Auctions, Listings, & Shows OH MY!!!! (Part 1)

Ahh so you've found the awesome world of facebook auctions, and shows huh!! I can imagine you probably feel a wee bit intimidated and overwhelmed!! It's normal I think we have all been there.

I'll never forget my first listing either. I mucked it up atleast 20 times before I felt good enough to hit the "Post" button.

All groups do have files that explain what a listing should include and you can find examples on the wall but I do agree it can still be rather intimidating.

So I've been doing auctions online and shows with my jewelry for quite sometime now and I can say after you get over that initial fear, it's all good from there on out. You could list in your sleep and you'd be fine :)

So just in case I'm going to explain how the auctions work and later I'll talk about online spotlight and trunk shows....

The Basics:

Auctions:  Online auction groups are for listing a few items at a time only. Please always read the groups rules which can be found either where it says "view pinned post" or in their "files " section. You always want to read through and agree to the rules so the admins know you have read them. The rules, times, and number of listings allowed will vary group to group so that's why it's important to read each groups rules. I actually have a notebook that I have written down all the groups I frequent, the number of items I'm allowed to list, and any special instructions I may need to know, along with the groups url (link).

Now you will see many weird abbreviated words such as SB, BIN, BI , and PM. Three of which a dollar amount will follow. One will not.

SB: means it's the "starting bid" it's the lowest price the artists will accept for that item

BI: bid increments meaning if Sally bid the sb of $10 , Joe can then bid $11 and Edna can then bid $11.50, however most bid increments are $1.00 increases. And most sellers like myself won't even use a bid increment. The seller will determine what the BI is.

BIN: means "Buy it now" that is the price the seller wants if you want to forgo from playing the bidding game. Sometimes we come across an item we must have right then and bin it right away so we don't take a chance of losing it.

PM: means "private message" This is how you communicate with a buyer when the auction ends. (More on this will be in blog part 2 coming later this week )

Now almost atleast 20 times a day someone asks what an "anti-snipe" rule is, basically if someone is holding the high bid and Sally comes in to swoop Edna's bid away at the last second then she is SOL cause the seller is allowing Edna five more minutes to respond and re bid. Now for me personally I hate the anti-snipe rule I think it's stupid. The fun of bidding gets taken away If Sally wins then good for her. However there is a sound reasoning behind it and it's usually a rule for higher end items . You will never see me use it however I like the fun and adrenaline rush bidding brings to the game. Most times I won't bid on items with that rule either.

Photos: So you are allowed one clear bright photo in your main listing and usually allowed 2-3 more to be added in the comments section (tips for these to follow in blog 2 as well)

Description: This is where you add any information you want your potential buyer to know. Always include what the materials  are that your design has. Metals, beads, whatever it is. The length or size, color, etc.  If your design was inspired by something do tell about it. You want to draw people in, you want to make them want to own your design.

Shipping: Everyone ships differently. So whatever your shipping details are add that in.

Auction start/end time: all groups allow for different lengths of times your allowed to list an item. I generally only post for 24 hours. But please always put you auction end date and time. Use your time zone , as buyers will figure out the timing in their own zones.

Paypal: This is how you will invoice your buyer when the auction ends either from a BIN or at the auction end time. (More on this in blog 2)

So these are the basics for an auction style listing.  I will cover more details and tips in the next blog so be sure to follow up. Auctions should be fun and the environment of the group should make you feel comfortable. Will you sell your item right off the bat? Well I don't know depends on who your item is making a connection with. So don't feel discouraged. 

SPOTLIGHTS & TRUNK SHOWS

Yessss this is where I see people running for their life. Afraid to even take the leap. Shows do really seem intimidating but......there is always a but right??

Spotlights and Trunk shows can be very invigorating,  you learn so much about yourself, you meet some of the most amazing people including fellow artists. We as a community come togeher to help and show support.

A spotlight show usually runs only 24 hours and some groups will have 1-3 artists spotlighting together. It's a magnificent way to get on that sound box and share with the world the beautiful creations you offer. Will they always be successful?... no. . no they wont, some shows you'll get many likes and compliments and no sales, however this isn't to be looked at as a bad thing, not meant to discourage you, it doesn't mean people don't like your items. Even the most seasoned artist doesn't always have a productive show and guess what??? That is perfectly fine. It just means you'll try again and again. In the mean time people are getting to know you, they are getting to know your work, your style, your passion. Sometimes just letting go and putting yourself out there has the most amazing benefits. It's also about developing an online presence.  My advice is to make something that shows who you are as an artist, what inspires you, stand out from the others, find your niche. Never be afraid to show the world who you are.

Trunk Shows usually run 24-48 hours and feature only 1 artist,  again this is your time to shine, this is your time to make people aware of who you are, to show them what you offer.

Both types usually require that you list a minimum of 10 items. This shouldn't scare you off. You can do ten items in no time. Earrings are always great, but also offer a necklace and a bracelet. I know an artist who only makes earrings , she has developed a large following and she sells out in every show she does...why??? Because she has found her niche..
She has stepped up to the plate and hit that ball out of the park,,, she has made her mark among the community.

