Stephanie Rubiano Blog Giveaway

I found Stephanie Rubiano's blog today and she has a wonderful giveaway of an  enameled copper house pendant.  It's really cute.   Hopefully I'll be the lucky winner. 

I love her use of the antique photos.  I've been collecting tintypes that I want to use in pendants.

Stephanie is also teaching her Pixie Pins class at Adorn Me! in Houston this March.  I've signed up and am getting really excited about the workshop. Check out her website at Studio Rubiano.

When Customer Service Gets Personal

Not too long ago I started twittering. I have a three main motivations for this:

1. to connect with other people,
2. to connect with local people (technology isn't quite there on this one)
3. to promote my jewelry

I have two accounts: "lctodd" and "nostoneunstrung." 

I couple of days ago I found that Fire Mountain Gems had a new twitter account and I followed them on my @nostoneunstrung account. I've been a customer of Fire Mountain Gems for years.


I got this direct message from them:


FireMtnGems thanks for the follow & mention! Congrats on your new etsy store -- beautiful hand hammered wire jewelry!



My  account profiles linked to my blog. (I plan on linking my nostoneunstrung account to my etsy store soon.) I expect people to check out the link when I follow them but I didn't expect the personal message. Usually I can't tell if someone has even looked at the page.


I've gotten some nice direct messages from some people but this is the best example I've seen of good customer service using twitter. I appreciate the personal touch and the compliment. I already have a good opinion of the company (they've always had good customer service) but this little personal touch cements my feelings. The person behind the account looked at my link page enough to see the hand hammered earrings.

 I imagine that if I weren't already a customer I'd be just as pleased. 

Social media is new to me.  I'm no expert.  But I think this is a great example of how to use Twitter to promote your business.

No Stone Unstrung is Live at Etsy

I launched my new Etsy store, No Stone Unstrung, on New Year's Eve. The new store will feature my jewelry.



 My old store, Essential Adornment, is now a destash store.  I'll be posting beads, fibers, and fabric from my stash.



I haven't sold anything yet from the new store but I listed 4 sets of yarn in the old store and sold them immediately. Yipee! Guess I'll be taking photos of more of my yarn today.

Goals for 2010

It's the time to think about goals and plans for the upcoming year.

I was checking my last years "goals" post "Trying New Things-A New Year's Resolution".  I was relieved to find that I had actually done some of the things I set out to do.  I think this year I will post a list where I can see it every day. 

Here are my goals for last year and how I did:

Try new jewelry techniques, especially more wire work and Art Clay.  Alas, I didn't get much art clay done.  But I did do new techniques.  I learned to anneal heavy copper wire, I did some hammering and forging, I made some of my own findings, expecially ear wires, and I did some wire weaving with iron wire.  I plan to do more of all this plus other new things this in 2010.  To that end I'm taking several classes at Adorn Me! in Houston in March. 

Post at least once a week on Etsy.  Not even close. 

Submit some of my written works for publication.  I already have several short stories.  This one, plus Write some more, particularly fiction weren't done at all. I think I did go so far as to buy a new Writer's Marketplace and to look at a couple of magazines to see if they would be a good fit for one of my stories. The Writer's Market is completely out of date by now.

Make at least one component for jewelry everyday.  Usually I just buy my findings, but I want to start making them.  I did make some of my own findings, but I didn't work on  jewelry everyday.

Submit jewelry works for publication.  A photo of one of my twisted wire bracelets was published in the gallery section of Step by Step Wire Jewelry. 

I'm keeping all of these things on my list for 2010.  I'm adding this one:

• Get my studio up and running.

I've picked out a room and started cleaning it out.  It's not going very fast but I figure if I work on it a little at a time eventually it will be done.  Right now my jewelry stuff is in nearly every room in the house.  It's driving me crazy.

There are lots more things that I need to do.  I don't want too long a list though; it's overwhelming.  All this has to be done around homeschooling my son.  We just started this last April so has been a new experience for both of us. 

My personal goals are to get the house in  better shape (I'm not much into housework) and to do a good job with the homeschooling.  I'll be sitting down with my son and we'll be doing our own goals list with the homeschooling and other factors in his life. 

Feel free to comment and/or share any of your goals.