Black Friday WEEKEND DEALS!!

Place an order today at JesseJanes.etsy.com and use PROMO CODE "Blog Fan 09" and get 10% off your total order in addition to FREE Worldwide Shipping! -


Check out these great new holiday pendants:

Free WORLDWIDE Shipping at JesseJanes shop

Now is a great time to start your Holiday shopping.

Free WORLDWIDE Shipping at JesseJanes

My two cents on etsy success

I'm nearing 3400 sales. Cool huh?

This is a post I added in the etsy forums in response to the question: "Over 100 sales? Share what you think has attributed to your success!"

Great photos, awesome customer service, cool packaging, renewing and having a large variety of items to choose from all add to success.

Something I would like to add is the vital importance of communicating with your customer - I can't tell you how many items I have purchased from other sellers on etsy and never received an email or convo acknowledging my purchase with a thank you and letting me know how soon it would ship. This is a real pet peeve of mine I guess.

With every sale, I convo the day of the purchase if the buyer already has some feedback, if not, for new buyers I email them, thanking them for their purchase and letting them know there items will ship out shortly.

Because of this initial communication, I can't tell you how many customers email me back when they receive their items and let me know how happy they are. This simple practice creates repeat customers because they know there is a real person behind the storefront.

Also, this gives the opportunity for the customer to let me know if they experience any problems with their order, so that I can take care of it immediately - EVEN if it's not my fault. I want happy customers, so they want to keep coming back.

I do a lot of promotion outside of etsy. Facebook works and I have to say that I have made a lot of sales from using Twitter. I don't spend that much time out of my day to do these. My blog however suffers from my time constraints. I would like to be more actively blogging.

I know a lot of sellers do not have good results from showcases, but I do have a lot of success with the Main Showcase when I do them.

Also, having a good product, with good quality is important. I know there are a lot of other sellers on etsy who sell scrabble tile pendants. Some sell for higher prices, some for lower. I choose what I am comfortable with. I also try to define my shop through it's differences.

I started a site for sellers called Coaching Handmade. It's a membership site with live classes, a great resource library and forum for sellers who are looking to enhance their sales. I've learned a lot and I share my experience and knowledge with other sellers as well. I think it's important to keep learning and stretching ourselves to succeed.

I wish everyone continued great success and a fabulous holiday season!

Has it really been so long? Time to prep for the holidays!

I just noticed I haven't posted to my blog since August 24th! WOW! I guess it shows just how busy I have been. I've been inundated with wholesale orders, so I am working to catch up.

I spent time this afternoon going to Staples. I had purchased a Logitech wireless keyboard & mouse last week on sale. When I had installed it, all the keyboard did every time I touched it was to zoom in. I even uninstalled and then reinstalled. It was just defective, so I returned it this morning & got a cheaper version Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse & it works great! - go figure.

So, here I am typing away and loving my new keyboard. Finally something that works & doesn't stick. I love it!

It's been a busy week catching up, making hundreds of scrabble tile pendants and shipping them out. August was really the beginning of my holiday season it seems. This week has been slow though, probably good because it has given me time to play catchup.

I'm in the process of getting prepped for holiday shipping needs. My Dad is a great help! he's makes all my shipping envelopes for me. It's great! I use colorful scrapbooking paper to make my shipping envelopes so it's more exciting for people to receive in their mail box.

I received a great comment from a customer today regarding my packaging.,

"...just wanted to let you know I got the necklaces today....they are SO cute...I can't wait till halloween gets closer so I can wear them!!! thanks so much.

ps--you packed them so nicely! I felt like I was getting a gift, not something I'd simply purchased. thanks again. " - L.

That was such a nice note to receive!

Speaking of getting ready for the holiday rush.. there's a great forum thread at Etsy by Tiny Fig about prepping for the holidays. Check it out. Some great tips!

THis paragraph is a great reminder that really struck me-- because this is usually the area that I have trouble in too:

"2. ORDERING CRAFTING SUPPLIES.

