Dragon Glass - Now on Handmade at Amazon!

At long last, the much-anticipated handmade platform offered by Amazon has launched and Dragon Glass is very excited to be part of something so new!

Want to check out my Amazon store? Click here!

The platform launched last Thursday to almost everyone's surprise. Approved vendors had been receiving reminder emails from Amazon for the previous couple of weeks - telling us how to operate our stores and to ensure we had our profiles and listings uploaded, but with no firm launch date.

Amazon uses slightly different criteria for its handmade sellers, which will surely be welcome news to many Etsy sellers, some of whom are disillusioned with Etsy's continued push towards allowing 'handmade' sellers to outsource their manufacturing processes. Whilst I love that Etsy are thinking towards how to support smaller sellers in their quest to become larger sellers, they do seem to have lost their way in what and who made them quite such a roaring success. Many also complain about the sheer numbers of manufactured (outside the approved Etsy channels) and trademark infringing listings on the site - something not yet seen on the Amazon site, although, undoubtedly, without 'constant vigilance' (in the words of 'Mad Eye Moody') this will likely become a problem there too in time.

The best thing about it? The platform only launched on Thursday and I've already had a sale!

Sold!

So far here is my take so far on the Amazon platform -

1 - The stats don't update in real time like Etsy's. They are also more complicated. Much more complicated. They run a day behind, which, isn't bad if you're used to Google Analytics, but, when you're used to Etsy's real time updates, it's a little frustrating for us eager beavers that want to see how many views we're getting and from where. They also don't seem to show where the traffic originated. So, if you're using both Pinterest and Twitter to advertise your products, you don't know which one is effective.

2 - The listing process is a 4 page one as opposed to a 1 page one, as Etsy's is. This is not too much of a problem, since once you've got the hang of it, it's reasonably easy, but, it does take longer.

3 - Once you've uploaded a product listing it can take 15 minutes or more to actually appear on the site.

4 - You cannot batch upload product pictures. They need to be done one at a time. Not a huge deal, it just adds to the time it takes to add a product.

5 - Edit - There is now a copy listing function! Woohoo! Great to hear that Amazon listens to its users! There is no way to 'copy' a listing. So, if you are listing similar products and just want to change out dimensions or photos, you cannot do it. You can copy and paste descriptions, but you can't just copy a listing and change the few things you want to.

6 - The fees are higher - 12% vs 3.5%. Although, right now, there are no listing fees, unlike Etsy, where you pay to list and renew every few months. The fees also apply to shipping charges on Amazon. But - when you consider that wholesale arrangements can include discounts anywhere between 30 and 50%, 12% is a bargain.

7 - The traffic is higher. With zero promotion, you will get traffic on the Amazon platform. I currently get about the same traffic for 13 items on Amazon as I do on Etsy, where I feel like my life revolves around tweeting, pinning and making treasuries.

8 - The shipping process is easy - the same kind of process as Etsy. Just know your weights and your package dimensions.



Overall - I am excited for the opportunities that being on the Amazon Handmade platform brings. It will enable small handcrafted businesses like myself to reach customers who, for whatever reason, don't shop, or don't want to shop at Etsy.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Handmade at Amazon! Do you like it as a seller? Would you shop there as a customer?

Coming Soon!

As a native Brit living in the US, I take advantage of the very long American summer school holiday and head back across the pond for a little time with family and friends.

This time is always wonderful, but it’s also a great opportunity to both take a break and to allow the creative juices to flow.

The UK seems to get fashion trends ahead of the US and it’s always lovely to see what the colours of the upcoming season are going to be. I’ve noticed lots of ochre and camel so far this year and it’s always good to have complimentary pieces in stock.

I also have a bunch of larger events this fall, which I’m super excited about, but it means I have a lot of work to do in order to have sufficient variety and stock levels, in addition to my Etsy-listed items.

One of my events has specifically asked for me to bring additional stained glass pieces in order to add this as an offering to their fair and I have some great ideas for small wall hanging pieces. I’m excited to get started on these and it will give me an opportunity to try out my glass saw that I bought a while ago and am yet to use. As I work on them, they’ll be posted to Instagram.

I’ve created a selection of small pendant necklaces. Sometimes a larger pendant might not work with a neckline and in this case, a smaller one works perfectly – giving just the right amount of sparkle to an outfit.

I also want to expand my offerings beyond pendant necklaces and the couple of chainmaille necklaces with glass accents that I have done to date. My sister particularly always has lovely layered necklaces, so I am going to try and create some that incorporate some glass pieces. I also love natural beads and this seems a great opportunity to create unique longer pieces and diversify from pendants.

I’ve had great feedback about the little heart keyrings I started making this spring, so these will also feature in the fall and winter selections available. I’ve also made a new little display just for them!

Also available this fall, which weren’t last, are an expanded selection of earrings with sterling silver findings. My dichroic studs in particular have sold very well with sterling silver posts and I want to be able to offer these in person at my events.

As always, my in person events are a great opportunity to connect with some of the local customers I’ve met in the past few years and show the new items in person. Dichroic glass is one of those materials that is very difficult to photograph well and although I feel I’ve made great strides in this, I still regularly get feedback and reviews that the items look so much nicer in person versus in a photograph. This of course is great for a customer, when their purchase is even better than they thought, but, it’s lovely to be able to show the full lovely, sparkliness in all its glory in person!

New For Spring!

