jesse jane's

Time traveling tardis, zombie, smiley faces... new for guys - cuff links & tie tacks!

2010-03-29T13:22:00.001-07:00

It's great! Now you can design your own scrabble tile cuff links... choose any design from JesseJanes shop and create your own unique, funky & fabulous scrabble tile cuff links..
Cuff links are great for Wedding party gifts, birthdays, graduation, Father's Day and more!

Tie Tacks:

Who wouldn't want a Zombie Tie Tack? Perfect gift for the zombie-lover who has everything at just $ 6.95

Maybe Frankenstein is more up his alley....

Don't forget the Doctor Who fans!!@! What could be more exciting than their very own time traveling tardis tie tack?

NEW DESIGNS - just listed for Spring...

2010-03-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Some of the new designs for spring and summer...

Black Friday WEEKEND DEALS!!

2009-11-29T08:45:00.003-08:00

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

2009-11-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

Now is a great time to start your Holiday shopping.

Free WORLDWIDE Shipping at JesseJanes

My two cents on etsy success

2009-09-20T16:50:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-08-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Dinah's Friends

Kaeden Krafts

Purified Art

House of Six Cats

Coaching Handmade -Class Tonight!

2009-07-27T13:37:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-07-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-07-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-07-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

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..

2009-07-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-08T16:54:00.001-07:00

Tonight's the night!

Coaching Handmade membership site launches at 8pm EST.

Come join the fun!

www.CoachingHandmade.com

Coming Soon!!!!

2009-07-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-06-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

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

Father's Day Finds

2009-06-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

"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!

2009-06-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

MISTY MORNING

handmade fused copper hoops dotted dangle earrings

by cindypack.etsy.com

SHHH! Etsy Secret Hot Picks!

2009-06-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

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.

I'm a coffee addict and a workaholic.
I LOVE working for myself.
I'm an Intuitive Life Coach by day and closet crafter by night.
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!
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!
I love Sci-fi - a total Doctor Who fan... Torchwood, Primeval & I love a lot of BBC programming.
I always have tons of creative ideas running through my mind and never enough hours in a day to accomplish everything.
I'm the oldest, with 3 brothers.
I don't do well working for other people. I run 3 different businesses and am happiest being my own boss....
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

2009-06-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

*´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•`*~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!

2009-06-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

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 ?

2009-06-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-06-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-05-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

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:

What role does your creativity play in your daily life? what percentage would you say?
Do you feel that you are tapping your full creative potential? what percentage do you utilitize?
How does your creativity add to your income? Does your shop(s) play a large role in your monthly income?
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?
Do you feel you have enough outlets for your creativity? What other outlets would you like to have?
Does your creativity play a role in your 'day job' if you have one?
Do you find that you mostly connect to others through your creativity?
What role has the recent economic challenges played in your creativity?

Saturday Night Special 5/30

2009-05-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

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??

2009-05-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

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

Traditional Metalsmithing

2009-05-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

Studio 618, a fellow etsy artisan offers unique handmade jewelry and accessories using traditional metalsmithing techniques. The jewelry is delicate and beautifully crafted. I am always drawn to rings...

I love these:

Clematis Ring

Scroll Ring

Fabulous Features!

2009-05-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

check out these blogs by fellow handmade artists:

Una Tia Especial : spotlighting creative work of Mad Maggie Designs

Canadian Rockies Art: Etsy Finds- 5 hot Picks post featuring creative work by:

Bijoux Boutique : featured Etsy artist TK Designs

What time is it?

2009-05-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

It's time to check out another fabulous handmade artist!!

This time it's : Timeless Inspirations

Look at this beautiful Blue Shell & Pearl necklace-- I love the colors... such depth.

Oh -- there's earrings to match! How cool is that?

You just never know what you might find when you spend a few moments on Etsy!

We've Got Paper.... well - not me.

2009-05-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about "We've Got Paper" etsy shop. They have fabulous paper!! I love this shop!

Look at this great Ivy design writing sheets that come with envelopes. Writing hand written notes or letters is such a lost art. With email, IM chats and forums, etc we write digital notes instead. Having beautiful writing paper like this will make you want to write letters.

Julie, the maven behind all this fabulous printed paper is a 29 year old stationary design. She writes, "I got my first penpal when I was 7 years old, so I've been writing letters for about 22 years now."

Go visit her shop-- it's worth the trip!

Social Media time warp...

2009-05-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

WOW! There is not enough time in a day to keep up with my 'day job' and promote, promote, promote.... Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Etsy forum, blog posts...

I supposed I need to eat, sleep and actually create some product in between all those tasks. LOL!

To top it all off, a pre-Mercury Retrograde computer hack problem! I had to save as much as I could to my external drive and then reinitialize my desktop computer. What a mess! I think I managed to save all pertinent info, but who knows until I go looking for something.

The challenge is finding all my photos. I have so many photo folders, even under the main 'My Pcitures' folder, but they don't all seem to be there when I go looking... yuck.

I suppse that's good incentive to take new photos, huh?

etsysecrets.com

2009-05-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

I jumped on board and joined Tim Adam's lasted venture: www.etsysecrets.com

It's a membership site for info and community assistance to really amp up views and sales. I have done very well over my year on etsy, but would certainly like to do better. I'm looking forward to all the great help & tips!

Get Visible- Be Seen! 18 page report

2009-05-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

I recently celebrated my 1 year Etsy Anniversary at Jesse Janes. During that time I have had over 2700 sales and feel great having accomplished such a feat.

How have I had so many sales? First, I believe it is about your product, but it is also about how dedicated you are to promoting your shop outside of Etsy. I have spent a large amount of time planning a marketing approach that I can manage with my time constraints. I’ve decided to put all of my ‘secrets’ into paper in hopes that the information packed in these pages will help you Get Visible – Be Seen!

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.

Jesse Janes turns 1...

2009-04-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's my etsy.com 1 year Anniversary!

To celebrate I'm offering a 20% off Sale on your total order, before shipping. *

* Wholesale lot & 13 for $50 are not eligible.

