My First Treasury!

After all the new treasuries uploaded this evening, I was so excited to find that Ophelia Miller had selected my Pop Princess Earrings to be in her 3 Flavors Treasury.

 

Ophelia did a wonderful job putting these pieces together, and I am honored to be featured.  Please take some time to drop by, give show her some love, and answer the fundamental question that she has posed to all etsians!

Up and running….

Just wanted to post a little update on the new store.  It took some work, but I finally figured out the CSS.  After doing a little extra digging in the original style sheet, I was able to get the pages to look like the scheme used in my website (yeah).  Hopefully, this will make the transition between the site and store seamless and make it easier for customers to shop comfortably.

Less direct competition is something that is nice change as well.  Since the store is set up to be autonomous, there is only one unrelated external link.  Shopping will be so much easier with fewer links to follow and less distractions!

The final step, transferring four of my items and and moving them from “Coming Soon” to “Available” status, was completed this afternoon.  Now they are available for purchase and ready for new homes 🙂

My brain is almost dead, so I should probably sign off now.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Coming Soon…

I have to get ready for work, but I wanted to share that I have started the process of setting up a new storefront!  Currently, I am customizing the look and moving a small amount of inventory. 

See the progress.

Have a wonderful day!

Joined a Street Team & Expanding…

This week, I finally took the plunge and joined an Etsy Street Team!  So far, I have met several great people from the Team and am looking forward to getting to know everyone 🙂

Everyone had said that joining a team was a great way to network and get great feedback on your progress.  After only two days, I have found this to be very true.  Several members have already hearted my shop, and a couple have contacted me to tell me that they like my jewelry.  One even offered some advice, which I am taking to heart and working to incorporate into my shop and marketing strategy.

With that said, I am excited to announce that I am now expanding my lines into the fabulous world of bridal jewelry.  Upon reviewing my shop, I can see how my style fits perfectly in this category, as many of my designs incorporate a lot of light, crystal, and shimmering color.

So, keep watching for more sparkling designs!

 
Special Moment Bracelet
by hookitup

A lot to Report

Wow!! It has been almost a month since I last blogged, so I have a lot to catch up on.  Things at my full-time job have been pretty busy, and most of my Saturday’s have been taken up there.  However, this week, I am happy to say that Saturday belongs to me – which means that I get to devote some time to you 🙂

Here are just a few of the great things that have happened in the past couple of weeks:

• Hook It Up! Jewelry store on etsy hit 1,500 views this week – thank you so much 🙂
• The official website received a facelift!  I redesigned the entire site to make it more user friendly 🙂
• Listed eight new items in the store!
• Snagged a spot on Buried Treasury – YEAH!!
• Signed up for a page at indiepublic
• Signed up for Revolution Money Exchange (RME), got my free $25.00, and set up my shop to accept RME payments (Want an RME account?  Sign Up now and get a $25.00 credit!)
• Got my business license!!!
• Found some new faves 🙂

Speaking of faves, I have neglected some of my favorite designers for too long, so here are just a few of the amazing etsians I have found….

Every time I snag a treasury, you can be sure to find a beautiful item from kdh designs by kerrihale in one of the first two rows.  A favorite from way back, kdh designs has always been a store that I have enjoyed visiting on a weekly basis.  What I adore the most about kdh designs is the way that kerri pairs amazing gemstones with elegant silver designs and makes them feel like a crisp, airy, mountain morning….

Sprite
by kdh designs

Another one of my favoritest faves that goes back to my early days on etsy is Leaves of Glass by leavesofglass.  Crisp, clean lines and that beautiful vintage feel keep me clicking this designer’s store week after week.  Her use of light and amazing photography have also earned her a place in every treasury that I have composed 🙂

Pipeline Earrings
by leavesofglass

Featured & A New Fave…

Hook It Up! Jewelry has been selected as one of ten etsy members to be featured on the White Lye Soap Co website/blog this month!!   The White Lye Soap site is so beautful – I am so thrilled to have a spot on their gorgeous pages!!  Check out the site, and their amazing products at www.whitelyesoap.com.

In other news, I have found yet another amazing etsian.  Last evening, when I openned the front page, I saw the most interesting pendant called “LOVEinBLUE” and just had to follow the link.  As soon as the storefront loaded, I was absolutely sure that I had found a treasure trove in Parisienne Inspirations by Jennifer Rydin Designs.  Her featured items, which included Blooming & Chartreuse, were absolutely breath-taking.  What I really love about this shop is the wonderful blend of textures and materials that are used to create each one of the designs.  Jennifer’s unique style will definately keep me clicking for months to come!

   
  Fleur de Lait                      Chartreuse                          Vitrail            
by JenniferRydinDesigns

 

This weeks faves…

Once again, I have fallen in love…This time it’s with three designers, and I am somewhat conflicted as to which one’s design to show you first.  So, to be fair about it, I will introduce these amazing etsians in the order in which I found their shops…

My first new fave is Gingeroni1 from Care to Bead.  Her amazing gift for creating colorful, vintage-style jewelry is what originally drew me to her store.  Yet as I browsed each page, I got the sense that there was so much more.  Each item that I viewed made me feel that there was a story to be told.  It amazed me that something so new could make me feel the same way I do when looking at an antique piece of clothing or china (my other passions).  What captivated me even more, is that she intends for her jewelry to not just be another pretty accessory, but to be work of art that tells a beautiful story.  Her passion is inspiring, and for this, I heart her.

