Folksy & Dawanda

Hello, I have been neglecting my blog recently, being pregnant and having a newborn does that to you! Hopefully, things are back on track now.

I have been very busy opening a Folksy shop and a Dawanda shop. It is very early days but I am feeling optimistic. Both sites are relatively easy to use and the community of crafters has been very welcoming in both sites. I haven’t tried Etsy yet as I have heard very mixed reviews. Folksy is being referred to as the UK version of Etsy and that is really appealing. Hope it does well. Dawanda is European based so you have to list in Euros but the site seems to be very well run. Will keep you posted!

After the event!

The Brompton Art Fayre was a quiet event, probably because it was on a Thursday, but a very enjoyable event nonetheless. We met old and new customers as well as fellow crafters.

Our most popular item this time was our Turquoise donut jewellery set. It is hard to predict which items will be most popular so it is always a good idea to take a wide variety of items.

We arrived with plenty of time to set up but as we had practiced our layout beforehand it was easy to arrange our table. It is a good idea to practice layouts at home and take a photo, so you know exactly what you are doing on the day. If you have quiet periods on the day you can always adjust and refine your layout.

The other tip that we found helpful was to have as many displays already set up as possible. Our earring stands were done the night before and were wrapped very carefully. This meant that we could take them out first and we already had something on our table. In some craft fairs, you get customers coming well before the advertised times so it is always a good idea to have eye catching displays even before you have finished unpacking.

If you are planning to go to a craft fair as a seller, we wish you good luck and good sales. And don't forget to have plenty of change, some business cards and a good sense of humour to cover all eventualities!

Brompton Art Fayre

We have been selected to showcase our jewellery at the Brompton Art Fayre on Thursday 12th April 2007 and we are so excited! It is a fantastic opportunity to meet our customers and reach out to new ones too. We are looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible.

The Art Fayre takes place once a month and is situated in the heart of Knightsbridge, at the London Oratory, next door to the V&A Museum. The event takes place between 11am - 5pm. It really is a beautiful place to host a fair and right in the middle of the shopping haven of Knightsbridge.

Now, all we have to do is prepare for the day. This will involve creating even more stock, sorting out our layout and props for our table etc.

We shall report back after the event and provide some tips for crafters wanting to set up their own stall at a craft fair.

Starting up a jewellery business

Starting up a jewellery business was very hard work. Anyone starting a business needs all the help they can get. I would like to recommend a few websites that I found invaluable and I hope you find them useful too.

Shell LiveWire helps 16-30 year olds to start and develop their own business. I registered with them and got a business toolkit containing CD Roms and information relating to my trade. My favourite part of the website though is the forum. I learn so much by reading other people’s questions and posting my own.

Business Link is a UK government service providing information and advice to new and small businesses. I could not have set up my internet boutique without them as they cover all legal and practical aspects of e-commerce.

EnterpriseQuest is fab! You can subscribe, free of charge, to receive their weekly bulletin to keep up to date with emerging trends and new legal requirements. It provides witty and useful information.

Lastly, but not least, my favourite business related website which I keep visiting again and again. Home jewelry business success tips is a business resource for jewellery artists and its fantastic. You can subscribe to the newsletter to receive the latest articles and news. I highly recommend it!

Good luck with your venture!!

Indie Friendly Status

Morena Boutique has been approved as "Indie Friendly" by the Craft Revolution and has been added to the Indie Friendly Directory. This means that our site was reviewed by the editors at Craft Revolution and met all the guidelines necessary to be added to the directory.

The Craft Revolution is a great website which is working hard to promote crafts so people become aware of them and appreciate them. It lets people know that there is an alternative to high street chains and that the stereotypical image of crafts as being old ladies knitting is not an accurate representation of crafters. The Indie Friendly Directory is a great place to find Indie designers and shops so definitely one to bookmark in your favourites, particularly now that christmas is approaching.....

Lava beads

One of my favourite type of beads at the moment are lava beads. They are very unusual and exotic. The Lola range at Morena Boutique has been created by combining lava beads, Swarovsky crystals and sterling silver.

These lava beads are soft to the touch and surprisingly lightweight. Lava beads are made of basalt, a type of volcanic rock. They are not polished but contain little air bubbles called vesicles. These vesicles are created when gas is trapped and the lava cools and hardens.

They really are striking beads. Hope you like them as much as I do!

Morena Boutique

I launched Morena Boutique at the end of May 2006 as a way to showcase my jewellery designs. I love creating jewellery and now that I have become a mum, I would like to have my own business so I can work from home and look after my baby.

I have a great passion for all things jewellery, but particularly beaded jewellery, so I hope to share with you my latest products but also my favourite websites, jewellery desginers, information about beads, tips about making your own jewellery and so on to encourage more people to discover how fab beads can be!