Crafting a New You! Self Empowering Toolkits

2009-04-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally accomplished it! I've been busily creating for my 'day job' as a Self Empowerment Life Coach & Counselor. What could I possibly be creating to help people achieve greater self confidence and to really stand on their own during the challenges we all face in this economy?

I've just launched 'Crafting a New You!'

Crafting a New You! is a line of Self Empowering toolkits that I've designed and produced. The kits include a handcrafted Sacred Symbol Divination Stones set & cards, an Affirmation set of cards, a 22 page instruction manual with detailed instructions and various exercises you can use to work through challenging issues, and a custom flower essence combination geared to assist you emotionally through the process.

The are 6 fabulous "Crafting A New You!' Self Empowering toolkits available:

Abundant Opportunities - Have you lived your life believing your are not deserving of abundance? Or that you never receive opportunities to create abundance? This kit will assist you in uncovering belief you carry that have kept you from attracting abundance into your life.

Finding Purpose - Do you question why you are here? Are you unhappy with the direction your life has taken? Would you like to feel a sense of purpose in your life? This kit will assist you in uncovering your purpose. The exercises will lead you in the right direction.

Fresh Start -Have you been carrying the burden of the past? Feel tied to your job even though you know you want to move on? Are you having difficulty starting a new project? This kit will give you tools to use to release the past and permission to start fresh.

Joyful Movement - Do you resist exercising? Do you spend your day sitting at a desk? Do you have difficulty taking care of your body & nourishing it? This kit will assist you in uncovering the beliefs you carry that have kept you from having a healthy relationship with your body.

Peaceful Mind - Does your mind run constantly, never slowing to rest? Do you have difficulty sleeping? Is it impossible for you to meditate? This kit will assist you in uncovering the source of your anxious mind activities, along with exercises to help you focus.

Soulful Intimacy - Would you like to feel more connected? Do you feel yourself withholding in the relationship? Is it difficult for you to trust? This kit will assist you in releasing restrictions, grief and hurts that you have carried in your heart, allowing you to open gently and trust the process.

Visit my website for more information and ordering:

www.CraftingaNewYou.com

SNS Secret found! it's A Breath of French Air...

2009-04-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I received a package in the mail and to my wonderful surprise it was my SNS secret item that I found in the etsy.com shop A Breath of French Air. I love her shop!! I was so excited to find her secret item... check this out:

French Press Coffee Handmade Kitchen Bar Soap With Shea Butter

The soap smells divine and I have to say.. I am totally addicted to coffee & addicted to handmade soaps-- so it's a perfect combination for me!

The soap came beautifully packaged in a muslin drawstring bag that I can store the soap in until I am ready for a new bar on the bathroom sink. I have gotten soap from A Breath of French Air before and it's wonderful! They also offer lotions, lip balms and a fabulous body butter that I have and use everyday...

I highly recommend visiting A Breath of French Air for all your Bath & Body needs.

aBreathofFrenchAir.etsy.com

Craft Gossip feature!

2009-04-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

Jesse Janes has been featured at CraftGossip.com - check it out to see about a new offer...

Easter Giveaway- Contest Winners!!

2009-04-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you for participating in my Easter blog giveaway!

There are 3 winners - each will receive a $10 Gift Certificate to go shopping at JesseJanes.etsy.com

The winners were selected thru random.org from the 39 entry comments.

WINNERS:

#6 : MJ
#14: Vivien
#25: KarenL

Congratulations!! Winners will each receive an email from me with your PROMO CODE for your Gift Certificate.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I went to my brother's and had a nice meal and got to hang out with my 1-1/2 yr old nephew. He's such a cutie! We had an Easter Egg hunt and ate too much chocolate.... LOL!

Going Green.. with The Green Scene

2009-04-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Take a moment and visit The Green Scene. A blog about the Eco-friendly and the greening of our environment, blogger Laura promotes various products throughout the week.

This week, as part of "Thrifty Thursdays", she is hosting a Jesse Janes promotion. Visit The Green Scene to see the fabulous discount you could receive!

Easter Giveaway!

2009-04-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Enter now to win a $10 Gift Certificate to Jesse Janes.
Entering is easy!

There will be 3 winners!

HOW TO ENTER: Just visit my etsy shop at http://jessejanes.etsy.com or my artfire shop at http://jessejanes.artfire.com and look through all the items and choose your favorite, then return here and post a comment with the title of your favorite item and your email address.

BONUS ENTRY: Twitter this contest and come back and post another comment with your email address, telling me you've tweeted about the contest and you'll receive a 2nd entry!!

It is important to leave a valid email address. Only comments with email addresses will be considered as entries into the contest.

That's it!
It's super easy... win a $10 Gift Certificate to Jesse Janes!

RULES : Take a look at the products offered in my shop and leave a comment on this post indicating which is your favorite and why. Please remember to leave contact information. You do not need to have a blog to enter, just a valid email address.

Please only one (1) entry per person.
Bonus entries allowed for posting the contest to Twitter.

There will be 3 winners.

DETAILS: The contest ends at midnight on Easter: Sunday, April 12th at midnight EST. I will use Random.org to draw the lucky winner and will announce the winners on Monday, April 13th. If you are the winner, you will be contacted by email and will then receive your $10 gift certificate code good towards purchase at Jesse Janes.

ENTER TO WIN NOW!

Artfire Rainbows

2009-04-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

Easter's a Hoppin'

2009-04-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

Whole Life Coaching & Flower Essences:

2009-03-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Partnering to Create Powerful Change in Our Lives
© 2007 Jaelin K. Reece

Wouldn’t it be ideal if every morning we could stand in a buffet line and order exactly what we want in our life that day, just like we choose our breakfast? “I’ll have a new job opportunity, a loving family dinner and a side of happiness please, light on the tension.”

While life isn’t that simplistic, we certainly do have a say in what we want to create. It is our thoughts, ideas and beliefs that shape our life. When these thoughts and beliefs are backed by fears, judgments, self-defeating behaviors and painful memories, their influence also determines how our life is formed. However, we have the ability and power to create change within. We can choose to change our stressed out, unfulfilled and overworked life into a life we love, making the quality of our life our utmost priority.

