Throwback Thursday! Early Etsy days.

These are the first few items I sold on etsy. Look how terrible these photos are. LOL. That first item was from 2008 and etsy was a different then. You could get away with not having the best  photos and many shops (mine included)  were a mishmash of  the sellers' handmade items.

Then Etsy started changing. Photos became paramount. And the collective look of a shop was extremely important -from the banner on down.  As etsy started to change I soon learned that I need to change too. Especially since my sales were little to none.  I began to pay more attention to what was working for successful sellers/shops and tried to implement those changes into my shop. My photos (slowly) got a little better and I'm still working on getting the best shots. Also, I spent more time editing the sections of my shop such as the bio, shipping policies, payment,etc,...  And don't even get me started on SEO, tagging, branding, and all that-i'm still working on getting that down.  Also, as social media exploded, I made sure to join the networks that could possibly help me reach customers. Some of them seemed ineffective but I still decided that it was better to promote on those networks than not. Though I must admit that I've dropped the ball a bit on the social media side. But I plan to change that and make other changes too. Especially making more jewelry!!!!! I've been so busy trying to promote the few items in my shop instead of making more stuff. But trust me, new items will be rolling out soon.

Anyway, those were my early etsy days and though my shop and brand  is not where I'd like it to be, it's much better than where I started.


October 2008


October 2008


April 2009

September 2009

Here and now

Simply Hammered!

A few simple hammered pieces that are popular in my shop.
jazjewelz.etsy.com

Click photos for item info.

Monday Motivation

You Can Make It If You Try - Sly and The Family Stone

My Hipapotheca.com Buys

In a previous post I mentioned a sweet deal from R29 Reserve which was $35 for $70 worth of product at Hipapotheca.com. I bought that deal then (May 1) and at the time I was dead set on using it on this travel set. But once I actually placed my order (couple weeks ago) I decided I wanted to spread those dollars around. So here is what I ended up getting. And please note that all photos are sourced from Hipapotheca.com because my camera finally, really hit the dust *cries* :((( and my camera phone photos just really suck. Though I did include one photo at the bottom all of the products.
Click photos for info on products.


                                         

Feed Your Do Styling Whip by yarok $23.00

Feed Your Ends Leave In Conditioner by Yarok $17

Heavenly Peach Coconut Virgin Oil bu adara

Sweet Sanura Body Oil by Mbeze $5.00 (travel size )

Ife Body Oil by Mbeze $5.00 (travel size)

Large size pictured because of broken link on Hipapotheca's site. 

Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser by One Love Organics (discovery size)

I really like this brand. I have some samples that I bought some time ago

and I started using them again. My skin loves it. 

Birchbox September 2012

It's Birchbox time and this month's theme is fall fashion trends. Here is what I got and please forgive the crappy camera phone photos. My camera has really died this time. Hopefully I can get a new one soon. Until then I'll have to use what I got.

Vasanti BrightenUp Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator 20 gram tube

Natural facial exfoliator that mimics microdermabrasion. Left my skin nice and smooth. 

Full size retails for $34

21 drops Aromatherapy Blend  0.7fl. oz sample

A blend of essential for aromatherapy. I received the Focus (how'd they know?) scent 

which is supposed to aid in concentration. 

Full size retails for $29.00

twistband lace up  1 band

twistbands are hair elastics that are made of soft elastic. 

A pack of 12 retails for $22.00

Nexxus Pro-Mend Split end Shampoo, Conditioner and Treatment creme (sample pouches)

These little sample packets are always too small. Not enough product to judge results. Especially  for a lot of hair. The creme felt nice though. 

Full sizes retail at $9.99 for shampoo and creme and $14.99 for conditioner. 

Color Club Professional Nair Lacquer in Status Update 

I like this color-It's a very deep gray. Full size retails for $8.00

Mighty Leaf Tea  3 pouches

I've bought Mighty Leaf Teas before and I like them a lot. They've got some great blends. 

Tea in my box is always a win. 

Retails for $9.95 

A gift card for Madewell. $25 on a purchase of $75 or more. 

Sign up for Birchbox HERE 

Check out my other boxes:

August Birchbox 2012

Glamour Birchbox July 2012

Birchbox June 2012

Gossip Girl May 2012

April 2012

March 2012

February 2012

January 2012

December 2011

My Fave Running Song....For Now!

I've been running a little over two months now.  I've improved my speed and stamina a bit but I'm still pretty slow. I generally run 2-3 times a week if I can but my knees won't allow me to go anymore than that. I try to get in 2-3 miles and I can pretty much do the first two miles straight. But come mile 3,  I'm walking midway through. Needless to say, running is little challenging for me but what makes it easier is music. And I know that some people run "unplugged" (without music)  but that doesn't work for me. Music gives me that little extra push I need to keep going. I have about 20 songs on my running playlist that range from mid to fast tempos. These songs are mostly just for running-not stuff that I casually listen. My fave at the moment  is Santigold's You'll Find A Way (video below). It's the perfect pace for me right but as I get faster my music will too.

Fashion's Night Out (FNO) SALE !!!

Hi all! It's Fashion's Night Out so I'm offering a discount in my shop. Use code FNOSALE15 to get 15% off of your order now through midnight (cst). Happy Shopping!
Jazjewelz.etsy.com

Natural Hair Wishlist: Bask Beauty

I saw this Bask Beauty brand for the first time on Etsy a while ago. The products sounded pretty good so I added them to my favorite shops and didn't  think too much about them after that. Then I started seeing rave reviews on blogs and Youtube. And of course that piqued my interest. I went to their website and saw that they added many more products to their line. Everything sounded like something I'd love to try. I hope to get some of their products soon. Here are the items that I am most interested in:

sources: Baskbeauty.com



Have you heard of Bask? Have you tried any of their products?

Wordless Wednesday

Etsy Gift Cards Are Coming Soon!

I just received an email announcing that Etsy will soon be introducing gift cards. I am very excited about this; it's something Etsy sellers have been requesting for quite some time. And I will definitely be taking advantage of gift cards to promote my shop with giveaways and contests. You can read more about the gift cards HERE.

Sale Items in My Etsy Shop!

I have a few items on sale in my shop. Please check them out. I will post a few photos and links below.
Check out the video too. Please rate, comment, and subscribe. Thanks and Happy Shopping.

Jazjewelz.etsy.com



Black and Gold Leather Earrings (repurposed)

Gold and Cowrie Shell Earrings

Malachite and Brass Ring (adjustable)

Copper Nugget Ring (adjustable)

Turquoise and brass ring (adjustable)

Black Faux Coral Earrings

Faceted Agate and Oxidized Copper Necklace

Agate and oxidized copper necklace

Oxidized Copper and Green Blue Earrings

Magnesite and Brass Necklace

Indian Aventurine Necklace

Turquoise and Copper Ring

Zigzag Copper and chain Earrings

Black Gold and Blue Beaded Hoop Earrings

Black Gold and Wood Hoop Earrings

There's even more on sale click HERE