I Made My First Sale Today!

Well, technically, I made my first sale yesterday because it is now 2:42 am. Anyway. I made my first sale. I sold one of my resin rings and I also sold this really cute chunky, resin bracelet. I sold both pieces while I was at work, and the girl that bought the ring wants to buy another one for her sister. I was so excited to exchange the ring for actual money. It wasn't so much about the money as it was about the fact that someone like my jewelry enough to actually by it, and wear it! That was an amazing feeling. Even if I never sell another piece of jewelry, I can go through the rest of my life knowing that I created something so beautiful that someone else in this world felt as if she had to have it. I will never forget this day, or the piece of jewelry that made a real jewelry artist. It would be great to sell more jewelry but I am just going to enjoy the moment of knowing that I accomplished exactly what I set out to do. I am currently working on a custom order. Yeah, I have a few of those too! I am making a pair of earrings for another girl that I work with. If feels good to be wanted by other people. Not me physically, but my jewelry. I am really exhausted from making jewelry for a few hours, after I'd just gotten off of work. Its okay because I enjoy making jewelry, and I love seeing the look on someone's face when they fall in love with a piece of jewelry that I created. Well I'm going to bed now because I have to finish up a pair of earrings in the morning. Here's a picture of the bracelet that I sold today. Enjoy it and stay tuned for more!

Hard Candy, Anyone?

I was so anxious to wake up this morning! I was like a little kid waiting for Christmas! All I could think of was, "Are my rings going to turn out okay, or did I waste my time for the past two days?" Luckily, all the the time spent was worth it. My rings turned out terrific. I am so excited to make some more but I have to purchase some more ring bands. I want to do a whole series in animal print. I think that would be kind of cool. So the rings are done, complete, and advertised in many different places. Now all I have to do is wait and watch the orders trickle in. I love the way these rings look like pieces of candy. I'm also debating on coming up with a different name for my resin jewelry business, since I do plan on wholesaling. I'll think about it when the time comes.


Now my anxiety has shifted to something else. Resin bracelets! I have some sitting on the counter to dry, but I won't know how they turn out until tomorrow. So for the rest of the day I'll be making more jewelry, posting more pictures on facebook, and thinking up new ideas.

I'm debating on whether or not I want to start a facebook page just for my jewelry business. I think its a good idea because it would be more professional. Some of my friends on facebook say really inappropriate things most of the time and that would be bad for the image of the business. Its time to really get serious and make this work. Don't worry. I've got everything in control. All things take time. Stay Tuned. More to come.

Work In Progress......

I am getting really serious about making my jewelry business a success. I have a few people already that want to have custom pieces made, and a few that are waiting to payday to purchase some jewelry that I already have made. I was at work all day and all I could think about the whole time was getting home to make some more jewelry. I have a really long list of resin jewelry pieces that I want to sell regularly and for wholesale. I began today by making 10 resin rings with various patterns layered inside the resin. I also made a bunch of resin cubes that I plan to make bracelets out of. I am so excited that I never gave up on jewelery. It's so much fun, it looks pretty, and it makes all women feel very girlie. I get butterflies in my stomach thinking about how wonderful it is going to be to start making sales! I already know my success lies within the universe already, but its up to me to call if forth. I know that I have to want it bad enough in order for it to happen. I am ready for my success, I am ready to make more jewelry, and I am ready for people to take notice of what I am trying to accomplish and help me live out my dream.

Well its really late and I need some sleep. I have a bunch of resin pieces sitting on the counter to dry and I am very anxious to see how they will turn out. I really took my time with these pieces. Hopefully everything will turn out okay and I can take some pictures for my blog and also post them on facebook. I thought more people would come across this blog than my facebook page but that's not the case. Anyway, I love to read and I love to write so I refuse to give up on my blog. I don't need 1 million followers on my blog. I just need to keep a record of my success for the day that I decide to write a book about my jewelry journey. Those who wish to read along and support me are very welcome to do so. If not, just stayed tuned for when the book hits the best sellers list! Goodnight.

Almost Had One!

Today, while I was at work, a lady told me that my earrings were beautiful. I told her that I made them myself and she asked if I sold them. I told her yes and she said she wanted to get a pair for her girls because they would really like them. I wanted to talk to her on her way out of the restaurant but it was so busy that I didn't have a chance to get any information from her. I almost made my first sale. I blame this one on me not being prepared. If I had only had a few pairs of earrings already made, I would have been able to sell her some earrings on the spot instead of making them to order. That was the moment I decided to sell my jewelry in bulk and for wholesale. I still want to make one-of-a-kind pieces, but I also want to make basic jewelry that everyone can purchase at a decent price. I have a goal of how many pieces I want to make before I take my business to flea market, but I don't actually want to specify that amount because the last time I told someone of my jewelry making plans, they talked me out of it; telling me that my goal was too high. How can a goal be too high! I thought everyone wanted to strive for excellence! These are the kinds of people that I have supporting me in my life. Its okay though because it is my own fault for telling them my plans. One of my favorite quotes, "Tell the world what you're going to do but show them first." I spoke too soon, and was persuaded away from my goal. I've learned from my mistake and I will let you know when I have reached my goal.