How do we go about creating that change? We start by sorting the real from the illusion, the practical from the unnecessary, in order to discover what is truly important to us in our lives. During this process, we need to remain grounded in our bodies and handling our day to day lives, like paying the bills, having relationships, a career, a purpose, etc. We need to do all that and still evolve spiritually.

How Whole Life Coaching and Essences Can Partner With You in Creating Change

Even though this sounds like quite a task, it is not something we need to do alone. We can have the assistance of a life coach, someone who can help us see clearly through the chaos and create balance while exploring our soul’s potential. A life coach partners with us, creating a plan to achieve what it is we want our life to be. They assist with eliminating any obstacles that may be in the way, turning unconscious choices into conscious decisions.

As a whole life coach, I have worked with clients for over 20 years, utilizing several healing modalities during our coaching partnership. I continually turn to flower essences as they have proven to be a valuable tool in the process of change. Clients who have incorporated the essences into their journey have seen marked changes in very short periods of time. In using flower essences, I find that the relationship between our soul’s purpose and our unconscious patterns is opened and cleared in such a way that deep soul healing takes place.

During the whole life coaching process, various emotional patterns will surface as we strive to achieve our goals. For example, choosing to create a change in career direction can be exciting and yet still have layers of fear and anxiety attached to it. Any transition or change means we face the unknown. We go from safe, comfortable and known into unfamiliar territory that is unknown, uncomfortable and not in our control. We experience a mix of emotions and require support.

Whole life coaching offers supportive partnership, talking through the feelings and assisting with the changes, however, the emotional support goes deeper when flower essences are recommended. Flower essences are remedies for soul care that encourages change, and leads the individual into a powerful feeling of self-care. They provide the support and energetic assistance, as well as the catalyst needed to stimulate change.

Overcoming Reluctance to Change

We are creatures of habit, constantly cycling in our routines, not only physically, but also emotionally. When we want to create change, those patterns must change as well. For example, those individuals who are stagnant or hesitant to move forward, Cayenne essence and Scleranthus are particularly helpful. Those who are struggling with grief and fear of experiencing loss are supported well by Eucalyptus, Aspen and Borage. There are hundreds of flower essences, each as unique as the individuals they assist.

A client contacted me while she was caretaking her elderly parents. She was overtired, worn down and was feeling victimized by her mother’s extremely critical nature. ‘Dumbed down’ and judged for every action, her natural instincts were slowly diminishing, being replaced by self-judgment and repression. She was becoming someone she did not like. She felt overly responsible to her parents even though, according to her mother, she could not do anything right. She was searching for herself once again and wanted to create a change, yet she was reluctant to take any actions.

The first step in our coaching partnership was to uncover the feelings that were buried under her circumstances. Once awareness existed, we could work together to create the change through the power of intention, choice and action. I suggested that she have some additional support while we consciously worked through many of the issues in her family dynamics. My recommendations for her first round of flower essence support included Pine for self forgiveness and acceptance, along with Sunflower and Buttercup to boost her self esteem.

Just as we peel layers of an onion, so to do we peel layers of emotion to achieve healing. We release and create change in stages, therefore, we use flower essences in layers as well. While there were several issues emotionally that were present, her healing needed to begin with a sense of knowing that she had the ability to make those changes. The Pine, Sunflower, Buttercup combination of essences were beneficial for this. Throughout her coaching work, we have utilized various essences at different stages in her process. This client continues in whole life coaching, however she is now a changed woman.

She stepped up and told her family she could no longer care for her parents, they supported her decision and made other arrangements that have worked to benefit everyone involved, especially her parents. Our next step is to work through the many layers of criticism received throughout her life. Presently she is working with Willow essence to address the resentment that she holds toward her mother. I am confident that her conscious work through the coaching process, combined with the flower essences will help her to move quickly through this process of change.

Change Happens

Life is constantly changing and whole life coaching means working with the changes as they happen, so no two people are alike. Whole life coaching is based upon you, and you are ever changing. Flower essences support the emotional changes as you work together with your coach, consciously engaging the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical bodies to focus on a clear life path. The result is that you feel lighter, determined, motivated and focused on the path in front of you. Whole life coaching is based upon the concept of “whole,” therefore you are receiving support and guidance in all areas of your life, not just your career, or relationship, etc.

Life does not come with a set of instructions. However, through deep listening and conscious intention, we can illuminate the path and choose which roads to take. Working with a whole life coach, you’ll have a personal tour guide leading the way. While there are various life coaching niches, whole life coaching approaches individuals as part of the greater whole, integrated energetically with all that is. This form of life coaching combines practical life coaching techniques with a metaphysical approach. The whole life coach walks between the worlds of the physical and spiritual, helping their clients to create balance and energetic alignment.

About the Author:

Jaelin K. Reece is a Whole Life Coach, intuitive and guide.

Jaelin uses these complementary skills to facilitate people in realizing their true potential in their personal lives, relationships, career, and prosperity. She assists people in transforming their lives and creating the life they love to live. Jaelin serves as a mentor, consultant and success partner for her clients. She combines her coaching and intuitive skills with over 20 years of professional experience with clients, to help them create a life of passion, joy and empowerment. You can visit her website at http://www.illuminationsnetwork.com

NEW ITEMS: Inspirational Pendants

2009-03-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Business Intuition: Avoiding the Cosmic 2 x 4’s

2009-03-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

What’s a cosmic 2 x 4 you ask?

It’s actually a phrase that’s been used in the ‘new age/ metaphysical’ world for the past 15 years or more. It refers to the lessons we learned the hard way when we didn’t listen to our intuition.

In the process of our intuitive development, we learn to listen more deeply and follow the guidance that comes from within. Because conscious awareness is building during that time, whenever we choose not to listen and go against our intuition, the lessons learned seem twice as powerful and painful than if we had listened.

When it happens, it feels like a 2x4 hitting you right between the eyes. It’s especially powerful because ‘you should have known better’. These are lessons that are meant to get our attention either consciously or intuitively. It is infinitely preferable to have it come through the intuitive realm, then take action upon it.

