Wordless Wednesday - Busy Weekend

How I spent my weekend :)

New Champagne Flute Designs

As I've mentioned in several posts lately, I'm working on growing my business by focusing on some of my best selling items and expanding these lines. My etched glass has continued to do well since I first began selling it and one item in particular has done really well. My Anchor Champagne Flutes have done really well this this year and I saw an opportunity for growth in this area.

I recently listed two new designs for toasting flutes. The tandem bike design remains to be popular for wedding items.

And the double heart design is great for any wedding whether there is a theme or not.

I've also had several custom requests for flutes, so this has my brain going on other new designs I can add to the shop. I'm seeing lots of graphic/linear designs for weddings lately that I'd like to tap into. Stay tuned!

Whiskey Decanters

I recently had a request for a set of groomsmen gifts. The bride and groom wanted something very special for their groomsmen and asked if I could etch some whiskey decanters. I did some searching for beautiful decanters that didn't cost an arm and a leg (who knew these were so expensive!)

I love the look of these square decanters and they're excellent quality! They're very heavy giving them nice presentation. They'd make great gifts for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries etc. And of course I can etch them with any personalization.

I just got them added to my shop this week!

Prom Mason Jars

Last week I introduced my new mason jar designs. I also recently had the opportunity to work with a local school to create their prom mementos. The theme was "Kickin' it in the Sticks", so the mason jars were a perfect fit!

I had to do a little work to the original design before I could get started. A local artist drew the original design that they used for signs and t-shirts. The only problem was, it was too busy for the mason jars. I have about 2.5" in width to work with, so the design was overwhelming on the glass. I scanned the design into my software and from there was able to remove many of the images and leave the piece I wanted to work with. I moved around the wording a little as well to make it fit the format of the glass.

The end design includes the original wording to match as well as the fire from the original drawing. I received word after the prom that the kids loved the mason jars!

(I apologize for the terrible photo...I forgot all I had was a cell phone shot!)

I know when I went to prom we received champagne flutes. Sure they were neat, but I've never done anything with them and I'm sure they'll eventually get thrown away or recycled. But the mason jars are so great. Not only are they perfect for drinking out of (obviously), but they can also hold pens/pencils when the kids go to college. They also make cute little rustic vases too :)

