Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Delinquent

Ok, so I've been a tad delinquent that last few months, but I'm back! Now that the crazy start of the school year is over, I can spend a little more time thinking about new things for the shop. Stay tuned for some new pieces. I am expanding my repertoire with some metalsmithing that involves a torch! Watch out!! :)

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Createathought

As part of the Etsyblogger monthly requirement, we get to visit and write about the month's Featured Etsyblogger. This lucky duck gets to bathe in the all the glory as hundreds of busy Etsybloggers write about his/her's store! So, this month's lucky duck is....drumroll please...... Createathought! Yay!, and congratulations!

If you browse the store, you'll find a plethora of paper goods as well as fun and inexpensive rings, or as she puts it "Naughty Secretary Jewelry." HA! I really like the rings, and you know that I'm partial to jewelry in general. Createathought's prices are super reasonable, if not even downright cheap! You ain't gonna break the bank on a bauble or two of hers. Check this one out.

This ring is exactly like it's namesake, bubbly and cute. I would definitely wear it. I also like this one:
I like the fun moons trapped inside the heart. It's called "I heart the moon." So if you haven't visited Createathought's store, be sure you do!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Summer Fun!!!

So, I've recently become a member of the EtsyBloggers community. They have a few requirements that must be met on occasion...kinda like homework! Here is my first blog entry for their "Blog Carnival"--basically a biweekly topic we choose to discuss.

The week after school gets out in mid-June, my husband and I are going to have our belated "real" honeymoon to Maui! YAY!! I was married last October, and it's pretty hard to take a honeymoon during the school year... especially when your wedding date falls within conference times. Luckily, I had some incredibly understanding parents, and they were extremely flexible. The school district, not so much, but that's a story for another day :)

We did get a few days after the wedding to ourselves, and we went up to Mendocino. However, we really wanted to take another trip this summer. We thought we'd do Europe, but it was so expensive at the time. While peeking at Expedia, I found an incredible hotel, airfare, car rental deal in Maui that I could not pass up. Thus, here we are many months later, and we are that much closer to it!! I have never been to Maui, and my husband has never been to Hawaii period. We are super excited about it, so if anyone has any great suggestions, please let us know! We plan to do some snorkeling, of course. We're going to be tourists and snorkel this crater off the coast called Molokini. We're also doing a zipline with Skyline Eco-Adventures in northern Maui, which I'm secretly terrified about. :P We still need suggestions on food and other fun activities, so if you're a pro, let us know!

As for after, there's the Etsy biz that I plan to work on--new types of necklaces, bracelets, rings perhaps. :) I am also planning a mini trip with my girlfriends to Vegas, just for some fun! We figure that we'd better get it in while we're still young without "responsibilities!"

In retrospect, my summer plans seem pretty fun--ha ha! I don't usually have great plans, so I am definitely looking forward to a month and a half of relaxing time for just me!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

New fonts!

Ack! The month of May is always a hectic time in a teacher's schedule. Open house, statewide mandated testing, and so on. Thus, I have not blogged for a while. But the month has pretty much come and gone, all needs have been met successfully. However, my store was continually open throughout, and I'm raring to go this summer! As a great start to it, I have some new fonts to add to our availability!! Yay! Of course, our exclusive "Emote" font, which is seen on most of the items in store, is still available in lower case. We also have "Whimsy" which is available in lower and upper case. It can be seen here in our Sweet Tooth necklace. It's very curly and cute. I love it! I alo have a lower case "Classic" font, which is seen here: It's simple and sans serif-y. We always have our typical block fonts which we use a lot for numbers. In a week or so, I should also be getting an upper and lower case "Script" font. It's definitely serif-y. I promise to upload a pic as soon as I've stamped them out. I love that there are going to be so many lovely options for fonts. Truly it will give the customer greater freedom in design.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Custom orders

I've been receiving a lot of custom orders, which of course, are my fav! :) I thought I'd showcase a few here since I didn't get a chance to on Etsy. What do you think? :)

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Friday, April 24, 2009

Tulip!

Drumroll please! Silver Enso jewelry is now being featured in a Bay Area boutique called Tulip, located in swanky Burlingame, CA. Tulip is an adorable clothing store that also carries local designers like myself. If you're in the area, check it out soon! Tulip's information is:


1223 Donnelly Avenue
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 340-8219

Monday, April 20, 2009

...the Spring Giveaway Contest winner is.....

...Congratulations, Jilliene Designs! I used random.org to generate an arbitrary number, and yours came up! (Those who were followers also got a number.) Please contact me at silverenso@gmail.com or through my Etsy site. Thanks again to all of you who participated in Silver Enso's first giveaway!