Choosing to ignore, or bypass your intuitive sense will have repercussions that can lead to self blame, resentment and red ink in the business world. Have you ever sat in a business meeting and listened to a proposal knowing the entire time that it ‘felt wrong’ somehow, yet you didn’t say anything? Later you aren’t surprised to watch the plan fail, thinking you should have said something when you had the chance before the company took a loss.

Intuition is like our inner guidance system or a GPS. We all possess intuition. We didn’t exactly come into this life with a set of operating instructions, however we do have an inner road map. Each time we have a ‘feeling’, or what I call a ‘knowing,’ it’s a signal that we are on the right road and headed in the right direction.

Think about a time when you had a bad experience and you caught yourself saying afterwards, “I knew I shouldn’t have done that! I had a feeling, but I did it anyway!” We’ve all had experiences like that throughout our lives. Generally it’s something we want to ‘make happen’ or something we want really badly, so we ignore those inner feelings. Not listening to our inner voice can be detrimental to our wellbeing, and to our bottom line! It’s the repercussions of our inaction that I call the Cosmic 2x4.

Paying attention to your intuition is one thing, however acting on it is another. Why do you think you have an inner guidance system? It’s not meant to sit on a shelf and look pretty, only being dusted off once in a while. It is meant to be used everyday.

Our lives require constant course adjustments or corrections, similar to the automatic pilot on airplanes. In order to stay on track and reach the correct destination, we need to make constant small course corrections. This is where our inner guidance system comes in really handy! Just listening isn’t enough however. Taking action on the intuitive message is just as important. When we don’t listen, we steer off course. Usually those sort of off-road detours are very bumpy and filled with potholes. It’s a lesson in learning.

The moral of this story is that cosmic 2x4’s are painful and avoidable.

Tips for working with your intuition:

Sort and distinguish Intuitive messages from the regular mental chatter that goes on in your mind.
As you actively acknowledge your intuition it becomes easier to recognize.
The more you listen to your intuition, the louder the volume.
Trust your intuition will always guide you in the right direction.
Acting on your intuition brings rewards.

This article was originally prepared for Ivy Sea Online by Jaelin Reece, a visionary consultant and spiritually guided Life Coach, offering unique knowledge, techniques, intuitive abilities and expertise to provide solutions for small businesses, organizations and individuals.

www.IlluminationsNetwork.com

Publisher's Guidelines: You may freely publish this article online, in email newsletters, or in print so long as the resource box and byline are in tact. Author would appreciate a notification, but that is optional.

Orange you Blue?

2009-03-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

Why Brand Your Business?

2009-03-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

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!

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

For example, a recent episode of Taking Care of Business on TLC television highlighted a company that custom designed baby gift baskets. Their logo, color scheme and theme were brought together to expand their image. The professional business mentors assisted the owner with creating press releases and media kits for his baby company that were done like birth announcements. This created visual interest, continued the theme of the company and along with the logo and color consistency, the branding was top notch. As a result, he had several articles written about his business in key magazines that target his specific market.

Curve Balls or Scrabble Tiles??

2009-03-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

Universe Thrown You Any Curve Balls Lately?

Ever had one of those days when you started out really good and then suddenly it felt like the Universe threw you a curve ball coated in disappointment?

We've all had them. Some disappointments are small, others are large, but they still have the same yucky feeling that gets triggered inside. You thought it was going to be one way, then it changed. And sometimes- change stinks!

I think disappointment makes us feel like little kids again.

Remember when you didn't receive something from Santa that you really wanted? Or when someone didn't do what they said they were going to do? It can certainly feel devastating at the time.

How do you handle your little kid inside feeling disappointed?

You stop, sit down, and remember that you're OK. You are an adult and you know that change happens, sometimes unexpectedly, but you can handle it. Life is a river that keeps flowing regardless of the obstacles in its path. Even if it seems the path that you were counting on has suddenly become blocked, the river will find another outlet. Be open to receive it in another form.

Remember the old saying, "When one door closes, another will appear?"

Don't stay trapped in the disappointment. You stopped, acknowledged it, gave it space and now it's time to get moving. Pick yourself up and keep flowing. Open the next door when it is presented. Be open to receive, and trust that you will always be provided for.

© Jaelin K. Reece, Spiritually Guided Life Coach & Counselor

___________________________________

** Jaelin does great work if you are looking for a Life Coach. Her approach is not the same as others... she uses her intuitive abilities to go right into the core of what is really taking place for you. Then she helps you uncover it, and work with all the information discovered to create actions to move forward with healing and empowerment.

Jaelin is also the featured "Ask a Life Coach" at about.com

Check out her site: Illuminations Network

Random Acts of Curiosity

2009-03-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Alice In Wonderland

2009-03-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

Working on photo quality

2009-03-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am spending some of my day today working on the quality of my photos. I have a lightbox and I am going to purchase a couple of new spotlights to use. I have a photographer friend who has made some suggestions, so I'm going to play with my camera settings and lighting.

I'll hopefully have some wonderful new photos to upload later today!

Get $10 bonus--- that's even MORE Scrabble Tile Pendants...

2009-03-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Be my 1st sale at ARTFIRE & I'll add $10 worth of bonus items!

Visit JesseJanes's ArtFire Shop

Just tell me you found me on twitter!

Do you twitter? Come follow me... jessejanes

Looks good enough to eat....

2009-03-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

Delectable goodies from Artfire sellers that look good enough to eat...

Check out this spotlight and many others at found-handmade.blogspot.com

Excellent Customer Service - a necessity

2009-03-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

How do you stand out in the midst of your competition when the economy is influencing how your potential customers are spending their dollars?

There are several ways:

Have an Excellent Product
Have a Competitive Price Point
Excellent Photos ( I'm working on this myself)
Get the word out! advertise, promote, twitter, blog, etc
Have Excellent Customer Service
Ask for Referrals
Offer services that your competition doesn't
Communicate with past customers
Offer a special for returning customers
___________ (fill in the blank)__

I'm sure there are many more things to be added to this list. I participated in the Etsy Chat room the other night, something called the 5 minutes FS.... What is the 'FS' mean? It stands for "Featured Seller". For 5 minutes you get to promote and everyone in the chat visits your shop, views your products and helps promote you, andhopefully sales result from your time in the spotlight. I was in the FS position twice that night and I did have 1 sale, along with many new hearts and potential customers that had never viewed my shop before.

