Friday Focus

As I haven't done a great deal of creating lately, I thought I'd share my ramblings on some recent thought processes.

I have been pondering opening a second Etsy shop for some time now but couldn't settle on what to sell. Jewellery is such a saturated market on Etsy with many hundreds of lovely shops that it's very difficult to be seen amongst the masses, unless you have a unique product, or your prices are extremely competitively priced i.e very low.

I have yet to discover and develop that elusive niche, and I refuse to be drawn into a pricing competition of drastically reducing my prices to compete with many who sell very cheaply with the main intention of amassing high sales figures. I know some people sell cheaply because it's just a hobby, indeed it's mainly a hobby for me too, in the respect that I don't rely on it as a source of income. But I'd rather sell less often at a price which I feel reflects the care and attention to detail that goes into my creations, and it is important to me to feel my work is valued and appreciated.

Having said that, sales are slow despite working very hard on promoting my shop. I did briefly consider selling supplies as a means of increasing sales and income, but very quickly decided against it because there would be very little creativity involved, and that too is very important to me.

So where is all this leading? Well nowhere really.... just yet. Oh I'm such a tease! ;)

It is true, I have come up with an idea, though by no means unique, and it may yet still reside under the umbrella of jewellery... I'm not decided on that yet. I will have to see where my creative muse leads me. It's something I became interested in many years ago and have rekindled my passion for. So I've ordered supplies and will be spending time with my new hobby, which may or may not be the focus of a new shop. It will keep my creative juices flowing if nothing else.

But back to my jewellery... here are my latest pieces:

Rosebud Earrings:


These beautiful earrings were made with faceted Vintage lucite beads, topped with antiqued brass petal caps with an olive green Swarovski crystal nestled in the petals of the uppermost leaf cap.

Apricot Blossom Earrings:


I used faceted crystals of warm honeyed topaz for these little beauties. I have layered them with antiqued brass caps and topped them with dainty topaz Swarovski crystals.

Either pair would be lovely to wear this spring, and are suitable for either day or evening wear.