Now, if you're anything like me, I always get a little bummed if I don't win something my heart is set on. However, if you didn't win, despair not! Not only will I be doing another giveaway sometime this year, I am offering commentators and followers 10% off any store purchase PLUS free shipping right now! This offer will only be good until April 30th. Don't delay! Just put in the note when checking out that you participated in the blog giveaway.

In the meantime, continue to stay tuned as I roll out more delicious goods in the near future!

Friday, April 17, 2009

FREE SHIPPING!-Ended

Mother's Day is literally around the corner! What better gift than a personalized necklace? So, through this weekend only I am offering FREE SHIPPING! It will be refunded to you via Paypal. Also, if you haven't already, there are only two more days left for the Spring Giveaway! Sign up to be a follower, or leave a comment. I will announce the winner next week! Good luck!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

FREE Giveaway Contest!!!!- now closed

Introducing: Silver Enso's first Spring GIVEAWAY contest!!! Yay, free! I thought, it's Spring! Why not? Before I get to the details, I'm sure you want to know what I am giving away, right? Welp, it shall be...drumroll please....a custom "Double Mommy" necklace!! It is truly a beautiful piece (the pictures do not do it justice!). Definitely one of my favs, and I thought someone out there would love to have one! With Mother's Day just around the corner, this one would be a perfect gift to give for sure.

To enter the contest, here some very simple steps:
1. Check out my store if haven't yet! Then...
2. Sign up as a fan here on the blog OR...
3. Leave a comment! It can be a word or two of encouragement, a comment about something you liked in the store, suggestions for future pieces, and even ideas for improvement!! Whatever suits your fancy! (within reason of course) ;) Be sure to include a way to reach you.

Contest ends 11:59 pm PST, Sunday, April 19th, 2009. Your name will then be entered into a drawing, and a winner will be announced April 21st! Thas it! Easy peasy! Good luck!
*Only open to US locations. It's my first giveaway, so I'd like to keep it simple, but I promise my next one will be international!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

New Options!

I am offering two new options for my necklaces! First, customers can now choose to have either a polished finish or a brushed matte finish on their pieces. Prices will be the same either way! Yay! Second, I acquired some amazingly beautiful dyed hand-sewn silk string, and for a limited time, I will offer that in place of the chain. Not only does it provide an easy burst of color, but it brings a nice organic feel to the jewelry and compliments the silver well. To the left is a picture of the silk I currently have. To the right, is my new "Girls Nite Out" necklace with the silk. All silk necklaces will be finished with a sterling lobster clasp.

I think color always reminds me of spring time, so it seemed the right thing to do! I can only hope the weather will change to reflect warmer times to come! :)

Friday, April 3, 2009

new stuff?


So, I guess I've just been too busy making things to blog, but here I am! If you haven't noticed, I recently put up my custom "Mommy" necklaces, which, funny enough, was my best seller outside of Etsy! :P Maybe I was feeling pressure to come up with something new and exciting, which is probably why I hadn't put them up yet. Well, that time has passed. I mean, why fix what ain't broke? I really like the double layered one. It seems to be a fav amongst my customers. I recently made a triple stacked one for a customer who had two long names. It would be great for 3 names, too. I created these fun little Swarovski charms to hang off of them that give it a bit of bling. What girl doesn't love that? Plus, they match the birthstone crystal colors of the individuals on the pendants. This one is a great Mother's Day gift. I don't believe the pictures ever do the necklaces justice.

For the longest time, I've wanted to make some of the pendants brushed, and I think I've figured out how to do it. It took a bit of experimenting, but I think I have it down now. And, if I don't say myself, they look goooood! Here's a peek: Whaddya think? I LOVE, LOVE them. I think all my own personal pieces are going to get a brush finish. The matte look is definitely sophistocated and modern. Now, it's just a matter of taking all the pics and getting them up in the store! Keep checking back to the site!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Watcha working' on?

Well, thank you for asking! I just got a new shipment of some very fun vintage beads that I'm thinking of using in my MEI interchangeable earrings. I love the idea of having choices with my earrings, to match my clothes or my other accessories! I'm also debating working on some different ear wires...maybe a mix and match kind of thing where the buying public could pay for the earrings separate from the ear wires? What do you think?

I'm also working on some pieces for my school's annual Walkathon and silent auction this upcoming weekend. I'm donating a couple custom necklaces for the silent auction. It should be very fun! I'm not sure how to display it though. I have this awesome wire tree that I used last year, but it just seemed so bare... maybe I'll wire on some flowers? I dunno... Haven't thought that one through...

