Friday, February 27, 2009

New Item: Jewelry tree!


I've had this idea be-bopping around in my mind for quite some time, so to actually see it in action is totally exciting!

This jewelry tree is easily and safely mounted to your wall with two little nails, which are included. This particular model has 18 hooks for necklaces and room for over 18 pairs of earrings! Your tree will be similar, but not identical due to the one-of-a-kind nature of this handmade item. What a snazzy way to keep your jewels organized, yes-no?

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

"Not your Grandmother's Pearls"

Yeah, that's right.

Those are indeed Sterling and Pearl panties.

Thank you, Amberraindesigns!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Don't pay someone to obtain your Tax I.D.! EIN info below...

When i filed to become an LLC, I hired a company to do it for me... but the services were *FREE* for a week, so all I paid were the fees! (I am thrifty.) One of the add-ons was that the company would apply for and obtain your tax I.D. number for you, which enables you to purchase wholesale and without taxes.

This is the biggest rip! The link to the government site is right here, you can do it online and it takes less than five minutes. You're assigned your number right away and can download the official letter in PDF to print right away.

https://sa2.www4.irs.gov/modiein/individual/index.jsp

Monday, February 16, 2009

Musings on The Market, or, I need stuff on my table besides jewelry.




I've only done a few shows now, and I feel fortunate to have had a warm reception wherever I've set up my jewelry. The thing is, I was adamant about paring down the amount of items I'd be bringing with me to a show, so I could easily stick it all in a medium suitcase and be merrily on my way.

While I think I can still figure out how to fit everything in a small, portable space, I really need to work on my table display.

Up until recently, for some reason I felt like this was an incredible burden, and that people should naturally gravitate towards my table, because shoppers are looking at the jewelry, right? not the table. Simple display! Let the items speak for themselves!

Oh, silly Alex. I think it was mostly that I just didn't want to schlep a bunch of stuff around.

However, now I have a ton of ideas as to how I can make my display area more dynamic, wherever I choose to show my jewelry. I feel motivated and excited about working on my table instead of frustrated and annoyed. It's a much better place to be when one is trying to create!

That being said, the vibe at the Market was great. Vendors all seemed to know each other, and people were very warm and friendly to Don and me. Everyone was happy to share information and tips, and another vendor clued me in to a company that will give you a Credit Card terminal for free! Also, although I try to avoid shopping while I'm at shows, there was a lady there named Victoria that had these fabulous feather fascinators and headbands for a steal at $10-$15!

I am weak in the face of feathers.

So we had a great time, saw a lot of friends, learned a lot, and ate some Pinkberry. Thanks to everyone who came by!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

In person, at The MarketNYC this Sunday!

Alexlady Designs will be live in person at The Market, 268 Mulberry street this Sunday, Feb 15th!

For those who aren't familiar, The Market is the best venue in New York for indie designers and young artists to sell their wares! Last time I went, I got the best tee shirt I have ever seen. There's a rotating group of designers, but there are always handbags, clever accessories, tees, jewelry, and tons of surprises!

I'm still cash-only for now, alas. But I'll have a sale rack and tons of new designs! Stop by to say hello and check out the market.

Open 11 am-7 pm, 268 Mulberry between Prince and Houston, close to the RWN and BDFV trains. Check out their website for great articles and directions. See you then!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Etsy Hacks! Brilliant add-ons to make Etsy a breeze.

I feel like I do pretty well at keeping my eyes open for things like this, but this site was new to me.

From the site:

"Greasemonkey is an add-on for the Firefox web browser, that allows you to run "scripts", or little programs that alter the web pages you view. See Installing Greasemonkey for more information."

the most valuable item on this list was the bulk photo uploader... this has been part of the reason why i don't list as often as i should, because it takes forever to load photos one at a time. I'm excited to check out all of my new features!

Monday, February 9, 2009

butt-in-gear

I've been meaning to go restock at metalliferous in midtown for over a week now, and keep getting waylaid. It's only open until 6 pm which is a leeeetle inconvenient for me (and i imagine i'm not the only one) and of course i could order online, but i want to go into the store and dive in and swim around amongst all of the great stuff. imagine me as scrooge mcduck, only it's silver instead of gold. and none of it belongs to me. oh, and no spats. they make my ankles look fat.

anyway, i'm excited. I feel very stuck without the items i'm looking for, plus i just scored a great set of alphabet metal-stamps, and i am overjoyed about personalizing things! i just... don't have anything to stamp yet. *sad face*

also, I admit I didn't know anything about the movie Twilight except for there's vampires and stars that cute boy who dies in harry potter (oops, spoiler alert? if you think this is a spoiler, you are either way behind, or you think harry potter is of the devil which is ok since you probably won't see the movie anyway). now, however, i want to see the movie just for the lion/lamb quote. sweeet. now, where's some Coraline-inspired rag dolls? Bring it, etsians.

"Twilight" Zone

I recently posted in the Etsy forums a call for recent and up-and-coming trends, since i'm often a few steps behind.

The answer? Well, see all of the replies at the link above, but "TWILIGHT!!" was one of the most popular noted trends. I love Cedric Diggory as much as the next girl, but I hand never thought of movie-inspired vampire chic accessories and couture! Here are some Twilight Highlights.

BITTEN necklace from Sumner2's shop... TONS of Twilight-inspired items!



Custom Twilight Hoodies
from MissJenna's shop



Bella Bracelet
by norianesbijoux




Personalized portrait from MyMagicMe,
who gave us my favorite Zombie Portrait of yore!



And, the classic scrabble tile necklace.

Vintage dictionary Twilight scrabble tile
from rosecreekcottage


Fangs for the memories.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

FREE handwriting font? Can it be true?

I haven't had a chance to check out the whole deal on YOURFONTS.COM, , but it's gotten great reviews, and i cannot wait to play with it!

Make Your Own Handwriting Fonts For Free

YourFonts.com is a FREE online font generator that allows you to create your own TrueType fonts within a couple of minutes. Go make your own handwriting as a font!
100% Free!

* Your own handwriting turned into your very own font for free
* Optionally include your signature
* You'll have your very own font within 15 minutes
* Make as many fonts as you like
* Use your fonts on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
* Personalize your digital scrapbook pages
* Make your own "family handwriting history"
* Use your fonts in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and every program that you own