Articulations of Amanda Davie

In Support of Etsy...

Amanda Davie — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:07:26 GMT

Today marks a day where many of my fellow jewelry artists, friends, and peers are shutting their Etsy shops in protest of what they feel is a change in Etsy's focus, and a disconnect with their original mission statement...you can read about it here-http://protesty.com/

Although I respect my peers, and their opinions, I do not share their sentiments. Etsy has allowed me the LUXURY of working from home. Etsy has allowed me to say NO to consignment galleries and shops wanting a huge amount of my stock with no money up front. Etsy has allowed me to grow my business from my original jewelry store, to a jewelry supply store, an elements shop, a wholesale shop, and now my vintage shop. Selling on Etsy has allowed me to stay home doing what I love, and supplementing my husband's income to help keep our family and companion animals afloat in this volatile economy. I am grateful everyday for the platform to show my work, sell it, and "meet" with customers from all over the planet.

10 years ago, when I was schlepping my wares to every art show I could afford to get into, I NEVER would have imagined that a single website could change how I got my artwork, jewelry and re-sale items out into the world. My husband, daughter and I use to spend every week-end driving hours to the next art show, and driving home each night. We have animals and although gas was expensive (especially hauling a trailer with an older car) we couldn't afford to leave the animals in someone else's care, let alone stay in a hotel. Now I wake up on Saturday morning and look forward to taking a hike with my husband, or staying home and weeding the garden.

Do I think Etsy is perfect? NO, but nothing is. The bottom line is...ETSY is a business. It's not a charity, it's not a non-profit....and it's not your best friend. Etsy is in business to make money....as am I. Do I love "how" I make money?-yes, I'm really lucky that I love my job....but I also need to pay my car payment, cc debt, and mortgage...just like most people. My shops aren't a "hobby" they are an income that I have to report, and pay taxes on, just like any other business. With any business, there are growing pains, changes, and hopefully improvements. If you don't make changes...then you die and close up shop...just like many of the other handmade platforms that have gone under over the last few years.

Etsy has been successful for me. I am very grateful for that. I have had few problems, a few ugly customers, but overall, it's been a great experience. If I was selling at a shop, in a gallery, or at an art show, I'd still have the occasional ugly customer, competition, and yes even "re-sellers" to compete with. I don't believe I've ever been to a gallery, shop, or art show where I didn't see something that was an "import", a copy of another artist's work, or something that was being touted as handmade...that actually wasn't.

I think too many artists are caught up in the idea that they are the "first" ones, or they "invented" this idea...or they want to lay claim to something they believe is their own...that's just not how the universe works...and it certainly isn't how the business world works.

Etsy is a platform to sell your stuff---that's it.

YOU are responsible for getting the attention of your customers, telling them why your stuff is the best, why they should buy from you and not your neighbor. YOU are responsible for educating your customers about your materials, your process. YOU are responsible for taking attractive photos, writing engaging descriptions, and pricing your work fairly.

YOU are NOT responsible for keeping tabs on what everyone else is doing and selling....you are also not responsible for writing descriptions that disparage your competition.

Here's my last and final point....we are human beings, and we have free choice. The quickest way to stand up for what you believe in, and be heard, is to vote with your money. If you don't like the platform, then leave. Don't purchase from Etsy, and don't sell on Etsy. You are free to consign your work, get a rep, sell at art and craft shows, or build your own website....

Your dollars speak louder than any one day of protest ever would.

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If you have read this entire epilogue-Thank You....

feel free to leave comments---from whatever side you are on....

light and love

amanda

ps...today only support etsy sale

25% off entire jewelry shop (only)!

enter code-supportetsy when you check out

I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there. -- Mother Teresa

Hello Spring...

Amanda Davie — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:22:56 GMT

Sorry for the long absence. It's been a busy few months around our house, and I've made some changes to the business too. I'm excited to tell you that in addition to the Jewelry Shop, I've re-structured my other shops, and opened yet another shop for my vintage finds! Sound confusing? Actually, I'm hoping this will simplifying things!

So here's a quick visual to make things easy-

Elements Shop

Here you can find handmade or hand embellished elements for your own jewelry designs, charms, pendants, and base pieces for creating custom charm jewelry.