At the same time, I'm working on some necklaces for Tulip. The owner said she loves my stuff (yay!) and would like to display a few. I'm working on some new designs for the Etsy store, so that should coincide quite well. I am gonna be busy! If anyone has any grand suggestions on things they haven't seen in the store yet, I'm alllll ears!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

SFetsy!

So, I am now a member of the SFetsy street team! I'm super excited to be part of a larger group of artisans who are in my local area. Go team!

On another note, I just spent 3 hours at a phone bank, calling registered voters in my school district to approve a parcel tax to help save jobs like mine! AND I finally finished my report cards, so I hope to get back to making some cool jew-ry soon!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Tulip

So, exciting news, fans! Silver Enso may soon be carried at a local boutique in Burlingame, called Tulip. Yay! I've befriended the owner there, and she is the sweetest person ever! She happily liked the necklaces and wants them there! WAHOO! I'm going to work on a few for her to carry in store in the next couple of weeks. I can't say enough about how excited I am. I'm also hoping that this will help to bring in new traffic to the Etsy store as well. :) I'd better get to work! Hopefully I'll have something to show soon! (PS Pictures aren't my forte though, so we may be a while.)

Friday, March 13, 2009

BLOWOUT Sale!!

It's not too late!! I'm offering a HUGE discount on my St. Patrick's Day sample necklaces! AND if you purchase before noon PST on Saturday, March 14th, I will upgrade to priority shipping for free!

Also, if you are an acquaintance, friend, or family member, I will offer you an initial 20% discount on any of my items or custom items. Just convo me first, and I will make you a reserved listing! Leave an impression with your jew-ry, and buy a hand-made Silver Enso piece today!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

First Custom Sale!


Yay!!! I made my first custom sale yesterday, and it feels darn good! It was an interesting experiment, too. I never knew exactly how many letters I could fit around a specific disc, but I found out quickly enough! My lovely customer wanted the names of her family on it. At first I was worried it might not fit, but as soon as I started stamping, I knew I could do it! It turned out amazing! I might very well have to put that one up as a future custom listing. Perhaps I'll call it "we are family" or something cheesy like that. Anyways, super awesome!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Blog Attempt #2

So, I discovered this awesome site called Picnik. You can basically touch up your photos fairly easily. For someone like me, who isn't photographically (?) inclined, it's a godsend! I noticed that all the pictures uploading onto Etsy were a little dull. In fact, all the great colors in the the photos just got washed away. I uploaded my pics on Picnik, did some crazy heavy saturation, downloaded them back and uploaded them into Etsy. They look almost normal! But I'm happy the colors pop a bit. I find that Etsy colors tend towards the neutral...I want mine to stand out!

I now have a total of 16 items up. I wish someone could give me a clue as to how in the world I'm supposed to get people to my shop. I tried buying an ad on that showcase thing, but it's next to impossible to get one for jewelry... The next openings won't be open until the end of March! It also seems slightly discouraging because there are so many others doing stamping on silver. However, I AM encouraged by the fact that Silver Enso offers a unique font, and perhaps, it will attract a different audience? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

On a happy note, the designer I got to work on my banner just re-revised it! It looks amazing!! I can't wait to show it off! I was worried there for a while because it wasn't coming together like I wanted it to. In the end, I had to compromise some of my original ideas b/c of feasibility (and weird things like, Etsy compresses red weird), but it all worked out in the end. She still needs to work on some other banners, avatars and business card, but since she has the main idea down, the rest should go fairly smoothly....I hope.... ;)

Monday, March 2, 2009

Blog Attempt #1

Welcome!! I have started this blog in an attempt to help draw traffic to my new Etsy biz: silverenso.etsy.com! I have never blogged before, and any writing that I have done in recent history has only been for a 6-year old audience. Perhaps I should explain that a bit, back-up, and tell you a little something about myself, no?

I am a teacher, currently teaching first grade at a public school (although who knows for how long with the Gubernator's new budget). It's an amazing job that changes day to day. The kids keep me young! It's partially due to them that I have found the courage to follow this path and take the plunge with my new little business: Silver Enso! I'm also probably a little late to join the blogging world, but better late than never!


I've been making jewelry recreationally for 6+ years now, but only recently decided to sell any of it! I love working with silver wire, and I dabbled in many other types of crafts, but I always end up returning to my favorite. Currently, I'm lovin' stamping and other silver manipulation techniques. My store has a few pieces that I hand-stamped, so I only hope someone out there will love them as well! Keep yer fingers crossed!!

As to the future, I'd like to use this blog as an opportunity to share what I am working on, as well as highlight inspirations that come my way. Wish me luck as I start on my journey, and I hope to hear from many of you soon!

 
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