Bead Table Wednesday - Vintage on the Brain

It's Bead Table Wednesday again! This week, I've sure got some pretties for you. For the last week and a half, my bead table has been covered with vintage treasures just waiting to be repurposed into new treasures.

You know we moved recently. You may also remember from this post that the nearest city---though it's not very big---is full of old, old money. A lot of lovely pieces make their way into local antique stores and flea markets here. So you can probably imagine that I've been running around like a kid in a candy shop since we got here, gathering pretties to use! I love the vintage look and, when I can get my little grubbies on the real stuff, boy, I take it.

Lately, I've been particularly drawn to early- and mid-twentieth century faux ivory. Do you remember my faux scrimshaw tutorial? Yeah... it's sorta been a lifelong obsession... Hahaha! Anyway, below are my most recent finds: two carved Bakelite flower pendants, one with its necklace still intact; and a molded floral celluloid dress clip.

They are just so delicate and so beautiful; I love them. Now I've never had these kinds of materials before and had to do quite a bit of research to discover what they are. They're made out of very early plastics, some of the first ever made for the market. How awesome is that? Apparently Bakelite has become very valuable and sought after in recent years, too; not bad for a plastic! (I've just added some links with information on Bakelite and celluloid to my resource page, if you've got a hankering for a closer look.)

At the same antique store, I also found these lovelies: a small box of vintage beads/buttons and a grand piano key. The pendant on the right is a piece that was given to me by the owner of a gallery where I show my work. It is a glass and brass cabochon piece,  probably made in the transitional period sometime between the art nouveau and art deco periods in the early part of the twentieth century, although the snake was a very popular symbol in Victorian jewelry as well. I don't know too much about it but it caught her eye and she bought it and gave it to me to make something with. She's the person who first got me into working with repurposed vintage jewelry and components. I consider myself extremely lucky because she basically gave me a shoebox full of stuff and told me to go to town. :D

 

Again, at the same antique store, I found these vintage Avon lovelies. Meet my new friend, OwlFish!

I don't know what I'm going to do with him yet, but whatever it is, it's going to be fun!

It's been difficult working up my courage to actually work with some of these beauties, but I've finally overcome some of my fears. When I got the celluloid clip in the first picture, I bought another dress clip, too. It was a French brass filigree clip from the art nouveau period. I'm sorry I didn't get before and after pics, but here is the finished piece I made with it.

 

 I removed the clip back and folded the prongs down for balance, then used wire to fashion connectors to the back. After a TON of deliberation, I chose the turquoise bead to add because I love the look of brass and blue. :3 Then I used a color technique that I'll talk more about later this week and some antiqued brass chain to build the necklace around the piece. I really, really love the way it turned out.

Anyway! Phew... this post was longer than I thought it was going to be. XD

Please be sure to check out the awesome stuff that everyone else is sharing

for Bead Table Wednesday!

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Things!

Because of a silly negligence on my part, the Mid-Monthly Themed Challenge Hop reveal date is postponed until Saturday, June 11th! Sorry about that, folks. This is definitely a learning experience for me! XD I'll post another reminder when there's a week to go. You folks are so nice and understanding!

The other thing I wanted to share with you concerns a cryptic email I received yesterday. It seems that Michaels craft stores have decided to join us in the 21st century and have just launched their own rewards card! ;D While I love to shop online for art beads and at small, ma-and-pa stores, I do also love Michaels. Heck, whoever sells beads has earned my love. Hahaha!.... Wait, does that make me a bead whore? D:

At any rate, looks like very exciting things---discounts, coupons, and special offers. I'm a dork and went right out yesterday to get my card. No purchase necessary, or you can apply online at the Michaels's Web site and have the card sent to you.*

 *This blogger was not compensated for this blurb, although she kind of wishes she was... in beads, of course.

I've been experimenting with electro-chemical etching and plating, and will have some stuff to show for it early next week. I don't know how much I like the process; it's messy and somewhat unpredictable (out of about thirty test pieces, only nine of them turned out), so I don't think I'll be sharing a how-to. At least, not until/unless I discover a better process. The pieces that turned out, though, are rather nice; they'll be posted sometime this week, along with some pirate-y things already promised.

AGAIN, don't forget! Memorial Day in the States means 21-gun salutes; be on the look-out for empty brass bullet casings---they can be used to make unique jewelry pieces! I've already promised my little brother a dollar for each one he brings me. ;) Ahhh, it's great when you can put the little ones to work for you, eh? Hahaha!

