Increasing Your Awesomeness!

That's my goal! To increase your awesomeness. You're already fab but I like to think that my unique, handmade jewellery will add a little something extra.

Making unique jewellery is my biggest passion and I am always aiming to ensure that my shop continues to provide individuals like yourself with a range of handmade and unique jewellery to reflect who you are.

For years I'd tried to fit into societies little pre made boxes and follow the path that was laid out for me.. but it just didn't gel. I am unique, I am my own person, and I don't want to follow the crowd. I don't think you do either, do you?? That's why I started my quest to make a difference and to provide unique souls with unique jewellery that really reflects who they are, not who they should be.

I'd like to think I put a little of my own personality into my designs and creations but it's only when you wear the items that they really shine.

Without you, my amazing customers and fans, DysfunctionDesigns would not exist, and I love you all for your help and support.

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DysfunctionDesigns is branching out!

That's right! I've been selling online for over a year and I've now managed to find a shop that would like to stock my jewellery! A real live shop! How awesome is that! :)

I've been in touch with the owner of Feel The Ride, in Paisley. It's an awesome skate shop (With a ramp!) and they have said they'd be happy to get involved.Within the next week or so, everything will be finalised and the first pieces of Dysfunctiondesigns jewellery will be on show and on sale in this fab shop!

I'm so psyched! I'm hoping it'll be the first of many and over the coming months I'll be in touch with various tattoo studios, skate/surf shops and various other places to see if they'd like to join in! If you know of anywhere that might be interested (around the Renfrewshire/Glasgow area preferably, but further a field will be considered) then just give me a shout!

I will of course be continuing to sell on Etsy and Folksy. Items added frequently, so keep checking back.
I've also decided to cut down on the number of craft fairs I attend as the people who were attending weren't really the people who my jewellery is aimed at, so it's a waste of my time and theirs! However! There has been a cancellation at the fab Ayrshire Arts & Craft fair in Troon on 9th June so I will be once again trading there. I love that fair! Head over if you're in the area..hell,even if you're not - make the trip! It's free and there's tonnes of fab stalls! Plus, it'll be June, so fingers crossed it'll be an awesome sunny day :D
See you there!

P.S Anyone who buys from my Etsy shop today will receive a PERSONALISED voucher code for a whopping 30% off ALL FUTURE ORDERS! - For Life!! I'm just to good to you!! Buy now!

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Get Exposure. Raise Money For Charity. Develop Warm Fuzzy Feeling Inside!

Hey there,

Me again. Just wanted to write a quick post regarding a fab craft fair you should know about.

The Etsy Sellers Fair!! 

It's being held in roughly two weeks at Dawdon Community Center in Co. Durham! I won't be attending as it's a little far away, but what I did get to do was to send the some business cards which they are going to display proudly on a table DEDICATED to us crafty folks business cards! How fab is that.

They are offering everyone the oppourtunity to have their cards on the table (between 10 and 100) and all for just £2!! You don't have to be an Etsy seller and you can be involved in any craft! Your £2 will go towards raising money for a great cause   "All proceeds go to the Dawdon community centre at Seaham and it's Adventure Club for kids after school and holiday activities.".
It's a great way to show off your businesses and crafts to people who may not have heard about you before!!
You will also receive a link for 50 FREE biz cards from moo!! How amazing is that! Read enough? Head over to http://keepcalmevents.blogspot.co.uk for all the details!! But hurry, you'll need to send your cards this week!!

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The Only Way Is Up!

No, Don't worry! I'm not referring to that awfully cheesy song from the early 90s... :p

I'm talking about the recent web analytics for my Etsy shop! I'm extremely pleased to report that this year has seen a substantial growth in visitors to my shop (as well as orders :D)

I'm over the moon about this and I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who follows, fav's, tweet's and shares my shop page,facebook, twitter or my listings. I couldn't have done it without you!!
It's an awesome thing.. but it's not over yet. There's still a long way to go and I can't do it on my own...