Bringing Artwork to Life

I was recently asked by one of my mom's coworkers to see if I could turn her son's artwork into an engraving. He is a very talented artist and my mom had told her about my work. They both thought it would be fun to show the boy that he can make his artwork come to life :)

~~~~~~

My mom emailed me three pieces of his artwork with instructions as to how he would like it engraved.

The first piece he wanted etched on glass.

The next he wanted engraved on wood.

And the last one he wanted made into a pendant with parts engraved and parts cut away.

It was fun seeing his drawings come to life with each piece! I hope this shows him that his artwork is special and keep his creativity flowing :)

Photography - A Work In Progress

Photography is one thing I've struggled with since opening my Etsy shop over 4 years ago. My photos have definitely gotten better since the first ones I uploaded! But with each new product comes new struggles it seems.

Photo courtesy of Wake Photography

Since I started selling glass items, I've run into a whole new territory for photography. My friend Melanie at Wake Photography was nice enough to come take photos for me to upload my first glass items to Etsy. She did an awesome job and I wish I had her here all the time to take more pictures! But I like to take photos as I make items and sometimes I'll take photos of custom orders before I ship them, so I don't have the option to wait for the photos to be taken. So it's time I started learning on my own!

My backdrop was the first thing that had to change. I usually take my photos on a white background, but that's just not an option with glass. I found that black worked about the best and all I had on hand at the time was a black table cloth. It worked, but it wasn't the greatest. (Of course Melanie made it look awesome!) So the other day I purchased sheets of black poster paper to lay inside my light box. After I finally got it cut to size, it worked pretty well!

I had tons of glasses that needed photographed, so away I went. Lighting and reflections are still something I'm working on, but I'm really happy with the way these new photos turned out. I know I'll never be as good as Mel, but I'm hoping to get photos good enough to put in my shop.

What do you think of my new glass photos? Please be honest and tell me if you think these are good enough to go in my shop and what your reaction would be if you saw them on Etsy. I've already added a few and I hope they'll get some views :)

Etched Glass Awards

I got to add another fun project to my list of firsts with my laser a couple of weeks ago! New projects are always exciting and scary all at the same time! I just never know how something will turn out until I give it a try :)

These glass awards turned out great! I did a couple of samples and sent photos to the buyer for approval. They loved them, so off I went to engrave 27 awards!

The trickiest part about these is that they are curved. They won't work on my rotary attachment (that I use for etching wine glasses and champagne flutes), so I had to auto focus in the center of the award and make sure I didn't go too wide so the laser would stay in focus for the entire engraving.

I engraved these on the back side, so I had to remember to flip my text before printing! I like the "reverse engraving" technique because it comes out nice and clear and gives the awards some depth.

These came in a pretty generic box with the award company's logo on the front. I prettied them up by adding one of my business stickers to the top of each box with my web address on them as well :)

Glass Blocks

The thing I love most about taking custom orders is hearing all the fun ideas that my customers come up with! Over Christmas I had a friend ask for a special request. She wanted glass blocks with her nieces' names etched on them. But she didn't want any ordinary blocks...She wanted them painted pink, tied with a black ribbon and lit up! What fun!

I wasn't sure how the paint would stick to the glass or how many lights to put in them...this was all new to me. But I think they turned out awesome! The ribbons finish them off nicely too :) I haven't decided whether I'll add these to my Etsy Shop yet or not. I know shipping will be rather pricey since they are quite a heavy item. But they sure are cute :)

Sales in Unexpected Places

Many times if we're not at a craft show or checking our Etsy shops, we're not thinking of making sales. Our brains aren't in "crafty mode" and we're not on top of our game.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the past couple of weeks, I've made sales in some unexpected places! So I encourage you to always have a line or two ready and ALWAYS carry business cards!

I was at a local glass supplier recently and bought A LOT of beer mugs. The lady behind the checkout counter asked if I was going to use these at a bar. I told her that I actually etch on them and told her a few things I had done. She said her son would love something like that. I said Would You Like a Business Card! I pulled one out of my purse right there and she called last week to buy two mugs :)

And just this past weekend I had a package delivered from FedEx. Usually they just leave our packages in our cars or at the front door because they know we sleep strange hours. This time the guy knocked on the door really loud. I went to see who it was and thanked him for my package. I was about to shut the door when he said...I was wanting to ask you about placing an order! Over the summer he had asked what type of business I run (since he delivers here quite regularly!). I told him all about my laser and he seemed pretty interested. He placed an order for a custom picture frame with both the wood and the glass engraved...how cool! And I was sure to send a couple of business cards with him in case he wants to spread the word :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you sold any items in unexpected places before? Do you always carry business cards with you so you're prepared when the occasion arises?

Almost Wordless Wednesday - A Happy Accident

Sitting at my computer one day, I looked up and this is what I saw...had to take a photo :)

GIVEAWAY - Last Day To Enter

I wanted to remind everyone to head over to the Blogging Business Artisans' Blog to enter my giveaway!!!

Today is the last day to enter to win these beautiful Personalized Wine Glasses!

The contest ends at 11am CST...so hop on over and enter now!

Good Luck :)

Almost Wordless Wednesday

All in a day's work!

39 Wine Glasses and 4 Beer Steins!!!

Wine Glass Giveaway!!!

I'm so excited (and honored) to be hosting the first giveaway at the Blogging Business Artisans blog!!! And I'm giving away a great item ~ A Set of 2 Personalized Wine Glasses!

