Etsy seller, no more

Hello everyone,

Effective immediately, I am no longer a seller on Etsy. I do not wish to comment on the reasons why, nor do I wish to imply any hard feelings to Etsy or any of the sellers or buyers on the platform. I will just say that it is no longer a fit for me. I leave Etsy in good standing and wish all the sellers and buyers the very best.

However, I will be launching a new online ordering platform on August 1, 2023, and I am very excited about that. Part of growing my business is evolving the brand, not only in terms of quality, but in terms of availability and shipping options. I appreciate everyone for their support and patronage, and I promise this change will be short-lived in terms of inconvenience.

Wishing you all the best,

Sarah

Wow, six months have flown by!

Thank you to everyone for all of your support these past six months. Overall, it has been quite a success. But that is not to say it has been easy! I have made some wonderful new friends, some of whom are just starting out themselves. Here are a few things I have learned:

• Put backs on your earring wires. There is nothing worse than trying to sort out three dozen renegade earrings that came loose during transport with only 10 minutes before your event begins.

• Yes, you will do shows and boutiques with other jewelry makers. But this is not a bad thing! Why do you think there are food courts in malls? Everyone wants something different, but just being around it whets the appetite.

• Whatever your craft, hone your style. Don’t try to be all things to all people.

• Not every event will be a homerun, but if you don’t give up you will find out which events work for you.

• Keep track of your books! Track every sale, regularly update your inventory receipts, track your costs. If you don’t know how to do this, find an accountant or software program that can help.

• DON’T UNDERCHARGE! Do not price gouge your potential clients, but remember to add your labor, overhead, and unspecified expenses such as sales bags into your price. You might think undercutting your fellow crafters means easy sales, and it might, but at the cost of not making any money. And you really should be participating in these events to make money. Others depend on this income and try hard.

• Remember that this is supposed to be fun work, not just labor. If you are not enjoying yourself, ask why. Are you doing too much? Are you spending more than you want to? Be sure to center yourself and remind yourself not to do too much, too soon

  In my upcoming posts I will address some of these topics. In the meantime… are you SURE you have enough jewelry?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Did anybody else notice that the same people who complain about the war on Christmas are the same people who complain that we start marketing for Christmas too early, i.e. no Christmas music till after Thanksgiving! You know who I blame for this? Abraham Lincoln.

Think about it; if ol’ Honest Abe hadn’t declared the fourth Thursday in November Thanksgiving, none of this would be happening. In Canada they celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. And most other countries celebrate their own versions of Thanksgiving earlier in the autumn or late summer, too.

So all those other countries embrace November as the Christmas shopping season, no conflicts of interest involved. But us as Americans, we are left to forever duke it out… is it too early to celebrate… is it not early enough… is Thanksgiving being overlooked… how dare anyone sing Jingle Bells while the cranberries are cooking!

Sigh… we are truly a house divided.

Thank you to all our Veterans

Let’s take time to remember our Veterans today. The members of our armed services are willing to lay down their lives to protect our country. Even if you are not happy with the way things are going in the United States right now, it is still our homeland, and they are sworn to protect it so we can rest easier.

Let’s stop the in-fighting. Veterans are not out there risking their lives to come home to a country where it is red versus blue, and the term political opponent has been replaced with the word enemy. Let’s remember that some people may say they are willing to kill people in the name of our country, but they are not swearing to die for it. That’s a dangerous imbalance.

Terre Vici has a commitment to our planet and everyone who lives on it. That’s why, earlier this year, we held a fundraiser at two of our shows. I will have a final tally of donations for you soon, but it is good! The money will be donated to the DAV and the Gary Sinese Foundation, two charities that work hard to promote the health and well-being of the members of our armed forces.

We thank you all for your service, Veterans. And we are working hard to make this country the example of compassion and equality, because you are doing the same.

Halloween is almost upon us!

Are you ready to have a SPOOKtacular Halloween? Same here. I have spent the month watching scary movies and listening for things that go BUMP in the night. I have also been very busy getting ready for my November events!

