Firefly Design Studio Designer Challenge - Round 2

I host a designers challenge on Facebook and round 2 voting started today!  30 designers purchased a kit with the same pendant and had 2 color choices, blue or brown.  Since it's summer time, our theme is a starfish on the beach.  Here are the 2 kit choices:

 

There is also a polymer clay connector in the kit made by Cory Tompkins, but it was a secret component when I took these pictures Lol.  Everything in the kit has to be used with any beading technique and any additional supplies from their personal stash.  I have opened up the group for voting through Friday, June 3rd at midnight EDT.  All likes and comments on the designers 4 pictures counts as a vote.  A necklace, bracelet and earring pair plus a group shot has been uploaded to the Facebook group for voting.  There are 3 prizes.  One for the most votes from the public, one for best use of the ceramic components and one for best use of the polymer clay connector.

Our next round will be in the fall and I am thinking a bird on a branch would be a fun theme! You are all invited to join the group and play along!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1670109743205467/

Inside the Studio with Michelle McCarthy

Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive, we offer a prize each week to encourage you to use that keyboard and tell us what you think. The following week a winner is chosen at random from all eligible entries. And here are the results from last week!

In our last Inside the Studio post, Mary Harding asked, "What kinds of textures do you like to use in your work and where do you find them?"

There were all kinds of wonderful answers.  I used random .org to choose lucky #4
Malin de Konig.  Malin has won a sea shell textured set of charms from Mary.  Please contact Mary to claim your prize!

This week my studio activities have been all about making beads and marketing them.  I am so excited to be going on Heather Powers Bead Cruise 2016, which sets sail May 1st.  I have been donating goodie bags to the cruise participants for a few years now.  So I decided to make ceramic stick earring sets for the 65 cruisers this year.  I glazed them in a beachy color combination of brown, teal and specks of black.  OK...black is not beachy, but I love this glaze!

This is what they looked like before they went in the kiln.  Not so pretty....

But after the heat of the kiln, the glaze turned these sticks into this.....

I paired them up, placed them in a bag with my business card and they are now ready for goodie bags!

The next thing I have going on this week is making the kits for my second Firefly Design Studio Designers Challenge.  There is a Facebook group to join if you are interested in learning more.  The timeline is pinned at the top of the group, and there are a few kits left. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1670109743205467/
Summer means beach time, so I designed a starfish on the beach pendant.  Everyone will work with the same pendant, but they can choose side beads in sandy brown or sea blue.  Here are the 2 kits...

Designers will make a necklace, bracelet and earring set with any beading technique.  They will add whatever else they want from their personal stash.  Cory Tompkins is my guest artist for this round. She made a fun polymer clay component that must be used.  It's a mystery component, so I can't show you it yet.

So all these beads will be introduced to new and existing customers of mine.  Marketing yourself can be challenging, but it's necessary for success.  For an artist, getting your beads in the hands of a designer is the best marketing out there.  Hopefully everyone will enjoy their earring sticks and the challenge beads!

This weeks question is this...what kinds of marketing activities have you tried with success?  It's OK if it is a tip from a different business other than jewelry design.  The winner will receive a set of earring sticks...and I will even throw in a business card and free plastic bag.  WooHoo!

Shopping for Art Beads on FaceBook

I had a really good mail week.  You know...every day when you go to your mail box, another small padded envelope is in there with your name on it.  YES!!!

I'd like to share with you what I received.  I shop with the end design of having at least one of my ceramic beads added to it.  Earrings are my #1 seller, so I do buy a lot of earring components.  Everything was purchased either from the artists own page with a link to their shop, or from a FaceBook selling group.  I shop (and sell) on Art Beads, Ceramic Art Bead Market, Handmade Component Bazaar, Touch of Class and Handmade Jewellery and Components Showcase.

First up is a lovely stoneware set of earring charms by Natalie Fletcher.  Isn't the texture great?

When Erin Prais-Hintz introduced her polymer clay Seascapes line of pendants, I knew I had to have one!  I choose the seahorse for a fun summertime necklace:

I have been admiring all the earrings made with enamel charms, so I wanted to try a few earring pairs out.  This first set is by Tracy Lockhart:

Next is my favorite color turquoise.  Don't these have a fun beachy vibe?  These beauties were made by Rhonda Harris:

Etched glass headpins made by Raida Disbrow are going to make some beautiful earrings!  I make coordinating 15mm ceramic discs and 10mm round beads to stack over the glass.  Add a crystal and a wire wrap loop for simple but stunning earrings!

This is my first time working with Amy Cornett's headpins and I couldn't be more excited about them!  The shapes and colors are Fab!

And finally, beautiful tapered glass tubes made by Stacey Kroft.  I have never worked with this shape, so it will be fun to play with these:

I think just about everything I bought is in the blue family!  I guess I am consistent - Lol.  I will post some of my finished designs with these gorgeous art beads in a future blog.  Now I can keep up with my family and friends on FaceBook as well as add to my collection of art beads!

Michelle McCarthy
Firefly Design Studio

Buying and Selling on Facebook

I am pretty new to the retail aspect of Facebook.  I started out with buying destash bead items and still love to do that.  The first bead related group that I joined years ago was Creative Bead Chat. With well over 10,000 members, it is a great resource for all things related to the beaders world.  I found out about new destash groups there (and many other groups), joined and started shopping. Paypal is the preferred form of paying and getting paid.  I have added lots of new goodies to my stash this way.

I am a ceramic bead artist, so my first experience with selling on Facebook was through the Ceramic Art Bead Market.  It is a juried group meaning I emailed photos to a group of judges or group administrators to be approved to sell.  This is not a destash group.  It is of the highest quality, original ceramic bead art sold with a minimum bid price of $9.  I will get more into bidding, bid increments and the buy it now feature in a bit.  This group is only about 6 months old and is quickly approaching 2,000 members!  The artists take turns doing a weekly giveaway which keeps the members excited and involved.  There is also a Ceramic Art Bead Market Gallery where jewelry designs made with the beads purchased are displayed.  Here is one of my bead sets that was sold through this group.

I have fun selling.  After you put up a listing, group members "like" your post and comment on it.  I get a notification every time someone does that.  Well, it could be a potential bid or buyer!  It is very exciting. Soon I discovered finished jewelry groups and handmade groups.  I design jewelry with my beads and make functional pottery.  I have been approved to sell in Art Beads, Heartfelt Handmade Auctions, Beautiful Artisans Auctions, Jewelry Makers Open Market, Elite Artisan Jewelry and Jewelry Designers Open Market.  Here is a pottery dish that sold through Beautiful Artisans Auction.

To find out more about the above groups, put the name in the Facebook search bar and read about the details and rules.  You will find this in the FILES or PINNED post.  So what terms do you need to know?  SB = starting bid or the minimum the artist will accept for their item.  BI = bid increments or what dollar increase each bid should be (usually $1 but it will be stated) and finally BIN = buy it now.  This amount is what will guarantee your purchase of the item.  Shipping is added and a Paypal invoice is sent to the winner.

Have fun, buy some art and maybe sell some art...all on Facebook!