then it's down to the shop to recreate and tweek them.

They’d like to believe they are making heirlooms for the next generations to come, passed down as a treasured gift or found by a child playing in there grandparents attic or old barn.

Colonial birdhouse as seen on This Old House Magazine:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/44222692/colonial-birdhouse-woodland-earth

BaconSquareFarm farmhouse candleholder was featured in Stylish Home's weekly Etsy finds:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/67126344/industrial-iron-farmhouse-candleholder

Their cattle and hog barns have been converted to their workplace and the century old farmhouse is the studio for painting and finishing.

BaconSquareFarm makes everything from scratch the old fashioned way from beginning to end using raw lumber, steel or repurposed junk from their farm.

For more information on BaconSquareFarm, contact ChelseaRainbow.

Working in a Home Office

2011-08-05T04:50:00.000-07:00

Many people dream about being able to work at home. They imagine themselves in their immaculate home office zipping through tasks while sipping a cappuccino (or herbal tea), savoring their new unparalleled efficiency.

The good news is that the number of meetings a person who works at home has to attend goes way down. The bad news is that there are still plenty of distractions and time wasters to contend with when you work at home.

Other people may have a hard time accepting the fact that you're actually working at home (or trying to). Besides the usual doorbell ringers, such as sales people and people collecting for charities, well-meaning neighbors tend to pop by, assuming that you have time to chat as you haven't driven off anywhere to go to work. And then there's the telephone. You'll find that getting people to call you during your non-working hours rather than in prime time is a bit of a challenge. After all, you're at home, right?

If you’re going to work at home, rather than just be at home, you need to create an environment that will allow you to operate in a business-like manner. Here are seven ways or "rules" to help you get organized and create a home-based business environment that encourages work rather than hinders it. The first three of these rules will help you organize your home office so you can work at home more productively and the second four will help you organize your work schedule in ways that will discourage others from interrupting you and keep you motivated when you're working at home.

Let's have a look, then, at some rules for organizing your home office so you have a better chance of working at home productively.

1) Set Up a Separate Home Office If you're going to work at home, you need a home office; sharing the kitchen table just doesn't cut it. Set up a room as a home office if possible, but if you can't, make sure you have at least a desk where you can keep your home based business materials organized and they'll stay undisturbed when you're not working.

A separate work space helps you separate your work life from your home life. Entering your home office mentally prepares you to go to work, and establishes a distance (no matter how small) between ‘work’ and ‘home’. A demarcated home office can also serve as a signal to other family members that “you’re working”, and not to be disturbed lightly.

2) Make Your Home Office a Work Space A cluttered desk may not be the sign of a cluttered mind, but piles of disorganized faxes, bills, and memos are definitely off-putting when you're trying to work at home. You need to be able to sit down in your your home office and go to work, without having to clear a space or hunt for a particular piece of paper. Getting your home office organized and keeping it that way prevents distractions and time-wasting. Buy an in and out basket and use it, invest in a filing cabinet, and have a wastepaper can handy so you can clean up when you close up for the day. Keep all your relevant working materials in your work space. Having to walk into another room to retrieve a file can be a serious waste of time.

3) Minimize Distractions No matter what type of home based business you operate, you need to be able to concentrate to work at home. This will be impossible if other family members are wandering in and out of your home office asking you questions or if the phone is ringing constantly.

Get an answering machine or voice mail service if the telephone is an intrusion rather than a sales tool. Ideally, you should put the phone and answering machine in another room so hearing it take the messages is not distracting for you when you're working at home. If you choose this method, be sure that you do check for messages regularly during the day.

Now that your home office is organized, it's time to organize your work schedule so you can actually work at home.

Working at home can be a dream come true if you can get your work schedule organized so that you can actually work at home. Here are more work at home "rules" to help you accomplish what you want to accomplish.

4) Keep Your Calendar Prominent On the desk, or on your computer, keeping your work schedule deadlines visible so you can get organized and stay on task is crucial. Get in the habit of starting every work at home business day by looking at your calendar and the deadlines or to-do activities you've listed there; focus on what you can and can't accomplish that day and prioritize your tasks. Deciding what to do and when you need to do it will put you in work-mode and let you work more efficiently.

5) Keep Track of Your Time Time tracking is obviously important if you're working billable hours, but you should keep track of all the time you work at home so you can adjust your work schedule if necessary and see if you're achieving your home-based business goals. You may have a home-based business goal of working only five hours a day, for instance, but find that doing so doesn't produce enough income for you. If you haven't been time tracking, you'll be in for a nasty shock six months later. The easiest way to keep track of your time is to use a notebook or daytimer and write down your hours and tasks throughout the working day as you work at home.

