Handmade Artisan Jewelry from Gilliauna

Bits n' Beads carries an impressive array of handmade artisan jewelry that is beautifully designed and constructed with quality materials and attention to detail.  It is hard to know where to start first when telling you about this artist's work.  You can find something in most any price range for yourself or for a gift.

Gilliauna creates fine handcrafted rosaries with exquisite detail.  I am especially drawn to her Holy Rosary Handcrafted in Blue Ceramic and Pearls.  The fabulous cross is unique with a gorgeous rich blue inlay.  In addition,  a gold-plated Madonna and child is the centerpiece.  This piece contains 191 links each of which is turned by hand.

You can find delightful practical items such as beaded key charms, beaded eyeglass holders, beaded id badge lanyards, and beaded bookmarks.  This shop also offers beautiful earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.

Here is one of Bits n' Beads made for fun pieces,

and a vintage inspired piece

and an elegant piece for a very special occasion.

A visit to this Etsy BESTeam member's  Bit n' Beads shop will surely delight you.  To find out more about the artist's work and thoughts visit her blog, The Meandering Musings of a Consummate Shopper, and find her on Twitter and Facebook.

I Joined 1000 Markets

Are you familiar with the new venue, 1000 Markets? It is one of the most inspiring and professional markets for handcrafted goods that I have seen.

1000 Markets is an exciting place to be. The structure of the sight and the diversity of the artisans contibute to the feeling that you have stepped into a live bustling open air market, and that new experiences that delight the senses wait for you at every corner. Just like in a large open air market, you can spend hours letting your fingers stroll from one shop to another, never sure of when you will have seen everything. Yet you can also use all the technical aspects of the modern day internet, and key in specific searches to find just the item you want.

I am so honored to be accepted as a seller there. I spent a lot of time looking at the various markets and shops there, and studying what made them good. The quality of work, the quality of the photos, and the unique banners all contribute to this high level of professionalism. Please take a few minutes to visit my Plum Beadacious shop at 1000 Markets.

Jewelry Marketing Successes

Sometimes I have trouble seeing how far I've come because I can see how far I still have to go to meet my goals. Does that ever happen to you? If you are creating handcrafted jewelry and selling it, do you feel like you are succeeding at what you want to accomplish?

When I look at the numbers and all the time I put into trying to sell my jewelry, I sometimes get discouraged. So I decided to stop and look back over 2008 to see what I did in the last year. I was pretty surprised!

• I doubled my overall jewelry sales last year from the year before. This was combined online, craft show and word of mouth sales.
• I started this blog.
• I redesigned my website, www.plumbeadacious.com and now publish it via a different web host.
• I redesigned one of my Etsy shops, www.leallyson.etsy.com to focus on Filigree Romance jewelry
• I joined ShowMeEtsy, an Etsy street team, and participated in one of their craft sales.
• I've tried a little bit of social networking.

What are your successes? Please leave comments to share them. Celebrate your successes!

A few items I sold this last year: