Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Be Calm and Carry On:)

Welcome to Designing Lifestyle...the blog of Joya Jewelry Designs as seen on www.joyajewelrydesigns.etsy.com


BE CALM AND CARRY ON...I have seen this block letter advice on posters, key chains, t-shirts and the like. It does seem like practical and productive advice to aspire to, yet may not be foremost in our thoughts when schedules are hectic or when we're faced with prolonged challenges.
      During a time of discouragement recently, I was reminded yet again of the inherent worth of each person as an individual, apart from what we "do" or accomplish in the world's eyes. So, if you find yourself in need of encouragement today, I'd like to share the reminder with you. 
     You are special and important, inherently, apart from what you say or don't say, or what you do or don't do. You are not of little value because you live out your days in a nursing home, or because someone has labeled you "disabled" or because you have been out of work for months and fear you may lose everything, or even if you feel you have lost everything. The fact that you are a human "being" here with us is important, not only in the present moment but in the larger scheme of things as well. When you carry on, you become an example of "carrying on" and a source of encouragement to others, irregardless of how you may feel in the process. Collectively, we remind each other we're not alone---even if we feel as though we are at times---and that we can survive and even triumph through hectic or challenging times if we simply "carry on." Every time we carry on, I submit, "we" help all of "us."
       Today I offer you encouragement and wish you every blessing, as you continue in your journey of designing the lifestyle you desire.
      

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thankful For You

Welcome to Designing Lifestyle...the blog of Joya Jewelry Designs as seen on www.joyajewelrydesigns.etsy.com


    In this season of celebrating blessings we are grateful for, we would like to say we are thankful to be able to make and share our jewelry at Joya Jewelry Designs on Etsy, as well as via this blog, and various social media sites. We are thankful to those who Follow us, who Like us, convo us, and shop with us. We have experienced much joy and fun through all of this. So---most especially---we are thankful for YOU ...You are part of our joy. We wish you many blessings:)
   



Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Treasuries Revisited: Courtesies and Time-Saving Tips

Welcome to Designing Lifestyle...the blog of Joya Jewelry Designs as seen on www.joyajewelrydesigns.etsy.com
      As some of you may know, we have recently been participating in some of the Treasury challenges of NonTeam. For more info:
http://treasurychallengenonteam.blogspot.com/
These are open to anyone on Etsy and it's been a lot of fun for us. We have created and entered several Treasuries in the NonTeam Challenges, and, we've had the honor and thrill of being featured in a few Treasuries created by others, as well. 
        That being said, we'd like to revisit the topic of Treasuries in this blog post. We're not pros, but we have learned a couple of things we wish we'd known from the beginning when we first began wading into Treasury waters. We'd like to share a couple of tips in hopes they may be of help to Treasury newbies.
         We discussed creating (curating) a Treasury in our blog post of 10-19-10, so refer back to that if interested in how to get started. We would like to add that Etsy recommends you NOT feature items from your own shop when you create a Treasury. So, if you have any hopes that your Treasury might be selected to be shown on the "Front Page" of Etsy, we recommend you follow that guideline. Also, if you are on the Etsy home page, scroll down to the Treasury button on the left side of page and click on that, it will bring you to a page of currently "hot" Treasuries. On the right side of that page, it will show "Today's Trending Tags," so you might want to consider using those tags in your own Treasury tags, when applicable, or possibly even in your Treasury title.
        Now, we would like to discuss what to do once you've created and published your beautiful Treasury with all your featured Etsy artisans. 
          It is considered a courtesy to let each of your artisans know you have featured them. Also, you want as many people to see the Treasury as possible, so if you inform your artisans, and, encourage them to share the news with fans and friends, you are better likely to drive more traffic to your Treasury.
         Through trial and error, we have found this the most time-effective way of informing your artisans.
1. Go to your treasury.
2. Click on the first item included.
3. When you get to that page, click on "contact" (currently on the right side of page)
4. It will take you to a convo page, with that item already typed in the box.
5. Type in a message with a link to the treasury, and one to your shop, if you'd like...
We have done item specific comments, but generic get the point across, too, and save time; something like this...


