Are you making soaps, jewelry, candles, clothes, etc. etc. for your Christmas Sales? Send your pictures, your shop address, or your blog address plus a description of what you have made and it will be featured and promoted on this site. Email me at barb@soapstuffdaily.com

Today, to start things off, I am showing pictures of polymer clay beads or charms that I just posted on BeadsToBead.  These  are all handpainted.  They are small and will make great inexpensive (cheap) earrings or charm bracelets. If you do shows, you know you need a low to high range of pricing. Since Christmas jewelry can only be worn for a few weeks, most want to have a variety of cheap stuff to wear everyday to work.

My Angels are all in Antique gold.All are done to give the look of being Vintage. Find these in the Christmas Shoppe on http://beadstobead.etsy.com 

If  someone is decorating a minature tree in a color theme of blue- these angels, snowflakes and poinsettias are just what is needed.

The photos just do not show off the sparkling affect the glitter blue clay gives to these beads.

On BeadsToBead in the Christmas Shoppe I have them listed as a pair or in a group of four. They can be listed in a larger grouping. You just need to email me. A larger quantity will give you a better price.

I am so excited about my hand sculpted snowflakes! You have just got to see them. Finishing them up today and will post them in a day or two.

Remember, I want to post your Christmas goodies here.

Have a Happy Day,

Barb

My apologies for this layout. It just would not do what I wanted it to do!

I know that I have not posted in a while. I just needed a break! But I have been busy with Polymer Clay. Just listed were some Christmas charms or beads. Tomorrow I will post pictures of these.

Since opening my Etsy shop BeadsToBead, the biggest seller has been seed beads. Since there is such a great interest in seed beads, I thought this posting would be appropriate.

Seed beads are great to use in all types of beading. I personally find just stringing beads boring and would rather do intricate stitching. When I first started beading, some patterns called for Charlottes. I could not find what a charlotte bead was anywhere. I knew it was a seed bead, but that is all.

Since then, I have found out it is a type of cut!

Delicas (Made by Miyuki of Japan): These beads are precision-made, perfectly cylindrical size 11/0 seed beads that look like tiny rectangular tiles when woven in a pattern. They have a relatively large hole for their size, which makes them light, yielding more beads per gram. These features make Delicas ideal for weaving projects.

Bugle beads: These beads are longer, tube-shaped seed beads that come in many sizes. They are sometimes faceted.

Charlotte: These beads have one cut (sometimes more) on each bead which means they twinkle when they catch the light. Traditionally, charlotte-cut meant size 13/0, but as they are now available in sizes 8/0 to 15/0,the term gets used more generally.

Miyuki Seed Beads: These beads, manufactured by Miyuki Shoji in Japan, and known for their high quality. Miyuki produces seed beads, bugle beads, Delicas and other shaped beads such as cubes and triangles. In shape, Miyuki seed beads are somewhere between cylinder and doughnut and more regular than Matsuno seed beads.

Toho Seed Beads: Toho of Japan produces a range of seed bead sizes and shapes as well as their equivalent to Delicas, Toho Treasures. They also now produce an even more regular cylinder bead called Aiko as well as some Charlotte-cut and 3-cut beads.

For those of you that are new to seed beads – The larger beads such as 6/0 are used in stringing and in stitching. The smaller beads are used in Peyote, Herringbone and other stitches.
Remember the larger the number the smaller the bead. 11/0 is the size called for in many patterns and is great for filler beads.

Well, if you are new to beading with seed beads, I hope this will clear up some of the confusion.

Have a Happy Day and a Great Week,

Barb

This morning I was watching the weather channel when they showed a fantastic invention. A machine to make drinkable water out of air! Undoubtably he got his idea from a simple dehumidifier. But, he has taken it a step or two further and made drinkable water.

Think what this can mean. Drought ridden areas like here in Texas that are limiting water use. If you had one of these your garden would not dry up. Our precious water supply helped. One in the kitchen of every household, look at the water saved.

Amazing, just amazing. Go to http://nhne-pulse.org/drought-master-machine-that-pulls-water-out-of-thin-air/ and learn more.

This isn’t really arts and crafts, but then I cannot think of a more artistic invention.

Have a happy Saturday,

Barb

Many of you are definitely interested in finding tutorials for your craft. Yesterday I posted several good sites for Polymer Clay help. There are several more that I know about, and will post them at a later date.

Today I found one very good site of jewelry tutorials. You can find tutorials for beginners and for the expert. A very nice feature is that they are on video.  Many are free and others are inexpensive.

