Shop link: lilesj.etsy.com
Give us the basics:
Liv'nGood Jewelry at http://lilesj.etsy.com in central NC. I combine chainmaille, silversmithing, and wire wrapping with semi-precious stones to create hand-made, one-of-a-kind jewelry.
What’s your favourite smell?
ooohhh that's a tough one - chocolate, lavender, gardenia, garlic bread - but not all together of course!
How long have you been doing your craft?
I'm pretty new. I took my first basic beading class in 2007 (the day after Thanksgiving in fact). From there I got a few beading magazines and in the back found and add for a chainmaille kit. Once that one arrived I knew I was hooked.
What do you like least about your craft?
The HUGE amount of competition. Not from other artisans so much, but it's very hard to battle the "you want how much for earrings? I could get those at wal mart for 4 bucks" mentality.
What’s a normal day for you?
I still have a day job that pays the bills, so it's get up, go to work for 8, then back home. I usually carve out about an hour after dinner to work on some aspect of the business.
What advice would you give Etsy sellers just starting out?
Have patience, and do your own marketing. Etsy is a great place to sell, but it's definitely not "build it and they will come". You have to promote yourself and bring your own customers in - then anyone who finds you some other way is just gravy.
How do you discover new things on Etsy?
Treasuries definitely. I cruise through, looking for little yellow stars, about every other day. Then I check out the ones that haven't gotten much attention or comments and try to spread the love. I figure the ones that are already hot don't need my help.
1 comment:
Those are beautiful earrings!
That's great advice to someone just starting out on Etsy. It's easy to feel like the sales will start pouring in when you set up shop, but we really do have to work hard at our marketing.
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