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!!! <3 <3 <3

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Bead Stores and Business Cards

Beading Arts Blog recently linked to some articles on Fire Mountain Gems's website about selling jewelry supplies and handmade jewelry. One of them was about how to boost sales for bead store owners. A lot of the tips and suggestions were very good, leading me to wonder why more bead shop owners don't do these personable things.

Since I started getting into jewelry-making as a hobby, I've sought out bead stores wherever I go. So I've been to many, many shops and am still on the lookout for new ones. There are bead stores that stick out in my memory as very pleasant places to visit; then there are those that I know I'll never go back to. The following features are definitely turn-offs for me when entering a bead shop:

* It is several minutes before the shop attendant even acknowledges your presence; sometimes they don't even bother to look at you until you're at the check-out counter.

*  When the shop attendant frowns and acts like you're bothering them when you are standing at the counter waiting to check out. Seriously. I have walked out of a store without buying anything because of this sort of treatment. Don't treat your customers like they're an inconvenience. It's the worst thing you could possibly do.

* When there's some event, class, or workshop going on and everyone grows quiet and intently ignores you when you wander close. Again, I've walked out of a bead shop without buying anything because of this sort of treatment. It makes you feel more like an intruder than a welcomed guest and is just poor business practice.

* When the shop owner tries to press you to buy other things and then acts ungracious when it's not what you're looking for. I say this because I usually go into a bead shop with a specific idea in mind of what I'm going to get and I've worked out a tight budget in advance, so I don't always have the money to spare. When I do have the funds to splurge, then I don't mind so much buying something extra. I know that we're all hurting right now with the economy like it is.

* When the customer before you is a regular and receives very nice treatment right in front of you, and then you are treated like a waste of time right afterward. Seriously, what are you supposed to think? Even the regular customer had to have a first visit once. And here you are, being nice and wanting to support the beading community and a small business by going in, and then you're treated so badly you never want to come back. Very, very poor business practice.

* When the shop attendant treats you poorly because you're only buying one or two things. When I go into a beading shop for the first time, it's usually to look around and see what they have. I am not likely to buy much, if anything, the first time. I like to see what's there, then go home and think about potential projects, then come back and buy more. If I'm treated poorly the first time, I am not likely to return, no matter how good the selection and how reasonable the prices.

That being said, not all beading shops are like the above. I've had experiences at fantastic stores---both in small mom and pop places and in big chain stores like Michael's---and have returned to these places again and again. One of the high points of going to my parents' house is that I can visit one of their great local bead stores. Same thing goes for my old college town, where the shop owners still remember me and treat me like an old friend, even if I don't purchase a thing. This is what I'm in it for. This is what earns my loyalty as a shopper.

To keep track of bead stores, bead shows, and individual online merchants, I went out and purchased a very cheap but efficient photo album. In it I put all of my business cards, postcards, fliers, etc. and contact information for shops and things that I found pleasant and would visit again. It's useful for keeping everything organized, and it even has spaces for little notes to myself so I remember exactly what I liked there and what products they carry.



I often add the business cards of people I've purchased jewelry and other goods from, so that I can share them with others or go to them when I have to find a special gift for someone (because, face it, there's only so many necklaces I can make for my mother!). It is really important to be able to offer such convenient contact information, and so business cards are a fantastic investment. You can get free business cards of a limited amount from places like Vistaprint, or you can order customized ones from awesome graphic designers out there, like Tara and so forth (which, while it may be a little more expensive than Vistaprint, is definitely more unique and rewarding, and you don't have to deal with all the spam in your email inbox that you do with Vistaprint; you'll also be investing back into the community this way). People I've bought from often include a business card in the packages they send out, and I've been careful to put my business card in things that I send out as well. This way, if there's ever any problem with the product, the customer knows exactly how to contact the seller.

A recent fortune cookie had this to say about it: "If you want to succeed in business, avoid 'business as usual.'" In truth, I think as long as it's "good business as usual," then one will always please their customers. There's just no substitute for good business practice.


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Jewelry-making Supplies Feature: Delphine's Flower Bead Shop

One of the first things I discovered when I started beading was Lucite. I fell hard for those beautiful, frosty flower petals and leaves. So naturally, I went looking for a shop where I could find a variety of Lucite for a reasonable price. There were many online shops that carried Lucite, but when I found Delphine's Flower Bead Shop, I just knew I had a keeper! The quaint small-business feel, the excellent customer service, what more could a beader want? Not to mention the fantastic and ever-expanding selection of both new and vintage Lucite. Karen over at Delphine's was gracious enough to let me pester her with my interview questions, so please enjoy this sneak peek into one of my favorite beading suppliers.