I love to try and add new products. Some are big hits quickly, like the studs I now sell more of on Etsy than anything else, and some are more of a niche item, like the glass buttons. I love them all though!
This fall I will be having a lot more stained glass items available, but, for Spring, I have been making new things including key rings and bracelets.
I found a super cute heart mould and thought it would be perfect for a Valentine's teacher gift, but made a few more, and also added some other colours into the mix, making them ideal for friendship gifts, end of year teacher gifts as well as cute tokens for mums from small children.

The bracelets I just love. They feel super romantic and have little flecks of dichroic glass in them, so the white ones particularly look like opals. I also created a rosy hint one too. These would make wonderful bridal jewelry or great bridesmaid gifts.

I also did another variation on bobby pins - I now have a selection of single pins. I had a few singles at Christmas and they sold very quickly - people liked being able to have a couple of different colours, so, I have a bunch that are singles. Some of them have 'friends' available, but, most are one offs. Perfect for those who just pin one side up and are looking for a touch of sparkle :)

The best part? I get to bring them all to a craft fair I'm participating in this weekend at Cordera! If you're in the area, stop by!

Buttons!

I've been seeing a lot of cute chunky fall knits around lately. I particularly like the cowl / scarf type ones. This got me thinking - what would make some of these super cute (especially the handcrafted ones) items stand out from the crowd is the buttons they feature!
Whilst on my little jaunt to the glass wholesalers last week, I found a mold - for buttons!
So, I decided to have a go at fusing some!
I used browns and white, as well as some clear frit (small glass pieces) to complement the season.

Mixed frit in the mold, ready for firing!

First firing result!

I then decided to flip the buttons and refire them to give them a little more of a regular shape - it's always a little bit of a challenge to know *just* when to run the cool down with a new mold...

And voila! Here is the fired result! I think they look pretty cool.... (and this from a girl who refused to wear buttons as a child - and I *still* won't do plastic ones... :) ) They're available in my Etsy store here as a set of four and here as a set of 2.
I just love how they're all unique - now to expand with some other colours! Got any suggestions? Leave me a comment!

On a backing card - ready for shipping!

Ooh - More Experiments to Try!

I love trying out new things, sadly to the point where I am a little ADD I think. Anyway, one of my favorite gifts to receive is an Amazon gift card. You see I love books. They are my favourite things. I have a tablet computer, with a kindle app, but I much much prefer a real book. A book where I can see how far through it I am and where I can flick back towards a point or passage I want to refer back to.
My latest acquisition? "Making Soap From Scratch" by Gregory Lee White.
I recently had a local crafter make a batch of peppermint and rosemary soap for me. It's delicious. It is invigorating and refreshing and the best way to start a morning. She is very reasonable and makes great products, including the best lipbalms containing DoTerra "On Guard" essential oils.
But, here's the kicker.
I am a trained chemical/metallurgical engineer. Why don't I just make my own? The process seems much easier than I would have ever thought.
So, I picked up the above book and cannot wait to try it out. I love an experiment. I also love saving money.
Roll on next week - I'm going to acquire some ingredients and give soap making a go, albeit in between foiling my last stained glass panel for my front door and everything else I have going on.

Busy Bee!

I've been firing up the kiln quite a lot lately. I went to the wholesalers in Denver just before Christmas and bought a ton of new glass, so I figured I would use some of it.

The puzzle piece pendant stock is continuing to grow, and I've already sold a few, which is great! The purple ones have been a hit!

I've also continued to make some of the cast ones and they're so bright and sunny - loving them.
They all come with a $3 donation each to Alpine.

I've been branching out a little too and making some little noticeboard magnets. Perhaps I should use some of my ideas and get myself more organized...

I've been using some of the lovely glass I bought and making more pendants and earrings especially, including studs.

Finally, I've decided to have a little bit of a sale - I wanted to clear out some of my older stock to justify my new glass purchases....

Etching!

Never someone to stick with just one thing, I've been playing with some glass etching, of course on wine glasses, because, after all, why would you not want a witty wine glass to accompany your general quaffing?

Anyway, it started with this -

Then, Alpine were having a wine tasting night - so these were a perfect donation to go in a wine basket!

Here are my 2 latest ones...

Cute huh? Make a fun gift for a little cost. And you can't get them from Target so you know the person won't get two....

Busy Busy!

I've been super busy lately, both trying to expand the marketing of my Etsy store, but also making some stock ready for the fall 'Craft Fair Season'.
Here are a few of the newest pieces!

Really loving how they all turned out! It's fun to pick up new glass and play!

Backing Cards (yes... again!)

So, back to the backing cards. Whilst I loved my little dragon ones, they were too big and when I scaled them down, the detail was too much for my little Silhouette to cope with. So, I redesigned them to be plainer and they work perfectly.
But, I needed something to make them recognizable as mine. Cue my brand new stamp, courtesy of Salt Marketplace in Utah, on Etsy.
For the bargain price of $10 + shipping, I have my own little stamp that's the right size for my cards and now gives them a little 'something something'.
It's perfect! Highly recommend these guys, super quick and helpful.

Chain-mailling!

Rings!

I've been seeing a lot of chainmaille lately for some reason. Aside from my Game of Thrones catch-ups, that is.
I love the idea of combining chainmaille and fused glass and thought I would give it a go. As luck would have it, we appear to have one of the best ring supply stores right here in town! C&T Designs also happen to be right down the road from where my son has a therapy appt too, so I popped in earlier this week.
Tonight, I managed to sit down and actually play for a few minutes and voila! I actually managed to recreate the pattern I like, which is an original pattern created by Curt at C&T, Acute Helm.

A couple of links in...

So, what do you think?! I'm pretty impressed with myself for a first attempt!

Longer chain!