Time For Etsy - Special Feature - OBliss Jewelry

While rallying up a list of Etsy shops to be featured on my blog, I started up a conversation with Maria of O Bliss Jewelry who was in the midst of reorganizing her work space. In this post Maria shares some of her organizational ideas she used in her new work space and her Etsy shop

Designing and creating jewellery is a blissful retreat from my busy life as a high school art teacher, wife and mother of three teenagers. While my background is in ceramics, painting and collage, when I serendipitously stumbled into a one-day silversmith course, I was hooked. Etsy was the obvious choice when I finally felt ready to launch my work online. I opened my shop in January this year with 9 items.
Was I ready to sell on Etsy? Heck NO! With a desk in the corner of the family room, very basic tools, minimal materials, boring photos and no plan for packaging, to say I fumbled my way around in the first few months is an understatement. But a few early sales, wise advice on the Etsy forums and a timely critique on my photography was the motivation I needed to get……ORGANISED!

On the Etsy front I
    •    read, read, read and then read some more;
    •    reworked my tags and titles according to the advise I read
    •    resolutely experimented until I had photos I was proud of;
    •    and networked by participating in forums, teams and treasury making.

On the home front there was much to do. First on the list was to create a desirable work environment. I am an aesthetically driven person so my workspace needed to be more than a toolbox and small desk in the corner of a room. I needed a space to call my own. A room did exist, just off the family/kitchen room. It was home to two big computers and a spare bed, with a bit of junk thrown in the mix.  After some creative rearranging of furniture and a good cleanup this 2 x 6 meter room became O bliss Studio (thanks archivioGotico for the banner).

At one end of the room, with a window view, is my jeweller’s desk. The pegboard that keeps my tools organised and within easy reach is finished in blackboard paint for the scribbling of notes and ideas. A cheap corkboard, covered in fabric is perfect for hanging silver wire and pinning inspiration images. This area is both calming and functional (i.e. order equates to calm)


At the other end of the room is a 2-meter Ikea desk for bookkeeping and packing. It is long enough for my daughter to also have her own art space. My growing collection of Etsy finds and students’ artwork decorates this and other walls, making this studio a place I love to spend time in. Oh, and my Bose SoundDock adds music to the blend (motivational indeed).

Being organised has allowed me to streamline my processes. I have recently started making multiples of a design. Instead of producing one pair of studs to fill an order, I now make 4 items at a time. 
New, much needed tools and a steady supply of silver have been purchased with profits from sales
And after a few ad hock parcels and expensive postal charges, I did eventually resolve my packaging dilemma.
As for fixing my photography (a key ingredient to success on Etsy), well… you will have to see the end results for yourself by visiting   http://www.etsy.com/shop/oblissjewellery

O Bliss Jewelry is currently having a giveaway! Visit her blog post here to take part - http://oblissjewellery.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/give-away.html