Facebook and Twitter and Paypal, OH MY! The Rabbit Hole that is the InterWebs by Karen McGovern

It's all MaryAnn Carroll's fault.

It all started with an *innocent* post by MaryAnn to the artists of  LMAJ discussing linking Facebook pages to Twitter, so that every post made to your Facebook also appears on your Twitter page. Great idea....That was Friday....

48 hours later I emerge, bleary-eyed and brain dead, hands cramped from continuous clicking and clacking on my laptop, lost in the bowels of social media rules, regulations, hacks and shortcuts.

What MaryAnn didn't realize is that once I get started on something web-wise, I do not stop until I have figured it out or hit a virtual brick wall.

Here's the deal. MaryAnn's suggestion (and a good one, I might add...) lead to more ideas and questions regarding how this all works. I have, like many artists on Facebook, more than one page. I have my personal page under my name, I have my art page under my business name (Beadkeepers). I also am in charge of the Facebook page for the organization I work for (Rare Species Conservatory Foundation). That's three pages. I also have three Twitter accounts, one for me, one for Beadkeepers and one for RSCF. Sure, it would be FABULOUS if posts to Facebook (which I use and post to almost everyday) could magically appear at the same time on the corresponding Twitter pages. I didn't even know you could do that BECAUSE I AM OLD AND DON'T GET THE TWITTER MUCH.

BUT, I do understand the value of social media when it comes to living in the 21st century, and if you have any presence online it's best to learn and UNDERSTAND as much of this stuff as possible. It's never a bad idea to expand your online toolkit if that is where you do the bulk of your communications, and frankly, it's UNAVOIDABLE. So let's USE this stuff, right????

First, I consulted the mighty oracle...Google. I learned much, and I am here to share...

Linking Facebook to Twitter is relatively easy once you stumble blindly around the Internet, which provides a solid 75% of the info you need. Lucky for you, I did all the stumbling. This link between pages and sites is great to promote your business or organization and is a huge time saver. No more posting one place, then having to start over someplace else!

Here's what you do. I am going to explain this as if you have more than one page on both Twitter and Facebook that you want to link because that is a bit tricky....First, log in to one of your Twitter accounts. Then, open a new tab and go to www.facebook.com/twitter and follow the prompts to open your Facebook page. 

Click the link allowing access from Facebook to Twitter (you need to do this for every page you link). 

You should then see a page with your personal page at the top and all your other pages listed below. Here is mine...

Next to each of your Facebook pages is a button to click that will link that page to the openTwitter account. Click the page you want to link to that account and hit Save Changes. VIOLA! You are linked!

Now, to link another page to another Twitter account, go back to Twitter, SIGN OUT and then SIGN IN to your other page. Go back to the facebook.com/twitter page and REFRESH. Find whatever page you want to link to that Twitter page, hit the Link to Twitter button and the new Twitter page will be listed as linked. Hit Save Changes and VIOLA! You have just linked two different Facebook pages (that you administer) to two different Twitter accounts (that you administer). Now whatever you post to these pages on Facebook will instantly also post to the correct Twitter page as well. THAT ONLY TOOK ME 12 HOURS TO FIGURE OUT. I'm sure a 10 year old child could have done it while I was in the bathroom. ANYWAY....It's a cool feature that can boost your presence on the 'Web and boost your sales as well.

Speaking of sales...you guys know that you can link your shops directly to your Facebook page, right? Under your cover photo on your business page should be a few tabs. As you can see on mine, I have a Shop Now button. Before it was Shop Now it read Call to Action. To link your shop to Facebook, click the Call to Action and a drop down menu appears. Select the Shop Now option, then put your direct web address in the box below for your Etsy shop, website, whatever. Since RSCF is a 501(c) 3 charitable organization, we have the option for a Donate Now button under Call to Action. I linked this to our PayPal donations account. This is super spectacular for us since we have over 15,000 followers  now and we have already gotten donations coming in since I created the button on Friday! 

In figuring out how to link the Donate Now button directly to PayPal, I also discovered something else. I figured out how to create a link in PayPal you can put in a post to SELL DIRECTLY FROM FACEBOOK USING PAYPAL ONLY. No Shopify, no middleman (other than PayPal) no FEES other than PayPal. I have to do a bit more research on this--it's so unbelievably easy it must have a catch somewhere. I've been discussing it with some webby folks and no one seems to have a 100% clear answer on Facebook's policies for selling from your page. Some say it's a no-no, others point out that selling through Facebook/Shopify is...well...SELLING, so what's the problem? I'm sure it has to do with Facebook wanting their cut somehow....Until I do some more digging I'm going to keep this nugget of info to myself. BUT I WANT TO TELL EVERYONE!!! Maybe next time....don't want to get anyone in trouble with the FACEBOOK POLICE. I'll keep you posted.....

In the meantime, I'll close with a recent design I created that is perfect for the season. An AMAZING carved labradorite skull set in sterling silver with a steel flower, brass bee, cast sterling silver twigs and a bronze dogwood flower. I created this in honor of Dia De los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. This wonderful holiday is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. The traditionally Mexican holiday is a celebration and remembrance of those who have passed on, and feature elaborately decorated skulls called Sugar Skulls. I have created many sugar skull designs, but this by far is my favorite and my first carved gemstone skull. The labradorite is ELECTRIC! 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween (if you celebrate) or a wonderful and heartfelt Dia De los Muertos. 

Now, GO MAKE SOMETHING AMAZING!

The obsessing begins.....

Thank-you to everyone who shared information with me about my Etsy vs. Amazon. I have not totally ruled out another way to sell, but for now I started my listings on Etsy. I haven't had a ton of time, so it is only up to about 19 or 20 at this point. I have a ways to go.

And it begins...... first came the picture taking. Yup.... memories!! I took out my old heavy camera to discover my batteries weren't charged. After digging through ONE of my junk drawers I found some AA's that worked temporarily and gave me about 5 minutes of power before having to rotate them with another set buried in the junk drawer..... ughhhh!

By the time I had my other batteries charged I had already decided I would try using my I-phone. Another problem..... I have 5 grandchildren and my phone was FULL of pictures..... ughhhh #2!!! There goes another couple of hours trying to clean that out (something that needed to be done a year ago). FINALLY..... I have room on my phone and squeeze in a little time for picture taking. I decided that my Iphone was much easier than my big camera.

Next comes the listing.... I did that easy enough, but then obsessively looked back and looked back and looked back to continuously see ZERO views. Oh no, this is why I left to begin with.... the memories are coming back. What to do, what do do...

Well, I have to face the inevitable... promoting myself! I HATE THAT!!!! I hate it whether it is online, at a show, a gallery or anywhere else. I was just not born to be a sales person and that is what you need to be to get sales. Now what? I just have to suck it up and do it. I start checking out other Etsy shops to find differences that might have happened after leaving. There were definitely some. I used to add a cutesy name to each of my products and from what I was seeing, that was not a good idea. So, first change.... the cutesy names.... replace them with dull boring names like "handmade ceramic beads". I don't know about you, but sometimes I have so much going on I literally feel like....

..... my head is dizzy.... I think I forget to breathe and since breathing is essential to life, I need to work on being able to do that at the same time as listing. ughhhhhh #3

Now breathe.... I switch the names and still nothing. I obsessively checked again and again and again..... nothing. I then do a search for handmade ceramic beads and I do see that they came up. Why so few views? It's a big world, isn't it? Maybe I am just not up for this anymore. ughhhh #4

I decide to research even further and look for forums or tips about how to get your work noticed on Etsy. I find that not only should I change my cutesy heading, but I need to add all of my descriptors in the title. Are you kidding me? The head goes dizzy. Don't forget to breathe......  Back to Etsy and back to my listings to change everything once again.

I research more. I found blog posts about using Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and whatever the heck else is out there! Are you kidding me? Yup..... dizzy!

I decide I am going to succumb to the new ways of doing this and put a post on our Twitter page. There were a few more views after that, so that's good. I put one up on my own Facebook page too. I'm not sure that did much. I am at a temporary dead end. It is just too much to figure all of this out, teach full time and make time for my family. 

Is there something easier to do? What do you do to get your work noticed or if you don't sell online, how do you search? I could use some advice!

Thanks for sharing what you have to offer...

MaryAnn

More Peruvian adventures and giveaway announcement

Carol Dekle-Foss

Winner announcement at bottom of post

Did you think I was done boring you with Peru? Nope, not by a long shot. In fact, I just have to share with you my most amazing day! First of all, my son had one too many pisco sours, and the next day was nursing a classic Peruvian hangover. He was down for the count. Our day was supposed to be spent together exploring Lima's oldest district, including a stop at a mineral museum and a handmade marketplace so I could shop for cabs and beads. So let me ask you, would YOU venture out alone in a country known for express kidnappings of tourists to buy beads?? Would I? You betcha! Even the hotel manager looked a bit nervous as I explained my plans for the day.  Okay, maybe not the smartest move, but man did I have a blast! 

My first stop, Museo Andres Del Castillo.

This place has amazing specimens indigenous to Peru. The only problem is they don't let you take photos of the them. DANG! I wanted to share them with you! You can see a few on their website, and I added some to my pinterest board here. They have a gift store, so I bought these two as small ones as souvenirs.

Sphalerite and Rhodochrosite on the left and Azurite on the right. I could have stayed here all day, but I was on the hunt for beads and cabs! 

While making my way through Plaza De Armas, I noticed crowds of people huddled in corners with different music playing. 

I was able to capture a little of the entertainment for you. Keep in mind I was constantly looking around for would be kidnappers, so the videos are fair at best. They are short videos, less than a minute.

You have to see how she dances at the end of the video. So adorable! 

I love this ladies confidence. Are those mimes in the background? I have no clue what that was about.

My next stop, Centro Artesanal Santo Domingo.

 I was determined to find a cabochon dealer here.

Score! Right when I saw this place I realized I didn't bring enough soles. Damn! Still kicking myself for that one, but here is what I could afford.

Lapis Lazuli, Chrysocolla, Amazonite, Peruvian opal (my favorite), fluorite, and citrine cabochons. Umm..I need to go back. I found a few more stores after I left this one with even more cabochons. Anybody want to go to Peru with me??

Once the sun started setting I hightailed it to the bus and made my way safely back to the hotel. My loot safely tucked in my bra;)

Peru is so rich and steeped in tradition with symbols and colors that overwhelm and excite at every corner. There was one symbol that kept jumping out at me though. The crescent moon in this shape. 

I did some research on the moon related to the incas and they worshiped the Inca goddess, Mama Quilla, or mother moon. When the spanish conquered them in the 1500's and converted them to catholicism, they still included symbolism of her in their artwork. Such rebels.

Being a moon lover myself, I designed this necklace with Mama Quilla in mind.

Made with black onyx, peruvian opal, and one of my porcelain handmade cabochon moons. Listed here.

Finally, the giveaway announcement.

Congratulations Sharlyn Premuda, you are the winner! I will be contacting you on facebook for your mailing info.

Thank you everyone for reading!

Fabulous Fordite - Working with Unusual Materials by Karen McGovern

A couple months ago, the lovely Patti Vanderbloemen gifted me an amazing, weird hunk of Fordite. What is Fordite you ask??? Let me explain: 

Fordite is paint. Layers and layers of automotive paint. True Fordite is found at...you guessed it...Ford plants. It is the overspray that builds up when cars are painted in the factory. Imagine, hundreds--THOUSANDS--of cars getting painted weekly in Ford factories. The spray booths end up with a ton of overspray over time. This stuff is broken off in hunks and was, until fairly recently, thrown away. Then us artists got our hands on it. A rough hunk of Fordite can be cut and polished like rock. Beautiful, striated, colorful rock made of PAINT!

A rough hunk of Fordite. See the layers of paint??? Cool!

I had heard of Fordite and seen it used in jewelry, but had never actually purchased or come in contact with any myself--until Patti sent me a nugget! The moment I held it, I was hooked. It's so COOL! I created the pendant you see here--I loved the unusual shape of the nugget--the paint is so reflective and bright! I love the stuff. Since then I have lurked online, hoping to score more Fordite cabs, and finally hit the jackpot last week. I purchased some amazing Fordite from lapidary artist Bob Caveglia (look him up on Facebook--he has some great rocks and stuff!!!). I just got it and am itching to create with it. I immediately made the ring you see here. Every piece is different, and sometimes it's hard to decide which side of the cab to use. Both sides of each cab are so beautiful and different. 

Pendant made using Fordite from Patti, a ring made using Fordite from Bob Caveglia.

Three more cabs I purchased from Bob, waiting for me to play....

David Vance Horste is another lapidary artist whose work I drool over greatly admire. He has an Etsy shop--be prepared to give him all your money. His stuff is AMAZING, and he also cuts and polishes Fordite, and was kind enough to give me some very useful info that I will share here. Evidently, vintage Fordite is in high demand and brings top dollar, whereas contemporary Fordite isn't quite as expensive. Personally, I couldn't care less--the Fordite Bob and David cut is gorgeous and I don't care how old it is. In the paragraphs below; David discusses Fordite and rainbow cal silica (another material I am totally unfamiliar with), which are sometimes confused. According to David:

"There STILL is Fordite and there still is overspray. I started selling Fordite on eBay in 2000 and the story has changed since then. There still IS over spray but there is a LOT less of it, and the older stuff does tend to be better. The spray booth doesn't have to be closed, they break this stuff off and throw it away during regular maintenance. Very few people can actually tell contemporary Fordite from vintage and it generally doesn't make much difference, although hardness, polish, and sparkle matter no matter what the age. 

As for rainbow cal silica, I remember when the folks at Colbaugh Processing first started selling it and at first they tried to tell folks it was natural. Then I started hearing that it came from the settling bond of a Mexican tile manufacturer. I'm pretty convinced that the folks at Colbaugh who sell it also make it. They run the Kingman mine in Arizona and stabilize lots of turquoise in addition to making lots of reconstituted stuff in a variety of colors. Their rough rainbow cal-silica has gotten a lot more uniform and linear over the years and the rough is in brick form now. When I first saw it the rough was at least in layers that evoked some natural formations. So my vote for rainbow cal silica is that it's intentionally made from reconstituted rocks whereas Fordite is accidentally made from paint overspray."

A rough hunk of rainbow cal silica. Definitely manufactured.

David also works with bowlerite--cabs cut from BOWLING BALLS. Yes, definitely set aside a couple hours to look at his stuff. Your welcome.

I love working with new materials and love artists that think outside the conventional jewelry box bringing us unusual materials to use! To the first artist that cut a hunk of Fordite into a cab--THANK YOU!

Do you love working with unusual materials? If so, please share what you've created. I think it's great to venture outside your comfort zone, experiment, and play with new toys. It's how we expand and grow as artists!!! Show me your toys!

Now, go make something AMAZING!

The Art of Photography

by Patti Vanderbloemen for Love My Art Jewelry Blogspot

With the premiere of Handmade at Amazon, there has been quite the buzz "out there" regarding product photos. Natural light versus artificial light; the use of props versus no props; neutral background versus white background; watermark versus no watermark.  The topic changes daily and can and always will be frustrating.

I have absolutely zero training on photography.  It has always, and will continue to be, my least favorite task (actually - listing jewelry on my site is my least favorite task).  But, it has to be done! And taking a good picture is art, in and of itself.  While I am no expert, I have learned what does not work for me.

I have taken my share of LOUSY pictures.  Following are some images taken very early in my selling days. I knew the pictures were bad, but I did not know how to make them better.  I tried an all white background.  OMG, the editing I had to do to remove all the shadows... the gray and yellow tinge in the photos, even though that background was white.

Back in "the day", I used Photoshop Elements for editing. For me, the editing required on the all white background just made the jewelry look "edited".  And it took forever!

Then I tried scrapbook paper.

Let's face it - frosty white lampwork with a white background...ugh.

I used a piece of purple scrapbook paper with silver splashes. Still did not like the picture, but the beads looked a bit better.

Then I tried taking pictures in natural light - a huge disadvantage for me, based on the time of day the picture had to be taken and where the sun is blaring.  

I tried a "natural" background - my flagstone sidewalk outside my basement studio door. Horrid, in my opinion.  The shadows in this picture - and the glare from the sun shining on that sterling ear wire...

My studio at the time was in my unfinished basement, complete with two light bulbs screwed into the ceiling - translated as DARK. Then I bought two very cheap photo lamps, and I made a trip to the local garden center and bought a slab of granite. I used this setup for years.

I was still not happy, as the granite began to take on a green tinge in my eyes, but I did not know what else to do, so I just kept using it.

But, the pictures still look "blah" to me.  It's like the beads were blending into the background. I wanted to focus on the jewelry - not the background

I started to add just a fringe of a prop in the picture - a tiny cluster of white flowers in the back, on this photo, thinking it would help. It doesn't help.

The violet color of these beads was just lost.

Then, about 2 years ago, the unthinkable happened. I lost my camera - lost it! It was an old Sony Cyber-shot with so many attributes that were perfect for someone struggling to take photos who knows nothing about photography: automatic macro shots, automatic exposure, etc. I used that camera for at least 5 years.  How do you lose a camera when you don't take it anywhere????  So, after searching EVERYWHERE in my house, I bought this camera - also a Sony Cyber-Shot (link here).

