GFT Designs

Where have I been?

2009-09-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Been doing some soul searching.

I remember back in 2006 praying to God to give me something to help pull me out of the well of depression I had found myself in. Soon after, I taught myself how to create rosaries. It gave me great peace and was very theraputic for me through my post-partum depression.

I had decided then to share my rosaries with as many people as possible by offering them for sale. I stumbled across Etsy and the rest was history.

I noticed recently that every time I got away from what started me in the handmade community -- as far as jewelry making is concerned -- the success of my shop falters. Not sure if it means anything, but...

I'm going back to basics.

After the jewelry currently in my shop sells out (or I get tired of waiting for it to go, whichever comes first), I'm going to go back to creating rosaries and chaplets. I'm also going to go back to donating 10% of all the proceeds to a different charity every month; tithing being one Catholic concept I have absolutely NO problem with.

Doesn't mean I'm closing my other shops -- no way there. Doesn't mean I'll cease being a crazy old lady who can be occasionally random. Just going back to the beginning.

Luke 6:38 folks.

It's August and that means Giveaway!

2009-08-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

I love doing giveaways: not only does it expose folks to my blog and my products, but I love giving things away.

There are two ways to enter this giveaway:

1. Answer the trivia question correctly
2. Follow my blog and help me promote this giveaway!

What will you win?

A $10 Gift Certificate for my shop. You'll receive this as a download directly to your email. The Gift Certificate will be good for 90 days.

Now for the trivia question:

There are only two alternative names for the type of mineral called Corundum. What are the two names?

a. emerald and diamond
b. ruby and sapphire
c. diamond and beryl
d. aquamarine and sapphire

Yeah, I went there. Give it a go and good luck!

Runners up who actually follow/help promote this blog will get a
$5.00 gift certificate.
If you follow/help promote, then leave a comment with the appropriate links

Have fun!

Shipping, Shipping and More Shipping @ Etsy

2009-08-11T06:14:00.000-07:00

Seriously.

Since the little fellow over there is extinct (and couldn't carry much anyway), shipping is a itchy subject over in the Testy Etsy Fora. I can't tell you how many posts there are over there about shipping costs. The questions are always the same:

How much to ship? How much is too much? How much is too little? Should I ship to Timbucktu? Why free shipping? Why, oh, why can't Etsy have a shipping calculator?

I have to admit I'm one of the people who asked that last question before I actually thought about it. Can you imagine the chaos?

I have also been a victim of second guessing my shipping costs; over and over and over again. And, of course, when the subject comes up, I question my process again. And today, after reading a post, I went to the USPS website. Again. I'm going to say that I THINK I've got it this time. I make no promises. Anyone reading, please feel free to take this verbage and use it in your shop. Just insert your particulars. Just saying.

********************************************************************************
GFT Designs is committed to ensuring your purchase is shipped in a timely manner. All purchases will be shipped within 24 hours of payment processing. You will receive a delivery confirmation number in your acknowledgement convo. If your purchase is not shipped within 24 hours, and/or you do not receive an acknowlegement/delivery confirmation number within 48 hours, you will receive a refund of 30% of your purchase costs (minus shipping fees).

Shipping costs:
Scary subject for some, I know. I've gone all over the place about this and have researched quite fully, so I believe that these shipment costs are as close to accurate as possible. That said: ANY OVERCHARGES IN SHIPPING THAT EQUAL MORE THAN $1 WILL BE REFUNDED TO YOU.

Here goes: (via USPS First Class Mail)
USA, Guam, Puerto Rico: Free
Canada: $2.25
Mexico: $3.25
Everywhere Else: $4.75

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: PLEASE ENSURE THAT JEWELRY (COSTUME & PRECIOUS) CAN BE SHIPPED TO YOUR COUNTRY FROM THE US BEFORE PURCHASING. PLEASE REFERENCE THIS SITE TO CHECK YOUR COUNTRY:
http://pe.usps.gov/text/Imm/immctry.htm

Please also note that INTERNATIONAL customers are responsible for all taxes and duty fees incurred. If you require rush shipping, please convo and you will be invoiced for the shipping method that meets your needs.
************************************************************************************
(wipes sweat from brow) All done. Now for the explanations:

1. Why did I include Guam & Puerto Rico in my US charge? Sometimes shippping within the "contiguous 48 states" is different from shipping in Alaska & Hawaii, as well as Guam & Puerto Rico, which are territories of the United States. What about other territories? Um, yeah. I don't want my shipping to clip along for 8,000 pages. The rest of them are lumped in with International.

2. Why "free" for US and not everyone else? To ship my jewelry to the US & Territories, it costs me about $1.75, including the envelope & everything. Personally, I can "afford" the $1.75 to ship down the street, so to speak. That said, if you can't, then don't. That is a personal choice to make.

3. Why are Canada & Mexico separate from the Great Everywhere Else? When shipping from the US, Canada & Mexico tend to have radically different rates than other countries. And, although the costs for me are pretty close to US shipping, it does take more to ship to these two countries. Have you seen a customs form? Do you know what Customs has to do with a package that isn't packaged properly? So, basically, Canadians and Mexican are paying more of a "handling" costs than anything else. Sorry guys.