Aren't these perfect for right before Christmas! You can give them as a gift...or keep them for yourself :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The giveaway starts today and ends November 21st. To enter, and for all the details, visit the Blogging Business Artisans blog.

Good Luck!!!

This is my favorite post from last week, so I'm linking it up at Artful Rising!!! Come join us!

Wordless Wednesday - Enjoying My Latest Creation :)

New Glassware

I've finally started adding my new glassware to my shop!!! A good friend of mine was so kind to take photos for me and they turned out great!!! She did a much better job than I ever could have! I've made wine glasses, champagne flutes and beer mugs in both premade and custom options. Here are some of my items: Green Champagne Flutes - Peacock Design Bride and Groom Champagne Flutes

Custom Monogram Wine Glasses I am always looking for new ideas (especially premade options). So if you have any ideas that you'd like to see engraved, please let me know :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my favorite post from last week, so I'm linking it up at Arful Rising! Come join the Party!!!

Priorities and Time Management

I am this week's host for the EtsyBlogger's blog carnival. Here are the two topics I gave our team to write about: 1. How do you prioritize your time? How do you get more hours out of the day? 2. Are you a multi-tasker? Or do you prefer to finish one project before starting another? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I start each day with a to do list. I make my list at work that night so when I get home in the morning, I know exactly what I need/want to get accomplished for the day. Having a list and having priorities helps me stay on task! And I love crossing things off my list :) I try to get as much computer work done at work on my breaks as I can. The more I can get done before I get home means more time to create :) And now that I have my smart phone...I can read and comment on blogs anywhere I am! (Like waiting for Jesse to get out of Napa!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am a huge multi-tasker! I do as many things as I can at once! I love my laser machine because it works while I work :) I can be working on scrapbooks while it's cutting out guest books for me! How cool is that! Or I can be printing earring cards while I'm updating my blog! I also don't spend much time doing leisure things like reading or watching TV. Our TV is rarely on and I'm about 6 months behind on all my magazine subscriptions! I do spend time browsing the net, but I try to do this while I'm eating breakfast or lunch. (Yes, I eat all my meals at the computer!) One more way I can multi-task :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So, share your tips with me! I'm always looking for ways to get more hours out of the day! It seems 24 just isn't enough :)

First Glass Order!!!

I sold my first set of glasses to a coworker over the weekend!!! I was so excited when he asked about some beer steins...and then ordered 6!

The other guys at work were pretty interested when I delivered them too!

It's funny really...I've been making scrapbooks for several years now and once in a while I'll get an order from work, but not usually too much interest. But I start engraving things that have to do with alcohol and my coworkers go nuts...LOL :) Well, I do work in a factory!

I can't wait to show you my next set of custom glasses as well! That's right, I've already gotten my 2nd order!!! My friend Re is having me make a custom set of 12 tumbler glasses for her daughter as a wedding gift!

Just think how many I'll sell when I actually get them listed in my Etsy Shop :) I want to get a lot done before my friend comes to take pictures so I don't make her come out every other day when I create something new...LOL! So that's why there's a delay in adding my new glasses to my shop.

Newest Rotary Engraving

I've been having more fun with my rotary this week! I LOVE colored glass as it really makes the engraving/etching stand out. This blue glass looks amazing! (I'm still working on my photography skills!) I can't wait to find more colors and glass styles!

I've also been trying to focus on items that I want to add to my shop so my photographer friend can come help me with pictures :) I'll definitely be adding these Bride and Groom champagne flutes. And I'll add Mr and Mrs flutes as well. (Do you think the words should be closer to the top of the glass...please let me know your thoughts.)

Wine glasses will also come in several custom choices as well as premade options as well. This monogram glass turned out well. I think I'll make the engraving a tad smaller so you can see the whole thing. These will come in different font options as well as first names/last names.

I tried engraving a larger candle votive, but didn't have much luck. I'll be trying again soon. I've had a lot of interest in these, so I'd like to have several options :)

Here is one of the premade options I'm thinking of offering. I'll be making the feather larger and maybe put it on both sides? Or all the way around? Still thinking of other premade options as well.

What do you think? Let me know how I'm doing and add any suggestions you have too!

Wanna See My New Toy :)

I've been talking about my laser and my rotary attachment for quite some time now and I shared some new creations on Tuesday. Today I thought I'd show you what this thing actually looks like in action. I found a nice short video on YouTube that shows the rotary attachment. Mine is made by a different company, but it works in the same manner.

This thing is SO much fun! I've lasered a few more things with the rotary and I have more playing to come. Once I get a good amount of pieces I want to put in my shop, a good friend of mine is going to take photos for me! The perks of having a photographer friend :) I found that photographing glass is very hard!

What have you been playing with this week?

Birthday Card Made Home Decor

My grandma always says my mom picks out the best cards ever. You can tell she really reads each one to find the perfect card :) I always thought the best cards were handmade cards (of course) until I received my birthday card this year! My grandma is right...my mom is the best at picking out cards!

In case you can't read it, it says:

If ever there was someone who danced to her own beat, Daughter, it's you.

This card has my name all over it! I've never been quite "normal"...LOL! And I've always done things my own way :) I loved this card so much that I wanted to frame it! I laser etched the glass in the frame with a pretty floral design, backed it with pink paper and viola...a great home decor piece for my scrapbook room :)

Thanks Mom! You know me too well :)