http://www.etsy.com/convo_new.php?to_username=dgpaperart&referring_listing_id=51317161&ref=ls_contact_top

Hello...I have featured this item in my recent Treasury at the link below:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cdc517b5eea8eefa40fed2d/all-things-bright-and-beautiful?index=4

Please stop by and leave a comment, and encourage your friends and fans to do the same, if you'd like, via Twitter, FaceBook, blogs, emails, convos, etc.
Thanks, and I wish you every success!

Kori and partners
www.joyajewelrydesigns.etsy.com


Of course, you'll want to word your convo (message) in a way that seems comfortable and natural for you; this is merely one suggestion.
6. Once you type your message, BEFORE you SEND...copy everything EXCEPT their item listing info; when you have right-clicked and copied, then press SEND
7. Go back up to that same convo and click on your link to your Treasury to take you back
8. When you're back, click on item #2 and do the same thing again.
9. This time when you click on Contact and get to the convo box, you can just space down below the item listing, and then right-click and paste your info in, and then SEND
10. Go back in that convo and click on your link again...repeat process until you've done all 16 artisans. Then you can recheck your own convo list and make sure all 16 have been listed/sent

In the beginning, I didn't even think about Twitter, FB, StumbleUpon, Digg, Kaboodle, and the other social media sites as resources to spread the word, but it is not hard and gives exposure to your own shop and your artisans. So, you may want to consider the possibilities.

Also, I review my Treasuries periodically for awhile. If items have sold, I go back to the artisan and send a reminder that they were featured, and, a quick note of congratulations. If something in your Treasury sells quickly, you'll want to replace the space in your Treasury with another item. This is especially true if you have entered a challenge of some sort and/or you are hoping your Treasury might get to Front Page. It is my understanding it will not get to FP with missing items. Usually you create a Treasury with 16 items. Only 12 would show up on Front Page and they would be the 12 in the first three lines from top to bottom. Normally, if something came up missing, the space would be filled in with something from the bottom row. Occasionally---I'm still too new to this to know why---items disappear and are not replaced, so that's another reason I check our Treasuries often. I do know if a listing becomes expired, it will "disappear" unless renewed. Sometimes, when a featured item sells, it will disappear, and sometimes it will just show "Sold" at the bottom of the picture. Either way, if your Treasury is just a few hours or days old, you will want to replace sold items with ones that can be purchased. If you really liked the look of your Treasury with that item, you can check back in the artisan's shop to see if they have another listing of the same item. If so, you can copy the address bar of that listing and go back into your Treasury site and click the Edit button to replace the space with the fresh listing. However, I've also heard others tell that items "disappeared" and they didn't know why. So check in occasionally and make sure your Treasury is "full" if it's still fairly new. 
     To save time in checking your Treasuries, go to the Etsy home page, scroll down on the left hand side and click the Treasury button (aqua in color at the time of writing this blog). Then type in your shop name in the search box and hit enter and it will bring up all Treasuries that you have done, or, where items of yours have been featured. If you will then bookmark or favorite the page, this will be a quick way to get to all of them so you can see if you need to trade out sold items and add newer items to replace them. 
     It is also informative in that, not everyone knows to inform their artisans that they have been featured in a Treasury. We have been featured in several where the curator never informed us. In older ones, we were saddened to find out in this happenstance way, as it made it very late and awkward in regard to leaving comments. In newer ones, we were grateful to be able to do so, and, to be able to Tweet about them or post on Facebook, and other social media sites to spread the word for more exposure. We are not currently using paid advertising, so we appreciate opportunities to use social media for greater exposure.
     That's it for this blog post. We would love to hear comments from anyone as to whether this information may have been helpful, OR, if anyone has anything they'd like to add that may be helpful, we're always appreciative of learning new ways and lessons.
      Again, we'd encourage anyone who has not done a Treasury yet to give it a try. It's fun and informative and you never know when it might be profitable, as well.
      Here's to designing more fun and success into your life!:)
         
    



Monday, October 25, 2010

Consideration by Design

Welcome to Designing Lifestyle...the blog of Joya Jewelry Designs as seen on www.joyajewelrydesigns.etsy.com
     As we've added a couple of new blog sites to our list, I am increasingly mindful of a post on Business Know How regarding how taking the time to send heart-felt cards can grow referrals and increase customer retention   http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/personalcards.htm
    Still, whether you have a business or not, sending thoughtful cards is a wonderful way to show consideration to anyone. In this tech-filled time of texting and emails, taking the time to send personal cards and messages through the Post Office---"snail mail"---has become less frequent. Yet, why?  Three major reasons are: 1. It takes a lot of time
2. It's inconvenient, and 3. It costs too much....all a pity, because, after all...who doesn't like to receive a piece of "real mail" hidden amongst all the junk mail and bills? It's thrilling, and can do so much to brighten anyone's day.
     Enter Send Out Cards, a company that addresses all these issues with a quick, easy, convenient, and cost-effective solution. With its corporate goal to go global and become a billion-dollar household name, some are deeming it the next "Netflix." 
     SendOutCards is an online service that allows you to send a greeting card (and a gift, as well, if you like) from the convenience of a computer to anywhere in the world...but it's not an "e-card." It is an actual, physical greeting card such as you might buy in a store and it arrives to your recipient in their mailbox via regular mail. 
(Imagine their delighted surprise!) 
    There are options for uploading personal pictures from your computer, and even your own handwriting font! Plus, you can purchase the service in different price packages, or purchase by just a single card! 
     I have used SendOutCards for over a year now. The convenience and cost effectiveness have been wonderful resources to have at my fingertips. The ability to send personalized, heart-felt cards in a quick and easy manner has been a blessing to me and many in my family. Whether you're remembering someone's special day or occasion, or sending ongoing cards to brighten the lives of those in a hospital, rest home, or whatever, the ease and affordability of doing so from the convenience of your own computer sure saves a lot of time, trouble, and money. Plus, it's a simple way to brighten anyone's day!
      We would like to offer our readers an opportunity to try SendOutCards for free! If you're interested, click on the link below:
https://www.sendoutcards.com/kori
       With the holidays coming, or just anytime, imagine not having to hand-write names and addresses time after time. Enter info once into your account manager, and from then on, cards and gifts are sent with just the click of a button. Sweet!
       Whether or not you use SendOutCards, I'd like to encourage you today to think of anyone who'd like to hear from you, and bless them with a card or a call.  We imagine it will bless you as much as it does your recipient...and we wish you all many blessings!:)



Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Designing Treasuries

   Welcome to Designing Lifestyle...the blog of Joya Jewelry Designs as seen on www.joyajewelrydesigns.etsy.com


   Over at Joya Jewelry Designs on Etsy, we've recently been working on designing Treasuries...curating Treasuries is the terminology they use...where you determine a theme or title, select items from other sellers' shops and display them as a collection. We've had tons of fun with our first three:
Boo-ti-ful Buys, a collection in honor of my cousin Tina, who loved Halloween
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cb0cb1793746d91960bf807/boo-ti-ful-buys?index=1
Line in Design, to celebrate the interesting effect of lines in design and how they influence perception
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cb1662191928eef6918a127/line-in-design?index=2
and
The Eyes Have It,  in honor of upcoming elections,
a fun play on words of the old expression, "The ayes have it" referring to voting protocol in formal venues
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cb6c582e5ff6d914ce97c26/the-eyes-have-it?index=0

   We will definitely want to do more because they are fun AND they help give exposure and support to the many talented artisans on Etsy.

   We, in turn, appreciate the artisans who have featured some of our items in Treasuries:
See our Vintage Lucite Red Rounds here, in 
Red, Red, RED, SHE SAID!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c49474076d78eefba55fd7f/red-red-red-she-said?index=3


Red Sophisticates dangle earrings were featured in
Seeing Red!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c7284ebb9e98eef6deef77e/seeing-red?index=7
Dramatic Dragons long dangles with chains, featured in Beautiful Colors From Beautiful People
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c7119640dfb8eef9a6be175/beautiful-colors-from-beautiful-people?index=4
Satina, hand-crafted designer earrings were featured in Heart Me!-Vol. 2
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c4d0b64d1628eef46dac725/heart-me-vol-2?index=6

and, last but not least, our popular Night Owls necklace and earrings set featured in The NonColorful NonTeam Treasury
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cb5ac32d3c86d911746a3ee/the-noncolorful-nonteamtreasury?index=1
And, by the way, you will notice we have added Treasury Challenge Non Team to our blog list, so if you'd like to take the challenge, check it out!
    Treasuries are loads of fun to browse through for shopping purposes, dreaming, or just for inspiration in creating your own.
    For those who may not know, you can create one on Etsy by going to the Home page, looking down the left-hand column then clicking on the blue Treasury button, then when the Treasury page loads, there is a blue button on the right that says Create List.
   Another way is to use the Poster Sketch template feature on Etsy.  I was reading another blog whose writer said she prefers to create in Poster Sketch because there is less likely a chance to lose your collection should there be a glitch on Etsy. I tried it, but myself prefer doing it from Create List, I think just because that's the way I'd done it before I read the blog. I do like the fact that you can collect your pieces in Poster Sketch before you publish, whereas, when I assembled from the Create List, it timed my creations from when I started, not when I published. So, even though I initially clicked on the (Who can view this?) Only you button until I was completely ready, by the time I clicked on the (Who can view this?) Everyone button, my first Treasuries appeared as though they were already several hours old. I'm not sure how much that matters in the greater scheme of things, but psychologically I'd feel better if they appeared to be "fresh," time-wise...."Hot off the press," so to speak, since they really are when you hit that Everyone button.
If you have trouble finding the Poster Sketch feature, try accessing it from this Storque page then the Tech Update link
 http://www.etsy.com/storque/search/title/poster-sketch/
   At any rate, I do recommend Treasuries for shopping or sharing. And, if anyone wants to add comments, suggestions, or insights on this or any of our blog posts, we welcome them! 
    Until next time, have fun Designing the Lifestyle you most want:)


p.s.  We are sorry to announce we had no winner of our first give-away. I understand that's probably because so few heard about it. It's definitely a learning process for me and I certainly have plenty to learn about relating through social media. Still, we hope those few of you who did hear about it will feel more encourage to enter next time, as chances of winning are above average!:)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Designing Fun






Welcome to Designing Lifestyle...the blog of Joya Jewelry Designs as seen on www.joyajewelrydesigns.etsy.com

A hearty, Hollywood hello, everyone! I can hardly believe I missed last week's post, yet obviously I did. What distracted me?
I was "designing a bit of fun" into my life and became temporarily absorbed in it. What was I doing?
I was interested in finding out about being an "extra" in Hollywood movies and found a place online that supposedly connects folks with opportunities to do so. I do not personally know anyone from this site, so cannot---as yet---give a testimonial of my own as to whether or not this site is "legit." I have submitted interest in 20 auditions, and had a response from one of them within 2 days, but as yet, have heard nothing from the others. Of course, I'll post it if I get any good news.

If you are curious, you can go to my site page and check it out, below: 
         http://www.exploretalent.com/model_page.php?talentnum=4425261

I will tell you they want you to sign up for their service to have access to all the opportunities. The cost varies by the amount of months you purchase at one time.

It was after I signed up that they gave me info on upcoming movies with Jack Black, Jim Carey, Tom Cruise, Judi Dench, and several others.

At any rate, that's why I missed the post last week---I was temporarily "star struck." 
Read on for this week's post, as we are offering our first ever jewelry give-away.

Today's thought for your consideration:
      
       Enter our first-ever Jewelry Giveaway
for a chance to win a free pair of earrings!


What do you enjoy about October?  The advent of crisp Autumn weather... Fresh apples or warm spiced cider...Octoberfest?... the list could go on and on. 
Celebrate the arrival of Fall with us by entering our contest where we will give away a free pair of earrings with lovely Fall colors.  

What:  Autumn Ambers earrings
You can preview these earrings by clicking on the link below to view the picture of them posted in our Flickr gallery.







When:  October 5-12, 2010


How to enter
View the earrings via the link above. Post a comment on the picture, or come back here and post a comment about the picture or the blog site.

Winner:
* will be chosen by random drawing of all names/emails 
   entered
* only one name/email entry per person
* will be notified on Wednesday,
October 13, 2010 via email, so make sure we get your name and email address. Earrings will be mailed to the winner at that time, free of charge

We hope you will enter and we wish you good luck in winning.

Happy October!
Happy Fall!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Crafting Words for Success

Welcome to Designing Lifestyle...the blog of Joya Jewelry Designs as seen on www.joyajewelrydesigns.etsy.com


Today's thought for your consideration:
      Do the words we choose to speak     

        influence our life experiences?


    Today I am offering an excerpt from a recent journal entry of mine. I've been coming to believe that our thoughts ignite our emotions, which then ignite our feelings into actions (or inaction, sometimes) and thus we are "crafting" our life by choice or default. We perceive something through our senses, we process thoughts of fight or flight...are we perceiving good, evil, something neutral?...
then our emotions kick in, followed by our response of action or inaction, and then a consequence. Therefore, I believe it's important to choose our thoughts and words for the purpose of crafting, as it were, the life we want...or at least a life closer to what we want.
    We may not always be able to help what pops into our head, but we do have a choice of whether to linger on it, or choose a different thought and hold our focus on that. Then, we need to choose words that support what we believe and want to have happen.
     I'm still learning to put this into practice, but I believe it's a skill and habit worth developing, so I plan to keep at it. 
     I do not present this excerpt to tell anyone else what they should or should not do. It is just me talking to myself with reminders, and if they may be helpful to you, good; if not, let them go. Following is the excerpt:


      "Gee Whiz! How long before I CHANGE MY VOCABULARY? I need to eliminate....
ELIMINATE WHAT YOU DON'T WANT.
I've heard people use the phrase, "It's just like I always say..." and go on to describe how "life is hard" and "I've got a J-o-b-, but I'm always just over broke," etc.  
     Today it occurred to me anew: 
It (reality/life) IS like you always say, to a great extent, SO STOP SAYING THINGS YOU DON'T WANT!!!
      
    Take the things you always say but don't really want and turn them around; take what you really DO WANT and START SPEAKING WHAT YOU WANT.
    "Craft" (create) positive affirmations that can help you hold positive thoughts until you feel positive feelings so you can live in that creative, positive energy where such things come to pass.
     You have the agency of free will, so use it to create the life you want to live."
Here are some of my affirmations...


  " I have a fabulous life and I'm grateful for it."
  "I have a great job I love and I am paid well."
"I am becoming stronger and healthier that I've ever been." 
"I use exercise to flow joy and energy to my body."
"I am learning more and more how to live a happier life."


   Yes, I know this is an over-simplified  presentation, for the sake of keeping the blog short. It's just food for thought. 
   My entry ended with:


                  *****DREAM BIG*****
Go for what you want and ONLY for what you want.
Craft your speech...
                   Craft your energy...
                                              Craft your life!




Disclaimer: This post and journal entry has only been presented as "food for thought."
If you are under the care of a healthcare or other professional for one or more specific mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual conditions or problems, these affirmations and suggestions are NOT meant to replace the advice and/or diagnosis of your healthcare or other professional.