That's why I've decided that I would like to give all of you the chance to get involved in my next marketing project. I'll be running a competition in which will one lucky winner will receive a selected unique necklace and bracelet set, as well as giving two lucky runners up a "10% off" voucher code that can be redeemed on any item in my shop!
I'll give out more details regarding the competition soon so keep your eyes peeled (and spread the word!!)

In other news... We had such nice weather here last week. I loved it. Sadly, that's probably our summer over. But if you're lucky enough to not live in a climate challenged (ok I made that up) country then check out my newest Tribal designs! They're perfect for teaming up with summer outfits or as holiday accessories. They're also ideal as festival jewellery as they're very hard wearing.(Not to mention natural :D )

Don't forget...I don't just create jewellery for the girls! Most of my items are unisex and suitable for the guys too!
All of my necklaces and bracelets are elasticated so should fit most, but if you need something in a different size just drop me a message :D

I'll update soon with details of the comp. Bye for now!

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Revamp!!

I'm so excited, it's almost upon us!!!! Most of the revamp has been done but there are just a couple of things I need to do over the next day or two before the DysfunctionDesigns shop revamp is complete!!
It's been lots of fun. Not without hiccups, of course, but I very much love the fact that I have been spending so much time on my business lately and I'm still in love with it!! :)

I'll start with some not so great news and then we can fling it away and move on. Sound good? Ok..so.. I mentioned a while back that I had visited Business Gateway for advice and help with my business and had applied for funding to help give it a wee boost. Sadly, I found out today that I have not been successful in obtaining funding. It is a bit disappointing, but due to changing circumstances in my personal life it's not as devastating as it could have been. I will strive to keep creating and adding new products as frequently as I can as well as keeping you all up to date via this blog, facebook and twitter.

Moving on.. (that wasn't so hard was it?) I've been uploading loads of new tribal bracelets and necklaces recently and they're proving quite popular. This makes me so so happy you can't imagine! I've decided to focus on using only my own clay beads, bone beads, wood beads and horn beads. All the materials I use are natural and ethically sourced so no need to fret about that :)

This Sunday I will be attending my first craft fair of 2012! It's specifically for jewellery so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm really excited to see what kind of reaction my new items will get.

Oh, in other news, I received an order yesterday from a customer in Greece! How awesome is that! That's the 4th country I've had orders from. It's amazing to think that people all over the world are wearing my jewellery. I can't wait to see which country will be number 5.

I'll leave it at that for now. Don't forget to check out all the new designs popping up at DysfunctionDesigns! New products are added frequently so keep checking back.

Oh, and I almost forgot... what do you think of the new logo?? Let me know!!

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Up, Up and Away!

Hey everyone,

It's been hectic at this end recently. I've been to Business Gateway to meet with an advisor and to attend some workshops. It's been so great. The advisor's there are fantastic and they've really steered me in the right direction. They provide such in depth advice, and it's all for free! It's a great resource and I would definitely recommend it to everyone with their own business.

I've been spending a lot of time writing up a business plan for DysfunctionDesigns. I should have done it last year but I guess it's better late than never. It should allow me to stay on track as well as hopefully allow me to receive some much needed funding from PSYBT. There's a few more forms to be filled in but then it's all out of my hands and I just have to wait to hear back. I'll keep you all posted as, if it happens, it'll mean that I'll have more resources to use within the business, making it an even better and more efficient service for all you fans and customers out there. It'll allow me to make the revamp EVEN bigger! With so many more new items available for you to purchase from my Etsy shop.

Speaking of which, I made a new batch of beads last night! I'm loving my new textured design (I may have said that already,hehe). This time, I made a selection of black and brown beads. A lot of my new necklaces and bracelets will consists of various shades of brown but there will also be the occasional item in a different colour. I think browns, blacks, reds, oranges and creams will be the base colours for the majority of my stock.

I'm getting really excited about the revamp. It's still on schedule for the end of Feb! The designs for the new logo and business cards are almost finalised,(I'm just getting a bit of feedback before going ahead), and the stock is being replenished on a weekly basis.