It is almost 1 o'clock in the morning and I am so anxious to make some jewelry that I can't go to sleep, even though I have a meeting to get to at 8 am. Jewelry making has become an obsession. I read in a book that the only way a person succeeds at something is once they have become so passionate about something that it becomes an obsession. I am proud to say that I am obsessed and I don't care who knows it! I know I am going to succeed because I have all the plans that I need. All I need to do now is put my plans into action.

Now that I know other women are interested, I'm going to make a few extra pairs tomorrow.

New Idea!!!!!

So I haven't had any instant success from Etsy. I thought that I would magically sell every piece of jewelry that I created without having to put too much effort into it. When I first started making jewelry last year, I had a plan to sell it at local craft fairs and at the local flea markets. Some how, I got side tracked and influenced by other people's success online that I forgot about what I wanted to do. I think it is a lot easier to sell jewelry in person because people can try things on and see how they look. Online, you have to have really good photography skills in order to really sell the product. I am also deciding to take my work off of etsy because they charge a fee to list the item, plus they also want a percentage of your sells! Yes, I did know all of this when I signed up but I thought that since Etsy is such a popular site that people would just browse through the website and instantly see my work and want to purchase it. Well that's not the case. There are so many people listing items on the website that you would literally have to be on there for hours to look at everything. The chances of people finding my jewelry on their own is very slim. I'm still motivated to make and sell my jewelry, but I just have to do it a different way. I have more success getting through to people on facebook. That's just a sign for me that I need to go where the people are and put myself out there more and be confident that my jewelry is worth having.

Another thing that I strayed away from was my resin jewelry making. Resin is so cool and easy to work with. I had an idea to make a bunch of really bright, chunky, resin bracelets and rings and just sell those for really cheap. It costs almost nothing to make and they look really pretty. I also have a mold to make earrings as well. I want to get a mold to make bangles as well because everyone loves bangles and they're inexpensive to make. I kind of strayed away from the resin and started focusing more on beads as my medium of choice. I love all of the jewelry that I made with beads, but I think resin is more colorful and bold and I can make it into any shape that I choose. I have to go to work in a few hours but I think I'll at least get the first layer going for some resin rings, and I'll finish them when I get home. Here is a few pictures of some necklaces I made a couple of days ago.

Need more Subscribers!

I am thinking of doing a giveaway, but I need more subscribers. Now that I've put the word out about my jewelry, I'm getting that creative itch again. I am really in the mood to make more jewelry. I have some ideas about some resin rings that I want to make. I'm going to do a whole series of animal prints for the summer/spring season. Hopefully I'll get some done tomorrow and I'll try to post some pictures of them. I also saw a picture of a really nice, wire wrapped bracelet that I'm going to attempt. Stay tuned for more and thanks for the support!

New Video on Youtube!

Open For Business!!!!!!

I finally got around to posting most of my jewelry on Etsy. I am so excited to have 29 pieces of jewelry for sale.

Even if no one ever buys anything, I am still proud of myself for sticking to the plan, even though it took longer than I originally planned. Now that I have some pieces listed, I can get back to my true passion of creating more jewelry. It is just such a wonderful feeling to create a beautiful, unique, one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry and have other people in aw over it. It feels good to tell them that I created it. If I never sell one piece of jewelry, I'll at least have a wonderful collection of jewelry to wear for the rest of my life! Then, when I get older, I can tell people that its vintage, and its one-of-a-kind! Well, I can say that I am actually excited to take a break from this computer. I have been obsessing over this blog and my etsy shop for a few weeks straight and its time I get outside and get some fresh air! Please take a look at my Shop and tell me what you think.

Packaging Idea

This is what I came up for my jewelry packaging. I got the idea from Indie Pretty's blog. I first started by laying a small piece of fabric inside a small gift tin that I bought at the craft store.I cut a piece of pink wrapping paper and stamped a cool design on one side of the paper.I also used a stamp to create a handmade Thank You card.
Once the gift tin was with the paper, I tied the package with a simple piece of black ribbon. The handmade thank you card will be tucked inside of the ribbon. I chose pink and black because it really stands out and I think it is unexpected. I want people to open up their package and smile when they see this bright pink, girly package.