Shows in any form are always so much fun. If your still unsure of yourself, please follow a few shows, your always welcome to stop by any of my shows,  I do have a "stalker fan club" of artists who have been following me to see how I work my magic which is totally humbling because they are artists I greatly admire, I've shown them the tools to a great show and one has already had such amazing success in her first two shows thus far... I do believe I created a monster :p

So these are the basics on auctions, shows, and listings.

Please don't ever be afraid to put yourself out there. Many of us aren't as BAM in your face ( I am because it's how im wired) but many are very shy and that's okay. This is all online and we don't make judgements ! you as an artist alone speak for yourself. Never second guess your work , art doesn't need to be perfect, find yourself and create from within. There are so many amazingly wonderful artists out there.
When I first came into the scene I was scared my designs wouldn't be good enough that even being in the same groups as others I would fail miserably.

But one thing I had that I want you to always have is FAITH!! Yep faith!! Have faith in yourself and faith in your craft.  Please don't compare your work to anyone else's that alone will give you the wrong impression. Rather be proud of what you create, it's your heart and soul that made it, we all offer something different and unique, it's why it's handmade!!!

So my fellow artists I leave you now to ponder wether your going to take the leap. If your unsure or your still a wee bit afraid come and find me and I will help guide you along the way.

I hope this blog part 1 has been helpful in explaining the basics. Please stay tuned for blog 2 later this week where I will offer more tips and advice on running a successful show. As well as tips for writing an awesome auction style listing!!!

Until next time....

-The Beadwench

Love, Support, and Awesomeness

I don't know about you, yes you the beautiful soul reading this right now!!

This week thus far has been amazing. I've seen such an outpouring of love and support. First let's start with the wonderful Melinda Orr, a talented well known artist among the jewelry community (she also makes artisan components that will knock your socks off), you see her brother Mark was recently diagnosed with cancer. And in order to help his family with the offset of medical bills, and whatnot she started an event where she was going to post her jewelry and such for sale in order to raise funds.
Well I think she wasn't expecting what happened next and this my friends is the true meaning of love and support. You see love isn't just given to those we have known thru out our lives such as parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family and friends. .. oh no my dear ones it goes even above and beyond that. You see Melinda recieved an overwhelming and beautiful gift of this love and support for her brother from mostly strangers. Now I say strangers in the sense that though many of us in the jewelry community are friends ,many of us have never met in person (omg I think the world would pause the moment we all got together at one time in real life) but I can tell you the amazing amount of love that I witnessed during this event. Everyone, even artists such as myself that she doesn't know very well ,have donated items to auction off, have shared, bid, purchased, and well it was amazing I don't think anything was left.
So if you were a part of that in any way from the bottom of my heart thank you. On behalf of Melinda and her brother thank you!!

Oh wait I'm not done....

I myself have recently been the recipient of love and support,  not for such reasons as above. But in a different sense. Many of you reading this know I schedule alot of trunk shows, I frequently list my goodies in various auction groups, I'm in alot of jewelry chat rooms. I've been testing some theories on how to engage people during shows, how to keep them interested,  and getting to know them as well as them getting to know me. I've tried many different things the last few months.

I've been keeping a list and checking things off, making notes. And out of the blue a few very well respected artisans whom I admire greatly (and who I have recently been told are stalking my auctions in a very good way not in a creeper way) have messaged me with some amazing feedback and totally noted what I was doing that was making a difference, things even that they wanted to implement into their shows. I was totally thrown off guard in a good way. See although I've been creating jewelry for quite sometime I'm still the newbie among the community lol They are the artisans who have opened my eyes and the doors to explore so many new things. Their talents are a magnificent beauty in this world. And their love and support have totally pulled at my heart strings.

In addition to the amazingly incredible feedback , I also was announced the winner of the BNB challenge, Pachyderms on Parade hosted by the amazingly talented Kelly Hosford Patterson of Pyxeestix Traveling Sideshow.  You can read her blog at
Travelingsideshow.blogspot.com to see what inspired her to chose this theme.

This morning I woke up to the sweetest post on Lampwork Bead Addicts Galleria. An amazing group of artists that bring you such talented and creative jewelry. As well as lampwork beads. Normally each day or so one of the awesome admins will put a collage of goodies that are on the page and share it, almost always they speak about inspiration, and the color pallets used. This morning however one of the admins, whom I don't know very well displayed all four of my designs by themselves with the sweetest words about my wirework. And man that started my morning on the brightside. Thank you so much for that! !!

You see I'm not sure what I have done recently ,call it good karma, call it life, call it luck, call it what you will, but this week it chose me. And I can't begin to even explain how it makes me feel inside, it's as if someone just handed me the most amazing gift in the world,  the same gift in a sense that Melinda recieved. An outpouring of love and support. 

Many get tired of my constant chatter on a daily basis, but it's because most people think us artists a wee bit insane and well we are the entire lot of us are a bit insane!! However being  part of such a large community of people changes your life, touches your soul, pushes you to grow, picks you up when you fall, sprinkles you in glitter when you need it, they become such an amazingly large part of your life. It's like you found your tribe, your lost family, your squad, your cheerleaders etc.

