Sharma Designs - Behind the Scenes of a Handmade Jewelry Business

Huge After Christmas Sale Going on Now!

2010-12-27T10:44:51-08:00

As we get closer to my due date I need to focus on preparing for the babies. We have a lot of work to do around here! Unfortunately this means I have to lose my bead room. It is going to be turned into a nursery for my twin boys. At least I am losing it to a good cause!

I am discounting all the inventory I have one hand up to 50% off. Necklaces are 50% off, earrings are 40% off and clearance items are an additional 30% off.

I will probably put my Etsy shop in vacation mode in the next month or so. Because we are having twins we have to be prepared for an early than expected due date. And honestly I just need to take it easy. It's taking a toll on my body!

I have no plans to close my store permanently and I will still be available by email. I just need to focus on our family for the time being.

As always, if you have any questions let me know!

Still Need to do Some Christmas Shopping?

2010-12-08T09:20:31-08:00

Here are a few Etsy items that I think would make great gifts! I don't have a reason to buy all of them so I thought I would pass along some of my favorites!

Remember when shopping on Etsy to read the shop announcements and shop policies so you are aware of turnaround time and shipping methods. If you are buying a gift it doesn't hurt to look at return policies either. If you still have a question you can contact each shop by clicking on the Contact button on their shop home page.

Long Sleeve Urchin Lace Sweatshirt $38 at Seal Maiden

True Confections Calendar $23 at Irene Suchochki

Owl Art Clips $29 at Maple Shade Kids

Bird on a Branch Coasters $28 at Peppersprouts

Screen Printed Jeresey Scarf $25 at MBMB

(I LOVE these jersey scarfs. Maybe not appropriate for colder climates but here in California they are the perfect accessory!)

Wood Storage Dresser Box $55 at Any Card

Leather iphone or itouch case $39 at Tovicorrie

Those are just a few of my favorites for today. I tend to go a little crazy at Christmas but I am really trying to be conservative this year with the little ones on the way so I figure if I at least enable others to shop I will feel better.

If you like my finds feel free to add me to your circle on Etsy. What is an Etsy circle? Read more here

Christmas at Sharma Designs

2010-12-02T10:05:30-08:00

First and foremost, I am running a free shipping promo in my shop from now until Christmas. All orders under $50 will ship USPS first class and domestic orders over $50 will get a free upgrade to Priority Mail.

I myself love to shop online (especially this year being pregnant with twins!!) but my two gripes are shipping fees and no instant gratification. So shipping is free and I really do try to get your orders out as fast as possible. They are guarateed to be in the mail within 48 business hours.

The USPS official cut off date for delivery by Christmas is Dec 20th for first class and Dec 21st for Priority.

Remember, I am always happy to ship straight to your giftee and I can also enclose a Christmas card with your message. Just let me know those details at checkout.

I have a few earring gift sets that are new to my shop for this Holiday season. Above are my stocking stuffer earring gift sets. You choose 3 sets of earrings and they are $20 for 3. They are made from sterling silver findings and are on sterling silver ear wires. They are small and perfect for a gift extra, a stocking stuffer, or just for someone who may prefer a smaller earring.

I have also added a petite wood twiggy gift set. These are 3 pairs of earrings for $30 (save $9!). They also are totally customizable. You choose the bead and the color of wood. These are some of my favorite earrings and they make great gifts!

Lastly, if you "like" Sharma Designs on Facebook you will see that I have a special discount code for Facebook fans. Etsy has just rolled out coupon codes and I am excited to finally be able to offer special discounts to my fans!

In the next few days I hope to post a few of my favorite gift ideas from Etsy. I love to support handmade and I am really trying, this year especially, to gift from small businesses and my Etsy community!

As always, let me know if you have ANY questions!!

A Place for Everything

2010-06-09T15:05:32-07:00

I was taking pictures of necklaces today and turned around and saw this. This is the work of my 5 year old. She is my child that sorts things by colors and likes everything to be neat and in order. Apparently, she did not like the way the beads were laying and when she came in to tattle on her sister she quickly "fixed" them for me. I can only imagine what she would do with a few hours alone in there.

Well, besides what she did yesterday during her rest time which was to cut all of her hair. Rite of passage right? We are fixing that today.

My Future Bead Room (Almost)

2010-06-01T06:50:04-07:00

We are in escrow. Finally!! As long as everything continues to go smoothly this lovely room will be my future bead room.

The paint is not just on the walls. Oh no, it covers the ceiling too and even the outlets. I am calling it the "Primer room". As in paint primer...and lots of it! What is that on the wall you ask? Let's get a closer look...

I get mixed reactions with this picture. I think it is hideous. But apparently some men think he is very very cool and that I should keep it. That is not happening.

I am so excited to have a whole room for my jewelry again. My last room was attached to our bedroom and while it was roomy it didn't have a full wall between it and our bed and it just didn't fit with our sleeping schedule. My husband has a job with crazy hours and he often has to go to bed early while I am a total night owl and do all my work late at night. I never felt like I could make jewelry while he was trying to sleep.

This room is perfect. It even has a huge walk in closet. It just needs a little paint. Okay, a lot of paint.

We have been house hunting for over a year. It is so nice to finally have our house almost within our reach. Hopefully I am not jinxing things by posting this but I am just very excited.

All that being said, this summer may be a little crazy for me. Our house is supposed to close escrow the day before my birthday. Then we will be fixing it as fast as we can so we can get settled before my baby starts kindergarten. YES! Kindergarten! Where does the time go?

A lot of big changes for my family this summer. I don't see this affecting Sharma Designs too much but I will keep you posted as necessary.

I hope everyone had a wonderful 3 day weekend!