6) Keep to Your Work Schedule Determine how many hours a day you want to work and when, and stick to it. The huge advantage of working at home is that you can work when you want, so if you find the best time to work is afternoons and evenings, work then. If you're working at home around the needs of your children and/or spouse, you may find that getting up really early in the mornings will give you the quiet time you need. But whatever work schedule you establish, be consistent. Your work will go much easier and more efficiently if you stay on a regular schedule, whatever it is.

7) Be Realistic You're not going to be able to put in ten hour days when you work at home, more than likely. If you work at home, you're the one who's going to have to deal with the door to door solicitors, the neighbor who likes to drop in, and whatever house crisis happens, from the plugged toilet through the delivery arrival. Determine how many hours you can actually sanely, safely work and stick to that work schedule as much as possible. Remember that sleep is vital; people who get up in the middle of the night to put in more hours or who stay up working into the wee hours only get consistently more sleep deprived, not richer.

And if you have a bad work at home day where the universe appears to conspire to interrupt you continuously, be kind to yourself. The great thing about working at home is that you set your own work schedule. Controlling it rather than letting it control you will increase your productivity and your peace of mind. Working at home can be like working in paradise, as long as you control your environment rather than letting it control you.

10 Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

2011-08-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Is there a way to determine whether you can be a successful entrepreneur, or you are better off to work for somebody else? Alas, there is no formula for success. However, most successful entrepreneurs share these ten characteristics. Check if you possess any one of them:

1. Think success. To attain the kind of success that you want, you need to dream big. Every success story starts with big dreams. You need to have big dreams for yourself - which you want to be somebody rich, famous or fulfilled. You need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. But it doesn't stop in dreaming alone. You should actively visualize success in your mind that you can almost feel it, touch it or it is within your reach. Play this image back at every opportunity. What does it feel to triple your current income? How will your life change? What will your business look like if you achieved the million-dollar mark?

2. Be passionate with what you do. You start a business to change any or all part of your life. To attain this change, you need to develop or uncover an intense, personal passion to change the way things are and to live life to the fullest. Success comes easily if you love what you do. Why? Because we are more relentless in our pursuit of goals about things that we love. If you hate your job right now, do you think you will ever be successful at it? Not in a million years! You may plod along, even become competent at the tasks, but you will never be a great success at it.

3. Focus on your strengths. Let's face it; you cannot be everything to everybody. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses. To be effective, you need to identify your strengths and concentrate on it. You will become more successful if you are able to channel your efforts to areas that you do best. In business, for example, if you know you have good marketing instincts, then harness this strength and make full use of it. Seek help or assistance in areas that you may be poor at, such as accounting or bookkeeping. To transform your weakness to strength, consider taking hands-on learning or formal training.

4. Never consider the possibility of failure. Ayn Rand, in her novel The Fountainhead, wrote, "It is not in the nature of man - nor of any living entity, to start out by giving up." As an entrepreneur, you need to fully believe in your goals, and that you can do it. Think that what you are doing will contribute to the betterment of your environment and your personal self. You should have a strong faith in your idea, your capabilities and yourself.

5. Plan accordingly. You have a vision, and you have enough faith in yourself to believe that you can achieve your vision. But do you know how to get to your vision? To achieve your vision, you need to have concrete goals that will provide the stepping-stone towards your ultimate vision. Put your goals in writing; not doing so just makes them as intangible fantasies. You need to plan each day in such a way that your every action contributes to the attainment of your vision. Do you foresee yourself as the next Martha Stewart of hand-made home furnishings?

6. Work hard! Every successful entrepreneur works hard, hard and hard. No one achieves success just by sitting and staring at the wall every single day. Brian Tracy puts it out this way, "You work eight hours per day for survival; everything over eight hours per day is for success." Ask any successful businessperson and they will tell you immediately that they had to work more than 60 hours per week at the start of their businesses.

7. Constantly Look for Ways to Network. In business, you are judged by the company you keep - from your management team, board of directors, and strategic partners. Businesses always need assistance, more so small businesses. Maybe the lady you met in a trade association meeting can help you secure funding, or the gentleman at a conference can provide you with management advise. It is important to form alliances with people who can help you, and whom you can help in return.

8. Willingness to Learn. You do not need to be a MBA degree holder or PhD graduate to succeed in your own business. In fact, there are a lot of entrepreneurs who did not even finish secondary education. Studies show that most self-made millionaires have average intelligence. Nonetheless, these people reached their full potentials achieved their financial and personal goals in business because they are willing to learn.

9. Persevere and have faith. No one said that the road to success is easy. Despite your good intentions and hard work, sometimes you will fail. Some successful entrepreneurs suffered setbacks and resounding defeats, even bankruptcy, yet managed to quickly stand up to make it big in their fields.

10. Discipline yourself. Thomas Huxley once said, "Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you like it or not." Self-discipline is the key to success.

For more information contact ChelseaRainbow