PRIORITIZE! There have been times where I have run out of earring hooks or earring posts or glue and it Drives me insane. Write out a list of your absolute necessities and then rank them by how long it takes to get these items. For example, if i run out of shrink plastic I can get it at Michaels which is 10 mins away, I can order ear hooks and ear posts from Rio Grande and have them at my door the next day, if I run out of labels I can pick some up at Staples but if I order some poly baggies from an Etsy seller it will take about a month to get to me via first class. So knowing that I order the poly baggies ahead of time and in bulk to ensure I have enough and to save on shipping. By prioritizing what I need and staying organized I shouldn't have to deal with this issue."


I have tried to start earlier, with over 500 mailing envelopes from my Dad last week. I need to take a trip to the store to stock up on even more scrapbook paper so he can make many more for me. Bubble wrap, that's my next need to stock up on... :0)

Ok, I'm off to do some sewing that needs to get done and I finally have the afternoon free to do it. yay!

Check out this great new item I've listed this week:

TEACHER'S GIFT PACK

It's perfect for the entire year! Something for various occasions for the teacher in your life! The set come as you see in the photo, along with a ball chain - all for just $ 55.00.

How cool is that?

Monday, Monday...

I've got that song going through my head today. It started when I had a whole chain of weird events happen. I think I just need to chaulk it up to being a Monday! Things like my garage door broke and at the restaurant I ordered eggs benedict and when I got it there were no eggs! -- Weird stuff like that. The chef had to laugh and said, "That's been my Monday!", I nodded and said, "Yup. Me too." LOL!

So, I decided to just get my errands done and went off to get some groceries with a friend of mine. It was a good idea. I feel so much better now.

So, I'm working on pendants this afternoon and packaging orders to ship. It was a busy weekend. I've been adding a lot of new designs to the shop and I still have lots to add in the coming week. I'll try to get to some this evening if I have time.

This is one of the new ones: FALLING LEAVES

Wordless Wednesday

Dinah's Friends

Kaeden Krafts


Purified Art


House of Six Cats

Coaching Handmade -Class Tonight!

Tonight I'm teaching the 1st interactive class on Coaching Handmade: “Using Mailing Lists & Newsletters for Effective Promotions”

This classes will be held tonight at 7pm Eastern time.

Coaching Handmade members can login just prior to 7pm to participate.

If you are not yet a member of Coaching Handmade and you are a handmade seller, there is still time to join: Coaching Handmade

Why Brand Your Business?

Having a concise, clear image that you project to your clients and customers is important in today’s market. More and more people are leaving the job market and creating their own business, whether by choice or necessity, so the competition continues to expand. Therefore it is increasingly important to stand out among your competition. You want your business to be memorable!

Customers remember images and feelings that are evoked more than just a name on a business card. What type of feeling do you want your business to evoke in your customers / clients? How do you want to be remembered? Do you want to be the first one your customer thinks about over your competition? Of course you do. But what do you want to be remembered for?

• Your excellent customer service?
• Your winning smile?
• Your product?
• Your prices?
• Your logo?

How are you different from your competition? What makes your business special? Ask yourself these questions and then look at the answers. Maybe you are already projecting a particular image. It is cohesive, or is it sloppy? Do you even have an image? Do you have a brand name? Do you have any sort of identity?

What about your services? Does each one have a different look, feel and image, or does it tie into the image of your business? Can you look at your services and see the brand name, image or theme running through each description? Choosing to use the same logo on all your materials, sticking with a consistent color theme and playing off a specific theme is part of branding.

What about your company? Does your image reflect your product? Do your customers recognize you by your business name or a product name? Are you consistent with your marketing message? These are ALL important questions whether you are starting a business or looking to expand your existing business. So, ask the questions, listen to the answers and create a plan for branding your business!

Wordless Wednesday

Tree of Life Bookmark by Studio 618

Sister Anita Wordsmith The “Queen of the Tiles”….
such a lovely person, but plays a “mean” game of “Scrabble”!

so fitting! LOL! by Nun of a Kind

"Billy Jean" by Elizabeth M. Designs

Follow Friday...

