Tuesday, September 29, 2009

My Upcycle/Recycle Project!

A few weeks ago I decided to start working on some jewelry made with items that I already had. And the items I am speaking of are are fabric, leather, broken jewelry, etc.... I have made a few cool interesting things that I will take photos and list on Etsy. However, I have also make a few things that are not cool at all or they are taking longer to make than I thought they would. For instance I am working on a leather cuff make from leather scraps ( that I have had forever) . I started working on this cuff yesterday thinking it would be an easy project but I was wrong. It's day two and I am still working on it-trying to figure out a way to close it without it looking goofy. And of course I could use snaps but I was being cheap and did not want to buy anything new for these projects. Anyway, I am off to try and finish that cuff and a few more items so that I can take photos on Wednesday (which will be th only sunny day this week) and list them. Plus, I have a gig this week from Thursday to next Tuesday so I wanted to have more items in the shop before then.
Wish me luck!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Free Gift With Purchase! Pendant/Charm



I am offering a free gift with purchase for the next six sales from my Etsy shop. Next six buyers will receive a faceted Rock Crystal pendant/charm that can be simply worn on a chain or used as a charm. Enjoy. My Shop: http://jazjewelz.etsy.com

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Shecky's Girls Night Out! I Went!

A couple nights ago, my friends and I went to Shecky's Girl's Night Out and there were tons of women there; a lot more than we expected. In fact, we arrived a little late in hopes of there being little to no line at the entrance. However, the line was jam packed and a little disorderly I must say. Anyhow, we got in and boy was there tons to see. There were plenty of vendors selling everything from jewelry, and clothing, to bath and body products and more. There were also lots of sponsors selling and giving out samples of their products including drinks and snacks. My friends and I checked out most of the vendors and of course I had to make a personal trip to each and every seller of "smell goods" of which there were about five.


Huh? You wanna know if I bought any "smell good" stuff? Of course I did! I bought some soap from a company called Kejor and some manicure scrub (called hand candies) from Bath by Riley. The soap is called Nature and smells great and is all natural. And the manicure scrub or hand candies are awesome-they are individually wrapped like candy and smell incredible; I think I will not only use them for my hands but for my body also.

Now, I can't make a blog post about Shecky's Girl's Night out without mentioning the "Goodie Bag" which is filled with all types of products and samples from the night's sponsors. The goodie bag costs $15 ( you can buy it when you order your ticket online) and is well worth it because there were a couple of full-sized products in the bag that were well over $15. Needless to say I was pleased and would definitely do Shecky's again. The only thing that was missing was chocolate and I am very serious about that. How can you have an event for women that has everything (snacks, drinks, shopping, smell goods, free samples, etc..) and no chocolate. So that is my one suggestion to Shecky's-get some chocolate people in there. That is all!

Note: I apologize for the lack of photos in this post; I had some issues with flickr that I have not been able to resolve.


Monday, September 14, 2009

Renegade Craft Fair!



I went to the Renegade Craft Fair yesterday and really enjoyed walking around and browsing all of the vendors' crafts. I literally checked out every single booth; started at one end and worked my way around. And there were all types of crafts including, of course, jewelry, clothing, bath and body products, candles, stuffed animals, etc.... You name it, it was there. And I am always amazed at how creative people can get with their crafting especially those who make items out of recycled materials. For instance, there was a vendor who sold leather cuffs that were made of old belts, suitcases, purses, etc.. and that booth was getting tons of business.

Now, I did not have much of budget to spend so I ended up buying what I always buy and that is smell goods (which are usually the cheapest things you can buy). There were several booths selling soaps, lotions, etc... and I visited them all but I only bought from two of them: Rinse, and Squeaky Queen. At Rinse I bought the Body Bliss Nectar in the nectar fragrance, and at Squeaky Queen I bought the Beer Soap. Both items smell really great and I can't wait to use them.

Overall I had a nice time and it was a really beautiful day in Chicago (unlike last years 2 straight days of rain for Renegade). And I picked up tons of ideas for displaying my jewelry at shows and got some inspiration too.