The supply shop is my Amanda Davie Too shop. Here you can find a variety of commercially made jewelry supplies, charms, and beads. Over the years I've acquired a large supply of fun pieces, pretty beads, and unique charms and I hope this extension of my other shops will appeal to those of you who like to design your own work. I will have both large and small quantities available.

The wholesale shop is the place to buy my jewelry and other art-work if you are a retailer, gallery owner, or boutique. I have created listings in bulk quantities with a substantial wholesale discount. Most items are ready to ship!

And lastly-welcome to my newest addition-The Country Flea Market

This will be the new home for all my vintage goodies.

The Country Flea Market will be a place for me to showcase and sell some of these pieces, and eventually sell some of my husband's Primitive Style furniture and home decor. All of my lettering and vintage wood type can be found here!

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I hope that helps to make things a little less confusing.

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I just delivered a huge amount of work to the RED CUP Coffee House on Washington Island (Wisconsin) so if you are heading up to Door County this season, you might want to stop in, have a cup of joe and browse. I will be adding new things to all my online shops on a weekly basis, so keep checking for new additions. You can find me on Facebook now too. I have two accounts, one for the business, and one for my personal profile....stop by and say hello-

I'd love it if you "liked" my business page!

Happy Spring!

New Life...

Amanda Davie — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:31:11 GMT

Ah yes, judging from the above photo on my new blog design, you must think I've left the jewelry world, and sailed off to some foreign land. Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth, but for some reason my blog host doesn't want to update the images. I recently worked with the lovely Sunny from Sunny Bae Dynamic Design Solutions to create a new blog banner, and new Etsy banners. She was so wonderful to work with, and her designs are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I hope to get the banner situation straightened out soon, but if you want to see what it should look like-please visit my home page, or any one of my Etsy Shops....

Home

Jewelry

Charms/Pendants/Jewelry Elements

Wholesale

I'm offering 15% discount in the Jewelry Shop until December 24th. You must use code: Simplify to get the discount, and it's not applicable on my gift certificates.

Lots of new stuff going into the Elements Shop in the next week or so-don't forget to stop by there for some fun charms and pendants!

What's Old is New Again...

Amanda Davie — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:37:28 GMT

Elements Shop

(It took me most of the morning to figure out how to make this slide-show-and get it formatted to post here---thankfully my 14 year old daughter got up, and gave me a hand....)

Just a little peek at what's happening in my Elements Shop. After many requests for custom jewelry-or custom charms, I've decided to offer up a sort of DIY assemblage of goodies over at ADE. I'm always hesitant to do custom work...often telling many of my customers NO. I know that for many artists, custom work is your bread and butter, and that you welcome custom work. It seems to have the opposite effect on me. I freeze up, worry that expectations won't be met, and usually under-charge for what is extra time and/or money spent on the custom request. I love my customers and I love to make them happy. But I can't help feeling like a child that doesn't want to be told what to do when I accept a custom order.-Weird I know. But one of the things I cherish about this line of work, is that NO ONE tells me what to do. NO ONE is the boss of me. I guess that says something (maybe not so positive) about me. But it's the truth. So I'm going back to something old---and making it new again.

Once upon a time ago, (when I did art shows) I asked my husband to build this display for me. He custom built every box and made a long tray and lid for them so I could easily transport them. It was 3.5 feet of charm goodness.
My Charm Bar.
These days, I don't do art shows anymore, and the charm bar is filled with my own stuff, but in it's day, it saw a lot of action. I had handmade charms of every sort, soldered glass, soldered marbles, collage charms, beads, houses, keys,....you get the idea.
I also made "base" necklaces and bracelets. Customers could walk up to the charm bar, and within minutes create their own custom piece of jewelry.
It was alot of fun. I've had some charms available in my Elements shop for a few months now, but I've decided to amp up my offerings with some of my favorite handmade pieces, and even a few commercial charms.