Check out these fabulous artisans:

left: House of Six Cats
top right: Jen Kiaba Photography
middle right: Jewels by Jules
lower right: Wilde Jewels

SEO Consulting for Handmade

What is SEO?

It stands for Search Engine Optimizing.

It is the process of coding your personal websites well in order for search engines to find you more quickly.

Do you have a website for your handmade business? Something other than online venues such as Etsy, 1000 Markets, Artfire, etc? if so, does it get the traffic you would like it to receive? The odds are that it doesn't. Working to optimize a website for the search engines, to not only find it, but to bring it up on the first few pages of the search is an artform in itself.

I have been working with business web clients for the past 5 years doing SEO consulting. If you would like to have your business website search engine optimized, contact me for details and to schedule a consultation.

coachinghandmade@gmail.com

I'm a part-time juggler...

That is the conclusion I've come to recently. With all the various projects I have going I realize that I really have another part time job - one as a juggler! LOL



I made a list of everything that I juggle on a daily basis:

• coaching clients & appts
  
• responding to emails
• returning phone calls
  
• twitter & facebook
• Coaching Handmade
• checking etsy, artfire, etc.
  
• filling, packing & shipping orders
• creating pendants
• going to the post office
• bookkeeping
• time with my boyfriend
  
• housework, cooking, etc
• and I'm sure there's more...
  

I guess it's just as well that I do not have children, then I'd have to grow another set of arms! I'd look like Shakti -

Today, I added another trip downtown and then to the post office, stopped for an iced mocha and finally headed back home. 5 minutes at the computer to check in turns into 2 hours because I'm blogging, which I have been neglecting too much lately, and responding to more wholesale requests.

Are you a juggler too?

What do you juggle everyday?

I want to hear your list. Take a moment, blog about your list, and then challenge your readers to blog their lists as well. it will be cool to see how similar or dissimilar we all are..

cool!

On a roll!

It's fabulous to feel like you're making achievements. I have felt quite empowered the last few days with all this new membership software I'm dealing with at Coaching Handmade. It's been a great learning curve and I now have a new set of web skills added to my repertoire. Cool!

It's amazing how pumped up I can get by accomplishing something new that I set out to do!

I'm thinking that I may go visit my little nephew tomorrow as a reward to myself. I've been so caught up at the computer that I haven't been out much. He's so adorable & such a hoot! He's going to be 2 yrs old in November and he is just so hysterical. His latest adventures include a light saber & discovering his big brother's lacrosse helmet that he can lift up and put on his head then run around and bang into things thinking how funny it is. Don't I wish life was a simple as when I was 2. LOL!

Some questions answered..

Well, I have to say it was an interesting few days launching Coaching Handmade! LOL... technical difficulties with the autoresponder and a huge learning curve with the software, but it is up & running smoothly now! WOOHOO!

I have been hearing from several handmade sellers over the past two weeks, many expressing great interest in being involved with Coaching Handmade, yet hesitant to make a commitment due to concerns that the site will not be dynamic or have content.

As I have said to everyone who has expressed these concerns, I am quite committed to doing things in a very active and dynamic way with ALL the focus being given to people who are paying for this special access to information & services.

I have been coaching people for over 20 years and in all those years I know many things about working with individuals and THE MOST IMPORTANT things that we all want is to feel we are being:

• Wanted
• Respected
• Needed
• Productive
• Valuable
• and most importantly -- SUCCESSFUL

It is vital to me to feel that I am receiving the most for my dollars, especially in this economy. That said, I intend to deliver a dynamic resource, a central hub so to speak, of information and networking to assist handmade sellers in expanding their visibility, their customer base & therefore their sales.

There are so many ways to deliver our products into the eyes of potential buyers and we need to focus on these steps.

I have already collected several teachers who will be offering live classes on a wide variety of subjects on the site. I am also asking anyone who has articles that would like to be added to the resource library to contact me. There is a forum within the site for you to network together with other sellers as well. Mentoring Groups will be forming soon.

