New Purchase!!! Had to share!

I just bought these gorgeous fibre beads from the fabulous Etsy shop - Ebrown2503 . I seriously can't wait for their arrival in my letterbox because I have a wonderful plan developing in my mind involving their gorgeous textures, large smooth resin beads (how unusual of me!) and some silver painted ceramic beads that I've been holding on to. Stay tuned!!

For the Love of Colour

I think it is pretty obvious that I am a huge fan of colour. Oscar Wilde said "Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways."

I love this quote and have decided to feature a couple of items that speak to my soul in a thousand different ways.

Heaven's Dawn II is by one of my favourite Etsy artists, Natasha Wescoat. Her use of colour just knocks me over.

My good friend Celeste from Crickets Creations knows a lot about the use of colour. Her creations are always so special and they most definitely speak to my soul...especially when it's cold, :0) This Cotton Candy scarf is a perfect example of her love of colour.

And finally one of my own creations. My new necklace, Punjab is an example of how I perceive and work with colour. Check it out at my Etsy shop: Early Bird Creations.

Early Christmas Find

Yep I know, Christmas isn't for a while...but I've been finding such wonderful handmade Chirstmassy things online lately that it's hard not to get excited. Here are a couple of items that I think are just fantastic!
I found these gorgeous stuffed calaveras ornaments in BadSkirt's shop on Madeit.com.au

This funky felted wreath is from Maddyandme. This really is a fantastic example of recycling and upcycling!

Please Ma'am...Can I have some more?

These gorgeous ceramic buttons are from one of my favourite Etsy artist, Ginny at GinPins. I bought them today for a second time after I used the first lot in a garden-inspired necklace that was quickly snapped up by a customer at a local festival I was exhibiting at.

I loved this necklace so much that I pleaded with Ginny to make me some more buttons, which she agreed to (because that's just the type of lovely person she is). Now, with my buttons placed in a bubble mailer and making their journey from California to my humble abode I'm torn between recreating the same gorgeous necklace or trying out something even more wonderful....I'll let you know what I decide when they arrive! Yay!

A New Month

Typically I love November. Not only is it my birthday month (27th day) but also my wedding anniversary (same day as b'day!). I generally find that November always brings me good fortune of some sort of other. As it is the start of a new month I thought I would make a killer necklace! It's a LONG one. Possibly the longest in my Etsy shop at the moment. I wanted something that would wrap twice around the neck (so versatile!). So here it is...

Spring Has Definitely Arrived!!!!

Ok, perhaps not for you Northern Hemisphere folk but for us Aussies (and of course everyone else in the Southern Hemisphere) the season of growth is upon us! I know you're probably thinking "well yeah Kylie, the beginning of Spring was actually about 8 weeks ago" but in my part of the world it has been nothing but rain, cold, then a bit of sunshine, then a bit of heat, then rain, then cold etc, you get my drift.

I took a walk in my garden today and realised that I actually need to do a bit more than walk in it. It's due for a weeding and a pruning and perhaps the adding of summer veges to our vegetable patch. But I did get some great images to share with you. Hope you like them, they will be my bit of inspiration for some new designs to come...

This is our first ripe strawberry...yep...now eaten!

Portulacas growing beautifully...thankyou to Ginny from GinPins who reminded me of the name!

These are our flourishing tomato plants...I just wish they didn't take so darn long to fruit! Not long now though.

If anyone can tell me what this gorgeous flower is, I'd be eternally grateful. It's only just popped up in our garden next to some bromeliads but it's just gorgeous!

Some Marketing Tips...

The Senses
I recently went to a marketing seminar and listened to some really interesting speakers talk about how to attract buyers...and lots of them! Here's a good tip and I will follow this up with a few more over the next few days.

The more senses you involve the more successful you will become. See - Hear - Feel. I was thinking about this one last night and think it is an excellent tip! I mean, look at all those Etsy soap sellers and think about how they brand themselves. The reason they are selling is because their photos and descriptions involve the senses. Most of the soap I come across looks good enough to eat (Taste). The descriptions mention different scents (Smell) and the photos are often just plain gorgeous (Sight). I am going to be considering how I can work the aspect of the senses into my listings.

Have a System
Edward Demming said "94% of failure happens because of the lack of a system" So it's important to have a system with your shop. In fact at the moment, I am following the system of listing an item a day. But if you develop a system with how you organise your day then you are more likely to succeed! I don't believe I have an effective system yet. My day job gets in the way too much (but this is no excuse!). So I'm gonna work on how I can improve the system I am working with.