 How did Delphine's Flower Bead Shop come to be?
Our shop began a few years ago when we were creating pieces for our own jewelry collection. It was important to us to find high quality Lucite flower beads at a reasonable cost. All but too often we would find other shops who had the items we wanted, but at a price that was out of our budget. We decided to spend a great deal of time researching Lucite beads out of a necessity for our own jewelry pieces. This is when Delphine's Flower Bead Shop was born. We have always used Lucite flowers in our own designs and wanted to share our beads with everyone. Over the years our Lucite inventory has grown significantly and continues to grow as our customers request new styles of Lucite flower beads. We hope everyone will have as much fun with our beads as we do! 

What is your favorite part about running this store?
I love that our customers share their jewelry designs with us! The beads start off as a blank slate, then someone puts their personal touch and their creativity to work and creates a beautiful piece of jewelry! It's really fun to see all of the different ways you can use our Lucite beads. I really enjoy the fact that the beads from Delphine's Flower Bead Shop have been a part of many people's designs.






What do you think makes you a creative shop owner?
I am a Graphic Designer by trade so I naturally love anything that has to do with design and creativity. Combining years of design experience with the love of beading motivates me to continue to bring new styles of Lucite flowers to our shop.

Delphine's carries more than just Lucite!

What do you like most about the products you carry?
I love that the Lucite flowers are not just limited to jewelry. They can be used in a variety of ways to add a girly touch to almost any project. I really enjoy knowing that our beads allow people show off their creativity to everyone.

Have you reached a big goal or dream or are you still working toward
one that you'd like to share with us today?
Our goals have always been to provide a fun place to shop for a wide variety of Lucite flower beads. We are driven by our wonderful customers to continue to provide the largest selection of Lucite flower beads around. We are always working to bring new products to our shop in order to provide the most complete beading shopping experience.





The following pictures are of work that was created with beads from Delphine's Flower Bead Shop: 




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Jewelry-making Supplier Feature: No Snow Supplies

I am inaugurating a new feature here on my blog that is intended to showcase different jewelry-making suppliers that I've come into contact with, along with other services, shops, and individuals who somehow relate to selling jewelry online. I am pleased to introduce Zivile Viteikaite of No Snow Supplies as our very first feature!

This little shop is incredibly endearing and there are so many lovely things to look at. I fell in love with the varieties of plastic flower beads, of course, but there are many different vintage beads and findings as well. Zivile was very happy to answer our questions so that we could learn a little more about this unique individual and this charming online bead shop.

"No Snow Supplies" is a very unique name!
How did you come up with it and how did your shop get started?

So, I’m in Lithuania, a small green country with no hills. It’s very beautiful during the summer, but very cold and dark the rest of the year. So at least I wanted to give some warmth and colours to my shop. And this is how the name came to be, and the colorful style of the shop. I’m a jewelry designer myself, and I only use vintage beads in my creations. I travelled a lot to get my bead collection; and I’m really greedy when it comes to buying beads - if I find some I like, I buy as much I can carry. Until one day I realized I can’t use all of them myself, so I opened this small shop on the internet to share my treasures with others.

What is your favorite part about running your store?

I love working at home! And travelling! And flea markets, and old covert bead shops, where you can find all kinds of the weirdest things. Running a store also made me realize I have a talent for selling, which I never knew I had!





What do you like most about the products you carry?

They are older than me twice! But look so vivid and fun! They all have a story behind them and have travelled from many places around the world - West Germany, Austria, Italy, Japan, Soviet Union, and many others. Sometimes after a stressful day I just sit on the floor, spill some beads and play with them - it’s such a great remedy!





What do you think makes you a creative shop owner?

Selecting beads is one aspect, but then there’s much more. I pay big attention to my photographs, and my head is also always busy thinking about new ideas for better packaging, marketing, collaboration with other crafters, and so on. I’m obsessed with the idea of recycling and I usually make my own envelopes and boxes for shipping. I ask for some scraps in a poligraphic factory, use old wallpapers, or even make my own paper sometimes. So each package is always individual.






Have you reached a big dream or goal,
or are you still working toward one that you'd like to share with us today?

  I’m working on my bead shop right now, I have many more beads than are shown in it and I’m putting new ones up every day, but it’s a very slow proccess... A big dream of mine is to start selling my jewelry online. It’s funny, I’ve been making jewelry for quite a while now, but never tried to sell it online. So I have some plans about opening another shop for my jewelry, but this is for next year only, I guess. And generally my goal in life is to do what I want, to be with people I like, to travel a lot, and to be happy!



Below are some examples of jewelry made with beads from No Snow Supplies.



 Thank you, Zivile!


Our next feature will be a very talented graphics designer who makes and sells business logos and card designs, banners and icons for etsy shop owners. Please check back for more great shop features!

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