Note: Here are a few of the vendors that I thought were really cool






Friday, September 11, 2009

Chicago Esty Meet Up





Yesterday I went to the Chicago Etsy meet up and it was pretty cool. I got a chance to meet Maria Thomas who is the CEO; she personally walked around, introduced herself to individuals and asked about our shops and asked for business cards (luckily I had some on me). There were also a few other staff members (Matt, Julie, etc...) who were there . Maria, Matt, and other staff basically gave us information about themselves, Etsy, the future of Etsy, and they answered questions from sellers and buyers. The meet up took place at the Catalyst Ranch which has a very fun, colorful atmosphere and is often rented out buy corporations and business people who don't want to have meetings in stuffy board (or bored) rooms. Play-doh, crayons, pencils, stress ball, games, hula hoops, etc... were all over the room.
Overall, I am glad I went (although I had to leave early) and left having some questions answered and with a greater appreciation for Etsy.

Note: Pictures are from the Catalyst Ranch

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Etsy Meet Up In Chicago?


There is going to be an Etsy Meet Up in Chicago tomorrow and I plan to go! Hopefully I will meet lots of nice Etsians from Chicago and beyond. And I know that many of the ppl there will also be exibiting at the Renegade Craft Fair-so lots of artsy people in Chicago this weekend. I have never been to the Renegade Craft Fair-I tried to go last year but it rained soooo bad all that weekend. So I will definitely try to make it out this time. Anyway, If anyone out there is going please leave a comment and hopefully we will get the chance to meet!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Declined by Craftgawker :(




I recently submitted a few jewelry photos to craftgawker.com and they were declined. I did not think my photos were all that bad but I guess they have certain standards to go by. Plus, I am sure they get swamped with tons of submissions everyday. So they weed out the less than perfect pics. Anyhow, I was disappointed but I guess that means I need to step my photography game up! *wah* *sniffle*

Friday, September 4, 2009

New Lower Prices! And Free U.S. Shipping!

Yesterday I spent some time on My Etsy Shop; I renewed a few items, lowered prices, and made a few more things free to ship withing the U.S. I am hoping this will bring in a few more sales, views, and hearts! Please check it out!

Was $12 now $10




There are plenty other lower prices! Check the shop to see more. Jazjewelz.etsy.com

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Mineral Make-up On the Cheap!!!


I have been wearing mineral make up for the past few years and it seems to be the best option for me-especially as far as foundation goes. And I have tried a few brands but the one brand that I have bought the most is called Youngblood. I found Youngblood to be a very good match for my skin tone and it had a nice silky, smooth formulation. However, in recent months I have not been able to afford Youngblood since it costs over $30 dollars. Therefore I had to explore other less expensive options and that's when I came across e.l.f. (eyes, lips, face).

Now, I had heard of e.l.f. before and had bought some of their cosmetics (at that time everything was a $1). And I thought their cosmetics were pretty good especially for a dollar but I wanted to start using more natural makeup . Then, a couple months ago, I saw that e.l.f. launched a mineral make up line; I decided to check it out. I went to the website to check the prices and they were great-and the foundation was only $5 dollars. And before I bought anything I registered on their site and got tons of coupon codes as a result. So with coupon code in tow I made my purchase which consisted of mineral foundation, mineral concealer, mineral lip gloss, a setting powder, an eyeliner, an eyeshadow primer, and a lip liner. My total for all of make up including the coupon was $26.87 (less than what I paid for just 1 of my previous mineral makeup).

When I received my order I was excited to try the products although I must admit I was a little skeptical . And I am not usually the one to equate high prices with quality but in this case I thought that e.l.f could not be better than my usual brand. Next, I tried the make up right away (although I still had some of my regular make up left) and I was pleasantly surprised. The foundation felt nice, it was a good match, and there was no ashiness or breakouts. And the other products I got were pretty good too especially the setting powder (mineral booster) and the eyeshadow primer which rocked; my eyeshadow did not budge for hours. Needless to say I was really impressed with e.l.f.'s mineral line and I will definitely be buying more. Note: they have of kits, palettes, lipsticks, blushes, bronzers, and brushes in their mineral line.