Life Lessons from a Handmade Artisan

Essentially, this blog is an extension of my handmade business: a space where I can place the "extras" that relate to my entrepreneurial artisan lifestyle, but don't quite fit appropriately on Facebook or Instagram.  I am an artisan that believes in supporting handmade, shopping local, and eating organic as best as I can.  In my vision for this blog, I intend to discuss and impart the life lessons I learn as someone running a handmade business in a world of cheap trinkets, trying to live+breathe a lifestyle of handmade, and educate others about the massive benefits of supporting local.

I've slowly eased my way into reviving my blog, and have many plans for its future.  Like my business, it is a part of the makeover of my branding.  You may have already noticed the series #MondayMani, through which I feature handmade indie nail polishes - which ties into my support for handmade and my using indie polishes in my jewelry.  On Fridays, posted series will include Feature Friday, in which I feature and review a handmade product; or Foodie Fridays, in which I post a new dish I've tried from my clean eats inspired arsenal of recipes.  I will also be posting weekly topics on the lessons I've learned on running a successful handmade business and wish to teach others so that they may thrive, too, at doing what they love.

Excited as I am to watch this blog grow?  Have ideas for topics I should write about?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!  I look forward to connecting with you all.

Day4JNAC - 13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge: Monochromatic

It's no secret blue is my most favorite color.  Yo Cupid Take A Hike by Colors by Llarowe is my biggest lemming so I'm constantly searching for a dupe.

Now, I can't say for sure this is a dupe since I don't own both to compare, but I CAN say that this is literally the exact shade of blue that is my most favorite color.  You know how you have a favorite color, but it's a certain shade within that spectrum that's your most favorite shade, the one that you think is the best representation of that color?  Yeah, this is it.

Say hello to Dream Walker by Darling Diva Polish.  This is almost a one coater polish.  I tried out some new stickers I got and I can't believe how gorgeous this looks.  I decided to be simple and go REALLY monochromatic for this post.  Just mono, haha.  I could just stare at my nails all day long.  I love it.  I'm going to get some serious mileage out of this bottle!

Also, holo.  That is all.

Photos taken outdoors in the shade.

An InLinkz Link-up

How NOT to Nail a Sale at a Show and What You Should DO Instead

Being a successful handmade business owner means being subscribed to lots of e-mails filled with tons of advice from business experts around the globe in order to help you run your business in the best way possible for your customers.  Today I opened an e-mail from Tracy and Robin of Flourish & Thrive Academy that contained an anecdote about losing sales and advice about what to do to nail that sale at a show.  I have inserted it below because I just HAD to share it with you all: not only is it a good idea to constantly be gathering data and perspectives from your customers, but it's also important to constantly be evaluating what you're doing in your handmade business so that it's running at its optimum.

"I’m often seeking out vintage fine jewelry finds, I even showed up at a vintage jewelry show on the last day about 90 minutes before the show actually closed! I was amazed as I observed the “busy” booths and those that were “dead.”

I am obsessed with vintage jewelry. I collect it and I was trying to get in as much as I could. I found several pieces that I LOVED but wanted to think about. As I walked around, I heard a couple of people complaining about how terrible their sales were! In fact, I was STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO HER ABOUT TO ASK TO SEE SOMETHING in her case.

Guess what I did?

I walked away! Yep, she lost the sale.

I found another amazing ring from another dealer with a snake motif. She and her partner were packing up and could barely give me the time of day. I LOVED the ring I tried on and it was a perfect fit. However, her level of service was awful so guess what I did....

I walked away! Yep she lost the sale too!

Next, I moved on to another booth and asked to look at something. Before the guy even took the necklace out of the case, he told me the price...when I didn’t ask. I still looked but guess what I did…(personally, I find this sales tactic as a sales repellent)...

I walked away! Another sale lost!

I came across a really busy booth. The two owners were each chatting up clients. I found several things I loved and asked if I could snap a few photos of the pieces I liked. Immediately, the owner engaged me and said, “I can open the case if you’d like better photos.” I thanked her and pulled out several pairs of earrings and a few other things I loved.

I ended up purchasing a piece (after the show) and will definitely be purchasing from her again.

The question I ask you. What made this person different than the rest of the people?

They all had lovely jewelry, but were they really deserving of my business? Only 1 out of these 4 people benefitted from my spontaneous jaunt to the trade show and I was ready to drop some cash!

Here is the lesson:

• Make your clients feel important! They will remember and keep coming back for more.

• Don’t EVER start your first interaction with a client by talking about price. I mean EVER! It’s a huge turnoff.

• If they ask about price, talk about the benefits first, then tell them the price.

• People who really love your work don’t buy because of price it’s because they love YOU and the work.

• Anything can happen at the last minute, so don’t ignore the last minute stragglers. They could make or break your day!

• The most positive people always win, have the best sales and make the most income. Always!

…....Even if their products are average.

Energy and keeping up the momentum is the MOST important factor to the success of your jewelry business..."

NOTD Handmade: The Power of Love by Girly Bits

The Power of Love by Canadian indie maker Girly Bits: "The Power of Love is a lavender holo sprinkled with lavender, sea green and silver holo glitter, plus purple shimmer and sparks of silver holo."

I was actually surprised after rereading the description because it looks more like a lavender polish with gold glitter at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, I can see all the lovely elements. :)

This color is so stunning. I had some difficulty with the application - it was on the thick side - but I think that's due to it being jam packed with glitter (and who can complain about being jam packed with goodies?!). I think this is quickly becoming a new favorite of mine! I can't stop staring at my nails.

This photo was taken in indirect sunlight.  Let me know in the comments what you think!

Disclaimer: Products in this post were purchased by me for personal use.  No compensation was given for this review.  All opinions are my own.  Not affiliated with Girly Bits.

Handmade Quote of the Day

"When you buy something made by a person, there is something special there, and you do feel it. The consciousness with which a thing is made is often more important than the thing itself." - J. Donald Walters

New Additions to the BKD Signature Polish Jewelry Line

When our polish jewelry line first launched, we only used My Ten Friends Nail Polish. Then we expanded to include our friends at Girly Bits and Darling Diva Polish, and have an exclusive line at Femme Fatale Cosmetics. We're ecstatic to announce that, during our research phase right now, we've obtained permission from Colors by llarowe, NailNation, and Superficially Colorful to use their polishes as well! We love supporting indies and hope you're just as excited as us for these gorgeous additions to our jewelry line.

Calling All Bloggers!

We're looking for bloggers to post our press release for free when we do our grand re-opening! We have no set date for it yet since it's contingent on a few things, but we like to plan ahead.  No minimum stat requirements - we're simply looking for any and all bloggers on the internet who post press releases from small handmade businesses. Drop us a line so we can add your e-mail to our list!

The Silver Lining

While going on a forced semi-hiatus made me a sad panda, I have to admit it has stirred some excitement in me over the past couple of days.  I've come to realize that it's the perfect "excuse" to utilize all the ideas swimming in my head and educate myself further about running my handmade business at its optimum.  So, it appears, when my semi-hiatus is over I'll be coming back with a Grand Re-Opening: bigger.badder.faster.stronger as they say.  It's pretty exciting to think that I've found the perfect "excuse" to revive my blog, lock together my branding with cohesive photos and new packaging, elevate my marketing to the next level, and release new products... plus much more!  Can't wait to turn all of my ideas into reality in a way that makes perfect sense. :)  Yep, everything happens for a reason, as they say!