One comment I received was regarding my number of sales. I have had over 2600 sales on Etsy in the past year. In fact next month is my 1 year Etsy anniversary, which I will be celebrating with special deals!

Many asked what I did to get such a high number of sales. I gave them the list that I have posted above. I also mentioned that my sales where quite high before Christmas and things have slowed down since the first of the year, as they have for everyone. I also have seen in many forum threads that historically February is the slowest month of the year. That is good information to have as well.

What can you do when things are quiet?

Promote, advertise, blog, twitter, chat, etc
Create new designs, new product lines
Get organized
Prepare a plan for this years sales
Work on enhancing your photos (this is what I'm doing)
Enhance your Customer Service
____(fill in the blank)_______

Excellent Customer Service is extremely important to the health and longevity of your business. Customers are not purchasing just a product that is handmade. They are purchasing the craft of the artisan that created that product and they want to 'feel' the energy of the artisan when they purchase. Excellent customer service includes the beautiful packaging and timely shipping as well as the email confirmation, thanking them for their order and assuring that it will be shipped promtly. Also, that customer service is continued in the packaging, by including a personalized note, instructions for the care of the product if required, etc.

Customer Service continues beyond the purchase and initial shipment. It is extended to any further communications with the customer, especially if they have difficulty with their shipment, with USPS delivery, etc. I make it a priority to make sure each of my customers is satisfied and happy with their purchase and experience of shopping handmade with Jesse Janes. If I lose money on a sale in order to rectify a shipping problem or any other difficulty, I generally create a return customer because they appreciate my prompt attention and the fact that I go out of my way to assist them. I call this "Excellent Customer Service". It pays off in the long run. It's better to have a custmer who returns several times and tells their friends and family to shop with you, rather than have an unhappy customer who will never return, leave unhappy feedback and possibly share that experience with others.

How could you improve your customer service?

...into Twilight....

2009-03-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Twilight inspired creations by Etsy & Artfire Sellers.

Scrabble Tile Pendant Winner Announced!

2009-03-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

Congratulations goes out to Shauna!
She's our lucky winner of 2 Scrabble Tile Pendants.

Next blog giveaway begins on Monday... stay tuned.. Even better, sign up to follow my blog on the left side bar. This way you'll keep posted about all our giveaways!

Planning a Wedding or Shower soon?

2009-03-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

Check out the fabulous labels from my friend at Ladybug Labels!

Custom Designed labels for your occasion! What could be more perfect for your wedding or party? Check out these wonderful custom monogrammed labels that are available in 48 different colors!

Maybe you prefer labels for your little ones? Ladybug Labels carries a wonderful line of animal stickers, cupcakes, personalized child's name with age, and more... perfect for kids of all ages! They also make great cupcake picks for birthday parties.

What about Baby Showers? or personalized labels for Baby Announcements?

Can't you see these wonderful labels on your announcements?? I have several different styles of labels from Ladybug Labels, including custom address labels and Thank You labels for my business.

Stop in and visit Ladybug Labels... turn around time for customized orders are 3 - 5 business days and everything comes carefully packaged and ready for gift giving.. you can't go wrong ordering ALL your label needs from Ladybug Labels!

Contest ends tomorrow for 2 Scrabble Tile Pendants

2009-03-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

My blog giveaway ends tomorrow-- Friday, March 6th! You have until midnight tomorrow to enter to win 2 Scrabble Tile pendants from Jesse Janes.

Visit this link to register.

Craft Gossip.com March Madness over 440 Prizes

2009-03-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

CraftGossip.com is giving stuff away-- a lot of stuff! Handmade goodies & more... over 440 prizes! Included in those prizes are 2 gift certificates for $10 each to Jesse Janes!

I've been working with Craft Gossip for the past several month, sponsoring giveaways and now their March Madness is the Ultimate in Giveaways!

It's easy to register to win.. First you need to visit Craft Gossip at this link and view all the wonderful prizes. Write down the title of the prize you'd like to win and then... all you have to do is e-mail comps@craftgossip.com with the prize title as your subject line and your full name and postal address.

It's that easy!

What can you win? Gift certificates, craft kits, jewelry and LOTS more... check it out!

Has Etsy seen the light?

2009-03-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

Beta testing starts today on a new function-- paying your Etsy bill with Paypal! How long have sellers been asking for this option? ...a long time...

According to the Storque article today, the beta testing will begin with a small sampling of sellers and will be available to all sellers soon. It only makes sense that we want to pay our bill from the account that are sales dollars go to! DUH!

I ran into an interesting event when attempting to pay my etsy bill yesterday... I wanted to split the payment onto 2 different cards, but etsy wouldn't take the 2nd payment. Did you know this? You have to wait 24 hours before a 2nd payment can be made... ??? One would think they would make it easier to give them money... they certainly make enough from all the sellers..

I've been working to enhance inventory in my Artfire shop... I feel the site will take some time to build to really compete with Etsy, and I do like their set up.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has been selling on Artfire. If you have a shop, please comment and let me know your experience.

Well, I'm off to bed early tonight. I was up early to make sure my boyfriend was up in time to get to the airport. He's off to the UK for a week... lucky him! I'm still here... hopefully I'll get to California in May. That will be nice. I haven't been to the west coast for 5 years. I really do need a vacation! LOL

New Spotlight...

2009-03-02T12:37:00.001-08:00

Great new Etsy feature... & Giveaway reminder!

2009-03-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

Have you spotted the new feature yet? I have... it's in the recent listings photos that run along the bottom of the Etsy.com home page. It's a small link on the right hand side that says "See even more recent items..."

If you click on that link you have the option to open to a full screen with live photos filling the screen as sellers list them... how cool is that? and when you hover your mouse over an individual item, a larger photo pops up... I'm loving it! Thanks to the admin who thought this one up!