So far I have two HUGE events for November on the books, as well as a big farewell to October this weekend. I had a wonderful time earlier this month with the USUI Reiki Center Healing Fair, and I hope everyone comes out for this delightful event. But then I need to get busy! Terre Vici will be at booth 217 for the Des Moines Holiday Boutique; I encourage everyone to come out and see me! And show me your Iowa Wild ticket for the November 5th game for 25% off your purchase! After that I will be part of the Beaverdale Holiday Boutique, a time-honored tradition in my home ‘hood of Beaverdale. This event is in its 44th year!

I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me for an online purchase. I want to let you all know that my nephew Hunter will be helping me webmaster in the upcoming season to ensure you have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to online shopping. Be sure to check out my Christmas lines, too. This year our themes are Hard Candy Christmas and Sugar Plum Fairies. And yes, they are a delight.

Finally, I am also finishing up my Veteran’s Day fundraiser. We have raised over $120 for the Gary Sinese Foundation and the DAV! Over Christmas I will be reaching out for your support of the Salisbury House; an internationally-recognized landmark in need of our assistance to aid in restoration of its many treasures. More to come on this amazing event soon!

Farewell summer, hello Autumn!

Thank you to everyone for making my first month and retail sales an overwhelming success. I had a lot of fun at the white eagle Powwow, made some great new friends in Saint Ansgar and at the red barn craft show in Jefferson, and finished off with an amazing event at the Iowa State fairgrounds in their fall craft spectacular. Special thanks to Tom Callahan for the wonderful event space. I would also like to send a special thanks to David Regan and everyone at the greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. David is retailing TerreVici in there retail store. So if you ever want to shop and can’t wait for the weekend, you know where to get your fix of Terre Vici.

So what does October have on the horizon? I kick things off with an amazing event promotor; Tami Sue Hartwig is organizing Boone‘s fourth annual craft show October 2-3 at the CITR center. Check out my events page on the website for details. She is an amazing promoter and I know it is going to be a wonderful show. And after that you can see me at the Ramada Inn in Cedar Rapids for the metaphysical fair on October 9 and 10th. At this so you will get to see a different side of terror of each year. We will be focusing on healing crystals and elements, items that help you set your mind body and spirit.

This is also the month when I launch my Christmas line. And let me tell you, if you thought TerreVici jewelry was eye-catching before, check back next week to see the items on sale for Christmas. Here are a couple of hints: 14 karat gold, Garnet, pearl, lapis lazuli…

Talk to you soon, and keep checking back at my events page on my Facebook page to find out where I am going to be next!

Powwow, what a weekend!

September 6, 2021

Wow, am I winded! My first vendor show took place this past weekend, and what a way to break the ice! I set up at the White Eagle Pow Wow in Jester Park here in Central Iowa.

I gotta admit, September 3-5 had me nervous. First, I had NEVER done a vendor show before. Second, I had NEVER let someone who wasn’t a friend look at my jewelry. Third, Friday started off with a rainstorm at 3am that lasted off an on through the whole day. Finally, and the hardest to grapple with, I had no idea if my designs could live up to my sister’s expertise.

I shouldn’t have worried.

Despite the rainy Friday, the pow wow was an overwhelming success. I had never been to one such event before. Not only did I learn a lot about Native American culture, but I got to meet people from all over the world. Did you know that “drum beat” we hear in all the westerns is actually made up by the motion picture industry? Yeah, Hollywood can be really stupid sometimes. But fry bread is absolutely awesome, the dances and songs are mesmerizing, and the stories they told really resonated with everyone there. And yes, the jewelry was a hit.

So many of us go through life with our eyes focused on only one path, the life that we think is set before us. This weekend I got to take my blinders off and see the world from a new perspective. I made a lot of new friends this past weekend, and encourage everyone to visit WhiteEaglePowwow.com to get the details on next year’s event. I will definitely be there, and hope to see all of my new friends soon, too.