Recycling Creatively!

What fun I've had recently in creating a new line of earrings...made with recycled gift cards. Thousands of gift cards are thrown away every day in our country and I found a way we could be more creative with them than just throwing them into landfills.

What fun it has been! My daughter, niece, sisters, nephews, and other friends and family members are now "on the hunt" for used gift cards. And these wonderful people in my life have given me some beautiful cards to work with!

My boss mentioned to me one day that she had spoken at a ladies' conference where they gave away earrings made of gift cards from a particular company that went with their theme as gifts. I thought it was a great idea and hence, began making gift card earrings myself.

Ladies seem to love wearing jewelry that is not only beautiful and fun, but also helping to conserve our natural resources!

To view the earrings and get more details simply visit my website at http://www.janegraftondesigns.etsy.com/.

Finding New Things

As I've stated before I love shoppping! I blame my mom for a lot of my "quirks" and this is another one of those traits I got from her. She was an extremely frugal woman and only bought things on sale. But she loved to shop and look. I enjoy looking at the shops on Etsy and as I find items I really like I want to share them. Today I found a shop I had not seen before and found the earrings and necklace featured in this blog. Aren't the blue earrings beautiful? And the necklace likewise? Elizabeth Jewelry's owner, Molly, incorporates only the finest materials including sterling silver, 14k gold filled and gold vermeil are use along with the genuine semi-precious gemstones, freshwater pearls, Swarovski Crystals, and Cubic Zirconia. The company is founded in principals of quality and value.
One of the great things about Molly's jewelry is that every handmade piece is backed by lifetime "No-Fault" guarantee. You just mail back the remaining beads, and if no beads are missing there is no charge for remaking the piece of jewelry! No kidding! Even if your cat made it a toy, if you have all of the beads, she will restring it free of charge. Fees apply is additional beads are needed for repair, but they are usually nominal. There is a $2.00 charge for postage. So when you have a piece of Elizabeth Jewelry, you can be assured that you will have it for life! She also makes single earrings at half price if you lose one.
You can visit her web site for a listing of her trunk shows at http://www.elizabethjewelry.com/.
You can also visit her blog at http://elizabethjewelry.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Getting Started

In the coming weeks I want to give you some guidelines and principles that I have learned in the five years I have been making jewelry.

Jesus gave an illustration in the New Testament that teaches before a man begins to build a building he should sit down and consider whether or not he has the resources to finish the building. That's a really great principle.

When we decide to take on a new task, whether it is a responsibility, a job, a new business, or even a marriage, we should sit down and think through whether or not we have the resources necessary to succeed. If you are wanting to start a jewelry business consider the following.

Consider the Cost
It costs a lot of money to start a jewelry business that will offer more than five or 10 necklaces at your first show or in your online shop. I recall when I was first starting I had not yet purchased any beads. I heard about the Gem and Jewelry Show in Chicago so decided that would be a great place to buy supplies and beads. I walked in and was immediately overwhelmed by the hundreds of tables filled with every kind of bead imaginable. I didn't know where to start! Someone told me they thought I could get started for $1,000. What a laugh! I spent nearly $1,000 at that show and walked out with a few small bags of beads. It was enough to get started making jewelry but it was not enough to start a business! The start up of our jewelry business required much more than $1,000 cash because we made the decision to make quality jewelry using the best quality beads, sterling silver, and components we could find. If you are contemplating starting a jewelry business, consider the cost.