I Finally Did It!

My very first item is officially up for grabs in my Etsy store. It took me a while to get it listed, and some things still need to be adjusted (as far as the store front decorations), but my first piece is finally listed and I am so happy! The lucky item that gets to be the first item for sale is "Asian Flower Garden". I have gotten so much positive feedback on this necklace so I had to list it first.

More items will be listed gradually but I just want to enjoy the moment of having an item for sale. I've already come up with one option for a packaging idea but that will be posted soon enough. Just wanted to take a minute to share my happiness with you. I'll probably record a picture of me dancing and doing cartwheels when someone buys it! Thanks for your support. If you haven't subscribed, please join me in my jewelry making journey. I appreciate new subscribers more than you know!

Grandma's Pearl Necklace

This is a necklace that I made for my daughter's grandmother. I wanted to keep it really simple, but elegant. I wanted to give her something that didn't have too much going on, something that she could wear everyday if she wanted to. She's been asking to see some of my jewelry that I made so I thought that a handmade necklace was the perfect gift for her. Happy Mother's Day to all of the mommies around the world!

A Night Out/My Opinion.....

My boyfriend and I had a night out without the kids tonight. We had fun! I felt like a little girl in high school all over again! We walked, and talked, held hands, ate dinner in the mall, and then we went to see a movie. These are the moments that I cherish the most because we get to spend quality time together and we can just focus on each other and forget about all of the negativity and stress that we may have going on in our lives. It is so much fun to escape from reality and watch a really good movie. The really good movie I am referring to is Iron Man 2. It was so good! I love action movie and comedy, and I thought it was a perfect blend of the two.


A couple of days ago, we had a mini date night. I was really excited to go the theater to see another movie because we had seen the previews for it a couple of months ago. It was the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street.

I was beyond disappointed. I couldn't believe how bad the movie was. It was extremely boring and it was too long and drawn out. I kept waiting for it to get to the good part, but the good part came when the credits started rolling and the movie was over. This movie gets two thumbs down and a major "Booooo!" If you haven't seen it, I don't recommend it at all. I still had fun being out with my boyfriend and that's all that matters! Next movie on my list of movies to see is Robin Hood. Can't wait. I'll keep you posted.

You Can't Make Me!- Random Thoughts from a Mom

Today is a sad day. Not really. This is just me being dramatic. I have to go back to work in a little while. I only work part time at a restaurant so I have plenty of time to sit at home and be crafty. With three kids, its not very easy to always complete things right when I start them. It took a few hours to get pictures taken of my jewelry and I STILL HAVEN'T PUT THEM ON ETSY! I'm ready to step up and be a big girl and get my jewelry our there for the world to see. I am very confident that my jewelry isn't exactly like anyone's that I've seen on Etsy. I should know because I browse Etsy daily. That's my other obsession besides blogs.

It would be really nice to quit my job, forget about going to school this summer, and just focus on my jewelry. I just read a post on Indie Pretty, another one of my blog obsessions, and she was describing how difficult and hectic it is to be a stay-at-home mom, running her own business from home. Just blogging, posting to different forums, checking email, posting on facebook, taking photographs of jewelry, and having time to come up with new designs is difficult enough. I can only imagine how much more chaotic life can get once I actually start selling the jewelry and having to ship it to different places. I know it is a lot of work running a business, but I am ready for the challenge!

Well I need to get off of this computer because I have been on here for hours at a time for the past three days and I feel like I'm neglecting my kids. How do I live out my dream of being a carefree artist without having to sacrifice being a good mom?

I'm A THIEF! And I Love IT!!!

Lately, I have become very obsessed with blogs. Its like being able to read a new book everyday without going to the bookstore. Reading is one of my favorite past times. I haven't been doing much reading lately because I've been so focused on my jewelry and trying to blog about this journey to becoming a successful jewelry designer. I get so much inspiration from reading other blogs. I get inspired by the pictures which gives me an idea of new color schemes that would look great on a bracelet or necklace. Even a blog with no photos is inspiring because just reading the positive thoughts that are stored in someone's head is amazing.
I have been subscribing to a lot of blogs in the past couple of days. Once I read the blog and the person's profile, I feel like I know them. All of the blogs I read are so positive and motivational. When you surround yourself with positive people it makes you work that much harder knowing that you have the support of others who are cheering you on. That is the reason why I started this blog. To get positive feedback and to be supportive to other artist who need that little push in the right direction like I do.
I remember when I first told a few people at work that I was going to start making jewelry. A lot of them just laughed and a lot of them just said, "That's nice." No emotion behind the words and no encouragement. That's okay. I believe in myself and I believe that I can achieve any goal that I set for myself. I read a quote in a book that I am currently reading and it says, "Tell the world what you are going to do, but show them first." That is exactly what I plan to do.
Oh, and about the title....I didn't mean that literally. I've been checking out other people's blog rolls and I've been checking out what others are subscribing to. I look at the blogs and I read the one's that I think are interesting. That's what I meant about being a thief! I'm stealing everyone's blog rolls! Look out!