Today is March 2nd... only 4 days left to enter my blog giveaway to win 2 scrabble tile pendants. Take a moment to enter if you haven't already done so... Enter now!

My recycle pendants were recently featured as a giveaway on CraftGossip.com.... recycling has become such an important requirement for our environment, it's great to see it create such a surge in the indie community as well! The winners have already been chosen for that contest.

March Madness or what???

2009-03-01T08:40:00.001-08:00

Last night the weather forecast said a dusting of snow and just a snow flurry on Monday.. no big deal. This morning I wake up and they are saying 15" + ... what the heck? I guess we can always count on Mother Nature to have her say in things and not have to answer to any of us! LOL

So, what did I do? I went out to the drugstore, got a few groceries today and am set to stay in for tomorrow. I am so tired of snow! By the first week of March I usually have such bad cabin fever that I am aching to go anywhere-- I don't care where. AARGH!

I did go out yesterday to visit my brother & SIL. My little nephew is 1-1/2 and he's so cute! We played basketball for the afternoon... what a hoot! His big brother is 16 and passed his driver's test this week... so he's driving. That's a big deal for him.

I'm off to work on some web design for my 'other' job.

SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL

2009-02-28T17:32:00.000-08:00

~~~ SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL on Etsy ~~~
BOGO in my shop!
Buy 1, Get 1 FREE - Tonight only....

http://jessejanes.etsy.com

Great Photo Tutorial

2009-02-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

My fellow Crafting in Color team member Tizzalicious has posted a fabulous tutorial on taking great jewelry photos on the Crafting in Color team blog and her own blog.

Tizz has included tidbits that she has learned taking photos of her jewelry for her etsy shop. She includes backgrounds, setting your white balance on your camera, shooting photos from unusual angles and even photo editing programs.

It's great advice-- all of which I need to be using for my photos too! Thanks Tizzalicious!

Check it out.

Time to WIN Scrabble Tile Pendants-- Enter now!

2009-02-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

Today begins the Jesse Janes' blog Giveaway!

Enter now to win these 2 Scrabble Tile Pendants pictured. Entering is easy!

Just visit my etsy shop at http://jessejanes.etsy.com and look through all the items and choose your favorite, then return here and post a comment with the title of your favorite item and your email address.

It is important to leave a valid email address. Only comments with email addresses will be considered as entries into the contest.

That's it! It's super easy... win these scrabble tile pendants: Indie Crafter & Candy Hearts.

Rules : Take a look at the products offered in my shop and leave a comment on this post indicating which is your favorite and why. Please remember to leave contact information. You do not need to have a blog to enter, just a valid email address.

Please only one (1) entry per person.

There will be 1 winner.

Details : The contest ends Friday, March 6th at midnight EST. I will use Random.org to draw the lucky winner and will announce them on Saturday. If you are the winner, you will be contacted by email so you may send me your mailing address for shipping.

ENTER TO WIN NOW!

A "Greener" way of living.

2009-02-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

My scrabble tile pendants have been reviewed by "The Green Scene" blog. It's a wonderful write up with great photos... check it out.

Scrabble Tile Pendants are made using recycled scrabble game pieces. It's a great 're-use'. I've also begun recycling vintage domino tiles as pendants. They are larger and give a unique look. These dominos are from the 1950's.

Check out the latest in my line of "recycle" pendants:

Blog Giveaway coming...

2009-02-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

Watch for my Blog Giveaway beginning on Wednesday, February 25th!

There will be multiple prizes!

Remember to check back on Weds to register to win!

Made by Hand -

2009-02-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

Have you checked out Made by Hand. By ME ???
www.byhand.me

It's a cool new community for artisans to display and promote their goods. JPATPURSES is on the front page now as the Featured Artisan. I love her work! I have a beautiful owl print pouch made by her... I love it!

Made by Hand has community forums, chats and even an area to create your own spotlight photo mini's. I am in the process of setting up my profile there... you can spotlight your items from etsy, artfire, silkfair, 1000markets and more.

Increasing traffic to your etsy shop

2009-02-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

Want more traffic... and therefore more sales??

Check out the awesome information complied by Timothy Adam Designs. Timothy gives detailed steps to follow to increase your page rank, increase views, add Google Analytics, branding your business, wise spedning of your advertising dollars and more. I've used several of his tips and I give him a standing ovation! It's well worth the trip to check it out...

check out this cool business card holder from Timothy's etsy shop...

WEEKEND DEALS on Scrabble Tile Pendants

2009-02-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

♥*¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸*´¨(♥ Jesse Janes' Weekend Deal
(¸.•´ (¸.•´♥

February 21 & 22

Buy 3 Scrabble Tile Pendants & Get 1 FREE
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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

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

WE SHIP EVERYWHERE!

Funkadelic week...

2009-02-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

I was going to write about some of the new items I listed on my etsy shop, but realized I'd feel better if I wrote about what a funky week I've had. It's like I lost my inspiration and I cannot focus on anything... It's like I'm walking between two worlds right now... not really in either one fully.

It's very strange.

I've been thinking about taking some classes at a local art teaching studio, only the classes I want aren't until the end of March. I am looking for inspiration and something new to spark my interest. While I love making scrabble tile pendants, I always feel the pull to create something new and different. That's why you see a wide variety of items in my shop.

I'm sure that the funk is connected to the lack of inspiration. Hopefully things will clear soon.... my creativity is very important to me.

Last Weekend for $ 4.95 Scrabble Tile Pendants!

2009-02-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

$ 4.95 Scrabble Tile Pendants!

This is the last weekend for the pricing special at Jesse Janes.

RED in BOLD

2009-02-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

I love this print by artist and illustrator Diana Evans, another fabulous Crafting in Color Street Team member from etsy.com. It's the boldness of color and the beauty of the autumn leaves... I even chose this print for my most recent treasury. Autumn Red, is a print of a Mixed Media illustration on 8-1/2 x 11 Epson Premium Matte Heavyweight Stock.

