Titles, tags and traffic...

A couple of weeks ago I was spurred on to put real effort into making my etsy shop work for me and start creating some real bussiness. So with that in mind I started to make some goals, firstly I need to get my shop known, and one of the ways I could do that was with my blog. (At first I only started this blog for my own benefit as a way of keeping a record of the pieces of jewellery I have made and I could refer to the blog as a list of my creations. Now I see the bigger picture and the potential of blogging...providing I can master it!) So where was I? Ah yes I was spurred on... One goal was to blog everyday, which I started to do, the first week. Ashamedly I confess it has waned, no excuses but I've also been trying really hard to add stock to my shop, create social media sites for my shop and increase traffic to my shop, and do all of this just in the hours that my little one is sleeping! (What did I say about not making excuses!) Anyway all of this is leaving my brain feeling rather frazzled! And all I keep thinking about is tags,tags,tags!!!! Tags are the bane of my life. Whats a tag you ask? Well until I opened my shop I had no idea what it was or what people were talking about when they said "you need to create traffic." Traffic? 'traffic is on the roads,' I thought, and normally I try to avoid it! Well if you have a website or online shop you will already know that tags are the keywords that you attach to your items so when people do online searches they can find your item. Traffic is what you want to create to your shop i.e. lots of people browsing your shop online from lots of different sources. (Even now as I talk about these things my mind goes fuzzy and I feel like lying down!) So at the moment I am working on increasing followers on my twiiter site: https://twitter.com/similar_to/RegaliaJeweller Creating boards and followers on my pinterest site: http://pinterest.com/regaliajewelery/ Creating followers on my etsy shop and increasing my items for sale. So far I have 12 items on my shop (my goal is 50!) I've been managing to add 1 or 2 a day. I know what your thinking "It could take a while," but there is alot involved in listing an item. Let me save that for another post! Anyway next goal (after fulfilling all the above) is to create a facebook account for my shop. I didn't want to create it until I had a good amount of stock in my shop for people to look at. What do you think should I wait to create it or not? Anyway I think I would feel more motivated and less overwhelmed if I had at least a few followers to my blog, then at least I would feel like someone is interested. (yes I want your pity! lol!) Okay anyway I need to get back to listing more items. If you want to make me smile I'd love to check my blog next time and see a new follower or 2... or even a comment! Heres hoping. x

Get my button

I created a few boards on Pinterest of items that I really like. They are a collection of jewellery pieces that I think are inspiring and would love to wear. Check them out on this link and grab my pinterest button!



http://pinterest.com/regaliajewelery/

I'm going social....

I now have a tweeter site and a pinterest site! check them out -

http://pinterest.com/regaliajewelery/boho-beauty/

https://twitter.com/RegaliaJeweller

new items on my shop

Hi, so slowly but surely I'm adding pieces to my shop. 9 pieces on there now only another 41 to add to meet my goal! So I thought I would shre the new pieces I've added with you. hope you like them, let me know what you think....

Mainly I have earrings in my shop so I need to get working todiversify my stock with some more necklaces and bracelets etc...

Also on a photography note I'm happier with these pictures but still feel there is room to improve.

Enjoy!

dreary weather + photography = failure

My special number that I am working to as a goal in everything at the moment is 50. I'm trying to get 50 followers on my blog and 50 likes to my ETSY shop as well as be added to 50 circles on Etsy. I also not want but NEED to get 50 items onto my ETSY shop. To do this however I need to take pictures of all the pieces of jewellery I have made, but I can't take decent pictures of my jewellery when the weather is grey and dark and bleak and generally horrible ALL the time. What can I do? (That is a rhetorical question, if you can tell me how to take good pictures of items when you have no good natural light I would love to know!)

So at the moment I am continuing to make lots but not put it on my shop....I neeeeed help!!!

One more thing to tick off my list

I told you recently that I'm working hard making all the jewellery for my first party, well today I put together the invite for the host to send out. This is what I came up with....

What do you think, would you come to my party?

Something other then jewellery

If I had all the time in the world I most likely would have 101 hobbies, not only do I love making jewellery but I also love all things textiles, art ect... pretty much anything creative, that also includes cooking and baking. Sometimes when I have been none stop making jewellery and my callused fingers and strained eyes need a brake I like to indulge in a good book or baking. Which leads me on to telling you about my latest little project that I started a few months ago, a reading group with my friends.

We all love reading and I'm always recommending books (I like to think I'm quite good at choosing books people like) so I thought it would be a nice social things to get together and chat about the book we have been reading. (sometimes 30% chat about book, 20% eat and drink and 50% chat about everything and anything else!) So as I was arranging it I hosted our first group, and because it was our first group I wanted to make it that little bit special. I must admit I had been checking out other people blogs and ideas for book clubs etc and I  got carried away wanting to copy all these amazing ideas I had seen other people do (and add a few of my own ideas) so our first book group became a bit of a party!

So I spent the week focused on my book group party all based around the obvious theme of books and reading.(and not jewellery) I made everyone their own book marks, I made table confetti, cake toppers, a Rosette, and cupcakes with book decorations on top made out of icing.

Looking now at the pictures I've taken I realise now that I should have moved the baby bouncer out of the frame. This makes me think generally when I take pictures I need to take a little bit more time to consider my composition, lighting etc... I love photography (another hobby) and really I should be ashamed of this picture because I know I could have made it better and if I had taken a little bit more time and patience I wouldn't be kicking myself now. I promise I can take better pictures have a look at my flickr site

We had a really great first book group and everyone enjoyed our first book "The Help"  Have you read this book? Did you enjoy it? Got any book you would recommend for us to read in our group?

So I know I deviated from all things beads and bling, but as all you crafters will agree sometimes you need to take a step away from what you enjoy and then come back to it with a fresh approach and clear head.