If you are wanting to know how to make the popular felt beads, there is a tutorial for that.

http://beaducation.com  and the blog site: http://blog.beaducation.com

Do you know of other tutorial sites?  How about on candles, soaps or scrapbooking? You can leave your suggestions in the comment section or email me at barb@soapstuffdaily.com

Have a Happy Friday,

Barb

This is for all you clay enthusiast.  This site is terrific for tutorials on all things clay. The prices are very low – under $10.00.  And you can be notified to new tutorials with pictures by email. Clay Lessons.  Pay online and then instant download! No waiting for snail mail to arrive.

This site is a  compilation of  tips,tutorials and book recommendations for sculpting with polymer clay. Lots of stuff here so check it out. Polymer Clay Sculpting Tips and Tutorials

Visit this site daily. There is no limit to the use of clay! This is a site of envy and inspiration. The talent is amazing. Polymer Clay Daily

Now, to get this posted and explore these sites.

Have a Happy,

Barb

P.S. Thanks for the nice seed bead order from Beth. It will be sent today! http://BeadsToBead.etsy.com  

It is time to check back with A Slice of Delight soaps. Her soaps are so much fun and judging by her sales – a big success!

  Champagne pomegranate sounds wonderful. The description says it all: The aroma is like a bouquet of grapefruit, lemon & orange, blended with fresh tones of red fruit and a twist of crushed pomegranate seeds.

  These soaps are not only beautiful to look at but so good for your skin! This one is called Chestnut Brown Sugar.

  As you can see, A Slice of Delight soaps live up to their shop name. Thank you Hilary, your soaps are a “delight”.

Have a Great weekend everyone.

Barb

   These rings are so cute. Any little girl would love to have one! These are from Baby Cupcake Boutique. A new shop on Etsy, that like so many, came up with a new and exciting idea for their children.

Originally starting out making hair clips for her daughter and has expanded her idea into rings, ponytail holders, earrings, and headbands.

Take a look:

You can find lots more cuties on her Etsy shop: Baby Cupcake Boutique

Have a Happy Day,

Barb

It is amazing what you can find on the internet!

These adorable stars hold inspirational messages, but I am always looking for   ways to promote or help yours and my businesses.

It is almost essential now to  include a free gift or some type of giveaway with your orders. These stars are a cute and different way of giving someone a coupon for money off their next order or a thank you message.  Or whatever you can think of that goes along with your business or product.

Easy to make using scrapbook paper or any other paper with body. Using paper that is 12″ one way, cut your strips 1/2″ x 12″. Put your message on them by printing (before you cut!) or handwriting them. Watching the video, I suggest you fold the first part then write your message.

Follow this video found on U-Tube. Origami Paper Stars

They are so unique and light weight. Should not add to your shipping costs. But l your customer will be so delighted.

If you have any other ideas for using these stars in business, let us all know in the comment section.

Have a Great Day,

Barb

Slowly but surely my sales are picking up on my Etsy shop Beads To Bead! There   are a few that have instant success when opening their shops! But, like most,      mine takes lots of work and learning.

My thanks to the ladies that have purchased lately. A very big thank you to Gail – California, Brandi – Florida and Sharon – Canada!

Kalmbach Books has a great new book out – Beading Across America.  It is spotlighting seed bead artists. Each one has a project they share with you and there are 30 artists featured. Sells for 21.95 and can be ordered at this address: http://www.kalmbachstore.com/64001.html

Have a Great Day,

Barb

 Reposted from 2010.

You are in this business to sell what you make and to make money. If not, then why are you doing it? Because you like to make soap for fun and its your hobby?  Then, give-it-away. There are lots of nursing homes that would love your donation.

But, if you are serious about having your own business and turning a profit with this business – then you have lots of work to do.

Making soap, putting it on a ready made site like Etsy and hoping for sales is not going to cut it! It takes work to separate your business from the multitudes.

You suffer from too much competition, similar pricing, and no real difference from your competitors.

You Need to be Recognized as the Expert.

1. Redesign your homepage for the personal “Meet Jane” approach.

2. Market your soaps as if you are their best friend and the EXPERT in soaps, skin care, etc.

3. Restructure your social media presence to be the Face of the handmade soap industry.

People want to know they are buying from an expert. Not someone who has started selling their hobby. Just because you have a hobby of raising flowers, doesn’t make you a horticulturist.

Be available to answer questions. Put an email address in front of the customer. On Etsy, if you do not post your email address in your priofile then the customer has to contact you through Etsy. And, to do this, they have to join. Many are reluctant to take that step, she/he wants to talk to the soap maker. They want to ask a question and be convinced that you are an expert in your field.

Do Not be just one among many.

Practicing what I preach!

If you have a question on this subject or on having your soaps spotlighted, you can do one of two things. Email me at barb@soapstuffdaily.com or leave a comment.

Have a Happy Day,

Barb

Barb