Unforgettable
by Gingeroni1

My next favorite find this week was underthestar designs by underthestar.  After I saw underthestar’s avatar in one of the forum threads this week, I just knew I had to check out her shop.  Upon entering the shop, I was absolutely dazzled by all of the beautiful sparkling beads and the soft color palette that she uses to create her gorgeous designs.  All I could think to say was, “Wow!!” (and, “I’ve got to have that…”).  Words cannot do her designs justice, so I will be quiet now and let you look for yourselves….

Bloomy Flower Ring
by underthestar

My final fave this week is Karenda of Karenda Kreations.  I am not quite sure where I found Karenda this week, but I am certainly glad I came across her shop.  It was a delight to visit and see all of the beautifully crafted “kreations” that Karenda so lovingly makes.  Her style is both elegant and classic, making her items a huge hit in my book.  Clean, crisp colors give a spring air to designs that are made to softly drape along necklines and gently caress the wrist.  With such an amazing eye for design and flare for creating unique, classically feminine designs, Karenda has definately made her mark at etsy.

Pretty In Pink Pearls
by Karenda

So What’s the Story?

People often ask, “How did you start making jewelry?”  The simple response is generally, “I was bored, and I saw a need.”

The longer version of the story is…..

Last year, I was diagnosed with food allergies.  After having a couple of very bad reactions, I finally broke down and purchased a medical alert bracelet.  Even though I searched for days to find one that was beautiful, stylish, I was still very self-conscious about wearing it because it was still so obvious.  Then, after eight months with the bracelet, I was sick of wearing it every day. At one point, stopped wearing it at all.

That is when I decided it was time for a change.  Since I already had a medical alert tag, I did not need a completely new bracelet.  All I really wanted was a band.  Yet, no matter where I looked, I found that the bands were extremely expensive (even without IDs). What bothered me even more was that most of the bands were made with elastic or very thin wire, neither of which would be very durable for long-term use (especially for clumsy people, like me).  It was so discouraging.

Beyond price and durability, my biggest concern was that, if I purchased one band (which is all I could afford to do) I would soon be in the same place – bored.  So, what did I do?  I sat down and figured out how to make my own bands that could be hooked up to my ID and changed out whenever I pleased.  It was so exciting to finally have beautiful bracelets that matched/complimented my clothes!!!

After making a couple of bracelets for myself, I decided that there were probably lots of other people out there who had the same problem. Who wants to wear the same boring bracelet everyday, and who could afford to buy enough new bands to feel like they had the option to be fashionable?  Thus, Hook It Up! Jewelry was born.

In the winter, I started working on a website for my new items, and then found (and fell in love with) etsy.  What began with a couple of simple ID bands, has now been expanded to include:

• Extenders to convert ID bands to regular bracelets
• Full Length Bracelets for everyday wear
• Earrings
• Pendants

So what is next?  Bringing the cost down more – so that being fashionable while wearing a medical id can be even more fun and affordable.

Summer Sensation…

Well, after my fiasco of a trip to pick up beads on Easter weekend, I was at it again yesterday 😮  Don’t worry though, this trip was much better.  We stopped halfway through to visit a sneak peek of a new attraction coming to our area, then drove on down to the bead store.  I picked up some more of those gorgeous beads that were used to make my last pair of earrings – which had me all excited.

Today, I attempted a couple of arrangements, trying to get the best look for a matching bracelet.  This is what I came up with:

Summer Sensation

by hookitup

So far, this has been my favorite set to create and photograph. The jewel-tone colors really make the details pop. It will be very difficult to let these pieces go, but lucky for me, I made a set of earrings and a pendant for myself 😀

Becoming Official…

Well, I have finally started the process of turning my hobby into a business.  This week, I filed a registration with my state, and hopefully that means I will be able to get a license soon.  Then it is off to register to purchase wholesale beads and a chance to go to an upcoming bead show!!  I’ve never been to a bead show, so I am really excited about this!

In other news, I have not beaded much in the last couple of days because work has been wild.  In the past 38 hrs, I have spent 24 hrs working.  After subtracting time for sleep, eating, getting ready for work, and traveling – about 2 hrs was left to attempt crafting, etsy, flickr, or blogging.  No wonder I kept falling asleep at the computer last night!

I did have a chance to browse etsy earlier this week and was super excited to find ShySiren Vintage Style Accessories.  ShySiren offers some amazing, unique designs that are reminiscent of victorian era jewelry.  When I saw her Vintage Botanicals Necklace in one of my searches, I knew that I just had add to it and her to my fave’s list.

Vintage Botanicals Necklace
by ShySiren

Be sure to check out ShySiren’s etsy store for more wonderfully creative jewelry designs!