The rich red color just says "Valentine's Day" to me...

There's No Place Like HOME....

2009-02-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

I know I've been featuring various Valentine's Day items... but I just had to share my latest creation--

Mosaic Scrabble Tile ART Pin
DOROTHY & HER RUBY SLIPPERS

I have a line of Mosaic ART pins & magnets in my etsy shop... check it out : Mosaics & Magnets I love the look of these new accessories. Anyone can wear a pin on their lapel, or have another magnet on their fridge. At just $7, they are a perfect little gift for your Valentine...

Love is a puzzling thing...

2009-02-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

This says it all... by Kitsch Cuisine

THINK PINK for Valentine's Day gifts...

2009-02-08T14:25:00.001-08:00

Red isn't the only color we associate to Valentine's Day... Pink is very warm, sensual and speaks to the heart chakra.

Check out these fabulous pink goodies handcrafted by etsy.com sellers...

This super sized, beautiful pink chunky cowl by MsThrifty is hand knit from recycled yarns.

I have a thing for bunnies.... and I LOVE this "Love Bunny" by tizzalicious. Of course, I love everything in her shop... but this bunny is my favorite. Tizzalicious is a fellow Crafting in Color Street Team member.

Of course, it's not Valentine's Day without chocolates... straight from one of my all time favorite etsy sellers-- Double Dipped Sweets. These awesome chocolate dipped pretzels are perfect for a Valentine's Day gift for your chocoholic... everything I have ever had from Double Dipped Sweets has been finger licking good... My last treat was chocolate dipped double stuffed oreos... you can't go wrong with those! Of course they didn't last long... LOL!

Win a Scrabble Tile Pendant!!

2009-02-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

Jesse Janes is featured on Craft Gossip.com today for a Scrabble Tile Pendant giveaway-- check it out!

You could be the lucky winner of a Knitting Lovebirds Scrabble Tile Pendant:

ENTER TODAY!

Valentine Candy Hearts

2009-02-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

Who loves those Valentine's Day conversation hearts?

What better than to be able to wear a great reminder of those as a necklace? That's what I thought when I created this cute Valentine's Day Candy Hearts Scrabble Tile Pendant necklace.

A Valentine a Day

2009-02-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

Daily, now through Valentine's Day I am going to feature one Valentine's Day gift idea. There are such incredibly talented artists on Etsy.com that I would liek to showcase some of their beautiful work...

Today, Feb 5th: A Love Tree Cup and Saucer by Lucky Little Dot

One bright white porcelain cup and saucer set with the painting of a love tree. Each heart is hand painted with love and care.

Valentine's Day - Recycled Gift Wrap

2009-02-04T06:57:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, in fact I had to send my honey his gifts early because he's leaving for a trip in a couple days and will be gone through the holiday. Unfortunately that means we will be doing Valentine's Day via a phone call... but it's been like that in previous years at times too. We make due even though we live on either side of the country. Soon, we will be moving to NY though. It will nice to no longer be 3000 miles apart. We've been together going on 7 years, so it's time to get it together... and live together.

As I was wrapping his gifts I remembered the fabulous Valen tine's Day gift bags I purchased from The Ole Bag Lady on etsy.com. I use the bags to wrap items that I sell in my shop, such as tins and pendants. Giving gifts, or wrapping items I sell is enhanced by adding a fabric gift bag with ribbon that can be used and reused, again and again.

The Scrabble Tile Pendants that I create use recycled / reclaimed scrabble tile game pieces, so I love it when I can add a gift bag that can be recycled as well.

Check out these beautiful bags from The Ole Bag Lady. Also, visit her shop. you're bound to find bags that you will love, and her prices are so inexpensive for such quality made bags. I love her shop & am a frequent customer.

New line: Disc Pendants

2009-02-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a new line of pendants for Jesse Janes -- they are very cool! They are 7/8" metal discs with graphic images and a window finish, similar to the Scrabble Tile Pendants... They come complete with the chain.

See what you think:

It's Multi-Colored Monday at CiC

2009-02-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

As a proud member of the Etsy Street Team: Crafting in Color, I admire the range and diversity of our members' creative abilities. That said, today is 'Multi-Color Monday' on the CiC team blog.

Check out this funky hat by happycloud:

ART Scrabble Tile Pendants on SALE!

2008-12-06T12:05:00.001-08:00

.· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) WEEKEND SALE - SAVE $3.00 on ART Pendants!
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- ((¸¸.·´

Fabulous Scrabble Tile Pendants featuring the exclusive, original paintings of artist

Donna Rose of ArtbyDonnaRose.etsy.com

and also NY artist, Barbara Maley!

Check out the wonderfully bright and colorful collections exclusive to JesseJanes.etsy.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5807282&section_id=5607431

Regularly $11, now on sale for just $8 ea.

*(Buy 2, Get 1 Free does not apply to ART Pendants)

P.S. Watch for an SNS (Saturday Night Special) later today also!

Black Friday thru Cyber Monday SALE

2008-11-27T04:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Today we give thanks for all the blessings in our life, stuff ourselves with turkey, kick back and hang out with family & watch the giant balloons in the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade, followed by some football and then a nap-- all that turkey -- lol!

But tomorrow-- now that a different story!

Tomorrow, people will line up outside the big stores at 4am, freezing their tuckus' off just waiting for an amazing bargain that they cannot live without. How can I contribute to that?

I am throwing a Black Friday to Cyber Monday Party in my etsy shop! WOO HOO!!!

While you know it's ALWAYS Buy 2 pendants and Get 1 FREE-- now I've gone crazy & added FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING!!! For 4 days only, Nov 28 - Dec 1, you can enjoy Free Shipping along with the already fabulous deals on Scrabble Tile Pendants & Bamboo Pendants!

It's a fabulous time to stock up and holiday gifts & never even leave the comfort of your home... no long crowded lines, no fussy children, no jostling for the best bargain-- just good old fashioned on-ine shopping while wearing our bunny slippers and sipping coffee.

What better way to shop??

Visit my shop now.... JesseJanes.etsy.com

Host a Virtual Home Party!

2008-11-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

