Fantasy Designs Featured Shop

My scheduled featured shop for this week, was going to be FantasyDesigns (http://www.fantastydesigns.etsy.com/). Unfortunately, Chris and I missed each other over the weekend, and then I have been working double shifts at my day job. So, rather than move the posting of the featured shop this week, from Monday to Tuesday, I decided to extend the current featured shop another week, and give Chris a full week of exposure on the blog beginning on Monday, the regular new feature day. I felt I would be shorting Chris exposure time and it just didn't feel right to me.
My intention to give each shop a week, and then have one only get 5 days, didn't fit in with my intentions or purpose of the features.
As with the nature of any business, being busy is a good thing, and when things are busy or an artist is on a streak of new creations, stopping to give an interview can be disruptive.
So, Chris's feature will be starting Monday, and hopefully everything will be back on schedule for future blog postings. Flexibility is the nature of being an artist.
Thank you everyone for checking in this week, and I look forward to sharing the really touching story behind the Gems of My Heart line of jewelry, as well as all the other wonderful pieces of jewelry Chris creates. It's a story that actually brought tears to my eyes, and I hope that it I can bring in the feeling behind the line, and do it justice.
Anne

FantasyDesign Featured Shop for Monday July 19 2010

I couldn't be more excited to be featuring the creator of my favorite jewelry line, Gems of My Heart by FantasyDesign (www.FantasyDesign.Etsy.Com) for next weeks new featured shop. There is something about that line of jewelry, that just draws me to them. Chris also has many other fantastic items, done with some really incredible gemstone finds. If you are looking for a really personal piece of jewelry, at very affordable prices, this is where I go, and this is coming from a fellow jewelry artist (among my other other talents). I'm looking forward to getting to know more about Chris, how the idea of that line of jewelry, as well as the other pieces came to be. The talent behind the creations. I was asking everything I could think of, because I want to know too:)
I'm really looking forward to sharing this shop with everyone, and I hope you are as drawn to it, as I am.

DramatiqueDesigns

I am pleased and honored that Erin with DramatiqueDesigns (www.dramatiquedesigns.etsy.com) here on Etsy, has agreed to be the first shop owner featured. Being first, she has trusted me, a baby blogger, to not screw it up.
Erin's wrislets are fun, extremely well made, and in my case, custom made with the fabric I chose from her shop, and sewn to the specifications I chose for my blackberry. She's funny and dedicated, and extremely easy to work with.
So with that, I'm taking the jump into store features hoping to spread some knowledge, insight on the store owners, and information on how to make our stores more profitable, both by avoiding the costly mistakes, and finding out where the money can be made.

When did you start making wristlets and why?

I started making wristlets about 7 months ago while I was thinking about opening an Etsy shop. I realized that there weren't a lot of choices for very feminine and unique cell phone cases out there. I wanted something cute and pretty I could dangle from my wrist, not just something with a uniform look to it. I also added purses about 3 months ago. I felt it would be a great balance to my wristlets; Have a purse and store your wristlet inside.

After I was let go from my job last December, I applied for jobs but realized that with this economy I didn't know how long it might take to find a new one, and I've always been creative, being a stage actress, and have always had a dream of selling products with a dramatic, creative flair.

I hope to turn this into a full time income. My mantra is "You do not try, you do".

Have you done any advertising?

Facebook, twitter and my personal blog at http://www.dramatiquedesigns.blogspot.com/

I've toyed with the idea of placing ads, but believe that I need to be bringing in a steady income, and have a solid business before I go pouring my dollars into something of that nature. Ads bring traffic to the sites, but if you do not have enough product and are still creatively trying to market your business, in my opinion, it can look unprofessional.

Do you do craft shows, and how do you approach potential customers?

At this time I do not do craft shows, but would love to make that part of my business. Exposing yourself face to face with customers is the best kind of marketing you can do.