There is a wonderful group of handmade sellers already enjoying the benefits of membership and classes will begin in the next week or two. If you have any questions, or would like more detailed information, please contact me. You can email me at coachinghandmade@gmail.com or can convo me at http://jessejanes.etsy.com

I look forward to your participation & excitement. I have worked hard to put together a site that will cover many subjects, be interactive and lively.

Come check it out: www.CoachingHandmade.com

Coaching Handmade launches!

Tonight's the night!

Coaching Handmade membership site launches at 8pm EST.


Come join the fun!

www.CoachingHandmade.com

Coming Soon!!!!

Did you Know?

Only 30% of the workforce are fortunate enough to make up the creative sector of the US economy, and yet is estimated that over 47% of all wealth generated in the US is the direct result of human creativity.

This is an import figure to know. According to Richard Florida, best selling author of The Rise of the Creative Class, the 'creative class' as he has coined the term, comes down to a "passionate quest for experience."

As artisans and crafters, and even more so as Handmade Sellers, we thrive on the experience of utilizing our creativity to make money. Creativity is something essential that we all have, and that must be nourished, renewed and maintained - or else it slips away from us.

For a long time, I stepped away from my creativity and I felt a nagging emptiness. In the past year, I not only stepped back into my creativity, but I have opened shops on both Etsy and Artfire. With all the experience I have gained over a lifetime of creating and selling, I immediately put my knowledge to work to increase my sales.

I have 2 shops on Etsy.com, 'Jesse Janes' and 'Fuzzy Bunny Knits' and a shop on Artfire.com. In my first year on etsy, Jesse Janes has had over 2800 sales and is on the Top Sellers list.

In my 'day job' I am a Life Coach. I have been working with clients around the world for over 20 years, assisting them to create balance in their overly hectic lives and to regain their creativity and passion.

In the past year, my passion for coaching and my passion for creating have coincided. As a result, I am making more money and I have found myself helping other Handmade Sellers to do the same. It's fun, exciting & extremely profitable for the sellers!

I have the freedom to work when I want and to combine my passions - what more could anyone want? Etsy has changed the way I do business. YOU can have that passion too! I can help you by bringing you a wealth of knowledge and experience, along with a network of other Handmade Sellers, all working together to increase our customer base & sales!

I've created Coaching Handmade to be THE Resource for increased knowledge and sales for anyone who sells handmade or wants to! Coaching Handmade is a Membership site and will be launching within the next few days. Membership will be available to everyone for a low fee. The benefits will be awesome!

Join with other Handmade Sellers around the globe to increase sales, enhance the handmade buying experience for customers and learn how to use the latest technologies to work for you!

Remember, you need to work SMARTER, Not Harder!!

Do you suffer from PFS?

Promotion Fatigue Syndrome

We all do... promotion is time consuming, but working smarter instead of harder is the real answer! Joining together, we can all work smarter.... NOT harder and receive even better results!

BENEFITS of Membership:

	Classes
	Mentoring Network with other Handmade Sellers
	Handmade Marketing Resources
	Learn to Use Technology to Gain Sales
	Learn Ins & Outs of Wholesale
	Joint Marketing Opportunities
	and MORE... Visit Coaching Handmade to keep posted.. I will let you know as soon as Membership is open. In the meantime, become a fan at Jesse Jane's on Facebook. The latest news is always posted there first!

Enter to Win at Mama's Money Savers

Cher at Mama's Money Savers is hosting a Jesse Janes scrabble tile pendant giveaway with ways to get 11 entries!!! All you need to do is visit Mama's Money Savers and register... then tweet, and more to gain more entries to win!

Check it out now.. Mama's Money Savers

Saturday Night Special!!

Just posted!
- Saturday Night Special -

20% OFF Total Order (before shipping)

Jesse Janes

Great time to check out a bunch of new designs I listed today.. loads from sixties, henna, True Blood, Florals, butterflies, and more!

Keepin' it Calm Wednesday...