Ta Ta For Now.
TaneishaJustine

Sneak Peak

Art Project

I promised myself that I would start and Etsy shop to sell my handmade jewelry once I made 50 pieces. Well, my fifty pieces have been done for a couple of weeks now and still no Etsy shop. Well I actually started an Etsy shop but it has no pictures! The lighting in my apartment is almost non-existent so I wanted to take some beautiful pictures outside. As soon as I had a day off from work the sun wouldn't come up and it would mysteriously start raining. I started to do some research online to see how and where everyone else takes such nice photos of their work and that's when a came across this light box project. It was very simple to read and assemble. All it took was an old cardboard box that I had sitting in my closet, a box cutter, some tape, and some paper. Once I had it assembled, I just used this old, almost broken lamp to light up my box. I didn't think it would make a difference in my pictures but it really did! I am so excited that I don't have to wait for a bright, sunny day outside for me to take pictures. I still want to do some pictures out in the beautiful sunshine, but with kids, and a busy schedule I rarely have the time.

More Earrings

These earrings were also a big hit with my friends. They were shocked to find out that I made them out of key rings! I had a bunch of key rings sitting in a box and I thought it would be cool to create something with them. I made a few pairs but they are all different. I think jewelry is a lot more interesting when they are one-of-a-kind. Some of my jewelry pieces may have the same style as another, but the colors will never be exactly the same. When I decided to make jewelry, I knew I didn't want to make exact replicas of anything because I think that takes away from the beauty. I want to make pieces that people can talk about and wonder, "Where did you get that?" And I want to the person wearing my jewelry to be proud to state "Oh, they're one-of-a-kind! This is the only pair like it in the world!" When you know you have something that can't be found anywhere else, that makes you want to show them off and hold on to them forever. I want to create jewelry that will never go out of style, and makes a woman feel beautiful every time she puts on a piece of my jewelry. I wanted to create a slide show of all of my jewelry that I've created so far but my camera is going crazy on me. All of my jewelry will be available on Etsy really soon, I promise.
Stayed Tuned. Thanks for your support.

More Original Creations!

This is a pair of earrings that I made a couple of weeks ago and I've been getting a lot of compliments on them whenever I wear them to work. I love gold jewelry, and I love the color red, so I am pleased with how these earrings turned out. They will be up for grabs on Etsy soon, so keep your eyes open and I'll be sure to let the world know when my Etsy store is open for business!

Never Gave Up!

I am really happy that I never gave up on jewelry making. When I first started, my jewelry looked like elementary school art projects. Now I am confident enough to show the world what I am going to do. I am going to make jewelry that I love! I have always been interested in art and I'm excited that I have found an outlet for creative expression. I have become obsessed with jewelry making and it feels good. Making jewelry was just a fun hobby at first and it still is. Now, I'm in the process of turning it into a business which I know is really hard work. I am dedicated to having a successful business and if this works out, maybe it'll give me the confidence to pursue other things in my life that I was too afraid to jump into. I still haven't had a chance to take any new photos of my jewelry but I promise it is coming soon. I don't know if anyone will ever read this and that's okay. I am excited and I won't stop until the world has heard what I have to say.

Stay tuned.More to come.
TaneishaJustine

Asain Flower Garden

So I finally got the guts to start a blog and show the world what I'm all about. I am still trying to get better at my photography skills so bare with me. This necklace is one of my favorite pieces so far. Its called "Asian Flower Garden". It will be listed for sell on my Etsy shop soon. I feel like I'm trying to do too many things at the same time. I am also working on my youtube channel, where I'll be creating slide show type videos to promote my jewelry. I'm going to try and post as much as I can because I want both positive and "creative criticism" on my jewelry. I love to know what other people are thinking. I want to know if people are as excited about my jewelry as I am and if not, I'd like to know how I can make it better. It took me a couple of months to gain the confidence to actually show someone what I've been doing for the past couple of months so this is a really big day for me! Again, sorry about the blurry photo. That's another thing I need to add to my list of things to improve. Thanks for reading this. Please leave a comment and please be HONEST!