I’m a Pro now :) Check out my New ArtFire Shop !!

My ArtFire shop is open and I have my first sale already! For a grand opening special I created a coupon code for 10% off your entire purchase. (code = B34D847DAA-C91C16A5E8) It expires on Oct 8th.

I have 58 different clear stamp designs that I make to order and some tutorials. Plus I have a few pieces of jewelry (more coming soon) and pendant or ring bezels to use in your own jewelry designs.

Hope you drop by and take a look. 🙂 Spread the word to your friends and family. If you are looking for unique handmade gifts ArtFire is the place to go !

You can also shop directly from the Rapid Cart kiosk on the right side of this page. 🙂

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Places To Sell Your Handmade Items

I think the majority of us know about web sites like Etsy, ArtFire and 1000 Markets, but there are a few other placed that may be worth looking at.
http://www.shophandmade.com
http://efreeme.com
http://www.bonanzle.com
http://www.undertherainbow.us
http://www.zibbet.com

Adding a couple more that were just pointed out to me by a friend. 🙂
http://www.storenvy.com/
http://www.silkfair.com/

New Clear Stamp Designs Are Finished

I spent a great deal of the day finishing the new clear stamp designs and testing them to make sure they worked. I create the stamps with Mokume Gane in mind, but they are just like the clear stamps you buy retail and can be inked up the same way.

Here is a sampling of the new designs:

I made a web page so anyone can see all the designs, new and old, in one place. http://www.tonjastreasures.com/stamps/clearstamps.htm

Haven’t gotten them listed anywhere for sale yet, but if you wish to make a purchase email me at tonja@tonjastreasures.com and I can send a PayPal invoice.

Book Review: Complete Book of Polymer Clay

I finally got my copy of Lisa Pavelka’s new book – The Complete Book of Polymer Clay.

I’m pretty picky about what books I keep in my personal library. When I buy a book, I look it over and decide if it has anything I haven’t already learned and if it’s something I want to learn. If it meets that criteria I keep it.

Lisa Pavelka’s new book “The Complete Book of Polymer Clay” is a keeper. Yes, it does have beginner info, (what else would you expect with the word COMPLETE in the title) but it also has some advanced projects that even this clayer of 12 years like me hasn’t tried yet and is longing to give a go.

The book is well written, the pictures are very helpful and the projects are fun. There is also a small gallery of pictures featuring other clay artists that will give you some inspiration. Sounds like a complete book to me 🙂

Check out Lisa’s web site www.lisapavelka.com where you can shop, see her amazing work, get some tips on working with polymer clay or watch an instructional video.

Started A Facebook Page For My Tonja’s Treasures Biz

Added this really cool new app called Payvment. It’s an ecommerce store right in Facebook. Now you don’t even have to leave Facebook to shop LOL

Tonja’s Treasures on Facebook

Scrap Mokume Gane Bangle Tutorial In Etsy Shop

Just finished and listed the tutorial in my Etsy shop. It’s a PDF that will be mailed to you after payment is received. Click on the picture to go to my Etsy Shop.

These are some examples of the bangles I’v made using this technique.



Also earrings and pendants

1000Markets.Com – The New Etsy ?

Someone recently brought up the web site www.1000markets.com . I had never heard of it so I thought I should check it out. It’s like Etsy in the sense that it promotes “small, artisan businesses as they deliver small-scale authenticity to appreciative customers”.

It’s free to sign up, so I went through the process and found out that it’s a branch of Amazon Marketplace. Or at least I believe it to be so, because I had to sign up for Amazon Payments, which is the only form of payments you can take. (*Update- It’s not affiliated with Amazon Marketplace) On the positive note, by using Amazon Payments your buyers can pay with credit cards or from their bank account. Getting set up was no more difficult that getting verified through PayPal.

Once you are ready to sell (there are a few steps to go through) your shop will need to be approved. I quote the following – “Your portrait, banner, product photos and descriptions must be clean, accurate, and reflect the high quality standards of 1000 Markets.” Sounds a little snobby, but I suppose it weeds out the sellers who aren’t truly serious about running an online shop.

It is a family friendly zone, so they is a long list of no-nos that can get you suspended. You can read the Code of Conduct info here. It’s all pretty standard stuff. No nudity, no illegal items, no copyright infringement, etc.

At this time it only supports businesses in the USA. They are working with Amazon Payment on expanding to a worldwide service.

As of yet, I haven’t found the time to get anything listed. I’m already running an Etsy shop and this blog. Keeps me pretty busy already. 🙂

The Talent of the Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy

I am a member of the PCAGOE. 🙂 Etsy is a great place to find handmade presents and an even better place to help support your fellow polymer clay artists. Just purchasing a gift or two from fellow artists could make all the difference for them this year.

Just a few of the items for under $25 that could make their way into a stocking or under your tree or as a Hanukkah gift.

Altered Art With Barbara McGuire

Barbara McGuire has an Etsy shop called Altered Art Source that has all sort of wonderful rubber stamps (including a new Klimt design!!), design/shape stamps for pendants & earrings, and misc. supplies. Her newest addition is a sheet of stamps called Build A Bird. So fun !!! 6 different bird shapes & sizes to play with and a bunch of different wings to add-on.

Build A Bird Stamp Sheet

An example of what Barbara did with the Build A Bird stamps.

These are definitely going on my Xmas Wish List 🙂

Celebrating My E-Store Grand Opening

For the next week I am offering a 30% off coupon. It will take 30% off all items in your cart. Code is “30off”. Thanks to all my reader for making blogging worth while 🙂

The E-store link