Lush Cluster Blog

Damn you Activity Feed!

2011-01-05T21:15:00.001-05:00

Well Etsy went ahead and did this amazingly awesomely helpful thing...or so I thought at first...they added an Activity Feed. What, might you ask, is an Activity Feed? Glad you asked - it is a lovely little feature that allows you [the etsyian] to click on and see if anyone has added any of your items to their favorites, or your shop to your favorites, or what new delicious items your Favorite Stores have added to their shop. Sounds great right? After all...right after I discovered this feature someone did indeed add an item from my shop to their Favorites List. Awesome!

Until...I am now obsessed with checking the damn thing all the time! Has someone favorited me now? Did someone check out my shop...how about now. Nope...maybe later. Now? Damn it! No.

Very clever Etsy. Now I am spending all of my free time figuring out how I can make my Etsy shop more visible. This really cuts into my creativity time. As in, the time I spend making jewelry as opposed to obsessing over its existence and visibility on the web. Ahhhhhhh...

Signing off now. Must go do something productive that does NOT involve the computer!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T09:27:00.000-05:00

Cyllene

Merry Christmas everyone...I am trying to decide what Lush Cluster to wear tonight as I greet Santa. Hmm something classic? A beautiful geode piece with rich colors? If so this is one of my favorite pieces right now... Cyllene an awesome piece that even Santa would go gaga over!

But maybe I should go for something new and sparkling a real "WOW" kind of statement. If so then I'd like to go with something from the new Platinum Collection which looks to be extremely popular in the coming year...

Arianrhod

Arianrhod Detail

Drool all you want...this piece is part of my personal collection. Love it! Arianrhod is quite an eye catcher. I can't tell you how many jealous looks I received at a recent holiday party...

Well it isn't too late. Stop by the shop to pick up your own Lush Cluster luck for the upcoming year! Until then...drink some nog and have a Merry Christmas!!!

Whew hew Christmas Sales!

2010-12-15T12:24:00.037-05:00

SELENE

I was just starting to feel as though all my work on the shop was totally wasted...up late tweaking it, posting new items, fixing the photographs, editing the HTML, linking it to PayPal, blah blah blah....when BAM! All of a sudden my work paid off and a co-worker of mine who is such a sweetheart was perusing the site and bought 6 pieces! Merry Christmas to me! It made me feel like all my work on the Shopping Cart and pricing was really worth it.

CUPID

I really had no idea this was coming from this friend. At work I had always thought she was just politely asking after Lush Cluster. She'd ask when my show was going to be, how things were going, what new things I was making. Sort of the way that people ask how your kids are kind of thing - they are being polite but while your answer is coming out of your mouth you are wondering whether they are really listening. So I had no idea she was truly interested in the work. How awesome right? Thanks so much chica - you know who you are.

VESTA

This has inspired me to keep on trekking on the web. I plan on revamping all my photos to have white backgrounds as I think that will look "cleaner" on the white background of the shop - obviously this is all long term as I am currently in CT staying at my in-laws for Christmas - but I have a plan and that is what counts!

Big sales - always inspiring - always what we work towards.

Around and around the (internet) mulberry bush

2010-12-13T17:32:00.000-05:00

Deep sigh. Well, I had no idea what a vicious cycle this whole web presence was going to be. I feel like every day I want to improve my website, add things to my blog, learn about more widgets, figure out HTML, decipher CSS, contemplate closing my Etsy Storefront and focusing only on my Shop, improve the look of my shop, add things to my shop, change the images on my shop, do I go all black in the background...or should I go with an all white storefront... AGH! The possibilities are endless and are they even worth the time and effort I am putting into it?

Of course as a perfectionist I want it to all be seamless and match. But, I love all the differences between my various websites too! I like the clean lines of www.lushcluster.com but I like having the white backdrop on lushcluster.smugmug.com and how do I link the domain name...should I switch the service I am using for my website?