4. What about insurance? Doesn't insurance cost money? Shouldn't I carry this over? Well, yes, insurance costs money. But think about this; if a shipment gets lost, you will be the one placing the claim and you will be the one receiving the money (if your claim goes through properly), so that you can refund your customer and re-coup your costs. Why would you charge your customer for that? If your item is all that expensive, pay for the insurance.

5. How did you arrive at these costs? I took a piece, packaged it, put it in a padded envelope with everything I usually send, and weighed it. I work for a shipping company so, yes, I have a postage scale laying around. I used that weight for everything, because it is all about the same.

Do that for your shop. It will save a lot of pain later. And, yes, if it means weighing a good amount of items in your shop, then do it. Or bite the bullet, and allow 3 or 4 of your items to go out with estimated shipping, and keep track of how much they cost -- and how much you gain/lose. Average that cost and be prepared to refund any overages of more than $1.

Now, the big question is -- is this going to work for me? Let me ship a pair of these earrings to Pitcairn Island and I'll let you know.

I just had to share

2009-08-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is the cutest thing I've seen in some time (well, aside from my own little Tiny Dancer).

The best part? Near the end you can see her discreetly itching her legs... remember those tights way back when, gals? Lawdy.

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

2009-08-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

I finally got a picture to look almost perfect! And I have no idea how I did it! I just thank goodness for Photoshop and the Curves tool.

I call this one Tianzhu Jiao, and it is a Catholic rosary chaplet of one decade. The beads are a generous 8-10mm and are Chinese porcelain. The focal piece came with the set of beads and the findings are all silver finish, lead free base metal. In person, this is a vivid, substantial piece. The beads are of a nice size, but it's not too heavy.

Go see more of it over here!

This Blog Needs Som Lurve

2009-08-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

I figured maybe another template change would help things out. Seriously, though, I suppose I should post more to this blog.

Lately, I've had a bit of a dry spell on the creating jewelry department; although I do have PLENTY of pieces made and ready to go to new homes, so I suppose that would be a good thing, eh?

I'm not complaining, but I'm actually curious as to why my Swarovski Star earrings aren't selling like I thought they would. They're cute, simple, and they only cost 8 bucks for the most part. Anyone got any ideas? Maybe I should raise the prices? Swarovski can cost a pretty penny; but that's not really my goal. Well, it is but it isn't. I'd love to make some money from my work (of course), but I'm not trying to kill people in this already horrid economy. Ah, well, we'll see around the holidays what comes.

As for the rosaries and spiritual jewelry I've been talking about. I have quite a few that I need to photograph -- which I will try to fit in during my vacation from the "day job".

Man, that photo up there just cracks me up. I mean I know that the lion is just about to have his lunch, but it so "Brokeback Mountain", I'm dying.

In September, I'm starting to do different blog articles in my various blogs. The first one in this one will be something about Swarovski, I think. Yes, I'm obsessed with the pretty sparklies, why do you ask? As well, if you have any ideas about what you'd like to know about jewelry, stones, relgious/spiritual jewelry, just drop that line over at forhomeandsoul@live.com

Okie dokie smokies? Wow, corny much?

Why am I laughing???

2009-07-31T16:04:00.001-07:00

Because... the two people who entered this giveaway, were the winners of the other two giveaways I was having in my other shops. So what am I going to do?

I actually thought about sending both memoriesforlifescrapbooks and noble beeyotch one earring each, but then I regained consciousness and came up with another compromise.

I'm going to give the earrings to memoriesforlifescrapbooks AND noble beeyotch will get a $10 certificate for GFT Designs. That way, they both win!

Oh, the answer to the trivia question was this beautiful man pictured -- Otis Redding. He wrote and originally performed the song "Respect"in 1965. While it was reasonably successful in his lifetime, it gained real world wide recognition when performed by Aretha Franklin later.

Look next month for another giveaway and another trivia question. I love them.

GFT Designs was feeling left out...

2009-07-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

I'm having a giveaway at my other shop/blog, and this one felt a bit put out, so here's a giveaway on this side as well!

How cute are these? I call them my Sleeping Beauty Earrings. They're pretty sterling silver hoops with capri blue glass beads and sterling silver accent beads. And they can become part of your collection if you comment below by July 31.

How do you enter? Just answer the trivia question in the comment below and I'll pick the winner at random out of the correct answers.

Here's the question:

Who was the first person to perform the old classic song "Respect"?

a. Michael Jackson

b. Otis Redding

c. Aretha Franklin

d. The Temptations

Have fun!

What's That You Say?

2009-07-22T19:30:00.001-07:00

We’re having a sale. Why? Because the sky is blue. Because the grass is green (especially if you have a well kept yard). Because it’s the last week of July. I’m not sure. I think I just want to have a sale.

So, what’s on sale?