With the economic struggle that so many people are going through, holiday gift buying can be challenging, however I've come up with a way to help you get some of your Holiday shopping done for you! You can register to Host a Virtual Home Party. The details are listed below and are quite simple. The great part is you don't have to clean your house! LOL!

HOST a Jesse Janes Virtual Home Party!!

Everyone is familiar with home parties, such as Tupperware, Pampered Chef, etc. A Virtual Home Party happens completely on-line! No food to prepare, no cleaning or preparing to do - simply invite who you like and they do their shopping on-line at Jesse Janes!!

DETAILS:

* Parties last for 7 days, giving your invited guests plenty of time to shop at their leisure and convenience. You will receive a SPECIAL CODE to give to all your party participants to use during the checkout process.

* Hostess receives a special goody box of pendants, tins and more via USPS after the show has ended.

* As hostess, you will receive 20% of the total retail sales before shipping during your home show to spend in my shop.

* Earn more bonus credit by inviting your family & friends from around the world to shop online at Jesse Janes. There is no travel concerns, or distance issues. Everyone can participate!

* PLUS, the hostess will also receive a $5 credit toward future purchases for every family member or friend that in turn hosts their own Jesse Janes Virtual Home Party.

Virtual home parties save you time, work and money, while bringing together your friends and family from all around the globe. Become a Virtual Jesse Janes Home Party Hostess now! Just visit my shop and click on "Contact" to email me.

Sign up to host and you will receive a party invitation, via email that you can send to all your friends and family.

I also have some of the new TWILIGHT pendants in stock!

Just think-- you could have Christmas presents for everyone on your list!

Can you think of an EASIER way to shop???

Find me in New Places!!

2008-10-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

I've just set up shop on WinkElf too!

I know, I must be a bit wonky in the head to have so many shops... but it's fun! Check out the new shop: www.winkelf.com/jessejanes

Here I am offering Worldwide FREE SHIPPING!

Check out some of the latest items:This fabulous Gift Set includes 4 of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" Scrabble Tile Pendants PLUS 4 coordinating Ribbon Chains. All for just $30 -- What a great idea for gifts for your friends, family or co-workers!

One of my most popular Scrabble Tile Pendants: The Purple Hoot

Of course, you can always find me on Etsy...

Remember Scrabble Tile Pendants make wondrful-- and AFFORABLE - gifts for the holidays!

With all the worldwide financial ' ho ha' going on, everyone is looking for inexpensive, affordable ways to get their shopping done for the holidays... what better way than to buy Handmade??

I also have a fabulous closeout special on my Mahogany Scrabble Tile Pendants -- a set of 15 for just $35 !!! That's 15 gifts right there! That's BELOW WHOLESALE ! They've been very popular and selling quickly-- there are a limited number of these party packs-- so buy now!

Where else have I been?? I know I haven't been blogging much, but I've been on Twitter-- love that site! Do you Twitter?? come see me: http://twitter.com/jessejanes /// keep up with what I've been up to!

Handmade FuZion opens

2008-09-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I've just set up shop on Handmade FuZion, a new handmade online shop similar to Esty. I've only listed a few items so far, but am planning to get more pendants listed this week. Handmade FuZion has gotten off to a great start and I'm noticing many views on my items. I hope to see a lot of traffic and sales happening for the holidays.

Lollishops is still in the works and hopefully will be opening in November, so I'm also working to prepare my banner and listings for that online site as well.

What can I say? I'm a busy beaver...

Speaking of busy, I just introduced a new line in my etsy shop: Interchangeable Bottle Cap Necklaces! Each necklace comes with 3 Bottle Cap pendants to interchange, plus the silver chain & magnetic pendant base. What a great bargain! Three necklaces for the price of one!

Check these out:

Bottle Cap pendants are various colors and come in sets of three with the entire set only $14, or $12 if you choose a set without beading. I haven't decided if I will offer these on Handmade FuZion yet or not... I'm seeing how they are received on my etsy shop first.

New locations!

2008-09-17T04:46:00.000-07:00

I've been accepted as a new vendor for Lollishops! Lollishop is to be a new online multi-vendor boutique selling fabulous whimsical, cutesy and frilly items that everyone will want to own for themselves!

They will be opening this fall and while I have been busily producing enough inventory to fill a second shop, I received an acceptance to be a new vendor at Handmade FuZion as well! lol!

3 shops! Am I crazy or what??

I'm excited about it! Handmade FuZion is now open and just beginning to list vendors. I will be posting my shop in the next few days. It's something to check out....

My latest adventure

2008-09-08T08:26:00.001-07:00

I'll be back with more details later...

View my page on LolliShops Guild

New designs! Yeah!

2008-08-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've added more new designs this week. It's been so hectic I haven't had much of a chance to blog about them though. I've finally got a few minutes and I want to share the pics with you!

The picture to the left is called 'Mystic Water'. Isn't it gorgeous!
I love the deep blues with the full moon sitting on the water amidst the trees. It's fast becoming my most popular scrabble tile pendant!

Staying with the 'moon' theme, I have another new tile called 'New Moon'. It has beautiful deep oranges and yellows with the new moon sliver picking out. I think this pendant will be popular too!

Also, I have a great new line of Halloween pendants! There are some scary ones, like Pumpkinhead, Jack and Haunted, or simple Halloween favorites like Trick or Treat, Halloween Party, and Haunted House.

And everyone's favorite: Jolly Santa

I got this little cutie the other day!

2008-07-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't this the cutest little snowman? It's a magnet by Mud Hutt at Etsy.

Mud Hutt is hosting a Christmas in July sale with a sneak peak at what will be available in her shop in the fall. These designs are only available and July & will not be back until fall, so you should shop now! I have my eye on a few of her fabulous ornaments as well!

I just LOVE this shop! Last week I also received a pendant I had purchased from her. It says HOPE. That's a word and energy that means a great deal to me personally, so I just HAD to have it!

It's a beautiful addition to my jewelry box and I've already worn it. It's made from earthenware clay with a natural ivory background and the word HOPE in chocolate brown. With the jump ring, I can attach it to any of my silver chains or wear it with one of my own ribbon chains.

You really should check out MUD HUTT.

Slideshow

2008-07-17T14:50:00.000-07:00