All in all I want things to be just right. But, I guess as in jewelry making, it is a never ending process that can continually be tweaked and improved upon. After all, if I made the perfect piece of jewelry to end all jewelry making right from the get go then what would be the fun in that? No - in fact there is no perfect piece of jewelry...there are many awesome pieces that you wear with different outfits, different moods, different seasons, and the list goes on.

Sooooo considering that I guess I should just be satisfied with the fact that I will continually update my website, improve my online presence, fix the style of my shop, and continue to trek on through Etsy. Ugh, somehow that doesn't make my frustration of wanting perfection THIS MINUTE any easier. Ha!

If you have any comments about your own frustrations with keeping your websites seamless and in style please share them with me! I'd love to know that I am not alone...

Aya too

2010-12-10T10:21:00.001-05:00

One of my best pieces, and the most coveted, is Aya. It all started with a very subtle, simple, plain jane geode. The cluster is composed of silver and gold shadow crystals with gorgeous Herkimer diamond accents. And to finish it I found a beautiful brass vintage chain. Basically - it is the perfect piece because the combination of champagne, silver, and brass pretty much guarantees that this necklace can be worn with ANYTHING. Gold, Silver, White, Black, Color - it is the all around goes with everything piece.

Aya

I really didn't know what I had created until random strangers started asking me for this piece right on the street. The woman who sold my sister her wedding dress asked me if she could buy it off my neck! This is how magical Aya is.

I am currently in the process of trying to reproduce this amazing-ness and am feeling the pressure needless to say. The piece, which I am mentally dubbing as Aya Too, is starting off pretty close - but I am not sure the piece captures the magic of the first one. Also, right now I don't know that I want to part with it because it is so much like my Aya.

Pretty much the best thing about Lush Clusters is that they are all so different. Even when I "copy" a prior design for a client who wants something similar to a sold piece, the copycat usually morphs into something unique and special that stands on its own. I am waiting for that to happen with Aya Too. Right now we are still in production and I'm not convinced. I haven't hit my "aha" moment yet. I'll post back later next week about how it goes.

The best place to start is at the beginning...

2010-12-09T23:58:00.000-05:00

I have been doing a lot lately to give Lush Cluster a presence online. Not only do I think it could benefit the business...but also I enjoy working online. Creating a website, a blog, a shop, a portfolio online - it has been so much fun! I only hope that I have enough time to commit to keeping it up - these online sites demands upkeep. So here we go. Let's see how long my enthusiasm lasts.

Website - www.lushcluster.com
Our main website features what Lush Cluster is about, a Frequently Asked Questions Section, and a Contact Us section which allows people to contact us directly about our designs.

Shop and Portfolio - lushcluster.smugmug.com
Smugmug has been a great format to provide free updated photos on what pieces are currently available plus giving clients the opportunity to look at the Portfolio and see past work. Because Smugmug is not a "storefront" we do not have to pay fees to post as much work as we like there...this allows us to show our customers what is more readily available and up to date.

lushcluster.etsy.com
Etsy was our first home. While I do think Etsy can be an amazing venue and vehicle to getting your feet wet and started in the online handmade business I believe it can be distracting as well. There are thousands of handmade vendors and so clients can easily find themselves perusing something else somewhere else and lose where your page is. More importantly, Etsy costs $ and requires major upkeep. The system is self-explanatory to post items...but there is no way to change the basic layout and "make it your own." I think it takes a lot of self-discipline to really utilize Etsy and make it successful, it is something that needs to be updated, worked on, and added to everyday. Therefore, Lush Cluster still maintains its storefront there for the client who is interested in the security of shopping via Etsy but most of our items are no longer posted on that site.

Facebook
Yes of course we have a Facebook page. Check it out. We have friends there believe it or not AND we post a lot of promotions on there!

lushcluster.blogspot.com
And now we come to the blog. I suppose this is where we can post our latest and greatest - shows, new collections, sales etc. My thoughts/frustrations on the new designs and perhaps even vent about slow business. I am not really sure how this will evolve...but let's just wait and see...