Etsy, Etsy, Etsy.

I've finally managed to list some beads, cabochons, and brass stampings at my Etsy store, which makes me pretty happy.

Melanie from Earthenwood Studios has been inspiring me muchly of late. She's so driven and focused, and she makes such lovely things--not just beads, but wonderful jewelry.

I've been trying to figure out What I Want To Do With My Life for a long time. The long answer is "write," but the short answer is sell jewelry and beads. I've been hoping to get my website off the ground for several years, but it just hasn't happened yet. Etsy is the next best thing. I'm liking it for many reasons...especially for the differences between it and eBay.

Don't get me wrong, I very much like eBay, as it has been a good source of income for the last two years. But there are some very big drawbacks, like the lack of bidders for handcrafted items. EBay is more of a giant garage sale. People have no problem paying $1 for something, but when it comes to jewelry, it's not the same.

So Etsy is like a breath of fresh air. I'm still getting to know the system and the style, but I do like that everyone has the same playing field--excepting banners, every page looks the same.

Of course, as with everything on my plate right now, it looks like I need to improve my photography skills--I've seen some incredible work on Etsy, and a lot of it is photographed beautifully.

I do have to admit, though, that I'm stunned by the number of pageviews for many of the jewelry pieces I have up--while the beads have only a handful each. Some of the necklaces had 25 views in their first 24 hours, while some cabs have only had six views over three days. So I'm still trying to figure out Etsy and what will work.

Right now I have two disparate sets of merchandise; higher priced jewelry and lower priced beads. I need something in between, in the magic price range of $10-20, but at the moment most of my pieces need to be saved for a craft show at the end of July. I don't have much time to craft right now, and I need every piece I have in that price range so I can have a good show.

When I get back, I'll do a listing spree, I think.

So much to learn, still!