Weekend Wish List

2010-05-22T15:23:47-07:00

Today we are having a lazy Saturday. I even got to get out and get a pedicure! With my husband's crazy work schedule that is a rare treat.

For this week's pick I utilized one of Etsy's new features. When you log into your favorites on Etsy (Your Etsy> Favorites is on the left hand side. Third one down) you will see a new tab that says Suggested Shops. It's dangerous I tell you!! I've added a ton of new favorite and I have to say that it does a really good job of finding favorite in your style. At least that has been my experience.

Mini Dachshund by Alice Apple $20

I am dying for a dog. My husband is not a fan while our girls are young but as soon as he gives the o.k. I am getting a mini dachshund. In the meantime, this pretty girl will have to do.

Dressform for Accessories by Happy Day Vintage $55

LOVE. I wish I could buy the whole collection.

I Love You, Blogs and Coffee print by Jennifer Ramos $25

Do you think my husband would be offended if I hung this in our bedroom? Nah. He already knows my loves and loves me anyway.

Iridescent Turquoise Drops Wrap by Victrola Designs $34 (on sale)

Remember when I said a few weeks ago that I was doing "weekend wish list" so that I could share the love and save money. Well, that backfired on me a little this week. I might have one of these on their way to me as of an hour ago. Oops.

We plan to go out to dinner and roast marshmallows with the kiddies tonight. I hope you all have an equally fabulous weekend!!

(My S key seems to be sticking so if there are missing letters in this post I apologize! I tried to find them all)

Weekend Fun at Roaring Camp

2010-05-17T08:16:07-07:00

This weekend we headed over to Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton, CA. Although it is not very far from us we have never been. The girls were very excited. We took the steam train through the Redwoods up to Bear Mountain. It was such a beautiful ride! I think I had as much fun as the kids!

Even if you don't ride the train I highly recommend going up to the park. The grounds are just gorgeous and there are hiking trails into the Redwoods. Plus it's fun just to sit and wave to the departing trains

There is also a train that goes down to Santa Cruz beach and I want to do that one next time. Since my husband had to work and didn't get to join us I think we will go again soon!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Daisy Necklace for my Mom

2010-05-13T14:01:03-07:00

What else would a jewelry maker give her own Mother for Mother's Day? I am glad that my mom likes jewelry and, more specifically, that she likes my jewelry. It has become my go-to gift for any occasion. One of these days I will post her collection. She has more jewelry of mine than anyone I know. It's like taking a walk through Sharma Designs history looking through her jewelry. I can see how my technique and style has evolved over the years.

Because I am making the jewelry specifically for her I have to constantly be on the lookout for something she would love. When I saw this pendant a few months ago I knew she needed it. She loves daisies. She also loves smaller pendants and complains that I don't make enough necklaces with smaller pendants so it was perfect.

I'm posting a picture today because these stoneware pendants are 20% off right now. They aren't something I would normally use in my jewelry to resell but they are great for designing jewelry with someone specific in mind! I'm tempted to buy this one and this one for myself!

If anyone would like my help in customizing one of the pendants into a necklace I'd be happy to talk to you. Just email me!

You have to enter the coupon code at checkout to get the discount so don't forget. Enjoy!

The Branding Stickers on My Jewelry Boxes

2010-05-10T20:58:56-07:00

Those of you who have ordered from me before know that my packages look like this:

The raffia ribbon may be one color, two colors or a different kind of ribbon altogether but I always have my stickers.

Whenever my shop hits the front page I get a bunch of convos on Etsy asking where I got my stickers (I have this picture in the listings so people know what to expect) so I thought it might be easier to just explain here. Then in the future, I can point anyone to this post and anyone that has been afraid to ask will have their answer as well.

I ordered my stickers from Got Print years ago. They are the 2x4 stickers and I uploaded my own design that I had made in Photoshop. I doubled the design in Photoshop so I could get 2 stickers out of each one. I just cut them myself.

There are instructions on the site on how to make your own design and templates for you to download so that you can make sure they fit just right.

I love mine and I always get compliments. I ordered them years ago and I still have a million left. I must have ordered 2,500? (which makes it 5000 stickers!) I am pretty sure they have sales too so it might pay to get on their email list or do a quick search for coupons.

Hope this helps!

Weekend Wish List: Flowers

2010-05-07T17:27:05-07:00

So I didn't get as many posts done as I wanted this week but there is always next week right? This week has been full of stress and we are waiting to hear an answer on the house we want. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for us!!

I was inspired by all the beautiful flowers I have been seeing this week for my wish list. Granted, we certainly didn't see them at the hill but they seem to be everywhere else! I am kind of a tomboy myself and I am not into the romantic florals but show me a retro flower looking print and I can't resist!

Business Card Wallet by Jennifer Ladd $18

I desperately need something to hold my business cards. This wallet is perfect!

Leather Lace Cuff by Beautiful Skin $26.50

My 5 year old has started to bring me flowers home from preschool to wear behind my ear because she says all I ever wear is brown, gray and black and I need to be less boring. I think she would approve.

Gray Flower Granny Bag by Charm Designs $50

She would probably not approve of this one but it would match everything I own right? That print is making me drool! I need a new bag too. I should have hinted before Mother's Day.

Wallpaper Lunch Bags by Draw Flowers $22

The girls and I just had a picnic lunch at the park today and we should have had these upcycled wallpaper lunch bags to carry our lunch. I'm sure we would get a lot of use out of them.

***** For those of you who haven't seen I am running a Facebook contest for a free piece of jewelry. If you haven't already go over to the announcement and post a comment! I will pick a winner Sunday afternoon. *****

Have a great weekend!