Showing posts with label Tutorials. Show all posts

Summer is in full swing and so is the busy selling season. I haven't posted as regularly as I'd like, but came across this information on Google base, that I just had to share. Google Base is the database that Google uses for its “shopping” search. By following the tutorial kindly created by Kathryn Maloney on her Great Panes Blog you can create a RSS feed of your products onto Google. As we all know, the more that your products are visible, the more traffic will be driven to your site. If you get the Etsy newsletter, you probably saw the link to this information which was provided by Katheryn Maloney. If not, I'd recommend you not just bookmark this but click on the free tutorial below and start expanding your Google Base.

What is Google Base? Click here to find out more and how to have your Etsy or other website products scheduled to automatically be uploaded onto Google

Google Base Tutorial

Another helpful resource for getting your products on Google base for fellow Etsians is:
Let's Ets - A tool for Etsy Sellers

This tutorial really should be called:

Threading your jewelers saw without slicing your finger.

Yesterday, I was threading my saw and ran my finger up the wrong way against the teeth of the blade. Ouch!!
Barb Macy from Accent Yourself Jewelry brings this much needed reminder of the correct way to thread a jewelers saw. Watch her Tutorial video for her simple and helpful explanation.

Thanks Barb, for this great tutorial! If you would like to learn more about Barb, listen to how she got started, in her own words:

"A few years ago, my friend introduced me to jewelry making, as we sat at her kitchen table and made simple beaded bracelets. After that, I was hooked and completely obsessed with beads and jewelry making...and I don't even wear that much jewelry!  I started out by using base metal components, glass beads and doing simple stringing & wire wrapping.

Since then, I've taken a couple of metalsmithing courses at a university and have continuously practiced and sharpened my jewelry making skills.  Now, I primarily work with sterling & fine silver, but also can't look away from all the pretty beads. I enjoy cutting, soldering, doing chain maille, and anything that involves my torch & other fun tools."

Barb Macy's Etsy shop, www.accentyourself.etsy.com has an ecclectic collection of sterling silver jewelry.  To check out Barb's other fantastic jewelry making tutorials, please check out her blog at: www.accentyourself.blogspot.com.  A gallery of her work is available on her website, www.accentyourself.com. 

New Jewelry Tutorial- Altered Scrabble Tile Pendant


I recently came across this great tile scrabble pendant tutorial from Julia at The Spotted Sparrow Blog. For those that love decoupage or scrapbooking, this is a great use for all of those fun papers or digital images that you've been collecting. These are easy to make if you follow Julia's well written instructions. Also, be sure to check out her esty shop for some cute gift tags and the great valentines set pictured below!



Other tutorials that can be found on The Spotted Sparrow blog:

How to make an Envelope
Omni Gel Image Transfer
DIY Gift Box Tutorial


Valentines Giveaway: Don't miss checking out The Spotted Sparrow's Blog for this cute valentine giveaway. You must enter by January 21st. Click here for more information!


"When I was in grade school, all the children would exchange Valentines on Valentine's Day. We would make little boxes to keep the Valentines in and have great fun exchanging them in the classroom. You may not be a kid anymore, but that shouldn't stop you from the fun of exchanging Valentines!"
- Julia from The Spotted Sparrow Shop

Police what traffic gets counted : Google Analytics- Part 2
Well, I've officially signed up with Google Analytics and find myself fighting the tendency to pour over the statistical overload of numerical info like a nerd with a pocket protector. The first thing that I noticed is that a lot of the traffic to my site was from..... me? Hmmm...... I'm pretty sure that no good will come of that. So, that leads us to the next Google Analytics installment - excluding yourself or any other website that you do not want counted from your visitor and bounce statistics. After all, if you are going to analyze this preponderance of numerical craziness, you might as well be working with good data. Here's what you need to do:
1. Log onto your Google Analytics account and click on the filter manager (bottom, right hand corner). In addition to filtering out your own site from google stats, you can customize the way data is displayed on reports.
2. On the right hand side of that dark grey header - click "+add filter".
3. Now on filter type- click exclude all traffic from an IP address. Don't know your IP address? Find out at Anonymouse.
4. This should add your website(s)- click add. This will add them to the box on the right (selected website profiles). Then click save changes! Your're done!!