When I received the camera, I thought for sure there would be no learning curve involved - I mean, it was still a Cyber Shot, right?  Wrong.  It took at least 2 months before anything was in focus, half the item would be out of range - it was awful.  But, I finally figured out what angle to shoot the photos, how close I could get to the object, etc., and then found my old camera. Isn't that how it always goes? Just for grins, I tried to take a photo with the old camera, but this old dog could not go back.

Anyway, still not happy my photos, I determined I had two problems: the lighting was still wrong, and that granite background had to go. After researching and trying to find photo lamps that would not impart a horrible shine on my jewelry, I found these lights (link here).

These are entitled "soft-boxes" - there is a piece of sheer white material covering the light bulbs, which help with the ugly shadows in pictures when a straight-on bulb is used.  Now, although these lights are considered portable and lightweight (note the cute bag in the lower right corner of the picture), they were a bit cumbersome to fit together. But, I now have a dedicated studio in my new home (still in the basement, but so much better than the old basement), I never take them down. The stands are also adjustable in height - which comes in handy when I have to take a picture of a necklace on my mannequin. So, problem Number 1 solved.

Problem number 2 was the backgrounds. I did a lot of research, and found the perfect background for me where the background does not deter from the jewelry- an 18% Gray Card. The 18% gray card, combined with the photo lamps, provides the correct exposure regardless of brightness - every single time I snap a picture. And most importantly, the colors stay true. Here is one link to an 18% Gray card on Amazon - I have purchased several different "brands", including these.

The following is a snapshot of my photography setup.  I still use the granite for height - the gray card sits right on top. The table is an old - and I mean at least 20 years old - craft/cutting table that I used to use for sewing.  With the 2 lights facing each other, the shadows disappear.

Now when I take pictures, at least the copper looks like copper and the silver looks like silver.

I still use a hint of prop in the picture sometimes.

Like this small cluster of sea shells...it was the only way to photograph this ring upright!

Most importantly, colors stay true.

Nowadays, the only picture editing program I use is Picmonkey (www.pickmonkey.com).  If you do not want all the advanced features - it's free (with advanced features, it's $4.99/month). Three editing clicks: crop, re-size, automatic exposure. Done.

I am no expert on Watermarks. Technically, what I do is not a watermark at all.  A watermark is a visible embedded overlay on a digital photo consisting of text, a logo, or a copyright notice.  Its purpose it to identify the work and discourage unauthorized use. I just slap my name, the year, and the © symbol.  I only do this for name and "year made" reference (for my use) . It's hard enough to market one's work - and the name Vanderbloemen does not slide easily off one's tongue, or remain in one's memory. So, it's mostly for name recognition in the hopes that someone sees my photo and tries to find my shop! 

Like all art, photography is subjective.  Some people are drawn to an all white background - if taken correctly, it is beautiful! I have seen some phenomenal images of jewelry using tree stumps, driftwood, seashells, and, feathers - you name it.  I do not believe there is a right or a wrong way to take a picture - this is just my way.

If you have any tips on photographing your jewelry, please share in the comments! Would love to read new tips!!

Patti

Sugar Skulls - It's the Season!

by Sherri Stokey

Some people are offended by skull art and put off by what they consider macabre, but in many cultures, skulls are viewed in quite a different light.  Revered.  Celebrated!  One of my very favorite traditions is the sugar skull, or Calavera, used to celebrate the Day of the Dead.

Mexico's Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, centers around a belief that the gates of heaven open for a short time and allow the spirits of lost children and loved ones to reunite with their families for a day.  How beautiful is that! Although traditions vary from area to area, the holiday is generally not a sad, sober one; it's filled with love and color, food and flowers, and is a time for friends and family to gather and remember loved ones who have died.  It is focused not on death but on remembering life.  If you're interested in learning more about it, you can find much more information and lots of great photos here.  

I just returned from a trip to Cancun (wonderful!!!) where I spent a disproportionate amount of time ferreting out skull/skeleton art.  I found full size Catrinas:

Little bitty pets:

Even a couple at a table next to us in a restaurant:

Several of us here at Love My Art Jewelry have been inspired by sugar skulls lately.  I've been making some micro macrame pieces:

Staci has been making some awesome pendants and beads:

Heck, Karen decorated herself!

Are you inspired?