It's a Busy Life!

It's been a bit of time lapse since my last post. What can I say. I started a new job and it took some time to get used to the new schedule and work load. Finally I've adjusted and can back to business, my own business!

So, what's new?

Well I will have some new gem-stones arriving in about 3 weeks. I'm using my facebook fan pages again and have just announced 2 winners of a $50 gift voucher each for Twisted Wire & Gems. The best news is that I am participating in my first vendor show. Details to be posted shortly.

Ruby, the gem stone for July.

Ruby is the birthstone for July. Did you know that Ruby is variety of corundum (aluminum oxide), as are sapphires? Corundum are second only to diamonds in hardness. The red colouring of the corundum is usually brought on by the presence of chromium.The colour of the ruby most valued is a medium dark vivid red to a slightly purplish red. If the ruby is too light in colour or is too purple or red it is referred to as a fancy-colour sapphire. After colour, clarity is the next major factor in determining the stone's value, followed by cut. While the best quality gems are not used for beads, I do purchase from reputable dealers to ensure the highest quality and genuine product.

All rubies have some sort of imperfection, either in colouring or inclusions. Most rubies have rutile needles which are inclusions which look similar to hairs in the stone. Some are large and some very fine requiring special magnification to see. Gemologists often use these rutile needles to differentiate between a natural stone or lab created. These inclusions are absent in lab created stones.

Refreshing Handmade Soap, All-Natural and Good for Your Skin and the Environment

A few weeks back I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I had purchased some handmade soap from Soapbliss (soapbliss.etsy.com). I received 5 bars and a small sample. Lily, the seller, was quick to answer my questions and I was able to arrange for pick up. My order was beautifully packaged in a bag (consisting of post-consumer recycled material) stamped with her business info and tied shut with a straw string. Each bar was labelled just as pictured in the below image and storage instructions were included.

I'd love to tell you all about each bar of soap received, but I only use one at a time. Currently I'm using French Pear. It is lightly scented and lathers perfectly, not too much and not too little. I have dry hands and most new bar soaps I try end up in the garbage as they irritate me. However, it has been no less than two weeks and I haven't had the immediate need to slather my hands in lotion. I am also using this great bar to cleanse my face. My face feels clean and refreshed but not stripped clean after washing. The only thing I would change would be to expand her product line to include a moisturizer or two such as a nice body butter  or hand lotion might be perfect. 

Many other crafters out there make all natural soaps and other body products, give their product a try!

Mission Mondays!

I belong to a  Facebook networking group that utilizes themes to encourage interaction among its members. Monday's theme is "Mission Mondays". The idea is that we come up with something we want to achieve and post questions to help us reach our goal and in return we share what we know to help other's reach their goal. As I've mentioned before I have so much to do I can't stay focused. Just as I'm working in something I get excited about something else. With the summer break here and my daughter home, I now get excited about summer fun with her. To help maintain some focus, each week has had its own mission.

So far I've created  my info sheet for hostess rewards (can be found at www.facebook.com/notes/twisted-wire-gems/hostess-rewards/536685603045946), and  have added more products to the bead store (namely  Hill Tribe silver), posting on several Facebook groups, working on promoting myself (notice how I said myself and not my business or product?) I still have much to do.

I still have to complete my "About Me" info. I also need to complete my other information such as return policy. So I will continue to list several new products on my website each day, complete the return policy and product guarantee for the jewellery side of my business (has already been completed for the bead shop) and create the bare bones of the Twisted Wire & Gems website. I also need to network better.

On a side note, I have ordered some Ethiopian Welo Opals and cannot wait for them to arrive. Expect a future blog post about this beautiful gem.

Slow but steady

So my progress has been a bit slow on either side of my business. I have been dedicating a lot of my thinking time to our injured hamster and enjoying the backyard. While sitting there in the in the glorious sunshine, increasing my vitamin D levels as I photographed some 11/o Delicas (two pics are posted below) for http://addictionbeads.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=76 I let my mind roam. My mind kept returning to policies that I should be writing for my business. So I think tomorrow I will start the day off in the backyard, uploading the Myuki Delicas currently available to Bloor Valley Beads and write the final "About Me" info as well as my product guarantees and jewellery return policy. I will also have to outline the hostess benefits for hosting a jewellery party.

I've been wanting to try my hand at soap making for quite some time now. I realized that I have too much going right now (I'm also installing hardwood flooring in my living room and dining room, before and after pics to be posted when I'm done). Just because I'm not making the soap doesn't mean I can't use handmade soap. I found a local seller on Etsy, https://www.etsy.com/shop/SoapBliss and placed my order. I will hopefully pick up the order tomorrow. Check in a few days and I will post my opinion of it.

So it begins

My name is Samantha or Sam for short. I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, crafter, artisan, DIY'er and more. Entrepreneur has now to that list. I have been playing with beads more about two decades and twisting wire for about one decade. I love both.

Shortly after my daughter was born I decided to sell beads. It was a lot of work but after about two years I had earned repeat customers and business was starting to grow. Sadly, this was not the right time for me and I abandoned my hard work. While I discontinued my business to focus my energy on my personal life I continued to create when I could. That feels like ages ago.

I am at a better place in my life and am ready for the challenges of entrepreneurship. This time I want to not only sell my beads and artisan created components but also my jewellery and accessories. I'm lost on where to start with my jewellery and the online bead sales environment has changed...there are so many vendors online now that my previous strategies aren't working or am I just trying to accomplish too many things at once. 

So where do I begin? I chose to begin by deciding what I want to achieve and figure out what I need to get there. This is difficult this time around because my business has two faces this time, the jewellery sales versus the beads and components. Blogs always seemed to be extra work to me. I couldn't see the value in the extra work of maintaining a blog in relation to a business, or rather my business to be more accurate. It occurred to me that by putting my ideas in print that I can gain some direction.

Thinking back to my previous business which I know view as somewhat successful, the most beneficial think I did was online networking to promote my online shop. I posted in many forums, joined online groups, and sold on eBay. At this point I do not have an adequate online presence or shop. But I do have product. The thing I remember wanting to improve on was local person to person sales. So this time I'm going to attempt to gain person to person sales through networking. While I have a pretty extensive customer service background, sales and self promotion are by far not my forte! To correct this I have decided to attend some networking events to meet new people and learn how to promote myself. The first and only one so far has been a Heart Link Network meeting in Brampton (https://www.facebook.com/HLNBrampton). It was different and I learned a few things. I will be attending other events.

Until next time,
Samantha