Over the next few weeks I will be adding more charms, and base pieces. This is a new way to shop for my jewelry. And it's easy. Each charm or pendant will have a lobster claw clasp on it. Each of my base pieces (necklaces,bracelets,key chains, etc) were made to accept the charms. It's custom jewelry my way. I hope this will help bridge the gap for those of you who are looking for a more custom approach.
Remember -this is not my regular jewelry shop, but my elements shop!
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New this year, I will also be offering gift certificates in both the Jewelry and Elements shop. I've got to create the certificates yet but they should be listed later this week-end. $50.00 Gift Certificates will come with a special charm.
I'll be offering free shipping on the certificates.
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And last but not least-if you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, please do. I only send a newsletter out a few times a year, and I'll be sending one out next week, with a coupon code for the Jewelry Shop.
I've got more to tell you, but it will have to wait for a fresh post!
light and love
amanda

Design Revelations...

Amanda Davie — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:39:53 GMT

Uplift my Spirit
having a bit of a revelation today...
I was reading an email from a dear friend... she mentioned how much she liked a necklace I made for her, and that it would go with many of her clothes...Of course I was pleased that she liked it and didn't really give it much thought... then early this morning I began thinking about jewelry that "went" with an outfit; you know like matched....and I realized that I never think about that.
When I pick out the jewelry that I wear, it is usually because it makes me feel a certain way, or it has special significance, I don't think it ever occurred to me to consider if it "matched" my outfit or not...then of course my mind went to my process of making jewelry-yes I always consider if elements, and colors flow together, but never once did I think about the fact that bright green glass might not go with most people's clothes. So much of what I do and make comes from an "intuitive" place...I try to listen to my heart and just go with it. Each piece I make has meaning, from the choice of beads and gemstones, to the charms or pendants I use. I consider many things when designing pieces-from who might like it, would I wear it? is the length correct? is it heavy, is it too light? does it convey what I'm thinking and feeling? does it flow with the changing seasons? what does it say to someone else? But I never thought about the fact that lots and lots of people buy jewelry to go with an outfit....

Wandering Spirit Necklace

Will this change my design process? I don't know. I first thought-how weird to buy jewelry just because it matches your clothes, but if I expanded my attachments to my jewelry to people and their clothes it makes sense to me. I have had clothes that made me feel good-or confident, so I get that. Now connecting the dots of having those favorite "feel good" outfits and enhancing them with lovely jewelry-it makes more sense...I'm sure you are all going-duhhhhh.....I just never thought about it in that way from a design perspective. I'm not much of a clothes person. I don't buy a lot of clothes-and I pretty much live in jeans and t-shirts most of the year. But even a t-shirt is improved by a colorful necklace....

I'd like to know your thoughts on this?

Do you often buy jewelry because it matches a particular item of clothing or outfit?

Or do you buy jewelry because it speaks to you?

or is it all the same?

light and love

amanda

In Love with Lockets...

Amanda Davie — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:17:34 GMT

I don't know what it is lately, but I've been taken with lockets. I've just added a few new pieces to my Etsy shop, and some of these lovelies went into the wholesale shop this afternoon...

Lots more lockets planned for my regular Etsy shop too.
I'll be firing up the kiln soon and getting back to a bit more metal fabricating in the next few weeks....but I do want to enjoy some fall foliage...
light and love
amanda

Wow-time flies...

Amanda Davie — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:48:45 GMT

It seems as though there are never enough hours in the day to complete what is on my to do list. My poor blog seems to get set aside, time and time again, I'm feeling a bit embarrassed that I have abandoned it, and left my Challenge and Feature Friday pages go quiet for weeks. What started out with great enthusiasm quickly sputtered out after a family illness and countless other distractions. So in an effort to clear my plate, I will set those two things aside for now, maybe to return to them a little later. I did want to stop back and say hello to all of you who left comments on my bead soup jewelry. Thank you so much-I am slowly visiting more of the other artists. I don't allow myself much "down-time" on the computer, but I'm learning that I need to allow myself a bit more freedom from work. I don't know if others of you who work at home have this same problem. I think many people assume that if you work at home, you must have a really leisurely life style...lounging and taking a casual approach to your day. But honestly, I find I'm my own worst boss, cracking the whip the moment I wake up, until I'm dead tired at night. It's catching up with me, and I'm almost (almost) looking forward to winter when things slow down a bit....

(mostly they slow down, because I can't get out of the driveway.)

So be kind to yourself today-

light and love

amanda

ps...I'm having a sale in my etsy shops through the week-end....

use code: Harvest

to receive 20% off your purchase!