For anyone in the Glasgow or Renfrewshire area, I'll be trading at the Big Fat Jewellery fair that's being held in the Erskine Bridge Hotel on Sun 4th March. It'll be my first fair of the year so i'm looking forward to it. I have a few things to get ready for that too, but i'm hopeful it'll all be done in time. I'm hoping to book a weekend at Sloans in Glasgow sometime in March or April so i'll let you know when, but I'm already booked in for the annual fundraising event for the Glasgow Veterinary School which takes place on Sat 14th April. Would be great if you could pop along if you're in the area. It should be a fab day and hopefully the weather will be better by then.

Right, I think I've said enough for now. I'm off to tackle today's to-do list!

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New Year..New shop!

Hi everyone,

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone had a good one. Mine was fantastic. I had some time off work that was spent with friends and family and it did me the world of good. There was a major lull in production and all jewellery related issues at the end of 2011 for me and I apologise for that. I'm hoping to start (almost) a fresh this year and shake things up a bit, so it should all be back on track very soon.

I'm planning a shop revamp for the end of February. I'll be changing the look of the shop, and some of my items, and generally making a few tweaks to enable me and the shop to get back on track. It should allow me to offer my customers the high quality, focused and unique service they deserve. I'll keep everyone updated with that as it happens. I'm terrible for updating the blog so please like us on Facebook so you don't miss out on new products and exciting offers!!

I'll still be making my own clay beads and jewellery along with buying in some fab wooden and bone beads for creating some one-of-a-kind tribal pieces. I will as always offer items for both male and female.

Until the revamp is complete, there's a sale on that includes all items that won't fit into the new look shop so head over to the Etsy shop and grab a bargain before they all disappear!! Some pieces are up to 50% off!!

I think that's all the news for now. Thanks for reading and please keep sharing the word.

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To stick or not to stick...

When I first started my jewellery business I was creating all kinds of jewellery from gold bracelets with pearls to tribal bracelets with skulls, following every idea that came into my head. I didn't really have any kind of direction in mind, I simply new I wanted to create jewellery.

After a while, having read numerous blog posts and seller interviews, I managed to focus my jewellery making into a more concentrated area. I decided that my creations would fall around the categories of Gothic, Tribal and Antique. I chose these as they were the ones that I enjoyed working with most. I felt that my passion for creating items that fell into these categories would show in the quality of my work and I believe it has done. Having this focus has allowed me to be more creative. I am constantly looking for new ideas and sources of inspiration and sometimes this leads me off the path slightly. I have started to create my own fimo beads which I use in necklaces and bracelets. These generally don't fall into any of the previously mentioned categories but I feel such a great sense of achievement when I finish a piece that is truly hand made. Creating jewellery is a great experience, but creating my own beads as well is something else. I'd say my business is still fairly new and I have learned that I shouldn't be afraid of trying new things or trying to keep all my jewellery in the one category. The only way we can learn and grow is to try new things, make mistakes, and see what works.

I will always try to envisage my target market and create items geared towards them but there is no rule that says your target market cannot change. I would rather enjoy the creative process and come up with jewellery that I have put my heart and soul into than make the same kind of jewellery over and over again just so my shop can constantly stay within the same genre. I do not want to sell half-hearted creations. I do not want to follow trends and simply provide products that are already saturated in the jewellery market. I want to create. To provide new and exciting pieces that my customers can be happy to wear. If I do not enjoy creating an item then I am wary about selling it as I know that it may not be up to the standard of my other work. It's not a total loss when this happens though as it allows me to discover what I am passionate about creating and what I'm not. It lets me focus more on the things I love and hopefully allows me to create a higher standard of jewellery.
I do love making jewellery and if I ever manage to make my business successful enough so that it becomes my career then I feel I would be truly blessed and extremely lucky. I can imagine nothing better than doing something for a living that is this enjoyable, as well as the feeling that I get from providing products to my customers that they can love and enjoy too. I'd like to sign off with the following quote...


If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants. - Isaac Newton

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