Many other colors available... just convo me!
jessejanes.etsy.com

Father's Day Finds

"Desmond's Rear Emblem" 50's Desoto Fine Art photograph
by Kelly Warren's photoart

Forest Through the Trees: Framed original monotype print by Edamamepress

Rebar Chair, handcrafted by Timothy Adam Designs

Don't forget Dad's Day!

Huge BLOWOUT Sale at Jesse Janes!

30% OFF your Total Order!

2 DAYS ONLY!

Jesse Janes

* I will issue a refund via Paypal, or you can request a revised invoice be sent before payment.

** 5 for $21 and 13 for $50 BUY MORE & SAVE lots are not eligible for the Blowout Sale.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excellent Gifts at an Affordable Price!

• Made with a reused Scrabble Tile & graphic images.
• Buy several to Interchange. Have a different look everyday!
• Non-toxic acrylic coating with Sterling Silver Plated Bail.
• Handmade, unique & may vary slightly in color or design.
• Pendants packaged in a small gift bag (up to 3 per bag).
• Pendants & chains are sold separately.
• Measures approximately .75” x .75”.
• Not recommended for children under the age of 6.
• Available in LARGER QUANTITIES & WHOLESALE - see the "Buy More & Save" section on the sidebar

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Become a fan of my Facebook page for a sneak peek at new designs before they are listed! Plus sales and updates just for fans!
(copy the link below and paste it into your browser window)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jesse-Janes/78927251055

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WE SHIP EVERYWHERE!

Art & Soul Sunday

MISTY MORNING

handmade fused copper hoops dotted dangle earrings

by cindypack.etsy.com

SHHH! Etsy Secret Hot Picks!

The Etsy Secrets members are a talented group of handmade artisans and have an incredible amount of talent to showcase. Here's my HOT PICKS for Saturday:

Colorful Floral Bracelet from Ask Designs

Fused Glass Necklace from Eccentricity

Zebra Fever from Pink Girlee
Peace Sign Mini Pen from Mandi Beads

Starfish Art Yarn by While Tangerine Dreams

Visit these great sellers!

10 Things about me...

I'm stealing this idea from fellow craftsperson and blogger Laurie LeBlanc-Rickaby at Made by Swirly Girl to share with you a few things about myself that you might not learn from my posts and status updates or my shop.

1. I'm a coffee addict and a workaholic.
2. I LOVE working for myself.
3. I'm an Intuitive Life Coach by day and closet crafter by night.
4. I go by 3 different names... and I love it! My name is Jodie, in my coaching work I go by Jaelin and everyone from etsy & artfire call me Jesse.... LOL! It's fun!
5. I am in a long distance (7 years!) , 2 coast relationship, which we plan to be on the same coast, in the same house, in the same town --- soon! I miss him!
   
6. I love Sci-fi - a total Doctor Who fan... Torchwood, Primeval & I love a lot of BBC programming.
7. I always have tons of creative ideas running through my mind and never enough hours in a day to accomplish everything.
8. I'm the oldest, with 3 brothers.
9. I don't do well working for other people. I run 3 different businesses and am happiest being my own boss....
   
10. I have a 1-1/2 yr old nephew who I adore and know that we have been together for many life experiences in the past. We are so happy to be together again-- he's such a cutie! Wherever I move with my honey, I know I can't be far from this little guy. This isn't a recent photo, but you can see just how cute he is!
    

Saturday Night Special 6/13

*´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•`*~SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL ~*´¨)

GET Visible - BE Seen - Handmade Sellers PDF Lesson - Enhancing your Internet Presence for More Views, More Sales - pack with 18 pages of INFO!!

TONIGHT ONLY: PDF report just $ 5.00

** write SNS in message to seller when you check out **
I will refund or you can request a revised invoice.

I recently celebrated my 1 year Etsy Anniversary at Jesse Janes. During that time I have had over 2800 sales and feel great having accomplished such a feat.