Earrings. GFT Designs has lots of them. They’re all absolutely gorgeous and we want you to give them new homes where they will be loved and cared for. Need to splurge so that you don’t tear your hair out over this rotten economy? Want to give your daughter (or son, no judgments here) a gift to commemorate that first day of high school or college? Need a quick, cute gift for that special someone?

Well… from July 24 – July 31, buy any one pair of earrings and get the second pair… wait for it… half off. That means you buy those beautiful Estrella Earrings you’ve been eyeing for only $8 and get another pair for half price. Now like any good merchant, I have to say that the earrings with the lower price get the discount. Just so there’s no misunderstanding. Just let me know in the “message to the seller” which two pairs you want and I’ll revise the invoice for you.

And for all US Customers, that means you get 2 pairs of earrings with FREE Shipping! Oh, how I wish I could give you international customers free shipping, but I just can’t. The Postal Service wants me to pay and arm and leg and my first born for a stamp to Timbuktu. Plus they want my life story on a 4”x6” card while I’m doing it. No hard feelings, right? Good. Because you international customers do rock.

Your earrings will come in pretty dark blue organza bags, with a very unique earring card created with our pretty planet in mind. Hey, what about gift wrapping? Convo me, and I’ll hook you up for an extra $3.00. Each gift package will be different, based on the piece you’ve purchased and the occasion.

So, what are you waiting for? Oh, yeah, it's not Friday yet. Okay, I'll wait.

First Sale on this Site!

2009-07-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well, for jewelry and not destash! Sold my pretty Avalon necklace this weekend. To commemorate the sale, I posted two new pieces (part of the Swarovski Stars series of earrings).

Amethyst Star - $8.00 - Swarovski & Freshwater Pearls

Pink Star Earrings - $8.00 - Swarovski & Bali Silver

How come I have so many of these Swarovski earrings? And why the you know what are they so cheap?

Well, I purchased a great set of birthstone crystals with the plan to make birthstone pocket rosaries. As you can probably tell, I never got around to that. Now that I'm "destashing", I found myself sitting there like the guy from Lord of the Rings, looking at the pretty sparklies and wondering what to do with them. Enter the 100 sterling silver hoops I purchased as well. Both were purchased by great Etsians, so I had to do them honor by creating something from them rather than just re-selling them (how lame would that be???). Since they've already been "paid for", I'm just charging my labor for them; hence the really cool price!

Well, I'm off to do the yippee dance some more! Later all!

Back, Temptation! Away, I say!

2009-07-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Do you know how hard it is NOT to buy jewelry supplies??? I've put myself on a bead moratorium until I sell at least half of my current inventory. The only thing I'm allow to buy is findings as needed and rosary supplies as needed.

So staring at strings and strings of beautiful beads had me drooling in the aisle.

I'm also thinking about doing an actual destash on some beads, because really? I've got sooooo many beads I'm not really sure I can use them all. Yay? for bead collectors.

Tomorrow, I'm going to be BUSY getting the re-org ready for open 4 business, so maybe I'll get some destash beads together as well. Because, really? Not being able to buy beads is killing me!

Natural Light and all it's glory

2009-07-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

Before it stared raining like Noah was around the corner, I finally got around to taking pictures outside -- in that natural light that everyone talks about.

These earrings were one of the pieces I managed to get before the camera died (thanks, hubby, for buying cheap batteries). I call them 9 Days Queen, after Lady Jane Grey. They're made of freshwater pearls and -- what else? -- Swarovski crystals. Seems that I have a lot of those hanging around the house.

These are another set that I got outside (as if you couldn't tell by the parking lot in the background). I call these Scheherazade.

I guess I'll have to work on that natural light a little more.

What do you think?

Re-Organization and the Fun of the Re-start!

2009-07-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Waiting on some supplies and almost ready to re-open next week! The time away from this part of my business was a good thing; I was able to think objectively about what was going wrong.

Now I can commit to better organization, I can guarantee speeding shipping, and a EXECPTIONAL (God, I like that word) customer service experience for my customers all over. My husband has jumped on board as well -- cautiously, but it was better than the previous no support at all. He's going to make sure my finances stay in order. A Chief Financial Officer if you will. So, go me!

In the process of cleaning up and through the physical re-org; I'm destashing a few things. The first are these kraft jewelry boxes. I have about 80 of them and I'm planning to sell them in lots of 10. HOWEVER, if anyone out there wants to whole bunch, I can sell them for $15 for the whole lot. I've only taken a few out, and the rest haven't even left the box they came from. Just convo me @ Etsy or email me if you're interested. I'll probably have more to destash as I clear out my craft closet!

Now, off I go to finish this doggone closet and wait for Friday, so I can order my supply -- because that's when the CFO is going to release the funds. LOL!

I'll see you all next week with ... something I hope!

Welcome!

2009-07-05T20:27:00.001-07:00

Thanks for visiting! You'll find out about upcoming specials and new items here. Occasionally I'll ramble on about the creation side as well.

Comments and feedback are always welcome!