How to clean your Sterling Silver Jewelry with Baking Soda, Salt, and Foil:

These cute peapod earrings are a favorite of mine but after time they can start to lose that shiny silver sparkle to that dreaded enemy of silver - air. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper (which gives it added strength but makes it prone to tarnishing). When exposed to air, sterling silver will tarnish. This occurs more quickly in damp and foggy weather (like Oregon), but is inevitable in any climate.

Instructions:
When cleaning wire wrapped stones and pearls it is often difficult to get between the wires with a silver cleaning cloth so I have found another solution that works great. The one warning that I would give is to be careful of the temperature of the water. Depending on the value and material of the stone/pearl that is wrapped, adjust the temperature down. I would recommend boiling the water, then turning off the heat before adding pearls or soft stones. I have melted one Swarovski pearl by having the heat too high but that has been my only jewelry fatality. So, proceed at your own risk, but in "most" cases you should have excellent results.

Aluminum Foil, Baking Soda, and Salt: Place a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of a pan, add 2-3 inches of water, 3-4 Tbls. baking soda (or more- you can't really use to much), 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil (disolve the baking soda/salt) and turn heat off. Add silver pieces, making sure the water covers the silver pieces. With a wood or plastic utensil, gently move the pieces around to ensure that all of the silver surfaces come in contact with the aluminum. Remove silver, rinse, dry, and buff with a soft cloth. This method cleans the design and crevices of silver pieces.

Why this works: Sterling silver reacts with moisture to create a layer of tarnish or oxidation on its surface. Baking soda activated by boiling water in the presence of aluminum, will dislodge the tarnish by making it bind with the aluminum, leaving the sterling silver clean and shiny again. The baking soda/aluminum combo pulls sulfur off the silver by a small electrolytic current set up through the "salt bridge". This is why contact with the aluminum is so important. Both Silver and Aluminum loves to accept sulfur, but aluminum does it quicker and will pull atoms of it off the item (reverse electroplating) as long as the electrolytic current remains. The silver is left all alone again. The heat of the water is just a catalyst and makes the reaction occur faster. lThis is the simple, organic way to clean and polish your sterling silver jewelry.

November Tutorial: Caged Pendant

This free tutorial is brought to you by Studio Health Jewelry. Please follow the link below for the complete tutorial. This is a very versatile little pendant that can be made up quickly and can be easily adapted to encage a variety of pretty objects.

Enjoy!

Free Tutorial: Caged Pendant Tutorial

Here's a simple yet pretty necklace that is easy to make. This great tutorial is provided for free by Chris Franchetti Michaels. This design features simple but striking sterling silver wire connectors and dainty round turquoise beads. It requires standard, intermediate wire-working skills.

To view the tutorial in full visit Bella Online for a step by step guide on making this fun necklace.

I've always wanted to try etching. I love the look and was excited to find a tutorial written by Etsy seller Copperheart. She describes in detail the etching process with great pictures and descriptions.


In Copperheart's words: "The basic principle of etching any metal is to apply a substance to the surface of the metal which will resist the bite of the etching solution. This substance is called resist. Once the resist is applied, all you have to do is submerge the piece in the etching solution and wait for it to etch."

I can't wait to give it a try. Check out this great tutorial at the Copperheart Blog.

I came across this great tutorial from Etsy seller, Nicole Isaacs. She is really funny and offers a great ring tutorial for the beginning silversmith. Her profile shows her sense of humor when she describes her site, in her own words as "documenting my real-life attempt at starting my own jewelry business. Metalworking and online sales, etsy business vs own website. And some bunnies thrown in."

Ring Tutorial: