Featured Artist Dragonfly Creations

There are lots of beautiful shops on Etsy that catch your eye as you browse for specific items. But finding a beautiful "soul" inside that shop makes shopping there an even more delightful experience. Dragonfly Creations is one of those stores with one of those beautiful souls inside. I've had the opportunity to visit with Cara Connor, proprietor of Dragonfly Creations and this is what she told me about herself and her charming, elegant store.

"My store reflects simple elegance, with a funky charm, that tells a story. I am inspired by my environment and people around me. I am very visual and tactile and I'm always looking for new ways to create and put together jewelry. I am inspired by beautiful quotes and sayings."

"One of my favorites is," "I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow." Maya Angelou

Cara has been creating jewelry since she was five years old and giving it away as presents, but never thought about selling it until a good friend introduced her to Etsy in August of 2008.

Her goal is to one day have her own jewelry line selling in a boutique, making custom jewelry for brides, bridal parties, anniversary presents and to be featured in a magazine such as Lucky. Cara wants to learn how to solder so she can make her own rings and charms. She says "I have many ideas and designs, I just don't have an outlet for them at this moment." Cara handpicks all the items that she uses in her shop and researches current trends to find what her customers will like. Then she adds a "Cara" twist to it, to make the item as individual as each of her customers. She takes time putting each of her pieces of jewelry together and does so with love and care. The goal of Cara and her shop Dragonfly Creations is to make every piece of jewelry something that you would love to wear and Cara tries to imagine how you will feel when you receive it.

The care doesn't stop once the piece is made. When you order an item from Dragonfly Creations, the item is shipped the very next day, in a beautiful brocade button close bag for safe keeping and in a bubble cushioned envelope. Order more than one item and the 2nd item is shipped free. Cara's favorite materials to use are wire, chain, turquoise, fresh water pearls, gemstones, Czech glass and crystals.

You can check out her Etsy store at http://caraconner.etsy.com/. If you have any questions or would like to contact Cara, she welcomes your custom orders or comments and you can contact her at dragonflycreations@live.com

Creativity like this doesn't come everyday but it does come from the soul. The soul of this shop is a woman who lives and loves for others. Not only is she spending time creating beautiful jewelry for us, she is a special education teacher who teaches full time and is going to school to get her Masters degree in special education. Her heart is for children who have been overlooked and often left behind. She carries this kind of passion in all she does and will take Dragonfly Creations as far as she wants it to go. Good Luck Cara!

Take a few minutes and look at the heart and soul of Cara Connor and Dragonfly Creations. You will be inspired!

Opinion or Fact

I came across a thread today that stated North Shore Clay is not making jewelry. Opinion or fact?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and of course, our constitution guarantees us the right to have our say, and say it however we choose.

Does the medium we use, whether it's clay, metal or anything else determine whether what we make is jewelry? Does the length of time it takes us to make the piece determine whether it's jewelry or is it the difficulty of making the piece. If any of the aforementioned statements are true then there is a lot of (non)jewelry out there that is not jewelry.

When we create something it is an extremely personal expression of ourselves. Often times I am relating something personal through my clay. I tell stories as I create my pieces. They may not be for everyone and that's okay. My pieces are not about glitz and glamour.

So what do you think? Is North Shore Clay making jewelry? Sounds like the stuff of a good hearty debate.

Be Creative With Your Craft

Be creative with your craft.

CONTEST THURSDAY!

This yummy cream colored winter scarf is $7.00 in my etsy store. My blog readers will receive this scarf for only $5.00 when you contact me and tell me you read my blog! I appreciate my blog readers.

My etsy store is http://northshoreclay.etsy.com

Have a great start to the fall season with some warm cozy scarves in some great fall colors. Thanks for looking and I look forward to seeing you around the blogs!

10 Tips for Opening An Art Gallery

1. First and foremost, get a website up and running. It is an essential part of business these days. Put an impressive portfolio of your work on your site. Myspace is a great option for free advertising.

2. Make your presence known while you attend craft shows and at other art events. See how other artist run their galleries. Please don't steal the limelight, but do make yourself known.

3. Publish a newsletter. Post it on the neighborhood bulletin boards and in the neighborhood near your gallery showing.

4. Collaborate with fellow artists before you go it alone. Get a glimpse of what having a gallery will be like before you take the leap. Share a gallery with other artists. There are lots of artists who will be happy to share the experience with you.

5. Teaching your craft for a few hours each week either as a volunteer or as a way to make a few extra dollars will get your name out there. Your "students" will be talking about their "teacher." Another natural extension of advertising for your gallery opening. Volunteering will speak volumes about you to the community.

6. Have a professional portfolio made. No one wants to see your lovely work stuck in a binder with glue sticks. Take the time and spend a little money to have a portfolio professionally done. It will pay off and you will be proud to show off your work.

7. Your business cards should reflect your work. So many times I see business cards that don't tell me a thing about someone. You are an artist, be creative. All of your information should be on your business cards, from your name and address to your blog address and your website, and don't forget the phone number. Carry them everywhere. Leave one with the tip the next time you go to a restaurant. Why not.

8. Start a blog. Having a blog is really a good way to advertise your gallery and art. Don't be shy about starting one. Blogs take a little time, but they can be worth the effort to explain what you do in words and are a great way to promote yourself. I know, I'm the queen of "shameless promotion".

9. Don't forget the obvious, your personal network of people who are proud of you and are willing to tell the world how wonderful your art is. These people can be your teachers, pastor, community leaders, fellow artists or family members. Feel free to keep adding to this list.

10. Collect emails as you go so you can let your customers and potential customers know about any new releases or sales. Having the option for your customers to receive emails from you on your website is a great way to get repeat customers. Research indicates that you will need to have seven contacts with potential customers before you will make a sale. If this research is accurate, email is a cost efficient way to make your sales happen. Not doing this is like sweeping money into the trash.

A final note. Consider contacting the local paper regarding a press release about your gallery opening. You've hit the big time!

Contest Thursday!

Good Thursday Everyone! Go to my store TODAY http://northshoreclay.etsy.com and you will receive $2.00 off my already low summer prices. Remember that all of my pieces are handmade by me from start to finish and each piece tells a story! Find yours! This offer is only available to my blog readers! Thanks for visiting North Shore Clay and Craft Blog and be sure to check back soon! Namaste by friends! Craft on...

The Crash

The modem fried in my computer 9 days ago. I felt a sense of panic. All of the work I have been doing is in my computer. All of my pictures, all of my writing, all of my personal thoughts, struggles and visions for what I dream my little business would someday be. I called Toshiba and talked with Tech Support several times before realizing that I would have to send my laptop off for repair.

I back up my computer once a week so everything is saved, and I am glad that I did. I finally got my pc back last night and everything is gone. My Toshiba Satellite is in original condition. No files, no pictures, no documents, nothing. I'm wondering at this point why all of my hard drive had to be dumped to change the modem? Is this a standard practice at Toshiba? I don't claim to be very computer literate and called my internet service provider (Surfbest) who walked me through getting back online and getting my email back up and running and has always been great in the customer service department. They always make you feel like you are the only person they have to deal with and are happy to help! A shout out to Wesley at Surfbest for great customer service this morning!

However, Toshiba customer service has some serious problems. They are rude and degrading. When I talk to a customer service technician I want to feel better about my problem when the conversation is over. I want to feel that the person that I have talked to cares about the product and the person on the other end of the phone. When I pay hard earned money for a big ticket item, I expect service to match.

Granted, Toshiba makes a good product, but they sorely lack in customer service.

This rant brings me to the reason for the post. Customer Service! As business people, our reputation is decided by how we treat our customers. Has Toshiba made me a repeat customer? No. Will my ISP (Internet Service Provider) get referrals from me for being so helpful and happy to talk to me this morning? A wholehearted YES! If you are having a bad day, don't take it out on your customers. If you don't care about your job, get a new one. If you have a bad attitude, change it, or someone will change it for you in short order.

Employees can make or break a business. Maybe you handle your business as it should be, but what about your employees? How are they answering the phone when you aren't there? Something to think about...

Keywords and Links

As an online presence and a store owner we rely on search engines to bring our customers to us. How can we use the search engines to our best advantage? I've written about keywords before, but they are important enough for another article and I will include links here as well.

Keywords are how our customers find us. What are keywords? Keywords describe your item. I make handmade clay jewelry, so the keywords, for my store items, would be, polymer clay, handmade clay jewelry, clay jewelry, polymer jewelry, North Shore Clay Jewelry, North Shore Clay, I think you get the idea. Use these keywords throughout the text of your site. What makes it tough sometimes is that some words are so obvious that they are only implied and are never stated often enough. Like your town name, state, or brand name. So let me go back to my keywords and revise the list now with the keywords that I left out. North Shore, Lake Superior, MN.
Be sure to use these "implied" words often throughout your text, certainly more than once.

Regarding links. Search engines consider incoming links as signs of popularity and will move you right up the list in a quick fashion. A successful tactic is to guest author an article at another site in exchange for a link. Exchange links with a fellow crafter. Etsy has many wonderful store keepers who help with this all the time. http://Etsy.com

A final word regarding your online profile. It is much better to use a few tools wisely and consistently than be spread so thinly that you can't keep up and have outdated information. Find out what works for you, what you have time for, and remember that keywords and links are, well, key!