So I wanted you all to know how much it's appreciated. How much that love and support means, and to always remember I have that same love for all of you!!!!

This week has been a part of my journey that I shall always remeber, that of I could bottle up the love and wear it I would!!! 

This has been a novel of a blog post.  So once again THANK YOU not only to the artisan community at large but to all of you, this is but one of the many many many reasons I am in love with what I do. It's what drives that passion to create!!
So as always my friends go forth and color the world!!!!
Have an amazing day my friends!!!!!!

-The Beadwench

BLOG REVEAL FOR 18TH BNB CHALLENGE PACHYDERMS ON PARADE

So the 18th Blogger/Nonblogger challenge has been revealed to the public.

Here is my journey into my first ever BNB challenge:

The months from May - September can be fairly slow in sales and activity in the art community. As its the season of graduations, vacations, hot days, beach visits,  cold drinks with friends, and wrapping up at the beginning of the school season once again. I had been missing from the art community for a few months (you can read about that in a previous post). So I decided to take this time to learn new things, attempt mediums I never tried before, and to join in on more jewelry challenges. We don't usually win a prize other than we get to pick the theme for the next challenge. Which is alot of fun and requires some research.

I'm always up for a challenge and so when I saw friend and fellow artist Kelly Hosford Patterson of Pyxeestix designs (an artist that inspires me thru her use of textures, fabric, and style) I knew I wanted to jump in for this adventure.

I also knew no matter the theme that I wanted to challenge myself as an artist.
The theme she chose for this BNB challenge was "Pachyderms on Parade ".  We were given these amazingly stunning, gorgeous inspirational photos to spark our creativity.

And so HANO the elephant was born again. Inspired by the real life Hanno the white elephant circa 1510. For more information on the history and life of Hanno please visit
Http://maddy06.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-pope-and-elephant.html?m=1

I've found many research sites and found that to be the most informative.

The journey from there just so happened two days prior to Beadfest 2015 located here in Oaks Pa. I knew I had wanted to use different materials. And I didn't really have an idea in mind other than I wanted an elephant of some sort. I'm one of those that firmly believes the right thing will find you.  And off to beadfest we went. You can read about my beadfest adventures in my previous blog post.

Fast forward :::: Staci from Staci Louise Originals a true master in polymer clay creations, was a vendor at Beadfest and as I went to say Hello... BAM!!!!!  What yells HEYYYY I'M HERE!!! But Hano himself!! Hano is a polymer clay creation made by Staci, and thus Hano was reborn. From that moment he yelled out to me we were on a mission. We wanted bright colors to reflect the beautiful fabrics used in the photos and to reflect the gorgeous paint colors. And low n behold two vendors past Staci, we found Marsha Neal Studios, the first thing that popped out at me was the brightly colored silk ribbon. So Hano and I chose a bright orange and a cadet blue, we also decided to try a ceramic disc.

Now keep in mind I have never worked with polymer clay, I have never wire wrapped a ceramic disc, and my first attempt at silk I failed miserably. Ahhh but I never give up.
We also added a brass patina elephant stamping, ceramic beads by Gaea Canody,  and two brightly colored yellow lampwork beads. And so Hano and I sat down and after many many different ways to play with items and figure out where to put them we finally agreed (Hano didn't want his butt to look big) on the final design.

You can see the photos below for the journey and the final design.
The public voting is open from now until September 12,2015.

Please feel free to take a moment and visit

Https://m.favebook.com/BeadPeepsBNBpublicVote

To vote simply click "LIKE" on the photo of your choice!!!

Thank you for sharing in my adventure with Hano. I hope you enjoy the story and the design!!

And as always thank you for your enduring love, and support!!

As well as supporting handmade!!

Thoughts and Ramblings

It's been a very crazy, busy and hectic week here at A Fair Maiden Jewelry.  I just finished hosting 3 trunk shows back to back to back. It was not an easy task and my hands were sore but I managed and turned out some incredibly amazing designs. Some are still available for purchase. 

My kiddos all went back to school Monday I'm now the proud mama of a 1st, 6th and 8th grader!!

The summer is going out with a bang (of heat). However the nights here are cooler. I can't wait for fall it's my favorite time of year.

Saturday will be the big reveal for the Bead Peeps 18th Blogger/Nonblogger challenge. Pachyderms on Parade.  I can't wait to blog about my entry!! Just two more days!!!!!

The Holiday shipping season is soon among us. My schedule for custom orders is open. I also offer payment plans. Please contact me for more info. Either via Facebook https://www.faceboom.com/afairmaidenjewelrybybetonylee

Or email: a_fair_maiden_jewelry@yahoo.com

I've got some new designs in the works that you won't want to miss. Unique one of a kind designs.  I'm attempting to sketch some ideas I'm by far able to even draw stick people normal !!!!

Next week kicks off another Coffee Corner- A new featured artist interview.

Other than that it's almost Labor Day weekend here  in the good Ole USA, so have a safe weekend if your traveling or getting in a last weekend at the beach.

Stay tuned for more fun stuff.....

Goodnight everyone!!!!