Author: JanetSaw

A post is in order, after months of not blogging.

Summary of what’s happened:

  1. Moved house, now on west side of Melbourne.
  2. Opened supplies store on Etsy.
  3. Took a glass beads class and loved it! Want to make more at home.
  4. Decided to go back into academia.
  5. Closing down ArtFire Pro and only keeping a basic account.
  6. Reducing amount of polymer clay products to the ones that I like making.

I’m no longer terribly excited about pursuing this craft career, because it just isn’t working! I guess I am not dedicated enough, or it’s just meant to be a hobby. I had a few opportunities to sell at craft markets, but with no one to help me with stalls and not having my own trestle, it’s sadly not possible. A lot of markets are overpriced and provide no rental trestles. The worst part is also having to do this all by myself!

I’ll still be making clay jewellery and other odds and ends, but slowing down. I’m only making those I really like and think are worth the effort. ArtFire was not bringing in enough business, so I’ve terminated the Pro status as of March.

Postal services are evil. I am still limited by the 2cm rule, so my lovely white 4cm boxes have to be sent at parcel rates. Thus, low sales. It’s a tough struggle to balance quality and security against postage costs. I’ll be looking into purchasing matchboxes that can be sent as 2cm letters. Not sure if they will withstand the real possibility of being squashed in transport. I will do some testing. What Etsy and other online platforms need is a way to select different kinds of postage. Then, the responsibility lies with the consumer. They can decide if they prefer a secure package that also looks great, or cut costs and run the risk of damage. Ah well, maybe I just like to complain.

I’m still amazed that my packages arrived on time. I’ve opened up my shops just a few days ago. Didn’t post it here until now. In addition to my 3 online stores, I have a new one on Made It, the Australian handmade market. Listing prices are a little higher than others, so I’ll be slowly adding to it.
http://www.madeit.com.au/DesignsByJanetSaw

I’ve also managed to get a supply of lovely white gift boxes, so I will never have to spend 15 minutes making each one ever again! The old ones were also too soft. I have given up trying to get things to fit in the 2cm range, only to have the boxes or items still crushed in the mail. My new boxes are 4cm thick, so shipping is going to be a bit more expensive, but I feel much better knowing these thick boxes are going to be safe. They also fit a lot more inside, and they look good, too!


I probably need a broader ribbon for this.

New business cards:

Did anyone notice my cute cupcake background in the photos? 😀

As for my workspace / home studio, I currently have a small table and shelf to store my junk… I’m really unproductive in this tiny space! Can’t wait to move to the new house next month. I’ll have a dedicated office for work.

My new convection oven also isn’t very good, but it was the only model available. Microwaves are REALLY not popular in Europe, but they’re everywhere in Australia… The reverse is true of convection ovens. Anyway, when my “russell hobbs” oven starts out, it heats up way over the set temperature, and needs 10 minutes before it remains consistent. I can’t just chuck in some clay and let it do its thing. I’ve burned several pieces already. My Zürich oven was so good… I miss it. It was very reliable and never went over the set temperature, even when it started up. Win some, lose some, right? 🙁

I’ve just about packed up half of my belongings in Zürich. I’ve sent out one tiny, but 14.05kg, box with books and clay, and another 14.7kg box is going out the door today. This HUGE box contains clothes, stuffed toys and craft things. We actually got the box from the hardware store, free!


We also bought a scale just to weigh my boxes. Anything from 15-20kg gets charged at CHF185… while just under 15kg is CHF154. This is economy mail, of course… My first box is still hanging around in Switzerland because of it being economy parcel, although I sent it last week.

Inspired by my friend Juanita and her recent blog post, I decided to play, too!

Early 2010, I wanted to:

  • Get a job
  • Continue German class

End of 2010, I have done neither!! I didn’t like learning German in Switzerland, maybe because of the lousy school I attended for one session. The other expensive school was always intimidating. They boasted to mainly have university graduates and bilinguals as students. They made me take a placement test. Their class “entry points” were few and far between. I would plan to start the class, but never did once the time came. As for jobs, we all know that it’s almost impossible to get employment overseas without having the right visa. I was also under-qualified, as everyone else had Masters degrees. I also don’t enjoy doing something I’m not interested in.

Plans for December 2010 and early 2011:

  • Become a full time, self-proclaimed artisan
  • Register my jewellery home business
  • Continue once-a-week German class at the Goethe Institute, at my own leisure (there’s no rush any more, is there?)
  • Take a simple silver smithing short course in December at Monash
  • Take more detailed metal smithing courses at NMIT in February
  • Sell at Rose St. Artists Market, Fitzroy
  • Earn money

We’ll see how many goals I fulfil.

In order to get the ball rolling, I’m giving 20% off purchases made between now and 28th October 2010. Orders need to be at least $5 in total (excluding shipping). Simply enter the coupon code take_20off when going through checkout.

Only 3 weeks more until I pack up shop and close, until about early to mid December. I have to pack most of my things and post them back to Melbourne. Then, I have to hunt down and re-purchase some essential equipment. Not really looking forward to it, but there are also things I can finally try out in Melbourne that I couldn’t do here.

I’ve been working on this for a long time, and it’s pretty much done, less a few products that I have yet to add.



Please do check it out! Here are some nifty features:

  • Shop in your own currency
  • Create an account to save your cart and addresses
  • Purchase without an account, if you prefer
  • Purchase in bulk with wholesale/discounted prices
  • Customise and add on to the designs directly, using the provided options
  • Get exclusive specials and offers that are not available at my other stores
  • Newsletters for account subscribers (I won’t be sending these very often)

I will be adding all my products on this site, so look out for new and exciting items coming in the next few months. The collections feature (dropdown selections) helps you locate all items in that set or style.

Shipping works a little differently, so remember to check out the shipping information section and my terms and conditions before purchasing. The contact page works like a charm, so now it’s an easier way to get in touch with me, rather than exposing my email address.

I’ve been meaning to buy these for ages, and a couple of weeks ago, I finally did it. I had a code for free shipping, so I thought that was a good time to order! I designed these so that I could either use them as jewellery cards (for shipping) or as business cards. I ordered 1 pack of normal sized cards, and 1 pack of mini cards. I love both! I will definitely be ordering more, and perhaps have multiple sets, one for each of my different crafts.



I can’t remember how many images I used for these, but there are at least 25 different card pictures. The backs for both sizes are plain brown with text, as provided by Moo. I didn’t want to spend too much time designing the info section. I can easily get caught up in the whole process if I end up making my own from scratch — designer’s curse.

If you buy jewellery from me now, they will come on one of these lovely cards. I used to hand-stamp my cards. While fun for a while, it was also time consuming and looked amateurish. I never went overboard with colours and fancy card stock, so the outcome always looked awful. But not any more! 😀

Next on my list for MOO in Nov/Dec: stickers and single purpose business cards!

Also, I’m planning to upgrade my packaging boxes from handmade to sturdier pre-made boxes. I’ll be able to do this once I no longer have the 2cm rule. I found a packaging company in Australia that sells wholesale boxes in kraft/natural colour. These will be a lot sturdier and better for gift-giving. I can stamp the top cover for a personalised touch. 😀 Well, more info on this once I actually order them.