What is in this 18 page lesson?
1. Having your own business website
2. Optimizing your website for Search Engines
3. Blogging for visibility
4. Using social media outlets
5. Building relationships with other popular sites
6. Using your local connections to build visibility & customers
7. Create repeat customers – keep them coming back for more

With 3500+ words, and numerous screen shot photos, I take you through all the various steps I have taken to advertise my shop outside of Etsy.


What sellers who have purchased this report are saying:

"I just downloaded your PDF file and it's wonderful and FULL of information!Thank you so much for taking the time to write it.

"This is a WONDERFUL PDF file that would be very effect for any etsy.com seller, big or small!!!"

"Fun read. Immediate "ship." Good info. Jessejanes could charge more for this."

"Very Helpful AAA+++"

Fabu Features... how cool!

Check out these 2 fabulous blogs that have featured Jesse Janes pendants:

1. Wash When Dirty blog is hosting a Jesse Janes giveaway! Visit Kristina's blog, read my interview, then visit my etsy shop and choose your favorite scrabble tile pendant, then go back to Wash When Dirty and post it in your comment. You could win your choice of 2 scrabble tile pendants from Jesse Janes shop!

** Here's an tip - You can receive additional entries into the giveaway if you follow Wash When Dirty's blog and become a fan of their Facebook Fan Page.

A great bag by Wash When Dirty:




2. I've also been features in Fab Finds Friday at Meagan's Designs blog! woohoo!

Meagan has included my latest, "Life's a Puzzle" necklace along with fab finds of earrings by Glitzer, Shabby Patchwork Purse by AntiqueBasketLady , pendant by Studio618 , and a wicked cool butterfly by LA Glass

Check out this great bag by Meagan's Designs:


*** By the way, I should also mention that Jesse Janes is hosting a Buy 3 scrabble tile pendants, Get 1 Free Special!!! Great time to stock up on gifts.

Got curly-que's ?

I have to say, I love this shop! Look at the intricate curls in the wire work... and everything is one of a kind... you need to visit: Roiaobrien

Check out these earrings:


Garden Party Necklace - it's gorgeous!

All of Roia's jewelry is handcrafted from sterling silver or gold filled wire and embellished with semi-precious gemstones, glass beads, or swarovski crystals.

Check out her new blog also: http://roiaobrien.blogspot.com/

Life's a Puzzle....

Check out my new line of necklaces..... Life's a Puzzle series - they're reversible!! Click on each photo to see the 2 sides. It's having 2 necklaces in 1!!

Can you help with a survey?

I'm doing some research for an article and I'd love some input from everyone here. If you have a few moments, would you answer a few short questions?

I will post the results when I've put together all the info I've collected.

Thank you in advance! Please post your thoughts as a comment, or feel free to email them to me at jessejanesshop@gmail.com

Jesse

The Questions:

1. What role does your creativity play in your daily life? what percentage would you say?
2. Do you feel that you are tapping your full creative potential? what percentage do you utilitize?
3. How does your creativity add to your income? Does your shop(s) play a large role in your monthly income?
4. Do you feel that you receive validation & support for your creativity from your family & friends? Would you like more? Is this something that is missing for you?
   
5. Do you feel you have enough outlets for your creativity? What other outlets would you like to have?
6. Does your creativity play a role in your 'day job' if you have one?
7. Do you find that you mostly connect to others through your creativity?
8. What role has the recent economic challenges played in your creativity?

Saturday Night Special 5/30

I'm hosting a Saturday Night Special in my shop tonight.

20% OFF your Total Order *

www.jessejanes.etsy.com



(before shipping - I will issue a refund after payment is completed.)
Now through 6am Sunday

* 13 for $50 & Wholesale Lots are not applicable for 20% off

Who doesn't love a Destash??

What's a destash you ask?

It's when a seller on etsy decides to clean out their supply stock and sell off all sorts of fabulous goodies! I love shopping for destash items. You never know what I will find...

Today, I have found Art Faerie!

Pink Roses - artisan polymer clay beads

Blue & Purple - artisan lampwork beads

Czech Fire polished round glass beads

16 mm purple glass pearls